Tag: zgamb1

Early signs pointing to Derwin James wearing green dot for Chargers during 2024 season

Derwin James was spotted wearing what appeared to be a communications device at voluntary veteran minicamp.

The Chargers uploaded a series of photos from their voluntary veteran minicamp to the team’s website. Perhaps most interestingly, a picture of Derwin James wearing a communications device was uploaded.

Historically, players wearing an earpiece are usually relaying signal calls from the defensive coordinator. In this case, James would be the primary green dot play caller for Jesse Minter.

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James has worked as the team’s green dot previously. Last season, Brandon Staley handed the signal-calling responsibilities to a newly signed free agent in Eric Kendricks entering 2023. After an injury to Kendricks and an early defensive tailspin for the team, the green dot role went back to Kenneth Murray.

James had signal-calling responsibilities in both 2021 and parts of 2022. In 2022, Staley wanted to free up James’ ability to make plays by giving green dot responsibility to former Charger Drue Tranquill early in the season. It was a change of philosophy for Staley relative to how he talked about James’ role when he first was hired.

It’s still too early to suggest that James is getting the green dot role back relative to other options. With the draft quickly approaching, one has to wonder if the Chargers take a linebacker fairly early. Los Angeles publicly met with Michigan’s Junior Colson and Texas A&M’s Edgerrin Cooper in Top 30 visits.

While we’re still a long way away from August and September, James’ contentment with being Minter’s signal relayer is nonetheless interesting and a potentially marked change.

Check it out: Jim Harbaugh gets tattoo in honor of Michigan’s National Championship

Jim Harbaugh stuck to his word.

Last fall, Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh made a promise to get a tattoo if his former team, Michigan, went all the way. 

“If we go undefeated, I’m going to get a 15-0 tattoo,” Harbaugh said via the Inside Michigan Football radio show. 

The tattoo includes the school’s “M” logo with 15-0 beneath. 

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Tattoo artist Stephen Bateman shared a post on Instagram featuring Harbaugh and his new ink with the caption: “Go Blue! 15-0. Thanks, Jim Harbaugh, for having me out!!” Bateman wrote.

The Wolverines won the national championship in January, defeating the Washington Huskies. 

The victory marked Michigan’s first undefeated season since the school won its previous title two and a half decades ago.

Harbaugh will have a lasting reminder of his perfect season at Michigan with his new ink. 

The question remains if Harbaugh will now vow to get a lightning bolt as his next tattoo if the Chargers get a ring. 

Chiefs re-sign two-time Super Bowl champion LB Jack Cochrane

The #Chiefs re-signed linebacker Jack Cochrane on Tuesday, two days ahead of the 2024 NFL draft.

The Kansas City Chiefs re-signed linebacker Jack Cochrane on Tuesday night.

Cochrane, a third-year player and two-time Super Bowl champion with the Chiefs, has been a key player on Kansas City’s special teams unit since joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2022.

Pro Football Talk cited the NFL’s daily transaction report on their initial coverage of the deal, indicating that Cochrane signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender.

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While he has started only one game on defense as a pro, Cochrane has slowly worked himself into a critical rotational role for the Chiefs.

In 2023, he tallied 28 combined tackles, two of which went for a loss, and one pass defended.

Cochrane’s presence with the Chiefs should prove to be an asset for Steve Spagnuolo as the team looks to complete its championship three-peat next season.

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes: Super Bowl LVIII MVP has 96.1 career PFF grade

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes has earned a 96.1 career grade from Pro Football Focus.

Patrick Mahomes has singlehandedly altered the course of Kansas City Chiefs history since taking over as the team’s starting quarterback in 2018.

There are a few ways to quantify Mahomes’ impact on Kansas City’s franchise. His three Super Bowl wins, two MVP awards, and unbelievable 74-22 regular season record as a starter are a good place to start.

However, the experts at analytics company Pro Football Focus have their own metrics that boil down a player’s contribution into a composite grade.

For his career with the Chiefs, Mahomes has earned a mark of 96.1 out of a possible 100.

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While PFF’s take on player grades can be controversial among football fans, this achievement shows just how dominant Mahomes has been since entering the league as the No. 10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft.

Expect Mahomes to continue building on this incredible accomplishment as he and his teammates try to secure Kansas City a Super Bowl three-peat next season.

How much could Brandon Aiyuk be seeking in a new contract with the 49ers?

We have a report on what kind of contract Brandon Aiyuk is looking for from the #49ers.

The 49ers aren’t eager to trade wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk, but there are certainly scenarios that may force them to do so. One of those scenarios is one where Aiyuk demands a contract extension too far beyond what the 49ers are willing to pay. According to a report from the San Francisco Chronicle’s Michael Silver, that scenario may be landing on the table just ahead of the NFL draft, which is set to begin Thursday.

Silver gave the first indication of just how far apart the 49ers and Aiyuk might be on money. Via Silver:

Aiyuk, as per the terms of his rookie deal, is scheduled to play on the ‘fifth-year option’ in 2024, which would pay him $14.1 million. Sources around the league believe he is seeking a contract with an annual average of well over $25 million and that the 49ers have been reluctant to meet that price.

This isn’t great news, but it’s also not necessarily a sign that the 49ers are for sure trading Aiyuk during the first round of this year’s draft. If he’s not dealt by Thursday, it’s hard to believe he’ll be moved at all.

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However, a negotiation that’s mostly gone on privately could get contentious if the 49ers are sitting firm in the realm of $25 million per year – a number commensurate with the deal WR DeVonta Smith got from the Philadelphia Eagles this month. Smith and Aiyuk have had virtually identical production over the last three years. If Aiyuk is looking for something like $27 million, it would make him the NFL’s third-highest-paid receiver behind Miami’s Tyreek Hill and Las Vegas’s Davante Adams, and just ahead of the Rams’ Cooper Kupp, per Over the Cap.

An average of $28 million per year would put Aiyuk on the same level as Adams, and anything more than that would put him alone behind Hill, who averages $30 million per year.

On the other hand, a $25 million-per-year extension would put Aiyuk at the same AAV as Smith and Eagles WR A.J. Brown. It’d also put him ahead of Seahawks WR DK Metcalf ($24 million) and 49ers WR Deebo Samuel ($23.85 million).

This is where things could get messy since so much of an extension is projection. Aiyuk may dig his heels in on being one of the top three highest-paid WRs because his belief is that he will hold that type of value for the 49ers over the next few seasons. Meanwhile the 49ers will look at his numbers against those of Metcalf, Smith and Brown and determine that a deal in the $25 million range is where they’re comfortable.

We’ll learn a lot about where Aiyuk and the 49ers are when the draft plays out Thursday. If the receiver isn’t dealt during the draft, we can conclude that San Francisco believes the two sides will eventually come together on a deal.

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Chiefs earn top spot in PFF’s pre-draft power rankings

The #Chiefs earned the top spot in Pro Football Focus’ pre-draft power rankings.

The Kansas City Chiefs earned the top spot in Pro Football Focus’ pre-draft power rankings this week, solidifying their role as the team to beat in the NFL before the 2024 season.

The San Francisco 49ers, Baltimore Ravens, Dallas Cowboys, and Philadelphia Eagles round out the top five behind Kansas City, setting expectations for next season’s playoffs.

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As defending Super Bowl champions, the Chiefs seem uniquely positioned to complete their title three-peat next February, but are sure to face fierce opposition in the 2024 regular season.

Kansas City has had a target on its back since winning its first Super Bowl of the Patrick Mahomes era back in 2020. Now, after earning three titles in five seasons, every team in the NFL is preparing to knock off the Chiefs to ensure that the league’s newest dynasty doesn’t stay put at No. 1 in the power rankings for long.

Stay tuned to see if Kansas City’s position on PFF’s list changes after the 2024 NFL Draft.

Drafting Joe Alt would be smart for Bears if he fell to No. 9

If Joe Alt were to somehow fall to the Bears at No. 9, Ryan Poles shouldn’t hesitate to draft him.

The Chicago Bears are gearing up for the 2024 NFL draft, where they’ll officially welcome new quarterback Caleb Williams to the fold.

Outside of the No. 1 pick, the Bears also have the No. 9 pick, where there are no shortage of options depending on how the board falls. While unlikely, could Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt fall to Chicago?

Keeping Williams upright is one of the biggest keys for the Bears as they try to turn the franchise around. While Braxton Jones has been solid in two years, Alt could be the long-term answer at left tackle.

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Darnell Wright is already one of the best right tackles in the NFL, and it might be wise to keep him there. With Teven Jenkins and a few others able to move around a little bit, the addition of Alt would be amazing.

If the Bears were able to add a left tackle like Alt, they could be building an offensive line that they have together for about a decade or more. That could be a key to this team finally developing a quarterback and winning a Super Bowl. It’s an exciting idea.

Alt is a big boy (6’9″, 321 lbs) who will be a force in the NFL. Drafting a lineman with that type of size and skill is important in this league, and one team is going to be very happy with him.

The only problem with Alt is that there is very little chance that the Bears can get him. It would be stunning if he fell to No. 9 in the draft. They are using the No. 1 pick on Williams and Alt going 2-8 is very likely. However, if the impossible happened and he fell to them at nine, general manager Ryan Poles likely wouldn’t hesitate to make the move.

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Zach Wilson’s family was pumped up after his trade to Broncos

Zach Wilson’s mom said she’s excited for the QB to have a “fresh new start” with the Broncos.

After the Denver Broncos agreed to trade a sixth-round pick to the New York Jets in exchange for Zach Wilson and a seventh-round pick on Monday, the quarterback’s family quickly took to social media to celebrate.

Wilson’s mom, Lisa, shared videos on her Instagram story showing multiple Broncos flags in their front yard alongside orange and blue balloons. The family likely knew about the possibility of the trade and had time to prepare — they also live in Utah so they might already be fans, and it’s likely easy to find Broncos gear at their local stores.

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“Excited for a fresh new start,” Lisa captioned one of her Instagram stories. “Let’s go!”

In another post: “Surround yourself with People the love you, cheer for you and want you to succeed.”

Later in the day, Lisa posted a video showing friends and family celebrating the trade with Broncos gear and flags at what appears to be a frozen yogurt shop.

Welcome to Denver, Zach Wilson. Judging from the social media posts, the QB’s family seems to be fired up about his new opportunity with the Broncos.

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Broncos exercise Pat Surtain’s 5th-year option for 2025 season

The Broncos have picked up Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option. He’ll now earn about $19.8 million in 2025.

The Denver Broncos have picked up cornerback Pat Surtain’s fifth-year option for the 2025 NFL season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Next week (May 2) was the deadline to exercise the option.

Surtain, 24, had one year remaining on his rookie contract before Denver exercised the option for next year. Surtain is set to earn about $3.5 million in 2024. He’ll get a big raise in 2025 as the fifth-year option is projected to be worth about $19.8 million.

Every player picked in the first round has a team option for a fifth season. The cost of that option depends on the player’s position, playing time and Pro Bowl selections.

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Surtain’s basic salary would have been around $12.4 million if he did not meet any of the following incentives: playing time ($13.3 million), one Pro Bowl ($17.2 million) or two Pro Bowls ($19.8 million), according to NFL Network.

Surtain maxed out his potential earnings by playing 95% of the team’s defensive snaps and earning two Pro Bowl nods in his first three seasons. The star cornerback is now under contract for at least two more years, and the Broncos will likely work on a long-term extension next.

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CBS Sports expects Bears to target one of these positions at No. 9

There’s plenty of intrigue about the direction the Bears will go with the No. 9 pick. CBS Sports believes it’ll be one of two positions.

The Chicago Bears are sitting pretty with a pair of top-10 picks in the 2024 NFL draft, including the No. 1 pick, which will be used on quarterback Caleb Williams. But the No. 9 selection offers more intrigue and speculation — and it could very well depend on how the board falls early Thursday night.

According to CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones, the belief is the Bears will target pass rusher or wide receiver with the ninth overall selection — with the caveat that it’s always possible they trade back.

While the Bears already have a dynamic receiver duo with DJ Moore and Keenan Allen, it’s never a bad thing to add more weapons for your young quarterback. Especially given Allen is only locked in for this year before Chicago has to decide whether to extend him.

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Adding Rome Odunze or Malik Nabers to this receiver room would give them one of the best groups in the NFL.

I could see Chicago taking a receiver at No. 9 to prove to Williams and the rest of the league how serious the Bears are about this offense. Remember, they locked up offensive coordinator Shane Waldron with lightning speed in the offseason.

On the other hand, edge rusher is one of the team’s biggest needs heading into the draft. While the Bears acquired stud Montez Sweat last year, they’re missing a true complement opposite him.

There’s a good chance Chicago will be in a position to land their pick of edge rusher at ninth overall, be it Dallas Turner, Jared Verse or Laiatu Latu. But that could also mean Byron Murphy II is on the table as arguably the best interior pass rusher in this draft.

Other sources have pointed out the Bears could use the pick on a pass rusher to take some pressure off Montez Sweat. It’s a good idea, and it makes roster-composition sense. But the Bears sent a second-round pick to Washington for Sweat (and then paid him) because they didn’t anticipate strong options in free agency or the draft this year.

General manager Ryan Poles said he’s comfortable with having just four draft picks this year, which makes sense given what they’ve added in exchange for three of those lost selections (Sweat, Allen and Ryan Bates).

Pass rusher and receiver certainly make sense for Chicago at No. 9, and it could ultimately come down to how the board falls.

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