OT: Football Thread

[NickyFotiu]

Caleb Williams is gonna be a superstar.

Maybe so. Maybe not. Only time will tell. Do you think think Bears fans still wish they got something for those two first round picks?

 

[CTTribe73]

Maybe so. Maybe not. Only time will tell. Do you think think Bears fans still wish they got something for those two first round picks?

I think if Williams hits they won't give a shit.

 

[NickyFotiu]

I think if Williams hits they won't give a shit.

Maybe but if Williams is good he could use some good players around him as well. Im just amazed how fast some teams traded up to get those 2021 QBs and now how cheaply they are dumping them. Even Sam Darnold brought back a second round pick.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Steelers plan to re-sign Russell Wilson to longer contract after 2024 season, per report

Wilson and the Steelers plan to be together for a while

www.cbssports.com

 

[CTTribe73]

Maybe but if Williams is good he could use some good players around him as well. Im just amazed how fast some teams traded up to get those 2021 QBs and now how cheaply they are dumping them. Even Sam Darnold brought back a second round pick.

Keenan Allen
DJ Moore
D’Andre Swift
Khalil Herbert
Braxton Jones
Sweat on D

Pretty good start.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Keenan Allen
DJ Moore
D’Andre Swift
Khalil Herbert
Braxton Jones
Sweat on D

Pretty good start.

Yes they are a good start. I think 1-2 first round picks would be even a better start. Ditto SF. Ditto the NYJ.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Going to be a long 6 weeks until the NFL draft.

 

[Filip Chytil]

 

[Hunter Gathers]

I would really like some finality to the Waller situation.

 

[Filip Chytil]

Daniel Jeremiah has NYJ trading up to #5 to draft Marvin Harrison Jr and the NYG taking Nabers at 6.

Does Drew Lock signing say anything about Giants' faith in Daniel Jones, NFL Draft plans?

The Giants haven’t wavered in their commitment to Jones, saying they expect him to start Week 1. But “expect” has become a loaded word.

theathletic.com

Lock said after choosing to sign with the Giants he called Schneider and only thanked him for the opportunity in Seattle. The game of telephone gets convoluted because Schneider didn’t explicitly say he heard the message about competing for the starting job from Lock; agents are the point people in most of the discussions during free agency. But a source familiar with the Giants’ pitch said Schoen sold Lock’s agent on the track record of backup quarterbacks under coach Brian Daboll cashing in.

Ralph Vacchiano: How strong is Giants' 'faith' in Daniel Jones? Examining New York's QB plans | FOX Sports

So, is Daniel Jones their franchise quarterback or not?
Yes. Probably.

As bad as Jones was in the first five games of last season, there are a lot of people very high up in the Giants organization who still believe in his ability — which is what FOX Sports reported back in November. They were not shaken by five bad games, most of which were played without Saquon Barkley, without left tackle Andrew Thomas, and behind a truly disastrous offensive line.

What has shaken their faith, one team source said, is his injury history. That seems to be more the history of neck injuries than his recovery from a torn ACL, which the Giants say has gone well. But the neck injuries — disc issues that neither the Giants nor Jones have ever fully explained — are worrisome. As Jones' former trainer told FOX Sports in November, "The likelihood of reinjury, once it gets injured the first time, it's definitely more susceptible moving forward."

So yes, the Giants seem to believe in Jones' ability to be their next Eli Manning as much as they did on March 7, 2023, when they gave him that blockbuster contract. But because he is an injury risk, they feel like they at least have to explore all their options — which is exactly what they are doing. Jones' health does seem to be a big enough issue for the organization that it's impossible to say they still believe he's their long-term answer at quarterback.

Why did they meet with Russell Wilson?

The meeting was described as "exploratory," which is what a team source said it was. And multiple NFL sources believe that Wilson — who has long been enamored with the idea of playing in New York — initiated the meeting, which happened on his way to meet (and sign with) the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 35-year-old Wilson was looking for a starting job, though, and the Giants were "absolutely not" willing to offer him one, a team source said. If Wilson was interested in being a backup, the Giants might have been interested since he cost the Steelers only $1.21 million (the Broncos are also paying him $39 million not to play for them). Although even then, they understood it could have been messy to have a high-profile backup who clearly wanted to play sitting behind Jones all year.

Is there a chance they'll draft a new franchise quarterback with the sixth pick of the draft?

Yes, there's a chance. They have scouted the top ones a lot and will continue to do so. That includes USC's Caleb Williams, North Carolina's Drake Maye, LSU's Jayden Daniels and even Michigan's J.J. McCarthy. If one of them fell to 6, it would absolutely be a consideration.

It sure seems like quarterbacks will go 1-2-3 in this draft, though, with the Bears, Commanders and Patriots all needing a franchise quarterback. And the Vikings, with two first-round picks now, seem ready to move up for a quarterback, possibly to 4 (the Cardinals) or 5 (the Chargers).

If any of the Big 4 make it to the Giants at 6, the most likely would seem to be McCarthy. The Giants like him, sources said, but enough to take him at 6? And would they even take the fourth-best quarterback just six picks into the draft, when they could conceivably end up with one of the best receivers, like Ohio State's Marvin Harrison, LSU's Malik Nabers, or Washington's Rome Odunze?

Those are some big decisions they'll make in the next few weeks.

Would they really trade up into the top 3 to grab one of them?

Multiple league sources said the Giants have made inquiries about trading up. It should also be noted that they've talked to at least one team about trading down, so these conversations may be more due diligence than anything else.

Also, keep two other things in mind: For all the talk about trading out of the top-3 picks, there aren't many people around the NFL that really think the Bears, Commanders or Patriots would do that when they all need a franchise quarterback. The Cardinals and Chargers at 4 and 5 certainly could trade down, but the Vikings — who just acquired a second first-round pick and can offer both 11 and 23 — probably can and will offer more than the Giants.

In other words, the Giants trading up seems unlikely, too.

What about taking a quarterback on Day 2?

This has always seemed like the more likely scenario: Either taking a quarterback in the second or third round, or trading back into the bottom of the first round for one. Of course, the latter part of that became less likely when they traded one of their two second-round picks for edge rusher Brian Burns.

The Giants hold the 47th overall pick (second round) and 70th (third round) on Day 2. It would probably take quite a fall for Oregon's Bo Nix to get to the Giants, unless they were able to move up. Maybe Washington's Michael Penix Jr. could make it to 47. South Carolina's Spencer Rattler could be in play in Round 3.

But drafting a quarterback somewhere seems like it's part of the Giants' plan. It gives them a young player they can develop while Jones (or Lock) plays this year, and maybe gives them someone who can take over for Jones a year or two from now.

OK, so, on Opening Day in September, who is playing quarterback for the Giants?

Ideally, the Giants want Jones to be their Opening Day starter. Publicly they keep saying they expect it to be Jones. One source said that even if the Giants ended up drafting a quarterback in the first round it would probably still be Jones. But until he's on the field, they can't really gauge his recovery, so they know there's at least a chance it will be Lock.

Multiple sources, though, seem convinced that if Jones isn't ready for Opening Day, he'd only have to miss a start or two. So, most likely the quarterback room for 2024 will be Jones, Lock (in some order) and likely a rookie from the first three rounds of the NFL Draft.

Just don't ask me about 2025.

 

[Hunter Gathers]

What a laughingstock Rodgers is.

I mean, just unreal the amount of brainworms that must have somehow eaten through his soft skull.

 

[Ben Grimm]

49ers lose 2025 draft pick, have one dropped to last in a round as result of payroll error

The payroll error in 2022, the league said, was not done in an effort to circumvent the salary cap in any way.

sports.yahoo.com

NFL Draft 2024: Top 50 big board is heavy on offense, starting with Drake Maye and Caleb Williams at the top

Yahoo Sports NFL Draft expert Nate Tice delivers his first top 50 of this draft cycle, with breakdowns of each prospect's strengths, weaknesses, projections and more.

sports.yahoo.com

Netflix's 'Receiver' series to follow 5 NFL players, including George Kittle, Justin Jefferson, Deebo Samuel

The eight-episode Netflix series follow last year's "Quarterback," which documented the 2022 seasons of Kirk Cousins, Patrick Mahomes and Marcus Mariota.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Filip Chytil]

 

[17futurecap]

Joe Douglas has done good work, and if it fails and they all get fired, he didn’t screw over the next people in charge with long term contracts.

 

[NickyFotiu]

Joe Douglas has done good work, and if it fails and they all get fired, he didn’t screw over the next people in charge with long term contracts.

He has brought in a lot of big names who have been good players. Will they be healthy and still be good players? Time will tell. I would have liked my GIants to get Tyrone Smith though.

 

[Filip Chytil]

 

[KirkAlbuquerque]

it won't matter because Aaron Rodgers will either a) get injured in his first game again or b) stay healthy but look completely washed.

Tyrod Taylor is a horrible signing because you know that dude is good for maybe 1.5 games a season until he inevitably gets knocked out and then you're down to your 3rd stringer again.

Jets just never learn.

Hope they take a flyer in the middle rounds on a QB, but Rodgers will probably veto it.

 

[bbny]

it won't matter because Aaron Rodgers will either a) get injured in his first game again or b) stay healthy but look completely washed.

You forgot C) run as VP for RFKJ

 

[Hunter Gathers]

You forgot C) run as VP for RFKJ

It really is a sideshow with this idiot. I think that most knew it would be bad, but I don't think people contemplated what a f***ing clown he'd be in an election year.

 

[Ben Grimm]

Jerry Jeudy, Browns reportedly agree to 3-year extension worth up to $58M

The contract also reportedly includes $41 million guaranteed at signing.

sports.yahoo.com

Iowa OT Kadyn Proctor reportedly leaving Hawkeyes after 2 months, likely returning to Alabama

The former five-star recruit and freshman starter appears to be returning to Alabama.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Filip Chytil]

 

[Filip Chytil]

 

[Ben Grimm]

RB Saquon Barkley's daughter asks if him joining Eagles means 'we're gonna win now?'

Saquon Barkley signed a three-year, $37.75 million deal with the Eagles at the start of free agency.

sports.yahoo.com

Lions CB Cameron Sutton wanted for alleged domestic battery in Florida

Police in Florida have been unable to locate Sutton since March 7, when the warrant was issued.

sports.yahoo.com

Marvin Harrison Jr. will not work out at Ohio State Pro Day

Ohio State's Pro Day is today, but Ohio State's best prospect won't work out.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[Ben Grimm]

NFL to consider proposed hip-drop tackle ban, rule changes for kickoff and more

The 32 team owners have some major decisions to mull over.

sports.yahoo.com

 

[SnowblindNYR]

Saquon is a dick. Showing his true colors. Should have known that whole nice guy persona was an act.