Uncategorized

It doesn’t sound like the Deshaun Watson drama is going to end any time soon. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Texans do not view the start of free agency as any type of deadline to deal their star quarterback, noting that the stare down could last for a “very, very long time.” In fact, a deal may not even happen before the draft, and some QB-needy teams are skeptical if Watson will end up getting traded at all. Free agency is set to open on March 17, and the first round of the draft is scheduled for April 29.

[RELATED: Deshaun Watson Meets With David Culley; Trade Request Remains]

NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweeted earlier today that the Texans front office “remain unwilling to discuss” Watson trades with other teams, and rival front offices have resorted to leaving voicemails with potential trade offers. SiriusXM’s Adam Caplan passesd along a similar sentiment (on Twitter), with a “high ranking personnel source” revealing that Texans GM Nick Caserio changes the subject when a Watson trade is brought up in conversation.

We learned earlier today that Watson had recently spoke with new head coach Dave Culley, but the quarterback reiterated his trade demand. Rapoport clarifies that Watson solely attended the meeting out of respect for Culley, while Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes that Watson repeated his “extremely firm stance” during the brief talk. According to Wilson, Watson told the head coach that “I don’t want to be here.”

Watson’s massive $156MM deal (with $111MM guaranteed) would appear to diminish any of his leverage, but Wilson writes that the three-time Pro Bowler had stated that he won’t play another snap with the organization. Despite this situation closing in on the two-month mark, it sounds like we won’t be getting any type of resolution any time soon.

Allen Robinson has been the Bears’No. 1 chain-mover since 2018. Now, the Pro Bowler could be weeks away from free agency. Of course, it’s not a given that he’ll get there. The Bears could keep Robinson from the market with a pricey multi-year extension. Or, they could cuff him for another year with the franchise tag. So far, the two sides haven’t much progress on Scenario 1.

[RELATED: Bears Did Not Make Offer For Wentz]

“My personal opinion, if something could possibly work? Yes,” Robinson said (via Tyler Dunne of Go Long). “I’m not opposed to being back in Chicago by any means. I’ve even expressed that over the last couple of years — wanting to be the all-time leading receiver in Chicago which, I believe, I’m under 2,000 yards away from that. With all that being said, unfortunately we’ve come to what seems to be a fork in the road. But not even a fork. We haven’t even been given a viable option to be able to do those things that we want to do without sacrificing a ridiculous amount pretty much for the rest of my career.”

Robinson, 28 in August, is coming off of his best season as a Bear. In 2020, he finished out with 102 catches for 1,250 yards and six touchdowns, in spite of the Bears’ overall inconsistency.

The franchise tag would kick the can down the road, but Robinson doesn’t want to get tagged. Also, the Bears are facing a cap crunch, so even a one-year, ~$17MM deal could be too rich for Chicago’s blood. Robinson, meanwhile, wants pre-pandemic top-WR money — that means $20MM+ per year, on average. It’s also worth noting that he views himself as the market’s top wide receiver, ahead of Buccaneers standout Chris Godwin.

The Jets are shopping defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter). However, other Jets beat writers — like Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link) — say that “shopping” is a strong word. But, at minimum, they may be keeping an open ear to inquiries.

For the lowly Jets, it may be a matter of semantics. With a record of 0-7 and a limited budget for 2020, the Jets are clearly in need of a revamp. Trading Williams, of course, would signal an overhaul. Williams, 23 in December, was drafted third overall just last year. The former Crimson Tide standout has been a starter ever since, and he has the talent to be a cornerstone for years to come.

The Jets, according to Mehta, would want more than a second-round pick for Williams. That’s a fair ask, given his draft status and his own personal improvement in the face of the Jets’ general disarray. Through seven games, Williams has five tackles for loss and ranks as one of the league’s very best run-stoppers on the interior, according to Pro Football Focus.

It’s worth noting that Williams was the final first-round choice of the Mike Maccagnan era. New GM Joe Douglas — who took over months later — might not share the same affection

The Chiefs are nearing new six-year deals with head coach Andy Reid and GM Brett Veach, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). Once finalized, the Chiefs will have their chief architects under contract through the 2025 season. 

[RELATED: Chiefs’ Mike Pennel Suspended 2 Games]

The Chiefs dazzled the league last year en route to capturing the championship trophy. Reid and Veach have been laying the groundwork ever since they joined the organization in 2013. Reid has led to the Chiefs to the postseason in six of his seven seasons on the sideline and Veach has been a key part of the front office for that entire stretch. Starting out as a scout, Veach climbed the ranks to GM in 2017.

There’s no guarantee that Reid, 62, will finish out his new contract, though he says that he has no immediate plans to retire. He’s gone 77-35 across seven seasons with the Chiefs and another seven wins this season would move him past Paul Brown for sixth on the all-time wins list. Reid is currently the NFL’s fifth-oldest active HC — behind Pete Carroll, Bill Belichick, Bruce Arians and Mike Zimmer. This will be Reid’s 22nd season as a head coach, and it won’t be his last.

Thank you for participating in the Pro Football Rumors commenting community. If you’re new to the site, register to comment here! Remember to confirm your email address before attempting to leave a comment.

When leaving a comment at PFR, we ask that you avoid the following:

• Attacks or insults toward other commenters, the PFR staff, journalists, team personnel, players, or agents
• Otherwise harassing other commenters in any way
• Unnecessary political discussion. While football and politics regularly intersect, we ask that you refrain from using the PFR comment section to discuss elections, politicians, political parties, or political beliefs. We aim to limit the PFR comment section to the football topics covered in the post.
• Inappropriate language, including swearing and related censor bypass attempts, lewdness, insults, and crude terms for body parts, bodily functions, and physical acts
• Inappropriate avatars or images
• Spam links or self-promotion
• Personal contact information in the comments section

If you see comments that violate our policy, please flag them and/or contact us! Please do not otherwise attempt to police the comments – we’d prefer you ignore any offenders until we are able to act. Our staff will be increasing enforcement efforts.

Corrections for errors by the authors of our posts are welcome and appreciated.

As our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors celebrates its four-year anniversary, we’re looking to add to the writing staff! In particular, we’re seeking someone with strong daytime availability Monday through Friday. The position pays hourly. The criteria:

• Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, no discernible bias.
• Knowledge of the salary cap, CBA and transaction-related concepts.
• At least some college education.
• Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
• Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
• Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
• Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
• Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance creating quick copy with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
• Ability to use Twitter and Tweetdeck.
• Multi-tasking is crucial.
• If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs. Please attach your resume to the email. Unfortunately we may not be able to reply to every applicant.