HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Marvin Lewis Doesn’t Expect To Coach Again

June 25th, 2019 at 5:18pm CST by Ben Levine

We previously heard that Marvin Lewis may be looking to return to the NFL, but the former Bengals head coach’s tone changed a bit during a conversation with Zach Gelb on CBS Sports Radio. When asked if he’ll ever coach in the NFL again, Lewis responded “I don’t think so. I’m fine.” (via Yahoo’s Shalise Manza Young).

We learned in May that Lewis would serve as an advisor for Herman Edwards‘ Arizona State program. Some NFL sources believed he was keeping his toe in coaching with an eye on getting back into the NFL in 2020. Lewis’ recent comments would seem to contradict that report, but it’s also understandable for him to take a bit of a break following his 16-year run with Cincy.

In other words, it wouldn’t be shocking if Lewis doesn’t return to the NFL by 2020, although a future hiring shouldn’t be taken lightly. As our own Zach Links pointed out, it remains to be seen whether Lewis would garner head-coaching consideration in a league that seemingly values youth. However, given Lewis’ reputation as a defensive-minded coach, he should at least garner some interest as a defensive coordinator.

Lewis, 61 in September, went 131-122-3 with the Bengals, giving him the most wins in franchise history. While Lewis inherited one of the worst teams in the NFL and turned them into a winner, his legacy is marred by the Bengals 0-7 playoff record during his tenure. The former head coach was asked to reflect on his lack of playoff success during his interview with Gelb.

“The other team ended up with more points,” Lewis said. “You become an NFL coach for one thing, and that’s to win the championship – and we were unable to do that. That’s the unfortunate part.”

Oklahoma HC Lincoln Riley’s Buyout Set At $4.6MM

June 25th, 2019 at 3:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley hasn’t completely ruled out an eventual jump to the NFL, and if he ever decides to go pro, his contract won’t be prohibitive. Riley’s pricey new contract with the university calls for a $4.6MM buyout price, according to Eric Bailey of Tulsa World. 

The $4.6MM figure isn’t exactly chump change, but it’s probably not enough to dissuade an interested team from hiring the energetic coach, who turns 36 in September. Many teams were said to have interest in Riley before he inked his five-year, $32.5MM extension with OU and it’s not hard to see him being at the top of the heap in future offseasons. For reference, $4.6MM is less than the average NFL head coach earns on an annual basis.

It’s also worth noting that Riley’s buyout will decrease with time. The $4.6MM figure represents 22.5% of Riley’s remaining guaranteed compensation, but that number dips by about $1MM every year leading up to the contract’s expiration after the 2023 season. And, in March of 2022, the buyout becomes non-existent.

Bengals’ Williams Likely To Miss Season

June 25th, 2019 at 1:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Bengals first-round offensive tackle Jonah Williams is likely to miss the entire season after undergoing surgery on his left shoulder, according to a team announcement. It seems likely that the No. 11 overall pick will be placed on injured reserve soon, but no move has been made just yet. 

“We look forward to Jonah being a major contributor in the future, and know that he won’t let this injury deter him from still being an important part of this team,” said head coach Zac Taylor. “We’re confident in our offensive line personnel as we head into training camp, and we believe they can do their part in helping this team achieve its goals.”

Williams was slotted to start at left tackle with the team moving Cordy Glenn over to left guard. Without the rookie, the Bengals are likely to move Glenn back to LT and focus on finding an LG solution. That fill-in could be Christian Westerman, who took the bulk of the starter’s reps there during minicamp while Williams was out. There’s also veteran John Jerry, who just recently joined the team, to consider.

The Bengals are trying to put a positive spin on the situation, noting in their press release that the Patriots won the Super Bowl last year despite losing first-round pick Isaiah Wynn to a season-ending Achilles tear. The club also noted that center Billy Price, last year’s first-round pick, has put together a solid spring after missing much of his rookie campaign.

Cowboys Notes: Prescott, Cooper, Elliott

June 25th, 2019 at 1:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Scheduled to earn $2.025MM in 2019, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott stands as one of the best values in the entire NFL. But, without the fifth-year option at the Cowboys’ disposal, they’ll have to pay a hefty sum to lock down the former fourth-round pick.

Dan Graziano of ESPN.com looked at Prescott’s case for a new deal and concluded that he could push to make more than Eagles QB Carson Wentz, who just re-upped on a new contract worth $32MM/year. In fact, he hears the Cowboys have been studying Wentz’s contract to see how it may impact negotiations with Prescott and he believes that it will serve as the main comp for talks.

It’s tricky to compare the two quarterbacks, but the tale of the tape does show some advantages in Prescott’s corner. Prescott has more career wins and division titles than Wentz, so it’s possible that the soon-to-be 26-year-old could wind up as the latest member of the $30MM/year club and the highest-paid QB in the NFC East.

Here’s more from Dallas:

Poll: Grading The Raiders’ Offseason

June 25th, 2019 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

To say that this was an offseason of overhaul for the Raiders would be a drastic understatement. With the aid of new GM Mike Mayock, head coach Jon Gruden completely rebooted his team after a disappointing 4-12 finish last year. 

The renovations got underway in 2018 when the Raiders shipped out stars Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper for a combined haul of draft capital. The moves also gave the team financial flexibility this offseason, which was used to add wide receiver Antonio Brown, wide receiver Tyrell Williams, right tackle Trent Brown, and slot cornerback LaMarcus Joyner. Those four players alone account for more than $109MM in guaranteed money, signaling a clear desire to compete in 2019.

It’s hard to knock any of those additions – at least, when considering their expected value for the coming season. However, the Raiders’ draft was among the most polarizing in the NFL. After Gruden and Mayock sent their scouting department packing, they stunned every prognosticator by selecting Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell with the No. 4 overall pick. Then, at No. 24 overall, some felt that the Raiders reached again with their pick of Alabama running back Joshua Jacobs.

Other picks, such as Mississippi State safety Johnathan Abram at No. 27 overall, were better received. Abram projects to be a Day 1 starter alongside Karl Joseph and, ultimately, figures to inherit his spotlight after the club turned down Joseph’s fifth-year option for the 2020 season.

Despite some clear upgrades, question marks remain for the Raiders. The club tried to upgrade its backfield with the quietly effective Isaiah Crowell, but he was quickly lost to a torn Achilles and replaced by the return of Doug Martin. There were also rumblings that they would add a new quarterback to play ahead of Derek Carr, but they elected to stick with the signal caller in hopes that he could return to his old form. It’s also fair to wonder about the status of the Raiders’ locker room – the mercurial Brown always has the potential to rock the boat and he’s now joined by longtime rival Vontaze Burfict and controversial lineman Richie Incognito.

On the whole, how would you grade the Raiders’ offseason? Click below to cast your vote (link for app users) and back up your choice in the comment section.

Extension Candidate: Patriots QB Tom Brady

June 25th, 2019 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

It’s rare for an NFL player to continue his career into his 40s and even rarer for that player to be up for an extension. But, of course, most players are not like Tom Brady.

The multiple-time Super Bowl champ will be out of contract after the 2019 season after he collects on $27MM in earnings. There’s no conceivable scenario in which Brady leaves the Patriots in free agency, but it remains to be seen how the Patriots will structure Brady’s next contract or when they’ll be able to come to an accord.

Brady will turn 42 in August and the Patriots have no succession plan in place for the future Hall of Famer. Theoretically, they could cuff him with the franchise tag if no agreement can be reached, but it would come at a rate of $32.4MM for the 2020 season (a 20% increase from his current cap figure).

Historically, Brady has given the Patriots significant hometown discounts, but he might not be feeling as generous this time around. Amidst rumblings of discord in Foxboro, the Pats added $5MM in incentives to Brady’s 2018 deal. However, he did not his the statistical markers necessary to realize the full potential of the bonus package.

So, what will a new deal for Brady look like? Although Brady showed some chinks in the armor last year, he could easily make a case to join the $30MM/year club, which currently counts Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan among its members.

Meanwhile, Brady’s last deal inked in 2016 averaged out to just $20.5MM/year. Adjusted for cap inflation, that number would be somewhere around $25MM/year, which would position him as just the tenth-highest paid quarterback in terms of average annual value.

Many expect Brady to settle in at that $25MM per annum figure, but don’t be surprised if the two sides shake hands at the midway point between that number and the star’s true market value.

Release Candidate: Cardale Jones

June 25th, 2019 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

In 2015, Cardale Jones emerged as a superstar for Ohio State when quarterbacks Braxton Miller and J.T. Barrett were lost to injury. After leading the Buckeyes to wins over Michigan and Wisconsin before topping Oregon in the National Championship, Jones went from a relative unknown to a bonafide NFL prospect. Although he was benched midway through the 2016 season, many still believed that big things were in store for the athletic QB when the Bills tapped him in the fourth-round of the draft. 

In 2019, Jones’ NFL career is at a crossroads. After two years with the Chargers, Jones is very much in danger of missing the 53-man cut as he sits behind star Philip Rivers and fellow ex-Bill Tyrod Taylor. The Bolts could conceivably carry three quarterbacks on the varsity squad, but they already seem well set with the far more accomplished Taylor as Rivers’ stopgap.

“The evaluation is going to come in the preseason games when you’re out there against another team and you’re having to manage a lot of different things,” Chargers offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt said recently. “The trend for him has been good. He’s improving. Just seeing his command in the huddle now, opposed to what it was last year, it’s much better.”

If Jones does not impress in the preseason, it’s not a given that he’ll land an NFL contract. Last year, the Bolts cut Jones on Labor Day Weekend and were able to stash him on the practice squad. This year, he’s with the Chargers on a low-cost reserve/future contract.

There’s still reason to believe in Jones, but it’s hard to see another team carrying him on the 53-man roster as he approaches his 27th birthday in September.

This Date In Transactions History: Ricky Williams Retires

June 25th, 2019 at 9:27am CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 2004, one of the NFL’s best running backs called it quits at the age of 26. On the heels of a four-game ban for marijuana, Dolphins star Ricky Williams decided that he had enough. 

“I’m finally free,” Williams told the Miami Herald from Hawaii. “I can’t remember ever being this happy.”

Williams’ announcement sent shockwaves through the football world and also became the topic of national conversation for non-sports fans. How could Williams, who was just two years removed from leading the league with 1,853 rushing yards, walk away from millions of dollars and superstar status?

Many believed that Williams was choosing recreational marijuana over his career. However, Williams explained that he was in search of true happiness, fulfillment, and enlightenment.

“Well, why not?,” Williams said when asked about his puzzling decision. “I just don’t want to be in this business anymore. was never strong enough to not play football, but I’m strong enough now. Everyone has thrown every possible scenario at me about why I shouldn’t do this, but they’re in denial. I’m happy with my decision.”

The Dolphins’ offense was largely built around Williams and his mid-summer departure was nothing short of devastating for the club. The Dolphins invested a great deal in No. 34 – they sent four draft picks to the Saints, including two first-round picks – to acquire him in 2002, so they had little in the way of backfield reinforcements.

Later, Williams revealed that there were other factors that went into his decision. After his stellar 2002 campaign, he once again led the league in rushing attempts with 392 on the year. However, without a quality passing game to keep defenses honest, he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. The Dolphins, meanwhile, carried over the same exact quarterback room into 2004. Knowing that Jay Fiedler, Brian Griese, and Sage Rosenfels would produce the same results, Williams elected against taking more punishment.

“I led the NFL in attempts the past two years and they really didn’t go out and get a quarterback to help me, so I knew it’s going to be all on me again,” Williams told Sports Illustrated in 2004. “I could see my mortality as a football player, that I’m not going to be able to do this much longer. It just became obvious to me that playing football for me is not going to be fun, not something I’m going to enjoy and it’s time for me to do something different.”

Williams returned to football in 2005 and managed to average 4.4 yards per tote in a suspension-shortened season. In 2006, the NFL handed Williams a one-year ban for the fourth drug policy violation of his career, prompting him to sign with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts.

After suffering a pectoral tear in his 2007 return, Williams would not play another full NFL season until 2008. The time spent away from the NFL would have been an insurmountable obstacle for most players, but there was clearly something to Williams’ holistic regimen.

From 2008-2011, Williams’ ages 31-34 seasons, the veteran managed 4.3 yards per carry for the Dolphins and Ravens. Then, after topping 10,000 career rushing yards, Williams decided to retire for good.

Today, Williams is one of several ex-NFL players involved in the formation of the Freedom Football League, which vows to provide players with “permanent and reliable holistic health and wellness support on and off the field” as well as encouragement to address “hot-button” societal issues.

AFC Notes: Hill, Funchess, Ravens, Jets

June 24th, 2019 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

In May, Roger Goodell said the NFL would not interfere with the Kansas Department for Children and Families’ Tyreek Hill investigation, indicating the league would interview the Chiefs wide receiver “whenever we have permission to.” It is unclear if the Kansas DCF’s investigation has concluded, but if it has not, the news about NFL investigators meeting with Hill represents a reversal and, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, perhaps an acknowledgement by the league something needs to transpire on this front by the time the Chiefs report to training camp July 23. While the investigation is likely covering the bruises and welts that appeared on the body of Hill’s 3-year-old son, Florio notes Hill’s history of violence, and the comment his fiance needing to worry about more possible violence, will almost certainly result in a Hill suspension. Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith was suspended four games in 2018 for threatening and the mother of his child and “engaging in emotional abuse.” With audio evidence having surfaced in this case, and Hill not being punished for his admitted 2014 violence against Crystal Espinal, that would seem to be the baseline for his potential punishment.

Here is the latest out of the AFC:

  • John Harbaugh has committed to Patrick Onwuasor returning as a starting linebacker for a revamped Ravens defense, but the 12th-year HC has not made a decision on C.J. Mosley‘s successor. While former UDFA Chris Board has impressed, Harbaugh indicated a committee is the likely post-Mosley plan. Harbaugh said (via Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com) Board will probably join 2018 fourth-rounder Kenny Young and hybrid safety Anthony Levine alongside Onwuasor in sub-packages. Young led the trio with 381 linebacker snaps last season; Board played just 21.
  • Onwuasor may be the best bet for the young defender who signs a Ravens extension, per Jeff Zreibec of The Athletic (subscription required). With emerging sack artist Matt Judon perhaps in line to continue a trend of edge rushers pricing themselves out of Baltimore and nose tackle Michael Pierce coming to Ravens minicamp at least 25 pounds overweight, in Zreibec’s view, the Ravens preventing their top inside linebacker from following Mosley out of Maryland seems logical. A former UDFA, Onwuasor has started 26 games. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 40 linebacker last season.
  • Devin Funchess has put together an inconsistent career thus far and went through most of the Colts‘ offseason program without working with Andrew Luck, who was sidelined with a strained calf. But Frank Reich said (via Kevin Bowen of 107.5 The Fan) he is “very encouraged” by Funchess’ route-running, for a player his size, and his overall progress in his system. Reich lobbied early for Funchess in March, and the former Panthers target will almost certainly play a big role for the Colts this season.
  • Another AFC free agent signing, Brian Poole, looks aimed toward a big role in his first AFC season. The Jets have used the former Falcons slot cornerback both inside and outside this offseason, Brian Costello of the New York Post notes. Gang Green did not bring in a proven outside starter opposite Trumaine Johnson, and Morris Claiborne remains a free agent. While another corner will have to step up to join the duo in nickel sets, Poole appears set for a steady gig in New York.

Ravens Were Out Early On Za’Darius Smith

June 24th, 2019 at 9:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens for years have let edge rushers test the market, with several of those processes ending in the franchise recouping mid-round compensatory picks after contract-year standouts departed. They did not deviate from this formula this offseason.

But as a result of both Terrell Suggs and Za’Darius Smith leaving this year, the team is thinner than usual at this premier position. As for Smith, the Ravens were never in the mix to bring him back, Jeff Zreibec of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

Smith signed with the Packers on a four-year, $66.5MM contract; the former part-time Ravens starter is now the NFL’s third-highest-paid 3-4 outside linebacker. Ravens GM Eric DeCosta seemed to predict Smith’s exit in January, noting how the market escalates for this type of young talent, and Zreibec notes the Ravens did not want to compete with that cost. Smith registered 8.5 sacks and 25 quarterback hits last season and followed previous Baltimore walk-year standouts like Paul Kruger and Pernell McPhee in signing big deals elsewhere.

McPhee is now back in Baltimore, with he, Shane Ray, third-round pick Jaylon Ferguson and returning starter Matt Judon comprising the Ravens’ edge-rushing contingent. Judon has yet to say if he and the Ravens have discussed an extension. In terms of young edge defenders potentially set for next year’s market, Judon (15 sacks over the past two seasons) joins Yannick Ngakoue, Bud Dupree and Dante Fowler among those in contract years.

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