Latest On Raiders’ Marshawn Lynch
The Raiders will play in Oakland for at least one more year and that improves the odds of a Marshawn Lynch return, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Oakland native was not interested in the alternative scenarios that would have seen the Raiders playing outside of the region, but the running back could be convinced to come back to play in his hometown. 
[RELATED: Ravens Cut WR Michael Crabtree]
Lynch, 33 in April, saw his 2018 season cut short by a groin injury. He appeared in only six games, though he still managed to average 4.2 yards per carry as a part of a shaky Raiders offense.
For what it’s worth, Jon Gruden says the Raiders would “love” to have Lynch back in uniform. Still, Lynch is out of contract, so a new deal will be required. veteran Doug Martin is also ticketed for free agency and younger option Jalen Richard will be a restricted free agent, so there are a lot of moving parts involved.
Over the course of his career, Lynch has accumulated five Pro Bowl nods and one first-team All-Pro selection. He’s averaged 4.3 yards per carry across eleven seasons and has posted double-digit touchdown totals in four separate campaigns.
Raiders To Play In Oakland In 2019
The Raiders and the Coliseum Authority reached an agreement for the team to remain in Oakland for the 2019 season, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The two sides are still ironing out details, but the deal will allow the Raiders to also stay for 2020 if their Las Vegas stadium is not ready.
[RELATED: Jon Gruden Discusses Raiders’ Plans]
After a board meeting to solidify the agreement on Friday or Tuesday, the deal will go in front of Oakland city council. After that, the Raiders will seek final approval at the league meetings in March.
There have been a number of scenarios discussed for the Raiders recently, including one in which the Raiders would play in San Francisco’s Oracle Park, the home of MLB’s Giants. That accord ran into issues, however, as the 49ers refused to waive their territorial rights to the San Francisco area.
The Raiders are expected to pay a $7.5MM fee to play in the Coliseum in 2019.
Ravens To Release WR Michael Crabtree
The Ravens informed wide receiver Michael Crabtree that he is being released, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Crabtree will hit the open market again, just one year after signing a three-year, $21MM free agent deal with the Ravens last year. 
Crabtree didn’t live up to expectations in his first season with Baltimore and finished out with just 54 catches for 607 yards and three touchdowns. He connected with Joe Flacco at times, but his production fell off once Lamar Jackson took over as the team’s starting QB.
Without Crabtree on the roster, the Ravens will save $4.667MM against the 2019 cap. However, they’ll also carry an equivalent dead money hit.
Crabtree will turn 32 in September, so it’s unlikely that he’ll see similar money on his next deal given his so-so stat line and age. He had similar catch and yardage numbers with the Raiders in ’17, but those stats were buoyed by eight touchdown receptions.
On the plus side, this year’s free agent wide receiver crop is softer than in years past. This year’s class is headlined by the likes of Golden Tate, Jamison Crowder, and Tyrell Williams.
Ohio State’s Nick Bosa To Participate In Combine Drills
Ohio State defensive end Nick Bosa will participate in all drills at the NFL Draft combine, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Bosa’s final season was mostly lost to a core muscle injury, but he’s been healthy enough to practice for the past month, Rapoport hears. 
Bosa, of course, is in the mix to be the No. 1 overall pick in the draft. Despite playing in only three games last year, many believe that Bosa has the potential be a game-changer in the NFL, similar to older brother Joey Bosa. As a sophomore, Bosa registered 8.5 sacks and 16 total tackles for a loss and was named a unanimous First Team All-Big Ten selection. Even in his injury-shortened junior season, Bosa managed four sacks and six tackles for a loss in just three games.
At 6’4″ and 263 pounds, Bosa already has the size to compete at the next level. The Cardinals have other holes to address, but he could be the first player selected in April since Arizona could use some additional pass rushing ammo outside of Chandler Jones. If he can prove his health in Indianapolis, it’s hard to see Bosa slipping outside of the top 5.
The Cardinals, 49ers, Jets, Raiders, and Buccaneers are scheduled to be the first five teams up when the draft commences on Thursday, April 25.
Panthers To Release CB Captain Munnerlyn
The Panthers are releasing nickel cornerback Captain Munnerlyn, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Munnerlyn, 31 in April, should have suitors given that this is an uncharacteristically soft crop for free agent slot corners. 
Munnerlyn spent the first five seasons of his career with the Panthers before hooking on with the Vikings as a free agent in 2014. After the expiration of his three-year, $14.25MM deal, he returned to Carolina on a four-year, $21MM deal in 2017. By releasing him midway through the deal, the Panthers will save $2MM against the cap while carrying $3MM in dead money.
Last year, Munnerlyn appeared in all 16 games for Carolina, including five starts. He recorded 47 total stops, two sacks, an interception, and nine passes defensed in 2018. The advanced metrics weren’t wild about him, however, as he placed as the No. 83 cornerback in the NFL out of 112 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus.
The Panthers also decided to move on from safety Mike Adams, so the Panthers are clearly looking to overhaul their secondary in 2019. Last year, the Panthers’ secondary allowed an average of 240 passing yards per game, putting them roughly in the middle of the pack, so there’s room for improvement.
Peter King On Riley, Murray, Haskins
Towards the end of the 2018 season, there was a lot of buzz surrounding Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley and a potential jump to the pros. Ultimately, Riley opted to stay put with the Sooners.
Recently, Peter King of NBC Sports had the opportunity to catch up with Riley and ask him about the possibility of moving to the NFL at some point down the line.
“I certainly wasn’t tempted at all this year. I would say right now it wouldn’t surprise me at all if I am a college lifer,” Riley said. “I think it’ll be interesting how a lot of things go on from here … if there’s a lot of changes in both games. Football is evolving; there’s a lot of changes obviously at the NFL level right now. There’s a lot of changes with all the transfers and recruiting and all the different things going on at the college level. You never know how those games are going to evolve. I might’ve been tempted honestly had I not been at a place like Oklahoma. But this is one of the best jobs there is in football. Like I’ve said before, I’ll never say never. I never want to promise things that I can’t 1,000% guarantee. It’s not something that really tempts me at all right now.”
After coaching Heisman Trophy winners in back-to-back seasons, Riley is certainly in a great position at Oklahoma. He also recently inked a lucrative extension with OU, so his comfort in Norman, Oklahoma is certainly understandable.
Here’s more from King:
- There has been a lot of talk about Kyler Murray and his lack of bulk, but King hears the quarterback has bulked up to 206 pounds, a significant jump from his playing weight of 190 pounds at Oklahoma.His added size may give teams confidence that he’s ready to withstand bigger hits at the next level.
- Murray and Ohio State QB Dwayne Haskins are solid top 10 picks, based on what King is hearing. Meanwhile, King doesn’t put a lot of stock into the will-they-won’t-they talk about whether the QBs will throw at the combine. In King’s experience, he’s never heard post-draft chatter of a team executive having downgraded a QB because he did not throw at Indianapolis.
- King gets the sense that the Rams are hoping that left tackle Andrew Whitworth will come back for one more season, even though he’ll earn a substantial $10.7MM in the final year of his three-year pact. Right now, the 37-year-old is wrestling with the idea of retirement, but the Rams could use his skill and experience, especially since the Rams could lose free agent left guard Rodger Saffold in March. Rising sophomore Joseph Noteboom could take over for Saffold, but the 2018 third-rounder may be forced to fill even bigger shoes at left tackle if Whitworth hangs ’em up.
Panthers Won’t Re-Sign Mike Adams
On Monday morning, Panthers safety Mike Adams took to Instagram to tell fans that he won’t be returning to the team. However, the veteran hopes to continue playing in the 2019 season. 
“This great city and organization showed me nothing but love while I was here!” Adams wrote. “I have a lot more ball left so I plan on playing this year! I just hope the young boys have learned as much from me as I did from them!”
Adams, who turns 38 in March, has been a starter for the majority of his career. He’s been first-string for every Panthers game over the last two years and finished out the 2018 season with 75 tackles, six passes defensed, and three interceptions.
However, the Panthers are looking to get younger in the secondary and the advanced metrics indicate that Adams may have lost a step in 2018. Last year, he earned a 51.4 overall score from Pro Football Focus – his lowest since his rookie season in 2006 – and graded out as just the No. 86 overall safety in the NFL out of 93 qualified players.
Adams, and the league’s other free agents, can officially sign with clubs beginning on March 13.
Chiefs Sign EJ Manuel, Sammie Coates
The Chiefs have signed quarterback EJ Manuel and wide receiver Sammie Coates, according to a team announcement. They also inked receiver Davon Grayson and defensive back Dontae Johnson. 
Manuel, 29 in March, has not suited up since his 2017 season with the Raiders. Before that, the former first-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the Bills. All in all, Manuel has a career 6-12 record, a 58.1% completion percentage, and 20 touchdowns against 16 interceptions. The Florida State product has not lived up to his draft billing so far, but he’ll look to impress in Kansas City and stick as a backup to star Patrick Mahomes.
Coates, 26 in March, made some noise with the Steelers as a youngster but has not done a whole lot over the last two years. He had six catches for 70 yards with the Browns in 2017 and had just one catch for 12 yards in his run with the Texans last year. Coates auditioned for the Colts and Cowboys towards the end of the 2018 season, but did not sign with either club.
Bears To Release Cody Parkey
The Bears will release Cody Parkey at the start of the league year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport hears that Parkey is embracing the fresh start and it doesn’t hurt that Parkey is still owed a guaranteed $3.5MM from Chicago in 2019. 
The 27-year-old missed a potential game winner against the Eagles in the opening round of the playoffs, putting him on thin ice. His 43-yard try off the upright was a heartbreaker, though it wasn’t exactly Parkey’s fault as it was tipped by defensive tackle Treyvon Hester. After that, he may have put his job in further jeopardy when he made a guest appearance on NBC’s Today show to discuss the miss. The lighthearted segment rubbed head coach Matt Nagy the wrong way and drew the ire of many Bears fans.
“For me, you understand that we always talk about a ‘we’ and not a ‘me’ thing,” Nagy said. “We always talk as a team, we win as a team, we lose as a team. You know, I just, I didn’t necessarily think that that was too much of a ‘we’ thing.”
By discontinuing Parkey’s four-year, $15MM deal, the Bears will be left with a $4.4MM dead cap hit for the upcoming year.
Soon after Parkey’s national TV appearance, the Bears auditioned a group of six or seven kickers including Nick Folk, Blair Walsh, and Austin MacGinnis. They wound up signing one of the lesser-known names, Redford Jones, after the tryout.
Steelers Rumors: Brown, Bell, Ravens
The Steelers are willing to explore Antonio Brown trade scenarios, but Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette senses that they would like to control where he winds up. He believes they would not want to trade him to divisional rivals (Ravens, Bengals, Browns), nor would they want to send him to the Patriots.
It’s not immediately clear whether Dulac has heard this first hand from the Steelers’ front office, but that certainly seems like a logical position for the Steelers to take.
Here’s more from Pittsburgh:
- Le’Veon Bell passed on $14.544MM in 2018, and he’ll have a lot of trouble recouping that loss in free agency, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com opines. Bell, he notes, would have to sign a deal giving him $33MM in total compensation in Year 1 in order to effectively replace the money he lost out on by rejecting the Steelers’ offer. For reference, Todd Gurley‘s recent extension will pay him $28.5MM in his first new year (2020), and Gurley is younger. Bell is also said to be seeking $50MM through the first two years, which may be unattainable given that Gurley is set to make $37MM in that span. Currently, Khalil Mack and Aaron Donald are the only two non-quarterbacks with a two-year cash flow of $50MM or more.
- The Jets are the most likely destination for Bell, in the opinion of Darryl Slater of NJ.com. Armed with $100MM+ in cap space and an obvious need for Bell, the Jets make a ton of sense. The Jets are not necessarily in a position to win right away, but Bell would probably have to accept less money to join a contender such as the Packers. The Eagles, Buccaneers, and Raiders also made Slater’s top five.
- On Friday, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told reporters that three teams have inquired on Brown.