NFL Weekly Report: Free Agency Winds Down and Offseason Programs Begin

Lamar Jackson Update

With Indianapolis, Atlanta and Washington all focusing their attention on the draft, it appears that Lamar is either headed back to Baltimore or going to surprise us all with a mystery team.

Kliff Kingsbury Heads Back To College

Kingsbury has returned from his "one way ticket" to Thailand after being fired as the head coach of the Arizona Cardinals after another abysmal season. He never meshed with Kyler Murray and the roster was weak. Kingsbury decides to head back to USC as a Senior Offensive Analyst.

His job will be to get star QB Caleb Willliams not only ready for his week-to-week games in the fall, but it also appears he and Head Coach Lincoln Riley will be getting him ready for the 2024 NFL Draft. This will be a perfect job for Kingsbury as he can stay on the west coast and do what he does best, coaching college quarterbacks.

Arizona Cardinals Shopping The #3 Pick

No surprise here but the #3 pick in April’s Draft appears to be open for business. Arizona has had conversations with six different NFL teams about moving up to #3 from their current positions. This would be the best decision for Arizona to make as they have so many holes to fill on this roster and accumulating picks is never a bad decision.

Look for teams like Indianapolis, Tennessee, Atlanta, Las Vegas, Seattle and Tampa Bay (strictly guessing on these teams) to inquire before Arizona potentially makes the pick.

Lions DB Jeff Okudah Traded To Atlanta

This should not have been a surprise to any Lions fan. Okudah saw his role at the end of the season dwindle down to playing special teams. The Lions also added three DBs this offseason, so his role became expendable. Lions HC Dan Campbell is hoping this trade gives Okudah a fresh start with a new team.

Devin White Requests Trade From Tampa Bay

Buccaneers star LB has asked for a trade although not specified, it appears that he wants a new deal that puts him in the same realm as fellow star LB Roquan Smith. Tampa Bay does not seem to value him at that number. He is unquestionably a top player at his position and Bucs GM Jason Licht has no desire to trade him.

White is the only player since 2020 to have 100 tackles and 15 QB hits in a single season. He achieved it in 2020, 2021, and 2022. We will see where he truly stands with Tampa Bay starting their offseason program on Monday April 17^th and whether he shows up or not.

Saquon Barkley Holds Out

NY Giants offseason program begins on April 17^th and Saquon Barkley has informed the team that he will not be present for the voluntary program. He is unhappy with his franchise tag and has not signed it yet. If reports are true, he is willing to miss all the programs (training camp included) to make his point known to the management and ownership group of the New York Giants.

With Barkley not signing his tag, he is not subject to fines under the current CBA with the owners and players. So, he could essentially dig in and not pay a dime. He has until July 17^th to get this done or he can only play 2023 on a one-year tag. The short life span of running backs won’t help Barkley’s cause and with the franchise paying Daniel Jones and newly acquired TE Darren Waller, Barkley might have to play on the tag and hope for better negotiations next season.

Daniel Snyder (Finally) Agrees To Sell The Washington Commanders

Commander fans rejoice! Snyder has finally sold the team to Josh Harris, who owns the NBA’s Philadelphia 76ers and the NHL’s New Jersey Devils. The final price of purchase will be approximately $6.05 Billion dollars pending league approval. Maryland businessman Mitchell Rales and former NBA star Magic Johnson are also major investors in the sale.

This marks the largest franchise sale in NFL history surpassing the Denver Broncos sale last year at $4.65 Billion. Snyder was constantly considered the worst owner in professional sports and was never short on controversies involving the team or himself. Washington finishes with a 164-220-2 record during his ownership.

Safety Budda Baker Requests Trade From Arizona

The offseason pain in Arizona continues after another star player is asking out. First it was DeAndre Hopkins and now its defensive captain and All Pro safety Budda Baker. Baker signed a 4-year $59 Million dollar extension in 2020. It appears that Baker wanted a new deal that would make him the one of the highest, if not the highest paid safety, in the NFL.

Arizona declined to honor that request and now he is looking for a trade. Don’t be surprised to see a playoff contender make a hard run for his services, someone like Philadelphia. With the loss of CJ Gardner-Johnson they have a need for serviceable safety.

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