NFL News

[Futureshock]

Only if players are willing to accept a 20 game regular season.

I guess you can never say never, but when they go to 18, they will have to add another bye week and start the season at least a week or two early. Half the year in season and half out. 20 games would tip those scales because they aren't going to totally eliminate the pre-season.

IMHO, they need it. Yeah it's scrimmage and everyone isn't going reg season speed, but it's a lot closer then practice. Plus, there is a lot of logistics involved with a team, How are we coming out, Where are the different position groups on the sideline? What are the different sub packages, within the groups going to be called? It sounds kind of silly, but it takes a lot to keep the team looking like a team and playing like a team.

[Futureshock]

Ravens hosted Alejandro Villanueva, but are not expected to sign any FAs now

Posted by Josh Alper on April 23, 2021, 9:25 AM EDT

Getty Images

Tackle Alejandro Villanueva made his expected visit with the Ravens on Thursday, but it does not look like a deal is imminent for the free agent.

Jeff Zrebiec of TheAthletic.com reports that the Ravens are not expected to sign any free agents until after May 3. That is the deadline for signings that factor into the formula for distributing compensatory draft picks and the Ravens have long worked to maximize the number of picks they receive.

Zrebiec reports that that the team is likely to receive two fourth-round picks in 2022 based on how free agency has played out thus far. The Ravens have also visited with pass rusher Justin Houston recently and that pursuit could also pick up after the deadline.

A move involving Villanueva would probably become more likely if the Ravens were to trade Orlando Brown Jr. before or during the draft. Brown wants to play left tackle, but the Ravens have Ronnie Stanley at that spot. Ravens General Manager Eric DeCosta declined to discuss the possibility of a trade when he spoke to the media this week.
__________________________________________________ __________________________________________________ _____________

Ah. So May 3rd is the day.

[Futureshock]

I remember a lot of people here wanted him to be drafted here.

Maurice Hurst signing with 49ers

Posted by Charean Williams on April 22, 2021, 7:19 PM EDT

Getty Images

The 49ers came to terms with former Raiders defensive lineman Arden Key on Wednesday. Former Raiders defensive lineman Maurice Hurst is following Key to Santa Clara.

Hurst announced Thursday he has come to terms with the 49ers.

“49ers Let’s Go to Work!! This defense is about to go crazy!! Time to eat!” Hurst wrote on Twitter.

The Raiders released both players April 15, and both visited the 49ers earlier this week.

The Raiders made Hurst a fifth-round choice in 2018, and he started 17 of the 41 games he played for the team. He had 76 tackles, eight sacks, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries.

In 2020, Hurst played 277 defensive snaps and 13 on special teams in playing 11 games and starting three. He made 27 tackles and half a sack.

[Futureshock]

NFL will allow only five tryout players at rookie minicamps

Posted by Charean Williams on April 22, 2021, 7:07 PM EDT

Getty Images

Cardinals cornerback Malcolm Butler, Vikings receiver Adam Thielen and Chargers cornerback Chris Harris Jr. are former tryout players.

All three got their starts at a rookie minicamp, showing enough to get signed.

With the rookie minicamps canceled last year because of the COVID-19 pandemic, some potential NFL players went unnoticed and unsigned. They may never get a chance to make an NFL roster.

This year, rookie minicamps return, but not many tryout players will get an opportunity.

The NFL informed teams that they can have only five tryout players at rookie minicamps next month, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Some teams traditionally invite dozens of unsigned players to compete for a job, so it stands to reason that dozens of unsigned players will never see an NFL practice field.

[Futureshock]

He's not exactly wrong...


Tom Brady doubles down, calls new jersey number rule “dumb”

Posted by Charean Williams on April 22, 2021, 3:12 PM EDT

Getty Images

Tom Brady really doesn’t like the NFL’s decision to expand its jersey numbers. Like really, really, really doesn’t like it.

In fact, you could go so far to say Brady hates it.

He made that much clear in his first Instagram post of the day, and the Buccaneers quarterback has doubled down in a second post just in case anyone misunderstood his feelings.

“DUMB,” Brady wrote over news of the the rule. “Why not let the linemen wear whatever they want too? Why have numbers? Just have colored jerseys. . . why not wear the same number. . . DUMB.”

Brady posted his concern earlier in the day, writing, “Good luck trying to block the right people now! [G]oing to make for a lot of bad football.”

The rule didn’t come out of the blue. The Chiefs proposed it weeks ago, and many players around the league have discussed changing numbers on social media since.

So the question is: Why didn’t Brady bring up his concerns before owners voted Wednesday? It’s too late to do anything about it for this year. So he will have to live with another “dumb” NFL rule.

[Mainevent]

Do NFL players block guys based on the number on their jersey? Seems like a big kerfuffle over nothing. The only thing I found a bit weird was letting LBs wear 1-59. I would have kept the single digits and teens to offensive skill players and defensive backs.

[Futureshock]

Sounds to me like Brady uses the numbers to single out the D positions. We'll see if it affects his play.

[Futureshock]

Oh boy

Ranking all 32 NFL rosters ahead of the 2021 NFL Draft

NFL


The 2021 NFL Draft will kick off in less than a week, so what better time to take stock of all 32 NFL rosters. The Super Bowl 55 champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers come in at No. 1, while the Detroit Lions will try and claw themselves up from No. 32 with a solid draft.

by Anthony Treash • 4 hours ago

[BJK]

Starred on some great CHI defenses, including the ‘85 team. Sad.

[Mainevent]

Just brutal to see people ravaged by that disease, especially when it's somebody who's whole life is built around being big and strong. His whole wild man persona rubbed me the wrong way at times, but by all reports that's pretty much who he was, it wasn't some act. He's still go that personality though, great interview with him.

[The King]

I’m pretty sure concussions have been linked to ALS. I read a story about Gehrig having many concussions. Someone shifted through all the daily papers and found numerous times Gehrig was concussed. I believe one time he was out cold on the field for like 5 mins and then obviously played the next day,

[Futureshock]

Will the Falcons find a taker for Julio Jones?

Posted by Mike Florio on April 26, 2021, 10:32 AM EDT

Getty Images

There are two potential explanations for the sudden rash of reports regarding a potential Julio Jones trade. One, Peter King had it initially and exclusively in Football Morning in America and others used it as a springboard for their own reporting (without crediting King). Two, all three — King, Albert Breer of SI.com, and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media — had it simultaneously.

If it’s the latter, it’s entirely possible that the Falcons made a strategic decision to ignite a potential Julio Jones market at the outset of draft week. Teams with clear needs at the receiver position are now on notice that Jones is in play. Whether he’s tentatively traded before the draft, during the draft, or after the draft, the word is out. Jones can be had via an unofficial trade that becomes official on June 2.

Trading for Jones means inheriting a contract that pays out $15.3 million in 2021, $11.513 million in 2022, and $11.513 million in 2023. Even if Jones doesn’t want a new deal on his way through the door to a new team (and he might), that’s a significant obligation in a year with a shrunken cap, especially since Jones missed seven games due to injury in 2020.

King pegs a future second-round pick as “fair” for Jones. The Falcons somehow got a second-round pick for receiver Mohamed Sanu during the 2019 season. Whatever the compensation to the Falcons for Jones, the real question is whether the compensation to Jones will be sufficient to him, if the team trading for Jones is even a team for which he’s willing to play.

Simms and I spent some time on Monday’s PFT Live kicking around the dynamics. Three years ago, Jones made an aggressive push for a major new deal in Atlanta. His cash grab coupled with his 2020 decline possibly has caused the Falcons to sour on him, culminating in what may be a carefully crafted plan to try to entice a team to trade for Jones, freeing up $15.3 million in cash and cap obligations while kicking to next year the final $15.5 million cap charge on the Jones contract.

It won’t be easy to find a taker for Jones. Given the recent injury history and the magnitude of the contract, teams may not be lining up for a player who quite possibly is in decline.

There’s one extra fact that underscores the team’s apparent urgency to make a deal: Jones’ salary for 2021 is fully guaranteed. As a result, the Falcons can’t cut him without owing him the difference between $15.3 million and whatever he gets elsewhere. (I threw a dart suggesting he’d potentially be cut during PFT Live without checking the duration of the guarantees.) Thus, their only way out from under the contract is to trade him, with a post-June 1 move being the only way to work it out this year.

And that explains why the Falcons quite possibly have decided to make it widely known now that Jones could be had as the first order of draft-week business. Persuading someone to take on the balance of his contract in trade is the only way that the Falcons can currently avoid paying out a large chunk of it in 2021.

[Futureshock]

Colts may be "stuck." OR they can spend a lot of money OR a lot of draft picks for a QB. They have everything else besides a T (Their guy just retired)


Jim Irsay: Carson Wentz will dictate how far we go

Posted by Josh Alper on April 26, 2021, 7:34 AM EDT

USA TODAY Sports

The Colts made a bet that quarterback Carson Wentz can rebound when they traded for him earlier this offseason and the team’s owner isn’t underselling the importance of that outcome.

During an appearance on 107.5 The Fan, Jim Irsay noted the importance of building an entire roster by pointing out how offensive line struggles impacted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. He also noted that the makeup of other positions isn’t going to amount to much if the Colts can’t get Wentz back on the track he was on earlier in his career.

“Let’s be honest about the situation, how well is Carson Wentz going to do, I think that is really going to dictate just how far we go,” Irsay said. “That’s just reality. I’m not saying that as a headline. Now, he needs support. He needs people around him. We saw the Super Bowl and Mahomes with no tackles. He looked pedestrian. That’ll happen because you need support. But, really, if Frank Reich can get Carson Wentz’s play to an extremely high level and we feel that he can, and Carson, unquestionably, has every single tool mentally, physically, emotionally to do that, then you’ve got something special. There’s no doubt about it. That’s what I know Colts fans will be looking to see, just how good can Carson Wentz get? That’s really the intriguing question that everyone has and only time will tell.”

The Colts have had a different starting quarterback in each of Reich’s years with the team and they’ve been able to advance to the playoffs twice. That speaks well of the job Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard have done building the roster, but getting a long-term answer at the most important position on the field would be a welcome development in Indianapolis.

[Futureshock]

Packers veered away from “what we normally do” to keep team together

Posted by Josh Alper on April 27, 2021, 6:46 AM EDT

Getty Images

The Packers have only brought in one free agent from outside the organization this offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’ve been sitting on their hands.

Green Bay has been active when it comes to restructuring deals to push salary cap hits down the road and they used the space to make sure that they held onto their own guys. On Monday, General Manager Brian Gutekunst said that re-signing running back Aaron Jones, left tackle David Bakhtiari, and defensive tackle Kenny Clark were the priorities because they were the best players available at their positions.

“The way I look at is we were able to sign the No. 1 running back on the market, the No. 1 left tackle on the market and the No. 1 defensive tackle on the market. So, they just happened to all play for us, which is great. Kudos to Ted Thompson there,” Gutekunst said, via the team’s website. “We certainly did a lot, maybe a little bit outside of what we normally do as far as pushing money forward to continue to keep this team together so we can make another run. We realize the opportunity that is before us. We’re a really good football team. We’ve been knocking on the door for two years and we’d like to finish that.”

Gutekunst said that he expects to address other contracts before the offseason is over in order to put the team in good cap position for the 2022 season and getting through the door this year will make any future cap pain a little more bearable for the Packers.

[Futureshock]

Terry Fontenot: If teams call about Julio Jones, we have to listen

Posted by Charean Williams on April 26, 2021, 9:39 PM EDT

Getty Images

The Falcons could trade star receiver Julio Jones after June 1 to create much-needed cap space, Peter King wrote in this week’s Football Morning in America.

Falcons General Manager Terry Fontenot didn’t squash the report when asked about it Monday night, adding credence to the possibility.

“That’s one of those things when you’re doing things the right way as an organization, you have to listen if people call on any player,” Fontenot told Justin Felder of Fox 5 Sports. “We are in a difficult cap situation. That’s just the circumstance. It’s not a surprise for us. We knew the circumstance we were in. Our administration has done an excellent job up to this point getting us in position to be able to manage the cap. Yet, we still have more work to do. So, when teams call about any players, we have to listen, and we have to weigh it and we have to determine what’s best for the organization, and we have to handle everything with class. Obviously, that particular player we hold him in high regard. He’s special what he’s done and what he continues to do here, but we have to consider any player if it’s right for the team, because we have to do what’s right for the team.”

The Falcons can create $15.3 million in cap space for the 2021 season and save the big dead cap hit for 2022, when the salary cap is expected to increase significantly, if they wait until June 2 to finalize the deal. A post-June 1 trade could not involve 2021 draft picks, but it could be agreed to this week.

The Raiders, Patriots, Titans and Ravens are teams that might have an interest in trading for Jones, King speculated.

Jones, 32, played only nine games last season. He made 51 catches for 771 yards and three touchdowns.

But he is a seven-time Pro Bowler and twice has made All-Pro. Jones has 848 catches for 12,896 yards and 60 touchdowns in his 10 seasons.