Jon Gruden Does Not Intend To Settle Suit; Latest On Dan Snyder’s Role In Scandal
Jon Gruden has resurfaced on the NFL radar, seeing the Saints bring him in as a consultant earlier this offseason. Gruden spent time working with Derek Carr, with the Saints wanting to install some of Gruden’s concepts in their Carr-led offense. Carson Wentz is also receiving Gruden pointers while training as a free agent this offseason.
But the veteran NFL coach is unlikely to land another top job in the league given the way his most recent HC stint ended. More details surrounding Gruden’s Raiders exit have come to light, via ESPN.com’s Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham, who report the team was initially aiming to retain the embattled coach before the second batch of problematic emails dropped on October 11, 2021.
Communication between Gruden, an ESPN employee when he wrote these seminal emails, and then-Washington president Bruce Allen included crude remarks about Roger Goodell, gay NFL players, female referees and Washington cheerleaders. The first email — made public Oct. 8, 2021 as a result of the NFL’s Dan Snyder investigation — included Gruden using a racist trope to describe NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. In between that email becoming public and the wave of New York Times-uncovered emails three days later, Mark Davis planned to stick with Gruden. Before the second wave of emails emerged, Davis discussed Gruden’s status with current and former Raiders, per Wickersham and Van Natta, who report some wanted the embattled HC gone while others did not.
In between the Wall Street Journal report and the New York Times follow-up that ended up sealing Gruden’s fate, Davis and then-Raiders president Dan Ventrelle spoke with Roger Goodell and lead NFL counsel Jeff Pash. The two NFL bigwigs applied pressure on Davis to act, according to ESPN, with Goodell indicating more emails were coming. While Gruden coached the Raiders’ Week 5 game — a loss to the Bears — he submitted a forced resignation the next day. A month later, Gruden sued Goodell and the NFL.
Thus far on Gruden’s legal journey, he has enjoyed success. Gruden does not intend to settle this suit, according to ESPN, for any amount and aims to “burn the house down” to expose the league for an alleged conspiracy to remove him as Raiders HC. After Davis was nudged to remove Gruden as HC, the Raiders owner blasted the league and Snyder in a conversation with the recently dismissed coach.
The Gruden matter coming out of the NFL’s Snyder investigation helped induce the House Oversight Committee to launch its investigation into the Washington owner. The Congressional probe included Lisa Friel, the NFL’s special counsel for investigations, indicating the leak came from the Commanders and not the league. Denials from every accused party — except for Smith, whom ESPN asserts bragged about leaking the email that included Gruden’s racist trope to describe him — have followed. Gruden has long believed Goodell was responsible for the leak.
Snyder is accused here of leaking the emails to curry favor with the commissioner and to deflect from his scandals. The longtime Washington owner, however, is believed to have attended each of his team’s games during his suspension. Snyder’s July 2021 de facto ban was supposed to last “several months,” but he believed the punishment was to last only a month. With Snyder already receiving what most perceived as a light penalty (the $10MM fine, the short ban and the Beth Wilkinson investigation not producing a report), some owners believe he would not have been effectively forced to sell his franchise had he complied with the terms of the 2021 suspension.
Months later, an ESPN report that contended Snyder had gathered dirt on Goodell and a number of owners accelerated the push for a sale. Snyder and Philadelphia 76ers/New Jersey Devils owner Josh Harris have agreed on a sale, and a ratification vote is scheduled for July 20. Snyder, who remains the subject of a second NFL investigation, has owned the NFC East franchise since 1999.
Sam Darnold Discusses 49ers Signing
A starter for most of the past five seasons, Sam Darnold is now in position to play a backup role. Of course, that is contingent on Brock Purdy both returning to full strength and sustaining the surprising form he showed during his 49ers rookie season.
But Darnold may already be looming as the 49ers’ top option in case Purdy is not ready for Week 1. Despite joining a team with Trey Lance and a player who has already become one of the most notable Mr. Irrelevant picks ever, Darnold could play a key role for a team that has ventured to the past two NFC championship games. Darnold and Lance split offseason reps, but the elder passer is believed to have an early lead in the QB2 competition.
A move back to his home state and the chance to join a team with a proven offensive system appealed to the former No. 3 overall pick. Darnold, 26, is now a fixture in another offseason featuring several updates on San Francisco’s quarterback situation.
“Obviously, the organization, man, this past year was my first time hitting free agency. So kind of the first time I had a choice, really, and to be able to just see what their organization is like, that offense is like,” Darnold said during a Pardon My Take appearance (via 49ersWebzone.com’s David Bonilla).
“… Guys are open. I mean, there’s a lot of guys open on dang near every play. It just seems like there’s a ton of answers [regarding his 49ers decision]. Great run game. I mean, whenever you can have a great run game as a quarterback, that’s always a comforting feeling.”
Within hours of the legal tampering period opening, the 49ers gave Darnold a one-year, $4.5MM deal ($3.5MM guaranteed). The Panthers had begun talks on a deal to re-sign the 2021 trade acquisition, but days after that report surfaced, the team moved to obtain the No. 1 overall pick from the Bears. Andy Dalton is now in place as Bryce Young‘s backup/bridge option.
Darnold had moments in Carolina, but injuries and the Matt Rhule-backed Baker Mayfield trade interrupted any momentum. The Jets were also unable to build a quality team around the USC alum, who started 38 games for the team from 2018-20. Darnold certainly fared better than the quarterback the Jets brought in to replace him (Zach Wilson), and the sixth-year passer will try to enhance his value on a proven team. Darnold did not play in the Kyle Shanahan system Mike LaFleur installed, as those two figures barely overlapped (in 2021) in the Big Apple. But that offense attracted the formerly coveted prospect to the Bay Area.
Darnold did not debut until Nov. 27 last season, missing time with a high ankle sprain and waiting behind Mayfield before retaking the Panthers’ reins. The team relied more on Christian McCaffrey replacement D’Onta Foreman during this stretch, with Darnold throwing more than one touchdown pass once in six starts. The team did go 4-2 behind Darnold, however. The 49ers, of course, feature better weaponry, with McCaffrey’s arrival giving them a rare four-All-Pro offense. George Kittle, Deebo Samuel and Trent Williams remain in place, and although Purdy is still expected to be the triggerman, Darnold may end up seeing time — as either injury insurance or protection in case Purdy struggles to replicate his rookie-year effort — for the team this season.
Eagles Were Split On Jalen Hurts’ Trajectory During 2020 Draft
The Eagles’ 2020 first-round decision generated some intrigue, especially as Justin Jefferson made a quick ascent to the All-Pro level and put together the most prolific three-year receiving stretch to start a career in NFL history. The Eagles were split on Jefferson and Jalen Reagor, going with the latter, who was preferred by Howie Roseman and the team’s coaching staff.
That call obviously proved incorrect, with Reagor now one of Jefferson’s sidekicks in Minnesota after an August 2022 trade. But the Eagles made a better choice, albeit an unexpected one, a round later. An extensive research effort into Jalen Hurts, which had begun during his senior year at Oklahoma, led Philly to pull the trigger on the ex-Sooners quarterback in Round 2. The move came despite the organization having extended Carson Wentz less than a year prior.
The Eagles decided on Hurts over safety Jeremy Chinn, with some in the organization preferring to add the Southern Illinois product — who later went to the Panthers at the end of Round 2 — instead of taking a quarterback so early. Again, the Roseman-Doug Pederson preference won out.
“Coach Pederson and myself liked Jeremy Chinn, but our job is to determine the vision and then make sure it’s executed,” Roseman said, via The Athletic’s Dan Pompei (subscription required). “So when we were on the clock and having those conversations, it really came down to the quarterback versus safety. The quarterback we like. The safety we like. We’re going with the quarterback.”
Hurts as a second-round option came about partially because the organization did not want a repeat of 2012, when it intended to take Russell Wilson in the third round before seeing the Seahawks swoop and taking the future Pro Bowl mainstay at No. 75. With no pro days in 2020 — due to the COVID-19 pandemic — the Eagles did not have a good idea how other teams valued Hurts, with Pompei adding the team believed it was possible the ex-Oklahoma and Alabama passer fell into Round 3. But the Wilson experience helped lead to the Eagles ruling out the prospect of waiting until Round 3 for Hurts.
Philly made that pivotal pick at No. 51 overall, leading to outside skepticism due to Wentz’s presence. Some inside the Eagles’ building were not entirely sold on Hurts as well.
“[Hurts] was a polarizing figure in the sense that some people liked him, some saw him as a developmental quarterback and some thought he was a backup,” former Eagles exec Ian Cunningham, now the Bears’ assistant GM, said (via Pompei). “I thought he was a developmental quarterback that had upside.”
At the time, the team based the move on wanting a better backup option behind Wentz. Teams do not exactly make a habit of choosing backup QBs in Round 2, but the Eagles have needed a number of QB2 contributions this century. Donovan McNabb went down with a broken ankle during the 2002 season, leading to A.J. Feeley and Koy Detmer seeing extensive time for an Eagles team that earned the NFC’s top seed. McNabb was lost for the year late in the 2006 season, moving UFA addition Jeff Garcia into the fray. The organization’s controversial decision to sign Michael Vick after his prison term in 2009 led to him replacing McNabb in 2010, and 2012 third-rounder Nick Foles eventually usurped Vick three years later. Foles delivered one of the NFL’s most famous fill-in performances in 2017, taking over for an injured Wentz to lead the Eagles to a Super Bowl title. The Eagles, however, soon made bigger plans for Hurts.
The Eagles cleared the Hurts move with Wentz, with Pederson calling his then-starter to inform him of the pick. But the five-year Eagle struggled in 2020, leading to a late-season benching. The Eagles soon traded Wentz to the Colts, and Jeffrey Lurie angled for the organization not to bring in a starter-caliber QB in 2021. That led to Hurts being given a legitimate opportunity. Lurie was believed to be behind Hurts, even when Roseman had questions about his ceiling, and the Eagles — after showing interest in Wilson and Deshaun Watson — stuck with the former second-rounder last year.
Philly staying with Hurts turned out to be a seminal decision, as the team booked another Super Bowl berth. The Eagles went 16-1 in games Hurts started prior to the Chiefs matchup, with the third-year QB showing significant improvement as a passer. Hurts’ 2022 season earned him a then-record-setting five-year, $255MM extension from the Eagles in April. The Eagles also greenlit their Wentz extension shortly after he became extension-eligible; they will hope the Hurts Year 4 investment turns out better.
Saquon Barkley To Consider Skipping Week 1 If No Extension Reached
Five days out from the franchise tag extension deadline, three players — Saquon Barkley, Evan Engram and Josh Jacobs — have not signed their tenders. If no extensions are reached by Monday’s 3pm CT deadline, the trio will not be obligated to report to training camp.
After Jacobs has been connected to rumors of potentially sitting out the Raiders’ regular-season opener, Barkley has now been mentioned as having a chance to stay away from the Giants once the season starts. Barkley’s Week 1 availability against the Cowboys would be “in serious question” if no extension is agreed to, Dianna Russini of ESPN.com tweets.
[RELATED: Examining Remaining Franchise Tag Situations]
This course of action would cost Barkley a game check, but the former No. 2 overall pick is in a unique position compared to other backs who have been tagged. Whereas Jacobs collected his four-year rookie-deal salary as a No. 24 overall pick and Pollard played four Dallas seasons on a fourth-round contract, Barkley earned more than $31MM over his first four years due to his draft slot. The Penn State product then added $7.2MM on the fifth-year option last season, bringing his career earnings close to $40MM.
Barkley missing Week 1 would cost him $560K, and his NFL earnings to date offer him some protection. Barkley, 26, has also said taking the Le’Veon Bell route — skipping a season in protest of the tag — is a consideration. This would be a highly unlikely scenario, however, as it would mean punting on $10.1MM fully guaranteed. Only Bell has gone through with radical route this century. A threat of missing Week 1 will be used as leverage as well, as Barkley is obviously a central component in the Giants’ offense, ahead of Monday’s deadline. Barkley has already been connected to skipping training camp, as Bell did during the first year the Steelers tagged him.
For now, Barkley and the Giants remain at a stalemate, Russini adds (on Twitter). The Giants came through with a resolution at the previous tag deadline, extending Daniel Jones on a four-year, $160MM deal and then tagging Barkley in March. Upon unholstering the tag, the Giants withdrew their extension offer to the sixth-year running back. The team had offered the two-time Pro Bowler more than $12MM on average during November 2022 negotiations and upped the proposal to beyond $13MM AAV earlier this year. Neither offer, however, was believed to have high-end guarantees. Guaranteed money remains a sticking point here.
Last week, some optimism was believed to exist regarding an extension. Ownership remains behind Barkley, and it will be interesting to see if that impacts a final push for a deal. While running back value has taken another dip this year, the Giants are one of the NFL’s more RB-reliant teams. Jones and a low-end pass-catching cast relied on Barkley last season, and the former Offensive Rookie of the Year rebounded from an injury-plagued stretch to lead the team to the playoffs. The Giants have made some skill-position upgrades this offseason. But both their receiving and tight end additions come with questions. Darren Waller has encountered considerable injury trouble over the past two years, and none of Big Blue’s wideout acquisitions will be viewed as a No. 1-caliber target this season. Third-rounder Jalin Hyatt is not expected to be a Week 1 starter.
With the salary cap expected to spike again in 2024, it is interesting teams have cut costs further at running back this year. Christian McCaffrey‘s $16MM-per-year deal has topped this position group since April 2020, and neither Barkley nor Jacobs appears a candidate to take that down. The Giants will also need to decide whether to give Barkley a deal that includes more than $22MM guaranteed, which would cover the cost of a 2024 franchise tag. McCaffrey, Derrick Henry and Bijan Robinson are the only backs attached to more than $18MM guaranteed.
WRs Malachi Wideman, Milton Wright To Work Out For NFL Teams
The NFL’s first supplemental draft since 2019 ended without a team using a selection. As a result, the two wide receivers in the draft — Malachi Wideman (Jackson State) and Milton Wright (Purdue) — are unrestricted free agents.
Both players intend to work out for teams soon. Wright has already secured workout opportunities with teams, per ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter, who notes these auditions will take place when teams report to training camp later this month (Twitter link). Wideman is also in the process of scheduling workouts with teams, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, with KPRC2’s Aaron Wilson adding auditions will be on tap for the former Division I-FCS wide receiver (Twitter link).
Purdue rostered Rondale Moore and David Bell during Wright’s career. With Moore on the Cardinals by 2021, Wright established new career-high marks in receptions (57), receiving yards (732) and touchdowns (seven) during his junior season alongside Bell. A former four-star Tennessee recruit who later transferred to the then-Deion Sanders-led program, Wideman totaled 34 receptions for 540 yards during his lone season in uniform for Jackson State. Wideman caught 12 touchdown passes that year. Both Wright and Wideman were declared academically ineligible for the 2022 season, leading to their supplemental draft avenues.
Wideman, who already held a pro day earlier this summer, is on tap to continue his career soon. The CFL and XFL have offered safety nets for the 6-foot-5 wideout. The San Antonio Brahmas obtained Wideman’s rights and offered him a contract, per Wilson, who adds the free agent pass catcher also has a CFL offer in hand (Twitter link). That offer looks to have come from the Calgary Stampeders, whom Wilson notes have acquired Wideman’s rights.
Prior to this week, the supplemental draft had not been held since 2019. The event’s star power of the 1980s and ’90s, when the likes of Bernie Kosar, Cris Carter and Rob Moore were selected in the summer draft, has long faded. But the Cardinals did land eventual safety starter Jalen Thompson in July 2019. After not being chosen, Wideman and Wright will attempt to catch on with teams soon.
Largest 2023 Cap Hits: Defense
While the NFL’s top 2023 cap hits go to players on offense, a number of pass rushers are tied to lofty figures as well. None check in higher than Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams.
Williams and Chiefs D-tackle Chris Jones carry high contract-year cap hits, while the Steelers’ two front-seven cornerstones each are set to go into training camp with cap figures north of $20MM. As the salary cap climbed to $224.8MM this year, here are the top defensive cap figures as camps near:
- Leonard Williams, DL (Giants): $32.26MM
- T.J. Watt, OLB (Steelers): $29.37MM
- Myles Garrett, DE (Browns): $29.18MM
- Chris Jones, DT (Chiefs): $28.29MM
- Aaron Donald, DL (Rams): $26MM
- Arik Armstead, DT (49ers): $23.95MM
- Cameron Heyward, DL (Steelers): $22.26MM
- C.J. Mosley, LB (Jets): $21.48MM
- Jonathan Allen, DT (Commanders): $21.44MM
- Shaquil Barrett, OLB (Buccaneers): $21.25MM
- Grady Jarrett, DT (Falcons): $20.63MM
- Marlon Humphrey, CB (Ravens): $19.99MM
- Shaquille Leonard, LB (Colts): $19.79MM
- Kevin Byard, S (Titans): $19.62MM
- Adoree’ Jackson, CB (Giants): $19.08MM
- Harold Landry, OLB (Titans): $18.8MM
- Justin Simmons, S (Broncos): $18.15MM
- Jamal Adams, S (Seahawks): $18.11MM
- Matt Judon, DE (Patriots): $18.107MM
- Quandre Diggs, S (Seahawks): $18.1MM
- Nick Bosa, DE (49ers): $17.9MM
- DeForest Buckner, DT (Colts): $17.25MM
- Emmanuel Ogbah, DE (Dolphins): $17.19MM
- DeMarcus Lawrence, DE (Cowboys): $17.11MM
- Eddie Jackson, S (Bears): $17.1MM
The Chiefs are working toward a second extension agreement with Jones, who is in the final season of a four-year, $80MM contract. A new deal with the star inside pass rusher would free up cap space, and DeAndre Hopkins is believed to be monitoring this situation.
As for Williams, the Giants had wanted to adjust his deal to reduce his eye-opening cap number. As of mid-June, however, no extension appeared to be on the team’s radar. The previous Giants regime signed off on the 2021 Williams extension (three years, $63MM). The Giants are also uninterested — for the time being, at least — in extending Jackson, who was also a Dave Gettleman-era defensive addition.
Donald is in the second season of a three-year, $95MM deal. The Rams gave Donald a landmark raise last year, convincing the all-everything D-tackle to squash retirement talk. A no-trade clause exists in Donald’s contract, which pays out its guarantees this year. Mosley remains tied to the $17MM-per-year deal the Mike Maccagnan regime authorized with the Jets. That contract, which reset the off-ball linebacker market in 2019, still has two seasons remaining on it due to the deal tolling after Mosley’s 2020 COVID-19 opt-out call. The Jets restructured the deal last year.
Washington now has two D-tackles tied to deals of at least $18MM per year. While Daron Payne‘s pact is worth more ($22.5MM AAV), higher cap hits on that deal will come down the road. Three years remain on Allen’s 2021 agreement. At safety, no team is spending like the Seahawks. In addition to the big-ticket deals authorized for Adams and Diggs, Seattle gave ex-Giants starter Julian Love a two-year, $6MM accord in March.
New Titans GM Ran Carthon attempted to give Byard a pay cut. That request did not go over well, but the standout safety remains with the team and has not requested a trade. Tennessee re-signed Landry on a five-year, $87.5MM deal in 2022; the veteran edge rusher has yet to play on that deal due to the ACL tear he sustained just before last season.
The 49ers can bring Bosa’s number down via an extension, which has long been on the team’s docket. As San Francisco extended Deebo Samuel just after training camp began last year, Bosa received back-burner treatment due to the fifth-year option. The star defensive end’s price undoubtedly went up during the waiting period, with the former No. 2 overall pick earning Defensive Player of the Year acclaim in the fourth year of his rookie contract.
Bills Still In On DeAndre Hopkins
The Patriots and Titans’ offers for DeAndre Hopkins were extended nearly a month ago. The former All-Pro wide receiver’s inaction has made it quite clear he is eager to see if other teams will compete with the AFC teams. It appears other interested parties remain.
Hopkins does look to be waiting on the Chiefs to extend Chris Jones. That will create cap space for the defending Super Bowl champions, who have been in on Hopkins since early this offseason. (More buzz on a Jones deal surfaced Tuesday.) The Chiefs negotiated with the Cardinals on a Hopkins trade, but the Ravens’ $15MM Odell Beckham Jr. guarantee blew up those talks and led to Arizona eventually releasing the 10-year veteran.
While Kansas City still looks to be lingering here, Buffalo fits the same profile. The Bills also negotiated with the Cardinals before Hopkins’ release, and GM Brandon Beane spoke with the then-agentless wide receiver shortly after the late-May cut. Not much has emerged on the Buffalo-Hopkins front in weeks, but Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the team is still in on the high-profile free agent (Twitter link). As of now, however, the Bills are not aiming to compete with an escalating market. They have a firm price point, per Florio.
Buffalo’s price is clearly not to Hopkins’ liking, and the team only carries $5.5MM in cap space. The Bills and Chiefs’ low cap-space figures likely led to the Titans and Patriots taking the early lead here, hosting the former Texans superstar on visits. The Titans, who have the worst receiver situation among these four teams, may be the club most willing to come closest to Hopkins’ asking price. They remain confident in a deal transpiring. Tennessee submitting the highest offer would put Hopkins to a decision, especially if firm Bills or Chiefs proposals eventually emerge.
The Bills have a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver, in Stefon Diggs. Despite Sean McDermott sending a disgruntled Diggs home from the team facility during minicamp, four years remain on the standout receiver’s contract. Hopkins is coming off two seasons limited by injuries and a PED ban. The Bills could still use the Clemson product as a hired gun of sorts alongside Gabe Davis, forming an imposing three-receiver set. The team is prepared to use first-round tight end Dalton Kincaid extensively in the slot, however, in two-tight end sets featuring starter Dawson Knox.
Hopkins, 31, has mentioned the Bills as an attractive destination at multiple points. It is unclear how he would proceed if the Bills and Chiefs submitted similar offers. Having lost JuJu Smith-Schuster and Mecole Hardman in free agency, Kansas City has a clearer receiver need. It is also unclear how much of a discount Hopkins would take if a Titans offer led the pack by a notable margin. The wait continues in one of the NFL’s two frequently discussed midsummer free agent derbies.
This Date In Transactions History: Michael Irvin Retires
Following a scary sight in Philadelphia during the 1999 season, Michael Irvin opted not to risk his health by attempting to return from a severe injury. The superstar Cowboys wide receiver instead called it quits during the 2000 offseason.
A central component in the Cowboys’ 1990s dynasty, Irvin was in his 12th NFL season when he suffered a spine injury at Veterans Stadium in October 1999. Cervical spinal stenosis became Irvin’s official diagnosis. Irvin, 34 at the time of his retirement, was temporarily paralyzed after hauling in a short pass from Troy Aikman. During the 2000 offseason, doctors had advised Irvin to walk away due to the risk a return posed.
“I like to think of myself as a warrior. I wanted to be dragged off the field, and I was,” Irvin said at the time. “… If I said there wasn’t serious thought [of coming back], I’d be lying to you. I tried to rationalize it: ‘Any hit can be your last hit. You’ve been doing that all you’re life.’ But I’ve accomplished a great deal of things that I wanted to accomplish and at this juncture there’s no need to risk it and go on.”
The decision brought an end to one of the best careers in Cowboys history. The first of Dallas’ famed “Triplets” to debut in the pros — a year before Aikman and two years before Emmitt Smith — Irvin joined the Cowboys after a much-discussed career at the University of Miami. In Tom Landry‘s final year as Cowboys head coach (1988), the team used its No. 11 overall pick on Irvin, who was reunited with his college HC — Jimmy Johnson — a year later. Irvin went on to become one of his era’s best wide receivers.
When Irvin was stretchered off the turf in Philly 24 years ago, his reception and receiving yardage totals (750 and 11,904) each ranked ninth in NFL history. Illustrating the pass-crazed nature of today’s game, those numbers have dropped to 44th and 29th, respectively. But Irvin earned a spot on the 1990s’ All-Decade team. His retirement also came five years after another of Jerry Rice‘s top contemporaries, Sterling Sharpe, left the game early due to a neck injury.
After leading the NFL in receiving during a breakout 1991 season — the Cowboys’ first playoff berth of the Johnson era — Irvin staged a holdout with the goal of becoming the league’s second-highest-paid receiver (behind Rice). A three-year, $3.75MM contract kept Irvin in uniform ahead of the 1992 season, a rather important year in Cowboys history. Dallas won the first of its three Super Bowls that season; the 6-foot-2 wideout caught two touchdown passes in the team’s 52-17 win over the Bills. Irvin made the Pro Bowl each year from 1991-95, with the final two seasons coming after the infamous Johnson-Jerry Jones split. The Cowboys gave their top aerial threat a raise (five years, $15MM) during the ’95 offseason. At the time, that contract was the richest in wide receiver history.
A drug arrest led to Irvin being suspended for the first five games of the 1996 season; the rangy receiver still led the NFL with 87.5 yards per game upon return. “The Playmaker” tacked on two more 1,000-yard years in his final two full seasons, en route to Hall of Fame induction in 2007.
Titans Eyeing Tyjae Spears As RB2
Most of the Titans’ efforts to install a quality back behind Derrick Henry have not proven successful. The only back to qualify as a reliable option throughout his tenure has since changed teams twice.
D’Onta Foreman, who belatedly became the team’s top option to replace an injured Henry in 2021, has signed with the Panthers and Bears in consecutive offseasons. The productive fill-in’s departure prompted the Titans to draft Hassan Haskins in the 2022 fourth round, but the Michigan product totaled just 25 carries as a rookie and was arrested on an assault charge last month.
Haskins is expected to vie for the Titans’ third-string job with Jonathan Ward and Julius Chestnut, per Jim Wyatt of the team’s website. This will leave third-round rookie Tyjae Spears as the primary backup to Henry. The Tulane product is on track to “one-two punch” with the accomplished veteran, Wyatt adds.
Foreman and Haskins are just two of the players to be added since DeMarco Murray‘s 2018 exit (and subsequent retirement). Tennessee gave Dion Lewis a four-year, $19.8MM deal in 2018. While the ex-Patriots back operated as a nice Henry complement that season, he struggled to carve out much of a role in 2019. The Titans released Lewis in 2020. They drafted Darrynton Evans in the 2020 third round, but the Appalachian State product struggled with injuries and could not earn much playing time. Tennessee added Adrian Peterson following Henry’s November 2021 foot fracture and also tried Jeremy McNichols. Foreman, whom the team signed to its practice squad shortly after Henry’s injury, ended up playing the lead replacement role.
Spears will be the latest mid-round pick to receive an opportunity. A four-year Tulane contributor, the 201-pound back broke out with a 1,581-yard rushing season in 2022. He concluded his career with a 205-yard, four-touchdown performance in Tulane’s Cotton Bowl win over USC.
The Titans made Spears, the No. 81 overall pick, this year’s fifth running back selected. Spears ran a modest 4.54-second 40-yard dash at the Green Wave’s pro day, after not running at the Combine. An NFL.com report during draft weekend indicated Spears does not have an ACL in his one of his knees, after two tears, and had battled arthritis. He was not on every team’s draft board due to the medical concern, Daniel Jeremiah noted at the time. When asked about the report during Titans offseason workouts, Spears attempted to brush it off by indicating he was healthy.
The elusive rookie was a full participant in OTAs and minicamp. Considering the Titans’ run-oriented offense and lack of proven wide receivers, Spears may be called upon frequently. And he now represents the team’s top option if Henry, 29, goes down. Henry’s four-year, $50MM deal expires after this season.
Nick Bosa Likely To Stage Hold-In If Unsigned By Training Camp
A Nick Bosa extension has been on the 49ers’ docket for multiple offseasons. The team has long viewed this year as the likely extension window, seeing as the All-Pro defensive end had the fifth-year option in his rookie contract. But Bosa remains unsigned.
It is not too unusual for a first-rounder to enter his fifth training camp still tied to his rookie contract, though other defensive linemen from Bosa’s draft class locked in lucrative extensions earlier this offseason. If Bosa is unsigned by the time the 49ers begin camp, it should not be expected he will participate. A hold-in effort should be viewed as likely in this instance, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News notes.
This should not be taken as a sign animosity exists between the 49ers and their top player. Bosa regularly skips OTAs before reporting to minicamp. This year, the fifth-year veteran did not participate in minicamp. That provided a decent indication of Bosa’s plans for a training camp should he remain on his rookie deal.
The reigning Defensive Player of the Year looms as the top candidate to top Aaron Donald‘s defender-record AAV. The Rams gave Donald a $31.7MM-per-year contract in June 2022, moving the future Hall of Fame defensive tackle away from a potential retirement. Bosa does not have that kind of leverage, and the 2020 CBA curbed holdouts by mandating steep fines and the threat of stripping players of an accrued year toward free agency. The latter component would not affect Bosa, if he attempted to stage a holdout, as he has already played four seasons to become a UFA. But he would be hit with substantial penalties for skipping workouts.
Deebo Samuel‘s negotiations were messier than Bosa’s. They featured a trade request and hold-in measures at minicamp and training camp. But the 49ers came to terms with the versatile playmaker on July 31, 2022. That brought Samuel back onto the field early in camp. Bosa’s negotiations might be a bit more complicated, with a possible defense-record salary in play. This situation reminds of T.J. Watt‘s two years ago. The Steelers All-Pro did not practice during the team’s training camp, and his hold-in encompassed the preseason slate and ran up to Week 1. Pittsburgh and the star edge rusher agreed on a four-year, $112MM extension on Sept. 9, 2021.
Watt’s contract set the market for edge rushers; Bosa is likely looking to not only surpass that but move beyond Donald’s deal as well. This would be a bit of a bridge, as there is a $3.5MM AAV gap between those numbers. But the salary cap is back on the rise, after a 2021 regression. Money from the 2021 TV deals will lead to bigger cap spikes, and position salary standards will fall. It will be interesting to see if the 49ers attempt to keep Bosa under Donald’s number or if they will sign off on their dynamic D-end setting the market for all defenders.
If the 49ers and Bosa are not on the same page, the team would still have the defensive end franchise tag at its disposal for 2024. But a Bosa re-up has been budgeted for a while now. The former No. 2 overall pick undoubtedly raised his price after last season’s league-leading 18.5-sack showing, but the team now has the Jimmy Garoppolo contract off its cap sheet and should be amenable to a monster Bosa re-up.