HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Lions GM: Frank Ragnow Extension Is “Extremely Important”

May 2nd, 2021 at 3:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Last week, the Lions exercised Frank Ragnow‘s fifth-year option to keep him under contract through 2022. Beyond that, GM Brad Holmes: says a long term deal for the young center is a top priority.

“It’s extremely important. We already view him as a long-term piece and he is a foundational piece because Frank is a guy that plays the game the right way,” Holmes said (via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). “He’s everything that we look for and what we want as a Lion. I’ll never forget when it first got announced that I got the job, Frank reached out immediately. I told him, ‘Man, huge fan of you and you play the game the right way.’ So, very important to get it done. Not going to comment on timetable right now — that would be a little bit premature — but we’re not sitting back and waiting on that one.”

Ragnow has been first-string for the Lions ever since he was taken with the No. 20 overall pick in 2018. At first, the Lions used the Arkansas product at left guard. In 2019, they shifted him to the middle. He’s started in every game since, save for three missed contests due to injury. Holmes, who took over as the Lions’ GM earlier this year, has every intention of keeping him in place.

Thanks to his Pro Bowl nod, Ragnow’s fifth year will be worth $12.657MM. His next deal could put him in the neighborhood of Chargers center Corey Linsley, who leads the position with a five-year, $62.5MM contract.

Giants Sign 3 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2021 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

On Sunday, the Giants announced that they’ve inked a trio of undrafted free agents. Their three-man class is uncommonly small, but Dan Duggan of The Athletic (on Twitter) hears that this will likely represent the entirety of their initial UDFA group. So, barring any unexpected changes, this will be the Giants’ post-draft haul:

[RELATED: NFL Draft Results, Team By Team]

The Giants did not use any of their picks on offensive lineman, so they’re hoping to see some promise out of Heggie and Burton. Burton, once a starting tackle at UCLA, will push for a spot behind Andrew Thomas, Nate Solder, and Matt Peart. Meanwhile, Heggie will look to backstop guards Shane Lemieux and Will Hernandez.

“It’s really apparent we have a little more confidence in our offensive line than you guys do,’’ GM Dave Gettleman said after passing on OLs in the draft (via the New York Post). “We’re happy with the group we have, obviously you’re always trying to get better. You’re not gonna just take a player to take him.’’

Instead, the Giants focused mostly on the other side of the ball, dedicated four of their six picks to the defense.

Steelers Sign 8 UDFAs

May 2nd, 2021 at 1:20pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers drafted nine players over the weekend, but they weren’t done shopping. On Sunday, the Steelers announced the signings of eight undrafted free agents:

Brown is among the more notable players in this bunch. After earning first-team All-Big Ten honors, Brown declared early with the expectation that’d be selected in Round 4 or 5. Instead, he watched as 250+ players heard their names called. Still, he’s likely secured a better-than-average UDFA signing bonus from the Steelers. Last year, Brown notched five interceptions in just seven games. For his Spartan career, Brown finished with 54 stops, two tackles for a loss, two sacks, 16 pass defenses, and one touchdown across 26 games.

Chargers Announce 10 UDFA Signings

May 2nd, 2021 at 12:52pm CST by Rory Parks

This year’s crop of draftable prospects was said to be on the thin side, so the 2021 class of UDFAs is expected to have even fewer players make the cut than usual. But you never know, and teams still have 90 roster spots they can fill throughout the spring and summer. The Chargers were among the first to announce their UDFA signings:

As with most UDFA classes, this one included several notable guarantees. Goldwire received $50K in guaranteed money, while Ogbongbemiga got a $30K guarantee (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Goldwire earned All-ACC Second Team honors after recording 35 tackles, five TFLs, and two sacks from his nose tackle position, while Ogbongbemiga piled up 180 tackles over the past two seasons and possesses excellent speed.

Stove struggled with injuries in his collegiate career but is quick and has good hands. He caught 44 passes for 359 yards and three scores in his final season at Auburn.

Colts Notes: Tevi, Hines, Eason

May 2nd, 2021 at 11:48am CST by Rory Parks

One of the biggest winners of this year’s draft was Colts LT Sam Tevi. Signed to a modest one-year pact in March, Tevi has been atop Indy’s left tackle depth chart in the wake of Anthony Castonzo‘s retirement, but it was widely expected that the team would draft a potential Castonzo replacement.

Even though Virginia Tech’s Christian Darrisaw was available for the Colts with the No. 21 overall pick, GM Chris Ballard elected to further bolster his defense by selecting Michigan DE Kwity Paye. And while this year’s draft was said to be deep in tackle talent, Ballard did not use a Day 2 or Day 3 choice on a tackle either.

It doesn’t sound like Colts brass was particularly high on the top-shelf LT prospects. “It just didn’t match up,” Ballard said (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of The Athletic). “How many true left tackles were in the draft? We’ll see. … If you’re gonna draft a guy that high, and you’re drafting him to be a left tackle, you’d like to know that he’s going to be that his whole career.”

Now for more out of Indianapolis, starting with additional notes on the team’s LT situation:

  • Even though the Colts valued Paye and second-round choice Dayo Odeyingbo over any LTs that were available at the time, owner Jim Irsay did concede that there were several tackles in the fourth and fifth rounds that they would have drafted but missed out on (Twitter links via Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star).
  • Irsay suggested that the team is comfortable with Tevi as the starting LT, though he left the door open for another acquisition. “We feel that Tevi can do a solid job there next to that line that he is joining,” he said. “There are other options that can come down the line” (Twitter link via Holder).
  • Irsay has previously indicated that the team would prefer to keep Quenton Nelson at left guard instead of moving him to LT, and perhaps one of the “options that can come down the line” that he referred to is former Chiefs LT Eric Fisher, who is still on the market.
  • We recently heard that the Colts are hoping to extend LB Darius Leonard and OT Braden Smith, and you can add RB Nyheim Hines to that mix. As Mike Chappell of Fox 59 writes, Irsay said he wants his team to explore a re-up with the NC State product, who is eligible for free agency next year. Hines is a terrific receiver out of the backfield and has developed into a quality punt returner, but the team does have second-year pro Jonathan Taylor as its RB1, and Marlon Mack is back in the fold as well. As Irsay observed, “it just depends on what the numbers are.”
  • The Colts just drafted Texas signal-caller Sam Ehlinger, adding him to a quarterback room that also includes 2020 UDFA Jalen Morton and 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason. All three players will be vying to serve as Carson Wentz‘s top backup, though head coach Frank Reich said Eason will be penciled in as the QB2 for now (Twitter link via Erickson). Reich was clear that Morton and Ehlinger will get a fair shake, however.

Jaguars Work Out Tim Tebow

May 2nd, 2021 at 11:14am CST by Sam Robinson

May 2: The Jaguars’ TE depth chart is very thin. The club just drafted Luke Farrell in the fifth round, but he is viewed as more of a blocking-first type of player. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Meyer conceded that he is concerned about the state of the position.

“There’s some great quality, quantity wasn’t there in the draft this year, and that’s a concern right now,” he said. “That’s a concern right now. . . . We just didn’t hit that today.”

That might be good news for Tebow. Meyer said he did not stay for the entirety of Tebow’s recent workout, but he did say that the team will explore the possibility of signing Tebow in the near future.

Apr. 29: Off the NFL radar for years, Tim Tebow has resurfaced with his former college coach. The Jaguars worked out the former quarterback recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Tebow, however, worked out as a tight end, according to Rapoport. Inaccurate as a passer, Tebow resisted previous overtures to move to another position. Having ended his baseball run earlier this year, the 33-year-old TV analyst appears to have changed his mind on playing tight end. The former Broncos first-round pick requested to work out at the position, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

This does not appear to be a case of Urban Meyer offering a courtesy workout to his former Heisman-winning Florida Gators superstar; the sides have discussed a deal, Rapoport adds. This would certainly be a major development, despite Tebow’s lengthy NFL absence. Tebow worked as a three-year starter for Meyer at Florida and played a key role as a freshman. The pair won two national championships together.

It is worth wondering how viable Tebow’s path back to the league is. He has not played a regular-season game since 2012, when he worked as a Jets backup. The popular southpaw passer caught on with the Patriots and Eagles in subsequent offseasons but could not land game-day gigs with either. Tebow spent the past few years in the New York Mets’ farm system. The quarterback-turned-outfielder showed considerable progress, considering he had not played baseball competitively since high school, and logged nearly 300 Triple-A at-bats in 2019. He fell just short of the majors. For what it’s worth, the Mets listed the 6-foot-3 Tebow at a tight end-capable 245 pounds.

The Jags have needed help at tight end for a while now. While Tebow would be a flier at best, it is not like the team is set at this position. Jacksonville should be expected to add a tight end at least by the middle rounds this week.

Jets To Ramp Up Negotiations With Marcus Maye

May 2nd, 2021 at 10:43am CST by Rory Parks

The Jets put the franchise tag on safety Marcus Maye back in March, and Maye signed his franchise tender, which locks him into a $10.61MM salary for 2021. However, player and team have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract, and as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes, GM Joe Douglas expects those negotiations to pick up now that the draft is over.

“It’s still a priority to keep Marcus here long-term,” Douglas said. “We have had productive texts back and forth with his agent. We’re hoping to really dive into this now that the draft’s over.”

Douglas has said all along that keeping Maye in the fold is a priority. But in March, Maye’s agent went public with his disappointment as to how contract talks had played out to that point, and in light of last summer’s Jamal Adams trade, there was some chatter that Douglas simply wasn’t prepared to pay big money for a safety.

Obviously, the fact that talks will resume is no guarantee that a deal gets done, especially if Maye is determined to land a top-of-the-market deal (meaning an AAV of $14MM-$15MM). Still, he is young enough and good enough to be a foundational piece of Douglas’ rebuild, which Jets fans hope was kicked into high-gear with this week’s selection of quarterback Zach Wilson.

In 2020, Pro Football Focus graded Maye as its No. 5 overall safety. The former second-rounder also finished the season with career-highs across the board, including 88 tackles, two sacks, two picks, and 11 passes defended.

49ers Will Not Ask Jimmy Garoppolo To Take Paycut

May 2nd, 2021 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

Jimmy Garoppolo may not be with the 49ers beyond the 2021 season — if he makes it that far — but he will not be asked to take a pay cut or restructure his contract. GM John Lynch was clear on that point, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes.

Of course, Lynch just selected Trey Lance with the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. While we have known ever since the 49ers traded a king’s ransom to the Dolphins to acquire that pick that they would use it on a QB, San Francisco brass has also implied that Garoppolo would be the starter at least to open the season while the rookie passer gets his feet wet at the professional level.

Branch, however, suggests that Lance could take the reins right away, meaning that the 49ers would be paying their backup a $24.2MM salary, to go along with a $27MM cap charge. But Lynch and team ownership have no issue with that proposition.

“I think it’s a testament to the commitment of our ownership,” Lynch said. “When this process was going on, that’s a question that we asked. We arrived at a point where that was our preference: to draft a quarterback and keep Jimmy, provided that someone didn’t come and just completely blow us way (with a trade offer). And they gave us that commitment. Yeah, we could do that. And we’re happy to have that situation right now. Because we believe it’s a very strong one.”

The 49ers do have the cap space to make it work. As Branch notes, San Francisco currently has $18.2MM of room, and while the club still has to sign its eight-man draft class and work out an extension for LB Fred Warner, that shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

Broncos To Split QB Reps 50-50 Between Lock, Bridgewater

May 2nd, 2021 at 9:40am CST by Rory Parks

As of now, the Broncos have not traded for Packers signal-caller Aaron Rodgers. Unless and until Rodgers is dealt to Denver, 2019 second-round pick Drew Lock and new trade acquisition Teddy Bridgewater will engage in an open competition for the team’s starting QB job.

Head coach Vic Fangio confirmed as much in an interview with Mike Klis of 9News.com. Although Fangio conceded he wasn’t sure which of Lock or Bridgewater would get the first set of reps in OTAs or training camp, he said, “it will be something that at the end of the day, maybe not at the end of every day, but over the course of OTAs and training camp, it’ll be 50-50.”

Lock only has 18 career starts to his credit, but he is already being mentioned as one of a number of failed QBs that led to John Elway‘s loss of decision-making power. In 13 games last season, the Missouri product threw 16 TD passes against a league-worst 15 picks, leading to a poor 75.4 quarterback rating.

Bridgewater was a a little better in his lone season in Carolina, but his 2020 campaign can fairly be characterized as disappointing as well, especially when measured against the three-year, $63MM contract he signed with the Panthers last offseason. He offers the experience and accuracy that Lock does not have at this point, though Lock’s ceiling is higher.

Fangio, predictably, had good things to say about both passers. “I think Drew’s had a helluva offseason up to this point, albeit we haven’t been on the field,” he said. “I think Drew is going to look good here in the offseason when we do hit the field. And I’ve been an admirer of Teddy Bridgewater for many years. … He’s a good football player. A good quarterback. He’s got deceptive scramble ability. He’s got really good pocket feel. He’s got great leadership abilities. I think he’s an accurate passer and processes very well so we’re happy.”

Regardless of which player wins the job, the Broncos currently have the least desirable QB situation in the AFC West. But new GM George Paton passed on the opportunity to draft a quarterback like Ohio State’s Justin Fields, so he obviously feels good enough about where things stand right now. However, the rest of Denver’s roster looks pretty strong, and the team could be one elite QB away from making serious noise in the AFC. As such, a Rodgers pursuit could still be in the cards.

Latest On Aaron Rodgers, Packers

May 1st, 2021 at 8:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Aaron Rodgers situation does not appear to be losing steam. Attending the Kentucky Derby on Saturday, the Packers quarterback indirectly indicated issues exist between he and Packers management.

After speaking with Rodgers, NBC Sports’ Mike Tirico said the quarterback is “disappointed” news of the rift between he and the Packers’ front office became public (via CBS Sports’ John Breech). Rodgers did not address the situation publicly, though there is little doubt the reigning MVP’s camp has voiced his concerns behind the scenes during draft weekend.

[RELATED: Aaron Rodgers Wants Out Of Green Bay]

A weekend report indicated Rodgers is adamant he will not play for the Packers again under current GM Brian Gutekunst. The fourth-year GM denied that the reigning MVP communicated that to him.

“Aaron hasn’t said anything like that to me and certainly hasn’t said anything publicly,” Gutekunst said, via ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. “I think that’s a little unfair to put that on him. Certainly don’t like to hear those things, but no, nothing’s been communicated directly to me.”

Gutekunst, Matt LaFleur and Packers president Mark Murphy have met with Rodgers in Los Angeles. Those meetings are not believed to have gone well. Green Bay’s surprise first-round selection of Jordan Love, which brought Rodgers’ long-term future with the franchise into question for the first time, has continued to drive a wedge between the quarterback and the front office. One of the sticking points in this drama is Rodgers’ issue with Gutekunst not communicating to him ahead of time intentions to draft Love. Gutekunst also said he could have handled that situation better, via the Washington Post’s Adam Kilgore (on Twitter).

Gutekunst said this week he will not trade Rodgers. A Rodgers retirement prospect has since surfaced, which reminds of 2011’s Carson Palmer-Bengals standoff. The Broncos, Raiders and 49ers are believed to be preferred Rodgers trade destinations, should this situation reach that point. San Francisco having traded two future first-round picks for the right to select Trey Lance would seemingly take the team out of the running, even though John Lynch confirmed he reached out to the Packers on the perennial Pro Bowler.

Rodgers-to-Denver rumors gained steam Thursday, and while the Broncos appeared to keep options open at quarterback by passing on Justin Fields and Mac Jones, no serious trade buzz has transpired. This prospective deal, however, remains a possibility, according to 9News’ Mike Klis, though this stalemate may be a ways away from legitimate trade rumors emerging.

For his part, LaFleur said what you might expect him to say when asked about the Rodgers situation. “[Rodgers is] our leader of our team,” LaFlauer said (video link via the team’s official website). “I want nothing more than to see him back in a Packer uniform. In my eyes, he’s the greatest to ever do it. I don’t care about Super Bowls or what not. But we want him back here.”

When asked how he would feel if Rodgers doesn’t have a change of heart about wanting to leave, LaFleur said, “I can’t ever take my brain to that spot right now. I just want to do everything in my power to ensure that doesn’t happen.”

Regardless of what happens on the Rodgers front, Gutekunst said the Packers will add another quarterback before training camp, per Demovsky. Tim Boyle, Rodgers’ backup of the past two years, is now with the Lions. That leaves Love as the only other QB on Green Bay’s roster. The Utah State alum has yet to take a regular-season snap.

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