MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Drew Lock throwing to Jerry Jeudy in Denver



The Broncos took wide receivers with their first two picks in this year’s draft, but the process of fitting them into the offense has been complicated by the fact that teams aren’t working together at their facilities this offseason.

Jerry Jeudy has found a way to make the best of that situation. Jeudy was the team’s first-round pick in April and Mike Klis of KUSA reports that he has been catching passes from quarterback Drew Lock “daily” at a field in Denver.

The decision to draft Jeudy and second-rounder K.J. Hamler was seen as a move to set Lock up for a successful second NFL season by surrounding him with more options. Running back Melvin Gordon and tight end Albert Okwuegbunam are other new additions to the skill positions in Denver.

Training camp will give them all a chance to get on the field together, but, for now, Lock and Jeudy are working to build chemistry the Broncos hope will result in big plays this fall.

NBC

 

After losing 17 pounds over the past year, down to 218, Dwayne Haskins said he feels “more dynamic.”

No one is questioning the Washington quarterback’s commitment now.

“I won’t necessarily say it’s about football; it’s with everything in life: I just wanted to be a man about my business and that’s on and off the field,” Haskins said Wednesday, via Peter Hailey of NBCSportsWashington.com. “Now that I’ve turned 23, still being young, still growing, I just wanted to — whatever there were, questions about immaturity or lack of whatever it was — I was going to change that.”

Washington appears to be getting a more mature Dwayne Haskins this season. At least that’s the view of Ron Rivera, who has appreciated Haskins accepting the new coach’s challenge to improve as a leader.

Haskins, 23, has no doubt about his future.

“I’m going to deliver,” Haskins said. “It’s never a question of that.”

NBC

 

Philip Rivers learning offensive system, teammates



Philip Rivers hasn’t put on a Colts uniform yet, but he is getting comfortable in his surroundings, with his receivers and with the team’s offense.

Rivers, who has moved his family to Indianapolis, is working with tight end Jack Doyle, receiver Parris Campbell and center Ryan Kelly, among others.

“It’s important to all our guys that we get together and get some work done, because we’ve got some great work done in the meetings,” Rivers said Wednesday, via Mike Chappell of Fox 59. “But certainly, I haven’t met many of these guys in person much less thrown them a pass or had a person-to-person conversation. The few sessions we’ve had I really feel like we’ve gotten a lot out of these Zoom meetings.

“We start throwing and it really doesn’t feel like the first time once we get out there, because we really have been in some ways speaking the same language, depending on how long the player has been here, maybe years.”

Rivers has run Frank Reich’s system since 2013, so he has a familiarity with it. He went into the virtual offseason knowing more than 85 percent of the offense.

Reich and Rivers worked together for three seasons with the Chargers, and Colts offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni also was on the Chargers’ staff.

“I do know the scheme, but there’s always tweaks when you haven’t been with guys,” Rivers said, via Mike Wells of ESPN. “It’s been longer with Frank than Nick. Different terminology. I remember calling things this, now we’re calling that. I feel like that’s been good for me. As far as studying playbook stuff, I haven’t had to do that in a long, long time. That’s been fun to do. Kind of a challenge.”

Rivers, 38, turned the ball over 23 times last season, third-most in the NFL, but he still believes he has some good football left in him. Rivers heard the whispers after the season that he was done, and it has him motivated to prove otherwise.

“At times what may have aggravated me a little bit last year was [critics saying] that I couldn’t play anymore,” Rivers said. “When you heard that, it bothered me because I wanted to go, ‘Shoot, let’s go turn on the tape and watch all the good things.’ There were some bad plays. Certainly some throws I want back and certainly some very costly mistakes. I own up to all those. There was so much good and I had some throws last year that were probably as good as I’ve had my whole career. I knew. So I didn’t feel like I had to sell that to anyone. But at the same time, it did aggravate you little bit. I think it’s OK to be aware. I’m one of those guys that likes to be aware.”

NBC

 

Tua Tagovailoa’s physical therapist: “He’s doing miraculously well”



Dolphins rookie quarterback Tua Tagovailoa is healing better than expected from the hip injury that ended his final season at Alabama.

That’s the word from Kevin Wilk, his Alabama-based physical therapist, who says Tagovailoa is approaching full strength on a shorter timeline than people with his injury usually do.

“He’s doing miraculously well,” Wilk told the South Florida Sun-Sentinel. “The miraculous part is that he healed so well. The second part is, he’s been so well at getting his strength back, which usually takes a long time after something like this.”

Tagovailoa does about three and a half hours of work a day to strengthen the injured hip as well as both ankles, which he struggled to keep healthy at Alabama, as well as his throwing shoulder. Wilk and the Dolphins’ head trainer were in regular contact and Tagovailoa is doing everything expected of him and more.

“He’s laser focused. One of the most focused I’ve ever seen anybody, to be honest,” Wilk said.

Although injured players are declared ahead of schedule so often that it’s a red flag if a player is merely on schedule, Dolphins plans have to be pleased to hear that Tagovailoa seems to be trending toward being ready to go as a rookie.

NBC

 

Take your time here

 

Lamar Jackson: Titans 'caught us by surprise' in playoff loss

As the Ravens approached what we all thought would be their peak, they stumbled and tumbled in January, never to reach the mountaintop.

As it turns out, it was the other peak -- a peek -- that kept them from reaching their full potential.

That's what Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson said Tuesday, just hours after he'd been announced as Madden's newest cover athlete. Baltimore, much like its AFC North counterpart Pittsburgh did a few years earlier, got caught "peeking ahead" to the AFC Championship Game and never made it there.

"That's what happened in the playoffs, and we end up losing to the team people had us favored over," Jackson said during an appearance on Complex's Load Management podcast. "It's any given Sunday. You can't underestimate no team, no opponent and that's what we did.

"So I'm looking forward to this 2020 season playing the Browns first. ... Don't underestimate your opponents. They caught us by surprise. That's all it was."

It's coincidental that Jackson mentioned the Browns, a team that caught Baltimore by surprise in a 41-20 shellacking of the Ravens in Week 4. The defeat accounted for one half of Baltimore's regular-season losses and was, in fact, the Ravens' last defeat until they met the Titans in the Divisional Round. The Titans, meanwhile, had made their hay catching opponents by surprise, going from a rudderless 2-4 squad after six weeks to a red-hot playoff contender to a participant in the AFC Championship Game.

Perhaps we should have seen this coming after the Titans hung 43 points on those same Browns in Cleveland to start the season, or when they outlasted the league darling Chiefs in Week 10, or when they rode that victory to a 6-2 finish to the regular season and a wild card berth.


Or maybe their upset win over the Patriots in Foxborough the week prior should have opened Baltimore's eyes.

It didn't, though, and Jackson had his worst outing since that Week 4 loss, accounting for three turnovers in a defeat that left Baltimore and the rest of the NFL stunned. Jackson is out to ensure that doesn't happen again in 2020, as his Ravens appear even better positioned to make a serious run at a title. It's tough to improve on 14-2, but that will be the goal of Jackson's Ravens -- before they plan to run roughshod through the postseason. There will be no peeking in 2020.

NFL.com

 

I hope they decide to peek at the playoffs on tv because they won’t make it this season

 

Joe Brady: Teddy Bridgewater makes everybody better



Teddy Bridgewater has not played as a full-time starter since a career-threatening knee injury in August 2016. But the Panthers saw enough — and knew enough about him — that they signed Bridgewater in free agency as their quarterback of the present and the future.

Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady was an offensive assistant with the Saints when New Orleans acquired Bridgewater from the Jets in August 2018. Brady spent a lot of time with Bridgewater familiarizing the quarterback with the offense.

Now, Brady and Bridgewater are working closely together again.

“Everybody that’s met Teddy Bridgewater, he makes everybody better,” Brady said during a video conference call Thursday, via Myles Simmons of the team website. “We had a day where we had Teddy running the meetings. I think that that’s critical, having a guy that understands a good amount of the system and what we’re doing, but also has an idea of football and being able to explain it and teach it to others.

“I think from a quarterback standpoint, when you’re able to install a play, you’re able to communicate terminology — even if it’s different than what you’ve known in the past — it just shows how valuable you are.”

Bridgewater went 5-0 for the Saints last season with Drew Brees sidelined. In 2015, the last time Bridgewater was a full-time starter, he went 11-5 with the Vikings and earned Pro Bowl honors.

“I knew what we had in Teddy Bridgewater,” Brady said. “I know the type of winning football that he has [played] and is going to play. So I’m excited for him to finally be able to do that again.”

NBC
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Panthers worked on defense during the draft and have a very good and consistent QB... they will make a splash.

 

Dak Prescott to sign franchise tender



The Cowboys don’t have to worry about a holdout of their franchise quarterback.

Dak Prescott will sign his franchise tender today or tomorrow, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

That means he’s willing to play on a one-year deal with a guaranteed salary of $31.4 million in 2020, and he will be there at the start of training camp.

It’s still possible that the Cowboys and Prescott could agree to a long-term contract extension. They have until July 15 to work out a longer deal. But if no deal is reached by then, Prescott will make $31.4 million in 2020 and then either hit free agency in 2021, sign a long-term deal with the Cowboys next offseason, or be guaranteed at least $37.7 million in 2021 if the Cowboys were to franchise him again.

Prescott has made less than $5 million so far in his career. He’s worth a whole lot more than that, and he’ll make a whole lot more than that this year.

NBC

 

As reported initially by ESPN’s Adam Schefter, PFT has confirmed that Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott will sign the exclusive franchise tender. He’s guaranteed to make $31.4 million in 2020.

So why sign it now, several weeks before the deadline for doing a long-term deal? Prescott sacrifices the ability to hold out during training camp and the preseason, but that’s not something he was inclined to do. By regarding his situation as a contract year that pays out $31.4 million with the potential to make $37.68 million if they tag him in 2021, Prescott’s bests interests are served by showing up and preparing to perform at the highest level. Unlike former Steelers running back Le'Veon Bell, who skipped all of the 2017 training camp and preseason, Prescott needs work and reps and preparation. Tailback is largely a plug-and-play position. Quarterback isn’t, especially with a new head coach.

So even though Prescott had the ability to stay away — and to threaten to do so in advance of the July 15 deadline — he ultimately wasn’t going to do it.

Conversely, Prescott couldn’t know for sure whether the Cowboys would decide to threaten to rescind the tender. Yes, COO Stephen Jones said on #PFTPM several weeks back that the team definitely would not be rescinding the franchise tender. But that was hardly binding. Ten years ago, for example, owner Jerry Jones said he’d definitely not be firing coach Wade Phillips during the season — and then Jones did.

At some level, Prescott and his agents had to be concerned that the Joneses would suggest as the clock approaches 4:00 p.m. ET on July 15 that, if he doesn’t accept their best offer, they’d take that $31.4 million, sign Jadeveon Clowney, trade for Jamal Adams, and then see what they can do with Andy Dalton (or maybe Cam Newton) at quarterback. And if that had happened, what would Dak have gotten on the open market at a time when depth charts are set and budgets are turned upside down?

Now, the issue is framed: Prescott makes $31.4 million this year, not matter what. Next year, he gets $37.68 million, if they tag him again. In 2022, it’s more than $45 million under the transition tag, more than $54 million under the franchise tag, a long-term, deal or free agency. The question continues to be what will the Cowboys offer to Prescott in exchange for the considerable bird perched in his hand?

By signing the tender, that bird cannot fly away. Which ultimately is why Prescott signed it now, as the final stages of negotiations on a long-term deal are looming.

NBC

 

Dak Prescott put pen to paper on his exclusive franchise tag.

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback signed the one-year tender worth $31.4 million on Monday, the team announced.

The move was expected after the team's virtual offseason ended. If Prescott planned to hold out beyond the spring program -- which the QB eschewed -- he wouldn't have signed the tender. The signing means Prescott will attend Mike McCarthy's first training camp in Dallas.

Both sides have until July 15 to work out a long-term contract, or Prescott will play 2020 on the franchise tag. The Cowboys could use the tag again next year if a multi-year pact isn't reached.

The Cowboys have used the franchise tag eight times since 1993 on six players (DeMarcus Lawrence and Anthony Spencer twice each), per NFL Research. Dallas worked out long-term deals in three of the previous seven instances (Lawrence, Dez Bryant and Ken Hamlin). Two of those three long-term deals were signed on the July 15 deadline (Bryant, Hamlin).

Prescott's signature on the franchise tender makes him the ninth of 14 tagged players to ink their one-year deals ahead of the July deadline -- A.J. Green, Chris Jones, Yannick Ngakoue, Shaquil Barrett and Justin Simmons are the remaining five.

Prescott, a two-time Pro Bowler, signing his tender isn't an indication a deal will come down sooner than next month's deadline. The biggest holdup in contract talks is less about the monetary figures per year and more about the number of seasons included. The Cowboys reportedly want a five-year contract while Prescott would prefer four years, and get to free agency again at the age of 30.

NFL.com

 

Rams OC wants Jared Goff to take 'ownership' of offense in 2020

Jared Goff enters his fifth season with the Los Angeles Rams coming off a disappointing 2019 campaign.

After an offseason which saw Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks, staples of the offense, depart, offensive coordinator Kevin O'Connell is looking for Goff to level up.

"There's a layer going into his fifth year, his fourth year in the offense, of ownership, where you feel strongly about presenting him with a plan where he could truly have some ownership, while also understanding at the end of the day, it's just about being great with the details of doing his job," O'Connell said, via the team's official website.

Goff struggled last season behind a faulty offensive line on an offense that never found an identity last season with Gurley being held back. Even as the parts around him weren't as overpowering as they'd been during his two Pro Bowl seasons, Goff has owned his own struggles last season, which saw him far too skittish in the pocket at times and make many ill-advised throws, leading to a career-high 16 INTs.

The Rams signed Goff to a massive contract extension before last season, which puts his salary cap number in the $30 million range for the next five years. It was a deal that tied L.A. to the former first-round pick for the next several seasons without an out. The Rams are all-in on Goff, whether they like it or not.

Coach Sean McVay reworked the coaching staff this offseason, including hiring O'Connell as a full-time OC, in an effort to help get more out the QB the Rams are married to for the foreseeable future.

Playing in the toughest division in the NFL, the Rams need Goff not only to take ownership of the offense but to become a playmaker for a unit that struggled with consistency last season.

NFL.com

 

Doug Williams: Dwayne Haskins has the best arm of any QB drafted the last two years



Washington Senior VP of Player Development Doug Williams knows something about the quarterback position, as a Super Bowl MVP winner himself, and he says his team has something special in second-year quarterback Dwayne Haskins.

Williams said on 106.7 The Fan that Haskins has a better arm than any other quarterback in either this year’s draft or last year’s draft.

“I don’t care who came out this year, last year, there’s not a quarterback that’s come out in the last two years that has the ability – from an arm strength standpoint and arm talent – that Dwayne Haskins has,” Williams said, via NBCSportsWashington.com.

That would mean Haskins has a better arm not only than 2019 draft picks Kyler Murray, Daniel Jones and Drew Lock, but also that he has a better arm than 2020 picks Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jordan Love.

But Williams acknowledged there’s a lot more to being a great quarterback than having a great arm.

“Dwayne can throw with the best of them,” Williams said. “Now mentally, he has to control the other part, and I think he has aligned himself and realized that’s what he has to do and I think that’s what he’s doing. I think at the end of the day, give him the opportunity to do what everybody is doing, and that is to improve upon his game.”

Whether Haskins can improve is the biggest question in Washington this season.

NBC

 

Rhule: Teddy Bridgewater has 'arm strength' to throw deep ball

Matt Rhule is not concerned with the conversation surrounding new Panthers quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and his past history throwing downfield -- or lack thereof.

"I don't really listen, hear those things," the first-year Carolina head coach said Thursday, per the Panthers' official site. "Teddy, for us, is exactly what we want."

"He certainly has the arm strength to do it," Rhule added. "But I think he's done what he's been asked to do."

What Bridgewater was asked to do in five starts last season for the Saints was take care of the ball and keep the New Orleans offense afloat in relief of an injured Drew Brees -- and he did that with aplomb. Bridgewater went 5-0 as Brees rehabbed a broken thumb, throwing nine touchdowns to just two interceptions over that span to go along with 1,205 passing yards and a 69.7 completion percentage.

The one thing Bridgewater wasn't asked to do, however, was consistently test opponents deep. Per Next Gen Stats, Bridgewater ranked last in average intended air yards (6.2) and third to last in average completed air yards (4.6) among quarterbacks with a minimum of 128 pass attempts in 2019. Some of that can be attributed to the Saints' scheme as Brees posted similar splits last year (6.7 IAY and 5.2 CAY).

Judging off the quotes from Rhule, however, expect to see Bridgewater airing it out more under new Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady to take advantage of a trio of receivers with big-play potential.

"I think one of the great things that's one of the strengths of our team is that Robby Anderson's a deep-play threat. Curtis Samuel is a deep-play threat. DJ Moore is a deep-play threat," Rhule said. "So we feel like we have the power to be able to take advantage of throwing the ball downfield, and we know Teddy can do that."

NFL.com

 

Are Kirk Cousins' critics silenced ahead of 2020?

Scrutiny simply comes with being a signal-caller in the NFL.

Kirk Cousins, though, has long been saddled with another level of criticism for his struggles in high-profile games (and a hefty contract). In 2019, Cousins produced stellar statistics and a postseason victory against the favored New Orleans Saints.

But was it enough for the Minnesota Vikings quarterback to head into the 2020 season with his critics muted and the Skol nation behind him?

The numbers, at least, are in his favor and so too is the presence of Gary Kubiak.

In 2019, Cousins' 10 wins as a starter, his 26-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio and 107.4 quarterback rating were all career bests. And that 26-20 win in the NFC Wild Card over the Saints, the one in which he outperformed Drew Brees, was his first playoff win.

How Kirk Cousins stacked up in 2019
(Per NFL Research)

Kirk Cousins * *2019 Season * *NFL Rank

QB Wins 10 T-7th

Comp Pct. 69.1 4th

Pass Yds/Att 8.1 7th

TD-INT 26-6 6th

Passer Rating 107.4 4th

Cousins, the only QB in the league with 25 or more TD passes in five years running according to NFL Research, had his most successful season to date and now he will quarterback an offense with Kubiak as offensive coordinator. Past first seasons with Kubiak as OC have seen a windfall for his quarterbacks, such as John Elway (threw a then-career-high 26 touchdowns in 1995, per NFL Research), David Carr (led the NFL with a career-high 68.3 completion percentage in 2006), Joe Flacco (career-best 27 touchdown passes in 2014) and Peyton Manning (helped Broncos win Super Bowl 50).

Then again, naysayers are most difficult to quiet.


Cousins is still just 1-2 in the playoffs, 7-15 in prime time outings and 17-26-2 on the road. One good season isn't likely to hush his most vocal critics.

2019 was a good start on turning things around, though – a collection of good starts, in fact.

NFL.com

 

As Bears offense waned, WR Allen Robinson still shined

A quarterback competition has rolled into Chicago and it was forecast following an offensive regression that took the Bears from Super Bowl contender to the NFC North's third-place squad.

Though Mitchell Trubisky has taken the grizzly's share of the blame for the Bears' offensive woes, it was very much the offense as a whole. All except wide receiver Allen Robinson, that is.

Productive in all weathers and dependable throughout the campaign, Robinson improved from his 2018 output while the rest of the Bears offense waned, reemerging as the talent who shined in the 2015 season with the Jaguars.

Nevermind the backdrop of a sputtering offense, Robinson, a Pro Bowl snub, nabbed a career-high 98 catches, which were seventh in the NFL. Along the way, he collected 1,147 yards receiving for his second 1,000-yard season and hauled in seven touchdown grabs. His previous 1,000-yard campaign was the aforementioned 2015, when he tallied 80 grabs for 1,400 yard and 14 touchdowns.

Striving to become the first back-to-back 1,000-yard receiver for the Bears since Alshon Jeffery (2013-14), Robinson will be looking to maintain his stellar play while simultaneously lifting the Chicago offense from its 2019 doldrums.

Bears Offense Matt Nagy Era
(Via NFL Research)

2018 2019

PPG 26.3 17.5

Total YPG 343.9 296.8

Pass YPG 222.8 205.7

Rush YPG 121.1 91.1

Big Plays 93 67

Despite Robinson's productivity last year, the Bears offense scored nearly 10 points fewer per game and tallied nearly 50 yards less per contest. One season under coach Matt Nagy, the Bears were the No. 9 scoring offense. A season later, they were No. 29.

Contrary to those team numbers, Robinson's individual stats were way up from 2018, though that was likely due to him playing in all 16 games as opposed to 13 the year prior, when he had 55 catches, 754 yards and four touchdowns.


If the Bears offense is to find its way back to his 2018 production, it won't simply be riding on the arm of Trubisky or Nick Foles. It's likely it'll have a lot to do with Robinson keeping up his sensational ways.

NFL.com

 

Pivotal season awaits returning Matthew Stafford, Lions

Myriad factors point to 2020 being a pivotal season for the Detroit Lions franchise.

A new era is underway as Sheila Ford Hamp has taken over for her mother Martha Firestone Ford. Though there's change at the very top, the expectations of becoming a contender following a disastrous three-win season remain the same and should those aspirations get cut short, an edict of change is likely to carry out with coach Matt Patricia and general manager Bob Quinn's employment presumed to be hanging in the balance.

With change being clamored for, though, a consistent Motor City storyline carries on and that is that the Lions' fortunes most likely rest upon the consistently stellar right arm of Matthew Stafford.

And the question remains, can Stafford's return be a catalyst for a Lions turnaround?

An ironman at quarterback who had recorded 136-straight starts before a back injury sidelined him in 2019, Stafford spent the last half of the season on the sidelines as the Lions never won a game without him and take a nine-game losing streak into a pivotal 2020 campaign.

Though promise existed at the onset of last season, even with Stafford at the helm the Lions were languishing and had lost four of five after a 2-0-1 beginning to the campaign.

The obvious hope is Stafford can pick up where he left off as he was turning in the best season of his impressive career. When Stafford's campaign came to a sudden halt, he had a 106.0 quarterback rating and was averaging 8.6 yards per attempt – each career-highs. His 312.4 yards and 2.4 touchdowns per outing were each his best since 2011.


While Stafford's early exit came with the Lions at a hardly impressive 3-4-1, it was still far better than the 0-8 skid in which Detroit ended the year, the offense sputtering along, more than eight points and 100 passing yards per game less without the Georgia product (according to NFL Research).

Lions With and Without
Matthew Stafford
2019 Season
(Via NFL Research)
With Without

W-L 3-4-1 0-8

PPG 25.5 17.1


Pass YPG 295.3 192.3

TD-INT 19-5 9-10

Passer Rating 106.0 69.8

Eleven seasons into an often-underrated NFL career, Stafford is already far and away the Lions' all-time leader in passing yards, his 41,025 yards closing in on triple that of the legendary Bobby Layne, a Hall of Famer who had 15,710 yards and is in second place in team history. Stafford's franchise-record 256 career touchdown passes are also more than double second-place Layne's 118.

Still, Stafford – the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft – has been unable to turn the fortunes of a long-beleaguered franchise all on his own despite his lofty numbers. During the days of Stafford, Detroit has had three head coaches, produced just four winning seasons, no division titles, three postseason berths with nary a playoff victory and is now coming off its worst season since 2009, when it all began with Stafford.

Nonetheless, as evidenced by last season, the Lions are certainly better with Stafford than they are without him.

There has been an abundance of Lions offseason additions – linebacker Jamie Collins, defensive tackle Danny Shelton, cornerback Desmond Trufant and safety Duron Harmon, among others – and an abundance of departures – offensive tackle Rick Wagner, defensive tackles "Snacks" Harrison and Mike Daniels and cornerback Darius Slay. Changes have been plentiful, but Stafford is still the centerpiece and the catalyst.

Stafford can sling it, there's no quandary in that regard. Can he do so at the same high level as he did prior to his injury and can he make the Lions a playoff contender are among the Lions' prevailing storylines when 2020 kicks off.

NFL.com

 

Ron Rivera: Don’t bet against Cam Newton

Washington head coach Ron Rivera will no longer be working with Cam Newton as his quarterback. But while Rivera is with Washington and Newton now with the New England Patriots, Rivera believes his former quarterback has a good chance at returning to his former form.

“He’s headed in the right direction,” Rivera said on 670 The Score. “I mean, he’s probably about as healthy as it gets from what I’ve seen on video. I think he’s ready to bust out.

“I would never bet against the young man, that’s for sure.”

Rivera and Newton spent nine years connected together as head coach and quarterback for the Panthers. Rivera was let go after last season as the Panthers wanted to change things up under new owner David Tepper. Newton was released by Carolina in late March after the initial waves of free agency had already come to pass.

Newton has been banged up the last few seasons. He’s twice had to have his throwing shoulder operated on and also missed 14 games last season due to a Lisfranc sprain in his foot. With teams unable to get an in-person look at Newton due to COVID-19 in free agency, he remained unsigned until the Patriots finally signed him to a one-year deal on Sunday.

“Don’t bet against him,” Rivera reiterated. “I really wouldn’t. First of all, you got to know who he is and understand what all he’s gone through. He’s a guy that’s always tried to do things, I think, because he’s felt the pressure. He felt the pressure of being the No. 1 overall pick. He felt the pressure of having won the Heisman Trophy and being the No. 1 overall pick. He felt the pressure of being a black quarterback, with all the stuff that’s been heaped on him.

“He’s really had to find his way through it, and he’s done a great job with it.”

Newton now gets to pair with Bill Belichick and Josh McDaniels as he tries to get back to the type of player he was when he won the league MVP in 2015 with the Panthers.

NBC

 

Packers sign QB Jordan Love to fully guaranteed rookie deal

Green Bay's potential long-term successor to Aaron Rodgers is officially under contract.

The Packers signed 26th-overall pick Jordan Love, the team announced Wednesday. Second-round pick A.J. Dillon also signed earlier Wednesday.

In a demonstration of the Packers' confidence in Love's future with the team, Green Bay signed him to a fully guaranteed four-year, $12,383,470 contract with a signing bonus of $6,566,160, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported. It's the first time the No. 26 pick has received a fully guaranteed deal under the current rookie contract system, Garafolo added.

Love's selection drew the ire of many Packers fans who were hoping Green Bay would spend its first-round pick on a receiver to add a weapon for Rodgers in Matt LaFleur's offense. Instead, the Packers looked toward the future, much like they did in 2005 when they spent the 24th-overall pick on Rodgers with Favre still on the roster.

That set up an ugly divorce, but Packers fans likely wouldn't trade the long-term outcome for a more graceful exit for Favre. After all, he was eventually invited back for his jersey retirement once the wounds healed.

Green Bay is hoping it can strike gold again with Love, whom the team described as having had "a dynamite 2018 season" at Utah State. His 2019 campaign wasn't as sharp, but his physical tools and potential still got him drafted in the first round. We'll see if it ends up being a wise pick.

Dillon arrives to Green Bay as a power-rushing complement to stud runner Aaron Jones. The former Boston College standout broke 1,000 yards on the ground in each of his three collegiate seasons, and while his selection also wasn't exactly showered with praise, he should fit nicely into LaFleur's offense in his second season as head coach.

NFL.com

 

Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson became the league MVP in only his second season. He has nowhere to go but down. He’s determined to keep going up.

“We had this conversation when I first saw him this offseason,” Jackson’s private quarterbacks coach, Joshua Harris, recently told Brent Sobleski of BleacherReport.com. “I told him, ‘Well, now you know you’re the MVP.’ He looked at me strangely because we never talk about accolades. He responded, ‘What do you mean, Coach?’ He might have been a target before because he’s the quarterback, but he’s going to have a huge target on his back, and they’re going to prepare more for your game.

“He explicitly said to me, ‘They’re preparing for me, but I’m preparing more for them. I’m going to keep a chip on my shoulder.’ He remembers being in that room before becoming the 32nd overall pick. That fuels all of his preparation and where his mindset is. He doesn’t see himself as the MVP; he sees himself as the fifth quarterback taken in his draft class.”

While it’s not quite the same as being the 199th pick in the draft, indignities linger, both big and small. For Jackson, waiting to be taken after Baker Mayield, Sam Darnold, Josh Allen, and Josh Rosen will continue to provide motivation, for as long as Jackson plays.

And while it’s true that defenses will devise new strategies for keeping Jackson from wreaking havoc with his legs and his arm, the more Jackson sees and experiences, the better he’ll be. He has only 22 career regular-season starts. As he starts more games, he’ll see more and learn more and understand more and get more out of an uncanny skillset that already has him among the best in the game — and that could eventually put him among the best to ever play.

NBC