Tom Brady is currently operating under the belief that he will enter free agency to play somewhere other than New England next season, a sentiment the quarterback has shared with others, sources told ESPN’s Jeff Darlington.
While Brady has his eyes very clearly on free agency, there is still a belief in his circles that the Patriots will have their opportunity to convince Brady to stay. But at this point, Brady is evaluating the NFL landscape with the intention of departing, sources said.
Brady cannot begin negotiating with other teams until the NFL’s legal tampering period opens March 16. An eventual meeting between Brady and coach Bill Belichick has not yet been scheduled, according to Darlington. The new NFL league year begins at 4 p.m. ET March 18.
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery has been the subject of much speculation this NFL offseason.
There have been multiple reports suggesting the Eagles would like to move on from Jeffery despite having just guaranteed his 2020 salary in September, including one that indicates Jeffery would welcome a change of scenery — a notion his agent promptly pushed back on.
The winds can shift quickly on an NFL player. Philadelphia leaned heavily on Jeffery’s ability and drew liberally from his swagger-rich, competitive spirit during the Eagles’ 2017 Super Bowl run, but the team is now, some believe, mapping out a future that doesn’t include him.
There is a lot to unpack with Jeffery’s situation, from his cumbersome contract to his relationship with quarterback Carson Wentz.
Let’s explore:
The Eagles need wide receiver help. Why would they want to part with a proven commodity in Jeffery?
When Eagles wideout
Looking ahead to the offseason:
• Ranking the top 50 free agents »
• Biggest looming free-agent decisions »
• Top offseason needs for all 32 teams »
• Free agency coverage » More NFL »
Philadelphia has prioritized getting younger and faster this offseason, and that certainly includes at wide receiver. Splitting with Jeffery, 30, would be part of the youth movement.
Beyond that, there were on-field chemistry issues between Jeffery and Wentz, along with a sense by some close to the situation that the lack of chemistry applied to their off-field relationship, as well, creating an air of awkwardness in pockets of the locker room.
Speaking at the NFL scouting combine on Tuesday, Eagles coach Doug Pederson said that wasn’t the case.
“I don’t see that,” he said. “I think one of the things where Carson really took a big step was in the leadership approach this past year, getting everybody on the same page and on board. And it’s just unfortunate because we had a lot of high expectations on offense going into the season, and then when pieces started to drop out; it’s just unfortunate that way.
“But there were no issues between those two.”
The atmosphere was transformed, however, when injuries to several skill position players, including Jeffery, put a cast of young, unheralded players around Wentz — a group eager to follow their quarterback’s lead. The offense awoke, further cementing the notion that a shake-up was needed.
If the plan is to move on from Jeffery, why haven’t they yet?
Guaranteeing Jeffery’s $9.9 million contract for 2020 has proved problematic. He carries a cap hit of more than $15 million this season. Further complicating matters is that teams are not able to cut players with a “June 1” designation in the final year of the collective bargaining agreement — a tool that allows teams to spread the dead-cap hit over multiple seasons. Without it, all of the dead money accelerates to the current cap year when a player is released. For the Eagles, that would mean a $26 million dead-cap charge for 2020 if they let Jeffery go now.
Philadelphia is watching the CBA negotiations as closely as anybody. If the NFL and the National Football League Players Association reach a new agreement over the coming days, the “June 1” designation is back in play and moving on from Jeffery becomes an easier task.
Can the Eagles trade him?
Watch live as Howie Roseman and Doug Pederson meet with the media at the #NFLCombine.
— Philadelphia Eagles (@Eagles) February 25, 2020
Technically, yes, but his injury throws a wrench into things. Jeffery had Lisfranc surgery in December. Recovery time is estimated to be nine months, which puts us at the doorstep of the 2020 season. Will he be back to perfect health for the start of the campaign? How long will it take for him to return to full form? The uncertainty makes it unlikely a team would give up resources to take on Jeffery’s contract while he is on the mend.
So how will this play out?
Some in the building believe that Eagles management plans to cut ties with Jeffery but hopes to limit the cap hit. If a new CBA is agreed upon, it would be no surprise if the Eagles part with Jeffery a short time afterward.
If not, they have to weigh whether the desire to move on is worth the $26 million dead-cap cost of doing business. In that scenario, there’s logic to holding onto Jeffery as insurance at wideout, with the option of potentially moving him once he has returned to health.
The overall odds, though, appear to favor Jeffery exiting at some point in 2020.
Why it matters: For wide receivers and running backs, breakaway speed can be the difference between a modest gain and a game-changing play. A measurable combination that NFL evaluators pay close attention to for cornerbacks is length (height and arms) and 40 speed. Safety is another position to keep an eye on, particularly for players who will be asked to cover a lot of ground in the deep middle of the field. The chart below shows the most desirable times, the average combine times over the past five years and the times that should raise a red flag for evaluators.
Past standout: Saints WR Brandin Cooks. This is a good example of a player who looked fast on tape coming out of Oregon State and showed off his speed in the 40. He ran a 4.33 prior to being drafted in the 2014 first round. That is tied for the fourth-fastest WR time of the past five combines. Cooks’ speed has certainly transitioned to the NFL. He tied for the league lead last season with six catches of more than 40 yards.
Impact of WR Mike Williams not running the 40
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Jeff Legwold
CloseESPN Senior Writer
- Covered Broncos for nine years for Denver Post and Rocky Mountain News
- Previously covered Steelers, Bills and Titans
- Member of Pro Football Hall of Fame Board
of Selectors since 1999
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Jeremy Willis
Note: This story was originally published April 3, 2019.
From surgeons to pilots to carpenters, mechanics and baristas, every profession has its own language. For the next 22 days, the lingo of the NFL draft will be all over the airwaves as analysts, scouts and fans define the difference between Greedy Williams and Quinnen Williams.
For those doing the drafting and scouting, the lingo is useful.
“It’s because you look at all these [NFL draft prospects] over and over again and you’re trying grade them, stack them, separate one from the other,” former Titans general manager Floyd Reese said. “The best guys at doing it can describe what they mean, why one guy is different or why they remind them of somebody else. You hear it all and then you know right then exactly what they mean.”
The Basics | Obscenity-based | The Secret Menu
Some are well-worn classics; some are so unique only one native speaker is still using them. In preparation for the draft, here’s the ESPN Abridged Draft Glossary.
2 Related
The Basic Terms
Alligator arms (n., al’i-ga’ter arms): From the American alligator (Alligatoridae mississippiensis), which has an average size of 13 feet and 790 pounds. Because of their short legs, these reptiles’ bodies barely move above the ground. In the NFL, the term refers to a specimen who won’t extend his arms for a catch for fear of injury. The less common but still funny synonym: T-rex arms.
See also: someone who won’t reach for the check
Bend and burst (adj., bend and burst): The bend is what a pass-rusher does when turning the corner on an offensive lineman. The burst is the speed to close the deal. It combines a rusher’s flexibility and leverage with speed.
Body catcher (n., bod e kach ‘er): Holden Caulfield heard a song “if a body catch a body …” so maybe that’s where draft analysts got this term for a receiver who pins the ball against his body instead of catching with his hands. Then again, Holden got the song wrong.
Antonym: hands catcher
Bubble (n., bub el): The rear, derriere, can, rump, etc. Likely shortened from bubble butt or its derivatives, especially for big guys who move with power. The term “bubble” is used, according to scouts, so scouts and executives can avoid saying “ass” a lot in meetings.
Catch tackler (n., kech tack’ler): A defender whose tackling strategy is to let a ball carrier run into him and hope he falls.
Click and close (adj., klik en klos): From the Dutch for click. The ability to go backward, then forward quickly. An essential skill for defensive backs spending their professional careers doing this cha-cha in cleats.
Cow on ice (n., kow on is): Picture a cow. Now put that cow on ice and make it move. Hilarious. It’s a player with no balance who spends a lot of time falling and getting up.
Downhill runner (n., down hil run ‘er): Almost exclusively used for running backs. A ball carrier who can power through tackles while almost falling forward and also having the speed to score.
See also: north-south runner; good lean
Fluid hips (adj., floo id hips): Every human has hips with fluid. That’s just anatomy. But some players have more to go around. These liquidy joints allow them to change directions quickly.
See also: oily hips
Antonym: tight hips
Glass-eater (n., glas eder): A bad dude. The rest of us might just be avocado toast eaters, or avocado ice cream eaters in Tom Brady’s case, but these guys literally eat glass to get ready for NFL games and that makes them extra, extra tough. Usually reserved for offensive linemen.
See also: plays with a mean streak
Go-home gear (n., go-hom gir): The fastest possible speed. The ball carrier whose speed immediately separates him once he has the ball.
See also: extra gear; Deion Sanders
Hands catcher (n., hand kech ‘er): Self-explanatory. Reserved for receivers. It’s a player who, according to draftniks, “snatches” the pass with his hands.
Antonym: body catcher
Heavy hands (adj, v., hev e hands): See violent hands.
J.A.G. (n., jag): In a world searching for exceptional people, this ain’t you. Only a handful of prospects in any NFL draft will be among football’s 1 percenters. You might be nice. A pillar of the community. Maybe even a contributor to an NFL team. But when measured against draft elites, you have been deemed Just A Guy.
Tight hips (adj., tit hips): See: hips, fluid.
Violent hands (adj., v., vi-elent hands): From the Latin violentus. Not just normal hands, but just like it sounds, it’s a player whose hands are powerful enough to move people where he wants with the initial impact.
See also: good punch; active hands
Waist bender (n., wast ben’der): Again, anatomy. Every football players bends at the waist and the knees. However, from a physics standpoint, football values the bending of the latter more than the former. Ideally, for better leverage, a player in a stance should keep a flat back and bend at his knees. It allows for more power and balance. It’s physics plus football; it can’t be argued with.
Obscenity-Based Phrases
“Holy s—” tackler: Like the many famous cases before the Supreme Court defining subjective obscenity by visual evidence: You know it when you see it.
L.I.A.: You know the bubble. This is the opposite. Often, this refers to a thin-waisted lineman who needs more lower-body strength. This is scout shorthand for “light in the ass.”
See also: Needs some sand in his pants
The Secret Menu Phrases
Couldn’t even use a crosswalk: When you’re watching a game and there’s that defender pacing around, that’s it. This describes a defender who repeatedly, as in all the time, has trouble getting lined up before the play.
Thinks he’s a soloist, but he can’t sing: The misplaced-confidence guy. He is a star and a leader in his mind only.
Trash can full of dirt: From the Latin lutum for dirt. Out of use in some dialects, this refers to, usually, defensive linemen who are hard to move out of the way.
Washcloth tackler: Visualize throwing a wet washcloth against something only to watch it stick briefly and then fall off. This is the guy who ends up sliding off the runners on all the big plays.