MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

I haven't looked that closely at Mahomes' contract but Allen's has triggers in Years 2 and 3 that trigger guaranteed roster bonuses in years 4 and 5. The contract is setup for the long haul. The notion that the Bills can "void after year 4" is silly unless you mean they can extend him and increase his compensation.

p.s. Signing (and guaranteed roster bonuses) are prorated over 5 years, not 4.

 

Beach… I will say it one more time for good measure.

The 4 year contract comment you continue to reference was for Mahomes 10 year contract, NOT Allen’s 5 year contract. Allen’s 5 year is set up like a 4 year deal. The roster bonuses you are talking about are all completely voidable anyway. If you think Allen will play on that cap friendly deal after the signing bonuses have been allocated, then you are being silly. He is scheduled to make $41M and $42M in 2026 and 2027. QB contracts by then will be in the mid 50s per year for average top 10 guys. With voidable years built into contracts, you might as well consider that the ending point of the contract. The last of the guaranteed money ends after the 2024 season. In reality, the contract makes sense for both parties through 2025, since there is a guarantee built in after the 5th day of the league year. After that conditional guarantee, there is nothing left for Josh to do but tell the team to re-negotiate.

Time will tell how silly I am.

 

Louis Riddick says Bears 'could not be happier' with Justin Fields: 'He's blowing their minds'

Training camp is always a time for unreasonable optimism for all 32 NFL fan bases, but the latest rumors swirling in the Windy City suggest Justin Fields may be the Chicago Bears’ starting quarterback before long.

Despite the Bears’ insistence that Andy Dalton will be the Week 1 starter under center, it’s impossible to ignore the glowing review Fields received from ESPN insider and past NFL executive Louis Riddick on Thursday:



It's important to note that Riddick is annually floated as a potential general manager candidate. If Fields is, in fact, who Riddick is hyping him up to be, it’s not like he’s going to get Chicago’s GM gig or anything.

Riddick has nothing to gain and plenty to lose by pounding the table this hard for Fields in the unlikely event the former Ohio State star turns out to be a bust. Fields was doubted in the predraft process and was the fourth quarterback drafted this year, behind Trevor Lawrence, Zach Wilson and Trey Lance, respectively.

Justin Fields probably can’t do enough to unseat Andy Dalton
Chicago obviously has a plan for bringing Fields along. Complicating that plan is his evident advanced grasp of the offense, and his apparent penchant for exceeding expectations beyond the Bears’ imagination.

That’s not a bad problem to have, especially after GM Ryan Pace whiffed on Mitchell Trubisky.


However, that old saying that “if you have two quarterbacks, you have none” definitely applies to that Bears’ current QB situation. It’s not because Dalton is a complete disaster, or due to the fact that Fields might not be ready to start as a rookie.

No. That aforementioned adage tends to hold truer when the quarterbacks in question have vastly different skill sets. This is the problem with Dalton and Fields. One is a strict pocket passer who can’t make plays off schedule or pose much of a threat to run. The other is a 4.3-second 40-yard-dash man who can score in any which way.

It feels like Pace and Chicago head coach Matt Nagy are pretty steadfast about Dalton being the Bears’ QB1. Nevertheless, they can’t afford to sabotage the team if it’s painfully obvious that Fields is ready.

There’s no question who the superior talent is. Fields wins that contest running away — pun intended. If Chicago really wants to challenge Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers in the NFC North, it sounds like the sooner Fields is the starter, the better chance the Bears have at accomplishing that objective.

YardBarker

 

sounds like a good problem to have

 

Okay I see on the 4 year comment but still doesn't make much sense to me now that I've finally looked at the Mahomes contract. Have you seen the roster triggers?

Contract Notes:

• $63M guaranteed at signing (signing bonus + 2020 salary + 2021 salary + 2021 roster bonus + 2022 salary + 2022 roster bonus)
• 2023 salary & roster bonus + workout bonus fully guarantee on 3/19/2021 ($100M of total dead cap)
• 2024 salary & roster bonus + workout bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league day of 2022 ($113.3M of total dead cap)
• 2025 roster bonus + workout bonus fully guarantees on the 3rd league day of 2023 ($121.3M of total dead cap)
• 2025 salary + workout bonus fully guarantees on the 3rd league day of 2024 ($81.9M of total dead cap)
• 2026 roster bonus fully guarantees on the 3rd league day of 2025 ($80.85M of total dead cap)
• 2026 salary + workout bonus , 2027 roster bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league day of 2026 ($91.35M of total dead cap)
• 2027 salary + workout bonus + 2028 salary + 2028 roster bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league of 2027 ($104M of total dead cap)
• 2029 salary + workout bonus & 2029 roster bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league day of 2028 ($89.4M of total dead cap)
• 2030 salary & 2030 roster bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league day of 2029 ($94.85M of total dead cap)
• 2031 roster bonus fully guarantee on the 3rd league day of 2030 ($63.8M of total dead cap)
• 2031 base salary fully guarantees on the 3rd league day of 2031 ($51.9M of total dead cap)
• 2022-2031: $2.5 million incentives ($1.25 million winning AFC Champ Game $1.25 million NFL MVP)
• No Trade Clause

As long as he's on the roster March 2023 then everything is guaranteed through 2025. Then a series of one-year March triggers kick in, which guarantee the sizeable roster bonuses of the following season - all the way thru 2030. This contract is setup to run for the long haul and while I agree the majority of QBs are going to want to restructure and get market value once the guys around them start making more if Mahomes was that kind of guy why sign a 10 year in the first place? And that ignores the fact that they may have to continue to convert these bonuses into signing bonuses and push money forward - as they did this year.

Maybe he gets to 2028 and says he'd like to get paid more but he's on the books for 60 million in 2027 and that doesn't include incentives.

 

p.s. Allen signed a 6yr extension to begin 2023. Total contract runs through 2028. And bonuses aren't voidable unless they release / restructure the player. Not sure what you mean by that.

 

Baker Mayfield doesn't 'give a damn' about extension timeline with Browns

In the past week, two players with ties to Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield have received big extensions.

The first was his Browns teammate and fellow 2018 draft classmate Nick Chubb, who earned a three-year, $36.6 million extension that keeps him in Cleveland until at least 2024. The second, and definitely more significant, deal arrived two days ago to Josh Allen. The Buffalo Bills quarterback, who was selected No. 7 overall in the same draft in which Mayfield was taken first overall, inked a massive six-year, $258 million extension, just behind Patrick Mahomes in terms of per-year money for a quarterback.

Draftmates on his own team and at his position who've had success are getting their money, and yet with one month until the start of the 2021 season, the final year of his original rookie deal, Baker is still without his bread.

That Mayfield could enter the upcoming campaign without a long-term deal, though he appears to be the answer to a long-doomed question at quarterback in Cleveland, doesn't bother the signal-caller.

"I'm worried about winning. The rest will take care of itself," Mayfield told reporters Sunday, when asked about Allen's colossal contract, per NFL Network's Aditi Kinkhabwala. "I don't have a timeline on it."

Mayfield has had a similar mindset all summer regarding his new deal, saying in late July, "Everything will play itself out." But now that the market has been set for quarterbacks from the 2018 class, things could finally start to play out.

Asked if he'd like Cleveland to now negotiate an extension with him before the start of the 2021 campaign, as Buffalo did with Allen, Mayfield responded, "I'm not doing the negotiation, so quite frankly, I don't give a damn."

Mayfield's negotiations, along with those of 2018 No. 32 pick Lamar Jackson, are directly affected by the Allen contract, which pays the Bills QB an average of $43 million per year over those six seasons and guarantees him a record $100 million at signing. Unlike Allen and Jackson, however, Mayfield has not yet put up an MVP-caliber season; Jackson won the 2019 MVP, and Allen finished second in voting to Aaron Rodgers last season. So Allen's deal may not be a jumping-off point for Mayfield at this juncture of his career, but a higher plane.

If Mayfield and the Browns want to strike an extension in the month before they open up against Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs, then it's likely the QB's deal will come in below that of Allen's. But the two can always take it into the season and potentially into the 2022 offseason, ahead of Mayfield's contract year. That decision could be considered a risk, but might also be more clarifying.

There's no denying that Mayfield is the Browns' franchise quarterback -- who else has led Cleveland to a winning record and a postseason berth in the last two decades? Whether he'll be paid like one of the top five young signal-callers remains a question, one about which, my dear, Mayfield frankly doesn't give a damn.

NFL.com

 

I mean who would care about 100 million dollars?

 

He knows it's coming. If nothing else, he has a lot of confidence in himself. He isn't worried about the contract because his agent is doing the negotiating, not him. He controls what he can control.

Does he give a damn? Damn right he does! Will it matter to anyone if he comes out and says, I need this to get handled sooner than later? Nope.. He is not going to disrupt this team's goals to make stupid comments to the media. Positive attitude, positive message, Great Leader.

That's my QB...

 

Drew Lock starts this week, Teddy Bridgewater starts next week



Word from Broncos training camp has been that neither Drew Lock nor Teddy Bridgewater has created separation in their competition for the starting quarterback job and their plan for the first two preseason games suggests that has not changed.

Broncos head coach Vic Fangio told reporters on Tuesday that Lock will start Saturday’s preseason opener against the Vikings. Fangio also said that Bridgewater will get the start when they face the Seahawks in their second game of the summer.

Fangio said that Lock is getting the start this week because he’s been with the team longer and reiterated that he’s seen no separation between the two quarterbacks.

He also said he expects both quarterbacks to play more than third-stringer Brett Rypien, which makes sense given the need to figure out which player will start against the Giants in Week 1.

PFT

 

Colts rookie QB Sam Ehlinger getting first-team reps



Shortly after Indianapolis Colts starting quarterback Carson Wentz underwent "very successful" surgery to repair a foot injury that could keep him sidelined through the start of the regular season, Colts coach Frank Reich suggested 2020 fourth-round draft pick Jacob Eason would remain his QB1 until Wentz returns.

It seems a lot can change in a week.

Per ESPN's Mike Wells and NFL Media, rookie and sixth-round draft selection Sam Ehlinger received reps with the Indianapolis first-team offense on Tuesday.

"It wasn't Jacob (Eason) doing anything wrong," Reich explained. "This is a meritocracy and Sam (Ehlinger) has looked good so we decided to split it up. The good news is they both looked sharp today. We'll continue to split those reps."


Reich added Eason "will probably start" for Sunday's preseason opener against the Carolina Panthers, while Ehlinger "will probably come in whenever" later in the contest.

Wells noted that Eason has held onto the football in the pocket too long in certain situations and hasn't yet done enough to cement his spot atop the depth chart while Wentz is sidelined. If neither Eason nor Ehlinger look capable of leading the Colts to regular-season wins by the end of the month, Indianapolis could pursue a trade for a proven commodity such as current Chicago Bears signal-caller and former Wentz backup Nick Foles.

YardBarker

 

Mason Rudolph to start again in second Steelers preseason game



Anyone waiting to see how an offseason of healthy eating has treated Ben Roethlisberger‘s performance in games will have to wait at least one more week.

The Steelers only played their backup quarterbacks during their first preseason game out of the way against the Cowboys last Thursday and they’ll be taking the same approach to this Thursday’s game against the Eagles. Mason Rudolph will get his second straight start with Dwayne Haskins set to relieve him after a few series.

Head coach Mike Tomlin said Tuesday that the team will be using the same blueprint when it comes to playing time across the board.

“It will be very similar to last week for who you would consider front-line guys,” Tomlin said, via Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “You shouldn’t expect [an] increase in the amount of participation for those guys. We’re comfortable with what they were able to do last week and gain some in-game experience and exposure and communicate and so forth. We’ll repeat that process but not necessarily with an increased number of snaps. There would be additions to that group, so it will be exciting to see some of those guys not only as individuals but as a collective and see our growth from that perspective.”

The Steelers will have two preseason games on the docket after facing the Eagles and the August 21 date with the Lions seems like the likeliest one to include an appearance from Roethlisberger.

PFT

 

Seems to be a lot of sandbagging QB's and other positional players this preseason even tho it is early. Makes for an interesting Week 1 to say the least. Could be a sloppy start.

 

No sloppier than last year. Remember that mess? Looked like pre season for 2-3 weeks.

 

Carson Wentz and Quenton Nelson are trending toward playing for Colts in Week One



The Colts said quarterback Carson Wentz and guard Quenton Nelson would both need 5-12 weeks to recover from foot surgery, but they both appear to be on the shorter end of that spectrum.

Both Wentz and Nelson are trending toward being able to play when the Colts take on the Seahawks in Week One, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.

Wentz, who had his surgery on August 2, was seen at Colts camp yesterday walking without a limp and without any noticeable protection on his surgically repaired foot. Nelson, who had his surgery on August 3, has never missed a game in his NFL career.

If Wentz can’t go, the Colts would open the season with either 2021 sixth-round pick Sam Ehlinger or 2020 fourth-round pick Jacob Eason as the starting quarterback.

PFT

 

Another starting quarterback won’t be on the field this weekend.

Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski said during his Wednesday press conference that Baker Mayfield will not play in Cleveland’s first preseason game against Jacksonville on Saturday.

Stefanski added that he will reveal more about the team’s plans for playing time on Thursday.

With Mayfield out, backup quarterback Case Keenum is likely to start for Cleveland with third quarterback Kyle Lauletta also seeing a significant number of snaps.

This will be Stefanski’s first preseason game, as he was hired in 2020 and last year’s exhibition matchups were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stefanski also noted while addressing reporters on Wednesday that he’ll have some assistant coaches handle play-calling duties in the preseason. But the head coach will have those duties as he did last year once the regular season begins.

PFT

 

Urban Meyer says the competition at quarterback between Trevor Lawrence and Gardner Minshew remains open



Deliberate constipation could be the right strategy for Gardner Minshew.

The unofficial depth chart shows Minshew “or” Trevor Lawrence as the starting quarterback in Jacksonville. Coach Urban Meyer says that, indeed, the competition remains open.

Via Mike Dempsey of 1010XL in Jacksonville, Meyer was asked on Thursday whether the competition for the Week One job remains open. Meyer said, “Yes.”

Meyer also said that both Lawrence and Minshew will play on Saturday against the Browns. Whoever plays with the starters presumably will have the edge. For now, Minshew’s name is listed first on the unofficial depth chart.

It’s possible that Meyer is trying to give Lawrence an in-house hurdle to overcome, a message to the locker room that nothing is handed to anyone. It’s also possible that the Jaguars are trying to prop up Minshew in the hopes of trading him.

Or maybe Minshew has simply earned it during training camp. Remember, he’s the guy who declared to Chris Long last month, “I haven’t taken a shit in weeks . . . because number two isn’t an option for me.”

PFT

 

Well, I hope they are able to garner some sense of their ability going against the Browns 2nd team defense. It doesn't sound like many presumed starters will be playing any minutes on Saturday. I'm curious if the Jags are going to have their first team offense intact while assessing them. If not, what's the point?

At least the pass rush should be easy on them.

 

Matt Nagy: Justin Fields will play into the second half in first preseason game



Bears head coach Matt Nagy has gotten some clarity on how much rookie quarterback Justin Fields will play — at least in this week’s preseason matchup.

In his Thursday press conference, Nagy told reporters that the plan is for the No. 11 overall pick to play well into the second half.

“I would say that for Justin, [he’ll play] for sure past halftime,” Nagy said. “I hate to say that anything is 100 percent, but the mindset going into it is he’s going to get a lot of reps. Does that take him into the fourth quarter? Maybe. Who knows? We’ll see. But the more reps we can get him right now, the better. It’s only going to help him.”

Nagy has previously said he plans to have starting quarterback Andy Dalton on the field for a drive or two — so likely eight to 10 plays. Nagy also mentioned that it’s important for Fields to get into a rhythm of what games will be like at the professional level.

“For him, it’s going to be coming out to start the game and being on the sideline and then going in, then getting to halftime and coming back out and playing with different guys,” Nagy said. “That’s the other thing in preseason, you’re not always playing with the same guys. So we need to get as many reps as we can with him.”

Fields will make his preseason debut against the Dolphins on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET.

PFT

 

Trevor Lawrence “pumped” to make his preseason debut



Trevor Lawrence is ready to make his preseason debut.

The Jaguars will square off against the Browns on Saturday night in Jacksonville and this year’s No. 1 overall pick said on Thursday’s he’s “pumped” for his first game.

“It’s nice we’re playing at home in front of the home crowd, so we’re really excited,” Lawrence said in his press conference. “We’ve been working the past three or four weeks, but really even since the spring, just trying to get ready for these moments. And this will be good. A lot of people are going to play, but in our minds it’s a real game. We’re still trying to win the game. A lot of people look at preseason differently, but I think this is where it starts for the Jags this year, is game one [in the] preseason.”

Lawrence noted he’s made some “dumb mistakes” over the course of training camp, but realizes that’s part of the learning process. To that end, he feels good about where he is learning the playbook and scheme.

“I feel like I’ve come a long way, especially in camp, just owning it and knowing where my answers are and being able to make adjustments,” Lawrence said. “I think that’s the biggest thing, transitioning from college to the NFL is you’re going to see a bunch of looks and it’s really about how you respond and adjust it to put you in a good situation. And that’s just something I’ve had to learn and I’ve gotten a lot better at in the last few weeks.

“I feel good about where I’m at and where the offense is. There’s still a long ways to go, but we’re making progress for sure.”

When asked about his goals for Saturday, Lawrence reiterated that even though it’s preseason, the team wants to win the game.

“And I guess individually for me, it’s just to do my job — nothing more than that,” Lawrence said. “If I do my job it’ll put us in a position to win. So that’s all I’m looking at doing is every play, doing the best I can, putting us in a good spot, getting it to our playmakers — that’s all being a quarterback is, is getting it to our best players. So that’s all I’m going to do.”

PFT