2020 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Jamal Adams Frustrated With Jets

June 13th, 2020 at 11:57am CST by Zachary Links

Despite all of the kind words from GM Joe Douglas, all is not well between the Jets and star safety Jamal Adams. As the Browns discuss a new deal with Myles Garrett, Adams finds himself frustrated with the lack of momentum in his own contract talks.

“Well deserved [Myles Garrett],” Adams wrote on Instagram (h/t Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, via Twitter). “I can’t even get my first proposal that they said they would send over in January. I was called ‘selfish’…A lot of talk, no action.”

Adams, 25 in November, has been pushing for a deal that would top Eddie Jackson‘s recent deal with the Bears – a four-year, $58.4MM contract that leads NFL safeties in average yearly salary. If he can’t get that, Adams is reportedly open to a trade. The Jets have dangled Adams in the past, but their asking price warded off everyone. Effectively, Douglas has maintained that old business adage – “Don’t tell them no, tell them how much it will cost.” At this point, the Jets have publicly and privately indicated that they will not deal their best defensive player.

“[Adams] was a big reason I was excited about coming here,” Douglas said earlier this year. “I feel this guy is a core player. The main goal that I’m trying to do right now is to surround him with like-minded players, because we know Jamal is a dog.”

For now, Adams is slated earn $7.1MM in 2020 and $9.86MM in 2021, via the fifth-year option. After that, the Jets could theoretically keep him with the franchise tag, but it’s clear that Adams wouldn’t cooperate in that scenario.

Latest On Antonio Brown

June 13th, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown found himself back in the news cycle this week and, according to his camp, he could land an NFL deal in the near future. In a statement provided to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link), Brown’s attorney said that the wide receiver’s no contest plea should clear the way for his return to football.

“With this matter now resolved and behind him, Mr. Brown looks forward to continuing his cooperation with the NFL and resuming his phenomenal professional career,” attorney Carson Hancock said. “He has achieved so much throughout his life from both a personal and professional standpoint, and will continue to do so.”

Brown was facing one felony charge and two misdemeanor charges for his January incident with a delivery driver. The driver said that a verbal dispute over payment turned physical when Brown assaulted him. Hancock believes that it should have been resolved as a civil matter, but also felt that the no contest plea was Brown’s quickest path back to the field.

Brown, meanwhile, hinted at a deal being in the works with an NFL team in an Instagram post on Friday. In the interest of equal time: We’ve been here before with Brown. Brown’s former rep Drew Rosenhaus routinely claimed that Brown was receiving lots of NFL interest even as lawsuits, charges, and troubling social media posts emerged on a near-weekly basis. Eventually, Rosenhaus parted ways with Brown, leading the longtime Steelers star to a new agent.

Brown, 32 in July, has caught 841 passes for 11,253 yards over the course of his ten-year career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. Despite all of the red flags, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson have publicly advocated for their respective teams to sign him.

Jaguars Sign Tyler Davis

June 13th, 2020 at 10:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars officially signed sixth-round tight end Tyler Davis on Friday night, per the league’s official transactions wire. Even with Davis in the fold, the Jaguars still have lots of paperwork ahead of them. The Jaguars have signed only two players in their 12-man draft class, as shown in PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft tracker.

Davis began his collegiate career as a quarterback at Connecticut. He finished his college days as a tight end at Georgia Tech, where he tallied 17 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown last year. Across all four seasons, Davis recorded 64 receptions for 648 yards and eight TDs.

Davis impressed at the combine, running the 40-yard dash in 4.65 seconds at his pro day. At the combine, only Albert Okwuegbunam posted a faster time (4.49 seconds) and he went much earlier on Day 3 (Broncos; fourth round, No. 118 overall). Well-regarded by coaches as a natural leader, Davis will push to make the Jags’ roster as a supporting cast member behind Tyler Eifert.

Here’s a rundown of the Jaguars’ full class, via PFR’s tracker:

1-9: C.J. Henderson, CB (Florida)
1-20: K’Lavon Chaisson, DE (LSU)
2-42: Laviska Shenault, WR (Colorado)
3-73: Davon Hamilton, DT (Ohio State)
4-116: Ben Bartch, OT (St. John’s (MN))
4-137: Josiah Scott, CB (Michigan State)
4-140: Shaquille Quarterman, ILB (Miami): Signed
5-157: Daniel Thomas, S (Auburn)
5-165: Collin Thomas, WR (Texas)
6-189: Jake Luton, QB (Oregon State)
6-206: Tyler Davis, TE (Georgia Tech): Signed
7-223: Chris Claybrooks, CB (Memphis)

Titans Still Undecided On Defensive Playcaller

June 12th, 2020 at 3:29pm CST by Rory Parks

The Titans lost defensive coordinator Dean Pees to retirement in January, and the team opted against replacing him with a new DC. However, someone will need to call the plays, and it’s presently unclear exactly who that someone will be.

Even head coach Mike Vrabel doesn’t know at the moment. As Jim Wyatt of the team’s official website tweets, Vrabel says that there will be one playcaller, and he is still deciding who will be tasked with that responsibility. Outside linebackers coach Shane Bowen is one possibility, and there were rumors in the wake of Pees’ retirement that Bowen would be elevated to defensive coordinator. While that did not happen, Bowen could still find himself with an increased role.

Indeed, Albert Breer of SI.com notes (via Twitter) that Bowen is on the “coordinator track,” and Vrabel said that Bowen will be the team’s defensive voice when Vrabel is managing his other units (Twitter link via Wyatt). New inside linebackers coach Jim Haslett could also be an option, given his lengthy track record as an NFL DC.

Of course, the odds-on favorite to call plays is Vrabel himself, who has experience doing exactly that as defensive coordinator with the Texans in 2017. After all, if he was going to delegate that responsibility, one would think he would have announced it by now.

Whoever the playcaller is will be charged with getting the most out of a middling unit that was about average in 2019 in terms of DVOA and below average in terms of yards allowed. The team is still in the mix for Jadeveon Clowney, but there has been no recent movement on that front.

Antonio Brown Pleads No Contest To Criminal Charges

June 12th, 2020 at 2:22pm CST by Rory Parks

Antonio Brown is feeling optimistic about signing with a new team soon, and now we might now why. As Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com reports, Brown pleaded no contest today to criminal charges stemming from an incident with a delivery driver in January (Twitter link). That plea was part of a bargain that will allow AB to avoid jail time, and he will instead receive two years of probation to go along with 100 hours of community service and a mandatory psychiatric evaluation.

Brown was facing charges of felony burglary conveyance, misdemeanor battery, and misdemeanor criminal mischief. The delivery driver claimed that Brown assaulted him outside of the receiver’s Florida home during a dispute over payment and removed property from his truck. Brown’s attorney, Carson Hancock, said after the plea deal was formalized that this matter was a civil one for which Brown should not have been criminally charged. He also says it would have been resolved much sooner if not for the pandemic (Twitter link via Wolfe). Hanock’s entire statement may be found here, courtesy of Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network.

This is a big step in Brown’s return to the league, but he still has major hurdles to clear. It’s been a long time since we heard anything about the status of the league’s investigation into the multiple sexual assault allegations that have been levied against Brown, and even though the All-Pro wideout was able to avoid serious criminal repercussions for the delivery driver charges, the NFL can still suspend him under its personal conduct policy. Given the nature of those charges and the sexual assault allegations, a suspension certainly appears to be in the offing.

Plus, for all of his on-field talents, Brown has been nothing short of a distraction in recent years even when he’s been employed by a team. All of that will make it tough for a club to pull the trigger, but if and when the league formally announces his punishment, it will be similarly difficult for a playoff-caliber team to wonder what a fresh and properly-motivated Brown could mean for its championship aspirations.

Sony Michel Underwent Foot Surgery

June 12th, 2020 at 1:41pm CST by Rory Parks

Patriots running back Sony Michel has once again gone under the knife. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports, Michel underwent foot surgery last month.

Luckily, the procedure was more of a “maintenance-based” one, but it’s still unclear if Michel will be fully healthy for training camp or if he will open camp on the PUP list. Last June, the Georgia product underwent a knee scope and spent the first two days of TC on the PUP list before returning to the field. He also had fluid drained from his knee during training camp of his rookie season in 2018, and he twisted his knee in a regular season game later that year and missed two games as a result.

Michel, 25, ultimately played in all 16 regular season games for the Pats last year. However, he was not especially impressive, averaging just 3.7 yards per carry and accounting for a modest 23 defense-adjusted yards above replacement.

But he averaged 4.5 yards per carry in his rookie season across a similar number of attempts, and he does have a first-round pedigree, so he figures to continue playing a major role in the New England offense in 2020. However, the Pats are also rostering promising 2019 third-rounder Damien Harris, who may start to push Michel if he does not start performing at a higher level.

As they transition to Jarrett Stidham at quarterback, the Patriots may be leaning especially heavily on their running game in 2020. They will need Michel and the rest of the RB contingent, which also features talented pass-catching back James White, to be at their best.

Latest On Titans’, Browns’ Pursuit Of Jadeveon Clowney

June 12th, 2020 at 12:39pm CST by Rory Parks

Nothing like another Jadeveon Clowney story to ring in the weekend. The former No. 1 overall pick remains unsigned, with the Titans, Browns, and — perhaps to a lesser extent — Seahawks representing the most likely landing spots.

The Titans have reportedly made multiple offers to Clowney, but obviously those offers were unappealing to a player who was said to be seeking a lucrative multi-year pact worth around $20MM per year when the offseason began. Tennessee GM Jon Robinson had previously acknowledged that he discussed a contract with Clowney’s camp, but there have been no talks between the two sides for awhile.

In a conference call with reporters yesterday, Robinson said, “No conversations of recent. I think we’re going to continue to monitor it and see where [it goes]. I’ve seen what you guys have seen that’s been posted on social media. I know he wants to play. I think we would be a pretty good fit for him, and there was some mutual interest there when we started the discussion, but I would say that really hasn’t grown any legs since we spoke last” (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk).

The Titans have always looked like a good fit given the presence of head coach Mike Vrabel — the Texans’ LB coach and defensive coordinator during Clowney’s first four years in Houston — and given the club’s need for another pass rusher. The team did take a flier on Vic Beasley and will return Harold Landry, who posted nine sacks in a promising sophomore effort in 2019, but Clowney could provide a major boost to the Titans’ defensive front.

As for the Browns, we last heard that they recently floated an offer that would have paid Clowney $12MM/year in base salary, but in the story linked above, Williams cites a report indicating that Cleveland has also put forth a one-year, $18MM proposal. It’s unclear if that’s accurate or a typo, as Williams may simply have intended to reference the $12MM/year report. If Cleveland really did offer one year at $18MM, roughly the amount that Clowney would have made if Seattle had been willing and able to use the franchise tag, he should probably snap it up.

For his part, though, Clowney has said he is willing to be patient and does not feel rushed to sign before teams have the opportunity to look at him in person and evaluate his medicals. Given the gradual return to normalcy throughout the country, that may happen sooner rather than later.

Antonio Brown Hints At Impending NFL Deal

June 12th, 2020 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

In an early morning Instagram post, Antonio Brown teased an impending deal with his fourth-NFL team. “Big 4X soon,” Brown wrote, beneath a picture of him in each of his previous uniforms with the Steelers, Raiders, and Patriots.

Naturally, this update from Brown needs to be taken with a grain of salt. The wide receiver is still awaiting clearance from the league office as he faces multiple Personal Conduct Policy violations. The NFL could clear Brown to play in 2020, but it would be a shock if he did not have to serve a lengthy suspension.

Even with all the troubling news about Brown over the past year, he remains one of the league’s most intriguing talents. In recent months, Lamar Jackson and some of his teammates have publicly petitioned for the Ravens to sign AB. Meanwhile, GM Eric DeCosta hasn’t ruled him out. He’s also left the door open to a big splash signing this summer.

“Do we feel the urgency? We probably feel that with every position,” the GM said. “We want to be the best we can be at every position. This happens to be a wide receiver class with a lot of really good players. If we’re on the clock and we think that guy is the best player, we’ll probably pick him. Hopefully we can build our offense to the point where we can say, ‘Hey, we’re un-defendable.’”

Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson also says that he would “love” to play with AB, who would give the Seahawks another imposing weapon alongside featuring Tyler Lockett, D.K. Metcalf, and Greg Olsen. If AB is truly on the brink of an NFL return, it could be with one of those two contenders.

Browns, Myles Garrett Begin Contract Talks

June 12th, 2020 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

Contract talks are underway between the Browns and Myles Garrett, sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Browns don’t necessarily have to rush things since Garrett still has two years left on his rookie deal. However, if they’re able to lock up Garrett this summer, they could save a couple of dollars and avoid an even larger spike in the edge rusher market next year.

Even though it was a trying season for the Browns, the former No. 1 overall pick was phenomenal last year – ten games, ten sacks. Of course, he didn’t get a chance to top his previous watermark of 13.5 sacks from the year prior. Garrett was banned from the field for his role in the ugly brawl against the Steelers, capping his season in the fall and his career sack total at 30.5 sacks, for the time being.

Now reinstated, Garrett is in position to dominate once again. And, at the moment, Garrett’s value might be somewhat depressed by the time he’s missed throughout his career. Between the delayed start to his rookie year and last year’s suspension, Garrett has appeared in just 37 regular season games over the past three years.

Still, Garrett is poised to become the league’s new financial kingpin at defensive end. Currently, Khalil Mack leads the way with an average fo $23.5MM per year, with DeMarcus Lawrence of the Cowboys ($21MM/year) and Frank Clark of the Chiefs ($20.8MM/year) closely trailing. Meanwhile, the Browns will also have to leave enough room to take care of other stars down the road, including quarterback Baker Mayfield, cornerback Denzel Ward, and running back Nick Chubb. Fortunately, they have plenty of cap space to work with right now. And, even if they allocate some of those dollars towards Jadeveon Clowney, they can offset the expense by shedding Olivier Vernon‘s non-guaranteed salary.

This Date In Transactions History: Chargers’ Keenan Allen Signs $45MM Extension

June 12th, 2020 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

Four years ago today, Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen scored a seismic pay bump. After months of negotiations, the former third-round pick agreed to a four-year add-on worth $45MM with nearly $21MM fully guaranteed at signing. Before that, Allen was playing on his rookie deal – a four-year pact worth just $2.8MM in total.

Few could dispute Allen’s value to the Bolts. As a rookie in 2013, Allen eclipsed 1,000 yards receiving and scored eight touchdowns. He back down to earth in 2014, but he was on pace for the best season of his career – 67 receptions and 725 yards through only eight games, before a lacerated kidney forced him off the field. With a clean bill of health for 2016, and his 25th birthday still on the horizon, the Chargers were happy to lock Allen down for several years.

Allen’s $11MM+ average annual salary put him in the top ten at his position at the time, appropriately slotting him ahead of Jaguars receiver Allen Hurns, who had just inked a four-year, $40MM deal. From the Chargers perspective, it was a short-term cap saver – it would have cost the team $15MM to keep him for an extra year via the franchise tag.

Unfortunately, Allen’s 2016 did not go according to plan as he suffered an ACL tear in the first half of the team’s very first game. But, after that, it was mostly smooth sailing – Allen went off for nearly 1,400 yards in 2017, giving him his first of three consecutive Pro Bowl nods.

Allen is once again set to enter his walk year as his four-year extension wraps up. And, once again, he’s in position for a pay raise.

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