Latest On Packers GM Ted Thompson
Given that he’s 64 years old and only under contract for two more seasons, Ted Thompson‘s shelf life as the Packers’ general manager has been a popular topic over the past several months. Packers president Mark Murphy addressed Thompson’s future Wednesday, suggesting to reporters (including Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal) that he doesn’t want the longtime GM to leave his post anytime soon.
“Ted and I, we have a great relationship,” said Murphy. “As long as he wants to continue to work, and he’s still doing a good job — and I think he still does a great job for us — we want him to continue to be our general manager. At a point he decides he doesn’t want to do it anymore for whatever reason, then we would do a search.”
Thompson has arguably earned the right to stay on until he sees fit, having served atop an organization that has generated outstanding on-field results since his hiring in 2005. Across 12 seasons, the Thompson-led Packers have made nine playoff trips, including eight in a row, earned six NFC North titles and won a Super Bowl. At the helm of that championship-winning team in 2010 was quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who was Thompson’s initial draft pick as Green Bay’s GM. Rodgers, who unexpectedly plummeted to the Packers at No. 24 in the first round of the 2005 draft, has evolved into one of the greatest signal-callers in NFL history since he succeeded Hall of Famer Brett Favre in 2008.
While Thompson has brought Rodgers and a score of other quality contributors to Wisconsin during his tenure, the executive’s conservative approach to free agency has come under fire. Thompson has typically avoided making big splashes in free agency, thus making it easier to secure compensatory draft picks, but his decision to let guard T.J. Lang leave for NFC North rival Detroit over the winter reportedly left Packers coaches and players “incensed.” However, as evidenced by his satisfaction with Thompson’s work, Murphy wasn’t among the angered faction.
If Thompson does remain in charge of the Packers’ football department for the foreseeable future, it’ll be interesting to see if they’re able to keep his top underlings from taking higher-profile jobs elsewhere. Both director of football operations Eliot Wolf and director of player personnel Brian Gutekunst drew interest earlier this offseason from GM-needy teams, and vice president of football administration Russ Ball is also highly regarded. Wolf, Gutenkust or Ball could conceivably end up as Green Bay’s next GM, though Murphy hasn’t promised any of the three Thompson’s job when he departs. Another potential candidate for the Packers, ex-Chiefs GM John Dorsey, worked in Green Bay for nearly all of his career prior to taking over in Kansas City in 2013. Dorsey shockingly lost his job in late June, which could set up a return to the Pack’s front office, though that’s reportedly unlikely.
Asked Wednesday whether the Packers are interested in bringing back Dorsey, Murphy said, “I can’t answer that.”
Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers
No NFL team experienced a more stark fall from grace last year than the Panthers, who went from a 15-1, NFC championship-winning juggernaut in 2015 to a bottom feeder in 2016. On the heels of a six-win, last-place season, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman handed contracts to several household names, mostly on defense, and used the early portion of the draft to give quarterback Cam Newton more help.
Notable signings:
- Kawann Short, DT: Five years, $80.5MM. $35MM guaranteed. Had been assigned franchise tag.
- Matt Kalil, T: Five years, $55.5MM. $24MM guaranteed. $2MM available via incentives.
- Mario Addison, DE: Three years, $22.5MM. $9MM guaranteed.
- Captain Munnerlyn, CB: Four years, $17MM. $6.9MM guaranteed. $4MM available via incentives.
- Charles Johnson, DE: Two years, $8MM. $2.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM available via incentives.
- Russell Shepard, WR: Three years, $10MM. $2.1MM guaranteed.
- Julius Peppers, DE: One year, $3.5MM. $1.65MM guaranteed.
- Mike Adams, S: Two years, $4.5MM. $1.2MM guaranteed.
- Fozzy Whittaker, RB: Two years, $2.5MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Wes Horton, DE: Two years, $2.7MM. $425K guaranteed.
- Colin Jones, S: Two years, $2.375MM. $400K guaranteed.
- Charles Johnson, WR: One year, $1.675MM. $325K guaranteed.
- Kyle Love, DT: Two years, $2.2MM. $200K guaranteed.
- Chris Scott, G: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Amini Silatolu, G: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Teddy Williams, CB: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Andrew Norwell, G: One year, $2.746MM. Signed second-round RFA tender.
- Darrel Young, FB: One year, $775K.
- Brenton Bersin, WR: One year, $690K.
Carolina’s defense finished anywhere from second to sixth in the league in scoring, yardage, sacks and DVOA two years ago, and while the unit’s dominance dropped off last season, it was still a formidable group. The Panthers ended up with the league’s second-most sacks (48) and a more-than-respectable DVOA ranking (10th), so Gettleman didn’t do anything extreme on that side of the ball. Three of his biggest moves included extending his premier defensive lineman, franchise-tagged tackle Kawann Short, on a whopper of a deal and re-upping dependable veteran ends Mario Addison and Charles Johnson for very reasonable money. Those three combined for 19.5 sacks last year, and they’ll have assistance from local favorite Julius Peppers in 2017.
Peppers, who attended North Carolina and starred with the Panthers from 2002-09, returned on a palatable contract. Age isn’t on the 37-year-old’s side, but the former Bear and Packer hasn’t recorded fewer than seven sacks in a season since 2007. Peppers logged 584 defensive snaps in Green Bay last season, his ninth straight 16-game campaign (11 starts), and Pro Football Focus ranked his performance a solid 35th among 109 edge defenders. Now, Peppers will replace the 25-year-old Kony Ealy, whom the Panthers sent with a third-round pick (No. 72) to the Patriots for a second-rounder (No. 64). Jettisoning a capable player in favor of one who’s 12 years his senior is clearly a risk, but it’s worth noting that Ealy’s running out of team control. Ealy will be a free agent next offseason, so if the Panthers weren’t expecting to re-sign the Super Bowl 50 standout, moving him for a slightly better draft selection and presumably upgrading for a year with Peppers isn’t unjustifiable.
Peppers wasn’t the only past Panthers defender whom they reunited with in free agency. Slot cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, a Panther from 2009-13, returned after a three-year stint in Minnesota. Like Peppers, Munnerlyn is back with gas remaining in the tank, with PFF’s Sam Monson noting that he yielded just one touchdown on 68 targets last season. At 29, Munnerlyn’s easily the elder statesman in a Panthers corner corps that lost Josh Norman a year ago and subsequently received encouraging performances from rookie starters James Bradberry and Daryl Worley. At the same time, the rest of Carolina’s CBs didn’t provide much, meaning Munnerlyn should be a welcome addition.
Another established newcomer, safety Mike Adams, will also have an important role in the Panthers’ secondary this year. Like Peppers, Addison, Johnson and Munnerlyn, the 36-year-old Adams is past a prime age, though he’s still an adept defender. Adams was PFF’s 19th-rated safety in 2016, when the then-Colt started in each of his appearances (15) for the third year in a row, intercepted two passes and forced a pair of fumbles. Playmaking has been the norm for Adams, who picked off 12 passes and forced seven fumbles during his three-year Indianapolis tenure. Barring an age-related decline, which certainly isn’t out of the realm of possibility, he should be a better starting free safety option than predecessor Tre Boston, whom Carolina cut after it signed Adams.
While nearly all of the sizable contracts Gettleman doled out in free agency went to defenders, left tackle Matt Kalil received the largest deal of any new Panther. Matt Kalil is now teammates with his brother, starting center Ryan Kalil, but the former isn’t a lock to remain with the club beyond this year. If Carolina’s not impressed with Matt Kalil’s work, it’ll be able to void his contract – a scenario that doesn’t seem particularly far-fetched. After all, the 27-year-old was somewhat of a disappointment over the past few seasons in Minnesota, which selected him fourth overall in 2012. Kalil’s best trait during the first four seasons of his career may have been his durability, as he started in 64 straight games in that span. However, because of a hip injury, he didn’t play past Week 2 last year.
The good news for the Panthers is that Kalil’s health shouldn’t be an issue going forward. That isn’t necessarily the case with their previous No. 1 left tackle, Michael Oher, whom concussion issues have troubled since last September and who might not play again. Thanks in part to Oher’s 13-game absence in 2016, the Panthers’ protection of Newton took a step backward with Mike Remmers on the blindside (Remmers is now with Kalil’s old team, the Vikings). The Panthers obviously expect Kalil to outdo Remmers, though it’s far from a lock that he’ll warrant a large long-term investment.
Latest On Redskins, Kirk Cousins
There has been no movement on an extension between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. A deal is not close and there will not be an agreement until someone budges between now and Monday, Robinson adds. 
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This latest report is consistent with what we’ve been hearing about talks between Cousins and the Redskins in recent weeks. As of this writing, it sounds like there won’t be extensions ironed out for Cousins, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, or Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. But, we have to throw in the obvious caveat – things can always change and deadlines tend to spur action.
Cousins has indicated that he is looking to reset the market on a new multi-year deal and he will not be giving the Redskins any form of a hometown discount. In fact, there are rumors that Cousins is extremely unhappy in the nation’s capital and that might mean that there is no amount of money the Redskins can offer him to get him to stay.
Redskins has been hit with the one-year, $24MM franchise tag, representing a 20% increase over the franchise tender he earned in 2016. The Redskins can conceivably retain Cousins again in 2018 with a third straight franchise tag, but that would call for a salary of $34MM. Alternatively, they could control him with the transition tag, but that would still set the Redskins back $28MM and would not entitle them to any form of compensation if he is signed away by a rival club. When considering the combined values of this year’s franchise tag ($24MM) plus the value of a transition tag next year ($28MM), Cousins’ camp must be seeking no less than $52MM in guarantees on a fresh contract.
Redskins Notes: Cousins, Brees, Callahan
Could Drew Brees‘ pending free agency impact Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins? JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com rightly notes that the two quarterbacks would fill two very different needs for teams if they were to reach the open market next offseason. Brees will be 39 in March and he might be willing to sign a one-year deal with a contender. Meanwhile, Cousins will be 30 and looking for a record-setting deal.
I believe there would be some teams in the middle of the Cousins-Brees Venn Diagram, so the possibility of the two QBs affecting each other’s market is real. However, the possibility of Brees being on the open market at the same time will not and should not affect Cousins’ stance on negotiations with five days to go between now and the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions.
Here’s more on Cousins and the Redskins:
- We already know that Cousins won’t be giving the Redskins any form of a hometown discount, but Finlay plays devil’s advocate and makes the case that he should give it some thought. Finlay points out that coach Jay Gruden showed confidence in Cousins gave him his first real opportunity to shine and that Cousins has been given lots of offensive weapons to work with in Washington. Cousins may also want to consider that he is extremely familiar with the Redskins’ system and he may prefer to go that route instead of starting fresh somewhere else.
- Redskins offensive line coach Bill Callahan could be due for another shot as an NFL head coach, the ESPN.com staff opines. The offensive line whisperer led the Raiders to the AFC Championship and is still well-regarded around the NFL. Callahan turns 61 later this month and it remains to be seen whether he wants to be a head coach again. Back in January, Callahan’s agent acknowledged that he might be open to an opportunity to serve as an offensive coordinator somewhere.
- What might a Cousins extension look like? Former NFL agent Joel Corry suggested an interesting five-year contract for the QB this week.
Cowboys Notes: Martin, Smith, Witten
The latest out of Dallas:
- ESPN.com’s Todd Archer opines wonders how much Gabe Jackson‘s new five-year, $56MM deal with the Raiders will impact Zack Martin‘s negotiations with the Cowboys. Martin is positioned to become the highest-paid guard in the NFL, but Dallas could theoretically control him through 2021 through the fifth-year option and three consecutive franchise tags. Finding the middle ground will be tough, but Archer notes that the team’s strong relationship with agents Tom Condon and R.J. Gonser could help speed things along. There have only been preliminary talks so far, but that could change early on in training camp.
- More from Archer, who writes that making Jaylon Smith a two-down linebacker might be the best way for the Cowboys to work him into the lineup. Currently, Archer feels that expectations are probably a bit too high for the Notre Dame product considering the seriousness of the injury he is battling back from. Scaling back his workload could allow him to ease into the pace of the NFL game.
- Looking down the road, the Cowboys still lack an obvious successor to tight end Jason Witten, Kate Hairopoulos of the Dallas Morning News writes. The Cowboys are hoping that youngster Rico Gathers will turn into a quality tight end, but it’s not clear if the ex-basketball player has made enough strides on the gridiron to make this year’s roster and actually see his first taste of live NFL action. The Cowboys also have James Hanna and Geoff Swaim on the TE depth chart. They’re probably comfortable with their tight end situation for 2017, but it’s something they may have to address down the line.
No Players Selected In Supplemental Draft
If you blinked, you might have missed this year’s NFL Supplemental Draft. Luckily for you, you didn’t miss much. The draft has concluded with zero players selected, according to the league office.
This year, there were only two players eligible for the second chance draft: Georgia Military College defensive end Tavares Bingham and Western New Mexico running back Marques Rodgers. There wasn’t much buzz about either player heading into this week.
Bingham spent time at Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College before moving on to GMC. At GMC, he recorded 12 tackles and three sacks across six games in 2015. Bingham didn’t play last season because he burned through his junior college eligibility and didn’t have the grades to get into to a four-year school.
Rodgers also missed the 2016 season due to academic ineligibility. In 2015, however, he ran for 1,283 yards and ten touchdowns and added 61 catches. Despite that showing at his Division II school, all 32 teams declined the opportunity to claim him today.
The supplemental draft allows clubs to select players who, for one reason or another, were unable to enter the standard draft. When a team selects a player in the supplementary draft, it forfeits its corresponding pick in the following year’s standard draft. For example, if a club were to select a player in the fifth round of this year’s supplemental draft, it would have lost its 2018 fifth-rounder as a result. No team was willing to give up as much as a seventh round pick next year for either Bingham or Rodgers.
Raiders Sign Undrafted Linebacker
The Raiders have signed linebacker Brady Sheldon, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The Ferris State product was in rookie camp with the Raiders earlier this summer and made a strong impression on coaches. 
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The Raiders waived three players last week, including two linebackers, so it was expected that they would add to the roster. With speed working in his favor, Sheldon will look to stick in Oakland as an outside linebacker. The Raiders project to start Bruce Irvin and Shilique Calhoun at the OLB spots with support from Jelani Jenkins and fifth-round pick Marquel Lee. James Cowser, and Tyrell Adams are also among the OLBs in camp.
Ferris State, located in Big Rapids and Grand Rapids, Michigan, is not exactly known as a football powerhouse. However, the Division II program has turned out some quality talent. Sheldon’s invite to Raiders camp this year marked the fifth consecutive year in which a Ferris State player received an NFL opportunity. Now, he’s on the 90-man roster with an eye on making the final cut.
In his final season on campus, Sheldon tallied 54 tackles, one sack, 2.5 tackles for a loss, and three pass defenses in 14 games.
USC QB Sam Darnold On Draft Decision
Recently, a report indicated that USC quarterback Sam Darnold – the early frontrunner to go No. 1 overall in 2018 – might wait until 2019 to enter the draft. Darnold took to the airwaves this week to deny that any decision was made, but in the process he inadvertently confirmed that he could be holding off on going pro. 
“I’m really just taking it one year at a time honestly,” Darnold said on ESPN’s SportsCenter. “That’s my mindset. I don’t know where he got his information from. I’m really just taking it one year at a time.”
As a redshirt sophomore, Darnold has three years of eligibility remaining, but it has been assumed for some time that he would go pro as soon as he would be allowed. At this point, Darnold is unwilling to commit to that plan and that might be a safeguard against a disappointing season. He could also be laying the framework for getting out of being drafted by a certain team holding the No. 1 overall pick without making it too obvious.
It should be noted that Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen could challenge Darnold for the top spot in the 2018 draft, so it’s not a given that the league’s worst team will select the USC product. Also, there is precedent for quarterbacks steering themselves to the team they want to play for (see: Manning, Eli), so Darnold doesn’t necessarily have to stay in school in order to avoid certain franchises.
DeAngelo Williams Rules Out Four Teams
Earlier this month, DeAngelo Williams told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter that he wanted to continue playing in 2017. However, he said that there were four mystery teams he refused to play for. The running back has now revealed the identity of those teams (audio link). 
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Surprisingly, the Panthers are one of the teams that Williams says he will not sign with. The 34-year-old spent the first nine seasons of his career in Carolina, but he left there with a bad taste in his mouth because of the way his departure played out. He also said that he would not sign with the Cowboys, because he grew up a 49ers fan. The Browns and Jaguars, Williams says, are also not in consideration, because of their losing seasons. Williams was not exactly delicate as he broke down his reasons for crossing off each club.
“They don’t ever show up during the playoffs,” Williams said of the Cowboys. “They always disappear in the playoffs.”
In theory, that leaves 28 teams for Williams to possibly join this summer. However, his age and odometer are clearly working against him as we have heard little chatter around the veteran tailback. They say that beggars can’t be choosers, and Williams is being a chooser in the most unorthodox way by ruling out four teams that he could possibly join.
As of this writing, all four of the teams listed by Williams seem pretty well set at running back. However, if one of those clubs loses an RB to injury this summer, he may regret his words.
North Notes: Johnson, Lions, Browns, Ravens
Former Lions receiver Calvin Johnson has hinted that Detroit’s long string of failure played a role in his retirement, and he reiterated that sentiment last week, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I was stuck in my contract with Detroit, and they told me, they would not release my contract, so I would have to come back to them,” Johnson said. “I didn’t see the chance for them to win a Super Bowl at the time, and for the work I was putting in, it wasn’t worth my time to keep on beating my head against the wall … and not going anywhere.”
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details, the Lions and new general manager Bob Quinn may have misled Johnson into thinking he’d be forced to stick with Detroit in 2016. While Johnson says the Lions wouldn’t have released him from his contract, Detroit almost surely would have had to make some sort of adjustment to Johnson’s cap charge, which would have totaled $24MM. By convincing him to retire, the Lions saved more than $11MM on its 2016 salary cap.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Hue Jackson is expected to receive a long leash as head coach of the Browns, and likely won’t be fired even if the club struggles again in 2017, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. As I wrote in today’s review of the Browns’ offseason, Cleveland is in the midst of a full-scale rebuild, and the team’s ownership and front office is aware that Jackson isn’t leading a top-notch roster. As Cabot notes, the Browns will likely be starting rookie quarterback DeShone Kizer for the majority of the season, so growing pains are to be expected. While improvement over last year’s 1-15 mark is to be expected, Jackson won’t be blamed if Cleveland doesn’t come near playoff contention.
- Before opting to sign with the Ravens this spring, safety Tony Jefferson used a creative method to determine if he’d fit with Baltimore’s roster. “I had to personally go on NFL Game Pass and watch tape and film before I made a decision,” said Jefferson, per Max Mayer of NFL.com. “I felt like this defense fits me. I feel like this style fits me. I love to hit, and do that type of stuff. And I think that’s the culture, and that’s what I want to be a part of.” Jefferson left Arizona to ink a four-year, $34MM deal with the Ravens, where he’ll team with fellow defensive back Eric Weddle.
- In case you missed it, PFR’s Zach Links examined the possibility of a deal between the Steelers and franchise-tagged running back Le’Veon Bell. If the two side don’t reach an extension by July 17, Bell will play out the season on a fully guaranteed one-year pact worth $12MM+.