HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

Early Entry Players For NFL Draft

January 19th, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL announced that 106 players have been granted special eligibility for the 2018 draft. Special eligibility, generally, refers to players who have met the NFL’s three-year eligibility rule and renounced their college football eligibility.

The group of 106 early eligibility players marks a new high for the league, up from 95 in 2017, 96 in 2016, 74 in 2015, and 98 in 2014. Ten years ago (2009), there were only 46 players forgoing their remaining college eligibility. It’s a trend that figures to continue, so long the NCAA continues its policy of not compensating its athletes.

As previously reported, this year’s early entry crop will include top quarterbacks Wyoming’s Josh Allen, USC’s Sam Darnold, Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, and UCLA’s Josh Rosen plus Penn State running back Saquon Barkley, Alabama defensive back Minkah Fitzpatrick, and LSU linebacker Arden Key.

Click “Read More” to see the entire list of players who have been granted early access to the NFL:

Read more

AFC South Notes: Brees, Jaguars, Titans

January 19th, 2018 at 11:41am CST by Zachary Links

Drew Brees says that he will not test the free agent market this offseason, but Mike Florio of PFT is not convinced. It’s possible, he argues, that Brees is testing the Saints to see if they will make a lowball offer. If the Saints don’t come to the table with an adequate proposal, he could change course and see what else is out there.

If Brees does explore free agency, the Jaguars are one of several teams that could show serious interest in him, Florio speculates. Jacksonville is one win away from the Super Bowl, but if they do not win it all, the Jags could decide that the missing ingredient is a top-tier quarterback.

The Jaguars would almost certainly kick the tires on Brees if he’s out there, but they would have to get creative in terms of finances in order to land him. The Broncos and Jets would also figure to have interest in Brees and they both have significantly more cap room to work with than Jacksonville.

Here’s more from the AFC South:

  • Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com looked back at the Titans‘ 2017 draft class. The group starts with No. 5 overall pick Corey Davis, who had a two-touchdown game in the playoff loss to the Patriots. Davis missed a good chunk of time in ’17, but Wyatt believes his confidence boost will help him going into the offseason. Meanwhile, Wyatt wonders what the rest of the WR group will look like around him since both Eric Decker and Harry Douglas are scheduled for free agency in March.
  • With the No. 3 pick in the draft, should the Colts go with pass rusher Bradley Chubb or running back Saquon Barkley? Mike Wells of ESPN.com stacked the two standouts against each other but argued that they can’t go wrong with either one since they both fill a position of need. There is a bit of a stigma around taking a running back high in the draft, but the Rams, Cowboys, and Jaguars have gotten 1,000-yard seasons out of Todd Gurley, Ezekiel Elliott, and Leonard Fournette.
  • The Texans are expected to try and bolster the cornerback and safety positions in free agency and the draft, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. They’ll first have to take stock of what they have in-house, however. Veteran cornerback Johnathan Joseph is a pending free agent and they must decide whether to exercise a fifth-year option for injury-prone corner Kevin Johnson.

Browns’ Joe Thomas Discusses Future

January 19th, 2018 at 10:51am CST by Zachary Links

Browns tackle Joe Thomas is still undecided about whether he wants to play in 2018. However, he plans on letting the team know his plans sooner rather than later. Joe Thomas (vertical)

“I don’t think there’s any real rush at this point,” he told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Obviously, they want to know before the draft and free agency, so that if they have make different plans if I’m not going to be there, they want to know about it. I told them I’ll make a decision when I’m ready and let them know and give them as much time as I possibly can.”

The Browns gave Thomas a $3MM raise in November which would make him the league’s highest paid offensive lineman in 2018 at a $13.5MM salary. Thomas is due to collect on a $3MM bonus on March 18, but Thomas seems to be indicating that he’ll notify the team in advance of the legal tampering period on March 12.

In 2017, a torn triceps tendon ended Thomas’ NFL-record streak of 10,363 snaps, but that’s not the injury that has him on the fence about playing. Instead, Thomas says its his lingering knee and back issues that have him thinking about walking away.

If Thomas does take the field in 2018, he won’t rule out the possibility of continuing his career into 2019.

“I’m not ready to say anything definitively because I’d hate to be wrong,” he said. “Because I’ve seen how a lot of other guys’ careers has ended. I grew up in Wisconsin a Brett Favre fan and I’ve seen how many times he was definitely not going to come play and then he played for the Jets and the Vikings. So I don’t want to say anything definitively. I don’t know. It’s hard to say. But what I can say is this is my last year on my contract in Cleveland. I don’t want to play anywhere else. I guess I haven’t thought that far yet.”

In previous interviews, Thomas indicated that he would be more inclined to play next year if the Browns were positioned to win. The veteran is of the belief that the Browns at least have a chance at a turnaround season.

“Honestly, the way I look at 2018 for the Browns is $100MM in cap space, the first and the fourth pick,” he said. “If you look back historically, if you added two guys in free agency that were both $25MM a year, you could assume that they’re probably Hall of Fame-caliber. Then you add a first pick and a fourth pick who presumably could be Hall of Fame guys, or more likely probably Pro Bowl guys, you’ve now added four blue chip players to your roster. Now you’re totally transformed your team.”

Jaguars Notes: Coughlin, Ramsey, Jack

January 19th, 2018 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the Jaguars as they gear up for the most important game in nearly two decades:

  • Last year, Jaguars owner Shad Khan wanted to hire Tom Coughlin as the team’s chief decision maker and make then interim head coach Doug Marrone the team’s full-time HC. He feared putting the two in a “forced marriage,” but Coughlin independently named Marrone as his top choice for the role, Jarrett Bell of USA Today writes. It’s an unusual arrangement, but Marrone says that he does not mind operating in Coughlin’s shadow. “I’ve never been the boss, just so you know,” he said. “I’ve got one at home, and when I go home with my wife, my father-in-law (James “Boots” Donnelly, the longtime football coach at Middle Tennessee) is the boss. Or my mother-in-law, depending on the situation. When I visit my parents, they’re the boss. I’m never the boss. So it’s the same.”
  • The culture change in Jacksonville is a big reason for the Jaguars’ success, but the team’s 2016 draft under Dave Caldwell should not be discounted, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com writes. In that year, the Jaguars selected Jalen Ramsey (No. 5 overall), linebacker Myles Jack (No. 36) and defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (No. 69). With those picks, the Jags came away with a first-team All-Pro, a starting linebacker, and one of the league’s top young pass-rushers. Of course, the team’s 2017 free agent class – including defensive end Calais Campbell, cornerback A.J. Bouye, and safety Barry Church – is also a big reason for the team’s surprising playoff run.
  • Earlier this week, the Jaguars auditioned Brock Miller, but that was probably just to give Jacksonville some practice against a left-footed punter in preparation for Ryan Allen of the Pats.

Trade Rumors App For iOS/Android

January 19th, 2018 at 9:35am CST by Zachary Links

If you enjoy PFR on your smartphone or tablet then you’ve got to download the free Trade Rumors app!

Trade Rumors, available for iOS and Android, is the best way to consume our content on a mobile device. Here’s what it delivers, all for free:

  • All the articles from Pro Football Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, and Pro Hockey Rumors in an easy-to-navigate, eye-catching format. Swipe through stories to quickly consume all the news and rumors from our four sites. Not into all four sports? No problem – any sport can be easily removed.
  • Customize what you see. You can create feeds for any team or player across any of our sites.
  • Notifications! For any team or player, you can set up push notifications to ensure you always get breaking news instantly. Notifications can also be set up at the sport level.
  • Commenting! You can now read and contribute comments on the app.
  • Customer service! If you find a bug, we’ll fix it. If you have a feature request, we’ll consider it. The app is continually evolving and improving.
  • Did we mention Trade Rumors is a free app? What do you have to lose? Download now!

NFC Notes: Cardinals, Giants, Fangio, Vikings

January 18th, 2018 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Johnson is doing his part to keep the Cardinals‘ offense together. Since he was last on the field, Bruce Arians and Carson Palmer retired. And Larry Fitzgerald isn’t certain to come back for a 15th season. Johnson, though, tried to coax Palmer into a 16th slate — one for which he was under contract.

“I think Carson’s done,” Johnson said on the Pro Football Talk PM Podcast (via PFT’s Mike Florio). “I’ve talked to him. I was trying to get him to come back just because he was another person who was very impactful not just on the field but also off the field. I was trying to recruit him to come back but I think his mindset is [to retire] — and I definitely understand where he’s coming from.”

Johnson was more bullish on Fitzgerald’s chances of coming back following another 100-reception, 1,000-yard campaign.

“Larry is going to come back,” Johnson said, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “He’s still playing at a high level.”

Johnson told Florio he hopes the team and his representation can begin negotiations on a new contract but added he remains focused on his rehab process.

Here’s the latest from the NFC:

  • Vic Fangio‘s new Bears contract is a three-year agreement, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com reports. The veteran DC said he had “a lot” of options but chose to stay in Chicago because he’s confident in Matt Nagy‘s direction for the team. Fangio said he won’t be gaining more defensive responsibility under Nagy than he had under the defensive-oriented John Fox, per Dickerson, because Fox gave him full autonomy to run the Bears’ defense.
  • Eli Manning and Dave Gettleman met recently, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post reports. While the new Giants GM described this as a “great conversation,” he added “I don’t want to go there” when asked about if the parties reached any closure about Manning’s status following the summit. Schwartz adds the Giants are “very likely” to select their quarterback of the future with the No. 2 overall pick.
  • The Giants are still likely to reach out to Patriots OC Josh McDaniels on Monday to see if he’s committed to becoming the Colts‘ HC as has been reported, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. A source told Vacchiano that McDaniels would be the favorite if all of their finalists wanted the job, although Vacchiano reports a Giants source also described this year’s HC candidate pool as “uninspiring.” Pat Shurmur remains in line to become Big Blue’s next HC.
  • While it still sounds like Joe Berger has a maximum of two NFL games left, the Vikings guard (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) said he won’t decide until March or April if he’s done after this season or not. Berger said before the season he was likely to retire after 2017 and added one of the reasons he decided to come back was Mike Remmers‘ addition. “My thought is that this is it, but I’m not going to try to make that decision now in the middle of all this,” Berger said. Pro Football Focus graded the 35-year-old blocker as the No. 15 NFL guard this season.
  • Conversely, the Vikings winning a Super Bowl would not seem to dissuade Terence Newman from coming back for a 16th season and what would be his age-40 campaign. Newman said he’s optimistic he can remain an impact player in 2018, were he to decide to come back. “Let’s just say, hypothetically speaking, that I was able to (win a Super Bowl), then why not try to get two?’’ Newman said, via Tomasson. “You can look at it at both sides.” PFF graded Newman as a middle-of-the-pack corner this season. Newman’s playing on a one-year contract.

NFL Workout Updates: 1/18/18

January 18th, 2018 at 8:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s workout updates, courtesy of veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer.

Baltimore Ravens

Jacksonville Jaguars

Pittsburgh Steelers

2018 Salary Cap Could Exceed $180MM?

January 18th, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL’s salary cap has risen dramatically over the past five years, with the 2016-17 increase nearly doubling as the biggest since the cap was implemented.

In December, a report emerged indicating the 2018 cap would likely fall between $174.2MM and $178.1MM. It it ends up within that range would, that would not top the growth of this past year — when the cap vaulted from $155.27MM to $167MM — but it would still be in line with recent spikes.

But Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk hears the cap may be set to move past the $180MM mark. That $13MM-plus increase would mean the highest climb in the cap era. Here’s what the salary cap has looked like over the past five years:

  • 2013: $123MM
  • 2014: $133MM
  • 2015: $143.28MM
  • 2016: $155.27MM
  • 2017: $167MM

In the years prior to 2013, the cap stagnated, with the 2009 salary ceiling of $123MM matching the 2013 cap number. But the expected growth will benefit the next group of free agents. Although Florio notes teams are ready to spend on the next crop of UFAs, he categorizes the upcoming class as not being particularly enticing. He adds the number of franchise-tagged performers could well rise.

Saints To Sign Josh Huff

January 18th, 2018 at 7:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Josh Huff went from being the primary Eagles kick returner for three seasons to spending the 2017 season out of the league, but the wide receiver looks to soon have another chance.

The Saints are planning to sign Huff on Friday, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Wilson notes Huff has been training in Houston. He’s certainly traversed the NFL workout circuit over the past few months.

Huff twice worked out for the Saints this season, auditioning for New Orleans in September and December. In between, he received tryouts with the Jets, Texans and Redskins (twice) but remained a free agent. The Buccaneers sent Huff to free agency in September.

Arrested for unlawfully possessing a weapon in 2016, Huff did not see any jail time on that charge, instead receiving six months’ probation.

The 26-year-old wideout/return man played seven games with the Eagles and three with the Bucs in 2016 and has two kick-return touchdowns to his credit. Huff showed the Saints a glimpse of his receiving abilities in 2015, when he caught four passes for 78 yards and a touchdown against them that October.

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