Category: NFL News

Here’s the latest Giants free agency and trade buzz during the 2024 NFL offseason…

March 9, 11:15 a.m.

Free agent CB Darious Williams is expected to visit with the Giants on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Williams, who’ll turn 31 on March 15, was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars on March 5 in a cap-saving move. He signed a three-year, $30 million deal with the Jags during the 2022 offseason, and started 29 out of the 34 games he played over two seasons.

The corner made four interceptions during the 2023 season, plus 19 passes defended, 53 combined tackles, two forced fumbles, and one touchdown.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Williams played 43 games with the Los Angeles Rams over four seasons from 2018-2021 and helped the team win Super Bowl LVI over the Cincinnati Bengals, recording eight tackles in the victory.

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Justin Madubuike is staying in Baltimore for the long haul. The Ravens have signed the veteran defensive tackle to a whopping four-year, $98 million deal that includes $75.5 million in total guarantees and $53.5 million at signing, according to ESPN. 

Madubuike is now the NFL’s highest-paid defensive tackle in terms of total contract value, according to Spotrac. His contract is $2 million more than Quinnen Williams and $3 million more than Aaron Donald. Donald is still the leader in the clubhouse, though, as his contract is only three years, and the $95 million is completely guaranteed. 

“Justin is one of the best defensive tackles in the entire NFL and a cornerstone of our defense,” said Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta. “We are thrilled for Justin and his family and equally happy for our fanbase. This is a great way to start the new league year!”

A Pro Bowler last season, Madubuike racked up a…

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49ers hiring former Raiders OC Mick Lombardi to coaching staff originally appeared on NBC Sports Bay Area

The 49ers have hired former Las Vegas Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi to a yet-to-be-titled spot on the coaching staff, coach Kyle Shanahan confirmed to NBC Sports Bay Area on Thursday night.

Lombardi, 35, previously worked for the 49ers in a variety of roles, beginning in 2013, when Jim Harbaugh hired him to the position of assistant to the head coach.

Over the next three seasons under head coaches Harbaugh, Jim Tomsula and Chip Kelly, Lombardi served as offensive assistant, defensive assistant and offensive quality control.

After two seasons with the New York Jets as an offensive assistant, he went on to the New England Patriots, where he coached for three seasons on Bill Belichick’s staff.

Lombardi was assistant quarterbacks coach in 2019 before moving to wide receivers coach for two seasons. He followed former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to the Raiders in 2022.

When the Raiders fired McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler on Oct. 31, Lombardi was also relieved of his duties.

The 49ers lost three members of their offensive coaching staff after the season, including Klint Kubiak, the former offensive passing game specialist. Kubiak was hired as offensive coordinator of the New Orleans Saints.

Assistant head coach/running backs Anthony Lynn became as Washington’s run game coordinator, and assistant offensive line coach James Cregg became the Raiders’ offensive line coach.

Lombardi is the son of former NFL executive Michael Lombardi.

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The quarterbacks who are thought to be the top three in this class did not work out at the NFL Scouting Combine, as Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels did not take the field with their fellow signal-callers in Indianapolis. Many mock drafts have the three quarterbacks coming off the board first in April, but opinions on the three are wide-ranging.

Some are not sold on Williams being the future franchise quarterback many believe he is, while other analysts have Daniels as the No. 2 QB over Maye — or vice versa. Then, there are others who have shocking QB power rankings — like those of former NFL quarterback Chris Simms, who now works as an analyst for NBC Sports. 

Simms has Williams as his top quarterback and Daniels behind him at two, but he has Maye at No. 6 behind Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and J.J. McCarthy. 

Naturally, these rankings created a stir online, and Simms explained his reasoning on his podcast, “Chris Simms Unbuttoned.”

“There’s things you watch, and you go, ‘Wow.’ If you watch the highlight package, you go, ‘Woah.’ You watch the highlight package and you go, ‘Wow, he looks the part, he’s got the prototypical size, and kind of has the look of a franchise quarterback,” Simms said of Maye, who is ranked as the No. 3 QB (and No. 6 overall prospect) in CBS Sports consensus prospect rankings

“You watch the best games in his career, and yeah, you’ll see a few of those (great) throws, but for every one of those throws, there’s five of, like, what the hell is that throw? There’s no way evaluators, coaches are going to be able to get behind Drake Maye and go, ‘Oh yeah, he’s ready to go, he should be the No. 2 or No. 3 pick in the draft.’ No way! There are too many things about his game that need to be polished, better, improved.”

However, Simms does admit that Maye has legitimate potential.

“I think there’s potential here….

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The Cowboys re-signed defensive tackle Carl Davis on Wednesday.

The team originally signed Davis to practice squad on Nov. 16, and he ended up playing three regular-season games with the Cowboys. He totaled three tackles.

Davis was with the Patriots in the preseason and on the Seahawks’ practice squad to start the season.

The Ravens made him a third-round draft pick out of Iowa in 2015. He has played games for the Ravens, Browns, Colts, Jaguars, Patriots and Cowboys.

In his career, Davis has 68 tackles 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hits, three passes defended and a fumble recovery.

The Cowboys have Johnathan Hankins and Mazi Smith at the top of the depth chart at nose tackle.

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USATSI

As expected, the Dallas Cowboys are going to pick up Micah Parsons’ fifth-year option. The surprise, however, is how Dallas is conducting said business. 

Parsons will receive his option as a defensive end and not as a linebacker, according to The Dallas Morning News. By doing so, the Cowboys will save roughly $3 million. Parsons would make $21.32 as a defensive end for the 2025 season if he plays under his option. He would make $24 million as a linebacker. 

Teams have until May 2 to apply the fifth-year option to 2021 first-round draft picks. 

Labeling Parsons as a defensive end is more than a cost-cutting move. Technically, Parsons was used more as a defensive end than as a linebacker last season. Nearly 88% of Parsons’ regular-season snaps last year came on the line of scrimmage, according to Pro Football Focus. 

This will likely be a moot point given that Parsons probably won’t play under his fifth-year option. It is widely expected that Parsons will receive a lucrative, long-term contract sometime between now and before the start of the 2025 season. 

Parsons is been one of the NFL’s top defensive players since entering the NFL in 2021. Since then, the former first-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nods, two All-Pro selections and was tabbed as the 2021 Defensive Rookie of the Year. 

Along with Parsons, the Cowboys have upcoming contract decisions with quarterback Dak Prescott and wideout CeeDee Lamb. Lamb is currently slated to play under his fifth-year option in 2024. Prescott is entering the final year of a four-year, $160 million extension. 

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Ryan Bates trade signals two things about Bears’ 2024 offseason path originally appeared on NBC Sports Chicago

It took over 700 days, but Bears general manager Ryan Poles finally got his man Monday when he acquired veteran offensive lineman Ryan Bates from the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2024 fifth-round pick. The deal is pending a physical and can’t become official until the start of the new league year on March 13.

The trade for Bates comes almost two years after Poles signed Bates to a four-year, $17-million contract offer that the Bills matched.

Bates, 27, has played all across the offensive line during his five-year NFL career, with most of his snaps coming at right guard. Bates was a full-time starter for the Bills in 2022, playing 810 snaps at right guard and 135 snaps at center, per Pro Football Focus. During that season, Bates gave up just 28 pressures and one sack in 615 pass-blocking snaps. Last season, Bates moved to a reserve role and played just 35 snaps, all of which came at center.

At the very least, the trade for Bates gives the Bears a veteran swing interior offensive lineman behind Teven Jenkins and Nate Davis, who both missed time in 2023. Jenkins played just 12 games last season and played fewer than 40 snaps in two of those games. Given Jenkins’ injury history, the Bears needed to find reliable depth behind the young left guard.

The trade for Bates gives the Bears a starting option at center, but it doesn’t take them out of the market for a veteran like Lloyd Cushenberry or Connor Williams. The trade for Bates gives the Bears flexibility in free agency and the draft not to chase a center. With the salary cap rising, Cushenberry and Williams should command deals in the $9-12 million per year range. The Bears have the salary cap flexibility to dole out a top-level contract for a center, but Bates gives them the security to avoid a bidding war or choose to allocate funds elsewhere if the price is outside their value zone.

The Bears also don’t…

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PHILADELPHIA — Jason Kelce, who retired Monday after 13 NFL seasons — all with the Philadelphia Eagles — is going to be remembered as one of the greatest centers in NFL history. The only center to earn six First-Team All-Pro honors and win a Super Bowl title, Kelce solidified his Hall of Fame status when he earned his final All-Pro selection in his final season, separating him from many of the all-time greats at his position. 

Kelce earned all six of his First Team All-Pro selections in his 30s, the most ever by any player in his 30s (Jerry Rice and Bruce Smith are second with five). He went out at the top of his game, earning three First Team All-Pro honors in his final three seasons. Kelce and Dwight Stephenson are the only two players in the Super Bowl era to earn three consecutive First Team All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections in each of their final three seasons. 

While it’s hard to measure Kelce’s greatness with the other legendary centers in NFL history, ProFootballReference.com’s Approximate Value (AV) is one measuring tool. Approximate Value is an attempt to put a single number on the seasonal value of a player at any position from any year (since 1960), but it’s also greater based on number of games and seasons played. 

Mike Webster has the most seasons of a 15+ approximate value (four), but Jim Otto has the most seasons with 10+ approximate value (12). The statistic is difficult to measure, but Kelce is classified amongst the all-time greats at center. He also has the second-highest approximate value for any center who’s played fewer than 200 games. 

How does Kelce stack up against the great centers? This isn’t a definitive ranking, more of a list compiled by a way to compare eras using Approximate Value. 

Jim Otto (163 AV)

Arguably the greatest center in NFL history, Otto earned 10 First Team All-Pro selections and 12 Pro Bowl selections in his 15-year career with the…

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