2022 February - Pro Football Rumors

Packers GM On Rodgers, Adams, Cap

February 23rd, 2022 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

Can the Packers still have a competitive team in 2022 if they retain quarterback Aaron Rodgers and wide receiver Davante Adams at market-leading salaries? Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst says yes, adding that he’s “very confident about that,” (Twitter link via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic).

Even after restructuring Kenny Clark‘s contract, the Packers are facing an enormous numbers crunch. Aaron Rodgers’ forthcoming decision should provide some clarity for the offseason ahead, though it’s hard to imagine a future with both players at their expected rates. The Packers are reportedly prepared to use the franchise tag on Adams, though Gutekunst says that’s “not something we’d like to do.” Instead, he hopes to hammer out a long-term contract that works for both sides. By the same token, he didn’t rule out the possibility of Adams reaching the open market in March (Twitter link via Lily Zhao of FOX 6.

Meanwhile, Gutekunst declined to talk about a hypothetical Rodgers trade, should the QB request one. For what it’s worth, he did confirm that Rodgers was involved in the team’s decision to hire Tom Clements as its quarterbacks coach (Twitter link via Schneidman)— a sign that his relationship with Rodgers is in a better place than it was just one year ago.

Bills Re-Up Siran Neal

February 23rd, 2022 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills and Siran Neal have agreed to a new three-year deal, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). The new pact — worth up to $10.9MM — will keep the special teams standout in Buffalo for years to come. Before the new contract, Neal was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March.

Neal entered the league in 2018 as a fifth-round draft pick of the Bills. The safety out of Jacksonville State has since appeared in 64 games while spending much of his time on special teams. All in all, he’s got 83 career tackles, four tackles for loss, two QB hits, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

He’s been a reliable presence for the Bills, having missed just one game over the last four years. And, since ’18, he’s suited up in six playoff games for Buffalo, tallying seven tackles and one sack in those contests.

With Neal’s contract taken care of, the Bills will turn their attention to more pressing matters, including a potential new deal for cornerback Levi Wallace. Wallace, a former UDFA, has started in all of his games since 2018. This year, he was more crucial than ever as the Bills were forced to play without Pro Bowler Tre’Davious White in the second half of the season.

NFL Suspends Amani Bledsoe

February 23rd, 2022 at 9:55am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has suspended free agent defensive end Amani Bledsoe for six games, per the transactions wire. The ban is due to a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

Bledsoe previously lost a season of eligibility at the University of Oklahoma for an alleged PED violation. That may have contributed to him going undrafted in 2019. Bledsoe took the NCAA to court over that but wasn’t able to get the decision overturned.

Bledsoe went on to appear in 14 games for the Bengals in 2020 with four starts. That year, he logged 17 total tackles with two passes defensed. In 2021, he jockeyed between the Titans’ taxi squad and active roster. He finished out with five appearances, two starts, one pass defensed, and one tackle.

Per league rules, Bledsoe’s suspension will carry over if/when he signs with a new team for the 2022 season. Given the latest news and his lack of significant production over the last two years, it’s possible that teams will deprioritize Bledsoe and wait until the fall to audition him.

Packers Rework Kenny Clark’s Deal

February 23rd, 2022 at 8:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have created $10.892MM in 2022 cap space by restructuring Kenny Clark‘s contract (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com). As As a part of the agreement, Green Bay has converted $13.615MM of the nose tackle’s 2022 comp into a signing bonus while tacking on two void years.

The extra dollars could help the Packers carve out room for star wide receiver Davante Adams, who is expected to receive the franchise tag in the next couple of weeks. Clark, 27 in October, inked a four-year, $70MM extension with the Packers in 2020, so he remains under contract through the 2024 season. His original deal furnished him with $37MM over the first two years — now, by being a team player, he’ll get a good chunk of the remainder in his bank account sooner.

Clark appeared in 16 games for the Packers this season with 48 stops, four sacks, six tackles for loss, and one fumble recovery. His performance earned him Pro Bowl honors for the second time in his career while Pro Football Focus ranked him eighth amongst all interior defenders in pass rush proficiency.

Meanwhile, the Packers could also save nearly $20MM by trading Aaron Rodgers. The reigning MVP has not yet made up his mind about returning to the team, though he’s promised to make his decision soon.

Coaching Notes: June, Vikes, Saints, Bengals

February 22nd, 2022 at 10:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts are making an interesting hire. Gus Bradley‘s first Indianapolis defensive staff will include Cato June, a former Pro Bowl Colts linebacker in the 2000s. June will make a big jump, going from Bowling Green’s outside linebackers coach to the Colts’ assistant linebackers coach, Pete Thamel of Yahoo.com tweets. June made a name for himself in Indianapolis in the mid-2000s, climbing from 2003 sixth-round pick to 2005 Pro Bowler. June then started all four Colts playoff games during their 2006 Super Bowl-winning season. June played seven NFL seasons, before finishing his career in the United Football League, and has been coaching at the college level since 2015. Bradley coached June as the Buccaneers’ linebackers coach in the late 2000s.

Here is the latest from the league’s coaching staffs:

The Saints are also turning to the college ranks to fill one of their positional jobs. Kodi Burns will move from Tennessee’s wide receivers coach to the same position with the Saints, Thamel tweets. Burns is just 33 but has been a college position coach since 2014. He worked as Auburn’s passing-game coordinator in the two seasons prior to a 2021 move to Tennessee. Curtis Johnson, who interviewed for the Dolphins’ OC job, held this position last year. It is not yet certain if Johnson is part of new HC Dennis Allen‘s plans.
Veteran special teams coordinator Ben Kotwica will resurface in Minnesota. The Vikings hired Kotwica as their assistant ST coordinator. Formerly the ST coordinator with the Jets, Washington and Falcons, Kotwica sat out last season. The Falcons fired him midway through the 2020 campaign. The Vikings hired Matt Daniels as their ST coordinator.
Daronte Jones is also joining Kevin O’Connell‘s staff, doing so as the Vikes’ defensive backs coach. This will be a quick return for Jones, who served as Mike Zimmer‘s DBs coach for the 2020 Vikings. Jones became LSU’s defensive coordinator in 2021. Tuesday saw both ex-Tigers coordinators — Jones and OC Jake Peetz — land on their feet in the NFL. Peetz is now on the Rams’ staff. Jones, 43, previously worked with the Dolphins and Bengals’ secondaries. The Vikings also hired Mike Smith as outside linebackers coach. Not the ex-Falcons HC, Smith spent the past three seasons coaching the Packers’ outside linebackers. Smith had left the Packers to pursue other opportunities; this will now mean providing intel to an NFC North rival.
The Bengals‘ offensive line stands as one of the league’s top position groups to monitor. The unit will feature a new coach, with Cincinnati naming Derek Frazier as an assistant O-line coach. Frazier, who formerly worked as the Jets’ assistant O-line coach (2019-20), has extensive experience at the college level. He will share assistant O-line coaching duties with incumbent Ben Martin. Frank Pollack remains the Bengals’ top O-line coach. Cincinnati will also move Jordan Kovacs from defensive quality control coach to assistant inside linebackers coach. Kovacs, 31, has been with the Bengals since 2019.
The Bills are adding Jaylon Finner to their staff, per Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. Formerly the safeties coach at Division II Texas A&M Commerce, Finner will work as a defensive assistant in Buffalo.

Saints Waive K Brett Maher

February 22nd, 2022 at 8:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints cycled through a host of kickers in their attempt to replace Wil Lutz last season. Brett Maher ended up being the one to stick, playing eight games and finishing the season. But the team made a move in preparation for Lutz’s presumptive return.

New Orleans waived Maher on Tuesday. While this move makes Maher available to the 31 other teams, the former Cowboys kicker did not see game action between his November 2019 Dallas exit and the November 2021 New Orleans arrival.

Maher enjoyed two stints as a Saint, first catching on in August. A groin injury halted that stay, but after New Orleans’ procession of regular-season Lutz replacements — Aldrick Rosas, Brian Johnson, Cody Parkey — did not perform up to par, the team pivoted back to Maher. The strong-legged specialist was 16-for-18 on field goals and made 10 of 12 extra points. Maher remains the only kicker in NFL history to make three 60-plus-yard field goals.

Lutz aggravated a groin injury in August that ended up nixing his season. The Saints’ regular kicker attempted to come back in October, returning to practice, but a setback shut him down for the season’s entirety. Lutz signed a five-year, $20.25MM extension in 2019. He is under contract through 2023 and set to count $5.6MM against New Orleans’ cap in 2022.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 2/22/22

February 22nd, 2022 at 8:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:

Chicago Bears

LB Noah Dawkins

Cincinnati Bengals

WR Trent Taylor

Green Bay Packers

K Dominik Eberle

Miami Dolphins

QB Chris Streveler

New York Giants

TE Chris Myarick

Tennessee Titans

WR Josh Malone

AFC West Notes: Herock, Chiefs, Chargers

February 22nd, 2022 at 7:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders are adding a familiar name to their front office. Shaun Herock is joining GM Dave Ziegler‘s staff as a personnel advisor, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). This will interestingly bring Herock back to the Raiders, an organization that has employed both he and his father (Ken Herock). This hire probably should not be too surprising, with Mark Davis calling Ken Herock the “ringleader” of the Raiders’ 2022 GM and HC searches (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur; subscription required). Shaun finished the 2018 season as the Raiders’ interim GM, working atop Oakland’s front office after Reggie McKenzie‘s exit and before Mike Mayock‘s arrival. Herock worked with the Raiders from 2012-18 and spent the past two years as a Browns national scout. Prior to Herock’s Oakland years, he spent nearly two decades under Ron Wolf and Ted Thompson in Green Bay’s front office.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

Josh McDaniels added another name to his staff as well. The Raiders are hiring Kennedy Polamalu as their running backs coach, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Polamalu, 58, coached the Vikings’ running backs for the past five seasons. He also worked as the Browns and Jaguars’ running backs coach in the 2000s.
Donald D’Alesio will move from defensive assistant to safeties coach with the Chiefs, the team announced Tuesday. D’Alesio came to Kansas City in 2021 after a stint as Youngstown State’s defensive coordinator.
The Chargers are also dipping into the second-generation ranks. They hired Mike Hiestand as an offensive assistant. Mike is the son of former Bears offensive line coach Harry Hiestand, who took a job at Notre Dame this offseason. Mike Hiestand, 30, worked as an assistant in Denver for the past three seasons.
Nathaniel Hackett‘s first Broncos staff will include Andrew Carter as a defensive quality control coach. Carter spent the past two seasons as a Kansas graduate assistant and had agreed to become Tennessee-Martin’s defensive line coach this offseason. Carter, who also worked as a D-line coach at Hampton and Eastern Illinois, will instead head to Denver for his first NFL gig.

No Talks Between Patriots, J.C. Jackson

February 22nd, 2022 at 6:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots have let a few key cornerbacks walk in recent years. They made Darrelle Revis a one-and-done and did not re-sign Logan Ryan or Malcolm Butler. They traded Stephon Gilmore during his contract year. Now, New England has a decision to make on J.C. Jackson.

One of the NFL’s top ballhawks is less than a month from free agency, and the two-week franchise tag window opened Tuesday. Since the Pats’ wild-card loss, however, Jackson has not heard from the team regarding a new deal.

“I guess they feel like they don’t need me,” Jackson said, via Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston. “I guess I can’t be that important to them. I know I am, but they’re not showing me. … Whatever happens happens. I’m taking it day by day. But it’s time for me to get paid. It’s time to get Mr. INT paid.”

The Pats did approach Jackson about an extension during the 2021 season, but the talented corner preferred to play out his contract year at that point. The Pats would like to retain Jackson, Perry adds, but have not determined how they will proceed with the tag. They kept Jackson via second-round RFA tender in 2021. The former UDFA finished last season with eight interceptions and an NFL-leading 23 pass breakups en route to his first Pro Bowl. Although Jackson struggled in the Pats’ playoff loss, he would be one of this year’s top free agents if allowed to hit the market.

Jackson, 26, has intercepted an NFL-most 25 passes over the past four seasons. After playing a part-time role for the Pats’ Super Bowl LIII-winning team, Jackson rose to a regular gig over the ensuing three seasons. The Pats parted ways with the likes of Gilmore and Jason McCourty during that time. Should Jackson leave in free agency, the perennially sound New England defense will feature a huge hole.

However, the Pats have not been shy on deploying the franchise tag under Bill Belichick. They have used the tag 10 times since 2002, with cornerback Asante Samuel (2007) being among those tagged. Samuel left in free agency in 2008. A Jackson tag is expected to cost approximately $17.3MM, per CBS Sports’ Joel Corry.

“I love the game,” Jackson said. “If they tag me, I’m gonna go out there and play.”

Pack, Davante Adams Not Discussing Deal

February 22nd, 2022 at 5:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The window for teams to use their respective franchise tags opened Tuesday, but clubs rarely pull the trigger on tags early. Two weeks remain until the tag period closes, giving teams a bit more time. But the Packers are now on the clock with Davante Adams.

Green Bay has not used its tag since 2010 (Ryan Pickett) but is prepared to cuff its All-Pro wide receiver. Hopes for an Adams extension continue to be on hold. The sides have not discussed an extension since the Packers’ season ended last month, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel tweets.

Adams played out his four-year extension and is poised to command a top-market receiver deal. A franchise tag would interfere with those hopes, though it would pay Adams a guaranteed salary in the $20MM range. An Adams tag also further restricts the Packers, who are more than $53MM over the expected 2022 cap. While restructures will commence, the Packers would undoubtedly be hindered by an Adams tag. The team also has De’Vondre Campbell, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Kevin King and Rasul Douglas on track for free agency.

The team would save nearly $20MM by trading Aaron Rodgers, but the reigning MVP has not yet made up his mind about returning to the team. That clock is also ticking, for Packers team-building purposes. Rodgers’ status will affect Adams’, with the two-time All-Pro receiver admitting as such at multiple points last year after stalled negotiations.

Should Rodgers declare he wants out, how the Packers go forward with Adams will be a key fallout storyline. A tag-and-trade scenario would open the door to more high-end assets coming Green Bay’s way, in the event the team wants to reap full value in parting ways with its famed aerial connection. Of course, trading Adams after unloading Rodgers would mean the Packers would be essentially rebuilding at wide receiver ahead of Jordan Love‘s debut season.

The Packers and Adams broke off extension talks prior to last season; Adams sought a deal that topped DeAndre Hopkins‘ $27MM-per-year accord. He did not reach free agency when first eligible, opting to sign a four-year, $58MM extension in December 2017. As Adams progressed to the All-Pro tier, that contract became extraordinarily team-friendly. Set to turn 30 before the 2022 season ends, Adams is running short on time to maximize his value.