Tag: Rumor

Mickey Loomis shoots down rumor, says he isn’t stepping down as GM

Mickey Loomis shoots down rumor, says he isn’t stepping down or changing his title as Saints general manager and executive vice president:

Forget what you read on social media: Mickey Loomis isn’t going anywhere. The New Orleans Saints general manager and executive vice president was asked about a rumor going around in fan communities online that he would be moving to a different role in the organization, freeing up one of his top assistants to succeed him as general manager.

And Loomis dismissed it as just that: a rumor.

“Somebody just made that up,” Loomis said. “That’s never been discussed or talked about.”

Loomis added that he could wake up one day and feel differently about his place in the organization, but as of now the course is set. He’ll remain in place as the team’s top decision-maker both in title and in practice.

That’s all happening in the wake of interview requests from other teams hoping to poach talent from the Saints’ front office. Loomis acknowledged that assistant general managers Khai Harley and Jeff Ireland were sought out by the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Chargers, respectively, and he added that pro personnel director Michael Parenton is someone else he regards highly within their organization. Harley manages the salary cap, and Ireland covers the college scouting department, and there’s a chance both of them leave town in the near future.

That would be a mistake. Loomis might be the longest-tenured general manager in the league but he doesn’t have much to show for it without Sean Payton and Drew Brees. His Saints teams have gone a combined 44-54 from 2002 to 2005 and 2022 to 2023, before and after Payton was leading them. A lot was made of Loomis guiding the Saints to 200-plus career wins this season but Payton takes credit for 152 of them (and Super Bowl XLIV).

Losing talented executives like Ireland and Harley to protect Loomis’ job security is, well, laughable. But Loomis was all laughs at his end-of-year press conference on Wednesday. He isn’t going anywhere until he’s good and ready, and he took this opportunity to remind everyone watching that he’s in control here. Ownership won’t force him out, and he isn’t about to give up his title to benefit someone else. He wants to prove he can win without Payton. If that means standing by a coach like Dennis Allen, well — good luck.

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OBJ return? John Johnson III says its so

OBJ returning to Cleveland? Seems unlikely but JJ3 said it so anything might be possible:

The drama of 2021 was part of what derailed the season for the Cleveland Browns. While injuries and missed games due to COVID-19 were bigger factors, the issues with Odell Beckham Jr. and Baker Mayfield boiled over to the point where Beckham was released.

Mayfield’s performance, with a significant injury, along with problems with their kickers and punters were the major factors on the field to an 8-9 record and missing the playoffs.

While Mayfield remains on the roster, the former top overall pick has requested a trade and could be gone before training camp starts. The addition of Deshaun Watson has put the Browns in a position to take a huge step forward on the field.

The team has already made changes to the receiver group with the addition of Amari Cooper and the release of Jarvis Landry. Landry could still return.

Now safety John Johnson III is stirring the pot a bit stating on Instagram Live that Beckham was returning to Cleveland:

Beckham played well for the Los Angeles Rams as their secondary receiver before tearing his ACL during the Super Bowl. Having just recovered from tearing his ACL in 2020, Beckham’s rehab could keep him from playing in the regular season in 2022 but could allow him to return in time for the playoffs.

Johnson was supportive of Beckham during last year’s drama but wondered about his fit with the Rams given the other receivers there.

Given his injury and all the drama of last year, a Beckham return seems unlikely. However, Beckham’s problems seem to boil down to issues with Mayfield. If/when Mayfield is traded, returning to play with Watson, and perhaps Landry again, could make for some intriguing storylines.

While it seems unlikely, Johnson’s comment must be covered.

Danielle Hunter could fill Browns need on the edge

Could the Browns go hunting for Hunter with a call to their old friend Adofo-Mensah? His contract structure could make it difficult:

While the Deshaun Watson talk will surround the Cleveland Browns for a significant amount of time, as it should both on and off the field, the NFL offseason carries on. While the Browns hope they have filled their need for a franchise quarterback, and a backup for when Watson is likely suspended, there are still moves that need to be made.

Baker Mayfield is still on the team and taking up around $18 million in salary-cap space. We have no idea where he will end up in the game of QB musical chairs.

While the team has added a receiver, interior defensive lineman and an edge player, along with a kick returner, their needs list from before the start of the league year is still quite accurate.

Danielle Hunter is a player that could step in as the team’s other starting defensive end if Jadeveon Clowney doesn’t return. The Minnesota Vikings have some salary cap needs and GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah has familiarity with Andrew Berry having just left Cleveland’s front office.

The Browns are rumored to have interest in trading for Hunter:

As noted earlier, the Browns don’t have their first-round pick or their highest fourth-round pick after the Watson trade was made official.

Hunter played in just seven games in 2021 before being injured but had six sacks. In both 2018 and 2019, Hunter had 14.5 sacks and has totaled 60.5 in his six seasons in Minnesota.

With two years left on his contract, Hunter could be looking for a new deal before turning 30 years old. The structure of his contract could make it difficult for the Vikings to make a deal but, with Berry and Adofo-Mensah, anything is possible.

Report: Vikings have expressed interest in Deshaun Watson

Should the Vikings trade for Watson?

We have already seen two starting quarterbacks switch teams, and more changes could be on the way.

One of the biggest dominoes in that carousel is Kirk Cousins. Rumors have been floating around for weeks about both potential extensions and trades, but nothing has come to fruition. The other major domino to fall is Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

After not being charged on Thursday by a grand jury when he was accused by 22 different women of different variations of sexual assault, some of the big-name journalists and news breakers were quick to start discussing how fast a potential Watson trade could come together.

The biggest factor in those trade talks is the landing spot.

While there are many teams that would want his services, Watson’s no-trade clause does inhibit where he could go in a trade. Aaron Wilson of Pro Football Network named the Vikings as a potential suitor on Saturday.

This matches up with ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler’s mentioning of the Vikings as a potential team to acquire the services of the star quarterback.

Acquiring Watson would likely cost as much, if not more than what the Denver Broncos gave up for Russell Wilson: two firsts, two seconds, three starting caliber players and a fifth. With the uncertainty of Cousins’ future beyond this season, this is something that will be worth monitoring as we approach the new league year next Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Report: Browns will not pursue Julio Jones trade

While a longshot, the Cleveland Browns have been loosely connected to the Julio Jones rumors for a while. A new report squashes that.

The Cleveland Browns are one of the few teams with both the cap space and Super Bowl level expectations to trade for wide receiver Julio Jones while satisfying both the Atlanta Falcons’ and Jones’ desires.

The idea of the addition of Jones is exciting. Pairing Jones with Odell Beckham Jr. on the outside would give the Browns, when healthy, the best pairing of receivers. Add in Jarvis Landry and the Browns would have three top-level receivers making top-level money.

Salaries and the presence of Beckham and Landry were two of the biggest reasons we shared that the Browns were unlikely a week ago. An interesting turn, the Falcons publicizing Jones’ desire to leave comments via social media, opened the door a bit for the Browns to possibly be involved but it still seemed unlikely.

Now comes a report from Mary Kay Cabot that the Browns will not pursue a trade for Jones:

The Browns will not pursue the Falcons’ seven-time Pro Bowl receiver, just like they won’t pursue Aaron Rodgers.

Cabot discusses the team’s financial commitment to Beckham and Landry as a big reason while noting that the team has no interest in moving either of their receivers to make room for Jones.

Cabot continues that the Browns do not want to add Jones at his age and salary combination:

The Browns are excited about getting Beckham, 28, back from his torn ACL this season, and aren’t interested in trading for a 32-year-old receiver whose base salary is $15.3 million this season and $11.513 million in each of the next two years.

The Browns trading for Jones always seemed like a longshot even when the price tag for a trade seemed more reasonable than expected. Now, with a report that the Falcons could receive at least a first-round pick, and this report by Cabot, the longshot is even longer.

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell comments on Saints-Russell Wilson rumors

New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell gave her blessing on a potential trade between the Saints and the Seattle Seahawks for QB Russell Wilson.

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If the New Orleans Saints are able to pull off a blockbuster trade for Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, Mayor LaToya Cantrell wants it known that Wilson and his wife Ciara would be welcomed to the city with open arms.

Cantrell commented on the speculation surrounding a Saints-Seahawks trade on Saturday evening — fueled by several recent reports that the Saints are on Wilson’s shortlist of teams which he’d waive his no-trade clause to join. Word is frustrations have grown over the years between Wilson and Seattle head coach Pete Carroll, which could put the 8-time Pro Bowl quarterback on the move.

“We not only admire you, we want you,” Cantrell said in a video shared from her official Twitter account, twirling a black and gold umbrella while wearing matching Mardi Gras beads. “The culture of the city of New Orleans awaits you.”

The mayor added that she knows Wilson would be a package deal, along with his five-time Grammy Award nominee wife Ciara, who Cantrell envisioned headlining the annual Essence Festival. Both of them would be a great fit in New Orleans, if a deal were to go through.

But it’s too soon to do more than speculate. Wilson has not requested a trade, though he’s curiously specified the teams he’d sign off on moving to. The Seahawks have every incentive to keep him in Seattle for the rest of his career. Odds are the Saints will continue marching towards the offseason as they have been, expecting a training camp battle between Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston (if he re-signs) once Drew Brees has made his retirement official.

Then again — isn’t it fun to dream a little?

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Wisconsin’s Jim Leonhard named by PackersWire as a possible candidate for their opening at DC

USATODAY’s PackersWire named Leonhard in their list of possible candidates for the Green Bay Packers’ opening at defensive coordinator.

With another NFL and college football offseason comes more rumors of Wisconsin defensive coordinator Jim Leonhard moving up in the world and landing a job at a higher level.

I mean it makes sense given the fact that he’s become one of the best coordinators in the country and given the coaching carousel we see across the sport every season.

Related: PHOTOS: Jim Leonhard’s meteoric rise to Wisconsin defensive coordinator

For Wisconsin sports fans, though, this has a chance to get extremely interesting as our colleagues at PackersWire named Leonhard in their list of possible candidates for the Green Bay Packers’ opening at defensive coordinator.

Here’s what they had to say about the potential fit:

“No list would be complete without Leonhard, another Pettine disciple who has run dominant Wisconsin defenses in Madison since 2017. He has NFL playing experience, and while hiring a college coach always has risks, the college game often bleeds into the NFL, and Leonhard’s defenses have been among the nation’s best every year.”

A necessary note: this is pure projection and speculation and there haven’t been any reports linking Leonhard to the Packers’ job, or any other job for that matter.

Related: Notable departures from Wisconsin football heading into 2021

In a hypothetical world, though, this would be a slam-dunk hire for the Packers and a catastrophic loss for the Badgers at the same time.

For the fans out there that bleed Packer green (or gold?) and Badger red at the same time, I wonder what the reaction would be after seeing Leonhard travel across the state and take a job in Green Bay.

Contact/Follow us @TheBadgersWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Wisconsin news, notes, opinion and analysis.

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Local Lions reporters shut down rumor of Kenny Golladay skipping Saturday meeting

Local Lions reporters shut down the CBS Sports rumor of wide receiver Kenny Golladay skipping Saturday’s meeting over a contract dispute.

The trade deadline is Tuesday and it’s a good time to remember, that not all reports/reporters are equal. It’s good practice to know which reporters have reliable sources and which ones are simply throwing darts, hoping for something to hit so they can give the appearance of being informed.

Following the Detroit Lions game on CBS, a reporter suggested that wide receiver Kenny Golladay purposefully missed Saturday’s practice — upset with not having a contract extension settled with the team — and that a team representative had to track him down.

For the most part, this rumor was ignored by the Lions media, as most have a habit of not throwing fuel on an unsubstantiated fire.

But this morning, with the rumor surrounding Golladay still lingering, several local media members reached out to multiple sources within the Lions organization and confirmed that Golladay was with the team on Saturday, directly contradicting the initial rumor.

Even local MLive photographer Mike Mulholland posted on Twitter that he saw Golladay at a drive-thru two miles away from the Allen Park facility and he was picking up food for teammates.

There are for sure instances where national reporters will get a scoop before the Lions beat, but one of the sure-fire ways of knowing which national reports should be taken seriously is to see how the local reporters react to the news.

If the local media ignores the rumor, it’s a safe bet you can ignore it as well.

As is the case here.

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Sean Payton takes another shot at insistent Michael Thomas trade speculation

New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton took aim at Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio after continued Michael Thomas trade speculation.

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Will the New Orleans Saints trade wide receiver Michael Thomas? That’s the question NBC Sports insider Mike Florio continues to ask over at Pro Football Talk, and Saints coach Sean Payton is unamused.

Payton responded to another post from Florio claiming that while a trade deadline move for Thomas is unlikely, he believes there was an effort from Thomas’s agent to goal New Orleans into unloading one of their best players. That’s different from PFT’s initial spin, which suggested the Saints were actively shopping Thomas around.

So the social media-savvy coach went with a short video clip of someone reversing their bicycle — literally backpedaling on the story.

It’s just the latest rebuttal from Payton towards this sort of speculation. The Saints are not going to trade Thomas after giving him a $20 million signing bonus last year. They wouldn’t even consider moving him unless the situation seriously deteriorates, and not until the offseason when the financial aspect can be worked out.

This is a non-story, and Payton is right to slap it down.

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NFL insider Jay Glazer updates the Saints-Michael Thomas situation

FOX Sports NFL insider Jay Glazer is close with Saints coach Sean Payton, giving insight on the Michael Thomas injury and trade speculation.

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There isn’t an NFL insider better connected to the New Orleans Saints than FOX Sports reporter Jay Glazer. He’s a personal friend of Saints coach Sean Payton, joining him on parade floats during Mardi Gras or for a round of golf in the offseason.

Whenever really big Saints news breaks in New Orleans — like Jimmy Graham getting traded, or Payton signing a long-term contract extension with the Saints, or Pro Bowl guard Andrus Peat getting hurt in training camp — Glazer is often the first to know. His close relationship with Payton informs his analysis.

And the dominant storyline in New Orleans recently has been friction with star wide receiver Michael Thomas. A Week 1 ankle sprain put him on ice for longer than expected, and that frustration led to a fight in practice and subsequent one-week benching. When Thomas returned after mending fences with his teammates, he suffered a hamstring injury that could sideline him another week.

Glazer shared an update on where things stand between Thomas and his coach. “Here’s the situation: even when he had a hamstring injury, people looked at it a little bit sideways. The truth is, the Saints [performed an MRI], and it did come back with a Grade 1 strain of that hamstring. Which means it’s like a one- or two-week injury.”

So, as we’ve known along: it’s a legitimate injury. This isn’t a Jalen Ramsey situation where the player was “injured” to avoid having to get on the field while interest trade partners worked out a deal. Thomas lives for football and he’ll want to join his teammates in games again as soon as possible. The opportunity for him to contribute to wins presents a chance for Thomas to get back in Payton’s good graces.

“I do think there is still room for Mike Thomas and Sean Payton to get back on the same page here,” Glazer continued. “His contract is probably too much to trade. There aren’t too many teams that can take on that contract. I think the best bet right now is for those two guys to get back on the same page.”

Of course, this isn’t stopping someone like Mike Florio from speculating for Pro Football Talk. He’s insistent that Thomas’s agents have been angling for another team to make a Godfather offer to the Saints in a trade for the embattled superstar, but it hasn’t happened yet, and it probably isn’t going to happen before the NFL trade deadline.

Sure, things could change after the season. But at this point, Glazer’s take seems to be the most realistic. Hopefully Thomas can be cleared to run routes and catch touchdown passes from Drew Brees again soon.

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