NFL News

[Futureshock]

Yup!

Charles Barkley chimes in on Lamar Jackson situation

Posted by Mike Florio on April 18, 2023, 5:07 PM EDT

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Earlier today, a side-by-side comparison of key factors in the offer made to Lamar Jackson by the Ravens and the deal secured by Jalen Hurts with the Eagles revealed that perhaps Jackson rejected a better package than the one Hurts accepted.

Also today, Charles Barkley appeared on The Really Big Show on 850 ESPN Cleveland. Barkley, who has opinions on just about everything, shared these views on the Jackson situation.

“Lamar, you’re playing with fire, brother,” Barkley said. “You’re going to get burnt. These dudes, they’re all billionaires. They’re not going to let you screw up their business model. You’ve got to take the best deal. It’s not even about Lamar. I know what they’re saying behind the scenes. They’re like, ‘Yo man, if you give this guy guaranteed money I’m going to have to give [Justin] Herbert guaranteed money, I’m going to have to give [Joe] Burrow guaranteed money. . . . We can’t give all these guys guaranteed money.'”

Barkley means fully-guaranteed contracts, because they’ll all get guaranteed money. Hurts got plenty, but his contract wasn’t fully guaranteed. He probably never even asked for the contract to be fully guaranteed. If he did, he abandoned that position and said “yes” to the best offer the Eagles would make right now.

It’s all about saying “yes,” eventually. At some point, Lamar has to say “yes.” As we said on Tuesday’s PFT Live, if Lamar were selling a car and he wanted $50,000 for it but no one would offer more than $30,000, at some point he’ll have to take $30,000, or he’s not selling the car at all.

That applies regardless of whether there’s collusion among the potential buyers to hold the line at $30,000. There’s an avenue for Jackson to pursue the argument that the owners are impermissibly in cahoots. At some point, however, he has to say “yes” to something that the Ravens or someone else will offer him.

Given that no one other than the Ravens is making any offer at all, his choices are to say “yes” to the Ravens or not play. If the numbers that were listed earlier today are still available, his best move could be to finally say “yes” and be done with it.

[Futureshock]

BTW, I do not think that is collusion. Is it collusion if a guy doesn't get picked until the second round (or later)? No. It is just a bad deal that no one wants a part of. No collusion needed.

[El Axe]

The 49ers do not have a pick until comp pick #99. Would a second be enough?

Probably not, but I bet #18 would be close. He's still got 3 more seasons on his rookie contract, right?

If we like him and his medicals checked out, I'd give up 18. He checks so many boxes for us.

[Mainevent]

Didn't Purdy just come and say he's unsure when he's going to be ready to play?

[Futureshock]

Didn't Purdy just come and say he's unsure when he's going to be ready to play?

They did add Sam Darnold so I guess they're not rushing Purdy back...



Brock Purdy on his rehab: Everyone’s on the same page, and everything’s going as planned

Posted by Charean Williams on April 14, 2023, 4:41 PM EDT

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49ers quarterback Brock Purdy is 35 days post-surgery after undergoing a repair on the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow. He has done his rehab in Gilbert, Arizona, with Keith Kocher, who is the Los Angeles Angels minor league physical therapist and thus experienced in rehabbing athletes from the surgery.

Purdy said he is taking it day by day.

“It’s a process for sure,” Purdy said. “It doesn’t matter what you hurt. If you have surgery on something, you’ve just got to let it have time to heal initially and then go from there. For me, it’s slowly getting better — a little bit every single day. Everything is going as planned. We’re on the same page just in terms of the Niners, [Dr. Keith] Meister and my physical therapist out here. Everyone’s on the same page, and everything’s going as planned. Very thankful for that. Just staying one day at a time from here.”

Purdy made the interview rounds Friday as part of his partnership with Buffalo Wild Wings, promoting the franchise’s “One and $1 Deal” that pairs wings with a not-to-be-slept-on burger.

He heads back to Santa Clara this weekend to get ready for the 49ers’ offseason program next week. Purdy obviously won’t do on-field work, but he will continue his rehab and participate in the meeting room.

Purdy wouldn’t discuss a specific timeline for his return to football activities, but his injury did not require reconstruction, which would have kept him out into the season. During surgery, Meister, the Texas Rangers team physician, repaired the injury with an internal brace, which involves screws and sutures to stabilize the ligament.

That will allow Purdy to start throwing in three months with a slow, three-month build up.

“Yeah, I think it was great news,” Purdy said. “Obviously, you look at the recovery time of that one versus the reconstruction. But it’s all God’s plan, and I trust that everything happens for a reason. So for it to be the repair with the internal brace was great news, and now we’re just taking it one day at a time.”

Purdy, who, after his success last season, is “the leader in the clubhouse” to start for the 49ers in 2023, has sought advice from baseball pitchers who have undergone the surgery as well as former 49ers quarterback Nick Mullens.

Mullens injured his UCL late in the 2020 season and underwent a successful procedure and rehab that cleared him for football activities after five months.

“Obviously I’ve got a lot of information,” Purdy said. “Keith Kocher . . . has done this rehab many times. Just picking his brain on it, seeing other guys that are going through the recovery process out here with baseball, talking to them. I talked to Nick Mullens as well. He went through this a couple of years ago. He had the same surgery. He had some great advice as well. It’s definitely something that I’ve talked about with some other guys and have gotten some great advice from.”

Purdy played as a rookie only because of injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo.

Purdy finished his rookie regular season completing 67.1 percent of his passes for 1,374 yards, 13 touchdowns and four interceptions in seven games. He completed 65.1 percent of his passes for 569 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in three playoff games, injuring his elbow early in the NFC Championship Game loss to the Eagles.

[froot loops]

BTW, I do not think that is collusion. Is it collusion if a guy doesn't get picked until the second round (or later)? No. It is just a bad deal that no one wants a part of. No collusion needed.

I don't think that analogy makes sense at all. You would be foolish to think collusion doesn't exist among NFL owners. Maybe it doesn't exist here because restricted free agents don't move very often and/or it's very hard to prove the owners have had conversations that they aren't going to give fully guaranteed contracts. Collusion has happened in the NFL and MLB in the past. But it has nothing to do with the NFL draft.

[froot loops]

But the NFL draft is a form of legalized collusion that is only legal because the owners have collectively bargained this deflationary tactic with the players. Without a union the draft is illegal.

[ghandi]

Didn't Purdy just come and say he's unsure when he's going to be ready to play?

I've seen different things from he will be ready by training camp to he wont be ready until after the season....As for Trey Lance, I dont know on him...He is in a very QB friendly offense (they made Mr Irrelevant look great) and still struggled for the most part....I dont think he is a fit for the Lions but maybe one of the other teams that is looking may take a flier on him.

[Futureshock]

The story from the guy in the room...

https://www.the33rdteam.com/category/feature/remembering-vikings-drafting-randy-moss-25-years-later/

FEATURE Remembering Drafting Randy Moss 25 Years Later

Jeff DiamondAward-Winning NFL Executive April 18, 2023 5 min read

One of my favorite drafts during my NFL management career was when we selected future Hall of Fame receiver Randy Moss at No. 21 overall in the 1998 NFL Draft. With Tuesday being the 25th anniversary of the selection, it feels like a good time to recount how it came together.

When I attended the 1998 NFL Combine in Indianapolis as the Minnesota Vikings‘ general manager, there was no NFL Network coverage or internet speculation on prospects back then. Moss was barely on our radar as a potential Vikings’ draftee. However, we certainly knew of his talent and story.

Moss’ Pre-Draft Process

First, he chose not to attend the combine, news which never was well-received by teams. Moss didn’t even show up for the physicals and interviews as many top players do, who skip working out until their pro day to gain more training time. He waited for his pro day a couple of weeks later at his college — Marshall — to showcase his incredible ability.

There were just a handful of NFL teams at the workout, which is surprising when a top player like Moss was making his draft case. It was an early indication many teams would not consider drafting Moss due to character concerns.

He was in a nasty fight defending a friend in high school, which caused Notre Dame to revoke his scholarship offer. Then, Moss headed to Florida State only to be dismissed after allegedly failing a drug test. Moss landed at Marshall and was a dominant player. He had 174 catches for 3,529 yards and 54 touchdowns in two seasons.

Moss’ Tumble Down Draft Boards

As draft day arrived, we were focused on drafting a top defensive player. I still didn’t believe Moss would make it to No. 21 overall. Then Dallas passed on him and selected defensive end Greg Ellis. The rumblings were that the Cowboys had been dealing with players with questionable character in prior years and were scared away.

Moss started tumbling. When the Tennessee Titans took Kevin Dyson as the first wide receiver off the board at No. 16, we began an intense discussion about taking Moss. It was the longest discussion on a player I ever was part of on a draft day.

Coach Dennis Green and offensive coordinator Brian Billick were pushing hard for Moss, despite having two excellent 1,000-yard receivers on the team in future Hall of Famer Cris Carter and Jake Reed. Our draft board had Moss sitting at the top as our pick approached. Our scouts also liked defensive end Vonnie Holliday, who the Green Bay Packers picked at No. 19. We also talked about safety Tebucky Jones, who the New England Patriots picked right after us.

Many scouts are reluctant to take too strong of a stand on a player with character or injury concerns. To his credit, Cardano was never afraid to state his opinion. He made a strong case for Moss as a game-changing talent (which we all agreed with); he trusted his Marshall sources who said Moss would be a top pro and stay out of trouble.

When we were one pick away, Green and I called Carter. I asked if he would be willing to mentor Moss if we drafted him. Carter said, “Yes, absolutely,” as he knew how explosive our offense would be with a three-wide receiver base with players at the skill level of himself, Reed and Moss.

We picked Moss, and our draft room was as excited as I’ve ever seen it, landing a blue-chip player at that spot. Before Moss put on his No. 84 Vikings uniform at training camp, I had to sign him to his rookie contract. His agents wanted him to be paid like a top-10 pick which, of course, I couldn’t do with the rookie pool and his No. 21 slot.

I also demanded a stringent-contract clause with a significant signing bonus giveback if the NFL ever suspended him for off-field transgressions, which he ultimately agreed to. The clause was never enforced. We also were concerned he had sprained his ankle playing pick-up basketball shortly before training camp.

[jaadam4]

The 49ers do not have a pick until comp pick #99. Would a second be enough?

I don’t know but I’d be good with it

[Tom]

You guys want to trade for Lance? Based on what? You might as well draft Levis or Richardson.

[CGVT]

You guys want to trade for Lance? Based on what? You might as well draft Levis or Richardson.

Exactly.

Hell, you'd be better off because you'd have more time on their rookie contract.

[Mainevent]

The reason to do it would be to take the same home run swing without giving up #6 and they could walk away in 2 years if it doesn’t work out.

But the fact that the 49ers are considering moving on from after giving up so much, yeah that’s not great.

[Tom]

I might entertain using a lower pick but I wouldn’t trade the #18 for him.

[ghandi]

The interesting team they mentioned was the Texans.....Ryans has seen Lance up close for 2 years and it would allow them to draft Will Anderson at 2 instead of a QB.....Im guessing they would offer a second round pick also.