NFL Free Agency/Other Transactions

[Woodman]

Brandon Staley- Justin Herbert contract talks are "ongoing" - ProFootballTalk

Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert is eligible to receive a new contract. It’s widely believed he’ll eventually get one. But it hasn’t happened yet.

On Monday, coach Brandon Staley said negotiations are “ongoing,” via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com. Staley made the remark before teeing off at the team’s charity golf outing.

Herbert didn’t golf because of offseason shoulder surgery. He also didn’t have much to say about his contract, beyond generally expressing “faith” in the team.

“They’ve done such a great job of taking care of us and my message really hasn’t changed,” Herbert said, via Thiry. “It’s been an honor to be a part of this team. It’s great to come to events like this and whatever happens, happens and it’s out of my control at this point.”

[Woodman]

Cowboys quarterbacks nickname their offense the Texas Coast - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Isaiah Rodgers was absent from Wednesday's OTA practice - ProFootballTalk

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Deommodore Lenoir- Brandon Aiyuk will be a top-5 receiver this year - ProFootballTalk

Cornerback Deommodore Lenoir had some high praise for the receiver based on what he’s seen from Aiyuk from going against each other in the Pac-12 to now.
“We’ve been having our battles since college,” Lenoir said, via David Bonilla of 49erswebzone.com. “He’s going to be a top-five receiver in this league this year. He’s going to put everybody on notice.
“I feel like he’s been so underrated. He really don’t get the credit that he deserves.”
Lenoir added that Aiyuk is “more smooth on his brakes” and “his release package is unmatched.”
Aiyuk may have some competition from a teammate when it comes to being a top-five receiver, as Deebo Samuel recently said his 2022 season was “awful” and said he would never “put anything like that on tape again.”

[Woodman]

Josh Harris, Mitchell Rales exit league office after 2.5-hour meeting - ProFootballTalk

As expected, proposed Commanders owner Josh Harris met with the NFL on Wednesday, against a smoky dystopian backdrop that serves as a fitting metaphor for the entirety of the Daniel Snyder era in D.C.

Mark Maske of the Washington Post reports that Harris and Mitchell Rales, the top minority investor in the Harris-led group, spent roughly 2.5 hours at 345 Park Avenue on Wednesday.

Harris has vowed to fix any issues with the deal that potentially run afoul of league rules. One major concern has been the debt structure of the $6.05 billion transaction.

The league has a strong motivation to move on from Snyder, but it is trying to do justice to requirements aimed at ensuring that the franchise will be financially viable post-closing.

[Woodman]

Deebo Samuel vows not to repeat "awful" 2022 season - ProFootballTalk

49ers receiver Deebo Samuel stayed away from the offseason program in 2022, but for the mandatory minicamp. It sounds as if he won’t be skipping voluntary workouts again.
Via Matt Barrows of TheAthletic.com, Samuel described his performance last year as “awful,” and he explained that the lack of formal work in the 2022 offseason left him feeling sluggish.













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[Woodman]

NFL still hasn't announced this year's Hard Knocks team - ProFootballTalk

As noted by Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, the league hasn’t announced this year’s Hard Knocks team. Last year, the league announced that it would be the Lions in late March.

The teams that can be compelled to do it under the formula the NFL previously developed are the Bears, Saints, Jets, and Commanders. Those are the franchises that remained after exempting any team with a new head coach, any team that has been to the playoffs in the last two years, and any team that has done it within the past 10 years.

The Bears have said they don’t want it. The Jets are the most compelling selection; chances are they’re not interested, either. (If they were, it likely would have been already announced by now.)

That leaves the Saints and Commanders. Of the two, the Commanders are more compelling given the looming ownership change. But coach Ron Rivera, who ealizes that he needs to make a solid impression on new owner Josh Harris, likely would prefer not to have an extra variable in a situation already chock full of them.

[Woodman]

Buccaneers waive Jake Verity - ProFootballTalk

Verity signed with the Ravens after going undrafted in 2021 and spent most of the season on their practice squad. He spent time with the Colts and Jaguars last offseason, but he has never appeared in a regular season game. He signed a future contract with the Bucs in January.
Chase McLaughlin is the remaining kicker in Tampa. He signed with the Bucs in March and went 30-of-36 on field goals and 21-of-21 on extra points with the Colts last season.

[Woodman]

Steve Wilks- Nick Bosa has a Canton mindset - ProFootballTalk

After only four seasons, 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa has not played long enough yet to be called a “future Hall of Famer.” Bosa, though, is on the right track.
He already has won defensive rookie of the year and defensive player of the year and has three Pro Bowls and an All-Pro on his resume.

[Woodman]

Bud Dupree "as confident as ever" in first season with Falcons - ProFootballTalk

Dupree signed with the Falcons in April as part of Atlanta’s attempt to infuse their defense with as much new talent as possible. In order for Dupree to make an impact, he’ll need better health after missing 17 games over the last three seasons but he said on Wednesday that those issues aren’t causing him to doubt his ability to help the team win more games this year.

[Woodman]

Pete Bevacqua will exit NBC Sports to become A.D. at Notre Dame - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Joe Mixon was "not at all" worried about his future with Bengals this offseason - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Frank Reich- Moving Bryce Young up just the next step - ProFootballTalk

The 11-on-11 portion of Thursday’s practice began a little differently for the Panthers on Thursday.

Bryce Young took the first snaps at quarterback, which was a shift from Andy Dalton being the first man up at previous practices open to the media. In a press conference after the session, head coach Frank Reich said that Young has been in that position at other practices this week as well and that he and General Manager Scott Fitterer “earmarked” this week as the time to bump Young up in the rotation some time ago.

[Woodman]

Rams to sign Demarcus Robinson - ProFootballTalk

Robinson spent last season with the Ravens, appearing in all 17 games with five starts. He ended up second on the team with 48 receptions and 458 yards while scoring a pair of touchdowns. Robinson also had two catches for 49 yards with a TD in the postseason loss to Cincinnati.
A fourth-round pick in the 2016 draft, Robinson had played his entire career with Kansas City before 2022. In six years with the Chiefs, he caught 145 passes for 1,679 yards with 14 touchdowns.
Robinson signed with the Raiders as a free agent last spring but was cut in August. A few days later he signed with Baltimore.

[Woodman]

Derek Carr- Jon Gruden's visit made sense because I played my best football for him - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Blaine Gabbert- Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady are both "maniacal perfectionists" - ProFootballTalk

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Kendrick Bourne- I didn't give Patriots my best effort last season - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Mac Jones on DeAndre Hopkins- Obviously, we'd love to have him - ProFootballTalk

“I think that’s definitely a hypothetical, but I think DeAndre is a great player,” Jones said. “You watch his film from college all the way through the NFL, he’s done a great job. So obviously, we’d love to have him.”
But, Jones continued, the Patriots already have a great group of receivers.
“We just know that we want to win and I know that all the guys feel the same way. But I’ve been really pleased with the playmakers that we have on our team,” Jones said. “We’ve come out here and really bought into the system. That’ll really show in training camp, preseason and stuff. It’s sometimes hard to show that out here [during the offseason program].

[Woodman]

Texans sign No. 3 overall pick Will Anderson - ProFootballTalk

[Woodman]

Closing of criminal case against Davante Adams opens door for Personal Conduct Policy punishment - ProFootballTalk