The Daily Briefing Wednesday, February 2, 2022

On Tuesday evening, Brian Flores, mysteriously deposed as coach of the Dolphins and unable to find traction on a new head coaching job, filed a class action suit alleging racism in NFL hiring practices, especially by the Broncos and Giants – as well as in its firing practices.

In 2019, when he had never had a head job, Flores found the Broncos brass to be hungover when they interviewed him in Providence, Rhode Island.

Three years later, he has reason to believe his Giants interview was a sham, that another Brian had already been chosen.

But his biggest bombshell is against the one owner who did hire him, Stephen Ross of the Dolphins.  Ross offered to pay Flores extra money to tank and tampered to try to get him a franchise QB (not Deshaun Watson).  But then he fired Flores and now Flores extracts revenge.

TMZ.com wraps up the allegations made by Brian Flores:

Brian Flores is going scorched earth on the NFL and New York Giants … filing an explosive lawsuit where the former Dolphins head coach alleges the team’s hiring practices were rooted in racism, and he claims a text from Bill Belichick proves it.

The 40-year-old coach filed the class action lawsuit through attorneys Douglas H. Wigdor, Michael J. Willemin, David E. Gottlieb in district court in New York on Tuesday … and it’s shocking.

Flores says he received a text from his former boss and Patriots head coach days before he interviewed with the Giants. During the conversation, Flores says BB congratulated him on landing the new gig.

BF was confused by the comment because he had yet to go in for his scheduled interview, and asked Bill if he had an inside track to their decision.

Belichick eventually admits he misread the information he received … and tells Flores it was actually a different Brian — Brian Daboll — who landed the Giants job.

Flores insists this is proof he was only brought in for an interview to satisfy the Rooney Rule — which requires teams to interview a minority candidate when a head coaching job opens up.

FYI, Flores and Daboll both worked together under Belichick in New England.

BF claims he was then “forced to sit through a dinner” with new Giants GM Joe Schoen despite “knowing that the Giants had already selected Mr. Daboll.”

And Flores says this wasn’t the first time he’s been subjected to a “sham interview that was held only in an effort to comply with the Rooney Rule.”

The fired coach says he interviewed with then-Broncos general manager John Elway and other Denver execs in 2019 … however, Brian says “it was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule.”

Flores also claims Elway and the other Broncos execs showed up an hour late for the interview and “looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before.”

Brian — who points out there’s only 1 Black head coach (Mike Tomlin) and 6 GMs — is suing on the behalf of all prospective Black coaches and front office employees.

Flores is asking the court to fix the NFL’s alleged discriminatory hiring practices, in addition to damages.

There’s more … Flores also accuses Dolphins owner Stephen Ross of offering to pay him $100K per loss — in an effort to tank the season and get a better draft pick.

Flores says when he refused to play ball, he was labeled as being difficult to work with, and ultimately fired.

“This is reflective of an all too familiar ‘angry Black man’ stigma that is often casted upon Black men who are strong in their morals and convictions while white men are coined as passionate for those very same attributes,” the lawsuit reads.

Flores — who is currently without a coaching gig — understands the lawsuit could possibly prevent him from landing a job in the future.

“God has gifted me with a special talent to coach the game of football, but the

need for change is bigger than my personal goals,” Flores said in a statement released by his lawyers.

Brian continued … “In making the decision to file the class action complaint today, I understand that I may be risking coaching the game that I love and that has done so much for my family and me. My sincere hope is that by standing up against systemic racism in the NFL, others will join me to ensure that positive change is made for generations to come.”

FLORES VS. DENVER

They may or may not have been hungover, but the Broncos insist they were timely at the Providence interview and used all the time Flores allotted them productively.  Ryan Glasspiegel of the NY Post:

In the suit, Flores claims that in a 2019 interview for the Denver head coaching vacancy, John Elway and former Broncos executive Joe Ellis were late and “completely disheveled” from an evening of heavy drinking. Flores also said he was only interviewed in a sham to satisfy the league’s “Rooney Rule” of interviewing minority candidates.

“[I]n 2019 Mr. Flores was scheduled to interview with the Denver Broncos. However, the Broncos’ then-General Manager, John Elway, President and Chief Executive Officer Joe Ellis and others, showed up an hour late to the interview. They looked completely disheveled, and it was obvious that they had drinking heavily the night before,” the lawsuit alleges.

“It was clear from the substance of the interview that Mr. Flores was interviewed only because of the Rooney Rule, and that the Broncos never had any intention to consider him as a legitimate candidate for the job. Shortly thereafter, Vic Fangio, a white man, was hired to be the Head Coach of the Broncos.”

The Broncos said in a statement that Flores’ allegations directed at the team are “blatantly false.”

 “Our interview with Mr. Flores regarding our head coaching position began promptly at the scheduled time of 7:30 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2019, in a Providence, R.I., hotel,” the team said. “There were five Broncos executives present for the interview, which lasted approximately three-and-a-half hours—the fully allotted time—and concluded shortly before 11 a.m. Pages of detailed notes, analysis and evaluations from our interview demonstrate the depth of our conversation and sincere interest in Mr. Flores as a head coaching candidate.

 “Our process was thorough and fair to determine the most qualified candidate for our head coaching position. The Broncos will vigorously defend the integrity and values of our organization—and its employees—from such baseless and disparaging claims.

Did Elway only drink and appear disheveled for interviews with minority candidates?

We note that 7:30 in Providence is 5:30 Mountain.  Was there an interview elsewhere the day before?  What time did they get in?

FLORES vs. THE GIANTS

Dan Lyons of SI.com on the text message to the wrong person (the DB has certainly done that) which forms the basis for the harm caused to Flores by the Giants:

In the lawsuit, submitted by Wigdor LLC to the U.S. District Court in the Southern District of New York, Flores says that Belichick accidentally let him know that the Giants had already chosen Daboll, three days before Flores was set to interview for the position.

Screenshots of a brief text conversation between Flores and Belichick are included in the suit. In the texts, it appears that Belichick either believed that he was speaking to Daboll, congratulating him on the Giants job, or thought that it was Flores that was being hired.

In either case, Flores says he found out that he would not land the Giants job days before he actually interviewed, indicating that the interview didn’t actually matter, or was, as the lawsuit refers to it, “a sham.”

Michael Lee, a reporter for the Washington Post, explains to us where Flores was harmed:

@MrMichaelLee

Brian Flores was the most accomplished & experienced NFL coaching candidate in this hiring cycle. He was coming off consecutive winning seasons, a seemingly unjust firing & here come the Giants, viewing him as a Rooney rule quota-filler to check off. He has a right to be hostile.

FLORES vs. STEPHEN ROSS

Flores levels his most sensational charges against the owner who actually hired him.

There’s a lot to dig through in the 58 page filing, but here are the most explosive elements of the lawsuit.

No. 1: Flores alleges he was pushed to tank the Dolphins in order to improve their draft position

During the 2019, Flores’ first in command of the Dolphins, he led the team to a 5-11 record, winning three of their last five games. Flores alleges that team owner Stephen Ross wanted him to intentionally lose games, even offering a bounty for losses — then was told by GM Chris Grier that Ross was angry for him winning.

“Indeed, during the 2019 season, Miami’s owner, Stephen Ross, told Mr. Flores that he would pay him $100,000 for every loss, and the team’s General Manager, Chris Grier, told Mr. Flores that “Steve” was “mad” that Mr. Flores’ success in winning games that year was “compromising [the team’s] draft position.”

The Dolphins would go on to pick 5th in the 2020 NFL Draft, selecting Tua Tagovailoa.

No. 2: Stephen Ross wanted Flores to tamper with a quarterback

Following the 2019 season the suit alleges that Flores was pressured into breaking league rules by meeting Ross, and an unnamed quarterback in violation of league tampering rules. The suit claims Flores did not attend this planned meeting, but was later mislead about another meeting with Ross that turned into an attempt to convince a prominent QB to come to Miami.

“After the end of the 2019 season, Mr. Ross began to pressure Mr. Flores to recruit a prominent quarterback in violation of League tampering rules. Mr. Flores repeatedly refused to comply with these improper directives. Undeterred, in the winter of 2020, Mr. Ross invited Mr. Flores onto a yacht for lunch. Shortly after he arrived, Mr. Ross told Mr. Flores that the prominent quarterback was “conveniently” arriving at the marina.”

The suit does not name the quarterback in question, though Tom Brady and Deshaun Watson are two names that would match the timeline in the suit.

On Wednesday, Flores says his eventual dismissal happened because he refused to go along with the diabolical scheme:

Former Dolphins coach Brian Flores says that team owner Stephen Ross urging him to lose games on purpose was an attack on the sport of football itself, and that when Flores refused to go along with Ross’s scheme, the writing was on the wall for him in Miami.

Flores appeared on CBS this morning and said that his respect for the sport dictated that he would never tank a season, and that when Ross — who wanted the first overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft — offered him a $100,000 bonus for every loss in 2019, Flores rejected the offer and was subsequently cut out of

 “I didn’t grow up with a lot and this game changed my life. So to attack the integrity of the game, that’s what I felt was happening in that instance, and I wouldn’t stand for it,” Flores said. “I think it hurt my standing within the organization and ultimately was the reason I was let go.”

Those are serious allegations that, if proven, ought to result in significant consequences for Ross and the Dolphins. It’s one thing for an owner to prioritize building through the draft over winning in the moment. It’s quite another thing for an owner to actively attempt to incentivize his coach to lose games. The players and coaches should be trying to win every week, and an owner who tries to influence his coaches or players to lose is, as Flores notes, attacking the very integrity of the NFL.

It will make a great movie when Flores gutty Dolphins are shown beating the Bengals in Week 16 of the 2019 season (or beating the Patriots the following week) as Ross stews and curses in the owner’s suite.

FLORES VS. THE NFL

What hasn’t received a lot of attention are some of the demands that Flores and his lawyers came up with for the NFL to provide:

What is Flores asking for?

The suit is asking for relief in the form of several initiatives to bolster minority involvement in the NFL including:

Sourcing black investors to become potential NFL team owners.

Asking for black players and coaches to become part of a team’s hiring process on head coaching and coordinator vacancies.

Require NFL teams to justify in writing their hiring and firing decisions.

Require NFL teams to supply side-by-side comparisons in record and resume when interviewing coaches.

Create a fund for a training program to promote lower-level black coaches to coordinator positions if they show the aptitude.

Incentivize the retention of black coaches and front office staff.

Pay transparency for coaches of all levels across the NFL.

There will be lots more to discuss about this going forward.

NFC NORTH

CHICAGO

We wondered if Joe Brady would show up in this year’s hiring cycle after he was dumped by the Panthers in the middle of the season.  There is a citing in Chicago.

@AlbertBreer

The Bears are interviewing ex-Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady today for a position on their staff, per sources.

MINNESOTA

Jim Harbaugh heads into Minnesota today, ready to “take the job.”  Mike Florio ofProFootballTalk.com:

It’s never over until it’s over. But it’s looking like it could be over.

Via Chris Balas ot TheWolverine.com, Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh heads to Minnesota for a Wednesday interview that will be a precursor to Harbaugh becoming the team’s next head coach.

Per Balas, multiple sources claim the Wednesday interview is a formality. Which makes sense, given that the interview is happening on national signing day.

Harbaugh, per the report, wasn’t in his office on Tuesday. He didn’t address the team, but he reportedly said some “goodbyes” and “thank yous” on Monday.

As we’ve seen before, these things aren’t done until they’re done. But it’s clear that Harbaugh wants to return to the NFL. And it’s clear that the Vikings regard him as a serious candidate, with new G.M. Kwesi Adofo-Mensah very familiar with Harbaugh based on their two years together in San Francisco.

Unlike rising coordinators who may or may not prove they can win at the next level, Harbaugh has been a winner in the NFL, going 44-19-1 in his four years with the 49ers. In his first season, he took a 6-10 team to the brink of the Super Bowl, without the benefit of an offseason program.

The Vikings had a long second interview with Giants DC Patrick Graham on Tuesday.  Will he run the defense for Harbaugh?

NFC EAST

WASHINGTON

Tales of an owner accused of unethical behavior dominate today, but for once that owner isn’t Daniel Snyder.  Still, he aims to make big news today – although like Tom Brady’s retirement, the big news may have leaked out as a prying aerial news camera hunted down Snyder’s most precious secret hours before the announcement.  Ryan Glasspiegal of the New York Post:

Evidence keeps mounting that the Washington Football Team will be renamed the Washington Commanders.

And the plot has thickened.

Now, a news chopper in the D.C. area has zoomed in on the team facility, and revealed a big photo with the “Commanders” logo in the building.

Earlier this week, former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann appeared to confirm the Commanders would be the new name.

“I think the Commanders is a name that is going to be one that hopefully people like going forward,” Theismann told Damon Amendolara on CBS Sports Radio. “There were so many different options, but once again it’s trademark infringement — it’s getting approval from different people. If you choose a name, is there a group out there that isn’t going to like it?

Theismann later walked back certainty about the team name, saying he’d find out Wednesday like everybody else.

And, like Brady’s retirement, the leak was true.  John Keim with the Wednesday morning announcement as the Commanders join the Guardians.  Needless to say, the media focus now becomes the Chiefs and Braves.

It’s the Washington Commanders.

After 87 years with its former name and two years as the Washington Football Team, the franchise announced Wednesday morning its new name would be the Commanders. The team also unveiled its new logo and uniforms.

Washington’s leaders — team president Jason Wright and coach Ron Rivera — had stressed during the 20-month search that it would like to incorporate the military because of its connection to the nation’s capital.

Commander is a military term, associated most closely as a naval officer rank, but it also can be used as a generic term, as in commanding officer. The president of the United States is referred to as the commander-in-chief.

Washington’s quest for a new name began in July 2020, following protests across the United States after the murder of George Floyd in Minnesota. Around that time, Washington owner Dan Snyder started having discussions with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell about possibly changing the name that was considered by some to be offensive and racist. The team kept its burgundy and gold colors but is done with Native American imagery.

Crystal Echo Hawk, executive director of the nonprofit organization IllumiNative, had called Wednesday a “momentous moment” and said they can “put a horrible chapter to rest. There’s still a lot of healing that needs to happen, so I don’t think the team’s work in regards to reconciliation and healing is over.”

“The NFL is not done,” Crystal Echo Hawk added. “The [Kansas City] Chiefs have to step up and follow the lead and be on the right side of history. Washington has shown these rebrandings can be successful. This is a good thing. All eyes turn to the Chiefs.”

Ray Halbritter, the nation representative and CEO of Oneida Nation Enterprises, said the new name is important for all Native Americans, but especially future generations.

“They’ll no longer be subjected to such an offensive and harmful slur every Sunday during the football season,” Halbritter said. “It’s a great moment for Washington fans. They want to support a team, to love a team, and now they won’t be put in position having to do that with a dictionary-defined slur as a name.”

The franchise said July 3, 2020, that it would undergo a thorough review of its former name. Ten days later, it announced that it was retiring its previous name and adopting Football Team as a temporary moniker.

Snyder for years had resisted changing the name, telling USA Today in 2013 to “put it in all caps” that he would never make such a move. Some who have worked for Snyder said they believed he would rather sell the team than use a new name.

But that changed during the spring and early summer of 2020. In June of that year, a letter signed by 87 investors and shareholders with a total worth of $620 billion was sent to sponsors FedEx, PepsiCo and Nike, asking them to stop doing business with the team unless its name was changed. When that was reported by Adweek.com, multiple people — including current and former employees — echoed the same thought: It’s over. Most, if not all, were unaware that a possible change was already in the works.

A small group in the organization, including Snyder and Rivera, discussed a new name at the time, but it was soon shelved. At the time, there were reports of trademark issues holding up a possible new name.

The search began more in earnest when the franchise hired Wright a month later. Wright’s group met with alumni, fans and some Native Americans during the process, keeping fans apprised with updates on the team’s website, whether by video or through his President’s Briefs.

Wright said he didn’t want to release the name until all the designs and logos were completed. In July 2021, Wright announced the new name would not contain any Native American reference or imagery.

Last month, Wright said one popular name among fans, RedWolves, was dropped because of trademarks held by others.

Former Washington quarterback Joe Theismann, part of the organization’s first Super Bowl triumph after the 1982 season, had called the name a “new start.”

Theismann said he will still feel an attachment because of what was done in the past. And he said fans will accept the name if the team does something it hasn’t done in a while: win. Washington has posted five consecutive losing seasons, though it won the NFC East in 2020. The team hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005 and hasn’t appeared in the NFC Championship Game since 1991, also the last season it won the Super Bowl.

“I don’t feel detached, and the reason why is because of the fans,” Theismann said. “Believe me, like anything else, you build it and they will come. You start winning, people will show up. If you don’t win, people get disillusioned.”

We have Bucs and Jags and Niners and Cards and Fins and Pats – and if we can say it – used to have Skins.  Muti-syllable nicknames tend to be shrunk.  So to the Washington Commies?

NFC WEST

SAN FRANCISCO

As Kyle Shanahan sends QB TREY LANCE off to the CBA-mandated quiet period, he hopes he will work on his throwing motion.

The 49ers set the wheels in motion for a quarterback change when they drafted Trey Lance with the third overall pick in last year’s draft and the next step of that change is set to take place this offseason.

Jimmy Garoppolo held what amounted to a farewell press conference on Tuesday as he expects to be traded this offseason so that Lance can step into the starting lineup. Before that happens, though, 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan wants Lance to take his first break from football in a long time.

Shanahan outlined his offseason plans for Lance during his own press conference on Tuesday and it includes some mechanical work once Lance has enjoyed some rest and relaxation.

“With Trey, he needs to take a couple of weeks off,” Shanahan said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “He’s been going since pre-draft stuff, getting ready for the Combine, and all that stuff. Trey’s going to take a couple of weeks off, and then go down to Southern California, work with some guys throwing the ball, isolate on that, just his throwing motion, working on that all the time, which I would say 80 percent of the quarterbacks in this league do that.”

Shanahan said it will be good for Lance to “get away from us and just focus on those things” before returning for OTAs that will likely be centered on transitioning him into the starting job.

What is Jimmy G worth on the trade market?  He has an outstanding W-L record, a great reputation and so-so stats.  Dieter Kurtenbach of the San Jose Mercury News explores landing spots (and reaches the same conclusion as the DB, so beware):

Jimmy Garoppolo came to the 49ers when the organization was in dire straights.

The Niners had four head coaches in four years filled with controversy, chaos and a whole lot of losing football before Garoppolo showed up via the Patriots in a Halloween 2017 trade.

He took over a team that had a 1-10 record in Kyle Shanahan’s first season.

He won five straight games to end that season.

He won 30 more over the next four.

Garoppolo is going to leave the 49ers this offseason, most likely via another trade. But make no mistake about it, he has left the Niners better than he found them.

“It’s always something I’ve tried to live,” Garoppolo said Tuesday. “You look back on it and just how far this team, this organization has come in four years, it’s pretty wild. But I wouldn’t change anything for the world.”

All class, right there. But change is coming. Where will the 2022 season find Garoppolo?

He said Tuesday that he and the 49ers have already discussed possible trade destinations. He doesn’t have any official say in the matter — his no-trade clause will expire in a few weeks — but it’s good the 49ers are giving him input into the process. He deserved that.

Per Oddschecker.com, there are 11 teams in the running for Garoppolo. Some are crazy long shots that would require NFL chaos to truly be involved. A few others make all the sense in the world.

Let’s break them down, one by one, from least likely to most.

No sir, not going to happen: Indianapolis Colts +1400, Cleveland Browns +1200, Green Bay Packers +1000

I can understand why the Colts and Browns would be interested in Garoppolo — their quarterbacks are on-par or worse than Jimmy G and don’t carry nearly as much off-field value. (Unless we’re counting Baker Mayfield’s commercials, of course.) Ultimately, it’s terribly challenging to imagine how either the Colts or Browns move on from Carson Wentz or Mayfield with their current contracts. Wentz has a $15 million dead cap hit if the Colts cut him (no one is going to trade for him) and Mayfield already had his fifth-year option picked up by the Browns. Would Garoppolo be an upgrade? Sure. Will either team do the incredible amount of work necessary to get that marginal improvement? Nope.

As for the Packers: is Aaron Rodgers actually going to leave Green Bay? I have serious doubts about that. But, more importantly, the 49ers are not going to trade Garoppolo to arguably their top non-divisional NFC rival. They might be willing to move on from Jimmy G, but they’re not interested in ever meeting him in a playoff game that’s not the Super Bowl. Add in the fact that Garoppolo grew up a Bears fan with disdain for the Packers and Green Bay has former first-round pick Jordan Love on a rookie deal and Garoppolo to Green Bay makes zero sense.

Bad timing: Houston Texans +1000, Denver Broncos +600

Texans general manager Nick Caserio knows Garoppolo from their time in New England, but I simply don’t think they’re trying to win anytime soon in Houston. Giving up serious draft capital (and contract money) for a veteran quarterback doesn’t seem ideal for that team at the moment. Davis Mills was fine last season. Deshaun Watson is still, technically, on the team. Plus, if Garoppolo does, indeed, have a say over his next destination, he’ll say no to Houston.

The Broncos are in a spot where Garoppolo could make a ton of sense — new head coach Nathanial Hackett was just the offensive coordinator of Green Bay’s Kyle Shanahan system — but I think they’re going for a significant upgrade at the quarterback position this offseason and Garoppolo does not provide that level of change over Teddy Bridgewater. You have to go big in the AFC West and consolation prizes aren’t going to play in that market. This is bad timing and bad optics — I don’t like the combination.

Chaos agents: Las Vegas Raiders +1200

The new guard in the desert comes from New England. I don’t know how they feel about Garoppolo, but the tie is there.

But to get to the point where they would be trading for Jimmy G, they’d have to move on from Derek Carr, a quarterback who occupies the same limbo in the NFL’s quarterback hierarchy.

It all seems too bold, too soon. There’s no way Garoppolo could be worth all that trouble — and it’s a whole lot of trouble — for new head coach Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler, who already enter a tense situation following Jon Gruden’s resignation, a season of tumult with off-the-field incidents, and many Raiders players wanting interim head coach Rich Bisaccia to be retained.

Can’t rule them out: Carolina Panthers +700, Miami Dolphins +700

The Panthers should be with the Browns and Colts here — they just gave up a second-round draft pick and picked up Sam Darnold’s fifth-year option. But Darnold was so bad last year that they might just pivot off him this offseason. Garoppolo would be a clear upgrade in Charlotte and there’s serious desperation there, but it’s still too bold to think it’s anything more than a fringe possibility. That desperation is just enough to keep them in it.

You can view Garoppolo as a clear upgrade to Tua Tagovailoa — I do — but will general manager Chris Grier feel the same way? I seriously doubt it. If Niners’ offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel is hired for this gig, there’s an increased chance that Garoppolo could come to town — what a wonderful fit that could be — but the Dolphins don’t seem particularly motivated to make a quarterback move this season.

Sleeper: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +550

The reason the Buccaneers would not go for Garoppolo is his inability to throw the deep ball. That’s the backbone of any Bruce Arians offense.

That said, Garoppolo might be the best truly available quarterback on the market and the Buccaneers are a top NFC team that plays in a terrible division. Garoppolo has no problem following Tom Brady, either. The Niners might not like having Garoppolo in the NFC, but they aren’t above a good deal. The Bucs are in a position to make a huge offer. If Arians decides he’s willing to tweak the offense — a big if — or if he sees something in Garoppolo the rest of the league doesn’t, this is a great fit.

Don’t you wish you still had that no-trade clause: Washington Commanders +400

I don’t think Garoppolo would be thrilled with this landing spot, but Washington needs a new quarterback, preferably a veteran with a winning pedigree, and a new face for their rebrand, too.

Who better than Garoppolo?

The Niners and Washington worked out a trade for Trent Williams two years ago — the relationship between the two organizations isn’t as bad as Kyle Shanahan would want you to believe. Plus, the Niners fleeced them in that deal. Why not go back to the well?

I’d bet Washington will offer the most competitive draft-pick package for Jimmy G in what might not be a terribly competitive market. Whether or not Garoppolo likes it is somewhat irrelevant.

The favorites: Pittsburgh Steelers +300

It makes all the sense in the world for all parties involved.

The Steelers are in win-now mode and they were just able to make the playoffs with Ben Roethlisberger embarrassing himself with passes that made Garoppolo look like Patrick Mahomes.

Yes, Pittsburgh could go with Roethlisberger’s backup, Mason Rudolph, at quarterback, but they would be fools to waste a year of their great defense with that nonsense.

Pittsburgh has also shown serious aggressiveness with trading for proven players. Garoppolo isn’t on the same level as Minkah Fitzpatrick, but in 2019 the Steelers sent a first-round pick to Miami in-season for the safety, all so they could make the playoffs with Rudolph and Duck Hodges playing quarterback.

Garoppolo says he values winning. No team in the NFL embodies that more than the Steelers. I think he’d make them one of the better teams in the NFL again, too.

For the Niners, it’s an easy win if the offered compensation is close. Garoppolo would be going to a great organization but he’d also be out of conference.

For Garoppolo, being the face of another premier, national NFL franchise would be easy. It’s a departure from California, but his hometown of Chicago and Pittsburgh are kindred spirits of cities — there should be no cultural issues at all.

I’d be stunned if Pittsburgh isn’t the landing spot.

SEATTLE

Is 33-year-old QB RUSSELL WILSON worth three first-round picks?  Heavy.com from an Eagles perspective:

Trading for Russell Wilson would be a tough pill to swallow considering the amount of potential young talent going out the door. The going rate has the eight-time Pro Bowler netting the Seattle Seahawks three first-round picks. That’s a lot to give up for any player, let alone a 33-year-old quarterback.

No one seems completely sold on that part of it. However, the notion that the Philadelphia Eagles would have to absorb a colossal contract to fit Wilson in under the cap has been greatly exaggerated. Wilson is only due $19 million in base salary for the 2022 season. And he’s set to earn a pretty palatable $22 million in 2023.

Compare that to Aaron Rodgers ($26.5 million in 2022; $25 million in 2023). Or Deshaun Watson ($35 million in 2022; $20 million in 2023). And Wilson’s deal is relatively cheap.

Of course, it’s not as affordable as the rookie contract that Jalen Hurts is playing on. The Eagles starter inked a four-year, $6.025 million deal in 2020. The organization has two more years to decide on whether Hurts deserves an extension.

AFC EAST

BUFFALO

Ken Dorsey chose to stay in Buffalo and accept a promotion to OC.  Darryl Slater of NJ Advance Media.

Ken Dorsey won’t be reuniting with Brian Daboll.

How to bet on the Super Bowl 2022

Read our guide How to Bet on the Super Bowl Online

The Bills on Tuesday promoted him to offensive coordinator, so he’ll be staying in Buffalo to call plays for quarterback Josh Allen, rather than joining Daboll and quarterback Daniel Jones with the Giants.

After the Giants hired Daboll — formerly the Bills’ offensive coordinator — as their head coach, it seemed possible that he would bring Dorsey with him. Dorsey was the Bills’ quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator before this promotion. Dorsey joined the Bills in 2019, a year after Daboll arrived as their offensive coordinator.

Now, Dorsey will fill Daboll’s spot in Buffalo — and Daboll still needs an offensive coordinator

THIS AND THAT

2022 DRAFT

The knock on QB KENNY PICKETT?  Small hands.  Eric Woodyard of ESPN.com:

Kenny Pickett knew what was coming.

Pickett, one of the top quarterback prospects in this year’s NFL draft, acknowledged questions about his hand size one day after electing to not have his throwing hand measured as part of the Senior Bowl weigh-in.

The former University of Pittsburgh quarterback said he will improve his hand mobility through stretches ahead of this month’s NFL scouting combine, where he will get an official measurement. He also cited his experience playing in the “tough weather” of Pittsburgh as proof that his hand size won’t be an issue at the next level.

“I think that’s like the No. 1 thing for quarterbacks in the draft process every year is hand size,” Pickett said Tuesday. “The good news is that I play in Pittsburgh. Anyone that’s been to Pittsburgh knows it’s not the nicest place to play in October, November.

“So I’ve had experience playing in tough weather and I didn’t measure in this week. I just want to give the most measurement I can. I’m working on mobility things.”

Pickett, a Heisman Trophy finalist and the winner of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm award this past season, is playing on the National team at this week’s Senior Bowl. He went through four hours of interviews Monday with NFL teams, then spent another hour with teams Tuesday morning before practice.

Pickett’s draft stock improved dramatically in 2021 after going back to school based off advice from Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy, who told Pickett that he would’ve been a “Day 3 player” had he entered the draft last year.

Pickett is the No. 16 player overall on ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest Big Board and the top quarterback, while he is rated as the No. 20 player overall by ESPN’s Todd McShay, just one spot head of Liberty quarterback Malik Willis.

“Kenny’s got himself in great position in this draft process right now,” Nagy said. “I know that just the way he’s wired and spending time around him — and the kind of guy he is and talking with the guys at the Manning Camp and have been around him, the guys at Pitt — he’s gonna crush this process.

“I think he’s already starting to in the interviews right now. He’s got a really cool way about him, kind of reminds me a little bit of [Joe] Burrow when I got to know Joe through this process with the way guys gravitate to him. He’s a leader, it comes easy to him.”