Eagles Nearly Traded For Brandin Cooks
Brandin Cooks had a successful first season in New England, posting 1,082 yards and seven touchdowns for the AFC champions after he was acquired from the Saints last offseason in exchange for a first-round draft pick. However, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports, Cooks was very nearly traded to the Eagles, the team he will be playing against in tonight’s Super Bowl.
Per Rapoport, the Eagles had agreed to trade safety Malcolm Jenkins, a third-round pick, and two fourth-rounders to New Orleans for Cooks, but the trade was scuttled at the last minute.
It is impossible to say how the deal would have impacted the Saints, Patriots, or Eagles, but at least from Philadelphia’s perspective, it is probably for the best that it did not happen. If it had, the Eagles likely would not have signed Alshon Jeffery, who was terrific in his first season in Philly, and they would have sorely missed Jenkins, who earned a Pro Bowl nod this year.
Plus, the third-rounder that would have been sent to New Orleans ended up being used in a separate trade to acquire Timmy Jernigan, and one of the fourth-rounders was used on promising young wideout Mack Hollins. All in all, then, it seems as if all parties involved are happy with the way things worked out.
Patriots' Dante Scarnecchia To Retire?
- Super Bowl LII doesn’t feel like the end of the Tom Brady and Bill Belichick era of the Patriots, but they are likely to lose well-respected offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia to retirement, Peter King of The MMQB (video link, on Twitter) says. It sounds like the Patriots will have to recast four of the main players on the coaching staff this season – offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, special teams coach Joe Judge, and Scarnecchia.
Rob Gronkowski To Play In Super Bowl
The Patriots will have the services of Rob Gronkowski on Sunday. The tight end has cleared concussion protocol, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). 
Members of the press got their first clue that Gronk had cleared concussion protocol when he was announced to be available to media Thursday afternoon. This was the expected outcome as Gronkowski answered in the affirmative on Tuesday when asked if he would play.
Gronkowski was forced out of the Pats’ AFC Championship Game victory against the Jaguars two weeks ago, leading to some question about whether he would be ready to go. With the extra week off between the semifinal and the Super Bowl, the Pats star had enough time to clear the cobwebs and gain medical clearance.
Gronkowski hauled in a team-high 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Now that the Jaguars know he’ll be on the field, they’ll have to game plan for one of the game’s scariest offensive weapons. The Eagles’ linebackers will do their part to cover Gronkowski near the line, but Philly may be forced to use members of the secondary against him as well.
2018 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure should be around $1.908MM in 2018. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2018 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Trent Brown, T; Eli Harold, LB
Bears: Adrian Amos, S
Bengals: Tyler Kroft, TE; Josh Shaw, DB
Bills: John Miller, G
Broncos: Max Garcia, G; Trevor Siemian, QB
Browns: Duke Johnson, RB
Buccaneers: Kwon Alexander, LB
Cardinals: David Johnson, RB; J.J. Nelson, WR
Chargers: Kyle Emanuel, LB
Chiefs: Chris Conley, WR; Steven Nelson, CB
Colts: Henry Anderson, DE; Mark Glowinski, G; Denzelle Good, OL
Dolphins: Bobby McCain, CB
Eagles: Jay Ajayi, RB; Jordan Hicks, LB
Falcons: Grady Jarrett, DT
Jaguars: A.J. Cann, OL
Lions: Quandre Diggs, CB
Packers: Jake Ryan, LB
Panthers: Daryl Williams, T
Patriots: Trey Flowers, DE; Shaq Mason, G
Raiders: Clive Walford, TE
Rams: Jamon Brown, G
Ravens: Za’Darius Smith, LB
Redskins: T.J. Clemmings, OL; Jamison Crowder, WR
Saints: Tyeler Davison, DT
Seahawks: Tyler Lockett, WR
Steelers: Jesse James, TE
Vikings: Stefon Diggs, WR; Danielle Hunter, DE
OverTheCap.com was essential in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Patriots Notes: Brady, Gronk, Butler, Harrison
The Patriots are optimistic tight end Rob Gronkowski will be fully recovered from his concussion in time to play in the Super Bowl, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Indeed, New England is game-planning as though Gronkowski will be available against the Eagles. Gronk did not wear a red non-contact jersey during practice today (as he previously had), tweets Doug Kyed of NESN, another positive development as the Patriots prepare for Sunday. Meanwhile, quarterback Tom Brady wore only black tape on his injured right hand during Wednesday’s practice, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link). Brady’s hand injury didn’t seem to affect him in the AFC Championship Game, and likely won’t have an effect on his Super Bowl performance.
- Pending free agent corner Malcolm Butler said he “without a doubt” wants to return to the Patriots in 2018, reports James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Butler, 27, had an up-and-down season on the field, and was repeatedly involved in trade rumors during the preseason and during the 2017 campaign. New England engaged in Butler trade conversations with the Saints throughout the summer, and were reportedly open to dealing the former Super Bowl hero near the trade deadline. While the two sides could theoretically reach an agreement before the start of free agency, negotiations were never expected to take place until the season concluded.
- The Patriots signed linebacker James Harrison in late December after he was released by the Steelers, and the veteran edge rusher today offered more details about his departure from Pittsburgh, as Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. Per Harrsison, the Steelers promised him 20-25% playtime, but he ended up seeing action on only 40 defensive plays, which amounts to roughly four percent. Fed up with his lack of a defined role, Harrison says he asked Pittsburgh three times to be traded before he was ultimately cut. The 39-year-old former Defensive Player of the Year has racked up two sacks in four games with New England.
Patriots' Gronkowski On Track For Super Bowl
Good news for the Patriots as Rob Gronkowski was able to go full tilt in practice on Sunday and Monday (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald). days in practice. Gronk also gave Pats fans extra reason to believe yesterday when he posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “Locked in, ready to roll. Minnesota we here [sic].”
Good news for the Patriots as Rob Gronkowski was able to go full tilt in practice on Sunday and Monday (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald). days in practice. Gronk also gave Pats fans extra reason to believe yesterday when he posted a picture on Instagram with the caption, “Locked in, ready to roll. Minnesota we here [sic].”
Gronkowski, a focal point of the Patriots’ offense, had a team-high 69 receptions for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns this year. Barring a setback, it sounds like the tight end is on pace to clear concussion protocol in time for the Super Bowl.
Patriots Built On Belichick's Browns Failure
Talib has made the Pro Bowl in each of the past five seasons and has been a part of two very successful teams (Patriots and Broncos). However, he turns 32 in February and has two years left on his expensive contract. Talib stands to make $11MM in 2018 and $8MM in 2019, so the Jets might not want to sacrifice serious draft capital to acquire him. There are also off-the-field concerns with Talib, given his past arrest for beating up a taxi driver and 2016 incident in which he shot himself in the leg outside of a Dallas strip club.
- The Patriots’ dynasty was built from the ashes of Bill Belichick’s failure with the Browns, Kent Babb of The Washington Post writes. Belichick went 36-44 in his five years as the Browns’ head coach in the 90s and reached the playoffs just once.
Brady Has Stitches Removed; Harrison Does Not Plan To Retire
- Patriots QB Tom Brady had an appointment earlier this week to remove the 12 stitches on his throwing hand that he played with in the AFC Championship Game last Sunday, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Brady is expected to be fully healthy for Super Bowl LII.
- James Harrison has given the Patriots‘ defense a nice boost since joining the team on December 26, and the 39-year-old said he does not intend to retire at the end of the season. Per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com, Harrison says he may want to play for up to two more years.
Latest On Josh McDaniels, Patriots’ Staff
Josh McDaniels had his second interview with the Colts on Friday, and it apparently went well. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link) that, shortly after the conclusion of Super Bowl LII, Indianapolis will hire McDaniels as its next head coach.
Of course, this hardly qualifies as breaking news. We have known for some time now that McDaniels would be heading to the Colts once New England’s season is over, and the Friday interview was largely just an opportunity for him to sit down with Indianapolis GM Chris Ballard and owner Jim Irsay to make plans for the offseason. As Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com tweets, Irsay was not present for the first interview, so the second summit was needed to get the owner’s official stamp of approval.
McDaniels will now turn his attention towards bringing yet another Super Bowl to New England before he departs. The Patriots, meanwhile, will need to replace not only McDaniels, but DC Matt Patricia as well. Plus, as Schefter points out, Pats special teams coordinator Joe Judge is on an expiring contract, and Ben Volin of the Boston Globe hears that Judge may well join Patricia in Detroit (Twitter link).
Volin writes in a full-length piece that Patriots LB coach Brian Flores — who got some head coaching interest this year — seems like the obvious candidate to replace Patricia as New England’s DC. The real question, then, is who (if anyone) will replace McDaniels.
As Volin notes, head coach Bill Belichick has not had to fill either top coordinator position since 2012, but his history suggests that if he does name a new offensive coordinator, he will promote from within. Indeed, all of Belichick’s coordinators during his 18-year tenure in New England either worked with him at a previous stop or worked their way up inside the Pats’ organization.
During a portion of Belichick’s reign, the team has not even had an official offensive coordinator. McDaniels ran the offense as a quarterbacks coach in 2005, and current Texans head coach Bill O’Brien called plays for the offense during the 2008-09 seasons but did not hold the OC title.
Nonetheless, someone will need to run the offense, regardless of title, and Volin says the only two realistic choices on-staff are assistant quarterbacks coach Jerry Schuplinski and receivers coach Chad O’Shea. Of the two, Volin sees O’Shea as the more likely target, as he has experience in all facets of the game and currently serves as the team’s red zone offense coordinator.
Rob Gronkowski Returns To Practice
The Patriots’ preparations for their third Super Bowl in four years included Rob Gronkowski on Saturday, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reports.
Gronkowski returned to practice for the first time since suffering a concussion in the AFC championship game. However, the Patriots’ injury report indicates their future Hall of Fame pass-catcher would not be active if the Super Bowl were to be played on Sunday.
Gronkowski remains in the Pats’ concussion protocol and must be cleared by the team’s head physician and an independent neurologist to play against the Eagles. Given the bye week and a return to practice eight days before Super Bowl LII, it remains a good bet Gronk will be active for what will be his third Super Bowl.
While the Patriots managed to navigate the Jaguars’ defense without Gronkowski in the second half, the eighth-year tight end has been their passing game’s defining weapon this decade and is coming off his fourth first-team All-Pro season — tied with John Hannah for most in team history. Gronkowski caught 69 passes for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns despite missing two games.