Tag: nfl free agents

Joe Montana Weighs in on Tom Brady’s New England Exit

Were you stunned that Tom Brady actually left New England and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week?  If so, you’re hardly alone.  And now, another legendary quarterback who made a similar move nearly three decades ago say’s he’s just as shocked as you or I.

Were you stunned that Tom Brady actually left New England and signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last week?  If so, you’re hardly alone.  And now, another legendary quarterback who made a similar move nearly three decades ago say’s he’s just as shocked as you or I.

Joe Montana, the Hall of Fame quarterback and owner of four Super Bowl rings with the San Francisco 49ers exited after the 1992 season and played two more in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs.  Montana commented to the USA TODAY about Brady’s departure.

“I don’t know what’s going on inside there, but somebody made a mistake,” Montana told USA TODAY Sports.

“I think when you look at the whole situation, you try to figure out how you want to get away from things that are there,” Montana, 63, said from his Northern California home during a phone interview. “I had a different story, where they had made a decision. He, obviously, they never would have gotten rid of. I still don’t understand how New England let him get away. I don’t understand that.”

I get what Montana is saying, especially when you consider that New England doesn’t currently appear to currently have a viable option at the position like the 49ers did with Steve Young when they let Montana walk.

To me it’s about egos and eventually they end this way.  Growing up a Chicago Bulls fan I recall how that dynasty came apart.  General manager Jerry Krause made a comment years earlier about “organizations winning championships, not players” and it ticked off a couple of stars by the names of Jordan and Pippen.  Krause thought he could rebuild another championship caliber team while the players thought the six championships were all their and head coach Phil Jackson’s doing.

Eventually they went their separate ways, Jordan retiring a second time before returning to the Washington Wizards a few years later. Pippen forced a trade to Portland and helped them on some very good, but never championship level squads.  And Phil Jackson exited, only to resurface a few years later in Los Angeles and helped the Lakers build a three-peat champion.

So who is in the right here?

Can the answer be nobody?

I’m not one to think this ends well for any of the parties.  Brady looked old last year and I know we’ve all said that before but his numbers reflected that more-so than ever.

The Patriots simply weren’t as good, even with an outstanding pass defense.  I know it’s next to impossible to always be Super Bowl caliber but they were a clear step behind a few AFC squads last season, something you haven’t said about them in probably 20 years.

Brady and Belichick are both probably the best to do what they both do, but both don’t scale the mountains they did for as long as they did without each other.

It’s a shame Brady didn’t get a John Elway-type exit from football but maybe just maybe he’ll turn the tide of a franchise that’s the owner of one of the sadder histories in the history of the league.

Irish in the NFL: Tyler Eifert Signs with Jaguars

Eifert inked a two-year, $15.5 million dollar deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars Tuesday and helps fill a void at the position for the Jags.

One of the best to ever do it at Tight End U has a new NFL home as Tyler Eifert is headed to Jacksonville after spending the first seven years of his professional career with the Cincinnati Bengals.

Eifert inked a two-year, $15.5 million dollar deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars Tuesday and helps fill a void at the position.  Last year Jacksonville saw substantial injuries to both James O’Shaughnessy and Geoff Swain at the position.

Eifert’s career has been productive when available but also marred by injury as he’s played in all 16 games just once in his seven years and reached ten games played just three times.  In his 59 career games though, Eifert has averaged over three receptions per game while finding the end zone 24 times in his career.

Who is throwing him the ball will remain a question in Jacksonville.  Gardner Minshew II won the hearts of a country last year but remains with plenty of questions, as does Josh Dobbs who moves up to their backup roll after the Jaguars traded Nick Foles to the Chicago Bears last week.

If you’re bored and want to remember just how good Tyler Eifert was at Notre Dame, click ahead and watch his highlight tape from his days in blue and gold…and sometimes green.

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Robby Anderson hits a small jackpot with Panthers, fantasy owners left scratching

Anderson heads to the Carolina Panthers, but did he destroy his fantasy football value with one stroke of a pen?

(Brad Penner, USA TODAY Sports)

What are fantasy football owners getting out of adding former New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson now that he is a member of the Carolina Panthers after inking a two-year, $20 million deal?

The answer is summed up in a few words: Streaky playmaker.

Why do we know this? Three straight seasons of consistent year-end figures that show a trend of week-to-week ebbs and flows like few others.

Table: Robby Anderson’s career stats (2016-19)

Season
Team
G
Targ
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Att
Yds
TD
FanPts
FanPts/G
2016
NYJ
14
78
42
587
14.0
2
3
42
0
116.9
8.4
2017
NYJ
16
114
63
941
14.9
7
3
9
0
200.0
12.5
2018
NYJ
14
94
50
752
15.0
6
2
-8
0
160.4
11.5
2019
NYJ
16
96
52
779
15.0
5
1
4
0
160.3
10.0

The scoring used in these tables is non-PPR — his optimal setting for fantasy returns. The takeaway should be regardless of the system or quarterback, the core metrics of Anderson’s game do not change to any notable degree. His catch-to-touchdown ratio hasn’t varied more than two grabs in the last three years, and Anderson’s yards-per-reception average hasn’t wavered enough to speak of since he entered the league.

When looking at the yearlong results on a weekly basis, we see massive swings in production.

Table: Robby Anderson’s 2019 per-game statistics

Wk
Opp
Targ
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Att
Yds
TD
FanPts
1
BUF
7
3
23
7.7
0
0
0
0
5.3
2
CLE
6
4
81
20.3
0
0
0
0
12.1
3
at NE
5
3
11
3.7
0
0
0
0
4.1
5
at PHI
3
1
16
16
0
0
0
0
2.6
6
DAL
8
5
125
25
1
0
0
0
23.5
7
NE
8
1
10
10
0
0
0
0
2.0
8
at JAC
6
4
43
10.8
0
0
0
0
8.3
9
at MIA
4
2
33
16.5
0
0
0
0
5.3
10
NYG
3
1
11
11
0
0
0
0
2.1
11
at WAS
3
1
6
6.0
1
0
0
0
7.6
12
OAK
5
4
86
21.5
1
0
0
0
18.6
13
at CIN
10
7
101
14.4
0
0
0
0
17.1
14
MIA
11
7
117
16.7
1
1
4
0
25.1
15
at BAL
6
4
66
16.5
0
0
0
0
10.6
16
PIT
4
2
32
16
1
0
0
0
11.2
17
at BUF
7
3
18
6.0
0
0
0
0
4.8
  • All five scores came in different games, which is good for fantasy owners in weekly, head-to-head leagues.
  • Unfortunately, 80 percent of them came in a five-games span.
  • Since Week 12, he closed out the year strong in all but the finale, and it wasn’t for a lack of targets in that one.

Table: Robby Anderson’s 2018 per-game statistics

Wk
Opp
Targ
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Att
Yds
TD
FanPts
1
at DET
1
1
41
41
1
1
-9
0
10.2
2
MIA
5
3
27
9.0
0
0
0
0
5.7
3
at CLE
4
2
22
11
0
0
0
0
4.2
4
at JAC
6
2
18
9
0
0
0
0
3.8
5
DEN
5
3
123
41
2
0
0
0
27.3
6
IND
5
3
39
13
0
0
0
0
6.9
7
MIN
10
3
44
14.7
0
0
0
0
7.4
9
at MIA
7
4
32
8.0
0
1
1
0
7.3
12
NE
5
2
22
11
0
0
0
0
4.2
13
at TEN
7
4
48
12
0
0
0
0
8.8
14
at BUF
7
4
76
19
1
0
0
0
17.6
15
HOU
11
7
96
13.7
1
0
0
0
22.6
16
GB
13
9
140
15.6
1
0
0
0
29.0
17
at NE
8
3
24
8.0
0
0
0
0
5.4
  • Six touchdowns and half came in three consecutive games late in the year.
  • One score over the first month, and it came on a lone grab.
  • Struggled to exploit top-level competition most of the time.

Table: Robby Anderson’s 2017 per-game statistics

Wk
Opp
Targ
Rec
Yds
Avg
TD
Att
Yds
TD
FanPts
1
at BUF
8
4
22
5.5
0
0
0
0
6.2
2
at OAK
4
2
28
14.0
0
0
0
0
4.8
3
MIA
6
3
95
31.7
1
0
0
0
18.5
4
JAC
6
3
59
19.7
0
0
0
0
8.9
5
at CLE
5
2
16
8.0
0
0
0
0
3.6
6
NE
12
4
76
19
0
0
0
0
11.6
7
at MIA
5
3
35
11.7
1
0
0
0
12.5
8
ATL
6
6
104
17.3
1
1
1
0
22.5
9
BUF
5
4
48
12
1
0
0
0
14.8
10
at TB
7
4
85
21.3
1
0
0
0
18.5
12
CAR
10
6
146
24.3
2
0
0
0
32.6
13
KC
12
8
107
13.4
0
1
7
0
19.4
14
at DEN
6
3
27
9.0
0
0
0
0
5.7
15
at NO
12
5
40
8.0
0
0
0
0
9.0
16
LAC
7
5
51
10.2
0
0
0
0
10.1
17
at NE
3
1
2
2.0
0
1
1
0
1.3
  • Unlike the two more recent seasons, Anderson didn’t close out strong in 2017. But he also didn’t start hot, finding the end zone only once in the first six outings.
  • He did, however, score six times in a five-game span from Week 7-12. The Jets were on bye in Week 11.
  • Anderson averaged just 3.7 catches in the 10 games without a score that year.

[lawrence-related id=448889,449273]

Obviously more goes into a player’s value than his talents and past. The problem here is even if one overlooks Anderson’s demonstrable traits as a football player, he enters a lousy situation to achieve his potential from a statistical perspective.

In Carolina, he’ll catch passes from a game manager in Teddy Bridgewater and have to fight for targets in a moderate-volume passing attack with reception-hog D.J. Moore and do-all wideout Curtis Samuel. We haven’t even addressed that guy in the backfield with 107-plus catches in consecutive seasons…

Going one step further, a rookie head coach and first-time offensive coordinator shouldn’t get the benefit of the doubt 99 percent of the time, and this isn’t the one that falls in that 1 percentile.

Fantasy football takeaway

Few receivers can take a football anywhere on the field and turn it into six points in the way Anderson is capable of doing, but players need more tricks in the bag than “go deep” to become a multifaceted fantasy contributor.

It is far more likely that we’ve seen his ceiling already when compared to what to expect in Carolina. We also may know his floor to be a risk-reward matchup-based, WR3/flex play. But all of that may come with a not so obvious trapdoor in Carolina’s offense, and he realistically could be facing a ceiling somewhere in that flex range if consistency is on your radar — and it needs to be.

As mentioned, his value is at its peak in non-PPR leagues. To Anderson’s credit, he appears to have cleaned up his off-the-field antics, so at least that is going for him.

What could Jets WR Robby Anderson do for the Steelers?

Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson is a free agent. Are the Pittsburgh Steelers interested?

New York Jets wide receiver Robby Anderson is on the free-agent market. Some say the Steelers need a more reliable WR.

The fifth-year pro out of Temple has put up some WR2 numbers in his career — all without stellar quarterback play.

Anderson has compiled 3,059 yards on 207 receptions and 20 touchdowns. His career-high came in 2017 when he had 941 receiving and seven TDs with Josh McCown at QB. Imagine what he could do with QB Ben Roethlisberger throwing him the rock.

Anderson is the kind of deep-threat option that the Steelers are looking for. According to Pro Football Focus, he was on the receiving end of 23 explosive pass plays (15+ yards) in 2019.

The problem isn’t with his production, but his price tag. Anderson is reportedly seeking north of $10 million. To put that in perspective, his desired salary is right around the neighborhood of Indianapolis Colts’ Devin Funchess, Miami Dolphins’ DeVante Parker, and New York Giants’ Sterling Shepard.

With a wealth of talent at the WR position in this year’s draft, the Steelers would rather risk/reward going with a rookie than pay Anderson — especially with JuJu Smith-Schuster and Diontae Johnson at the head of the WR line in Pittsburgh.

 

2020 NFL mock draft: Updated 3-round projections with trades

Luke Easterling updates his three-round projections for the 2020 NFL draft after the first wave of free agency, with a few key trades

The first wave of NFL free agency has passed, and along with some big names changing teams of their own will, we’ve also seen some blockbuster trades executed over the past week.

All of these moves could have a significant impact on the early rounds of the 2020 NFL draft, as could further deals that take place once the draft has begun.

With all that in mind, here’s an updated look at how the first three rounds of this year’s draft could turn out, including a handful of projected trades that could shake things up.

*denotes projected trade

1. Cincinnati Bengals

Joe Burrow | QB | LSU

Despite rumors to the contrary, this has been set in stone for quite a while. Burrow won’t make trouble about playing in Cincy, and the Bengals finally get the franchise quarterback they so desperately need.

2. Washington Redskins

Chase Young | EDGE | Ohio State

This is another no-brainer pick. Unless Washington gets a huge offer from a QB-needy team trying to jump ahead of everyone else on the board, this has to be the selection. Young is the best overall prospect in this year’s class, which makes him a steal anywhere else but No. 1 overall.

3. Miami Dolphins (from DET)*

Tua Tagovailoa | QB | Alabama

It seems a foregone conclusion that the Lions will move out of this spot, selling the pick to the highest bidder that’s in search of a quarterback. If Miami ends up in a bidding war with the Chargers, don’t be surprised if they have to give up the higher of their two additional first-rounders to land their franchise quarterback.

4. New York Giants

Tristan Wirfs | OT | Iowa

Any of this year’s top four offensive tackle prospects could make a strong case to go here, which is good news for the Giants, who need a franchise player at the position. Wirfs is a rare athlete for his size, and has as much upside as any other tackle in the class. He’s ready to protect Daniel Jones from Day 1.

5. Detroit Lions (from MIA)*

Jeff Okudah | CB | Ohio State

This is the ideal scenario for the Lions, who move back a couple of picks and pick up another first-rounder, still landing the player they likely would have taken anyway. After trading away Darius Slay to avoid paying him a huge extension, Detroit needs to replace him with a shutdown artist like Okudah, who is by far the top corner in this class.

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Todd Gurley to Rams on Instagram: “thanks for the check today”

After his contract with Atlanta was announced, the former Bulldog standout provided parting words to the organization that drafted him.

Since a somewhat surprising release from the Los Angeles Rams, Todd Gurley has committed to a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

Following a move that delights a large number of local Dawgs and Dirty Birds, the Georgia Bulldog alumnus will wear red and black in Georgia for at least one more season.

Gurley took the news in stride on Thursday, playfully tweeting about having been fired on his day off. He agreed to terms with Atlanta the following morning.

After his contract with Atlanta was announced, the former Bulldog standout provided parting words to the organization that drafted him.

Cameron DaSilva of Rams Wire first reported Gurley’s expert session in subtle pettiness.

Georgia faithful took to Twitter following his release with asserting that Gurley would be a great fit for the Falcons, who recently released tailback Devonta Freeman.

The next day, football fans who exist in the middle of the Falcons-Bulldogs Venn diagram got their wishes fulfilled.

11 best remaining free agents the Ravens should be interested in

The Ravens made some noise in the early part of free agency but could still be looking for help. These 11 free agents could be the answer

With the first wave of high-profile free agents being signed, we now enter the next phase of free agency. This is where the second and third tier of players end up getting short-term contracts as a way to finish out their careers or hopefully rejuvenate them. This is also when the Baltimore Ravens typically are a little more aggressive in signing free agents.

While many of the big names are off the market, it’s these smaller deals that help round out a roster and can actually make a bigger overall impact for a team. For Baltimore, this is where they’ve added guys like Robert Griffin III, Mike Wallace, John Brown and Brandon Carr over the last three years.

So who is still available and who makes sense for the Ravens to sign? I picked out 11 free agents still on the market that could be on Baltimore’s radar still.

Photo by Jennifer Stewart/Getty Images

OLB Jadeveon Clowney

Clowney was the top free-agent outside linebacker this offseason, largely thanks to so many others getting tagged instead. With such a shallow market, Clowney doesn’t seem to be getting the type of attention he was hoping for, which might have lowered his value considerably.

While the Ravens are a little cash strapped at the moment, teams have a way of finding the money to get deals done when they need to. If Clowney is looking at a bunch of one-year deals, Baltimore being so close to a Super Bowl and having a major need at outside linebacker might be able to boost his value for next offseason.

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Why the Ravens went with Michael Brockers over Michael Pierce this offseason

The Baltimore Ravens let their own defensive tackle leave in free agency in order to sign an older one for nearly the same amount of money.

The Minnesota Vikings are set to sign former Baltimore Ravens defensive tackle Michael Pierce. Pierce’s departure shouldn’t come as a shock considering the Ravens have agreed to a deal with former Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Michael Brockers and re-signed Justin Ellis already this offseason. Yet, it signaled what we already suspected — that Baltimore was going to let Pierce leave in free agency.

Where things get a little interesting is how similar the deals for Brockers and Pierce are. While the full details of Pierce’s deal aren’t out yet, his three-year deal is set to clock in at $27 million. Meanwhile, the Ravens are handing out a three-year deal to Brockers for $30 million. Baltimore have an easy out in 2022 on their deal with Brockers but the numbers are eerily similar.

We expected Pierce would earn a sizeable deal in our free agency preview and predicted it would be more than Baltimore was willing to pay for him. But considering Pierce was among the league’s best run-stuffing defensive tackles, seeing Brockers actually get paid a little more overall has plenty of fans scratching their heads. Though the Ravens probably aren’t going to announce to the world why they decided to go in a different direction, we have a few clues to go by.

Pierce showing up to training camp heavy in a contract year earned him no brownie points last season. He was sent off the field by coach John Harbaugh for conditioning issues and that bad taste undoubtedly stuck with Baltimore throughout the entire season. Making the decision to grab Brockers was likely bolstered by getting an up-close look at him when the Los Angeles Rams came to town for joint practices in 2018.

Though he flashed at times, Pierce wasn’t really known for his pass-rushing ability. And with the addition of Calais Campbell, the Ravens are being pretty clear they want to offer more of an interior pass rush in 2020. When comparing the stat sheets for Brockers and Pierce, things begin to make a lot more sense here.

Brockers has gotten nearly triple the number of quarterback hits over Pierce since the start of the 2018 season. Pierce only had a combined eight pressures over those two years while Brockers had 17 last year alone and nine in 2018. That all boils down into sacks where Brockers had four and Pierce managed just a half-sack over that timeframe.

Simply put, Brockers was a better all-around player and seems to fit what the Ravens want to do next season. And there’s a good case to be made that Baltimore is actually getting a steal by signing Brockers over Pierce.

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Report: Former Georgia LB Leonard Floyd signs with new NFL team

Per a report, former Georgia OLB Leonard Floyd has signed with a new NFL team just one day after being released by the Chicago Bears.

Just one day after being released by the Chicago Bears, former Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd had found a new home.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Floyd and the Los Angeles Rams have agreed on a one-year, $10m fully guaranteed deal that can go as high as $13.5m through incentives.

This comes after the Rams lost their star pass rusher Dante Fowler in free agency — Fowler, who had 11.5 sacks in 2019, reportedly signed with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday according to Ian Rapoport.

Floyd, who played for Georgia from 2013-15, was the No. 9 overall pick by the Bears in the 2016 NFL Draft.

The tall and lanky 27-year-old out of Eastman, Georgia, has played for the Bears for all four years of his professional career. Floyd has played for the new Rams defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, who coached the outside linebackers in Chicago from 2017-18.

He struggled to stay healthy during his first two seasons in the NFL, playing in just 22 games. His rookie season, Floyd recorded 7 sacks. Since, he has not had a season with more than 4.5 sacks.

He has compiled 153 total tackles and 18.5 sacks throughout his career.

Congrats to Floyd his new big money contract.

Jimmie Ward contract terms limit risk for 49ers

The 49ers only pay Jimmie Ward big money in one year of his three-year contract.

49ers free safety Jimmie Ward turned his one-year deal in 2019 into a long-term agreement with the team for the 2020 season. Ward on Monday agreed to a three-year, $28.5 million contract with $17 million guaranteed.

While the annual value of the deal is north of $9 million, he has a relatively cheap $4.5 cap hit for the 2020 season according to Over the Cap –  a necessarily low dollar figure for the 49ers as they try and extend their limited cap space.

Next year that number jumps significantly to $11.6 million, then up to $12.6 million in the final year of the deal. That 2022 season is where the 49ers can part ways with Ward for cheap. He can be let go for just a $2.6 million dead cap hit and $9.5 million in savings.

Health is always the big question with Ward though, who despite playing nearly 100 percent of his snaps last year, he missed the first three games after breaking his collarbone in OTAs. Since being taken in the first round of the 2014 NFL draft, Ward has played 16 games just once, and more than 11 games only twice.

The structure of the contract limits that injury risk to just the 2021 season. The low cap number in 2020 keeps him from handcuffing them, and they can escape the deal in 2022 if he’s still having difficulties staying on the field.

If Ward is healthy though, this is a great deal for the 49ers who retain a do-everything safety that roams the middle of the secondary for them. He’s a good tackler, great with angles that limit big plays, and he can cover multiple positions. His $9.5 million AAV is the 12th-highest in the league, and he’s better than the NFL’s 12th-best safety when he’s on the field.

Bringing Ward back comes with a small risk, but the reward of having a Pro Bowl caliber safety far outweighs it.

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