Most teams wouldn’t be eager to trade a 28-year-old future Hall of Famer with two more years on his contract at affordable salaries. But the Patriots aren’t like most teams.
So the talk that Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski could be traded has to be taken seriously, given the history of Patriots coach Bill Belichick wanting to move on from players too early, rather than too late.
The Raiders have been busy upgrading their defensive back seven with top free agents in linebacker Tahir Whitehead and cornerback Rashaan Melvin. Now defensive coordinator Paul Guenther, formerly of Cincinnati, can go after someone to flank Whitehead and Bruce Irvin on the weak side. Strictly playing-style speaking, Smith is a ferocious, relentless pursuit player in the vein of the Bengals’ Vontaze Burfict.
The Dolphins could go in many directions defensively, but the release of Ndamukong Suh makes tackle a monster need and lines up perfectly with Vea’s value. He’s an explosive player who can be a fixture in Miami’s line rotation for years.
Baker Mayfield arrives in Cleveland tonight, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports, with the other top quarterbacks following.
“That’s another piece of information for us,” Browns coach Hue Jackson said last week of the pre-draft visits, via Cabot. “That’s probably the last piece of the process for us to bring them to campus and have an opportunity to sit down with them in a different environment and talk through the things. But we will discuss how we all felt since the trip. But that will be the final piece for us.”
The Oklahoma quarterback will visit the team facility Tuesday. The Browns will host Sam Darnold, Allen and Josh Rosen in the coming days. Jackson said last week Mayfield “no doubt” was in the mix for the No. 1 overall choice, adding the Heisman Trophy winner impressed the Browns with his leadership when he worked out for them last week.
Mayfield visits the Jets and Giants later this week, the New York Daily News reports.