The New Orleans Saints have been desperately working to free up salary cap space this offseason, and there was some speculation that trading Michael Thomas would be another way for them to do that. That no longer seems like a possibility.
Thomas and the Saints have agreed to a restructured contract that will save the team nearly $9 million in cap space, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media. The star receiver initially carried a cap hit of $19 million in 2021, but New Orleans converted his base salary into a signing bonus with the new deal.
As Rapoport notes, the restructured deal all but eliminates the possibility that Thomas will be traded. The Saints probably could have found a team to take on his salary if they wanted to part ways with him, but Sean Payton obviously plans to keep Thomas around.
Thomas battled injuries and was involved in some drama with his teammates last season, which resulted in a down year. He caught just 40 passes in seven games after hauling in 149 in 2019 and 125 in 2018. Despite that, Payton openly mocked reports during the season that the Saints might trade the All-Pro wideout.
Cam Newton has agreed to re-sign with the New England Patriots on a one-year deal, and many were shocked to hear how much the contract is worth after the season Newton had in 2020. When you look at it more closely, however, it does not seem like a huge risk for the Patriots.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that Newton’s one-year contract is worth $14 million. As you might expect, that amount is hardly guaranteed.
Newton’s contract with the Patriots last season was essentially a league-minimum base salary with numerous incentives. The contract was worth up to $7.5 million, so Newton has the opportunity to earn double that this year. However, Albert Breer of The MMQB reports that the new contract is loaded with the same types of incentives.
The Athletic’s Jeff Howe said Newton will only earn $14 million “if everything goes perfectly.”
There was no reason for Newton to think he could earn big money from the Patriots or any other team after the way he played last season. He may feel his performance was greatly hindered by the shortened offseason and his bout with COVID-19, but he knew he was going to have to sign another prove-it deal.
Newton finished with 2,657 yards passing, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season. He’s betting on himself once again, but he didn’t have much of a choice. Hopefully his unique offseason training this year will yield better results heading into the 2021 season.
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Cam Newton did very little last season to prove he is still capable of being a starting quarterback in the NFL, but the New England Patriots still feel like he has something to offer.
Newton has agreed to re-sign with the Patriots on a one-year deal, Jim McBride of the Boston Globe reported on Friday.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports that the deal is worth $14 million.
Newton struggled in 2020, finishing with 2,657 yards passing, eight touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He did, however, sign with New England very late in what was already a shortened offseason due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Newton also missed time early in the year after testing positive for the coronavirus.
The Patriots have been linked to a number of veteran quarterbacks this offseason like Matthew Stafford and Jimmy Garoppolo, but Newton is familiar with the offense and a very inexpensive option. Bill Belichick may also be planning to draft a quarterback and have Newton compete for the starting job.
Newton will certainly be plenty motivated to prove himself after he failed to do so last season. He’s already been going through some unique offseason workouts, so we’ll see if that pays off.
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March Madness is unlike any other sport’s playoff format. Winning six games against six opponents in just three weeks is a unique test that only certain teams are cut out to accomplish.
In this year’s tournament, with COVID protocols and all of the difficulty that has come with them in place, there’s no telling exactly what kind of team is best set up for success. We might be ripe for a Cinderella champion, with chaos descending upon the games in Indianapolis. On the other hand, maybe only the best of the best are prepared for the journey ahead.
These five teams stand out as real contenders to cut down the nets in April.
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Michigan State has crossed a line with a hideous sponsorship deal it announced on Thursday.
The Spartans announced that their men’s basketball team will have a presenting sponsor as part of their name. Seriously.
Yes, the basketball team will be “known throughout the Breslin Center as, ‘MSU Spartans Presented by Rocket Mortgage,'” the school said in a news release.
The sponsorship will also call for Rocket Mortgage branding throughout the Breslin Center and Spartan Stadium, which is where the football team plays.
Look, you want to put the Rocket Mortgage logo and name on team benches, clipboards and facilities, go right ahead and do it. You want signs hanging throughout the arenas? Please do so. But making a sponsor part of the name is where things should end. That’s where you’ve gone too far. That crosses a line of decency for what should be acceptable or not.
I understand that college athletic departments have been hit hard financially over the last year. But there still needs to be standards. Michigan State is showing they have none and that they have no shame by allowing this. They’ve completely sold out their athletic team beyond a reasonable amount.
One thing that has irked me to no end is seeing European soccer teams that don’t have a city, town or team name on the jerseys. How are you supposed to know who they are and what they represent? Who wants to wear a “Vodafone” jersey? I pray American sports leagues never end up there. The small patches on the jerseys are bad enough. But when you turn your entire jersey into an advertisement and make it part of your team name, you’ve lost all respect. That’s what Michigan State has done here.
The Kansas City Chiefs will likely be a Super Bowl contender as long as Patrick Mahomes is healthy and in his prime. But they may be testing him next season.
The Chiefs on Thursday released both of their tackles. They cut left tackle Eric Fisher, who is coming off an Achilles tear. They also cut right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, who is recovering from back surgery. As if that weren’t enough, they said goodbye to center Austin Reiter as well.
Both tackles are coming off injuries, which helps explain Kansas City’s mentality. Still, Fisher has been a mainstay since being drafted No. 1 overall in 2013. Schwartz hadn’t missed a game prior to last season. Reiter started 12 games last season.
Maybe the Chiefs think they can bring back guard Andrew Wylie and tackle Mike Remmers and be happy with them as anchors. Maybe they think they can find healthier linemen in the draft and free agency who will be better values for the money.
Whatever happens, it seems the Chiefs are taking some risks by overhauling their entire line entering next season. Anyone who watched the Super Bowl knows how much Mahomes was running for his life in the game. The Chiefs shouldn’t exactly be eager to recreate that situation.
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JJ Watt’s priorities were questioned when he chose to sign with the Arizona Cardinals in free agency. Watt picked an 8-8 team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015. He chose them over other top contenders, too.
The nice weather in Arizona likely contributed to Watt’s decision. Just look at the photo he tweeted on Thursday of his view on a golf course:
It sure looks great there in early March. But maybe Watt will feel differently when it gets over 110 degrees in the summer.
Still, the warm weather has to be more forgiving on his aging body than the cold. Given his injury history, choosing a warm-weather team makes some sense. This probably wasn’t Watt’s wife’s first choice though.
Joe Burrow had a great response to Chad Johnson’s claim on Thursday.
Johnson, the former NFL wide receiver who was known as “Ochocinco,” claimed that he could help Burrow and Odell Beckham avoid further injuries. Johnson claims his 6-month meal prep plan would help both players, who are recovering from torn ACLs.
The claim sounds promising, but Burrow wasn’t quite buying it. He had to let Johnson down gently.
What’s the deal with McDonald’s? Johnson said a few months ago that he ate McDonald’s every day when he played. He credited that as the reason he never got injured. His reasoning was funny; if he could eat that fast food and his body would put up with it, his body would be able to handle the punishment it got from hits in the NFL.
That has to be the oddest food belief that we have heard since the old Jim Harbaugh story. It’s nice the diet worked for Ochocinco, who made six Pro Bowls as a player. But Burrow is probably best off avoiding the strategy.
PJ Tucker was a healthy scratch on Thursday night, and he reportedly is not happy with what is going.
The Houston Rockets big man is frustrated that he has not been traded yet, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon and Adrian Wojnarowski.
It’s no surprise that Tucker is upset.
The veteran forward has had issues with the Rockets for a while. He was frustrated over his contract situation with the team. He seemingly has been expecting a trade from the Rockets ever since they started making big changes.
Reports since January have suggested that Tucker would be dealt by Houston, but he remains with the team. The Rockets will likely deal Tucker since they’re not a contender and could get something in return for the veteran, who is set to be a free agent after the season.
Tucker is averaging 4.4 points and 4.6 rebounds per game this season but is recognized for doing many of the little things well. Plenty of teams likely have interest in him.
Adrian Peterson is nearly 36, but even at his age, he still may be able to find work as a running back.
Peterson joined “The Pat McAfee Show” on Thursday and said that he has received some interest in free agency.
“I talked to my agent a couple days ago. I got a couple calls, from about two teams right now,” Peterson said.
The veteran says he feels like he can still play until he is 40 years old.
“I feel like how my body feels, I feel like I can do it for a long time. I look crazy when I say I want to play til I’m 40, but it’s like each offseason, it’s always a reminder when I get around these young guys,” Peterson said.
Peterson played in all 16 games for the Lions last season, 10 as a starter. He rushed 156 times for 604 yards and seven touchdowns. His 3.9 yards per carry was down from the previous two seasons, but not terrible.
Will some team see him as a potential early-down back? Maybe. Peterson does have interest in joining a very specific team, but we doubt that happens.
H/T The Spun
