MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Steelers' Mike Tomlin 'certainly open to utilizing' Justin Fields in wild-card game vs. Ravens

"I'm certainly open to utilizing Justin," head coach Mike Tomlin told reporters, via the Steelers' official website. "He has an awesome skill set. We've done some of that in the past. We've done less of it in recent weeks. He experienced an injury a couple of weeks back that slowed some of that. But certainly in an effort to win this game. I am open to any combination or combinations of the division of labor in an effort to do so, and so I'm certainly open to that as we develop plans this week."

per; CBS

 

Caleb Williams issues challenge to next Bears head coach

Williams spoke with reporters on Monday and shared quite a message for Chicago's yet-to-be-hired next head coach.

"I would say just challenge me," Williams said, as shared by Myles Simmons of Pro Football Talk. "Whether it’s pulling me aside and saying whatever — having talks consistently. Maybe having a list of things we want to accomplish, myself first — that helps the team. From there, help find ways to set goals. However it might work out, just challenge. Find ways to help better myself and better the team. Really excited about that."

"There were more lessons this year than I would say I’ve had," Williams added during his comments. "One of the things was all of the different things throughout the week that it takes for me to go out there and play well, the team to play well. That’s something I learned early on. Finding ways to be better with those things throughout the year and the years to come."

Williams finished Week 18 ranked second in the NFL among rookie signal-callers with 351 completions, second with 562 pass attempts, third with 3,541 yards through the air, third with 20 passing touchdowns and second with 489 rushing yards on the season.

YARDBARKER

 

Good News for the Eagles...

Jalen Hurts will be back at practice today

The Eagles’ starting quarterback is returning to practice today after missing the last two weeks with a concussion.

 

Jordan Love was limited on Wednesday... he was a full participant today.

 

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts has made it through the concussion protocol, coach Nick Sirianni said Friday, clearing him to play against the Green Bay Packers on Sunday.

 

Lamar Jackson on Josh Allen: I’m trying to beat you, not be your friend

The NFL’s top two MVP candidates will meet on Sunday when Lamar Jackson leads the Ravens against Josh Allen and the Bills. And Jackson badly wants to win.

Asked if he and Allen ever get together in the offseason, Jackson said he spends his offseasons trying to get better than his opponents, not hang out with them.

“Do I see Josh Allen? I don’t know, I’ve probably seen Josh early on in my career, going to events, like around Super Bowl time and stuff like that,” Jackson said. “I don’t really chill with people in the offseason, especially not other quarterbacks. Don’t get me wrong, there’s no problem, but we’re competing against each other. I’m trying to beat you. I’m not trying to be your friend.”

Asked if he thinks he’ll always be linked with Allen because they were drafted in the same first round, Jackson said he expects to reflect on their shared legacy some day, but that day is not today.

“No doubt, when we’re older, we’ll probably laugh about it, but right now it’s serious. I ain’t laughing with you,” Jackson said.

Sunday’s game will be a big one to define both quarterbacks’ legacies, and Jackson is going into it with a competitive mindset. Not a friendly mindset.

PFT/MDSmith

 

Jackson makes a lot of sense, screw the other teams players, if we’re friends that will get in the way of me kicking your rearend to the curb

 

Jalen Hurts says his knee is progressing, he plans to wear a brace on Sunday

Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts says the knee injury he suffered in the divisional round against the Rams is getting better, but may force him to wear a brace in the NFC Championship Game against the Commanders.

Hurts echoed Eagles coach Nick Sirianni, who said that Hurts was making progress in his recovery.

“It’s been progressing,” Hurts said.

Asked if he’ll wear a brace on the knee on Sunday, Hurts answered, “I anticipate so.”

Hurts finished the game against the Rams after suffering the injury, but he appeared to be affected by it. He may not be 100 percent against the Commanders, but he’ll be close enough that he sounds unworried about his ability to get the job done on Sunday.

PFT

 

Hurts is officially OFF the injury report.

 

Report: Matthew Stafford plans to play in 2025

After the Rams’ season ended in the divisional round, Matthew Stafford said he would take some time before determining his future. He apparently didn’t need long.

Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that the Rams quarterback plans to play in 2025.

Stafford, who has played the last four of his 16 NFL seasons with the Rams, will need a new contract, whether with the Rams or with another team. He revised his contract with the team before last season and has a $49.6 million cap number for 2025.

The Rams can save $27 million by trading him in a post-June 1 move.

The Rams, though, have “no immediate plan to replace Stafford,” per Rapoport, which makes sense given they appear ready to win now. They finished 10-7 in 2024, winning the NFC West and beating the Vikings in the wild card round before losing to the Eagles in the divisional round.

The Rams don’t have a ready replacement behind Stafford, with backup Jimmy Garoppolo scheduled for free agency in March and Stetson Bennett yet to play a regular-season game.

Rams coach Sean McVay said he hoped for clarity on Stafford’s situation sooner than later, and six days later, he has his answer.

PFT/Williams

 

Sam Darnold: A lot is gonna happen, just going to talk to my agent and figure it out

Vikings quarterback Sam Darnold spent most of the 2024 season looking like a player destined to land a major contract this offseason, but bad outings in a Week 18 loss to the Lions and a playoff loss to the Rams made for a bad last impression ahead of his possible free agency.

The Vikings have not shared any plans they might have, but the presence of 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy would seem to make a long-term deal in Minnesota unlikely. During an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio from the Pro Bowl, Darnold didn’t share too much of his own thoughts about how he’d like to see things play out.

“I’ve put a little bit of thought into it,” Darnold said. “I’m not gonna share anything about what I’ve been thinking or the conversations I’ve had behind closed doors. There’s obviously a lot that’s gonna happen still, even after the Super Bowl. Just going to continue to talk to my agent and figure things out from there.”

There will be teams in the market for quarterbacks in the next couple of months and how they view Darnold will play a major role in determining where he winds up playing in 2025.

PFT

 

Well……shit!!!! One less reason to watch them now and I’m running out of reasons….

 

There is so much truth to this I can't deal.....

 

GM, Andrew Berry is still saying to the NFL community, he will not trade Garrett... not even for 2 first rounders. Time will tell.

 

Probably because of the cap ramifications...

 

The Browns should be on the horn with the 49ers today.

San Fran had a down year but will likely be competitive in the West in 25. Push for the 1.11 this year and a second plus a 4th next.

If they hesitate for even a moment - Call Jerruh with the same offer.

Trade down in the first this year from that #2 overall. Try to acquire a first and more premium assets for 26, then turn around and do the same with the 11 or 12.

The Browns will not be a winning football team in 25. Doesn't matter if they draft one of these passers at the top, or if they end up running it back with Deshaun. Accept the fact that the 2026 draft is where you are going to make the overhaul happen.

You won't get Archie Manning. He would Eli his way out of Cleveland. I know Browns backers will balk at the notion, but after the Watson disaster, any notion of this being an organized organization is out the fucking window. This is a deep hole they've dug, and they need to make a huge momentum shift before prime FAs will want to play there without some kind of ridiculous overpay.

Nico Iamaleava is probably going to be the target.

Imagine a draft where you come out of the first round with Nico and a pair of offensive linemen (something like Kadyn Proctor and Caleb Lomu) and a receiver (maybe Carnell Tate)...

Would you be willing to swallow the pill of giving up Garrett and having a dead season to retool at passer (shedding Watson in the process), protect the passer and draft him a primary weapon, all in one class?

 

Multiple sites/networks reporting that Aaron Rodgers was informed last week that the Jets will be moving on without him. Rumore also has it, that Davante Adams is out also.

Per; ESPN - The Jets will be left with $49 million in dead money, which can be spread over two years if he's designated a post-June 1 cut. In that case, they would have to carry his $23.5 million on the cap until June 1. At that point, he'd count $14 million in 2025, a net savings of $9.5 million.

However, in the June 1 scenario, there would be a $35 million charge in 2026.

 

Meanwhile, the sports world seems to take it as a given that the Falcons will move Kirk Cousins before his presumed roster bonus (which isn't listed on OverTheCap) kicks in.

I say not so fast. This is the Falcons we're talking about here. Right or wrong, conventional wisdom does not apply. We march to the beat of our own kazoo.

A massive trade would make a lot of sense considering Atlanta is so short of draft picks and is apparently going to rebuild the defense once again. A trade would also mean some other team picks up the entire cap cost of his guaranteed salary, leaving Atlanta to take only the hit from his prorated bonus. That would still be a big hit ($37.5 million) but might be worth it depending on the return in trade.

On the other hand, releasing him would also put the team on the hook for dead money on his $27.5 million guaranteed salary. No bueno.

So... consider door number three. What if they kept him? Stupid, right? I mean who would possibly put both Kirk Cousins AND Michael Penix on the roster at the same time???

Oh, wait...

If they keep Cousins, they would take on the extra cap hit for this upcoming roster bonus (10 million?) but they would NOT take the $25 million accelerated hit on his signing bonus. And it gives them another quarterback - one less very important hole on the roster to fill. So far he has also been very good working with Penix. That veteran leadership can be valuable, even in a backup role. So I wouldn't rule out the notion that they hang on to him, let him compete for the starting job, and potentially try for a better trade before the trade deadline, with a smaller cap hit.