Texans’ President Jamey Rootes Resigns
Texans President Jamey Rootes has resigned, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Rootes was rankled by the Texans’ recent restructuring, (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport), which may mean that he was less-than-thrilled about the hiring of new GM Nick Caserio.
Rootes had spent more than 20 years with Houston, overseeing business and administrative duties. He was also part of the team’s GM search committee — his recommendations were largely ignored, Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter) hears, and that proved to be problem.
“I’m young enough to find a new opportunity to create something new,” the 54-year-old told John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. “I want to carve out ample time to decide what’s best for me going forward. This [resignation] is difficult because of the people. They’re special to me. I feed off the energy of our fans, our staff and our customers, and I’m going to miss them.”
Rootes says he’ll take at least six months off. In the interim, the Texans will hand his responsibilities over to senior vice president of corporate development Greg Grissom. Meanwhile, on the football side of things, the Texans will try to keep Deshaun Watson happy and in H-Town. As it stands, Watson wants out and the Dolphins could be the favorite to land him.
Buccaneers Sign 11 Players To Futures Deals
The Super Bowl champs have signed eleven players to reserve/futures contracts for 2021. Shortly after their boat parade, the Buccaneers announced low-cost deals for:
- OLB Quinton Bell
- WR Cyril Grayson
- S Javon Hagan
- WR Travis Jonsen
- G Nick Leverett
- TE Codey McElroy
- CB Herb Miller
- G John Molchon
- WR Josh Pearson
- DL Benning Potoa’e
- DL Kobe Smith
The list mostly draws from the team’s year-end practice squad, save for Leverett who was dropped in the postseason for the returning Earl Watford. Now, the Bucs will work to keep the band together with wide receivers Antonio Brown and Chris Godwin, tight end Rob Gronkowski, and edge rusher Shaquil Barrett among those scheduled for free agency.
Chiefs Re-Sign Deandre Baker
The Chiefs have re-signed Deandre Baker for the 2021 season, per a club announcement. The cornerback joined the Chiefs on a practice squad deal in November, shortly after the Broward County State Attorney’s Office dropped armed robbery charges against him. 
Baker struggled as a first-round rookie with the Giants, allowing a 116.2 passer rating. Then, heading into his second year, Baker was arrested on multiple felony charges. Cops alleged that Baker orchestrated a robbery at gunpoint with Seahawks cornerback Quinton Dunbar as his accomplice. Then, after a number of twists and turns — including payoff allegations against one-time Dunbar attorney Michael Grieco — the charges were dropped.
After a month on the taxi squad, Baker got called up to the varsity squad for a couple of games. Now, he’ll work to make the 53-man cut in KC.
In addition to Baker, the Chiefs announced the following futures deals:
- TE Evan Baylis
- LB Omari Cobb
- DE Austin Edwards
- WR Maurice Ffrench
- WR Joe Fortson
- DE Demone Harris
- LB Emmanuel Smith
- C Darryl Williams
- G Bryan Witzmann
Ravens Re-Sign Eric Tomlinson
The Ravens have agreed to a new deal with Eric Tomlinson, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. The tight end will return on a one-year, $1.015MM deal with $125K guaranteed.
Tomlinson saw time in six games this season, plus two playoff games. He stepped up to help the Ravens replace Nick Boyle‘s blocking post-knee injury, though he couldn’t match the offensive production — he was targeted just once and did not record a reception.
“We’ll look at personnel, we’ll look at free agency, we’ll look at the draft, and certainly we’re very much a tight end-centric offense,” GM Eric DeCosta said recently (via the team website). “So, if there is a tight end there available in the draft, if somebody else happens to fall to us in free agency, we would certainly look at that as a possibility. We know that Greg can take those tight ends and really go to the lab and find some ways to use these guys to make us more productive on offense.”
Tomlinson, 29 in April, is with the seventh team of his NFL career. Now, he has some assurance that he’ll be able to stay in the same place for 2021.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/9/21
Today’s minor moves:
Cleveland Browns
- Waived: G Malcolm Pridgeon
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed: G Lester Cotton Sr.
San Francisco 49ers
- Re-signed: RB Austin Walter
Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson On Free Agency
This week, there were rumblings about Patrick Peterson and the Cardinals agreeing to part ways. However, that was nothing more than a “dirty rumor,” according to the cornerback (via the team website). 
“There is no real update,” Peterson said on his All Things Covered podcast. “It is just…a dirty rumor. Me and the team haven’t talked about contracts, we haven’t talked about parting ways. That’s just what it is, a dirty rumor.”
Peterson, 31 in July, is set to hit the open market in March. In 2020, he counted for a $13.2MM charge against Arizona’s salary cap. With a new multi-year deal, the Cardinals could have the flexibility to spread out the hits over time, provided that they want to move forward with him.
Drafted fifth overall by Arizona back in 2011, Peterson has become a franchise icon over the past decade. After eight Pro Bowls, three first-team All-Pro selections, and countless flare-ups with team brass, P2 says he’s open to a new arrangement. He could wind up anywhere, he concedes, but one thing is for sure — he wants to keep playing. In fact, his goal is to keep it going for another six seasons to solidify what he says is a “Hall of Fame resume.”
Russell Wilson Frustrated With Seahawks?
Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson is frustrated with the team’s inability to construct a solid offensive line, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears. The eight-time Pro Bowler has been sacked nearly 400 times across nine seasons, making Wilson’s camp nervous about his health, longevity, and potential to win moving forward in Seattle. 
[RELATED: Seahawks’ Wilson Drawing Trade Interest]
The Seahawks have been receiving calls on Wilson lately, but they’ve turned down every suitor so far. If Wilson is truly unhappy with team brass, that could potentially spark some activity. And, for what it’s worth, the Seahawks have at least pondered the possibility before. In 2018, the Browns approached the Seahawks and daangled either the No. 1 or No. 4 overall pick. Internally, the Seahawks reasoned that they would need both picks to consider such a blockbuster.
Wilson, 33 in November, managed 40 passing touchdowns last year en route to Pro Bowl selection No. 8. Still, Wilson wants to be more involved in the team’s roster construction.
“It think it helps to be involved more,” Wilson told The Dan Patrick Show this week (Twitter link). “I think that dialogue should happen more often.”
Meanwhile, the Seahawks will have to weigh their affinity for Wilson against an impending numbers crunch. His four-year, $140MM extension signed in 2019 furnished him with an average annual salary of $35MM. There’s only two years to go on that deal, and, barring a severe drop in the cap, Wilson is probably on course for a raise.
Marty Schottenheimer Passes Away At 77
Longtime NFL coach Marty Schottenheimer passed away at the age of 77, as ESPN.com’s Chris Mortensen tweets. Schottenheimer, who spent 21 years in the league, has been battling Alzheimer’s for the past six years.
Schottenheimer served as a head coach for the Browns, Chiefs, Chargers, and the Washington Football Team. All together, he compiled a regular season record of 200-126-1. Running back LaDainian Tomlinson, who spent five years under Schottenheimer in San Diego, praised Schottenheimer as the best head coach he ever had.
“I never went into a game with Marty as coach feeling like I wasn’t fully prepared to win,” Tomlinson said (via ESPN.com). “He really wanted you to understand every detail of the game plan..I will remember him more for the life lessons that he taught me.”
Schottenheimer last coached in 2006, leading the Chargers to a 14-2 regular season record. Though his teams never reached the Super Bowl, he was a highly-respected football mind and mentor throughout his career. His coaching tree spawned the likes of Tony Dungy, Bill Cowher, Mike McCarthy, and Bruce Arians, who is fresh off of a dominant championship victory. Meanwhile, his son, Brian Schottenheimer, has been coaching in the league for more than two decades. Just last week, Brian signed on for his latest position with the Jaguars’ staff.
Latest On Eagles, Carson Wentz
Before the Super Bowl, we heard that a Carson Wentz trade could be imminent. However, the Eagles are not close to completing a deal with any of the interested teams at this time, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (on Twitter). 
The Bears and Colts are among the teams eyeing No. 11, but the other clubs involved remain a mystery. It’s believed that the other teams that missed out on new Rams starter Matthew Stafford could entertain Wentz — that list includes the Broncos, Panthers, and 49ers. Of course, the Panthers and Broncos would prefer a deal for Deshaun Watson, if they can work the Texans down to a reasonable ask. One of those two players will likely be the next domino to fall in the QB carousel.
The Colts, who just lost Philip Rivers to retirement, would be a logical fit for Wentz. Wentz, meanwhile, wouldn’t mind reuniting with former mentor Frank Reich.
Publicly, the Eagles have said that they’d like to move forward with Wentz, but the North Dakota State product still wants out. Any team taking him on would also be taking on his sizable contract, which runs through 2024. However, there’s an escape hatch after the 2022 season, which helps somewhat. In any case, the Eagles won’t be able to match the Stafford package of two first-round selections and a third-rounder. Stafford, at this point, has more appeal, and the Lions took on Jared Goff‘s hefty contract in order score all of that draft capital.
Bucs’ Mike Evans Willing To Take Pay Cut
Mike Evans is scheduled to make $12.5MM next year. However, the Buccaneers’ star wide receiver is willing to take a little bit less if it keeps the Super Bowl-winning band together. 
[RELATED: Gronk Wants To Return]
“Mike Evans is the most unselfish superstar I’ve ever met,” head coach Bruce Arians told Peter King of NBC Sports. “He’s told us to use some of his money if we need to contracts to keep the team together.”
The Buccaneers are hoping to keep tight end Rob Gronkowski and the rest of their key pending free agents. Among those eligible for the open market: wide receivers Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown, inside linebacker Lavonte David, defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, and edge rusher Shaquil Barrett.
Evans has helped the Bucs move money around in the past, including a 2019 adjustment that converted $2MM of his base salary into a signing bonus. The layout of his deal — a five-year, $82.5MM extension inked less than two years ago — allows for flexibility with no guaranteed dollars from this point forward.
Evans may seek some locked-in dollars in exchange for his cooperation. But, either way, the Bucs will probably take up Evans on his offer, especially with the possibility of a $180MM cap this offseason.