4th & Monday: What football offseason? The week of Kaepernick, Spurrier and more AAF
It was the Friday before a holiday weekend, so of course the NFL dropped a news bomb on Friday evening.
It was just a 59-word press release. But it was a significant moment for the NFL.
The league announced that a settlement was made with Colin Kaepernick and Eric Reid in their collusion lawsuits. Though the NFL avoided a potentially ugly legal case, USA TODAY Sports' Nancy Armour thinks the league still has plenty left to answer for. While Kaepernick came out a winner, it seems unlikely that he ever takes another snap in an NFL game. Never, says USA TODAY Sports' Jarrett Bell.
In less serious matters, the AAF was back with more live-action football in February. Keeping things interesting is, of course, Steve Spurrier. He's still taking shots at old SEC rivals after his Orlando Apollos defeated the San Antonio Commanders.
In San Diego, our Brent Schrotenboer checked in with the San Diego Fleet, the team that gave the city pro football back just a few years after the NFL's Chargers bolted for Los Angeles. Here's what it's like for fans in San Diego now. (Yes, there's a tailgating!)
Your Monday must-reads
- Kaepernick's NFL career is history: After Colin Kaepernick settled his collusion case with the NFL, many are concluding that resolution ensures he won't ever play in the NFL again. How about the new AAF? Probably not.
- Brown sounds off on incident with Big Ben: Antonio Brown opened up on the end of the Steelers' season and working with Ben Roethlisberger during a Twitter Q&A. Meanwhile, we think the Steelers should trade Brown to one of these eight teams.
- NFL cut candidates: There are a number of notable NFL veterans who could be cast aside this spring as teams look to reconfigure their plans.
- Flacco trade builds further pressure on Elway: John Elway hasn't been able to find a long-term replacement for Peyton Manning, and trading for Joe Flacco will only raise the scrutiny on him.
- Did Adam Silver turn down the NFL?: According to an ESPN story last week, NBA commissioner Adam Silver turned down overtures from NFL officials to run the league in 2017. Shortly after, Roger Goodell got a new five-year deal.
Meanwhile in The Alliance
The Alliance of American Football was back for its second week of play. You know you want to know more about it.
- Spurrier trolls an old SEC rival: Ex-Florida coach Steve Spurrier still is trolling an old SEC rival after all these years.
- Spurrier is must-watch AAF fun: The "Head Ball Coach" got really, really excited when the refs made a holding call against the Orlando Apollos' opponent Sunday, the San Antonio Commanders.
- QB pulls off no-look pass that will make Mahomes jealous: Patrick Mahomes needs to take a look at the work of San Diego Fleet QB Philip Nelson.
- Honeymoon already over in Memphis? The excitement was palpable in the crowd during the Memphis Express' home opener. The next step is for the team on the field to match that.
- AAF using tech that may revolutionize sports and gambling: The AAF is based on sports gambling data and technology that use football as its public storefront and laboratory.
- What new football league could mean for NFL: Long in need of a developmental league, the NFL could finally have a meaningful minor league of sorts with the emergence of the AAF.
2019 NFL draft: Mocks, rankings and more
There are just 66 more sleeps until the 2019 NFL draft.
- Latest mock draft: This first-round projection features three quarterbacks being selected in the top 10.
- Combine invite list: A total of 338 prospects were invited to participate in the scouting combine in Indianapolis. Which prospects might dominate the workouts?
- Prospect rankings: Draft Wire updated its prospect rankings for every position group in this year's draft.
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