HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/15/19

May 15th, 2019 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s draft pick signings:

  • The Titans have agreed to terms with fourth-round safety Amani Hooker, the club announced. Hooker was projected to come off the board much earlier than Round 4, leading Mike Renner of Pro Football Focus to label his selection as one of the steals of the draft. The 2019 Big Ten Defensive Back of the Year, Hooker was also named first-team All-Big Ten and second-team All-American. Additionally, Hooker posted elite athletic testing and is a versatile scheme fit, per Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, making his draft day fall all the more confusing. The Iowa product is likely to play in three-safety looks alongside fellow Tennessee defensive backs Kevin Byard and Kenny Vaccaro, and could be viewed as the long-term starter opposite Byard.
  • Sixth-round linebacker Deshaun Davis has signed his rookie deal with the Bengals, Cincinnati announced today. Davis posted 112 tackles (15 for loss) during his final season at Auburn, but tested as a very poor athlete at the combine, per Kent Lee Platte of SB Nation (Twitter link). He’ll have to shine on special teams duty in order to land a roster spot in Cincinnati. Davis is the sixth Bengals draft choice under contract, but the club still has its top four picks unsigned: offensive tackle Jonah Williams, tight end Drew Sample, linebacker Germaine Pratt, and quarterback Ryan Finley.

Patriots Sign Jamie Collins

May 15th, 2019 at 4:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Jamie Collins is back in New England. The Patriots have agreed to sign the linebacker, according to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). Terms of the deal are not yet known. 

Collins huddled up with his old team on Wednesday and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. Collins began his career with the Patriots in 2013 and was a staple of their defense up until 2016, when he was shipped to the Browns. His run in Cleveland didn’t go as planned, unfortunately, and ended with his release in March.

It’s possible that Collins has lost a step since his first run with the Pats, but he could theoretically return to form in Bill Belichick‘s system. When healthy, and motivated, Collins profiles as one of the better off-ball linebackers in the NFL.

Collins managed 138 tackles in 2014 and earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 after amassing 5.5 sacks. He was also a key contributor to the Pats’ 2014 team and helped defeat the Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX.

Latest On Jets’ Firing Of GM Mike Maccagnan

May 15th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Jets fired GM Mike Maccagnan. Maccagnan was known to be on the hot seat, but the timing of his dismissal was an absolute head-scratcher.

On Wednesday afternoon, team CEO Christopher Johnson took questions from local media, though he didn’t give a ton in the way of answers. Here are the highlights from Johnson’s presser and the latest on the newly created vacancy:

  • The issue of control over the 53-man roster figures to be a major issue for top candidates, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears. As it stands, head coach Adam Gase has final say on the roster. For what it’s worth, Gase reportedly wants the Jets to hire Eagles exec Joe Douglas, so he could conceivably be willing to cede control in order to bring his old Bears buddy on board.
  • Meanwhile, Johnson says Gase will remain in charge of the 53-man roster (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
  • Johnson did his best to downplay talk of a serious rift between Gase and Maccagnan. “I think there was very good synergy (between Maccagnan and Gase), but it was not everything that I was hoping for. I made the decision I want to find a better fit for this building,” Johnson said (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano).
  • The CEO said he made the decision to fire Maccagnan “in the last few days,” (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the Daily News). He then added: “I’m not going to get into a lot of specifics about why we’re moving on from Mike.“
  • Johnson said he’s looking for more of a “strategic thinker” with the new Jets GM and “someone who could collaborate with the building,” (Twitter link via Vacchiano).

Ravens Considering Pernell McPhee

May 15th, 2019 at 2:03pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens are considering a Pernell McPhee return, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic (on Twitter). The Ravens have been on the hunt for veteran pass rush help and McPhee would offer familiarity with the club after spending the first four years of his career in Baltimore. 

The Ravens also met with Matt Longacre this week, but he left the facility without signing a deal. Longacre is less accomplished than McPhee, but he is three years younger and started in seven games last year, which is seven more than McPhee.

McPhee was a 2011 fifth-round pick of the Ravens and was an oft-featured sub before moving on to the Bears in free agency. He entered and went out with a bang in Baltimore – McPhee notched six sacks as a rookie and tallied a career-high 7.5 sacks in 2014, his contract year. McPhee parlayed that success into a five-year deal, $38.8MM deal with Chicago, but injuries cost him 12 regular season games over a three-year stretch. Still, McPhee managed 14 sacks for the Bears.

McPhee didn’t impress much in his reserve role with the Redskins last year, but he could view a Ravens return as an opportunity to get back on track.

Latest On Bucs, Gerald McCoy

May 15th, 2019 at 1:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Defensive tackle Gerald McCoy remains in limbo. It has long been speculated that the Buccaneers will either trade Gerald McCoy, release him, or ask him to take a pay cut from his slated $13MM salary for 2019. Of course, the first two scenarios have not happened yet and the club still has not asked McCoy to take a salary trim, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. 

Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the Buccaneers are pretty certain that they’ll be moving on from McCoy. If they wanted McCoy to stay in Tampa, they probably would have discussed a pay reduction with him by now. The fact that they haven’t suggests that they want to offer McCoy much, much less than $13MM – a figure so low that McCoy would not even consider it.

Lately, coach Bruce Arians and GM Jason Licht have been non-committal when asked about McCoy, who has been with the club for nine seasons. It remains to be seen whether McCoy will show for any part of voluntary OTAs and, if the situation drags, he may even stay home during the club’s mandatory minicamp between June 4-8. If McCoy no-shows, the Bucs will have the ability to fine him.

Despite his past accomplishments, an April report indicated that McCoy has not generated trade interest.

Patriots In Talks With Jamie Collins

May 15th, 2019 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are in talks with free agent linebacker Jamie Collins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). If signed, the deal would bring Collins back to the team and system that made him a star. 

Collins became an integral part of the Patriots’ defense after being selected in the second round of the 2013 draft. He truly broke out in 2014 when he became a full-time starter for the club in 2014 and, in 2015, he earned his first ever Pro Bowl selection after notching 5.5 sacks, a strong showing for an off-the-ball linebacker.

Before the 2016 trade deadline, the Patriots shipped Collins to the Browns. Collins was in his contract year and pushing for a high-priced deal that the Patriots were unwilling to give him. Collins was also said to be “freelancing” – going into business for himself on plays to ensure that he would add to his tackle total. Clearly, that didn’t sit well with Bill Belichick & Co., but they could be willing to let bygones by bygones in 2019.

Collins’ Browns run came to an end in March when the Browns released him instead of paying him upwards of $10MM for the upcoming season. Last year, Collins registered 104 tackles and four sacks across 16 games, but he graded out as just the No. 58 ranked LB in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus.

Jets Targeting Daniel Jeremiah

May 15th, 2019 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Welcome to Jets day here at Pro Football Rumors. For those of you who are just joining us:

And, now, the latest – the Jets have their eyes on NFL Network draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah for “a prominent front-office position,” sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Jeremiah moved up the ranks at NFLN after Mike Mayock was tapped as the GM of the Raiders and Jeremiah could be the next to go from the booth to the war room.

Schefter notes that Douglas is close friends with Jeremiah, which could make the two a package deal. It is not immediately clear whether Jeremiah, who is a widely respected TV personality, would also garner consideration for the GM vacancy.

Jets’ Adam Gase Didn’t Want Le’Veon Bell

May 15th, 2019 at 11:48am CST by Zachary Links

Try this one on for size – the Jets’ new head coach and recently appointed interim GM Adam Gase “absolutely” did not want the team to sign running back Le’Veon Bell this offseason, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). Of course, he lost that battle, as Mike Maccagnan inked Bell to a four-year, $52MM contract. 

[RELATED: Jets Fire GM Mike Maccagnan]

There were previous rumblings that Gase wasn’t thrilled about the Bell expenditure, but that came with further word that Gase’s dissatisfaction with the Bell signing and Maccagnan on the whole was “overblown.” Now that the Jets have canned Maccagnan, we know that the Gase-Maccagnan beef was real, and that likely goes for disagreement over the Bell signing as well.

Gase wasn’t just opposed to signing Bell – Mehta hears he didn’t want to spend a lot of money on any running back. Regardless, the two are tied together for the foreseeable future.

Meanwhile, Gase’s preferred choice to be the next Jets general manager is Eagles VP of player personnel Joe Douglas, Mehta hears (on Twitter). Douglas and Gase have history together dating back to their time with the Bears and he’s already said to be a top candidate for the job.

Jets Eyeing Joe Douglas As GM?

May 15th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday afternoon, the Jets shocked the football world by firing GM Mike Maccagnan. For now, head coach Adam Gase will serve as the team’s interim GM, but he might not hold that title for long. The Jets have their eyes set on Eagles Vice President of Player Personnel Joe Douglas, two league sources tell Eliot Shorr-Parks of WIP (on Twitter).

It’s not clear whether the Jets have asked the Eagles for permission to interview Douglas, but that doesn’t matter much. Because the move would mark a clear career advancement, the Eagles would not have the ability to prevent Douglas from accepting the job.

Douglas has been with the Eagles since May of 2016, which coincided with Howie Roseman‘s return to power. Douglas had a big hand in assembling the team that won the Super Bowl following the 2017 season, giving him the pedigree to be a leading contender for Gang Green.

It remains to be seen whether Douglas would jump at the job. On one hand, the Jets are loaded with young talent, including quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Le’Veon Bell, safety Jamal Adams, and defensive linemen Leonard Williams and Quinnen Williams. On the other hand, the timing of Maccagnan’s dismissal indicates that there is some serious dysfunction in East Rutherford.

Jets Fire GM Mike Maccagnan

May 15th, 2019 at 10:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have fired GM Mike Maccagnan, according to a team announcement. New head coach Adam Gase will take over as the team’s interim GM. 

“This morning, I informed Mike that he was being relieved of his duties as General Manager of the team, effective immediately,” Jets CEO Christopher Johnson said in a statement. “Mike helped to execute the strategic vision of the organization during the last four seasons and especially the past few months. However, I came to the decision to make a change after much thought and a careful assessment of what would be in the best long-term interests of the New York Jets. I will start a search for our new General Manager immediately. In the interim, Coach Gase will be the acting General Manager. I would like to thank Mike for his time and efforts during his tenure, and I wish only the best for him and his wife Betty.”

Maccagnan has long been rumored to be on the hot seat in New York, but few saw the longtime exec getting the hook after the initial waves of free agency and the draft. The GM had two years to go on his deal and the assumption was that Maccagnan would be given at least one more year to turn things around.

Still, Maccagnan’s misses have been glaring. While he has hit on early draft picks such as defensive tackle Leonard Williams and safety Jamal Adams, he’s missed badly in the lower reaches of the draft, which is especially disappointing given his previous track record as a talent evaluator.

The Jets have also whiffed in free agency under Maccagnan’s watch, including the 2018 offseason in which the club failed to land quarterback Kirk Cousins and settled for a monster deal with cornerback Trumaine Johnson. The former Rams standout struggled all season and his five-year, $72.5MM is already looking like a misfire.

Despite all of that, Maccagnan was entrusted to allocate $100MM+ in cap room this offseason and use the team’s No. 3 overall pick in April. The Jets used a big chunk of their cap space to sign Le’Veon Bell, giving the franchise an elite running back in his prime for the first time since Curtis Martin. Meanwhile, Maccagnan used the No. 3 overall pick to select Quinnen Williams, who may prove to be the best overall talent in the 2019 class.

Vice President of Player Personnel Brian Heimerdinger will follow Maccagnan out the door, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

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