Normally when I eat seven doughnuts for breakfast, I feel slightly guilty, but not today -- and that's because it's Fat Tuesday. Although, I have to admit, it's not a very big deal this year and that's because every day has felt like Fat Tuesday during the pandemic. I ate 19 slices of bacon for breakfast yesterday and didn't even blink.
I don't have any doughnuts or bacon to share with you, but I will get you fat on NFL news today, starting with the fact that it seems J.J. Watt could end up in Cleveland. Today's newsletter will also have a somewhat somber tone and that's because we'll be talking about the NFL legacy of Vincent Jackson, who was found dead on Monday at age 38.
With that in mind, let's get to the rundown. As always, here's your weekly reminder to tell all your friends to sign up for the newsletter. All you have to do is click here and then share the link.
1. Today's Show: Deep dive into the AFC East
With the first full week of the NFL offseason officially upon us -- some people might consider last week the first full week of the NFL offseason, but I'm still on a Super Bowl high at that point, so that doesn't count -- you might be wondering what we'll be talking about on a daily NFL podcast for the next 205 days, which is how far away we are from the kickoff of the 2021 season, and the answer is everything.
Over the next four weeks, we'll be tackling offseason priorities for each team, one division at a time. For today's podcast, we started with the AFC East. Will Brinson, Ryan Wilson and I don't agree on much, but we did agree that there are three teams in this division -- Jets, Patriots and Dolphins -- who need to get their quarterback situation figured out ASAP. The Jets need to decide if they want to keep Sam Darnold, the Patriots need to not wait until June again to sign a QB and the Dolphins have to decide if Tua Tagovailoa can actually be their QB of the future.
Of course, that doesn't mean the Bills are going to have a simple offseason. They also have some big questions to answer, like whether they should re-sign Daryl Williams, Jon Feliciano and/or Matt Milano. For those of you who don't regularly follow the Bills, which was 98% of the country before last season, that list consists of two starting offensive linemen and a starting linebacker.
To listen to today's episode -- and if you're a fan of a team in the AFC East, you're definitely going to want to -- be sure to click here.
2. Remembering Vincent Jackson
In news that came as a shock to everyone around the NFL, former Chargers and Buccaneers wide receiver Vincent Jackson was found dead at a hotel in Florida on Monday. Jackson had just turned 38 on Jan. 14. The investigation into Jackson's death is ongoing and police haven't released a lot of details except to say his family reported him missing on Feb. 10. According to hotel staff, Jackson had checked into the hotel on Jan. 11 and was found deceased at 11:30 a.m. Monday.
Jackson led an improbable NFL career that started at an FCS school (Northern Colorado) and ended with him playing 12 seasons after the Chargers made him a second-round pick in 2005.
Here's a look at some of the highlights of Jackson's career:
- During his 12-year career, he was voted to the Pro Bowl a total of three times.
- In both 2009 and 2012, he ranked in the top 10 in the NFL in receiving yards. Jackson actually finished fifth overall in 2012 when he tallied a career-high 1,384 yards while with the Buccaneers.
- Jackson was a deep threat for his entire career and he proved that in 2012 when he led the NFL in yards per reception with an average of 19.2. That was one of four seasons in his career where Jackson finished in the NFL's top six for yards per catch.
- Jackson ranked sixth in the NFL in receiving touchdowns in 2011 and 10th in the league in 2009. In both seasons, he caught a career-high nine touchdown passes.
- In 2012, Jackson had the longest reception of any player in the NFL that year and he did it while wearing the Buccaneers' Creamsicle jersey. Surprisingly, Jackson didn't score on the 95-yard catch, which you can see by clicking here.
- During the 2007 playoffs, Jackson almost led the Chargers to the Super Bowl. In three games, he averaged 6 catches and 100 yards receiving per game. He also scored two touchdowns during the postseason. The Chargers didn't make the Super Bowl that year though, because they lost to the Patriots 21-12 in the AFC Championship Game, a game where Jackson caught six passes for 93 yards.
- The final playoff game of his career came during the 2009 season when he caught seven passes for 111 yards in a 17-14 divisional round loss to the Jets.
Jackson spent seven seasons with the Chargers (2005-11) and five with the Buccaneers (2012-16) before officially retiring in 2018. Jackson is fourth on the Buccaneers' all-time receiving list with 4,326 yards. He also ranks third on Tampa Bay's all-time list for receiving yards per game with an average of 68.7.
3. J.J. Watt is heavily considering signing with the Browns
For most of the past two decades, the Cleveland Browns were viewed as the one team that no one wanted to play for. They rarely landed big-name free agents and if they did, they would have to overpay. However, that's not the case anymore. With the Browns coming off their first playoff appearance in 18 years, Cleveland has suddenly become a hot destination -- if you need proof, just look at J.J. Watt.
According to Cleveland.com, Watt is "seriously considering" signing with the Browns. Apparently, Watt is basically looking for five things in any potential team he signs with and those five things are the ability to win a championship, along with cap space, supporting cast, team culture and scheme.
There aren't many teams that can offer all five of those, but the Browns are definitely one. They have more than $20 million in cap space, they should be in the playoff hunt in 2021, and Watt would be joining a phenomenal supporting cast on defense and that's because the Browns would be able to pair him with Myles Garrett. Also, the Browns' team culture is 1,000 times better than whatever Watt was dealing with in Houston.
The only issue I'd see with Watt and the Browns is that he may not want to face his brothers twice a year as both T.J. and Derek play for the Steelers. If I had to rank the top-five teams with the best chance of landing Watt, I'd put it like this:
1. Packers: Watt is from Wisconsin.
2. Steelers: Would get to play with his brothers.
3. Browns: Everything he's looking for in a team plus only team on this list with any real cap space.
4. Bills: Super Bowl contender that needs pass-rush help.
5. Titans: Watt is very familiar with coach Mike Vrabel.
Since he was released by the Texans, Watt is free to sign at any point and if he's smart, he'll definitely be signing a deal WELL before free agency starts on March 17.
J.J. Watt isn't the only stud defensive lineman available and that's because the Panthers released two-time Pro Bowler Kawann Short on Tuesday. The Bills, Packers and Seahawks could all use an interior defensive lineman, so don't be surprised if they look into adding Short. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jonathan Jones listed a few more landing spots and you can check out those out by clicking here.
4. Young girl involved in Britt Reid crash emerges from coma
It's been nearly two weeks since former Chiefs assistant coach Britt Reid, the son of Andy Reid, was involved in a car crash that left multiple people injured. According to police, Britt admitted to having two or three drinks on the night of the crash. Police also revealed that a 5-year-old child suffered life-threatening injuries.
The 5-year-old had been in a coma for 11 days, but she is now awake, according to her aunt, who has been offering periodic updates on a GoFundMe page that was started to help pay for the girl's medical costs. The page has raised nearly $500,000 with multiple big names donating, including Dick Vitale and Lions cornerback Jeff Okudah, who both pledged $1,000.
The young girl isn't out of the woods yet, but it is encouraging to hear that she's awake and alert. As for Britt Reid, he's no long with the Chiefs after the team decided not to extend his contract, which expired after the Super Bowl. Andy Reid revealed that Britt also underwent surgery, but it's unclear what his exact injuries were. Police are still investigating the incident and no one has been charged yet.
5. Adrian Peterson wants to play forever, also wants to play for the Buccaneers
Adrian Peterson will be turning 36 on March 21 and although that's long past retirement age for most NFL running backs, it doesn't sound like the former NFL MVP plans to retire anytime soon. During an interview with TMZ, Peterson revealed that he wants to play until he's at least 40.
"I want to live to be a 40-year-old back out there rushing for 1,500 yards and amazing people still," Peterson said.
If Peterson were to play until he's 40, he'd have an outside shot of passing Emmitt Smith for the NFL's all-time rushing record. Peterson is just 3,535 yards behind the Hall of Famer and he would need to average just 884 yards per year over the next four seasons to pass him (he'd only need to average 707 yards if he played five more seasons).
"I'm going to keep playing, trying to chase the championship and, God's willing, within the process of doing that, I'm able to catch Emmitt and pass him," Peterson said.
As for where he wants to play next season, it sounds like he has his eyes set on Tampa Bay.
"When you see those other guys playing into their 40s -- even though it's a different position -- for me that's motivation," Peterson said. "That's telling me I'm heading down the right path."
I'm not sure Tampa Bay would want Peterson, but it's worth noting that Bruce Arians did trade for Peterson during the 2017 season while Arians was the coach of the Cardinals.
6. Players likely to be hit with the franchise tag
With no combine this year, there's definitely going to be a lull in the NFL offseason, but that should change starting on Feb. 23 when teams are allowed to start using their franchise tags. CBS Sports NFL Insider Jason La Canfora knows everything there is to know about the franchise tag, which is good news for us, because he recently put together a list of players who he believes will be hit with the tag.
Let's take a look at the five players who La Canfora thinks will definitely be tagged:
Cowboys: QB Dak Prescott
Panthers: OT Taylor Moton
Bears: WR Allen Robinson
Lions: WR Kenny Golladay
Bengals: DE Carl Lawson
JLC also listed Shaq Barrett (Buccaneers) and Hunter Henry (Chargers) as two other players who will likely get tagged. One interesting theory thrown out by La Canfora is that he could see a situation where the Steelers tag JuJu Smith-Schuster, only to trade him away. To check out everything La Canfora had to say about this year's franchise tag, be sure to click here.
7. The Kicker: President Brees
As some of you may or may not have noticed yesterday, I was not here and that's because Cody Benjamin apparently loves to work on holidays. Cody demanded to work on Presidents Day and I just wasn't going to argue. The only downside of letting Cody handle the Presidents Day newsletter is that I didn't get to share all my fun NFL-related Presidents Day trivia and nuggets with you.
If you didn't know that NFL-related Presidents Day trivia and nuggets even existed, I don't blame you, no one did. First, I would like to point out the fact that Drew Brees and Rutherford B. Hayes are the same person. The history books tell us that the "B" in Rutherford B. Hayes stands for Birchard, but I'm 99% sure it stands for Brees, because they look exactly alike. To see how uncanny the resemblance is, you're definitely going to want to click here.
In other Presidents Day stuff: There are only five colleges that have produced both a president of the United States AND a Super Bowl-winning quarterback and those colleges are:
Delaware: Joe Biden, Joe Flacco
Miami (Ohio): Benjamin Harrison, Ben Roethlisberger
Michigan: Gerald Ford, Tom Brady
Naval Academy: Jimmy Carter, Roger Staubach
Stanford: Herbert Hoover, Jim Plunkett, John Elway
You should go ahead and save this bit of trivia so you can stump people with it next Presidents Day.
In actual kicker news, the Dolphins have signed Jason Sanders to a five-year, $22 million contract extension, so if you were thinking about purchasing a Sanders jersey, now is the time to do it. The 2018 seventh-round pick has had a solid career so far that includes being named first-team All-Pro in 2020. Sanders also once caught a TD pass and you can check that out by clicking here.
Speaking of contracts, Matt Prater might not be getting a new one with the Lions. Prater's contract has expired and the team's special teams coach didn't guarantee the kicker would be returning to Detroit when he was asked about it this week. The Lions have made a lot of bad decisions over the past few years and getting rid of Prater would definitely qualify for that list if they don't end up giving him a new deal. I mean, the man is a folk hero in Detroit and that's mostly because he won everyone in the city free beer this year. (You can see how he did that by clicking here.)
