Tag: NFL rumors

49ers must get involved after Browns superstar requests trade

Send out all the picks.

The San Francisco 49ers may have an avenue to take a massive swing in the trade market this offseason.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett has officially requested a trade according to NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport.

This doesn’t come as a huge shock after Garrett floated the idea of “conversations” that needed to be had with Cleveland following a dreadful 3-14 season. The Browns have only been to the playoffs twice since selecting Garrett No. 1 overall in the 2017 draft and now he’s looking for the exit with the franchise heading the wrong direction.

There aren’t many massive trades the 49ers were likely to get involved in, but given their need for pass rush help and the importance of the defensive line to what they want to do defensively, this is a deal where their hat should immediately be in the ring.

It won’t be easy since Garrett will have many suitors around the league. He’s a six-time Pro Bowler, four-time First-Team All-Pro and a Defensive Player of the Year who has 102.5 career sacks and hasn’t had fewer than 10.0 in a season since his rookie year.

Acquiring Garrett will require multiple picks and potentially a first-rounder, but he’s only 29 and still playing at a high level. Finding a player better than him to put across from Nick Bosa is nigh impossible.

Garrett has two years left on a five-year deal he signed before the 2020 season. There’s no guaranteed money left on the deal, so would likely be on the table from the team that acquires the former DPOY.

If the 49ers are going to do anything bigger than sign Brock Purdy to a contract extension this offseason, it should be finding a way to trade for Garrett because pass rushers of his caliber aren’t available often.

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As Tee Higgins’ free agency rumors start, Bengals have plenty of options

Don’t sleep on options like the franchise tag for the Bengals and Tee Higgins.

Already this week at the Pro Bowl, NFL rumors suggested the upcoming market value for Cincinnati Bengals free agent Tee Higgins.

The numbers weren’t shocking by any means and left those doing the reporting with plenty of outs. Higgins could make roughly $28 million per year in average annual value (AAV), a top-10 mark for wideouts — but it could go well over $30 million AAV if a bidding war starts.

Now, another report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler has echoed the same, but from the Senior Bowl:

The over/under on Bengals receiver Tee Higgins’ market is $30 million per season, and the majority of team personnel that I spoke with believe he’ll hit or clear the over. The lowest estimate I heard was somewhere slightly above DeVonta Smith’s three-year, $75 million deal. The rest saw him breaking into the $30 million range, based on his status as a No. 1-caliber receiver and the number of teams desperate for pass-catching help.

RELATED: Bengals’ Tee Higgins wants future solved ‘very soon’

One thing to keep in mind — a second franchise tag would only cost the Bengals roughly $26 million.

Granted, it’s probably in Cincinnati’s best interests to just get a multi-year agreement done. It would ease the actual cap hits and do right by Higgins at the same time.

Reports have suggested Higgins isn’t looking to go be a No. 1 elsewhere. He’s changed agents and Joe Burrow keeps putting pressure on the front office publicly about this.

While the Bengals might have some reservations about Higgins’ history of injuries, pushing past those to give him a deal in the franchise-tag range might just be enough to keep him from the open market and those $30 million projections.

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NFL rumors pinpoint Tee Higgins’ free agency market contract value

Can the Bengals match this contract value and keep Tee Higgins?

Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins wants his future contract and free agency situation solved “very soon.”

Meaning, the Bengals are on the clock and don’t have long to figure out if they will make good on Joe Burrow’s desire to keep Higgins in town.

According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Higgins’ next contract could come in somewhere near the likes of other big names — but not necessarily at the very top of the market:

There are some past injury concerns — Higgins has missed five games each of the past two years — that could keep the number under the very top end of the market, but he should do better than the guys who got extensions with years left on their deals last offseason. Some of the people I spoke to believe he could get a little more per year than Jaylen Waddle’s $28.25 million average and a little more guaranteed than DeVonta Smith’s $69.998 million.

Over the years, this has been the problem with trying to project Higgins’ inevitable big second contract. He’s unquestionably a top target in the NFL, but soft-tissue injuries have plagued him since his college days. He’s only suited up in 12 games in each of the last two seasons.

RELATED: It sounds like Jermaine Burton is on last chance with Bengals already

Higgins getting around the $28 million per year mark would rank him within the top 10 among wideouts, at least for this offseason. But it would still place him below the likes of Tyreek Hill and Justin Jefferson. The latter’s $35 million average annual value will be something Ja’Marr Chase leapfrogs soon.

This outlook is something the Bengals could capitalize on, though. Prior reports have suggested Higgins isn’t eager to go be a No. 1 on another team. And he switched agents, somewhat hinting he’s willing to go about negotiations differently than last year, which led to a franchise tag.

A second franchise tag would cost the Bengals a hair over $26 million in 2025. If his AAV on a contract extension lands near there and prevents a bidding war on the open market, though, the Bengals could look to get it done with Higgins sooner rather than later.

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Aqib Talib had a surprising take on the Patrick Mahomes controversy

“If you hit the QB in his head, it’s a flag!” ex-Broncos CB Aqib Talib tweeted. “No matter your intentions!”

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes received heavy criticism last week when it appeared that the officials gave him preferential treatment in a playoff game against the Houston Texans.

The most controversial incident happened in the third quarter of an eventual 23-14 win over the Texans. After scrambling for a few yards, Mahomes slid at the last moment and two Houston defenders weren’t able to stop before making contact. (They made more contact with each other than with Mahomes, but that didn’t prevent a 15-yard penalty.)

The play outraged fans and pundits with even Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain chiming in with a since-deleted tweet that asked, “Cmon man what we supposed to do when he sliding.”

This week, a former Broncos cornerback has weighed in with an unexpected take.

Aqib Talib, who won Super Bowl 50 with Denver, seemingly came to the defense of the officials and Mahomes three days after the game.

“I’m #BroncosCountry 4Life!!!” Talib tweeted. “BUT this Chiefs hate is getting out of hand!!! If you hit the QB in his head, it’s a flag! No matter your intentions! And please don’t say they didn’t touch his head.”

After beating the Texans, Mahomes and the Chiefs are now set to host the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.

Talib’s ten career pick-sixes are the fourth-most in NFL history. He is eligible for the Pro Football Hall of Fame’s 2026 class.

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J.J. Watt fuels unretirement to join Bengals rumors

Like Rob Gronkowski before him, J.J. Watt is the new unretirement for Bengals rumor.

Not that long ago, Rob Gronkowski revealed that Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow did, in fact, recruit him to come out of retirement and join the team. 

Now it seems we’re getting the J.J. Watt version of that story.

Watt took to social media this weekend to reveal that he had made a specific wager with Burnley F.C. goalkeeper James Trafford.

Simply put, Watt bet Trafford on December 28 that if doesn’t let up another goal for the remainder of the season, Watt would come out of retirement to play for the Bengals.

Since that bet? Burnley has let up zero goals over five matches, including two saved penalty kicks during Trafford’s latest match.

Watt, who is a partial owner of Burnley, posted a caption that says it all:

 

The Bengals adding Watt to pair with Trey Hendrickson would be wild and go a long way toward fixing one of the defense’s biggest problems.

Reality check time, though — Trafford will have to keep up his end of the bargain through the end of his season on May 3.

In other news, there are suddenly quite a few new Burnley fans in the greater Cincinnati area.

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Are Bengals waiting on familiar name for defensive coordinator position?

Will the Bengals have their next defensive coordinator soon?

When Notre Dame defensive coordinator Al Golden shot down the idea of joining the Cincinnati Bengals as Zac Taylor fired up the search for a new one, it was hard to tell if he was just going coachspeak with his answer.

Bengals fans are getting closer to finding out.

Golden’s Fighting Irish play in the national title game on Monday night. After that, onlookers might see some traction for Golden possibly rejoining the Bengals.

It’s a conversation at all because Cincinnati’s defensive coordinator search has been suspiciously quiet. The Bengals reportedly had two interviews with candidates lined up and another big name was apparently involved.

But that’s a smaller number of reports than one might expect, especially around a vacant position that is sure to be one of the hottest openings out there, considering the state of the Cincinnati offense.

Naturally, that should lead to some speculation that Taylor will seek to go back to Golden, who coached linebackers under him early at the start of this new era and helped bring along the likes of Germaine Pratt.

After Monday night, don’t be shocked if the rumblings around this Bengals position amp up in a big way.

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All-Pro WR wonders if Bengals’ Tee Higgins is a Packers target

Even other NFL players want to see what happens if Tee Higgins hits free agency.

The buzz around Cincinnati Bengals wideout Tee Higgins is only continuing to grow, which surely everyone understood would happen after the season.

Despite the big miss on Jermaine Burton and other factors pointing to the Bengals keeping Higgins this offseason, literally, nothing will shut down the buzz and chatter until the team can get something done (provided it does, of course).

Case in point, New York Jets star Davante Adams wondering aloud if the Green Bay Packers are going after Higgins.

During an appearance on the “Up And Adams Show” with Kay Adams, the coincidentally named Adams said, “I heard they’ve been looking into Tee Higgins” while praising the Bengals’ wideout.

No word on if Adams (the wide receiver) has actually heard this around the NFL or is merely referring to a recent report from ESPN that said the Packers will target Higgins.

Either way, this Higgins free agency hype isn’t just coming from fans, clearly — even players around the NFL understand that Higgins will be the likely top name on the market…if the Bengals let him get there.

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Bengals defensive coordinator idea shot down by report

So much for this NFL rumor involving the Bengals.

Early this week, the Cincinnati Bengals got brought up alongside the name Wink Martindale as they continue to search for their next defensive coordinator.

It was an incredibly strange bit of speculation/reporting because the Bengals and Martindale don’t exactly have the friendliest relationship in recent years.

Not long after that started making the rounds, another report has stated that Martindale was never part of Cincinnati’s search for a new coordinator.

The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. added this: “Considering the unfriendly history between the #Bengals and Wink Martindale, it’s kind of funny they somehow got caught up in the conversation about him for DC.”

So that settles that and the attention now turns to the few interviews the Bengals have already had, plus the big name involved as a possible candidate.

Barring something dramatic and unexpected, Martindale being mentioned as a candidate for anything related to the Bengals will go down as a funny “hey remember when?” and little more.

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NFL rumors say Bengals could have interest in surprise name for DC

A new name pops up for the Bengals on the NFL rumor mill.

Could the Cincinnati Bengals go after a familiar AFC North name as the team’s next defensive coordinator?

While the Bengals have had a few interviews with candidates already and a big name has entered the conversation, there could be a late, notable entry.

Wink Martindale.

NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, while reporting that Martindale will interview with the Falcons and Colts this week, added this: “The #Bengals also could have interest in Martindale, who is college football’s highest-paid coordinator at Michigan. One to watch.”

Bengals fans will recall that Martindale used to serve as the defensive coordinator of the Baltimore Ravens — his choice words for Ja’Marr Chase and others, combined with the Bengals’ rise, ended his tenure there pretty quickly.

Since, Martindale worked for a few years with the New York Giants before becoming the coordinator at Michigan.

Given Martindale’s vast history and experience in the division, it only makes sense that the Bengals might do due diligence on this front.

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Lou Anarumo rumors don’t paint Bengals in the best light

This could end up being a very bad look for the Bengals.

After the Cincinnati Bengals fired defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo, the debate as to whether the front office failed him or he failed to properly develop talent started in earnest.

The latest NFL coaching rumors might hint at the first suggestion.

According to NFL Media’s Colleen Wolfe, Anarumo’s latest reported interview is with the Atlanta Falcons — which would reunite him with a guy by the name of Jessie Bates.

This isn’t Anarumo’s first interview as he becomes one of the hottest coaching names in the NFL.

But it is the most important.

The Bengals letting Bates walk in free agency was about as controversial as it gets, given his versatility and scheme fit. It’s been all downhill from there for Anarumo’s unit. The supposed replacement, Dax Hill, now plays cornerback. Bates, meanwhile, went to Atlanta and immediately got All-Pro and Pro Bowl nods.

Should Anarumo link up with Bates again and craft an elite defense once more, it’s an indictment on the Bengals front office in a major way. That’s especially the case, considering one of the reasons the Bengals didn’t pay Bates was so that they could attempt to keep Tee Higgins and get Ja’Marr Chase his big extension down the road — neither of which they have yet to actually do.

Had the Bengals paid Bates, it’s hard not to wonder where the defense might be right now — and if the team would still be alive in the postseason.

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