2020 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Latest On NFL, COVID-19

June 29th, 2020 at 5:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Rookies will face an uphill battle when training camps begin, with the NFL having completed an entirely virtual offseason. There might be even less preparation time for first-year hopefuls. July 28 remains the target date for most teams to report to camp, and rookies are slated to report a few days earlier. Teams may be rethinking that itinerary. At least one franchise will not bring rookies in early, instead prioritizing COVID-19 precautions ahead of the veterans’ reporting date, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. This team will then have all players reporting at the same time. This will certainly not be the last schedule adjustment the coronavirus causes the NFL, which went to a virtual draft, a virtual offseason and canceled the Hall of Fame Game thus far.

Here is the latest from the NFL’s defining 2020 story:

Even after the Cowboys-Steelers Canton kickoff game was canceled, the rest of the preseason remains on schedule. But the discussed acclimation period — on the table because of teams’ OTAs and minicamps being switched to virtual sessions — still threatens to eliminate part of the preseason. The NFL and NFLPA are discussing a “safe acclimation period,” which would consist of conditioning and could last multiple weeks, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). Having an acclimation period before usual camp activities begin would wipe out part of the preseason. With the NFL having the option to exercise the 17-game regular-season schedule (and three-game preseason docket) next year, the days of the four-game preseason slate may already be over.
NFL-NFLPA negotiations are also including intra-facility safety. The sides are discussing adjustments on how players travel to and from various places in their respective facilities in the COVID-19 world, Pelissero adds. The NFL already issued a set of guidelines — from mandatory masks in non-workout settings to capacity limits in weight rooms to spaced-out locker rooms, etc. — but the sides still have some work to do on these issues, which have caused heated debates.
While it is not certain how often teams will test players, NFL chief medical officer Dr. Allen Sills said the league is planning an “ambitious” testing program, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). The NFLPA said recently tests can be expected to occur at least three times per week.
Agents will need to have conversations with each of their clients about the risks of playing the season in this environment by mid-July, per an NFLPA directive (via Pelissero, on Twitter). Players will then be advised to meet with a doctor on the topic of playing in 2020. The NFL has yet to implement an opt-out policy. While the NBA and MLB have done so, the NFL features a larger workforce — most of whom would put their jobs at risk by sitting out the season. But between now and the start of training camp, some clarity on the opt-out issue for players at higher risk (or players with family members in that category) will almost certainly emerge.

Cardinals Cut Jermiah Braswell After Arrest

June 29th, 2020 at 5:07pm CST by Rory Parks

5:07pm: Hours after news of this arrest surfaced, the Cardinals waived Braswell, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.

1:53pm: Cardinals undrafted free agent wide receiver Jermiah Braswell was arrested for DUI on June 27 after he allegedly drove his Camaro into Lake Erie, per Corey Vallas of WFMJ.com. When the aptly-named Put-in-Bay police arrived at the scene, they found Braswell’s vehicle off the embankment and sitting in the water. Braswell was still in the driver’s seat attempting to move the car and could not explain what had happened.

Braswell subsequently failed a breath test and was arrested. Fortunately, no one else was in the vehicle and neither Braswell nor any bystanders were injured.

Braswell enjoyed a career year during his senior season at Youngstown State in 2019, recording 24 catches for 515 yards and seven TDs. The raw numbers are not flashy in and of themselves, but his outrageous 21.5 yards per reception clearly caught the eye of Arizona brass, who decided to take a flier on him when he went undrafted.

Of course, it’s difficult for any UDFA to make an NFL roster or even the taxi squad, and Braswell was one of five undrafted wideouts the Cardinals brought in this year. Given that, and considering the team’s WR depth chart was pretty strong to begin with, it would not be surprising to see the Cardinals cut bait in the coming days.

AFC East Notes: Newton, Tua, Fins, Bills

June 29th, 2020 at 3:03pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots made a big splash last night when they signed former league MVP Cam Newton to a one-year contract. The assumption is that Newton will be the team’s starting signal-caller, but Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network says the Pats made no promises in that regard. Still, while there is technically an open competition between Newton and second-year pro Jarrett Stidham, it would be stunning if Newton did not win the job (video link). Garafolo also points out that Newton still has to pass a physical, but the Patriots are confident he will do so.

Garafolo also passes along a fun fact (via Twitter): New England is the third team in NFL history to lose one MVP and sign another in the same offseason. The 2000 Dolphins parted ways with Dan Marino and brought in Thurman Thomas, and the 2005 Cardinals bid farewell to Emmitt Smith and signed Kurt Warner.

Now for more from the AFC East:

The Dolphins drafted Tua Tagovailoa with the belief that he will be the franchise signal-caller the team has been seeking for the past 20 years. He may not start right away, but Albert Breer of SI.com believes the southpaw will be put into the starting lineup at some point this season. While the 2020 Dolphins should be an improved squad over last year’s iteration, Miami is still probably at least a year away from playoff contention, so the team will have no reason to keep Tagovailoa on the sidelines for the entire campaign.
Miami is set at the LG and C spots with Ereck Flowers and Ted Karras, respectively. Beyond that, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald says the Dolphins are still undecided as to whether second-round rookie Robert Hunt would be a better fit at RG or RT in 2020. If Hunt gets a shot at RT and performs well, that could bump 2019 starter Jesse Davis back to the interior or to the bench. Meanwhile, Michael Deiter will compete for the starting RG and backup C slots.
In the same piece linked above, Jackson notes that the Dolphins are working out WR Gary Jennings in the slot — where he thrived in college — and on the outside. Jennings was a fourth-round pick of the Seahawks in 2019, but Seattle waived him in November and Miami scooped him up. He played in just one game for the ‘Fins before getting hurt, but his draft pedigree and upside will give him a good chance to make the club as the fifth or sixth WR.
In a minor trade last summer, the Bills acquired OL Ryan Bates from the Eagles in exchange for DE Eli Harold. Philadelphia subsequently cut Harold, but Buffalo hung on to Bates, who was active for nine games. Per Adam Caplan of InsideTheBirds.com, the Bills view Bates, a 2019 UDFA, as a viable right tackle, guard, and center, so they expect him to be a key backup in 2020 who may take on a bigger role down the road.
Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic, meanwhile, views Bates as a potential trade candidate. Buscaglia also looks at a few other players that the Bills could put on the trade market, a list headed by WR Robert Foster and TE Jason Croom.

Patriots Were Cam Newton’s Only Offer

June 29th, 2020 at 12:52pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots represented Cam Newton‘s one and only contract offer, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The Browns also showed recent interest, Schefter hears, but they did not put a deal on the table.

Several clubs were connected to Newton, but his free agency dragged on far longer than anyone expected. Now, we know why. Previously, we heard that the Chargers considered him, and Newton’s former head coach Ron Rivera at least thought about bringing him to the Redskins. Still, neither club presented a deal to Newton and his talks with the Browns “never really went anywhere,” per Schefter.

All along, Newton has been seeking an opportunity to start – ideally, with a contender. He found the perfect match in the Patriots, who were previously set to weigh the likes of Brian Hoyer and youngster Jarrett Stidham. With the Browns, Newton would have been entrenched as the QB2 behind Baker Mayfield, and that probably didn’t hold much appeal for him anyway.

With that lack of interest, the Patriots were able to land Newton for an absolute bargain. He can earn up to $7.5MM in 2020 through incentives, but his base salary is much, much lower.

Jaguars Sign DaVon Hamilton

June 29th, 2020 at 12:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have signed rookie DaVon Hamilton, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The third-round defensive tackle is the fourth Jags draft pick to put pen to paper, leaving them with eight deals to go. Per the terms of his slot at No. 73 overall, Hamilton is set to earn $4.82MM across four years.

Hamilton put himself on the NFL map with a strong finish at Ohio State. In 2019, he went from part-timer to first-stringer and registered 28 stops, including six sacks and 9.5 tackles for loss. At 320 pounds, he’s already got the pro build and he possesses uncommon speed for a player at his size. The Jaguars are excited to see what he can do in the long run but, for now, he projects to play behind Abry Jones and Taven Bryan.

Here’s the full rundown of the Jags’ class, via PFR’s 2020 NFL Draft 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): Signed
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 Johnson, WR (Texas): Signed
6-189: Jake Luton, QB (Oregon State)
6-206: Tyler Davis, TE (Georgia Tech): Signed
7-223: Chris Claybrooks, CB (Memphis)

Bucs’ Shaquil Barrett Will Sign By July 15

June 29th, 2020 at 12:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Shaquil Barrett wants a long-term deal, but, if that doesn’t materialize, he won’t drag things out. The Buccaneers edge rusher says he’ll sign his one-year tender if the two sides can’t agree to an extension before the July 15th deadline.

Last week, Barrett said he was about “50-50” on signing the one-year franchise tender and indicated that he would have an update on that front by Friday. Friday has come and gone, but Barrett now appears to be saying that he won’t hold out from the Bucs. Of course, signing the one-year tender today would not preclude the two sides from working out an extension before 7/15, so the delay is a bit of a head-scratcher given his comments. When asked about that, Barrett said the two sides are “still trying to work something out.”

That “something” could be a compromise on Barrett’s 2020 salary. It’s believed that Barrett was tagged as a linebacker, rather than a defensive end, so the one-year placeholder would pay him $15.8MM. Defensive ends, meanwhile, are marked at $17.8MM for the franchise tag this year. In the past, we’ve seen teams meet their edge rushers in the middle – a one-year, $16.8MM arrangement could be satisfactory for both sides if a longer deal doesn’t come together.

Last year, Barrett led the league with 19.5 sacks and registered 37 quarterback hits in total. No matter what happens in the coming days, Barrett says he’ll be aiming for a repeat in Tampa Bay. He’ll “most definitely” stay put in 2020, so Bucs fans can rest easy on that front.

Jadeveon Clowney Eyeing Cowboys, Saints?

June 29th, 2020 at 11:20am CST by Zachary Links

Jadeveon Clowney would be equally happy to join a contender on a one-year deal or a middling club on a multi-year deal, Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network hears. Specifically, he’d like to land with one of two contenders – the Cowboys or the Saints.

It’s not clear whether the Saints or Cowboys have reciprocated that interest. The three-time Pro Bowler would represent a classic Jerry Jones splash, but they already have $20MM/year committed to DeMarcus Lawrence. The Saints are also short on cap space, and they don’t necessarily need Clowney. With Cameron Jordan, Marcus Davenport, and Trey Hendrickson on the edge, there’s little reason for the Saints to shell out the kind of money that Clowney is seeking.

The Browns put a multi-year offer on the table for Clowney, one that is believed to be in the range of $12MM/year. The Browns are reportedly willing to move their offer up to somewhere around $15MM/year, but that’s still a step back from the ~$17MM Clowney was looking for in March. Reading between the lines, it sounds like a winning club could have Clowney on a one-year deal worth roughly $15MM, but that’s likely too rich for his two preferred teams.

Last year, Clowney registered just three sacks with the Seahawks. That was the lowest healthy-season total of his pro career.

This Date In Transactions History: Colts’ Andrew Luck Becomes NFL’s Highest-Paid Player

June 29th, 2020 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

Four years ago today, the Colts made Andrew Luck the highest-paid player in NFL history. The deal was supposed to tie Luck to Indy through the 2021 season, but it didn’t pan out that way.

Luck agreed to a five-year extension worth $122MM, with $87MM in overall guarantees and $47MM fully guaranteed at signing. Without the deal, Luck would have been eligible for free agency following the ’16 season. From there, the Colts could have retained Luck for an additional two seasons via the franchise tag at estimated values of $25MM and $35MM, but it would have put them in a difficult position down the road. Instead, both sides used Luck’s expected franchise tags amounts as a framework for talks and hammered out a deal.

With the contract, Luck leapfrogged Joe Flacco, Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Eli Manning, and Philip Rivers in average annual value. The deal made sense, but it did not come without risk. Luck was coming off of an injury-riddled, seven-game season in which he completed just 55.3% of his passes and logged 15 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

Luck’s shoulder was largely a non-issue in 2016 as he threw for 4,240 yards and 31 touchdowns with a career-high 63.5 completion percentage. After the season, he went under the knife to fix his shoulder, and that’s where things started to get messy. First, Luck was held out of training camp and 2017 preseason. Then, he was ruled out for week after week in the regular season. Finally, in November, the Colts were forced to place Luck on season-ending IR.

Luck had to claw his way back into things – when he was finally able to throw a regulation-sized football, it was a noteworthy event. In 2018, things seemed to be trending up. The former No. 1 overall pick led the Colts to a 9-1 record to close the season, allowing them to squeak into the playoffs. The Colts even downed the Texans in the first round, before falling to the Chiefs. With a seemingly healthy Luck and lots of young talent, the Colts were moving in the right direction.

Then, just before the start of the 2019 season, Luck shocked the world. At the age of 29, Luck retired from football, largely due to the mental grind of the sport. With that, Luck’s five-year extension turned into a two-year add-on. The Colts, meanwhile, turned to Jacoby Brissett as their new starter, with little time to get him comfortable in his new role.

The Colts did not seek repayment on the deal – they could have recovered $12.8MM of the $32MM signing bonus he was entitled to under his current contract, plus two $6MM roster bonuses, totaling ~$25MM.

Luck is done with football, but speculation about his potential return persists. Earlier this year, before the Colts landed Philip Rivers, GM Chris Ballard did his best to quell the talk:

“Andrew’s retired,” Ballard said. “Do I talk to Andrew? Yes, I do. Haven’t talked to him in a few weeks, I’m sure he’s been busy being a father. But Andrew’s retired, and I think we all need to accept that. That’s where he’s at. He’s retired.”

Reactions To Cam Newton Signing With Patriots

June 29th, 2020 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

On Sunday, the Patriots found themselves a new quarterback. Former NFL MVP Cam Newton is coming to town, and he came to the Patriots on what appears to be a bargain deal. Newton’s contract can pay up to $7.5MM, but the pact comes with a low base salary and little in the way of locked-in money.

Technically speaking, Newton is one of five quarterbacks on the Patriots’ roster. However, he’s got the most impressive resume by a longshot, and he figures to be a monumental upgrade over Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham, if he’s healthy.

Here’s what they’re saying about the Patriots’ newest QB:

Ultimately, Newton and the Patriots were the perfect match, Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com writes. The Pats were left thread-bare at quarterback after Tom Brady‘s departure and they represented Newton’s best chance at starting right out of the gate for a contender. For the Pats, he says it’s a no-risk deal – in a worst-case scenario, Newton gets injured early on and takes snaps away from Stidham. On the flipside, there’s the dream scenario in which Newton gets back to his old form and sticks around – the Pats are projected to have $86MM+ in cap space next year, should they want to re-sign him. With all of that said, Barnwell wonders whether the Patriots timed the signing to take some of the bad PR out of their other Sunday news story.
Speaking of the Patriots’ penalty, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes the hidden value in the Newton deal. If Newton plays well in 2020 and leaves as a free agent, the Patriots could gain a compensatory 2022 third-round pick to help offset the 2021 third-round pick that was stripped.
Jets safety Jamal Adams is also pleased with the deal, even though he’s under contract with the Patriots’ rival. “I salute Coach Bill Belichick for that!,” Adams tweeted. “That’s real. Congratulations Cam!” Adams, of course, is looking to force a trade to one of his preferred teams.
“I’m excited as I don’t know what right now!,” Newton wrote on Instagram.

Patriots To Sign Cam Newton

June 28th, 2020 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have agreed to sign Cam Newton, according to Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal that could be worth as much as $7.5MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) adds. The base portion is believed to be much lower, however, and Newton likely didn’t receive much in the way of guarantees.

Newton, 31, will join Jarrett Stidham and Brian Hoyer on the Patriots’ depth chart. Naturally, he’ll be the odds-on favorite to come away with the starting job.

The Patriots checked in with Newton during the early stages of free agency, right around the time Tom Brady took off for Tampa Bay. However, at the time, Newton was seeking a deal that was more in line with his previous earnings. Thanks to injuries, the former MVP had to stay patient and slash his asking place before finding his home in New England.

The 2015 NFL MVP and three-time Pro Bowler has struggled in recent years. Since 2016, he’s ranked 30th in Total QBR while spending large chunks of time on the sidelines. But he remains a high-end talent and a very intriguing addition to the Pats’ offense in the post-Brady era.

Newton was limited to only two games in 2019, but he did make 14 starts in 2018. In that year, he completed a career-best 67.9% of his throws for 3,395 yards, 24 TDs, and 13 picks. He also showed that he can still make plays with his feet – he tallied 488 rushing yards and four scores on 101 carries. For his career, Newton has amassed a 68-55-1 record as the Panthers’ starting quarterback. That record includes a perfect 2-0 mark against his new team.

After replacing Newton with Teddy Bridgewater, the Panthers tried to trade their longtime star to the Bears and Chargers. Those deals did not come together – the Bears went on to trade for Nick Foles instead while the Chargers waited ’til April to tap Justin Herbert as their new QB addition. With no takers, the Panthers dropped Newton to save $19MM+ in cap room versus $2MM in dead money.

Now, Newton has a prime opportunity to show the world what he can do. Even after his 2018 shoulder relapse and last year’s Lisfranc surgery, Newton still believes that he can play at a high level. For what it’s worth, he’s now six months removed from his December foot surgery and he’ll more or less enter camp with fresh legs.

With Newton, plus a mix of familiar and new faces, the Patriots’ offense is starting to look pretty formidable. Newton will be working with Sony Michel, James White, and Rex Burkhead in the backfield while targeting a receiver group headlined by Julian Edelman, Mohamed Sanu, and N’Keal Harry. The biggest question mark, perhaps, remains at tight end, where they’ll be largely dependent on rookies Dalton Keene and Devin Asiasi.

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