The Jacksonville Jaguars have agreed to terms with unrestricted free agent and fifth-year LB Joe Schobert on a five-year contract, the team announced today.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it’s a five-year, $53.75M deal. He gets an average of $10.75M per year. $12M to sign and $22.5M guaranteed.”
“We really feel great about the things Joe has been able to do and what he adds to our team,” said Head Coach Doug Marrone. “He brings an ability to tackle and diagnose plays. He’s a true middle linebacker and has played it at a high level. He’s really going to help us, not only at the MIKE linebacker position, but he also helps us overall across our whole linebacking corps. This gives us the ability to move Myles Jack to outside linebacker, which I feel is a more natural position for him. Myles and I spoke about the change, and he’s excited.”
Schobert, 6-1, 245, was originally drafted by Cleveland in the fourth round (99th overall) of the 2016 NFL Draft. In his four years with the Browns, he played in 61 games, including all 16 games in three seasons, with 49 games started at linebacker and has totaled 394 tackles (228 solo), 20 passes defensed, 8.5 sacks, seven forced fumbles, and six INTs. His 378 tackles since 2017 are the fourth-most in the NFL.
In 2019, Schobert, 26, led the Browns with 133 tackles, four INTs, and two forced fumbles. He was the only player in the NFL last season to tally at least 130 tackles and at least four INTs and was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after posting five tackles, four passes defensed, and two INTs against Miami in Week 12.
The former Wisconsin Badger standout was selected to his first career Pro Bowl in 2017 after finishing with 142 tackles, tied for the second-most in the NFL, and four passes defensed, 3.0 sacks, three forced fumbles, and one INT. Schobert was one of only three players in the NFL to play in every defensive snap during the 2017 season.
Schobert definitely helps this Jaguars’ defense. The linebacker position was a strength for Jacksonville, but the unit took a big hit when Telvin Smith retired last season. Hopefully, for Jacksonville, who struggled mightily against the run(ranked 28th) last season, Schobert solidifies the linebacker position in 2020.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have traded eighth-year CB A.J. Bouye to the Denver Broncos in exchange for a fourth-round selection (No. 137 overall) in the 2020 NFL Draft, the club announced today.
“We respect and appreciate everything that A.J. did for the Jaguars during his three seasons with us. A.J.’s support of cancer awareness and his work with local families had a profound impact on our community, and we wish him the best moving forward.” said Jaguars General Manager Dave Caldwell. “While these decisions are difficult, our priority is always to do what we think gives us the best chance to win football games, and we feel that adding a fourth-round selection and alleviating cap space provides us with the opportunity to make strategic roster moves by acquiring players in free agency or via the draft.”
Now that the trade has become official, the Jaguars have 10 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft (1-9, 1-20, 2-42, 3-73, 4-116, 4-137, 5-165, 6-189, 6-206, 7-223), including six selections in the first four rounds. The Jaguars also have nine picks in the 2021 NFL Draft, including multiple picks in the first and fourth round. This number will grow after a few other deals become official.
The Jaguars continue to overhaul this football team. What this team looked like in 2019 will be totally different in 2020. At this point, Jacksonville is undergoing a youth movement, which after what transpired the past two years, might not be a bad idea.
We will be talking sports and having fun doing it. We will be joined by Minnesota State-Mankato WR Shane Zylstra and St. John’s(Minnesota) QB Jackson Erdmann, who both will discuss their prep for the upcoming NFL Draft.
In 2019, Zylstra had 80 receptions with 1669 yards and 18 touchdowns for Minnesota State-Mankato.
Erdmann threw for 5040 yards and 47 touchdowns for St. John’s(Minnesota) in 2019.
Show starts on Wednesday at 6pmest
Listen below:
Former boxer and Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s uncle and ex-trainer, Roger Mayweather, died today. He was 58. Mayweather died after a long battle with diabetes.
Born in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Roger Mayweather was a two-division boxing world champion, winning world titles at super featherweight and super lightweight while earning 59 wins in a nearly 20-year career that included notable fights against Julio Cesar Chavez and Pernell Whitaker, amongst many others. Along with his brother Floyd Sr., he helped guide the illustrious career of his nephew Floyd and was in his corner for some of the most memorable and important moments in boxing history. Roger is also survived by his brother Jeff, a former boxer and trainer in his own right.
“My uncle was one of the most important people in my life inside and outside of the ring,” said Mayweather, who is still grieving from the loss of his children’s mother Josie Harris. “Roger was a great champion and one of the best trainers in boxing. Unfortunately, his health was failing him for several years and now he can finally rest in peace. Roger meant the world to me, my father Floyd Sr., my uncle Jeff, our whole family, everyone in and around the Mayweather Boxing Gym and the entire boxing world. It is a terrible loss for all of us.”
“This is a sad day for the Mayweather Promotions family because that is truly what Roger was to us,” said Leonard Ellerbe, CEO of Mayweather Promotions who worked side-by-side with Roger for some of Floyd’s biggest fights. “On top of being a phenomenal fighter in his own career, Roger was one of the most essential parts of guiding Floyd to the incredible career he had in becoming the best ever. We hope you keep Floyd and the entire Mayweather family in your thoughts and prayers during this time.”
The Mayweather family, who will forever be part of the sweet science’s history, is asking that you respect their privacy at this time until more information becomes available.
“We are thankful for all the love and well-wishes we have already received as word traveled about Roger’s passing,” said Mayweather. “It helps me to see that he was able to touch so many people through his life in boxing, because he gave so much to the sport which was his first and longtime love.”
The Minnesota Vikings announce the team has agreed in principle to a contract extension with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
The 31-year-old Cousins had one year left on his current deal, which was the three-year, $84 million contract that he signed in 2018. According to ESPN, Cousins was due a $29.5 million base salary for 2020, which becomes $10 million on his new deal. His new deal is worth $66 million over two years, including $61 million guaranteed at signing.
“We are very excited to keep Kirk and his family in Minnesota for the future,” Vikings GM Rick Spielman said. “Kirk has proven he’s one of the top quarterbacks in this league and has continued to improve and progress each day since he arrived here. It means a lot to have such upstanding individuals like Kirk and Julie committed to not only our team success but also to our community with all the exemplary work they’ve done in that arena. Our collective goal is to bring a championship to Minnesota, and we will do whatever it takes.”
Cousins, who will enter his ninth NFL season in 2020, was named to his second-career Pro Bowl after setting several personal, franchise, and league-best marks during the 2019 campaign. He became the first player in NFL history to post three consecutive games (Weeks 5-7) with at least 300 passing yards and a 130.0 passer rating and set an NFL single-season record by finishing five games with a completion rate of 80.0 or higher. Cousins ranked fourth in the NFL with a career-best 107.4 passer rating while recording nine games with a passer rating of at least 100.0, tied for the most in the NFL in 2019. The Michigan State product also earned NFC Offensive Player of the Month honors in October, thanks in part to a 137.1 passer rating that stands as the second-highest single-month passer rating in NFL history (Peyton Manning, 138.0, September 2013).
“Julie and I are thrilled to be staying in Minnesota for the next several years,” Cousis said. “People have embraced us and treated our family incredibly well. We also believe we are building something special at the Vikings. We know how much this team means to the fans and the state, and we want to do everything we can to help this team bring a championship home.”
Cousins notched the first postseason victory of his NFL career at New Orleans in the Wild Card round last season, and has proven to be an outstanding quarterback, but the questions remain on whether he is a championship-caliber quarterback. For Vikings fans, time will be the judge of that.
The Jacksonville Jaguars have applied a second-round restricted free agent tender on WR Keelan Cole and applied an exclusive rights tender on fourth-year LB Austin Calitro, the club announced today.
The club also released fifth-year TE Geoff Swaim. In 2019, Swaim caught 13 passes for 65 yards.
Cole, 6-1, 194, signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie in 2017 and has played in 48 games with 18 starts. He has caught 104 passes for 1,600 yards and seven TDs in his three seasons in Jacksonville, including 24 receptions for 361 yards and three TDs in 2019. Among players with 100 receptions, Cole’s 15.4 career yards-per-catch average is the highest in Jaguars history.
In 2017, Cole caught a career-high 42 receptions for 748 yards, registering the most receiving yards by an undrafted rookie in franchise history. A native of Louisville, KY, Cole was a first-team All-American at Kentucky Wesleyan after turning in 198.1 all-purpose yards per game as a senior. He attended Central (Ky.) High School, where he was a four-year letter winner and two-year starter at DB, WR and QB.
Calitro, 6-0, 240, has played in 29 games with nine starts during his three-year (2017-19) NFL career. He initially entered the league as an undrafted rookie with the New York Jets in 2017, and also spent time with San Francisco, Seattle and Cleveland. The Danbury, Conn. native joined the Jaguars prior to the start of the 2019 season and played in 13 games and started at WLB for the team’s final three contests. The Villanova product tallied 38 tackles (28 solo), including four tackles for loss and 1.0 sack, last season.
NFL free agency comes in and goes out very fast. Many of the big moves are made relatively quickly.
In a shocking but not surprising move, free-agent QB Tom Brady will not be returning to New England, he announced on Twitter today.
While the 42-year-old Brady did not say where he was going, Brady made it clear that he will not be playing for the Patriots in 2020.
Where the 20-year veteran goes will be interesting, but for now, we all wait and see.
Read what Brady had to say below:
NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell today announced that, following discussions with NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith and consultations between the medical teams for the NFL and NFLPA, and based on coronavirus (COVID-19) guidance from public health officials, NFL clubs will delay indefinitely the start of their off-season programs. In addition, special procedures will be in place for the start of the new League Year until further notice.
Off-Season Programs
The parties will continue to follow the guidance of medical and public health professionals, including their respective medical advisors. As a result, Off-Season Team Activities will not commence on April 6 for teams with new head coaches and April 20 for all other clubs. The parties will periodically meet and reassess the public health situation to determine an appropriate start date for any offseason team activities and other related considerations as this situation develops.
Over the course of the next several weeks, NFLPA Medical Director Dr. Thom Mayer and NFL Chief Medical Officer Dr. Allen Sills—in consultation with the Duke Infection Control Outreach Network (DICON), and other league and NFLPA advisors on infectious disease control—will develop a standard set of protocols for clubs to implement regarding facility cleaning and maintenance, equipment preparation, steps to identify player and staff who may be at elevated risk, and other preventive measures.
Free Agent Travel and Medical Procedures:
During the upcoming free agency period, which begins on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 18, NFL clubs may not bring any free agent player to a club facility or other location to meet with club personnel. Further, club personnel, including members of the club medical staff, may not travel to any location to meet with or conduct a medical examination of a free agent player.
The NFL and NFLPA are developing protocols that will provide clubs with opportunities to review a free agent player’s medical records from his prior club(s) and to arrange for a free agent player to have a medical exam in the player’s home city or at another nearby location. These steps are consistent with those announced last Friday for club contact with draft-eligible college players.
Access to Club Facilities:
As a further step to address issues relating to coronavirus (COVID-19), NFL clubs will close their facilities to players, other than those undergoing medically-supervised rehabilitation and treatment, for the next two weeks.
NFLPA Executive Director DeMaurice Smith said: “It is our responsibility to work together and protect the health, safety and well being of everyone in our business. Nonetheless, public safety is paramount during this national emergency and we will continue to work with the NFL, medical experts and seek guidance from federal agencies to adjust our business practices accordingly.”
Commissioner Goodell said: “Based on the most recent guidance provided by leading health officials, and in consultation with the NFLPA and both our and the union’s medical advisors, we believe this is the appropriate way to protect the health of our players, staff, and our communities. We will continue to make decisions based on the best advice from medical and public health experts and will be prepared to make further modifications as needed.”
Franchise and transition player designations were announced today for the 2020 NFL free agency signing period, which begins at 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday, March 18.
A club can designate one “franchise” player or one “transition” player among its veteran free agents.
The salary offer by a player’s club determines whether the franchise player designation is exclusive or non-exclusive.
An “exclusive” franchise player – not free to sign with another club – is offered the greater of (i) the average of the top five salaries at the player’s position for the current year as of the end of the restricted free agent signing period on April 17; or (ii) the amount of the required tender for a “non-exclusive” franchise player, as explained below.
Article 10, Section 2(a)(i) of the CBA sets forth the methodology, known as the “Cap Percentage Average,” for calculating the required tender for such a player:
The Nonexclusive Franchise Tender shall be a one year NFL Player Contract for (A) the average of the five largest Prior Year Salaries for players at the position . . . at which the Franchise Player participated in the most plays during the prior League Year, which average shall be calculated by: (1) summing the amounts of the Franchise Tags for players at that position for the five preceding League Years; (2) dividing the resulting amount by the sum of the Salary Caps for the five preceding League Years . . . ; and (3) multiplying the resulting percentage by the Salary Cap for the upcoming League Year . . . (the “Cap Percentage Average”) . . . ; or (B) 120% of his Prior Year Salary, whichever is greater . . . .
If a club extends a required tender to a non-exclusive franchise player pursuant to this section, the player shall be permitted to negotiate a player contract with any club, except that draft choice compensation of two first-round draft selections shall be made in the event he signs with a new club.
The signing period for franchise players begins at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on March 18 and ends on the Tuesday following the 10th week of the season (November 17).
This year, one player (Dak Prescott, Dallas) was designated as an exclusive franchise player. Thirteen players were designated as non-exclusive franchise players.
2020 FRANCHISE PLAYERS
Club
|
Player
|
Position
|
Baltimore Ravens
|
Matthew Judon
|
LB
|
Cincinnati Bengals
|
A.J. Green
|
WR
|
Dallas Cowboys
|
Dak Prescott*
|
QB
|
Denver Broncos
|
Justin Simmons
|
S
|
Jacksonville Jaguars
|
Yannick Ngakoue
|
DE
|
Kansas City Chiefs
|
Chris Jones
|
DT
|
Los Angeles Chargers
|
Hunter Henry
|
TE
|
Minnesota Vikings
|
Anthony Harris
|
S
|
New England Patriots
|
Joe Thuney
|
OL
|
New York Giants
|
Leonard Williams
|
DT
|
Pittsburgh Steelers
|
Bud Dupree
|
LB
|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
|
Shaquil Barrett
|
LB
|
Tennessee Titans
|
Derrick Henry
|
RB
|
Washington Redskins
|
Brandon Scherff
|
OL
|
*Denotes Exclusive Franchise Player
A transition player is offered the greater of (i) the average of the top 10 prior year salaries at the player’s position, which average is calculated using the same methodology used for non-exclusive franchise players (the Cap Percentage Average); or (ii) 120% of his prior year salary.
If a club extends a required tender to a transition player, the player shall be permitted to negotiate a contract with any club subject to his prior club’s right of first refusal, except that no draft choice compensation shall be made with respect to such player if his prior club declines to exercise its right of first refusal.
The signing period for transition players begins at 4:00 p.m. (ET) on March 18 and ends on July 22. After July 22 and until 4:00p.m. (ET) on the Tuesday following the 10th week of the season (November 17), the prior club has exclusive negotiating rights.
This year, one player was designated as a transition player:
Club
|
Player
|
Position
|
Arizona Cardinals
|
Kenyan Drake
|
RB
|
The Salary Cap for the 2020 league year has been set at $198,200,000 per club. The resulting 2020 Cap Percentage Average (“CPA”) tenders for non-exclusive franchise players and transition players are as follows:
NON-EXCLUSIVE FRANCHISE PLAYERS
Position
|
Tender Amount
|
Quarterback
|
$ 26,824,000
|
Running Back
|
$ 10,278,000
|
Wide Receiver
|
$ 17,865,000
|
Tight End
|
$ 10,607,000
|
Offensive Linemen
|
$ 14,781,000
|
Defensive End
|
$ 17,788,000
|
Defensive Tackle
|
$ 16,126,000
|
Linebacker
|
$ 15,828,000
|
Cornerback
|
$ 16,338,000
|
Safety
|
$ 11,441,000
|
Kicker/Punter
|
$ 5,019,000
|
TRANSITION PLAYERS
Position
|
Tender Amount
|
Quarterback
|
$ 24,837,000
|
Running Back
|
$ 8,483,000
|
Wide Receiver
|
$ 15,680,000
|
Tight End
|
$ 9,117,000
|
Offensive Linemen
|
$ 13,505,000
|
Defensive End
|
$ 15,184,000
|
Defensive Tackle
|
$ 13,143,000
|
Linebacker
|
$ 13,737,000
|
Cornerback
|
$ 14,197,000
|
Safety
|
$ 9,860,000
|
Kicker/Punter
|
$ 4,559,000
|
Just like all of the sports world, boxing has been impacted by Covid-19(coronavirus), and today, PBC has announced that all of their events in March and April have been canceled.
Here is a statement from PBC on the cancellation of their events:
“Due to the growing concerns over COVID-19, Premier Boxing Champions scheduled events for March and April have been canceled and will be rescheduled for a later date. At this time, there’s no information regarding future shows.
“The health and safety of the boxers, fans and those working the events are of utmost importance to us,” said Tom Brown, President of TGB Promotions and lead promoter for the canceled shows. “We are all disappointed, and as we get more information, we will address future events.”
Ticket Refund Information
All ticket orders will be refunded from your original point of purchase. If you have purchased online through Ticketmaster, all orders will be refunded automatically. Orders purchased with a credit card will be refunded to the credit card used for purchase. For third party purchases, please reach out to your original point of purchase for information regarding your credit. Please allow up to 30 days for this refund to reflect with your financial institution. If you have any questions, please contact Ticketmaster’s Customer Service line at 1-800-653-8000.
