Latest news with #ProBowlers
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Price Tag for New York Jets' Star Sauce Gardner Revealed
Price Tag for New York Jets' Star Sauce Gardner Revealed originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The New York Jets seemingly struck gold with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft, when they selected two-time All-Pro cornerback Sauce Gardner. The Jets picked up a pair of Pro Bowlers in the first round that season with Gardner and Jermaine Johnson II, as well as standout receiver Garrett Wilson. Advertisement Now, all three players are extension-eligible, as is running back Breece Hall. The Jets will have to hand out a few hefty checks to keep their stars in town longterm, and Gardner's price tag is going to be sky-high, and it keeps going up and up. ESPN's Rich Cimini recently revealed that Gardner wants to remain a Jet, and has a price tag in mind. "Gardner has professed his desire to stay with the Jets long-term," Cimini wrote this week. "The Texans' Derek Stingley Jr. raised the ceiling with his three-year, $90 million extension. Gardner is thought to be seeking at least that much." The Jets seemingly want to get a deal done with Gardner, who was one of the best players in the NFL in his first two NFL seasons. Gardner had a down year in 2024, which may have the Jets a touch apprehensive to hand out a $30 million salary. Advertisement But Gardner has showcased all-world talent at cornerback. Gardner led the NFL in pass breakups in his rookie campaign, with 20. In 2024, Gardner had just one interception and nine pass breakups, and a career-low 49 tackles and one tackle for loss. "Gardner was an All-Pro in each of his first two seasons, but his play tailed off last season, as it did for many of the Jets' defenders," Cimini wrote. "Nevertheless, he's still regarded as one of the top corners, an essential position in coach Aaron Glenn's man-heavy scheme." Contracts in the NFL can tend to be a crapshoot, with injuries and scheme changes potentially leading to up-and-down play, but Gardner's talent is undeniable. It's not often you come across a player with that level of talent at corner, and the two seasons of elite play likely outweigh the risks of declined play. Related: Jets Desperately Need Fields Four-Word Claim To Come True Related: Jets Coach Reveals Update on Fields' Progress This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 1, 2025, where it first appeared.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
11 best post-June 1 NFL free agents, from Asante Samuel Jr. to Keenan Allen
11 best post-June 1 NFL free agents, from Asante Samuel Jr. to Keenan Allen June 2 is an important date on the NFL calendar. It's the day players released in the offseason can have their dead salary cap hits spread over the current season and the next. It's also the day players can be signed in free agency without affecting a team's compensatory draft pick formula. The NFL's compensatory pick formula is designed to bolster teams who lose more than they gain in free agency. Compensatory picks are awarded at the end of rounds three, four, five, six and seven based on the value of players lost and the offsetting contracts of veterans signed as free agents. By waiting until June to sign players, teams can maximize the value of losing players in March by bringing in draft assets for the following spring. 1 GLARING WEAKNESS FOR EVERY NFL TEAM: What's your favorite team missing this offseason? That means the Philadelphia Eagles can ensure a mid-draft haul after losing starters Milton Williams, Josh Sweat and Mekhi Becton after their Super Bowl-winning season. The Pittsburgh Steelers can capitalize on their losses and potentially find a starting quarterback (even if he's a 41-year-old media headache who was 2024's 22nd-best passer). The post-June 1 free agent market won't be a spending spree, but it will provide more action than we've seen in the last six weeks of NFL roster building. Let's talk about the best players available late in the free agent process, in no particular order. CB Asante Samuel Jr. 2024 team: Los Angeles Chargers Samuel lacks ideal size as an outside corner (5-foot-10, 180 pounds) and has minimal experience in the slot. Though he's failed to live up to his father's spectacular example, he's been a solid presence who allowed a 87.8 passer rating in coverage (two interceptions, 15 passes defensed, three touchdowns allowed) over the last two seasons. His return from the shoulder injury that ended his 2024 after four games may loom in the heads of general managers considering him. WR Keenan Allen 2024 team: Chicago Bears WR Amari Cooper 2024 team: Cleveland Browns/Buffalo Bills Let's tackle these two former Pro Bowlers at the same time. Both Allen and Cooper had their least productive seasons of their past eight years. But both remained moderately useful on a per-snap basis. Allen's 1.65 yards per route run (YPRR) ranked 50th among 90 qualified wideouts. Cooper's 1.62 ranked 53rd. Allen is more productive. Cooper is younger and more engaged as a blocker. Either brings value as a WR3 type on a one-year deal -- think Adam Thielen in Carolina. But further decline is expected for two players in their 30s who play a position that relies heavily on athleticism. RB J.K. Dobbins 2024 team: Los Angeles Chargers A draft flush with running backs has dented Dobbins' value despite his comeback 2024 campaign. The oft-injured back ran for 905 yards in 13 games last season after totaling only nine games the previous three seasons. While he brings modest value as a receiver, Dobbins' 0.6 rush yards over expected (RYOE) per carry ranked 14th among qualified running backs last season and he's still just 26 years old. S Justin Simmons 2024 team: Atlanta Falcons Laying a bet on a safety who turns 32 in November is a tricky wager. While Simmons wasn't able to keep a streak of All-Pro selections alive in his lone year as a Falcon, he remained a valuable asset against the pass. He knocked down seven passes, intercepted two more and just 57 percent of his targets to be hauled in as the nearest defender. He may no longer be an explosive presence, but he remains a disruptor in the right secondary. CB Mike Hilton 2024 team: Cincinnati Bengals Need a veteran slot corner? Hilton's your huckleberry, even though he took a step backward alongside the rest of a defense that helped get Lou Anarumo fired this offseason. Hilton allowed 75 percent of his targets last season to be caught, which is a troubling trend for an aging veteran. But he's not *that* old (he just turned 31) and he remains a useful asset against the run (46 stops in 257 run snaps last season). A modest bet on a revival could pay out huge. G Brandon Scherff 2024 team: Jacksonville Jaguars Poor Brandon Scherff has only played for two NFL teams in his 10 year career; the Dan Snyder-era Washington Commanders and the Jacksonville Jaguars, whose dysfunction escapes eras and shines like the aurora borealis. He may be removed from his perennial Pro Bowl days, but at 34 years old he can still bring steady play and above-average pass blocking to the offensive line. EDGE Za'Darius Smith 2024 teams: Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions Smith is entering the Jadeveon Clowney phase of his career, where he inks a one-year deal, gives you six to nine sacks per season and generates some trade interest near the deadline. His pressure rate has hovered around a solid 15 percent each of the last three seasons. CB Shaquill Griffin 2024 team: Minnesota Vikings The success rate for 30-year-old cornerbacks isn't great. Griffin's history of inconsistency doesn't help matters. But he's recorded a passer rating allowed of under 76.0 each of the last two seasons, albeit in much more of a "rotational guy" role than as a lock-solid starter. S Julian Blackmon 2024 team: Indianapolis Colts A market failed to develop for Blackmon after a frustrating 2024 in which his missed tackle and yards per target allowed rates spiked. That's been the case in four of his five NFL seasons, but his 2023 campaign was Pro Bowl worthy (four interceptions, four total missed tackles, a 46.6 passer rating allowed). Now it will only take a modest bet for a team looking to restore him back to pretty-goodness. ST Jalen Reeves-Maybin 2024 team: Detroit Lions How much do you value special teams play -- not from a returner or gunner, but from a linebacker who offers little utility as a defender? Reeves-Maybin saw his tackling and coverage skills decline in a 10-game 2024, but he's an intuitive special teamer who brings high effort to the kicking game and was a 2023 second-team All-Pro as designated special teamer.
USA Today
3 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Panthers 2024 Pro Bowl CB Jaycee Horn tabbed as team's 'bounce-back candidate' for 2025
Panthers 2024 Pro Bowl CB Jaycee Horn tabbed as team's 'bounce-back candidate' for 2025 Which Carolina Panthers player is primed to bounce back here in 2025? Well, what about one of their two Pro Bowlers from 2024? (Yup, you read that correctly.) Pro Football Focus contributor Dalton Wasserman recently named one bounce-back candidate for each NFL team, and tabbed cornerback Jaycee Horn for the Panthers. So, yes, even despite securing the first Pro Bowl selection of his career this past season, the fifth-year defender still has room to improve. Wasserman explains: Horn's 2024 season had its ups and downs. On the positive side, he played over 1,000 snaps for the first time in his career and earned a team-high 80.9 run-defense grade. However, he also posted a career-low 59.1 coverage grade. He wasn't helped by a defense that ranked near the bottom of the league across the board. The improvement of his supporting cast — including the addition of safety Tre'Von Moehrig — should benefit Horn as much as anyone. As noted by Wasserman, Horn's 59.1 coverage grade was the worst of his four-year tenure. He earned a 67.4 grade over three games as a rookie in 2021, a 73.2 in 2022 and an 83.0 in 2023. Horn did, however, play in a career-high 15 games in 2024—perhaps the most valuable stat given his early injury history. That availability helped him notch a few more bests in combined tackles (68), tackles for a loss (five), sacks (2.0) and passes defensed (13). Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
USA Today
6 days ago
- Sport
- USA Today
Vikings earn national audience for preseason game against Titans
Vikings earn national audience for preseason game against Titans The Minnesota Vikings defense has proven to be one of the toughest in the NFL in recent years, but in 2024, they became special. Brian Flores had a unit that struck fear into the hearts of every quarterback that faced it and now they will get to welcome the top pick in the draft to the NFL. Andrew Siciliano announced on Thursday the NFL's national preseason game schedule and the Minnesota Vikings find themselves being the final game on the slate. They will be facing the Tennessee Titans and their new franchise quarterback Cam Ward on CBS in primetime on August 22. In past year, the final preseason game of the year has been the final audition for teams to get to see what their first-team units look like ahead of the new season, so it would mean that Ward would face the majority of the Pro Bowlers on the Vikings' defensive side of the ball. The Titans will see very quickly what they have in their new quarterback, and the Vikings will see how he can handle the pressure coming at them from a quarterback who can extend plays.
USA Today
27-05-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Time is potentially running out for Trenton Simpson with the Ravens
Time is potentially running out for Trenton Simpson with the Ravens It's now or never for Trenton Simpson. There's nowhere to hide as the Ravens begin their quest towards glory. First impressions are vital because one never gets another chance to make a good one. Fortunately, people can be forgiving. Second chances in the NFL aren't common, but every so often, players get lucky. It's year three for Trenton Simpson, and he's perhaps one of the best examples of the previous statement. It's already make-or-break time. Drafted 86th overall by the Baltimore Ravens during Round 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft, he signed a four-year deal as a rookie. The coming campaign will be his third, but this may be his last opportunity to prove he should be a part of the organization's long-term future. Trenton Simpson may not have a better opportunity to secure his future with the Ravens organization. There's a theory that teams look for their starters in Rounds 1 and 2 of an NFL Draft, but the meat of the roster is built in Round 3. Sure, Pro Bowlers are discovered in every round. Scouting isn't an exact science, and there's a sense around Ravens land that there's a mini-spotlight being cast on one Trenton Simpson. Baltimore approaches another NFL season as the favorite to win the AFC North and one of the favorites to contend for a shot to play in football's biggest game during Super Bowl 60. There's much to iron out between now and then. That's what the offseason is for. Roster battles will help the Ravens answer some roster concerns. They must settle on a kicker. They need to figure out the bottom half of their depth chart at edge rusher. They need a starting left guard. Then, there are the linebackers. Baltimore doesn't have many weaknesses. Their quarterback is a two-time MVP. Their starting running back is one of the best at his position. They field a Pro Bowl receiver who somehow still flies under the radar, and even though Roquan Smith is one of the best LBs on the planet. He's going to need sme help, and that's where someone like Trenton Simpson comes in. Malik Harrison and Chris Board are gone. Simpson will have an opportunity to start, but he may have 2024 First-Team All-ACC nod Teddye Buchanan breathing down his neck. Trenton has experience on his side, and last season, he notched 73 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and four pass breakups. Simpson's most significant opportunity for improvement is as a pass defender. He was expected to be one of the favorites to replace a departed Patrick Queen. Things didn't work out as planned, and as he fell out of favor with his coaches, Harrison and Borad eventually surpassed him. This could be his last opportunity. This is a make-or-break season. He'll need to make the most of every snap, especially those given to him at OTAs. That could be the difference between entering the 2026 season on the hot seat or being viewed as a high-priority player that Baltimore must sign to an extension sooner rather than later.
