NFL News

[Futureshock]

Eagles gain cap space this week, could get more by moving Zach Ertz

Posted by Josh Alper on June 1, 2021, 7:11 AM EDT

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The Eagles start June with just under $4 million in cap space to put toward signing their draft picks, but they’ll have more of it at their disposal on Wednesday.

Defensive tackle Malik Jackson and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery were designated as post-June 1 cuts when the team released them earlier this year. Once Tuesday is over, those moves will be processed on the salary cap front and the team will realize about $4 million in cap space as a result.

The change in months offers another avenue to increased cap space. Trading or cutting tight end Zach Ertz would save the team $8.5 million with $4.2 million in dead money as opposed to just under $5 million in savings against just under $7.8 million in dead money.

Ertz has not been in attendance at the team’s offseason program and trade chatter has been frequent this offseason, although General Manager Howie Roseman said in early May that he’ll do what’s best for the team and that Ertz is “a good player, a good person and he’s under contract.”

[Futureshock]

And I think he should do the same....


Packers apparently plan to call Aaron Rodgers’ bluff

Posted by Mike Florio on June 1, 2021, 6:41 AM EDT

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The Packers won’t trade the quarterback who doesn’t want to play for them because the Packers don’t believe he won’t play for them.

That’s the gist of a recent report from Matt Schneidman of TheAthletic.com, and it makes plenty of sense. Schneidman writes that the Packers would trade Rodgers if the Packers “believed he was truly committed to never playing for them again,” and if the Packers “wanted to get draft picks and players in return instead of forcing him to retire.”

While to a certain extent obvious given the current posture of quarterback and player, the news here is that the Packers don’t buy the idea that Rodgers will refuse to show up and play for them. The question of whether they’d prefer draft picks and players and letting him play elsewhere over the money they’d get back from him if he retires (nearly $30 million in bonuses plus salary avoidance, starting with $14.7 million this year) doesn’t become relevant until the Packers conclude that he will never play for them again.

For the reason, the Packers remain dug in. They won’t trade Rodgers because, as a threshold matter, they don’t believe that he won’t show up.

That leads back to the prevailing question regarding Rodgers. Will he show up?

The problem for the Packers is that, even though they could have gotten a significant haul in return for Rodgers if they’d decided to trade him earlier this year, the seats have filled up elsewhere. The Broncos, and maybe the Raiders, remain the only possible trade partners (especially if Rodgers wants to play in or close to California). At some point, it makes sense to kick the entire issue until after the season — especially since any picks the Packers would peck for Rodgers would come from the 2022 draft, anyway. Let the 17 regular-season games of 2021 play out, let the teams that inevitably will decide to make a quarterback change realize that they’ll be in the market, and then invite them all to the table for a bidding war to get Rodgers.

The Broncos will still be firmly in play. The Raiders, if they go four for four in playoff failures during Jon Gruden’s return to the NFL, could be much more motivated to make a move. The Seahawks, if they can’t fix the Russell Wilson situation, could be interested. The Saints could be in play, if the post-Brees plan doesn’t work. The Panthers continue to search for a franchise quarterback; they’ll know after a year if Sam Darnold is the answer.

The Steelers likely will be looking for a replacement for Ben Roethlisberger. What if the Titans decide they’d rather have Rodgers than Ryan Tannehill? What if Carson Wentz doesn’t bounce back in Indianapolis? What if the Eagles decide that Jalen Hurts won’t be a franchise quarterback, or if Tua Tagovailoa doesn’t take the next step in his second season in Miami?

Then there’s the injury question. There’s always a chance that a quarterback who is entrenched as of June 1, 2021 will be unable to play in 2022, or possibly beyond, due to an injury that happens this season. While unlikely, it’s still possible. That possibility becomes another reason for the Packers to wait.

So at this point, then, there’s no reason for the Packers to be anything other than dug in. If Rodgers is going to force a trade before early 2022, he needs to do something to convince the Packers that he’ll never play for them again. Saying things like “beautiful mystery” and “I love my teammates, I love the coaching staff, I love the fans” won’t cut it. For the Packers to make a move before March 2022, Rodgers needs to make them convinced that he’s moving out of Green Bay for good.

[Futureshock]

Kevin Stefanski the betting favorite to repeat as Coach of the Year

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 1, 2021, 5:10 AM EDT

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Leading the Cleveland Browns to the playoffs is an impressive coaching achievement, and when Kevin Stefanski did it last season, he was named NFL Coach of the Year. Leading the Browns to the playoffs two years in a row would be an even more impressive coaching achievement, and if Stefanski can do it this year, it would be hard to deny him the Coach of the Year award again.

That’s why Stefanski is the favorite to win Coach of the Year, with +1200 odds at PointsBet.

If he repeats as Coach of the Year, Stefanski would join rare company, as only three coaches have won Coach of the Year in back-to-back seasons: Allie Sherman in 1961-62, Don Shula in 1967-68 and Joe Gibbs in 1982-83.

Behind Stefanski in Coach of the Year odds are Rams coach Sean McVay, 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, Chargers coach Brandon Staley and Dolphins coach Brian Flores, all at +1500.

The next-best odds go to Colts coach Frank Reich, Bills coach Sean McDermott, Falcons coach Arthur Smith, Chiefs coach Andy Reid and Jets coach Robert Saleh, all at +1800.

At the other end of the spectrum, the longest long shot is Texans coach David Culley, who is at +8000.

[Futureshock]

NFL eager to play regular-season games in Germany

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 31, 2021, 1:00 PM EDT

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The NFL regularly plays games in England, and occasionally in Mexico. But there’s a third international market the league is eager to gain a foothold in: Germany.

Peter King writes in today’s Football Morning in America that Germany is the NFL’s fastest-rising international market, and that the NFL would like to play in Germany every year starting in 2022 or 2023.

Germany is the world’s fourth-biggest economy, trailing only the United States, China and Japan, so it’s easy to see why the NFL thinks it could be a lucrative market. (Playing games in China or Japan would be a lot more difficult because of the longer travel for teams and the difficulty of finding a time to play the game that would work for both the local fans and the American TV audience.) Germany also has a solid American football fan base, stemming from NFL Europe, and an estimated 2.2 million Germans watched the Super Bowl.

The first game in Germany would likely be played at Allianz Arena, the 70,000-seat stadium where soccer team Bayern Munich plays, on a Sunday afternoon in Germany with a morning kickoff time for American viewers.

[Futureshock]

Patrick Mahomes wants to go 20-0

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 31, 2021, 5:45 AM EDT

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Plenty of NFL records should fall now that the league has expanded to 17-game seasons, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has his eye on one particular record that he’d like to see the Chiefs accomplish.

Mahomes wants to go 17-0 in the regular season, then win three games in the postseason, culminating in the Super Bowl, for a perfect 20-0 mark.

“The only record I have my eyes set on breaking, which would be new this year, would be going 20-0,” Mahomes said, via BleacherReport.com. “It’s not really a record to be broken I guess you would say—19-0 is the record right now—so being able to go 20-0 and being the first one to do that, that would be awesome.”

No team ever went 19-0 when the NFL was playing 16-game seasons. The 2007 Patriots came the closest, going 16-0 in the regular season but falling to 18-1 with a Super Bowl loss. The only undefeated, untied team in NFL history was the 1972 Miami Dolphins, who went 17-0 after a 14-game regular season.

Mahomes has a 38-8 record as a starter in the regular season and a 6-2 record in the playoffs. At 44-10, his combined record is impressive. But this year he wants to improve it to 64-10.

[Futureshock]

Rams are out of Julio Jones chase

Posted by Mike Florio on May 30, 2021, 4:13 PM EDT

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At a time when the list of teams potentially interested in Falcons receiver Julio Jones is growing, there’s one team that, per a source with knowledge of the dynamics, can be removed from the list.

The Rams.

A late arrival in the broader discussion about possible destinations, the Rams have indeed explored the possibility. G.M. Les Snead worked in the Atlanta front office when the Falcons made their move to get Jones a decade ago. Besides, the Rams have a history of pulling off eye-popping moves that entail swapping draft picks for proven commodities.

That said, they don’t have a first-round pick until 2024, and they may not want to give up other picks in 2022 and/or 2023 — especially since the next two first-round picks already are destined for Detroit. The Rams also have had cap issues this year, and there are many easy ways to create cap space via restructurings. A new contract for Jones could be the best way, converting most of his $15.3 million base salary to a signing bonus and spreading it over multiple years.

The bigger question is need. They have Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, DeSean Jackson, 2020 second-rounder Van Jefferson, and 2021 second-rounder Tutu Atwell. Maybe Jefferson (just spitballing) would be included in the trade package, if it were to happen.

Regardless, we’re told that it’s not. The Rams are out. That’s not a firm guarantee they won’t get back in. For now, they’re out.

[Futureshock]

Vikings wanted to get to No. 8 for Justin Fields

Posted by Mike Florio on May 30, 2021, 11:33 AM EDT

USA TODAY Sports

The Packers aren’t the only team in the NFC North with a potentially awkward quarterback transition.

As disclosed in a video published by the Panthers, the Vikings called Carolina in an attempt to trade up from No. 14 to No. 8 in the first round of the 2021 draft. Per a league source, the Vikings were targeting quarterback Justin Fields.

Previously, it had been believed the Vikings would have seriously considered Fields if he had slid to No. 14. Their interest in him moves to a new level if they were considering trading up to get him.

It’s a fascinating development, for several reasons. Most obviously, the Vikings will now contend twice per year with Fields, as the new quarterback of the Bears. Chicago made the move from No. 20 to No. 11 to get Fields, cutting off Minnesota’s effort to get him.

Then there’s the fact that trading up for Fields would have underscored the fact that incumbent starter Kirk Cousins has, at most, two years left in Minnesota. With a contract that pays out $21 million in 2021 and $35 million in 2022, Cousins has said publicly that he’s not interested in extending his deal. If the Vikings privately tried to renegotiate the Cousins contract before free agency or the draft and if Cousins refused, the Vikings may have decided not simply to protect themselves against Cousins leaving in free agency but to affirmatively seek out his replacement.

If they’d gotten Fields, that would be the obvious vibe — Cousins on a two-season clock, with the possibility that the Vikings would try to trade him in 2022. That possibility now must be factored into the assessment of Minnesota’s quarterback situation moving forward. If Kellen Mond, picked by the Vikings in round three, checks all the boxes as he learns the NFL game behind Cousins, the Vikings could decide after 2021 to move on to Mond and to trade Cousins.

It won’t be an easy needle for the Vikings to thread. First, Mond has to be ready. Second, the Vikings would need to find a team that, based on Cousins’ performance in 2021, would want to trade for him. But if Cousins plays well enough in 2021 to make him attractive to another team, it becomes harder for the Vikings to turn the page in 2022.

That actually could make it better for the Vikings to have Mond instead of Fields. With Fields as a top-10 pick, it would have been much harder to keep Cousins through 2022. With Mond, it becomes a lot easier to pull it off.

And if, by 2022, the Vikings think Mond is ready and if they believe Cousins has taken Minnesota as far as he ever will, nothing stops Minnesota from making Cousins the highest-paid backup quarterback in NFL history, while Mond becomes the current lowest-paid starter.

[Futureshock]

So at least 2/3rds of the other teams in our division wanted Fields (with worse OL then we had at the time). Could we be the smartest team in the division?

[jaadam4]

So at least 2/3rds of the other teams in our division wanted Fields (with worse OL then we had at the time). Could we be the smartest team in the division?

I don’t know about the smartest as opposed to Chicago being a dumpster fire at Qb wasting away a good defense. Minnesota obviously has realized Cousins isn’t taking them anywhere so they want to upgrade.

I’m not saying Fields isn’t legit but history hasn’t shown any success in the NFL for Ohio QBs. That system has been insanely dominant in college but not so much in the NFL. Maybe Fields will be the one but I think Sewell was the second best player in the draft.

[Futureshock]

I was actually trolling. IF they wanted him that bad they could have went after 9 or 10.

IF they wanted to trade up, it was probably for Sewell is my guess.

But you do know OSU has not played the same SYSTEM over all these years right? And Fields was a good QB before going there. Wish bad on the kid, but he has as much of a chance to succeed as any of the QBs taken. I'm not going to wish bad on him because the Lions' FO went another way.

[froot loops]

People try to make patterns of a specific school producing quarterbacks, its pretty much just random chance. It's less about the school and more about the quarterback. Jad is unreliable on this point because he loves Bo Schembechler cosplay and uses cutting edge terms like the school down there and calling it Ohio instead of Ohio State. Of course he is going to be against Fields.

Nobody knows anything about what quarterback is going to succeed, they are all just guessing.

[froot loops]

Going to the Bears is more of an issue than being a Buckeye on his road to be a successful NFL QB.

[Futureshock]

Going to the Bears is more of an issue than being a Buckeye on his road to be a successful NFL QB.

At this point the lack of success looks to be squarely on Pace and Nagy. I think his offense has been figured and teams see what they do before they hike the ball. It will be good for them to have Fields because he can improvise and make them bums look good. Well, until the league figures that out too.

[Futureshock]

It would be really interesting if the horse-heads get aAron...


Broncos, Vikings plan joint practices

Posted by Michael David Smith on June 2, 2021, 7:50 AM EDT

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The Broncos and Vikings are the latest teams to agree to a summer get-together.

Mike Klis of 9 News in Denver reports that the two teams are finalizing plans to hold joint practices in Minnesota before they meet in their first preseason game on August 14.

Teams often practice together with preseason opponents, and the Vikings and Broncos have an obvious connection as new Broncos General Manager George Paton spent the last 14 years in Minnesota.

Broncos coach Vic Fangio has emphasized that quarterbacks Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater will be competing each day through training camp and the preseason, and seeing how they operate against an opposing team’s defense will be of particular interest.

[Futureshock]

June 2 means plenty, but it used to mean more

Posted by Mike Florio on June 1, 2021, 11:49 PM EDT

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Before 2006, June 2 brought about a fresh wave of NFL free agency. Now, it usually means extra cap space for some teams and greater trade flexibility for all of them.

Previously, teams that released players before June 2 took the full cap acceleration at the moment of the transaction. Now, teams can release up to two players per year with a post-June 1 designation. Although the player’s cap number stays on the books until June 2, it allows the team to part ways with the player and eliminate the risk that he’ll show up for offseason workouts and suffer a serious injury, locking in his full salary for the coming season.

As of June 2, the player released with a post-June 1 designation has his salary disappear from the books, and any remaining bonus proration lands in the next cap year.

For example, if a player signs a four-year contract with a $10 million signing bonus and is released after two seasons before June 1 (and without a post-June 1 designation), the team takes a $5 million cap charge in the current year. With a post-June 1 designation, the player counts $2.5 million against the cap in the current year and $2.5 million against the cap the next year. The player’s current base salary evaporates as of June 2.

Under prior rules, no cap relief attached to trades, at any time. Currently, teams can trade players as of June 2 and push any cap charges applicable to the remaining years of the contract to the next cap year.

That’s why the Falcons waited to trade Julio Jones. Before June 1, they would have taken a dead-money charge of $23.25 million. As of Wednesday, a trade would split that between $7.75 million this year, and $15.5 million next year.

The same flexibility applies to other players who could be traded. An Aaron Rodgers trade would avoid $11.5 million in dead money this year, pushing it to 2022. For Russell Wilson, the cap charge drops from $39 million to $13 million. The Texans would defer to 2022 a $16.2 million cap charge by trading Deshaun Watson after June 1.

So June 2 still has plenty of meaning, especially this year. In past years, it meant a lot more.