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Start your day with a reminder of how Dan Campbell starts his: Two venti coffees from Starbucks with two espresso shots in each, the equivalent of 10 Red Bulls. Giddy up.
Today’s NFL update:
- 🌴 Rodgers‘ unexcused absence
- ❌ Others skipping OTAs
- 🗒 Reports from beat writers
- 📃 Mike Tomlin‘s three-year deal
What Dianna’s Hearing: Aaron Rodgers’ mystery absence
The New York Jets’ mandatory minicamp session concluded yesterday afternoon. But for Aaron Rodgers, summer vacation started Monday night. The quarterback was not in attendance the past two days because of a trip he’d scheduled months ago. Head coach Robert Saleh said the team was aware of the unexcused absence and that Rodgers would be fined.
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Saleh described Rodgers’ prior engagement as “an event that is important to Aaron.” League sources said it isn’t a family emergency, special gathering or charity appearance. Rather, Rodgers is taking a vacation overseas, and he didn’t want to reschedule it around the Jets’ practices.
Jacob has more on this below, while The Athletic’s Zack Rosenblatt explored what it means for the Jets.
Back to you, Jacob.
Implications of Rodgers absence
Sure, missing two mid-June practices will not make or break any season, let alone for a quarterback with 19 years in the NFL. And for other quarterbacks and many franchises, this story’s shelf life would be short.
But as is typical with Rodgers, this early vacation calls back to a January quote from … Rodgers:
“If you want to be a winning organization and put yourself in position to win championships and be competitive, everything that you do matters. And the bulls— that has nothing to do with winning needs to get out of the building. So that’ll be the focus moving forward.”
Why this matters: Yes, it’s just two days in June. And yes, Rodgers attended every voluntary session (and looked good). But his actions — planning a trip months in advance around minicamp time — sends a message to the team in direct contrast to his comments, implying that it’s sometimes acceptable to put yourself above the team.
How important is this season? The Jets don’t think his absence is a big deal, yet it sends a message to a team with a narrow championship window; 33-year-old LT Tyron Smith signed with the Jets because they can “go all the way.”
Time is ticking for a franchise that hasn’t made the playoffs since 2010. Rodgers is 41 and under contract until 2025. Smith (a standout at OTAs) is on a one-year deal, as are newly acquired Mike Williams (30 in October), Morgan Moses (33) and Haasan Reddick (30 in September, but more on him below). Expect D.J. Reed, Sauce Gardner and Garrett Wilson to look for big extensions after this season.
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Meanwhile, Saleh and GM Joe Douglas have been with the team since 2021 and 2019, respectively, while the Jets haven’t finished above .500 since 2015. If the team underperforms in 2024, there won’t be many excuses left, and changes will be made.
The NFL is also counting on the Jets, again: They are the first team in history to receive six prime time games in the first 11 weeks of a season, per Sharp Football.
Whew, with all this pressure, no wonder the QB left town for a while. So, where do you think Rodgers is? Guess here.
While Rodgers took the Ferris Bueller approach, other players were absent for a different reason: negotiating new deals.
Other NFL Minicamp No-Shows
Amari Cooper: The Browns WR is set to make $20 million in the final year of his contract. Cleveland has cap space in 2024 (approx. $14 million), but Cooper — who turns 30 next week — is likely looking for a multi-year deal with guarantees.
- Projection: Cooper gets a three-year deal at $26.5 million per season, similar to 30-year-old Mike Evans getting $26 million per season on a two-year deal this offseason. Browns reporter Zac Jackson has more.
Haason Reddick: Over the past two years, the Jets newly acquired edge’s 27 sacks rank behind only Myles Garrett, Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons. In April, New York acquired him from the Eagles for a conditional 2026 third-round pick that could become a second.
- Projection: He’s currently set to make $14.75 million in his last year of his contract, but is looking for around $27 million per year. A fully guaranteed year one and another $45 million across two years is my guess. Jets reporter Zack Rosenblatt has more.
CeeDee Lamb: The Cowboys WR expects to be in the ballpark of the Justin Jefferson contract, which sits at $35 million per year. The difference is that Dallas has $35 million more tied up in its quarterback than the Vikings do. The other difference is Jerry Jones’ tendency to wait.
- Projection: Last offseson, G Zack Martin’s holdout lasted weeks into training camp before he received his desired extension. Eventually, I expect a $35 million per year deal with lower guarantees than Jefferson’s.
Tee Higgins: The 25-year-old Bengals receiver is yet to sign his franchise tag ($21.8 million) and has until July 15 to work out a long-term extension with the team.
- My projection: The former second-round pick’s most likely scenario is that he plays for the Bengals in 2024 before hitting the open market next offseason. “I do anticipate it,” Higgins told reporters when asked about that possibility.
As for who has attended? Broncos WR Courtland Sutton joined his teammates at mandatory minicamp after missing OTAs, as did Giants WR Darius Slayton, who returned after the team made adjustments to his contract (he also left practice with an injury but was healthy enough to take a shot at Cowboys fans).
The Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa and Tyreek Hill, Cowboys DE Micah Parsons, Bengals WR Ja’Marr Chase and Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs were also all in attendance, despite word of contract discontent.
Beat Reports: Six potential breakout players
I asked The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue (Rams beat reporter) and Josh Kendall (Falcons) about their picks for breakout 2024s. Here’s what they said:
Jourdan: “OTAs are the worst possible time to predict anything, as the football isn’t real, but so far it seems like the Rams have big plans for tight ends Colby Parkinson and Davis Allen, who are stepping into the vacancy left by an injured Tyler Higbee.”
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Josh: “Drake London. The third-year wide receiver has been good but not great. Atlanta needs him to be great this year as the No. 1 option in a pass-happy system. Catching passes from Kirk Cousins, after playing with Marcus Mariota and Desmond Ridder the last two seasons, should result in the first 1,000-yard season in London’s career.”
As for rookies, some offseason hype I’m seeing:
- Buccaneers WR Jalen McMillan was the “offense’s star during Wednesday’s practice,” per Bailey Adams, who added that the third-rounder drew praise from QB Baker Mayfield.
- Rams RB Blake Corum, who HC Sean McVay said has “really stood out” in camp.
- Commanders WR Luke McCaffrey, brother of Madden 25 cover star Christian McCaffrey, has been joining QB Jayden Daniels at 5:45 a.m. to do walkthroughs and watch film. In camp, McCaffrey has been used in the slot and outside.
Mike Tomlin’s tenure continues
Earlier this week, the Steelers and HC Mike Tomlin agreed to a three-year contract extension that ties him to the franchise through at least 2027.
Since he’s the only NFL coach to begin a head coaching tenure with at least 17 consecutive seasons without a losing record (incredible!), the decision to extend Tomlin was more polarizing than non-Steelers fans would expect.
Those mixed feelings are largely because Pittsburgh hasn’t won a playoff game in seven years, and their five-game playoff losing streak ties the Commanders for second-most in the NFL. (Can you guess the team with the longest active streak? Answer at the bottom of this article.)
When Tomlin was hired in 2007, he became just the 10th Black head coach in NFL history. As Tashan Reed wrote this morning, the 2024 hiring cycle caused a sudden improvement in this area, but there remains doubt that the movement toward diversity in NFL leadership is here to stay.
Around the NFL
Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba left Wednesday’s practice early with a shoulder issue, but HC Mike Macdonald indicated that it is not serious.
Ravens HC John Harbaugh expects 30-year-old RB Derrick Henry to see a similar workload as he did in Tennessee, where he led the NFL in rushing attempts in four of the past five seasons.
Browns WR Jerry Jeudy suffered a minor injury at minicamp and was working with the injured players yesterday.
S Marcus Maye is signing with the Dolphins, joining safeties Jordan Poyer and Jevon Holland. In just seven games with the Saints last season, the 31-year-old Maye had two interceptions and three tackles for a loss.
Tears filled Tom Brady‘s eyes as his No. 12 was retired by the Patriots yesterday during his enshrinement into the team’s Hall of Fame. Bill Belichick was there, and thanked Brady for his work.
Jacob’s Picks
📕 Re-ranking the 2020 NFL Draft: Who are the top five players at each position? This is a fun one from a STACKED class. (The Athletic)
🎙 The AFC East, unanswered. At the 67-minute mark, Robert Mays and Ollie Connolly cover Aaron Rodgers. How good is he at this stage of his career, really? (The Athletic Football Show)
Q from above: Can you guess the team with the longest-active playoff losing streak?
A: The Dolphins, who last won a playoff game on December 30, 2000. Oh, for the glory days of the Dave Wannstedt regime.
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