Does a team with plenty of cap room (a projected $68 million, per Over The Cap) jettison its most productive offensive skill player just because his cap charge is over market?
In a vacuum, the answer is a no-brainer keep him but you don t build a winning roster by operating that way. Jets general manager Joe Douglas plays hardball when it comes to maintaining a value system, so it wouldn t be a surprise if he looks to re-invest that $10 million.
Douglas could try to upgrade at slot receiver with JuJu Smith-Schuster (Pittsburgh Steelers) or Chris Godwin (Tampa Bay Buccaneers) in 2021 NFL free agency; that would cost serious money. He also could opt for a cheaper option, Kendrick Bourne (San Francisco 49ers), who spent the past four years in the system the Jets are planning to install. There s also the possibility of re-negotiating Crowder s contract.
However the Jets proceed, it should have some level of impact on the Patriots.
For example, might Darnold s availability potentially pique the San Francisco 49ers interest, thus making Jimmy Garoppolo an option for a return to New England? Or, in turn, the Jets sticking with Darnold could create action for the No. 2 pick from other QB-needy teams, altering the draft board and who is ultimately available to the Patriots (No. 15).
These are the scenarios coach Bill Belichick and his staff have likely already begun dissecting.
One longtime NFL executive opined to ESPN s Jets reporter Rich Cimini that he could envision a low first-round or high second-round pick being shipped for Darnold, who enters the final year of his rookie contract, with a decision on his huge fully-guaranteed fifth-year option (2022) due by May 3.
OWINGS MILLS, Md. Can a four-word tweet trigger the biggest trade in Baltimore Ravens history?
On Jan. 29, offensive tackle Orlando Brown Jr. surprisingly posted on Twitter: “I’m a LEFT Tackle.” Two weeks later, there’s mounting speculation about what teams would want Brown and what the Ravens could land in return.
The only certainty at this point is that it’s going to take a very high draft pick a first-round one, at the very least to pry Brown out of Baltimore, which is something that has never happened in this franchise’s 26-year existence. In the 44 player trades made by the Ravens, none have involved a first-round pick and just two resulted in Baltimore getting a second-round one (offensive tackle Tony Jones in 1997 and tight end Hayden Hurst last offseason).
ALLEN PARK, Mich. – Anthony Lynn has still been settling into his role as the Detroit Lions offensive coordinator, but he’s already seen enough of one of his future players to get a sense of how good he can be.
Lynn has spent time digging into the game of Pro Bowl tight end T.J. Hockenson, who had 67 catches for 723 yards and six touchdowns last season. Lynn believes Hockenson will continue to grow, an ascent that already has made him one of the NFL’s Top 10 tight ends.
“T.J. did some nice things last year and I think his ceiling is even higher,” Lynn said. “I know he made the Pro Bowl and all that, but he can play even better and that was the encouraging part. I like what I saw on tape.”
The NFL s salary cap for the 2021 season, once believed to reach as high as $215 million, is now expected to drop to about $180 million according to ESPN s Adam Schefter. That s a tough break for the Bills, who will need to clear significant space in order to afford Milano and fellow free agent Jon Feliciano, a guard.
Per Spotrac, Milano s market value is $13.8 million per year. While it s unclear whether the Bills are willing to pay that figure, the team is absolutely willing to let him chase it. We d love to be able to get Matt back. He knows that, Bills general manager Brandon Beane said. I shared that with him and I m sure [coach] Sean [McDermott] has as well. The business side matters. He s earned the right to go to free agency and see what his market bears.