MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Lions cutting Chase Daniel, Danny Shelton



New Lions General Manager Brad Holmes is continuing to clean up the mess he inherited from former Lions General Manager Bob Quinn.

The Lions are cutting quarterback Chase Daniel and defensive tackle Danny Shelton, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports.

Although the Lions reportedly tried to trade Daniel, there was no reason any team would trade for the $4.55 million the Lions owed him. Daniel will have a $3 million dead cap hit for the Lions this year.

Shelton was slated to make a $4 million base salary this season and he’ll instead have a $1.25 million dead cap hit.

Holmes is in the process of radically overhauling the Lions’ roster that Quinn built over the last five years. The Lions are moving on from overpaid veterans this year in an attempt to get better next year.

NBC

 

Bears have interest in Andy Dalton



The Bears’ quest for a quarterback could lead them to Andy Dalton.

After Ryan Fitzpatrick agreed to terms with Washington, crossing him off the Bears’ list, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reported that Dalton could be headed to the Bears.

That follows a report from Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, who said Dalton is generating “significant interest” from the Bears.

Last year Dalton started nine games for the Cowboys and was mediocre, but the Bears may think “mediocre” is an improvement for them at the quarterback position. Dalton previously spent nine years as the starting quarterback for the Bengals.

With Mitch Trubisky hitting free agency, the Bears are down to Nick Foles on the roster currently. It’s possible that Foles could be the starter for the Bears in 2021, but with General Manager Ryan Pace and coach Matt Nagy knowing their jobs are on the line this season, they would surely prefer an upgrade. They may think Dalton can provide that.

NBC

 

***BREAKING***

Andy Dalton agrees to one-year, $10 million deal with Bears



Word arrived Monday that the Bears were interested in Andy Dalton. They closed the deal today.

The former Cowboys and Bengals quarterback agreed to a one-year, $10 million deal with the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports. He has a chance to earn another $3 million in incentives.

The deal is the same as the one Ryan Fitzpatrick reportedly agreed to with the Washington Football Team last night.

Dalton will join Nick Foles in competition for the starting job in Chicago.

Dalton started nine of the 11 games he played for Dallas last season, completing 64.9 percent of his passes while throwing for 2,170 yards, 14 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Dak Prescott was lost for the season in Week 5.

Dalton, 33, previously spent nine seasons in Cincinnati and earned three Pro Bowls.

NBC

 

Texans agree to terms with Tyrod Taylor on one-year deal



The Texans continue to insist they won’t trade Deshaun Watson. But if that changes, they’ll have a quarterback with significant starting experience.

According to multiple reports, Houston has agreed to terms with quarterback Tyrod Taylor on a one-year deal worth up to $12.5 million. In signing with the Texans, Taylor reunites with passing game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton, who was the Chargers’ QBs coach in 2020.

Taylor began last season as the Chargers’ starter before a pregame painkilling injection punctured his lung before the Week 2 matchup against the Chiefs. Justin Herbert took over as Los Angeles’ starter and held the job for the rest of the season, winning AP offensive rookie of the year.

Taylor is entering his 11th pro season, having started his career as a Ravens sixth-round pick back in 2011. He’s started 47 career games — 43 for Buffalo, three for Cleveland, and one for Los Angeles — in his career.

Overall, Taylor has passed for 9,770 yards with 54 touchdowns and 20 interceptions, and rushed for 1,850 yards with 16 touchdowns.

NBC

 

What a wild day didn't see Andy Dalton to the Bears

 

Sexual assault lawsuit is filed against Deshaun Watson



The Deshaun Watson saga has taken an unexpected turn.

A sexual assault lawsuit has been filed against the Texans quarterback. Attorney Tony Buzbee disclosed the litigation on Tuesday night. Buzbee tells FOX 26 that Watson was receiving a massage from a female and Watson “went too far.”

In a Tuesday night social media message, Watson addressed the situation.
“As a result of a social-media post by a publicity-seeking plaintiff’s lawyer, I recently became aware of a lawsuit that has apparently been filed against me,” Watson writes. “I have not yet seen the complaint, but I know this: I have never treated any woman with anything other than the utmost respect. The plaintiff’s lawyer climes that this isn’t about money, but before filing suit he made a baseless six-figure settlement demand, which I quickly rejected. Unlike him, this isn’t about money for me — it’s about clearing my name, and I look forward to doing that.”

The civil justice system has a low bar for proving allegations, and an even lower bar for making them. Watson may indeed be right, but there’s a process he’ll now have to navigate in order to prove it.

Ultimately, it could come down to his word against the word of the alleged victim. That’s something that a jury would have to resolve after hearing testimony and studying witness demeanor at trial.

Again, Watson may be fully in the right. But no civil lawsuit is dismissed simply because the defendant regards the claim as baseless — most defendants in these situations do. The evidence that is or isn’t developed will result in a conclusion as to whether the charges do or don’t have merit, absent a settlement of the case.

Separate from the civil justice system is the NFL’s in-house procedure for determining whether a violation of the Personal Conduct Policy has occurred. The league often investigates such claims separate from the formal legal process. It remains to be seen what the league will do in this case; the first step will surely entail a full examination of the legal filing.

NBC

 

John McClain expects Deshaun Watson to be traded



What a difference two-and-a-half months make.

On January 7, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle said this: “I’ve got a better chance of becoming the Texans’ new head coach than Deshaun Watson has of being traded.” Now, McClain says this: “The Texans haven’t said they’re not trading Watson since January. I expect him to be traded.”

In early January, McClain’s position was informed by what he was hearing from the Texans, who were adamant about keeping Watson. Now, a day after the team signed quarterback Tyrod Taylor, McClain has completed his 180. (In the interim, McClain publicly called for the Texans to grant Watson’s trade request.)

This would suggest that someone from the Texans has told McClain that Taylor wasn’t signed in order to serve as leverage against a Watson holdout, but to replace Watson after he’s traded.

So now the question becomes when it will happen and to whom Watson will be shipped. The Texans should find out which teams Watson will play for, and they should figure out how to spark a bidding war among them.

NBC

 

Report: Bears offered three first-round picks, a third-rounder, and two starters for Russell Wilson



The Bears did indeed try to finagle a trade for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson.

According to Dan Patrick, Chicago offered three first-round picks, a third-round pick, and two unnamed starters for Wilson. The Seahawks, obviously, passed.

The problem, from the Bears’ perspective, is that they hold the 20th overall pick this year. And if they have Wilson, the future first-round picks likely would landed in the 20s as well.

The only remaining question is whether some other team with a higher spot in the 2021 pecking order decides to make a similar effort. The Jets, for example, have pick No. 2. The Dolphins have pick No. 3. The Panthers hold pick No. 8.

Again, the Seahawks haven’t drafted a quarterback in round one since 1993, and they’ve only ever used a first-rounder on a quarterback twice. Even if they didn’t use the 2021 first-rounder from Wilson’s new team on his replacement, the 2021 first-rounder needs to be a lot closer to No. 1 than No. 32.

NBC

 

Report: Panthers are locked in on trading for Deshaun Watson



The Panthers remain in pursuit of Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, no matter how much the Texans say publicly that Watson will remain in Houston.

Joe Person of TheAthletic.com reports that the Panthers are still locked on Watson, viewing him as the single player who can do the most to turn the franchise into a Super Bowl contender.

Trading for Watson is referred to as “Plan A, B and C” for the Panthers.

Although the Texans say Watson is their franchise quarterback and will remain their franchise quarterback, Watson wants to be traded and may refuse to report to work if the Texans hold onto him. At some point, the Texans may be willing to listen if a team is willing to blow them away with a trade offer.

The Panthers’ offer would probably include their first-round draft pick this year (No. 8 overall) as well as their first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. (By NFL rule, teams can’t trade picks more than three drafts in advance.) Even that may not be enough to get the Texans to make the trade, but the Panthers may keep upping their offers until the Texans are willing to listen.

NBC

 

Bills sign Mitchell Trubisky



Josh Allen has a new backup quarterback.

Mitchell Trubisky is signing with the Bills, the team announced.

Trubisky spent the last four years in Chicago, where the Bears made the disastrous decision to trade up to No. 2 overall to select him in a draft in which Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson were the next two quarterbacks selected. Although the Bears got to the playoffs twice in four years with Trubisky as their starter, the team never lived that pick down.

Now Trubisky will head to a team where he has no chance of competing for the starting job and can instead just focus on getting better. Trubisky likely becomes the No. 2 quarterback behind Allen, with Jake Fromm and Davis Webb competing to be the No. 3 quarterback.

The Bears are moving on to Andy Dalton, and Trubisky is officially a Bill. Trubisky officially ends his Bears tenure with 10,609 yards, 64 touchdowns, 37 interceptions, a completion percentage of 64.0 percent, an average of 6.7 yards per pass, and a record of 29-21 as a starter, and 0-2 in the playoffs.

NBC

 

Now facing law suits from 3 different women (all through the sam lawyer i believe). As expected the nfl has launched an investigation into the allegations.

https://www.nfl.com/news/nfl-investigating-allegations-against-texans-qb-deshaun-watson

 

Thats just the beginning, so far there are 9 women coming forward. I get “money grab” and other issues that high profile people go through, but they are coming out of the woodwork. This is a big deal. I don’t think Watson will be playing anywhere in 2021. This one is more disappointing than Roethlisberger. By all accounts, Ben was an asshole before the allegations came into play. I never got that vibe about Deshaun. Has anyone ever heard anything negative about him personally before this?

 

I understand this will have a $2.5MM cap hit. Trubisky is certainly more talented than Barkley and gives the Bills a better chance to win should Allen get hurt. He's cheaper and better than what the team had. It's not exactly a quiet move - that's because of the noise that comes from signing a previous no. 2 o/a. But it is a steady move by Beane and co. to prepare for a SB run.

 

I wonder how far down Watson's stock just dropped. I know he's innocent until proven guilty, but there sure is a lot of smoke. Funny how he created a riff with the team on the trade situation and a few teams were chomping at the bit to entice him to come to their team... now, with these allegations, I wonder if teams like the Panthers are so gung-ho to make a deal for him.

 

Agreed , Dan.

God forbid anything happens to Allen, but a decent insurance policy is now in place for a decent price. Not a lot of teams can claim that. Im just a wee-bit surprised Mitch took the gig, to be honest. He seems like the type that would want a starters gig.

 

I think Trubisky views this as a reclamation/redemption opp. It is just a one year gig with the Bills, and with (hopefully) the world looking past the pandemic a year from now, he'll have better chances.
Meanwhile, I was thinking about options such as Fitz or Dalton to replace Barkley. I did not think they'd get someone as (potentially) good as Mitch for this price.

 

That's a solid signing for Buffalo. I like the fit.

 

I would just as soon have Fitz or Dalton.... Dalton isn't a world beater that will carry you to a Super Bowl, but none of these other guys are either. All these guys are backups for a reason, Dalton and Fitz have A LOT more experience though. I don't think a starting gig is in Trubisky's future. Fitzpatrick will probably get more starts this year based on his situation, but none of these guys are starters, not would you want to hang your season on their performance. You just never know what you are going to get with any of them.

I will honestly say, as a Browns fan, I am much happier having Case Keenum as Baker's backup. Not because I think he is any better than the three mentioned above (or any worse skill wise), but because I believe he knows what he is. He is there to enhance the chances of the QB room succeeding in any way he can. He is support for Mayfield, not competition. I feel confident if he needs to step in at any given time he can do it professionally. That's all I am looking for out of my backup.. and believe me, I have been looking for more than that in the previous years.. But with Allen there, I don't think you want anything more than that at this point either. You've found your QB for the next 10-15 years, you don't need anyone coming in causing any issues because they have delusions of unseating the starter. I don't know Trubisky well enough to know if he would do that or not.. being as he has always been a starter.

 

Well, I haven’t checked it, but I think Dalton signed for 4x Trubisky. As for Fitz, I expect he wants at least 2x Mitch and be given a chance to start.

Regardless of all the factors that led to him leaving the Bears, he has significant GP and he’s been to the playoffs in 2 of his 4 seasons. I’m not trying to gild the lily, but he’s coming to the Bills as an avowed backup. If he plays, his game experience is exactly what you want: a QB that can step in on very short notice without being overwhelmed.

Fitz was really liked in Buffalo and I believe the feeling was mutual. Dalton was practically lionized in Buffalo and the Bills Mafia donated a bunch to his foundation. If either would have signed for $2.5MM AND accepted a backup role then I would have been happy. It was, I’m the end, a very nice signing and hopefully he gets about zero snaps in Buffalo.

 

Suits are at 7 now all theough the same lawyer

https://www.nfl.com/news/texans-qb-deshaun-watson-facing-four-new-lawsuits-bringing-total-to-seven