Looking Into Chiefs’ 2023 WR Plan
Disbanding a historically potent Travis Kelce–Tyreek Hill duo in March 2022, the Chiefs got by rather well last season. With JuJu Smith-Schuster approaching 1,000 yards and drawing the 2022 season’s defining holding penalty, Kansas City — with aid from a dominant Kelce season — withstood the Hill loss en route to its third Super Bowl title. The team’s second post-Hill receiving corps has been less useful, and the group’s output thus far has held this era’s most explosive offense back.
With Kelce in his age-34 season, the Chiefs entrusted an assortment of unproven options alongside the future first-ballot Hall of Famer. Kansas City’s offense still ranks fourth in DVOA, though it is 11th in scoring (after finishing no worse than sixth in any season during the Patrick Mahomes QB1 period). The Chiefs have also failed to score 20 points on five occasions this season; during Mahomes’ previous five seasons at the controls, the team had combined for just six such outings (h/t NFL.com).
The team attempted to address this issue in free agency, on the trade market and in the draft, but its efforts proved insufficient. The Chiefs have shifted to a roster-building blueprint around Mahomes’ mega-extension, one the club updated in September after this year’s run of QB deals further dropped the two-time MVP’s number within the QB salary hierarchy. But Kansas City did begin negotiations with Hill on a third contract in 2022, only to see Las Vegas’ Davante Adams trade/extension change the complexion of those talks. With Hill in Miami, the Chiefs’ margin for error shrunk.
In free agency, the Chiefs displayed interest in re-signing Smith-Schuster. But Andy Reid confirmed the team’s offer was not close to the Patriots’ three-year, $25.5MM ($16MM fully guaranteed) proposal. Although Smith-Schuster totaled 933 yards last season — by far the most among Chiefs wideouts — he has struggled to fill the Jakobi Meyers void in New England. Part of the reason for the Chiefs’ limited interest in Smith-Schuster: a belief Kadarius Toney could grow into a No. 1-caliber wide receiver with the benefit of a full offseason program. The 2022 trade acquisition has managed to put together his healthiest stretch in the NFL, missing just one game despite summer knee surgery, but the former Giants first-rounder has just 22 receptions for 139 yards while logging a 23% snap rate.
Letting Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman walk in free agency, the Chiefs inquired on Odell Beckham Jr. in March, after pursuing the talented but injury-riddled wideout in 2021 and ’22. But the Ravens’ $15MM guarantee abruptly closed that market. That deal also impacted the Chiefs’ trade talks with the Cardinals on DeAndre Hopkins.
The Chiefs and Bills had discussed terms with the Cards, but the OBJ guarantee nixed Hopkins’ interest in reworking his contract to facilitate a trade. The Chiefs later offered Hopkins an incentive-laden deal in free agency, joining the Patriots in doing so, while the Titans topped these proposals by giving the former All-Pro a $10.98MM guarantee on a two-year pact.
During Hopkins’ summer free agency stay, Kansas City had offered a $4MM base salary while including incentives that would have taken the contract to $10MM. By the time Hopkins became a free agent, the Chiefs had already used a chunk of their cap space to bring in left tackle Donovan Smith after the draft. No cap relief came from a Chris Jones extension — an offseason component Hopkins is believed to have factored into his free agency plan — with the All-Pro defensive tackle still headed toward free agency in 2024. Hopkins (774 yards, five touchdowns) has stayed healthy this season and is on pace for a seventh 1,000-yard year.
Kansas City did re-sign Justin Watson in April (two years, $3.4MM) and reacquired Hardman from the Jets in October. A former Buccaneers backup, Watson sits third in Chiefs receiving yards (332). Former second-round pick Skyy Moore, who had been expected to take a second-year leap, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling — in Year 2 of a three-year, $30MM accord — have joined Toney in offering inconsistency. Neither Moore nor Valdes-Scantling has topped 275 yards entering Week 14. This season represents a step back for MVS, who totaled 687 yards last year and topped 100 in the AFC championship game. Thanks largely to the Valdes-Scantling contract that features an $11MM 2023 cap number, the Chiefs rank 17th in wide receiver cap allocation this season.
The draft both brought failures and the team’s saving grace at receiver. After meeting with each of this class’ top receivers, the Chiefs attempted to trade up in Round 1. They had effectively done this in 2022, leapfrogging the Bills to draft Trent McDuffie. This year, the Chiefs were connected to Zay Flowers and Jordan Addison. Knowing of the Chiefs’ interest, the Ravens chose Flowers 22nd overall. Both Kansas City and New Orleans attempted to trade into Minnesota’s No. 23 slot, with Addison being the target amid the draft’s mid-first-round run on receivers. The Vikings stood pat and drafted Addison, who has shown immediate promise.
While the Chiefs ultimately settled for Rashee Rice at No. 50 overall, the SMU product’s development has been the clear silver lining. Rice’s 591 yards trail only Kelce for the defending champions, and after inconsistent usage during the season’s first half, the 6-foot-2 target has played at least 60% of the team’s offensive snaps in four of the past five games. Rice’s 8.4 yards after catch per reception trails only Deebo Samuel among wideouts this season, per Next Gen Stats.
Beyond Hardman, the Chiefs passed on bolstering their offense at the deadline. Results have remained choppy since, though Rice’s increased involvement has been a notable plot point. The team is expecting improvement from its young targets, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. While questions regarding wideout viability will persist into the 2024 offseason, the Chiefs have at least one long-term box checked via Rice. With Kelce on the back nine of his remarkable career, the Chiefs’ 2024 receiver plan will become more important than what transpired this offseason.
After a number of what-ifs defined the Chiefs’ offseason at the position, it appears a certainty the perennial AFC West champions will make a more concerted effort to add aerial weaponry in 2024. But how this Chiefs contingent fares down the stretch this season will be a key AFC storyline.
K Robbie Gould Announces Retirement
Robbie Gould expressed interest in playing a 19th NFL season, and he auditioned for the Giants last month. The longtime Bears and 49ers kicker will instead opt to leave the game behind.
A day after his 41st birthday, Gould wrote in a Players’ Tribune post he intends to retire. Gould, who sandwiched a lone Giants season between lengthy runs in Chicago and San Francisco, will finish his career as one of the longest-tenured players in this era.
The Penn State alum kicked in 266 games; among players to make their debuts in the 21st century, that ranks ninth. Among kickers, that number ranks behind only Sebastian Janikowski. While other pre-21st-century specialists have that longevity beat, Gould proved dependable to the point he rarely ended up on the kicker workout circuit during his near-two-decade run. Overall, only 10 kickers played more games in NFL history than Gould.
Gould did bounce from the Patriots to the Ravens to the Bears in 2005, but upon signing with the Bears that October, he stayed in Chicago for 11 seasons. While the Bears cut him just before the 2016 campaign, Gould ended up with a playoff-bound Giants squad that year. The 49ers picked him up in 2017 and used him as their kicker for six seasons. Over the course of his career, Gould kicked in 16 playoff games and two Super Bowls — Super Bowl XLI with the Bears and Super Bowl LIV with the 49ers. During that Bears Super Bowl-bound 2006 season, Gould earned first-team All-Pro honors.
Not counting practice squad deals, Gould signed seven NFL contracts. Although kicker sits as one of the league’s lowest-paid positions, Gould made more than $47MM over the course of his career.
The Bears gave Gould a position-topping deal in 2008 (five years, $15.5MM) and extended him again near the end of the 2013 season. After kicking for less than $1MM with the Giants, Gould signed a $2MM-per-year deal with the 49ers. Reestablishing his value on that first San Francisco contract, Gould received the franchise tag in 2019. Just before that year’s July extension deadline, Gould and the 49ers then agreed to terms on a four-year, $19MM extension.
Although Gould demanded a trade after being tagged that year, he ended up playing a pivotal role during the team’s rise under Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch. After leading the NFL with a 97.1% make rate in 2018, Gould connected at on at least 84% of his kicks over the past two seasons. During the 2021 campaign, Gould made a game-winning kick that finished off a 49ers upset of the No. 1-seeded Packers on a snowy night at Lambeau Field. Gould also made a game-winner in the 2006 playoffs, eliminating the Seahawks in overtime and sending the Bears to their first NFC championship game since 1988. Gould’s 86.46% career make rate ranks ninth in NFL history. Gould finishes his career as one of the best postseason specialists in NFL history, making 29 of 29 field goal attempts and never missing an extra point.
Gould said in July he had spoken with teams and later took part in the above-referenced Giants audition in November, with the team aiming to find a Graham Gano fill-in. The 49ers had used a third-round pick on Michigan’s Jake Moody in April, ending Gould’s productive run in the Bay Area.
Ron Rivera, Jack Del Rio Wanted Commanders To Retain Montez Sweat
As the Commanders completed what looked on the surface to be a reluctant sell-off at the trade deadline, Ron Rivera said all parties were onboard with the trades of Montez Sweat and Chase Young. A virtual meeting with new owner Josh Harris appears to have provided the final push for the Commanders to trade their defensive ends, though other factors were part of the equation.
It looks like the Washington coaching staff was readier to trade Young than Sweat. Rivera, DC Jack Del Rio and others wanted to make it past the deadline with Sweat still on the roster, according to ESPN.com’s John Keim and Jeremy Fowler. But two second-round offers came in for the contract-year edge rusher — from the Bears and Falcons — leading the team to complete the first of its two deadline-day deals.
Following the Commanders’ Week 8 loss to the Eagles, calls came in on the DEs and other players, per Fowler and Keim. While the Commanders had done legwork on trades involving Sweat and Young for more than a week going into the deadline, it was not known until hours before the Oct. 31 trade endpoint how Harris felt.
The Dan Snyder successor expressed an openness to trade the defensive ends and acquire draft capital, and while Fowler and Keim do not describe the meeting as Harris mandating both be traded, the owner leaning in that direction looks to have provided the biggest difference in Washington making the surprising call to trade both Sweat and Young. Both players were gone hours after the meeting.
Young’s propensity to freelance within Del Rio’s scheme looks to have made the Commanders more amenable to trading the former No. 2 overall pick, and the team dropped its asking price to move on. It took only a third-round compensatory pick for the 49ers to acquire the 2020 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Sweat had been more consistent, but with the Commanders expecting both players to cost near-top-market money, they decided to cut bait. As should be expected, the extensions given to Jonathan Allen (in 2021) and Daron Payne (in March) played a role, along with the defensive line’s early-season struggles, in the Commanders determining they would not be in position to extend Sweat or Young.
Rivera wanting to keep his top sack artist in the fold makes sense, as he entered this season on a hot seat. The fourth-year Washington HC had hoped to retain enough pieces to salvage this season, a sentiment some in the front office shared as well; losing Sweat, who has since signed a high-end Bears extension, did not help matters. The 2019 first-round pick is closing in on his first double-digit sack season, collecting 6.5 of his nine QB drops in Washington. Without Sweat and Young, the Commanders are close to starting over at defensive end.
While Washington had regressed on defense even with its two walk-year sack artists, the team has cratered on that side of the ball without them. The Commanders have allowed back-to-back 45-point games, the second coming after Rivera — after a morning conversation with Harris — fired Del Rio and defensive backs coach Brent Vieselmeyer.
Harris and Rivera have retained a solid relationship, per ESPN, but the writing has been on the wall for the well-liked sideline bastion for a while. The Commanders are also more likely than not to clean house in the front office, with ex-Panthers execs Marty Hurney and Eric Stokes joining GM Martin Mayhew as staffers in play to follow Rivera in being ousted. It is unknown what type of coach and leadership structure Harris will prefer in 2024, but he effectively asked a lame-duck staff to trade draft capital it most likely will not be in position to use come April.
Rivera, 61, is on track to be fired by a new owner for a second time. David Tepper canned the former NFC champion HC during the 2019 season, the Panthers owner’s second on the job. This has been Mayhew’s second crack at a GM job. The former Washington Super Bowl-winning cornerback, who is 58, served as Lions GM from 2008-15.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Leonard, Cowboys, Giants, Commanders, Del Rio
Shaquille Leonard‘s free agency decision brought additional intrigue due to its NFC East-only nature, and Jerry Jones said during an interview with 105.3 The Fan (h/t The Athletic’s Jon Machota) the chase did not come down to money. The Colts still owe Leonard $6.1MM guaranteed for the rest of this year. The sixth-year linebacker will collect $416K in prorated base salary from the Eagles, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. That checks in above the veteran minimum, and Yates adds the Eagles included a $100K incentive and $17K per game in roster bonuses.
Leonard played 2 1/2 seasons on a five-year, $98.5MM accord — one that topped the ILB market until the Ravens’ Roquan Smith deal earlier this year — but saw two 2022 back surgeries impact his career. Visiting both the Cowboys and Eagles (ahead of the NFC East powers’ rematch Sunday), Leonard said (via AllPhly.com’s Zach Berman) his bond with Nick Sirianni played a key role in the Eagles choice. Sirianni was the Colts’ OC from 2018-20, Leonard’s first three NFL seasons (all of which resulted in All-Pro honors). He will attempt to recapture that form ahead of another free agency run in 2024.
Here is the latest from the NFC East:
- Mike McCarthy underwent surgery Wednesday for acute appendicitis, the Cowboys announced. The fourth-year Dallas HC is planning to be on the sidelines Sunday night, and NFL.com’s Jane Slater adds the surgery was successful. Dan Quinn, Brian Schottenheimer and ST coordinator John Fassel will run Cowboys practices while McCarthy is away, per ESPN.com’s Todd Archer.
- The Eagles are on track to have Dallas Goedert back against the Cowboys, the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane notes. Goedert, who suffered a broken forearm during this season’s initial Philly-Dallas matchup, underwent surgery soon after that Nov. 5 matchup and has missed the Eagles’ past three games. The Eagles kept their top tight end off IR, in hopes he could come back before the four-week span. Goedert practiced fully Wednesday. Zach Cunningham logged a limited workout, but McLane notes that, in addition to Leonard, the Eagles should have Cunningham ready to go. The summer signee-turned-starter missed Week 13 with a hamstring injury.
- Despite having an experienced quarterback ready to go for Week 14, the Giants are sticking with rookie UDFA Tommy DeVito. Expressing disappointment over that choice, Tyrod Taylor confirmed (via the New York Daily News’ Pat Leonard) he broke four ribs, which required a hospital trip. The Giants are not expected to re-sign Taylor in 2024, per the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. During Taylor’s IR stay, it began to look unlikely the 34-year-old veteran — who is playing out a two-year, $11MM deal — would be back in 2024. DeVito will now attempt an audition for the backup job, though it is not certain Daniel Jones will be ready for the 2024 opener. The Giants also will probably be linked to first-round passers, setting up a complicated offseason.
- The Commanders ranked in the top seven in points and yards allowed last season, but they did not extend DC Jack Del Rio‘s contract, according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler and John Keim. Del Rio, who followed Ron Rivera to Washington in 2020, went into a walk year this season. While that is far more common in the coordinator ranks than a head coach becoming a lame duck, it left staffers uncertain, according to ESPN. Due to the Dan Snyder-to-Josh Harris ownership transition, the Commanders did not extend most of their other assistants’ contracts after last season. Rivera said this offseason the team had big-picture matters on hold for a stretch while the NFL reviewed Harris’ bid. Rivera fired Del Rio and DBs coach Brent Vieselmeyer following a Thanksgiving Day Cowboys romp, though the head coach is widely expected to be canned at season’s end.
Saints Claim LB Monty Rice
Unable to reclaim a starting job with the Titans this season, Monty Rice landed on waivers Tuesday. The third-year linebacker will not reach free agency. The Saints submitted a successful claim Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets.
Rice had played behind free agency addition Azeez Al-Shaair and second-year UDFA Jack Gibbens on the Titans’ defensive second level this season. From 2021-22, however, the former third-round pick made 10 combined starts. He has not logged any this season.
The Saints picked up Rice’s through-2024 rookie contract. No guaranteed money remains on the Round 3 deal, giving the Saints a low-cost opportunity to gauge the Georgia alum’s fit in their defense. The Titans drafted Rice 92nd overall two years ago, doing so after he finished as a 2020 Butkus Award finalist and a first-team All-SEC linebacker. That top-tier college success has not equated to steady playing time just yet.
Injuries to Zach Cunningham and David Long led to increased Rice work last season, when he logged 366 defensive snaps. Rice made 66 tackles (four for loss) last year, and he was expected to be a starter alongside Al-Shaair this season. Gibbens, however, won the job. Both he and Al-Shaair have stayed healthy, keeping Rice in a reserve role. He ended up playing only 86 defensive snaps with Tennessee this season and did not sound particularly broken up about his separation from the AFC South club.
The Saints played Week 13 without Pete Werner, but the young talent managed a limited practice Wednesday. Ageless veteran Demario Davis still anchors New Orleans’ linebacking corps, with 2020 third-rounder Zack Baun also in the picture. No other Saints ‘backer has played more than 50 defensive snaps this season, though Rice’s addition bumps the team’s LB total to seven on the 53-man roster.
Latest On Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
Just as Jonathan Taylor had ramped up to a level reminding of his pre-injury version, the recently extended running back needed another shutdown period. Taylor underwent thumb surgery last week, and the Colts do not appear to be expecting him back too soon.
Although Taylor played through the injury to close out the Colts’ Week 12 game, the former rushing champion’s issue was serious enough it required an immediate procedure. Taylor suffered a torn UCL in his thumb, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who details the nature of the setback. The fourth-year back tore the ligament off the thumb’s base. The damage also affected a tendon in Taylor’s hand, with surgery the only way to correct this issue.
Had Taylor gone in for a standard surgery to address the UCL tear, he would have faced a months-long recovery. Instead, Rapoport adds an internal brace procedure — one that stands to allow a late-season comeback — became the plan of attack. The internal brace procedure, which Drew Brees underwent in 2019, presents Taylor with a three- to five-week recovery timetable. The Colts do not plan to place Taylor on IR while he recovers, which allows him to avoid a mandatory four-game absence.
When Taylor went under the knife in Los Angeles, the Colts hoped to have him back in two or three weeks. The three- to five-week timetable would stand to sideline Taylor in Week 15 as well. While a minimum three-week hiatus may be more damaging to fantasy GMs than the Colts, given Zack Moss‘ production in extended relief this season, Indianapolis does have two games against fellow AFC playoff contenders — being set to play the Bengals — over the next two weeks.
Taylor, 24, did well to secure guaranteed money when he could, having now experienced ankle and thumb ailments that required surgeries. While the journey to reach that extension led the Colts and their starting running back to a strange place from which an escape once seemed difficult to envision, Taylor signed a three-year, $42MM deal in October — before coming off the reserve/PUP list. The 2021 All-Pro received $19.3MM fully guaranteed, while an additional $7.2MM will come his way in 2024. That additional $7.2MM — part of Taylor’s 2025 salary — shifts from an injury guarantee to a full guarantee on Day 5 of the 2024 league year.
Prior to last year’s ankle injury, Taylor rolled through his Wisconsin tenure and first two Indianapolis seasons without a notable injury. The Colts acquired Moss in the Nyheim Hines trade last year, and the ex-Bills second-rounder has played exceedingly well in his contract year. While lacking Taylor’s top-end skillset, Moss boasts a better yards-per-carry number (4.5) to the Colts’ preferred starter (4.1) this season. Moss’ 723 rushing yards rank 11th this season.
Taylor’s deal will allow him to avoid a 2024 franchise tag or a trip to what could be a crowded free agent market. Moss joins Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard, Derrick Henry, Austin Ekeler and D’Andre Swift as notable backs in contract years.
Riley Reiff Reverts To Season-Ending IR
The Eagles became the first team to let a player’s IR activation window close this season, leaving safety Justin Evans on IR; the Patriots will be the second. New England will not activate Riley Reiff for a second time, with Bill Belichick indicating the tackle’s three-week activation window will close.
Reiff signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Patriots in March, representing a low-cost solution attempt for the team at right tackle. But the former first-round pick could not stay healthy. The Pats placed Reiff on IR before Week 1, and his return consisted of just one game. Back on IR soon after, Reiff returned to practice on Nov. 15. Wednesday’s transaction will end the longtime starter’s season after 45 snaps.
[RELATED: Week 14 Injured Reserve Return Tracker]
Belichick said (via ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss) three Reiff setbacks will lead the team to keep him on IR rather than use another activation. New England activated Reiff in Week 5, when he was first eligible, after a leg injury had sidelined him. Reiff, 35, sustained a knee injury — one Belichick classified as different from the ailment that shelved the 12th-year vet in August — upon attempting to come back.
This marks familiar territory for Reiff, whose RT run with the Bengals ended because of a late-season injury, but the former Lions first-rounder has largely avoided steady injury trouble. Reiff came into this season having never missed more than five games in one campaign; other than 2021, he had never missed more than three in a season. His injury-prone run with the Pats has represented one of the team’s many problems in a season that has been bad enough to remind of the franchise’s pre-Bill Parcells days.
Although the Patriots still carry five IR activations, matters pertaining to the 2023 team’s status are almost immaterial at this point. New England has dropped to 2-10 this year. Belichick’s Foxborough future is up in the air, and the team will look to the 2024 draft and free agency to reboot its quarterback position.
Brought in to take over for Isaiah Wynn at right tackle, Reiff came to Massachusetts with 149 career starts under his belt. The ex-Lions, Vikings, Bengals and Bears blocker had spent most of his career at left tackle; though, the 2020s brought a switch. Reiff also spent time at guard in New England and did not start the one game he played. The Pats have used multiple cogs on the right side, most notably Michael Onwenu — a guard the team kicked back to the edge during the season. Onwenu is a 2024 free agent.
Jets To Start Zach Wilson In Week 14
DECEMBER 6: Despite Monday’s report about Wilson being reluctant to return to action, the Jets will start the former top prospect in Week 14. Saleh confirmed Wilson will be back in New York’s lineup for the matchup against the Texans. The third-year HC notably said (via the New York Post’s Brian Costello) he always believed Wilson was the best healthy QB on the team’s roster, but he wanted to see if Boyle and Siemian could provide a spark.
Notably, Cimini notes Saleh was leaning in this direction Monday but delayed his announcement due to the above-referenced report that surfaced about Wilson’s willingness to play again. For a franchise that has repeatedly missed on QBs, this has been one of its most eventful seasons at the position.
DECEMBER 5: Long tabbed as unrealistic, the Aaron Rodgers journey back to the Jets’ lineup is no longer expected to happen. With the Jets’ losing streak dropping the team to 4-8 and out of realistic playoff contention, the team is stuck with a bottom-end quarterback situation for the season’s final five games.
The starter in the Jets’ past two games, Tim Boyle, is no longer with the team. But Robert Saleh has yet to determine if Zach Wilson or Trevor Siemian will start against the Texans in Week 14. This is obviously a problem the Jets had hoped to bury by acquiring Rodgers, but more Wilson drama has surfaced. A report from The Athletic on Monday indicated Wilson expressed hesitancy about returning to the Jets’ starting lineup, citing injury concerns.
While staying healthy will be important for Wilson’s prospects of receiving another chance elsewhere in 2024, should the Jets finally move on, Saleh said the embattled QB approached him indicating he would like to start again. Though it is unclear if Wilson sought out Saleh because of Monday’s report questioning his interest in returning, Saleh said the quarterback “wouldn’t be here” if he truly did not want to play again this season.
That said, Saleh later indicated during his weekly Michael Kay Show interview (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini) that it was conceivable Wilson made such a remark to a teammate that ended up being leaked.
“Empathetically, I’m sure there would be,” Saleh said, via Cimini, about a concern regarding Wilson’s head space due to his run of depth chart movement. “We had this story last year and I think it’s different. I think last year he truly lost confidence in himself. I think this year, as demonstrated by [Monday’s meeting], he knows damn well he should be on the football field.”
The Jets have now benched Wilson three times, doing so twice last season and finally parking him for the since-cut Boyle last month. Saleh’s other options being Boyle and Siemian for most of this season represent why Wilson’s leash was so long this year. The fact the former No. 2 overall pick has a viable route back to the Jets’ starting lineup illustrates how bleak this situation has gotten. Wilson’s QBR figure, after a slight Bryce Young elevation, has dropped to last among qualified players this season. But Boyle and Siemian’s struggles in an ugly 13-8 loss to the Falcons have led to Wilson returning to the starter conversation.
While Rodgers no longer appears in the mix to start until 2024, assuming he follows through on his pledge to return for a 20th season, the future Hall of Famer took aim at the Jets organization for the leak that led to the Wilson story coming out this week, Outkick.com’s Armando Salguero notes.
It would cost the Jets $11.2MM to waive Wilson in 2024, the final year of his rookie contract. The BYU product will enter a contract year in 2024, as there is virtually no chance the Jets pick up his fifth-year option. Going further, Cimini adds Wilson will likely be released after the season.
Wilson went first to third to second to first to third on the Jets’ depth chart from his November 2022 benching to the Boyle cut. Because of Boyle’s exit, Wilson will be no worse than No. 2 again on Gang Green’s depth chart. Brett Rypien is expected to play behind Siemian and Wilson against Houston. It certainly appears Wilson will have more chances to close out his third season; they will perhaps be his final opportunities in what has been one of the worst tenures by a first-round QB in recent NFL history.
Bills Designate Dawson Knox, Kaiir Elam For Return
Back from their bye week and preparing for a stretch of must-win games, the Bills may have one of their skill-position starters ready in time to begin that run. Sean McDermott said Wednesday the team will open Dawson Knox‘s practice window.
Knox, who has been out since October with a wrist injury, has missed the past five games. The Bills will have three weeks from Wednesday to activate their highly paid tight end. Buffalo is also designating cornerback Kaiir Elam for return. The struggling former first-round pick has missed time due to an ankle injury.
Sitting 6-6, the Bills are not in good shape on the injury front. Tre’Davious White, Matt Milano and DaQuan Jones sustained severe maladies early this season. But Buffalo has only used one injury activation previously, holding seven such moves for their post-bye period. Knox and Elam are on track to take up two of those slots.
Given a four-year, $52MM extension just before last season, Knox remains a key presence in Buffalo’s offense. Though, the team’s decision to select Dalton Kincaid in this year’s first round has affected the fifth-year tight end. The Bills have made significant investments in this position, doing so as they have not used a Day 1 or Day 2 draft choice on a wide receiver since McDermott’s first draft; the team chose Zay Jones in the 2017 second round. Granted, Buffalo traded a first-rounder for Stefon Diggs in 2020.
The Diggs-dependent passing attack still involved Knox before his injury. The Stanford product played 68% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps through seven games, but his aerial role has diminished. Knox caught 15 passes for just 102 yards before his wrist surgery. He topped 500 yards in each of the past two seasons. The Bills have been loosely tied to a Zach Ertz pursuit, but Knox’s return to join Kincaid would seemingly stand to send the ex-Eagles and Cardinals pass catcher elsewhere.
Elam’s early NFL performance has disappointed. The 2022 first-rounder, who appears to have been a Trent McDuffie consolation prize for the Bills, has failed to commandeer a starting job. With White again out for the season, the Bills traded for Rasul Douglas at the deadline. Elam appeared in trade rumors before his injury, but the Bills will still attempt to develop him. The 6-foot-1 corner has played in just three games this season, being a healthy scratch at points.
Rams To Sign K Mason Crosby
Mason Crosby‘s free agency stay will end Wednesday. The longtime Packers kicker, who has been invited to multiple workouts this season, found a gig in Los Angeles. The Rams are signing the 16-year veteran, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.
The Rams will stash Crosby on their practice squad, continuing a trend for established veterans during this CBA, but Garafolo adds the intention is to move the seasoned specialist to the active roster in the near future. The Rams have used rookie Lucas Havrisik as their kicker over the past several weeks.
One of Crosby’s in-season workouts took place in L.A. this season. In October, the Rams moved on from Brett Maher and bumped Havrisik up from their practice squad. Before making the latter move, the team tried out a host of kickers. Crosby joined Randy Bullock, Austin Seibert and Matthew Wright in that audition. The team viewed Havrisik as a workable option at that point. Several weeks later, Crosby will come back to California as competition.
On the season, Havrisik is 7-for-10 on field goals and has made 10 of 11 PAT attempts. The rookie has missed field goals in each of the Rams’ past two games. Should Crosby have the chance to kick for the Rams, he will be their third kicker this season. The team has trotted out Havrisik over the past five games, doing so after Maher — a late-summer pickup who became available once the Broncos traded for Wil Lutz — suited up for seven contests.
It sounds like the Rams want to create a competition this week. Sean McVay said (via the Orange County Register’s Adam Grosbard) the veteran is a candidate to be elevated this week. For the time being, however, Havrisik is staying on L.A.’s 53-man roster.
Signing four Packers contracts from 2007-20, Crosby joined Aaron Rodgers as Green Bay mainstays. The NFC North team bid farewell to both this offseason, trading Rodgers and drafting Anders Carlson to replace Crosby. While the 39-year-old kicker experienced some rocky moments with the Packers, he kicked in 23 playoff games and helped the team win Super Bowl XLV 13 years ago. Last season, Crosby made 86.2% of his field goal tries, bouncing back after connecting on 73.5% of his attempts in 2021.
The Rams obviously present much friendlier confines for kickers compared to the Packers, with Matt Gay using the SoFi Stadium environment to score the league’s second-most lucrative kicker deal (from the Colts) in free agency. While Gay ranks fifth in all-time field goal accuracy rate (87.3%), Crosby is just 56th (81.4%), as modern kickers flood the top of that list. Looking to cut costs this offseason, the Rams passed on re-signing Gay and have gone with rookies at kicker and punter. Now in contention for a wild-card spot, McVay’s team will bring in a proven vet to help out.