NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Falcons get wrist slap for tampering with three players, including Kirk Cousins

The NFL has sent a clear message to all teams when it comes to tampering with potential free agents.

Go ahead and do it.

The league announced today that the Falcons tampered with three different prospective free agents. The punishment was, frankly, laughably small.

Here’s the official statement: “The NFL today informed the Atlanta Falcons of the discipline being imposed for violations of the Anti-Tampering Policy related to improper contact with prospective unrestricted free agents Kirk Cousins, Darnell Mooney, and Charlie Woerner during the two-day negotiating period prior to the start of the 2024 League Year. Atlanta will forfeit its original fifth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft and pay a fine of $250,000, while General Manager Terry Fontenot has been fined $50,000. While the policy permits clubs to engage with and negotiate all aspects of an NFL player contract with the certified agent of any prospective unrestricted free agent during the two-day negotiating period, any direct contact between the player and an employee or representative of the club is prohibited. This includes discussion of travel arrangements or other logistical matters, which the club acknowledges took place with regard to these three players.”

Eight years ago, the league stripped a third-round pick from the Chiefs for speaking directly to one player — Eagles receiver Jeremy Maclin — during the pre-free agency negotiating window.


Either the league has changed its outlook on tampering, or the Falcons got a pass because team executive Rich McKay is the chair of the competition committee. Or, possibly, the league doesn’t want to draw too much attention to cheating, at a time when more and more people believe the fix is in.

On this point, it’s hard not to believe the fix is in. The outcome defies logic, common sense, and precedent. Two years ago, the Dolphins lost a first-round pick and a third-round pick for tampering with Sean Payton and Tom Brady, and Miami ultimately employed neither guy.

PFT/Florio

 

I expected the Eagles to be cleared. It all started from what appeared to be James Franklin misspeaking at the worst time. I thought the Falcons would at least lose a 3rd.

 

Based on the idea that it appears as if the Falcons could have simply reached out through someone that handles travel to say "Hey, we are sending a flight and booking you a hotel. Cool?", I don't see how a 3rd is warranted.

To be honest, a 5th seems extreme, and Florio is an asshat for conflating what went on with the Falcons to how the Dolphins were conducting their business.

And that is par for the course, because Florio basically click baits his way through the media world trying to play the league out as the boogeyman at every turn.

 

The whole thing makes zero sense to me. If you are allowed to talk to the players 'official' agent, whats the difference?... everything said and done would just be relayed. And what if the player doesnt have an agent?

Maybe Im over-simplifying it or maybe the NFL ought to just let it go? Losing draft picks and paying quarter-million dollar fines seems a bit much to me and where's the template or standard... whos to say why one team is fined such and such and another not?

Im usually confused to begin with and when I watch/listen to the talking heads, it just muddy's the waters even more.

 

With what eventually came out I am not surprised the Falcons got what they got. The ineptitude to not talk to agents is astounding. But you would also think a team wouldn't be that stupid anymore and that a harsher penalty was coming since there definitely appeared to be something not according to the book going on.

 

The way I understand it, the league is basically trying to make it so that no one team gets a decided advantage over another in negotiations by virtue of being the first to reach out or speak with the player/agent. Everyone gets a chance to make the call at the same starting line.

On your mark... Get set...

...

...

Everybody start yet?

The problem with what the Falcons did is that it opens up the door to transfer more info or to gather more info directly from the player/agent for the club.

That's why they still get the wrist slap, even though it's not in the same galaxy as having a player and a coach on a yacht with the team owner.

That's why Florio is a fucking idiot. lol

 

Although not according to the book, it seems like something that the league could find a simple work around for.

Teams want players to know they have interest. Trying to inform a player you are bringing him in, if he wants, for an interview shows the club is interested.

I get the league wanting to make it as fair for everyone as possible, but there has to be some reasonable solution that would remove any ambiguity in the process.

Either way, what Florio is trying to do in that writeup is ridiculous.

 

Myles Garrett tweaks hamstring, but Browns aren’t concerned

The Browns wrapped up their offseason program Thursday at the conclusion of the final minicamp practice.

The team did receive a scare early in the practice when edge rusher Myles Garrett ended a defensive line drill holding his left hamstring, Chris Easterling of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The reigning defensive player of the year immediately sought out head athletic trainer Joe Sheehan and assistant athletic trainer Gordon Williams.

Garrett did not participate in the rest of practice, doing upper-body resistance band work by himself for a few minutes before talking with co-owner Dee Haslam.

Coach Kevin Stefanski expressed no concern about Garrett’s hamstring.

“He will be fine,” Stefanski said, via Easterling.

 

lol

 

Six-time Pro Bowl DL Calais Campbell signing with Dolphins

Calais Campbell isn't retiring, though he is headed to Florida.

Campbell, a six-time Pro Bowler and former Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, is signing with the Miami Dolphins, NFL Network Insiders Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero reported.

Having contemplated retirement in seasons past, Campbell is now bound for his fifth NFL franchise as he returns to the Sunshine State, where he had his most successful run with the Jacksonville Jaguars from 2017-2019, earning Pro Bowl accolades and his only All-Pro honor. Originally selected in the 2008 NFL Draft by the Arizona Cardinals, the soon-to-be 38-year-old Campbell has also played for the Baltimore Ravens and Atlanta Falcons last season.

Now, he has a homecoming ahead, as the University of Miami product will look to provide the Dolphins with a boost on a defensive line that has a mix of youth and experience, along with injury concerns.

Both Bradley Chubb and Jaelan Phillips suffered season-ending injuries in 2023 and the Dolphins let Christian Wilkins walk in free agency, where he signed with the Las Vegas Raiders. Campbell, who's always been a positive presence in the locker room, should bring veteran leadership, the versatility to play inside or on the edge and still has some pass-rushing punch left. He'll join a group that includes Zach Sieler, Teair Tart, Da'Shawn Hand and rookie first-rounder Chop Robinson.

Campbell posted 6.5 sacks last year for the Falcons and had 10 tackles for loss -- each his best numbers since his final year in Jacksonville.

Perhaps it will be Campbell's final season, perhaps not. Either way, he's heading back to Miami, looking to add some veteran pass-rushing pop for a Dolphins squad aiming for its third straight playoff berth.

NFL.com

 

Ring opens up. That must be the MVPs ring, it has the number 15.

 

Steelers GM Omar Khan: Declining Najee Harris' fifth-year option 'a business decision'

Pittsburgh's decision to decline Najee Harris' fifth-year option set up a prove-it year for the running back entering 2024.

It might have also created some animosity, at least from the outside. But Steelers general manager Omar Khan downplayed that narrative this week, explaining it was nothing more than business.

"It was a business decision that we had to make by May 2," Khan said during a Thursday appearance on 93.7 The Fan. "But Najee's awesome to have around here. Love Najee as a player and a person. Just because we didn't pick it up doesn't exclude us from doing something with Najee long term. I'd love to say Najee was here and had a long career in Pittsburgh. He really represents us well on the field and off the field.

"It was one of those things we had to make a decision on. We just felt right now that was the right decision for everyone. I love Najee. I'd love to have him here long term."

Harris hasn't quite earned the confidence necessary to quickly pick up an option, explaining Pittsburgh's hesitance. He's posted three straight 1,000-yard seasons and often carried far too much responsibility for the Steelers' struggling offense. However, he's also been somewhat threatened by the emergence of backup Jaylen Warren, who has thrived as a change-of-pace back behind Harris.

NFL.com

 

Opens up diamonds and rubies these SB's rings just keep getting more outrageous...but they are cool to look at

 

Chargers embracing head coach Jim Harbaugh's 'powerful' leadership

As mandatory minicamp came to a close this week in Southern California, the Chargers sounded juiced for a brand new era -- on the field and off it.

The Bolts had their final practice at their Costa Mesa facility on Thursday, marking the end of their seven-year transition period from San Diego to Los Angeles. When training camp begins in July, they'll be sweating in a state-of-the-art headquarters nicknamed "The Bolt," a few miles up north in El Segundo.

That change in scenery jives with the new outlook first-year coach Jim Harbaugh has brought to the team during its offseason program, an energy that has been felt and internalized by the most senior of Chargers leaders.

"He's a competitor," fifth-year quarterback Justin Herbert said Thursday of Harbaugh. "He's done such a great job taking this team and getting them where he wants them to go. He's won wherever he's at. He's a guy that everyone wants to follow and play for. So we're really excited to get to play for him."

Seventh-year safety Derwin James called the former Michigan coach "the most powerful leader" he's ever seen.

"He just loves football a lot," James added. "When he walks in the room, he lights up the room. Everybody, it's full attention. It doesn't matter what you're doing, what you've been through ... he gets your attention, and it means something to him."

Herbert and James both noted that Harbaugh getting physically involved in the team's offseason workouts, even pulling sleds along with his players, is an example of the spark he's brought to the Bolts.

"It's a cool experience to be able to share that with your head coach," Herbert said. "Whether we're pulling sleds, he expects to be the fastest or to pull the furthest, and when we're carrying those med balls, he's wanting to go the furthest, he wants to go the fastest."

Harbaugh reciprocated the praise from his vets, noting that his work ethic is reinforced by their own.

"What I've noticed about this team … when I say, 'OK, we're stopping early,' or we're cutting 30 minutes out of this practice or this weight session, then I just watch them do more," Harbaugh explained to reporters on Thursday. "They do more than they would've had I scheduled it out, player-led. … It becomes like a beaver dam of activity.

"It just hits me: They get as much or more or better work that way."

Harbaugh arrived in Los Angeles this winter fresh off a historic title-winning season with the Wolverines, a program he helped turn into consistent victors in his nine years there. L.A.'s veterans, who've long suffered shortcomings after high expectations, hope that Harbaugh's pedigree as a winner, motivator and team makeover artist can propel them, finally, to glory.

"It only helps when you have a building like that," Herbert said of Harbaugh's winning mindset, "of just people that believe in each other, in what our vision is, what our program is. I think that's only going to help."

James added that, as the Chargers adapt to their change in leadership and location, Harbaugh is delivering a message to players that they've needed to hear.


"Every year, you're gonna feel like you're gonna attack it, you feel like you're the team to beat, feel like you're gonna win the Super Bowl," James added. "But this year, it just feels right."

NFL.com
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I think this is cool, even as a Buckeye fan. Its all good fot the Chargers and the NFL. We will see how far they go to begin with.

 

Devon Witherspoon setting high expectations for Seahawks' defense under Mike Macdonald: 'He's different'

Devon Witherspoon's first season began with a bang, so much so that he rode it to a Pro Bowl appearance as a rookie despite filling a role on one of the NFL's worst defenses.

Entering Year 2, Witherspoon feels he and Seattle's defense are ready to take off. The reason is simple: Their new coach exudes qualities resembling a mastermind.

"He's cool people, man," Witherspoon said of head coach Mike Macdonald, via the News-Tribune. "But he's different, though. He's like ... he a brain guy. I mean, he's really smart and intellectual. So, it's like, the way he builds defenses is not natural or normal around the league. That's what makes him different."

If the Seahawks needed one thing in 2024, it's something different from what they were doing in 2023. Seattle finished 30th in total defense last season, including a 31st-place ranking against the run. Essentially, the Seahawks couldn't stop a nosebleed, especially on the ground, explaining why they jumped at the opportunity to hire Macdonald -- the director of the NFL's sixth-ranked defense in 2023 -- away from Baltimore.

Witherspoon believes they've found their solution in Macdonald, who is testing out the defensive back in a number of different roles in an effort to maximize Seattle's versatility, a key tenet of his defense. These days, defenses aim to be multiple. And as Witherspoon said, Macdonald isn't leaving a single stone unturned.

"The way he structured his defense, you'll never know what he's going to run," Witherspoon said. "One thing may look like something -- and it's completely not."

Macdonald matched Witherspoon in the praise department, calling him "a great player already in this league."

If Seattle's defense can live up to the expectations set by Witherspoon's glowing review of Macdonald, they should complete a remarkable turnaround.

It's only June, but Witherspoon has high hopes.

"Well, you watched the Baltimore tape from last year," Witherspoon said. "So we plan on building on that and just trying to do a little bit better in our own style.

"It is going to be fun this year. Just wait on it. We're starting to catch our swag with it, add our own little flavor to it. But we're getting comfortable with it really fast, faster than what we thought we would. Yeah, we're kind of getting it down pat now."

NFL.com
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The West will be fun and interesting this upcoming season.

 

Or cocaine or another PED.

 

I know your joking, but cocaine isnt legal till 2025.

 

You guys can’t keep from getting the line chalk up your noses? Said the HC

 

It may not be legal, but I’ve heard it smells good