Drew Brees: I Won’t Return To Saints
Drew Brees is not walking through that door. After Jameis Winston suffered a potentially season-ending knee injury, the former Saints quarterback told NBC broadcast partner Mike Tirico that he will not consider a mid-season return (via NOLA.com). 
[RELATED: Saints Fear Torn ACL For Jameis Winston]
“Let me check [my phone],” Brees said jokingly when asked about his availability to play this week. “I’ll be there Saturday to call the Notre Dame-Navy game, and I’ll be [in the broadcast booth on] Sunday,” Brees said.
Brees, 42, seems happy in his post-football career. He’s also confident in backup Trevor Siemian, who guided the Saints to victory over the Bucs following Winston’s exit.
“I think he’s going to do well,” Brees said. “That’s exactly why he brought him in last year when I got hurt. He’s a cerebral guy who can pick up the system quickly. He can execute it. The bottom line is he has two really good running backs and a great defense. He’ll play within the system and I think Sean Payton has a lot of confidence in him.”
The Saints won’t have the 13-time Pro Bowler back under center, but they could see Taysom Hill return this week once he clears concussion protocol.
Titans’ Derrick Henry Done For Year?
Derrick Henry suffered a potentially season-ending foot injury last night (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). He’ll know more after an MRI today, but the early word isn’t promising for the Titans running back. 
[RELATED: Titans Place Darrynton Evans On IR]
Doctors fear that Henry is dealing with a Jones fracture, which would require season-ending surgery (Twitter link via Schefter). Henry suffered the injury towards the end of the second half, but somehow managed to play through the pain in overtime. A Jones fracture would not allow for any further heroics in 2021.
Henry currently leads the NFL with ten rushing touchdowns and 937 rushing yards, far ahead of Browns RB Nick Chubb (584). He finished Sunday night with 28 carries for 68 yards, with some of those totes coming after the injury.
If Henry misses time, the Titans will be left with Jeremy McNichols, Khari Blasingame, and Dontrell Hilliard at RB. Of course, none of those tailbacks can replace Henry, who tallied 2,027 rushing yards last year en route to his second straight rushing title.
The Titans advanced to 6-2 after edging the Colts last night. They’ll likely be without their star running back in Week 9 when they face the Rams.
Saints Fear Torn ACL For Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston‘s season could be over. The Saints believe their quarterback has suffered a torn ACL, plus additional damage to the MCL (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
“I think it’s significant. He felt something,” head coach Sean Payton said after the game (Twitter link). “I don’t want to say [what it might be] until I’ve had a chance to talk to the doctors.”
Winston’s leg twisted in the second quarter on a hit from linebacker Devin White. After the QB was carted off of the field, backup Trevor Siemian guided the Saints to a 36-27 win over the Buccaneers. Of course, much of the credit goes to the Saints D, which forced three turnovers from Tom Brady, including P.J. Williams‘ game-sealing pick six.
The Saints could stick with Siemian, depending on Taysom Hill‘s status. Hill has been out for the last few weeks with a concussion, so his availability for Week 9 against the Falcons is TBD.
Before his early exit, Winston completed six of his ten throws for 56 yards and one touchdown, plus four carries for 40 yards. His season will likely end with a 59% completion rate for 1,170 passing yards and 14 TDs against three interceptions.
Teams Inquire On Colts’ Kemoko Turay
Teams are exploring trades for Colts defensive lineman Kemoko Turay, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. The former second-rounder hasn’t quite lived up to his billing, but winning clubs would be happy to have him for the right price.
[RELATED: Broncos Getting Calls On Kareem Jackson]
Speaking of price, any GM could easily squeeze Turay’s salary under the cap. He’s in the final year of his rookie deal with just $1.19MM in total base salary. His new club would only be on the hook for roughly half of that sum, making him an attractive depth rental.
Turay, 26, has struggled with injuries throughout his career. This year, he missed the season opener and returned for Weeks 2-5, only to wind up back on the sidelines. Fortunately for him and the Colts, he managed to retake the field today against the Titans. His sack just before the two-minute warning pinned Tennessee for a 3rd-and-19, helping to force the game into OT.
The trade deadline falls on Tuesday, 4pm ET/3pm CT. If the Colts are 3-5 at that point, one has to imagine that they’ll accept a Day 3 pick for Turay.
Broncos’ Kareem Jackson Drawing Trade Interest
Sounds like we should keep an eye on Kareem Jackson this week. Teams have been calling on the Broncos defensive back in recent days, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. 
[RELATED: Broncos Activate Jeudy From IR]
Broncos GM George Paton fielded calls on fellow defensive back Kyle Fuller last week and it sounds like Jackson is drawing more interest as the deadline draws near. Paton isn’t necessarily inclined to deal Jackson, according to RapSheet, but the right offer could pry him loose.
Paton declined Jackson’s option on March 15, making him a free agent. Then, they brought him back roughly one week later. Originally, he was set to play out the final season of his three-year, $33MM pact. Instead, they negotiated him down to a modest one-year, $5MM contract to save about $7.1MM in cap space. That means any team acquiring Jackson would only have to budget for a couple million dollars — not bad for a lifelong starter with 12 years of pro experience.
Entering today, Jackson has 43 tackles, one interception, and one sack through seven games. Meanwhile, Pro Football Focus has assigned him an overall score of 61.5, good for 49th out of 80+ qualified safeties.
The Broncos are 3-4 heading into this afternoon’s game against the Washington Football Team. A loss would put them even deeper in the AFC West cellar and likely give them even more motivation to deal veterans like Jackson.
Teams Calling On Dolphins’ DeVante Parker
Dolphins wide receiver DeVante Parker is drawing trade interest, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. With the trade deadline coming on Tuesday, inquiring teams have just ~48 hours to get a deal done. 
[RELATED: Texans Unlikely To Trade Cooks]
Despite Parker’s underwhelming first four seasons, the Dolphins re-upped him twice. First, they locked him up through 2020 via a two-year, $10MM agreement. Then, towards the end of 2019, they inked him to a three-year extension worth up to $40MM. The jury is still out on the latest contract.
In 2020, Parker registered just 12.6 yards per catch, a sharp drop from his 2019 watermark of 16.7 yards on average. Through the first seven weeks of this season, injuries limited Parker to just four games, 17 catches, and 242 yards. However, Parker returned with a vengeance against the Bills today — as of this writing, he’s leading all ‘Fins WRs with eight catches for 85 yards.
Despite the health issues, Parker profiles as an intriguing playmaker for contenders in need of a mid-season boost. He’s also relatively inexpensive, since he’d only be owed the prorated portion of his $7.75MM base salary in 2021.
This Date In Transactions History: Patriots Trade Jimmy Garoppolo To 49ers
Has it been four years already? On this date in 2017, the 49ers acquired quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo from the Patriots in exchange for a 2018 second-round pick. 
The deal was a stunner on multiple levels, especially since New England hadn’t expressed in any interest in moving Garoppolo despite the presence of Tom Brady under center. Bill Belichick & Co. reportedly rejected multiple trade offers in exchange for Garoppolo before the draft, and instead dealt third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett to the Colts before the season began.
Some believed that the Patriots would use the franchise tag on Garoppolo in the spring of ’18 before trying to trade him. Instead, they dealt Brady’s heir apparent just before the deadline in a deal that raised eyebrows for many. Some wondered whether the Patriots could have gotten more, or if Belichick had truly explored every possible trade partner for Garoppolo. The Browns, for example, were keenly interested in Jimmy G, but Belichick reportedly wasn’t interested in helping his former employer.
Garoppolo offered limited NFL experience outside of two starts for New England in 2016 while Brady was serving a four-game suspension. Garoppolo played well in his time on the field, but he was injured early in his second start, so the regular season film on him was extremely limited. Still, Kyle Shanahan saw a future franchise QB in the youngster, and ownership was willing to work with him on a pricey long-term extension before he could walk in free agency.
For the Patriots, the deal signaled confidence in Brady’s vow to play for several more seasons, despite the fact that he was already 40 years old. Brady made good on his promise, though he’s now defying Father Time in Tampa Bay. Signing a backup to a top-tier, multi-year contract was never a real option and a one-year, top 5 QB salary was certainly not the Patriots’ style. There was no circumstance in which Jimmy G could have held the clipboard for Brady for another three years, but it’s fair to second guess the Patriots’ timing. Had they traded Garoppolo prior to the 2017 NFL Draft — and considered all suitors equally — they could have scored a much larger haul.
Now, Garoppolo could be on the verge of being dealt again — either this week or in the spring. The 49ers clearly prefer the long-term upside of Trey Lance, but Garoppolo’s performance against the Bears today can only serve to boost his trade value.
Latest On Cardinals’ J.J. Watt
Cardinals pass rusher J.J. Watt may need season-ending shoulder surgery, but nothing has been decided just yet, according to Cardinals GM Steve Keim (via the team website). 
“I know surgery is an option, but at the same time I think there are some things that are possibly put in place where we want to play this thing out with a little bit more time and see how he responds,” Keim said. “To me, if there is anybody who can bounce back and can do it, it’s J.J. Watt.”
It’s safe to say that Watt won’t be ready for the Cardinals’ Nov. 7 game against the 49ers, but there’s a chance that he could return for the playoff stretch. Keim also raises a fair point about Watt and his resilience — the veteran managed to finish out the Cards’ Week 7 win over the Texans and beat his recovery timetable in 2019 after suffering a torn pec.
Through seven games this year, Watt has tallied 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. The Cardinals — sans the future Hall of Famer — remain tied with the Packers the NFC lead.
Titans Place Darrynton Evans On IR
Titans running back Darrynton Evans is headed to the injured reserve list again, per a club announcement. This time, he won’t be able to return. 
Evans spent the first six weeks of the season on the IR list before returning to face the Chiefs on Sunday. Unfortunately, he re-aggravated his knee injury after just two carries and two catches. Injuries have plagued the 23-year-old throughout his pro career.
The Titans had high hopes for the third-rounder in 2020, but he was limited to just five games as a rookie. Now, he’ll head into 2022 with little pro experience and an uphill battle to make the final cut.
Derrick Henry and Jeremy McNichols stand as the Titans’ only healthy running backs. They’ll almost certainly add a third before Sunday’s matchup against the Colts. One of their two practice squad RBs — Dontrell Hilliard or Mekhi Sargent — could get promoted to the practice squad. Or, the Titans could circle back to D’Onta Foreman, who auditioned for Mike Vrabel & Co. on Wednesday.
49ers’ Javon Kinlaw Done For Year
49ers defensive tackle Javon Kinlaw will undergo season-ending knee surgery, per a club announcement. Kinlaw will be placed on the injured reserve list and likely replaced with another interior lineman. 
Kinlaw, who has battled intermittent knee trouble for years, met with a specialist in Los Angeles last week. He was told that surgery was likely, and an additional check confirmed the bad news for the former first-round pick.
“There’s lot things went into it and what they found. Good news is they think they solved the problem,” said head coach Kyle Shanahan (Twitter link via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News).
Kinlaw has yet to fill DeForest Buckner‘s shoes in SF. So far, the second-year pro has taken a backseat to Nick Bosa, Dee Ford, Arik Armstead and the rest of the Niners’ standout linemen. His season will end with just eight tackles in four games.
On the plus side, quarterback Trey Lance may be able to face the Bears this weekend. Left tackle Trent Williams is also expected to play as the 49ers look to snap their four-game losing streak.