Welcome to the second edition of Pombo’s Weekly Football Rewind. This weekly series will go in depth about all of the latest news, rumors, signings, and trades of the past week.
Is Russell Wilson Moving on?
Russell Wilson and the Seattle Seahawks are not on the best terms, and this has been building up for quite some time. Wilson has been unhappy with the amount of hits he’s taken over the last six years, and has voiced the fact that he wants more say in the organization.
Russell Wilson has not formally requested a trade out of Seattle, but his agent did give ESPN’s Adam Schefter a list of teams that Wilson would waive his no-trade clause for. According to Schefter, the only teams that Wilson would be willing to waive his no-trade clause for, are the Dallas Cowboys, Las Vegas Raiders, Chicago Bears, and the New Orleans Saints.
Wilson has three-years left on his current contract, so, what are the chances Wilson actually gets dealt?
Personally, this feels like a leverage play from Wilson and his agent. The Seahawks and Wilson are at war, and Wilson is trying to get the upper hand. But, ultimately, there’s no way Seattle moves on from Wilson before the start of the 2021 season. However, I do believe that there is a significant chance Wilson gets moved down the line. The frustration is evident, and if things don’t change, the marriage is destined for a divorce.
Let’s not forget that the Browns offered the first-overall pick of the 2018 Draft for Russell Wilson. An extension quickly followed after Seattle had no interest in moving on from Wilson. But, the Browns don’t make a call like that without some knowledge of Russell Wilson being unhappy.
This will be a fascinating story to follow, and the heat will likely be turned up on the Seahawks front office this offseason.
Deshaun Watson Digs in
Deshaun Watson is continuing his push to get out of Houston. Watson formally requested a trade back in January, but the Texans have continued to tell teams that they’re not interested in moving on from their 25 year old franchise quarterback.
According to ESPN, Watson met with new Texans head coach David Culley, but Watson made his feelings clear that he still wants out of Houston.
Reports have surfaced that Watson will never play for the Texans again, and is willing to sit out. If Watson were to sit out for the entire season, he will lose over $20 million in 2021.
But, regardless of what Watson or his agent tell the media, the Texans are not taking any phone calls on Watson. Buckle up, because this won’t be the last report about Watson being unhappy and frustrated.
I don’t think Watson gets dealt this offseason, and I don’t think the Texans should trade him.
Is Jimmy Garoppolo off the Market?
Despite Jimmy Garoppolo having a base salary of $24.1 million, and a cap hit of $26.4, he’s expected to return to the San Francisco 49ers in 2021.
49ers general manger John Lynch made that very clear when he joined the The Eye Test for Two podcast with Clark Judge and Ira Kaufman.
When asked if there was any doubt that Garoppolo would be the 49ers quarterback in 2021, Lynch responded with:
“No. Not at all. I really believe that.”
This strong statement comes to some surprise, as Garoppolo has been the center of rumors for quite some time. The 49ers have been linked to many quarterbacks in the past, including Tom Brady last offseason, and Matthew Stafford and Deshaun Watson this offseason. Many draft experts have pegged the 49ers as a potential team to trade up for a quarterback, or to pounce on a quarterback that falls in the draft.
It’s obvious that the 49ers are dissatisfied with Garoppolo as he’s missed 23 games in the past three seasons, but, it looks like they are still prepared to roll with him 2021.
The 49ers may not be married to Garoppolo and would likely ditch him in a minute if a better opportunity presented itself. But, they seem perfectly content to ride it out with Jimmy Garoppolo in 2021.
J.J. Watt Lands in Arizona
After the Texans elected to release J.J. Watt, the three-time defensive player of the year winner signed a two-year contract worth $31 million with the Arizona Cardinals.
This comes as a surprise, as many had not pegged the Cardinals as a potential landing spot for Watt.
But, if you took the time to read my first edition of Pombo’s Weekly Football Rewind, the Cardinals did fit the bill. I didn’t have Watt landing in Arizona, but the Cardinals check all of the boxes.
Watt got paid above market value, is playing for a team that is built to contend, and will have the luxury of Chandler Jones taking most of the double-teams.
The NFC West is the best division in football, and it’s not even close.
Ben Roethlisberger Will Remain in Pittsburgh in 2021
After much uncertainty about his future, Ben Roethlisberger’s future has become much more clear in recent days.
Roethlisberger’s agent Ryan Tollner confirmed it to NFL Network reporter, Aditi Kinkhabwala:
“They want Ben back and will contact me soon to address his cap situation. As we've shared since the season ended, we are happy to creatively adjust his contract to help them build the best team possible. A year ago, Ben wasn't sure if he could throw again, but he battled back to get 12 wins and the 8th division title of his career. They lost steam down the stretch and that doesn't sit well for him, so the fire burns strong and there is plenty of gas in the tank.”
The soon to be 39 year old quarterback will enter his eighteenth season as the starting quarterback in Pittsburgh. But, despite the return of Big Ben, there is many questions still unanswered in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers need to figure out a way to restructure Roethlisberger’s contract, as he is set for a a steep $41.2 million cap hit. The Steelers are projected to be $6 million over the salary cap, and have a plethora of key free agents. Bud Dupree, James Connor, Juju Smith-Schuster, Alejandro Villanueva, Cameron Sutton, and Mike Hilton are all set to hit the market.
With Roethlisberger returning, the Steelers find themselves in a situation in which they could lose their starting left tackle, their starting running back, and a starting receiver.
Not to mention, Roethlisberger regressed throughout the season.
It was time for Big Ben to hang it up and he didn’t.
Don’t be surprised if things get real ugly in Pittsburgh in 2021.
The Patriots Are Set to Get Back Their Key COVID Opt-Outs in 2021
The Patriots took a hit when Dont’a Hightower, Pat Chung, and Marcus Cannon opted out of the 2020 season. Hightower and Chung have been anchors on the Patriots defense for close to a decade, and Cannon (when healthy) has helped solidify the right side of the Patriots’ offensive line for the last nine seasons.
The Patriots obviously had a lack of depth in 2020, and adding these three veterans will go along way for their 2021 roster. At times, they missed each of these players.
Hightower has a cap hit of $12.4 million, Chung has a cap hit of $3.1 million, and Cannon has a cap hit of $9.6 million.
Now, I do believe that Hightower, Chung, and Cannon will be back in 2021, but I do not believe that they will be retuning without a contract adjustment.
Alex Smith is Expected to be Released
Alex Smith was one of the best feel-good stories in 2020, but the soon to be 37 year old quarterback is expected to be released by the Washington Football Team.
Releasing Smith will save the Washington Football Team over $14 million in cap room.
Now, Smith’s future is uncertain, but him being healthy enough in 2020 is already an unbelievable accomplishment. But, if Smith were to play in 2021, he will likely draw some interest around the league.
The Chicago Bears make a ton of sense. There quarterback room is uncertain, and while Smith was in Kansas City, Matt Nagy was his offensive coordinator.
I could see a scenario in which a team brings in Smith to be their “bridge quarterback.”
The Patriots Don’t Have Any Confidence in Jarrett Stidham
After Tom Brady departed for Tampa Bay last March, the Patriots quarterback room was unsettled, and was a mystery heading into the 2020 season.
As the offseason progressed, it looked more and more that Jarett Stidham would get the opportunity to be Tom Brady’s successor. The Patriots neglected to sign a quarterback, other then journeyman Brian Hoyer, and neglected to draft one. But, all of a sudden that changed, when the Patriots signed Cam Newton in July of 2020, three months into free agency.
Newton came into Patriots training camp and completely outplayed Stidham. Even Brian Hoyer bested Jarrett Stidham in training camp, Stidham came out of training camp as the third quarterback on the depth chart.
So, what exactly happened to Jarrett Stidham, what went wrong?
Greg Bedard of Boston Sports Journal, shined a little light on what went went on his “Patriots Podcast”:
“There was not much faith in the building (in him). And you could even see that when he got into the games and the way he conducted the huddle. For whatever reason, and I don’t know if it was the training camp injury or the offseason thing or what have you, or the way he just conducts himself. There’s not a lot of belief (in him) in that building. And there was the feeling within the team that if they turned the keys over to Stidham, that it would become a complete debacle down the stretch and that wouldn’t be good for anybody.”
It was obvious that the Patriots did not trust Stidham, because if they did, he would have gotten an opportunity to start. Cam Newton was statistically one of the worst quarterbacks in the NFL, and was benched countless times, and Stidham still could not land a start.
At this point, it seems very unlikely that Stidham will be the starting quarterback for the Patriots 2021, and it’s no guarantee that Stidham even claims a roster spot.
Once you lose Bill Belichick’s trust and the locker room’s trust, it’s nearly impossible to get that back.