Packers Legend Bart Starr Dead At 85
Legendary Packers quarterback Bart Starr has died at the age of 85, according to a team press release. The Hall of Famer was synonymous with the Packers organization and was the only QB to ever lead his team to five NFL titles in a decade. 
“He called the right thing at the right time and he executed it,” said Boyd Dowler, Starr’s favorite receiver. “He never made a bad read. He never made a stupid throw. If somebody was open, he’d get you the ball. He knew what it took to win and he went about doing it. He was a tremendous competitor and he was so consistent.”
Starr played 16 years for the Packers, tying him with Brett Favre for the franchise record. He was the MVP and victor of the first two Super Bowls ever played and captured the league MVP trophy in 1966.
Starr is survived by his wife Cherry and his son, Bart Jr.
Jets Request Interviews With Douglas, Kelly
The Jets have requested interviews with Eagles executive Joe Douglas and Bears assistant director of player personnel Champ Kelly for their GM vacancy, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Douglas was immediately connected to the Jets job after Maccagnan’s firing and Kelly name emerged hours later.
[RELATED: Jets Won’t Try To Trade Le’Veon Bell]
Kelly has history with head coach Adam Gase dating back to their time with Denver. For the last two seasons, he’s served as a top official with the Bears. Kelly was one of the Fritz Pollard Alliance’s recommended GM candidates this offseason, but did not get an interview in the thick of the cycle.
Douglas, meanwhile, is said to be Gase’s top choice for the role. Still, Douglas is expected to be choosy when it comes to his next opportunity and many in the football world are questioning the Jets’ power structure given the timing and nature of Maccagnan’s firing.
This Date In Transactions History: Broncos Sign Jerry Rice
Jerry Rice is best remembered for his remarkable 16-year career with the Niners, in which he earned a dozen Pro Bowl nods and ten First-Team All-Pro selections. After that, Rice had some less remarkable – but still productive – seasons with the Raiders. His final NFL games were spent in a Seahawks uniform, but that wasn’t the original plan. On this date in 2005, Rice signed a one-year contract with the Broncos. 
“For so many years there was so much pressure on me,” Rice told Denver beat reporters on a conference call after signing his deal (via The Associated Press). “I had to set a certain standard and I still carry on that standard. But I had a lot of weight on my shoulders. I had blinders on. I couldn’t hear the crowd. I couldn’t hear them chanting my name and I couldn’t see little kids in the stands. I was so focused on what I had to do. The last couple of years, though, he has been more of a role player. The ball was not coming my way every down and I’m really enjoying the game and having fun.”
Rice was 42 years old at the time, meaning that his plans to continue playing were ambitious, even by Jon Gruden‘s standards today. In 2004, the legendary receiver totaled just 30 catches for 429 yards and three touchdowns. Even though he still averaged an impressive 14.3 yards per reception, he was no longer the player that he once was, and Denver head coach Mike Shanahan did not guarantee his place on the roster.
“I told Jerry that I don’t know if he’s lost a step or two steps, but you’re going to come here for one reason and that’s to compete with the other guys,” Shanahan said. “And if you’re one of our top five guys at the end of camp, then you’re going to be on our football team. If you’re not, I said I’d have one of the toughest jobs in the world.”
As the season drew near, Rice realized that he would be no higher than fourth or fifth on the Broncos’ depth chart. After serving as a role player in ’04, Rice decided in September that he would rather retire than be a role player in Denver.
The receiver left the game with remarkable league-record totals of 1,549 catches for 22,895 yards and 197 touchdowns – numbers that are in no danger of being eclipsed anytime soon, unless Larry Fitzgerald changes course and decides to play into his 40s.
So, Rice’s run with the Broncos never came to pass, but if you happen to have his replica orange-and-blue jersey hanging in your closet, you can probably fetch a nice price for it on eBay.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Jets, Gase, Bills, Eagles
It has been widely reported that Adam Gase forced Mike Maccagnan out of the Jets’ front office, but the head coach/interim GM denied those accusations in a press conference on Thursday.
“Me and Mike had disagreements on a few things. There was no personal rift,” Gase said (Twitter link via Darryl Slater of NJ.com).
Gase claims that team CEO Christopher Johnson called and told him Maccagnan was gone, and did not ask Gase for input on the decision (Twitter link). Whether or not that’s really the case, we know that Gase will have input in the hiring of the team’s next GM.
Here’s more from the East divisions:
- New Bills tight end Lee Smith‘s three-year deal is worth $9MM with $4.9MM fully guaranteed, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter). The guarantees indicate that Smith had a strong market following his release from the Raiders.
- Eagles center/guard Stefen Wisniewski‘s one-year deal is worth $1.5MM with $250K fully guaranteed, according to Caplan (Twitter link). That’s a solid value for Philadelphia given Wisniewski’s experience and versatility. Before circling pack to the Eagles, Wisniewski also garnered interest from the Vikings and Jets.
- The Patriots no longer appear to be in the mix for Gerald McCoy.
Browns Wrap Draft Class
The Browns’ draft class is in the books. On Friday, the Browns inked third-round linebacker Sione Takitaki, which means that all of the following players are officially in the fold:
- 2-46: Greedy Williams, CB (LSU): Signed
- 3-80: Sione Takitaki, LB (BYU): Signed
- 4-119: Sheldrick Redwine, S (Miami): Signed
- 5-155: Mack Wilson, LB (Alabama): Signed
- 5-170: Austin Seibert, K (Oklahoma): Signed
- 6-189: Drew Forbes, T (Southeast Missouri State): Signed
- 7-221: Donnie Lewis Jr., CB (Tulane): Signed
Last year, Takitaki led BYU with 118 tackles, but many teams had him low on the board due to his past off-the-field troubles. Takitaki got into a dorm fight in his freshman year, allegedly stole property on campus as a sophomore, and spent time away from the program in 2016 due to academic issues.
In spite of those red flags, the Browns are excited about Takitaki’s potential.
“Takitaki is a tough son of a gun,” Browns director of college scouting Steve Malin said during the draft. “I’m excited about having Takitaki because of his physical presence and what he brings to this organization. Obviously, there is a lot of exposure that all of us in the personnel department got on all these players.”
Adam Jones Retires From NFL
This is the end of the line for Pacman. On Friday, cornerback Adam Jones took to social media to announce his retirement from football. 
Jones, 35, hooked on with the Broncos late in the 2018 preseason. At the time, the Broncos saw him as a strong No. 4 cornerback and punt returner, but he didn’t quite live up to expectations. After seven games and ten punt returns for just 25 yards in total, the Broncos released him in November. Jones was not on the NFL radar after that, so his retirement does not come as a shock.
Jones legacy may be clouded by his string of off-the-field incidents, but he was a force while on the field in his prime. After being selected with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 draft by the Titans, Jones made some head-turning plays, including three punt return touchdowns in his sophomore year.
Years after being ID’d as a suspect in the now-infamous Atlanta shooting incident, Jones found his second wind with the Bengals. Jones spent eight years in the Bengals’ secondary and put together three straight seasons with three interceptions in each. In 2014, Jones earned his first ever First-Team All-Pro nod and received a Pro Bowl selection in 2015.
Jones leaves the game after 12 NFL seasons (he was out of football for the ’07 and ’09 campaigns), 146 games played, and nearly $40MM in career earnings.
Gerald McCoy Draws $11MM/Year Offer
Gerald McCoy has drawn offers as high as $11MM per season, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). Furthermore, Stroud hears that McCoy has garnered interest from ten teams since his release from Tampa. 
So far, McCoy has been connected to the Browns, Ravens, Falcons, Saints, Colts, Bengals, and Panthers. The Patriots were also said to have interest in the defensive tackle, but on Thursday night we learned that they are no longer in the mix.
It’s unlikely that McCoy will be able to match his previous $13MM/year salary, but he might get something close to that from one of these clubs. Of course, in some of these cases, negotiating will be a bit like trying to extract blood from a stone since clubs like the Falcons and Saints have little in the way of available cap space.
First up for McCoy is a Friday visit with the Browns.
Panthers Inquire On Gerald McCoy
The Panthers inquired on free agent defensive tackle Gerald McCoy, according to Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). No visit has been scheduled just yet, but he’s squarely on Carolina’s radar. 
For those keeping score at home, that makes eight known teams with interest in the former Bucs standout:
The Bucs chose to release McCoy this week rather than pay him $13MM for 2019 or attempt to negotiate a pay cut. Even though Tampa preferred Suh (on a cheaper deal), McCoy was still quite productive in 2018 as he posted six sacks and brought his career total to 54.5.
The Panthers may struggle to find cap space for McCoy, but a lack of funding isn’t stopping contenders like the Saints, Patriots, or Falcons from pursuing him.
Saints Work Out RBs
The Saints worked out some running backs on Thursday, including Fozzy Whittaker, Robert Kelley, and Buck Allen (Twitter link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune). All three vets are looking for a spot on the roster to backup top rushers Alvin Kamara and Lavavius Murray. 
Whittaker, 30, has spent the last five years with the Panthers, but lost his 2018 season to a torn ACL. For the most part, he was used as a reserve option and a third-down running back. He saw the most usage of his career in 2016 when he carried the ball 57 times and averaged an impressive 4.6 yards per try in that limited sample. In 2017, however, he had just seven carries in 12 games.
Kelley only suited up for two games with the Redskins last year thanks to a toe injury. Kelley averaged 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2016, but has been unable to replicate that production.
Allen, meanwhile, saw time in 14 games for the Ravens last year, but averaged just 2.7 yards per rushing attempt. The former fourth-round pick had some moments early on in his career – including his 12 catches for 107 receiving yards against the Dolphins in 2015 – but has never topped the 4.0 YPC mark in any of his four NFL seasons.
Buccaneers Sign Ndamukong Suh
May’s biggest free agent is officially off the board. On Thursday, the Buccaneers announced the signing of defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh will receive a one-year deal worth $9.25MM with incentives that can push it to $10MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Suh’s arrival will give the Bucs a major stopper to replace six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, who was released on Monday. In essence, the Bucs swapped McCoy’s $13MM salary for Suh and defensive end Shaquil Barrett, who will earn a combined $13MM in 2019. With all due respect to McCoy, that’s a pretty outstanding value for Tampa.
Suh, 32, has five Pro Bowl nods and two First-Team All-Pro selections on his resume. Throughout his career, Suh has been one of the very best defensive tackles in the NFL with an impressive knack for finding the quarterback from the interior.
After five years with the Lions, Suh inked a six-year, $114MM with the Dolphins, making him the highest-paid defensive player in league history. Suh continued to play at a high level, but didn’t quite live up to the mammoth contract. Midway through, the Dolphins released him, paving the way for Suh to latch on with the Rams in 2018.
In L.A., Suh tallied 4.5 sacks and 59 tackles and graded out as the No. 20 ranked interior defender in the NFL. Those numbers aren’t in line with his best work, but it’s clear that the veteran still has a lot to offer for the Bucs.
Suh would have made sense for clubs like the Seahawks, Cowboys, Broncos, and Vikings, but the Bucs jumped at the opportunity to replace McCoy with the equally accomplished defender. Meanwhile, the deal brings Suh back to Florida, a no-income tax state.