NFL Notes: McLeod Bethel-Thompson, Patriots, & Ravens

McLeod Bethel-Thompson

Free agent QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who has been released a staggering nine times by NFL teams, explains that being cut never gets easier for him.

“It’s terrible. Every time, it’s terrible,” Bethel-Thompson told Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. “I’ve got to pick up, go back home. You get that feeling in the bottom of your gut that what you love to do is being taken away from you. The day that feeling goes away is when it doesn’t matter to you anymore.”

Bethel-Thompson explains that he’s really in a catch-22 in regards to securing an NFL job.

“Put me between the lines, and I feel like I can out-throw 90 percent of quarterbacks in the NFL,” said Bethel-Thompson. “Playing time is the only thing that hurts me. You fall into a catch-22. ‘We’re going to release you because you don’t have enough game experience.’ And then it’s like, ‘What can I do to get on the field? It’s to stay on this roster and you give me that shot.’ You get stuck in this cycle.”

Patriots

• Mike Reiss of ESPN points out that Patriots third-round QB Jacoby Brissett is the only draft choice to not hire an agent, which helps to explain why he’s the last remaining Patriots’ draft pick to sign his rookie deal.
• A salary cap executive tells Reiss that third-round picks tend to be the most challenging negotiations, given that there has been some debate about what percent of a rookie salary cap players chosen in the third-round should get.
• Reiss adds that some agents have been pushing for the inclusion of workout bonuses for third-round picks, due to this issue.

Ravens

• Ben Volin of the Boston Globe points out that the Ravens are likely to receive a heavy fine and lose some of their offseason practices after they had rookies in pads for a recent practice. It’s worth mentioning that Baltimore immediately took players off the field after it was brought to their attention that this was a violation.
• This isn’t the Ravens first violation, as they previously lost practice time in the past.