RB Alexander Mattison Didn’t Expect To Re-Sign With Vikings
Alexander Mattison hit free agency this offseason but ended up re-signing with the Vikings. Considering the presence of Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook, Mattison didn’t expect he’d land back in Minnesota.
[RELATED: Vikings To Re-Sign RB Alexander Mattison]
“I actually didn’t think that I’d be back in Minnesota, so it’s a blessing to be back, to be in a place where I spent the first four years of my career and loved it there,” the running back admitted during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (via NFL.com’s Michael Baca). “To be there, be a part of this team, this locker room, the ownership, the staff. It’s a great place to be, so I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else, and while I’m with this opportunity in front of me, I just see so much upside.”
Things have changed since Mattison inked a new two-year contract. The Vikings ended up moving on from Cook, setting up Mattison to be the full-time starter heading into the 2023 campaign. The 2019 third-round pick has shown that he’s more than capable of leading a running back corps; in six career starts, he’s compiled 693 yards from scrimmage and five touchdowns.
Considering Cook’s inability to stay in the lineup, Mattison got plenty of looks through his first three seasons in the NFL. He topped 500 yards from scrimmage in each of those three years, including a 2021 campaign where he collected 719 yards from scrimmage and four touchdowns.
With Cook still leading the way heading into the 2022 campaign, there were reports that the Vikings were shopping their backup RB. Minnesota ended up holding on to the RB2 but got a surprising 17-game season out of the oft-injured Cook in 2022, leading to Mattison compiling a career-low 373 yards from scrimmage (along with a career-high six touchdowns).
With Cook now gone, Mattison will get a shot at the full-time starting gig. The 25-year-old acknowledged that he’s stepped up his offseason game in preparation for an increased workload in 2023.
“Yeah, with that understanding of knowing kind of where my role is going to be and maximize it,” Mattison said. “I’ve been a lot more prepared in the way of understanding where I’m going to be at in the playbook, where I’m going to have to be at physically, my stamina. It’s just a whole bunch that I have to now take into account but without applying too much pressure, of course, because this is a game of ball that we have grown to love and grown to adapt to at all different levels. I’m definitely comfortable as a professional athlete and understanding what I have to do to get the job done. Now just cranking that thing up and getting ready for this opportunity that I have in front of me.”
Melvin Gordon Still Wants To Play, Frustrated With RB Market
After fumbling his way out of a job in Denver, veteran Melvin Gordon spent the rest of the 2022 campaign on the Chiefs practice squad. This was obviously a humbling step backwards for the former Pro Bowler, but the practice squad gig hasn’t left him discouraged about his future NFL opportunities.
During an appearance on The Jim Rome Show, Gordon said he’s staying ready for his next job while also acknowledging the plight of today’s running backs.
“I still want to play,” Gordon said (h/t to Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com). “I still got some tread left on the tires. Andy, you know, coach Reid, kind of sat me down and he told me that ‘you still can play.’ It’s just about the right situation. It’s just so tough for running backs right now. And you have a lot of running backs out there and we just don’t get no love. It’s literally the worst position to play in NFL right now. It literally sucks. I’m just staying ready, man, because I know what I can do. I know once I get in camp, I get in any camp, I can turn some heads. I know what I need to do.”
This isn’t the first time a veteran running back has expressed displeasure about the current state of their positional market. Josh Jacobs has said he’s taking a stand for the position while negotiating an extension with the Raiders, and Saquon Barkley has hinted that his extension offers haven’t come close to matching his on-field production.
Gordon doesn’t necessarily have the same complaints as Barkley or Jacobs, since the free agent RB would be hard pressed to earn even a modest payday on his next contract. However, all veteran RBs share a similar concern when it comes to teams’ reluctance to make any investment on older RBs, with front offices generally preferring to go with cheaper options on rookie contracts.
If Gordon has any hope of playing next season, he might have to once again settle for a practice squad gig. The 30-year-old had a rough go of it in 2022, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry and fumbling the ball five times before earning his walking papers. However, Gordon isn’t far removed from 2020 and 2021 campaigns where he averaged more than 1,000 yards from scrimmage and 10 touchdowns per season.
If the RB is hoping for a guaranteed spot on a 53-man roster, he’ll have to wait for injuries to hit during training camp and preseason. Even then, he’ll likely have to wait his turn, as running backs like Dalvin Cook, Ezekiel Elliott, and Kareem Hunt also remain unsigned.
TE Darren Waller Not Surprised By Raiders Trade
Darren Waller struggled to find his footing with new head coach Josh McDaniels leading the way in Las Vegas. Even after the tight end inked a three-year, $51MM extension last offseason, there were rumblings that he had become a source of frustration within the organization during the 2022 season.
[RELATED: Raiders To Trade Darren Waller To Giants]
Waller was ultimately traded to the Giants back in March, and the tight end acknowledged that the move didn’t come as a huge surprise.
“Not totally shocked,” Waller told Adam Hill of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “I had heard some things. There were different moments throughout the year that I heard I may be traded or I may not. So the actual event of it wasn’t too shocking.
“But I didn’t expect it to be the Giants.”
Following 1,000-yard seasons in 2019 and 2020, Waller was limited to only 11 games in 2021. He missed another eight games in 2022, a factor that likely contributed to the organization’s frustrations. It seemed like rival teams were aware of the disconnect between Waller and the coaching staff; we heard that the Packers tried to trade for the player midseason, and agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed that the front office even shopped Waller last offseason.
So, when Waller was ultimately traded, the move naturally didn’t come as a huge shock to the 30-year-old. Waller admitted that he was surprised that he was dealt to New York, perhaps because they hadn’t been definitively listed as a suitor (the only two reported teams that had shown interest were the Packers and Dolphins).
On paper, the Giants seemed like a logical landing spot. The team didn’t do much last season to replace Evan Engram, leaning mostly on Daniel Bellinger at tight end. In New York, Waller should emerge as one of Daniel Jones‘ top targets, and the tight end is excited about the opportunity.
“It’s been great,” Waller said of his Giants experience. “It’s been a great challenge. I love a good challenge and just forming a new relationship with my teammates. They’re really excited about winning. They’re really solid about doing things the right way and continuing to build a foundation on what they started last year. I’m just excited to be a part of it.”
Latest On Free Agent RB Kareem Hunt
While Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott have commanded the headlines, there’s another former Pro Bowl running back who remains unsigned. With only weeks remaining until training camps open, Kareem Hunt is still a free agent. However, the veteran running back isn’t sweating his current status and expects to be on an NFL roster sooner than later.
Lae“I’m just being patient,” Hunt told Jeff Schudel of The News-Herald. “I’ve had some things come up. But right now, I’m enjoying my time with my family. I’m training and working hard and just staying ready.
“I’m not frustrated at all. It’s going to work itself out. Right now I’m just here to enjoy time with my family and show these kids a good time at this football camp. I know it’s all going to work out at the end of the day.”
Hunt found a home in Cleveland over the past four seasons, including a 2020 campaign where he finished with 1,145 yards from scrimmage and 11 touchdowns. The former third-round pick has continually served as the RB2 in Cleveland behind Nick Chubb, an arrangement that worked out for Hunt through his first three seasons with the organization. However, Hunt started to express displeasure about his role heading into his contract season, resulting in a public trade request. Hunt ended up sticking in Cleveland and saw a career-low 9.3 touches per game during the 2022 campaign.
The Browns haven’t done much to improve their RB corps this offseason, and with D’Ernest Johnson off to Jacksonville, former fifth-round pick Jerome Ford is set to be the top backup behind Chubb. While Hunt wasn’t particularly happy with his role in 2022, he didn’t completely shut the door on a return to Cleveland.
“The Browns are always going to be a team I have mad love for, but I’m not really talking about that stuff,” Hunt said. “I’m enjoying my time at this football camp and focused on my body and my mind. I’m in God’s hands and just looking forward to the next opportunity. It’ll be coming up soon, I’m pretty sure.”
Heading into what should be his age-28 season, Hunt will likely find a landing spot once injuries hit and teams get a longer look at their running back depth.
Bills Notes: Cook, Cornerback, Ateman, Coaching Staff
The Bills have done some work revamping their running back depth chart this offseason, but the team’s main holdover believes he’s ready to secure the starting gig. During an appearance on The Rich Eisen Show, James Cook made it clear that he’s ready to be the team’s top running back.
“Obviously, RB1,” Cook responded when asked about his role in 2023 (h/t Ryan Talbot of NewYorkUpstate.com). “So you know, just come in and do what I do. Change the game with my versatility. Catching the ball out of the backfield. Pass blocking. Just try to do what I can do to help the team win games and ultimately win the Super Bowl.”
The Georgia product was a second-round pick by the Bills last offseason and ended up getting into 16 games as a rookie. While he played second fiddle to Devin Singletary, Cook still finished the season with 687 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns. Singletary is now out of the picture, although the Bills did bring in Damien Harris and Latavius Murray for some extra depth.
Even with the additions, Cook is confident that he’s prepared to be the starter, and the second-year player sounds like he’s ready to stand alongside his brother, Dalvin Cook, when it comes to the league’s top running backs.
“My goal is to be an All-Pro or Pro Bowler like my brother,” Cook said. “Hopefully be in the Pro Bowl with him one day.”
More notes out of Buffalo…
- It’s uncertain who will start opposite Tre’Davious White at cornerback, but Joe Buscaglia of The Athletic believes the gig will ultimately come down to three players. Dane Jackson, Christian Benford, and 2022 first-round pick Kaiir Elam will “likely remain in a battle” for the CB2 gig once training camp opens, according to the writer. Buscaglia notes that the coaching staff has been adamant that the role won’t be influenced by contract or draft pedigree, meaning the competition is truly wide open for all three players.
- The Bills added Marcell Ateman earlier this month, and Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that the receiver inked a one-year, $940K deal. The wideout played for the St. Louis BattleHawks in the XFL this season, totaling 259 yards while not scoring a touchdown. The Oklahoma State product was a seventh-round pick by the Raiders in 2018, and he compiled 20 receptions for 270 yards and a touchdown through his first two seasons in the NFL. In Buffalo, he’s expected to be a special teamer and end-of-the-depth-chart option at WR.
- The Bills announced yesterday (via Twitter) that they’ve promoted Eric Washington to assistant head coach/defensive line coach. The veteran coach joined the organization in 2020 as their DL coach, and he earned a promotion to senior defensive assistant before last season. He had previous stops with the Bears and Panthers, including a one-year stint as defensive coordinator in Carolina.
- The Bills have some extra depth on the edge, meaning they could look to move on from one of their former second-round picks. Earlier today, our own Adam La Rose explored the trade candidacy of Carlos Basham Jr..
This Date In Transactions History: Chiefs Fire John Dorsey, Extend Andy Reid
On the same day the Chiefs committed to their head coach, they let go of their general manager. On June 22, 2017, the Chiefs extended head coach Andy Reid before firing general manager John Dorsey.
The Chiefs brought in both Reid and Dorsey during the 2013 offseason, reuniting the two after they previously worked alongside each other in Green Bay. The duo was simply looking to return Kansas City to the postseason for just the second time in seven years, and they succeeded right away, with the Chiefs going 11-5 during the 2013 campaign.
The team was consistent over the following three seasons, earning two more playoff appearances while averaging more than 10 wins per season. It appeared it was going to be status quo for the 2017 campaign, although this time, Dorsey and the Chiefs showed a willingness to consider a post-Alex Smith era when they traded up for Patrick Mahomes at the 10th-overall pick. The Chiefs made a few more significant moves (including signing Eric Berry to a hefty extension) before they made the sudden decision to move off of their GM.
“I notified John that we would not be extending his contract beyond the 2017 season, and after consideration, we felt it was in his best interests and the best interests of the team to part ways now,” CEO Clark Hunt said at the time. “This decision, while a difficult one, allows John to pursue other opportunities as we continue our preparations for the upcoming season and the seasons to come. My family and I sincerely appreciate John’s work over the last four-and-a-half years, and we wish him nothing but the best in the future.”
This was an especially surprising development considering the organization announced that they had extended Reid earlier that day.
“My family and I have been very pleased by the success the franchise has sustained over the last four seasons under Coach Reid,” Hunt said. “He has already established himself as one of the best coaches in the league, and he is well on his way to solidifying a place among the all-time greats. We are proud to have him leading our football team, and I look forward to working with him to bring a championship to Chiefs Kingdom.”
It was never made clear why Reid was afforded a longer leash than Dorsey, but following the firing, we learned that the GM didn’t have many fans thanks to his management style and salary cap mismanagement. His cap issues ultimately led to the ouster of several fan favorites, including Jamaal Charles and Derrick Johnson.
Six years later, we can confidently say the Chiefs were right to commit to their head coach. The team eventually took off with Mahomes under center, and the organization has since won two of their three Super Bowl appearances. Reid earned another extension with the organization in 2020.
Things are a bit more complicated when it comes to Dorsey. Brett Veach has guided the Chiefs to two championships as general manager, but Dorsey has earned some praise for his contributions to the eventual Super Bowl champs (especially his selection of Mahomes). Of course, those Super Bowls don’t show up on the executive’s resume; what does show up is his underwhelming two-year stint in Cleveland. He joined the Browns less than a year after his Kansas City firing, and despite having some key draft selections (including the first-overall pick) and some major veteran acquisitions (including Odell Beckham Jr.), Cleveland only went 13-18-1 with Dorsey at the helm.
Thanks to the value of hindsight, we know that the Chiefs undoubtedly made the correct decision on this day six years ago. However, it’s fair to wonder if retaining Dorsey would have drastically altered this team’s future Super Bowl chances.
Rams Sign QB Stetson Bennett To Rookie Contract
The Rams have signed their first-year quarterback to his rookie contract. According to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter), the Rams have signed quarterback Stetson Bennett.
Before putting himself on the NFL radar during the 2021 and 2022 campaigns, Bennett had issues even carving out a role in the NCAA. The Georgia walk-on transferred to Jones College after not taking a snap during his freshman season. After Justin Fields transferred to Ohio State, Georgia was in need of depth at the position, and Bennett returned to the school for the 2019 campaign.
He served as a backup over the next two years, and he entered his fifth-year senior season as the second-stringer to JT Daniels. Bennett ended up getting the call after Daniels went down with an injury and proceeded to complete 64.5 percent of his passes for 2,862 yards, 29 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Despite a shaky performance in the SEC Championship Game, Georgia stuck with Bennett as their starter en route to the 2022 College Football National Championship.
Bennett returned to Georgia for his sixth-year senior season in 2022 and improved his numbers, finishing with 4,128 passing yards, 27 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. He later earned offensive MVP of the 2023 College Football National Championship after accounting for six total touchdowns.
Considering his advanced age and somewhat limited college track record, there were some questions about where Bennett would land in the draft. The Rams ended up scooping him up in the fourth round, allowing the rookie some time to learn the offense behind Matthew Stafford. The Rams are also rostering QBs Brett Rypien and UDFA Dresser Winn.
The Rams have slowly but surely been signing their draft picks to rookie contracts. Third-round linebacker Byron Young and third-round defensive tackle Kobie Turner are the most significant names to remain unsigned.
Extension Candidate: Josh Jacobs
Josh Jacobs was slapped with the franchise tag earlier this offseason, allowing both the player and team some extra time to negotiate a long-term pact. However, there hasn’t been any reported progress when it comes to an extension.
Part of that delay could be due to the Raiders’ reluctance to invest big money on a running back. Another reason for the lack of progress could be Jacobs’ determination to keep the running back market alive. The running back seemed to allude to his negotiation logic earlier this month, tweeting that “[s]ometimes it’s not about you. We gotta do it for the ones after us.” Jacobs added some fuel to the fire today when he tweeted “bad business,” an indication that he may not be pleased about the current status of his negotiations.
It’s not a new or shocking development that teams are unwilling to pay big money to running backs, and Jacobs is just the latest player to express frustration at the declining AAV at the position. Christian McCaffrey inked a record-breaking four-year, $64MM deal with the Panthers back in 2020, and his average annual value ($16MM) and guaranteed money ($36MM) still paces the position three years later.
Since then, Alvin Kamara secured the most guaranteed money at the position ($34MM), and the likes of Derrick Henry, Joe Mixon, Dalvin Cook, Aaron Jones, and Nick Chubb ended up signing extensions that landed between $12MM and $12.5MM per season. Only Miles Sanders and David Montgomery secured new contracts averaging $6MM or more this offseason, and rookie Bijan Robinson will head into the 2023 campaign with the third-most guaranteed money at his position ($21.9MM). We’ve seen other position groupings setting contract records, but the running back position appears to be heading backwards.
That brings us to Jacobs, who is set to play the 2023 season under the $10.1MM franchise tag. The two sides have until July 17 to negotiate a new deal, but it’s uncertain if they’ll agree to a new deal with less than a month remaining. Saquon Barkley is still awaiting a new deal with the Giants, an extension that would likely influence Jacobs’ next deal, putting the Raiders RB in a bit of a holding pattern.
It’s uncertain what kind of specific money Jacobs is seeking on his next deal. Based on the recent signings at the position, he’d be lucky to get an offer that approaches Henry’s four-year $50MM extension he signed with the Titans in 2020. If Jacobs does sign a new deal, he’ll likely settle into that sub-$12.5MM AAV, closer to the three-year, $36.6MM deal Chubb got from the Browns.
Jacobs made it known early on that he was going to skip the Raiders’ offseason program, but the July 17 deadline would seemingly prevent a training camp holdout. Jacobs has little incentive to sacrifice money and go the Le’Veon Bell route, and if he’s determined to make a statement, it seems increasingly likely that he’ll play the 2023 campaign under the franchise tag.
Deion Sanders Has No Desire To Coach In NFL
Hall of Famer Deion Sanders has seen success on the sidelines in recent years, transforming Jackson State into a Division I Football Championship Subdivision powerhouse. Sanders parlayed that success into a Division I FBS job at Colorado, leading some pundits to wonder about his coaching ceiling. However, Prime Time is making it clear that he has no interest into ascending into the NFL coaching ranks.
In a conversation with Bri Amaranthus of SI.com, Sanders admitted that he doesn’t have “any desire or ambition to coach in the NFL.” Sanders specifically points to Dallas, where he won a championship and earned three All-Pro nods during a five-year stint. While he acknowledged that he loves Jerry Jones and “that whole family,” he also believes he’s “cut a little different” when it comes to dealing with today’s players.
“I have a problem with men getting their checks and not doing their jobs,” Sanders said. “I would be too tough as a coach in the NFL because I still have those old-school attributes.”
While it isn’t unheard of for a college coach to take the leap directly to an NFL head coaching job, there have only been 12 such hirings since 2000, and many of those coaches had some NFL assistant coaching experience before earning college HC gigs. The most recent hiring — Urban Meyer is Jacksonville — ended in disaster, and we’ve seen Matt Rhule and Kliff Kingsbury also lose their jobs over the past year. Jim Harbaugh is one of the lone successes in that 12-man grouping (other than Harbaugh, Bill O’Brien and Chip Kelly are the only other two coaches with positive records), so it’ll probably be a bit before we see a similar hiring.
As a result, even if Sanders was interested in an NFL gig, he’d likely have to take the assistant-coaching route. However, that kind of gig doesn’t interest the 55-year-old.
“I’m not an assistant coach. That is not me,” said Sanders. “I am a head coach … I don’t settle for mediocrity whatsoever. You are going to do it this way, we are going to work our butts off, we are going to be a team. The only thing that is individual about you is the way you play.”
Sanders started his coaching career about a decade ago at Prime Prep Academy, a school that he co-founded. He later coached his sons at Trinity Christian High School before taking the Jackson State job in 2020. After going 4-3 during the shortened 2020 campaign, Sanders helped guide the school to a 23-3 record across the 2021 and 2022 campaigns. Sanders also made headlines when he recruited defensive back Travis Hunter, making the player the first five-star recruit to join an FCS program.
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 6/20/23
Today’s late-round draft pick signings:
Los Angeles Rams
- TE Davis Allen (fifth round, Clemson)
- WR Puka Nacua (fifth round, BYU)
The Rams are slowly chipping away at their draft pick signings, agreeing to terms with two of their four fifth-round picks today. Allen saw a jump in receptions during each of his four seasons at Clemson, culminating in a 2022 campaign where he hauled in 39 catches (for 443 yards and five touchdowns). The rookie will compete for backup reps behind starting tight end Tyler Higbee.
Nacua spent two seasons at Washington before breaking out at BYU over the past two years. Across those two campaigns, the wideout collected 1,787 yards from scrimmage and 16 touchdowns in 21 games. He’ll serve as a back-of-the-depth-chart option during his rookie campaign.