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THE STAFFORD-GOFF TRADE

When the season began, even after it had started, most rankings of NFL quarterbacks had MATTHEW STAFFORD and JARED GOFF in the same ballpark, somewhere around 10 or 12.

But now, trading the 25-year-old for the 33-year-old is an upgrade for the Rams.

Let’s see what Peter King hears:

Sean McVay knows the football world thinks the Rams paid too much for Matthew Stafford, just as football people thought when the Rams paid too much for Jalen Ramsey and got too little for Marcus Peters. Knowing McVay, I’m pretty sure he doesn’t care, because he got the quarterback he really wanted for 2021—and he can now enter the offseason designing plays and deep shots for a quarterback he thinks can win a Super Bowl. Recently, when the subject of trying to land Stafford came up inside the Rams offices, McVay gave the Perspicacious Quote of the Week: “It’s not about winning the trade. It’s about winning the Super Bowl.”

This is a trade I really like for both teams. Very good for the Rams from 2021 to, say, 2024; very good for the Lions in, say, 2023 to 2026. The details: Stafford to the Rams for Jared Goff plus a third-round pick this year (89th overall) and first-round picks in 2022 and 2023. The deal got done Saturday evening but cannot be processed or made official till the start of the NFL league year in mid-March.

The forces that made it happen, why the Rams were the perfect partners for the deal, and why it made too much sense to not happen:

• The Lions wanted to do right by Stafford, and Stafford’s preferred team was the Rams. The Lions didn’t want another disaffected star (Calvin Johnson) leaving the organization all ticked off. Ownership and the front office were determined to try their best to accommodate Stafford and send him to a team where he’d have a good chance to win. The Rams were number one. The Colts would have been an amenable option. The Niners too. Though the Stafford family has a home in Newport Beach, 42 miles south of SoFi Stadium, this was not about being in a comfortable and familiar place. It was about a 33-year-old quarterback (as of next Sunday) knowing his career has an expiration date and knowing he’d never been on a division winner or won a playoff game in his 12 NFL seasons. It was about wanting to have a chance to play meaningful January games.

• Money didn’t matter to Stafford. He told the Rams they didn’t have to re-do his deal. For Stafford, this was not about money—he made $219 million during his Detroit years—but rather about football, exclusively. He’ll happily play this year at $20 million, and we’ll see if the Rams, or he, will want to extend his contract after the last season on his deal, 2022, when he’s due to make $23 million.

• Goff must have very mixed feelings. It was clear the Rams had lost faith in him (“Jared Goff is a Ram at this second,” GM Les Snead said a week ago), so Goff gets to go to another team in a starting role that will pay him like a franchise quarterback—$28.15 million, $26.15 million, $25.65 million over the next three years. The Lions just gave new coach Dan Campbell a six-year contract, a sign they know they’re starting from scratch. It’s a long way from the second round of the playoffs to a total rebuild for Goff. And for this California kid, it’s 2,314 miles from L.A. to Ford Field. It might seem longer when that Michigan weather hits after Thanksgiving. To his credit, Goff went out classy, telling NFL Media’s Mike Silver on Sunday he’s excited by the new start in Detroit.

• The contenders. Indianapolis was very interested. I am sure owner Jim Irsay wanted Stafford to follow in the recent footsteps of Manning, Luck and Rivers. But I also knew when the price got past the Colts’ first-round pick (21st pick overall) in 2021, that was going to be tough for GM Chris Ballard, who’d already lost the youth and cost-control of a first-round rookie last year when the team traded for DeForest Buckner. Maybe the Colts would have done a first and a third, for example, but not two first-rounders.

I hear San Francisco and Washington were in it. I hear Carolina and Denver were aggressively into it, and if Detroit liked its incumbent QBs more than Goff, maybe one of those deals would have been close. Carolina could have offered the eighth overall pick this year plus Teddy Bridgewater, and Denver could have offered the ninth overall pick plus Drew Lock. (I don’t know if either of those offers were firmly made, but those teams had to have known Detroit wanted a starting quarterback in return.) Stafford was far more keen on the Rams than the Panthers or Broncos.

• What the Lions thought. New coach Dan Campbell and new GM Brad Holmes had this in common: They both wanted Goff, and not just as a bridge quarterback. As director of college scouting for the Rams when Goff was picked in 2016, Holmes favored him inside the Rams draft room—and still does, I’m told. Campbell, I’m also told, liked Goff not just as a bridge quarterback but as the Lions quarterback of the future.

• How it changes the Rams. Just watching the Rams this year compared to 2018 is really startling. I remember the Goff coming-out party. It happened on a September Thursday night in the Coliseum. Goff shredded the Vikings with all kinds of throws, starting with a beautiful deep ball up the right seam to Cooper Kupp for a long TD. And the best ball I remember ever seeing Goff throw—I can still see it now, a 47-year TD bomb dropped right over the coverage of Trae Waynes, a gorgeous throw launched 58 yards in the air straight down the middle of the field. I would bet Goff didn’t throw three of those balls in all of 2020. The aggressiveness disappeared from the L.A. offense, and not because McVay wanted it to vanish. He loves poking and prodding and testing a defense from the first throw. I never saw it anymore. I think we’ll see from the first throw of the 2021 season with Stafford.

• The value of the trade. Highly interesting. The Rams are okay with moving first-round picks, and the Lions lust after them as currency in forming a new team. The Rams have confidence in their scouts identifying strong day two draftees, and so they’re okay with trading ones for great value. Since they last had a first-round pick (Goff, 2016), they’ve found current important contributors John Johnson, Cooper Kupp, Joe Noteboom, Taylor Rapp, Cam Akers and Van Jefferson in the second and third rounds. But when L.A. started with Goff plus the 89th overall pick in discussions with the Lions, that created issues. If Detroit knew it could get the eighth or ninth pick in this draft from Carolina or Detroit, likely with a current starter, and L.A.’s offer started with this year’s 89th pick, how could the two sides square that? The Rams were fine with giving their 2022 first-rounder, but it didn’t seem enough, given that the Rams pick could well be in the mid or even late-twenties.

One more thing here. When Jimmy Johnson took over in Dallas in 1989, the Cowboys created a draft-trade value chart, assigning numerical values to all slots in the draft. Unofficially, Johnson also believed that the value of picks in future years weren’t worth as much as in the present year. “We would discount one round per year,” Johnson said Sunday. “Like if we traded a third-rounder to someone, we’d want a second-round pick next year. But I would say in this case, it’s a little different. I probably wouldn’t discount those future picks in the same way, because Detroit doesn’t really need them as much right now—they’re rebuilding. So I’d say for Detroit, that one next year is probably worth a late one in 2021, and the one in 2023 is probably worth, like, a mid-two.”

It seems sensible to value future picks as having lower value today, because the Lions won’t have use of one till 2022 and the other till 2023. So let’s take Johnson’s estimated value. The Rams traded, in Johnson’s eyes, Goff plus the 89th pick this year, and future picks with current values around the 30th and 48th picks, to Detroit for Stafford. Of course, if Stafford plays well and gets the Rams to another Super Bowl, the value of those picks will be out the window; the deal will be well worth it to the Rams. At the same time, the Lions have to be thrilled that, over the next three drafts, they have five picks in the first round, three in the second and four in the third. It’s a great building-block move for Detroit—with a GM who’s been solid on second-day picks.

• FYI. The Rams were not the only team to offer two first-round picks to Detroit for Stafford. Not sure of the team, but I know there was at least one other offer with two ones—and that offer did not stretch the first-rounders out as far as L.A.’s proposal.

• Cap implications. The Lions have a slight disadvantage here when it comes to starting-QB financial commitments. That’s what I’ll call the dead cap money of the departed QBs on each team. Including each player’s dead cap money in 2021, the starting quarterback will cost Detroit $45.95 million in 2021 and $26.15 million in 2022. The starting quarterback position will cost the Rams $42.2 million and $23 million over the next two years. Advantage Rams, by about $3 million per year.

Fascinating story. Balancing the scales this morning, I believe the deal is quite fair for both teams.

King also reports that the Lions will play at the Rams according to the 2021 schedule.

While King is win/win on the deal, Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com makes the case for lose/lose:

I understand the Matthew Stafford trade. I get it from both sides. Honestly, I do.

It’s an NBA transaction at its core, a salary dump (Jared Goff) driving up the draft price. And it may turn out to be a win/win in the end. The Lions will have to do what many other teams have not (the Rams included from the RG3 trade), and actually turn this bonanza of draft picks into impact football players. And the Rams will have to continue to make do with a far superior quarterback while enduring an unthinkable seven-year draught without a first-round pick partly because of it.

But let’s not kid ourselves. This is also very much a lose/lose situation.

You do not get to the point where a trade like this takes place by doing things the right way. It takes some doing, folks. This is not a spot any franchise would want to find itself in; by either walking away from a very affordable franchise quarterback because you don’t have much else of value and need to rebuild (again!) or by having to include multiple first-round picks and a third rounder for that quarterback because of how terrible the contract for your quarterback quickly became (because you paid him more than you had to, before you had to).

It took years of mistakes, blunders and miscalculations for the Lions and Rams to reach a point in which they became perfect, awkward partners to consummate a trade of this magnitude in an attempt to dig out of financial and salary cap and roster holes they dug for themselves. I applaud the effort and ingenuity (I suppose) required to pull it off, and most of all hats off to Rams coach Sean McVay for being willing to punt on a QB who he had already done his best work with and whose limitations propelled the process.

But this ain’t easy. It ain’t tidy. And there is very real work still to be done by both teams.

For the Rams, one would suspect this might finally be a lesson to the front office about over-inflating the value of their own players, something they have been doing with staggering regularity going way back to the St. Louis days. The list of guys they handed bags of loot to, only to regret it, oh, about a year or so later (mere months later in some cases), is far too long. Yet it persists. They just took a big hit last year to shed Todd Gurley’s albatross contract, only to do so again with Goff.

They can’t seem to help themselves. And owner Stan Kroenke just keeps stroking the checks.

I’m old enough to remember them overpaying and being short-minded with a whole bunch of their own players going way back. How about Trumaine Johnson, Tavon Austin, James Laurinaitis, Alec Ogletree, Brandin Cooks, OJ Atogwe? Yeah, it’s been a thing and it has served to limit their roster flexibility and, combined with paying handsomely in some trades, gutted them of quality draft picks for the better part of a decade.

At some point that must stop. I’d suggest right bleeping now.

If they don’t learn from the Goff blunder – locking into a system QB well before they had to and doing it with a tyrannical contract structure that pushed guarantees far too deep into the future (hats off to Goff’s representation) – then one wonders what it would take for them to become more prudent and progressive with their payment processes.

Saying all of that … I’m a Matt Stafford guy. I believe he has been criminally let down by Lions ownership and management for most of his career (again, it takes YEARS of ineptitude to reach a point where this trade makes sense for Detroit). No sustained run game. Barely any defense. Wasted draft pick after wasted draft pick – very often made by individuals who had yet to prove to any other franchise they merited being in a position of that magnitude – led to wasted year after wasted year.

Stafford will shine with McVay. If they can put a half decent offensive line together and get one more healthy and productive year out of left tackle Andrew Whitworth after an injury-marred 2020, I like their chances to be one of the most exciting and innovative offenses in the NFL. If they can overcome the loss of defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to the Chargers as their head coach, then I like the Rams’ chances of being back in the postseason next January.

Despite what was around him, Stafford was playing at an MVP level in 2019 before injury ended his season far too early. Go watch him battling Patrick Mahomes throw for throw in that season. It wasn’t that long ago. In this system with this play-caller I would not be surprised to hear him in the MVP conversation.

And, sorry Lions fans, this will not be a pretty watch from afar.

It will hurt.

Especially as Goff languishes as a new staff figures things out on the fly, and as the Lions maintain their focus on 2022 and 2023. You are probably stuck with Goff for two years, but the search for a long-term solution at QB must begin in earnest – if not in this draft then absolutely by next year’s. The dirty little secret is finishing with a top-three pick in the 2022 draft would be ideal.

The teardown is hardly fool proof. Heck, it took the Browns about three different versions of this, at least, before they finally turned enough high picks into enough quality players to actually start winning football games. Ownership being willing to take on a bloated contract to maximize trade value is at least a step in the right direction, but there is little in the past of this organization to indicate the necessary aptitude to sustain winning over even the tiniest of sample sizes, let alone a significant one.

It takes some doing to be at a point where the most overt joy in the organization is over how much interest there is in other teams lining up to try to pry away your franchise quarterback – and quite likely the greatest in the history of the team – right as you assemble yet another front office and coaching staff.

Lions coach Dan “Kneecaps” Campbell told no lies. The trade talk was indeed “hot and heavy,” and this blockbuster swap was more than interesting enough to pull attention away from what is lining up to be an historic Super Bowl. We just need to keep in mind why it came about in the first place, and why these two teams found themselves so motivated and enthusiastic to consummate such an unorthodox arrangement.

The trade is all about the marketplace valuing the opinion of McVay.  He is The Expert.  He must be right.  He doesn’t like Goff.  He likes Stafford.  We shall see.

Peter Schrager on the Stafford – Sean McVay connection that dates to high school in Atlanta.

@PSchrags

Spoke to McVay this AM.

He and Stafford have been friendly for some time now, due to an unlikely connection.

Buffalo WR coach Chad Hall and McVay were great competitors/friends and QBs at rival high schools in ATL.

Chad’s sister…Kelly…is, naturally, Matt Stafford’s wife.

Some other hot takes:

@AndrewBrandt

It is amazing how much better a player Matthew Stafford became overnight, especially to the “QBs are judged by playoff and Super Bowl wins!” crowd.

@mlombardiNFL

The cost to acquire Goff, pay Goff, and dump Goff will never be matched again in the history of the NFL.

@AlbertBreer

Twenty-two quarterbacks were drafted in the first round between 2009 and 2016. One remains with the team that drafted him: Carson Wentz.

(Only four first-round QBs from ’16 or before remain with the teams that picked them: Wentz, Aaron Rodgers, Matt Ryan and Ben Roethlisberger.)

A “grade” story from Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic:

The Detroit Lions wasted no time finding a trade partner for quarterback Matthew Stafford. In a blockbuster deal, they agreed to send Stafford to the Los Angeles Rams in a move that marks the first domino in what could be an unprecedented offseason of quarterbacks switching teams.

The deal

The Rams will send Jared Goff, a 2021 third-round pick, a 2022 first-round pick and a 2023 first-round pick to the Lions in exchange for Stafford. The move was first reported by ESPN and confirmed by The Athletic. It cannot be official until the start of the new league year on March 17.

Why they made the move

Let’s start with the Lions. They are starting fresh with head coach Dan Campbell and new general manager Brad Holmes. Stafford wanted out, and dealing him for future assets made plenty of sense. The Lions did not try to play coy. Instead, they made it known that Stafford was available, listened to offers, and were able to net a pair of first-round picks.

In terms of value, there isn’t much precedent for quarterbacks of Stafford’s caliber being dealt. The New England Patriots traded Jimmy Garoppolo to the San Francisco 49ers for a second-round pick in 2017. The Washington Football Team traded cornerback Kendall Fuller and a third-round pick to the Kansas City Chiefs for Alex Smith in 2018. But Stafford is more talented than both of those quarterbacks. Having said that, it’s hard to look at this trade from the Lions’ perspective and conclude that they didn’t maximize compensation for Stafford.

As for the Rams, they’ve basically been putting up billboards in Los Angeles announcing that they didn’t think Goff was good enough. Sean McVay publicly criticized Goff for his play in the second half of the season. In the Rams’ wild-card playoff game, Goff said he was healthy enough to play, but McVay instead started John Wolford. The Rams made it known that they were going to try to upgrade at quarterback this offseason. It was just a matter of how big a swing they were going to take.

And they ended up swinging for the fences. The Rams could have tried to trade for someone like Sam Darnold or signed Cam Newton or Jameis Winston in free agency. But instead, they went all-in on Stafford. Finding a team to take on Goff’s contract only forced the Rams to give up even more draft capital. Los Angeles didn’t even have a 2021 first-round pick to include in the deal because of the Jalen Ramsey trade with the Jacksonville Jaguars. Now they will be without first-round picks in 2022 and 2023 as well.

The Rams are making it clear that they believe they can be a Super Bowl team with better quarterback play. The defense finished fourth in efficiency in 2020, and Los Angeles advanced to the divisional round before losing to the Green Bay Packers. The Rams have two of the NFL’s best defensive players in Ramsey and Aaron Donald. No one needs a translator to understand what McVay and GM Les Snead are thinking. They believe that Goff was holding them back and that Stafford offers a significant upgrade.

Trade grade (Lions): A

These are truly strange times when we are giving the Lions an A for a trade, and it doesn’t even seem remotely controversial. Once Detroit decided that it was time to move on from Stafford, its goal was to maximize compensation. And two first-round picks (even if they don’t kick in until 2022) plus a third-rounder is a nice haul.

Obviously, taking on Goff’s contract is part of the reason why they were able to ask for so much. But let’s be clear: Goff is not a complete disaster. According to TruMedia’s Expected Points Added (EPA) model, Goff has performed like the 20th-best quarterback over the last three seasons. The Lions get him on what is essentially a four-year deal worth $27 million per season and two years guaranteed. That’s not cheap, and no one would sign Goff to that contract if he were a free agent this offseason. But Teddy Bridgewater signed with the Carolina Panthers for $21 million per season last offseason. The point is that pretty much all starting quarterbacks who aren’t on rookie contracts are going to be expensive.

The Lions can make Goff their bridge quarterback for 2022 and 2023, and he can provide competency. If he surprises and plays well in whatever system they implement, great. They have him under contract for four seasons. But the Lions are not tied to Goff. They can draft a quarterback seventh overall this year if they want. And if the rookie beats Goff out in 2021, no big deal. They’ll have a really expensive backup, but they’ll also have a starter on a rookie deal. They could also start Goff and have the rookie sit for a year. If the Lions want to move up for a quarterback, they now have additional resources to do so. If they want to wait until 2022, that works too. They’ll have two first-round picks.

The point is Detroit has optionality. Having Goff’s contract on their books is not going to kill them. And they were able to pocket a pair of first-round picks. They did well in this trade by any objective measure.

Trade grade (Rams): C

We can comfortably say that the Rams value first-round picks less than any team in the NFL. The last time the Rams picked in the first round was 2016 when they selected — wait for it — Jared Goff. The next time the Rams are scheduled to make a first-round pick is 2024. That would be a stretch of seven(!) consecutive years without a first-round pick.

There’s a scenario where Snead and McVay end up looking like geniuses. If the defense plays like it did last season, this could be a Super Bowl team. It was impossible to watch the Rams in 2020 and not think, “What if they had a better quarterback?” And it’s been impossible to watch Stafford throughout his career and not think, “What if he were in a better situation?”

Well, now neither side has an excuse. Stafford ranks 12th in EPA per play over the last three seasons. If McVay is the offensive genius that the Rams think he is, it’s not a stretch to think that he could turn Stafford into a top-five quarterback in 2021. The ceiling for this pairing is high.

Having said that, the move comes with plenty of risk. Defensive performance doesn’t always carry over year to year. The Rams’ defense is built on the talents of Donald and Ramsey. Those two players combined to miss just one regular-season game in 2020. But in the NFC divisional round, we caught a glimpse of what the Rams look like when one of them (in this case, Donald) is less than 100 percent. It wasn’t pretty.

Los Angeles also lost defensive coordinator Brandon Staley to the Chargers. And it could lose key free agents like safety John Johnson and edge rusher Leonard Floyd. The defense could be good in 2021, but there are no guarantees that it will be as good as it was in 2020.

So why not a lower grade for the Rams? The big thing is they’re getting Stafford on what amounts to a bargain contract — $43 million over the next two seasons. Stafford will be 33 at the start of 2021 and should still have plenty left. It would be no surprise to see him go on a late-career run in which he plays the best football of his career.

Snead has to regret giving out those contracts to Todd Gurley and Goff. But this move serves as a reminder that no team is ever really stuck. The cost might be high, and the move might significantly decrease your margin for error, but you can always take a big swing to try to elevate your ceiling. That’s what the Rams did here.

NFC NORTH

DETROIT

QB JARED GOFF talks to fellow Cal alum Mike Silver of NFL.com:

The conversation didn’t last long.

When Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay phoned Jared Goff Saturday night to tell the quarterback he was being traded to the Detroit Lions, Goff had barely uttered “OK” when he saw that his father, Jerry, was calling on the other line. As a man accustomed to making quick decisions in the heat of the moment, Goff didn’t hesitate.

“I’ve gotta go,” he told his soon-to-be-former boss, and clicked off to talk to his dad about the next chapter of his NFL career.

As stunning as it might have seemed a few weeks ago — and, certainly, 17 months ago, when the Rams signed the No. 1 overall pick in the 2016 draft to a four-year, $134-million contract extension — Goff’s football future will now unfold in Detroit.

Two years after guiding the Rams to an epic comeback road victory over the New Orleans Saints in the NFC Championship Game — only to suffer a Super Bowl defeat that both he and McVay nobly attempted to take the blame for — Goff was gone.

On Saturday, the Rams sent Goff, two first-round draft picks and a third-round selection to the Lions to acquire 12-year veteran Matthew Stafford, the quarterback McVay believes can reinvigorate his once cutting-edge offense.

In addition to the haul of picks, a price that certainly reflected Detroit’s willingness to assume the final two years of Goff’s contract, the Lions got a quarterback they believe can thrive in their revamped, run-heavy attack. And Goff, a young man who handled the Rams’ disrespectful divorce strategy of the past several weeks with quiet dignity, got something valuable out of the deal, too.

After talking with Lions general manager Brad Holmes, coach Dan Campbell, offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn and other organizational powerbrokers Saturday night, Goff — for the first time in awhile — felt wanted. In a sense, he felt like it was draft day, all over again.

“I’m just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me,” Goff told NFL.com on Sunday morning. “I’m moving forward and couldn’t be more excited to build a winner there. I’m excited about Dan (Campbell) and the whole staff.”

Were we so inclined, we could spend paragraphs and paragraphs breaking down the dissolution of the once-airtight McVay/Goff connection, delving deep into the vagaries of the Rams’ schematic evolution (or lack thereof), the coach’s dissatisfaction with Goff’s performance (especially as it related to the QB’s turnover tally the past two seasons) and the accompanying drop in confidence as the tension ramped up. With all due (dis)respect to the analytics nerds and wannabe GMs on social media and elsewhere, some very smart coaches, players and talent evaluators in the football world believe there is a legitimate case to be made on each man’s behalf, and the estimation of Goff by many of those experts is much higher than many fans might assume.

Let’s table that debate, for the moment, and accept the fact that McVay — whatever his reasons — decided Goff was no longer the guy he wants running his offense. At the very least, the messy handling of the transition from Goff to Stafford was hardly the organization’s finest hour.

Routinely trashed this season on FOX telecasts, specifically those with Troy Aikman as the lead analyst, Goff could reasonably assume that McVay’s words about his quarterback’s play in network production meetings were far from glowing. And yet, Goff had some impressive performances in 2020 (Eagles, Bills, Bucs, Cardinals) and helped push the Rams into postseason contention. Things began to unravel in a Dec. 27 road defeat to the Seahawks that gave Seattle the NFC West title. In the third quarter, Goff suffered a dislocated right thumb after banging it on the helmet of Seahawks pass rusher Benson Mayowa, popped it back into place and finished the game. Afterward, he learned the thumb was broken.

Devastated, Goff thought his season was done. Told he could have surgery to insert three pins that might allow him to come back for the Rams’ first playoff game — assuming the team could qualify — Goff went for it, like a team player should.

It didn’t play out the way he’d hoped: Two days after the Rams’ season-ending victory over the Arizona Cardinals, Goff and McVay had some hard conversations. McVay told Goff that, with a rematch against the Seahawks in Seattle looming four days later, he had to make a decision on his starter and stick with it. Given the uncertainty about how Goff would be able to throw following thumb surgery, and the tight timeline, McVay was going with backup John Wolford, who had just made his first career start against the Cardinals. Wolford would get all of the first-team reps in practice, and Goff would work off to the side.

Goff was upset. Intellectually, he understood McVay’s dilemma and line of thinking. As a competitor, it killed him that he wouldn’t be out there. The coach and quarterback said some difficult things to one another. They spoke for four hours. One thing McVay did not say, however, was that he was benching Goff because he wanted Wolford to play, period.

In retrospect, he probably should have.

So what happened in the playoff game? Wolford got knocked out with a neck injury the first quarter, and Goff came jogging onto the field — with zero reps, 12 days after thumb surgery — and gutted out a game that was one of the bigger triumphs of the McVay era.

The following Saturday in Green Bay, with Wolford inactive, Goff played well in 25-degree weather, but fellow Cal alum Aaron Rodgers and the Packers played better. Until the latter stages of the Rams’ 32-18 defeat, Goff had completed all but two of his passes, but L.A.’s No. 1-ranked defense couldn’t hold up against the soon-to-be three-time MVP.

After the game, McVay told Rodgers, “Watching you play, it’s like watching a game in slow motion. That’s how dialed in you are.”

And then, in short order, the rest of the world — including Goff — got a sense of just how quickly McVay wanted to find a new quarterback.

First, in his postgame press conference, McVay said of Goff, “Yeah, he’s the quarterback right now” — echoing the infamous words Cardinals general manager Steve Keim uttered of starting quarterback Josh Rosen less than two months before drafting his replacement, Kyler Murray, in 2019.

The following day, in his end-of-season press conference, McVay didn’t commit to Goff being on the roster in 2021, saying everything was being evaluated.

Five days ago, Rams general manager Les Snead had his end-of-season press conference, which played out more like a bad standup-comedy audition. In response to Goff’s status, Snead twice invoked Rodgers’ “beautiful mystery” phrase surrounding the 37-year-old quarterback’s own future with the Packers, called Goff “a Ram right now” and delved into the specifics of how the team could move on from the quarterback while finessing the salary-cap hit. Afterward, he bemusedly asked reporters what they thought the next day’s headlines would be.

In fairness to Snead and McVay, they weren’t lying.

In fairness to Goff, he was blindsided. Neither Snead nor McVay had told him the team wanted to move on, or anything close to that. For a 26-year-old, who, since being thrown into a tough situation his rookie year, has consistently displayed toughness, commitment, positivity and team-centric behavior during his time with the franchise, it was a crappy way to learn he was unwanted, yet he refused to fire back.

Then came Saturday night’s phone call from McVay, and the relief that followed — a weight had been lifted off Goff’s shoulders, one he hadn’t realized was so heavy. McVay, for what it’s worth, was vacationing in Cabo San Lucas; Stafford (for you conspiracy theorists) was also said to be in the area, according to two sources familiar with the quarterback’s situation.

Goff clicked off to talk to his father, and he began to feel better. Then came the calls from his new head coach, and other Lions powerbrokers, and he heard the palpable excitement in their voices and understood that this was a two-way exchange: Yes, he was being dumped by the Rams, but he was also being courted by a long-struggling organization that hopes its latest facelift can lead to its first postseason win in three decades.

Hey, Goff can relate. He was the freshman quarterback on a Cal team that went 1-11; two years later, he led the Golden Bears to a bowl victory. Unlike most No. 1 overall picks, including Stafford, Goff’s pre-NFL career was filled with consistent on-the-field adversity.

The Lions are looking for a leader, and Goff firmly believes that he’s the right guy to take them where they want to go. For what it’s worth: A run-heavy attack, and the play-action opportunities that should follow, would seem to be a nice match for Goff’s skill set.

On Sunday morning, Goff and I talked about his journey — and this very sharp detour north — and some of the stress he’s carried inside for the past several months. It’s been a lot, but Goff didn’t harp on the souring of his relationship with McVay or the end of his time in L.A. His voice was calm, hopeful, light, and even … happy?

It made sense. This isn’t complicated. It’s good to be wanted, and for the first time in awhile, Goff believes that is the case.

GREEN BAY

Would Mike Pettine still be the DC of the Packers if WR SCOTTY MILLER of the Buccaneers had failed to catch QB TOM BRADY’s pass just before halftime of the NFC Championship Game?  Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com:

Veteran defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, one of the few assistant coaches Matt LaFleur retained from the previous Green Bay Packers coaching staff, is out after three years with the team and two under LaFleur, the team announced Friday.

The move comes despite Pettine getting the Packers back into the top 10 in overall defense; they ranked ninth during the 2020 season.

Pettine, 54, never signed a contract extension that was offered to him after last season, meaning he was in the final year of his deal, a source told ESPN earlier in the week, making it a cleaner split. Most coordinators and position coaches always have two years on their deals with the Packers, but Pettine chose to go into the last year of his contract and see how things played out.

“We want to thank Mike for his commitment to the Packers for the last three seasons. He was an important part of our success,” LaFleur said in a statement. “As a first-time head coach, he was also an invaluable resource for us during our time together.”

It means the Packers will have two new coordinators next season. Earlier in the week, they fired special-teams coordinator Shawn Mennenga and will promote assistant Maurice Drayton to replace him.

After LaFleur publicly criticized a defensive playcall from the Jan. 24 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who scored on a 39-yard touchdown pass with one second left in the first half of the NFC Championship Game, this move seemed inevitable.

LaFleur never specifically said whether Pettine — who calls the defensive plays — made the call on his own or in consultation with LaFleur.

“It was man coverage — definitely not the right call for the situation and you can’t do stuff like that against a good football team and expect to win,” LaFleur said after the game, calling that one of a couple of plays that made the difference in the game.

“You just can’t do that stuff. I blame us as coaches for putting our guys in that situation. That’s inexcusable. That should not have happened. So we’ve got to take a look at it, do some self-reflection and try to figure out ways on how that can’t happen again.”

Pettine, who was hired by former coach Mike McCarthy in 2018, is the third straight defensive coordinator to be fired or let go by the Packers without a head-coaching change. That includes McCarthy’s first two defensive coordinators, Bob Sanders and Dom Capers.

Before being hired by McCarthy, Pettine had been out of coaching following his two-year stint as the Cleveland Browns’ head coach in 2014-15.

His status was briefly in question after the 2019 season, when the Packers’ defense allowed 285 yards rushing in the NFC Championship Game loss to the San Francisco 49ers, but ultimately LaFleur decided to retain him for another season.

The Packers have at least one possible in-house replacement — defensive backs coach Jerry Gray. The longtime assistant coach joined the Packers this past season and has served as defensive coordinator on two different occasions — for the Buffalo Bills (2001-05) and Tennessee Titans (2011-13). This was his 24th season as an NFL assistant coach following a playing career that included four Pro Bowls.

The Packers on Friday also made official the firing of Mennenga after two seasons.

– – –

The Packers braintrust re-iterates – QB AARON RODGERS is going nowhere in 2021. Kevin Patra at NFL.com:

Packers coach Matt LaFleur has never wavered on Aaron Rodgers being in Green Bay in 2021.

With the hullaballoo regarding Rodgers’ future beginning to depress, LaFleur reiterated Monday that he believes the presumptive 2020 MVP will be a Packer “for a long time.”

“Is that a trick question? Absolutely,” LaFleur said. “There’s no doubt about it. You’re talking about the guy that’s going to win the MVP of the league. We’re not in this position without him. So I couldn’t be happier with not only his performance but how he led this football team, all the little things he does within that locker room to ensure that everybody is locked in, focused, ready to go. So yeah, absolutely, he will be here. For a long time. I know I’ve said that before, but for a long time.”

General manager Brian Gutekunst also added that he can’t foresee any scenario where he would consider trading Rodgers this year.

“Absolutely not,” the GM said.

NFC EAST

DALLAS

Patrik Walker of CBSSports.com hears the Cowboys, now with Dan Quinn the DC, have their eye on veteran CB RICHARD SHERMAN.

It’s no secret the Dallas Cowboys have been attempting to reconstruct the framework of the once infamous Legion of Boom, but having failed to do so to this point. The addition of Kris Richard as passing game coordinator in 2018 was a lynchpin in their more recent attempts, but Richard was let go in 2020 when the head coach and defensive regime changed. One year later, there’s been another seismic shift — one that sees Dan Quinn taking over after a historically abysmal showing by now-fired defensive coordinator Mike Nolan — which serves as a reset button to build in Dallas what the Seattle Seahawks once boasted, and this is where Richard Sherman might come into play.

For while head coach Mike McCarthy remains ice cold at the moment on joining forces with troubled former Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, sources tell CBS Sports, the door is far from welded shut when it comes to Sherman. With the addition of Quinn, the Cowboys have not ruled out interest in possibly signing Sherman in free agency, separate sources affirm, and are actually open to establishing a dialogue with the five-time All-Pro to gauge his interest.

The conversation would have to inevitably dive much, much deeper before either side would agree to it, though.

For starters, Sherman earned an average annual salary (AAS) of $9.05 million on his three-year deal with the San Francisco 49ers, so don’t expect him to suddenly drop his price to the veteran minimum or anything near it. There are factors working in the Cowboys favor in that regard though, because the five-time Pro Bowler will be 33 years old in March and missed 11 games in 2020 due to injury. The latter marks yet another bout with durability issues that, combined with age, should rightfully reduce his asking price — to a more palatable mark and one that truly reflects the risk versus reward model on him. Contrarily, in Sherman’s favor will be the fact he can still impact games when healthy — one of his Pro Bowl seasons happening as recently as 2019 — combined with Dallas’ need at the position.

It needs to be said they’re also not adverse to taking the risk on a big name coming off of injury, as they circle back in 2021 to discuss a potential re-signing of defensive lineman Gerald McCoy, as one such example.

Incoming defensive backs coach Joe Whitt, Jr. would welcome the addition of Sherman in such a young group of cornerbacks (assuming the parting of ways with incumbent free agent veterans), as one source noted specifically, which is something the Joneses wouldn’t be adverse to as long as the plan didn’t preclude them from also addressing the position in the 2021 NFL Draft or complicate their path to finally resolving their No. 1 free agency issue, i.e., Dak Prescott.

The salary will be a key talking point when factoring in the cap crunch and need to retain room for Prescott but, as noted, both the Cowboys and Sherman have leverage and it’s a matter of who’d be more willing to acquiesce.

As it stands, cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and C.J. Goodwin are set to hit free agency, leaving several holes to be filled beside of rookie sensation Trevon Diggs and, even if one or two are retained, none of them boast the resume or level of play as a healthy Sherman. Granted, there’s not much Sherman could do in the role of a nickel corner (Lewis), but he could readily step in and replace a potentially departing Awuzie while giving the Cowboys a bridge to whomever they decide to select with the 10th-overall pick, assuming it’s a top cornerback prospect.

This could create a situation wherein Sherman gets a healthy snap count (something he’ll want to be assured of) while both managing it to help keep him healthy and to prevent him from being a progress-stopper for the incoming talent. And when it comes to football IQ, Sherman has it in spades, and the young Cowboys defensive backs would do well to absorb as much of it as they can. It’s this point that also goes to what he’d bring to the locker room, one that lacked vocal leadership in the secondary this past season.

Sherman will obviously want to also play for a contender — a point the Cowboys will have to sell as well which, ironically, will have to involve making sure Prescott remains onboard.

All told, it stands to reason the Cowboys would be open to the idea, and while Sherman would’ve scoffed at it as recently as a year prior — due to his vocal displeasure with owner Jerry Jones’ handling of silent protests during (not of) the national anthem — the climate in North Texas is seemingly different now, and for a couple of reasons. First, there’s the newfound “grace” within Jones that saw him sign and retain defensive lineman Dontari Poe despite Poe’s decision to kneel during the anthem, with his release being solely due to continued poor play and mostly being out of shape. This is something that could very well soften the edges as it relates to Sherman, as would his admiration of Mike McCarthy and, more so, the new defensive head honcho.

Quinn and Sherman maintain a strong relationship stemming back to their days in Seattle, routinely staying in touch to a point where Quinn would text Sherman as he worked to recover from a torn Achilles in 2017. Recently, Sherman heaped praise upon his former coach.

PHILADELPHIA

To be an NFL head coach, Nick Sirianni ceded control of the roster to Howie Roseman.  Chris Franklin of NJAdvanceMedia.com:

The Eagles officially introduced head coach Nick Sirianni during a press conference Friday. Sirianni spoke about his vision of how he wants the team to operate and what he thought about quarterbacks Carson Wentz and Jalen Hurts.

During the press conference, Sirianni gave insight into how roster decisions will be made next season and how he and general manager Howie Roseman will work together to finalize the roster.

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“Howie has the final say on the 53-man roster, and I have the final say on the 46-man roster on game day for what we need to go through the game and the pieces that we need,” Sirianni said.

As for bringing in players through the draft and free agency, Sirianni said that he will review the video of the players currently on the roster and will talk to Roseman and the front office about what he has seen.

“I really look forward to working with Howie and his staff to help get the players in here that we feel like fit what we want to do offensively and defensively,” Sirianni said. “The best organizations that I’ve been on are the organizations that work together at that.”

Roseman having final say on the 53-man roster will be important as the team attempts to rebuild after finishing last season with a record of 4-11-1. Sirianni, the former Indianapolis Colts offensive coordinator, said that the Eagles would use a multiple-scheme offense that would not be so complex that the players had to think about what to do, allowing them to play freer use more of their athleticism.

The Eagles could be without Alshon Jeffery, DeSean Jackson and other players on offense because of salary cap issues. For the Eagles to be successful in running an offense like the one Sirianni wants to run, the team will have to replace those players, and the front office will have an important role in finding the right people to fit the schemes.

With the sixth overall pick in the draft and potentially as many as eight total picks after the compensatory picks are awarded, Roseman and the front office will have to make sure they find the right athletes.

NFC SOUTH

ATLANTA

Nick Polk is a casualty of the changes in Atlanta.  Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com:

The ongoing changes in Atlanta have claimed a long-time employee of the team.

Director of football operations Nick Polk, who has been with the franchise for 18 seasons, has been let go, per a source with knowledge of the situation.

Polk handled contract negotiations, salary-cap management, and compliance with labor issues. Earlier this month, he was a candidate for the G.M. job in Washington.

Polk had close ties to team president Rich McKay, but the arrival of Terry Fontenot as the G.M. obviously has brought that relationship to an end.

Polk served as director of football operations for 13 seasons with the Falcons.

TAMPA BAY

Back in his first stint with the Buccaneers under Tony Dungy in the late 90s, the sophisticated set didn’t think Clyde Christensen should have been named OC when Dungy was compelled to fire Mike Shula.

Now, he’s back with the Buccaneers and getting a nice tribute piece from Sam Farmer of the LA Times, described here by Peter King:

CLYDE CHRISTENSEN. Great piece by Sam Farmer in the Los Angeles Times on the Tampa Bay quarterback coach, 65, who has mentored Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, Andrew Luck and so many quarterbacks in the modern era—and who lived with Lawrence Taylor as a North Carolina Tar Heel student in the late seventies. How beloved is Christensen among his mentees? Well, he sits across the bus aisle from Tom Brady on every Bucs road trip. And Luck, who has disappeared totally since his stunning retirement, thinks so much of Christensen that Farmer was able to find and quote him in this story. “Clyde’s the unicorn of coaches,” Trent Dilfer said. “He could have had any job. Peyton’s a kingmaker. Tom’s a kingmaker. He could have anything. He’s chosen relationships over everything.” Hope Christensen gets a few nods during another Super Bowl week for him.

NFC WEST

SEATTLE

S JAMAL ADAMS has a much better feeling about his current head coach than he does about Adam Gase.

In a perfect world — or at least a normal one — the seven Seahawks who were named to the Pro Bowl might actually be putting on pads and helmets Sunday in Orlando, Florida.

Instead, the game was canceled because of the pandemic and players are taking part in a Madden tournament as something of a replacement.

Safety Jamal Adams would be sitting the game out even if it were played. He recently had surgery to repair two broken fingers, part of a slew of injuries that held him down throughout his first season in Seattle. Adams apparently had surgery to repair a torn labrum. (He noted on Instagram he had two surgeries without specifically detailing them, but he was expected to have the labrum repaired.)

– – –

Adams said he’ll be healthy in 2021, and he and the Seahawks hope there will be many more playoff games to come.

Next year, Adams said, “is going to be my best season. That’s what I’m focused on.”

The 2020 season was Adams’ fourth in the NFL. He spent his first three on losing teams with the Jets before being traded to the Seahawks in July in a blockbuster deal after Adams had made it clear he wanted out.

Adams reiterated to Simmons what he has said often since the trade — he hopes this is his long-term home.

“Hopefully this (is) being my future,’’ Adams said. “Because I love it here.’’

The Seahawks are expected to try to secure that future this offseason by offering Adams a contract extension. Adams is under contract for the 2021 season at a salary of $9.8 million after the Jets exercised his fifth-year option as a first-round pick last spring.

But the Seahawks could extend/restructure that deal this offseason, which would not only keep Adams around a while longer but potentially decrease some of that cap hit for 2021.

Finding ways to create cap room in 2021 figures to be of even more importance for all NFL teams. The cap is expected to be lower than the $198.2 million of 2020 due to COVID-19-related revenue losses this year, though it won’t be lower than $175 million, the floor agreed to by the league and the players.

But some have wondered if Adams might shoot for more, especially after a season in which he set an NFL record for sacks by a defensive back with 9.5 while playing just 12 games.

That the Seahawks gave up as much as it did for him — a package that included 2021 and 2022 first-round picks and a 2021 third-rounder — means the Seahawks will be heavily motivated to get something done.

Adams reiterated with Simmons how happy he was in Seattle this season.

“Since Day One,’’ he said. “… When I walked in I noticed a difference. I knew there was a big difference when I walked in and then maybe two or three months later I’m still pinching myself saying, ‘Is this real? There’s no way. The way they run this organization, this has to be trick dice. This is not real.’ They treat you like a pro, man, and that’s what it’s about. That’s how you grow on and off the field.’’

He recalled a one-on-one talk with Pete Carroll shortly after he arrived in Seattle, sitting in chairs outside at the VMAC overlooking Lake Washington.

Adams said Carroll told him, “’I want you to come here and be Jamal Adams. Be the best version of Jamal Adams.’ … That took a burden off my back because I always put it on my shoulders.’’

From that moment, Adams said, “I knew that it was going to be special. And to this day, that’s my guy, man, I’d run through a brick wall for him.’’

The Seahawks hope that’s an attitude that extends to the negotiating table.

AFC NORTH

PITTSBURGH

The matriarch of the Rooney family has passed away.  The AP:

Patricia Rooney, the wife of late Pittsburgh Steelers chairman Dan Rooney, has died. She was 88.

The Steelers said in a statement that Patricia Rooney died peacefully at her home on Saturday. A cause of death was not given.

Dan Rooney, who died in April 2017, served as the U.S. ambassador to Ireland from 2009 to 2012.

“My family and I are mourning the passing of my mother, Patricia,” Steelers president Art Rooney II said in a statement. “She helped raise nine children while supporting my father’s career with the Steelers and his time as Ambassador to Ireland. It is a sad day for our family. “

AFC SOUTH

HOUSTON

Peter King dishes on the reasons (mainly Jack Easterby) why QB DESHAUN WATSON wants out of Houston.

2. DESHAUN WATSON. Very nice man. Excellent football player. Franchise quarterback, to be sure. Non-confrontational. Add this nugget: Watson, just 21 weeks ago, signed a contract making him the second-richest player in football history. It didn’t take two years for him to turn on his team. It took 21 weeks. It’s gotten to the point where, I’m told, even some respected veterans on the teams have, in effect, told Watson, Go ahead. Go. We love you. We don’t want you to get trapped here. You don’t owe us anything.

I’ve heard a few other things about Watson. The veterans on the team supported him going to owner Cal McNair a month ago and telling him the situation in the locker room was dire, and there was no faith in the management or direction of the team. When the team didn’t interview a Watson favorite, Robert Saleh, that turned off the locker room. When the team chose to keep EVP Jack Easterby (a major bone of contention with players, who do not trust him), that further soured the players, including Watson.

Obviously, the question is whether Watson has the guts to withstand the gigantic pressure that comes with turning his back on the team in the fifth-largest market in the country, and turning his back on the team that he emotionally thanked for the huge contract last September, and turning his back on the team that paid him $29.4 million in 2020. It’s easy to say today he’ll stay strong—and he very well may. But if the Texans don’t trade him, a mountain of crap will come down on all their houses over the next eight months.

Close observers think there will be no real forward progress with Watson as long as Easterby is in the picture. Obviously, the question is whether Watson has the guts.

This on the GM:

5. NICK CASERIO  Wisely, he is strongly opposed to trading Watson. For 20 of his 45 years on this planet, Caserio worked for the Patriots with Bill Belichick as his boss. So you’d think that has given him a veneer of toughness—which his friends in football say is true. After watching Belichick make the hard calls for two decades, I’m certain Caserio has seen the toughness. But the difference is now he actually has to make the calls, not watch them being made. And the first call, on Watson, could be the biggest one he ever makes. That’s hardly hyperbole. Somewhere in the first three grafs of his obituary will be this: Caserio is the man who traded Deshaun Watson if he does, and if Watson continues his transcendent path. As a GM you’re judged by the players you draft and sign and that your team develops, and also by those you trade or trade for. Think of the big calls by GMs in recent years. Will John Schneider ever make a bigger call than drafting Russell Wilson 75th in 2012? I doubt it. Will Ryan Pace be in the chair long enough to overcome Mitchell Trubisky over Watson and Patrick Mahomes in 2017? I doubt that too.

It almost seems unfair that the biggest decision/stand Caserio will make as a GM, ever, could come in the first year of his GM career. Will he play hardball with Watson, or will he trade him for almost assuredly less than his value? There is no corresponding value for a 25-year-old franchise quarterback who made a bad team competitive almost every week in 2020 and led the NFL in passing yards after the team traded DeAndre Hopkins for peanuts before the season. If he trades Watson, the next Houston QB—Sam Darnold? Justin Fields? Zach Wilson?—will always wear the mantel of the man who replaced Watson. That’s a heavy burden. Caserio has to wonder if this was the GM job really worth taking.

– – –

Bucky Brooks of NFL.com is appalled by the idea that the Texans would trade Watson.

Don’t do it, Texans. You CANNOT do it.

The noise will continue to grow louder, but Houston shouldn’t deal Deshaun Watson this offseason despite the quarterback’s trade request.

I know this storyline has been like catnip to talking heads all over the country looking for hot topics to debate over the coming months, but executing a fantasy football-like trade shouldn’t be in the cards for a franchise looking to rebound from a tumultuous 2020 campaign that featured a four-win season and the unceremonious dismissal of head coach/general manager Bill O’Brien — not to mention, the shocking trade of All-Pro receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the behind-the-scenes turmoil reportedly revolving around executive vice president of football operations Jack Easterby.

Despite a public-relations nightmare that has painted the Texans as a franchise in disarray, CEO Cal McNair and new GM Nick Caserio must do everything in their power to hold onto Watson for the long run. And Caserio, for his part, did strongly express his desire to keep the franchise quarterback at Friday’s press conference to introduce new Texans head coach David Culley.

“Organizationally, I just want to reiterate our commitment to Deshaun Watson,” Caserio said. “He’s had a great impact on this organization, a great impact on a lot of people, a great impact on this team, and we look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with him here this spring once we get started.

“And, you know, we have zero interest in trading the player. We have a great plan, a great vision for him and for this team and his role on our team. We look forward to the opportunity to spend more time with him here this spring.”

Some may choose to parse Caserio’s words, but I, for one, hope that he is indeed fully committed to mending the franchise’s relationship with Watson. It’s a no-brainer.

Despite all the drama surrounding the Texans over the past year, the 25-year old quarterback just authored his finest individual season yet, showcasing remarkable playmaking ability and leadership skills while earning his third straight Pro Bowl nod. Watson led the NFL in passing yards (4,823) and yards per attempt (8.9), while also posting sparkling figures in completion percentage (70.2), touchdown-to-interception ratio (33:7) and passer rating (112.4). All of that despite the fact that Houston lacked a true No. 1 receiver on the perimeter and fielded a leaky offensive line.

With that in mind, there’s no way that the Texans should consider moving Watson for a bounty of draft riches. Sure, the thought of three first-round picks (or more) could be enticing ammunition to rebuild a franchise on the decline, but the presence of a five-star franchise quarterback is worth its weight in gold. That’s why Houston simply cannot pull the trigger on a trade involving No. 4.

Ideally, the new leadership group in Houston — which includes Caserio, Culley, defensive coordinator Lovie Smith and quarterbacks coach Pep Hamilton — help the franchise bury the hatchet with the superstar. Watson has been a dynamic playmaker for the Texans since he first took the reins in an electric (albeit abbreviated, due to injury) rookie campaign. He’s guided the team to a pair of division titles and he played his tail off throughout the lost 2020 season. This is a cornerstone piece, the kind of guy you build an entire franchise around.

But what about Watson’s trade request?

This is a time for long, open-minded discussions. Clearly, the quarterback doesn’t feel like he’s on the same page with the Powers That Be. This isn’t surprising, given all of the widely reported dysfunction (and accompanying attrition) with this organization of late. Houston brass needs to do everything they can to change that, whether that entails looking in the mirror, opening the floor for candid discussion or both. Find a way to the reset button. Now.

But if the Texans are unable to patch up the relationship in the coming weeks and months? Well, I think they really just have to call the quarterback’s bluff. In a cold, hard business sense, the Texans hold the leverage in this scenario — having signed Watson to a four-year, $160 million extension less than five months ago — and they can’t be afraid to swing the hammer if things continue to go awry. The new collective bargaining agreement made it more punitive for players to engage in training camp holdouts, with mandatory $50,000 daily fines for missed practices. In addition, the Texans would have the right to recoup a part of Watson’s $27 million signing bonus if he were to miss games during the regular season. Finally, the quarterback would have to pay back a significant amount of his signing bonus if the situation really blew up and he decided to retire to avoid playing for the Texans.

Again, you hope that the Texans can just repair relations with their best player. It will be quite unfortunate if this gets to the point where Houston is levying fines. But the truth is that the Texans have what every team wants: a top-tier quarterback just entering his prime. If you let that out of the building, good luck finding it again.

THIS AND THAT

YOUTH MOVEMENT

Peter King had some spare time in his Brooklyn home and discovered that coaches are getting younger:

If it seems like the age of head coaches is dropping in recent years, it is—even with Houston’s hiring of 65-year-old David Culley, and the staying power of Pete Carroll (69), Bill Belichick (68) and Bruce Arians (68). I calculated the average age of NFL coaches as of opening day 2016 and compared it to coaches’ ages on opening day 2021, then went deeper into the numbers. (I didn’t go too crazy; I used the years only, instead of years and months; I figured it would balance out to use only years.)

Average age of 32 head coaches, opening day 2016: 52.94 years old.

Average age of 32 head coaches, opening day 2021: 50.53 years old.

Net difference: The average coach will be 2.41 years younger in 2021 versus 2016.

Where the difference came into play was median age, or the age that is square in the middle of the 32 coaches’ ages. On opening day 2021, the median age of head coaches will be 46. Matt Rhule and Mike Vrabel will be tied for the 15th-youngest coach in 2021, and there are 16 coaches older than 46. Thus:

Number of head coaches 46 or younger, opening day 2021: 16.

Number of head coaches 46 or younger, opening day 2016: 6.

The median age of coaches in 2016 was 53. (Jack Del Rio, Rex Ryan, John Harbaugh were 53 that season).

Why the youth? As one coach told me last week, it’s about being more facile with technology and new analytical tools. It’s likely also a nod to young coaches better identifying with a new generation of build-my-own-brand players and not being upset by that. And by being okay with players having more power than they did two generations ago. Those may be overly simplistic, and it’s likely a Ph.D dissertation for some student who loves football. But it’s happening.

JERRY GREEN

The former Detroit writer is headed to his 54^th straight Super Bowl.  Peter King:

8. JERRY GREEN. The football maven for the Detroit News, the only writer to cover all 54 Super Bowls, decided earlier this year to snap the streak. It was time. He is 92, after all. He wrote Friday in the News: “I had decided to bench myself this time, break a wonderful streak as too risky to continue. My inner philosophy, though, is that I’m entitled to change my mind as a Senior Super Citizen . . . The dangers of the COVID-19—I’ve already tested positive around Thanksgiving and survived, and I’ve had my first vaccination—kept me scared. My age and presumed frailty became factors. But then the NFL playoffs started. The play of Brady and Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce got me wishing that I had delayed the decision. Then, some two weeks ago, the NFL called. The league persuaded me, really, that I ought not snap my streak. I asked for a week to decide. I deliberated less than a day and called an audible. I said I’d go.” Great news, Jerry.

2021 DRAFT – SENIOR BOWL WINNERS

Daniel Jeremiah of NFL.com was at the Senior Bowl and he has 10 names of guys who helped their stock during the week:

Carlos “Boogie” Basham, DE, Wake Forest. Basham made himself some money this week by showing his inside/outside versatility. Some defensive linemen just have a knack for getting into the backfield no matter where they line up, and Boogie is one of those players. His quickness was a problem for guards when he rushed from the inside, and he’s going to be a good edge setter against the run. I’d like to see him play as a 4-3 DE in a base defense at the next level and then kick inside in sub packages. There was no top-tier defensive end in this year’s Senior Bowl, but Basham really stood out from the rest of the group.

Michael Carter, RB, North Carolina. Every now and then there’s a player who just pops off the screen when I sit down to watch tape, and Carter was that guy this year. He showed burst and an ability to make plays out of the backfield as a receiver. I think he has a legitimate shot to be a Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) pick. In an era when running backs are being devalued, he has a unique skill set. I envision him playing a role similar to the one Nyheim Hines fills for the Colts.

DB add: Carter also played very well in the actual game.

Demetric Felton, RB/WR, UCLA. Felton played running back last season for the Bruins, but he primarily lined up as a receiver at the Senior Bowl, although he did get a little bit of work at RB, too. He has some dynamic qualities. UCLA coach Chip Kelly told me Felton practiced at both running back and wide receiver throughout the 2020 season. That familiarity with each position showed in Mobile. He’s an explosive player.

Richie Grant, S, UCF. If you wanted to find Grant on the field, all you had to was follow the ball. He was around it all week long. I was really impressed with his performance in one-on-one drills. Grant proved he can cover in man and play in the deep middle. That’s a good combination as far as NFL teams are concerned.

Robert Hainsey, OL, Notre Dame. Hainsey was one of the most consistent prospects this week. He played with good hands and a firm base, taking snaps at guard and tackle. The team that picks him will be getting a very polished player. It didn’t go unnoticed that the Notre Dame guys worked after practice every single day, and I was told Hainsey’s interviews with teams were outstanding.

Cade Johnson, WR, South Dakota State. Johnson did not play this fall because the Missouri Valley Conference postponed its football season until the spring, but he showed no signs of rust during practice. He consistently won in one-on-one drills, flashing his impressive quickness. If your NFL team needs a good slot receiver, Johnson is a player to keep an eye on.

Mac Jones, QB, Alabama. The national championship-winning QB was consistent and steady in practices, just like he was during the season. There’s no individual trait that wows you, but he’s a good decision maker with accuracy and touch, especially underneath and at the intermediate levels. He’ll leave Mobile having shown he was the best passer of the Senior Bowl QBs. It was impressive that he came here to compete after wrapping up his season just a couple weeks ago and I still have him rated on the borderline of the first round. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to see him in the game on Saturday, but he did say he hurt his left ankle in practice on Thursday and wouldn’t play if he didn’t feel 100 percent.

Quinn Meinerz, interior O-lineman, Wisconsin-Whitewater. Meinerz was the most impressive player during practices, from start to finish. He was a relative unknown coming into the week, hailing from a Division III school. Well, not only did he prove he belonged, he showed everyone that he’s one of the best players here. Meinerz was dominant, displaying plenty of power and strength. No one should have any questions about his toughness either, as he reportedly played through a broken bone in his right hand on Thursday. He’s going to be a quality starting interior offensive lineman in the NFL.

Quincy Roche, edge rusher, Miami. I think Roche came into the week as a likely early Day 3 (Rounds 4-7) pick, but he probably pushed himself up to Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) based on his work at the Senior Bowl. I came away impressed by how hard he battled from rep to rep. He just kept showing up in team drills. He has heavy hands and a motor that runs hot.

D’Ante Smith, OT, East Carolina. Smith played in only one game this fall due to injury and scouts were lukewarm on his tape from the 2019 season. So, there was very little buzz about him coming out of the 2020 campaign. There will be plenty of chatter about him coming out of this week, though. Smith was phenomenal at tackle and guard. He has extremely long arms and knows how to use them.

Carter is one of three players who caught the eye of Chase Goodbread of NFL.com in the actual game:

Three standouts from the Senior Bowl game

Kellen Mond, QB, Texas A&M. Quarterbacks don’t generally play much more than a quarter in the Senior Bowl, particularly in years where the game carries four passers on each squad. But with three per squad this year, and Alabama’s Mac Jones — Mond’s teammate this week — sitting out due to a left ankle injury suffered in practice on Thursday, Mond got extra playing time and took advantage of it in winning MVP honors.

Mond started both halves, giving way to former Wake Forest and Georgia QB Jamie Newman in the second and fourth quarters.

“More playing time is always good. I didn’t know I was going to start until back at the hotel (pre-game) it was talked about,” Mond said.

Mond completed 13 of 25 passes for 173 yards, leading an American squad comeback from a 13-0 deficit to a 16-13 lead with two third-quarter TD passes, prompting NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah to say Mond “is making a little money today,” during the broadcast of the game.

One of those scores was perhaps Mond’s best throw of the game, to Clemson WR Amari Rodgers, threading a throw over the middle between defensive backs Darren Hall of San Diego State and Thomas Graham Jr. of Oregon. Hall was also involved in Mond’s worst throw, dropping a would-be interception that bounced off his chest.

Mond’s head coach this week, the Carolina Panthers’ Matt Rhule, liked what he saw from the QB.

“We’re talking about a really, really football-smart guy here,” Rhule said after the game. “He’s got one of those memories. You give him a play and he knows it. He kind of got into a rhythm there in the third quarter, just ripping some seam balls, making some plays. I think he’s got a bright future.”

Dez Fitzpatrick, WR, Louisville. The former Cardinals standout proved to be the toughest cover for American squad defensive backs, getting open with ease and showing excellent body control on a pair of catches, one on the sideline in the first half and then high-pointing a catch on a back-shoulder throw from Texas QB Sam Ehlinger in the second half.

“We saw him do a toe-drag swag catch on the sideline, then come back and win a 50-50 ball along the boundary. (It was an) outstanding week of work for Dez Fitzpatrick,” said NFL Network analyst Bucky Brooks.

Fitzpatrick said he’s been comfortable getting two feet in bounds, although the NCAA rule requires only one for a completed catch, for the last two years.

“I’m comfortable with adjusting to two feet in bounds. I’ve been working on it for the longest time,” Fitzpatrick said. “… It came second nature to me.”

Fitzpatrick recorded game highs of six catches and 90 yards.

Michael Carter, RB, North Carolina. Carter showed big-play ability during the practice week, and flashed it again in Saturday’s game with a nifty run of 27 yards on which he broke or avoided three would-be tackles. He deftly sidestepped Missouri safety Tyree Gillespie in the backfield, then bounced the play to the sideline before being shoved out of bounds by Georgia’s DJ Daniel. He later scored on a 12-yard run up the middle that became a scrum at about the 5-yard line, with several offensive linemen, along with even Notre Dame QB Ian Book, pushing Carter forward the rest of the way. Carter’s compact frame and power allow Carter to shrug off tacklers, and showed lateral quickness to beat defenders to the perimeter.

Jeremiah said Carter was the most impressive running back in Mobile during the practice week, and Brooks included Carter on his list of draft prospects who made money with their performance. He rushed eight times for a game-high 60 yards and caught two of three targets as a receiver for 15 yards.