Week In Review News & Rumors

Rams land a shutdown corner. Following days of chatter, the Chiefs shipped cornerback Marcus Peters to the Rams last week. Terms of the deal are currently unknown — although Kansas City is expected to receive a “package” of draft picks — and the swap can’t become official until the new league year begins on March 14, but the trade has wide-ranging ramifications for both teams involved. Los Angeles now seems unlikely to retain free agent defensive back Trumaine Johnson, while the Chiefs could be entering something of a mini-rebuild.

Blake Bortles gets a new deal. After serving as offensive caretaker for a Jaguars club that reached the AFC Championship Game, Bortles has landed an extension through the 2020 campaign. Already under contract for $19MM in 2017, Bortles will receive $54MM over the next three years on a pact that includes $26.5MM guaranteed. Reports had indicated Jacksonville was exploring potential upgrades under center, but Bortles now appears to be the team’s quarterback choice for at least one more season. Bortles’ 2017 cap charge is now reduced to just $10MM, and the Jaguars can still exit the contract with relative ease following the upcoming campaign.

Franchise tag season is underway. NFL teams could begin deploying the franchise tag beginning last Tuesday, and can continue to do so through March 6. The Dolphins became the first team to officially use the tender by assigning it to wide receiver Jarvis Landry (whom they are still attempting to trade), while the Cowboys confirmed they will use the tag if a long-term deal isn’t reached with defensive end Demarcus Lawrence. Other candidates for the franchise tender could include Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, Jaguars receiver Allen Robinson, and Panthers kicker Graham Gano. The Seahawks, meanwhile, won’t tag defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson.

Panthers (sort of) have a new GM. Meet the new boss, same as the old boss, as Carolina announced interim general manager Marty Hurney has been named to the full-time position. Hurney, who previously served as the Panthers’ GM from 2002-12, took over again last summer when the club fired Dave Gettleman. Before appointing Hurney, Carolina also interviewed Bills assistant director of college scouting Lake Dawson, 49ers senior personnel executive Martin Mayhew, and Texans vice president of player personnel Jimmy Raye III.

NFL announces compensatory draft picks. The league formally announced 2018’s compensatory draft picks, awarding extra selections to 15 teams. The Bengals, Cowboys, Packers, and Raiders each received four picks, the maximum one club can earn. Arizona, Houston, Denver, and Cincinnati each gained an extra third-rounder, the earliest possible compensatory selection. As a reminder, the NFL’s compensatory pick process is based on the prior year’s free agent process and revolves around a complicated cancellation chart which factors free agents signed/lost, annual salary, and playing time.

Colts find a head coach. Less than a week after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels rejected their head coaching offer, the Colts decided on Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich to lead their club. Indianapolis will keep defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus — who inked a contract when McDaniels was the presumptive hire — and hire ex-Chargers wide receivers coach Nick Sirianni as offensive coordinator. Before the Colts’ second head coaching search concluded with Reich’s hiring, general manager Chris Ballard also interviewed Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier and Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell.

A.J. McCarron will hit the open market. An independent arbitrator ruled last week that McCarron’s contract will not toll, meaning he’ll become an unrestricted free agent rather than a restricted free agent. The Bengals stashed McCarron on the non-football injury list for most of his rookie campaign, but the arbitrator decided Cincinnati won’t get to use that roster trick to keep its backup quarterback for an extra year. The Browns, Vikings, Jets, Broncos, and Cardinals are among the teams that could express interest in McCarron now that he’s available.

Larry Fitzgerald to play in 2018. After agreeing to a one-year contract extension in November, the 34-year-old Fitzgerald will return for at least more season with the Cardinals. Fitzgerald had maintained that he’d only play for Arizona, and he’ll now be suiting up with a new head coach (Steve Wilks) and a new quarterback (to be determined). As the NFL’s oldest wideout in 2017, Fitzgerald posted a career-high in receptions (109) while managing 1,156 yards and six touchdowns. With a healthy 2018, he’ll move ahead of Terrell Owens for second all-time in receiving yardage.

Raiders part ways with Sea Bass. After 18 years, Sebastian Janikowski will no longer kick for Oakland in 2018, as the Raiders announced last week that the soon-to-be 40-year-old will not be re-signed. Janikowski still plans to continue his career, however, and will join Adam Vinatieri and Matt Bryant as aged kickers on the open market. Because Janikowski spent last season on injured reserve, the Raiders turned to Giorgio Tavecchio, who converted 76.2% of his field goal attempts.

Chiefs land a free agent cornerback. David Amerson will stay in the AFC West —after being released by the Raiders, Amerson agreed to one-year, $2.25MM deal with the division rival Chiefs. Although Amerson is still only 26 years old, he’ll now join the third team of his career. The former second-round pick is the second ex-Redskin defensive back to land in Kansas City this offseason, as the Chiefs also acquired Kendall Fuller in the Alex Smith trade.

Eagles win Super Bowl LII. Philadelphia won its first Super Bowl title on Sunday, defeating the Patriots by a score of 41-33 in a classic contest. With the game in the books, both the Eagles and Patriots have several questions to answer this offseason. Philadelphia general manager Howie Roseman needs to decide what to do with backup quarterback — and Super Bowl MVP — Nick Foles, while New England seems incredibly unlikely to re-sign cornerback Malcolm Butler, who was benched for the entirety of Sunday’s defeat.

Colts scramble to find a head coach. The Super Bowl was expected to be Josh McDaniels‘ final game on the Patriots’ staff, but the longtime offensive play-caller stunned the NFL world by rejecting the Colts’ head coaching offer last week — after Indy had already announced him as their new leader. McDaniels reportedly had concerns about moving his family away from the New England area, and while he hasn’t been assured of succeeding current HC Bill Belichick, McDaniels will be more involved with personnel decisions going forward. The Colts, meanwhile, were forced to restart their head coaching search, and Eagles OC Frank Reich has emerged as the frontrunner for the position.

49ers ink their franchise quarterback. After trading a second-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo last year (in a deal that they accepted in “10 minutes”), the 49ers have locked up the 26-year-old signal-caller to a five-year, $137.5MM contract that makes him the league’s highest-paid player in history on an annual basis. San Francisco structured Garoppolo’s deal in way to take advantage of its mountain of 2018 space, and Garoppolo will count for $37MM against the club’s salary cap next season. Overall, Garoppolo will take home $48.7MM in full guarantees, and $74.1MM in injury guarantees.

Panthers still looking for a GM. Nearly seven months after firing Dave Gettleman, the Panthers still don’t have a long-term general manger in place. Interim GM Marty Hurney was viewed as the favorite for the job, but a harassment complaint — albeit one that has been withdrawn — from his ex-wife could reduce his chances. Titans executive Lake Dawson has now garnered two interviews for the role, while other candidates include Jimmy Raye III (Texans) and Martin Mayhew (49ers).

The coordinator carousel. The Eagles lost well-regarded quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo to the Vikings — with whom he’ll become the team’s new offensive coordinator — and could also see Reich leave the staff if he’s hired by the Colts. The Giants, meanwhile, had been looking at Minnesota’s Kevin Stefanski and Philadelphia’s Duce Staley for their OC role, but the Vikings have already denied Big Blue permission to interview Stefanski while the Eagles are expected to do the same with Staley if Reich goes to Indy.

It’s Super Bowl Sunday! All the trades, signings, draft selections, coaching hires, front office additions, game-planning, and practice sessions have led to this: Super Bowl LII between the Eagles and Patriots. New England will have tight end Rob Gronkowski available after he suffered a concussion in the AFC Championship Game, but the club is expected to lose coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia to head coaching jobs once the contest concludes. Philadelphia, meanwhile, will go into today’s game with backup quarterback Nick Foles, and they too could lose a respected staffer — quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo — following the Super Bowl. And by the way: Brandin Cooks was nearly an Eagle!

Redskins trade for a new quarterback. Kirk Cousins always seemed unlikely to return to the nation’s capital in 2018, so Washington found itself a new QB by trading for the Chiefs’ Alex Smith. The Redskins gave up a 2018 third-round pick and promising young cornerback Kendall Fuller (and inked Smith to a four-year, $94MM extension), but they now have a quarterback in place for the foreseeable future. Reports today have indicated Washington could still franchise tag Cousins again despite having acquired Smith, but that’s likely an empty threat.

…but the Jaguars will stick with their signal-caller. Jacksonville is planning to retain Blake Bortles and his $19MM+ salary in 2018, but the team likely doesn’t have much of a choice. Bortles recently underwent wrist surgery, meaning he may not be able to pass a physical by the time the new league year rolls around in March. If that’s the case, his injury guarantees will kick in, meaning Bortles will collect his base salary (which is courtesy of his exercised fifth-year option) whether he’s on the Jaguars’ roster or not.

Ravens plan front office transition. Ozzie Newsome has been leading Baltimore’s front office since the Ravens’ inception in 1996 (although he didn’t officially become the NFL’s first African-American general manager until 2002), and has led the club to continued success and two Super Bowl titles during that time. While Newsome will remain with the organization as an adviser, longtime assistant GM Eric DeCosta — who has consistently turned down interviews with other teams around the NFL — will take charge of personnel after the 2018 campaign.

Cardinals expected to cut Adrian Peterson. While Peterson has claimed he’d like to play four-to-five more years in the NFL, it likely won’t be in Arizona, as the Cardinals are likely to release the future Hall of Famer this offseason. Arizona acquired the 33-year-old Peterson from the Saints at midseason, but he managed only 3.5 yards per carry on 129 rushes and scored twice in the desert. With superstar David Johnson returning from injury, the Cards don’t have a pressing need for a back like Peterson.

Titans, Cardinals fill head coaching vacancies. Tennessee and Arizona were the last two NFL clubs searching for new head coaches (discounting Detroit and Indianapolis, which will hire Matt Patricia and Josh McDaniels, respectively, when the Super Bowl concludes), and both teams hired former defensive coordinators with only one year of experience last week. The Titans settled on ex-Texans DC Mike Vrabel, who is still filling out his staff after missing out on defensive play-caller James Bettcher. The Cardinals, meanwhile, landed former Panthers DC Steve Wilks, who has already hired Mike McCoy to lead Arizona’s offense and Al Holcomb to run the club’s defense.

Panthers begin general manager search. While the Panthers fired Dave Gettleman last July, they’re just now starting the process of filling their general manager vacancy. Interim GM Marty Hurney led the club’s front office during the 2017 campaign, and he’s still considered the frontrunner for the job. However, Carolina also plans to interview the Texans’ Jimmy Raye III and the Browns’ Lake Dawson. Titans executive Ryan Cowden is also viewed as a candidate, but no meeting has yet been arranged.

Jarvis Landry approaches free agency. While Landy figures to be one of the top wide receivers available when the free agent market opens in March, the Dolphins reportedly haven’t made much of an effort to retain him. Landry, who has previously called Miami’s negotiating tactics “disrespectful,” has told his inner circle that he doesn’t expect to re-sign with the Dolphins this offseason. The two sides exchanged offers in December, but the club has to counter Landry’s most recent proposal. The Ravens, meanwhile, discussed a Landry trade with Miami last season, meaning Baltimore could be a potential landing spot for the slot receiver.

Vince McMahon reboots XFL. 17 years after it disbanded, the XFL is back, as McMahon last week announced plans to re-open the league beginning in 2020. Initially, the venture will be comprised of eight teams with 40-man rosters, although no host cities have yet been announced. In order to compete with the NFL, the XFL feature fewer commercial breaks and move at a fast pace than the signature football league. The real question, then, is when He Hate Me will make his debut.

Bills center Eric Wood is forced to retire. In a devastating bit of news from last week, Wood will be forced to retire due to a severe neck injury. Wood, 31, has been a solid pivot during his nine-year career, and had appeared in all 16 games in four of the past five seasons. His absence will add yet another entry to Buffalo’s list of offseason needs, and could also complicate the Bills’ salary cap.

Panthers owner plans to sell/cedes control of team. In a major twist after a series of workplace misconduct allegations made against Panthers owner Jerry Richardson, we learned last Sunday night that the 81-year-old would sell the franchise this coming offseason. Richardson announced his intentions in a letter posted to the team’s website, but made no mention of the current allegations he faces. It still remains to be seen how the NFL’s current investigation will impact the Panthers’ only owner now that he plans on separating from the league. While prospective suitors like P Diddy have said they plan to put in a bid to buy the organization, the only thing we know so far is that the NFL made clear that they did not put pressure for there to be an ownership change and that the team will remain where it is. During this past week, we also learned that Richardson ceded control of the day-to-day operations to executive Tina Becker.

Zeke is back. After the Ezekiel Elliott sat out from Week 9 through Week 15, he returns to the gridiron just in time with Dallas’ 2017 season on the line against the Seahawks on Sunday afternoon. The second-year pro bowl caliber back has had a crazy season because of the constant back and forth between him and the league regarding his six-game suspension. Though, his play never suffered as Elliott was still a dominant force on the ground, rushing for over 4.0 yards per carry and seven touchdowns this season. With Zeke back in the fold and the Cowboys on a three-game winning streak, it would seem that they would be a tough out in the playoffs should they sneak into that final NFC Wild Card spot.

Giants interview GM candidates. The Giants are in the process of determining who will be the next person to lead their football operations in the post-Jerry Reese era. The team reportedly interview two internal general manager candidates in Marc Ross and Kevin Abrams. Both of whom have been key parts of the current football structure during their tenure with the team. Ross currently acts as the team’s Vice President of Player Evaluation. He’s been with the franchise for over the past decade. On the other hand, Abrams has been more involved in working with the team’s cap situation as the team’s assistant general manager. The G-Men have also interviewed former Panthers executive David Gettleman, who helped form Carolina’s 2015-16 NFC Championship team, and plan to interview current ESPN analyst Louis Riddick, who’s already been a popular name thrown around in other general manager searches this past year.

Panthers LB suspended for a game. Panthers veteran linebacker Thomas Davis was originally suspended for two games by the league for his illegal hit on a defenseless receiver. While the 34-year-old has established himself as a notable team leader over his career, he’s still had a reputation to be over aggressive on plays that are away from the football. Davis did eventually get his suspension reduced to just one game through an appeal, but this situation just further sheds another light on opposing players putting each other in unnecessary danger.

The Rams lose their Pro Bowl kicker. It’s not usually a big story when a kicker goes on IR, but the Rams are going to feel a huge impact with Greg Zuerlein being forced to the sidelines for the playoffs. The placekicker injured his back in the Rams Week 15 contest vs. the Seahawks. Zuerlein had clearly separated himself as one of the league’s best kickers this season, knocking through 38 of 40 kicks in 2017. Legatron is known for having a big leg and has continued to add to that reputation by converting six field goals over 50 yards this year. Los Angeles signed Sam Ficken to replace Zuerlein, although it looks like the team could continue its search once again after Ficken missed a field goal and extra point in today’s win over the Titans. The team would likely choose to replace Ficken with one of the other nine kickers they worked out during this past practice week.

Carson Wentz done for the season. A likely MVP candidate, Wentz suffered a torn ACL in the Eagles’ Week 14 victory over the Rams and has since been placed on injured reserve. Wentz, who had led Philadelphia to a 11-2 record in his second NFL campaign, will end the season with 3,296 passing yards, 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. While the Eagles will assuredly miss Wentz, backup quarterback Nick Foles managed a victory over the Giants today while tossing four touchdowns.

Marvin Lewis out in Cincinnati? After 15 seasons in the Queen City, it appears Lewis will not remain the Bengals’ head coach in 2018. Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier this morning that Lewis — whose contract expires after the current season — will not return to Cincinnati next year. Following the Bengals’ loss to the Vikings, Lewis denied that any decision has been made, but didn’t definitively say he will return. If Lewis is out, Cincinnati could look at head coaching candidates such as the Browns’ Hue Jackson or incumbent defensive coordinator Paul Guenther.

Roger Goodell expected to retire in 2024. Goodell formally received a contract extension earlier this month, and he’s privately informed owners that he’ll retire when that new deal expires in 2024. In fact, Goodell could even call it a career before his contract ends. He’s reportedly told the league he’ll guide the owners through another round of collective bargaining agreement and television rights negotiations, meaning he cold retire in 2021 or 2022.

Panthers owner Jerry Richardson faces accusations. The nationwide uprising regarding sexual harassment has hit the NFL, as the league is now investigating Richardson for inappropriate comments and contact with female Panthers employees. In addition, Richardson allegedly used a racial slur against an African American scout. Richardson reportedly has used financial settlements and non-disclosure agreements to keep accusations under wraps, but now that they’re out in the open, it’s fair to wonder how much longer Richardson will control the Carolina franchise.

Aaron Rodgers returns in Green Bay. After spending eight weeks on injured reserve with a broken collarbone, Rodgers returned to action today against the Panthers. The Packers likely needed to win out to have any chance at a postseason berth, so today’s loss may have knocked Green Bay out of contention. As such, the Packers will need to decide whether playing Rodgers over the next two weeks in worth the risk.

Giants make changes at the top…Despite reports that the Giants wouldn’t fire any of their decision-makers until the regular season concluded, Big Blue parted ways with both general manager Jerry Reese and head coach Ben McAdoo last week. In turn, Eli Manning has been reinstated as the club’s starting quarterback, while defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo has been named interim head coach. Dave Gettleman, the former Panthers general manager who also worked in New York for years, is considered the front runner for the Giants’ GM post.

…and the Browns do, too. Hue Jackson has seemingly won the power struggle in Cleveland, as the Browns fired executive vice president Sashi Brown last week. Ownership acted quickly to install a new GM, as former Chiefs personnel executive John Dorsey was hired as the team’s general manager roughly 11 hours after Brown was fired. It’s unclear if Cleveland will immediately turn away from the analytics movement given Brown’s departure, but Paul DePodesta is staying put. Dorsey has moved quickly, as he’s already released albatross wideout Kenny Britt.

Suspensions galore. The NFL suspended Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski and Steelers wide receiver JuJu Smith-Schuster for illegal hits in Week 13, while Bengals safety George Iloka saw his initial one-game ban overturned following an appeal. Gronkowski, of course, went after Bills cornerback Tre’Davious White after the whistle, while Smith-Schuster hit Bengals ‘backer Vontaze Burfict on a block. Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters, meanwhile, was handed a team-imposed suspension after throwing an official’s flag into the stands last week.

Ravens lose CB Jimmy Smith. Midway through a season that registers as the best of his NFL career, Smith will be sidelined for the remainder of the year after suffering a torn Achilles in Week 13. Incidentally, Smith was also subsequently suspended four games for performance-enhancing drug use, but he’ll be able to serve that ban while on injured reserve. Smith’s injury will have wide-ranging implications not only on the field, but on Baltimore’s salary cap: the Ravens may have considered releasing fellow corner Brandon Carr this offseason, but such a move is now unlikely given Smith’s uncertainty.

Roger Goodell‘s extension is done. Goodell is officially locked up as the NFL’s commissioner through the 2024 campaign, as he agreed to a contract extension that could reportedly be worth as much as $200MM via incentives. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opposed the deal and attempted to stop negotiations, although compensation committee chairman Arthur Blank noted “nearly unanimous consensus” on Goodell’s new pact.

Ezekiel Elliott drops appeal. At long last, the Cowboys running back has agreed to serve his suspension and has officially withdrawn his appeal. At times, the ongoing saga surrounding Elliott seemed to have an indefinite timeline, as continuous legal actions by both Elliott and the NFL led to uncertainty. But Elliott will now accept his six-game ban, meaning he’ll be sidelined through Week 15. By taking the suspension now instead of allowing it to rollover into next season, Elliott is actually saving money given that his 2018 base salary is larger than his 2017 paycheck.

NFL investigating Jameis Winston. Winston is alleged to have groped a female Uber driver in 2016, and the NFL is now looking into the incident. Winston has denied the claims, stating the driver is mistaken on her charges; he also noted that he previously reported the mistake to Uber, but the company suspended his account nonetheless. Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, a collegiate teammate of Winston, alleges he was in the Uber vehicle with Winston on the night of the alleged incident, also rejected the driver’s story. Winston is not a candidate for the commissioner’s exempt list given that no official charges have been filed.

Bills bench Tyrod Taylor. Had the season ended last Sunday, Buffalo would have been in the postseason. Despite that fact, the Bills decided to bench Taylor — the club’s starting quarterback — and replace him with fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman. Buffalo had reportedly been weighing the decision to go to Peterman for weeks, and now Taylor is a viable offseason trade candidate. Peterman, meanwhile, has already thrown five interceptions in the first half of today’s game against the Chargers.

Cardinals extend Larry Fitzgerald. As they did in 2016, the Cardinals have given Fitzgerald a one-year extension that will seemingly keep the future Hall of Famer in the desert for one more season. Of course, just because Fitzgerald inked the new deal doesn’t mean he still won’t consider retirement during the offseason. Instead, the pact ensures that Fitzgerald will remain with Arizona if he decides to play in 2018. The contract is worth $11MM but doesn’t contain any guaranteed money.

Legion of Boom disintegrating. After placing Richard Sherman on injured reserve last week, the Seahawks could now do the same with safety Kam Chancellor, who may miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll hasn’t ruled Chancellor out for 2017, but all signs are pointing to lengthy absence or an IR trip. Meanwhile, a former LOB member is back in town, as the Seahawks agreed to sign cornerback Byron Maxwell.