2021 February - Pro Football Rumors

A.J. Green Very Unlikely To Be Back With Bengals?

February 24th, 2021 at 1:51pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When he last spoke about his future, A.J. Green made it clear he knew there was a chance he was playing his last games in Cincinnati. It sounds like it’s no longer just a chance, it’s a foregone conclusion.

While going through the Bengals’ upcoming free agent class, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic writes that there’s just a ‘one percent’ chance of Green coming back. “The hope for all involved is Green can resurrect his remarkable career. It just won’t be in Cincinnati,” he writes. This isn’t exactly a shock, as this has been the direction things have been trending, and there was even some speculation back in October that he wanted to be traded although the wideout denied it.

If it is indeed the end, the fourth overall pick of the 2011 draft had an incredible run in Cincy. He’s set all sorts of franchise records while making seven Pro Bowls and three All-Pro teams. He had a reduced role this past season, catching only 47 passes for 523 yards in 16 games. Now 32, it’ll be interesting to see what kind of interest he gets on the open market.

Although he doesn’t treat it with nearly as much certainty, Dehner also doesn’t think cornerback William Jackson III is too likely to return. He thinks one or more teams will be willing to give him a big contract and “the Bengals won’t be one of them.” Jackson has started at least 13 games in each of the past three seasons, and had 11 pass breakups in 2020.

JuJu Smith-Schuster Wants To Stay With Steelers

February 24th, 2021 at 12:50pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

This has been an offseason of change for the Steelers as the Ben Roethlisberger era starts to wind down, with Maurkice Pouncey retiring and several other shufflings.

One of the biggest questions Pittsburgh faces this offseason is the future of receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, who is set to be a free agent. Smith-Schuster has liked some tweets encouraging to sign in various places, and there has been some speculation that the USC product could want to return home to Los Angeles to play for either the Chargers or Rams. However, the young wideout made clear in recent comments to TMZ Sports that he’d prefer to stay in Pittsburgh if possible.

“At the end of the day, I want to have my legacy in Pittsburgh and retire there,” Smith-Schuster said. “I don’t want to leave.” He was asked about the Rams and Chargers, and he rebuffed the notion, saying “not right now. Until I actually get let go, other than that, I’m Pittsburgh for life.”

It sounds like if the Steelers are willing to pay him his market value, he’ll be back catching passes from Roethlisberger in 2021. Smith-Schuster is a very interesting free agency case. On the one hand his production has dropped the past two seasons, but it’s also extremely rare for a 24-year-old with his level of accomplishments to hit the open market.

In 2018 he looked like one of the top receivers in the league, racking up 1,426 yards. This past season he finished with only 831 in the same number of games as the Steelers’ passing attack lacked explosiveness.

He did still score nine touchdowns in 2020, and was competing with a host of other receivers for targets. We heard recently that the Raiders are “very interested” in signing Smith-Schuster, so there will be something of a bidding war for his services. He won’t get top of the receiver market money, but he could land something in the $15MM annually range.

Despite his comments today, it still wouldn’t be surprising if he ends up getting priced out of the Steelers’ range. The team doesn’t have the best cap situation, as they continue to work through the problems posed by Roethlisberger’s hefty contract.

DUI Hearing Delayed For Broncos’ Melvin Gordon

February 24th, 2021 at 11:56am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos running back Melvin Gordon was originally set to have his disposition hearing today. Now, the hearing has been pushed back to March 10, as Mike Klis of 9News writes.

According to the October police report, Gordon was speeding 25-39 mph over the limit and found to be intoxicated when he was pulled over. He chose to take a field sobriety test over a breathalyzer test — cops say that didn’t go to well.

“Some new information has come up that is the subject of discussion between the parties,” Gordon’s lawyer Robert Malen said in a virtual hearing.

The final outcome of the matter could impact Gordon’s early-season availability and his future with the Broncos. A guilty verdict or plea would likely trigger a three-game ban from the league office. It would also nix his $4.5MM guarantee for 2021. That means that the Broncos could easily shed Gordon’s contract, if that’s what they want to do.

Gordon, presently set to enter his second year with the Broncos, ran for 966 yards, good for tenth in the league. He also inched back towards his ~2018 efficiency and scoring rate, averaging 4.6 yard per tote and notching nine touchdowns.

Lions Hope To Keep Kenny Golladay

February 24th, 2021 at 10:28am CST by Zachary Links

Some have wondered whether Kenny Golladay could price his way out of Detroit this offseason. However, with weeks to go before free agency, Lions exec Chris Spielman tells WXYT-FM that Golladay — and the wide receiver position in general — is one of his very top priorities (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

“I think Kenny is a, he’s a competitive guy and the thing that I’ve always admired most about Kenny when doing the games on TV is his ability to win the 50/50 ball,” said Spielman, an ex-linebacker and broadcaster who serves as one of the organization’s top executives. “I just think his size and what he can bring to the table is something that a lot of people liked about Kenny Golladay, including me.”

The Lions — like most teams this year – are facing a numbers crunch due to the anticipated salary cap decrease. As they rebuild for the near-term and long-term, Spielman says he’ll be looking at talent and character in equal measure.

“In any philosophy, you can fill in voids in free agency, but you can’t buy a locker room,” Spielman said. “That’s been a philosophy for a lot of teams. And generally, what I believe is that you want to build your team through the draft. So it’s kind of, draft, develop and re-sign. And I think that’s hopefully the direction that I think the Lions will take.”

When it comes to Golladay, the Lions figure to have lots of competition if/when he reaches the open market. The Giants, who are eyeing a major WR upgrade, are expected to be among his top suitors.

Bucs To Talk Extension With Tom Brady?

February 24th, 2021 at 10:16am CST by Zachary Links

Jason Licht talks to Tom Brady “often.” Their next convo could include contract extension discussions, the Buccaneers GM says.

“It’s a possibility. He certainly didn’t look like he slowed down any this year,” Licht told Rich Eisen (Twitter link). “It appears that he had a really good time this year winning the Super Bowl…It’s a match made in heaven, so we’d like to keep this going.”

A Brady extension isn’t necessarily the team’s No. 1 priority, since the veteran is signed through the 2021 season. However, a new deal could allow the Buccaneers to retain more of their standout free agents and retool as necessary. This year’s out-of-contract group includes wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, tight end Rob Gronkowski, linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and running back Leonard Fournette. Fortunately for the Bucs, Godwin seems willing to give a bit of a hometown discount.

“The goal obviously is to get paid, right? But, at the same time, I’m not stupid,” Godwin said recently. “I’m not going to put myself in a situation where I’m going to be miserable for some years to come just for a couple extra dollars. I think my happiness is paramount in all of this and part of that happiness is winning. Just having a bunch of different guys on the offensive side that can make your job a little bit easier but also give you the best chance to win is something that I’m strongly considering.”

Brady, who will turn 44 before Week 1, still says that he wants to play forever and ever. Meanwhile, he’ll undergo surgery to clean up a lingering knee injury that hampered him in 2020.

Steelers Prez On Ben Roethlisberger Meeting

February 24th, 2021 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

Steelers president Art Rooney met with Ben Roethlisberger on Tuesday to discuss the quarterback’s future. On Wednesday morning, Rooney let fans know that the meeting was productive and a big step towards moving forward together.

“Ben Roethlisberger and I met yesterday morning and we had a productive meeting,” Rooney said. “We were able to discuss a lot of things that relate to where we are and where we want to go. Ben assured me that he is committed to coming back to help us win, and I told Ben that we would like to have him back to help us win a championship. We both understand the next step is to work out Ben’s contract situation.”

Roethlisberger’s agent Ryan Tollner made similar comments yesterday following the meeting. Of course, the big barrier here is Big Ben’s contract. The veteran is set to count for more than $41MM against the Steelers’ 2021 cap. In one fashion or another, that number has to be tampered down. It’s the highest cap hit of any player for 2021, and the overall salary cap is set to drop for the first time in a decade.

Roethlisberger, who turns 39 next week, isn’t the only Steelers player in flux. JuJu Smith-Schuster, James Conner, Bud Dupree, Mike Hilton and Alejandro Villanueva are also slated for free agency, and the Steelers don’t have the capital to keep all of them. Even without those players factored in, the Steelers are already looking at a ~$210MM payroll, which probably puts them $20MM-$25MM over the to-be-determined max.

Could Packers Franchise RB Aaron Jones?

February 23rd, 2021 at 10:02pm CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier today that the Dolphins and Packers running back Aaron Jones, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March, are interested in joining forces. But Green Bay might not let Jones get away.

The Packers and Jones have been negotiating a long-term pact for about a year now, but it doesn’t sound as though the two sides are particularly close to an agreement. The club did offer Jones a contract that would have paid him like a top-five RB in terms of average annual value, but the offer was unappealing to Jones because it was lacking in significant guaranteed cash.

Nonetheless, the club is expected to bid adieu to RB2 Jamaal Williams, and given Williams’ impending departure and Jones’ importance to Green Bay’s offense, Jones might be a franchise tag candidate. Indeed, Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network suggests that because this year’s franchise tag value for running backs is so low ($8MM), the Packers may be willing to carry that cost on their books if it means keeping Jones in the fold for at least one more year (video link).

Jones, an explosive playmaker as a runner and receiver who has averaged over 1,500 yards from scrimmage and 15 TDs over the past two seasons, would certainly not be happy about a franchise tag. But while the Packers still have work to do just to get under the cap, to say nothing of a potential re-up for center Corey Linsley, they have to at least give the matter some serious thought.

WFT Will Have New Name After 2021 Season

February 23rd, 2021 at 9:38pm CST by Rory Parks

The Washington Football Team will operate under the same bromidic moniker in 2021, but it is expected to have a new name by 2022.

Today, the team launched a website called WashingtonJourney.com (h/t Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk), wherein fans can submit their ideas for a new team name, their reasons for choosing that name, and their proposed logo/uniform. As of the time of this writing, some of the “featured submissions” include the Washington Rhinos, the Washington Justice, and the Washington Redtails.

Of course, owner Dan Snyder elected to change the name in July following years of pressure to do so, but there was not enough time to choose something other than the placeholder “Washington Football Team” for the 2020 campaign. The change came not long after investment firms worth about $620B asked Nike, FedEx, and PepsiCo to end their relationships with the team, so while Snyder’s decision was probably not motivated by the former name’s racial overtones, those pushing for a change got what they wanted just the same.

The website will take fans through the name change process, and the organization says it will run everything it hears through research before narrowing down its choices and reaching the best decision. Florio suggests that if WFT should win the Super Bowl next year, there may be a push to keep the Washington Football Team nickname, but assuming that doesn’t happen, the ever-dangerous WFT acronym will be a thing of the past by 2022.

Texans Re-Sign Two RFAs, Dismiss C.J. Leak

February 23rd, 2021 at 8:48pm CST by Rory Parks

The Texans have re-signed two players that were eligible for restricted free agency. As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports, Houston is bringing back RB Buddy Howell and CB Cornell Armstrong (Twitter links).

Howell’s one-year pact is worth less than the $2.133MM RFA tender, but it does come with some guaranteed money, so it makes sense from his vantage point. The former Dolphins UDFA was claimed by the Texans after Miami released him during final cutdowns in 2018, and he has been with Houston ever since. Though he has amassed just 21 carries over his three pro seasons, he has been a key member of the Texans’ special teams unit.

Armstrong is another former Dolphins castoff. The Southern Miss product was selected by Miami in the sixth round of the 2018 draft, and while he made it through his rookie season with the ‘Fins, he was jettisoned just before the 2019 regular season started. He saw just one defensive snap for the Texans last season after 53 the year before, but like Howell, he has managed to carve out a role on special teams. Also like Howell, Armstrong settled for less than the $2.133MM RFA value. As Wilson writes, Armstrong inked a one-year, $1.25MM pact that includes a $100K signing bonus.

In related news, the Texans have undergone more front office shakeups, dismissing assistant pro personnel director C.J. Leak as well as area scout Ryan Cavanaugh and pro scout Steven Price, per Wilson. While any news like this is going to get attention given the perception of Houston’s ownership and front office at the moment, these moves do not seem out of the ordinary for a team that has just hired a new GM and head coach.

Leak, who was hired by former GM Brian Gaine in 2018, is expected to draw interest from other clubs.

Steelers Want Ben Roethlisberger Back

February 23rd, 2021 at 8:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:25pm: Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears that Tollner’s statment was accurate and that Rooney has indeed told Big Ben that he wants him back in 2021. Rooney is expected to make a statement to that effect tomorrow.

5:39pm: After Kevin Colbert made comments that put Ben Roethlisberger‘s status with the 2021 Steelers on shaky ground, the future Hall of Fame quarterback has now met with Steelers owner Art Rooney II. That meeting may have gone quite well.

The Steelers want Roethlisberger to return for the ’21 season, according to his agent, Ryan Tollner. Tollner indicated the team has the 17-year veteran in its plans and will contact him soon regarding the QB’s new cap arrangement, per Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com (on Twitter). Roethlisberger is set to count more than $41MM against Pittsburgh’s 2021 cap.

It would seem Big Ben’s cap number would need to be addressed before most of the Steelers’ other matters, which do not involve numbers that big. No player’s 2021 cap number surpasses Roethlisberger’s, and it cannot be reduced below $23MM. The Steelers are currently $19MM over the projected 2021 cap, though they have been making moves to get under it. Roethlisberger’s contract represents the top domino in this process.

Although Big Ben threw 33 touchdown passes — his second-most as a pro — he finished 22nd in Total QBR during a Steelers season that tailed off down the stretch. Roethlisberger wrapped his 2020 campaign with a four-interception playoff game but did make a successful return after a severe elbow injury that ended his 2019 season early.

Roethlisberger will turn 39 next week, but the Steelers have yet to make a true investment in Roethlisberger’s long-term successor. And their 12-4 record puts them in the back half of the first round. A Ben return would help stabilize the team’s QB situation for at least one more season.

Fond of restructuring contracts, the Steelers have gotten to work on this front by redoing Cameron Heyward‘s deal. With the cap expected to drop from $198MM to near the $180MM mark, more such moves will need to be made. The Steelers are not expected to use their franchise tag to retain either Bud Dupree or JuJu Smith-Schuster, and other free agents like Mike Hilton, Alejandro Villanueva and James Conner may well depart. Roethlisberger may return for an 18th season, but the Steelers figure to look considerably different after this offseason.