2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

Month: September 2024

XFL Commissioner On Colin Kaepernick

February 10th, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The XFL kicked off its (second) inaugural season over the weekend with a handful of notable quarterbacks under center. Colin Kaepernick – the best-known free agent in professional football – was not among that group of signal callers. In an interview with NPR’s Michel Martin, XFL commissioner Oliver Luck once again cited Kaep’s salary demands as a barrier and was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of the former 49ers star joining the league in the future.

“I don’t know,” Luck said (transcript via NBC Sports). “That was well over a year ago, so I don’t know what kind of shape, you know, Colin is in. And, you know, we haven’t followed that because obviously, again, we want the best players who are interested in playing in our league. That’s, you know, pretty much a requisite for our job.”

On the field, the XFL features a unique rule set that allows for “double forward” passes and three-point conversions. On the sidelines, the players are required to stand for the national anthem. Luck indicated that an exception would not be made for Kaepernick, even if the two sides were able to come to terms on salary.

“Players have numerous opportunities to express themselves with all the platforms that exist today,” Luck told NPR. “So, you know, standing for the national anthem we believe is a part of their responsibility as players in our league. But we think it’s important to have that — you know, that requirement for our players…We think it’s important. We think it’s part of what we as a league should do.”

Kaepernick, 33 in November, has not played since the 2016 NFL season finale. At this point, a return to professional football does not seem imminent in the NFL or the XFL. Among the notable QBs that are on the field for Vince McMahon‘s second attempt at football: Brandon Silvers, Cardale Jones, Josh Johnson, Philip Walker, Landry Jones, and Matt McGloin.

Ravens Sign Chuck Clark To Extension

February 10th, 2020 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

Chuck Clark isn’t going anywhere. On Monday, the Ravens announced the signing of a three-year extension for their safety.

“Chuck is a great story about hard work, patience, preparation and passion,” Ravens GM Eric DeCosta said in a statement. “He waited for his chance and seized the opportunity. Chuck’s a good football player, a fine teammate and a respected leader. He’s the type of player we want on our defense for a long time. Congrats to Chuck and his family.”

Clark, 24, enjoyed a breakout season in 2019. After starting the year as a reserve, he cracked the starting lineup in Week 6 and delivered impressive performances throughout the second half of the year. All in all, he logged 68 tackles, one sack, one interception, and nine passes defensed across 16 games (12 starts).

Before the extension, Clark was set to play out the final year of his rookie deal in 2020. After the former sixth-round pick earns a modest salary for the 2020 season, he’ll see a significant step up – he’ll make $15.3MM over the course of the additional three years, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) hears. Including the ’20 season, the Ravens have him for four years and $16MM, Schefter hears. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that the three additional deals are actually worth $19MM with $10MM in guarantees (the $19MM figure may include incentives; it’s not yet clear whether the $10MM figure represents full guarantees at signing.)

Given Clark’s status as a starting safety, this profiles as a very team-friendly deal for the Ravens. Clark won’t turn 25 until April and the Ravens have locked him down through most of his prime years at a very reasonable rate. Meanwhile, Clark has secured his financial future with the deal in exchange for sacrificing open market upside.

With Clark in the starting lineup, the Ravens boasted the league’s best defense from Week 7 onward. They’ll look to keep the momentum going with several key secondary players signed for multiple seasons – cornerback Marcus Peters and nickel corner Tavon Young are under contract through 2022 thanks to their extensions last year.

Greg Olsen Expected To Sign With NFL Team This Week

February 10th, 2020 at 9:19am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Olsen is almost ready to make his free agent decision. By the end of the week, the tight end expects to choose his next NFL squad, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.

Olsen kicked off his free agent tour by meeting with the Bills last week. Today, he’ll huddle up with the Redskins before moving on to the Seahawks on Wednesday.

It has been said that Olsen is also weighing a jump to broadcasting, but from the sound of it, the tight end will be staving off retirement for another offseason. Olsen has garnered lucrative offers from both ESPN and FOX over the years, so it stands to reason that those opportunities will be there waiting for him, whenever he’s ready to hang ’em up.

The Seahawks would probably represent Olsen’s best chance to win a Super Bowl ring, but the Bills and Redskins also have a lot to offer. With the Bills, Olsen would have an opportunity to pair with the young and promising Josh Allen and occupy a significant role in the offense. The Redskins, meanwhile, would allow him to reunite with Ron Rivera, the longtime Panthers coach that guided him to a streak of three 1,000-yard seasons and multiple Pro Bowl appearances.

Olsen, 35 in March, has notched 718 catches for 8,444 yards and 59 touchdowns over the course of his career. Last year, he had an uncharacteristically quiet season with the Panthers – 52 grabs, 597 yards, and just two touchdowns in 14 games.

Extra Points: Dak, Shurmur, Browns, 49ers

February 9th, 2020 at 9:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dak Prescott‘s second contract has been a front-burner matter in NFL news cycles for nearly a year, but the Cowboys and their starting quarterback remain apart on terms. The four-year starter’s demands were north of $30MM AAV last year, and they were believed to be in the range of Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year amount. While it’s uncertain if the Cowboys are comfortable getting to that figure, they will not have to go too much higher. Prescott is not asking to become the league’s first $40MM-per-year player, Jay Glazer of The Athletic notes (subscription required). Patrick Mahomes is the leading candidate to get there first, but while the Chiefs’ superstar passer is barely a month into his extension-eligible period, Prescott is 13-plus months into that window. After talks centering around a $33MM-per-year accord broke down during the season, the franchise tag now looks like a real possibility.

Here is the latest from around the league:

After Joe Woods agreed to become the Browns‘ defensive coordinator, he has already secured one 49ers assistant to make the trip to Cleveland with him. Woods will bring in 49ers pass rush specialist Chris Kiffin to serve as Browns defensive line coach, Alex Marvez of Sirius XM Radio reports (on Twitter). The son of longtime NFL DC Monte Kiffin and younger brother of Lane Kiffin, Chris spent the past two seasons with the 49ers. Previously Lane’s DC at Florida Atlantic, Chris has spent most of his career at the college level.
The 49ers appear to have a replacement lined up. Aaron Whitecotton will join San Francisco’s defensive staff, per Marvez. A Bills assistant for three seasons, Whitecotton worked with 49ers DC Robert Saleh for four seasons in Jacksonville prior to relocating to Buffalo.
Despite indicating his coordinators would return for the 2020 season, Broncos HC Vic Fangio‘s change of heart led for a Rich Scangarello-to-Pat Shurmur transition. Fangio decided a few days after making that proclamation he would fire Scangarello, and Shurmur will become the Broncos’ fifth offensive coordinator since 2016. The ex-Giants and Browns HC’s experience pushed Fangio to hire him. “The experience was an extra crumb that Pat has,” Fangio said, via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala (subscription required). “I think Pat’s in his early 50s (54) and has coached 20 years, but if he was in his early 40s and coached 10 years, he still would have been the right guy for the job. … Once I decided to make the move, he was the first guy I called.” Fangio and Shurmur coached against each other in the NFC North for two seasons from 2016-17, when Shurmur was Minnesota’s OC.

NFC East Notes: Guice, Davis, Cowboys

February 9th, 2020 at 8:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Derrius Guice has played five of a possible 32 NFL games. The 2018 second-round pick fared well in limited time for the Redskins last season, averaging 5.8 yards per carry on 42 attempts, but saw more injury trouble intervene. Knee trouble has dogged Guice at nearly ever turn as an NFLer, but the former LSU standout does at least expect to be ready to go by the time Washington’s first Ron Rivera-led offseason program opens.

“I’m feeling pretty good about entering OTAs 100% healthy,” Guice said, via The Athletic’s Rhiannon Walker (subscription required). “So that’s the most important thing to me. It’s very comforting to feel that and have that mindset going into OTAs and then training camp and then the season.

“… The main thing is actually like getting through games healthy. I’ve been a practice All-American so far, and I’m trying to bring that to the field, so that’s kind of where I’m at with it.”

Guice missed 2018 with a torn ACL, underwent another knee surgery early last season and, after returning from IR, sustained MCL damage en route to the Redskins shutting him down. With a new regime being assembled in Washington, Guice will face a key season in 2020.

Here is the latest from the NFC East, moving first to a player who will not be with the 2020 Redskins:

Former Redskins tight end Vernon Davis announced his retirement in a Super Bowl Sunday sketch with Rob Gronkowski and James Harrison but elaborated on his decision this week. “Just the simple wear and tear over time. Especially those concussions,” Davis said in a letter (via NBC Sports Washington’s Ethan Cadeaux). “They can take a toll on you in the long haul. It’s just better safe than sorry. But if it wasn’t for that throughout the course of time, then I probably would have played for the next five years, at least. But I feel like I made a great decision as I move forward.” Davis missed most of last season with a concussion, had already played 14 seasons and turned 36 two weeks ago. He was set to be a 2020 free agent after four Redskins seasons.
Byron Jones is not the only Cowboys cornerback who will be an unrestricted free agent come March. Dallas’ four-year slot corner, Anthony Brown, is on track for free agency but does not expect nearly the same kind of deal as Jones will receive. Brown may be eyeing a short-term pact in order to re-establish his value after an injury-marred season, with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News noting Brown’s reps expect their client to earn roughly $10MM in total on his next contract. Still, Watkins expects that will be beyond what the Cowboys will authorize. Dallas losing both Jones and Brown will make corner a need area, despite both Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis under contract for next season.
Leonard Williams has set a high price for his services, despite minimal statistical production. The Giants, however, are “intent” on keeping their 2019 trade acquistion.

Cowboys Prepared To Let Byron Jones Walk?

February 9th, 2020 at 7:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

With Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper now five weeks from free agency, the Cowboys have made their priorities clear. That stands to price out their other high-end free agent, but the Cowboys may not view Byron Jones as a player worth a top-market cornerback contract.

The Cowboys are leery of a big Jones payment, with Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reporting they are not warm to the prospect of giving their top cornerback a deal that pays more than $12MM per year.

Even as the cornerback market has stagnated for several years now, its ceiling hovers well north of that benchmark. Nearly 15 corners make at least $12MM annually, and with the converted safety set for free agency in a year that will see the salary cap spike toward $200MM, it appears even likelier now that Jones will leave Dallas in March.

Jones has become one of the NFL’s top cover men, with the move to corner in 2018 reinvigorating the former first-round pick. But the Cowboys may be underwhelmed by his impact in the takeaway department, per Watkins. Jones has not intercepted a pass in his past 40 games, dating back to October 2017, and has just two picks in his career. That did not stop him from making the Pro Bowl in 2018, and Watkins notes those close to the corner expect a strong market for his services when the legal tampering period opens March 16. Jones graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 14 corner last season.

The Cowboys re-upped several key players over the past 10 months — extending DeMarcus Lawrence, La’el Collins, Jaylon Smith and Ezekiel Elliott — and will retain Prescott and make a strong effort to keep Cooper. That will probably mean a bidding war for Jones. The 27-year-old defender should be expected to sign a lucrative pact — perhaps one that eclipses Xavien Howard‘s cornerback-record $15.05MM-per-year deal — in free agency.

49ers Want To Extend Arik Armstead

February 9th, 2020 at 5:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers employed five first-round defensive linemen this past season and were able to do so because four of those were on rookie contracts. Arik Armstead‘s has expired, leading to uncertainty for San Francisco’s sack leader.

Armstead is open to the franchise tag, but the 49ers are hoping they can either bypass that arrangement or use it as a bridge to ensure he will be a part of their defensive line well into the 2020s.

“Arik is an excellent player,” 49ers GM John Lynch said, via NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco. “He had an excellent year. I think everything is on the table. We want to find a way to keep him and make him a part of the 49ers for a long time.”

This would be a promising development for the 49ers, but it won’t be easy. Even with releases of Jerick McKinnon and Marquise Goodwin saving them north of $8MM, the 49ers would still barely hold $20MM in cap space. They also have Jimmie Ward and Emmanuel Sanders as free agents at positions of greater need. San Francisco’s extension pecking order is also clear, with George Kittle and DeForest Buckner slotted ahead of Armstead in that figurative queue.

Armstead led the 49ers with 10 sacks in 2019 and accumulated two more in the playoffs. The versatile pass rusher only registered nine in four prior injury- and inconsistency-marred seasons, however. But another team will likely be willing to offer Armstead more than the 49ers will, should he reach free agency. A tag-and-negotiate scenario may be the team’s only chance to retain the 6-foot-7 talent, and said tag is expected to cost nearly $18MM.

This will not be an easy process for the NFC champions, but they are not resigned to losing the contract-year wonder just yet.

Dan Snyder Lobbying For Sports Betting

February 9th, 2020 at 4:58pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Washington owner Dan Snyder has been lobbying the Maryland legislature to permit his organization a sports gambling license. Unsurprisingly, Snyder is lobbying the Virginia legislature as well, according to Erin Cox and Ovetta Wiggins of the Washington Post. Per the Washington Post report, Snyder has built some momentum towards a bill’s passage. The legislature will be voting on two sports gambling bills on Monday, but it remains unclear whether either will pass at this point.

Obviously every NFL team would benefit greatly from a gambling license and Snyder would surely be happy to create a new revenue stream for his organization. Of course, Snyder has yet to show much competence on the football side of his team ownership, however, it is hardly new for an owner to consistently prioritize financial returns to football performance.

Going forward, if Snyder were able to obtain a license, other ownership groups would surely try to emulate his tactics. The league may also step in and attempt to adjudicate if teams with licenses have to share revenues with teams in states with less amenable legislatures.

Players Split On 17 Game Schedule?

February 9th, 2020 at 4:00pm CST by Marc Delucchi

The NFL and NFLPA are hoping to agree on the next CBA prior to the start of free agency. The current CBA does not expire at that point but set to expire at the end of the next league year, players and teams would both benefit from knowing what the future structure of the league (especially the salary cap) would look like.

While there have been no recent updates on the situation, it has been widely reported that the league would advocate adding a 17th game to the regular season to increase revenues. Players were expected to be united in opposition to this expansion, but that might not be as clear as previously believed.

Mike Klis of 9News.com talked with Broncos’ union rep-kicker Brandon McManus-about the current status of the situation. McManus discussed talking to his teammates after the last union meeting in detail, but his notes on the disparate responses to a 17-game schedule could have some interesting ramifications.

McManus noted that the additional share of revenue ownership is offering in compensation would have a big impact on players towards the bottom of the pay scale. However, veterans and other high-paid players have greater financial flexibility and can prioritize their health to a greater degree. Still, McManus said he was personally not in favor of an expanded schedule and it would likely require some large concessions from ownership.

Also of note, McManus “can’t fathom” an agreement getting done before free-agency.

Texans LB Jacob Martin To Become Every Down Player?

February 9th, 2020 at 3:11pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Linebacker Jacob Martin proved himself as a solid rotational pass-rusher for the Texans this season. Martin is aiming to make an even bigger contribution going forward. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, Martin plans to bulk up and put on some weight this offseason in hopes he can play a more expanded role along Houston’s defensive front.

Listed at 6-2, 242 pounds, Martin was ineffective against the run in early down situations. With that said, he’s shown an effective ability as an edge pass-rusher on long third downs. Still, Martin was on the field for just 21 percent of the team’s defensive snaps last season. In that limited sample, Martin managed 11 combined tackles, 7 quarterback hits, 3.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.

Houston acquired Martin from the Seahawks earlier this year alongside Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick for defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Many panned Houston’s decision to wait as long as they did to trade Clowney (who had been franchised for the entirety of the offseason). Several defensive linemen like Dee Ford and Frank Clark had been in similar situations to Clowney, but were traded early in the offseason and each recouped greater draft compensation than Houston received for Clowney.

Mingo a former top pick, has yet to be more than a role player in Houston and at his age (29) is unlikely to amount to much more than that. Martin, on the other hand, was selected by the Seahawks in the sixth round out of Temple two years ago and just turned 24 years old in December.

While it still appears the Texans did not extract maximum value for Clowney, if Martin can take another step in his development, Houston could still be satisfied with their return.

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