MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Ben Roethlisberger cleared to begin throwing football

After passing his latest test, Big Ben is passing again.

Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger met with doctors in Los Angeles on Friday and was cleared to begin throwing for the first time since September.

"It was a good report," Roethlisberger said, per Ron Cook of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. "I got to bypass the tennis ball throwing for a month and go right to the football. Still going to be about 2.5-3 months until I get total clearance from doc but we are doing good!"

The Steelers on Saturday posted a five-second clip on Twitter of their franchise QB lightly throwing a pigskin in a gym. The milestone comes five months after he had his right elbow operated on.

"It felt amazing to throw," he said. "It was hard to hold the smile in. Two more throwing sessions while I'm out here in California and then headed back to the 'Burgh."

Roethlisberger played just two games last year before suffering the season-ending injury to his throwing arm. It marked the first time in his 16-year career he didn't appear in at least 11 games. The Steelers have made it clear in recent days they don't anticipate the situation to linger into the 2020 season, with coach Mike Tomlin asserting Big Ben will be their starter in Week 1.

"I have no hesitation, and I base that opinion on my experience and relationship with him and being around him for the number of years that I have," Tomlin said. "This guy is the ultimate competitor. He's dropped the gauntlet down, he's made a statement that he's coming back and I look forward to watching him answer that challenge."

NFL.com

 

Colts have interest in Philip Rivers



Melvin Gordon has said he thinks Philip Rivers will go to the Colts, and he’s not alone in that opinion. It makes too much sense with the Colts admitting all options are on the table at quarterback, and Frank Reich and Nick Sirianni having worked with Rivers in the past.

Indeed, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports Wednesday that the Colts are interested in Rivers.

Brissett, 27, went 7-8 as the starter of the Colts last season after Andrew Luck’s unexpected retirement. He threw 18 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Brissett signed a one-year extension through 2020 last September, and “the jury’s still out” on his career, Colts General Manager Chris Ballard conceded last month.

Rivers, 38, is leaving the Chargers after 16 seasons, 59,271 yards and 397 touchdowns. His 23 touchdowns last season were his fewest since 2007 and his 88.5 passer rating was his second-worst since 2007.

But Rivers could give the Colts a better chance to win now than Brissett.

NBC

 

Having Rivers for a couple seasons while you figure out what you have in Jacoby creates a nice window to take at least one mid round passer to test out before going all in with a high pick on an arm.

 

I hope you are right, if our interest is indeed a fact.

From what I saw of Rivers last year, he looks done.
And anything beyond 8-8 with him at the helm would surprise me. But the ugly side of sports from a fan perspective is that sometimes teams genuinely do things simply for hype, even though they already know they won’t pan out

 

Bruce Arians blames Jameis Winston for 20 of his interceptions

Buccaneers coach Bruce Arians spent a lot of the 2019 season defending quarterback Jameis Winston. Now? Not.

Making the media rounds at the Scouting Combine, Arians has been at his most candid regarding Winston’s performance during their first (and maybe only) season together. The attached video, from PFT Live, contains plenty of the two-time coach of the year’s raw assessment of Winston. Appearing separately on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Arians got specific regarding the number of interceptions from his total of 30 that were Winston’s responsibility.

“I think there are about 10 that weren’t his fault,” Arians said, via JoeBucsFan.com. “But I would have liked to have seen a better December. You know, that’s usually, that end of November and December, it starts clicking for us. It did for Carson in Arizona. It did for Ben [Roethlisberger in Pittsburgh]. It did for everybody. But [Jameis] made some mistakes in December that I didn’t like.”

And so Arians continues to be ambivalent about a player who is due to become a free agent in just a few weeks.

“I loved him and I hated him,” Arians said. “More love, I mean, you throw for 30-something touchdowns and 5,100 yards, there’s a lot to love. The mistakes sometimes, you scratch your head. . . . He’s one of those guys that wants to go out and win the game by himself sometimes. Let the other guys help you.”

Winston has shown throughout his career an inclination to try to do too much, which invites mistakes. Often untimely ones. And despite all the good from Winston in 2019, his worst moments may have come at the worst possible time.

NBC

 

Cowboys plan to use exclusive tag on Dak Prescott

For those who have a lifetime subscription to PFT (i.e., anyone), the question of whether the Cowboys will use the non-exclusive or exclusive franchise tag on quarterback Dak Prescott first emerged in October. With March approaching, the Cowboys apparently have made their choice.

Via Ian Rapoport of the NFL, the Cowboys will apply the exclusive version of the tag to Prescott. While that limits Prescott’s ability to potentially leave the Cowboys, it also gives him considerably more leverage in talks on a long-term contract.

The non-exclusive tag, which provides a theoretical path to a new city (but entails a pair of first-round picks as compensation), likely will be in the range of $27 million for 2020. The exclusive version will come from the average of the five highest-paid quarterbacks in 2020, based on cap number.

That average will be subject to change, as quarterbacks sign new contracts and as quarterbacks currently under contract restructure their deals to reduce cap numbers. Ultimately, the number locks in at the end of the restricted free agency signing period, in April.

Currently, the five highest-paid quarterbacks based on 2020 cap number are Rams quarterback Jared Goff ($36 million), Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger ($33.5 million), Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins ($31 million), Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson ($31 million), and 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo ($26.6 million). That’s an average of $31.62 million, and it could go up or down in the coming weeks.

Assuming it stays the same for present purposes, Dak can choose to continue to refuse long-term offers from the Cowboys, eventually sign the tender (he can wait until Labor Day weekend or thereabouts), make $31.62 million this year, and then be in line for a 20-percent raise in 2021. That’s $37.9 million in the second year of the tag.

That’s also an average of $34.7 million over the next two years, and it would set Prescott up for a one-year salary of $54.63 million in 2022 — which likely means that the Cowboys wouldn’t use the franchise tender a third time on Prescott.

The challenge for the Cowboys will be to offer Prescott a long-term deal that causes him to sacrifice his year-to-year earning potential under the exclusive tag and, eventually, the power that he will have. And that’s the only analysis that matters at that point. Market becomes irrelevant. Contracts signed by the likes of Tom Brady and Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill become irrelevant. The math relative to the exclusive tag drives the discussion at that point, and the sum and structure will need to be enough to make Dak abandon the ability to put a major squeeze on the Cowboys.

And no one should get mad at Prescott for doing it. The Cowboys could let Prescott become an unrestricted free agent, allowing the market to determine his value. Instead, the team is choosing to exercise its rights under the CBA to keep Prescott in place. That decision unlocks a chess match that gives Prescott some very potent pieces that players often are reluctant to use to their full potential.

Le'Veon Bell did. Kirk Cousins and Trumaine Johnson did. Prescott has done nothing over the past year to suggest that he won’t.

NBC

 

Matthew Stafford’s back “completely healed”

Now that everyone including Matthew Stafford‘s wife has confirmed that he wants to be back with the Lions next season, she’s also confirming that his back is well.

In an Instagram post this morning, Kelly Stafford mentioned that her husband’s back was “completely healed” in January.

The Lions quarterback missed the final eight games of last season after a fracture was found in his back.

Prior to that, he was having an incredible season, with 2,499 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions in the first eight games.

Having him healthy again gives the Lions something to build around, though it remains unclear if they’ll consider using the third overall pick on another quarterback, so we can start another cycle of wondering about his future.

NBC

 

This time of year rumors get thrown around a dime a dozen. Some benefit agents/players. Some benefit teams. Some are rumors for rumors sake, seeing what sticks or connecting dots.

Sometimes, it’s hard to differentiate.

Mike Sando of TheAthletic.com quoted an unnamed General Manager saying the Buccaneers could target Saints backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater in free agency.

The quote — “I am hearing Tampa Bay is hot on Bridgewater,” an NFL G.M. told Sando at the Combine — has opened speculation on social media.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times wrote a story off the quote, wondering whether Bridgewater is the team’s target.

So, Bridgewater may or may not be a Bucs’ target.

The one thing for certain is Jameis Winston‘s future is in doubt, with Bruce Arians saying publicly the team wants to see what its options are before committing to his return.

Winston threw for 5,109 yards last year, the eighth largest total of all time, but also threw 30 interceptions. No quarterback ever had thrown 30 touchdowns and 30 picks in a single season.

Bridgewater is expected to find a new team this offseason, with the Saints unable to afford to re-sign all three of their quarterbacks.

NBC

 

If the Buccaneers had a high completion %, non INT throwing QB... they could be very good.

 

Question is does Teddy have the arm to play in a Bruce Arians offense?

 

My two favorite spots for Teddy right now would be the Colts and to remain with the Saints to be the starter in 2021.

 

That would be awesome for Teddy if he stays put and becomes the starter in New Orleans next season. It would go a long way in showing how his patience paid off. In todays game you never know when a starter will go down either, so having Teddy there is a win-win for the entire Saints organization.

Seeing him in Indy would be different, for sure, but im kinda leaning on maybe Rivers getting that gig. Its up in the air and I really don't know what will happen.

BTW - I think Brady is a Patriots lifer... just a gut feeling.

 

Lamar Jackson still can’t believe it. The Ravens quarterback can’t really explain the team’s upset loss to the Titans either.

“I [still am] puzzled, like, just looking at highlights and stuff,” Jackson told Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt of SiriusXM NFL Radio at the 101 Awards in Kansas City last weekend. “I’m like, ‘I don’t know what happened.’ Like, we had good plays. We had good drives. We’ll hit a hump one play. They steal the momentum, and it’s, you know, the NFL is like a momentum game. Like, whoever’s got momentum, they’re going to score points. They might come out with a victory, and that’s what it was. We was flat the whole night. That game was not on our defense. I feel like we just didn’t execute on offense. [If] we put more points up, it’d be a great game.”

The Ravens scored only 12 points, losing by 16 at home to the Titans. Jackson was 31-of-59 for 365 yards with a touchdown and two interceptions. He ran for another 143 yards but lost a fumble.

The loss prematurely ended a special season for Baltimore, which saw Jackson earn the MVP award.

“We’ve got to elevate at some point in the game,” Jackson said. “I don’t feel we did that, even though we scored one in the third quarter or something. But it was like when we scored, we didn’t get excited. It was like we already lost. We can’t do that no more. That’s what I’ve seen, including myself.”

Despite winning the NFL’s top individual award for on-field performance, Jackson still believes he has much to improve on this offseason. He doesn’t want last season to be the best season of his career.

“I want to work on my timing, getting the ball out even faster, you know, because those guys in the league, they’re coming,” Jackson said. “Defensive guys, they’re running 4.4s, 4.5s. It’s like, ‘Man, we’ve got to get this ball out of your hand and put it in a dynamic playmaker’s hands faster.’ I want to work on everything, though, even the running. I just want to be a great player.”

NBC

 

I'll bet the opposite - he's as good as gone.

 

I didn't realize Arians had that many picks. I gotta watch the Bucs more closely.

 

Patrick Mahomes: I can take my game to a whole different level

If you think Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is good now, just wait until he has a little experience under his belt.

Mahomes said on the episode of HBO’s The Shop that will air on Saturday that he still feels like a relative novice when it comes to the finer points of the quarterback position, saying that figuring out the mental aspects of the game has only come recently.

“I didn’t understand how to read defenses until halfway through last year. I understood coverages, but how to be able to pick up little tendencies defenses do, stuff that Brady and them have done? I was just playing,” Mahomes said. “This year I could recognize more and more stuff. I think the more experience and the more I learn, I’ll be able to go out there and call plays and do that different stuff because I’ve seen it. I still think there’s a long way for me to go there. That’s where mentally I can get better. Physically, I think I’ve done a lot of stuff, worked on the fundamentals, but I think mentally I can still take my game to a whole different level.”

If Mahomes is right that he can take his game to a different level, that’s a scary thought for the rest of the league.

NBC

 

Saints head coach Sean Payton said last month that he expects another team to make quarterback Taysom Hill an offer as a restricted free agent this offseason.

Payton suggested that the team doing so would run the risk of giving up a first-round pick if the Saints didn’t match that offer and it appears that will indeed be the case. Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the team is planning to tender Hill at the first-round level.

While that comes as no surprise, there is still the possibility that the Saints could sign Hill to a longer deal now. Hill has said he wants to be with a team that views him as a starting quarterback rather than the multiple roles he currently fills on the New Orleans offense, which is likely part of the reason why Payton believes his contract will be a tricky one to figure out.

The first-round tender is expected to come with a salary of more than $4.6 million for the 2020 season.

NBC

 

The XFL is looking good so far it gets better and better

 

Cowboys reportedly offer Dak Prescott richest contract in league history



The report doesn’t put it the way the above headline does, but when considering the value of contracts at the time the contracts are signed, that’s the clear implication.

Via Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys have offered quarterback Dak Prescott a contract with an average value of $33 million per year. Because Prescott currently has no contract, the so-called “new money” value of any deal he accepts will match the more practical assessment of a new contract: What that new contract is worth, from the moment it’s signed.

For Prescott, both numbers under the reported offer would be $33 million. For Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson‘s most recent deal, currently the richest in league history, the new money was $35 million per year. The total value at signing was $31.4 million per year.

Of course, the more important number comes from the amount of money that is truly and fully guaranteed at signing. Per Watkins, the offer to Prescott carries $105 million in guaranteed money generally. Which says nothing about signing bonus or other fully-guaranteed payments at the time the deal is signed.

Wilson has $107 million guaranteed in his deal, $70 million of which was guaranteed at signing. For Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the general guarantee was lower ($98.7 million), but the full guarantee at signing was higher ($79.2 million).

For Prescott’s deal, the devil will reside in details like signing bonus and fully-guaranteed salaries and fully-guaranteed roster bonuses and other fully-guaranteed payments. Regardless, an average value of $33 million would put him at the top of the all-time contractual stack.

Until Patrick Mahomes signs his new contract, of course.

NBC

 

The money is just crazy!