Buccaneers “All In” On Tom Brady
The Buccaneers are “going all in” on legendary signal-caller Tom Brady, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Tampa Bay, of course, has been connected to Brady in recent rumors, but it was difficult to determine how serious the team’s interest was. Apparently, it’s very serious.
Bucs head coach Bruce Arians has generally been non-committal towards incumbent passer Jameis Winston, who, like Brady, is eligible for free agency. Stroud says Arians wants to move on from Winston, and GM Jason Licht is willing to defer to his head coach.
Licht and Arians certainly have plenty to offer Brady. The club is among the league leaders in cap space and will have plenty of money to lure Brady to sunny, family-friendly Tampa while giving him a two- or three-year deal. The Bucs also have a dynamic pair of receivers and a talented (if uncertain) tight end, and they plan to add the type of pass-catching back that Brady covets. They also plan to draft an offensive tackle to shore up his protection, and Stroud says they will probably add a receiver from the immensely deep class of collegiate wideouts.
The Bucs will also allow Brady to take charge of the offense, and the fact that Florida has no state income tax will only help the team’s push. The defense also looks like a unit on the rise, so if you squint hard enough, you can see Tampa Bay as a contender with Brady under center.
If Brady chooses to sign elsewhere, Stroud says the Bucs’ fallback options are Teddy Bridgewater and Philip Rivers, in that order. Failing that, a reunion with Winston could still be in play, but that is sounding increasingly like a worst-case scenario for the Bucs.
Patriots Hire Exec Eliot Wolf
The Patriots have hired longtime exec Eliot Wolf as a consultant, per Albert Breer of SI.com (via Twitter). Wolf most recently worked with the Seahawks, whom he assisted in the run-up to the scouting combine.
Of course, it wasn’t that long ago that Wolf, son of Hall of Fame GM Ron Wolf, was viewed as one of the most viable candidates on the GM market. The younger Wolf began his front office career as a pro personnel assistant with the Packers in 2004, and while being Ron Wolf’s son may have helped him get his foot in the door, Eliot quickly began to forge his own path. By 2012, he became Green Bay’s director of pro personnel, and two years later he was the team’s director of pro football operations.
During the latter stages of his Green Bay tenure, he began to be linked to various GM jobs, and he took several GM interviews, including one with the Packers. But the Packers chose to promote Brian Gutekunst to their general manager post instead of Wolf in January 2018, and Wolf elected to sign on with the Browns as assistant GM under John Dorsey.
Dorsey’s run in Cleveland came to an unceremonious end after the 2019 season, and the Browns reportedly considered elevating Wolf to the top job, but the two sides ultimately elected to part ways. Now, Wolf will team up with Patriots director of player personnel Nick Caserio and de facto GM Bill Belichick to try and get the Pats back to the Super Bowl. New England is at an organizational crossroads due to the uncertain status of QB Tom Brady, so this year’s free agency period and draft will be especially critical.
Still only 37 (38 on March 21), Wolf could position himself well for another crack at a GM post should he have success with the Patriots.
Vikings Rumors: Cook, Colquitt, Jones
Like many teams with a top-flight running back, the Vikings are in a bit of a quandary when it comes to a potential extension for Dalvin Cook. Cook has been susceptible to injury throughout his young career, but after a breakout 2019 that saw him rack up 1,135 yards and 13 TDs for the run-first Minnesota offense, we heard that the team would explore an extension for him this offseason.
Cook, 24, is now eligible for a new contract since he has three years of service time, and the $1.3MM he is due to make in 2020 — the last year of his rookie deal — is a pittance relative to his value. Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com details the pros and cons of a Cook re-up, but it sounds like GM Rick Spielman wants to keep the 2017 second-rounder in the fold for the long haul.
“Right now, we have so much ahead of us and a lot of decisions to make before free agency begins and the new league year begins, and then we look at the draft once we settle down and everything,” Spielman said. “But I consider Dalvin as one of those core group of players that we definitely want to try to keep.”
Negotiations could get complicated, but expect the Vikings to start talking with Cook’s reps not long after the draft.
Now for more out of Minnesota:
- Punter Britton Colquitt expects to re-sign with the Vikings, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Colquitt turned in a strong performance in 2019, his first year with Minnesota, and the Vikes — who have deployed four punters in the past four seasons — are seeking stability. It sounds as if the two sides are close on a three-year deal that would pay Colquitt between $2-3MM per season.
- The Vikings are interested in re-signing right tackle Rashod Hill, per Cronin (via Twitter). Hill, a former UDFA, is eligible for unrestricted free agency, but Minnesota values his contributions as a swing tackle and his abilities in pass protection. It will be interesting to see if a RT-needy team on a budget takes a flier on Hill as a potential starter.
- The Vikings also want to keep center Brett Jones, as Tomasson tweets. Jones started 13 games as recently as 2017, when he was a member of the Giants, and Minnesota acquired him via trade with New York in August 2018. He started the first three games of the 2018 season but was displaced by Pat Elflein, who was returning from injury, and when the Vikings selected Garrett Bradbury in the first round of the 2019 draft, Jones was again relegated to a reserve role. He was actually cut in September to make room for Josh Doctson, and though he re-signed shortly thereafter, he appeared in just two games and was ultimately put on IR. Per Tomasson, Jones wants to test the market in search of a shot at a starting job.
Christian Kirksey To Visit Raiders
The Raiders have plenty of holes in their linebacker corps, and the expectation is that they will turn to both free agency and the draft to fill those holes. Las Vegas is already starting on the free agency route, as Mike Garafolo of the NFL Network reports that the club will meet with veteran LB Christian Kirksey today (Twitter link).
Kirksey, 27, was released by the Browns just yesterday. We subsequently heard that he had three visits lined up, but we did not know the details of those visits. Now, we know that the Raiders are the first stop on his tour.
Kirksey played in 73 games and started 54 times over the course of six years in Cleveland. After his first four years of perfect attendance, the injury bug derailed him a bit. In 2018, he was held back by a hamstring injury, and last year, a torn pectoral muscle shut him down after just two games.
In addition to the injury issues, the 2014 third-rounder’s performance started to suffer not long after he signed a four-year, $38MM extension in May 2017. He finished the 2016 season with a whopping 148 tackles and was Pro Football Focus’ 22nd-best LB, but prior to being shut down in 2018, he graded out as one of the league’s ten worst ‘backers.
Still, he is not too far removed from high-end production, and his fit in Las Vegas is obvious. The Raiders released Tahir Whitehead on Monday, and recent reports have indicated that Marquel Lee is likely the only linebacker who will return next season.
Texans Will Allow CB Johnathan Joseph To Hit Free Agency
The Texans will allow veteran CB Johnathan Joseph to reach free agency, per a team announcement. The announcement noted that the two sides mutually agreed to this course of action.
Joseph, a 2006 first-round pick of the Bengals, spent the first five years of his career with Cincinnati before signing a five-year, $48.75MM with the Texans prior to the 2011 season (a transaction that today’s announcement said was possibly the most celebrated free agent signing in franchise history). Joseph earned a Pro Bowl nod in both of his first two seasons in Houston, and he went on to appear in 133 games (128 starts) with the team.
After the expiration of the five-year contract, Joseph signed two two-year deals to remain with the Texans. In 2018, he turned in one of the better seasons of his career, notching 58 tackles, two interceptions, and a touchdown en route to a top-10 ranking in Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. That performance led Houston to reward Joseph with a raise, but he was not nearly as effective in 2019.
Nonetheless, even cornerbacks on the back nine of their careers can still attract plenty of attention on the open market, especially those with track records like Joseph’s. And Mark Berman of Fox 26 hears that Joseph, 35, could still return to the Texans after he has seen what other teams have to offer (Twitter link).
But in the meantime, Houston will search for an upgrade. The Texans were interested in trading for Broncos CB Chris Harris prior to the 2019 deadline, and Troy Renck of Denver7 says the team is again showing strong interest in Harris — who is now eligible for free agency — this offseason (Twitter link).
In a career that has spanned exactly 200 regular season contests, Joseph has accumulated 755 tackles, 194 passes defensed, and a healthy seven pick-sixes. He has earned over $80MM between the Bengals and Texans.
Dolphins To Release S Reshad Jones
The Dolphins are releasing safety Reshad Jones, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (Twitter link). The move will become official when the new league year opens on March 18.
Miami’s decision is not exactly surprising. Jones, 32, made the Pro Bowl in 2017, but he has dealt with a number of injuries over the past few seasons, and he suited up for just four games in 2019. The Dolphins plan to deploy Bobby McCain and Eric Rowe at the safety positions in 2020, and the three-year, $18MM extension that Rowe signed with the team in December made a Jones return a questionable proposition at best.
While a reworked contract for Jones was reportedly under consideration, and though the 2010 fifth-rounder expressed back in September that he would like to remain with Miami for the long haul, it always seemed more likely that the Dolphins would cut bait. The team was in trade talks with Pittsburgh at the start of the 2019 campaign, but after an injury-marred season, no one was going to trade for Jones and his $11.5MM salary this offseason.
Still, he should garner plenty of interest on the open market. The Cowboys have been in need of a high-caliber safety for a few years now, and the Browns and Raiders could also be fits. Jones is unlikely to make anywhere close to the $11.5MM he would have earned with Miami, though he may be able to land a fairly lucrative multi-year pact. The Dolphins, meanwhile, will incur a big dead money charge by releasing Jones but will still clear about $5.3MM from their books, leaving the team with close to $100MM of cap space (if a new CBA is agreed to, the team could designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut and spread the dead cap hit over the next two seasons).
Jones was the longest-tenured Dolphin, and he leaves the team with 776 total tackles, 10.5 sacks, 55 passes defensed, 21 interceptions, and six total touchdowns in 128 games (113 starts).
Rob Gronkowski Nearing Deal With WWE
Retired Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski is nearing a deal with WWE, per Marc Raimondi of ESPN.com. Raimondi cites a report from FS1’s WWE Backstage Program, which said that Gronk could appear on WWE SmackDown as early as March 20.
Otherwise, the role that WWE has in mind for Gronkowski is unclear. The 30-year-old future Hall of Famer was involved in the Andre the Giant Battle Royal at WrestleMania 33 in 2017, but said he did not see himself as a full-time wrestler. He spoke over the summer about taking part in “one crazy match” in five years or so, but perhaps he has changed his mind in the regard.
After all, when asked over the course of the 2019 season about a possible return to football, Gronkowski’s answers varied wildly. One minute he said he had shut the door on that chapter of his life, and the next he was hemming and hawing about keeping that door open. Though injuries and the ability to walk away from the NFL on the heels of a Super Bowl win helped contribute to his retirement decision, it has never felt like a certainty that he would stay retired.
And it’s also unlikely that his pending role with WWE, regardless of what it is, would prevent him from returning to the gridiron if he chooses to do so. He would certainly attract plenty of interest, because despite the early retirement, he finished his career in the top-10 in terms of receiving yards and touchdowns for a tight end. His blocking abilities, which were just as much a part of the Patriots’ steamroller offenses as his receiving acumen, have led some to consider him the greatest TE of all time.
In his career, Gronk earned over $50MM from the Patriots and took home three Super Bowl rings. His accomplishments and his gregarious personality will probably keep him in high demand for any number of on-camera roles for the foreseeable future.
Latest On Bears’ OLB Leonard Floyd
We heard back in December that the Bears could part ways with outside linebacker and former first-round pick Leonard Floyd this offseason. Last May, Chicago exercised Floyd’s fifth-year option, which would keep him under contract through the 2020 campaign at a salary of $13.2MM, but as of right now, that salary is guaranteed for injury only. As such, the Bears could cut Floyd and obtain $13.2MM of cap space.
However, they would need to do that soon, because the salary becomes fully guaranteed when the new league year begins on March 18. And as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes, some believe that GM Ryan Pace will indeed release Floyd within the week.
Floyd has by no means been a bad player, and he has been a full-time starter since his rookie campaign. But after posting seven sacks in 12 games in 2016, those numbers have tailed off considerably. He has accrued just 11.5 sacks in the last three seasons, and Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics pegged him as just the 53rd-best edge defender in 2019. He managed 27 QB hurries in 2019 after 30.5 in 2018, but he has not yet been able to convert those hurries into sacks on a regular basis.
“He’s close in a lot of areas when you look at the pressures and those things,” Pace said. “He just needs to finish a little better on the quarterback.” While acknowledging that the team would like to see more sack production out of Floyd, Pace did say that Floyd’s versatility and his coverage abilities make him an asset.
Still, $13.2MM is a lot for a solid but replaceable player, especially since the Bears don’t have a ton of cap room to work with. While the top edge rushers who would otherwise be eligible for free agency are likely to remain with their current teams, players like Kyle Van Noy and Vic Beasley could be available, and Pace could also turn to the draft.
A Floyd trade or paycut is unlikely, according to Biggs.
Broncos To Pursue Amari Cooper?
The Broncos’ need for receiving help is no secret. After Emmanuel Sanders was sent to the 49ers in a trade deadline deal last season, the club got very little production behind Pro Bowler Courtland Sutton. And with the promising but unproven Noah Fant at the top of the tight end depth cart, Denver is looking to add to young QB Drew Lock‘s aerial options.
To that end, Troy Renck of Denver7 expects the Broncos to pursue wide receiver Amari Cooper, assuming he hits the open market. Cooper would undoubtedly be the top wideout up for grabs, and as such, he can be expected to pull down around $20MM per year. That’s a hefty investment for a player who has not always looked like a true WR1, but his presence would be a major lift for Lock and the Denver offense.
In 2019, Cooper notched 79 catches for 1,189 yards and eight scores, and his peripherals backed up those raw stats. Pro Football Focus ranked him as the tenth-best receiver in the game last year, which culminated in the Alabama product’s fourth Pro Bowl nod.
However, it would be surprising if the Cowboys let Cooper get away. Recent reports have indicated that Dallas is ramping up talks with Cooper’s reps, and a franchise tag or transition tag remains a possibility, depending on what happens with the pending CBA vote and the Cowboys’ negotiations with Dak Prescott.
Denver has plenty of cap space to work with (about $75MM), but Renck does not expect the team to go after Jets receiver Robby Anderson if Cooper comes off the board. Anderson is widely viewed as the consolation prize for WR-needy teams who are unable to land Cooper, but Renck’s sources have said Denver has little interest in the big-play receiver. Instead, the team could turn its attention to the draft, which is historically deep at WR.
Alex Boone Wants To Resume Playing Career
Former 49ers, Vikings, and Cardinals guard Alex Boone wants to resume his NFL playing career, as the soon-to-be 33-year-old announced on Minnesota sports talk station SKOR North (h/t Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Boone has been working with the station recently, but he hopes to get back on the field.
Boone carved out a nice career for himself, especially considering he entered the league as a UDFA in 2009. Though he spent all of 2009 on the 49ers’ practice squad and appeared in just one game in 2010, he became San Francisco’s full-time starter at left guard in 2012, which ended in a Super Bowl appearance.
The Ohio State product was generally regarded as an above-average starter during his 49ers’ tenure, and he parlayed that success into a four-year, $26.8MM deal ($10MM guaranteed) with the Vikings in March 2016. But after a so-so year first season with Minnesota, the Vikes asked Boone to take a paycut and released him when he refused. He reportedly showed up to training camp out of shape, which certainly didn’t help matters.
He subsequently hooked on with the Cardinals and started 13 games for Arizona, and that was the last NFL action he saw. It’s unclear if there was any interest in him after his one-year stint in the desert.
It’s also unclear if there will be any interest now that he is almost 33 and is even further removed from his best years in San Francisco. There is always a need for experienced O-line depth, so it’s not inconceivable he could get some looks from a team that suffers an injury or two in training camp, but it still seems like something of a long shot.
Boone, though, is working on getting back to his playing weight in the hopes of getting a call.