MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Mmmm. I think you are being generous thinking Mahomes will follow Brady's footsteps. It's a rare breed that will leave money on the table for the better good of going after a championship. It's all about individual value and its the GMs job to figure out how to help that special player get further. How much do you think he is going to discount yearly? $1M, $10M, $15M per year? If a 6 year contract he gives back $15M total, that is still only $2.5M per year of the contract, what does that even do in the scheme of trying to build a championship roster?

Mahomes looked to become the highest paid QB in history and that's what the Chiefs did...

Besides, why are we even discussing Mahomes? He is signed through 2031.

 

1) How many times have we seen a guy under contract get a new one when someone else gets a higher paying one

2) Mahomes makes a ton of money off the field estimated 40 million on endorsements a year he also has part ownership of the Royals, ownership in the KC soccer team plus equity ownership in hyperice a company that was valued at 700 million last year as well as ownership in whataburger and several other companies

 

1) I don't disagree that Mahomes will eventually redo his contract... when he does, it won't be to take a discount. As long as he continues to produce, he will be restructuring his contract in the next 2-3 years to get paid MORE money. It's the nature of the business. He signed an extension in 2020, the extension kicked in 2022 and in 2023, he has already moved to the #6 spot of QB compensation per year in the NFL. The last 6 years of his contract are basically bogus years and there is very little dead cap money involved, so it will be reworked for certain in the next few years.

2) outside contracts are irrelevant. QBs have been making money on endorsements since before Joe Namoth became a household name. It has never effected their compensation on the field. Even Brady took the money and ran in his later years.

 

Joe Burrow leaves practice on a cart after apparent leg injury



Joe Burrow’s impending contract extension has been a topic of much conversation this offseason, but it’s unlikely to be the top thing on the mind of the Bengals right now.

Burrow’s health is of more immediate concern because he left Thursday’s practice on a cart. According to video captured by multiple reporters at the practice, Burrow went down without being contacted while moving out of the pocket.

The quarterback was seen grabbing at the lower part of his right leg — Burrow was wearing a sleeve on that part of his leg — while on the ground and he was then helped onto a cart by members of the team’s medical staff. There is no official word on the nature of the injury or Burrow’s status at this point.

Until that changes, there will be a lot of people in Cincinnati hoping for good news about the Bengals’ franchise player.

NBC

 

Beat me.tomit he was carted off the field

 

ESPN’s Dianna Russini confirms Joe Burrow has been diagnosed with a strained calf.


That was the initial word from coach Zac Taylor, and it is also the word of “Bengals sources.” Translation: The team does not believe it is an Achilles issue. Burrow may still require a few more tests, but it would appear the worst-case scenario can be ruled out. Stay tuned the next 24 hours.

 

The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue writes Matthew Stafford “is throwing what appears to be a full workload” to open training camp.


As Rodrigue notes, this is the first time in three years that Stafford has been able to handle a full workload out of the gate. Stafford himself said he feels “a lot better physically” compared to where he was last year, which aligns well with what we heard all offseason. Stafford being healthy is obviously good news for the Rams. The challenge could be keeping him that way. He’ll be taking snaps behind an offensive line that could be even worse than the one that graded as the eighth-worst pass-blocking unit per PFF last season.

 

How Chicago Bears coaches notice Justin Fields improving mechanics


In the early stages of Bears training camp, the biggest takeaway has been a noticeable uptick in Justin Fields’ play and the efficiency of the passing offense overall. There have been some dead plays and pre-snap hiccups here and there, but for the most part the offense has gotten the better of the defense. Far fewer balls are hitting the ground at this time this year compared to the same time last year.

Part of that can be explained by the addition of DJ Moore to the offense. Even though we’re only on Day Two of training camp, the Fields/Moore connection has already been well-documented. The chemistry they’ve developed in a short amount of time is impressive.

Bears coaches have noticed Fields making improvements on his own, too. Last season, they turned his world around when they installed an entirely new offense and taught him new mechanics. A lot was new from the top level concepts down to minute details with his footwork. Now coaches see Fields becoming more comfortable with everything from the concepts to the techniques they've taught him.

“It’s not one particular thing,” said offensive coordinator Luke Getsy. “I think it's on a whole, when you see the guy who’s comfortable with the footwork, with the progressions, with the communication in the huddle. You guys see him using a lot more cadence in the first two days, so all that stuff I think has been fun.”

One of the biggest concerns with Fields last year was his struggles with getting the ball out on time so that he stayed in sync with receivers’ routes. Leaky protection didn’t help, but other times it appeared he wasn’t throwing the ball on-time even when everything else looked ok. Again, the Bears see improvement in that department.

“That's pretty much 90% of what we do is that timing and rhythm and making sure that we have the ball where it's supposed to be and when it's supposed to be there,” Getsy said. “So we just keep drilling the heck out of it and then you take it to the team and 7-on-7 drills and then hopefully that carries over into your games.”

Overall, the ball is coming out of Fields’ hands faster and he’s delivering more accurate balls. Again, his connection with Moore is notable. After last year’s struggles across the board in the passing game it seems like cause for early celebration. Yet, Getsy made sure to put everything in perspective and pump the brakes before fans start buying plane tickets to Las Vegas for Super Bowl 58.

“We’re still without pads, so it’s all nice when you’re not getting hit and everything. When we start getting the rush and all that other stuff, we’ve got to make sure that we’re on point.”

The Bears will put the pads on next week, so we’ve still got some time before the hype train truly leaves the station.

NBC SPORTS CHICAGO/YAHOO

 

Aaron Rodgers signed a seven-year deal, with no voidable years

It has been described as a two-year deal. Technically, it isn’t.

The new contract between Aaron Rodgers and the Jets lasts for seven years, with no void or other device for ending it early.

That’s significant, for a couple of reasons. First, it makes the no-tag clause meaningless, because the contract wouldn’t expire until March 2030. Second, it gives the Jets greater control over Rodgers’s next step, if there is one.

Rodgers can retire, but he can’t force his way to freedom without the Jets releasing him. Of course, giving up $33.7 million in pay over the next two years will make it hard for the man who saved that money to say “no” if Rodgers wants out.

Right away, Rodgers gets a $35 million roster bonus, subject to five-year proration. He also has a $1.838 million base salary for 2023. His cap number for the current year is $8.88 million.

For 2024, he has a $35 million option bonus and a base salary of $3.161 million. Both are fully guaranteed. And if the option bonus isn’t exercised, Rodgers’s salary for 2024 increases to $38.161 million. The cap number is $17.16 million.

Come 2025, there’s no void. Rodgers is on the books for another $35 million option bonus and a $2.5 million salary. Neither payment is guaranteed. It’s a cap number of $23.5 million, assuming he plays. If he does, he’ll be 41 when the season starts, and 42 by the time it ends.

The 2026 through 2029 seasons contain base salaries of $20 million per year.

If Rodgers retires after two years (or if he is released so he can continue to follow the Favre career arc and sign with the Vikings), a pre-June 1 move would result in a $49 million cap charge. After June 1, the Jets would take $14 million in 2025 and $35 million in 2026.

Thus, even with Rodgers taking so much less than he was due to make over the next two years, there will be a price to pay under the cap when he leaves. Specifically, they’ll have either $49 million less to work with in 2025, or $14 million less in 2025 and $35 million less in 2026.

There’s one last point to ponder on this. As a bookend to the $33.7 million gratuity that Rodgers gave the Jets on the way through the door, they could — in theory — pay him the $35 million option bonus in 2025 and then, if he retires, not try to recover it. However, that would drive the cap consequences for a post-June 1 retirement to $21 million in 2025 and a staggering $63 million in 2026.

PFT

 

Pittsburgh Steelers QB Kenny Pickett set for second-year leap with more aggressive downfield approach

LATROBE, Pa. -- The very first play of the first team portion of Pittsburgh Steelers training camp had a whiff of giving the people what they want. The post-Ben Roethlisberger Steelers finished a surprisingly competitive 9-8 last season with a very conservative passing game and a power running attack. That works when you have a top-10 scoring defense, but logging just 12 passing touchdowns -- fewest in the league in 2022 -- is no way to keep up with the high-scoring offenses that dominate the AFC. Pittsburgh may have outperformed expectations after a rocky start, but it missed the playoffs.

So why not start camp with something different, something that looks a lot more like what Pittsburgh craves this season, something explosive? Kenny Pickett, now the second-year starting quarterback, took that first snap and heaved the ball down the field for second-year receiver George Pickens. The pass fell incomplete, but that was beside the point. The Steelers want the kind of chunk plays that are routine in the NFL's best offenses these days. That first snap was an indication that they are ready to let Pickett try them.

Head coach Mike Tomlin opened camp saying that Pickett has to be what the Steelers need him to be. Asked later for clarification, Tomlin was more direct about what Pickett must be: "Good."

"We need him to do fundamental things well," Tomlin said in an interview during "Back Together Weekend" on NFL Network. "We need him to take care of the football. We need him to communicate. I'll never ask him not to be himself, but be his best self. Smile in the face of adversity, understand his perspective -- oftentimes, it's his unit's perspective -- and own that component of the job. He's in a good place to kind of absorb some of those things. A year ago, he was really focused on surface-level things, assignments, responsibilities and so forth. Now, because of his experience, he probably has a perspective where we can add to his to-do list, and he's absorbing more of the responsibility that comes with being him."

NFL.com

 

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan: QB Brock Purdy has 'had no arm troubles' in return from UCL surgery


San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy continues to hit the marks in his return from offseason UCL elbow surgery.

After the first week of training camp, coach Kyle Shanahan said Sunday he'd seen no ill effects from the second-year signal-caller.

"I think he's done great. He has come back. He's had no arm troubles," Shanahan said, via the team's official transcript. "He's been totally healthy. I think he's getting all his timing back, his rhythm. I was really impressed with him in his two practices."

The plan to ease Purdy back after missing the entire offseason workout program due to the injury, suffered in the NFC Championship Game, sees the QB participating in two out of every three practices to start camp -- two on, one off.

The QB is expected to participate Monday as the Niners get the pads on for the first time during camp.

Purdy's recovery frames the entire 49ers QB battle during camp. The Niners brass has consistently said this offseason that the starting gig is Purdy's when he's healthy. If the trend continues, Sam Darnold and Trey Lance are fighting for the backup gig to open the season.

Shanahan has been impressed with Purdy's ability to return to the practice field swiftly after surgery was delayed early this spring.

"Yeah, Brock's just so detailed and committed in everything he does, so he didn't miss one day," he said. "Every rep that he takes to get better in his health, he is just deliberate in everything he does. How committed he was to doing that, to being here, to going down to Florida, to being in Arizona. If he was going to have a setback and something went wrong was the only way we felt he wasn't going to be ahead of schedule by what he does."

NFL.com

 

Kenny Pickett says he understands the Steelers’ offense better in Year 2

A year ago, Steelers quarterback Kenny Pickett was a rookie who wasn’t getting much work with the first-string offense. Now he has 13 NFL starts under his belt, and in his second training camp he says there’s a night-and-day difference.

“I have a better understanding of the offense,” Pickett told NFL Media. “I can communicate better with guys, because we automatically have a familiarity. I can communicate a lot more clearly than a year before.”

Pickett says he believes he showed as a rookie that he’s on the right track.

“I liked the decisions I was making and how fast I was making them,” Pickett said. “And being smart with the football and knowing when to take shots when we have looks that allow us to go deep and give these guys chances down the field. Just the consistency I was playing with, I really liked. I want to be consistently good, then I’ll be happy with how the year goes.”

Pickett taking a step forward in Year Two will go a long way toward a return to the playoffs for the Steelers.

PFT

 

What is there to understand? It's Matt Canada I don't anybody has him ranked in the top 20 for offensive coordinator.

 

Anthony Richardson returns to practice

When the Colts announced on Monday that Anthony Richardson would miss the day’s practice after undergoing nasal surgery, the club noted that Richardson was expected to return to the field on Tuesday.

Now it’s clear that plan has come to reality.

According to multiple reporters on the Colts beat, Richardson is participating in Tuesday’s session.

The No. 4 overall pick is also working with the first-team offense as the club tries to ready him to play.

With Richardson out on Monday, quarterbacks Gardner Minshew and Sam Ehlinger took all the reps, as Indianapolis has just three QBs on its roster.

NBC

 

Well, not just his second season with Canada, but his second season as a pro. He should be understanding better, it's progression. If he didn't, then I would be worried. It isn't about how hard the system is, as much as him growing as a player.

 

Beat me.tomit he was carted off the field



OUCH that looks like an achilles just by the way he stopped running.....Wow that would be disaster for the Bengals.

 

Calf strain... he's been out walking around in some sorta support brace thing.

NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports Week 1 “should be realistic” for Bengals QB Joe Burrow (calf strain).

Burrow is expected to miss several weeks with the injury, likely knocking him out of the preseason. The Bengals aren’t putting a timetable on when they expect Burrow to return, but the early reports are this isn’t something that’ll cost him regular season games. Cincy will turn to Trevor Siemian and Jake Browning with Burrow sidelined. Burrow has six weeks to get cleared for Week 1.

 

Calf strain... he's been out walking around in some sorta support brace thing.



Thanks Will.........\+/.....Beer

 

Bears plan “some play time” for Justin Fields in preseason opener

There will likely be a large number of starting quarterbacks who don’t get off the sideline during the first round of preseason games this summer, but Justin Fields will not be one of them.

Bears head coach Matt Eberflus said on Tuesday that Fields and other starters from the team will be on the field against the Titans on August 12 because “we still have a very young football team.” Eberflus said he has not determined how much any of those players will play next week.

“We actually visited about that this morning,” Eberflus said, via Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times. “It will be some play time — a little bit in there. But [how much] I’m not sure. We’ll have to continue to discuss that.”

Fields played 18 snaps in the preseason opener last year and 39 snaps over the team’s other two exhibition contests.

PFT