Patriots Notes: Newton, Gilmore, Hightower
Shortly after the Patriots drafted Mac Jones in the first round, head coach Bill Belichick came out and said Cam Newton would remain the team’s starter until he was unseated. While a lot of coaches might express similar sentiments with respect to their veterans and not really mean it, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes that he doesn’t think “that’s just lip service” from Belichick. Newton didn’t play well in 2020, but he also had a poor supporting cast and Belichick seems to be genuinely fond of him. Volin believes that “the Patriots’ quarterback job is Newton’s until he gets hurt or is clearly holding the team back.”
He adds that at a “minimum” he doesn’t think the team will want Jones to “have to deal with the pressure of playing against Tom Brady in the big return game in Week 4.” Volin highlights the week after their Week 11 Thursday night game against Atlanta as a good time to potentially make the switch. We’ve previously heard that the Patriots are going to hold a true open competition in training camp between Newton and Jones, but Volin seems to think the vet is a somewhat heavy favorite in that battle. If Jones flashes in the preseason that could change things in a hurry.
Here’s more from New England as they look to bounce back from a rough 2020:
- Last week Stephon Gilmore confirmed he isn’t happy with his current contract, saying “I just want what I’m worth,” but also said he wouldn’t be demanding a trade. Gilmore said he hoped his camp and the team could “find common ground” and get something done, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com has an idea of what that might look like. Rather than outright adding guaranteed millions to his existing $7MM salary for 2021, “adding easily-earned incentives to Gilmore’s contract would fall most closely in line with the Patriots’ approach” in recent years, Reiss writes. He highlights how the team added millions in incentives to Rob Gronkowski and Brady’s contracts from 2017-18 to make their compensation more in-line with their market value as a potential blueprint. Reiss thinks the Pats would be more inclined to add incentives for this season rather than do a long-term extension because of concerns about their 2022 salary cap situation, as well as Gilmore’s relatively advanced age (31 in September).
- Gilmore might not be the only member of this Patriots defense to have contract drama coming up. Star linebacker Dont’a Hightower opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19, and is set to make $8.725MM with another $2MM in incentives available when he makes his return this season. Volin writes that his “hunch” is that Hightower is “worried about the Patriots asking him to take a pay cut.” Hightower turned 31 in March, and obviously hasn’t played since the 2019 season. He did make the Pro Bowl that year and has been a leader in New England for a while, but the Pats have never gotten too sentimental in the past. Gilmore is getting most of the attention, but it sounds like this could be another situation to monitor.
Jaguars, Urban Meyer Subpoenaed In Iowa Investigation
We’re continuing to monitor the Richard Sherman case, but it isn’t the only legal situation developing around the NFL on Wednesday. The Jaguars and their head coach Urban Meyer have been subpoenaed by the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Iowa, Garry Smits of the Florida Times-Union reports.
The subpoena is for “documents, electronic transmissions and other evidence related to the hiring and subsequent resignation of former University of Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle by Meyer in February.” The evidence they’re seeking is regarding a “$20 million racial discrimination civil lawsuit filed against Iowa on Nov. 12 by eight former Iowa players.”
Doyle was a former assistant at Iowa, who left the school last summer with a $1.1MM separation agreement after he was accused of making racist remarks and belittling players. Meyer subsequently hired him for his inaugural Jaguars staff, which drew a lot of backlash.
Meyer initially stood by Doyle, but eventually Doyle resigned shortly after joining the team. The Jaguars issued a curt statement denying that they’ll be of any use in the investigation. “We respect and will cooperate with the legal process as required,” it read. “However, the Jaguars have no information that would be relevant to the lawsuit between student-athletes and the University of Iowa.”
That might turn out to be true, but it’s another unwelcome distraction for Meyer as he prepares for his first season as an NFL head coach. We’ll update with any further developments.
Richard Sherman’s Wife: ‘No One Was Injured’, Additional Details On Arrest
Another update to pass along in the developing Richard Sherman case. The star cornerback was arrested early this morning for “burglary domestic violence,” and that’s not all.
He’s also being investigated for a hit and run an hour or so prior to the incident, and police say a K9 was used to take him down after he became “combative” with them. Needless to say, it’s a serious situation, but fortunately it now sounds like the worst was avoided. Even though he was arrested for alleged domestic violence, Sherman’s wife Ashley Moss issued a statement to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times that nobody was hurt.
“At this time we’re going to make no statements, except he didn’t harm anybody,” Moss said. “My kids were not harmed in the incident. He’s a good person and this is not his character. We’re doing all right, just trying to get him out. I want people to know no one was injured.”
As Moss alluded to the family is still trying to get him out of jail because he’s currently being held without bail. They might have to wait a bit. Sherman hasn’t been formally charged yet and can’t be until he appears in court, which won’t be until Thursday afternoon, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. So Sherman will remain in King County Correctional Facility for at least another day.
This is great news that there apparently wasn’t any physical violence, but it certainly doesn’t mean that Sherman is off the hook. He still may be in big trouble, and it will likely take a while to fully play out. We’ll keep you posted as we hear more.
Richard Sherman Also Being Investigated For Hit And Run, More Details On Arrest
We continue to get new details on the Richard Sherman, and things continue to look worse for the free agent cornerback. In addition to his arrest for “burglary domestic violence,” Sherman is also being investigated for a hit and run and “damage to state Department of Transportation property,” Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
“State police say that at about 1:00 a.m. PT, they received a report of a single-car incident” where a car struck a concrete barrier, Schefter writes. The driver of the car “was able to drive the vehicle off the exit and abandoned it in a nearby parking lot. The registration was run, and it came back to Richard Sherman.”
That’s not good. That apparently happened at 1 a.m., and then the call to police from a relative of Sherman’s partner was placed at 2 a.m. The phone call alleged Sherman was trying to force his way into the home, and he was arrested when police arrived.
Meanwhile, a report from TMZ has more details on the arrest. According to TMZ police are claiming that Sherman “became uncooperative and combative during questioning,” and that a K9 was eventually deployed to take him down.
That would explain why he was taken to a local hospital to check for injuries. It’s a scary and sad situation, and one that could take a while to play out.
This isn’t shocking, but an NFL spokesman confirmed to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times that Sherman could face discipline from the league depending on the outcome of the case (Twitter link). No matter what, this certainly won’t help his slow-developing free agency, and don’t expect to see him signed any time soon.
Allen Robinson, Bears Won’t Agree On Extension
It’s been trending this way for a while, but now it’s more or less official. The Bears and receiver Allen Robinson are not expected to agree to an extension, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As a franchise-tagged player, Robinson had until July 15th to work out a long-term deal with Chicago or decide to play 2021 under the tag. It appears he’ll go with the latter option, which will pay him about $17.9MM for the upcoming season. We just heard safety Marcus Maye won’t be inking a new contract with the Jets, which leaves five other tagged players up in the air.
We’ve still yet to hear for sure about Bucs receiver Chris Godwin, Panthers tackle Taylor Moton, Washington guard Brandon Scherff, Saints safety Marcus Williams, or Jaguars tackle Cam Robinson. We haven’t heard much at all about Scherff, Williams, or Robinson. As of a couple weeks ago the Panthers were hoping to extend Moton, while we heard just this past week Tampa wasn’t particularly close with Godwin
Robinson and the Bears have been at a stalemate for most of the past year, outside of last September when it briefly looked like things were headed in the right direction. There were rumors of a possible tag and trade this offseason, but nothing materialized.
Robinson opted to attend mandatory minicamp, and appears content to play this season out. He’s often been the lone bright spot on a struggling Bears offense the past couple seasons, and has proven to be immune to poor quarterback play. Despite last year’s anemic passing game and the shuffling between Nick Foles and Mitchell Trubisky, the Penn State product still finished with 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns.
Now that an extension is off the table, the only question left to be settled is if it’ll be Justin Fields or Andy Dalton throwing him the ball in 2021.
Marcus Maye Pulls Offer Off Table, No Deal With Jets Likely
Well it looks like we have our answer to another one of the unextended franchise tagged players. It does not appear safety Marcus Maye will be getting a new contract from the Jets before the July 15th deadline.
The team has not responded to the latest proposal from Maye’s camp, and Maye has now pulled that offer off the table, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). “No deal is expected,” Rapsheet adds. That would seem to conflict with the Jets’ stance from May that they were “working relentlessly” to get a deal done.
A source also told Rapoport that “negotiations went south weeks before the tag deadline” after New York offered a contract that had an average annual value “about 20% below even the tag amount for 2021.” No wonder he rejected it. Maye is currently set to make about $10.6MM playing under the tag this season.
We heard a couple of weeks ago that the Florida product could be looking for a deal with an AAV of around $14MM, while the Jets viewed the deal John Johnson got from the Browns ($11.25MM AAV over three years) as a better comp.
Rapoport says that Maye understandably turned down the Jets’ offer, and “had significantly more in APY and guarantees from multiple teams heading into FA.” It sounds like he’s content to now play out this season in New York, and look to cash in with one of those other team’s in next year’s free agency.
Drafted 39th overall in 2017, Maye has never made a Pro Bowl or All-Pro team, but was graded as the league’s fifth-best safety in 2020 by Pro Football Focus.
The 28-year-old was productive last season, finishing with 88 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, 11 passes defended, and two interceptions. He’s started all 54 games that he’s appeared in over his four years with the Jets.
Shaq Barrett: I Wasn’t Going To Leave Buccaneers For ‘A Little More Money’
The Buccaneers did a great job keeping almost everybody from last year’s Super Bowl win around for 2021. They used their franchise tag on receiver Chris Godwin, which meant they had to let star pass-rusher Shaq Barrett become a free agent.
Barrett was one of the top players available on the market, but he apparently never considered leaving Tampa too seriously. He said as much in an interview on Good Morning Football on Tuesday (Twitter video link), via Myles Simmons of ProFootballTalk.com.
“It might’ve been true [that I was offered more money elsewhere], but I didn’t listen to anybody else. I didn’t hear no other offers,” Barrett said. “I wanted to make it work down here in Tampa. We’ve got something special going down here, man. And I don’t want to let greed be the reason why I don’t take advantage of this opportunity down here. We’re starting to love Tampa. We love the fan support. And I’m just ready to keep building.”
The former undrafted free agent spent his first five pro seasons with the Broncos, but Tampa became home for him quickly in 2019. “I love my coaches. I love the organization — everything is like a match made in heaven down here, man. And I won’t let trying to get a little more money change that.”
Barrett immediately broke out after signing with the Bucs in 2019, leading the league in sacks that season with 19.5 and becoming a second-team All-Pro. As such, it’s not hard to see why he has such an affinity for the organization.
He played the 2020 season under the franchise tag for $15.8MM, and the team rewarded him back in March by giving him a new contract for four years and $72MM.
Extra Points: Newton, Patriots, Williams, Bears, XFL
It was widely known that Patriots quarterback Cam Newton wasn’t his self physically during his last couple years with the Panthers. But he recently revealed just how bad his health situation was. In a video he just posted this past week (that was recorded in September of 2020), Newton said he hadn’t felt good in years, via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com. “Last time I’ve been healthy?” Newton said. “Honest, 2016.”
“I threw an interception,” Newton explained, describing the shoulder injury he first suffered in December of 2016. “I tried to go make the tackle, and I tried to push him out, and I extended my arm, and I messed up my AC joint. And ever since then, there’s just been a part of me that’s just been a wounded dog. Like a wounded lion almost. Just, ‘I’m not right.’ I feel good at times, but when I’m running I still feel it. So instead of running them over, I’m going to turn this shoulder and just go down.” Newton went on to say that he had felt like the shoulder finally healed ahead of his 2020 season with the Patriots. Obviously that season didn’t go how anybody around the team hoped for, and it’s curious timing as to why Newton posted this video now. He’s expected to battle it out with rookie Mac Jones for the starting job in training camp.
Here’s more from around the football universe as we wrap up a sleepy Sunday:
- Damien Williams was a hero in the Chiefs’ Super Bowl LIV win, but he opted out of the 2020 season due to COVID-19 and his mother having cancer. He was then released by Kansas City back in March, and promptly signed with the Bears within 10 days. It sounds like he knew exactly where he wanted to go, as Larry Mayer of the team’s official site passes along. “Sitting out a year and then coming back, I really didn’t want to learn a whole new system,” Williams said. “Coming here and kind of having the same system, same plays, it was easy for me.” Williams was referring to the similarity in Matt Nagy’s offensive scheme to Andy Reid’s. Nagy, of course, is part of the ever-growing Reid coaching tree, and was an assistant under him from 2008 all the way until becoming Chicago’s head coach in 2018. Clearly the familiarity was important to Williams, who turned 29 in April. With David Montgomery, Tarik Cohen returning from an ACL tear, and now Williams, the Bears should have a solid backfield in 2021.
- We heard this past week that the XFL and CFL would not be pursuing a potential partnership/merger. That doesn’t mean we’ve heard the last of crossover talk. MLSE, the company that owns the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, was the “catalyst for the XFL discussion,” within the league, sources told Dan Ralph of the Toronto Star. Ralph highlights the Argonauts breaking off and joining the XFL for their spring 2023 season as a possible solution. It’d be interesting to see, and could serve as a potential test-run for the NFL one day playing games in Toronto, something that has long been talked about.
Latest On Richard Sherman
We heard at the beginning of June that Richard Sherman might wait until training camp to sign with a team. Well, training camps are right around the corner, but Sherman is still unsigned.
The free agent is keeping his options open apparently, and is still considering a return to the Seahawks. “I’m told that this is not off the table, that Sherman is still open to returning to” Seattle, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported recently, via Tyler Conway of Bleacher Report. Fowler notes that Sherman still has a house in Seattle, and that “most people” around the league “think he’d like to still play on the West Coast.”
Sherman has been talking with the Seahawks for months now, but nothing has gotten done. One reason for the possible delay could be the ongoing negotiations between Seattle and safety Jamal Adams, which we just passed along an update on as well.
Fowler says the team “needs to figure out the Adams money allocation before they take resources elsewhere.” He adds that Sherman is “not going to take the minimum,” and would “need a decent contract” if he’s going to return to play for Pete Carroll again.
The Stanford product turned 33 back in March and missed 11 games due to injury last year, but has remained effective when on the field. Sherman has also been linked to the Saints a bunch this offseason, and has had on and off talks about going back to the 49ers for another season.
Latest On Seahawks, Jamal Adams
It was reported almost a month ago that a Jamal Adams extension with the Seahawks could be imminent, and that something was likely to get done around the start of training camp. That apparently might not longer be the case.
Negotiations between Adams’ camp and the Seahawks have been “slow-going”, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on SportsCenter recently, via Corbin K. Smith of SI.com. Fowler said that it’s “a situation that could bleed through training camp, even possibly close to Week 1,” according to NBC Sports Edge. Adams is apparently “willing to bet on himself,” and Seattle understands that.
We heard recently that Adams wasn’t just looking to become the league’s highest-paid safety, he was looking to enter a tier of his own. The sixth overall pick of the 2017 draft reportedly wants to be treated like his own unique position and not be grouped in with other safeties on the market.
Given his historic pass-rushing production from the safety position, it’s understandable. Meanwhile, John Clayton of 710 ESPN Seattle writes that it’s “pretty clear” the two sides “are not close to a contract extension.” Clayton thinks Adams’ deal “should come in” around $16MM a year, but that if he wants $17-18MM, that “would be a problem for the Seahawks.”
The former LSU and Jets star has some leverage here, since the Seahawks gave up two first-round picks to trade for him last July. It would be a very bad look for the franchise if they weren’t able to lock him up long-term. With training camp rapidly approaching, we should hear a lot more soon.