I'm not sure how it happened, but the offseason is officially over. Although training camp doesn't officially start until Wednesday -- when the Steelers and Cowboys report -- it unofficially starts today with rookies from the Ravens, Jets, Bills and Buccaneers all reporting to camp.
Of course, I'm not sure what the Buccaneers rookies are actually going to do today and that's because everyone else in the organization was in Washington D.C. on Tuesday to celebrate their Super Bowl win with a ceremony at the White House. EVEN TOM BRADY SHOWED UP.
Brady, who hasn't been the White House to celebrate a Super Bowl win since 2005, was actually on hand for the event. As a matter of fact, not only was he there, but he actually cracked a few jokes (You can hear the jokes by clicking here).
This isn't a newsletter devoted to Brady's jokes though, it's an NFL newsletter, so let's get to the rundown.
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1. Today's show: Burning AFC North questions for training camp
Since the Ravens and Steelers will both have players checking into training camp over the next 24 hours, we thought we would use Tuesday's episode of the Pick Six Podcast to answer one burning question for each AFC North team, so that's what we did.
We'll cover our biggest question for the Browns here, but if you want to hear the rest of our questions, you'll have to listen to the podcast.
Biggest question for the Browns: Will the defense be any good?
On paper, the Browns should have a good defense, but being good on paper doesn't really mean anything. On paper, I think I look like Zac Efron, but I've heard that's not actually the case. The Browns are going to have seven to 10 new starters on defense and if this unit is going to be good, all of those new starters are going to have to gel quickly. If you're scoring at home, those new starters could include: Jadeveon Clowney, LB Anthony Walker, LB Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (rookie), DT Andrew Billings (signed in 2020, but opted out last season), DT Malik Jackson, NB Troy Hill, SS John Johnson, and CB Greg Newsome (rookie).
With the Browns basically replacing their entire defense, it's going to make their training camp fascinating to watch.
By the way, if you listen to today's episode, one thing you'll notice is that Ryan Wilson and I booted Will Brinson off the show for the day. We thought you guys could use a break from him.
To listen to today's episode -- and to follow the podcast -- be sure to click here.
2. Packers apparently gave Aaron Rodgers a monstrous contract offer
Earlier this offseason, the Packers apparently got so desperate to fix things with Aaron Rodgers that they offered to make him the highest paid player in NFL history. News of that offer first leaked out back in May, but now, there are a few more details to add.
According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Packers offered to extend Rodgers' contract by two years in a deal that would have paid him more than Patrick Mahomes (Mahomes became the highest paid player in football last July when he signed a 10-year, $450 million deal with the Chiefs). Basically, the Packers were willing to pay Rodgers more than $45 million per year to stay in Green Bay. The new deal would have put Rodgers under contract for the next five years.
What's not clear is how the deal would have been structured.
- If this extension would have made him the highest-paid QB in 2021, but offered no security beyond that, then Rodgers likely said no because he's made it clear he's not going to sign a deal like that.
- If it was a multi-year offer -- as Schefter is reporting -- but all the guaranteed money was going to be paid out early in the contract, then once again, Rodgers likely said no because he wants long-term assurances that he's going to be the starter.
- If Rodgers was offered a fully guaranteed five-year deal and he turned that down, then you can go ahead and assume that there's no way he'll ever be returning to Green Bay.
With this news leaking out just one week before Green Bay reports to training camp, it kind of feels like the Packers are trying to turn fans against Rodgers by making him look greedy. This dispute has now turned into a PR war.
Also, the fact that this news leaked out is something that could upset Rodgers, because if he didn't leak it, that means someone with the team did, and if that happened, it's just going to add to the growing rift between the two sides.
3. Rams star Cam Akers out for the season
Training camp hasn't even technically started around the NFL and we already have our first serious injury of the 2021 season. Rams running back Cam Akers is going to miss the entire year after tearing his Achilles while working out, according to NFL.com.
This is a huge blow for a Rams team that has Super Bowl aspirations this year after adding Matthew Stafford at quarterback in an offseason trade with the Lions.
- Akers played a huge role in the Rams offense last year. During his rookie season in 2020, Akers led the team in rushing with 625 yards and he was expected to have an even bigger year thanks to his familiarity with Sean McVay's offense.
- Player most likely to take his place. With Akers out, most of his workload will probably go to Darrell Henderson, who actually had a pretty impressive 2020 season. Henderson rushed for 624 yards last year, putting him just one yard behind Akers for the team rushing title. Henderson was also a scoring machine as he tied for the team lead with five rushing touchdowns.
- Rams options at running back. If there's any upside here for the Rams, it's that there are plenty of veteran running backs left on the market. If the Rams want to go out and sign someone, they could go after someone like Le'Veon Bell, Dion Lewis, LeSean McCoy, Adrian Peterson, Chris Thompson or Frank Gore. If they want to get really crazy, they could call Todd Gurley and see if he wants to return to Los Angeles, but he'd probably say no since he didn't exactly end on good terms with the Rams.
Although the Rams do have some options here, the fact of the matter is that this is a pretty big blow for an offense that's expected to be one of the best in the NFL this year.
4. Three questions each AFC East team much answer in training camp
Of the four NFL teams with rookies reporting to training camp today, two of them are in the AFC East, so I thought now would be the perfect time to look at a few key questions that each team in that division needs to answer during training camp.
Our Tyler Sullivan came up with three questions for each team, but since we don't want this newsletter to be 17,000 words long, we'll cover one question for each team here.
- Patriots: Who will be the starting QB in Week 1? "While Cam Newton will likely have the inside track at winning the job to begin the year, if first-round rookie Mac Jones impresses over the course of camp and the preseason, it'll only be a matter of time before Bill Belichick will want to see what the kid has."
- Bills: Can the backfield attack improve? "At times last year, Buffalo seemed to flirt dangerously close with being one-dimensional... While the Bills had one of the better offenses in the NFL, their running game wasn't exactly prolific. They ranked 20th in the league in total rushing yards as Devin Singletary led the unit with 687 yards on the ground on 4.4 yards per carry. With Zack Moss entering his second season in the league, there is optimism that this group could be more lethal as they head into 2021."
- Dolphins: Can Tua be a franchise QB? "It's weird to say that this is a make-or-break year for a guy who has just one season under his belt and was taken No. 5 overall in 2020, but it kind of feels that way for Tua Tagovailoa."
- Jets: How quickly can the new coaching staff establish itself? "Not only will Robert Saleh be working through camp as a first-time head coach, but the Jets will also be trotting out Mike LaFleur as a first-time offensive coordinator. That's a lot of change for a team that will need to be playing its best ball on a weekly basis to stay competitive."
To check out all three questions for each team, be sure to click here so you can read the rest of Sullivan's story.
5. Peyton and Eli Manning headed to 'Monday Night Football'
If you've ever wanted to hang out and watch "Monday Night Football" with the Manning brothers, I have some good news for you: You're basically going to be able to do that starting this season. ESPN announced this week that Peyton and Eli are going to be hosting their VERY OWN simulcast of MNF.
So what does this mean?
- Manning brothers will be on ESPN2. Starting with the upcoming season, Peyton and Eli will be on ESPN2 for 10 Monday night games per year. If you flip over to ESPN2 while MNF is airing you'll be treated to "a mix of in-the-moment analysis, big picture NFL dialogue, knee-jerk reaction, historical perspective" and maybe a wet willie or two. The things I quoted were in the press release. I added the part about the wet willies.
- It won't just be Peyton and Eli. For one, there will also be a host involved, but ESPN hasn't yet revealed who will get that job. The telecast will also include "iconic and current athletes, as well as celebrities." The show will also take place from a remote location, so they won't be on site at the game.
- This is will go on for at least three years. The initial deal between ESPN and the Mannings calls for this simulcast to go from 2021 to 2023. If it ends up being successful, you can bet that ESPN will look to add a few years to the deal. The first time you'll see the Mannings will come in Week 1 when the Raiders host the Ravens. They'll also be simulcasting for Week 2 and Week 3. After that, they won't be weekly, but they will be featured on seven more Mondays throughout the season.
Judging by the reaction on Twitter, everyone seems to love this idea, which is saying a lot, because no one on Twitter ever agrees on anything.
6. Rapid-fire roundup
It's been a busy 24 hours in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of everything that happened, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Tom Brady actually shows up at White House. For the first time in 16 years, Tom Brady celebrated at Super Bowl win at the White House and you can see the proof by clicking here. Brady and the rest of his teammates met with Joe Biden on Tuesday.
- Melvin Ingram signs one-year deal with Steelers. The Steelers needed some pass-rush help after losing Bud Dupree and they just got that in the form of Ingram, who has been to the Pro Bowl in three of the past four years. Ingram is a slightly risky signing though and that's because he missed nine games last season due to a nagging knee injury. However, the Steelers are only paying him $4 million, so it was definitely a gamble worth taking.
- Raiders president surprisingly resigns. Marc Badain had been with the team for more than 30 years, but that run came to and end this week after he shockingly resigned. One reason the move was a shocker is because Badain spearheaded the team's relocation from Oakland to Vegas, which means he won't be around for the team's first game with fans at Allegiant Stadium.
- Jets assistant coach critically injured in bike accident. Jets passing game specialist Greg Knapp is in critical condition in a California hospital after being hit by a car while riding his bike, according to 9News.com. Knapp has been with seven different teams during his 23-year coaching career. He won a Super Bowl in 2015 as the QB coach for Peyton Manning and the Broncos. This was going to be his first season with the Jets, who released a statement about the situation on Tuesday.
- Saquon won't commit to playing in Week 1. After missing most of last season due to an ACL tear, Barkley doesn't seem so sure that he's going to be on the field for Week 1 this year. "I don't know. We'll see," Barkley said when asked if he'll be ready for the beginning of the season. "Taking it day by day. Just listening to my body. Whenever I'm able to get out there, just make sure I'm 110 percent." Normally, I would say this kind of confidence isn't a good thing, but it's probably for the best that Saquon is keeping all the hype in check for now.
