Although Russell Wilson has not officially asked for a trade, he has come out and publicly announced that should the Seahawks be willing to trade him, he has four teams he would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for — Dallas, New Orleans, Las Vegas and Chicago.
Thursday, March 11, 2021
Chicago Bears: 4 cryptic signs pointing to a Russell Wilson trade looming
The Chicago Bears are in desperate need of a quarterback. Not just any quarterback. The franchise and fans have suffered for decades without having a top talent at the position. Now, they might have a legit chance at one of the top quarterbacks in the league — Russell Wilson.
NFL announces 36 compensatory picks in 2021 NFL Draft for 17 teams
Sitting 50 days before the start of the 2021 NFL Draft, the league announced compensatory selections Wednesday.
The list includes the standard 32 compensatory picks, plus four additional selections granted to teams at the end of the third round for minority hires of head coaches and GMs as part of the NFL's new rule to promote diversity hirings. The 36 comp picks were spread over 17 teams.
Per the league, compensatory picks are awarded to a team losing more or better compensatory free agents than it acquires in the previous year. The choices are positioned within the third through sixth rounds based on the value of the compensatory free agents lost.
Why Dallas should be encouraged about Tyler Biadasz
In his rookie year with the Dallas Cowboys, offensive lineman Tyler Biadasz was forced into a difficult situation when an early season injury to center Travis Frederick resulted in Biadasz getting four consecutive starts in the middle of the season, including right in the middle of an injury to quarterback Dak Prescott. According to a story from Jonny Auping of DallasCowboys.com, being thrown into a starting role the middle of the season will be a good thing.
“Unless you’re talking about someone like Travis Frederick, the man Biadasz was drafted to replace, it’s wise to show a little patience with a rookie center,” Auping wrote. “It’s an extremely difficult position to master at the NFL level, so the good news is that Biadasz was thrown into fire in the middle of the season and got his taste of reps.
Cowboys Lead NFL With 4 Compensatory Draft Picks
FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys have received a league-maximum four compensatory draft picks – one each in rounds 3-6 – giving them 10 total selections in April's NFL Draft.
The Cowboys now have the 10th overall pick in the first round, a second-rounder, two third-rounders, two fourth-rounders, a fifth-rounder, two sixth-rounders and a seventh-rounder. Last year they dealt their original fifth-round pick to the Eagles to move up and draft center Tyler Biadasz.
Cowboys Redo 3 Deals To Help With Reduced Cap
FRISCO, Texas – On the day the NFL announced an expected decrease in the 2021 salary cap, the Cowboys made a few more expected moves as well.
And these actually create some cap relief for the upcoming season. The NFL announced Wednesday the cap has been reduced down to $182.5 million for 2021. Last year, the cap was $198.2 million.
To help with that, the Cowboys have free up some space. According to reports, the Cowboys were able to restructure the contracts of three players – La'el Collins, Tyron Smith and Zack Martin – to free up around $17 million in cap space this season.
Will San Francisco Exercise The Fifth-Year Option on Mike McGlinchey?
Mike McGlinchey struggled throughout 2020.
When the 49ers drafted McGlinchey with the ninth selection of the 2018 NFL Draft, they felt they were getting a player who could be a building block along the offensive line for years to come. While the right tackle has lived up to those expectations as a run blocker, he has been near the bottom of the league in pass protection allowing the 10th-most pressures among offensive tackles this past season.
With McGlinchey set to enter the final year of his rookie contract, the question of the 49ers choosing to pick up his fifth-year option was raised prior to the final game of the regular season.
How Mike McGlinchey's fifth-year option impacted by 2021 NFL salary cap
NFL teams knew this offseason would present a host of challenges.
Due to declining league revenues amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, the salary cap was sure to fall instead of rising as franchises had grown accustomed to, meaning big changes to short- and long-term plans.
NFL franchises were informed of the 2021 salary cap number, which reportedly is $182.5 million. The league and NFL Players Association’s collective bargaining agreement from last season also restructured fifth-year options, bringing more clarity to how much the 49ers can expect to pay tackle Mike McGlinchey if they want to exercise his option for 2022.
NFL sets 2021 salary cap at $182.5 million, down 8% from previous year
The NFL and the NFL Players Association agreed Wednesday to a salary cap of $182.5 million per team for 2021, a long-anticipated 8% decrease from last season.
The league informed teams of the official cap number Wednesday morning in a memo, which was obtained by ESPN. The drop-off will force teams to make difficult roster decisions in the coming days and weeks.
Cap limits had risen in every year since 2011 in conjunction with rising league revenues, but a 92% drop in attendance during the COVID-19 pandemic led to reduced revenues in 2020. The NFL and the NFLPA agreed last summer that the cap would be no lower than $175 million; last month they informed teams that it would be at least $180 million. It was $198.2 million in 2020.
Daniel Jeremiah on the 49ers QB situation: I’d be tempted to go in the Sam Darnold direction
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah has served as the resident draft guru in recent years and held a conference call that lasted for more than two hours on Tuesday afternoon. If there was a draft prospect, Jeremiah likely covered the player.
The San Francisco 49ers questions were related to the three positions we’ve discussed all offseason: quarterback, cornerback, and left tackle. Jeremiah believes the drop-off at cornerback is steep after the second round. He said, “you better get on that ride early in the first or second round” when talking about the cornerback position.
Jeremiah mentioned Kellen Mond of Texas A&M and Davis Mills from Stanford as potential Day 2 options at quarterback for the 49ers. Mond played under Jimbo Fisher, who runs plenty of NFL concepts where the QB has to go through different progressions. Mond has been a popular name in the NFL Draft community over the past week.
Trump calls on former NFL player Herschel Walker to run for Senate in Georgia
Former President Trump called on former NFL player Herschel Walker to run for Senate in Georgia, where he would face Sen. Raphael Warnock, D, who won his seat in a special election this year and will have to defend it in 2022.
"Wouldn’t it be great if the legendary Herschel Walker ran for the United States Senate in Georgia?" Trump wrote in an official statement. "He would be unstoppable, just like he was when he played for the Georgia Bulldogs, and in the NFL. He is also a GREAT person. Run, Herschel, Run!"
Former Sen. David Perdue, R, has ruled out a run in 2022, but Sen. Kelly Loeffler and Rep. Doug Collins, who lost a primary to Loeffler, are both mulling another run. A run for her old seat is "certainly on the table," Loeffler told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution last month. "Am I open to considering a run for the Senate or governor? Yes," Collins told the Journal-Constitution.
49ers awarded two compensatory picks for this year’s draft; now hold 10 picks in the 2021 NFL Draft
The NFL announced which teams were awarded compensatory draft picks for the upcoming 2021 NFL Draft. San Francisco was awarded two comp picks in total. The 49ers will now select at No. 102, thanks to the Jets hiring Robert Saleh as their head coach.
The Niners own ten picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, thanks to receiving No. 181 for Emmanuel Sanders
Kiper talks Bears draft options in first round
ESPN draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. thinks that the Bears will go in one of two directions with the 20th pick in the first round.
In his latest mock draft, Kiper predicts that the Bears will select Florida receiver Kadarius Toney but concedes they may instead choose an offensive tackle.
Toney is coming off a breakout senior season. After catching 50 passes for 606 yards and two touchdowns over his first three years at Florida, he more than doubled that output in 2020, registering 70 receptions for 984 yards and 10 touchdowns.
Bears awarded two compensatory draft picks
The Bears have received two compensatory picks in the April 29-May 1 NFL Draft, the league announced Wednesday. The selections are both in the sixth round, Nos. 220 and 227 overall.
The NFL awarded 36 compensatory picks to 17 teams in Rounds 3-7 based on a net loss of free agents last year. Under the system, clubs that suffer a net loss of compensatory free agents during the prior free-agent signing period are eligible to receive a corresponding number of compensatory selections in the following year's draft, up to a maximum of four.
The level of compensation that teams receive for free agents lost is based on a weighted combination of the player's yearly compensation, postseason honors and playing time.
The Bears are in a perfect position to end Russell Wilson’s Seahawks career
Russell Wilson is the latest franchise star to put himself forward for this offseason’s game of quarterback musical chairs.
Wilson, his agent has been at pains to point out, has not officially demanded a trade from Seattle, but he has – in a delightfully passive-aggressive, Wilson-esque way – made it clear to the team’s decision-makers that he is unhappy with the direction of the franchise and that he would prefer to leave.
According to a detailed report in The Athletic, Wilson is unhappy with the team’s roster construction, the style of head coach/chief decision-maker Pete Carroll, and the Seahawks’ offensive system.
At the center of the rift are two practical elements. First, Wilson’s desire to play in a modern, pace-and-space system similar to that which the Kansas City Chiefs have built around Patrick Mahomes, with everything flowing through the quarterback. Second, Seattle’s awful offensive line, one that has ranked dead stinking last in pressure rate in three out of the past five seasons.
Five things I want to happen in this NFL offseason: Russell Wilson to Chicago! Patriots draft stunner!
With the free agency frenzy right around the corner and the 2021 NFL Draft coming down the pike in short order, here are five things I'd like to see this offseason:
Russell Wilson changes the Bears forever
This is less about Russell Wilson -- and more about the overall concept of the Chicago Bears.
What are we trying to do here?
Fans of this organization have suffered through Mitchell Trubisky, Nick Foles, Chase Daniel, Mike Glennon and Matt Barkley under center since Jay Cutler capped his good-but-not-great career. The two decades prior to Cutler weren't any prettier at the most important position in sports.
Sunday, March 7, 2021
Washington Football Team releases quarterback Alex Smith
Quarterback Alex Smith, who won the 2020 NFL Comeback Player of the Year award in helping the Washington Football Team win the NFC East title, has been released by the franchise, it was announced Friday.
Washington coach Ron Rivera said in a statement that the team granted Smith's request to be released after the two met this week.
[ READ: Washington Football Team ]
"I had a chance to meet with Alex Smith this week and we had a very honest and real discussion," Rivera said in the statement released by the team. "We had the chance to reflect on the 2020 season and talk about moving forward into next year. After the conclusion of that meeting we decided that it would be best for both parties to move on and we will be granting Alex his request to be released.
Washington Football Team
The Washington Football Team is a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. Formerly known as the Washington Redskins, the team competes in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the NFC East division. The team plays its home games at FedExField in Landover, Maryland, with its headquarters and training facility located in Ashburn, Virginia. The team has played more than 1,000 games and is one of only five in the NFL to record over 600 total wins. It was the first NFL franchise with an official marching band and a fight song, "Hail to the Redskins".
The team was founded in 1932 as the Boston Braves before changing its name to the Redskins the following year. The franchise then relocated to Washington, D.C. in 1937, where they have been based since. Washington won the 1937 and 1942 NFL championship games as well as Super Bowls XVII, XXII, and XXVI. Washington has finished a season as league runner-up six times, losing the 1936, 1940, 1943, and 1945 title games and Super Bowls VII and XVIII. With 14 division titles and 24 postseason appearances, they have an overall postseason record of 23–18.
District attorney declines to charge Denver Broncos LB Von Miller after investigation
ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller will not face criminal charges after an investigation by the Parker (Colorado) Police Department earlier this year, according to the district attorney's office for the 18th Judicial District.
[ READ: Denver Broncos ]
The office declined to file charges "based on our review of information that is currently available," according to a statement Friday.
The district attorney's office said the case did not meet the standards of probable cause of admissible evidence "to support a conviction beyond a reasonable doubt, and that the decision to charge is in the interests of justice.''
Denver Broncos
The Denver Broncos are a professional American football franchise based in Denver. The Broncos compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) West division. The team is headquartered in Dove Valley, Colorado and plays home games at Empower Field at Mile High in Denver, Colorado.
The team began to play in 1960 as a charter member of the American Football League (AFL) and joined the NFL as part of the merger in 1970. The Broncos are owned by the estate of Pat Bowlen and currently play home games at Empower Field at Mile High (the stadium was formerly known as Invesco Field at Mile High from 2001–2010, Sports Authority Field at Mile High from 2011–2017, and Broncos Stadium at Mile High from 2018–2019). Prior to that, the club played its home games at Mile High Stadium from 1960 to 2000.
Bloody Sunday's impact and legacy on the Lions' Trey Flowers, his family and team
Trey Flowers sat in a Zoom town hall last summer, in the middle of a session about voting rights and voter registration, when the Detroit Lions defensive end began to speak. One of three NFL players on the call, he knew he wanted to share the story he heard tens of times growing up in Alabama.
Now, as part of a group put together by the Ross Initiative in Sports for Equality (RISE), he was going to tell the rest of the world.
Fifty-six years ago Sunday, Trey's uncle, Johnnie Flowers, marched across the Edmund Pettus Bridge in Selma. So did his maternal grandmother, Delores Carter, who was pregnant at the time.
Free Agent Primer 2021: Defensive Line
The Cardinals cannonballed into free agency, signing J.J. Watt to a two-year deal. The work isn't done, as GM Steve Keim must fill other holes on the roster this offseason. The new league year begins on Wednesday, March 17, with the legal tampering period opening on Monday, March 15. We will break down each position group as free agency draws near.
[ READ: Arizona Cardinals ]
Free agent primer: Defensive Line
Other free agent primers: CB I WR I LB I TE
Cap hit of players under contract for 2021 (via OverTheCap.com): Jordan Phillips ($12 million); J.J. Watt ($4.9 million); Zach Allen ($1.17 million); Leki Fotu ($973,368); Rashard Lawrence ($951,021); David Parry ($920,000); Michael Dogbe ($850,00).
Scheduled free agents: Corey Peters; Angelo Blackson; Domata Peko Sr..
NFL insider notes: Cardinals overpaying for J.J. Watt raises eyebrows, one Steelers draft target stands out
There is a mystery being talked about in NFL circles right now. I've been asked the question myself by some personnel execs. I do not have the answer.
It goes a little something like this: Who the hell were the Cardinals bidding against for J.J. Watt? Who else was paying him $14M a year?
[ READ: Arizona Cardinals ]
Good question, indeed.
Good for Watt. He did better on the open market than most suspected, but the idea that there were multiple teams throwing offers at him in excess of $15M was simply silly. That market never existed, nor should it have, given the age and injury history of the future first ballot Hall of Famer. That just was not reality. Agent speak on steroids.
Foods
Arizona Cardinals
The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division. The team was founded as the Morgan Athletic Club in 1898, and is the oldest continuously run professional football team in the United States. The Cardinals play their home games at State Farm Stadium, which opened in 2006 and is located in the northwestern suburb of Glendale.
The team was established in Chicago in 1898 as an amateur football team and joined the NFL as a charter member on September 17, 1920. Along with the Chicago Bears, the club is one of two NFL charter member franchises still in operation since the league's founding (the Green Bay Packers were an independent team until they joined the NFL a year after its creation in 1921). The club then moved to St. Louis in 1960 and played in that city through 1987 (sometimes referred to locally in St. Louis as the "Football Cardinals", the "Gridbirds" or the "Big Red" to avoid confusion with the Major League Baseball team of the same name).
Urban Meyer talks up Trevor Lawrence’s Pro Day decision, workout
As BYU quarterback Zach Wilson builds buzz, all signs continue to point to Trevor Lawrence still being the No. 1 overall pick.
Jaguars coach Urban Meyer, speaking this week to Jaguars.com, praised Lawrence for his Pro Day workout.
[ READ: Urban Meyer ]
“We had extremely high expectations and we were not disappointed,” Meyer said, via Jaguars.com. “But even more than the actual Pro Day was the way he handled it. We found out just days earlier about his left shoulder, that he had a labrum issue that’s very fixable — and by the way, it is fixed. He’s in rehab now. He very well could have said, ‘I’m not going to throw.
Urban Meyer
Urban Frank Meyer III (born July 10, 1964) is an American football coach who is the head coach of the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Meyer previously served as the head coach of the Bowling Green Falcons from 2001 to 2002, the Utah Utes from 2003 to 2004, the Florida Gators from 2005 to 2010, and the Ohio State Buckeyes from 2012 to 2018. He retired from coaching in 2019 at the end of the Rose Bowl, and stayed at Ohio State as an assistant athletic director and was also an analyst for Fox Sports, appearing weekly on their Big Noon Kickoff pre-game show. In 2021, Meyer came out of retirement to become the head coach of the Jaguars, marking his first job in the NFL.
Meyer was born in Toledo, Ohio, grew up in Ashtabula, Ohio, and attended the University of Cincinnati, where he played football as a defensive back. During his time at the University of Florida, he coached the Gators to two BCS National Championship Game victories, during the 2006 and 2008 seasons. Meyer's winning percentage through the conclusion of the 2009 season (.842) was the highest among all active coaches with a minimum of five full seasons at a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) program.
Mel Kiper's highest-graded quarterbacks ever for the NFL draft: John Elway ranks first since 1979, Trevor Lawrence makes the top 10
I've been studying the NFL draft since 1979, and I've seen a lot of quarterbacks. Some great, some terrible. Some first-round picks who made the Hall of Fame, and some top-10 picks who were complete busts.
[ READ: Mel Kiper Jr ]
Nnce ranked among the highest-graded quarterbacks I've ever studied, I just said, "He's up there." I really wanted to dig in, though, and check his grade vs. the rest of mine over the past 40-plus years. What follows below are the top 10 quarterbacks on that list, based on my pre-draft grades. It doesn't reflect their NFL performance but rather where I had them rated the day before their respective drafts.
Clemson Tigers football
The Clemson Tigers are the American football team at Clemson University. The Tigers compete in the NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) of the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and the Atlantic Division of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC). In recent years, the Tigers have been ranked among the most elite college football programs in the United States.
Formed in 1896, the program has over 750 wins and three consensus national championships in the modern era. Clemson was a College Football Playoff finalist in 2015, 2016, 2018, and 2019, winning the championship game over Alabama in 2016 and 2018. Clemson has had six undefeated seasons, six consecutive playoff appearances, 26 conference championships, and eight divisional titles. Its alumni includes over 100 All-Americans, 17 Academic All-Americans and over 250 players in the National Football League. Clemson has had seven members inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame: players Banks McFadden, Terry Kinard, and Jeff Davis along with coaches John Heisman, Jess Neely, Frank Howard, and Danny Ford.
TIGERS SWEEP VIRGINIA IN SECOND ACC ROAD SERIES
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. — The Clemson Softball team earned its tenth straight victory by a final score of 8-1 over Virginia on Sunday afternoon at Palmer Park. Clemson shortstop Ansley Gilstrap went 4-for-4 at the plate, including a triple and a double, and a game-high three RBIs to lead the Tigers in their third consecutive series sweep and second straight ACC road series sweep.
[ READ: Clemson Tigers football ]
With the win, the Tigers improved to 13-2 overall and 8-2 in ACC play, while Virginia fell to 6-9 overall and 2-7 in league games.
After Virginia took a 1-0 lead in the first, the Tigers responded with a three-run inning in the top of the third.
Mel Kiper's highest-graded quarterbacks ever for the NFL draft: John Elway ranks first since 1979, Trevor Lawrence makes the top 10
I've been studying the NFL draft since 1979, and I've seen a lot of quarterbacks. Some great, some terrible. Some first-round picks who made the Hall of Fame, and some top-10 picks who were complete busts.
[ READ: Cardinals superfan, Arizona health care worker will be inducted into Hall of Fame ]
So when I was asked recently where Clemson's Trevor Lawrence ranked among the highest-graded quarterbacks I've ever studied, I just said, "He's up there." I really wanted to dig in, though, and check his grade vs. the rest of mine over the past 40-plus years. What follows below are the top 10 quarterbacks on that list, based on my pre-draft grades. It doesn't reflect their NFL performance but rather where I had them rated the day before their respective drafts.