NFL Notes: Tony Jefferson, Carli Lloyd, Luke Kuechly

Tony Jefferson

Free agent S Tony Jefferson is working his way back from a torn ACL, but he’s expected to be ready to return at some point in July. 

“The draft is going to happen and I’m not sure what will transpire between teams and who they’ll pick and whether they’re waiting on me. But I would still feel comfortable,” Jefferson said, via Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “At that point, I’d probably just be close to getting cleared anyways. They would know that they’re getting a healthy me and we’ll just roll with it that way. I’m not really worried about it. I know my play, and I know what I can do.

“I know that my knee is feeling fine, and I know that I have teams that are ready. I’ve just kind of let my agent do his thing. We’re just waiting for this virus to settle down, and I think something will happen quickly.”

We have him included in our Top 100 Available 2020 Free Agents list.

Carli Lloyd

USWNT star Carli Lloyd hasn’t forgotten about the buzz she stirred when she made a 55-yard field goal at training camp last summer. Lloyd still believes with proper training she could be the first woman to play in the NFL. However, with the pandemic shutdown affecting training and Lloyd focused on the Olympic Games which were moved from this summer to 2021, she says it might be a year or two before that becomes an option. 

“First and foremost I’m focusing on soccer at the moment, but I’ve always been a kid who loves a challenge,” Lloyd said via Yahoo Sports’s Frank Schwab. “I’ve never backed down from any challenge. I know with proper training and the right technique and someone showing me how to properly kick, I know I could do it. It may have to get pushed a year or two, we’ll see. I know the times right now are a little up in the air, so we’ll see. I’m not ruling it out. You never know.”

Luke Kuechly

Former Panthers LB Luke Kuechly doesn’t have any second thoughts about whether retiring after eight seasons was the right decision, though that doesn’t make walking away from football any easier. For his next step, Kuechly says he wants to “find a way to stay involved in football somehow.” He’s discussed coaching with former teammate and current Panthers ST coach Chase Blackburn, and HC Matt Rhule has made it clear to Kuechly the doors are open for him. The broadcast route is also an option Kuechly is considering, as a number of players like Jason Witten, Tony Romo and Ronde Barber have shown. 

“Those guys, you can tell that they played at a high level and they still have the ability to stay involved with the game,” Kuechly said in an interview with NBS Sports’ Mike Tirico via Pro Football Talk. “I think that part is something that’s attractive to me just in the sense that they played it and are still involved it in an interesting role.”