2020 January - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On NFL’s CBA Talks

January 31st, 2020 at 11:07am CST by Zachary Links

The prospect of a 17-game season remains at the center of CBA talks between the NFL and the NFLPA. However, the expanded regular season might not include two bye weeks, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets.

Nothing is finalized – or even close to it – but Breer hears that the 17-game season being discussed would include a three-game preseason, a lighter load in training camp, a revamped offseason calendar, and still only one bye week per team. It’s a departure from the last update we heard: the two sides were reportedly mulling an extra bye to offset the extra wear-and-tear on players.

With an odd number of games, the additional contest would likely occur on a neutral site. It remains to be seen how the league would organize the new schedule, or whether the extra game would be inter- or intra-conference. For what it’s worth, the owners seem confident that the 17th game will happen.

The expanded season is just one of many issues at stake in the new CBA. Players want at least 48% of the revenue and the owners’ latest offer pushed the split close to that threshold. In order to get a bigger piece of the pie, the players will likely have to agree to the extra game or play hardball. Some figures in the union, like NFLPA presidential candidate and veteran offensive lineman Russell Okung, are in favor of Option B.

“Are we in an equitable agreement with management?” Okung said. “Right now, the answer is no. This will take as long as it needs to…I expect more, and I’m not willing to be bashful about saying that. I’ve made it really clear we need to exhaust every single opportunity we have in order to put our players in a better situation to take care of themselves, their families and to protect the future of this game.”

Latest On Saints’ Drew Brees

January 31st, 2020 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

Saints quarterback Drew Brees says he isn’t bothered by the prospect of ceding snaps to Taysom Hill (Twitter link via Chris Simms of PFT). Brees is still deciding whether he’ll return for another season, but a larger role for Hill won’t dissuade him from playing.

“If I’m back, and Taysom’s along side me, call the plays that puts us in the best position to win. If that means Taysom Hill is taking 30 snaps a game, 25 snaps a game, so be it. I’m all for that,” Brees said.

The Saints would like to have Brees back for a bridge year, allowing them to make a smooth handoff to Hill for 2021 and beyond. Brees, 41, is on board with that plan, if he decides to play.

Brees, of course, has nothing left to prove in the NFL and has already earned more money than he could ever hope to spend. Over the next month or so, he’ll weigh his options, which include a potential career in broadcasting.

Brees completed a league-high 74.3% of his passes in 2019, marking his third straight year at the top of the category. In his injury-shortened eleven-game campaign, he threw for 2,979 yards with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions. In the regular season finale against the Colts, Brees connected on 29 of 30 passes and set the NFL’s new record for touchdown throws.

Patriots’ Jason McCourty To Continue Playing

January 31st, 2020 at 9:53am CST by Zachary Links

Twins tend to think alike. On Friday, Patriots cornerback Jason McCourty confirmed that he’ll continue playing in 2020 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport).

Jason’s declaration comes just days after Devin McCourty told reporters that he will also suit up for another year. However, it’s worth noting that their contracts aren’t in sync. Jason is signed through 2020 and scheduled to count for a $5.7MM cap figure, though the Pats could save $4MM with just $1.75MM in dead money if they wanted to release him. Devin, meanwhile, will be a free agent in March.

Both McCourtys say they’ll be on the field in 2020 – even if its not with the Pats.

“I’m pretty wide open. When you play 10 years somewhere, it’s not always a definite to return,” Devin said.

Jason appeared in 12 games (ten starts) at cornerback last year, notching 39 tackles, one interception, and a solid 74.4 score from PFF that positioned him as the No. 17 ranked CB in the league. Meanwhile, Devin started all 16 games for the fourth consecutive year, logged five interceptions — his highest total since the 2012 campaign — and allowed a completion percentage of 54.3 as the nearest defender in coverage.

When the twins turn 33 in August, they’ll be in training camp. It’s just not certain that it’ll be in New England.

Ryan Fitzpatrick To Play In 2020

January 31st, 2020 at 9:16am CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick says he’ll play in 2020 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). All signs have been pointing in this direction and it’s now confirmed, straight from the veteran himself.

The Dolphins haven’t been shy about their desire to have Fitzpatrick back for another year, even as they plan to draft their QB of the future. FitzMagic, 37, would be the ideal mentor for whoever the Dolphins choose in April and it’s clear that he still has some tricks still up his short sleeve.

In 2019, Fitzpatrick was a bright spot for the Fins in an otherwise trying year. He racked up 3,529 passing yards with 20 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and helped cap off the year in style with wins over the Bengals and Patriots.

Fitzpatrick is under contract for 2020 at an $8MM salary for this upcoming year. Even though he could wind up as the QB2 by the midway point of the year, the Dolphins can afford it thanks to their ample cap room.

Next up for the Dolphins’ QB room – evaluating candidates for the No. 5 overall pick and, perhaps, mulling a trade up to get their man. They’ll also have to figure out how former first-round pick Josh Rosen fits into the picture.

Download The Trade Rumors App Today

January 30th, 2020 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

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Broncos Interview John Pagano For Coaching Staff

January 30th, 2020 at 7:59pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The Broncos interviewed longtime NFL coach John Pagano earlier today for the team’s open outside linebacker coaching position, according to Mike Klis of 9News.com. Pagano is a veteran NFL assistant and has many ties to the Denver area. Pagano comes from a familial lineage of coaching. His father, Sam Pagano, was a wildly successful high school head coach in Boulder, Colorado at Boulder Fairview High School and his older brother Chuck Pagano is the former Colts head coach and current Bears defensive coordinator.

Pagano has been coaching in the NFL since 1996. He was let go by the Texans a couple of weeks ago after a two-year stint as a senior defensive assistant and outside linebackers coach in Houston. Prior to his time in Houston, Pagano had been a defensive coordinator with the Chargers from 2012-2016 and with the Raiders in 2017. More relevant to his potential candidacy in Denver, Pagano served as a defensive assistant from 1999-2001 with the Colts on the same staff as current Broncos head coach Vic Fangio.

His long experience as a linebackers coach, familiarity with Fangio, and childhood ties to Colorado would seem to align to make him a likely candidate. Assistant coaching staff positions are not subject to the Rooney Rule or any other restrictions, so the team could make a hire at any point. Only time will tell if Pagano will indeed make a homecoming.

NFC Coaching Turner, Peetz, Linguist, Harris,Whitted

January 30th, 2020 at 7:00pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Norv Turner will not be returning to the Panthers coaching staff, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic. Turner had served as a special assistant to former Panthers head coach Ron Rivera. Rivera, of course, was recently replaced by Matt Rhule and has since taken over in Washington. While nothing has been reported, it would not be a surprise to see Turner follow Rivera to the nation’s capital to work with young quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

At the same time, Carolina blocked running backs coach Jake Peetz from interviewing for other positions, per Albert Breer of SI.com. Breer adds that Rivera wanted to take Peetz with him, but Carolina general manager Marty Hurney valued Peetz and the team decided to reward him with a promotion to quarterbacks coach.

Here’s some more notes from coaching staff’s around the NFC:

The Cowboys hired Texas A&M cornerbacks coach Maurice Linguist to serve as the team’s defensive backs coach alongside Al Harris. Linguist did not have a history with either head coach Mike McCarthy or defensive coordinator Mike Nolan, but his personality impressed the pair so much that they offered him the job on the same day of his interview, according to Dallas Cowboys reporter Lindsay Cash Draper. Harris had been an assistant with Kansas City, but more notably, played under McCarthy during his tenure in Green Bay at cornerback.
Harris’ former team will be making a change at wide receivers coach. According Rob Demovsky of ESPN, the Packers have let Alvis Whitted go and have begun the process of searching for his replacement. Whitted was hired just a year ago to join Matt LaFleur’s staff, but it appears LaFleur will be going in a different direction.

Latest On Tua Tagovailoa

January 30th, 2020 at 5:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Still in consideration for the No. 1 overall pick and a good bet to be a top-10 choice, Tua Tagovailoa nevertheless said he was close to returning to Alabama for his senior season.

The early-entry quarterback said during an appearance on PFT Live his decision to enter the draft after his junior year was more difficult than most assumed it would be. But Tagovailoa is in the draft and continuing to rehab his injured hip. He is expected to be the second or third quarterback chosen, with Joe Burrow still the odds-on favorite to go No. 1 overall.

The Dolphins’ interest in the southpaw passer has not exactly been a secret, and even though Miami’s No. 5 pick may be enough to land Tagovailoa, the team is prepared to trade higher into the top five if necessary to land whichever prospect it prefers. If it were up to Tagovailoa family, they would “love” for the Dolphins to trade up with the Lions and make the pick, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Lions have certainly done well to throw anyone off the scent, committing to Matthew Stafford. But if this is an elaborate smokescreen, Detroit’s long-term uncertainty in the GM and head coach roles is not as enticing for the Tagovailoas as going to Miami, per Salguero.

Tagovailoa, who was the frontrunner to be the 2020 No. 1 pick going into his final Crimson Tide season, confirmed he remains on schedule to make a full recovery. He will not throw at the Combine, but the plan for a late-March or early-April pro day remains. His next benchmark will be an MRI and CT scan in February.

“My main goal is not to win the 40, not to win the bench press, but to win my medical,” Tagovailoa said during an appearance on the NFL Network’s Super Bowl Live (via NFL.com). “I’m going to go over there looking to win my medical and then go in and interview with the teams. That’s pretty much what I’m going to do. And then hopefully there’s a pro day down the line, either late March or early April.”

Jason Witten Open To Playing Elsewhere

January 30th, 2020 at 4:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than a year ago, Jason Witten came out of retirement to rejoin the Cowboys. But they now have a new coaching staff, for the most part, making the future Hall of Famer’s status less certain.

Witten has not committed to retiring or returning to the Cowboys for a 17th season. Preferring to stay in Dallas, the 37-year-old tight end has discussed his future with Jerry Jones and new Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy. But the player with the fourth-most receptions in NFL history acknowledged a Dallas departure is also possible.

“I realize I’m a free agent too in March. Any time a new staff comes together, I’ve played a long time, so I realize that may mean somewhere else too,” Witten said, via Jon Machota of The Athletic (on Twitter).

Among active players, Witten’s 255 games as a Cowboy are the second-most anyone has played with one team. He trails only Tom Brady (280 games as a Patriot) in this regard. Despite spending a year in the ESPN broadcast booth, Witten nearly duplicated his 2017 numbers by catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns in a more explosive Cowboys offense.

Kellen Moore will return as Dallas’ OC and call plays, but Witten has worked with Jason Garrett in each of his past 12 seasons. A rumor circulated recently about Witten reuniting with Garrett in New York. The Giants, however, are better-positioned at tight end with Evan Engram and Rhett Ellison under contract in 2020. The Cowboys have Blake Jarwin (31 catches this season) as a restricted free agent.

Melvin Gordon Wants To Stay With Chargers

January 30th, 2020 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

In addition to the murky status of Philip Rivers, the Chargers have another high-profile free agent on offense. Melvin Gordon is less than two months away from the open market.

Gordon played out his fifth-year option season, doing so after waging an unsuccessful holdout that cost him a chunk of it. Despite Gordon not enjoying a strong contract year and the Bolts falling well short of expectations, the former first-round pick would like to stay in Los Angeles and wants to re-sign before the start of free agency.

“Hopefully, I’m here,” Gordon said during an appearance on PFT Live. “Hopefully, I don’t have to wait til March to know where I’m gonna be playing.”

The two-time Pro Bowler, who will turn 27 in April, said he and GM Tom Telesco have talked “plenty of times.” But those discussions do not appear to have produced much momentum toward keeping the Wisconsin alum in L.A. The Bolts saw RFA-to-be Austin Ekeler outplay Gordon this past season. Gordon’s yards per carry dropped from 5.1 during a Pro Bowl 2018 slate to 3.8, and his 908 scrimmage yards trailed Ekeler by more than 600.

“When it comes to business, you have to take your emotions out of it,” Gordon said. “It’s not about if you deserve to be here or not. I’ve talked to Tom plenty of times, he tells me ‘You deserve to get paid’ but sometimes it just might not be the right situation.”

It sounds likely Gordon will be allowed to test the market. Running backs have not fared especially well in free agency in recent years, and Le’Veon Bell‘s rough Jets debut — after a top-market offer came in March — may hurt Gordon’s cause. The Chargers are projected to hold more than $54MM in cap space. Of course, if they decide to franchise Rivers, much of that will go toward their quarterback and limit the Bolts’ spending elsewhere.