NFL News

[jaadam4]

I wish we could have traded up for Will Anderson

[chemiclord]

I suspect we could have, but it would have cost a small fortune to do so.

[ghandi]

I wish we could have traded up for Will Anderson

If we have learned nothing else no one is a sure thing.....Also he is pretty light for a defensive end (Houston already announced he will play with his hand in the dirt on the edge).....I have no problem with the way it turned out...Also that trade may bite Houston if that pick turns out to be in the top 3-5 next year.

[jaadam4]

Just read an article at POD. They were saying Q Williams might cost 2 1st rounders in a trade and one of the largest DTs contract ext in the league.

Screw that. Find a potential cap casualty at a cheaper trade cost in picks and wait until next season and take the BPA at DT or go hunting in FA. We can’t mortgage picks and salary

[chemiclord]

If you think Williams would be the final piece of the puzzle? Fuck dem picks.

Is he the final piece of the puzzle? I don't think so.

[jaadam4]

Giving up multiple first rounders and 25+ mil for a DT? Man I don’t know. Agreed if he’s the missing piece but you best be sure that’s what you need. That straps you for a few years.

[Futureshock]

We have Brod Martin. What could possibly go wrong.

[Futureshock]

Guaranteed salaries didn’t guarantee some rookies a job beyond minicamp

Posted by Mike Florio on May 17, 2023, 9:30 AM EDT

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In the days after the draft concludes, much is made of the undrafted free agents who finagle significant guarantees. For some players, those guarantees don’t even guarantee a job until Memorial Day.

This year, multiple players with partially guaranteed contracts were released after participating in rookie minicamps.

The players who found themselves go from having partially guaranteed contracts to no employment as of Monday include Broncos defensive back Darrious Gaines, Broncos running back Emmanuel Wilson, Jaguars defensive end Jayson Ademilola, Dolphins tackle Jarrett Horst, and Dolphins tackle Alex Jensen.

It’s not a new dynamic. As one experienced evaluator of talent observed, it’s an annual ritual. Teams sign undrafted free agents, guarantee base salaries, and cut them after rookie minicamp.

“I wonder if owners even realize it,” the source remarked.

The players need to realize that the partial guarantee means nothing. One bad showing at rookie minicamp can be enough to get the team to conclude that, despite all information gathered during the pre-draft process, the player in question simply doesn’t have it.

Although dumping them quickly acknowledges that the decision to guarantee a portion of the contract was a mistake, it avoids the complication of doubling down, making one mistake into two by keeping a player on the team simply because he received a partially-guaranteed contract.

[Futureshock]

Bears were shocked Roschon Johnson was available in the fourth round

Posted by Michael David Smith on May 17, 2023, 8:23 AM EDT

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NFL teams try their best to gather intelligence about where the other 31 teams are likely to draft certain players, but the Bears were way off in their assessment of where running back Roschon Johnson would go.

Bears General Manager Ryan Poles told Cynthia Ferlund of NFL Media that his team ran 53 different simulations of the draft before the actual draft took place, and in every single one of those simulations, Johnson was drafted within the first 114 picks.

In the actual 2023 NFL draft, Johnson was still there at No. 115, where the Bears got him. Asked how the Bears got Johnson in the fourth round, Poles answered, “I have no idea.”

One idea is that the running back position has been devalued to such an extent that fewer and fewer teams are willing to take them in the first two days of the draft. Another idea is that Johnson was overshadowed by his Texas teammate Bijan Robinson, who went No. 8 overall. But Poles thinks the Bears got a steal.

“I absolutely love this player and I love the person even more,” Poles said, via NBCSportsChicago.com. “You talk about contact, balance, strength, size. We’re going to love this guy, especially when we get in December. He’s a special guy who can enhance the culture in our locker room, too.”

A special guy who was passed on 114 times.

[Futureshock]

Will Aaron Rodgers cut the Jets a financial break?

Posted by Mike Florio on May 16, 2023, 9:12 PM EDT

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Before the Packers traded quarterback Aaron Rodgers, he agreed to move his fully-guaranteed $58.3 million option bonus to 2024, as a final cap favor to his former team. Now that he’s at the minimum salary of $1.165 million for 2023 with $107.55 million fully guaranteed on the books for 2024, Rodgers and the Jets need to work out a new deal.

Jets G.M. Joe Douglas said last week during an appearance on #PFTPM that the two sides are currently working on it. The manner in which the money is split between the next two years could shed considerable light on whether he plans to stay with the team for one season or two.

But there’s another wrinkle to consider, one that might not make his agents particularly happy. Rodgers could decide to cut the Jets a break, reducing the total dollars due and owing over the next two years, in lieu of simply moving money around.

It would be his call, even if his agents oppose it. And it would go a long way toward getting him even deeper in the good graces of Gang Green, who will love him unconditionally unless and until adversity arrives and he fails to overcome it in more than two or three straight games.

[Futureshock]

Steelers sign Hakeem Butler

Posted by Charean Williams on May 16, 2023, 9:08 PM EDT

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The Steelers have signed receiver Hakeem Butler, the XFL announced.

He participated in the Steelers’ rookie minicamp on a tryout basis.

Butler, 27, had 51 receptions for 599 yards and eight touchdowns in 10 games with the St. Louis Battlehawks in the XFL.

The Cardinals made Butler a fourth-round pick in 2019, but he missed his rookie season with a broken hand and failed to make the team out of camp the next season. He appeared in two games for the Eagles in 2020 and had a pair of brief stints in the CFL before landing in the XFL.

Diontae Johnson, George Pickens, Allen Robinson, Calvin Austin, Miles Boykin, Gunner Olszewski and Cody White head up the receiving corps in Pittsburgh.

[Futureshock]

Davante Adams isn’t bashful about his concerns regarding the Raiders

Posted by Mike Florio on May 16, 2023, 6:54 PM EDT

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Mirin Fader’s profile of Raiders receiver Davante Adams for TheRinger.com made waves primarily for his comments about thriving without Aaron Rodgers. But there’s plenty of other interesting stuff regarding Adams’s current situation in Las Vegas, given the team’s decision to release his close friend and college teammate, Derek Carr.

Consider this quote regarding the team’s approach to constructing its offense: “[The front office] think this is the best bet for us right now to put us in a position to be urgent. We don’t see eye-to-eye on what we think is best for us right now.”

Awkward. And there’s more awkwardness.

“I’m going to have to buy into this and try to be as optimistic as possible,” Adams said. “It’s not what I expected to happen, but it’s something that’s the reality now.”

The reality is that Jimmy Garoppolo is the quarterback. So how will the offense look?

“It all depends on the style of ball that we play,” Adams said. “If we play a certain brand of ball, I can get [Garoppolo] to conform to whatever. But if we use him a certain type of way, then it’s going to make it tough for us to maximize who we should be this year.”

Adams said he continues to be committed to trying to win a Super Bowl.

“That’s why I didn’t come here to just be cute with Derek,” Adams said. “It is to really try and have a shot and change this organization.”

The real question is whether the change will come to fruition before or after his time with the team ends. He’s got two more seasons before his contract becomes a year-to-year proposition, with salary spiking to $35.6 million in 2025.

[Futureshock]

Packers OC Adam Stenavich: Entire playbook is on the table for Jordan Love

Posted by Josh Alper on May 16, 2023, 4:48 PM EDT

USA Today Sports

One of the big questions about the 2023 season is what the Packers offense is going to look like with Jordan Love at quarterback instead of Aaron Rodgers.

Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich didn’t go into detail about the team’s plans when he spoke to reporters on Tuesday because he said the team is going to use OTAs to “kind of see how it all fits and once we figure out kind of how we’re going to attack defenses” this season. Stenavich added that he doesn’t expect the team to limit their playbook because of Love’s inexperience as a starter.

“Obviously he doesn’t have the playing experience that Aaron had, but from a playbook standpoint, I think pretty much all of it’s on the table,” Stenavich said, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “He’s been around for three years and has really attacked it. Even last year, you could see him come into his own, felt a lot more comfortable, so this year he’s really hitting it on all cylinders so I’m really excited to see what he’s going to bring.”

Love has run the offense the last two offseasons because Rodgers did not take part in the voluntary periods of the team’s program, but the offense was not being tailored to him in those years. That will be different in 2023 and the result will determine a lot about where the Packers are headed in the future.

[Futureshock]

I have all these streamig services but I refuse to cater to this. Most fans fall outside of being able to afford all these services after they take care of stuff like, IDK, like food shelter and clothing, etc... If the Lions aren't on there I won't watch.

For NFL streaming, the future is now

Posted by Mike Florio on May 16, 2023, 4:11 PM EDT

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As the world continues a slow pivot away from cable/satellite to streaming, there will be major NFL-related signposts along the way.

This year, it’s Peacock getting an exclusive wild-card playoff game.

That announcement created much more of an uproar than last week’s disclosure that the Week 16 Saturday night game between the Bills and Chargers also will be exclusively streamed on Peacock. It makes sense; the regular-season Peacock news was subsumed within the broader schedule release and the various viral schedule-release videos.

Monday’s development became a sudden and unexpected bolt of lightning.

But are we really surprised? The wind has been blowing in this direction for years. Already, the entire Thursday night package streams on Amazon. Also, ESPN+ had an exclusive London game last year.

The future is coming. The future is now. Viewing habits are changing, and the migration of NFL games to streaming will force that process along.

Then there’s the fact that Peacock costs only $4.99 per month and $14.99 per year. What can you buy for $4.99? (Other than an electronic copy of Father of Mine, which you should do if you have not. Use a different $4.99 for your first month of Peacock.)

One of the complaints we’re hearing is that people already have too many streaming subscriptions. They don’t want to buy another one.

A streaming commitment isn’t permanent. You can dump any, some, or all of the streaming services you have. It’s really not hard to do it. Try it with one of them right now. (Not Peacock, though. Please.)

Peacock has plenty of great content. More live sports than any streamer. The Office, and the extended Superfan episodes for many of the seasons. And a certain morning show known as PFT Live.

Plenty of movies are on Peacock before other streaming services. Entertaining new series debut on a regular basis.

Yes, PFT has a distribution deal with NBC. Yes, I separately work for NBC, and for Peacock.

Regardless, it’s $4.99 a month. And if it didn’t land at Peacock, it likely was going to another streamer — possibly one that costs more than $4.99 a month.

Because they all cost more than $4.99 a month.

[Futureshock]

He won't make through waivers...


Report: Steelers inform Ahkello Witherspoon he’ll be released

Posted by Josh Alper on May 17, 2023, 10:33 AM EDT

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Veteran cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon is set to hit the open market.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Steelers have informed Witherspoon that he will be released. The move would clear $4 million in cap space for the 2023 season.

Witherspoon spent four seasons with the 49ers after being drafted in the third round in 2017. He signed with the Seahawks in 2021, but was traded to the Steelers before the start of the season and signed a new contract with the team before last season.

Injuries have limited Witherspoon to 13 games and seven starts over his two years with the AFC North team. He had 35 tackles, four interceptions, and 11 passes defensed in those appearances.