HEADLINES

Jared Goff

Latest On Potential Jeff Fisher Extension

September 14th, 2016 at 7:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thanks to the Rams’ season-opening debacle on Monday, head coach Jeff Fisher‘s future with the team looks less certain. Fisher and owner Stan Kroenke met after the Rams’ 28-0 loss to the 49ers, according to Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole, who adds that the contract extension Fisher was supposed to receive isn’t in play at the moment (video link).

Jeff Fisher (vertical)

Various reports since the winter have stated that Fisher and general manager Les Snead, both of whom are in contract years, are likely to sign new deals. Fisher took over the Rams’ sideline in 2012 and is among the NFL’s highest-paid coaches at $7MM, but the former Titans boss hasn’t produced positive results with his current organization. Under Fisher, the Rams have gone 27-37-1 in four-plus years and haven’t exceeded seven wins in an individual campaign, thereby stretching their streak of non-playoff seasons to 12. The way the Rams looked Monday, the newly minted Los Angeles team is on its way to No. 13.

One major problem for the Rams in Week 1 was the performance of quarterback Case Keenum, who completed 17 of 35 passes for 130 yards and two interceptions against a San Francisco club that went 5-11 a year ago. Fisher will go forth with Keenum for the time being, but other coaches on the Rams’ staff feel first overall pick Jared Goff gives them a better chance to win, per Cole (video link).

Keenum beat out both Goff and Sean Mannion for the starting role over the summer, making Goff the first QB to go No. 1 and not start his team’s opener since the Raiders’ JaMarcus Russell in 2007. Worsening matters, Goff didn’t show enough progress during training camp and the preseason to even earn a spot on the Rams’ active roster Monday, but the ex-Cal standout could suit up as a reserve against the Seahawks in their LA opener this week.

To acquire the pick with which he chose Goff, Snead surrendered several valuable selections – including first-rounders in 2016 and 2017 and multiple second-rounders – to the Titans. If Goff doesn’t take the field this year and at least show flashes of a player who was worth that type of haul, then, it stands to reason Snead could join Fisher on the the hot seat. The Rams looked like the worst team in the league in Week 1, and that’s particularly troubling for a franchise that’s not in possession of its own first-rounder in next year’s draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Didn’t View Wentz As Top 20 QB

September 6th, 2016 at 8:43am CST by Zachary Links

This offseason, the Browns had an opportunity to stand pat with the No. 2 pick in the draft and potentially solve their quarterback situation for years to come. However, in April, the Browns struck a deal with the Eagles to add to their stockpile of picks. Everyone assumed that the Browns were not sold on Carson Wentz, but it turns out their evaluation of the North Dakota State QB was harsher than you might expect. Also, as executive Paul DePodesta hinted to Tony Grossi of ESPN.com, the Browns might have kept the pick if they thought Jared Goff would slip. Carson Wentz

“We have to make judgments on the individual players and we’re not always going to be right,” DePodesta said. “But in this particular case, we just didn’t feel it was necessarily the right bet to make for us at this time. Again, it comes down to individual evaluation of a player…Even though you have a desperate need for [a quarterback], you have to resist the temptation of taking that guy just because you have a need if you don’t believe he’s one of those 20 guys at the end of the day. I think that’s the hardest part, just maintaining your discipline because you have the need. That’s what we did this year.”

Soon enough, we’ll know whether the Browns’ signing of Robert Griffin III was a smart move. But, regardless of how RGIII does in Cleveland this year, DePodesta says the team will continue to evaluate options at quarterback. That’s probably the right approach as Griffin will be the Browns’ 25th starting quarterback since 1999.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Notes: Jackson, Williams, Hawkins

September 1st, 2016 at 7:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the draft shakeup that ended with the Rams and Eagles moving up to the Nos. 1-2 spots to take Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, Hue Jackson became enamored with the Cal quarterback, viewing him as the only passer the Browns would take at No. 2, Michael Silver of NFL.com reports.

During a meeting with Goff’s parents the night before his pro day, Jackson assured them the Browns would not start him until they had an offensive line Jackson deemed able to protect the rookie. This mid-March meeting came a few days after Cleveland lost Alex Mack and Mitchell Schwartz in free agency.

However, Jackson viewed Robert Griffin III as an insurance policy in case something were to happen at No. 1 and Goff became out of reach. The first-year Browns coach pointed to Carson Palmer‘s 2003 pro day as the only quarterback workout he could recall that was better than Griffin’s Browns audition. The Browns did not make an attempt to trade up with the Titans to secure the No. 1 pick and Goff, Silver reports.

Here’s more coming out of Cleveland as the rebuilding team wraps up its preseason.

  • Jackson began to sour on Marvin Lewis‘ proposed coach-in-waiting idea which would have given Jackson the Bengals’ reins after the 2017 season. Mike Brown also reportedly wasn’t fully on board with this, but while open to remaining in Cincinnati, the eventual Cleveland coach did not want to be part of what could have been an awkward transition, per Silver.
  • Waived earlier this week after an acrimonious dispute with the team, K’Waun Williams has asked the Browns to pay for his ankle surgery, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports. Despite an injury hovering at the center of Williams’ departure from northeast Ohio, the Browns waived the third-year cornerback instead of doing so with an injury designation. The latter course of action would have forced the Browns to either place their previous nickel corner on IR or reach an injury settlement with him. He’s now a free agent after failing his Bears physical due to bone spurs residing in his ankle. As it stands now, Williams isn’t set to receive any money from the Browns for a surgery two independent doctors told him he needs, Cabot reports. Williams, who scratched himself from the Browns’ preseason opener against the Packers to lead to a fine and suspension, was injured while practicing with the Browns. Sources told the writer, however, Williams didn’t mention the ankle injury until the following day. A Browns refusal to pay for this procedure would likely lead to Williams’ agent filing a grievance through the NFLPA. A former UDFA, Williams served as the Browns’ nickel back for two seasons and started 10 games during that span.
  • Andrew Hawkins could be the latest Browns veteran to be cut, with Taylor Gabriel having a standout preseason, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal writes. Ulrich views Josh Gordon, Corey Coleman, Terrelle Pryor and fifth-rounder Rashard Higgins as having sewn up spots among the team’s likely six-receiver contingent. Fourth- and fifth-rounders Ricardo Louis and Jordan Payton are on the bubble despite having come off the board in rounds that usually correlate with 53-man roster access. Hawkins, who also played under Jackson in Cincinnati, and is entering his age-30 season. An injury in 2015 limited the diminutive target to eight games, but Hawkins recorded 824 receiving yards in 2014 during his first season with the Browns. Although Hawkins is only set to make $1MM this season, Gabriel is 25 and would earn $500K.

Rams Sign Entire Draft Class

June 9th, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams announced that they have signed their entire 2016 draft class. It was long expected that the Rams would all sign their rookies on the same day in June, as the team has done in recent years. Rams Helmet (Featured)

This morning, word leaked out that the Rams and No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff had agreed to terms on his contract. Of course, thanks to the rookie slotting in the latest CBA, contract negotiations are, by and large, pretty painless. The only exception to that is in the third round where there is a little more wiggle room between players and teams, but the Rams did not have any third-round picks in this year’s draft thanks to the massive haul of picks they sent to the Titans in order to select Goff.

After Goff, the Rams’ next highest draft pick was Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee. In the weeks leading up to the draft, Higbee made headlines for all the wrong reasons when he was charged with second-degree assault. One scout expressed concern about Higbee shortly after he was selected by L.A.:

“He is a major partier,” said the anonymous scout. “That was his big problem, despite the arrests. He has a lot of maturing to do, and I’m not sure he can mature fast enough.”

The 23-year-old was considered a potential third-round talent, but the charges predictably impacted his stock. Higbee caught 48 passes for 563 yards and eight touchdowns last season but missed five games due to a knee injury. When asked about the injury at his pro day, the WKU product told reporters he was 75-80% recovered.

Here is the complete rundown of the Rams’ entire 2016 draft class:

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams To Sign No. 1 Pick Jared Goff Today

June 9th, 2016 at 9:08am CST by Zachary Links

No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff is expected to sign his four-year contract with the Rams today, according to sources who spoke with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The deal will be worth about $28MM, as his slot dictates. The Rams, as expected, have waited until June to sign players in their rookie class. Jared Goff

[RELATED: Stedman Bailey Clears Waivers]

Goff, considered the most polished quarterback prospect in this year’s class by many analysts and observers, threw for nearly 8,700 combined yards and 78 touchdowns during his final two years in college. In 2015, he established new personal bests by completing 64.5% of his passes and throwing for 4,714 yards and 43 TDs.

While some experts the upside of No. 2 overall pick Carson Wentz over Goff’s, our Rob DiRe ranked the Cal product as his No. 1 prospect at quarterback, writing that Goff’s “ability to work in a crowded pocket and deliver the football from unorthodox angles” is part of what makes him special.

After drafting a potential franchise running back last year in Todd Gurley, the Rams added another possible franchise player to their backfield in an attempt to fortify an offense that has frequently let down a talented defense in recent years. In their trade up to No. 1, the Rams received a 2016 fourth-round pick (No. 113), and a 2016 sixth-rounder (No. 177) in their deal with the Titans. However, the cost to acquire those three picks was steep — Tennessee got the Rams’ first-rounder this year (No. 15), two 2016 second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), a 2016 third-round pick (No. 76), and first- and third-round picks for 2017.

With Goff now in the mix, the Rams will have some decisions to make at the quarterback position. The team currently has Case Keenum, 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion, and veteran QB Nick Foles on the depth chart. Foles is reportedly unhappy about the Rams taking Goff and coach Jeff Fisher says that Foles probably won’t be in L.A. for long.

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

NFC Notes: Whitner, Boldin, Eagles, Saints

May 13th, 2016 at 7:32pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s been more than a month since free agent safety Donte Whitner paid a visit to the Rams, but Whitner continues to be “in play” for L.A., tweets Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. Since the veteran safety was cut by Cleveland, there was no need for any team to wait until after May 12 to sign Whitner — he wouldn’t have counted toward the compensatory draft pick formula either way.

  • A report earlier this week indicated that the 49ers have not made an effort to re-sign wide receiver Anquan Boldin. However, general manager Trent Baalke said today that the door isn’t closed on a possible reunion between the two sides (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today). While Baalke likes his team’s young receiving talent, the Niners are still exploring all their options.
  • On Thursday, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the Eagles received verbal commitments from Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, with both quarterbacks agreeing to accept offset language in their rookie contracts if they were drafted at No. 2 by Philadelphia. Today, Florio followed up on that story by writing that the NFL has no comment on the subject — it’s not clear whether the Eagles violated negotiating rules, or whether the league plans to do anything about it.
  • Veteran free agent outside linebacker Matt Shaughnessy will work out for the Saints this weekend, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Shaughnessy, a third-round pick in 2009, has appeared in 75 total NFL contests for Oakland and Arizona, but missed the entire 2015 campaign due to injury.
  • Reports continue to link the Raiders to Las Vegas, but Falcons owner Arthur Blank isn’t yet entirely sold on the idea. “I think whether or not there are enough people in Las Vegas to support a team is a question,” Blank told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “I haven’t seen the data on that to support it or not support it. It’s certainly a dynamic market. It’s a growth market. It’s got tremendous tourism, a lot of convention business. So it’s certainly a consideration.”

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Brees, Goff, Pettigrew, Giants

May 11th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

For most of the offseason, NFL observers have assumed that the Saints and Drew Brees will negotiate an extension that locks up the quarterback beyond the 2016 season and frees up some cap room for the team. However, agent Tom Condon said during an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show that the Saints seem to be satisfied with Brees at his current cap number, per Joel A. Erickson of The Advocate.

According to Over the Cap’s data, New Orleans currently has less than $2MM in cap room, and that appears to be without factoring in the team’s draft picks. There are ways that the Saints could lock up all their picks and get through the 2016 season without reworking Brees’ deal, but it would almost certainly require adjusting another contract or two.

Brees, who is entering the final year of his deal, currently has a $30MM cap charge, with only one other player on the Saints’ books for a number larger than $6.35MM in 2016 — Jairus Byrd has a $10.9MM cap hit, which could be reduced via a restructure, if necessary.

As we wait to see whether New Orleans is serious about standing pat on Brees, here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Defensive lineman David Onyemata has been drafted for the second time in two weeks, writes Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. After being selected in the fourth round of the NFL draft by the Saints, Onyemata came off the board in the fourth round of the CFL draft as well, snatched by the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Of course, Onyemata went 120th overall in the NFL draft, as opposed to 35th in the CFL draft, and he would have gone higher in the CFL draft had the Saints not selected him last month — he was viewed as the No. 1 Canadian prospect for 2016, but the Roughriders won’t get him as he long as he remains with New Orleans.
  • The Rams don’t want to rush No. 1 pick Jared Goff into anything, but as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes, there’s a good chance the former Cal quarterback will be under center for the team sooner rather than later — perhaps even by Week 1.
  • Lions tight end Brandon Pettigrew, who suffered a torn ACL near the end of the 2015 season, said on Tuesday night that he expects to be ready to go for the start of training camp in July, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
  • When the Giants waived wide receiver Ben Edwards earlier this week, the team did so with an injury designation. As Jordan Raanan of NJ.com explains, the injury Edwards suffered was a torn ACL. Since the wideout went unclaimed he’ll revert to IR — Big Blue can either keep him there for the 2016 season, or negotiate an injury settlement if he has a chance to return before the end of the year.

NFC Notes: Goff, Rams, Hardy, Cowboys

May 8th, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

We’re only a few days into rookie minicamp, but it sounds like Jared Goff might be setting himself up for the Rams‘ starting job already.

“He’s doing a great job picking up our offense,” coach Jeff Fisher told the team’s website. “We’ve given him a lot more information than we did at the private workout and then that we did here at our meeting, and he’s handled it without any problem. And that’s the impressive thing…I passed him last night walking to the room and he was leaving the meeting room at 10 o’clock. He’s that kind of guy. He’ll spend the time. It’s important to him.”

Here’s more from the NFC:

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

East Rumors: Rolle, Tunsil, Jets, Cousins

May 3rd, 2016 at 8:08am CST by Zachary Links

Safety Antrel Rolle is on the open market and he tells SiriusXM (audio link) that he would like to return to the Giants.

“I’ve never hidden it. New York is where the heart is. New York is where I feel comfortable,” Rolle said (transcript via PFT). “New York is a place where I would love to play. You know, there’s a difference playing for an organization, you know, you’re there to play and to win, and you’re there because that’s where your contract is. And there’s a difference in playing where your heart is. I would absolutely be open to the situation if it presents itself. Obviously it would have to make sense for both [sides]. The New York Giants, I think it would definitely make sense for both myself and the team. But let’s see what happens.”

The Giants added third-round pick Darian Thompson to the safety mix, but there is no slam-dunk starter at the free safety position. Still, as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, a reunion between Rolle and Big Blue seems unlikely.

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

  • Despite the gas-mask/bong video that surfaced on draft night, Dolphins first-round choice Laremy Tunsil will avoid entering Stage 1 of the NFL’s substance-abuse program, a source tells James Walker of ESPN.com.
  • While many speculated that Tunsil’s stepfather was behind the shocking draft day leak, Tunsil’s attorney, Steve Farese, says that’s not the case. “Initially, that would be the low-hanging fruit,” Farese said on SiriusXM (audio link; transcription via PFT). “Now I’ve drifted away from those thoughts and don’t believe he had anything to do with it.” The Dolphins believe Tunsil’s former financial advisor was responsible for the leak, according to a source who spoke with Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post (on Twitter).
  • Jets GM Mike Maccagnan “all but confirmed” that he explored trading up for Tunsil last Thursday, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Per Cimini, Maccagnan also didn’t rule out the possibility of keeping cornerback Dee Milliner on the roster beyond 2016 if he plays well this year, even after turning down his 2017 option today.
  • Before the Titans shipped the No. 1 overall pick to the Rams, the Jets inquired about trading up for the No. 1 pick in order to draft Jared Goff, according to Manish Mehta of the Daily News (on Twitter). It was previously reported that the Jets explored trading up to the top two, but it wasn’t clear which QB they were targeting.
  • Kirk Cousins believes “there’s a chance” that a long-term deal could be hammered out with Washington between now and the July 15th deadline, but he tells 106.7 The Fan that he’s also comfortable with playing the year out. “If they feel like they have enough information and want to make that call right now, then great,” Cousins said. “But I think the ball’s in their court and I will react accordingly to whatever decision they make… I am totally comfortable playing more football, and frankly if I don’t play well next season, I don’t deserve to be back. I don’t deserve a long-term deal. So I want to go out and earn it, and prove myself, and if I need to prove myself again, that’s fine. I’ll go see if I can do that.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Apple, Cowboys

April 29th, 2016 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

Some saw Eli Apple as a reach at No. 10 for the Giants, but team scouting director Marc Ross does not agree with that assessment.

“We’ve heard it before,” Ross said, according to Steve Serby of the New York Post. “We’ve taken other players that [were called] a reach. Nobody knows. If you get a dime for every expert, I could retire. Come on. Experts? People analyze. People have opinions. What’s it based on? Nobody has seen the tape. Nobody goes to practice. Nobody puts in the work like the scouts do. It’s easy to second-guess and pick and say get everybody’s pick right and tell them what they should do, but you’ve just got to put in the work and trust what you do.”

The Giants were widely linked to Michigan State tackle Jack Conklin and Georgia linebacker Leonard Floyd, but those players came off the board at No. 8 and No. 9, respectively.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

  • The Cowboys had the same draft grade for Ezekiel Elliott and Jalen Ramsey, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
  • The Cowboys regarded Paxton Lynch as the quarterback in the top 3 who required the most time to develop but had higher ceiling than Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets.
  • When asked if he was surprised by Sam Bradford‘s reaction to the Eagles‘ trading up for Wentz, Eagles GM Howie Roseman said, “Some of this is agent driven,” (On WIP, Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
Load More Posts