49ers, Redskins, Cowboys To Discuss Cousins, Romo?
In what would be a stunning turn of events, a scenario in which the 49ers acquire quarterback Kirk Cousins from the Redskins could lead to Washington landing fellow signal-caller Tony Romo from the Cowboys, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It would be a three-team trade that would see the Redskins send draft pick compensation to the NFC East rival Cowboys for Romo (Twitter links).
While Romo’s a longtime star and a four-time Pro Bowler, the more significant passer changing hands in this deal would be Cousins. The Redskins placed the $23.94MM exclusive franchise tag on Cousins to prevent him from negotiating with other teams, but the two sides haven’t yet come close to a long-term agreement. That might lead Washington to shop Cousins, whom it could lose in free agency next year, though the 49ers reportedly aren’t willing to both surrender a haul of draft picks and sign him to a mega-deal. The Niners own the second pick in this year’s draft and are are set to select two more times in the top 70 (Nos. 34 and 66).
For his part, the 28-year-old Cousins would welcome a trade to the 49ers, which would allow him to reunite with Kyle Shanahan. The rookie head coach has long been a Cousins fan and coached him as Washington’s offensive coordinator from 2012-13. While Cousins was a backup during that two-year span, he emerged as a high-end starter last season and is coming off a campaign in which he completed 67 percent of passes, nearly reached the 5,000-yard mark (4,917), and tossed 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
Unlike Cousins, Romo has barely seen the field the past two seasons. Shoulder injuries limited the soon-to-be 37-year-old to four games in 2015, when he struggled with five TDs against seven picks, and he suffered a broken bone in his back last August and ended up attempting just four passes on the season. Romo returned in November, but wunderkind rookie Dak Prescott had usurped the starting role for good by then.
With Prescott entrenched under center, Romo will likely be on his way out of Dallas soon. If it’s via trade, he’ll still be due base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, $20.5MM in each of the next three seasons, but none of that money is guaranteed. As CBS Sports’ Joel Corry reported last month, any team acquiring Romo would have to take on his salary for 2017 before reworking his contract. The Cowboys, though, would likely allow that club to have contract-related discussions with Romo’s camp before the trade.
Falcons To Place Second-Round Tender On Taylor Gabriel
The Falcons will apply a $2.81MM second-round tender to restricted free agent wide receiver Taylor Gabriel, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Doing so will entitle Atlanta to a team’s second-round pick if that club signs Gabriel to an offer sheet and the Falcons don’t match it. Gabriel told McClure he’d like to be a “Falcon forever,” though, and the two sides will be able to negotiate a long-term contract if they want.
The speedy Gabriel just finished his first season in Atlanta, which claimed him off waivers after the Browns jettisoned him leading up to Week 1. That proved to an excellent move for the Falcons, with whom Gabriel averaged a lofty 16.5 yards per catch on 35 grabs and scored seven touchdowns (six receiving, one rushing) in 13 regular-season games. The 26-year-old then added another nine catches for 171 yards in the playoffs for the NFC champions.
Since entering the NFL in as an undrafted free agent in 2014, the 5-foot-8, 167-pound Gabriel has amassed 99 catches, 1,441 yards (14.2 YPC) and eight scores scores in 42 games.
Colin Kaepernick Opts Out Of 49ers Deal
Colin Kaepernick has officially opted out of his contract with the 49ers, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Kaepernick hired new representation – agents Jeff Nalley and Sean Kiernan of the Select Sports Group – and they informed all 32 teams in the league of his decision earlier this week.
[RELATED: Kirk Cousins Would Only Accept 49ers Trade?]
Kaepernick reached out to new general manager John Lynch right after he was hired and met with him and new head coach Kyle Shanahan in late February. The talk, apparently, did not give Kaepernick the sense that he would be the team’s starting quarterback in 2017. While Kaepernick had the option of staying or leaving, the 49ers have been widely connected to other QBs and it’s quite possible they would have released him anyway to avoid a $14.9MM cap charge.
No. 7 will now join a free agent class that includes quarterbacks like Mike Glennon, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Nick Foles, and Brian Hoyer. We could see more additions in the coming days, of course, like Tony Romo, Jay Cutler, and Tyrod Taylor.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported that Kaepernick would opt out. Photo courtesy of USA Toaday Sports Images.
Rams Won’t Pursue Tony Romo
The Rams will not pursue Tony Romo, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets. This presumably means they won’t look into a trade for Romo or kick the tires on him if he hits the open market. 
With Case Keenum set for free agency, it stands to reason that the Rams could be in the market for a veteran quarterback to pair with Jared Goff. However, one has to imagine that Romo will at least want to compete for a starting job somewhere. It’s hard to see Romo going along with holding the clipboard for Goff, the No. 1 overall pick in last year’s draft.
The Rams paid a ransom to the Titans last offseason to trade up to the top spot for Goff, so it’s no surprise they want him to handle the reins going forward. Goff appeared in only eight games as a rookie (seven starts) and posted a 54.7 percent completion rate, averaged 5.31 yards per attempt and tossed five touchdowns against seven interceptions. He’ll now attempt to reach his potential with new head coach Sean McVay. Romo, meanwhile, seems likely to end up with a team that’s closer to contention and either devoid of a No. 1 signal-caller or willing to bench its starter in favor of the soon-to-be 37-year-old.
Patriots Release Sebastian Vollmer
The Patriots have released Sebastian Vollmer, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Vollmer, 33 this summer, continues to struggle with hip issues. 
Vollmer was originally set for free agency following the 2016 season, but his contract tolled after he spent the year on the PUP list. The Pats could have held on to him for 2017, but they are cutting him loose instead.
Vollmer, was a mainstay at tackle for New England from 2009 through 2015. However, his performance slipped in 2015 and 2016 was a lost year for him. In ’15, Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 42nd-best tackle out of 77 qualified players. Last summer, the Patriots passed on discussing an extension with him because of his injury woes and time unfortunately proved them right.
Before his step back in 2015, Vollmer consistently ranked as one of the better tackles in the NFL by PFF’s measure. During that time, he never dipped lower than the top-3o range and placed as high as top ten in the league.
Personally, I have Vollmer as one of the ten best tackles available this offseason, but slotted behind the likes of Andrew Whitworth, Ricky Wagner Russell Okung, Kelvin Beachum, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and Austin Pasztor.
News of Vollmer’s release was first reported by Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).
Bills Split On Tyrod Taylor Decision
The sense at the scouting combine is that the Bills are “leaning against” keeping Tyrod Taylor, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News tells WGRZ (video link). The Bills would be willing to keep Taylor if the option were not for such a high price, he adds. 
Meanwhile, the front office and the coaching staff are at odds about how to handle Taylor, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears. Top decision makers like GM Doug Whaley, senior VP of football administration Jim Overdorf, and team president Russ Brandon have decided that they don’t want to continue with Taylor and would prefer veteran options like Tony Romo and Brian Hoyer. However, new head coach Sean McDermott isn’t sure the team can find a better QB than Taylor and wouldn’t mind paying him $17MM/year.
If Taylor hits the open market, the Browns, 49ers, and Jets will be among the teams with interest.
Jets To Cut Richardson, Skrine?
The Jets aren’t done cleaning house. Sheldon Richardson, Buster Skrine, Marcus Gilchrist, and Calvin Pryor are among the players that are in danger of losing their roster spots, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini tweets. As previously reported, Eric Decker may be in the same boat. 
Cimini writes that David Harris seems safe for now, but that could change if they add a free agent at inside linebacker. Gang Green could also try to deal Pryor and Richardson since the former first-round picks still have some trade value. The Jets once shopped Richardson with the hope of netting a first-round pick, but it now seems like they might have to settle for a third-round choice given Richardson’s down year and off-field red flags. Pryor, a big hitter in the secondary, has yet to really break out in his three NFL seasons. This past season, Pro Football Focus rated the Louisville slugger as the No. 73 safety in the NFL out of 89 qualified players.
In recent days, the Jets have released wide receiver Brandon Marshall, cornerback Darrelle Revis, center Nick Mangold, offensive tackles Ryan Clady and Breno Giacomini, kicker Nick Folk, and linebacker Erin Henderson. It sounds like that list is about to grow even more.
Draft Notes: Fournette, Cook, Peppers
Here’s the latest from the NFL combine:
- LSU running back Leonard Fournette had a lackluster 28 1/2″ vertical leap today the fifth-worst vertical for a running back since 1999. However, moments later, he wowed scouts with a 4.5 second 40-yard-dash time. The posting was roughly the same as Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, but Fournette is 30 pounds heavier than him at 240 lbs. Speaking of Cook, his 30 1/2″ inch vertical wasn’t much better than Fournette’s.
- Fournette had the fastest 40-time at the combine among all running backs weighing 240 lbs or more, dating back to 2003 (Twitter link via NFL Media).
- Michigan’s Jabrill Peppers will working out with linebackers on Sunday and defensive backs on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) notes, it’s an uncommon move. Some guys have worked out with both defensive linemen and linebackers, but not linebackers and defensive backs.
- Former Texas running back D’Onta Foreman was held out of today’s Combine workout due to a small stress fracture in his foot, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. He’ll wait until UT’s Pro Day to audition for clubs. Foreman is considered to be one of the best RBs in this year’s class.
Giants Not In Running For Adrian Peterson?
The Giants have been heavily connected to Adrian Peterson ever since his option was officially declined by the Vikings. It turns out, they might not be a player for No. 28. The Giants aren’t in the running for Peterson, according to multiple sources who spoke with Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. 
Last year, the Giants went on a free agent spending spree that saw them add three high-priced players to the defense. This time around, it could be a much quieter March. In addition to Peterson being unlikely, Raanan hears the Giants are not expected to go after a high-end left tackle, guard, middle linebacker, or wide receiver. All of those positions are needs for the G-Men, but they won’t be satisfied with the best players at each spot.
This spring might not be as exciting as the last one, but the Giants are still willing to loosen up the purse strings to lock down their own top free agents. They are working hard to re-sign defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins and to extend Jason Pierre-Paul after his franchise tag. There have also “been talks” about new deals for free agents like linebacker Keenan Robinson, guard John Jerry, backup quarterback Josh Johnson, and cornerback Coty Sensabaugh, Raanan writes.
Patriots Exploring Backup QB Options
Maybe Jimmy Garoppolo isn’t off the market after all. The Patriots are exploring backup quarterback possibilities in free agency, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Connecting the dots, it seems that New England is doing its homework in the event it trades the highly-coveted young QB. 
If the Patriots move Garoppolo, it seems that they would sign a veteran quarterback to slot behind Tom Brady. Depending on who it is, that out-of-house addition could be put into a competition with Jacoby Brissett to determine who gets No. 2 QB status. This year’s free agent market is flush with experienced backup types, including Nick Foles, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Colin Kaepernick, Brian Hoyer, Case Keenum, Matt McGloin, Mark Sanchez, and more.
The 49ers and Browns have been heavily connected to Garoppolo. While they will continue to explore all of their options at quarterback, it sounds like they shouldn’t give up on prying the 25-year-old away from the defending champs.