Commanders buy land for possible site

They buy in Virginia, perhaps setting up for a new stadium

The Washington Commanders have bought land in Woodbridge, Virginia, for what could be a potential site of the NFL team’s next stadium, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.

The person spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity Monday because the team had not announced the acquisition. The Commanders paid approximately $100 million for 200 acres of land in Prince William County and are still considering other locations in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia, the person said.

This site is just over 20 miles outside D.C., about a 45-minute drive from RFK Stadium, which was the team’s home from 1961-1996. The Commanders’ current lease at FedEx Field in Landover, Maryland, expires in 2027.

ESPN, which first reported the sale, added that the site is the team’s preferred choice for a 60,000-seat domed stadium that would be available for use yearround and include a practice facility and amphitheater. Building a stadium that could host a Super Bowl has long been considered one of the organization’s goals.

Owner Dan Snyder and Co. have been looking at several possible sites in D.C., Maryland and Virginia, though the specter of investigations into the team’s finances clouded how those jurisdictions might handle helping him finance a stadium.

The Maryland House last month approved a $400 million plan to develop the area around FedEx Field that did not include money for a new stadium. Virginia lawmakers failed to pass legislation that would make it favorable for the Commanders to build their next stadium there.

BROWNS: Jadeveon Clowney’s running it back with Myles Garrett and the Browns.

The free agent defensive end, who revived his career last season with Cleveland, agreed Sunday to re-sign with the team for 2022, a person familiar with the deal told the Associated Press.

Clowney, who had nine sacks while playing opposite Garrett, will sign a oneyear contract worth up to $11 million, according to the person who spoke on condition of anonymity because the team has not announced the agreement.

The Browns had remained optimistic — and cautiously confident — about bringing back Clowney.

The 29-year-old and 2014 No. 1 overall pick had his most sacks since 2018 with Houston while playing in 14 games last season for Cleveland. He signed a oneyear, $10 million deal with incentives last April with the Browns.

Clowney’s presence forced offenses to commit an extra blocker at times to his side, which in turn freed up Garrett, who had a career-high 16 sacks in 2021 and was an All-Pro. Garrett also enjoyed playing with Clowney and had expressed hope they could team up again.

In April, Garrett posted a photo on his Instagram page of him slapping hands with Clowney during a game last season along with the caption: “Job not finished.”

Back with the Browns, Clowney will also be reunited with quarterback Deshaun Watson. They played together for two seasons with the Texans.

It makes sense for Clowney, who has been slowed by injuries during his career, to return to the Browns. Not only does his pairing with Garrett give the team two elite edge rushers, but the Browns know how to best utilize his strengths as well as when to give him time off to keep him healthy.

Clowney has always been an intriguing talent with his unique blend of size and speed. Before signing with Cleveland, he was limited to eight games with Tennessee in 2020 because of a knee injury and surgery. He spent 2019 with Seattle after four years in Houston.

SEAHAWKS: For the past decade in Seattle, nearly every team drill and every team activity had No. 3 and No. 54 at the front of the line leading the way.

That hasn’t been the case this offseason and that point was emphasized yet again Monday when the Seahawks moved into the next phase of offseason workouts. The Seahawks are no longer the team led by Russell Wilson and Bobby Wagner, creating a decidedly new vibe to Seattle’s offseason program.

“There is a vibe about this group. Every year the team takes on kind of a new makeup and it becomes from the personalities of the players in the leadership,” Seattle coach Pete Carroll said. “Leadership has shifted a little bit. That’s obvious. And so it feels like just as it is. It’s a new season, it’s a new team and here we go. It’s fun to watch it take shape and see the guys step into the roles.”

Wilson and Wagner were always the two constants to nearly every phase of the Seahawks evolution since both were drafted by Seattle in 2012. Whether it was an offseason workout or a training camp practice, the two were almost always there and always leading the way.

But Wilson is now in Denver, the result of his offseason blockbuster trade that signaled a new direction for Seattle. And Wagner is in Los Angles with the Super Bowl champion Rams, the result of a salary cap move to save the Seahawks cap space.

The moves left Seattle with a roster that has no players remaining from its Super Bowl championship team in 2013 and voids looking to be filled by those who remain. In the case of linebacker Jordyn Brooks, he’ll be taking over the defensive play call duties that Wagner previously had.

“It just means I’ve got to handle my business and make sure that I’m doing everything right at all times,” Brooks said. “You can go down the list of great Seahawks that has played here, great leaders of the past teams. I take a little bit of pride in that, so I just want to do the best job that I can for our team.”

While Brooks is the obvious choice to move into Wagner’s role on defense, the quarterback question in Seattle remains, and will remain, the No. 1 question until a decision is made, which will likely come at some point during the summer. It’s clear from Carroll’s comments this offseason that Geno Smith seems to have the lead in the competition with Drew Lock to be Wilson’s successor because of his experience playing in Seattle’s system.

PATRIOTS: Patriots wide receiver Kendrick Bourne probably needed to do a double take when he saw quarterback Mac Jones.

Bourne noted that Jones is lacking something he brought with him when he arrived in New England as a first-round draft pick out of Alabama last year.

“His stomach is gone and he looks really good,” Bourne laughed following Monday’s organized team activity on the practice fields behind Gillette Stadium. “He’s definitely a pro’s pro now.

“When you’re a rookie, you just don’t know it until you go through it for a year. So he’s definitely a lot more in shape than he ever was. He’s just dominating in conditioning, and it’s just dope to see. So he’ll just be able to endure more in a game and go through more.”

According to Jones, conditioning is an area he’s prioritized following a rookie season that saw him throw for 3,801 yards and 22 touchdowns (with 13 interceptions) while leading his team to 10 regular-season wins and a playoff berth.

“I think every year you want to do like a self-evaluation: How you felt through the games and body fat, all that stuff,” said Jones. “For me, just clean up my diet, and I’ve learned more this offseason than I probably ever have about nutrition, sleep, wellness, all that stuff.”

Jones said that he’s focused on “eating healthy, taking out a lot of things that are bad for my diet, but at the same time I need to maintain my weight and be able to take hits, so there’s a fine balance for every player. Every player’s different and, for me, I’ve definitely trimmed down body fat a little bit, and I’ll get a chance to bulk back up before the season starts and be able to absorb the hits.”

While Jones may be sporting a bit of a new look, he’ll be quarterbacking an offense that has a new look as well. Josh McDaniels, the Patriots’ longtime offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach, is gone to become head coach of the Las Vegas Raiders.

While the team has yet to announce another offensive coordinator, at different times on Monday head coach Bill Belichick, Joe Judge and Matt Patricia appeared to be in charge of the offense.

COLTS: Now Nick Foles and head coach Frank Reich can start diagramming the “Indy Special.”

The Colts announced Monday they had signed Foles to a two-year contract that reunites the QB and coach who combined on a trademark play call to help the Philadelphia Eagles win the 2017 NFL title.

Foles adds depth behind 37-year-old Matt Ryan, the league’s 2016 MVP whom Indy acquired from Atlanta in a March trade. And it gives Reich a proven backup, someone he knows well and who had long been rumored to be Indianapolis bound.

Foles spent the past two seasons in Chicago but appeared in only one game in 2021. The Bears were still paying him under the four-year, $88 million contract he signed with Jacksonville in 2019. Chicago released the 10-year veteran May 1.

A backup to Wentz in Philadelphia, Foles took over late in the 2017 season when Wentz injured his knee. He led the Eagles to the Super Bowl, outdueled Tom Brady in a 41-33 victory over New England and was the game’s MVP.

He also helped the Eagles win a playoff game at Chicago the next season before joining the Jaguars. Foles barely played in Jacksonville after breaking his collarbone in the season opener.

He eventually landed in Chicago where he backed up Justin Fields last season.

By adding Ryan and Foles, the Colts have solidified a position where they didn’t even have a clear starter in midMarch. They traded Wentz to the Washington Commanders after just one season. They got Ryan for a third-round pick when it became clear the Falcons were looking for Ryan’s successor.

Now, with two Super Bowl-playing quarterbacks, the Colts have one of the league’s most experienced quarterback depth charts.