Tag: 2020 NFL Offseason

Terry McLaurin’s agent will meet with Commanders this week at the combine

Could the Washington Commanders and Terry McLaurin agree to a contract extension soon? Washington should kick things off with a strong offer.

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Washington’s quarterback search may not be going exactly the way head coach Ron Rivera wants it to at the moment, but could the Commanders soon have some good news regarding one of their own players?

According to general manager Martin Mayhew, McLaurin’s agent will meet with Washington this week. Mayhew, who spoke at the NFL combine Wednesday, noted how McLaurin’s agent was based in Indianapolis, and the two sides would meet this week in hopes of kicking off talks on a new contract extension.

While an extension is unlikely to be reached this week, it’s a good sign that the two parties are meeting this early to set the parameters of a potential new deal.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post confirmed the meeting would occur Friday.

If I were Mayhew and Washington, I would come out of the gate strong with an offer to McLaurin. Kenny Golladay signed a four-year, $72 million contract with the Giants last offseason; those numbers should be the starting point. If the Commanders really want to grab McLaurin’s attention, offer him a similar deal to the rumored offer to Amari Cooper in the 2020 offseason.

Cooper signed a five-year, $100 million contract with Dallas over a supposedly better offer from Washington. While no one knows what the Commanders actually offered, Cooper’s contract with Dallas feels like a strong offer for McLaurin — entering his fourth NFL season.

The Commanders should get ahead of these negotiations. Other receivers from McLaurin’s 2019 draft class are also due for big extensions. A.J. Brown, DK Metcalf and Deebo Samuel are all in line for massive paydays this offseason. Each player will reset the market. Washington should set the market first.

Of course, will McLaurin agree to a new deal without a quarterback in place?

NFL to extend virtual offseason through month of May

Teams will have to wait to start their official offseasons.

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Will the real NFL offseason please stand up? So far, very little of what we have seen this offseason remotely resembles what we’ve become accustomed to. This is due to continuing worries over the COVID-19 pandemic and how to “get back to business” so to speak for everyone including the NFL.

Originally the plan was for the league to run their virtual offseason through May 15 and then open things up more. Now, however, the NFL is planning to have teams run their virtual offseason all the way through the end of the month.

Some of this decision might come down to competitive fairness. Depending on how each state handles opening up for business could have a negative impact on if a team could actually start their offseason. For example, the NFL could say the virtual offseason ends but if the state of Pennsylvania won’t allow them to gather, the Pittsburgh Steelers could fall behind teams in other states.

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Jets targets CeeDee Lamb, Andrew Thomas among 58 prospects virtually participating in NFL Draft

There will be 58 college prospects set to participate in the virtual 2020 NFL Draft.

The 2020 NFL Draft is going virtual, and so are some of the prospects.

Fifty-eight college prospects are set to participate in the virtual 2020 NFL Draft. All these prospects will have a camera placed in their homes so the audience can see their reactions when they get drafted. Additionally, the cameras will allow for interviews.

The Jets will have an eye on a bunch of these prospects, including wide receivers Jerry Jeudy, CeeDee Lamb and Henry Ruggs III and tackles Jedrick Wills, Mekhi Becton, Tristan Wirfs and Andrew Thomas.

Here’s the full list of prospects who will participate virtually:

A.J. Epenesa, Iowa DE
A.J. Terrell, Clemson CB
Andrew Thomas, Georgia OT
Antoine Winfield Jr., Minnesota S
Austin Jackson, USC OT
Brandon Aiyuk, Arizona State WR
C.J. Henderson, Florida CB
CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma WR
Cesar Ruiz, Michigan G
Chase Claypool, Notre Dame WR
Chase Young, Ohio State EDGE
Cole Kmet, Notre Dame TE
D’Andre Swift, Georgia RB
Denzel Mims, Baylor WR
Derrick Brown, Auburn DL
Ezra Cleveland, Boise State OT
Grant Delpit, LSU S
Henry Ruggs III, Alabama WR
Isaiah Simmons, Clemson LB
J.K. Dobbins, Ohio State RB
Jacob Eason, Washington QB
Jake Fromm, Georgia QB
Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma QB
Jalen Reagor, TCU WR
Javon Kinlaw, South Carolina DL
Jaylon Johnson, Utah CB
Jedrick Wills, Alabama OT
Jeffrey Okudah, Ohio State CB
Jerry Jeudy, Alabama WR
Joe Burrow, LSU QB
Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin RB
Jordan Love, Utah St. QB
Josh Jones, Houston OT
Josh Uche, Michigan LB
Julian Okwara, Notre Dame EDGE
Justin Herbert, Oregon QB
Justin Jefferson, LSU WR
Justin Madubuike, Texas A&M DT
K’Lavon Chaisson, LSU EDGE
Kenneth Murray, Oklahoma LB
Kristian Fulton, LSU CB
Laviska Shenault, Colorado WR
Lloyd Cushenberry, LSU G
Mekhi Becton, Louisville OT
Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma DT
Noah Igbinoghene, Auburn CB
Patrick Queen, LSU LB
Prince Tega Wanogho, Auburn OT
Ross Blacklock, TCU DT
Tee Higgins, Clemson WR
Terrell Lewis, Alabama EDGE
Thaddeus Moss, LSU TE
Tristan Wirfs, Iowa OT
Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama QB
Xavier McKinney, Alabama S
Yetur Gross-Matos, Penn State EDGE

Welcome to Tompa Bay: Tom Brady files trademark applications for two phrases ahead of 2020 NFL season

Big news out of the NFL TOMday that combines two of the significant focal points so far this offseason-Tom Brady and fashion-and presents football consumers with a mashup not seen since John Madden’s Turducken. Ladies and gentlemen, it’s happening: …

Big news out of the NFL TOMday that combines two of the significant focal points so far this offseason—Tom Brady and fashion—and presents football consumers with a mashup not seen since John Madden’s Turducken.

Ladies and gentlemen, it’s happening:

 

The NFL offseason has been a hotbed of fashion moves in recent days, with Tampa Bay unveiling its new uniforms, followed by the Atlanta Falcons—which got a shade-heavy review by the Carolina Panthers—and, most recently, the Cleveland Browns. (We won’t get into the Rams new logo because—YUK!)

Brady tops them all, though.

Never one to miss out on a prime marketing opportunity, his newest dip into merchandising should be a hit, too. If he follows suit (literally) and uses the same color scheme that Dan Patrick is using—an homage to the Buccaneers’ original creamsicle threads—then Brady might have scored big in Tampa without even throwing a pass.

The combination of names, as can be the case in the turbulent cosmos of social media, leaves somewhat of a gray area—teetering on charcoal—as the full catalog of what types of products that will carry the names have not been released. Hats? Gloves? Water bottles? The sky is the limit.

The names themselves, of course, will also get a nice dose of criticism, with dashes of praise and a side dish of opinion.

Personally, I think that Tampa Brady seems to have a catchier flow to it. And another thought he should consider: This could also be the perfect opportunity to collaborate with the Misses and release a shirt that says: Tampa Brady Bündcheneers.

But that’s just my irreverent opinion.

Which one do you like best?

Atlanta Falcons unveil new look for 2020 NFL season

The Atlanta Falcons have a new look-one for each day of the week. The team unveiled its anticipated new uniforms this morning-ahead of schedule, of course, due to the now-typical leaked photos online-and while this type of release will certainly be …

The Atlanta Falcons have a new look—one for each day of the week.

The team unveiled its anticipated new uniforms this morning—ahead of schedule, of course, due to the now-typical leaked photos online—and while this type of release will certainly be met with cheers and jeers, the Falcons fanbase can at least agree that they’ll have options in the closet.

Here’s look at all seven different combinations that we’ll see in 2020.

The team also released a video, which gives fans a better look at the total ensemble—including what appears to be shiny, silvery facemasks…(a la Tampa Bay Buccaneers).

 

Falcons President, Rich McKay, released a statement on how the organization arrived at the creative juncture:

We took a fan-first approach in gathering feedback and design input and have modernized the look of our team and our brand. Black has been a part of our organization since we took the field in 1966 so we’ve stayed true to our roots and have given our fans and players what they’ve been asking for over many years.

From Morgan Shaw Parker, the Falcons’ chief marketing officer:

This process has been a true reflection of Arthur Blank’s core values — listening and responding to our fans. The city has evolved, our stadium has evolved and we knew it was time to do the same with our brand.

It’s still early in the day, and the social media critiques haven’t hit top speed just yet, so we’ll have to wait a few minutes before the full echo of opinion creates a yay or nay on the ATL’s new look.

One thing is of utmost certainty in the hours, days, nights, that lie ahead: There will be 28-3 jokes, photoshops, and memes as far as the thumb can scroll.

 

NFL players who changed teams during 2020 free agency

See which new players will be suiting up for your NFL team in 2020.

The 2020 NFL free agency had a chance to be quite the blockbuster as the league’s new year began—ultra-boosted by the currently canceled sports-scape—and teams have not disappointed.

There have been a handful of big-time moves, with some of the most notable names in NFL history switching organizations for the first time ever.

While we’re unsure of what the rest of the NFL offseason will look like, or if the preseason and the regular season will kick off in time, when it does…these guys will be suiting up for a new team—your team.

(Note: We’ll update the list as new transactions unfold.)

Mackensie Alexander, CB, Cincinnati Bengals

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

The Bengals continue the rebuild on defense, adding ex-Vikings slot corner, Mackensie Alexander. Alexander post a career-best 9.2 yards allowed per reception last season.

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How acquisition of CB Chris Harris Jr. impacts Chargers’ secondary

The secondary got deeper with Chris Harris, but how will the Los Angeles Chargers go about ensuring key players see the field?

The Chargers bolstered their defense on Wednesday by coming to an agreement with four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris Jr.

The addition of Harris gives Los Angeles the label of being one of the top defenses in the NFL, which features the likes of defensive end Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, safety Derwin James and cornerbacks Casey Hayward and Desmond King.

However, with Harris joining the Bolts, it means there will be some retooling to the back end of defensive coordinator Gus Bradley’s defense.

Harris is arguably one of the league’s top slot corners, which is where he has spent the majority of his career playing. That is also the position King has played the past few seasons.

The 30-year old Harris did play on the outside last season, but he struggled in that role, allowing 731 yards and four touchdowns as opposing quarterbacks had a 114.3 passer rating when targeting him.

There was some speculation right off the bat that Harris might be able to rejuvenate in that role in a Cover 3 system. But according to Harris himself, the Chargers told him that he will be playing in the slot this upcoming season, according to the guys over at Pro Football Focus.

That means that King’s time in the inside has come to an end. So where does that leave the former Iowa product?

King played on the outside during college where he won the Jim Thorpe Award. But it appears that Los Angeles is going to be moving him to safety (which can also be heard in the video clip).

If that is indeed the case, it means that King will replace Adrian Phillips, who had a variety of roles on the defensive side of the ball, but mostly as the team’s dime linebacker and nickel linebacker.

King would be used near the box, where he would use his run defense skills to sniff out run plays while also using his coverage skills in the short-to-intermediate zones.

So if Harris is going to play in the slot and King is going to take on a hybrid linebacker role, what does that mean for the other outside corner position?

The coaching staff really likes Michael Davis, given the fact that they placed the second-round tender on him. Davis earned the starting job on the outside in his second season where he was decent in the role.

Another option is moving former second-round selection Nasir Adderley to the cornerback position full-time. Adderley was drafted to play free safety, but a hamstring injury kept him off the field. Rayshawn Jenkins started there all 16 games in 2019, and the coaching staff has faith in him in that role.

Moving Adderley to corner wouldn’t be a bad idea because he did play that position the first two seasons at Delaware and his skillset would make out to be an easy transition.

I do expect the Chargers to address the cornerback position at some point in the upcoming draft for the sake of depth and in case that potential plan mentioned doesn’t pan out.

The bottom line is that the addition of Harris makes Los Angeles’ defense a whole lot better, but now it’s just a matter of seeing how the bodies on the roster are going to see the playing field.