NFL Notes: Pro Bowl, 49ers, Jets, Vikings

Pro Bowl

The NFL announced Wednesday that the 2018 Pro Bowl will return Orlando after what was considered to be a successful first year in Florida.

“The Pro Bowl is not only a time to watch NFL greats compete live, but it is also a unique opportunity to inspire youth and the next generation of stars,” said Peter O’Reilly, NFL Senior Vice President of Events. “We received tremendous feedback from players, coaches, and fans about Orlando’s first Pro Bowl, and we are excited to build upon that enthusiasm with a week-long festival that celebrates the entire football community.”

“Hosting Orlando’s inaugural NFL Pro Bowl at Camping World Stadium earlier this year was not only fun, but it was a resounding success for our Central Florida community,” said Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer. “We enthusiastically welcome our NFL partners back in 2018. Their confidence in our city’s ability to put on such a high-profile event underscores our reputation as one of the premier sports destinations in the U.S.”

49ers

49ers ILB NaVorro Bowman told reporters that the front office spoke to him about the trade rumor that surfaced a few weeks ago.

“[GM John Lynch] mentioned it was a rumor, things were misinterpreted,” Bowman said, via Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “I also heard about the guy who reported it, who wanted some type of attention off of reporting it.”

49ers HC Kyle Shanahan said that the only trade talks they had during the draft involved TE Vance McDonald.

“[T]he only trade discussions we had was when another team asked us about [tight end] Vance [McDonald] on draft day,” Shanahan said. “And after a team asked us about Vance then we asked other teams if they’d be interested in that same thing. When it came to NaVorro or any other player on our team, no one’s asked and we haven’t either.”

Jets

• Adam Schefter mentions that the Jets are pleased with how second-year QB Christian Hackenberg has looked thus far, which could be due to the influence of Jeremy Bates.

Vikings

• Chris Tomasson of The Pioneer Press reports that the NFLPA has advised Vikings’ draft picks to not sign their rookie agreements with Minnesota, due to specific language in the deals that they believe violates the league’s collective bargaining agreement.
• According to Tomasson, the Vikings are using the same contracts signed by draft picks last year but the deals include offset and anti-tampering clauses.
• A source tells Tomasson that the Vikings are “conflating offset language with prohibited terms.”