2019 April - Pro Football Rumors

Jonathan Stewart Retires From NFL

April 23rd, 2019 at 2:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Jonathan Stewart is calling it a career. On Tuesday, the longtime NFL running back announced his retirement and signed a one-day deal with Carolina so that he could leave the game as a member of the Panthers.

Stewart pretty much spent his whole career with the Panthers, save for six carries with the Giants in 2018 before being placed on IR. In ten years with the Panthers, he amassed 7,318 rushing yards and 51 touchdowns on the ground. He also logged 162 catches for 1,295 yards and seven touchdowns.

Stewart was an immediate difference-maker for the Panthers after being selected with the No. 13 overall pick in 2008. Paired with DeAngelo Williams as one half of the “Double Trouble” tandem, J-Stew compiled 836 yards in his rookie season. Stewart would go on to top 1,100 yards in his sophomore season as a pro and flirt with the 1,000-yard mark in 2015, his lone Pro Bowl season.

Stewart, 32, will now be able to focus on other endeavors while spending more time with his family.

49ers’ Robbie Gould Demands Trade

April 23rd, 2019 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Robbie Gould wants out. The 49ers kicker, who has been cuffed by the franchise tag, has halted all negotiations and refuses to sign a long-term deal with the club, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears.

Gould’s agent, meanwhile, says that if he reports at all, it will not be before the Niners’ Sept. 8 regular season opener. So, at best, Gould appears set to be a summer holdout if he stays in SF. Speaking at his pre-draft press conference yesterday, GM John Lynch said he fully expects Gould to be with the 49ers in 2019, and that he still wants to sign Gould to a multiyear deal (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic). Gould, though, does not appear ready to make nice.

Gould, 36, was released after eleven years with the Bears, leading him to the Giants in 2016. Then, he inked a two-year pact with the Niners in 2017. Recently, Gould grew tired of the protracted contract negotiations and indicated that he wanted to be closer to home with his family in Chicago.

Earlier this offseason, the Niners expressed interest in signing free agent kicker Stephen Gostkowski before he re-signed with the Patriots. That irked Gould, who is doubling down on his desire to return to the midwest.

“The bottom line is, I’m unsure if I want to play there anymore,” Gould said. “At this point, I have to do what’s best for me and my family back home.”

Besides Gould, inexperienced kicker Jonathan Brown is the only other field goal leg on the Niners’ roster.

Seahawks Trade Frank Clark To Chiefs

April 23rd, 2019 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, the Seahawks agreed to trade Frank Clark to the Chiefs. When finalized, the deal will send Clark and a third-round choice (No. 84 overall) to the Seahawks for their first-round pick (No. 29), third-round pick (No. 92), and the lower of the Chiefs’ 2020 second-rounders.

The Seahawks originally cuffed Clark with a franchise tag for 2019, but the defensive end said he was unwilling to play under the terms of the one-year tender. Ultimately, Clark got his way with a massive long-term extension. The Chiefs have agreed to sign Clark to a five-year, $105.5MM deal, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The pact includes $63.5MM guaranteed and gives him a potentially larger total intake than Cowboys standout Demarcus Lawrence. Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets that the $105.5MM figure is a maximum value, and that the actual contract is a five-year, $104MM pact. The additional $1.5MM stems from $300K incentives that Clark could earn in each year of the deal for posting 11.5 sacks or more.

However, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that Clark may have been unwilling to ink that same deal with the Seahawks if Seattle had extended it to him. Instead, he was, despite his statements to the contrary, willing to hold out until September and then sign his franchise tender before the regular season started.

In a perfect world, the Seahawks would have liked to keep Clark for the long haul. However, after making Russell Wilson the highest-paid player in NFL history, space was rather limited. But now, as Brady Henderson of ESPN.com tweets, the team can shift its focus to extending Bobby Wagner this offseason, and if the Seahawks can’t get a deal done, they will have enough cap space in 2020 to put the franchise tag on Wagner if it so chooses.

Meanwhile, the Chiefs have made another major change to their defense. After ranking 31st in yards allowed in 2018, they’ve swapped defensive coordinator Bob Sutton for Steve Spagnuolo, moved to a 4-3 scheme, traded Dee Ford, and released Justin Houston and Eric Berry. Now, it’s out with the old and in with the new for KC. The Chiefs have landed one of the game’s best young edge rushers in clark, bringing him to a front seven that also includes new pickups Alex Okafor, Emmanuel Ogbah, and Damien Wilson.

Clark, 26 in June, entered the league as a second-round pick in 2015, but truly broke out as an NFL sophomore with ten sacks in 2016. After a nine-sack effort in 2017, he exploded for 13 sacks last year, his first full season as a starter.

Clearly, the Chiefs are all-in on fixing their defense, but it has come at the expense of draft capital and future flexibility. The Chiefs no longer have a first-round pick for Thursday, nor do they have a ton of wiggle room in future years after locking up Clark through his prime seasons.

Latest On Cardinals, Josh Rosen

April 23rd, 2019 at 12:04pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals quarterback Josh Rosen could be displaced by the selection of Kyler Murray on Thursday, but its anyone’s guess as to what will actually happen. There’s no consistent word on what the Cardinals will do at No. 1 overall, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears and the club has not made any recent trade calls centered around Rosen.

Every week, there seems to be a new contender (or, another team dropping out) of the Rosen market. Early on, the Giants seemed to have their sights set on Rosen as an heir to Eli Manning. Then, the Redskins were heavily connected to the UCLA product, but they’ve since cooled on him. The latest word is that the Dolphins have done more homework on Rosen than any other team in the league, which may make them the leader in the clubhouse.

Still, it’s not clear whether any club will offer more than a third-round pick for last year’s No. 10 overall selection. It’s also not clear whether Arizona is willing to take pennies on the dollar for the young QB.

Bengals Waive Adolphus Washington

April 23rd, 2019 at 11:03am CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have waived Adolphus Washington, according to a team announcement. The Bengals signed the defensive tackle off of the Cowboys’ taxi squad last season, but he won’t be a part of the club for 2019.

Washington had six tackles and a sack for the Bengals across four appearances last year. Prior to that, his only in-game experience came with the Bills across two seasons and change. The third-round pick hasn’t really met expectations, though he did have 3.5 sacks across his two full seasons in Buffalo.

Ultimately, Washington was somewhat redundant for the Bengals. The club is set to roll with Geno Atkins, Andrew Billings, Ryan Glasgow, Josh Tupou, Christian Ringo, and Niles Scott on the interior line this offseason.

Chargers Exercise Joey Bosa’s Option

April 23rd, 2019 at 8:26am CST by Zachary Links

This is the definition of a no-brainer. The Chargers have exercised the fifth-year option on defensive end Joey Bosa, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

In his first two NFL seasons, Bosa racked up a combined 23 sacks and 111 tackles. Last year, Bosa missed the bulk of the season with a bone bruise, but still managed 5.5 sacks and 23 tackles in seven games.

It took a while for the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 draft to put pen to paper, but he has blossomed into one of the league’s most terrifying edge rushers. He also serves as the signal caller of the Bolts’ defense. Simply put, Bosa is indispensable.

In 2020, Bosa will earn $14.360MM. After that, the Chargers will have to give Bosa a long-term deal at the top of the market or use the pricey franchise tag to stall. The Bolts, in theory, could use three consecutive franchise tags on Bosa, but it seems unlikely that he’d cooperate with a second tag and, even if he were willing to go with the flow, a third tag would be wildly expensive (assuming the tag system remains in place under the next collective bargaining agreement).

Speaking of the Bosa family, it sounds like Nick Bosa is a real possibility for the Cardinals at No. 1 overall. Even if Arizona passes on Bosa with the top choice, it’s unlikely that he’ll last long on Thursday.

Ravens Exercise Ronnie Stanley’s Option

April 23rd, 2019 at 7:44am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have exercised the fifth-year option on starting left tackle Ronnie Stanley, a league source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). With that, Stanley is now under contract through the 2020 season.

There was little doubt that the Ravens would pick up the fifth-year option on the 2016 first-round pick. Stanley has been a starter for the Ravens in all three of his NFL seasons and, last year, he graded out as the No. 17 ranked tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus.

The additional year will cost the Ravens $13MM in 2020 after his initial four-year deal wraps up. It’s not chump change, but it’s well worth it for the Ravens to lock down one of the best young tackles in the NFL.

The Ravens had until May 3 to make the call, but they didn’t need to take it down to the wire. Stanley’s $13MM sum will be guaranteed for injury only, so the club can easily get out of the deal if there’s an unexpected regression in his performance.

Drew Lock An Option For Packers?

April 22nd, 2019 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fourteen years ago, the Packers bypassed top help for Brett Favre by taking Aaron Rodgers. After being far more active in free agency this offseason than they were in Ted Thompson‘s first as GM in 2005, would Brian Gutekunst use a similar strategy?

After using a 30 visit on Drew Lock, the Packers indeed like the former Missouri quarterback, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report tweets. Green Bay also tried to meet with Daniel Jones but could not set up a visit. However, Lock might not be an option for the team with their initial first-round pick.

The Packers hold picks No. 12 and No. 30, and in reporting the team’s interest in Lock is real, Albert Breer of SI.com notes going quarterback might be a strategy for the Packers if Lock starts falling on Thursday night. Both Breer and NBC Sports’ Peter King sent tight end Noah Fant to the Packers at No. 12 before giving Rodgers more help at No. 30 with a wide receiver.

As of last week, Lock’s stock was believed to be dropping — to the point he might be an option late in the first round. The four-year Mizzou starter will not fall out of Round 1, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes. He could then be a consideration for teams that passed on a quarterback with their first pick, with JLC adding there is no shortage of teams at the end of Round 1 willing to trade out of the first round. This would help a quarterback-needy team, with Round 1 securing 2019 prospects’ rights through the 2023 season.

Having vacillated between the second and fourth quarterback prospect in this draft, Lock visited the passer-needy teams. If it’s true his value resides closer to the end of the first round than the middle of it, seeing which team makes the move will make the final picks of opening night much more interesting.

King’s Latest: Giants, Bosa, Steelers, Sweat

April 22nd, 2019 at 8:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to two positions primarily throughout the pre-draft process, the Giants appear certain to fill one of those early. Dave Gettleman wants a pass rusher “in the worst way,” a veteran NFL exec told NBC Sports’ Peter King, before adding the team will draft an edge player with one of its first three picks. New York holds picks 6, 17 and 37 but also has been understandably linked to quarterbacks after passing on them early in last year’s draft. The Giants have met with just about every top- and second-tier pass-rushing, hosting Nick Bosa, Josh Allen, Ed Oliver, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, Brian Burns, Clelin Ferrell, Dexter Lawrence, Jaylon Ferguson on visits. After trading away Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon in consecutive offseasons, the Giants boast one of the most edge defender-needy depth charts in the game. Their Vernon-powered pass-rushing group last year registered just 30 sacks.

While the Giants may be zeroing in on Dwayne Haskins, they have also done work on possible second-round quarterbacks Will Grier and Jarrett Stidham — in the event Gettleman would dare push his post-Eli Manning QB need to 2020 and prioritize pass rushers early. He has said he would not view a non-first-round pick as a legitimate long-term quarterback solution.

Here is the latest from the draft world, courtesy of the veteran reporter:

Adding some intrigue to the Cardinals‘ situation: they believe Bosa is a generational prospect. While King still has them selecting Kyler Murray at No. 1, the report they are not totally committed to this yet — despite just about everything we’ve heard in recent weeks — is a bit more interesting. Bosa visited the Cardinals earlier this month and would obviously fill the team’s need opposite Chandler Jones.
While defensive line and linebacker prospects figure to populate the ESPN ticker early in Thursday night’s draft, secondary pieces may not come off the board until the second part of the opening round. One of the teams in need of cornerback help may have a preference. Mike Tomlin “loves” Temple’s Rock Ya-Sin, King writes. The Steelers have a linebacker need too but did sign Mark Barron to pair with Vince Williams. Their 2016 first-round investment of Artie Burns has not paid off, so Pittsburgh’s No. 20 spot may well be a cornerback destination. Ya-Sin, who played at Presbyterian (S.C.) prior to playing one season at Temple, visited the Steelers this month.
Brian Burns‘ stock has risen recently, and King mocks the Florida State product to the Bengals at No. 11. Burns ran a 4.53-second 40-yard dash at the Combine and is one of many high-caliber front-seven players available.
Another member of that group’s fortune has not been as kind. Montez Sweat will not attend the draft. Some teams have taken the Mississippi State product off their draft boards, and it is now possible he falls out of the first round. Reportedly diagnosed with an enlarged heart, Sweat may have some teams willing to take a chance on him early. One GM told King that Sweat will have an issue with his heart going forward, but if it’s closely monitored, the talented defender can have a career. That would be a boon for someone’s defense, with Sweat blazing to a 4.41-second 40 at the Combine and combining for 23 sacks between the 2017-18 seasons. Another GM informed King he believes Sweat’s upside is higher than Bosa’s, adding further intrigue to this situation.

Broncos Sign Billy Winn, Mike Purcell

April 22nd, 2019 at 7:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two defensive linemen who have not seen regular-season action since the 2016 season will join the Broncos, one a familiar face. The Broncos signed Billy Winn and Mike Purcell on Monday, the team announced.

Winn played in 16 games, starting two, for the 2016 Broncos. The team re-signed Winn in 2017, but prior to Vance Joseph’s first season, Winn went down with an ACL tear. He did not play last season. But Vic Fangio will give the 30-year-old lineman another chance.

Winn started 18 games with the Browns from 2012-14. With three career sacks (and none since 2014), Winn would profile as depth if he makes the Broncos’ roster. Purcell would as well.

The former UDFA, though, has a history with Fangio. Purcell entered the NFL as a 49ers UDFA when Fangio was still San Francisco’s defensive coordinator. Having attended the Broncos’ voluntary minicamp last week, Purcell would be entering his age-28 season. Purcell spent the 2018 offseason with the Chiefs but did not make their 53-man roster. He started five games for the 2016 49ers but has not played since.

Derek Wolfe, Adam Gotsis, Shelby Harris and Zach Kerr are almost certain to be back in the Broncos’ D-line rotation. Former second-round pick DeMarcus Walker has played sparingly but remains on the team as well. The Broncos may also address this position in the draft.

Denver also added offensive lineman Jake Rodgers, another attendee at the team’s voluntary minicamp. Rodgers, a seventh-round Falcons pick in 2015, has spent time on five teams’ practice squads.