Category: NFL

Washington Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz doesn’t consider his one year with the Indianapolis Colts as a “mistake”, as Jim Irsay described it.

Now that Carson Wentz is far, far away from Indianapolis, Colts owner Jim Irsay got real with how he felt about Wentz’ tenure there: in a word, it was a “mistake.”

“I think the worst thing you can do is have a mistake and try to keep living with it going forward,” Irsay told the Indianapolis Star’s Joel A. Erickson. “For us, it was something we had to move away from as a franchise.”

While Irsay described an undesirable situation to the Star, Wentz reflected on his year with the Colts in stark contrast.

“Last year was a really fun year,” the quarterback told Colin Cowherd on Cowherd’s podcast.

Wentz admitted to the difficult season he had, but described Irsay’s comments as coming “out of left field.”

“We did some incredible things, (but) came up short at the end. Obviously, I struggled down the stretch there, and timing was poor. I didn’t expect that, I didn’t expect things to unfold the way they did, and I thought things were in a pretty good place there.

I had an awesome relationship with every single person in that building, can’t say enough good things about the people over there. (Irsay’s comment) kind of came out of left field. He’s entitled to his own opinion, and he’s entitled to do what he wants with his football team.”

Carson Wentz responds to Jim Irsay calling him a “mistake”

Irsay went even further to illustrate how problematic Wentz was in the locker room.

“In having conversations with trusted veterans on the team… in confidence, oftentimes they share really what’s happening,” Irsay said. “What I found out was very concerning,” Irsay said.

TheScore recalled what Wentz said during his introductory press conference when he joined Washington’s roster. In an effort to downplay reports that Wentz was difficult in the locker room, Wentz said the following:

“I strongly feel I had amazing relationships with people in Philly and in Indy.”

Even if Wentz did have “concerning” behavior, according to his former Colts teammates, he’s on the third roster of his NFL career as the team’s franchise quarterback. Wentz provides a puzzling contradiction: someone with locker room leadership that has been publicly questioned, yet he is chosen continuously to lead franchises.

With Baker Mayfield on his way out of Cleveland, Bengals QB Joe Burrow gave his take on the soon-to-be former Browns quarterback.

Mayfield was plenty competent as a starting quarterback, but after an injury-plagued season in which the Browns missed the playoffs, they opted to upgrade at the position. Cleveland made a big splash in trading for former Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson.

At Watson’s best, he’s a Pro Bowl-caliber QB. However, he could be facing a suspension from the NFL due to the 22 civil cases against him for sexual assault and harassment.

This leaves the Browns in a predicament. They already signed Jacoby Brissett, essentially as a hint to Mayfield that he is no longer in their plans. Cleveland shopped Baker before the NFL Draft to no avail, as any interested teams assume the Browns will have to part ways with their former No. 1 overall pick, eating the money in the process.

Joe Burrow gives take on Baker Mayfield-Browns drama

Mayfield felt betrayed by the franchise that drafted him, and it’s clear the some of the whispers from within the locker room about being unsatisfied with the QB play went to the very top.

While Burrow didn’t necessarily comment on the drama between the two sides, he did back up Mayfield’s ability as a signal-caller, stating that he believes the Oklahoma product will “land on his feet” given his experience playing against Baker.

Mayfield was favored to land with the Seahawks, but Pete Carroll has since said they’re satisfied with their current quarterback room, led by Drew Lock and Geno Smith. The Panthers could also be interested.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are expected to make Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest-paid safety in the league, which would mean upwards of $17.5 million per year.

The Steelers are fortunate enough to not only have TJ Watt, but the team was able to give Watt the contract he deserves in a historic four-year, $112 million deal that included $80 million guaranteed.

That kind of player-minded contract is good for keeping around talents like Watt, and the Pittsburgh Steelers are tasked with doing the same with yet another NFL leader on their defense: safety Minkah Fitzpatrick.

Fitzpatrick now heads into his fifth-year option season in 2022, and as the Steelers have demonstrated with Watt and others in the past, they are expected to ensure a deal gets done before the season kicks off this fall.

Still, that doesn’t mean the team is in a rush to ink the perfect deal, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

A source told Fowler that the Steelers “won’t be rushed into a deal”, meaning that fans should expect Fitzpatrick to earn big in Year 5, but it may come as late as August or September.

Fowler offered further context on the Fitzpatrick situation:

“But [Fitzpatrick] also knows the Steelers operate on their own time, which means we should look ahead to sometime between July and the September kickoff. “They won’t be rushed into a deal,” a source said. Under recently retired GM Kevin Colbert, the Steelers also did not negotiate in-season.

Fitzpatrick will likely be aiming for Jamal Adams’ market-setting $17.5 million per year. He’s in the top five among safeties in interceptions since 2019 (11) and has 36 career pass deflections and two first-team All-Pro selections.”

Steelers expected to make Minkah Fitzpatrick the highest-paid NFL safety

As plenty of players have proved throughout the offseason, NFL players continue competing off the field as they endeavor to become the highest-paid player in their respective positions.

For example, Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams landed a contract that made him the highest-paid wide receiver at $28.25 million per year, barely edging beyond the position’s former highest earner, Arizona Cardinals wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins at $27.25 million per year.

If the Steelers can get Fitzpatrick at $18 million per year, he’ll set the record as the highest-paid safety in the NFL, which would compensate him more than any other safety and validate how much the Steelers value him.

Cleveland Browns Deshaun Watson stood trial on Wednesday morning. Here’s what happened and what it means for the NFL.

Note: This story contains graphic accounts of domestic violence, threats and sexual assault. If you or someone you know is a survivor of sexual assault or domestic violence, contact the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 or the Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233.

Watson admitted that his first accuser — massage therapist Ashley Solis — cried after their encounter. He later stated that he did not know why this was the case. However, Watson did text her after the fact apologizing.

“Sorry about you feeling uncomfortable,” Watson texted. “Never were the intentions. Lmk if you want to work in the future. My apologies.”

When asked why he sent an apology, Watson explained: “Yes, because she was teary-eyed. And I was trying to figure out what was going on.  So, I assumed that she was uncomfortable in whatever reason.  And we talked about working in the future.  And so, I said, `We can work in the future.  Just let me know.’  And then I sent my apologies as whatever reason she was teary-eyed for.”

Solis’s account of the incident accuses Watson of touching her with the tip of his penis, which caused her to cry. She is suing him for civil assault.

Deshaun Watson trial: What does this mean for NFL’s investigation?

Because this portion of Watson’s case was made public, it corroborates at least one part of an allegation against the Browns QB.

In a Twitter thread regarding the kind of suspension Watson could be looking at from the NFL in response to this news, ESPN’s Josina Anderson reported the following:

These accounts are just several sources’ opinions from within the league, but it does speak to the fact that many with knowledge of the situation believe Watson could be facing severe punishment from the NFL.

For context, MLB suspended Trevor Bauer 324 games for violating its domestic violence policy. While these two cases are different, the court of public opinion may hold Watson to a similar standard given the timing of said allegations against him.

James Bradberry made the Pro Bowl with the New York Giants in 2020, but it made little difference just a few years later, as he was cut and signed with the rival Eagles.

The Giants are all-in on the rebuild, and releasing Bradberry, as well as safety Logan Ryan, should remove any doubt about that. Bradberry did make the Pro Bowl just two years ago, so he instantly became the top cornerback on the free agent market.

New York gained $10.1 million in salary cap space by cutting Bradberry, which explains why they’d let such a talented player hit free agency. What they do with that money, though, will determine whether or not this is the right move.

What’s even more painful for the Giants is the team Bradberry chose to sign with on a one-year prove it deal. The Eagles scooped up the 28-year-old, as he will now face his old team and quarterback Daniel Jones twice in the regular season.

James Bradberry contract

Per Adam Schefter, Bradberry’s contract is for one-year and $10 million. So, essentially it’s equal to the Giants cap savings for cutting him.

The Eagles were willing to pay up for a significant upgrade at the No. 2 cornerback slot. In 2021, Bradberry played in all 17 games with New York, registering four interceptions, 17 pass deflections and 47 tackles.

Eagles steal James Bradberry

Giants general manager Joe Schoen was surprised there wasn’t more trade interest for Bradberry before and after the NFL Draft. He openly admitted as much during a recent interview.

“I thought there would be more interest. There were some teams that showed interest pre-draft, and we had a couple different times there were compensation in place and the contract never worked out. Being the fact that we did have good talks with the other teams and their agents had good talks with teams, sometimes if you’re going to renegotiate a contract and couldn’t come to an agreement, it is what it is,” Schoen said, per WFAN.

However, interested teams knew that if they merely waited the Giants out, they’d eventually release Bradberry. For the Eagles, it offered an opportunity they likely would not have had in trade talks for him — stealing their NFC East rival’s No. 1 corner.