Brett Hundley - Pro Football Rumors

NFC North Notes: Bears, Hundley, Lions

October 15th, 2017 at 5:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although John Fox is known for his conservative tendencies, the Bears coach wanted to pull the trigger on starting the Mitch Trubisky era earlier than the team ended up going through with the quarterback switch. Fox raved about the No. 2 overall pick’s upside and was open to the team replacing Mike Glennon earlier than Week 5, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. However, ownership and management, due to Trubisky’s inexperience and the investment the team recently made in Glennon, halted the switch before finally agreeing to turn to the rookie after Glennon’s rough outing in Green Bay. Trubisky picked up his first career win as a starter Sunday, with the Bears beating the Ravens in overtime.

Here’s more from the NFC North, shifting to the division’s highest-profile quarterback situation.

Mike McCarthy doesn’t sound ready to explore outside solutions to replace Aaron Rodgers after the perennial MVP candidate broke his collarbone Sunday. The Packers coach said postgame (via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com, on Twitter) Brett Hundley is his starting quarterback and Joe Callahan, who hasn’t played in a regular-season game yet, is the backup. A 2015 fifth-round pick, Hundley entered Sunday with 11 career pass attempts. The UCLA product threw three interceptions in the Packers’ loss to the Vikings. Colin Kaepernick, Robert Griffin III and Matt McGloin are among the UFA options. Wisconsin native Tony Romo has stood out as an analyst in his first season, and the 37-year-old recently retired passer reportedly would only consider a return to the NFL if the Cowboys needed him. However, this would be quite the special circumstance, given the Packers’ recent track record.
The Lions continue to wait for left tackle Taylor Decker to return to action, and Greg Robinson has yet to prove a capable replacement. But it’s likely the former No. 2 overall pick will continue to function as the Lions’ starter on the left edge due to his experience advantage over Brian Mihalik and Emmett Cleary, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. However, Rothstein notes Decker might be ready to play by the time the Lions return to action in Week 8. A late-October return gels with the last update that emerged on Decker.
Teddy Bridgewater received good news on multiple fronts. Eligible to come off the PUP list on Monday, the Vikings quarterback is said to be ready to go. Bridgewater’s contract situation also looks to be breaking in a favorable fashion after previously residing in a murky place.

NFC Rumors: Unger, Saints, Howard, Bears

May 8th, 2017 at 11:53am CST by Zachary Links

While Max Unger recovers from surgery, the Saints could fill the gap from within and use center/guard Senio Kelemete as the starter in the middle, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) suggests. Center Jack Allen is also on the roster, but Rapoport seems to think that Kelemete would have the leg up.

Here’s more out of the NFC:

Jaye Howard‘s deal with the Bears calls for a base salary of $775K but can make up to $4MM with incentives, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The Chiefs will be keeping a close eye on Howard’s performance thanks to the offset language in his contract. The Chiefs can recoup up to $3.75MM in cap space if Howard maxes out his incentives.
If UDFA quarterback Taysom Hill works out for the Packers, it could enable the team to trade backup Brett Hundley for something of value this summer, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel opines. The BYU product offers high-level athleticism for the position and at the age of 27, he may be more mature than your average UDFA. In theory, Joe Callahan could ascent to the QB2 spot with Hill taking over as the new third-stringer. The Packers nearly traded Hundley during Day 2 of the draft this year.
The Cardinals worked out quarterback Blaine Gabbert on Thursday, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We learned last week that Arizona had interest in the former No. 10 overall pick and an audition was on the way. The Cardinals already have three signal callers on the roster in Carson Palmer, Drew Stanton, and Zac Dysert.

Packers Nearly Traded QB Brett Hundley

April 30th, 2017 at 2:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Packers put backup quarterback Brett Hundley on the trade block during the draft, and nearly made a deal to during Day 2, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Instead, Green Bay will likely retain Hundley for another season, but the club is expected to trade him before his contract expires after the 2018 campaign. The Packers believe they can recoup “much more” than the fifth-round pick they used to initially draft Hundley, per Demovsky.

This isn’t the first time a potential Hundley trade has been mentioned, as Demovsky reported earlier this month that the Packers intend to deal Hundley at some point in the next calendar year. Any club interested in acquiring Hundley would largely be relying on its predraft analysis of Hundley and his preseason tape, as the former UCLA signal-caller hasn’t gotten much of an opportunity thus far in the NFL. With Aaron Rodgers firmly entrenched under center, Hundley has attempted just 10 passes during his pro tenure.

Green Bay was reportedly eyeing Notre Dame quarterback DeShone Kizer with the No. 33 pick at the top of the second round, and the team could have dealt Hundley had they selected Kizer in Round 2. Ultimately, the Packers drafted Washington cornerback Kevin King with the pick. But Green Bay could aim to draft another quarterback in 2018 if they hope to trade Hundley, as the only other signal-caller on the roster aside from Rodgers and Hundley is 2016 undrafted free agent Joe Callahan.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Lions, 49ers, Packers

April 7th, 2017 at 8:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Defensive tackle Timmy Jernigan was “mind-blown” when the Ravens traded him to the Eagles on Tuesday, he told reporters, including Zach Berman of Philly.com. Jernigan didn’t expect to be a long-term fit in Baltimore after it re-signed nose tackle Brandon Williams to a massive contract last month, but he figured he’d remain there in 2017. Now that he’s in Philadelphia, Jernigan is excited to line up next to Fletcher Cox and play in defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz‘s scheme. Schwartz told Jernigan he has “big plans” for the 24-year-old, who set career highs in starts (15) and sacks (five) in 2016. “This is my first time ever being told, ‘Go,’ “ Jernigan said. “I’ll prove my point.”

NFC Mailbags: Packers, Giants, Cowboys

July 4th, 2015 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start with notes from the NFC, with a cameo from the Dallas Morning News’ Bob Sturm…

Quarterback Brett Hundley is a lock to make the Packers roster, says Rob Demovsky. At wideout, the writer believes Jeff Janis and Jared Abbrederis will make the team.
The Packers could opt to keep a pair of fullbacks (John Kuhn and Aaron Ripkowski) on their opening day roster, writes Demovsky. This would probably require the team to keep only two running backs, and the writer can’t imagine the Packers going into the year with only Eddie Lacy and James Starks. If there were to be a third running back, Demovsky believes the competition is between Rajion Neal and John Crockett, with Neal being the favorite.
If Giants rookie Ereck Flowers shows promise at left tackle, Dan Graziano says the team could move on from veteran Will Beatty following the season. Beatty, who is scheduled to make $6.675MM next season, is expected to be out until at least November.
The Cowboys must be careful when Terrance Williams becomes a free agent in an effort to not overpay what Sturm calls an “adequate” wideout in a mailbag.
Sturm also predicts the Cowboys will regress in the running game but won’t be set for a freefall without DeMarco Murray, with Tony Romo ready to assume more control of the offense. Sturm expects Joseph Randle to be the starter in what is expected to be a coalition approach to replacing the league’s rushing leader.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

Draft Pick Signings: Thursday

May 7th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Over the course of the next few weeks, as the league’s 32 teams lock up their draft picks, we’ll dedicate individual posts to first- and second-round picks reaching agreements with their respective clubs. Already today, for instance, we’ve passed along word of Trae Waynes signing with the Vikings and Nelson Agholor reaching a deal with the Eagles.

However, given the lack of drama involved in rookie contract negotiations under the new CBA, news on players who were selected in the third round or later will be relegated to round-up posts. Here are Thursday’s mid- to late-round picks who signed their deals, with any additional updates added to the top of the page throughout the day:

4:52pm:

In addition to confirming the signing of Deon Simon (noted below), the Jets also announced the signings of third-round outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin and fourth-round quarterback Bryce Petty, per a team release.
The Vikings are gradually agreeing to terms with nearly their entire draft class over the course of the day. Chris Tomasson (Twitter links) has updates on two more, reporting that fifth-round tight end MyCole Pruitt, fifth-round wideout Stefon Diggs, and seventh-round offensive lineman Austin Shepherd have all reached deals with the club.
The Ravens have signed fifth-round guard Robert Myers and sixth-round wide receiver Darren Waller, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links).
The Seahawks have signed fifth-round cornerback Tye Smith, tweets Terry Blount of ESPN.com.

3:50pm:

The Vikings have officially added three more draftees to the roster, agreeing to terms with sixth-round defensive lineman B.J. Dubose and seventh-round linebacker Edmond Robinson, according to reports from Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). In addition to those late-rounders, fourth-round offensive lineman T.J. Clemmings has signed his deal, tweets agent Mike McCartney.
Sixth-round lineman Kristjan Sokoli has signed his four-year rookie deal with the Seahawks, tweets agent Brett Tessler. A defensive lineman at Buffalo, Sokoli will be moving over to the offensive line in Seattle.
Jets seventh-round defensive tackle Deon Simon and Patriots seventh-round defensive end Xzavier Dickson have signed their rookie deals, according to tweets from their respective agencies. Simon will get a signing bonus in the neighborhood of $73K, while Dickson’s bonus will be worth about $53K.

2:43pm:

Sixth-round offensive lineman Tyrus Thompson has agreed to terms with the Vikings and will officially sign when he arrives at the team’s facility, tweets Darren Wolfson of KSTP. Thompson is the second Vikes draftee to reach a deal with the club.
Another Packers draftee has agreed to terms with the team, per Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Post-Gazette, who tweets that the club has struck a deal with sixth-rounder fullback Aaron Ripkowski. Ripkowski was the first of three players selected by the Packers in the sixth round, and is also the first one to reach an agreement with the team.
The Browns have signed sixth-round tight end Randall Telfer, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Telfer will receive a signing bonus of just under $118K.

1:48pm:

The Packers have agreed to terms on four-year rookie contracts with fifth-round quarterback Brett Hundley and fourth-round linebacker Jake Ryan, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter links). Green Bay is expected to lock up most or all of the rest of its late-round picks by the end of the day, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
The Ravens have agreed to contract terms with fourth-round defensive back Tray Walker, reports Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link). The final player selected in the fourth round, as a supplemental pick, Walker will count for about $521K against the cap in 2015.
Seventh-round center Austin Reiter has agreed to terms on his rookie contract with Washington, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Reiter will receive a signing bonus worth just under $75K.

Packers Acquire No. 147 Pick From Patriots

May 2nd, 2015 at 1:15pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Packers have moved up to No. 147, finding a trade partner with the Patriots, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).

The Packers have used that pick to select UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).

Hundley will slide in as a developmental backup for Aaron Rodgers. The UCLA passer was once thought of as a future superstar, but failed to developed despite impressive statistics in college. The Packers aren’t remotely looking to move on from their All-Pro passer, but Hundley does provide tremendous upside if he can improve his accuracy and decision making in the NFL.

The Packers could come away with a high-end backup in Hundley, who – if he develops properly – could be traded to a quarterback-needy team in a few years for a nice pick, while providing some injury insurance for Rodgers in the meantime. The 32-year-old Rodgers isn’t expected to retire anytime soon, but Hundley may be ready to be a Pro-Bowl talent at quarterback by the end of his rookie deal if he can overcome some of the weaknesses in his game.

In return for pick No. 147, the Patriots will receive a fifth rounder (No. 166) and a seventh rounder (No. 247) from Green Bay, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).

Draft Rumors: K. Johnson, Hundley, Peters

April 30th, 2015 at 7:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest draft notes…

The ceiling for Wake Forest corner Kevin Johnson is the Dolphins at pick No. 14, while his floor is the Steelers with the 22nd pick, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link).
With the Browns considered likely to select a quarterback at some point in the draft, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com tweets that the club showed “absolutely zero interest” in UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley.
The Saints have been trying to trade up for a pass rusher, and might have Vic Beasley in mind, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Marcus Peters is not on the Cowboys’ draft board, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

NFC East Notes: Dez, Cowboys, Giants, Eagles

April 16th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Since the Cowboys placed the franchise tag on wide receiver Dez Bryant in March, there hasn’t been much progress in keeping the 26-year-old in Dallas long term. One reason, according to Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPNDallas.com, is a dispute between Bryant’s representatives at Roc Nation and his former adviser, David Wells. In February, one of Bryant’s attorneys, Jordan Siev, sent Wells a cease-and-desist letter ordering him to terminate his formal business relationship with the two-time Pro Bowler. Wells claims to have an adviser agreement with Bryant that runs through 2016, however, and has served as an off-field mentor to the star wideout.

“My job is to make sure Dez is productive in society and do what he’s supposed to do to make him a better citizen, so he can be a productive player for the Dallas Cowboys,” Wells said, per Taylor.

Other news on Bryant, the Cowboys and a couple of their NFC East rivals:

Bryant still hasn’t signed his franchise tender with the Cowboys yet, but Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t believe it’ll be a big deal until the July 15 deadline to negotiate a long-term deal passes. If Bryant doesn’t sign either the tender or new contract by then, it’ll mean that he’s a potential training camp holdout. What’s more, even if Bryant ends up signing the tender and reporting, he and the Cowboys won’t be able to restart negotiations on a new contract until the end of next season.
Dallas worked out UCLA quarterback Brett Hundley, reports Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
Neither of the Giants’ starting safeties for 2015 are currently on their roster, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN (via Twitter). Graziano also tweeted that offensive linemen Brandon Scherff (Iowa) and Ereck Flowers (Miami) and Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes are among the draft prospects the Giants are eyeing. All could be potential first-round targets for the Giants, who hold the ninth overall pick.
If the Eagles are unable to land quarterback Marcus Mariota in the draft, Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com doesn’t expect them to address the position with a high-round pick – perhaps opting instead for a developmental project to put behind Sam Bradford and Mark Sanchez. McManus also believes there’s a good chance the Eagles will use their first-rounder, the 20th overall pick, on a defensive back.

Draft Notes: Rams, Winston, Vikings, Saints

April 16th, 2015 at 7:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Despite already having a starting-caliber quarterback in Nick Foles, the Rams are doing their due diligence with the position as the NFL draft nears. They worked out Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota for roughly an hour Thursday, tweets the NFL Network’s Albert Breer. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweeted earlier Thursday that, in addition to Mariota, the Rams will work out Florida State’s Jameis Winston, Baylor’s Bryce Petty, Colorado State’s Garrett Grayson and UCLA’s Brett Hundley in the coming days. Mariota and Winston should be long gone by the time the Rams’ first-round selection, the 10th overall pick, rolls around, while the rest are viewed as options in the second round and beyond.

More draft-related news:

NFL teams were already aware of Jameis Winston’s latest legal troubles before the news broke Thursday and those issues won’t affect his draft status, per Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link).
The Vikings have done their homework on a pair of safety prospects, Louisville’s James Sample and Central Florida’s Clayton Geathers, reports Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Both are projected as mid-round picks.
Although West Virginia defensive end Shaquille Riddick wasn’t among the 323 prospects invited to February’s scouting combine, he has drawn pre-draft interest from the Giants, Cardinals, Eagles, Texans, Saints, Bears and Chiefs, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Riddick told Ulrich that is using the combine snub as motivation. “Wherever I go, I’m going to be a surprise that they’re going to benefit from,” said Riddick. “And whoever doesn’t select me, they’re going to have to worry about me terrorizing their quarterbacks.”
The Saints will host their local pro day on Friday, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. Per Woodbery, at least a dozen players will participate. Only those who grew up within a 40-mile radius of New Orleans or attended college within the same distance are eligible to partake.