HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Dwayne Haskins Goes Unclaimed On Waivers

December 29th, 2020 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite Dwayne Haskins going off the 2019 draft board at No. 15 overall, he is a free agent barely 18 months later. The second-year quarterback went unclaimed on waivers Tuesday, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Washington waived Haskins less than 24 hours after starting him in Week 16 against the Panthers. The former one-year Ohio State sensation is no longer attached to his four-year rookie contract.

While Haskins went unclaimed, Washington still owes him the balance of that fully guaranteed rookie deal. In addition to dead money coming from Haskins’ signing bonus, his $1.8MM (2021) and $2.46MM (2022) base salaries will be on Washington’s payroll.

The team took a quarterback in Round 1 for the first time since Robert Griffin III in 2012 — a move influenced by Daniel Snyder and endorsed by then-team president Bruce Allen, but opposed by then-HC Jay Gruden — but Haskins will be seeking to start over already. Poor play and two COVID-19 protocol violations led to his Washington dismissal. The now-Ron Rivera-run team was willing to trade Haskins prior to this year’s deadline and only reinserted him into its starting lineup because of Alex Smith‘s calf injury. Smith’s 2018 injury led to Washington drafting Haskins barely a year after trading for Smith and handing him a four-year extension.

Washington will turn to either Smith or former UDFA Taylor Heinicke in a do-or-die Week 17 game in Philadelphia. Rivera said Smith was close to returning last week, boding well for his prospects to lift Washington to its first playoff berth since 2015.

AFC Notes: Tomlin, Big Ben, Ravens, Texans

December 29th, 2020 at 3:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Steelers announced Tuesday that Mason Rudolph will start in Week 17 against the Browns as Ben Roethlisberger rests up for the playoffs, but that isn’t the only quarterback question lingering over the franchise. Big Ben’s play fell off dramatically after the early part of the season, which has understandably led to some questions about the 38-year-old’s future. We heard just last week that Roethlisberger was planning on returning for 2021, the final year of his contract, but it might not be entirely up to him. Interestingly, head coach Mike Tomlin “will play a critical role in however Pittsburgh moves forward” at quarterback, sources told Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has indicated he could be headed for retirement soon, potentially giving Tomlin even more power here. La Canfora writes that the team is putting off these questions to the offseason, but while he cautions the team isn’t talking too much about Roethlisberger’s decline internally, it sounds like a lot of it will come down to what Tomlin wants to do. Obviously Tomlin and Big Ben have a close bond, and there’s no reason to believe he’ll immediately toss him aside, but “he will have a significant voice in the composition of the quarterback room in 2021,” La Canfora writes. Assuming Roethlisberger comes back, that could mean that Tomlin has more of a direct role in acquiring a potential successor. The 25-year-old Rudolph was serviceable at times last year, but also struggled mightily at others. He hasn’t shown much to inspire confidence that he can be a franchise quarterback. It’ll be a very interesting offseason in Pittsburgh.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • The Ravens dealt with a brutal COVID-19 outbreak in the middle of their season, and the league has determined they were partially at fault. The NFL has slapped Baltimore with a $250K fine for protocol violations, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk writes, although they were not docked a draft pick like the Saints were. New Orleans lost a seventh-rounder, Las Vegas forfeited a sixth-rounder, and the Titans were fined $350K, so this is actually on the lighter side of COVID punishments. In a separate piece, Florio writes that strength and conditioning coach Steve Saunders was the previously unnamed coach who was suspended for his role in the outbreak. Saunders is now back in the building with his job back after serving a suspension of about a month.
  • The Texans have a lot of work to do this offseason, most notably finding a new coach and GM after the firing of Bill O’Brien. Houston owner Cal McNair reportedly wants Deshaun Watson‘s input on who the next coach will be, but the team apparently isn’t in any rush to make a hire. That’s because the Texans do not intend to take advantage of the new NFL rule that would allow them to interview head coaching candidates currently on staff with other teams before the season ends, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports. Instead Houston is sticking to their plan of hiring a GM before a coach. They have however been interviewing candidates not currently with a team, including Marvin Lewis and Jim Caldwell recently. There have been murmurs that Watson would like Eric Bieniemy, who obviously is still currently employed by the Chiefs, so that interview won’t be happening immediately.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/29/20

December 29th, 2020 at 2:06pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad shuffles here, so be sure to check back later for all the new updates:

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

Pittsburgh Steelers

  • Signed: LB Christian Kuntz, G John Leglue

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Football Team

East Notes: Haskins, Patriots, Jets

December 29th, 2020 at 1:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Dwayne Haskins was cut by Washington yesterday, marking one of the earliest flameouts for a first-round pick in recent NFL history. But while he won’t be taking the field for Washington again, his business with the team isn’t quite settled. As a first-rounder Haskins’ entire four-year rookie contract was guaranteed, and he’s owed around $4.2MM over the next two seasons. As a result of his mask-less partying with strippers that saw him fined $40K and his captain status revoked, Washington may have a claim to void his guarantees, as Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes.

Florio obtained a copy of Haskins’ rookie contract, and points out that the deal specifically says Haskins’ money can be voided even for conduct that didn’t result in a suspension. “Player shall be deemed in Default of the Contract if Player takes any action that Club determines, in its reasonable discretion, undermines the public’s respect for . . . Player’s teammates, Club’s ownership, coaches, [or] management,” it reads. As Florio notes the NFLPA would surely file a grievance on Haskins’ behalf if Washington does try to fight it, and the battle would then spill into a courtroom where an arbitrator would need to decide. The Ravens are currently locked in a similar fight with Earl Thomas while trying to void his hefty 2020 salary after a fight with a teammate caused them to release him. This saga seems a long way from finished. We should find out soon whether any team claimed Haskins on waivers.

In the meantime, here’s more from the league’s East divisions:

  • Staying in Washington for a moment, the team has been operating without a GM this season as new coach Ron Rivera essentially runs the show including the personnel department. Although Rivera will likely retain a large amount of power, that setup will change this offseason. Washington is planning on hiring an official GM after the season, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapsheet notes that 49ers exec Martin Mayhew and recently fired Panthers GM Marty Hurney are expected to be considered and interviewed. He also highlights former Texans GM Rick Smith, who has continuously been linked to the team, and Washington reportedly almost hired him last year. Hurney, of course, has a strong connection to Rivera from their time in Carolina together. Meanwhile current VP of player personnel Kyle Smith, who has been the top evaluator this season, will no longer be in charge of roster construction, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes.
  • The Patriots are wrapping up a very disappointing season, and they’ve got some big decisions to make this offseason. One of those decisions is what to do with stud corner J.C. Jackson, who is about to be a restricted free agent. The Pats will likely place a first-round tender on Jackson, former NFL agent and current CBS Sports analyst Joel Corry tweets. He notes they did the same with fellow corner Malcolm Butler when he became a RFA. Corry also points out that it’s virtually unheard of for a team to give an offer sheet to a player on a first-round tender, which means Jackson will almost certainly be back in New England next year unless they decide to trade him. Of course, any team signing a player on a first-round tender would have to give up their first-round pick. Last year’s first-round tender was worth around $4.6MM for the player, although we don’t have exact figures for 2021 yet.
  • Speaking of disappointing AFC East teams, the Jets have rattled off two straight wins, but major changes are still coming this offseason. One of those changes will likely be defensive end Henry Anderson, who signed a three-year, $25.2MM deal with the team in March of 2019. Anderson hasn’t lived up to that contract, playing barely over 40 percent of the defensive snaps through the first two seasons. Apparently he isn’t going to make it through the end of that pact, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes “there’s little chance of him returning” since the Jets can save $8.2MM by releasing him this offseason. A fifth-round pick of the Colts in 2015, he was traded to New York before the 2018 season and had a breakout campaign with seven sacks, inspiring the team to give him the big deal. He had only one last year and just 0.5 this time around.
  • Anderson isn’t the only Jets player in danger of being cut, as Cimini writes that starting right tackle George Fant is on “the bubble.” Fant has a $9.4MM cap charge for 2021, which Cimini thinks is steep for what he deems “replacement level” play. Fant has started 13 games for the Jets so far after being a part-time starter for Seattle the previous few seasons. As Cimini notes we’ll know pretty soon what New York is going to do with him, since $4.45MM of his salary becomes guaranteed if he’s still on the roster on March 22nd.

Panthers’ Russell Okung To Be Paid In Bitcoin

December 29th, 2020 at 9:47am CST by Zachary Links

Panthers offensive tackle Russell Okung will receive half of his $13MM in salary in bitcoin, per an announcement from Okung and a payments startup called Strike. Okung, who once tweeted “Pay me in Bitcoin!,” will fulfill his goal with the help of the Panthers. Rather than receiving his entire paycheck directly in USD, the Panthers will send half of his dollars to the payment company, who will then deposit bitcoin into Okung’s account.

While this is more of a savvy PR stunt than anything else, it’s notable that the Panthers are working in concert with the Bitcoin company to make it possible. The arrangement has also been approved by the NFL and the NFLPA. The founder of Strike’s parent company claims that members of the New York Yankees and Brooklyn Nets are also in the process of switching to crypto, but such plans may require the cooperation of the NBA and MLB.

Okung, 32, is in the final year of the four-year, $53MM contract he originally signed with the Chargers. He’ll be a free agent in a matter of months, though he’s hinted at potentially retiring to pursue outside endeavors. Over the last two years, Okung has been limited to just 13 total games. After missing the previous two weeks with a calf injury, it’s unclear if he’ll play in the season finale against the Saints.

Rams Planning To Sign QB Blake Bortles

December 28th, 2020 at 8:20pm CST by Ben Levine

With Jared Goff being sidelined by a thumb injury, the Rams will be turning to a familiar face. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Los Angeles is planning to sign Blake Bortles off the Broncos practice squad.

However, this impending signing shouldn’t add any confusion to this weekend’s depth chart. The team announced that Goff is officially out in a crucial contest against the Cardinals, with John Wolford getting the start under center. Meanwhile, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic explains (on Twitter) that the Rams will likely promote Bryce Perkins from the practice squad, meaning they’ll temporarily be holding four quarterbacks (Goff, Wolford, Bortles, Perkins) on their active roster. One or two of these quarterbacks will likely land on the Rams practice squad once Goff is ready to return.

Following a disappointing five-year stint with the Jaguars, Bortles signed a one-year deal with the Rams during the 2019 offseason. He proceeded to appear in three games last season, completing a single three-yard pass. After going unsigned throughout the 2020 offseason, Bortles joined the Broncos in September following an injury to Drew Lock. He was eventually released by Denver and landed back on their practice squad.

In 78 career games, Bortles has completed 59.3-percent of his passes for 17,649 yards, 103 touchdowns, and 75 interceptions. The two quarterbacks currently ahead of him on the depth chart, Wolford and Perkins, have yet to appear in an NFL game.

Rams QB Jared Goff To Undergo Thumb Surgery

December 28th, 2020 at 7:10pm CST by Ben Levine

Jared Goff‘s regular season has likely come to an end, but it sounds like the quarterback could return if the Rams make the playoffs. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Goff will undergo surgery tonight on his broken thumb. There hasn’t been any definitive word that the 26-year-old will miss the Rams’ crucial season finale against the Cardinals, but all signs are pointing to John Wolford being under center on Sunday.

Schefter adds (on Twitter) that the surgery that Goff underwent “gives him the best chance of an optimum result without a delay in return,” with the organization eyeing a postseason comeback. Meanwhile, Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic tweets that left tackle Andrew Whitworth could also be back for the start of the postseason, and that “alignment” could have been a contributing factor in Goff’s decision to go under the knife. We heard earlier today that Goff was battling a dislocated and broken thumb on his throwing hand. Surgery always seemed inevitable, but initial reports indicated that Goff was pushing to play this weekend.

The Rams control their own playoff destiny, as they can reach the postseason with a win over Arizona. Instead of having Goff under center, they’ll likely turn to Wolford, a former undrafted free agent out of Wake Forest. The 25-year-old started his career with the Jets before a stint in the AAF where he led the league in touchdowns. He joined the 49ers organization back in 2019 and has primarily been on their practice squad over the past year-plus.

If Goff’s season is indeed over, the former first-overall pick will have finished with a career-high passing percentage of 67.0. He also threw for 3,952 yards, 20 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan Discusses Jimmy Garoppolo’s Future

December 28th, 2020 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Jimmy Garoppolo has been limited to only six games in 2020, and with the veteran quarterback accounting for more than $53MM in cap charges in 2021 and 2022 (vs. only $4.2MM in potential dead cap), there have naturally been some questions about whether he’ll stick around San Francisco. Today, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan put the kibosh on rumors.

Shanahan told reporters that he believes “Jimmy’s going to be our quarterback next year” (via Matt Barrows of The Athletic on Twitter). The head coach was also quick to dismiss Garappolo’s salary, noting that “that’s how much they cost” when asked about the quarterback.

ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (via Twitter) passes along a detailed answer from Shanahan, where the head coach detailed how teams evaluate every position during the offseason.

“You can’t say anything with certainty,” Shanahan said. “You don’t sit here and make promises on anything. When you build a football team, it’s your job to put the best team together year in and year out.

“Now, you look into every avenue and you see if there’ something out there that can get you a ton better. That’s the same answer for every position but look at Jimmy, look what he’s done, look where he’s at financially. We better have a very good answer if you’re going to find something better than that because Jimmy has shown in one year that he’s the guy who can take us to the Super Bowl and I also think that Jimmy is going to get a lot better the more he plays.”

It was only a year ago that Garoppolo had a standout 2019 campaign, although his performance did dip in the postseason (including a Super Bowl loss where he tossed a pair of interceptions). The 49ers went 3-3 in the 29-year-old’s six starts this season, with Garoppolo completing 67.1-percent of his passes for 1,096 yards, seven touchdowns, and five interceptions.

Colts Working Out OT Jared Veldheer

December 28th, 2020 at 5:39pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Colts need to win on Sunday to stay alive in the AFC playoff race, and they’re very banged up at tackle at the moment. The team was playing fourth-string tackles during their Week 16 loss to the Steelers, and now the team is bringing in veteran tackle Jared Veldheer for a workout as a result, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.

Stud left tackle Anthony Castonzo is dealing with lingering knee and ankle issues, while right tackle Braden Smith missed last week’s game on the reserve/COVID-19 list. Normal backup left tackle Le’Raven Clark initially would’ve been filling in for Castonzo, but he’s got a torn Achilles. Then Clark’s replacement Will Holden went down with an ankle injury. Thus is life as a teammate of Philip Rivers.

Veldheer is a vet with a lot of starting experience. He started 13 games for Arizona in 2017 and 12 for Denver in 2018. He’s now in the midst of a Brett Favre-esque retirement saga. After signing with the Patriots the following year he elected to retire, only to come out of retirement and play in two games for Green Bay late last season. After almost signing with the Cowboys earlier this season, he once again elected to retire back in September. Apparently he’s waffling yet again and willing to consider another comeback.

When Castonzo left a game against the Raiders two weeks ago the team briefly flirted with moving All-Pro guard Quenton Nelson to tackle, although Castonzo was able to return shortly thereafter. Nelson filled in admirably during his short first stint at tackle, and it’ll be interesting to see if they consider making that switch again with all the injuries. Veldheer is only 33, so he should theoretically have something left in the tank physically. At this point, it wouldn’t be surprising if he’s protecting Rivers’ blindside on Sunday against the Jaguars.

Injury Updates: Goff, Rams, Murray, Cardinals, 49ers, Mixon, Bengals, Watkins, Chiefs, Edelman, Patriots

December 28th, 2020 at 5:00pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Things have gotten ugly for Jared Goff and the Rams’ offense the last couple of weeks, with back to back losses to the Jets and Seahawks in which Goff played poorly. Making matters worse, Los Angeles’ quarterback dislocated and broke his thumb during the loss to Seattle. It looks like there are a wide range of outcomes moving forward, with everything from Goff playing this Sunday to being out for the remainder of the season being on the table. Goff will require surgery on the thumb at some point but he’s hoping to push it back until after the season, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports (Twitter video link).

Rapsheet says that Goff is “adamant” about pushing to play in Week 17 and that he at least has a “shot” to be under center. If the Bears lose to the Packers on Sunday then the Rams are in the playoffs no matter what, but if Chicago beats Green Bay then the Rams will need to beat the Cardinals to get in. It sounds like Goff is going to try to push through and suit up for the playoffs even if he isn’t able to be out there on Sunday. Goff is meeting with specialist Dr. Steven Shin today, the same doctor who treated Drew Brees‘ thumb injury last year, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Obviously Brees missed a handful of games with that injury last year, although hopefully for the Rams this isn’t as severe. If Goff is forced to miss the game against Arizona, it’ll mean the first regular season NFL action for former Wake Forest and AAF star John Wolford.

Here are more health issues from around the league entering the final week of the season:

  • Goff isn’t the only banged up quarterback in this pivotal game. Kyler Murray has already dealt with a lingering shoulder injury this season, and he also hurt his leg at the end of Arizona’s Week 16 loss to San Francisco. Speaking to the media Monday head coach Kliff Kingsbury was vague, only deeming it a “lower leg” injury and saying they won’t put Murray out there if he can’t be effective. If the Cards win on Sunday, they’re in. If they don’t, they’re out. In a game of this magnitude, you have to figure Murray is going to play if it’s at all possible, but right now Kingsbury is saying it’s up in the air. This will be a situation to monitor closely, but either way it sounds like Murray is going to be at less than 100 percent against Aaron Donald and co.
  • One last dispatch from the NFC West. The 49ers picked up an upset of the Cardinals, but their injury-plagued season continued. They dropped at least two more starters, as rookie receiver Brandon Aiyuk and left tackle Trent Williams both won’t play in Week 17 due to injuries they suffered against Arizona, Kyle Shanahan said Monday. Shanahan also said he’d be shocked if Jimmy Garoppolo plays this weekend, meaning C.J. Beathard should get another crack at it. Aiyuk has flashed a lot of promise, and 49ers fans have to be excited about his 2021 potential. It’s possible we’ve seen Garoppolo play his last snap as a 49er.
  • Joe Mixon‘s 2020 campaign is officially in the books. The Bengals running back won’t play this weekend, head coach Zac Taylor confirmed Monday. Mixon hasn’t played since all the way back in Week 6 due to a foot injury, but the team kept insisting he was only week to week this whole time. Mixon signed a four-year, $48MM extension back in September, so he’s in Cincy for the long-haul.
  • Chiefs fans can breathe a little easier. Receiver Sammy Watkins went down with a calf injury yesterday, but Rapoport tweets it isn’t believed to be major. Given Watkins’ injury history, that’s a big relief. Rapoport writes that Watkins will rest in Week 17, but that there’s a “good chance” he’s back for Kansas City’s first playoff game.
  • Another player whose season, and quite possibly career, is over: Patriots receiver Julian Edelman. Rapoport tweets that Edelman won’t be activated for tonight’s Monday Night Football showdown with the Bills, and that it’s “unlikely” he plays next week either. Edelman is under contract for next season but he’ll turn 35 in May, so it’s entirely fair to wonder whether he’ll end up retiring. The legendary Patriot, who has spent all 12 years of his career in New England, was limited to only six games this year due to a knee injury.
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