Panthers Place GM Marty Hurney On Leave
The Panthers have placed interim general manager Marty Hurney on paid leave following allegations of harassment from his ex-wife, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
Hurney’s ex-wife, Jeanne, originally filed for a restraining order last Friday, but a judge denied the request given there was no evidence Hurney committed domestic violence. A new hearing had been set for February 16, but given that Jeanne has since withdrawn her complaint, that hearing will not actually occur. The NFL still plans to investigate the allegations regardless of how the judicial process plays out.
While there are no assertions of domestic violence in Jeanne Hurney’s complaint, she does claim Marty Hurney was “extremely controlling and was verbally and emotionally abusive” during the couple’s marriage. Additionally, Jeanne alleges: her computer and security system have been hacked; Marty or his associates have broken into her home; intruders have places sticky notes in her books, highlighting words such as “victim” and “terrorize.”
Marty Hurney’s lawyer has called Jeanne’s complaints “complete fiction,” but it’s fair to wonder how the claims will affect Hurney and his status in Carolina’s ongoing general manager search. Hurney, who was named the club’s interim GM after Dave Gettleman was fired in 2017, had been viewed as the frontrunner for the position. Other candidates for the role include Lake Dawson (Bills), Martin Mayhew (49ers), and Jimmy Raye III (Texans).
The Panthers, of course, are no strangers to harassment-related controversy, as team owner Jerry Richardson was accused of inappropriate sexual and racial comments in December. Richardson quickly ceded control of the club, and announced his intention to sell the Carolina franchise once the 2017 campaign concluded.
Pats’ Malcolm Butler Denies Missing Curfew
To the shock of everyone in the football world, Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler played just one special teams snap in Sunday’s Super Bowl defeat. Over the last two days, many have speculated that Butler was benched due to some sort of disciplinary issue, but the pending free agent says that’s not the case. 
“During my four-year career with [the] Patriots I have always given everything I have to play at a high level, and would never do anything to hurt my teams’ chances of winning a game, including this year’s Super Bowl where I visited with my family every night,” Butler said (Twitter link). “During Super Bowl week I never attended any concert, missed curfew, or participated [in] any of the ridiculous activities being reported. They are not only false, but hurtful, to me and my family.”
On Instagram, where Butler’s statement was cross-posted, Tom Brady offered words of support that seemed to support his version of events. “Love you, Malcolm. You are an incredible player and teammate and friend. Always!!!,” the future Hall of Famer wrote (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of NFL.com).
Butler is scheduled to reach the open market in March, so it behooves him to quiet any false speculation regarding his benching. However, even if the Super Bowl XLIX hero’s absence from the big game was not related to any disciplinary issues, teams will want to know more about what went into Bill Belichick‘s decision.
Butler did not have a banner platform year, as evidenced by his 79.2 overall rating from Pro Football Focus (51st amongst cornerbacks), down from 88.1 last season and 83.2 in 2015. However, he started in started 54 of the team’s 55 games leading up to the Super Bowl and turned in a decent performance against the Jaguars in the AFC Championship Game.
If not for the Patriots using the restricted free agent tender on Butler last offseason, he may have been in line for a multi-year deal with an annual average value of $15MM. This time around, the Pats aren’t expected to put up much of a fight to keep him. He’ll also make a lot less than $15MM/year on his next contract.
Top 3 Offseason Needs: Miami Dolphins
In advance of March 14, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Miami Dolphins, who missed the playoffs with a disappointing 6-10 record.
Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)
Pending Free Agents:
- Walt Aikens, CB
- Nate Allen, S
- Lamin Barrow, LB
- Jake Brendel, C (ERFA)
- Jermon Bushrod, G
- Jay Cutler, QB
- John Denney, LS
- David Fales, QB (RFA)
- Terrence Fede, DE
- Anthony Fasano, TE
- William Hayes, DE
- Neville Hewitt, LB (RFA)
- Mike Hull, LB (ERFA)
- Jarvis Landry, WR
- Jordan Lucas, CB (ERFA)
- Koa Misi, LB
- Matt Moore, QB
- Cody Parkey, K
- Rashawn Scott, WR (ERFA)
- De’Veon Smith, RB (ERFA)
- Anthony Steen, OL (ERFA)
- Michael Thomas, S
- Alterraun Verner, CB
- Damien Williams, RB
- Gabe Wright, DT (RFA)
- Sam Young, T
Top 10 Cap Hits for 2018:
- Ndamukong Suh, DT: $26,100,000
- Ryan Tannehill, QB: $19,800,000
- Reshad Jones, S: $11,575,000
- Andre Branch, DE: $10,000,000
- Kenny Stills, WR: $9,750,000
- Kiko Alonso, LB: $9,637,500
- Ja’Wuan James, T: $9,341,000
- Mike Pouncey, C: $9,000,000
- Cameron Wake, DE: $8,625,000
- Lawrence Timmons, LB: $8,225,000
Other:
- Projected cap space (via Over the Cap): $14,227,046
- 11th pick in draft
- Must exercise or decline 2019 fifth-year option for WR DeVante Parker
- Must exercise or decline 2019 fifth-year option for LB Stephone Anthony
Three Needs:
1. Offensive guard. This was a rough year for the Dolphins offensive line between injuries and the midseason scandal that resulted in OL coach Chris Foerster‘s resignation. The Dolphins finished the year 30th in run blocking according to Football Outsiders‘ adjusted line yards metric and that’s bad news since the team clearly needs to establish the run game going forward. 
Miami placed dead last in the league with 360 rushing attempts in 2017. For reference, the franchise record for fewest rushing attempts in a season is 326, back in 1967 when the regular season was only 14 games long. On a per game basis, Miami averaged just 22.5 carries per game this past season versus 23.9 in ’67. Much of that has to do with the Dolphins often playing from behind last year, but the Dolphins must keep defenses honest with a balanced offensive attack next year.
“There are some times where you just go, ‘Man, we’re getting it,’” former offensive coordinator Clyde Christensen said of the team’s run blocking back in December (via Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel). “And then there are times where you go, ‘How does that happen? How did we set him free?’”
The Dolphins’ starting guards – Jermon Bushrod and Ted Larsen – are both due for free agency. Given that they both graded out as the No. 62 and No. 67 ranked guards in the league, per Pro Football Focus, and battled injuries, they are unlikely to return as first shift interior linemen. Jesse Davis (ranked 63rd by PFF) and 2017 fifth-round choice Issac Asiata remain under contract, but neither player is in line for a promotion. In theory, Laremy Tunsil could be moved from tackle to guard, but the team has said that he will remain on the outside.
Whether it’s through free agency, the draft, or trades, the Dolphins need to add at least two guards this offseason.
Colts Officially Hire Josh McDaniels
It’s a done deal. The Colts announced that they’ve hired Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as their new head coach. The introductory press conference for the former Patriots offensive coordinator will be held on Wednesday. 
In a sense, the Colts’ announcement was a mere formality as the two sides struck agreement on a deal in mid-January. However, there were rumblings leading up to the Super Bowl that McDaniels was getting cold feet and could instead stay with the Patriots as their OC. As of Sunday, McDaniels reportedly not yet told the Patriots that he’s leaving. Some around the league believed that McDaniels would stay in New England if Bill Belichick opted to retire and pass the torch to him. But, Belichick has indicated that he’ll return for another season, so that scenario was not on the table for McDaniels, unless he wanted to wait for an indeterminate period of time to potentially take over.
It’s not clear why McDaniels may have been having second thoughts about the job, but one has to wonder if he is at odds with team brass over the team’s offensive coordinator choice. Last month, it was reported that McDaniels had selected Raiders quarterbacks coach Jake Peetz as their new offensive coordinator and the two sides were hammering out a contract. However, team decision makers appear to have their sights set on former Seahawks offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell. It’s also possible that McDaniels was considering his options before making everything official since his stint as a head coach with the Broncos did not go as planned.
McDaniels will be tasked with turning the Colts around after a disappointing 4-12 season. On the plus side, they own the No. 3 pick in the draft and they may have their choice between North Carolina State edge rusher Bradley Chubb or Penn State running back Saquon Barkley.
The Colts are hoping that McDaniels can help get Andrew Luck back on track. Tom Brady has done his best work under the guidance of the 41-year-old OC, so he certainly seems like the right man for the job. Prior to McDaniels taking over as Patriots OC in 2006, Brady had one 4,000-yard passing season and had never thrown more than 28 TD passes in a campaign. Brady has topped those benchmarks in each of his healthy seasons under McDaniels, save for the first one in 2006.
Saints Cut DT Nick Fairley
Nick Fairley‘s tenure with the Saints has come to an end. ESPN’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter) that the team has cut the defensive tackle with a non-football illness designation.
Fairley signed a four-year, $28MM ($14MM guaranteed) deal with the Saints this past offseason. However, he was shelved prior to the season after a team doctor discovered a heart condition. After receiving multiple opinions, the organization ultimately placed the defensive lineman on the non-football illness list.
Yates tweets that Fairley was due a $750,000 roster bonus this week, and his $4.25MM salary also would have become fully-guaranteed at this time. Nick Underhill of The Advocate tweets that the grievance over that money is still ongoing. Both sides had previously filed a grievance with the NFL’s Management Council over how much guaranteed money would ultimately be owed to the 30-year-old.
The 2011 first-round pick spent the first four seasons of his career with the Lions before bouncing between the Rams and Saints. In 2016, Fairley finished with 43 tackles and a career-high 6.5 sacks for New Orleans.
Lions Hire Matt Patricia As Head Coach
As expected, the Lions made it official on Monday in announcing Matt Patricia will be their next head coach. Now that the 2017 season is over, the two teams who waited for the Patriots’ season to end are free to announce agreements.
This hire has been expected for more than three weeks, and the longtime New England DC can begin to fully assemble his first Detroit staff.
“When we launched the search for our next head coach, I wanted to find a leader that could take us to the next level and I am confident we have found that in Matt Patricia,” Lions GM Bob Quinn said. “He has been preparing for this opportunity his entire career, and he’s ready for the responsibility and its challenges.
“Matt is driven to succeed, has extreme passion for the game and excels in preparation. He embodies the same hard-working, blue-collar attributes that represent our organization and the great City of Detroit.”
Patricia served as Patriots DC for six seasons but spent 14 years with the franchise, going straight from being a Syracuse graduate assistant to working on Bill Belichick‘s staff. The 43-year-old Patricia is coming off his first Super Bowl defeat as Pats DC, but he served on staff for six of the eight Super Bowls in the Belichick era.
The Lions are expected to retain OC Jim Bob Cooter and are not certain to hire a defensive coordinator, with Patricia expected to run that unit. They will have an entirely new defensive staff regardless.
Nick Foles’ Eagles Future Remains Murky
Nick Foles was the MVP of the Super Bowl, but his future with the Eagles is far from certain. On Monday morning, coach Doug Pederson all but confirmed that Carson Wentz will be the Eagles’ starter to open up the 2018 season. 
“I had a chance to talk to Carson actually on the field, on the podium last night after the game. I told him to take this in, enjoy this moment,” Pederson said on Monday morning (via NFL.com). “He’s a great quarterback and he’s a big reason — I told him you’re a big, big part of why this team won this championship, won this game. I told him that hopefully we’ll be back in this game with him leading the way.”
When asked if the Super Bowl MVP can realistically return as Wentz’ backup, Pederson didn’t have much in the way of concrete answers.
“I knew I couldn’t get off this stage without that question,” Pederson said. “You know what? I’m going to tell you right now, we’re going to enjoy it, we’re going to get on this plane, go back to Philadelphia, we’re going to celebrate with our fans back in Philly. We’ve got a long offseason — well, really a short offseason now. We’re just going to enjoy this moment. I’m happy for Nick, I’m happy for the team. It’s not about one guy, it’s about the team. Like I said, we’re going to enjoy these next few days.”
The Eagles would certainly like to keep Foles as Wentz’s No. 2 in the event of another injury next season and he has proven himself to be more than worthy of his $7.6MM cap charge for next season. At the same time, Foles will likely want to be a starting quarterback again and the Eagles could definitely use some additional draft capital as they pick last in the first round and do not own their second or third round picks thanks to trades. In the coming weeks, the Eagles can be expected to keep the phone lines open as teams inquire about this year’s Super Bowl hero.
Rob Gronkowski Mulling Retirement?
In the aftermath of the Patriots’ loss to the Eagles in the Super Bowl, tight end Rob Gronkowski was asked about the possibility that he could retire this offseason. Gronkowski indicated that retirement is at least a possibility, though he has not made a determination one way or another. 
“I don’t know how you heard that, but I mean I’m definitely gonna look at my future for sure,” Gronkowski said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, on Twitter). “[I’ll] sit down the next couple weeks and see where I’m at.”
Gronkowski won’t turn 29 until May and remains one of the league’s very best tight ends. However, he may be thinking about moving on from the game after a big hit from Jaguars safety Barry Church left him with a concussion. Gronk, who has plenty of money in the bank thanks to endorsement deals, is due to make $8.25MM in 2018 and that might not be enough to make him return for another season if he is having doubts.
This past season, Gronkowski hauled in a team-high 69 catches for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. He also turned in another stellar performance on the game’s biggest stage with nine catches for 116 yards and two scores against the Eagles. If the Patriots want more of that, they may have to try and coax Gronkowski to come back out for another season – and that may mean offering him a sizable raise.
Eagles Win Super Bowl LII
The Philadelphia Eagles have won their first Super Bowl championship, holding off the New England Patriots in a classic.
Philadelphia prevailed in a 41-33 victory in Minneapolis, riding an all-time performance from backup quarterback Nick Foles. Carson Wentz‘s backup accounted for four touchdowns, being on the receiving a historic trick play at the goal line at the end of the first half, to help propel the Eagles to their first championship since 1960.
For his work, Foles earned MVP honors.
The 29-year-old quarterback, now in his second Eagles stint, turned in back-to-back dominant outings to lift the team to the NFL’s summit — his best work coming to hand the Patriots their third Super Bowl defeat of the Bill Belichick era.
Foles completed 28 of 43 passes, throwing for three touchdowns to counter Tom Brady‘s bid for another comeback. The Patriots icon broke his own Super Bowl record by throwing for 505 yards, adding three touchdown passes. But Brandon Graham intervened in a crucial spot to stymie Brady and New England’s bid for a second straight Super Bowl title.
Graham’s pass rush stripped the ball from Brady and denied the Patriots’ offense a chance at a game-winning touchdown drive. The Patriots, like they did in a Super Bowl XLVI loss to the Giants, had a final-play opportunity. But the Eagles thwarted their hail mary to preserve the championship in a game that broke the all-time record for yardage in a Super Bowl.
The teams combined for 1,151 yards, 75 of those coming on the Eagles’ go-ahead touchdown drive that ended in a Foles-to-Zach Ertz connection. That ended up being enough to clinch a championship in Doug Pederson‘s second season as HC. Philadelphia constructed a dramatic improvement from its 7-9 2016 effort.
The 85th-year franchise won three playoff games — despite being underdogs in all three — to hold seed in the NFC then upend the Patriots, winning a Super Bowl in its third try and avenging a loss to the Patriots 13 years ago.
Brandin Cooks To Miss Rest Of Super Bowl
The jarring hit Brandin Cooks absorbed in the second quarter will end his first Super Bowl. Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reports (on Twitter) the Patriots’ top deep threat is done for the game.
Malcolm Jenkins delivered the blow that will leave the Patriots without their prized offseason acquisition. For the second straight game, New England will be without one of its key pass-catchers after a first-half collision.
The first-year Patriots wide receiver suffered a concussion, Doug Kyed of NESN.com tweets.
New England has a bevy of receiving options and was able to survive the Jaguars’ effort in the AFC title game without Rob Gronkowski, who was lost for that game due to a concussion, in the second half. But Cooks is the Pats’ top long-range weapon. The Patriots traded for Phillip Dorsett just before this season, and the former Colts first-round pick could now see time.
Acquired from the Saints for a first-round pick this offseason, Cooks has not missed a game since his 2014 rookie season. He reeled off his third straight 1,000-yard season, and the 16.6-yard average is the 24-year-old’s highest per-catch figure of his career. Cooks was the Patriots’ second-leading receiver this season, behind Gronkowski.