NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Can Capt Kirk pass the ball yes he has made some beautiful passes do the Vikings need to fix the defense yes they do, it just time for the Minnesota Vikings to move on

 

Andy Reid, Kevin O’Connell and Dan Campbell earned A+ grades in survey of players

Three head coaches got A+ grades when their players were surveyed about them by the NFL Players Association.

Chiefs coach Andy Reid was the highest-rated coach, followed by Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell and Lions coach Dan Campbell. Those were the only three coaches to get A+ grades.

Those ratings are no surprise, as all three coaches are known to be well-liked in their locker rooms and have had success with their teams.

Generally speaking, players liked their head coaches: Players graded their head coaches higher than team owners, practice facilities and other aspects of playing in the NFL that they were asked to rate. Nine head coaches got A grades and seven got A- grades, so a total of 19 of the 32 teams gave their head coach at least an A-.

One of the most interesting findings came from New England, where Patriots players gave Bill Belichick a B-, and ranked him 27th among the 32 head coaches in 2023. Belichick will be in the Hall of Fame some day, but his act had worn thin in New England.

NBC
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I would have thought Kevin Stefanski would at least be mentioned.

 

Wow kinda surprised here with some of KOC play-calling but I will give him credit here for helping Capt Kirk calm down ok he's not all that, but he seemed like a much better QB with KOC before he got hurt..and I'm going agree here Kevin Stefanski the Cleveland Browns were really good anyway congrats KOC on your A+

 

Safety Kevin Byard is reportedly set to move on from Philadelphia.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Eagles are going to release Byard. They acquired him in a trade with the Titans during the 2023 season and sent safety Terrell Edmunds, a 2024 fifth-round pick, and a 2024 sixth-round pick back to Tennessee in the swap.

Byard had 75 tackles, an interception, and three passes defensed in 10 games with the Eagles. He had 47 tackles and a fumble recovery for the Titans before the trade. The eight-year vet was named a first-team All-Pro twice during his time with Tennessee.

Releasing Byard will clear over $13 million off the salary cap in Philadelphia.

PFT

 

The Commanders are parting ways with a pair of veteran offensive players.

Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports that they will release tight end Logan Thomas. That report comes shortly after word that the team will be releasing tackle Charles Leno as well.

Thomas has spent the last four seasons with the Commanders and posted 72 catches during his first season in Washington. Thomas was limited to six games in 2021 by a knee injury, but returned to play in 30 games over the last two seasons. He had 184 catches for 1,685 yards and 14 touchdowns over his entire run with the team.

Washington will open up $6.54 million in cap space once the move becomes official.
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Earlier RB, Mattison was release by the Vikings.

 

Darren Waller says he still is considering retirement

A report Friday indicated the Giants will not release tight end Darren Waller. That remains the case, but that doesn’t mean Waller will play for them in 2024.

Waller texted the New York Post that he is “still undecided” about whether to continue his playing career.

“I have not made a decision either way” about retirement, Waller said.

Waller informed Giants officials after the season that he was considering retirement, but, according to The Post, the Giants were under the impression from his agent that he had made up his mind to return.

Persistent hamstring issues have kept Waller out of 19 games the past three seasons. He hasn’t been the same player since his 2020 Pro Bowl season when he played all 16 games and caught 107 passes for 1,196 yards and nine touchdowns.

The Giants acquired Waller in a trade with the Raiders a year ago, sending a third-round draft pick to Las Vegas for him. He scored only one touchdown, though, while catching 52 passes for 552 yards in 12 games.

Waller, who has no guaranteed money left on his contract, is scheduled to make $10.5 in base salary this season and count $14 million against the salary cap.

PFT

 

Will Mike Evans, Buccaneers stay together?

Buccaneers receiver Mike Evans is heading toward free agency. The Bucs seem to want to keep him. Evans can go wherever he wants to go.

As noted by JoeBucsFan.com, Evans has made his desires known, through his agent.

“Mike wants to play with an elite quarterback in an offense that will showcase him — and be paid like a top wide receiver,” Deryk Gilmore told Bleacher Report, via JoeBucsFan.com. “He doesn’t want to play with a rookie QB. Winning a Super Bowl is a key priority.”

Some might wonder whether Evans regards Tampa Bay’s current quarterback, Baker Mayfield, as elite. Earlier this week, Bucs G.M. Jason Licht shared his assessment of Evans’s thoughts regarding Mayfield.

“I do know that Mike really likes Baker,” Licht said, per JoeBucsFan.com. “I know that that’s important to him. I know when you’re a player of Mike’s caliber, but also at a point in his career, you know, he doesn’t want to mess around with a quarterback he doesn’t trust or know.”

Based on Licht’s assessment, Evans could trust a quarterback without knowing him. He could, for example, make a beeline for the Chiefs. Or the Bills.

The challenge for Evans becomes getting everything he wants. Elite quarterback AND offense that will showcase him AND compensation like a top receiver AND winning a Super Bowl is a lot. The biggest challenge could be getting paid like a top receiver, because there’s a real gap (and it could get even bigger, once Justin Jefferson and Ja’Marr Chase sign new deals) between the very best and the rest.

The receiver position is changing. Every year, plenty of competent pass-catchers enter the draft. While it’s not yet like the running back market, it could develop into a situation where only a precious few get top-of-market money, while others who want to be paid that way face pricing themselves out of the market in exchange for younger, cheaper players who will be much more valuable, dollar for dollar.

Evans has put together a Hall of Fame resume. After 10 years in the league, however, will he command double coverage at all time? Will he be able to keep playing at a high level for two or three or more years? Those will be key assessments from teams that are thinking about signing him, if he leaves Tampa Bay.

PFT

 

Report: Packers aren’t likely to re-sign AJ Dillon

The Packers will release running back Aaron Jones, if they can’t get him to agree to a more palatable contract. The team’s other top tailback, AJ Dillon, is due to become a free agent.

The Packers reportedly aren’t likely to bring him back.

Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel included that assertion in his story regarding the team’s effort to negotiate a better deal with Jones.

While not a shock, it wasn’t supposed to happen like that. Not after the Packers devoted a 2020 second-round pick to securing Dillon. The six-foot, 247-pound thumper never quite developed the kind of consistency and impact that the Packers had envisioned.

Dillon’s best year came in 2021, when he rushed for 803 yards and added 313 receiving yards. Last year, he gained 613 yards on 178 carries. That works out to an average of 3.4 yards per attempt. He caught 22 passes for 223 yards.

If both Jones and Dillon become former Packers, Green Bay will need to add some help — in free agency or the draft. Given the prevalence of competent, entry-level running backs (coupled with Green Bay’s habit of drafting and developing talent), it’s safe to assume they’ll be in the market for a tailback or two in late April.

Especially if Dillon isn’t re-signed and Jones isn’t retained.

PFT
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Still cant quite wrap my head around the depreciation of the RB position financially. I suppose based on all the given reasons Ive seen, the WR position must be next, because all sorts of WR's are up and coming in the Drafts lately.

 

Chris Mortensen, one of the original NFL insiders whose work informed millions of football fans for decades, has died at the age of 72.

After a long newspaper career, most notably at the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Mortensen spent years at ESPN, working on its NFL studio shows and gaining a reputation as one of the NFL’s major news breakers.

Mortensen announced in 2016 that he was scaling back his work after being diagnosed with throat cancer.

“Mort was widely respected as an industry pioneer and universally beloved as a supportive, hard-working teammate,” ESPN Chairman Jimmy Pitaro said in a statement. “He covered the NFL with extraordinary skill and passion, and was at the top of his field for decades. He will truly be missed by colleagues and fans, and our hearts and thoughts are with his loved ones.”

For many years, Mortensen was among the most influential members of the NFL media, and he’ll be remembered by colleagues and viewers for his extraordinary impact in his field.

RIP

 

And yet.....Adam Schefter lives on. Don't ever try to convince me that there's real justice in the world.

RiP Mort. I always liked him.

 

Rapaport is worse than Schefter… none of the next generation has what Mort had. They just make shit up for clicks.

 

Thats what I do here!!!

 

Well, that didn't take long to answer...

 

Next up... Baker Mayfield

 

Possibly not for the Buccs though.... Looks like the Patriots are very interested in signing Baker.


If they do..... The Patriots might draft Baker a new toy at #3

 

Now... If the Patriots think so little of this QB class as to not want the the remaining of the top 3 QBs AND, as reported, the Bears haven't received any significant offers for the #1 overall pick, so the Patriots didn't want to move up.. Where does that leave Justin Fields?

If a team can get Fields for a second or third round draft pick, no matter how high in the round that pick is... They are getting the steal of the draft.

Poles better PRAY to the football Gods every day from the point that decision is made that Williams can step in immediately to at least play better than Fields has to this point. If they go backwards with this move, Poles is out of a job. Bears fans will get the benefit of another season with Eberflus, since it isn't his decision on personnel. Good luck with that.

 

Oh, and we are 1 week and 2 hours 14 minutes away from the legal tampering period to begin....

 

2/$52M

 

Wow, nice job Mike...