HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Jimmy Garoppolo Targeting July To Resume Throwing

June 7th, 2022 at 2:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers excused Jimmy Garoppolo from their minicamp this week; their four-plus-year starter would not have been able to contribute much anyway. Kyle Shanahan said the excused absence stems from the team wanting Garoppolo to continue his rehab uninterrupted, per ESPN.com’s Nick Wagoner (on Twitter).

Garoppolo, who is training in southern California, is expected to be ready to throw again in early July, Shanahan adds. This aligns with the veteran quarterback’s timetable from March, when he underwent surgery on his throwing shoulder. No setbacks having occurred is certainly critical for the 49ers, who have attempted to trade Garoppolo for months. His surgery and Baker Mayfield‘s procedure on his non-throwing shoulder have affected the QB trade market.

Calf and thumb injuries also limited Garoppolo last season, with the latter requiring surgery as well. But the shoulder issue has lingered longest. It has led to the 49ers carrying a $26.9MM cap charge on their payroll. Shanahan and John Lynch have said Garoppolo remains a trade asset at this point, though each has backstopped that assessment by offering a reality in which the ninth-year veteran remains a 49er. That will be financially difficult for the team, with Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel up for extensions, but Garoppolo staying also gives the 49ers insurance against Trey Lance struggling to show starter-caliber stuff.

Mayfield has been frequently linked to the Panthers and Seahawks. Both teams are balking at Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary, which is fully guaranteed. The Browns will need to pay most of that to complete a trade. It will be interesting to see what the 49ers are willing to do, salary-wise, to facilitate a Garoppolo deal. One season remains on his 2018 extension.

Garoppolo’s shoulder injury effectively paused his trade market, which was once expected to produce a deal in March. San Francisco once targeted a Day 2 pick in a trade. Barring a major QB injury in training camp, that looks unlikely. It appears the Garoppolo standstill will continue for at least another month. Barring a deal in the next several weeks, Garoppolo suiting up for a fifth 49ers camp is a realistic possibility.

Cardinals Discussing Reunion With Robert Alford, Eyeing Veteran CBs

June 7th, 2022 at 2:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following Jeff Gladney‘s tragic death last week, the Cardinals have a glaring need at cornerback. They had signed Gladney in March, going ahead with a second chance for the former Vikings first-round pick. But Gladney and his girlfriend died in a car accident May 30.

Byron Murphy remains the Cardinals’ top cornerback, but uncertainty surrounds the versatile cover man. The circumstances have moved the Cardinals toward a familiar face. Kliff Kingsbury said Tuesday (via SI.com’s Howard Balzer) the team has been in contact with Robert Alford, who played for the Cardinals last season after missing two full years due to injury.

Alford is 33, however, and missed four games last season after his two-year absence. The Cardinals hosted the veteran defender in March, doing so not long after signing Gladney. Circling back to Alford would be reasonable, given his familiarity with Vance Joseph‘s scheme, though there are several available corners who would be upgrades on what Arizona rosters now.

“That’s a tragic situation and we understand that, but we’re always trying to improve our roster,” Kingsbury said of the Cards’ cornerback circumstances. “And that’s a position that we’d like to bring in a few more veteran players that we could before training camp, and so we’ll see what’s out there in the next couple of weeks.

“… We’ve been in contact with Rob and we’ll just kind of see how that plays out.”

The Falcons drafted Alford in the 2013 second round and used him as a 76-game starter. Alford, whose pick-six in Super Bowl LI gave Atlanta a 21-0 second-quarter lead, signed a four-year, $38MM extension during that 2016 season. After the Falcons made Alford a cap casualty in 2019, the Cardinals signed him. But a broken leg and torn pectoral muscle, respectively, sidelined him for the 2019 and ’20 seasons. He started five Cards games last season, intercepted a pass and fared much better in coverage than he did in 2018. Passers compiled a collective 81.7 rating with Alford as the closest defender last season — a far superior mark to the 138.5 figure Alford allowed in 2018.

With Murphy absent at Cardinals OTAs Tuesday, Jace Whittaker frequently joined 2021 starter Marco Wilson with the first unit, Balzer adds. It would be stunning if the Cards did not add at least one vet here. The likes of Jackrabbit Jenkins, Kevin King, Joe Haden, Trae Waynes and Xavier Rhodes lead the group of outside coverage players available. An Alford Arizona return might be accompanied by an agreement with a member of this quintet. Either way, Gladney’s death will force the Cardinals to act at cornerback.

Giants Sign WRs Isaiah Ford, Keelan Doss

June 7th, 2022 at 12:42pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already rostering one of the NFL’s more interesting receiver stables, the Giants added some depth to that group Tuesday. They signed wideouts Isaiah Ford and Keelan Doss, according to NorthJersey.com’s Art Stapleton (on Twitter).

Both have been mostly backups or practice squad performers since coming into the league, though Ford has seen some run as a Dolphins auxiliary target. A former Dolphins seventh-round pick, Ford was traded to the Patriots just before the 2020 deadline. But the Pats never deployed him in a game and waived him not long after the deal, leading Ford back to the Dolphins via free agency barely a month later. He closed his second Miami stint last season.

A Virginia Tech product, Ford has 63 receptions for 681 yards and two touchdowns (both of which coming last season) over the past three years. Doss, a former UDFA out of California-Davis, enjoyed some Hard Knocks fame during the Raiders’ 2019 training camp but did not make an impact with his then-hometown team. Doss caught 11 passes for 133 yards as a rookie. He spent last season on the Falcons and Jets’ practice squads.

The Giants agreed to a reworked contract with Sterling Shepard, keeping the veteran slot receiver ahead of his seventh season. Kenny Golladay, Darius Slayton and Kadarius Toney are also back. The latter two have each been mentioned in trade rumors, though Slayton — a three-year contributor going into a contract year — profiles as the more logical trade candidate. New York’s new regime selected slot player Wan’Dale Robinson in Round 2 this year, crowding the team’s receiver room for the time being.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Eagles, Lamb

June 7th, 2022 at 12:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Giants‘ long-rumored James Bradberry separation leaves them thin at the cornerback position. Although Big Blue should not be ruled out of a veteran addition here, the team is turning to one of its holdovers to fill Bradberry’s spot. Aaron Robinson, a 2021 third-round pick, is the early favorite to start on the outside opposite Adoree’ Jackson, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY notes. A 2021 third-round pick out of Central Florida (by way of Alabama), Robinson played in just nine games last season and made two starts. Despite beginning the season on the PUP list due to an offseason core surgery, Robinson played 243 defensive snaps as a rookie. The Giants also have 2021 slot corner Darnay Holmes as a possible outside option in Don Martindale‘s defense, per Vacchiano, with third-round rookie Cor’Dale Flott competing with Holmes for the slot gig.

If the Giants are to pursue vets, many are available. Kevin King, Xavier Rhodes, Joe Haden and Trae Waynes remain free agents, as does ex-Martindale Ravens charge Jimmy Smith, though he has battled injuries and is going into what would be his age-34 season. Here is the latest from around the NFC East:

  • New York did make a replacement effort at tight end, after losing Evan Engram to Jacksonville. Ex-Texan Jordan Akins is a Giant, and Ricky Seals-Jones remains rostered. But fourth-round rookie Daniel Bellinger resides as a candidate to usurp both on the depth chart, Vacchiano adds. Bellinger, who played collegiately at Georgia, has taken first-team reps during OTAs. The 6-foot-6 pass catcher was a three-year Bulldogs contributor, though he only topped 350 receiving yards once (357 in 2021, a two-touchdown season).
  • Ex-Bellinger Bulldogs teammate Nakobe Dean entered the draft with more fanfare, though he nearly joined Bellinger as a Day 3 pick. The Eagles stopped the acclaimed linebacker’s freefall at No. 83 overall, doing so in part because they were high on his football IQ during the pre-draft process. In working at both the middle and weakside spots, Dean has a chance to carve out a significant role as a rookie, per NBC Sports Philadelphia’s Reuben Frank. This could mean Dean ascends to a three-down role as a rookie. The Eagles signed ex-Charger Kyzir White but nontendered 2021 regular Alex Singleton as an RFA. T.J. Edwards, however, has been a starter for the past two seasons. It will be interesting to see where Dean is once the Eagles convene for training camp.
  • Isaac Seumalo is involved in a rather high-stakes offseason. The injury-prone guard looms as a cut candidate, but he remains an option to be a Week 1 starter. This is by design, with Frank adding the veteran blocker will either be the Eagles’ right guard starter or be released. This appears a test to see if Seumalo (21 missed games since 2020) can still show the form that prompted the Eagles to give him a three-year, $17.6MM extension in 2019. Now that we are into June, a Seumalo release would create more than $5MM in cap space.
  • CeeDee Lamb has both bulked up and, strangely, grown a half-inch this offseason. The 23-year-old Cowboys wide receiver has gained 10 pounds and said he grew to 6-foot-2 1/2, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News notes. With Jerry Jones calling Lamb a superior No. 1 option to the since-traded Amari Cooper, and Michael Gallup unlikely to be ready for Week 1, Lamb will have plenty on his shoulders to start the season.

Rams Included No-Trade Clause In Aaron Donald’s Revised Contract

June 7th, 2022 at 10:52am CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams both rewarded a player with three years left on his deal and did so without adding any additional years to the contract. While two void years are present in Aaron Donald‘s reworked pact, via Albert Breer of SI.com, the future Hall of Fame defensive tackle can still hit free agency in 2025.

More sweeteners are present in Donald’s groundbreaking three-year, $95MM accord. The Rams included a no-trade clause as well, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. Only a handful of players hold no-trade clauses, which force teams to send a player to an approved destination. This impacted the Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson trades earlier this year.

With the guaranteed money ($65MM; $46.5MM fully guaranteed) included in the deal’s first two seasons, the Rams are tied to Donald through at least 2023. Ahead of the 2024 league year, the parties can reassess the situation. A $30MM package — $10MM in base salary, $20MM via option bonus — becomes guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2024 league year. Money was not the only reason Donald considered retirement. Spending much of the year in Los Angeles and away from his hometown (Pittsburgh) factored into the uncertainty as well, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes.

Donald, 31, spends extensive time in Pittsburgh during the offseason. The prospect of playing closer to home could become relevant in the future, and Donald’s no-trade clause would allow him to direct a move to a team that plays in or near his hometown. The prospect of a player seeking to leave Los Angeles for a less glamorous city is interesting, though we are a ways away from this becoming relevant.

Monday’s agreement will almost certainly ensure Donald plays his age-31 and age-32 seasons with the Rams. While the league’s only active seven-time All-Pro may not be on the level he currently is by 2024, Donald has no notable injury history (zero injury-related absences in eight seasons) and has stacked all seven All-Pro honors back-to-back. His 2014 debut, which still produced Defensive Rookie of the Year acclaim, represents Donald’s lone non-All-Pro campaign. If Donald wishes to keep playing in 2024, he will almost certainly carry considerable value.

His value bolstered somewhat by playing alongside Donald during last season’s second half, Von Miller secured a six-year, $120MM Bills deal ($51MM guaranteed) ahead of his age-33 season. Donald mentioned late last month he long ago set eight seasons as a potential retirement benchmark. Monday’s news likely moved that to 10. More seasons obviously stand to further Donald’s case as the greatest defensive player in NFL history.

Deebo Samuel, Nick Bosa To Report For 49ers Minicamp

June 7th, 2022 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers discussed Deebo Samuel trades during the draft, after the wide receiver made a request to be moved in the days prior. But John Lynch has continued to insist the All-Pro is not available. The sixth-year GM reaffirmed this stance last week.

Samuel is not expected to wage a holdout. He will report for 49ers minicamp this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This does not necessarily mean the 49ers are out of the woods here, but Samuel showing up after missing OTAs represents a positive development for the team. San Francisco’s minicamp starts Tuesday.

Issues from Samuel’s contract to his role in Kyle Shanahan‘s offense to even his desire not to live in California factored into the trade request. The 49ers’ trade talks leading up to and during the draft, however, were not believed to be substantial. For now, Samuel remains a 49er and on track to play a fourth season with the team that drafted him.

Since Samuel’s trade request, the Titans balked at paying A.J. Brown, sending him to the Eagles for a package involving a first-round pick. The Eagles then gave the 2019 second-round pick a $25MM-per-year deal (third among wideouts) that included $56MM fully guaranteed (first). With Samuel having an All-Pro honor on his resume, he can make the Brown AAV his floor. Samuel was asking for around $25MM per year before the Brown contract emerged. That complicates matters for a cap-strapped 49ers team still carrying Jimmy Garoppolo‘s $26.9MM cap number. Garoppolo has been excused from minicamp, but his contract is an issue for a team with Samuel and Nick Bosa extensions on the radar.

The 49ers have not been high on paying wide receivers since Shanahan’s first year, when the team doled out a midlevel Pierre Garcon contract. Garcon did not excel in San Francisco and lasted two seasons with the team. After that, the 49ers turned to the draft at receiver, selecting Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk early. The team said it had a Samuel extension budgeted months ago, but that was before the deals for Brown, Davante Adams and Tyreek Hill changed the market. The 49ers’ initial Samuel offer was believed to have come in below $19MM per year.

Bosa looks set to be at minicamp as well. Joining Samuel in skipping 49ers OTAs, Bosa was at the team facility this week, Rapoport adds (on Twitter). The fourth-year defender will, in fact, report to minicamp, Matt Barrows of The Athletic notes. Bosa can aim to surpass T.J. Watt as the NFL’s highest-paid edge rusher. Watt is tied to a $28MM-per-year deal. Although Aaron Donald is now earning more than $31MM annually on his recent reworking, Watt’s contract will likely be more pertinent in the 49ers’ Bosa talks.

Bills Promote Brian Gaine To Assistant GM

June 7th, 2022 at 8:15am CST by Sam Robinson

After losing Brandon Beane‘s previous right-hand man to the Giants, the Bills will turn to a former general manager to fill that post. Ex-Texans GM Brian Gaine will now be Beane’s second-in-command.

Gaine will replace Joe Schoen as Buffalo’s assistant GM, while Terrance Gray will rise to the role of player personnel director. The latter has been with the team since Beane’s arrival in 2017. After nearly five years in the assistant GM chair, Schoen became the Giants’ GM in January.

For Gaine, this marks his highest-profile position since the Texans’ surprising decision to fire him after barely a year. Houston hired Gaine from Buffalo in 2018, when he replaced longtime GM Rick Smith. But the team soon turned to then-HC Bill O’Brien, who took on de facto GM responsibilities during a rocky stretch to close out his tenure with the organization. Gaine finished just one season as Houston’s GM but resurfaced in Buffalo soon after.

This marks Gray’s second promotion in three offseasons. Hired as the Bills’ director of college scouting in 2017, the ex-Vikings exec became the team’s assistant player personnel director in 2020. After beginning his personnel career with the Chiefs in 2003, Gray spent 11 seasons as a Vikings scout. Given Schoen’s exit and the Bills’ rise during Beane’s tenure, it would not surprise to see Gray appear in GM searches soon.

Recent hire Matt Bazirgan, who was with Gaine in Houston, will work as a senior personnel exec. Bazirgan spent time as Gaine’s top Texans lieutenant. The team also promoted Mike Szabo to a national college scout role. Szabo stands to move into a post vacated by ex-Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey, who joined Schoen’s Giants staff last month.

Latest On Rams, Cooper Kupp Extension Talks

June 6th, 2022 at 10:55pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Rams took care of a massive piece of business earlier today, but financial work remains on the offensive side of the ball. A new deal for Cooper Kupp should now become an even larger area of focus for the team, but the receiver is staying positive throughout the negotiation process. 

[RELATED: Rams Give Donald Record-Setting Raise]

As detailed by Jourdan Rodrigue of the Athletic (subscription required), Kupp will continue to attend Rams offseason activities, including next week’s minicamp, in spite of ongoing contract talks. It was reported in March that once a new deal was worked out with defensive tackle Aaron Donald, Kupp would become the Rams’ top priority. As a result, the soon-to-be 29-year-old could land a re-worked contract in the very near future.

In April, it came out that Kupp was seeking a “fair” contract, meaning he may not reset the receiver market the way Tyreek Hill and Davante Adams have this offseason. He is certainly set to benefit from those and other recent deals, though, and could join the $20MM-per-year club via an extension. Kupp has two years remaining on his current contract, and is due $29.5MM over that span. He is remaining in communication with the front office, as he has throughout the process.

“I try to help where I can” he said. “I don’t want to be in the dark on this thing. I also love this organization. I want to be here for a very long time… And so I want this to be something that makes sense for everyone… It’s never going to be at the cost of anything on the football field, [but] the more communication, the better, and [we’ll] just be able to find a place [where] we can all feel good.”

The five-year veteran had not just a career-year in 2021, but one of the best statistical seasons in NFL history at the position. His ‘Triple Crown’ campaign (in which he led the league in receptions, yards and touchdowns) was capped off by a Super Bowl MVP award. Now, it is likely to lead him to a significant raise and an extended stay in Los Angeles.

Ravens Seeking Veteran Edge Rush Addition?

June 6th, 2022 at 10:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

This time of the offseason is rife with teams looking to round out their depth charts with available veterans who can help fill remaining roster holes. In the case of the Ravens, that could lead them to be players on the edge rusher market. 

[RELATED: Ravens Eyeing Veteran WRs?]

Jeff Zrebiec of the Athletic (subscription required) writes that Baltimore will “likely still sign a free agent pass rusher”. The team has already added a number of notable players on defense recently, including veteran cornerback Kyle Fuller. Their front seven could stand to be bolstered further, though.

The Ravens currently have Tyus Bowser and Odafe Oweh at the top of their depth chart at the outside linebacker position. The former stepped into a larger role after the departures of Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue last offseason, and responded by putting up career highs in sacks (seven) and tackles (59). However, he suffered a torn Achilles in the season finale, putting his Week 1 availability in question.

That would place an even heavier burden on Oweh, who flashed potential with a five-sack rookie campaign, and the team’s other young options at the position, Jaylon Ferguson, Daelin Hayes and, potentially at some point this season, David Ojabo. As a result, it came as little surprise when general manager Eric DeCosta said in April that the team wasn’t finished making additions in the edge department. However, the team didn’t select a pass rusher in the draft other than the injured Ojabo, leaving the June free agent market as the last realistic avenue to add to the unit.

With respect to veterans, the likeliest move could be a reunion with Justin Houston. The Ravens placed the rarely-used UFA tender on the 33-year-old last month, pointing to another low-cost, one-year deal being possible in the near future. The longtime Chief totalled 4.5 sacks in 15 games, providing an experienced presence to an otherwise young unit. If not Houston, other options for the Ravens to target include Trey Flowers and Jason Pierre-Paul. By training camp, the team could very well have signed one of those three, or another edge rusher, to add depth to a position group facing a number of questions.

Latest On Broncos Ownership Bid Process

June 6th, 2022 at 9:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

With today’s deadline for second-round bids on the Broncos having come and gone, there are are few interesting developments regarding the ongoing sales process. Given what has already been reported on the subject, neither come as much of a surprise. 

With the four remaining groups having placed their bids this afternoon, the prospective owner seen as the favorite to ultimately take over the team is the same as it has been presumed for some time now. Troy Renck of Denver7 reports that Walmart heir Rob Walton “remains the clear frontrunner” to win the bidding process (video link). He adds that Walton’s bid “could be upwards of $4.5B”. Walton has been seen as the likeliest candidate for months, and that figure would fall in line with the expected value of the team.

Walton – who, Renck also notes would become the NFL’s all-time wealthiest owner should he be successful – is competing against three other bidders. Those groups are led by 76ers and Devils owner Josh Harris, whose party also includes Magic Johnson, the trio of soon-to-be Chelsea owners which would be led by Jose Feliciano, and brothers Mat and Justin Ishbia. Up until this second round of bidding, media mogul Byron Allen was still in the running, but only the four finalists participated today. The process could very well be complete by the end of the month.

Regardless of who becomes the next owner, they could recruit a familiar face as part of the beginning of their tenure overseeing the franchise. Mike Klis of 9News reports that all four of the finalists have spoken to Peyton Manning “to gauge his interest” in becoming a minority owner or advisor to the team. The Hall of Fame QB has previously made it clear doing so is a distinct possibility, though that was before the identities of the prospective buyers were known. Klis adds that there is “no word” on what Manning is currently planning with respect to any potential role in the new ownership group.

With another key checkpoint being reached in the sales process, the exact terms of the pending deal – and the particulars of who will be involved in the new regime – will remain worth watching for in the coming days and weeks.

Load More Posts