MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Lamar’s a freaky athlete that’s not all together upstairs. At the point Lamar was compared to Allen at that time of their careers he could have received a paycheck bigger than Allen with his MVP and total offense he had generated at that time in his career. Now after two injury plagued seasons he doesn’t have the same demand as back then. There would have been a couple of teams willing to part with the draft picks and sign him to a big contract with a guaranteed amount that he would have been happy with.

 

Mike Tomlin excited about Kenny Pickett’s future



A year ago, the Steelers had no idea who would be the heir apparent to Ben Roethlisberger. They signed Mitch Trubisky as a bridge quarterback with a plan to develop whomever they drafted.

But Kenny Pickett, the 20th overall selection, ended up starting 12 games.


After eight months of practices and 13 game appearances, Steelers coach Mike Tomlin is convinced the team has its franchise signal caller.

“I’m excited about Kenny individually in terms of the growth that he’s capable of making and, and what he’s willing to do to realize that,” Tomlin said Sunday, via Brooke Pryor of ESPN. “I think I’m probably more excited about that because I’ve just been around him intimately now for 12 months. There was some anticipation things because of the close proximity that we’ve all talked about quite a bit, but the reality of having worked with him for 12 months, it’s just more evidence of what we should be excited about — his willingness to work, his professional approach, his maturity in processing. It’s exciting.”

In his final eight starts, Pickett passed for 1,442 yards with five touchdowns and one interception. The Steelers went 6-2 with Pickett engineering four fourth-quarter winning drives.

Tomlin didn’t elaborate on his decision to keep offensive coordinator Matt Canada but did allow that the continuity will help with Pickett’s development.

“I think it’s reasonable to expect that to be significant,” Tomlin said. “But we’ll have an opportunity to make it so.”

PFT

 

Hell, Im excited to see how it all unfolds. Having a young QB with good potential, good coaching, an up and coming team makes for a lot of things to enjoy and watch the maturation process unfold.

If Pickett has the kinda success he had going down the stretch last year to start the new season in 2023, this Steelers team just might surprise a few and/or at least be very competitive.

 

OK... Here we go. Lamar is attempting to play hardball now...

Lamar Jackson: Ravens won’t meet my value, I’ve requested a trade



Lamar Jackson doesn’t think the Ravens are willing to pay him what he’s worth, and he wants to find a team that will.

Toward that end, Jackson tweeted in a letter to his fans this morning that he has requested a trade.

“I want to first thank you all for all of the love and support you consistently show towards me,” Jackson wrote. “All of you are amazing and I appreciate y’all so much. I want you all to know not to believe everything you read about me. Let me personally answer your questions in regards to my future plans. As of March 2nd I requested a trade from the Ravens organization for which the Ravens has not been interested in meeting my value, any and everyone that’s has met me or been around me know I love the game of football and my dream is to help a team win the super bowl. You all are great but I had to make a business decision that was best for my family and I. No matter how far I go or where my career takes me, I’ll continue to be close to my fans of Baltimore Flock nation and the entire State of Maryland. You’ll See me again.”

Jackson is currently a free agent who has had the franchise tag placed on him, which means that he is free to talk to other teams, and if one of them signs him to an offer sheet and the Ravens don’t match the offer, that team would send the Ravens its next two first-round draft picks and Jackson would go to his new team.

Unfortunately for Jackson, from all indications no other teams are willing to meet the value he thinks he’s worth either. So this may be a complicated problem for Jackson, finding both a team that will pay him what he believes he’s worth, and working out the compensation between that team and the Ravens.

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Ive been waiting for this for awhile. Ravens have to go full throttle on a QB, there is no other alternative. They better try to trade up and snag a QB of the future also, IMO.

 

Dont be too sure, Lamar.

 

Mike McDaniel: I can see a hunger in Tua Tagovailoa that I’m excited to watch play out



The Dolphins displayed their level of commitment to Tua Tagovailoa by announcing that they’ve picked up the quarterback’s fifth-year option earlier this month.

As the offseason continues, head coach Mike McDaniel said over the weekend that Tagovailoa is doing well after finishing the season in the concussion protocol.

“He’s doing great,” McDaniel told NFL Media’s Tom Pelissero at the league’s annual meeting. “He’s had a really good offseason with his family and training and positioning himself to feel good moving forward. He’s very healthy, vibrant, and I can see a hunger in him that I’m excited to watch play out.”

Tagovailoa had his best season as a pro in his first year with McDaniel. The quarterback completed 64.8 percent of his passes for 3,548 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 13 games. He led the league at 8.9 yards per attempt, 13.7 yards per completion, and a 105.5 passer rating.

Tagovailoa, 25, impressed McDaniel with what he was able to accomplish.

“He’s a younger player and he’s very honest and candid. But it also gives me a barometer,” McDaniel said. “He was doing a lot, he’s got a lot of room to grow, let’s just say that. He did an unbelievable job being able to lead an offense in year one. That’s a new language. This is his first year where he’s going to have continued offense, play caller, and position coach.”

With the moves Miami has made so far, if Tagovailoa can stay healthy in 2023, the club should be in a position to contend in the AFC>

PFT

 

Not sure he can stay healthy (Tua), but i hope he does. Im interested in seeing him play out a full season. Dolphins are really a good football team weapons wise, but maybe short at TE now that Gesicki is gone. Not real sure about QB depth either, but White might be good enough along with Thompson if called upon, but im hoping that doesnt happen.

 

My best memory of Tua is when Georgia was throttling Bama in the National Championship Game with Hurts as the QB and in the late third or early fourth quarter they replaced him with Tua the freshman and he won the game for Bama. Really irked me to see my Bulldogs lose.

 

John Harbaugh on Lamar Jackson’s trade request: I’m thinking about him as our quarterback

Just as Ravens head coach John Harbaugh was getting ready to sit down and speak to reporters at the NFL’s annual meeting in Arizona, quarterback Lamar Jackson went public with his trade request.

So, naturally, the first question to Harbaugh was if he had any reaction to it.


“I haven’t seen the tweet. That’s an ongoing process,” Harbaugh said. “I’m following it very closely, just like everybody else is here and looking forward to a resolution. I’m excited, thinking about Lamar all the time. Thinking about him as our quarterback. We’re building our offense around that idea.

“I’m just looking forward to getting back to football and I’m confident that’s going to happen.”

Harbaugh joked that he “doesn’t live in that world” of social media, saying, “Have you seen my tweets lately?” But he also didn’t want to make too much out of Jackson’s timing for making the request public, given that Jackson said he made the request back on March 2.

“I don’t think Lamar keeps too much track of when the meetings happen and things like that, but he might,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t read too much into it.”

Jackson might not, but someone in his orbit clearly does, as the timing was too specific to be coincidental.

Still, Harbaugh said he’s anticipating Jackson will be Baltimore’s quarterback for Week One of the 2023 season.

“You’ve got to plan for all the contingencies for sure. But I’m pretty fired up about Lamar Jackson,” Harbaugh said. “I mean, Lamar Jackson is a great player. Lamar came back in great shape last year. He’s fired up to play. That’s the Lamar that I’m looking forward to seeing. Can’t wait to get back on the grass and go to work. And I’m confident that’s going to happen.”

The Ravens have placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, which means Jackson is allowed to negotiate with other teams on an offer sheet. But to this point, there has not been any reported interest in Jackson on the open market.

Even with Jackson’s trade request going public on Monday morning, Harbaugh said he feels like Jackson and the Ravens can get back on the same page and move forward together.

“It’s going to work itself out,” Harbaugh said. “Believe me, if we’re playing football next year and Lamar Jackson’s the quarterback, we’re all going to be happy. And he’s going to be fired up to play and he’s going to be happy to be out there playing, too — because that’s the kind of guy he is. I mean, he loves to play. He loves his teammates. He loves his coaches.

“That’s just how it works. It’s a fluid kind of a thing. There’s no periods on any of this.”

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John Harbaugh: “I don’t know” if Lamar Jackson would play on franchise tender

Lamar Jackson made public his trade request on Monday morning, adding some sizzle to what already would have been an interesting media session with Ravens head coach John Harbaugh at the annual league meeting in Arizona.

At this point, it doesn’t seem like Baltimore has any intention to facilitate Jackson’s request. But because the Ravens placed the non-exclusive franchise tag on Jackson, the quarterback is still able to negotiate an offer sheet with any one of the 31 other teams. Baltimore, however, can match that contract.

But if the offseason continues on its current course — with Jackson not receiving any interest on the open market and still unable to come to a long-term agreement with the Ravens — then at some point, Jackson will face a choice.

Will he play on the franchise tender in 2023?

Harbaugh was asked that question during his Monday media session.

“I don’t know,” Harbaugh said. “I don’t know anything, really.”

Jackson is set to make $32.4 million if he plays under the franchise tender in 2023, which would make him vastly underpaid. Jackson and the Ravens have until July 17 to work out a long-term contract.

Harbaugh reiterated his belief that things between the Ravens and Jackson will work out to where the quarterback will continue playing for Baltimore.

“You’ve got two sides that appreciate each other here,” Harbaugh said. “I think Lamar believes in us and we believe in Lamar. And we know where we want to go forward. So, it’s a monetary thing, that can be figured out, that can be worked out. That’s just a matter of negotiation. And I think we just keep going down that road and eventually it’ll work out.

“There’s always going to be creative ways to figure that stuff out.”

PFT

 

Packers, Jets make progress toward an Aaron Rodgers deal



The most tangible evidence yet of a thawing of the ice between the Packers and Jets came on Monday, when Green Bay G.M. Brian Gutekunst admitted his team won’t necessarily get a first-round pick for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. That statement fairly can be interpreted as an indication that the Packers finally have abandoned their insistence on a package highlighted by a surrender of the 13th overall selection in the upcoming draft.

But it also hints at the possibility of a first-round pick in 2024, based on future events.

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports has the latest from Arizona, where all teams are gathered and the two teams at the current center of the NFL’s universe might finally resolve their differences on a deal that is becoming increasingly inevitable.

The Jets have been willing, we’ve been told, to part ways with a pair of second-round picks. As Robinson characterizes the current talks, Green Bay would get a second-round pick in 2023 and a second-round pick in 2024, which could move to a first-round pick based on how the Jets do with Rodgers on the team in 2023.

Also at issue is the possibility that Rodgers, who claims he was 90-percent leaning toward retirement when he started his recent darkness retreat, will spend only one year in New York before calling it a career. The Jets would like protection against that possibility, in the form of a pick that would flow back to New York in 2025.

While it may not be easy to push an agreement over the finish line, it sounds as if the discussions have finally moved past square one, where the Packers had dug in their heels on expecting New York’s round-one pick in 2023.

Why wouldn’t the Packers allow for the 2024 selection to hinge on team and/or player performance in 2023? The two franchises used a device like that when Brett Favre made the trek from Frozen Tundra to Oversized Apple in 2008. And why not protect the Jets against the possibility that Rodgers will decide to call it quits after only one season?

The Packers are clearly done with Rodgers. Anything they get for a guy who will never play for them again is a bonus. If they end up with a second-round pick this year, as much as a first-round pick next year, and ultimately have to give back a mid-round pick in 2025, that’s a damn good parting gift for the franchise that has already mentally parted ways with another franchise quarterback — just in time to find out whether they’ll end up going three for three in the clumsy baton exchange from Favre to Rodgers to Jordan Love.

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Lamar Jackson pushes back on the narrative that he’s an injury risk

Yes, Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has suffered injuries in each of the last two Decembers. Yes, he has missed time due to those injuries. Yes, some have suggested he could have returned to play after the PCL injury that he suffered in December 2022, against the Broncos.

On Tuesday, Falcons owner Arthur Blank specifically mentioned Jackson’s recent injury history when distinguishing Atlanta’s intense 2022 interest in Deshaun Watson from its current lack of interest in Lamar. That, or maybe something else, prompted Lamar to sound off on social media tonight.

“Let’s get real,” Jackson tweeted. “I rather have a 100% PCL than go out there and play horrible forcing myself to put my guys in a bad situation now that’s selfish to me.”

Jackson also said this: “I don’t remember me sitting out on my guys week 1 vs jets To week 12 vs Broncos. How come all of a sudden I sit out because of money in which I could’ve got hurt at anytime within that time frame When we know the Super Bowl been on my mind since April 2018.”

He’s right. He never held out, never even threatened to withhold services in 2021 or 2022, even though he has yet to get an offer from the team that he has deemed worthy to accept.

Whether he should have accepted the best offer made before the start of the 2022 season is a different issue. I continue to believe that, if we knew the full details of the offer that was made, most would say, “Yeah, he probably should have taken that.”

Regardless, he suffered an injury as he closed in on the completion of his rookie contract, with no long-term financial security. Why would he play at anything less than 100 percent when he has no protection or commitment from the team?

As we said at the time, one of the consequences of not having an agent is that he had no one to spread that message at the time, pushing back on those in the media (like Mike Vick) who were calling him out for not putting on a brace and playing.

Of course, if Lamar had an agent, he likely would have had a contract — which would have provided the security that would have allowed him to try to play at less than 100 percent. Without that contract, he 100 percent did the right thing by not playing unless he was fully and completely healthy.

We applaud Lamar for defending himself this way. His frustration, however, raises questions as to where this all goes. Despite asking for a trade, the Ravens may be his only option. If he gets to the point where he simply won’t play for Baltimore again and if no one will trade for him, what happens?

It’s a question that needs to be considered as this drama continues to play out, one news cycle and/or tweet at a time.

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Browns owner defends giving Deshaun Watson fully guaranteed contract

Deshaun Watson’s six-year, $230 million fully guaranteed deal with the Cleveland Browns is likely to become the benchmark that many top-tier quarterbacks ask for in all future contract negotiations.

However, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam recently admitted that he does not regret giving the polarizing QB the most guaranteed money in NFL history, despite Watson missing the first 11 games of the 2022 season and the negative attention it brought the franchise.

"Every team, every business, has to look and do what they think is in the best interest of their team," Haslam told the Akron Beacon Journal. "We did what we thought was in the best interest of our team. We still feel that way. So, we’re excited to, if you will, have the stuff behind us. This time last year, how many games is he going to play? Is he going to play? Is he not going to play? He’s going to be there the whole season [now] and barring injury, heaven forbid, he’s going to play all 17 games and hopefully more. That I think alone is a bigger leap to the organization, to Deshaun, to all of us."



Haslam drew some heat at this time last year from fellow owners around the league who believed Watson’s deal would make it more difficult for them to negotiate future deals with top quarterbacks—a reality that’s playing out right now with the Baltimore Ravens and Lamar Jackson and could affect several teams in the next few years including the Los Angeles Chargers with Justin Herbert, the Cincinnati Bengals with Joe Burrow and the Philadelphia Eagles with Jalen Hurts.

Watson made his Browns debut on Dec. 4 against his former team, the Houston Texans. He led Cleveland to a 3-3 record, throwing for 1,102 yards, seven touchdowns and five interceptions with a career-worst passer rating of 79.1. He also rushed for 175 yards and a touchdown.

SI

 

Couple of quick hits

Lamar has no leverage

Yes Lamar was probably injured but he could have still been there with his team as not only support but extra QB eyes to help Huntley.

The Browns pushed all their chips in on Watson even if it becomes a complete dumpster fire Haslam will always say it was the right move he has to you can't push all your chips in the go oops maybe should have not done that.

 

Kenny Pickett: I’m expecting a big jump in Year Two



Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said last week that he’s excited about how much he believes quarterback Kenny Pickett can grow in his second season with the team and Pickett didn’t take much time off before getting to work on doing that growth.

Pickett said that he took about a week off after the end of the Steelers season and then resumed training because he felt he “wasn’t acting myself” without it. He worked out with teammates last month to get a jump start on the offseason program and continue the progress he felt he made over the course of his rookie season.

“The biggest growth for me was mentally,” Pickett said, via the team’s website. “Just understanding of the system. It comes with reps. You want that fast. You can study on paper, you can study in the film room, but sometimes you really just need to go through some things and see it with your own eyes and then watch yourself go through it on tape. I felt like my growth mentally, when I’m out there processing things faster, week by week I saw growth. That’s always a real positive thing. Now I just want to keep growing there. . . . There are so many things I’m going to go through here in this offseason in order for me to take that big jump in Year Two, which I’m expecting myself to do. There were so many new things coming in this year that you can’t even put into this one interview that you’re going through as a rookie quarterback in the NFL. I just got so much more comfortable from the first day I walked in here to the last day of the season. It’s like night and day. I felt like I’ve been here for two or three years versus one season, how much time I’ve been around everybody. So having that groundwork, that base, the work in the offseason. I’m really excited.”

There’s plenty of excitement about Pickett in Pittsburgh after his rookie season and anything less than the kind of jump that Pickett projects for himself will likely be viewed as a disappointing development for the AFC North club.

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I was certainly impressed with what I saw of Pickett just from the start of the season to the back end, and I think Pittsburgh did well to wait a few weeks before throwing him out there.

The stats don't tell the full story. He had the one game late in the season where he got banged up after just one pass attempt, and he missed the next week completely. Taking those two games out (since he really wasn't the QB in either), in his final five full games he led the Steelers to five wins. The stats weren't necessarily pretty, but he got the job done week after week after week.

He can win in a slugfest, which makes him a great fit for Pittsburgh. If he can show continuing development in year two, they're going to have a solid offense.

 

And that tis the bottom line. I think he is a winner and will only get better... seems to have very good potential, seems smart and doesnt force things, but takes what defenses give him.

 

Ravens face increasing complications as Lamar Jackson saga drags on

The clock is ticking on the Lamar Jackson contract saga. If the situation drags out beyond the draft, the Ravens could be in a compromising position if the QB decides he has played his last game in Baltimore.

According to The Athletic's Jeff Zrebiec, if a team like the Colts were to strike out on a QB prospect they like in the draft, they could try to salvage the offseason by making an offer to Jackson. Similarly, the Jets could pivot to Jackson if they fail to facilitate a trade for Aaron Rodgers.

The money and draft capital needed to get Jackson is not currently palatable for teams. But after the draft, their taste for the QB could sweeten with less valuable picks at stake and fewer options available. If the star QB is willing to be more flexible contact wise, more interested teams could come out of the woodwork.

A post draft day offer sheet for Jackson would complicate things for the Ravens as they would get first round picks in the 2024 and 2025 drafts.

If Jackson were to stay healthy, any picks Baltimore receives would likely be late first rounders. Unless the Ravens themselves finished with one of the worst records in the league, they would not be in a good position to draft a premier QB prospect.


Per ESPN's Jeremy Fowler, Jackson is seeking more fully guaranteed money than the $230 million Deshaun Watson received. Jackson publicly requested a trade in March after the Ravens balked at these demands.

The worst thing for Jackson's market was for Baltimore to do nothing, which it has. The Ravens haven't entertained low ball trade offers, they haven't bent to his demands and they haven't even taken the trade request seriously.

NFL Agent Leigh Steinberg said in an interview with the Baltimore Banner that a public trade request is rarely beneficial to either side involved.

"If a player wants to get traded, the last thing they should do is publicly demand to be traded," Steinberg said. "The rest of the league knows that the incumbent team has damaged goods on their hands and the trade offers they’ll make don’t give the team full value for the player. So it’s counterintuitive because by publicly asking for a trade, it becomes more difficult to make one."


If teams aren't willing to give the Ravens a fair price for Jackson, and are also unwilling to entertain an extension for the former MVP, Jackson would have to choose between accepting the Ravens previous offer, playing on the tag or holding out until his demands are met.

July 17 is the deadline for long-term extensions. The two sides have until then to get something done before decisions will need to be made on the direction of the team and their star QB in 2023.

via; YARDBARKER

 

With Lamar's play and injuries over the past 2 seasons, why would anybody give him fully guaranteed cash money of that kind of significants? Isnt Lamar even aware that what he's asking is ridiculous, I just dont get it. Ive come to the conclusion, he isnt right upstairs and i know from personal experience what im talkin' about.

 

Bill Belichick has shopped Mac Jones this offseason



No, things aren’t going well between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and quarterback Mac Jones.

Following the posting of the item regarding the lingering tension between coach Bill Belichick and the 2021 first-rounder, more information has trickled in.


Per a source with knowledge of the situation, Belichick has shopped Jones to multiple teams during the 2023 offseason.

The full list of potential destinations isn’t known. The teams mentioned as potential destinations were the Raiders, Texans, Buccaneers, and Commanders.

Obviously, a trade hasn’t occurred yet. That doesn’t mean it won’t happen. A team hoping to draft a quarterback could pivot to Jones, if that team doesn’t get the guy it wants.

The Raiders are the ones to keep watching. Jimmy Garoppolo‘s contract lands in the low-end of middle class for starters, and Jones has two years left under a slotted rookie deal, before his fifth-year option would apply.

Complicating the situation is the fact that owner Robert Kraft seems to be a big fan of Mac Jones.

“I’m a big fan of Mac,” Kraft told reporters last week. “He came to us as a rookie. He quarterbacked in his rookie season and did a very fine job I thought. We made the playoffs. I think we experimented with some things last year that frankly didn’t work when it came to him, in my opinion.”

While Kraft continues to defer to Belichick when it comes to running “my football team,” Kraft may not be thrilled about the prospect of parting ways with Jones. And Kraft seems to be sympathetic to frustrations that trace to the failed offensive experiment in 2022, with Matt Patricia serving as the coordinator.

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