The lull of mid July in the sports world always gives me anxiety.
College student-athletes are in the heart of their summer breaks.
The NBA and NHL both recently wrapped up their respective seasons by crowning a champion.
And Major League Baseball normally enjoys its annual break with the Mid Summer Classic.
However, once NFL fans get through the first three weeks of July, hope arrives in the form of NFL teams opening training camps across the league.
As always, a new season brings new hope.
Optimism, intrigue, and anticipation of what the next season has in store helps build the hype train for yours truly.
Which means it’s time to rundown the most interesting storylines heading into training camp.
Carolina Quarterback Competition
What an offseason it has been for Baker Mayfield…
The Cleveland Browns franchise that selected him as the first overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft, decided to go in a completely different direction when the team went public with their interest in acquiring the services of former Houston Texans QB, Deshaun Watson.
The public divorce officially ended Mayfield’s tenure in northern Ohio and led to arrival in the city of Charlotte as a member of the Carolina Panthers.
Now, he’ll find himself in an open battle for the starting QB position with a fellow first-rounder from the 2018 NFL Draft… Sam Darnold.
Oh, and for good measure, a talented rookie quarterback prospect by the name of Matt Corral is also looking to catch the eye of this coaching staff.
The symptoms for a potential disaster are all present. A desperate head coach on the hot seat… former first-round picks looking to revitalize their careers… and the brash personality of a 27-year-old quarterback playing with a chip on his shoulder.
The 2022 NFL season should be an interesting one for the Carolina Panthers.
The Cleveland Browns Quarterback Situation
Let’s return to the city of Cleveland to revisit the Browns current quarterback situation.
The Cleveland Browns decided to give a quarterback who was facing over 20 civil lawsuits alleging sexual misconduct a contract worth $230 million in guaranteed money… without ever having played a snap for their franchise.
However, another guarantee you can all but take to the bank is that Deshaun Watson is likely to miss a significant amount of time at the beginning of the 2022 NFL season.
As of this moment, U.S. District Judge Sue Robinson has not issued a disciplinary ruling for Deshaun Watson, but whatever time he does miss, means Jacoby Brissett is likely to see some starting action under center to begin the year.
The twists and turns of Watson’s situation have dominated headlines for over a full calendar year.
Will this all become too big of a distraction for the Browns to overcome?
Will Jacoby Brissett be able to keep the Browns in the playoff picture until Watson returns?
How will the team respond to Watson once/if he takes the field this season?
We’ll have more answers on these questions sooner rather than later.
Lamar Jackson Contract Negotiations
If the Baltimore Ravens are aiming to lock up the 2019 NFL MVP to a long-term deal… they sure do have an unusual way of going about negotiations.
On one hand, Lamar Jackson is arguably the best offensive weapon in the NFL.
In a league filled with dual threat quarterbacks, no one is more dynamic than the man rocking that #8 jersey for the Ravens.
However, much of his success has come in a way that is equally unique to Lamar Jackson, which can make for an interesting negotiation.
That negotiation becomes even trickier when Lamar Jackson is the man handling his own negotiations!
The Ravens haven’t exactly built up any goodwill with Jackson by trading away Pro Bowl tackle, Orlando Brown Jr., and his favorite wide receiver, Marquise Brown over the last two offeseasons.
When you start reading between the lines, it does beg the question… what is taking so long to get this deal done?
Sure, Deshaun Watson’s absurd contract may have changed the asking price from Jackson… but why haven’t the Ravens given Lamar Jackson, a dynamic, 25-year-old franchise quarterback with a league MVP award already on his resume a blank check already?
Some would argue that Jackson’s play style doesn’t exactly lend itself to preventing injuries. In fact, injuries did cost Jackson the last month of his 2021 campaign, which certainly could be giving some members of the Baltimore front office some hesitation in resetting the QB market for securing the services of Jackson on a long-term deal.
I know both sides expect to get this deal done, but the longer these negotiations drags out… the more I’m beginning to wonder about Lamar’s long-term future in Charm City.
Derek Tate was born and raised in the Tampa Bay Area. He has been covering the NFL for the last five years and is currently the Sports Director and Play-by-Play Announcer for the TV station in northern Michigan, NewsNet. When he isn’t watching, analyzing, living, eating or breathing NFL Football, he enjoys spending time with his one-year-old daughter, Kennedy.