Julio Jones definitely wants a new contract, but he isn’t letting that situation deter him from trying to help his team. After reporting to the Falcons’ minicamp last month, all indications are that he won’t hold out. In fact, he seems to have a lot of trust that Falcons owner Arthur Blank will get a deal done with his agent. While the standout receiver is certainly aging (has played eight seasons), he is still certainly productive. Last season, Jones played all 16 games, hauling in 113 catches for 1,677 yards and eight touchdowns. Going into the 2019 season at 30, Jones has shown, when healthy, that he is still one of the best in the league; now he just wants to be paid as such.
League Does Right With Norton
It was a tragic ending to a young career when Kendrick Norton’s car accident last week ended with an amputated left arm. While things likely seem gloomy for the 22-year-old, he did get a bit of good news from the NFL. Technically unemployed and with little income, the NFL announced that it would be covering all of his medical costs. Unsure of how he would pay for it, a GoFundMe campaign had been started for Norton, but some of the worries have been taken care of. Still, it will be a long road back for Norton. Signed by the Dolphins to a non-guaranteed contract, there is some belief that he could possibly be put on the non-football injury list this season, allowing the Dolphins to still pay him his salary as they support his recovery.
Clowney Won’t Get Extension
Two stories have come out of Houston in regards to Jadeveon Clowney. The first is that they will not be reaching an agreement before the July 15 deadline, meaning that he will be playing this season under the franchise tag. This is something that Clowney isn’t too happy about. While he isn’t expected to miss any games, it does appear that he may skip a good portion of camp. Drafted first overall in 2014, Clowney has started 55 games in his first five years. Last year, he started 15 games, amassing nine sacks, 47 tackles, three fumble recoveries, and one forced fumble.
Interestingly, it may have been the Clowney situation that played a part of Brian Gaine being fired as Texans’ GM. Apparently, Gaine was in favor of extending Clowney while head coach Bill O’Brien was not. This may have been the “straw that broke the camel’s back” as Gaine was fired shortly after. After unsuccessfully hiring Nick Casserio from the Patriots (which included the Patriots filing a grievance against the Texans), Houston is now relying on O’Brien to operate as both the coach and the GM. If reports are true, and it was indeed O’Brien that did not want to extend Clowney, things could certainly be awkward this year, likely Clowney’s last as a Texan.
Safety Quin Calls It A Career
Glover Quin has had a pretty remarkable year. The former All-Pro safety has had a lot of his success in his career that has included playing for both the Houston Texans and the Detroit Lions; however, it appears that the career is coming to an end. The 33-year-old Glover announced he is retiring after being released by the Detroit Lions in February as a salary cap casualty. In his career, Quin played 159 games and had 24 interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 10 forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, four sacks, and 740 tackles. His best year, 2014, was the year that he was an All-Pro. That season, he played in all 16 games, pulling in seven interceptions and having 74 tackles. While that was his only All-Pro season, he certainly had a very productive career.
Johnson Fires Agent, Still Wants Trade
It has been a tough offseason for Duke Johnson of the Cleveland Browns. With Nick Chubb becoming a featured back and with the signing of Kareem Hunt to the team, the writing was on the wall for Johnson that his role would likely diminish. With that in mind, he requested a trade from the team. Fast forward to today, and Johnson still remains with the Browns. Likely frustrated by the lack of progress on that front, Johnson recently fired his agent. Currently without representation, he still wants the team to trade him. Johnson will likely hold a prominent role early with the team as Hunt is suspended for the first eight games of the season, but after that, all bets are off. Last season with the Browns, Johnson played in all 16 games, going for 201 yards rushing on 40 carries while bringing in 47 receptions for 429 yards and three touchdowns. His best season for the Browns was 2017 where he had seven touchdowns between 348 rushing yards and 693 receiving yards.
Garoppolo Good To Go
It has been a long recovery, but it appears that San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo is finally good to go. Being able to move forward without restrictions is huge for both Garoppolo and the 49ers. He was acquired from the New England Patriots in 2017, and San Francisco truly believes he can be their franchise quarterback. Since coming to San Francisco, he has started just eight games for the 49ers. Last season, in three games, he went 1-2 and threw 53 completions in 89 attempts for 718 yards, five touchdowns, and three interceptions. The 49ers, who could be a sleeper to contend, will need Garoppolo to show that he can put together a full season. As a backup to Tom Brady for his first three seasons, 2017 was the most games he had started although even that was just five. If he can stay healthy, he could be a really intriguing quarterback this season, but at this point, that seems like a big if for the 49ers.
