Panthers To Sign G Gabe Jackson
Seeing guard injuries play a key role in their offensive struggles, the Panthers are adding a veteran presence. Following his Wednesday workout, Gabe Jackson will sign with Carolina, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets.
This agreement comes nearly nine months after the Seahawks cut the veteran blocker. Jackson has 130 career starts over a nine-year career. The Panthers have been without left guard Brady Christensen since mid-September and recently saw Austin Corbett suffer an MCL injury that will sideline the right guard for the rest of the season. This will initially be a practice squad deal, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets.
The Christensen and Corbett setbacks open the door for Jackson, who is now 32. The former Raiders and Seahawks starter was not closely connected to a team during his lengthy free agency stay, but he stands as one of the NFL’s most experienced active guards. While it is far from certain Carolina will look to keep Jackson beyond this season — especially considering the reeling team will hire another new coach in 2024 — but the 1-10 squad represents an opportunity for the longtime first-stringer to play a 10th season and potentially make an effort to better position himself for free agency next year.
Although Christensen has been a multiyear starter, the Panthers had navigated his early-season exit (due to a biceps injury) for a while. But one of Carolina’s replacement options is now facing a season-ending malady. Rookie Chandler Zavala, who has been a starter for much of the season due to the Panthers losing both Christensen and Corbett, is an IR candidate, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Zavala, a fourth-round pick, suffered a knee injury in Week 12. Cade Mays left Sunday’s game due to an ankle injury, continuing this positional bloodbath for a team intent on maximizing what is left of Bryce Young‘s rookie year.
The Panthers have used Brett Toth as a fill-in starter; they finished Week 12 with he and rookie UDFA Nash Jensen at guard. This situation could point Jackson directly to a starting role, though given the timing here, the team may wait before such a move. That said, the Panthers have struggled to protect Young this season. While Carolina is buried in the standings and is focusing on another coaching search, the team still has six games of Young development to complete. Installing a veteran to help keep the No. 1 overall pick upright makes sense through this lens.
GM Scott Fitterer had already moved to Charlotte when the Seahawks traded for Jackson in March 2021, but the nine-year starter’s Seattle stay may still help for familiarity purposes. Upon being traded for a fifth-round pick, Jackson started 31 games in Seattle. Pro Football Focus viewed the once-dependable Raider as better in 2021 than he was last year, but given the timing of the Panthers’ latest guard need, pickings are slim.
Although Jackson has never made a Pro Bowl, the Raiders thought enough of him to authorize a $10MM-per-year extension in 2017. Jackson then played two years on a $7.5MM-AAV Seahawks pact. This Panthers agreement likely checks in at or near the prorated veteran minimum.
Colts’ Jonathan Taylor To Undergo Surgery
NOVEMBER 29: The Colts are not looking to save a roster spot here. They will go week to week with Taylor, per Shane Steichen, who said (via the Indianapolis Star’s Joel Erickson) the team is not considering an IR stint. Steichen pointed to Irsay’s timeline of a Week 15 or Week 16 Taylor return being a realistic target.
NOVEMBER 28, 3:01pm: Taylor will indeed miss time. The standout back is set to undergo thumb surgery, according to Jim Irsay (via The Athletic’s James Boyd). This is not a season-ending procedure, but Boyd notes a multiweek absence is expected. The Colts hope Taylor will be able to return in two or three weeks, though Rapoport adds an IR move — one that would sideline Taylor for four games — may be under consideration before this week’s game.
1:13pm: Just as he has reestablished himself as a full-time player, Jonathan Taylor may need some additional time off. The Colts running back — who has overtaken Zack Moss after his re-acclimation period upon returning from the reserve/PUP list — is uncertain for Week 13 due to a thumb injury, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.
Taylor sustained the injury during his 91-yard, two-touchdown game against the Buccaneers, a Colts win that helped the team to 6-5 and into the No. 7 spot in the AFC’s playoff race. All options are on the table here, per Rapoport, though ESPN.com’s Stephen Holder notes the team remains in evaluation mode. No IR decision has been made.
Coming into last season, Taylor had not missed any time due to injury during his NFL or college careers. He attempted to play through an ankle issue last season but missed six games and eventually required surgery. That problem may or may not have dragged into the summer, with Taylor’s contractual impasse and subsequent trade request having plenty to do with his absence from training camp as well. But Taylor still missed the season’s first four games. After signing a three-year, $42MM extension, the fourth-year running back was in uniform for Week 5.
The Colts had steadily increased their standout starter’s workload in the weeks since his return. His snap share went from 15% to 42% to 50% to 61% to 74% to 88% from Weeks 5-10. In Week 12, Taylor played 58% of Indianapolis’ offensive snaps; he was, however, on the field to convert a game-clinching first down in the final minutes. The Wisconsin alum has two 90-yard rushing games over his past four.
Having made an unexpected voyage into surefire playoff contention, the Colts have a clear Taylor backup plan. Moss remains 10th in the NFL with 672 rushing yards. While not as talented as Indy’s starter, Moss holds a 4.8-yard average per carry (compared to Taylor’s 4.1 number) and has played well in a contract year. If Taylor needs to miss time, the 2022 trade acquisition will likely step in as a full-time player once again. After sustaining a broken hand during camp and missing Week 1, Moss retook the reins and kept them until the Colts deemed Taylor ready to go. He played at least 76% of Indy’s offensive snaps in four games this season.
Texans To Waive CB Shaquill Griffin
The Texans will become the second AFC South team this year to cut ties with Shaquill Griffin. Houston is waiving the veteran cornerback Wednesday, KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson tweets.
After the Jaguars released Griffin this offseason, he ended up in Houston. The Texans have used the former Seahawks draftee as a starter in six games, but the team had benched him for the past two. Although Jackson went straight to free agency following his Jacksonville release, all players cut after the trade deadline are subject to waivers.
Houston gave Griffin a one-year, $3.5MM deal in May. Because the Texans used void years to lower Griffin’s cap hit, they will be on the hook for nearly $2MM in dead money as a result of this release. But the team is healthier at corner than it has been for most of the season, leaving Griffin without a clear role.
Derek Stingley Jr., Tavierre Thomas and Grayland Arnold had missed time due to injuries this season, and the team recently re-signed Desmond King to a practice squad deal. King worked as a gameday elevation in Week 12.
The Texans used Griffin exclusively on special teams over the past two weeks, demoting the seventh-year veteran after he had logged a 95% defensive snap share in five straight games earlier this season. Griffin, 28, had entered the Texans’ starting lineup following a Stingley hamstring injury that moved the top-three draftee to IR in September. The team activated Stingley in Week 10.
Pro Football Focus measured Griffin as a mid-pack corner this season, slotting him 52nd at the position. He intercepted one pass and broke up four more in 10 Texans games. The Jaguars had given the former third-round pick a three-year, $40MM contract during Urban Meyer‘s year in charge. A back injury stalled Griffin’s Jacksonville run, ending his 2022 season after five games. The Trent Baalke–Doug Pederson regime moved on this offseason, saving $13MM in the process.
A 78-game starter during his run in Seattle, Jacksonville and Houston, Griffin could certainly land elsewhere on waivers. It will be interesting to see if another team takes a flier on the 6-foot defender.
Texans’ Tytus Howard Out For Season
The Texans made Tytus Howard a key component of their offseason, handing the fifth-year offensive lineman a lucrative extension. The resurgent team will not see the former first-round pick finish out the season.
After suffering a knee injury in Week 12, Howard is expected to miss the rest of the season, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Tests have revealed Howard will need surgery. Howard did well to secure a high-end contract this summer, but this represents a blow to a Texans O-line that has already absorbed a few this year. Specifically, Howard has battled a patellar tendon issue for the past few weeks, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adding the injury worsened Sunday.
Houston began the season without Howard, placing its starting right tackle on IR to start the season. Howard had undergone hand surgery. But the Texans used one of their IR activations on the 2019 draftee. Having signed George Fant in the wake of Howard’s hand injury, the Texans slid Howard to guard — a position he played at points during his rookie contract. The team has already lost three interior O-linemen — including guard starter Kenyon Green, a 2022 first-rounder — for the season. Howard joining that list doubles as the biggest blow this battered unit has sustained.
Houston is committed to Howard, who has played a few positions over the course of his career. The team gave Howard a three-year, $56MM accord. That pact came with $36MM guaranteed at signing. The Texans had drafted the Division I-FCS product during Brian Gaine‘s short run as GM, but Nick Caserio made him part of an offseason O-line blueprint. The Texans extended Laremy Tunsil and gave Shaq Mason a new deal after trading for him. The O-line fortifications have helped C.J. Stroud rocket to the Offensive Rookie of the Year lead and have played a major role in the No. 2 overall pick elevate into the MVP race.
In addition to Kenyon Green, the Texans have lost Scott Quessenberry — their primary 2022 center starter — and late-summer trade pickup Kendrick Green for the season. The team activated second-round pick Juice Scruggs just last week; the Penn State alum had missed nearly three months due to a hamstring injury sustained during the team’s preseason finale. Rookie Jarrett Patterson, who has been Houston’s primary center this season, is also on IR.
Pro Football Focus has viewed Howard’s move back to guard as a somewhat challenging odyssey, slotting him 69th at the position. Months before the Texans traded for Tunsil, they drafted Howard to play right tackle. Howard began his career there but played 10 games at guard to open the 2021 season. He then upped his stock by faring well replacing Tunsil at left tackle. Tunsil’s 2022 return slid Howard back to right tackle, and he played well enough to earn a top-five RT contract. At guard, Howard’s $18.6MM-per-year deal ranks third overall.
With Fant on a one-year contract, Howard may well be back at right tackle by the time he is healthy again. For now, Tunsil and Fant remain at tackle. Scruggs replaced Howard at right guard against the Jaguars, with free agent signing Michael Deiter remaining at center. After Scruggs missed 10 games to start his career, the No. 62 overall pick may be set to start his first game — at a position he was not drafted to play. The Texans also have trade acquisition Josh Jones, who has played both tackle and guard as a pro, as an option opposite Mason.
49ers Pursued Raiders CB Nate Hobbs At Deadline
The 49ers made multiple inquiries on some big-ticket defenders before the trade deadline, discussing Brian Burns with the Panthers and Jaylon Johnson with the Bears. Chase Young ended up being San Francisco’s addition, but the team still tried to bolster its secondary last month.
Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs became a 49ers target, according to ProFootballNetwork.com’s Adam Caplan. This came at a rather interesting point on the Raiders’ timeline, as the team was hours away from firing Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. Mark Davis made the unusual call to let the soon-to-be-fired staffers manage the trade deadline — one that included Davante Adams interest — before letting them go. Prior to the Oct. 31 deadline, however, the ex-Patriots staffers informed the 49ers they were not interested in trading Hobbs.
Playing both inside and outside during his career, Hobbs has been the closest thing the Raiders have had to an anchor at corner over the past several years. The team has not been able to settle on corners recently, cycling through veterans after cutting 2020 first-rounder Damon Arnette. Neither Rock Ya-Sin (a 2022 trade acquisition) nor Anthony Averett (free agency) were re-signed this offseason, and the team has already bailed on two of its 2023 pickups — Duke Shelley, Marcus Peters. The Raiders waived Peters on Monday, and Vic Tafur of The Athletic indicates the team nearly cut the 30-year-old defender earlier this season (subscription required). An issue with inconsistent Peters effort likely led to the decision to move on, per Tafur.
Pro Football Focus rates Hobbs as Las Vegas’ top corner, slotting the third-year cover man 36th at the position. After yielding a 120.2 passer rating as the closest defender last season, Hobbs’ 2023 number comes in at 95.2. The Raiders have Hobbs signed through 2024. Pierce has since reunited with Jack Jones, whom he coached at Arizona State; Jones’ rookie deal runs through 2025. This could be the pairing the Raiders roll with beyond this season, though the team will likely still pursue more help at the position.
At the trade deadline, the 49ers were mired in a three-game losing streak. Injuries to standout starters impacted that swoon. The team has since moved Ambry Thomas into a regular role alongside Charvarius Ward and Deommodore Lenoir. Thomas has been a full-timer for the past three games — all wins. A 2021 third-round pick, Thomas carries a 90.1 passer rating-against mark. PFF slots Thomas 11th overall
The 49ers have each of their top three corners signed beyond this season, and they are in better shape — thanks partially to the Young addition, which cost only a compensatory third-rounder — than they were heading into the deadline. The Bears opted to hold onto Johnson, though they discussed him with a few teams after an 11th-hour decision to allow the contract-year cover man to find a trade partner. After keeping him out of trades, the Raiders will be eligible to enter extension talks with Hobbs in January. With a new GM-HC combo likely coming in during the 2024 offseason, the current cogs’ futures largely remain cloudy.
Vikings Activate Justin Jefferson From IR
The Vikings played it safe with Justin Jefferson, placing him in the IR-return window for the full three weeks. But the superstar wide receiver will be back once Minnesota returns from its Week 13 bye.
Jefferson is officially off IR, the team announced. While the team needed to activate Jefferson by Wednesday to avoid him landing on season-ending IR, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates he will play in Week 14. This will obviously provide a significant boost for a Vikings team that has encountered some obstacles over the past two weeks. Tuesday’s move leaves the Vikings with four IR activations remaining.
Suffering a hamstring injury in Week 5, Jefferson resumed practicing when first eligible. That represented a good sign, as many players who have returned to practice while on IR have been activated days later this season. That was never expected with Jefferson, given his importance to the team and his contract status.
Minnesota has slow-played the fourth-year wideout’s return, holding him out of games against the Saints, Broncos and Bears. It is certainly possible Jefferson would have the Vikings at 8-4 rather than 6-6, but Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear has limited the team as well. Considering how a hamstring setback could affect Jefferson’s chances of returning at all this season, it was not too surprising the Vikings’ top player said he would not return until he was 100%.
Jefferson had resumed sprinting in practice, providing a sign he was close. Logging limited practices ahead of Week 12, the All-Pro talent is on track to be full go in Week 14. With the Vikings in a bye week, Jefferson has an additional stretch to prepare for a return. Minnesota will face Las Vegas in Week 14.
The Vikings may be making another quarterback change between now and then, after seeing trade acquisition Josh Dobbs throw four interceptions in an ugly home loss to the Bears. Dobbs generated praise for his post-trade play, but he has struggled in Minnesota’s past two losses. The Vikings recently activated Nick Mullens from IR and have fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall recovered from the concussion he suffered earlier this month — an injury that brought in Dobbs.
Whichever QB the Vikings choose will have the opportunity target a high-end pass-catching corps. Fresh off an extension, T.J. Hockenson leads all tight ends with 786 receiving yards. Jordan Addison has shown early promise, stepping into the Jefferson role as the Vikes’ top wide receiver for much of this season. The first-round pick has 686 yards and seven touchdowns this season. Even in five games, Jefferson amassed 571 yards. Jefferson’s 4,825 receiving yards through three seasons shattered an NFL record. While Jefferson has only finished four games in Year 4, only Michael Thomas has more yards through four years than Jefferson. And the former Saints All-Pro has just a 116-yard lead here.
While Jefferson’s contract situation looms as the big-picture issue here, he ruled out the possibility of sitting out for the season’s remainder due to his rookie-deal status. After agreeing to terms with Hockenson on a tight end-record deal, the Vikings should be expected to break the WR AAV record — perhaps by a wide margin — for Jefferson in 2024. For now, however, Minnesota remains alive in an NFC playoff race once again on track to produce an unremarkable No. 7 seed. Since the NFL expanded to seven playoff teams per conference in 2020, the NFC has sent 8-8 or 9-8 teams (Bears, Eagles, Seahawks) to the postseason as 7 seeds.
G Gabe Jackson To Visit Panthers
Gabe Jackson spent the 2021 and 2022 seasons in Seattle, going to the Pacific Northwest after the Raiders shook up a veteran-laden offensive line. The Seahawks opted to cut costs at guard this offseason, however, releasing Jackson in March.
No team picked up the nine-year veteran, and the former Raiders mainstay has not been closely connected to a team this year. But the guard-desperate Panthers will kick the tires on the longtime starter, Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz tweets. Jackson will visit with the again-retooling team Wednesday.
After enjoying good health up front last season, Carolina was unable to play its starting guards together at any point during Frank Reich‘s historically short tenure as head coach. Left guard Brady Christensen suffered a biceps injury in Week 1 that knocked him out for the season. Rehabbing a torn ACL sustained in Week 18 of last season, Austin Corbett made it back to come off the reserve/PUP list in October. But an MCL injury will sideline Carolina’s right guard starter for the rest of the year.
Still attempting to carry out the Bryce Young development mission, the Panthers have seen their guard play pose a problem. Given Young’s 5-foot-10 stature, interior offensive line play is quite important. Carolina may not view Jackson as a multiyear piece, but after pursuing wideouts at the trade deadline to assist their rookie QB, the team likely wants to gauge Jackson’s form to see if he can help Young close out a difficult rookie season.
Jackson, 32, has made 130 career starts. The former Raiders third-round pick joined Khalil Mack and Derek Carr in a strong 2014 draft class and joined Carr in signing an extension in 2017. The Raiders used Jackson as a starter throughout his eight-year Oakland/Las Vegas run but traded him to the Seahawks for a fifth-round pick in 2021. Jackson started 31 games in Seattle, doing so after signing a three-year, $22.58MM extension.
Pro Football Focus viewed Jackson as slipping from 2021 to ’22, giving him a below-average grade last season. With the Panthers down to backups at both guard spots, however, they may view Jackson as a necessary piece to finish out Young’s first year.
Frank Reich Unlikely To Coach Again; Panthers Expected To Target Offensive HC For 2024
NOVEMBER 28: When speaking to the media in the wake of Reich’s dismissal, Tepper unsurprisingly pushed back on the notion that his impatience regarding coaches will make the Panthers opening an unattractive one. He also suggested, via Person, that an outside hiring firm will not be consulted for the latest search process (subscription required). Tepper has elected to keep his previous hiring decisions in-house, and it appears that will remain the case in 2023.
Confirming previous reports on the matter – as well as Reich’s public remarks – Tepper also said the Panthers’ decision to draft Young over C.J. Stroud was “unanimous.” Tepper is widely understood to have played a role in the selection (as well as other elements of the team’s football operations), but his assertion on the matter of the Young pick may help smooth over meddling-related concerns for prospective coaching candidates, especially if those with a background on offense are again prioritized.
NOVEMBER 27: Frank Reich now joins Nathaniel Hackett, Urban Meyer and Pete McCulley as the only post-merger head coaches to be fired before their first season ended. This resided as a McCulley-only list for more than 40 years, but owners have acted swiftly over the past three. David Tepper pulled the plug on a four-year contract Monday, and Reich’s firing edges out Hackett and Meyer, who were respectively fired 15 and 13 games into their Denver and Jacksonville HC tenures. Only McCulley was fired sooner since 1970; the 49ers canned him after nine games.
Offset language helped the Panthers avoid much of the remaining payments on the ill-fated seven-year Matt Rhule contract, with the longtime college HC signing on as Nebraska’s leader. But Reich may not give the Panthers the chance to recoup money. The veteran NFL HC and assistant and former quarterback said shortly after his firing this is probably it for him in the NFL, though he did not definitively announce a retirement.
“This is probably the final chapter of my NFL journey,” Reich said, via the Charlotte Observer’s Scott Fowler. “… There’s a heart-pounding disappointment in not hitting the marks that we needed to hit to keep this going and try to get it turned around. It hurts me for the guys, the team, the coaches and the fans.”
Reich has been an NFL assistant or head coach since 2006, moving into the profession on a full-time basis eight years after his playing career concluded. The Super Bowl-winning OC’s remark Monday differs from his plan upon being fired midway through last season. Following the Colts dismissal, Reich revealed intentions to coach again. He received another opportunity, beating out Steve Wilks for the Carolina job. But the Panthers regressed after making that change. Despite Reich being in his first season, Tepper, who was irate after a Week 12 loss dropped the Panthers to 1-10, canned the coach he hired in January.
Reich, 61, appeared to pull back the curtain on rumblings of Tepper overreach during the season, indicating the owner took a hands-on approach. While animosity would understandably exist after being fired 11 games into his tenure, the well-liked coach did not indicate any existed. Tepper has now fired three coaches in-season; he dismissed Ron Rivera 12 games into the 2019 campaign.
“I want to convey that I have nothing but positive thoughts about Mr. Tepper. On a personal level, I saw a side of him that I deeply respect and care about,” Reich said, via Fowler. “But the NFL is a meritocracy. It’s not unconditional love. I understand from a professional standpoint Mr. Tepper is going to have certain standards that he expects to have met. I have no hard feelings, and my personal relationship with him was actually a real highlight of this short time.”
Firing coaches during the season in back-to-back years brings the latest round of turmoil for the Tepper-era Panthers, whose first-round pick — stationed atop the 2024 draft board with six weeks left — goes to the Bears via the Bryce Young trade. It will be interesting to see the run of candidates interested in the job, but despite Reich’s struggles, The Athletic’s Joe Person indicates the sixth-year owner is likely to again target an offense-minded HC (subscription required).
As should be expected, veteran special teams coordinator Chris Tabor is unlikely to receive much consideration for the long-term job, ESPN.com’s David Newton and Jeremy Fowler note. Although Tabor has been an NFL special teams coach since 2008, the path for ST staffers to rise to the top sideline job — John Harbaugh‘s Baltimore success notwithstanding — remains narrow.
Wilks drew support to become the first interim HC since Doug Marrone (Jaguars, 2017) to see his interim tag removed, but Person adds Tepper had zeroed in on an offense-geared coach. Ben Johnson had emerged as Tepper’s top target, but the young Lions OC removed his name from consideration a week before the Panthers hired Reich. Wilks interviewed twice along with Reich, instead ending up as the 49ers’ DC. It is not surprising to see an owner prefer an offensively oriented HC, given recent NFL trends. The Panthers will aim for a leader who can get more out of Young, presumably with a better cast of weaponry in place for 2024.
The Panthers fired Young’s position coach and their running backs coach after canning Reich, and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport indicates the ousters of Josh McCown and Duce Staley came from Tabor and Jim Caldwell. Staley had worked with Reich in Philadelphia as well, while McCown interviewed twice for Houston’s HC job.
A Reich hire, Caldwell has received more power following Monday morning’s change. Thomas Brown is back in place as the play-caller, however. Reich had taken back play-calling duties after handing them off to Brown for a three-game stretch. The Panthers, who had attempted to blend Reich concepts with those Brown learned from Sean McVay with the Rams, rank 30th in total offense and 29th in points scored.
Former Panthers tight end-turned-FOX analyst Greg Olsen would be interested in the position, per Person, should Tepper contact him regarding what would be an outside-the-box hire. Olsen is best remembered for his Panthers years and is early in his broadcasting career. FOX, however, is still planning to effectively demote him for Tom Brady in 2024.
Prior to the Panthers’ Week 12 loss to the Titans, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo had not gotten the sense Reich being a one-and-done was a certainty (video link). Though, Reich and GM Scott Fitterer were reported to be on the hot seat several days ago. Tepper had naturally planned to evaluate Reich’s work at season’s end. It turned out the owner no longer wanted the former Carolina QB mentoring Young, whom the owner was believed to have made a strong push for ahead of the draft. Hired to work with Rhule in 2021, Fitterer should certainly be considered on a hot seat going into the season’s home stretch.
Giants Expect Daniel Jones To Start In 2024; Team Planning To Add QB In Offseason
Winning their second straight game Sunday, the Giants have moved themselves off the top rung for 2024 draft positioning. The Giants, Commanders and Bears sit as eight-loss teams exiting Week 12. Three other squads — the Panthers, Patriots and Cardinals — have at least nine losses, keeping them atop the 2024 draft board entering December.
The Giants’ unique long-term quarterback conundrum remains. The team is moving toward a high draft pick months after re-signing Daniel Jones at $40MM per year, and it has since seen him suffer an ACL tear. Jones did not fare well before his midseason injury, clouding his long-term outlook. And he missed more time due to a neck injury, recalling the issue that ended his 2021 season. But his contract effectively guarantees he will be a Giant in 2024.
On that note, the team does expect Jones to be its starting quarterback once again next season. GM Joe Schoen acknowledges the team must invest in a passer — in free agency or the draft — but it may not bring in a player who would unseat Jones from his post as the team’s big-picture QB1.
“The expectations is that when Daniel is healthy, he will be our starting quarterback,” Schoen said, via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan. “We’re still going to have to address the position at some point because there is no guarantee he’s going to be back for Week 1.
“That will be a position, obviously there are different avenues — free agency or the draft — but we’ll have to address it at some point.”
Jones underwent surgery last week and indicated during an appearance on Up & Adams (via the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy) he has an eight- to 10-month recovery timetable ahead. Week 1 of the ’24 season would arrive in that window. The Cardinals slow-played Kyler Murray‘s recovery after his December 2022 ACL tear, with a new regime calling the shots. The Giants are not expected to move on from Schoen or Brian Daboll, making advanced proclamations more relevant in this case. With Jones out of the picture for the offseason program and Tyrod Taylor playing out a two-year, $11MM contract, the Giants will need to address the position.
The simplest route here would be to follow the 49ers’ recent blueprint and add a backup who could potentially start if Jones needs in-season time to recover. San Francisco signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $4.5MM deal, but Brock Purdy was ready to return from UCL surgery during training camp. Although Purdy had less experience than Jones, Kyle Shanahan was sold on him as the team’s starter. Jones’ uninspiring 2023 play — albeit with an injury-ravaged offensive line and Saquon Barkley missing time due to his high ankle sprain — gave the skeptics of the Giants’ big-ticket re-signing an early lead here. The Giants guaranteeing two years of Jones’ deal gives him the 2024 season to potentially reestablish his value, but the team may also consider a first-round QB. That would obviously cloud Jones’ beyond-2024 status in New York.
Schoen added that he would not rule out a first-round QB pick. Mentioned as being prepared to draft a Jones replacement — if the opportunity presented itself — the Giants may not end up in position to select Caleb Williams or Drake Maye. Other QB prospects may well be connected to Big Blue, and it might come down to how the Giants view Jones a year into his second contract compared to a second-tier QB investment in the draft. A midround option would be a half-measure here, coming in as a true backup option.
Tommy DeVito‘s UDFA deal runs through 2025, and while the local product has helped the Giants win the past two games, Taylor is eligible to come off IR before the team’s Week 14 matchup. Taylor is expected to return from his rib injury this season, and Schoen did not guarantee DeVito would stay as the starter post-bye. But DeVito could conceivably be in the mix for a QB2 role in 2024. Though, he almost definitely does not profile as a player the Giants would consider as a starter option next season.
Jones remains in the lead for that position, even if his Big Apple future is a bit foggier than it was coming into the season. The Giants can get out of the Jones contract with only $11.1MM in dead money, via a post-June 1 cut designation, in 2025. How the team proceeds during the 2024 offseason will play a major role in that 2025 route being viable.
Raiders Waive S Roderic Teamer Following DUI Arrest
The Raiders used one of their IR activations on Roderic Teamer ahead of Week 12, but the team did not use the veteran safety in its Week 12 game. A Teamer DUI arrest Saturday night changed his status, and Antonio Pierce confirmed Monday the Raiders have cut the fifth-year safety.
Declared out by the AFC West team before its matchup with the Chiefs, Teamer will head to waivers. He was hit with charges of “DUI of alcohol and/or controlled or prohibited substance” and a speeding violation of between 21-30mph over the limit. Teamer, 26, was attached to a one-year, $1.5MM deal. A Raider since 2021, Teamer had re-signed with the team in March.
[RELATED: Raiders To Waive CB Marcus Peters]
This arrest occurred while Teamer was on his way back to the team hotel before curfew, ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez notes. It was also not Teamer’s first off-field issue since coming into the league. The NFL hit the former UDFA with a four-game suspension for violating the substance-abuse policy in 2020.
The Chargers cut Teamer immediately after his substance-abuse ban, bailing on a player who had started six games as a rookie. Teams will often ride it out with players deemed integral following arrests or suspensions, but Teamer has now been cut twice after off-field incidents. This latest exit breaks up a three-year partnership, by far Teamer’s longest tenure with one team during his career.
Initially signing with Las Vegas in June 2021, Teamer started five games with the team from 2021-22. This season, he played in six as a reserve during Josh McDaniels‘ final weeks with the team. The Raiders placed Teamer on IR earlier this season. Although Teamer did not suit up for the Raiders following his activation from IR on Saturday, the team still sees the transaction go toward its eight-activation limit this season. Las Vegas, however, has six activations remaining.