HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Packers Pursued Julio Jones; Colts Did Not Show Interest

July 27th, 2022 at 10:14am CST by Sam Robinson

Julio Jones‘ Buccaneers agreement — a one-year, $6MM deal — became official Wednesday morning. The future Hall of Fame wide receiver joined a team that already carried one of the NFL’s best receiving groups, but he was linked to teams with question marks at the position.

The Packers were another team to pursue Jones, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). While other teams are believed to be involved here, Tampa Bay and Green Bay represent Jones’ known suitors. The Colts were not involved, with GM Chris Ballard indicating the team was not planning to add the former Falcons and Titans target (Twitter link via the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson).

Green Bay represented one of Odell Beckham Jr.‘s most prominent pursuers last year, and the Jones situation unfolded similarly. After Beckham joined the Rams, Jones is set up to help another Packers NFC rival. The Pack offered Beckham the veteran minimum; the Rams came in with a better proposal to snare the talented wideout last November. It appears likely the Packers’ Jones offer came in south of the Bucs’, sending the All-Decade pass catcher to a team flush with receiver options.

The Packers are attempting to regroup at wideout, having lost their top two options from recent years — Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling. They did add Sammy Watkins in free agency and North Dakota State’s Christian Watson in Round 2, before also drafting Nevada’s Romeo Doubs in Round 4. But the team’s receiving corps is light on dependable players and noticeably lacks a No. 1-type option — barring Watson breaking out quickly. Green Bay has been linked to OBJ again this offseason, but Los Angeles has shown far more consistent interest.

Allen Lazard and Randall Cobb represent the Packers’ top holdover options, with the former having an opportunity to make a major climb in Aaron Rodgers‘ aerial hierarchy ahead of a potential 2023 free agency bid. Beyond Beckham, veterans like Emmanuel Sanders, T.Y. Hilton, Cole Beasley and Will Fuller remain unsigned. But Jones moves a key piece off the board.

Linked consistently to the Colts this offseason, Hilton remains on the team’s radar. Ballard confirmed the team has not ruled out a reunion with the third-leading receiver in team history (Twitter link via Erickson). The Colts lost Zach Pascal to the Eagles in free agency and are counting on second-round rookie Alec Pierce to be a key auxiliary piece in their Michael Pittman Jr.-fronted receiving cadre. Beyond Pittman, the Colts are thin on known commodities at the receiver position. Parris Campbell remains in the team’s plans, but injuries have defined his career through three years. Second-year player Mike Strachan underwent knee surgery this summer, per The Athletic’s Zak Keefer, who adds (via Twitter) the 2021 seventh-round pick may be sidelined until the final days of training camp.

Broncos Bring Back RT Cameron Fleming

July 27th, 2022 at 9:35am CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos brought in two new candidates to vie for their right tackle position, a job that has seen numerous players cycle through during a 10-year period of instability. But the team circled back to one of its 2021 right tackles Wednesday.

Cameron Fleming is re-signing with the Broncos, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Fleming, one of the two post-Ja’Wuan James veterans the team added during the 2021 offseason, will be part of the team’s right tackle competition. To make room on their 90-man roster, the Broncos waived linebacker Kadofi Wright.

Fleming lost last summer’s right tackle competition to Bobby Massie but ended up starting four games at the position. Massie is not on Denver’s 90-man roster, and the longtime Bears blocker has not caught on with another team this year. Fleming, 29, joins Tom Compton and Billy Turner as veterans vying for the 2022 right-edge gig. Multiyear Broncos backup Calvin Anderson is also in the mix for the position, though Compton’s experience and Turner’s familiarity with Nathaniel Hackett‘s scheme make them likelier candidates to end up with the gig.

The Broncos placed Turner on their active/PUP list to start camp, complicating their situation. Denver has used a different Week 1 right tackle in each of the past nine seasons. Unless Massie re-emerges, that streak will run to 10. Fleming could inject some rare continuity into this situation, but this is likely an insurance move.

Almost all of Turner’s one-year, $2.5MM deal is guaranteed. Compton signed for one year and $2.25MM; $1.5MM of that is guaranteed. Neither of these sums would be too onerous, dead money-wise, to jettison before Week 1. This would be Fleming’s ninth NFL season. He worked as a starter or swing backup with the Patriots, Cowboys and Giants from 2014-20.

Packers LT David Bakhtiari Underwent Offseason Knee Surgery

July 27th, 2022 at 9:10am CST by Sam Robinson

The Packers continue to wait for their All-Pro left tackle to return to regular duty. They placed David Bakhtiari on the active/PUP list to start training camp, extending this lengthy delay. More potential cause for concern emerged Wednesday.

GM Brian Gutekunst indicated Bakhtiari underwent another knee surgery this offseason, via ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Bakhtiari, who has played in one game since suffering an ACL tear during a New Year’s Eve 2020 practice, did not participate in Green Bay’s offseason program.

This procedure — the third known surgery for Bakhtiari since that ACL tear — occurred just before Packers OTAs began, Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette tweets. Bakhtiari, 30, underwent a second procedure — after the initial reconstruction, which occurred shortly after the tear — during the 2021 offseason.

When asked if Bakhtiari would be available in Week 1, Gutekunst said the team will not place a timetable on this situation. This is consistent with how Matt LaFleur has addressed the Bakhtiari issue throughout the offseason. The Packers spent most of last season without both their top offensive linemen, and Elgton Jenkins joins Bakhtiari on the active/PUP list to start camp. Players can stay on the active/PUP list until August 23, when they must be activated or begin the season on the reserve/PUP list — which requires a four-week absence.

Jenkins is a candidate to start the regular season on the reserve/PUP list, with the Packers — as Bakhtiari’s situation has shown over the past year and change — being one of the more cautious teams regarding returns from injury. These two Pro Bowl blockers have not played in a game together since Week 16 of the 2020 season.

The Packers brought Bakhtiari along slowly last year, placing him on the reserve/PUP list to start the season. But the decorated lineman being activated Nov. 10 and then not playing for more than a month brought some alarm bells. Bakhtiari played just 27 snaps last season, working his way back onto the field in the Packers’ meaningless Week 18 game against the Lions. That game action, however, left Bakhtiari unable to suit up for the Packers’ divisional-round game. Bakhtiari admitted (via Wood, on Twitter) he did not feel 100% going into that Week 18 contest.

Bakhtiari signed a four-year, $92MM extension during the 2020 season. His multiyear troubles dealing with the same injury mirror those of Ronnie Stanley, who inked his big-ticket Ravens extension just before going down with what has been a troublesome ankle malady. Both players earn top-five O-line money, and two franchises await their respective returns.

49ers Commit To Trey Lance As Starting QB; Jimmy Garoppolo Won’t Land On PUP

July 26th, 2022 at 9:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Trey Lance era in San Francisco has officially begun. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters today that the team is fully committed to last year’s third-overall pick as their starting QB, thus eliminating any QB controversy as veteran Jimmy Garoppolo lingers on the roster.

“We have moved on to Trey,” Shanahan said (via ESPN’s Nick Wagoner). “This is Trey’s team. That’s nothing against Jimmy. We made that decision a year ago and we’re going with that. We’re not going to mess around with that anymore. Jimmy understands that fully. That’s a business decision and that’s what makes it not awkward. Jimmy knows we’re going with Trey. Trey knows we’re going with Trey and our team does, and everyone likes both of those guys.”

It has been known since last April that San Francisco would hand the No. 1 role to Lance no later than his second season in the NFL. A deal sending Garoppolo elsewhere has thus been seen as inevitable throughout a 2022 offseason filled with several major moves at the position. The QB’s health obviously played a role in the fact that a trade still hasn’t materialized, but with few suitors (if any) on the market, the organization recently gave Garoppolo permission to seek a trade. According to Wagoner, Garoppolo met with Shanahan and GM John Lynch to discuss their next steps today, the first conversation the trio had had since February. Shanhan also told reporters that he’d like to have Garoppolo off the roster as “soon as we can.”

“We spoke when he left and we had a pretty good understanding of what was going on, and because of the surgery and the ramifications of that in other teams’ eyes, nothing has transpired as of yet,” Lynch said. “But he’s here, he’s reported, we’ll see what happens in the physical and we’ll move forward accordingly.”

Meanwhile, Garoppolo won’t be placed on the physically unable to perform list. As Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area tweets, the quarterback was cleared today after undergoing his physical. This was the intended plan as Garoppolo continues to recover from offseason shoulder surgery; Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury tweets that Garoppolo will do his throwing rehab on the sideline while the rest of the team is practicing. Plus, as NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo points out (on Twitter), there was little chance the 49ers were going to fail Garoppolo’s physical as they continue to seek a trade for the veteran. Today’s move also means the 49ers wouldn’t be on the hook for the player’s $7.5MM injury guarantee if he is ultimately released.

Garoppolo isn’t the only major story in San Francisco. We learned earlier today that wideout Deebo Samuel reported to camp despite seeking a new contract. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter), the two sides are not close on money, but the two sides are on the same page when it comes to Samuel’s role in 2022. The player has expressed a desire to get less carries between the tackles and reduce the wear and tear on his body.

Seahawks Sign Three Picks, Finalize Draft Class

July 26th, 2022 at 9:11pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks entered the day with three unsigned draft picks, but they finished signing all of their rooks today. The team announced that they’ve signed second-round linebacker Boye Mafe, second-round running back Kenneth Walker III, and fourth-round defensive back Coby Bryant.

Mafe was selected with the No. 40 pick following a standout career at Minnesota. That includes a 2021 campaign where he compiled 26 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, and seven sacks en route to second-team All-Big Ten honors. In Seattle, he should temporarily provide some depth behind the projected starting linebacker trio of Jordyn Brooks, Cody Barton, and Uchenna Nwosu.

Walker had a breakout season at Michigan in 2021, finishing with 1,636 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. That performance earned him a long list of awards, and the Seahawks ended up using the No. 41 pick on him, making Walker the second RB off the draft board. With Chris Carson retiring, the rookie will immediately see a role on Seattle’s offense alongside running back Rashaad Penny.

Bryant earned the Jim Thorpe award as college football’s top defensive back in 2021 after finishing with 34 tackles, two interceptions, and 11 passes defended in 14 games with Cincinnati. The Seahawks used the No. 109 pick on him, and he’ll provide some depth at cornerback.

With the signing, the Seahawks have signed their entire draft class:

Round 1: No. 9 (from Broncos) Charles Cross, OT (Mississippi State) (signed)
Round 2: No. 40 (from Broncos) Boye Mafe, DE (Minnesota) (signed)
Round 2: No. 41 Kenneth Walker III, RB (Michigan State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 72 Abraham Lucas, OT (Washington State) (signed)
Round 4: No. 109 (from Jets) Coby Bryant, CB (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 5: No. 153 Tariq Woolen, CB (Texas-San Antonio) (signed)
Round 5: No. 158 (from Dolphins through Patriots and Chiefs): Tyreke Smith, DE (Ohio State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 229 Bo Melton, WR (Rutgers) (signed)
Round 7: No. 233 (from Vikings through Chiefs): Dareke Young, WR (Lenoir-Rhyne) (signed)

Bears Sign S Jaquan Brisker, Wrap Up Draft Class

July 26th, 2022 at 8:56pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears have officially signed their entire draft class. ESPN’s Courtney Cronin reports (on Twitter) that the Bears have signed second-round safety Jaquan Brisker.

Following a freshman season at Lackawanna, Brisker transferred to Penn State. He ended up spending three seasons with the Nittany Lions, seeing time in 34 games. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors and a second-team All-American nod in 2021 after finishing with 38 tackles, six tackles for loss, five passes defended, and two interceptions.

The Bears selected Brisker with the No. 46 pick in the 2022 draft, making him the fifth cornerback off the board. Chicago used the second-round selection that they acquired in the Khalil Mack deal with Los Angeles. The rookie is expected to slide into the starting lineup, with Dane Cruikshank and Michael Joseph providing depth at strong safety.

“I gave him a big hug when I saw him,” GM Ryan Poles said today. “He’s headed in the right direction and I’m excited to see what he does this training camp.”

With the signing, the Bears have signed their entire draft class:

Round 2: No. 39 Kyler Gordon, CB (Washington) (signed)
Round 2: No. 48 (from Chargers) Jaquan Brisker, S (Penn State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 71 Velus Jones, WR (Tennessee) (signed)
Round 5: No. 168 (from Bills) Braxton Jones, OT (Southern Utah State) (signed)
Round 5: No. 174 (from Bengals): Dominique Robinson, OLB (Miami University) (signed)
Round 6: No. 186 Zach Thomas, OG (San Diego State) (signed)
Round 6: No. 203 (from Bills) Trestan Ebner, RB (Baylor) (signed)
Round 6: No. 207 (from 49ers through Jets and Texans): Doug Kramer, OG (Illinois) (signed)
Round 7: No. 226 (from Giants through Bengals): Ja’Tyre Carter, C (Southern) (signed)
Round 7: No. 254 (from Chargers) Elijah Hicks, S (California) (signed)
Round 7: No. 255 (from Chargers) Trenton Gill, P (NC State) (signed)

Titans CB Buster Skrine Retires

July 26th, 2022 at 8:43pm CST by Ben Levine

With training camp set to open tomorrow, the Titans are down a cornerback. Veteran defensive back Buster Skrine has informed the Titans that he’ll be retiring, according to Terry McCormick of TitansInsider.com.

“Buster Skrine informed us that he was going to retire, so I respect that decision, and I really respect Buster as a person and as a player,” coach Mike Vrabel said. “But he made a decision that he felt like was best for him and his family, and we’ll respect that and support him however we can.”

Skrine was a fifth-round pick out of Chattanooga in 2011. He spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the Browns, collecting 235 tackles and six interceptions in 64 games. He followed that up with a four-year stint with the Jets, and he’s since bounced around to the Bears, 49ers, and Titans. In total, he saw time in 158 career games (95 starts), compiling 590 tackles and 10 interceptions.

The 33-year-old joined the Titans midway through the 2021 season. He ended up seeing time in six games (three starts) for Tennessee, compiling 17 tackles, three passes defended, and one interception. Skrine also appeared in his first career playoff game, collecting a single tackle.

The cornerback was expected to stick around for the 2022 campaign as veteran depth. As McCormick notes, Greg Mabin is the only cornerback on the roster with more than two years experience, and he’s bounced on and off the roster in recent years. 2020 first-round pick Caleb Farley and former second-round pick Kristian Fulton are expected to start for Tennessee, leaving second-year nickelback Elijah Molden and rookie Roger McCreary as the top depth. General manager Jon Robinson said the Titans will likely “fill the spot” in the coming days.

“I was so proud he was a part of our team last year,” Robinson said. “After every game – we signed him midseason and he came in and contributed for us. I think he’s got 11 years in the league. The smile on his face – he gave me a big hug after every win. But you never know where guys are at health wise and with the game. I wish him nothing but the best. He was a great teammate. He worked hard. He was kind of an old soul, who showed up every day and was productive for us.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/22

July 26th, 2022 at 7:56pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions, including a handful of notable names landing on the physically unable to perform list and the non-football injury list as teams open up camp:

Arizona Cardinals

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Las Vegas Raiders

Los Angeles Chargers

Miami Dolphins

  • Released with NFI designation: WR Cody Core

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

D.K. Metcalf Reports To Training Camp

July 26th, 2022 at 6:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the few minicamp no-shows this year, D.K. Metcalf is part of the glut of high-profile receivers going into contract years. Metcalf took care of one piece of business Tuesday, returning to work.

The fourth-year wideout reported to training camp, Brady Henderson and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com note (on Twitter). Metcalf only incurred a fine in the $90K range for missing minicamp. Players are fined $40K per day for training camp absences.

Still, the CBA’s crackdown on holdouts — a measure which also includes, after barely a week’s worth of absences, stripping a year of service time toward free agency — has left the door open to the “hold-in” tactic. Metcalf could follow Jamal Adams and Duane Brown‘s lead by not working out with his teammates once at practices. Adams staged his “hold-in” last year but returned to the field after receiving a then-safety-record contract extension. Metcalf is not expected to receive a record-setting wideout deal, but it would not surprise if he followed Adams’ path and watched workouts.

Metcalf’s decision to skip minicamp surprised some in the organization, but both Metcalf and Pete Carroll have expressed optimism about an extension being finalized. Though, this process is not expected to be wrapped up early in camp. Late last month, a report emerged indicating a Metcalf deal “hardly seemed like a slam dunk.” GM John Schneider noted earlier this offseason how much the new wide receiver market — one that now features Metcalf college teammate and fellow 2019 Day 2 draftee A.J. Brown attached to a $25MM-per-year deal — has changed the game for teams. The new market, which also has seen 2019 Day 2 pick Terry McLaurin sign a $23MM-per-year deal, has put the Seahawks to a rather key decision.

How the post-Russell Wilson Seahawks, a team that used one of the more run-oriented attacks before Wilson’s exit, proceed here will be one of the top storylines to follow between now and Week 1.

Broncos GM Addresses Russell Wilson Extension Timetable

July 26th, 2022 at 5:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are entering training camp with their best quarterback situation in eight years. While Russell Wilson provides a massive upgrade for the long-QB-starved franchise, the subject of his contract will be a front-burner item soon.

Still on the $35MM-per-year Seahawks contract he signed in April 2019, when that deal topped the market, Wilson has since seen his deal surpassed by several passers. The new market makes Wilson’s pact barely a top-10 NFL accord, and Kyler Murray‘s extension now means there are four QBs attached to $45MM-per-year deals or north of that. Four other deals top $40MM AAV.

Wilson will almost certainly be added to that list, and second-year Broncos GM George Paton is confident a deal will be completed. It just might not happen this year. Wilson is attached to $24MM and $27MM cap numbers in 2022 and ’23, respectively.

“We all want Russell here a long time,” Paton said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “Out of respect for his team and our team, we’re going to keep it in-house, any discussions we may or may not have. I have a really good relationship with [Wilson agent] Mark Rodgers. At the right time, we’ll get a deal done.”

Denver moving on this now might save the franchise some money, but Wilson’s best interests could be to wait. Circumstances may well dictate that as well. The possibility this is pushed to 2023 has been out there for a bit now, and the Broncos are transitioning to a new owner, Rob Walton, whose acquisition has not yet been approved by the league. That would figure to hold up a matter as important as Wilson’s first Broncos-negotiated contract. Walton, however, is expected to be in place as the Broncos’ next owner by the time the season starts. That would open a narrow window to a Wilson extension before this season.

The perennial Pro Bowl passer is coming off a down year, one in which he missed time due to injury for the first time in his career and saw a quick return from that setback lead to substandard play, and could use the 2022 season as a springboard to better value entering the 2023 offseason. The QB market could also include a Lamar Jackson extension by 2023, with monster re-ups for Joe Burrow and Justin Herbert in play as well. One or more of these QBs being extended by the time Wilson and the Broncos enter serious negotiations would drive up the two-time Super Bowl starter’s market.

Wilson can also use the Broncos’ lengthy run of below-average QB play to his advantage, and the team being on the verge of having the NFL’s richest owner would not hurt its trade acquisition’s cause. Walton’s approximate net worth, in the $70 billion neighborhood, would be an asset to Rodgers and Wilson negotiating a deal that includes guarantees that approach Deshaun Watson‘s. Though, Watson’s $230MM fully guaranteed remains an outlier. Murray’s $103MM guaranteed at signing sits second overall.

Wilson’s Seahawks negotiations were eventful in both the 2015 and ’19 offseasons, and prospective talks on a fourth contract helped drive the NFC West team to trade its star quarterback. Though, the Broncos seeing a noticeable production spike at the game’s premier position will likely be worth the tradeoff of having a player command a deal in the $50MM-per-year range.

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