NFL News

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Chargers call Vincent Jackson “a fan favorite” on and off the field

Posted by Charean Williams on February 15, 2021, 7:08 PM EST

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The Chargers selected receiver Vincent Jackson in the second round of the 2005 draft. He spent seven years with the team and caught 272 passes for 4,754 yards and 37 touchdowns with the Chargers.

Jackson, 38, died Monday.

The Chargers issued a statement as did the Buccaneers, where he played his final five seasons.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by news of Vincent Jackson’s sudden passing,” the Chargers said in their statement. “Vincent was a fan favorite not only for his Pro Bowl play on the field but for the impact he made on the community off of it. The work he has done on behalf of military families through his foundation in the years since his retirement has been an inspiration to all of us. We simply cannot believe he’s gone, and our hearts go out to his wife, Lindsey, their children, his parents, former teammates and everyone whose lives were touched by having known Vincent.”

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Buccaneers are “shocked and saddened” by sudden passing of Vincent Jackson

Posted by Mike Florio on February 15, 2021, 7:00 PM EST

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Former NFL receiver Vincent Jackson died Monday at 38. Jackson spent the final five seasons of his career with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

“We are shocked and saddened to hear the terrible news regarding the loss of Vincent Jackson,” Buccaneers co-owner Bryan Glazer said in a statement. “During his five seasons with our franchise, Vincent was a consummate professional, who took a great deal of pride in his performance on and off the football field. Vincent was a dedicated father, husband, businessman and philanthropist, who made a deep impact on our community through his unyielding advocacy for military families, supported by the Jackson in Action 83 Foundation. He was a three-time Pro Bowl selection for his accomplishments on the field, but his greatest achievements as a Buccaneer were the four consecutive nominations he earned as our Walter Payton Man of the Year. Our deepest condolences go out to his wife, Lindsey, and the entire Jackson family.”

Receiver Mike Evans, drafted by the Bucs in 2014, added this message to his former teammate on Twitter: “V Jax thank you for everything I love you big bro. Praying for your family. Rest in Paradise.”

Jackson had sixth 1,000-yard seasons in his career. He finished with 9,080 receiving yards.

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Darius Leonard on Colts QB: Trust the front office, let chips fall where they fall

Posted by Josh Alper on February 15, 2021, 3:25 PM EST

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Colts linebacker Darius Leonard wasn’t expecting Philip Rivers to retire.

Leonard said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that it was a “complete shock” to learn that Rivers was walking away because he felt Rivers did a good job in his lone season with the team and would play well again in 2021. That decision left a big hole on the Colts Offense, but Leonard said he isn’t giving much thought to what the team should do to fill it.

General Manager Chris Ballard is running the search for a new starter and Leonard says that he will “trust the guys in the front office and let the chips fall where they fall.”

“I watch it, but I don’t get emotionally invested in it because I honestly don’t care who’s the quarterback as long as the quarterback comes in with the right mentality and they’re gonna help us win ball games,” Leonard said. “I don’t care if he’s young. I don’t care if he’s old. I don’t care if he’s well-known or not. If you’re going to come in and put the team first and help us win ball games, come on down to the Indianapolis Colts.”

The Colts were one of the teams that reportedly made an offer for Matthew Stafford before the Lions agreed to send him to the Rams and they’ve been linked to a pursuit of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz. That may not be the direction they go, but it doesn’t sound like Leonard will be losing any sleep about how that plays out.

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Bears DC Sean Desai: Chicago defense needs a tune up, not overhaul

Posted by Myles Simmons on February 15, 2021, 2:28 PM EST

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A couple of years ago, Chicago’s defense was considered the best in football. The unit finished 2018 first in points allowed and third in yards allowed, while producing a league-high 36 turnovers.

They were so good that former coordinator Vic Fangio landed a new job as the Broncos’ head coach in 2019.

While Chicago made the postseason in 2020 as the NFC’s new No. 7 seed, the Bears’ defense did fall off under coordinator Chuck Pagano. The club finished 14th in points allowed, 11th in yards allowed, and forced just 18 takeaways — ranking in the bottom third of the league.

Pagano has since retired, with former Bears safeties coach Sean Desai receiving a promotion to the position. During a video conference on Monday, Desai noted that Fangio has been his biggest coaching influence, especially because he sat next to Fangio in the coaching booth during games.

But more than that, Desai feels like Chicago’s defense isn’t far from returning to its recent glory days.

“I’m not a big car guy, so my analogies may not be great, but this is like a tune up,” Desai said. “We’re going to refine some things and we’re going to make sure our players are playing to their strengths on a consistent basis. And they’re going to buy into the system, and they why’s and how’s of why we’re doing certain things.

“But we’ve got a good defense. We’ve got really good players here. … I’m with you all in terms of the stats — somebody asked earlier, [about how] there was some regression — and we’re going to overcome that. But we’re going to do it in a positive way and we’re going to do it where the players are going to be able to shine through that defense. I think we’ll build some depth and we’ll continue with our tough, physical mindset of play and we’ll do that over a 16-to-20-week season.”

The Bears have one of the best defensive building blocks in football with Khalil Mack on their side, and he should be a catalyst for improvement. Plus, Desai has the benefit of knowing Chicago’s personnel already, as he’s been with the club since 2013.

And that’s a good thing, too, because realistically the Bears have to place their highest priority this offseason on figuring out their quarterback to become a more consistent offensive team in 2021.

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Bears expect Eddie Goldman back for next season

Posted by Josh Alper on February 15, 2021, 2:01 PM EST

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The Bears were one of the teams that had to change plans on the fly because of players exercising their option to opt-out of playing the 2020 season because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Defensive tackle Eddie Goldman and safety Jordan Lucas both took that path last summer. Lucas profiled as a backup and special teams contributor, but Goldman was a starter on the defensive line for most of the previous five seasons.

On Monday, new defensive coordinator Sean Desai said the team believes Goldman will be back in the mix for that role in 2021. He told reporters on a video conference that he’s had no confirmation of Goldman’s plans, but that the team’s expectation is that he will resume his career.

Goldman has started 63 of the 67 games he’s played since being drafted in the second round in 2015. He has 153 tackles, 12.5 sacks, and two fumble recoveries in those appearances. Goldman’s contract for last season tolled as a result of opting out, so he’s set to make a base salary of $4.75 million this year.
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Cal McNair’s cites “misinformation” regarding Deshaun Watson, without identifying it

Posted by Mike Florio on February 15, 2021, 10:34 AM EST

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Curiously, the departure of J.J. Watt from the Texans didn’t include a press conference. Watt presumably didn’t want one.

Instead, owner Cal McNair called several members of the media and, by all appearances, read from talking points or note cards regarding the decision to release Watt — and the decision (for now) to keep Deshaun Watson.

The reporters, as best we can tell, who received a Cal call include Peter King of NBC Sports, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, Ian Rapoport of the NFL, Albert Breer of SI.com, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, and Aaron Reiss of TheAthletic.com.

McNair’s message to most if not all of the reporters included that “there’s been a lot of misinformation” regarding Watson, and that McNair expects Watson to be a member of the Texans.

So what’s the misinformation? All we know for now is that Watson has asked to be traded, that Watson has stiff-armed all efforts to contact him, that G.M. Nick Caserio did not draw a line in the sand when addressing the situation during the press conference introducing coach David Culley, and that the Texans have since been trying to create the impression that there is a line in the sand.

Again, what’s the misinformation? Why not say so? Why not correct the record instead of clumsily painting with a broad brush that someone has gotten the overall picture wrong?

The fact that McNair essentially had a loose script for his various phone calls reminded me of McNair’s July 2019 radio interview, which prompted a host on the Texans’ flagship station to criticize McNair for reading business cliches from a prepared text.

“Did anybody understand a word Cal McNair just said?” Matt Jareck said at the time. “I had to listen to this thing 20 times in a row to figure out what he meant. . . And, by the way, you can tell he’s reading this thing off a note card. . . . It’s classic P.R. . . . String together a statement that means nothing.”

It sounds like there was even more P.R. on display three days ago, as McNair tried to put a bow on the Watt era while toeing the party line regarding Watson.

To summarize, there’s a lot of misinformation out there, the Texans aren’t telling anyone what it is, and they expect Watson to continue to be a member of the Texans.

Here’s what I expect: The Texans will continue to display moving forward the same dysfunction that brought them to the point where their franchise quarterback wants out. If I’m wrong about that, just give me a call, Cal.
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https://www.nfl.com/news/2020-nfl-rookie-grades-nfc-north-vikings-shine-packers-wasting-time

2020 NFL rookie grades, NFC North: Vikings shine; Packers wasting time?

Published: Feb 15, 2021 at 01:22 PM


Gennaro Filice

Original Content Editor

Grade
C-
Detroit Lions
Total picks: 9 · 5-11

Round 1

• (No. 3) Jeff Okudah, CB, 9 games/6 starts

Round 2

• (35) D'Andre Swift, RB, 13 games/4 starts

Round 3

• (67) Julian Okwara, DE, 6 games
• (75) Jonah Jackson, OG, 16 starts

Round 4

• (121) Logan Stenberg, OG, 2 games

Round 5

• (166) Quintez Cephus, WR, 13 games/2 starts
• (172) Jason Huntley, RB, 5 games

Round 6

• (197) John Penisini, DT, 16 games/12 starts

Round 7

• (235) Jashon Cornell, DT

The last draft class of the Bob Quinn era did nothing in Year 1 to depress Detroit's thriving "Rebuilding Since 1957" merch market. Given his Ohio State corner pedigree and lofty draft slot, Okudah had to be the most disappointing first-round pick in the 2020 draft. With the elite lockdown skills he displayed in the Big Ten, the No. 3 overall pick seemed like an ideal piece for Matt Patricia's man-heavy scheme. But after missing the season opener with a bum hammy, Okudah was eviscerated in his debut at Green Bay, giving up seven catches on 10 targets for 121 yards. Now, everyone deserves a mulligan, especially when you're a cornerback opening up your professional career against Aaron Rodgers. But Okudah's play just didn't get much better over the remainder of the year. In fact, Pro Football Focus charted him with yielding a league-worst 2.1 yards per cover snap at outside corner. Not to mention, a core muscle injury ended his season in November. Just an all-around disaster of a rookie campaign. Swift got off to a rough start, too, dropping a would-be game-winning touchdown pass with six seconds left in Detroit's Week 1 loss to the rival Bears. But unlike Okudah, Swift bounced back to put some encouraging play on tape in Year 1. A boffo performance in the Lions' Week 10 win over Washington -- 16 rushes for 81 yards; five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown -- showed off Swift's enticing all-around skill set, but he needs to stay healthy going forward. Jackson turned out to be exactly the kind of solid-if-unspectacular third-round pick most expected him to be, starting all 16 games at guard. Cephus made a beautiful 49-yard touchdown catch in Detroit's last win of the season, Week 13 at Chicago. The Lions will need more of that in 2021, with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola all set to hit free agency next month. Even if Golladay gets the franchise tag, this receiving corps looks light heading into next season.

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Panthers release DT Kawann Short after eight seasons in Carolina


Feb 16, 202

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https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2021/02/11/detroit-lions-news-anthony-lynn-offense/6725922002/

Anthony Lynn won 7 games with a rookie QB in 2020 and got fired: 'That's not my call'

Dave Birkett
Detroit Free Press

[edindetroit]

Fuck, that old below average QB named Stafford got two firsts AND a 26-year old QB.

And a third.

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Richard Sherman: 49ers have made it 'pretty clear' they are parting ways in 2021


Feb 17, 2021

[Futureshock]

They just need to ditch the Teal altogether...



Jacksonville Jaguars announce primary uniform switch from black to teal


Feb 17, 2021

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NFL increases minimum salary cap to $180 million in 2021

The NFL salary cap in 2021 has a new floor.

NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported Thursday that, in a memo to teams, the NFL said the salary cap floor has been increased from $175 million to $180 million following talks with the NFLPA, per sources informed of the situation.

The memo in full reads:

"As you know, one aspect of the agreements negotiated last summer with the NFLPA to address operations during the pandemic provides that the 2021 Salary Cap will be no less than $175 million. Following discussions with the union that addressed both actual 2020 revenues and projected attendance for the 2021 season, we have agreed to increase the minimum Salary cap for the 2021 League Year to $180 million.

"This is not the final Salary Cap for the 2021 League Year, which will be set following review of final 2020 revenue figures and other audit and accounting adjustments. This agreement simply increases the minimum 2021 Salary Cap by $5 million per club, from $175 million to $180 million.

"We will promptly advise all clubs as soon as the Salary Cap is set."

With the COVID-19 pandemic wreaking havoc, the expectation has been that the salary cap would fall significantly from 2020's $198.2 million budget. After years of increasing by tens of millions of dollars, the fall is expected to be precipitous. The new floor mitigates some of that decrease.

[Futureshock]

I don't agree they're this bad, but whatever...




2020 NFL rookie report card: Ranking each team's class, 1 to 32


Feb 17, 2021

Which NFL team had the best rookie class in 2020? The worst? Gennaro Filice and Nick Shook rank every single group, from No. 1 to No. 32.
READ MORE

Rank
29
Detroit Lions
Class grade: C-

Round 1 (No. 3) Jeff Okudah, CB, 9 games/6 starts
Round 2 (35) D'Andre Swift, RB, 13 games/4 starts
Round 3 (67) Julian Okwara, DE, 6 games (75) Jonah Jackson, OG, 16 starts
Round 4 (121) Logan Stenberg, OG, 2 games
Round 5 (166) Quintez Cephus, WR, 13 games/2 starts (172) Jason Huntley, RB, 5 games
Round 6 (197) John Penisini, DT, 16 games/12 starts
Round 7(235) Jashon Cornell, DT

FILICE: The last draft class of the Bob Quinn era did nothing in Year 1 to depress Detroit's thriving "Rebuilding Since 1957" merch market. Given his Ohio State corner pedigree and lofty draft slot, Okudah had to be the most disappointing first-round pick in the 2020 draft. With the elite lockdown skills he displayed in the Big Ten, the No. 3 overall pick seemed like an ideal piece for Matt Patricia's man-heavy scheme. But after missing the season opener with a bum hammy, Okudah was eviscerated in his debut at Green Bay, giving up seven catches on 10 targets for 121 yards. Now, everyone deserves a mulligan, especially when you're a cornerback opening up your professional career against Aaron Rodgers. But Okudah's play just didn't get much better over the remainder of the year. In fact, Pro Football Focus charted him with yielding a league-worst 2.1 yards per cover snap at outside corner. Not to mention, a core muscle injury ended his season in November. Just an all-around disaster of a rookie campaign. Swift got off to a rough start, too, dropping a would-be game-winning touchdown pass with six seconds left in Detroit's Week 1 loss to the rival Bears. But unlike Okudah, Swift bounced back to put some encouraging play on tape in Year 1. A boffo performance in the Lions' Week 10 win over Washington -- 16 rushes for 81 yards; five catches for 68 yards and a touchdown -- showed off Swift's enticing all-around skill set, but he needs to stay healthy going forward. Jackson turned out to be exactly the kind of solid-if-unspectacular third-round pick most expected him to be, starting all 16 games at guard. Cephus made a beautiful 49-yard touchdown catch in Detroit's last win of the season, Week 13 at Chicago. The Lions will need more of that in 2021, with Kenny Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola all set to hit free agency next month. Even if Golladay gets the franchise tag, this receiving corps looks light heading into next season.

4 starters (Okudah, Swift, Jackson, Penisini) with two - three others (Okwara, Cephus, and Stenberg) that should be heavily leaned on this year. This guy just hasn't did much in-depth analysis. I get it, the Lions being a NFL jobber team and all, but it still sux. That isn't a C- draft and some of the teams he has better grades on aren't all that either. PHI, ARZ, NO (They literally have 1 guy that MAY start this year and they put them 5 spots higher), NYG, PIT, SEA, JAX and CHI all had worse drafts. This isn't to say ours was great, just that it was better. It's more of an indictment of those teams and this writer.

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Bruce Arians: Vets like not having OTAs because young players don’t develop

Posted by Josh Alper on February 18, 2021, 9:28 AM EST

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The NFL has not said anything specific about how offseason programs are going to unfold this year, but NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said before the Super Bowl that “virtual is going to be part of our lives” whether in-person work returns this year.

Some on the players side would like everything to be virtual. Browns center and NFL Players Association president JC Tretter believes “there is no reason for us to ever return to the previous offseason program.” Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians shared his view of why Tretter and other established players feel that way while advocating for a return to the pre-pandemic way of doing things.

“If we lose spring, [young players] are not getting developed. The veterans love that s–t, because that means they don’t get to take their jobs,” Arians said, via Greg Auman of TheAthletic.com. “So when you have the veterans voting on the rules. . . . these young kids need practice. If the vets don’t want to come, they don’t have to come. It’s still voluntary. We need the preseason, we definitely need some preseason games.”

Tretter and other players have also talked about feeling healthier after an offseason without on-field work, but Arians said he would “fight what they’re saying about the injuries” because players had more issues early in camp than he’d seen in past seasons.

Other veteran players have shared their view about the benefits of OTAs and other offseason work, but it still remains to be seen just how things will look heading into the 2021 season.