Seahawks Re-Sign Geno Smith
Russell Wilson isn’t the only Seahawks quarterback staying put for 2021. Seattle has re-signed backup signal-caller Geno Smith, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Smith has been Wilson’s clipboard holder for the past two seasons now. It’s been a pretty relaxing job as Smith has only appeared in one game over the past two years, attempting five passes last season. The 39th overall pick of the 2013 draft, Smith spent his first two pro seasons as the Jets’ starter.
Since then he’s started only two games, one more for the Jets in 2016 and one for the Giants in 2017. He then backed up Philip Rivers with the Chargers in 2018. Smith isn’t exactly young anymore, as he’ll turn 31 in October.
As such, it wouldn’t be surprising if the Seahawks drafted a quarterback in the middle rounds next week, especially with Wilson’s future with the team still somewhat up in the air.
Bengals Wanted Giovani Bernard To Take Pay Cut
Giovani Bernard‘s time in Cincinnati is done, as the pass-catching back signed with the defending champion Buccaneers a couple weeks ago.
His old team apparently wasn’t set on seeing him walk out the door, but they wanted him to stay on their own terms. Bengals exec Duke Tobin said this week the team had wanted Bernard back at a lower salary, per Ben Baby of ESPN (Twitter link). Bernard declined to take a pay cut, which is what led to his somewhat surprising release.
Bernard had been a staple of the franchise for most of the past decade after they drafted him in the second-round back in 2013. He had been set to earn a $3.7MM base salary with a $4.76MM cap hit in 2021 before getting cut. Bernard elected to chase a ring with Tampa despite interest from the 49ers and Seahawks.
Meanwhile, we also now have the details on Bernard’s contract with the Bucs, which we didn’t have when he first signed. Bernard signed for the vet minimum salary of $1.075MM along with a modest signing bonus of $137.5K, Greg Auman of The Athletic tweets.
It’s quite possible Bernard signed for significantly less money to team up with Tom Brady, considering the interest from San Francisco and Seattle. Either way, it’s a great value signing for the Super Bowl champs, as Bernard remained productive while reeling in 47 catches last year.
Broncos GM Paton: Haven’t Called About Moving Up, Will Bring In QB Competition
We heard just a couple of days ago that the Broncos were a team potentially looking to move up in the draft. Speaking to the media today, new GM George Paton made it sound like that’s not something he’s planning on as of right now.
Paton says the team has not made any calls about moving up in the draft from their current ninth spot, James Palmer of NFL Network tweets. Paton also said has received calls from teams looking to move up next week. If Denver truly does stand pat at nine, they likely wouldn’t be able to draft one of the true top passers.
That’s relevant, because notably Paton did confirm bluntly that the Broncos are going to bring in a new quarterback to push Drew Lock. “We want to bring in competition at the quarterback position,” Paton said, via Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link).
It doesn’t get much clearer than that. Lock certainly can’t be considered etched in stone as the Broncos’ Week 1 starter at this point. Paton also didn’t rule out moving up in the draft, saying something could materialize on draft day, only that nothing is in the works right now. If the team doesn’t draft a quarterback early it’s unclear what kind of competition they’d bring in, since the veteran market has mostly dried up. Paton did refer to a “trade market,” so maybe they could swing a deal for another team’s veteran backup.
It’s possible that if the Broncos don’t trade up and miss out on the first-round guys, they could draft a quarterback on Day 2. At that point, Davis Mills of Stanford, Kyle Trask of Florida, and Kellen Mond of Texas A&M would all be realistic options.
Washington Waives Bryce Love
A former college standout will need to find a new NFL home. Washington has waived running back Bryce Love, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
It’s been a tough road in the pros for the former Stanford star, who has struggled to get over his knee issues. Love tore an ACL in his final game at Stanford, and has dealt with multiple setbacks in his recovery. Love was the runner-up for the Heisman Trophy in the 2017 season, and was talented enough for Washington to still use a fourth-round pick on him in 2019 despite the fresh injury.
He didn’t play at all as a rookie, and although he was active for a few games in 2020, he never touched the ball. He was placed on injured reserve in October, and although he later began practicing with the team, they eventually shut him down and didn’t activate him.
He’s undergone multiple knee surgeries, but is also still only 23. Given his youth and decorated college career another team will likely still at least take a flyer, but it’s not looking great for his NFL career.
Multiple Teams Wanted To Sign Alex Smith
When most players retire from the NFL, it’s because the phone stops ringing. That apparently wasn’t the case with Alex Smith, who announced earlier this morning that he’d be hanging up his cleats. 
“Multiple teams wanted to sign” Smith, Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets. Pelissero adds that Smith made the decision to call it a career a couple of weeks ago. Smith then appeared on SportsCenter, where he offered a bit more info on his process. Interestingly, Smith said he did visit with the Jaguars and considered signing with them, via Field Yates of ESPN (Twitter link).
That would’ve reunited him in Jacksonville with Urban Meyer, who coached him in college at Utah. We heard at the beginning of the month that the Texans had interest in bringing him in, and the Colts, Patriots, and Eagles were also intrigued, according to Greg Bishop of SI.com. Smith, of course, miraculously returned from a devastating leg injury last season to improbably help lead Washington to the playoffs.
It’s not surprising teams were interested in Smith as a veteran mentor, as the 36-year-old surely has a lot of wisdom to impart to a young quarterback. It would’ve been cool to see him give Trevor Lawrence some guidance in Jacksonville, just like he did with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City.
Ultimately it wasn’t mean to be, and Smith will wrap up his rollercoaster of a career after 16 seasons in the league. He can walk away knowing he had offers on the table, which is more than most can say.
Seahawks’ Aldon Smith Wanted For Battery
Just a few days after the Seahawks signed pass rusher Aldon Smith, there are already complications. Smith is wanted in New Orleans on a charge of second-degree battery, Travers Mackel of WDSU tweets.
The bulletin from the sheriff’s office says Smith is wanted for an alleged battery that happened on April 17 outside the French Press Coffee House. An acquaintance of Smith’s accused the 31-year-old defender of assault, according to a police report (via NOLA.com’s Amie Just, on Twitter). A warrant went out for Smith’s arrest.
It’s an unfortunate development who just finally got back on the field last season after many years of off-field issues. The seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft by the 49ers, Smith became an instant star and racked up 19.5 sacks while picking up a first-team All-Pro nod in 2012.
Things unraveled pretty quickly after that, as Smith was hit with a series of suspensions for various substance abuse and legal issues. After not having played in a game since the 2015 season, he improbably managed to return to the NFL with the Cowboys last year.
He had five sacks and a fumble recovery touchdown in 16 games with Dallas. The Seahawks had been interested for a while, as they tried to trade for him at the trade deadline. It’s unclear if their interest is strong enough for them to put up with this latest incident. It wouldn’t be surprising if Seattle elects to cut ties and not deal with the headache. Smith will turn 32 in September.
Extra Points: NFLPA, Lawrence, Seahawks
Over half of the league’s teams have now issued statements saying some or all of their players will sit out in-person offseason workouts. While those standoffs continue, we’ve got an adjacent update on the NFL’s COVID-19 policies. The NFLPA told players over the weekend that they’d no longer be subject to discipline for “high-risk COVID conduct,” a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link).
That includes things like going to bars and large indoor events. There some high profile discipline incidents for high-risk COVID conduct last season, perhaps most notably when Dwayne Haskins was fined and stripped of his captaincy after being photographed mask-less with strippers. As Pelissero points out, this means that the players who do decide to report to team facilities for in-person workouts won’t have to live in quarantine. Pelissero reports the NFL will still maintain the right to hand down discipline for violating protocols inside team facilities.
Here are a couple other notes from around the league on a quiet Sunday night:
- Not that it’s any secret the Jaguars are taking Trevor Lawrence, but we’ve got some more info on what’s going down behind the scenes. Urban Meyer pretty much publicly acknowledged a couple weeks ago that the team would draft the Clemson passer first overall later this month, and it sounds like the budding relationship is going well. Jacksonville has been sharing elements of their offensive scheme and playbook with Lawrence to see what he can retain, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter video link). These zoom sessions have apparently been going well, as Lawrence has “impressed them” by “being able to talk like he’s already a member” of the team, Rapoport says.
- There was a lot of drama surrounding Russell Wilson this offseason, which led to trade rumors, but it sounds like he’s been very engaged in the Seahawks’ offseason plans. Running back Chris Carson signed a two-year deal to stay in Seattle despite interest from a number of other teams, and he recently revealed that Wilson played a big role in recruiting him. “He was definitely in my ear,” Carson said, via John Boyle of the team’s official site. “We talked about it before the season ended that we didn’t want this to be the last year we played with each other. He definitely was in my ear during the offseason.” He also said fellow running back Rashaad Penny played a big role in recruiting him back. Wilson’s efforts here, as well as his recent reassurances to Carlos Dunlap, seem to indicate he isn’t planning on leaving the Seahawks anytime soon.
East Notes: Jets, Eagles, Washington
Teams around the league have been announcing that many if not all of their players would skip voluntary offseason workouts, including the Jets a couple of days ago. Things are now up in the air between the NFL and NFLPA, and one of the biggest sticking points is what to do about players with workout bonuses in their contracts. As of right now those players would stand to lose out on those bonuses, and collectively many millions of dollars, which is why some teams have said that some of their players will still be showing up.
Fortunately for Jets players, nobody on the roster has a workout bonus in their deal, according to Overthecap.com, via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini notes the Jets had doled out lots of workout bonuses in past years, but “the current regime” led by GM Joe Douglas “has moved away from them.” He also points out that New York is “one of only five teams with no workout bonuses.”
Here’s more from the East, shifting to the NFC now:
- Jordan Howard recently signed back with the Eagles on a one-year deal, and he apparently didn’t have too many other options. Speaking to the media in a press conference this past week, Howard revealed he thought he might’ve been done in the NFL this offseason. “My market was just pretty dry,” Howard said, via Tim McManus of ESPN.com (Twitter link). “I was having thoughts like, I might be done,” he admitted candidly. “Teams weren’t really calling,” he added. Given the apparent lack of other interest, it probably won’t surprise you to learn that Howard’s one-year deal is for the vet minimum and contains no guaranteed money, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports reports. Howard made the Pro Bowl as a rookie in 2016 with the Bears, but his stock has fallen rapidly since. He started last year with the Dolphins before getting cut and ending up back in Philly. He was also with the Eagles in 2019, when he carried the ball 119 times for 525 yards and six touchdowns in ten games.
- Washington made an interesting developmental signing this past week when they added former basketball player Sammis Reyes, who is hoping to become an NFL tight end. It was a cool story, and it turns out Washington views Reyes as something more than just a dart throw. His contract comes with $392K in guaranteed money, with a $20K signing bonus and $372K in guaranteed salary, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That’s more than some established veterans are getting on this open market. That’s also way more than any old undrafted free agent would get, so Ron Rivera and co. clearly think Reyes has some real potential to contribute. After they watched Logan Thomas go from quarterback to very productive tight end for them last year, it’s not hard to understand why they’d try to catch lightning in a bottle twice.
Robert Saleh Wants Richard Sherman On Jets
Richard Sherman recently said he’d be open to returning to the Seahawks and Pete Carroll, but he could end up reuniting with a different head coach that he’s familiar with.
New Jets head coach Robert Saleh is interested in reuniting with Sherman in New York, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com is told. Whether or not GM Joe Douglas will sign off on such a move apparently “depends on a few factors.” Cimini notes it could hinge on what the Jets do at cornerback in the draft, which could mesh since we heard a couple of weeks ago Sherman wasn’t planning on signing before the draft.
Cimini also says that Sherman “seemingly would prefer a contending team in the West,” so it’s not clear the interest is entirely mutual. Saleh, of course, was Sherman’s defensive coordinator in San Francisco the past few seasons. Sherman spent a long time as one of the top corners in the league as part of Seattle’s legendary ‘Legion of Boom’ defenses, then signed with the 49ers in 2018.
The Stanford product was limited to only five games this past year and turned 33 last month, but he was still a second-team All-Pro in 2019. He’ll be an interesting gamble for a team, as he’s past his prime and coming off an injury-plagued year, but also played at a very high level not too long ago.
As Cimini cautions there are “a few bridges to cross before anything happens,” but it sounds like there is another very realistic suitor for Sherman on the table.
Bears, Browns, Giants Latest To Opt-Out Of Offseason Workouts
Well, they’re falling like dominos now. A handful of teams had already issued statements through the NFLPA declaring their opposition to in-person offseason workouts, and now three more clubs have joined them.
The Bears, Browns, and Giants became the latest three teams to announce they prefer a virtual offseason, which the NFL had last year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. You can read the statements from this new trio respectively through these Twitter links. Chicago, Cleveland, and New York are now the sixth, seventh, and eighth teams to issue such statements.
The Broncos, Seahawks, Buccaneers, Lions, and Patriots have already done so. Just yesterday the league announced the schedule for offseason workouts, which can begin on Monday April 19th. The Browns’ statement begins by saying “the NFL’s memo outlining how they plan to implement voluntary workouts falls short of what we as players believe is adequate.”
Cleveland’s statement is perhaps especially notable since Browns center J.C. Tretter is president of the NFLPA. He was tagged in the post. The Bears’ says “the majority of our locker room,” seemingly indicating some players will be attending. The Patriots’ said something similar.
With this now being a growing trend across the league there is going to be a lot of fallout, and this is far from the last we’ll hear of it. Many players have workout bonuses tied to these phases, so it’ll be interesting to see how that all shakes out.
The NFL responded to some player complaints with a memo touting the benefits of in-person workouts at team facilities, which you can read courtesy of this tweet from Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. The league points out that any player who gets hurt at an in-person workout will be covered financially, but a player who gets hurt while working out on their own won’t be. More teams will likely follow suit in the coming days, so stay tuned.