There is always something to report in the world of the NFL, but with the draft now right around the corner, the rumors mill is in full swing. There is a lot of news about the moves that teams might potentially make to ensure they get who they want in the draft. We will touch on the draft a little in this piece, but there are plenty of other things to talk about, such as players retiring and coaches getting extensions, not to mention a little panic over the substance abuse rules in the league. We have a lot of ground to cover this week, so let’s get right to it and then you can keep planning your bets against their NFL odds for the upcoming season.
NFL Rumors & Betting News April 22nd Edition
You don’t have to be someone who frequently uses marijuana to know that April 20 is an iconic day for those who like to partake in the drug. It is almost ironic then that the testing window for street drugs opened on that day. There was, though, some confusion among players who believed that the testing for marijuana started on that day. This despite the fact that testing for that drug comes only once per year, with the window for that particular testing altered in the last CBA. It took an email from the Player’s Union to clarify the stance on the marijuana testing, which will not start at the same time as all the street drugs. That’s sure to be a relief for a lot of players.
There really is no such thing as job security in the NFL, yet the Pittsburgh Steelers continue to be the organization that is the best place to land for coaches. There are some fans who would suggest that Mike Tomlin has not done enough with the talent he has had over the years, but the front office would appear to disagree with that, as they have just signed Tomlin to a new 3-year extension. This is a franchise that likes stability and who believes in maintaining the status quo in the head coach department, so the extension should not come as a real surprise.
Over the course of the offseason and the weeks leading up to the draft, we hear and read a lot of speculation as to where players will land. Moves made over the past couple of weeks have seen changes made to the mock drafts that the experts are putting out. The consensus seems to be that Trevor Lawrence and Zach Wilson will go 1 and 2, but the experts, as well as the bookies, seem to believe that Justin Fields will be the next QB taken. The 49ers have the #3 pick and have made it clear that they are ready to move on from Jimmy Garoppolo, so taking Fields looks like a good bet.
We close out this week’s news and rumors with another player announcing that it is time to retire. This is one that does not come as a complete shock, as man of us believed that Alex Smith was already done after suffering a horrific leg injury a couple of years back. He did eventually return to the Washington Commanders last season after seeing the starters ahead of him go down, and he helped lead his team to the playoffs. The formerly known Redskins said that they were ready to move on, and while there was some interest in Smith, the risk of further damaging his leg appeared to be too much.
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