Tag: NFL Free Agency

Could Julian Edelman’s Contract Be Holding the Patriots Back in Free Agency?

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As it turns out, I was right in predicting that the Pats would try and be players in the wide-receiver market this offseason.

Not only are there unconfirmed rumors that they may have offered a solid package for Antonio Brown, but we also now know for sure that they were aggressively pursuing former Tampa Bay slot stud Adam Humphries on Monday, before he ultimately signed with the Titans:

Humphries ended up signing with Tennessee for four years and $36 million, with $19 million guaranteed. Relatively speaking, that’s a freakin’ steal, and I’m really disappointed that the Pats weren’t willing to go above $9 million per to bring him in.

Disagree? Check this out:

He’s also averaged over 68 catches and 700 yards each of the past two seasons, catching 73 percent of his total targets. He is criminally underrated, and the Pats let him slip away. Plain and simple. (Also, Devin Funchess, who has surpassed 40 catches all of ONCE in four NFL seasons, got $10 million from the Colts yesterday, which can reach $13 [!!!] with incentives. Case in point.)

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Do not sleep on this man.

But is it because they really didn’t believe Humphries was worth that much? I don’t think so. In today’s NFL, you’d have to be a fool to think you’ll be able to bring in that type of talent for much less than eight figures, at minimum. Even Belichick knows that.

However, it’s actually mind-blowing to think about the fact that Julian Edelman – a multi-time Super Bowl Champion and the man who is second on the ALL-TIME postseason receptions list – has a base salary of just $2 million for 2019. WHAT??!! Including bonuses, his total cap hit is $4.5 million. But still, that number is unbelievably low – as in I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen the proof myself.

Could the team be worried that bringing in a guy who plays the same exact role for MUCH more money would upset Jules? ESPN’s Mike Reiss thinks it potentially could:

Look, this is all pure speculation, and there are many out there who will respond – in typical Patriots toadie fashion – by saying that Edelman is “SUCH A TEAM GUY” and only cares about the old “Patriot way!” He loves it here, Mattes! That’s all that matters to him!

Wake up, people! You really think that he’d be OK making over five times less than a guy who, while playing well over the past two years, hasn’t won anything and is an entirely unknown name to the casual NFL fan? Especially coming off a Super Bowl MVP performance? OH, and let’s not forget that Edelman is 32 years old and knows time is running out to get that paper. Even if we don’t sign another wide receiver this offseason, I doubt Edelman allows the team to get to the regular season without forcing an extension, because this is also the final year of his current contract.

So while everyone, myself included, is focused on now-departed guys like Trent Brown and Trey Flowers or who else the Pats could potentially bring in this offseason, perhaps we’ve forgotten to think about taking care of one of our own. Sure, guys like Golden Tate (*heavy breathing*), Tyrell Williams, Cole Beasley (signed with Buffalo), and Randall Cobb are still out there, but I think we need to take care of Jules first – or at the very least have an immediate plan to do so. And who knows, maybe the team can even work some magic and create more cap room by re-working both his and Brady’s contracts at the same time.

I’m not saying they can’t still get something done with another player before taking care of Edelman; they certainly could. All I’m saying is that they’re certainly not making it any easier on themselves until they figure things out with No. 11. Stay tuned.

BREAKING: The Patriots Reportedly Lose Trent Brown to the Oakland Raiders

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Well damn. That was fast!

Even though free-agent deals and offseason trades cannot be officially announced until Wednesday afternoon, teams were allowed to begin “negotiations” with available players as of Monday morning. But, as we are in the age of social media and “I SAID IT FIRST” journalism, we’ll probably know where most of the top guys are going before we all even sit down for dinner on Tuesday night.

Per Adam Schefter, we already know that Brady’s big ole blindside protector from last season is off to Cali:

Again, it’s no shocker to hear that Trent Brown is heading off to greener pastures. This isn’t to say he’s not deserving. After all, he did serve as the team’s left tackle on what was arguably the league’s best O-line last season.

It’s just that we all knew the Pats weren’t going to pay him, especially at over $16 million per year with more than double that amount guaranteed. (Seriously, though, that is one helluva windfall for a guy who had never been a full-time starting left tackle until 2018. Congrats, big fella!)

Most assume the Pats will simply plug in Isaiah Wynn as Brown’s replacement after spending a first-round pick on the 22-year-old just last season. That very well could happen, but let’s also not forget he lost his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury he suffered just last August. Those are not easy injuries to come back from, especially for a position which relies so much on quick and stable footwork. I fully expect the Pats to bring in some competition for him, either with a high draft pick or a free-agent signing.

So there you have it: the first domino to fall for the Pats this offseason.

The Patriots Reportedly Tried to Trade for Antonio Brown (Update: Maybe Not)

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(UPDATE: The Internet can be a funny place. While I did say “reportedly” from the get-go when first posting this story, it seems as though – as of 1:40 p.m. on Monday afternoon – nobody can say for sure whether or not the Pats actually made this offer. I was using a third-party tweet which was reporting a quote from one of the NFL’s leading experts, Ian Rapoport, after he supposedly broke the news on NFL Network this morning. Apparently, though, he may have been misquoted. However, there are many sites which are still reporting this story as fact, so who knows? IF this is true, below are my two cents on the matter as well as what it could potentially mean for the Pats going forward):

I think we all owe Jon Gruden an apology.

After a nine-year absence from the NFL sidelines, he was hired last January to become the new head coach (and de facto G.M.) of the Oakland Raiders. At first, many people (myself included) scoffed at the idea. Even though he had a pretty successful 10-year run as a head coach in the late 90s/early 2000s – which included a Super Bowl victory with Tampa Bay in 2003 – most were skeptical that the 55-year-old cartoon character of an individual could be successful in today’s NFL.

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He was then eviscerated by the media for trading away one of the game’s best defenders in Khalil Mack just two months later (even though he got a pretty solid return). He also “reached” on an offensive tackle with his first draft pick in May, and things weren’t looking all that great for Gruden heading into last season…and honestly, they didn’t get much better.

BUT, even in the midst of suffering through what was a pretty miserable season in 2018, Gruden was able to trade away a young but maddeningly inconsistent wide receiver named Amari Cooper to Dallas for a first-round pick. Again, even though he received yet another first-round pick – giving Oakland THREE of them in 2019 – people still blamed him for not using Cooper correctly and giving away one of the game’s premiere young talents.

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While things certainly got better for him in Dallas, Cooper was an absolute roller-coaster ride out in Oakland.

Now, he has Antonio Brown, the game’s best receiver over the past half-decade. OH, and he only had to trade away a third- and fifth-round pick for him. So basically, Gruden traded away Amari Cooper, Khalil Mack, a third, and a fifth for the following:

  • Antonio Brown
  • Three first-round picks (2018 [1], 2019 [2])
  • A sixth-round pick in 2019
  • A third-round pick in 2020

That is absolutely ABSURD. There’s also rumors the team is gearing up to sign Le’Veon Bell as well. Things could start to turn around for the Raiders pretty quickly.

On the flip side, the Steelers are being ripped apart for getting so little in return for a guy who has been on a truly historic run over the past six years (six-straight seasons of at least 100 catches, 1,200 yards, and nine touchdowns). To be fair, A.B. pretty much had all the leverage in deciding where he would go by making a new contract mandatory from whichever team he went to. The Bills, the team he was reportedly traded to on Friday morning but then wasn’t just two hours later, weren’t willing to do that; the Raiders, though, saw no issue with it. Therefore, the Steelers had to take the best offer available.

However, today we were told that there was allegedly at least one team out there who was willing to offer even more:

IF this is actually true, then this says two things to me:

  1. The Patriots have been so good that other teams are now willing to hurt themselves and TAKE LESS just so the Pats can’t get better. (Truly unbelievable stuff.)
  2. The Pats really are still trying to bring in a top-flight receiver, and maybe (juuuust maybe) they are getting ready to spend some capital to bring in some more talent to play with Brady – as I predicted they might do in my piece about the 2019 free-agent wide-receiver class this past Friday.

All we do know is that the offseason is starting off with a bang so far, and the Pats could be a lot more involved than most people think. Also, the Steelers are SHOOK and were just pantsed by two different star players this year.

Get your popcorn ready, folks. These could be a fun next couple of months.

Could the Patriots Finally Break the Bank for a Free Agent Wide Receiver?

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This is going to be an interesting offseason for the Patriots. Coming off a Super Bowl victory with an aging roster, the next few months will be crucial to the long-term success of the franchise.

The new NFL league year starts this Monday (March 11), and after the team decided not to use their franchise tag this offseason, we already know that some of the team’s biggest names from their championship squad are set to hit the open market, including:

  • Trey Flowers: Your leading sack artist for the past three seasons and one of the best young edge defenders in the league.
  • Trent Brown: The guy who served as a more than solid blindside protector for your soon-to-be 42-year-old quarterback.
  • Jason McCourty: Your starting slot cornerback who had a career year and may have single-handedly saved the Super Bowl this past February.
  • Stephen Gostkowski: Your starting kicker for the past 13 seasons. He may have had some big misses in his career, but he has also been one of the league’s most consistent legs over the past decade and a half.
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With the current state of kicking in the NFL, Stevie Boy could receive a pretty penny for his services this offseason.

While I do believe the team will re-up with McCourty, it’s looking more and more likely that the other three above are on their way out of Foxborough. This also fails to mention that besides Julian Edelman, the Pats have pretty much no other wide-outs of note under contract for 2019, as all of Cordarrelle Patterson, Chris Hogan, and Phillip Dorsett are unrestricted free agents as well. (Josh Gordon is technically still under the team’s control, but who the hell knows what’s going to happen with him?)

OK then.

Look, we’ve been here before. Anyone who believes that the Pats will be in dire straits next season, even if all of those players walk, obviously hasn’t been watching this team for the past 18 years. Belichick & Co. always find a way to make up for their perceived shortcomings, and their ability to bring in key guys on the cheap or in shrewd ways is unparalleled, uncanny even. Bleacher Report’s Mike Tanier wrote a great piece this week highlighting Belichick’s roster-building mastery over the years.

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Relax, everybody. This ain’t Bill’s first rodeo.

But, again, with Edelman being literally the only non-running back the team knows it will be able to rely upon next season (stiiiiillll no word on Gronk…), maybe it’s time to bring in another big piece to help Brady during his twilight years.

Fortunately, the 2019 free-agent class is ripe with talent at wide receiver, a few of which the Pats have been connected to before. I already highlighted last week that Golden Tate said he would love to don the Pats colors, and Jay Glazer reported this week that the Pats apparently tried to bring in long-time Aaron Rodgers favorite, Randall Cobb, at some point last year. They ultimately ended up bringing in Josh Gordon instead…and we all know how that worked out.

Most would say that the Pats would likely want to target another outside/big-play receiver a la Gordon, and Cobb would fit that mold. Others like Tyrell Williams, John Brown, Demaryius Thomas, Devin Funchess, Dez Bryant, and even Mike Wallace (yes, that Mike Wallace) would be welcomed additions to a team severely lacking in weaponry on the boundary. I wouldn’t hate the team taking a stab on any of those guys. (Except maybe Dez. I just don’t want to deal with all the B.S. that comes along with him.)

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So Cobb could potentially go from playing with one H.O.F. quaterback to playing with an even more legendary signal-caller. Man, tough life.

But truthfully, the slot is where it’s at with this free-agent group, highlighted by the aforementioned Tate. And even though we already have one of the game’s best in Edelman, I’d much rather see the Pats open up the purse to bring in the best players possible as opposed to signing a lesser guy due to “need.” Obviously, Tate is at the top of my wish list, but he’ll likely be a bit too expensive.

But what about someone like Jamison Crowder? A 25-year-old who had 133 catches and over 1,600 yards between 2016-2017 for Washington before being slowed by a tough injury last season. Or maybe Adam Humphries, who had 76 catches on 105 targets last year in an extremely crowded wide receiver group in Tampa Bay. According to various reports, both players are expected to receive around $10 million per year, which honestly isn’t a price that should prohibit the Pats from acquiring Brady some much-needed talent to play with.

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If we can’t have Tate, then I’d say Crowder is probably No. 2 on my list.

Even Cole Beasley, who has basically been a poor man’s Julian Edelman in Dallas for the past few seasons, would be a nice piece. Michael Crabtree, Chris Conley, Dontrelle Inman, and J.J. Nelson are names to keep an eye on as well. The point is, there’s no shortage of receiver help for the Pats to choose from, and signing a guy off the wire would also allow the team to use its abundance of draft capital this year toward beefing up some other important positions.

I know a lot free-agent receiver additions haven’t worked out so well in the past for the Pats (see: Ochocinco, Chad; Decker, Eric; Wayne, Reggie), but those guys were also past their prime and heading toward the end of the line. Getting one of the marquee names available this offseason would be a different move entirely.

So, if we’re going to let Flowers walk, we might as well use that $20 million or so in cap space (which could potentially be even more if Brady restructures his contract) on something. There’s a first time for everything, Bill. Go get us a wide out!

Golden Tate Wants to Sign With the Patriots!

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Earlier this week, former Seahawks, Lions, and Eagles wide receiver Golden Tate, who is currently a free agent, appeared on the Prostyle Podcast and let it be known that he’d love for the chance to play with TB12 & Co. next season:

“Man, I would love it. I would love it. That organization, they’ve proven to be champions year in and year out. They work hard, for sure. But you know where you’re going to be at the end of the season. You’re going to be looking at not going to the playoffs, but you’re going to be looking at maybe a first-round bye, which is key.”

“You gotta admire that organization. They do things right. They’ve been doing it for a long, long, long time. So, I’d definitely love to be a part of something like that and catch a few passes from ol’ Tommy Boy. Julian [Edelman] is a buddy of mine. I’m real good buddies with him and I’ve heard good things. Kyle Van Noy, who got traded from Detroit and has been there and has been balling out since, has said great things about the organization. I definitely would not mind going over there for sure.”

(h/t Sports Illustrated).

Sign. Me. Up.

Tate and the Patriots would be a match made in Heaven. The 31-year-old has compiled 446 receptions over the past five seasons, which included four-straight 90-plus-catch campaigns in Detroit from 2013-2017. He is one of the very best slot receivers in the game, and his high football I.Q. and route-running prowess would make Brady drool.

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This guy was an absolute stud out in the Motor City.

Yes, the Pats already have one of the game’s best slot guys in Julian Edelman, but adding someone like Tate to the mix would give opposing defenses absolute FITS over the middle of the field. Tate’s presence would allow the Pats to do what they do even better: wear down the opponent with short, quick timing routes that help move the chains and kill the clock all game long. As much as this team could benefit from a big-play receiver on the outside – especially if Gronk leaves and Josh Gordon doesn’t come back – Brady has always been much more successful with smart, possession receivers like Tate. It almost makes too much sense.

Tate has also had at least four touchdowns in every season since 2012. He also finished with the 11th-most yards after the catch at the wide receiver position last year, so he actually does have some big-play ability as well.

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With Edelman being the only receiver of note who is guaranteed to be on the field for the Pats next season, the position will obviously need to be addressed this offseason. And rather than go out and spend lavishly on a player like Odell Beckham or Antonio Brown, the team could spend far less to bring in a guy like Tate, who would probably be much more effective in the Patriots’ system anyway.

I know, I know, the team doesn’t have the best track record with free-agent wide outs, but I would be absolutely shocked if someone of Tate’s caliber and acumen didn’t work out here. Again, this one just makes too much sense. MAKE IT HAPPEN, BILL!

Patriots “System” Strikes Again; Is it Time to Call Old Friend Brandon LaFell?

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It seems like every few years the Patriots are desperately “thin” at wide receiver and Brady is forced to make something out of a whole lot of nothing.

Brady built the early part of his career off of solid-but-unspectacular guys like Deion Branch, David Givens, David Patten, Daniel Graham, Ben Watson, Christian Fauria, and, of course, my all-time-favorite Patriot Troy Brown. But in all honesty, while each of them had their moments, none of them could ever really be considered a stud, and they should all thank TB12 for giving them the notoriety they never would have had – and were never able to obtain again – without him behind center.

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Don’t worry, Troy. You’re still my boy.

Then, in 2006, Brady got to the AFC Championship with Reche Caldwell and a 35-year-old Brown leading the way (before watching the defense blow a 21-point lead in vomit-inducing fashion, ultimately handing Peyton Manning his first ring.)

He finally got some pretty insane help at the age of 30 with the likes of Randy Moss and Wes Welker in 2007, before seeing the team draft players like Gronk, Aaron Hernandez (yeah, I know, but he was really good), and Julian Edelman over the next couple of years thereafter. But, again, before that Brady was always able to get it done no matter who was on the field.

There should be no doubt that Brady can always work with what’s in front of him, but over the years we’ve also seen plenty of highly-touted guys who simply can’t handle the Patriots “system” and flame out in a flash. Whether they were high draft picks or former standouts with other teams, here’s a short list of guys who came in with high expectations but just couldn’t hack it in Foxborough: Aaron Dobson; Joey Galloway; Bethel Johnson; Chad Ochocino; Brandon Tate; Reggie Wayne.

If you’ve been reading any Patriots news over the past week or two, it looks like Eric Decker might be the next guy to make that list.

After signing with the team two weeks ago, Decker has been having trouble just catching and holding on to the ball in camp, and a lot are starting to wonder if he’ll even make the team. Patriots Wire posted a story today highlighting Decker’s struggles while also offering some insight – via another free-agent wide-out addition that didn’t work out – as to why he’s been having such a tough time:

So apparently, as some have alluded to over the years, Bill just asks too much of his receivers, and some guys can handle it more than others. I guess it’s as simple as that.

There’s still plenty of time for Decker to get it together, and the story even mentions that he made some nice plays at the end of yesterday’s practice, but there’s definitely reason for concern. Add that to the fact that Phillip Dorsett left practice due to injury on Tuesday afternoon (fortunately, it doesn’t look too bad from the sounds of it), and the Patriots current wide receiver situation looks potentially the worst it ever has throughout Brady’s entire career.

At this point, it looks like Chris Hogan and Cordarrelle Patterson are going to be the team’s top two receivers when the team kicks off the season against the Texans on September 9, and that can’t be giving anyone the warm and fuzzies.

Is it time to give Brandon LaFell a call?

Now, before Pats fans jump down my throat, let’s take another look at how it all really went down during his short two-year stint with the Pats.

LaFell finished his first season in New England with 74 catches, 953 yards, and seven touchdowns. Those are some very solid numbers, especially considering the previously mentioned issues with many of the team’s other free-agent additions. LaFell also caught the game-winning touchdown against the Ravens in the 2014 AFC Divisional Round playoff game. He was a really big part of the offense that year.

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But something changed at the start of the 2015 season. LaFell started the year on the PUP list, and he was never able to overcome his nagging foot injury. He eventually finished the season with just 37 catches, before being cut by the Pats in the offseason.

It was a sad end to what looked like a promising career turnaround for the then-29-year-old, but he was fortunately able to catch on with Cincinnati only about a month after his release from the Patriots in March 2016. Over the past two seasons, he’s compiled a combined 116 receptions for 1,410 yards and nine scores – and all of that came while playing with Andy “Inconsistency is My Middle Name” Dalton.

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I know I said last week that signing Dez Bryant would be a bad move for the Pats at this point, but that was solely because of Dez’s selfish attitude. LaFell has been nothing but a stand-up guy throughout his career, and the only reason he was cut by the Bengals this offseason is because he asked to be:

(Why? I’m unsure. But again…Andy Dalton.)

(OK. Fine. Dalton’s not entirely terrible, but still.)

Taking a cheap flier on a guy who knows the “system” and has proven success with Brady can’t hurt. And as much as the team continues to say they’re impressed with some of what they’ve seen from the under-the-radar guys at camp, let’s not kid ourselves: this team needs some pass-catching help in a desperate way.

I, for one, would welcome LaFell back with open arms. Here’s to hoping Belichick and McDaniels will consider doing the same.

Should the Patriots Sign Dez Bryant?

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Well, would you look at that?

For the second straight day, we’re doing a story on a former Dallas Cowboys wide receiver, who, although freakishly talented, is also an extremely volatile and contentious diva that oftentimes forces himself out of what could have been a great situation.

Yesterday, it was Terrell Owens. This time around, we’re talking about a guy who still plays in the NFL; he’s just not currently on any actual roster, and his name is Dez Bryant.

Owens and Bryant are actually eerily similar in a few different ways:

  • Owens is 6’3″, 226 pounds; Dez is 6’2″, 220 pounds.
  • Both finished with exactly 69 receptions during their last season in Dallas.
  • Owens had 81 touchdowns and 592 receptions through his first eight seasons; Dez has 73 touchdowns and 531 receptions.
  • Owens averaged 72.8 yards per game for his career; Dez has averaged exactly 66.

All I’m saying is that it’s surprising for a guy of Dez’s caliber, who has comparable numbers to one of the game’s all-time greats, to still be sitting on his couch this late in the summer.

He apparently turned down a multi-year deal from the Ravens in April, but since then it’s pretty much been radio silence for the 29-year-old. (There’s been rumblings of the Browns being interested as well, but there have been no meetings or workouts scheduled so far. Plus, come on, you really think Dez is going to play for Cleveland? Please.)

With the Patriots currently in dire straits at the wide receiver position – yes, even after signing Eric Decker last week – many have suggested that Dez could perhaps be the solution to the problem.

For all the flak he’s received the past few years for his “declining” level of play, Dez has averaged a more than respectable 13.6 yards per catch and almost six touchdowns over the past three seasons, in two of which he played just nine and 13 games, respectively. Last season, he played in all 16 games, finishing with 69 catches and 838 yards. The guy’s still pretty good, and he’s unquestionably better than most of what Brady has to work with at the moment besides Gronk.

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But is he worth it?

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Think about this: Dez Bryant is the Cowboys’ all-time leader in touchdown receptions, is third in team history in receptions, and is fifth in receiving yards…and the team threw him away this spring like he was yesterday’s newspaper. If he were older or heading toward the end of his career, it would be understandable, but the man hasn’t even reached his 30th birthday yet and is coming off a full season of play.

Again, I’m not doubting that Dez has a lot of gas left in the tank; he’s just also pretty full of hot air.

The whole reason the Cowboys cut Dez this year was because of his attitude. Plain and simple. Is he the first stud receiver with a big mouth and a flair for the dramatic? Absolutely not. But does Dez maybe take it a bit too far sometimes? I’d say so.

For instance, just last week he went on a Twitter tirade against Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones, son of team owner Jerry Jones, after the former insinuated that quarterback Dak Prescott’s development was hurt last season by Dez’s selfish attitude and constant complaining about play-calling. Because he was always barking in the ears of teammates and coaches about how HE felt the offense should be run and how unhappy HE was, Jones felt as though Dez was doing more harm than good.

And maybe, JUST MAYBE, he wasn’t wrong:

So, what does Dez do? Fire off a bunch of angry tweets, calling former coaches and teammates nasty names and, of course, complain about the team’s play-calling.

Look, I get that you’re mad, Dez, and I, too, feel as though Jason Garrett is one of the league’s most overrated coaches. And there’s no doubt that the entire Jones family is comprised of a bunch of clowns. But, dude, you’re not doing yourself any favors or attempting to silence the critics about who they think you’ve always been.

Even during his college days at Oklahoma State, he was known for always being late to meetings AND games, and he was cited for lying about working out at Deion Sanders’s house as an amateur (yeah, it was pretty dumb, but still). Tons of teams, the Pats included, passed on him on draft night, and he fell all the way to 27th in the 2010 draft when he should’ve have been a lock to be picked in the top five.

And last season’s transgressions weren’t exactly Dez’s first in the NFL either. It’s obvious that, through it all, he hasn’t learned a damn thing.

More drama is the absolute LAST thing this Patriots team needs right now, even though they could really use his talent on the field. Plus, reports out of camp are saying that guys like Cordarrelle Patterson and Phillip Dorsett are flashing and making a lot of impressive plays, so maybe things aren’t quite as bleak as it seems right now.

Did Belichick take on the notorious Corey Dillon back in 2004 and things went just fine? Yes. Did he also go after an abrasive and thought-to-be-completely-cooked Randy Moss in 2007, only to see him unite with Brady and smash NFL records? Yes.

But is Dez Bryant worth the risk right now for this team? Sorry to say it, but no, he simply isn’t. Hopefully the guy matures as the years go on and finally finds his nirvana, but for right now, I’m gonna take a hard pass.

Adrian Peterson, a 32 Year Old RB Coming Off Knee Surgery, is Shockingly Still a Free Agent

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Yahoo Sports – Adrian Peterson is still waiting. As incomprehensible as it seemed only a few weeks ago, one of the greatest running backs in NFL history is still waiting for significant pursuit one full week into free agency. Largely thanks to a depressed running backs market and Peterson’s age (he turns 32 on Tuesday), the final destination of the seven-time Pro Bowler remains unknown, even as running backs like Eddie Lacy, Latavius Murray, Danny Woodhead and Rex Burkhead each found landing spots before Peterson.

Why does this surprise anyone? Guy is a 32 year old running back coming off KNEE surgery and in the middle of a trial for beating the shit out of his toddler son? Doesn’t exactly seem like a product that would be flying off the shelves like a Malibu Stacy doll.

Look is the guy totally done? I don’t know, but he’s certainly not someone I’m giving much more than the veteran’s minimum to and I’m sure as shit not relying on him to be my go-to RB. So he’s gonna be a guy who will hang around looking for one, last big deal that he’s not going to get. So he’ll end up signing as a backup somewhere else.

This isn’t a “frosty” situation, this is an entirely predictable situation if you just take AP’s name out of the equation. In 2016 Player X rushed for 72 yards in 3 games with an Avg Yards per Attempt of 1.9 and 0 Touchdowns. Then got knee surgery. WHY would that player have a booming free agency market? Yes, I know he rushed for almost 1,500 yards and 11 TD’s the year before, but that will have been 2+ years ago by the time next season starts. When he was 30. Where do RB’s fall off? Yup, after 30. Especially power backs with knee surgeries. So please national media don’t pretend to be surprised with stuff like this, you’re better than that.