2017 September - Pro Football Rumors

Month: September 2017

Latest On Aaron Donald’s Rams Status

September 9th, 2017 at 5:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Donald will miss Sunday’s Colts game after reporting to the Rams on Saturday, and it’s not a lock the All-Pro defender returns for Week 2 against the Redskins. The Rams won’t automatically redeploy Donald until he’s ready, Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk reports. Although it would be borderline shocking if Donald missed three games, he does have barely a week to integrate into Wade Phillips‘ 3-4 system if he wants to suit up for Week 2.

Smith notes the Rams are prepared to sit Donald in Weeks 2 and 3 if it comes to that, whatever amount of time he needs to get up to speed. Regardless if he plays or not, the Rams will be paying him his $106K-plus game checks, per Smith, who adds that stipulation was a key factor in Donald reporting. The Rams travel to face the 49ers for a Thursday-night game in Week 3, and Smith writes it’s not out of the question it takes until Week 4 — a road trip to Dallas — before Rams fans see Donald back in uniform.

However, the 26-year-old dynamo stayed in shape while working out in Pittsburgh, per Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com, who does not expect Donald’s acclimation process to Phillips’ scheme to take long. He expects the fourth-year star on the field in Week 2.

Here’s the latest coming out of Los Angeles on the Donald front.

The Rams asked the NFL for a roster exemption to add Donald today and not to have to cut anyone in doing so, thus having a 54-man team — per Rich Hammond of the Orange County Register, on Twitter. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets the Rams received the exemption, and Donald is on board as the team’s 54th player. Los Angeles will need to make a roster move after Week 1 to trim the active unit down to 53.
Still holding the leverage, the Rams did not relent in the Donald impasse. Gonzalez noted earlier this week the team understands a Donald extension will need to make him the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News notes (on Twitter) the team has a limit to how far it will go. Making Donald the league’s richest defender will mean the Rams will have to approach or surpass the $20MM-AAV barrier.
A Donald deal occurring soon should make him the league’s first defender to secure a $20MM-per-year pact with $50MM fully guaranteed at signing, Joel Corry of CBS Sports tweets. Von Miller and Ndamukong Suh are the league’s only $19MM-AAV defenders, and Donald being two years younger than Miller would stand to raise the ceiling. And Corry doesn’t believe the regular season starting closes the window (Twitter link). The Rams signed both Robert Quinn and Michael Brockers shortly after their respective 2014 and 2016 seasons began. Both Quinn and Brockers signed their extensions between Weeks 1-2. The 2017 Rams, though, hold the least amount of cap space in football.
The Rams agreeing to waive Donald’s fines — which would have approached $1.5MM, or nearly his entire 2017 base salary — represents a win for the all-world interior defender, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. While both Odell Beckham and Khalil Mack attended their teams’ training camps as top-tier members of the 2014 first round, each suffered an injury. And Beckham is questionable to play for the Giants on Sunday night. Florio expects Donald, barring a 2017 extension, to consider taking the same approach next year as a result of his team’s actions. Florio also anticipates members of the 2015 first round who don’t receive extensions prior to their fourth training camps to consider following Donald’s lead.

Raiders To Place Sebastian Janikowski On IR

September 9th, 2017 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders will open the season with a kicker other than Sebastian Janikowski for the first time since the 20th century on Sunday, because the team placed the 18th-year veteran on IR Saturday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Janikowski’s struggled with a back injury during the preseason. In Janikowski’s place, Giorgio Tavecchio is in line to make his NFL debut Sunday against the Titans, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets. The Raiders signed Tavecchio to their practice squad on Friday after taking him to training camp the past two years.

Schefter notes (via Twitter) the Raiders promoted Tavecchio from the practice squad. The Raiders were concerned about Janikowski’s back for some time, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (on Twitter) the kicker hadn’t felt right in weeks.

A disc injury will shelve Janikowski for at least half the season, but the situation could be complicated. The Raiders are planning to make rookie safety Obi Melifonwu one of their IR-DTR players, and teams only have two such spots. So it’s possible this injury ends Janikowski’s season, depending on what transpires on the Oakland injury front during the first half of the season. The Raiders waited until December of last year to recall defensive end Mario Edwards, but it would certainly be interesting if they held a spot for a kicker.

This has been quite the newsworthy week involving the longest-tenured player in Raiders history. Oakland worked out three recently released kickers — Josh Lambo, Mike Nugent and Marshall Koehn — and a pay-cut agreement commenced, reducing Janikowski’s 2017 salary from $4MM to $3MM. This followed an initial impasse that involved the longtime specialist refusing to accept a pay reduction. That $3MM figure is guaranteed in this the last season of Janikowski’s latest Raiders contract.

The 2000 first-round pick has only missed four games with the Raiders, and his 268 are the most any Raider’s ever played.

Lambo, Nugent and Koehn will be names to monitor, since it’s unlikely Tavecchio will have surefire job security. He’ll have to perform to stave off a potential veteran add. Also a left-footed kicker, Tavecchio kicked for Cal from 2008-11.

Bears Sign Akiem Hicks To Extension

September 9th, 2017 at 2:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

Akiem Hicks will begin his second Bears season Sunday, and it looks like the veteran defensive end will see many more Windy City openers. The Bears and Hicks agreed to a lucrative extension on Saturday, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reporting (via Twitter) it’s a four-year, $48MM contract.

Hicks will see $30MM in guaranteed money, Schefter reports. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported (on Twitter) a deal could be imminent, and within a minute, terms emerged. Hicks will now become by far the Bears’ highest-paid defender.

The Bears initially signed Hicks to a two-year, $10MM deal as a free agent last year. But Hicks’ second Chicago accord rockets him into the upper echelon of 3-4 defensive end contracts.

Only Muhammad Wilkerson, J.J. Watt and Jurrell Casey entered today making more per year than Hicks’ $12MM new-money average. The 27-year-old defender’s deal comes in comfortably ahead of the other eight-figure-per-year members — Mike Daniels, Corey Liuget and Cameron Heyward each make between $10.2-$10.6MM AAV. He and Steelers defensive end Stephon Tuitt — also extended today, for $12.2MM AAV — form their own tier in between these aforementioned levels.

A former third-round Saints pick in 2012, Hicks registered a career-high seven sacks last season. He was seeking $10MM per year and expressed desire to remain a Bear, entering what was set to be his contract campaign. But his camp did quite well in securing this agreement, going well north of that $10MM-AAV threshold. Hicks signed with Rosenhaus Sports earlier this summer to prepare for what turned out to be preseason negotiations.

Hicks rated as a top-flight interior defender, via Pro Football Focus, last season. The former Saint and Patriot’s deal is closer to those of higher-end 4-3 defensive tackle contracts than among players at his own position. PFR’s Connor Byrne assessed Hicks’ value this summer and mentioned deals on the Heyward/Daniels tier as Hicks’ realistic ballpark but did not discount a possibility of a pact in between those and the Jaguars-authorized contacts for Malik Jackson and Calais Campbell. Hicks’ deal falls south of Jackson and Campbell’s mammoth pacts but in front of the Giants’ Damon Harrison and Bengals Pro Bowler Geno Atkins‘ agreement.

Steelers Activate Le’Veon Bell

September 9th, 2017 at 2:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

It’s official now. Le’Veon Bell is a part of the Steelers’ 53-man roster going into the 2017 season.

The Steelers activated the fifth-year running back on Saturday and cut linebacker Steven Johnson, whom they re-signed earlier this week, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.

Johnson played in Pittsburgh last season, seeing action in six games, after stays with the Broncos and Titans from 2012-15. The Steelers cut Johnson upon slashing their roster to 53 players but re-signed him two days later. The 29-year-old Pennsylvania native could conceivably be brought back soon.

Bell, who signed his franchise tender earlier this week, will play in Week 1 for the first time since the 2014 season. He missed the past two Steelers openers because of suspensions.

Aaron Donald Reports To Rams

September 9th, 2017 at 1:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

Aaron Donald reported to the Rams on Saturday and passed a physical, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter).

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets the All-Pro defensive lineman will not play on Sunday against the Colts, and Florio adds (via Twitter) Donald may not be ready to play in Week 2.

The Rams waived all fines (up to $1.48MM) that could have been levied against Donald for missing more than a month’s worth of practices throughout the preseason, Florio tweets, adding that he’ll now be paid for Week 1 as well. Donald reporting Saturday also prevented missing out on a forfeiture of a signing bonus payment of $711K, Florio notes.

This progress display from both sides does not mean an extension agreement’s occurred. Schefter notes (on Twitter) no such accord’s been reached, but the Rams and Donald will keep trying as he enters his fourth season — and first of extension eligibility. Essentially, Donald lost no significant money for missing out on six-plus weeks’ worth of work and in training independently incurred less risk of an injury that would have potentially damaged his value.

The 26-year-old Donald is under Rams contract for two more seasons but will only make $1.8MM in base salary this year. The incredibly team-friendly agreement induced the holdout, but Donald will now no longer risk losing $106K weekly by being absent from the team. He spent this week on the east coast after speaking with Rams management about an extension in Atlanta last week. After said meeting, a Donald deal — which the Rams understand will need to set a new standard for a defensive player — was “not close.”

Sunday’s game against the Colts in Los Angeles will feature much less star power than it would have under optimal circumstances, with Andrew Luck out as well.

Donald will now begin work in Wade Phillips‘ new 3-4 scheme, which calls for the 6-foot-1 superstar to play defensive end when the Rams deploy base sets. He’s lined up at three technique since emerging as a force his rookie season, and while he still stands to play at that spot frequently, there’s likely some systemic intel to absorb before he makes his 2017 debut in either Week 2 (against the Redskins) or Week 3 (against the 49ers).

Steelers Sign DE Stephon Tuitt To Extension

September 9th, 2017 at 11:45am CST by Ben Levine

Stephon Tuitt will remain in Pittsburgh for the foreseeable future. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Steelers have signed the talented defensive end to a five-year extension. Schefter adds that the deal is worth $61MM. The deal is effectively for six years, as the team ripped up the final year of Tuitt’s contract. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that the defensive end will now earn $15MM in 2017.

We heard yesterday that the two sides were nearing a deal. Considering the team’s policy to not discuss new deals during the regular season, today appeared to be the unofficial deadline for negotiations. The team previously had $7MM in cap room, and with Tuitt set to earn a $12MM average annual salary, we can only assume that that number has been reduced. The defensive end was set to hit free agency following the season, and he was scheduled to earn $1.094MM in 2017. Our own Dallas Robinson noted that the going rate for similar defensive ends was around $10MM a year, and it looks like Tuitt will come in right above that mark.

The 2014 second-round pick has spent his entire three-year career with the Steelers. Following a solid rookie season, Tuitt broke out in 2015, finishing with 54 tackles and 6.5 sacks in 14 games (14 starts). The 24-year-old was equally productive in 2016, compiling 37 tackles, four sacks, three passes defended, and two forced fumbles. Pro Football Focus was especially favorable of his performance, as he ranked 20th among the league’s eligible interior defenders.

Considering the Steelers relative lack of depth at defensive end, Tuitt will be especially leaned on during the upcoming season. Besides fellow starter Cameron Heyward, the team is rostering a pair of backups in Tyson Alualu and Leterrius Walton.

Colts Waive RB Matt Jones

September 9th, 2017 at 10:32am CST by Ben Levine

Matt Jones‘ tenure with the Colts has already come to an end. Less than a week after claiming him from the Redskins, Indy announced this morning that they’ve waived the running back. The team has promoted guard Adam Redmond from the practice squad to take the open roster spot.

Jones was waived by Washington last week, and he was subsequently claimed by the Colts. The fit made sense for Indianapolis; the team was relying on a 34-year-old starting running back in Frank Gore, and backups Robert Turbin and Marlon Mack aren’t the most intriguing options. However, it appears as if the team is content heading into the regular season with the trip of running backs.

Jones had shown promise with the Redskins, rushing for 490 yards and compiling 304 receiving yards in 2015. However, he took a step back in 2016, compiling 460 rushing yards in seven games. By the end of the season, he was behind Robert Kelley and Chris Thompson on the depth chart. While he owns a modest 3.9-yards-per-carry mark during his career, Jones has had issues taking care of the ball, compiling eight fumbles in two seasons. As Ian Rapoport tweets, the Bears attempted to claim Jones last week, so they might bite on the 24-year-old.

Redmond, a 2016 undrafted free agent out of Harvard, spent most of last season on the Colts practice squad. Mike Chappell of IndySportsCentral.com tweets that Joe Haeg and Le’Raven Clark are currently the team’s only healthy lineman, and Redmond will provide the squad with some extra depth. In fact, Chappell believes Jones could be back with the organization once the rest of the line is healthy (assuming he clears waivers).

Reactions To Ezekiel Elliott’s Injunction Ruling

September 9th, 2017 at 9:56am CST by Ben Levine

We learned yesterday that Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott had been granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL. The player’s six-game suspension is now on hold, and he’ll be allowed to play the upcoming season as the case is resolved. Ultimately, the judge found that Elliott “did not receive a fundamentally fair hearing, necessitating the Court grant the request.”

An NFL spokesman released a statement following the decision (via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo on Twitter):

“We strongly believe that the investigation and evidence supported the Commissioner’s decision and that the process was meticulous and fair throughout. We will review the decision in greater detail and discuss next steps with counsel, both in the district court and federal court of appeals.”

Meanwhile, the NFLPA released a statement, citing the league office’s lack of integrity (via Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com):

“Commissioner discipline will continue to be a distraction from our game for one reason: because NFL owners have refused to collectively bargain a fair and transparent process that exists in other sports. This ‘imposed’ system remains problematic for players and the game, but as the honest and honorable testimony of a few NFL employees recently revealed, it also demonstrates the continued lack of integrity within their own League office.”

Let’s take a look at some other reactions regarding the Elliott decision…

There were several factors that went into Judge Amos L. Mazzant III’s decision, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. For starters, the judge had concerns about the credibility of Tiffany Thompson, and he believed Elliott’s team should have been allowed to cross-examine her. Furthermore, the question marks surrounding “the opinions and conclusions of NFL Director of Investigations Kia Roberts” should have resulted in testimony from commissioner Roger Goodell, which did not happen. Finally, the judge cited “[f]undamental unfairness” that had plagued the case since the beginning.
Florio also points out a footnote in the ruling, noting that Judge Mazzant could still dismiss the entire case based on the fact that it was filed prematurely. The NFL is still required to file essential paperwork, and the judge could subsequently decide to “punt” the case in “deference to the lawsuit the NFL filed in New York.” In this case, Elliott would once again be forced to get an injunction so he can continue to play. However, Florio believes this is unlikely, as the judge will presumably keep “control of the case in order to ensure that the case is processed with the benefit of his conclusion.”
Elliott’s attorneys released a statement following the decision (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter): “We just learned of the Honorable Amos Mazzant’s decision to grant Mr. Elliott’s request for a preliminary injunction staying the NFL’s six-game suspension. We are very pleased that Mr. Elliott will finally be given the opportunity to have an impartial decision-maker carefully examine the NFL’s misconduct. This is just the beginning of the unveiling of the NFL’s mishandling as it relates to Mr. Elliott’s suspension. As the Court noted, the question of whether Mr. Elliott received a fundamentally fair hearing answered… “he did not”. We agree.”

Patriots’ Dion Lewis Drawing Trade Interest

September 9th, 2017 at 8:29am CST by Ben Levine

Patriots running back Dion Lewis is generating trade interest around the NFL, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter). The writer says “multiple squads” reached out to New England during the offseason, including “as recently as the past week.” So far, the Patriots have been unwilling to discuss the back, although Howe believes that could change by the late-October trade deadline. The writer also notes that New England isn’t shopping Lewis… they’ve simply received multiple calls about the running back.

After brief stops with the Eagles, Browns and Colts, Lewis had a breakout campaign during his first season in New England in 2015. The former fifth-rounder proved to be a threat in the passing game, hauling in 36 receptions for 388 yards and two touchdowns. He also added another 234 rushing yards and a pair of scores. However, his season ended early after he suffered a torn ACL. The 26-year-old returned midway through the 2016 season, finishing with a career-high 283 rushing yards.

However, coming into this season, Lewis’s role on the squad was unclear. Fellow pass-catching back James White had a noteworthy season in 2016, hauling in 60 receptions for 551 yards. White seemed to be the favored back during the Patriots’ season-opening loss on Thursday, collecting 10 carries and three receptions. On the flip side, Lewis only had a pair of carries for nine yards. With Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead also on the roster, Lewis would appear to be the most expendable of the bunch.

Extra Points: Browns, Bengals, Redskins

September 8th, 2017 at 9:58pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Kevin Hogan will serve as the Browns‘ backup quarterback on Sunday instead of Cody Kessler, as head coach Hue Jackson explained to reporters, including Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. While the shifting of reserve signal-caller duties isn’t necessarily earth-shattering news on its own, Kessler’s demotion could potentially have after-effects. If Hogan shows well as Cleveland’s No. 2 quarterback, Kessler would theoretically make for a relatively attractive trade candidate. Only 24 years old, Kessler started eight games and completed 65.6% of his passes as a rookie. The Browns, clearly, haven’t been afraid of dealing current assets for future picks.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

While Bengals linebacker Vontaze Burfict‘s extension was announced as a three-year, $38.68MM deal, the specifics of the pact aren’t as impressive, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The only fully guaranteed portion of the contract is Burfict’s $3.3MM signing bonus, while $2.25MM annually is tied to gameday active roster bonuses, an especially hefty total given Burfict’s injury history. And while Burfict’s 2017 base salary will now increase from $3.95MM to $7.936MM, Burfict’s impending three-game suspension will ensure that he loses $1.4MM of that new total.
As part of the extension that will keep him with the Redskins through 2019, running back Chris Thompson has agreed to rework his 2017 salary, according to Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link). Originally scheduled to earn a base salary of $2.746MM, Thompson will now take home ~$2.5MM in total compensation for the upcoming season, but will also bring in a signing bonus of $3MM. Additionally, Thompson can earn $250K in roster bonuses in 2018-19, while $1.125MM is available in annual incentives during that same period.
Offensive lineman Byron Bell earned his third and final $150K bonus of the offseason by making weight prior to the start of the Cowboys‘ regular season, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Bell scored the same weight bonus (for tipping the scales at fewer than 320 pounds) when minicamp and training camp, respectively, got underway. Signed to a one-year deal in March, Bell will also earn a $1MM base salary, a $250K signing bonus, and $300K in per-game roster bonuses. The 28-year-old will serve as the top reserve lineman on one of the league’s best front fives.
Free agent punter Brock Miller worked out for the 49ers on Thursday, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area (Twitter link), but it doesn’t appear that San Francisco will be signing Miller at this time. Instead, the left-footed Miller was brought in to help the 49ers’ special teams unit prepare for Panthers punter Michael Palardy (another lefty). The 49ers will go forward with punter Bradley Pinion, while Miller — who inked a futures deal with San Francisco in January — will continue to hit the workout circuit.

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