According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, the San Francisco 49ers have traded Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee to the Cleveland Browns for a 7th round draft pick in 2017. Yes, 2017 and not 2016.
The 49ers used a 5th round selection in this year's draft to select Clemson punter Bradley Pinion, who general manager Trent Baalke had said would offer competition for Lee. It looks as though that competition is over.
While there had been early speculation, due mainly to his college field goal experience, that Pinion might actually offer some competition for kicker Phil Dawson, he will likely start at punter for the 49ers and Lee will start for the Browns.
Lee was drafted by the 49ers in the 6th round of the 2004 NFL Draft and selected to the Pro Bowl following the 2007, 2009 and 2011 seasons. His contract with the 49ers had run through 2018.
Lee was going to count $2.55 million against this year's cap whereas Pinion will count only account for $483,550.
Lee had averaged 46.2 yards per punt during his career with the 49ers with a net average of 39.6 yards per punt.
And now, some Bradley Pinion punting highlights...
Cleveland is trading a 7th-round pick in 2017 to San Francisco for three-time Pro Bowl punter Andy Lee, league sources told ESPN.
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By David Bonilla
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Tight end George Kittle remembers when he first heard about the trade.
"I was literally playing video games, and my buddy goes, 'Hey, did you see Twitter? You guys just got Christian McCaffrey,'" Kittle shared last week. "And I said, 'Shut the front door,' and I called [McCaffrey] immediately. He was like, 'I have no idea what's going on.' I was like, 'Neither do I, but welcome to the Niners, man. We're going to have a good time.'"
About 48 hours
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Do you smell that? It's playoff football.
It's a time to celebrate. For a few more precious hours, every team in the tournament still has life, still has reason to hope. There are no more guaranteed games, but there's football to be played, and right now is the time to exult in it. No matter who you root for, you can imagine your team finding a way to win, a way to keep playing football, and filling your February with excitement and joy. Right now, there's nothing standing between your team and glory except the vagaries of chance and a well-fought effort this weekend, and hopefully the next.
And for those of you who aren't rooting for a team that's made it this far, never fear. 7 of the 14 playoff entrants this year didn't make it into the dance last year. The
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Jan 21
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Both teams have strong offenses and defenses, which means that there will be many impactful players on both sides of the ball.
But, for now, let's eye in on the X-Factors for each team that could help determine the outcome of the game.
49ers
Offense: Brandon Aiyuk
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Next weekend, Philadelphia will host the NFC Championship Game for the first time since the 2017 season, a game the Eagles won 38-7 against the Minnesota Vikings.
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