By the time things started to come to a boiling point, the Lions had an initial offer from the Rams (their 2022 first-rounder, Goff, and an additional pick) that wasn’t going to cut it. But it was that interest from the Rams—and that it became public on Friday night, via a report from ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler—that prompted a frenzy to land Stafford. By Saturday, the market had crystallized.
• Both Washington and Carolina had offered their first-round picks and then some. The Panthers’ first-rounder is eighth (that wound up being the highest pick offered) and their proposal came with a later pick. Washington packaged a third-round pick with the 19th pick.
The Colts discussed packages of picks and players, but never actually wound up offering their first-rounder, the 21st pick.
• The Niners talked to the Lions in Mobile, but at the time were a little lukewarm and never made an official offer. They’d planned to circle back with Detroit after the weekend, but when things escalated Saturday and the Lions called back, the price had gone beyond what they were willing to offer (in part because they’re fine going forward with Jimmy Garoppolo). My sense is the 12th pick was never going to be offered.
• The Broncos discussed a pick swap with the Lions that would have equated to a late first-round pick, but it wound up becoming clear to Denver that they weren’t playing in the neighborhood where this was going.
• The Patriots and Bears both checked in. New England was willing to package a second-rounder with a player to get Stafford, which, when added to the Patriots’ absence on a list of preferred destinations (something my buddy Tom Curran reported on Sunday) quickly eliminated Bill Belichick & Co. from the chase.
• And finally, late Friday, the Jets checked in. The Lions circled back with New York on Saturday, but talks didn’t go very far.
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‘According to Breer, the Lions and 49ers discussed a deal for Stafford at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., but the Rams and other suitors -- Carolina Panthers, Washington Football Team, Indianapolis Colts -- had driven the price out of the 49ers' liking. The 49ers, according to Breer, didn't want to get involved in the high-priced bidding because they are comfortable going forward with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback.
For what it's worth, the 49ers were No. 2 on Stafford's desired landing spots behind the Rams and in front of the Colts, according to Breer.
| John McClain |
| @McClain_on_NF |
MIKE REISS ESPN - PATS WOULD HAVE INTEREST IN JIMMY —
The Patriots are in good financial position with more than $50 million in projected salary-cap space for 2021. They don't face the financial crunch many teams will have to navigate if the cap shrinks as expected this offseason, which figures to have a significant effect on the trade market, potentially limiting the number of suitors.
Garoppolo is probably the Patriots' best option in terms of fit and what it would take to acquire him (less than a first-rounder). But there's no guarantee San Francisco is willing to move him, unless something potentially better comes along.
| Evan Massey |
| @massey_evan |
All those things get said, but at the end of the day, I'm a 49er," Garoppolo told ESPN's Nick Wagoner. "I'm here to be the quarterback of this team, and every day I go out there and try to prove that to my teammates and my coaches. At the end of the day, that's what really matters.
"As far as next season, I go into the offseason, I'll make a list of goals for myself, whether it's work on my accuracy, work on intermediate throws, but the durability is No. 1 right now. We'll attack that, but then just as far as getting ready for next year, as long as the ankle's good, I think we'll be in a good spot."
D- ESPN PUT SB CONTENDERS INTO TIERS:
1- CONTENDERS RIGHT NOW: CHIEFS, BUCS, BILLS, PACKERS
2- ON THE CUSP: SAINTS, RAVENS, SEAHAWKS, RAMS
| NFL Rumors and Updates |
| @nflrums |
WR #Patriots Julian Eldeman top two destinations in the offseason if released or traded #Buccaneers and #49ers#NFL 🏈 1/31/21, 4:05 PM
| Ken Rosenthal |
| @Ken_Rosenthal |
Union likely to reject MLB proposal to delay season, and might not even counter. A number of players believe it is too late in offseason to revise schedule. Possible that parties can revisit expanded playoffs/DH before start of season, but union opposes expanded playoffs. 2/1/21, 7:34 AM
Major League Baseball is offering players 162 games’ pay for 154 games if they agree to delay the season by approximately one month, but the Players Association believes the league’s overall proposal is not an improvement on its current situation.
MLB’s proposal does not guarantee the players will be paid for games lost to the COVID-19 pandemic, and also includes an element the players continue to oppose — an expanded postseason in 2021. The union believes the current deal governing the sport effectively guarantees 162 games of pay and service time — a point the league disputes — and wants any new arrangement to include an explicit promise of full pay, or at the least, greater gains in other areas. Its leverage is significant: The players do not have to agree to a revised arrangement for the 2021 season to be played.
The league wants to delay the season for health and economic reasons, believing a later start will give the sport the best chance of playing the greatest number of games in a safer environment for players and fans. The union is still talking to players, according to sources, and has yet to respond to the league’s proposal, which it received on Friday. With spring training scheduled to begin in approximately two weeks, the league wants an answer early this week.
Under the league’s proposal, spring training would start on March 22 and the regular season on April 28, with the postseason extending in the early part of November. The league’s network partners want the World Series to conclude on schedule in late October, but would be willing to consider an extension of about a week, sources said. If no agreement is reached, both spring training and the regular season will open on time, and the season will consist of 162 games.
One complication is that players ramping up their workouts would need to alter their preparation if the season is delayed. Another is the lingering uncertainty over whether the sport will adopt a universal DH, creating issues for the free agencies of Nelson Cruz, Marcell Ozuna and others. MLB is unwilling to agree to a universal DH unless the players agree to expanded playoffs, which they accepted in 2020 as a way to generate more revenue after a shortened 60-game regular season that was played without fans in attendance.
The players fear the inclusion of additional teams in the postseason for the second straight year will reduce club spending by disincentivizing competition. They also think it would cheapen the regular season and result in additional physical wear and tear. The league sees competitive concerns as less of an issue. Most rosters are close to set, and most of the top free agents already are signed.
The union previously rejected the league’s offer of expanded playoffs, which included an increase in the guarantee players would receive from $50 million last season to more than $80 million, the amount they received for postseason play in 2019, the last time parks were fully open to fans. The players did not view the increase as significant, believing they might get a similar amount from the usual share of the gate receipts if fans are back in the stands by October.
Looking ahead, the players also might prefer to use their opposition to expanded playoffs as leverage in larger collective-bargaining discussions. As part of the next CBA, they could seek other measures to enhance competition, including, perhaps, a draft lottery for non-playoff teams and a reverse luxury-tax mechanism that would act as a quasi-floor the way the thresholds at the top act as a quasi-cap. The current agreement expires on Dec. 1.
For now, the talks over delaying the season include another objection from the union that is exacerbated, at least in part, by a problem that often colors discussions between the parties: the players’ distrust of the league.
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| The Weeknd put $7M of his own cash into Super Bowl halftime show trib.al/pwRknau pic.twitter.com/ | |||||
| 1/31/21, 7:09 PM | |||||
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