2018 March - Pro Football Rumors

Joe Hawley To Retire?

March 4th, 2018 at 12:00pm CST by Rory Parks

Last week, we learned that the Buccaneers declined center Joe Hawley‘s 2018 option, which means he is eligible to hit the open market. However, it sounds as if Hawley’s playing career may be over.

As Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times observes, Hawley made an appearance on iHeart Radio on Friday morning, and during his interview, he said he has lost 40 pounds since the end of the 2017 season. He also announced that he plans to donate everything he owns to charity and families in need, and that he plans to travel the country in a van he recently purchased. He intends to live out of the van, to liveblog his journey, and to post videos to a YouTube channel he wants to create.

Those romantic ambitions are probably incompatible with a return to the NFL, and while Hawley did not explicitly say he is retiring, all indications are that he is done playing football for a living. He said, “When the season was over, I was thinking about what I wanted to do next, because I know my career is coming to a close.”

Hawley was the Bucs’ primary starter in the middle in 2015 and 2016. Last offseason, the team shifted Ali Marpet from right guard to center, pushing Hawley to a reserve role. He saw an uptick in playing time when Marpet hit the injured reserve list in November, but he made only four appearances with two starts on the year. For what it’s worth, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus did not look kindly on his small sample of 203 snaps. Nonetheless, he would surely be able to find an NFL job in 2018 if he wanted one, but his current goals seem to be taking him down a rather different path.

AFC East Rumors: Landry, Suh, Solder, Jets

March 4th, 2018 at 11:39am CST by Rory Parks

Dolphins WR Jarvis Landry is expected to sign his franchise tender shortly, and once that happens, he and the team will continue to work together to facilitate a trade. However, Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Miami’s asking price in a Landry trade is still unclear, and he says the earlier rumor that the Bears could trade Jordan Howard to the Dolphins in exchange for Landry — a rumor that was subsequently shot down — sounded like a report that Miami planted in order to generate offers. If that was the case, the strategy did not work, as the trade market remains at a standstill. Robinson suggests (via Twitter) that Landry could return to Miami in 2018, but the team will continue to look for the right trade offer.

Here’s more from the AFC East, starting with another item out of South Beach:

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the Dolphins‘ recent agreement to trade for Robert Quinn is further evidence of his belief that the team is looking to move on from Ndamukong Suh (even though the two play different positions on the defensive line). Other reports have indicated that Miami wants Suh back in 2018, but the club could approach the mercurial DT about a restructure to help reduce his massive cap number.
Nate Solder is easily the best left tackle set to hit the open market, and as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports, the Patriots have yet to make an offer to him (although the later-than-usual start to free agency means that there is still time to get something done). Solder’s preference is to remain in New England, but if the Pats cannot lock him up within the next week, Howe says Solder will seek the best offer on the open market and will not accept a hometown discount. Sources suggest he could receive upwards of $12MM annually, and if he does find a new home, the Pats will be left with plenty of uncertainty at LT.
Former Arkansas head coach Bret Bielema attended the scouting combine as a representative of the Patriots, per Doug Kyed of NESN.com. However, it is unclear whether Bielema will be joining the team’s coaching staff. He and New England head coach Bill Belichick are close, and Belichick may have just been doing Bielema a favor by bringing him to the combine.
As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com observes, the Patriots could be looking closely at running backs in this year’s draft, as Rex Burkhead and Dion Lewis are both set to hit the open market. Former Patriots executive and current Lions GM Bob Quinn recently stated that this year’s crop of collegiate backs is generally strong in pass protection, which is an asset that New England values as much as anything when it comes to its RBs. As such, Reiss suggests need could align perfectly with opportunity when the draft rolls around. Likewise, this year’s draft contains more than usual off-the-line linebackers with first-round abilities, which could also suit New England quite nicely.
Just like Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News sees Teddy Bridgewater as a potential target for the Jets if they cannot land Kirk Cousins. If the Jets somehow do end up with Cousins, it would open up a world of possibilities for New York vis-a-vis its first-round draft choice, and Notre Dame guard Quinton Nelson could be a perfect fit.

Falcons Cut TE Levine Toilolo

March 4th, 2018 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 10:34am: The Falcons will designate Toilolo as a post-June 1 cut, meaning that they’ll see a cap savings of $3.5MM for this year rather than $2.5MM (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). Cap space is at a premium for Atlanta, which currently ranks in the bottom third of the league in that regard.

FRIDAY, 1:46pm: The Falcons are releasing tight end Levine Toilolo, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). This comes just one year after Toilolo re-signed on a three-year, $12MM deal one year ago.

Toilolo, 27 in July, has been mostly a complementary piece for Atlanta over the past few seasons. In his contract year, he had 13 catches and two touchdowns, but he stretched the field with 264 yards, good for 20.3 yards per grab. This past season, he had 12 catches for 122 yards and one score.

The Falcons are faced with a bit of a numbers crunch this offseason, which necessitated the release of Toilolo. With Austin Hooper already on board, Toilolo was a luxury they could not afford.

For the second straight year, Toilolo ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 27 ranked tight end. He’ll now join a free agent tight end crop that includes Trey Burton, Jimmy Graham, and Austin Seferian-Jenkins.

QB Notes: Vikings, Rosen, Hackenberg

March 4th, 2018 at 10:22am CST by Rory Parks

The Vikings might be the current leaders in the Kirk Cousins sweepstakes, and if the Vikes can land the coveted signal-caller, all three of their 2017 QBs — Case Keenum, Sam Bradford, and Teddy Bridgewater — will likely be suiting up elsewhere in 2018. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets that at least a handful of teams have expressed interest in Bridgewater as a potential starting quarterback, so he does have a market, despite some reports that the Vikings themselves view Bridgewater as a pedestrian QB.

Now let’s take a look at a few more rumors surrounding some of the draft’s top QBs, as well as veteran signal-callers that could be on the move:

If the Vikings cannot land Cousins, Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune suggests that Eagles QB (and Super Bowl LII MVP) Nick Foles could be on the team’s radar. The Eagles have suggested they are open to trading Foles, and Minnesota just hired former Philadelphia QBs coach John DeFilippo as its new offensive coordinator. Of course, the two sides previously completed a QB trade when the Eagles shipped Bradford to the Vikings prior to the 2016 campaign.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post wonders if Giants head coach Pat Shurmur‘s recent unsolicited comments about Eli Manning‘s enviable durability — and Shurmur’s statement that players who get injured a lot continue to get injured a lot — are an indication that Big Blue is concerned about Josh Rosen‘s injury history. The UCLA quarterback has suffered two concussions, and he also underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder in 2016. Nonetheless, Schwartz writes that Rosen has looked as good as advertised at the combine, so aside from health concerns, he appears to be a viable target for the Giants, who hold the No. 2 overall selection.
Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says it would be a “minor upset” if Christian Hackenberg is still on the Jets in 2018, and Hackenberg’s fate could be tied to the Cousins sweepstakes. If New York does not land Cousins, it will look to acquire another veteran QB or two — Cimini names Bridgewater as one possibility — and then draft a rookie signal-caller. If the Jets do sign Cousins, Hackenberg could theoretically stick as a backup, but even in that scenario, Gang Green would likely try to sign a more accomplished No. 2, and the club may still pick up a rookie in the later rounds of the draft, which would force Hackenberg out of the picture. For his part, Cimini believes it’s time to move on, and it appears head coach Todd Bowles feels similarly. Interestingly, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says he has watched videos of Hackenberg’s offseason workouts, and he reports the former Penn State star’s mechanics look terrific.
Sam Darnold‘s throwing motion is a little longer than some scouts would like, but he has no plans to change it, per Chase Goodbread of NFL.com. Darnold is not throwing at this year’s combine, though teams will have a chance to further evaluate his mechanics at USC’s pro day on March 21.

Latest On Michigan DT Maurice Hurst

March 4th, 2018 at 9:50am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, 9:50am: Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweets that Hurst has not, in fact, left the combine yet, though he will undergo more tests shortly. Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter) that Hurst will be meeting with one of the nation’s top heart specialists from the Cleveland Clinic, and that there should be more clarity on the situation after next week. For what it’s worth (and hopefully that’s a lot), Hurst himself has said he is not concerned about the tests, and he hopes to participate in Michigan’s pro day on March 23 (Twitter link via Kimberly Jones of NFL.com).

SATURDAY, 6:11pm: A potential first-round pick has hit a major roadblock. Michigan defensive tackle Maurice Hurst was found to have a heart condition and has left the draft combine in Indianapolis, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter) He’ll undergo further testing this week.

Hurst was cleared to play by medical officials at Michigan, but his condition popped up as a red flag for Saints doctors, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) adds. One source that spoke with Rapoport compared Hurst’s condition to that of former Lions and Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley. Fairley missed all of the 2017 season due to that issue but is now looking to return to football.

Hurst was on the draft radar last year, but analysts told Albert Breer of The MMQB back in December that he helped his draft stock by staying in school for an extra season. That may be the case, but his entire football future may be in flux.

As a senior, Hurst totaled 59 tackles, including 13 tackles for a loss, and 5.5 sacks. In his final three seasons with the Wolverines, he amassed 13.5 sacks in total.

No Major Progress Towards Le’Veon Bell Deal

March 4th, 2018 at 9:20am CST by Rory Parks

Despite reports that Le’Veon Bell and the Steelers are more likely to reach a long-term deal this year than they were last year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports that the two sides have yet to make major progress towards a multi-year contract.

The deadline for teams to apply the franchise tag to prospective free agents is Tuesday, March 6, and at this point, it looks as if Bell will be tagged for the second consecutive year (although GM Kevin Colbert continues to talk to Bell’s representatives, and he reportedly hopes an agreement will be reached by Tuesday’s deadline). Of course, if Bell is hit with the tag, he and the Steelers would still have until mid-July to negotiate a new deal.

In something of a humorous side note, Bell is getting a little help in these negotiations from teammate Maurkice Pouncey. As Fowler notes, Pouncey has taken to Instagram to support Bell, suggesting that if the star RB does not have a new deal by the time the 2018 league year opens, Pouncey will personally speak with Colbert, head coach Mike Tomlin, and team president Art Rooney II to try and facilitate matters.

This year’s franchise tender for running backs would pay Bell around $14.5MM for the 2018 campaign, which gives him a platform on which to negotiate a long-term contract. Last summer, Bell rejected a five-year offer that would have paid him a guaranteed $30MM over the course of the first two years (and $60MM overall), but after putting together another excellent season in 2017, he could exceed both of those figures if he and Pittsburgh can finally work something out in the coming months.

Lamar Jackson Will Not Play WR, Will Represent Himself

March 4th, 2018 at 8:42am CST by Rory Parks

We heard several days ago that Louisville QB Lamar Jackson was asked to work out as a wider receiver in addition to working out as a quarterback. However, Jackson himself has disputed that report, according to multiple outlets. Per James Palmer of the NFL Network, Jackson said that no one has asked him to play wideout and that he views himself strictly as a quarterback (Twitter link). Doug Kyed of NESN.com (via Twitter) reports that Jackson would not be willing to play a position other than QB, and Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post echoed that sentiment (Twitter link).

Nonetheless, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reaffirms the previous report — which was made by NFL.com colleague Peter Schrager — that Jackson was indeed asked to work out as a WR (Twitter link). In a separate tweet, Rapoport downplays the significance of the request, saying that other top prospects, like Georgia RB Sony Michel and NC State DE Bradley Chubb, were asked to work out at wide receiver and linebacker, respectively. Of course, asking a running back to run some wideout drills and asking a defensive end to do LB drills is not exactly the same as asking a quarterback whose future as a signal-caller is somewhat in doubt to do work as a receiver.

All of this comes on the heels of reports that Jackson is choosing to represent himself (with his mother serving as his manager). ESPN’s Josina Anderson says (via Twitter) that Jackson does not believe an agent is necessary with the current rookie pay scale system, and there is certainly some truth to that. But, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, an agent would be helpful in putting to rest the dispute as to whether Jackson has been asked to do work as a wide receiver.

Florio suggests that an agent could call the NFL.com reporters to “unring the bell” and to otherwise do what needs to be done to prevent this “issue” from reflecting poorly on Jackson. After all, the report may have been planted by an agent of another QB who is trying to get his client drafted as high as possible, or even by a team interested in Jackson that is trying to get the Louisville star to drop just far enough in the draft.

In any event, Jackson remains one of the most exciting players in the draft, and regardless of his wide receiver skills, he is currently viewed as a first- or second-round QB prospect.

Jarvis Landry To Accept Franchise Tag

March 3rd, 2018 at 9:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Jarvis Landry is about to become one of the highest-paid wideouts in the league. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Dolphins wide receiver will accept the franchise tag, and he described the impending signing as imminent. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald tweets that Landry is expected to sign next week, and he adds that both sides are working toward a trade.

We heard back in February that the Dolphins were going to franchise their top receiver. The deal will lock the wideout into a $16.23MM contract in 2018. The corresponding cap hit would rank fourth among wide receivers, behind only Antonio Brown, Larry Fitzgerald, and Dez Bryant.

Of course, it’s unlikely that Landry will be on Miami’s books in 2018. There were previous reports that the team could be shopping the receiver, and we learned this week that the Dolphins have allowed Landry to “seek and facilitate” a trade. Landry and his agent would presumably be seeking a long-term contract from any interested team, as few teams would have interest in the wideout on his one-year deal. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald previously projected that the Dolphins should expect to receive a third-round pick, a late second-round pick, or a player in return for Landry. We heard that the Bears could be a potential suitor, and there was some buzz around a Landry-for-Jordan Howard swap earlier today (those reports were quickly shot down). The Panthers and Saints reportedly don’t have interest.

After two straight 1,000-yard campaigns, Landry finished the 2017 season with 987 receiving yards. The 25-year-old did compile a league-leading 112 receptions and a career-high nine receiving touchdowns, earning him his third-straight Pro Bowl nod.

Free Agency Notes: Jets, Colts, Lewis, Burton

March 3rd, 2018 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the latest free agency buzz:

Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears the Jets and Colts are “possible destinations” for Patriots free agent running back Dion Lewis. The language in Fowler’s report is admittedly soft, but free agents are technically forbidden from talking to rival teams during this time, so this may be a wink-wink acknowledgement that both teams have engaged in some secretive discussions prior to the legal tampering period on March 12. Recently, Mike Florio of PFT indicated that the Texans, 49ers, and Raiders were also potential destinations for the 27-year-old (28 in September).
No surprise here, but free agent tight end Trey Burton is a popular man. With the Eagles unlikely to retain him, 16 clubs have already checked in on his status this week, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).
Some executives who spoke with Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com indicated that Dontari Poe could be a fit for the Buccaneers. Poe, who did well on his one-year platform deal with the Falcons, may also fit the Redskins, Broncos, and Colts, per JLC.
More from JLC, who cautions of a potential bidding war between the Bears and Chiefs over backup quarterback Chase Daniel. The Saints would like to retain the veteran, but they might not be able to afford him with a big money extension on the horizon for Drew Brees. The Bears and Chiefs both make sense for Daniel given the ties he has to both coaching staffs.

Jets Fear Vikings In Kirk Cousins Chase

March 3rd, 2018 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The “legal tampering” period before free agency doesn’t begin until March 12, but the Jets are already worried about losing out on their top target. The Jets are aware of league-wide speculation that the Vikings will sign Kirk Cousins and they are taking that talk seriously after engaging in “informal, preliminary talks with his camp this week,” Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears.

The Jets badly need a quarterback solution for 2018 and the Vikings, in theory, have three starter-quality signal callers to choose from. However, the Vikings are not comfortable with relying on Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater and they apparently would prefer to give Cousins a record-breaking deal over a more modest contract for Case Keenum. The Vikings are not expected to use the franchise tag on Keenum and it’s not hard to connect the dots to Cousins.

Cousins is reportedly planning to not agree to terms with any club before the official start of free agency on March 14, but that may change with the right offer from Minnesota. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Cousins would change course and agree to a back-channelled deal beforehand, but the Jets are aware – and nervous – about the possibility.

The Broncos and Cardinals are also reportedly among the “final suitors” for Cousins’ services.