NFL's Future

Reports have been confirmed that free agent Tavaris Jackson will be joining the Seattle Seahawks come 5:00 p.m. ET on Friday.  The move reunites former Viking offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and Jackson.

Judging by the early reaction from Seahawks fans they were expecting something better than Tavaris Jackson.  The Alabama State product has amassed a whopping 3,984 yards, 24 TD’s and 22 INT’s in his 5 year career (20 starts) with the Vikings.  Those stats are those of a really poor Matt Schaub season.  Understandably, Seahawk-nation is not thrilled with opening training camp with Charlie Whitehurst and Tavaris Jackson battling for the starting quarterback gig.  If given the choice of Tavaris Jackson or Charlie Whitehurst; I’d pick Matt Hasselbeck.

Look on the bright side, it could be worse…you could be Washington.

Adam Schefter of ESPN is reporting that the Redskins and Vikings have talked about a possible Donovan McNabb trade.  While this report doesn’t constitute an official trade it at least confirms an interest from a Minnesota perspective.

McNabb’s $12.5 million cap number for 2011 would certainly have to be re-worked before any deal could be consummated.  The only reasonable explanation from a Minnesota standpoint is that they don’t want to vie for McNabb’s services on a quarterback-hungry market and his trade value at this point is a 2015 7th and conditional slightly used game ball if he makes it through the 2011 season without throwing up.

Wow.  How the mighty have fallen.  We are talking about dumping Donovan McNabb for essentially nothing.  Despite Philly fan’s extreme hatred for McNabb, the guy has solid career numbers and it’s not like he’s Brett Favre-old.  The guy could finish his career with 40,000 yards and 250 passing TD’s.  That would put him in some rare air.  Those numbers would put him in the top 10 in passing yards and top 12 in passing TD’s for a career.  Not shabby for a guy looking to be cut from a team with John Beck and Rex Grossman left on the roster.

Go ahead and print it and play GM for a little while.  Here’s a complete guide to your team’s free agency goals, targets, and needs.

Baltimore Ravens

Free Agency Goals

1.  Re-sign Marshal Yanda.  Yanda’s versatility is a premium in this league.  Baltimore’s offensive line is a definite weak area and they can’t afford to lose a talent like Yanda.

2.  Get Haloti Ngata signed to a long term deal.

Key Free Agents:  Marshal Yanda, Dawan Landry, Jared Gaither, Josh Wilson, LeRon McClain

Cincinnati Bengals

Free Agency Goals

1.  Find a QB – Carson won’t be back and I think they need to trade him for a future draft pick.  No sense in engaging in a pissing match on this one…Mike Brown.  You can still get a valuable piece for Palmer, do it now.  Faced with a QB duel of Jordan Palmer, Dan LeFevour, and Andy Dalton; need I say more

2.  Lock up Jonathan Joseph – With the new spending rules, Cincinnati will be forced to spend the money so why not on your own, proven talent. 

3.  Find a running back and cut ties with Cedric Benson.  Benson is a headache but he’s still got a little left in him.  This is what has historically ridden this franchise to Bengaldom.  RB’s are a dime a dozen, go find one.

Key Free Agents:  Jonathan Joseph, Cedric Benson, Terrell Owens, Brian Leonard, Dhani Jones

Cleveland Browns

Free Agency Goals

1.  Get a pass rusher.  Since ’99 with the exception of one year of Jamir Miller and one year of Kamerion Wimbley the Browns have lacked a legitimate pass rusher.  Joe Haden is a top flight corner but the otherside scares me with Sheldon Brown and possibly a re-signed Easy Wright on it.  They need to pressure the QB.  Cleveland fans would love to have them a nice, new Charles Johnson but that will cost too much.  I look for the Browns to be interested in trading for Osi which will save 2-3 million per.

2.  Find a safety.  Abe Elam is a left over from the Mangini days and just not that good.  The Browns need a solid cover guy next to T.J. Ward.  Look for the Browns to make a run at Quintin Mikell or Donte Whitner.

3.  Put Tony Pashos out of his misery.  Pashos is good but oft-injured.  They need a RT to protect Colt McCoy from another season of beat downs at the hands of the Steelers.  Think Tyson Clabo but a lot cheaper.

4.  Find a (good) veteran WR.  Some Browns fans would put this number one on the list but I don’t see it as big of a need.  They have some young guys that will develop under Pat Shurmur and need a solid veteran with West Coast experience.  Lance Moore or James Jones would be nice but I think they will scale it back more.

Key Free Agents:  Lawrence Vickers, Matt Roth, Eric Wright, Robaire Smith, Abe Elam

Pittsburgh Steelers

Free Agency Goals

1.  Re-sign Ike Taylor or go after a younger version in Richard Marshall.  Either way they need help on the corner.  They could probably do both and still be stinging from the Aaron Rodgers air attack of 2011.

2.  Trim the fat off the roster.  The Steelers will be over the cap and will have to sacrifice the likes of Flozell Adams (don’t be too disappointed Steeler fan).

3.  Find a versatile OL to fill in for whoever gets injured on their OL in 2011.  If they can’t re-sign Willie Colon they may need to find a quality starter to replace him. 

Key Free Agents:  Ike Taylor, Willie Colon, William Gay, Mewelde Moore, Chris Hoke Read the rest of this entry » «Your AFC Free Agency Guide»

MICHEAL PROFETTA

It’s been no secret that the 49ers would sign embattled QB Alex Smith as soon as the dust settled on a new labor agreement, but even after Monday’s announcement that Smith plans to sign a contract “as quickly as possible”, it’s still hard to fathom. Few fans would have believed that Smith would still be under center for the ‘Niners in 2011 had you told them last season, when a normally docile San Francisco fan base was booing Smith without mercy seemingly every time he stepped onto the field.

While the grand slam signing of Jim Harbaugh has brought hopes of a return to glory for this once-proud franchise, GM Trent Baalke and Harbaugh could be setting themselves up for a very short honeymoon in ‘Frisco should Smith continue to disappoint. Considering that Smith is the only QB in San Francisco who had the chance to work with Harbaugh before the lockout and digest the playbook, it’s a risk the S.F. brain trust almost had to take for any chance at success this season.

During his early NFL playing days, Harbaugh was a much-maligned QB in Chicago, where he often found himself on the receiving end of one of Mike Ditka’s legendary tongue-lashings. The Singletary/Smith sideline eruptions of 2010 are eerily similar, so one can’t help but think that maybe Harbaugh sees a little bit of himself in Smith. If Smith can turn his career around with a great 2011 season, it would serve as redemption for both student and teacher, while ranking as one of the best NFL comeback stories in recent memory. Conversely, if Smith follows his career trend and lays an egg, it will be just another reminder to 49ers’ fans of “what could have been”, had the ‘Niners drafted Bay Area native Aaron Rodgers, and not Smith, with the first pick in the 2005 NFL Draft.

Sometimes you get what you ask for.  Fans wanted action and you have action.  The Baltimore Ravens are reportedly going to cut Willis McGahee, Derek Mason, Todd Heap, and Kelly Gregg.

The moves on these veterans pave the way for the Ravens to sign a couple possible big name free agents.  The cutting of Derek Mason leaves a gaping hole in the WR corps.  T.J. Houshmandzadeh is certain to not be back, so they have Anquan Boldin and rookie, Torrey Smith left to speak of.  Could the Ravens make a play for a Steve Smith (CAR)-type?  Or could they be in the market for a Vincent Jackson/Sidney Rice deal?

The Ravens have been tied to Nnamdi Asamogha.  The cuts have cleared the cap space to pave the way for a move of this magnitude.  But the question is whether Ozzie will spend the money on Nnamdi?

Ozzie Newsome has started the official axe period with his veteran locker room leaders.  At this rate could Ray Lewis be cut in the next hour or so?

Slowly but surely all the Twitter speculation and rumors are being put to rest as details from the labor deal are making their way to mainstream media. 

This biggest tidbit from the deal is that it is a 10-year deal with no opt out for either side.  Also, unless the CBA is ratified sooner the league year will begin on August 4 instead of the rumored August 2 date.

There is an agreement on the minimum per team cash spend item that was thought to be a clear sticking point in the negotiations.  Each franchise will spend at least 89% of the cap, on a four-year average from 2013-2016 and from 2017-2020.  The entire league will spend 99% of the cap space in 2011 and 2012, and 95% for the remainder of the deal.

Workout bonuses will be paid in full if a player is not waived before 4:01 p.m. ET on Friday. 

Roster and option bonuses to be earned during the lockout will be earned if the player is on the roster at 4:00 p.m. ET on Friday.

These are just some of the many details that will surface over the course of the next 24 hours.  Keep it locked on NFL’s Future to get updates as frequently as I can type.

A new rule has been put into place that teams cannot start training camp more than 15 days before their first preseason game.  For the starved NFL fan, here’s a list of when your team will be opening up camp.

Wednesday:  Arizona, Baltimore, Dallas, Denver, Jacksonville, New England, Oakland, Philadelphia, San Diego, Seattle

Thursday:  Atlanta, Cincinnati, Detroit, Kansas City, Miami, New Orleans, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, Tampa Bay, Washington

Friday:  Buffalo, Carolina, Chicago, Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, Minnesota, New York Giants, St. Louis, Tennessee

Saturday:  Houston and New York Jets

At approximately 11:30 a.m. ET we officially will be able to put the 135 days of the NFL lockout behind us.  Reports emerged this morning that the NFLPA* and NFL have agreed on terms of a new NFL CBA.  The long awaited, agonizing deal is a ten year deal that hopefully will serve both sides well throughout the next decade.

I decided against spewing out all the intense feelings in an expose of the failures of “the process” and instead roll out the timeline by which we as fans can get back to our beloved game.  So, without further adieu, here’s the unofficial timeline; which means it’s about to get real crazy.

Monday:  Doors to NFL facilities will be open for business.

Tuesday:  Teams can begin signing draftees and rookie free agents.  Teams will begin talking with free agents but they can’t be signed until Friday.

Wednesday:  10 teams will report to training camp

Thursday:  10 more teams will report to training camp

Friday:  10 more teams will report to training camp.  Free agency would officially begin at 6:00 p.m. ET.

Sunday:  The final two teams (Texans and Jets) report to training camp

August 2:  The league year officially begins.  Training camps officially begin.

If this timeline holds true, things are going to get fast and furious so stay tuned to NFL’s Future for the latest breaking transactions, updates, and NFL news.  Tonight at 6:30 I will be discussing the goings-on of the NFL on blogtalkradio.com.  Here’s the link:  http://www.blogtalkradio.com/jmkcool2002

MICHEAL PROFETTA

Assuming the CBA is ironed out in a timely fashion, most reports say that July 28 will be the day that free agency begins. Teams will be scrambling to secure a shiny, new toy like Nnamdi Asomugha or Sidney Rice to step into their lineup on short notice and make an immediate impact. It should be wild, but what may be more wild is the 72 hour window prior to free agency, when teams will be working frantically to meet the proposed $120 million salary cap and create even more cap space for free agency spending. This means roster cuts…lots of them. Here’s a sneak peek at some of the potential treasures that may be piled up next to AFC dumpsters within the next week. Read the rest of this entry » «Dumpster Diving in the AFC»