NFL Notes: Patrick Willis, Draft, Falcons, Lions, & Titans

Patrick Willis

Patrick Willis told Takeo Spikes in an interview on NBCs Pro Football Talk that there’s “zero” chance of him returning to the NFL.

“The time for me has come,” Willis said, via Pro Football Talk.  “The time has come.  It’s time for change, and honestly it’s something that when I had that [toe] surgery, I’ve been talking about my feet for a long time, and people choose to hear what they hear. Sometimes people hear something that they just brush right off because to them it doesn’t really resonate. . . .  I understand that it was something that was talking to me, and talking to me for a long time and when I hurt my toe in that game I felt like, as soon as it happened, I went down and I felt it.

“It was like somebody lifted something off my back, almost like I felt a breath or something leave my back.  I have no idea I just knew what I felt like, it felt like somebody had lifted a million pounds off my back because you know as well as I do, as long as we played together, that I’ve always talked about our feet then. We play on turf this week, then it’s my feet this or my feet that.  To the point where people are like, you talk about it so much that it becomes redundant and people are just like, ‘Quit talking about your feet.’ . . .  They don’t know what I truly feel.  They might think they have an understanding.  Unless you have played eight years and you’ve had bad big toes like I’ve had and you put forward the effort and body of work that I have, on the stage that I have, unless you’ve done that then you really don’t understand what I’m trying to say.”

Draft

• Georgia WR Chris Conley mentioned that he has pre-draft visits with the Eagles and Colts. (Alex Marvez)
• Utah DB Eric Rowe is scheduled to visit the Ravens, Lions and Dolphins and has private workouts with the Texans and Buccaneers. (Aaron Wilson)
• Tony Pauline reports that the Redskins spoke to Stanford LB A.J. Tarpley after Stanford’s Pro Day.
• According to Pauline, the Raiders had at least a dozen people on hand for Stanford’s Pro Day Thursday, including HC Jack Del Rio and GM Reggie McKenzie.

Falcons

• Vaughn McClure reports that the Falcons worked out Minnesota TE Maxx Williams.

Lions

• According to Tim Twentyman, the Lions worked out Florida State CB P.J. Williams on Thursday.

Titans

• Terry McCormick of 247Sports reports that the Titans will host Florida State QB Jameis Winston for a private workout in the coming weeks.