2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

49ers’ Arik Armstead Open To Tag

February 5th, 2020 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Players often bristle at the notion of the franchise tag, but defensive lineman Arik Armstead isn’t necessarily opposed to it. The former-first round pick says he’s intent on staying with the 49ers and his comments suggest that he wouldn’t hold out if he’s tagged.

“I would love being here,” Armstead said (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com) “Trying to go back to the Super Bowl, so however that is seen or has to get done, it’s not really my decision what they want to do with me.”

Armstead didn’t really produce early on in his career and injuries robbed him of 18 games between 2016 and 2017. In his first four seasons, Armstead tallied just nine sacks in total, but everything clicked for him in 2019. The Oregon product notched ten sacks in his walk year and bottled up opposing running backs with equal glee. The Niners’ attack featuring Armstead, Nick Bosa, and Dee Ford was the most ferocious in the NFL, and San Francisco would do well to keep the core in tact.

Still, the Niners will have to keep their budget in mind. Armstead played more snaps at defensive end than defensive tackle in 2019, meaning that his franchise tag will cost around $19.3MM, instead of $15.5MM. A long-term deal could make sense for both sides, but the Niners have to leave enough room to extend key players like DeForest Buckner and George Kittle.

Speaking of Kittle – it’s expected that he’ll land at least $13MM/year on a new contract. That would make him the highest-paid tight end in the league by a healthy margin and slot him far ahead of Super Bowl foe Travis Kelce.

Steelers Sign GM Kevin Colbert To Extension

February 5th, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Kevin Colbert will stay in Pittsburgh for at least one more year. On Wednesday, the Steelers announced a one-year contract extension with their longtime GM.

“I am happy to announce we have extended Kevin Colbert’s contract for an additional year,” said Steelers President Art Rooney II. “Kevin continues to play a key role in our success and his dedication to our personnel efforts is unparalleled. We are pleased he will lead those efforts for at least one more year.”

This will mark Colbert’s 21st year with the Steelers. Understandably, the GM has been keeping his options open. Last summer, Colbert declined to discuss a long-term extension with the club, citing a preference to go year-to-year with the Steelers.

The 63-year-old first joined the Steelers in 2000. Then, in 2010, he was promoted from director of football operations to GM. Over the years, he’s helped the Steelers build two Super Bowl winning teams and 12 playoff squads.

Of course, things didn’t go as planned for Colbert & Co. in 2019 – after losing star Ben Roethlisberger to injury, the Steelers finished out the year 8-8 and missed the playoffs. The other stars that helped the Steelers become a perennial contender – Antonio Brown and Le’Veon Bell – are long gone, so it’s up to Colbert to retool the offense with Big Ben remaining at the helm.

Salary Guaranteed For Raiders’ Tyrell Williams

February 5th, 2020 at 2:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Today, Tyrell Williams‘ $11MM base salary for the 2020 season became fully guaranteed, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) notes. Before Wednesday, the wide receiver’s salary was guaranteed for injury only, meaning that the Raiders could have cut him without any fiscal penalty.

After an injury-riddled season, Williams was not a slam dunk to return to the Raiders in 2020. Playing through plantar fasciitis in both feet, Williams didn’t have the sort of breakthrough campaign the Raiders were expecting when they handed him a four-year, $44 million deal last year.

Williams’ 42 grabs for 651 yards and six touchdowns were roughly in line with his previous work, but it wasn’t the sort of production that you’d want out of an $11MM/year player. He did provide glimpses of potential, however. Williams kicked off the year with six catches for 105 yards against the Broncos and later torched the Texans for a seemingly easy 46-yard touchdown – an emphatic statement following a multi-game absence.

The Raiders’ infatuation with Jets receiver and soon-to-be free agent Robby Anderson is well-known, but Williams’ presence could slow their pursuit. Instead, the Raiders could use one of their two first-round picks on a rookie WR, and they’ll have a bevy of top-end talents from which to choose. Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and Tee Higgins are among the players that headline this year’s crop of receivers and depending on how the early picks shake out, they could all be on the table at No. 12. Even if there’s an unexpected run on receivers early, at least one of those players should be available at No. 19.

For now, Williams and Hunter Renfrow are slotted in as the Raiders’ top targets.

Latest On Jets’ Le’Veon Bell

February 5th, 2020 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Speculation swirls around Le’Veon Bell, but the Jets running back says he has every intention of staying put. When asked about his future, Bell told TMZ that he’s on the same page with head coach Adam Gase.

“Me and coach Gase had our exit meeting,” Bell said. “It was fine, so we straight. Yeah, we good.”

Gase and Bell butted heads throughout the season, which saw the multiple-time Pro Bowler put up the worst numbers of his career. Bell ran for just 789 yards and three touchdowns on 229 carries – that comes out to just 3.3 yards per tote, a sharp contrast from his best work in Pittsburgh, which included back-to-back 4.9-yard averages. His 66 catches for 461 yards and one score weren’t too shabby, but that’s still a notch or two below expectations. With the Steelers, Bell averaged 8.5 yards per reception and averaged 80 grabs in each of his final two seasons with his former team.

Despite the friction and the disappointment, Bell says he’s ready to bounce back and move forward with the club on his lucrative multi-year deal.

“Everybody blowing everything out of proportion,” Bell said. “Water under the bridge — we’re fine. We good … Jets for four more years unless something drastic changes.”

Bell, we figure, has at least one more year in green, unless the Jets are extraordinarily desperate to get rid of him. Releasing Bell this offseason would leave them with nothing but a backfield vacancy and a giant chunk of dead money. Next year, however, they could escape the deal and save $9.5MM against just $4MM in dead money.

On a related note – Bell’s quick math was slightly off. His contract takes him through the 2022 season, so “four more years” with the Jets would require another contract. For a number of reasons, that won’t be happening anytime soon.

Raiders To Re-Sign Jalen Richard

February 5th, 2020 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are keeping Jalen Richard. On Wednesday, the club agreed to re-sign the running back to a brand new deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The new contract will pay him $7MM over two years, with the potential to earn up another $1MM through incentives. He’ll also see a full guarantee of $4.6MM.

Richard lit up the stat sheet in Jon Gruden‘s first year at the helm by finishing 2018 with 68 catches for 607 yards, plus an average of 4.7 yards per carry in a limited sample size. Last year, the numbers weren’t quite as flashy, but he still showed value as a solid third-down running back with soft hands. Richard caught 36 passes for 323 yards in 2019 and added another 145 yards on the ground in 39 carries.

Last year, Richard earned roughly $3.1MM on a deal that he inked in April. This time around, he’s found security in a fresh pact far in advance of free agency.

As the Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas, they’ll continue to feature Josh Jacobs as their primary tailback. As a rookie, the Alabama product amassed 1,150 yards in just 13 games while averaging 4.8 yards per tote.

Browns GM On OBJ, Hunt, Free Agency

February 5th, 2020 at 11:43am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday, the Browns formally introduced old friend and new GM Andrew Berry to the media. Here’s a look at some of the highlights from his presser:

It sounds like running back Kareem Hunt will have an opportunity to move forward with the Browns, despite his latest misstep. “With Kareem, we’ve communicated our expectations for him moving forward,” Berry said (via Jeff Risdon of USA Today). “We want guys who are going to be smart, tough, and accountable on and off the field. Kareem understands that.” Hunt, who was cut by the Chiefs after a video showed him shoving and kicking a woman at a Cleveland hotel, was recently found with marijuana and vodka after being pulled over by cops. The Browns can retain Hunt via the restricted free agent tender or negotiate a new deal with him, but it seems unlikely that they’ll want to make a long-term commitment to him at this time.
Berry offered similar thoughts regarding Odell Beckham Jr., though he noted that both he and Hunt will have to fit into the Browns’ “culture in terms of being smart, tough and accountable.” The GM says that both he and head coach Kevin Stefanski have chatted with Beckham, an indication that they’re all on the same page. OBJ reportedly wanted out of Cleveland towards the end of the season, but we recently heard that the Browns’ new regime has every intention of keeping him. OBJ had “just” 1,035 yards in a down year, but the Browns believe that he can get back to his old form in short order.
Berry says the Browns plan to “aggressively add talent” this offseason (via 92.3 The Fan). With roughly $50MM in available cap room, the GM will have opportunities to spend in March before he makes his pick at No. 10 overall in April.

Eagles Promote Press Taylor

February 5th, 2020 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles’ revamped coaching staff is starting to come together. This week, the Eagles promoted quarterbacks coach Press Taylor by tacking on the title of passing game coordinator, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. The club is also set to hire former Broncos offensive coordinator Rich Scangarello for a staff position, Pelissero hears.

It’s not immediately clear what position Scangarello will occupy, or what this all means for the Eagles’ own OC vacancy. Scangarello served as the Broncos’ OC in 2019, but the results were not pretty. After finishing out as the No. 14 team in offensive DVOA in 2018, they regressed to 26th in the NFL. Still, as we’ve seen before, teams aren’t always looking at a coach’s latest results, and Scangarello rolled into Denver with plenty of hype thanks to his previous work in San Francisco.

Taylor, meanwhile, was being considered for the OC position as recently as January 31st. Although he hasn’t been explicitly ruled out for the post, his additional title seems to indicate that he’s no longer in the running for the job. Taylor, 32, has been on the Eagles’ staff since 2013 but has only served as a position coach for the last two years. He is perhaps best known for his role in the Eagles’ legendary “Philly Special” that helped them capture their long-awaited Super Bowl ring.

The Eagles fired Mike Groh just after their early playoff exit, despite previous comments from head coach Doug Pederson indicating that he’d be staying on board. Weeks later, the Eagles are still looking for his replacement.

Browns To Interview Joe Woods

February 5th, 2020 at 8:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Browns will interview 49ers defensive backs coach Joe Woods for their defensive coordinator job today (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). We’ve heard that Woods already has a handshake deal in place for the position, but it’s not necessarily a done deal until Woods puts pen to paper.

In late January, we heard that the 49ers had not given up on retaining Woods, despite the enormous opportunity in front of him. It’s possible that the NFC champs are still looking for a way to keep Woods on their staff, which would mean that the coach is not necessarily ticketed for Cleveland. By the end of the business day, we should know the outcome. We still expect Woods to become the Browns’ new DC, but stranger things have happened.

Woods has a strong relationship with new Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski, dating back to their days with the Vikings. If he joins up with Cleveland, it’s expected that Woods will bring some of his assistants from SF along with him, which gives the 49ers even more reason to try and hang on to him.

Woods, 49, has 16 years of NFL coaching experience for five different teams. During his run in Denver, he spent two years as their coordinator. This past season, he helped the Niners’ D go from 23rd in pass-defense DVOA to No. 2 in the NFL. That was a huge key to their success in 2019 and the Browns (No. 17 in pass-defense DVOA) are hoping to bring some of that magic to their defense.

Greg Olsen Hopes To Hear From Bears

February 5th, 2020 at 8:20am CST by Zachary Links

Greg Olsen has drawn tons of interest on the open market, but there’s one call that he’s still waiting for. In an interview with ESPN 1000 (Twitter link), Olsen said that he would like to hear from the Bears.

“I’ll be honest. In my heart I was hoping they would have been one of the first calls,” the tight end said when asked about the Bears. “To my knowledge we have not heard from them. Whether or not they do or not is hard to say.”

Olsen started his career in Chicago as the No. 31 overall pick in the 2007 draft and played four seasons for the Bears. The University of Miami product started paying dividends immediately and went on to average roughly 49 catches, 495 yards, and five touchdowns across four seasons with the club. Then, in the summer of 2011, the Bears shipped him to the Panthers for a third-round pick.

A reunion would make sense, and not just for nostalgia reasons. Last year, Bears tight ends Trey Burton, Adam Shaheen, and Ben Braunecker all finished the season on injured reserve. Olsen would make lots of sense for Chicago, but, so far, they’ve yet to show interest.

Meanwhile, plenty of other clubs would love to have Olsen. Since his release from the Panthers, Olsen has booked visits with the Seahawks, Bills, and Redskins. Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network says Olsen will take his time with his decision and is not expected to sign quickly (video link).

Extra Points: Brown, Olsen, Lewis, Colts

February 4th, 2020 at 9:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Marvin Lewis is back in the coaching ranks. Doug Haller of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that the former Bengals head coach has been named co-defensive coordinator at Arizona State.

Former defensive coordinator Tony White left for a new gig at Syracuse, providing an opening for Lewis. He’ll coach alongside fellow co-defensive coordinator Antonio Pierce.

After being fired by the Bengals following the 2018 season, Lewis joined his buddies Ray Anderson and Herm Edwards at ASU. He served last season as a special advisor, and the 61-year-old had said he didn’t intend to coach again. Despite his declaration, Lewis met with the Cowboys about their head coaching vacancy back in January.

While Lewis didn’t help the Bengals achieve any playoff success (0-7 in seven appearances) during his 16 years in Cincy, he did finish his tenure with a 131-122 record. Those 131 victories are the most all-time among Bengals coaches, while his seven playoff losses without a win is an NFL record.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

When Greg Olsen was released by the Panthers, it was described as a mutual parting. However, the veteran tight end said he would have been open to returning to Carolina in 2020. “I told them all along that if they wanted me back…obviously I would have been back,” the veteran said (via WFNZ-AM/FM on Twitter). “The ‘mutual parting’ might have been a little overblown. The reality was…they weren’t going to bring me back…I understood it but I didn’t force my way out of here.”
We learned this past weekend that former Eagles offensive coordinator Mike Groh was joining the Colts coaching staff. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the 48-year-old will be Indy’s new wide receivers coach. Groh was a natural fit for the Colts, as he actually replaced current Colts head coach (and former Philly offensive coordinator). Frank Reich in 2018. Kevin Patullo, who previously held the role of wide receivers coach, will remain on the staff in a different role.
Marquise Brown had a standout rookie campaign for the Ravens, but ‘Hollywood’ was battling an injury throughout the season. ESPN’s Jamison Hensley writes that the first-rounder never fully healed from a foot injury suffered earlier in the year. Despite the ailment, Brown still finished the season having hauled in 46 catches for 584 yards and seven touchdowns, leading quarterback Lamar Jackson to compare him to one of the NFL’s top receivers. “Even though he was hurt with his foot, he still felt like he should be Julio (Jones) already,” Jackson said. “I told him, ‘Bro, you’re good. Your foot not already 100 and you’re making plays.’ This year, he’s going to be dangerous.”