Latest On Commanders’ Deshazor Everett
There has been a development with regards to Washington Commanders defensive back Deshazor Everett. As The Washington Posts’ Nicki Jhabvala tweets, he has been charged with involuntary manslaughter as a result of the fatal car accident he was involved in earlier this season.
As Grant Gordon of NFL.com adds, Everett turned himself into the Loudoun County Detention Center on Tuesday. He is being held on a $10,000 bond. The incident in question took place on December 23rd, and resulted in the death of Olivia Peters, who was Everett’s passenger. One day after the crash, the Commanders placed Everett on the Reserve/Non-Football Injury list, as he suffered serious, but not life-threatening, injuries.
According to the Loudoun County Sheriff’s Office, the 29-year-old was driving at more than twice the posted speed limit just before the crash. In a statement, the team said, “We are aware of these charges and are continuing to monitor the situation. We will have no further comment at this time“.
Everett continued his recent role of playing all-but exclusively on special teams in 14 games this season. He is under contract for one more season in Washington, the only franchise he has played for in the regular season during a seven-year career.
Poll: Who Will Acquire Jimmy Garoppolo?
Jimmy Garoppolo‘s end-of-season comments point to a departure from the 49ers, who have Trey Lance readying to start in 2022. San Francisco’s four-plus-season starter indicated a trade could happen soon. Regardless of the statuses of Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson, Garoppolo looms as an upgrade option for certain teams.
Possible blockbusters involving Rodgers and Wilson, along with what happens with Deshaun Watson, complicate matters on this year’s quarterback market. So will an underwhelming rookie crop. Will AFC teams eyeing Rodgers or Wilson be willing to make an early move for Garoppolo, or will they end up waiting out the higher-profile (and more expensive) options?
Garoppolo, 30, has battled several injuries since becoming a starter, but the 49ers going 2-for-2 in NFC championship berths during seasons in which their QB1 was largely available probably cannot be ignored. Garoppolo holds a no-trade clause and is seeking a team prepared to compete, further complicating matters.
In the NFC, Washington has continued to strike out on long-term QB acquisitions and did not make such a move last year. Washington did try, via a Matthew Stafford offer, prior to signing Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Commanders have Taylor Heinicke signed for 2022 — at just a $2.9MM cap hit — but will almost certainly acquire a veteran or use a first-round pick on a quarterback. The Commanders are also set to carry more than $31MM in cap space, putting them among the league’s top 10. Garoppolo’s through-2022 contract calls for a $24.2MM base salary next season, though his ’22 cap hit could be lowered via an extension agreement.
The Panthers saw their QB situation deteriorate to the point Matt Rhule‘s job was in jeopardy, and Sam Darnold is on Carolina’s books at a fully guaranteed $18.9MM in 2022. Carolina could also loom for Watson. The embattled Texans quarterback is not believed to have waived his no-trade clause for the Panthers, but they were prepared to make a strong offer prior to the Pro Bowler’s off-field trouble surfacing. If the Dolphins are truly off the Watson market, the Panthers would seemingly re-emerge as perhaps his top suitor.
Tom Brady‘s retirement puts the Buccaneers in play, and early odds place Tampa Bay as one of the most likely teams to acquire Garoppolo. The 49ers quarterback, who is coming off a season in which he ranked 13th in QBR, following his former Patriots teammate would certainly make for an interesting scenario. A Garoppolo extension would be necessary for the Bucs, who have nearly half their starting lineup set for free agency. Even without that contingent on the payroll, the Bucs are projected to be barely $5MM under the cap.
Having not solidified a Drew Brees successor yet, the Saints can be also considered a candidate. Their cap situation, per usual, is not in good shape. New Orleans is entering a second straight offseason more than $75MM over the cap. The team made this work last year but did not have a franchise-QB salary factoring into the equation, with Jameis Winston signing for backup-level dough.
The Steelers should also be considered the mix as a Garoppolo suitor. Although Pittsburgh extended Mason Rudolph, it is difficult to view the former third-round pick as a viable Ben Roethlisberger successor. Still, the early offseason word pointed to the Steelers avoiding the veteran-QB market. But a veteran would make sense given the makeup of an experienced Steelers defense. The Steelers are also armed with far more cap space than they had in 2021, being set to hold more than $30MM.
The Broncos are probably the most interesting team here, given their connection to Rodgers. A late-season amendment on potential Wilson destinations also included Denver. The team that has needed a quarterback for six years could attempt to pry Kirk Cousins away from the Vikings, considering GM George Paton‘s previous run as Minnesota’s assistant GM. Garoppolo, however, has experience in the type of offense Nathaniel Hackett is set to install. Any Denver Garoppolo offer would surely be withheld until it is known Rodgers is off the table.
As of now, the Browns are prepared to keep Baker Mayfield for his fifth-year option season. Are there any other sleeper teams to monitor here? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
Championship Sunday has come and gone, and with it, we now know the matchup for Super Bowl LVI. The Rams’ win on Sunday guarantees that the Lions’ other first round pick will be in the bottom two, slightly devaluing it relative to if they had lost. Still, it is one of the bargaining chips they hold if they were to attempt to move up into the top spot, from their current position of second. As one of four teams with multiple picks in the opening round, Detroit will certainly be a squad to keep an eye on in April.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFC East Notes: WFT, Quinn, Cooper
The Washington Football Team moniker will soon be a thing of the past. As Nicki Jhabvala of the Washington Post tweeted earlier this month, WFT’s new name and “brand identity” will be revealed on The Today Show on February 2. During its two years as the Washington Football Team, the franchise put together a 14-19 regular season record, though it did capture the NFC East title in 2020 and came close to defeating the eventual-Super Bowl champion Buccaneers in last year’s wildcard round.
As we get set to usher in a new era of football in the nation’s capital — or at least a differently-named era — let’s take a look at some other NFC East items:
- Cowboys defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was the hottest name in this year’s head coaching cycle, but it appears the job he really wanted was the Giants‘ HC gig, per Ryan Dunleavy of the New York Post (via Twitter). When Quinn realized that Big Blue had narrowed its search to Brian Daboll and Brian Flores — the post ultimately went to Daboll — he withdrew his name from HC consideration and signed an extension with Dallas shortly thereafter.
- There has been a fair amount of speculation about WR Amari Cooper‘s future with the Cowboys, speculation that ramped up following some of owner Jerry Jones‘ recent comments on the matter. While the club could save $16MM in cap space by cutting the 27-year-old wideout before his $20MM base salary for 2022 becomes fully-guaranteed on the fifth day of the league year in March, Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network says that most sources he has spoken with expect Dallas to retain Cooper.
- Eagles TE Tyree Jackson, a former collegiate QB who also spent some time in the XFL, saw action in nine games for Philadelphia in 2021, and in the club’s regular season finale, he secured three catches for 22 yards and his first NFL touchdown. Unfortunately, he also tore his ACL in that game, and as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets, Jackson recently underwent successful ACL reconstruction surgery. The Eagles have high hopes for the 24-year-old, who — depending on how his recovery goes — could operate as their TE2 in 2022.
- In addition to Jackson, Eagles OL Brett Toth, who signed with Philadelphia as a UDFA in 2020 after receiving late permission from the U.S. Army to join the NFL, has also gone under the knife. Toth announced on Instagram (via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer on Twitter) that he recently had knee surgery that would require nine months of recovery. That timeline obviously puts the start of the 2022 season in jeopardy, if Toth is even on the roster at that point.
WFT Signs David Mayo To Extension
The Washington Football Team has signed David Mayo to a one-year extension, per a club announcement. The linebacker was on course for free agency in March, but he’s now under contract through the 2022 season. Mayo will receive the veteran’s minimum (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero) with a full signing bonus of $152K, up from the $138K limit of last year.
In March of 2020, the Giants gave Mayo a three-year re-up, but he didn’t make it very far into that pact. Mayo enjoyed a breakout 2019 season where he started 13 games and graded out well, but he fell out of favor with the new coaching staff led by then-head coach Joe Judge, and only started two games in 2020.
Mayo, who entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Panthers in 2015, now seems to have found a home in D.C. He even leapfrogged first-round pick Jamin Davis as the MIKE linebacker towards the end of this year, though that may say more about the youngster than the seventh-year pro.
All in all, Mayo made four starts in 2021, appeared in 16 of 17 games, and finished out with 28 stops, one fumble recovery, and two tackles for loss.
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
The Divisional Round has come to end, and after each game was decided on the final play, the season has come to a bitter end for another four teams. That brings the total number of squads locked into their first round draft position to 28. Interestingly, the Rams and 49ers are still standing after they each parted ways with top draft picks this past offseason. San Francisco’s first choice is currently slated to be 61st overall, while the Rams aren’t projected to be on the board until the 101st pick. For Los Angeles in particular, the decision is certainly paying off so far.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/19/22
We’ll keep track of Wednesday’s reserve/futures deals here:
Arizona Cardinals
- WR Andre Baccellia, CB Breon Borders, CB Nate Brooks, DE Matt Dickerson, TE Alex Ellis, S Javon Hagan, OL Danny Isidora, OL Koda Martin, RB Jaylen Samuels, TE Bernhard Seikovits, OL Eric Smith, LB Joe Walker, TE David Wells, CB Jace Whittaker, TE Deon Yelder
Chicago Bears
- CB Lamar Jackson
Cleveland Browns
- RB John Kelly Jr.
Las Vegas Raiders
- OT William Sweet, WR Javon Wims
New York Jets
- DL Bradlee Anae
Pittsburgh Steelers
- DB Isaiah Johnson, WR Steven Sims
Seattle Seahawks
Washington Football Team
- CB D.J. Hayden
Updated 2022 NFL Draft Order
With the Wild Card round complete, another six positions in the 2022 NFL Draft have been confirmed.
One of the most interesting developments relates to the Philadelphia Eagles. After losing on Sunday, their own first round pick has been locked in at No. 19, having already known they would also own the 15th and 16th selections. What the team does with that much draft capital will be one of the most interesting storylines of the draft.
For non-playoff teams, the draft order is determined by the inverted 2021 standings, plus a series of tiebreakers, starting with strength of schedule. For playoff teams, the order is determined by their postseason outcome and regular season record.
Here is the updated order after this weekend’s results:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: 3-14
- Detroit Lions: 3-13-1
- Houston Texans: 4-13
- New York Jets: 4-13
- New York Giants: 4-13
- Carolina Panthers: 5-12
- New York Giants(via Bears)
- Atlanta Falcons: 7-10
- Denver Broncos: 7-10
- New York Jets (via Seahawks)
- Washington Football Team: 7-10
- Minnesota Vikings: 8-9
- Cleveland Browns: 8-9
- Baltimore Ravens: 8-9
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Dolphins)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via Colts)
- Los Angeles Chargers: 9-8
- New Orleans Saints: 9-8
- Philadelphia Eagles: 9-8
- Pittsburgh Steelers: 9-7-1
- New England Patriots: 10-7
- Las Vegas Raiders: 10-7
- Arizona Cardinals: 11-6
- Dallas Cowboys: 12-5
- Cincinnati Bengals: 10-7*
- Miami Dolphins (via 49ers)
- Buffalo Bills: 11-6*
- Detroit Lions (via Rams)
- Kansas City Chiefs: 12-5*
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 13-4*
- Tennessee Titans: 12-5*
- Green Bay Packers: 13-4*
* = Remaining playoff teams
NFL COVID-19 List Updates: 1/13/22
Today’s updates for the reserve/COVID-19 and practice squad/COVID-19 lists:
Chicago Bears
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB Justin Fields
Cleveland Browns
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Malcolm Smith, CB Denzel Ward
- Restored from practice squad/COVID-19 list: DE Joe Jackson
Dallas Cowboys
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: S Jayron Kearse
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: QB C.J. Beathard
New Orleans Saints
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Caleb Benenoch
Pittsburgh Steelers
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: WR James Washington
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Buddy Johnson
Washington Football Team
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: LB Jordan Kunaszyk
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/12/22
A number of players continue to sign reserve/futures contracts, which allows organizations to retain (mostly) young, practice squad players throughout the offseason. We’ve compiled today’s reserve/futures contracts below:
Atlanta Falcons
Chicago Bears
- QB Ryan Willis
Denver Broncos
- DE Jonathan Kongbo
Detroit Lions
- TE Matt Sokol
Indianapolis Colts
New Orleans Saints
- QB Blake Bortles, C Cohl Cabral, DL Malcolm Roach, DB Bryce Thompson, WR Kevin White, TE Ethan Wolf
Minnesota Vikings
- G Kyle Hinton
New York Jets
Washington Football Team
- DT David Bada