Released by the Browns in February, Andrew Hawkins has been busy in earning a master’s degree from Columbia and interning with LeBron James’ media company, Uninterrupted. But the 31-year-old wideout remains interested in a seventh NFL season, and other teams have reciprocated that. Hawkins visited the Patriots last week and told Jarrett Bell of USA Today four teams have submitted contract proposals since his departure from Cleveland. A UDFA out of Toledo who split his six-season career between the league’s Ohio teams, Hawkins told Bell he wants to play for a contender. The wideout’s best season came in 2014, when he caught 63 passes for 824 yards on the Brian Hoyer-led Browns team. Hawkins’ name surfaced with the Saints in March, but the team get too far in that effort.
Here’s the latest from around the league.
- Former Packers exec Andrew Brandt described a practice being perpetrated by teams this year as “sinister” regarding language some have attempted to insert into rookie contracts. In a piece for TheMMQB.com, Brandt wrote that some franchises are attempting attach fines to possible future voids of guaranteed money. Brandt describes a scenario where a player is late for a meeting and it results in voided guarantees of millions, which would certainly stand to drive a wedge between players and teams if this tactic ends up costing a player money. The NFLPA sent a memo to agents urging them to reject certain types of contract proposals. This practice could well be included on the union’s red-flag list.
- Zach Miller said his foot is close to 100 percent but that he will “take it slow” in Bears OTAs, the tight end said (Twitter link, via Mike Berman of NBC Chicago). Miller broke his foot and landed on IR last season. The tight end’s situation in Chicago became much more complicated after the Bears made offseason moves to add Dion Sims in free agency and draft Adam Shaheen in the second round. The Bears have reportedly dangled the contract-year pass-catcher in trade talks.
- The Broncos will have one of the league’s most interesting position battles take place this summer when Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch vie for the starting quarterback job. The two bring disparate profiles to the competition, with Lynch being a first-round pick and Siemian coming out of nowhere as a 2015 seventh-rounder to seize the job last year. Siemian is the favorite in Denver7 reporter Troy Renck’s eyes (Twitter link). While Lynch not commandeering the job over Siemian given the investment would be interesting, Renck notes Siemian should have more leeway to audible in Mike McCoy‘s offense. Lynch has “made strides,” however, which should create a unique duel. Going into Denver’s offseason program, NFL.com’s James Palmer reported Siemian had the early edge. Vance Joseph subsequently described this as a 50-50 situation.