5 Key NFL Stories: 11/12/17 – 11/19/17

Ezekiel Elliott drops appeal. At long last, the Cowboys running back has agreed to serve his suspension and has officially withdrawn his appeal. At times, the ongoing saga surrounding Elliott seemed to have an indefinite timeline, as continuous legal actions by both Elliott and the NFL led to uncertainty. But Elliott will now accept his six-game ban, meaning he’ll be sidelined through Week 15. By taking the suspension now instead of allowing it to rollover into next season, Elliott is actually saving money given that his 2018 base salary is larger than his 2017 paycheck.

NFL investigating Jameis Winston. Winston is alleged to have groped a female Uber driver in 2016, and the NFL is now looking into the incident. Winston has denied the claims, stating the driver is mistaken on her charges; he also noted that he previously reported the mistake to Uber, but the company suspended his account nonetheless. Eagles cornerback Ronald Darby, a collegiate teammate of Winston, alleges he was in the Uber vehicle with Winston on the night of the alleged incident, also rejected the driver’s story. Winston is not a candidate for the commissioner’s exempt list given that no official charges have been filed.Tyrod Taylor

Bills bench Tyrod Taylor. Had the season ended last Sunday, Buffalo would have been in the postseason. Despite that fact, the Bills decided to bench Taylor — the club’s starting quarterback — and replace him with fifth-round rookie Nathan Peterman. Buffalo had reportedly been weighing the decision to go to Peterman for weeks, and now Taylor is a viable offseason trade candidate. Peterman, meanwhile, has already thrown five interceptions in the first half of today’s game against the Chargers.

Cardinals extend Larry Fitzgerald. As they did in 2016, the Cardinals have given Fitzgerald a one-year extension that will seemingly keep the future Hall of Famer in the desert for one more season. Of course, just because Fitzgerald inked the new deal doesn’t mean he still won’t consider retirement during the offseason. Instead, the pact ensures that Fitzgerald will remain with Arizona if he decides to play in 2018. The contract is worth $11MM but doesn’t contain any guaranteed money.

Legion of Boom disintegrating. After placing Richard Sherman on injured reserve last week, the Seahawks could now do the same with safety Kam Chancellor, who may miss the remainder of the season with a neck injury. Seattle head coach Pete Carroll hasn’t ruled Chancellor out for 2017, but all signs are pointing to lengthy absence or an IR trip. Meanwhile, a former LOB member is back in town, as the Seahawks agreed to sign cornerback Byron Maxwell.

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