Eagles Eyeing Nicholas Morrow As LB Starter
While the Eagles carried notable veteran linebacker contracts on their books in the not-so-distant past, the team has shifted toward a low-cost blueprint at this position in recent years. The defending NFC champions continued down this road this offseason.
Philadelphia let both its Super Bowl LVII regulars at linebacker — T.J. Edwards and Kyzir White — walk in free agency rather than pay up to keep them. Beyond Tremaine Edmunds and Bobby Okereke‘s deals, paying up did not mean upper-crust salaries. The next tier of starter-caliber ILBs received between $5-$7MM in free agency. The friendly market did not prompt Philly to go off-script.
After a developmental year as a second-stringer, 2022 third-rounder Nakobe Dean is in line to start. As of now, a Division III success story is favored to join him as the Eagles’ other ILB regular. Nicholas Morrow, who signed a one-year deal worth just $1.16MM, sits as the frontrunner to start alongside Dean, Zach Berman of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
Morrow, who will turn 28 next week, did not come close to matching Dean’s prospect profile. He played at Greenville (Ill.) University and caught on with the Raiders as a UDFA in 2017. But the unlikely long-term NFLer has extensive experience in starting lineups. Morrow has worked as a first-stringer in 46 games, including 17 for the Bears last season. The seventh-year vet established career-high totals in tackles (116) and tackles for loss (11). This came after Morrow suffered what turned out to be a season-ending ankle injury during a training camp practice in August 2021.
Despite Morrow making his way back from that malady to be a full-timer on a rebuilding Bears team, Pro Football Focus slotted him outside the top 60 at the position. PFF did grade Morrow as a top-30 ILB option in 2020, however.
During Morrow’s second free agency foray, he could not come especially close to the above-referenced second tier of the off-ball linebacker market. While Edwards, White and ex-Eagle starter Alex Singleton fetched AAVs between $5MM and $6.5MM (from the Bears, Cardinals and Broncos), Morrow joined the Eagles for no guaranteed money. This could create a wide range of outcomes come training camp, as players without guarantees are obviously simpler cut candidates. Third-year UDFA Christian Elliss might push Morrow for playing time, per Berman, but the young defender has only played 29 career defensive snaps.
The Eagles once carried Mychal Kendricks and Nigel Bradham extensions on their payroll, though Bradham’s 2018 contract (five years, $40MM) only coexisted with Kendricks’ Chip Kelly-era extension for two months. The Eagles cut Kendricks in May 2018. Since releasing Bradham after the 2019 season, the team has rolled with bottom-tier contracts on its defensive second level. Dean fits the mold, being signed to a rookie deal through 2025. Morrow, who has never played in an NFL postseason game, will have a chance to carve out a higher-profile role for himself on his league-minimum deal.
Brandon Jones, DeShon Elliott To Vie For Dolphins S Job
In Jevon Holland, the Dolphins have a locked-in safety starter. The 2021 second-round pick has become one of the NFL’s better back-line defenders. As Vic Fangio prepares for his first training camp as Miami’s defensive coordinator, a key question will involve the other safety position.
The Dolphins did not operate aggressively in free agency here, likely for multiple reasons. One of them: a belief in Brandon Jones. The fourth-year safety is coming off a torn ACL, but the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson notes the team is high enough on the returning starter it did not pursue a high- or mid-level contract with a veteran safety.
A 2020 third-round pick, Jones has started 24 career games — including 20 over the past two seasons — and formed a promising tandem with Holland. But the Dolphins did not stand down entirely in free agency. The team did not make a notable offer to Jordan Poyer, per Jackson, despite the Bills safety being intrigued by a warm-weather city with a friendlier tax code. (Poyer re-signed with the Bills.) But Miami did sign former Baltimore and Detroit safety DeShon Elliott, adding the fifth-year veteran for just $1.77MM.
These two will vie for the position alongside Holland, per Jackson. Both players are coming off injuries. Jones’ ACL tear occurred in Week 7, while Elliott played through a shoulder injury to close his 2022 Lions run. The shoulder problem limited Elliott this offseason as well, but the former sixth-round pick is expected to be fine for the start of Miami’s regular season. As such, he poses a threat to Jones’ job in the latter’s contract year.
Jones, 25, and Elliott, 26, were teammates at Texas in the late 2010s. The latter has started 35 career games, earning a job alongside Chuck Clark. Elliott started 16 games for the Ravens in 2020 and six in 2021; the Lions gave Elliott 13 starts last season. Of course, Detroit struggled on defense for much of the season and has since overhauled its secondary. This will lead Elliott — Pro Football Focus’ No. 45 overall safety last season — into Fangio’s scheme.
PFF rated Jones 64th overall in 2022, though his coverage stats revealed improvement in that area. Prior to the knee injury, the plus blitzer (five sacks in 2021) held a 62.5% completion rate allowed as the closest defender and allowed a 78.0 passer rating. Both marks were significantly better than Jones’ 2021 coverage performance, though Fangio’s zone-based system will mark a change from a Josh Boyer scheme that capitalized on Jones’ blitzing skill.
The Dolphins have Holland signed to his rookie deal through the 2024 season. With two big-ticket cornerback contracts on their books (for Xavien Howard and trade acquisition Jalen Ramsey), that will prove important. The team also used its top draft choice (No. 51 overall) on former South Carolina nickel Cam Smith. With big investments at four of their five DB spots, the Dolphins will count on low-cost production from the other post. The loser of the ex-Longhorns’ competition will represent quality depth.
The NFL’s Longest-Tenured GMs
The latest NFL general manager hiring cycle only produced two changes, but each took over for an executive who appeared in good standing at this point last year.
Steve Keim had held his Cardinals GM post since January 2013, and the Cardinals gave both he and Kliff Kingsbury extensions — deals that ran through 2027 — in March of last year. Arizona has since rebooted, moving on from both Keim and Kingsbury. Keim took a leave of absence late last season, and the Cardinals replaced him with ex-Titans exec Monti Ossenfort.
[RELATED: The NFL’s Longest-Tenured Head Coaches]
As the Cardinals poached one of the Titans’ top front office lieutenants, Tennessee went with an NFC West staffer to replace Jon Robinson. The move to add 49ers FO bastion Ran Carthon also came less than a year after the Titans reached extension agreements with both Robinson and HC Mike Vrabel. But controlling owner Amy Adams Strunk canned Robinson — in place as GM since January 2016 — before last season ended. Adams Strunk cited player unavailability and roster quality among the reasons she chose to move on despite having extended Robinson through the 2027 draft months earlier. The Titans are now pairing Vrabel and Carthon.
The Bills reached an extension agreement with GM Brandon Beane two weeks ago. Hired shortly after the team gave Sean McDermott the HC keys, Beane has helped the Bills to five playoff berths in six seasons. Beane’s deal keeps him signed through 2027. Chargers GM Tom Telesco has hit the 10-year mark leading that front office, while this year also marks the 10th offseason of Buccaneers honcho Jason Licht‘s tenure running the NFC South team. Although Jim Irsay fired Frank Reich and later admitted he reluctantly extended his former HC in 2021, the increasingly active Colts owner has expressed confidence in Chris Ballard.
Here is how the NFL’s GM landscape looks going into the 2023 season:
- Jerry Jones (Dallas Cowboys): April 18, 1989[1]
- Mike Brown (Cincinnati Bengals): August 5, 1991[2]
- Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000[3]
- Mickey Loomis (New Orleans Saints): May 14, 2002
- John Schneider (Seattle Seahawks): January 19, 2010; signed extension in 2021
- Howie Roseman (Philadelphia Eagles): January 29, 2010; signed extension in 2022
- Les Snead (Los Angeles Rams): February 10, 2012; signed extension in 2022
- Tom Telesco (Los Angeles Chargers): January 9, 2013; signed extension in 2018
- Jason Licht (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 21, 2014; signed extension in 2021
- Chris Grier (Miami Dolphins): January 4, 2016[4]
- John Lynch (San Francisco 49ers): January 29, 2017; signed extension in 2020
- Chris Ballard (Indianapolis Colts): January 30, 2017; signed extension in 2021
- Brandon Beane (Buffalo Bills): May 9, 2017; signed extension in 2023
- Brett Veach (Kansas City Chiefs): July 11, 2017; signed extension in 2020
- Brian Gutekunst (Green Bay Packers): January 7, 2018; agreed to extension in 2022
- Eric DeCosta (Baltimore Ravens): January 7, 2019
- Joe Douglas (New York Jets): June 7, 2019
- Andrew Berry (Cleveland Browns): January 27, 2020
- Nick Caserio (Houston Texans): January 5, 2021
- George Paton (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2021
- Scott Fitterer (Carolina Panthers): January 14, 2021
- Brad Holmes (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2021
- Terry Fontenot (Atlanta Falcons): January 19, 2021
- Trent Baalke (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 21, 2021
- Martin Mayhew (Washington Commanders): January 22, 2021
- Joe Schoen (New York Giants): January 21, 2022
- Ryan Poles (Chicago Bears): January 25, 2022
- Kwesi Adofo-Mensah (Minnesota Vikings): January 26, 2022
- Dave Ziegler (Las Vegas Raiders): January 30, 2022
- Omar Khan (Pittsburgh Steelers): May 24, 2022
- Monti Ossenfort (Arizona Cardinals): January 16, 2023
- Ran Carthon (Tennessee Titans): January 17, 2023
Footnotes:
- Jones has been the Cowboys’ de facto general manager since former GM Tex Schramm resigned in April 1989.
- Brown has been the Bengals’ de facto GM since taking over as the team’s owner in August 1991.
- Belichick has been the Patriots’ de facto GM since shortly after being hired as the team’s head coach in January 2000.
- Although Grier was hired in 2016, he became the Dolphins’ top football exec on Dec. 31, 2018
Jets, Patriots Interested In Dalvin Cook
The Dalvin Cook market includes one well-known suitor, but a host of other teams are believed to be monitoring this situation. The Dolphins appear to have competition from two of their division rivals.
The Jets and Patriots have shown interest in the Pro Bowl running back. New England is intrigued by adding Cook to a Rhamondre Stevenson-fronted backfield, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com said recently (via MassLive.com’s Karen Guregian). While the Jets are expecting Breece Hall to return by Week 1, Fowler adds they are interested in the ex-Viking as well.
This is not the first time the Patriots have come up in connection with Cook. A report last week threw New England into the mix as a possible destination for the six-year Minnesota starter. The Dolphins have long been connected to Cook and have spoken with the Miami native. Cook has called the Dolphins a perfect fit for his skillset, and the team is believed to have made an offer.
Rumblings of a Cook-Patriots partnership comes not long after the AFC East club hosted DeAndre Hopkins on a free agency visit. The Pats made Hopkins an offer and, after a DeVante Parker extension that does not appear especially lucrative, the team remains in play to add the former All-Pro wide receiver. While these are separate markets, the two high-profile free agents have planned to discuss the possibility of ending up on the same team.
The Pats are interested in adding a back to pair with Stevenson, per Fowler. The team let its previous Stevenson complement, Damien Harris, walk for barely the league minimum. Harris signed a one-year, $1.77MM Bills deal that came with just $1MM guaranteed. Cook will cost more than that, though a deal that pays him close to the $10.4MM he was due with the Vikings should not be expected. As the Pats’ offense struggled last season, Stevenson broke through for 1,461 scrimmage yards. The team hired Bill O’Brien to clean up a mess this offseason, and Fowler adds Bill Belichick senses the urgency to improve on offense.
Stephenson and Cook would qualify as a top-shelf 1-2 punch, but Hall would make for a high-end backfield tandem partner as well. Cook called the Dolphins a perfect fit but brought up the Jets as a team he has seen linked to him as well. New York has made a more concerted effort to improve on offense, trading for Aaron Rodgers and adding a host of his ex-Packer teammates. Mecole Hardman also joined the Jets, who now have a clear window to load up their roster around Rodgers. Hall may be a candidate for the active/PUP list in training camp, but nothing has emerged to indicate the 2022 second-round pick will not be ready for the regular season.
The Jets carry third-year back Michael Carter, who as of now looks to be the favorite to back up Hall this season, and gave UDFA Zonovan Knight some work last year. The team re-signed and then waived Ty Johnson, however. The Patriots made a similar move in their backfield, signing ex-Jet James Robinson before cutting him before their offseason program ended. Injury concerns led to the once-productive Jaguar’s Foxborough exit. Behind Stevenson, the Pats roster 2022 draftees Pierre Strong and Kevin Harris. Those two combined for just 28 carries as rookies.
Cook, who is going into his age-28 season, has said he would like to sign with a contending team that has a steady role available. The Dolphins may check both boxes, as Cook could seemingly overtake the Raheem Mostert–Jeff Wilson duo for touches. Stevenson and Hall would not be as easy to leapfrog. The Patriots have recently created cap space as well, extending Parker and linebacker Ja’Whaun Bentley. The Jets are likely to lose some 2023 cap space, with Rodgers’ contract needing a second offseason restructure. Such a move would raise his 2023 cap number from its current $1.2MM place.
Although the Dolphins are a ways down the road with Cook, he has clearly not been enamored by his hometown team’s initial proposal. As the running back market might clear up via resolutions for franchise tag recipients Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard at the July 17 extension deadline, Cook may be keen on waiting longer before committing.
C Chase Roullier Announces Retirement
Chase Roullier worked out for the Cardinals last month, but the veteran center is now giving up the prospect of continuing his career. After two injury-shortened seasons, the former Washington snapper announced (via Instagram) Wednesday he intends to retire.
Citing the injury issues and the rehab journeys they required, Roullier said he will end his career after six seasons. The Commanders released their former starting pivot in May, doing so less than a week after drafting Ricky Stromberg in the third round. Roullier had intended to play in 2023, per KTSP’s Darren Wolfson, but changed his mind recently (Twitter link).
Roullier, 29, suffered a fractured fibula in 2021, wrapping that season after eight games. A torn MCL sustained late during Washington’s Week 2 game last season led to surgery that ended Roullier’s comeback effort. Roullier played just 150 offensive snaps last season. Barring a change of heart, the two-game 2022 will wind up as the Wyoming alum’s last NFL action.
Washington previously followed through will Roullier-centric plans on its offensive front. The team gave the former sixth-round pick a lucrative extension — four years, $40.5MM — in January 2021. Rather than move ahead to free agency two months after that point, Roullier committed to stay in Washington. That deal came with $19MM guaranteed in total, and considering how Roullier’s 2021 and ’22 seasons played out, the security wound up being vital for the Burnsville, Minn., native. Although Roullier restructured that deal after his latest injury, he still secured a nice payday before injuries changed his career path.
Prior to the injury-plagued seasons, Roullier worked as Washington’s starting center for three seasons. He broke into the team’s starting lineup as a rookie in 2017, starting seven games. After that, Roullier anchored the position for the team through the end of the 2020 season. During Roullier’s last fully healthy season (2020), Pro Football Focus graded him as a top-five center. For his career, the two-time All-Mountain West Conference O-lineman played 69 games and started 63 of those.
The Commanders have since shifted course inside. Stromberg and ex-Giants center Nick Gates are now in the fold. Gates gives the team flexibility, having played center and guard in New York. Gates has not been a full-time player since a September 2021 injury in Washington halted his run as New York’s starting center.
Giants QB Daniel Jones’ Asking Price Reached $47MM Per Year
The final part of the Giants’ long-running Daniel Jones–Saquon Barkley retention plan is still going, with the team remaining in talks with the Pro Bowl running back ahead of the July 17 franchise tag deadline. But the earlier discussions were more complex in nature.
Not only did the Giants need to find a way to keep both Jones and Barkley off the 2023 market, but they were negotiating with a quarterback with an uncertain price tag. Injuries and inconsistency during Jones’ first three years led the Giants to pass on his fifth-year option in 2022. The former No. 6 overall pick ended up navigating his contract year well, piloting Big Blue to the playoffs and setting himself up for a big payday.
Jones became the first quarterback to sign an extension with the team that declined his fifth-year option, and while the final numbers checked in far higher than anyone would have expected at this point last year, the four-year Giants starter is believed to have asked for a monster contract. As negotiations commenced, Jones’ camp sought a $47MM-per-year extension, Dan Duggan of The Athletic notes (subscription required).
That number is higher than what we heard leading up to his deal. A February report indicated that Jones, after changing agents, was gunning for a $45MM-AAV extension. It turned out the Giants needed to move their quarterback down from a number that would have at the time made him the third-highest-paid QB — per average salary — in the NFL. Jones’ ask would have placed him in front of Kyler Murray and Deshaun Watson‘s AAVs. Subsequent extensions for Lamar Jackson and Jalen Hurts have raised the market to $52MM per year, but when the Giants hammered out their Jones deal, only Aaron Rodgers was past $50MM. And Rodgers’ 2022 deal turned out to be a uniquely structured pact that produced a trade.
The Giants ended up reaching a happy medium with Jones, giving him the same overall terms — four years, $160MM — Dak Prescott and Matthew Stafford reached with their respective teams in the previous two offseasons. Prescott also did better than Jones on the guarantee front, securing $95MM fully guaranteed at the same offseason juncture Jones ($81MM locked in) scored his payday. Prescott possessed leverage of a whopping cap number — from a second franchise tag — hitting the Cowboys’ books in 2021. Jones, however, enjoyed negotiating weapons of an imminent free agency trip and the prospect of the Giants losing Barkley. New York found a way to retain both players, but Barkley is less than two weeks from being tied to the $10.1MM running back tag this season. The Giants were planning to tag Jones — at $32.4MM — had no deal been struck in March.
Jones, 26, managing to parlay a 15-touchdown pass season into a $40MM-per-year windfall may go down as one of the better negotiating coups in recent memory, but the Duke product was targeting a bottom-tier pass-catching corps that had sustained injuries and lost Kadarius Toney via trade (after the 2021 first-rounder missed most of the Giants portion of his season with injury). Jones offered an efficient passing performance to lift the Giants past the Vikings in the wild-card round, adding 78 rushing yards in that game. This followed a career year on the ground for Jones as well; he finished with 708 rushing yards to further aid the Giants’ shorthanded offense.
While the Jones deal has been scrutinized, the Giants can also escape it with fairly minimal damage by 2025. Should Jones’ 2022 season prove fluky, the Giants can move on by making the QB a post-June 1 cut in 2025 and absorb an $18MM dead-money hit. All parties will hope this agreement ends better, as the Giants are committed to the Dave Gettleman-era draftee for at least two seasons.
Dolphins Sign Round 2 CB Cam Smith, Finalize Draft Class Deals
Thanks to trades and a tampering penalty, the Dolphins navigated a draft light on picks. The Kansas City-based event ended up concluding with four Dolphins picks made. Miami now has each member of its rookie quartet signed.
The team reached an agreement with second-round cornerback Cam Smith, the 51st overall pick this year, on Wednesday. A South Carolina product, Smith will join an accomplished cornerback duo — Xavien Howard–Jalen Ramsey — as he readies for his first training camp in Miami.
More than 20 draft picks remain unsigned, with the second round comprising much of that total. While guarantee figures are largely holding up Round 2 draftees on the contract front, the Chargers coming to terms with Tuli Tuipulotu (No. 54 overall) last week likely helped move matters along. Still, the bulk of the players chosen in the 40-50 range remain unsigned. Smith’s agreement, in turn, should help clear up some terms for other teams with draftees in this neighborhood. The Nos. 50 and 52 overall picks — Packers wideout Jayden Reed and Seahawks running back Zach Charbonnet — are unsigned.
The Dolphins played all of last season without Byron Jones, who has since been released as a post-June 1 cut. This depleted Miami’s cornerback contingent, but Vic Fangio will have both Ramsey and Smith at his disposal alongside Howard. Smith totaled six interceptions and 18 pass breakups with the Gamecocks, primarily operating as the team’s nickel corner. That allowed him to live up to expectations as a former four-star recruit and solidify his status as an early-round cornerback prospect.
When Smith declared for the draft in December, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr., Matt Miller and Todd McShay ranked him as the draft’s second-best corner available. But the 6-foot cover man’s stock slipped a bit leading up to the April event. By draft weekend, ESPN’s Scouts Inc. had Smith ranked 80th overall and as this prospect pool’s 15th-best corner. The multiyear SEC defender will attempt to prove the slippage was unwarranted, and he will step into a rare spot given the talents of Ramsey and Howard.
The Dolphins attempted to land a long-term slot defender in the 2020 first round, taking Noah Igbinoghene. But the Auburn alum has not carved out a regular role as a pro. Smith’s arrival may well put the fourth-year defender on shaky ground to make the 53-man roster. The Dolphins also received promising play from UDFA Kader Kohou last season, providing more protection as Fangio assembles his first Miami defense.
Trades for Ramsey, Tyreek Hill and Bradley Chubb — and the tampering punishment related to the Tom Brady and Sean Payton pursuits — left the Dolphins with four picks. Here is Miami’s 2023 draft class:
Round 2, No. 51: Cam Smith, CB (South Carolina) (signed)
Round 3, No. 84: Devon Achane, RB (Texas A&M) (signed)
Round 6, No. 197: Elijah Higgins, TE (Stanford) (signed)
Round 7, No. 238: Ryan Hayes, OT (Michigan) (signed)
Offseason In Review: Green Bay Packers
In an offseason that eerily resembled the seminal 2008 period, the Packers made two key decisions at quarterback. A third Hall of Fame-bound passer’s Green Bay career has now wrapped, and like the second, Aaron Rodgers relocated to the Big Apple. As they did after trading Brett Favre to the Jets 15 years ago, the Packers will see if a three-year backup can start running with the baton.
Beyond the Rodgers and Jordan Love calls, Green Bay has gone through a low-key offseason. But the team, one looking to bounce back after a disappointing 8-9 season, packed plenty of intrigue into two transactions.
Trades:
- Sent QB Aaron Rodgers, No. 15 overall pick, No. 170 to Jets for Nos. 13, 42 and 207 overall picks, conditional 2024 first-rounder
Although Rodgers’ three-year, $150.8MM extension was largely hailed at the time as a pact that would allow the four-time MVP to finish his career in Green Bay, rumblings about a separation — while far quieter compared to a turbulent 2021 — came about shortly after the agreement. The Packers then outfitted their latest Canton-bound quarterback with a noticeable receiver downgrade, following the departures of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling, helping lead to Rodgers relinquishing his MVP throne. Brian Gutekunst deferred to Rodgers’ MVP trophies when asked if the 15-year starter or Love gave the 2023 team a better chance to win, but the veteran GM also began indicating the backup was ready to start. An eventful three-month period commenced to reach that destination.
At odds during a 2021 offseason in which Rodgers requested a trade, Gutekunst and the superstar QB did not hash out this situation this offseason. As the Packers parties stayed apart, the Jets entered the fray. Making their desperation for a veteran arm known — after Zach Wilson became the latest of their rookie-contract starters to underwhelm — the Jets courted Rodgers and were given permission to meet with him in March. The California summit led to Rodgers signing off on the Favre-ian path.
It took only a conditional third-round pick for the Jets to pry an unretiring Favre’s rights from the Packers. The Buccaneers were in that race as well. While the Jets oddly had the field to themselves for Rodgers this offseason, the Packers were able to obtain much more in compensation. Green Bay initially angled for a Russell Wilson-type haul — which the Broncos parted with after seeing their inquiries into Rodgers shut down during the 2021 and ’22 offseasons — talks eventually centered on a first-round pick changing hands.
It had been assumed the Packers could not fetch a first-rounder for a player no longer in their plans and one due a $58.3MM bonus before Week 1, but Green Bay did reasonably well in these trade talks. The Jets still made a 2023 first-round pick — though not the one they wanted to make, by almost every account — but even after Gutekunst said a trade not involving a ’23 first could happen, the Pack still made out with a first-rounder in this momentous swap.
Had the Packers shipped Rodgers to Denver two years ago, they would have obtained more compared to what they received this year. Rodgers was 37 then and coming off MVP No. 3. But Green Bay clearly had not seen enough from Love at that point. By 2022, Love’s career plunged into rare territory, as the unprecedented — since the 2011 CBA reshaped rookie contracts, that is — modern QB heir apparent to finish a third season as a backup. But the Packers viewed Love, who underwhelmed in his lone start of consequence (a short-notice Arrowhead Stadium cameo after Rodgers’ COVID-19 contraction in November 2021) as having made steady progress last year. Despite Love being the team’s preferred 2023 starter, the Packers managed to collect a second-round pick and swap first-rounders. Barring a notable Rodgers injury, they are likely to land the Jets’ 2024 first.
The Jets’ 2024 first will transfer to the Packers if Rodgers plays 65% of Gang Green’s offensive snaps. Since Rodgers took the reins from Favre in 2008, he crossed that threshold 13 times. Only injury-abbreviated 2013 and 2017 seasons featured the increasingly outspoken icon falling short. If Rodgers reaches that mark for the Jets, the Packers will enter a draft with two first-round picks for the third time in six years.
In 2008, the Jets and Packers placed conditions on how far Favre led that ’08 Gang Green iteration. Favre’s biceps injury burned the Jets in that trade, and the non-playoff-bound ’08 team’s 9-7 finish led to only a third-rounder coming Green Bay’s way. This time, Gutekunst and Joe Douglas tethered the pick to Rodgers’ playing time. And the Packers also escaped these talks without anything tied to Rodgers’ 2024 status. Rumors of the Pack sending a 2025 draft choice to the Jets — in the event Rodgers retired after one New York season — emerged, and the teams discussed this option. But no such terms made the trade’s final cut.
Rodgers told Pat McAfee Show listeners he was 90% retired going into his darkness retreat. While that could certainly spook Jets fans, the 19th-year veteran showed up for OTAs after passing on them during his final two Green Bay years. Rodgers attempted to downplay his 2022 workout absence’s connection to a substandard season, but after failed Adams extension talks led to a trade, the aging passer ranked 26th in QBR with a career-worst (by a substantial margin) 39.3 figure. Rodgers’ yards-per-attempt number checked in at 6.8 — his lowest since the 2015 Jordy Nelson-less season — and his 12 interceptions were the second-most he has thrown in a season. The Jets are betting the Packers’ situation led to that regression, while Green Bay cut bait after the MVP form faded.
The all-time QB talent leaves Green Bay with 10 Pro Bowls, a Super Bowl ring and five NFC championship game appearances. Even with Rodgers submitting countless memorable moments and some of the greatest throws in playoff history, his postseason resume figures to be discussed for decades. The Packers’ issues on defense and conservative approach in free agency during much of Rodgers’ career worked against their cornerstone player, but while the team famously avoided drafting a first-round wide receiver or tight end during this span, the Love pick led to Rodgers reigniting after down years in 2018 and ’19. As Rodgers will aim to prove the Packers wrong for ending his starter tenure, Green Bay will now see if trading up for a Utah State quarterback was the right call.
Free agency additions:
- Matthew Orzech, LS: Three years, $3.38MM ($300K guaranteed)
- Tarvarius Moore, S: One year, $1.13MM ($50K guaranteed)
- Jonathan Owens, S: One year, $1MM
Simone Biles’ sudden Green Bay ties, via husband Owens’ signing, probably serves as the most memorable component associated with the Packers’ free agency class. The team did add some safety depth during free agency, picking up multiple options ahead of a layered competition. The winner of the Owens-Moore-Rudy Ford position battle will be positioned, barring a late-summer addition, to start alongside Darnell Savage.
A former third-round 49ers pick, Moore has 13 starts on his resume and intercepted Patrick Mahomes in Super Bowl LIV. Moore also missed all of 2021, seeing his contract year toll to 2022, due to injury. He of a 4.32-second 40-yard dash clocking, Moore played both cornerback and safety in San Francisco. A Division II success story out of Missouri Western, Owens started 17 Texans games last season. This did not generate the former UDFA much of a market; Pro Football Focus rated Owens and Savage as two of the NFL’s three worst regular safeties last season.
Re-signings:
- Keisean Nixon, CB: One year, $4MM ($1.85MM guaranteed)
- Justin Hollins, LB: One year, $1.28MM ($155K guaranteed)
- Eric Wilson, LB: One year, $1.23MM ($153K guaranteed)
- Dallin Leavitt, DB: One year, $1.5MM ($150K guaranteed)
- Rudy Ford, DB: One year, $1.5MM ($50K guaranteed)
Incentives can max out Nixon’s deal at $6MM, and void years — the NFL’s financial workaround of the moment — are present in the contract. Playing-time benchmarks start at the 45% threshold, and Nixon reaching 55% of the Packers’ defensive snaps will earn him a total of $750K. Two- and four-interception escalators at the same $250K rates are here as well, and given the role the Packers will give him a chance to earn, these numbers should not be considered farfetched.
Optimism Exists Giants, Saquon Barkley Will Reach Extension Agreement
Less than two weeks now remain until the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions. Barring an agreement by 3pm CT on July 17, Saquon Barkley will be back in a contract year.
The Giants have their five-year starting running back tied to a $10.1MM franchise tag salary. Not coming to an agreement soon would force the injury-prone Barkley to prove himself yet again and miss out on using an upcoming age-26 season as a negotiating point. Conversely, the Giants reaching a deal would drop Barkley’s 2023 cap number and put a key matter to rest with their most popular player.
Barkley has voiced issues with the news coming out of his extension talks, but the latest offering provides some hope a resolution is near. Some level of optimism exists this process will end in a deal, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler said during a SportsCenter appearance (h/t Giants Wire’s John Fennelly). Giants ownership also still views Barkley as a “centerpiece-type player” for the team, Fowler adds. That might be a key component of these long-running negotiations, which started last November.
The Joe Schoen–Brian Daboll regime inherited Barkley, whom Dave Gettleman drafted second overall in 2018. John Mara and Steve Tisch, of course, were present when Barkley emerged from Penn State as one of the best running back prospects in modern NFL history. The 2018 Offensive Rookie of the Year, Barkley has been the face of the Giants’ franchise since Eli Manning retired. Although injuries have intervened, the New Jersey native bounced back last season to lead a shorthanded offense to the playoffs. That effort led to a Daniel Jones $40MM-per-year extension and Barkley being kept off the market via the tag, leading to some acrimony.
Barkley’s 1,650 scrimmage yards last season did not top his rookie-year mark (2,028), but only Tiki Barber and Joe Morris have topped the 2022 number in team history. While the Giants have added key pieces at tight end (Darren Waller) and wide receiver this offseason, Barkley will still serve as the team’s skill-position anchor — with or without an extension — this season.
Barkley’s options are limited if he cannot come to an agreement by July 17. He referenced Le’Veon Bell‘s skipped 2018 season, and a recent report indicated the veteran back could stay away from training camp. But come Week 1, Barkley would see missed game checks begin to pile up. This is probably a bigger issue for Josh Jacobs and Tony Pollard, considering Barkley’s nearly $40MM earned as a pro, and the Raiders back looks to be using the threat of missed games in his negotiation. It would still surprise if Barkley were not with the team by Week 1, but it is certainly understandable he would use every weapon at his disposal as talks transpire during a bleak offseason for running backs.
These Giants-Barkley talks have hinged on guarantees, and Fowler adds the two-time Pro Bowler wants a better contract structure. The two offers Barkley turned down — of them being north of $13MM per year — were not believed to have presented strong guarantees. Besides Bijan Robinson‘s $21MM-plus in guarantees at the No. 8 draft slot, only Christian McCaffrey ($30.1MM) and Derrick Henry ($25.5MM) are tied to deals including more than $20MM locked in. With a 2024 Barkley tag price checking in at $12.12MM, the dual-threat back almost definitely wants at least a $22MM guarantee to cover the two tags.
The Henry deal led to a second rushing title and a strong 2022 season, while McCaffrey played a lead role in the 49ers’ 12-game win streak. Injuries intervened for both on their second contracts, and Barkley missed chunks of the 2019-21 seasons due to maladies (most notably a torn ACL in 2020). Barkley’s injury history has undoubtedly come up during extension talks, but he stayed healthy last year. How the Giants proceed here will be a key chapter in one of the most eventful offseasons at the running back position.
Kraft: ‘Money Spending Will Never Be Issue’ For Patriots
It might still be too soon to call what is transpiring in New England a cold war, but the Robert Kraft–Bill Belichick relationship has certainly seen better days.
The owner appeared to fire another salvo at the historically successful head coach recently. Belichick defended the Patriots’ unexpected 2021 spending spree by pointing out how the team’s commitments from 2020-22 ranked 27th on average. The Pats’ 2021 splurge remains an outlier for the generally conservative franchise.
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“Our spending in 2020, our spending in 2021, and our spending in 2022 — the aggregate of that — was we were 27th in the league in cash spending,” Belichick said in January. “Couple years we’re low, one year was high, but over a three-year period, we are one of the lowest-spending teams in the league.”
This comment came after a question regarding the 2021 free agency period — and not necessarily a dig at Kraft stinginess — but when asked about a willingness to spend money, Kraft shot back to continue what has been a somewhat icy stretch between the two Patriot bigwigs.
“He has never come to me and not gotten everything he wanted from a cash-spending perspective. We have never set limits,'” Kraft said of Belichick during an interview with the Boston Sports Journal’s Greg Bedard (h/t to the Boston Herald). “Money spending will never be the issue, I promise you, or I’ll sell the team.”
This would qualify as less newsworthy in a normal Patriots offseason. But this one also featured Kraft putting his six-time Super Bowl champion coach on shakier ground with March comments that gave off a win-or-else vibe. Last week, Kraft also said he would only consider this season a success if the franchise claims its seventh Super Bowl title. With the Patriots a mid-pack AFC team not mentioned with the conference’s elites, they will face long odds to accomplish that. Kraft and Belichick also have not seen eye to eye regarding last year’s Matt Patricia role and the treatment of Mac Jones, the latter seeming to have more support from the owner than the head coach.
Excepting the 2021 offseason, the 2017 Stephon Gilmore contract and select other instances, Belichick has not been known for big-ticket outside expenditures. The Pats did add JuJu Smith-Schuster this offseason but did so for the same fully guaranteed amount the Raiders gave outgoing Patriot Jakobi Meyers ($16MM). The team made an offer to Hopkins, who appears content to wait for his market to change.
Kraft pulling the plug on the Belichick era would be among the most controversial decisions in NFL history. The 24th-year Patriots HC sits second all time in wins (329), having passed George Halas last year. Belichick trails all-time leader Don Shula by 18 wins, putting him in position to potentially pass the Hall of Famer in 2024. Kraft firing Belichick, 71, under any circumstances would qualify as surprising, even considering the team’s below-.500 finishes in 2020 and 2022. But canning the future Hall of Famer as he is on the doorstep of a hallowed record would bring a bizarre conclusion to one of the most storied runs in NFL history.