2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Will Not Retain LeSean McCoy

March 5th, 2020 at 6:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Chiefs are not expected to re-sign free agent running back LeSean McCoy for the 2020 campaign, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (video link).

McCoy, 31, has maintain that he wants to play in the NFL next season, and there could be interest in him on the free agent market. Specifically, Garafolo mentions that McCoy could potentially forge a homecoming with the Eagles, while the Chargers could also express interest. Los Angeles head coach Anthony Lynn was in Buffalo alongside McCoy, and that connection could prove valuable.

McCoy was cut by the Bills just ahead of his 11th NFL season, but Kansas City quickly reached out to the veteran back and landed him via a one-year, $3MM deal. Despite his relationship with Andy Reid, McCoy simply never became a large part of the Chiefs’ high-flying offense. While he handled double-digit carries in three of KC’s first four games, he only exceeded 10 totes twice over the rest of the year.

After missing several games with a rib injury, McCoy became a healthy inactive near the end the regular season and through the Chiefs’ Super Bowl run, as Kansas City instead turned to Damian Williams and Darwin Thompson in its backfield.

All told, McCoy rushed 101 times (the fewest attempts of his career) for 465 yards and four touchdowns during his debut Chiefs season. Through the air, McCoy managed 28 receptions for 161 yards and another score. Among the 45 NFL backs with at least 100 carries, McCoy ranked 25th in success rate, which measures the frequency of plays in which McCoy increased Kansas City’s expected points.

Halapoulivaati Vaitai To Earn $8-12MM/Year?

March 5th, 2020 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Eagles offensive lineman Halapoulivaati Vaitai is expected to command a solid market when he reaches free agency, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, who indicates “Big V” should earn a salary between $8MM and $12MM annually.

While the free agent tackle market hypothetically contains a few interesting options, veterans such as Anthony Castonzo and Andrew Whitworth are largely expected to re-sign with the Colts and Rams, respectively. Vaitai, only 26 years old, will present a youthful alternative among a crop of available tackles that also includes Jack Conklin and Bryan Bulaga.

The Eagles haven’t ruled out re-signing Vaitai, but it seems highly unlikely they’ll have a spot for the former fifth-round pick given the presence of fellow tackles Andre Dillard and Lane Johnson. Philadelphia announced today that veteran lineman Jason Peters will be allowed to test free agency, and it’s unclear if the club is interested in retaining him.

Vaitai played more than 70% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps during his first two years in the NFL, but he hasn’t topped 45% playing in either of the last two seasons. In 2019, appeared in all 16 games for Philadelphia and started three contests, grading as Pro Football Focus‘ No. 22 offensive tackle among 81 qualifiers.

Redskins Give Trent Williams Permission To Seek Trade

March 5th, 2020 at 4:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

A Trent Williams resolution could finally be in the works. The Redskins are giving their perennial Pro Bowl left tackle permission to seek a trade, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The team approved the request Thursday. Williams has not played since the 2018 season, sitting out in 2019 due to a conflict with Redskins management. Although Ron Rivera‘s hiring has prompted a thaw in Williams’ relationship with the franchise, the sides appear headed for a divorce.

As was the case last year, no guaranteed money remains on Williams’ deal. His 2015 extension made him the league’s highest-paid offensive lineman, but the tackle market has changed somewhat since then. Williams, however, has not been as reliable as he once was. The seven-time Pro Bowler missed 13 games from 2016-18 and became embroiled with previous Washington president Bruce Allen because of a health scare in 2019. However, proven offensive linemen receive hefty payments annually. And Williams made the Pro Bowl every year from 2012-18.

Entering his age-32 season, Williams wants to be the NFL’s highest-paid tackle. That would now mean a deal north of Lane Johnson‘s $18MM-per-year pact. Williams is set to make $12.5MM in the final year of his current deal.

Teams were involved in the Williams sweepstakes last year, but Allen did not pull the trigger on a trade. The now-Rivera-led Redskins will be in position to obtain draft compensation, although Williams’ stock is probably not on the level it once was. That said, tackle-needy teams — like the Jets or Browns — may be interested. Cleveland was in the mix last year, but no team evidently was willing to meet Washington’s asking price of a first-round pick.

It will be interesting what price the new-look Redskins front office sets for their disgruntled franchise left tackle. The upcoming draft features an unusually high number of early-first-round tackle prospects, potentially diminishing Williams’ value further. The veteran market will now include Jason Peters, but both Anthony Castonzo and Andrew Whitworth are tentatively expected to return to their respective teams.

Williams will now play a key role in the offensive line market, and his lengthy impasse with the Redskins may finally end soon. Once it does, Washington will become one of the teams in need of a left tackle.

49ers To Pick Up K’Waun Williams’ Option

March 5th, 2020 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

K’Waun Williams‘ 49ers career is set to extend into a fourth season. The team intends to pick up the cornerback’s 2020 option, according to Matt Barrows of The Athletic (on Twitter). They made the same transaction last March and saw Williams continue to be one of the best slot corners in the game.

The 49ers extended Williams in 2017. Said extension calls for a mere $2.15MM base salary in 2020. While this could be a bridge to another deal, the 49ers have their slot man under contract at a bargain rate for the time being.

Pro Football Focus graded Williams as the league’s No. 7 overall corner last season, and both he and Richard Sherman (No. 1 on that list) are set to reprise their roles next season. The 49ers also have younger talents Emmanuel Moseley and Ahkello Witherspoon under contract. Williams, 28, signed with the 49ers in 2017 after a tumultuous Browns tenure and has operated as a key defender throughout Kyle Shanahan’s tenure.

The Williams move comes a day after the 49ers exercised fellow 2017 free agent addition Kyle Juszczyk‘s 2020 option. While the 49ers have bigger decisions to make this offseason — most notably involving pass rusher Arik Armstead — they are taking care of some key role players this week.

Seahawks Interested In Yannick Ngakoue?

March 5th, 2020 at 3:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

A year after being part of two tag-and-trade transactions involving edge rushers, the Seahawks may be interested in another such move.

The Seahawks are interested in Yannick Ngakoue, Tony Pauline of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. The Jaguars are expected to use their franchise tag on the veteran defensive end, but Ngakoue has let it be known he is no longer interested in signing a long-term deal to stay in Jacksonville.

While Ngakoue is set to be tagged, he profiles as a tag-and-trade candidate. Last year, the Seahawks franchised Frank Clark and traded him to the Chiefs before acquiring Texans franchise player Jadeveon Clowney via August trade. Seattle remains interested in extending Clowney before he becomes a free agent March 18 but may not be willing to make a major bid to retain the pass rusher. The former No. 1 overall pick is predictably receiving extensive interest as he prepares to be a first-time UFA.

It cost the Chiefs first- and second-round picks to acquire Clark, a zero-time Pro Bowler in Seattle who registered 35 sacks in his four Seahawk seasons, and a third-rounder last April. Ngakoue has one Pro Bowl on his resume, in 2017, and has 37.5 sacks through four seasons. Because of the Clark trade, Seattle holds two second-round picks this year.

Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell has accumulated 10 draft picks this year, two coming from the Jalen Ramsey and A.J. Bouye trades. He expressed interest in acquiring more, per John Reid of the Florida Times-Union. Jacksonville’s eighth-year GM said earlier this year keeping Ngakoue was his top offseason priority, but with Ngakoue the second Jags 2016 draftee to inform the franchise he wants out in the past six months, will the franchise begin tag-and-trade negotiations?

Eagles Hire Marty Mornhinweg

March 5th, 2020 at 2:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marty Mornhinweg will return to Philadelphia, this time as a member of Doug Pederson‘s staff. The ex-Eagles assistant will come back and serve as a senior offensive consultant, Tim McManus of ESPN.com tweets. The Eagles announced the move.

Previously the Ravens’ OC, Mornhinweg spent 10 years in Philadelphia under Andy Reid (2003-12) and coached in the NFL from 1995-2018. He did not coach in the league last season but is set for a return.

Mornhinweg’s longest NFL stint came as Eagles offensive coordinator from 2006-12. He later became OC for the Jets (2013-14) and Ravens (2016-18). The 57-year-old assistant will join an Eagles team that fired offensive coordinator Mike Groh and did not replace him. While Pederson will call plays next season, he will now have a veteran assistant and ex-play-caller on his staff. Mornhinweg joins Rich Scangarello as former OCs on Pederson’s staff.

The Ravens opted to replace Mornhinweg with Greg Roman last year, and their Lamar Jackson-fueled offense was historically dominant. But Mornhinweg oversaw the Ravens’ midseason pivot to a run-heavy Jackson offense in 2018, helping the team win the AFC North after missing out on home playoff games from 2013-17.

Mornhinweg entered the NFL as an assistant for teams using West Coast offenses, spending time with the Packers and 49ers in the 1990s. He and Pederson have a history at multiple stops, with Mornhinweg coaching Green Bay quarterbacks in 1996 — when Pederson was Brett Favre‘s backup — and the two coaches being on Reid’s staff together from 2009-12.

Mornhinweg’s time as Lions head coach (2001-02) did not go well, with the Lions beginning their lengthy 2000s swoon under his watch. But Mornhinweg revived his career in Philly and will now have a chance to do so again.

Melvin Gordon To Test Free Agency

March 5th, 2020 at 1:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Melvin Gordon said as recently as late January he wanted to stay with the Chargers, it appears he will hit free agency. The expectation is the running back will be allowed to test the market, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.

This does not exactly come as a big surprise, given Gordon’s history with the Bolts. The 2015 first-round pick held out into last season, and the Chargers broke off negotiations until 2020. Talks certainly do not appear to have gone in a positive direction, and the two-time Pro Bowler will be one of the bigger names on the market.

However, Gordon’s free agency trip comes at potentially bad time. Deals for the likes of David Johnson, Todd Gurley and Le’Veon Bell have not worked out for the respective teams. With the running back market in a stagnant place before those contracts were authorized, and the draft set to produce more cheap labor, it is not a great time to be a free agent at this position.

Gordon has averaged fewer than five yards per carry in four of his five seasons, and last year, current RFA Austin Ekeler outplayed him in the Bolts backfield. Gordon, though, totaled at least 1,375 yards from scrimmage from 2016-18 and scored 12 touchdowns in each of those seasons. He will generate interest. This proposed CBA could produce major salary cap spikes over the next few years, possibly enticing a running back-needy team to offer a nice contract come March.

Jets Want To Bring Back G Alex Lewis

March 5th, 2020 at 1:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

While the Jets are targeting several new starters up front, they want to retain at least one blocker who started for the 2019 team.

The Jets are looking to re-sign Alex Lewis, according to Adam Caplan of InsidetheBirds.com. New Jets GM Joe Douglas traded for Lewis in early August of last year, and after Kelechi Osemele‘s injury, the newly acquired guard stepped into the starting lineup. Lewis started 12 games for the Jets last season, becoming one of the few constants up front.

Gang Green faces the unusual prospect of its five Week 1 starters from last year — Kelvin Beachum, Osemele, Ryan Kalil, Brian Winters and Brandon Shell — not being on the 2020 team. Winters is under contract but looms as a release candidate, with a cut saving the Jets $7.3MM. Winters could stay via pay cut, but the Jets are set for a major overhaul up front nonetheless.

The Jets were rumored to be high on a second Lewis contract, despite the Ravens previously set to cut the then-fourth-year player during training camp. Lewis met the necessary conditions that will send a 2020 seventh-round pick to Baltimore, Caplan adds. The former fourth-round Ravens pick graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 57 overall guard last season.

Redskins Offered Steve Wilks Staff Role

March 5th, 2020 at 12:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

After six years with the Panthers, Steve Wilks went through one-year stints with the Cardinals and Browns the past two seasons. The Browns made him a finalist for their 2020 defensive coordinator job but opted not to retain him for a second season, going with Joe Woods instead.

Wilks does not intend to coach this year, Joe Person of The Athletic notes (subscription required), but he had at least one opportunity with a former coworker and perhaps two.

Ron Rivera offered Wilks the Redskins’ assistant HC/secondary job, Person adds, also noting Wilks met with Dave Gettleman about a Giants role. Gettleman and Wilks worked together for five years in Carolina. Washington then went with Chris Harris, who spent the past four seasons as the Chargers’ assistant DBs coach, to lead its secondary.

Wilks, 50, has coached in the NFL for 14 straight seasons. He joined Rivera’s Panthers staff in 2012 and finished that tenure as Carolina’s defensive coordinator in 2017. Wilks was a college assistant from 1995-2005. But the former head coach will wait until the 2021 hiring period to get back in the game. The Cardinals are still paying Wilks, having signed him to a four-year deal in 2018 before firing him after that season.

ESPN Interested In Philip Rivers

March 5th, 2020 at 11:59am CST by Sam Robinson

With Tony Romo signing a monster extension to stay at CBS, ESPN is moving to other options for its latest attempt to change its Monday Night Football broadcast crew. This attempt may interfere with teams’ free agency plans.

In addition to attempting to lure Peyton Manning to the booth again, ESPN is interested in Philip Rivers, according to Andrew Marchand of the New York Post.

It’s unclear if Rivers is a backup plan to Manning, whom networks have long coveted as an analyst. But Rivers, 38, has generated interest as a player — namely from the Colts and Buccaneers — and has said he would like to play at least two more years. However, Rivers is also reportedly still considering retirement. This would be an interesting landing spot for the 16-year veteran.

ESPN’s ideal scenario is a Manning-Al Michaels booth, per Marchand. After Romo signed for more than $18MM per year at CBS — doubling any previous NFL announcer’s salary — that would be an expensive proposition. Michaels remains under contract with NBC, where he’s been since 2006. Manning has turned the network down previously and has opted not to make a full-fledged foray into broadcasting since his March 2016 retirement. ESPN currently uses a Joe Tessitore-Booger McFarland team but is plotting a potential Michaels trade — an unusual transaction that could make an impact on the actual NFL offseason — to upgrade its booth.

Networks have coveted active players in recent years, and both Jason Witten and Jay Cutler retired to accept announcing positions. However, both returned to the field, Cutler doing so that same year after Ryan Tannehill‘s injury. Greg Olsen recently turned down a Fox offer to sign with the Seahawks.

Mutual interest is believed to exist between the Colts and Rivers, and the Bucs may have the longtime Charger passer ahead of Jameis Winston on their offseason wish list. The Redskins have also expressed interest. So, this has become quite the complicated offseason for Rivers, whose mic’d-up sessions have been known to feature entertaining dialogue.