It's finally July 15! This means that it is franchise tag extension deadline day in the NFL and although you should be excited about this, I actually have some good news and some bad news about the deadline.
The good news is that this will give us some actual NFL stuff to talk about that doesn't involve Aaron Rodgers. The bad news is that none of the seven tagged players are expected to reach a deal, which means today is likely going to be a dud.
So why won't we see any franchise players sign today? We'll be answering that question plus we'll be covering the latest details in the Richard Sherman case in today's newsletter, so let's get to the rundown.
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1. Today's show: Ranking the NFL's top 10 QB-coach duos
Over the past few weeks on the Pick Six Podcast, we have ranked the top 10 quarterbacks in the NFL and the top 10 coaches, but one thing we haven't done is rank them together, so that's exactly what we're going to do today. Ranking a coach and a quarterback together changes the dynamic of how you rank them and if you need proof, just look at the Patriots. Although Bill Belichick was ranked No. 2 on our coaches list, he's nowhere near the top 10 of our QB-coach rankings.
Jeff Kerr was in charge of ranking the top 10 QB-coach duos in the NFL so he jumped on Thursday's episode of the podcast with Will Brinson to discuss his rankings.
Here's the top 10 from Kerr's list. (You can read his explanation for each choice by clicking here.)
1. Tom Brady and Bruce Arians (Buccaneers)
2. Patrick Mahomes and Andy Reid (Chiefs)
3. Aaron Rodgers and Matt LaFleur (Packers)
4. Russell Wilson and Pete Carroll (Seahawks)
5. Lamar Jackson and John Harbaugh (Ravens)
6. Josh Allen and Sean McDermott (Bills)
7. Ryan Tannehill and Mike Vrabel (Titans)
8. Ben Roethlisberger and Mike Tomlin (Steelers)
9. Baker Mayfield and Kevin Stefanski (Browns)
10. Jimmy Garoppolo and Kyle Shanahan (49ers)
After watching Big Ben's meltdown toward the end of the season last year, you might be wondering why he's ranked so high. That's one of the many points that Kerr touched on during the podcast. He also explained why Dak Prescott and Mike McCarthy didn't make the cut (whenever Cowboys players aren't included in a ranking, Cowboys fans always want to know why they didn't make the cut, so Kerr is going to explain why).
To listen to today's entire conversation -- and to follow the podcast -- be sure to click here.
Also, in news that you might not believe, we've been nominated for the People's Choice Podcast Awards for the "Best Sports Podcast" and YOU CAN HELP US WIN THE AWARD by clicking here and voting for us. (You have to open a podcast awards account to vote, but it's free and easy.) I'm not going to say you should open multiple email accounts to vote for us, but I'm not going to not say that.
2. Deadline for franchise players to sign long-term deals is here
Earlier this year, there were a total of 10 players hit with a franchise tag. When it comes to negotiating a long-term deal, things actually got off to a hot start as three of the 10 -- Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Broncos safety Justin Simmons and Giants defensive lineman Leonard Williams -- were able to work out new contracts with their teams.
As for the other seven, it looks like they're all going to end up playing out the year on their franchise tags. With that in mind, here's a quick look at the situation each player is in, plus how much their one-year franchise deal will pay them in 2021.
- Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin: $15.983 million. If anyone gets a deal done today, Godwin probably has the best chance, but don't hold your breath. With the salary cap expected to shoot up next year, the Buccaneers will be comfortable waiting until then to try and sign him. (This actually applies to most teams on this list since they'll all be working with a bigger cap in 2022.)
- Bears WR Allen Robinson: $17.98 million. At first, it wasn't clear if Robinson was going to sign his franchise deal, but after the Bears made a run at Kenny Golladay in March, Robinson changed his mind and quickly signed his deal. If you're wondering why he's being paid more than Godwin despite playing the same position, it's because the franchise tag pays you the average of top five salaries at your position OR 120% of your salary from the previous year, whichever is greater. That second part applies to Robinson, who made roughly $15 million last year.
- Panthers OT Taylor Moton: $13.754 million. Moton plays right tackle and $13.754 million is actually great money for a right tackle, with the tag making him the fourth-highest-paid player at his position in the NFL. If Moton has another stellar season in 2021, he might be able to ask for Lane Johnson ($18 million per year) or Ryan Ramczyk ($19.2 million per year) numbers next year.
- Jaguars OT Cam Robinson: $13.754 million. It was somewhat shocking that Robinson even got tagged, so no one should be shocked that the two sides haven't yet worked out a long-term deal.
- Washington OG Brandon Scherff: $18.036 million. Scherff is going the Kirk Cousins route in Washington. This is the second straight year he's been tagged -- which means he's getting a 20% raise -- but it also means this is likely his final year with the Football Team.
- Jets S Marcus Maye: $10.612 million. This is probably the ugliest situation. According to NFL.com, the Jets low-balled Maye with an offer 20% below his tag amount, which seems like a classic Jets move. If you're trying to turn your franchise around, low-balling your best players is not the way to do it.
- Saints S Marcus Williams: $10.612 million. Williams likely isn't in much of a hurry to get a long-term deal and that's because he probably has his eye on next season when the safety market should be much more lucrative.
Although we probably won't see any long-term deals get done, it should be noted that all seven players have already signed their franchise tender, which means none of these seven guys will be holding out of training camp.
3. Details on Richard Sherman's arrest
Richard Sherman has been in jail since Wednesday morning following a troubling overnight incident that involved him being arrested on suspicion of burglary domestic violence after trying to break into a house that belongs to his in-laws.
Here are the known details of the case:
- Troubling 9-1-1 call. Sherman's wife, Ashley, called police early Wednesday morning and said that Richard was "threatening to kill himself." She added that her husband was "drunk" and had been sending "text messages to people saying he's going to hang himself."
- Sherman taken down by K-9 unit after resisting arrest. According to police, Sherman fought with officers while they were trying to take him into custody and because of that, authorities decided to use a K-9 team to take him down. Sherman sustained a minor laceration to his lower leg and ankle area as a result of the police dog.
- Sherman is also being investigated for a possible hit-and-run. Police found an abandoned vehicle near the scene that had struck a cement barrier. After running the plates, authorities found that the vehicle belonged to Sherman.
- Sherman will be in jail until at least Thursday afternoon. In King County, where Sherman was arrested, the judge won't set bail for a suspect of burglary domestic violence until there's been a hearing. Sherman's first hearing is scheduled for Thursday afternoon, which means he won't be getting out until later today at the earliest.
- Sherman is facing a felony. Although Sherman hasn't officially been charged with anything, if he ends up being charged with burglary domestic violence, that would be a felony in Washington. One thing police did note is that Sherman didn't hurt anyone despite "domestic violence" being listed as a possible charge. That is automatically included in any burglary charge when the incident takes place at the home of a relative like this one did.
- Ashley Sherman shares statement in support of her husband. "At this time we're going to make no statements, except he didn't harm anybody," Ashley said, via the Seattle Times. "My kids were not harmed in the incident. He's a good person and this is not his character. We're doing all right, just trying to get him out. I want people to know no one was injured."
When Sherman goes to court on Thursday, he could be hit with a multitude of charges -- including resisting arrest -- which could make it difficult for him to play in the NFL this year. According to NFL.com, Sherman "has been battling personal issues for a few months, and several of his friends flew out to his house recently to help him through tough times."
4. Dwayne Haskins' wife arrested on domestic violence charge
Kalabrya Gondrezick-Haskins, the wife of Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins, is facing a felony charge of battery and domestic violence resulting in bodily harm after an incident in Las Vegas where she reportedly injured her husband.
Here are the details of the case from KTNV.com in Las Vegas:
- Police were called to the Cosmopolitan hotel around 2:30 a.m. on July 3 after reports came in of a dispute. When police arrived, they found that Haskins had suffered substantial injuries, including a split upper lip that would require stitches. He was also missing a front tooth. Police actually found a piece of the tooth in the hotel bedroom.
- According to the police report, Haskins told authorities that the dispute started because his wife was upset with him because he went to a nightclub with friends and didn't wait for her (she was with a group of her female friends).
- Gondrezick-Haskins told police that she wasn't sure what happened to Haskins, but that he might have gotten into a fight with one of his friends. Friends of the couple said they saw the two "tussling" just before the fight.
One thing that's not completely clear about the situation is whether the two are married. The two appeared to get engaged in early July -- and even shared what appeared to be engagement photos together on Instagram over the past few days -- but apparently, they're not engaged at all because they got secretly married. The couple told police that they got married in March and were planning to renew their vows in front of friends in Las Vegas.
5. A.J. Hawk just spent a week with Aaron Rodgers and here's his take on the QB's situation
With just 12 days to go until the Packers report for training camp, we have a very important update on the Aaron Rodgers situation: A.J. Hawk actually thinks the QB is going to play in Green Bay this year.
If you're wondering why you should care about Hawk's opinion, it's because he just spent a week with Rodgers in Montana. The two were on vacation together and after spending that much time with the QB, Hawk's hunch is that Rodgers is going to play for the Packers this year.
"What have I said from the start? I said, 'I don't see him playing anywhere else.' That what I said, right?" Hawk said on the Pat McAfee Show. "I don't see Green Bay trading him, I don't see that happening, I don't know how it has to work, but yeah, I still feel like he's going to be in Green Bay."
Of course, this doesn't necessarily mean you should go out and celebrate if you're a Packers fans and that's mostly because Hawk isn't 100% sure that his guess is correct.
"I was there for a week and I still don't know," Hawk said. "I don't know if anyone has any answers. I don't know how either side feels. I don't know if they're making progress, but either way, they have to make progress one way or the other before camp starts."
If Rodgers isn't offering any clues to his best friends about his situation, then you can bet that no one else has any idea what's going on. One thing that Hawk did say about the reigning NFL MVP is that his competitive juices got flowing during his recent golf match against Tom Brady and Phil Mickelson, a match that Rodgers won with partner Bryson DeChambeau.
"So you saw 'The Match'? He wanted to win. You can see when somebody wants to win," Hawk said. "I think he was very happy he won. He likes to compete. Does that look like a guy who's going to sit out and retire to you?"
Although Rodgers said during "The Match" that he'd make a decision in a "couple of weeks," he apparently didn't share that information with Hawk.
"I have no idea about time frames, but it's like anything else, there has to be a deadline," Hawk said.
Even though Rodgers hasn't been practicing, he has been staying in good shape.
"I think Aaron looks great," Hawk said. "He seems mentally in a good spot. He can still sling the ball."
So either Rodgers is going to show up to training camp or he's not. That's where we're at, which is where we've been for three months now.
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.
- Urban Meyer subpoenaed in court case. Meyer and Jaguars general manager Trent Baalke were both subpoenaed as part of a lawsuit surrounding former Iowa strength coach Chris Doyle, who once served as the Jaguars strength coach before being let go. Doyle is being sued by some former Black players in Iowa, who have alleged that he discriminated against them while working for the Hawkeyes. Meyer and Baalke submitted a written response to the subpoena, which centers around the Jaguars deciding to hire and quickly fire Doyle earlier this offseason.
- Former Steelers Pro Bowler retires. After five NFL seasons, former Steelers fullback Roosevelt Nix has decided to call it quits. The 2017 Pro Bowler announced his retirement this week on Instagram. Nix was a defensive lineman coming out of college, but then the Steelers converted him to fullback. He'll finish his career with 12 receptions for 69 yards and one touchdown.
- Shaq Barrett wants to win MVP. No defensive player has won the NFL MVP award since 1986, but that could change this year if Barrett meets the goal that he's set for himself. The Buccaneers pass-rusher wants to sweep every big award that he can win this year, "Me personally ... I want to win MVP, I want to win Defensive Player of the Year," Barrett said this week. "Like, I'm hungry for everything. Every accolade, every award, individually and as a team. I'm expecting real big things from myself this year."
- Mark Sanchez making the jump to FOX. After several years at ESPN, the former Jets QB is making the move to FOX. According to the New York Post, Sanchez will be announcing Sunday NFL games starting this season.