Tag: Future

Status update on future Saints draft picks, from 2022 to 2025

The Saints have plenty of draft picks to work with over the next couple years, whether they want to trade for Deshaun Watson or reload their depth chart:

It’s, ah, a timely decision to brush up on the New Orleans Saints’ future draft picks right now. Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson could make a decision at any moment on which team he’ll waive his no-trade clause for — whether that’s the Saints themselves or their heated rivals, the Atlanta Falcons. And one of those teams is going to give up a king’s ransom of draft picks and young starters for their new franchise quarterback.

New Orleans at least has picks to spare. They’ve only parted ways with three of their next 26 selections, stretching out from 2022 to 2025. NFL rules dictate that you can only deal out your picks in the next three draft cycles beyond the current year, which is why the Saints sent out the least-valuable asset possible late during the 2021 season for running back Mark Ingram II (a 2024 seventh rounder).

If the Saints are determined to win Watson over, and everything they’ve done over the last week suggests they are, despite the considerable baggage he brings with him, at least they will still have ample draft picks to fall back on. For now, here is when and where New Orleans expects to make its next draft selections:

Aaron Rodgers still deciding future but decision coming in ‘near future’

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers said he’ll make a decision on his future in the “near future.”

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers is still in the process of deciding on his future in football, but here’s the good news: the decision is coming soon.

After receiving his fourth NFL MVP award on Thursday night in Los Angeles, Rodgers answered a handful of questions from the media in a Zoom session. According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN, Rodgers said he would make a decision “in the near future” and would not “keep a lot of people waiting.”

A final answer could come in a matter of weeks.

Rodgers can either come back to Green Bay for at least another season, retire from the game or request a trade elsewhere. He’s left all options on the table, but he also effusively praised the way the Packers organization responded to his offseason requests and the relationships he’s rebuilt and grown within the team, including with general manager Brian Gutekunst.

Just as importantly, Rodgers said his body feels good, he remains competitively engaged and the sting of the Packers’ divisional round to the 49ers lingers.

Rodgers must decide if he wants to regroup and take another swing at a Super Bowl run in Green Bay in 2022, or if stepping away from the game altogether or attempting to start over with another franchise is his best path forward.

A decision is coming quickly in large part because the team and many players will base their entire offseason plan around what he decides on his future. If Rodgers returns, the Packers can start making salary cap decisions and rebuilding the roster around him.

The new league year and the opening of free agency start on March 16. But teams can start using the franchise tag on Feb. 22, and the tag is in play for All-Pro receiver Davante Adams, so Rodgers’ decision could come within the next two weeks.

After all the suspense and speculation of last summer, a couple of weeks of contemplation away from the game should go fast.

Rodgers told Taylor Bisciotti of NFL Network that a decision is coming “pretty quick.”

“I’ve got some decisions to make for sure,” Rodgers said. “Yesterday was the first day that kind of felt like the offseason…I’m going to enjoy the next couple of weeks. I’ve had good conversations with Green Bay. I’ll do some contemplating and make a decision here pretty quick.”

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Are Packers in win-win situation regarding Aaron Rodgers’ future?

The team is at a crossroads while Aaron Rodgers decides his future, but the Packers probably don’t hate their current position.

The Green Bay Packers are at a crossroads as a franchise. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, the soon-to-be four-time NFL MVP, is starting the process of determining his football future – more specifically, whether he wants to stay in Green Bay, ask for a trade or retire – after a stunning loss to the San Francisco 49ers in the division round of the NFC playoffs.

His decision will re-write the future of the team both in the short and long term.

The Packers want Rodgers back. Or at least they are saying they do publicly. The 38-year-old quarterback has led the Packers to three-straight 13-win seasons and is about to win his second-straight MVP award after tossing 37 touchdown passes and four interceptions in 2021. Obviously, the Packers aren’t going to boot a player of his caliber out the door.

But the decision is also out of the team’s hands in many ways. Rodgers has to decide if he wants to keep playing, and even if he does, there’s no guarantee he wants to continue on in Green Bay, where – while relationships with key figures have been mended over the last six months – the team has ultimately fallen short of the Super Bowl despite everything lining up almost exactly right.

It’s possible he wants to come back for another year and give it one more try with as many cast members from the last three years as possible. It’s possible Rodgers wants to be done with football and move on to the next phase in his life. It’s also possible he wants a fresh start in a new NFL city.

Whatever he chooses, the Packers could be in a good spot as a franchise.

In the first scenario, the Packers would get Rodgers back for another year on a restructured deal, and then do everything in their power to keep the key pieces of the team together and take another swing at a Super Bowl run in 2022. As heartbreaking as the playoff losses have been the last three years, no option gives the Packers a better chance at competing for a title next season.

Of course, losing Rodgers would be a massive blow. But losing him would create opportunities for the Packers to quickly re-stabilize as a franchise, assuming the right decisions are made after he departs.

In the retirement scenario, the Packers would lose Rodgers but gain considerable cap space. As Joel Corry of CBS Sports outlined here, Rodgers picking retirement would almost certainly come with an agreement to help the Packers in their short-term cap situation via a contract restructure. He’d stay on the roster until July, pushing some of the dead cap charge to 2023, and the Packers would get a significant amount of financial freedom.

In the trade scenario, the Packers would lose Rodgers but gain cap space and significant draft capital. Trading him would create almost $20 million in new cap space – even with a massive dead cap charge – and the acquiring team would almost certainly send several high draft choices to Green Bay. Given to the right talent evaluator, a mix of cap space and draft capital can reshape a franchise overnight.

Rodgers holds the cards here but the team probably doesn’t hate its position currently. Either Rodgers, the soon-to-be back-to-back MVP, comes back in 2022, or the Packers move forward with either a significant amount of financial freedom or a mix of financial freedom and draft capital.

The wildcard here is obviously Jordan Love, the team’s 2020 first-round pick.  He’s played in two preseason games and parts of three regular-season games. He hasn’t lit the world on fire in any appearance as a professional but he’s still young and raw and developing, so any scenario is still on the table.

For Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, he’s either getting a Hall of Fame quarterback back for another year or he’s getting a favorable situation to build around the guy he moved up to draft in the first round in 2020.

There are advantages and risks to each scenario. Rodgers might be great in 2022, but bringing him back for another year could endanger the future, and there’s no guarantee the Packers will be a Super Bowl-caliber team next season. Losing Rodgers might create immediate help on the books and in the draft war room, but none of that really matters if the quarterback position isn’t any good.

This crossroads could be a win-win for the Packers. It could also be a lose-lose. Rodgers’ decision on his future will kickstart the process; every decision made after will determine where the Packers go as a franchise. If done correctly, the team can benefit no matter which direction Rodgers goes.

Aaron Rodgers discusses future following Packers early playoff exit

Packers QB Aaron Rodgers wants to talk with people in Green Bay and take some time away from football before deciding his future in the game.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said he plans to talk with people in the organization and take some time away from football before deciding his future in Green Bay after Saturday night’s unexpected and season-ending loss to the San Francisco 49ers at Lambeau Field in the NFC divisional round.

“I’m going to take some time and have conversations with folks around here, and then take some time away and make a decision, obviously before free agency or before anything gets going on that front,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he needs to figure out if he wants to keep playing or retire, and whether or not returning to Green Bay is his best option if he wants to keep playing.

He made one thing clear: He doesn’t want to be a part of a rebuild in Green Bay.

The Packers are currently millions and millions of dollars over the 2022 salary camp and have tough decisions to make up and down the roster this offseason. Rodgers said he’d want to know the team’s plans in keeping the team together before making a final decision, but he’s also expecting to have a decision before the start of free agency.

“There are a lot of players whose futures are up in the air. It definitely will be interesting to see which way some of those decisions go,” Rodgers said. “But I’ll have conversations with Brian (Gutekunst) in the next week or so, and get a little more clarity, and think about my own future and how much longer I want to keep doing this.”

When asked if this was the Packers’ last chance at winning a Super Bowl with this collection of plays, Rodgers called it a “fair question” and admitted it’s one he’s thought about recently.

“I think this thing is definitely going to look different moving forward here in Green Bay,” Rodgers said.

Rodgers said he felt like this team had a legitimate chance of going on a run and winning the Super Bowl. He also admitted the ending to the last three seasons will play a factor in his ultimate decision.

“Of course it does,” Rodgers said.

Coach Matt LaFleur said after the game that he wants Rodgers back and the Packer would be “crazy” not to want him back, especially after what is expected to be another NFL MVP season.

Rodgers completed 20 of 29 passes but struggled to generate big plays or sustain drives against the 49ers on Saturday night. The Packers finished with 10 points, including just three points after the team’s opening-drive touchdown. Rodgers was sacked five times, and he connected with only four different receivers for completions.

Rodgers said the loss was “disappointing” and “sad,” and he was especially disappointed in his own performance.

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The NFL’s cornerbacks trade carousel keeps skipping the Saints

No team has broadcast their interest in trading for a cornerback more loudly than the Saints. So why haven’t they done it yet?

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Few teams have broadcast their intentions more loudly and more broadly than the New Orleans Saints have this year: they want to trade for another cornerback. Ever since the NFL’s unprecedented salary cap plunge forced them to cut Janoris Jenkins as a cap casualty, the Saints have searched high and low for more help in the secondary. Sean Payton has repeatedly described the position as his top priority for months.

Their efforts go back to the draft in April, when the Saints called anyone picking in the top 10 who would pick up their phone, targeting top prospects Jaycee Horn and Patrick Surtain II. More recent reports in early August linked the Saints to the Jacksonville Jaguars and mercurial starter C.J. Henderson. But more trades continue to be completed across the NFL, and none of them have involved the Saints. What gives?

On Friday, Sept. 3, the Steelers traded a 2023 fifth rounder for benched Seahawks starter Akhello Weatherspoon. On Oct. 30, the Seahawks traded a sixth round pick for Jaguars corner Sidney Jones IV. Days earlier, the Patriots acquired Ravens rookie Shaun Wade for a 2022 seventh rounder and 2023 fifth round choice. Back on Aug. 23, the Texans swapped a 2022 seventh rounder for Packers backup Ka’dar Hollman, who was later cut and landed with the Saints practice squad. Other options like Isaac Yiadom (Giants to Packers) and Josh Jackson (Packers to Giants), and John Reid (from Texans to Seahawks, for a conditional seventh rounder in 2023) have all been dealt.

For the folks keeping score at home, that’s seven different cornerbacks changing teams in less than three weeks. And the Saints, for all the chatter surrounding their interest in the trade market and the clear need on the roster, have stayed out of it.

Have they been unable to seal the deal? Were they unwilling to put future draft picks on the table? The salary cap for once wasn’t an obstacle (the team currently boasts cap space in the double digits). The team has a ton of picks to use next year between their own selections and multiple compensatory choices in the forecast. To make sense of their inaction, we’ve got to consider the context of the players being moved.

So far, no cornerback has been traded over the last month for much better than a fifth rounder two years from now. The players being offloaded aren’t likely to be ready to start, at least not over the Saints’ own in-house options of Ken Crawley and Paulson Adebo. A rookie fifth rounder like Wade wouldn’t get the nod over Adebo, a third round pick this year, for example. Maybe Jones would have made sense but his up-and-down play in the NFL and significant injury history are a tough sell.

At this point, there haven’t been any corners available for trade that would be worth the Saints’ while. None of those players are upgrading Crawley and Adebo. There’s an argument for improving the depth chart behind those top three corners but you shouldn’t burn a future draft pick for that when there are still free agents available.

Still, it feels inevitable that the Saints are going to add another corner soon — one way or another. The 53-man roster currently has three and a half corners between Marshon Lattimore, Crawley, Adebo, and part-time free safety P.J. Williams, with three others held in reserve on the practice squad (KeiVarae Russell, Bryan Mills, and Ka’dar Hollman). How many of those players are you ready to throw into a game against Calvin Ridley, Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Robby Anderson, DJ Moore, or Terrace Marshall?

If they can’t make a splash through a trade, maybe the Saints convince someone like Desmond Trufant or Josh Norman to sign for near-veteran’s minimum to warm up and wait on the sidelines on game days. But given the team’s need for greater help and the resources burning a hole in their wallet, you’ve got to think the clock is already ticking on some sort of move.

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ESPN answers if Notre Dame’s offense will be top-10 caliber the next 3 years

Too low or too high?

The offseason is in full force, with the Notre Dame staff focusing on spring practice and recruiting, it’s been a great time for analysts to look ahead at what to expect for this upcoming season.

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Well, ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg did us one better, he looked at the next three years (insider) looked at the next three years and tried to predict the best upcoming offenses in the country.

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How did the Irish fare in Rittenberg’s future estimation of offenses? Short answer, they’re one of the best, but not nearly as good as we’d all like them to be coming in ranked as the 14th best offense in the country.

With last season being offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ first full year calling an offense, he’s established a solid base for Brian Kelly. During the shortened 2020 campaign, the Irish were just outside the top 25 in total offense, 26th, averaging 33.4 points-per-game, good for 30th nationally.

Rittenberg saw what we all did in the Irish’s final two contests, “that the program clearly needs more explosiveness on offense to win titles. The Irish must continue to build on their strengths — offensive line, tight end, running back — and get more from the perimeter game and ultimately quarterback.”

Hard to disagree with that assessment, quarterback in my estimation, is the biggest weakness of the offense at the current moment. Rittenberg views transfer Jack Coan as “a solid option for 2021, but Notre Dame needs incoming recruit Tyler Buchner to be as advertised to help elevate the unit for the future.”

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What about the guys the quarterbacks will ultimately throw to? Rittenberg sees that group as one that “must step up this fall.” The collective of Avery Davis, Kevin Austin Jr., and Braden Lenzy needs to help Coan. Also mentioned was the young duo of Jordan Johnson and Deion Colzie potentially being the “big -play spark Notre Dame desperately needs.”

Aside from that position, Rittenberg is high on the rest of the offense. Michael Meyer is mentioned as a Mackey Award candidate, the depth at tight end being impressive beyond the rising sophomore. He see’s the line returning “versatile veterans such as Jarrett Patterson and Josh Lugg,” along with Zeke Correll.

Although the ranking isn’t what many of us wanted to hear, the nice part about it is that the Irish have room to grow. Even with the so-called offensive deficiencies, the Irish have been to the College Football Playoff’s two of the last three years and are on the cusp of breaking through to join some elite company in the college football world.

How will the Seahawks address Jamal Adams’ future this offseason?

The Seattle Seahawks have numerous priorities to address this offseason, the most important being star safety Jamal Adams’ future.

The Seattle Seahawks have a lot of priorities to address this offseason, but one of the biggest is star safety Jamal Adams’ future with the organization.

The Seahawks gave up two first-round draft picks to acquire Adams, who made an immediate impact and firmly established his presence in many games last season. Unfortunately, Seattle suffered an early postseason exit at the hands of the Rams in the wild-card round, a game in which Adams gutted through several injuries that severely hindered his play.

One would think that Seattle would want to keep Adams around for the long haul because not only did the Seahawks pay a hefty price for him, but he has displayed his passion for the organization numerous times since he arrived in the Emerald City.

However, it will take a little more than both sides wishing to be together beyond 2021 to keep Adams around. The phrase “money talks” holds true for all contract extensions for big-name athletes, and Adams will want his. This situation will be monitored throughout this offseason and its conclusion will be highly anticipated.

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2021 NFL Draft: Updated future Saints picks after trade deadline

For now, the New Orleans Saints are projected to own a pick in each round of the 2021 NFL Draft after trading for Niners LB Kwon Alexander.

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Well that was a dud. The 2020 NFL trade deadline passed by so quietly that it was hardly noticed, if you weren’t paying attention. Like most of the league, the New Orleans Saints filed their moves with the NFL office well ahead of the cutoff date, having worked out a trade for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Kwon Alexander.

So now we know exactly what sort of draft resources New Orleans will carry into 2021. Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer reported that the Saints included a conditional fifth-round draft pick in their trade package for Alexander (along with backup linebacker Kiko Alonso, returning from a 2019 season-ending injury).

And the conditions for that pick are interesting: if Alexander meets enough play-time incentives, the Saints will send their 2021 fifth rounder to San Francisco. But if Alexander does not get on the field often enough, either due to his recent high-ankle sprain, simply taking longer to pick up the system, or some other factor, then the 49ers will have to wait until 2022 to receive New Orleans’ fifth-round pick.

It’s a little more complicated than your standard pick-swap conditions, but not ridiculously so. Certainly not as contrived as what the New Orleans Pelicans will be receiving from the Los Angeles Lakers over the next half-decade.

Anyway: here are all of the 2021 draft picks the Saints are scheduled to make after the Alexander trade, as well as their draft-day maneuvering in 2020 and with projected compensatory selections:

  • Round 1 (own)
  • Round 2 (own)
  • Round 3 (compensatory for losing Teddy Bridgewater)
  • Round 4 (own)
  • Round 5 (conditional, could revert to 2022)
  • Round 6 (compensatory for losing A.J. Klein)
  • Round 7 (own)

To recap on a few of the picks traded earlier this year, the Saints swapped out their own third- and sixth-rounders in 2021 so they could move up the board in the 2020 draft. The rookies acquired in those moves were linebacker Zack Baun and quarterback-turned-tight end Tommy Stevens.

Additionally, the compensatory picks projected to New Orleans after Bridgewater and Klein signed with new teams in free agency are just that: projections. We won’t know for certain whether the NFL is awarding those selections until they are announced in the spring, so don’t get too attached to the idea of the Saints owning a selection in each round for once.

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Chris Carson and Seahawks have not had contract extension talks yet

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson stated that the team has not reached out to him about a potential contract extension yet.

Seattle Seahawks running back Chris Carson is entering the final year of his rookie contract and is hoping for a contract extension. Carson admitted that he has been anticipating it after seeing several of his fellow tailbacks attain financial security from their respective teams.

“Of course it’s something that’s on my mind,” Carson told reporters during his press conference on Tuesday. “You see a lot of guys, they’re starting to get paid, but I try not to distract me from this season. I just try to push it away, but like I said, it is something that’s on my mind but I try not to let it affect me.”

Carson stated that Seattle has not reached out to him to offer an extension or discuss his future in any way. When asked if he wants to remain in the Emerald City, Carson confessed that he has no clear idea of where he will end up next.

“I mean, if everything plays out the right ways,” he said. “I guess we’re just going to have to see.”

Considering he was a seventh-round pick in 2017, it is safe to say Carson has far exceeded expectations. He was a double-edged sword for the Seahawks in 2019, rushing for 1,230 yards and seven touchdowns and adding 266 receiving yards and two more TDs, but also fumbling seven times, losing four of them. However, Carson remains confident in his abilities and stated he has worked on his fumbling issues in preparation for the 2020 season.

“Just being a seventh-round draft pick, you’re always going to have that chip on your shoulder but at this point in the game I don’t really have nothing to prove,” Carson said. “I feel like my game has spoken for itself for the last three years or whatever. As far as the fumbling, that was something that played a big part last year, it’s something I worked on in the offseason. But like I said, you’ve got to have a quick mindset, let that go and just move on from it. Learn from it and like I said, move on from it.”

Carson could still receive an extension before the season starts, but his future is up in the air at this point.

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Saints clock in at No. 4 in ESPN’s future NFL power rankings

Thanks to careful roster construction, the New Orleans Saints have set themselves up well for the future in ESPN’s latest NFL power rankings

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While the Drew Brees era might be drawing to a close for the New Orleans Saints, the team is well-positioned for whatever comes next. That’s the thesis statement from their placement in the latest future NFL power rankings from ESPN, in which a panel of experts rated every team’s roster composition, quarterback situation, draft success, as well as the coaching staff and front office structures.

The Saints have strung together three years of double-digit win seasons, picking up help along the way with free agents like Demario Davis, Jared Cook, Malcolm Jenkins, and Emmanuel Sanders. The only thing holding them back is their hit rate on draft picks, which ESPN ranked 23rd in the league. Still, even that wart couldn’t keep the Saints from ranking lower than No. 4 overall.

Here’s what ESPN’s Field Yates had to say about why the Saints were put on such a high pedestal:

There’s a case to be made for the Saints as the most complete roster in football right now, and the team is coached by the brilliant Sean Payton. While New Orleans has a year-to-year approach surrounding Drew Brees‘ future, the team has already invested in a developmental player in Taysom Hill that it hopes can be their “guy” going forward.

However, there is skepticism that Hill might be “the guy” the Saints have talked him up to be. After all, he’s completed fewer passes to his teammates than Jameis Winston did while playing for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Winston is now in line to compete with Hill a year or two down the road. If Winston can clean up his mistakes, Hill must show serious growth as a passer to hold onto his heir-apparent status.

And while the Saints were rated with the NFL’s best roster, it does have a few weak points that could come into play in the years ahead. All-Pro linebacker Demario Davis is a free agent after the 2020 season and already over 30, with few healthy, young options around him (co-starters Kiko Alonso and Alex Anzalone each suffered season-ending injuries last year, while aging backup Craig Robertson is also a soon-to-be free agent). The Saints are putting a lot of faith in rookie draft pick Zack Baun to solidify the position.

But let’s circle back to the good news. The Saints have carefully assembled one of the strongest rosters you’ll see around the NFL, including a young, talented offensive line and a quarterback’s best friend in superstar wideout Michael Thomas. With Payton calling the shots, fans should have confidence that the Saints are ready for whatever comes next whether Hill, Winston, or someone else is under center once Brees has moved on.

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