2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Bills’ Future In Buffalo

February 2nd, 2020 at 8:34am CST by Rory Parks

The Bills will remain in Buffalo in 2020. There never seemed to be any notion that another outcome was on the table, but technically it was a possibility that the Bills could be playing elsewhere as soon as next season.

The team’s lease with New Era Field expires in July 2023, but the lease contains an early termination clause that the Bills could have exercised by February 28 of this year. If they had done so, the lease would have terminated on July 30, thereby making the club a geographic free agent.

Per Sandra Tan of the Buffalo News (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk), Erie County Executive Marc Poloncarz pressed Bills ownership for a commitment, and Terry and Kim Pegula informed Poloncarz on Friday that the team would not be exercising the early termination option. But the team’s future in western New York remains in doubt.

Last June, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell made it very clear that the Pegulas will need to address the club’s stadium situation at some point in the near future to keep the Bills in Buffalo, and he reiterated those sentiments on Wednesday. Goodell said the Bills and the local government need to settle on an approach within the next several months, and he noted that the team’s stadium will need to remain competitive with other sites around the league.

The Pegulas have not yet wavered in their commitment to keeping the Bills where they have been since they joined the AFL in 1960, and they want to either renovate the current stadium — which opened in 1973 — or build a new one. They issued a statement on Wednesday indicating that a study into potential stadium sites, designs, and financial options had been completed, but it’s unclear if that study has pushed this matter any closer to a resolution.

Florio suggests that, the longer the Bills go without a long-term plan in place, the more offers will come flooding in from other cities anxious to get an NFL franchise. Those offers could be especially tempting to the Pegulas, who do not have the personal resources to fund a stadium themselves.

Toronto has long been rumored as a potential future home for the Bills, but when asked about the possibility of a team north of the border, Goodell reiterated his usual stance, saying that one of the foremost requirements is a stadium that meets NFL standards (Twitter link via Farhan Lalji of TSN).

Alex Smith: ‘Lucky To Be Alive’ After Leg Condition

February 1st, 2020 at 7:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Alex Smith‘s long road back to a potential NFL comeback might not end up coming to fruition, but the Redskins quarterback considers himself “very much lucky to be alive” after the infection and numerous surgeries that became required on his broken leg.

Information about Smith’s surgery history has continued to trickle out over the past year and change, but the veteran passer revealed during an appearance on ESPN’s Outside the Lines (via ESPN.com’s Stephania Bell) he developed sepsis. The potentially life-threatening condition stemmed from the infection Smith encountered, and the possibility of leg amputation was very real following the November 2018 injury.

“[The] next thing I remember is waking up several weeks later faced with the decision of amputation or limb salvage at that point,” Smith said during the interview of a choice presented to him weeks after the injury.

The former 49ers and Chiefs quarterback opted for numerous surgeries to save his injured leg. Smith suffered a compound right tibia fracture and a right fibula fracture. The most recent information indicated Smith underwent 17 operations on the leg since suffering the injuries during a Redskins-Texans game in November 2018.

Smith since overcame the infection and has made strides over the past 14 months. He remains interested in returning to action, and Ron Rivera brought up the injured passer’s name unprompted during a recent interview.

“I also don’t want to forget Alex Smith,” Rivera said during an appearance on The Team 980’s Doc & Galdi show. “Here’s a guy that’s doing everything he can to come back, and if Alex can come back and be the player that he was, we have a good situation; we [would] have competition at that position.”

Smith, who will turn 36 in May, is on Washington’s payroll at $21.4MM in 2020. His $16MM 2020 base salary is fully guaranteed. Dwayne Haskins remains expected to be the Redskins’ Week 1 quarterback.

Broncos To Hire John Pagano

February 1st, 2020 at 6:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Vic Fangio has identified another former coordinator to add to his staff. After interviewing for a spot on Denver’s defensive staff, John Pagano will be part of Fangio’s second Broncos edition, Mike Klis of 9News reports.

The sides are ironing out a contract, one that will make Pagano the team’s new outside linebackers coach. Pagano will replace Brandon Staley, whom the Broncos lost when the Rams hired him to become their new defensive coordinator.

Pagano, 52, spent five seasons (2012-16) as the Chargers’ defensive coordinator and oversaw the Raiders’ defense for part of the 2017 season. Pagano’s third AFC West team may hold greater significance; he is a Boulder, Colo., native. Pagano spent the past two seasons with the Texans but was dismissed after the team’s second-round playoff loss.

A Chargers staffer from 2002-16 and younger brother of ex-Colts HC Chuck Pagano, John Pagano has coached in the NFL since 1996. Fangio has now added a third ex-head coach or coordinator to his staff this offseason, with Pagano’s hire following the additions of OC Pat Shurmur and QBs coach Mike Shula.

South Notes: Tannehill, Texans, Falcons

February 1st, 2020 at 6:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

The refrain during the final several weeks of the Titans‘ season pointed to either a Ryan Tannehill extension or franchise tag. But the resurgent team may not be entirely committed to the ex-Dolphin yet. The Titans have not decided Tannehill is worth a $27MM franchise tag or a franchise QB-level salary, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com note. Tannehill is open to a long-term Titans deal, and the sides began discussing an extension late in the season. After the quarterback’s surprising stretch to help the team to the AFC title game, it would be surprising if he were allowed to hit the market. But the Titans do have Derrick Henry as a franchise tag candidate and four-year right tackle starter Jack Conklin set for free agency as well. The Titans have some major decisions to make in the next few weeks. Teams can use their franchise and transition tags this year, if there is no new CBA in place by the time the tag window opens February 25. Teams have from Feb. 25-March 10 to apply tags.

Here is the latest from the South divisions:

Among their free agents, Austin Hooper appears to be the Falcons‘ top priority. De’Vondre Campbell is on the team’s re-up radar as well. Vic Beasley‘s future in Atlanta is less certain. The former first-round pick earned All-Pro acclaim in 2016 but fell off the radar for years after that dominant season. “Well, Vic played at a different level in the back half of the year than the first half of the year,” Arthur Blank said, via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. “What changed for him, I’m not exactly sure. And whether or not we can have that kind of consistency with him when it matters, only time will tell.” A trade candidate at the deadline, Beasley finished with four sacks in his final four games to record eight this season.
Falcons safety Ricardo Allen underwent shoulder surgery recently, Jason Butt of The Athletic tweets. The veteran defender played through a shoulder malady late in the season. He will require a multiple-month rehab process, which could delay his participation in the Falcons’ offseason program.
The Texans added multiple staffers to lower-level positions, bringing in Deon Broomfield as a defensive assistant and DeNarius McGhee as a quality control coach, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Broomfield coached cornerbacks at Indiana State for the past three years, while McGee coached quarterbacks and running backs at Montana State in that span.

Latest On Panthers, Cam Newton

February 1st, 2020 at 4:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

Set to be without longtime cornerstones Luke Kuechly and Greg Olsen next season, the Panthers will soon need to make a decision on their quarterback. Some parts of that equation are forming.

Cam Newton is recovering from foot surgery and has yet to resume football activities. But the former MVP went through a meeting with Matt Rhule, David Tepper and GM Marty Hurney recently and “absolutely” expects to be a Panther next season, he said during an interview on CBS Sports’ Brandon Tierney and Tiki Barber (video link).

While Newton admitted he is disappointed by Ron Rivera being out of the picture but is moving forward with the new regime. One season, at an affordable $18.6MM salary, remains on Newton’s deal. The Panthers could save $19.1MM and potentially accelerate a rebuild by moving on from the 30-year-old passer, but they have not ruled out the prospect of allowing him to play out his contract. They were, however, non-committal about the injured quarterback last month.

The Panthers want to see Newton resume football work in March before making a decision, Dan Graziano and Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com report. Hurney and his new power structure partners would prefer to give Newton a shot and assess the situation at that point. Picking at No. 7, the Panthers are an unrealistic Joe Burrow destination. The Panthers are higher on potential 2021 early-first-round quarterbacks Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields than the non-Burrow 2020 quarterback contingent, per Fowler and Graziano. The Clemson and Ohio State passers, respectively, will generate immense buzz over the next year. It will almost certainly take premium draft position to land either.

Given the early developments in Carolina’s offseason, it would not be especially surprising to see the team trade Newton. However, the former Pro Bowler has a manageable salary thanks to his extension being signed back in 2015. Regardless, Newton represents a key domino in an offseason that will feature several significant quarterback decisions.

Frank Gore Wants To Return For 16th Season

February 1st, 2020 at 3:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Frank Gore has authored one of the more remarkable careers in modern NFL history, and the player who now sits third on the league’s all-time rushing list is still not ready to retire.

The 36-year-old running back is once again a free agent, after his one-year Bills deal led to a playoff appearance. Rather than pause on exploring his next opportunity to consider retirement, Gore will explore his options on the market.

“I want to play,” Gore said, via Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I feel I showed people I can play when I got my opportunities. Just seeing if a team wants me.”

Gore reached one-year agreements with the Dolphins and Bills in 2018 and ’19, respectively. Although the rebuilding Dolphins moved on from him, Gore said he would welcome a return to his native Miami for the 2020 season, per Jackson. Gore will turn 37 in May.

The Bills gave Gore a key role for much of the season, starting him in eight games and keeping him in their rotation throughout the season. He gained a season-high 109 rushing yards against the Patriots in Week 4 and surpassed Barry Sanders on the all-time rushing list. The future Hall of Famer trails only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton now. However, Gore averaged a career-worst 3.6 yards per carry — after a 4.6 YPC season in Miami — and has now logged 3,548 career carries. That ranks third all time. Excluding Adrian Peterson, Gore has totaled over 1,000 more carries than any other active back who played a full 2019 season.

Since the merger, Marcus Allen is the only running back (non-fullback) to play an age-37 season. Gore’s carry total already surpasses Allen’s by 500, but the former 49ers Pro Bowler’s pattern of landing work and continued durability (two missed games over the past nine seasons) since leaving San Francisco point to a 16th season being in play.

Latest On Saints’ QB Situation

February 1st, 2020 at 2:30pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints may have a long-term plan that includes a Drew Brees-to-Taysom Hill baton pass. This may leave Teddy Bridgewater out of the equation.

Bridgewater turned down a chance to become the Dolphins starter last year, instead re-signing with the Saints on a one-year deal worth $7.25MM. The former first-round pick again is free agency-bound, but Sean Payton does not appear to envision another year with the Brees-Bridgewater-Hill troika together. The 14-year Saints coach said it is “unrealistic” to bring all three back, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter).

Although Bridgewater helped the Saints to a 5-0 mark as a starter while Brees recovered from injury, the 27-year-old passer may be closer to one of the free agency dominoes than set for another year as Brees’ backup. The priority appears to be Hill, who is a restricted free agent.

If Brees comes back to start a possible multiyear transition to Hill, the Saints are expected to place a first-round RFA tender on the latter, Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano of ESPN note. The 2019 first-round tender price was $4.4MM.

It would represent a remarkable rise for the ex-UDFA to receive the rare first-round tender, and it may remain a slight stretch to envision Hill becoming a surefire quarterback option. The unique passing-rushing-receiving weapon has only thrown 13 career passes. The prospect of a 2021 Brees-to-Hill transition makes more sense because sources informed Fowler and Graziano that Hill may not be ready to handle being New Orleans’ starter in 2020. This would shift the focus to Brees, whose retirement talk is believed to be genuine.

A BYU alum, Hill will turn 30 before Week 1 of next season. Brees recently turned 41. Brees has said he is not going anywhere else; the future first-ballot Hall of Famer will play for the Saints in 2020 or retire.

LeSean McCoy To Be Inactive For Super Bowl?

February 1st, 2020 at 12:43pm CST by Ben Levine

LeSean McCoy might not be active for his first career Super Bowl appearance. League sources told NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport that the Chiefs running back may be inactive tomorrow (Twitter link). Rapoport notes that the veteran is healthy and ready to play, but while nothing’s been finalized, it sounds like McCoy won’t be on the active roster.

This isn’t incredibly surprising news, as McCoy was inactive for the AFC Championship game after having played only a single snap during the Divisional Round. However, there was some optimism that Andy Reid would make him active for the big game, especially since the team would otherwise be rostering only two running backs. Damien Williams has taken hold of the gig atop the depth chart, with Darwin Thompson left as the lone backup at the position.

The six-time Pro Bowler joined the Chiefs this past preseason after getting cut by the Bills, choosing Kansas City over suitors like the Patriots, Eagles, and Chargers. Initially, McCoy carved out an immediate role. He saw 10-plus touches in seven of the Chiefs’ first eight games but wound up a healthy scratch and battled an illness at times over the past two-plus months. In total, Shady rushed for 465 yards and four scores on 101 carries (he also added another 28 receptions for 181 yards and one touchdown).

While tomorrow’s potential move could seemingly lead to retirement, McCoy said earlier this week that he has no intention of hanging up his cleats.

“Nah, I’m not ready to retire yet,” McCoy said. “I still can play. So, I’m not going to retire yet, but that day is coming.”

As Rapoport opines, the organization may use McCoy’s roster spot on a position of need. The reporter specifically points to the defensive line as a potential “key area” considering the 49ers rushing attack.

Mike Groh Joins Colts Coaching Staff

February 1st, 2020 at 11:54am CST by Ben Levine

Mike Groh has found a new gig. Less than a month after getting canned as the Eagles offensive coordinator, the 48-year-old has joined the Colts coaching staff, reports SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez (via Twitter).

The connection with the Colts makes sense, as Groh replaced current Colts head coach (and former Philly offensive coordinator) Frank Reich in 2018. The Eagles offense was about middle-of-the-road during Groh’s two seasons at the helm, an impressive feat considering the injuries the offense has dealt with.

While Carson Wentz has mostly been healthy (besides brief injuries that led to Nick Foles and Josh McCown making their way into the lineup), the same couldn’t be said of the receivers corps. After starting six different wideouts in 2018, Groh had to turn to nine different starters in 2019. The team’s running backs have also dealt with their share of injuries, meaning the only consistent besides Wentz was tight end Zach Ertz. Despite all of this context, the Eagles still fired Groh in early January.

Groh spent a number of years at Virginia, eventually working his way up to offensive coordinator. He later moved on to Alabama and Louisville before joining the Bears as their receivers coach. He held that role for the Rams (2016) and Eagles (2017) before earning the offensive coordinator promotion in Philly.

This Date In Transactions History: Pats Sign Player To Unprecedented Futures Deal

February 1st, 2020 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

When we add entries to the “This Date in Transactions” series, we generally don’t focus on players without an NFL appearance, especially when said transaction is a usually-anonymous futures deal. However, on this date in 2013, one of the more unusual futures contract was signed.

On February 1st, 2013, the New England Patriots officially signed Armond Armstead to a futures contract. The defensive tackle had once been a top prospect at USC, but the school’s medical staff refused to clear him for the 2011 campaign after learning of a major heart issue (Armstead would later sue the school, saying the team doctors’ use of painkillers contributed to the heart issue and ultimately compromised his earning potential). With the lineman being forced to miss his senior season, he ended up going undrafted in the 2012 Draft.

Armstead later took his talents to the CFL, where he earned an All-Star nod after compiling 43 tackles and six sacks en route to a Grey Cup Championship. Following his standout campaign, the lineman requested (and was granted) his released so he could pursue an NFL gig.

It didn’t take long for him to find his next deal, as he inked a futures deal with the Patriots on February 1st. So what’s so unusual about the contract? Well, let’s first review the standard futures deal. These contracts tie players to a teams’ roster throughout the offseason, and it counts towards the salary cap and 90-man camp roster for the subsequent season. These deals are usually one-year, minimum-salary, non-guaranteed deals. In fact, in 2011, the NFLPA filed a collusion suit against the league claiming that front offices were conspiring to keep these values especially low (among other, more notable salary-cap machinations).

Armstead’s deal was one of the few futures contracts that offered anything of substance, with the total value being practically unprecedented. The team signed the lineman to a three-year futures contract that included $655K in guaranteed money (the deal could have been worth up to $1.48MM). This kind of commitment by the Patriots proved that the organization was high on the prospect and there was probably some competition for his services.

Unfortunately, the deal didn’t end up working out. Armstead required surgery to treat an infection during the 2013 offseason, leading to his placement on the reserve/non-football injury list. He didn’t see the field during his rookie campaign, and he ended up announcing his retirement during the 2014 offseason.

While Armstead’s NFL career didn’t work out, he still has this interest footnote (as well as $655K) to fall back on.