Chiefs To Trade QB Alex Smith To Redskins
In a blockbuster move that will have wide-ranging implications around the NFL, the Chiefs have agreed to trade quarterback Alex Smith to the Redskins, reports Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. When the deal becomes official on March 14 (the first day of the 2018 league year), Kansas City is expected to receive a third-round pick (No. 78) and a player who will be identified Wednesday, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
In 2017, the 33-year-old Smith led the NFL in passer rating (104.7) and finished third in adjusted net yards per attempt while setting career-highs in completion percentage (67.5), yards (4,042), and touchdowns (26). He also posted a career-low interception rate of 1%, and scored well in Football Outsiders’ metrics, which ranked Smith ninth in DYAR and 10th in DVOA.
Despite that production, the Chiefs were widely expected to trade Smith given the presence of Patrick Mahomes, whom Kansas City traded up to acquire in the 2017 draft. Mahomes’ only real action during his rookie campaign came during a meaningless regular season finale, but the Chiefs shipped two first-round picks plus a third-rounder to Buffalo for the right to select Mahomes at pick No. 10, and they’ll capitalize on that investment.
Smith is only under contract through the 2018 campaign, and it remains to be seen if Washington has interest in working out an extension. Kansas City was projected to be roughly $10MM over the cap next season, so clearing Smith’s $14.5MM base salary, $2MM roster bonus, and $500K workout bonus will help out the club’s books., while the Redskins boast more than $52MM in cap space, meaning they can easily fit Smith onto their ledger.
Washington’s decision to not only take on Smith’s salary, but install him as the team’s starting quarterback, means Kirk Cousins will (at long last) officially hit the open market as an unrestricted free agent. Although the Redskins could have explored a variety of options regarding Cousins, including the franchise/transition tag or a long-term deal, the club never seemed willing to commit to a lengthy contract for its starting quarterback.
A third consecutive franchise tender would have netted Cousins more than $34MM in 2018 alone, but he’ll now be free to possibly double that figure in guaranteed money on his next contract. The Jets were the most recent team to be linked to a Cousins pursuit, while club such as the Bronco, Browns, and Cardinals could also make sense as potential landing spots.
The Chiefs, meanwhile, are now facing something of a restart on offense a year after ranking fourth in DVOA, fifth in yards, and sixth in points. In addition to Mahomes now being under center, Kansas City will be without offensive coordinator Matt Nagy, who is now the Bears’ head coach. Former running backs coach Eric Bieniemy has since been promoted to OC, while head coach Andy Reid will personally direct Mahomes as the club’s play-caller.
[RELATED: Chiefs Depth Chart]
Jaguars Planning To Keep Blake Bortles?
A report emerged on Monday night indicating Blake Bortles underwent surgery on his right wrist, an operation that could cloud his physical once it comes time for his fifth-year option to vest.
However, the Jaguars may not have notions of releasing a healthy Bortles under consideration. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link) the Jags’ plan is to keep Bortles for 2018 and give him a fifth year as their starter.
This would take Jacksonville out of the mix of quarterback suitors this offseason and may help explain why this surgery, which was known to be required last offseason, was tabled until recently. The 2018 option decision being a non-factor would allow a Bortles recovery to unfold on a normal pace as he gears up to help his now-championship-contending team come September.
The Jags were mentioned throughout this season as one of the key quarterback destinations, given their loaded defense and Bortles’ issues over his four-year run. While he put together two strong games against the AFC’s top two seeds in the playoffs, the 25-year-old passer has been wildly inconsistent over the course of his time in north Florida.
Reports last season involved Jaguars HC candidates not having to commit to him as a starter for 2017. Unreliability led to Bortles’ brief benching during the preseason and prompted many to speculate the Jags would try to pair a more reliable quarterback with their dominant defense.
The former No. 3 overall pick would enter a contract year if retained this season. Should the Jaguars reverse course, and Bortles be healthy enough to pass a physical en route to a release, the quarterback would be an interesting name on the market.
Of course, Bortles’ salary skyrocketing from $6.57MM to $19MM will limit Jacksonville’s options in free agency. The team’s been active on the market for years, and some recent decisions helped the team to its first AFC South title and first conference title game berth since 1999. While Bortles was viewed as more of a game manager during the regular season, throwing for 3,687 yards and sporting a 21-to-13 TD-to-INT ratio, his performance during the second half of the campaign and in the playoffs may have convinced Jags management he can get the team to the next level.
Ryan Kalil To Retire After 2018 Season
Ryan Kalil‘s 12th NFL season will be his last. The decorated Panthers center informed the Charlotte Observer’s Joe Person that this upcoming campaign will mark the conclusion to his NFL career.
A two-time first-team All-Pro performer, Kalil was limited to just six regular-season games in 2017 by a neck injury. He said the Panthers’ medical staff and a specialist he saw after the season cleared him to return to action, so the Panthers can pencil him back into their starting lineup.
That hasn’t been a surefire proposition, with the former USC standout playing just 14 games over the past two seasons. Prior to that, he’d suited up for at least 15 contests six times in a seven-year span — with five Pro Bowls and two All-Pro distinctions having occurred during that time.
Ryan and Matt Kalil will play a second season alongside one another, per Person, and the elder Kalil will have an offseason to prepare after being limited in 2017 because of a shoulder surgery.
“I’m excited about is to actually have an offseason to train because I haven’t had that. I didn’t get that last year and I think that’s part of what contributed to my injury this last season,” said Ryan Kalil, who will turn 33 in March. “I didn’t get to start training until right around training camp, like actually football training. I just felt way behind and I didn’t feel as physically ready for the season as I would have liked to have been.”
The Panthers drafted Kalil in the second round in 2012, and he’s been one of the best players in team history. Kalil served as the pivotman during the Panthers’ Super Bowl 50 run and played every game of the Panthers’ 2008, ’13 and ’14 playoff seasons. He will earn $4.5MM in base salary next season and take up $9.575MM of Carolina’s cap.
Titans Hire Matt LaFleur As OC
The Titans announced that they have hired Matt LaFleur as their new offensive coordinator. LaFleur previously served as the Rams’ offensive coordinator. 
Technically, this represents a lateral move for LaFleur, though he did not call plays in Los Angeles when he worked under head coach Sean McVay. Serving under a defensive-minded coach in Mike Vrabel, LaFleur should have flexibility to do things his way.
LaFleur is inexperienced as an OC, having served just one season in the role. In his favor, LaFleur did guide Matt Ryan to an MVP campaign just a year ago as quarterbacks coach in Atlanta. Then, last year, Jared Goff excelled under LaFleur’s tutelage. Given the 38-year-old’s QB acumen, the Titans are hopeful that he can get the most out of Marcus Mariota.
On Tuesday morning, the Titans also made the hiring of Dean Pees as defensive coordinator official.
Extra Points: Fitzgerald, Talib, Titans, Jets
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald has yet to make his intentions for the 2018 season public knowledge, but signs are point toward the future Hall of Famer returning for his 15th NFL campaign.
New offensive coordinator Mike McCoy said he has talked with Fitzgerald and that the receiver is “excited,” reports ESPN’s Josh Weinfuss. Fitzgerald reportedly told the new offensive coordinator is verbiage was similar to previous coaches Bruce Arians and Ken Whisenhunt.
Kurt Warner also said that he gets the sense that Fitzgerald is leaning toward returning, the Hall of Fame quarterback said on 98.7 Arizona Sports radio. “Last couple of times I’ve talked, I really feel like he wants to come back and play this season and he’s more committed to it. But that was before all the changes that took place.But I get the feeling that he is going to come back.”
Fitzgerald hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down in recent years. After moving to the slot in 2015, the perennial Pro Bowl selection has cleared 100 catches and 1,000 yards in each season and has cemented his status as one of the game’s all-time greats.
Though he is leaning toward returning, his status is sure to be decided by what the Cardinals do to fill the vacancy at quarterback left by the retirement of Carson Palmer. With plenty of talent on both sides of the ball, the team making a run at Redskins signal-caller Kirk Cousins for a quick fix would make plenty of sense.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Speaking of Cousins, the soon-to-be free agent is expected to receive plenty of interest from the Jets. On Monday, former head coach Mike Shanahan praised Cousins as a special player, the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta writes. This portends to the Jets, as new offensive coordinator Jeremy Bates was groomed under Shanahan in Denver. Shanahan said: “I think Kirk Cousins could be successful in any offense that he ran. Those quarterbacks are hard to find.”
- The Broncos, according to reports, have recently placed cornerback Aqib Talib on the trade block. ABC 7 in Denver’s Troy Renck looked at a few possible destinations for the veteran cornerback, listing the 49ers, Rams and Cowboys. Talib is signed through the 2019 campaign.
- Bills center Eric Wood put his retirement on hold and remains on the Bills roster due to the team’s salary cap restrictions, ESPN’s Mike Rodak reports (Twitter link). When he is eventually moved to the retired list, Wood will receive $4.8 MM in injury guaranteed salary for 2018, while keeping the $4.3M in signing bonus paid, tweets NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
- The Titans have hired Raiders wide receivers coach Rob Moore for the same position, ESPN’s Adam Caplan tweets. He also notes the team interviewed former Raiders running backs coach Bernie Parmalee last week.
- The Panthers will hire Travelle Wharton as an assistant offensive line coach, ESPN’s David Newton hears. Wharton previously spent two stints with the Panthers as an offensive lineman.
Blake Bortles Undergoes Right Wrist Surgery
On Friday, Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles underwent surgery on his right wrist, ESPN’s Adam Schefter hears (Twitter link). 
The surgery was for a condition that has plagued the signal-caller since December 2016 and kept him on the injury report throughout the 2017 season. Schefter reports the Jaguars elected to avoid surgery last offseason but knew it was needed following this season.
In early January, Schefter also reported (Twitter link) that Bortles said he played the season with two shoulder separations in addition to wrist tendinitis. There is no word how long the recovery is expected to last, but with the Jaguars postponing it and Bortles playing through it makes it seem like a rather minor deal.
In his fourth season at the helm in Jacksonville, Bortles helped the team to a 10-6 record and a spot in the AFC Championship game before falling in the closing minutes to the Patriots. Bortles showed improvement in the team’s new run-heavy attack, completing a career-high 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns.
In May 2017, the Jaguars picked up the fifth-year option on Bortles’ deal which will pay him $19 MM in 2018. The deal is only fully guaranteed for injury, so the team can walk away if it decides to pursue a veteran like Alex Smith.
Titans To Hire Dean Pees As Defensive Coordinator
Dean Pees‘ retirement didn’t last long. After calling it quits on January 1 following a six-year run in Baltimore, the veteran coach is set to join the Titans as the team’s defensive coordinator, Josh Wolf of The Tennessean writes. 
New head coach Mike Vrabel has previously played under Pees when he served as linebackers coach and defensive coordinator with the Patriots from 2004-09. Pees replaces Dick LeBeau, who served as defensive coordinator for the last three seasons.
In 2017, Pees’ Ravens recorded the most turnovers in the league but suffered several late-game collapses toward the end of the season that ultimately kept them out of the playoffs. Pees served as Baltimore’s defensive coordinator from 2012-2017, and he earned a Super Bowl ring in that position in 2012.
Pees entered coaching in 1979, serving as the University of Findlay’s defensive coordinator. After stints at several colleges over the next two decades, Pees made the jump to the NFL when he joined the Patriots in 2004. After a long run in New England, he took over as defensive coordinator in Baltimore. Pees’ son Matt will join his father on the Tennessee coaching staff, where he’ll work as a quality control coach.
Before naming Pees defensive coordinator, Wolf reports the Titans offered the job to former Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher. He instead took the same job with the Giants.
The Titans defense finished middle of the pack in 2017, while also allowing the eighth most passing yards. Pees’ opportunistic schemes could improve a unit that registered the 16th most turnovers.
Robby Anderson Pleads Not Guilty On Charges From January Arrest
On Monday, Jets receiver Robby Anderson entered a written plea of not guilty on nine charges stemming from his January 19 arrest in Sunrise, Fla., Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News reports. 
The charges include three felonies: second-degree felony harm to a public servant or family, third-degree felony fleeing/eluding police while lights/siren active and third-degree felony speeding. After being arrested, Anderson threatened to sexually assault the wife of the arresting officer, according to reports. Anderson was allegedly clocked at 105 mph in 45-mph zone speeding away from police while running multiple red lights.
This is not Anderson’s first run-in with police. He was arrested last year after getting into a fight at a Miami-area music festival. He is facing charges of felony resisting arrest with violence and obstruction of police for that incident and will appear in court on March 26.
The Jets have yet to comment on the incident and head coach Todd Bowles declined to talk to reporters at the Senior Bowl this past week.
Anderson enjoyed a breakout campaign with the Jets in 2017, registering 63 receptions for 941 yards and seven touchdowns in his second seasons in the league. A big-play threat, Anderson recorded six of his seven scoring grabs from more than 20 yards away from the goal line.
Chad O’Shea A Candidate To Be Next Patriots OC?
With the departure of Josh McDaniels to Indianapolis imminent, the team will be in search of its first offensive coordinator since McDaniels took the job in 2012. In a piece detailing the transition Tom Brady will have to make, NBC Sports’ Tom E. Curran writes that receivers coach Chad O’Shea is a potential candidate to assume the role. 
If the team decides to go the in-house route, O’Shea appears to be the obvious candidate. A former college quarterback, O’Shea has served as an assistant or coach since 2003 with the last eight seasons coming with New England. He also currently serves as the team’s red zone coordinator, so his hands are all over the offense.
O’Shea also has previous, albeit limited, game-calling experience. He assumed the role in New England’s final preseason game against the Giants, a 40-38 loss. In the game, third-string quarterback Jacoby Brissett threw for 341 yards and four touchdowns.
Under O’Shea’s direction, Wes Welker and Julian Edelman both cracked 100 catches in a season. In 2017, Brandin Cooks recorded his third consecutive 1,000-yard campaign in his first season with the Patriots, and Danny Amendola registered 61 receptions.
Packers Release Safeties Coach Darren Perry
Packers safeties coach Darren Perry has been released to pursue other opportunities, the team reported on Monday. Perry asked for his release and it was granted by head coach Mike McCarthy, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel’s Tom Silverstein hears (Twitter link).
Silverstein also notes (Twitter link) that McCarthy wanted Perry to return, but named Jason Simmons secondary coach, who would be over both cornerbacks and safeties.
Perry had served as safeties coach with the Packers since 2009 and coached in the secondary for the Bengals, Steelers and Raiders before moving to Green Bay. Earlier this month, Perry received interest from the Titans, possibly for their defensive coordinator role under new head coach Mike Vrabel, Paul Kuharsky reported (Twitter link).
It is just the latest bit of reshuffling in Green Bay’s busy offseason. After the end of the regular season, longtime general manager Ted Thompson was reassigned. He was replaced by the team’s director of college scouting Brian Gutekunst. The team also added new defensive coordinator Mike Pettine.