In case you missed some of the top stories around the NFL this past week, here’s a quick recap:
- Watson’s Camp, NFLPA Expecting Lengthy Suspension: A final decision is looming with respect to league discipline being handed down to Browns QB Deshaun Watson, and all parties involved expect a “significant” suspension to be announced. Watson is facing 24 lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault, and recent reports have shed more light on the scale of his actions. The Browns committed significant draft capital and a fully-guaranteed $230MM contract to acquire him, but it appears to be very much in doubt that he will see the field in 2022.
- Steelers Extend Fitzpatrick: As expected, Pittsburgh made a long-term deal with All-Pro safety Minkah Fitzpatrick a top priority. New general manager Omar Khan got a deal finalized with the 25-year-old, which will make him the league’s highest-paid safety ($18.4MM per year) when it kicks in. He is set to play on the fifth-year option in 2022, but he is now on the books for another four years beyond that.
- Snyder Won’t Testify To House Oversight Committee: Commanders owner Dan Snyder will not be appearing before the House Oversight Committee to testify about the workplace culture of the team, something which has been the subject of a lengthy investigation. A letter sent from his attorney explains that Snyder is unavailable for the scheduled date of his attendance, June 22, and states that he would be willing to testify at another time.
- Browns, Panthers Still Discussing Mayfield Trade: It has long been known that QB Baker Mayfield will be on his way out of Cleveland soon, leading to plenty of speculation that he will end up in Carolina. The two sides have continued trade talks involving the former No. 1 pick, which date back to the draft. Some members of the Panthers’ front office would still prefer acquiring Mayfield to the alternative of a Sam Darnold–Matt Corral pairing, but finances remain the largest hurdle to overcome to get a deal done.
- Ravens Resume Contract Talks With Jackson: With Lamar Jackson back at the Ravens’ facility for mandatory minicamp, he was able to resume contract talks with GM Eric DeCosta. The former MVP is expected to play on the fifth-year option this season, with little progress being made to date on negotiations for a long-term extension. If you haven’t done so already, be sure to have your say on how this situation will turn out by voting in PFR’s latest poll, which can be found here.
When are the Panthers and Browns going to Schiste or Get off the Pot ?
Why would either need to?
Browns wanna wait til a team loses a QB to injury and gets desperate.
Carolina knows they’re the only team interested currently to pay bakers 22 salary.
Only “rush” is getting him into camp to learn his 5th offensive scheme in as many years he’s had in the league.
Well if Carolina wants Mayfield wouldn’t you want him in camp learning the playbook and throwing to the receivers? I mean they would acquire him to be the starter since he’s much better than Darnold and Corral is a rookie
Analysts, bloggers and pundits want Mayfield in Carolina or any of the 30 other franchises. If and when Mayfield moves on, the next story will be what a mistake it was for “put new team name here” to take him.
Have some fun today, go look at Mayfield’s 2021 stats on a per start basis and compare to Case Keenum’s stats on a per start basis. You may be surprised to learn that Keenum was statistically better.
One had shoulder surgery and one didn’t. Mayfield had a bad year but he got hurt with his shoulder in the 2nd game of the year. He threw for over 300 yards and completed 75% of his passes in the 1st game. One of Keenum’s 2 starts was against the Bengals who rested everyone