DeSean Fires Back
Remember the time Elaine dated a “bad breaker-upper” on Seinfeld?
The NFL’s bad breaker-upper is the Philadelphia Eagles. Just ask DeSean Jackson.
“When I was released by the Eagles, I feel they tried to paint a picture that definitely wasn't true,” said Jackson on his new BET reality show. “It was a slap in the face, coming off one of my best seasons in the NFL.”
Jackson, who was let go by Philadelphia last offseason, said the Eagles “tried to blow me up” and called his departure a “smear campaign.”
Jackson’s criticism may sound like sour grapes, but he’s not the first player to throw shade at the Eagles this offseason. LeSean McCoy spoke out against his former coach Chip Kelly back in May. “You see how fast he got rid of all the good players. Especially all the good black players,” said McCoy in an interview with ESPN Magazine. “He got rid of them the fastest. That's the truth.”
With Jackson in Washington and McCoy in Buffalo, these comments don’t mean much. They only serve as a reminder that Kelly continues to be one of the most polarizing figures in football. Kelly’s whirlwind offseason included the McCoy trade, two huge running back signings (DeMarco Murray and Ryan Mathews), a quarterback swap (Nick Foles for Sam Bradford) and the release of two veteran offensive linemen (Todd Herremans and Evan Mathis). In two short months, the Eagles will put their grand experiment to the test.
Jackson and the Redskins head to Lincoln Financial Field in Philly on December 26. Get your popcorn ready.
Checking in With the Seahawks
Hawaii’s a pretty nice place. So nice that Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett may stay there forever, even if it costs him $30,000 a day.
“Hawaii’s weather is great, so I’ll just keep it at that,” said Bennett in an interview with KHON in Honolulu. “When the weather’s not as nice as it is here, it’s harder to make that decision, so it just keeps it in my mind like hopefully something great comes out of it, but I don’t mind staying home for a little while.”
Like many of his teammates (Bruce Irvin, Bobby Wagner and Russell Wilson to name a few), Bennett is angling for a new contract. Those familiar with Michael’s brother Martellus probably aren’t floored by this revelation. Both Bennett siblings borrow heavily from Ron Swanson’s Pyramid of Greatness, the key tenet being that capitalism is “God’s way of determining who is smart and who is poor.” Bennett signed a four-year deal last offseason but thinks he deserves a raise. His argument is that the Seahawks “want me to play five positions but pay me for one.”
Bennett may talk a big game but he’s already caved once this offseason. The 29-year-old was a no-show at OTAs but arrived just in time for mandatory minicamp. He’d be docked $30,000 a day for missing training camp. Translation: it’s not going to happen. If Bennett’s goal is to earn as much money as possible, the best way to do that would be to show up at Seahawks camp on July 25, smile and take the paycheck.
Speaking of paychecks, Russell Wilson casually slipped this into a conversation with ESPN’s Marty Smith: “No matter how much I’m getting paid, whether it’s $25 million or $1.5 million. I’ll be ready to go.”
I’m no expert, but I think Wilson just said he’s worth $25 million. A salary of that magnitude would make Wilson the second highest-paid quarterback in the NFL behind Drew Brees ($26.4 million cap hit in 2015).
Sure it’s over-the-top but Wilson is holding all the cards. Unlike Bennett, Wilson is in the final year of his contract. He also happens to play the most important position for a team that’s played in back-to-back Super Bowls. If Wilson nets $25 million a year, you can bet Andrew Luck will get even more from Indianapolis. There goes the Colts’ rainy day fund.
The Seahawks haven’t shown Wilson the money yet but Marshawn Lynch has plenty of it. Lynch told Conan O’Brien (follow Conan on Twitter for all the latest NFL news) that’s the reason he’s still playing. “They put 12 in front of you for a year you start to think, maybe I could do this again.”
To clarify, that’s $12 million, not $12,000 as Conan foolishly guessed. Lynch ended the segment by leaping into an end zone full of Skittles because what is television without a little product placement?
Pittsburgh Submits Bid for Super Bowl LVII
The Steelers have played in eight Super Bowls but they’ve never hosted one.
Pittsburgh is trying to change that. The Steel City has already submitted a bid to host Super Bowl LVII in 2023.
There is some precedent for having the Super Bowl in a cold weather city. The Seahawks and Broncos squared off at New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium in Super Bowl XLVIII and Super Bowl LII will be held in Minneapolis in 2018.
Seattle’s cakewalk victory in 2014 was punctuated by some very fortunate weather. Instead of the blizzard some were expecting, the temperature in East Rutherford was 49 degrees with clear skies.
If the NFL follows its current scheduling pattern, Super Bowl LVII will be played on February 5, 2023. On that date this year, the high temperature in Pittsburgh was 25 degrees. That’s not exactly Kan Jam weather.
The NFL’s insistence on having the Super Bowl in warm weather cities has always baffled me. The Patriots and Packers often host games in late January. Would it really be that different playing at Gillette or Lambeau two weeks later?
If Al Gore was right about global warming, maybe it won’t matter. Either way, the NFL has plenty of time to make a decision. Bidding for Super Bowl LVII doesn’t officially begin until 2018.
AFC Quick Hits: Free agent G Dan Connolly is considering retirement. The Buccaneers offered Connolly a deal but he only wants to play for the Patriots … Brandon Spikes, the subject of a previous Bump and Run column, pled guilty to leaving the scene of a personal injury crash on Wednesday. He’ll pay a fine and receive a year of probation. He also had his driver’s license revoked … The Jets/Patriots rivalry won’t stop Devin McCourty and Darrelle Revis from training together in Arizona later this month. Logan Ryan and Tavon Wilson will also be on hand … The NFL Players Association has filed a complaint against the Patriots for benching Malcolm Butler during OTAs. Butler showed up late after his flight was delayed by bad weather. The complaint was filed without Butler’s approval … Because it’s important to document Rob Gronkowski’s every move, the Patriots tight end will appear with his family on Celebrity Family Feud on July 19. The Gronkowskis will be competing against Holly Robinson Peete’s family … Broncos receiver Emmanuel Sanders sounded off on Deflategate last week at Ed McCaffrey’s youth football camp. “I don’t think that [the Patriots] should be the Super Bowl Champion this year. You aren’t supposed to cheat.” Sanders almost signed with the Patriots in 2013 but the Steelers matched New England’s offer sheet at the last second … According to the Miami Herald, the Dolphins “aren’t actively trying” to recoup money from Dion Jordan’s signing bonus. Jordan is facing a yearlong suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy … ESPN Dolphins reporter James Walker believes QB Josh Freeman has only a 30 percent chance to make the team. Freeman’s last NFL snap came with the Vikings in 2013.
NFC Quick Hits: Dez Bryant’s agent met with the Cowboys on Friday. It was the first time the two sides had met face-to-face in almost four months … Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News doesn’t expect Ryan Williams to make it out of Cowboys training camp. That would leave Dallas with Lance Dunbar, Darren McFadden and Joseph Randle at running back … Seahawks safety Earl Thomas proposed to his high school sweetheart Friday at his youth football camp in Orange, Texas. One of my Syracuse classmates, Andrew Chernoff, was there to interview Thomas after his big moment. Great work, buddy … Giants QB Eli Manning is entering the final year of his contract but agent Tom Condon is confident the two sides will work out a deal. “The quarterbacks always get done,” he said. “I’m sure at the appropriate time it’ll happen” … Odell Beckham threw out the first pitch at a celebrity softball tournament last weekend. The Rockland Boulders of the Can-Am League were so impressed, they offered him a contract … Giants punter Steve Weatherford criticized Tim Tebow Friday in an interview with WFAN: “I’ll tell you what, I don’t want him taking snaps for my team.” When asked if the Eagles should extend Sam Bradford’s contract, Weatherford said, “Good luck with that.” Eagles center Jason Kelce shot back with this burn: “Is interviewing punters a thing now?” … We know where Eagles TE Zach Ertz will be this weekend. He’ll be cheering on his girlfriend Julie Johnston Sunday at the World Cup Final in Vancouver. Johnston plays defense for the United States … Troy Vincent criticized the NFLPA for spending so much money on suing the NFL. “Look at the amount of money being spent on legal fees for a handful of people. It’s millions and millions of dollars,” said the NFL’s VP of Football Operations. “Wouldn’t it be better to spend our time and resources on the issues that are vital to our players — past, present and future — such as the players’ total wellness and growing the game together?” … Candlestick Park is no more. The stadium was officially demolished this week. The 49ers’ new field, Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, will host this year’s Super Bowl … Brett Favre is on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s annual “Where Are They Now?” issue. The 45-year-old jean-wearer thinks he can still play in the NFL. “I could make all the throws I made before, I just couldn’t throw it near as far.” Sure, Brett … Aaron Rodgers appeared in a bizarre Instagram video this week with his girlfriend Olivia Munn. Both of them were wielding swords. If I had to grade their technique, I’d give Munn an A and Rodgers a C- … 18-year-old Marko Beslach was fined $235 and sentenced to 80 hours of community service for using a laser pointer to distract players at last year’s Bills/Lions game. He’s also been banned from Ford Field … Bucs QB Jameis Winston hopes to shed some weight before training camp. He weighed 238 pounds at OTAs and is hoping to slim down to 230 … Michael Sam returned to his CFL team the Montreal Alouettes last week after a brief absence. He said he left the team for “personal reasons” … Have you heard the news? Adam and Evan are starting a new fantasy football podcast. They’ll tape episodes every Thursday during the season. Maybe they’ll have me on as a guest. I know, real subtle.
