Category: NFL News

Aaron Rodgers and the Packers have spent 18 seasons together. But it’s possible the star quarterback will be playing elsewhere in 2023. Rodgers admitted after a deflating finish to 2022 that he was undecided on his NFL future, and while both retirement and a return to Green Bay are on the table, the team is reportedly open to trading the star QB if he wants out.

Rodgers just signed a three-year, $150 million contract extension last March and is taking some time to make his decision. Offloading his deal would bring challenges. But even at 39, coming off a down year, he’d surely fetch premium compensation, which could help general manager Brian Gutekunst rebuild around Rodgers’ heir apparent, Jordan Love. Rodgers would also be relatively affordable for an acquiring team, due $31.6M in 2023 — the 10th-highest mark among QBs, behind guys like Matt Ryan, Derek Carr and Ryan Tannehill.

With all that in mind, here’s an early look at logical suitors for Rodgers, in the event he and Green Bay agree to part ways:

Note: Salary cap figures courtesy of Over the Cap.

Geno Smith is a good story, but at 32,…

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The 2023 offseason is officially in full swing, and the Chicago Bears are gearing up for what should be one of the busiest springs in recent memory.

Armed with $98.6 million in cap space, general manager Ryan Poles and head coach Matt Eberflus will have plenty of opportunities to improve the team roster in free agency, while also needing to make key decisions on which players they should let walk.

Here at Bears Wire, we’re going position by position to break down where Chicago stands entering the 2023 offseason. Next up is tight end, a position that needs some depth behind Cole Kmet.

Who’s on the roster?

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

Cole Kmet

Jake Tonges

Chase Allen

Kmet is coming off a breakout season with the Bears, despite it being a down year in the passing game. Kmet led the Bears in receptions (50), receiving yards (544) and touchdowns (7) — also a career high. More than that, he proved to be the most reliable pass catcher for quarterback Justin Fields. While Kmet certainly needs to improve as a blocker, he’s proven to be a valuable asset for Luke Getsy’s offense. And he’s someone who’s proven to be a security blanket of sorts for Fields. Now, Kmet is heading into a contract year, where he’s one of three members from the 2020 draft class expected to earn contract extensions.

The other tight ends on the roster are last year’s undrafted rookies, Tonges and Allen, who spent most of the 2022 season on the practice squad. Tonges appeared in four games, where he saw limited action, while Allen appeared in one game against the Bills. Tonges and Allen should provide depth and serve as training camp bodies. But they’re not expected to impact contributors in 2023.

Who’s slated to hit free agency?

Michael Reaves/Getty Images

While Kmet had an impressive season, there was a significant drop-off from him to backs Griffin and Wesco. Griffin was signed in free agency with the expectation that he would be Kmet’s primary backup. Unfortunately, Griffin failed to get…

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It’s been 17 years since Jerome Bettis retired at the podium after helping the Steelers win Super Bowl XL. Since then, the player known affectionately as “The Bus” has been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as well as the Steelers Hall of Honor. Bettis also hosts a show in Pittsburgh, where he has continued to work with his foundation. 

The 10th overall pick in the 1993 NFL Draft, Bettis entered the league as a fullback before quickly making the transition to running back. He had an extremely rare combination of size (5-foot-11 and about 250 pounds), agility and speed that allowed him to rush for 13,662 yards and 91 touchdowns during his 13-year career. Bettis’ physicality and energetic personality made him an instant fan favorite in Pittsburgh, where he helped the franchise win five division titles as well as the franchise’s fifth Lombardi Trophy. 

As he celebrates his 51st birthday, here are five fast facts about Bettis’ NFL career. 

Rookie of the Year 

Bettis overcame a slow start to capture Offensive Rookie of the Year honors during the 1993 season. Bettis won the award despite making just one start in the season’s first five weeks. He got the ball rolling with a 102-yard performance against the Saints in Week 5. Bettis would record six more 100-yard rushing performances that season that included a career-high 212 yards in New Orleans in Week 15. Bettis also tallied the longest run of his career in that game, a 72-yard touchdown. Ironically, Bettis’ first-career touchdown was a 29-yard run against the Steelers in Week 2. 

Bettis finished the season with 1,429 yards, the second-highest total in the NFL behind Emmitt Smith, who won league and Super Bowl MVP honors that season. 

Almost an Oiler 

The Rams agreed to trade Bettis following his third season in Los Angeles. When looking for his next team, Bettis narrowed his choices down to either the Oilers or the…

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One NFL insider is predicting that Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson may end up with a New England Patriots AFC East division rival. The Miami Dolphins already have Tua Tagovailoa, and the Buffalo Bills have Josh Allen.

That leaves the New York Jets.

NBC Sports’ Peter King said he believes the New York Jets will consider making a move for Lamar Jackson if they are unable to land Aaron Rodgers.

Jackson is coming off a 2022 season that saw him play in 12 games. He recorded 2,242 passing yards, 17 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. Injury issues bothered him throughout the course of last season, but he was still able to remain productive for the majority of the year.

Jackson has already accomplished several things in his five-year career. He has been named to two Pro Bowls and was the 2019 NFL MVP. He was also named to an Associated Press All-Pro First-Team in 2019.

King considers Jackson a logical option for the Jets, as the organization looks for stability at the quarterback position.

“Obviously, anybody would want Lamar Jackson to be the quarterback of the team,” said King, during an appearance on the Rich Eisen Show. “But how much guaranteed money are you willing to give a player who in the last two years has missed 34 percent of the snaps because of injury? It’s easy to sit here and say, ‘Get Lamar. Sign Lamar. Pay Lamar.’ Of course. But what does that mean exactly?

“So to me, I think the Jets are going to have a very tough decision on their hands, and I think they will go after Rodgers if he does play. And if they don’t get him, I think they will at least put their sniffers out and seriously consider Lamar Jackson.”

The Jets have the potential to be an explosive offense, as rookie wide receiver Garrett Wilson undoubtedly gives them a major weapon at the position.

However, quarterback was an issue for them last season, as Zach Wilson was inconsistent. Jackson could give the Jets that explosive quarterback needed to take them to the top of…

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An offseason roster purge is an annual occurrence in the NFL. Players are often released when salaries aren’t deemed to match production.

Trades can occur for a variety of reasons. Sometimes, a Pro Bowl-caliber player wants a change of scenery. A new regime might look to move high-priced veterans who aren’t a good scheme fit.

A majority of the time when a player is traded, released or retires, there is a residual salary cap charge. This cap charge for a player who is no longer on a team’s roster is commonly referred to as dead money. It exists because the remaining proration of the salary components that are treated like signing bonus immediately accelerate into his team’s current salary cap with a trade, release or retirement. Dead money is typically a sunk cost where money isn’t owed to a player. Only if there are salary guarantees when a player is released will there be a payment associated with dead money.

There are two major exceptions to this general rule of bonus proration accelerating: 

1. Only the current year’s proration counts toward the salary cap with transactions occurring after June 1. The bonus proration in future contract years is delayed until the next league year beginning in the following March.

2. A team can also release two players each league year prior to June 1 (known as a post-June 1 designation) that will be treated under the cap as if they were released after June 1. With a post-June 1 designation, a team is required to carry the player’s full cap number until June 2 even though he is no longer a part of the roster. The player’s salary comes off the books at that time unless it is guaranteed.

Here’s a look at 15 noteworthy players who could be in different uniforms next season because of a trade or as salary cap casualties.

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Patriots waive WR Kristian Wilkerson, two others originally appeared on NBC Sports Boston

The New England Patriots parted ways with three players on Wednesday.

Wide receiver Kristian Wilkerson, kicker Quinn Nordin, and defensive back Tae Hayes were waived, the team announced in a press release.

Perry’s Mailbag: How utilizing empty sets under O’Brien can elevate Jones

Wilkerson originally signed to the Patriots practice squad in 2020. The 27-year-old played one game in 2020, three in 2021, and spent the entire 2022 season on injured reserve. He caught four passes for 42 yards with two touchdowns vs. the Jacksonville Jaguars on Jan. 2, 2023.

Nordin signed with New England as a rookie free agent out of Michigan before the 2021 season. He made the 53-man roster but was inactive for the season opener and did not appear in a regular-season game. He finished the year on injured reserve and signed a futures contract in 2022, but spent the season on the reserve/non-football injury list.

Hayes signed to the Patriots practice squad on Dec. 27 and joined the 53-man roster on Dec. 31. The 25-year-old played the final two games of the 2022 season for New England and tallied three tackles. He previously spent time with the Carolina Panthers, Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, Minnesota Vikings, and Arizona Cardinals.

The Patriots’ cuts come one month ahead of the start of the new NFL league year. The free-agent and trade markets open March 15.

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The 2022 NFL season is in the books after the Chiefs won their second Lombardi Trophy in four years Sunday night. Now, it’s time to look ahead to the 2023 offseason. We don’t yet know which big names will be relocating via trade or free agency, and we don’t yet know which teams will swipe the hottest prospects in April’s draft. But we can still make educated guesses as to which clubs are best positioned to take real steps forward next season.

Here are five early picks to make a major leap in 2023:

2022 record: 3-14

Justin Fields
USATSI

We’re a little hesitant to hurl flowers at a regime that willfully ignored Justin Fields’ dire supporting cast going into 2022, but this time around, with so much cap space at his disposal, general manager Ryan Poles would have to try to avoid improving the young quarterback’s lineup. Fields was MVP-level electric as a second-year player, even while coach Matt Eberflus continued to risk injury to the QB in the name of late-season pride. As long as Fields’ protection and weapons improve in the slightest, there’s no reason to think Chicago can’t play spoiler out of the NFC North. Eberflus’ young defense also can’t be much worse.

2022 record: 5-12

Sean Payton
Getty Images

You don’t get much more uninspired than the “offense” produced by Nathaniel Hackett and Russell Wilson in 2022. The latter remains, but if anyone’s going to force the ex-Seahawks star back into form, it’ll be Sean Payton, whose public conviction as their new head coach is backed by a been-there, done-that resume. Wilson, by the way, can’t be anymore sluggish than he was under Hackett; assuming he’s rightly re-saddled to more run-heavy,…

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The rivalry between the Cincinnati Bengals and Kansas City Chiefs keeps getting amplified in the wake of the season ending.

At one point, Joe Burrow’s name came up after the Chiefs won the Super Bowl. And after that game, Chiefs defensive tackle Khalen Saunders didn’t have much nice to say while chatting about how doubted his team was.

“Man, I remember being doubted,” Saunders said, according to  Aaron Ladd of KSHB 41 News. “I remember being doubted every game. I remember being picked against every game. I remember them saying the funky-a** Bengals was gonna beat us four times. I remember them saying we couldn’t stop Jalen Hurts. I remember all of that s***. And now, they’re gonna remember that I’m a two-time champ.”

The whole “Chiefs were doubted” thing went a little overboard by a preseason favorite that ripped off 14 wins, but it’s standard-fare motivation-seeking by pro athletes and not unlike what the Bengals did at times this year.

Still, Sanders’ shot here and the rest of the chirping coming from the Kansas City side speaks to what an intense rivalry this suddenly is in the AFC. And luckily for all involved — fans included — the two teams will play again next year, potentially in the season opener.

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