Tag: NFL trades

The wide receiver free agent market is quickly drying up for the Lions

The free agent WR market is quickly drying up for the Lions with a series of recent moves involving top potential targets

The Detroit Lions still need a lot of help at wide receiver, even after re-signing Josh Reynolds prior to free agency. Alas, the market for premium wideouts is quickly drying up before free agency begins.

Franchise tags took care of a couple of candidates. Green Bay used the tag on Davante Adams and the Buccaneers did the same with Chris Godwin. The Los Angeles Chargers locked up Mike Williams for three years and $60 million instead of the big veteran hitting the market, too.

On Saturday, another top-shelf target got poured down the drain when the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns. The Browns are absorbing the final three years of Cooper’s 5-year, $100 million contract, the same basic market value that Williams will draw from the Chargers.

One of the reasons Cooper is now heading to Cleveland is because the Cowboys moved him so they could lock up free agent WR Michael Gallup and perhaps Cedrick Wilson as well. That’s at least one more name off the list of potential Lions targets, though the Cowboys have not done anything official with either pending free agent wideout.

A lower-level potential target, Arizona’s Christian Kirk, is being talked about as a $15 million-per-year candidate by reputable sources. Kirk had 77 receptions for 982 yards in 2021, both career-highs. That’s a very high price tag for a player who hasn’t ever been a top target.

So who’s left in the shrinking free agency pool at WR? The top names are Allen Robinson, D.J. Chark, Juju Smith-Schuster and Odell Beckham Jr., who almost certainly won’t be ready for the start of the season after tearing knee ligaments in the Super Bowl. All of the bigger names (throw Will Fuller and Antonio Brown in there too) have some very real potential drawbacks; Smith-Schuster played just five games in 2021, Chark was healthy for only four, while Robinson caught a mere 38 passes in 11 games.

There is another tier of receivers where Detroit’s Reynolds would have slotted in, a group that includes Byron Pringle (Chiefs), Russell Gage (Falcons), Marquez Valdes-Scantling (Packers), Keelan Cole (Jaguars) and Braxton Berrios (Jets). That might be where the Lions are forced to do their free-agency shopping at wideout with the demand far outweighing the supply for the top names.

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Twitter reacts to Washington trading for QB Carson Wentz

The Washington Commanders traded for Indianapolis Colts QB Carson Wentz. Here are some of the best reactions from social media.

Carson Wentz is on the move again.

The pride of North Dakota State is headed to the NFC East as the Indianapolis Colts traded the former 2016 first-round quarterback to the Washington Commanders. A day after the blockbuster trade that sent Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos, and also Aaron Rodgers’ contract extension, Washington is adding a new signal caller.

For the Colts, their quest for a franchise quarterback since Andrew Luck’s retirement continues. For Washington, their odyssey since the days of Mark Rypien drags on.

Twitter was full of reactions and takes. Here are the best of them.

49ers dislodge decade-old thorn from side

Huge offseason news for the #49ers. The thorn that had been lodged in their side since 2012 is GONE.

The 49ers on Tuesday received perhaps the best possible news they could’ve gotten this offseason. No, they didn’t get a first-round pick for Jimmy Garoppolo. Even better – the Seahawks agreed to trade Russell Wilson to the Denver Broncos for a trade package that, frankly, doesn’t matter!

The thorn in a lime green No. 3 jersey that seemed to be perpetually lodged in San Francisco’s side is gone. He’ll head to the AFC West where he can be a problem for the Raiders, Chiefs and Chargers.

No more near sacks that turn into long gains. No more throws that briefly mess up air traffic before floating back down to Earth and nestling into a wide receiver you’ve never heard of’s arms for a 600-yard touchdown. No more mic’d up sessions full of hand clapping, cliches and good-teammate platitudes that sound like they were penned by Disney’s least creative writer.

No more of this:

Or this:

More importantly, the 49ers can now open the book back up on beating the Seahawks twice in a season, something they never did during Wilson’s tenure in Seattle.

Wilson went 16-4 against San Francisco, including a streak of nine in a row from 2014 to 2018. It was a dominant stretch that spanned 10 years and four 49ers head coaches. No matter how good the 49ers were the Seahawks were going to be a problem because of No. 3.

This season was a perfect example. Going into their Week 13 showdown in Seattle, Wilson in three games coming off a finger injury was completing 55.7 percent of his throws at 6.34 yards per attempt with two touchdowns and two interceptions. With the Seahawks all but out of the playoff hunt and the 49ers battling for their postseason lives, Wilson completed 30-of-37 passes for 231 yards, two touchdowns and one interception in a 30-23 win for a Seahawks team that had lost six-of-seven.

Now he’s in Denver, (likely) never to suit up for the Seahawks again. And unless they face off in the Super Bowl, the 49ers may only see him once or twice more in his career, and thank Heavens for that. The games were typically ugly, they were never normal, and they almost always (80 percent of the time, to be exact) resulted in a San Francisco loss.

It wasn’t all bad though! The Wilson era did give us two all-time classic NFL games. There was the 2013 NFC championship game in Seattle, which while the 49ers lost is still an all-time great football game. Then there was the Week 17 showdown in Seattle to cap the 2019 season with Dre Greenlaw stopping tight end Jacob Hollister at the goal line on a fourth down. Most everything in between and around those games were gross, and he was the most notable constant through that decade. Ergo, his exit is a blessing to 49ers fans and football fans everywhere.

Thank goodness he’s gone. May that thorn reside forever in the sides of the AFC West and never again cause strife in the Bay Area.

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2022 fantasy football player movement tracker

2022 NFL off-season player movement tracker.

Tracking the notable fantasy players changing teams.

NFL Team Quarterback Running Back Wide Receiver Tight End
ARI
Gone:
ATL
Gone:
BAL
Gone:
BUF
Gone:
CAR
Gone:
CHI
Gone:
CIN
Gone:
CLE
Gone:
DAL
Gone:
DEN
Gone:
DET
Gone:
GB
Gone:
HOU
Gone:
IND
Gone: Jack Doyle (ret)
JAC
Gone:
KC
Gone:
LAC
Gone:
LAR
Gone:
LVR
Gone:
MIA
Gone:
MIN
Gone:
NE
Gone:
NO
Gone:
NYG
Gone: Devontae Booker
NYJ
Gone:
PHI
Gone:
PIT
Gone:
SEA
Gone:
SF
Gone:
TB
Gone: Tom Brady
TEN
Gone:
WAS
Gone:

 

Don’t expect 49ers to pursue Giants RB Saquon Barkley in trade market

Saquon Barkley was floated as an option for the #49ers. Don’t bet on it.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley could be on the move this offseason as he enters the fourth year of his rookie contract. While there are no hard rumors or reports about his eventual destination, Pro Football Focus floated the 49ers as a potential landing spot for the former No. 2 overall pick. The problem with connecting Barkley to San Francisco is that such a move would run counter to virtually everything the 49ers have done with their backfield since Kyle Shanahan became the head coach in 2017.

There are two financial issues that would likely keep San Francisco from making a move two acquire Barkley — one short-term and one long-term.

In the short-term he’s expensive. The fourth year of Barkley’s rookie contract carries a $7.2 million salary cap hit. The 49ers could do some minor cap gymnastics to fit his contract in, but it might come at the expense of some other positions of need.

Not to mention that $7.2 million cap number for Barkley would nearly match what the 49ers spent on their entire running backs room last year. Raheem Mostert, Jeff Wilson Jr., Elijah Mitchell, JaMycal Hasty, Trey Sermon and Trenton Cannon carried a combined $8.7 million cap hit. Mostert’s $3.6 million was the largest of that group. San Francisco and Shanahan are capable of having a productive backfield without spending big money on one player, especially in an offseason where they won’t have an abundance of cap space.

The long-term factor comes in with Barkley now eligible for an extension. Injuries have likely dampened Barkley’s value some, but there’s a chance he doesn’t play without a longer term guarantee beyond 2022. Unless he’s willing to take an exceedingly cheap deal that falls closer to something like $3 million or $4 million per year, San Francisco wouldn’t likely be very interested even with the salary cap set to spike in 2023.

With extensions on the table for Nick Bosa and Deebo Samuel, it’s hard to imagine the 49ers also setting aside room for a running back that’s dealt with injuries in each of the last two seasons.

All of those signs point to the 49ers not being in the mix to add Barkley, and it tracks with where they’re at as an organization. They’d need to unload draft compensation to get an expensive player at a position where they’ve had success spending relatively little money. Barkley’s talent would no doubt be a great fit with the 49ers, but don’t expect them to be significant players in his trade market.

How 49ers can continue following Alex Smith-Patrick Mahomes path

The #49ers have followed the Chiefs’ QB plan, and now they might be able to do it again in the trade market.

The 49ers are loosely following the Kansas City Chiefs’ plan at quarterback. Kansas City drafted Patrick Mahomes, let him sit his rookie season, and let Alex Smith start that year while Mahomes developed as the QB2. It’s not far from what San Francisco did in 2021 with Trey Lance sitting behind Jimmy Garoppolo. Now the 49ers can take another step toward following the Chiefs’ blueprint when they trade Garoppolo.

Questions of Garoppolo’s value in the trade market linger following his up-and-down, injury-riddled 4.5 seasons in the Bay Area. A down year for QBs in the draft and a thin free agent group adds another layer to the value fluctuation for the 49ers’ signal caller. A good place to look might be the Chiefs’ deal to send Smith to Washington before the 2018 campaign.

Once again the Commanders are in need of a quarterback after falling short of the playoffs with Taylor Heinicke last season. In January of 2018 they dealt a 2018 third-round pick and cornerback Kendall Fuller to Kansas City in exchange for the QB.

That might be a good indicator of Garoppolo’s value. Although Garoppolo has had more injury problems and hasn’t been as productive as Smith, so Washington might only send a fourth-round pick and attach a player. Perhaps defensive lineman Daron Payne, a 2018 first-round pick who’s entering the final year of his rookie deal, could be the player they elect to move.

It would be pretty on the nose if they wound up sending Garoppolo to the same team Smith went to for a similar package. The move would make sense though even if it is a little bit of an overpay for the Commanders.

The 49ers would certainly take an early Day 3 or late Day 2 pick with a player for Garoppolo, especially after his offseason shoulder surgery. If there’s a team willing to offer more than that though, they’d happily veer away from tracing virtually the exact same path Kansas City took four years ago.

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Cowboys to release former Raiders WR Amari Cooper if they can’t find trade partner

Just two seasons after WR Amari Cooper got a huge 5-year, $100 million deal from the Cowboys, they’re looking to dump the former Raiders top pick.

Apparently, three years is when Amari Cooper’s expiration date comes up. The former Raider’s first-round pick was traded to the Cowboys six games into his fourth season for a first-round pick.

A season later, he got a huge five-year, $100 million contract. Two years into that contract, the Cowboys are already looking to dump him. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, they are looking to trade Cooper and if no one makes an offer, they’ll cut the four-time Pro Bowler.

At the time of the trade, everyone seemed to need to decide a winner and a loser. My take was it was a win-win. Cooper was clearly not happy with the Raiders and was coming off a season in which his targets had dropped to nearly half what they had been. Not to mention he was approaching decision-making time with regard to his contract. To get a first-round pick back for him was a win for the Raiders.

But the Cowboys also got one of the league’s better receivers, and he immediately began paying dividends for them. His production went through the roof over the final nine games of the 2018 season, and he headed back to the Pro Bowl, helping the Cowboys make the playoffs.

He kept up the production of the following two seasons. But his hefty contract has the Cowboys ready to cut ties.

Last season was the first Cooper made $22 million. It was also his worst statistical season since 2017. The Cowboys have two receivers in Michael Gallup and Cedrick Wilson who are headed for free agency. They figure they can sign both of them for less than the cost of Cooper alone. And with CeeDee Lamb still on his rookie deal, the Cowboys would be set at receiver.

Now we wait to see if any team is willing to take on Coop’s massive contract in a trade or just wait for him to hit the market and compete for his services at that time.

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Don’t expect Buccaneers to have interest in trading for Jimmy Garoppolo

It doesn’t like the Buccaneers are interested in trading for Jimmy Garoppolo. #49ers

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A lot of NFL teams could be changing quarterbacks this offseason. That’s beneficial for the 49ers as they look to trade QB Jimmy Garoppolo. There’s one QB-needy team that can be removed from the list though.

Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times joined Willard and Dibs on 95.7 the Game in San Francisco and said the Buccaneers don’t like the fit with Garoppolo in head coach Bruce Arians’ offense.

“I would say none,” Stroud said when asked how much interest Tampa Bay has in Garoppolo. “I’ve talked to them about him, and … what was told to me is, ‘Yeah. He’d be great if you’re gonna commit to running the football 40 times a game.

“With Bruce they’re gonna try to attack down the field, and Jimmy is not a good deep ball thrower percentage-wise for sure. What was said to me was, ‘Look if he could throw the deep ball they’d have won two Super Bowls already.’ So, I don’t expect the Bucs to trade for Jimmy Garoppolo.”

The Buccaneers have been No. 1 in intended air yards in all three of Arians’ season as their head coach per Pro Football Reference. By comparison the 49ers finished last and 29th in intended air yards in Garoppolo’s two full seasons as a starter.

It’s clear based on the numbers that the fit wouldn’t have been ideal, and it sounds like Tampa Bay is on that same page. There are still plenty of teams that’ll need quarterbacks which is good news for the 49ers. The Bucs can probably be crossed off the list.

10 potential trade destinations for Falcons WR Calvin Ridley

If the Falcons decide to trade Calvin Ridley, these 10 teams would make sense as potential landing spots.

Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley was placed on the non-football injury list in Week 9, and several months later, we still don’t know if or when he will return.

Team owner Arthur Blank said he would love to see Ridley back in Atlanta but that he would understand if the former first-round pick wants a fresh start elsewhere. Considering Ridley is playing on his fifth-year option at the reasonable price of $11.1 million, there should plenty of interested suitors.

Falcons Wire’s Matt Urben and Deen Worley offer 10 potential trade destinations for Ridley this offseason.

PFF thinks the Jags are a team that makes sense for this star WR if traded

The trade market could be a hot one for receivers this offseason and PFF thinks the Jags should look to land a star receiver from the NFC East.

Every year it seems some big-time names in the NFL are associated with trade rumors around this time of the offseason and that’s once again the case in 2022. It especially seems to be the case at a position of need for the Jacksonville Jaguars: receiver.

Names like DK Metcalf and Calvin Ridley have been thrown out there for a while and the rumors will only heat up as the NFL Combine is coming up next week. However, another name that has recently popped up is that of Dallas Cowboys receiver Amari Cooper, who the team is rumored not to be satisfied with after he signed a five-year, $100 million deal in March of 2020.

For this reason, many believe the 2021 season may have been the last for Cooper as a Cowboy, and many analysts have started looking for potential fits for him. That was the case for Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus, who listed a Cooper trade to the Jags as one he believes makes sense.

Dallas Cowboys trade Amari Cooper to the Jacksonville Jaguars

  • Terms: Jaguars send 2022 2nd, 2022 5th
  • Cowboys dead money: $6M
  • Jaguars inherited contract: Three years, $60M, $20M total guaranteed

It’s no secret Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is unhappy with how the 2021 season unfolded, and that frustration certainly extends to No. 1 wide receiver Amari Cooper, whose 73.9 receiving grade, 68 receptions and 865 receiving yards are all his lowest marks since 2017.

Cooper’s five-year, $100 million extension signed with the Cowboys in 2020 was structured in a way that creates a clean exit opportunity this offseason, and perhaps Dallas gets out from the deal and focuses its efforts on retaining wide receiver Michael Gallup and tight end Dalton Schultz, with an eventual huge extension for wide receiver CeeDee Lamb also on the horizon.

If the Jags believe that an offensive mind like Doug Pederson can get Cooper back to Pro Bowl form, this is a deal the Jags should jump on without hesitation. As a four-time Pro Bowler with 517 receptions for 7,076 receiving yards and 46 touchdowns to his name, Cooper would easily be the top receiver on the roster. In fact, he’d be the most accomplished receiver they’ve had since Jimmy Smith in the eyes of some.

It was clear as day that the Jags needed help around Trevor Lawrence this past season, and landing a talent of Cooper’s magnitude would certainly put a smile on his face. And while they would still need another skill weapon or two and some help on the offensive line, they would be left with three draft picks in the top-3 rounds still if they went by Spielberger’s terms.

The Jags have just under a projected amount of $60 million set to be available in cap space this offseason and need to take advantage of the window provided by Lawrence’s rookie contract. However, time will tell if the Cowboys make the tough decision to let Cooper go, but if they do, the Jags should be a team they call and see if there is interest.