HEADLINES

Month: January 2023

Bears GM Ryan Poles Wants RB David Montgomery To Return

January 12th, 2023 at 8:02pm CST by Ely Allen

We tackled the stock Bears running back David Montgomery holds as he heads into free agency about a month ago. A key concern in his situation focused on whether or not Chicago would want to bring Montgomery back. Earlier this week, Bears general manager Ryan Poles gave us the answer, according to Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun Times.

Poles made it clear in a public forum that he has a desire to keep Montgomery in the Windy City. “I’ve always wanted to keep David,” Poles told reporters. “I love his mentality, how he plays the game. I told him that to his face. He’s part of the identity that we had this year that kept us competitive.”

That PDA is endearing and likely sits well with the fourth-year running back out of Iowa State, but it doesn’t put food on his table. Compliments alone are not going to convince Montgomery to keep the “C” on his helmet, and Poles is aware of that.

“The second part of that is just the contract situation,” the rookie GM continued. “That’s something that we’ll see how that goes and if we can find common ground. Obviously, I’ve learned that you can want a player, and the value’s got to come together for it to happen.”

The value is going to be crucial, and there are two factors to take into account when trying to determine where Montgomery’s value falls. The first is current roster. Behind only quarterback Justin Herbert, Montgomery was second on the team in rushing yards, leading all running backs in Chicago. While that seems like a plus for Montgomery, it’s likely only the result of second-year running back Khalil Herbert missing three more games than Montgomery. Despite Montgomery outgaining Herbert 801 rushing yards to 731, Herbert averaged a higher rushing yards per game with 56.2 YPG compared to Montgomery’s 50.1. The benefit in performance comparison is that Montgomery is clearly the team’s preferred receiving back after hauling in 34 passes for 316 yards compared to Herbert, who was next closest for running backs with nine catches for 57 yards.

The second factor is going to be competition. This offseason’s free agent running back class is going to be stacked with talent. Montgomery will be competing for a new contract with the likes of Josh Jacobs, Saquon Barkley, Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, Kareem Hunt, Jamaal Williams, and others. The plethora of options has the potential to saturate the market for running backs, leading to smaller contracts. If Montgomery wants to return to Chicago, though, he’ll hold the advantage over the others due to his familiarity with the franchise.

Statistically compared to recent contracts, Montgomery matches up closest with a player like Buccaneers running back Leonard Fournette. Fournette recently signed a three-year, $21MM deal after a contract year that looks vaguely similar to what Montgomery did this season. There are two factors in Montgomery’s favor, though. Montgomery doesn’t have the significant injury history that Fournette does, and Montgomery has been far more consistent with his production year in, year out. This could point to either a three-year deal with a slightly larger average annual value or a similar annual amount with another year tacked on. If Montgomery were in a vacuum, he would likely demand something like a three-year, $24MM contract or a four-year, $28MM deal.

If Montgomery finds his way back to Chicago, it will probably not be that steep of a payday. He may find that he can earn more money by taking a team-friendly deal with the only team he’s known so far, but with the emergence of Herbert, Montgomery won’t be able to demand top dollar value. It will be up to Poles and Montgomery to reach an agreement on value. If it helps, I hear Poles is “a big David Montgomery fan.”

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/12/23

January 12th, 2023 at 7:40pm CST by Ben Levine

Only one minor move to pass along today:

Buffalo Bills

Beasley came out of retirement to rejoin the Bills in mid-December. He got into two regular season games with Buffalo, hauling in two catches for 18 yards. Murray appeared in five games for the Bills this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams.

NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/12/23

January 12th, 2023 at 7:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Teams continue to sign players to reserve/futures contracts, allowing the organization to retain (routinely) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. Here are the latest reserve/futures contracts:

Kansas City Chiefs

New England Patriots

  • DB Rodney Randle

New York Giants

Pittsburgh Steelers

Tennessee Titans

Patriots Negotiating New Contract With Jerod Mayo, Will Start OC Interviews Next Week

January 12th, 2023 at 6:03pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots are officially looking to shake up their offensive coaching staff, but they’re also hoping to retain a key defensive coach. The organization announced in a press release that they’ve begun contract negotiations with coach Jerod Mayo “that would keep him with the team long-term” (via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe on Twitter). The team also announced that they will begin interviewing offensive coordinator candidates next week.

While Mayo has served as New England’s de facto defensive coordinator (alongside Steve Belichick), his title has officially been “inside linebackers coach.” As a result, Mayo wasn’t only allowed to interview for head coaching gigs, but also defensive coordinator opportunities, and it seemed all but certain that his stint in New England was likely going to come to an end as he pursued a more significant title. The Browns previously requested a DC interview with Mayo, and we learned earlier today that the Panthers planned to interview him for their head coaching vacancy. As Jeff Howe of The Athletic tweets, the Patriots don’t want to lose him for “anything short of a head coaching job.”

The former Patriots linebacker has had a quick accession through New England’s coaching ranks, culminating in his current role. It sounds like the Patriots are committed to keeping the Mayo/Belichick duo for as long as possible, and it will be interesting to see what title Mayo emerges with (assuming he sticks in New England).

With Josh McDaniels leaving for Las Vegas, the Patriots used a similar philosophy with their offensive coaching staff, relying on two individuals instead of one definitive offensive coordinator. The issue was that head coach Bill Belichick turned to former defensive coordinator Matt Patricia and former special teams coordinator Joe Judge to run the offense. The results were disastrous, with QB Mac Jones taking a clear step back during his second year in the league. Naturally, this has led to plenty of speculation that the Patriots could look to shake up the staff, and the organization has now made it clear that they’ll be interviewing for a new OC.

Some names have already been floated as possibilities. Bill O’Brien, who worked his way up to offensive coordinator in five years with the Patriots, could be a candidate. The coach has spent the past two years as Alabama’s offensive coordinator, and there were theories that O’Brien didn’t return to New England last offseason because Belichick didn’t want to compromise his relationship with Nick Saban. With O’Brien’s contract having expired, he’s now free to sign anywhere. Kliff Kingsbury is another candidate following his firing in Arizona. The former NFL QB was drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round of the 2003 draft. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets, the Patriots will have to follow the Rooney Rule if they intend to give someone the title of offensive coordinator.

Either way, this is some “unprecedented” transparency by the Patriots organization (as Volin notes on Twitter), with Jonathan Jones of CBS Sports tweeting that the organization is clearly “being very intentional about getting the word out.” This follows rampant speculation that Robert Kraft has requested coaching changes, and the owner reportedly met with his head coach earlier this week. Indeed, Howe tweets that Kraft and Belichick “have been aligned in their vision for a new offensive plan” next season.

Dolphins A Potential Suitor For Tom Brady?

January 12th, 2023 at 5:45pm CST by Ben Levine

Tom Brady-to-Miami is back on the table. A source “with general knowledge of the various dynamics regarding all things Brady” told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that a move to the Dolphins is “definitely on the table.”

This obviously isn’t the first time that Brady has been connected to the organization. Miami’s previous pursuit of the quarterback led to a tampering scandal that resulted in significant penalties for the organization and their owner, Stephen Ross. Either way, the Dolphins clearly had Brady’s ear as they looked to team the future Hall of Famer with head coach Sean Payton. Thanks in part to Brian Flores’ discrimination lawsuit against the Dolphins, that plan was scrapped, and following a brief retirement, Brady ended back in Tampa Bay.

The 45-year-old will hit free agency this offseason, providing no barriers to him joining the Dolphins. As opposed to his last trip to free agency, Brady should have more than a couple of teams competing for his services. It remains to be seen if Brady would still be interested in moving to Miami, but among the hypothetical suitors, they’d make sense from a roster standpoint.

Another major part of this story revolves around current Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa. If the Dolphins do land Brady, Florio said it’s uncertain if the Dolphins would move on from Tua or if they’d keep him as a backup. If the organization can find another team that would “assume the concussion risks,” then the incumbent QB would be a natural trade candidate. His $4.7MM financial commitment in 2023 certainly isn’t a concern for the Dolphins or any trade suitors, so either route wouldn’t be overly surprising.

Brady’s third season in Tampa Bay saw him complete 66.8 percent of his passes for 4,694 yards, 25 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Despite an 8-9 record, the Buccaneers qualified for the postseason. Tagovailoa, meanwhile, guided the Dolphins to an 8-5 record in 13 starts, tossing a career-high 25 touchdowns vs. only eight interceptions. He won’t start their Wild Card matchup against the Bills as he continues to sit in concussion protocol.

Texans Request HC Interview With Rams’ Thomas Brown

January 12th, 2023 at 4:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although they will join the other head coach-needy teams in the Sean Payton sweepstakes, the Texans otherwise have identified a type of coach they will covet during their latest pursuit. They will aim to have another young assistant on their docket.

The team sent out a request to interview Rams tight ends coach Thomas Brown, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Brown is a new name on this year’s coaching carousel, and this is the Sean McVay staffer’s first known opportunity to interview for an NFL HC gig.

Brown, however, was on the radar for Arizona State’s HC position recently and interviewed for the Rams’ offensive coordinator job last year. He has been on McVay’s staff since since 2020. Brown, 36, has only been in the NFL since that point; prior to the 2020s, he spent nearly a decade as a college assistant. This represents quite the rise for Brown, who spent his first two years with the Rams as their running backs coach. But he has generated praise as a rising candidate.

The Rams also have Brown on the radar for their OC role, one Liam Coen vacated officially this week by returning to Kentucky. McVay has not determined if he will return for a seventh season. That obviously overshadows everything else Rams for the time being, and it clouds the coaching staff’s future. The Rams will not block any assistant from taking a job elsewhere right now, inviting more speculation about a potential McVay departure.

The Texans have sent out eight interview requests since firing Lovie Smith. With the exception of Payton, all are under 42. Brown joins DeMeco Ryans, Shane Steichen, Ben Johnson and Mike Kafka in being under 40. The team intends to interview Ejiro Evero next week; Brown’s ex-Rams coworker-turned-Broncos DC has already interviewed for the Denver and Indianapolis HC positions. Josh McCown, who interviewed for the Texans’ job in each of the past two offseasons, has not been connected to the post this year. But, after two years with 60-something HCs, GM Nick Caserio has a host of candidates in McCown’s age bracket on the radar.

Dexter Lawrence Eyeing Giants Extension

January 12th, 2023 at 1:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Displaying considerable growth as a pass rusher, Dexter Lawrence has put together his best season. The only piece of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade left on either team has offered a breakout year and is on track for what should be a monster payday.

Lawrence would prefer that contract come from the Giants. While he did not follow Kadarius Toney‘s lead by having a detailed layout of the New York skyline tattooed on his back, a Giants tattoo adorns Lawrence’s arm. Unlike Toney, it seems improbable Lawrence will need to consider any potential alterations anytime soon.

“I do want to be a Giant forever. I got it tatted on me,” Lawrence said, via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “I love this organization, the people in it and what it means. I grew up a Giants fan. If it is meant to be, it will be.”

The Giants drafted Lawrence with the first-round pick obtained from the Browns in the Beckham deal in 2019. With Beckham, Olivier Vernon, Kevin Zeitler and Jabrill Peppers no longer with the Browns or Giants, Lawrence is the only part of that trade still in place. He has joined other Dave Gettleman-era investments — like Saquon Barkley, Daniel Jones, Andrew Thomas and Leonard Williams — in driving the would-be rebuilding team to a playoff berth in the Brian Daboll–Joe Schoen regime’s first season.

Lawrence, 25, graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 interior defensive lineman this season. The Clemson product totaled 7.5 sacks and 28 quarterback hits, smashing career-high numbers, in his first season under DC Don Martindale. The 342-pound defender also forced two fumbles and batted down three passes this season, a campaign that will put him in position to be one of the players set to bridge the gap between Aaron Donald and the field at D-tackle.

Lawrence, Jeffery Simmons, Quinnen Williams and Daron Payne are candidates to bridge what is now a staggering gap between Donald ($31.7MM per year) and the field ($21MM AAV). Leonard Williams is one of the two players on a $21MM-per-year deal, complicating Big Blue’s path a bit. Williams’ contract expires after the 2023 season, and the Giants would have the franchise tag as a Lawrence last resort come 2024. The Giants are projected to hold nearly $60MM in cap space next year, good enough for third-most — as of mid-January — in the league. CBS Sports’ Joel Corry said (via Dunleavy) Lawrence waiting until after Simmons and Quinnen Williams sign would be a better option for his extension value, but this season has undoubtedly driven his stock skyward.

The 2023 offseason will be a busy one for the Giants, who have Barkley and Jones looming as free agents-to-be. Once those dominoes fall, however, Lawrence figures to move to center stage for Schoen. The rookie GM has some interesting decisions to make thanks to a host of the previous regime’s first-rounders either resurfacing as impact players (Barkley) or taking leaps (Lawrence, Jones) this season.

Broncos Schedule Sean Payton Interview

January 12th, 2023 at 11:02am CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos will be the first team to meet with Sean Payton during this year’s hiring period. The parties will get together for an interview in Los Angeles.

Payton surfaced on the Broncos’ radar weeks ago, and the team will meet with the former Saints HC on Tuesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The Broncos are not the only team expected to interview Payton this year, but they were the first to receive permission from the Saints to do so.

[RELATED: 2023 NFL Head Coaching Search Tracker]

Prior to the Cardinals and Texans receiving permission from the Saints to interview Payton, the Broncos discussed the Super Bowl-winning coach with the NFC South club. The sides reportedly agreed on compensation in the event of a trade for Payton’s rights — a first-round pick and more — but it is not known exactly what it would cost for Denver to pry the highly regarded play-caller from New Orleans. No coach has been traded since the Chiefs acquired Herm Edwards from the Jets (for a fourth-round pick) in 2006. Bigger prices for HCs (Jon Gruden, Bill Belichick, Bill Parcells, Mike Holmgren) were required over the previous decade, however.

In the team’s first coaching search headed by its new ownership group, the Broncos are preparing to be “ultra aggressive” in landing a leader this time. The Broncos went with first-time HCs with each of its past three hires — either brought in by John Elway or current GM George Paton — but they are prioritizing experience this time around. Paton is part of the Broncos’ search, but new CEO Greg Penner is running it. Through a football lens, that is a rather interesting setup. But Penner has effectively stripped some of Paton’s power, announcing the next head coach will report to him and not the third-year GM.

Payton and Jim Harbaugh are believed to be the frontrunners here, with Cowboys DC Dan Quinn in the mix as well. Though, it remains to be seen if either Payton or Harbaugh are ultimately interested. Rob Walton‘s checkbook may well impact that. The Broncos have interviewed Harbaugh, DC Ejiro Evero, ex-Stanford HC David Shaw and former Colts and Lions HC Jim Caldwell. They are planning to meet with Rams DC Raheem Morris and 49ers DC DeMeco Ryans as well. The Broncos’ previously reported Morris meeting will take place later Tuesday in L.A., Schefter tweets. The team does not have any other interviews scheduled, Mike Klis of 9News tweets, adding that Quinn and Ryans are expected to interview next week as well.

No more Payton interviews are scheduled, but Nick Underhill of NewOrleans.football adds all five HC-needy teams have reached out to the Saints about their former coach (Twitter link). Cardinals and Texans meetings could follow, and the prospect of Payton waiting out the Chargers or Cowboys playoff results — to see if jobs he was initially linked to open up — should be in play as well. Payton staying at FOX and waiting until next year will obviously be a consideration as well.

NFL Names Atlanta As Neutral Site For AFC Championship Game

January 12th, 2023 at 10:52am CST by Sam Robinson

Two days before the playoffs, the NFL announced the neutral site that could play host to the AFC championship game. Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium would host a potential Chiefs-Bills conference title tilt, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

This NFC venue emerged as the host after it became known Indianapolis and Detroit indicated their stadiums were not available. This stadium would only come into play if the AFC’s top two seeds — Kansas City and Buffalo — meet to decide the conference’s Super Bowl representative.

While an outdoor stadium was believed to be a consideration for this unique circumstance, as both the Chiefs and Bills hail from cold-weather cities, only indoor sites were mentioned during this process. Mercedes-Benz Stadium hosted Super Bowl LIII and has been the site for CFP national championship games.

Should the Bills and Chiefs reach the conference championship game, it would be Buffalo’s second relocated contest this season. A snowstorm moved a November Browns-Bills contest to Detroit. While weather issues have moved games before, a conference title game being relocated is new territory for the league. But the owners narrowly approved the NFL’s proposal on a compromise, as the Bills controlled their own destiny for the AFC’s No. 1 seed prior to the Damar Hamlin injury and hospitalization leading to the cancellation of Week 17’s Bills-Bengals matchup.

Although the Bengals launched a protest of the playoff modification, they only objected to the coin-toss component — which affected the AFC North teams and which is no longer in play, thanks to Cincinnati’s Week 18 win over Baltimore — in the proposal. The Bengals, Bills and Chiefs were all believed to be fine with the relocated AFC title game, though the Chiefs abstained from voting. The Bengals also had a narrow path to the No. 1 seed going into Week 17, but the Chiefs’ Week 18 win would have prevented that regardless of a Bills-Bengals result. As such, this relocation measure will only take effect if the Bills and Chiefs meet for a third straight postseason.

Both those matchups — a 2020 AFC title game blowout and 2021 divisional-round classic — occurred at Arrowhead Stadium and went the Chiefs’ way. The Bills (13-3) have not held home-field advantage since the 1993 season (when they beat the Chiefs to book a Super Bowl XXVIII berth), and because win percentage gave the 14-3 Chiefs the edge, the AFC East champions are set up for a tougher road to the AFC title game.

Should the Bills and Bengals win their respective wild-card games, as they are heavily favored to do, they will meet in Round 2. The Chiefs will face a less-accomplished team — likely the winner of the Chargers-Jaguars matchup — despite the Bills having defeated them in Kansas City this season, still providing the top-seeded team an advantage despite the NFL stepping in to prevent the Bills from playing in K.C.

Rumors of the NFL using this as a trial balloon for neutral-site conference championship games have emerged, and while that would be intriguing (and similar to college football’s setup), it would minimize the importance of obtaining home-field advantage and thus devaluing the regular season to a degree. But if a third Patrick Mahomes–Josh Allen playoff clash commences, the league will see this compromise/experiment come to fruition.

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