Meeting Between NFLPA & League Underway
A meeting between the NFL Players Association (NFLPA) representatives and owners has begun in Indianapolis, according to Mark Maske of The Washington Post. The owners recently approved a new collective bargaining agreement (CBA), which would add a seventh team to the playoffs in each conference and a seventeenth game to the regular season in exchange for a 1.5 percent increase in the player’s share of revenues. It remains uncertain whether the team reps will hold a vote on the proposal tonight, per Mike Jones of USA Today.
Normally negotiations only take place between ownership and the NFLPA’s executive committee. However, the executive committee was unable to come to a consensus on the owner’s proposal, reportedly voting 6-5 against recommending the proposal to team reps. Since the executive committee was so split on the owner’s proposal, team reps decided to hold a meeting of their own with ownership before making any voting decisions.
While public perception seemed to view the ownership proposal as an unfair deal for players, it appears owners made many strategic concessions directly aimed to appeal to the “middle-class” of players who are unlikely to receive a large free-agent contract and instead will make most of their earnings through rookie deals and minimum contracts. The proposal includes expanding rosters from 53 to 55 players, raising minimum salaries, and increasing the performance bonus pool, all of which would help players on the lower end of the pay scale.
With that said, expanding the regular season to seventeen games comes with obvious risks for players (and would severely limit their leverage in future negotiations). Furthermore, the proposed CBA limits game checks in the new game to $250,000, which would mean players with annual salaries greater than $4MM would not receive their normal pay.
49ers team representative (and cornerback) Richard Sherman has been very outspoken in opposition to an expanded schedule and is expected to be one of many team representatives to pushback against any schedule expansion.
Eagles Opinions: Jenkins, Backup QB, Ertz, Goedert
The Eagles will pay for deciding to wait on signing defensive back Malcolm Jenkins to an extension last season, according to Eliot Shorr-Parks of 94 WIP. Philadelphia declined to restructure Jenkins’ very team-friendly deal last offseason, but now the team faces a cap crunch on the rest of the roster as well. At 32 years old, there is reason to be concerned about giving Jenkins a large contract, but his production over the past few seasons has been on par with some of the best in the league.
Here’s some more commentary on the Eagles offseason:
- Few teams require a better backup quarterback than the Eagles and Shorr-Parks identifies six plausible targets for Philly. Obviously, starter Carson Wentz has shown he has the potential to be an elite quarterback, but an extensive injury history will always make fans and team officials nervous about the team’s prospects if there is not a strong backup behind him. The Eagles, of course, were eliminated from the playoffs when Josh McCown had to play under center after a series of injuries at quarterback.
- Zach Ertz expressed some apprehension about his future with the Eagles organization at the end of the season. With two years left on his contract, many were caught off guard by his cautious comments. However, Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer discusses the impact tight end Dallas Goedert could have on the Eagles (and Ertz’s) future. Goedert was selected in the 2nd round of the 2018 NFL Draft and has been an effective contributor for the Eagles. McLane points out that 49ers tight end George Kittle is set to reset the tight end market as well. The team’s confidence in Goedert combined with the increasing cost of tight ends could soon lead to Ertz’s departure.
AFC Injury Notes: Landry, Phillips, Beckham
Browns wide receiver Jarvis Landry was unable to avoid offseason hip surgery, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Landry had been hopeful that rest and rehab would be enough to deal with his injury during the offseason but instead opted to go under the knife. The news did not come as a huge surprise given the fact that Landry had previously mentioned he regretted not getting surgery sooner, but it remains noteworthy nonetheless.
The timetable for his return appears to be six-to-eight months, which would allow him back onto the field at some point during training camp.
Here’s some more injury notes from around the AFC:
- Bills defensive tackle Harrison Phillips discussed the grueling recovery process from a torn ACL with Bills Insider Chris Brown. Phillips described his experience going through the “very long, slow process” working back to the field. On top of his original rehab, Phillips suffered a major setback in September, which delayed his recovery timetable even further. At this point, Phillips does not expect to be a full go until training camp.
- Unlike teammate Jarvis Landry, Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. should be back at full strength from surgery in less than a month, per Cabot. Beckham, who underwent core-muscle surgery in late January, is on pace to be recovered in time to participate in offseason minicamp. While he did not attend minicamp last offseason, the combination of a new head coach in Cleveland and his attempts to come back from an injury could make his attendance more likely.
Raiders Hope To Hold Minicamp In Nevada
The Raiders move from Oakland to Las Vegas has been mired in dysfunction and mismanagement. While the team remains on schedule to play all of their home games in Las Vegas next season, the offseason plan remains up in the air. With training camp scheduled to take place in Napa, California, which is currently set to be their last action in the Bay Area, it was expected that offseason minicamps would likely be in California as well.
However, per Jerry McDonald of The Mercury News, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden told reporters that the team plans to hold minicamp at their Henderson, Nevada facility. Minicamp is scheduled for mid-June and the Henderson facility is still under construction. Furthermore, the Raiders have made no official announcement about a move to Nevada before the season starts. In fact, Gruden himself said the team would not move to Nevada until the conclusion of this year’s training camp.
It should not come as a huge surprise that the Raiders move is coming together rather sloppily. Given the massive undertaking of shifting an organization’s operations between states, delays are sure to happen. Of course, the Raiders reputation of organizational incompetence seems to leave an added layer of uncertainty.
Green Bay Has Not Been Named Host of 2022 NFL Draft
An erroneous report yesterday began circling around various media outlets that Green Bay, Wisconsin would host the 2022 NFL Draft. While the city of Green Bay still hopes to host the event, Packers chief operating officer Ed Policy tells Richard Ryman of the Green Bay Press-Gazette that no decision has been made by the league at this point.
The draft was hosted in New York from 1965 to 2014, but the league decided to allow the event to rove between cities. Since the league’s decision, the most popular event of the offseason has been hosted in Philadelphia (PA), Dallas (TX), Nashville (TN), and Chicago (IL) twice. Las Vegas will host this offseason’s draft and the 2021 draft will take place in Cleveland (OH).
Green Bay is obviously one of the most historic cities in NFL history, but it also would be a stark contrast from the large cities that have played host over the event’s history. Ryman writes that Green Bay has had its eyes on the draft for some time with a number of recent developments in the city’s downtown.
Since no announcement has been made, and Green Bay seems to be in the running, it’s still plausible that the 2022 NFL Draft could be in Wisconsin, but for now, no decision is final.
Poll: Do You Want A Longer Regular Season?
The NFL and NFLPA continue working towards a new CBA, but a resolution still appears far beyond the horizon. There’s been an industry held belief for some time that these negotiations were likely to drag out to the buzzer and very well could lead to a work stoppage.
Reports from current negotiations do seem to suggest that the league and the players’ union are closer to expanding the season beyond a 16-game regular season than they ever have before. While it’s unclear how likely any expansion plan is to be implemented, the sides appear to be exchanging rollout terms per reports.
Obviously, ownership would be able to reap large increases in revenues from a lengthened regular season and players would receive a larger share of revenues to compensate them for the added work and injury risk.
But, do fans want a longer regular season? Let us know in the poll below.
49ers Rumors: Armstead, Running Backs, Thomas
In his 49ers mailbag, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports addressed Arik Armstead‘s impending free agency. The seventeenth overall selection in the 2015 NFL Draft struggled early in his career with injuries and consistency but emerged as an integral part of San Francisco’s defensive line over the past two seasons. Armstead has the versatility to play the edge of defensive coordinator Robert Saleh’s 4-3 defense on early downs and then move inside on passing situations.
Armstead has started each of the 49ers last 35 games (playoffs included) and set career-marks this season in sacks (10.0), tackles for loss (11), quarterback hits (18), and tackles (54) as a part of the vaunted Niners defensive front. Now, set for unrestricted free agency, Maiocco downplays the chances San Francisco franchise tags the defensive lineman to trade him. He believes if the team has the cap space to apply the tag, they’ll work out an extension.
Here’s some more rumors out of Santa Clara:
- Matt Barrows and David Lombardi of The Athletic continued their “State of the 49ers” series, this time looking at the team’s running backs. While no halfback amassed 1,000 yards on the season, the team’s depth at the position was obvious to anyone following the team. Tevin Coleman, Matt Breida, and Raheem Mostert all played like the team’s number one back at different points in the season. They place a primary focus on the future of Jerrick McKinnon-who missed the past two seasons with injuries-with the team. If he returns on a team-friendly contract, San Francisco may be comfortable letting Tevin Coleman pursue opportunities elsewhere.
- Following their Super Bowl defeat, the 49ers now face a series of difficult salary-cap decisions. Patrick Holloway of Niners Nation speculates the team could attach a draft pick to defensive lineman Solomon Thomas to save more than $4MM in cap space. Since Thomas was selected with the third overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, his entire contract is guaranteed and the Niners cannot gain any cap relief from releasing him. However, if he were traded, his dead cap hit would be cut in half, saving the team half of his nearly $9MM cap hit.
QB Notes: Hill, Stafford, Winston
Saints quarterback/athlete Taysom Hill has been the center of quite a bit of early offseason buzz. While the free-agent quarterback class is highlighted by the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees, a third-string quarterback, who threw just 14 passes last season, has dominated conversations. Hill has sparked a fervent debate around whether he has a future as a franchise quarterback, or is just a valuable weapon to deploy in certain packages. In an in-depth look at the situation, Katherine Terrell of The Athletic, dives into his circumstances and makes the case for Hill.
Here are some more quarterback notes from around the league:
- Some early offseason murmurs suggested that Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford could be on the trade block. Detroit general manager Bob Quinn was quick to shoot down the reports. Of course, it would not be the first time a personnel official has denied a player’s availability before subsequently moving them. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press analyzes the decision from all angles to make the case in favor and against keeping Stafford.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports argues that the Buccaneers need to find a way to keep free-agent quarterback Jameis Winston. Winston, of course, became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions (joining Vinny Testaverde). There’s no denying that Winston has had his flashes on the field, but a history of off-field issues and a historic propensity for turnovers make the decision far from straight forward.
Patriots OT Marcus Cannon Is Not Retiring
In an unexpected turn of events this Sunday afternoon, rumors began swirling on social media that Patriots starting right tackle Marcus Cannon decided to retire. However, it turned out to be just another internet myth. 
Doug Kyed of NESN reports that the Twitter rumors are indeed false and Cannon is not retiring.
The Patriots selected Cannon in the fifth round of the 2011 NFL Draft. Since, he has emerged as one of the biggest steals from that draft. He served as the team’s swing tackle until 2015 and then became a permanent starter along the team’s offensive line. Given the uncertainty surrounding the New England organization this offseason as Tom Brady enters free agency, the Pats are surely taking a sigh of relief that they will not need to be looking to fill a hole along the offensive line.
It’s also worth noting that New England’s current starting guard Joe Thuney is set for unrestricted free agency, so they were already trying to fill one spot up front. Brady, the franchise cornerstone, has been clear that if he returns to New England this offseason, he wants to see clear upgrades throughout their roster and losing Cannon, would have made that much more difficult.
While the reports were proven false, the incident reiterated one strange new phenomenon in the league. Cannon is only 31-years old, but that no longer seems too old for a player to call it quits. The NFL has seen a number of players retire at younger and younger ages over the past decade as they react to recent research on the long-term health risks of playing football. At least for now though, Cannon-who is set to make roughly $7MM over the next two seasons, will continue his playing career.
Patriots Extend Director of Player Personnel Nick Caserio
After months of speculation surrounding Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio, it appears the well-regarded executive will be staying in New England for some time. Per Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, the Patriots and Caserio agreed to a multi-year extension earlier today.
Caserio has been the center of rumors for some time. As head coach Bill Belichick‘s right-hand man, many teams have at least made overtures at poaching Caserio to run their player operations. Prior to the hiring of John Lynch and Kyle Shanahan with the 49ers, San Francisco reportedly was targetting Caserio to work alongside longtime Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. This past offseason, a different former New England assistant, Bill O’Brien, tried to bring Caserio to Houston to help him run the Texans player operations.
Instead, the Patriots filed a tampering charge against the Texans. It appeared to just pause Caserio’s shift. With his contract set to expire at the end of this season, it seemed logical that he would move to Houston as soon as this season ended. However, things have changed. Houston plans to move forward with O’Brien in charge of both player personnel and coaching and Caserio will be staying in New England.
With some major franchise decisions looming for the Pats, Caserio’s familiarity with the organization will surely be appreciated by a group that has to decide whether or not they want to continue with Tom Brady at quarterback and, if they retain him, must decide who his successor will be.