Johnny Manziel Remains Open To CFL
Johnny Manziel‘s is doing everything he can to prove he belongs another shot in the NFL. But, failing that, he says he’ll play in the CFL this year (Twitter link via Drew Davison of the Star Telegram). 
Manziel participated in Texas A&M’s pro day on Tuesday and threw passes at the University of San Diego last Thursday. The word from USD was that Manziel looked sharp, despite less-than-perfect weather. The former first round pick will have to do more than audition well on the field, of course, given his off-the-field question marks.
There were 13 teams on hand at USD, but every NFL team is represented at the Aggies’ pro day thanks to the size of their program and their number of high-end prospects, including wide receiver Christian Kirk.
Manziel is willing to sign a practice squad deal with zero guaranteed money if that’s what it takes to get back into the NFL, but failing that, it sounds like he’ll be north of the border after his Spring League stint.
NFC West Rumors: Seahawks, Cardinals, OBJ
The Seahawks are now without stars Richard Sherman, Michael Bennett, Jimmy Graham, and Sheldon Richardson as well as up-and-coming wide receiver Paul Richardson, but GM John Schneider is insistent that the team is not in rebuilding mode.
“It’s just always very, very hard to make those decisions to move on from people, but that’s what we have to do in order to be a consistent championship-caliber football team,’’ Schneider said (via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). “We don’t want to be having these major rebuilding years. We want to be able to have little re-sets, if you will.”
Last year, the Seahawks went 9-7 and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2011. It certainly feels like there’s a changing of the guard in the NFC West thanks to the Rams, but Seattle will push to get back on top this year, despite the cap crunch.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Cardinals’ head coach Steve Wilks said he expects doctors to clear running back David Johnson (wrist) in time to be ready for OTAs (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Johnson was arguably the league’s best offensive player in 2016 as he posted more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 20 total touchdowns.
- The Cardinals don’t have any interest in Odell Beckham Jr., according to Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (on Twitter). As good as OBJ is, the Cardinals are wary of his contract situation. The wide receiver is slated to earn about $8.5MM in 2018, but he’s pushing for a new deal that would put him at the top of the market for his position. That may mean a salary of $17MM per year or more.
Latest On Giants, Odell Beckham Jr.
The Giants aren’t shopping Odell Beckham Jr., but it doesn’t sound like they’re ruling out a trade either. When asked about the wide receiver at Tuesday’s owners’ meetings, Giants head coach Pat Shurmur said, “He’s on our team right now,” (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). 
Shurmur’s comments echo those of owner John Mara who recently said he is “tired of answering questions about” Beckham’s behavior and refused to say that “anybody is untouchable.” Meanwhile, OBJ is considering a holdout if he does not get a lucrative extension that will take him beyond the 2018 season.
Earlier this month, a video appeared to capture Beckham getting involved with drugs. His mood swings have also caused some headaches for the team in the past, though Shurmur’s new administration will try to help him stay focused on football.
Reading between the lines, it sounds like Beckham can be had via trade, but it would be extremely costly for any team acquiring him. The Giants still seem set on winning in 2018 and they’ll need a big return in order to replace Beckham’s production. As it stands, Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shepard are the next best wide receivers on the Giants’ depth chart.
Colts Reject Trade Offers For Jacoby Brissett
The Colts have received two trade offers quarterback Jacoby Brissett, according to Stephen Holder of the Indy Star. The identities of those teams and the strength of those offers are not known, but the Colts declined those overtures with the idea that they will retain him this season. 
Given Andrew Luck‘s health issues, it’s no surprise that the Colts are putting a great emphasis on the backup quarterback role. Brissett is not a world beater, but he is a capable QB who can fill in if needed. He’s also significantly cheaper than other signal callers at his level. The former third round pick is slated to earn just $735K this year and $890 in 2019.
Brissett, who is still just 24, threw 13 touchdowns against seven interceptions for the Colts last season. He graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 29 ranked quarterback out of 39 qualified players.
Eagles Rumors: Bennett, Sproles, Celek
Eagles defensive end Michael Bennett appeared before a Texas judge on Monday afternoon following a felony charge of injury to the elderly related to an alleged incident at NRG Stadium following the Super Bowl, as ESPN.com’s Tim McManus tweets. Bond had been set at $10K and he will be permitted to travel between his home in Hawaii and the Houston area for court appearances. For more on the incident, click here.
Here’s the latest on the defending champs:
- Running back Darren Sproles, who is a free agent, could still be a part of the Eagles’ plans in 2018. “He’s expressed he wants to be back here. He knows we want him back here. Yeah, heck yeah,” Eagles coach Doug Pederson said when asked about Sproles at the owners’ meetings (via Jeff McLane of the Inquirer). “He’s a big part of our team. Punt returner. He was a tremendous back, third-down guy. Yeah, so we’ll see where that falls out.”
- The Eagles like this year’s tight end draft class and are likely to add one in April, but Pederson didn’t rule out a Brent Celek return. “I think that’s a player you’d consider bringing back, especially if you weren’t able to fit all the pieces together at the spot. So he’s definitely in that conversation,” (Twitter link via Zach Berman of the Inquirer). Celek was released earlier this month in order to save $4MM against the cap, but it sounds like the Eagles would be open to a reunion at a lesser rate.
Titans Sign QB Blaine Gabbert
The Titans have agreed to sign quarterback Blaine Gabbert, the team announced. Terms of the deal are not yet known. 
Gabbert spent the last season with the Cardinals and wound up starting five games after injuries took Carson Palmer and Drew Stanton out of action. All in all, he completed just 55.6% of his passes for 1,006 yards with six touchdowns against six interceptions. He’ll now serve as Marcus Mariota‘s backstop in Tennessee.
The Titans released Matt Cassel earlier this month, putting them in the market for a reserve QB. Mariota has dealt with a broken leg and a hamstring issue in the last two seasons, so the Titans wanted an experienced insurance policy in the event that he goes down.
The Titans now roster three QBs in Mariota, Gabbert, and 2017 undrafted free agent Tyler Ferguson. In theory, they seem set at the position, but they could bring in some competition for the third spot on the QB depth chart between now and training camp.
Seahawks Open To Earl Thomas Trade
It’s not necessarily likely to happen, but Seahawks GM John Schneider is not ruling out a trade of safety Earl Thomas. On Monday, Schneider indicated that the phone lines are open in Seattle, meaning that no one is off limits. 
“Earl’s under contract for another season, and if we’re not listening to everybody we are not doing a very good job. So we have to listen to everything that’s going on all the time,” Schneider said (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times).
Thomas says that he wants to stay in Seattle, but the six-time Pro Bowler is entering the final year of his four-year $40MM deal and the Seahawks could garner tons of draft capital by trading him. Reportedly, the Seahawks are seeking a first round pick and a third rounder for Thomas and they could potentially get even more than that.
The Cowboys are reportedly one of the teams that have shown interest in trading for Thomas, but you can expect a number of clubs to inquire on acquiring the elite safety.
Dolphins Work Out K Blair Walsh
The Dolphins are the last remaining team in the NFL without a kicker, but they could be getting closer to finding their man. Miami tried out free agent kicker Blair Walsh, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. 
[RELATED: Dolphins Sign QB Brock Osweiler]
Walsh spent 2017 as the Seahawks’ kicker, but connected on just 72.4% of his tries. The Dolphins, meanwhile, employed Cody Parkey, who sank 91.3% of his attempts. Now that Parkey has signed with the Bears, the Dolphins are rummaging through the remaining options.
Walsh excelled right out of the gate with the Vikings in 2012, earning Pro Bowl and First-Team All-Pro honors with a league-leading 35 made field goals on 38 attempts. He had a similarly strong showing for Minnesota again in 2015, but he was axed by the Vikes in November of 2016 after some costly misses.
The Dolphins could also find their next kicker in the draft. Reportedly, Miami is considering New Mexico’s Jason Sanders, Miami’s Michael Badgley Auburn’s Daniel Carlson, and Florida’s Eddy Pineiro.
Patriots’ Josh McDaniels Discusses Colts Flip Flop
Josh McDaniels turned down his second chance to become an NFL head coach this year when he left the Colts at the altar. Nearly two months later, the Patriots offensive coordinator opened up about what took place and the circumstances that led him to staying put in New England. Here’s a look at the highlights of his chat with Jim McBride of the Boston Globe: 
On why he remained with the Patriots:
“I wasn’t 100 percent sure what the future was. I just hadn’t had any clarity on that. So, where did I fit in? Where there any plans? I just didn’t have much clarity on what my role was here moving forward. Once I heard from Robert and Bill on that Tuesday, it just gave me reason to pause and consider this whole situation. The opportunity to stay here and work for who I think is the greatest owner in sports and the best head football coach in the history of our game, to work with the best quarterback that has ever played . . . Look, I’m privileged to have the opportunity to do that and when they kind of crystallized that — ‘Hey, here’s what we see going forward and here’s how we would like you to fit into it’ — it gave me a reason to stop and say, ‘all right, what’s the best decision for me?’ And certainly it was difficult. But I made the decision on my own, nobody pushed me into it.”
On Colts GM Chris Ballard:
“Chris was tremendous the whole entire time. He’s an incredible human being. He’s great at what he does. He’s going to be successful. It was difficult. I had a friendship with him — I still do . . . He’s a guy that I have a lot of respect for and admiration for. He was a big reason why I was interested in that job in the first place. It was as difficult a decision as I’ve ever made professionally. He handled it extremely well, he was a complete professional about it.
On his would-be Indy assistants:
“I spoke to all of them that night right away, shortly after I talked to Chris. They were professionals. Like I said, it wasn’t easy for anybody. I apologized to them if it put them in an awkward position. They’re all there [in Indianapolis], which I’m very happy about. They have great opportunities, they’re great coaches, they’re great people, and I’m happy that it worked out for them in that regard. Again, it was never my intention to go into this and put anybody in an awkward position or do any harm to anybody or do anything to hurt anybody’s career. That certainly wasn’t a part of my thought process. I just felt like, once I knew the whole picture and I had the opportunity to make a decision, it was tough but I feel like I made the right one.’’
On speculation that his family persuaded him not to relocate:
“My family was ready to go to Indianapolis because at that point that was the decision I had made. So, this isn’t a thing where I’m telling you, ‘I couldn’t move and all that’ — that’s not the case. If that were the case I wouldn’t interview. They’re very supportive. My wife’s incredible, my kids are great. Do they love New England? Absolutely . . . And have we been blessed to be part of this organization? No doubt. But I’d say in the long run, this coaching profession is kind of crazy. And they know that. And at some point, if I have to move or if we end up moving, they understand that’s part of the situation and they were ready to do that.’’
Brice Butler To Meet With Four Teams
Brice Butler‘s market is starting to heat up. In the next two weeks, the Cowboys free agent wide receiver Brice Butler will visit with the Seahawks, Bears, Jaguars, and Cardinals (Twitter link via Jane Slater of NFL.com). 
The 28-year-old has been vocal about wanting the opportunity to do more in 2018. Last year, Butler finished out with just 15 catches for 317 yards and three touchdowns. After the season, he opined that he could have outperformed teammate Dez Bryant if he had the same number of targets.
“100 percent,” said Butler. “Because I’m ready. It’s my time, I’ve been there for three years. I feel like me and Dak [Prescott] have a really good relationship. We work on routes. There’s times that we might not have completed a square-out throw in practice, and we’re taking that time out in practice to actually work on it. So I think that’s why when you saw us in the game, he tried to come to me, and most of the times we produced.“
Bryant underwhelmed for Dallas last year, but still had 69 receptions for 838 yards and six TDs. For now, Bryant remains part of the Cowboys’ plan with Butler likely moving on following the addition of Allen Hurns.
“With Dallas, the situation has to be right for me to go back,” Butler said earlier this year. “I have to be a starter. If I’m not starting, I’m not going back,” Butler said.
Wherever Butler lands, he’ll be in for a pay raise. Butler earned just $1.1MM on a one year deal in 2017.