Perhaps, although im not sure how smart it would be to turn them down based on draft position. We're not talking about opposite ends of the draft order here, these are two very potential playoff teams. They are likely to be drafting within several spaces of one another anyway. TBF i think whichever of the Packers or Titans got Jones would prob be the one likely to be picking later so there's no gain for the Falcons there. The conference part, yeah teams tend to want to do that, but realistically what does that matter to the Falcons here? Conference rivals only matter for teams in playoff contention. Division rivals obvs a different matter. But all of this is a little besides the point. If you were in charge of the Packers what would you do? If you had a potential move that could make the team clearly better and one of the favs to make the SB AND get the face of your franchise back onside, would you not try to make it?? And if you were trying to make it, then given how much of this Rodgers saga has been played out publicly by both sides through leaks, would you not then at least leak that you were in the running to show Rodgers that you are doing everything you can? Which by extension also shows your fanbase that you are the "good guys" in this. Kinda like Ryan Pace's "look how hard i tried to get Russell Wilson" bullshit. If your answer to those questions was anything other than yes & yes then i'd like to recommend you for Packers GM next time it opens up. Furthermore, your post was made on the basis that the Packers offer would be the same as the Titans, a 2nd rounder & change. But it didnt need to be. Let me ask you this, if you were GM, trying to heal this massive rift and make the team better at the same time, what would you pay? No team was prepared to give the Falcons a 1st rounder, ok. But if you're the Packers are you telling me a 2nd & a 3rd would be too expensive to make this right? Hell make it a 2nd & a 4th. Really? The Titans did a great job in this trade, but there was a little room to outbid them.
Matt LaFleur: We installed our offense and threw everything at Jordan Love With Aaron Rodgers holding out, Jordan Love was the No. 1 quarterback at the Packers’ minicamp this week, and coach Matt LaFleur says Love wasn’t being coddled. LaFleur and offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett didn’t dumb anything down when replacing a first-ballot Hall of Famer with a second-year player who has never appeared in a game. LaFleur said the coaching staff demanded that Love do everything. “No, we installed our offense and kind of threw everything at him,” LaFleur said, via ESPN. The Packers are still hoping they won’t have to find out when the season starts whether Love can run the offense. But if Rodgers’ holdout extends into the regular season, or becomes a full-fledged retirement, Love will be the man. And LaFleur wants to see right now how well Love can handle the offense. NBC
Question is was it A a rons offense or was it Loves offense. I wouldnt dumb it down either but each guy is going to have his own strengths and you need to throw that offense at him.
Better find out now what Love has difficulties with rather than later. Im sure they will tweak the offense to accomidate Love when and if it becomes necessary.
I agree, it’s the proximity of the draft that really matters here in my opinion. The fact it will be close is enough to look at secondary factors. The most important being, who has a chance to knock me out if the playoffs sooner? Im also not arguing the fact the Pack even made an offer. I haven’t heard anything. That’s just why I would personally take the Titans offer over the Packers if both were presented. If the Packers had traded Rodgers or he had officially retired prior to this trade, then my thought process completely changes, but It Julio Jones IMO. It’s said the Falcons were trading him to a playoff contender. I don’t know if that was respect or a trade clause. Without Rodgers, not sure they are a contender.
Eagles sign Nick Mullens Free agent quarterback Nick Mullens has landed in Philadelphia. Mullens, who hit free agency when the 49ers declined to tender him in March, signed with the Eagles this morning. The 26-year-old Mullens originally signed with the 49ers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. He started 16 games (eight in 2018 and eight in 2020) and completed 64.5 percent of his passes, averaged 7.9 yards per pass and totaled 25 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. In Philadelphia, Mullens becomes the third quarterback on the roster, behind Jalen Hurts and Joe Flacco on the depth chart. PFT
The Eagles quickly got rid of Newman. They needed a 3rd QB but Flacco is a big mistake. He needs a system that's tailored to him at this point of his career. He is horrible right now.
Nick Caserio addresses Deshaun Watson situation says a “decision” is coming before camp The Texans haven’t said much about quarterback Deshaun Watson in recent weeks. On Monday, G.M. Nick Caserio said more than anyone from the team has said, in a while “We’re taking it one day at a time and really control the things we can control,” Caserio said in an appearance on Sports Radio 610, via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, when asked whether the organization has addressed the Watson situation with the other players on the team. “The players have been focused on their attitude and their approach in the building, and they’ve handled everything very well.” Caserio tried to repeat the team’s non-talking talking points about Watson, but Caserio made a potentially telling remark. “I don’t have any additional comments about anything,” Caserio said. “I think we’re respectful of what’s happening, respectful of the process and everybody that’s involved. The most important thing is for all of us, the coaches and players and myself included, is to focus on the things we can control. As we get more information, as we get closer to training camp, we’ll try to make the best decision for the Houston Texans, whatever that entails.” The only decision the Texans could make is to trade Watson or to not trade him. If the 22 lawsuits pending against him are resolved, that’s an easy question. If they’re not resolved, it becomes considerably more complicated. At that point, the Texans have to choose between taking whatever they can get given the possibility that Watson will be placed on paid leave and risking that he’ll show up, be placed on paid leave, and they’ll have to pay him more than $10 million to not play for the team in 2021. Caserio’s comments suggest that they’ll make a decision based on whatever information they have in July, and that it remains possible he’ll be traded even if the litigation has not been settled. PFT
Matt Nagy: We’re going to stick with Andy Dalton No. 1, Justin Fields No. 2 Justin Fields said in May that he’s going to push to be the starting quarterback for the Bears, but the word from the team has been that they’re pretty set on starting Andy Dalton to kick off the 2021 season. Head coach Matt Nagy said that after the team traded up to take Fields, reiterated it last month and PFT reported this month that the Bears told Dalton he would be the No. 1 quarterback when he was drafted. Nagy has pointed to his experience in Kansas City with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes in 2017 as a blueprint for how the Bears plan to move forward this season. During an appearance on Cris Collinsworth’s podcast this week, Collinsworth asked Nagy if there’s any scenario he could envision changing courses before the start of the regular season. “No, I mean, Andy is our starter. Again, I can’t predict anything. You know how it goes. There’s so many things that can happen between today and that Week 1, but Andy is our starter and Justin is our No. 2 and we’re going to stick to this plan,” Nagy said. “You always hope nothing happens to Andy as far as injuries or anything like that and that’s why I can’t say 100 percent . . . Andy is where we want him to be, he’s had a great OTAs and we’re just gonna continue to build with that.” The Chiefs won 10 games and went to the playoffs in 2017, which made it much easier to stick with Smith while letting Mahomes develop. Nagy says that’s how things will go in Chicago “in a perfect world,” but there’s no guarantee lightning’s going to strike twice. PFT
Raiders QB Derek Carr: 'I'd probably quit football if I had to play for somebody else' The Raiders were the lone team to appear on the reported wish lists for both Aaron Rodgers and Russell Wilson amid their discontent with their respective franchises. Derek Carr, whose job would be claimed if Las Vegas traded for either of the NFC star quarterbacks, declared Tuesday there's only one team he'll play for. It's the same one he's been with for his entire career. "I'd probably quit football if I had to play for somebody else," Carr said, per ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez. "I am a Raider for my entire life. I'm going to root for one team for the rest of my life -- it's the Raiders. So, I just feel that so strong in my heart I don't need a perfect situation ... to make things right. I'd rather go down with the ship, you know what I'm saying, if I have to." Carr, addressing the media for the first time since the end of last season, was asked why he doesn't voice concerns about his supporting cast in the public fashion that a few of his QB peers have this offseason. That simply prompted him to pledge his loyalty to the Silver and Black. The loudest conversation involving Carr has often been speculation surrounding his job security. Purported interest in the Raiders from Rodgers and Wilson certainly doesn't help, although the club has given no indication that it's seeking an upgrade. Las Vegas recently negotiated a pay cut with Marcus Mariota, one year after signing him to an exorbitant deal for a backup QB. Carr's contract situation will also be worth monitoring moving forward. He has two years remaining on the five-year extension he signed in 2017. With a dead cap hit of just $2.5 million in 2021, and no money in 2022, the three-time Pro Bowler is especially vulnerable to the Raiders cutting ties with him. He's coming off one of the better seasons of his career, which helped Las Vegas earn its best mark in four years -- 8-8 -- but still short of the playoffs. Despite another disappointing finish and relatively tenuous circumstances, Carr hasn't been compelled to complain ahead of his eighth NFL season. "I'm that old-school mentality -- I'm playing for one team and that's it," he said. "Whether we've won enough or not, I literally give every bit of energy and effort that I can to this organization and when I sign a contract, I completely, in my mind, have to fulfill that. I committed to that. I put my name on paper. "It's just how I was raised. I'm from Fresno, California. Born in Fresno. My dad worked in the car business, my mom helped with substitute teaching and all different kinds of stuff at the church, so we didn't have a whole bunch of stuff growing up, so I don't need much." NFL.com
Bill Belichick: Cam Newton's 'way ahead of where he was last year at this time' Through a good portion of last season -- his first with the New England Patriots -- Cam Newton struggled mightily. That written, there were plenty of factors facing the 2015 AP NFL Most Valuable Player and longtime face of the Carolina Panthers. Not the least of which was the lack of a normal offseason and training camp to prepare Newton for his first year with the Patriots. Thus far, Newton's way head of the curve in comparison to a season ago according to his head coach and himself. "Cam [Newton]'s way ahead of where he was last year at this time. There's no question about that," Patriots head coach Bill Belichick said Tuesday morning, via team transcript. "I mean, as you would expect, he has a good year of experience under his belt and he's able to start the process at the beginning and not be in a catch-up mode like he was last year. I mean, he was really just starting at this point last season, but he's well ahead of that just from the year of experience and from the succession of building blocks that he's been able to stack up, like all the players have that have been here since the start of the OTA and the offseason program back in April, that they've been able to stack those days and those learning experiences together, ask questions on things that they need clarification on and build to the next level when they're ready to put another brick on the pile." At the onset of his first campaign in Boston, Newton emerged as a reminder of the force and transcendent talent he was during his best seasons in Carolina. He had six total touchdowns over his first three games with 397 yards through the air against the Seahawks in Week 2. Following a bout with COVID-19, though, Newton's play fell drastically, as his accuracy was woeful and his struggles piled up. Newton ended his initial campaign in New England and out of Carolina with eight touchdown passes, 10 interceptions and a career-low 177.1 yards per-contest passing -- though he did have 12 touchdowns on the ground. He's grateful for the second chance in New England and continuing to take in Josh McDaniels' offense and getting all the more comfortable. "I have a constant note that I remind myself each and every day: Pre-snap comfort will help post-snap results for me," Newton said Tuesday, via NFL Network's Mike Giardi. "Last year, Josh, Josh's system, was something that has worked for decades and decades, so for me it was up to me to learn it as much as possible, and I'm so grateful to have another opportunity to learn it as much as I possibly can. In the latter part of the season, it just caught up to me. I was thinking too much. I was trying to be something, you know, when there wasn't enough hours in the day. It wasn't like we weren't working. Jedd [Fisch] at the time, the QB coach, we were putting in hours and hours. You can't simulate real, live bullets and that's what it came down to. It wasn't anything as far as mechanics. It was more less overthinking and the comfort level." As Newton finds himself amid a crowded quarterback room with rookie first-rounder Mac Jones, veteran Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham and vying for the QB1 spot heading into the 2021 season, it's obviously still just the most preliminary of reports. Nonetheless, Newton appears to be off to the good start he wasn't afforded getting off to a season ago. "So, that's good for all of us," Belichick said of being able to enjoy a more normal schedule of OTAs and mandatory minicamp. "It's good for Cam. It's good for all of the players who can go through that process." NFL.com
Baker Mayfield: I’m in no rush to receive a contract extension The Browns have several players from their 2018 draft class in line for contract extensions. Cornerback Denzel Ward and running back Nick Chubb both said they’d like to stay in Cleveland on long-term deals on Tuesday. On Wednesday, it was 2018 No. 1 overall pick’s turn. Quarterback Baker Mayfield is under contract through the 2022 season after the Browns picked up his fifth-year option. But as one of the three successful QBs from the first round of that draft class, Mayfield, Buffalo’s Josh Allen, or Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson will set a value precedent for all of their second deals. Still, Mayfield said Wednesday that he’s not thinking much about what is sure to be a lucrative extension. “I’m in no rush because I’m just trying to win games,” Mayfield said in his press conference. “Like I said, it’ll handle itself. I’m sure Tom and Jack Mills are handling that. I don’t try and feed too much into that because it’s like wasting my time and energy and thought process on things I’m not in control of right now. So I’m going to handle what I can control. “I’ve bet on myself my whole life. I’ve always taken it on day at a time, one play at a time. And I’m not going to handle it any differently now.” Mayfield noted that it would be nice to keep the top of the Browns’ 2018 draft class together for a while, with him, Ward, and Chubb all getting extensions. “I would say those guys are tremendous teammates, all coming in here together around the same time. That would be very special,” Mayfield said. “But that’s one of those things that I think everything happens for a reason and I think it’ll handle itself. So, just worried about winning. As I told you guys before when I was asked about the fifth-year option, it’s the same thought process for me, and it’ll continue to be that way.” After throwing 21 interceptions in his second season, Mayfield bounced back with 3,563 yards, 26 touchdowns, and just eight picks in 2020. He’s thrown 75 touchdowns and 43 picks in his first three seasons. PFT
Matt Nagy makes clear Justin Fields is behind Andy Dalton but ahead of Nick Foles Bears coach Matt Nagy has been clear that the plan in Chicago is for Andy Dalton to start at quarterback, and Justin Fields to begin his rookie season on the bench. But what if Dalton were to get hurt in the preseason? In that case, Nagy says, Fields takes over. “He would be the guy,” Nagy said of Fields when asked about the hypothetical that Dalton is injured, via the Chicago Sun-Times. That means Nick Foles is stuck at No. 3 on the depth chart, a year after the Bears traded a fourth-round draft pick for him. Foles is due a $4 million guaranteed base salary this season, so the Bears may be stuck with him, but they have no desire to play him. Nagy said he sees little chance of that order — Dalton, then Fields, then Foles — changing. “There will be a process and a plan,” Nagy said. “We will stick to that. That plan is not going to change tomorrow. The plan is not going to change in training camp. The plan is a plan — and it’s been thought out. . . . All three of those guys know that you need to produce, you need to play well, you need to compete, you need to be the best quarterback you can be. And then it’s going to be really pretty easy for us to see who that is and how that goes.” So the Bears want Fields to have time to develop and learn on the sideline — but they want even less to put Foles on the field. PFT
Patrick Mahomes on his toe: I don’t see any problems moving forward Patrick Mahomes had to undergo surgery to repair ligaments in the big toe of his left foot at the beginning of the offseason. While the initial thought was that he would be limited for the offseason program, that didn’t turn out to be the case. Now at the end of minicamp, Mahomes feels good about his foot. “I don’t see any problems moving forward,” Mahomes said during his Thursday press conference. “Obviously, I’ll have to continue with the rehab, continue to work on those things — strengthen it, do all that different type of stuff. But I feel like I had a good OTAs, a good minicamp. I was able to move around, scramble around and do the things that I needed to do.” It never seemed like Mahomes would miss any snaps in training camp following the offseason surgery. But after the toe injury clearly impacted Mahomes during the postseason, it’s likely a relief for all of Kansas City that the QB feels this good heading into the summer break. PFT
Jets offensive coordinator: We have thrown a lot at Zach Wilson Zach Wilson became an NFL quarterback only 50 days ago when the Jets drafted him No. 2 overall. He’s had a handful of offseason practices since. As the ol’ NFL saying goes: You don’t know what you don’t know because you don’t know. “It’s hard to say exactly how you did,” Wilson said, via Dennis Waszak Jr. of the Associated Press. “Personally, in my eyes, I feel I can improve every single day. I feel like I’m learning something every single day. Even on the good days, it’s still frustrating, and it’s just because it’s like a foreign language. Every single day, it’s the same plays, but you’re getting different reps, different looks at it, different defensive coverages, whatever it is.” Wilson became QB1 the day he was drafted, which came 24 days after the Jets traded Sam Darnold to the Panthers. The Jets are giving Wilson a crash course with the season opener less than three months away. “It’s been a learning curve for him,” offensive coordinator Mike LaFleur said. “We’ve thrown a lot at him.” LaFleur said Wilson has done a “really good job” thus far. Wilson, though, is a long way from being ready for opening day. “I don’t love feeling unprepared,” Wilson said. “I don’t love feeling like I’m not ready for something. I love the always having something new feeling every day in practice. You don’t know what defense they’re going to throw at you and there’s always something new to prepare for and get better at. I’m just going to make sure I’m doing everything I can to be ready once training camp comes around.” PFT
Robert Saleh: Zach Wilson is wired the way you want all players to be wired Jets coach Robert Saleh is seeing everything he wants to see from rookie quarterback Zach Wilson. Saleh said that Wilson’s offseason work has shown the competitiveness and desire to get better that are the hallmarks of great players. “Zach loves ball, that’s one thing I’ve learned,” Saleh said, via ESPN. “He’s unflappable in the sense that he doesn’t care whether [it] went good or bad. He wants to know why it went good or bad. He wants to learn from it. He’s wired exactly the way you want all players to be wired. Now it’s a matter of getting as many reps as possible [in training camp].” The Jets selected Wilson with the second overall pick in the draft and have not given him any competition for the starting job, with only James Morgan and Mike White backing him up. They’ve handed Wilson the leadership reins from Day One, and they like what they’re seeing. PFT