Around the League: Frank Clark’s New Deal, Gordon Returns to Pats, NFL Draft Props, More
The days leading up to the NFL Draft are full of wonder and silliness. Let’s check out what’s happening around the league.
- Just for kicks:
Aim small, miss small! pic.twitter.com/PtPCrnOnAe
— Robbie Gould (@RobbieGould09) April 22, 2019
- In case you missed it, Robbie Gould reportedly requested a trade out of San Francisco with the hope of landing closer to his family in Chicago. I hear Chicago has a football team with a vacancy at kicker. Let’s keep an eye on this one.
- The Kansas City Chiefs made a curious trade. The Seattle Seahawks appear to have come away with a steal. It’s the same trade. Say what!? Let’s discuss:
Seahawks agreed to trade their franchise player, DE Frank Clark, to the Kansas City Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, a 2020 second-round pick and an exchange of third-round picks this year, per league sources.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) April 23, 2019
- The Seahawks traded defensive end Frank Clark (who was designated as their Franchise player earlier in the offseason) to the Chiefs for a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 second-round selection, and a swap of third-round picks. The Seahawks, they get a second first-round pick. That’s going to come in handy for a team that entered this week with the fewest picks. As for the Chiefs, they get Clark, a pass-rusher they needed to bolster their defense. But … why?
- If you’ll recall, the Chiefs parted ways with their starting pass-rush duo earlier this offseason by cutting Justin Houston and trading Dee Ford to the 49ers. So to pay a hefty price to acquire Clark seems a bit excessive. But at least the contract isn’t going to be prohibitive, right?
https://twitter.com/RapSheet/status/1120770137941008384
- Back in February, OverTheCap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald shared his contract projection for Clark at PFF. That five-year pact worth $87.5 million (with $53 million guaranteed) fell well short of what Clark ended up getting. Yikes.
- Worth noting: The Bears will see Clark and the Chiefs in Week 16 on Sunday Night Football. It would behoove Chicago’s offensive linemen to block that guy. Just a thought.
- Among the many reasons I’m curious about this trade, this draft is reportedly loaded with pass-rushing depth:
.@McClain_on_NFL NFL draft looks deep in pass rushers https://t.co/O6paQZXmty
— John McClain (@McClain_on_NFL) April 22, 2019
- Since the Bears don’t have a first-round pick, perhaps NFL Draft props will tickle your fancy:
2019 NFL Draft Prop Sheet from @CGTechnology_: pic.twitter.com/Fz0w7BgN3O
— Covers (@Covers) April 23, 2019
- LOL:
Some of @MelKiperESPN’s legions of fans in Nashville pic.twitter.com/ITxOemeo9J
— Seth Markman (@tunasweasel) April 23, 2019
- NFL Network insider Daniel Jeremiah is one of our favorite draft follows this time of year, so this was a good read from The Athletic:
I spent some time with @MoveTheSticks to learn about how he went from personnel assistant to the NFL Network.
The time he came close to quitting, a prank war with Joe Douglas, a special relationship with @mortreport and more.https://t.co/Sz0VXY3hBi
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) April 22, 2019
- If you’re a Bears fan who is still irked that your favorite team didn’t draft Patrick Mahomes, then you might want to avoid this Adam Teicher (ESPN) piece titled: “Drafting Patrick Mahomes: How the Chiefs outmaneuvered the NFL.”
- Elsewhere in the world of quarterbacking, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger are working toward an extension. Roethlisberger, 37, is the last remaining member of the “Killer B’s” who ran wild on the AFC North. With Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown elsewhere, it’s going to be Ben’s team until he hangs ’em up.
- This was bound to happen:
LA Rams exercise 5th-year contract option on QB Jared Goff.
by @gregbeacham https://t.co/gV3aDgC52v
— AP NFL (@AP_NFL) April 23, 2019
- Fifth-year option activation season is around the corner and the Bears seem destined to pick up Leonard Floyd’s option before the May 3. deadline. Once it officially happens, he’ll be the first pick of the Ryan Pace era to get it. Pace could have extended the option for Kyle Fuller, but didn’t. Thankfully, the Bears were able to come to a long-term deal for Fuller and the rest is history.
- Check out a chart of how other teams have handled it:
Complete history of the 5th-year option since introduced
Hit rates by pick, team & pos.
Teams w 0 hits:
• CLE (0/8)
• SEA (0/2)Teams w 1 hit:
• JAX (1/5)
• CHI (1/5)Tms w 100% hit rate:
• CAR, HOU, LAC (5/5)
• ATL (4/4)
• WAS (3/3)Updating as extensions announced. pic.twitter.com/OxxByG0F58
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) April 23, 2019
- The Texans are putting their logo somewhere it has ever been before:
The logo represents our team.
The logo represents our spirit.
It's on our helmet.
Now it's on our back.#WeAreTexans | https://t.co/AcQIxcr00O pic.twitter.com/7tPvfaoAKX— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) April 22, 2019
- Teaming with the Wilpons is a curious decision:
Some big names are joining the @packers/@Titletown tech venture in Green Bay, as the Mets' Jeff Wilpon and Delaware North's Jeremy Jacobs Jr. are a big part of the VC fund's latest $10+ million fundraising round https://t.co/7l4AzorjIc
— Sports Business Journal (@sbjsbd) April 23, 2019
https://twitter.com/packers/status/1120770503323602944
- I’m not a Saints fan or a golf guy, but I know good kicks when I see them:
Sean Payton at the @Zurich_Classic ⛳️ #Saints pic.twitter.com/RrUY3T4NsY
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) April 23, 2019
- People will root for Josh Gordon the football player. Others won’t. But I’m cheering for a guy to get his life together because I understand how difficult battling the demons of addiction can be:
Source: Patriots WR Josh Gordon has officially signed his restricted free agent tender. While he’s uncertain to play in 2019, this ensures that if he plays anywhere, it’ll be in New England.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) April 23, 2019