HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Chiefs RT Mitchell Schwartz Undergoes Back Surgery

February 24th, 2021 at 9:58pm CST by Rory Parks

The Chiefs’ Super Bowl loss to the Buccaneers was a result of a number of factors, but chief (!) among them was the absence of starting offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz. Without his two OL bookends, Patrick Mahomes was victimized by Tampa’s relentless pass rush, and Kansas City’s top-flight offense was unable to establish any sort of rhythm.

Schwartz, who suffered a back injury in October that ended his streak of 134 consecutive regular-season starts, underwent back surgery today, as Adam Teicher of ESPN.com relays. Schwartz posted a picture of himself in his hospital bed on Instagram, and luckily for the Chiefs, he says his recovery is not expected to take too long.

“It’s time to address the issue since it isn’t going away on its own,” he wrote. “The recovery process isn’t too long, hence being able to wait until now to do it, otherwise I would have done this earlier. Looking forward to a healthy 2021!”

It sounds like Schwartz, who will turn 32 in June, will be back on the field no later than Week 1 of the 2021 season. He has never made a Pro Bowl and has just one First Team All-Pro nod to his credit, but he has doubtlessly been one of the best right tackles in the game since he entered the league as a second-round pick of the Browns in 2012.

He is due to earn just $4.9MM in base salary this season — the last of his current contract — but will carry a $10MM cap hit. Still, given his value to the team, that cap charge does not seem particularly onerous, though the Chiefs could consider an extension to create more flexibility. The club is roughly $23MM over the cap at the moment.

Texans Unlikely To Retain Will Fuller

February 24th, 2021 at 9:29pm CST by Rory Parks

Texans wideout Will Fuller will miss Week 1 of the 2021 regular season thanks to the six-game PED suspension he was handed in November, but he is still one of the more intriguing receivers set for unrestricted free agency in March. That is especially true since players like Kenny Golladay and Chris Godwin are looking increasingly likely to remain with their current clubs, which pushes Fuller higher up the wish-list for receiver-needy teams.

And as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, it sounds as if Fuller will indeed hit the open market. Fuller and QB Deshaun Watson enjoy a close friendship, and considering Watson’s relationship with the team at the moment, Wilson says Fuller will not be back in Houston unless he is hit with the franchise tag (a reconciliation between the Texans and Watson could change that, but the situation appears unsalvageable). However, multiple league sources say they do not expect Houston to use the tag on Fuller, even though the club would like to have him back.

After all, the Texans are just $3.9MM under the cap at the moment, and while restructures and releasing players like RB David Johnson will give them some additional space, it might not be enough to carry Fuller on a ~$16MM franchise tag. Instead, the team might continue to roll with Brandin Cooks — who flourished during Fuller’s suspension — along with Randall Cobb and younger players Keke Coutee and Chad Hansen.

Spotrac indicates that Fuller is in line for a four-year contract worth $67.8MM, which seems about right. The $16.9MM average would put Fuller in the top-10 of the WR market, and though he has struggled with injuries throughout his pro career, he was finally on track to play a full 16-game season for the first time before he was suspended (for what it’s worth, he said he violated the league’s PED policy only because he took medication that the prescribing physician believed to be approved by the NFL).

His speed and explosiveness would be an asset to most any receiving corps, so while the injury history is a concern, he should not be lacking for suitors. Last season, he was on pace for nearly 1,300 receiving yards and double-digit TDs. His 16.6 yard-per-reception average was a career-high and is reflective of his big-play ability.

Randy Gregory To Start In 2021?

February 24th, 2021 at 8:28pm CST by Rory Parks

Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has had a turbulent NFL career, having been suspended four times since he turned pro in 2015. Shortly after his latest reinstatement in September, Dallas showed some faith in the Nebraska product by extending his contract through 2021, giving him a $200K signing bonus and a chance to earn up to $2.1MM next season.

And as Jon Machota of The Athletic writes, the Cowboys’ faith in Gregory may manifest itself in another way. Machota expects the 28-year-old to serve as the club’s starting right defensive end when Week 1 of the 2021 season rolls around.

Gregory appeared in 10 games for Dallas last season, but he did not start any of them. He managed 3.5 sacks in those 10 games, but his impact went beyond the sack total. He tallied 16 QB pressures, forced three fumbles, and received a strong 80.5 overall grade from Pro Football Focus, whose metrics also considered him a stout run defender.

Given what he was able to accomplish with only three weeks of practice following his reinstatement — and considering that he logged 40 or more snaps in only two games last year — there is reason to believe Gregory will have his long-anticipated breakout in 2021 with a full offseason of work. Plus, the Cowboys will need to get as many contributions as they can from players with modest cap hits like Gregory, since there’s a good chance the club will need to carry a $37.7MM cap charge for QB Dak Prescott on the books until at least July, if not the whole season.

Dallas will be switching from a 3-4 scheme to a 4-3 look under new DC Dan Quinn, so Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence will form a potentially dangerous tandem as bookends of the team’s defensive front. Because another troubled pass rusher, Aldon Smith, is a better fit in a 3-4 defense, Machota believes Smith could be looking for a new employer in March.

Seahawks Re-Sign Alex Collins

February 24th, 2021 at 7:51pm CST by Rory Parks

The Seahawks have re-signed RB Alex Collins, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (via Twitter). Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says it will be a veteran salary benefit deal (Twitter link).

The low-level commitment to Collins makes sense, as the 26-year-old back is still trying to reestablish himself in the league. Seattle selected Collins, an Arkansas product, in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He was waived prior to final cutdowns in the summer of 2017, and the Ravens quickly scooped him up. At the time, it looked like a coup for Baltimore, as Collins piled up nearly 1,000 rushing yards on a healthy 4.6 YPC average in 2017 and entered the 2018 season at the top of the club’s RB depth chart. But a 2018 foot injury cut his season short, and his arrest in the 2019 offseason prompted the Ravens to drop him. He spent all of 2019 and a good chunk of 2020 out of football, ultimately joining Seattle’s taxi squad in November.

The ‘Hawks dealt with injuries to their RB room throughout the 2020 campaign, which created something of an opportunity for Collins. In three games (one start) for Seattle following his promotion, Collins totaled 18 carries for 77 yards and two TDs, and as of now, he is the most experienced back under contract. Chris Carson and Carlos Hyde are both eligible for unrestricted free agency, while the club is also rostering Rashaad Penny — who played just three games last season — and fellow youngsters Travis Homer and DeeJay Dallas.

The team understandably hopes to keep Carson, but even if they do, Collins could represent a quality complementary piece at a discount rate.

Bucs Notes: Brady, JPP, Brown

February 24th, 2021 at 7:02pm CST by Rory Parks

There are several high-profile Buccaneers that have undergone offseason surgery already. According to head coach Bruce Arians, five-time Super Bowl MVP Tom Brady has gone under the knife to clean up the knee issue we heard about several weeks ago (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe). Though Brady will not be ready to participate in team drills until June, the fact that Tampa is willing to discuss an extension with him suggests the club is not particularly worried about his prognosis.

Meanwhile, OLB Jason Pierre-Paul underwent a knee surgery of his own today, as Jenna Laine of ESPN.com passes along. JPP had arthroscopic surgery on the same knee in July, and he landed on the injury report throughout the 2020 season as a result of the injury. Still, he didn’t miss a game and led the Bucs with 9.5 regular season sacks, so he will head into a contract year with plenty of momentum and, hopefully, a clean bill of health.

On a related note, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that RB Ronald Jones recently had a pin removed from his broken left pinky finger, which required surgery in December. Jones played through the injury and finished off a successful third pro season. After a disappointing rookie year, Jones is living up to his status as a former second-rounder and, like JPP, has a good chance to set himself up for a big payday if he can replicate his 2020 performance in 2021.

Here are a few more notes on the defending champs:

  • As you know by now, the Bucs have a number of big-name free agents, which could make this offseason a difficult one for GM Jason Licht to navigate. The team has made it clear that it wants to bring back players like WR Chris Godwin and LB Lavonte David, and it sounds like Godwin might be willing to offer Tampa a hometown discount. Fellow wideout Mike Evans has also expressed a willingness to take a paycut, but Arians isn’t sure that outside FAs will be willing to take less than market value just for the opportunity to play with Brady and the Bucs. “Dollars still talk,” the 68-year-old HC said (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). Because of how many in-house priorities Tampa has, Arians suggested his club might not be especially active in the free agent market anyway.
  • In addition to Evans’ willingness to make a personal sacrifice to keep the band together, there are a number of other players who are open to restructuring their own deals, per Arians (Twitter link via Stroud). Such restructures would not result in less money for those players, but it would open up more cap space for the Bucs to retain most, if not all, of their top FAs.
  • Another free agent the Bucs want to keep, Antonio Brown, obviously has off-field matters to tend to. Britney Taylor’s lawsuit against Brown is set for trial in December, and as Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic writes, Taylor wants to subpoena copies of all documentation the Bucs have related to Brown (she is subpoenaing Brown’s three former teams as well). Taylor is not seeking to depose any team executives, and she needs court approval to send the subpoenas.

K.J. Wright Not Open To Discount To Stay With Seahawks

February 24th, 2021 at 5:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks kept K.J. Wright two years ago, and he played out his third contract as the team’s longest-tenured player. It looks like the veteran linebacker will make a concerted effort to maximize his value this year.

Ahead of his age-32 season, Wright may only have one more chance at a notable NFL payday. If the Seahawks want to keep Bobby Wagner‘s longtime linebacker sidekick around, they will need to outbid other suitors.

“I do way too much on the football field to take a discount,” Wright said during an appearance on The Jim Rome Show (via ESPN.com). “It makes absolutely no sense. If you want to win all these championships and look good on Sundays, you’ve got to compensate your guys that are making plays.”

Last month, Wright said he would be eager to return to Seattle on a fourth contract. But it is clear he will not make a financial sacrifice to do so. Wright graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 8 overall off-ball linebacker last season; he was the only player to post double-digit totals in tackles for loss (11) and passes defensed (10). He has started 140 of the 144 career games he has played since the Seahawks drafted him in the 2011 fourth round.

“That would just be a beautiful story, if I could just ride it all out with the Seahawks,” Wright said. “That’s some legendary-type stuff. I believe it would be a great investment for Seattle to keep me because as you’ve seen, since I’ve been here, we’ve been nothing but awesome — always making it to the playoffs, winning our division, so they know how much I want to be here.

“But at the end of the day, I get it. They’ve got to clear some space to make things happen, so they’ve got to get busy.”

Seattle has Wagner’s $18MM-per-year contract on its books through 2022. And the team took Jordyn Brooks in last year’s first round, potentially signaling a Wright exit. Wright signed a two-year deal worth $14MM in 2019. The Seahawks have barely $4MM in cap space — a figure that ranks 18th as of Wednesday — and have Shaquill Griffin and Chris Carson joining Wright as free agents-to-be. Russell Wilson lobbying for offensive line upgrades may factor into this equation as well.

Wright would join Lavonte David and Matt Milano as the top linebacker free agents. The Buccaneers will do what they can to keep David, though they have plenty of high-priority UFAs, while the Bills are prepared to let Milano hit the market.

Lynch: No Doubt Jimmy Garoppolo Will Be 49ers’ 2021 Starter

February 24th, 2021 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

In the mix for Matthew Stafford and potentially residing atop Deshaun Watson‘s trade destination list, the 49ers have not exactly been out of the mix in this all-action quarterback offseason. But publicly, their plan remains Jimmy Garoppolo-centric.

John Lynch said, during an appearance on Clark Judge’s Eye Test for Two podcast (via FullPressCoverage.com), he has no doubt “at all” Garoppolo will be under center for the 49ers in Week 1 if he is healthy. This has been the 49ers’ party line for months, but Lynch tripling down amid a frenzied QB trade market is certainly notable.

Kyle Shanahan went from projecting Garoppolo as his 2021 starter to providing a “you can’t say anything with certainty” caveat to that projection in December. The 49ers discussed Stafford with the Lions but are not believed to have submitted an offer, adding some fuel to the plans for a fourth season with Garoppolo as their Week 1 starter being genuine. The 29-year-old passer is signed through 2022 on what is now a year-to-year contract.

Unless the 49ers can land a major upgrade — which Watson would certainly be — the expectation is they will run it back with Garoppolo. But Lynch indicated the team does plan to pursue a backup. Garoppolo has missed 23 games since his September 2018 ACL tear.

“When he’s healthy, he’s played at a high level,” Lynch said of Garoppolo. “But we probably have to add someone. We probably need to improve ourselves, so if he’s not there we’re all right … we can win games.”

Nick Mullens is a restricted free agent, but San Francisco’s backup is recovering from elbow surgery that could sideline him until training camp. Since trading for Garoppolo in 2017, the 49ers are 24-9 when Garoppolo starts and 7-19 under Mullens or C.J. Beathard. The latter is a free agent. Non-Dak Prescott free agency this year, as of now, stands to include the likes of Jacoby Brissett, Cam Newton, Jameis Winston, Andy Dalton, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Tyrod Taylor and Mitchell Trubisky.

Marcus Mariota Trade Market Cooling

February 24th, 2021 at 4:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders have received interest on Marcus Mariota, with multiple teams contacting them about their backup quarterback. But the six-year veteran’s uniquely structured contract has provided an obstacle.

Mariota’s trade market has slowed “significantly,” according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who notes teams as of now appear unwilling to send the Raiders draft compensation for Mariota’s contract (video link).

While Mariota’s deal is a two-year, $17.6MM pact on the surface, it would spike substantially if a team used the former No. 2 overall pick as a starter in 2021. Due $10.63MM in 2021 base salary, Mariota could collect over $20MM in total next season if he works as a team’s primary starter. A $12MM salary escalator exists in the former Titans starter’s contract for the ’21 season. Were a team to trade for Mariota, it would likely need to pay him far more than the Raiders would — were they to keep him stationed as Derek Carr‘s backup.

A scenario involving a Mariota release may well surface soon. The Raiders would create $11.35MM in cap space by cutting their QB2. While Carr has (again) been linked to trades, the Raiders are more inclined to ship out Mariota in a deal. But the 27-year-old passer might not fetch much and could wind up back in free agency.

Latest On J.J. Watt Market

February 24th, 2021 at 3:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

J.J. Watt‘s free agency stay has surpassed the 10-day mark. While the future Hall of Famer’s destination remains unknown, he may be narrowing down his list.

The 10-year veteran defensive end will not join the Steelers, according to John Clayton of ESPN 710 Seattle. During an appearance on 93.7 The Fan Pittsburgh, Clayton indicated Watt is still considering the Bills, Packers and Titans, with the Raiders looming as a dark-horse suitor. The veteran NFL reporter later added the Browns are also still in the mix (Twitter links).

Buffalo and Tennessee were two of the initial teams linked to Watt shortly after his Houston release. The Bills also surfaced as a potential finalist last week. Titans GM Jon Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel confirmed discussions with Watt have taken place. Vrabel was on Houston’s staff from 2014-17. The Packers trail both the Bills and Titans in cap space for a potential pursuit of the Wisconsin native, but the team has made moves to free up room in recent days. Green Bay, Buffalo and Tennessee each remain over the projected 2021 cap, so each team still has work to do.

The Raiders have not been shy about pursuing veterans under Jon Gruden, and the team has not truly replaced Khalil Mack since the summer 2018 trade. The franchise has not finished with a scoring defense ranked in the top 16 since 2002. Watt would certainly help on this front, though the Raiders are currently nearly $20MM over the projected cap. That trails the Browns, Bills, Packers and Titans.

After contacting Watt’s camp on the day of his release, the Browns were the first team reported as being in the mix to sign the three-time Defensive Player of the Year. Cleveland has Buffalo and Tennessee outflanked for cap space and spent much of the 2020 offseason chasing Jadeveon Clowney to team with Myles Garrett. Even if Watt decides to head elsewhere, the Browns are expected to acquire a Garrett pass-rushing wingman this offseason.

Although the Steelers have fellow Watts T.J. and Derek, their cap situation makes adding big-ticket free agents dicey. Pittsburgh is still ironing out details of Ben Roethlisberger‘s impending return, which will require an adjustment from his league-high $41MM-plus cap number.

Bucs To Make Strong Push To Keep Lavonte David

February 24th, 2021 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The high-profile Buccaneers free agent that has not generated much in the way of offseason headlines remains a priority for the team. Tampa Bay does not plan on letting Lavonte David leave without making a strong effort to retain him.

With the franchise since 2012, David is in the same boat with a rather famous collection of more recent Buccaneer additions — Rob Gronkowski, Ndamukong Suh, Antonio Brown, Leonard Fournette, Shaquil Barrett and Chris Godwin — in being on the cusp of free agency. And the Bucs already have a major linebacker investment under contract, in former top-five pick Devin White.

Bucs GM Jason Licht said it would be “extremely important” to keep the David-White tandem together, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). David signed a five-year, $50.25MM extension in 2015 and has remained a quality linebacker throughout that deal. His next contract will come ahead of his age-31 season.

The sides were not believed to have made substantial progress in their extension talks last year, and little has emerged indicating otherwise in the months since. But David did say at the time he wants to retire as a member of the Buccaneers. Pro Football Focus graded David as its fourth-best off-ball linebacker last season, putting him on track for big money from the Bucs or another team soon.

Since David’s last extension, C.J. Mosley and Bobby Wagner moved the needle for traditional linebackers considerably. Wagner’s $18MM-per-year extension tops that market, and 10 other linebackers signed deals worth more than David’s since his 2015 extension agreement. Although the salary cap reduction figures to play a role in older veterans’ earning prospects this year, David should still have a live market. And he may reside behind Barrett and Godwin in the Bucs’ free agency pecking order, creating an interesting situation ahead of the legal tampering period’s March 15 opening.

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