2019 October - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Jets, Jamal Adams

October 29th, 2019 at 5:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets thought about trading Jamal Adams before the deadline, but, ultimately, they held on to him. After the dust settled, Adams took to social media to clear the air.

Well, sort of:

“At the end of the week last week, I sat down with the GM [Joe Douglas] and coach [Adam] Gase and told them I want to be here in New York,” Adams said, on Twitter. “I was told yesterday by my agent that the GM then went behind my back and shopped me around to teams, even after I asked him to keep me here! Crazy business. Any reports of me asking to be traded from the New York Jets are completely false.”

Even though Adams was not traded before the bell rang on Tuesday, the rumble is just getting started. Douglas attempted to clarify that this is a miscommunication, indicating the Jets listened to offers for Adams — rather than shop him around (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano). Adams tweeted he did not ask the Jets for a trade.

Ultimately, the Jets’ asking price was too high for either the Cowboys or Ravens. Douglas sought a first-rounder and two seconds for the standout safety, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). The Cowboys offered a first and a Day 3 pick, Jane Slater of NFL.com adds (via Twitter). The Cowboys contacted the Jets on Adams, according to Charles Robinson on Yahoo.com (on Twitter), backing up Douglas’ account.

Under Jets control through 2021, via the sure-to-be-exercised fifth-year option come May, Adams has emerged as one of the NFL’s top safeties. Considering the Cowboys would not part with more than a second-rounder for Earl Thomas last year, the team offering a first-rounder and change shows the ascending defender’s stock. But it’s clear the Jets will have to mend fences with Adams after this development, which ended up being the top news on a slow deadline day.

Chargers Waive K Chase McLaughlin

October 29th, 2019 at 4:51pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Chargers waived kicker Chase McLaughlin, according to Sirius XM Radio’s Adam Caplan. Los Angeles signed McLaughlin back in October to fill in for Michael Badgley while he was dealing with a groin injury. Given that no reports have emerged tying the Chargers to another kicker, it seems likely to expect Badgley to return to the field.

Originally, the Chargers had their punter, Ty Long, handle both punting and kicking duties to start the season. Through four games, Long was 7 of 9 on field goals and 9 of 9 on extra points, but after their Week 4 victory against the Dolphins he appeared to come up limping. While Long has continued handling punting duties, McLaughlin stepped in over the past four weeks and maintained similar success.

McLaughlin, a rookie, served as the kicker for Illinois from 2016-2018. After going undrafted, he signed with the Bills as an undrafted free agent. He quickly was released in Buffalo and then caught on with Minnesota’s practice squad before being released once again before catching on in Los Angeles.

In his four games as the Chargers kicker, McLaughlin handled kickoff duties, made 6 of 9 field goal attempts and was 7 of 7 on extra points. McLaughlin did make a field goal from beyond 5o yards but also missed three of his four attempts between 40 and 49 yards.

Badgley, in his second season out of Miami, was one of the most accurate kickers as a rookie in 2018. Last season, over 10 games, he made 15 of 16 field goal attempts with just one miss on 28 PAT tries.

Raiders To Sign Will Compton

October 29th, 2019 at 4:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are set to sign linebacker Will Compton, according to Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (on Twitter). They’ll also add offensive lineman/center Erik Magnuson from the Bills’ practice squad to round out their roster.

Unfortunately for Compton and Magnuson, their Oakland arrivals are overshadowed by the addition of linebacker Brandon Marshall, who rejoined the squad earlier on Tuesday. Still, both players will provide the Raiders with veteran experience on either side of the ball.

The Raiders didn’t get the big fish they wanted on Tuesday but, then again, that was the story for just about every team in the NFL. Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson remained in New York and the Raiders, at 3-4, will have to work with what they have, more or less.

Compton & Co. – as they’re now known – will face the Lions on Sunday.

Patriots To Sign K Nick Folk

October 29th, 2019 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after cutting Mike Nugent, the Patriots have a deal with a new kicker. Nick Folk and the Pats agreed to terms, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He has not kicked in an NFL game since 2017.

Folk worked out for the Patriots earlier this month, but they opted to sign Nugent instead. The unbeaten squad will turn to Folk, whose 2019 work has consisted of games with the Alliance of American Football.

Most known for his work with the Jets, with whom the 34-year-old played from 2010-16, the 34-year-old kicker also played for the Cowboys and Buccaneers. He will become the third Patriots kicker this season, following Nugent and Stephen Gostkowski.

Folk kicked in four Bucs games in 2017. In his last full season, with the ’16 Jets, Folk made 27 of 31 field goals and 24 of 26 extra points. Nugent kicked in four Pats games but went 5-for-8 on field goal tries, missing an extra point as well.

Raiders To Re-Sign LB Brandon Marshall

October 29th, 2019 at 3:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brandon Marshall agreed to a second Raiders contract, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweeting the veteran linebacker is headed back to Oakland. The Raiders released Marshall after their preseason slate concluded.

The current Raiders linebacking corps is not as deep as the one Marshall was part of during training camp. Vontaze Burfict is out for the season. Justin Phillips is also out for the year, leaving the Raiders with just four off-ball linebackers healthy going into Week 9.

Marshall’s lone episode on Hard Knocks featured his release, and the longtime Broncos linebacker was told a reunion was possible once he healed up. The 30-year-old defender battled a knee injury during the early part of camp but participated in a Texans workout in September.

Following Super Bowl 50 and Danny Trevathan‘s exit, the Broncos gave Marshall an $8MM-AAV deal. Injuries intervened, however, and led to Denver releasing its five-year starter earlier this year. The eighth-year veteran will attempt to stick around with the Raiders this time.

Trent Williams Reports To Redskins

October 29th, 2019 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Trent Williams has reported to the Redskins, according to former teammate DeAngelo Hall (on Twitter). However, this doesn’t mean that everything is a-OK in D.C.

The Redskins refused to part with Williams before the trade deadline, unless they were presented with a Godfather offer. That offer never came, and Williams appears to be stuck with a franchise that he can no longer stand. At least, for the time being.

Williams’ arrival doesn’t mean that he’ll take the field – the tackle might not be ready to play and, in any case, might not be willing to suit up for the Redskins. But, by showing up for work, Williams has ensured that his contract will not toll. He’ll earn $5.8MM in base salary the rest of the way, plus ~$15K for each game he’s active. After that, he’ll have one year left on his contract, worth $12.5MM.

Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler, has missed 13 games over the last three seasons due to various injuries. Still, he stands as one of the better left tackles in a league that doesn’t have a whole lot of great tackles. Williams graded out as the league’s best overall tackle in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, and still managed to place No. 21 in a down 2018.

Ravens Tried To Trade For Jamal Adams

October 29th, 2019 at 3:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Jamal Adams is staying with the Jets, but not for a lack of interest. Before the deadline, the Ravens tried to swing a trade for the Pro Bowl safety, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t come to terms. It was a similar story for the Cowboys, who also engaged in an aggressive pursuit of Adams before the bell rang.

Speaking of the Cowboys: They were willing to part with a first-round pick as part of a Minkah Fitzpatrick-type package, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter) hears. The Steelers acquired Fitzpatrick for a first-round pick and also agreed to exchange third-day draft choices. That’s what the Cowboys were looking to do, but they were not willing to venture into Jalen Ramsey territory, which means coughing up two first-round picks, plus a fourth-rounder.

The 1-6 Jets worked the phone lines in recent days with hopes of parlaying their best talent into future draft capital. Even after dealing defensive lineman Leonard Williams to the Giants, they were nowhere near satisfied: quarterback Sam Darnold and defensive tackle Quinnen Williams represented their only untouchable players, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) hears.

The Jets will move forward with Adams, running back Le’Veon Bell, wide receiver Robby Anderson, and the other notable names they had at the start of business on Tuesday. Ultimately, Jets GM Joe Douglas wasn’t able to completely dismantle the team he inherited, but that ultimately might be for the best.

Lions Made Broncos Offer For Chris Harris

October 29th, 2019 at 3:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 2019 trade deadline underwhelmed, when compared to the action of the offseason. Chris Harris was one of the marquee names not moved, but teams tried. One tried harder than the others, with Mike Klis of 9News tweeting the Lions were the only team to submit an offer.

Detroit proposed a deal that was not to Denver’s liking, however, making an offer that did not even meet a third-round price, per Klis. The Broncos were seeking a second-rounder for their high-end cornerback, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Both the Eagles and Texans pursued Harris, but Houston sent a third-rounder for Gareon Conley instead. Conley can be controlled through 2021, while Harris is in a contract year.

The Broncos can now recoup a possible third-rounder in 2021, if Harris signs a lucrative free agent deal, or resume extension talks. The sides were not particularly close on that end over the summer, leading to a one-year Harris pay raise. But with Harris profiling as the team’s only reliable corner, the 30-year-old departing would create a massive need for a franchise that has other key roster deficiencies.

This news comes a day after the Lions were listening on Darius Slay. The Eagles, interestingly, pursued both Harris and Slay. Denver, Detroit and Philadelphia will keep their previous setups, with the latter two attempting to contend this season with those.

The 2-6 Broncos certainly face the prospect of Harris leaving in 2020, seeing as the corner plans to test free agency — which he did not do when he signed a 2014 extension. But John Elway has precedent for extending older corners, having re-upped a 32-year-old Champ Bailey in his initial months on the job in 2011.

Jets Unlikely To Trade Robby Anderson

October 29th, 2019 at 2:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have discussed trades for several high-profile players, but it sounds like wide receiver Robby Anderson will be staying put. The Jets didn’t fetch any offers beyond a fourth-round pick, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen (Twitter link via SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano).

The Jets, meanwhile, have been asking for a second-round pick, per Vacchiano, who sensed that the Jets would have settled for a third-round choice. With that said – a fourth-round pick won’t be enough to pry away the troubled, but talented, receiver.

Anderson, 26, has 21 catches for 309 yards and one touchdown to his credit this season. That includes a 92-yard TD against the Cowboys, which stands as one of the Jets’ few shining moments of 2019.

Across four seasons, Anderson has averaged 14.7 yards per catch. His best year, statistically, came in 2017 when he posted a 63/941/7 line.

Anderson would have represented a decent WR2 and a very strong WR3 for other clubs, but, apparently, he wasn’t worth the price of a second or third-round pick for any team. Earlier this week, he was speculatively linked to the Raiders. He was also of interest to the Packers, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter).

Titans Won’t Trade Marcus Mariota

October 29th, 2019 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Titans aren’t looking to trade recently downgraded quarterback Marcus Mariota, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. By the same token, the Titans’ former starter isn’t looking for a way out of Nashville, either.

The Titans benched the former No. 2 overall pick against the Broncos a couple of weeks back and, in Week 7, they stuck with Ryan Tannehill as the starter. Mariota’s Titans future is very much in flux, but the team hasn’t given up on him yet.

Mariota has had his moments, but he’s struggled for the most part over the last three seasons. After lobbing 26 TD passes in 2016, the Oregon product has just 21 in his past 35 games. He posted a 50.6 QBR figure in 2018, but he left the Titans’ starting lineup with a 30.8 number — 29th out of 30 qualified quarterbacks.

Joining Jameis Winston as the first quarterbacks to play out fifth-year option seasons, Mariota may be in his final months with the Titans. He is a free agent at year’s end and has not come especially close to living up to his No. 2 overall draft slot. He remains a key depth piece for a Titans team that has won two straight in an AFC that is short on locked-in contenders. It’s understandable they would like to keep Mariota around for a possible playoff push.