NFL Draft Rumors: Cowboys, Key, Bills
Wednesday marks the final day for NFL draft visits, and we have some notable ones to pass along. Here’s the latest NFL Draft news:
- LSU linebacker/defensive end Arden Key worked out with the Cowboys on Tuesday and met with the Saints on Wednesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
- Alabama linebacker Rashaan Evans is visiting the Bills and Texas tackle Connor Williams is visiting the Packers, Rapoport tweets.
- The Patriots are hosting Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley on a pre-draft visit, a source tells Rapoport (on Twitter). The Patriots aren’t known for taking receivers in the first round, but Ridley could be an exception as they look to rebuild that group. Ridley also visited the Bears on Tuesday.
- Maryland wide receiver D.J. Moore seems to be a firm first round prospect, according to Rapoport (on Twitter). For a while, Moore appeared to be a fringe first/second round type, so his stock is improving as the draft draws near. Moore met with the Bills, who pick No. 12 and 22, on Wednesday.
- Ohio State center Billy Price will meet with the Seahawks, Alex Marvez of SiriusXM tweets. Price is recovering from a torn pectoral muscle he suffered during the bench press at the combine. The good news is that Price is expected to be ready in time for training camp.
Tom Brady Has Not Committed To Playing For Patriots In 2018
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady still has yet to commit to playing in 2018, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter hears. Those close to Brady believe that he will suit up again, but there is some room for doubt since Brady has not pledged to play. 
“My money would be on him playing football for the foreseeable future, but what goes on away from the football field, I don’t know,” one source told ESPN.
Brady, 41 in August, still wants to continue playing. However, Schefter hears that some around Brady want him to retire. That may include close family members who would rather see Brady enjoy his millions of dollars instead of risking brain trauma.
Before the Super Bowl, Brady said that he would continue playing next season. Apparently, some combination of the loss, the deterioration of his relationship with coach Bill Belichick, and the opinions of his inner circle have swayed him over the last ten weeks.
Even at age 40, Brady was terrific in 2017, leading the league in passing yards on the way to his third MVP trophy. The veteran is signed through the 2019 campaign with a team-friendly $15MM base salary ($22MM cap hit).
Meanwhile, teammate Rob Gronkowski is also considering retirement. It’s not clear whether the standout tight end is serious about walking away or if he is angling for a new deal.
NFL Draft Rumors: Guice, Redskins, Patriots, Bills, Giants, Darnold
Running back Derrius Guice visited the Redskins at their team facility on Monday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Redskins have been public about their desire to add a pass-catching running back and Guice, with 18 catches last year at LSU, would fit the bill.
With needs to address on the other side of the ball, many believe that the Redskins will take a defensive player at No. 13 overall. However, the Redskins could probably trade back into the early 20s to take Guice and address their defensive holes later on.
Here’s the latest round of NFL draft news:
- The Patriots hosted UCLA left tackle Kolton Miller on a pre-draft visit, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets.
- Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen met with the Bills on Monday and will travel to the Giants on Tuesday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Meanwhile, USC QB Sam Darnold met with the Giants on Monday and will meet with the Jets on Tuesday.
- Linebacker Rashaan Evans visited the Bengals on Monday, Rapoport tweets. The Bengals own the No. 21 pick in the draft, which could allow them to snag the Alabama standout.
- Speaking of Alabama, Rapoport also notes that standout defensive lineman Da’Ron Payne met with the Redskins on Monday. Payne has shot up draft boards in recent weeks thanks to his remarkable strength. “He’s the best. He’s the best I’ve seen,”Alabama strength and conditioning coach Scott Cochran said earlier this year. “I’ve never seen a guy hit 385 on the power clean every single year. His first year he hit 365 on the power clean and it was like wow, freshman, that’s incredible.”
- USC running back Ronald Jones visited the Patriots on Monday, Rapoport tweets. Within the same tweet, he notes that Stanford safety Justin Reid visited the Panthers before heading off to his Steelers visit.
- Iowa cornerback Josh Jackson took a pre-draft visit to meet with the 49ers on Monday, a league source told Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. The 49ers have the ninth pick in the first round and Jackson is projected to come off the board as a middle-to-late first-round pick.
- LSU pass-rusher Arden Key visited the Bears on Monday, Rapoport tweets. He also notes Memphis wide receiver Anthony Miller visited the Redskins on Monday and Tulane cornerback Parry Nickerson visited the Raiders.
Former Steelers LB James Harrison Retires
Former Steelers great James Harrison is calling it a career. The linebacker, who most recently suited up for the Patriots, announced on Instagram that he is retiring from football. 
Of course, we’ve been down this road before with Harrison. The linebacker also “retired” in 2014, only to return months later and play for another four seasons. This time, his announcement comes with the hashtag “#2ndAndFinalRetirement.” Harrison cites his family as the primary reason for his retirement, stating that he has “missed way too much for way too long.”
Earlier this month, Harrison indicated that he would wait until after the draft to sign with a team. It’s possible that the veteran, who will turn 40 in May, didn’t find the kind of interest that he was expecting.
Harrison leaves the game after a remarkable 17-season career. After going undrafted in 2002, the undersized linebacker hooked on with the Steelers and spent the bulk of his first two seasons on and off their practice squad. In between stints with Pittsburgh, he also spent time with the Ravens and the Rhein Fire of the NFL Europe.
Over time, Harrison developed into a key player for the Steelers, but it was not until 2007 that he became a full-fledged starter. In that season, he earned his first of five Pro Bowl appearances. The veteran would go on to win two Super Bowls with the Steelers as the anchor of their defense and secure two First-Team All-Pro nods.
Harrison spent the vast majority of his career in black and yellow, but also suited up for the Bengals in 2013 and wrapped up his career with the Patriots in 2017 when he was surprisingly cut late in the season by Pittsburgh.
We here at PFR wish Harrison the best in retirement.
Rob Gronkowski Angling For New Contract?
Still not committed to playing in 2018, Rob Gronkowski will not be in attendance Monday when the Patriots begin their offseason program. But the All-Pro tight end’s been working out independently, and some of his reported dissatisfaction with Bill Belichick may again be contract-related.
Gronkowski wants a raise from his current contract, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports, adding that it appears to be an open secret the superstar pass-catcher is upset. Gronk signed his current contract way back in 2012; that deal that still has two years remaining on it.
Belichick’s issues with trainer Alex Guerrero also factor into this, with Volin writing that Gronkowski is “openly feuding” with the New England head coach about his relationship with Guerrero. Gronk has taken Tom Brady‘s side when it comes to Guerrero, per Volin, crediting the trainer’s methods with helping him stay healthy last season — which came after a back injury cut his 2016 slate short.
Gronk will turn 29 next month and must attend 90 percent of the Patriots’ offseason workouts to collect a $250K bonus, per Joel Corry of CBS Sports (on Twitter). That works out to a maximum of three absences, and Volin notes Gronkowski appears fine with forgoing that six-figure check. The Pats can only dock Gronk $84K if he misses their June minicamp.
Set for a base salary of $8MM this year, Gronkowski has seen another wave of pass-catchers cash in for far more than what he’s making. Sammy Watkins and Allen Robinson play a more valued position, but their accomplishments and per-year salaries ($16MM and $14MM, respectively) look strange when compared directly with Gronkowski’s. He stands to earn $9MM in base salary in 2019. While that’s not entirely out of step with tight ends, career backup Trey Burton just signed for $8MM AAV. And Gronk could make an argument he’s not only the best tight end in the game, but with four first-team All-Pro distinctions (only one other Patriot, John Hannah, has more), is on his own tier at this position presently and deserves to earn significantly more than his peers. Of course, his injury history affects this situation as well.
Gronkowski’s grumbling about his deal last year prompted the Patriots to add an incentive package to it, and by virtue of that All-Pro honor, he maxed out those incentives. It may take more than that to get Gronkowski back to the facility this time around.
Rob Gronkowski Still Considering Retirement?
Tight end Rob Gronkowski will not attend the beginning of the Patriots’ offseason workout program on Monday and is still contemplating whether to play in 2018, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Gronkowski has reportedly been considering retirement this offseason, and has also been mentioned as a trade candidate. New England no longer appears open to dealing Gronkowski after shipping wideout Brandin Cooks to the Rams, but reports on the status of Gronkowski’s career have been all over the map.
Gronkowski has been working out at Tom Brady‘s Sports Therapy Center, but even that has been rife with controversy. Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald recently reported that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick chastised Gronk in front of other players for working out at the Alex Guererro-headed facility.
Belichick and Gronkowski’s relationship appears to be at a low point, as Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com recently reported the Patriots head coach may not believe Gronkowski is “all in” at this juncture. Gronkowski, for his part, is reportedly frustrated with Belichick and others in the New England organization, and is put off by the club’s “high-strung” culture. Those differences, per Darlington, aren’t believed to be irreconcilable.
Gronkowski, of course, is still a dominant player when healthy. In 2017, Gronk was on the field for 14 games, and managed 69 receptions, 1,084 yards, and eight touchdowns, all of which placed him within the top-five among tight ends. He’s signed through the 2019 campaign, with base salaries of $8MM and $9MM over the next two respective seasons.
Patriots Notes: Brady, Belichick, Guerrero
It’s no secret that there is some tension among the three most prominent figures in the Patriots’ organization: owner Robert Kraft, head coach Bill Belichick, and quarterback Tom Brady. As Ben Volin of the Boston Globe writes, one of the sources of conflict between Belichick and Brady is the role of Brady’s personal trainer, Alex Guerrero.
Belichick, of course, wants one voice when it comes to his team’s strength and conditioning program, so he wants his players to adhere to programs established by head strength coach, Moses Cabrera, and head trainer, Jim Whalen. But by the middle of last season, approximately 30 of the Patriots’ 53 players were seeing Guerrero regularly, either in Gillette Stadium or at the TB12 facility at Patriot Place. Guerrero’s methods clash with the more traditional approaches set forth by Cabrera and Whalen, and Belichick revoked Guerrero’s special privileges after the bye week last season (although he did not ban players from seeing Guerrero).
We heard back in January that Guerrero’s presence was creating some problems in New England’s locker room, and Volin’s story provides some interesting context to those reports.
Now for more news out of Foxborough:
- Kraft is not concerned about extending Brady’s contract, and Volin notes that there is no reason for the team to do so at this point. Brady is under club control through the 2019 campaign, and his cap number of $22MM is reasonable given his ability, importance to the franchise, and the quarterback market.
- For the second consecutive year, Brady is unlikely to be present for the first day of the Patriots’ offseason program, per Volin, which is somewhat curious given that he has been a “devout offseason participant” in prior years. But as Brady’s absence is tied to his appearance as a Best Buddies Global Ambassador in Qatar, Volin is not putting much stock in it until Brady starts to miss more time. Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says Belichick “went out of his way” to hint that he and Brady have at least one talk in that regard. Belichick said, “[The offseason program] will be heavily attended, but I know there are a couple players that I’ve talked to that have other commitments, but that’s the way it always is. So, not really anything new there.”
- Volin says the Pats do have the ammunition to move up in the draft to select one of this year’s top signal-callers if they want to, though it remains more likely that they will stand pat.
- In the same piece linked above, Reiss reports that the Patriots have hired Cameron Achord as an assistant coach. Achord has ties to special teams coach Joe Judge, and he has already been on the scouting trail on behalf of the Patriots.
- It was previously reported that Brady was a big reason for Jordan Matthews‘ decision to sign with the Patriots, but as Reiss notes, Matthews was impressed with the organization as a whole. Matthews said, “There was a lot of intentionality during the visit. They were very detailed. They were very specific with me on what they thought about me and areas they thought I could grow. I appreciated that more than anything. I appreciated that type of honesty.”
- We learned yesterday that the Patriots did not come close to matching the two-year, $12MM deal that Danny Amendola signed with the Dolphins, which made Amendola’s decision to leave New England a little easier.
East Notes: Amendola, Cowboys, Giants, Dez, Jonathan Allen
After playing five seasons with the Patriots, receiver Danny Amendola signed with the rival Dolphins in the 2018 offseason. The move happened, in part, because New England did not come close to matching the two-year, $12MM deal he received from Miami, the receiver told Jimmy Hascup of USA Today.
After taking pay cuts in the past to stay with the Patriots, the veteran wideout was expecting to have a chance to stay with the team. That did not happen with the notoriously stingy Bill Belichick.
“When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had,” Amendola said. “I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”
Amendola also commented on playing for Belichick, saying, “It’s not easy, that’s for sure. He’s an (expletive) sometimes,” Amendola said. “There were a lot of things I didn’t like about playing for him, but I must say, the things I didn’t like were all in regards to getting the team better, and I respected him.”
Here’s more from around the East:
- The Cowboys will be looking for a new go-to receiver after the departure of Dez Bryant. One of those candidates is Terrance Williams, who will be ready for work in June after recovering from a broken foot earlier in the offseason, ESPN’s Todd Archer writes. Though he will be ready to go, Williams is best used as a No. 2 or 3 wideout due to his inconsistency.
- Speaking of Bryant, the receiver reportedly left his meeting with Jerry Jones saying he would see the team twice next season. If he is going to join a division foe, the Giants seem like an unlikely spot, SportsNet New York’s Ralph Vacchiano writes. The team’s depth at receiver with Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall and Sterling Shephard seems to indicate there is no room for Bryant.
- The Redskins are expected to have defensive tackle Jonathan Allen when the team resumes activities next week, NBC Sports’ JP Finlay writes. He suffered a Lisfranc injury in Week 5 of 2017 and did not play the rest of the season. A healthy Allen could helped Washington improve on its last-ranked run defense in 2017.
Draft Notes: Key, Jackson, Kirk, Price, Patriots
Former LSU defensive end and top draft prospect Arden Key has told teams that he has been sober for more than a year, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler writes.
This is big news from a player who has been speculated to have off-the-field concerns. Key is supposedly being up front with the teams about his issues, which included taking a leave of absence from the Tigers for four months beginning in February 2017 for personal reasons. He will not disclose the reasoning for that absence with the media — which is his right — but is reportedly laying it all out in front of teams.
Rated as one of the top prospects before the start of the 2017 season, Key is now viewed mostly as a potential late-first-round pick, but more likely to go off the board on second day of the draft.
Noted pass rush coach Chuck Smith is a big fan of Key, saying he is a threat to challenge for double-digit sacks the moment he enters the league. His honesty with teams and ability to stay sober for more than a year could put teams more at ease about taking a shot on the talented pass rusher.
Here’s more surrounding the draft:
- Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk visited with the Steelers on Friday, Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Kirk has also visited with the Seahawks and Panthers, a pair of teams in need of a receiver. The Steelers seem set at the position with Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster but have not been shy about adding to a loaded receiver position in the past.
- Former Cardinals head coach and quarterback guru Bruce Arians is a big fan of Louisville product Lamar Jackson, Bob McManaman of AZ Central writes. “I think Lamar puts the time in. He’s going to get better, and he just brings that unique ability to break the game open with his legs. Because he does it. He sits in there and flips it up the field,” Arians said. “He’s been in a pro-style offense. He’s more of a scrambler with designed runs. I don’t think I’d design runs for him. I would just let him, a la Russell Wilson, take what’s there, and whoosh, take off running.” The Cardinals could have interest in Jackson at the No. 15 spot in the upcoming draft.
- In a panel piece on ESPN, a host of writers tabbed left tackle as the position the team should focus on in the first round if everything were to fall perfectly. With the team owning the 23rd and 31st picks, New England could potentially address the position by taking Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey late in the first round. The tackle is rated by many pundits as the best at the position this year.
- Ohio State center/guard Billy Price had his NFL Combine medical recheck on Friday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP 5 News reports (Twitter link). He notes the potential first-round pick is expected to receive full clearance soon.
Patriots Notes: Draft, Amendola
Similar to many draft pundits, Bill Belichick is also participating in his own mock drafts. Yesterday, the Patriots head coach provided some insight into the organization’s draft preparation to Jim McBride of the Boston Globe.
- Wide receiver Danny Amendola told ESPN’s Mike Reiss that the Patriots‘ offer didn’t come close to the two-year, $12MM ($8.25MM guaranteed) deal he took with the Dolphins. “I came in with an open mind,” Amendola said. “I understand Bill runs a tight ship, and he hasn’t been known to pay his players, really. I understood that I gave money back to him so I could play for him and play for my teammates and fulfill my side of the contract, and at the end of the day, I had faith that he was going to give me an opportunity to stay. When free agency broke, I came to the realization that he wasn’t going to really come close to any of the other offers I had. I had to make a decision for my family and go down to Miami and continue my career there.”