AROUND THE NFL

With Kansas City’s win, the AFC has won five of the last six Super Bowls.

On the other hand, the NFC won the season series between the conferences 33-31.  In the last six seasons, the NFC has won the regular season series four times. 

In 2017, the NFC won by a lopsided 41-23 margin, but in the last two seasons, the AFC has a 65-63 edge.

NFC NORTH

MINNESOTA

The Vikings hire a familiar face to fans of the rival Packers.  Adam Maya of NFL.com:

Dom Capers is headed back to the NFC.

The Minnesota Vikings hired the longtime coach and coordinator to be a senior defensive assistant. He served in the same role for the Jaguars last season.

Capers’ recent eight-year run (2009-17) as the Packers DC included a Super Bowl title and three conference championship game appearances. He was previously the DC with the Steelers, Jaguars and Dolphins. His success as an assistant led to a pair of head coaching opportunities.

He became the first coach of the expansion Carolina Panthers in 1995, leading the franchise to the NFC title game a year later. In 2001, he was hired to lead the expansion Houston Texans. He compiled a 48-80 mark over eight seasons with the two teams.

Next season will be Capers’ 33rd in the NFL. He joins a Vikings defense that allowed the fifth fewest points in the league last year.

Capers is 69 years old.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

LB SEAN LEE wants to continue his career despite a string of injuries.  But it is not clear that it will be with the Cowboys.  Todd Archer of ESPN.com:

Sean Lee has made a decision on his status for 2020.

“I’m playing,” he told ESPN.

While a return to the Dallas Cowboys for an 11th season is not out of the question, Lee is set to become a free agent in March. Lee, who will turn 34 in July, played in every game last season and was credited by the coaches with 109 tackles, which was second on the team.

“Just love the game and feel like I can still help a team win,” Lee said. “It’s always great to be part of the NFL and play the game you love.”

Lee, the Cowboys’ second-round pick in 2010, has contemplated retirement in each of the past two seasons but felt buoyed by how he played in 2019, especially later in the season when he saw more time after Leighton Vander Esch suffered a neck injury that effectively ended his season.

Vander Esch had a minimally invasive procedure performed on his neck in January and is expected to make a full recovery and be available for the offseason program. Jaylon Smith was added to the Pro Bowl as an injury replacement after leading the Cowboys in tackles. He signed a five-year, $65 million deal last summer.

Lee, who opened the season as the strongside linebacker and saw few snaps because of how much the Cowboys use their nickel defense, and Joe Thomas are scheduled to be free agents. Thomas played for new Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy and assistant coach Scott McCurley for four seasons in Green Bay before joining the Cowboys in 2018.

– – –

QB DAK PRESCOTT turned down $33 million per in September.  He will be paid more by someone now says Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott bet on himself in September, and he’s about to cash in. One way or the other.

Clarence E. Hill, Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports that the Cowboys and Prescott “came close to deal in September on a contract that would have paid him roughly $33 million annually.” Talks broke down when Prescott wanted more.

Here’s the thing to remember regarding any talks from 2018. Prescott’s paltry salary of $2 million for 2019 would have dragged down the total value at signing of any new contract. If, for example, the Cowboys had offered a five-year extension worth $33 million per year, the average value at signing on the six-year deal would have been $27.8 million per year, halfway between to total value at signing of the contracts signed by Jimmy Garoppolo (five years, $27.5 million per year) and Kirk Cousins (three years, $28 million per year).

Hill reports that Prescott wants a deal that will pay him as much or more than Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson. But there’s a big difference between Wilson’s new-money average of $35 million per year and his total value at signing of $31.4 million per year. Since Prescott currently has no contract, Prescott’s total value at signing and new money will be the same.

So will it be $35 million per year or $31.4 million per year or somewhere in between?

Here’s the more important reality regarding the value of Dak’s next deal. Once the Cowboys apply the franchise tag, the market at the position doesn’t matter. What matters is the projected payout under the tag. If the Cowboys risk exposing Prescott to an offer sheet from another team (which if not matched would give the Cowboys a pair of first-round picks), the starting point would be the non-exclusive tag of roughly $27 million for 2020, along with a 20-percent bump in 2021 to $32.4 million. And then comes 2022, where Prescott would be entitled to a 44-percent increase, to $46.65 million. That’s a year-to-year payout of $106 million over three years, an average of $35.35 million.

If the Cowboys apply the exclusive tender, things get much more expensive. It’s $33.4 million for 2020 (for now) then $40.08 million for 2021 then $57.71 million for 2022, a three-year payout of $131.19 million, or $43.73 million per year.

That’s a huge amount of leverage, if Prescott is willing to play on a year-to-year basis. And he has shown over the past year a stubborn reluctance to bow to the wishes of the Joneses, holding firm for the contract he believes he deserves.

Prescott has even more leverage, given that under the rules of the tag he has the right to stay away from all offseason, training-camp, and preseason activities while still making the full amount of the tender if he shows up in early September. The Cowboys can’t afford to not have Prescott around for the preparations for the first season of Mike McCarthy’s tenure as coach, and if Dak is willing to continue to hold firm it puts maximum pressure on the Cowboys to pay up.

NFC SOUTH

NEW ORLEANS

TAYSOM HILL wants to be a QB, not a Swiss Army Knife.  Grant Gordon of NFL.com:

For all the wrinkles Taysom Hill can add to an offense, the outlook on his NFL future is a simple one — at least from his vantage point.

“I definitely view myself as a franchise quarterback,” Hill said in a recent interview with the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi. “I think as you look at the other questions: Is it New Orleans? Is it somewhere else? As you go into free agency, this is the time that you start to find out how people view you. We haven’t gotten into free agency long enough to really know how these guys view me and we’ll just handle it as it comes.”

Quarterback quandaries for the Saints are numerous this offseason.

New Orleans is still waiting on a decision from Drew Brees as to whether he’ll be retiring or returning — if the latter is true it’s assumed he’ll continue as the starter. Teddy Bridgewater, the team’s backup who started in Brees’ injured absence this past year, is also a free agent. And Hill, a do-it-all threat who was a quarterback at Brigham Young, is a restricted free agent who believes he can be a starting quarterback and wants a chance to show it.

His aforementioned comments were in response to whether he’d be Brees’ heir apparent. He went on to state the he has thoroughly enjoyed his time in New Orleans, but if the Saints don’t see him as a QB1, he’ll be moving on to a franchise that does.

“I have loved every second of my time (in New Orleans). So do I want to leave? The fact of the matter is no, I don’t,” Hill said. “But as you look at free agency, you have to find the right opportunity for you. You have to find the situation to take care of your family. I want to play quarterback in this league, and if New Orleans don’t view me that way, well then I have to leave. That’s really where we’re at.”

Hill did not specify any type of timeline however. Thus, returning to back up Brees could be in place, but Hill’s clarity comes in that he wants to be a starting quarterback in the future. Just when that future comes to fruition would be among the questions.

Having played all three of his NFL seasons with the Saints, Hill has lined up at tight end, wide receiver, quarterback and contributed on special teams.

Last year, he completed three passes for 55 yards, rushed for 50 in four carries and caught two balls for 25 yards. It was in the Saints’ NFC Wild Card Round loss to the Vikings in which Hill’s legend began to truly blossom as he had four carries for 50 yards, hauled in a touchdown catch and completed a crucial 50-yard pass.

“This last season has been so much fun for me,” he said. “We have such a great locker room. You talk about being able to play with a guy and being able to be a part of Drew Brees and all the records he’s breaking. And then coach Payton is notorious for always having things to switch it up, that just make it so much fun.

“I hope [Brees] comes back. I would love to play with him again. He’s become one of my best friends.”

Whether the Saints see Hill as the man who takes over for his best friend might well be the deciding factor in the dynamic offensive weapon returning to New Orleans or moving on.

TAMPA BAY

We are catching up with this from Jenna Laine of ESPN.com on Tampa Bay’s various plans for a 2020 quarterback.  She is tweeting this week that last week’s story below said there is “legitimate interest” in QB PHILIP RIVERS:

— The 2019 NFL season just officially concluded, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers already have been busy evaluating their options at quarterback. A decision looms on what to do with free agent Jameis Winston, who became just the eighth quarterback in NFL history to eclipse 5,000 passing yards in a single season but also the first in NFL history to throw for at least 30 touchdowns and 30 interceptions in the same season.

Do the Bucs re-sign him or do they move in another direction? No decision has divided the fan base more. There’s no consensus inside the Bucs’ building, either. Coach Bruce Arians said of Winston just before the season ended, “The growth was great, but to see the regression in some areas was very frustrating.” No decision has been made, but with the NFL scouting combine starting Feb. 23, expect things to pick up.

Here’s a closer look at what they’ll consider and where things stand:

The case for re-signing Winston

Arians believes Winston could cut down on the interceptions in Year 2 in his system. He has indicated that not all 30 of them were Winston’s fault and sometimes were a function of receivers running the wrong routes.

Winston has a strong chemistry with Pro Bowl wide receivers Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, who both eclipsed 1,100 yards despite neither playing a full 16 games. Winston’s deep-ball chemistry with receiver Breshad Perriman, who will become a free agent as well, was an important development late in the season.

While the interceptions were the glaring issue and put the Bucs into tough predicaments, Winston did show remarkable resilience, coming back from three interceptions to account for five touchdowns against the Indianapolis Colts in a 38-35 victory. Those are the types of things Winston’s camp will use to try to leverage a better deal.

The Bucs’ first pick in the 2020 draft doesn’t come until No. 14 overall, which might mean they’ll miss out on the top quarterbacks unless they trade up.

The case for making a change

Opponents scored 112 points off Winston’s turnovers this season — the most in the NFL, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. That’s pretty damning in a league in which games are often decided by one score. “You’re not going anywhere. … You’re going home if you lead the league in giveaways,” Arians said at the end of the season.

When asked if the Bucs could win with another quarterback, Arians said: “We can win with this one [and] we can definitely win with another one, too … because we’re going to have this defense.”

He said he would have no concerns about teaching another quarterback his system either, even at this late stage in his coaching career. (Arians is under contract with the Bucs for four more seasons, but many close to the situation believe he’ll retire in two years.)

Arians has a solid track record of developing young quarterbacks in Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck.

“If that’s what it comes to, he’ll be expected to play at the level to win a championship,” Arians said of the possibility of adding a new quarterback.

At this point, the Bucs know what they have in Winston — a quarterback who was pick-sixed on his first pass as a pro in 2015 and his last in 2019 — and have a pretty good idea of what they have with him in their system. A new quarterback would offer a fresh start for a team that didn’t want to commit to a full rebuild, unlike teams that made coaching changes during the 2019 offseason.

Whom the Bucs could pursue at quarterback

The Philip Rivers rumors aren’t circulating just because Rivers and his family moved to Florida. League sources say the Bucs’ interest in the eight-time Pro Bowl quarterback is legitimate, although Rivers has been plagued by many of the same issues that Winston has — interceptions. He has thrown 198 picks since 2004, third most of any player in that span. He also has thrown the second-most interceptions over the past five seasons (76), behind only Winston’s 88.

League sources also say the Bucs have interest in Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Teddy Bridgewater and Ryan Tannehill, but the first two seem unrealistic.

Even if Brady leaves New England, why would he go to a team that hasn’t tasted the postseason since 2007? There is, however, speculation that the Las Vegas Raiders will pursue Brady, and they finished 7-9 in 2019, the same record as Tampa Bay.

Brees’ teammate Cam Jordan said at the Pro Bowl: “At the end of the day, Drew has always said this is home for him — New Orleans has been home for him. So until he says otherwise, I’m gonna keep believing he’s our quarterback.”

It’s hard to see Bridgewater leaving, especially knowing Brees is in a year-to-year situation. Bridgewater could inherit an immediate contender, although the Saints’ cap situation and efforts to keep three legitimate quarterbacks on their active roster will be intriguing to watch. It’s also hard to see the Titans letting Tannehill walk after he led them to the AFC Championship Game.

If the Bucs don’t sign a veteran, they can certainly draft a quarterback, too. In fact, they could still do so if they keep Winston. The Bucs spent a lot of time looking at quarterbacks at the Senior Bowl, particularly Utah State’s Jordan Love. They also really like Oregon’s Justin Herbert, although he could be taken in the top 10, whereas Love might be available to the Bucs at No. 14.

Competition wasn’t a priority for the Bucs last season — it was about rebuilding Winston and his confidence, and reestablishing the Buccaneers as his team. Expect more competition this season if Winston returns — and less tolerance for his mistakes.

How much could Winston get on the open market?

This is tricky to forecast, because the concern for Winston league-wide is turnovers. As one agent familiar with the situation told ESPN, “Truth be told, if he leaves Tampa, who else makes him a starter?”

A league executive echoed that to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler: “I don’t see how you can pay him,” the executive said. “It would have to be pretty reasonably low if they did. You can’t give him big money based on the way he played. He won’t have a market.”

NFL teams needing quarterbacks include the Cincinnati Bengals, Miami Dolphins, Los Angeles Chargers, Indianapolis Colts and possibly the Washington Redskins, depending on new coach Ron Rivera’s assessment of Dwayne Haskins. Four of those teams are drafting in the top 10 and in great position to take quarterbacks, with the Colts just outside of the top 10 at No. 13. While it’s pretty clear what type of quarterback Winston is to just about everyone in the league, fresh faces afford coaches and general managers time to find out.

So, what will the Bucs do?

Winston likely will get the franchise tag at $26 million, even if he’s less than thrilled with it. The alternative would be a two-year deal with $26 million in the first year, but the guarantees wouldn’t extend beyond 2020. That has been floated around, according to league sources, but Winston wants more long-term security.

A two-year deal might be the only compromise the Bucs would be willing to make outside of the franchise tag, and Winston might not have much leverage beyond that because of the interceptions. The Bucs technically can re-sign him to a new deal at any time. March 10 at 4 p.m. ET is the deadline for NFL teams to designate franchise-tag and transition-tag players. If neither of those things happen, legal tampering begins March 16, with the new league year beginning March 18 at 4 p.m. ET.

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

DC Robert Saleh is from Dearborn – but the Michigan State job does not hold sufficient allure to even get him to show up for an interview. Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

Michigan State requested an interview with 49ers defensive coordinator Robert Saleh for its head coaching job, Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports.

Saleh, though, informed school officials Friday that he plans to stay in San Francisco for another season, per Pelissero, as Saleh “feels he has unfinished business.”

Saleh, 41, is a Michigan native who began his coaching career at Michigan State as a defensive assistant in 2002.

Saleh interviewed with the Browns for their head coaching vacancy before they hired Kevin Stefanski. He could have even more opportunities to get a head coaching job in the NFL next year.

The 49ers ranked second in yards allowed, eighth in points allowed and first in passing yards allowed in Saleh’s third season as the team’s defensive coordinator.

– – –

Saleh may be staying, but some players may have to go due to the salary cap admits GM John Lynch:

49ers General Manager John Lynch spent the last few years building the roster that took the team to Super Bowl LIV, but he’s shifting into a new mode for the 2020 offseason.

Lynch likened the earlier offseasons to going to the grocery store and taking anything you wanted from the shelf. He describes this year’s mindset as “I’ll have that, but I might have to put that back” in order to balance out holding onto key players while also finding ways to improve the team.

He’ll also have to do it with limited cap space, although Lynch downplayed that restriction.

“Someone was asking me, ‘Characterize our situation,’” Lynch said, via ESPN.com. “It’s not bleak. It’s not like some people where you have to cut players just to be able to meet certain deals. I think more so understanding that there are players that are really good players we want to take care of, knowing it is tight. There may have to be trade-offs along the way. But I think we’re in a good position to find a way to certainly keep the core together and even, like I said, our mindset to improve it.”

Extensions for some veteran players and jettisoning others can create more cap space, but that may not stop the trade-offs for the 49ers this offseason from including farewells to players like Arik Armstead, Emmanuel Sanders and Jimmie Ward.

AFC WEST

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS

It’s official.  QB PHILIP RIVERS is moving on.  ESPN.com:

Philip Rivers will enter free agency this offseason, officially ending his 16-year run with the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Chargers and Rivers jointly announced the veteran quarterback’s decision Monday, with general manager Tom Telesco saying that the timing of the announcement will “allow everyone to put themselves in the best position for success in 2020.”

Rivers, 38, is the most prolific passer in Chargers history, but he signaled that his time with the franchise likely was over last month when he moved his family from San Diego to Florida.

The eight-time Pro Bowler passed for 4,615 yards and 23 touchdowns — his fewest since 2007 — with 20 interceptions this past season, and Los Angeles struggled to a disappointing 5-11 record and a last-place finish in the AFC West.

“After stepping back a bit from last season, we reconnected with Philip and his representatives to look at how 2019 played out, assess our future goals, evaluate the current state of the roster and see if there was a path forward that made sense for both parties,” Telesco said. “As we talked through various scenarios, it became apparent that it would be best for Philip and the Chargers to turn the page on what has truly been a remarkable run.

“We agreed that making this decision well before free agency would allow everyone to put themselves in the best position for success in 2020.”

Rivers is sixth in NFL history in career passing yards (59,271) and touchdown passes (397). He led the Chargers to the playoffs six times in his 14 years as their starter, including an appearance in the 2007 AFC Championship Game.

“I am very grateful to the Spanos family [Chargers ownership] and the Chargers organization for the last 16 years,” Rivers said in a statement. “In anything you do, it’s the people you do it with that make it special. There are so many relationships and memories with coaches, support staff and teammates that will last forever, and for that I am so thankful.

“I never took for granted the opportunity to lead this team out on to the field for 235 games. We had a lot of great moments, beginning in San Diego and then finishing in LA. I wish my teammates and coaches nothing but the best moving forward.

“I’m not sure what the future holds, but my family and I look forward to seeing what God has planned for us next.”

Rivers will be one of the highest-profile quarterbacks in a free-agent market that also could include Tom Brady, Drew Brees, Ryan Tannehill, Jameis Winston and Teddy Bridgewater.

Rivers’ 224 consecutive starts are the second most by an NFL quarterback, trailing just Brett Favre (297).

“I’ve said before that Philip can still compete at a top-starter level and, in a perfect world, number 17 is your quarterback forever,” Telesco said. “Obviously, we live in an imperfect world where the only constant is change. I think Philip’s tremendous perspective, both when it comes to football and when it comes to life, helped lend clarity to a very complex situation.”

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

Some big money for S CHUCK CLARK.  Ryan Mink of BaltimoreRavens.com:

The Ravens kicked off the offseason by retaining one of their own, inking safety Chuck Clark to a three-year extension Monday morning.

Clark, 24, is fresh off a breakout season in which he proved that he is a high-level NFL starter. After spending his first two seasons as a backup, he stepped into the starting lineup in Week 6. Clark was about to enter the final year of his rookie deal, and is now under contract through 2023.

“Chuck is a great story about hard work, patience, preparation and passion,” General Manager Eric DeCosta stated. “He waited for his chance and seized the opportunity. Chuck’s a good football player, a fine teammate and a respected leader. He’s the type of player we want on our defense for a long time. Congrats to Chuck and his family.”

Many factors played into why the Ravens were the league’s top defense from Week 7 through the end of the season. The addition of Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters was huge, as was the stability gained at inside linebacker and additions on the defensive front. But the insertion of Clark was at or near the top of the list of reasons for the turnaround.

“For me, it just sets the tone for where I go from here in my career,” Clark said the day after the Ravens’ season ended in the playoffs.

Clark took over the defensive communication helmet and thus a pivotal role in orchestrating the unit. His steady, calm attitude and communication helped the unit, and smoothed out some early lapses.

“As far as the communicator, as far as the checks, as far as the football smarts, he has become that [Eric] Weddle, that Magic Johnson of the defense – of getting people lined up and setting them up to make plays as well,” Defensive Coordinator Wink Martindale said late in the season. “He has had a tremendous year and I’m really happy for him.”

Clark also takes care of his own business quite well. One of his greatest strengths is that he’s almost always in the right spot at the right time. His teammates rave about his intelligence and film study. After Earl Thomas III arrived in Baltimore last year and saw how well Clark knew the defense, he said, “Bro, why would they bring me in when they got this guy?”

Now Thomas and Clark will be teaming up for years to come. The two work well in unison, with both being flexible enough to drop down or play deep, to be one of the top tandems in the NFL.

“Chuck is extremely smart. He can line everybody up, he can manage the defense, and on top of that, he’s a great athlete,” Defensive Backs Coach Chris Hewitt stated. “He has every attribute to become a great player in this league.”

Clark is especially versatile, showing he can even be a roving linebacker in the Ravens defense. He led the Ravens with 73 tackles this season, and blitzed more than nearly every other safety in the league. In coverage, he allowed a passer rating of just 75.1, notched nine pass breakups and grabbed one interception. He also had two forced fumbles.

A sixth-round pick out of Virginia Tech in 2017, Clark had started just two games in his first two seasons as he waited his turn behind other safeties. Now he’s a key part of one of the best secondaries in the league, which looks like it will be together for a long time. Baltimore signed Peters to a three-year extension during the season and inked Tavon Young to an extension last offseason.

DeCosta continues to keep good, young players across the roster before they hit free agency, and he’ll likely continue to do more.

CLEVELAND

DE MYLES GARRETT had a Monday meeting with The Commish which could be a sign he will be de-suspended for the start of the 2020 season.  Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer has the story:

Browns defensive end Myles Garrett met with NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and other league representatives about reinstatement from his indefinite suspension Monday morning, a league source told cleveland.com.

No timetable has been set yet, but Goodell could lift the ban anytime, and it will likely happen soon considering Garrett has been doing all the right things since losing his temper and striking Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph over the head with the QB’s helmet on Nov. 14.

Goodell told cleveland.com at the Super Bowl press conference two weeks ago that he’d meet with Garrett within the next 60 days about reinstatement, and a source said the ban was likely to be lifted shortly thereafter.

It’s good news for the Browns, who have a new coach in Kevin Stefanski, a new general manager in Andrew Berry and a new defensive coordinator in Joe Woods.

The No. 1 overall pick in 2017 when Berry was Vice President of Player Personnel under Sashi Brown, Garrett was a candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year and had 10 sacks in 10 games when he was forced to leave the team.

Garrett was suspended indefinitely by the NFL for at least the final six games of the season on Nov. 15 for ripping off Rudolph’s helmet and striking him over the head with it with 8 seconds left in the Browns’ 21-7 victory at FirstEnergy Stadium. He was fined $45,623 in addition to the $1.14 million in lost game checks.

AFC SOUTH

JACKSONVILLE

Shad Khan defends his decision to have the Jaguars play once or twice in London every year.  Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com:

Many fans in Jacksonville are unhappy with the Jaguars’ decision to play 25 percent of their home games in London in 2020. But Jaguars owner Shad Khan believes London is the perfect second home for his team.

“I think it’s been great,” Khan said of the decision to play internationally, via News 4 in Jacksonville. “Jacksonville I think is a small market. When I was introduced, for me it was, I’m going to do everything to keep NFL football in Jacksonville. So how do we do that? A logical solution to me was really we want to expand the fan base. We don’t want to put extra pressure on our fans in Jacksonville to be able to support all the games.”

Khan believes there are plenty of fans who want to see the Jaguars play in London.

“Playing games outside the country really turned out great for us,” Khan said. “I think our fans have traveled with us, we have a lot of fans outside the U.S. and it’s been a win-win for everybody. Great for the league, too.”

The major concern for fans in Jacksonville is whether they’ll soon hear Khan say that two games in London is so great that it should become four, and then four could become eight.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

Thoughts from QB JOSH ALLEN.  Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Bills took a big step forward in the standings during the 2019 season as they went from 6-10 to 10-6 and a berth in the postseason.

Quarterback Josh Allen’s progress in his second NFL season was integral to that change of fortunes. Allen improved across the board as a passer while remaining a threat as a runner, but he’s not a finished product as he heads into the 2020 season.

During an appearance on Pardon My Take, Allen said that having room to improve coming off a 10-win season is a positive for him and the Bills as a whole.

“To realize how young our team is and to get to 10 wins and how we did it — there is a lot of room to improve,” Allen said. “That’s the good part for us. That we did have this type of season and we still got a lot of improvement to make and a lot of places we can grow.”

Buffalo is projected to have more than $80 million in cap space to use on bringing in players who can help provide that kind of improvement. They met with one prospective addition last week in tight end Greg Olsen, but he’s taking a couple of other visits this week before making any decisions.

NEW ENGLAND

Owner Robert Kraft was making the scene at the Oscars on Sunday.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com says only through tampering will the process play out:

Patriots owner Robert Kraft has left no doubt regarding his preference when it comes to the future of quarterback Tom Brady. At an Oscar party on Sunday night, Kraft made his wishes even more clear.

“You know what I want,” Kraft said when asked about Brady.

But as a wise man once said, you can’t always get what you want. And the procedure to which the team and the player have agreed may result in the Patriots needing a new quarterback.

Consider this explanation of the situation from Ian Rapoport of the NFL: “There’s a reason why the option was to allow Brady to test free agency, to not get franchised, to not get transitioned, just to have a clear path toward free agency. And from what I understand, Kraft’s thinking on this was basically if the sides came together, if Brady decided that the Patriots were his best option after testing free agency, and if Bill Belichick who of course is making the decisions for New England, if he decides that Brady is his best option at this price, then in the end after all of this, after going through everything, that it will mean that it’s basically meant to be and that’s it’s the best thing for all sides. Kraft wanted them to get apart, to see what’s out there, and try to come together in the middle, and the hope is if that works out for 2020 that everyone will be happy they went through the process.”

So what does it mean within that context to “test free agency”? If Brady and the Patriots wait for free agency to open to “test” the waters, other viable options for the Patriots could be gone before Brady and the Patriots decide to part ways, if that’s what they eventually choose to do. At a minimum, Brady would accumulate significant leverage if/when various fallback options for the Patriots end up signing elsewhere.

Thus, for both sides to know whether they’ll be continuing their relationship for a 21st year, the Patriots will have to welcome other teams tampering with Brady, encouraging his agent to talk to other teams well before the free-agency period begins. Actually, the tampering must be completed before the legal tampering window opens on March 16, because that’s when teams with money to spend and positions to fill begin insisting on commitments from the players at the top of key position lists, intent to move on to No. 2 and so on, if top option isn’t interested.

This practical reality gives credence to an ESPN report from last month that the Patriots want to know what Brady is doing before the March 16 negotiating window opens. Thus, the testing of free agency necessarily will happen before free agency — and in this specific case the rampant tampering that happens in February (reaching a fever pitch at the Scouting Combine) will expedite the process of determining whether Brady will stay or go.

In other words, Brady is becoming a free agent without technically becoming a free agent. Because he’ll be staying in New England only after knowing what is behind Door No. 2 or Door No. 3 or any other door that may be out there before deciding whether the Patriots have said and done enough to get him to stay, Brady will be a free agent before choosing whether to stay put. If his agent already is testing the waters on interest in Brady, Brady is already a de facto free agent now.

After Brady knows what’s out there, the question becomes whether Belichick will do what he has to do to get Brady to stay. And that continues to be the most overlooked aspect of this situation: To get Brady to stay, Belichick will have to say and do enough to get Brady to believe that Belichick will truly appreciate Brady in the final years of their time together.

Brady’s habit of taking less has arisen, as some believe, not from a desire to ensure that cap space is available for other players but from fear that Belichick would cut Brady if/when Belichick thinks Brady is making more than his performance level justifies. Brady has basically exhausted his lifetime supply of dealing with that anxiety, and he’ll choose to continue to associate with the man Bill Parcells called “Doom” only if there will be much less gloom in Brady’s day-to-day relationship with his coach.

THIS AND THAT

BROADCAST NEWS

TE GREG OLSEN worked an XFL game for FOX on Sunday, but he’s not turning to broadcasting during the NFL season in 2020, per this Tweet from Ian Rapoport:

@RapSheet

Free agent TE Greg Olsen has a #Redskins visit through today, source said. He arrived yesterday. His #Seahawks visit is Wednesday, and then Olsen expects a decision by the end of the week. Olsen, who was in the booth for an XFL game yesterday, has also spent time with the #Bills.

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This on the total audience of Super Bowl 54 from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The official audience for Super Bowl LIV landed at 102 million. The total audience, given that people watch the game at parties, was a lot higher.

John Ourand of Sports Business Journal reports that the NFL commissioner a Nielsen survey that pegged the total audience at 135 to 140 million.

The survey concluded that the Super Bowl generated 35-40 percent more viewers per house hold than the regular season and playoffs.

Still, that remains less than half of the entire American population of nearly 330 million. Which remains stunning given that the Super Bowl feels like the dominant social experience of our time, with everyone watching it primarily to avoid missing out on that thing that everyone will be discussing the next day.