2021 April - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Trey Lance, Justin Fields

April 19th, 2021 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Trey Lance conducted his second pro day Monday in Fargo, North Dakota. A few notable teams attended the event. While previous reports indicated the 49ers, Falcons and Broncos were to have personnel at the showcase, the Patriots were there as well.

The Pats sent Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Dave Ziegler to observe Lance, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. The Panthers and Bears are not believed to have sent representatives to watch the North Dakota State prospect throw this time, Breer adds, though both teams were at his first pro day. Washington, which has been linked to Lance recently, did have a contingent present, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.

Lance ran 49ers drills at the workout. The idea of working in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense appeals to Lance, Justin Fields and Mac Jones, according to Breer. Lance and Fields opted to go through with second pro days in order for Shanahan and John Lynch to be on-hand. Lance has worked with QB guru John Beck in recent weeks and, per Graziano, did so at Shanahan’s request (Twitter link). San Francisco’s staff gave Beck a set of drills for Lance to work on during the leadup to his second pro day. Shanahan coached Beck when he served as Washington’s OC in the early 2010s.

The Panthers sent their top brass to Lance’s first pro day March 12; Matt Rhule, GM Scott Fitterer and OC Joe Brady made that trip, Breer adds. The Bears sent Matt Nagy to watch Fields’ second pro day last week, with Washington having director of college scouting Tim Gribble at that event. Nagy and GM Ryan Pace made the trip to watch Lance last month but were not believed to be at Lance’s second throwing session, which, like Fields’ workout sequel, was closed to media.

Denver OC Pat Shurmur was at both Fields and Lance’s second sessions, and while the Broncos are not a lock to draft one of this year’s top five passers, teams believe they are lurking as as stealth QB suitor, according to Breer. The Broncos are set to pick ninth. One of those QBs could well fall to them, but the Broncos have also been linked to a possible trade-up for a quarterback. The team last drafted a first-round quarterback in 2016 (Paxton Lynch) but has never selected one in the top 10. If the 49ers take Jones, the Broncos would stand to be in play for Lance or Fields.

Raiders Sign CB Rasul Douglas

April 19th, 2021 at 2:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Former Eagles and Panthers cornerback Rasul Douglas agreed to join the Raiders on Monday. The team announced the signing.

Las Vegas will begin the season shorthanded at corner, with the recently re-signed Nevin Lawson set for another two-game suspension. Douglas will attempt to be part of the solution for a team that has struggled in pass coverage for many seasons.

A 2017 third-round Eagles pick, Douglas spent three seasons with Philadelphia. The 6-foot-2 corner did not see time on defense during the Eagles’ 2017 playoff run but started in both of Philly’s 2018 postseason tilts. He has logged 29 starts over his four-year career. The Panthers gave Douglas his biggest opportunity, claiming him off waivers last September and using him as an 11-game starter.

Douglas, who intercepted five passes between the 2017 and ’18 seasons, graded as a middle-of-the-pack cornerback last season, in the view of Pro Football Focus, which slotted him just outside the top 60 at the position in 2020. Douglas, 26, filled in for Eli Apple in Carolina. The Raiders initially agreed to terms with Apple in 2020, but the deal fell through. Injuries impeded Apple with the Panthers, who turned to Douglas for much of the season.

He represents the Raiders’ first outside investment at the position this offseason. Douglas will join former West Virginia teammate Karl Joseph in Vegas’ secondary; the Raiders brought back their 2016 first-round pick earlier this month.

Washington Waives Bryce Love

April 19th, 2021 at 2:02pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

A former college standout will need to find a new NFL home. Washington has waived running back Bryce Love, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

It’s been a tough road in the pros for the former Stanford star, who has struggled to get over his knee issues. Love tore an ACL in his final game at Stanford, and has dealt with multiple setbacks in his recovery. Love was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in the 2017 season, and was talented enough for Washington to still use a fourth-round pick on him in 2019 despite the fresh injury.

He didn’t play at all as a rookie, and although he was active for a few games in 2020, he never touched the ball. He was placed on injured reserve in October, and although he later began practicing with the team, they eventually shut him down and didn’t activate him.

He’s undergone multiple knee surgeries, but is also still only 23. Given his youth and decorated college career another team will likely still at least take a flyer, but it’s not looking great for his NFL career.

Multiple Teams Wanted To Sign Alex Smith

April 19th, 2021 at 1:40pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

When most players retire from the NFL, it’s because the phone stops ringing. That apparently wasn’t the case with Alex Smith, who announced earlier this morning that he’d be hanging up his cleats.

“Multiple teams wanted to sign” Smith, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Pelissero adds that Smith made the decision to call it a career a couple of weeks ago. Smith then appeared on SportsCenter, where he offered a bit more info on his process. Interestingly, Smith said he did visit with the Jaguars and considered signing with them, via Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).

That would’ve reunited him in Jacksonville with Urban Meyer, who coached him in college at Utah. We heard at the beginning of the month that the Texans had interest in bringing him in, and the Colts, Patriots, and Eagles were also intrigued, according to Greg Bishop of SI.com. Smith, of course, miraculously returned from a devastating leg injury last season to improbably help lead Washington to the playoffs.

It’s not surprising teams were interested in Smith as a veteran mentor, as the 36-year-old surely has a lot of wisdom to impart to a young quarterback. It would’ve been cool to see him give Trevor Lawrence some guidance in Jacksonville, just like he did with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.

Ultimately it wasn’t mean to be, and Smith will wrap up his rollercoaster of a career after 16 seasons in the league. He can walk away knowing he had offers on the table, which is more than most can say.

Seahawks’ Aldon Smith Wanted For Battery

April 19th, 2021 at 12:24pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Just a few days after the Seahawks signed pass rusher Aldon Smith, there are already complications. Smith is wanted in New Orleans on a charge of second-degree battery, Travers Mackel of WDSU tweets.

The bulletin from the sheriff’s office says Smith is wanted for an alleged battery that happened on April 17 outside the French Press Coffee House. An acquaintance of Smith’s accused the 31-year-old defender of assault, according to a police report (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just, on Twitter). A warrant went out for Smith’s arrest.

It’s an unfortunate development who just finally got back on the field last season after many years of off-field issues. The seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft by the 49ers, Smith became an instant star and racked up 19.5 sacks while picking up a first-team All-Pro nod in 2012.

Things unraveled pretty quickly after that, as Smith was hit with a series of suspensions for various substance abuse and legal issues. After not having played in a game since the 2015 season, he improbably managed to return to the NFL with the Cowboys last year.

He had five sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown in 16 games with Dallas. The Seahawks had been interested for a while, as they tried to trade for him at the trade deadline. It’s unclear if their interest is strong enough for them to put up with this latest incident. It wouldn’t be surprising if Seattle elects to cut ties and not deal with the headache. Smith will turn 32 in September.

Ravens, Lamar Jackson Begin Extension Talks

April 19th, 2021 at 11:50am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens and Lamar Jackson have kicked off extension talks, according to GM Eric DeCosta. Jackson, who represents himself, is currently scheduled to earn just $1.77MM in base salary this season.

“That’s ongoing. That’s definitely a fluid thing. Lamar and I have had a discussion about that,” DeCosta said (YouTube link). “I think it’s important to us and it’s important to him. I think Lamar is obviously a very patient guy. He wants to be the best he can be. He wants this team to be the best it can be and he wants to win very badly. So, we’re aligned that way.”

There’s mutual interest in a new deal, though the Ravens aren’t necessarily in a rush. Beyond his low-priced 2021 season, the Ravens can exercise Jackson’s fifth-year option — a fully guaranteed $23.1MM — to keep him under club control through 2022.

If the numbers are right, Jackson would probably prefer to take the safer route. 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. On the other hand, he could follow Dak Prescott‘s playbook, which resulted in a four-year, $160MM megadeal.

Deshaun Watson’s Attorney: Lawsuits Are A “Money Grab”

April 19th, 2021 at 11:39am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, Deshaun Watson‘s legal team filed a written response to the lawsuits against him (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The lengthy document denies all allegations of sexual misconduct.

More than 20 women have filed civil lawsuits against Watson in recent weeks. Meanwhile, some of those women have contacted the authorities, raising the possibility of criminal charges. In his response, lawyer Rusty Hardin said that he wants a jury trial in order to give Watson a chance to clear his name.

Furthermore, Hardin claims that eight of the plaintiffs bragged about working with Watson while seven of the accusers “willingly worked” or “offered” to work with him after “their alleged incidents”. He also claims that some of the accusers “lied” about the number of times they worked with Watson and told others that they wanted to get money out of the NFL star.

“It was not until the plaintiffs saw an opportunity for a money grab that they changed their stories to convert therapy sessions they bragged about to friends and family to something much more nefarious,” Hardin wrote.

Meanwhile, Watson’s football future remains in flux. Last week, Texans GM Nick Caserio declined to comment on Watson’s status with the team.

“If you want to speculate, you should probably go buy Bitcoin,” Caserio said.

One of the civil suits against Watson was dropped earlier this month. However, another plaintiff came forward a few days later to bring the total count back to 22.

Bears Re-Sign Tashaun Gipson

April 19th, 2021 at 11:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Bears have agreed to re-sign safety Tashaun Gipson, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Once finalized, it’ll be a one-year deal for the veteran.

Gipson spent time with the Browns, Jaguars, and Texans before joining the Bears as a free agent last year. Brought in to help replace Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, the 30-year-old (31 in August) went on to start in all 16 games last year. In total, he finished out with 66 stops, two interceptions, seven passes defensed, and a fumble recovery. Now, he’ll return to a Bears secondary that is without Pro Bowler Kyle Fuller. Fortunately, the Bears still have All-Pro safety Eddie Jackson to help hold down the fort.

Gipson, a 2014 Pro Bowler, has 25 career interceptions to his credit. He might not be the player that he once was, but he’s coming off of a solid and disciplined season. Last year, Gipson committed just one penalty across 1,130 defensive snaps.

Alex Smith Retires From NFL

April 19th, 2021 at 11:05am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, quarterback Alex Smith announced his retirement from the NFL (via Instagram). After mounting an improbable comeback in 2020, the 36-year-old says that he’s now ready to begin a new chapter.

“Two years ago I was stuck in a wheelchair, staring down at my mangled leg, wondering if I would ever be able to go on a walk again or play with my kids in the yard,” said Smith. “I almost lost everything. But football wouldn’t let me give up. Because, no, this isn’t just a game. It’s not just what happens between those white lines on a Sunday afternoon. It’s about the challenges and the commitment they require. It’s about how hard and how far you can push yourself. It’s about the bond between those 53 guys in the locker room and everybody else in the organization. It’s about fully committing yourself to something bigger.”

Smith nearly lost his leg after a horrific injury in 2018. In addition to the numerous fractures, Smith suffered a series of complications. Most believed that Smith’s career was over. But, somehow, he managed to retake the field in 2020 with Washington. After going 5-1 across six starts, Washington released him from the remainder of his contract. According to Smith, Ron Rivera & Co. didn’t necessarily want him back in the first place.

“When I decided to come back, I definitely threw a wrench in the team’s plan,” Smith said in February. “They didn’t see it, didn’t want me there, didn’t want me to be a part of it, didn’t want me to be on the team, the roster, didn’t want to give me a chance.”

Surely, some teams were willing to give Smith a chance this year. Just a few weeks ago, the Texans were rumored as a possible destination for the former No. 1 overall pick. Still, Smith has nothing left to prove — especially after making his miraculous recovery. We here at PFR wish Smith the best in retirement.

Commenter Mute Button Now Available

April 19th, 2021 at 11:04am CST by Zachary Links

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