Michael Floyd Could Face 180-Day Jail Sentence
Thanks to the now-fired Gus Bradley‘s disastrous stint as a first-time head coach, the Jaguars are unlikely to hire a replacement who doesn’t bring prior experience, league sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. That makes it all the more probable the team will tab a previously reported candidate like Tom Coughlin, who interviewed Wednesday, interim head coach Doug Marrone or ex-Falcons head coach and current Buccaneers defensive coordinator Mike Smith. Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Steelers O-coordinator Todd Haley have also been head coaches, but it’s unlikely either will end up a match for Jacksonville, per Mortensen.
- Patriots receiver Michael Floyd could face a mandatory 180 days in jail, not the previously reported 45, for his Dec. 12 arrest in Arizona on a Super Extreme DUI charge, report Mortensen and Adam Schefter. Whether the harsher punishment will enter the fray will come down to whether the courts in Arizona regard this as a second offense for Floyd, who has a prior DUI arrest under his belt from his time at Notre Dame. If Floyd gets 180 days, it could put his availability for next season in jeopardy. The impending free agent is currently slated for a pretrial hearing on Feb. 24, just two weeks before he’s scheduled to hit the open market.
Pats To Place High Asking Price On Garoppolo
Even though quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is only a year from hitting free agency, the Patriots are going to place a high asking price on Tom Brady‘s backup if they shop him during the offseason. In order to move the 25-year-old Garoppolo, New England is likely to want at least a first- and fourth-round pick in return, ESPN’s Adam Schefter told WEEI on Wednesday.
In the latest high-profile trade involving a signal-caller, the Vikings sent a first- and fourth-rounder to the Eagles for Sam Bradford last September. Bradford came with two years of team control, but his recent track record at the time wasn’t as impressive as Garoppolo’s work early this season.
In two games filling in for a suspended Brady, Garoppolo completed 42 of 59 passes for 496 yards and four touchdowns as the Patriots racked up wins over Arizona and Miami. The plan was for Garoppolo to start all four games of Brady’s season-opening Deflategate ban, but that changed when Dolphins linebacker Kiko Alonso knocked the 2014 second-rounder out with a shoulder injury in Week 2.
With Brady entrenched under center in New England, it’s possible Garoppolo’s Week 2 start will go down as his last with the organization. While it would ideal for the Patriots to retain Garoppolo for the long haul as the successor to Brady, that looks unrealistic. The soon-to-be 40-year-old Brady hasn’t waned in 2016 from his typical MVP-level form and is under Patriots control through the 2019 campaign. So is third-stringer Jacoby Brissett, with whom the Pats went 1-1 when Brady and Garoppolo were unavailable in Weeks 3 and 4.
With the Redskins’ Kirk Cousins likely a poor bet to become a free agent, Garoppolo could end up as the top potential long-term solution available at QB in the offseason. Speculatively, teams like the Browns, Bears, 49ers, Texans, Jaguars, Bills and Jets could be among those to chase Garoppolo, which might lead to a bidding war and enable the Pats to receive their desired compensation. New England could otherwise keep the ex-Eastern Illinois star at an $820K salary in 2017 and, should Garoppolo sign elsewhere after next season, potentially receive a compensatory third-rounder in the 2019 draft.
Patriots Work Out Arthur Brown
- The Patriots auditioned linebacker Arthur Brown, according to Doug Kyed of NESN (Twitter link). Both the Jaguars and Jets have cut Brown this month. He entered the league in 2013 as Baltimore’s second-round pick.
Pats President On Michael Floyd
- When asked about the acquisition of wide receiver Michael Floyd, Patriots president Jonathan Kraft seemed to put the onus on coach Bill Belichick, as Phil Perry of CSNNE.com writes. “Bill decided, looking at all of the variables, that it made sense for our football team at this time of the year,” Kraft said. “That’s why Michael Floyd is here.” In Saturday’s rout of the Jets, Floyd wasn’t on the field a whole lot but he was cheered loudly by Patriots fans who were eager to see him. It will be interesting to see what kind of role he has the rest of the way.
Patriots Notes: Brown, Rowe
- Patriots defensive tackle Malcom Brown was demoted during Saturday’s game against the Jets because he was late for a meeting last week, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Head coach Bill Belichick has dealt harshly with tardiness in the past, but Reiss notes that Brown is valued as a mature player who likely just made an “honest mistake.” Brown, a 2015, first-round pick, has started 13 games this season.
- Under the terms of the trade that sent cornerback Eric Rowe from the Eagles to the Patriots earlier this year, New England will be forced to ship a 2018 third-round pick to Philadelphia if Rowe plays in 50% of the Patriots’ snaps in either 2016 or 2017. Rowe won’t meet that mark this season, per Reiss, although Rowe could still reach that threshold next year. If he doesn’t, New England will only be required to send a 2018 fourth-rounder to Philly.
Josh McDaniels Likely To Take HC Job?
Although Josh McDaniels‘ first foray into the head-coaching ranks did not go well, he’s been a sought-after candidate in recent years. The Patriots OC has passed on such advances but, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe, may have changed his mind this time around.
McDaniels is likely to accept a head-coaching position during this latest cycle of hires, Volin writes, and has already been linked to the two available positions — with the Rams and Jaguars.
Volin notes some talk has surfaced about McDaniels going with Jimmy Garoppolo in a package deal-type arrangement with the Patriots’ current backup quarterback, but that might not be too realistic. Instead, the 40-year-old OC values ownership, a team’s organizational structure and overall talent on a roster. The Jaguars and Cardinals — if 64-year-old Bruce Arians decides to move on after his health scare earlier this season — strike Volin as the best fits for McDaniels despite potentially neither having a long-term quarterback option on their respective rosters presently.
McDaniels was hesitant last year when his name surfaced on the coaching carousel, keeping a low profile during the Patriots’ playoff run, never interviewing for the Dolphins or Titans’ positions despite interest from those organizations. He said earlier this season he’d “love to be” a head coach again, citing the scarcity of these jobs. Volin, though, adds that it should not be expected McDaniels will take a job in the AFC East or with another Patriots rival, pointing to the Colts and their potential opening as likely being off the table.
Ruling out the Bills and Colts, the Bears, 49ers and Chargers — and McDaniels’ hometown Browns — may have openings. Although, Volin believes Mike McCoy will survive Black Monday and receive a fifth year with the Bolts. McDaniels has presided over most of Tom Brady‘s extensive late-career peak and would figure to be an option as Bill Belichick‘s successor due to having so much experience in New England, but nothing has linked the longtime Pats boss to retirement in the near future, so McDaniels will continue to come up in job searches as a coveted offensive mind.
The longtime OC went 11-17 with the Broncos in 2009-10, serving as a key personnel figure in that span as well before being fired in December of ’10.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/23/16
The latest practice squad changes from around the NFL:
Cleveland Browns
- Signed: S Trae Elston
- Cut From P-Squad IR: K Patrick Murray
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Woodrow Hamilton
Schefter: Trade Of Garoppolo Would Be Stunning
This week’s activation of rookie Jacoby Brissett makes this season the first time the Pats have carried three quarterbacks since 2011 (Brady, Brian Hoyer and Ryan Mallett), and it leads Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com to wonder if Brissett’s additional reps are setting the stage for him to be Brady’s backup next season after a Garoppolo trade.
Jimmy Garoppolo‘s name figures to come up frequently this offseason as a potential quarterback target, but Adam Schefter of ESPN.com spoke with a source close to the Patriots who would be “stunned” if New England moved its current backup. Schefter reiterates the interest from other teams in the soon-to-be contract-year quarterback will be there, but the desire for the franchise to build in a succession plan from Tom Brady to his current backup will be as well.
Latest On Michael Floyd
- Patriots head coach Bill Belichick implied Wednesday that the club knew the full details of then-Cardinal Michael Floyd‘s Dec. 12 DUI arrest when it claimed him off waivers Dec. 15, but he indicated otherwise Thursday, per Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. The Cardinals released Floyd as a result of his arrest, which came after he registered a blood alcohol level of .21 (more than twice the legal limit of .08), and owner Michael Bidwill said the 27-year-old showed “no remorse” and “was unapologetic.” Floyd responded to that Thursday, saying, “I love that organization. Mr. Bidwell treated me very well. I really don’t have too big of a comment [on him] saying that.” Continued Floyd, who could face a mandatory 45-day jail sentence, “I think right now it is about learning about that mistake. I couldn’t be in a better position right now with this team. The guys that they have around here are keeping me focused and working hard” (via Ryan Hannable of WEEI).
Jets’ Brandon Marshall Discusses His Future
Wide receiver Brandon Marshall hopes to return to the Jets for his age-33 season in 2017, but the feeling might not be mutual. The Jets would have dealt Marshall by the Nov. 1 trade deadline had they gotten adequate draft pick compensation in return, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The club was 3-5 at the time, meaning its playoff chances weren’t completely dead, but it’s now 4-10 and likely at the start of a rebuild. As a result, Marshall could be an offseason cap casualty for New York, which would save $7.5MM and incur no dead money in 2017 by releasing him.
If Marshall does hit the free agent market, Mehta floated the idea of the former Bronco, Bear and Dolphin joining the Patriots.
“That’s intriguing, but that wouldn’t be my team. I would be a rental player,” Marshall responded.
By signing with the Patriots, who are perennial contenders, Marshall would likely give himself an opportunity to experience postseason football for the first time. Marshall has played 166 career regular-season games without a playoff trip, which is the longest individual drought in the league, and told Mehta that making the postseason is his “top priority.”
“But there’s two things that make it really difficult,” he added. “One, I love it here. And two, I don’t want to be a rental player for anyone. So, I don’t want to jump ship and take the easy route and go somewhere where I’m just a rental cop for a year or two and I’m not a core guy. I want to do it being a big part of the puzzle.”
Given his age, it could be difficult for Marshall to end up as a long-term core piece anywhere, but he revealed that he expects to play into his “late 30s.”
After torching opposing defenses for 109 catches, 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns last year, the 6-foot-4, 230-pound Marshall has taken steps backward this season, though quarterbacks Ryan Fitzpatrick and Bryce Petty haven’t helped his cause. Marshall has caught only 57 of 124 targets for 760 yards and three scores, and he’s tied for the NFL lead in drops (eight). That’s not a new issue, however, as Marshall ranked toward the bottom of the league in drops (10) during his excellent 2015.
Despite his less-than-stellar year, Marshall would surely end up a sought-after target on the market if the Jets were to release him. He’s just 61 catches from 1,000 and 18 touchdowns from 100 in what could be a Hall of Fame career. Along the way, Marshall has exceeded 100 catches in seven different seasons and 1,000 yards on eight occasions. Not bad for someone who hasn’t exactly played with great quarterbacks during his career, though he could have a chance to join a team with a high-end signal-caller in the offseason.