MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

New England’s offer to Tom Brady remains Bill Belichick’s call



As quarterback Tom Brady and the New England Patriots move closer toward the moment at which it will be time to poo or get off the loo, it’s becoming more clear that the decisions to be made by Patriots coach Bill Belichick will be final.

Tom Curran of NBC Sports Boston reports that owner Robert Kraft will not intercede to ensure that Brady will remain a Patriot for a 21st season.

Per Curran, if the gap between Brady and Belichick is small, Kraft will try to nudge them together. At a certain point, though, Kraft won’t pull rank or otherwise force the man who runs the football operations in New England to do something he doesn’t want to do.

Curran explains that the persistent belief that Kraft will trump Belichick comes from the lingering opinion that Kraft pulled strings to get Belichick to trade Brady’s backup, Jimmy Garoppolo, to the 49ers in 2017. Curran disputes this notion, something Kraft vehemently disputed at the time reports of his intervention emerged, bluntly calling it a “lie.”

While plenty of owners meddle (it’s one of the most often misused benefits of being an owner), Kraft has allowed Belichick to do his thing for 20 years — and it’s worked. Why would Kraft tell Belichick that he has to pay Brady or otherwise make a commitment that Belichick doesn’t want to make? At a time when some see reasons to believe that Father Time is in the process of taking Tommy down, only one person is in prime position to make that assessment. And Belichick will decide, without regarding to sentiment or history or name on the jersey or potential local backlash, the terms that should be offered.

The broader question that rarely gets addressed in this context is whether Belichick, fully aware that Father Time is undefeated, would rather make the move now, given the various veteran options that are available at quarterback. But Belichick won’t be sharing his plans with anyone until the time comes to implement them.

That time is coming. And the point for now is that, whatever Belichick plans to do, Kraft plans to let Belichick do it. Which is exactly the way Kraft should play it.

NBC

 

Report: Cowboys send new proposal to Dak Prescott



Dak Prescott didn’t want a contract that technically would have made him the highest paid player in league history. So the Cowboys are trying again.

Todd Archer of ESPN.com reports that the Cowboys have sent a new proposal to Prescott. No numbers have been reported regarding the latest offer.

Presumably, the Cowboys received a response from Prescott to the last offer. The etiquette of negotiation contemplates a back and forth; when one side makes two moves that side is said to be bidding against itself.

The clock is ticking for the Cowboys. If a deal with Prescott can’t be reached by Thursday, the Cowboys reportedly will apply the franchise tag. And it reportedly will be the exclusive version.

That’s what drives Prescott’s leverage. If he’s going to make $31.6 million in 2020 under the exclusive version of the tag and, by rule, $37.9 million in 2021, why not go year to year and make more than $69 million over the next two seasons, especially since the Cowboys likely wouldn’t apply the franchise tag in 2022, when his one-year tender would spike to $54.6 million?

It’s hard not to wonder whether the Cowboys eventually will reach the end of their rope with Dak, especially with other options on the free-agency market and with more and more college quarterbacks thriving at the next level. Could they tag and trade Dak? Could they decide simply not to tag him at all? Could they pivor to the transition tag, which would give him a chance to test the market and provide the Cowboys a chance to match?

Here’s a potential wildcard: Tom Brady. A week ago, he wasn’t being linked to any teams in the NFC. Now that the 49ers chatter seems to be real (the 49ers still haven’t shot it down, and they easily could), maybe Cowboys owner and G.M. Jerry Jones will decide that life is all too short to not go all in, and maybe Jerry goes all in with Brady.

NBC

 

I don't get what Dak Prescott is trying to do here?

 

Break the bank...

 

Multiple reports emerged on Monday that the Cowboys have submitted another offer to quarterback Dak Prescott, in addition to the recently reported offer that has an average value of $33 million per year. Multiple sources tell PFT that there has been only one offer.

The offer, per one source, was made on March 2. The Cowboys have not recently made any other offer. It’s unclear whether Prescott’s camp has responded to the offer.

The Cowboys would like to get a deal done before Thursday, the deadline for applying the franchise tag. If the Cowboys tag Prescott, a different dynamic becomes unlocked, and a new set of deadlines will become activated, from the launch of the offseason program in April to the various enhanced phases of it to the deadline for doing a longterm deal in July 15.

A deal worth $33 million per year at signing would be ricer than the Russell Wilson contract, which had a value of $31.4 million at signing. But no details have been reported regarding structure or length or, most importantly, amount of the guarantees at signing.

NBC

 

Kyle Allen re-signs with Panthers



As an exclusive rights free agent, quarterback Kyle Allen didn’t have many choices once the Panthers tendered him a contract for the 2020 season.

Allen was left with the choice of signing the contract or staying away from the team in hopes of landing a better deal, but he wouldn’t be able to talk to any other teams this offseason. The first option is the more popular one for players to take and that’s just what Allen did on Tuesday.

The Panthers announced that Allen has signed a one-year deal with the team.

Allen started 12 games for the Panthers after Cam Newton went down with a foot injury last year. He completed 303-of-489 passes for 3,322 yards, 17 touchdowns and 16 interceptions.

Allen was replaced by 2019 third-round pick Will Grier for the final two games of the season. Grier will also be back, but it remains unclear if Cam Newton will return and what the Panthers will do if he does move on this offseason.

NBC

 

Report: Buccaneers “going all in” to sign Tom Brady



When free agency starts in a week, Tom Brady will have an aggressive contract offer from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

That’s the word from Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times, who reports that the Bucs “are going all in” on Brady, with head coach Bruce Arians leading the charge, General Manager Jason Licht trusting Arians’ judgment about the quarterback position, and the Glazer family that owns the Bucs ready to spend what it takes to get Brady to Tampa.

Would Brady want to go to Tampa? Arians is known as a coach quarterbacks like to play for. The Bucs would give him, in Mike Evans, the best receiver he’s played with since Randy Moss. The money will be there, as Tampa Bay is near the top of the league in available salary cap space. Florida doesn’t have a state income tax. There are plenty of reasons to think Brady would see Tampa as an attractive destination.

The Patriots, of course, are the one team that could put all this to bed before free agency starts by re-signing Brady in the next week. But from all indications Brady is determined to see which other teams are on the line when the “legal tampering” period begins at noon on Monday. He and agent Don Yee should be expecting a call from the Buccaneers.

NBC

 

Four years, $118M for Ryan Tannehill



The initial report on quarterback Ryan Tannehll’s agreement with the Titans on a new deal came without any financial terms, but it didn’t take long for word of those details to surface.

Jeff Darlington of ESPN reports that Tannehill’s new deal runs four years with a total value of $118 million. The average of $29.5 million per year ranks seventh in the league, just behind the $30 million annual average of Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan‘s deal.

Darlington reports that the deal includes $62 million fully guaranteed and $91 million in total guarantees. PFT has learned that Tannehill will receive a $20 million signing bonus, a guaranteed $17.5 million base salary for 2020 and a guaranteed $24.5 million base salary for 2021.

With Tannehill under contract and the franchise tag deadline looming on Monday, it seems likely the Titans will tag running back Derrick Henry to ensure they hold onto the two biggest offensive reasons for their run to the AFC title game last season.

 

49ers say “no” to Tom Brady



The music is beginning to slow down, and the greatest quarterback in league history may find himself with not many seats from which to choose.

Chris Simms reports (stay out of my back yard, hippie) that the 49ers have decided not to pursue Tom Brady.

“It was Tom Brady’s No. 1 choice . . . to go to San Francisco and be the starting quarterback,” Simms says, adding that the 49ers eventually declined to pursue Brady.

The 49ers have instead decided to stick with Jimmy Garoppolo, Brady’s former understudy in New England who was traded from the Patriots to the 49ers in 2017.

With the Titans re-signing Ryan Tannehill, the primary potential designations for Brady appear to be the Patriots and the Buccaneers. One factor for Brady (and for the Patriots) could be the distinct possibility that world events will result in a reduced or eliminated offseason program. That will make it harder for Brady to make the adjustment to a new team, new offense, new coaching staff, new everything — and it will make it more likely that he’ll want to let it ride for one more year in New England.

NBC

 

Man Ryan Tannehill got Paid!

 

Kirk Cousins agrees to two-year extension with Vikings



Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t set for free agency this offseason and he won’t be hitting the open market next year either.

Cousins’ agent Mike McCartney announced that his client has agreed to a two-year extension in Minnesota. No other details were included in the announcement.

Cousins signed a fully guaranteed three-year, $84 million contract with the Vikings before the 2018 season and was set to have a cap number of $31 million this season. The extension will almost certainly bring that number down, but the full terms of the new deal will need to come in before we know just how much the agreement changes the outlook in Minnesota this season.

Cousins helped the Vikings to a Wild Card berth in his second season with the team and piloted them to a win over the Saints in the opening round of the playoffs.

NBC

 

Cowboys use exclusive franchise tag on Dak Prescott



The Cowboys had hoped to work out a long-term contract with Dak Prescott before the tag deadline. They didn’t.

So the Cowboys were forced to use the franchise tag on the quarterback, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reports. The team, unsurprisingly, chose the exclusive tag.

It marks the seventh time — on five players — the Cowboys have used the franchise tag. Three times — with Ken Hamlin in 2008, Dez Bryant in 2015 and DeMarcus Lawrence in 2019 — the Cowboys worked out long-term deals with the tagged players before training camp.

Dallas hopes to get a long-term deal completed before the July 15 deadline, but the sides have talked for more than a year without reaching an agreement.

The only quarterbacks who have played under the tag the entire season are Kirk Cousins in 2016 and 2017 in Washington and Drew Brees in 2005 in San Diego.

While the Cowboys continue to work on a deal for receiver Amari Cooper, the clock is ticking toward free agency. The receiver, whom the team acquired in a trade during the 2018 season, appears headed to the open market.

Cooper has expressed a desire to stay in Dallas, but he might find more money waiting for him elsewhere.

NBC

 

Why? this makes very little sense to me he can't beat teams with winning records he folds under pressure,i don't know if he can get any better,a 2 years extension ( sigh ) 66 million for 2 yrs WTF a Vikings fan that's not very happy about this

 

Bears are talking to Teddy Bridgewater

The Mitchell Trubisky era in Chicago could be ending. At least, his era as a starter.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, talks are underway between the Bears and Saints quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

The initial numbers floating around (something in the range of $21 million per year) suggest that Bridgewater would be installed as the No. 1 option in Chicago. And that would be a great deal for a guy who has started six games since January 2016.

Bridgewater was 5-0 last year with the Saints, while Drew Brees was injured. A first-round pick of the Vikings in 2014, a deal with the Bears would bring him back to the black-and-blue division.

NBC

 

Bears reached out to Jaguars about Nick Foles



As the Bears talk to Teddy Bridgewater about a starting job, they’re talking to the Jaguars about Nick Foles.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, the Bears have reached out about the Super Bowl LII MVP.

Foles signed a four-year, $88 million deal last year with the Jaguars. A Week One broken collarbone opened the door for Minshew Mania, and by the end of the season it had become clear that the Jaguars are all in with the sixth-round pick from Washington State.

If the Jaguars trade Foles, don’t expect them to pay any portion of his salary, like the Dolphins did last year with Ryan Tannehill. Foles is due to make $15.125 million this year, $14.875 million in 2021, and $20 million in 2022. He received a $25 million signing bonus and a $5 million salary last year from the Jaguars.

A trade to the Bears would reunite Foles with former Chiefs assistant Matt Nagy, whose time with Foles also includes the quarterback’s rookie season in Philadelphia. Foles played in three games during his one season with the Chiefs, generating a passer rating in excess of 100.

Foles also beat the Bears in the 2018 postseason, upsetting Chicago at Soldier Field in a wild-card game that ended with a notorious double-doink.

The news comes at a time when the Bears also are talking to Teddy Bridgewater‘s camp, something that PFT reported and Brad Biggs of the Chicago Sun-Times has confirmed.

NBC

 

Marcus Mariota agrees to terms with Raiders on deal

Marcus Mariota is headed west in the near future.

The Las Vegas Raiders have agreed to terms with the quarterback on a deal, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported.

This development essentially closes the book on Mariota's career in Tennessee, which was headed for an end after Ryan Tannehill agreed to terms on a four-year, $118 million deal with the team Sunday.

That deal followed what became a half-season-long exercise in writing Mariota's Titans fate on the wall slowly in navy and light blue paint. Each Tannehill touchdown pass was another brush stroke toward Mariota leaving Nashville, the place he's called home since the Titans made him the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 draft. The quarterback spent the second half of the season on the bench, relegated there as a result of coach Mike Vrabel deeming it time to go to the backup in order to jumpstart Tennessee's lagging season.

It worked, resulting in a run to the AFC Championship Game, a payday for Tannehill and a parting of ways for Mariota, who appears set to become Derek Carr's backup in the Raiders' new Nevada digs. We're sure to hear at least some corner of Raider Nation campaign for Mariota to get a fair shot at the job, but based off what general manager Mike Mayock had to say about Carr at the NFL Scouting Combine, Carr is firmly seated as the starter. Mariota does offer the Raiders some security, though, in the event Carr suffers an injury and can't play.

Beyond that, he'll be a well-known backup. If his time in Tennessee proves anything, he'll be a supportive understudy.

NFL.com

 

They are all in on Cousins. The market puts Cousins up against othe veteran FA's that frankly, the Vikings have no interest in, or would'nt be much of an upgrade, in my opinion.

The NFL's highest paid player is going to run the offense by handing off the ball a lot this season... not a bad gig, lol.

Seriously, Rivers, Daltons, Winstons, Brady's don't temp me or the Vikings at all. Just seemed like the Vikings had no real other options at this time.

 

After a wild day in the NFL, free agent quarterback situation remains in flux

It was a wild Monday in the NFL, with big moves happening all day and into the wee hours of Tuesday morning — except at the quarterback position.

The biggest free agent of all, Tom Brady, has had no news at all. And the same can be said for Drew Brees, Jameis Winston and Philip Rivers, all of whom are set to become unrestricted free agents when the new league year opens on Wednesday. The quarterback situation remains in flux.

But everywhere else, there was big news on the first day of the “legal tampering” period.

One of the best wide receivers in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins, was traded to the Cardinals. Shockingly, the Cardinals didn’t even have to give up a first-round draft pick, instead sending a second-round pick as well as running back David Johnson, whose contract the Cardinals likely didn’t want anyway.

Another wide receiver, Stefon Diggs, did fetch a first-round pick, which the Bills sent to the Vikings to acquire him.

The Colts also gave up a first-round pick, No. 13 overall, to the 49ers to acquire defensive lineman DeForest Buckner, who got a lucrative new contract in the deal. The 49ers may have felt they couldn’t afford to keep Buckner while also giving defensive lineman Arik Armstead the five-year deal he signed Monday.

The top-ranked free agent to agree to a contract on the first day of the legal tampering period was Cowboys wide receiver Amari Cooper, who will stay in Dallas after spurning an offer from Washington.

The Cowboys also lost a top player, however, when cornerback Byron Jones signed a deal with the Dolphins that makes him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. Another expensive cornerback, James Bradberry, signed with the Giants.

The Browns bolstered their offensive line by adding right tackle Jack Conklin, and they also added a pricey tight end in Austin Hooper. After losing Hooper, the Falcons traded for tight end Hayden Hurst.

It was a busy day in the NFL, but many more busy days are coming. Especially when the quarterback dominoes start to fall.

NBC

 

Ryan Pace is navigating this offseason like Stevie Wonder trying to drive through gridlock traffic.

 

Stevie Wonder would f*** a lot less up, because eventually something would stop his car. Bears ownership gave Pace a shiny new armored truck with that recent extension...

In case that metaphor doesn't work: F*** Ryan Pace.