2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

GM: Tom Brady Made Pitch To Buccaneers

March 30th, 2020 at 1:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

Emerging late in the running and winning the Tom Brady sweepstakes, the Buccaneers are set for one of the biggest publicity spikes any NFL franchise has seen.

The Bucs edged out the Chargers for Brady, but the future Hall of Fame quarterback was interested in signing with Tampa Bay to the point he pitched himself to Bucs management. Brady first spoke to Bruce Arians and Jason Licht about a deal on Wednesday, March 18, and the seventh-year Bucs GM understandably exuded confidence in the team being able to sign the all-time great.

“We had a great conversation — Bruce and I — we talked to him for over an hour and a half. And he made it clear in the conversation that he was very, very interested,” Licht said during an appearance on ESPN’s Get Up (via ESPN.com’s Jenna Laine). “It was almost like a recruitment on his part, telling us why it would make sense for him to come to Tampa Bay. The next call we made, we signed him, but it was at that phone call that we realized, that we felt like we had him.”

Licht first contacted Brady’s agent, Don Yee, the moment the legal tampering window opened at noon ET March 16. Two days later, the sides had an agreement in place. By Friday, the deal became official.

Brady signed a fully guaranteed two-year, $50MM deal. He joins a Bucs franchise that has Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. While Brady has been linked to an Antonio Brown reunion for a while, Arians slammed that door. Brady has displayed strong rapports with slot receivers throughout his career — from Troy Brown to Wes Welker to Julian Edelman — but the Bucs are also not expected to pursue another veteran wide receiver.

“We feel like there’s a lot of teams that are struggling to find one really good receiver. And we have two really outstanding receivers in Mike Evans and Chris Godwin,” Licht said. “Right now, there is only so much money that can go around. There are no plans to sign any other receiver at this time.

“Antonio is somebody that Bruce has come out and had some words about, and Bruce knows him better than all of us. So right now, I would just say that we’re focused on other areas of our team.”

In addition to Evans and Godwin, the Bucs have 2016 sixth-rounder Scott Miller and 2018 fifth-rounder Justin Watson under contract. Working behind the since-departed Breshad Perriman last season, those two combined for 359 receiving yards in 2019.

Ravens Eyeing Wide Receivers In Draft

March 30th, 2020 at 12:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Ravens used first- and third-round picks on wide receivers last year, bringing Marquise Brown and Miles Boykin to Baltimore. It does not look like that will deter them from adding to their depth chart.

Baltimore re-signed special-teamer Chris Moore but planned to avoid using cap space on other receivers in free agency, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, who notes the team views this draft as being deep enough it would have been a waste of resources to devote cap space to one of this year’s free agent wideouts (subscription required).

In acquiring a second-round pick from the Falcons for Hayden Hurst, the Ravens have additional ammo to add one of this draft’s many wideout prospects expected to be early-round selections. Baltimore holds picks 28, 55 and 60, and Zrebiec adds the Ravens are likely to emerge with at least one new receiver by the time Day 2 concludes.

Lamar Jackson improved significantly as a passer last season but still leaned on tight end Mark Andrews, with the Ravens’ offense minimizing its wideouts to a degree. Brown (584 receiving yards) was Baltimore’s only receiver to surpass 350 yards last season. Willie Snead, who remains under contract, finished second among this group with 339 yards. Boykin played in all 16 regular-season games but did not top 200 yards.

Considering teams’ hesitancy in pursuing this year’s crop of veterans, many likely share the Ravens’ belief about this draft class’ depth. The Ravens seemingly have one of the league’s top receiver needs, but a team with a run-heavy offense using back-to-back first-round picks on wideouts would be interesting. The second day of the draft is expected to feature numerous receivers going off the board.

Panthers Not Shopping Curtis Samuel

March 30th, 2020 at 11:06am CST by Sam Robinson

The Panthers signed not only Robby Anderson but also Seth Roberts and Keith Kirkwood in free agency. Considering the high-profile players who have left the team this offseason, it would certainly not surprise if the Panthers looked to deal one of their Ron Rivera-era wide receivers.

While Matt Rhule‘s Panthers are believed to be open for business, they do not have Curtis Samuel on the trade block presently, Joseph Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required). The Panthers are interested in keeping as many weapons as possible around for Teddy Bridgewater, Person adds.

Samuel is entering his contract year. The 2017 second-round pick now profiles as Carolina’s No. 3 wideout — behind Anderson and D.J. Moore. Considering Samuel’s $1.2MM 2020 salary, he would generate interest — even on a market that has seen the 2020 rookie receiver class affect veteran wideouts’ stock.

Samuel is coming off his best season, having caught a career-high 54 passes for 627 yards and six touchdowns. He has also contributed as a gadget-type player, logging 31 touches in the run game in his career.

This stands to be a key year for the Ohio State product, with Moore likely residing higher in Carolina’s extension queue and Anderson having an extensive history with Rhule from their Temple days. Samuel could be playing for a 2021 free agency payday. But for now, he will be expected to serve as an auxiliary option for Bridgewater in Joe Brady‘s offense.

Bolts, Raiders Looking Into Justin Herbert

March 30th, 2020 at 10:41am CST by Sam Robinson

In the coronavirus-altered 2020 NFL landscape, teams are setting up video conferences with prospects. Two AFC West teams have scheduled chats with Justin Herbert.

The Chargers have spoken with the former Oregon quarterback, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Raiders have a FaceTime session set up with the coveted passing prospect on Monday. Teams can speak with a player for up to an hour three times a week leading up to the draft.

With limitations on how many video-chat sessions teams can conduct with prospects looser than the NFL’s usual 30-visit maximum, expect plenty of news to circulate about the top draft-eligible players’ virtual meetings. Herbert has been viewed as a top-10 player for years could require a trade-up past the Dolphins at No. 5. He has been mentioned as a Chargers target, and the Raiders have not been shy about doing due diligence on quarterbacks during Jon Gruden‘s second tenure with the franchise.

The Bolts have an interesting decision to make this offseason. After losing out on Tom Brady, they are not expected to chase another veteran. That would point to Los Angeles focusing on rookie successors to Philip Rivers with Tyrod Taylor as the bridge. However, both Cam Newton and Jameis Winston are now free agents. With the Chargers moving into a 70,000-seat stadium after a less-than-ideal L.A. introduction in a 30,000-seat venue, the team pursuing Newton would certainly raise its profile.

A Newton signing, however, would be costlier than the Bolts going with a Taylor bridge setup. Taylor has not been a full-time starter since 2017. The Bolts have also curiously added three high-profile 30-something free agents — Chris Harris, Bryan Bulaga, Linval Joseph — and their roster does not give off a rebuilding vibe. Their move at No. 6 overall will be one of the most interesting parts of the draft.

The Raiders signed Marcus Mariota to compete with Derek Carr. This would not prevent Gruden from selecting another quarterback, but Las Vegas would likely have to trade up to land Herbert. The Raiders have picks at No. 12 and No. 18. While Herbert likely will not be the only member of this year’s quarterback class the Raiders are connected to, they may well pop up on the QB-seeking radar before next year’s draft as well given their 2020 circumstances.

Brandin Cooks Not On Trade Block?

March 30th, 2020 at 9:19am CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams have made some notable changes this offseason, with Todd Gurley‘s release being the biggest move from a team with some major questions atop its payroll. Brandin Cooks represents one of the big contracts on Los Angeles’ cap sheet, and a report earlier this month indicated the team was shopping him.

That no longer appears to be the case. The Rams do not have Cooks on the trade block, Peter King of NBC Sports notes. Considering Cooks’ concussion-marred 2020 and $12MM in guarantees due this season, this makes sense. The Rams would not be expected to collect full value for the twice-traded wideout, who is signed through 2023.

Cooks’ 1,000-yard streak stopped at four. In a down year for the Rams’ offense, the 26-year-old target only produced 582 yards in 14 games. Cutting Cooks would not be a realistic move for the Rams, who already ate considerable dead money from the Gurley release. Were Cooks to be shopped, King lists the Eagles, Packers, Raiders or Redskins as potential suitors.

Los Angeles still has Cooks, Robert Woods and Cooper Kupp. Woods, however, has outplayed his five-year, $34MM contract and Kupp is going into a contract year. Neither is in Cooks’ NFL tax bracket, but both outplayed him last season. Each surpassed 1,100 receiving yards in 2019. The former Saints and Patriots wideout, however, totaled a career-high 1,204 receiving yards in 2018.

Owners Expected To Approve 14-Team Playoff Bracket

March 30th, 2020 at 8:31am CST by Sam Robinson

NFL owners will convene for a conference call Tuesday, and one topic up for discussion will be the long-rumored 14-team playoff bracket. Unsurprisingly, the owners are expected to ratify the change to the league’s playoff-qualification setup, Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports.

Unlike the 17-game season, the postseason expansion would take place beginning in 2020. The uncertainties, however, stem from when the two extra games will be played and which network(s) will air them. Regardless, these games will create additional revenue that will impact future salary caps.

Rumors of the additional playoff games heading to Monday night have surfaced, though that would obviously be a tough sell for coaches due to the quick turnaround in advance of divisional-round games. The league could use both Saturday and Sunday tripleheaders as well. This season will likely use the latter setup, though Peter King of NBC Sports notes the league has discussed a 2-3-1 setup involving a Monday game and should be expected to revisit that schedule in the future.

Only one team in each conference will earn a bye, which certainly opens the door to a team benefiting from a favorable schedule and having a major advantage. No team without a playoff bye has qualified for a Super Bowl since the 2012 Ravens did so.

During the 2010s, only three teams went from the wild-card round to the Super Bowl — the 2012 Ravens, 2011 Giants and 2010 Packers. It happened only three times during the 1990s (the ’92 Bills, ’97 Broncos and ’99 Titans) as well. During the 2000s, though, six teams (the 2000 Ravens, ’03 Panthers, ’05 Steelers, ’06 Colts, ’07 Giants and ’08 Cardinals) made the Super Bowl after playing in Round 1.

The NFL has used the 12-team playoff format for the past 30 years. Under the previous setup, used from 1978-89, 10 teams qualified. From 1970-77, four teams from each conference advanced to the postseason. The NFL will have gone from a zero-bye format during the ’70s to a three-bye ’80s bracket to two in the modern era to one in the 2020s. The only deviation came in 1982, when a players’ strike shortened the season to nine games. The playoffs then became a 16-team bracket.

Extra Points: Broncos, Ravens, Madden

March 29th, 2020 at 9:19pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It was a disappointing offseason for defensive lineman Shelby Harris, who ended up re-signing with the Broncos on a one-year deal worth $3.25MM. Harris is coming off a career-year where he started all 16 games and had a career-high six sacks and nine passes defended, so he was expecting a big payday in free agency. His market wasn’t what he anticipated, so he ended up back in Denver on a prove-it deal. Harris himself even used that language when explaining his thought process in a recent interview with Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).

“Well, after the numbers weren’t what we wanted, I felt like let’s do another 1-yr/ prove it to prove I can do it again and be able to hit the market again next year or re-up with the Broncos. Just another chance to go prove myself,” Harris explained. The 28-year-old had previously expressed that due to his age, he felt like this was his one shot at a big contract. Harris came out of nowhere, and has been a nice success story. A seventh-round pick of the Raiders out of Illinois State in 2014, he appeared in only eight games his first two years and spent 2016 out of the league. He suddenly emerged as a part-time starter with Denver in 2017, and has been a key player for them ever since.

Here’s more from around the league on a quiet Sunday night:

After the Ravens’ deal for Michael Brockers fell through due to concerns over his ankle, they immediately started looking for defensive line help elsewhere. They ended up signing former Broncos defensive end Derek Wolfe, and they were apparently interested in Ndamukong Suh before he re-signed with the Bucs. Now we’ve got word of one more defensive lineman they discussed, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets they were also talking with Mike Daniels. This is the first we’ve heard of interest in Daniels this offseason, and it’s not that surprising that the 2017 Pro Bowler’s market has been quiet given that his past two campaigns have been cut short due to injury. After getting released by the Packers last summer the Iowa product signed a one-year, $9.1MM deal with the Lions, but he ended up appearing in only nine games with two starts before landing on injured reserve. Now on the wrong side of 30, he probably won’t get too much guaranteed money wherever he ends up.
With the new CBA approved, every NFL player is getting one under the radar bonus. Players will now be sent their last couple of ‘Madden checks,’ which had been held back in a fund for a potential work stoppage, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Active players will get $17.6K for 2017 and $16.9K for 2018 for their participation in the popular video game, Pelissero reports, with $1K for practice squad players. The payments for the 2019 season will be sent out this fall, he notes.

POLL: Where Will Cam Newton Sign?

March 29th, 2020 at 7:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The quarterback carousel has mostly come to a stop, and a few big names were left without starting gigs when the dust settled. The highest profile signal-caller on the open market is Cam Newton, and it’s going to be very interesting to see where he ends up signing.

Newton won an MVP and led the Panthers to the Super Bowl in 2015, but his past two campaigns have been derailed by injuries. Last year he was limited to only two games because of a foot injury. The year before that he started the season off hot, but fell apart down the stretch once he started having shoulder issues. Since teams are unable to host free agents on visits due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, it might be harder for Newton to find a home for a while with teams’ doctors being unable to examine him in person.

The Chargers are the betting favorite at sportsbooks offering odds on where Newton will end up, and it’s not hard to see why. Los Angeles is arguably a quarterback away from being a legit Super Bowl contender, and on paper they might have the most talented defense in the league. Tyrod Taylor is currently slated as the team’s starter and while he has been solid at times in the past with Buffalo, he doesn’t have the upside that Newton does.

The Chargers own the sixth overall pick however, and they’ve been linked to drafting a passer in the first-round. We also heard a couple weeks ago that they were no longer looking to add a veteran after they whiffed on Tom Brady, although that was before Newton became a free agent.

The Jaguars are another option, as they’re currently rolling with second-year player Gardner Minshew at quarterback and not much else. Minshew showed flashes last year, but he was hardly consistent. The Redskins are another conceivable suitor as they could reunite Newton with his old coach Ron Rivera, although we heard before he was released that they weren’t expected to be interested.

The Dolphins don’t have a firmly entrenched starter right now, but they’re widely expected to draft a quarterback in the first-round. If they surprisingly decide to pass on one, Newton could make sense as an upgrade over Ryan Fitzpatrick. Then there’s the Patriots. New England has a lot of uncertainty at the position after Brady’s departure, and all they have right now is the unproven Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer. Newton being paired with Bill Belichick would certainly be interesting, to say the least.

So where will the former first overall pick be playing next year? Vote in the poll below (link for app users) and show your work in the comments!

NFL Draft Virtual Contact Rules

March 29th, 2020 at 4:55pm CST by Marc Delucchi

While it is obviously a low priority in the grand scheme of things, the limitations on travel and physical contact have come at an inopportune time for draft prospects and team decision-makers. With the draft still on schedule to take place at the end of April, prospects would normally be traveling around the country to team facilities to conduct in-person workouts, interviews, and physicals. Now that the league has pretty much suspended outside visits, teams are going to have to get creative.

Under the unusual circumstances, the NFL is allowing teams to virtually contact an unlimited number of prospects, at most, three times per week, for one hour, according to Mike Florio of ProFootball Talk. So agents will surely be making sure their clients have the most updated version of Skype and Zoom.

Combine interviews are most notorious for puzzles and mind games that teams will play on prospects. It will be interesting to see if since teams are unable to run prospects through physical workouts more stories begin emerging about creative and unusual ways that some teams might try to use these virtual contact meetings to gauge characteristics in prospects.

Agent Notes: Suh, Thomas, Harris

March 29th, 2020 at 3:56pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Here are some updates on a number of players’ representation, all reported by Liz Mullen.

Ndamukong Suh chose not to sign with an agent prior to his most recent free-agency and instead represented himself when he agreed to a one-year, $8MM deal to stay with the Buccaneers (Twitter link).
Draft prospect Jeff Thomas, a wide receiver out of Miami, has decided to change his representation as we approach the home stretch to the draft. Instead of going forward with First Round Management LLC, he will be represented by Drew Rosenhaus and Robert Bailey at Rosenhaus Sports (Twitter link).
Broncos defensive lineman Shelby Harris re-signed with the team on a one-year deal worth up to $3.25MM. However, that did not come before a recent game of musical chairs representing Harris. Ryan Williams of A1 NFL negotiated his re-up in Denver, but he had switched from the National Sports Agency to Rosenhaus Sports in January (Twitter link).