Matt Hasselbeck - Pro Football Rumors

Matt Hasselbeck To Retire

March 9th, 2016 at 9:09am CST by Zachary Links

NFL quarterback Matthew Hasselbeck announced his retirement from the NFL today, as Allie Stoneberg of ESPN writes. The three-time Pro Bowler will now join up with ESPN as an analyst.

“As a kid, playing in the NFL was always my dream and it turned out to be way more fun than I could’ve ever imagined,” said Hasselbeck. “Throughout 18 incredible seasons, I had the chance to forge many relationships with teammates, coaches and staff that I will cherish forever. Those relationships made my playing career all the more memorable. With the support of my family, we’ve made the decision to embark on the next chapter. I’m extremely thankful for the opportunity to have represented the NFL and so many great teams.”

Even during his age-40 season, Hasselbeck played pretty well in relief of the injured Andrew Luck — he started eight games and posted a 5-3 record, completed 61% of his passes for 1,690 yards, and threw nine touchdowns against five interceptions.

Hasselbeck said recently that he planned to return for an 18th NFL season, and Colts head coach Chuck Pagano stated that the club “would love” to have him back. Evidently that thinking changed, however, as the Colts informed the QB late last month that they would not re-sign him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Hasselbeck, Powell, Vernon

March 8th, 2016 at 10:32pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Colts quarterback Matt Hasselbeck is set to join the cast of ESPN’s Sunday Countdown, sources tell Jason McIntyre of the Big Lead, who adds that a retirement announcement from Hasselbeck could come as soon as tomorrow. Indianpolis informed Hasselbeck that it would not re-sign him late last month:

More from around the league before the craziness starts tomorrow:

The Patriots are interested in free agent running back Bilal Powell, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets, Powell’s club for the duration of his career, already lost one RB earlier tonight when Chris Ivory agreed to sign with the Jaguars.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports is the latest to confirm rumors that the Dolphins may rescind Olivier Vernon‘s franchise tag, noting that if the club works out an extension with Cameron Wake, Vernon could become an unrestricted free agent.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo underwent successful collarbone surgery and is expected to recover within six-to-eight weeks, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link).

Colts Will Not Re-Sign Matt Hasselbeck

February 29th, 2016 at 4:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 4:02pm: Confirming Sunday’s reports, Hasselbeck has tweeted a goodbye to the Colts organization: “Amazing experience w/ Colts. My family & I are grateful to you Indianapolis. Many great friends, you will be missed!”

SUNDAY, 1:35pm: Andrew Luck will have a new backup in 2016, as the Colts will not attempt to re-sign veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck, report Mike Silver and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Instead, Indianapolis will turn to former Buccaneers starter Josh Freeman as its No. 2 signal-caller.

Even during his age-40 season, Hasselbeck played pretty well in relief of the injured Luck — he started eight games and posted a 5-3 record, completed 61% of his passes for 1,690 yards, and threw nine touchdowns against five interceptions. Hasselbeck said earlier this month that he planned to return for an 18th NFL season, and Colts head coach Chuck Pagano stated that the club “would love” to have him back. Evidently that thinking has changed, however, so if Hasselbeck wants to play one more year, it will be in a different uniform.

Freeeman, 28, signed with Indianapolis late in the 2015 season and ended up starting the club’s season finale (a win against the Titans). The former first-round pick brings 61 games worth of starting experience to the table — the majority of that time was with Tampa Bay, but Freeman also spent a brief one-game interlude with the Vikings in 2013.

The Colts also have fellow December signee Stephen Morris under contract for the 2016 season, so the team could choose to deploy him as their No. 3 quarterback. Meanwhile, veteran Charlie Whitehurst isn’t mentioned in the NFL.com report, but if Freeman is set to act as the backup, there’s little chance Whitehurst — an unrestricted free agent — will return to Indianpolis.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Joeckel, Hasselbeck, Saints

February 28th, 2016 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars have not decided on whether or not to pick up Luke Joeckel‘s fifth-year option, Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union reports.

“It’s something we’re working through,” GM Dave Caldwell told media, including O’Halloran. “I know [the coaches] are going through all the film from last year and that will take the off-season and until the players come back. No decision has been made on that.”

Joeckel has not been what the Jaguars envisioned when they selected him No. 2 overall in 2013, and he turned in another underwhelming season in 2015, ranking at No. 50 on Pro Football Focus’ grades for tackles.

The Chiefs are facing a similar decision with 2013 No. 1 pick Eric Fisher in the tackle-rich draft, while the Eagles already extended their No. 4 pick, right tackle Lane Johnson, earlier this offseason. Last year, the cost for exercising fifth-year options on offensive linemen picked at Nos. 1-10 was $11.096MM.

O’Halloran theorizes the Jags are potentially waiting to see if Laremy Tunsil slips to them at No. 5. If not, he writes, the team will pick up Joeckel’s option. But if the Ole Miss prospect does somehow escape the top four picks, Jacksonville would be inclined to take him and pass on Joeckel’s 2017 season.

Here’s the latest from some of the league’s southernmost squads.

Caldwell told media the Jags aren’t far under the league’s salary floor, according to O’Halloran. With the CBA mandating teams spend 89% of their cash over a four-year period, the Jaguars and Raiders reside under that threshold for 2013-16. An Associated Press report on Feb. 4 placed the Jags at $28MM under this mark. Although the Jaguars have the most cap room in the league at $80.07MM, they have until the 2016 league year ends next March to reach the salary floor. “We haven’t [reached it], but we’re close,” Caldwell told media. “We don’t have to spend to the cap to get there. Trust me, we’ll have no issue getting to where we need to be.”
We heard earlier today the Colts will move away from Matt Hasselbeck as their backup quarterback. Financial discipline is at the root of this, according to Stephen Holder of the Indanapolis Star (Twitter links). Hasselbeck signed a one-year, $3MM deal to stay in Indianapolis last year and occupied $3.5MM and $3.75MM cap holds for the Colts in 2013 and ’14, respectively. Despite formerly signing a lucrative extension with the Bucs a few years ago before a career-altering swoon, Josh Freeman‘s only set to take up $760K of the Colts’ cap in 2016. The Colts will likely add additional inexpensive depth behind Andrew Luck, considering Freeman was playing in the Fall Experimental Football League last year.
The Saints met with Paxton Lynch at the Combine, Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com reports. Although the ex-Memphis quarterback seems to have fallen behind Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, he’s still considered a first-round prospect. Drew Brees has just one year remaining on his current contract and turned 37 in January, but as Dabe points out, the Saints used one of their 60 permitted prospect summits on Jameis Winston last year. The Saints remain committed to extending Brees’ contract.

South Rumors: Hasselbeck, Spiller, Panthers

February 18th, 2016 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck turned 40 last fall, and has been playing in the NFL since 1998, but it sounds like he wants to play at least one more season, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com details.

“I know I want to play (in 2016),” Hasselbeck said. “I know how much fun I had in the huddle last year. I remember getting in the huddle for one game and it was just so much fun to be in there with my guys, with my teammates, with my friends.”

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told Hasselbeck earlier this month that the club “would love” to have him back, but the veteran signal-caller doesn’t currently have a contract for 2016, so the two sides would have to agree to a new deal. As March 9th approaches, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on whether the Colts work out a new contract with Hasselbeck, or if the team wants to turn to younger options to back up Andrew Luck. Currently, Josh Freeman and Stephen Morris are under contract in Indianapolis.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:

Saints running back C.J. Spiller hadn’t been considered a lock to return to the team in 2016, but it sounds like GM Mickey Loomis is planning on having him in the mix. In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Loomis said that he thinks the Saints “will see the real C.J. Spiller” next season, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune details.
Another NFC South running back, Jonathan Stewart, is also a good bet to return to his current team. Team and league sources tell Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer that the Panthers are expected to retain Stewart, despite the cap savings his release would create.
The Titans‘ signings during March’s free agent period might not reveal which player the team plans to take with the No. 1 overall pick, but Tennessee’s March moves could strongly suggest which direction the club won’t go with that selection, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com explains.
The Colts have had a consistent problem drafting offensive linemen, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com, who examines the team’s various swings and misses at the position over the last few years. The offensive line is an area where the team could use an upgrade or two this offseason, so it’ll be interesting to see if GM Ryan Grigson can start to turn his draft record around at the position.

South Notes: Bucs, Cotchery, Hasselbeck

February 11th, 2016 at 3:00pm CST by Luke Adams

After watching Cam Newton and the Panthers win 15 games in his division in 2015, then seeing Newton run for his life against a fearsome Broncos pass rush in the Super Bowl, Buccaneers linebacker Kwon Alexander would like to see his team make an effort this offseason to add some more defensive players capable of wreaking havoc in opposing backfields.

“We need to get some more guys to, you know, to get some push on the quarterback,” Alexander said during an appearance on WDAE-AM 620 (link via JoeBucsFan.com). “I think that’s what we’re going to be drafting this year, defensive ends. We had great defensive ends this year, but we need a little more help. So whoever we can get, you know, we’re going to need that pressure to get Cam and, you know, try to get to the Super Bowl this season.”

As general manager Jason Licht takes Alexander’s recommendations under consideration, let’s check in on some other updates from around the NFL’s South divisions….

Thursday is the day that the contracts for Panthers wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery and safety Roman Harper void, so both players will officially become free agents when the new league year begins, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. For his part, Cotchery said this week that he’s not sure what his future holds, but he has only positive things to say about the two years he has spent in Carolina (link via Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review).
By the end of his 2015 campaign with the Colts, Matt Hasselbeck was pretty banged up, but the veteran quarterback said today during an appearance on 710 ESPN Seattle that he’s “strongly leaning toward” playing another season (Twitter link via Brady Henderson of 710 ESPN Seattle). Hasselbeck is an unrestricted free agent, so if he does continue his NFL career, there’s no guarantee that will happen in Indianapolis.
The agent for veteran guard Jahri Evans, who was released by the Saints this week, said on SportsRadio 94 WIP today that New Orleans asked Evans to take a pay cut to remain with the team, but his client wasn’t willing to do that for the second consecutive year (Twitter link via Matt Moscona of ESPN New Orleans). Evans signed a new contract last April that reduced his salary for 2016.

South Notes: Tillman, Titans, Hasselbeck

January 12th, 2016 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Panthers cornerback Charles Tillman will have ACL surgery on Wednesday, according to Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Tillman is, of course, sidelined for the playoffs and, at this time, he has not decided about his football future. Tillman, who turns 35 in February, had a nice bounce-back season in Carolina this year after playing in just 10 total games for the Bears in 2013 and 2014.

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s South divisions….

Multiple Titans GM candidates, if they were hired, would choose against retaining Mike Mularkey as head coach, a source with knowledge of the team’s interview process told Jason Wolf of The Tennessean.
Matt Hasselbeck will wait a few weeks before making a final decision on whether or not to retire, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Hasselbeck’s contract with the Colts is set to expire, so he’ll have to sign a new deal with Indianapolis or another team if he intends to continue his playing career.
On the heels of a five-turnover performance by Brian Hoyer in the game that eliminated the Texans from the postseason, GM Rick Smith and head coach Bill O’Brien recognize that finding a “big-time quarterback like many of the other playoff teams” is the top priority for the franchise, says John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.
Saints general manager Mickey Loomis has exerted greater control of the New Orleans Pelicans recently, but that’s only temporary, with Tom Benson‘s NBA team expected to bring in Joe Dumars to run the front office. Check out our sister site, Hoops Rumors, for the latest on Loomis’ involvement with the Pelicans.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

South Notes: Saints, Colts, Hoyer, Wright

December 27th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Sam Robinson

Some inside the Saints organization view Drew Brees‘ contract as an albatross that’s hampered their ability to progress, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Conor Orr of NFL.com).

The Saints are over the cap going into the offseason for the second straight year and may have to part with more veterans as a result. Brees will be due a $30MM cap hold in 2016, a number that will likely be renegotiated if the soon-to-be-16th-year quarterback is to return for an 11th season in New Orleans.

The 36-year-old Brees enters the final year of the five-year, $100MM deal he inked in 2012.

Here are some more items from the Southern divisions during Week 16’s penultimate game.

NFL executives aren’t ruling out Sean Payton going back on his word on returning to New Orleans for an 11th season, per Rapoport. A path out of the Big Easy for Payton is a potential trip to Los Angeles. Payton’s daughter attends USC, and Rapoport believes a union with Philip Rivers would make sense if the Chargers move north and opt not to bring back Mike McCoy for a fourth year.
The Colts‘ pair of middle-aged starters appear to be heading in divergent directions, with Adam Vinatieri looking set to come back for a 21st season and Matt Hasselbeck appearing prepared to retire after his 18th year, Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star writes. Hasselbeck left a game due to injury for the fourth straight week. Both are free agents after the season, but Colts punter Pat McAfee insists the 43-year-old Vinatieri will suit up next season.
Hasselbeck does not sound optimistic when referring to his chances at making another start this season, per Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. With the Colts almost certainly out of the playoff picture, Charlie Whitehurst or Stephen Morris could get the call in Week 17.
Despite Brandon Weeden‘s surprising work keeping the Texans in front in the division, Bill O’Brien will go back to Brian Hoyer once the veteran is able to return from the concussion he suffered, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports.
Kendall Wright appears likely to be shut down for the Titans‘ Week 17 game against the Colts after the fourth-year wide receiver reinjured his MCL, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com reports. Wright left Sunday’s game in the first half when doctors determined he could endure a further setback by continuing to play on the injury that cost him three games in November. Wright’s set to enter his fifth-year option season in 2016 and will do so coming off by far his worst year as a pro.

QB Rumors: Luck, Hoyer, Dalton, Cousins

December 16th, 2015 at 12:57pm CST by Luke Adams

The race for the AFC South title will take another interesting twist this week, as the starting quarterbacks for the division’s top teams have both been ruled out for Week 15. The Texans announced today that Brian Hoyer won’t play due to a concussion, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle details, while Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters that Andrew Luck won’t play, though Matt Hasselbeck should (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).

The two current leaders in the AFC South are, of course, scheduled to play each other this Sunday, so one of the two 6-7 clubs will almost certainly get back to .500. But they’ll have to attempt to do so without their starting QBs.

Here are a few more updates on quarterback situations around the NFL:

Bengals players expect quarterback Andy Dalton to be sidelined for about four to six weeks, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. If he can heal quickly and return in four weeks, that would put Dalton on track to potentially start a game on Wild Card weekend for Cincinnati.
With Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins nearing the end of his rookie contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what a contract extension for Cousins might look like. As Corry observes, a Nick Foles-type deal could work for both sides, but Cousins should be in no rush to sign an extension if he finishes the season strong, since making Washington have to consider using its franchise tag would give him plenty of leverage.
Cousins is one of a handful of potential free agent quarterbacks that Daniel Jeremiah and Bucky Brooks discuss in a piece for NFL.com, and the duo agrees that Washington should do all it can to hang onto the fourth-year signal-caller. Jeremiah and Brooks also examine Eagles QB Sam Bradford, Blaine Gabbert of the 49ers, and Broncos QB Brock Osweiler, among others.
Drew Brees, Peyton Manning, and Jay Cutler are among the players whose teams – the Saints, Broncos, and Bears respectively – will face some tough cap decisions this offseason, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Each case is a little different, but restructured contracts, trades, or cuts could be in play, as Robinson details.

Latest On Colts’ QBs

December 14th, 2015 at 6:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It’s not often that two sub-.500 teams square off in December with first place in their division at stake, but that will be the case Sunday when the Colts and Texans – both 6-7 – meet in Indianapolis in a crucial AFC South showdown. Making this matchup even more unusual is that each club could have a backup quarterback at the helm. Thanks to a concussion, the Texans will likely be without No. 1 man Brian Hoyer, meaning they’ll turn to T.J. Yates. On the other side, it’s currently unknown which of the three Colts QBs will be under center.

Andrew Luck – who has been out since early November with a lacerated spleen – is hoping to return this week, though Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star writes that his status is in doubt. Luck has multiple hurdles to jump before he can make his much-anticipated comeback, as Holder notes: Team doctors have to clear him twice – once to return to practice, again to actually suit up in a game. Given that Luck’s injury is internal, the Colts aren’t going to force him back into the lineup prematurely and put his health at greater risk. For his part, Luck acknowledges that his conditioning is in need of work after missing so much time.

“Throwing felt great,” he said Monday, according to Holder. “Conditioning-wise, it’s a process. When you take time off, it takes a little more time to get back into it.”

As if Luck’s injury situation isn’t frustrating enough for the Colts, reserve Matt Hasselbeck is also banged up. The 40-year-old’s left arm is in a sling thanks to a rib injury he suffered in Sunday’s 51-16 loss to Jacksonville, and head coach Chuck Pagano said Hasselbeck is dealing with spasms associated with the injury. Pagano added that Hasselbeck will try to return to practice on Thursday, and expressed optimism regarding his status for the Houston game.

“I fully anticipate him being available for us,” Pagano said.

If the worst happens for Indy and both Luck and Hasselbeck aren’t ready by Sunday, the Colts will turn to third-stringer Charlie Whitehurst with their season at stake.