NFL - NEWS & NOTES

The Browns have their new 'old' helmets for 2024... I think its a hit.

 

Former NFL quarterback Roman Gabriel dies at 83

Former NFL quarterback Roman Gabriel died Saturday morning, his son announced on social media. Gabriel was 83.

“I am sad to announce my father Roman Gabriel passed away peacefully this morning of natural causes at his home. The entire family asked for your prayers, and to please respect our privacy. I love you dad,” Roman Gabriel III wrote on X.

After starring at North Carolina State from 1959-61, Gabriel was the No. 1 overall pick in the AFL and the No. 2 overall pick in the NFL draft in 1962. He signed with the NFL’s Rams rather than the AFL’s Raiders.

He was a Pro Bowler in 1967, ’68 and ’69 and earned All-Pro and league MVP honors in 1969. He passed for 2,549 yards with a league-best 24 touchdowns and seven interceptions in his MVP season when the Rams went 11-3.

Gabriel, though, never won a playoff game, going 0-2 in the postseason.

After 11 seasons with the Rams, Gabriel finished his career with five seasons with the Eagles. He earned Pro Bowl honors in 1973 when he led the league in attempts (460), completions (270), passing yards (3,219) and touchdowns (23).

He finished his career with 29,444 passing yards, 201 touchdowns and 149 interceptions.

Gabriel remains the Rams’ all-time career leader with 154 touchdown passes.

After his football career ended following the 1977 season, Gabriel acted, coached and worked in broadcasting.

PFT

 

How much will Justin Jefferson get on his next deal, from the Vikings or someone else?

Earlier this week, we boiled down the situation with the Vikings and receiver Justin Jefferson to a very simple proposition: Pay him or trade him.

If they’re going to trade him (and they’ve insisted they won’t), another team will have to pay him. Eventually, he will get that second contract. So what will it look like?

We recently explained that the contracts given to the supposedly highest-paid receivers contain fugazi out years that create the perception they’re worth more than they are. No one is making $30 million per year; not even close. No one is even at $25 million annually, when assessing the value of the total contract at the moment it is signed.

Jefferson is due to make $19.743 million under his fifth-year option. A new contract would replace that with a multi-year deal that includes two or three fully-guaranteed years. (Three is probably what’s needed, frankly.) To base the value on the receiver market, however, could be a mistake.

Consider these words from G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah, uttered at the Scouting Combine: “We’ve said it and we’ll continue to say it, we think he’s the best wide receiver in the league and should be compensated as such. We think he’s one of the best non-quarterbacks in the league, think he should be compensated as such.”

The highest-paid non-quarterback is 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, at $34 million per year in new money.

Last year, Bosa was due to make $17.8 million. He signed a five-year, $170 million extension. That’s a six-year deal, with a value of $31.3 million per year at signing.

And that was before the salary cap shot to $255.4 million for 2024.

For Jefferson, then, the key minimum numbers obviously become $34 million per year in new money, and $31.3 million in total value.

The length and structure are also important. Will it be front-loaded, making it a good deal for the team in the later years? Back-loaded, which would increase the chances of the team moving on prematurely? Or will it be a shorter extension, such as (perhaps) three years?

Let’s work with three years. And let’s assume that the first three years of the four-year contract will be fully guaranteed. With $19.743 million in hand for 2024, a four-year, $121.743 million deal gets Jefferson to $34 million per year in new money (matching Bosa) and $30.43 million in total value at signing.

That would blow the receiver market out of the water, since the best deals are currently below $24 million per year in total value at signing. But, again, Jefferson transcends all positions but quarterback. Adofo-Mensah said so. So a true $30 million in actual value at signing seems fair and appropriate.

This should be easy. If the Vikings are playing games (and some would say that perhaps they are), it’s time for the games to stop. Pay him or trade him to someone who will.

It could be done in one day, if the Vikings were truly motivated to do it. Until they do it, it’s impossible to ignore the possibility that, at some point in the next four days, he’ll be on a new team.

PFT/Florio

 

After Tyreek Hill got “slammed to the floor” by L’Jarius Sneed, Hill heard about it

On the surface, Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel wouldn’t seem to have much in common with former Patriots coach Bill Belichick. They have one big similarity, however.

Both will call out their best players in front of the team, without hesitation.

Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill explained during an appearance on the Million Dollaz Worth of Game podcast that McDaniel called Hill out after Hill was manhandled by Chiefs cornerback L’Jarius Sneed in this year’s playoff loss.

“The play against Sneed,” Hill said, via FinsXtra on X. “The Chiefs, everybody see this play against the Chiefs. When the mutherfucker slammed me to the floor? He called me out. He like, “‘Reek, bro, you’re supposed to be the fucking best player in the fucking league and you got this guy putting hands all over you like that. We pay you all this money for what?’ And for me, I love shit like that. I’m gonna take that shit to heart and I’m gonna get better from it. That’ll never happen again to me in my life, man. You feel me? If a mutherfucker cannot hold me accountable, I feel like I’m not gonna be able to get better, you know what I’m saying? Like, obviously, the coaches can bypass that, you know what I’m saying, and just be like, ‘Ah, he’ll get better from it.’ But if he’s not saying nothing, like the other guys in the locker room, they’re gonna look at it as, ‘Oh, if Reek can do it, I can do it.’ And that’s not getting the team better.”

Since the play happened during the first half of the game, McDaniel presumably let Hill hear it during halftime.

For Belichick, it’s the kind of thing that would be featured in the first meeting of 2024, too. It’s a perfect tone setter to let everyone on the team know there are no sacred cows, and that everyone is eligible to get ripped publicly and loudly.

PFT

 

Kwesi-Adofo-Mensah is playing games here l think he will try the I'm smarter then you act there's a good chance Justin Jefferson will be traded at the draft ( Nervous Wreak ) cause this taking to long imo

 

UFĹ sorry mÿ mistake not the USL

 

Lions extension day...

Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown has agreed to a four-year contract extension with the Lions. The 2021 fourth-round pick is heading into the final year of his rookie deal.

St. Brown was one of two key Lions offensive players on track for extensions this offseason. Quarterback Jared Goff is also in line for a new deal.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the pact is worth more than $120 million with $77 million guaranteed, which would make St. Brown the highest-paid receiver in the NFL. The full details of the contract will likely tell a different story once they are known, but St. Brown will be receiving a significant payday under any circumstances.
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Just a couple of hours after news dropped that receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown had agreed to a four-year extension with the Lions, NFL Media’s Mike Garafolo reports offensive tackle Penei Sewell has agreed to his own four-year extension with the club.

Sewell’s deal is reportedly worth $112 million with $85 million guaranteed, though those numbers may be different when the full details are revealed. With an average annual value of $28 million, Sewell’s contract would set a new high-water mark for offensive tackles by $3 million.

 

The Lions want to reset the market? St. Brown shouldn’t be the highest paid WR.

 

Its getting ridiculous. Jefferson is now only going to be delayed and that might be good for him, but these prices and payments, imo, are not sustainable.

 

The Vikings better sign him now because the markets going up next season .

The Steelers cleared an extra 7 million dollars in cap space today right before the draft. Maybe the Vikings are going to trade JJ and the Steelers are their dance partner. The total cap the Steelers have available right now is 19.7 million. So it appears that the Steelers are up to something.

 

Kwesi-Adofo-Mensah is starting to really bug me I'm so scared of him he's the King of the one year contracts if he could get Justin Jefferson to sign a one year he would have already signed him I wonder does really have the Vikings best interest he better not blow this I said this before his job might be on the line here

 

There are some good WRs in this draft. I think the Vikings could actually replace Jefferson this draft. They may be a gambling organization.

 

Justin Jefferson would be hard to replace but they do need to find a 3rd wr cause KJ Osborn is a member of the Patriots, and they better not trade Addison so afraid he might get played trying to be cute

 

Oh the Vikings need a Nose tackle in the worst way and a Defensive End

 

Im not too concerned at the moment. I believe Jefferson gets a big money extension and the Vikings get the future QB... its a must do situation in Minnesota and a rather obvious one too. I dont think Kwesi would survive in Minnesota if he doesnt do this. Some things are left in the dark as to not let other teams know what the plan is, especially at QB during the draft. Jefferson's contract is going to be based on what the other WR's are signing as of late, so there is a benefit for Jefferson to just wait since its gone this far already. IF the Vikings brass think they are going to low-ball Jefferson, then some shit will hit the fan and deservedly so.

I believe within the next 3 days we will all know.

 

Report: Cowboys meet with Ezekiel Elliott’s representative

The Cowboys are meeting with running back Ezekiel Elliott’s representative, according to Josina Anderson of CBS Sports.

ESPN previously reported that there is mutual interest in a potential reunion. Veteran Tony Pollard signed with the Titans in free agency.

Elliott was the fourth overall pick in the 2016 draft. He played for the Cowboys for seven seasons, through 2022.

He took a stand after his third NFL season, holding out for a new contract. He got it, with a favorable structure that forced the Cowboys to keep him perhaps longer than they would have.

Elliott spent 2023 with the Patriots. He became a free agent in March.

He was an All-Pro and Pro Bowler as a rookie. He was a Pro Bowler in 2017 and 2018, too.

His best season was his first, with 1,631 rushing yards, an average of 5.1 yards per carry, and 16 total touchdowns. He has had one 1,000-yard season since 2019, with 1,002 in 2021.

Last year, Elliott had 642 yards on 184 carries, for a career-low average of 3.5 yards per carry.

PFT

 

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that edge rusher Trey Hendrickson has asked the team to trade him to another club.

Hendrickson has non-guaranteed base salaries of $14.8 million and $15.8 million for the next two seasons. Per the report, he is looking for more long-term security and the Bengals have not been willing to fulfill that desire.

Hendrickson has spent the last three seasons in Cincinnati and he’s posted 39.5 sacks in 48 regular season games. He also had 3.5 sacks on the way to Super Bowl LVI, but his next sacks could come in another uniform if the Bengals decide that it’s best to part ways now.

 

Eagles, A.J. Brown reach three-year, $96 million extension

Two years after the Eagles traded for receiver A.J. Brown during the first round of the draft and gave him a four-year, $100 million extension, the Eagles and Brown have agreed to a new three-year, $96 million extension, per multiple reports.

Brown still had three years left under his existing contract. So it will be a six-year commitment. And it remains to be seen how the dollars fall together.