NFL News

[wcfwtf]

You would think that the Union would also be opposed because it isn’t good for them either.
also will make bad games.

[froot loops]

As long as the CTC like Roscoe say, everyone will go along with it.

[Futureshock]

Aaron Rodgers tweaked calf, doesn’t think it’s serious

Posted by Josh Alper on May 23, 2023, 2:36 PM EDT

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A report has shed some more light on why Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers didn’t take part in drills in Tuesday’s organized team activity.

Rodgers stretched and warmed up with the team before returning inside for a brief time. He returned to watch the rest of the practice with his helmet off, but could be seen moving with a slight limp while moving around the field.

Josina Anderson of CBS Sports reports that Rodgers is dealing with a strained calf and that the injury is considered minor, which is likely why Rodgers was out at practice instead of receiving treatment. Rodgers is not expected to be off the field for long, but no one will be pushing anything in May.

Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle, and Chris Streveler will handle the quarterback duties until Rodgers is ready to get back into drills.

UPDATE 2:40 p.m. ET: Rodgers held a press conference with reporters and confirmed that he tweaked his calf.

“I don’t think it’s too serious,” Rodgers said, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com.

[Futureshock]

Broncos release Brandon McManus

Posted by Myles Simmons on May 23, 2023, 12:08 PM EDT

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The Broncos are moving on from their longtime kicker.

Brandon McManus posted to social media on Tuesday that Denver informed him he’s been released.

“More to come in the following days,” McManus said.

McManus had been with Denver since 2014. He’s hit 81.4 percent of his career field goals, but that dipped to 77.8 percent last year. McManus was 28-of-36 on his FG attempts in 2022, missing five from beyond 5 0 yards. But he also was 4-of-6 from 30-39 yards and 6-of-7 from 20-29 yards.

The Broncos do not currently have another kicker on their offseason roster.

McManus had two more seasons on his contract with Denver. The club will save just over $2.5 million against the cap with a $2.46 million dead cap hit with McManus’ release.

[Futureshock]

NFL approves putting ball on 25-yard-line following fair catches on kickoffs

Posted by Josh Alper on May 23, 2023, 11:48 AM EDT

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The NFL delayed a vote on a proposed rule change involving fair catches on kickoffs Monday, but circled back to it on Tuesday and the change was approved by team owners.

As a result of the approval, the ball will be placed on the 25-yard-line if teams make a fair catch inside the 25-yard-line on kickoffs. That rule is in place at the college level and the stated reason for the proposed change was increasing player safety given the number of injuries that happen on kickoffs.

Special teams coordinators around the league had a different view of the impact of the rule change, however, and came out against it recently. In addition to seeing it as a possible step toward eliminating kickoffs entirely, there has been discussion that the rule change could encourage squib kicks and other attempts to force teams to field kickoffs and negate potential increases in safety in the process.

The rule change was approved for the 2023 season only, so the issue will be revisited next offseason after everyone sees how things play out before deciding about whether or not to make it permanent.

[chemiclord]

Why... would squib kicks become any more viable?

[ghandi]

Why even bother with kickoffs at all anymore? Just start at the 20 or 25 yard line after the extra point attempt and call it good.....

[jaadam4]

Why even bother with kickoffs at all anymore? Just start at the 20 or 25 yard line after the extra point attempt and call it good.....

Id be cool with that

[dpatnod]

Why... would squib kicks become any more viable?

You can't fair catch a squib.

[ghandi]

Were the Lions planning on using Gibbs on returning kicks?

[jaadam4]

Were the Lions planning on using Gibbs on returning kicks?

Highly doubtful

[Futureshock]

Why even bother with kickoffs at all anymore? Just start at the 20 or 25 yard line after the extra point attempt and call it good.....

There was a proposal for that and it got shot down unceremoniously.

It's almost like there's this line on player safety that the owners and coaches really don't want to cross.

[Futureshock]

Justin Fields never thought Bears would draft a quarterback with No. 1 pick

Posted by Charean Williams on May 23, 2023, 11:02 PM EDT

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The Cardinals drafted quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick in 2019 despite having used the 10th overall choice on quarterback Josh Rosen a year earlier. The Bears had a chance to do something similar this year.

They drafted Justin Fields with the 11th overall pick in 2021 but ended up with the No. 1 overall pick this year and could have drafted Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis.

Instead, they traded the top pick to the Panthers, opting to build around Fields with a strong belief he is their quarterback of the present and future.

Despite General Manager Ryan Poles doing his due diligence on the top quarterback prospects, Fields said the thought of the Bears drafting a quarterback never crossed his mind.

“No, not really,” Fields said Tuesday, via Courtney Cronin of ESPN. “It’s awesome for me getting that trust from the coaching staff. You guys don’t see it, but we communicate here all the time, we trust each other fully. Just having them behind me, they know the kind of leader I am to my teammates. They know how great I want to be, the work I put in. It’s just great to have them behind my back for sure.”

Fields has shown promise, running for 1,143 yards and eight touchdowns last season with a league-leading 7.1 yards per carry. He completed 60.4 percent of his passes. But he led the league with 16 fumbles, threw 11 interceptions, averaged 149.5 passing yards per game and took a league-leading 55 sacks.

Offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said earlier this offseason that Fields is “light years ahead” of where he was last season.

Fields explains it as a comfort level he didn’t have in 2022 while learning a new offense for the second time in two NFL seasons.

“It’s truly amazing when you have that feeling going in, knowing where your guys are going to be, more comfortable with the footwork stuff,” Fields said.

[Futureshock]

As of Monday, 179 of 259 draft picks had signed

Posted by Mike Florio on May 23, 2023, 9:05 PM EDT

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Before 2011, few draft picks signed before the Fourth of July. Now, most of them sign before Memorial Day.

This year, 179 of 259 draft picks had signed their contract as of Monday, May 22. That’s nearly 70 percent of all 2023 selections.

The highest percentage of signed picks comes from round seven, with 88 percent. The lowest is round two, at 18.75 percent — only six of 32.

Fourteen of 31 first-round picks have signed. The highest selection under contract is Cardinals tackle Paris Johnson Jr., the sixth overall selection.

The 2011 CBA significantly streamlined the process of negotiating rookie deals. Also, more teams are willing to sign their draft picks before they report for voluntary offseason deals.

[Futureshock]

Jim Irsay hints at major structural change to league management, post-Roger Goodell

Posted by Mike Florio on May 23, 2023, 8:55 PM EDT

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Commissioner Roger Goodell is poised to sign a new contract that will take him through March 2027. At that point, Goodell apparently will move on.

After he does, the NFL could undergo a major overhaul of the manner in which the league office is managed.

“It could be where we have a CEO of business and of the league and you have a commissioner of football,” Colts owner Jim Irsay said Tuesday, via Jori Epstein of Yahoo Sports. “I think we are looking to grow our business model significantly.”

It’s a concept mentioned in one of the final chapters of Playmakers. As the league grows and grows, it needs a leader who is skilled in managing high-level business, regardless of industry. There’s a skill set unique to CEOs, and the various challenges that the NFL encounters as it gets bigger and bigger may require someone like that, along with a football lifer who can handle the specifics of the game itself. But the CEO would run the overall show.

That approach would dramatically change the current collection of usual suspects whose names are mentioned whenever Goodell’s inevitable departure is discussed. Whether Brian Rolapp or Troy Vincent or whichever current executive lands on the radar screen, searching for a traditional CEO unlocks a new universe of potential leaders of the National Football League.

Regardless of who it is and how they do it, the clock is ticking toward 2027. Irsay said Goodell’s time “apparently” will end then.

Of course, that’s what former NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart said after Goodell signed his current contract. Goodell quickly corrected Lockhart, and before too long Lockhart was long gone.