INDIANAPOLIS – All your answers, right here …
From Alan S. Chapman (@Mr_Chappy): Based on what the Texas general manager told the plant, do they think Deshon Watson will play for them again and actually hold Watson hostage at this point? They don’t seem to be talking publicly about deals.
From Mark furlong (@mfurlong): Who gets Deshon?
Alan, I don’t really think there’s any new malice between Deshon Watson and the Texans. There is and always would be a process for all this. Part of it is the potential for legal resolution, both on the criminal and civil fronts, of the 22 lawsuits filed against him. Part of this is the reality that the quarterback trading market has fallen ill and is likely to remain so as long as there is uncertainty surrounding Aaron Rodgers.
Can Texas GM Nick Caserio exchange Watson today? Sure. And he will get a good return. But it’s not about getting well and unloading an unfortunate player. It’s about getting a return on a franchise change that a 26-year-old quarterback franchise with four years left should have a contract. Which means I think Houston is selling Watson when Caserio sees an opportunity to sell high.
The clarity of Watson’s legal situation, where he is with the league, and the bigger picture of the quarterback in the NFL in 2022 should help Caserio get there.
As for who he lands with, the Broncos and Eagles are two teams that I believe would make strong offers, depending on how some other things develop (the presence of Rodgers and Russell Wilson, etc. ). I think the Panthers will also try to re-enter the picture and it’s hard to rule out a dark horse or two (Cleveland? Tampa?) To participate. We need to know more soon.
From Lennon theus (@ broncolen30): Is it true that the Packers did not receive an offer for Rodgers?
Lennon, I think it’s certainly possible to play a semantic game here. Think about GM Brian Gutekunst’s options in answering this question …
- Yes, we accepted trade calls. This opens the team to questions about why they made these calls and what the nature of the calls is
- Yes, but we stopped these teams. We are not exchanging Aaron. This will probably largely reflect the team’s challenge last year, when things were not so good.
- No, we did not send these calls. This one at least leaves things open.
Now, do I think the teams checked on Rodgers? Probably. But things between Rodgers and Packers are still delicate, and communication is good so far, so there’s really no need to broadcast anything in public. Last year was different because there was almost no communication between the team and its quarterback, so things said in public were open to as many interpretations as each country wanted.
In this case, while the parties are speaking, what is said in public is much less relevant.
Kirby Lee / USA TODAY Sports
From SB LVI Champs – TheMikeBar3 (@ themikebar3): How much did McVeigh sign for? Or him?
Mike, Sean McVeigh doesn’t have a contract yet, but he was expected to get there and it wouldn’t be cheap. Last year, there were a number of NFL coaches earning more than $ 15 million, and more than a quarter of the HC in the league were eight figures. McVeigh was at this eight-figure club and his summary of recent successes is quite unique – five seasons, five winning records, four playoff places, three division titles, trips to the Super Bowl with two different quarterbacks and a championship.
On top of that, the 36-year-old achieved this success through an almost complete change of coaching staff, which gradually took place in half a decade at the helm.
The Ramses would be smart not to screw up on this issue, especially since the television opportunities are still there for McVeigh and he could theoretically just take a break or two and return perhaps the most sought-after coaching candidate in the history of the league. As he clarified his desire to train in 2022, all that remains is for Stan Kronke to open the vault.
By Gary Sullivan (@ gerrys109109): What do Bills need to do to improve and win AFC?
Gerry, the bills are in great shape after 2021, so the fixes here are more fixes than changes. Harrison Phillips and Vernon Butler are free agents, so what the venue for a defensive match around Ed Oliver looks like is an open question. With Tre’Davis White returning from the ACL and Levi Wallace being a free agent, the situation is similar in the corner. And then there is the decision whether to lock Tremain Edmunds or not.
Otherwise, Buffalo’s list is full of key players and a bunch of young guys like Gabriel Davis and Dawson Knox still rising. The bills are in an enviable place.
From Sue Leddie (@SueLeddie): After Daboll heads to NYG, do you think the Bills will continue to be so good at attacking?
Sue, losing Brian Daball is a blow, for sure. The work he has been doing to develop Josh Allen over the last four years has caught everyone’s attention, and for good reason, and his scheme always seemed to get the most out of the boys at hand, whether it was a veteran coming from outside the organization or Stephen Diggs. and Cole Beasley) or a young man coming through the pipeline (like Knox or Davis).
However, I believe that Ken Dorsey is ready to be the coordinator. He spent seven seasons as a position coach for Cam Newton and then for Alan, and the Billies have been preparing for the possibility of Dabol missing for several years.
And the system that has been abandoned is not so much the Daboll system as the Bills system. One of the things Dabol did best in his four years back in his hometown of West New York was build a custom scheme for players on hand so that these players and their coaches have their fingerprints everywhere.
Now, you don’t know what a person will be like as a player until you actually do, and so the game is a matter, for now, with Dorsey. But he could be much more prepared than his lack of coordination experience can show.
By Peter Paul Gualtieri (@TheEmeraldPiper): Where’s your fake draft?
Language! Peter Paul, we are a little far from that.
By Bryce Anderson (@ BryceA423): Do you believe the Aryans in his comments on Brady? It sounds like Brady will want to play again at some point, and it also sounds like things with Bucs have gotten weird. Would they really have a firm no deal?
Bryce, I think Arians is probably a little tired of questions about Brady’s future, but it also seemed pretty clear from the way he and GM Jason Licht said this week in Indy that Brady himself had left the door open enough to invite all these. Brady had several chances to destroy the idea that he could retire in Favre style, and he refused every turn.
Also, Bucs is worried about the idea of just handing Brady over to a rival.
After all, would they be more accommodating if Brady wanted to go elsewhere? It’s possible, and this is where Brady’s situation can really reflect Favre’s. Favre retired for the second (but not the last) time in early 2009. In February, he also demanded his release. It was not provided. But two months later, after the Jets replaced Mark Sanchez, Favre returned to the team. He was released after the draft, which allowed him to reach Minnesota, where he wanted to be from the beginning.
This is important for the Bucs situation, as at the moment Tampa has no real reason to tell anyone that it would be good to deal with Brady. But let’s say the Bucs trade for Watson later this month. At this point, Brady’s detention would make much less sense and would likely create an obstacle to bloated quarterback numbers. Now I really don’t think the Bucs would cut Brady off even under that circumstance. But I bet they would be more willing to trade it.
From MedfordNiner (@MedfordNiner): Where is Jimmy G?
Medford, this one became much more interesting this week, with the news that Jimmy Garopolo is going under the knife and will not throw again, according to 49ers GM John Lynch, until late June or early July. Garopolo is also in a contract year, so the team that deals with him needs to feel good that he will be back on time and ready to play quickly so that the team can get the most out of this one year, or be comfortable extending it.
For now, Garopolo is somehow in this green room of the quarterback, waiting for the fate of Rodgers and hopes that the dominoes will begin to fall soon after.
But now there seems likely to be less movement in the position than many expected three or four months ago. And that increases Garopolo’s chances of finding a starting job elsewhere. My guess at the moment would be Carolina or Washington, and both places are good for the 30-year-old to recover.
From Jay LaWa (@TheNewEnglandah): Do you see the Patriots marking JC Jackson or an offensive ambulance? What receivers do you see that they are interested in?
Jay, I’m just putting the pieces together, my best-informed speculation would be that the Patriots are spending the next week or so looking for a sales partner. I don’t think they want a lump sum of more than $ 17 million given to Jackson for a boring year, and I also know that negotiations last spring and last fall only revealed how far the team and its stellar angle are from its value – so much that no set of discussions led to any negotiations at all.
This means that with the exception of the 11 o’clock offer, which reflects a significant change in the heart, it is likely that the Patriots are preparing to continue with Jackson. And we’ll see if they can find a business partner who will keep the divorce clean.
As for the receiver market, I still think the Calvin Ridley trade, given Ridley’s origins in Alabama and the running skills that fit the Patriots like a glove, may be the most tempting option for Bill Belichik. It is also worth mentioning that Alan Robinson has some experience in attacking the Patriots (he plays for Bill O’Brien in Penn State) and although he is a man with a third contract, he is only 28 years old.
By Michael Lopez (@StatsbyLopez): Did you finally have coffee yesterday?
I did it, Mike! Many thanks to the Indianapolis Marriott boys for letting me into the concierge lounge to take care of that.
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