Tag: athletes first

Athletes First puts NFL teams on notice: No cognitive testing for draft prospects

Some athletes will not be doing any of the psychological or cognitive testing at the scouting combine.

According to Kalyn Kahler of The Athletic, sports agency, Athletes First has put the NFL on notice that their clients will not be participating in any cognitive or psychological testing as part of the pre-draft process. The 2024 NFL draft is scheduled for  Apr 25, 2024 – Sat, Apr 27.

Below is the email Kahler received from Athletes First that they sent to all 32 NFL teams. The NFL Scouting Combine is scheduled for Mon, Feb 26 – Mon, Mar 4. The combine is where much of this testing takes place.

“After much internal discussion, the agents at Athletes First have directed our draft prospects to respectfully pass on participating in any cognitive or psychological testing during the pre-draft process (e.g. AIQ, S2, etc.),” the email read.

“We understand that many of your teams use these tests or protocols as part of your prospect evaluation process, however our recent experience with these exams has been less than positive,” the email continued. Specifically, the fact that certain results and performance were leaked publicly last year demonstrates that there truly is no confidentiality with these tests. It is not right for a player’s intelligence, aptitude or mental processing to be subject to public discussion and ridicule — no other job interview carries the same scrutiny. While our clients are happy to participate in the standard pre-draft physical activities and any football-based interviews or film review, we will not subject them to the wide variety of psychological tests.”

“Specifically, the fact that certain results and performance were leaked publicly last year demonstrates that there truly is no confidentiality with these tests. It is not right for a player’s intelligence, aptitude or mental processing to be subject to public discussion and ridicule — no other job interview carries the same scrutiny. “While our clients are happy to participate in the standard pre-draft physical activities and any football-based interviews or film review, we will not subject them to the wide variety of psychological tests.”

This could create a cascade of other agencies to direct their clients to pass on the testing as well. Teams utilize these results as part of the player evaluation process and this could direct franchises away from some players in favor of those where they are able to make a more informed evaluation of their potential in its totality.

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What’s next for the Miami Dolphins after elimination?

Miami may look to make changes on the field and on the coaching staff.

As the eight remaining playoff teams get set for their weekend matchups, the Miami Dolphins front office and brain trust start their preparation for the 2023 season.

Following last Sunday’s playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills, head coach Mike McDaniel enters his first offseason process in ending a season and assessing players along with the people he hired or inherited on his staff.

This will be the first time in his career and, of course, with Miami, that McDaniel will work with the powers that be following a head-coaching performance and renovate the roster and staff while building at the same time.

On the player end of things, 31 Dolphins from this season will enter free agency. Of the big names in this group, tight end Mike Gesicki will likely have a number of suitors who’ll utilize him to the maximum of his ability and skill set. After posting a heartfelt message on social media, Gesicki, in a vague way, that while he loves Miami and is appreciative of the Dolphins, it appears the honeymoon is over.

Backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is also a free agent, and it’s not expected that he’ll be back in Miami Gardens next season following a year of injuries and underperformance. Staying on the offensive side of the ball, every single running back who recorded a carry for Miami in 2022, is now a free agent.

Raheem Mostert, Salvon Ahmed, Myles Gaskin and in-season addition Jeff Wilson, Jr. could all be on different teams next season, but it’s too early to speculate. With a loaded free agent running back class, the Dolphins could focus there, however, paying top dollar for a runner isn’t something that Chris Grier has proven to be in the market for in his tenure.

McDaniel brought a pair of San Fransisco wide receivers with him to Miami, River Cracraft and Trent Sherfield, and now they’re both free agents.

Defensively, the Dolphins have decisions to make regarding the homegrown talents of linebacker Andrew Van Ginkel and cornerback Nik Needham. Van Ginkel, a 2019 fifth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin is a valuable two-unit player for Miami, excelling on special teams and, more importantly, in the outside linebacker rotation for the Dolphins in a loaded room.

Needham was undrafted in that same year of 2019, and although initially cut, the Dolphins rewarded him a practice squad spot followed by an in-season promotion. Through trials by fire and social media, Needham worked to become a fixture in the Dolphins lineup as a second-year player in 2020, and, in 2021, he was one of the NFL’s top slot cornerbacks.

Needham suffered an Achilles injury in Week 6 against the Minnesota Vikings, and although a free agent now, and rehabbing ahead of schedule. He even told reporters that Miami has communicated that they have plans for him and are interested in bringing him back.

Both will have suitors beyond the Dolphins, as Needham was recently signed by Athletes First, a top-tier agency representing a long list of NFL talent. Van Ginkel is also being courted by heavy-hitting representation, so these are situations to track this offseason.

Veteran defenders such as captain Elandon Roberts, Melvin Ingram, Eric Rowe and Duke Riley enter free agency, so that makes four free-agent linebackers who saw significant snaps in 2022. You can add in a fifth in Sam Eguavoen as well.

The Dolphins inked punter Thomas Morstead to a one-year deal last offseason. He had a fine year on the field and became a fan favorite off of it. Miami would be wise to throw another one-year deal his way with his work ethic and leadership.

There are a number of other veteran free agents Miami has decisions to make on, as well as coaching. McDaniel brought in his offensive coaching staff upon being hired in Miami, but essentially inherited the defensive crew, led by coordinator Josh Boyer.

Boyer was originally hired by former head coach Brian Flores. While last season had a bit of controversy as to who exactly was running the show on defense regarding play-calling, Boyer was retained last offseason despite the firing of Flores.

UPDATE: Boyer was fired on Thursday, along with three members of his staff.

This season, a talented Dolphins defense was underwhelming through the course of the season but did sustain a slew of significant injuries to key players. Emmanuel Ogbah, Brandon Jones, Needham and not to mention the Byron Jones saga, all led to Boyer playing with a limited deck.

Miami finished 2022 18th in total defense and 24th in scoring defense. The main issue was on third downs, as they were tied for the NFL’s 24th-ranked unit here, and, many times throughout the season, it was key conversions that plagued the Dolphins.

At the moment, it’s not confirmed one way or another if Boyer will be retained, and another coach where the speculation is flying is special teams coordinator Danny Crossman. The Dolphins ranked near the bottom of the league in special teams categories.

Now that 24 teams are looking to 2023, the coaching carousel is underway, but the timetables will be anybody’s guess on what, when, who and how this will play out from a staffing side.

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Michael Thomas reacts to Deshaun Watson’s monster contract extension

The Houston Texans signed QB Deshaun Watson to a big contract extension, prompting New Orleans Saints WR Michael Thomas to congratulate him.

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Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson is easy to root for, even in the eyes of his peers. So when he earned a $40 million per-year contract extension on Saturday, he also earned words of congratulations from other young stars around the NFL — like New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas praised Watson from his official Twitter account, also offering a shoutout to Watson’s agent, David Mulugheta of Athletes First. Mulugheta once represented Thomas himself, though the All-Pro wide receiver has since signed with a different member of the same agency: Andrew Kessler, who helped secure a $100 million extension for Thomast last summer.

It’s a big win for Watson, who returned from an early-career knee injury to lead the Texans in several postseason runs. He’s one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in the game today, and memorable to Saints fans after taking them down to the wire in the 2019 season opener. For our part, we’re happy to see him stay in the AFC, where the Saints will only have to see him every four years.

That said: what could Watson’s contract extension mean for the Saints quarterbacks? Both Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston will be testing free agency in the next year or two, and this is the sort of tide that raises all ships. If either of them becomes the starter in New Orleans after Drew Brees, they should expect their salaries to take a big boost to keep up with the market. Now just how high they might claim remains to be seen.

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Report: Texans lock up ILB Zach Cunningham with contract extension

The Houston Texans and inside linebacker Zach Cunningham have reached a contract extension that will pay the defender $14.5 million a year.

The Houston Texans have seen enough from Zach Cunningham over the past three seasons to know they want more.

According to Ian Rapoport from the NFL Network, the Texans are signing the former 2017 second-round pick to a “huge” contract extension worth $14.5 million per year.

Cunningham was on the verge of earning his first career Pro Bowl last season after leading the AFC in tackles. However, he remained an alternate for the Texans, and the opening never presented itself to be a part of the conference’s all-star team in Orlando.

Cunningham stated he was putting contract talks to the side and just focusing on football in his final year of training camp under his rookie contract. First-year defensive coordinator Anthony Weaver saw the way Cunningham would show up daily and lead by example.

“Zach Cunningham is a guy who day in and day out just gets the job done and makes plays that always leave you shaking your head a little bit,” Weaver said. “You’re like, ‘how did he make that play?’”

“He’s very athletic, very instinctive, a really good tackler,” coach and general manager Bill O’Brien said. “He’s made a couple of plays on screen passes where he’s fended off the blocker and been able to push the ball carrier back inside where to where his help is coming from. He can play zone coverage. He can play man coverage. He’s a good blitzer. We can use him in a lot of different areas — not just at inside backer. He can do a lot of different things for us. He’s a really, really good football player.”

 

The key note in the Cunningham contract extension is that the inside linebacker’s representation is the same as quarterback Deshaun Watson’s. With that extension out of the way, O’Brien can focus on locking up the two-time Pro Bowler and ushering in a new, veteran era of Texans football.

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