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Gerald Hodges

Gerald Hodges To Return To NFL

April 6th, 2020 at 9:41am CST by Zachary Links

Gerald Hodges has decided that he wants to play in 2020, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Hodges first decided to hang ’em up exactly one year ago today and has not been on the field since the 2018 season. 

It’s worth noting that Hodges also waffled on his plans in May of last year. But, even after saying that he wanted to retake the field, he was unable to find a deal for the 2019 campaign.

Hodges, 29, has been an NFL journeyman since entering the league as a fourth round pick of the Vikings in 2013. During the 2015 season, the Vikings shipped him to the 49ers. He went on to have a career year in San Francisco in 2016. After notching career-highs in stops (83) and sacks (three), Hodges hooked on with the Saints, but did not record an official statistic in his eleven games there. In 2018, he joined the Cardinals and had a productive 55-tackle season.

For his career, Hodges has earned more than $5MM from four teams across six seasons.

Gerald Hodges To Continue Playing

May 21st, 2019 at 12:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals free agent Gerald Hodges had a change of heart. After announcing his retirement in April, the linebacker has decided to play again, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). He could be back to work soon as Schefter hears he is drawing interest from several teams. 

Hodges has bounced around the league since being drafted in the fourth round by the Vikings in 2013. Midway through the 2015 season, Minnesota shipped him to the Niners and he enjoyed a career year in SF in 2016. After tallying career-highs in tackles (83) and sacks (three), Hodges hooked on with the Saints, but did not record an official statistic in his eleven games there. Last year, he joined the Cardinals and had a productive 55-tackle season.

Hodges has earned upwards of $5MM throughout his career, but the 28-year-old isn’t ready to walk away from the game just yet. From the sound of it, Hodges could have a new NFL home before the month is through.

LB Gerald Hodges Announces Retirement

April 6th, 2019 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

Gerald Hodges is calling it a career. The veteran linebacker announced on Twitter that he’s decided to retire.

Hodges had a standout collegiate career at Penn State, earning both first-team (2011) and second-team (2012) All-Big Ten honors. While he was expected to be selected in the second or third round of the 2013 draft, he ended up falling to the Vikings in the fourth round. After being drafted, the linebacker subsequently inked a four-year, $2.52MM deal. Hodges ended up playing two-plus seasons with the Vikings, including a 2014 campaign where he compiled 66 tackles in 14 games (seven starts).

The linebacker was traded to the 49ers during the 2015 season, and his first full season with San Francisco proved to be a career year. Hodges finished the 2016 season with career-highs in tackles (83) and sacks (three) in 15 games (12 starts). He spent the 2017 campaign with the Saints before moving on to the Cardinals in 2018. The 28-year-old had a productive season with Arizona, finishing with 55 tackles.

Despite putting up solid numbers last season, Hodges apparently wasn’t able to generate a whole lot of interest in free agency. The 28-year-old retires having earned more than $5MM throughout his career (via Spotrac).

Cardinals Notes: Rosen, Golden, LBs, Smith

September 22nd, 2018 at 3:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

With the Cardinals‘ prospects for a playoff berth looking as bleak as they have in a September since before Carson Palmer arrived, noise around the team beginning the Josh Rosen era has obviously increased. Arizona’s Sam Bradford-led attack did not cross midfield until the fourth quarter against the Rams, and the Cards have just six points this season — the fewest of any team through two games since the 2006 Buccaneers. However, don’t count on a Rosen in-game promotion if Arizona’s struggles continue against the Bears on Sunday. While Steve Keim said (via Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic) the first-round pick “has got to be ready,” he would prefer Steve Wilks give him a full week of first-string reps rather than throw him into the fire. As for Wilks, he does see the UCLA product making strides. Rosen was billed as the most pro-ready quarterback in this draft yet will be the last to see action of his first-round peers.

“Number one, I think the guy is progressing,” Wilks said during an interview with Sirius XM’s Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan. “He does a great job each and every week trying to prepare himself. He does get some reps with the ones each and every week, so from that standpoint, it’s good. And then he does an excellent job just as far as running the show team as well, so his operation each week is with the ones as well as on the show team. Prep has been good.

“When the time is right, we’ll definitely get him in there.”

Here’s the latest out of the desert:

  • Markus Golden and Jermaine Gresham appear on track to make their 2018 debuts. Both players progressed to full practices this week for the first time this year, per McManaman. Golden’s been out since Week 4 of last season because of an ACL tear. Gresham hasn’t played since Week 17, when the tight end ruptured an Achilles’ tendon. Both began camp on the PUP list. This will be Gresham’s age-30 season, and it’s even more critical for Golden. The edge rusher is set to begin a contract year, so showing he’s recovered from the severe knee injury will be paramount for his stock. Golden finished with 12.5 sacks in 2016. Both players are listed as questionable for Sunday.
  • The Cardinals’ new 4-3 defense has looked more like a 4-2-5 look thus far, and that’s resulted in Haason Reddick seeing sparse action in his second season. The 2017 first-rounder’s played only 17 snaps thus far. The Cards’ 2014 first-rounder, Deone Bucannon, was benched against the Rams, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic notes. Bucannon’s been a full-time starter at either safety or linebacker since his rookie year. Bucannon is also in a contract year. Josh Bynes leads Cardinals linebackers with 141 snaps, and Pro Football Focus tabbed him as the No. 10 overall ‘backer through two games. Bucannon sits 70th on that list, mostly due to Week 1 struggles. Nomad defender Gerald Hodges replaced Bucannon in Week 2.
  • Andre Smith remains out for Arizona because of an elbow injury, meaning John Wetzel will start again for the Cards in Week 3, McManaman notes. Considering Khalil Mack frequently lines up opposite right tackles, this poses another problem for a Cards team that’s experienced many thus far this season.

Cardinals Sign LB Gerald Hodges

August 12th, 2018 at 3:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cardinals have signed free agent linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Arizona likely lost fellow linebacker Jeremy Cash for the year on Saturday night, as his knee injury is believed to be season-ending. Cash wasn’t viewed as a starter for the Cardinals, but was expected to play a key role as a reserve and special-teamer, so Hodges, who worked out for Arizona in late July, will likely take over in both capacities.

Hodges, 27, could prove to be even more valuable than a generic backup, as he has plenty of experience (65 appearances, 25 starts) under his belt. A fourth-round pick in the 2013 draft, Hodges entered the NFL with the Vikings before being traded to the 49ers midway through the 2015 season.

The 2016 campaign was one of Hodges’ finest — Pro Football Focus graded him as the league’s No. 21 linebacker — but he garnered scant interest on the open market. He landed with the Saints in October and played mostly special teams snaps down the stretch.

Hodges is capable of playing all three linebacker positions, so he’ll add depth behind starters Haason Reddick, Deone Bucannon, and Josh Bynes. Bynes, for his part, is slated to start at middle linebacker, but he’s been primarily a special-teamer during his career and made just one start in 2017. Hodges, therefore, could conceivably earn more snaps in the middle if Bynes struggles early in the 2018 season.

Cardinals Work Out Gerald Hodges

July 31st, 2018 at 9:29am CST by Zachary Links

Linebacker Gerald Hodges will work out for the Cardinals on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Cardinals’ interest level is not immediately clear, but they are looking for veteran help. 

Hodges joined the Saints in 2017 following the team’s Week 5 bye week. He became a key cog on special teams, but he appeared in only 13 snaps on defense and eleven of those came in a blowout win over the Bills in Week 10. The Saints were the third team Hodges had played with since entering the league in 2013, following stints with Minnesota and San Francisco. In February, he was released by New Orleans.

The veteran didn’t do a whole lot last year, but he has proven that he can be a capable contributor. In 2016, he racked up 83 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games with the 49ers. In that season, he graded out as the league’s No. 21 ranked linebacker, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus.

Saints Release LB Gerald Hodges, Claim OT John Theus

February 27th, 2018 at 5:43pm CST by Micah Powell

The Saints made a pair of moves on Tuesday, releasing veteran linebacker Gerald Hodges to clear way for offensive lineman John Theus, who the team claimed following his release from the Panthers on Monday.

Hodges joined the team in 2017 following its Week 5 bye week and became a key cog on special teams. He appeared in only 13 snaps on defense, however, 11 of those coming in a blowout victory over Buffalo in Week 10. The Saints were the third team Hodges had played with since entering the league in 2013, following stints with Minnesota and San Francisco.

A fifth-round selection in 2016 out of Georgia, Theus appeared in four games and made one start with the 49ers as a rookie before joining the Panthers in 2017. He did not appear in a game with the Panthers before going on injured reserve in December.

Saints To Sign LB Gerald Hodges

October 11th, 2017 at 10:25am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are signing linebacker Gerald Hodges, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Hodges worked out for the Saints earlier this month and he finally got the call he was waiting for today. Gerald Hodges (Vertical)

After putting Alex Anzalone on injured reserve, the Saints were looking a little thin at linebacker. The addition of Hodges, who racked up 83 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions in 15 games with the 49ers in 2016, should help in that regard. He also graded out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus.

Hodges was set to spend the season with the Bills but wound up as a surprise cut in early September. The 26-year-old had to watch the first five weeks of the season from his couch, but the good news is that he should receive a healthy amount of playing time in New Orleans.

Saints Audition Gerald Hodges

October 3rd, 2017 at 1:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints worked out linebacker Gerald Hodges, according to a source who spoke with Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). There’s no word yet on how the audition went or whether a deal is imminent. Gerald Hodges (vertical)

The Bills signed Hodges this offseason after losing Zach Brown and Lerentee McCray, so he appeared to be in line for a starting job or, at the very least, significant playing time. Instead, he was a surprise cut on Sept. 3.

This appears to be Hodges’ first known audition since being let go by Buffalo. In his previous round of free agency, the Chiefs, Seahawks, Jets, Giants, Patriots, Jaguars, and Colts also showed interest in him.

In 2016, Hodges played on roughly half of the 49ers’ defensive snaps last year while grading out as the league’s No. 21 linebacker, per the numbers at Pro Football Focus. In those 15 games, the 26-year-old tallied 80 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions. He also was on the field for 73 special teams snaps.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC East

September 3rd, 2017 at 4:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC East teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bills, Dolphins, Patriots, and Jets are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC East transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Buffalo Bills

Miami Dolphins

New England Patriots

New York Jets

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