Lynch, Gruden Have Met Multiple Times
Though it had been reported that Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch had been “blowing off” new head coach Jon Gruden, the veteran back’s agent Doug Hendrickson dispelled those rumors on Twitter on Friday. 
Hendrickson tweeted: “To all the couch potato non verified media ppl speaking on Marshawn Lynch-get a real job and check sources! #beastmode.” The Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken confirmed as much with his sources (Twitter link).
Lynch is signed through the 2018 and possesses a cap number of $6 MM. Though some have speculated the pair might butt heads, it appears the two are working to find a fit for the running back in the team’s new system.
After a year away from football, Lynch returned to the gridiron with the Raiders and produced 891 rushing yards and seven touchdowns on 207 carries. Though Oakland suffered a disappointing campaign, the five-time Pro Bowl back proved he had plenty left in the tank.
Reactions To Jimmy Garoppolo Contract
On Thursday, quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo signed the richest contract in the NFL when the 49ers inked him to a five-year, $137.5MM deal. The Niners’ new signal-caller talked to reporters on Friday and said he wanted to get a deal done as fast as possible.
“This is where I want to be, honestly,” he said. “It’s only going to help our team going forward, going into free agency, and it’s 75 degrees out here. It’s not a snowstorm like Chicago.”
San Francisco’s chief contract negotiator Paraag Marathe said the deal was a simple one. “John [Lynch] and Kyle [Shanahan] decide if he’s the man. If he’s the man, then we pay the man.” Though they were aggressive with the deal, 49ers general manager John Lynch said they were “going to be aggressively prudent” going forward, the Sacramento Bee’s Matt Barrows writes.
Here’s a look at some of the others reactions to the deal:
- Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio said Garoppolo could’ve gotten more from the 49ers by “forcing two or three years of the tag, especially since 2021 and 2022 would have been the first two years of a market-value contract, not the below-market back end of a five-year deal.”
- Andrew Brandt of The MMQB is a fan of the deal for the 49ers (Twitter link). He says that despite the leverage Garoppolo held in the situation, San Francisco still made out with a “two years and we’ll see” deal.
- Marathe also said the team has between $62-63MM in cap space, NBC Sports’ Mike Maiocco tweets. Though Lynch said the team will be conservative, San Francisco is set up to spend big if it wants to make an immediate push.
- ESPN’s Dan Graziano also thinks this is a steal for the 49ers. “But beyond this year, the only remaining guarantee is $7.5 million of his $17.2 million 2019 salary. … Basically, the Niners, who were projected to have about $100 million in cap space this year, used $37 million of it by front-loading this deal now, when they can afford to pay anything.”
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/9/18
Today’s minor moves:
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Signed: OL B.J. Finney (ERFA)
John DeFilippo Sheds Light On Minnesota Plans
Friday morning, former Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo was hired as the offensive coordinator in Minnesota to replace Pat Shurmur, who took the head-coaching gig with the Giants. In the afternoon, he addressed his plans for the team’s offense and noted a few opportunities in the league that were presented to him. 
The 39-year-old coach said he interviewed for head-coaching positions in Arizona and Chicago and was requested by a few teams for the offensive coordinator positions, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. “When the Minnesota Vikings want to talk to you, that’s a whole different ball game,” DeFilippo said. “It was obviously a special opportunity to work for Coach Zimmer and learn from him and work for another great head coach and another opportunity for myself to call plays.”
DeFilippo hasn’t called plays since serving as the Browns’ offensive coordinator in 2015. There was an opportunity for him to become the offensive coordinator in Philadelphia if current offensive coordinator Frank Reich became head coach in Indianapolis. He, however, would not call plays due to head coach Doug Pederson fulfilling that role.
With Sam Bradford, Case Keenum and Teddy Bridgewater all preparing to enter free agency, DeFilippo said athleticism in the pocket is a must, Tomasson reports (Twitter link). None of those passers are really known for their athleticism, but Keenum did show an ability to sidestep the rush during his breakout 2017 campaign.
DeFilippo also said he will incorporate elements of the Eagles offense while keeping the aspects that Minnesota did well in 2017, the Star Tribune Ben Goessling tweets.
Julius Peppers Undergoes Shoulder Surgery
Panthers veteran defensive end Julius Peppers underwent surgery on his right shoulder, the player posted to his Instagram account and the team later confirmed. The procedure was a repair of his labrum, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer hears from a source (Twitter link). 
In his Instagram story, Peppers says, “Thanks everyone for the calls, texts and wishes. Everything went smooth and I’m recovering well.” He was seen at times wearing a brace on the same shoulder during the 2017 season. It is not clear at this time if the surgery has any implications on his status for the 2018 season. Set to be a free agent, Peppers has said he intends to take time before deciding on his future plans.
The injury did not slow him down in 2017. At the age of 37, he played in all 16 games and registered a team-high 11 sacks while helping Carolina earn a return to the postseason. His standout season helped him move to fourth place on the all-time sack list with 154.5. Only Bruce Smith (200), Reggie White (198) and Kevin Greene (160) have tallied more.
Though he turned 38 in January, Peppers obviously can still contribute at the NFL level and is sure to draw interest from potential playoff teams in 2018.
Extra Points: Fitzgerald, Talib, Titans, Jets
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has yet to make his intentions for the 2018 season public knowledge, but signs are point toward the future Hall of Famer returning for his 15th NFL campaign.
New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said he has talked with Fitzgerald and that the receiver is “excited,” reports ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. Fitzgerald reportedly told the new offensive coordinator is verbiage was similar to previous coaches Bruce Arians and Ken Whisenhunt.
Kurt Warner also said that he gets the sense that Fitzgerald is leaning toward returning, the Hall of Fame quarterback said on 98.7 Arizona Sports radio. “Last couple of times I’ve talked, I really feel like he wants to come back and play this season and he’s more committed to it. But that was before all the changes that took place.But I get the feeling that he is going to come back.”
Fitzgerald hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in recent years. After moving to the slot in 2015, the perennial Pro Bowl selection has cleared 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each season and has cemented his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.
Though he is leaning toward returning, his status is sure to be decided by what the Cardinals do to fill the vacancy at quarterback left by the retirement of Carson Palmer. With plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, the team making a run at Redskins signal-caller Kirk Cousins for a quick fix would make plenty of sense.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Speaking of Cousins, the soon-to-be free agent is expected to receive plenty of interest from the Jets. On Monday, former head coach Mike Shanahan praised Cousins as a special player, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta writes. This portends to the Jets, as new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates was groomed under Shanahan in Denver. Shanahan said: “I think Kirk Cousins could be successful in any offense that he ran. Those quarterbacks are hard to find.”
- The Broncos, according to reports, have recently placed cornerback Aqib Talib on the trade block. ABC 7 in Denver’s Troy Renck looked at a few possible destinations for the veteran cornerback, listing the 49ers, Rams and Cowboys. Talib is signed through the 2019 campaign.
- Bills center Eric Wood put his retirement on hold and remains on the Bills roster due to the team’s salary cap restrictions, ESPN’s Mike Rodak reports (Twitter link). When he is eventually moved to the retired list, Wood will receive $4.8 MM in injury guaranteed salary for 2018, while keeping the $4.3M in signing bonus paid, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
- The Titans have hired Raiders wide receivers coach Rob Moore for the same position, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets. He also notes the team interviewed former Raiders running backs coach Bernie Parmalee last week.
- The Panthers will hire Travelle Wharton as an assistant offensive line coach, ESPN’s David Newton hears. Wharton previously spent two stints with the Panthers as an offensive lineman.
Blake Bortles Undergoes Right Wrist Surgery
On Friday, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles underwent surgery on his right wrist, ESPN’s Adam Schefter hears (Twitter link). 
The surgery was for a condition that has plagued the signal-caller since December 2016 and kept him on the injury report throughout the 2017 season. Schefter reports the Jaguars elected to avoid surgery last offseason but knew it was needed following this season.
In early January, Schefter also reported (Twitter link) that Bortles said he played the season with two shoulder separations in addition to wrist tendinitis. There is no word how long the recovery is expected to last, but with the Jaguars postponing it and Bortles playing through it makes it seem like a rather minor deal.
In his fourth season at the helm in Jacksonville, Bortles helped the team to a 10-6 record and a spot in the AFC Championship game before falling in the closing minutes to the Patriots. Bortles showed improvement in the team’s new run-heavy attack, completing a career-high 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In May 2017, the Jaguars picked up the fifth-year option on Bortles’ deal which will pay him $19 MM in 2018. The deal is only fully guaranteed for injury, so the team can walk away if it decides to pursue a veteran like Alex Smith.
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/29/18
Here are today’s minor moves:
Carolina Panthers:
- Re-signed: OL Greg Van Roten (two-year deal)
NFL Future/Reserve Contracts: 1/29/18
Here are the latest reserve/futures contract signings from around the NFL. These deals will go into effect on the first day of the 2018 league year, with players joining their respective clubs’ offseason 90-man rosters:
Minnesota Vikings
- S Jack Tocho
- OT Storm Norton
Pittsburgh Steelers
- WR Trey Griffey
Titans To Hire Dean Pees As Defensive Coordinator
Dean Pees‘ retirement didn’t last long. After calling it quits on January 1 following a six-year run in Baltimore, the veteran coach is set to join the Titans as the team’s defensive coordinator, Josh Wolf of The Tennessean writes. 
New head coach Mike Vrabel has previously played under Pees when he served as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator with the Patriots from 2004-09. Pees replaces Dick LeBeau, who served as defensive coordinator for the last three seasons.
In 2017, Pees’ Ravens recorded the most turnovers in the league but suffered several late-game collapses toward the end of the season that ultimately kept them out of the playoffs. Pees served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2017, and he earned a Super Bowl ring in that position in 2012.
Pees entered coaching in 1979, serving as the University of Findlay’s defensive coordinator. After stints at several colleges over the next two decades, Pees made the jump to the NFL when he joined the Patriots in 2004. After a long run in New England, he took over as defensive coordinator in Baltimore. Pees’ son Matt will join his father on the Tennessee coaching staff, where he’ll work as a quality control coach.
Before naming Pees defensive coordinator, Wolf reports the Titans offered the job to former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher. He instead took the same job with the Giants.
The Titans defense finished middle of the pack in 2017, while also allowing the eighth most passing yards. Pees’ opportunistic schemes could improve a unit that registered the 16th most turnovers.