Avoid the HOV lanes, and get yourself a Jer-Force One. That’s what I learned this week.
Jerry Jones, the Dallas Cowboys owner who’s turning 82 in a few days, made quite an entrance by landing his chopper right on the field during practice.
But hey how about a helicopter at practice… (fanbase triggered) pic.twitter.com/mYNV10CwN0
— Jane Slater (@SlaterNFL) October 2, 2024
If only the Cowboys could avoid injuries to their key players as well as their owner avoids traffic. Micah Parsons is out with a sprained ankle, a significant blow to the defense. Wide receiver Brandin Cooks is battling a knee infection that could keep him sidelined for a few games, and DeMarcus Lawrence is out for at least four weeks due to a foot injury.
The Pittsburgh Steelers know Dallas struggles running the football, and they have only one dynamic weapon outside, in wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. If only an All-Pro receiver was looking for a new team to help lift an offense and its $60 million quarterback.
The Cowboys have told the world they are passing on a trade for 31-year-old Davante Adams, with EVP Stephen Jones calling it “a long putt to sink” despite the receiver’s interest in playing for Dallas. (You can add the rest of the NFC East to teams that are out on the Adams sweepstakes as well.)
The reason? I’m told it’s the same reason Dallas passed on running back Derrick Henry last offseason: money.
Adams is owed $13.5 million for the rest of this season. (That drops by $970K per week.) Tough timing for a chopper landing, as far as Dallas fans are concerned. The Cowboys’ 2024 motto is “all-in,” but I still don’t know what that means.
Now, the Jets are the team working like they’re all-in. New York has been eyeing Adams since last year, and now it’s getting a real shot. Trade talks could heat up next week as Aaron Rodgers has been clear with owner Woody Johnson, general manager Joe Douglas and coach Robert Saleh that he wants his former teammate in green. The Jets have been in touch with the Las Vegas Raiders all week, and while I don’t sense the Jets are anxious to get this done as soon as possible, the Raiders and Adams want to get a move on.
While Adams would like to be reunited with his former QB, I was told he has some concerns about Rodgers’ plans to stay in New York past this season. Adams doesn’t have a no-trade clause in his current deal, so he has no choice in where he lands. It’s all about the best deal for the Raiders, who are looking for a future second-round pick. However, the sense around the league is Las Vegas will probably get a third-rounder when the trade is complete. (The value is similar to the Bills-Texans Stefon Diggs trade, which was the value of a third-rounder.)
New Orleans is another team in the mix for Adams. Saints quarterback Derek Carr has a close relationship with Adams from their time with the Raiders and at Fresno State — Carr is why the receiver landed in Vegas in the first place — plus, Adams is close with Saints wide receivers coach Keith Williams, a family friend. Adams is open to a few teams, but he prefers the Jets and Saints.
The Pittsburgh Steelers, who you may recall were interested in trading for Brandon Aiyuk before he signed an extension with San Francisco this summer, are also in touch with the Raiders’ front office. I’m told Pittsburgh is making an aggressive offer.
Teams like the Bills and Kansas City Chiefs are monitoring the situation and willing to jump in if the Raiders are willing to pay some of Adams’ contract. They see him as a one-year rental.
Raiders fans reading this might be telling themselves there’s no chance Vegas would trade within its division. I was reminded this week by NFL decision-makers that the best organizations get the best deals — they don’t worry about who gets the player. However, I still think the Chiefs are a long shot to land Adams.
This is what else I’m hearing this week:
• Chiefs’ next steps with Rashee Rice
• Diggs’ feelings about the Bills as he prepares to face his former team
• Maxx Crosby’s status for Sunday
• The rising coaching star helping spark Denver’s defense
• A players-only meeting in Cleveland — Browns’ woes beyond Watson
• Why the Browns, and quite a few other teams, didn’t want Joe Flacco
• “It’s only a matter of time before Mason Rudolph takes over”
So what will the Chiefs do at wide receiver?
I’m told it could be six weeks or six-plus months for Rice; it all comes down to this upcoming arthroscopic surgery. Rice was placed on injured reserve and will be out for four weeks, but next week he will have his knee scoped so they can decide if surgery is needed. The Chiefs are holding out hope, and once they get more answers they’ll determine if they have to replace their top target.
In the past two seasons, Kansas City has acquired wide receivers at the deadline: Kadarius Toney in 2022 and Mecole Hardman in ’23. Those trades paid off, too — each receiver played critical roles in Super Bowl victories a few months after being acquired.
The question now: Will the Chiefs roll the dice again as they chase a three-peat? Names I’m keeping an eye on before the NFL trade deadline:
• Amari Cooper, Browns
• Tee Higgins, Bengals
• George Pickens, Steelers
• Christian Kirk, Jaguars
• DeAndre Hopkins, Titans
As more teams start to consider selling off assets, this list could get longer. Speaking of big wide receiver trades …
On the Stefon Diggs trade and bad blood — or not
Sometimes you just gotta go.
And sometimes you just gotta ask. That’s what Texans GM Nick Caserio did when he saw Bills GM Brandon Beane at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis eight months ago. The Texans viewed the offseason as an opportunity to upgrade the roster of a team that advanced to the divisional round for the first team since 2019.
Caserio asked Beane about their openness to moving Diggs, who caught 445 passes for 5,372 yards and 37 touchdowns over four years for Buffalo. Beane didn’t give an enthusiastic yes but also didn’t say no, so Houston stayed on it. Over the next few weeks, multiple teams, including Houston, contacted Diggs’ camp or the Bills about the possibility of a trade. Diggs knew what was going on. (Buffalo even received calls from teams two offseasons ago.) Diggs never demanded a trade or even requested one. However, both sides felt it was time for a change.
While there wasn’t some strong push from Diggs to get out, if he was out in Buffalo it was going to be for a team with Super Bowl aspirations and a QB to build around. The Texans have a promising young roster led by a respected recent player-turned-head coach DeMeco Ryans and rising star QB C.J. Stroud.
When I spoke to the soon-to-be 31-year-old Diggs over the summer about his new team, he was beaming with excitement. He talked about enjoying helping the young receiver room and sharing some mistakes he had made on and off the field. He was reflective and self-aware. His words were filled with vigor, not bitterness.
Is there bad blood between Diggs and the Bills? Nah. Sometimes, you just gotta go.
Mighty Maxx
While the Raiders were beating the Browns last week, Crosby was on his couch. He was forced to get treatment for his high ankle sprain, so he watched the game on TV and live-tweeted. It was the first time Crosby had ever missed a game as a Raider, and it wasn’t easy; he says he was screaming at his television while he kept his leg elevated.
This week, he’s trying to get back in the lineup as the Raiders prepare for the Denver Broncos and their rookie QB, Bo Nix. I have a hard time believing Crosby will miss a division game, but ultimately it might not be up to him.
The men behind the blitz-happy Broncos
The Broncos made a daring move against the Jets last week, sending a bold statement by all-out blitzing Rodgers on the first play of the game. This aggression set the tone for the upset and showcased the Broncos’ fearless approach this season.
Denver spent most of its summer showing off Nix, and while Sean Payton works to get his young QB playing at a higher level, the team is grateful for Vance Joseph’s group. The Broncos’ secondary, led by cornerbacks Patrick Surtain and Riley Moss, has been able to shut down opponents’ top pass catchers, including Garrett Wilson, DK Metcalf, Pickens and Mike Evans.
Secondary coach Jim Leonhard, a former Broncos player and defensive coordinator at Wisconsin, has been getting rave reviews from his players and the staff. Payton actually coached Leonhard as a player and cut him in New Orleans — something Leonhard likes to remind his boss. So as we get closer to discussing the new batch of future NFL coordinators in the coming months, remember you read about Leonhard right here.
The Browns’ woes go beyond Watson
The intentions are always good, but it’s never a great sign when a team has a players-only meeting — as the Browns did earlier this week as they search for a spark after losing to a Raiders team without Crosby and Adams. This is the same week Nick Chubb, who won’t be playing against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, practiced for the first time since tearing an ACL last September. The star running back said it “felt like a dream.”
Cleveland’s season, however, has had more nightmarish overtones so far. Much of that has to do with franchise quarterback Deshaun Watson’s inability to come close to recapturing the form he once had for the Texans. However, many around the league said last week’s game against the Raiders was his best of this season. One Cleveland player told me over text: “He really gives us the best chance.”
The Browns’ struggles aren’t all on Watson; the defense has fallen off, too. Ranked No. 1 last season, that unit is now swimming in the 20s. They don’t have an easy task either, trying to slow a red-hot Commanders offense led by rookie sensation Jayden Daniels. Kevin Stefanski won his second NFL Coach of the Year award in 2023, but he has a situation on his hands.
The good and bad of Flacco being good
It’s hard to discuss the Browns’ quarterback situation without mentioning Flacco, who stepped in last season for an injured Watson and led the Browns to the playoffs. The organization has received a lot of criticism for not even offering a new deal to the veteran quarterback. Flacco’s agent spoke with several teams during the free-agency period, including the Browns, Jets and Miami Dolphins (who could use a Super Bowl-winning QB right about now), and they all said no thanks.
While the Browns have never said publicly that the reason they passed on Flacco was related to Watson, there is an understanding around the league that the Browns had to give Watson a chance to succeed without any obstacles. While winning is the priority, the team has a massive investment in the quarterback and believes it’s giving him the best environment to be his best.
Once Cleveland (and others) passed, the Indianapolis Colts signed Flacco. He stepped in after an Anthony Richardson injury last week and led the Colts to their first win of 2024, over the Steelers. Flacco prepared all week as the starter while Richardson is expected to be a game-time decision. In the meantime, if Flacco continues to win, Indy might be in the same position this offseason as Cleveland was: Do you want Flacco casting a shadow over your starter while he’s trying to find his footing?
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No QB controversy in Tennessee — yet
The Titans have a bye this weekend, and maybe a little time off will be good for them. It’s been a rough start, their offensive line is still struggling and, despite spending the most money of any team this offseason to construct a stellar roster, they’re 1-3.
First-year head coach Brian Callahan cleared up any chatter about a potential QB controversy after Mason Rudolph stepped in for an injured Will Levis and seemed to run Callahan’s offense effectively against Miami. Callahan says it’s Levis’ job, but a coach in their division shared: “It’s only a matter of time before Mason Rudolph takes over.”
Callahan may be facing his first hard decision as a head coach before we even get to Halloween.
(Top photo: Quinn Harris / Getty Images)
