HEADLINES

Teddy Bridgewater

Extra Points: Bridgewater, Gronk, Browns, Vikings

April 25th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been assumed that Jets quarterbacks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty are trade/release candidates, especially since the team is eyeing a signal-caller with their first-round pick. However, Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com says another Jets quarterback could be at risk of losing their job.

Williams reports that Teddy Bridgewater isn’t a lock to make the Jets roster, “at least until he shows he’s healthy.” The 25-year-old has played less than 10 combined snaps over the past two seasons, but he still earned a one-year deal worth $500K in guaranteed money. During his last season as a starter in 2015, Bridgewater completed 65.3-percent of his passes for 3,231 yards, 14 touchdowns, and nine interceptions.

If the Jets indeed select a quarterback, the depth chart will be incredibly crowded. Besides the three previously-mentioned quarterbacks, the team is also rostering projected starter Josh McCown.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Tight end Rob Gronkowski confirmed on Tuesday that he’ll suit up for the Patriots in 2018, and Peter King of The MMQB is curious about the timing of his announcement. It’s purely speculative from King, but he wonders if Gronk was told that he would have to make his intentions clear about playing before this weekend’s draft. The Patriots have been willing to deal star players in the past, so Gronkowski could have feared that he would have wound up in the same boat as Richard Seymour and Chandler Jones.
  • If the Browns move down from No. 4, they could target Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward further down the board, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Browns have already made some additions at cornerback, but they’re looking for another starter. If they land Ward, you can expect Cleveland to trade Jamar Taylor.
  • Earlier today, reports indicated that Browns head coach Hue Jackson wasn’t sure what the organization would do with the first-overall pick. However, Steve Wyche of NFL Network tweets that Jackson is “fully in the loop” regarding Cleveland’s draft plans. Jackson, along with several coordinators, have seen the front office’s draft board.
  • Vikings GM Rick Spielman seems to have an affinity for taking players out of the ACC, as Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune writes. The Vikings drafted Dalvin Cook, Danny Isidora, Stacy Coley, Bucky Hodges and Jack Tocho, all from the ACC, last year. Conversely, Spielman rarely takes players from the Big 12, with only two selections from that conference — Tyrus Thompson (Oklahoma) and Elijah Lee (Kansas State) — in his six drafts at the wheel.

Jets Rumors: Mayfield, Hackenberg, Teddy

April 15th, 2018 at 8:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

As the Jets prepare to reconvene on Monday for their first day of the offseason program, here’s where their quarterback situation stands — both in terms of veterans and the player they’re eyeing at No. 3.

  • While it’s not certain if Baker Mayfield would win out in a Mayfield-or-Sam Darnold scenario, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com notes the Oklahoma-developed passer would be Gang Green’s preferred option over Josh Allen. The Jets will be prepared to go with Mayfield’s accuracy — back-to-back seasons with a 71 percent completion rate, albeit in the Sooners’ air raid attack — and his career winning games for the Big 12 school over the Wyoming product with the tantalizing upside. Although, at just 6-foot, Mayfield would be the shortest quarterback the Jets drafted since Jeff Blake in 1992, Cimini writes. Blake did end up having a 14-year career, despite only one of those seasons occurring with the Jets.
  • If the Browns take Allen and the Giants draft Darnold, Cimini expects the Jets to stay with Mayfield if confronted with a Mayfield-or-Josh Rosen decision (Twitter link). While the Jets held a higher opinion of the latter going into the offseason, Mayfield may well have usurped the UCLA product as the draft nears.
  • Lamar Jackson is not under consideration for the Jets at No. 3 overall, per Cimini (on Twitter). While Jackson has met with the Browns, it hasn’t been reported that he visited the Jets, Giants or Broncos. His known meetings have come with the Ravens, Chargers and Saints thus far. And the Patriots have interest in the Louisville standout.
  • Todd Bowles expects Teddy Bridgewater to throw passes this spring, but it’s uncertain how much the recently signed QB will participate in the team portions of these voluntary workouts, Brian Costello of the New York Post notes. The Jets signed Bridgewater to an incentive-laden contract, doing so after the Vikings expressed concern about his knee this offseason. For now, Josh McCown is preparing to start for a second season in green.
  • While both Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty could be on their way out of the Big Apple soon, Costello writes Petty is the likeliest to be given walking papers before camp commences. As for Hackenberg, there remains a contingent at Jets headquarters hoping he can be salvaged to some degree. However, once the new quarterback arrives, the 2016 second-round pick will be the fourth-string quarterback going into camp. The statuses of these incumbent backups could be determined by how Bridgewater looks in camp. Hackenberg has still yet to play in a regular-season game. Petty finished the past two seasons for the Jets, but has led them to one win in seven starts and last season finished with a 49 percent completion rate.

North Notes: Browns, Vikings, Meredith

March 31st, 2018 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings are working on a deal that would bring Terence Newman back to the Twin Cities, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Newman has expressed a desire to not only return for his age-40 season but do so with the Vikings. However, Tomasson confirms a previous report that money is an issue for a potential re-up. Newman made $3.58MM in 2017. Minnesota reached an agreement to re-sign Marcus Sherels and has Mackensie Alexander back for a third year behind their the team’s starting duo. Newman played in 16 games last season and remained a mid-tier corner in the opinion of Pro Football Focus despite his age.

Here’s the latest from the North divisions as we enter draft month.

  • Connected mostly to Sam Darnold and Josh Allen at No. 1 overall, the Browns are still publicly expressing their interest in the big four quarterbacks at this juncture of the process. But Hue Jackson is “very close” to finalizing a preference to bring to John Dorsey and has said he would like a quarterback whose mobility is relatively in step with Tyrod Taylor‘s, as opposed to a stationary passer. The Baker Mayfield interest is believed to be genuine, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, adding the Heisman Trophy winner enjoyed a “great” workout with the Browns this week. The team is expected to bring Allen, Darnold, Mayfield and Josh Rosen in for visits before the draft.
  • Darnold-to-Cleveland has been the scenario most discussed around the league at this point, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com writes. While Pluto doesn’t discount the idea of the Browns going in a different direction, he has not heard anything lately connecting the team to Rosen. The UCLA quarterback was not exactly a portrait of enthusiasm about a potential Browns union when that subject surfaced late last year.
  • After the Browns take their quarterback at No. 1, Pluto expects them to select Bradley Chubb at No. 4. The caveat of the N.C. State dynamo being available should obviously be included, but with the Jets expected to take a QB at No. 3 and it making sense for the Giants to do the same at 2, the Browns could have the inside track on selecting the top quarterback and top non-quarterback in the draft. Jackson hasn’t exactly been evasive about envisioning what Chubb would bring to the Browns’ defense.
  • The Vikings still had concerns about Teddy Bridgewater‘s knee after the 2017 regular season, despite the quarterback being activated midway through the year. Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes these concerns affected the team’s approach regarding the former first-round pick this offseason. “The reports I’d get back from the medical people weren’t as positive as I was about it,” Mike Zimmer said. “That’s kind of how it came down is that his knee wasn’t as … he still has some recovery to do. When I watched him in practice he moved well, I didn’t see limitations but from what I’m told there was some.” The Vikings deactivated Bridgewater for both of their playoff games, and his Jets contract is light on guarantees.
  • Having brought in several UFA or RFA wideouts for visits recently, the Ravens may have a favorite among these pass-catchers. Baltimore is believed to be particularly high on Cameron Meredith, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports. Given the low-end tender by the Bears, Meredith joined fellow RFA Willie Snead and UFA Michael Floyd in trekking to Maryland for visits this month. Meredith’s met with the Colts and Saints as well, doing so after missing the entire 2017 season. The 25-year-old former UDFA, though, broke out with 888 receiving yards for the 2016 Bears. The Bears have $27.5MM in cap space compared to the Ravens’ $10.7MM figure, for offer-matching purposes.

AFC Contract Details: Butler, Johnson, Bridgewater

March 19th, 2018 at 6:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are figures on some of the recent contracts signed around the NFL, with all links going to Twitter unless noted otherwise.

Contract Details/Restructures: 3/17/18

March 17th, 2018 at 9:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the most recent new contracts and restructures around the NFL:

New Contracts

  • Allen Robinson, WR (Bears): Three years, $42MM. $25.2MM guaranteed. $6MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
  • Teddy Bridgewater, QB (Jets): One year, $6MM. $1MM guaranteed. $9MM available via playtime incentives (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com).
  • Chad Henne, QB (Chiefs): Two years, $6.7MM. $3.1MM signing bonus. Performance incentives and escalators available (Twitter link via Jason Wolf of the Tennessean).

Restructures

  • Cardinals: Created $500K in 2018 cap space by converting S Antoine Bethea‘s roster bouns into a signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Vikings: Created $1.15MM in 2018 cap space by reducing RB Latavius Murray‘s base salary from $5.15MM to $3.65M; his roster bonus from $500K to $250K; and his incentives from $2.3MM to $1MM (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN.com).

Jets To Sign Teddy Bridgewater To One-Year Deal

March 13th, 2018 at 7:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets will sign free agent quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to a one-year deal, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bridgewater will earn approximately $5MM on his new pact, tweets Dianna Russini of ESPN.com, while the pact also contains incentives, per Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link).

Earlier today, reports indicated that Bridgewater was working on a contract with the Jets, but he apparently had other options on the table. Since then, we’ve learned Gang Green has promised its starting job to fellow quarterback Josh McCown, so Bridgewater will presumably join New York as a backup. McCown, however, isn’t exactly a picture of health, so it won’t be surprising if Bridgewater sees significant playing time.

Bridgewater, of course, comes with significant health question marks of his own. The former first-round pick infamously suffered a gruesome knee injury prior to the 2016 campaign, and while he’s remarkably worked his way back into form, Bridgewater has attempted just two passes since 2015.

The Jets’ quarterback situation is extremely fluid, as they could still use the sixth overall pick on a young signal-caller. If they do, it’s possible Bridgewater is relegated to third-string duty. But if New York goes another direction in the first round, Bridgewater could see playing time as the season progresses, possibly setting himself up for a payday in 2019.

During his two years as the Vikings’ starting quarterback, Bridgewater was competent but not a world-beater. In 28 starts, Bridgewater completed 65% of his passes and averaged 3,075 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. While those are respectable numbers, they’re probably not enough for a club to not pursue an upgrade.

Josh McCown Told He’ll Be Jets Starting QB

March 13th, 2018 at 5:24pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have signed Teddy Bridgewater, but he won’t be their starting quarterback. Calvin Watkins of Newsday.com reports (via Twitter) that Josh McCown has been told he’ll be the starter. The veteran quarterback re-signed with the organization earlier today on a one-year, $10MM deal.

While the Jets may be content with who’s atop their depth chart, the rest of the quarterback corps is not as certain. Bridgewater is on board as a backup, but the organization is also considering some of the top rookie options with the No. 6 pick. To complicate matters, the team is currently rostering Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg (as well as Joel Stave). In other words, this isn’t the last we’ve heard of the Jets quarterback situation.

The 38-year-old McCown had arguably his best NFL season in 2017, leading the Jets to a 5-8 record in 13 starts. He finished the campaign having completed 67.3-percent of his passes for 2,926 yards, 18 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. As our own Zach Links pointed out earlier today, wideouts Robby Anderson and Jermaine Kearse played well with McCown. This means the veteran will likely be tasked with mentoring a higher-profile young passer than the ones he was previously tasked with tutoring.

Jets, Teddy Bridgewater Working On Deal

March 13th, 2018 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The quarterback market has accelerated rapidly on Tuesday, and the Jets are now talking to their Kirk Cousins contingency plan.

Teddy Bridgewater is working on a deal with the Jets, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). The Jets are not believed to be Bridgewater’s only option, per Rapoport, but he is the team’s top choice at this juncture.

The Jets have been eyeing Bridgewater for a bit now, and with the Broncos, Cardinals and likely Vikings having successfully selected their quarterbacks in the past 15 hours, options for Bridgewater to be a starter are dwindling. The Bills do not have a bridge option as of yet, and A.J. McCarron is still unattached, but New York has had Bridgewater atop its Cousins-failsafe hierarchy.

This coming to fruition would send all three of Minnesota’s 2017 quarterbacks to other teams. Bridgewater, though, has not completed a pass in a game since the 2015 season. He threw two passes last season after entering one Vikings game late, but the severe leg injury has defined the former first-round pick’s career to this point. It figures to significantly lower Bridgewater’s price compared to what it would have been, and given his previous status in Minnesota, Cousins may well not be Twin Cities-bound if Bridgewater didn’t get hurt during the Vikes’ 2016 training camp.

Bridgewater only received one full season of starter work, and it was a workmanlike campaign. The Louisville product threw 14 touchdown passes and nine interceptions but led the Vikings to the NFC North title. He completed 65 percent of his passes that season as well.

The Jets are likely fully committed to landing a quarterback in the first round, putting Bridgewater as their latest bridge option. Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty remain on Gang Green’s roster, but neither has instilled much confidence in the Mike Maccagnan-led franchise as of yet. Hackenberg has not seen any action in two years despite being a second-round pick.

Josh McCown played well as New York’s previous bridge solution, and it was rumored the Jets were considering him for a second tour of mentor duty. But the soon-to-be 39-year-old passer may have to consider other options if he wants to continue playing. McCown was considering retirement prior to the Jets signing him last year.

Jets Have Teddy Bridgewater As Plan B If They Don’t Land Kirk Cousins

March 13th, 2018 at 10:32am CST by Zachary Links

Kirk Cousins is taking his first visit with the Vikings, and that could spell bad news for the Jets. If the Jets are unable to land their top target, they will turn their attention to Teddy Bridgewater, team sources tell Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Bridgewater, ranked as the 17th best free agent on our list of this year’s top 50 available players, was hardly seen on the field last season as he returned from a gruesome knee injury. If Bridgewater is indeed signed to be the Jets’ starter, they would be wise to backstop him with another quality option. In theory, that No. 2 QB could be Josh McCown, but the interest level is currently unknown for both sides.

Cousins, for his part, looks to be moving closer to inking a deal with the Vikings. The Jets can theoretically offer more money given their ample cap space, but Minnesota would clearly be able to put a better team around Cousins. Adding Bridgewater, meanwhile, could be a long-term move for Gang Green given that he’s still only 25 years old, but the New York could also use an early-round pick on a signal-caller if it has doubts about Bridgewater’s health.

Bridgewater’s last full season came in 2015, when he threw for 3,231 yards, 13 touchdowns and nine interceptions. The former first-rounder also ran for 192 yards and three touchdowns on 44 carries. But, thanks that aforementioned knee injury, Bridgewater has attempted only two passes in the last two NFL seasons.

FA Notes: Smith, Keenum, Irving, Waddle

March 12th, 2018 at 5:57pm CST by Ben Levine

After being named as a suspect in an alleged domestic violence incident, the Raiders released linebacker Aldon Smith last week. Today, the edge rusher pleaded not guilty at his arraignment, according to TMZ Sports (via Scott Bair NBC Sports Bay Area on Twitter). The 28-year-old is currently facing “misdemeanor counts of domestic violence, assault, false imprisonment and vandalism.”

The former Pro Bowler hasn’t appeared in an NFL game since 2015, when he compiled 28 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and three passes defended in nine games (seven starts) for Oakland. Despite re-signing with the organization in 2016, Smith still hasn’t been reinstated. Smith was originally issued a one-year suspension for a hit-and-run incident in 2015.

Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to NFL free agency…

  • Former Vikings starter Case Keenum is pursuing a multi-year, guaranteed deal, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7FM in Arizona (via Twitter). Meanwhile, former teammate Teddy Bridgewater is reportedly looking for a two-year deal.
  • ESPN’s Todd Archer reports that the Cowboys are likely to place a tender on restricted free agent David Irving tomorrow. The front office is still deciding whether they should slap the defensive tackle with a first- or second-round tender, which is the difference of about $1.2MM. Despite playing in only eight games, the 24-year-old arguably had his best NFL season in 2017, compiling 22 tackles and seven sacks. Irving missed eight games due to suspension and a concussion.
  • It’s unlikely the Patriots and offensive tackle LaAdrian Waddle agree to a deal before Wednesday, reports NESN’s Doug Kyed (via Twitter). The 26-year-old is likely to test free agency following a 2017 campaign that saw him play in 12 games (four starts). While the lineman played 380 snaps, Pro Football Focus ranked him 64th among 81 eligible offensive tackle candidates.
  • CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora tweets that the Chiefs, Buccaneers, Colts, Broncos, and Redskins are among the teams looking to add a defensive tackle. The reporter lists free agents Dontari Poe, Star Lotulelei, and Sheldon Richardson as potential targets.
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