By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Trapped in the abyss of C.J. Beathard and Brian Hoyer, San Francisco 49ers general manager John Lynch took a cross-country shot in acquiring Jimmy Garoppolo.

The franchise isn’t leaving the next step up to chance.

San Francisco signed Garoppolo to a five-year deal that NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reported is worth a record $137.5 million, the largest in NFL history on an average-per-year basis. San Francisco’s leadership duo of Lynch and Kyle Shanahan joined Garoppolo in a news conference Friday, and the three made it abundantly clear from the beginning: This union is here to stay.

“What I tried to do was keep pushing the button,” Lynch said. “Hey, he wants to be here and we want him here, let’s get it done. Why wait?”

They didn’t wait very long, and they brought the money. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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With the 2017 NFL campaign in the rearview, draft season’s about to kick into high gear. But before we completely shift over to the Class of 2018, let’s review the returns from this past season’s crop of rookies. Division-by-division, we’re providing grades on each team’s 2017 draft class, as well as identifying areas that must be upgraded this offseason. Nick Shook examines the AFC West below.

Denver Broncos

Round 1: (No. 20 overall) Garett Bolles, OT, 16 games/16 starts.
Round 2: (51) DeMarcus Walker, DE, 10 games/0 starts.
Round 3: (82) Carlos Henderson, WR, 0 games/0 starts; (101) Brendan Langley, CB, 11 games/0 starts.
Round 5: (145) Jake Butt, TE, 0 games/0 starts; (172) Isaiah McKenzie, WR, 11 games/0 starts.
Round 6: (203) De’Angelo Henderson, RB, 5 games/0 starts.
Round 7: (253) Chad Kelly, QB, 0 games/0 starts.

Injuries robbed Carlos Henderson and Butt of their seasons, but Bolles looks like an excellent pick after starting all 16 games at left tackle and playing well enough to make the Pro Football Writers of America All-Rookie Team. Walker was effective in his 10 games played. McKenzie saw spot time at receiver, where he was noticeably inexperienced. He got most of his playing time at returner, where he struggled with multiple muffed punts, including an embarrassing one on “Monday Night Football” against Kansas City on a night that was emblematic of Denver’s entire season. And despite the carousel spinning at quarterback, we were also robbed of the Swag Kelly Experience, thanks to injury. GRADE: C Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Canada’s hero is returning to the NFL.

Wide receiver DeVier Posey has signed with the Baltimore Ravens, the team announced Tuesday.

Posey, an Ohio State product, became a Toronto legend when he caught a 100-yard pass for a touchdown in the 105th Grey Cup, helping the Argonauts to a 27-24 win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Canadian Football League’s championship game. Posey finished the contest with seven catches for 175 yards and the score, and was named Grey Cup MVP. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Much of this season was missing a familiar element: the capitvating greatness of Aaron Rodgers.

A broken collarbone sidelined Rodgers for a good portion of the campaign, and when Rodgers returned, it was for a failed last-ditch attempt to preserve playoff eligiblity. With Green Bay’s loss to Carolina went playoff hopes and the remainder of Rodgers’ season. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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An unexpected quarterback just led his franchise to its first Super Bowl victory.

Houston is hoping it can witness a similar story unfold in the near future.

The franchise’s literal first steps toward glory happened on Monday, when quarterback Deshaun Watson ran on a treadmill for the first time since suffering a torn ACL in the middle of the 2017 season. The dynamic, exciting signal-caller posted video of his light run on an anti-gravity treadmill on Instagram: Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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Larry Fitzgerald opened his NFL Network appearance on Sunday by joking he was trying to get Kurt Warner to return for a couple of more years under center.

What Arizona ends up doing at quarterback could go a long way toward determining Fitzgerald’s future.

“I’m excited about what the future holds,” Fitzgerald said of the Cardinals during his appearance on NFL GameDay Morning. “Obviously there are things that still need to happen in terms of personnel, draft and things like that that help our team improve. But I’m confident that Steve Keim is doing a good job with that.” Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Super Bowl is over. The silly season is upon us.

Why not kick it off with questions about a potential quarterback controversy in Philadelphia?

Nick Foles won Super Bowl LII Most Valuable Player on Sunday night after leading the Philadelphia Eagles to their first Lombardi Trophy in franchise history. He did so in place of starting quarterback Carson Wentz, who saw his league MVP-caliber season cut short by a torn ACL suffered in Week 14. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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On their way to Super Bowl LII, the New England Patriots had to deal with a little adversity.

New England lost key pass-catcher Rob Gronkowski before halftime of the AFC Championship Game and endured, edging the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Patriots weren’t as fortunate Sunday in Minneapolis.

Facing a 9-3 deficit early in the second quarter, Tom Brady dropped to pass and found Brandin Cooksover the middle for a gain of 23, putting New England in Philadelphia territory. It would be the receiver’s last play after he was hit by Malcolm Jenkins. Continue reading →

By Nick Shook
NFL.com
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The Super Bowl hasn’t kicked off yet, but we’re already in the thick of “who’s angling for a new contract?” season.

At the top of the list: Odell Beckham.

The Giants star wideout has held onto some incredibly high expectations for his future compensation, wanting what he’s called quarterback money. That number lands around $20 million, which is essentially what Alex Smith is owed in 2018. By comparison, that’s at least $3 million more annually than what Antonio Brown makes with his position-leading $17 million per year and more than 10 times what Beckham made in 2017.

That pay raise can buy Beckham a lot of home goods. Continue reading →