HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Aaron Rodgers On Jets OC Nathaniel Hackett

May 24th, 2024 at 10:44pm CST by Adam La Rose

Nathaniel Hackett is in place to reprise his role as offensive coordinator of the Jets in 2024. The maligned play-caller has been the subject of considerable speculation this offseason, though, with New York reportedly seeking out a de facto replacement.

Hackett had success alongside Aaron Rodgers as a non-play-calling offensive coordinator in Green Bay. He took his first head coaching opportunity with Denver in 2022, but that resulted in his firing before the campaign came to an end. The 44-year-old reunited with Rodgers in New York last season, but his performance guiding the Jets’ offense was met with criticism.

Head coach Robert Saleh was connected to exploring a hire to whom Hackett would cede at least some of his authority this winter, but to date no such move has been made. The latter feels he still has the support of the former, and that is also the case with respect to Rodgers. Healthy following his Week 1 Achilles tear, the future Hall of Famer provided a public endorsement of Hackett during an appearance on Mad Dog Sports Radio.

When asked by host Adam Schein why the Jets should trust Hackett, Rodgers replied, “Well, you should trust me and I trust Nathaniel. So, to me, that’s end of story. There’s been a lot of BS that’s been said out there. There’s a lot of things that have gone on the last couple years that he’s dealt with that I think he’s handled very professionally. And at the end of the day, I think you gotta trust his and my working relationship and the conversations that we have” (h/t ESPN’s Rich Cimini).

Saleh, Hackett and general manager Joe Douglas have faced questions about their job security, but the trio received a mulligan from owner Woody Johnson following a 2023 season in which Rodgers was sidelined for all but four snaps. The latter will be a central figure in New York’s ability to rebound this year, and Hackett too will receive plenty of attention as the season goes on. Cimini confirms the Jets sought out an experienced staffer, though he adds Hackett’s status as play-caller likely would have been safe in any case.

“We gotta believe in Nathaniel,” Rodgers added. “At the end of the day, his and my partnership is one that’s been fruitful in the past, and it’s gonna be fruitful again.”

Latest On Patriots’ Eliot Wolf Decision

May 24th, 2024 at 10:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots now officially have their top post-Bill Belichick pieces in place, naming Eliot Wolf their executive VP of player personnel nearly four months after hiring Jerod Mayo to replace the coaching legend on the sideline.

Filling these two jobs involved a historically low-volume search. After language in Mayo’s contract allowed the Patriots to work around the Rooney Rule — which mandates two external minority candidates be interviewed for HC positions — the team met with only two outside candidates for its de facto GM position. And the process leading to the Wolf hire proved to be a box-checking operation, as a few candidates around the league effectively predicted.

During search that saw three executives — the Bengals’ Trey Brown, the Bills’ Terrance Gray and former Cardinals staffer Quentin Harris — decline interviews, the Patriots met with Eagles scouting director Brandon Hunt and former Panthers exec Samir Suleiman. Neither interview took place at the team facility, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer, and the two candidates who agreed to interview did not meet with anyone beyond the Krafts.

Widely expected to end with Wolf being given the keys on a full-time basis, this Patriots search brought the combined total of outside candidates interviewed for the HC and GM jobs to two this offseason. By comparison, the Panthers met with 11 outside candidates for their HC post and eight non-Carolina-based staffers for their GM gig. The Chargers spoke with nine GM candidates and met with 13 outside coaches. The Commanders’ HC-GM search covered five GM aspirants and seven outside HC interviewees. The Raiders’ search most closely resembled the Patriots’, as they only met with two non-Antonio Pierce candidates for HC and five GM candidates.

The Pats, who have not given out a GM title in more than 30 years, gave Wolf a trial run by installing him as their acting personnel chief months before the draft, Breer adds. It would have been borderline shocking to see the team allow Wolf to select its hopeful long-term quarterback (No. 3 overall pick Drake Maye), turning down Giants and Vikings trade-up offers along the way, and then go with another candidate to lead the way post-draft. Most around the league correctly predicted New England would stick with Wolf, a longtime exec who had worked as the No. 2 man in Green Bay and Cleveland. Wolf later became a finalist for the Bears and Vikings’ GM jobs in 2022.

Wolf, 42, has changed the Patriots’ scouting system by replacing Belichick’s setup with what he used with the Packers; the Patriots will also switch up their workflow by having both Wolf and Mayo report to ownership. While this format can cause division, other teams have both their HC and GM meet directly with ownership rather than use a top-down approach.

Prior to Belichick’s exit, Matt Groh worked as his top lieutenant. The Patriots have employed Wolf since 2020, but the Krafts saw enough in the second-generation personnel man to vault him past Groh and into their top front office spot. Groh remains with the organization, but it will be Wolf — likely with more input from ownership compared to the Belichick era — leading the way.

Ownership did not conduct thorough searches to reach its Mayo-Wolf endpoint. That stands to be an important footnote as the team prepares for its first post-Belichick season.

49ers Makes Additions, Promotions To Coaching Staff

May 24th, 2024 at 9:58pm CST by Ely Allen

The 49ers were spared much of the poaching that occurred to other coaching staffs around the league this offseason, but that doesn’t mean there were no changes to be made in San Francisco. Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area noted some changes to the team’s coaching staff this week.

In 2023, the offensive line was guided by offensive line coach and run game coordinator Chris Foerster and assistant offensive line coaches James Cregg and Joe Graves. While Foerster and Graves remain in their roles from last season, Cregg departed to take the offensive line coaching job in Las Vegas. Filling Cregg’s role as the second assistant offensive line coach in 2024 will be Cameron Clemmons. Clemmons most recently served as assistant offensive line coach for the Raiders, so he’ll be swapping places with Cregg.

Another staffer who departed this offseason was offensive passing game specialist Klint Kubiak, who accepted the new offensive coordinator gig in New Orleans. Taking Klint’s spot as offensive passing game specialist will be his younger brother, Klay Kubiak. Klay joined the 49ers staff in 2021 as a defensive quality control coach before spending the past two seasons as assistant quarterbacks coach. The two brothers are sons to former NFL head coach Gary Kubiak, who has three sons working in the NFL today. Kubiak’s third son, Klein Kubiak, is a national scout for the Cowboys.

Lastly on offense, we had reported the team’s addition of former Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi back in March. While a title at the time had not been divulged, Maiocco now informs us that Lombardi will serve as senior offensive assistant in 2024.

On defense, the only update provided by Maiocco concerned K.J. Wright, who was announced to be joining the 49ers staff for his first coaching gig after serving as a member of the rival Seahawks defense for 10 years as a linebacker. The initial report listed Wright as the team’s new assistant linebackers coach. Instead, it appears that Wright’s title will officially be defensive quality control coach, though he will almost certainly be focused on San Francisco’s linebacking corps.

Ravens Announce Several Front Office Promotions

May 24th, 2024 at 8:29pm CST by Ely Allen

Much like their roster and coaching staff, the 2023 Ravens saw their front office fall victim to departures for bigger jobs around the league, as well. Executive vice president and general manager Eric DeCosta announced seven promotions this week to help fill some of the new vacancies.

George Kokinis was the first staffer mentioned to take the next step up in his career. After spending the past five years as director of player personnel, Kokinis has been promoted to the title of vice president of player personnel. He is one of the longest-tenured staffers in Baltimore’s player personnel department and has worked in the NFL for 33 years. His tenure with the team technically dates back to when he was a scouting intern in Cleveland in 1991. He was invited by former owner Art Modell to join in the franchise’s move to Baltimore in 1996.

In 2023, the team had two directors of player personnel: Kokinis and new Chargers general manager Joe Hortiz. With Hortiz gone and Kokinis receiving a title bump, former assistant director of player personnel Mark Azevedo will step up into the role the former two once shared. Azevedo is another long-term staffer, joining the team as a player personnel assistant in 2005. In the past 19 years, Azevedo has worked his way up through the scouting department.

Former director of college scouting David Blackburn crossed the beltway to work with the Commanders, leaving the door open for former national scout Andrew Raphael to step up into the role. Raphael has been with the team for 10 years, joining as a player personnel intern in 2013. He will be joined atop the college scouting department by Joey Cleary, a nine-year Ravens staffer who served as a Southeast area scout for the past three seasons.

On the pro scouting side of things, Corey Frazier has been promoted to assistant director of pro personnel. Joining the team as a player personnel assistant in 2017, Frazier spent two years as a pro scout before working the past three seasons as the team’s West Coast area scout.

The team also named a couple of promotions in their analytics departments. DeCosta announced that David McDonald would be named vice president of research and development. McDonald has been in Baltimore for nine years, leading all software and data development aspects of the player personnel department as director of research and development since 2019.

Lastly, Derrick Yam was promoted to director of data and decision science after serving the past two seasons as manager of data and decision science. Yam joined the Ravens as a quantitative analyst in 2019 after earning a master’s degree in biostatistics from Brown University.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/24/24

May 24th, 2024 at 6:47pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s only mid- to late-round draft pick signing:

New England Patriots

Baker transferred to Orlando after two unproductive years of minimal use at Alabama. Immediately upon arrival, Baker became a major weapon for the Knights. In 2022, he led the team in receiving yards with 56 catches for 796 yards and five touchdowns. This past season, he improved on two of those numbers, leading the Knights in receptions (52) and receiving yards (1,139) while also nabbing seven touchdowns.

In New England, Baker and second-round rookie Ja’Lynn Polk out of Washington, join a Patriots receiving corps that lost DeVante Parker to retirement but returns leading receivers Demario Douglas, Kendrick Bourne, and tight end Hunter Henry. While Polk will likely get an opportunity to start with Douglas and Bourne, Polk will try to make an impact as a rotation receiver with veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and K.J. Osborn. He’ll attempt to avoid falling into the blackhole of young receivers who have failed to live up to their draft potential like Tyquan Thornton and Jalen Reagor.

Vikings Unlikely To Make WR Addition?

May 24th, 2024 at 5:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Vikings lost quarterback Kirk Cousins this offseason, but much of their pass-catching corps remains intact. Wideouts Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison are on the books, as is tight end T.J. Hockenson.

[RELATED: Justin Jefferson Seeking NFL’s Largest Non-QB Deal?]

Among Minnesota’s free agent losses was receiver K.J. Osborn, though. He proved to be a consistent secondary option in the team’s passing game from 2021-23, amassing 15 touchdowns during that span. The former fifth-rounder signed a one-year deal with the Patriots in March, leaving the Vikings in need of a new WR3.

The team signed Trent Sherfield to a modest deal, giving the journeyman an opportunity to carve out a role. Sherfield’s best season came in 2022 with the Dolphins (30-417-2), and he has started only 10 of 95 games in his career. Minnesota has other options to operate as a third receiver, such as Brandon Powell, N’Keal Harry and Jalen Nailor.

No member of that group has a track record of success as a starter, though, which has led to questions regarding the Vikings’ depth plans at receiver. On that point, ESPN’s Kevin Seifert writes Minnesota does not appear to be interested in making a free agent move. Jefferson and Addison are positioned to once again command a large target share in 2024, and Hockenson proved to be an effective pickup during his first full Vikings season until it was cut short by a major knee injury.

Several veteran wideouts are still on the market. The likes of Michael Thomas, Mecole Hardman and Hunter Renfrow remain unsigned, and none of them will likely be expensive additions at this point in the offseason. With roughly $16.5MM in cap space, the Vikings can afford to make an addition at the position, particularly if it is one aimed at providing experienced depth in head coach Kevin O’Connell‘s three-receiver scheme. At this point, however, it may come as a surprise if the team prioritized a signing.

Packers WR Christian Watson Addresses Hamstring Rehab

May 24th, 2024 at 3:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

During his first two seasons in the NFL, Christian Watson has missed considerable time. A goal for he and the Packers this offseason was to find a long-term solution to his hamstring issues, and progress on that front has been made.

The No. 34 pick in the 2022 draft, Watson joined Green Bay with considerable expectations. His rookie season was limited to 11 contests, though, and questions lingered last offseason relating to his ability to stay on the field for a full campaign. In 2023, the 25-year-old wideout missed the first three weeks as well as the final five games of the campaign dealing with recurrences of his hamstring ailments.

Green Bay sent Watson to see a specialist after the end of the season, and he tested at the University of Wisconsin’s School of Medicine and Public Health. When speaking about his recovery process during that time, the North Dakota State alum noted that a lack of symmetry in his legs (with respect to strength in his hamstrings) was the cause of his problem. Rectifying that will go a long way in preventing further missed time.

“For me, it really was the asymmetry between the legs,” Watson said at OTAs (via ESPN’s Rob Demovsky). “It comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the issues I’ve had in the past with hamstrings, not fully recovering from those strength-wise. I’ve been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back and it’s been huge for me. I feel really, really good.”

Watson added that the difference in muscle mass between his right leg and his left was roughly 20% not long after he tested at Wisconsin. That figure has dropped considerably since, although he has yet to reach his goal of 6% at this point. Of course, that progress will be worth monitoring throughout OTAs and through training camp, and his ultimate success will come down to his gameday availability during the season.

For now, Watson and the Packers are confident this offseason will mark a turning point from a health standpoint. The team’s young receiving corps also includes the likes of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs and Dontayvion Wicks, and that unit fared well last season as Jordan Love took on starting quarterback duties. Watson (who has averaged 15 yards per catch and totaled 12 touchdowns in his career) will play a notable role in 2024 and beyond if he can remain healthy. Signs currently point to that being possible, if he can follow through on his recovery plan.

Ravens Interested In Safety Addition

May 24th, 2024 at 2:15pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Ravens have Marcus Williams and Kyle Hamilton in place as projected safety starters for 2024. The team lost Geno Stone in free agency this offseason, however, and finding a replacement late in free agency appears to be a priority.

Baltimore used three-safety looks regularly in 2023, and doing so allowed Hamilton to wear a number of hats for the team’s defense during his breakout campaign. The 2022 first-rounder has seen considerable usage in the slot, but the departure of Stone (along with the re-signing of slot corner Arthur Maulet) should allow him to play primarily as a safety moving forward.

The same is true for Williams, but his Ravens tenure has been marred by injuries to date. The former Saint inked a five-year, $70MM deal in free agency, but he has been limited to 24 combined regular and postseason games in two Baltimore campaigns. Williams, 27, does not have guaranteed salaries remaining on his contract, but he will be counted on as a first-team contributor for the foreseeable future barring a major injury.

The Ravens are among the teams looking to bring in a third safety, Ryan Mink of the team’s website writes. New defensive coordinator Zach Orr named 2021 UDFA Ar’Darius Washington as a candidate to fill that role, but he has just 10 regular season and playoff games under his belt. The team selected Sanoussi Kane in the seventh round of the draft, but he should not be expected to play a notable defensive role as a rookie. Of course, a number of veterans are still on the market deep into an offseason in which several safeties were let go or not retained by their former teams.

One of those – Jamal Adams – visited Baltimore earlier this week. Adams was cut by the Seahawks in a cost-shedding move, one which seemed to bring his injury-plagued Seattle tenure to an end. He has been in discussion with the team, but the Ravens could represent an alternative destination depending on the level of interest shown in that case. Justin Simmons, Quandre Diggs, Eddie Jackson and Marcus Maye are among the other veteran safeties still unsigned.

Baltimore currently sits near the bottom of the league in terms of cap space with $5.7MM in available funds. Only a low-cost addition is feasible as a result, but the depth of free agent options should allow for an inexpensive move.

Latest On Saints, Marshon Lattimore

May 24th, 2024 at 12:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dennis Allen continues to respond in the affirmative when asked if Marshon Lattimore will be part of the 2024 Saints. The third-year New Orleans HC kept this trend going from OTAs this week.

Trade rumors have persisted, after teams checked in on Lattimore earlier this offeason. This led to Allen discussing the rumors with the Pro Bowl cornerback earlier this month. Lattimore’s thrice-restructured contract — a $19.4MM-per-year deal — runs through the 2026 season.

“I just thought it was something we needed to communicate,” Allen said, via ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell, upon noting Lattimore will be a Saint this season. “There’s been a lot of talk outside our building about trades and things of that nature. And so I just felt like it was probably time that he and I had a conversation. … It was a positive conversation and we’re looking forward to getting him out when he’s here and working with him.”

Lattimore, 28, did not show for the first batch of Saints OTAs. Allen said he has not been in the building this offseason, indicating his recent conversation with Lattimore was the parties’ first in a while. Though, missing voluntary workouts is not an atypical development for the talented defender. That said, the seven-year veteran is coming off two injury-plagued seasons.

Lattimore went down with an ankle injury and missed the Saints’ final seven games. He missed 10 due to a lacerated kidney in 2022, though the Saints did not place the former All-Pro on IR that year. While Lattimore did land on IR in 2023, NOLA.com’s Jeff Duncan notes internal frustration came about at the pace the veteran CB recovered from each injury. This concern undoubtedly rankled Lattimore’s camp.

Availability issues already severed the Saints’ relationship with Michael Thomas, though the team gave the former All-Pro wideout a few chances to bounce back. Lattimore is three years younger than Thomas and has a more recent history of playing at a high level. The Saints, however, traded up for Kool-Aid McKinstry in the draft and have rookie-contract corners Paulson Adebo and Alontae Taylor on the roster.

The Saints’ latest Lattimore restructure made his contract more tradeable, as it lowered his 2024 salary cap number (to $14.62MM) by inserting option bonuses. Rather than using a signing bonus as a conversion tool, New Orleans introducing option bonuses here would make those another team’s responsibility if Lattimore is traded. The deal now contains $13.79MM in options bonuses prorated over the next five years.

Similar to the Packers’ final arrangement with Aaron Rodgers, Lattimore’s 2024 option bonus — which is worth just $2.76MM — does not have to be exercised until a week before the season. While that structure certainly leaves the door open for a trade, nothing is imminent. If Lattimore is dealt after June 1 this year, the Saints would take on only $10.65MM in dead money.

Even as trade rumors swirl involving a boundary corner with four Pro Bowls on his resume, Duncan views a Lattimore trade as highly unlikely. Barring a monster offer, the Saints will be expected to give the Ohio State alum another shot to stay healthy and rejoin Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis and Tyrann Mathieu as veteran presences on Allen’s defense. This still may be a situation to monitor, but for now, it does not appear Lattimore is too close to being moved.

This Date In Transactions History: Raiders Sign Kerry Collins

May 24th, 2024 at 12:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Giants considered making a major quarterback move in this year’s draft, it is worth reminding the franchise has managed to avoid much turnover at the game’s premier position. The team employed Phil Simms for 15 years, Eli Manning for 16 and is set to give Daniel Jones a sixth season at the helm.

Kerry Collins stood in the Jones position 20 years ago, coming off his fifth season as the team’s starter. A former Panthers top-five pick, Collins had stabilized his career in New York, leading the Giants to Super Bowl XXXV and another playoff berth two years later. But the team had designs on upgrading after a 4-12 2003 season. Unlike this year’s Giants, the team completed a trade for its desired QB prospect. As Manning maneuvered his way to New York, being traded from the Chargers after the team he asked not pick him did so at No. 1 overall, Collins quickly made his way out of the Big Apple. Shortly after the draft, the Giants ended the suspense with their incumbent by cutting him.

One of only three primary Giants QB1s this century, Collins was given an option to stay on and groom Manning. Collins and then-GM Ernie Accorsi did not agree on an arrangement in which the veteran would accept a pay cut and be a bridge quarterback, so the Giants moved on in late April. Twenty years ago today, the Raiders came in with an offer that ended Collins’ short stay in free agency. The Raiders gave Collins a three-year, $16.82MM deal on May 24, 2004.

This mid-offseason agreement came as former MVP Rich Gannon‘s status was in question, and as the veteran Oakland starter approached 40, it would be Collins quarterbacking the Raiders for most of the next two seasons. Gannon had made the Pro Bowl in each of his first four Raiders seasons. This included a 2002 MVP award, when he piloted the Raiders to Super Bowl XXXVII, and two first-team All-Pro honors. But his 2003 season ended early due to a torn labrum. As Gannon entered his age-39 season, Collins — at 31 — became a high-profile insurance option.

Oakland needed to use that insurance early. A scary helmet-to-helmet collision with future Hall of Famer Derrick Brooks in Week 3 of the 2004 season ended Gannon’s career. Collins started the final 13 games for the Raiders in 2004 and was under center in 15 games during the ’05 season. The pocket passer’s Raiders tenure did not reach the heights his Giants run did.

Collins played with arguably the two best wide receivers in NFL history, though not at the same time. Jerry Rice‘s four-year Raiders tenure ended (via a trade to the Seahawks) in October 2004, and Randy Moss‘ two-season Oakland stay began after a Raiders-Vikings swap in 2005. While Moss fared better with Collins (1,005 receiving yards) than he did during a woeful 2006 season, the all-time great’s Raiders stretch was a major disappointment.

The Raiders went 7-21 with Collins at the controls. The veteran led the NFL in interceptions, with 20, in 2004 and completed just 53.5% of his passes — well south of his Giants work — in 2005. Firing Norv Turner after the 2005 season, the Raiders also cut Collins. They signed Aaron Brooks in 2006, using he and 2005 third-rounder Andrew Walter as stopgaps during a 2-14 season that set up the JaMarcus Russell pick.

Eventually stretching his career to 17 seasons, Collins ended up bouncing back with the Titans. The 2006 free agency pickup replaced a scuffling Vince Young in 2008 and led Tennessee team to a 13-3 record. After Collins passed on the Manning bridge gig four years earlier, Kurt Warner ended up taking it. Although the former two-time MVP was benched for a developing Manning nine games into the 2004 season, the Giants tenure helped set up the future Hall of Famer’s memorable third act with the Cardinals.

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