NFC East news: A.J. Brown ready to back up new contract, Commanders and Giants draft response

A.J. Brown plans to finish career with Eagles, dismisses importance of being highest-paid receiver – Jeff Kerr, CBS Sports

The star receiver has quickly made Philadelphia home.

Fresh off being the highest-paid wide receiver in NFL history, A.J. Brown wants to make sure the only contracts he signs are with the Philadelphia Eagles. Brown landed his second contract extension in just two years with the franchise, and plans to finish his career in Philadelphia.

“I’m not saying that’s the end, but that’s the goal,” Brown said at the NovaCare Complex on Tuesday. “My career took off when I got here. It went to another level, and it feels right. My family’s here. My teammates and their kids, they wanna grow up together.”

Brown signed a three-year, $96 million extension last week, keeping him in Philadelphia until the 2029 season — when he turns 32 years old. Brown will make an average annual salary of $32 million during the contract, the highest ever given to a wide receiver in NFL history. The $84 million guaranteed is also the most given to a wideout in league history.

Although Brown is setting a new threshold in money earned at the position, he plans to show his value whenever he steps on the field and not focus on the distinction of being the league’s new highest-paid wide receiver.

“Nothing,” Brown said when asked what the contract extension means. “I wanna prove it.

Commanders add ‘elite athletes’ to roster with 2024 draft class – Zach Selby, Commanders.com

The Quinn-Peters era has begun by adding players with ‘elite’ athleticism.

The first draft of the Adam Peters-Dan Quinn era is now in the books, and analysts around the league view it as a tremendous success. How they managed their nine draft picks, from taking LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels to Notre Dame’s Javontae Jean-Baptiste, is being called “a straight-up masterpiece” because of how they addressed needs and planned for the future.

But don’t just take some flowery language from pundits as evidence; the numbers also point to Washington crushing the 2024 NFL Draft.

Drafting prospects with top-tier athleticism doesn’t always equate to wins during the season, but it certainly doesn’t hurt, either. The Commanders, who had six picks in the top 100 over the weekend, stuck to that philosophy more than any team in the NFL by drafting the most prospects with peak athletic traits.

How the players use that skill will be up to them, but they’ll at least have a foundation to build upon.

“We added a lot of good players and a lot of players that we believe in…what we believe in,” said assistant general manager Lance Newmark. “So just a very productive three days. We’re all very excited.”

Newmark explained that all nine draft picks fit what he referred to as “the Commander mold.” He didn’t reveal the specifics but explained that their draft picks were “our kind of football players.” Considering that most were captains at the college level, one could assume that things like leadership and intense work ethic are valued assets to the coaching staff.

Apparently, so is athleticism, based on their Relative Athletic Scores (RAS). Designed by Kent Lee Platte of Pro Football Network, a player’s RAS uses 10 measurements from the scouting combine to “intuitively gauge a player’s athletic abilities relative to the position they play and provide tools to contrast and compare based on known measurables.”

Why the Giants Were Correct in Passing on Quarterback in Draft – Patricia Traina, Giants Country

Despite the apparent need, New York might’ve made the right choice not taking a QB.

With all the resources invested by teams in the NFL draft every year, the pressure is on to get as many of the decisions correct as possible lest the people making the decisions lose their jobs.

So, when it came to the New York Giants, who faced the decision to draft a quarterback or run it back with Daniel Jones another year, the Giants took the latter approach—but only after their reported attempts to trade up to get North Carolina quarterback Drake Maye never materialized.

While the decision not to go with another quarterback angered some Giants fans, credit needs to be given to general manager Joe Schoen for holding his ground and not engaging in a knee-jerk reaction just because the player he may have wanted came off the board before he could go on the clock.

We have seen that happen before with the Giants—does anyone remember how when Leonard Floyd and Jack Conklin, two picks heavily rumored to be Giants’ targets, came off the board in 2016 following trades ahead of New York, then general manager Jerry Reese, instead of looking to trade down, snagged cornerback Eli Apple?