Backstage Media,
@sfchronicle
columnist; realmikesilver on the other app. Past: 70+ SI cover stories, Yahoo, NFL Network. Books: Warner (🎥), Rodman, N Coughlin
THREAD 1) The Urban Meyer situation in Jacksonville has reached a crisis point, especially in the locker room. One player told me, 'He has zero credibility in that stadium. He had very little to begin with.'
Report for
@BallySports
: Tom Brady contacted
@Buccaneers
GM Jason Licht and told him he has not yet made a final decision on retirement, disputing the ESPN report. Licht is respecting Brady's process and waiting for a definitive answer, whenever it comes, from the QB.
When you claim Reuben Foster but won’t consider
@Kaepernick7
... you’ve told us, organizationally, where you stand. So don’t whine when people pummel you for it. 🤷🏻♂️
THREAD: 1) Even before suffering bizarre injuries to his feet, Antonio Brown alarmed Raiders coaches and teammates by railing against the NFL’s enhanced enforcement of helmet regulations, a policy change which will likely force the star receiver to switch to a new model...
I'm told OC Kellen Moore called the QB run and Mike McCarthy was on the headset to OK it. Not either's finest hour. Dak should have checked off. I don't get any of it.
President
@realDonaldTrump
said to
@ClayTravis
on
@FoxSportsRadio
this morning that if players kneel he "wouldn't like" the NFL season to start. "If the NFL doesn't open I'd be very happy, if they didn't stand for the flag."
Sept. 10 is going to be an interesting night.
2) Players were particularly put off by the fact that Meyer canceled Monday's team meeting, as he dealt with the uproar over the videos of him and a young woman getting cozy in that Ohio bar. 'He even canceled the team meeting. He was too scared,' a player said.
Earlier today, Browns coach Kevin Stefanski told his players that Odell Beckham Jr. is essentially not on the team right now and that the WR has been told to stay at home.
More fallout from the Jarvis Landry tirade during the Browns-Cardinals game: I'm told by two sources that before the game ended, 'multiple' Browns players yelled at the Arizona sideline to 'come get me'--asking to come play for the Cardinals. Landry, I'm told, was one of them.
3) Instead Meyer 'only apologized to position groups individually.' He portrayed the woman in the videos as a random person who was 'just there dancing.' Suffice it to say, his audience was highly skeptical.
Today Packers LT David Bakhtiari is getting married in California. Aaron Rodgers is set to officiate it. Matt LaFleur will be there. Rodgers is likely to tell the Packers what he wants to do by Tuesday afternoon. Timing is kinda wild.
I spoke to Jared Goff after he was traded to the Lions. He told me, "I'm just excited to be somewhere that I know wants me and appreciates me." Column coming later today, and we'll have more on
@nflnetwork
at 6 p.m. Eastern/3 p.m. Pacific
@AroundTheNFL
I've talked to enough people involved, and this is how it went down: The NFL's first impulse was to keep playing. Joe Burrow was told to warm up. That was the plan. And the players and coaches said 'no' and walked off.
7) Yet this is not ideal, and it begs the question: If teams are interested enough to send employees to Atlanta to watch him on Saturday, why were so few of them motivated to bring him in for private workouts over the past 2 years, 8 months?...
11) To reiterate some things I've often reported over the past two-plus years:
@Kaepernick7
sincerely wants to play. He has not rejected any offers. He has not demanded a certain salary or refused to be a backup. He is open to discussing all NFL opportunities.
Amazing at Senior Bowl the chatter is Byron Leftwich made a mistake that he made it known that he couldn't work with Trent Baalke when the question was presented to him. He suggested the Jaguars should hire his guy Adrian Wilson as GM.
"We traded for you and signed you to a contract, but now we regret it and will bench you if you don't revise it to your disadvantage... go get 'em on Sunday"
Good for
@DangeRussWilson
for calling BS, playing through it and making them pay...
The Broncos reached out to Wilson's representatives in late October and explained that Wilson would lose the starting job and be made inactive for the rest of the season if he did not defer the injury guarantee trigger date that he has for 2025, per multiple league sources.
13) However, sometime in the next couple of weeks, Brown once again tried to take the field with his old helmet, which he had since had repainted with colors approximating—but not completely mimicking—the Raiders’ silver-and-black design...
The Ron Rivera deal is done. He has reached an agreement to become the new coach of the Redskins, according to a source familiar with negotiations.
@AroundTheNFL
@nflnetwork
THREAD: 1) Earlier on
@gmfb
I broke down the latest on the
@Kaepernick7
workout scheduled for Saturday afternoon at the
@AtlantaFalcons
facility. Here are some important things to know...
19) Brown, according to witnesses, typically glances at the screens of several tablets and his smart phone during meetings, distracting himself by engaging in activities which include perusing his bank accounts and “liking” photos on Instagram...
Full disclosure: For very selfish reasons I, too, wanted the 49ers to get a first-round bye. (I don't root for NFL teams but I do sometimes root for moments, and this was a fun one.)
Multiple teams have called the Eagles about the possibility of trading for three-time Pro Bowl TE Zach Ertz, and a deal could happen in the coming days, according to two sources familiar with the talks.
@nflnetwork
@AroundTheNFL
Pretty sure Aaron Rodgers isn't tripping on the team president calling him a 'complicated fella.'
Pretty sure that the team cutting Jake Kumerow the day after Rodgers publicly proclaimed that the WR made the team bothered him a bit more.
🤷🏻♂️
I'm all for every player trying to get paid. That said, I feel like there's a decent chance Tyreek will look back someday and be like, 'I willfully left
@PatrickMahomes
in my prime???'
So the NFL, which for decades has draped itself in pink for a month and has been falling all over itself as of late to celebrate women, is completely silent after Friday's decision? Sounds about right.
I used to work for
@nflnetwork
. Let me tell you something that is almost certainly true in the wake of this Flores lawsuit: Assholes are puckered so tightly in that office--& in the league office--that higher-ups will barely be able to function. Watch how timidly they cover this.
Ron Rivera and his wife Stephanie are on a flight to Northern Virginia. He should be the next coach of the Redskins within the next 3 hours.
@AroundTheNFL
@nflnetwork
In the past, I've been critical of Packers GM Brian Gutekunst for not aggressively surrounding an alltime great QB with more talent. Last night I filled out a ballot and wrote in his name for Executive of the Year. For 2023, he was right and I was wrong. Respect.
New Jets coach Robert Saleh is taking two Niners offensive assistants: passing game coordinator Mike LaFleur (as OC) and OL coach John Benton (as OL coach/run game coordinator)...
2) Not only was
@Kaepernick7
caught off guard by Tuesday's league-initiated push for the workout, but so were most (or perhaps all) team executives. Kaepernick was given 2 hours to accept or reject the league's offer, and the date and place were non-negotiable...
Seven-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack is retiring after 13 seasons. The former Browns, Falcons and 49ers standout was one of the top linemen of his era.
@BallySports
@49ers
Four years of a lawless, overtly racist, kids-in-cages, F-your-feelings right wing fantasy repudiated by a massive margin, and you think we aren't gonna take to the streets and talk some s---?????? This is just the beginning. Chin up, snowflakes. Or not. Democracy wins.
Last week 49ers CB Charvarius (Mooney) Ward told me, re ex-teammate Jimmy Garoppolo: "Man I miss Jimmy. Jimmy’s a great guy, man, so charming and charismatic. His smile, the way he talks to you, he just makes you feel good. I’m definitely gonna intercept him next week, though."
As I just stated on
@nflnetwork
: According to multiple sources, several veteran Browns players approached Baker Mayfield in the locker room after the young QB's critical comments about RB Duke Johnson to register their displeasure, and they hashed out their differences.
6) Kaepernick wants an opportunity. He wakes up at 4:30 a.m. & works out five days a week, often in the dark, under the guidance of personal trainer Josh Hidalgo (who, perhaps, will play a part in Saturday's staging?). He said yes to the league's offer because he wants to play...
.
@Eagles
WR DeSean Jackson posts a quote that says white Jews will “blackmail” and “extort” America. Then says, “I have no hatred in my heart toward no one.” At the very least, he is ignorant of what it means to be anti-Semitic.
The NFL is amazing. Sean McDermott--who made himself his own defensive coordinator--blitzes recklessly, allowing the Broncos to get in FG range. A bonehead special teams penalty negates a miss. Broncos make the next kick. McDermott fires his offensive coordinator...
Free-agent WR DeSean Jackson had a zoom call today with Raiders officials. He could sign with the team as early as Monday--but nothing has been decided yet.
@BallySports
8) Another issue: I'm told the league announced that Kaepernick would be available for an "interview" with team employees after the workout, yet it never informed his camp of this, nor did the league seek his permission. This was news to him...
Lost Pro Bowl left tackle
Lost star edge rusher
Played long stretches without one or both starting receivers
Lost big-ticket free-agent signee at CB
Clinched playoff berth with two games remaining
Got tons of crap
Put some respect on the
@chargers
' name 🤷🏻♂️
Antonio Brown would have been fine had he not sent those text messages Wednesday night. He is the king of self-inflicted damage. He did it in Oakland, and again in New England.
The Ravens, according to multiple sources, were one of the teams that made a run at DeAndre Hopkins before the Texans traded him to Arizona. If they draft a receiver tonight, it won't be a huge surprise.
5) His continued frustration surrounding the situation has created a buzz among teammates and coaches, one of whom referred to the saga as “honestly the most insane thing I have ever heard. I don’t know why it’s so important to him. It doesn’t make any sense.” ...
Hey Mike: 1) Don't be a dick; 2) I had three sources, as cited in the story. Hue was not one of them. 3) Attempted source-outing is stupid. 4) If you have something to say to me, text me. Wow.
For what it's worth, Vic Fangio told me late last night, "Nothing has been decided on my end." There is a huge amount of mutual respect between Kyle Shanahan and Fangio, a highly successful Niners DC under Jim Harbaugh. And it appears the 49ers will have an opening soon.
Andy Reid is one of the finest people in the NFL world, & that's pretty much a universally shared belief. Like so many others, I'm sending love & prayers his family's way--&, obviously, to all involved in the serious car accident that has been reported involving his son, Britt 🙏🏼
4) Because it's Saturday, most teams will likely send pro scouts or other talent evaluators without decision-making power. That said, expect most teams to have at least one representative at the workout, if only because no organization wants to be singled out as non-compliant...
3) Ideally this workout would take place on a Tuesday (when most players are off, and coaches and GMs have more flexibility in their schedules), with a little more lead time to prepare...
Before re-signing with the Bucs, Rob Gronkowski considered a similar offer from the Bills... his hometown team. I'd expect the Bills to add a tight end at some point.
This is newly sworn-in Republican (Illinois) Congresswoman Mary Miller in front of the Capitol on Tues at the QAnon event saying:
“Hitler was right on one thing. He said ‘whoever has the youth has the future’.”
Then 5 people died. Gotta resign...
The Giants, who fired two-time Super Bowl winning GM Jerry Reese midseason, have Dave Gettleman's family & friends on the sideline with him pregame for photos and sendoff.
So when we say 'asymptomatic,' we're relying on NFL players--who obviously want to play, a lot--to declare whether they have symptoms? Got it. Good plan.
Reminder: No team has brought in
@Kaepernick7
for a workout since a statistically impressive 2016 season. Meanwhile David Blough just replaced Jeff Driskel and we'll spend Thanksgiving watching him play for the Lions. Happy holidays!
The
#Lions
are expected to start QB David Blough tomorrow against the
#Bears
, sources tell
@StaceyDales
and me. Jeff Driskel’s hamstring has hindered him greatly, though he’ll end up backing up. A major challenge for Detroit.
Justin Gallegos, a runner at Oregon with cerebral palsy, thought he was just finishing another cross country race. Little did he know, Nike was waiting at the finish line to offer him a pro contract (via
@kabdullah360
/ Elevation 0m)
11) Shortly thereafter, Brown stormed out of the facility in protest. Later that day, Raiders officials found video footage of Rodgers, during the Green Bay Packers’ OTA session, wearing an approved-model helmet and texted it to Brown...
So to review: Dan Campbell thinks he's a better offensive mind than Anthony Lynn... but Kyle Shanahan wants Lynn's brain in his building, helping to cook up plays. Seems like Kyle might know more but... 🤷🏻♂️
9) With all of that said, this could be a positive development. Kaepernick wants to play and will show up and throw, and at least some teams--though blindsided by the league's announcement--seem genuinely curious...
#Dolphins
GM Chris Grier says the team believes in Tua Tagovailoa and was merely checking on Deshaun Watson’s availability.
Of course, as
@KyleBrandt
put it on
@gmfb
this morning, the
#Chargers
and
#Bengals
didn’t check on Watson. So…
Some news:
@BrentCelek
has informed the
@Eagles
he is retiring and will release a farewell statement on the team's website Friday morning. The team's longest-tenured player was released after 11 seasons in March. Attracted interest from other teams but decided against playing.
5) Another question: Who will conduct the workout? Pro Days are typically scripted affairs, allowing players to practice their drills--which are conducted by a coach with whom the player is comfortable. It's unclear what will happen on Saturday, but this may be improv theater...