Tuesday is the first milestone in the NFL off-season. Let’s jump into it …
Nick Cammett / Diamond Images / Getty Images (Caserio); Winslow Townson / USA TODAY Sports (Newton); Joe Nicholson / USA TODAY Sports (Prescott)
• That’s right, starting Tuesday, teams can apply the players’ franchise label. We don’t have the official numbers yet, because they are based on where the cover lands. But here are the projections for a ceiling of 180 million dollars, a ceiling of 183 million dollars (this was the working number for some teams) and a ceiling of 185 million dollars.
Position by position for 180/183/185, all figures in millions:
QB: $ 24.76 / $ 25.17 / $ 25.45
WR: $ 15.76 / $ 16.03 / $ 16.02
RB: $ 8.54 / $ 8.68 / $ 8.78
TE: $ 9.47 / $ 9.63 / $ 9.73
OL: $ 13.57 / $ 13.79 / $ 13.94
FROM: $ 15.85 / $ 16,113 / $ 16.29
DT: $ 13.70 / $ 13.93 / $ 14.08
LB: $ 14.59 / $ 14.83 / $ 14.99
CB: $ 14.85 / $ 15.10 / $ 15.27
S: $ 10.47 / $ 10.64 / $ 10.76
As the ceiling will be lower and even with inflation taken into account, all these figures have fallen (and some significantly) since 2020. Which puts first-time candidates in different situations than those who might be labeled for the second time. such as Cowboys QB Dak Prescott, Broncos S Justin Simmons and Washington G Brandon Scherff), because those guys would usually be labeled at 120% of their 2020 label number.
• Of the second timer, Prescott is most likely to receive a repeated tag. Both Denver and Washington want to keep their players labeled 2020 for the long term and are confident they can do so, the question is whether another label is the mechanism they will use to do so (I guess it would be if such offers are not made by the deadline of March 9). Prescott’s label figure in 2021 is $ 37.691 million, Scherff’s is $ 15.981 million, and Simmons’ is $ 13.792 million. Among the candidates for the first time, I think Bucs WR Chris Godwin and Panthers OT Taylor Moton will probably be tagged and it wouldn’t be surprising to see Lions WR Kenny Golladay to find the same fate. I’m a little higher up in the air at Seahawks CB Shaquill Griffin, Packers RB Aaron Jones and Jets S Marcus Maye.
• And while we’re here, I wouldn’t expect a ton of news before the March 9 deadline (Tuesday is simply when the window opens) to tag the boys. Why are teams waiting? It allows some to own the label over two guys (Tampa would be an example, Godwin and Shaq Barrett being free agents) and leaves open the chance to tag a second guy if the guy who was destined for the label initially becomes a business. This year’s warning is that as the cap drops, it will be much harder for teams with caps (such as Pittsburgh with Bud Dupree) to swallow the one-year lump sum that comes with a player’s franchise.
• Funny thing I received from former Chargers coach Mike McCoy last week, which I’m not sure I’ve heard before: the famous Wildcat package was actually named after former Northwestern defender Brett Basanez . When McCoy was with the Panthers a decade and a half ago, Carolina revealed the look with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart leading the reading area. But initially, the idea of building in unforeseen situations was born if Basanez, an options defender in college and third behind Jake Delhomme and Chris Weinke, was forced to act. Basanez’s alma mater? Northwest. Therefore, Wildcat. From there, then Carolina OC Dan Henning left for Miami with her, and Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams put it on the front page in 2009 and made that term (which is for a staff package, more than an aspect of scheme) to be a permanent part of our lexicon. And, of course, the Panthers coach responsible for this was John Fox, who became the Broncos coach during the 2011 Tebowmania season, which McCoy and I were on the phone to talk about, following Tim Tebow’s retirement from baseball. “Yeah, I just took advantage of what Tim did best, and that’s what it’s about,” McCoy said. “Coaches, players, everyone has adapted to what we have done best, and Foxy has made everyone buy them. Everyone bought this style, it wasn’t just Tim. And it was interesting, because it was always different, every week. ”
• Amid the mess of the Texans, a certain perception of GM Nick Caserio has emerged among some people in the NFL that it’s just “Bill Belichick, the research edition.” And I don’t know if it’s a correct picture to paint. For me, an example of who is not in whom he chose to be his head coach – former Ravens assistant David Culley. Caserio told people that he thinks you need a different type of coach, more of a unifier, to reach the players and build the right culture than you did in past generations. This is Culley, for sure. So I believe, at least in a first example of his tenure, and with the greatest decision he has ever taken, he has shown that he can deviate from the path that was set for him in his first few decades. in the NFL.
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• And while we’re there, here’s another point: Caserio has shown signs of being more inclusive with his scouts and coaches than New England was in the draft and free agent process. Caserio oversaw a department in Foxboro that handled an exodus of rising stars who didn’t feel involved enough working for the Patriots. And while he was there, those around Caserio saw him evolving from a guy who was tight and hyper-preoccupied with behaving like a Patriot, so to speak, at the beginning of his time as head of research (2009 to in ’11) in someone he was much more comfortable in his own skin and a little less belichickian in the end. I kept saying that Caserio, for all the others who went wrong, was a very good job. And, of course, given the situation surrounding Deshaun Watson, he will have to prove that he was.
• My friend Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network reported earlier Monday that Steelers coach Mike Tomlin was diagnosed with COVID-19, which was a boost for the team that shut down its facility as a precaution last week. As I understand it, the process of resolving the situation of Ben Roethlisberger slowed down a bit. Of course, the parties have time to work out some adjustments to the $ 19 million they owe in 2021. But the further they go, the more time Pittsburgh has to sniff out other options.
• Cam Newton did a very interesting interview on I AM AN ATHLETE podcast with Brandon Marshall, Chad Ochocinco and Fred Taylor. And in it, Newton left the door wide open for a return to New England. Asked if he would return to a one-year deal, Newton said, “Damn it.” And as he explained his struggles, he talked about Belichick and Josh McDaniels in rather reverential terms. I would also say this: Patriots have a full understanding of how a stripped-down skill set and Tom Brady’s scheme adjustment handcuffed Newton in Year 1. So, I will say again: Don’t rule out Newton going back for a second tour in Foxboro. I don’t think he will return without competition. But I think that based on the way he worked and the way he got into culture, he bought enough capital in the building until, if a clear update is not available, the Patriots would look to bring him back. .
• I really like this from Lions new coach Dan Campbell on MLive.com: “I told Chris that [Spielman] the other day I said to myself: “I like the fact that we are known only as heads. Am I a headache? Do I have limited brain capacity? I like [that people think] that. I’m fine with that, you know what I mean? I have no problem. The whole press conference was literally for our team, for our fans and for the community and for the people who want the Lions to be successful. … I want to be in Detroit. I want this job, because I identify with this job. Are you saying it fits like a glove? This suits me like no other, because I feel I can relate to it. I see, man. I think I’m kind of fussy, you know? Without trying to blow my horn, I only know who I am. “This is very, very similar to what Campbell told me last month after his press conference, and it fits very well with a principle that one of Campbell’s mentors, Bill Parcells, had: Don’t talk to the masses. the media, talk through mass media. The idea was to consider another audience. Both in his players and in his new city, Campbell certainly did.
• And to end where we started, here are the projections for the 2021 transition labels, if the ceiling reaches the projected figure of $ 183 million:
QB: $ 23.08 million
WR: $ 14.38 million
RB: $ 7.24 million
TE: $ 8.20 million
OL: $ 12.69 million
FROM: $ 13.97 million
DT: $ 11.78 million
LB: $ 12.75 million
CB: $ 13.33 million
S: $ 9.08 million