MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has released a statement on the sudden and shocking death of quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who was hit by a car and killed this morning in Florida.

“I am devastated and at a loss for words with the unfortunate passing of Dwayne Haskins,” Tomlin said. “He quickly became part of our Steelers family upon his arrival in Pittsburgh and was one of our hardest workers, both on the field and in our community. Dwayne was a great teammate, but even more so a tremendous friend to so many. I am truly heartbroken. Our thoughts and prayers are with his wife, Kalabrya, and his entire family during this difficult time.”

Haskins was in Florida with several teammates, where the Steelers’ skill position players had been working out together before the official start of the team’s offseason program.


The Steelers signed Haskins last year and he spent the season on their roster after previously being a first-round draft pick in Washington and a star quarterback at Ohio State.

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Wow what a sudden and tragic end of your life RIP

 

Unbelievable...Very sad about Dwayne Haskins. Sad day for all of Buckeye nation. Thoughts and prayers to his family.

By all accounts, he had refocused and was in a really good place.

After the early issues in his career, he found himself in the ideal spot, with the perfect coach and system IMO. I really believed he was going to surprise many and challenge for that starting job...

 

Tua Tagovailoa feeling a new level of support from Mike McDaniel and Dolphins’ staff



Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa says the support he’s getting this offseason from head coach Mike McDaniel and the rest of the coaching staff is unlike what he has experienced before.

Tagovailoa hosted a Luau to raise money for Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Miami, and he praised McDaniel, offensive coordinator Frank Smith and quarterbacks coach Darrell Bevell for all showing up to something they knew was important to him personally. Tagovailoa added that he hadn’t witnessed such support before.


“To be able to have our OC, my quarterbacks coach, our head coach here in support of this, I’ve never witnessed that,” Tagovailoa told CBS Miami.

In the two years since Tagovailoa was drafted, there have been questions about whether the team was really behind him. He spent much of his rookie season on the bench behind Ryan Fitzpatrick, and much of his second season hearing reports that the Dolphins wanted to trade for Deshaun Watson.

This year, Tagovailoa sounds convinced he has coaches who are on his side.

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Mark Murphy: We think Jordan Love can be a good player, but we haven’t seen enough



Aaron Rodgers appeared in only seven games, with no starts, and threw 59 passes with a touchdown and an interception in his first three seasons. So, when the Packers parted ways with Brett Favre after the 2007 season, they weren’t certain what they had in Rodgers.

Yes, Rodgers looked good in a 2007 loss to the Cowboys after Favre got hurt and he fared well in the preseason. Still. . . .


A Google search from 2008 reveals such comments as: “How many quarterbacks who have followed a legend such as Brett Favre have been successful? Only one: Steve Young. For Green Bay’s sake, they better hope that Aaron Rodgers is another Steve Young. Otherwise, Matt Flynn or Brian Brohm could be getting some action in the NFL a lot sooner than Aaron Rodgers ever did.”

Which leads us to Jordan Love, the quarterback the Packers traded up to draft 26th overall in 2020. Rodgers’ contract extension guarantees that Love, barring an injury to Rodgers, will sit for a third consecutive season.

Is Love any good? Even the Packers don’t know.

He could be the next Rodgers or he could be the next Brohm. (Or more likely somewhere in between.) Love has appeared in six games with one start (that did not go well) and has thrown 62 passes with two touchdowns and three interceptions.

“I think this preseason is important for him,” Packers CEO Mark Murphy said in an interview with Tom Grossi of Packast. “We think he can be a good player, but we haven’t really seen enough. So I think this preseason will be good for him.

“He’s a talented player. I know the decision to draft him has been questioned by a number of people, but it’s such an important position in our league that investing future assets at the position. . . . They said the same thing when we drafted Aaron.”

But Favre wasn’t coming off back-to-back MVP seasons when the Packers handed the job to Rodgers. Rodgers is. If Rodgers decides to play beyond 2022, Love’s future could be elsewhere.

But no one in the Packers organization or with any other team knows exactly what Love is.

“It’s up to Jordan to take advantage of the opportunities that he does have,” Murphy said.

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Lovie Smith: I’m a believer in Davis Mills and what he’ll do for us



The Texans traded Deshaun Watson to the Browns last month, but they otherwise stayed out of the swap meet that sent starters flying around the league at the start of the offseason.

That leaves Davis Mills in line to start and nothing that head coach Lovie Smith said at the start of the team’s offseason program on Monday hinted at any second thoughts about going all in with the second-year player. Smith praised Mills for organizing workouts with his teammates over the last couple of months and working to recruit other players to come to Houston.


Smith went on to say that he is a “believer” in what Mills will be able to do now that he has a professional season under his belt.

“I believe in him, Pep Hamilton, second year in system, so many good things that he did. And that’s as a rookie. The improvement you see from year one to year two is normally a big improvement and that’s what we’re going to see from him,” Smith said.

The Texans have five of the first 80 picks in this year’s draft and Smith’s comments suggest that they’ll be used to build a team around Mills rather than on creating competition at the position heading into the summer.

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Carson Strong, Matt Corral visiting with Steelers this week



With this year’s NFL draft a little more than two weeks away, the Steelers are doing some final work on a couple more quarterbacks.

Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, Pittsburgh is hosting Nevada quarterback Carson Strong on Wednesday and Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral on Thursday for pre-draft visits.


While Corral’s visits have been well documented, this is the first reported visit for Strong. A three-year starter at Nevada, Strong set a program record with 36 touchdown passes in 2021. The Vacaville, Calif. native was named the Mountain West offensive player of the year in both 2020 and 2021.

Pittsburgh also reportedly met with Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder and North Carolina quarterback Sam Howell last week.

After Ben Roethlisberger’s retirement, the Steelers signed quarterback Mitchell Trubisky to compete for the team’s starting role. But Trubisky’s presence clearly won’t prevent Pittsburgh from drafting another passer.

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Derek Carr agrees to three-year extension with Raiders



The Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr found their sweet spot.

Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said last month that he hoped the two sides would find that “sweet spot” in negotiations for a contract extension this offseason. On Wednesday, they reached it and Carr has agreed to a three-year extension with the team.


Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the new pact is worth $121.5 million. Carr is in the final year of his current deal, so he’s now under contract in Las Vegas through the 2025 season.

The deal wide receiver Davante Adams signed after coming to the Raiders in a trade runs through 2026, so the Raiders now have two offensive linchpins locked up for years to come thanks to the work done by McDaniels and General Manager Dave Ziegler since they joined the organization earlier this year.

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Just read the headline, "Baker Mayfield criticizes Browns, says he feels 'disrespected'" on a podcast.

Somehow I don't think he's going to magically show up and be a professional. But what do I know?

 

I just looked at the list of all 62 QBs that started a game last season, Mayfield is my personal 14th choice on that list. I didn’t pick either Rudolph or Trubisky ahead of Mayfield so no homer bias.

 

Here's the article from NFL.com in its entirety.

Baker Mayfield speaks on looming divorce from Browns: 'I feel disrespected'

Baker Mayfield's time in Cleveland came to a sudden and ugly end this offseason. Unsurprisingly, he isn't happy about how it all happened.

The previously silent Mayfield spoke recently on the Ya Neva Know Podcast and didn't hide any of his displeasure regarding the Browns' decision to replace him with Deshaun Watson.

"I feel disrespected," Mayfield said. "One-hundred percent because I was told one thing and they completely did another. That's what I'm in the middle of right now. I got my taste of it because I've had four different head coaches in four years, a bunch of different coordinators.

"Talk about the highs? They always come back. They always come back. But I've had great times my rookie year. I didn't start in the beginning. I came in and got to have fun in the back half of the year. 2019 sucked. 2020 was great, made the playoffs. 2021 was miserable."

As he alluded, Mayfield's time with the Browns was very much tumultuous. The first-overall pick of the 2018 draft saw his first NFL action in Week 3 of his first season, replacing an injured Tyrod Taylor and leading the Browns to their first win in over a calendar year. The future seemed bright for Cleveland and Mayfield, and after the 2019 season ended in massive disappointment, the quarterback ended up delivering the Browns both their first playoff appearance since the 2002 season and their first postseason victory since the 1994 season.

The following year ended up being his undoing. Mayfield suffered a shoulder injury in Week 2 and attempted to play through the pain, with his performance suffering. Once seen as a Super Bowl contender, the Browns finished 8-9 and out of the playoffs, and Mayfield was painted as both a scapegoat and a massive question mark for the team moving forward.

As Mayfield struggled, disgruntled Browns fans and followers of the NFL didn't hold back their criticism, frustrating the quarterback who carried the potential of being Cleveland's football savior just a year earlier.

Mayfield didn't take kindly to the negativity.

"I would love to show up to somebody's cubicle and just boo the s--- out of them," Mayfield said. "Watch them crumble."

By the end of another underwhelming campaign, Cleveland was weighing its options and looking for a replacement for Mayfield. When the Browns landed Watson in a blockbuster deal with the Houston Texans, the bridge between the team and Mayfield had already been burned.

Mayfield requested a trade while the Browns were still courting Watson. To this point, he's still on Cleveland's roster with no destination in sight, saying on his podcast appearance, "I'm just looking for stabilization right now."

"I know what I need to do for me to be the best version of me and to be able to lead an organization," Mayfield said. "I'm in a good place right now. I have no clue where I'm going."

Mayfield didn't get much stability during his time in Cleveland, playing for four different head coaches and offensive coordinators in four seasons. He's had the same head coach for each of his last two campaigns (Kevin Stefanski), but has produced vastly different results in that span.

He's hoping he finds such stability with his next team, which remains undetermined, especially after the Colts traded for Matt Ryan.

"This would've been a week-and-a-half ago, I would've said Indianapolis," Mayfield said, adding Seattle is "probably the most likely option."

"Even then, no idea," the QB continued. "I'm ready for the next chapter, the next opportunity because the only one I'm guaranteed with the next spot is one year. I have one more year of a guaranteed contract. I have one year wherever I go, and it's my next interview. It's something to put on my resume for the next job, whether it be I play that year wherever it's gonna be and they extend me for longer or if it's that year and I get picked up somewhere else. I know I have this one year to do as much as I possibly can. It's not extra pressure. It's just… I've been here before."

Mayfield is still on the Browns' roster because he's not a player who will be easily traded. Mayfield is under contract for just one more season (2022) at a fully guaranteed number of roughly $18 million. Most teams seeking quarterbacks have addressed their need, and few are going to be willing to guarantee $18 million to a quarterback who might end up proving to be a one-year rental with questionable upside.

Seattle seems like the best remaining fit, as the Seahawks currently have Drew Lock penciled in as their starter following the massive deal that sent Russell Wilson to Seattle. Pete Carroll hasn't indicated he's interested in a long rebuild, but Lock isn't a firm solution under center for a team that is entertaining visions of contention in 2022.

Then again, few teams, if any, will be anxious to strike a deal with Cleveland, which has Watson and Mayfield on its roster and, thus, zero leverage in negotiations. The Browns might need to end up attaching a draft pick to a deal involving Mayfield just to work something out, and Cleveland could ultimately be forced to release Mayfield in order to finalize their ugly divorce.

Regardless of how they split, Mayfield's time in Cleveland is over. There's simply no other scenario in which the two parties proceed productively, regardless of how Stefanski and Browns general manager Andrew Berry position themselves publicly. As Mayfield's comments indicated, it's too toxic to salvage.

Mayfield's arrival in Cleveland signaled a significant change for the franchise, which had cycled through an incredible number of quarterbacks since returning to NFL action in 1999. For four seasons, Mayfield brought the stability he now seeks elsewhere. He believes his efforts won't be forgotten in Cleveland, even as his No. 6 jerseys fill clearance racks throughout northeast Ohio.

"I really, truly, honestly have no regrets of my time in Cleveland of what I tried to give that place," Mayfield said. "True Clevelanders and true Browns fans know that. That's why I can walk away from the whole situation feeling like I did it."


He'll hope to do it again elsewhere. The destination remains unknown.

 

That's a professional, right there. Can totally see him showing up to be the backup in Cleveland.

A Browns fan or two here disagrees. But then again, they like Urban Meyer, so...

 

And this is why we will never see eye to eye..

“Just read the headline” is as motivated as you get.


The difference between you and I in conversation is, I watched the 1 hour and 40 minute podcast to see the relevance of the headline.

You are Colin Cowheard, what’s my hot take? Your hot take is anything that will get a rise out of someone else.

Baker Mayfield is truly a love hate entity. You hate his brashness, which is 50% of his personality, I love his tenacious attitude which is the other 50% of his personality. He doesn’t have the calm middle ground, think before you speak demeanor. I’m ok with that, you are not. We are going to see the same conversation but hear two totally different messages.

He actually says some great things in the podcast that you can think about and put the NFL into perspective that has nothing to do with him or any specific person, but makes you wonder, who has what mindset on any given team or any point of their career.

If you ignore the fact you can’t stand the guy, you would probably enjoy listening/watching this in it’s entirety. The Browns “headline” was only about 5 minutes of the 100 minute conversation that was had.

 

You only quote what you think you can use for fuel to the fire..

this is my quote:

Again, don’t care how you feel about my homerism. Personally, I know what the guy goes through to get me one positive memory in 26 years with a playoff victory. That’s why I like the guy and will continue to support him. He didn’t turn on this franchise or city, the management group turned on him. In turn they are bringing in the opposite of him, a guy that turned on the franchise that gave him his shot and spit in the face of the city by asking for a trade. Baker didn’t do that until they had already turned on him. You can debate until your blue in the face, but it’s different.

Love or hate his personality, he’s a leader to this day. I’m not sold that Deshaun Watson is a leader, never seen him lead since becoming a pro. In college player’s rallied. Regardless of how much talent or at what level, teams need leaders or they are just pieces moving around a field. Since cashing his first paycheck, it seems like it has become about Deshaun Watson, not the team. Just my perspective, I’m sure you have your own. Regardless, it’s the guy leading my team now and I have to live with it or move on until he’s gone.

 

I think this is a very good point that is getting a bit overlooked... not the Watson comments, Im referring too the Mayfield/management comment. We all know, including Mayfield, in my opinion, that Bakes has a chip/attitude that is brash if not downright cocky and the Browns FO did not handle him and the situation very well. It seems obvious that it could have been handled better in retrospect, but the damage was done when Mayfield was not in the 'know' when changes were being contemplated and planned... thats enough too piss me off if I were in Bakers shoes.

I honestly think Baker was mishandled in everyway shape and form and thats on the FO, not Bakes and his tude. It does take 2 to tangle, but Mayfield got screwed by not being dealt with honestly and forthright.

Can the Browns recover? I sure hope so, but only time will tell as they went from one sticky situation too another by their own choice... not a 'gun to the head' decision, just kind of a desperate change that really surprised me and a lot of others... Mayfield included.

 

Toward the end of the 90-minute interview, Mayfield was asked if he was excited to get guys to rally around him in a new locker room. The quarterback made it clear that his process isn’t going to be about trying to get guys to like him.

“I’m not going to force it. I’m going to be myself,” Mayfield said. “Because I feel like I tried to force it when things on the field weren’t going well, like in the past couple of years. I feel like I’m going to go in there and be myself, because that’s worked for me in the past. I’m going to go in with the same work ethic and mentality. And if they don’t like me, that’s fine. But when I step on the field and I play as confident as I am and what I think I’m going to do on the field the next time I get a chance to do it, I’ll earn the respect of the guys who didn’t appreciate it from the beginning.

“And if I’m worried about getting them to like me, what am I doing? They don’t care if I like them either. They want their quarterback to win. They’re trying to get a paycheck. If their team wins, they get paid. So the guys who don’t really personally like me, that’s fine. But I have to have their respect. And the way I do that is just working my ass off, being myself. Because you can get sniffed out in a f—ing heartbeat if you’re fake. They’ll sniff that out quick.”

 

Desperate is the best way to describe that @Willie, you nailed it on the head. Desperation, when they didn't need to be.

 

I read the article and watched some of the podcast, dumb dumb. No, I'm not going to watch a 100 minute podcast, but it doesn't make my point any less valid - that your "he's a professional, he'll be the backup in Cleveland" position is fucking delusional.

And you think I hate Baker? I don't give a damn about Baker. I made those comments on reference to your delusions. I don't have anything for or against Mayfield. The fact that you would assume I do and rush to his defense is part of what you need to see a therapist about, man.

 

The article has none of the details of the podcast, other than a couple of headliners or what the comments were in reference to. Listening to some of the podcast leaves you ignorant to the message. But... I'm the dumb dumb?.. It doesn't make your point any less valid, but it doesn't give your point any credibility either.

I never said he is a professional and he'll be the backup Cleveland, you mince words for meaning. What was said is, he needs to be a professional and do his job or there are other options to cutting him.. That is what this entire conversation is about.. The context of the message was over cutting an asset, and that is the one part of the conversation you refuse to talk about.

The actual Point is, he is currently a Cleveland Brown, he needs to get better advice or listen to it if he is getting it and act more professionally. If he remains a Cleveland Brown he WILL be the backup, or he will be an inactive member of the team due to his actions which will lead to more distress for his career. The Point is, cutting Baker Mayfield helps no one in the Cleveland Browns organization. That has always been the Point, you, like in most conversations ignore the bulk of the conversation at hand, pick one hot topic sentence out of an entire post and try to make that the argument instead.

When you run out of meaningful "points", it always reverts back to words and phrases like "dumb dumb", "delusional", "you need a therapist", or worse. Dude, I don't know what your problem is, but I hope and pray you wake up one morning with less hate in your heart, you might actually find some happiness. Negativity breeds negativity and you draw me into it every time we converse. That is your message, I get it, I need to do a better job of ignoring it.

Any way, I'm done with this conversation with you, keep driveling on if you like...

 

Kyler Murray not expected to play for Cardinals without new contract

Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray is adamant about getting a new contract before hitting the field for the 2022 season.

NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Thursday that Murray is not expected to play unless he gets a new deal, per sources informed of the decision.

The Cardinals have yet to make a contract offer to Murray, whose agent, Erik Burkhardt, informed the team weeks ago he was pulling his opening proposal off the table, Pelissero added.

It's been a drama-filled offseason for Murray and the Cards, beginning after the Pro Bowl when Murray scrubbed his social media of Cardinals photos. The team replied in kind before the sides later reconciled, hoping to move forward. Murray noted last month he wasn't worried about his future as a Cardinal.

Since, however, there have apparently been no strides made toward a new deal, with Murray set to make around $5.5 million in the fourth year of his rookie contract.

The 24-year-old two-time Pro Bowler got off to a hot start in 2021, looking like an MVP candidate before injuries struck, forcing the QB to miss three games. Murray and the Cards struggled down the stretch, backing into the postseason and getting blown out in the Super Wild Card Round by the eventual Super Bowl champion L.A. Rams.

After watching Aaron Rodgers, Deshaun Watson, Matthew Stafford and Derek Carr sign contracts extensions worth $40 million or more per year in the past month, Murray wants his payday.


The Cardinals have insisted they don't plan to trade the former No. 1 overall pick, so we could be in for a lengthy staring match heading toward training camp in late July.

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