HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

49ers Excuse Jimmy Garoppolo From Minicamp

June 6th, 2022 at 11:40am CST by Sam Robinson

As the 49ers continue to wait on a Jimmy Garoppolo trade developing, they will not fine him for missing minicamp. The team will excuse the veteran quarterback from its minicamp, which is set for this week, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

Garoppolo not being ready to participate fully makes this news a formality, but it continues to reveal the 49ers’ plans regarding their longtime starter. John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan have spoken openly about wanting to trade Garoppolo. While both have offered scenarios in which the ninth-year veteran is not dealt, the 49ers’ goal remains for Garoppolo to be sent elsewhere in order to begin the Trey Lance era. Garoppolo, 30, has done his shoulder rehab away from the team’s facility.

Lance has had the first-team reps to himself this offseason and stands to keep growing in Shanahan’s system during minicamp. The former one-and-done Division I-FCS starter struggled as a rookie but recently detailed his issues overcoming a finger injury — one that did not fully heal until the season ended.

The prospect of Garoppolo resurfacing as a competitor in training camp would complicate San Francisco’s blueprint — both financially, considering the $26.9MM cap figure attached to Garoppolo, and in terms of Lance’s future — but that scenario remains in play the longer the incumbent starter stays on the roster. The team’s most recent step continues to show that will not be the goal.

Garoppolo’s surgery on his throwing shoulder did not take place until March, delaying his return to action and halting meaningful 49ers trade talks. As a result, Baker Mayfield has been more frequently connected to other teams than Garoppolo. But the four-plus-year 49er starter’s presence in the background here still affects Mayfield’s status. Once both are ready to participate fully, trade talks involving the passers stand to intensify and increase in complexity.

24th Accuser Files Civil Lawsuit Against Browns’ Deshaun Watson

June 6th, 2022 at 11:08am CST by Sam Robinson

A week after a 23rd woman filed a civil lawsuit against Deshaun Watson, another massage therapist has done so, Sarah Barshop of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

The number of women who have accused the Browns quarterback of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault stood at 22 for many months. The 23rd accuser filed suit after seeing two of Watson’s accusers, Kyla Hayes and Ashley Solis, detail their allegations during an episode of HBO’s Real Sports with Bryant Gumbel in late May.

The 24th lawsuit indicates the accuser and Watson met for two massages, the first ending early because the quarterback took a phone call. The second is when the alleged misconduct took place, with the suit also indicating the plaintiff quit massage therapy because of it, according to Barshop and ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. This suit also alleges Watson sought massages from “random strangers on Instagram” more than 100 times, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Real Sports segment also indicated Watson has received more than 100 massages in a year.

Watson has denied all allegations against him, but the rising number of accusers will apply pressure on the NFL from a public-perception standpoint. The league has concluded its interviews with the 26-year-old passer. The period for pretrial discovery expires July 1, pointing to a suspension coming after that date. Watson has not been criminally charged, but that is not necessary for a suspension under the NFL’s personal conduct policy.

Ten of the first 22 accusers made criminal complaints against Watson. Those led to two grand juries not recommending charges against the embattled quarterback. The civil suits are also not expected to be resolved until at least 2023, with the increasing number of suits set to drag this process out. But a suspension is expected to be handed down before this season begins. Additional punishment could emerge after the conclusion of the civil suits, but with that process set to pause from August 1, 2022-March 1, 2023, it is possible this matter will not be finalized by the start of the 2023 season.

Monday’s lawsuit mentions the “happy endings” remark Watson defense attorney Rusty Hardin made during an interview with Houston Sports Radio 610 last week, Barshop adds (via Twitter). Hardin referenced happy-ending massages not being illegal, and while Watson’s defense leader later attempted to clarify his remarks as hypothetical, the attorney for all 24 accusers, Tony Buzbee, said (via Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com) they would be used in civil suits alleging Watson attempted to turn massages from therapeutic to sexual in nature.

The 23rd lawsuit emerged before Hardin’s comments, but it alleges Watson offered each accuser $100K to settle the cases. Not all of the accusers were prepared to settle, Florio notes, adding Watson’s team included “aggressive nondisclosure agreements” as part of those settlement offers. The NDA matter came up when the Texans and Dolphins were discussing a Watson deal before last year’s trade deadline. The Dolphins moved in a different direction, leading to the Browns signing off on a trade and historic extension agreement. They now await to learn how much time their new quarterback will miss.

Texans’ Romeo Crennel Retires

June 6th, 2022 at 10:43am CST by Sam Robinson

Romeo Crennel has been in coaching since 1970 and has been an NFL staffer since 1981. The former Browns and Chiefs head coach announced his retirement from coaching Monday.

The Texans have employed the longtime defensive staffer for the past eight years and change, and while Crennel had left his defensive coordinator post by 2021, he was still with the organization. The decorated staffer is stepping down from a day-to-day role, however.

“Football has been my entire life and it’s been a dream come true to coach for 50 years,” Crennel said. “I’ll miss everything about coaching and teaching, but the thing I’ll miss the most is being around the guys every day. … I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to spend more time with my grandchildren while staying around the game of football.”

Crennel, who will turn 75 this month, has five Super Bowl rings on his resume as an assistant, collecting them with the Giants and Patriots. He began his NFL career as a special teams coordinator on Ray Perkins‘ Giants staff in 1981, staying on in New York throughout Bill Parcells‘ tenure and through Ray Handley‘s two-year stint — before rejoining Parcells with the Patriots in 1993. Crennel later followed Parcells to the Jets, working as a position coach under Parcells and Bill Belichick.

Although Crennel spent five-plus seasons as a head coach, he is probably best known for leading the Patriots’ defenses in the early 2000s. Crennel rejoined Belichick, his longtime Giants coworker, in 2001 and served as his right-hand man on defense. Tom Brady later became the Patriots’ centerpiece, but Belichick and Crennel’s defenses led the way in the early 2000s, lifting the Pats to three Super Bowl titles in four seasons. New England finished first and second in scoring defense during its 2003 and ’04 championship seasons, respectively, when the team went 34-4.

The Browns had employed Crennel as their defensive coordinator in 2000 and brought him back as their HC on the heels of Super Bowl XXXIX in 2005. While this did not reverse the struggling team’s fortunes, Crennel led Cleveland to the playoff doorstep in 2007 — a 10-6 season. He resurfaced as a head coach with the Chiefs, taking over as Todd Haley‘s late-season replacement in 2011. The Chiefs handed the Packers their only regular-season loss that year, leading to Crennel’s promotion. But their 2012 slate was a low point for the franchise, with a 2-14 season leading to Crennel being a one-and-done as Kansas City’s full-time HC.

Bill O’Brien brought in Crennel as his DC in 2014, and after ex-Crennel charge Mike Vrabel served in that role in 2017, Houston again turned to the veteran following Vrabel’s Tennessee exit. Two of J.J. Watt‘s three Defensive Player of the Year campaigns came under Crennel, who helped the team secure playoff access with the likes of Brian Hoyer and Brock Osweiler under center. Upon being moved to interim head coach in 2020, at age 73, Crennel became the oldest person to be a head coach in an NFL game, breaking George Halas‘ record in doing so.

Browns Have Discussed Bringing Back Odell Beckham Jr.

June 6th, 2022 at 9:57am CST by Sam Robinson

Beyond Amari Cooper, the Browns are set to rely on a host of young wide receivers. Despite being linked to re-signing Jarvis Landry, the team has been hesitant to add a veteran here just for the sake of adding experience.

A healthy Odell Beckham Jr. would qualify as something more. Although it would be a strange development for the Browns to bring back Beckham after such a public divorce, the team has discussed this scenario, Armando Salguero of Outkick.com notes. The circumstances have obviously changed, given the team’s bumpy Baker Mayfield-for-Deshaun Watson transition. Of course, Beckham’s health has led to him remaining in free agency into June. The Browns know full well how much injuries have affected the former Giants superstar’s career.

OBJ has torn the same ACL twice in 15 months, the first coming with the Browns, and is not expected to be ready until around the midseason point. Still, Browns players — including Myles Garrett — have made overtures to the talented wideout returning. Beckham, 29, said earlier this offseason he is open to it, despite lobbying to leave Cleveland — and then awkwardly doing so, wrapping a disappointing Browns tenure — last year. Other teams remain in the mix, most notably the Rams.

Sean McVay said in May he still wants Beckham back in his offense, though the Rams giving Allen Robinson a three-year deal worth $45MM and being in negotiations for a Cooper Kupp raise stand to complicate matters financially. Thought to be on his way back to Los Angeles earlier this offseason, Beckham and the Rams’ contract talks did not move the needle for the high-profile receiver, Salguero adds.

Landry has attempted to recruit Beckham to New Orleans, but the Saints have reloaded at receiver. Landry, Michael Thomas and Chris Olave are positioned as the team’s top three here, and although Thomas has become a bigger health risk than Beckham, this is a more crowded depth chart than the Browns appear to have. It would seem Beckham would be more needed in Cleveland, which is set to rely on third-year talent Donovan Peoples-Jones and third-round rookie David Bell alongside Cooper.

The Browns outflank the Rams and Saints in cap space, leading the league by a wide margin at $40MM-plus, but OBJ’s injuries do not present his latest free agency as a true bidding war. Beckham already received his monster payday — coming via the five-year, $90MM deal the Giants authorized in 2018 — but the second ACL tear derailed his hopes at another high-end receiver contract. The NFC playoffs and Super Bowl LVI’s first half displayed OBJ’s talents, but the injury trouble that began in New York may lead to him going year-to-year on the contract front. With his age-30 season on tap, Beckham is nearly out of time to show he can still be a reliable contributor.

Cowboys’ Dalton Schultz Frustrated By Contract Negotiations

June 6th, 2022 at 8:50am CST by Sam Robinson

After showing up for the previous round of Cowboys OTAs, Dalton Schultz intends to skip this week’s conclusion of the team’s voluntary offseason program. The extension talks are not proceeding to the franchise-tagged tight end’s liking, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

The tight end position has shifted into focus this offseason, this coming as wide receivers’ salaries are skyrocketing. David Njoku‘s $14.2MM-per-year Browns extension will affect the other two tagged tight ends — Schultz and Miami’s Mike Gesicki — and Dallas’ talks with Schultz had not exactly oozed progress entering the summer.

[RELATED: Schultz Seeking Long-Term Stay With Cowboys]

The Cowboys gave Blake Jarwin a four-year, $22MM deal in 2020 — when the team let the unretired Jason Witten walk in free agency — but Jarwin’s injury trouble changed the team’s plans again at the position. Schultz ended up becoming the team’s true Witten heir apparent. He stepped in to start 14 games in place of Jarwin in 2020, hauling in 63 passes for 615 yards and four touchdowns. Schultz’s 2021 encore — 78 receptions, 808 yards, eight TDs — led to the Cowboys slapping the $10.9MM tag on him.

Schultz, 25, has already signed his franchise tender. That locks him into the $10.9MM salary while also allowing the Cowboys to fine him for missing minicamp later this month. Given the sizable salary raise Schultz booked in March, it would seem a minicamp absence would be a legitimate course of action. Waging a training camp holdout is a costlier call, but there will be a resolution by that time.

No Schultz extension by July 15 ensures he plays a season on the tag. The Cowboys have seen this scenario play out recently, on a much higher-profile level, when Dak Prescott failed to come to terms on a deal before the 2020 tag deadline. Schultz’s $10.9MM cap figure would not rival Prescott’s 2020 price, and the team may be keen to rent Schultz for a season before determining if a big-ticket tight end deal is worthwhile.

Dallas has committed to Michael Gallup as its No. 2 wide receiver this year, via an $11.5MM-AAV deal in March, and has CeeDee Lamb on his rookie contract. The team can put off a Lamb extension until 2024, if necessary, due to the fifth-year option. The Cowboys have $22MM-plus in cap space, with their La’el Collins cut generating post-June 1 funding, but may be skittish on paying Schultz top-five tight end money. Njoku became the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid tight end, but Schultz’s 2021 showing is statistically superior to any of Njoku’s five seasons. This will almost certainly be an issue for the Cowboys and Dolphins, who have seen Gesicki top Njoku’s best work twice, and create intrigue in other tight end negotiations — likely Darren Waller‘s as well — in the near future.

Buccaneers Confident They Will Re-Sign Rob Gronkowski

June 5th, 2022 at 10:59pm CST by Ely Allen

The status of 33-year-old tight end Rob Gronkowski has been a bit of a rollercoaster this offseason. Back in April, there were reports that Gronkowski was both leaning toward returning and claiming he’s not ready to return within a five-day period. A month later, Gronkowski refused to even take the question seriously, joking that he would return if the Buccaneers signed retired wide receiver Julian Edelman, a former teammate of Gronkowski and Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady. 

According to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, though, the Buccaneers are confident they will re-sign Gronkowski before training camp. They don’t expect to land their tight end of the past two years before mandatory minicamp, assuming Gronkowski will want to continue enjoying his offseason. Gronkowski has been mulling retirement for the second time in his career, but the Buccaneers don’t feel too much pressure as he has reportedly said that, if he does return, he would only play for Tampa Bay.

In terms of affordability, the Buccaneers have about $10.67MM of remaining cap space, according to overthecap.com, and Gronkowski’s past two deals with the team have only been for $9.25MM and $8MM. Gronkowski was third on the team in receiving yards last year behind only star receivers Chris Godwin and Mike Evans. Without Gronkowski, Tampa Bay would likely turn to Cameron Brate to start at tight end. Likely in anticipation of Gronkowski’s possible departure, the Buccaneers did draft two tight ends this year, selecting Washington’s Cade Otton in the fourth round and Minnesota’s Ko Kieft in the sixth.

For now, Tampa Bay is giving Gronkowski the time and space he needs, counting on his competitive nature and relationship with Brady to bring him back to football. Gronkowski will likely continue to take his time, returning on his own schedule, if the Buccaneers’ suspicions are correct, or hanging up his cleats, if they’re not.

Extension Candidate: Jordan Poyer

June 5th, 2022 at 10:02pm CST by Ely Allen

Heading into a contract year, Bills safety Jordan Poyer is set to represent a cap hit of $10.78MM on Buffalo’s books for the 2022 NFL season. This provides a rare situation in the NFL where it becomes beneficial for both parties to negotiate towards an extension. At 31-years-old, Poyer can likely find more money and a better fit in Buffalo than he could in free agency and a new contract would give the Bills an opportunity to soften Poyer’s cap hit. 

Poyer entered the league as a seventh-round pick for the Eagles in 2013. After being a healthy-scratch in Weeks 5 & 6 for Philadelphia, Poyer was waived, getting claimed off waivers by the Browns two days later. Poyer spent the next three seasons in Cleveland as a backup safety and backup punt returner. He earned four starts in 2015 when starting free safety Tashaun Gipson suffered an ankle injury. When Gipson left in free agency the next offseason, Poyer was named the Browns’ starting free safety going into the 2016 NFL season. After six starts, Poyer was hit by Antonio Andrews with an illegal blindside block while Poyer was covering a punt. Poyer was rushed to the hospital with a lacerated kidney and a possible concussion. He would miss the remainder of the season on injured reserve.

After his recovery, Poyer signed a four-year, $13MM deal with the Bills as a free agent. Bills head coach Sean McDermott named Poyer the starting strong safety alongside fellow-newcomer to Buffalo Micah Hyde, who had just signed as a free agent after four years in Green Bay. This would mark the beginning of a five-year, ongoing stretch as one of the league’s most consistent and effective safety duos.

Poyer and Hyde immediately made their presence known in Buffalo as both recorded five interceptions each in their first year as Bills. Over the last five seasons, Poyer has missed only two games while tallying 18 interceptions and 36 passes defensed. Despite outpacing Hyde for interceptions during their time in Buffalo, Poyer has also played with more versatility with time as a box safety. Poyer has forced six fumbles, recovering six, as well. He’s also added 10.0 sacks and 29.0 tackles for loss in his past five seasons, proving to be a true Swiss army knife in the Bills’ secondary.

Before his initial contract expired, Poyer signed his current two-year, $19.5MM extension, keeping him on the roster through 2022. Before the 2021 season, though, Buffalo and Poyer agreed to rework his contract, converting $5.2MM of his base salary into a signing bonus. The moved saved the Bills $2.6MM in cap space for 2021, but elevated Poyer’s 2022 cap hit from $7.7MM to his current $10.78MM number.

Being one of the older safeties in the NFL, Poyer is likely looking at a two- or three-year extension. Three years would be a very generous offer from the Bills based on knowing Poyer fits in their locker room and crediting him for having one of his best statistical seasons at 30-years-old. A two-year deal is much more likely.

Looking into value, the better safeties in the league are making anywhere from $13MM per year to $16MM per year. Taking his age and past deals into account, I imagine the Bills might offer Poyer something in the range of $12MM-$13.5MM in average annual value. My best guess would have Poyer signing a two-year, $25MM deal that gives him a good amount of guaranteed money.

The Bills have a good thing going with Poyer and Hyde manning centerfield. They haven’t been drafting to replace the duo and have no reason to until their play begins to decline. Vic Carucci of WGRZ in Buffalo thinks that training camp is the perfect time to extend their safety, saying Poyer is “far too valuable to leave him with any feelings of uncertainty about his future in Buffalo.”

NFC North Rumors: Vikings, Mundt, Melifonwu, Okwara

June 5th, 2022 at 7:53pm CST by Ely Allen

Over the past six years, the Vikings have seen plenty of defensive lineman Akiem Hicks, playing him twice per year while he was with their division-rivals in Chicago. According to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News in Minnesota, when he hit the free agent market this offseason, the Vikings showed early interest in keeping Hicks in the division. The interest failed to materialize into deal, though, as Hicks signed with the Buccaneers this week.

The 32-year-old Hicks has enjoyed success in the NFC North, recording 31.0 of his 40.5 career sacks with the Bears, as well as 51.0 of his 73.0 career tackles for loss and 88 of his 111 career quarterback hits. The Vikings would’ve loved to pair Hicks next to Dalvin Tomlinson and Armon Watts, as he would serve as a bit of an upgrade over projected-starter Harrison Phillips on the defensive line. Unfortunately, though, Hicks will head back down to the NFC South as Tampa Bay looks to replace the production of free agent departures Ndamukong Suh and Jason Pierre-Paul.

Here are a few other rumors from around the NFC North, starting with another rumor from the Twin Cities:

  • After five seasons with the Rams specializing as a blocking tight end, newly acquired Viking Johnny Mundt is eager to redefine his career in Minnesota, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. During his time in Los Angeles, Mundt only ever caught 10 passes for 93 yards and is still looking for his first career receiving touchdown. Mundt will compete with Ben Ellefson and the rookie out of South Carolina, Nick Muse, for the No. 2 tight end spot behind Irv Smith Jr. Mundt followed former Rams head coach Kevin O’Connell and former Rams tight ends coach and passing game coordinator Wes Phillips in their move to Minnesota. Phillips believes in Mundt’s ability and experience and will likely call on Mundt to expand his career into a more complete tight end.
  • As a rookie, Lions defensive back Ifeatu Melifonwu got his playing time covering the slot and outside as a cornerback. Detroit drafted him with the versatility he showed in college in mind, though, and plan on seeing him at safety for some snaps this season, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. A quad injury limited his development last year, as he spent 10 weeks on injured reserve and had a limited return to the field when he was activated. Second-year defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn says he always envisioned Melifonwu being a Swiss army knife in the Lions’ secondary. As he enters the 2022 NFL season healthy, Melifonwu should get his opportunity to audition for that role.
  • Third-year Lions defender Julian Okwara has been spending time in two position rooms this year, according to Lions staff writer Tim Twentyman, as he works with both defensive line coach Todd Wash and linebackers coach Kelvin Sheppard. Twentyman reports that the Lions are “cross-training him as both an on-the-ball defensive end and an off-the-ball linebacker.” Okwara has spent most of his time in the NFL as a defensive end, the position he primarily played at Notre Dame, as well. Head coach Dan Campbell explained, “We consider him in base as a linebacker, more of a SAM linebacker or on the edge. In sub or in nickel, he becomes more of that defensive end.”

Eagles Not Holding Minicamp This Summer

June 5th, 2022 at 6:19pm CST by Ely Allen

Second-year Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is continuing a trend he started in his first year at the helm in Philadelphia. According to Zach Berman of The Athletic, out of the three allowable mandatory practices each team is permitted for annual minicamps, the Eagles will use zero. 

Last year, Philadelphia also had an abbreviated in-person offseason program, as COVID-19 led the team to move most of their activities to a virtual space. Sirianni modified the in-person activities they did end up having, as well, managing the practice load on many of the athletes. This trend continued late in the year. In the back-half of the season, the Eagles moved to walk-throughs on Wednesdays to manage player workloads. This led to a healthier team that, after a 3-6 start to the season, would peak late, going on a 6-2 run to end the year and make the playoffs.

So far this year, Philadelphia has taken it easy in voluntary organized team activities (OTAs). The NFL permits 10 practice sessions for OTAs. The Eagles will hold six total practice sessions; three were held last week and three will happen this upcoming week.

The sessions in the OTAs won’t even utilize 11-on-11 play, which the league allows during the period. Sirianni explained, “We’re definitely doing seven-on-sevens. We’re transitioning away from 11-on-11s. We’re not going to do those this year.”

There are a couple of reasons for Philadelphia to function this way. The obvious reason is health. Sirianni claimed that they modified their offseason program “with the players’ health and safety in mind.” While health is important, the Eagles also use it as a chance to cultivate competition and connection, holding basketball shooting competitions and bowling outings with all of the players and coaches last week.

While it remains to be seen how this method of offseason preparation can affect a team’s in-season performance consistently over time, the results in Philadelphia last year are promising. If the Eagles prove that success can be obtained while emphasizing player health and safety, it could forever change how teams, especially teams who have seen entire seasons lost due to a litany of injures, approach the offseason.

Latest On Jets’ Denzel Mims

June 5th, 2022 at 4:06pm CST by Adam La Rose

Expectations were understandably high for Jets receiver Denzel Mims when he was drafted in 2020, but he has yet to live up to his billing in the NFL. With questions continuing to be asked about his future with the team, things may have taken a positive turn this offseason. 

ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes that the 24-year-old is in better shape physically than he was last year, which was marred by multiple health issues. In part due to those factors, and, more importantly, his inability to translate an intriguing size-speed combination from college to the NFL, Mims hasn’t seen much of the field through two seasons as a pro.

The former second-rounder flashed potential as a rookie, starting eight of the nine games he appeared in. He averaged 15.5 yards per reception, albeit on just 23 scoreless receptions. This year, after the Jets signed Corey Davis and drafted Elijah Moore, Mims saw a drastically reduced role, playing only 40% of offensive snaps. As a result, the Baylor alum has totalled less than 500 career yards after 20 NFL contests.

Amidst frustration regarding his limited opportunities, Mims was understandably considered a trade candidate throughout the 2021 season. In the build-up to the trade deadline, it was reported teams were inquiring about his availability, but New York elected to hold on to him. That didn’t point to a level of complacence at the position, of course; the Jets made a strong push to acquire Deebo Samuel, and used the No. 10 pick in the draft to select Garrett Wilson.

With a long road still in front of him to land a starting role (the Jets also re-signed Braxton Berrios this offseason), Mims is nevertheless receiving high praise as a result of his work during OTAs. Head coach Robert Saleh described him as being “a lot further along than he was a year ago” and in “fantastic shape”. Still, as Cimini writes, the team could simply be “talking him up” right now in an effort to boost his value in a potential trade, given that little has changed since January when his future was thought to be in serious doubt.

Mims has two years left on his rookie deal, but where those are played will remain an important story to monitor throughout the remainder of the offseason. If he does remain in the Big Apple, there is at least some cause for optimism he could perform closer to the level expected of him not long ago.

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