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Los Angeles Chargers coach Anthony Lynn said earlier this month that veteran quarterback Tyrod Taylor was “in the driver’s seat” to replace longtime signal-caller Philip Rivers, who departed in free agency. How long Taylor will maintain that seat remains anyone’s guess, though, as the Chargers prepare for the NFL draft, where they own the No. 6 overall selection and are widely anticipated to select a future franchise quarterback.
The opportunity to select a quarterback in the first round gives Chargers general manager Tom Telesco, who has been on the job since 2013, a chance to set the organization’s course for years to come as they continue to establish their footing in L.A. since relocating from San Diego three years ago.
The 6-foot, 217-pound Tagovailoa told ESPN earlier this month that he was “100 percent right now” and that he was “ready to go.” He has since participated in a one-hour private workout that was filmed and distributed by his representatives throughout the NFL.
With the Chargers, Tagovailoa would have the opportunity to step into an offense that is otherwise prepared for immediate success.
The Chargers have bolstered their offensive line over the offseason, trading for right guard Trai Turner and signing right tackle Bryan Bulaga in free agency.
The Bolts also have in place several sure-handed targets. They placed the franchise tag on tight end Hunter Henry, re-signed breakout running back Austin Ekeler and return 1,000-yard wide receivers Mike Williams and Keenan Allen.
METAIRIE, La. — Although the first big wave of free-agent spending has passed in the NFL, the New Orleans Saints’ biggest financial decision of the offseason is still looming.
Running back Alvin Kamara is heading into the final year of his rookie contract at the bargain rate of $2.133 million. So it seems inevitable that he will push for a long-term contract extension this summer.
Receiver Michael Thomas was in the same boat last year before he signed a record-breaking deal worth nearly $20 million per year. However, the math was a bit more predictable with Thomas’ deal. Kamara’s value is much harder to pinpoint because he plays such a unique role for the Saints — and because the entire RB market throughout the NFL is so difficult to pinpoint.
Here is a look at all the factors that should come into play:
Any chance the Saints trade Kamara?
This idea can’t be ruled out because we have seen the Saints trade dynamic playmakers like Brandin Cooks, Jimmy Graham and Darren Sproles in recent years. But so far, there have been no reports of any trade talks involving Kamara. And in all of those other cases, the Saints made their trades before the start of free agency to clear out salary-cap space and acquire draft picks.
How much is Kamara worth?
This is the multi-million dollar question, and it’s extremely hard to answer.
In one sense, you could make the argument Kamara is special enough to keep raising the RB contract bar –- which was set by Ezekiel Elliott last year when he signed a six-year extension with the Dallas Cowboys worth $15 million per year, with $50 million guaranteed.
Alvin Kamara is a game-changer, but his limited usage and the uncertain running back market make determining his worth difficult. Frederick Breedon/Getty Images
Gurley and Freeman were released, while Johnson got traded. Gurley then signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons that is worth between $5.5 and $6 million (though he’ll also make another $5.05 million that the Rams owed him before the trade).
Freeman, meanwhile, is still looking for work, while Melvin Gordon had to settle for a two-year, $16 million deal with the Denver Broncos and Jordan Howard a two-year, $9.75 million deal with the Miami Dolphins.
The Tennessee Titans used the franchise tag on free-agent running back Derrick Henry, which is worth $10.278 million for one year. And the Arizona Cardinals used the transition tag on Kenyan Drake at $8.483 million.
Austin Ekeler has a similar type of runner/receiver role as Kamara. But he’s not a perfect comp either because he was a restricted free agent when he signed a four-year, $24.5 million deal with the Los Angeles Chargers.
We’ll have a much better feel for the current state of the RB market over the next year, because Henry, Drake, Christian McCaffrey, Dalvin Cook, Kamara, Leonard Fournette, Aaron Jones, Chris Carson, Marlon Mack and James Conner are all eligible for extensions.
At some point, somebody from that group is going to have to go first, though.
Under the previous CBA, a player would lose an accrued season if he failed to report to training camp within 30 days of the start of the regular season (Thomas signed his new deal with the Saints before that deadline hit last year). Under the new CBA, however, a player will lose an accrued season if he fails to show up on his mandatory reporting date at the start of camp.
That means even if Kamara were to end his holdout and play a full season, he would become a restricted free agent in 2021 instead of an unrestricted free agent.
The other major change to the CBA regarding holdouts doesn’t affect Kamara because he is still on his rookie contract. Under the new CBA, daily fines are now mandatory for veteran players who hold out from training camp if they are on their second contracts or more.
Kamara would be subject to daily fines of $40,000 if he skipped training camp, but the team would have the ability to rescind those fines if they work out an extension.
An investigation into former FIFA president Sepp Blatter’s World Cup broadcasting deals with the Caribbean Football Union (CFU) will be dropped by Switzerland’s federal prosecutor, according to Reuters.
The 84-year-old was accused of selling TV rights for the 2010 and 2014 editions of the World Cup to the CFU for $600,000, a sum that was apparently well below market value at the time. However, the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has revealed its intention to end the corruption probe.
In a statement, the OAG said it “considers the criminal investigation into the partial facts and allegations concerning the contractual relationship with the CFU to be complete and ready for conclusion.”
The OAG added it “intends to discontinue the proceedings” but offered no explanation for its decision.
Blatter, who is serving a six-year ban from football-related activities due to ethics violations, could be convicted in a separate case involving his $2.06-million payment to then-UEFA chief Michel Platini if the OAG determines it was unlawful.
Platini claimed the fee was for unpaid salary, backing up Blatter’s claims that it was merely a “gentleman’s agreement” between the pair following some advisory work conducted by Platini nine years earlier.
LeSean McCoy said he isn’t ready to retire despite his decline in production the past two seasons. In fact, he believes he has multiple seasons left in the NFL.
“I really just want to play two more years,” McCoy said Friday in an interview with SiriusXM NFL Radio. “I talk to Frank [Gore] about this. He always tells me, ‘Never put a ceiling on your career. Hey, if you feel good and you do well, do another one year and vice versa. If it doesn’t go well, just let your body talk to you.’ My body feels fine.”
The 31-year-old free-agent running back, who completed his 11th NFL season in 2019, added: “My body feels good. So I will let my body speak for when I want to be done.”
McCoy, a six-time Pro Bowl selection, said he has “a couple teams that I’m looking at.”
LeSean McCoy is ranked third among active players with 11,071 career rushing yards, behind only Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson. Jamie Squire/Getty Images
“I’m just waiting for the right moment,” he said. “This stuff is tricky now, because there’s no visits. There’s no real activities with the teams as much as it used to be. The thing I can control is just making the right choice, going to an offense that fits. I want to go to a team that’s a winning franchise that have all the right pieces that’s waiting for me. That veteran running back to help the room out. To add a spark. The teams I’m looking at right now are those teams. I won’t discuss who they are. I look forward to probably after the draft or right before the draft, signing on with a team.”
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