Tag: 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

Kwesi Adofo Mensah, Kirk Cousins trying to “find a way that works for both people”

The Vikings have another offseason with the Kirk Cousins contract at the forefront and the Vikings are trying to make it work for both sides

The Minnesota Vikings are faced with another quarterback conundrum involving Kirk Cousins. We seem to have this conversation every season and a lot of it has to do with the short-term nature of his contracts.

Throughout the entirety of his career, Cousins has not wanted to sign a long-term contract to maximize his potential earnings output. Who can blame him? I would want to maximize my limited earning potential as well.

From a team-building perspective, this presents some major challenges. On Tuesday when meeting with team beat reporters, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah had some pointed comments about it.

“Obviously from their side, they want it as certain as possible, and from our side, we want flexibility,” Adofo-Mensah said. “You’re always trying to be solutions-oriented and find a way that works for both people. … He has as much importance to this organization and maybe more than I do, so we all have to be on the same page and make sure that relationship works.”

What does this all mean? There is a good amount that you can gather from this, but it doesn’t mean that things can’t evolve with more conversations.

The main thing here is that Adofo-Mensah confirms the Tom Pelissero report that Cousins wants a long-term deal and the Vikings want a short-term one so they can keep flexibility with the salary cap. With Cousins entering his age 35 season, a long-term deal doesn’t make nearly as much sense as it did in years prior.

Currently, Cousins has a combination of $30 million in base salary and roster bonuses totaling a cap hit of $36.25 million. There are only two ways to lessen the cap hit currently: an extension or turning some of the $30 million cap hit into a signing bonus and pushing it off into his void years of 2024 and 2025.

Regardless of how they do it or don’t, the Cousins contract conundrum will be the story of the offseason.

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Chiefs updates from DL/LB prospect media availability at NFL Scouting Combine

From meetings with the #Chiefs to interesting quotes and notes, here are the latest updates from DL/LB media availability at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Workouts for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine won’t begin until tomorrow, but media members spoke with edge rushers, interior defensive linemen and linebackers on Wednesday.

Meetings and interviews with teams have already started to take place for these position groups, so we’re getting a few updates on the players that have met with the Kansas City Chiefs. We’re also hearing about players’ expectations for their upcoming workouts on Thursday among other things.

Chiefs Wire’s Ed Easton Jr. is on the ground in Indianapolis speaking with prospects along with other members of the media. Be sure to follow along below for the latest updates as they come in:

Ron Rivera confident and positive about Commanders’ changes

Rivera spoke on a number of topics, but his comments regarding Sam Howell were the most interesting.

Washington Commanders head coach Ron Rivera had some positive things to say Tuesday, speaking with the press at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine.

Having released Carson Wentz Monday, Rivera took the time to speak in terms of admiring Wentz the person, the man, despite the fact that Wentz disappointed Rivera with his quarterback play.

“He’s a heck of a young man,” Rivera said. “He’s a solid man. I want to wish him the best. I really do appreciate all he did for us. In the opportunity he had coming here, he did the best he could, and we really appreciate that as well.”

Rivera had wasted no time, making his decision late the previous night to apply the franchise tag to defensive tackle Daron Payne.

Rivera was quick to point out when asked, he is committed to wanting to keep Payne and get him signed, thus the Commanders were the first team to apply the tag in this 2023 offseason.

“The guy’s been very integral to the development of this football team and this defense, as well as the other guys he plays alongside,” the coach said. “We just wanted to make sure everybody understood that we are serious.”

Coach Rivera expressed the need to permit newly hired assistant head coach/offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy to bring in some staff he desired. Thus, Stanford quarterbacks coach Tavita Pritchard has been hired as the new QB coach. Bieniemy and Pritchard, having known each other for a decade, Rivera spoke favorably of their relationship.

Regarding Sam Howell, Coach Ron made it clear he had informed Bieniemy of his plan to go with Howell as his QB1 and that Bieniemy was on board with Rivera’s plan.

Yes, factually, Rivera incorrectly alluded to Howell’s “junior year” when he was actually speaking of Howell’s sophomore year of being graded highly by many NFL scouts.

Praising Howell, Rivera expressed, “He’s got a tremendous skill set. He’s got the kind of arm you do look for.”

What Rivera then said raised some eyebrows and brought criticism from some.

“He’s not our starter,” Rivera said. “He’s coming in as the QB1. He’ll get a great opportunity to be our starter. But we do want to find a veteran quarterback. We have Taylor Heinicke, that’s a free agent. We’ve got to work through that as well. And we’ll see what happens from there.”

Rivera was saying it is Howell’s job to maintain and keep, and he’ll be given the top place on the depth chart to do this. He was being honest, that with only 19 passing attempts, you can’t yet say the team starter is already a done deal.

Specifically mentioning Heinicke could very well indicate Rivera might like to have Taylor return as the backup if both parties can agree to a contract.

Rivera also spoke of the team now having their “head above water” and he “feels very confident going forward.”

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Jonathan Gannon’s overly cautious answer about DeAndre Hopkins makes a trade seem inevitable

This was such a coach’s way of beating around the bush.

The Arizona Cardinals are in a delicate place. Kyler Murray is in the middle of rehabbing a torn ACL. Meanwhile, Arizona not only has a new GM, Monti Ossenfort, it has a new head coach, Jonathan Gannon — the Philadelphia Eagles’ former defensive coordinator.

Needless to say: A lot could be in flux for the Cardinals this offseason.

And one player’s situation, DeAndre Hopkins, is among the more intriguing.

By the time the 2023 season rolls around, Hopkins will be 31 years old. While the playmaker might have something left in the tank, it doesn’t feel likely that a WR with a $30.7 million salary cap hit (per Over The Cap) will stay with a franchise starting over. (Heading to the East Coast is a different story.)

Gannon was honest but cautious when asked about Hopkins’ future with the Cardinals at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. (Peers eyes): almost too cautious. If we’re to read into Gannon’s noncommital answer, then Hopkins’ days in Arizona are probably numbered:

What was your favorite part here?

Was it when Gannon explicitly says he’s “not sure” about whether Hopkins will be at the team’s minicamp? What about when, mere seconds later, he describes how dangerous of a receiver Hopkins is?

Why it’s almost as if Gannon’s trying to tell prospective GMs that Hopkins is on the trade block and to make him a quality offer! No. Wait. He wouldn’t do that. Would he? (Narrator: It’s the combine, with every team in the league conveniently present. Yes. Yes, he would.)

Hopkins probably still has much to offer as a dynamic No. 1 NFL receiver. And I’m reasonably certain Gannon just told me that any future touchdowns he scores likely wouldn’t be in a Cardinals uniform.

7 takeaways from Eagles’ coach Nick Sirianni at the NFL Combine

We’re looking at seven takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles head coach Nick Sirianni during his media session at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and before the players take the field for workouts, coaches and GM held their annual press conference.

Head coach Nick Sirianni addressed the media after GM Howie Roseman and gave some insight into the hiring of Sean Desai and the promotion of Brian Johnson to offensive coordinator.

With the coaching staff finally rounding into form, here are 10 takeaways from Sirianni’s presser.

10 takeaways from Eagles’ GM Howie Roseman at the NFL Combine

We’re looking at 10 takeaways from Philadelphia Eagles GM Howie Roseman during his media session at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles are in Indianapolis for the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine and before the players take the field for workouts, coaches and GM held their annual press conference.

Howie Roseman addressed the media first and held things close to the vest in regard to a new contract for quarterback Jalen Hurts, and how Philadelphia will prioritize 18 pending free agents.

With the coaching staff finally rounding into form, here are 10 takeaways from Rosemans’ presser.

Report: Justin Jefferson is being included in roster building conversations

Something that is usually saved for superstar quarterbacks is being afforded to Justin Jefferson

When you find a superstar at quarterback, oftentimes you will hear about them having input on how the roster in constructed. After all, they are the most important player on the field.

What you don’t hear a lot about is a superstar at other positions having that same say. According to Ben Goessling of The Star Tribune, that is now true about Minnesota Vikings superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson as general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah said during his side session with beat writers after his press conference.

This would be one of the first times I can recall a wide receiver having that kind of say and sway with the front office. Adofo-Mensah had this to say about Jefferson.

“He’s aligned with Kevin and I and the Wilfs. He just wants to win. It’s the coolest thing to be around. So for certain, he’s someone we’ll keep in all our conversations. We treat everybody with respect and we understand we need their buy-in.”

How much he will sway their decision-making is yet to be determined, but this is newsworthy.

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Zulgad’s four-and-out: Reading between the lines on Kwesi Adofo-Mensah’s comments

The Vikings general manager had his press conference at the combine on Tuesday. @jzulgad breaks down what we can take from it

Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah got ahead of the game at the NFL Scouting Combine on Tuesday by being one of the first executives to address the media.

Like many of the general managers and coaches who will speak this week in Indianapolis — Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is scheduled to be available on Wednesday afternoon — Adofo-Mensah was careful with how much information he shared.

Here are a few of Adofo-Mensah’s responses with an attempt to read between the lines of what he was thinking.

NFL Combine: What to watch for as the Eagles look to retool on defense

Here’s everything you need to know about the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium and how to watch the on-field drills

The path to the 2023 NFL draft started in Mobile and continues in Indianapolis with the start of the NFL Scouting Combine. General managers, head coaches, and scouts will be looking at the 319 prospects looking to improve their draft stock.

For Eagles general manager Howie Roseman and head coach Nick Sirianni, they’ll get an up-close look at some of the prospects that could be joining their team in the next couple of months.

With the festivities underway, here’s everything you need to know.

Kwesi Adofo-Mensah leaves out key veterans in NFL combine presser

While speaking about the defense, Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah intentionally left out key veterans

The NFL Scouting Combine is officially underway, which means that for the first time since the Minnesota Vikings season ended, we get to hear from general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah about the roster.

Typically, NFL combine pressers are just a bunch of surface-level information, as teams don’t want to reveal too much about their plans for the upcoming offseason. On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah may have unintentionally revealed one part of his plan.

On Tuesday, Adofo-Mensah was asked linebacker group at the NFL combine, and whether it was intentional or not, he left out Kendricks and Hicks in his response.

“It’s a position, just like every position we look at. We have a lot of confidence in Brian Asamoah, who is also in that room. Troy Dye is a very good player. William Kwenkeu has shown some really good things on special teams. We’re going to take a look, just like we do at every position. But we have decisions to make, just like every other team.”

The statement from Adofo-Mensah is nothing that fans don’t already know, but leaving out Kendricks and Hicks when talking about the linebacker group is noteworthy.

It’s no secret that the Vikings are in dire need of cap space. With many aging veterans taking large cap hits, there are bound to be restructures or cap casualties. A couple of those players could include linebackers Eric Kendricks and Jordan Hicks.

According to Over The Cap, Kendricks is due $11.4 million this season and can be cut for $9.5 million in cap savings with only $1.93 million in dead cap. Meanwhile, Hicks is due $6.5 million, and cutting him would result in $5 million in cap savings with only $1.5 million in dead cap.

We know that the Vikings are going to need to make some of these tough decisions sooner rather than later. With Adofo-Mensah’s comments, or lack thereof. It seems as if the writing is on the wall for Kendricks and Hicks and that the Vikings might be moving in a different direction.

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