HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Jaguars Draft Georgia CB Tyson Campbell At No. 33

April 30th, 2021 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars kicked off the second round by drafting cornerback Tyson Campbell from Georgia.

After taking Clemson stars Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne on Day 1, the Jaguars entered Round 2 with cornerback, offensive line, defensive line, and tight end as their most pressing needs. They opted to bolster the secondary. Campbell will now join a very young cornerback group in Jacksonville that has a lot of potential. The Jags just drafted C.J. Henderson ninth overall last year.

Just a few short years ago the Jaguars had a dynamic cornerback duo with Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye, and they’re looking to rebuild that. They also signed Shaquill Griffin away from the Seahawks with a big contract in free agency, so the position has the chance to soon be a strength again.

Plenty of people thought Campbell would go in the first-round, and NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah had him going 28th to the Saints in his final mock draft. Campbell became a starter as a true freshman at Georgia, and is seen as having strong physical tools. He had 20 tackles, 2.5 for a loss, an interception, and five passes defended in ten games last year.

Draft Notes: Fields, Giants, Saints, Cowboys

April 30th, 2021 at 5:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Penei Sewell loomed as the Panthers‘ first-round target, but when the Lions selected the Oregon tackle, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the team moved into a Jaycee Horn-vs.-Justin Fields debate. The Panthers’ need at cornerback — in a division featuring the likes of Michael Thomas, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin — helped steer them to Horn. Fields, who went three picks later after the Bears traded up for him, was in the mix. The Panthers did not want to force a quarterback investment, Breer adds. While GM Scott Fitterer indicated the Panthers could take a quarterback even after trading for Sam Darnold, the team expressed considerable interest in Deshaun Watson prior to off-field issues squashing his trade market. A Fields pick would have made revisiting that pursuit more difficult. It cannot be assumed the embattled Texans quarterback will be available anytime soon, but the Panthers did not take themselves out of a potential market Thursday night.

Entering Round 2, here is the draft latest:

  • The Eagles were correct in assuming the Giants were planning to select DeVonta Smith at No. 11. Big Blue would have taken the Alabama superstar there, Breer notes. Howie Roseman engineered an intra-NFC East trade-up with the Cowboys, moving up two spots for Smith. The Eagles, whose Week 17 quarterback strategy came under fire re: the Giants’ unusual playoff pursuit, saw another move of theirs affect Big Blue. Philly pair Smith with 2020 first-rounder Jalen Reagor. The Giants still took a wideout at No. 20 (Kadarius Toney).
  • Prior to the Bears executing a successful trade-up with the Giants, moving from No. 20 to No. 11, they discussed a likely similar deal with the Cowboys, per Breer. The Cowboys did not want to take themselves out of adding a player on whom they placed a first-round grade; sliding down to 20 may well have done that. Dallas ended up with Micah Parsons at 12.
  • The Giants were busy at No. 11. Ahead of Dave Gettleman‘s first-ever trade-down (in nine drafts as a GM), he heard from the Vikings and Saints, Breer adds. The Saints, who had already seen top targets Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II drafted, were linked to quarterbacks as well. New Orleans did offer one future first-round pick but did not include a second future first-rounder in its trade-up proposals. As a result, the Saints did not come particularly close to trading up Thursday. After the Chargers drafted Rashawn Slater, the Vikings ended up trading down.
  • After the Ravens traded their second-round pick to the Chiefs in the Orlando Brown deal, Eric DeCosta does not expect to move back into the round, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Ravens did not make any trades Thursday night, winding up with Rashod Bateman and Odafe Oweh.
  • Some teams are not comfortable with Alabama center Landon Dickerson‘s medcials, per ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (on Twitter). The Steelers are one of the teams a bit leery on Dickerson, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Pittsburgh saw 11-year center Maurkice Pouncey retire this offseason. While the team has multiple lower-profile replacement candidates — B.J. Finney and J.C. Hassenauer — Dickerson will enter the NFL as a high-end prospect, albeit one coming off a December ACL tear.

Jets Receiving Interest For No. 34 Pick

April 30th, 2021 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets added two presumptive starters in Round 1, drafting Zach Wilson and trading up for Alijah Vera-Tucker. They have a prime opportunity to add a third 2021 first-stringer to this mix at No. 34 overall.

However, significant interest has developed for that selection, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Jets will be tempted to move down and accumulate additional draft choices, a prospect the team is considering, per ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini (on Twitter).

The Jaguars hold the No. 33 pick and are not expected to trade out of that position, Rapoport adds, giving the Jets some additional leverage at 34. The Jets have two third-round picks — Nos. 66 and 86, the latter choice coming in last year’s Jamal Adams trade — and certainly have needs additional selections would help them address.

Teams at the top of Round 2 have the luxury of taking calls to move down, with other franchises interested in players who unexpectedly were not chosen in Round 1. Players like linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, safety Trevon Moehrig and wide receiver Elijah Moore each ranked in Scouts Inc.’s top 25 players; Owusu-Koramoah resided as a top-15 player going into the draft. They figure to be off the board early tonight, and the Jets may opt to benefit from other teams’ interest.

Broncos Pick Up Bradley Chubb’s Fifth-Year Option

April 30th, 2021 at 4:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bradley Chubb‘s rookie contract will now run through 2022. The Broncos are picking up the Pro Bowl pass rusher’s fifth-year option, Michael Silver of NFL.com tweets.

The 2018 No. 5 overall pick bounced back after missing most of the 2019 season with an ACL tear, making the Pro Bowl and anchoring the Broncos’ pass rush following Von Miller‘s significant ankle injury. This transaction locks Chubb down through 2022. Because Chubb made the Pro Bowl, his salary will increase accordingly due to the new CBA’s altered fifth-year option structure. The North Carolina State product is now attached to a fully guaranteed $12.716MM.

With Miller in the final year of his contract, Chubb becomes a pivotal piece in Denver. It is not certain if the Broncos will enter into extension talks with their future Hall of Fame linebacker, but it went down to the wire whether they would pick up Miller’s 2021 option.

New GM George Paton indicated he wants Chubb to be a long-term cornerstone. While the Broncos are not believed to have begun extension talks, they should be expected to at some point this year or, perhaps more likely, in 2022.

Miller coming back gives the Broncos a long-awaited opportunity. Chubb’s 2019 injury and Miller’s 2020 setback has meant the Vic Fangio era has largely unfolded with one of the two rushers absent. The Broncos are poised to have a strong defense in 2021, having further bolstered the unit via the Patrick Surtain II first-round pick, and the Miller-Chubb tandem will anchor that group.

Falcons To Sign QB A.J. McCarron

April 30th, 2021 at 3:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Falcons’ roster will soon include a second quarterback. A.J. McCarron will join Matt Ryan in Atlanta, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets.

McCarron spent the past two seasons backing up Deshaun Watson in Houston. The former Bengals backup has seven years’ experience in this role, with a 2015 cameo as a starter also on the ex-Alabama standout’s NFL resume.

Matt Schaub filled this post for the past four seasons but retired earlier this year. The Falcons were connected to quarterbacks at No. 4 overall, but the team went with the consensus choice — tight end Kyle Pitts — and will continue with the Ryan era. That meant finding a new backup to the 13-year starter became necessary.

This move may well take the Falcons out of the second- or third-round QB markets tonight. A 2014 fifth-rounder, McCarron started for two Alabama national championship-winning teams. He made four starts in 2015, after an Andy Dalton injury ended his promising season, and one in 2019. McCarron also spent time with the Raiders and Bills, joining the latter as a potential starter in 2018. But Buffalo cut him ahead of that season, routing him to Oakland and back onto the QB2 circuit.

Ravens Pick Up Lamar Jackson’s Fifth-Year Option

April 30th, 2021 at 3:31pm CST by Ben Levine

FRIDAY: The Ravens have followed through with Harbaugh’s guarantee. They picked up Jackson’s $23.106MM fully guaranteed option. The league’s top dual-threat quarterback is now under contract through 2022.

TUESDAY: We can file this one under the “obvious” category. During an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh “guaranteed” that the team would pick up Lamar Jackson‘s fifth-year option (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport on Twitter).

Teams have until May 3 to pick up options on 2018 first-rounders who are entering the final year of their rookie deals. Considering Jackson’s accolades, we all probably could have guaranteed that this transaction was was going to happen. For those wondering, Harbaugh said that there’s “nothing to the fact” that the two sides have waited to make the move.

Jackson, the final pick of that 2018 first round, has a fifth-year option that’s valued at $23.106MM (fully guaranteed).

The real question is if the Ravens and Jackson can somehow agree to an extension before the May 3 deadline. We heard earlier this month that the two sides had started negotiations, and while both teams seem receptive to a long-term pact, it could take some time to agree to terms. As our own Zach Links pointed out, quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Patrick Mahomes, Jared Goff, and Carson Wentz all opted for security ahead of their fourth-year rookie contracts and earned sizable paydays; it wouldn’t be shocking if Jackson inevitably takes the same route. Previous reports indicated that the former MVP was seeking a contract similar to Deshaun Watson‘s four-year, $156MM deal.

Jackson followed up his 2019 MVP campaign with another standout season in 2020. He led the Ravens to an 11-4 record in 15 starts, connecting on 64.4-percent of his passes for 2,757 yards, 26 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. He also added another 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.

Chiefs To Sign RB Jerick McKinnon

April 30th, 2021 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite injuries marring his 49ers tenure, Jerick McKinnon will receive another opportunity. The Chiefs are signing the veteran running back, Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets.

McKinnon, 28, spent the past three seasons with the 49ers but only played in one of them. Knee injuries sidelined the former Vikings draftee throughout the 2018 and ’19 seasons. However, McKinnon played in all 16 49ers games last season — albeit in a limited role.

He will join a Chiefs backfield headlined by 2020 first-round pick Clyde Edwards-Helaire. The Chiefs signed Le’Veon Bell midway through last season; Bell remains a free agent. The Chiefs also released Damien Williams, their 2019 starter who opted out in 2020. Multiyear Chiefs backups Darrel Williams and Darwin Thompson remain under contract, however.

Amid a slew of injuries to strike the 49ers backfield, McKinnon totaled 572 scrimmage yards and six touchdowns in 16 games. He was the only one of San Francisco’s top five halfbacks to play all 16 contests, though the team gave him only 114 touches.

McKinnon totaled 991 yards from scrimmage in his final Vikings season, leading the 49ers to give him top-five (at the time) running back money in March 2018. But knee injuries forced the team to redo McKinnon’s deal last year. The former college quarterback will now move on.

Aaron Rodgers To Consider Retirement

April 30th, 2021 at 3:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the actual players drafted generated the annual interest the event does, the Aaron Rodgers drama took over Thursday’s NFL headlines. It became known the reigning MVP no longer wants to play for the Packers, with last year’s scrutinized Jordan Love pick at the center of Rodgers’ disenchantment with the franchise.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst subsequently issued multiple statements indicating the team will not trade its incumbent starter. The Packers are taking a year-to-year approach with Rodgers, though some type of extension discussions have occurred — even after Green Bay drafted Rodgers’ would-be heir apparent last year. Rodgers may now be ready to play another card.

The 37-year-old passer will threaten to retire, unless this situation is repaired considerably, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

One of the first guest hosts on Jeopardy! this year, Rodgers is among those vying to succeed Alex Trebek. While his two-week run as host was viewed as favorable, there will be several others in contention for the permanent gig. Rodgers previously hoped to land the Jeopardy! gig while continuing his career, and at the time of those comments, regular Green Bay-to-Los Angeles flights appeared to be in the QB’s future. Now, staying in Wisconsin is no longer in the three-time MVP’s plans.

Rodgers’ hopeful trade destinations became known shortly after his desire to leave Green Bay did. The 49ers, Broncos and Raiders appeared on said list. Some buzz about the Broncos moving forward with an effort to land Rodgers emerged on Twitter just ahead of the draft, but Rapoport adds the Rodgers-to-Denver talk was overblown. A few teams called the Packers, with the 49ers confirming as such, but Rapoport notes Green Bay shut down any such efforts.

This stalemate could venture into Carson Palmer-Bengals territory, which would be interesting considering David Dunn — Palmer’s agent at the time he staged a retirement in hopes of ending the Cincinnati portion of his career — also represents Rodgers. Palmer followed through on his retirement threat in 2011, stepping away from the team for several months after making it known he did not want to play a ninth season with the Bengals. The team ended up trading Palmer to the Raiders just ahead of that year’s deadline.

Although the Packers could go after Rodgers’ $6.8MM roster bonus — paid earlier this year — if he retires, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap (on Twitter), the future Hall of Famer has banked a considerable amount of money in his 16-year career. Both he and the Packers could dig in here, creating a lengthy stalemate and a historically unusual situation.

No reigning MVP has ever been traded, but two have retired — Norm Van Brocklin after the 1960 season, when he led the Eagles over the Packers in that year’s championship game, and Jim Brown after the 1965 campaign. Rodgers’ stance also would stand to pull the rug from under this Packers run, which has produced back-to-back NFC championship games.

Saints Tried To Trade Up For Jaycee Horn, Patrick Surtain II

April 30th, 2021 at 2:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints ended up bolstering their defensive end corps in the first round, but the four-time reigning AFC South champions spent extensive time Thursday night attempting to trade up for a cornerback.

Jaycee Horn appealed most to the team, according to The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan (subscription required). New Orleans’ trade efforts to move into the top 10 centered on Joe Horn‘s son, but teams were not eager to move out of their positions that high in the draft. Most did not entertain the Saints’ pre-draft offers.

The effort to trade into the top 10 also involved Patrick Surtain II, whom the Saints expected to be gone by No. 10 (Dallas). However, only one team picking that high entered into substantive discussions with the Saints, per Duncan. The Broncos ended up taking Surtain at No. 9 but had previously talked about moving down with the Saints. And “substantive” might be excessive here, with the Broncos wanting multiple first- and second-round picks to move down 18 spots. Viewing the Broncos’ counteroffer as unreasonable, the Saints did not entertain it and later watched as Denver selected the Alabama corner just after Carolina drafted Horn.

Three years ago, the Saints managed to pull off a somewhat similar trade. They moved from No. 27 to No. 14 to select Marcus Davenport. That deal cost the team a 2019 first-rounder and a fifth-rounder later in the ’18 draft. New Orleans ended up adding to its D-end crew Thursday by selecting Payton Turner, but the team has a clear need going into Friday’s draft portion.

Finding a corner to join Marshon Lattimore and C.J. Garnder-Johnson will be paramount for the Saints on Friday night. They are expected to add multiple players to this position by offseason’s end, per Duncan. New Orleans lost Janoris Jenkins in free agency. While Patrick Robinson remains on the team, the Saints have not used the veteran extensively in his second stint with the team.

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