NFL drops COVID gauntlet, Chiefs dance with Tyrann Mathieu and more

The NFL put out its strongest-worded memo yet on COVID-19 vaccinations, and some players are responding angrily. Here’s where this is all headed.

Want something in life to change? Threaten someone’s wallet.

On Thursday, the NFL did exactly that.

Last week, the league announced that should unvaccinated players trigger a COVID outbreak, contests wouldn’t be cancelled or postponed if they can’t be rescheduled within the framework of an 18-week season. Instead, the club dealing with said outbreak would forfeit both the game and game checks.

Overall, the league’s message is correct. Enough conversation about whether someone should get vaccinated. Unless a person has a medical condition preventing them from doing so, they’re willfully putting themselves and others at risk. If the league doesn’t feel like placating those individuals, fair enough.

Furthermore, commissioner Roger Goodell is essentially telling players to get the jab or be the reason for potential major financial consequences. He also realizes this will put enormous pressure on the unvaccinated, as they pose a looming risk to all their teammates of eventual lost money.

Of course, this is also horrible news for an unvaccinated player on a roster’s fringe. No owner is risking their gate because of a third-string running back. A general manager won’t risk an outbreak for him either.

In short, that player will be a free agent, and likely for quite some time.

After a year of dealing with COVID and mangling the schedule to do it, the NFL has drawn its line.

However, some of its best employees weren’t thrilled about the memo:

So what now? Where does the NFL, its players and the union go from here?

For the league, it has made its position known. While the NFL fit in 256 regular-season games and another 13 postseason tilts without a cancellation last year, it needed to bend schedules and put certain teams at competitive disadvantages to make everything work. It was acceptable considering the extreme circumstances.

This year, vaccines are largely the answer to the NFL’s ills. If players and coaches decide against the widely-accepted science, Goodell and Co. will take a harsh stance against those employees and those they impacted around them before games are rescheduled and the slate rearranged.

As for the players and their union, it’s a matter of majority. The union is acting on the behalf of the majority, and with three-quarters of NFL players having at least one dose of the COVID vaccine, the NFLPA has a clear side to go with.

While some will be vocally against the COVI vaccine as Buffalo Bills slot receiver Cole Beasley has been, he and others who agree with him are decidedly in the minority of their union.

Throughout training camp, we’ll hear from players on both sides of the argument. In some cases, loudly so.

Ultimately, the NFL has dropped its gauntlet. The NFLPA has gone along with most its members.

And those opposing both can continue doing so, but they’re alone on a helpless island.

Power rankings

Top 10 hardest hitters in NFL history

1. Dick Butkus, LB, Chicago Bears
2. Ronnie Lott, S, San Francisco 49ers
3. Deacon Jones, DE, Los Angeles Rams
4. Steve Atwater, S, Denver Broncos
5. Jack Lambert, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers
6. Dick “Night Train” Lane, CB, Chicago Cardinals/Detroit Lions
7. Ray Lewis, LB, Baltimore Ravens
8. Sean Taylor, S, Washington Football Team
9. Chuck Bednarik, LB, Philadelphia Eagles
10. John Lynch, S, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quotable

"“I’ve never been able to know why I fuc*ed it up.”"

– Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on his falling out with former head coach Jimmy Johnson

For Jones, the abrupt loss of Johnson as Dallas’ head coach in the spring of 1994 following two Super Bowls must rank as his biggest football regret. Johnson is being inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame next week, despite only coaching Dallas for five years and the Miami Dolphins for another four.

With Johnson back in ’94, maybe the Cowboys become the first team to three-peat in the Super Bowl era. We’ll never know.

Podcast

Random stat

The Tennessee Titans are the only franchise to have two 2,000-yard rushers, with Chris Johnson and Derrick Henry both achieving the feat.

Info learned this week

1. The drama between Aaron Rodgers, Packers about to become real

Finally, the showdown between Rodgers and the Packers truly begins.

With Green Bay starting camp on Wednesday, Rodgers finally sees his first true test. After missing OTAs and minicamp with minimal or no punishment available to the team, the reining MVP now faces his options: show up, retire, or skip and be fined $50K daily.

Over the weekend, both Rodgers and star receiver Davante Adams put the same picture of Chicago Bulls legends Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen on their Instagram stories, suggesting a Last Dance feel for 2021. This amidst Rodgers’ well-publicized acrimony with management and Adams seeing talks for a new deal broken off last week.

For Rodgers, staying away for any real length of time will become costly fast. Two weeks, and it’s $700K. For the Packers, getting second-year Jordan Love some reps with the first-team offense is a good thing, and if Rodgers doesn’t come back until September, so be it? If Rodgers retires, the Packers are still better off allowing him to sit out 2021, then trading him next offseason. His value would still be enormous.

Trading Rodgers now remains a bad position for Green Bay. The market for his services — and contract — would be minuscule. Furthermore, Rodgers’ presence elsewhere makes the return of draft picks less valuable. Team president Mark Murphy and general manager Brian Gutekunst will get a much better, bigger return if they wait, regardless of whether Rodgers plays this season.

Ultimately, the Packers lose nothing by letting the situation play out. Rodgers does.

2. Texans have Watson to begin camp, but where does this end up?

Deshaun Watson is at training camp for the Houston Texans. Now what?

Multiple reports say Watson has reported to camp but remains firm on his trade request from this offseason. The 25-year-old quarterback is facing 22 lawsuits over allegations of sexual assault, making him very difficult to trade until the legalities have been cleared up. For all his talent, acquiring Watson would be both a hideous publicity relations move and a risky football endeavor.

From Houston’s perspective, trading Watson now is dicey. Yes, the Texans would get some value for a disgruntled player who has seen his value depreciate in light of the allegations against him. However, general manager Nick Casario might consider holding onto Watson, seeing how the suits play out, and then try to move him for considerably more draft capital at a later date.

There’s also the question of whether Watson plays this season. While the NFL hasn’t placed him on the Commissioner’s Exempt List — which means Watson gets paid but is barred from team families and activities — it could still do so before the season begins, depending on what emerges from the near two-dozen cases.

The Watson story has been a disturbing episode for months, and unfortunately, it hasn’t concluded yet.

3. Saints, quarterbacks are in brutal spot without Michael Thomas

Already without Drew Brees, the New Orleans Saints sustained another massive blow last week. Star receiver Michael Thomas had ankle surgery in June, putting him 12-16 weeks from the operation date. In short, he’ll likely miss 1-2 months in the regular season.

Without Thomas, the Saints have arguably the worst receivers in football. The depth chart? Tre’Quan Smith, Deonte Harris and Marquez Callaway. The trio combined for 75 receptions, 847 yards and five touchdowns last season.

Now, with Brees retired, Thomas hurt and tight end Jared Cook departed in free agency for the Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans is bereft of pass-catching talent. Which brings us to an interesting point: if the Saints are going to score, they’ll need to run the ball and be innovative.

Enter the competition between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill.

While Winston is the superior player, Hill might be the better fit. With Winston throwing to the aforementioned group, disaster is looming by way of forced interceptions. Hill, for all his limitations, can run the read-option, check down to running back Alvin Kamara and play a low-risk game of keep-away.

With all the changes they’re dealing with, maybe the Saints go the unique route under center.

4. Chandler Jones would be massive addition for contender if dealt

The Arizona Cardinals spent the offseason acquiring veterans. Now they might deal one.

On Sunday, it was reported edge rusher Chandler Jones requested a trade out of Arizona. This isn’t stunning, considering CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora wrote about the situation in June, saying he believed a split was likely in the coming months.

Jones, 31, played in five games last year with one sack before missing the final 11 contests with a biceps injury. However, in the prior three seasons, Jones was twice a First-Team All-Pro, racking up 49 sacks with the Cardinals. Entering the final year of his contract at a little more than $15 million, a team trading for him could work out an extension to lower his immediate cost, or handle the large number to maintain flexibility.

As for potential fits, few contending teams need a pass rusher more than the Buffalo Bills, but their cap situation is tight. General manager Brandon Beane would need to be very creative. The Colts also make sense after letting Justin Houston hit the market (where he remains), and they could afford to take him on without financial gymnastics.

A story to watch as we head towards August.

5. Eagles make shrewd, multi-faceted signing of Steven Nelson

The Philadelphia Eagles went shopping on Sunday, and picked up Steven Nelson.

General manager Howie Roseman signed the veteran corner to a one-year, $4 million deal, giving the Eagles a nice tandem of Nelson and Darius Slay on the outside. While Nelson isn’t a shutdown corner, he’s a borderline No. 1 who plays with physicality, and at only 28 years old should have good football remaining.

For Philadelphia, the signing serves two purposes. One, if the Eagles are surprisingly good, they now have another quality player to help them challenge in the weak NFC East. Two, if they’re struggling prior to the NFL trade deadline on Nov. 2, Roseman can flip Nelson for a draft pick.

Smart move for the Eagles, who win either way.

Two cents

The NFC West is the best division in football. The NFC East is the worst.

But the NFC South? Perhaps the least competitive.

After years of Drew Brees and the Saints ruling affairs, it’s now Tom Brady and the Buccaneers. With Brees retired, the Saints are trotting out a quarterback competition this summer or Jameis Winston — whom Brady replaced after his 30-interception campaign — and Taysom Hill. For the Carolina Panthers, it’s a young defense with Sam Darnold helming the offense. Meanwhile, the Atlanta Falcons are in the early stages of a rebuild, losing Julio Jones in an offseason trade.

Yes, there are other divisions with clear favorites. The AFC West should belong to the Kansas City Chiefs, but the Los Angeles Chargers appear to be playoff quality. The same is true in the AFC East with the Bills as top dog, while the New England Patriots and Dolphins chase.

Yet the NFC South has the defending champions, two teams with huge quarterback concerns and another with perhaps its only question not being its quarterback.

For Brady, this must remind him an awful lot of his 20 years in the AFC East before skipping town.

Inside the league

Radio silence. That’s been the story around Tyrann Mathieu’s potential extension with the Chiefs.

Typically, no news is good news for the involved parties. When you start hearing consistently about a contract negotiation, either someone wants more guaranteed money or the team feels its being overextended. In that regard, maybe Chiefs fans should feel good.

However, with Kansas City’s training camp ‘s first practice on July 28, there’s reason to wonder what’s going on with Mathieu. The team has immense respect for the person and player. He’s a team captain who has made First-Team All-Pro each of his two seasons with the Chiefs, both resulting in Super Bowl appearances and one title. Mathieu is only 29 years old, and hasn’t missed a game in Kansas City. This should be an easy extension, no?

And yet as we approach camp, team and player haven’t come to terms. This is especially important considering the Chiefs traded a first-round pick and then some for left tackle Orlando Brown Jr. this offseason, as Brown enters the final year of his rookie deal. At the time of the trade, sources indicated both parties were willing to play out the year and then work on a reunion. That’s much tougher if Mathieu also needs a new deal this offseason. After all, there’s only one tag.

For Kansas City, silence might mean promising days ahead. If not, the silence will turn to consternation soon.

History lesson

In 1982, James Brooks and the San Diego Chargers got off to the worst start in NFL postseason history.

On the opening kickoff at Three Rivers Stadium in Pittsburgh, Brooks fumbled the opening kickoff, bobbled it, and saw it recovered for a touchdown. On the ensuing kickoff, Brooks once again mishandled the ball and fell atop it at his own 1-yard line.

Incredibly, the Chargers rallied to win 31-28 with two Kellen Winslow touchdown grabs in the fourth quarter.

Parting shot

We’ve made it. Real football is back.

While the nonsense about every team having a chance is exactly that, we can all agree this is a time for hope around the NFL. For some, it’s legitimately competing for a title. For others, it’s improving and snagging a postseason berth. For others, it’s seeing a young quarterback develop or starting a rebuild and figuring out which players are worth a further investment.

Regardless, NFL training camps are upon us. This week, all 32 clubs are on the field prepping for a three-game preseason before the longest regular season in league history.

It’s been a long time coming. Enjoy.