Latest On Dolphins’ Pursuit Of Tom Brady, Sean Payton
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk continues to beat the Tom Brady-to-Miami drum. In January 2020, just weeks before Brady was set to hit free agency and perhaps join an organization other than the Patriots for the first time in his two-decade career, Florio wrote that the Dolphins were the team that was generating the most buzz with respect to a Brady signing. Even then, the PFT creator reported that there was talk of Brady also becoming a minority owner of the ‘Fins.
In February 2022, Florio wrote that Miami hoped to hire former Saints head coach Sean Payton as its new HC this year, and that the club also planned to go after Brady and install him as the starting quarterback. Then, Brian Flores, who was fired as the Dolphins’ head coach in January, filed a racial discrimination lawsuit against the team, also naming the Giants and Broncos as defendants. According to Florio, the suit forced the Dolphins to scrap the Payton/Brady plan, and Brady announced his retirement on the same day the suit was filed.
Several days ago, Florio reported that Brady was indeed “very close” to joining the Dolphins, and that he would have first done so as a minority owner (other reporters have echoed the sentiment that Brady may want to own a part of the franchise). At that point, the Dolphins would have acquired Payton’s rights from the Saints and Brady’s rights from the Buccaneers and would have had the enviable HC-QB tandem they were seeking all along. Of course, it may not have been so simple; Florio acknowledged in his February 2022 piece that New Orleans declined Miami’s request to talk to Payton, even after Payton elected to step away from the Saints. Dolphins GM Chris Grier confirmed as much, and Payton himself said he would probably not have been interested in the Miami gig.
If Florio is accurate, however, this could all resurface in 2023. When discussing the ownership component of these rumors, Florio continues to emphasize Brady’s close relationship with Bruce Beal, who is Dolphins owner Stephen Ross‘ right-hand man. As far as Brady the player is concerned, it’s worth noting that one of Flores’ allegations in his suit is that Ross wanted Flores to recruit a “prominent quarterback” — generally believed to be Brady — at the end of the 2019 season, which would have contravened the league’s tampering rules.
So, if Brady wants to continue his playing career next year but wants to leave the Bucs — Florio remains adamant that Brady’s “retirement” was simply an attempt to leave Tampa and that he only circled back to the team after it became clear he would not be able to join the Dolphins or 49ers — then perhaps Ross will throw his hat in the ring again, depending on how Tua Tagovailoa performs in 2022. And, regardless of whether Brady ever plays his home games in South Beach, it at least seems like a strong possibility that he could one day own a piece of the Dolphins.
With Mike McDaniel having just been hired as Miami’s HC, it is perhaps less likely that Ross & Co. will seek to woo Payton next year, but given Ross’ history of seeking high-profile candidates for his head coaching post, such a pursuit probably should not be ruled out.
Ravens Notes: Wagner, Dobbins, Edwards
The Ravens tried to sign LB Bobby Wagner, the former Seahawks star who was released by Seattle last month. On March 28, we heard that Baltimore had submitted an offer that it believed was “very competitive” vis-à-vis the proposal that Wagner received from the Rams, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported yesterday that the Ravens had offered a two-year, $18MM contract.
At first blush, that looks to be a far cry from the five-year, $50MM deal Wagner ultimately signed with Los Angeles. But we are still awaiting details on the structure of that agreement, and Florio hears that Wagner will get paid $17MM over the first two years of the deal, with “small guarantees” in the second year. If that’s the case, then the Ravens’ offer — the structure of which is also unknown — may well have been as competitive as the team thought. Perhaps Wagner, an LA native, simply wanted to stay home and play for the defending champions.
Baltimore, meanwhile, has now had near misses with Wagner and Za’Darius Smith in recent weeks, leaving the club with plenty of work still to do in the front seven.
Now for several more items out of Charm City:
- The Ravens’ 2021 fortunes were severely undermined by injury, including season-ending ACL tears suffered by running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards before Week 1. Head coach John Harbaugh recently told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, that both players are making progress, but that they will likely start this year’s training camp on the active/PUP list (Twitter link). Given how important Dobbins and Edwards are to Baltimore’s run-oriented attack, it makes sense that the team would play it safe with the top two members of its RB depth chart.
- The Ravens have hired Kerry Dixon as their assistant quarterbacks coach, per a team announcement. This will be Dixon’s first NFL gig. The former Baylor and Hampton quarterback spent the past 15 seasons as a collegiate assistant, and he served as Georgia Tech’s wide receivers coach from 2019-21. He will team with James Urban to get the most out of star passer Lamar Jackson, whose contract status remains one of the biggest storylines in Baltimore.
- Even if Smith had followed through on his commitment to the Ravens, Baltimore may have been eyeing an edge rusher with its first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in this year’s draft. With Smith out of the picture, GM Eric DeCosta may be even more inclined to enhance his pass rush, and polarizing prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux is on the team’s radar.
- Harbaugh, now the third-longest-tenured HC in the league, recently signed an extension that will keep him on the Ravens’ sidelines through the 2025 season.
Giants Have Done “A Ton Of Work” On OT Charles Cross
The Giants, who hold the No. 5 and No. 7 overall selections in this month’s draft, are well-positioned to address two of their biggest needs — offensive tackle and edge rusher — with a top collegiate prospect. Per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post, Big Blue has done “a ton of work” on Mississippi State tackle Charles Cross, one of the top OTs in the class.
Cross is not considered to be on the same level as Alabama tackle Evan Neal or NC State blocker Ikem Ekwonu in terms of overall talent, but one scouting source told Dunleavy that Neal and Cross are the best pure left tackles in the class. While all three prospects project well at right tackle, Ekwonu is better-suited to the right side, and he also has the ceiling of an elite guard.
There is a chance that Neal and Ekwonu, or at least one of the pair, will be available for the Giants when they are on the clock with the No. 5 pick. In that scenario, New York could take the highest-rated OL on its board, or it could simply opt to fill a different need, secure in the knowledge that one of those two players and/or Cross will still be there for the taking at No. 7 (assuming, of course, that a club with a Top-4 selection does not nab Cross). But if the first four picks skew towards O-linemen rather than, say, pass rushers, then new GM Joe Schoen may need to pounce on a protector for QB Daniel Jones.
If he ends up with Cross, an accomplished pass blocker who would complete a strong bookend with 2020 first-rounder Andrew Thomas, Schoen should be happy, regardless of which pick he uses. In 719 pass-blocking snaps in 2021, Cross allowed just 16 pressures.
Schoen recently passed along several injury updates on two starting-caliber players already on the roster. LB Blake Martinez (ACL) and WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), both of whom recently accepted pay cuts, will hopefully be back in action by August, per Schoen (Twitter link via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com). OL Nick Gates, who started all 16 games for the Giants in 2020 but who suffered a career-threatening leg fracture in Week 2 of the 2021 season, may be ready for training camp, as Raanan tweets.
Panthers WR Shi Smith Arrested
Panthers WR Shi Smith was arrested in South Carolina at the end of March and charged with possession with intent to distribute marijuana, unlawful carrying of a handgun, and speeding, as Joshua Kuhn of WSPA.com reported.
The current collective bargaining agreement is not nearly as harsh as its predecessor with respect to marijuana usage, though if the intent to distribute charge is substantiated, that would obviously be a very different story. The unlawful carrying of a handgun could also lead to league discipline.
Smith, 23, was selected by Carolina in the sixth round of the 2021 draft. Like many Day 3 choices, his rookie-year contributions were fairly limited, as he appeared in just 85 offensive snaps and 24 special teams snaps. In six games, Smith caught six passes for 104 yards, including a 63-yard reception. Assuming the Panthers elect to retain him, he may be hard-pressed to see more action in 2022, as the club is already rostering D.J. Moore, Robby Anderson, and 2021 second-rounder Terrace Marshall, and recently added Rashard Higgins in free agency.
As David Newton of ESPN.com writes, Smith was released on a total of $6K bond ($5K for the drug charge and $1K for the gun charge). His first court appearance is set for June 13, the second day of the Panthers’ mandatory four-day minicamp.
A team spokesperson declined to comment on the situation since it is a pending legal matter.
Deshaun Watson Could Be Suspended For Only Four Games; “No Market” For Baker Mayfield
We recently heard that new Browns QB Deshaun Watson would not end up on the Commissioner’s Exempt list since he will not be criminally charged in connection with the sexual assault allegations for which he is still facing 22 civil suits. And, as Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, the absence of criminal charges may also help Watson avoid a lengthy suspension.
Per Cabot, league investigators will view the grand jury non-indictments as “mitigating factors” when it comes to doling out punishment to the embattled passer. A suspension may not be put in place until the civil matter is resolved — and Cleveland will not pressure Watson to settle the suits — but when the NFL’s investigation concludes and a decision is made, Cabot hears that Watson could be hit with a six-game ban that gets reduced to four games.
That would obviously count as a huge victory for the Browns, who gave up a bounty of draft capital and a market-altering contract to acquire Watson in a move that many pundits have classified as desperate. Winning, though, has a way of rewriting history, and if Watson escapes all of his legal troubles with only a four-game suspension (at least as far as on-field ramifications are concerned), Cleveland will have a very good chance of winning in 2022 and beyond.
Of course, the Browns are still rostering Baker Mayfield, an awkward reality that would become even more awkward if they are forced to retain him throughout the 2022 season. GM Andrew Berry recently said he would be willing to do so, but that surely is just a bit of posturing. Berry obviously wants to trade the former No. 1 overall pick, and he is content to wait until a starting quarterback on another club suffers an injury and creates a QB need for that club. According to Cabot, Berry may need to do just that, because there is “no market” for Mayfield at this point.
Still, Cabot says Berry does not want to give Mayfield away or include one of his own draft picks in a trade to entice another team to assume Mayfield’s contract. She writes that the plan remains to have newly-signed QB Jacoby Brissett, and not Mayfield, operate as the starting signal-caller in the event of a Watson suspension. The one-year deal that Brissett signed with the Browns last month has a base value of $4.65MM, almost all of which ($4.5MM) is guaranteed, as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets. Brissett will have a chance to earn more via incentives, including, perhaps, play-time incentives that could be realized if/when Brissett stands in for Watson.
One more item on Mayfield: his disenchantment with the Browns was intensified in the wake of a report that surfaced prior to the Watson trade indicating that the team was looking for “an adult” at the quarterback position (thus implying that Mayfield is not, in fact, an adult). Per team owner Jimmy Haslam, that comment did not come from the Cleveland front office (Twitter link via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).
Frank Gore To Retire
Ageless running back Frank Gore has decided to call it a career. In an interview on TheSFNiners podcast (video link), Gore said that, within the next several months, he will sign a one-day contract with the 49ers and officially announce his retirement.
San Francisco selected Gore in the third round of the 2005 draft, and though he appeared in 14 games in his rookie campaign, he started just one, operating as part of an RB tandem with Kevan Barlow. Prior to the 2006 season, the Niners traded Barlow to the Jets, thereby clearing the way for Gore to take over as a full-time starter, a role he held for nine seasons in the Bay Area.
During that time, the Miami product established himself as one of the best, and most consistent, backs in the league. He racked up all five of his Pro Bowl nominations, and he averaged over 1,160 yards per season on a robust 4.5 yards-per-carry average. That stretch included eight seasons of 1,000+ yards, and the only year in which he did not hit that benchmark was 2010, when he appeared in just 11 games due to a hip injury.
Gore, who will turn 39 in May, was also an effective receiver out of the backfield, particularly in the early days of his career. From 2006-10, he averaged 51 catches and just over 430 receiving yards per season, which, when added to his rushing output, made him a true dual threat. The 2006 season was especially productive, as he generated 2,180 all-purpose yards and nine total TDs. Though he was never a prolific touchdown producer — just one season of 10 or more combined rushing and receiving scores — he did find paydirt an even 100 times in his regular season career (81 on the ground, 18 through the air, and one fumble recovery).
After Gore’s tremendous run with the 49ers — he is now the franchise’s all-team leading rusher by a wide margin — he began the second chapter of his career by signing a three-year, $12MM deal with the Colts in March 2015. He was still productive during his three years in Indianapolis, as he did not miss a game and averaged nearly 1,000 rushing yards per season to go along with 263 rushing yards per year, but he did not post a YPC rate above 3.9.
Gore ended his career with a tour of the AFC East, hooking on with the Dolphins in 2018, the Bills in 2019, and the Jets in 2020. The 2018 season in Miami was a bit of a throwback, as he played in 14 games (all starts) and rushed for 722 yards on 156 totes, good for a 4.6 YPC average.
Despite all of his individual successes, Gore was not fortunate enough to play for many championship contenders. In 16 NFL seasons, he suited up for just four playoff outfits (the 49ers from 2011-13 and the Bills in 2019). He did get to participate in Super Bowl XLVII with San Francisco at the end of the 2012 season, but the Niners came out on the losing end of that contest. Gore at least held up his end of the bargain, rushing for 319 yards and four TDs on 63 carries in the team’s three-game postseason run.
In all, Gore rushed for exactly 16,000 yards in the regular season, which gives him a beautifully round 1,000 yards/season average and positions him behind only Emmitt Smith and Walter Payton on the all-time list. He supported that total with a 4.3 YPC mark, thereby demonstrating that his production was not driven just by his remarkable longevity.
Per Spotrac, Gore earned over $63MM in his playing career, and he indicated on the podcast that he hopes to move into a front office role. He said, “I told [49ers CEO] Jed York that I always wanted to be a Niner, so we’re working on [the one-day contract] right now, and then we’re going to also sit down with me and my agent to talk about me working in the front office. I love looking at talent, and I love evaluating talent, and I love ball.”
We here at PFR congratulate Gore on a terrific career — which may ultimately end with a Hall of Fame bust in Canton — and wish him all the best in his front office endeavors.
Packers Made Late Push For Marquez Valdes-Scantling
The Packers, who entered the offseason with one of the worst salary cap situations in the league, were expecting to lose free agent WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling to another team. But after the Davante Adams trade opened up cap room and created a glaring need for receiving talent, Green Bay made a late push to re-sign MVS, as Tom Silverstein of of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes. This jibes with an earlier report that the Packers were hoping to convince the four-year pro to stay.
Ultimately, the Chiefs — who had a receiver need of their own after trading Tyreek Hill to the Dolphins — landed Valdes-Scantling on a three-year, $30MM contract ($18MM guaranteed). It’s unclear if that was a more lucrative deal than what Green Bay was offering, or if Valdes-Scantling simply decided that Kansas City represented a better opportunity.
One way or another, it seems that the 27-year-old deep threat fared better on the open market than he was expecting. Per Silverstein, MVS was aiming for a one-year pact worth between $7MM-$10MM when free agency opened, though he believed that such a contract would include void years for cap purposes. But in addition to the Chiefs and Packers, the Saints were also in the running, as Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network tweets, and having a number of interested clubs helped to drive up the asking price.
Valdes-Scantling is obviously not a perfect replacement for Hill, one of the game’s most talented receivers. Still, MVS’ big-play abilities — he boasts a career 17.5 YPR average — should nicely complement the skill-sets of fellow wideout Mecole Hardman, TE Travis Kelce, and new slot receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster, and after dropping seven passes in 2020, he muffed just one in 2021.
The Packers and Saints, meanwhile, will continue to search for upgrades. Green Bay may be interested in free agents like Will Fuller and Odell Beckham, while New Orleans has been connected to Jarvis Landry. Both clubs could also turn to the draft, which is deep in WR talent.
Rosenhaus: Tyreek Hill To Jets Was “Almost A Done Deal”
Shortly after the shocking trade that sent star receiver Tyreek Hill from the Chiefs to the Dolphins, Hill himself suggested that the Jets were not a viable destination for him.
“How close was I? Who? The Jets?… I knew I was going to pick Miami no matter what because I’m basically from here, I’m here all the time,” Hill said. “This is home for me, for us.”
Hill’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, paints a bit of a different picture. Hill was obviously under contract with the Chiefs and did not have a no-trade clause, but Rosenhaus was given permission to speak with interested teams about a new deal for his prized client. Rosenhaus recently told reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, that as of Monday, the Jets were the only team that had offered Kansas City satisfactory trade compensation, and that a new contract with Gang Green was “almost a done deal.”
At that point, however, Rosenhaus reached out to other clubs to let them know the status of his talks with the Jets, and that led to the Dolphins jumping into the fray. Following an all-night negotiation session, Miami put together the winning trade package and contract.
It seems clear that the Dolphins were Hill’s top choice all along if the money was right and if the ‘Fins and the Chiefs could agree to trade terms, and Cimini’s previous reports indicated that New York knew that adding Hill was a long shot. It could be that Rosenhaus was merely using the Jets as leverage to drive up Hill’s price elsewhere, and of course, the veteran agent isn’t about to say if that’s the case.
Still, Cimini says that GM Joe Douglas was “very interested” in swinging a trade, which highlights his desire to upgrade his WR corps. But unless another top-flight starter unexpectedly becomes available, look for Douglas to address his receiver need in a draft that — luckily for him — is deep at the position.
Eagles Made “Competitive Offer” For Marcus Williams; Latest On WR, QB Pursuits
The Eagles have signed edge defender Haason Reddick and wide receiver Zach Pascal this offseason and otherwise have been mostly quiet in terms of adding outside talent. But that hasn’t been for lack of trying.
As Tim McManus of ESPN.com (subscription required) writes, Philadelphia made an effort to sign former Saints safety Marcus Williams. Per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (subscription required), the Eagles made a competitive offer to Williams, who ultimately signed a five-year, $70MM contract with the Ravens.
GM Howie Roseman also took some big swings at other positions. We already knew that the club nearly completed a trade for Falcons wideout Calvin Ridley before news of his gambling suspension surfaced, and according to McLane, the Eagles also had interest in WR Robert Woods. Woods was under contract with the Rams and was recently traded to the Titans, but Los Angeles gave him a say in his next destination, and he chose Tennessee over Philadelphia.
Precipitating the Rams’ trade of Woods was the club’s acquisition of Allen Robinson, whom Roseman also pursued. But Robinson, like Woods and most other notable players changing teams this offseason, elected to go elsewhere.
As McLane writes, the Eagles’ status as an also-ran when it comes to this year’s open market talent pool is perhaps a function of how players outside the organization view Philadelphia’s chances to compete in 2022. And, of course, a team’s chances to compete are inextricably linked to that team’s QB.
While it is unfair to exclusively blame incumbent signal-caller Jalen Hurts for the Eagles’ inability to make more FA or trade acquisitions thus far in 2022, McLane confirms that the Eagles were interested in Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson, and he believes that Roseman will continue to do everything he can to find an upgrade over Hurts.
That could mean using one of his three first-round picks in next month’s draft on a passer, though McLane thinks that Roseman will not do so and will instead trade one of those picks to enhance his draft capital in 2023, when the QB prospects are expected to be better than this year’s crop. And assuming that the Eagles do not draft a quarterback this year, and do not view a trade candidate like Jimmy Garoppolo or Baker Mayfield as a worthy investment, then Hurts will get another chance to prove his long-term value.
Colts CB Brandon Facyson To Compete For Starting Role
The one-year deal that cornerback Brandon Facyson signed with the Colts earlier this month is worth $3.84MM, per Joel A. Erickson of the Indianapolis Star. That is roughly the same money that Indy gave Xavier Rhodes in 2020 — a season in which Rhodes would start all 16 games — and it cements Facyson as a legitimate threat to win a starting job as a boundary CB.
Further underscoring the Colts’ faith in Facyson is the fact that, one day after acquiring him, GM Chris Ballard traded fellow corner Rock Ya-Sin to the Raiders in exchange for edge rusher Yannick Ngakoue. As Erickson writes, Facyson will indeed have a chance to replace Ya-Sin in Indianapolis’ starting lineup.
Ballard was not the only GM interested in Facyson’s services. According to Erickson, the Raiders — with whom Facyson made a name for himself last season after three nondescript years with the Chargers — were pursuing a re-up, and another club was also in the mix. However, Facyson elected to follow defensive coordinator Gus Bradley and DB coach Ron Milus from Las Vegas to Indianapolis. Facyson has worked under Bradley and Milus exclusively during his four professional seasons, first with the Chargers and then with the Raiders, and when the Colts hired both men this offseason, Facyson had largely made up his mind.
“I ultimately had like three teams really come after me, but in my head, I always kind of knew where I wanted to be,” Facyson said. “I’ve been blessed with the opportunity to play with Gus and Milo. … It definitely was a big impact on me coming to Indianapolis.”
In 12 games (nine starts) for Las Vegas in 2021, Facyson racked up 55 tackles and 13 passes defensed, along with his first career interception. Pro Football Focus was not high on his work, giving him a subpar 51.7 overall grade, but he did limit opponents to a 59.1% completion percentage and 7.2 yards per attempt, both of which are solid enough numbers. And, given the interest he attracted on the open market, it’s clear that evaluators of defensive talent — particularly Bradley and Milus — believe there is more potential to be unlocked.
Of course, Facyson is not assured of a starting job. The Colts do not have much depth behind him, Kenny Moore, and Isaiah Rodgers at this point, so there will be another addition or two, which could push the Virginia Tech product down the pecking order.