Category: Latest News

Free-agent OLB Clay Matthews jokes he should have signed with the Ravens last year

After getting cut by the LA Rams this offseason, OLB Clay Matthews joked he should have signed with the Baltimore Ravens instead.

The Baltimore Ravens were hungry for pass rushers last offseason. After losing Za’Darius Smith and Terrell Suggs in free agency, Baltimore tried to find affordable options to fill their roster. One player they showed quite a lot of interest in was outside linebacker Clay Matthews. After the Green Bay Packers moved on from him, Matthews apparently had a choice between the Ravens and Los Angeles Rams.

With Baltimore going 14-2 while the Rams failed to make the playoffs, it seems pretty obvious that Matthews chose poorly.

According to NFL Network’s Michael Silver, Matthews joked that with some hindsight, he signed with the wrong team.

Though some had though Matthews might be on the downside of his career, Los Angeles got quite a lot of production from him. Matthews posted eight sacks over 13 games for the Rams last season and had 28 total pressures.

Matthews could be an attractive option for Baltimore, who still need help at outside linebacker after using the franchise tag on Matthew Judon. While the Ravens don’t have a ton of salary-cap space currently, according to Over The Cap, Matthews is likely to be signed on a cheap short-term deal anyway.

Matthews signed a team-friendly contract with Los Angeles last year that ultimately turned into a one-year deal when they cut him. He only ended up being a $3.5 million cap hit for 2019, according to OTC. More importantly to Baltimore is that by the Rams cutting him, he won’t count against the compensatory pick formula which the Ravens love to game for additional picks.

With Baltimore’s need and Matthews potentially wanting to fix a previous mistake, the Ravens make a lot of sense to land him this offseason.

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Titans’ Derrick Henry offers well wishes to Todd Gurley after release

Derrick Henry wished Todd Gurley well after he was released.

The Los Angeles Rams parted ways with running back Todd Gurley on Thursday by cutting him, which will save the cash-strapped team some money and make Gurley a free agent.

Gurley took it all in stride, though, and had a pretty funny tweet in response to the move. Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry retweeted Gurley and offered him well wishes.

This is yet another cautionary tale in the argument against paying running backs big money.

The Rams signed Gurley to a huge four-year, $60 million extension in 2018, but the 25-year-old’s production declined significantly in 2019 and he has arthritis in one of his knees.

Now, the Rams will be forced to eat more money than they are set to save by releasing Gurley.

The Titans are faced with the same dilemma of what to do with their star running back this offseason, as Henry was set to become a free agent before the team franchise tagged him.

Tennessee has until July 15 to work out a long-term deal with him, but clearly there is at least some hesitation on the Titans’ part to pay Henry big money — and Gurley is just the latest example of why that is the case.

Before franchise tagging him, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reported that contract talks between Henry and the Titans “haven’t really gotten off the ground.”

This appears to be a situation that could drag out until the aforementioned deadline, with the end result possibly being Henry playing out the 2020 season on the tag and both sides being back in the same boat in 2021.

Titans make Jurrell Casey trade official, Jon Robinson releases statement

Titans GM Jon Robinson has addressed the Jurrell Casey trade.

The Tennessee Titans made the trade of Jurrell Casey to the Denver Broncos official on Thursday via Twitter, and along with it came a statement from general manager Jon Robinson.

According to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online, Robinson showered the nine-year veteran with praise as he prepares to head to Denver.

“When I first arrived in Tennessee as the Titans general manager, Jurrell (Casey) was the first Titan I met,” Titans general manager Jon Robinson said in a statement. “He welcomed me to the team, and said he was ready to get back to winning. It’s been an honor to work with him the last four seasons. He has been a consummate professional in our building, a captain, a leader in our community, and a fearless, productive competitor on gamedays. The list of awards and honors he has won both on and off the field are numerous. I wish him nothing but the best moving forward, your legacy here will never be forgotten. Thank you Jurrell….a Titan Great!”

In exchange for Casey, the Titans received a seventh-round pick. This was obviously a case of a salary dump and it’s possible Robinson has his eyes on something big in free agency.

With the move, Tennessee will save about $10 million towards their 2020 cap space.

Casey will not be easily replaced, though. The former third-round pick of the Titans was a class act during his tenure in Nashville and was a leader for his teammates, and especially so for young players.

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Bengals can expect Dolphins to keep trying to trade up to No. 1 for Joe Burrow

Expect the Dolphins to keep trying with the Bengals.

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The Cincinnati Bengals are losing out on the game of quarterback musical chairs when it comes to finding a trade partner for Andy Dalton.

But so are the Miami Dolphins.

With Nick Foles going to Chicago, Teddy Bridgewater to Carolina, Philip Rivers to Indianapolis and Tom Brady to Tampa Bay, among others, there aren’t many vacancies left, nor viable passers for the Dolphins to pursue.

Which again brings up the idea the Dolphins could try to trade up into the No. 1 spot for Joe Burrow.

They’d just have to get the Bengals to sign off on the idea.

From Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald:

“The Dolphins want to trade up to grab Joe Burrow with the first overall selection, if possible. They will make that attempt.”

Not happening.

The conversation would have to start at Miami’s three first-round picks this year to likely get the Bengals to even answer the phone — Miami personnel better text ahead with a disclaimer.

No matter how free agency unfolded for the Bengals a trade out of No. 1 wasn’t going to enter the discussion. More picks would be nice but not nice enough to give up a chance at the best quarterback prospect since Andrew Luck.

The Bengals will probably hear no shortage of phone calls about the first pick. But Burrow is the plan barring something dramatic. The Bengals need more picks — but the trade-back conversations start at 33 in Round 2, not at first overall.

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Report: Titans ‘believed’ to have made offer to Jadeveon Clowney

The Titans are reportedly one of the teams to have made an offer to Jadeveon Clowney.

It appears the Tennessee Titans might be one of the teams that have made an offer to free-agent pass-rusher, Jadeveon Clowney.

According to Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune, Clowney is weighing multiple offers, and the Titans are “believed” to be one of the teams that have made one.

“Seattle began Thursday the way it began Wednesday, Tuesday, the week, the month—heck, the offseason: waiting for Clowney to decide if he wants to stay or go. The three-time Pro Bowl edge rusher has been weighing offers from multiple teams, believed to include the New York Jets and Tennessee Titans, in addition to the Seahawks.”

After the Titans traded away Jurrell Casey on Wednesday for basically nothing (a seventh-round pick) in what was a pure salary dump, it was figured that the team had something big up its sleeve.

Clowney would qualify as such, but he would come at a costly price. Some estimates have the 27-year-old getting $20 million or more in a contract, however there have also been rumors that teams aren’t willing to meet him that high.

If the market simply isn’t there for Clowney to get that much, he could come cheaper. Chances are the delay on him signing somewhere is because that is the case.

Titans head coach Mike Vrabel has plenty of familiarity with the former No. 1 overall pick, as Vrabel was his defensive coordinator in 2017 when both were with the Houston Texans. Clowney posted a career-high 9.5 sacks that season.

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Jurrell Casey admits to being ‘confused and hurt’ in farewell message to Titans

Jurrell Casey’s farewell message to the Titans.

For the first time since being traded to the Denver Broncos, former Tennessee Titans defensive lineman Jurrell Casey has spoken about the surprising move.

It a statement via his Instagram page, Casey admitted to being “confused and hurt” by the trade, but thanked the Titans organization and its fans.

View this post on Instagram

It has taken me a few hours to process & get on here, because y’all know I love TN & especially my Titans Fans. Keeping it light…Nine years ago the Titans took a chance on me & looking back I wouldn’t change a thing. We went through rough times (winning max 3 games multiple seasons) to good times (making it to the AFC championship)! Countless volunteer events getting to meet the awesome people that make TN so great. I would be lying if I said I wasn’t confused & hurt, but it’s a business! But, I am comforted with every text, call, comment, tweet + DM I have received. Y’all are showing your boy some real love & encouragement! Hoping I left my mark in TN because y’all will forever be in my heart. Thank you to the Titan’s organization and all the men who grinded with me day in and day out. All good things must come to an end… but, sometimes for even better things! … DENVER, WHATS GOOD?? #BroncosCountry

A post shared by Jurrell Casey (@tattedmonster99) on

Trading Casey has been a tough pill to swallow for Titans fans. He was a staple of the team’s defense for nine seasons and was a true class act the entire way.

Based on the reactions of some of his former teammates, Casey had an impact on everyone he came across, and replacing his leadership won’t be easy to do.

We wish Casey the best in his new home. The Broncos just got themselves a great player and an even better man.

Ravens announce Calais Campbell trade and one-year contract extension

The Baltimore Ravens make the trade for Calais Campbell official and announce a one-year contract extension as well.

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As previously reported, the Baltimore Ravens pulled off a trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars for defensive end Calais Campbell. The Ravens finally announced the terms of the trade, noting the fifth-round pick they gave up for Campbell was the one they received from the Atlanta Falcons in return for tight end Hayden Hurst. Baltimore also announced a one-year extension for Campbell, which will keep him under contract with the Ravens through the 2021 season.

While the exact terms of Campbell’s contract extension weren’t revealed, Baltimore likely arranged it to give them a little more breathing room on their 2020 salary cap. Before extending Campbell, the Ravens had just $5.26 million available, $5,260,779.

Campbell will help Baltimore with their interior pass rush, hopefully freeing up outside linebacker Matthew Judon to get more pressures and sacks. Last season for the Jaguars, Campbell posted 6.5 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, 33 total quarterback pressures, and 10 tackles for a loss. Over the last four years, Campbell has accounted for 39.5 sacks and has found the end zone three times returning fumble recoveries.

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D.J Reader was the plan all along for Bengals in free agency

The Bengals stuck to the plan.

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The Cincinnati Bengals got their guy.

While the Bengals were rumored to be finalists for Joe Schobert in free agency and also ended up signing Trae Waynes and Xavier Su’a-Filo, star defensive lineman D.J. Reader was always priority No. 1.

Paul Dehner Jr. of The Athletic explained:

“The Texans tackle had been the Bengals’ top priority for months. A defense with a scarcity of game-changing players needed playmakers and building from the defensive line was where they wanted to start.”

Call it two things. 1. That’s just how great Reader is. 2. This is a look at the current strategy.

The Bengals want to beef up the trenches and address coverage. They did. The former plays into the latter and vice versa. Reader next to Geno Atkins and others frees up those others to fill run gaps or get after the passer. Linebacker, analytically speaking, isn’t as important as pressure creators or coverage players in today’s game.

The fact the Bengals were in on Schobert wasn’t a one-or-the-other ordeal. Maybe they go Schobert and Reader, dismissing pursuit of Waynes.

But Reader was the main play. He’s that good already and has some upside. He’s incredibly rare, or at least as rare as 347-pound maulers who can create pressure are, anyway.

It feels a little strange to say the Bengals got their guy, who just happens to be a Tier 1 free agent — but here we are. Joe Burrow’s on the way and the Bengals are acting like it.

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Report: Titans free agent Logan Ryan wants at least $10 million per year

Logan Ryan is seeking at least $10 million per year.

Free agent cornerback Logan Ryan is reportedly looking for at least the same amount of money he received annually in his last contract from the Tennessee Titans.

According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Ryan is seeking a minimum of $10 million per year and is open to inking a short-term deal.

The 29-year-old is arguably the best player at his position left on the market at this point and he’s likely drawing interest from a lot of cornerback-needy teams.

Will that be enough for him to get what he wants? We shall see.

It remains to be seen if the Titans will bring him back, although the team did recently free up more cap space by trading Jurrell Casey on Wednesday.

If the Titans let Ryan leave Nashville, they do have a potential solution to replace him already on the roster in 2019 fourth-round pick Amani Hooker, who was an elite slot corner in college.

Ryan led the Titans in tackles (113) and passes defensed (18) last season, while also finishing tied for the third-most sacks (4.5).

Former Ravens QB Joe Flacco being released by Broncos

A year after trading a fourth-round pick for him, the Denver Broncos are waiving former Baltimore Ravens QB Joe Flacco.

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Former Baltimore Ravens quarterback and Super Bowl XLVII MVP Joe Flacco will hit the free-agent market for the first time in his 12-year career. A year after trading Baltimore a fourth-round pick for him, the Denver Broncos are set to waive Flacco, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

The move was expected this offseason thanks to his cap hit and Drew Lock supplanting him last season. Flacco was set to earn $23.65 million against Denver’s salary cap for the 2020 season and once cut the Broncos will free up $10.05 million.

It’s been a tough road for Flacco following the Ravens trading him last season. He only played in eight games for Denver before a neck injury forced him out and eventually to injured reserve. Flacco completed 65.3% of his 262 pass attempts for 1,822 yards, six touchdown passes and five interceptions.

At this point in Flacco’s career, he likely won’t be viewed as a starting option any longer. However, if he wants to continue playing, Flacco could draw some interest as a backup with starting experience.

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