Today’s NFL rumors surround Allen Lazard being salty toward the Packers franchise, the Seahawks getting their linebacker of the future (not named Bobby Wagner), and Pats OC Bill O’Brien needing to teach some griddy lessons.
We’re only a few days into NFL free agency, and there’s plenty of drama to go around. The talk of the league right now is the intense staring contest between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets as they try to negotiate an Aaron Rodgers trade.
The Packers don’t want to give him away for cheap, but they also definitely don’t want to absorb his contract in 2023. The Jets aren’t about to give up two first-rounders for Rodgers and want to strike a fair deal. Who will blink first? Given how long the Rodgers saga has already been dragged out, this could take a while.
As Rodgers happily watches two teams fight over him (“He’s not your quarterback anymore, just let him go!” “No! He’s technically still on our team and he’s worth a thousand Zach Wilsons!”), players continue to get signed and re-signed left and right with several high-profile stars figuring out their futures this season.
Let’s take a look at three of the biggest NFL rumors circulating today.
NFL Rumors: Seahawks stomp Bobby Wagner reunion rumors, sign LB Devin Bush in free agency
The Seattle Seahawks inked linebacker Devin Bush to a one-year contract this free agency, possibly squashing the possibility of a Bobby Wagner reunion.
Bush, a former first-round pick by the Steelers, visited Seattle last Thursday and agreed to a short-term deal, the financial details of which have not yet been revealed.
Bush plugs a massive hole on the Seahawks’ defense as Seattle’s inside linebacker corps looks the weakest it has been in recent history. Last season, Jordyn Brooks and Cody Barton served as the team’s go-to starters, but Brooks is recovering from an ACL tear and Barton has since left for Washington in free agency.
The Seahawks get a young, high-upside hitter in the 24-year-old Bush, who made history in his first year of the NFL as the only Steelers rookie to record more than 100 tackles in a single season. Yet injuries hindered Bush’s production for the past two years, and the once-promising linebacker talent eventually got phased out of Pittsburgh’s starting rotation.
In Seattle, Bush gets a breath of fresh air with a near-guarantee that he will hold a starting spot….unless the Seahawks bring Bobby Wagner back.
It’s unclear whether Wagner would consider a reunion with his former team after getting released by the Los Angeles Rams this offseason. Just to venture a guess: if Wagner wanted to, Pete Carroll would probably welcome him back with open arms.
He’s no Russell Wilson, after all. And the Seahawks defense needs all the help it can get after ranking at the bottom of the league in points and yards allowed last season.
NFL Rumors: Allen Lazard flips the bird at Packers before taking flight with Jets
It’s a dangerous time to be a Green Bay Packers fan right now. With the Jordan Love era set to start in 2023, the team will face an uncertain offensive future sans Aaron Rodgers, and also sans Allen Lazard. But the franchise doesn’t really care about that second part.
According to Lazard, who recently joined the New York Jets in free agency, the Packers didn’t make it seem like they would “miss” Lazard too much.
Allen Lazard said the Packers didn't show any interest in bringing him back.
— Zack Rosenblatt (@ZackBlatt) March 17, 2023
"They didn't seem like they were going to miss me too much."
Lazard was a pending free agent after spending his entire five-year career with Green Bay and came off a career-best season in 2022 that saw him record 718 total yards and 52.5 average yards per game.
In their desperate pursuit of Aaron Rodgers, the New York Jets decided to bring on Lazard this offseason to make Rodgers’ stay a bit more comfortable. Rodgers already has former offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett, a star-studded Jets’ offense and defense, and as an added bonus, a bratty protégé in Zach Wilson who Rodgers can bully as much as he wants. Everybody already hates Zach.
Lazard could just be feeling slightly insecure that Green Bay didn’t try harder to hold onto him when New York came calling. It doesn’t help that the main reason the Jets picked him up was likely for his relationship to Rodgers, rather than Lazard’s raw talent or production.
Walking around New York being known as “Rodger’s friend” has got to be a blow to Lazard’s self-esteem. Once the Jets make the playoffs this season, it will hopefully all have been worth it.
NFL Rumors: Bill O’Brien gets reunited with former Penn State tight end and notorious dancer Mike Gesicki
It’s no wonder Mike Gesicki was griddy-ing all over the field in 2022 — he was playing on a $10 million franchise tag, getting paid for basically warming the bench most games.
Heading into 2023, the former Miami Dolphins tight end has a new reason to break out the dance moves: he’s getting reunited with his old Penn State coach Bill O’Brien on the New England Patriots.
On Friday, the Patriots signed Gesicki to a one-year deal worth up to $9 million, plucking the tight end from right under their AFC East rivals’ noses. Gesicki didn’t fit in Mike McDaniel’s offensive scheme on the Dolphins, catching just 32 passes for 362 yards all season, but he can get his career back on track under New England OC Bill O’Brien.
O’Brien first successfully recruited Gesicki to Penn State back in 2014; the Nittany Lions head coach left shortly after to take the helm of the Houston Texans.
Fast forward to nearly a decade later and the two are reunited on the Pats, where Gesicki is expected to fill in the hole Jonnu Smith left behind.
After a year of playing with one of the league’s most relatable and charming head coaches, Gesicki now gets to work with the exact opposite. Soon to hold the worst quarterback in the AFC East, Bill Belichick may make another splash move in free agency amid his rivals’ flurry of signings or else get left behind in the dust.
Unfortunately for Gesicki, he’ll likely still have to catch balls from either Mac Jones or Bailey Zappe this season. Good luck finding the end zone — we’ll see if Gesicki has anything worth griddy-ing to in 2023.