Sports

[teganslaw]

Drew Brees has said that he's staying with NO, so until he says otherwise, I won't buy into him going to Cleveland. 

ESPN and FOX are fighting to sign Peyton Manning as primetime analyst. MNF has an opening with Gruden back coaching, and since FOX is taking over TNF, Manning could take that job. FOX has said they will change the team of Joe Buck Troy Aikman if necessary. So far, Peyton hasn't shown interest, but who knows if he might change his mind. 

[yellowBeetle]

In news about the Eagles, there are rumblings that WR Torrey Smith may not be kept unless they can rework his contract downward a bit. There is some talk that Jason Peters could be traded...though most don't think that will happen. As to Nick Foles, the consensus of opinion seems to be that being the MVP of the Super Bowl has the Eagles feeling a moral obligation to treat him differently and let his wishes dictate what happens. If he wants to be a starter somewhere else, then the thinking is the Eagles will do everything possible to get him to the team he would like ... but if he is content being the backup to Wentz, then the Eagles will most likely give him an extension on his current contract to keep him in Philly long-term. 

Foles is the 10th backup QB to win a Super Bowl....but only the third backup QB to win the MVP award! Tom Brady did it in his first Super Bowl win...Doug Williams did it in the 1987 Redskin season SB win...and now Foles has done it! And of the 52 Super Bowls, 29 of the MVP winners have been QBs....but 23 have not. So that makes it even more impressive that backup QB Foles took the big MVP prize! 

[gardenman]

The Eagles are about $9 million over the projected cap for 2018, so they've got to flush some salary and Torrey Smith ($5 million), Brent Celek ($4-5 million) and a few other older guys could be gone to save money. A few contracts will probably be redone, moving some money from salary to signing bonuses. Once the $9 million shortfall is fixed, then they've got to clear another $7 million or so to sign the draft picks. A guy like Fletcher Cox will likely get some of his $17.9 cap hit this year redone so he gets more cash now in a signing bonus and less down the road in salary to free up some space. Lane Johnson, Brandon Brooks, Vinny Curry, and Jason Peters will likely do similar moves. By the time all is said and done, the Eagles will likely free up $10+ million in money to spend on free agents, another $7 million for the rookies, and a few million spare for emergencies.

[yellowBeetle]

Forgot to mention one other stat in my earlier post....

In the history of the NFL, only 21 men have been named the MVP winning quarterback of the Super Bowl.

So Nick Foles is in a very, very exclusive "club!"

Again in the 52 Super Bowls, 29 MVP awards have gone to quarterbacks. But some QBs  like Brady, Bradshaw, Montana, etc. have won the MVP more than once. 

So only 21 different quarterbacks in the history of the game have been named MVP of the Super Bowl!

And  Nick Foles is the latest to join that honored group!

[gardenman]

Nick Foles will be an interesting guy to watch. If you're a GM needing a QB and you have a skeptical fanbase, Nick might be the easiest QB to sell to the fans. He has stats that are better than Carson Wentz's. He's the current Super Bowl MVP after out-performing Tom Brady in a shootout. He's a high character guy with no red flags in his past. He's been generally healthy. He was the MVP in the Pro Bowl a few years ago. He's still relatively young. He's relatively cheap at $7 million, but anyone getting him will want an extension that will raise his price tag. If you rank the QB options out there, Nick has to be pretty high on the list.

Cousins is generally considered the highest ranked guy, but he's got a few question marks. He hasn't really elevated the play of guys around him, and he hasn't been overly respectful to management. If you're a GM do you pay Cousins $30 million, take a chance on an unproven kid in the first round, or send a first round pick to Philly to get Foles? If I'm Denver, I think I'd offer that fifth pick in the first round for Foles and shape my offense around him. I think he's the safest bet in the QB lottery. Drew Brees is safe, but older and expensive, and likely staying in New Orleans.

[Spurt]

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@teganslawwrote:

Drew Brees has said that he's staying with NO, so until he says otherwise, I won't buy into him going to Cleveland. 

ESPN and FOX are fighting to sign Peyton Manning as primetime analyst. MNF has an opening with Gruden back coaching, and since FOX is taking over TNF, Manning could take that job. FOX has said they will change the team of Joe Buck Troy Aikman if necessary. So far, Peyton hasn't shown interest, but who knows if he might change his mind. 

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@teganslaw

I can understand why ESPN and Fox want Peyton as an announcer.....he seems like a natural for broadcasting....and ESPN is looking for someone to fill Jon Gruden's shoes on MNF....and Fox would probably want him too.........

[gardenman]

And it's franchise tag season! Starting today through March sixth, teams can use their franchise tag. There shouldn't be a lot of surprises. The Eagles won't tag anyone. The Redskins are still hinting they may tag Cousins, and Cousins will file a grievance if they do. If he loses the grievance he's planning to not sign the tag and force the Redskins to pay him the $34.5 million. The Cowboys will likely tag Demarcus Lawrence, their defensive end, unless they can work out a long term deal.

The league gets a bit busy now. Franchise tags, the combine coming up (most draft related trades get started at the combine), then team visits with the college kids, the OTA's start in April, then the draft.

[gardenman]

That didn't take long. The Dolphins have placed the franchise tag on Jarvis Landry, the wide receiver, guaranteeing him $16 million (or so) a year. So much for him being a high value free agent target. Expect more tags to get placed over the next week.

[teganslaw]

Adam Vinatieri is close to a new one year deal with the Colts. His contract had expired, and he plans on staying with Indy for at least another year. There was talk of his retirement, but he's' not ready yet. This will be his 23rd year in the NFL. I'm glad to hear the news. As long as he feels good and wants to continue playing, I'm all for it.

Wondering if the Steelers will place a franchise tag on Le'Veon Bell. He has said that he doesn't want to play under the tag, so it will interesting to see what happens.

[gardenman]

There are reports that the Jets have an offer prepared to pay Kirk Cousins $60 million in his first year. They know their prime competitors only have around $25 million in cap space, so they're making it clear they want, and will get Cousins. It's a clever strategy on their part. If they can convince their competition to look for more affordable options, they can pretty much lock up Cousins before free agency ever starts.

I still think Denver will opt for a veteran QB. They haven't had great success with drafted QB's. Do they invest in a free agent like Sam Bradford, Case Kenum, or the like, or try to swing a trade for a guy? I've got to think Nick Foles got their attention. For Denver to get to the Super Bowl they have to beat Tom Brady. They need a QB who can do that. There aren't a lot of them out there. Nick Foles has proven he can do that. If Kirk Cousins is out of their price range, and at $60 million he should be, then Nick Foles should be looking good to them.