HEADLINES

Month: June 2021

Titans Restructure Ryan Tannehill’s Deal

June 8th, 2021 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

Ryan Tannehill has restructured his deal in order to welcome Julio Jones to Nashville (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). The simple revision will provide the Titans with upwards of $15MM in cap space, allowing them to fit Jones’ $15.3M salary for 2021.

[RELATED: Titans GM Jon Robinson On Julio Jones Trade]

This was the expected move after Sunday’s trade hit the wire. In effect, everything will basically remain the same on Tannehill’s end. The quarterback is still signed through 2023, thanks to the four-year, $118MM extension he signed in 2020. The only real difference is that his $29.5MM cap hit will be reduced for 2021, with the balance being pushed into 2022. Next year’s cap increase should allow the Titans to take that in stride, though they can kick the can down the road again in ’22 by converting a chunk of those dollars into a signing bonus.

Ultimately, it was an easy call for Tannehill. Now, he’ll have a dynamic 1-2 punch at wide receiver with Jones lining up opposite of A.J. Brown. Meanwhile, the Titans still have ammo to build for the future — instead of a first-round pick, the Titans coughed up little more than a 2022 second-round choice.

Ravens To Sign Michael Schofield

June 8th, 2021 at 10:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have signed Michael Schofield, per a club announcement. Terms of the deal were not disclosed, but it’s expected to be a one-year arrangement for the veteran guard. 

Schofield, 30, has 87 career games to his credit, including 69 starts. He first entered the league as a third-round pick of the Broncos in 2014. The next year he started at right guard on their Super Bowl winning team. He later moved on to the rival Chargers, spending time at right tackle in addition to his interior work. His most recent stop was in Carolina, where he suited up for eleven games before his release earlier this year.

Schofield missed a good chunk of 2020 due to time spent on the COVID-19/reserve list. In his 270 snaps, he allowed four sacks and drew three penalty flags.

Now, the 6-foot-6 Schofield will try to make his mark in Baltimore. Given his size and ability to play multiple spots on the offensive line, he should have a decent chance of making the final cut.

Jim Fassel Dies At 71

June 8th, 2021 at 8:23am CST by Zachary Links

Jim Fassel has died of a heart attack at the age of 71 (via the Los Angeles Times). Fassel coached in the NFL from 1991 through 2006 and is known best for his time with the Giants.

Fassel broke into the pro ranks with the Giants and became one of three head coaches in franchise history to lead the team to a Super Bowl. In 1997, his first year as the Giants’ head coach, Fassel was named the NFL’s Coach of the Year. From 97 through ’03, Fassel guided the Giants to three playoff appearances. All in all, Fassel went 58-53-1 as the Giants’ HC.

After his first Giants stint, Fassel served as the Broncos’ offensive coordinator (1993-1994), Raiders’ quarterbacks coach (1995) and Cardinals’ OC (1996). Then, after his six-year run as the Giants’ head coach, he spent three years with the Ravens, including two as their OC. Fassel’s last coaching position was with the Las Vegas Locomotives of the United Football League. The UFL ceased in 2012, but Fassel continued to live in Vegas throughout his golden years.

Although Fassel fell short of a ring during his six-year tenure as head coach, he’ll be fondly remembered for igniting the 2000 Giants in the face of critics.

“This is a poker game, and I’m shoving my chips to the middle of the table,” Fassel told reporters in November of that year. “I’m raising the ante, and anybody who wants in, get in. Anybody who wants out can get out.”

Broncos Sign LB Peter Kalambayi

June 7th, 2021 at 9:53pm CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos added linebacker Peter Kalambayi today, the team announced. To make room on the roster, the Broncos waived defensive back Chris Cooper.

Kalambayi, a 2018 sixth-round pick out of Stanford, ended up seeing time in 41 games for the Texans between 2018 and 2020. He had 31 combined tackles during his rookie and sophomore seasons, and while he saw the majority of his field time on special teams, he still played 122 defensive snaps during those two campaigns. The linebacker saw a lesser role on defense in 2020, appearing in only 10 snaps. As a result, Kalambayi was limited to only a pair of tackles.

The 25-year-old was waived by Houston back in February. He’ll compete with the likes of Pita Taumoepenu and seventh-round rookie Jonathon Cooper for a role as a weakside linebacker and special teamer.

Cooper, a former undrafted free agent out of Stony Brook, has yet to see time in an NFL game. He’s had stints on the practice squads of the Bengals, Chiefs, Falcons, and Broncos.

WFT Signs DT Gabe Wright, OL Najee Toran

June 7th, 2021 at 9:18pm CST by Ben Levine

WFT added players on both sides of the ball today. Washington announced that they’ve signed both defensive tackle Gabe Wright and offensive lineman Najee Toran.

Wright has bounced around the NFL since being selected in the fourth round of the 2015 draft, spending time with six different teams. The last time he saw the field for an NFL game was 2018 when he got into a pair of contests with the Raiders. Since that time, he’s had a cameo in the XFL and a short stint with the Jaguars. After joining Jacksonville’s practice squad in December, he was waived by the team back in March.

In total, the 29-year-old has seen time in 15 games (one start), collecting 12 tackles and two tackles for loss. This could very well be Wright’s last chance at an NFL gig, and there’s a chance he sticks around the roster as defensive line depth.

Toran, 25, went undrafted out of UCLA in 2018. He spent most of his rookie and sophomore seasons on the 49ers and Patriots practice squads (respectively), and after sitting out the 2020 campaign, he was waived by New England in May.

49ers Cut CB Briean Boddy-Calhoun

June 7th, 2021 at 7:46pm CST by Ben Levine

After adding one defensive back earlier today, the 49ers are letting go of another. San Francisco has waived cornerback Briean Boddy-Calhoun, reports Cam Inman of The Mercury News (via Twitter).

[RELATED: 49ers To Sign Tony Jefferson]

Boddy-Calhoun joined the 49ers practice squad last December, and he ended up appearing on 16 special teams snaps in Week 14. He re-signed with the organization back in March, but the addition of Tony Jefferson (along with the selection of third-round rookie Ambry Thomas) made Boddy-Calhoun expendable.

The 28-year-old cornerback has spent time with five organizations during his five-year career, including the Jaguars, Browns, Texans, Colts, and 49ers. He appeared in 43 games (21 starts) for Cleveland between the 2016 and 2018 seasons, collecting 138 tackles, three interceptions, and 19 passes defended. He’s appeared in only four games since leaving the Browns in 2019.

With Boddy-Calhoun out of the picture, the likes of Ken Webster, Mark Fields II, and Tim Harris will have an increased chance of making the roster.

Aaron Rodgers Expected To Skip Minicamp

June 7th, 2021 at 5:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

None of the Packers’ offseason overtures to Aaron Rodgers have swayed the reigning MVP. He is not expected to attend the team’s minicamp this week, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

This certainly is not a surprise, and fines for Rodgers will not eclipse $100K. The Packers have discussed classifying Rodgers’ minicamp absence as excused, which would waive the five-figure fine he would otherwise incur. Rodgers has already passed up a chance to collect a $500K workout bonus, making a fine in the $93K range rather paltry. The Packers begin their three-day minicamp Tuesday.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback has told teammates he no longer wants to play for the Packers. While this standoff became known just before the draft, Rodgers has been unhappy with the team throughout the offseason. Packers president Mark Murphy, GM Brian Gutekunst and HC Matt LaFleur each made multiple plane trips to meet with Rodgers — in an effort to diffuse this situation and steer back to Green Bay — but the 13-year Packers QB1 has not budged.

Although the Packers drafted Jordan Love in 2020, Rodgers remains Green Bay’s no-doubt preference to start in 2021. He has said on multiple occasions this offseason his 2020 MVP season threw a wrench into the Packers’ QB plans. Rodgers said last year the Love pick likely made it unrealistic he would finish his career with the Packers. As Rodgers’ quest to exit Green Bay enters the summer, this minicamp will be the first mandatory Packers activity he will have skipped.

The June 1 date, after which Rodgers’ contract can be more easily moved, has not seemed to affect this stalemate. Gutekunst remains entrenched on his no-trade stance, and his strong-willed quarterback has not moved off his desire to leave. Rodgers’ statement during his late-May interview with Kenny Mayne pointed to discontent with Gutekunst and Murphy, citing philosophical differences, and the team president said recently this saga has divided the team’s fan base.

The Packers still appear confident Rodgers will back down, with a recent report indicating they would trade the 17th-year veteran if they were truly convinced he is set on never playing for the team again. A lucrative trade package — from the Broncos or perhaps a stealth AFC suitor — would certainly come Green Bay’s way in this event. For the time being, however, the standoff persists. Love will have a chance to work with the first-string receivers, who plan to show for minicamp after skipping OTAs, beginning Tuesday. Should Rodgers stick to his guns and wage a training camp holdout, this week would provide a preview for how the Packers’ offense will look come late July.

Nick Saban Signs Alabama Extension

June 7th, 2021 at 5:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Saban has been off the NFL radar for a bit now, and coming off yet another national championship, the Alabama head coach does not look likely to resurface in the pros in the near future.

Soon set to begin his 15th season as the Crimson Tide’s head coach, Saban agreed to an extension to stay in Tuscaloosa on Monday. The deal runs through the 2028 season. The 69-year-old HC is set to make $8.43MM this season, according to ESPN.com’s Chris Low, who adds Saban’s salaries will climb to $10MM per year over the life of the contract. Although college coaches frequently break contracts to venture into the NFL, Saban’s situation certainly does not point to him taking that path again.

Alabama is coming off its sixth national championship under Saban, whose team routed Ohio State despite Jaylen Waddle playing through a major injury and Heisman-winning teammate DeVonta Smith missing much of the game due to injury. Saban has now won seven national titles as a coach, with the previous championship — in 2003 — coming at LSU.

The ’03 Tigers’ title led to Saban trying his hand in the NFL. His Dolphins run (15-17) did not go especially well, and Alabama provided a prime landing spot. Saban popped up on the NFL radar in connection to the Giants’ 2018 vacancy, but he pushed back on any interest in the job (which eventually went to Pat Shurmur) shortly after a Bruce Arians-started rumor emerged.

Prior to his mid-2000s Dolphins tenure, Saban coached for two then-AFC Central teams in the 1980s and ’90s. He worked under Jerry Glanville as Oilers defensive backs coach for two seasons and more famously resided as Bill Belichick‘s defensive coordinator from 1991-94 with the Browns. It would seemingly take a perfect situation for Saban to return to the league, and Monday’s development makes that possibility more remote.

Lions Sign LB Reggie Gilbert

June 7th, 2021 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Reggie Gilbert will have a chance to return to a regular-season role soon. The Lions signed the veteran pass rusher, according to the team.

A knee injury during Titans training camp last year sidetracked his run with the team, and a waived/injured transaction took place soon after. Gilbert caught on with the Cardinals and Jaguars but did not play in a game with either team.

The Titans traded for Gilbert just ahead of the 2019 season and used him as a spot starter that year. The outside linebacker played a role for a Titans team hurting for edge presences opposite Harold Landry, starting in five games. He recorded 2.5 sacks in 16 games with the Packers in 2018, working as a backup with the NFC North squad from 2017-18. Green Bay loaded up on outside ‘backers in the 2019 offseason, however, and sent Gilbert elsewhere.

Detroit re-signed Romeo Okwara in free agency this year but went most of last season without Trey Flowers on the field. Flowers is set to return, and the Lions have 2020 third-round pick Julian Okwara in the mix as well. The Lions are moving to a 3-4 defense this year; Gilbert’s game action has come exclusively for teams who have used that scheme. The 28-year-old defender will now vie for a Detroit depth role.

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