NFL News

[Futureshock]

Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn saves a man’s life, pulling him from a burning car

Posted by Mike Florio on March 6, 2023, 7:50 PM EST

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Vikings receiver K.J. Osborne is a grossly underrated football player. He’s also a grossly underrated human.

People are getting a glimpse of the kind of man Osborn is. On Sunday night, he helped pull a man to safety from a burning car.

“Most of the time the saying goes ‘wrong place wrong time,'” Osborn tweeted. “But this time I believe God had me, us, at the right place at the exact right time.

“Last night myself and these 3 absolute heroes helped save a man’s life by rescuing him from a vehicle up in flames after a bad crash. A situation I’d never imagine being a part of in a million years.

“I’ll leave you with this. God is real. And His LOVE is real. He will send his angels to be camped around you and provide you with his grace and mercy.”

Osborn also told his story on the latest episode of the Adam Schefter Podcast.

Kudos to Osborn. It’s easy to do the right thing when it entails no physical risk. It’s a lot harder when you put yourself at risk.

Really, what Osborn did is no different than what Chiefs running back Joe Delaney did in 1983. Both put their lives on the line in an effort to save someone else’s.

[Futureshock]

Jalen Carter better pray that the wheels of justice move a lot faster then the Vegas justice system. No one will draft him if the legal part is not resolved

Henry Ruggs prosecution gets bogged down by issues with judges

Posted by Mike Florio on March 6, 2023, 7:27 PM EST

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Former Raiders receiver Henry Ruggs III, a first-round pick in 2021, continues to await trial on felony charges arising from a DUI resulting in the death of 23-year-old Tina Tintor. Via the Associated Press, issues regarding the presiding judge may delay the case.

Las Vegas Justice of the Peace Harmony Letizia said Monday that she believes she lacks the authority to determine whether she or another judge should preside over an upcoming preliminary hearing focusing on the question of whether enough evidence exists to place Ruggs on trial. The Clark County District Court judge that would resolve the issue, however, has recused himself because, as the judge put it, he talked about the Henry Ruggs case during the judge’s 2022 reelection campaign.

The preliminary hearing is set for May 4. That should be enough time to figure this out.

Ruggs, who was cut by the Raiders after the incident that happened in November 2021, remains on house arrest while the case is pending.

[Futureshock]

Philip Rivers reportedly reached out to 49ers, Dolphins about unretiring late last season

Posted by Josh Alper on March 6, 2023, 6:11 PM EST

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Philip Rivers has not been on an NFL roster since retiring after the end of the 2020 season, but he reportedly showed some interest in getting back in the game late in the 2022 season.

During Monday’s episode of The Rich Eisen Show, Eisen recounted some of the information he heard from people around the league while at the Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. One piece of information involved Rivers calling both the 49ers and Dolphins about possibly coming out of retirement to help them at quarterback.

Neither team took Rivers up on the offer and it’s unclear if he’ll be making any future pitches to return to active duty.

The 49ers lost Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo to season-ending injuries, but seventh-round pick Brock Purdy kept the team winning after being elevated to the top job. The 49ers ultimately lost in the NFC Championship Game after Purdy and backup Josh Johnson suffered injuries against the Eagles.

Injuries to Tua Tagovailoa and Teddy Bridgewater led the Dolphins to start their own seventh-rounder Skylar Thompson in Week 18 and in their playoff loss to the Bills.

[Futureshock]

Things were heating up with Jets, but Derek Carr felt far more comfortable joining the Saints

Posted by Mike Florio on March 6, 2023, 4:57 PM EST

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Maybe Derek Carr didn’t have a “slight lean” toward the Jets after all. Or maybe that was leaked to nudge the Saints to beignet or get off the bidet.

Regardless, a source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT that Carr signed with the Saints because Carr felt “far more comfortable” with the situation in New Orleans.

Things were heating up with the Jets, the source said, but the Saints had always been the most aggressive suitor for the former Raiders captain. The Saints were the first ones to pursue Carr, and they actually made a trade offer to the Raiders for his prior contract. The Saints were the only ones to do that.

It’s unclear whether the Jets would have committed to Carr without knowing whether Aaron Rodgers absolutely is in play. And it’s possible Carr wouldn’t have thrived under the white-hot glare of the New York media market. By the end of the first week, there’s a decent chance Carr will have blocked 90 percent of the reporters and columnists based in New York.

Regardless, the Jets have made it clear they’ll be adding a veteran quarterback. With Carr out of the mix, the primary options are Rodgers and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Carr will be the answer in New Orleans for at least two years. Whether he gets a third depends on the first two. The fourth, as explained here, likely won’t happen.

[Futureshock]

DeAndre Hopkins hanging out in Dallas: I keep hearing y’all say my name around here

Posted by Charean Williams on March 6, 2023, 4:56 PM EST

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The Cardinals have made it known that receiver DeAndre Hopkins could be available for a potential trade as the club begins a new era with G.M. Monti Ossenfort and head coach Jonathan Gannon. Gannon admitted the uncertainty last week at the NFL Scouting Combine, saying he was “not sure” whether the Pro Bowler would be on the team’s 2023 roster.

The Cowboys want to add another weapon to their offense to go with CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup, and Hopkins is intriguing.

Dez Bryant’s live stream Monday should get got the rumors rolling.

Bryant’s special guest was Hopkins, who is hanging out in Dallas.

“I keep hearing y’all say my name around here. What’s up? Talk to me,” he said.

Hopkins still has two seasons left on his contract, though he has no guaranteed money. The Cardinals could extend him to lower his $30.75 million cap number in 2023. They also could trade or release him.

The Cardinals would save more on this year’s cap by designating him a post-June 1 cut or trading him after June 1. That would save $19.45 million on their cap with an $11.3 million dead cap hit.

[Futureshock]

Raiders use franchise tag on Josh Jacobs

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 6, 2023, 4:31 PM EST

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As expected, the Raiders have applied the franchise tag to running back Josh Jacobs.

The Raiders officially put the tag on Jacobs today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

If he wants to play on the one-year franchise tender, Jacobs can sign it at any time and have a guaranteed salary of $10.091 million for the 2023 season.

Jacobs and the Raiders can negotiate a long-term contract until July 15. After that deadline, Jacobs could only play the 2023 season on a one-year deal.

A first-round pick in 2019, Jacobs is a free agent because the Raiders decline to pick up his fifth-year option. But after Jacobs led the NFL with 1,653 rushing yards and 2,053 yards from scrimmage last season, the Raiders decided they couldn’t afford to lose him.

[Futureshock]

Chiefs plan to cut Frank Clark

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 6, 2023, 4:00 PM EST

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After four years in Kansas City, defensive end Frank Clark is on the way out.

The Chiefs plan to cut Clark after trying and failing to come to terms on a renegotiated contract, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.

That’s no surprise, given that Clark’s contract called for him to get a $20.5 million base salary, with nothing guaranteed. By cutting Clark the Chiefs save a whopping $21 million against the 2023 salary cap and move from slightly over the cap to well under.

Clark, who will turn 30 in June, had five sacks in 15 starts last season. He added 2.5 sacks in the postseason, giving him 13.5 sacks in his postseason career, the third-most in NFL history.

[Futureshock]

Calvin Ridley: I have great respect for the game and am excited to restart my career

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 6, 2023, 3:33 PM EST

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The Jaguars officially got a boost to their offense for the coming season on Monday when the NFL reinstated receiver Calvin Ridley.

Ridley was suspended for the entire 2022 season after gambling on NFL games. The receiver was then traded from Atlanta to Jacksonville in November.

“Today’s reinstatement by the NFL brings an end to a challenging chapter of my professional career, one that was self-inflicted and began with an isolated lapse in judgment,” Ridley said in a statement released by the team. “I have always owned my mistakes and this is no different.

“I have great respect for the game and am excited for the opportunity to restart my career in Jacksonville. I look forward to showing my new coaches, teammates, and the entire Jaguars organization exactly who I am and what I represent as a player and person.”

Ridley had his best season in 2020, catching 90 passes for 1,374 yards with nine touchdowns.

“The Jaguars organization is aware of the NFL’s ruling to reinstate Calvin Ridley,” the team said in a statement. “We look forward to building a relationship with Calvin as both an individual and as a player.

“Calvin is a proven playmaker and we are excited to see him compete among and with his new teammates, first during our offseason program in April and ultimately into the 2023 season, as we collectively pursue a championship for Jacksonville.”

[Futureshock]

Chiefs won’t use franchise tag on Orlando Brown

Posted by Josh Alper on March 6, 2023, 2:33 PM EST

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Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown played out the 2022 season under the terms of the franchise tag, but it looks like he won’t be doing it a second time.

According to multiple reports, the Chiefs are not going to place the franchise tag on Brown before Tuesday afternoon’s deadline to do so. Brown would have been set to make just under $20 million if he were tagged again this year.

The Chiefs will be the only team able to talk to Brown about a contract until the negotiating window opens two days ahead of the March 15 start to the new league year, so the two sides could still reach a deal that keeps him from hitting the open market.

If they can’t reach an agreement, Brown will be one of the top players to become a free agent in two weeks. He ranks seventh on PFT’s list of the top free agents.

[Futureshock]

I believe if the Colts would have won against the Texans, our pick would have been 5th and Ind would have fell to 6th.

Yes, there’s a time and a place for tanking

Posted by Mike Florio on March 6, 2023, 1:25 PM EST

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I’m not a believer in full-season tanking. But there’s a point where less success at the end of the season means more power in the offseason.

This year, the Texans won a meaningless Week 18 game over the Colts, with a touchdown in the final minute and a two-point conversion that sealed the victory.

The move, which added another number to the Houston win column (does anyone really know how many games the Texans won without looking it up?), gave the Bears the first overall pick. And now, with the Texans at No. 2, Houston will have to either trade up a spot or watch some other team leapfrog them to take the player they could have gotten, unfettered.

It really was a gift for the Bears, who weren’t expecting it.

“So I go into the locker room and [I swear] on my kids’ lives, my only thought process at the time was to just show appreciation for guys who fought through a really tough year,” G.M. Ryan Poles told Peter King for his Football Morning in America column. “I talked to all of them. Then someone pulls me aside and says, ‘Hey, Houston won. We got the first overall pick.’ I wasn’t even there in the mental space to think about it yet. . . . Then, that night, getting in the driveway at home, my neighbor drives by and yells out, ‘Hey man, congratulations on the first pick!’ And I was like, a little weird to celebrate this.”

It shouldn’t be weird. There’s real value in it. That’s why some teams tanks. Again, it makes no sense to set out to secure the No. 1 pick in September, like Dolphins owner Stephen Ross did in 2019. (He claims he was joking. The punchline has been even harder to find than Hoffa.) But the Texans absolutely should have found a way to gracefully, or otherwise, let the Colts win in Week 18.

Former coach Lovie Smith absolutely knows how to do it. In the last week of the 2014 regular season, Smith’s Buccaneers led the Saints by double digits. Smith removed roughly half the starters, and the Saints came back and won. That secured the No. 1 overall pick for the Bucs. (They got Jameis Winston, which arguably was sufficient punishment.)

Maybe the difference was that Smith knew he’d be back in Tampa for 2015, and that he either knew he’d be fired in Houston or suspected it was coming. Regardless, Smith did the first team he ever coached — the Bears — a huge favor by winning his final game as a head coach in Houston. It gave the Bears the top spot in the draft, and now the Texans will have to give up something significant to get what they could have easily had for nothing.

[Futureshock]

SAQUON BARKLEYRB, NEW YORK GIANTS
NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reports Giants GM Joe Schoen met with RB Saquon Barkley on Monday as the organization continues contract extension talks with Barkley and QB Daniel Jones.


"Positive meeting, by all accounts, with the continued hope from both sides they can make it work." It sounds like the priority in New York is to ink Daniel Jones to an extension, with the understanding that a Barkley extension would be the next domino to fall. Garafolo finished by saying, "Let’s see what happens with Jones first." It appears likely that either Jones or Barkley will be playing on the franchise tag in 2023.

SOURCE: Mike Garafolo on Twitter
Mar 6, 2023, 7:25 PM ET

[Futureshock]

COURTLAND SUTTONWR, DENVER BRONCOS
Sources told NBC Sports Edge's Matthew Berry the Broncos are "quietly shopping" WR Courtland Sutton.


Berry went on to say, "if they get a decent offer, they would move him." Sutton is currently under team control through the 2024 season at a non-prohibitive $15.5 million annual average, meaning this might be a case of failing to meet team expectations in chemistry with quarterback Russell Wilson. Sutton held the lowest separation at target value of any primary pass-catcher that Wilson has played with over the previous five seasons in 2022.

Mar 6, 2023, 7:06 PM ET

[Cody_Russell]

Seemed like Matt Gay never missed a kick whenever I frequently watched the Rams during the last two seasons.

[jaadam4]

I can't wait to watch the Jordan Love era completely decimate the GB fanbase. I've never seen a team so lucky in my life to go from Favre to Erin like that. Back to back HoF QBs for those shit birds. Its time to pay the piper.

[CGVT]

I can't wait to watch the Jordan Love era completely decimate the GB fanbase. I've never seen a team so lucky in my life to go from Favre to Erin like that. Back to back HoF QBs for those shit birds. Its time to pay the piper.

Yep, the Pack has had some lean years, but most of their fans don't remember them.

The fuckers have had three Hall of Fame QBs in my lifetime. The Lions have had a long progression of JAGs