HEADLINES

Month: March 2022

NFC Coaching Notes: 49ers, Buccaneers, Falcons

March 1st, 2022 at 10:01pm CST by Ben Levine

After getting canned as Jaguars special teams coordinator, Nick Sorensen has found a new gig in San Francisco. The veteran coach will join the 49ers staff as a defensive assistant, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com. Prior to his one-year stint on the Jaguars coaching staff, Sorensen had a stint with the Seahawks as their special teams assistant and assistant secondary coach.

The 49ers are also hiring Stephen Adegoke as a defensive quality control coach (per Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com). Adegoke last served as a graduate assistant on the University of Michigan’s staff.

Meanwhile, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area reports that veteran running backs coach Bobby Turner is stepping away from his role with the 49ers, although the 72-year-old isn’t necessarily retiring. Turner has been a RBs coach in the NFL since 1995, and he’s been with the 49ers since 2017. Former Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who joined the 49ers as assistant head coach, is expected to work closely with the running backs.

More coaching notes out of the NFC…

  • The Buccaneers announced that Larry Foote will move from outside linebackers coach to inside linebackers coach (via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter). Veteran assistant Bob Sanders, who worked with head coach Bruce Arians in Arizona, will be taking over as OLBs coach. Auman also tweets that the Buccaneers hired two new quality control coaches in Jeff Kastl (offense) and Joey Fitzgerald (defense).
  • The Commandeers announced today that they’ve promoted four coaches (via Williams): Todd Storm (offensive quality control coach to assistant tight ends coach), Luke Del Rio (offensive quality control coach to assistant quarterbacks coach/offensive quality control), Vincent Rivera (defensive quality control to assistant linebackers coach/defensive quality control), and Cristian Garcia (coaching intern to defensive quality control coach).
  • The Falcons are hiring Steven King as a special teams assistant, according to ESPN’s Michael Rothstein (via Twitter). King served as the Tar Heels special teams quality control coach in 2021. He’ll report to Falcons special teams coordinator Marquice Williams.
  • Mark DeLeone is out as the Lions inside linebackers coach, reports Tim Twentyman of the team’s website (on Twitter). Kelvin Sheppard, who spent last season as outside linebackers coach, will move to inside linebackers coach. Meanwhile, following the promotion of Ben Johnson to offensive coordinator, Tanner Engstrand will be the Lions new tight ends coach.
  • Ramsen Golpashin, who recently served as an offensive line and defensive line analyst with UCLA, will join the Packers staff as an offensive quality control coach, per Bruce Feldman of The Athletic (on Twitter). Golpashin has also become a hot name on the draft circuit, working with top linemen prospects like Ickey Ekwonu and Aidan Hutchinson.

Texans Open To Re-Signing S Justin Reid

March 1st, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Ben Levine

After starting 53 games for the Texans over the past four seasons, Justin Reid is set to hit free agency for the first time in his career. If the Texans have their way, they’ll re-sign the 25-year-old safety.

“I’ve talked to his representatives, we’ve had some dialogue,” Texans general manager Nick Caserio said today (via Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com). “I’m certainly open to bringing Justin back. Justin is a good player. He’s well thought of around the league. I know he has a lot of respect for Lovie. He had an opportunity to play in his system. If he has an opportunity to come back here, it’s another year in the same system.

“Free agency is free agency, so the market dictates where players fit and how they fall. We’ll evaluate everything. Justin is a good player and he’s done a lot of good things for the team and in the community so we’ll see how it goes in the next couple of weeks.”

One source told Wilson that Reid is expected to have a “healthy enough market” when he hits free agency, with the Bears, Eagles, and Ravens mentioned as potential suitors. In fact, the league source believed the market for the safety could be so robust that it’d be “financially inadvisable” for the player to stick around Houston. However, the promotion of Lovie Smith could be a “game-changer” when it comes to Reid’s mentality heading into free agency.

The younger brother of Eric Reid, Justin Reid was a third-round pick out of Stanford in 2018. He’s spent his entire four year career with the Texans, snagging seven interceptions and collecting 23 passes defended. This included a 2021 campaign where Reid started all 13 games and collected 66 tackles and two picks.

Jimmy Garoppolo To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

March 1st, 2022 at 8:25pm CST by Adam La Rose

TUESDAY, 8:25pm: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets some additional details on Garoppolo’s impending surgery, noting that the QB will go under the knife “to repair a torn capsule in his throwing shoulder.” Garoppolo won’t throw for 16 weeks but should still be ready for the start of the next season (assuming everything goes as planned).

TUESDAY, 3:48pm: The latest update on Jimmy Garoppolo relates not to teams interested in trading for him, but rather his health status. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran quarterback will undergo shoulder surgery soon (Twitter link). 

[Related: Latest On Trade Market For Garoppolo]

Schefter adds that he is expected to be on the shelf until the summer. However, he also reports that the procedure “is not expected to impact his trade status” and that Garoppolo is still “likely to be traded this month”. One of the most notable aspects of the news is the fact that it is his shoulder being operated on, as a result of an injury suffered during the team’s Wild Card victory.

In a follow-up, Schefter adds that Garoppolo will not need surgery for the thumb injury he had sustained earlier in the year. It had been reported one month ago that the latter ailment was going to require surgery, but that appears to no longer be the case. In any event, this news adds to the already lengthy list of injuries Garoppolo has dealt with in his career, including a shoulder issue back in 2016.

Nevertheless, Schefter reiterates that there is “significant interest” in Garoppolo from “multiple teams”. The 30-year-old went 9-6 in the regular season, and helped lead the team back to the NFC Championship game – the second time the 49ers went that deep during his time there. He has one year remaining on his current contract, at a cap hit of just under $27MM. According to Schefter, he is expected to be able to resume training in late June or early July. What team he is a member of by that time remains to be seen.

John Elway Shifting To Consultant Role With Broncos

March 1st, 2022 at 7:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

John Elway stepped down from his general manager post after the 2020 season but retained a title as the Broncos’ president of football operations. The Hall of Fame quarterback and Super Bowl-winning GM will shift to a new role in 2022.

Elway will serve as an outside consultant to GM George Paton going forward, Mike Klis of 9News notes. Elway signed a five-year extension in 2017, one that made him the NFL’s highest-paid GM at the time, but that deal has now expired.

Late owner Pat Bowlen brought Elway back to the Broncos shortly after the franchise’s ignominious Josh McDaniels stretch, and the team immediately bounced back with five straight AFC West titles and two Super Bowl berths. The team’s fortunes changed after Peyton Manning‘s 2016 retirement, with Elway’s inability to land a successor largely defining his final five seasons as GM. He led the way to hire Paton from the Vikings and will now offer input during the latter’s second offseason leading the front office.

This news comes not long after the Broncos went on the market. Elway, 61, is interested in being part of the team’s next ownership group. Manning has been linked to being part of a separate ownership group.

Franchise Tag In Play For Chris Godwin; Bucs Hope To Re-Sign Ryan Jensen, Alex Cappa

March 1st, 2022 at 7:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Godwin‘s injury damaged the Buccaneers’ hopes of defending their Super Bowl title, and despite several months remaining on the versatile wideout’s rehab timetable, the team is not eager to see him hit the open market.

Bruce Arians said Tuesday the Bucs “really, really want [Godwin] back,” and while the team does not want to use its franchise tag on Godwin again, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that scenario is in play. This would represent a nice pay bump for Godwin, with a second tag being 120% of his 2021 salary. That would come out to just more than $19MM.

Tampa Bay has one more week to negotiate with Godwin before the tag deadline. If the Bucs opt to withhold their tag, they would have six more days of exclusive negotiating rights before the legal tampering period begins March 14. Tampa Bay authored one of the NFL’s signature roster-retention efforts last year, keeping its entire core. That required re-signing a few key players after the market opened. But Godwin was the team’s priority last year. His ACL tear did not diminish his value to the organization, even after Tom Brady‘s retirement.

“Knowing Chris and the way he works – he had a good surgery and those guys are coming back faster and faster now,” Arians said. “I don’t think that’s going to be a problem at all. … Chris is so valuable to what we do.”

Godwin’s injury and Antonio Brown‘s bizarre departure left Brady without a proven inside weapon in the playoffs, helping the Rams take a three-score lead in the divisional round. Despite playing in just 14 games, Godwin still produced his second 1,000-yard season. The Bucs have Mike Evans signed to a $16.5MM-per-year extension. That deal represented a top-market price when signed in 2018, but nine wideouts have since passed it. Godwin would certainly be expected to do so as well, should the Bucs ink him to a long-term extension.

Additionally, Bucs GM Jason Licht said the team is hoping to keep offensive line starters Ryan Jensen and Alex Cappa, Stroud tweets. This certainly makes sense after Ali Marpet‘s surprise retirement Sunday. Jensen resides as the top free agent center, while Cappa is among the top guards set to hit the market. Jensen previously tested free agency and signed a big-ticket Bucs accord in 2018. This would be Cappa’s first time hitting the market.

Jensen will turn 31 in May, but the ex-Raven has been one of the NFL’s most durable players, having not missed a game since the start of the 2017 season. A third-round pick in 2018, Cappa did not miss a regular-season game during Brady’s two Tampa seasons, but he did miss Super Bowl LV after suffering a fractured ankle. Cappa rebounded to play all 19 Bucs games last season. The Bucs hold just more than $11MM in cap room, but space-clearing moves will be on tap — especially if the team needs to enter free agency with another Godwin tag on its payroll.

Buccaneers Uninterested In Allowing Tom Brady To Play Elsewhere In 2022

March 1st, 2022 at 5:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tom Brady unretirement speculation has persisted since he announced his NFL exit, and the quarterback icon remains on the Buccaneers’ roster. The Bucs are interested in Brady returning; they are not open to accommodating any wishes the future Hall of Famer might have about playing elsewhere this season.

Bruce Arians said Tuesday the Bucs would not release Brady or trade him to another team this year, calling such moves “bad business” for his team, via Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Brady is under contract for 2022, due to the Bucs extension he signed last year.

Brady has hinted at a Brett Favre-style return, potentially around the time training camps open. The Packers traded Favre to the Jets for a conditional draft choice after he backtracked on retirement No. 1 in 2008. That pick ended up settling in the 2009 third round. The Jets let Favre sign with the Vikings as a free agent in 2009, following his second retirement. Arians said it would require something outlandish — “five No. 1s, maybe” — for Tampa Bay to entertain trading Brady, who has not requested a trade, Jason Licht said, via the Boston Globe’s Ben Volin.

The Bucs taking this course of action would shelve the 22-year veteran this season. Brady had long hoped to play through at least his age-45 season, and he opened the door to more seasons after the Bucs won Super Bowl LV. Despite bringing its entire core back, Tampa Bay could not advance past the divisional round this season — one that may or may not have featured a significant Brady-Arians disconnect. While Arians attempted to shoot down those rumors, Brady has been connected to unretiring and maneuvering his way to a third team.

As for Brady unretiring and playing for the Bucs, Arians made sure to confirm that door remains open. The team has been connected to big names since Brady’s retirement — from Russell Wilson to Deshaun Watson — but the fourth-year Bucs HC would welcome Brady back.

“That door is never closed,” Arians said. “Whenever Tom wants to come back, he’s back. … If Tom wants to come back, we’ll have plenty of money for him.”

That would take some doing, given the team’s immediate need at quarterback and host of 2021 starters set for free agency. The Bucs have barely $2MM in cap space. By placing Brady on their reserve/retired list after June 1, however, the Bucs can move $24MM of his dead-money charge to 2023. It seems that is where this is headed, for the time being.

Chiefs Expected To Tag Orlando Brown Jr., To Meet With Tyrann Mathieu’s Camp

March 1st, 2022 at 5:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Orlando Brown Jr.‘s quest to become a full-time left tackle led him to Kansas City, and the Chiefs will soon be forced to carve out a sizable portion of their cap space to ensure he stays.

Chiefs GM Brett Veach said the team using its franchise tag on Brown is “likely,” as the team plans to work toward a long-term extension with its left tackle, Herbie Teope of the Kansas City Star tweets. With all offensive line positions grouped together on the tag, Brown’s tag figure is expected to come in just below $17MM. Given the going rate for upper-echelon left tackles, that is not an especially steep price. Tagging Brown would give the Chiefs until mid-July to work out an extension.

[RELATED: Assessing Brown’s Offseason Value]

Having spent two-plus seasons as the Ravens’ right tackle, Brown maneuvered his way to the Chiefs after demanding to play on the left side — where he finished the 2020 season after Ronnie Stanley‘s first major injury. Last season, Brown made his third Pro Bowl and was a central figure in the Chiefs’ O-line overhaul. He will certainly push for an extension north of $20MM per year. Three left tackles — Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil, whose 2020 extension reshaped the position’s market — now earn more than $22MM annually.

Brown’s status clouds Tyrann Mathieu‘s. The Chiefs have been prepared to tag Brown since acquiring him last year, leaving their top secondary piece unsigned. The Chiefs have two more weeks of exclusive negotiating rights with the All-Pro safety before the legal tampering period begins. Veach plans to meet with Mathieu’s agent at the Combine, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com notes. It is far from a guarantee the three-time All-Pro stays in Kansas City.

Mathieu will turn 30 in May, but the nine-year veteran would still generate widespread interest on the open market. The Chiefs signed the versatile defender to a three-year, $42MM deal in March 2019, and he led the way in reshaping a then-bottom-tier defense. Given the deals handed out to Justin Simmons and Jamal Adams last year, Mathieu will be in good shape to score another monster payday soon. No active safety matches Mathieu’s three first-team All-Pro honors.

Sitting $11MM-plus under the cap, the Chiefs will need to continue to make moves to carve out space for a Brown tag and other moves. The team already released four-year linebacker starter Anthony Hitchens and can keep restructuring Patrick Mahomes‘ 10-year contract. The team created $17MM in cap space by restructuring Mahomes’ deal last year.

Cowboys Notes: Cooper, Elliott, Prescott

March 1st, 2022 at 2:51pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Cowboys face the possibility of losing a number of their big-name players on both sides of the ball. The most notable of those – not just in terms of pedigree, but also how much his contract will affect the rest of the team’s offseason plans – is Amari Cooper. Recent comments from executive vice president Stephen Jones won’t be confused with a ringing endorsement of the wideout.

As ESPN’s Todd Archer writes, Jones was non-committal when asked if Cooper would remain with the Cowboys through next season. “It’s too early for me to address that yet… we’re continuing to have conversations”, he said. Questions surrounding the 28-year-old have increased recently, due to structure of his contract. There is no more guaranteed money left on Cooper’s deal, creating the possibility the team could get out of a $22MM cap hit in each of the next three years, while incurring relatively little dead money.

The former fourth overall pick had his least productive full season in Dallas last year. While his numbers (68 catches for 865 yards and eight touchdowns in 15 games) were still noteworthy, they fell short of expectations given his Pro Bowl pedigree, along with his contract. Moving on from Cooper could lead to a substantial overhaul of the Cowboys’ receiving corps, as Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson are each pending free agents, leaving CeeDee Lamb as essentially the only sure thing at the position.

Here are some other Dallas notes, including more remarks from Jones:

  • In contrast to Cooper, Jones spoke with more certainty about Ezekiel Elliott, saying “He’s going to be here, no question. We’re fortunate to have him”. With his money being guaranteed, that confirmation shouldn’t come as much of a surprise, Archer notes, but it is still notable given the fact Elliott played through a knee injury all season. Despite being banged up, he produced 1,289 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns in 2021.
  • On a more general note, Jones suggested the Cowboys won’t treat this offseason as an ‘all-in’ year while sacrificing future cap flexibility. “We could do some things that would allow us to keep most of our guys if we wanted to push it all out, but then we’d have a much bigger problem next year and the year after”, he said (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). The Cowboys are currently projected to be over the cap, with several big-ticket free agents (including Randy Gregory and Dalton Schultz) still to be re-signed.
  • Lastly, head coach Mike McCarthy announced at the Combine that Dak Prescott had surgery on his left (i.e. non-throwing) shoulder at the beginning of the offseason, Field Yates of ESPN tweets. McCarthy has “no concern” about Prescott’s availability for offseason workouts, an encouraging sign given his injury history in Dallas.

Broncos Set To Be Aggressive In QB Pursuit

March 1st, 2022 at 1:01pm CST by Adam La Rose

It’s no secret that the Broncos will be in the market for a new quarterback. In his media availability Tuesday, general manager George Paton confirmed that the team will be active in adding a signal caller (video link via Denver7’s Troy Renck). 

Paton made it clear how open the team is to exploring all options, something which could be made easier by the fact they have 11 picks in the upcoming draft, starting with the ninth selection. When specifically asked about the current QB situation the team is facing, he reiterated that change could soon be coming.

“It’s the most important position in sports, so we’re always looking”, he said, noting the presence of 2019 second rounder Drew Lock on the roster. “But we’re always looking. And we’re [going to leave] no stone unturned to find that guy. We know we need better play out of the quarterback position, so we’re going to be aggressive”. 

Pending free agent Teddy Bridgewater was the team’s starter in 2021 (after winning a training camp competition with Lock), making him the latest in a long line of attempts to find a permanent successor to Peyton Manning. His play, while on par with what the team would’ve expected given his prior stops in the NFL, wasn’t enough to end the team’s playoff drought.

New head coach Nathaniel Hackett is among the reasons Denver has been listed as a potential trade destination for Aaron Rodgers, though Green Bay could still end up being where the reigning MVP plays next year. If not Rodgers, the team could look to acquire a veteran such as Jimmy Garoppolo, or turn to the upcoming draft. On that point, 9News’ Mike Klis tweeted that the team had formal interviews with this year’s QBs on Monday night at the Combine. Given their position in the draft order, Denver could have its pick of the class, which is headlined by the likes of Kenny Pickett, Sam Howell and Malik Willis.

As one of the biggest players in the QB market, the route Denver takes to find someone new under center will dictate much of the rest of the offseason, both in the Mile High City and beyond.

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