“If Watson gets traded, it’s going to have to include a gigantic package, maybe the highest price ever paid for a player in league history. It’s justified.” – King on any potential trade for QB Deshaun Watson

“I’d be surprised if the Panthers hadn’t made an offer by now, quite frankly. This is a fit in many ways. Very aggressive new owner (David Tepper), who would move mountains for a franchise QB.” – King on the Panthers as a potential Watson trade partner

“The trade was fair to both the Colts and Eagles…If anyone can fix (Wentz) after the 2020 debacle it’s probably (Frank) Reich.” – King on Carson Wentz trade

Tony Dungy Hosts Panel on State of Minority Coaching in College Football, Available Later Today on NBC Sports’ Digital Channels

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 22, 2021 – Peter King explores potential trades for Houston quarterback Deshaun Watson in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also discusses the NFL quarterback market, including Indianapolis’ deal for Carson Wentz, and shares his thoughts on how to help players in their post-playing lives.

Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy, who was the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl, hosts a conversation on the state of minority coaches in college football with Maryland head coach Mike Locksley and former Notre Dame and Stanford coach Ty Willingham. The conversation will be available later today on NBC Sports’ YouTube channel. Earlier this month, Dungy hosted a roundtable on the state of minority coaching hires in the NFL with former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Atlanta Falcons President & CEO and member of the NFL’s Competition Committee Rick McKay, and co-host of Peacock’s Brother From Another Michael Smith.

Across NBC Sports, Peacock’s weekday block of NFL programming from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET, which provides extensive NFL coverage, includes PFT Live featuring Mike Florio and Chris Simms live at 7 a.m. ET, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another, with Michael Holley and Michael Smith, at 3 p.m. ET, and PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. On Monday, Safety Blitz, featuring Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth, streams at 6 p.m. ET, and Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday-Friday. ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest offseason news, and the NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show and Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast discuss offseason storylines.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

DESHAUN WATSON

King on the NFL quarterback market: “Every offseason has good storylines. But this year, from the time Adam Schefter put the over-under on starting quarterback changes in 2021 at 18 (and took the over), football antennae have been raised at the most important position in team sports.”

King on the Texans and QB Deshaun Watson: “Over the weekend, two common themes emerged about Houston’s near future. One: The Texans have one untouchable player, Watson, as of now. Two: Houston is not only not interested in trading Watson but also not interested in listening to offers for him.”

King on Texans GM Nick Caserio: “I’m told he’s categorically opposed to trading Watson, period – either in the next nine weeks before the draft (when he’d clearly get the best deal to start the Texans’ post-Watson lives) or ever. It’s easy to say that, of course, when the deadline is far away. No one knows who will fold, who will stay strong. Caserio and owner Cal McNair have never been in the eye of a storm like this one.”

King: “So if Watson continues to say he won’t play for the Texans, Caserio would be able to make his best deal in the days before the April 29 first round. Below are the best candidates.”

KING’S BEST CANDIDATES FOR A WATSON TRADE

King on a potential deal: “I can hear many of you now: Price tag’s too steep! You’re crazy! I’m not. If Watson gets traded, it’s going to have to include a gigantic package, maybe the highest price ever paid for a player in league history. It’s justified. Twenty-five-year-old franchise quarterbacks never come on the market. But the price isn’t for everyone.”

Carolina Panthers: “I’d be surprised if the Panthers hadn’t made an offer by now, quite frankly. This is a fit in many ways. Very aggressive new owner (David Tepper), who would move mountains for a franchise QB.”

King Proposal: “A 7-for-1 deal. Running back Christian McCaffrey, quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, receiver Robbie Anderson and first-round and second-round picks in 2021 (eighth and 39th overall), a first-round pick in 2022 and third-round pick in 2023 in exchange for Watson.”

New York Jets: “GM Joe Douglas is a big home-grown advocate, and I believe New York would chafe at doing a mega-pick deal for Watson because too many dyed-in-the-wool scouts there believe in building the team through the draft. But so many of the ingredients are there.”

King Proposal: “A 6-for-1 deal. Quarterback Sam Darnold, defensive lineman Quinnen Williams, first-round picks in 2021 (second overall) and 2022 (the higher of New York’s two first-round picks), plus second-round picks in 2021 (34th overall) and 2023 in exchange for Watson.”

San Francisco 49ers: “San Francisco would be okay with entering 2021 with Jimmy Garoppolo as its starter. But no matter what Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch say, they can’t be totally comfortable with it…If the Niners could convince Garoppolo to waive his no-trade clause, I could see San Francisco being all in here, even though the Niners clearly would have to part with some major assets.”

King Proposal: “Seven-for-1. Garoppolo, linebacker Fred Warner (that really hurts), tackle Mike McGlinchey, first-round picks in 2021 (12th overall) and 2022, plus a second-round pick in 2021 and third-round pick in 2022 for Watson. It’s a lot for the Niners to pay; of all the players in all the deals I’m proposing, Warner would be the most coveted one in my book.”

Miami Dolphins: “You’d hear a big, loud, ‘We’re not trading Tua if the Dolphins weren’t at least pondering Watson.’ Why wouldn’t they be? It’s extremely hard, after seeing one year of Tua Tagovailoa, to think his mega-upside would equal the 2021 Watson. It’s logical to at least look into it.”

King Proposal: “Miami trades defensive end Christian Wilkins, quarterback Tua Tagovailoa, first-round picks in 2021 (third overall) and 2023, and second-round picks in 2021 and 2022 for Watson.”

CARSON WENTZ

King on the Colts’ trade for Carson Wentz: “My bet is that the Colts had plans to pursue Wentz this offseason, but before they’d trade for a player with four years and $96 million left on his contract, they had to be sure that (Andrew) Luck wasn’t having second thoughts about playing…And once they felt sure Luck was ensconced in retirement, they moved full speed ahead on Wentz.”

King on the trade: “The trade was fair to both the Colts and Eagles. A third-round pick this year and a first-round pick in 2022 (if Wentz plays 75 percent of the snaps in Indy this year, or 70 percent and the Colts make the playoffs)…Plus, Indy takes the risk of the contract: $96 million over the next four years, with $47.5 million guaranteed. Heck of a risk on a quarterback who failed so spectacularly, and in many ways, in 2020.”

King on Wentz and Colts head coach Frank Reich: “Wentz is 28. He was awful last season and justifiably was benched for the last four games in Philadelphia. But he looked like the long-term guy the previous three years (81 TDs, 21 interceptions), and if anyone can fix him after the 2020 debacle it’s probably Reich.”

King on Wentz’s desire to go to the Colts: “I’m told the Colts were his first, second and third choices in trade, mostly because of Reich and also because he’s a Midwest (North Dakota) guy, and Indianapolis has about 1 percent of the sporting venom of Philadelphia.”

King on Wentz’s 2020 season: “He saw ghosts; he often rushed throws even when he didn’t have to because he was used to heavy pressure from a line he didn’t trust anymore…He didn’t respond well to hard coaching, tuning out much of what he was being taught. After the Eagles spent a 2020 second-round pick on a quarterback, Jalen Hurts, Wentz didn’t trust the front office either.”

King on the Eagles since winning Super Bowl LII: “The team as a whole, poof! Gone, into thin air. Doug Pederson’s last four years: Super Bowl win, playoffs, playoffs, 4-11-1…fired. Whaaaaat? What has happened in sports?!…There might be a team in the 55-year history of Super Bowl that has dissolved faster than these Philadelphia Eagles, but I can’t think of one.”

King on the Eagles: “Over the weekend, in talking to two people who know the inner workings of the Eagles, it’s clear that there is a stunned disbelief inside the team from (owner Jeffrey) Lurie on down. A year ago, Pederson and Wentz were the keystones for the future of the franchise. Today, it’s almost inconceivable Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts are the coach and quarterback, and the franchise is cap-strapped with so few young building-block players.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on the death of former NFL WR Vincent Jackson: “I think it’s too early to know exactly why Vincent Jackson’s life ended far too soon at 38, but the signs that he was spiraling downward are there: successful former football player (four times a nominee for the NFL’s Walter Payton Man of the Year award), estranged from his family, serious alcoholism suspected.”

King on his idea to help retired players and their post-career lives: “I say convene a combined league-union Blue Ribbon Panel, with mental-health and cognitive-health experts from each side, to examine why so many players struggle in their post-career lives. Invest real money in addressing the afterlives of football players. Invest real money in safety nets for players who go off the grid and whose lives their good friends are seriously concerned about, so that prominent players and excellent contributors to society don’t die binging on alcohol or other substances after giving up on finding a good life post-football.”

King on Drew Brees: “I think it’s good for Drew Brees to be in control of his fate and all that, but it’s Feb. 22. It’s been 36 days since Jay Glazer announced Brees would definitely be retiring after the Saints’ final playoff game, 36 days since that last playoff game. And crickets. It’s widely (overwhelmingly?) assumed Brees will retire and transition to broadcasting. Drew, you’ve got the stage to yourself this week. No quarterback trades likely. It’s all yours.”

King on Jacoby Brissett: “I think I’d love to see free-agent quarterback Jacoby Brissett sign with the Eagles. Great spot for Brissett, who still wants to play, probably won’t have a solid starting opportunity in this market, but would be an excellent backup if Jalen Hurts struggles in Philadelphia.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio and Chris Simms streams live on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Safety Blitz streams on Monday and Chris Simms Unbuttoned stream Tuesday-Friday.
  • ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • The Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show continue the NFL discussion.

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“The story of the Super Bowl champion this season is a story about America in COVID times… In the last 11 months, since the coronavirus began to ravage America, the Bucs did virtually everything right, and they learned not to complain.” – King on the Buccaneers

“I had to trust how he was gonna see certain things, what he was gonna do on certain concepts. And he had to trust that I’ll constantly keep putting him in position to have success.” – Buccaneers Offensive Coordinator Byron Leftwich on Developing Trust with Tom Brady

“I would play very hard ball with (Deshaun) Watson till September, then see where the situation stands.” – King on the Texans

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 15, 2021 – Peter King discusses Tampa Bay’s Super Bowl LV victory and breaks down the five key plays that shaped it in this week’s edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also speaks with Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich and quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen, and discusses the status of J.J. Watt, Deshaun Watson and Russell Wilson.

Across NBC Sports, Peacock’s weekday block of programming from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET, which will provide extensive NFL coverage includes PFT Live featuring Mike Florio and Chris Simms live at 7 a.m. ET. Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday-Friday. ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest offseason news, and NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show and Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast continue their NFL discussion.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

SUPER BOWL LV

King on the Buccaneers & Super Bowl LV: “The story of the Super Bowl champion this season is a story about America in COVID times. In the past year, success in all walks of life has depended on reinventing oneself to do life differently…In the NFL, it wasn’t survival of a business or finding a family’s next meal, of course. It was just very different. In the last 11 months, since the coronavirus began to ravage America, the Bucs did virtually everything right, and they learned not to complain about the crap.”

Buccaneers TE Cameron Brate on QB Tom Brady’s influence: “We’ve had a lot of blowout losses since I’ve been here, but this year the difference was pretty amazing. Tom was never down. He had pretty good foresight. Even after these bad losses, he’d be encouraging us, like we weren’t that far away.”

Buccaneers offensive coordinator Byron Leftwich on the team’s late-season run: “We needed time. When two people meet each other, the first thing they say is, ‘Trust me.’ You gotta build trust. I understood that. We had to be around each other even though we liked each other, the friendship, it clicked off in the beginning, but we still had to build trust in each other. I had to trust how (Brady) was gonna see certain things, what he was gonna do on certain concepts. And he had to trust that I’ll constantly keep putting him in position to have success.”

Buccaneers QB coach Clyde Christensen on Brady’s Super Bowl LV: “It’s the 21st week of the season and Tom’s in his 21st year. The adjustment period was natural for a new quarterback with the offseason we had, but now he’s comfortable enough with everyone to go over everything they’re going to see in the game.”

King on Brady’s locker room speech before Super Bowl LV: “On Super Sunday, Brady talked to his team in the locker room for the first time all season. ‘Seize the opportunity!’ he said. ‘We win today and we’re champs for life!’”

KING’S FIVE PLAYS THAT SHAPED SUPER BOWL LV

King: “I would not call these five plays the most important of the game. The defensive vise-grip on Patrick Mahomes was gigantic…But for a new quarterback to learn a new team after 20 years in one place, and for four brand-new players to score every point in a Super Bowl upset when nothing was normal…that, to me, is truly extraordinary about the 2020 season and the Bucs winning Super Bowl LV. In a rout.”

Brady to (Antonio) Brown, stop route, KC up 3-0, 3:14 left, first quarter: “Classic Brady favorite. He torched the Atlanta secondary four years ago in the comeback Super Bowl win with stop routes…Brown caught it 16 yards past the line of scrimmage. Looked so easy. And it is – if you’ve practiced it a hundred times. Which very likely they had done.”

Brady to (Rob) Gronkowski, flat-screen route, KC up 3-0, 0:41 left, first quarter: “This is something I’d never seen – Gronk the tight end in fast motion, right to left, in front of the quarterback, in motion as a receiver and not as a seal-blocker cutting off the edge-rush…How many touchdowns in his tremendous career has Gronk done this – sprint motion, catch in the flat, score, without being touched? Well, never.”

Christensen on the play: “Byron (Leftwich) couldn’t wait to call this play. We were so sure it’d work.”

(Leonard) Fournette run, Tampa up 21-9, 7:45 left, third quarter: “Leftwich wouldn’t say what exactly he saw, but it’s likely that on Fournette runs to the right of center earlier in the game against certain Kansas City defensive looks, the Bucs would have a totally open second level. So if they blocked it right and opened a gap, Fournette would have an open field ahead. That’s exactly what happened, and that was the game.”

King on the Buccaneers defense & Brady: “Devin White said after the game he felt he was the best linebacker in football, and who’s disagreeing with him now? … Altogether, the Bucs’ youth all over the field will make them big factors so long as they have a quarterback to keep the offense humming. After seeing Brady in this Super Bowl, you’ve got to figure he’s got two years left in Tampa. Maybe more.”

UPDATES ON 11

King on J.J. Watt: “The Texans, even if it took some coaxing from Watt, did the right thing on Friday, letting him go five weeks before free-agency begins, so Watt can choose his next team…This is the guy you stick out your right hand, shake his hand, and say, ‘Thank you, J.J., for everything. This franchise and this city can never repay you for the player and humanitarian you’ve been.’”

King on potential landing spots for Watt: “If I had to guess the teams that would be most interested, I’d say Buffalo, Cleveland, Kansas City, Tennessee, Indianapolis and Green Bay. This move would not really be in Packer tradition, though they did sign Charles Woodson at 30 and he had seven good years there. We’ll see.”

King on Texans QB Deshaun Watson: “Owner Cal McNair told me Friday that Watson is a Texan and he fully intends to keep him in Houston. Which is exactly what he should say, because I wouldn’t think of trading Watson until I got a very good to great quarterback plus either three high first-round picks or a Sam Darnold-type plus four ones in return. To be clear, I would play very hard ball with Watson till September, then see where the situation stands.”

King on Seahawks QB Russell Wilson: “I know Russell Wilson, who normally wouldn’t say crap if he had a mouthful, and to hear these sideways jabs at how the team is run means to me he’s unhappy…He’s probably not happy with coach Pete Carroll, who has ultimate authority with the franchise’s football decisions, or with GM John Schneider, both for not building a better offensive line and not listening more to him about the direction of the franchise.”

King on Jaguars head coach Urban Meyer hiring Chris Doyle: “Imagine thinking you can hire Chris Doyle in the NFL when he couldn’t even work in Iowa City…It’s crazy to think Meyer didn’t think something like this would be a factor when free agents are picking future employment. Meyer needs someone to be his conscience. It’s clear he doesn’t have one on the staff now.”

King on voting for Tom Brady as Super Bowl LV MVP: “If someone picked Devin White or Shaq Barrett or one of the other defensive linemen, I wouldn’t have thought it was a bad pick…Late in the fourth quarter, when I had to submit my ballot, I saw that Brady was going to win his seventh Super Bowl at age 43, with the highest passer-rating (125.8) of his 10-Super Bowl career.”

Former QB Rich Gannon to King on the passing of Marty Schottenheimer: “I loved playing for him. He could coach every position. He could tell the left tackle about hand placement in pass-pro, and he could tell the corners about their footwork and technique…Every day, Marty would tell us at the start of the meeting the roster moves, who’s coming, who’s going. He says, I cut so-and-so. We got a punt blocked, and I asked him about it, and he lied to me about it. Men, don’t EVER lie to me.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on the passing of journalist Terez Paylor: “The saddest thing about Terez’s death is the work over the next 25 or 30 years we won’t get to see, the young journalists who won’t get to be influenced by him, the knowledge we won’t glean because his voice won’t be there. The loss is magnified because we need Black voices in our white-dominated football world, and I know for sure he would have been one for the ages. Regardless of color, Terez Paylor was on his way to greatness, period… I wish Terez Paylor had 37 more years to influence our world. But it can’t be. So let his beacon shine for what he’s done. It’s so much already.”

King on the Patriots: “I think I’d trade for Marcus Mariota if I were the Patriots.”

King on former WR Chris Hogan joining the Premier Lacrosse League: “Good for him. Great for him. I don’t know Hogan well, but those who do said his heart was always in another game. He’s competed and won on the highest level of football, and now I hope he’ll be able to do the same in lacrosse.”

King on Buccaneers GM Jason Licht: “I think you want to go to Vegas, and right now, with Jason Licht. He’s been rolling personnel sevens for 11 months. He’s on an amazing run of drafting – his six leading DBs all are 24 or younger, all selected in the last three years, including Antoine Winfield in last year’s second round. The Tampa Bay GM has a smart staff and trusts his scouts and executives implicitly.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio and Chris Simms streams live on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Safety Blitz streams on Monday and Chris Simms Unbuttoned stream Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • The Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and NBC Sports EDGE’s A Good Football Show continue the NFL discussion.

 

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

“There has never been a year like this one, and never a Super Bowl like this one, and not just because of one of the great quarterback pairings of the 55 Super Bowls ever played.” – King on Super Bowl LV

“That [first] day we talked, Tom said he knew we had the talent. I just told him, ‘You gotta get them to believe.’ He did. And it came to fruition.” – Buccaneers Head Coach Bruce Arians on Tom Brady

“Bowles’ defensive game plan was smart, surprising and magnificent. It was the game plan of Bowles’ life.” – King on Buccaneers Defensive Coordinator Todd Bowles

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 8, 2021 – Peter King speaks with Tampa Bay head coach Bruce Arians and recaps the Buccaneers’ Super Bowl LV victory in this week’s Super Bowl edition of Football Morning in America, available now exclusively on NBCSports.com. King also speaks with Buccaneers defense coordinator Todd Bowles and tight end Rob Gronkowski, discusses the status of Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz, and hands out his Super Bowl LV awards.

Across NBC Sports, Peacock’s weekday block of NFL programming from 7 a.m. – 7 p.m. ET, which will provide extensive coverage of Super Bowl LV, includes PFT Live featuring Mike Florio and Chris Simms live at 7 a.m. ET, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another, with Michael Holley and Michael Smith, at 3 p.m. ET, and PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. On Monday, Safety Blitz, featuring Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth, streams at 6 p.m. ET, and Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday-Friday. ProFootballTalk.com continues to provide the latest offseason news, and the Rotoworld Football Podcast and Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast discuss Super Bowl LV.

The following are highlights from this week’s edition of Football Morning in America:

SUPER BOWL LV

King on Super Bowl LV: “There has never been a year like this one, and never a Super Bowl like this one, and not just because of one of the great quarterback pairings of the 55 Super Bowls ever played. Actually, everything surrounding the game was America in this crazy time – good and bad.”

King on the Buccaneers victory: “The Bucs, as it turned out, rode the wings of Brady to an unexpected world championship, running up an 8-0 record since Dec. 1. Those who’ve been around Brady wouldn’t be shocked. By the time the calendar turns to December, his voracious practice habits rub off on his mates, and things that were rough and ugly in Week 3 look pretty impressive by the playoffs.”

Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians to King on Tom Brady: “That [first] day we talked, Tom said he knew we had the talent. I just told him, ‘You gotta get them to believe.’ He did. And it came to fruition.”

Arians on the trophy celebration and Tom Brady: “I wanted my wife to have some time with him. She’d never met Tom. Just that kind of year. You know, the virus. It’s been tough to build a close team in times like this. They couldn’t eat together. Gronk still doesn’t know everybody’s name. So when we got on stage, I just let my wife have the moment with Tom. That was precious to me.”

Arians on the make-up of the team: “Mike Evans is the most unselfish superstar I’ve ever met. He’s told us to use some of his money if we need to…keep the team together! And Gronk – never once all season did he ever say a word about getting the ball more, even though he might get one pass, two passes in games. He just blocks his ass off, and when I’d say to him, ‘You okay?’ he’d say, ‘I’m good, coach. I’m good.’”

Buccaneers tight end Rob Gronkowski to King: “Playing with Tom, you just learn if you want to win championships, you can’t care about your numbers. If you’re good, numbers will come. If you’ve got great players, maybe they’ll get the numbers. Who cares? I’ve had no problems all year how I’ve been used. I love blocking. Blocking’s just as important as catching the ball at my position.”

King: “Think of the timeline: When Brady agreed with the Bucs on March 18, he told GM Jason Licht (mind you, this was very early in the pandemic, so no one knew how restrictive life was going to be), We’ve only got so many hours before opening day, and every hour counts for us. Brady actually had figured out the number of hours – maybe 4,300, or close to that – which amazed Licht. But then he pushed to trade for Gronkowski (April 21), supported the signing of (Leonard) Fournette when the Jags cut him (Sept. 6) and was wholly behind the Antonio Brown reclamation project (signed Oct. 27)…Four touchdowns scored in Super Bowl LV: Gronk, Gronk, Brown, Fournette.”

King on Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles: “Bowles’ defensive game plan was smart, surprising and magnificent. It was the game plan of Bowles’ life, in the last game of his eighth season as coordinator or head coach. After getting taken to the woodshed by the speed and tenacity and the KC offense in Week 12 and by the never-ending will and skill of Mahomes, Bowles adjusted in four ways.”

Bowles to King on his defense: “My guys were pissed off. The biggest thing they do is read and they got TV all the time. Nobody picked us and gave us a chance to win. They were really pissed off about that. Combine that with the things we missed the first game against them, they really wanted to prove something tonight on the biggest stage against the best team.”

King on Bowles: “Bowles is what keeps the D together. What a performance by his group (even with the KC line in tatters) in holding Reid/Mahomes without a touchdown. Who does that?”

Arians on being the oldest head coach to win a Super Bowl: “I ain’t that old, dude! That pisses me off! I feel great. I sure as hell am back next year.”

UPDATES ON 11

King on Eagles QB Carson Wentz: “After Wentz’s landing spot (Indianapolis and Chicago are the most likely trade partners), the biggest issue to me is compensation…The problem with divining proper trade value, of course, is figuring out what Wentz is right now. He played poorly in 2020 in Philadelphia, did not respond well to coaching, had a mental divorce with coach Doug Pederson, and will need both his head and arm fixed with a new team.”

King on Wentz: “The Eagles save $850,000 by abandoning Wentz, at 28. Further translation: The Eagles 20 months ago were so sold on Wentz as their QB of the future that they signed him to a four-year, $128-million contract. And now they’re throwing him overboard. Shouldn’t that scare the crap out of Chicago GM Ryan Pace and Indy GM Chris Ballard? It sure would scare me, that this centerpiece of the franchise fell off the cliff so precipitously that the team that knows him best thinks he’s very likely not salvageable.”

Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey to King on his injuries this season: “I don’t like to think that any past years are the reason for anything. I think when you look around different players in the league who have experienced injury, some of them will have season-ending injuries in the first game and play 15 more years. So, some of that noise, ‘Well it’s because they’re giving him too many carries.’ – I look at a guy like Emmett Smith, who played double-digit years and in his 10th year and all that, he was an animal.”

King on Texans DE J.J. Watt: “I am just trying to read some tea leaves here. Watt is 32, tortured by losing, has to feel like he’s on the NFL’s sinking ship, sees quarterback Deshaun Watson desperate to get on one of the lifeboats from the sinking ship, knows if Watson goes he’s on the last-place team in the division in one of the last years of his…I mean, add it up. Why would Watt want to stay?”

King on what the Rams have paid for QBs Jared Goff and Matthew Stafford since 2016: “The combined cost – four first-round picks, two second-round picks, two third-round picks, and $22.2 million in dead money on Goff’s contract this year – is enormous. So enormous that you could argue adroitly that no head coach in the NFL enters the 2021 season with more pressure on him than (Sean) McVay.”

NFL Chief Medical Officer Allen Sills to King on this season: “I think the most important thing I’ve learned is that we can keep ourselves safe and still carry on some semblance of our normal lives. Many times, we hear about what I call the two extremes. We hear people who say, ‘There’s no way we can do anything. We need to sort of hunker down until this is over.’ And another group of people who say, ‘This is a hoax and there’s nothing to it.’ There is a middle ground. I think that’s what we’ve tried to find.”

NEWS & NOTES

King on his modern-era Hall of Fame ballot: “On the vote to cut the finalists from 15 to 10, I voted for Peyton Manning, John Lynch, Clay Matthews, Charles Woodson, Tony Boselli, Zach Thomas, Alan Faneca, Richard Seymour, Calvin Johnson and Sam Mills. (I voted to eliminate Leroy Butler, Torry Holt, Reggie Wayne, Ronde Barber, Jared Allen.) On the cut from 10 to five, I voted for Manning, Woodson, Johnson, Lynch and Matthews.”

King on Jets QB Sam Darnold: “This is my best guess on the next move on the offseason QB chessboard: Sam Darnold to the loser of the Wentzstakes, Chicago or Indy.”

King on the offseason: “I think one of the storylines to follow this offseason will be the NFL Players Association’s push to reduce off-season programs, again…The coaches will fervently disagree, but it’s not the coaches who ultimately decide the work rules. If the pandemic persists into the spring, and it looks like it will, I think the owners will olive-branch another quiet offseason to the players. Permanently? That’s another story.”

King on former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson: “I think the most amazing thing about the first 38 NFL days of 2021 is how quickly Doug Pederson fell off the face of the earth…Not interviewed for any of the NFL coaching vacancies. Not heard from since. That is one strange story.”

KING’S SUPER BOWL LV AWARDS

Offensive Players of the Week: Rob Gronkowski, Tampa Bay, & Tom Brady, Tampa Bay.

King on Gronkowski: “Gronk, named one of the top 100 football players of all time a year ago, walked out of retirement in April and had an underwhelming offensive season…till Sunday night.”

Gronkowski to King: “It’s championships. Those are the meaningful things to me now.”

Defensive Players of the Week: Shaq Barrett, Tampa Bay, & Devin White, Tampa Bay.

King on Barrett: “Barrett led a marauding Tampa Bay defense in making Mahomes’ life miserable in the same place he riddled the Bucs for 461 passing yards just 10 weeks earlier.”

Special Teams Player of the Week: Harrison Butker, Kansas City.

King: “You know it’s going to be a crummy day for the KC offense when the kicker’s better than Patrick Mahomes. And Butker was.”

Coach of the Week: Todd Bowles, defensive coordinator, Tampa Bay.

King: “I looked up with four minutes to go in the game and saw the two men who destroyed the Bucs in Week 12, Tyreek Hill and Patrick Mahomes, got destroyed by Bowles’ defense this time.”

Goat of the Week: Poise, Kansas City.

King: “I can’t give it to one player. Many are contenders. Punter Tommy Townsend choked in the first half with high-schoolish 29- and 27-yard shank jobs. Tyrann Mathieu totally lost his cool after a ticky-tack pass-interference call and an unsportsmanlike-conduct, in the span of seven killer first-half seconds. Patrick Mahomes was running for his life most of the time, but he didn’t make many winning plays either. Eleven penalties for 120 yards. Three-of-13 on third downs. This was a defending Super Bowl champion, 16-2 on the season headed into the Super Bowl? Sure didn’t look like it.”

Read the full FMIA column here and catch the weekly Peter King Podcast here.

The following are additional highlights of NBC Sports’ NFL coverage:

• • PFT Live with NBC Sports’ Mike Florio and Chris Simms streams live on Peacock from 7 a.m. – 9 a.m. ET on weekdays, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another at 3 p.m. ET, PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. At 6 p.m. ET, Safety Blitz streams on Monday and Chris Simms Unbuttoned stream Tuesday-Friday.
  • com continues to provide the latest news and updates.
  • The Chris Simms Unbuttoned podcast and Rotoworld Football Podcast discuss the Conference Championship games and look ahead to Super Bowl LV.

 

A new “Football Morning in America” posts every Monday morning exclusively on NBCSports.com through the NFL season. It was announced in May 2019 that King signed an exclusive agreement with NBC Sports Group that included writing a weekly Monday morning NFL column for NBCSports.com; making regular appearances on PFT Live with Mike Florio; and continuing to contribute to Football Night in America, the most-watched studio show in sports.

—NBC SPORTS—

Open Letter Outlines Issues in Hiring Cycle & Advocates Embracing Minority Hiring in Every Aspect of the Game

Dungy Hosts Roundtable on State of Minority Coaching Hires with Jim Caldwell, Rich McKay & Michael Smith; Available Now Across NBC Sports Digital Channels

“Progress to me is if we can get people to the table, if we can get people being viewed and have an opportunity.” – Dungy

NBC Sports Continues to Surround Super Bowl LV with Comprehensive Coverage; 30+ Player and Coach Interviews Across NBC Sports Platforms & Programming This Week, Including Derrick Henry, Christian McCaffrey, DK Metcalf, Sean Payton, and More

New Episode of “Sports Uncovered” Podcast Series Hosted by Michele Tafoya Debuts Tomorrow, Feb. 5, Featuring Pro Football Hall of Fame Head Coach Bud Grant

STAMFORD, Conn. – Feb. 4, 2021 – Pro Football Hall of Fame head coach and NBC Sports analyst Tony Dungy penned an open letter to NFL owners today on the state of minority coaching hires, available now on NBCSports.com.

In the letter, Dungy, who was the first African-American head coach to win a Super Bowl, advocates that embracing minority hiring in every aspect of the game will “keep the legacy moving forward and make the NFL the best league we can be.”

Dungy also hosted a roundtable on the state of minority coaching hires in the NFL, featuring former Colts and Lions head coach Jim Caldwell, Atlanta Falcons President & CEO and member of the NFL’s Competition Committee Rick McKay, and co-host of Peacock’s Brother From Another Michael Smith. The roundtable is available now on NBCSports.com and NBC Sports’ YouTube channel.

Following are highlights from the roundtable with Dungy, Caldwell, McKay and Smith:

Dungy: “Progress to me is if we can get people to the table, if we can get people being viewed and have an opportunity…Bring everybody to the table and let’s talk about who fits our needs and what we’re looking for. If we get that, we’re going to see the progress that we’re looking for.”

Caldwell on issues within the hiring process: “Ownership still is not that familiar with folks that aren’t right within their circle…I still think you’re finding situations, even this year, where some owners called people in the media and asked them, ‘Hey, who should I be talking to or who should we interview?’”

McKay on the Rooney Rule: “The way we’ve done the rules, we have not been intentional enough to make sure that the process is completely open, and now we’re starting to get more intentional and I think that will help us…I believe that you’re going to be surprised, I hope, pleasantly surprised over the next four years in that I think the coordinator issue is going to look different and I think therefore our head coach issue is going to look different from a minority hiring standpoint. I’m convinced of that, but the proof will be in the pudding.”

Smith on the conversation surrounding minority hiring: “This should be an ongoing conversation and a process that’s not just reserved for December and January. We need to be talking about minority coaches and the team scouting process when it comes to coaches and general managers year-round so that owners can have these names on their mind when it comes time to make these decisions.”

***

Leading up to this Sunday’s game between the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, NBC Sports continues to surround Super Bowl LV with comprehensive coverage across all platforms. NBC Sports’ coverage includes interviews with more than 30 current and former players and coaches throughout the week across television, radio, streaming and podcast episodes.

Across NBC Sports, Peacock daily sports programming has included an emphasis on Super Bowl week, including PFT Live featuring Mike Florio and Chris Simms live at 7 a.m. ET, followed by The Dan Patrick Show at 9 a.m. ET, The Rich Eisen Show at Noon ET, Brother From Another, with Michael Holley and Michael Smith, at 3 p.m. ET, and PFT PM at 5 p.m. ET. On Monday, Safety Blitz, featuring Rodney Harrison and Jac Collinsworth, streams at 6 p.m. ET, and Chris Simms Unbuttoned streams at 6 p.m. ET Tuesday-Friday.

Peter King will join PFT Live tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 5, and continues to provide exclusive digital content and interviews throughout the week for his Football Morning in America column and “The Peter King Podcast.”

Additional PFT Live and NFL content posts on ProFootballTalk.com – which continues to provide the latest news and updates – NBCSports.com, and NBC Sports’ YouTube channel.

Guests throughout NBC Sports’ coverage of Super Bowl LV this week include:

• • New Orleans Saints HC Sean Payton
  • Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray
  • Minnesota Vikings QB Kirk Cousins
  • Miami Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa
  • New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley
  • Tennessee Titans RB Derrick Henry
  • Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey
  • Buffalo Bills WR Stefon Diggs
  • Minnesota Vikings WR Justin Jefferson
  • Dallas Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb
  • San Francisco 4934s TE George Kittle
  • Washington Football Team DE Chase Young
  • Seattle Seahawks S Jamal Adams
  • Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers LB Derrick Brooks
  • Pro Football Hall of Fame RB Emmitt Smith
  • Former Alabama WRs DeVonta Smith, the 2021 Heisman Trophy Award winner, and Jaylen Waddle

 

A new episode of NBC Sports’ “Sports Uncovered” podcast series, “The Legend of Bud Grant,”  hosted by Michele Tafoya, debuts tomorrow, Friday, Feb. 5 highlighting the Pro Football Hall of Famer and former Minnesota Vikings head coach, who led the Vikings to four Super Bowls. The episode features interviews with Grant, Dungy, Pro Football Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton, and more. Previous episodes of Sports Uncovered, including season two episodes featuring Jon Gruden and Gayle Sierens, can be found here. Podcast episodes are available for download now on all major podcast platforms, including: NBCSports.com/podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify, Google Podcasts, TuneIn and iHeart.

NBC Sports Regional Networks continue to provide extensive Super Bowl coverage, including interviews with current and former players, coaches, and analysts, and podcast episodes from Bay Area, Boston, Chicago, Northwest, Philadelphia, and Washington. Six football-focused RSN podcasts this week include:

• • 49ers Talk
  • Eagle Eye
  • Patriots Talk
  • Talkin’ Seahawks
  • Under Center
  • Washington Football Talk

 

–NBC SPORTS–