2021 April - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Pick Up Vita Vea’s Option

April 26th, 2021 at 2:26pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s officially official. On Monday, the Bucs announced that they have exercised defensive tackle Vita Vea’s fifth-year option.

Vea was a huge part of the Buccaneers’ defense before going down with a serious ankle injury. Even though he was limited to just five games, the Buccaneers did not want to leave him exposed to free agency in 2022. Thanks to the new collective bargaining agreement, Vea’s 2022 season will now be fully guaranteed, as opposed to being guaranteed for injury-only. That’s just fine for the Buccaneers, who watched Vea start all 16 games in 2019 for 35 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and three passes defended.

Originally believed to be lost for the season, Vea managed to return in time for the NFC Championship Game and the Bucs’ Super Bowl victory. The 12th overall pick of the 2018 draft should be fully healthy for 2021, allowing him to make his case for a lucrative long-term deal. In the meantime, Tevita Tuli’aki’ono Tuipulotu Mosese Va’hae Fehoko Faletau Vea is locked in for an additional season at around $7.64MM.

Cardinals’ Marcus Gilbert Retires From NFL

April 26th, 2021 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals tackle Marcus Gilbert has retired from the NFL (Twitter link). The veteran joined the Cards in 2019, but never actually played a down for them.

The Cardinals acquired Gilbert from the Steelers via trade in 2019, with the intention of installing him as their starting right tackle. Unfortunately, a knee injury forced Gilbert to injured reserve in the first month of that season. Then, last year, Gilbert opted out due to the pandemic.

Before all of that, Gilbert started in 87 of his 88 game for the Steelers across eight seasons. Towards the end of that run, he was limited by injuries, appearing in just 12 total games from 2017-18 — his last full slate came in 2015.

With Gilbert out of the picture, the Cardinals will look for new blockers to back starters D.J. Humphries and Kelvin Beachum. That’ll factor into their draft plans this week, along with needs at cornerback, wide receiver, tight end, and the defensive line.

Cowboys’ Sean Lee Retires From NFL

April 26th, 2021 at 11:45am CST by Zachary Links

Sean Lee is calling it a career. The longtime Cowboys linebacker tells ESPN.com’s Todd Archer (on Twitter) that he will retire after eleven seasons in the NFL.

As recently as late March, Lee was said to be in talks with the Cowboys for a return. Even though the oft-injured ‘backer is long removed from his days as an elite defender, he still could have been a solid rotational option for Dallas. Lee played in just nine games in 2020, but had perfect attendance (including 13 starts) in 2019, including two double-digit tackle games down the stretch. All in all, he had 86 stops, a sack, an interception, and four passes defensed in ’19, leading to a one-year, $4.5MM re-up for 2020.

Unfortunately, last year’s sports hernia surgery wiped out the early part of his season. Between that, his early career ACL tear, and other injuries, Lee felt that it would be best to move on from football. Without Lee, the Cowboys will move forward with Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith, and recently acquired safety/LB Keanu Neal in the group.

Despite all of the injuries, Lee was a two-time Pro Bowler and a first-team All-Pro selection in 2016. And, throughout his tenure, Lee was regarded as the leader of the Dallas’ defense. We here at PFR wish Lee a happy and healthy retirement.

“Doubtful” Steelers Will Trade Up From No. 24

April 26th, 2021 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

Don’t expect the Steelers to move up the board between now and Thursday. In a chat with reporters, GM Kevin Colbert threw cold water on the idea that he could advance from No. 24.

“I’m very doubtful that we’ll trade up,” Colbert said (Twitter link via Missi Matthews of the team website). “We value our eight picks.”

Even after restructuring Ben Roethlisberger‘s deal this offseason, the Steelers need to give consideration to the future of the quarterback position. It’s a certainty that three of this year’s top quarterbacks will be taken at the top of the order, which will drive demand for the remaining first-round candidates. However, Colbert doesn’t seem to think that any of the potentially available passers will be worth the cost.

Meanwhile, Colbert indicated that he’s high on the depth of this year’s cornerback crop. He also gave a strong endorsement of this year’s center prospects, stating that several of them are capable of starting in the NFL.

Dolphins Didn’t Plan On Stockpiling Picks

April 26th, 2021 at 10:28am CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins’ have amassed an impressive collection of draft picks in recent years, but that’s not necessarily their modus operandi, head coach Brian Flores says.

“I wouldn’t say the goal is necessarily to accumulate first-round picks. I think it’s to put the best team together,” Flores said on the Dolphins’ Drive Time podcast. “I think there’s a variety of ways you can do that. Trade, free agency, waiver-wire transactions, obviously the draft. And I think Chris and his staff have done a great job of using all those different avenues to bring in players and I think we’ve brought players in through those variety of ways — I think we’ve used them all. But it’s to put the best team together, not necessarily a team full of first-round picks…We look through those different avenues to acquire players, that’s really always at the forefront.”

The Dolphins managed to rack up three first-round picks in 2020. On Thursday, after moving around the board, they’ll have two first-round choices at No. 6 and No. 18. And, thanks to their 49ers trade, they’re on course to have two top-32 picks in 2023.

In theory, the Dolphins could keep trading down to further strengthen their future arsenal. But, if Flores is to be believed, that won’t be their focus heading into the 2021 draft.

49ers Down To Mac Jones, Trey Lance?

April 26th, 2021 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers’ focus at No. 3 appears to have narrowed to Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Pelissero notes that Lance and the Niners chatted following his second pro day last week, which was specifically tailored to Kyle Shanahan‘s favorite drills.

Previously, the 49ers were believed to have three quarterbacks in consideration with Justin Fields completing the trio. Now, it seems that the Ohio State star is no longer in the mix. This jibes with a recent report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who now seems on course to be available for the Falcons at No. 4.

Lance seems to have the most overall buzz of the three, since he’s believed to have the most upside. Jones, despite his 77% completion rate last year, seems to have garnered disproportionate attention from the Niners. Still, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link) has yet to hear from an executive that thinks it’d be crazy for the Niners to take him (and mortgage future picks for him) at No. 3.

“Mac’s a stud,” said the anonymous executive. “[He has] everything you want.”

Falcons’ Julio Jones Drawing Trade Interest

April 26th, 2021 at 9:49am CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have received trade inquiries for wide receiver Julio Jones (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The Falcons have indicated that Jones will be staying put, but teams believe that Atlanta’s cap situation could nudge them towards a deal. Peter King of NBC Sports and Albert Breer of The MMQB have heard similar buzz, noting that they wouldn’t be shocked if the All-Pro is traded.

For cap reasons, any Jones trade would have to wait until after June 1, when his dead money charge could be split between 2021 and 2022. So far, the Falcons have rebuffed inquiries on their more notable veterans, including quarterback Matt Ryan, linebacker Deion Jones, and left tackle Jake Matthews. Still, Breer believes that a first-round pick could be enough to sway the Falcons. King, meanwhile, thinks that a second-round pick sounds about right.

Jones, 32, remains an effective weapon when healthy. And, even though he missed seven games last year, his remaining salaries between now and 2023 are fairly reasonable with the Falcons eating a chunk of the dollars. Any team acquiring Jones would be on the hook for payouts of $15.3MM, $11.513MM, and $11.513MM in each season.

“We expect Julio to be a Falcon, to be playing next year at a very high level as well,” Falcons owner Arthur Blank said recently. “God-willing, taking care of his body, his hamstring will be healed up. He’ll be able to play in more games than he played last year..”

Still, if new GM Terry Fontenot gets the right offer, Jones could wind up elsewhere in June.

AFC Notes: Mahomes, Turay, Steelers

April 25th, 2021 at 9:49pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It never appeared too serious, but anytime one of the faces of the league has surgery, it’s a big deal. Patrick Mahomes had a bad case of turf toe that hobbled him down the stretch, and he had surgery just after the Super Bowl. Speaking to the media recently, the Chiefs star provided an update on his health, and thankfully it sounds like everything is going smoothly. “I think I’m ahead of schedule myself,” Mahomes said, via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. At the same time he made it clear they aren’t going to rush anything. “Obviously, we’re trying to be cautious. We’re not pushing me out there too soon. But I’m doing what I can. I’ve gotten out of the boot finally. It took forever. Now I’m trying to get back on the field and get that stuff working,” he explained.

I’m sure they’ll keep me on that same pathway and that hopefully I can do some stuff by the end of the offseason.” Whether or not he makes it back for offseason work in June, the Chiefs are apparently hoping to have him be a full-go for training camp in July.

Here’s more from around the AFC on a quiet Sunday night:

Speaking of surgeries, Kemoko Turay had another one. The Colts edge rusher underwent another procedure on his ankle after the season, GM Chris Ballard said this week, via Zak Keefer of The Athletic (Twitter link). “He was never quite right all year,” Ballard said. It’s a somewhat concerning acknowledgement, considering Turray was sidelined from October of 2019 until November of 2020 after breaking his ankle. His initial recovery took a long time, and it sounds like it never went according to plan. The 52nd overall pick of the 2018 draft flashed potential as a rookie with four sacks, but he only had one in seven games this past year. Indy is desperate for pass-rush off the edge so Turray could be a big contributor if he can stay healthy, but his 2021 isn’t off to a great start.
The Steelers cut linebacker Vince Williams in March, then re-signed him about a month later. We heard at the time he rebuffed other offers to return to Pittsburgh, and it sounds like he may have turned down more money. That’s because Williams’ new deal with the Steelers is only for the veteran’s minimum of $1.075MM, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic tweets. Financial terms previously hadn’t been disclosed. Williams had signed a three-year, $18.6MM extension back in 2018 before getting cut with a year remaining on that deal, so he’s taking a pretty significant pay-cut in 2021. The 2013 sixth-round pick started all 14 games that he appeared in last year, racking up 70 tackles and three sacks.

49ers Down To Mac Jones And Trey Lance

April 25th, 2021 at 8:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The 2021 NFL Draft is right around the corner, and the first two picks are more or less set in stone. Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson are widely expected to be picked first and second respectively by the Jaguars and Jets. The big question has been what the 49ers will do at three, and their decision will set the table for the rest of the draft.

Now, we’re starting to get a better idea of what San Francisco is going to do. The 49ers are down to Alabama’s Mac Jones and North Dakota State’s Trey Lance, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). That would rule out Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who was seen as the other contender to be taken third overall. Jones is the favorite, while Lance has been not far behind through the process.

When the 49ers pulled off their shocking trade to move up to number three and draft an eventual Jimmy Garoppolo replacement, Jones quickly emerged as the rumored target. Some found it difficult to believe that Jones, unheralded as an NFL prospect before 2020, would really be Kyle Shanahan’s preference at number three.

But that’s what most of the reporting has consistently indicated, whether college football fans want to believe it or not. Many believe that Shanahan has fallen in love with Jones’ pocket presence and footwork. Lance is the far superior athlete, and is viewed as having sky-high upside while at the same time possibly being a riskier proposition.

The news also means Fields will be there for the taking for the Falcons if they want him at four, or for a potential trade partner with Atlanta. There are still a few days until the draft kicks off on Thursday, but things are beginning to take shape.

Offseason Notes: Pats, Packers, Minicamps

April 25th, 2021 at 7:16pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As you’re surely well aware by now, this year’s NFL offseason workouts have been a point of tension between the NFLPA and the league. Many teams have announced their intention to skip workouts and proceed entirely virtually like they did last year. Lots of teams also issued statements saying that “many” of their players wouldn’t be attending, and one of those was the Patriots. Well New England started their program this past week, and now we have some details on which players showed up.

Most notably, Cam Newton was in attendance, according to Nicole Yang of the Boston Globe. Fellow Patriots quarterback Jarrett Stidham was also there. Yang points out that Newton has a $100K workout bonus in his contract, giving him some extra motivation. This will likely be something of a trend around the NFL, with quarterbacks wanting to take initiative and not be seen as slacking off. Newton isn’t assured the starting job in 2021, so it’s not surprising he’s doing everything he can to get on the coaching staff’s good side.

Here are some more updates on offseason programs:

One team that won’t have anybody showing up is the Packers. That’s because rather than having some in and some out, Green Bay has elected to have the entire first month of their offseason program be virtual, a source told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Demovsky writes that the Packers will re-evaluate ahead of the start of the second phase of the offseason on May 17th. That’s when real on-field work is supposed to start, while right now programs are limited to weight room and conditioning work. The source also told Demovsky that players with workout bonuses “will be credited for attendance by logging on virtually.” Several high profile Packers have big bonuses, like Aaron Rodgers‘ $500K one, but as of right now we won’t get to see whether he would’ve chosen to show up or not.
The Titans became the latest team to announce they wouldn’t attend in-person workouts, issuing a statement via the NFLPA’s twitter. Their statement sounds nearly universal.
Even though we’re (hopefully) nearing the light at the end of the tunnel with the pandemic, it’s still having very real impacts on players, particularly the unheralded ones looking for a chance. The NFL has told teams they’ll be limited to a maximum of five tryout players at rookie minicamps next month, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). As Pelissero notes, in normal years there are usually dozens of players invited to tryout at rookie minicamps, and many of them often end up getting signed. Many of these non-priority UDFAs have gone on to be major contributors in the league. Rookie minicamps didn’t happen at all in 2020, so this is at least a small step in a positive direction.