Broncos Won’t Sign Shaquem Griffin
Shaquem Griffin will have to wait a little longer to find a new home. The inspirational linebacker who lost one hand at the age of four recently received an invitation to Broncos minicamp as a tryout player.
Griffin spent the past few days in Denver, but the team will not be signing him at this time, Mike Klis of Denver 9 News tweets. Klis does note that Broncos “coaches/front office were impressed with his minicamp work,” so perhaps he could still be signed down the line.
We heard back in May that multiple teams had expressed interest in signing the twin brother of Jaguars cornerback Shaquill Griffin, but nothing materialized. Both Griffin brothers have played their entire pro careers up until now with the Seahawks. Shaquill landed a big deal from Jacksonville earlier this offseason.
Shaquem mostly played as a special teamer, or regular linebacker when on defense, with the Seahawks. But it was also reported earlier this offseason that he was looking to transition into a full-time pass-rusher.
K.J. Wright Not In Seahawks’ Plans?
There’s been some back and forth all offseason, but it appears like things are close to being set in stone with outside linebacker K.J. Wright and the Seahawks. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be coming back for an 11th season in Seattle.
Pete Carroll said a couple of weeks ago the door was open for Wright to return, but Brady Henderson of ESPN.com writes that he’s not in the team’s plans. Wright has said since February that he wanted to return to the Seahawks, but not at a discount. However, Henderson writes the team’s decision is “only partly about money.”
Instead, it’s “mostly because the Seahawks want their top two draft picks from 2020”, Jordyn Brooks and Darrell Taylor, to become starters next to Bobby Wagner at linebacker in their defense. In other words, the team just wants to get younger on defense, which is understandable.
Wright is the longest-tenured member of the team, and has started at least 12 games in all of his pro seasons except 2018 when he dealt with a knee injury. However, the 2011 fourth-round pick will also turn 32 in July.
Wright won Super Bowl XLVIII with the team, and made the Pro Bowl in 2016. One of the last members of the legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defenses of yesteryear, it sounds like Wright will need to find a new home if he wants to keep playing. He did say in late March he was interested in playing for the Cowboys, with his old defensive coordinator Dan Quinn now coaching in Dallas.
NFL, NFLPA Agree To 2021 COVID Protocols
Fans will be back in the stands, and things are slowly returning to normal, but COVID-19 will still loom over the 2021 NFL season in some capacity. On Wednesday afternoon, the league and the NFLPA agreed to the COVID protocols for the upcoming season, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
There are going to be two sets of rules for those who have been vaccinated and those who haven’t been. Pelissero tweeted out the memo detailing the restrictions for unvaccinated players, and they’re significant. Unvaccinated players will have to be tested every day, wear masks in the facility, and travel to road games separately. When on the road they can’t have guests at their hotels or see friends and family. As Pelissero writes in his thread, it essentially boils down to “fly by yourself and sit in your room until kickoff.”
Importantly, players who have been vaccinated won’t have to isolate for five days if they’re deemed a high-risk close contact to someone who tests positive. Those close contact isolations caused a lot of key players to miss games in 2020.
Unvaccinated players will also be hit with fines of up to $50K for things like going to bars or large gatherings. Clearly, the league is doing everything they can to push players to get vaccinated without actually mandating it.
As for what the numbers look like, Pelissero tweeted yesterday that a source told him over 50 percent of NFL players had received at least a first dose of a vaccine. He added that every team has at least 90 percent of their Tier 1/2 staff vaccinated, so clearly coaches and employees are getting it at a higher rate than players. 16 of 32 teams have had at least 51 of the 90 players on their offseason rosters vaccinated.
It’s a lot to digest, and there are significant implications here. A number of high profile players have indicated they aren’t planning on getting the vaccine, so it’ll be interesting to see how this all shakes out. If one thing is for certain, it’s that there will be some drama to come as a result of these new protocols.
Matt Nagy: Andy Dalton Is Our Starter
A couple of weeks ago there was a report that the Bears were planning to enter Week 1 with Andy Dalton as their starter, which a lot of people dismissed.
Now, Bears head coach Matt Nagy has more or less confirmed that report publicly in a recent appearance on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast (Twitter video link). When asked by Collinsworth if there was any possible scenario where rookie Justin Fields is under center come Week 1, Nagy said “No.” Fields, of course, was just drafted 11th overall by Chicago.
“I mean Andy is our starter. And again, I can’t predict anything, you know how it goes. I mean there’s so many things that could happen between today and that Week 1. But Andy is our starter and Justin is our number two, and we’re going to stick to this plan,” he continued.
It sounds like the team wants to do right by Dalton, as he was publicly anointed as the starter after signing a one-year, $10MM deal back in March.
It’s worth keeping in mind that only four quarterbacks chosen in Round 1 since 2011 — when that year’s CBA changed first-rounders’ earnings and timelines — did not become a primary starter in Year 1. They were Patrick Mahomes, Jake Locker (2011), Johnny Manziel (2014) and Paxton Lynch (2016).
Both Nagy and GM Ryan Pace are on very thin ice. If the Bears struggle this season, they’ll almost certainly both be fired. As such, it’s hard to believe they’ll have too much patience. Unless Dalton comes in and immediately catches fire and leads the team to victories, it’s hard to see them waiting more than a few weeks to pull the trigger.
If Dalton is anything other than excellent, the pressure from fans and the media will be intense to unleash Fields, the former Ohio State star. We should learn a lot more about the situation in training camp and the preseason.
Bears To Sign Second-Round OT Teven Jenkins
The Bears got Justin Fields‘ deal wrapped up last week, and now they’re inking their second pick. Chicago has agreed to terms with second-round offensive tackle Teven Jenkins and he’ll sign his rookie contract later today, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
As Rapsheet points out, that will wrap up the team’s draft class with all seven rookies being signed. The Bears drafted Jenkins 39th overall out of Oklahoma State. Chicago gave up a third-round pick to trade up with the Panthers from No. 52 and nab Jenkins.
Just a couple of days after drafting Jenkins the team released long-time tackle Charles Leno. They reportedly plan on plugging in Jenkins as a starter right away at left tackle. He’ll be tasked with protecting the blindside of Fields and/or Andy Dalton as a rookie.
Jenkins was a three-year starter at Oklahoma State and broke out this past season, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. Germain Ifedi will start opposite him at right tackle.
Harbaugh: Lamar Jackson ‘Going To Get Paid’
It seems like only a matter of time before Lamar Jackson gets a mega-extension. Speaking to the media Wednesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh seemed to indicate it’s already set in stone.
Harbaugh was asked whether Jackson would be affected if he didn’t get a new contract before the season starter, to which he replied “absolutely not,” via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
“He’s going to get paid. He knows that. The question becomes what’s his legacy going to be as a QB? The other thing is a done deal,” Harbaugh continued. We heard back in February that the two sides were apparently far apart on financial terms. Reports got better after that, with both Harbaugh and Jackson saying publicly they weren’t concerned.
We’ve since heard that they’ve commenced actual talks, and it sounds like the financial side of things is getting better. Jackson said last month that he isn’t concerned whether an extension happens this year or next.
He’s under contract through the 2022 campaign after the team picked up his fully guaranteed $23.1MM fifth-year salary for that season. After becoming a unanimous MVP a couple years ago Jackson, who currently operates as his own agent, will surely be looking for a payday in line with the league’s other top passers.
Dak Prescott got four years and $160MM back in March, and it’ll be very interesting to see how Jackson’s forthcoming extension compares to that. Either way, don’t anticipate much drama in these talks like there have been with other quarterbacks, as everyone involved continues to insist it’ll be smooth sailing.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/13/21
We’ve got one small move to pass along as we wrap up the weekend:
Chicago Bears
- Cut: TE Darion Clark
The Bears elected to free up a roster spot. Clark is a converted D1 college basketball player who Chicago signed to a reserve/futures deal in 2020. He spent all of last season on injured reserve.
NFC West Notes: 49ers, Alford, Hekker
The 49ers have drawn the ire of the league office. The NFL docked San Francisco the “last week of their rookie development program for a violation of offseason work rules,” sources told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). Pelissero reports that the team’s infraction took place during their rookie minicamp. As for what that infraction was, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports tweets the punishment stems “from minimal contact that appeared on a social media video when contact was prohibited during rookie camp.”
Sounds pretty minor. Maiocco adds that the now-scrapped last week of their rookie development program “was to consist of non-football and life skills,” so it’s doubtful that 49ers brass is going to lose too much sleep over it.
Here are a couple other nuggets from around the NFC West on a quiet Sunday night:
- Cornerback Robert Alford has dealt with a lot of adversity the past couple seasons. Alford signed a three-year, $22.5MM deal with the Cardinals in 2019, but has yet to play a down for the team. He missed all of 2019 with a broken leg, and all of 2020 with a torn pec. He was unsurprisingly released this offseason, but quickly re-signed on a one-year deal. As it turns out that new deal is for the veteran’s minimum, as Darren Urban of the team’s official site writes. It also turns out Alford never had any intention of leaving. “He basically told us ‘Hey I want to come back, I owe you guys, so I’ll come back for whatever deal because I owe the organization, I owe the Cardinals and want to prove y’all were right about me,” head coach Kliff Kingsbury said, who added “we respect that a ton.” It sounds like Alford is going to be playing with a chip on his shoulder, and here’s to hoping he can stay healthy in 2021. The 32-year-old was a quality starter in Atlanta before the injuries derailed his career in the desert.
- Punter Johnny Hekker is the longest-tenured member of the Rams. He’s a fan-favorite, leader in the locker room, and four-time first-team All-Pro. And even his job isn’t safe. In a testament to the ‘easy come easy go’ nature of the NFL, Hekker now has some real competition in Rams camp. The Oregon State product is coming off a season where he had a career-low yards per punt average and is the highest-paid punter in the league with a cap number of $4.9MM this year, as Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes. Speaking to the media recently, Hekker was frank about his status. “I definitely did not perform to the best of my abilities,” last season, he stated plainly. Although Sean McVay has denied the team is looking to move on from Hekker, the veteran said he’s treating recently-signed Corey Bojorquez as serious competition and operating as if he’s fighting for his job. He also added that “there’s no running around the financial aspect of it.” This will be a situation to keep an eye on this summer.
Jordan Love: I’ve Spoken To Aaron Rodgers, Ready To Start Week 1
The big story of this NFL offseason has been the Aaron Rodgers drama in Green Bay. Depending on how things shake out, the Jordan Love Packers era could start in as early as a few months.
There have been reports that team brass didn’t think Love was particularly close to being ready to start last year, but the Utah State product sounds confident heading into 2021. “A hundred percent,” Love said when asked if he’ll be ready to start come Week 1, via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
“Obviously, this is a time where I’m getting a lot of extremely valuable reps that I might not have been getting in a normal circumstance. So I’m just going to take it day by day. … But yeah, that’s what I’m here for. I was drafted here to play quarterback, so I’ll definitely be ready Week 1.”
Love, of course, was referring to Rodgers’ holdout from the team’s mandatory minicamp. The 26th pick of last year’s draft also interestingly revealed that he’s stayed in touch with Rodgers this offseason. In fact, Demovsky reports that Love said he spoke with Rodgers shortly before arriving in Green Bay for OTAs.
A lot of Rodgers’ beef with the Packers reportedly stems from the process of selecting Love, which he wasn’t in the loop for, but he apparently hasn’t let that effect his relationship with his young potential successor.
Demovsky writes that Love has been hot and cold so far, struggling one day then having stretches of brilliance the next. Despite being in contact Love said he has no idea what Rodgers is going to do, and that he was “surprised” he elected to skip minicamp.
Despite getting drafted in 2020, Love won’t turn 23 until November. At this point, it seems like there’s a good chance he’s thrown into the fire before then.
Vikings’ Bashaud Breeland Had Surgery
Cornerback Bashaud Breeland was on the free agent market for a while, finally inking a one-year deal worth up to $4MM with the Vikings earlier this month.
One reason for his delayed signing may have been that he underwent shoulder surgery shortly after playing in the Super Bowl with the Chiefs, the veteran corner revealed earlier this week, via Andrew Kramer of the Star Tribune. Kramer notes Breeland still remains sidelined, and although the Clemson product said he’s “on track,” he also said “doctors tell me when I’m ready to get on the field.” It sounds like he should be ready for the start of the season but will end up missing a good amount of practice time with his new team.
Interestingly, Breeland also said his original plan was to return to the Chiefs for a third season. Breeland said his “heart was sold” on returning to Kansas City, but a couple weeks after his visit to the Vikings’ facility Minnesota came in with a financial offer he couldn’t pass up.
Originally a fourth-round pick of Washington in 2014, Breeland started 11 games for the Chiefs last year after serving a four-game suspension to start the season. He’s started both of the Chiefs’ recent Super Bowl appearances, winning Super Bowl LIV with the team.
The Bears also expressed interest in him last month. After having a very youthful group of corners that often struggled last year, Mike Zimmer made overhauling the position a priority this offseason. In addition to signing Breeland, the team traded away former first-rounder Mike Hughes and signed Patrick Peterson.
In his seven-year career, Breeland has made 88 starts and racked up 81 passes defended to go with 14 interceptions.