MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

It must have been including endorsements or something. I'll try to find where I read that.

 

Neither. Lam Jones received the 1st NFL contract worth over $1M from the Jets in 1980.

 

Upon further review . . .

This may have been for Lam Jones' total contract. The wording is a bit ambiguous.

 

I was trying to find out who actually made the first million dollar seasons pay. The best I can figure for that is Bruce Mathews which doesn’t make sense.

 

Deshaun Watson reports for Browns training camp



As Judge Sue L. Robinson continues to craft a ruling regarding whether and to what extent Browns quarterback Deshaun Watson will be suspended to start the 2022 season, Watson has shown up for his first training camp in Cleveland.

Via Jake Trotter of ESPN.com, Watson reported on Friday, along with the team’s other quarterbacks and rookies.


Judge Robinson received written submissions from the NFL and the NFL Players Association on July 12. She could issue a ruing, in theory, at any time.

Unless she decides that no discipline should be imposed on Watson, either side will have the right to appeal the outcome to Commissioner Roger Goodell or his designee. Presumably, a final decision will be reached before Week One.

PFT

 

Ravens should offer Lamar Jackson the Kyler Murray deal, right now



After the Bills signed quarterback Josh Allen to a long-term deal, and after the details became available, we suggested that Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson ask for the same deal. After the Browns signed quarterback Deshaun Watson to a long-term deal, we made the same argument.

Now that the Cardinals have signed quarterback Kyler Murray to a long-term contract, the Ravens should be trying to get Jackson to agree to the same terms.


The Ravens should kick in an extra $500,000 to the five-year contract, making it a five-year, $231 million extension. New-money average of $46.2 million per year. Jackson gets $100,000 more per year in new money than Murray, who got $100,000 more per year in new money than Watson.

The key for the team will be the other terms. Only $103 million fully guaranteed at signing, not $230 million. Millions tied to participating in offseason workouts and playing in games. While it would be a good, fair deal for Jackson, it would fall far short of the contract that Cleveland gave Watson.

For Jackson, it technically would be a six-year, $254 million contract, thanks to the $23 million he’s already due to make this year and the $231 million in new money. That would become a contract with an average value of $42.3 million from signing.

It’s a win-win for the Ravens and Jackson. It’s even more of a win for the Ravens, given that Watson’s deal ended up being so damn strong, given that he was able to pit the Browns against three other teams to get it.

The problem for the Ravens is that Jackson doesn’t have an agent. It makes it more difficult, more delicate. The simplest solution would be to make Jackson’s deal a little bit better than Murray’s, and hope to finally move on.

PFT

 

Which quarterbacks are next up for new deals?



With Kyler Murray becoming the latest quarterback to land a major contract, let’s take a look at who’s next to cash in, either this year or next. (Or, maybe, not at all.)

Lamar Jackson.


The Ravens quarterback spent months resisting the team’s overtures to do a long-term deal. Now, he wants to get his second contract. Complicating matters is that he has no agent. He has said that contracts signed by other quarterbacks don’t matter to him, which is a clear example of why he desperately needs an agent. Those other deals become precedent for his own, a bar that he should strive to meet or to exceed.

It’s a challenge to separate team from self when it comes to getting a fair contract. Some players get brainwashed by the idea that they owe it to the broader effort to leave extra meat on the bone. Other players recognize that their duty to themselves and their families is to maximize the value that they generate from playing football, because their time for doing so is extremely short. They have no equity in the business. They have only what they can squeeze from ownership and squirrel away in the bank.

Yes, it’s a team sport. But there definitely is a “me” in team when it comes to ensuring that full and fair value is generated by a player who has earned every penny he makes, and who is entitled to pursue as many pennies as he can from owners who have money to burn — and to buy superyachts with.

Russell Wilson.

Deshaun Watson leveraged the quasi-free agency he finagled for himself into a brand-new, market-setting deal. Wilson, who had only one place he truly wanted to play if not Seattle, didn’t take advantage of the opportunity to ask for more on the way through the door.

And that’s a smart move, because he’ll get even more after the 2022 season.

With the richest owner by far poised to buy the team, and with the team giving up so much in trade assets to get Wilson, he’ll get a market-value deal after the season. It likely will be fully guaranteed.

Is there a chance that injury or ineffectiveness hurts his value? Yes, but it’s slim. The Broncos essentially accepted the fact that Wilson will get a monster deal the moment the trade happened. By not doing it now, they know they’ll be paying him even more later.

That said, there’s a chance that the Wal-Mart clan will decide to make Wilson an offer he can’t and won’t refuse before the start of the 2022 regular season. Again, it will be cheaper to do it now than next year, and the terms could be so good for Wilson that he won’t want to carry the risk of having injury or subpar play cloud his value come next year.

Joe Burrow.

His window on a new contract opens at the conclusion of the 2022 regular season. Burrow already has earned his second deal. And who knows? He could be the first young quarterback to get his second contract after the final game of the regular season and before the start of the postseason, if the Bengals qualify for the playoffs again.

Burrow may face local pressure to “take less.” Hopefully, he won’t. He has transformed that franchise. He deserves everything he’s able to get. If they want to keep him for the long haul, they need to change their ways — and they possibly already are, given that they’re finally selling stadium naming rights.

That said, it may be difficult to get a fully-guaranteed deal, if owner Mike Brown simply can’t put a giant pile of cash into escrow. Maybe Burrow will be the first quarterback to hinge his compensation to a specific percentage of the cap. Thus, as it goes up, he get more — and his contract never becomes obsolete.

Justin Herbert.

Two great years, no playoff berths. That doesn’t matter. He’s already regarded as one of the top quarterbacks in the NFL. If the Chargers want to keep him, they’ll have to pay up. Presumably after the 2022 season ends. If they won’t, someone else gladly will, now or later.

Jalen Hurts.

The Eagles have sent mixed signals, publicly and privately, regarding their commitment to Hurts. The commitment to the 2020 second-round pick seemingly was made when the Eagles traded for receiver A.J. Brown.

Here’s the question. Will Hurts deliberately take a second-tier deal in order to ensure that the Eagles will always have a solid team around him?

The fact that he wasn’t a first-round pick will bring his long-term status to a head sooner than otherwise. He’ll be a free agent in March 2024, unless the Eagles apply the franchise tag. His performance this season will go a long way toward helping the Eagles peg his future value. The challenge then will be getting on the same page with Hurts.

Tua Tagovailoa.

He’s also entering his third season. After it ends, he’ll be eligible for a new deal. It’s the ultimate upside for delivering on his potential, and for taking full advantage of the help he’ll have around him.

If he doesn’t step up, however, he could end up looking elsewhere for his second NFL contract, either if he’s released after the 2022 season or if he becomes a free-agent when his four-year rookie deal expires.

Baker Mayfield.

He’s on a one-year deal in Carolina. If he performs well, the Panthers will surely want to keep him. Others will become interested.

Surprisingly, the multi-million-dollar haircut Mayfield took to grease the skids out of Cleveland didn’t include a promise from the Panthers not to apply the franchise tag next year. If he overachieves this season, he may find himself blocked from the open market by the tag.

Jimmy Garoppolo.

Unless he signs a long-term deal as part of a trade to a new team, Garoppolo will become a free agent in March. That makes it critical for him to find a place where he can play — and play well — in 2022.

Daniel Jones.

The Giants didn’t pick up his fiffth-year option. The 2019 top-10 pick enters a contract year. If he becomes the guy the Giants thought he’d be three years ago, he’ll get a long-term deal or the franchise tag.

Ryan Tannehill.

He’s got two years left on his current deal. He was absent from some of the voluntary offseason program, possibly in an effort to get an adjustment. After this season, the Titans may have to make a long-term decision. Which may be one of the reasons why they drafted Malik Willis.

Matt Ryan.

He has two years on his contract, as he enters his first season with the Colts. If he delivers, the team may want to give him a big pile of money in order to ensure that he’ll be around for a few more seasons.

Tom Brady.

The GOAT will be a free agent in 2023. He’ll be able to pick his next team, unrestricted and unfettered. And with $37.5 million per year waiting for him from Fox, he’ll be able to tell anyone who wants him to keep playing that, in order to get him, they’ll have to pay him more than what he’d be getting to not actually play.

PFT

 

Jaguars sign Kyle Sloter



Quarterback Kyle Sloter has parlayed his USFL performance into another NFL opportunity.

The Jaguars have signed Sloter to the active roster. To create room for him, the Jags released quarterback EJ Perry.


Sloter played nine games for the New Orleans Breakers of the USFL. He completed 168 of 291 passes for 1,798 yards and nine touchdowns.

Sloter, 28, has bounced around the league since 2017. He has from time to time been on the rosters of the Broncos, Vikings, Cardinals, Lions, Bears, Raiders, and Vikings (again). He played college football at Southern Mississippi and Northern Colorado.

The other quarterbacks on the roster are Trevor Lawrence, C.J. Beathard, and Jake Luton.

PFT

 

Report: Jimmy Garoppolo passes physical, wiping out $7.5 million injury guarantee



49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo passed his physical Tuesday and thus won’t be placed on the active/physically unable to perform list, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports.

That wipes out Garoppolo’s $7.5 million injury guarantee, leaving no guaranteed money on his contract unless he’s on the team’s roster Week 1. (Spoiler alert: He won’t be.)


Garoppolo underwent surgery on his right shoulder on March 8 and only recently started throwing again.

His surgery took the 49ers by surprise and brought trade talks to a “screeching halt.” With Garoppolo healthy again, the 49ers are seeking to deal him.

Until then, Garoppolo will not practice or play with the team as the 49ers put him in bubble wrap.

Garoppolo went 31-14 in the regular season as the 49ers’ quarterback after they traded for him in 2017.

He has thrown for 11,852 yards, 71 touchdowns and 38 interceptions in his eight NFL seasons.

PFT

 

Mike Tomlin says Steelers won’t “overmanage” the quarterback competition



The Pittsburgh Steelers begin the first training camp of coach Mike Tomlin’s tenure without quarterback Ben Roethlisberger on the team. Between now and Week One, they’ll figure out who his successor will be, at least for Week One and potentially for the whole season.

Meeting with reporters, Tomlin addressed what he called “the elephant in the room.” The first unsettled quarterback position that the Steelers have had in a generation.


“We’re not going to micromanage or overmanage this quarterback competition,” Tomlin said, via the team’s official website. “The depth chart will not rest on every throw. I know that you guys will want to ask me every day and after every throw, but we’re going to be a little bit more steady than that. I think it’s important from a leadership perspective to not overmanage it, to not be too impulsive, so that’s what I’ve relayed to those guys, and our actions will continue to display that mindset.”

Tomlin also vowed not to overthink the situation, including whether rookie first-rounder Kenny Pickett develops quickly as a team leader.

“I’m not overly concerned about that narrative,” Tomlin said. “I think when you’re 22, 23, 24 years old and you’ve been playing quarterback your whole life, you understand those informal responsibilities that come with the position. I’m more concerned about tangible things: accuracy, taking care of the ball, and things of that nature. I don’t have any level of concern about those other things being in his wheelhouse. I watched him do it next door in terms of leading his guys and being what we need quarterbacks to be. I don’t think that’s going to be a significant discussion.”

The more significant discussion will be performance. In training camp. In the preseason. And the projected play once the real games start.

There’s a vibe that veteran Mitchell Trubisky holds the edge, but young quarterbacks often find themselves not having the starting job handed to them. They have to earn it. It gets the rest of the team to buy in. It also allows the rookie to develop confidence before he has to display any of it during games that count.

Remember, Roethlisberger didn’t start the first game of his rookie year in 2004. And he was drafted 11 spots higher than Pickett. Ben ended up playing only after Tommy Maddox got injured in September. The team went 15-1, made it to the AFC Championship, and the starting quarterback job became settled for the balance of Roethlisberger’s career.

Remember this as well. It’s always easier to remove the veteran for the rookie than the other way around. Once the rookie is installed as the starter, it becomes difficult to go back. Still, if anyone can defy convention, it’s Tomlin. He’ll do what’s best for the team — both for 2022 and beyond. Pickett will get the job if he earns the job. He’ll keep the job if he deserves it. If he doesn’t someone else will.

Through it all, Tomlin will keep doing things the way he’s always done them. He hasn’t had a losing season yet, which validates the approach he has utilized every year since his first training camp, way back in 2007.

PFT

 

Justin Fields: Failure pushes me to go even harder



The Bears fired their head coach and General Manager after the 2021 season, which is a pretty good way of knowing that things didn’t go as hoped for the team during quarterback Justin Fields‘ rookie season.

Fields opened the season as Andy Dalton‘s backup, but took over as the starter after Dalton was injured in Week 2 and the Bears went 2-8 in his starts before his own injury knocked him out of action. Fields threw seven touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing just under 59 percent of his passes, so there wasn’t much to smile about when it came to his initial experience as an NFL quarterback.


On Tuesday, Fields reported to his second training camp and told reporters that last year’s flop served as motivation for him to take the necessary steps forward this season.

“Failure pushes me to go even harder,” Fields said, via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. “So, you know, that’s really all I’ve got to say. I want to do everything I can to win that trophy and get that ring. . . . I’m a big believer in, ‘Everything happens for a reason,’ ’’ Fields said. ‘‘Who knows how I would have taken it if I had a great game every game? Maybe I wouldn’t have that hunger still.”

Hopes are not high for the Bears in their first season with head coach Matt Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles, but growth from Fields would be a silver lining regardless of whether their final record shows the same kind of progress.

PFT

 

Jimmy Garoppolo apparently plans to go along with 49ers’ revised plan



The 49ers wisely have decided to quit pretending that perhaps they’ll keep quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo for the 2022 season, opting instead to declare a de facto fire sale.

With the team now all-on on Trey Lance, they’ll squat on Garoppolo and hope for a trade opportunity to materialize. If it doesn’t, they will absolutely cut him before Week One, when his $24.2 million salary would otherwise become fully guaranteed as termination pay, under the Collective Bargaining Agreement.


Along the way, the 49ers plan to keep Garoppolo out of practice (and, in turn, out of preseason games). This will eliminate the risk of Garoppolo suffering a season-ending injury, which would also lock in his pay as guaranteed.

“We don’t plan on practicing him with the team,” coach Kyle Shanahan told reporters on Tuesday. “We’ll take it day-by-day and constantly talk with him and hopefully can figure out the best for both.”

But what’s best for the team may not be what’s best for Garoppolo. As the 49ers wait for a trade to materialize, the clock keeps ticking. If Garoppolo eventually is cut as the regular-season opener approaches, Jimmy G may be SOL when it comes to finding another job. If his goal is to play this year, now is the time to get himself to the market.

On Tuesday, G.M. John Lynch was asked whether Garoppolo was expressed a desire to be released.

“No, he hasn’t had that,” Lynch said.

If Garoppolo did make that request, it looks like the answer would be no.

Said Shanahan on Tuesday, “[You] can’t just give one of the better quarterbacks in the league just to make him available for no reason to the whole world.”

They eventually will, however. The question is whether they get lucky through some other team’s misfortune via injury.

There’s another potential path. With the 49ers finally making it clear that they’re not trying to get a second-day draft pick for Garoppolo, a team that has refrained from engaging in trade talks could take a flier with a late-round offer. Although the Garoppolo contract also would have to be renegotiated, it’s entirely possible that a team that otherwise wouldn’t have been interested sees an opportunity to get Garoppolo at a good time.

In expressing a hope that the situation gets resolved sooner than later, Shanahan makes it even more clear that the time has come to make the 49ers an offer.

Barring a quick trade, Garoppolo’s easiest move is to wait. But what if he’s willing to flip his “nice guy” reputation and insist on getting a fair chance to practice in training camp and play in the preseason? At some point, the union could get involved. Before that happens, however, Garoppolo would have to want to try to bring the situation to a head, by making a push to get himself on the field.

PFT

 

Falcons declare Marcus Mariota their starter



For the first time since 2007, the Falcons’ QB1 isn’t named Matt Ryan. The team signed Marcus Mariota and drafted Desmond Ridder after trading Ryan, with Mariota the present and Ridder (hopefully) the future at the position.

But the Falcons are not having a quarterback competition this summer as quarterbacks coach Charles London declared Wednesday the job belongs to Mariota.


“Obviously, we’ve got a plan for each of them. Marcus is the starter,” London said, via Josh Kendall of TheAthletic.com. “That’s how we’re going into this thing.”

Arthur Smith said something similiar after the Falcons drafted Ridder with the 74th overall choice. Mariota has played seven NFL seasons, five of which were with Smith in Tennessee.

Mariota is taking all the first-team snaps.

“I expect those guys to compete,” London said. “Right now, Marcus is the starter, and he’s doing a great job.”

Mariota hasn’t played much the past three seasons, with his last start coming Oct. 13, 2019, with the Titans. He played only 89 snaps the past two seasons combined while backing up Derek Carr with the Raiders.

“It’s a great opportunity for me to prove to myself,” said Mariota, who was benched by Smith in Tennessee in 2019. “I feel very comfortable. Being around Art for all that time in Tennessee, I think that’s where it comes from. For the most part, I feel really comfortable and confident.”

PFT

 

Lamar Jackson practicing at Ravens’ training camp without a new contract



Some NFL players seeking a new contract have declined to practice at training camp. Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is not one of them.

Jackson was on the practice field Wednesday, and teammates said there was no indication that his contract was on his mind.


Jackson is heading into the fifth and final season of his rookie contract. His base salary of $23 million is guaranteed this year, but he has no guarantees of anything beyond this year, and every time he steps on a football field he’s risking an injury that could reduce his future earning potential.

Some agents would advise a client in Jackson’s position not to practice until his team guarantees him significant money for years to come, but Jackson doesn’t have an agent, and it’s unclear to what he’s seeking on his next contract. If he plays out the 2022 season on his rookie deal, he is slated to become a free agent in March, but the Ravens would presumably keep him in Baltimore by using the franchise tag.

Jackson has been tightlipped about his own thoughts on his contract situation, but his presence on the practice field indicates he’s willing to play this season without a new deal, which is good news for the Ravens.

PFT

 

Mitch Trubisky trying to “play free” in competition for Steelers QB



The Steelers held their first practice of training camp on Wednesday and that meant it was the first day to evaluate where things stand in their quarterback competition.

Mitch Trubisky got the first chance to work with the first-team offense, but needed a few passes to find a completion to one of his teammates. Based on head coach Mike Tomlin’s vow not to “micromanage” things between Trubisky, Mason Rudolph, and Kenny Pickett this summer, a few incompletions shouldn’t be a big deal and Trubisky cited that view when he spoke to reporters about his approach.


“He wants us to go out there and play free,” Trubisky said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He told us that. You’re not worried about every single throw. It’s practice. You’ve got to go out there and test throws. You’ve got to let guys make plays. . . . That’s part of the territory when it comes to quarterback. You’re not holding your head on every single throw. So, you’ve got to let it go, go out there and play. When you’re not thinking about it, that’s when you’re playing your best anyways. That’s what I’m going to try to do during training camp.”

Rudolph said he’s taking a different path and wants “to be near-perfect on every throw, on every handoff and every protection adjustment” during practice, which may be an indication of his place in a competition with a former NFL starter in Trubisky and a 2022 first-round pick in Pickett. All eyes in Pittsburgh will be on which style proves to be a more effective one.

PFT

 

I guess the question is that, when Trubisky was in Chicago, was he thinking too much or too little? And is he capable of getting it right?

 

Cardinals remove homework clause from Kyler Murray contract



Well, that was fast.

On the same day that Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray told reporters during an unscheduled press conference that it was disrespectful to think that he doesn’t put in enough work, the Cardinals announced that they have ditched the clause that requires him to put in at least four hours per week of in-season independent study.


“After seeing the distraction it created, we removed the addendum from the contract,” the team said in a statement. “It was clearly perceived in ways that were never intended. Our confidence in Kyler Murray is as high as it’s ever been and nothing demonstrates our belief in his ability to lead this team more than the commitment reflected in this contract.”

PFT has confirmed that the change was made on Wednesday. It’s odd, frankly, that Murray would conduct an unscheduled press conference with reporters on Thursday for the purposes of complaining about a clause that no longer exists.

Regardless, it’s over. It’s done. It’s gone. And that’s good news for the Cardinals, who have eliminated a dynamic that could have caused Murray to want out, sooner than later.

That said, it’s still unclear whether the issue will have a lasting impact. From possibly changing teams to potentially switching agents, all options may be on the table as Murray continues to deal with the sudden perception that he doesn’t work hard enough, thanks to the clause that the Cardinals insisted on adding to his contract, before abandoning.

PFT

 

49ers QB Trey Lance ready to lead his team in first full year as the starter

After months of speculation during the offseason about the state of San Francisco's quarterback room, head coach Kyle Shanahan went on record Tuesday to reaffirm what the 49ers organization has been saying all offseason about who'll be under center come Week 1: "We have moved on to Trey".

So with that affirmation clear to all, the 49ers opened training camp this week with Trey Lance as the starter. Speaking to the media Thursday, the 22-year-old said he already feels better than he did in his first camp. Having a year under his belt has made his approach totally different, and allowed Lance to explore more detailed aspects of the game.

"Mentally's the biggest thing. I'm ... light-years ahead of where I was last year," Lance said told the NFL Network's Kurt Warner on Inside Training Camp Live. "Last year ... I knew what was going on, but this year I can actually pay attention a lot more to defense, pay attention to fronts, defensive structures and all that. I'm learning a whole lot, and I'm able to kind of know what's going on."

The opportunity to take all of your reps in practice with the other starters can't be overstated, and Lance said this is definitely something he felt last season, as well. While he spent most of the season playing behind Jimmy Garoppolo, he said the practices in the lead-up to his two starts helped him grow as a player significantly more than when he was preparing as a back-up.

"Every play was something new. I learned so much, not only in the games, but the practices, the walk-throughs, everything that goes on as a starter versus backing up Jimmy last year," Lance told Warner. "Those weeks were completely different, and I grew a lot in those weeks of practice."

With Lance adjusting to his new role, the only question remaining for the 49ers is how things will shake out for Garoppolo. The veteran QB is still healing from offseason shoulder surgery, but it is all but assured that as soon as he's fully cleared he'll be on his way to another team, officially completing the changing of the guard at quarterback.

Lance said he's run into Garoppolo in the training facility a few times this offseason, and that despite the two competing for the same spot last year, he said they're still on great terms, and he hopes for the best for his teammate.


"It is what is. It's nothing weird at all. I never had anything I could possibly say that's bad about Jimmy," Lance told reporters at a Thursday news conference. "He's been a big bro to me since the day I came in. He could have made things hell for me."

Though Lance has had to weather months of speculation and changes to get to this point, he said one thing that hasn't changed is his mindset. With the start of the season weeks away, the young quarterback is excited to finally see his work come to fruition, and prove he's worth the starting role he's earned.

"I've been preparing to play since the day that I was drafted," Lance told Warner. "So nothing really changed. There wasn't really a moment or anything like that, but I'm excited to lead these guys and get this thing going."

NFL.com

 

The 49ers could be in for a rude awakening. Garoppolo has been pretty good for them and they think just dumping him and going with a QB with a small school QB who hasn’t had very much experience at the college level or pro level could really hurt their team that has a SB appearance and a NFCCG loss in Jimmy G’s last 3 seasons. I think they should swallow his salary and keep him around just in case Lance bombs out.

 

Panthers “nowhere near” point of evaluating quarterbacks



The Panthers have split reps with the first team between quarterbacks Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield over the first two practices of training camp and that arrangement should be in place for a while.

That was the message from head coach Matt Rhule when he was asked about where things stand with the quarterbacks on Thursday. Rhule said that the goal for now is to “get them off to a good start” and that any evaluation of how things are going will be a task for the future.


“We’re nowhere near the point of evaluating who’s where. This was Baker’s second practice ever with us. I can’t really evaluate that yet,” Rhule said, via Ellis L. Williams of the Charlotte Observer. “I would expect to see things pretty much 50-50 for the immediate future. At some point, we’ll make some decisions. But I think that’s a long way off.”

The Panthers host the Commanders in their first preseason game on August 13 and Rhule’s comments suggest that the competition will still be running when they get to that date.

PFT