After Julian Edelman surprisingly announced his retirement on Monday, one of the first things that most people started wondering was whether or not he would actually stay retired, and I have to say, that kind of perfectly sums up the world we live in now.
I mean, the guy retired and all people want to talk about is the possibility that he might unretire. Of course, when it comes to retiring and unretiring, there's no one who knows more about the subject than Rob Gronkowski, so it was kind of fitting on Monday when someone asked Gronk if he thought Edelman would stay retired.
So what did Gronk say? We'll be covering that and much more in today's newsletter, so let's get to the rundown. As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share the link.
1. Today's show: Why Trevor Lawrence could be the best QB draft prospect ever
With the 2021 NFL Draft only 16 days away, one thing you'll notice about the podcast between now and April 29 is that we'll be talking about the draft nearly every day. The good news for you is that we like to keep things fresh on the podcast, so I promise that we won't be covering the same topic EVERY single day. With that in mind, we had more draft talk today, but there was a twist: Will Brinson and Chris Trapasso decided to break down the best quarterback prospects of all time.
After hashing through things together, the two guys decided that John Elway, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and Trevor Lawrence are arguably the four greatest prospects of all time. (Remember, this has nothing to do with their playing career and only how they were viewed coming out of college.)
Of those four, Trapasso made the argument that Lawrence is the top QB prospect ever. However, Brinson didn't exactly agree with him.
"I would have Peyton at one," Brinson said of the quarterback who went No. 1 overall to the Colts in 1998. "I think I'd go Elway two and I think I'd have Lawrence above Luck [at three]."
All three guys were selected with the first overall pick (as Lawrence will soon be) and two of them -- Manning and Elway -- would go on to become Hall of Famers. Luck had a chance of playing his way into the Hall of Fame, but then that chance went out the window when he abruptly decided to retire after just seven seasons. In an odd coincidence, Elway, Luck and Manning were all drafted by the Colts. I'm guessing Lawrence is not going to be drafted by the Colts.
To listen to the full quarterback debate on today's episode -- and to follow the podcast -- be sure to click here.
2. Is Julian Edelman actually retired?
Since the Patriots decided to release Julian Edelman before he retired, the receiver could technically come out of retirement right now and be free to sign with any team. One logical landing spot for Edelman would be with Rob Gronkowski and Tom Brady down in Tampa Bay.
So could that actually happen? Gronk was asked about that exact situation during a run-in with TMZ on Monday night.
"He'll be back," Gronk said of Edelman. "He'll be back. Yeah."
Of course this is the part where we mention that Gronk also said there's a "69% chance" that Edelman will return and whenever Gronk uses that number, there's a 69% chance he might not be giving a completely serious answer about the question he was asked, so who knows what to believe here.
Gronk was also asked if he thought Edelman belongs in the Hall of Fame, which is a great question to ask your friends if you want to start a lively debate this weekend.
"I definitely think he has a great possibility to be a Hall of Famer," Rob said, via TMZ. "He's a beast. And the numbers just don't show everything that he brings to the table. The attitude, the competitiveness that he has."
The argument for putting him in the Hall of Fame comes down to one thing: Edelman was one of the most clutch performers in NFL playoff history.
- He finished his career with 118 postseason receptions and 1,442 career playoff receiving yards, which both rank as the second-highest total in NFL history, behind only Jerry Rice. He also had six 100-yard receiving games in the playoffs, which is also the second-most in NFL history, behind only Rice.
- Edelman is a three-time Super Bowl champion who is one of just seven receivers in NFL history to be named Super Bowl MVP (Super Bowl LIII). He also has the fourth-most receiving yards and fifth-most receptions in Super Bowl history.
Our Jeff Kerr took a deep dive into those postseason numbers and he ended up making a pretty strong case for why Edelman should be enshrined in Canton and you can check out Kerr's argument by clicking here.
If you want to read more about Edelman, you can check out Bryan DeArdo's story about how the receiver stacks up on the list of the best seventh-round picks of all time. You can also click here if you want to check out the lengthy congratulatory message Tom Brady wrote for Edelman on Instagram.
3. NFL insider notes: Mac Jones to the 49ers with the third overall pick is NOT a lock
The San Francisco 49ers sent shockwaves through the NFL last month when they decided to pull off a monstrous trade with the Miami Dolphins to land the No. 3 overall pick in the draft. To move up nine spots in the first round of the draft, the 49ers had to send the No. 12 overall pick to Miami along with a first-round pick in 2022, a third-round pick in 2022 and a first-round pick in 2023.
It was a steep price, but it was a price the 49ers were willing to pay because they're almost certainly going to be drafting their quarterback of the future. The only question: Who is that QB going to be?
There's been a lot of speculation recently that the 49ers might end up taking Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, but one person who isn't buying that speculation is CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora.
La Canfora has talked to multiple NFL sources who don't believe that the 49ers will be taking Jones with the third overall pick.
"I don't buy it," one AFC executive said. "I think it's [Justin] Fields at 3."
An NFC exec: "I don't know one way or the other, but I have a hard time seeing Mac Jones as the third player in this draft."
Another NFC exec: "Doesn't smell right to me."
"Maybe teams are seeing things we don't see," said a high-ranking official of one team that could take a QB in the first round. "But [Fields] looks special to me."
We have four mock drafts that are updated weekly here at CBSSports.com and out of those four writers, two of them have Jones going to the 49ers with the third pick, one has Fields and one has Trey Lance. With just 16 days to go until the start of the draft, we're in the heart of smokescreen season when even the smokescreens can be smokescreens. Right now, it seems like the 49ers WANT people to think that they're going to take Jones because they don't plan on taking him, which would be a classic smokescreen. My personal guess right now is that they go with Fields, who I think is a better fit for Kyle Shanahan's offense.
4. Ex-Chiefs assistant Britt Reid charged with DWI
After more than two months of investigating, authorities in Missouri have charged Britt Reid with a DWI for the role he played in causing a car crash that took place just days before the Super Bowl and left a 5-year-old girl hospitalized with life-threatening injuries. Just before 9 p.m. on Feb. 4, Reid was leaving the Chiefs' practice facility when he struck two cars that were parked on the side of the interstate.
The DWI charge filed by the Jackson County (Missouri) Prosecutor's Office is a class D felony that could result in a maximum sentence of seven years in prison if Reid is convicted. The son of Chiefs coach Andy Reid was charged after police found that he "operated a motor vehicle while under the influence of alcohol, and acted with criminal negligence by driving at an excessive rate of speed."
After the crash, Reid was placed on leave by the team and didn't coach in the Super Bowl. He is no longer with the team after the Chiefs let his contract expire following the 2020 season.
According to police documents, Reid had a .113 BAC and was traveling nearly 84 mph at the time of the crash. Reid told police after the crash that he had "two or three drinks," along with some prescribed Adderall before getting behind the wheel.
Reid was released from custody on Monday after making bond, however, he won't be completely free while he's awaiting trial. The court has ordered that he is not to consume any alcohol while he's out on bond. Reid will also face random drug tests and must wear alcohol and GPS monitoring devices, according to the Associated Press.
A 5-year-old girl named Ariel Young suffered a traumatic brain injury in the crash and her family doesn't think the felony charge against Reid was severe enough.
"We don't believe the charges are fair or harsh enough," Young's cousin, Tiffany Verhulst said after the charges were handed down, via USA Today. "It's been incredibly hard knowing he's out every day living his normal life and Ariel's life is completely changed."
Ariel Young was in a coma for just over a week after the crash and had to spend nearly two months in the hospital before finally being released on April 2.
5. How the Jets can have the perfect draft
If there's any team that could really use some help in the draft it's the New York Jets. Over the past five years, the Jets have been nothing short of a disaster. Since 2016, they've finished in last place in the AFC East a total of four times, including last season.
The Jets clearly need some help, so we've decided to give them what they need.
Between now and the start of the draft, we'll be listing off how each team can pull off the perfect draft, and today, we're starting with the Jets.
Our Jared Dubin put together a list of five things the Jets need to do if they want to have the perfect draft.
1. Get your quarterback. This one is simple, draft Zach Wilson and don't think twice about it.
2. Build around Wilson. "While some of the blame for the failure of the Sam Darnold era has to fall on the shoulders of Darnold himself, there is no denying that the Jets as an organization failed to put their former franchise quarterback in position to succeed."
3. Take multiple shots in the secondary. "Last season, the Jets were a disaster against the pass. Their opponents posted the fourth-best passer rating in the NFL, throwing 34 touchdowns against only 10 interceptions. As a result, the Jets ranked just 28th in pass defense efficiency, per Football Outsiders' DVOA." The Jets have nine picks, Dubin thinks they should use a minimum of two of those on the secondary.
4. Fortify the edge. "Last year, the Jets came up short in the pass rush department. New York ranked 25th in pressure rate and 23rd in quarterback knockdown rate last season, per Pro Football Reference, indicating there is plenty of room for improvement on that front."
5. Think beyond the 2021 season. "See all those needs we detailed above? Offensive line and wide receiver and tight end and running back, plus the secondary and the defensive line? This is a team with a lot of holes. The Jets should keep that in mind as they go through the draft. Even with nine picks, they're unlikely to completely turn this team around in one offseason. Trading down or even out of some of their picks in favor of picking up additional assets remains a good idea."
You can check out Dubin's full explanation for his perfect Jets draft by clicking here. If you want to know how the rest of the AFC East can pull off a perfect draft, click here to see what the Patriots should do, click here to see how the Bills should handle things and click here to see what moves would make the most sense for the Dolphins.
6. Rapid-fire roundup: James Conner lands with Cardinals
This has been a busy week in the NFL and since it's nearly impossible to keep track of it all, I went ahead and put together a roundup for you.
- Cardinals land James Conner. After spending the first four years of his career in Pittsburgh, James Conner is heading west. The former Steelers running back has agreed to a one-year deal with the Cardinals. The signing continues a busy offseason for an Arizona team that has also added J.J. Watt, Malcolm Butler, Matt Prater and A.J. Green, among others.
- Buccaneers add another weapon for Tom Brady. If the Buccaneers were missing one thing on offense, it was a pass-catching running back and they filled that void on Monday by signing former Bengals back Giovani Bernard to a one-year deal. Bernard has caught at least 30 passes in each of his eight NFL seasons.
- Bengals sign Randy Moss' son. The Bengals added a new tight end on Monday when they claimed Thaddeus Moss off waivers from Washington. Moss should have some good chemistry with Joe Burrow and that's because the two were teammates at LSU. Moss signed with Washington as an undrafted free agent last May, but he didn't play at all last season due to a foot injury.
- Titans legend lands college coaching job. Eddie George spent seven years in Tennessee as a member of the Titans and now, he'll be coaching football just a few miles from where he spent most of his NFL career. Tennessee State announced on Tuesday that the former Heisman Trophy winner has been hired as the school's newest head coach. Tennessee State is an FCS school that plays in the Ohio Valley Conference. The school has produced several NFL players including Richard Dent and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.
7. The Kicker: Gardner Minshew gets a haircut
If Gardner Minshew is going to be leaving Jacksonville this offseason, he's going to be leaving in style. Minshew unveiled a new haircut this week that he is calling a "Platinum Power Pelt" mullet. I have no idea what that means, but after seeing the haircut, it seems like an accurate description of his new style.
If you want to see pictures of Minshew's new hairdo, be sure to click here. I'm not going to lie, my hair started to look like that after the first six months of the pandemic, but then my wife made me get a haircut. I think her final straw was when I started spending more time washing my hair than she did.
