With interest waning and many fans questioning the game’s integrity, it appears the NFL isn’t afraid of compromising that integrity as long as it means more interest overall, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network.

According to Breer, the NFL is looking to add elements that would make the All-Star game into more of a “game show” than a real NFL game. The elements could even include incentives that would be paid out at different points during the game with the ultimate purpose being “so every single minute of the game has some sort of thing that’s going to keep fans interested and engaged.”

Game show elements could be the solution, then again, they could just make things even worse for the Pro Bowl. No, fans don’t watch strictly for the competitive nature of the game (as the games are never really that competitive), but they might be even less inclined if it becomes more like The Price is Right and less like football.

Something needs to be done to boost interest in the game; Roger Goodell and company just need to make sure that it’s the right thing.

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The NFL and NFL Players Association are on the verge of changing the timing of the NFL draft and moving the start of the league year, and free agency, to before the combine, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.

With the new layout, the draft, which is now held annually in the last weekend of April, will move to the middle of May for each of the next three seasons. The initial reasoning behind the move is to avoid a conflict with Easter, which will fall on the final weekend of April in 2014, but it seems the NFL has been hoping to move the draft back for some time now.

The other big change in the NFL offseason calendar would be for the league year and NFL free agency to begin ahead of the scouting combine. The scouting combine took place in the final week of February this offseason with free agency beginning in the second week of March. It’s more likely that the combine will move, along with the draft, into the middle of March and that free agency would begin around the beginning of March as it does now.

The NFL has the authority to change the date of the draft without the NFLPA’s consent, but a change to the start of the league year needs the NFLPA’s approval.

The changes fall in line with the NFL attempting to create more buzz in the offseason, including one premier event each month.

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Buddy Nix, who has been the Bills’ general manager for three seasons, has elected to step down from that position and instead take on a role as a special assistant with the team, the Bills announced Monday.

BREAKING: #Bills GM Buddy Nix will step away from his role as GM and tradition to Special Assistant.

—
Buffalo Bills (@buffalobills) May 13, 2013

The Bills haven’t made the playoffs in 14 seasons, and they came no closer to breaking that streak during Nix’s tenure. The Bills went 16-32 during his three seasons as GM. Nix is also charged with giving quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick a six-year, $60 million extension, including $24 million guaranteed, and then releasing him one season into the new deal.

Nix’s announcement isn’t much of a surprise, as the team has been in constant transition since the end of last season, including the hiring of new head coach Doug Marrone.

Doug Whaley, who has spent the past three seasons as assistant general manager,  is expected to take over as GM for Nix, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.

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Thumbnail photo via Facebook/Buddy Nix

The Titans decision makers are discussing signing veteran pass rusher John Abraham to a contract this week, according to ESPN’s Adam schefter.

Abraham has visited with a handful of NFL teams already this offseason, making his rounds but unable to find a deal suitable for both sides. He stopped in for a visit with the Titans last week and it sounds like that could be his final stop altogether.

While teams like the Broncos, Seahawks and Patriots all wait to see if his price will drop, the Titans are taking action and appear to have the inside track on signing Abraham.

There were rumors that Abraham was considering retirement, and a cryptic tweet he sent out last weekend only added fuel to that fire, but it seems he is still planning to take the field next season.

The Patriots were suspected to be the front runners for Abraham’s services, but if Abraham signs with the Titans, they may have to readjust their priority list.

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Photo via Facebook/John Abraham

Tebow has long been criticized for having a long, loopy throwing motion and atypical mechanics for an NFL quarterback. But all that has changed this offseason, Clarkson said in an interview with Newsday.

Clarkson has a long history of success with NFL quarterbacks, including Ben Roethlisberger, Matt Leinart and potential first-round prospect Matt Barkley. Now, he’s seeing some positive results with Tebow, too, which he says all starts with his footwork.

“The footwork is essentially what caused a lot of his looping motion,” Clarkson said. “A lot of what was happening with his throwing motion and why it was elongated was because of the way he placed his feet at the end of his drop. Right before he’d make his throw, his hips would stop at mid-motion, and the ball would come off in funny places. So that was one thing that we really honed in on, was trying to tie his feet up.

“We worked a lot on slowing the game down for him in terms of on the field, but also speeding up the game for him in terms of mechanics,” he added. “Most of what people have talked about in his throwing motion were really based on his footwork.”

Clarkson did focus on some of the positives about Tebow’s game as well, and he believes that the improved mechanics will only serve to improve the quarterback’s ability.

“He sees the field extremely well. He anticipates where things are going to happen, but his relationship with his feet going to his arm didn’t mesh. He would look like he was throwing into coverage. He was throwing into the right spot, but he was just late because he couldn’t transfer his weight properly.”

Tebow, 25, struggled to find the field last season with the Jets, throwing just eight passes in 12 games. He led the Denver Broncos to the divisional playoffs just one season before, but teams — even the Jets — are still hesitant to give Tebow a shot at their starting job.

Clarkson suggested recently that Tebow’s trade to the Jets was made with malicious intent from the Broncos. He hypothesized that the Broncos planned to “kill two birds with one stone” with the deal, crushing incumbent starter Mark Sanchez‘s confidence while all but eliminating Tebow.

But the well-renowned instructor hopes that the adjustments he and Tebow have worked on this offseason will change that reality.

“I would hope wherever he ends up, they give him an opportunity to play, because if they do, they’ll be pleasantly surprised,” Clarkson said. “I think the guy can still play.”

There doesn’t seem to be much of a market for Tebow right now, and even the Jets don’t appear interested in keeping him around. But, if what Clarkson says is true, then most teams would be smart to at least give him a chance.

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The Ravens will open the season in Denver with an AFC divisional playoffs rematch against the Broncos, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. The game will be played on Thursday, Sept. 5.

https://twitter.com/JasonLaCanfora/status/324900897043931136

Typically, the Super Bowl champion gets to host the regular season opener, but the Ravens were unable to convince the Orioles to change their schedule to accommodate the opportunity.

The Ravens-Broncos playoff showdown turned into a double-overtime thriller, so there should be some interest no matter what. But there should be some added intrigue with Elvis Dumervil wearing black and purple in his return to Denver, especially after the way his controversial departure went down.

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The Patriots have offered the wide receiver a one-year deal, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The details of the deal aren’t yet known.

Sanders is a restricted free agent with a third-round tender, meaning that along with paying Sanders the Patriots would have to send a third-round pick in this year’s draft to Pittsburgh to complete the deal.

The Steelers have five days to match the Patriots’ offer, but they might not even be able to. The Steelers are already right up against the salary cap and still have more free-agent needs to fill. If they do match New England’s money, they risk missing out on players like running back Ahmad Bradshaw and others who would help provide stability.

Sanders visited New England in March and there were rumors that the receiver had signed a tender with the team at that time. Those rumors were quickly shot down and it seemed that the Patriots may not be interested in signing Sanders after all. But rumblings about the team’s potential interest continued to surface, and it appears they were just patiently waiting to strike.

A third-round pick out of SMU in 2010, Sanders developed into a dangerous weapon for the Steelers during his three seasons in Pittsburgh. He enjoyed his most productive NFL season in 2012, catching 44 passes for 626 yards and a touchdown while playing all 16 games.

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Photo via Facebook/Emmanuel Sanders

Washington cornerback Desmond Trufant is visiting with the Patriots on Thursday and Friday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Trufant is viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in this year’s draft class and is projected as a pretty firm first-round pick. He was on the cusp of the first round early in the draft process, but an exceptional showing at the NFL combine helped boost his draft stock. He measured in at 6-feet tall and ran a blazing 4.38-second 40-yard dash at the combine.

Trufant developed into one of the nation’s best cornerbacks during his four seasons with the Huskies. He isn’t known to be a big playmaker, intercepting just six passes in his career, but he is a big, physical and fast corner with the ability to be a true No. 1. Trufant also has some lineage in the NFL. His brother Marcus is a 10-year NFL veteran and former first-round pick.

The Patriots have restocked their secondary in free agency, but they will be likely looking for some sort of upgrade at the draft in a few weeks.

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Florida State quarterback EJ Manuel took a guess as to the teams he might end up with during an interview on CBS Sports’ Eye on College Football podcast.

Manuel, who has been rumored to go anywhere between the first and fourth rounds, guessed that the Buffalo Bills, New York Jets and Philadelphia Eagles were the three teams most likely to select him later this month. All three teams do make sense given their quarterback needs but the Eagles might even be the best fit because of Chip Kelly‘s need for a mobile quarterback in his offensive system.

There are still three weeks left until Manuel’s future is sown, and plenty could change in that short window of time. But he at least has a realistic expectation as to where he’ll be spending the first few years of his professional career.

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Photo via Facebook/EJ Manuel

Nnamdi Asomugha

The former Raiders and Eagles cornerback finally decided on his next team, agreeing to join the San Francisco 49ers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. The deal appears to be a one-year pact worth up to $3 million, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN, who also reports Asomugha didn’t want any guaranteed money in the contract.

Asomugha wasn’t on the market very long during his first trip to free agency in 2011 and got $25 million in guaranteed money from the eagles. But the relationship didn’t work out after two disappointing seasons in Philadelphia. This time, the 31-year-old Asomugha was on the market a lot longer, taking more than three weeks to decide on the 49ers, and it appears he’s deadset on reestablishing his value.

The four-time All-Pro corner did have a few other suitors this offseason, most notably the Saints. He took visits to San Francisco and New Orleans at different times, but ultimately saw the 49ers as a better fit. And who could blame him? The 49ers are coming off a Super Bowl appearance and built to win now, whereas the Saints finished under .500 and have a number of questions to answer heading into 2013.

Asomugha’s disinterest in guaranteed money is an unusual but interesting play for such a high-profile player. It shows that he doesn’t want anything given to him and instead wants to ear whatever he makes next season. If Asomugha plays up to the potential that once made him such a sought after free agent, he could always be in line for another huge payday next offseason, too.

Whatever the 49ers do end up getting from Asomugha, on paper at least they are already a much better team.

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The Patriots were present at Kansas’ pro day last week, and as it turns out they stuck around in Lawrence, KS, to privately work out a trio of Jayhawks on their own, according to NFL.com.

Quarterback Dayne Crist, defensive end Toben “Tobenchukwu” Opurum and safety Bradley McDougald were the three players that apparently piqued the Patriots’ interest.

Opurum is a quick, strong pass rusher, who hasn’t been given much attention as a prospect and might be available as a rookie free agent after the draft. McDougald, on the other hand, is quick and athletic but still has room to grow as a pure pass defender. He will probably come off the board late on the third day.

Crist is the most high profile of the three, although he didn’t have a great senior season at Kansas after transferring from Notre Dame. He completed less than 50 percent of his passes and threw just four touchdowns to nine interceptions before losing his starting job during his only season with the Jayhawks.

During his lone full season as a starter (2010) in South Bend, Ind., Crist led the Irish to an 8-5 record and a victory in the Sun Bowl over Miami. He completed nearly 60 percent of his passes and threw 15 touchdowns to just seven interceptions, establishing himself as the future at the quarterback position. But head coach Brian Kelly benched him early in Week 1 of 2011, forcing Crist to transfer ahead of the 2012 season.

Each of the three are lower level prospects, but the Patriots clearly trust Weis’ judgement.

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Colt McCoy

The former Browns starting quarterback and 2010 third-round pick was traded to the San Francisco 49ers on Monday, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Cleveland will package their sixth-round pick along with McCoy and the 49ers will send a fifth- and seventh-round pick to the Browns in the deal.

McCoy, 26, started 21 games over three seasons with the Browns, recording a 6-15 record in that time while throwing 21 touchdowns and 20 interceptions. After a failed season as the primary starter in 2011, he fell into the backup quarterback role last season behind rookie first-round pick Brandon Weeden.

Now, McCoy heads off to backup last season’s sophomore sensation Colin Kaepernick, who led the 49ers to the cusp of a Super Bowl victory. McCoy replaces Alex Smith, who was traded to the Chiefs earlier this offseason, as the team’s primary backup.

McCoy brings three seasons of experience and an acute ability to run Jim Harbaugh‘s offense in the unfortunate and unlikely circumstance that Kaepernick suffers an injury. McCoy isn’t quite as efficient as Kaepernick or Smith, completing just 58 percent of his career passes compared to the near 70 percent of the aforementioned.

After sending Smith to Kansas City, the 49ers were in desperate need of some security for Kaepernick and it appears that they finally found that in McCoy. As for McCoy, he has one more year on his rookie deal, and a good season under Harbaugh could gain him some traction for a starting job on the free-agent market next year.

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The Patriots already have a visit scheduled with South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore, who underwent multiple knee surgeries over the past few seasons. Now, troubled LSU cornerback Tyrann Mathieu is taking a trip to Gillette Stadium for a visit, too. That visit will take place April 5, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

Mathieu sat out the entire 2012 college football season after being kicked off the LSU football team amid drug allegations. The 2011 Heisman Trophy finalist did impress scouts with his workouts and attitude at the combine, though.

Mathieu met with the Patriots at the combine and said they seemed “very interested” even after grilling him with extensive questions about his checkered past.

Bill Belichick has been known to take a flyer on risky prospects in the past. Just look to the drafting of Alfonzo Dennard, Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez for further confirmation of that.

Mathieu, who is an undersized cornerback at just 5-foot-9, is expected to fall somewhere between the second and fourth rounds of the draft in April. So, the Patriots will have competition for his services, especially considering he’s also set to meet with the 49ers next month.

Tony Romo

Romo has reportedly been offered a massive extension in recent weeks, which has drawn a lot of attention considering the Cowboys’ playoff drought and tight cap situation. But the extension seems to make even more sense now, given the team’s inability to hit the quarterback with the franchise tag, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.

Romo would become a free agent after this season if he can’t agree on a new contract with the team, but due to some particulars in his current deal the Cowboys would be unable to franchise him in 2014. As it turns out, Romo’s contract actually contains three added seasons beyond 2013, meaning he will technically be under contract past next year’s franchise tag deadline. But the trick is that those extra years will void after the tag window closes, making Romo an unrestricted free agent.

The voided contract would also leave the Cowboys with almost $9 million in dead cap space for 2014, enhancing Jerry Jones‘ desire to get a new deal done. Maybe even more important than spreading out the $16.8 million cap number Romo holds for 2013.

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South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore was one of the most promising college prospects at the start of last season, but a second serious knee injury has raised some concerns over his future in the NFL. But those concerns aren’t stopping the Patriots from pursuing him.

Lattimore has scheduled visits with both the Patriots and St. Louis Rams, according to USA Today. No date has been released for the visit, but we are certain it will be at some point in the next few weeks.

So, the Patriots must be at least somewhat interested in the talented running back, even if he still has a long road back to full recovery. They also met with Lattimore at the NFL combine in Indianapolis back in February, meaning the interest might be more than mere curiosity.

With Stevan Ridley emerging as the No. 1 option out of the New England backfield and Shane Vereen blossoming into a versatile third-down back last season, there doesn’t seem to be much of a need at the position. Then again, when you can fleece arguably the best college tailback — when healthy, of course — since maybe Adrian Peterson for a mid- or late-round pick, it’s at least worth a long look.

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With most, if not all, of the big-name receivers now sealed and signed up, including Danny Amendola, the Patriots are taking their chances with the remaining free agents and are reportedly close to making a move.

The Patriots are set to sign veteran receiver Michael Jenkins, according to Jason La Confora of CBS Sports.

Jenkins is a nine-year veteran with inconsistent production during stints with the Atlanta Falcons and Minnesota Vikings. The 30-year-old receiver never lived up to his first-round draft status (29th overall in 2004), but he has developed into a reliable option over the years.

Jenkins has caught an average of 43 passes over the past eight seasons, and his production hasn’t really dropped off with age, either. He hauled in 40 passes for 449 yards and two touchdowns with the Vikings last season, which also included three grabs, 96 yards and a touchdown in Minnesota’s wild card playoff loss.

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Photo via Twitter/@FrankTank96

After days of on and off rumors between the two sides, Umenyiora agreed to a two-year deal to join the Falcons on Wednesday, according to Steve Wyche of the NFL Network. The deal is reportedly worth $8.5 million with potential earnings of up to $12 million.

Umenyiora, 31, was drafted in the second round of the 2003 NFL draft and played his entire career with the New York Giants before becoming a free agent this offseason.

In 10 seasons with the Giants, Umenyiora recorded 376 tackles, 75 sacks and forced 32 fumbles. He was also selected to two Pro Bowls and two All-Pro teams, and he helped the franchise win two Super Bowls during his tenure.

Umenyiora should provide a big boost for the Falcons, too. He’ll add a skilled pass rusher to their front four, replacing the veteran presence of John Abraham, and he’ll offer some much-needed experience to a team that fell just yards short of a Super Bowl appearance this season.

His signing could also spark the free-agent market for defensive ends and pass rushers, which would mean players like Abraham and Dwight Freeney may find homes very soon.

With the Falcons reloading for another run next season, including the return of Tony Gonzalez and signings of Steven Jackson and now Umenyiora, they should be a front runner for the NFC crown yet again.

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Brian Urlacher

After attempting to work out a new contract with the Bears for the past few months, the two sides were unable to work out a new deal and are preparing to move on without one another.

Urlacher, 34, has been one of the best middle linebackers in football for over a decade and his absence will leave a monstrous hole in the Bears’ defense. There should be a number of suitors interested in Urlacher’s services, including division rivals Minnesota Vikings and Green Bay Packers, but with money being the issue in Chicago there are questions as to whether anyone will be willing to pay the roughly $6 million for him.

There is always the possibility that Urlacher isn’t interested in playing for less than his requested value and will retire instead. If so, Urlacher had a very productive career, including eight Pro Bowl selections, making five All-Pro teams and winning the 2005 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.

All of those accolades and his impact on the game will likely find him a place in the Hall of Fame some day, as Bears chairman George McCaskey said of Urlacher on Wednesday.

“Over the last 13 years Brian Urlacher has been an outstanding player, teammate, leader & face of our franchise,” McCaskey said via the Bears Twitter account. “He embodies the same characteristics displayed by the Bears all-time greats who played before him and he will eventually join many of them in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.”

Urlacher’s future in the NFL may be up in the air, but whatever he decides to do, his legacy will remain in Chicago.

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Christian Ponder

Greg Jennings signed a five-year deal with the Vikings on Friday. The total contract is worth $47.5 million with at least $18 million guaranteed.

The Vikings traded away their top receiver Percy Harvin to the Seattle Seahawks earlier in the week and missed out on speedster Mike Wallace, who signed with the Miami Dolphins instead. So, getting Jennings was a must for the Vikes and they came through in the deal after all.

At his introductory press conference on Friday night, Jennings brought up his departure from the other side of the rivalry in Green Bay. He acknowledged the history of Packers players turned Vikings, most notably Brett Favre.

“I’m not the first Packers player to jump over to this side,” Jennings said with a smile. “That makes it a little more relieving.”

Jennings, 29, left a mark with the Packers that included two Pro Bowl selections, 425 receptions, more than 6,500 yards and 53 touchdowns. His connection with quarterback Aaron Rodgers was a major catalyst in their run to Super Bowl XLV and helped develop one the NFL’s most dynamic offenses.

Jennings might not suit up in the green and yellow any longer, but he’ll still see the Packers at least twice a year as he stays within the NFC North. That may not go over so well with Packers fans, but at least they’ll have the memories — like the time he carried the team on his back.

Let’s just hope they don’t start burning No. 85 jerseys up in Wisconsin like Patriots fans did to their Wes Welker unis.

Elvis Dumervil

After negotiating with the Broncos all week on a potential contract restructuring, Dumervil finally agreed to take a $4 million pay cut on Friday reducing his salary from $12 million to $8 million for the upcoming season. Only his agent didn’t get the paperwork over in time, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

Why, you ask? Because apparently the NFL’s still operating like this is the mid-1990s.

The Broncos released Dumervil after not receiving a faxed copy of the contract by their 2 p.m. deadline, which just so happened to be the time his full $12 million salary would have become guaranteed. Now, he’s officially a free agent and free to sign with any team basically except for the Broncos.

Maybe Dumervil and his reps were trying to pull a fast one on the Broncos, keeping the big money they thought they deserved. Or Dumervil’s agent is just not very handy with old fax machines. Either way, now he’s out $8 million in guaranteed money and a 29-year-old pass rusher is unlikely to find that sort of dough in this market.

The entire situation seems foolish, but the use of the fax machine is the most confusing of all. What is this the 1990s? Since when did fax machines become a viable means of communication again? Never mind an efficient one.

Technology has developed to such a point that you can send a message to a friend in Denver instantaneously from almost anywhere in the world. Yet, for some reason, Dumervil’s agent couldn’t send a fax to Broncos headquarters within 35 minutes.

We don’t have enough information yet to properly assign blame, but if I’m picking sides then the use of fax machines altogether gets my vote. Hey NFL, you’re a $9 billion industry, let’s catch up to the 21st century already.

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