2020 March - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On NFL Substance-Abuse Policy

March 5th, 2020 at 11:27am CST by Sam Robinson

If the proposed CBA is ratified, the NFL will no longer suspend players for positive tests for marijuana or other substances of abuse. While this CBA includes a harsher PED policy, the new substance-abuse standards will focus more on treatment.

One positive drug test will not equal a penalty, instead only moving players to stage two of the substance-abuse program, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Fines will commence beginning with a second positive test, ranging from one game check (for two positive tests) to three (for four positive tests).

Players not in the drug program will only be tested for non-marijuana substances of abuse once between April 20 and August 9 each year, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. This CBA would slash marijuana testing from this April-August window to a two-week period, with weed suspensions being virtually eliminated.

Players will only be suspended for not cooperating with the testing procedure or the clinical care that comes in stage two of the program, and even that will take some doing. Only for a fourth violation of this nature would bring a suspension of three games. For a player to be suspended for a season, it would take seven violations of the testing procedure or clinical care.

Season-long bans, or substance-abuse suspensions of any kind, will become quite difficult to earn. However, the players already suspended for substance abuse under the 2011 CBA may fall into a gray area. It is not yet clear if the likes of Josh Gordon, Randy Gregory or Martavis Bryant would have their statuses cleared up and be permitted to return to the league. Even Justin Blackmon and Daryl Washington — who saw PED bans lead to years away from the game — would fall into this category.

But the proposed CBA all but removing substance-abuse suspensions opens the door to past violators being given green lights to return to action. Having missed all of the 2017 and ’19 seasons because of substance abuse, Gregory wants to play in 2020.

Latest On Tom Brady, Patriots

March 5th, 2020 at 10:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Bill Belichick and Tom Brady finally spoke about the future Hall of Fame quarterback’s contract. While the precise tone of these talks is in dispute, the sides do not appear close to a resolution that will keep the greatest player in Patriots history in New England.

While Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports the Belichick-Brady conversation was “business as usual” (Twitter link), NBC Sports Boston’s Tom Curran and the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian report the discussion did not go particularly well.

Brady’s contract expires March 18, and while it should not be ruled out the 42-year-old passer will return for a 21st Patriots season, the latest developments point to a better-than-expected chance he will depart. And the market for the all-time great may now include a fourth of the league.

As many as eight teams are “monitoring Brady’s free agency,” per ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington, who adds that octet has varying degrees of interest in the Patriots quarterback. Among those, Darlington (via NBC Sports Boston) believes four would sign Brady “right now.” Identifying multiple teams who would do this is not especially difficult. Getting to four is tougher but doable.

Brady has been connected to the Chargers, Raiders, Titans, Colts, Giants, Dolphins, Buccaneers and now 49ers. Three of those teams — the Colts, Dolphins and Giants — are not expected to be real contenders. But the Titans, Bucs and the California teams have not been ruled out.

The Raiders have been not-so-secretly sought a Derek Carr upgrade since Jon Gruden‘s return, and the Chargers’ pursuit of one of the NFL’s most popular players makes sense from that particular organization’s perspective. Bruce Arians said he would consider signing Brady, while the Titans are run by an ex-Patriots exec (Jon Robinson) and ex-Brady teammate (Mike Vrabel). While a 49ers fit would be perhaps the strangest, given their employment of longtime Brady backup Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady is a northern California native.

With free agency still 13 days away, the Brady rumors — and talks of potential replacements for the Patriots — figure to heat up in that span.

Eagles LT Jason Peters Set To Hit Market

March 5th, 2020 at 9:08am CST by Sam Robinson

Jason Peters is not planning to retire, and the veteran left tackle will have a chance to hit the market. The Eagles are not expected to reach an extension agreement with their 11-year left tackle before the start of free agency, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

The Eagles are believed to be split on bringing back to the 38-year-old blocker, but Doug Pederson would welcome the likely Hall of Famer back in Philadelphia for another season. The Eagles and Peters remain in contact, per a team announcement. If the parties cannot agree to an extension before March 16, when the tampering period opens, outside interest will come Peters’ way.

After a down 2018 season, and an injury-marred 2017 slate, Peters rebounded in 2019. Pro Football Focus rated the 16-year veteran as its No. 6 overall tackle. Peters is the only Eagles offensive line starter not locked up long-term. The team used its 2019 first-round pick to select his heir apparent, in Andre Dillard, and extended the rest of its high-end offensive line last year.

This market technically features some interesting names at left tackle. However, Anthony Castonzo is expected to return to the Colts, and Sean McVay anticipates Andrew Whitworth returning to the Rams. The Cardinals recently extended would-be free agent D.J. Humphries.

The Eagles acquired Peters during the 2009 offseason, and he’s been the team’s left tackle since the Donovan McNabb era. The Bills dealt Peters after back-to-back Pro Bowl slates. He’s now sitting on nine Pro Bowl seasons and two first-team All-Pro honors. The Bills gave Peters his first extension, in 2006, but the former UDFA outplayed it and did not land a new deal until the Eagles trade. The Eagles extended Peters in 2009, 2014 and ’17. But it is now uncertain if one last Philly re-up is coming.

Rams Not Expected To Use Franchise Tag

March 5th, 2020 at 8:54am CST by Sam Robinson

Multiple key Rams will be free agents March 18, and unless extension agreements commence by the start of the tampering period (March 16), they will hit the market. The Rams are not expected to use their franchise tag, GM Les Snead said (via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com, on Twitter).

While the ninth-year GM did not eliminate the tag as a possibility, the Rams’ major salary commitments always pointed to the team proceeding without applying tags. That makes for a less complicated offseason, factoring in the CBA’s impact on the tag process, but opens the door to multiple key defenders departing in free agency.

Dante Fowler, Michael Brockers and Cory Littleton are UFAs-to-be. Andrew Whitworth is as well, but Sean McVay expects the Pro Bowl left tackle to re-sign. It’s looking like all will be available when the new league year begins. The Rams are set to hold less than $15MM in cap space.

Los Angeles lost key role players last year, with Rodger Saffold, Lamarcus Joyner and Ndamukong Suh among those that departed after Super Bowl LIII. Another exodus may well take place.

Fowler, in particular, stands to receive major interest. The Ravens, Jaguars and Steelers are set to tag Matt Judon, Yannick Ngakoue and Bud Dupree, respectively, thus thinning out the edge rusher market. This will benefit the pass rushers that do make it to free agency. Fowler re-signed with the Rams on a one-year, $12MM contract just before 2019’s free agency period. He can expect a 2020 raise — likely from another team.

CBA Vote To Commence By March 12

March 5th, 2020 at 8:24am CST by Sam Robinson

A timeline for the CBA proposal’s passage emerged early Thursday morning. After lawyers for the NFL and NFLPA worked on finalizing language until 1:30am CT, the CBA proposal will officially be distributed to the full union body, Albert Breer of SI.com reports (on Twitter).

The ballots went out at 8am Thursday, and players will have almost exactly one week to vote on the measure. Votes are due at 10:59pm CT March 12 — just less than six days before the start of the 2020 league year. This CBA proposal is 456 pages long, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, players and agents received term sheets in advance.

If more than 50% of the players vote yes, the CBA passes. The NFLPA’s board approved the agreement, by a 17-14-1 vote, on Feb. 26. The union’s executive director, DeMaurice Smith, expects it to pass.

While the proposal includes numerous changes, the main component will be the season length. If the majority of players vote yes, a 17-game season will become reality. The league could shift to 17 games as soon as the 2021 season.

March 12 is also the final day teams can apply franchise or transition tags. As of now, teams are still allowed to use both tags. Should the 2011 CBA remain in place for the 2020 season, teams can use both tags. But should the CBA pass, teams that used both must rescind one of the tags. The NFL already moved the tag deadline back two days, but Pelissero adds (via Twitter) the league is not expected to move the date again. So teams with multiple marquee free agents will operate with a degree of uncertainty regarding how to proceed with tags.

The current CBA, which took effect in July 2011, runs through March 2021. This one would go through 2030. If players do not approve it, the likelihood of a 2021 work stoppage increases.

Broncos Not Expected To Pick Up Ronald Leary’s Option

March 4th, 2020 at 9:55pm CST by Ben Levine

Ronald Leary is expected to hit the open market. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos aren’t expected to pick up the option on the offensive guard.

The 2012 undrafted rookie out of Memphis spent the first five seasons of his career with the Cowboys, starting 31 games between the 2013 and 2014 seasons. He was limited to only 17 games (16 starts) combined in 2015 and 2016, but he still managed to earn a four-year, $36MM deal ($20MM guaranteed) from the Broncos in 2017.

While Leary has started each of his 23 games during his Broncos career, he’s never surpassed 12 games played in a single season. This includes a 2018 season that was limited to only six games thanks to a torn Achilles.

Leary was set to count towards $10MM against the cap in 2020. We previously learned that the Broncos were picking up the options for kicker Brandon McManus and linebacker Todd Davis.

Rams HC, GM Discuss Offseason

March 4th, 2020 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

It’s been a busy 24 months for the Rams, and it’ll all culminate with a crucial 2020 offseason.

They’ve handed out a number of high-priced extensions to quarterback Jared Goff, defensive lineman Aaron Donald, and others, leading to only $21MM in cap space this year. The organization also traded their 2020 and 2012 first-rounders for Jalen Ramsey, leaving the team with reduced draft capital.

Plus, the organization is staring at a long list of impending unrestricted free agents. In other words, the Rams could look a bit different next season.

Head coach Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead spoke to ESPN’s Lindsey Thiry about some of their critical offseason decisions. The entire article is worth a read, but we snagged some of the notable soundbites below:

On if the front office has engaged in any trade talks:

McVay: “Usually, Aaron Donald is off the table. I think, to answer your question, I think you kind of know who are the guys that there’s not something that would be worth it, but those are ongoing conversations and I think we’re always open to being able to explore things that can upgrade us as a team.

“What we have done a nice job of is identifying those foundational pieces to try to build around.”

Snead: “This time of year, it is interesting. You get calls on a lot of players. There’s a new era, in that somebody may call and ask about your best player, which in the past, I don’t know that phone call would be made. … But usually the answer is ‘No.'”

On free agent left tackle Andrew Whitworth‘s potential return:

McVay: “We’re pretty confident. He still played a really high level last year. His impact isn’t exclusive to just playing the left tackle position.”

On free agent kicker Greg Zuerlein:

McVay: “He’s done so many things and he’s a great kicker and I think those established veterans are so important, especially when every time he takes the field, there’s points at stake, unless he’s kicking off. But we want to make sure we’re evaluating the guys in the draft and then we’re going to have free agency.”

On potential extensions for receiver Cooper Kupp and safety John Johnson:

Snead: “The goal would be, let’s say guys like those two, if we do want them to get back, it would be great to have that box checked. What we have to do now is, because we have, I call it more urgent guys whose contracts actually expire, get through that process first and then move on to — I don’t want to call them less urgent — but less urgent than the players whose contracts are expiring.”

On potentially franchising free agent linebackers Dante Fowler or Cory Littleton:

Snead: “All options are on the table.”

Panthers To Sign Chris Smith

March 4th, 2020 at 6:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have agreed to sign defensive lineman Chris Smith, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). It’s a one-year deal that will allow Smith to stay local as he returns to football.

Smith was away from the game in 2019 after the tragic death of his girlfriend. Recently, Smith’s camp reached out to teams to let them know that he was ready to make his NFL return. The Arkansas product met with the Panthers on Tuesday and the Bengals on Wednesday, but ultimately circled back to Charlotte to sign his deal. The 28-year-old hails from North Carolina.

The former fifth-rounder spent the first three seasons of his career with the Jaguars before moving on to the Bengals in 2017. In Cincy, he appeared in a career-high 16 games and compiled 26 tackles and three sacks, earning him a three-year contract with the Browns. He appeared in 16 games for the Browns during the 2018 season, but he was limited to only nine games this past year.

It’s already been a busy day for the Panthers. Earlier, the team made a trade with the Chargers that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to Los Angeles.

Chargers, Panthers Agree To Okung/Turner Swap

March 4th, 2020 at 6:01pm CST by Zachary Links

6:01pm: Turner wants a new contract, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. It remains to be seen whether the Chargers would be willing to give him a deal that reflects the current guard market.

4:44pm: The Chargers and Panthers have reached tentative agreement on a trade that would send tackle Russell Okung to Carolina and guard Trai Turner to L.A., according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). It’s a swap of two big-time and big-bodied offensive lineman that addresses areas of need for both teams.

The deal is not yet official, but it sounds like the core pieces are in place. Once the new league year begins on March 18, the deal can be finalized.

The Panthers started shopping Turner earlier this month and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’s got two years to go on his four-year, $45MM pact, but the Chargers are happy to pick up what’s left of the tab. The contract is not cheap by any stretch, but the guard market has rapidly advanced to the point where interior enforcers are getting ~$15MM year.

Turner, who has made the Pro Bowl for the last five years, has 84 career games and 80 NFL starts to his credit. Last year, he graded out as the No. 31 ranked guard in the league, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. In 2015 – his coming-out party – he positioned as one of the game’s very best.

Okung was skeptical of his future with the Chargers and vocal about his complaints against the team. His L.A. tenure has been a bit of a mixed bag. In Year One, Okung earned Pro Bowl honors. Unfortunately, he lost much of last season due to blood clots in his lungs and a painful groin injury. All in all, he appeared in just six games for the Chargers.

No one expected Okung to fetch a ton on the trade block – he has one year left on his four-year, $53MM deal and the Bolts seemed likely to cut ties. His contract calls for a sizable $16.7MM cap hit; the Chargers had an escape hatch, however, that would have left them with just $3.5MM on the books.

The Chargers already have more than $50MM in available cap room and shedding Okung’s deal would push them into $60MM+ territory. They can direct those funds towards finding Philip Rivers‘ replacement or stick with Tyrod Taylor as their starter and spread the funds all around.

Okung, who is also looking to lead the NFLPA’s charge in CBA discussions, would probably be happy to rejoin offensive line coach Pat Meyer.

Packers Unlikely To Keep Jimmy Graham

March 4th, 2020 at 5:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Tight end Jimmy Graham plans to continue playing, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be back with the Packers in 2020. The Packers plan to move on from him and the final part of his three-year, $30MM deal, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

As of this writing, Graham is the league’s highest-paid tight end on a per-year basis. And, as of this writing, he’s set to count for an $11.6MM cap figure. The Packers, in all likelihood, will terminate the deal in order to save $8MM against $3.6MM in dead money. A trade may also be possible, though Graham is well past his best years.

Across ten campaigns with the Saints, Seahawks, and Packers, Graham went to the Pro Bowl five times. In 2013, he was also a First-Team All-Pro as he led the league with 16 touchdown catches.

Last year, Graham stayed healthy – it was his fourth-straight season with 16 games played – but he wasn’t able to play up to his contract. After he registered just 38 catches for 447 yards and three scores, the Packers are ready to move on.