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Month: November 2024

Bengals Rejected Trades For William Jackson III

June 5th, 2020 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

With one year left on his contract, Bengals cornerback William Jackson III is hoping to take off his fantastic blazer and stay a while. The University of Houston product tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that he wants to sign a multi-year extension with the only NFL team he’s ever known.

[RELATED: Bengals’ Jessie Bates Hires New Agent]

“They picked up my fifth-year option, so that was a blessing,” said Jackson. “I just go out there and have fun and let everything play out. I love it in Cincinnati. I’m comfortable. They’ve got a great coaching staff and great teammates around me. I would love to come back. Right now, I’m just focused and ready to get the season started. One thing you can control is when people aren’t watching is what you do. I come in, put the work in and it will pay off on Sundays.”

It’s not clear whether the two sides have gotten deep into talks, but they’ve probably been delayed due to the pandemic. It does sound like the Bengals intend to keep him, however. Last year, they picked up the former first-rounder’s fifth-year option for 2020, worth $9.6MM. And, before October’s trade deadline, the Bengals received and rejected trade inquiries on Jackson from other clubs.

The lightning-fast corner was slowed by a shoulder injury towards the end of the year and placed on injured reserve. The recovery was painful, but Jackson says he’s now “fully healthy and ready to go” as he enters his walk year.

Jets Hoping To Pull Kyle Long Out Of Retirement

June 5th, 2020 at 12:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have spoken with former Bears guard Kyle Long about coming out of retirement, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. The former Pro Bowler would give the Jets a major boost on the front line and a potential replacement for incumbent right guard Brian Winters.

[RELATED: Jets Aren’t Interested In Jadeveon Clowney]

As Mehta notes, Joe Douglas has had success in this area before. Last year, he convinced Ryan Kalil to return to the field, and he believes he can also talk Long into playing again. Long, 31, dealt with shoulder, tricep, ankle, and hip injuries throughout his Bears career.

Long missed 22 games over his last three seasons, but he performed as one of the NFL’s top offensive guards when he was healthy. He was a nearly perennial Top 5 fixture in Pro Football Focus’ rankings and, as an added bonus, he also offers experience at tackle.

Long’s own level of interest is unclear. If he is willing to play again, the Jets will have to pony up a big chunk of their available $25MM in cap room. Meanwhile, there are still some glaring holes to address, including cornerback and edge rusher. If the Jets are serious about signing Logan Ryan, for example, they’ll have to budget carefully.

The Jets’ offensive line has already been overhauled this year. The new-look OL will feature first-round pick Mekhi Becton, plus newcomers Connor McGovern, Greg Van Roten, and George Fant. Between the three free agent deals and the re-signing of Alex Lewis, the Jets dropped $80MM to beef up the unit.

This Date In Transactions History: 49ers’ Anthony Davis Retires

June 5th, 2020 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

Five years ago today, 49ers tackle Anthony Davis announced his retirement from the NFL at the age of 25. Davis’ decision came as a surprise to everyone, though he left the door open to returning at some point in the future. 

Davis was the Niners’ first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board No. 11 overall. In his first four seasons, he started 71 games at right tackle and played in all 16 regular season contests. Then, in 2014, he was limited to seven games thanks to hamstring, knee, and concussion problems.

Davis was just the latest in a string of 49ers departures that offseason. First, head coach Jim Harbaugh exited. Then, linebackers Chris Borland and Patrick Willis retired, despite still likely having a few good years of production ahead of them. Davis was similarly concerned about the toll the game had taken on him, though he attempted to come back to football the following year in 2016.

Davis and the Niners weren’t quite on the same page. Before the draft, Davis took to Twitter and suggested that the Niners should take an offensive tackle in the Top 10. Then, he took an even more direct shot at the team: “I do not want to work with a front office or anyone else who seemingly doesn’t want to win as bad as I do.”

The Niners, meanwhile, weren’t so thrilled with him either. When asked about Davis’ potential return, 49ers offensive line coach Pat Flaherty said that nothing would be handed to him.

“And he knows this, coming from me, if he wants to play, then he’s got to come back and prove he can play,” Flaherty said. “It’s got to come from within. You can tell him exactly what I just said, ‘Listen, you’ll have an opportunity to play. But that’s all it is. You decided for whatever reason to retire. If you come back in the game, nothing is going to be handed to you. You’re going to have to work your tail off.’ And the conversation that I’ve had back when I first got here, was he was acceptable to that. Now, I don’t see him. I don’t know why. So I can’t answer that one.”

Davis’ return to the Niners lasted only one game. After appearing in the season opener against the Rams, Davis retired for a second time. In May of last year, Davis said he wanted to return to the field and the 49ers released him from his deal. Davis, 31 in October, didn’t sign with another club and remains a free agent today, though it’s not clear if he still has interest in playing.

Devonta Freeman: “A Number” Of Teams Have Interest In Signing Me

June 5th, 2020 at 9:59am CST by Zachary Links

Devonta Freeman‘s free agency has dragged into June and could continue deep into the summer. For what it’s worth, the running back isn’t too concerned. On Twitter, Freeman let his fans know that “a number of teams are interested” in signing him. 

[RELATED: Devonta Freeman’s Asking Price Too High For Bucs]

“I read in the media that Tampa Bay Buccaneers are interested. A number of teams are interested, but we can’t negotiate through the media, the Buccaneers can reach out to me directly,” Freeman tweeted.

The Bucs – Freeman’s longtime divisional rival – do indeed have interest in Freeman, as conveyed by head coach Bruce Arians. However, Arians says that Freeman’s current sticker price is too rich for their blood. Previous reports indicated that the Bucs put an offer on the table for Freeman, but based on what the running back is saying, it sounds like the conversations came to a hard stop.

Freeman also received, and rejected a one-year, $3MM offer from the Seahawks. It’s not clear what the longtime Falcons star is demanding, but it’ll take more in the way of base compensation and probably an achievable incentives package to get him to sign right now. As we get closer to September, Freeman may or may not ease up on his stance. No matter what, Freeman says retirement is not on the table.

Freeman’s last deal was set to pay him about $8MM in 2020. There’s no way he’ll come close to that salary in base pay, but it stands to reason that he could find middle ground with the Bucs. The Bucs have upgraded much of their roster around Tom Brady, but RB remains a problem area. As of this writing, they’re set to roll out the promising yet inconsistent Ronald Jones as their top rusher with support from rookies Ke’Shawn Vaughn and Raymond Calais.

The Eagles are also interested in Freeman, though they may prefer the familiarity and price tag of LeSean McCoy. However, they have yet to make an offer to Shady.

This Date In Transactions History: Browns Sign Mychal Kendricks

June 4th, 2020 at 5:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Two years ago today, Mychal Kendricks agreed to terms with the Browns. At the time, the one-year, $2.25MM deal looked like a solid value pickup for the Browns in the second wave of free agency. Instead, the linebacker never played a down for Cleveland. 

What we didn’t know at the time was that Kendricks was involved in a federal investigation for insider trading. Kendricks were aware of the situation, but they say they weren’t clued in on all of the details. Prosecutors alleged that Kendricks and his co-defendant turned $80K in a brokerage account into $1.2MM inside of five months. The insider trading charges he faced could have imprisoned him for up to 37 months, keeping him off the field for at least three years.

When Kendricks’ charges were announced just before the start of the 2018 season, the Browns dropped him. Days later, on Sept. 6, he pleaded guilty in court. Then, just one week after that, Kendricks inked a one-year deal with the Seahawks. Kendricks still had sentencing and a lengthy NFL suspension ahead of him, but Pete Carroll & Co. didn’t want to pass up the chance to sign him at a bargain basement minimum-salaried rate.

Despite the off-the-field issues, Kendricks offered up an impressive resume from his time in Philly, including 74 career starts, 14 sacks, and a 77-tackle campaign in 2017 en route to a Super Bowl ring. Kendricks spent most of 2018 sidelined as he duked it out with the league office, but he returned to form in 2019 as he started in all 14 of his games, tallied 71 stops, and notched three sacks.

Now, Kendricks finds himself in NFL and legal limbo once again. Kendricks was originally set for sentencing on January 23, 2019, but thanks to multiple postponements and the COVID-19 pandemic, Kendricks won’t face the judge until May 29, at the earliest. And, after suffering an ACL tear in January, the Seahawks found linebacker help elsewhere. Depending on how things go from here, Kendricks may eventually find a market for his services as a free agent. Still, it might be a while before we see him back in the fold.

Mutual Interest Existed Between Saints, Tom Brady?

June 4th, 2020 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

An interesting what-if during an offseason featuring the highest-profile quarterback movement since free agency opened 27 years ago: Tom Brady was interested in the Saints this year. The Saints were also interested, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter).

However, both sides’ curiosity hinged on Drew Brees heading into retirement, which he did not. The Saints re-upped their all-time great for the same figures — two years, $50MM — Brady eventually received from the Buccaneers. However, Brees’ deal includes only $25MM fully guaranteed; the Bucs guaranteed Brady all $50MM.

New Orleans’ Brees transaction occurred hours before Brady’s Bucs commitment, but the former had already declared he would return for a 20th season. And Brees said earlier in the offseason he would play for the Saints or no one.

Brady’s interest level in the Saints was believed to be “very serious,” per La Canfora. This adds a layer to a complex Saints QB offseason, one that saw them re-sign Brees, replace Teddy Bridgewater with Jameis Winston and extend gadget player/possible Brees successor Taysom Hill. Brady would have been surrounded by weapons in New Orleans, but he now has an enviable arrangement in Tampa.

This isn’t necessarily surprising. Brady was connected to a number of teams this offseason, before his sweepstakes narrowed to the Bucs and Chargers. The Bay Area native was believed to be interested in joining the 49ers, who investigated the possibility. Brees’ return cut off anything notable between Brady and the Saints.

Brees, 41, and Brady, 43 in August, will instead face off twice this season in what promise to be two of the highest-profile divisional QB matchups in NFL history. Despite playing in 10 fewer games (285-275), Brees has a 3,000-plus-yard edge on his new rival and is six TD passes up on the ex-Patriot legend (547-541). Brady, of course, has a 6-1 Super Bowl edge here. The Bucs and Saints are scheduled to play in Weeks 1 and 9.

Bucs Notes: Brady, TEs, OL, Free Agency

June 4th, 2020 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady‘s transition to a new team in advance of his 21st NFL season has obviously been less than ideal, with the COVID-19 pandemic preventing the future Hall of Famer from working with teammates and coaches at the Buccaneers‘ facility. The first time the soon-to-be 43-year-old quarterback is expected to be permitted to enter his new team’s facilities will be training camp. But the Bucs do not plan to compensate for this by giving Brady more preseason work. Bruce Arians said Thursday he doubts Brady will need more preseason time to make up for the virtual offseason, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Still, Brady’s preseason snaps figure to be more important than usual this year.

Here is the latest out of Tampa:

  • Arians has not gotten much out of the tight end position during his stay as head coach in Arizona and Tampa. That should soon change. The Bucs currently house an all-time tight end stable, with Rob Gronkowski joining the team’s O.J. Howard–Cameron Brate duo already regarded as one of the NFL’s best. Arians said the Bucs will use a two-tight end offense as their base this season (via Auman, on Twitter). Going with more “12 personnel” looks would give Howard and Brate more time on the field and potentially represent an effort to conserve Gronkowski, who retired partially because of injury issues last year. This also points to the Bucs giving stronger consideration to keeping all three tight ends rather than trading Howard or Brate. Arians even said he’s interested in three-tight end looks.
  • Tampa Bay is not expected to make a move to add interior offensive linemen to back up starters Ali Marpet, Alex Cappa and Ryan Jensen, Arians added (via Auman, on Twitter). The Bucs did not draft any guards or centers, but Arians likes what he has seen from backups Aaron Stinnie, Anthony Fabiano and Zack Bailey. A fifth-year blocker, Fabiano is now on his eighth team. Stinnie was a 2018 Titans UDFA; Bailey was a Bucs 2019 UDFA who spent much of last year on IR.
  • However, the Bucs are keeping multiple roster spots open for possible veteran additions. Arians said (via Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com, on Twitter) he and GM Jason Licht discussed saving room for veterans who would be more prepared to play than rookie UDFAs. With Brady on a two-year deal, Tampa Bay stockpiling vets would make sense.

Texas Stadiums Permitted To Operate At 50% Capacity

June 4th, 2020 at 1:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott said this week the state will enter a new phase in an attempted comeback from COVID-19. Texas’ professional and collegiate stadiums can operate at 50% capacity. This order is effective immediately.

This news comes despite Texas setting a new single-day state high for positive coronavirus tests earlier this week, according to the Dallas Morning News. But Texas was one of the first states to announce a reopening for sports.

While neither the Dallas Mavericks — who will head to Orlando to conclude the NBA season — nor IndyCar — which will start its 2020 season next week at Texas Motor Speedway with no fans — will take the state up on the loosened restrictions, this can be construed as a positive sign for the Cowboys and Texans. The PGA Tour will also not have fans in attendance at a Texas tournament next week.

The Cowboys and Texans being allowed to house a certain number of fans, however, would complicate the upcoming NFL-NFLPA negotiations. The NFL could enter the season with some states allowing fans in stadiums and others not, creating a key issue for the league and the union to negotiate.

Cowboys Place Travis Frederick On Reserve/Retired List

June 4th, 2020 at 1:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Cowboys created some cap space Thursday by placing Travis Frederick on the reserve/retired list, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes. The former All-Pro center retired in March.

Frederick landing on the list will free up $7MM in cap room for Dallas. By adding Frederick to the reserve/retired list after June 1, the Cowboys will spread his cap hit across two years.

This contract will still comprise $4.975MM of Dallas’ 2020 cap and count more than $6MM against the team’s 2021 payroll, per the Dallas Morning News’ Michael Gehlken (on Twitter). The deal was set to count more than $11MM on this year’s payroll. Frederick had signed a lucrative extension in 2016 and restructured his deal multiple times.

The 2020 season would have been the decorated blocker’s age-29 campaign. But Frederick’s battle with Gullain-Barre syndrome forced him to call it quits. He had previously missed the entire 2018 season because of the malady, but the five-time Pro Bowler returned in 2019. During the seasons he played, Frederick never missed a game in his career.

Dallas will likely move forward with the recently re-signed Joe Looney — who took over for Frederick at center in 2018 — succeeding Frederick, with fourth-round pick Tyler Biadasz developing behind him. Connor McGovern 2.0 also looms as an option in the Cowboys’ post-Frederick era.

Devonta Freeman’s Asking Price Too High For Bucs

June 4th, 2020 at 12:09pm CST by Rory Parks

Interest in former Falcons RB Devonta Freeman has picked up significantly over the past couple of weeks. Atlanta released Freeman on March 16, and there were no public reports of interest in his services for some time, but the Jets, Eagles, Seahawks, and Buccaneers have recently kicked the tires on the two-time Pro Bowler.

Seattle ultimately filled its RB need by signing Carlos Hyde. The club submitted a one-year, $3MM pitch to Freeman, but when he did not sign, the Seahawks pivoted to Hyde, who landed a one-year pact worth up to $4MM with incentives. Philadelphia and Tampa have yet to pick up a veteran RB to add to their stable, and unless Freeman’s asking price comes down, he will not be joining up with the Bucs.

Tampa head coach Bruce Arians says his club would have interest in Freeman if his price tag wasn’t so high (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). The way he phrased that statement is interesting, because an earlier report from Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Enquirer suggested the Bucs had made an offer to Freeman, who was considering that proposal along with one he received from the Eagles. Arians’ statement today implies that Tampa either never made an offer or else is not willing to further engage until Freeman lowers his demands.

The Bucs were rumored as a potential landing spot for an RB upgrade earlier this offseason, as their depth chart is currently topped by 2018 second-rounder Ronald Jones, who had an up-and-down season in 2019 after a disastrous rookie campaign. GM Jason Licht has expressed confidence in Jones, but the team was looking for a pass-catching back to complement him, and Licht did pick up two RBs in the draft: Ke’Shawn Vaughn (third round) and Raymond Calais (seventh). Freeman profiles as a potential upgrade for a team that suddenly has Super Bowl aspirations.

For his part, Freeman recently shot down rumors that he is considering sitting out the 2020 season. He appears to be aiming for a 2020 payout closer to the one that he was scheduled to receive from the Falcons (about $8MM), but that’s likely not coming his way, as he is now two years removed from his last effective season.

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