Chargers Open To Antonio Gates Return
Last year, the Chargers were ready to move on from Antonio Gates and turn the keys over to rising star Hunter Henry. However, when a torn ACL sidelined Henry, the Bolts reverted to Gates with a new deal in September. Will he come back for yet another season? 
“My heart says, yeah, he’ll be back next year,” Chargers General Manager Tom Telesco said, via Sam Fortier of The Athletic. “But you put your GM hat on, and you look at what’s the role, where are resources are with the cap. We’ll come to that conclusion a lot quicker than we did last year.”
It’s hard to see Gates demanding much in the way of salary given his decline in usage and performance. Last year, even without Henry in his way, Gates finished out with just 28 catches for 333 yards and two touchdowns. Those are respectable numbers for your average tight end, but they were some of the lowest totals of Gates’ career.
Last year, Gates carried a $2.5MM charge against the Chargers’ cap. A similar deal could probably be struck, though the Bolts may want to keep the guaranteed base salary to a minimum in order to preserve their flexibility in the first couple of waves of free agency.
For his part, Gates wants to return. He’s also confident in his abilities, despite his advanced age.
“The teams we played think I can still can play if they’re still doubling me,” Gates said.
Saints ‘ Ben Watson To Miss NFC Title Game
Saints tight end Ben Watson won’t play this week against the Rams, a source tells ESPN.com’s Katherine Terrell (on Twitter). Watson missed two practices due to appendicitis and the painful malady will prevent him from taking the field. 
Watson has been able to avoid surgery so far, but anyone who has dealt with appendicitis knows that it’s debilitating, at least in the short term. But, should the Saints reach the Super Bowl, Watson will have a couple of weeks to rest up and get ready for the big game.
The 38-year-old has been incredibly durable throughout his 15-year career. Watson appeared in at least 12 games in 13 of his 15 seasons, and he had at least 20 receptions in 12 of those campaigns. The 2004 first-round pick spent the first six years of his career with the Patriots, including New England’s Super Bowl run in 2004 (although he won on the IR during their playoff run). Watson then spent three seasons in Cleveland before finding a home in New Orleans; the tight end has spent four of his past six seasons with the Saints (he also had a two-year stint with the Ravens).
Watson has been particularly productive during his tenure with New Orleans, including a 2015 campaign where he compiled a career-high 825 receiving yards. Watson re-joined the Saints on a one-year, $2MM deal back in March, and he appeared in all 16 games for the team in 2018, compiling 35 receptions for 400 yards and two scores. The first score was extra special as it was Drew Brees‘ 500th career touchdown pass.
Cowboys Fire OC Scott Linehan
Days after receiving a vote of confidence from head coach Jason Garrett, Scott Linehan is out of a job. The offensive coordinator has been dismissed, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Soon after Rapoport’s report, the Cowboys made it official with a formal announcement.
According to a statement from Garrett released by the team, this was a “mutual decision” between the Cowboys and the Linehan:
“This was not an easy decision because of how highly we regard Scott Linehan as a football coach and as a person. He and I had some really positive, substantive and open discussions which took place in the latter part of this week, and we ultimately agreed that it would be in the best interest of all of the parties involved if we were to make a change at this (offensive coordinator) position,” Garrett said. “This was very much a mutual decision, and there was a great deal of common ground and shared understanding between both of us during our meetings. Scott has had an incredibly positive impact on our football team. He has been instrumental in the development and success of a significant number of our veteran and younger players. He is an outstanding football coach, a great friend and we wish him and his family nothing but the absolute best moving forward.”
On Monday, Garrett told a local radio station that he did not foresee any changes to the coaching staff. Hours later, in a separate interview, he said that nothing was firm either way. Later, Jerry Jones did an interview of his own in which he made it clear that Garrett was not the one making the decision.
There were factors out of Linehan’s control – including the absence of offensive line anchor Travis Frederick – but there’s no way to sugarcoat it: the Cowboys offense underperformed in 2018. The midseason addition of wide receiver Amari Cooper opened things up, but the Cowboys ultimately did not have confidence in Linehan’s ability to steer the ship.
The Cowboys averaged 343.8 yards per game in 2018, good for just 22nd in the NFL. They also finished tenth in rushing yards, which fell below expectations given the presence of Ezekiel Elliott and the team’s reputation for having one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.
NFL Announces Early Entries For Draft
This year, 103 underclassmen have been granted eligibility for the 2019 NFL Draft, the league announced. It’s a near record-setter – last year, 106 players declared early entry for the 2018 draft.
Click below for the full rundown, in alphabetical order:
DeSean Jackson Non-Committal On Bucs
DeSean Jackson isn’t saying that he wants to play for new Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians. But, he isn’t closing the door on that possibility, either. 
“That’s what I got an agent for, bro. I don’t know,” Jackson told TMZ.”I just go play, bro. That’s all I worry about.”
His open-ended bro-filled answer while walking through the Los Angeles airport doesn’t tell us a ton, but it is a softened stance from where DJax stood just a few weeks ago. Jackson reportedly swore off the possibility of returning to Tampa and that came after an October kerfuffle in which he requested a pre-deadline trade.
Sometimes, absence makes the heart grow fonder, and the Bucs’ new regime could aid in a reconciliation. Arians loves the deep ball in his offense and Jackson could conceivably thrive under the team’s new direction.
Jackson is under contract for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that sum is completely non-guaranteed. At the moment, the Bucs have roughly $16MM in cap space, so they’ll may ask Jackson to take a pay cut in order to stay on board.
Bills’ Alexander Likely To Retire After Season
This week, Lorenzo Alexander agreed to a new deal with the Bills that will keep him away from free agency in March. It also sounds like this will be his last contract, period. 
“If you ask me today, yeah, this is my last year,” Alexander said (via Nick Veronica of the Buffalo News). “At some point you’ve got to eventually walk away from the game and start the second half of your life. Obviously, I’ve got a lot of life to live and there are other things I want to do. I have four kids that I want to be a part of what they’re doing, whether that’s Little League sports, dance, soccer, whatever that may look like.”
Alexander, who turns 36 in May, ranked eighth on the team in both defensive snaps played (62%) and special teams snaps played (39%). He also finished out with the second-highest Pro Football Focus score of any Bills player last season at 85.7 and finished with the second-most sacks on the team. Defensive end Jerry Hughes was the only teammate to finish higher than him in those categories.
Alexander’s new deal can pay him up to $4.55MM and carries a base value of $3MM. Given his past production and the league’s tendency to pay handsomely for pass rushers, one has to imagine that Alexander would have gotten more on the open market.
In addition to spending more time with the family, Alexander says he would like to go into broadcasting after his playing career is through.
Seahawks Sign QB Paxton Lynch
The Seahawks have signed quarterback Paxton Lynch, according to the NFL’s transaction wire. The deal was first reported by Ian Furness of KJR Radio (on Twitter). 
Lynch may be a backup option for the Seahawks in 2019 behind starter Russell Wilson. Before this pact, Wilson was the only QB under contract for next season. Brett Hundley, who finished out the year as Wilson’s backup, is set for unrestricted free agency.
Wilson, 31 in November, has had a perfect attendance record since entering the league in 2012. Still, you can’t bank on perfect health in football. For all his warts, Lynch may prove to be a quality QB2 for Seattle.
Lynch tried out for roughly 25% of the league’s teams since being cut by the Broncos in 2018, but was unable to land a contract. The former 26th overall selection in the 2016 draft was beaten out twice for the Broncos’ starting quarterback job by former seventh-round pick Trevor Siemian. In two years with Denver, Lynch managed to start only four games, completing 61.7% of his passes for 792 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. Among the 52 quarterbacks who attempted at least 125 passes during those two seasons, Lynch ranked 41st in passer rating and 46h in adjusted net yards per attempt.
Redskins Plan To Keep DC Greg Manusky
Greg Manusky isn’t going anywhere after all. The Redskins explored other candidates for their defensive coordinator position, but they now plan to retain Manusky instead, according to Les Carpenter of the Washington Post. 
Over the last couple of weeks, the Redskins have been reportedly mulling ex-head coaches Gregg Williams, Todd Bowles, and Steve Wilks for the DC job. They talked to all three men, but ultimately decided to keep Manusky in order to maintain consistency in the locker room. Someone with knowledge of the Redskins’ plans told Carpenter that head coach Jay Gruden was simply looking for “different perspectives” in those conversations, but it sounds like they would have liked to replace Manusky with Williams.
The Redskins’ D showed promise in 2018, but things fell apart on both sides of the ball after the club’s 6-3 start (of course, Alex Smith‘s injury played a significant role in their drop-off). According to Carpenter’s person in the know, the Redskins are aiming to keep the momentum moving for defensive tackles Daron Payne, Jonathan Allen, Matt Ioannidis, and other young defenders in 2019, despite the occasional hiccups experienced last year.
In 2018, the Redskins allowed the 17th-most yards in the NFL but were tied for tenth in turnovers with 26. Both were improvements over 2017, so things are trending up for Manusky’s unit.
Broncos Fire OC Bill Musgrave
The Broncos have fired offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post (on Twitter). This was the expected move after the team hired former 49ers assistant Rich Scangarello to serve as the team’s new OC. 
In theory, Musgrave could have stayed on with the Broncos in a different role, but Thursday’s move to dismiss him takes that option off of the table. From here, Musgrave can seek out other assistant jobs, and conceivably put himself in the running for some of the league’s remaining OC vacancies. The Bengals, Cardinals, Dolphins, Jets, Titans, and Cowboys are still in search of a new offensive chief.
Musgrave was elevated to Broncos’ OC position in the middle of the 2017 season when Mike McCoy was fired from the post.The Broncos went 2-4 after Musgrave took over play calling duties in 2017 and they went just 5–11 with him in 2018.
Musgrave was the Raiders’ offensive coordinator in 2015 and 2016 before the team declined to offer him a new contract following the ’16 season. Under Musgrave’s in ’16, the Raiders had the No. 6 ranked offense in the NFL.
Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette Challenges Voiding Of Guarantees
The Jaguars want to “move forward” with Leonard Fournette, but the running back wants to discuss some matters of business first. The former No. 4 overall pick wants the guarantees on his contract to be reinstated, according to Mike Florio of PFT. 
The entirety of Fournette’s contract was guaranteed until the Jaguars used Fournette’s late-season ban as reason to void the remaining guarantees on his rookie deal. Fournette’s team believes that the language in his contract does not allow the Jaguars to 86 his guarantees over a one-game ban for on-the-field conduct.
Fournette topped 1,000 rushing yards during his rookie campaign in 2017, but still failed to manage four yards per carry. Last season, he was set back by injuries. In total, he appeared in only eight games in 2018, rushing for 439 yards and five touchdowns. On an efficiency basis, Fournette ranked just 32nd among running backs in Football Outsiders‘ DVOA and 26th in success rate.
If the Jaguars truly want to start fresh with Fournette, it might make sense for them to cave on this dispute.