HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Bears Receiving Calls On No. 1 Pick; Team “Leaning Toward” Trade

February 27th, 2023 at 9:00am CST by Adam La Rose

The NFL Scouting Combine takes place this week, and its first significant development has already reportedly taken place. Multiple teams have inquired about the availability of the first overall pick in this year’s draft, and the Bears are certainly open to the possibility of moving it.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Chicago is “leaning toward” trading the top selection. The results of Chicago’s and Houston’s final regular season games clinched the top spot for the Bears, and immediately invited debate and speculation on what they would do in a position of considerable leverage. General manager Ryan Poles made it clear that all options are on the table as they weigh draft evaluations against trade offers.

When speaking publicly about the opportunity afforded with the No. 1 pick to draft a quarterback, Poles endorsed incumbent starter Justin Fields and said he would need to be “blown away” by the class of signal-callers. Alabama’s Bryce Young is expected to be the first QB off the board, but others like Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis are expected to go in the top 10. With the QB-needy Texans set to pick second overall, a bidding war could ensue as teams look to move ahead of them on the board.

Coming off a 3-14 season, the Bears have a number of roster holes to fill, and would be well-served to collect extra draft assets by moving down. Doing so would be in line with the majority view of PFR’s readers, and could still allow them to secure one of the top defenders – defensive tackle Jalen Carter or edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. – depending on how far down the board they fall. Much of their roster needs will be determined by free agency, of course, which will be a busy period for Poles and Co., seeing as the Bears lead the league with nearly $100MM in cap space.

The veteran quarterback market has yet to take shape, with Derek Carr and Jimmy Garoppolo the top names certain to find themselves in a new home next season. Whichever teams are unable to land those two (or any other passer who could be moved, such as Lamar Jackson or Aaron Rodgers) will no doubt look towards the draft to find a long-term solution. A clearer picture will be in place by April with respect to which teams are still on the market for a signal-caller, and thus of interest to the Bears as a potential trade partner.

It has been seven years since the last time a No. 1 pick was traded, but the past two offseasons have seen significant pick swaps in the first round. The Eagles and Saints finalized a notable deal affecting their 2022 and ’23 draft capital last April, while the 49ers made a major push up the board the year before to move to No. 3 and select Trey Lance. Another blockbuster could be in the cards, if the Bears remain willing to entertain offers for the top selection.

Community Tailgate: Lamar Jackson

February 26th, 2023 at 10:58pm CST by Adam La Rose

Ozzie Newsome’s final draft as Ravens general manager in 2018 saw the team secure a succession plan for Joe Flacco at the quarterback position. With the Super Bowl XLVII MVP aging and approaching an important financial point in his contract, Lamar Jackson was selected to one day take over the reins of a transitioning offense.

That time came midway through Jackson’s rookie season, when the Louisville product took over for an injured Flacco. He helped lead the Ravens to a 6-1 record and a playoff berth, cementing his status as the starter moving forward. The 2019 season saw Jackson deliver one of the most unique and historic performances in NFL history, which culminated in the league’s second ever unanimous MVP vote. Expectations have been through the roof ever since, but the situation between Jackson and the Ravens has soured recently with contract talks netting little progress over the past two years.

The 26-year-old was thought to be next in line for a mega-extension similar to the ones signed by Patrick Mahomes and 2018 classmate Josh Allen. The Ravens have been prepared to pay Jackson in a similar fashion to those two in terms of annual compensation in the neighborhood of $45MM per season. As time wore on without much traction being gained during negotiations, though, the events of last offseason marked an important turning point.

After being the subject of a bidding war, Deshaun Watson was ultimately traded to the Browns and signed to a five-year, $230MM deal. The surprise from Cleveland’s willingness to part with three first-round picks for him was surpassed only by the fully guaranteed nature of his pact. Many around the league – including Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti – lamented the historic investment the Browns made in Watson, acutely aware of how it would likely affect Jackson’s leverage in extension talks.

The previous season had seen Baltimore find itself atop the AFC standings before a reaching a tipping point on the injury front. That included Jackson missing time due to injury for the first time in his career. He was sidelined for the final five games of the year, and the Ravens narrowly missed the playoffs while struggling mightily on offense. Reports then emerged during the summer of 2022 that the two-time Pro Bowler turned down an offer including $133MM in guaranteed money.

That figure would have ranked second in the league, but nowhere near the level of Watson’s deal. New contracts signed by Russell Wilson ($124MM fully guaranteed) and Kyler Murray ($103MM) suggested teams were willing to ignore the Watson accord in terms of precedent on the guarantee front, something GM Eric DeCosta and the Ravens’ front office is holding firm on. Jackson made it clear he would pause negotiations during the 2022 season, one which was expected to provide clarity on his financial future.

Playing on the fifth-year option, Jackson and the Ravens instead followed a similar script this year. The former Heisman winner suffered a knee injury in Week 13, something which was not initially expected to cost him the remainder of the season. That did end up being the case, however, and much was made about his absence extending into the team’s postseason loss. Jackson’s decision to take to social media to elaborate on the extent of his PCL sprain, and later to issue a thinly-veiled directive to the team regarding his impending free agency has likewise not sat well.

Having missed 10 of the past 22 games, injuries have become a talking point with so much at stake in contract talks. That figure could give the Ravens (or any other interested team) perceived leverage, but Jackson has plenty as well. The Ravens are 46-19 in his starts, and 4-9 without him since 2019. The team’s offense has averaged 10 fewer points per game without Jackson during that span compared to the games in which he does play.

A new offensive coordinator in Todd Monken is expected to produce schematic changes compared to Greg Roman, the OC during each of Jackson’s four full seasons as a starter. Regardless of what takes place on that front, the Ravens’ pass-catching corps (which lacks established playmakers outside of tight end Mark Andrews) will be a key area of focus. Additions – such as a long-term replacement for Marquise Brown, whose trade request was quietly granted last spring – will be hard to come by when Jackson takes up a substantially higher portion of the Ravens’ cap, either through a mega-deal or a one-year charge brought on by the franchise tag.

The difficulty in acquiring and retaining pass-catchers increasingly became a point of contention after Flacco turned his 2012 playoff success into a franchise-record extension. Trepidation on the team’s part in terms of looking to avoid a repeat of that scenario would be understandable up to a point, as the Ravens look to keep Jackson in the fold while not compromising an otherwise strong roster.

With the franchise tag being all-but certain in Jackson’s case, this saga could continue for months to come. An offer sheet or tag-and-trade could come into play, depending on which tag the Ravens use and Jackson’s perceived market around the league. Whether he signs his tag is another matter altogether, and sitting out the offseason could lead to a holdout situation similar to Le’Veon Bell in 2018. The then-Steeler skipped the entire campaign, forfeiting millions in compensation (albeit far less than what Jackson would be giving up if he followed suit). Bell still landed a big-ticket deal from the Jets in 2019, so the tactic could prove useful if a repeat were to be attempted.

In the summer, PFR’s readers were split on how they felt this situation would unfold. No option is off the table at this point, from a franchise-record deal to the league’s first ever trade involving an MVP under the age of 30. How do you see things playing out? Which side will concede during negotiations? Where will Jackson play in 2023 and beyond? Have your say in the comments section.

Cardinals Eyeing CB James Bradberry

February 26th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Jonathan Gannon has been head coach in Arizona for just under two weeks now, and already, he is looking to bring along a former player from his 2022 Eagles defense, according to freelance journalist and former Cardinals staff writer Mike Jurecki. Jurecki reports that Eagles cornerback James Bradberry, currently set to hit free agency at the start of the new league year, is firmly on the Cardinals’ radar this offseason.

Bradberry has played one season with Gannon under a kind of “prove-it” contract with the Eagles. Three years ago, Bradberry earned a sizeable second contract after an impressive rookie campaign, signing a three-year, $43.5MM contract with the Giants in 2020. Bradberry put forth two strong seasons for Big Blue, earning his first career Pro Bowl selection during his first year in New York and recording seven interceptions and 35 passes defensed over the two-year stretch. Despite his continued high level of play, the Giants couldn’t stomach the cap pressure his contract put on the franchise. Bradberry restructured his contract twice in order to clear some cap space for the team, but after failing to find a trade partner, New York released him after the 2021 season.

Part of the trouble New York had in finding a trade partner for Bradberry was that it would likely require an extension on top of the trade. Many suitors were hesitant to commit to the number Bradberry would likely command and, as a result, Bradberry’s stock was at a new low after his release. Instead of locking himself into a new long-term deal that failed to reflect his actual worth, Bradberry decided to bet on himself, opting for a one-year opportunity with the Eagles to reset his market value. After yet another strong season that resulted in a second-team All-Pro selection, Bradberry’s bet paid off. He should be heading into free agency competing with Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters and Patriots cornerback Jonathan Jones for the honor of top cornerback on the market.

Although it’s still early in the offseason, this isn’t the first report we’ve heard on Bradberry’s free agency. A little over a week ago, Bradberry made comments that he had two main desires when deciding on his next contract. Firstly, he wants to join a team with a good roster and a capability to win. Secondly, he wants “the number to be right.” He may not become the highest paid cornerback in the league making north of $20MM, but his new contract should certainly surpass the annual average value of his Giants contract of $14.5MM.

“Good roster” is obviously a subjective phrase and can be interpreted many ways. The Cardinals’ offense certainly houses talented individuals in Kyler Murray, James Conner, (maybe) DeAndre Hopkins, Marquise Brown, and Zach Ertz. There is a bit of talent on the offensive line, where some improvements could certainly be made. The retirement of J.J. Watt is certainly a blow to the talent-level of the defense, but players like Zach Allen, Budda Baker, and Marco Wilson make sure it’s not a unit devoid of talent. Arizona could certainly use some strong leadership at the cornerback position. Wilson and Byron Murphy led the group last year, with Antonio Hamilton, Christian Matthew, and Jace Whittaker all contributing off the bench. Bradberry would provide the Cardinals with an immediate No. 1 cornerback and a strong influence for Wilson.

Of course, as Bradberry has said, the number must be right. Currently, the Cardinals rank 11th in cap space in the NFL, according to OverTheCap.com, with $13.8MM of cap room heading into the offseason. With a little maneuvering, they should be able to create plenty of space in order to accommodate a new contract for Bradberry.

It’ll be up to the Cardinals to convince Bradberry they’ve got the right roster and the right offer to entice him to Arizona. It should certainly help that Bradberry is familiar with Gannon and knows he can perform in Gannon’s system. But, considering Bradberry wasn’t even prepared to offer a discount to stay in Philadelphia, it likely will still boil down to the main factors Bradberry has already made clear: talent and money.

Browns Add Bill Musgrave To Staff

February 26th, 2023 at 8:01pm CST by Ely Allen

Veteran offensive coach Bill Musgrave has found his way back to the NFL, landing a job with the Browns, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network. A former offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach for several NFL franchises over the years, Musgrave’s initial reintroduction to the league will be as an offensive assistant.

Musgrave began his coaching career before his playing career had even ended. After announcing his retirement in 1997, Musgrave joined the Raiders as a quarterbacks coach. When Oakland head coach Joe Bugel was fired, Musgrave made an attempt to return as a player with the Colts but was released before the season began. He quickly found a job as an offensive assistant with the Eagles and took over play-calling duties for the final 10 games of his second season as a coach in the NFL.

Since then, Musgrave has served as either an offensive coordinator or quarterbacks coach for the Panthers, Jaguars, Falcons, Vikings, Broncos, and Washington, as well as second stints with both the Eagles and Raiders. The only time he didn’t hold one of those two titles was when he served a season as the Falcons’ assistant head coach. He also spent two seasons from 2001-02 at the University of Virginia as offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and tight ends coach. His most recent position was a return to the college coaching ranks, calling plays and coaching quarterbacks at Cal. He was fired by the Golden Bears midway through the 2022 season after the team had lost their sixth game in a row.

Musgrave’s career has seen a repetitive pattern. Musgrave excels as an offensive assistant or quarterbacks coach, mentoring the likes of Michael Vick, Matt Schaub, and Matt Ryan in Atlanta and helping Nick Foles and Mark Sanchez to combine for 4,581 passing yards in 2014, a total that would’ve ranked sixth in the league that year if accomplished by a single passer. Upon viewing that success and being aware of his experience calling plays, he’s then rewarded with an opportunity as a play caller. Ultimately, all of his offensive coordinator opportunities at the NFL level have ended in termination or refusal to retain.

In years where he hasn’t served primarily as quarterbacks coach, his development of quarterbacks has been less than stellar. In Jacksonville, quarterback Byron Leftwich had middling seasons. When he called plays for the Vikings, he had the league’s Offensive Player of the Year in running back Adrian Peterson, but his quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder, also returned middling results. His next opportunity to call plays was for the Raiders. He helped lead breakout years by quarterback Derek Carr, but Carr continued to develop even after Musgrave was let go.

With former Browns quarterbacks coach Drew Petzing taking the next step in his career as Jonathan Gannon‘s new offensive coordinator in Arizona, the position mentoring quarterbacks was open in Cleveland. Any speculation that Musgrave would be coaching Deshaun Watson, Kellen Mond, and company was quickly put to bed, though, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reported that Browns offensive coordinator Alex Van Pelt would be adding quarterbacks coach to his duties.

Van Pelt has coached quarterbacks for the Bills, Buccaneers, Packers, and Bengals over his career and will now take on the additional duties of mentoring Watson this season. It stands to reason that, with Musgrave’s specialty teaching passers over the years, Musgrave will assist Van Pelt in this endeavor, but Van Pelt will be the one leading the room in 2023.

Bills LB Tremaine Edmunds Bound For Free Agency

February 26th, 2023 at 6:37pm CST by Ely Allen

Having just played out the fifth-year option on his rookie contract, the Bills’ first-round pick from 2018 may not be long for Buffalo, according to Henry McKenna of Fox Sports. Linebacker Tremaine Edmunds is set to hit free agency when the new league year begins, and based a number of factors including Edmunds’s own opinion, it doesn’t sound like the Bills will be doing anything to prevent him from testing the open market.

“I’m gonna let the process take shape,” Edmunds said when asked if he was interested in returning to the Bills. “Like, you know, they’ve been good to me, so I definitely say ‘thank you’ to the Bills for everything that they’ve done for me these last five years, but like I said, man, I’m…in the backseat.”

Edmunds has been extremely productive for the Bills, but due to the presence of strong side linebacker Matt Milano, whom they view as a star at his position, Buffalo feels it can put a lesser player in Edmunds’s position for less money and not experience a large drop off in production. Currently, behind starters Edmunds and Milano, the Bills used Tyrel Dodson and rookie third-round pick Terrel Bernard. They also currently roster Tyler Matakevich and seventh-round rookie Baylon Spector, both of whom spent most of their playing time on special teams in 2022. If they choose to let Edmunds walk, they could probably commit Dodson and/or Bernard to higher snap counts as the two continue to develop. If not, they may choose to address the position in the draft or free agency.

Edmunds certainly has played himself into a favorable position for free agency, which may factor into why he doesn’t sound super eager to work out a deal in Buffalo. The 24-year-old has been extremely consistent with his production over the past five years. Despite having missed at least one game in every season of his career but one, Edmunds has never failed to surpass 100 total tackles, reaching his career high of 121 during his rookie campaign. With only 6.5 sacks to his name, he’s not especially known for getting after the quarterback, but Edmunds can be disruptive as evidenced by 32 tackles for loss and 18 quarterback hits over his five seasons of play.

While he’s always been disruptive in the passing game, as well, with five interceptions and 35 passes defensed in his career, Edmunds took his play in that area to a new level in 2022. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), his coverage grade of 90.0 (1st of 70 qualifying linebackers) assisted in him grading out as the 5th best linebacker in the league with defense grade of 81.9. The analytics-based site has not always favored Edmunds. In his first four years of play, the site ranked him as the 67th, 48th, 74th, and 60th best linebacker, respectively. His run defense has usually been a stronger point of his game while coverage has tended to sink his overall score. When it mattered most, though, in a contract year, Edmunds turned in the best performance of his young career in what now seems like an audition for free agency.

There’s no doubt that after this past season, Edmunds should likely be the top-earning inside linebacker in free agency this offseason. His top competition for a new deal this summer should be newly released Zach Cunningham, who was one of several cap casualties of the Titans this week. Besides Cunningham, the top inside linebackers set to hit free agency are likely Lavonte David, Deion Jones, Denzel Perryman, and Germaine Pratt.

David is a wily veteran who, despite his advanced age of 32 years old, is still playing at an elite level in the NFL. He has played his entire career in Tampa Bay and is currently wrapping up a two-year, $25MM deal. Jones is also a veteran who had spent most of his career in Atlanta before being traded to the Browns this past year. His transition to a new team, along with an injury that forced him to miss the first six weeks of the season, resulted in one of his worst seasons, but he has shown the ability to play at an elite level in the past.

Perryman has always graded out fairly well in his career but has usually been limited by injuries. He signed a relatively low deal with the Panthers after his second bout with free agency before getting traded to the Raiders before the season began. Perryman has been stellar during his two years in Las Vegas, earning his first Pro Bowl selection last year. He played well again this year, despite injuries returning to plague his season. Pratt, drafted the year after Edmunds, has similarly been consistently productive over his career but waited until his contract year to have his best season.

David, Jones, and Perryman should all earn strong new contracts, but the numbers in them will likely reflect their age. Pratt, at 26 years old, will probably be the strongest competition for Edmunds alongside David and Cunningham. When determining what these contracts will look like, we can refer to recent deals. The Ravens recently made Roquan Smith the highest-paid linebacker in the NFL. No one in this group is reaching Smith’s annual average value of $20MM. Likewise the salaries of top players at the position like Shaquille Leonard, Fred Warner, and C.J. Mosley are likely out of reach.

Most linebackers around Edmunds age earn four- to five-year contracts. There are a number of linebackers making $10MM per year that will likely set the starting point for negotiations. Between the $10MM earners and Mosley are only David’s old contract at $12.5MM per year, Jones’s old contract at $14.25MM per year, and Cunningham’s old contract at $14.5MM per year. While Jones and Cunningham were known as higher-volume tacklers than Edmunds when they signed those deals, Edmunds recent endeavors in coverage surpass theirs at that time, and coverage for a linebacker in today’s NFL is an extremely valuable trait.

That being said, Edmunds should find a five-year deal with an average annual value of up to $15-16MM. A $75MM or $80MM contract may seem high for an inside linebacker, but the Ravens set the market by giving Smith $100MM, and now it’s up to the rest of the league to keep up if they want a top-end linebacker like Edmunds.

5 Key Stories: 2/19/23 – 2/26/23

February 26th, 2023 at 4:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

With free agency not far away, the coordinator hiring cycle has begun to wind down as teams look to make financial moves to become cap compliant and free up flexibility. In case you missed any of this past week’s top headlines, here’s a quick recap:

  • Giants Continuing Jones, Barkley Talks: All teams have important decisions to make in the next few days, but the Giants face the dilemma of keeping quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley on the roster for at least one more year. They have resumed contract negotiations with Jones, in the wake of reports that he is seeking north of $40MM (perhaps as much as $45MM) per season. New York is trying to finalize a deal at a more affordable number, knowing that the franchise tag deadline (March 7) is approaching. That one-year option remains for Barkley in particular, though the team’s intention remains multi-years deals for both. Progress will need to be made soon on at least one front if they wish to avoid either player hitting the open market.
  • Rams Moving On From Wagner: All-Pro linebacker Bobby Wagner chose to sign with his hometown team on a five-year deal last offseason, but that contract resulted in only a one-year stint there. The Rams and Wagner will mutually part ways when the new league year begins, and he will likely once again have a robust market for his services. The 32-year-old remained highly productive in 2022, but will turn his attention to signing with a contender. In the wake of that news, it has since come out that star corner Jalen Ramsey is expected to be traded as the Rams reset financially.
  • Chiefs Promote Nagy To OC: The departure of Eric Bieniemy left a vacancy at the offensive coordinator spot for the Super Bowl champions. The Chiefs made the expected move of promoting from within, naming Matt Nagy as their new OC. The ex-Bears head coach is now in his second stint under that title in Kansas City, though it does not include play-calling duties on a full-time basis. Nagy worked as quarterbacks coach in 2022, and has experience working not only with HC Andy Reid but QB Patrick Mahomes as well. The decision will give the Chiefs continuity as they look to lengthen their recent run of success.
  • Titans Shed Significant Salary: Cost-cutting season is in full swing, and the Titans made several notable moves by releasing wideout Robert Woods, linebacker Zach Cunningham, left tackle Taylor Lewan and kicker Randy Bullock within a matter of hours. The slew of cuts freed up more than $35MM in cap space, but Tennessee still sits outside the top-10 in the league in terms of financial wiggle room. In Lewan’s case, retirement could very well be the next step, but the other three will now get a head start on free agency. The Titans will have a number of replacements to find in the coming weeks and months in their bid to rebound from a disappointing 2022 campaign.
  • Broncos Reunite With Joseph: The Broncos have plenty of new faces on their coaching staff, including Sean Payton at the helm. However, their defense will have some familiarity under Vance Joseph, who was hired to come back to the Mile High City after his HC stint there ended in 2018. Since then, he had led Arizona’s defense and recently been let go by the Cardinals’ new staff. The 50-year-old won out over a few other notable candidates, including Rex Ryan, Matt Patricia and Sean Desai. He will aim to continue Denver’s success on defense in 2022, while Payton and Co. attempt to revive the team’s offense.

Broncos Add Davis Webb, Chris Banjo To Coaching Staff

February 26th, 2023 at 3:52pm CST by Adam La Rose

FEBRUARY 26: Confirming that his playing days are officially over, Banjo tweeted on Sunday that he has retired. He acknowledged that his next NFL chapter is already well known, as was announced when the Broncos unveiled their full coaching staff. Banjo’s 33rd birthday will mark the turning point of his transition to the sidelines, where he will look to help a Denver special teams unit which ranked 29th in the league in DVOA last season.

FEBRUARY 23: On a day in which the Broncos have already made multiple noteworthy hires, the team has added a few more intriguing names to its staff. Denver is hiring a pair of NFLers who played in the 2022 season, allowing them to begin their respective coaching careers.

The Broncos are hiring Davis Webb as quarterbacks coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). The move represents a significant jump directly from the playing to coaching ranks, but not an unsurprising one, considering the 28-year-old’s stated intention of moving his career to the sidelines.

Webb nearly signed with the Bills as their QBs coach last offseason, one in which offensive coordinator Brian Daboll took the head coaching job with the Giants. Buffalo hired Joe Brady as their coach at that position, leaving Webb to follow Daboll to New York. He spent the 2022 season as a backup to Daniel Jones and Tyrod Taylor, getting one start in the season finale.

Webb has made it very clear he intended to immediately transition to coaching once his playing days ended. This posting will allow him to do that, while teaming with head coach Sean Payton and an intriguing signal-caller in Russell Wilson. The nine-time Pro Bowler struggled immensely in his first Broncos season, so his ability to rebound in 2023 will largely depend on Webb’s and Payton’s success coaching him.

In addition, the Broncos are giving veteran special teamer Chris Banjo a first look in the coaching ranks. The safety was released by the Cardinals earlier today, marking an end to his playing career but allowing him to once again work a few familiar faces. The 32-year-old is becoming an assistant special teams coach, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

Banjo played in the NFL for 10 seasons, including time spent under Payton in New Orleans from 2016-18. The former UDFA most recently spent the past four seasons with the Cardinals, playing under new Broncos DC Vance Joseph. Overall, he carved out a role for himself as a core special teamer, racking up 143 tackles over 131 total games played. Now, he too will make an immediate jump from playing to coaching as he begins the next chapter of his football career.

In other coaching news out of the Mile High City, Denver has hired Greg Manusky as their new inside linebackers coach, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). The 56-year-old was recently let go by the Vikings, but has landed in his next NFL home quite quickly. Manusky has 12 years of defensive coordinator experience across four teams, but this will be his first posting in Denver. He, along with Webb and Banjo, will look to help guide the Broncos to a resurgent season in 2023 as members of Payton’s first staff.

Patriots Notes: Kraft, McCourty, McDermott

February 26th, 2023 at 2:54pm CST by Adam La Rose

Robert Kraft has owned the Patriots since 1994, a tenure which has included the most notable feats in the franchise’s history. If he has his way, Kraft’s stint owning the franchise will not be ending any time soon.

The 81-year-old made it clear during an appearance on Fox Business that he is “never selling” the six-time Super Bowl winning team. The Patriots would certainly net a substantial sales price if that stance were to ever change, but being able to hand ownership of the franchise was one generation to the next is clearly Kraft’s top priority.

“We’ve set it up so that it hopefully stays in the family for many decades to come,” he said, via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “After my family, the New England Patriots are the most important thing in my life. It’s not a business, it’s really part of my family… I love being in the locker room, being around the players. I just pinch myself that I’ve been so privileged to own a franchise in my hometown.”

Here are some other notes out of Foxborough:

  • Veteran safety Devin McCourty is a pending free agent, as was special teams ace Matthew Slater before he decided to continue his Patriots career for at least one more season. McCourty has yet to decide on his future, as detailed by Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. The 35-year-old has been in New England since 2010, and he remained a productive, full-time starter in 2022 with 71 tackles and four interceptions. The former first-rounder’s most recent one-year deal contains a $9.7MM cap charge in 2023 via void years, but a new contract could alter that figure. He intends to make a decision about his playing future by the middle of March, likely in time for the start of the new league year.
  • Details are in on the new deal signed by offensive tackle Conor McDermott earlier this month. The 30-year-old will play in New England on a two-year contract with a base value of $3.6MM (Twitter link via ESPN’s Field Yates). The pact also contains incentives based on playing time, though, which means it could top out at $5.1MM. McDermott proved to be a valuable midseason signing off the Jets’ practice squad, as he started at right tackle to close out the regular season. He will at least compete for the No. 1 role at that spot this offseason.
  • McCourty’s future is up in the air, but so is that of two-time Patriot Malcolm Butler. The Super Bowl winning corner rejoined New England last offseason, but was ultimately released with an injury designation. He now feels 100% healthy, as noted by ESPN’s Mike Reiss, and is contemplating another attempted comeback as a player or the prospect of retiring and returning to college while transitioning to coaching. He last played with the Titans in 2020.

Jaguars Extend RB JaMycal Hasty

February 26th, 2023 at 1:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

One day after it was reported the Jaguars had agreed to terms on a new deal with defensive lineman Roy Robertson-Harris, the team confirmed that the veteran will be staying in place for the foreseeable future. Sunday brought on another transaction in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars have extended running back JaMycal Hasty, per a team announcement. He was due to become a restricted free agent next month, but will now continue his stay in Duval County. The 26-year-old began his career in San Francisco, shouldering a small workload on offense while carving out a role for himself on special teams. His 4.8 yards per touch with the 49ers showed potential, but was not enough to guarantee himself a spot on their 53-man roster.

Hasty was waived during cutdown day this year, and claimed by the Jaguars. He was active for them in all 19 contents played during the regular season and playoffs, nearly seeing as many offensive snaps (222) this campaign as he had over two years with the 49ers. He logged a career-high 46 carries, which yielded 194 yards (4.2 per carry) and a pair of touchdowns. He added another 126 yards and one score in the passing game, and an additional 97 yards on four kick returns.

2021 first-rounder Travis Etienne established himself as the lead back he was expected to become this campaign, allowing the Jaguars to trade James Robinson to the Jets midseason. That cleared the way for Hasty as a complimentary member of the team’s backfield, one which achieved middling success in 2022. Jacksonville ranked 14th in the league this season with an average of 125 yards per game on the ground.

Hasty will now head into 2023 looking to confirm his place in the backfield pecking order. Etienne is firmly entrenched as the No. 1, but competition could emerge from 2022 fifth-rounder Snoop Conner after the latter was used sparingly in eight games. Either way, he will avoid free agency with this deal and potentially set himself up for another career year next season.

Latest On Potential Commanders Sale

February 26th, 2023 at 11:00am CST by Adam La Rose

Previous reports indicated that a resolution would be coming soon in the ongoing sales process concerning the Commanders. Further developments have recently taken place, though they may not point to a sale being as likely as once believed.

Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos – who has long been considered the top name to watch amongst bidders for the Washington franchise – has been barred from taking part in the bidding process, as first reported by Josh Kosman of the New York Post. That news comes in spite of Bezos’ stated interest in being a candidate to buy the Commanders, as evidenced by his decision to hire an investment firm just days ago.

Adding further clarity to the Bezos matter, Ben Standig and Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic report that the mogul’s inability to place a bid “has been a reality for months.” Tense relations between current Commanders owner Dan Snyder and Bezos, who owns the Washington Post, have been frequently mentioned as a potential obstacle to the latter becoming involved in the bidding process. The timing of reports that he has never truly been a candidate to buy the team are certainly noteworthy in light of his earlier actions, and the Post’s continuing mention of him as someone who could still play a part in a potential sale.

With Bezos presumably out of the running, two apparent finalists remain. One is Josh Harris, who was named as a prospective buyer after he toured the Commanders’ facility recently. The billionaire has an ownership stake in several pro sports teams, and took part in the bidding process for the Broncos last offseason. The identity of his primary competition as now been revealed.

Houston Rockets owner Tilman Fertitta is “involved in the bidding” on the Commanders, per the Washington Post’s Mark Maske and Nicki Jhabvala. That makes him the previously unidentified bidder who was mentioned as the one other than Harris to make a formal visit to the team’s facility with the bidding process close to its first major deadline. That has come and passed, and Maske and Jhavbala report that Fertitta placed a bid of just over $5.5BB; as a result, they add that the 65-year-old is not considered the frontrunner.

That figure falls in line with Standig and Kaplan’s assertion that Snyder’s asking price has come down from $7BB closer to the $6BB mark. The latter amount would still comfortably exceed the $4.65BB price tag on the Broncos from 2022, which itself shattered the North American sports record for franchise sales. The Athletic report adds that underwhelming bids could entice Snyder to simply remain his ownership stake, but also that activity surrounding a potential sale has “ramped up.”

Much is still to be determined in this situation, but Bezos being left out of the bidding process is a major takeaway from this latest set of updates. How much Harris and Fertitta are willing to pay for the embattled franchise will soon become clearer, though, if the previously reported goal of having a deal in place buy the March owner’s meetings holds true.

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