Tag: 2023 NFL free agency

Raiders QB Derek Carr refuses all trades, will become free agent

The standoff between Derek Carr and the Raiders has reached its logical conclusion — Carr will be a free agent and has refused any trade.

The standoff between quarterback Derek Carr and the Las Vegas Raiders has reached its logical end. Carr, selected with the 36th pick in the second round of the 2014 draft by the then-Oakland Raiders, was benched in favor of Jarrett Stidham late in the 2022 season by first-year head coach Josh McDaniel, and that was going to be the end of his time with his only NFL team.

Carr has a no-trade clause in the three-year, $121.5 million contract extension he signed in 2022, so even when there was the framework of a deal that would send Carr to the New Orleans Saints, Carr had the right to refuse it, which he has done. The Raiders must release Carr before February 15 — if they don’t, $32.9 million of his 2023 salary, and $7.5 million of his 2024 salary, will become guaranteed.

Carr’s saltiness about the way he was treated was evident during the Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium last week.

In 2022, Carr completed 305 of 502 passes for 3,522 yards, 24 touchdowns, 14 interceptions, and a passer rating of 86.3. He did throw nine interceptions in his last five games with the Raiders, which certainly complicated matters. Nonetheless, it should be estimated that Carr will be a top-priority free agent when the new league year comes around.

12 free agents targets for Lions fans to watch in Super Bowl LVII

There are a few pending free agents to watch with Lions eyes in Super Bowl LVII

Sunday’s Super Bowl LVII pits the Kansas City Chiefs against the Philadelphia Eagles for the NFL championship. It should be a great matchup for all football fans, but in case you’re looking for extra incentive to watch the big game as a Detroit Lions fans, there are several.

Both teams feature some pending free agents who figure to be attractive offseason targets for the Lions. Detroit GM Brad Holmes and his pro scouting staff will have their eyes trained on the game for purposes beyond rooting for a team to win. They’re looking for players who can potentially help the Lions play in next year’s Super Bowl.

Here are 12 who could fit that bill once NFL free agency begins in a month.

4 reasons the Vikings should not take a cornerback in round one

The Vikings need cornerbacks, but do they have to take one early? @TheRealForno makes the case to not take one in the first round

The 2023 NFL draft is about two and a half months away but it still dominates the conversation. In the mock draft roundups I have been doing, I aggregate all of the mock drafts from main outlets and see what they have the Vikings doing.

So far in 98 mock drafts, the Vikings have done the following.

  • 36 unique players
  • 11 unique cornerbacks
  • 53 times a cornerback was selected

It’s become an incredibly popular selection for the Vikings and it’s really easy to see why. They only have three cornerbacks on their roster with the 31st-scoring defense last season.

Cornerback will and should be a priority for the Vikings this offseason, but it shouldn’t be in the first round. Here are five reasons the Vikings shouldn’t take a cornerback in round one.

NFL.com advises Texans sign a veteran quarterback in the offseason

The Houston Texans should sign a veteran quarterback in free agency in the latest advice from NFL.com.

The Houston Texans have to address quarterback in the offseason. Davis Mills simply isn’t the answer.

According to Gregg Rosenthal from NFL.com, Mills isn’t even the answer as a backup, and suggests the Texans sign a veteran replacement in the offseason.

It’s hard to imagine a scenario where the Texans don’t draft a quarterback early this April. But do they want Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud to be backed up by Davis Mills?

The Texans will have to find a veteran quarterback before the draft, and it’s a deep group of free-agent signal-callers to choose from. There are clear backups like Case Keenum and Andy Dalton. Texans GM Nick Caserio was in New England when the Patriots drafted Jimmy Garoppolo and Jacoby Brissett.

This roster needs a lot of help — especially on defense — but the plan at quarterback should take precedence. Brissett feels like a perfect mentor and capable option if Houston needs him to play.

Mills finished with a 3-10-1 record and a 78.8 passer rating. The second-year signal caller was tied with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott for the most interceptions in the league with 15.

The Texans still have their former 2021 third-rounder under contract through the 2024 campaign. If the Texans cut Mills, it would merely be a move based on merit. The Stanford product will count $1,424,209 against their salary cap. Cutting him before June 1 would count as $578,946 against the cap in dead money and have a savings of $845,263.

Brissett was serviceable for the Cleveland Browns last season as he led the 4-7 record before being replaced ahead of their Week 13 showdown with the Texans at NRG Stadium. Signing Brissett would have a certain irony to it as he would more than likely be replaced by a Texans first-round quarterback — much like how his 2022 season ended with the Browns.

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PFF suggests Titans sign OT George Fant in free agency

PFF suggests the Titans sign Jets OT George Fant in free agency.

The Tennessee Titans will have multiple spots to address along the offensive line in 2023, with one of them being at left tackle with the team expected to cut Taylor Lewan following another injury-shortened season.

Tennessee will no doubt fill some of their offensive line holes in the 2023 NFL draft, but before that they’ll try their hand in free agency in March.

In an article by Pro Football Focus’ Brad Spielberger, he suggested the Titans sign New York Jets pending free agent and offensive tackle, George Fant. Here’s his take:

If Taylor Lewan returns, Tennessee can slot Fant in at right tackle. And as Fant showed during his time with the New York Jets, he could play left tackle while Lewan is on the mend and then kick back over, adding to his value with this particular fit. Fant dealt with injuries throughout 2022, and his poor grades reflected his health, but he earned a career-high 75.1 pass-blocking grade in 2021 playing almost exclusively on the blindside. 

Guard Nate Davis is a good run blocker and a rare bright spot for this Titans offensive line in 2022, and with veteran center Ben Jones battling through injuries in his age-33 season, perhaps he plans to retire before 2023 and it becomes more of a priority for the Titans to maintain some continuity along the interior of their offensive line.

There is almost no chance Lewan returns to Nashville. He simply hasn’t been able to stay healthy and the Titans can no longer depend on him to be their left tackle. Adding to that, he’ll account for a $14.8 million cap charge that can be totally washed out away if he’s let go.

Addressing another point Spielberger made, I don’t think the Titans give up on Nicholas Petit-Frere this quickly. If Tennessee brings in a tackle, it’ll be for the left side.

Fant played 309 snaps at right tackle and 207 at left tackle in 2022, so he can play both spots. However, he also gave up five sacks over the eight games (seven starts) he played and tallied PFF grades of 46.7 and 56.3 in pass-blocking and run-blocking, respectively.

To compare, Dennis Daley posted a 45.5 and 46.5 in those two categories.

As Spielberger notes, Fant was dealing with injury last season, so that might have impacted his numbers. In 2021, Fant posted a solid 75.1 pass-blocking grade and 59.9 run-blocking grade in 15 starts, while also allowing one sack.

That would definitely be an upgrade over the disaster the Titans had last year, but so would just about anything else.

If the Titans are going to go for a left tackle in free agency, it should be a big splash signing, like for Kansas City Chiefs left tackle Orlando Brown. That would prove very costly, but it’s the kind of impact move Tennessee needs.

If that isn’t in the cards, the Titans are better off trying their hand with a top tackle from this year’s draft as opposed to a middling veteran in free agency. This team needs an elite, long-term solution, not a band-aid.

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Stay or go: Predicting the fate of the Lions free agents in 2023

Here’s an early prediction for the fates of all the Detroit Lions unrestricted free agents

The onset of NFL free agency is a little over a month away. The Detroit Lions have 18 pending unrestricted free agents as the team enters the new league year.

Who will stay in Detroit? Which ones will be playing elsewhere in 2023?

Here’s an early prediction for the fates of all 18 Lions’ unrestricted free agents.

Jamaal Williams: ‘I really want to finish’ career in Detroit

Williams told the team’s reporter he’d like to finish his career with the Lions but understands the business nature of the NFL

Like much of the football world this week, Lions running back Jamaal Williams is in Arizona for the Super Bowl. Williams made a stop with the Detroit media team on radio row to drop a couple of info nuggets on Lions team reporter Tim Twentyman.

They should be nuggets that thrill fans of the eccentric running back, who led the NFL in rushing TDs and topped 1,000 yards in 2022.

“I really just want to stay with Detroit, if I can,” Williams told Twentyman via the team’s website. “Really just stay here and make my mark here. I really want to finish (my career) here if I could.”

Williams is an unrestricted free agent after two largely successful seasons in Detroit. He’s hitting the open market again while coming off his best season at 28 years old (in April), rapidly approaching the time when most teams aren’t interested in paying running backs a lot of money.

Williams continued,

“I understand it’s a business and the team has to do what’s best for them and I have to do what’s best for me, too, but I just really want us to come to a mutual agreement and just get it done and just get back to playing football.”

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Texans considered a ‘non-fit’ for Raiders QB Derek Carr

According to CBS Sports, the Houston Texans aren’t considered a good fit for Las Vegas Raiders QB Derek Carr as he looks to continue his NFL career.

The Houston Texans are in need of a quarterback, and Derek Carr is in need of a place to continue his NFL career.

According to Cody Benjamin from CBS Sports, the two sides wouldn’t make a good fit as the Las Vegas Raiders signal caller looks for a new team in 2023.

We genuinely believe Carr likes the idea of picking up where his brother left off. He even said previously that he wished the Texans would’ve drafted him in 2014. DeMeco Ryans‘ addition as head coach certainly helps. But they’re too clearly in rebuild mode for any kind of title-chasing.

Even if Carr liked the idea of picking up where his brother, David, left off after completing his 76-game career with Houston from 2002-06, general manager Nick Caserio might not be onboard with the notion. Consider that Carr is leaving a Raiders organization that has two of Caserio’s New England Patriots and college connections in coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler. Carr may be leaving the same problems he encountered in Las Vegas waiting for him when he gets to Houston.

Teams that are title-chasing already have a franchise quarterback in place, whether their evaluation is accurate or not. Carr would have to accept that his presence on an NFL roster is a continuation of what he had with the Raiders. After all, the league is built around the quarterback.

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Jets’ offseason primer: Running backs

Thoughts on the running back position for 2023?

As we roll through our quick offseason previews at each position, we head to a position that has plenty of hope for the future, the running back position. We’ll look at who’s under contract and any potential offseason moves.

Stay or go: Predicting the fates of Commanders free agents in 2023

We look at Washington’s free agents and predict which ones will stay — or go.

The upcoming offseason is a big one for Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera. In his first three seasons as Washington’s head coach, Rivera has recorded seven, seven and eight wins. And, despite Martin Mayhew holding the general manager title, Rivera is the head of all football operations.

Adding to the pressure for Rivera is the team’s current ownership situation. The Commanders are for sale, but not much is known about whether the Snyder family plans to sell part or all of the franchise. The expectation is the entire team is up for sale, and things could be wrapped up by the owner’s meetings next month.

What happens with Washington’s free agents in the meantime?

Free agency begins in just over a month. You can begin applying franchise tags to players later this month. As of now, the Commanders have $8.4 million in cap space for 2023. Once Washington releases quarterback Carson Wentz, it will add over $26 million. There are other moves the Commanders can make to create additional room.

We predict whether these Commanders free agents will be back with the team or departing in free agency