NFL News

[Cody_Russell]

That’s one tough division Stafford has joined.

Potentially good for us depending on how much production JJ Watt has left in him. Need the NFC West to be as tough as it can be for the next two seasons. Make it difficult for Stafford’s Rams to have success.

It’s why we need the Seahawks to hold onto Russell Wilson too. Somewhat doubt he will be traded... never know.

[jaadam4]

Potentially good for us depending on how much production JJ Watt has left in him. Need the NFC West to be as tough as it can be for the next two seasons. Make it difficult for Stafford’s Rams to have success.

It’s why we need the Seahawks to hold onto Russell Wilson too. Somewhat doubt he will be traded... never know.

It’s so weird to read that

[Cody_Russell]

Agree.

Surprising cut. KVN signed a big contract last year. Tip of the iceberg for upcoming cuts around the NFL due to the 2021 salary cap.

[Futureshock]

They all can meet back up in NE. All of em

[jaadam4]

Fatty Patty just wet the bed

[dpatnod]

Fatty Patty just wet the bed

That dude can't be ridiculed enough.

[Futureshock]

Fatty Patty always wets the bed. After taking off that mumu, there had to be a terrible smell.

[Futureshock]

Teams shouldn’t retire jerseys if they don’t intend to keep them retired

Posted by Mike Florio on March 2, 2021, 6:55 PM EST

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Sports teams have a habit of honoring great players by retiring their numbers. Apparently, for some teams, retirement means the same that it did for Brett Favre.

The Cardinals have become the latest team to unretire a number, putting Marshall Goldberg’s number back in circulation for use by J.J. Watt. Setting aside the question of whether Goldberg’s family should have offered or Watt should have accepted, the team retired the number. The team should have said the number will remain retired.

What’s the point of retiring numbers if they’re retired with a vague asterisk that maybe, someday, some great player who has worn that number for his entire career with another team will arrive via free agency or trade? Retirement of a number is (or at least should be) permanent.

If the Cardinals will unretire No. 99 for Watt, they’ll potentially unretire any other number if it suits their interests, from Larry Wilson’s 8 to Pat Tillman’s 40 to Stan Mauldin’s 77 to J.V. Cain’s 88 to Larry Fitzgerald‘s inevitably retired 11.

This isn’t some anti-Cardinals take, even if Cardinals fans will say otherwise. I didn’t like it when the Broncos unretired Frank Tripucka’s No. 18 for Peyton Manning or when the Seahawks unretired Steve Largent’s No. 80 for Jerry Rice. (Largent didn’t like it, either, but he knew he’d look “small” if he said no.)

Here’s another interesting wrinkle. Watt told reporters on Tuesday that he didn’t know No. 99 had been retired until after he signed with the Cardinals. It’s fair to wonder whether the Cardinals didn’t tell him that No. 99 wasn’t available until after the ink was dry on his contract.

Then again, it ultimately was available. It shouldn’t have been. This isn’t a knock on Goldberg’s family or Watt. The team has ultimate control over its numbers. The team is at fault here for failing to honor its word to Goldberg.

Bottom line? Teams like the Raiders and Cowboys have it right. Neither team has officially retired any numbers. That’s the way it should be, because if the NFL (and the world) survives long enough, fans and media won’t know much about the men for whom numbers supposedly were set aside for good.

Eventually, most if not all teams will unretire one or more numbers. So why even do it? Just put the player in the ring of honor, set the number aside for a generation or two, and then let it be worn again by someone else.

[Futureshock]

Vikings cut Kyle Rudolph

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 2, 2021, 5:46 PM EST

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Veteran tight end Kyle Rudolph is on the way out in Minnesota.

The Vikings are cutting Rudolph, who confirmed on social media that he has been told he’s out.

Rudolph was slated to earn a $7.65 million base salary this season and count $9.45 million against the Vikings’ salary cap. He still had three more seasons left on the four-year, $36 million contract extension he signed before the 2019 season, but the Vikings will save $5 million in cap space by cutting him.

Last year the 31-year-old Rudolph missed four games and saw his production decline to 28 catches for 334 yards.

Now Rudolph, who has been with the Vikings since they selected him in the second round of the 2011 NFL draft, will hit free agency and see if some team wants to pay a veteran tight end who wants to prove he still has something left.

[Futureshock]

Ryan Pace: We want to keep good players and Allen Robinson is a good player for us

Posted by Josh Alper on March 2, 2021, 4:17 PM EST

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Wide receiver Allen Robinson has expressed frustration at times with the Bears because they have not made a stronger push to sign him to a long-term contract and now there’s a chance they’ll use the franchise tag in order to keep him off the open market this month.

Robinson sounded unenthusiastic about that prospect recently, but General Manager Ryan Pace confirmed at a Tuesday press conference that it is very much in play before next Tuesday’s deadline to use a tag.

“We have a ton of respect for Allen,” Pace said. “We have to do what’s best for the Bears too. We consider everything. . . . No firm decision on that yet, but we know we have it at our disposal. . . . We want to keep our good players and Allen is a good player for us.”

A report last month indicated the Bears could tag Robinson with the intent to trade him and they’d have until July to reach a longer deal with the wideout if they do tag him, so the Bears’ call in the coming days probably won’t end the interest in how things play out with Robinson.

[Futureshock]

Ryan Pace: Everything is on the table for Bears’ QB including trade, draft, free agency

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 2, 2021, 4:08 PM EST

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Bears General Manager Ryan Pace is leaving no stone unturned in identifying his starting quarterback.

Pace wouldn’t rule out anything today, including Nick Foles or Mitchell Trubisky under center in 2021, acquiring a starting quarterback in a blockbuster trade, signing a quarterback in free agency or drafting a quarterback in the first round.

“Everything is on the table in regards to the quarterback situation. That includes players on our roster, players in free agency, trade, the draft or a combination of all of those,” Pace said. “We have a plan in place and now it’s about executing that plan.”

The Bears were one of the four teams identified by Russell Wilson‘s agent as a potential destination should the Seahawks trade him, and the Bears have also been reported to have interest in a blockbuster trade for Deshaun Watson. Those are the quarterbacks who would create real excitement in Chicago, but based on Pace’s comments today, the Bears’ starting quarterback could be just about anyone.

[Futureshock]

Is that guy really going to his hair dresser and stating, "Give me the Jonah Jameson!!!!"

[Futureshock]

Brian Gutekunst: We certainly could franchise tag Aaron Jones

Posted by Myles Simmons on March 2, 2021, 3:48 PM EST

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The Packers don’t often use the franchise tag, having last implemented it in 2010 on defensive lineman Ryan Pickett. Green Bay is the only team that hasn’t used the tag from 2011-2020.

In his Tuesday press conference, General Manager Brian Gutekunst said there isn’t an organizational philosophy against tagging players. And with running back Aaron Jones about to become an unrestricted free agent, Green Bay may use either the franchise or transition tag to keep him in Wisconsin.

“We certainly could. I think it’s something we’re working through,” Gutekunst said. “I think, again, it’s not a philosophical thing to avoid it. I do think there’s usually better ways to go about it. But certainly if I think as we get down the road here over the next week or so, if that becomes what’s in the best interest of the Packers, I think we’ll do that. But at this point, we haven’t done that.”

Jones was selected for his first Pro Bowl in 2020, after rushing for 1,104 yards and nine touchdowns in the regular season. He also caught 47 passes for 355 yards with a pair of TDs.

Jones and Jamaal Williams will both become unrestricted free agents in a couple weeks. But last year’s second-round pick A.J. Dillon could take on a larger role if Green Bay elects to move on from its top two backs in 2020.

[Futureshock]

David Johnson takes pay cut, stays with Texans

Posted by Michael David Smith on March 2, 2021, 3:04 PM EST

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Texans running back David Johnson will remain in Houston after taking a pay cut.

Johnson has agreed to a new deal that guarantees him $4.25 million this season, with incentives that could pay him up to $6 million, according to multiple reports.

That’s a substantial pay cut from the $7.95 million he was set to make as a base salary this season, with an additional $862,500 available in roster bonuses.

But Johnson apparently calculated that if the Texans released him, he wouldn’t get any more than what the Texans were offering. And so he is staying put at a time when the Texans are losing a lot of their other high-profile players.

[Futureshock]

Mike Mayock: “Jury’s out” on Trent Brown staying with team

Posted by Josh Alper on March 4, 2021, 7:22 AM EST

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Shortly before Raiders General Manager Mike Mayock held a press conference on Wednesday, there was a report that the team was considering a trade involving right tackle Trent Brown.

The timing all but guaranteed Mayock would be asked about Brown’s future with the club and he faced the question during the session. Mayock said that the “jury’s out” on whether Brown would be back after playing 10 or more snaps in 14 of his first 32 games as a member of the team.

“When he’s healthy, in shape and ready to go, he’s as dominant as any tackle in football,” Mayock said, via Josh Dubow of the Associated Press. “He proved that early in the 2019 season. Since then, it’s been kind of a roller coaster. What he needs to do more than anything is get himself in the best shape of his life and come out ready to prove that he is a dominant tackle in the National Football League. That’s all it takes. If Trent gets in shape and stays committed, there’s not a better talent out there.”

Those are big ifs based on Brown’s first two seasons with the Raiders and moving Brown would clear $14 million in cap space. The Raiders are also set to release right guard Gabe Jackson, so they may wind up looking very different on the offensive line in 2021.