Tag: Albert Breer

Is Jayden Daniels the ‘leader in the clubhouse’ for the Commanders at No. 2?

Adam Peters is keeping everyone guessing.

Since he officially declared for the 2024 NFL draft in January, it has always been a foregone conclusion that USC quarterback Caleb Williams would go No. 1 overall. The only question was if the Chicago Bears would select Williams or trade the pick.

After trading Justin Fields last week, we now know that Williams is heading to Chicago.

The real fun begins at No. 2 and the Washington Commanders. Both Washington and New England (No. 3) need a franchise quarterback. The good news for both teams is there are two other passers worthy of top-three selections: Drake Maye (North Carolina) and Jayden Daniels (LSU).

Over the past several weeks, speculation has Washington leaning toward Daniels. Even Vegas believes the Heisman Trophy winner will be a Commander.

That speculation grew after the Commanders signed veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota in free agency, with many thinking his playing style was more similar to Daniels than Maye, which would make him a better fit for new offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury.

That notion is foolish. We don’t even know if Mariota was Washington’s top veteran target. The Commanders were interested in Sam Darnold before he signed with the Vikings. But if we believe what Kingsbury said about what he looks for in a quarterback, Daniels does make sense for Washington.

Kingsbury mentioned how vital mobility was, but some don’t realize how mobile Maye is, too.

One of the NFL’s top insiders, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, weighed in on who he thinks Washington prefers.

“The more I’ve started to ask around, the more it seems like Jayden Daniels is probably the leader in the clubhouse to be a Commander,” Breer said. “It does match up with what Kliff Kingsbury’s looked for in his quarterbacks over the years.”

Breer mentioned how Daniels is the most ready to play over Williams and Maye, which could give him a leg up.

What does this mean? Absolutely nothing. It probably means the Commanders prefer Maye. General manager Adam Peters has been making the rounds to visit each of the draft’s top quarterbacks, and he isn’t tipping his hand.

 

Report: Bears received trade inquiries on Justin Fields at Senior Bowl

Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated says the Bears received trade inquiries about Justin Fields from other teams earlier this month.

The Chicago Bears are still turning over every stone when it comes to their quarterback situation, but it looks like other teams are doing the same. According Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated, the Bears received trade inquiries surrounding quarterback Justin Fields while attending this year’s Senior Bowl a couple weeks ago. Breer writes that Bears staffers got a sense of what the quarterback’s value might be on the trade market:

Chicago staffers got inquiries from other teams on Fields in Mobile. And while the Bears haven’t shopped Fields, those conversations did allow the team to start to gauge the 2021 first-rounder’s worth out there on the market.

The Bears are meeting over the next couple weeks to finalize plans at quarterback, with the expectation that they’ll have the plan in place in Indianapolis next week.

Breer makes it clear the Bears were not shopping Fields but rather listening to what teams might be willing to offer in a potential deal. They also still need to get to the NFL Combine next week to begin finalizing any plans once they meet with prospects. Still, it’s another step in the process of determining what Chicago will do at the quarterback position.

Fields took steps in his third professional season, throwing for 2,562 yards with 16 touchdowns and nine interceptions while completing 61.4% of his passes with a quarterback rating of 86.3 in 13 games. But with the Bears having the No. 1 overall pick by way of the Carolina Panthers in a quarterback-rich draft class, the chances of them moving on from Fields in favor of a rookie like Caleb Williams are increasing by the day.

Whatever winds up happening, the Bears are getting closer to making a decision that will have massive ramifications for the future of their franchise.

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SI’s Albert Breer provides update on Kirk Cousins

The Minnesota Vikings have a decision to make regarding Kirk Cousins and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer provides an update on the subject

The million-dollar question surrounding the Minnesota Vikings this offseason is their quarterback, Kirk Cousins. With him set to hit free agency in just three weeks, the Vikings will have to make a quick decision on him.

The key dates for Cousins are March 11th (the legal tampering period begins) and March 12th (Cousins’ contract voids). In order to figure out what the Vikings will do, they need to have discussions with Cousins and his camp.

Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer released his Monday morning column and talked about where things are at with the Vikings and Cousins currently.

Because of some creative timing in his contract (his current deal voids after the deadline to tag a player is passed), Cousins can’t be franchised by the Vikings, so all he has to do to become available to the other 31 teams is, well, do nothing contractually until mid-March.

At this point, it makes the most sense for him to do that. The current Minnesota brass, now going into its third season, really likes Cousins, but it’s also been made clear that they’re not going to go contractually where the previous regime did twice, and give Cousins a fully guaranteed deal. Absent that, Cousins is now in position to hit the market like he did six years ago, this time older and, of course, more injured.

What sort of price Cousins will be able to command is another question. Derek Carr and Garoppolo did pretty well on the B-level market last year, as did Geno Smith, so something like $30 million would seem to be attainable. Is $40 million or $45 million per in reach? That’s a good question, as is how far the Vikings would be willing to go to keep Cousins.

For what it’s worth, the Vikings did touch base with Cousins’ camp last week, as they got their pre-combine meetings going, so the lines of communication are open. More clarity could come in Indianapolis next week.

The biggest piece of information here is that the Vikings have touched base with Cousins’ camp. When speaking about his contract, Cousins has spoken about how discussions would begin in March. Why March? The scouting combine is the first weekend in March and it becomes a bevy of tampering and information. By waiting until March, Cousins will have a much better sense of what other teams might be willing to offer, therefore strengthening his negotiating position with the Vikings.

We don’t know how this will play out, especially with the money per year that Cousins will end up commanding coming off of his torn Achilles tendon. However, the next two weeks will provide a lot of information on the subject.

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Did the Commanders offer Raheem Morris the head coaching job?

The Commanders loved Quinn all along, but did have serious interest in others, too.

There is more discussion claiming the Commanders settled for Dan Quinn.

On Tuesday, Dan Patrick and his guest, Albert Breer, a senior NFL reporter for Monday Morning Quarterback, joined the list.

Patrick inquired as to what transpired with the Commanders being the last vacancy filled for this 2024 cycle.

The Commanders want a strong, durable general manager for the next decade, and the Harris group firmly believes Adam Peters is that guy. Consequently, Breer began explaining to Patrick this is why Bill Belichick and Mike Vrabel did not fit into the structure the Commanders currently desire. (How Mike Florio had been so insistent the Commanders wanted Bill Belichick remains unknown.)

Breer continued, “They wanted to be wide open about their process, so they had Zoom interviews with I believe, eight candidates. They brought seven of them back for in-person interviews, and they wanted to be open-minded about it.”

Then Breer divulged, “Raheem Morris almost got the job two weeks ago. The Falcons gave him an offer that made the Commanders really think.”

Breer expressed the Commanders then determined, “No, we really want to finish our process. We want to meet with everybody.”

“They were obviously interested in meeting with Ben Johnson. Um, that didn’t go so well (as Breer chuckled) on Monday as they got the news (from Johnson).”

“Then the final two were Mike Macdonald and Dan Quinn, and Seattle swooping in and grabbing Macdonald sort of clarified, simplified things.”

Patrick inquired further, “Did they want Dan Quinn? Did they settle for Dan?” Breer responded, “They love Dan Quinn, they do.” Patrick, unsatisfied again, asked, “But did they settle for Dan Quinn?”

Breer responded pointing to the common connections in San Francisco with Adam Peters there with Kyle Shanahan and other coaches having worked for Quinn in Atlanta. “So with Quinn, the references were great. He knocked the interview out of the park.”

“Is it as exciting a hire as Raheem Morris, Ben Johnson, or Mike Macdonald would have been? You know, maybe not. But Dan Quinn is somebody in high demand the last couple of years.”

“So I think ‘settled’ is the wrong word. I think they were just kind of committed to riding the entire process out, and because of that, they lost a couple of guys along the way.”

On Feb. 1, Chris Russell (The Team 980) stated Morris and Macdonald had both been offered the job and chose to go elsewhere. Russell has more than once also stated he was told by one in the Cowboys organization (during the season finale) that Quinn wanted this job.

Albert Breer thinks Vikings will still be sellers at NFL trade deadline

The Vikings still being sellers at the deadline is something the national media keeps running with

The Minnesota Vikings have won two straight and are currently in the last NFC playoff spot, but that doesn’t change their position as sellers at the NFL trade deadline – at least according to one NFL analyst. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer says that even with a win on Sunday against the Packers, he doesn’t expect the Vikings to change their presumed course for this season.

Breer points out that this year was always set up to be a “reset year” with the team taking on millions in dead cap and moving on from established veterans like Dalvin Cook and Adam Thielen. Breer goes on to mention that this likely means the Vikings would still be listening to offers for their premier bargaining chip – edge rusher Danielle Hunter.

Hunter is currently having one of the best seasons of his career, leading the league in both sacks and tackles for loss. However, Breer cautions that it may be harder to move Hunter, as he will need a new contract and won’t come cheap.

Breer also notes that the asking price has likely gone up, saying that at one point a deal would have likely been done for only a third-round pick, but that’s likely not the case anymore.

Hunter isn’t the only Vikings player that teams may be interested in at the NFL trade deadline, either, according to Breer. He goes on to mention that Jordan Hicks could make a nice addition to any team who is looking for a leader in their linebacker corps.

Breer is less bullish on the prospect of the Vikings moving Kirk Cousins – who does have a no-trade clause – saying that he would be “stunned” if they entertained moving Cousins “at this point”.

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NFL reporter Albert Breer: ‘There’s a deal to be done’ between Chiefs, Chris Jones

NFL reporter Albert Breer looked at the numbers and tweeted that “there’s a deal to be done” between the #Chiefs and Chris Jones.

Star defensive lineman Chris Jones has continued his holdout from activities with the Kansas City Chiefs through training camp and the preseason amid ongoing negotiations on a contract extension.

Jones’ demands and the Chiefs’ ability to meet them have been a hot topic in recent weeks, and as the 2023 season is set to kick off on September 7, both sides need to reach an agreement quickly if the lineman intends to see the field with Kansas City against the Detroit Lions.

NFL reporter Albert Breer took to Twitter to break down the latest developments in the negotiations between Jones and the Chiefs and left his followers with a more optimistic outlook than usual.

It seems that there may be a way for Kansas City to make Jones one of the highest-paid players at his position without making his next contract a market-setting deal. Los Angeles Rams superstar Aaron Donald currently has the most lucrative deal of any defensive lineman in the NFL, and while Jones has certainly earned a massive extension, the Chiefs will have to get creative to make the numbers work.

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Commanders Sam Howell surprised Ron Rivera

Howell’s performance against Dallas was all Rivera needed to see to make him QB1 heading into the offseason.

Ron Rivera was recalling the night of January 8.

Albert Breer, Senior NFL Reporter and Lead Content Strategist for Monday Morning Quarterback, tells the story in his latest work.

Washington had defeated Dallas in the 2022 season finale. Rivera and wife Stephanie were headed back home. Washington had entered the final game at 7-8-1, having been eliminated the previous week when they lost to the Browns 24-10.

Rivera had told Taylor Heinicke he would start the final game, and Heinicke apparently let Rivera know that the wisest thing to do was start rookie Sam Howell in the otherwise meaningless game.

Howell proceeded to complete 11 of 19 passes with a touchdown and interception in the Commanders’ 26-6 victory over the Cowboys. Howell was not stellar, but he did appear, for the most part, in control.

Apparently, before the Rivera’s were inside their home, Coach Ron had determined he was going to convey to Howell at their next meeting Sam would be QB1, that a veteran would be signed to come and also compete for the job. It was Sam’s job to lose.

Oh, the historical revisionism that is going to take place by Commanders fans. Yes, there were the very select few (one of them an acquaintance of mine) who had gone public that Rivera should start Howell much earlier in the season.

Eight out of 10 Commanders fans were glad Rivera had turned to Heinicke over Wentz. They were not at the time declaring Sam Howell would get them to the playoffs. Oh, they will be out in full force tonight and tomorrow telling you how they were, but most of us know better.

It was not until the Commanders were eliminated by the Browns that many of us said it was time to play Sam Howell; I was one of them. Having not played a down since the preseason, I never dreamed Howell was ready.

Coach Ron is going to be crucified for this admission to Albert Breer. That’s how most fanatics are. They are unfair, rarely applying the same standards to themselves that they demand of others.

Some will even claim that had Rivera played Howell against the Browns, the Commanders would have won and made the playoffs. First of all, you can’t honestly assert such. You have absolutely no idea how Sam Howell would have played in his first game when so much was on the line. You only know how he played in the finale with no playoff pressure on him.

Yes, Coach Rivera should have known the Commanders were eliminated with the loss to the Browns. In addition, there should have been several informing the head coach that week of the possibilities. There is much blame to go around on that one.

I have no problem whatsoever with Rivera admitting that Howell really surprised him with how well he handled himself in the final game.

Albert Breer’s one-and-only mock draft has the Saints drafting a first-round DE

Albert Breer’s one-and-only Sports Illustrated mock draft has the Saints drafting a first-round defensive end after missing out on the position’s top options:

It sure seems like the New Orleans Saints are expecting to pick a defensive lineman in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft, and the one-and-only mock draft from Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer has them picking a pass rusher to line up off the edge. He has them taking Kansas State defensive end Felix Anudike-Uzomah at No. 29 overall:

The Saints are another potential trade-up team, perhaps for a pass rusher. But the way this has fallen, they find a hard-charging, stout, long defensive end who fits their mold for the edge. Now, they’d have to hope they get more out of him than they have with more recent first-rounders at the position (i.e., Marcus Davenport, Payton Turner).

Anudike-Uzomah isn’t as big as the Saints tend to favor at defensive end, weighing in at 6-foot-3 and 255 pounds with 33.5-inch arms, but he’s still got a significant edge on other first-round prospects like Nolan Smith, Will McDonald IV, and BJ Ojulari, and he might come closest to the prototype out of the second-tier pas rushers. He’s a very good athlete, too, having posted above-average numbers in the agility drills and beaten their thresholds in the jumps.

More importantly than all that Anudike-Uzomah was highly productive in college. A two-year starter at Kansas State, he made the most of those opportunities to rack up 20.5 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss (plus 8 forced fumbles) in just 33 games. He brings a speed and flexibility element off the edge that the Saints have missed.

But will they consider him this early? The only sub-260-pound defensive ends the Saints have fielded in the last five years were Al-Quadin Muhammad (253 pounds), Carl Granderson (254), and Scott Patchan (251), all of whom were asked to bulk up before they saw significant time. And only Muhammad was drafted, and not until the sixth round. It would be a big shift in philosophy for the Saints to pick a player with Anudike-Uzomah’s size this soon.

That’s why New Orleans is being projected to trade up for a heavyset defensive end like Myles Murphy (who was picked at No. 20 in Breer’s mock draft) or Lukas Van Ness (taken at No. 8 overall). They stick to their prototypes to a stubborn degree and it limits their options. If either of those guys gets within range of a move up the board, we shouldn’t be shocked if the Saints make yet another first-round trade.

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Albert Breer suggests the Vikings could draft a quarterback

The future of the quarterback position is in flux right now and Breer believes he has the answer

The Minnesota Vikings have been arguing about the quarterback position for the last six off-seasons. First, it was which quarterback will take the reins in 2018 then it was either hoping for growth or the Vikings moving on from Kirk Cousins.

With Cousins coming up on his 35th birthday and only having one year left on his contract, those discussions are coming up quickly once again. He did have arguably his best season for the Vikings in 2022, especially when it comes to trying to push the ball down the field.

However, Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated was asked a mailbag question about Cousins’ contract situation and he believes that the Vikings could draft one this year.

“Nick, I think Kirk Cousins will be the Vikings’ quarterback in 2023, and I think, certainly, they’d consider doing another one-year extension with him this offseason (they’d have $12.5 million in dead money to deal with after next year if they walked away). But I also believe that Cousins’s age (he’ll be 35 in Week 1) and contract situation make the Vikings a quiet contender to take a quarterback in April.

Minnesota’s been here before, and recently. Had Justin Fields slipped to where the team was initially picking in 2021 (No. 14), before dealing down and taking Christian Darrisaw with the 23rd pick, the now-Bears quarterback would’ve been a serious consideration. So if, say, Florida’s Anthony Richardson were to fall into their laps at 24, it’s easy for me to see the Vikings seeing a raw prospect who could develop for a year behind Cousins and wind up being a monster for them a few years down the line (physically, he’s off the charts).”

Richardson is one of my favorite prospects in this draft class and has elite tools to build upon. If they were to take him, he could sit for a season behind Cousins or they could end up having Cousins ask for a trade. Setting up for the future would put the Vikings in a good spot.

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Albert Breer tabs front-runner for Chargers’ offensive coordinator position

One candidate stands above the rest that Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer sees ultimately getting the job.

The Chargers are in the thick of interviews as they’re diligently looking to find their next offensive coordinator.

The interview list is now up to six, and it could very well keep growing. But there is one candidate who stands above the rest that Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer sees ultimately getting the job.

Breer pegged Rams quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Zac Robinson as the favorite to be Los Angeles’ OC.

I’d call Rams pass-game coordinator/quarterbacks coach Zac Robinson the front-runner for the Chargers’ OC job. Remember, Brandon Staley wanted to hire Kevin O’Connell from Sean McVay’s staff in 2021, and O’Connell was blocked from going. Robinson, as a former NFL QB, brings a lot of the same qualities O’Connell, along with the system, from McVay that I believe Staley would ideally like to have Justin Herbert running.

In his end-of-season press conference, head coach Brandon Staley mentioned that he would prefer to hire someone fluent in the Sean McVay/Kyle Shanahan offensive system. And Robinson has four years of working under McVay.

In addition to having extensive knowledge of the McVay offense, Robinson has a firm grasp of the passing game and the mentorship and development of quarterbacks as a former signal-caller himself, which would go a long way to getting the most out of Justin Herbert.

Robinson completed his interview with the Chargers on Monday, Jan. 23.