Texans’ Deshaun Watson Still Wants Trade
Embattled quarterback Deshaun Watson won’t be with the Texans when they begin OTAs (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Despite everything else going on in Watson’s world, the longtime Houston star still wants to be traded, Pelissero hears. 
Watson’s rift with the Texans was the big storyline to start 2021, with the Panthers and other contenders rushing to the phones. Then, a slew of allegations started to trickle out in the spring. To date, Watson and his attorney have denied wrongdoing in the 20+ cases. Meanwhile, his deposition is set for February of 2022 — after Super Bowl LVI.
Watson could be free to play in the interim, if he’s not parked on the Commissioner’s Exempt List. If he’s cleared to play by the league office, the easiest path to the field would be to try and mend fences with the Texans. For now, GM Nick Caserio isn’t saying much regarding the situation.
“If you want to speculate, you should probably go buy Bitcoin,” Caserio said recently.
Watson, 26 in September, led the league with 4,823 passing yards in 2020 — a new career-high. He also set new personal bests with 33 passing touchdowns and a 70.2% completion rate. Given his ongoing legal situation it’s unclear if any team would actually trade for him right now, or what they’d give up if they would.
Certainly, the compensation would be something less than the earth-shattering mega package they would’ve received a few months ago. Either way, it doesn’t sound like the allegations have done much to alter Watson’s firm stance, and it sure doesn’t seem like he’ll be reporting any time soon. Assuming the two sides don’t reconcile, the Texans have a few options.
They signed Tyrod Taylor, a serviceable veteran bridge guy. They also drafted Davis Mills 67th overall from Stanford, and signed backup journeyman Jeff Driskel.
Julio Jones On Falcons: “I’m Out Of There”
Earlier today, FS1 host Shannon Sharpe called up Julio Jones and asked him about his status in Atlanta. The Falcons wide receiver, who might not have known that he was on air, told Sharpe that he’s “out of there” (Twitter link). 
Sharpe also asked Jones if he would be interested in going to Dallas, since he was recently spotted in Cowboys gear. To that, Jones said, “I ain’t going to Dallas, I never thought of going to Dallas.” Then, sometime after that, Sharpe informed Jones that he was live on national television.
Jones requested a trade a few months ago, sources confirmed to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). The Falcons subsequently agreed to listen to offers. As it stands, the asking price is a first-round pick (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). So far, they haven’t gotten an offer to their liking and execs around the NFL league doubt they’ll get it, Schefter hears.
Jones’ contract has three years to go. This year, he’ll earn a guaranteed $15.3MM. Beyond that, he’s set to make $15.5MM in 2022, with a couple million already locked in, followed by another $11.5MM in 2023. Even though Jones is a perennial All-Pro, that’s a lot of coin for a 32-year-old coming off of a partial season.
The Falcons could net more in the way of draft compensation by eating a portion of Jones’ deal. Still, even if they eat the lion’s share, they might not be able to get a Round 1 pick for the veteran. Meanwhile, they’ve got a numbers crunch of their own to deal with, so they can’t necessarily afford to pay out the bulk of the contract.
Lions Notes: Okwara, Onwuzurike, Tavai
The Lions have a new regime in place, led by head coach Dan Campbell. Often times, coaching changes put incumbent players on the chopping block, but that’s not necessarily the case for 2019 second-round pick Jahlani Tavai.
“I tell you what, I’ve been really impressed with Jahlani,” linebackers coach Mark DeLeone said (via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News). “He’s been here (and) he’s been doing a great job. He’s in really good shape right now. I’m excited to work with him. I’m excited for us to get to OTAs and be able to continue with him because I’m really excited about him.”
“I can just tell you when he came out when he was out on the field this week, he’s been doing well and I’ve really enjoyed working with him so far. He has a really good understanding of the game. I think he’s gonna be a nice piece for us to work within this scheme.”
The Lions are exploring their options at LB, including newcomer Alex Anzalone, who has history with Campbell. Tavai, meanwhile, has failed to impress in his two pro seasons. After notching two tackles, one forced fumble, and one interception as a rookie, Tavai didn’t make much of an impact last year. He appeared in all 16 games and made ten starts, but earned poor marks from Pro Football Focus across the board, including a dismal 35.7 score for his coverage. Still, the Lions seem to think that this can be a turning point for the young ‘backer.
More from Detroit:
- The Lions’ new scheme will push Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara to outside linebacker, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes.”He’s got a great skill set for what we’re trying to do,” defensive line coach Todd Wash said of Flowers, who inked a $90MM deal to play DE. “Every one of the players that we have on our defensive roster have a skill set. It’s going to be our job obviously as coaches to put them in that position to be successful, and I think Trey has that skill set as a defensive end in base and also in sub.” Flowers won’t be alone — there will be adjustments across the front seven as Detroit commits to a base 3-4 set under Campbell.
- New second-round pick Levi Onwuzurike will be slotted in as a defensive end that moves inside on clear passing downs, defensive line coach Todd Wash says (Twitter link via Rogers).
- Before the Lions signed Dan Campbell, they also explored Iowa State coach Matt Campbell as a candidate. But, despite a report to the contrary, it sounds like they never made a formal offer.
Eugene Chung: NFL Team Told Me I Was “Not The Right Minority”
During an interview earlier this year, former NFL assistant Eugene Chung claims that a team executive told him that he was “not the right minority” for the job (via the Boston Globe). On Monday, Fritz Pollard Alliance executive director Rod Graves issued a statement calling for an investigation into Chung’s experience.
“Alleged comments made to Eugene Chung by an NFL team during a recent interview should be investigated by the NFL,” Graves said. “If the comments regarding his status as a Korean American are true, it is further evidence that despite good faith changes to diversity-related policies, the NFL’s actual hiring practices are still riddled with discrimination.”
Chung has so far declined to identify the team or executive in question. It’s also unclear what type of job Chung was interviewing for. The ex-Patriots offensive lineman served as Andy Reid’s assistant offensive line coach with the Chiefs and Eagles. He stayed in Philly to work on Doug Pederson‘s staff while also managing tight ends and the running game. He left the Birds when his contract expired after the ’18 season and has been out of the league ever since.
Chung, 51, was just the second Korean-American to play in the NFL. Now, as a coaching candidate, he’s believes there are more barriers to be broken.
“I think that’s what can be done, is to put that information out there and let people know,” he said. “If people don’t know about the temperature of what’s going on out there, they’ll never know.”
Raiders, Dolphins Tried To Claim Geron Christian
On Friday, the Texans claimed former Washington left tackle Geron Christian. But, they weren’t the only team to submit a claim for him. Had the WFT passed, Christian would have joined the Raiders (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). The Dolphins also submitted a claim on the 2018 third-rounder.
Christian was less-than-stellar in D.C., but quality tackles are hard to come by at this stage of the offseason. He’s also on the final year of his low-cost rookie year deal, making him an affordable pickup for teams in need. That was a definite selling point for the Texans, who have spent most of their offseason inking free agents to short-term contracts.
The 6-foot-6 blocker has played in 24 games over the course of his pro career, which started as a reserve behind Trent Williams. Injuries have held Christian up along the way, including an MCL tear as a rookie. Last year, Christian saw just six games and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 60 ranked tackle in the league. On Friday, Washington brought an end to Christian’s tenure while also dropping the durable Morgan Moses.
Now, Washington has new options in rookie Samuel Cosmi and veteran Charles Leno. The Texans are well covered with Laremy Tunsil, Tytus Howard, Marcus Cannon, and Christian. Meanwhile, the Raiders and Dolphins will continue to search for outside protectors.
This Date In Transactions History: Seahawks Sign D.K. Metcalf
On this date in 2019, the Seahawks inked D.K. Metcalf to his first pro contract. The Ole Miss product was projected to be a first-round pick, but was left to sign for just $4.6MM over four years after an unexpected slide. 
Earlier in the evening, the Seahawks moved down twice. Then, once Metcalf tumbled, the Seahawks went back up the ladder to grab the Patriots’ No. 64 pick. Some evaluators weren’t all that high on Metcalf, apparently, but few could argue with the value.
Metcalf drew national attention for his physique, but the Seahawks saw him as more than just a 6’3″ mass of muscles. He first broke out on the scene with 39 grabs for 646 yards and seven touchdowns as a sophomore at Ole Miss. His follow-up year wasn’t quite as stellar — Metcalf was limited to just seven games while A.J. Brown stole the show.
Taken near the end of Round 2, Metcalf wound up as the ninth receiver to come off the board. But, other than Brown and Terry McLaurin, he dazzled like no other rookie WR that year. Straight off the bat, Metcalf had 58 catches for 900 yards and seven touchdowns. Then, last year, he took his game to a whole ‘nother level with 83 receptions for 1,303 yards and ten touchdowns.
Metcalf used his draft night slight as fuel and took that momentum into 2020 for an even bigger year. With similar progression, Metcalf could set himself up for a serious fifth-year payday while his first-round counterparts play out their option seasons.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/21/21
We’ll keep track of today’s minor moves here:
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: WR Antoine Wesley
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: TE Connor Davis
Houston Texans
- Waived: OL Cohl Cabral
NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/21/21
Today’s lower round signings:
Buffalo Bills
- DB Damar Hamlin (sixth round; Pitt)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- DT Jay Tufele (fourth round; USC)
No Guarantees For Jaguars’ Tim Tebow
Tim Tebow has a new job and the hottest selling jersey in the NFL. What he doesn’t have, however, is guaranteed money in his new deal with the Jaguars (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Field Yates). 
Tebow’s one-year deal with Jacksonville is for $920K, the league’s minimum salary for a player with his experience level. And, if he doesn’t make the final cut in the fall, he’ll see $0 of that sum, because it’s completely non-guaranteed. That’s not necessarily a surprise – Tebow has bounced around from the broadcast booth to minor league baseball in recent years. Outside of pal Urban Meyer, it doesn’t sound like there were many coaches interested in signing him this year.
The one-time U of F star hasn’t played in a real NFL game since the 2012 season. His last stint was with the Eagles during the 2015 preseason. Despite his first-round pedigree, Tebow wasn’t up to snuff as an NFL quarterback. This time around, he’ll be trying his hand at tight end, practicing alongside Chris Manhertz, fifth-round rookie Luke Farrell, Tyler Davis, James O’Shaughnessy, and Ben Ellefson,
For what it’s worth, Meyer is pretty excited about what Tebow could bring to the table.
“[My assistants] said, ‘Wow, this guy’s ball skills, he’s a great athlete, he looks like he’s 18 years old, not 20-whatever-he-is, 33,’” Meyer told Cris Collinsworth (via The Ringer). “Guys, you don’t understand. Now this guy is, he’s the most competitive maniac you’re ever gonna talk to, and let’s give it a shot.”
49ers Cut Marqise Lee
Well, that was fast. On Friday, the 49ers released wide receiver Marqise Lee. In a related move, they’ve signed fellow wideout Bennie Fowler to take his place on the roster. 
The one-time Jaguars notable signed with the Niners on May 17. A few short days later, he finds himself looking for work once again. Lee made a decent impression on coaches during the 49ers’ rookie minicamp practices and was hoping to stick. It appeared to be a good landing spot for him, especially since he grew up in California and played his college ball at USC.
Between 2016 and 2017, Lee averaged about 60 receptions and 776 receiving yards. He went on to land a four-year, $38MM extension from Jacksonville, but that deal was cut short. Between knee injuries and the COVID opt-out, he’s seen just six games since the end of ’17.
Fowler, meanwhile, has spent the last two years with the Giants. He wasn’t on the field much in 2020, snagging just two receptions before a season-ending shoulder injury.