MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

And that’s a point that I really can’t argue against because it is based mostly on your opinion of what you believe the situation likely was.

We see the topography of it differently so our gauge on the price is calibrated to different scales.

In the end, the only way we can properly assess whether or not the price was reasonable is by how Darnold performs.

 

Sam Darnold: I expected to play 20 years with the Jets and win Super Bowls



Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold thought he’d always be Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.

Darnold says that when the Jets selected him with the third overall pick in the 2018 NFL draft, he expected to be a Jets legend who would play for the team for decades and bring the Lombardi Trophy to New York.

“My expectations were to go in there and play 20 years and win Super Bowls. That was the dream going in there but obviously it didn’t work out,” Darnold said, via the New York Daily News. “Just thankful for the opportunity that organization gave me the three years that I was with them.”

That never came close to happening. Darnold lasted three seasons in New York, and the Jets had a losing record in all three.

“I always thought that I could make it work in New York, just being honest, I really did,” Darnold said. “My goal never changed even though there was speculation about me getting traded. I always believed that I can make it work and that we were going to get pieces and just win some games in New York and can go to the playoffs and eventually win a Super Bowl.”

Darnold said his advice for his successor as Jets quarterback (likely BYU’s Zach Wilson) would be, “Just have fun with it. At the end of the day it’s football.”

NBC

 

Going to be a good book/movie, im guessing.

 

Patrick Mahomes feels “ahead of schedule” after toe surgery



Patrick Mahomes wasn’t just posing for Adidas photos at the Masters earlier this month.

During his press conference to open the offseason program on Monday, Mahomes said he was out of the walking boot following surgery to repair ligaments in the big toe of his left foot.

“I think I’m progressing well. I think I’m ahead of schedule, myself. Obviously, they’re trying to be cautious and not push me out there too soon. But I’m doing what I can,” Mahomes said. “I’m trying to get back on the field and get that stuff working. So I’m sure they’ll keep me along that same pathway so that I can hopefully do some stuff by the end of the offseason.”

Head coach Andy Reid also noted Mahomes is doing “tremendous” in his recovery on Monday.

Mahomes underwent the surgery days after the Chiefs lost Super Bowl LV to the Bucs in February.

NBC

 

Nick Sirianni: Too early to say if Jalen Hurts will be Eagles’ starting quarterback



Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni is not ready to hand the starting quarterback job to Jalen Hurts just yet.

Although Hurts is the presumptive starter after he started at the end of last season and Carson Wentz was traded to the Colts, Sirianni said he wants to see competition at every position.

“To name a starter at this particular time . . . we’ve been working with these guys for two days,” Sirianni said of the offseason program that just began Monday.

The only other quarterback currently on the roster is Joe Flacco, so it certainly wouldn’t be much of a competition right now. Barring the Eagles shocking everyone and drafting a quarterback in the first round next week, Hurts would appear to be the overwhelming favorite. But Sirianni wants to take his time before making that official.

NBC

 

Joe Burrow “very optimistic” about playing Week 1



Joe Burrow underwent reconstructive knee surgery Dec. 2, leaving only nine months before the 2021 season opener. It left doubt about whether he would miss the beginning of his second season.

The Bengals quarterback has no doubt.

“I’m very optimistic about where I’m at and also where the team is at,” Burrow told Cris Collinsworth on a 30-minute Pro Football Focus podcast. “Rehab is going very, very well and lifting is going very, very well. I’m in great shape. Legs feel good; knee feels good. There’s still a long way to go, but I’m expecting to be there on the first snap of 2021.

“I’m expecting to play Game 1. I expect to take part in practice. I’m feeling really good. I’m ahead of schedule.”

Burrow said he began dropping back and throwing more than a week ago. He also is simulating play-action passes to stationary equipment managers.

“I can’t roll out and throw yet,” Burrow said, but “it’s feeling good right now.”

Burrow, the No. 1 overall choice in 2020, threw for 2,688 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions in 10 games as a rookie.

NBC

 

Zach Wilson has asked Sanchez, Pennington, McCown what it’s like to play for the Jets



It won’t become official until Thursday night, but BYU quarterback Zach Wilson is all set to become a Jet.

Wilson has contacted Mark Sanchez, Chad Pennington and Josh McCown to pick their brains about what it’s like to play for the Jets and in New York City, according to Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network.

Sanchez was drafted fifth overall by the Jets in 2009 and played with them until 2013. Pennington was drafted 18th overall by the Jets in 2000 and played there until 2007. McCown played for the Jets in 2017 and 2018.

Wilson is expected to be drafted second overall by the Jets in the 2021 NFL draft, and they’re hoping he’ll be their franchise quarterback for a decade or more. By learning from people who have been there, Wilson is hoping to be ready to go as a rookie.

NBC

 

I don’t know if your ever “ready”. Just weather the storm until you get comfortable.

 

He should have asked Sam Darnald

 

Too soon, maybe??

 

Jim Irsay: Carson Wentz will dictate how far we go



The Colts made a bet that quarterback Carson Wentz can rebound when they traded for him earlier this offseason and the team’s owner isn’t underselling the importance of that outcome.

During an appearance on 107.5 The Fan, Jim Irsay noted the importance of building an entire roster by pointing out how offensive line struggles impacted Patrick Mahomes in the Super Bowl. He also noted that the makeup of other positions isn’t going to amount to much if the Colts can’t get Wentz back on the track he was on earlier in his career.

“Let’s be honest about the situation, how well is Carson Wentz going to do, I think that is really going to dictate just how far we go,” Irsay said. “That’s just reality. I’m not saying that as a headline. Now, he needs support. He needs people around him. We saw the Super Bowl and Mahomes with no tackles. He looked pedestrian. That’ll happen because you need support. But, really, if Frank Reich can get Carson Wentz’s play to an extremely high level and we feel that he can, and Carson, unquestionably, has every single tool mentally, physically, emotionally to do that, then you’ve got something special. There’s no doubt about it. That’s what I know Colts fans will be looking to see, just how good can Carson Wentz get? That’s really the intriguing question that everyone has and only time will tell.”

The Colts have had a different starting quarterback in each of Reich’s years with the team and they’ve been able to advance to the playoffs twice. That speaks well of the job Reich and General Manager Chris Ballard have done building the roster, but getting a long-term answer at the most important position on the field would be a welcome development in Indianapolis.

NBC

 

Report: Steelers, Mason Rudolph have a deal on a one-year extension



A report earlier Thursday indicated the Steelers were close to an agreement on an extension with Mason Rudolph. The sides now have completed the deal.

Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports Rudolph has agreed to a one-year extension with the Steelers through 2022.

Rudolph was entering the last year his rookie deal with a $1 million base salary.

Ben Roethlisberger possibly is entering his final season in Pittsburgh. The Steelers also have Dwayne Haskins and Joshua Dobbs on the roster, but both are signed only through 2021.

Rudolph, 25, is 5-4 in nine career starts since the Steelers made him a third-round choice in 2018. JHe has 2,089 career passing yards, 15 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

NBC

 

What happens if Packers don’t trade Aaron Rodgers?



The cat is out of the bag. Aaron Rodgers wants out of Green Bay.

There’s a poetry, and potentially a significant amount of orchestration, that has gone into Rodgers using the first day of the draft to make his power play. Indeed, it was last year on the first night of the draft that the Packers sent Rodgers four fingers deep in tequila after packaging a first-round pick and a fourth-round sweetener to trade up for Jordan Love.

Rodgers, as we’ve reported, has a wish list. It remains the 49ers, the Broncos, and the Raiders. So what if the Packers continue to refuse to trade him?

Rodgers has leverage. He can do what Deshaun Watson did in Houston, before the legal issues arose. Rodgers can make it known that he’s done, allowing the Packers to come to terms with the reality that they can either trade him and get value or have him never show up again — and get nothing and like it.

It wouldn’t be an inexpensive proposition for Rodgers. He has $23 million in unearned signing bonus money that he’d owe the Packers, and he’d also give up $14.7 million in 2021 salary. Also, his recent roster bonus of $6.8 million surely would be forfeited if he walks away from the game in the event that he doesn’t get traded.

The Packers have other leverage. They have Jordan Love; thus, they wouldn’t be left holding the bag with no quarterback. Also, as Rodgers gets closer to the end of his career, would he really give up one of his remaining seasons to prove a point?

Then there’s the possibility that Rodgers becomes a pariah among Packers fans. Although he has yet to address the situation, he’s likely to act like it’s all overblown and overplayed and overhyped when he does, downplaying the aftermath of the fuse he deliberately ignited. He does not want to be vilified by the Green Bay faithful. Thursday’s events could set him up for a backlash. Quitting on the Packers could make it even worse.

Before any of that becomes relevant, the Packers will have to persist in their refusal to trade him, either during the draft or as a post-June 2 transaction, which would significantly reduce the cap charge. However it plays out, the situation quickly has gone from dormant to full boil.

And even though he’d undoubtedly deny it, Rodgers surely loves every second of it. He’s finally getting his revenge, in a move that carries with equal parts Godfather and #GameofThrones.

NBC

 

A post-June 1 Aaron Rodgers trade makes much better sense for Packers



The Green Bay Packers say they’re not trading quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Just like multiple teams have said in the past, about multiple players who eventually were traded.

If the Packers are going to trade Rodgers, it could make sense to process the transaction as a post-June 1 deal.

Trading Rodgers before June 2 would result in a $31.55 million cap acceleration. Coupled with the cap charge coming from the $6.8 million roster bonus that Rodgers already has been paid, that would amount to $38.35 million in dead money.

A post-June 1 trade would reduce the added 2021 cap charge to $14.352 million, pushing the balance of $17.198 million to 2022.

Thus, even though teams like the Broncos and Raiders have used their 2021 first-round picks, the Packers would be better off waiting until June 2 to do the deal — which would entail getting draft picks in 2022 or beyond.

NBC

 

It also gives them a chance to evaluate what is best and see if reconciliation can be had.

 

Justin Fields: I don’t feel added pressure due to Bears QB history



The Bears made a big move up the board in Thursday night’s first round to take quarterback Justin Fields in a move they hope that will give them a long-term answer at the quarterback position.

Every team picking a quarterback in the first round has that hope, although not all of them have been searching for that player for as long as the Bears have been searching. During a press conference on Friday, Fields was asked if he feels added pressure because of that history.

Fields said he doesn’t because he already aspired to be exactly the player that the Bears have been missing.

“I don’t think there’s pressure at all on me because I expect myself to be a franchise quarterback. There’s really no added pressure. . . . I expect myself to be a franchise quarterback and, hopefully, a top-five quarterback.” Fields said.

The Bears said on Thursday night that Andy Dalton is still the No. 1 quarterback, but that will likely be subject to change at any point. When it does, the hope in Chicago is that Fields runs with the job for a very long time.

NBC
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Fields also addressed his epilepsy... said it never effected his football or cost him any time.

 

My favourite part of this thread is that it is an actual QB thread and not a hindsight thread.

 

Aaron Rodgers reportedly will consider retirement to leave Green Bay



While the actual players drafted generated the annual interest the event does, the Aaron Rodgers drama took over Thursday’s NFL headlines. It became known the reigning MVP no longer wants to play for the Packers, with last year’s scrutinized Jordan Love pick at the center of Rodgers’ disenchantment with the franchise.

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst subsequently issued multiple statements indicating the team will not trade its incumbent starter. The Packers are taking a year-to-year approach with Rodgers, but some type of extension discussions have occurred — even after Green Bay drafted Rodgers’ would-be heir apparent last year. Rodgers may now be ready to play another card.

The 37-year-old passer will threaten to retire, unless this situation is repaired considerably, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

One of the first guest hosts on "Jeopardy!" this year, Rodgers is among those vying to succeed Alex Trebek. While his two-week run as host was viewed as favorable, there will be several others in contention for the permanent gig. Rodgers previously hoped to land the "Jeopardy!" gig while continuing his career, and at the time of those comments, regular Green Bay-to-Los Angeles flights appeared to be in the QB’s future. Now, staying in Wisconsin is no longer in the three-time MVP’s plans.

Rodgers’ hopeful trade destinations became known shortly after his desire to leave Green Bay did. The 49ers, Broncos and Raiders appeared on said list. Some buzz about the Broncos moving forward with an effort to land Rodgers emerged on Twitter just ahead of the draft, but Rapoport adds the Rodgers-to-Denver talk was overblown. A few teams called the Packers, with the 49ers confirming as such, but Rapoport notes Green Bay shut down any such efforts.


This stalemate could venture into Carson Palmer-Bengals territory, which would be interesting considering David Dunn — Palmer’s agent at the time he staged a retirement in hopes of ending the Cincinnati portion of his career — also represents Rodgers. Palmer followed through on his retirement threat in 2011, stepping away from the team for several months after making it known he did not want to play a ninth season with the Bengals. The team ended up trading Palmer to the Raiders just ahead of that year’s deadline.

Although Rodgers’ $6.8M roster bonus — paid earlier this year — would be subject to forfeiture if he retires, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap, the future Hall of Famer has banked a considerable amount of money in his 16-year career. Both he and the Packers could dig in here, creating a lengthy stalemate.

YARDBARKER

 

I was very adamant that this was just Rodgers b****ing to get his way, as he usually does. That we'd see some picks made to placate him, or a lucrative contract would be announced, and then he'd play it off like the media blew it up and there was never really an issue (in typical smarmy fashion). I even texted a coworker friend of mine multiple times saying people are falling for it again, etc...

But this might get interesting. Retire, eh, Rodgers? Just don't f***ing ruin Jeopardy, you prick.