NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Ayuck wants 30+ million a year. I don’t think he’s worth it

 

The 49ers actually have 29 million a year on the table and Aiyuk rejected that.

 

According to multiple reports, Meinerz has agreed to terms with the club on a four-year extension that will make him one of the highest-paid guards in the league.

Initial reports indicate the deal is worth $80 million with $45 million guaranteed.

Meinerz, 25, was a third-round pick out of Wisconsin-Whitewater in 2021 and was entering the final year of his rookie contract. He has started 39 games in the last three seasons, including all 17 in 2023.

He was on the field for 97 percent of Denver’s offensive snaps last year.

 

CeeDee Lamb is going to want at least $30M also, so more drama on the near horizon.

 

The thing is, is that everyone now wants to be paid like Jefferson. The problem with that is that nobody is on JJ’s level, imo; or as close as they think they are.

 

Thats why I see no end in sight to the escalations. Ive even heard talk of QB caps being considered. At the same time the NFL is raking in BILLIONS, so I can almost see the demand for bigger bucks at positions of value, but then I also just see flat out greed and envy by the players also, and by greed Im referring to some players bitching and moaning over 2 or 3 million dollars, wtf. Ive said it before, Ill say it again... I cant see this going well. The bubble might get so big it bursts... the stands will be full of the elitist rich folks and the only people watching at home legally will be the well-to-do's.

 

Texans become first full team to report to training camp on Wednesday

Wednesday marks the official start to training camp season in the NFL.

Rookies and assorted other players have reported to work for a handful of teams over the last few days, but Wednesday will see the first full squad report to work. The Texans will get that honor as they gather in Houston to get to work on building on last season’s success.

The Texans won the AFC South and then beat the Browns in a Wild Card game before falling to the Ravens to cap quarterback C.J. Stroud’s rookie season. The Texans spent the offseason adding players like wide receiver Stefon Diggs, edge rusher Danielle Hunter, and running back Joe Mixon to the roster and those moves as well as the expected growth of Stroud and fellow 2023 first-rounder Will Anderson have made the Texans one of the betting favorites in the AFC.

Houston is reporting to camp ahead of other teams because they will be in the Hall of Fame Game. They will be playing the Bears, who had their rookies in on Tuesday and will have their full squad ready to go on Friday.

PFT

 

If they try to put caps in place without a new CBA, there will be an anti-trust lawsuit to follow... The dumb ass teams (Yes, I am looking at you Cleveland)need to stop thinking that by paying out ridiculous paydays to QBs will automatically make the team a lock for yearly playoffs. Those QBs are few and far between. making the 7th-12th best QB in the league the highest paid at their position, just to reset the market is beyond comprehensible, yet they continue to do it....Deshaun Watson seems like a steal at this point being paid $46M/yr for the next 3 years... but he can't stay on the field for half the season...still gets paid $46M regardless.

In the meantime, it would be a very tough argument that the top QB in the league isn't Patrick Mahomes and he continues to help the team save money in order to stay competitive.

At the end of the day, how much money do you actually need for a 10-15 year career? Is more money worth knowing you will never win a Super Bowl? For the team, is it worth claiming that player, just to brag you have a QB? Knowing you most likely won't be able to compete for a Championship after paying such exorbitant money?

NOW, the TV contracts are becoming a legal issue with anti-trust Sunday Ticket losses.. How will that effect future broadcasts and earning potential? The league salary cap has been climbing for a number of years... however, it could go in the opposite direction in any given year and contracts are still in effect, even if that happens... The league cap could be at it's pinnacle, despite teams signing contracts expecting relief in coming years. This league could be turned on it's ear in the next few years, which would cripple some of the current best teams.

 

I might be the only one but I see a lockout on the horizon if it continues on this pace.

 

Who's going to impose the lockout? The owners are the ones proliferating the contracts. I don't think any of them want to put limits in place.

The players could go on strike, if the owners collaborate on procedure for contract ceilings, which would go against the CBA and put them out of trust.

The current CBA doesn't end until March of 2031... They would have no grounds for re-opening the CBA in order to limit player compensation.

 

If he makes it to free agency healthy 30 per is a lock.

 

Kevin Stefanski: You have to wait a week to find out who’s calling offensive plays

The Browns are waiting until training camp is up and running to answer one question about their plans for the 2024 season.

Head coach Kevin Stefanski hired Ken Dorsey as the team’s new offensive coordinator this offseason, but he has not said which of the two men will be calling the team’s offensive plays this fall. Stefanski was a guest on 92.3 The Fan on Thursday and a fan who donated money to Stefanski’s Keepers Foundation in order to be a co-host of the show asked him to reveal that information.

Stefanski said that everyone needs to have a little more patience.

“I’m sure I’m getting that question officially in about a week, so you’re gonna have to wait a week,” Stefanski said.

The question of who is sending the plays into Deshaun Watson’s helmet is a significant one for the Browns, but any play needs to be executed well and that will ultimately be the determining factor in the team’s fate this year.

PFT

 

Its a 1-year deal... I know nothing about the financial terms.

 

James Harrison does that for a warm up

 

They better hope he never has to tackle.

 

Ravens TE Mark Andrews on Derrick Henry-Lamar Jackson backfield: 'It's going to be all eyes' on them

There's been a positive buzz surrounding the Baltimore Ravens heading into the 2024 season, especially after they signed Derrick Henry in free agency.

Tight end Mark Andrews believes adding the four-time Pro Bowl running back alongside quarterback Lamar Jackson will open up things for other playmakers.

"It's incredible, man," Andrews said Saturday when Ravens veterans first reported to training camp, via team transcript. "When you have a guy like Derrick (Henry), and then you've got No. 8 (Lamar Jackson) in the backfield, it's ... we've been against Derrick so many times in the last seven years I've been playing here, so just knowing the type of player that he is, how tough he is and the type of game plans you have to have for a guy like Derrick. ... It's going to be all eyes on him and (No.) 8.

"So, for us, being around those guys, it's making the plays that are going to open things up for some really good things, which I'm excited about."

Henry, who is coming off his second-straight 1,000 rushing-yard season and fifth overall, is the type of veteran workhorse that Baltimore hasn't had dating back to when Jackson was drafted in 2018. Joining a Ravens offense that led the league in rushing in 2023 (156.5 yards per game), Henry will no doubt garner attention from defenses in 2024, including the dual-threat QB handing him the ball.

The Ravens excelled during offensive coordinator Todd Monken's first season, ranking sixth in total yards per game (370.4) and fourth in points per game (28.4) during what was Jackson's second MVP-winning campaign. The Ravens earned the league's best record and secured the No. 1 seed in the AFC, however, Baltimore fell to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.

Andrews, who's season derailed due to ankle and leg injuries, managed to return in the AFC title game but saw little impact. He played in nine games, racking up 45 receptions, 544 receiving yards (the lowest total of his career) and six touchdowns before the injury. The veteran tight end is feeling healthier with training camp underway, and he also says he feels more comfortable heading into Year 2 of Monken's offense.

"It's great. It's only going to evolve more and more, I think, as guys get more comfortable -- as always, in Year 2, after having an offense and learning it," Andrews said. "Things are new, you're trying to figure out who you are as an identity. And I think right now, we've got a really clear picture of what we want to be, how we want to operate and be efficient and give the tools to Lamar (Jackson) and Coach 'Monk' (offensive coordinator Todd Monken) to be in the best play at all times. And yes, it's going to evolve, it's going to look a little bit different, but I think it's going to be really well polished."

The Ravens return largely the same pass-catching unit this season with second-year wide receiver Zay Flowers, Rashod Bateman, Nelson Agholor, plus tight ends Isaiah Likely and Andrews. Henry's addition figures to bring opportunity for the group in 2024 as Baltimore looks to get over the hump.

NFL.com

 

Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Michael Gallup stunningly retired from the NFL on Tuesday at the age of 28.

Gallup signed a contract with the Raiders in the offseason after six seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. The Raiders placed him on the reserve/retired list.



Dallas selected Gallup in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft out of Colorado State. He started earning more targets in his second season with Dallas. He had 66 catches on 113 targets for 1,107 yards and had six touchdowns.

He followed a successful 2019 season with 59 catches on 105 targets and 843 yards. His 2021 season was cut short as he suffered a torn ACL but was able to agree to a five-year, $62.5 million contract extension before the start of the 2022 season.

However, Gallup received only 74 targets in 2022 and 57 targets in 2023.

Dallas gave Gallup a chance to seek a trade this offseason but eventually cut him. He signed a deal with the Raiders, which would have added him to a corps that included Davante Adams.

FOX

 

Lions' Dan Campbell sends message to players after successful season

Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell left no doubt during spring workouts that he cares little about a so-called "Super Bowl or bust" mantra.

Campbell spoke with reporters on the opening day of the club's training camp about the mindset he wants his players to embrace.

"We don't live off reputation, we live off of work," Campbell said Wednesday, per Eric Woodyard of ESPN. "And that's what's gotten us where we're at. It's been a long, hard road to get to where we're at right now, and there's a price to be paid and so we've got to go pay it again. That's the message, and it will always be the message."

Under Campbell, the Lions have won 20 of their last 27 regular-season games going back to the fall of 2022. Most recently, he guided the 2023 edition of the club to the NFC North division title and the conference championship game, where Detroit squandered a 24-7 halftime lead en route to suffering a brutal 34-31 loss to the San Francisco 49ers.

"I believe that what we did last year can carry over into this season. I do, as long as we go to work," Campbell said.

The Lions did well this offseason to hold onto both defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn and offensive coordinator Ben Johnson even though they were candidates for head-coaching jobs. Detroit also signed key figures such as wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown, All-Pro offensive tackle Penei Sewell and quarterback Jared Goff to contract extensions.


As for Campbell, he's entering his fourth season in charge of the Lions and sounds optimistic he's improved from where he was as a coach in January 2021.

"I've got more experience, but so does the staff under me," Campbell added. "They've got more experience, and they've got more experience being around me and myself being around them, so that makes me better. Your staff makes you a lot better, and they're the reason that I'm even in this position and we're having success. We make all -- each of us, we make each other better."

As of late Wednesday morning, DraftKings Sportsbook listed the Lions second behind only the 49ers (+250) at +550 odds to represent the NFC in Super Bowl LIX. History suggests such forecasts will serve as extra motivation for Campbell to keep his players focused on the task at hand.

YARDBARKER