2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

Teams To Inquire About Trading For Derek Carr?

February 19th, 2020 at 2:42pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the most interesting storylines to monitor during the 2020 offseason is what the Raiders do at quarterback. There have been some rumors as the team prepares to move to Las Vegas that they might not be entirely sold on Derek Carr, and for the first time we have some real reporting that other teams think the Raiders might be inclined to move on.

There is a “growing sense” within the league that teams are preparing to inquire about trading for Carr, according to Vincent Bonsignore of The Athletic (Twitter link). However the Raiders are still looking at their available options before determining what to do with Carr, Vic Tafur of The Athletic cautions in a tweet. The last public comments from the Raiders on the situation came about a month ago, when GM Mike Mayock gave an interesting interview.

“As far as what the future holds, I’m gonna tell you the same thing I told you last year. About every position. And that is, my job is to evaluate every position and try and make us better. And if I can, I will, and if I can’t, I won’t. And that holds true at every position,” Mayock said of Carr at the time, very clearly hedging on his future with the team.

Of course, there have been reports that the Raiders plan to pursue Tom Brady. That’s still a bit of a long-shot though, and they might have to end up choosing between Carr and one of the second-tier available options. To that end, Tafur added in his tweet that he’s “not sure they see [Teddy] Bridgewater as an upgrade over Carr.”

It seems like things are still in flux, but that Carr playing elsewhere in 2020 is a very real possibility. Whatever happens, this offseason is shaping up to have the wildest game of musical chairs for quarterbacks in quite some time.

Dolphins Sign Michael Roberts

February 19th, 2020 at 1:38pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Dolphins are adding some competition for Mike Gesicki. Miami is signing tight end Michael Roberts, a source told Mike Garafolo of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Roberts was apparently generating a lot of interest, as Garafolo reports he had four workouts this past week with more scheduled for later. Since he didn’t finish the 2019 season on any team’s roster, he was eligible to sign at any time and didn’t have to wait for the start of free agency. Roberts was drafted by the Lions in the fourth-round back in 2017, and he was traded to the Patriots last June. Unfortunately he failed his physical, and the trade was called off. Detroit then waived him, and he was claimed by Green Bay.

He never was really a Packer though, as they waived him nearly immediately with a failed physical as well. It was never clear exactly what the injury was, although Garafolo confirmed it was a shoulder issue that also cost him part of the 2018 season. He sat out all of last year, and is now reportedly healthy.

A Toledo product, he had a real role on offense with the Lions in 2018, catching three touchdowns in only eight games. As a rookie he was primarily used as a blocker, but he still played a lot. It’s a low-risk flyer for the Dolphins, who don’t have a ton at the position beyond Gesicki, who did show some promise down the stretch last year. Roberts is still only 25.

Seahawks’ Will Dissly Ready For Week 1?

February 19th, 2020 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

When the Seahawks take the field in September, they’ll have multiple-time Pro Bowler Greg Olsen at tight end. They also expect to have a healthy Will Dissly ready to go, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears.

[RELATED: Seahawks Sign Greg Olsen]

Thanks to multiple injuries, Dissly has appeared in a grand total of ten games as a pro. Thankfully, the recent checkups on his torn Achilles have been promising.

Before he was shut down in October, Dissly managed 23 catches for 262 yards and four touchdowns in six games. The 2018 fourth-round draft pick from Washington has flashed serious potential to start both of his seasons and the Seahawks believe that he can build off of that and stay on the field in 2020.

The Seahawks signed Olsen on Tuesday, edging out the Bills and Redskins for his services. Seattle plans to feature both tight ends – sometimes in the same set – which could give opposing defenses fits. Dissly had 156 yards and two touchdowns in just four games in his first season as a pro in 2018.

Quarterback Russell Wilson lobbied hard for Olsen, who could help give him a reliable tight end target for the first time since Jimmy Graham‘s departure. Between Olsen (soon to be 35) and Dissly, the Seahawks should be well covered. Dissly has had some tough injury luck, and he tore his ACL as a rookie. Here’s to hoping he can stay healthy in 2020.

Redskins’ Jordan Reed Wants To Play

February 19th, 2020 at 12:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Jordan Reed missed the entire 2019 season after suffering the seventh documented concussion of his career. Many have wondered if it would be best for the tight end to walk away from the game, but according to one source who spoke with ESPN.com’s John Keim, he “100 percent” wants to continue playing (Twitter link).

When healthy and on the field, Reed has been a focal point of the Redskins’ offense. He caught 329 passes for 3,371 yaards and 24 touchdowns between 2013 and 2018, even though most of those seasons were shortened by medical issues. When he was at or near full strength, he was nearly unstoppable.

In 2015, when he suited up for a career-high 14 games, he tallied an 87/952/11 stat line with a catch rate of 76.3%. In 2016, he finally secured his first Pro Bowl nod as he notched 66 grabs for 686 yards and six TDs in just 12 games. Unfortunately, in the last three years, he’s suited up for just 13 games out of a possible 48 contests.

Whether Reed returns or not, the Redskins will have to fortify their tight end group this offseason. Veteran Vernon Davis retired earlier this month (he also missed time with concussion issues in 2019), leaving them perilously thin at the position.

Reed has two years to go on his five-year, ~$47MM deal with the Redskins. The team can release him this offseason to save $8.5MM against just $1.8MM in dead money, provided that is cleared from the NFL’s concussion protocol. Otherwise, the Redskins would still be on the hook, unless they’re able to negotiate a settlement.

Browns Won’t Re-Sign Greg Robinson

February 19th, 2020 at 11:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns won’t be re-signing left tackle Greg Robinson, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. This was relayed to his camp even before his recent arrest for marijuana possession near the U.S./Mexico border.

Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick in the 2014 draft, looked the part of a late bloomer after hooking on with the Browns in 2018. After a solid Year One, he was re-upped on a one-year deal with a base value of $7MM, plus incentives that could have taken him to $9MM.

In 2019, he regressed sharply. At points, Robinson was turnstile during the Browns’ trying year and his inconsistency was one of many issues that dogged their talent-laden offense. On the flipside, it’s worth noting that the advanced metrics were somewhat kind to him – he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 41 ranked tackle in the NFL last year. That’s not great for a playoff hopeful’s left tackle, but it’s not a bad slot among 81 qualified players.

Since 2014, Robinson has appeared in 84 games with 70 starts for the Rams, Lions, and Browns.

Redskins Exercise Adrian Peterson’s Option

February 19th, 2020 at 10:01am CST by Zachary Links

The Redskins announced that they have exercised Adrian Peterson‘s option for the 2020 season. With that, they’ve committed to the legendary running back for his age-35 campaign.

Peterson will count for a $3.1MM hit against the Redskins’ 2020 cap. Had they declined the option, the Redskins would have saved $2.4MM.

In 2020, Peterson will be chasing history. He currently sits fifth on the NFL’s all-time rushing list and he can leapfrog Barry Sanders with another ~1,000 yards. That won’t be easy to do, but Peterson ran for 1,042 yards in his first season with the Redskins and notched 898 yards on the ground last year.

Peterson has had his ups and downs, but he staved off Father Time in 2019. Last year, he played in 15 games and averaged 4.3 yards per tote. At the same time, Derrius Guice was limited to just five games and there are serious question marks about his status given his longstanding medical history.

Bringing back Peterson solves one part of the Redskins’ RB puzzle. They still have to figure out what they’ll do with pass-catching specialist Chris Thompson, who is slated for free agency. The Redskins will also have to keep an eye on 2019 fourth-round pick Bryce Love who has yet to play an NFL down thanks to his pre-draft ACL tear.

Browns’ Greg Robinson Arrested

February 19th, 2020 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Robinson could be in some legal trouble as he gets set for free agency in March. The former No. 2 overall pick was arrested near the U.S.-Mexico border on Monday and police say that he was carrying a large quantity of marijuana (via TMZ).

Robinson is facing a federal charge of possession with intent to distribute, according to the report. This may hamper Robinson’s market, which was already looking iffy after a down year with the Browns.

Robinson, 28 in October, was solid in his first year with Cleveland. He re-upped with the Browns on a one-year, $7MM deal before the 2019 season, but he failed to deliver an encore performance. He allowed lots of pressures against Baker Mayfield, garnered lots of flags, and temporarily lost his starting job.

Despite his natural talent and size (he stands at 6’5″ and weighs about 330 pounds), Robinson has yet to show consistency at the pro level. The dearth of tackles across the NFL probably would have allowed him to find some guaranteed money on the open market, but this latest news will hurt his chances. And the Browns, who are open to giving running back Kareem Hunt another chance after his latest slip-up, might not have the same level of patience with Robinson.

Latest On Eagles, Alshon Jeffery

February 19th, 2020 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

Contractually, the Eagles seem to have little choice but to keep Alshon Jeffery for the 2020 season. However, a clause in his deal could allow them an escape hatch, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes.

Last season, a WIP reporter alleged that Jeffery was the anonymous team source behind unflattering comments about quarterback Carson Wentz. Jeffery’s deal, like many, includes default language against “any public comment that criticizes the team, teammates, coaches, ownership, etc.” The Eagles, meanwhile, retain the right to put that into motion if the team “reasonably determines, in its sole discretion” that a default is called for.

It would be a messy war to wage, but the Eagles engaged in a similar battle with Terrell Owens after he slammed Donovan McNabb. The big difference, of course, is that Owens was on-the-record and Jeffery been largely complimentary of Wentz publicly.

Such a move seems unlikely, but it’s worth keeping in mind as the Eagles try to improve at wide receiver this offseason. As it stands, they’re bound to just about every WR in the group, save for pending free agent Nelson Agholor.

Jeffery’s four-year, $72MM deal gave him a whopping guarantee of nearly $55MM. And, thanks to a restructure, releasing him now would cost the club more than $26MM. An outright release without defaulting his deal is simply off the table. Trading Jeffery, in theory, could be more palatable – it’d shave $10MM off of the cap hit, though teams probably aren’t lining up for him at this stage.

The most likely outcome is that the Eagles will bring back Jeffery with the hope that he’s happy and healthy. They’ll also have to hope that he finds the same kind of chemistry with Wentz that he had with Nick Foles.

Dolphins To Keep Josh Rosen?

February 19th, 2020 at 8:55am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins seem intent on heading into 2020 with Ryan Fitzpatrick as their bridge to a rookie quarterback. That leaves Josh Rosen without much of a role, but that won’t necessarily result in the former first-round pick being pushed out of Miami. Rosen is likely to stay on the roster, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald hears.

From a fiscal standpoint, the Dolphins would have little reason to release Rosen. Still on his rookie deal, Rosen is slated to count for just $2.079MM against the 2020 cap. Releasing him would only leave them with a larger dead money hit and zero savings. Cutting Rosen would also be bad optics – they shipped a second-round pick, plus a fifth-round choice, to the Cardinals for him just one year ago.

Rosen hasn’t shown much at the pro level, but he’s still only 23 and not far removed from his impressive game film at UCLA. There’s always the possibility that injuries elsewhere lead to trade interest in Chosen Rosen between now and September. Granted, the Dolphins won’t have a ton of leverage if they’re rostering Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, or another top rookie QB alongside Fitz.

For his part, Rosen has indicated that he wants to stay in Miami, even though that means playing second fiddle to a 37-year-old.

“I’m very encouraged just in general day to day, in how I’ve developed and watching Fitz do his thing,” Rosen said in December, some time after losing his starting job. “It’s not really the window is opened and closed like that. But there’s a sense of understanding time and opportunity. I’m aware of it, but it’s all for you guys to write about more than for me to worry about. Opportunities will come and I’ll try to seize them.”

Steelers Hire Ike Hilliard As WRs Coach

February 18th, 2020 at 9:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some high-profile names emerged during the Steelers’ search for their next wide receivers coach. The franchise interviewed multiple other candidates but tabbed Ike Hilliard for the position Tuesday.

The longtime NFL wideout spent the past six seasons as the Redskins’ receivers coach. He beat out ex-Steelers wideout Jerricho Cotchery and South Carolina receivers coach Bryan McClendon for the post. Those were the known candidates for the position. Darryl Drake‘s tragic death last summer prompted the Steelers to use an interim coach in this role last season, and Hilliard will succeed Ray Sherman in leading Pittsburgh’s wideouts.

Like Cotchery, Hilliard played 12 NFL seasons. The 1997 top-10 pick worked as a starter for the Giants for most of his career, before finishing with four Buccaneers seasons. Hilliard’s first season in Tampa Bay, 2005, doubled as Mike Tomlin‘s last of five seasons on the Bucs’ staff. In his coaching career, the Hilliard worked with the Dolphins, Bills and Redskins (two stints) after beginning his run in the short-lived United Football League.

The Redskins saw four receivers eclipse 800 receiving yards during Hilliard’s tenure, with rookie Terry McLaurin being the most recent. McLaurin, who missed two games, posted 919 yards and came within seven yards of breaking Gary Clark‘s 34-year-old Redskins rookie record. In Pittsburgh, Hilliard will have young players like James Washington and Diontae Johnson to further develop.