The NFL sent a memo to its 32 franchises recently to inform them of a new scouting event. Agent Don Yee has spearheaded an event that will work as a showcase for a select group of veteran players in late September, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports notes.
Yee is planning a three-day, California-based event — set to be dubbed the “Pro Scrimmage” — which will showcase between 10 and 20 “elite street free agents.” All players must have already gone through their NFL draft year. NFL VP of football operations Troy Vincent has researched this concept for years as well and has supported an in-season combine of sorts, per La Canfora.
Yee and a group of directors, which includes former NFL wideout Ed McCaffrey, are in the process of identifying players for this event. The 49ers, Browns, Chargers and Rams have agreed to send representatives to the event thus far, JLC adds. It would stand to be a higher-profile version of the weekly workouts teams conduct with players, though ownership has not lent too much support for this concept.
The NFL has organized veteran combines before, with the most notable coming in March 2015. Players like Felix Jones, Brady Quinn and Adam Carriker attended. Current Jets linebacker Brandon Copeland helped use that event to relaunch his career. The event in 2017 was designed for younger players. The latest event comes as the XFL is scheduling its draft, which is set for sometime in October. The NFL’s event would surely draw interest, given the caret of higher salaries that could be dangled to players that land on the back end of NFL rosters.
Caret? Did you mean carrot?
Maybe they plan to start paying them in gemstones, lol.
I have a better idea. An in-season combine for game officials who apparently rely on the assistance of service dogs.
Eric Berry, Nick Perry, Jay Ajayi, EJ Gaines, Austin Sefarian-Jenkins, Brandon Marshall, George Iloka, Malcolm Smith, Bennie Logan, Shane Ray