FOXBOROUGH, Mass. — The New England Patriots will hold their first public training camp practice on July 27. As part of the lead-up to camp, I’ll spotlight one position each weekday to highlight the team’s personnel and some of the storylines of note.
We’ve covered wide receivers, offensive linemen, running backs and tight ends this week, so let’s move on to quarterbacks:
Tom Brady (12), Jacoby Brissett (7) and Jimmy Garoppolo (10) all ended up starting for the Patriots last season. Winslow Townson/USA Today Sports
Three quarterbacks on roster with future in mind: Since 2009, this will mark just the third time the Patriots have kept three quarterbacks on their 53-man roster. The preference had been just two in order to open up a roster spot elsewhere. But with Brady approaching his 40th birthday on Aug. 3 and Garoppolo entering the final year of his contract, planning for the future means that 2016 third-round pick Brissett will be in the mix again. When Brady served a four-game suspension to start the 2016 season, Garoppolo started the Patriots’ first two games before his injury thrust Brissett into that role. Keeping the second-year QB on the active roster is a hedge against a similar situation this season as well as preparation for Brissett to assume the No. 2 spot if Garoppolo leaves next offseason.
Health report: Brady’s wife, Gisele Bundchen, told “CBS This Morning” in May that Brady sustained a concussion in 2016, adding another layer to any analysis of Brady’s medical file. Brady’s agent said the quarterback was never diagnosed with a concussion, but it’s possible Brady had a concussion that he didn’t report and that wasn’t diagnosed. … Garoppolo missed some time at the end of spring practices with a calf/leg injury, but the 25-year-old was still on the field with his teammates during that stretch, just watching when the pace of practice picked up. A check-in with his status at the start of training camp will be on the to-do list.
Stat check: Brady has started an NFL-record 34 playoff games. Among fellow quarterbacks, Peyton Manning (27), Brett Favre (24), Joe Montana (23) and John Elway (21) are next in line, with Ben Roethlisberger the closest active signal-caller at 20.
Quote of note: “Really special player to coach. Tom works very hard. He is very smart, he’s trained hard, he’s worked hard on his throwing mechanics, he’s worked hard on his mental understanding of the game and process. He’s earned everything that he has achieved, but … he’s not a great natural athlete. He is a very smart, instinctive football player.” — Bill Belichick, in April, speaking about Brady to CNBC’s Suzy Welch
Covered Vikings for Minneapolis Star Tribune, 1999-2008
Our ESPN Insiders have provided an expert assessment of how NFL teams are positioned to compete during the next three seasons. That will bring us to the year 2020, the dawn of a new decade and the start of a key period for owners and players as they posture for the expiration of their 10-year collective bargaining agreement. (Assuming they don’t agree on an extension before the current CBA expires after the 2020 season.)
Just how long can soon-to-be-40-year-old Tom Brady play? And Odell Beckham Jr. will make how much on his new deal? With help from league insiders, we’re forecasting the next three seasons.
Matt Patricia’s experience in New England has him on the head-coaching radar, but which other NFL assistants could also get the call to the next level? ESPN Insiders take a look around the league.
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What will the NFL look like at that point? What advances will it have made? What issues will it have solved, and what problems might still remain? Let’s take a closer look.
Guaranteed contracts
You’ve heard the argument: NFL players have the shortest careers — less than four years, on average — while playing a game that maims some of them. Yet their contracts are never fully guaranteed, meaning teams can release them at any time without paying the full amount due. But establishing a fully guaranteed paradigm is not a matter of changing policy. (It’s not mentioned in the CBA.) It would require a fundamental change in the market. Players have long agreed to these terms during individual negotiations. What would incentivize owners to guarantee contracts fully when they don’t have to? A high-profile player could hold out and force a one-off concession, but it’s tough to imagine all players benefiting in the same way. And even if owners changed their approach, it’s fair to wonder if they would simply reduce multiyear, partially guaranteed offers to one-year, fully guaranteed deals. In short, it’s difficult to conceive a meaningful path to fully guaranteed multiyear deals across the league.
Verdict: Won’t happen
The NFL will continue its international series during the 2017 season, including eight teams traveling to London to play games. Warren Little/Getty Images
The NFL is eager to shift the conversation on concussions. It committed $100 million last fall to research remedies for health issues of all kinds, including a reimagining of helmets. The helmet was originally designed to prevent skull fractures, not concussions. The first potential redesign is the VICIS Zero1, a helmet designed to protect against rotational injury — the cause of concussions — rather than just linear contact. Almost three-fourths of NFL teams had at least one player test the helmet this spring. Whether or not it succeeds, you can expect additional new products to appear in the coming years. The private sector has been incentivized, and it’s reasonable to believe that helmets will look and function much differently by the year 2020.
Verdict: Will happen
Could this year’s Spring League serve as a catalyst for the NFL to create its own developmental league in the future? Rob Tringali for ESPN
Developmental league
There is widespread agreement among football executives, from the league and the teams, that there is a need for more offseason work for young players — especially quarterbacks — than the CBA currently allows. But there is no unifying solution. Some prefer a traditional domestic spring developmental league modeled after NFL Europe. But it would be costly and would probably overlap with the handful of offseason practices teams are allowed. Others would settle for a quarterback “academy” that would give practice-like reps and individualized tutoring to young prospects. Some think that expanded practice squads are the answer. And a few hope the next CBA will relax team-based offseason training restrictions. This muddled situation has left it to others to create a model the NFL might eventually buy into, most recently The Spring League.
Verdict: Might happen
Reduction in broadcast revenue
Television rights fees have been the largest driver of the NFL’s economic explosion in the past decade. But recent upheaval in the broadcast and cable industries, and a notable ratings dip in 2016, has prompted a fair question: Will the gravy train end? If it does, it’s unlikely to come in this three-year window. Contracts with CBS, Fox, NBC and ESPN all run through at least 2021. The NFL already has begun a transition to over-the-top (OTT) internet broadcasts, partnering first with Twitter and now Amazon for 2017. Rights fees are relatively small now but are growing; Amazon will pay five times ($50 million) what Twitter paid ($10 million) per season. There might be a time when the NFL is impacted by a bursting television bubble, but that moment does not appear close and new opportunities already exist.
Verdict: Won’t happen
NFL officials could see more and more technology infiltrate the game and the on-field decision-making as time goes on. Aaron Doster/USA TODAY Sports
Ha! (Sorry.) Players hate the closed-loop authority commissioner Roger Goodell maintains over most aspects of discipline, as prescribed in the 2011 CBA. This “judge, jury and executioner” lament has fueled countless public dust-ups and legal disputes. Goodell ultimately has prevailed in most of them. This authority allows Goodell to address what he considers matters of NFL integrity as he sees fit, even in a union environment. Why would he give it up? Owners might convince him to take a personal step back, leaving the work to designated staff members. But that’s much different than submitting discipline to neutral arbitration, as players would prefer. To negotiate it out of the next CBA, players would have to give up something significant, and all for an issue that impacts a statistical minority of them. There is no reason to expect change here in the next three years — or ever.
Verdict: Won’t happen
Sponsorship logos on jerseys
Teams have been selling corporate sponsorships on their practice jerseys since 2009, a hysterical transaction considering that they are seen only in practice and most NFL practices are closed to the public with increasingly limited access for visual media. The next stop is game jerseys, a transition that seems inevitable. The NFL is not usually first into any arena, revenue or otherwise, but the NBA already has jumped ahead. Its teams will wear corporate logos on game jerseys starting with the 2017-18 regular season. In the end, do you really think NFL owners would turn down the additional revenue to maintain the tradition or sanctity of their game uniforms? Exactly.
Verdict: Will happen
Will a participatory decrease among youth football players impact the NFL level? Tom E. Puskar/ AP Images for NFL Network
This summer, NFL Nation reporters are answering the biggest questions for every team in divisional roundtables.
Monday’s question: Who will be the best newcomer?
The rich kept getting richer. The New England Patriots acquired Brandin Cooks, who has the eighth-most receiving yards in the NFL since 2015. He’s an ideal wide receiver for the Patriots’ offense — undersized but explosive, capable of turning a short crossing route into a 30-yard gain. Read more
The Cleveland Browns need the answer to be Myles Garrett, the first overall pick in the NFL draft. Garrett had 31 sacks in college and is considered one of the best defensive prospects in years. But there are plenty of wide receivers who are new to the division as well. Read more
There is no consensus here. The Jaguars added potential impact players in defensive end Calais Campbell, running back Leonard Fournette and cornerback A.J. Bouye. They hope the influx of new blood helps them rebound from last season’s 3-13 finish. Read more
After a season off, Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch has the potential to be the best newcomer in the AFC West. AP Photo/Ben Margot
Wide receiver Alshon Jeffery comes to the Eagles from the Chicago Bears. When healthy, he’s a Pro Bowl player and a difference-maker who had more than 1,400 receiving yards in his second professional season. Others have a chance to make an impact. Read more
This is a tough question because there are a lot of players with similar levels of importance. Vikings running back Latavius Murray and Packers tight end Martellus Bennett top the list of candidates. Who else makes the grade? Read more
DeSean Jackson could be the impact receiver Jameis Winston needs to jump-start the Bucs’ offense. AP Photo/Chris O’Meara
The San Francisco 49ers did a ton of work to rebuild under a new GM and coach. Receiver Pierre Garcon, linebacker Reuben Foster and defensive end Solomon Thomas all have potential. The Rams also made a big investment at left tackle. Read more
This summer, NFL Nation reporters are answering the biggest questions for every team in divisional roundtables.
Monday’s question: Who will be the best newcomer?
Tuesday’s question: Who’s the rising star in each division?
Wednesday’s question: Who is on the hottest seat in the division?
New York Jets coach Todd Bowles is the unanimous winner here. Bowles has lost all momentum since winning 10 games in his first season. Bowles was 5-11 last year and has zero playoff appearances. Read more
A couple of coaches come to mind in this division. Cincinnati Bengals coach Marvin Lewis is in the final year of his contract. He’s coming off a 6-9-1 season. And he hasn’t won a playoff game in his 14 years in Cincinnati. Hue Jackson also may be in trouble with the Cleveland Browns. Read more
It comes down to a coach and a quarterback. Indianapolis Colts coach Chuck Pagano has a 49-31 regular-season record in five seasons, but the Colts failed to make the playoffs the past two years. Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles also enters a make-or-break season. Read more
Alex Smith (11) remains the starter, but first-round pick Patrick Mahomes II (15) is looming over his shoulder. AP Photo/Charlie Riedel
There are a variety of choices in this division, from quarterbacks Eli Manning of the New York Giants and Kirk Cousins of the Washington Redskins to coaches Jay Gruden of the Redskins and Doug Pederson of the Philadelphia Eagles. Read more
Chicago Bears coach John Fox is one of a few coaches in the division who may be in trouble. Fox is 9-23 after two seasons in Chicago, and he has finished last in the division both years. Read more
Sean Payton helped the Saints win a Super Bowl eight seasons ago; now he’s on the hot seat. Chuck Cook/USA TODAY Sports
The answer here has to be Los Angeles Rams GM Les Snead. The Rams have finished no better than 7-8-1 and as bad as 4-12 during his tenure. He’s in Los Angeles. He has a new coach. He has a top pick as his quarterback. Do the math and it adds up to a very hot seat. Read more
