2023 March - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

49ers Re-Sign OL Colton McKivitz

March 9th, 2023 at 7:45pm CST by Adam La Rose

The 49ers’ offensive tackle position has a bit more clarity with free agency (and quite possibly, a notable departure) approaching. Per a team announcement, San Francisco has re-signed Colton McKivitz to a two-year deal.

The 26-year-old was set to be a restricted free agent, but he will now remain in the Bay Area for what could be a time of increased responsibility for him. McKivitz has made 28 appearances in his three seasons with the 49ers, including five starts while operating as the team’s swing tackle over the past two years. He has also seen action in five playoff contests.

San Francisco has Trent Williams – who confirmed last month that he will not be retiring – in place as their blindside protector. However, right tackle Mike McGlinchey is scheduled to hit free agency, and while his comments regarding a deal left the door open to his 49ers tenure continuing, a discounted price for the team is not thought to be on the table.

As a result, McGlinchey is expected to price himself out of San Francisco as arguably the top RT option on the market this year. The 49ers currently sit in the bottom half of the league in terms of cap space with the new league year around the corner, and have a number of other priorities than keeping the former ninth overall pick in the fold on a second contract.

Presuming McGlinchey heads elsewhere next week, McKivitz could be in line to assume the starting right tackle role. The latter has only taken 26 snaps at that position to date, after he spent considerable time as a right guard during his rookie season and stepped in for Williams on occasion when he was sidelined by injury. McKivitz took a step forward in 2022 with a career-best PFF grade of 69.3 (excelling in pass blocking in particular), albeit in limited game action.

The former fifth-rounder can now turn his attention to the 2023 season and the opportunity, in all likelihood, to at least compete for a starting role on a 49ers offensive line which figures to look different by the start of next season.

Vikings’ Za’Darius Smith Seeking Release

March 9th, 2023 at 6:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

With the new league year approaching, all teams must reach cap compliance in the coming days. The Vikings are one of several teams with work left to do to accomplish that goal, though one veteran’s intentions would see them clear a significant amount of cap space if they were to be honored.

Edge rusher Za’Darius Smith wants to be released by Minnesota, as suggested by a tweet sent on Thursday. In it, he appears to send a farewell message to his teammates, fans and members of the organization. As Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes (on Twitter), Smith sold his house earlier this year amidst the expectation that he would be playing elsewhere in 2023.

Goessling and others report, however, that the Vikings currently have no intention of cutting the 30-year-old. Smith has two years remaining on his contract, a three-year, $42MM pact signed after he was released by the Packers. That made him a free agent for the second time in his career, allowing him to net another lucrative pact on the open market.

Smith previously appeared to have a deal in place with the Ravens, with whom he spent the first four years of his career. After terms seemed to be agreed upon, it was learned that he was moving in another direction, which opened up his intra-divisional move to the Vikings. The former fourth-rounder had a highly productive debut season in Minnesota, racking up 10 sacks, 37 pressures and one forced fumble. Those figures helped earn him a third career Pro Bowl nod.

Smith is due $32.5MM over the next two years, but none of his base salaries are guaranteed for 2023 or 2024. That would yield the Vikings cap savings of $12.2MM and $20MM, respectively, in those years, figures which would be of great importance to a team in their current financial situation. Minnesota is currently almost $16MM over the cap, and facing increased urgency to make cost-cutting moves with the start of free agency (March 15) around the corner.

That could force them to release wideout Adam Thielen (or at least restructure his current contract). Developments on that front will likely be coming soon, as they will in Smith’s case as well, as the NFC North champions look to keep as many 2022 contributors in the fold as possible while dealing with their cap constraints.

Seahawks Cut OL Gabe Jackson

March 9th, 2023 at 5:46pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Seahawks were in better financial shape than most other teams as of Thursday, but they have opened up more cap space by moving on from a veteran member of their offense. Seattle has released guard Gabe Jackson, per the transaction wire.

Jackson, 31, had one season remaining on his contract, and was due to count for just over $11.2MM on the Seahawks’ books this year. No guaranteed money remained on his pact, however, putting him at risk of being let go. This move will create $6.5MM in cap space for Seattle, while generating a dead money charge of $4.8MM.

Jackson spent the first seven years of his career with the Raiders. His time there included a five-year, $56MM deal being signed in 2017, a sign of his success as an immediate starter and an indication that he could remain with the organization for the duration of his career. However, he was traded to Seattle in 2021, an offseason in which he was expected to become a cap casualty.

Not long after acquiring the former third-rounder, Seattle signed him to a three-year, $22.58MM extension. The first two years of that pact included notable guarantees, an understandable point of emphasis for Jackson after the way his Raiders tenure came to an end. He agreed to a minor restructure of his deal in October, which inflated his 2023 cap hit slightly.

Jackson remained a full-time starter in both of his Seattle seasons, missing a total of three games due to injury across that span. He generated a career-worst PFF grade of 55 in 2022, continuation of a general decline in that regard in recent years. This past season was the second straight in which he allowed 31 or more pressures in pass protection, so it comes as little surprise that the Seahawks are parting ways and turning their attention to younger options. Still, Jackson will represent one of the most experienced o-line options in this year’s free agent class.

In addition to Jackson, Seattle has released linebacker Ben Burr-Kirven. The 25-year-old contributed on special teams in 2019 and 2020, but has been sidelined by a torn ACL since, spending the entire 2022 campaign on the PUP list. With these two moves, the Seahawks will head towards the new league year next week with nearly $30MM in cap space.

Texans Docked Fifth-Round Pick, Fined For Salary Cap Violation

March 9th, 2023 at 3:59pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Texans’ decision to give then-quarterback Deshaun Watson accommodations outside their team facility in 2020 has resulted in league discipline being handed down. The NFL announced on Thursday that Houston has been docked their fifth-round pick in this year’s draft and fined $175K for a salary cap violation.

The Texans gave Watson $26,777 for membership at the Houstonian Hotel, because COVID-19 protocols prevented him from being allowed to workout at the team’s facility. That move, in the league’s eyes, constitutes player compensation which went unreported, and has thus been deemed a CBA violation.

“During the 2020 league year and while its facilities were closed because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Club absorbed $26,777 in costs for player benefits for the use of alternate athletic facilities, which it understands should have been charged instead to player salaries,” the Texans said in a statement.

“The Club has fully cooperated with the League in its investigation of these matters and maintains that it had no intention to circumvent any salary cap rules or gain any sort of competitive advantage. While we disagree with the League’s ruling, we will accept the imposed discipline and move forward.”

Even with the forfeited fifth-rounder, Houston still boasts the most draft picks in 2023 (11 in total). That figure includes the Browns’ top selection this year, one of the three first-round picks they sent as part of the trade package to the Texans to acquire Watson last offseason. Houston is in an interesting situation as they currently hold the second overall pick – the highest slot amongst teams knowing they will be selecting a signal-caller, though movement in the top 10 is expected to take place. The Texans now have six Day 3 picks, but none in Round 5, as a result of this discipline.

Jets Optimistic They Will Acquire Aaron Rodgers; Trade Talks Continue

March 9th, 2023 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

3:00pm: In a discussion of the situation on the Pat McAfee Show, Michael Lombardi of the GM Shuffle Podcast notes that the Packers are believed to be seeking a first-round pick in any trade package from the Jets (video link). That would cover his 2023 play, though he adds that Green Bay would likely ask for an additional, conditional pick in the event Rodgers decided to continue his career beyond this coming season. That would mark a considerably steeper price than the one paid for Favre, but a lighter one than what the Broncos paid last offseason for Russell Wilson (who, in fairness, was seen as a much longer-term solution under center for Denver than Rodgers would be for New York).

9:41am: The Jets’ key decision-makers trekked to California to meet with the franchise’s long-preferred offseason target, and the team is expressing some confidence Aaron Rodgers will soon be their quarterback.

Packers and Jets trade talks continue, per ESPN.com’s Dianna Russini, who notes the teams had begun discussing trade compensation and Rodgers’ contract before the Tuesday summit. The Jets are operating with an optimism this trade will be completed, with Russini adding the team views this transaction as “on the brink” (Twitter links).

Woody Johnson, Joe Douglas, Robert Saleh and new OC Nathaniel Hackett flew to California to meet with the Packers passer, who has still not committed to playing in 2023. It is assumed the 18-year veteran will opt to return in 2023, as he is due nearly $60MM were he to do so. Rodgers, 39, is believed to be open to the notion of playing in New York, and ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes it is looking like Jordan Love will indeed be Green Bay’s starter next season (Twitter link).

Although Brian Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ four MVP awards when asked who would give the Packers a better chance to win in 2023, he has insisted throughout the offseason Love is ready to play. The Packers, just as they did 15 years ago upon sending Brett Favre to the Jets to clear the runway for Rodgers, may soon find out if they were right on yet another quarterback.

Love fared poorly in his lone regular-season start of consequence — against the Chiefs in 2021 — but showed more promise upon relieving Rodgers in Philadelphia last season. The Packers view the former first-round pick has having made considerable strides since his rough outing in Kansas City, though trading a player of Rodgers’ caliber will certainly come with risk.

This trade coming to pass would also usher in a sweeping change for the Jets, who have not landed an impact veteran QB since the Favre move. The team has largely used first-round picks in the years since Favre’s 2008 one-and-done but has not landed a franchise performer, with Zach Wilson being the most recent Jets draftee to underwhelm. It took only a conditional third-round pick for the Jets to land Favre; the Packers are likely asking for more in exchange for Rodgers.

No other team has been connected to having trade talks with the Packers, giving the Jets the lead here. The Raiders have been loosely linked to Rodgers, but no team’s offseason effort matches the Jets’ full-court press here. Johnson confirmed the Jets’ desire to make a veteran acquisition at quarterback at the offseason’s outset, and the team has operated intently since. They entered talks with Derek Carr but had communicated to the ex-Raiders starter Rodgers was their preference. As Rodgers continues to deliberate, Carr signed with the Saints to remove a key fallback option for Gang Green. Jimmy Garoppolo would also loom as such, but the Raiders have been linked more closely to the longtime 49ers passer. The Panthers and Texans are expected to be in on Garoppolo as well.

Steelers Want To Retain Mitch Trubisky, Open To New Mason Rudolph Deal

March 9th, 2023 at 2:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

The top of the Steelers’ quarterback depth chart is set heading into 2023, but the contract status of backup Mitch Trubisky and third-stringer Mason Rudolph leaves each of their futures in doubt. Both passers could find themselves in Pittsburgh for this coming season and beyond, however.

When the Steelers made Kenny Pickett the only first-round signal-caller of the 2022 draft class, it became clear that he would assume the starting role at some point. That time came in Week 4, when Trubusky was benched at halftime and left to fill in only when Pickett was injured later in the season. The former second overall pick had a 4:5 touchdown-to-interception in limited action during his debut Pittsburgh campaign. He still drew praise from owner Art Rooney II, however, which was echoed recently by general manager Omar Khan.

“Mitch has been great,” Khan said, via ESPN’s Brooke Pryor. “It’s been great to have him around, and I would look forward to having him around here for a long time. Not only this year but for a long time.”

Trubisky, 28, has one year remaining on the two-year pact he signed last offseason to restart his career. Before landing on Trubisky as their veteran addition to compete with a rookie (ultimately Pickett), though, the Steelers considered signing Jacoby Brissett, per Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The latter has a connection to offensive coordinator Matt Canada, dating back to their time together at NC State, and is poised to be a free agent after his one-year stint in Cleveland.

Trubisky’s 2023 cap hit of $10.625MM would make him a cumbersome backup from a financial perspective. The Steelers would save $8MM in cap space by cutting him, but Khan’s remarks point to an extension being the more likely avenue taken by the team. In addition, he made it clear (via The Athletic’s Mark Kaboly) that QB will not be a position of focus during the upcoming draft with Pickett in place and Trubisky on the books for at least one more year.

As for Rudolph, the expectation has long been that he will depart in free agency in search of a clearer path to playing time. The 27-year-old has been in Pittsburgh since being drafted there in 2018, but has played in just 17 games (including 10 starts) since that time. Khan said, however, that the door remains open to a new contract with the former third-rounder.

Pittsburgh has a number of priorities in free agency, but re-tooling their QB room does not appear to be one of them. A step forward from Pickett would go a long way to driving improvement from the team overall, but at least one familiar face behind him in the pecking order is likely to be in place in 2023.

Panthers, Falcons Expected To Draft QB?

March 9th, 2023 at 1:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Free agency is just about to begin, but plenty of attention is understandably being paid to the next month’s draft. The 2023 quarterback class is rife with uncertainty, though passers could very well litter the top 10 given the need several teams have at the position.

Two of those squads reside in the NFC South. The Saints have taken care of their QB vacancy with Derek Carr in place for at least the intermediate term, but the Panthers and Falcons could each stand to make a significant addition under center. The sentiment around the league points to both Carolina and Atlanta spending Day 1 capital on signal-callers.

Jason La Canfora of the Washington Post notes that the Panthers are “fixated” on landing one of the top four QBs in this year’s class (Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis). That comes after it was reported that Carolina would prefer to use their draft position – currently the No. 9 pick – as a long-term means of solving their quarterback position, as opposed to a signing similar to Carr’s contract. Getting within range of Young, the projected top QB to be selected, would require a significant move up the board (likely up to the first overall slot, presuming the Bears trade down), though the other three passers could be had with less substantial maneuvering.

The Panthers are one of several teams not expected to pursue Lamar Jackson, so their focus currently remains on developing their incumbent options and potentially extending their relationship with Sam Darnold. On the other hand, Jimmy Garoppolo – the top veteran set to reach free agency next week – appears to be on Carolina’s radar. Their actions on the open market will no doubt inform their intentions in April with respect to using not only their first-round choice but the draft capital they added in the Christian McCaffrey deal.

The situation is somewhat different for the Falcons, who La Canfora notes are considered “probable” to draft a QB in 2023. They did so in the third round last year by adding Desmond Ridder, who took over as the starter late in the season. His play down the stretch drew praise from owner Arthur Blank last month, though Ridder has not been fully endorsed as the passer to enter the coming season atop the depth chart. The release of Marcus Mariota opens up a roster spot for an addition of some kind, though Atlanta has a number of roster holes which could be filled with a different position when the team selects eighth overall (barring any trades).

Interestingly, the Falcons were the first team reported to not be in the running to offer sheet or trade for Jackson. That decision could point them further towards a Day 1 QB, but they and the Panthers will have competition from a number of other teams picking in the top 10 regardless of how the veteran quarterback market shakes out in the coming days and weeks.

Jets To Release WR Braxton Berrios

March 9th, 2023 at 10:12am CST by Sam Robinson

A year after giving Braxton Berrios a $12MM deal, the Jets will part ways with the young wide receiver. They are releasing Berrios, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This separation comes after the sides attempted to rework the slot receiver/returner’s deal, per Schefter. The Jets will save $5MM by cutting Berrios, who had agreed to a two-year, $12MM contract ($7MM fully guaranteed) to stay in New York last year. This release will move the Jets past $6MM in cap space. The team will undoubtedly be creating more space in the days to come.

A first-team All-Pro return man in 2021, Berrios did not make the same type of impact in the passing game he had prior to re-signing with the Jets. Following a 431-yard receiving season in 2021, Berrios totaled just 145 yards and no touchdowns through the air in 2022. The Jets reduced Berrios’ workload, playing him on just 297 offensive snaps — nearly 100 less than his 2021 total.

Berrios, 27, will try his hand in free agency again. Although this year’s wide receiver market has not generated much buzz, Berrios may find it difficult to land a $6MM-per-year accord after the season he just completed. But the former Patriots draftee should have a chance to catch on elsewhere soon. The 5-foot-9 pass catcher spent the past four seasons with the Jets, working as their primary return man during that span. Berrios’ 102-yard kick-return score helped the team to a win over the Jaguars in 2021, propelling him to All-Pro status.

The Jets still have Offensive Rookie of the Year Garrett Wilson, Corey Davis and Elijah Moore among their receiving corps. Despite being connected to trades for a while, Denzel Mims also remains on the roster.

Jonathan Jones Wants To Stay With Patriots

March 9th, 2023 at 9:15am CST by Sam Robinson

One of the last Patriots members tied to their Super Bowl teams, Jonathan Jones is less than a week away from hitting free agency for the first time. The Pats would like to retain their longest-tenured cornerback, and he wants to stay in New England as well.

Jones anticipates talks ramping up early next week, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald notes. The Pats have until 3pm CT Monday to continue exclusive negotiations with the eighth-year veteran, who can begin talking to other teams once the legal tampering period begins. But it sounds like the Patriots would not be eliminated from the conversation once the NFL’s soft free agency starts.

“That’s the desire, to be back here. It’s what I know; it’s what I love; It’s New England,” Jones said, via Guregian. “It’s hard to say no to New England. Being here, is where I’ve spent a lot of my adult life. It’s been a part of my journey and I love it. [The Patriots] have been a big part of my life.”

Jones, 29, landed in New England as a UDFA in 2016 and quickly became a critical part of Bill Belichick‘s secondary. The Pats used Jones as their primary slot corner beginning in 2017, lining him up in a veteran-laden group that included the likes of Malcolm Butler, Stephon Gilmore and Jason McCourty. Those higher-profile players have all departed, joining Logan Ryan in leaving New England in recent offseasons. But the Pats made Jones a priority previously, extending him on a three-year, $21MM deal before the 2019 season. Jones played out that contract.

The Pats used Jones more on the outside last season, after he returned from a shoulder injury that ended his 2021 season early. And he showed potential as a boundary player. The team still has Jalen Mills under contract and now employs two other Joneses — Marcus and Jack — at corner on rookie deals. It is unclear if teams will view Jonathan Jones as a pure slot corner or be seen as a versatile presence. Slot corners continue to struggle on the market, at least compared to top boundary players, so Jones seeing more time on the outside last season likely benefited him.

Jones joins Jamel Dean, Byron Murphy, Rock Ya-Sin and James Bradberry as some of the top corners available. Age will also be a factor in Jones’ free agency; both he and Bradberry will play out their age-30 seasons in 2023. That should help make Jones fairly affordable for the Patriots, who have more than $31MM in cap space.

Panthers Expected To Show Interest In Jimmy Garoppolo

March 9th, 2023 at 8:50am CST by Sam Robinson

As the Jets continue to zero in on Aaron Rodgers, Jimmy Garoppolo‘s market is starting to come into focus. In addition to the Raiders and Texans, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport notes the Panthers are likely to be interested in adding the 10th-year quarterback.

This would represent the second straight offseason in which Carolina was connected to Garoppolo. The Panthers, who were tied to Baker Mayfield for months before finally acquiring him via trade in July, were also linked to the one-time 49ers trade chip during that time in 2022. Nothing materialized, as Garoppolo’s March 2022 shoulder surgery scuttled his trade market, but the Panthers’ quarterback need remains. And no trade compensation is now tied to landing Garoppolo.

The Panthers were believed to be leery of Garoppolo’s injury history last year. The fact they would consider a pursuit again, now that Garoppolo is coming off a broken foot, would be interesting. The team is not believed to have engaged in serious talks with Garoppolo last year, despite the 49ers giving him permission to renegotiate his contract with other teams. But Garoppolo acknowledged Carolina was in the mix during his lengthy stay on the trade block.

Carolina owes a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Browns for the Mayfield acquisition, after then-HC Matt Rhule came to prefer the then-Browns QB. Mayfield and Garoppolo are each free agents, but after the former No. 1 overall pick struggled in Carolina before being waived in the weeks following Rhule’s ouster, Garoppolo is set to hit free agency as a far more coveted commodity. Although Rhule is now in Nebraska, Scott Fitterer remains in the GM chair nearly a year after the previous run of Garoppolo-to-Charlotte rumors.

Frank Reich has said the team, in an ideal world, would acquire a rookie and build around him. Carolina was in the Derek Carr market and met with the now-Saints QB at the Combine. The Panthers have been mentioned as a team somewhat skittish about overspending at quarterback. Given the Raiders and Texans’ interest in Garoppolo, he also might prove too costly for the NFC South team. But it does appear Carolina will look into the six-year San Francisco starter once the legal tampering period begins Monday.

It is unclear how serious a Raiders pursuit of Garoppolo will become, and the Texans — despite familiar faces in DeMeco Ryans and OC Bobby Slowik entering the picture — bring a rebuilding profile that might not be as appealing to Garoppolo at this point in his career. The Panthers nearly rallied back from their 1-5 start to win the division. With Tom Brady out of the mix and the Falcons also facing uncertainty at quarterback, a door could remain open for the Panthers — even with Carr now committed to the Saints — should they acquire Garoppolo.

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