2021 April - Pro Football Rumors

Buccaneers Re-Sign Antonio Brown

April 28th, 2021 at 8:15am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown is back with the Bucs. On Wednesday morning, the wide receiver agreed to a brand new one-year deal worth up to $6.25MM (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo).

The deal includes $3.1MM fully guaranteed with $2MM coming in the form of a signing bonus. The remaining half of the $6.25MM can be achieved through incentives, though it’s not clear what those benchmarks are or how achievable they will be. Regardless, it’s a solid outcome for Brown, who had no known suitors outside of the incumbent Buccaneers.

The Buccaneers signed Brown in late October, though they had to wait until Week 9 for his suspension to end. That original deal paid just $1MM in base salary and bonuses, with the potential to reach as much as $2.5MM. But, because the Bucs won the Super Bowl, AB earned an additional $750K bonus, plus more for his catch total.

In eight games, Brown recorded 45 catches for 483 yards and four touchdowns. Extrapolated for a full 16-game season, he would have been on pace for 90 catches, 966 yards, and eight touchdowns. It’s worth noting that 20 of his 45 catches came in the final three weeks of the regular season, a sign that there could be many more highlights in store for AB and TB.

The Buccaneers managed to keep most of the band together after the Super Bowl, but Brown was a conspicuous straggler. Now, he’s back in the fold to join Tom Brady, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Rob Gronkowski for a repeat run.

North Carolina RB Javonte Williams Could Be First-Round Pick

April 27th, 2021 at 10:15pm CST by Ben Levine

While Alabama’s Najee Harris and Clemson’s Travis Etienne have continually been mentioned as potential first-round picks, another running back could hear his name called during the first day of the draft. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero writes that North Carolina’s Javonte Williams could end up sneaking into the first round of the upcoming draft.

“I love Javonte Williams,” an AFC executive told Pelissero. “I think he’s the best back in the draft.”

In an era where teams seem to reset their running back depth chart every few years, it’d be a bit of a surprise if three running backs end up getting selected in the first round; we’ve only seen two first-round running backs over the past two years (Josh Jacobs (No. 24, 2019) and Clyde Edwards-Helaire (No. 32, 2020)). Still, Williams has the talent to warrant that lofty draft stock.

As Pelissero notes, Williams’ strength should be an asset in the NFL (with the reporter citing this giant run against Miami). The running back is more than a bruiser, however; his pro day numbers (including a 4.55-second 40 and a 36-inch vertical jump) showcase his athleticism. Williams also showed improved pass-catching ability throughout his collegiate career, culminating in a 2020 campaign where he hauled in 25 receptions.

So where could the running back land? Pelissero points to the Steelers are a potential landing spot. Pittsburgh has continually been mentioned as a suitor for Harris, but it’s uncertain if the running back will fall all the way to No. 24. If the top running back is off the board, the team could end up favoring Williams over someone like Etienne.

Cowboys Split On Which Cornerback To Select At No. 10

April 27th, 2021 at 8:36pm CST by Ben Levine

The Cowboys could be eyeing a cornerback with the No. 10 pick, but it sounds like the organization is split on who they should take. Tony Pauline of Pro Football Network reports that there’s a “50/50 split” in the Dallas front office about whether the team should select Patrick Surtain II or Jaycee Horn with their first-round pick.

If the Cowboys are indeed seeking a cornerback, it makes sense that the team is deciding between Surtain and Horn; the duo has established themselves as the top-two cornerbacks in the entire draft. Dallas could use reinforcement everywhere on their defense, but as ESPN’s Todd Archer notes, there aren’t pass-rushers or defensive tackles worth taking at the No. 10 spot (and the team’s need for a linebacker doesn’t outweigh their need for a cornerback). While the Cowboys front office is apparently struggling to decide which of the cornerbacks to select (assuming they even have that luxury), the team can be confident that they’ll be adding a foundational piece to their defense.

While it’s always important to take pre-draft news with a grain of salt, Archer notes that the Cowboys have generally hinted at their first-round selection days before the draft. The reporter details how the Cowboys have narrowed their focus on a specific first-rounder each year since 2015, with the one exception being last year when CeeDee Lamb unexpectedly fell.

One thing is for sure: the Cowboys won’t be trading up from No. 10. The team has made it abundantly clear that they won’t pay the required bounty in order to move up the draft board, even if tight end Kyle Pitts (a Jerry Jones favorite) falls outside of the top-four

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/27/21

April 27th, 2021 at 7:47pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor transactions:

Las Vegas Raiders

Signed: TE Carson Williams

San Francisco 49ers

Waived: DL Josiah Coatney

The Williams signing is a fun one. He split four seasons of collegiate basketball between Northern Kentucky and Western Kentucky. The 6-foot-5, 240-pound forward averaged 11.2 points per game, 5.9 rebounds per game, and 1.3 assists per game during his collegiate career. Jimmy Durkin of The Athletic tweets that Williams hasn’t played football since the 8th grade, although he did participate at Western Kentucky’s pro day.

Should We Expect Fewer First-Round Trades This Year?

April 27th, 2021 at 5:15pm CST by Ben Levine

If you’re expecting fireworks on Thursday night, you may be disappointed. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes that he isn’t hearing as much trade activity as usual (Twitter link), specifically with day-one picks. The reporter cautions that he could envision a team trading into the top-1o in pursuit of one of the top quarterback prospects, but other than that, the insider isn’t hearing a whole lot of first-round-trade chatter.

Rapoport offers another explanation for an expected lack of trades. There seems to be a consensus forming that there’s a drop-off in prospect quality after the top seven or eight players. As a result, teams are wary of trading back due to the significant drop in “elite, premium” players (the ol’ ‘take the dollar instead of four quarters’ mentality). Similarly, considering there’s only seven or eight top players in the draft, teams outside of the top-10 may believe they’re better staying put.

Peter King of Football Morning in America offers a similar sentiment. with one GM pointedly telling him that “the 49ers ruined the market by trading two ones to move nine spots.” As a result, teams in the top-10(ish) are expecting a king’s ransom for their first-round selection, and there aren’t a lot of suitors who are willing to spend big. Instead, King suggests that we may see a number of trades during the second day of the draft, with one GM describing No. 35 to around No. 75 as the “hotbed of this draft.”

For what it’s worth, NFL Network noted that there’s been an average of 5.2 trades made in the first round since 2011.

Of course, trade junkies have somewhat gotten their fill already. That aforementioned 49ers/Dolphins trade sparked off another deal with the Dolphins and Eagles.

Latest On Jaguars’ Draft Plans (Outside Of No. 1)

April 27th, 2021 at 4:51pm CST by Ben Levine

Much has been made of the Jaguars’ first-overall selection in Thursday’s draft, but NFL Network’s James Palmer provided some insight on the team’s plans with their other nine selections (Twitter link).

Besides the No. 1 pick, the Jaguars are also armed with four more picks through the first three rounds of the draft:

No. 25
No. 33
No. 45
No. 65

Palmer notes that the Jaguars are hoping for “immediate impact players” with each of those four aforementioned selections. While their draft ammo (which includes two more fourth-rounders, two more fifth-rounders, and one seventh-rounder) would seemingly provide them with opportunities to move up in pursuit of those impact players, Palmer reports that that likely won’t be the case. Instead of trading up, the Jaguars are more likely to keep each of these selections, and they could even move back and pick up more middle-round picks.

The front office can check one ‘need’ off the list when they select quarterback Trevor Lawrence with the first-overall pick, but what other positions will they be looking at in the draft? Despite the fact that the team addressed their defensive line needs in free agency, Palmer points to defensive linemen as potential targets. Further, while the organization is a fan of their starting offensive linemen, that’s another spot the Jaguars could use an early-round pick on. Tight end is another position of need, but Palmer said the team is wary of reaching for any particular player.

Packers GM: Aaron Rodgers Is “Our Guy”

April 27th, 2021 at 3:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Rodgers‘ immediate future is not in jeopardy, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst says (Twitter link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). Despite the lingering contract talks and all the speculation, Gutekunst insists that everything will work out between the quarterback and the front office.

“Aaron’s our guy; he’s going to be our quarterback for the foreseeable future,” Gutekunst said. “We’re excited about the kind of the things we’re going to try to accomplish here over the next couple years. So we certainly think with the contract that you’re kind of talking about is something we’ll work through. We’re going to have to do probably a few things with different contracts as we head toward the season and then through the season to make sure that our salary cap situation, not only this year, but in 2022 is square. So we’re not done yet. We’ve done a lot to get here. We’ve kind of been doing things as we go and we will continue to do that as we go.”

The two sides are still “working through” Rodgers’ contract, which has no remaining guarantees. As it stands, the Packers could part ways with Rodgers next year and save ~$25 million against the 2022 cap. That doesn’t sit well with Rodgers, who knows that the Packers project to be top-heavy beyond 2021.

Rodgers, 37, captured his third MVP trophy last year while rookie Jordan Love watched from the sidelines. Thanks to Rodgers and his NFL-leading 48 touchdown passes, the Packers reached the NFC championship game and fell just short of beating the Buccaneers.

Jerry Jones: Cowboys Won’t Trade Up For Kyle Pitts

April 27th, 2021 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s been said that Jerry Jones can’t take his eyes off of Florida tight end Kyle Pitts. Although he may be high on the exceptional athlete, the Cowboys owner says that he’s not about to pay a king’s ransom for him.

“We’re not going to spend inordinate value [to trade up for Pitts,]” Jones said (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News).

This is consistent with what we’ve been hearing in recent days — the Cowboys love Pitts’ blend of size, speed, and agility, but they aren’t about to mortgage the rest of their draft ammo for him. Moving up from No. 10 would be mighty costly, especially after the 49ers gave up a 2022 third-rounder and two future first rounders to go from No. 12 to No. 3.

Other teams could be tempted to move up for Pitts, who tallied 43 receptions for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games last year — good for an average of 17.9 yards per catch. But, any team that wants to guarantee Pitts’ availability would have to pry the No. 4 pick away from the Falcons.

Bears Pick Up Roquan Smith’s 2022 Option

April 27th, 2021 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bears are set to exercise Roquan Smith‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). As shown in our fifth-year option tracker for 2018 first-round picks, the linebacker is slated to make $9.735MM in ’22.

Smith, the No. 8 overall pick in the ’18 class, has started in 42 of his 44 games for the Bears. Last year, he enjoyed a breakout season as he compiled 139 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, four sacks, seven passes defensed, and 2 interceptions. Some of this offseason’s fifth-year options decisions are tricky, but this one was basically a no-brainer for the Bears.

Bears GM Ryan Pace hasn’t hit on all of his first-round picks, but Smith has worked out better than the likes of wide receiver Kevin White or quarterback Mitchell Trubisky. Technically, Smith is the second of Pace’s four first-rounders to get their option picked up, though Leonard Floyd was released before he could play his fifth year in Chicago.

Steelers Pick Up Minkah Fitzpatrick’s Option

April 27th, 2021 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers will exercise Minkah Fitzpatrick‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The safety is now set to earn $10.612MM in 2022.

In 2019, the Steelers shipped first-, fifth-, and sixth-round picks to the Dolphins for Fitzpatrick and a pair of Day 3 picks. It’s no surprise to see that the Steelers have extended the arrangement, especially after Fitzpatrick earned his second straight All-Pro nod. In 16 games (all starts), Fitzpatrick tallied four interceptions, 79 total stops, and eleven passes defensed. He also took one of those interceptions back for a pick six, giving him four career defensive TDs.

Per the new rules for the fifth-year option, Fitzpatrick’s 2022 salary is fully guaranteed, rather than guaranteed for injury only.