The first full weekend of NFL training camp practices came and went, giving teams the opportunity to take reps in front of throngs of interested fans aching for a return to the gridiron. But the biggest action didn’t come on the field this weekend. Instead, headlines came from what was said in press conferences and in negotiations behind closed doors.
That means while we could turn our attention to the uplifting progress of John Metchie’s return from leukemia or Mac Jones’ improvement now that Matt Patricia has been removed from his orbit, this weekend’s developments mostly focus on things that aren’t actually football.
Like, say, a verbal joust between a future Hall of Fame head coach and a future Hall of Fame quarterback. Or the ongoing drama between 2021’s top running back and his entirely-too-online team owner.
Jonathan Taylor made his Colts disgust official
The Indianapolis Colts’ relationship with 2021 rushing leader Jonathan Taylor has very publicly and messily fallen apart. Taylor, who will be a free agent after this season, took to Twitter to bemoan the fact running back is the lowest paid non-special teams position in the NFL despite being one of the most visible positions. Franchise owner Jim Irsay, who uses his Twitter account for equal parts acts of charity, random nostalgia and the billionaire equivalent of drunk dialing, countered by calling any kind of tailback-centered renegotiations “inappropriate” and, uh, whatever this Sartre-tinged screed was.
#Colts owner Jim Irsay: “If I die tonight and Jonathan Taylor is out of the league, no one’s gonna miss us. The league goes on. We know that. The National Football (League) rolls on. It doesn’t matter who comes and who goes, and it’s a privilege to be a part of it.”
— James Boyd (@RomeovilleKid) July 30, 2023
Sure, pointing to our inevitable deaths is one way to avoid contract talks.
Anyway, this led to Taylor making a trade request and Irsay unequivocally shutting it down. With both sides locked in a stalemate, reports emerged the Colts were considering placing Taylor on the non-football injury list. The culprit? A back injury suffered away from the team this offseason.
This did not fix things. On Monday, the saga between star and franchise took a new twist.
1.) Never had a back pain.
2.) Never reported back pain.
Not sure who “sources” are, but find new ones 🤔
— Jonathan Taylor (@JayT23) July 31, 2023
This is officially a mess. We’ll see if any part of this relationship is salvageable, even if it’s just for the final season on Taylor’s rookie contract.
Sean Payton and Aaron Rodgers bickered over 2022's worst head coach, non-Jeff Saturday division
Sean Payton got out ahead of any 2023 criticism by squarely placing the blame on the Denver Broncos’ previous head coach. In fairness, Nathaniel Hackett was genuinely, truly and utterly terrible in his 15 games behind the stick. He botched Russell Wilson’s arrival in Colorado and was responsible for the league’s lowest-scoring offense in a season where Zach Wilson was a starting quarterback elsewhere.
“Everybody’s got a little stink on their hands, Payton told USA Today. “It’s not just Russell [Wilson]. It was a [poor] offensive line. It might have been one of the worst coaching jobs in the history of the NFL. That’s how bad it was.”
Aaron Rodgers, who thrived under Hackett as offensive coordinator with the Green Bay Packers from 2019-2021 and who plans to again with the New York Jets in 2023, did not care for those remarks.
“He (Hackett) is arguably my favorite coach I’ve ever had in the NFL. I thought it was way out of line, inappropriate, and I think he needs to keep my coaches’ names out of his mouth.” – @AaronRodgers12 to me on Sean Payton’s quotes @nflnetwork @NFL pic.twitter.com/f7Aur2WgMc
— Peter Schrager (@PSchrags) July 30, 2023
The Broncos play the Jets in Week 5.
Seattle's run game just got concerning
Pete Carroll isn’t quite Bill Belichick levels of cagey when it comes to discussing his players’ injury status. But he rarely gets too specific, and offhand mentions could hint at issues that affect starters well into the regular season. This wasn’t supposed to be an issue at tailback, where 2022 breakout star Kenneth Walker III was joined by 2023 second round pick Zach Charbonnet this offseason to provide a young, explosive platoon.
Alas.
#Seahawks HC Pete Carroll on RB’s not practicing today:
Kenneth Walker has a groin injury and may remain out a while until they quiet that down.
Zach Charbonnet has shoulder injury and is getting checked by docs today. Out indefinitely.
— Taylor Bisciotti (@TaylorBisciotti) July 30, 2023
It’s far too early to start clutching our pearls, but 2023 could be another season in which we see more DeeJay Dallas than expected.
The Vikings re-signed one of their most important defensive stars
Danielle Hunter returned from an injury shortened 2021 to prove he remains one of the league’s most efficient pass rushers in 2022. But his base salary for 2023 was a mere $4.9 million, leading to a standoff between a perennial Pro Bowl candidate and the only team for whom he’s ever played. This led to trade rumors that nearly simmered to a boil Saturday.
Turns out, it took $17 million in guarantees to turn off that heat.
The #Vikings and three-time Pro Bowl pass rusher Danielle Hunter agreed to terms on a new one-year deal worth $20 million, sources tell me and @RapSheet.
Hunter gets $17M guaranteed and a no-tag clause, with a chance to earn a big payday next March. pic.twitter.com/Ou4WpFXjY5
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) July 30, 2023
The Vikings won the NFC North last season with a 13-4 record and, amazingly, a -3 point differential. Their other double-digit sack threat, Za’Darius Smith, is now a Cleveland Brown thanks to a clogged salary cap. Retaining Hunter delays a rebuild and keeps Minnesota in the running for a playoff bid in one of 2023’s least predictable divisions.
A bunch of quasi-familiar names signed prove-it deals
The weekend was notable for a pair of running backs who made high profile visits, but didn’t sign. Dalvin Cook inched closer to a prospective deal with the New York Jets. Ezekiel Elliott took a detailed tour of the New England Patriots’ practice facilities. But as of Monday morning, both remain free agents.
The pool of available players around them shrunk, however. A handful of recognizable veterans signed one-year contracts that will provide the opportunity to revive their careers or merely be a forgotten bullet point on their Wikipedia biographies. This includes:
- RB Royce Freeman (signed with the Los Angeles Rams)
- LB Kwon Alexander (Pittsburgh Steelers)
- CB Eli Apple (Miami Dolphins)
- CB Trayvon Mullen (Baltimore Ravens)
- WR Andy Isabella (Buffalo Bills)
