Raiders To Exercise Karl Joseph’s Option?
Despite recent speculation to the contrary, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden indicated that the Raiders will exercise the fifth-year option on safety Karl Joseph (Twitter link via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle). Of course, there’s still plenty of time between now and the May deadline, so things could change. 
The Raiders were reportedly willing to trade Joseph at last year’s trade deadline for a third-round pick, though they were unable to find any takers. Moving Joseph this time around could require taking a lot less and that might not make sense for the Raiders since the 2020 fifth-year option would be guaranteed for injury only.
Joseph has not quite set the world on fire since being taken with the No. 14 overall pick in 2016, but he did show some promise last year. Joseph finished out with 48 tackles, two sacks, an interception (the third of his career) and graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 ranked safety in the NFL.
Regardless of what happens with Joseph, the Raiders’ secondary will have a new look in 2019.
Either way, Joseph will have a new running mate in the Raiders’ defensive backfield in 2019. Veterans Reggie Nelson and Marcus Gilchrist are not expected to return, so there will be a new free safety starting opposite of Joseph’s spot at strong safety.
Kyler Murray Measures At 5’10”
Kyler Murray could be well on his way to being a top 5 pick in the NFL Draft. The Oklahoma quarterback measured in at 5’10” at the NFL Draft combine, which should give teams some comfort in his ability to see over defenders. 
[RELATED: Jets Open To Trading No. 3 To Giants]
Murray’s formal measurement put him at one-eighth of an inch over 5’10”, which was no small matter. There were rumblings of Murray being no taller than 5’9″ without shoes and such a measurement would have been devastating for his draft stock.
Murray’s hand also measured at 9.5 inches, which should be good enough to palm and handle an NFL football. That might not sound like a big deal, but quarterbacks have slid down the board in the past due to their hand size. His weight of 207 pounds should also bring comfort to execs who were concerned about whether he’d able to absorb hits at the pro level.
With those hurdles cleared, Murray should be one of the first names called in April. He may even be a contender for the No. 1 overall pick, which may or may not be kept by the Cardinals.
Jon Gruden: Derek Carr Is Our Franchise QB
The Raiders have been heavily connected to Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray, but Jon Gruden insists that Derek Carr is still very much in the team’s plans. On Thursday, Gruden reaffirmed his commitment to Carr, just one day after GM Mike Mayock did the same. 
“Yes. He’s our franchise quarterback. Let me make that clear,” Gruden said (via PFT).
Carr’s $19.9MM base salary for 2019 became fully guaranteed a few weeks ago. The Raiders could still explore other QB options, of course, but a Carr release is no longer a real possibility.
Gruden’s vote of confidence for Carr won’t necessarily put a damper the Murray speculation. Recently, Gruden said that watching Murray play was like “watching a video game” and lauded the QB for his athleticism. With four picks in the top 35, including the No. 4 overall choice, the Raiders have enough ammo to take Murray and still strengthen other areas.
Carr, 28 in March, went just 4-12 as the Raiders’ starter last season. He completed a career-high 68.9% of his passesbut threw for only 19 touchdowns against ten interceptions.
Jets Open To Trading Down From No. 3
Last year, the Jets traded up from the No. 6 overall pick to the No. 3 choice. This year, GM Mike Maccagnan says they’re open to moving down from No. 3 (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). 
“Right now, we feel good at No. 3, but I’d definitely say if there’s an opportunity to trade down, we would absolutely look at it,” the GM said.
The Jets have 20+ impending free agents and multiple holes to fill, so a trade down would make a lot of sense. Typically, teams trading down from top 5 picks tend to pair up with quarterback-needy teams, and interestingly enough, the rival Giants own the No. 6 pick and could be one of those clubs. The Jets and Giants haven’t pulled off an intra-Meadowlands trade since 1983, but Maccagnan is not opposed to breaking the 36-year drought.
“Yeah, I think I would be open to any team that would,” Maccagnan said, when asked specifically about the Giants. “As long as the trade made sense to us, there’s nothing that would stop us from doing that.”
The Jets could be in line for a big haul if one team badly wants Dwayne Haskins or Kyler Murray. Alternatively, they could stand pat and have a chance at players like defensive end Nick Bosa, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, or outside linebacker Josh Allen.
49ers Notes: Garoppolo, Brown, Sherman
49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is expected to be ready for OTAs, as Jennifer Lee Chan of NBC Sports writes.
“Everyone says they are ahead of schedule,” head coach Kyle Shanahan said. “And he is. I mean he’s been healing great. He hasn’t had knee trouble before. It was a clean ACL, so it’s been real good for him.”
As a QB, Garoppolo should be able to participate in OTA drills, but the risk factor is higher for teammate Jerick McKinnon. The running back, Shanahan says, is unlikely to be involved in the 7-on-7 scrimmages.
“He’s also a quarterback, so when we get to OTAs, it will be 7-on-7s, so we don’t have to worry about people falling at his knees,” Shanahan said. “So Jimmy will be able to practice a lot more than someone like Jet, who we have to be a little safer with, even though they might be at the same spot. We don’t want people to be falling into their legs, and that’s easier to control at quarterback than running back.”
Here’s more from San Francisco:
- The 49ers haven’t reached out to the Steelers about wide receiver Antonio Brown, but that doesn’t mean they won’t, Shanahan says. “We’re in the market for anything that makes our team better at every single position,” Shanahan said (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle).
- 49ers cornerback Richard Sherman says he’s had talks with the team and that both sides would like to continue together in 2019 (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson). Sherman signed a three-year deal with SF in March of 2018, but his ’19 salary is not guaranteed. As it stands, he’s scheduled to carry a $9.8MM cap figure this season.
- No surprise here, but former first-round pick Arik Armstead will be back with the team in 2019. “We’re not into losing good players, and he has played very well for us,” Shanahan said of the defensive lineman (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports). “I think he can take it to a whole ‘nother level and I hope to see him do that this year. If he does, that will be very good for the Niners and very good for him because he’s got the ability to do it. He’s already done some very good things for us in these two years. Hopefully, this year he can stay healthier. Hopefully, the addition of changing our style a little on the D-line will help him. And I expect him to get better.” One year ago, the Niners picked up the non-binding fifth-year option on Armstead’s contract. In two weeks, he’ll have his $9.046MM salary guaranteed for 2019.
Bucs Rumors: Brown, Steelers, Smith
We could see a lot of change in Tampa this year, but do not expect the Buccaneers to pursue Antonio Brown, GM Jason Licht says (via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert).
From a talent perspective, the Bucs would surely like to have Brown on the roster. However, a Brown trade would require the forfeiture of significant draft capital and would hurt the team’s cap room, effectively forcing them to mortgage the future for a soon-to-be 31-year-old.
For now, the Bucs seem intent on keeping deep threat DeSean Jackson, though it remains to be seen whether they can hang on to pending free agent Adam Humphries.
Here’s more on the Bucs:
- “I don’t envision Donovan Smith being anywhere else but the Bucs, at least for next year,” Licht said on SiriusXM (Twitter link via Greg Auman of The Athletic). He added that the franchise tag is “more than likely” for the left tackle. This jibes with what we’ve heard previously. if the Bucs follow through on that plan, they’ll be even less likely to keep their hands on Humphries.
- Bruce Arians’ recent chat with Jackson went well, according to the Bucs’ new head coach. “It went great. We had a long sit-down. From my perspective, it couldn’t have been any better,” Arians said (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com). “You’d have to talk to DeSean to find out what his perspective is. But I thought it was great. I look forward to working with him. Ton of respect for him as a player … and a person.” Licht, meanwhile, was non-committal when asked about D-Jax.
- Licht was similarly non-committal when asked about six-time Pro Bowler Gerald McCoy, who carries a $13MM cap hit in 2019 and is under contract through 2021. “Gerald’s been a real productive, successful player for the Bucs — one of the Bucs’ all-time best defensive players, you could argue,” Licht said. “He’s under contract. Ideally, [we’d] love it if he continued to be a Buc.” For what it’s worth, rumor has it that the Bucs see McCoy as a good fit, even as they transition to a 3-4 scheme.
- Rising sophomore M.J. Stewart will get looks at several positions but “we’d love to see him at safety,” Licht said (Twitter link via Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times). Last year, the 2018 second-round pick spent the bulk of his eleven games (five starts) at cornerback. He finished out with 33 tackles and three passes defensed.
- Licht noted that the Bucs can keep running back Peyton Barber with a high tender in order to keep him from free agency, which may give some insight into the team’s plans (via Auman). A second-round tender at just over $3MM should ward away other interested clubs.
- Caleb Benenoch struggled in 2018 as the team’s right guard and Licht believes that a switch to tackle is in his future, Auman writes. The change would mean a backup role, so Auman wonders if his job will be safe given his scheduled $2MM salary for ’19.
Jaguars Won’t Trade Jalen Ramsey
Jalen Ramsey has been vocal about his desire for an extension and has clashed with team brass in the past, but he won’t be traded this offseason, GM Dave Caldwell says (via PFT). The Jags also intend on exercising the defensive back’s fifth-year option, so it appears that he’s in their plans moving forward. 
[RELATED: Jaguars Balked At Nick Foles Trade]
“We’re not going to trade Jalen,” Caldwell said. “When you have a player that’s one of the top at his position, it’s hard to replace that player.”
Last year, the 24-year-old (25 in October) tallied 65 total tackles and three interceptions en route to a second career Pro Bowl nod. He had similar numbers in 2017, leading him to a First-Team All-Pro nod.
His outbursts aren’t necessarily well-received in Jacksonville, especially since old-school football figure Tom Coughlin sits above Caldwell, but the team is willing to take the good with the bad.
“He’s highly competitive and I think sometimes that might get the most of him,” Caldwell said. “He just had to learn to curtail some of that stuff.”
Colts Rumors: Doyle, Geathers, Brissett
The Colts will likely be without tight end Jack Doyle for the bulk of the offseason, GM Chris Ballard told reporters on Wednesday. Doyle, of course, missed significant time in the 2018 season thanks to a hip injury and finished out the year on IR thanks to a kidney injury that required surgery.
In six games last year, Doyle caught 26 passes for 245 yards and two touchdowns. Meanwhile, Eric Ebron picked up the slack with 66 grabs for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns. The Colts hope to have both players in the mix in two tight end sets, but if Doyle misses time, they have a deep TE unit to draw from including the recently re-signed Ross Travis and former basketball player Mo Alie-Cox.
Here’s more from Indy:
- The Colts want to re-sign safety Clayton Geathers, GM Chris Ballard says (Twitter link via Mike Chappell of FOX 59). Geathers, 27 in June, amassed 89 tackles and three passes defensed as the Colts’ starting strong safety. However, he missed four games and earned a so-so 67.4 score from Pro Football Focus, positioning him as just the 51st best overall safety in the NFL.
- Geathers, cornerback Pierre Desir, and wide receiver Dontrelle Inman will be allowed to test the market in March, even though there is interest in bringing each player back, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) hears. Holder adds that safety Matthias Farley will likely be tendered and should return to the squad in 2019.
- The Colts are still exploring backup quarterbacks and those conversations almost led them to signing Calgary Stampeders QB Bo Levi Mitchell recently, Holder hears (Twitter link). Still, Holder does not expect those conversations to have any direct impact on Jacoby Brissett‘s status for the coming year. The Colts say they’re not shopping Brissett, but if they do, they should find a decent market for his services.
Giants Interested In Nick Foles?
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur says the team will be moving forward with Eli Manning as the starting quarterback, but not everyone is convinced. For weeks, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com (on Twitter) has been hearing that the Giants are very interested in Eagles quarterback Nick Foles. 
[RELATED: Latest On Giants, Odell Beckham Jr.]
For the Giants, it was simply a matter of whether the Eagles would franchise tag the QB or allow him to become a free agent. With Wednesday’s news that the Eagles will allow Foles to explore the open market, the stars could be aligning for the Giants to pursue Foles. Of course, the Manning question still needs answering.
Shurmur coached Foles in Philadelphia, so it would only make sense for the Giants to consider him. Meanwhile, GM Dave Gettleman isn’t ruling out a veteran signing and Foles represents the best free agent QB option by far. Teddy Bridgewater will also hold appeal for teams, but unlike Bridgewater, Foles has recent game tape and a Super Bowl ring on his hand.
Raiders To Keep A.J. McCarron?
Raiders quarterback A.J. McCarron is scheduled to receive a $3MM bonus if he’s on the roster on March 15. In theory, the Raiders can cut him in the next two weeks to avoid that expenditure, but it sounds like he’s still in the team’s plans for 2019. 
“I think Jon [Gruden] and I both believe that the backup quarterback is one snap away from playing. It’s important to have someone like McCarron ready to go,” GM Mike Mayock said (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal).
In addition to his $3MM bonus on March 15, $1.1MM of McCarron’s $1.8MM salary will become fully guaranteed on March 17. McCarron, who moved between the Bengals, Bills, and Raiders last offseason, will probably be happy to take his coat off and stay a while.
When signed by the Bills in March of last year, McCarron was expected to serve as the successor to Tyrod Taylor. Unfortunately for him, things changed in April when the Bills drafted Josh Allen to be their QB of the future. Just before the start of the season, the Bills shipped McCarron to Oakland for a fifth-round pick.
McCarron probably still aims to be someone’s starter, but for now, he’ll be one snap away from anchoring the Raiders’ offense.