NFC Notes: Elliott, Reed, Saints
As we get prepared for the first slate of Sunday games in 2017, let’s take a quick swing around the NFC:
- Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott was granted a temporary restraining order against the NFL, thereby putting his six-game suspension on hold and allowing him to be available for the remainder of the season while his case is sorted out. However, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the NFL is considering appealing that restraining order and is still discussing the matter with its attorneys.
- The toe injury that has been ailing Redskins TE Jordan Reed is actually a fracture in his big toe that impacts the way he runs, and he will be battling that injury for at least the early part of the season, as Rapoport writes. Reed is one of the most talented tight ends in the league, but he has yet to play a full 16-game season.
- The Eagles have returned the 2019 seventh-round selection they received from the Saints in the Jon Dorenbos trade in light of Dorenbos’ need for heart surgery and his release from New Orleans via injury settlement, as Howard Eskin of 94 WIP reports (via Twitter).
- Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro is eligible for unrestricted free agency next offseason, but Josh Katzenstein of the Times-Picayune does not expect the two sides to agree to an extension during the season. He still believes they will reach a long-term deal at some point next year, but as Vaccaro’s value is up for debate, the team may prefer to see how he performs in 2017 before making a big commitment to him.
- Rams head coach Sean McVay was a key figure in getting star DT Aaron Donald to end his holdout, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Rather than traveling with the team to Green Bay for the Rams’ final preseason game, McVay went to Atlanta with Rams executives to meet with Donald’s representatives, and his presence underscored how important Donald was to McVay and to Los Angeles. It also helped to facilitate dialogue between the two sides.
- Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com believes the Lions will wait to see if any of their young talent along the defensive line breaks out before going after an established veteran. Detroit’s pass rush is currently suspect at best, but the team could be hesitant to make a move until next week because if a veteran signs before the first game, his salary is guaranteed for the year. Plus, it’s not as though the free agent market is currently brimming with DL talent, as former Lions Wallace Gilberry and Darryl Tapp are among the best players available.
No Deal For Bengals, Tyler Eifert
Although the league does not impose a deadline for non-franchised-tagged players to sign a multiyear extension with their club, the Bengals impose a “soft” deadline to get such extensions done. That deadline is the day before the regular season opens, and as Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes, it has come and gone without a new deal for the Bengals and tight end Tyler Eifert, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency next year.
We heard back in July that the extension cases for Eifert and LB Vontaze Burfict were difficult to analyze, for a number of reasons. However, the club was able to reach a three-year deal with Burfict several days ago, despite that fact that he will be suspended for the first three games of the 2017 season.
Eifert, when healthy, is one of the best tight ends in the game, and he just turned 27 two days ago. Under the fifth-year player option, Eifert will earn $4.782MM in 2017, and per Owczarski, Cincinnati is not opposed to using the franchise tag on him next season if he produces the way he did in 2015, when he hauled in 52 catches for 615 yards and a whopping 13 touchdowns en route to his first Pro Bowl selection. The tag number for tight ends next season is projected to be right around $10MM, which sounds fairly reasonable for a player of Eifert’s caliber.
That would make Eifert close to the highest-paid tight end in the game in terms of average annual value. Seattle’s Jimmy Graham currently leads all tight ends in AAV, as he earns $10MM per season, though two of Eifert’s 2011 draft classmates, Kansas City’s Travis Kelce and Washington’s Jordan Reed, are not far behind, and both of them top Graham in terms of total contract value. Considering Reed’s injury history, Eifert could certainly point to Reed’s deal (five years, $46.75MM with $14MM guaranteed) as a reasonable benchmark for his own contract.
Eifert’s injury history could complicate matters, although both sides want to get a deal done. If Eifert can stay on the field for all of 2017, there is a good chance that the two sides can agree to a long-term deal next offseason.
La Canfora’s Latest: McDaniels, Caserio, Luck, Bell
Although things could change very quickly, the 49ers are pleased with what they have seen from rookie head coach/GM tandem Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch during their brief tenures with the club. However, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that San Francisco “intently pursued” Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and player personnel director Nick Caserio this offseason and came very close to hiring both.
This does not sound much different than what we heard back in January, when McDaniels and Caserio were considered the runaway favorites to become the 49ers’ head coach and GM, respectively, and it was reported that McDaniels only withdrew his name from consideration when Caserio declined to interview with San Francisco. Both men have been very discerning when considering their next landing spot, and for good reason, considering their success and relative job security in New England. It is unclear as to why Caserio opted not to interview with the 49ers, but according to La Canfora, the possibility of a McDaniels/Caserio tandem in the Bay Area was even more real than it originally appeared. They remain a potential package deal, and they could leave the Pats in 2018 if the right opportunity arises.
Now for more from La Canfora:
- The CBS Sports scribe reports that Browns head coach Hue Jackson is “irate” with the team’s decision to release Joe Haden, and that Haden’s release has intensified the tensions between the coach and the front office, specifically GM Sashi Brown. Jackson is particularly angry because the release had no football merit and, in his view, was clearly a salary dump even though Cleveland could have easily carried Haden’s salary on its books (although it was reported that the Browns did at least try to trade Haden prior to cutting him). We have heard previously that Jackson would get every opportunity to right the ship in Cleveland, but given the apparently shaky relationship that he has with the club’s personnel department, that may not be the case.
- La Canfora writes that Colts QB Andrew Luck will miss several more weeks as he continues to recover from recover from offseason shoulder surgery. That is consistent with reports from earlier this week suggesting that Luck could be on the sidelines until sometime in October. Per La Canfora, Luck is expected to practice sooner rather than later and the plan is for him to ramp up his throwing regimen shortly. Indianapolis, of course, does not want to rush the face of its franchise, but if Luck cannot suit up for a few more weeks — and it would be unfair to expect him to perform to the best of his abilities immediately upon returning to the field — it is fair to wonder whether the Colts have any chance at a postseason push in 2017.
- We heard back in August that Le’Veon Bell turned down a lucrative extension offer from the Steelers at the eleventh hour, and La Canfora writes that the star back would have actually received $18MM in the first year of the deal. However, the average annual value of the extension was $13MM over the first three years, and Bell has been adamant that his next contract pay him $15MM per year. Contrary to that August report, La Canfora says Pittsburgh officials never believed a deal was done, though they were optimistic given the strength of the offer. The two sides are expected to renew long-term discussions as soon as the season is over.
North Notes: Tuitt, Trubisky, Vikings
Following the extensions for Antonio Brown and Alejandro Villanueva, the Steelers locked down Stephon Tuitt on the eve of their 2017 opener. Tuitt agreed to a five-year, $61MM extension on Saturday, and the details of that deal are out. Tuitt will receive an $11MM signing bonus and stand to earn $24MM in new money in the deal’s first two years, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, adding the fourth-year defensive end will collect $14MM in 2017 as opposed to the $1.05MM he was set to make. Florio adds there is no guarantee after the first year of the contract, which is typical for Steelers deals.
A $7.5MM roster bonus will be owed to Tuitt on the fifth day of the 2018 league year, Florio adds, and a $3.5MM roster bonus will be due on Day 5 of the 2019 league year. In 2018, Tuitt will earn a $3.5MM base salary and stands to collect a $6MM base in 2019. Tuitt’s ensuing base salaries are as follows: $9MM (2020), $9MM (’21) and $9.05MM (’22).
In Tuitt and Cameron Heyward, the Steelers have two interior defensive linemen earning at least $10MM annually. They join only the Jaguars and Bills in that group.
Here’s the latest from the North divisions on Week 1 Sunday eve.
- Mike Zimmer considered giving up Vikings defensive play-calling duties in advance of this season, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. However, the fourth-year coach resumed that responsibility during the preseason. The Vikings ranked ninth in defensive DVOA last season and made a point to extend key starters Linval Joseph, Everson Griffen and Xavier Rhodes this offseason.
- Mitch Trubisky‘s ability to process an NFL offense surprised the Bears, J.J. Stankevitz of CSNChicago.com notes. This led to the No. 2 overall pick — a one-year starter at North Carolina — commandeering the Bears’ backup job and prompting John Fox to declare him “ready to play” if needed Sunday.
- Rick Spielman is entering his 12th season making Vikings personnel decisions, but he’s only overseen one playoff victory — a Brett Favre-led divisional-round win over the Cowboys. The Vikings are again expected to compete for a playoff spot but Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes ownership will have to weigh the GM’s status if another season ends short of a playoff triumph. Illustrating Spielman’s effectiveness while showing obvious difficulty in establishing consistency, Minnesota has made the playoffs with four different quarterbacks — Tarvaris Jackson, Favre, Christian Ponder and Teddy Bridgewater — in the decision-maker’s tenure. The Vikings likely have to do so with a fifth, Sam Bradford, if they’re to return this season.
- The Bears’ Akiem Hicks extension followed Tuitt’s by a few hours Saturday, and he will be just shy of the Steelers defensive end on the AAV spectrum.
- The Browns once again have a new starting quarterback, but they’ll again trot out a new No. 2 man. Kevin Hogan will be the next man up behind DeShone Kizer on Sunday.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/17
Here are the today’s minor moves.
- With a ruptured Achilles’ tendon set to end Eric Berry‘s season, the Chiefs officially placed the eighth-year safety on IR Saturday. The team also signed offensive lineman Jordan Devey and safety Steven Terrell. Both Devey and Terrell went to training camp with Kansas City. The Chiefs cut both last weekend. Terrell started in five games as Earl Thomas‘ replacement with the Seahawks last season.
- The Colts cut safety Earl Wolff with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. A 2013 fifth-round Eagles pick, Wolff hasn’t played in a regular-season game since 2014. The Redskins signed Wolff to a reserve/futures deal in January but waived him earlier this month.
- To fill Matt Jones‘ roster spot, the Colts promoted guard Adam Redmond from their practice squad. Redmond signed with the Colts as a UDFA in 2016. He’ll join Deyshawn Bond as a center option for the team, which will be without starter Ryan Kelly to start the season.
- For now, the Broncos won’t go with a two-Peko setup on their defensive line. They waived defensive tackle Kyle Peko, Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post tweets. The Broncos signed Domata Peko to be their starting nose tackle and have until Sunday afternoon to replace his cousin on the roster in advance of their Monday-night game. Kyle Peko missed time this summer because of an injury.
- The Lions signed offensive lineman Storm Norton off their practice squad and waived linebacker Nick Bellore, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Rothstein adds this news could mean tackle Corey Robinson — brought off the PUP list last week — may not be ready to play in Week 1. Robinson missed the preseason with an injury.
- The Saints released outside linebacker Bryan Braman off IR with an injury settlement, Caplan reports (on Twitter).
Saints Release Jon Dorenbos
A Saints physical revealed long snapper Jon Dorenbos will require heart surgery, and as a result, the popular specialist’s tenure with the team ended.
The Saints released Dorenbos from their NFI list, via injury settlement, Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate reports (on Twitter). The team placed Dorenbos on its NFI list on Friday after news emerged of the impending heart operation.
New Orleans traded a 2019 seventh-round pick to acquire Dorenbos late last month, and he was set to begin a 15th NFL season. Instead, the 37-year-old long snapper/magician has more important issues at hand. This news follows a report out of Louisiana earlier this week of the Saints wanting to rescind the Dorenbos trade with the Eagles.
A two-time Pro Bowler who snapped for three teams — including the past 11 seasons with the Eagles — Dorenbos spent barely two weeks with the Saints, who signed long snapper Zach Wood to replace the veteran.
Latest On Aaron Donald’s Rams Status
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
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
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
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.