A day after adding another quarterback, the Giants have added another receiver.
The Giants have announced — sort of — that they have agreed to terms with veteran receiver Zach Pascal.
Undrafted in 2017, the 30-year-old Pascal has played for the Colts, Eagles, and Cardinals. He has 169 catches for 2,057 yards and 16 touchdowns in 112 regular-season appearances, with 47 starts.
Pascal appeared in 17 games last season with Arizona, mainly on special teams. He had 68 total offensive snaps and 278 special-teams snaps. He caught no passes in 2024.
In the latest example of a somewhat unusual trend, the Giants posted on their website a blurb crediting the news to “reports.” Instead of simply confirming it. Or debunking it.
Or adding something like this: “The Giants did not respond to a request for comment from the Giants.”
Colorado coach Deion Sanders wants to play another team in the spring. His program is already moving in that direction.
Via Javon Edmonds of Syracuse.com, Colorado and Syracuse have sought permission to hold joint practices next month, culminating in a scrimmage.
Syracuse coach Fran Brown disclosed the development after practice on Friday.
The Division I-FBS Oversight Committee meets on April 10. A decision could be made at that time.
By rule, teams may have 15 spring practices within a 35-day window. Colorado’s spring game is set for April 19. Syracuse is due to wrap its spring practices on April 16.
“It will help the game,” Brown said. “Nobody wants to have spring games anymore. Nobody wants to worry about the portal. . . . I’m just confident in who I am and what i do for the players.”
More and more coaches fear that spring games will put up-and-coming players on the radar of other programs for transfer purposes.
“Everybody’s moving to stop spring games,” Sanders said recently. “I don’t know why. It’s not gonna stop, I’m just thinking of a way to improve it, so I want to play against somebody.”
Brown made it clear immediately that he’d bring the Orange to Colorado.
For the second straight offseason, safety Nick Scott is signing a one-year contract with the Panthers.
Scott signed a one-year deal with Carolina on March 22, 2024, and exactly a year later Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Scott has agreed to terms on another one-year contract.
Last year Scott played in 10 games with four starts at safety and was a major contributor on special teams for the Panthers.
Originally a seventh-round pick of the Rams out of Penn State in 2019, Scott played four years for the Rams and one for the Bengals before signing with the Panthers a year ago.
Last month, word emerged that ESPN and the NFL have resumed talks regarding an acquisition of NFL Media. This week, the first price tag emerged.
Via Brendon Kleen of AwfulAnnouncing.com, Andrew Marchand of TheAthletic.com said this week on his podcast that the number will be as much as $2 billion. The league also could emerge with an ownership stake in ESPN.
Regardless of whether the NFL Media assets are actually worth that much money under a strict accounting analysis, everything is worth precisely what anyone will pay for it. And since the move would also serve as insurance against not getting boxed out in the next wave of broadcast rights negotiations, it could be money well spent.
With the streaming companies becoming more active — and with Netflix apparently hoping to make a big splash — one of the existing three-letter broadcast partners could end up SOL.
Really, how could the league leave ESPN/ABC at the altar for Monday Night Football or some other package, if ESPN owns and operates NFL Network (and other properties) and if the league owns a chunk of ESPN?
A deal was close last May. And then it didn’t happen. And then it was back burnered. Now, it could be close to boiling.
To date, only ESPN has been identified as a serious candidate to make the purchase. Given the potential connection between buying NFL Media and ensuring an ongoing supply of NFL games, it’s surprising more networks aren’t in hunt.
With quarterback Jameis Winston joining the Giants, the group of teams looking for veteran signal-callers is shrinking.
It’s down to three obvious teams: Steelers, Browns, and Vikings.
Others could be looking for veterans, too. But those are the main three.
And the most obvious candidates are Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, Joe Flacco, Ryan Tannehill (apparently), and Carson Wentz, who has been linked to the Browns.
Also, don’t rule out a potential Kirk Cousins trade.
Rodgers looms over everything, but as the Winston signing shows some teams are willing to move on. And with the Browns not linked to Rodgers at all (for now), they can move on Wilson or Wentz or whoever they want.
Regardless, the carousel is still spinning. And some big names are still waiting. Or keeping us waiting. Or some of both.
At the start of the free agency negotiating period, defensive tackle Milton Williams was reportedly “working to finalize” a deal with the Panthers. Hours later, he agreed to a deal with the Patriots.
So what happened?
Williams told NFL Media that just as a deal with the Panthers was about to be agreed upon, the Patriots called with a better deal.
“My agent was on the phone, and I was kind of in the room,” he said. “They were on the phone talking to teams, and teams were coming in with new deals. There was a lot going on, and it happened really fast. They talked about Carolina then and I was like, ‘alright, it sounds like the best offer we are going to get, so, we were going to go there.’ Then, a split second later, New England hopped on and was like, ‘Nah, this is what we got for you.’ Carolina felt like they went too high on their number, so, they stayed at where they were at. New England came in, and it was [over] after that. They wanted me the most and made me a priority. So, I made them a priority.”
The Patriots’ offer guaranteed Williams $51 million at signing, and he was eager to sign it.
Less than 15 minutes into free agency (our story posted at 12:14 p.m. ET), the Buccaneers landed edge rusher Haason Reddick on a one-year, $14 million deal. G.M. Jason Licht explained this week on WDAE radio that the Bucs believe 2024 was an aberration for Reddick, and that he can get back to being an elite player.
“He’s such a freak, freak athlete and he really knows how to get after the quarterback,” Licht said, via JoeBucsFan.com.
“And, you know, [50] sacks in four years — just one year removed from that string that he had where he was an elite guy — and during the [2024] season, it was just kind of a bizarre year for him as he explained with the Jets. But when we knew that he was going to be a free agent, and we had talked several times internally that if he hits free agency or when he does, that this guy might be something that’s worth, you know, betting on. Because he’s going to be very hungry to prove to everybody that he is still the same player that he was before last year.”
Licht confirmed that Reddick was Tampa Bay’s first choice at the edge rusher position. And given the extreme speed with which the deal was done, it’s obvious that the usual pre-free agency tampering resulted in no team making him a significant, multi-year offer.
One could be coming in Tampa.
“He’s very, very determined to prove to everybody that last year was a fluke, that he’s still the same player,” Licht said. “He’s a great guy. He’s going to be a great fit. He can already sense what the locker room is like. And he’s just one of those guys that you like to be direct with. . . . He likes to hear the truth. And the truth was, ‘Hey, you’re going to love your team, you’re going to love your teammates, and we have a history here of rewarding people after they come in on these one-year, prove-it deals. And there’s a chance that we can do that here with you.’”
Reddick, 30, was a first-round pick of the Cardinals in 2017. After four years in Arizona, he spent one season with the Panthers, two with the Eagles, and one (sort of) with the Jets.
They were teammates at LSU. They’re now the two highest-paid receivers in the NFL.
So how do the contracts signed by Justin Jefferson of the Vikings and Ja’Marr Chase of the Bengals compare?
As it relates to new-money annual average (an often flawed way to value contracts), Jefferson is at $35 million per year and Chase is at $40.25 million. (Given the bloated final year of the deal, Chase’s real new-money APY is more like $38.728 million.)
Here are some other apples-to-apples comparisons of the two contracts.
Regarding full guarantees at signing, Jefferson has $88.743 million through Year 1, $95.743 million through Year 2, and $110 million through Year 3. Chase has $73.9 million through Year 1, $103.9 million through Year 2, and $112 million through Year 3.
Remove the per-game roster bonuses from the calculations, and Jefferson’s numbers are $87.723 million, $94.723 million, and $108.98 million. For Chase, they’re $72.9 million, $101.9 million, and $109 million.
The injury guarantee at signing is $110 million for Jefferson and $109.8 million for Chase.
On cash flow, the numbers favor Chase. Through Year 1, Jefferson is at $38.063 million and Chase is at $41.16 million. Through Year 2, Jefferson is at $69.993 million and Chase is at $75 million. Through Year 3, Jefferson is at $95.743 million and Chase is at $105 million. Through Year 4, Jefferson is at $125.743 million and Chase is at $138 million. Through Year 5, Jefferson is at $159.743 million and Chase is at $182.816 million. (Again, Chase’s final year is bloated.)
Removal of the per-game active roster bonuses makes things considerably tighter, since Chase has $5 million tied to being able to suit up and play. Jefferson’s number is roughly $2 million.
Both deals are very strong. While Chase’s deal is better on all metrics, it’s not dramatically better. And the cap doesn’t reflect the low-hanging, oft-misleading new-money APY gap.
Publicly, Stanford football G.M. (and former NFL quarterback) Andrew Luck has said nothing about the multiple investigations of Stanford coach Troy Taylor. Privately, Luck has apparently made his position known.
Dan Wetzel of ESPN.com notes in a column regarding the situation that his colleague who broke the story of the Taylor situation, Xuan Thai, also reports that Luck met with the Stanford football team on Thursday, and that “Luck doubled down on standing by his coach.”
Per an industry source, Luck spoke to reporters on Wednesday, at the Stanford Pro Day. He gave no indication of any issues with the program or Taylor — even though the ESPN.com report landed roughly two hours later.
“Luck sounded sincerely enthusiastic about the program’s direction and didn’t indicate any issues hovering over Taylor,” the source said.
As Wetzel explains, Luck is the new face of the program. Unlike other college programs (like North Carolina) where the G.M. works for the coach, Taylor works for Luck.
Beyond the behavioral issues that prompted the pair of investigations into Taylor, he’s 6-18 in two seasons. That alone would suggest the ice is getting thin. And while it’s way too early for Luck to be in any sort of jeopardy at the school where he was a superstar, he’s currently skating a figure eight while everyone else is hearing the cracks spread under Taylor’s feet.
With Miami quarterback Cam Ward widely expected to go to the Titans with the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft, Penn State defensive end Abdul Carter has solidified his status to go second overall.
Carter is a -125 favorite to go second overall at DraftKings. Ward is a -700 favorite to go first overall.
Barring a trade, the Browns will be picking second, and pairing Carter with Myles Garrett would give the Browns perhaps the most talented defensive end tandem in the NFL. It would also, however, leave open the question of who the Browns’ quarterback of the future is.
That leads to the player with the next-best odds to go No. 2 overall, Colorado quaterback Shedeur Sanders. Ward is listed a +600 to go second overall. It’s unlikely he’ll be available.
The only other player who appears to have a realistic shot at going No. 2 overall is Colorado wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, who is listed at +650.
The long shots are Michigan defensive lineman Mason Graham, Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart and Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, all listed at +4000.
