2020 December - Pro Football Rumors

Eagles To Stick With Jalen Hurts As Starter

December 14th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are sticking with Jalen Hurts as their starting quarterback, head coach Doug Pederson announced. Hurts — starting in place of Carson Wentz — impressed on Sunday as he led the Eagles to a 24-21 win over the Saints.

Thanks in part to Hurts, the Eagles snapped a four-game skid and kept their playoff hopes alive. Now, the Birds are a mere 1.5 games back of the Washington Football Team for the NFC East lead.

Hurts completed 17-of-30 passes against the Saints. More importantly, he dazzled on the ground. His 18 carries for 106 yards put him in rarified air — he’s just the fifth Eagles quarterback to rush for 100 yards in the Super Bowl era, joining the likes of Michael Vick, Donovan McNabb, and Randall Cunningham.

Meanwhile, the Eagles will need to decide on Wentz’s fate by the second day of the 2021 league year in March. On Day 3, Wentz’s 2022 base salary of $22MM gets locked in and he’ll receive a $10MM roster bonus for 2021. Cutting Wentz would result in a massive dead cap hit of nearly $60MM, but a trade would be much more palatable for their finances.

If the Eagles aren’t able to squeeze into the playoffs, they’ll have many more decisions to make, including the fate of Pederson.

Packers’ Aaron Jones Changes Agents

December 14th, 2020 at 10:27am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers and Aaron Jones have had recent extension talks, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky (on Twitter). Apparently, Jones hasn’t been thrilled about the status of those discussions. The running back fired his agent as his expiration date draws near.

The former fifth-round pick is drastically underpaid in the home stretch of his four-year, $2.6MM deal. Last year, he made his case with 1,558 total yards from scrimmage, an average of 4.6 yards per carry, and and 19 total touchdowns to lead all running backs in the NFL. This year, he’s been slowed by injuries somewhat, but he’s still managed nearly 1,110 all-purpose yards with 5.1 ypc.

Jones has been one of the NFL’s best backs over the past few years and he plans on getting a contract to reflect his performance. As shown by Joe Mixon‘s recent $12MM/year extension with the Bengals and Christian McCaffrey‘s record-shattering deal, teams are still willing to pony up the cash necessary to lock down their best offensive talent. The running back market, at long last, may even catch up to the rest of the field.

After topping the Lions 31-24, Jones and the Packers are even further ahead in the NFC North. They’ll look to keep their winning streak alive on Saturday night when they face the Panthers in Green Bay.

Raiders Fire DC Paul Guenther, Promote Rod Marinelli

December 14th, 2020 at 10:00am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have fired defensive coordinator Paul Guenther. In his place, defensive line coach Rod Marinelli will serve as the team’s interim DC what’s left of the 2020 season.

The decision came on the heels of an ugly Sunday night loss to the Colts. The 44-27 loss saw the Raiders surrender 456 total yards, including 212 yards on the ground. With no real chance of reaching the postseason, the Raiders got a jump on their spring cleaning.

The Raiders did not register a single sack against Philip Rivers, emblematic of their front seven so far this year. They entered Sunday near the bottom of the league in sacks, and that’s where they remain with a few games to go in 2020. On the whole, the Raiders performed as the 22nd ranked D in the league under Guenther’s guidance. And, over the last two-years-and-change, they’ve been dead last in points allowed with 28.4.

Of course, the Raiders’ struggles went beyond the veteran DC. The Raiders’ recent blowout loss to the Falcons, for example, could be largely blamed on the team’s six offensive turnovers. Regardless, the Raiders want to move their high-priced defense in a different direction, starting right now.

Broncos’ Duke Dawson Done For Year

December 14th, 2020 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos cornerback Duke Dawson has been diagnosed with a torn ACL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Broncos will make it all official later today by placing the former Patriots second round pick on injured reserve.

Dawson was in the mix to become New England’s slot cornerback in 2018, but he was sidetracked by a hamstring injury that wiped out his would-be rookie year. Just prior to the 2019 opener, the Pats traded him to the Broncos in a swap of Day 3 picks.

Dawson made his first career start on Sunday, but it was short-lived. It’s unfortunate timing for Dawson, who was in line for opportunities after A.J. Bouye‘s suspension for performance-enhancing drugs. The Broncos will now be without Dawson the rest of the way, and without Bouye for the remainder of the season (plus the first two games of 2021).

The Broncos — sans Dawson — will wrap their year against the Bills, Chargers, and Raiders.

Bill Cowher (Still) Has No Interest In Coaching

December 13th, 2020 at 11:21am CST by Rory Parks

Nearly 14 years after he coached his last NFL game, Bill Cowher‘s name continues to pop up in coaching rumors. Earlier this week, Cowher’s CBS Sports colleague, Boomer Esiason, indicated that Cowher could be interested in the Jets’ head coaching job that will be available once Adam Gase is fired, but Cowher denied that he has any interest in returning to the sidelines.

“I have too much respect for the coaching profession to talk about a job that isn’t open,” he said (via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com). “From that perspective, any job that is open, I have no interest in coaching.”

That has generally been Cowher’s refrain whenever he has been asked about resuming his coaching career, though he did concede back in 2016 that he had not entirely foreclosed the possibility. “You know what? I’ve never shut a door,” Cowher said at the time. “I don’t think you need to shut a door that you don’t need to. I’m very happy at CBS. I love what I’m doing. I’m 58 years old. I feel young. I still feel involved in the game. But this element of the game gives me a life that I was never able to experience before. … I never say never, but I’m very, very satisfied with where I’m at.”

Now 63, it would certainly be a surprise to see Cowher so much as take an interview for an HC gig, though he would likely find no shortage of suitors if he changed his mind. The Jets did express interest in his services back in 2009, but he subsequently withdrew his name from consideration, and New York ultimately pivoted to Rex Ryan.

Cowher served as the Steelers’ head coach from 1992-2006, taking home two AFC championships and one Super Bowl championship during that time. He was elected to the Pro Football Hall of Fame this year.

Cowboys Expected To Retain HC Mike McCarthy

December 13th, 2020 at 10:49am CST by Rory Parks

Mike McCarthy‘s first year as the Cowboys’ head coach has not gone well, to say the least. At 3-9, Dallas is at the bottom of the awful NFC East, so it’s fair to wonder if McCarthy’s job is in jeopardy.

About a month ago, team EVP Stephen Jones adamantly shot down the notion that he could look to move on from McCarthy at season’s end, but his club has been blown out by the Washington Football Team and the Ravens over the past two weeks, performances that have engendered plenty of conversation about the Cowboys’ effort and heart.

Nonetheless, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network hears that McCarthy will indeed be retained for the 2021 season (video link). After all, it would be difficult for any head coach to overcome the loss of his starting quarterback and the complete decimation of his offensive line, and while the uninspired play is cause for concern, it’s generally advisable to give a HC at least two years to get things moving in the right direction.

But even if McCarthy’s job is safe, there could be major changes on the way. One team source told Rapoport that “something has to change,” and defensive coordinator Mike Nolan could be on the outs. Nolan spent his last few seasons in the league as a linebackers coach and had not been in charge of a defense since 2014, when he wrapped up a three-year stint as the Falcons’ DC. His return to the coordinator ranks has been a disaster, as the Cowboys are near the bottom of the league in total defense and dead last in points allowed per game.

Nolan, 61, has a ton of experience, having served as a defensive coordinator with eight different franchises and as the 49ers’ head coach from 2005-08. But two of his terms as DC lasted just one year — the Jets in 2000 and the Broncos in 2009 — and it looks like the Cowboys will be the third team on that list.

Bears HC Matt Nagy, GM Ryan Pace Facing Uncertain Futures

December 13th, 2020 at 9:51am CST by Rory Parks

Bears head coach Matt Nagy and general manager Ryan Pace are facing uncertain futures in Chicago, according to Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network (video link). The Bears are mired in a six-game losing streak after starting the season 5-1, and it appears a major shakeup could be on the way.

Nagy’s seat has been getting hotter as the losing streak has continued, and a report surfaced last week that the Bears are more likely than not to fire their third-year HC at season’s end. If that happens, the club is said to be very interested in Northwestern head coach Pat Fitzgerald, though it’s unclear if Fitzgerald would want to make the jump from the college ranks to the pros.

Nagy, who served as the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator for two seasons before getting the Bears’ HC gig, was named the league’s Coach of the Year in 2018, his first year at the helm. Under his watch, the Bears won the NFC North and qualified for the postseason for the first time since 2010, and while the team was ousted in the wild card round — thanks to the notorious double-doink missed field goal — the arrow seemed to be pointing up.

That was especially true since Mitch Trubisky took a major step forward with Nagy, earning a Pro Bowl nod at the end of that 2018 season and posting a 95.4 QB rating. Since then, however, it’s been all downhill for both men. The Bears slipped to an 8-8 record last year, Trubisky saw his fifth-year option declined in May, and he lost his starting job to Nick Foles earlier this season. The Bears have been near the bottom of the league in total offense in each of the past two years, not a good look for an offensive-minded coach like Nagy.

Pace, meanwhile, became the Bears’ GM in 2015 and presided over three consecutive fourth-place finishes in the NFC North before the Nagy hire appeared to right the ship. Although plenty of GMs and pundits were high on Trubisky in advance of the 2017 draft, Pace’s decision to trade four draft picks to move up from the No. 3 overall selection to the No. 2 overall pick to acquire him was widely panned at the time, and the deal has not aged well. While Trubisky has failed to live up to his draft status, 2017 draftmates Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes have become premier signal-callers.

Pace has certainly had his good moments, but one playoff appearance in six seasons generally does not make a club keen to maintain the status quo. The Bears could be in the market for a new GM, a new HC, and a first-round quarterback when the calendar flips to 2021.

Eagles To Keep Carson Wentz?

December 13th, 2020 at 8:56am CST by Rory Parks

In the wake of the Eagles’ decision to bench struggling starting QB Carson Wentz in favor of rookie Jalen Hurts, speculation that Philadelphia might try to trade Wentz this offseason has begun to swirl. However, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that the team has no intention of trading its embattled signal-caller.

A few of Wentz’s prominent teammates, like DT Fletcher Cox and C Jason Kelce, publicly voiced their support for Wentz this week, and one team source insisted that the benching in no way changes the belief that the organization has in the former No. 2 overall pick. Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports also hears that the organization is hopeful that Wentz can regain his prior form next season and is committed to helping him do just that.

However, as La Canfora observes, rival front offices are still doing their due diligence on Wentz in case the Eagles should make him available via trade. And if Hurts should perform well over the final few weeks of the season, it could be that Wentz will be playing elsewhere in 2021.

One way or another, Philadelphia needs to make a decision by the second day of the 2021 league year, which will be sometime in the middle of March. On the third day of the league year, Wentz’s 2022 base salary of $22MM becomes fully-guaranteed, and he will receive a $10MM roster bonus for 2021. Cutting Wentz would result in a massive dead cap hit of nearly $60MM, and while the Eagles could spread out that hit over two years by designating him a post-June 1 cut, carrying $30MM on the books for two consecutive seasons for a player no longer on the roster appears untenable.

Trading Wentz before the third day of the 2021 league year would result in a dead cap charge of just under $34MM for 2021 — which could not be spread out over two seasons — but given that his cap number for next season is set to be just above $34MM, the Eagles would actually save a bit of cap space and would at least have some draft pick compensation in their pocket. That is perhaps why one NFL executive told Schefter that a trade is probably the best-case scenario for Philadelphia at this point.

One team that has repeatedly come up in trade rumors surrounding Wentz is the Colts, largely because of Indianapolis head coach Frank Reich. Reich was the Eagles’ offensive coordinator from 2016-17, and the 2017 season was easily the best of Wentz’s career. He was a legitimate MVP candidate before a torn ACL suffered towards the tail end of the campaign kept him out of Philadelphia’s magical run to the Super Bowl, and since the Colts will likely be looking for a long-term passer at season’s end, a Reich-Wentz reunion makes plenty of sense.

Any deal would obviously be complicated by financial considerations, both for the Eagles and the acquiring club, and a lot will depend on how Hurts plays down the stretch. If the Eagles elect to fire head coach Doug Pederson after the season, the new HC’s opinion on Wentz would certainly be a key factor as well. Regardless, you can be sure that we will be talking about the Wentz situation a great deal over the coming months.

Everson Griffen Tests Positive For COVID-19

December 12th, 2020 at 4:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Lions placed Everson Griffen on their reserve/COVID-19 list Saturday and did so because of a positive test, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

An in-season trade acquisition, Griffen is now set to miss the next two Lions games. The veteran defensive end was one of three players whose most recent coronavirus test came back positive, joining Dolphins running back Myles Gaskin and Rams linebacker Jachai Polite.

Playing on a one-year deal, Griffen has five sacks this season. He has recorded 2.5 of those in his five games with the Lions. Should Griffen avoid complications from the season-defining virus, he could return in Week 16 to make a final impression for another run at free agency. Griffen is a half-sack away from 80 in his 11-year career.

This will leave the Lions thin on the edge, with Trey Flowers and rookie Julian Okwara on IR. Detroit also is down cornerbacks Desmond Trufant and Jeff Okudah. Griffen, however, is the only player on the team’s COVID list.