2021 February - Pro Football Rumors

More Teams Contacting Seahawks On Russell Wilson

February 11th, 2021 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Amid a complex quarterback trade landscape, the Seahawks continue to receive calls on a player who was not expected to be part of it coming into the offseason.

As Russell Wilson continues to voice dissatisfaction about his situation, more teams have called the Seahawks about their quarterback’s trade availability, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com notes (video link). Thus far, the Seahawks continue to rebuff teams’ interest in the perennial Pro Bowl passer.

Despite the QB trade market including Matthew Stafford, Carson Wentz and Deshaun Watson (and others, like Sam Darnold and Marcus Mariota, on the fringes), Wilson has become the biggest-name player to be linked to a prospective trade. However, the Seahawks have shut down inquiries at each turn. That said, they are not exactly thrilled about their nine-year quarterback’s recent run of comments centering around the state of his offensive line.

Wilson has wanted a bigger say in personnel matters for years, per Pelissero. The Seahawks included Wilson in their offensive coordinator search, which ended with Rams assistant Shane Waldron coming north to replace Brian Schottenheimer, and have him under contract on a $35MM-per-year deal through 2023. That contract contains a no-trade clause.

The Colts and Bears have been the teams primarily linked to Wentz; both were in on the Stafford sweepstakes. The Jets, Dolphins and Panthers have been the teams in the center of a potential Watson derby, and Washington, Denver, New England and San Francisco were also in on Stafford. (Though, the 49ers can safely be ruled out of any Wilson discussion, should this developing saga progress to the point of offers.) Other teams would likely come to the table for Wilson. At 32, Wilson is only a few months younger than Stafford, despite entering the league three years later. But the Seattle QB1 would certainly drive more interest given his accomplishments and consistency.

While Wilson has not requested a trade like Watson has, this long-stable situation certainly qualifies as one to monitor in a busy offseason at the game’s premier position.

Jaguars Release LB Kamalei Correa

February 11th, 2021 at 3:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars will make Kamalei Correa‘s stay brief. A few months after trading for the veteran linebacker, the Jags will release him, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

This is not surprising. Correa’s season ended when the Jags placed him on the reserve/left squad list in December. Jacksonville acquired the former second-round pick from Tennessee in October.

Correa, 26, played in six games with the Jaguars and started all six. While Correa saw an uptick in his playing time compared to how the Titans were utilizing him, he still worked as a part-time linebacker with the Jags. He finished his season with seven tackles in six Jaguar games.

The Titans were planning to release Correa last year, but the Jaguars offered them late-round draft compensation. The Ravens traded the 2016 draftee to the Titans in 2018. With Urban Meyer now in charge, there figure to be quite a few changes to Jacksonville’s roster in the coming weeks.

Tom Brady To Undergo Knee Surgery

February 11th, 2021 at 3:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady plans to return to the Buccaneers to spearhead their Super Bowl title defense, but his return to work will wait a bit.

The five-time Super Bowl MVP’s offseason will include a knee surgery, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Brady suffered a minor knee injury during his initial Bucs season, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The injury occurred early in Tampa Bay’s season, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

This does not sound like a cause for concern. Bruce Arians described the 43-year-old quarterback’s upcoming procedure as a cleanup-type operation. Brady played in all 20 Buccaneers games, leading them to their second Super Bowl championship. While the superstar passer spent time on numerous Patriots injury reports during his New England run, he has not missed a game due to injury since 2008.

Brady, who will turn 44 before Week 1 of the 2021 season, has one season remaining on his Bucs contract. The future first-ballot Hall of Famer has long hoped to play through his age-45 season but has now opened the door to voyaging further into uncharted waters by playing quarterback into his late 40s. Brady attributed his injury fortune as a reason he will consider playing beyond the 2022 season.

With Arians and OC Byron Leftwich returning for the ’21 campaign, Brady involvement in pre-training camp activities stands to be less important than it was during his acclimation year. OTAs and minicamp are also on track to again be virtual.

This Date In Transactions History: Colts Hire Frank Reich

February 11th, 2021 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Three years ago today, the Colts wrapped up one of the strangest sagas in league history. Earlier in the offseason, the Colts agreed to hire Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. Then, soon after they announced McDaniels’ arrival, he left them at the altar.

The Colts were forced to restart their head coaching search in a hurry. Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier were among those considered in the second act, but general manager Chris Ballard ultimately chose Frank Reich, the Eagles offensive coordinator who helped guide the franchise to its first ever Super Bowl championship. Reich had previously interviewed for the Bills’ and Jets’ head coaching vacancies in 2015, but went a few years without HC buzz.

It wasn’t an ideal situation, but the Colts felt that Reich could help them salvage things. In addition to the SB ring on his resume, Reich’s offense had just placed third in scoring, seventh in total yards, and eighth in DVOA. Not bad for a last minute scramble.

Under Reich’s watch, the Colts have reached the playoffs twice in three years. His 11-5 record in 2020 was his best to date, though they were stopped by the Bills in the opening round. Reich will now look to build on that with yet another quarterback running his offense — and it just might be old pal Carson Wentz.

Patriots, Joe Thuney Were Never Close To Extension

February 11th, 2021 at 11:38am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots surprised everyone last year when they used the franchise tag on Joe Thuney. Often times, the tag is used as a bridge towards an extension. But, in this case, the two sides have yet to make real progress. The Patriots have never been close on a multi-year deal with the standout guard, according to Jeff Howe of The Athletic.

Thuney is set to reach the open market in March and Howe anticipates that he’ll seek something in the range of $14MM per year. A five-year, $70MM deal would position him as the highest-paid left guard in the NFL, besting Andrew Norwell‘s $66.5MM contract. Following the tag, Thuney played on one-year, $14.78MM deal in 2020.

Ideally, the Patriots would like to keep Thuney, but the numbers crunch might not allow for it. And, historically, the Patriots have been willing to let key free agents walk when the price gets too rich. They have a solid track record for drafting interior linemen, so they could theoretically let Thuney leave, boost their compensatory draft pick calculation, and replace him with someone younger/cheaper.

Thuney, 29 in November, has started in all 80 of his games for the Pats over the last four seasons. In 2018 and 2019, he graded out as one of the five best offensive guards in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He slipped ever so slightly this past season, placing him at No. 10.

Seahawks “Not Happy” With Russell Wilson

February 11th, 2021 at 9:41am CST by Zachary Links

Russell Wilson is frustrated with the Seahawks. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. Seahawks officials are “not happy” with Wilson taking his grievances public, sources tell radio host Dan Patrick (Twitter link via Rob Staton of BBC Sports).

Earlier this week, Wilson went on Patrick’s show and expressed frustration with the Seahawks’ inability to protect him. Over the course of his career, Wilson has been sacked 394 times with 40+ sacks in each season since his rookie year.

“I’ve definitely been hit. I’ve been sacked almost 400 times. We got to get better,” Wilson said. “I got to find ways to get better, too. Just continue to try and find that. As we continue to go along the process and I think about my career wand what I want to be able to do, it always starts up front, offensively and defensively.”

The Seahawks gave Wilson a brand new deal less than two years ago. With an average annual value of $35MM/year, he’s the third-highest paid player in the NFL. So far, the Seahawks have rejected trade inquiries and, unlike the Texans, they’ve included their franchise quarterback in staffing decisions.

It’s still hard to imagine the Seahawks parting ways with Wilson but, given this year’s quarterback carousel, anything is possible.

Raiders Interested In JuJu Smith-Schuster

February 11th, 2021 at 9:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are “very interested” in signing JuJu Smith-Schuster, according to John Clayton of 710 ESPN (Twitter link). The Steelers wide receiver is currently on track to reach the open market in March.

Smith-Schuster, 25 in November, seemed on track for superstardom just a few years ago. As a rookie, Smith-Schuster caught 58 passes for 917 yards and seven touchdowns in just 14 games. In his last regular season game as an NFL frosh, he took a 96-yard kickoff all the way to the house and became the youngest player in NFL history to record more than 1,o00 all-purpose yards in a season.

Then came the true breakout year — 111 grabs for 1,426 yards and seven TDs and a Pro Bowl selection, helping the Steelers make up for the absence of Le’Veon Bell. The following year, Antonio Brown was shipped out, which should have set the stage for Smith-Schuster to have an even bigger season. Instead, his 2019 was marred by a knee injury and played without the services of Ben Roethlisberger.

Smith-Schuster was healthier in 2020 and bounced back somewhat, finishing with a 97/831/9 stat line. If the Raiders don’t retain Nelson Agholor, Smith-Schuster could have appeal. Of course, between Brown and Martavis Bryant, the Raiders haven’t had the best of luck with ex-Steelers WRs.

Vikings Give Riley Reiff $1MM Bonus

February 11th, 2021 at 8:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings renegotiated Riley Reiff’s contract to furnish him with a $1MM signing bonus, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The left tackle would have reached a $1MM playtime incentive had he played in the final game of the year, but he had to sit out while on the COVID-19 list.

Reiff didn’t miss a snap up until his absence and would have comfortably reached the required ~94% snap threshold had he played in Week 17. Next, the Vikings will have to make a decision on Reiff’s future in Minnesota. The tackle has a $5MM roster bonus due on March 19th. If they release him previous to that date, they can save a total of $11.75MM between his roster bonus, workout bonus, and $6.55MM base salary. On the books, they’d be left with just $2.2MM in dead money, the sum of his prorated bonus.

Reiff has started in 58 games across four years with the Vikings. The 32-year-old was a rumored cap casualty last year, but they ultimately chose to stick with his veteran experience rather than thrusting second-round pick Ezra Cleveland into the starting lineup.

Coaching Notes: Colts, Jets, Giants, Texans

February 10th, 2021 at 9:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former East Carolina head coach Scottie Montgomery will return to the NFL as a running backs coach with the Colts. Montgomery, an NFL wideout in the early 2000s, was the Steelers’ wide receivers coach from 2010-12 — during which the receiver-developing franchise unearthed Antonio Brown, Emmanuel Sanders and Mike Wallace — and East Carolina’s HC from 2016-18. Montgomery, 42, spent the past two years as Maryland’s offensive coordinator. The Colts also hired David Overstreet as assistant defensive backs coach.

Here is the latest from the coaching ranks:

The Jets are bringing Leon Washington back into the fold. The former first-team All-Pro Jet return man will be back in New York as an assistant special teams coach under Robert Saleh. Washington, who operated as a Jets return man and running back from 2006-09, spent the past two seasons with the Lions.
A Packers assistant from 2004-18, James Campen will move to his fourth team in four seasons. The Texans are hiring Campen as their offensive line coach, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Campen spent the 2020 season with the Chargers and ’19 slate with the Browns, seeing both teams move in different directions after making HC changes. The Texans hired David Culley recently and are giving Campen a three-year deal.
The Giants intend to hire Rob Sale to be their next offensive line coach, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Sale spent the past three seasons as Louisiana’s offensive coordinator. He has a history with Joe Judge. The two coached at Alabama together from 2009-11.
Sale will replace Dave DeGuglielmo, who will head to Louisiana himself. After 17 seasons in the NFL, DeGuglielmo agreed to become the offensive line coach at Louisiana Tech, Cory Diaz of the Monroe (La.) News-Star notes. DeGuglielmo, who collected a Super Bowl ring with the 2014 Patriots, was an emergency replacement for the Dolphins in 2019 and Giants in 2020. The Giants opted not to bring him back on a full-time basis.
Urban Meyer is adding veteran NFL running backs coach Bernie Parmalee to his Jaguars staff, according to Adam Caplan of Sirius XM Radio (on Twitter). The former NFL running back has coached a few different areas in his relatively short coaching career, having helmed running backs, tight ends and special teams units. Parmalee spent the past three seasons in Atlanta and served as the Falcons’ ST coordinator in 2020.
The Vikings will add an assistant from the top college football program, hiring ex-Alabama cornerbacks coach Karl Allen to be their defensive backs coach, Pete Thamel of Yahoo.com tweets. Coaching a number of NFL-bound prospects, as Alabama staffers generally do, Allen spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide.

Dolphins Want To Extend Jason Sanders

February 10th, 2021 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two years after the Dolphins drafted Jason Sanders in the seventh round, he became a first-team All-Pro. The Dolphins may want to keep their kicker around beyond his rookie contract.

The Dolphins are interested in extending Sanders, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The three-year veteran became eligible for a new deal in January. Both the Dolphins and Sanders are interested in an extension, though negotiations have not yet begun.

Sanders, 25, is coming off a dominant season. He made 36 of his 39 field goal tries — his second season with at least 90% field goal accuracy — and aided Miami’s offense consistently with long-range precision. The New Mexico product connected on 8 of 9 tries from beyond 50 yards. Sanders also has a touchdown reception on his resume, hauling in a trick-play pass during the 2019 season. In the six seasons prior to Sanders’ arrival, the Dolphins used five different kickers.

Justin Tucker‘s four-year, $20MM contract, agreed to in 2019, currently stands as the NFL’s top kicker deal. Eight other kickers earn at least $4MM per year.