The dynamic over the last couple of days – – to include news from this morning – – has been player movement in the NFL as free agency is about to begin in earnest. There are lots of signing and releasing announcements but a few of them stand out.
Russell Wilson announced that he will sign with the Steelers on a 1-year deal for the veteran minimum salary of $1.2M. The Steelers had signaled that they wanted to bring in some competition for Kenny Pickett at the QB position; if that was the goal, I suspect the Steelers have over-achieved. Fear not for Russell Wilson’s bank account; the Broncos owe him $39M in guaranteed salary for 2024 even if he stayed home and watched games from his recliner. By signing the minimum deal in Pittsburgh, the Broncos’ payments will be reduced to $37.8M with the Steelers’ salary making up the difference.
The Steelers made the playoffs last year and the Steelers have an elite defense plus a solid if not spectacular running game. If Russell Wilson is an upgrade at QB – – which he surely appears to be – – how much better will the Steelers be in 2024 in what looks like the best division in the NFL? I think the Steelers made a smart move for football and for financial reasons; I think Russell Wilson also made a smart move going to a team that made the playoffs last year where he should step in as the starter.
Another QB situation was solidified over the weekend as the Bucs re-signed Baker Mayfield to a 3-year contract worth up to $115M. Mayfield played last year on a 1-year contract with a base value of $4M and led the team to the playoffs and to a playoff victory in the first round. In the new contract the Bucs have guaranteed $50M as part of the deal.
I think the continuity this move brings to the Bucs is a positive for the team and even if you consider the full value of the contract, it works out to be less than $40M per year which is below market rate for a veteran starting QB on a playoff team.
As of the time I am writing this, the biggest QB free agency decision remains in play. Kirk Cousins is a free agent and is coming off a season-ending Achilles injury suffered in Week 8 of last year. All the reporting says that the Vikes and the Falcons are the two highest probability landing spots for Cousins. I think he holds the keys to a whole series of moves and decisions related to the Draft and to free agency this year. At least 8 teams need to upgrade the QB position and Cousins is a proven commodity – – albeit one returning from an injury. If Cousins stays in Minnesota, those other teams need to adjust their thinking; if he signs with one of those other suitors, then the Vikes need to jump into the QB marketplace. Wheels within wheels …
Over the weekend, the Jags solidified their backup QB position trading with the Pats for Mac Jones who was a first-round pick just 3 seasons ago. People seem to have forgotten that Jones made the Pro Bowl in his rookie season because his productivity has regressed significantly over the past two seasons. Nevertheless, the Jags have acquired a competent backup for Trevor Lawrence here at a discounted price; the Pats will receive a 6th round pick in exchange for Jones.
The Pats have the overall #3 pick in the Draft in April. If the Pats do not sign a QB in the free agency frenzy, the trading away of Mac Jones would signal that they are going to take a QB with that early draft pick.
Another trade from the weekend involved the Browns acquiring WR, Jerry Jeudy, from the Broncos in exchange for a 5th round pick and a 6th round pick. Jeudy is an interesting situation:
- In the 2020 Draft, Jeudy was taken ahead of Justin Jefferson and Brandon Aiyuk.
- He has had some injuries, but even when healthy he has not looked anything like either of those two draft classmates.
- So, were the scouting reports seriously wrong – – or – – will Jeudy turn out to be a quality WR in a new system?
Actually, I think that this trade by the Browns puts a lot of pressure on Deshaun Watson coming back from his shoulder injury. Watson now has Amari Cooper, David Njoku and Jerry Jeudy leading the pass catching corps in Cleveland plus a solid running game and a good defense. So far, Watson has not torn it up in Cleveland; this year might just be a “put up or shut up” year for Deshaun Watson.
The NFL news about player movements and re-signings – – and even retirements – – from last weekend has been interesting and has made me think about potentially positive outcomes for players and for teams. Not all the news from last weekend was nearly as positive and I offer as evidence this announcement:
- Jake Paul will fight Mike Tyson in July at AT&T stadium and that “event” will be shown on Netflix.
Mike Tyson is 57 years old; his last “fight” was an exhibition against Roy Jones, Jr. in 2020. His last real fight was in 2005 and his last win in a real fight was in 2003. I make the distinction between a “fight” and a real fight here because it is not clear that this bout will be sanctioned by the authorities in Texas meaning that it may or may not be considered a boxing match as opposed to a boxing exhibition.
My take on this is simple; the fact that this fight will take place under any sort of labelling or promoting demonstrates the demise of boxing as a sport. Next up, the winner here can face a boxing kangaroo next or maybe a declawed bear.
Finally, Brad Dickson – – formerly with the Omaha World News – – put the Tyson/Paul fight into perfect perspective with this Tweet:
“Mike Tyson is going to fight Jake Paul. And I thought Biden Vs. Trump was depressing.”
But don’t get me wrong, I love sports………
Will Russell Wilson make the Steelers better? Not likely. He has become a one-read qb. If the first guy is not open, he starts looking at the line to see where the pressure will come from. Some older qbs tend to do this because they don’t want to get hit. Wilson is also reputed to be something of a locker room problem, perhaps not a good fit for the Steelers culture. Denver didn’t write him off for no reason.
Mack Jones, on the other hand, could still be reclaimable. He did not respond well to “hard coaching” (i.e., sarcastic criticism) which was the Patriots way under Bill Bellichek. Doug Peterson should be able to get more out of him.
Gil:
I agree with you about Mac Jones.
I think there is a chance that Tomlin might be able to rein in some of Wilson’s reported locker room issues. Tomlin has dealt with players like Antonio Brown and LeVeon Bell in the past and gotten on-field productivity out of them. We shall see …
Gardner Minshew joined the Las Vegas LVRs. Where’s my fake moustache? I do not see this as competition for Aidan O’Connell. see it as Mr. Minshew becoming the starting (game manager) Raider quarterback on the cheap, O’Connell picking up the clipboard, and Michael Penix joining the Raiders via a 2nd-or-3rd round draft.
TenaciousP:
Michael Penix might be available to the Raiders in the second round but I will be shocked if he is there in the third round.