Redskins Exec: No Discussions About Cousins Tag
Maybe the Redskins aren’t giving serious thought to using the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins after all. Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the team has not had a meeting about franchising the quarterback (Twitter links via NBC Sports Washington). 
Placing the franchise tag on Cousins would be crazy, reckless, and petty, which is exactly why folks in the football world have speculated that the Redskins could go through with it. Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly spoke to rival executives about the possibility, but if Williams is to be believed, that move is no longer on the table.
If he is not tagged between now and the March 6 deadline, Cousins will enter free agency on March 14 as an unrestricted free agent. The legal tampering period kicks off on March 12, but Cousins’ plan is to take his time and likely not agree to terms with a club until things officially get underway. Cousins is expected to set a new watermark as the league’s highest-paid player, though he won’t hold that title for long with Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and other QBs in line for lucrative extensions.
Colts To Move On From Frank Gore
Frank Gore wants to continue playing in 2018. However, it will not be with the Colts. Colts GM Chris Ballard had a conversation with Gore and told him that they are planning on going in a different direction in order to get younger at the running back position, according to coach Frank Reich (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Mike Wells). 
Gore will turn 35 in May, which is well past the expiration date for most running backs. However, he was still reasonably productive last year, running for 961 yards with three touchdowns plus 29 catches for 245 receiving yards. Gore has rushed for more than 1,000 yards in all but four of his NFL seasons and topped 1,000 all-purpose yards in every campaign but his rookie year.
Here’s the bad news: Gore’s yards per carry average has dipped as of late and he has not had more than 4.0 yards per tote since he left San Francisco after the 2014 season. In 2017, Gore matched a career worst with 3.7 yards per attempt.
It’s hard to see Gore getting a shot as a Week 1 starter, but teams will reach out with the idea of having him on the lower end of a timeshare. Chris Ivory, who is coming off of a rough couple of years in Jacksonville, is already picking up interest, so that’s a good indicator that Gore’s phone will be ringing in March.
Rob Gronkowski Expected To Return
After pondering retirement, Rob Gronkowski is expected to continue playing in the NFL, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) reports. Agent Drew Rosenhaus declined to comment on the tight end’s status, but the belief is that he’ll be back with the Patriots in 2018. 
Rumors have been swirling about Gronkowski’s future for quite some time, particularly after he suffered a concussion during the AFC Championship game. The tight end has pondered a future in movies and even the WWE, but he’ll put acting and wrasslin’ on hold for the time being.
The lovable Gronk has caught 76 touchdowns through eight seasons in the NFL. This past season, he turned in another productive campaign with 69 grabs for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns.
After the Super Bowl, Patriots coach Bill Belichick did his best to quell talk of Gronkowski moving on to something else.
“At the end of every season, every person goes through somewhat of a process at the end of the season and then the following season,” Belichick said. “I think everyone that is involved in a NFL season, you get pretty drained especially after a season like this. [You] go through the end of the year process. The following year is the following year. It’s the same for everybody. I certainly can’t speak for anybody else…You’d have to ask any individual for every situation, but I would say five minutes after the game, or the day after the game is not really the time to make those decisions.”
Saints OT Zach Strief To Retire
Saints offensive tackle Zach Strief is expected to retire this offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Strief has yet to announce his decision, but that should take place soon. 
“The reality is that we all love some part of this game and there’s a part of that that’s just in us,” Strief said in January as he hinted at retirement. “So it makes it very difficult always when that happens, when that time comes. And like I said, I think take some time, really make that decision away from football and make it with your family. When it is time, I will have no regrets. I know that when I decide that this has gone on so much longer and so much better than I ever could have imagined.”
Strief turned in one of his best seasons to date in 2016, but he was limited in 2017 after suffering serious knee injuries. Fortunately for the Saints, they already have two quality tackles in-house at a time when teams are scrambling for quality linemen. Terron Armstead will continue as the team’s starting left tackle with 2017 first-round pick Ryan Ramczyk on the right side. Last year, Ramczyk graded out as the No. 8 tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Armstead wasn’t too far behind at No. 25.
Strief leaves the NFL after 12 seasons, all of which were spent in New Orleans. Going back to 2006, he appeared in 158 games with 94 starts.
Jets Release Muhammad Wilkerson
The Jets have informed defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson that he has been released, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The move has long been considered inevitable, despite the financial ramifications. 
[RELATED: Jets RB Matt Forte Retires From NFL]
The Jets inked Wilkerson to a lucrative five-year, $86MM extension in the summer of 2016, a deal that stands as GM Mike Maccagnan‘s biggest blunder in New York (that is, if you place the blame for Darrelle Revis‘ mega contract on owner Woody Johnson). Wilkerson had 12 sacks in his contract year (2015), but he has recorded just eight sacks combined over the last two seasons.
Last year, things got ugly. In addition to underperforming on the field, Wilkerson failed to show up on time for several team functions, leading to serious friction with the coaching staff. In December, the Jets benched the defensive lineman for the first quarter of their game against the Chiefs. The Jets went on to upset KC without one of their highest-paid players on the field at the outset.
Wilkerson’s $16.75MM salary was set to go from guaranteed against injury to fully guaranteed on the third day of the league year. The Jets did not need to take this decision to the wire, however, and cut him loose on the first day of the combine. Gang Green will carry $9MM in dead money by releasing Wilkerson. Meanwhile, Wilkerson leaves New York after pocketing $36.75MM from his ill-fated extension.
The Jets aren’t crazy about carrying that penalty, but they did not feel that Wilkerson would turn over a new leaf in 2018. When considering his lack of production and negative impact on the locker room, it was an easy call. It also helps that the Jets have plenty of financial flexibility, making the dead money hit somewhat more palatable. The Jets have more than $90MM in cap space now, boosted by the release of Wilkerson and the retirement of running back Matt Forte.
Despite everything that has gone down over the last two years, don’t be surprised if Wilkerson attracts widespread interest on the open market. This year’s defensive line crop is rather thin – particularly after the Lions applied the franchise tag to Ezekiel Ansah – so teams will be eager to talk with the 28-year-old (29 in October) to gauge his commitment to the sport. The Seahawks are unlikely to tag Sheldon Richardson, so this year’s free agent DL group figures to be headlined by the Jets’ one-time core.
Former Jets, Bears RB Matt Forte Retires
Matt Forte is moving on to the next chapter. On Wednesday, the Jets running back announced his retirement from football. 
“For the past ten years, I’ve been blessed to play professionally a game that I’ve loved since I was 6 years old,” Forte wrote. “But, after much prayer and reflection, I’ve decided to retire from the NFL. Like so many others before me, this game has enhanced my life in numerous ways. My career in the league has been nothing short of a miracle granted by God and put on display for His glory.”
Forte had one more year to go on his contract with the Jets, but it was widely anticipated that the team would release him this offseason in order to save $3MM with just $1MM in dead money. In theory, Forte could have sought employment as an RB2, but the 32-year-old is opting to leave the game altogether.
Forte spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Bears where he built a reputation as a workhorse running back who could also contribute heavily in the passing game. When the Bears informed Forte that he would not be retained, he signed a three-year, $12MM free agent deal with the Jets.
Unfortunately, his second act in New York was not as productive. Forte averaged 3.7 yards per carry in each of his two seasons in green and was lost one-quarter of his final campaign to injury.
Since entering the NFL in 2008, Forte has led the league in total yards from scrimmage in that span with 14,468.
Steelers LB Ryan Shazier Won’t Play In 2018
Linebacker Ryan Shazier will not play football in 2018, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert told reporters at the NFL combine. Colbert stressed that Shazier will continue to be a valuable member of the team and noted that he is “covered” contractually. 
Shazier suffered a scary spinal injury while making a tackle against the Bengals on Dec. 4. The news on Shazier’s overall recovery has been promising, but it’s still unclear as to whether he’ll be able to return to football at some point. For his part, Shazier says he wants to play again.
“I got to get back,” Shazier said recently. “Right now I’m reading a book and it’s basically saying trust the process. I’m really trusting the process. I know the end goal. So I’m taking every step of the way, I’m giving everything I got. The therapists are like, ‘Man this is crazy; I’ve never seen anyone work this hard.’ They almost see progression every day.”
Shazier, 25, tallied 68 tackles and 11 pass defenses before the injury and earned a Pro Bowl selection despite playing in only 12 games. Prior to that, he logged 55 tackles in each of the previous two seasons.
Panthers Cut RB Jonathan Stewart
Running back Jonathan Stewart has been cut by the Panthers, according to a source who spoke with Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). Stewart, 31 in March, has spent all ten of his NFL seasons in Carolina. 
Stewart first entered the league as the No. 13 overall pick in the 2008 draft by the Panthers. He wasn’t necessarily a superstar, but he has had a long and productive career in black and blue. In 2009, Stewart ran for 1,133 yards and ten touchdowns. In 2011, he managed to top that season in terms of efficiency with a career 5.4 yards per carry. After dealing with some injuries, Stewart nearly got his second career 1,000 yard season in 2015. He missed the mark by 11 yards as he missed three regular season games, but he did earn his first career Pro Bowl selection that year.
The Panthers inked Stewart to a one-year extension last offseason. Per the terms of the deal, the Panthers will have $3.72MM by cutting him with $1.5MM in dead money against the cap. Stewart’s release, along with this week’s cuts of safety Kurt Coleman and defensive end Charles Johnson, will create some much needed flexibility for the Panthers this offseason.
Stewart’s role was downsized a bit last year with the addition of rookie running back Christian McCaffrey. Stewart was unable to deliver as a complementary piece, turning in a career low 3.4 yards per carry average. He didn’t factor much into the passing game either with just eight receptions for 52 yards.
Bears To Cut QB Mike Glennon
The Bears will release Mike Glennon this offseason, GM Ryan Pace told reporters on Wednesday morning. By cutting Glennon, the Bears will save $11.5MM against the cap with $4.5MM in dead money remaining. 
The Bears were widely criticized last offseason when they signed Glennon to a three-year, $45MM contract. Despite entering the league in 2013, Glennon had limited on-field experience. As a rookie, Glennon started 13 games for the Bucs, completing 59.4% of his passes for 2,608 yards, 19 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. But, between 2015 and 2016, Glennon threw just eleven passes as Jameis Winston’s understudy. Glennon got his big money deal with a 5-13 record as a starting QB.
Glennon’s second run as a starting QB did not last long either. Six weeks after signing Glennon, the Bears shocked the world by trading up to draft UNC signal caller Mitch Trubisky. One month into the season, Glennon got the hook in favor of the No. 2 overall pick. Glennon will once again be a free agent, this time with a 6-16 career record as a starter.
Glennon, 28, earned $18.5MM for his four starts in Chicago. The deal was a bust in retrospect, but to the Bears’ credit, they did structure the deal to give themselves an easy out after one season.
Raiders To Bring Back Michael Crabtree
The Raiders have decided to hold onto veteran receiver Michael Crabtree, a source told Vic Tafur of The Athletic. There were previous discussions about releasing the receiver, who is set to make $7.5 MM in salary and roster bonus in 2018. 
Tafur writes that Crabtree has met with new head coach Jon Gruden in the past month and have come to an agreement that his struggles in 2017 were related to the previous regime. The problems with Jack Del Rio‘s staff were obvious in the final two games of the season when Crabtree played just 46 of 121 snaps, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken (Twitter link).
At the age of 30 in 2017, Crabtree logged just 58 receptions for 618 yards but did manage to register eight touchdown grabs. The campaign followed back-to-back 85-catch seasons in his first two seasons with the Raiders. The Texas Tech product has been a force in the red zone, logging 25 receiving scores in three seasons with the Silver and Black.
Though he did have a rough season, Crabtree is a strong bounce-back candidate in Gruden’s new-look attack that prioritizes quick-hitting passes to move the chains. Crabtree is signed through the 2019 season but will not count against the cap if released.