HEADLINES

Month: March 2020

Robby Anderson Wants To Stay With Jets

March 10th, 2020 at 5:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

An ambitious free agency plan may well push the Jets into the deep waters of the offensive line, edge rusher and cornerback markets. But they have been discussing a deal with Robby Anderson for weeks now.

The free agent wideout stands to enter free agency as one of the top receivers available — perhaps the group’s top target, should the Cowboys and Bengals respectively lock down Amari Cooper and A.J. Green — but Anderson wants to return to the Jets. Although his New York stay has been far from smooth, the soon-to-be 27-year-old talent would like to return on a second contract.

“I think they definitely want me back. I truly do want to be back with the Jets,” Anderson said during a Tuesday appearance on ESPN’s NFL Live (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). “I love Sam (Darnold). I love my teammates, Jamal (Adams) and all those guys. I feel like there’s unfinished business there that I’ve been trying to get done since I got there. I would hope to finish out the mission, all in all, but it’s a business.”

Anderson has previously said the Jets want him to stay, and the Jets are believed to be trying to keep him. But if the market for Anderson exceeds $10MM per year, the Jets may bow out. The deep threat could be expected to fetch that, but considering the monster wideout class coming in the draft, it is not a lock a team will submit an offer too far out of the Jets’ potential price range.

In addition to wanting to keep Anderson, the Jets are eyeing two top-end offensive linemen on the market. They are also looking into Jadeveon Clowney, planning to pursue Dante Fowler and are interested in top corners Chris Harris, Byron Jones and James Bradberry. Gang Green has not had much luck with free agency in recent years, but new GM Joe Douglas appears to have big ambitions. It will be interesting to see how the Jets fare on the market. The team is set to hold at least $52MM in cap space — 13th in the league as of Tuesday.

Titans Extend OLB Reggie Gilbert

March 10th, 2020 at 4:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

After trading for Reggie Gilbert last year, the Titans used him as a spot starter and a rotational presence. They reached an agreement to extend Gilbert for the 2020 season on Tuesday.

Gilbert was set to be an exclusive-rights free agent, so this will bypass that process. Tennessee traded a seventh-rounder to Green Bay for Gilbert in late August of last year.

The former UDFA out of Arizona finished with 22 tackles and a sack in his Titans debut season. Gilbert made five starts for a Tennessee team that lost Cameron Wake early in the season and played 27% of the Titans’ defensive snaps.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old edge defender will be eligible for restricted free agency in 2021.

NFL Announces Compensatory Picks For 2020 Draft

March 10th, 2020 at 4:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFL has awarded compensatory draft picks for teams in the 2020 draft.

These picks are awarded to the teams that suffered the most significant free agent losses during the 2019 offseason. This year, the Patriots top the list (shared below) with a league-high four picks.

The comp pick formula assigns picks who suffered the largest net losses, so teams that signed multiple free agents have a lesser chance of receiving picks. The Ravens collected two this year and remain in the all-time lead (from 1994-2020) with 52. No other franchise has accumulated more than 43 compensatory picks.

Here’s the full breakdown, by round and by team:

By Round:

Round 3: Texans (No. 97 overall), Patriots (98), Giants (99), Patriots (100), Seahawks (101), Steelers (102), Eagles (103), Rams (104), Vikings (105), Ravens (106)

Round 4: Buccaneers (No. 139), Bears (140), Dolphins (141), Redskins (142), Ravens (143), Seahawks (144), Eagles (145), Eagles (146)

Round 5: Broncos (No. 178), Cowboys (179)

Round 6: Patriots (No. 212), Patriots (213), Seahawks (214)

Round 7: Giants (No. 247), Texans (248), Vikings (249), Texans (250), Dolphins (251), Broncos (252), Vikings (253), Broncos (254), Giants (255)

By Team:

  • New England Patriots (4)
  • Denver Broncos (3)
  • Houston Texans (3)
  • Minnesota Vikings (3)
  • New York Giants (3)
  • Philadelphia Eagles (3)
  • Baltimore Ravens (2)
  • Miami Dolphins (2)
  • Chicago Bears (1)
  • Dallas Cowboys (1)
  • Los Angeles Rams (1)
  • Pittsburgh Steelers (1)
  • Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1)
  • Washington Redskins (1)

The compensatory free agents lost and gained in 2019 by the clubs that will receive compensatory picks in the 2020 draft:

Lions To Let Graham Glasgow Walk?

March 10th, 2020 at 2:43pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

It looks like the Lions are going to be making a significant change to their offensive line. Guard Graham Glasgow doesn’t expect to be back in Detroit next season and it appears the team is going to let him walk in free agency, per Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. 

“I’m bummed that I’m not able to stay cause I love Michigan and I love the Detroit area,” Glasgow told Birkett. “But you don’t play football forever, so I think that being able to go somewhere else and make some money is an exciting thing,” he added. Birkett notes that he spent five years in college at Michigan and then the first four years of his pro career in Detroit, so he has deep ties to the area. Glasgow said he hadn’t “really heard too much from the Lions,” so it sounds like they didn’t even make an effort to keep him.

The Lions drafted him in the third-round back in 2016, and he became a near-instant starter. He’s been a consistent presence on the offensive line, starting at least 15 games in each of the past three seasons. His versatility will help him on the open market, as he spent 2018 at center before moving to right guard last year.

Glasgow received very strong marks from Pro Football Focus last year, and Birkett writes that the Lions’ “decision to let him walk is largely financially motivated.” Glasgow is going to land a big contract, and Detroit doesn’t want to pay up. Birkett clearly isn’t a fan of the decision, writing that it’s “baffling” and a “head-scratcher” for a team that has had inconsistent offensive line play to let him move on.

He should receive a good amount of interest when the tampering period opens up next week, and we’ve already got word of at least one potential suitor. The Jets are one of a handful of teams to keep an eye on in regard to Glasgow, Sirius XM NFL reporter Adam Caplan tweets. The Jets have already been linked to some other high profile offensive linemen, so their interest certainly isn’t surprising.

Extra Points: Tagovailoa, CBA, Chris Harris

March 10th, 2020 at 1:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

One of the biggest stories of the 2020 draft is the health of Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. Tagovailoa of course suffered a brutal hip injury toward the end of the college football season that threatened to derail his pro career. Fortunately everything has gone smoothly with his recovery up until now, and he got another solid update recently. Tagovailoa had his four-month scans on the hip, something that was always considered a very important marker in the process, and everything went well, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).

Sources told Rapoport that the scans came back “very good with no concerns” and that they were “as positive as possible.” Rapoport notes that with this scan out of the way, Tagavailoa will now be able to ramp up his physical activity. It’s unclear when exactly he’ll be able to play again, but at the very least he’ll miss a good portion of the offseason program of whatever team drafts him. Despite the concerns over his hip, he still seems very likely to be off the board early in the first round, and potentially within the first few picks. Here’s to hoping everything continues to progress nicely and we see him back on the field soon.

Here’s more from around the football universe:

  • Another under the radar concession the players got in the new proposed CBA is a significant increase in offseason pay. Starting in 2021 the rates players are paid for minicamp and the preseason will go from $2K a week to $2.9K a week for veterans, and from $1.15K a week to $1.7K a week for rookies, according to Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). Klis also reports that every other year those numbers will increase an additional $300 per week for veterans and $150 per week for rookies. Many undrafted rookies who are part of the offseason 90-man roster but don’t stand any chance of making the team barely get anything for their efforts, so this will at least put a little additional cash in their pockets during training camp.
  • Chris Harris is looking for a big payday this offseason, and it looks like the cornerback won’t be back with the Broncos next year. In preparation for his first testing of the open market, the veteran fired his agent Fred Lyles and signed with a bigger firm, according to Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic. Ironically Jhabvala notes that Lyles also represents cornerback A.J. Bouye, who Denver just traded for to essentially replace Harris. Harris has always been a top corner but he’s now on the wrong side of 30, so it’ll be very interesting to see what his market looks like. He turned down an extension offer of $12MM annually from the Broncos last year.
  • In case you missed it, the NFL pushed back the franchise tag deadline as CBA talks continue to drag on.

NFLPA Elects J.C. Tretter As President

March 10th, 2020 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

The NFL Players’ Association has elected J.C. Tretter as its new president, the union announced on Tuesday. Last week, Tretter was one of four players nominated for the position. Now, he’ll spearhead the NFLPA during a critical stretch in the CBA talks. 

Last week, NFLPA’s presidential race came down to Russell Okung, Michael Thomas (of the Giants), Sam Acho, and Tretter. Okung has been lobbying for the job for months, but he backed out of the running this week and put his support behind Thomas.

Tretter, a center for the Browns, will take over for Eric Winston, who has served as the union prez since 2014. There will be little time for on-the-job training: The NFLPA has until Saturday to vote on the proposed CBA and travel hazards associated with the coronavirus scare may complicate things further. Meanwhile, we’re also just days away from the official start of NFL free agency.

If more than 50% of players vote against the CBA, the 2020 season will be played under the current CBA, which was established in 2011. That CBA expires in March 2021. If the proposed CBA is not ratified, we’ll be looking at increased odds of a strike or lockout next year.

In the last round of voting, Thomas and Okung both voted against the CBA, Acho voted in favor of it, and, in the immediate aftermath, no one knew Tretter’s take. But, on Tuesday, PFT’s Mike Florio (via Twitter) reported that Tretter voted in favor of the CBA. With that in mind, Tretter’s election may bode well for a deal between now and Saturday.

Ravens’ RG3 Drawing Trade Interest

March 10th, 2020 at 11:34am CST by Zachary Links

Ravens quarterback Robert Griffin III is drawing trade interest from other teams, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). Griffin is due $2MM in 2020, though that sum is completely non-guaranteed.

Griffin, 30, currently serves as the backup to superstar QB Lamar Jackson. It’s surprising to hear that the Ravens would entertain trades for him, though it’s possible that they would like to add to their draft stockpile while replacing him with another QB2. If the Ravens move on from Griffin and do not sign or draft another signal caller, they’d be left with Penn State product Trace McSorley as Jackson’s backstop.

Last year, Griffin was called upon to start in the season finale against the Jets. The Ravens won that game 28-10, though Griffin completed just over half of his pass attempts.

This isn’t the first time that Griffin has drawn trade interest during his Ravens tenure. In April of last year, the Jaguars reportedly expressed interest in the longtime Redskins star before inking Nick Foles to a massive free agent deal.

Griffin won the Heisman Trophy at Baylor and looked the part of a future NFL megastar in his rookie season with the Redskins. Health issues sidetracked him afterwards. No one expects Griffin to reprise his 2012 campaign, but he still holds lots of value for NFL teams.

Raiders’ Gabe Jackson Drawing Trade Interest

March 10th, 2020 at 11:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders have discussed potential trades involving guard Gabe Jackson, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). As it stands, he’s due a non-guaranteed salary of $9.6MM in 2020. Other teams are intrigued by the possibility of adding the veteran, though they may seek to work out a revised deal with him. 

The Raiders selected Jackson in the third round of the 2014 draft and quickly thrust him into the starting lineup. He’s been a first-string player throughout his career, though injuries have cost him some time, including a 2019 knee malady that limited him to just eleven contests.

Jackson has been viewed as a release candidate this season due to his health and salary, so it’s not a shock to hear that he has been discussed in trade talks. Jackson might not fetch a huge haul for Jon Gruden & Co., but he could return some extra draft ammo for April.

Last year, the Raiders turned to Richie Incognito after Jackson’s injury and Denzelle Good was promoted to the starting lineup to fill the remaining guard gap. Good recently re-upped with the Raiders on a one-year, $2.3MM deal with $1.7MM guaranteed.

Bills Pick Up Spencer Long’s Option

March 10th, 2020 at 11:26am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have exercised their option on offensive lineman Spencer Long, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. In related news, the club has also re-signed cornerback Levi Wallace and wide receiver Robert Foster; both players were due to be exclusive rights free agents this offseason.

Long spent three years as the Redskins’ primary man in the middle before signing a a four-year, $27.5MM free agent deal with the Jets in 2018. That deal wound up lasting just one season when the Jets dropped him in February 2019. Days after he hit the market as a street free agent, the Bills scooped him up on a three-year, $13MM pact to keep him in the AFC East.

With the Bills, Long appeared in 14 games as a reserve. In theory, Long could wind up as a first-stringer in 2020 if the club does not retain left guard Quinton Spain, who is ticketed for free agency in March.

Spain, 28, should be in line for a sizable pay bump – whether it’s with the Bills or another club – given the dearth of quality linemen available. The Bills were happy with his work, even though the advanced metrics weren’t high on his performance in 2019.

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