XFL Files For Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
The XFL has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, according to Daniel Kaplan of The Athletic (on Twitter). By going Chapter 11 instead of Chapter 7, the XFL is enabling itself to renegotiate debts, rather than liquidating its assets. In theory, the Chapter 11 designation would also allow the XFL to continue operations. 
[RELATED: XFL Suspends Operations, Lays Off Employees]
Late last week, the XFL suspended its operations and laid off all of its employees. On a company-wide conference call to announce the news, COO Jeffery Pollock did not provide any indication that the league would reopen. The decision to go Chapter 11 instead of Chapter 7 does not mean that the league is planning to make another return, but it does leave the door open slightly. In reality, a second XFL comeback is probably the furthest thing from Vince McMahon‘s mind right now.
“The XFL quickly captured the hearts and imaginations of millions of people who love football,” the XFL said in a statement (via TMZ). “Unfortunately, as a new enterprise, we were not insulated from the harsh economic impacts and uncertainties caused by the COVID-19 crisis. Accordingly, we have filed a voluntary petition for relief under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code.”
“This is a heartbreaking time for many, including our passionate fans, players and staff, and we are thankful to them, our television partners, and the many Americans who rallied to the XFL for the love of football.”
In the process, TMZ hears that the XFL has lost “tens of millions in revenue.” Still, the league paid its employees through April 12, weeks after the 2020 season was cancelled midway through. Meanwhile, XFL players have been freed to seek deals with NFL teams.
DeAndre Hopkins Passes Cardinals Physical
DeAndre Hopkins has passed his physical, James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. That takes care of one official piece of business in the pending Texans/Cardinals trade, though we’re still waiting for word on David Johnson‘s exam. 
Although much of the focus has been on Johnson’s physical, the Cardinals also had to do their due diligence on Hopkins. The stud wide receiver underwent wrist surgery following the 2014 season and had a pin and rod inserted afterwards. Of course, the injury hasn’t slowed him down much – Hopkins has played in all but two of his possible NFL games since 2013. In that span, he’s racked up 632 catches, 8,602 receiving yards, and 54 touchdowns. Now, he’ll try to keep up the good work with Kyler Murray under center in Arizona.
The Johnson physical should be the last step towards the deal becoming officially official. For what it’s worth, both sides have expressed confidence in the trade going down.
“There’s no concern,” Cardinals head coach Kliff Kingsbury told reporters recently. “Those (physicals) aren’t official as far as I know at this point, but we’ll get it done. There’s obviously — the medical field and personnel have much bigger fish to fry at this point. It’s been slower than it (normally) would be, but I have no doubts it’ll be done before the draft.”
Johnson, who has been hampered by knee problems, was healthy to close out the 2019 season. Still, the Texans will want to take an up-close look before signing off on the current terms of the deal. The swap sends Hopkins and a 2020 fourth-round pick to Arizona in exchange for Johnson, a 2020 second-round pick, and a 2021 fourth-rounder.
5 Key NFL Stories: 4/5/20 – 4/12/20
A look back at some of the NFL’s biggest stories from the past week:
Rams trade Brandin Cooks to Texans: Cooks will don his fourth NFL jersey. Or, to put it another way, that’s uni for every 1,000-yard season he’s had as a pro. Cooks, who won’t turn 27 until September, will do his best to fill the shoes of DeAndre Hopkins in Houston. In a deal that has been widely panned, the Texans gave up a second-round pick to acquire Cooks and a future fourth-round choice, despite Cooks’ troubling history of concussions. Meanwhile, the second round figures to have tons of young WR talent – all for a fraction of Cooks’ cost.
The NFL Draft goes fully virtual: In accordance with travel restrictions and social distancing measures, this year’s NFL Draft will be unlike any other draft we’ve ever seen. Early on, the league planned to have executives submit picks from their respective war rooms. Now, every official will be asked to conduct the draft from their respective homes. Some league figures say they’re concerned about security and potential glitches. Meanwhile, because of the muddle draft process, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert has proposed an additional three rounds for this year’s draft. With days to go before Day 1, Colbert’s idea is unlikely to be instituted, but other aspects of the draft may still be tweaked.
Dolphins favoring Herbert over Tua?: The chatter surrounding the Dolphins and Tua Tagovailoa has only gotten louder and louder in recent weeks. Still, there are conflicting reports on the Dolphins intentions. Recently, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report heard that Oregon’s Justin Herbert could be Miami’s real target at No. 5. Of course, this is still smokescreen season, so everything should be taken with a grain of driveway salt.
The end of the XFL?: This time, the XFL could be finished for good. After already calling off its (re)inaugural season midway through, the XFL laid off its entire staff and shut down operations entirely. Officially, Vince McMahon‘s league has not ruled out the chance of a return, but there has been zero discussion about a reboot in 2021.
Antonio Brown hires new representation: Brown hasn’t given up hope of an NFL return. This week, the controversial wide receiver hired a new agent to help make his case to teams. At this time, Brown remains barred from playing and there has been no real momentum towards reinstatement. There’s no telling when the league office will rule on his case, but it’s safe to assume that he will not be cleared to take the field by September.
PFR Originals: 4/5/20 – 4/12/20
In case you missed it, here’s a look back at the original content produced by the PFR team over the past week:
- Before Brandin Cooks was traded from the Texans to the Rams, Ben Levine reflected on the 2018 trade that sent Cooks from New England to Los Angeles (Next, we may ask Ben to predict the Powerball drawing.) That transaction marked the second trade of the wide receiver’s career and came just 13 months after the Patriots acquired him from the Saints.
- Speaking of Cooks, I asked PFR readers to score the trade from the Texans’ perspective. Results are still coming in but, so far, most of you have assigned the Texans a C or D for their latest blockbuster.
- This week marked the 27-year anniversary of the Reggie White signing with Green Bay. Ben took a look back at the four-year, $17MM deal that changed the face of the Packers organization and its historic significance. By today’s standards, a ~$4MM/year deal doesn’t sound like much, but it positioned White as the third highest-paid player in the NFL, behind only John Elway ($4.75MM/year) and Dan Marino ($4.43MM/year).
- The NFL Draft Prospect Profile series continued with previews of this year’s most ballyhooed rookies. This week, we looked at Clemson linebacker/safety Isaiah Simmons and Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs, two players with potential to go in the Top 5.
- Despite his pedigree and pass-rushing ability, Jadeveon Clowney is still without a team. PFR readers weighed in on the former No. 1 overall pick and his potential destination.
2020 NFL Cap Room By Team
The biggest names in NFL free agency might be off the board, but there are still plenty of noteworthy players on the board and high-profile cuts on the way. And, while some teams did their spending early, others are still sitting on lots of cash.
The latest cap figures from OverTheCap show that several teams are poised to pounce in the latter waves of free agency, starting with the Browns. The numbers also show that teams like the Rams still have work to do in order to sign their upcoming draft class. Also, the Eagles’ 2020 figure doesn’t quite tell the whole story – thanks to high-priced multi-year deals including Darius Slay’s new contract, they’re already overcommitted on dollars for 2021.
Here’s the complete rundown for all 32 teams, in descending order of cap space:
- Browns – $40.2MM
- Lions – $29.5MM
- Eagles – $27.1MM
- Colts – $24MM
- Dolphins – $23.9MM
- Redskins – $23.8MM
- Chargers – $22.3MM
- Titans – $21.5MM
- Bills – $20.9MM
- Texans – $18.6MM
- Broncos – $17.5MM
- Giants – $17.1MM
- Jets – $15.5MM
- Jaguars – $14.6MM
- Cowboys – $13.6MM
- Buccaneers – $13.5MM
- 49ers – $13.4MM
- Seahawks – $12.6MM
- Vikings – $12.3MM
- Ravens – $11.3MM
- Packers – $11.08MM
- Bears – $11.03MM
- Panthers – $9.4MM
- Raiders – $8.8MM
- Bengals – $7.3MM
- Steelers – $7.2MM
- Cardinals – $7MM
- Saints – $5.3MM
- Chiefs – $2.9MM
- Falcons – $2.4MM
- Patriots – $1.2MM
- Rams – (-$5.3MM)
NFL Draft Rumors: Reagor, WRs, Dantzler
Despite his lack of size, Jalen Reagor is making a name for himself in this year’s uncommonly deep crop of wide receivers. And, at his recent workout, Reagor boosted his stock even further. The TCU standout ran the 40-yard-dash in 4.28 and 4.22 seconds, according to the stopwatches of two observers, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. The hand-timed accuracy may be called into question, but no one is questioning Reagor’s speed as the draft draws near.
The 5-foot-11, 195-pound receiver turned in a 1,000-yard campaign in 2018, then dipped to a 43/611/5 line in 2019. Still, he stands as one of the more intriguing WRs up for grabs.
Here’s more on the NFL Draft, including this year’s WR market:
- The Raiders, Titans, Vikings, Colts, Packers, 49ers, Jets, Eagles, and Broncos are all in the hunt for wide receivers in the first three rounds, Adam Caplan of NFL.com tweets. Even after the likes of Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb, Henry Ruggs III, and Tee Higgins are off the board, there will be plenty of high-caliber talents available for them.
- The top four receivers figure to go inside of the Top 20 this year, but several receivers are in play for the back-end of the first round, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Pelissero lists Reagor, Arizona State’s Brandon Aiyuk, Baylor’s Denzel Mims, and Colorado’s Laviska Shenault Jr. as players who could make the first round cut.
- After a disappointing 4.6-second 40-yard-dash at the combine, Mississippi corner Cameron Dantzler ran a 4.38-second 40-yard-dash this past week and backed it up with video proof (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Meanwhile, Dantzler’s agent tells Calvin Watkins of the Dallas News (on Twitter) that his combine time was slowed by an injured hamstring. Most projections have Dantzler going somewhere in the first two rounds.
Dolphins Eyeing RBs In NFL Draft
The Dolphins’ recent track record on early-round running backs leaves much to be desired. Since 2000, the Dolphins have selected just two running backs in the first two rounds. Neither one panned out – they picked Ronnie Brown in 2005 when Aaron Rodgers was still available and went with Daniel Thomas over DeMarco Murray in 2011. This year, the Dolphins may look to buck the trend. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Favoring Herbert Over Tua?]
The Dolphins are likely to select a running back in the first two days of the draft, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. That may include their No. 26 pick towards the back of the first round or the No. 56 pick in the second.
One team official has been telling people that Georgia’s D’Andre Swift is high on their list. And, per a source who spoke with Jackson, he was set to visit in Miami before the league put the kibosh on travel. Ohio State’s J.K. Dobbins left his visit (pre-kibosh) feeling like the Dolphins were infatuated with him. There’s also Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor, who went to dinner with RB coach Eric Studesville. Plus, they’ve been in contact with FSU’s Cam Akers. Dobbins and Swift could be in the mix at No. 26, Jackson hears, while Taylor, Akers, and LSU’s Clyde Edwards-Helaire seem to be candidates at No. 56.
If the Dolphins want Swift or Dobbins, they’ll probably have to pounce on them in the first round. Swift has been on the NFL radar since his freshman season, when he averaged 7.6 yards per carry. The noise around him is still substantial after he ran for 1,218 yards and seven touchdowns. Dobbins, meanwhile, is coming off of a 2,000-yard campaign, his third straight season past the century mark.
Poll: Grading The Texans’ Side Of The Brandin Cooks Trade
Once again, wide receiver Brandin Cooks is on the move. Last week, the Rams shipped Cooks the Texans, marking the third time he’s been traded since entering the league in 2014. It’s one of the most curious cases in NFL history – Cooks has four 1,000-yard seasons to his credit, yet he’s been passed around at an unprecedented pace. As Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link) notes, running back Eric Dickerson is the only player on record to have been traded more than Cooks. The longtime Rams running back was dealt four times over the course of his career, though two of those trades came in his twilight seasons. Still only 26, Cooks has time to tie – and perhaps beat – the bizarre record. 
The Texans hope that won’t be the case. After trading DeAndre Hopkins to the Cardinals in a stunning blockbuster, they hope that Cooks will do his part to fill the void and stay for a while. Many, including ESPN.com’s Bill Barnwell, are skeptical. The Texans lost a bonafide superstar in Hopkins in exchange for a package headlined by running back David Johnson and a 2020 second-round pick. To land Cooks (and a 2022 fourth-round pick), they sacrificed a lesser 2020 second-rounder. Putting picks and contractual matters aside, they effectively swapped one of the game’s best receivers for two players with major medical red flags. For Cooks, there’s major concern over his concussion history.
There are arguments to be made for the Texans’ end of the deal. Cooks has age on his side and an impressive resume of his own. The Texans, in theory, could have used the No. 57 pick on one of this year’s ultra-promising wide receivers, but Cooks can be expected to outperform the rookies in the near-term. In short, the Texans unquestionably needed to replace D-Hop after sending him to Arizona. That won’t stop people from scrutinizing that head-scratching trade, but rocket ships don’t have rear views, and nothing short of a thoroughly failed Johnson physical is going to bring Hopkins back to Houston.
It’s also worth noting that the Rams are eating much of the up-front cost of Cooks’ contract, including his $4MM bonus for 2020. While the Texans are slated to pay Cooks $47MM over the next four seasons, only $8MM of that sum is guaranteed.
How do you grade the trade from the Texans’ perspective? Cast your vote below (link for app users) and tell us more about your report card in the comment section.
49ers Notes: Garoppolo, Draft, Kinlaw
After Jimmy Garoppolo struggled in the Super Bowl, many wondered whether the 49ers would explore quarterback options this offseason. Ultimately, they did not bite on Tom Brady or any of the other big-name passers. As far as teammate Kyle Juszczyk is concerned, the talk of replacing Jimmy G was overblown.
“I think people like the headlines,” Juszczyk told KNBR’s (h/t NBC Sports). “Jimmy G is a popular character out there, so if you can include his name in anything, I think you’re going to get a few more readers, a few more viewers that are going to check it out..I really, truly don’t understand why Jimmy gets [scrutinized] so hard. I think the guy had a phenomenal season, and I think anyone in our building will tell you that.”
Head coach Kyle Shanahan and other Niners officials have made similar comments to support Garoppolo. Meanwhile, we’ve heard that the Brady-SF connection was a bit overstated, even though the QB saw a potential match.
Here’s more on the Niners:
- Looking ahead to the draft, the 49ers are looking at offensive tackles who could be available late in the first round or early in the second round, Matt Barrows of The Athletic writes. They currently hold Nos. 13 and 31, but their other leanings suggest that they’ll look to trade back. For example, they’re doing lots of homework on middle-round tight ends, Barrows hears, even though they do not have any picks in Rounds 2-4 at present. They also have versatile defensive linemen and speedy wide receivers on the radar, Barrows hears. Strong safety is also on the to-do list as Jaquiski Tartt enters his walk year, but Barrows writes that it’s not one of the top priorities.
- If the 49ers stand pat at No. 13 overall, they could be tempted by South Carolina defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw, Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports writes. Kinlaw is green, but he also offers tremendous potential. In time, he could be the kind of player the Niners need to replace the impact of DeForest Buckner up front.
- California governor Gavin Newsom isn’t optimistic about the 49ers, Rams, and Chargers being able to host fans in their stadiums by September. Meanwhile, President Donald Trump is pushing the NFL to start its 2020 season on time.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Smith, Eagles
The Cowboys gave Aldon Smith another chance in the NFL by signing him to a one-year deal earlier this month. Although the Cowboys have been known to take chances on players with off-the-field issues, the move surprised many. Smith remains indefinitely suspended by the NFL, so it’s not a given that he’ll be allowed to take the field in 2020.
Smith has reportedly been clean and sober for the past nine months. In an interview with Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Smith opened up about his troubled past and vowed to make the most of his opportunity.
“I would say 2018 was a tough year,” Smith confessed. “In that year, I was in a really dark place…I was sleeping under a car for some nights because my sickness took me there. And I had a home to sleep in. But I was in such a dark place that I didn’t see myself deserving anything other than that.”
Now, Smith will look to get back to his All-Pro form in Dallas. A refresher: Smith managed 14 sacks as a rookie in 2011 and earned First-Team All-Pro honors in 2012 as he registered 19.5 sacks and helped the Niners reach Super Bowl XLVII.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- The Eagles seem likely to target wide receivers in the draft, but Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports believes that they should also explore veteran options in free agency. Recently, the Eagles have watched receivers like Robby Anderson and Breshad Perriman signed to cheaper-than-expected contracts and Zangaro feels that Howie Roseman should take advantage of WR value deals in the next wave. Still, it’s important to note the Eagles’ cap limitations – although they have ~$30MM to work with in 2020, the Birds are way over the cap for 2021. That means they’ll have to try for one-year deals with most free agents.
- Even if the Giants want to trade back from No. 4, the offers will probably be disappointing, SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. If the Lions move back from No. 3 by trading with the Chargers or Dolphins, Vacchiano reasons that the other club will be fine with standing pat – that means the Giants wouldn’t get a whole lot for their choice. Even though the Giants have multiple needs to address, staying at No. 4 wouldn’t necessarily be a bad thing. With that pick, they could have the opportunity to take any non-QB besides Ohio State’s Chase Young. In that scenario, versatile Clemson defender Isaiah Simmons and Iowa tackle Tristan Wirfs would both be there for the taking.
- The Redskins are among the clubs with interest in Utah State’s Jordan Love. The Patriots, Saints, Packers, Chargers, and Dolphins are also intrigued by Love’s pure mechanics and it’s possible that he could wind up as a first-round choice.