Tag: 2022 NFL Offseason

Michael Silver provides a look into Washington’s offseason quarterback plan

Michael Silver provides a look into Washington’s offseason pursuit of a franchise quarterback.

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Michael Silver is one of the more respected journalists around the NFL. Silver is most famous for his time at Sports Illustrated, Yahoo Sports and the NFL Network, but last year he was hired by the Washington Football Team as a freelance contributor to the team’s official website.

Why would a respected journalist like Silver write for an NFL team’s website? In Silver’s case, it’s pretty simple, as he is close friends with WFT head coach Ron Rivera. The two go way back from their time at The University of California, Berkeley (Cal).

In a recent article for the team’s website, Silver discussed Rivera’s offseason ahead. Specifically, Silver discussed Rivera’s search for a quarterback and gave everyone some pretty clear indications of the head coach’s plan.

In fairness to Silver, he began his story with the following sentence: “The opinions expressed in this article do not reflect those of the team.” So, keep that in mind when we share some snippets from Silver’s story.

As for Rivera, he’s made it clear Washington will be aggressive in pursuit of a quarterback this offseason. Rivera says there are four ways to acquire that franchise passer: the draft, free agency, trade and internal options.

Let’s be honest; there is no internal option; that’s just the coach being nice. And, there’s also no free-agency option. Mitchell Trubisky or Jameis Winston will not satisfy Washington’s fan base or locker room — at least as a long-term starter.

That means the only actual options for Washington are the trade market and the draft.

Now, let’s turn things over to Silver.

There are many, many potential targets, some of which I’m told it would be better not to mention by name, lest the people in charge of the teams for which they are currently under contract take umbrage and unleash the NFL’s tampering police. So no, I won’t be specifically citing any accomplished quarterbacks who may or may not be married to a famous singer, engaged to a famous actress or infamously shelved by a slew of civil lawsuits. Nor will I explicitly ponder the possibility that if a coaching change happens in a city celebrated for its nightlife a certain QB may not stay in said city — as I did in a recent column for another website.

In order, Silver is referring to Russell Wilson (married to the famous singer), Aaron Rodgers (engaged to a famous actress), Deshaun Watson (civil lawsuits) and Derek Carr (nightlife).

Don’t you think he’s talked to Rivera? Sure, fans can assume from Rivera’s words he’s going to check in on all of the above quarterbacks to see their availability. Sure, perhaps Silver is speculating because everyone knows there are questions around these quarterbacks for different reasons. But, the only one who is likely to move is Watson. And Watson has a no-trade clause in his contract and has previously indicated he wouldn’t waive it to come to Washington.

What if he wants out of Houston bad enough?

Rodgers isn’t coming to Washington. If he leaves Green Bay, the Denver Broncos make the most sense for him. As for Carr, why would the Raiders trade him? No, he isn’t in the class of the other three passers, but he is a top 10-12 NFL passer. Don’t you think Rivera would love to have a top 10-12 quarterback?

Wilson is intriguing, but again, why would Seattle trade him?

Washington would be foolish not to engage all of these teams. It’s a loser mentality not to try because you know you will be turned down.

Next, there is this nugget from Silver:

So much for clarity. It’s coming, however, because Rivera — along with general manager Martin Mayhew and executive vice president of player personnel/football Marty Hurney — is determined to work toward a franchise-defining decision. Such a move, the coach believes, will create a sense of stability inside the building, sending a message to players, and fans, that the status quo is unacceptable.

That’s a bold and definitive statement. Mayhew and Hurney were busy during the season, on the road scouting the top passers in college football, such as Kenny Pickett, Matt Corral, Malik Willis and Sam Howell. For Silver to say the status quo is unacceptable, that is Rivera saying the status quo is unacceptable.

He’s 100% correct. Washington can’t continue to kick the can down the road when it comes to finding a difference-making quarterback. Rivera is entering his third season in Washington, and while he isn’t on the hot seat, he understands he can’t afford another non-winning season. That’s why he’d prefer a veteran quarterback.

Rivera proved that he was willing to offer significant assets for a veteran passer last season. Washington offered multiple picks to the Lions for Matthew Stafford, but Detroit chose the Rams’ offer of Jared Goff and two first-round picks. Even had Rivera had offered more, it was clear Stafford wanted Los Angeles, and the Lions were trying to do right by him.

Buckle up, Washington fans; it’s going to be a fun offseason.

 

Poll: What should the Jags do with D.J. Chark Jr.?

The Jags have several options regarding Chark, whose contract is expiring, this offseason.

Jacksonville has several difficult decisions to make this offseason, but perhaps at the top of that list is the one regarding receiver D.J. Chark, who is set to enter his fifth year. Chark had a slow start as a rookie, but he burst onto the scene his sophomore season in 2019 with a 1,000-yard season.

But his production dropped off in 2020 with struggles at the quarterback position, and a broken ankle four games into the 2021 season ended his year. Now, Chark’s rookie contract is expiring, and the Jags have to make a call.

This team is certainly not in a position to move on from promising receivers, and the play of the group without Chark on the field was perhaps the best argument for keeping him around. But re-signing him won’t be cheap, and it would likely be a deal where the value exceeds his production to this point in his career.

If the Jaguars want to push the decision back another year, they could franchise tag Chark, which they have the capital to do. But that would be an expensive option, and the $18.5 million salary projected for tagged receivers by Spotrac would likely be more expensive than any long-term extension he could sign.

But even if the Jags choose to extend him, they could go in a few different directions. Considering his selling point is mostly the upside demonstrated by his 2019 season, he likely won’t be among the hottest free agent commodities this offseason. While they could give him a long-term, expensive deal, they could likely also do a smaller, one or two-year “prove-it” contract.

Per Spotrac, a market-value contract for Chark would be a four-year deal averaging $11.9 million each season. Considering the Jags have among the most cap space yet again this offseason, that’s a deal they could certainly afford, especially if it will aid in the development of quarterback Trevor Lawrence. There are certainly questions about Chark, but those questions could keep Chark from testing free agency if he’s able to get that offer sheet.

What do you think, Jags fans? Should the team let Chark test the open market? Should it franchise tag him? Or should the team look to give him an extension, whether that be short or long-term? Let us know in the poll down below.

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PFF identifies 3 free agents Jaguars should target this offseason

Two of the three targets PFF mentioned are edge rushers.

As the Jacksonville Jaguars turn their attention to the offseason, it’s clear that they need to do a lot to improve the roster after a 3-14 season that resulted in the firing of first-year coach Urban Meyer and the team picking first overall in the draft for the second year in a row.

Despite having the most cap space in the league last season, Jacksonville didn’t do much big spending, a strategy it will likely look to rectify this time around as it will once again have among the most available space in the NFL. There are several free agents the team could look to target, but Pro Football Focus identified three of them.

Two of them are edge rushers, headlined by Detroit’s Charles Harris.

The former first-round pick had a bit of a career revival down the home stretch in Detroit following injuries to several of the Lions’ key edge rushers. Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn, so far, has only received one head coach interview with the Denver Broncos, but what he was able to do with a Lions defense that was decimated by injury — and not good to begin with — was nothing short of miraculous.

Glenn demonstrated a strong ability to put players in positions to succeed, and Harris is a perfect example. Harris played 375 more snaps in 2021 than he had in any season prior, and his 78.6 pass-rush grade was a career-best by a full 10 points. Harris finished top 20 in quarterback pressures among edge defenders (52), and his 17.4% pass rush win rate ranked 17th. Harris did not have the benefit of playing opposite either of the Lions’ highly paid edge rushers — Trey Flowers and Romeo Okwara — either. In addition, the Lions had a young and inexperienced group along the interior as well.

PFF also suggested the Jags look into Los Angeles Chargers end, Uchenna Nwosu.

Nwosu delivered the best stretch of his career during the second half of the 2021 season, and it was perfect timing. From Week 8 through the end of the season, Nwosu did not record a single game grade below 65.0 — a remarkable run of consistency at any position. His 27 quarterback pressures over the final 11 weeks of the season were as many as he’s accumulated in any full season prior.

The Chargers’ lack of talent along the defensive line outside of Joey Bosa is an ongoing problem, but Nwosu stepped up in a major way down the stretch. Nwosu handled becoming a starter quite admirably, as he posted a career-high 68.5 pass-rush grade. He can also effectively drop into coverage on a handful of snaps a game, as he allowed just 32 receiving yards from six receptions for the season, making him a strong fit for teams employing a 3-4 defensive front.

Edge rusher is a clear position of need for the Jags. Though Josh Allen had a very solid season and seems to be a player the team can build around, K’Lavon Chaisson has disappointed on the other side with no player clearly stepping up this season. Many expect the team to take an edge rusher with the first pick in either Aidan Hutchinson or Kayvon Thibodeaux, but addressing the issue in free agency would give the team the flexibility to target a player like Alabama offensive tackle Evan Neal instead.

The third player PFF noted the Jags could be interested in is Cowboys safety Jayron Kearse.

Kearse had a breakout 2021 campaign as a full-time starter for the first time in his career, putting all the pieces together and delivering in every facet of safety play. Kearse’s 69.7 run defense grade — generally a strong suit — was his lowest, but he also recorded a 90.0 tackling grade, 79.1 pass-rush grade and 76.2 coverage grade on over 1,000 total snaps this season. Kearse accrued 11 quarterback pressures from just 39 pass-rush snaps — more pressures than in his first five seasons combined.

Kearse missed just three tackles all season despite finishing eighth among safeties with 83 total tackles. His 3.2% missed tackle rate was second-best among safeties with at least 25 tackles on the season, and his 10 tackles for loss or no gain were tied for third.

This one makes considerably less sense. Safety was a position the team addressed with Rayshawn Jenkins last free agency, and though he wasn’t overly impressive, the Jaguars are likely stuck with that contract. They also drafted Andre Cisco in the third round, who impressed, and second-year player Daniel Thomas also played well. Pending restricted free agent Andrew Wingard was a common scapegoat for some, but he was solid this season before his injury and has at least earned a rotational role moving forward.

Given the team’s other needs, safety seems like a position they are much more likely to address in the draft if it feels like it needs more depth. Still, the two edge rushers are certainly players the Jags could find themselves in a bidding war for.

Assessing Jags’ top-7 positional needs for 2022 offseason

The Jags have to find a new head coach soon, but when that’s taken care of, the next staff is going to have a lot to clean up.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are going to have a busy offseason, which includes potentially naming a new head coach this upcoming week. However, when that coach takes the job, he will have a lot of work to do in terms of fixing the roster, which has many holes.

Luckily, the Jags are set to have an estimated amount of $59.6 million in available cap space, per Over the Cap, which could help them add a good bit of proven talent. They also have 13 draft picks to bolster the roster, too.

With this month set to be pretty busy for the Jags, let’s take a look at their top needs heading forward:

Will the Jaguars pick up Josh Allen’s fifth-year option?

The Jags have until May 3 to decide whether to pick up Allen’s option.

Some draft analysts had Josh Allen as the best prospect available in the 2019 class when he was coming out of Kentucky, and it was viewed as a steal when the talented edge rusher fell to Jacksonville with the No. 7 pick.

His rookie season certainly backed up that evaluation, as he burst onto the scene with 10.5 sacks. Injuries limited him to just eight games and 2.5 quarterback takedowns in Year 2, but he appeared in all but one game this season and was one of the team’s few bright spots. His sack total was 7.5, but he stepped up against the run with a career-high 71 tackles (including 12 for loss).

Now, it’s decision time. As Allen is poised to enter his fourth season, the team only has until May 3 to make a decision on whether it will pick up his fifth-year team option. Since joining the team, he’s gone to the Pro Bowl once (in 2019 as a rookie and alternate) and has been a Jags team captain from 2020-21, which clearly is a reflection of how his teammates view him. Per Over the Cap, his fifth-year option would cost the Jags $10.2 million, which may not be that steep for a team that has the cap space that the Jags have (at least for now).

While crazier things have happened, it seems almost certain that the team will look to pick up that option. He has been very productive when healthy, and this team has so few promising defensive players to build around. The Jaguars will likely look to hand Allen a long-term deal next season, let alone extend his contract to a fifth year, and he should be around in Jacksonville for a while, if he chooses to.

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Extending D.J. Chark Jr. could be manageable, per Spotrac’s market value projections

An extension for Chark would likely be worth around $11.9 million annually.

The Jacksonville Jaguars have several areas of need this offseason, but there aren’t many bigger priorities than adding weapons in the passing game to aid in the development of second-year quarterback Trevor Lawrence. As far as the receiver position goes, the team has one massive decision to make regarding D.J. Chark Jr.

The former second-round pick struggled with drops as a rookie in 2018, but he was vastly improved in his second season and has been the team’s most reliable playmaker since. His 2021 season was cut short with a broken ankle in Week 4, though, and now it’s time to decide whether to offer him an extension or let him test free agency.

The Jags could decide to go in a different direction at receiver, but if they decide to extend Chark, it might hurt their pockets too much, at least in the eyes of Spotrac. According to them, a market value deal for Chark would be in the range of $47.6 million over four years, which would pay an average of $11.9 million annually.

That deal would make him just the 22nd highest-paid receiver in the league, which seems like good value for a player with Chark’s upside. Perhaps more importantly, it’s not a price tag that would prohibit the Jags from targeting a top-tier receiver in free agency like Chris Godwin.

The Jags don’t have a lot of big contracts on the books, and with the team currently projected to have the third-most available cap space in the league, they could easily afford to sign Chark. Considering his decent production — 2,042 yards and 15 touchdowns on 147 catches in four years — that seems like a deal they’d be happy to make, even if he’s only crossed the 1,000-yard threshold once back in 2019.

J.D. McKissic ‘definitely’ wants to return to Washington

J.D. McKissic is one of Washington’s priorities this offseason. He’d prefer to remain with Washington.

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The Washington Football Team has a busy offseason in front of them. Not only is Washington desperately seeking to upgrade the quarterback position, but it has several free agents it would like to retain.

Washington re-signed left tackle Charles Leno toward the end of the regular season, solidifying an important position for the next three years. Other free agents for Washington include Brandon Scherff, J.D. McKissic, Cornelius Lucas, Tim Settle and Bobby McCain.

Scherff is obviously the biggest name of the bunch, but he is expected to depart after back-to-back franchise tags. When discussing free agents, head coach Ron Rivera specifically mentioned Leno, McKissic and McCain as players he’d like to keep around.

McCain told reporters he preferred to stay. In a recent interview with Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post, McKissic made his preference known.

“Definitely, I want to stay,” McKissic said. “Everybody knows that.”

McKissic entered the NFL back in 2016 as an undrafted free agent from Arkansas State. He spent most of his rookie season with the Falcons before signing with the Seahawks in December. Seattle converted McKissic to running back, where he enjoyed some success with the Seahawks.

After being waived by Seattle, the Detroit Lions claimed McKissic off waivers. He spent the 2019 season in Detroit, where he played all 16 games, making three starts.

He signed with Washington in 2020, and at the time, no one thought much of McKissic’s signing. He and tight end Logan Thomas ended up being signings for Washington that offseason. Both players have played a vital role in Washington’s offense when healthy.

Washington wants to keep McKissic, and it should. Before he was lost for the season in Week 12, McKissic was having another solid season as Washington’s complement to Antonio Gibson. It’s no coincidence that Washington’s offense was more efficient when McKissic was involved. He and Gibson are an outstanding duo because both are versatile. McKissic is arguably the game’s top pass-catching running back.

Washington will have a new quarterback in 2021. Whether that quarterback is a rookie or a veteran, he’d be better if McKissic was still around.

McKissic appreciates that Washington gave him an opportunity.

“I finally got the opportunity to just really be trusted and really show my versatility and what I can do,” McKissic said. “They gave me the chance to do that.”

Washington assistant RBs coach Jennifer King continues to make history

Washington assistant running backs coach Jennifer King continues to make NFL history.

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Washington assistant running backs coach Jennifer King continues to make NFL history. King is the first African-American female to be a full-time NFL assistant. King’s next accomplishment came when she was the first female to lead a position group when Washington running backs coach Randy Jordan missed a game due to COVID-19 in 2021.

Now, King will coach a position in the East-West Shrine Bowl. The game is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 3, with multiple practices leading up to the game.

Nicki Jhabvala of The Washington Post first had the news.

King is the second woman ever to coach in the East-West Shrine Bowl but the first to lead a position. Katie Sowers was an assistant to the head coach in the 2016 East-West Shrine game.

Other Washington coaches will also coach in the game. Assistant offensive line coach Travelle Wharton will be the offensive coordinator for the East team, while assistant special teams coach Ben Jacobs will be the West’s special teams coordinator.

Congratulations to all of Washington’s coaches on this opportunity.

15 free-agent QB options for the Falcons in 2022

The Falcons are likely sticking with Matt Ryan for another season, but the team could look to add a backup QB in free agency.

While it has been reported that the Atlanta Falcons want Matt Ryan back in 2022, the team could still look to add a backup quarterback in free agency.

Last season, the Falcons trotted out undrafted rookie Feleipe Franks, former 10th overall pick Josh Rosen and veteran backup AJ McCarron, but all three players underwhelmed when under center.

These 15 quarterbacks are set to hit free agency in 2022 and could each potentially be an upgrade for Atlanta as Ryan’s backup.

Extending Cam Robinson could cost Jags nearly $17 million/year, per Spotrac

The value of a projected extension for Robinson would make him the seventh highest-paid left tackle in football.

Jacksonville’s toughest decision last offseason regarded offensive tackle Cam Robinson, a second-round pick in 2017 whose rookie contract was expiring. The Jaguars kicked the can down the road a year by placing the franchise tag on Robinson, but now the time has come to decide on his future once again.

The team could choose to tag him once again, but that would result in an even bigger one-year deal than the $13.8 million agreement he played under in 2021. With that being said, signing him to a long-term contract would be even pricier.

According to Spotrac, a market-value deal for Robinson would be around a four-year, $67.3 million commitment that would pay the veteran tackle an average of $16.8 million. That would rank seventh among NFL left tackles and give him a contract similar to those of others at the position like Garrett Bolles, D.J. Humphries, and Laremy Tunsil.

With the Jags either losing or opting out of the bidding wars for players like Trent Williams and Orlando Brown last offseason, retaining Robinson on a one-year basis made a good deal of sense, given the other positions the team also needed to prioritize. Robinson was decent in 2021, but it’s a stretch to say his production justifies a contract of this size.

According to Pro Football Focus, he earned a season grade of just 67.3, squarely in the bottom of the average range. That grade ranked just 50th among 84 NFL tackles, and that’s not exactly the type of contract year a staff would like to see from a player they’re about to hand a top-10 contract at the position to.

If Jacksonville decides to move on from Robinson and let him test free agency, it has options. Walker Little, a second-round pick from 2021, started three games this season. Though it’s a small sample size, he registered the third-highest offensive grade on the team at 68.8 (higher than Robinson). The Jags could also shore up the position with the first overall pick by taking a player like Alabama’s Evan Neal or North Carolina State’s Ikem Ekwonu.

Regardless, if the Jaguars decide they want Cam Robinson in Jacksonville in the long run, it won’t be a cheap move for the team.