Life in the AFC West is about to get really interesting. Three of the four teams already had elite quarterbacks, with Patrick Mahomes in Kansas City, Derek Carr in Las Vegas and Justin Herbert with the Chargers. Russell Wilson’s arrival in Denver means that all four teams will have dynamic signal-callers who can change games. On Monday, Wilson joined Denver’s new head coach, Nathaniel Hackett, and the rest of the staff, in on-field activities for the first time. Wilson has worked out with the Bronco receivers, tight ends and running backs since April 16, after Denver opened their off-season program. Wilson will be the 12th different player to start at quarterback since the retirement of Peyton Manning, after Denver won Super Bowl 50, and Wilson is more than motivated to jump-start a career that had stagnated in Seattle. Read on to find out more news from the NFL that could influence your NFL betting this season.
NFL News: The Rumor Mill
Deebo Samuel has requested a trade from the San Francisco 49ers, but general manager John Lynch is keeping the situation very close to the vest. Lynch did respond, “I can’t ever imagine wanting to move on from Deebo…He’s just too good of a player…We’ve got nothing but love for him and nothing but appreciation for what he’s brought, but you just don’t let guys like that walk.” Playing both at wide receiver and at running back during the 2021 season, Samuel was a major factor in the team’s playoff run to the NFC Championship. Samuel has refused to enter talks with the 49ers about a possible contract extension; he is going into the last year of his rookie deal, which has a salary cap figure of almost $5 million for 2022. He caught 77 balls for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, and he also ran for 365 yards and eight more touchdowns. Jimmy Garoppolo continues to recover from right shoulder surgery, and he is a player the 49ers are looking to shop, with Trey Lance the heir apparent at starting quarterback. The 49ers are moving on from Garoppolo even though he led them to the NFC Championship, as the 49ers were a dropped interception away from going to the Super Bowl.
Cincinnati wide receiver Tee Higgins underwent shoulder surgery after the Super Bowl and is not expected to take part in off-season workouts as he goes through the recovery process. He went to the Cincinnati Reds’ home opener and was wearing a protective brace on his left shoulder. The shoulder kept him out of the third and fourth games of the 2021 regular season, but he came back to play every game the rest of the way. In 14 games during the regular season, he caught 74 passes for 1,091 yards and six touchdowns. He played in all four postseason games and had four receptions for 100 yards and two scores, as the Los Angeles Rams spent a great deal of time focusing on Ja’Marr Chase.
The Washington Commanders are in the thick of controversy once again, this time for allegations of financial improprieties by the Attorney General of Virginia. The House Oversight and Reform Committee sent the Federal Trade Commission a letter on April 12 detailing the situation. Former employee Jason Friedman, a vice president of sales and customer service, met with the committee on March 14 and made accusations that the team withheld security deposits from the team’s season-ticket holders, or made them difficult to get back, as well as keeping two sets of accounting books, so that they could hold onto money that should have gone into the NFL’s pool for revenue sharing. The Attorney General for the District of Columbia is investigating the team, along with owner Dan Snyder, about allegations of workplace misconduct, sexual harassment, as well as the practices of the ticket sales office. So if the Commanders seem a bit distracted on the field, their team has a lot of off-field drama going on right now.
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