New arrivals in gush mode over ’18 team
McKinnon, Richburg eager to unite with Garoppolo
SANTACLARA » Running back Jerick McKinnon and center Weston Richburg met the media Thursday and gushed at the bright futures awaiting themin 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme.
Last season’s 5- 0 finish under quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not go unnoticed by Richburg, the new starting center who’ll be protecting Garoppolo and opening rushing lanes for McKinnon.
“When Jimmy comes in and they go on that run, it just looked like there was a lot of great things ahead,” Richburg said. “That’s how I feel here today, excited about what’s in store for us and what we can do as an offense and as a team.”
So what did we really learn at Thursday’s press conference? Here are the highlights:
The leverage of free agency in his prime brought Kirk Cousins the market- setting contract with Minnesota.
Now the Vikings have their latest franchise quarterback to try to secure that elusive first Super Bowl victory with.
The Vikings wrapped up their welcome party with an $ 84 million, three- year contract for Cousins on Thursday afternoon, banking big time on the late-blooming formerWashington Redskins prospect to finally stabilize a critical position that’s been infamously problematic.
“He was a guy that always had to prove himself,” coach Mike Zimmer said. “He’s a lot like a lot of people on our football team.”
The money for Cousins is fully guaranteed, according to a person with knowledge of the deal speaking to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because the team did not announce the terms. That gives him the largest guarantee in NFL history, at least until the next mega quarterback contract comes along, according to figures tracked by the pro sports financial website spotrac.com. His annual average of $28 million is also, for now, the biggest in the league.
Team owners Zygi Wilf andMarkWilf didn’t hesitate to give their approval.
“If anybody in this city or this state has a question about their commitment, I think this contract shows that they’re all in,” Cousins said. “It’s a tremendous amount of belief in me as a person and as a player, and I’mhumbled and honored to get the OK on that, that the decision-makers brought to them believed that way.”
The guarantee of the full value of the deal is unprecedented in the NFL, where a variety of complex factors have kept players from receiving sure-thing contracts like baseball, basketball and hockey players. LINE CHANGE FOR PHINS » Three- time Pro Bowl centerMike Pouncey was released as part of an offensive line makeover in Miami. The Dolphins also acquired center Daniel Kilgore in a trade with the 49ers, and four-time Pro Bowl guard Josh Sitton agreed to terms on a two-year deal that could be worth nearly $18 million. Pouncey, 28, has been plagued by serious problems with both hips, and at one time said he feared the issue might be careerending. But last season he played in all 16 games for the first time since 2012. SAINTS’ OWNER BENSON DIES » Tom Benson, a successful auto dealer who brought the New Orleans Saints their only winning seasons and the “Benson Boogie,” has died. Benson, who has also owned the NBA’s New Orleans Pelicans since 2012, was 90. The NFL and NBA teams announced Benson’s death on Thursday. He had been hospitalized since Feb. 16 with flu symptoms. Benson made his mark in pro sports with the Saints, which he bought in 1985 when it appeared the club would be sold to out- ofstate interests. He paid $70 million for the team, which is now worth close to $2 billion. DEFENSIVE LINEMAN LEAVES CHAMPS FOR BUCS » The Tampa Bay Buccaneers signed former Philadelphia Eagles run-stopper Beau Allen to a threeyear, $15 million contract. POE TO JOIN CAROLINA » The Carolina Panthers and unrestricted free agent defensive tackle Dontari Poe have reportedly agreed on a three-year, $28 million deal. The 27-year- old Poe played five seasons for the Kansas City Chiefs and went to two Pro Bowls after being selected with the 11th overall pick in the NFL draft in 2012. Poe spent last season with the Falcons. JETS FILL HOLES » New York signed running back Isaiah Crowell and kicker Cairo Santos. The deal for the former Cleveland Browns running back is for three years, $12 million. Santos has signed a one-year contract with the Jets, who were in need of a kicker after Chandler Catanzaro signed with Tampa Bay. TWINS REUNITED » The McCourty twins are back together: The Cleveland Browns traded cornerback Jason McCourty to the New England Patriots, reuniting him with his brother Devin.