2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Bears Still Mulling Mitchell Trubisky’s Option

February 25th, 2020 at 10:11am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have until May to decide on whether to trigger Mitchell Trubisky‘s option for the 2021 season. They’ll wait until then to make the call, according to GM Ryan Pace (Twitter link via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune).

The fifth-year option is guaranteed for injury only. In 2019, it seemed like Trubisky was dealing with nothing but injuries. Throughout the year, he was plagued with hip, shoulder, and other trouble and he recently went under the knife to fix the torn labrum in his non-throwing shoulder.

The typical recovery time for the labrum surgery is around two months. Trubisky’s surgery took place sometime in January, so the Bears should have some read on his status before the fifth-year option date.

In 2018, Trubisky posted a 95.4 quarterback rating and threw for 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions en route to a Pro Bowl nod. Last year, however, was a pretty big step back – he had just 17 TDs against ten INTs and the Bears’ talented D couldn’t make up for the offense’s shortcomings. The Bears went 8-7 in Trubisky’s 15 starts and finished .500 on the season, leaving them short of the postseason.

Trubisky has shown promise since being selected No. 2 overall in 2017 and good quarterbacks are hard to find; the expectation remains that they’ll pick up his option. Still, it’s not a sure thing. In the past, the Bears have made these fifth-year option calls well in advance of the deadline, so their delay is telling. The Bears, at minimum, will explore their options during the early stages of free agency and possibly dig into some of this year’s top passers in the April draft.

Joe Burrow: “I’ll Play For Whoever Drafts Me”

February 25th, 2020 at 8:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Joe Burrow/Bengals controversy, it seems, has been put to rest. At the combine on Tuesday, the LSU quarterback told reporters that he’ll play for “whoever drafts” him.

“Yeah. I’m not going to not play. I’m a ball player,” Burrow said (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). “Whoever picks me, I’m going to show up.”

Burrow has been the apple of the Bengals’ eye from the get-go. Still, questions have lingered about his desire to play for the Bengals, who have long been mired in a slump and held back by internal discord. Under new head coach Zac Taylor, the Bengals completely flopped – they went 0-11 to start the year and finished out with 2-14. Of course, that’ll often be the case for any team with the top pick, but the Bengals didn’t have many bright spots and haven’t looked the part of a contender in a long time.

This offseason, Burrow has been working out with former Bengal Jordan Palmer, the younger brother of longtime franchise face Carson Palmer. The elder Palmer has been critical of the organization in the past and occasional quotes from Burrow led many to believe that he had been warded off of the Bengals.

“You want to go No. 1. But you also want to go to a great organization that is committed to winning. Committed to winning Super Bowls,” Burrow said earlier this winter.

Burrow may still have concerns about the direction of the franchise, but he doesn’t sound inclined to pull an Eli Manning, even though he has the same agent.

Panthers Plan To Keep Cam Newton

February 25th, 2020 at 8:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers plan to move forward with Cam Newton as their starting quarterback, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Things can change in the coming months, RapSheet cautions, but that’s the Panthers’ mindset at this time.

There’s been lots of talk about a potential trade of the one-time MVP, but it’ll be months before Newton’s surgically-repaired foot is game-ready, and that hurts his potential trade value. The expectation is that the QB will be able to pass his physical by March, however.

The Panthers are in the midst of a rebuild after dismissing longtime head coach Ron Rivera and parting ways with tight end Greg Olsen. The new regime likes Newton though – Rapoport hears that Rhule & Co. have been encouraged by Newton’s approach to rehab and his decision to stay in the Charlotte area throughout the process. With so much changing on both sides of the ball, Rhule likes the idea of keeping his signal caller in place.

Newton missed all but two games last season, but he’d represent a solid value if he’s healthy. He’s set to earn just $18.6MM in base salary this season, which would make him a manageable bridge option for a younger QB in 2021. This year, the Panthers hold the No. 7 pick, where they’d likely see at least two QBs taken ahead of them. Moving up is an option, of course, but it’d be costly, and the Panthers will have many more needs to address in the lower reaches of the draft.

If the Panthers wind up with a top pick in 2021, they could be in range for prospects like Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence and Ohio State’s Justin Fields.

Staff Notes: Giants, Pats, Saints, Broncos

February 24th, 2020 at 9:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Joe Judge will turn to another team’s staff to add a key assistant. The new Giants HC is hiring Buccaneers assistant special teams coach Amos Jones to his staff, Tom Rock of Newsday reports. Jones was on the Mississippi State staff during part of Judge’s tenure in Starksville as a player and graduate assistant, and Rock notes the 60-year-old assistant will play myriad roles for Judge. Jones will act as Judge’s right-hand man during game days, helping with in-game strategy, while aiding with analytics and in-week planning as well. Jones has worked in the NFL since 2007, but this appears a more diverse job description compared to the special teams roles he’s previously held in the league. From 2012-18, Jones served as the ST coordinator for the Steelers, Cardinals and Browns. He caught on with Bruce Arians again in Tampa but will join former pupil Judge in New York.

Here is the latest from the coaching/staffing realm:

The Saints lost linebackers coach Mike Nolan to the Cowboys, who hired him as defensive coordinator. New Orleans will fill the vacancy on its defensive staff by promoting Michael Hodges to LBs coach, the team announced. Previously the Saints’ assistant linebackers coach, Hodges has spent three seasons in New Orleans. The first two came as a defensive assistant.
Dante Scarnecchia cannot seem to stay away. After retiring for the second time in six years, the acclaimed Patriots offensive line coach is at the Combine representing the team, Michael Giardi of NFL.com tweets. The 72-year-old coach retired last month. During his first retirement — which lasted from 2014-15 — Scarnecchia still helped the Pats with scouting.
The Broncos and analytics director Mitch Tanney will part ways, Mike Klis of 9News notes. Tanney’s exit follows that of director of football administration Mike Sullivan‘s January exit. The Broncos hired longtime CAA agent Rich Hurtado to replace Sullivan, but Klis adds Tanney’s replacement will likely come from within. The five-year Broncos staffer could have a new gig lined up, with the Denver Post’s Ryan O’Halloran tweeting Tanney may have a bigger role with another team on tap.

CBA Notes: Cap, NFLPA, Schedule, TV Deals

February 24th, 2020 at 8:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

During what has become a layered process — featuring owners on board with the CBA, owners believing too many concessions are included, NFLPA senior reps voting yes and the other union executive committee members holding out for more — an interesting point emerged. Depending on the structure of the next round of TV contracts, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the cap could rise to nearly $300MM within three years. That would be a staggering increase, compared to the recent run of approximately $10MM-per-year spikes. This year’s cap is projected to come in around $200MM. The prospect of the cap spiking this high so soon would certainly be an incentive for players to green-light this CBA, though many issues remain going into Tuesday’s meeting.

As the NFLPA and the league’s owners prepare to huddle up for a crucial summit in Indianapolis, here is the latest on where the CBA negotiations stand:

While all 32 player reps and all 11 members of the NFLPA’s executive committee are believed to be in Indianapolis, a smaller group — fronted by NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith and NFLPA president Eric Winston — will meet with Roger Goodell and a handful of owners, per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter). The 11-man executive committee has not been together for in-person negotiations since last summer, so this meeting figures to be one of the seminal chapters of these CBA talks. The NFLPA will attempt to see if one or two more sweeteners can be added to the deal in exchange for a 17-game season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link).
Some owners, however, did not want to go forward with this deal, believing they have over-sweetened it for the players, per Breer. While some owners still wanted to hold out for 18 games — a subject players deemed a non-starter months ago — others against this CBA proposal voiced concerns from coaches centered around the reduction in practice time. The 2011 CBA reduced offseason work and eliminated two-a-day practices. This one will further minimize work time and contact — in exchange for the extra regular-season game.
The prospect of a deadline for these talks is fluid. Some within the NFLPA believe the owners would try to move forward with the TV contracts without a CBA in place, per Breer, while Dan Graziano of ESPN.com notes others within the union believe there is no urgency to make a deal now. The 2011 CBA expires in March 2021, but player fears owners would hold a work stoppage over their heads come 2021 have surfaced.
Both Smith and Winston are on board with this CBA, believing they’ve fought to get the owners to cave on numerous issues, Breer adds. While the $250K cap on 18th-week earnings has rankled many, the owners’ initial proposal included nothing for Game 17. This issue would seemingly be minimized once player contracts are constructed for a 17-game season, but for existing deals, NFLPA members who are currently against this CBA have made this a major issue. It figures to come up on Tuesday.
As for how the 17th game would be structured with regards to the schedule format, the rumored concept of 16 neutral-site games appears unlikely. Packers president Mark Murphy said (via the Washington Post’s Mark Maske, on Twitter) the likely arrangement will feature one conference’s 16 teams having an extra home game one year and the other conference’s 16 having nine home games the next. The 17th game is also likely to be a fifth interconference contest, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

Cowboys To Move On From Byron Jones?

February 24th, 2020 at 6:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Cowboys plan to focus on defense this offseason, that blueprint appears set to result in one of their best defenders leaving in free agency.

A month after a report surfaced about the Cowboys being leery of Byron Jones‘ price tag, the franchise looks ready to let the cornerback walk. Emphasizing deals/tags for Dak Prescott and Amari Cooper will tie up the Cowboys’ cap, executive VP Stephen Jones said Byron Jones may need to seek his payday elsewhere.

“Byron is a guy we think a lot of,” Stephen Jones said, via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s had a great run at corner. He’s played really well, played at a high level. That’s the hard thing when you have quite a few good players on your football team is you get challenges. Byron understands that. But at the same time, he’s worried about Byron, as he should be.

“Certainly, we’ll visit with his guys while we’re here. Kinda see their direction, what they’re thinking. And we’ll have to keep moving.”

The Cowboys’ prioritizing of Prescott and Cooper will almost certainly send Jones to free agency, with Gehlken adding the team appears “fully prepared” to let the five-year veteran go. Dallas extended starters DeMarcus Lawrence, La’el Collins, Jaylon Smith and Ezekiel Elliott last year. And the franchise has made no secret of Prescott and Cooper residing ahead of Jones this year.

While Jones has not recorded an interception in more than two seasons, the ex-safety has become one of the game’s top boundary defenders. The 27-year-old defender’s lack of turnovers, however, has affected the Cowboys’ view of him. The franchise is believed to be hesitant about giving him a contract in the CB1 range. But as a Pro Bowl cornerback in his prime, Jones will be a threat to eclipse Xavien Howard‘s top corner price ($15.1MM per year).

Justin Simmons Expects Franchise Tag

February 24th, 2020 at 6:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Elway said in December he does not plan to let Justin Simmons walk, and nothing appears to have changed on this front as free agency nears. The Broncos safety expects to receive the franchise tag. After the CBA-related delay, the tag window is set to open Feb. 27 and close March 12.

“We expect to get franchise-tagged,” Simmons said during an interview with Sirius XM Radio’s Bruce Murray and Brady Quinn (via NFL.com). “We’re kind of sitting on the optimistic side of things, just because in the past when the Broncos have used the tag and Elway’s used it, they’ve always worked out a long-term deal.”

Simmons would be the fifth Broncos tag in Elway’s GM era, following Matt Prater (2012), Ryan Clady (2013), Demaryius Thomas (2015) and Von Miller (2016). All four signed extensions before the mid-July deadline. With Simmons being one of Elway’s top draft picks — chosen 98th overall in 2016 — it seems a near-certainty the Boston College alum will be tagged if the sides cannot come to an extension agreement by March 12.

A safety tag is expected to cost nearly $13MM. But the safety market reawakened in 2019, with Landon Collins, Tyrann Mathieu, Kevin Byard and Eddie Jackson moving the bar past the $14MM-per-year point. While Simmons has no Pro Bowls on his resume, he finished last season as Pro Football Focus’ No. 2 overall safety and led all safeties with 15 passes defensed.

The Broncos are projected to hold $62MM-plus in cap space — sixth-most in the league. Although they already have a $12MM-AAV deal in place at safety, having signed Kareem Jackson last year and moved him from cornerback to safety, that contract only features one more season of guaranteed money. At 26, Simmons is five years younger than Jackson. An extension for the former will run beyond the life of Jackson’s pact, which goes through 2021.

Seahawks To Hire Alonzo Highsmith, Eliot Wolf As Consultants

February 24th, 2020 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Recently let go following the Browns’ latest GM change, Alonzo Highsmith and Eliot Wolf have secured pre-draft roles elsewhere. The Seahawks will bring the execs in as consultants during the lead-up to the draft, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Both staffers have lengthy histories in Green Bay, just as Seattle GM John Schneider does. Schneider and Wolf worked together with the Packers, while Highsmith began a six-year Green Bay tenure shortly after Schneider left for the Seattle job. Each left the Packers to work as John Dorsey‘s right-hand men with the Browns, but with Dorsey’s Cleveland tenure stopping after two years, his lieutenants are now on the market.

Wolf has interviewed for multiple GM jobs in the recent past, venturing to Cleveland after the Packers promoted Brian Gutekunst to that role in early 2018. The son of Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, Eliot worked with Schneider in Green Bay from 2004-09 and was a 15-year Packers staffer. Wolf worked as Dorsey’s assistant GM; Highsmith served as the Browns’ VP of player personnel.

Both Wolf and Highsmith figure to have options. For now, they will help a Seahawks team that’s become known for draft-weekend moves.

Latest On Cowboys, Dak Prescott

February 24th, 2020 at 2:40pm CST by Zachary Links

There Cowboys have not met or negotiated with Dak Prescott‘s agent since the start of the 2019 season, Cowboys VP Stephen Jones says (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of The Athletic). There could be some conversation with Prescott’s rep Todd France at the combine, but nothing has been scheduled just yet.

When those talks were active, the Cowboys were reportedly willing to go to $33MM/year on a long-term deal. That was probably in the right ballpark, but Prescott’s camp aimed higher as he got off to a blazing start in 2019. The QB could have been targeting the $35MM average annual value of Russell Wilson‘s deal. Even though the Cowboys slumped in the second half, Prescott’s camp may still look to use that contract as a reference point.

Technically speaking, Prescott is scheduled to become a free agent in less than a month. Realistically, there’s no scenario in which the Cowboys will allow him to explore the open market. If a long-term deal doesn’t materialize, the Cowboys are expected to use the ~$27MM franchise tag to cuff him for the 2020 season. After that, the Cowboys can negotiate a long-term deal with Prescott up until the mid-summer deadline. And, if July comes and goes without a new agreement, the two sides can revisit talks after the 2020 campaign.

Jones pretty much confirmed that plan when he spoke with reporters on Monday.

“Absolutely not,” Jones said when asked if there’s any chance of parting ways with Prescott (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer). “I mean, Dak’s our quarterback. He’s our quarterback for the future and we have nothing but the greatest respect for him. He’s a competitor. He’s won a lot of football games for us. Obviously, he, like us, we all want to take that next step and get into a championship game and get to the big game and ultimately win a championship. So there’s no thoughts like that.”

Prescott, a two-time Pro Bowler, threw for 4,902 yards and 30 touchdowns in 2019. For his career, he’s got 40-24 in 64 starts with a 65.8% completion rate and 97 TDs against 36 INTs.

NFL Reinstates Vontaze Burfict

February 24th, 2020 at 12:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Last month, the NFL “quietly” reinstated Vontaze Burfict from suspension, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) reports. Burfict was barred from playing in the last 12 games of the Raiders’ season, but he’s been given the greenlight to play in 2020.

Burfict has racked up an inordinate number of suspensions and fines throughout his career for safety violations. His most recent – a Week 4 leveling of Colts tight end Jack Doyle – brought down the hammer.

Burfict’s reputation allowed Jon Gruden & Co. to add him on the cheap – a one-year, $1.15MM deal. Now, he’ll hit the free agent market after working to clean up his playing style, Pelissero hears. Burfict’s new agent, Peter Schaffer, says he’s spent months viewing game tape and talking with coaches to make the adjustment. Schaffer says his client is serious about getting back on the field and, this time around, doing things the right way.

The linebacker’s ban marked the longest suspension in league history for an on-field incident. Myles Garrett was served with an “indefinite” suspension last year for his actions against the Steelers, but that amounted to a six-game suspension that was recently lifted.

Burfict’s controversial and dangerous style of play made him one of the league’s most feared players during his time with the Bengals. He was also frequently sidelined by suspensions. Burfict’s only complete 16-game seasons came in his first two years in the NFL. In Year Two, he earned a Pro Bowl nod as he led the league with 171 stops and tallied one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and three sacks.

At this stage, it’s not clear what kind of market Burfict will find. He’ll turn 30 in September and, despite his talent, teams will have to think long and hard about adding him to the mix.

“There were no mitigating circumstances on this play,” NFL VP of Football Operations Jon Runyan said in an open letter to Burfict after the 2019 incident. “Your contact was unnecessary, flagrant and should have been avoided. For your actions, you were penalized and disqualified from the game. Following each of your previous rule violations, you were warned by me and each of the jointly-appointed appeal officers that future violations would result in escalated accountability measures. However, you have continued to flagrantly abuse rules designed to protect yourself and your opponents from unnecessary risk. Your extensive history of rules violations is factored into this decision.”

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