HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Buccaneers, Vikings Announce Updates To Front Office, Scouting Departments

June 12th, 2022 at 10:09pm CST by Ely Allen

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht announced a litany of promotions and new titles in the front office and scouting department this weekend, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. Rob McCartney and Mike Biehl have both been granted the role of director of player personnel, promotions from their previous roles of director of pro scouting and director of college scouting, respectively. They’ll likely continue to focus on those areas of scouting, but with additional responsibilities added, as well.

Byron Kiefer has been promoted from senior national scout to assistant director of college scouting, Antwan Murray and Tony Hardie have both been promoted from area scouts to national scouts, and Shannon Hogue has been promoted from scouting assistant to scouting analyst. Cesar Rivera and Brian McLaughlin have both been made college scouts, after previously serving as scouting coordinator and NFS/combine scout, respectively, and Zach Smith will step into McLaughlin’s role as combine scout, a step up from his previous role of scouting assistant. Former Jaguars director of college scouting Mark Ellenz has been hired as a college scout and former football operations intern Peighton Roth has been officially brought on as a scouting coordinator.

The Vikings also announced the finishing touches to new general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah‘s staff this weekend. The team added two new hires in pro scout Donovan Jackson and national scout David Williams. Chisom Opara has been promoted from national scout to assistant director of player personnel, Chris Blanco has been promoted from assistant director of pro scouting to director of pro personnel, and Taylor Brooks has been promoted from scouting associate to player personnel analyst.

There were a number of updated title announcements, as well. We knew that former Colts general manager Ryan Grigson would be joining Adofo-Mensah in Minnesota, but we now know he will be in the role of senior vice president of player personnel. Ryan Monnens and Jamaal Stephenson have gone from co-directors of player personnel to director of player personnel and senior personnel executive, respectively, Imarjaye Albury has moved from the coaching role of assistant defensive line coach to pro scout, Sean Gustus has gone from area scout to national scout, and Kaitlin Zarecki has gone from manager of player development/special assistant to the general manager to football operations manager & special assistant to the general manager & head coach.

Finally, Minnesota announced some title changes to the analytics team with director of football analytics & pro scout Scott Kuhn dropping “analytics” for the more specific “quantitative methods.” Similarly, Rex Johnson has gone from research manager to football quantitative methods manager and Chris French has gone from football analyst to football quantitative methods analyst.

Latest On Steelers’ QB Competition

June 12th, 2022 at 8:11pm CST by Ely Allen

As Pittsburgh rolls into the post-Roethlisberger era, they are in the less than common situation of having four drafted quarterbacks on the roster. Mind you, the Steelers did not originally draft Mitchell Trubisky, but the point is that while most teams’ third- and/or fourth-string quarterbacks tend to be undrafted long-shots, every quarterback on Pittsburgh’s roster had draft capital invested in them. Mark Kaboly of The Athletic gave a breakdown this weekend of where each of these quarterbacks has slotted through spring practices. 

Pittsburgh acquired Trubisky in free agency this offseason after also considering then-free agents Teddy Bridgewater and Jameis Winston. Despite the hole left behind center, the Steelers never seemed to consider trade options such as Baker Mayfield or Jimmy Garoppolo and made it known early that they were not going to acquire Deshaun Watson. Trubisky signed a reasonable two-year deal to compete for the starting job in Pittsburgh after spending last season as Josh Allen‘s backup in Buffalo.

Trubisky saw all of his work this spring come with the first-team offense, throwing almost solely to Diontae Johnson, Chase Claypool, and Pat Freiermuth. Not only did he only work with the first-team, he was the only quarterback to work with the first-team receivers and offensive line combination. Trubisky appears to be a good fit with offensive coordinator Matt Canada‘s motion-heavy offense. Regardless of whether or not this is a clear indication of who will start Week 1, Trubisky is in the mindset that he will win the job saying, “I’m preparing to be a starter. I feel like, no matter what position you’re in, that’s the way you should prepare.”

The quarterback taking snaps with the second-team is not who most would assume. Third-year Steeler Mason Rudolph is currently the second-string quarterback. The former third-round draft pick has started 10 games over his career (eight in his rookie season) with limited success. Despite the potential for him to settle in as someone who had their chance and watched it pass by, Rudolph reportedly “looked the best of the four quarterbacks” this spring. Rudolph is a meticulous worker and preparer and threw the most consistent ball with the biggest body in the group. While many considered him to be nothing more than a camp body, Rudolph put himself in the quarterback conversation, even if it will require some failures from Trubisky and Pickett to get him to the top of the depth chart. “This is the best opportunity I’ve had in four years,” Rudolph told Kaboly. “I am excited, and I look forward to competing.”

Working as the third-string quarterback this spring has been rookie first-round pick Kenny Pickett. Head coach Mike Tomlin and Canada both offered that their current snap distribution is based solely on seniority, with Pickett falling behind Trubisky and Rudolph despite the possibility that he may be the most talented of the bunch. The idea is for Pickett to take the time this spring “to learn how to be a pro,” getting comfortable with the scheme and playbook now so that he can focus on competing for his depth chart spot in the summer. Luckily for Pickett, he has a bit of a leg up in terms of the language of the playbook with some familiarity from the time Canada recruited Pickett to Pitt. Pickett didn’t have too many snaps fewer than Trubisky or Rudolph, but his third-string status had him throwing to a very different receiver group. Pickett said he was “trying to be the best pro (he) can be,” calling this spring “100 percent successful.”

Lastly on the roster is rookie seventh-round draft pick Chris Oladokun. Oladokun transferred from South Florida to Samford to South Dakota State throughout his college career, spending that whole time outside of consistent Power 5 football. According to Kaboly, it showed, as Oladokun “looked like a guy who didn’t get many reps and came from a small college.” Oladokun is a project and his dearth of playing time reflected that, with Oladokun pointing out the importance of staying “locked in” mentally. The benefit of Oladokun’s lowly roster status is that he gets plenty of exclusive time working with David Corley, the assistant to quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan. Whether or not Oladokun ever competes for starting snaps in Pittsburgh, his dedicated time with Corley will foster benefits throughout the future of his career.

For now, the spring depth chart reflects the level of experience, just as Tomlin and Canada have intended. Based on the amount of time Trubisky has had with the first-team, it’s hard to imagine anyone else starting behind center in Week 1 at Cincinnati. Though, with Rudolph coming into his own and the talented rookie, Pickett, hot on their heels, it’s anyone’s guess who the Bengals will face in their season opener.

Kicking Struggles In New York With Pineiro And Zuerlein

June 12th, 2022 at 6:10pm CST by Ely Allen

The Jets finished last in the AFC East last season. While they did rank 28th in offensive yardage in the league and finished dead last in yards allowed, they got no help from their kicking game as the team converted only 77.78% of its field goal attempts and 85.19% of its extra points. According to Connor Hughes at The Athletic, things haven’t looked much better for Gang Green this offseason. 

Last season saw the NFL debut of Oklahoma State undrafted kicker Matt Ammendola as he began the year as New York’s primary kicker. While he didn’t get a chance to score in Week 1, since the Jets went for two-point conversions on each of their two touchdowns, he did contribute with six punts for 291 total yards after starting punter Braden Mann sprained his knee after his first punt of the season. Ammendola would go on to man the kicking position for the first 12 weeks of the season, missing 1 of 15 extra points and converting 13 of 19 field goals along the way. He was perfect from 39 yards and in, but only 2 for 5 in the 40-49 yard range and missed all three attempts over 50 yards. After a rough two-week stretch that saw him miss 3 of 6 field goals, Ammendola was waived and placed on the practice squad after going unclaimed.

The Jets then brought in former Gators kicker Eddy Pineiro, who was the primary kicker for the entire season for the Bears two years ago. Pineiro added some stability to the kicking game, converting all eight of his field goals attempts but did miss one extra point. He even converted the Jets first and only 50+ yard field goal of the season in order to give the Jets a three-point lead over the Buccaneers going into halftime.

New York entered the offseason with Ammendola and Pineiro, but decided late into March that they wanted to bring in a veteran presence in Greg Zuerlein. Greg the Leg spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Rams, joining the Cowboys two years ago as Dallas’s primary kicker. Mr. the Leg has seen varying success throughout his career spanning from a 2015 season in which he missed a third of his kicks to a 2017 All-Pro season that saw his miss only 2 of an attempted 40. He is known as a kicker of great distance. Despite only converting 55.07% of his field goal attempts over 50 yards, his longest converted field goal of the season has routinely been above 54 yards, with two seasons entering into the 60+ yard range.

Three days after bringing in Zuerlein, New York waived Ammendola, leaving the kicking competition to be settled by Zuerlein or Pineiro. The Jets special teams coordinator Brant Boyer has described the race between the two as “tight,” claiming Pineiro and Zuerlein are “neck and neck.” Unfortunately, the competition is so close because neither kicker has made a strong case to be awarded the position over the other.

Boyer will have to make a decision at some point, but he’s likely hoping Pineiro or Zuerlein will make the decision for him by stepping up to take the role. Hughes posits that, like many past seasons for Gang Green, New York’s Week 1 kicker might not even be on the roster yet.

Cowboys’ Tony Pollard To Spend Time At Slot WR?

June 12th, 2022 at 4:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The end of the 2021 season left a bad taste in the mouths of the Cowboys and their fans, but one bright spot was the play of backup running back Tony Pollard. The 25-year-old should see more playing time in 2022, but not just in the backfield. 

Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News details that Pollard is in line to spend time as a slot receiver this season, in an effort to maximize his skillset. He was a factor in the passing game during each of his first two seasons in Dallas, totalling 60 targets during that span. As he did in every other category, though, he increased his productivity in that department in 2021, with 39 catches for 337 yards.

Those totals – along with his 5.5 yards-per-carry average and effectiveness as a kick returner – require the Cowboys to find ways to put him on the field. As Watkins makes clear, however, doing so will not come at the expense of Ezekiel Elliott‘s workload. The former No. 4 overall pick still has five years remaining on his contract, and will look to rebound from a disappointing end to 2021, which was hampered by a knee injury.

Even if Elliott does remain a workhorse back, Pollard should still be able to receive close to the 169 total touches he had last season, if not more. In the absence of Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb should be in line to operate more on the outside in 2022, along with Michael Gallup (when healthy). That would leave snaps available for the Memphis alum in the slot.

Watkins names Alvin Kamara and Christian McCaffrey as comparable backs to the usage Pollard may receive this season, albeit on a much smaller scale. While it remains “doubtful” the latter receives a contract in the vicinity of the one Dallas gave Elliott, Pollard would of course help his free agent value with a repeat of last season’s performance, as 2022 is the final year of his rookie contract. His remarks on the prospect of a hybrid role show his willingness to embrace an increased workload.

“I’m open to anything just being on the field, being able to make the most of my opportunities” he said. “If I have to line up in the slot a little more, whatever it takes, I’m ready to do it.”

Raiders’ Clelin Ferrell Getting Reps At DT

June 12th, 2022 at 1:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Clelin Ferrell, the No. 4 overall selection of the 2019 draft, was the first draft choice made by then-Raiders GM Mike Mayock. The pick was widely panned at the time, and it did not get better with age, as Ferrell has failed to make much of an impact in his first three years in the Silver-and-Black. 

Mayock was fired in January, and the club’s new regime, fronted by GM Dave Ziegler and HC Josh McDaniels, declined Ferrell’s fifth-year option in May (they also declined the options for the Raiders’ other two first-round picks in 2019, Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram). As such, 2022 will be a platform year for Ferrell, who will earn $4.77MM this season.

As Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes, Ferrell was seeing significant time at defensive tackle during last week’s minicamp. That would constitute a noteworthy position change for a player who established himself as a defensive end during his college career. Upon his arrival in the NFL, preference was quickly given at that spot to fourth-rounder Maxx Crosby, though, who has emerged as a franchise cornerstone and been signed to a sizeable extension.

The presence of Crosby and other edge rushers – including Yannick Ngakoue in 2021 – has led to serious drops in Ferrell’s playing time; his path to an increase in snaps would be further blocked by Chandler Jones this year. That makes a position switch a logical experiment at this point in the offseason. The Raiders have seen several changes along the interior of their defensive line, and brought in Tyler Lancaster, Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko in free agency, while also using Day 3 picks on Neil Farrell Jr. and Matthew Butler in the draft.

At six-foot-four, 265 pounds, Ferrell could have the frame to operate on the inside this season. Given how his career has panned out so far, and the team’s resulting actions, his performance – regardless of where he lines up – will go a long way to determining his future.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Trent Brown At LT, Isaiah Wynn At RT, During Patriots’ Minicamp; Latest On Cole Strange

June 12th, 2022 at 12:24pm CST by Rory Parks

Could Isaiah Wynn‘s absence from Patriots OTAs, which compelled New England to deploy Trent Brown at left tackle in Wynn’s stead, have precipitated a permanent shakeup? Per Jeff Howe of The Athletic (subscription required), Wynn suited up at right tackle during mandatory minicamp last week, while Brown remained at left tackle.

Howe reminds us that, at the Patriots’ 2018 minicamp — during Brown’s first stint in Foxborough — Brown worked at LT while Wynn lined up at RT. The two players switched roles for that year’s training camp, but Wynn suffered an Achilles tear during a preseason game several weeks later, and he missed the entire season as a result. Following Wynn’s injury, Brown returned to left tackle and parlayed a strong showing at the position into a lucrative free agent contract with the Raiders the following offseason.

Still, there is precedent for the team to use Brown and Wynn at LT and RT, respectively, before training camp begins, only to have them flip-flop when the serious work gets underway in late July. On the other hand, 2018 was Wynn’s rookie season, so it could be that head coach Bill Belichick was simply easing him into the professional ranks during minicamp that year.

So there is no way of knowing what Belichick is currently envisioning with respect to his OL bookends, though he downplayed the significance of last week’s minicamp alignment. When asked about Wynn’s RT time, Belichick said it is in keeping with the team’s modus operandi for the last 20 years, thereby suggesting that he is merely trying to create positional flexibility (via Andy Hart of WEEI.com).

Wynn, who is entering a platform year and whose earning power could be seriously undermined if he were to remain at right tackle, is saying the right things at this point. “Do I like the change? It’s wherever they need me, player,” he said. When asked about his contract status, he replied, “I ain’t worried about no contract right now. I’m focused on being the best player I can be for the team so we can move forward to the season. … That’ll come when it comes.”

Another factor to consider is that Brown, not Wynn, has been the one developing chemistry with rookie first-rounder Cole Strange, the team’s presumptive LG. Although many pundits believed New England was reaching when it made Strange the No. 29 overall pick of this year’s draft, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com said the Chattanooga product looks like a plug-and-play starter, so the reps shared by him and whomever lines up to his left are especially meaningful.

On a related note, Strange is just one of two 2022 first-rounders who have yet to sign their rookie deals (Steelers QB Kenny Pickett is the other). As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes, there are a few reasons for that. One, the Pats simply do not have enough cap space at the moment, which is a matter that can easily be resolved. Two, it could be that Strange is angling for larger roster bonuses and lower base salaries over the life of his rookie deal, just so he can get his money more quickly every year. And finally, while the top 28 picks of the 2021 draft received fully-guaranteed contracts, last year’s No. 29 selection, Eric Stokes, received a 96% guarantee for the fourth and final year of his rookie accord. Since Strange is this year’s No. 29 pick, perhaps a modicum of guaranteed money is at issue between player and team.

However, even the 30th-32nd picks in this year’s draft class received a 100% guarantee, so Strange has some leverage here if that really is one of the reasons for the delay.

Lions Notes: QB2, Williams, Sosna

June 12th, 2022 at 11:19am CST by Rory Parks

The Lions passed on adding a quarterback in this year’s draft, and they will go into the 2022 season with Jared Goff as their starting signal-caller. Behind Goff on the depth chart are Tim Boyle and David Blough, both of whom re-signed with the club in March.

Boyle, who joined the Packers as a UDFA in 2018 and who signed with the Lions last offseason after Green Bay non-tendered him as a restricted free agent, started the first three games of his career in 2021 in relief of an injured Goff. Detroit went 0-3 in those contests, and Boyle completed 64.9% of his passes for three TDs against six interceptions. Blough, meanwhile, has been in the Motor City since he was acquired in a minor trade with the Browns in advance of the 2019 campaign. He has not started a game since that 2019 season, when he went 0-5 with a 64.0 QB rating and a 4:6 TD:INT ratio.

Obviously, the club’s QB2 options are less than inspiring, but the battle between Boyle and Blough will be meaningful for both players as they attempt to extend their NFL careers. And head coach Dan Campbell said it will be an open competition when training camp begins next month, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes.

“Competition is great thing,” Campbell said. “I respect what both of them did this spring. That’s what I love about both of them. I know they are going out there to compete against each other.”

Now for several more Lions-related items:

  • As expected, rookie wideout Jameson Williams will not be on the field when training camp opens, as Birkett writes in a separate piece. Per Birkett, Williams — who tore his ACL in the 2022 College Football Playoff National Championship Game in January — is likely to begin camp on the active PUP list, which is consistent with earlier reporting on the matter. If he has not been medically cleared when the regular season begins, he will revert to the reserve PUP list and will be required to miss at least the first six weeks of the season. The Lions are not expected to be a playoff outfit in 2022, and GM Brad Holmes has stated that Williams will be brought along slowly. Given his vast potential, which compelled Holmes to make an aggressive trade up the draft board from No. 32 to No. 12 to land the Alabama star, a conservative approach makes sense. Holmes does expect Williams to suit up for the club this season, though that might not be until November, and Campbell conceded that Williams will spend most of the summer rehabbing. Given all of that, a reserve PUP list designation appears to be the most likely outcome here.
  • The Lions have hired Brandon Sosna as senior director of football administration, according to Pete Thamel of ESPN.com. Sosna, who worked as a salary-cap and contract analyst for the Browns from 2017-18, had served as the right-hand man to USC athletic director Mike Bohn since 2019. The Trojans reportedly made a strong push to retain Sosna, but the opportunity to rejoin the NFL ranks was too appealing for the UPenn alumnus to turn down.
  • Yesterday, Lions DL John Penisini announced his retirement.
  • Our Adam La Rose recently profiled Lions TE T.J. Hockenson as an extension candidate.

Seahawks HC Pete Carroll On QB Competition

June 12th, 2022 at 10:44am CST by Rory Parks

Geno Smith and Drew Lock have been engaged in a battle for the Seahawks’ starting quarterback job throughout the team’s spring work, and Smith has been taking the bulk of the first-team snaps. Head coach Pete Carroll, echoing offensive coordinator Shane Waldron‘s recent remarks, said that Smith continues to lead the race after mandatory minicamp, which took place last week.

“Geno’s still ahead, you can tell that,” Carroll said, via Liz Mathews of Seahawks Wire. However, like Waldron, Carroll was quick to point out that the competitors’ current status is largely a function of their familiarity with the offense. Smith has been with the club since 2019, and Lock was just acquired in March as part of the blockbuster trade that sent Russell Wilson to the Broncos.

Carroll added, “it’s not going to be too much for Drew to be caught up. By the time we get through [training] camp he’ll be there. He’s really bright. It makes sense to him. He’s really sharp in the huddle and at the line of scrimmage and all of that. So it’s just time that he needs, and there’s nothing we can do but gain some more of that.” 

As Mathews confirms, both Smith and Lock will get opportunities with the first-team offense when training camp opens in July. It has been reported that, despite Lock’s early-career struggles in Denver, Seattle brass truly believes that he can emerge as a legitimate NFL starter, and Albert Breer of SI.com recently detailed GM John Schneider‘s faith in the Missouri product. Breer expects Lock to be anointed the QB1 before the regular season begins, and given his age (25) and the upside that the organization apparently sees in him, it’s not difficult to see why.

The 31-year-old Smith, meanwhile, had started only two games from 2015-20 before being forced into action last year in the wake of Wilson’s finger injury. In four games (three starts) in 2021, the former Jets second-rounder performed reasonably well, completing over 68% of his passes for five TDs against just one interception, while adding nine carries for 42 yards and a TD. In all three of his starts, Smith posted QB ratings of at least 94.3.

Still, his age and limited usage make it clear that Smith is no longer viewed as a franchise passer. So it makes sense that the ‘Hawks would give Lock every opportunity to prove his worth in 2022, and if he cannot live up to his potential, Seattle will be in the market for a QB next offseason.

Carroll, though, is not tipping his hand. “It’s gonna be a real battle,” he said. “It’s going to be really an exciting time for our team and for those guys in particular and for our people watching. I’m pumped up about it. I really am.”

Of course, a possible Baker Mayfield acquisition continues to loom over the Lock-Smith duel. Although the Seahawks are not expected to trade for the disgruntled Browns passer, the team reportedly would be interested if Cleveland ultimately elects to cut him.

Kenny Moore Wants To Be Paid As Elite Corner

June 12th, 2022 at 9:29am CST by Rory Parks

Colts cornerback Kenny Moore is unhappy with his current contract, and the latest reporting on the matter suggested that negotiations towards a new deal have not gained much traction. Moore, who is due base salaries of $6.5MM and $6.795MM over the next two years, believes those figures are not reflective of his value to the club.

Specifically, as Zak Keefer of The Athletic tweets, Moore wants to be paid as an elite cornerback, not as an elite slot cornerback. “I want to play football … [I don’t] like the whole nickel slot corner thing,” Moore said. “I’m a corner at the end of the day. You guys watch the same games that we play.”

Moore’s current contract, signed in 2019, gave him $30MM in new money, which was a record for slot defenders. That deal was authorized after the former UDFA had accrued just two years of service time, and between that and the fact that the early payout gave Moore an opportunity to hit the open market before he turns 29 — to say nothing of the two years of club control that still remain — the Colts do not seem particularly inclined to offer many concessions.

On the other hand, Moore’s dissatisfaction is understandable. Because teams are deploying nickel packages more and more frequently, a team’s top slot DB is really a starter, and while no one has played more slot coverage snaps than Moore since 2018 — h/t Anthony Treash of Pro Football Focus — he has seen plenty of time outside the numbers and has proven adept at tackling in space and playing behind the line of scrimmage. He is also a bonafide playmaker, having notched eight interceptions over the last two seasons (including one pick-six), and he tallied 102 total tackles in 2021, which saw him earn his first Pro Bowl bid.

Still, there is a considerable gap between Moore’s $8.325MM average annual value and the AAVs enjoyed by the game’s elite boundary corners. Jaire Alexander‘s new contract with the Packers made him the first $21MM/year corner in NFL history — though that deal was comparatively light on guaranteed money — and there are ten CBs making at least $16.5MM per year. So even if the Colts agree to address Moore’s contract in some way, he probably should not expect to be catapulted into the top ten earners at the cornerback position.

Perhaps, as our Sam Robinson recently posited, the two sides can come together on some sort of incentive package for the 2022 campaign. And assuming Moore continues to perform at a high level, the Colts will probably be more serious about a lucrative extension next offseason, when Moore will be entering a platform year. The Valdosta State product did attend the team’s mandatory minicamp after skipping voluntary OTAs, so unless talks truly turn sour, it seems likely that he will appear for training camp as well.

D.K. Metcalf Absent From Seahawks Minicamp

June 12th, 2022 at 7:37am CST by Sam Robinson

Jun. 12: In recent remarks to reporters, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Carroll confirmed that “there have been conversations” between the team and Metcalf on a new contract (video link). However, he also classified the negotiations as “semi-quiet” at this time, adding that the next few weeks before the start of training camp will be crucial to this process.

Jun. 7: D.K. Metcalf is rehabbing from offseason foot surgery, but the fourth-year Seahawks receiver will continue to do so on his own. Metcalf is not at Seahawks minicamp, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). The Seahawks were scheduled to convene for their mandatory offseason sessions next week but are instead holding it this week.

Unlike skipping OTAs, this can be considered a holdout. Players can be fined more than $90K for missing all of minicamp, though teams can also excuse absences. This absence is not excused, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. While that money is not especially significant for a player on the cusp of a monster extension, Metcalf’s absence certainly is notable given his current situation.

The 24-year-old wideout was not linked to missing even OTAs this offseason, differing from a few of his receiver peers, and even showed up for some. A minicamp absence changes the equation a bit.

Metcalf has said he wants to stay in Seattle and expects to. Pete Carroll expects a resolution, though the 13th-year Seahawks HC said a deal will take some time. Contract talks have taken place, according to Rapoport, who adds Metcalf is rehabbing his injury in Los Angeles. Metcalf is set to make $3.99MM in base salary this season. Like the other lot of extension-seeking wideouts from the 2019 draft, Metcalf is due for free agency in 2023, with fifth-year options only present in first-rounders’ deals.

The Seahawks have a big decision to make with Metcalf, who has become an upper-echelon receiver despite pre-draft doubts that dropped him to No. 64 overall. Seattle may lean harder toward a run-oriented offense post-Russell Wilson, and although moving the perennial Pro Bowl quarterback’s salary off the books (beyond a considerable 2022 dead-money hit) opens some space for the Seahawks to work salary-wise, the new wide receiver market could push Metcalf’s asking price beyond $25MM per year. Former Ole Miss teammate A.J. Brown received a $25MM-AAV deal from the Eagles but needed a trade to get there. GM John Schneider mentioned the challenges of the new receiver market, and those comments came before the Brown extension.

Metcalf generated trade calls this offseason and was linked to the Jets, who were linked to many high-end wideouts before opting to draft Garrett Wilson 10th overall. Even as interest emerged, Metcalf was linked to a Seahawks extension. The Seahawks have done major extensions during camp, re-upping the likes of Wilson (2015), Bobby Wagner (2015, 2019) and Jamal Adams (2021) in that window. Metcalf could be next, but if he misses all of minicamp, trade rumblings could resurface.

Seattle has already jettisoned Wilson and Bobby Wagner this offseason. Metcalf represents a cornerstone-type player. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020, a 1,303-yard season, and played hurt last year. Metcalf’s numbers suffered due to the injuries sustained by he and Wilson; he finished with just 967 yards in 17 games. Brown is also a one-time Pro Bowler. Although Brown has moved past the extension-seeking glut in which his peers reside, Metcalf still joins a few others — Deebo Samuel, Terry McLaurin, Diontae Johnson — as high-profile receivers entering contract years. How many will be extended profiles as one of the offseason’s top remaining storylines.

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