Dan Quinn was the DC for Bobby for years, as was Ken Norton Jr afterward, so I’m sure that has something to do with it. (Norton was also the LB coach in Seattle at one time, coaching Bobby.) So they’re getting a veteran they know very well to be a mentor on the field. Bobby served a similar role in Seattle. Wagner did pretty well last year despite his age, and I know he has an expiration date but as a Seattle fan I’m still sad to see him go (again).
Oh, and by pretty well, he led the entire league last year in total tackles with 183 (96 solo), had 3.5 sacks, 3 passes defended, and a fumble recovery. Plus he was named a second team All-Pro and went to the Pro Bowl for the ninth time. So yeah, he is still a high level LB.
Sounds like the plan; now they have the 11 and the 23 to trade.
Rumor is that the Vikings want a QB. The problem is, so do the teams with the first three picks - who’s going to be left even if they do trade up to, say, #4?
Penix will probably still be available then, that’s my guess. I’m not even sure that he’s guaranteed to go in the first round. This draft has a good number of QBs that have potential.
Aaron Donald retiring. 32 years old. Must be nice.
He’s done enough. He’ll make the HoF. He’s earned well over $150 million. Unless he’s been majorly irresponsible, he should be financially set for life, as should his future great-grandkids.
And hopefully he’s getting out of the game early enough to save his brain (though at this point, the damage is probably already done). I don’t blame him one bit. I’m all for retiring early if you can.
I can’t recall ever seeing a trade like this before. The only similar one is when the 49ers traded up to pick 3 well before the draft, but that’s a much different scenario because they could predict who’d be available pretty clearly.
I think the assumption that the Vikings are loading up to try and trade up on draft day (or maybe again before the draft) is the correct one. The real question is are they looking to jump into the top 10 for McCarthy or maybe up to the top 3 for one of the first-tier guys?
This is the prevailing assumption. But there’s a counter-narrative bubbling up that maybe they are actually a little iffy on Caleb. Running it back with Fields seemed like an insane idea, but if they feel really strongly that none of these top 3 QBs are an upgrade, you might as well sell the pick for a king’s ransom. Bears fans will self-immolate, but who cares about us.
Assuming it really is a price thing, I actually am happy that they aren’t running a fire sale. That strikes me as good business. You don’t give away an asset for peanuts just because the timing is bad. I’d rather deal with the headlines and locker room drama of having 2 QBs in the building than to accept a Sam Howell-type deal. I’m no Fields lover, but the hate has gone way to far at this stage. An early season injury (or something wild at the draft) could put them back in the position to get a 2nd rounder and more.
Interesting tidbit. Seems like this retirement isn’t exactly out of left field.
From the same article.
A strange wrinkle that emerged on Friday morning, not long before he retired. The Rams reportedly restructured the deal, creating $9.2 million in 2024 cap space. Why do that if he’s retiring?
It’s possible that, with $30 million otherwise exiting the 2024 cap, the Rams wanted to kick some of it to next year, which could happen if/when the Rams officially process the retirement after June 1.
Whatever the reason, Donald has retired. But remember this. He submitted a retirement letter to the Rams in May 2022, roughly a month before they tore up his existing deal and replaced it with a three-year, $95 million contract.
We’re not saying his latest retirement is real. But he has retired before. We just didn’t know about it at the time.
His public statement certainly looks like the real deal, but there’s a little potential weirdness here.
There’s only one option that I can see where he’d be a likely starter, and that’s New England. They’re obviously in line to draft a rookie, but if they decide to trade back with, say, the Vikings then maybe that’s a landing spot. Or if they want to have an option for the guy to sit. I suppose the Raiders might be a fit if they view O’Connell and Minshew as backups, but that’s where Getsy landed. The Broncos have a hole, but they are in a complete tear down. If Wilson drove Payton nuts, I can’t imagine what Fields would do in that system.
So that means the other teams would be looking for a high-end backup. You know what the Bears don’t have, assuming they draft Caleb? A high-end backup.
I agree that the market for Fields-as-starter has basically evaporated. (The Vikings might be interested, but I’d hate to trade him in the division.) But a team like Baltimore might see him as a strong backup and maybe be willing to send a 4th rounder. I’d settle for that.
I don’t think it’s realistic for Fields to be Williams’ backup. Too many guys in the locker room still love Fields, which is not the atmosphere you want a rookie walking into.
I drafted Pettis in our dynasty league as a rookie so I kept track of his stats, and then after a few seasons he ended up on the Giants so I also watched him play. Neither experience particularly impressed me.
It was a bummer that it didn’t translate to the NFL but that probably happens more times than not. When the fish gets to a bigger pond, it’s not such a big fish anymore.
Worst was John Ross. He was awesome in college, so fast, and he broke the combine speed record at 4.22, though it has since been broken (barely, with a 4.21).
He was picked 9th overall in the draft but frequent injuries made it so he couldn’t stay on the field and he retired with little to show for it in the NFL.
Something to remember as the draft approaches and you see all of these promising college stars. You never know what to expect when the go pro.
He’s a weird one. In 2022 he never seemed able to earn any serious playing time, and that on a roster largely devoid of WR talent. But then he’d end up getting some snaps because of an injury and he’d make 3 awesome plays. He always seemed to be making a huge 3rd down grab or making a guy miss. Then he’d disappear again for 5 games. Dude lead all WRs on the team with 3 TDs on a whopping 19 catches.
I can’t really recall any terrible drops or other boneheaded plays. But the coaches only ever wanted him out there as a last resort. They must be seeing something in practice they don’t like because he’s been around the league a while and never seems to get consistent snaps anywhere he plays.
On the heels of signing Josh Jacobs, and releasing Aaron Jones, the Packers are re-signing running back AJ Dillon to what is being termed as a “team-friendly” contract.
Dillon was a very good change-of-pace backup for Jones in '21, but his YPC average had slipped every year. He was forced into a starting role for part of the '23 season when Jones was injured, and only averaged 3.4 yards per carry.
Under the new contract, he has a chance to be Jacobs’ backup, depending on how he does in the preseason, and whether the Packers decide to draft another running back next month.
He’s beloved in Wisconsin – he’s a great guy, and he’s made a home in Door County (just northeast of Green Bay) – but it was questionable as to whether the team would bring him back.
I like Dillon as a player and his quads are impressive. But he is so damn plodding that it’s like watching molasses. Give me Isaac Guerendo or Daijun Edwards on Day 3 to replace him.
No talk of an extension for Allen at this point, and with his age it won’t be more than a year or two, but we don’t need to spread out the cap hit. Maybe we roll the dice and see how this season plays out.
Whatever happens with the contract, in 2024 the tandem of Moore and Allen will be a QBs dream. It’s probably a long shot, but if Odunze or Nabers lasts to 9 we should still draft them and roll out an insane trio.
