The NFL sees some gamesmanship around the issue of opt outs.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The NFL reportedly wants to shorten the deadline for opting out. The desire to give players less time to decide on playing in 2020 comes from at least two specific concerns.

As one source explained it to PFT, teams are concerned that some players who think they won’t make the team are choosing to opt out and to take the six-figure stipend. While players apparently would owe the money back to the teams if they fail to make the roster in 2021, no team wants to have to chase a former player around next year in an effort to retrieve $150,000 or $350,000.

Another concern comes from an issue we’ve previously flagged: Some agents, per the source, are using the threat of an opt out as leverage to get their clients new contracts.

That’s not a surprise, and it’s not necessarily a sign of bad faith. For some players, consideration of the various risks that must be navigated before making a final decision definitely includes the reward. For plenty of players, a significant bump in compensation could be the difference between opting out and opting in.

We’ve yet to hear of any specific agents or players who are using a potential opt out as leverage for a new contact. That’s probably because the agents who are making these requests are being discreet, given the potential fan and media reaction to the perception that a shield is being transformed into a sword.

Still, if a player is truly on the fence about playing, the compensation the player will receive for assuming the added risk of playing in a pandemic definitely should be a factor. There’s nothing wrong in those situations for making it known to the team that more money would make a player more willing to embrace the problems of playing pro football in a pandemic.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

Geronimo!  Detroit’s new wide receiver drops out of the 2020 NFL season.  That’s not all the Covid news in Motown.  Jelani Scott of NFL.com:

Geronimo Allison’s Lions debut will have to wait until 2021.

The former Packers wideout, who signed a one-year contract with Detroit this offseason, has opted out of the 2020 campaign, NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reported Sunday, per an informed source. He added that Allison has a child on the way.

The news comes a day after it was announced franchise quarterback Matthew Stafford landed on the reserve/COVID-19 list along with 2019 receiving touchdown leader Kenny Golladay, tight end T.J. Hockenson, defensive backs Jalen Elliott and Amani Oruwariye and punter Arryn Siposa.

Allison, 27, was expected to provide Stafford with another athletic target in a deep WR room that includes Golladay, Marvin Jones and Danny Amendola.

An undrafted prospect out of Illinois in 2016, Allison rose to prominence after snagging more than a few bombs from Packers great Aaron Rodgers. He played in 49 games (14 starts) and accumulated 89 catches for 1,045 receving yards and six touchdowns over four seasons in Green Bay.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

Greg The Leg is “cemented” as the Cowboys kicker according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News:

Maybe the least climactic position battle in the Dallas Cowboys’ 61-year history is over.

The team released Kai Forbath on Saturday, cementing Greg Zuerlein as its kicker in 2020. There will be no competition in training camp. And really, there wasn’t much of one from the start. The 32-year-old’s departure was part of a series of transactions completing the club’s cutdown from a 90- to 80-man roster.

Backup long snapper Joe Fortunato and undrafted rookie linebacker Azur Kamara were waived. Cornerback Saivion Smith was placed on Reserve/COVID-19.

Last December, Dallas signed Forbath to replace a struggling Brett Maher. He converted all 10 field-goals attempts in four games, including seven tries from between 40 and 49 yards. But in March, the Cowboys had their eye on free agent Greg Zuerlein, who spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career under Rams special teams coordinator John Fassel. Dallas hired Fassel as its coordinator in January.

Zuerlein boasts a stronger leg than Forbath but carried a higher cost. It seemed the Cowboys couldn’t afford him.

So, they pivoted to Forbath via a one-year contract with a $137,500 signing bonus.

Time passed. Zuerlein was still available. His price tag lowered. The Cowboys signed him to a three-year, $7.5 million deal with $2.25 million fully guaranteed.

In a normal year without a pandemic-caused roster reduction, this competition certainly would’ve made it to the first practice. It probably would have continued into the preseason. Either way, the deck clearly was stacked in Zuerlein’s favor, and their “battle” likely would’ve ended the way it did on Saturday.

Forbath keeps his $137,500 bonus as a parting gift.

PHILADELPHIA

If it weren’t for vigorous testing we would never know that Coach Doug Pederson has the dreaded Covid-19 virus, but has it he does.  Tim McManus of ESPN.com:

Eagles coach Doug Pederson has tested positive for the coronavirus, the team announced Sunday night.

Pederson convened an unscheduled team meeting Sunday to share the news with his players, according to sources, before the team made the announcement. He told the team after receiving a second positive test result, confirming the diagnosis.

Pederson, 52, is asymptomatic and doing well, according to the team, which added that he’s in self-quarantine and communicating with the team’s medical staff.

Quarterbacks coach/passing game coordinator Press Taylor was sent home from the facility, as he’d been in close contact with Pederson, sources said, adding that Taylor has tested negative to this point.

The team said “any individuals in close contact with Pederson at our facility have been notified and will continue with daily testing procedures and compliance with all protocols before returning to the facility.”

Pederson, who is believed to have contracted COVID-19 outside of the team’s training facility, needs to have multiple negative tests before he can return to work.

NFC SOUTH

CAROLINA

Peter King on how the Panthers are creating space.  Peter King:

The imagination of some of these teams . . . so interesting. The Panthers have a horn guy. Every nine minutes during player gatherings—stretching, conditioning, walking through plays—Horn Guy blows it. That’s a signal for everyone to move around and get away from whoever they’re close to. With proximity monitors recording how long players are within six feet of each other (a COVID-positive person will force anyone within six feet for 15 minutes to quarantine), coach Matt Rhule wants to force distancing. “Every nine minutes, people scatter,” he said.

The Panthers aren’t a team with a palatial facility, like Minnesota or Dallas. So Carolina is using Bank of America Stadium in some odd ways. Every one of the 80 players reporting in camp this morning has his own suite on the loge level of the stadium, with open windows to ensure air circulation; in the suites, players use tablets to attend virtual team and position meetings.

 “I can still walk around and stick my head into a suite and talk to any player I want,” Rhule told me. “We’re not going to have any regrets. What we can do in our facility is make it as safety and as disease-preventable at humanly possible. I think we have the best chance to stay healthy and safe and still be able to conduct our business and build the kind of camaraderie you need on a team.”

NEW ORLEANS

The Saints are building a preseason bubble.  Peter King:

Look around. See the landscape. Baseball, not in a bubble, might be on the verge of collapsing. Basketball, in a bubble, looks smart and might play to the title cleanly. Football, with Matthew Stafford sidelined in the COVID protocol, goes “Hmmmmm.” The Saints are trying to do something about it. The organization is inventing a semi-bubble. Beginning Wednesday, the team has contracted with the Loews Hotel to rent four floors of the fashionable borderline French Quarter hotel, so that most of the team’s 100 Tier 1 and 2 employees (all but some of the team doctors, cafeteria workers and security people) and many of the players would be able to quasi-quarantine in the luxe hotel till opening day. “It’s not a bubble,” coach Sean Payton told me Saturday night. “It’s a sequester. The message from the league is, ‘The show must go on.’ If so, we’ve got to do everything we can to be sure that happens.” The Saints have about 180 employees including Tier 1 (coaches, GM, personnel people), 2 (facilities, doctors, support staff) and players (80).

The team is fortunate; through the first round of testing—three tests per player—the team had zero positive tests. But Payton knows that might not last. He thinks about 150 of the 180 team employees/players will end up in the hotel through the first week of September. No one will be forced to stay. Payton equates it to coaching, trying to figure a way to limit the number of positive tests so the Saints have the best chance to play, and to win. “Isn’t that what we do for a living?” he said. “It’s like creating a game plan with a likelihood of success. We’re just trying to increase the odds of success.”

No word on which of the vets will do the personal quarantining, thought I’ve heard linebacker and team leader Demario Davis is in favor of moving to the hotel till the season starts. In all, there are about 40 veterans who will have to choose whether to stay home or sequester at the Loews. This gives the Saints a better chance than most teams to stay clear, but not a perfect chance.

TAMPA BAY

Frank Schwab of YahooSports.com puts the Buccaneers at #7 in his preseason rankings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers discarded a 26-year-old former No. 1 overall pick coming off a 5,000-yard season for a quarterback who is turning 43 in August, an age in which not one quarterback in NFL history has had any success.

Of course, it was a little more complicated than that.

Fed up with Jameis Winston’s turnovers, the Buccaneers never hid their desire to land Tom Brady. Then the dominoes started to fall. Brady and the New England Patriots decided it was time to part ways. Brady seemed to know right away that the Bucs were his preferred destination. Getting the only six-time Super Bowl champion in NFL history was actually pretty painless. Then Rob Gronkowski came out of retirement, just as a bonus.

This will be fun. No matter what happens, we’ll talk about it decades from now. However, it’s OK to be skeptical over how this will actually play out.

Something strange happened once last season ended. There was no shortage of opinions during the season that Brady was in a decline, and that peaked with the Patriots’ loss to the Tennessee Titans in the playoffs. He did take a step back. Then Brady became a free agent and the consensus was that he would turn any franchise around. There was a disconnect there.

Brady has beaten expectations countless times already. Many fans don’t want to hear this and definitely don’t appreciate it yet, but Brady is the greatest underdog success story in American sports. Maybe he’s the one to do what no 43-year-old quarterback has ever done, while changing teams for the first time during the strangest offseason ever. It’s hard to bet against him, especially with all the offensive talent the Bucs have.

Yet, there is a “Joe Namath with the Los Angeles Rams” downside in play for Brady. The same goes for Gronkowski; it has been a while since we’ve seen him at his true peak. For all of Winston’s mistakes, he also made a lot of plays and that will have to be replaced. Winston’s skill set also seemed to fit Bruce Arians’ deep passing offense better than Brady’s too, though the Bucs seem convinced Brady’s arm is as good as ever. This likely isn’t as simple as an all-time great quarterback coming right in and playing at an MVP level, no matter the blind optimism with the move. We can all picture a scenario in which the Buccaneers realize pretty early on they have some buyer’s remorse from giving a 43-year-old quarterback a fully guaranteed two-year, $50 million deal.

Of course, it would be a lot of fun if Brady beats the odds yet again. There shouldn’t be any doubt about Brady’s standing in NFL history, but any remaining skeptics couldn’t deny his greatness if he wins big in Tampa Bay. And it’s also possible Brady, with a better supporting cast and a new challenge in front of him, does win big.

Either way, this is the story of the NFL season. Every Bucs game will be a marquee affair, and that might be a first for the franchise. We’re going to see some history, good or bad.

OFFSEASON GRADE

I’m not quite as excited as most everyone about the Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski additions, but I get it. You can do worse than betting on two future Hall of Famers. Giving the franchise tag to Shaq Barrett, last year’s breakout star and NFL sack leader, and retaining Jason Pierre-Paul was important. The Buccaneers also re-signed Ndamukong Suh, a key to a very good run defense. The Buccaneers did well to get offensive tackle Tristan Wirfs in the first round of the draft and intriguing safety Antoine Winfield Jr. in the second. They grabbed running back Ke’Shawn Vaughn in the third round, hoping he can help a run game that has floundered for years. I assume everyone else would give the Buccaneers the highest grade possible, but I’ll be a little short of that, for reasons I’ll explain further in the next category.

GRADE: B

QUARTERBACK REPORT

Only five quarterbacks in NFL history have appeared in even one game at age 43 or older: George Blanda, Vinny Testaverde, Warren Moon, Doug Flutie and Steve DeBerg. Blanda never started a game after turning 43, but threw 135 passes with a 66.1 passer rating. He’s the best of the lot. Flutie threw just 10 passes for 29 yards. DeBerg and Moon started just one game each. DeBerg posted a 43.1 rating in his start and Moon posted a 34.8 rating. Testaverde is the only quarterback ever to start multiple games past age 43. At age 44 he started six games for the 2007 Carolina Panthers. He completed 54.7 percent of his passes with five touchdowns, six interceptions and a 65.8 passer rating. His best game, by far, was 20-of-33 for 206 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in a win over the Atlanta Falcons.

There is no positive history at all for any quarterback Brady’s age throughout 100 years of NFL history. Maybe he’ll post a great season, but it would be the first of its kind.

STAT TO REMEMBER

The Buccaneers were first in the NFL in rushing yards allowed, and also rushing yards per attempt allowed. Teams only gained 3.3 yards per carry against the Bucs. But Tampa Bay was 30th in passing yards allowed. The Bucs faced more passing attempts than any other NFL team. Clearly, teams knew it was smarter to pass the ball than to run into the toughest run defense in the league. In the modern NFL you’d much rather have that flipped. A great pass defense is much more valuable. It’s great that Tampa Bay is good against the run, but to take another step the secondary will have to play better.

BURNING QUESTION

Can Shaq Barrett possibly repeat his 2019?

Last offseason, Barrett signed a one-year, $4 million contract. He had 14 sacks in five seasons with the Denver Broncos before that. Nobody could have guessed Barrett would post 19.5 sacks, leading the NFL and cause the Buccaneers to give him the franchise tag this offseason. Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore had a great season, but Barrett probably would have won NFL Defensive Player of the Year had he been more of a household name coming into the season. While Barrett will probably never have a season like 2019 again, nothing about his breakout season signals that he can’t continue to be a quality edge rusher. As long as the Buccaneers aren’t figuring on 19.5 sacks again — only 12 times in NFL history has a player posted more than 19.5 sacks in a season, and only DeMarcus Ware and J.J. Watt have reached 19.5 twice — then they should be happy with a fantastic free-agent find.

BEST CASE SCENARIO

Tom Brady is already the best 40-, 41- and 42-year-old quarterback of all-time. So why not continue the streak? Brady having a great season at 43 would be a serious outlier, but his entire career is an outlier. Working with some great receivers will help. The Buccaneers defense took strides last season. Brady winning a seventh Super Bowl with another team after 20 years in New England would be one of the most stunning stories in sports history. And yet, it’s possible.

NIGHTMARE SCENARIO

Imagine it’s mid-October. The Buccaneers have had tough challenges against the Saints, Broncos, Chargers and Bears defenses. Tom Brady looks like Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas, Joe Namath or any other quarterback who hit the wall suddenly. It happens to everyone if they stick around long enough. The Buccaneers have Brady for two years at $50 million guaranteed. If Brady looks like Manning did his final season, the realization will sink in that the Bucs are in for a long 2020 and 2021 with no clue who will be their next quarterback. This scenario is possible too.

THE CRYSTAL BALL SAYS …

I understand the excitement for the Buccaneers and Tom Brady, even if some of it is hard to believe. That’s why the Bucs appear where they do in the rankings. Brady having a huge season with the Buccaneers would be a fantastic story. I’m not rooting against it. I’m just trying to be realistic about a 43-year-old quarterback who will be with his first new team in two decades and didn’t have a normal offseason. I don’t think Brady falls off a cliff this season. But I also think he falls short of some of the overly optimistic projections for him. Brady plays fine and the Buccaneers are in the wild-card hunt, but not quite a Super Bowl contender.

NFC WEST

LOS ANGELES RAMS

Although plenty of players around the NFL are showing up with Covid-19 (or at least testing positive), Rams coach Sean McVay thinks things will be okay after they shakedown.  Lindsey Thiry of ESPN.com:

Sean McVay did not shy throughout the offseason from vocalizing his skepticism regarding the start of training camp and the NFL season amid the coronavirus pandemic.

But on Sunday, during a videoconference with reporters, the Los Angeles Rams coach expressed a growing sense of optimism that camp and the season will move forward as scheduled, even as the pandemic looms.

“I feel a lot better now, having a little bit more knowledge and understanding of — it’s really about the risk mitigation, keeping our ecosystem clear,” McVay said.

McVay previously doubted logistics and the seemingly contradictory guidelines that included social distancing while playing a contact sport. “We’re going to social distance, but we play football?” McVay asked, rhetorically, in June. “This is really hard for me to understand all this. I don’t want to be — I don’t get it. I really don’t.”

But, as the Rams prepare to enter the training camp acclimation period, McVay said he has a greater understanding of the NFL safety protocols — which include rigorous testing and social distancing — that have been implemented.

“We’re still going to play football,” McVay said. “I think there’s a better understanding of how we apply those risk mitigation practices. I made the comment about social distancing — we’re not going to do that on the field, but in those meeting settings when you can do that and you’re wearing your masks, those are the times that we’re going to do that.”

After an offseason of virtual meetings, the Rams are scheduled to hold their first in-person team meeting on Monday under a tent erected in the parking lot of their team training facility in Thousand Oaks, California. More than 80 players and coaches are expected to attend.

McVay said education would prove critical in the Rams’ effort to mitigate the spread of COVID-19, as will personal responsibility outside of the training facility.

“Guys are chomping at the bit to get back and understand that that’s going to be part of how we have a successful season — is guys successfully handling themselves in the right way with regards to the risk mitigation,” McVay said. “We’ve always just talked about handling yourself in a professional manner outside the building for just good decision making and now that’s an added part of it as we navigate through this.”

McVay said he will not attempt to regulate how players spend free time outside of the training facility, but he did point to recent outbreaks that have begun to plague Major League Baseball’s season as examples that NFL players must avoid.

“There’s a level of responsibility that coaches, players and really everybody in our building will have outside of the ecosystem to make sure there’s a consideration,” McVay said. “It’s not just about what you’re doing here, it’s about understanding how important the ramifications can be if you make bad decisions outside of that with who you are exposed to.”

AFC NORTH

BALTIMORE

QB LAMAR JACKSON wears the Ravens postseason loss 24/7.  Peter King:

Lamar Jackson did not watch the Super Bowl. The game was on his home turf in south Florida for the first time in 10 years, and Jackson loves football, but he couldn’t bring himself to watch. Not the biggest surprise, really; players who think they should be playing in the game often don’t watch it—just hurts too much. Even so, that weekend should have been glorious for Jackson. Here he was, just turned 23, and at NFL Honors the night before Chiefs-Niners, the league handed him the MVP Trophy. In his hometown! Second unanimous MVP winner ever! With his mom beaming by his side! What a moment!

“I’d rather have made the speech on video,” Jackson, in his trademark flinty voice, told me over the weekend from Ravens training camp. “Like, ‘Sorry I couldn’t be there.’ But, I had to be there. I really didn’t want to be on that stage.”

“I saw him beforehand,” coach John Harbaugh said from his office Saturday. “Someday he’s going to look back on that and that’ll be one of those moments that, man, he’s going to cherish it. I was walking with some friends, and I saw Lamar standing with his mom in front of his hotel, which was next to the hotel that we were at. His mom had this big smile on her face . . . Lamar, he enjoyed it and it did mean something to him, and I think to his teammates. He said that. But he even said to me, ‘Coach, coach, we gotta be playing. We gotta be playing in this game. We should be playing in this game.’

“That’s all he carries around with him, 24/7. Of course, as a head coach, I love it.”

Jackson isn’t disdainful of winning the MVP in his second NFL season. But as GM Eric DeCosta of the Ravens said, “When he doesn’t win a game, it’s a failure. He had good coaches and mentors, and he learned it’s all about team goals.” Jackson told me a story—you can hear it, and Harbaugh tales too, on The Peter King Podcast this week—about winning and awards from when he was 11 years old, playing organized football in Miami. He was the quarterback (of course). And his team won the area youth football title. Though it sounds surprising to hear him say what he’s about to say, it really isn’t.

“In my fourth year playing youth football, I won the Super Bowl, and it I felt like that was the best time in my life. Like, I felt the whole team was MVP. We didn’t care about no awards. Coach was like, ‘Do you guys want to go to Disney World, or do you want rings?’ The whole team was like, ‘We want our rings!’ So I just always felt like Super Bowls is what I want to do.”

The guy wins the MVP, unanimously, in his hometown, is put on the cover of his beloved Madden game, and is voted the best player in football by his peers. All that happened in the past seven months. But winning a local football championship when he was 11 years old . . . I felt like that was the best time in my life.

And there’s a window into the real Lamar Jackson.

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

QB DESHAUN WATSON is likely to be the next big contract.

Patrick Mahomes has a contract extension already. The quarterback selected two choices after the Chiefs quarterback in 2017 does not.

The Texans want to sign Deshaun Watson to a long-term deal. Deshaun Watson wants to sign a long-term deal.

“I’m here,” Watson said, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “I love the organization. I love the McNairs. I love the city. I love the fan base. I’m a Houston Texan. I’m locked in on being a Texan.”

No contract extension is imminent, Wilson reports, but the sides have had discussions.

“We’re working hard,” Texans General Manager/coach Bill O’Brien said Friday. “We feel so strongly about him in this offense, in this organization. We want him here for a long time. We’d love to have Deshaun here.

“We’re not going to talk about contracts in the media. We’d love to have Deshaun here for a long time. He’s here. He’s excited, and we’re excited about the season.”

Mahomes recently signed a 10-year, $503 million deal with the Chiefs, which Watson called “awesome.” Watson, though, seeks a shorter-term pact, according to Wilson.

Watson turns 25 next month, and with a four- or five-year deal, he could return to the negotiating table in his prime.

But Watson made clear he is going to let his agent, David Mulugheta, handle negotiations, while he spends his time preparing for his fourth season.

“Football is the main focus,” Watson said. “My agent is taking care of that. My main focus is being the quarterback and being the leader of this team. My main focus is staying healthy and making sure my team is ready to play.”

INDIANAPOLIS

Medical news involving WR T.Y. HILTON – and it is not Covid-19 related.  Joel Erickson of the Indianapolis Star:

The Colts placed star wide receiver T.Y. Hilton on the active/non-football injury list due to a mild hamstring injury, a source told IndyStar on Sunday, after the team conducted physicals on the incoming Indianapolis veterans as part of the process of reporting for training camp.

A player is placed on the active/NFI list for injuries occurring off the field off the play, often suffered while working out and preparing for the season, which is how Hilton suffered his injury. He will be able to come off of the active/NFI list and return to action as soon as he’s medically cleared.

Hilton, 30, is coming off of a season where he missed six games, five of them due to a three-centimeter tear in his calf muscle, but he refused to go on injured reserve, preferring instead to keep playing with his team.

Indianapolis Colts wide receiver T.Y. Hilton (13) celebrates a first down in the second quarter of their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., on Sunday, Sept. 15, 2019.

Hilton caught 45 passes for 501 yards and five touchdowns, including 10 catches for 123 yards in the final three games of the season after coming back from injury.

– – –

Peter King on what appears to be the end of the line for PK ADAM VINATIERI:

The Indianapolis Colts opened camp last week with two kickers not named Adam Vinatieri, one of the many interesting football items overwhelmed by the weirdness of NFL training camps in 2020. Chase McLaughlin—the former 49er, who had the famous 47-yard make to send the Niners-‘Hawks game to overtime last November, then famously missed a 47-yader that would have won it in OT—and Rodrigo Blankenship, the bespectacled Georgian who looks like he’s auditioning for the 2020 re-make of “Slapshot,” will compete for the Colts kicking job.

Vinatieri, 47, has not retired. He’s still rehabbing/working out, and I hear he still wants to play. Maybe he’ll get signed (if a normal season happens) late in the year for a playoff contender desperate for a clutch kicker. A few things about Vinatieri, the leading scorer of all time, whether he plays again or not:

I will always be fascinated by the fact that Vinatieri got better as he got older. Look at these numbers, including playoff games, of Vinatieri’s field-goal accuracy through the years:

Field-goal percentage in his twenties: 80.9 percent.

Field-goal percentage in his thirties: 84.0 percent.

Field-goal percentage in his forties: 85.7 percent.

Other than occasional brief injury replacements, the Patriots have had two kickers—Adam Vinatieri and Stephen Gostkowski—since opening day 1996, an amazing display of consistency at an important position in a sport with such narrow margins. The third kicker in that string of continuity, presumably, will be New England’s fifth-round draft choice this year, Justin Rohrwasser. When Vinatieri debuted for New England on Sept. 1, 1996, the mother of Justin Rohrwasser was six months pregnant with him.

When Vinatieri is enshrined in Canton, people will probably think of him more as a Patriot than Colt. But he played four more seasons in Indiana (14) than Massachusetts (10).

Head coaches in Vinatieri’s first NFL game: Bill Parcells (New England), Jimmy Johnson (Miami). First game for the Dolphins after the retirement of Don Shula.

JACKSONVILLE

The Jaguars have put five players on their Reserve/Covid list, most notably the starting QB.  Michael Baca of NFL.com:

Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew was among five players placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list on Sunday, the team announced.

Running back Ryquell Armstead, tight end Charles Jones, wide receiver Michael Walker and safety Andrew Wingard were the other Jaguars placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, which is a temporary injured reserve due to the ongoing coronavirus.

This is the second time Jones was put on the list.

Minshew is the third QB to be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and the second starter one day after Matthew Stafford was placed there by the Lions.

There is no specified time frame for Minshew’s return, but he will have to be medically cleared in order to be activated. Getting to that point requires passing treatment and protocols agreed to by the NFL and NFLPA.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

CB E.J. GAINES, not a cinch to make the Bills, has opted out.  He spent all of last year on IR with a groin injury.

NEW ENGLAND

Bill Belichick is not handing the starting QB job to CAM NEWTON.  Mike Reiss of ESPN.com:

If Cam Newton is to succeed Tom Brady as starting quarterback of the New England Patriots, he’ll have to earn the job in training camp. Coach Bill Belichick stopped decisively short Friday of naming Newton the team’s QB1.

“That spot is the same as all the other spots on the team. We have a long way to go. We’ll see how things turn out,” Belichick said in his first public remarks since Newton signed with the team. “I can’t control how players perform; that’s up to them. We’ll give everyone an opportunity and see what happens. I don’t know.”

Belichick has been consistent with that type of approach in his 20 seasons as Patriots coach, although there was no question who would be starting at quarterback once Brady seized the top job in 2001, helping the franchise to its first of six Super Bowl championships.

Brady’s free-agent departure to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in March has created a mammoth void that Newton — based on career résumé — is the leading candidate to fill after agreeing to a one-year contract with the club in late June.

“We spent quite a bit of time with Cam, [had] a number of different people, and a number of different conversations, just trying to see how the fit would be. It was very positive on our end. I’m glad it worked out,” Belichick said.

Newton’s primary competition will be 2019 fourth-round pick Jarrett Stidham, a fellow Auburn alum. Brian Hoyer, an 11-year veteran, is also on the depth chart alongside undrafted free agent Brian Lewerke of Michigan State.

Stidham served as the Patriots’ top backup last season, and he helped organize throwing sessions with receivers in suburban Boston for several months in the offseason. Once Newton officially joined the Patriots, he connected with some of the team’s pass-catchers in Los Angeles over the past month, such as Julian Edelman and 2019 first-round draft pick N’Keal Harry.

But Newton, 31, has ground to make up after missing the team’s virtual offseason program during the coronavirus pandemic.

“The meetings were beneficial for all of us — for the players, the staff — kind of bringing things together. I felt like we did what we could do. We got a lot out of the opportunities we had,” Belichick said, acknowledging they were different from being able to practice on the field.

As for how the Patriots will build a playbook without naming a starting quarterback, Belichick said it will be the same as it has been over the first 20 years of his tenure.

“You set up a general structure that you implement. Everybody needs to learn certain fundamentals and certain basics. Every player, no matter how long he’s played — whether it’s two years or 20 years — there is still a basic progression to training camp at that player’s position,” Belichick said. “That’s where we’re going to start. That, in my opinion, is what needs to be done, regardless of who the player is or what position he plays. …

“I don’t think you start off in training camp with your football team putting in a triple-reverse, or double-reverse pass, or things like that which might highlight a particular player. Those are the kind of things that come down the road a little bit.”

While the Patriots’ plans to replace Brady will be closely watched, so too will how the team adapts to having an NFL-high six players opt out of the 2020 season, a group headlined by linebacker Dont’a Hightower, safety Patrick Chung and starting right tackle Marcus Cannon.

Asked his reaction to the opt-outs, Belichick said, “I respect all of them. I talked to those guys and they explained their situation. They had to make the decision that was best for them and I totally respect and support it 100 percent.”

NEW YORK JETS

LB C.J. MOSLEY is an opt out.  So two season, two games for the big money free agent.

Steve Serby of the New York Post wants you to know that you have to regard Mosley as a great competitor.

No one can, or should begrudge him, even as Jets fans moan that for an $85 million free agent, for $51M guaranteed dollars, Mosley has been on the field wearing his Jets 57 jersey for five quarters. He was due $6M in base salary after receiving a $10M roster bonus in March.

For someone who loves the game as much as Mosley does, you know it had to pain him to leave his team and teammates behind.

“When you’re gone from something you love so much, it’s kind of like when you first learn how to ride a bike,” Mosley told ESPN in May. “You just don’t want to stop.”

Enlarge ImageC.J. Mosley

C.J. MosleyAP

Unlike Jamal Adams, Mosley wanted to be part of the solution and he was that way with the Ravens long before he got paid.

Which makes Mosley, as quiet as Adams is loud, a bigger loss for the Jets in some ways than Adams was.

There is no argument Adams was the best player on the team, but Mosley was the brains behind Williams’ defense.

An another 2019 starter has left the Jets.  But this time it was the team that opted to give G BRIAN WINTERS his walking papers.  Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com:

The Jets have released right guard Brian Winters, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The move frees up $7.2 million in salary cap space and hands the starting job to Greg Van Roten.

Winters, 29, becomes a free agent.

He played only nine games last season before landing on injured reserve after aggravating a dislocated shoulder against the Giants. He also ended the 2014, ’16 and ’17 seasons on injured reserve.

Winters played seven seasons in New York after the Jets made him a third-round choice in 2013. He appeared in 89 games, with 79 starts.

THIS AND THAT

ANTONIO

Nick Shook of NFL.com on the terms of the suspension of WR ANTONIO BROWN:

Antonio Brown recently demanded that the league resolve its investigation into his alleged off-field incidents, and on Friday the NFL responded.

The NFL announced it has suspended the free-agent wide receiver eight games for multiple violations of the league’s personal-conduct policy.

Brown’s suspension stems from his no contest plea to burglary and battery charges from a January incident in Florida, and accusations he sent intimidating texts to a woman who accused the receiver of making past unwanted advances toward her.

Brown’s agent Ed Wasielewski confirmed that Brown has accepted his suspension and won’t appeal, and added that Brown “is excited to resume his outstanding football career and is looking forward to playing in the 2020 season.”

In a statement later obtained by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Brown’s attorney Carson Hancock echoed Wasielewski’s comments, saying: “Today, the NFL announced that our client, Antonio Brown, will be suspended for the first eight games of the 2020 season. Mr. Brown respects the NFL’s decision, and is looking forward as he focuses on joining the right organization to play for this upcoming year. Mr. Brown has been working hard both on and off the field to be the best possible teammate and player he can be. He is grateful for the opportunity to return to the football field and to compete at the highest level.”

A.B. took to Instagram Friday night to complete the trifecta by expressing his desire to improve in all areas. The caption, which accompanied a picture of Brown in Patriots threads, read:

“I look forward to new beginnings. I want to be the best version of myself on and off the field, and I will do my best to be a great teammate. I appreciate the NFL giving me the opportunity to continue to work on myself and improve. I am thankful and grateful for this opportunity to play a game that I truly love and I look forward to joining a new team soon. Thank you to my family and all those that have supported me. I will show the fans my appreciation for this second chance by having the best season of my career. #AB2.0 #Himmothy”

Currently a free agent, Brown’s suspension takes effect Week 1, regardless of whether he’s on a roster. Brown has been without a team since he was released by the New England Patriots after appearing in just one game for them in 2019.

He could return after Week 8 if signed, but his suspension could be extended if further violations are found related to an ongoing civil suit in Florida, Pelissero added. The league is also looking into civil claims of sexual assault and rape against the 32-year-old receiver.

As part of the discipline, Brown has been “directed to continue his program of counseling and treatment,” and “he is expected to fully cooperate with his clinicians,” per the NFL’s release.

Brown’s story has been of nothing but tumult in the last couple of years, with the receiver forcing his way out of Pittsburgh via trade to the Raiders, suffering a foot injury as a result of an issue with cryotherapy, refusing to participate for the Raiders on the grounds of an issue with his helmet, then ultimately forcing his way out of the franchise via release.

Brown’s time with New England was over before it really began, and he’s since vacillated between claims of retirement and a path toward returning. He’ll begin the 2020 season unable to participate, though it remains interesting to see whether a team will take a chance on him now or at some point during the 2020 season.

A clarification from Tom Pelissero:

@TomPelissero

More from the NFL on Antonio Brown’s eight-game suspension (at least). He’d be allowed to participate in training camp if a team signs him, with the suspension taking effect Sept. 5.

Peter King:

I think if I had to put $5 down on Antonio Brown’s team for this year after his eight-game ban is served, I’d put it on Seattle. Russell Wilson is a fan and wants it to happen, Pete Carroll isn’t afraid of risky guys, and John Schneider (Percy Harvin, Josh Gordon) is okay with taking shots on game-breakers with baggage.

THE NEW TOP TEN

Adam Schein of NFL.com re-arranges the top 10 players in the NFL from the way the players voted them.

I make it my goal in life to not get heated over lists. Rankings are subjective, and the rankers who rank — like myself, Mr. Schein Nine! — are just expressing their own personal opinions. No reason to completely blow a gasket over someone else’s takes.

Having said that, there are exceptions to every rule. And in the wake of NFL Network’s Top 100 Players of 2020 — the annual exercise where the league’s players rank themselves — my blood pressure is rising.

Carson Wentz’s total omission from the list is inexcusable. Guy’s a bona fide star — it’s insane to not rank him among the NFL’s top 100 players. And Quenton Nelson is way too low at No. 29. But the biggest insult of all came on Wednesday night, when the top 10 was revealed.

The NFL players ranked three guys ahead of Patrick Mahomes. THREE!

There’s steam coming out of my ears!

Fortunately, I have an annual outlet for catharsis on this front. Every year, my editors ask me to take the players’ top 10 … and re-rank ’em!

So, just to review, here is what the players came up with:

10) Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans

9) Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots

8) DeAndre Hopkins, WR, Arizona Cardinals

7) George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

6) Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

5) Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

4) Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

3) Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams

2) Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

1) Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Woof. Not to fret, though — I’m here to correct the record! Allow me to take those 10 names and place them in the correct order. You’re welcome.

10 Stephon Gilmore  New England Patriots · CB

Full disclosure: When it came to casting my AP ballot last awards season, I voted for Chandler Jones as Defensive Player of the Year. Now, I understand why Gilmore ultimately took home the hardware: He’s a fantastic cornerback — and was the best player on a defense that ranked No. 1 in points and yards allowed.

All that said, I don’t think there’s that much separating Gilmore from Buffalo’s Tre’Davious White in the CB pecking order. (Imagine if the Bills still had Gilmore. Sean McDermott and Leslie Frazier with a CB duo of White and Gilmore? Good luck.)

9 Derrick Henry  Tennessee Titans · RB

King Henry is special. And I love that the Titans paid him this offseason. He’s the straw that stirs the drink for Mike Vrabel. Henry makes this entire team go.

Henry’s a workhorse, having led the NFL with 303 carries during the 2019 regular season and then adding 83 more totes in three playoff games. He’s a true star, having just posted league highs in rushing yards (1,540) and touchdowns (16). Henry is an absolute bruiser who can take it the distance. And talking to him earlier this year on my SiriusXM Radio show, “Schein on Sports,” it’s clear that he’s very loyal to the Titans and truly wants to bring Nashville its first Lombardi Trophy.

8 George Kittle  San Francisco 49ers · TE

I’m thrilled Kittle made the top 10. He’s one of my favorite players to watch and appreciate. He’s a ballplayer’s ballplayer — and the best tight end in football, as a gamebreaking receiver and backbreaking blocker. Kyle Shanahan uses Kittle in perfect fashion.

The ratings mavens over at Pro Football Focus just gave Kittle the highest single-season grade they’ve ever handed out to a tight end, ranking him as the No. 1 overall player from the 2019 season.

7 DeAndre Hopkins  Arizona Cardinals · WR

Hopkins has been the second-best receiver in the league — behind only Michael Thomas — for the last two years. He has fly-paper hands and a knack for coming up big in the biggest moments.

I will miss the connection with Deshaun Watson — another ultra-clutch performer — but cannot wait to see what’s next with Kyler Murray. Thinking about Hopkins in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense is dreamy (for fans of the Cardinals) and scary (for fans of the other 31 teams).

6 Christian McCaffrey   Carolina Panthers · RB

I love Run-CMC. He’s the face of the Panthers, especially now that Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly aren’t suiting up for Carolina anymore. And the fact that he became the third member of the 1,000/1,000 club last season is staggering when you consider the supporting cast he had around him. When Marshall Faulk and Roger Craig accomplished the feat, their offenses ranked first and second, respectively, in total yards. The 2019 Panthers ranked 19th. Christian McCaffrey was a one-man show.

This year, with Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback and Joe Brady calling the plays, McCaffrey will be even more dominant. Can you imagine the running back lined up in the slot on certain plays? I won’t be surprised if he eclipses 1,500 rushing yards, 1,000 receiving yards and 20 total touchdowns. McCaffrey is a real-life superhero. He can do anything.

5 Michael Thomas   New Orleans Saints · WR

He’s the best receiver in the NFL during a golden age at the position. In 2019, he became just the second wideout ever to win the Offensive Player of the Year award, joining Jerry Rice. He conquered Marvin Harrison’s single-season record for receptions with 149, posting 10 100-yard games along the way. He’s the most productive, game-changing wideout in football today.

And in 2020, I’m excited to see what Thomas can do with a viable threat across from him in Emmanuel Sanders. NFL secondaries failed to stop him when he was all they had to concentrate on. Now what?

4 Russell Wilson   Seattle Seahawks · QB

Russ is a magician. And a first-ballot Hall of Famer. He has an unreal knack for making big plays when it matters most — and carrying the Seahawks beyond what their total talent should be able to accomplish. Seattle doesn’t have a great line or a Pro Bowl running back. With Wilson, it doesn’t matter. He makes the ‘Hawks Super Bowl contenders every year.

Oh, and did I mention that Wilson has started all 16 games in each of his eight NFL seasons? Including the playoffs, Mr. Reliable’s 95-47-1 as a pro quarterback. Not bad for a third-round pick.

3  Lamar Jackson   Baltimore Ravens · QB

Lamar was rightly the unanimous NFL MVP last season. I was honored to cast my AP vote for him. The guy paced the league with 36 touchdown passes and shattered Michael Vick’s single-season QB record with 1,206 rushing yards, leading the Ravens to an NFL-best 14-2 record.

Jackson’s an electric runner, smooth thrower and brilliant decision-maker. He’s just a winner. And spoiler alert: He’s only getting started. Jackson’s going to be even better as a deep-ball thrower in 2020. Frightening.

2  Aaron Donald   Los Angeles Rams · DT

Donald is the best non-quarterback in the NFL bar none. Sure, he wasn’t Defensive Player of the Year in 2019, as he had been in the previous two seasons. But he still enjoyed a monster season with 12.5 sacks, 20 tackles for loss and 24 QB hits. Donald has been a Pro Bowler in all six of his NFL campaigns, earning first-team All-Pro honors in five of them.

This guy’s a monster getting to the quarterback and stopping the run, all while commanding the attention of numerous offensive linemen. He’s brilliant and breathtaking. And it isn’t often you describe a defensive tackle that way.

1  Patrick Mahomes   Kansas City Chiefs · QB

Of course. Did you expect anyone else? How could you expect anyone else. He’s the best player in the NFL. He’s the best show in sports. And now he has a half-a-billion-dollar contract to his name.

I can remind you of the 50/5,000 MVP campaign of 2018, his first year as an NFL starter. I can remind you that he just led the Chiefs to their first Super Bowl title in 50 years, erasing double-digit deficits in all three playoff games and taking home Super Bowl LIV honors. But seriously, just watch this cat play and you’ll see it: He’s as special as can be. Related question: Do NFL players watch NFL games? That No. 4 ranking is a travesty.

BROADCAST NEWS

Peter King with a report on early broadcast negotiations:

I think I learned a lot from John Ourand of Sports Business Journal, who reported Sunday night that two months ago this week the NFL’s TV negotiating team, led by commissioner Roger Goodell, chief media and business officer Brian Rolapp and Broadcast Committee chair Robert Kraft, met over a two-day period with all the incumbent network rights-holders to open talks of new network TV deals. It’s not that surprising that the two sides would want to get things going, even though ESPN’s deal for Monday night games runs for two more years, while the FOX, NBC and CBS deals run through the 2022 season.

Two interesting nuggets from Ourand: ESPN wants a better deal than the Monday night games; that package has been inferior to NBC’s Sunday night schedule consistently. And the Thursday night package on FOX “is the most likely package to change hands,” Ourand reports. What’s going to be difficult is trying to predict the economic future of TV deals during this pandemic, which is why it seems likely these negotiations will continue into 2021.