By: Jake Rajala

The Bill Parcell disciple and mind behind Drew Brees’s dominance, Sean Payton, stepped away from football in the 2022 off-season. Well, it appears that the creative genius in Payton may only need one non-football season to sharpen his iron. According to the Miami Herald, he may be intrigued in joining the Dallas Cowboys, Los Angeles Chargers, or the Miami Dolphins in 2023. It’s clearly not a surprise that the Boys are listed as a potential landing spot for Payton — as he was an assistant head coach with Dallas from 2003 to 2005.

With that enunciated, I’m going to simply untwine the best landing spots for the former Saints wiz in 2022.

Dallas Cowboys

Before the Big Bang, there was a rumor that Payton would reunite with the Boys. It makes too much sense for Payton to head to Dallas next off-season. The reigning NFC East champions have a young, gifted QB in Dak Prescott. He threw 4,449 passing yards and 37 passing touchdowns in 2021 – after playing in five contests in 2020. They also have a very exciting defense led by last year’s DROY Micah Parsons and interception magnet Trevon Diggs. All in all, the Cowboys have a nice location, promising QB, and all-around talent to help Payton regularly stride for a Lombardi trophy.

Carolina Panthers

I’m positive that Matt Rhule has less than favorable odds of remaining with his team beyond 2022. The Carolina Panthers may not seem like an attractive landing spot, but Payton could still choose to link up with a 2023 rookie QB in Carolina next off-season. The Panthers could garner four to five more terrific seasons out of CMAC and they also have an ascending defense. It should also be noted that Charlotte is a warm city (which also has the NASCAR Hall of Fame).

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers have beautiful weather w/ a golden-armed quarterback in Justin Herbert. The former Oregon Duck unleashed 38 passing touchdowns and a whopping 5,014 passing yards in 2021. Herbert’s weaponry should remain intact for the foreseeable future, as well. The electric WR Keenan Allen will remain a Charger until the 2025 off-season. Mike Williams signed a three-year contract extension worth $60 million dollars this off-season. Of course, the Chargers really loaded up on defensive talent this off-season — as they brought in the former DPOY Khalil Mack and J.C. Jackson (17 ints in past two seasons combined). If the Chargers don’t win a playoff game next season, they may wish to swap out Brandon Staley for the Saints legendary HC.

New York Jets

Payton may be fascinated about coaching in the Big Apple and developing the young QB Zach Wilson. He may not have had the sexiest rookie campaign (9 passing TDs, 11 Ints), but he still has a lot of arm talent. The former Saints Super Bowl winning DC Gregg Williams loved the idea of coaching in NYC and it wouldn’t be a surprise if Payton was in awe of the big lights in Gotham. I don’t love the direction with Robert Saleh, to say the least. If he can’t win games and witness production from Wilson in 2022, it will be difficult for the former 49ers DC to escape Black Monday.

Houston Texans

The Houston Texans may be the poor man’s version of the Dallas Cowboys, but that also means that are a somewhat logical landing spot for Payton. The Texans have a young, talented QB in Davis Mills. He threw 16 passing TDs, 10 Ints, and 2,664 passing yards in 11 games as a Texan last season. Of course, the Texans offense also features Payton’s former WR Brandin Cooks, who also signed a two-year contract extension worth $39.7 million dollars. PFF gave Cooks a modest 77.4 grade for his 2021 performance. Houston is also a very warm city with lots of passion for football — as J.J. Watt knows all too well.

Tennessee Titans

The Tennessee Titans are the ultimate darkhorse squad to land Payton in my opinion. They may wish to move on from Mike Vrabel and Ryan Tannehill after this season – then proceed to find an offensive-minded coach for Malik Willis in 2023. Payton could squeeze the remaining juice out of the bemoth Derrick Henry, while growing the QB from Liberty. The Titans may not have A.J. Brown, who is in an Eagles uniform, but they still have the new WR Robert Woods (who had 900+ receiving yds in each season from 2018 to 2020).

Seattle Seahawks

The Seattle Seahawks could attempt to move on from Pete Carroll and then obtain Payton w/ a 2023 rookie signal-caller in 2023. Payton could have the keys to a Top-5 draft pick in the 2023 draft with the Hawks, as well. The Seahawks still have talent outside of the QB — such as DK Metcalf, Rashaad Penny, Tyler Lockett, Noah Fant, and Jamal Adams. The Hawks could certainly return to being a force in the NFC West w/ the genius in Payton.

Las Vegas Raiders

The Las Vegas Raiders could make a surprise move of hiring Sean Payton in the 2023 off-season to bump up in the AFC West arms race. Josh McDaniels may be an intense, bright mind, but he may not make enough noise to survive in the blazing AFC West. Payton could constantly dream up ways to get Davante Adams and Darren Waller the football. He also has a defense led by a terrific pass rushing tandem in Chandler Jones and Maxx Crosby. It would be quite surreal if the loaded AFC West division welcomed Payton — regardless of his desired team.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons are the second NFC South team that may push to land Payton’s services. The Falcons possess a fine combination of a relaxing location and a QB with a plethora of potential in Desmond Riddler. The Falcons could have growing pains in 2022, but that also means they could have a Top-10 draft choice in the 2023 draft. Payton may feel confident in Riddler and building the Falcons team next off-season.

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By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons may have moved on from a well-accomplished Matt Ryan and decided to roll with the complex dual-threat quarterback in Marcus Mariota and the accurate, dual-threat rookie Desmond Riddler. Yet, it appears that the Falcons have been impressed with the former Oregon Duck/veteran QB so far. Per The Falconholic, Mariota (who is seen as the favorite to start in 2022) was a stud in OTAs today, as went 8/10 with 3 TDs and 1 interception. He notably delivered a beautiful throw to Kyle Pitts for a touchdown.

It’s especially positive that Mariota has been a superb passing QB, as he can also be a threat with his legs. Mariota ran for 357 yards in 2018 and he also had five rushing touchdowns in 2017. It’s clear that Mariota offers a skill set that hasn’t been available with Matty Ice.

Of course, Mariota took a mature path and learned behind Derek Carr for a couple of seasons. The Saints starting QB Jameis Winston (who was drafted one spot before Mariota) decided to learn under Sean Payton and behind Drew Brees in 2020. He earned the keys to the gig in 2021 and led a Michael Thomas-less team to a 5-2 record last season.

Mariota, who had three straight winning seasons from 2016 to 2018, could certainly be capable of being a quality QB. Most importantly, Mariota is only 28 years old – which isn’t old in QB years. He could finally put together his accuracy, legs, and decision-making in 2022.

Mariota signed a two-year contract worth $18.75 million dollars with the Falcons.

The rook in the QB room impressed his squad to draft him over Malik Willis and he has continued to impress the Falcons in camp up to this point. Per The Falconholic, John FitzPatrick (Falcons TE) called Riddler a leader and Tyler Allgeier (Falcons RB) stated that Riddler is a genius. He hasn’t been quite as sharp on the field as Mariota, but his work ethic combined with unique dual-threat ability could propel him to eventually be the future long-term starter for the Falcons — if Mariota isn’t the next surprise NFL QB for the Falcons.

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By: Justin Frye

Pitts is nearly universally lauded as the top tight end in dynasty fantasy football. Matt Ryan leaving for Indianapolis and adding Marcus Mariota (or maybe Desmond Ridder) and target competition in Drake London seems to be alarming to some. Let’s dive into the changes in Atlanta and whether or not anything should worry you.

The end of an era

If I had to choose a concern, Ryan leaving would be the thing that bothers me most for Pitts’ future. Not because of Mariota, or even Ridder, but just how hard it is to find long-term stability at QB. Ryan has never been considered as one of the truly elite QBs in the league but has been well above average for a long time. His lack of rushing helps his pass-catchers see more volume than the mobile QBs.

The stats above tell all. Pitts shattered nearly all expectations as a rookie, actually living up to the crazy hype he had. At a position where players are supposed to struggle to adjust to the NFL level, no less. Ryan lost projected top target Calvin Ridley early in the season and leaned on the rookie to move the offense. The only area where Pitts fell short? One single touchdown last year.

For simplicity, we’ll assume Mariota starts for Atlanta, though not sure it matters. Ridder and Mariota are so similar, the only unknown is how Ridder plays in the system. Mariota has worked with Arthur Smith in Tennessee before, so he understands the offense already and has Pitts returning as the top target in the offense.

Mariota has a history of targeting his TEs at a high level and having success doing so. Delanie Walker, his TE target in Tennessee, finished as a top 6 option in each of the three seasons referenced in the tweet above. Those were three of Walker’s four top fantasy seasons and led to all three of his Pro Bowl appearances. Mariota also saw a huge drop-off when Walker got hurt in 2018.

The biggest concern is a familiar one, lack of touchdowns. Walker averaged just over five touchdowns in those three seasons, with a low of three. That could easily limit his ceiling from being the top TE in 2022, but the targets staying in the 120 range will keep him a top-five option.

The long-term concern is constant churn at QB. Mariota and Ridder are fine this year, but if the Falcons struggle you could be looking at another rookie in 2023’s loaded class. Pitts would still be young but any wasted years into the future where he isn’t likely to be the top option makes Mark Andrews closer to Pitts value from a long-term perspective.

Target Competition?

In 2021, Pitts was third on the team at just under 6.5 targets per game, trailing Calvin Ridley (10.4) in his 5 games and Russell Gage (6.7) in his 14. Neither are on the team for 2022, and the only significant addition is rookie Drake London. As a rookie, London is unlikely to see over 120 targets. Pitts is set up to lead the team in targets in 2022, a strong sign for his overall production.

From a long-term view, London isn’t the type of underneath target hog that will limit targets to other options and had questions about his athleticism. As such, Pitts is likely to get the downfield higher-value targets, leading to better value.

Dynasty TE1

With all of the above, the simple answer is Pitts is still the clear TE1 in fantasy. If looking to go all in, I’d be willing to trade him for Mark Andrews plus, but that’s it. Pitts looks like a locked and loaded top 5 yearly play for a while. He’s a first-round startup pick in the vast majority of league formats. If the current manager has any Mariota concerns, BUY NOW! Enjoy the positional advantage!

The post What is Kyle Pitts’s dynasty outlook? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The Atlanta Falcons are one of the biggest sleepers in the NFC. The Falcons play in a division with Tom Brady and the LSU Saints, while they also abide in an NFC conference featuring countless young, dual-threat quarterbacks.

If Marcus Mariota or Desmond Riddler can be a modest dual-threat QB like the 2021 version of Jalen Hurts, the Falcons could win several plus games and keep Arthur Smith from meeting the chopping block. With that said, the NFC South team that isn’t completely rebuilding should still help their new QB and add more ammunition. Here are a few remaining free agent targets for the Falcons.

• Cole Beasley

I’d love to see the Falcons target a shifty WR to play across from the explosive Cordarralle Patterson and the rook Drake London. Cole Beasley is unequivocally one of the best diamonds in the rough among all available free agents. He has 82 receptions in each of the past two seasons and he could be a fine security blanket for Riddler or Mariota. The former Bill would also be very helpful when Patterson is lined up at RB. The Falcons could feel happy with Kyle Pitts, Drake London, Beasley, and Patterson in their offensive unit.

• Sheldon Richardson

The former Jets first-round pick Sheldon Richardson is a versatile maniac and he would be a superb fit for the Falcons defensive front. Richardson has seven sacks and 11 QB hits over the past two seasons combined. Richardson and Grady Jarrett would be an amazing tandem in the NFC South.

• Nick Foles

I believe the Falcons QB room is exciting, unique, and Riddler could truly have a high ceiling. Nonetheless, it may be wise to bring in another veteran QB. Nick Foles was recently released and he could be a nice, value signing. Mariota and Riddler aren’t a sure-fire quality starting QB and Mariota has had many injuries in the past. It may be wise for ATL to sign the Super Bowl LII champion before another team signs the Philly hero.

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By: Girvane Bola

After a grim 2021 season that saw the Seahawks finish 7-10, they are undoubtedly the worst team in the NFC West. With star QB Russell Wilson leaving, it is evident that Pete Carroll’s team is in rebuild mode. But what must the ”˜Hawks overcome to rebuild successfully?

• Finding their franchise QB           

It is the most apparent issue that the Seahawks’ front office face. They need a quarterback that will make them competitive in the NFC West. The problem is that this is not an easy task. Unfortunately, history has shown that it is the hardest to attain. Franchise quarterbacks do not appear every year, and it might take years to find a viable option at the most prominent position.

Drew Lock is good but has been unable to revive his newcomer form over the past two seasons. There is a reason Denver selected Teddy Bridgewater over him as its starter last season. It is also hard to think that a change of environment will be enough to convert him into a star QB.

Now, Baker Mayfield could be the starting quarterback for the Seahawks. However, this is not the best option. The Cleveland Browns want no business with him and are stuck with him. Even if the Mayfield trade goes through, that could potentially see DK Metcalf go the other way and a second-round pick. It does not look valuable, and it should not be a trade the ”˜Hawks pursue.

The Seahawks may have to wait till the next draft class, where the QB class is superior to this year.

• Dead Cap Charges

Dead cap charges have crippled their ability to obtain the biggest stars in free agency. They now hold a $26 million cap charge for Wilson this year with an extra $18 million in dead cap. It has severely hampered their potential to make substantial free-agent moves this offseason outside of keeping most of their players, leaving them with less than $10 million in significant cap room to deal with.

The dead cap will be gone in the spring, and it could leave the Seahawks with the ability to acquire players who will transform more into a championship roster. These players could be those who strengthen the offensive line as the position needs upgrading. Whatever they decide, going with a rookie quarterback is risky but provides the best possibility of winning. If they find the perfect prospect and make the right moves to build around that guy, they will compete in the NFC West. Of course, if they falter at QB, that means back to square one. 

• The #9 Pick

Back picking in the top 10 of the draft for the first time since Schneider’s first year at the helm. Nevertheless, who do the Seahawks pick? Here are the two top prospects 

Desmond Ridder ”“ Cincinnati (QB)

Ridder is the most pro-ready quarterback in this draft. While he does not possess superb arm strength, he is a pocket quarterback with excellent footwork. Ridder has excellent awareness and can analyze coverages. In addition, he impressed the Seahawks in his pro day with an arm that looks stronger. The Seahawks may choose this route. The terrifying uncertainty of no Wilson, on the other hand, makes the brief solace of a quarterback at No. 9 appealing.

Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner ”“ Cincinnati (CB)

Gardner’s style of play suggests he could have a Richard Sherman impact in the future for a Seattle defence that has subsequently built an extra smaller corner model after becoming enamored with choosing corners with arms measuring 32 inches or longer. The youngster can move too, clocking a 40-yard sprint time of 4.41 seconds.

Gardner did not allow a single touchdown reception during his collegiate career. He barely allowed yards once the receiver did catch the ball, just 6.6 yards per reception in the 2021 college football season. While he must improve his tackling and transition footwork, the cornerback plays defence with the swagger reminiscent of Sherman. Gardner is the prototypical Seattle corner. One that Carroll could be paying attention to when pick No.9 arrives.

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