2020 April - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers Draft Former XFL S Kenny Robinson

April 25th, 2020 at 1:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The XFL is on the board. With the sixth pick in Round 5, the Panthers selected safety Kenny Robinson, who last played for the St. Louis BattleHawks.

Before his half-season in Vince McMahon‘s rebooted league, Robinson starred at West Virginia. As a sophomore, he made first-team in the conference, notched 77 stops, and hauled in a team-leading four interceptions. Then, he was ejected from the Mountaineers’ bowl game and booted from the program for alleged academic fraud.

With wingspan to swat passes and aggressive tackling (albeit, sometimes too aggressive), Robinson will look to make the cut in Carolina.

49ers Trade Matt Breida To Dolphins

April 25th, 2020 at 1:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers are shaking up their backfield and sending a member of their surplus to south Florida, dealing Matt Breida to the Dolphins for the No. 153 overall pick, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Miami did not previously address its backfield need but made multiple overtures to teams dangling veterans. The Dolphins discussed a Leonard Fournette deal with the Jaguars, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter). Those talks occurred in March, however, and did not appear to lead to a serious change Fournette would change Florida cities.

With Jerick McKinnon still in the picture for the 49ers and three other backs in that mix as well, the defending NFC champions were a candidate to make a deal. Breida is entering a contract year and was mentioned as a possible trade chip earlier this offseason. While he was the odd man out for carries in Super Bowl LIV, Breida has displayed intriguing skills during his three-year 49ers run and looks to have a much clearer path to carries in Miami than he did in San Francisco.

The speedy ex-UDFA surpassed 600 rushing yards in each of the past two seasons, filling in for McKinnon in 2018 and being part of a productive timeshare with Tevin Coleman and Raheem Mostert last season. Breida eclipsed 5.0 yards per carry in each of the past two years. The 49ers still have Coleman, Mostert, McKinnon and Jeff Wilson under contract. They turned to Mostert, a career special-teamer, last season and appear prepared to give him more work.

Miami traded Kenyan Drake to Arizona before last year’s trade deadline and cut Mark Walton after yet another arrest. Breida will join free agent addition Jordan Howard in the Dolphins’ new-look backfield.

Fournette remains in Jacksonville, though his place there is certainly less certain than it was exiting last season. The Jags have engaged in Fournette trade talks for over a month but have not found trade talks to be particularly enticing. Fournette has one season left on his contract, but the Jaguars have another week and change to decide on his fifth-year option.

With their No. 153 pick, the 49ers took West Virginia offensive lineman Colton McKivitz.

Bears To Decline Mitch Trubisky’s Option?

April 25th, 2020 at 1:09pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have kept mum on the situation, but league sources believe they will decline Mitchell Trubisky’s fifth-year option, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Currently, the 2021 add-on is projected to be north of $24MM.

Rumored to bring in a veteran to compete with Trubisky early this offseason, Chicago did so by acquiring Nick Foles from Jacksonville. The Super Bowl LII MVP figures to have a good chance of unseating the 2017 No. 2 overall pick as the Bears’ starting quarterback. Trubisky’s future in the Windy City became murky after GM Ryan Pace swung the Foles deal.

In 2019, Trubisky couldn’t stay healthy. Throughout the year, he was plagued with hip, shoulder, and other trouble. In the offseason, he 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, the former North Carolina passer 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’s name will always be linked to Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson, the quarterbacks on whom the Bears passed three years ago. It is certainly possible Trubisky will not be part of the 2021 Bears.

Jets Select FIU QB James Morgan

April 25th, 2020 at 12:10pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have themselves a new quarterback. With the No. 125 overall pick, Gang Green selected FIU’s James Morgan to serve as Sam Darnold‘s backup.

Morgan has been something of a draft darling over the last few months. The Bucs, Titans, Colts, Patriots, Packers, Bears, Raiders, Giants, Bills, and Dolphins all checked in with the young signal caller. Morgan’s stock skyrocketed thanks to an impressive performance at the combine and a big showing at the East-West Shrine Game, putting him in the next tier of QBs behind the likes of Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert, and Jake Fromm. Washington’s Jacob Eason enjoyed a similar rise – he went three spots earlier to the Colts at No. 122 overall.

Morgan was said to have one of the three strongest arms in the draft, along with leadership ability and football IQ. After a rocky stretch at Bowling Green, he transferred to FIU in 2018 and completed more than 65% of his passes for 26 touchdowns against seven picks. His performance dipped a bit in 2019, but his tape kept him afloat during draft season.

The Jets aren’t looking to slide Darnold out of the QB1 spot, but Morgan is a developmental arm who can hold down the fort if Sam Darnold misses time. Hopefully, the Jets’ offensive line will be in better position to protect Darnold in 2020 with Louisville standout Mekhi Becton at tackle.

Colts Draft QB Jacob Eason At No. 122

April 25th, 2020 at 11:55am CST by Ben Levine

The Colts have been connected to a number of quarterback prospects, and they’ve apparently landed on their guy. Indy has selected Washington quarterback Jacob Eason with the No. 122 pick.

GM Chris Ballard previously said that the organization would only take a quarterback if it was the right fit, and they’ve even touted Jacoby Brissett as a potential successor to Philip Rivers. Still, the organization was rumored to be interested in a number of signal-callers throughout the draft process. While Indy was mentioned as a potential suitor for Jordan Love, there were always rumblings that Eason was actually their guy.

Eason had a standout season during his lone year at Washington. The six-foot-six quarterback finished the campaign having completed 64.2-percent of his passes for 3,132 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. While scouts have touted his size and arm strength, he’s been criticized for his decision-making and consistency.

Still, Indy may be the best possible landing spot for Eason. The rookie will have a chance to work under Rivers, and he could eventually have the inside track at earning the starting gig (especially if the Colts trade Brissett).

49ers’ Joe Staley To Retire From NFL

April 25th, 2020 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Now, the Trent Williams trade makes even more sense for the 49ers. Six-time Pro Bowler Joe Staley informed the club that he will retire due to “health concerns”, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) reports. Specifically, it was Staley’s neck injury that forced him to make the decision, as Matt Barrows of The Athletic tweets. The ailment become especially painful in San Francisco’s playoff run, and doctors informed him that it had become quite serious.

Staley, 35, has been one of the league’s best offensive tackles for years. And, out of loyalty to the team, he gave the Niners a quiet heads up on his plans so that they could replace him. 49ers GM John Lynch, in turn, swung a deal for seven-time Pro Bowler Trent Williams.

Staley has reportedly been pondering retirement for a while now, despite repeated denials. In January, Staley insisted that he would continue playing despite a slew of injuries, including a broken fibula suffered in Week 2 of the 2019 season.

“I don’t know why everyone’s been asking me that question,” Staley said. “Because I got injured, everyone’s like, ‘Oh, you’re going to be retiring now.’” He added,“I signed a contract here. I still love playing football. It’s like the ninth time someone’s asked me that, and I’m starting to wonder why.”

Staley first entered the league as the No. 28 overall pick in the 2007 draft. Despite the medical hiccups, he played hard right through the end. In the season finale against the Seahawks, he turned in his best performance of the year to help SF lock down the top seed in the NFC. And, with Staley up front, the 49ers reached the Super Bowl to cap the campaign.

Before all of that, Staley was able to stay relatively healthy and play through the pain. He missed just four games from 2011-18 and was named to five Pro Bowls in that span. Despite being in his 12th pro season in 2018, Staley graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 overall tackle – and that was actually a slight drop from his performances for most of the decade.

Staley leaves the sport after 181 games played, good for eleventh on the 49ers’ all-time list. As of last year, Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald was the only active non-quarterback to start more games for the team that drafted him than Staley.

Staley indicated he wants to remain in football in some capacity and has discussions with the 49ers in that regard (Twitter link via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com). He also has media options to consider, but he will spend 2020 with his family before entering the next chapter of his football life.

We here at PFR wish Staley the best in retirement.

Redskins Trade Trent Williams To 49ers

April 25th, 2020 at 11:08am CST by Ben Levine

Trent Williams is heading to San Francisco. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Redskins are trading the lineman to the 49ers. Washington will receive a fifth-rounder in this year’s draft and a third-rounder in next year’s draft. ESPN’s Josina Anderson previously reported (via Twitter) that the Redskins had a “deal in place” for the lineman.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Network notes (on Twitter) that a contract extension isn’t in place. Williams has been seeking a new contract that would make him one of the highest-paid lineman in the NFL. Those contract demands ended up influencing the Redskins’ return in a trade; while plenty of teams were reportedly interested in trading for Williams, they were wary of signing him to a long-term deal. Williams has one year and a $12.5MM base salary remaining on his current contract.

Interestingly, a new deal for Williams is not part of the deal with the Niners, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Had Williams gone to the Vikings, he would have received a fresh pact to reposition the tackle market. The Vikes deal fell through, however, because Williams did not want to go to Minnesota, Rapoport hears. The Browns also were in the mix – and long believed to be the frontrunners – but the 49ers and Vikings were the last teams left in the sweepstakes (Twitter link).

The Buccaneers and Jets were also connected to Williams in recent weeks, but they opted for younger (and cheaper) offensive line help in the first round of the draft instead. At No. 11, the Jets landed Mekhi Becton, who shoves defensive linemen and trucks with ease. At No. 13, the Buccaneers got Iowa’s Tristan Wirfs, who offers four position potential and ridiculous athleticism for his size.

We heard earlier today that the 49ers could emerge as a suitor. For starters, it’s uncertain if Joe Staley will come back next year, as the veteran lineman has flirted with retirement. Furthermore, Williams has a relationship with 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan, who was Washington’s offensive coordinator between 2010 and 2013. Considering the seven-time Pro Bowler’s familiarity with the system, he’s a logical fit for San Francisco.

More On Vikings’ Failed Pursuit Of Trent Williams

April 25th, 2020 at 10:37am CST by Ben Levine

Another hour, another Trent Williams story. This time, the offensive lineman’s agent says the player never objected to a trade to the Vikings.

“On behalf of my client Trent Williams and with the permission of the Washington Redskins I sought trade opportunities for the Redskins to trade Trent,” wrote agent Vincent Taylor (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “Once I identified the potential trade partners, I wanted to respect all teams’ rights and the process and allowed the Redskins to negotiate directly with the other teams. There has been false reporting that Trent and I objected to particular trades. I will continue to respect the Redskins’ right to negotiate a trade, and hope that the negotiations quickly lead to a trade that is in the Redskins’ interest, Trent’s interest, and the interest of the other team.”

We learned earlier today that the Redskins had been closing in on a deal with the Vikings. However, at the eleventh hour, Williams reportedly nixed the deal.

While Williams’ agent said there’s been “false reporting,” NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport said the agent’s “statement is actually false…what I reported is true.”

In fact, Rapoport provides more insight into the failed talks between Washington and Minnesota, noting that the organizations has been talking trade for some time. In fact, the Vikings had actually discussed a new contract with Williams’ agent, and the trade “should have gotten done.” Instead, the Minnesota front office found out yesterday that the offensive lineman didn’t want to join their team.

While the Vikings are out of the race (especially after taking Ezra Cleveland in the second round), it sounds like the Redskins still have some suitors. Earlier today, we heard that the 49ers and Rams could emerge as trade partners.

Latest On Eagles’ Plans For QB Jalen Hurts

April 25th, 2020 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles had the most surprising pick of last night’s portion of the draft, selecting Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts with the No. 53 pick. While Eagles fans were rooting for something other than a backup to Carson Wentz, it sounds like Hurts could be doing more than holding a clipboard during his rookie year.

Head coach Doug Pederson told reports that the Eagles will explore using Hurts similarly to how the Saints use quarterback Taysom Hill.

“I think this player, obviously with Jalen Hurts, he has a unique skillset and you see what Taysom Hill has done in New Orleans,” Pederson said (via Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia). “And now he and Drew Brees have a connection there and a bond there. You look at with (Joe) Flacco and Lamar (Jackson) in Baltimore in the short period of time, how they gelled together. It’s just something we’re going to explore.

“I want to make a point here: First and foremost, Jalen Hurts is a good quarterback. He was drafted as a quarterback and he was a quarterback first. But he has a unique skillset. He’s a great runner, obviously. He throws well on the run. He has a unique set of skills that we’re going to take a look at as well as we keep developing this offseason and this advancement as we get ready for training camp.”

Hurts has the talent in the open field to match Hill’s seven total touchdowns from 2019. During his lone season at Oklahoma, Hurts ran for 1,298 rushing yards and 20 touchdowns on 233 carries. He also had five receptions during his collegiate career, including two for 25 yards and a score during the 2019 campaign.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport also provided some insight into the Eagles’ thinking with the pick. Garafolo notes that while fans may be clamoring for help at other positions, this selection may actually help in that pursuit. Instead of spending significant money on a backup for the injury-prone Wentz, the team now has the ability to trust their inexpensive second quarterback. This vicariously allows the organization to go out and spend money elsewhere.

Further, while fans may want a player with more upside than Taysom Hill in the second round, Rapoport notes that the comparison implies the best-case scenario for the Eagles. If Hurts indeed turns into a Swiss Army Knife on offense, that means Wentz managed to stay healthy and/or have playoff success. Alternative scenarios see Hurts emerging as a starter in place of an injured Wentz or the Eagles dealing Hurts down the road (à la Patriots and Jimmy Garoppolo).

Lions Deny Backing Out Of Texans Trade

April 25th, 2020 at 9:02am CST by Ben Levine

It wouldn’t be a true NFL Draft if there wasn’t a bit of drama between two teams. John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Texans head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien was “furious” at the Lions for backing out of a trade.

According to McClain, the Texans “had a deal” to send the No. 90 pick to the Lions. Detroit ended up backing out at the “last instant,” and cameras caught O’Brien’s visible frustration. Houston ultimately kept the pick and settled for Florida linebacker Jonathan Greenard.

Predictably, Lions general manager Bob Quinn has already said that he was never close to a trade with the Texans.

“Listen, we talk to a lot of teams,” Quinn told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “When we’re not on the clock, we talk to a bunch of teams, and it’s not just myself. We’ve got four or five people that make calls, so I’m not sure what that was about. But we didn’t have a trade.”

As Smith points out, Quinn and O’Brien were both on the Patriots staff between 2007 and 2011.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that the NFL makes it abundantly clear that a trade isn’t finalized until it’s made official. Trade talks are currently made even tougher thanks to the unconventional draft setup.