NFL rumors of possible trades and potential free-agent signings are swirling fast now that 24 teams are officially in their offseason.
The Dallas Cowboys waited until the last minute to move on from coach Mike McCarthy, giving them a late start to the hiring process. But Jerry Jones has plenty of options, even in the trade market.
We’ll take a look at the rumors connecting Pittsburgh Steelers coach Mike Tomlin to Dallas. But we haven’t forgotten about the NFL playoffs. There are four intriguing matchups in store for the divisional round.
Let’s get to this week’s fact or fiction.
49ers should pursue Sam Darnold in free agency
Manzano’s view: Fact
Two weeks ago, Sam Darnold probably wasn’t even an option for the San Francisco 49ers. But now Darnold could be in play to return to his former team after back-to-back brutal performances on the biggest stage, possibly costing himself a lot of money ahead of free agency.
It wouldn’t make much sense for the Minnesota Vikings to re-sign Darnold to a lucrative contract extension or slap the franchise tag on him, which could be worth around $41 million. Minnesota already has 2024 first-round pick J.J. McCarthy waiting in the wings.
So, if the going rate for Darnold is now, let’s say, around $30 million per year, the 49ers should definitely be interested in bringing him back on a short-term deal. Obviously, that’s too much for a backup quarterback, meaning this would turn into a QB battle between Darnold and Brock Purdy, who might be seeking a contract extension around $60 million per year or around what the top quarterbacks are making, which ranges north of $40 million per year.
Purdy, the last pick of the 2022 draft, had a rough ending to the ’24 season and may not be worth that much money, but he does have some leverage. Purdy didn’t fold in the biggest moments, taking the 49ers to the Super Bowl last year and pushing the Kansas City Chiefs to overtime. But, competition could be good for Purdy, and the 49ers could structure Darnold’s contract with the option of moving on after a year if Purdy has a bounce-back season.
Purdy did have his best season when he battled Darnold and Trey Lance in the summer of 2023. Perhaps it’s not wise to spend money on Darnold to scare Purdy into playing well. But it’s another QB option in case the 49ers don’t like Purdy’s asking price for his next contract.
There’s also the option of 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan adding Kirk Cousins, possibly on an affordable deal if the Atlanta Falcons trade or cut him. Creating options and letting Purdy earn it in a contract year could be the best path for San Francisco.
Cowboys should trade for Steelers HC Mike Tomlin
Manzano’s view: Fiction
My initial response to this was, “Yeah. You know what, hell yeah.” (Some of you might know this line from the TikTok trend. Please don’t ban this beautiful platform!)
But then I remembered the Cowboys are no longer Super Bowl contenders. Dallas won only seven games in McCarthy’s final season, plagued not only by injuries, but also by holes throughout the roster. Even in McCarthy’s 12-win seasons, the Cowboys had a top-heavy roster with a handful of stars. There was solid depth among the pass rushers, but Dallas lost that after Dorance Armstrong left to join the Washington Commanders, and it appears DeMarcus Lawrence’s best days are now behind him.
In a way, the Cowboys’ roster appears similar to what Tomlin already has with the Steelers, who lost the final five games of the season. Micah Parsons is doing the heavy lifting for Dallas, although T.J. Watt does have more help with Pittsburgh’s defense. And fellow receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens don’t have much help on offense—and, yes, I understand the Cowboys’ star wideout is better than the one in Pittsburgh.
Anyway, let me address those who are probably screaming don’t forget about Dak Prescott! The Cowboys’ signal-caller would be a drastic upgrade from what Tomlin has had since Ben Roethlisberger’s prime years. I just don’t think Prescott can be trusted in the playoffs—unless he has a better roster.
First, the Cowboys would need to relinquish a first-round pick. (You don’t trade one of the best head coaches in the NFL without at least getting a first-rounder.) Then, the Jones family would need to spend to address the lack of depth at wide receiver and the various holes on the defensive front. Splurging in free agency might not even be an option with the team currently $285,056 over the salary cap according to OvertheCap.com.
There’s always the draft, but you would already be behind if the first-rounder goes to Pittsburgh. And let’s not forget that this team is also missing a bellcow running back. Tomlin wants his teams to be physical and you can’t have that without a consistently productive rushing attack.
After thinking it over, you know what, this isn’t a hell-yeah move for the Cowboys.
Rams have the best defensive front among remaining teams
Manzano’s view: Fact
It’s wild to think about how good the Los Angeles Rams’ defensive front became during their first season without Aaron Donald, arguably the greatest defensive tackle of all time.
Depth is what sets this defensive front apart from the three other teams heading into the divisional round. There’s no all-time great anymore, but Los Angeles has two stud defensive tackles in Kobie Turner and Braden Fiske, a star-in-the-making edge rusher in Jared Verse, a standout No. 2 edge rusher in Byron Young and a reliable rotational pass rusher in Michael Hoecht. That’s five names right there, but a lot more contributed to the Rams’ dismantling of the Vikings on Monday night. Los Angeles had eight players contribute to the nine sacks against Darnold, an NFL record for a playoff game.
Philadelphia Eagles fans might hate hearing this ahead of Sunday’s playoff matchup against the Rams, but this L.A. front reminds me of the one Philly had in 2017 to help Nick Foles win the Super Bowl.
Maybe there’s no Chris Jones in the interior, an edge-rushing duo of Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter or a Roquan Smith at linebacker. But the L.A. front comes in waves, enough to turn a matchup against a prolific offense that won 14 regular-season games into a mismatch.
Favorites will dominate in divisional round
Manzano’s view: Fiction
Five of the six wild-card games turned into blowouts, but let’s not forget that three underdogs advanced to the divisional round.
I would not be shocked if one or more upsets occur this weekend. The Detroit Lions didn’t get to face Jayden Daniels and his Commanders in the regular season, possibly making the unknown challenging, especially for a shorthanded defense.
As mentioned above, the Rams have the defense to push the Eagles. Also, Matthew Stafford gets the edge over Jalen Hurts. Then again, the Rams don’t have Saquon Barkley, who gashed L.A. for 255 rushing yards earlier this season.
It’s harder to see the Houston Texans upsetting the Chiefs, but it’s tough to doubt them, too, after the whooping they put on the Los Angeles Chargers last week. And there’s a strong chance we get a playoff classic between the Buffalo Bills and Baltimore Ravens.
Here’s hoping for four close games this weekend.
Chargers should go all in for Bengals WR Tee Higgins
Manzano’s view: Fact
Justin Herbert throwing four interceptions in a playoff game doesn’t mean there aren’t about 20 teams that would love to have him as a starting quarterback.
Yes, he’s 0–2 in the postseason, but he’s still a talented quarterback capable of elite performances. And I don’t want to make excuses for him, but it was easy to see the difference between C.J. Stroud having Nico Collins and Herbert having Ladd McConkey.
Both are great wide receivers, but the 6'0," 185-pound McConkey doesn’t have the size of the 6'4," 222-pound Collins, a physical wideout who can win contested catches downfield.
If the Cincinnati Bengals let wide receiver Tee Higgins walk in free agency, the Chargers should overpay for his services. Higgins’s skill set would complement McConkey and give Herbert a dynamic one-two punch to help avoid more postseason meltdowns in the future.
But after how well the 6'4," 219-pound Higgins played down the stretch, the Bengals would be foolish to let go of one of Joe Burrow’s favorite targets.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Fact or Fiction: San Francisco Should Bring Back Sam Darnold.
