Packers Extend Matt LaFleur, Brian Gutekunst, Russ Ball?
The Packers are happy with the core of leaders they’ve built over the years and they’re determined to keep key pieces in place for years to come. Head coach Matt LaFleur, general manager Brian Gutekunst, and executive vice president Russ Ball all received extensions this offseason, according to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
Interestingly, the team’s president and CEO, Mark Murphy, refused to confirm the extensions, saying only, “I’ll just say I’m confident not only Matt and Brian but (Ball) will continue to be Packers’ employees for years to come.” 
LaFleur was hired as head coach in 2019 after two starkly different seasons as an offensive coordinator with the Rams and with the Titans. As offensive coordinator in Los Angeles, LaFleur didn’t call plays, but still gets credit for coordinating the league’s top scoring offense that year. The next year he took over play-calling duties in Tennessee and, after an onslaught of injuries, the team finished with the 27th ranked scoring offense. Still, the Packers saw enough coaching potential to hire him to replace Mike McCarthy.
Since LaFleur took over in 2019, the Packers have been a league best 39-10. Unfortunately, though, LaFleur has struggled to take the league’s best regular season team to the Super Bowl, losing two straight NFC Championship games in his first two seasons and exiting in the Divisional Round of last year’s playoffs. LaFleur’s contract was set to expire at the end of the season, so an extension was expected.
Gutekunst was promoted to his current role one year before the hire of LaFleur. After entering the league as a Chiefs scouting assistant in 1998, Gutekunst quickly made his way to Wisconsin where he rose through the ranks over the following 20 years from area scout to director of college scouting to director of player personnel to his eventual general manager position in 2018. Gutekunst was granted the promotion when former general manager Ted Thompson took a reduced role with the organization after being diagnosed with neurodegenerative disorder. In Gutekunst’s five years of heading the personnel departments, the team has drafted starters like cornerback Jaire Alexander and defensive lineman Rashan Gary while bringing in impact players like Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith, Christian Kirksey, Jaylon Smith, and Whitney Mercilus. Gutekunst’s contract was also set to expire at the end of the season, so his extension, while not guaranteed, was also expected.
Ball has been with the franchise since 2008, spending ten years as vice president of football administration/player finance and getting promoted to executive vice president/director of football operations in 2018. Ball has held the unenviable responsibility of managing the team’s salary cap, a task that hasn’t been made any easier with the demands of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. His masterful management during the pandemic was something that drew praise from Murphy, according to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. Ball was promoted the same year Gutekunst was, so his deal was likely also nearing an end.
This isn’t the first time Murphy and the Packers have kept silent about contract moves with the staff. The past scenario was a bit more tense as McCarthy was quietly given a one-year extension for what would eventually be his last season. Regarding the lack of an announcement or confirmation, Murphy said, “I’d prefer to keep (contract extensions) internal, but, obviously, you can see from my comments that I feel like they’re doing an outstanding job.”
With the extension of key pieces to the team’s core leadership, the Packers brass is putting forth a vote of confidence. They are likely also posing two daunting tests: 1) take the next step and win a Super Bowl and 2) keep the boat afloat when Rodgers is finally gone. The three men will apparently have another few years to complete those assignments.
Cardinals, Kyler Murray Finalize Extension
After a tenuous offseason in which he first became eligible for an extension, Kyler Murray is now on the verge of a lucrative second contract. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Cardinals are “working to close a monster extension” with the former No. 1 pick.
Rapoport adds that the deal will make Murray “one of the NFL’s highest-paid players,” and that is has now been finalized (Twitter link). The team has corroborated (via Twitter) that the contract is in place. The two sides have been negotiating “for weeks” to hammer out terms, and now the process has reached the finish line. The deal comprises a five-year extension, meaning that Murray (who has two years remaining on his rookie contract) will remain under contract with Arizona through 2028. 
Regarding financial details, ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the pact has a total value of $230.5MM, adding that the contract carries $160MM in guaranteed money. At a annual average value of $46.1MM-per-year, this deal makes Murray the NFL’s second highest-paid QB, behind Aaron Rodgers. It also ranks second in terms of guaranteed compensation, trailing only the historic $230MM deal the Browns gave Deshaun Watson, ever dollar of which is assured. Rapoport’s colleague Tom Pelissero adds that Murray will make $69MM over the first two years of the extension, and $106.15MM by year three (Twitter link).
Murray, 24, has been a full-time starter immediately since entering the NFL in 2019. After winning Rookie of the Year honors, he has been named a Pro Bowler in each of the past two seasons. That made a long-term commitment seem inevitable, but tensions have run high between the player and club leading up to this deal.
Back in February, there were reports of acrimony as the window for an extension to be signed was soon to be opened. Weeks later, Murray’s agent issued, in essence, an ultimatum to the team detailing his contributions to the franchise, along with a blueprint for an extension. Things looked bleak in terms of the relationship between the two sides at that point, but the situation steadily progressed as the offseason moved closer to the summer, when a deal of this magnitude was always more likely to be signed.
In June, it came out that an extension being finalized ahead of training camp was quite likely. Now, the Cardinals have their franchise centerpiece in place for the long-term future. Questions about his leadership will no doubt remain, and in fact be amplified, by his rank amongst the highest-paid players in the league. Delivering postseason success will likewise become an even greater expectation with this deal in place. Meanwhile, this contract shows the close link between the value of Watson’s extension and the financial terms Murray ended up agreeing to. It will be worth watching if any Lamar Jackson deal ends up taking on a similar form.
Bengals, Jessie Bates Will Not Reach Deal; S Not Planning To Show For Training Camp
The Bengals’ franchise tag offseason with Jessie Bates has produced mostly reports of an impasse, leading to frustration from the talented safety. While 11th-hour momentum frequently comes on July 15 in these cases, it does not appear to be on tap in this one.
Bates and the Bengals have made “zero progress” on an extension ahead of Friday’s 3pm CT deadline, Tyler Dragon of USA Today tweets. This situation has headed to this place for a while, dating back to the 2021 offseason — when Bates expressed disappointment no extension emerged ahead of his contract year. It appears a season on the franchise tender — one Bates has not signed — will be his 2022 path.
It is not difficult to see why Bates is balking at the Bengals’ offer. Cincinnati is proposing a five-year deal that provides barely $16MM fully guaranteed, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (on Twitter). This guarantee proposal would be well outside the top five at the position. Eight safeties signed for more than $20MM fully guaranteed. The Bengals do not guarantee salaries beyond the first year of contracts, joining the Packers on that front. This blueprint will be tested when the Bengals negotiate with Joe Burrow, but the team appears unwilling to break with procedure for Bates.
Until Bates signs his tender, he is not contractually obligated to attend Bengals training camp. That is the fifth-year safety’s plan, per Dragon, who adds Bates has no intentions to report to camp.
Once Bates signs his tender, he will be tied to a $12.9MM guaranteed salary. While Le’Veon Bell did stick to his guns and skip the 2018 season, no one else has tried this tactic since the 1990s. It should be expected Bates will play for the Bengals in 2022, but after the past two offseasons, it is not hard to see this relationship ending in 2023. A second Bates tag would cost the Bengals $15.5MM next year.
Bates, 25, has missed just two games throughout his career and has started every game he’s played. The former second-round pick has become one of the NFL’s top safeties, but a value gap has formed.
The Bengals appear unwilling to pay Bates a deal that places him on the Minkah Fitzpatrick–Jamal Adams tier. Adams created that space by signing a $17.5MM-per-year deal in August 2021. There are four safeties (Marcus Williams, Kevin Byard, Eddie Jackson and Budda Baker) tied to deals ranging from $14MM AAV to $14.75MM per annum. While a compromise spot would exist in the Justin Simmons–Harrison Smith space ($15.25-$16MM per year), the salary cap is set to keep rising — after its 2021 dip — so Bates seeking a deal close to the top of the market makes sense.
Cincinnati has Vonn Bell entering a contract year as well, clouding the team’s outlook at the position. But first-round pick Daxton Hill should be expected to become a starter soon. He is signed through 2025, with a fifth-year option that could take the deal to 2026. A Bates big-ticket deal alongside Hill’s rookie contract would seem manageable, but the Bengals have perhaps their most notable extension in franchise history to consider in 2023. In addition to Burrow becoming extension-eligible next year, so will Tee Higgins, giving the AFC champions some long-term planning to do.
Chiefs, Orlando Brown Jr. Fail To Reach Agreement On New Contract
With the franchise tag deadline hours away now, the news many were expecting regarding Orlando Brown Jr. has come. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle will not sign a long-term extension with the Chiefs today, setting up the possibility of a training camp holdout. 
That wasn’t for a lack of effort on the team’s part, however. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that the Chiefs “made a final run at” finalizing a new contract before today’s deadline. He adds that Kansas City was willing to include fully-guaranteed money through 2023, but the desire for “more security” from Brown’s camp led to a continuation of the current stalemate (Twitter link).
To that point, Garafolo’s colleague Tom Pelissero notes that the Chiefs’ top offer in terms of both signing bonus and average salary came on a six-year contract; the lack of guarantees “over the life of the deal,” though, led to its falling through. Brown’s agent, Michael Portner, said, “We got really close. We enjoyed dealing with the Chiefs and we understand their position as well. [But] I’m not gonna let these athletes sign a flashy contract without the substance or security there” (Twitter link).
Adding further to the details of the team’s offer, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Brown turned down “more based on average per year than Trent Williams.” The 49ers left tackle is currently on a deal averaging $23MM per season, making him one of just three o-lineman above the $20MM-per-annum mark. It had long been known that Brown – who took on full-time NFL blindside duties just this season, his first in Kansas City – was looking for a contract which would place him at the top of the market. The fact that he would turn down an offer allowing him to reach that level speaks to the gap between the two parties on the contract’s overall structure.
Brown, like Bengals safety Jessie Bates, didn’t sign his franchise tender (valued at $16.7MM). Since he is not under contract, he will not be subject to fines if he does indeed stay away during training camp, which begins later this month. Meanwhile, SI’s Albert Breer notes (on Twitter) that a second tag next season would cost the team $19.99MM, though a camp holdout on Brown’s part could be aimed in part at obtaining an assurance the team wouldn’t go down that path.
Given today’s news, the situation between Brown and the Chiefs will be one of the most intriguing storylines in the build-up to the season.
TEs Dalton Schultz, Mike Gesicki Expected To Play On Franchise Tags
As the deadline for franchise tag recipients continues to draw near, there has been a noteworthy (if unsurprising) development regarding the two tight ends yet to sign a long-term deal. In a pair of tweets, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that neither Dalton Schultz nor Mike Gesicki are expected to reach agreement with their respective teams on a new contract. 
No talks have taken place between Schultz and the Cowboys in weeks, so it was reported days ago that nothing was considered to be imminent in terms of a last-minute deal being finalized. While the door had been opened to the possibility of such a scenario materializing, this news is in line with what had been expected throughout the offseason.
Schultz wouldn’t have been on the tag radar after his first two seasons in Dallas. The former fourth-rounder had totalled just 13 scoreless receptions by the start of the 2020 season. Since then, however, he has received 193 targets, accrued 1,423 yards and racked up 12 scores. Dallas has obviously not been able to put together a multi-year offer close enough to Schultz’s perceived value, however.
In Gesicki’s case, it was likewise reported recently that an extension was unlikely at this late stage of the negotiating window. The 26-year-old entered the league with more pedigree compared to Schultz from his college days, and has been a consistent contributor in Miami’s passing game for longer. He posted new career highs in receptions (73) and yards (780) in 2021, continuing his ascending production.
“I am absolutely open to negotiation, but it’s not really up to me,” he said in April, when asked about contract talks. “If they reach out, my agent will be listening.” Not much progress has been made since then, as the Dolphins seem prepared to let 2022 play out with Gesicki perhaps falling down the pecking order in a pass-catching corps which now includes Tyreek Hill.
By remaining on the tag – which, unlike Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and Bengals safety Jessie Bates, both Schultz and Gesicki have signed – the pair will each earn $10.93MM. That could constitute considerable value at a position whose market has been elevated by deals such as the one signed by fellow tag recipient David Njoku, who has less of a track record of success. A second tag next season would cost roughly $13.12MM, which still wouldn’t rank in the top-five at the position. Attention will now turn to Brown and Bates to see if last-minute deals can be reached with their respective teams.
Chiefs, OT Orlando Brown Jr. Not Close On Long-Term Deal
The Chiefs only have a few more days to extend offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr., but it sounds like a deal won’t materialize before Friday’s deadline. Brown’s camp told NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link) that the sides are nowhere close to a new deal and the player won’t sign an extension “just to do a deal.” Garafolo warns that Brown could miss training camp and even the start of the regular season.
Ever since the Chiefs slapped the offensive lineman with a $16.7MM franchise tag, we’ve heard that the player was seeking a new deal that would make him the NFL’s highest-paid offensive lineman. According to Garafolo, the Chiefs are willing to pay Brown money that would top the right tackle market but not the top of the OL/LT market. Of course, Brown asked for a trade out of Baltimore because of his desire to play left tackle. The Chiefs ended up acquiring him and letting him play his preferred position, so it’s certainly notable that the front office is turning to RT values during negotiations.
The difference in the salaries is significant. Left tackles like Trent Williams, David Bakhtiari and Laremy Tunsil all top $22MM per season. The three highest-paid right tackles (Ryan Ramczyk, Brian O’Neill, Lane Johnson) average a bit more than $18.5MM per season.
Brown hasn’t inked his franchise tender, so he won’t be fined for missing any training camp time. That provides the lineman’s camp with some leverage assuming they truly plan to stage a holdout. As our own Sam Robinson recently pointed out, the Chiefs have just one O-lineman, Joe Thuney, signed to a notable veteran deal, so it would seem the franchise is prepared to give Brown a big-ticket extension. It’ll be interesting to see if the Chiefs front office plays hard ball or extends their budget as they look to focus in on the upcoming campaign.
The two sides have sounded optimistic about a long-term deal throughout the offseason, and the Chiefs have made it clear that they valued Brown as a long-term option during their 2021 OL overhaul. We may have received some hints about a potential holdout earlier this offseason; when asked about the AFC West arrivals of Chandler Jones, Khalil Mack and Randy Gregory, Brown said it is “not the year to go into the season with a backup left tackle.”
The former third-round pick quickly transformed into a starter for the Ravens, and he established himself as a Pro Bowl right tackle in both 2019 and 2020. Last offseason, he was traded (along with a second- and sixth-round pick) to the Chiefs for a first-round selection. During his first season in Kansas City, Brown earned another Pro Bowl selection while appearing in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. Pro Football Focus ranked Brown 28th among 83 qualifying offensive tackles.
Ravens Re-Sign OLB Justin Houston
Justin Houston will stay in Baltimore. The Ravens reached an agreement to bring back the veteran edge rusher. The team announced the one-year deal Thursday.
The Ravens had placed a seldom-used UFA tender on Houston, giving them exclusive negotiating rights after training camps began later this month. Despite Houston being free to talk to other teams until then, he will rejoin the Ravens, who have been linked to edge rushers for weeks.
This marks the second of 2022’s UFA tender recipients to reach an agreement before the late-July deadline changed negotiation equations. Melvin Ingram, given a UFA tender by the Chiefs earlier this offseason, signed with the Dolphins. Houston, 33, will help a Ravens team that was looking into edge players before Jaylon Ferguson‘s tragic death.
After two seasons with the Colts, the former Chiefs All-Pro outside linebacker signed a one-year $2.28MM deal to join a Ravens team that had lost Matt Judon and Yannick Ngakoue in free agency. No similar defections occurred this year, but the team’s main offseason addition at the spot — second-rounder David Ojabo — is rehabbing a torn Achilles sustained during pre-draft workouts. It will be a while before Ojabo’s NFL debut happens, if it occurs in 2022. Auxiliary edge Tyus Bowser is also rehabbing from Achilles surgery, a procedure he underwent after suffering a tear in January. These issues had left Baltimore shorthanded on the outside.
Last season, Houston accumulated just 4.5 sacks. The only season in which the four-time Pro Bowler tallied fewer came in 2016, an injury-shortened campaign. Houston’s 24 pressures ranked outside the top 50 last season. But the Ravens, who drafted Odafe Oweh in the 2021 first round, are seeking a complementary pass rusher alongside their top OLB investment. They visited with Jason Pierre-Paul earlier this offseason but are circling back to a Houston-Oweh tandem. This move also comes after Baltimore changed defensive coordinators. Its new DC, Mike Macdonald, was not with the team in 2021. Houston’s first Ravens season came during Macdonald’s year at Michigan.
While Houston is well past his peak years, which once secured him a six-year deal worth $101MM contract at the 2015 franchise tag deadline, he has managed to shake the injury trouble that plagued him during the second half of his Kansas City stay. The Chiefs cut Houston after the 2018 season, and the former third-round pick did not miss a game in two Colts campaigns. Houston totaled 19 sacks with Indianapolis. He played 15 games for an otherwise injury-ravaged Ravens team last season.
Panthers To Acquire QB Baker Mayfield From Browns
The Browns and Panthers have finally reached a compromise, and it will end Baker Mayfield‘s Cleveland tenure. The Panthers are acquiring the former No. 1 overall pick, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (via Twitter). Carolina has since announced the move.
Carolina will send a 2024 conditional fifth-round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Mayfield, though Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes the pick is a conditional fourth. Clearing up this matter, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets the pick could land in Round 4 or Round 5. Mayfield’s playing time will determine the pick, per InsidetheBirds.com’s Adam Caplan (on Twitter). This still marks a light return for a quarterback of Mayfield’s caliber, but his contract — along with leaguewide supply-and-demand issues at QB — had long been a sticking point for teams.
The sides reached an agreement to split Mayfield’s salary, the primary sticking point in their months-long talks. The Browns have agreed to pay $10.5MM of Mayfield’s $18.9MM fifth-year option salary, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. To facilitate a Cleveland exit, Mayfield has agreed to trim $3.5MM off his 2022 salary, Garafolo adds. Mayfield agreeing to a reduction moved these long-running negotiations past the goal line, Yahoo.com’s Charles Robinson tweets.
Carolina will be responsible for just $5MM of its new quarterback’s salary. Mayfield can earn back the $3.5MM of his fifth-year option money through incentives, Garafolo adds (on Twitter). The Browns, who entered Wednesday in first place by a mile for cap space, will still gain $8MM in additional room from this transaction. This move pushes Cleveland’s available funds close to $50MM.
With the Panthers and Browns facing off in Charlotte in Week 1, this already-lengthy storyline likely will not cease for a while. But this provides a resolution for Mayfield, who had requested a trade as the Browns entered the Deshaun Watson sweepstakes. The Browns moved to acquire Watson, who changed his mind on Cleveland after the team proposed a fully guaranteed $230MM deal. That transaction has become one of the most controversial moves in NFL history, with Watson facing potentially a season-long suspension.
Mayfield, 27, has hovered in the background during that saga, with the Browns excusing him from minicamp. If he prevails against Darnold during the Panthers’ training camp, Carolina will deploy Mayfield against a likely Jacoby Brissett-quarterbacked Cleveland squad in Week 1. If Mayfield wins the job, he will be the Panthers’ fourth Week 1 quarterback in four seasons. Matt Rhule has acquired a starter-caliber QB in each of his three seasons at the helm, signing Teddy Bridgewater to replace Cam Newton and trading for Sam Darnold to succeed Bridgewater. Darnold, 25, is now in danger of being replaced, as Rhule navigates a hot seat.
Mayfield now has a few weeks to prepare for training camp with Carolina. His path to Charlotte encountered a hurdle during the draft, when the Browns were willing to pay barely $3MM of his salary. This led to talks breaking down and the Panthers trading into Round 3 to draft Matt Corral. The team circling back to Mayfield puts Corral on a developmental path, as the Browns hold a competition between 2018’s first two QBs drafted.
Despite Mayfield leading the Browns to their first playoff berth since 2002, he played through a major shoulder injury last season and saw his value crater. After a 10th-place QBR finish in 2020 — a 26-touchdown pass, 10-interception slate — Mayfield ranked 27th last season. Darnold has finished 25th or lower in QBR in each of his four seasons. Mayfield underwent left shoulder surgery in January but is expected to be a full training camp participant.
The 2017 Heisman winner enjoyed a rocky run in Cleveland, playing well in two of his four Browns seasons. A 2019 step back from a promising rookie season preceded Mayfield faring well in Kevin Stefanski‘s offense, but he now faces another prove-it season — one that will go a long way to determining his future earning potential. Mayfield and the Browns tabled extension talks last year. That development proved costly for the ex-Oklahoma superstar, though he can potentially earn an extension from the Panthers or a free agency payday in 2023 — if this season goes well.
Being the only known team enter serious negotiations for Mayfield, the Panthers had been the favorites to acquire him. While Mayfield said during a podcast appearance the Seahawks might be his most likely landing spot, Seattle was not believed to be interested in him via trade — only as a free agent signing. The Panthers ensured that could not take place. Carolina was similarly interested in Jimmy Garoppolo only as a potential free agent. Wednesday’s trade narrows the four-plus-year 49ers starter’s options as well.
Obtained for three draft picks — including a 2022 second-rounder — last year, Darnold struggled for much of his Panthers debut. The former No. 3 overall pick ranked 29th in QBR and missed time with an injury, continuing a trend on that front as well. Mayfield represents the USC product’s biggest threat to a starting role, with Darnold having smooth tracks toward QB1 gigs with the Jets and Panthers through four seasons. The upcoming battle may determine whether Darnold will be able to continue his run as an NFL starter or be resigned to backup roles in the years to come.
Deshaun Watson Hearing Wraps After Day 3; Decision To Be Delayed
The Deshaun Watson hearing lasted three days, but the cases made by the NFL, NFLPA and Watson’s camp have concluded. While an appeal may follow, the next step will be for disciplinary officer Sue Robinson to render a decision.
That decision was rumored to be possible by Friday, which would be prime news-dump territory ahead of a holiday weekend, but it does not look like it will emerge for several more days. If Robinson moves to have the NFL and NFLPA file briefs, Mark Maske of the Washington Post notes a punishment would not surface for at least another week. Robinson has since called for post-hearing briefs, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano, who adds the briefs are not due until the week of July 11 (Twitter links).
Although the NFL indeed focused on five Watson accusers’ cases, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets the league has interviewed 12 of the women who have accused the Browns quarterback of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault. The league conceded it is seeking an unprecedented punishment, Florio adds. The NFL has long been linked to aiming for a season-long ban or an indefinite suspension that includes a baseline of Watson missing the 2022 season.
Watson’s side was expected to attempt to compare potential punishment for the Pro Bowl passer to the penalties (or lack thereof) given to Robert Kraft, among other owners. NFL reps said at the hearing the Patriots owner was investigated by an NFL security director, and no punishment was recommended for his involvement in a solicitation scandal. Kraft pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of soliciting prostitution in connection with the January 2018 incident. His case was later dismissed.
While the number of women to accuse Watson and the nature of the alleged crimes differ wildly in this case, Florio notes the NFLPA is pushing for the recently traded QB to not be suspended for any length of time. This was believed to be the union’s plan. If Robinson rules Watson did not violate the league’s personal conduct policy, the NFL cannot appeal. Should Robinson punish Watson and the NFL still appeal for its preferred full-season ban, Roger Goodell or a commissioner-appointed overseer would handle that component of this saga.
NFL Aiming To Avoid Appeal In Deshaun Watson Case?
1:02pm: If Robinson does hand Watson a six- or eight-game suspension, the NFL’s patience might be tested. Refuting the AP’s report, Cabot notes the NFL would not accept such a ban if that was Robinson’s decision. A league appeal would follow. Considering the consistency associated with the NFL’s punishment aim — a year-long suspension or an indefinite ban that covers all of the 2022 season — it is not surprising the league would use an appeal to secure it. This hearing may last into Thursday night, Cabot adds.
9:31am: The Deshaun Watson hearing will continue Wednesday in Delaware, and Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes it could drag into Thursday. While a decision from disciplinary officer Sue Robinson is expected this week, post-hearing measures could further extend this drawn-out process.
An appeal from either the NFL or NFLPA would move this well into July, but the league is aiming to avoid such a move, according to The Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi (on Twitter). This could mean accepting a Watson punishment lighter than the NFL’s targeted year-long ban.
The league has the back-pocket tool of Roger Goodell (or someone the commissioner chooses) presiding over an appeal, which would enable the NFL to ultimately achieve its desired punishment goal. But the league would prefer to abide by Robinson’s decision, even if it means Watson is banned for only six or eight games, Maaddi adds.
Given how long the Watson saga has been a headache for the league and considering the combination of reports and additional accusations to emerge after the quarterback’s 2022 trade to the Browns, a six- or eight-game suspension might not be viewed as sufficient. But a ban that allows Watson to play in the season’s second half appears on the table, though it is not known if Robinson will be on board with a compromise that appeases the NFLPA.
The NFL leaking its desire to not appeal could be perceived as a tactic to prompt Robinson to impose some form discipline, rather than deeming Watson did not violate the personal conduct policy at all (which would negate an NFL appeal effort), Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk offers, noting the league could then appeal. Members of the league office have voiced opinions Watson should not be allowed to play until at least 2023, Florio adds.
That said, if Robinson agrees with the NFL that Watson should not be permitted to play in 2022, Cabot adds the NFLPA will appeal. The NFL, which interviewed 11 of Watson’s accusers and spoke with women who did not file suit against him, views Watson’s behavior during massage sessions as a “disturbing pattern,” Cabot notes. A New York Times report earlier this month indicated Watson received massages from at least 66 women from fall 2019 to spring 2021. Nearly 30 have accused him of sexual misconduct and/or sexual assault, with the Texans now being hit with suits. Although two grand juries did not indict the Pro Bowl QB, the NFL’s personal conduct policy does not require charges for suspensions to commence.