2018 January - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Giants, Foles, Patriots

January 28th, 2018 at 9:46am CST by Rory Parks

New Giants head coach Pat Shurmur and GM Dave Gettleman — in stark contract to their predecessors at this time last year — recognize that Big Blue needs to make significant improvements to its O-line in order to return to contention in 2018, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Schwartz views the rapid improvement that the Vikings’ O-line made from 2016 to 2017, in large part due to heavy free agent and draft investment, as an indication that New York will be able to make a similar jump under Shurmur.

Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are unrestricted free agents and there is no guarantee that either will be re-signed, John Jerry can be cut without many salary cap implications, and the new regime has no connection to Ereck Flowers, so the Giants’ line will be in for a major overhaul, and Schwartz thinks Shurmur is the right man to lead that change.

Now for more notes from the league’s east divisions:

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that Shurmur was able to retain Giants assistant offensive line coach Lunda Wells, who also garnered interest from the Raiders and other teams. New York will promote Wells to tight ends coach. In addition, the team is expected to retain RB coach Craig Johnson, per Schwartz (via Twitter).
Carson Wentz believes he will be ready for the start of the 2018 season, which is already leading to speculation as to what the Eagles will do with Nick Foles, who has guided the team to a berth in Super Bowl LII in Wentz’s absence. Jimmy Kempski of the PhillyVoice says the team’s medical staff also believes Wentz will be available when Week 1 of the 2018 season rolls around, and Foles will count for $7.6MM against the cap in 2018, the last year of his current deal. Rather than let Foles leave in free agency after 2018, Kempski speculates that Philadelphia could trade Foles to a QB-needy team this offseason. Of course, the Eagles have the luxury of simply holding onto one of the best backups in the league if they do not get an offer they like.
Patriots QB Tom Brady had an appointment earlier this week to remove the 12 stitches on his throwing hand that he played with in the AFC Championship Game last Sunday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Brady is expected to be fully healthy for Super Bowl LII.
James Harrison has given the Patriots‘ defense a nice boost since joining the team on December 26, and the 39-year-old said he does not intend to retire at the end of the season. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Harrison says he may want to play for up to two more years.
Assuming the Jets are not able to land Josh Rosen or Sam Darnold in this year’s draft, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes Gang Green would prefer Josh Allen over Baker Mayfield (Twitter link). Although Allen may be more raw than Rosen or Darnold, some believe he has the highest ceiling of any signal-caller in the draft.

Latest On Josh McDaniels, Patriots’ Staff

January 28th, 2018 at 8:16am CST by Rory Parks

Josh McDaniels had his second interview with the Colts on Friday, and it apparently went well. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) that, shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl LII, Indianapolis will hire McDaniels as its next head coach.

Of course, this hardly qualifies as breaking news. We have known for some time now that McDaniels would be heading to the Colts once New England’s season is over, and the Friday interview was largely just an opportunity for him to sit down with Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay to make plans for the offseason. As Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweets, Irsay was not present for the first interview, so the second summit was needed to get the owner’s official stamp of approval.

McDaniels will now turn his attention towards bringing yet another Super Bowl to New England before he departs. The Patriots, meanwhile, will need to replace not only McDaniels, but DC Matt Patricia as well. Plus, as Schefter points out, Pats special teams coordinator Joe Judge is on an expiring contract, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe hears that Judge may well join Patricia in Detroit (Twitter link).

Volin writes in a full-length piece that Patriots LB coach Brian Flores — who got some head coaching interest this year — seems like the obvious candidate to replace Patricia as New England’s DC. The real question, then, is who (if anyone) will replace McDaniels.

As Volin notes, head coach Bill Belichick has not had to fill either top coordinator position since 2012, but his history suggests that if he does name a new offensive coordinator, he will promote from within. Indeed, all of Belichick’s coordinators during his 18-year tenure in New England either worked with him at a previous stop or worked their way up inside the Pats’ organization.

During a portion of Belichick’s reign, the team has not even had an official offensive coordinator. McDaniels ran the offense as a quarterbacks coach in 2005, and current Texans head coach Bill O’Brien called plays for the offense during the 2008-09 seasons but did not hold the OC title.

Nonetheless, someone will need to run the offense, regardless of title, and Volin says the only two realistic choices on-staff are assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski and receivers coach Chad O’Shea. Of the two, Volin sees O’Shea as the more likely target, as he has experience in all facets of the game and currently serves as the team’s red zone offense coordinator.

NFC Notes: Cousins, Cowboys, Garoppolo, Cards

January 27th, 2018 at 9:35pm CST by Micah Powell

One of the top dominos to fall in free agency this offseason will be the future of Kirk Cousins. The Redskins have used both the transition tag and franchise tag on the signal-caller in the last two years, respectively, and their intentions this offseason remain unknown.

One option would be to again use a tag on Cousins and then trade him to another team, NBC Sports’ Rich Tandler writes. In theory, Tandler states, Cousins would agree to a deal with another team but would not sign an offer sheet. He would then be receive the transition tag from Washington, who would then trade him to the agreed upon team.

Tandler notes the pros to the deal would be an assurance to Cousins that Washington wouldn’t match an offer, the Redskins would receive compensation for his departure and the other team would get their franchise quarterback without signing him to a heavily front-loaded contract.

Of the teams who would potentially be interested in such a deal, the Browns, Broncos and Jets seem like the most obvious candidates to get something done.

It’s still early in the offseason, but the Cousins situation will be among the most interesting and pivotal of the offseason.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Cowboys wide receiver Ryan Switzer underwent arthroscopic surgery to remove bone spurs from his left ankle, the team reported. Primarily deployed as a kickoff and punt returner in his rookie season, the North Carolina product is expected to assume a heavier workload on offense in his second season.
The Cardinals are looking to hire Titans defensive line coach Nick Eason for the same position, AZ Central’s Kent Somers hears (Twitter link). The position was previously held by Brentson Buckner for the last five seasons. Eason played 10 seasons in the NFL and has been with the Titans since 2014.
49ers general manager John Lynch has stated often that he envisions Jimmy Garoppolo as the quarterback in San Francisco for the foreseeable future. Lynch confirmed this week that steps have been taken to ensure that happens, reports the San Francisco Chronicle’s Eric Branch writes. The chances of Garoppolo playing somewhere other than the Bay Area in 2018 are slim to none. If a multi-year deal cannot be quickly reached, the team is sure to use the franchise tag on the signal-caller who has yet to lose as a starter in the NFL (7-0).

Lawrence Talks To Begin Next Month

January 27th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Micah Powell

To no one’s surprise, Pro Bowl defensive end Demarcus Lawrence is priority No. 1 for the Cowboys this offseason. Though he is the top target, Lawrence and his camp have yet to begin discussing a contract extension with the Cowboys and don’t expect to until later in February, ESPN’s Jenna Laine writes.

Lawrence’s agent, David Canter, says he expects to sit down with Cowboys brass at the NFL Combine, which begins on Feb. 28 in Indianapolis. Judging from Canter’s comments, Lawrence will not be giving Dallas a hometown discount.

“It’s really up to them to want to do a deal that’s in line with what the market is for a young, ascending, elite franchise-caliber defensive end. Whatever that number ends up being remains to be seen. But I do imagine and believe that we’ll have multiple conversations over the next month or so. I think it’s early right now.”

Even if a longterm deal is not struck, it is fully expected that the Cowboys will use their franchise tag on the pass rusher. In 2017, Lawrence posted 14.5 sacks — tied for second in the league with Calais Campbell — and registered 27 quarterback hits. His sack total was the highest by a Cowboys defender since DeMarcus Ware in 2011.

The last time the Cowboys used the franchise tag was on Dez Bryant in 2015, shortly before signing the receiver to a contract extension. Using the franchise tag on Lawrence would cost the Cowboys about $17.5 MM.

Canter is also the agent of Giants defensive end Olivier Vernon, who signed the largest contract in NFL history for a defensive end when he landed a five-year, $85 MM deal in 2016.

Panthers Set Up GM Interviews For Next Week

January 27th, 2018 at 7:29pm CST by Micah Powell

Though interim general manager Marty Hurney is the frontrunner to be named the Panthers new GM, the team has also scheduled interviews with a pair of external candidates for next week, the Charlotte Observer’s Joseph Person writes.

Those two candidates are Texans assistant general manager Jimmy Raye III and Bills assistant college scouting director Lake Dawson. Both Raye and Dawson, as Person notes, satisfies the Rooney Rule that requires NFL teams to interview at least one minority candidate.

Though a time has not been divulged, the Panthers are also expected to sit down with Titans director of player personnel Ryan Cowden, who formerly served as a scout with Carolina.

Raye, a former player with the Rams, joined the Houston front office after stints with the Colts, as vice president of football operations, and Chargers, as director of player personnel. He has 23 years of experience in the NFL and previously interview for the Texans GM job earlier this month. Dawson joined the Bills in May 2017 following a stint as Cleveland’s national scout. He served as a receiver for six seasons before getting into college and pro scouting.

Hurney, who rejoined the Panthers following the dismissal of Dave Gettleman in the 2017 offseason, will not have a formal interview. His contract runs through June and has been backed by head coach Ron Rivera. In his one season on the job, Hurney dealt top wideout Kelvin Benjamin to Buffalo, which led to Carolina’s passing improvement down the stretch.

North Notes: Browns, Bears, Mosley, Cooter

January 27th, 2018 at 4:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Having already been connected to Josh Rosen, Josh Allen and Sam Darnold, the Browns are midway through an all-hands-on-deck offseason when it comes to their quarterback choice. However, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports the Browns may not be dismissing a Baker Mayfield pick. Multiple evaluators informed Robinson that the Browns are going to be down to Darnold or Mayfield.

“A lot of what he is as a player fits with the mentality of John Dorsey,” one source told Robinson from the Senior Bowl. “Just his mental makeup as a player, John believes in building around those kinds of guys. … I think he’s a strong candidate [for the top pick] after this week.”

The 6-foot passer has been mentioned the least among the top quarterbacks as being a viable option at No. 1 at this point in the pre-draft process, but Dorsey said this week there could be “four or five” prospects the team could target atop the draft. While Mayfield’s character issues are still cropping up this week, it’s looking clear he will be picked in the top half of the first round. Robinson notes former Redskins GM Scot McCloughan serves as one of Dorsey’s top sounding boards, and McCloughan’s been pro-Mayfield for a while. Another source noted Dorsey’s past with the Packers during the Brett Favre era could apply here, given Mayfield’s gunslinger style and sometimes difficult off-field persona. Nevertheless, it would quite the leap for Mayfield to rise to the top of the draft over passers who have long been viewed as better prospects.

Here’s the latest from the North divisions:

C.J. Mosley has no designs on leaving Baltimore. One of numerous 2014 first-round picks to be stuck in fifth-year option limbo, Mosley is eyeing a career that ends with him being ranked as the second-best linebacker in Ravens history, he said (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). The Pro Bowl inside ‘backer expects something to get done regarding an extension. Mosley is set to make $8.718MM next season.
The Lions are going to have an entirely new defensive staff under Matt Patricia and already parted ways with quarterbacks coach Brian Callahan, who became a coveted commodity this week. But the expectation remains Patricia will retain OC Jim Bob Cooter, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com notes. While the Lions have struggled on the ground under Cooter, finishing 32nd twice during his two-plus-year tenure running the offense, Matthew Stafford‘s had his best run of seasons during Cooter’s time in Detroit.
An internal debate’s being waged at Bears headquarters as to whether Cody Whitehair will function better as a center or guard, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes, adding this process will impact whether the team picks up Josh Sitton‘s 2018 option. Whitehair has played both spots, receiving most of his work at center, while Sitton is a pure guard. The soon-to-be 32-year-old blocker is due to count $8.57MM against the Bears’ 2018 cap if the team picks up his option.
Another possible factor working in Sitton’s favor for a third Bears year is the Kyle Long‘s suddenly injury-prone status. Biggs reports Long will undergo multiple surgeries this offseason. Long played in 10 games this past season after an extensive rehab process didn’t end until after the 2017 campaign began.

Rob Gronkowski Returns To Practice

January 27th, 2018 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots’ preparations for their third Super Bowl in four years included Rob Gronkowski on Saturday, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports.

Gronkowski returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in the AFC championship game. However, the Patriots’ injury report indicates their future Hall of Fame pass-catcher would not be active if the Super Bowl were to be played on Sunday.

Gronkowski remains in the Pats’ concussion protocol and must be cleared by the team’s head physician and an independent neurologist to play against the Eagles. Given the bye week and a return to practice eight days before Super Bowl LII, it remains a good bet Gronk will be active for what will be his third Super Bowl.

While the Patriots managed to navigate the Jaguars’ defense without Gronkowski in the second half, the eighth-year tight end has been their passing game’s defining weapon this decade and is coming off his fourth first-team All-Pro season — tied with John Hannah for most in team history. Gronkowski caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing two games.

Earl Thomas Doubles Down On Holdout Talk

January 27th, 2018 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Earl Thomas‘ second Seahawks contract raised the bar for safeties, but that four-year, $40MM extension has been since surpassed by several players. And it’s only good through the 2018 season.

This status has caused the perennial All-Pro to reassess his standing in Seattle. After broaching a holdout earlier this week, Thomas doubled down on Saturday, telling Jane Slater of NFL.com he doesn’t see himself rejoining his Seahawks teammates without a long-term deal (Twitter link).

“I won’t allow myself to even go out there and just risk it all if they’re not having faith in me in a long-term deal,” Thomas said at the Pro Bowl. “I just gotta protect myself, at the end of the day, me and my family. … I don’t feel comfortable going out there without signing a long-term deal.”

Thomas’ apprehension is understandable given how his 2016 season ended and the way some of his longtime teammates’ 2017 campaigns concluded. Thomas suffered a broken leg during the ’16 slate, one that significantly affected the Seahawks’ Super Bowl chances, and observed Kam Chancellor and Cliff Avril encounter career-threatening neck injuries this season.

Five safeties usurped Thomas’ contract since he signed it in 2014, with Eric Berry‘s $13MM-AAV agreement now the safety standard. Among active safeties, only Thomas and Berry have three first-team All-Pro distinctions to their credit. Thomas is five months younger than Berry and won’t turn 29 until May, so he figures to command top dollar from Seattle or another team, if it comes to that, for his third contact. The eighth-year defender hinted at a union with the Cowboys, whom he supported growing up, in December.

The Seahawks extended Chancellor, who does not have a first-team All-Pro honor despite consistent success, last year for $12MM per season and also have Richard Sherman entering a contract year. It could be a complicated offseason for the Legion of Boom.

Lake Dawson Secures Panthers GM Meeting

January 27th, 2018 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers’ GM search is beginning to fill out, with now two external interview candidates known. The second of which will be Bills assistant director of college scouting Lake Dawson.

Dawson will join interim GM Marty Hurney and Texans VP of player personnel Jimmy Raye III in interviewing for the post, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com report.

A Dawson defection would represent another blow to a recently assembled Bills front office, which lost top Brandon Beane lieutenant Brian Gaine when he agreed to return to Houston as Texans GM.

Dawson has been in his current post for less than a year but spent nine seasons as a Titans exec, rising through the ranks under then-GMs Mike Reinfeldt and Ruston Webster. Dawson finished his Titans tenure in 2015 as the franchise’s VP of player personnel. He spent the 2016 season with the Browns.

The 45-year-old exec has spent 17 years as a scout or executive, doing so following a four-year playing career as a wide receiver.

Could Sheldon Richardson Rejoin Jets?

January 27th, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Ben Levine

Less than five months ago, the Jets dealt Sheldon Richardson to the Seahawks. With the offseason approaching, could the free agent defensive lineman rejoin his former organization? Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News thinks so.

In a recent column, the reporter discusses the Jets’ free agency plans. Mehta noted that Richardson is looking to test the market in pursuit of a big payday, and he adds that the defensive lineman still has a soft spot for the Jets organization. If it makes sense financially, Mehta believes the Jets would welcome back Richardson with open arms. Of course, the Jets will have plenty of competition for the former first-rounder, as he adds that the Seahawks are interested in re-signing the impending free agent.

The Jets traded the 27-year-old to Seattle in early September for a 2018 second-round pick and wideout Jermaine Kearse. Richardson went on to have a bit of an underwhelming season with the Seahawks, as he compiled 44 tackles and a career-low one sack. However, the defensive end isn’t far removed from a 2014 campaign where he compiled eight sacks and was named to the Pro Bowl.