Giardi: NFL Notebook - Vrabel getting what he wants; plus, 49ers making one last push

DeMario "Pop" Douglas feels much like you do: he's had enough of these 4-13 seasons.

“The guys who’ve been here - it’s a different mentality,” he told us earlier this week. “I feel like everybody’s working super hard, and I feel like they’re tired of losing too. And you can see - we were working out, man, we’re competing. We’re competing in workouts. In conditioning drills, we’re competing. That’s rare to see.”

That's a critical part of the culture that Mike Vrabel wants here in New England, a foundational element, if you will. In fact, the head coach already believes the competition has started, even with limitations on what you can do on the football field in the spring.

"I think that it already has," said Vrabel when I asked. "I hope that it already has. Life's a competition. Everything we do every day, we're trying to improve and we're trying to do better than the next person. 

"But whether that's a competitiveness to know what to do, to be able to play more than one position, to go extra reps when somebody's down and take advantage of opportunities, young guys popping in there. Third group, they do a nice job, then they get elevated and get some reps with the twos, and you see how they do with those opportunities. So, I think that there's always a level of competition to what we do. It just may not be as physical as what it would be in training camp."

In previous seasons, the roster has been so bereft of talent or trustworthy depth pieces that Jerod Mayo, in particular, didn't have a lot of places to pivot. Now, as we've discussed ad nauseam, the lack of development of some of these young players may, in part, fall on that coaching staff (Eliot Wolf certainly believes that) and the remnants of Bill Belichick's friends and family group prior. Now? There's still work to be done on the roster - it didn't all get fixed this off-season - but there should be fewer excuses, especially with a group of coaches who have worked together. Those players' growth - I'm looking directly at the 2024 draft class - will be critical for this team to be as competitive as possible. 

"Do they know their assignment? Can they adjust? Do they make the same mistake over and over?" asked Vrabel. "Then there's a level of physical ability that we have to be able to evaluate. So, I would say there's still an evaluation even though we don't have pads on."

And that will be here before they know it.

PURDY GETS PAID

It wasn't a market-altering deal, but former Mr. Irrelevant, Brock Purdy, got himself a nice chunk of change, agreeing to a contract extension (6 years, $269 million) that was finalized earlier this week.

Purdy gets $215 million in new money over the first four years of the deal, and the cash actually lessens as it nears its completion ($55 million in 2028 and $49.95 million in '29). He also got the Niners to fork over a no-trade clause, a neat little trick that apparently was a sticking point during the negotiations. 

"I think where we ended up was exactly where we needed to be," Purdy said. "I'm extremely happy with where we ended and I know the Niners are, too. ... However they use the cap space and all that kind of stuff, that's not my job. My job is to now go and win games and lead this team, but I'm extremely happy and grateful for where we ended."

Despite San Francisco's second-half collapse, Purdy still finished 9th in EPA/play and 13th in QB Rating. Considering that he played large chunks of the season without Brandon Aiyuk, Christian McCaffrey, and Trent Williams, those numbers are nothing to sneeze at.

"Brock is a tremendous leader and a fantastic representative for the 49ers organization, and we are ecstatic to get this deal done," 49ers general manager John Lynch said in a statement. "When we took him with the last pick in the Draft, we knew he had potential to succeed in this league, but we had no idea how special of a player he would become. He has played at an exceptionally high level since taking over the starting job, and we look forward to seeing him continue to lead this team for years to come."

The fact is, Purdy saved the 49ers after they surrendered three first-round picks in that 2021 draft to trade up and select Trey Lance third overall. Lance busted, starting just four games over his first two seasons, but Purdy's emergence allowed Lynch and Kyle Shanahan to win games and keep their jobs. In Purdy's first two seasons as a starter, San Fran made it to the NFC title game and then the Super Bowl.

Shortly after announcing the Purdy contract, the Niners extended linebacker Fred Warner, giving him nearly $56 million guaranteed over the next three years. That means Warner is now the league's highest-paid interior LB based on AAV, jumping ahead of Baltimore's Roquan Smith.

It's clear - based on how they've opened their checkbooks - that the 49ers still think that the championship window is open.

“I’m happy that we don’t have a bunch of guys holding out for contracts,” said tight end George Kittle, who also got paid this spring. “I’m glad that we are not having a super drama-filled offseason. I think every year of my career, we’ve had a quarterback controversy at some point. And to not have that, it’s going great.

“And just when you have everybody in the building or the majority of the guys in the building, just the energy in the locker room is fantastic, the weight room is awesome, guys are working really hard.”

With the league's easiest schedule - at least on paper - the 49ers could be back on top quickly.

ALL BARK, NO BITE

I was told the 'Tush Push' was going the way of the dodo bird for months, so much so I just assumed this week's vote would merely be a foregone conclusion. It turns out the birds - specifically the Eagles - can still fly (work with me. I know dodos were flightless...)

The proposal, first presented by the Green Bay Packers, needed at least 24 votes to pass. They got 22. The Pats were one of the teams that voted for the play to remain legal. Mike Vrabel tipped his hand at the league meetings in March.

"There's a lot of plays that you have to defend, whether that's quarterback sneaks, whether that's read zone—there's a lot of plays that are hard to defend, and I don't think that you can get rid of them every time that you have a tough time stopping it," he said. "I mean, Lamar Jackson shouldn't be able to run with the football anymore; how about making that rule? Like that's tough to defend."

The Eagles brought in retired center Jason Kelce to speak about the safety of the play - no data has shown it's more dangerous than any other - and team owner Jeffrey Lurie told the other 31, “Whoever votes to ban this play is taking liability for putting risk on our quarterbacks.”

According to reports, it was a heated meeting that included Lurie criticizing NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and Executive VP of Football Operations Troy Vincent, and Vincent punching back after Lurie used a crass analogy.

As I've written before, I want the play gone. It's unnecessary. No offensive player should be pushed, and that language was included in the revised proposal by the Packers that stated they wanted to “prohibit an offensive player from pushing, pulling, lifting, or assisting the runner except by individually blocking opponents for him.”

Philadelphia has run the QB on 1-yard or less situations 122 times since 2022. The next closest team, the Bills with Josh Allen, has only attempted 74 such rushes.

MORE CHANGES

Onside kicks are no longer reserved for the fourth quarter. Ownership passed a rule that allows teams to declare an onside kick at any point so long as the team that chooses that option is trailing.

The rule also moves the kick to the 34-yard line, though the kicking team will still line at the 35. The league hopes this will increase the frequency of recovered onside kicks. There were just three last year. Of course, they shouldn't make it easier. That play is supposed to be hard to convert. My advice: don't put yourself in that hole to begin with...

COMPLICATED LEGACY

The NFL world was saddened to learn of Colts owner Jim Irsay passing away in his sleep at the age of 65 on Wednesday afternoon. It's hard to say that a billionaire was every man, especially one born into that life. Still, unlike the other 31 owners who operate as if they are above it all, Irsay was open and honest about his struggles, becoming an advocate for mental health and addiction awareness while confronting his own personal demons often.

Irsay spent 53 years in the NFL, beginning as a ball boy the first year his father, Jim, bought the Colts. At 24, he became the youngest GM in league history, and at 37, the team was his. Indy won a lot during his tenure, including the franchise's lone Super Bowl, and would have added a couple more had it not been for Belichick, Tom Brady, Ty Law, Rodney Harrison, etc. Irsay's trade for Carolina executive Bill Polian (he gave up a third-round pick) started the turnaround in 1997. A year later, Irsay stood his ground when Polian waffled about choosing Manning over Ryan Leaf, insisting Manning was the selection. 

Irsay also was a critical force in driving Dan Snyder out of the league (think Washington is happy about that?) and preventing an ownership group led by Rush Limbaugh from buying the Rams in 2009 (Limbaugh had made racially insensitive remarks about then Philadelphia QB Donovan McNabb).

He was also revered by employees and players, and he was chosen by three Hall of Famers, Dwight Freeney, Edgerrin James, and Marvin Harrison, to present them at their inductions. That doesn't happen often, and Irsay called it "the greatest honor an owner can receive.” 

I only met Irsay a couple of times during my time covering the league, and over the last couple of years, I would see him whiz by in a golf cart because he had such difficulty walking. But I can say he is the only owner I've ever encountered - in any sport - who thanked me for covering his team. Oh sure, I've had the courteous handshake and vapid pleasantries, but not a firm grip, eyes locked, smile on the face delivery: "I appreciate what you do. Thank you for covering our team."

There was much more to Irsay than his team, causes or demons. I encourage you to read more. He's a complicated man, but one who will be missed by the league, especially by that state and fan base.