Saints Don’t Expect Nick Fairley Return
The heart condition that will shelve Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley this year seems increasingly likely to end his career. Saints doctors don’t expect Fairley to return to the field, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate, and head coach Sean Payton said Wednesday that the defender’s condition will not improve over time. Further, Payton added that he’s not aware of any procedure capable of fixing it.
Payton stopped short of declaring that’s Fairley done for good, saying: “I would never sit at this table and use that word never. As we sit here today, though, we’ve prepared ourselves for him not playing this season. … The good side to that is, fortunately, this was discovered not the hard way.”
It’s possible the Saints will attempt to recoup some of the money they awarded Fairley in free agency, when they re-signed him to a four-year, $28MM contract that includes $9MM in guarantees and an $8MM bonus. Speaking Wednesday, general manager Mickey Loomis didn’t rule out trying to recover some of Fairley’s contract.
“I’d rather not answer that, because I don’t know yet,” Loomis said. “I don’t know how it’s going to resolve itself. Those are difficult questions there. … We’re a lot more concerned about Nick himself than we are about that, although that is a concern.”
It could hurt New Orleans’ cause that its concerns over Fairley’s heart cropped up before the team handed him a new deal, and all 32 NFL clubs have been aware of his condition dating back to 2011. That was Fairley’s draft year, when the Lions chose him 13th overall. Fairley has been effective with the Lions, Rams and Saints over his six pro seasons, but it appears we’ve seen the last of the 29-year-old on the gridiron.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Vikes, Cowboys, Cards
Although he hasn’t gotten a new contract yet, Falcons running back Devonta Freeman reported to training camp Wednesday, per Zach Klein of WSB in Atlanta (on Twitter). Freeman insisted during the offseason that he wouldn’t hold out, so it’s not surprising that he joined his teammates at the outset of camp. While Freeman’s agent left town after a meeting with Falcons brass on Wednesday, talks are ongoing, according to ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure, who suggests that a deal could come together by Thursday.
More from the NFC:
- “There really hasn’t been anything that’s changed” regarding Sam Bradford‘s contract status, the Vikings quarterback told reporters, including Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, on Wednesday. Bradford is one of two high-profile Vikings signal-callers who could become a free agent next year. The other is Teddy Bridgewater, who suffered a knee injury last August that led to the Vikings acquiring Bradford from the Eagles. Bridgewater still isn’t ready to return to the gridiron, as the team went the expected route and announced Wednesday that he’ll start training camp on the active/physically unable to perform list. His contract could toll if he lands on the reserve/PUP list by by Week 1, which would give the Vikings an extra year of control over the 2014 first-round pick.
- Searching for a Lucky Whitehead replacement, the Cowboys worked out wide receivers Corey Washington and Marvin Bracy on Wednesday, but they won’t sign either, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The only one with NFL experience is Washington, who appeared in eight games with the Giants in 2014 and caught five passes. Bracy hasn’t played competitively since his redshirt year at Florida State in 2012. The speedster left football to focus on track, which worked out well. He was a 100-meter Olympian at the Rio Games in 2012 and is a former United States 60-meter dash champion.
- Running back Chris Johnson‘s one-year deal with the Cardinals is worth $1.35MM (a bit more than was previously reported) and can max out at $2.5MM with incentives, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.
Chargers Acquire Cardale Jones
The Bills announced that they have traded quarterback Cardale Jones to the Chargers for a conditional draft pick. It’s a seventh-rounder in either 2018 or ’19, reports Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter).
The Chargers had been in the market to acquire another quarterback to compete for a spot behind starter Philip Rivers, having worked out veteran Robert Griffin III on Tuesday. While the Bolts’ meeting with RG3 went well, they’ve elected to go with Jones, who’s only a year removed from joining the Bills as a fourth-round pick. As a rookie, the former Ohio State star worked with Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn, who was the Bills’ offensive coordinator last year. On the heels of Rex Ryan‘s firing, Lynn served as the Bills’ interim head coach in Week 17 – a 30-10 loss to the Jets in which Jones saw his first pro action. The 24-year-old completed 6 of 11 passes for 96 yards and an interception.
The offseason regime change in Buffalo clearly helped lead to Jones’ demise with the club. The general manager who selected Jones, Doug Whaley, lost his job after the draft this year. Before that, the Bills, led by new head coach Sean McDermott, used a fifth-round pick on ex-Pitt standout Nathan Peterman. With Tyrod Taylor entrenched as the starter and veteran T.J. Yates also in the fold, there was no longer room for Jones in Buffalo. He’ll now push for a place behind Rivers, whose primary backup is Kellen Clemens. The Chargers also have developmental QBs Mike Bercovici and Eli Jenkins on hand.
Akiem Hicks Seeking $10MM Per Year
Having just hired Rosenhaus Sports to represent him, Bears contract-year defensive end Akiem Hicks is seeking $10MM per year on a new deal, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter).
Formerly with the Patriots and Saints, Hicks joined the Bears in March 2016 on a two-year pact totaling $10MM. That contract has been a steal thus far for the Bears, with whom Hicks played like one of the NFL’s premier defensive linemen last season. Hicks tied a career high with 16 starts, led Bears defensive linemen in snaps (930) and piled up 54 tackles, seven sacks and two forced fumbles. Additionally, the 27-year-old ranked 15th among Pro Football Focus’ 127 qualified interior D-linemen in overall performance.
Given both Hicks’ showing last season and the deals given out to similarly productive players in recent years, it’s no surprise that he’s looking to double his annual income. As PFR suggested earlier this month, the contracts Giants nose tackle Damon Harrison (five years, $46.25MM, including $24MM guaranteed) and Packers DT Mike Daniels (four years, $42MM, including $12MM guaranteed) signed over the past couple years are among those that look like reasonable benchmarks for Hicks.
Without a new deal by next year, the Bears could theoretically place the franchise tag on Hicks, but the $17MM cost would be far higher than his current asking price. With that in mind, it would seemingly behoove general manager Ryan Pace to get to work on extending one of his key defensive contributors. Hicks, for his part, isn’t looking to leave Chicago.
“I just enjoy my time here and I’m completely open to ending my career here,” he told Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com and other reporters Wednesday.
It may help Hicks’ cause that Pace has long had an affinity for the defender, having been part of two front offices that have acquired him. When Hicks entered the NFL as a third-round pick of the Saints in 2012, Pace was their director of professional scouting.
Latest On RG3, Chargers
Robert Griffin III has generated scant interest since the Browns released him in March, but the quarterback may have a shot to latch on with the Chargers. Griffin’s Tuesday audition for the Bolts was a “positive” one, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, while Josina Anderson of ESPN reports that the two sides are likely to engage in followup conversations Wednesday (Twitter link).
“He looked good,” a team source told Anderson. “The young man can move, he’s athletic, he can throw the ball. Some guys are proven and you know them; with Robert you just want to make sure he is healthy and moving around well.”
That praise seems to bode well for Griffin, though the Chargers are undecided on whether to sign the 27-year-old to push for a spot behind starter Philip Rivers.
“We are trying to put together the best roster before we go into camp,” noted the source. “We’re always looking to upgrade, and everyone is on board with that in this organization.”
When you compare their career resumes, RG3 would be an upgrade over the Chargers’ current No. 2 signal-caller, Kellen Clemens. However, the majority of Griffin’s NFL success came as a rookie with the Redskins in 2012, when he was among the best, most electrifying players in the game. Injuries and ineffectiveness beset Griffin over the past four years, which explains why he remains without a job as August nears. For now, it seems the Chargers are his best hope of landing somewhere in the near future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/26/17
Wednesday’s minor moves:
- The Saints have waived running back Marcus Murphy and moved offensive lineman Chris Watt to the reserved/retired list, tweets Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. Murphy, whom the Saints chose in the seventh round of the 2015 draft, served almost exclusively as a return man over his first two years, but he became superfluous to the team thanks to its offseason additions of Ted Ginn Jr. and Alvin Kamara. Watt signed with the Saints just over a month ago and looked like a candidate to function as interior O-line depth. That won’t be the case, though. The 26-year-old entered the NFL as a third-rounder of the Chargers in 2014 and started in eight of 17 appearances with them through last season.
- The Jets have cut wide receiver Devin Street, per Clarence Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram (on Twitter). New York will use Street’s old roster spot on Lucky Whitehead, whom it claimed off waivers from Dallas on Wednesday. A three-year veteran, Street was teammates with Whitehead when the two were on the Cowboys in 2015. Street was a member of the Colts last season, when he totaled five appearances and one catch. Indianapolis cut Street after the season, and both the Patriots and Jets have since waived him after short stints.
- Safety Ricardo Allen has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender with the Falcons, who have waived undrafted offensive lineman Cam Keizer. Allen, a fifth-rounder in 2014, has emerged as an integral cog in Atlanta, having started in 30 of 31 appearances and picking off five passes since debuting in 2015. He racked up 90 tackles and two picks across 16 starts and a team-high 1,101 defensive snaps last year.
- The Vikings have signed cornerback Sam Brown and waived offensive tackle Arturo Uzdavinis. Brown spent some time last year with the Ravens, who signed him as an undrafted free agent from Missouri Western State, but didn’t see any action. Uzdavinis just signed with the Vikings on Monday. They quickly became the fifth former team for the 2016 undrafted free agent from Tulane, who previously spent time with the Texans, Bears, Jaguars and Lions.
- The Patriots have added defensive end Caleb Kidder, an undrafted rookie from Montana. Kidder previously had a brief stint with Minnesota, which cut him last week.
Titans Extend Dennis Kelly
The Titans have agreed to a multiyear contract extension with offensive lineman Dennis Kelly, reports Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com. It’s a three-year deal that runs through 2019, tweets Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com.
The 27-year-old Kelly is entering his second season with the Titans, who acquired him in a trade with the Eagles for wide receiver Dorial Green-Beckham in August 2016. Kelly went on to log career highs in appearances (16) and starts (six) last season, when he lined up as an extra tight end and only played 145 snaps on offense. Despite his limited playing time, Kelly showed enough to the Titans for them to lock up the 304-pounder and keep him in the fold behind stalwart tackles Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin.
A fifth-round pick in 2012, Kelly spent the first four years of his career in Philadelphia, where he started in 15 of 30 appearances.
Latest On Dolphins C Mike Pouncey
3:07pm: Pouncey passed the physical and will not be placed on the PUP list, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
8:57am: Dolphins center Mike Pouncey was cleared by a hip specialist on Tuesday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Pouncey will take a team physical today to help assess what he can do on the field. 
The Dolphins still plan on being cautious with Pouncey, but the expectation is that he will be ready to go for Week 1. After he missed eleven games in 2016, the Dolphins will be limiting the 28-year-old in practice so that he can play as many games as possible this year.
Pouncey graded out as the league’s No. 11 center in 2015 as he earned his third consecutive Pro Bowl nod. He didn’t qualify for ranking last year after only being on the field for just 301 snaps, but his 62.7 overall score his worst ever showing at the center position.
If Pouncey is in uniform for Week 1, the Dolphins will be able to keep Kraig Urbik as the starter at left guard. It is expected that the team will start Laremy Tunsil, Urbik, Pouncey, Ted Larsen, and Ja’Wuan James on the offensive line.
Raiders Sign Rookie Obi Melifonwu
The Raiders and second-round pick Obi Melifonwu have agreed to terms on a contract, agent Sean Stellato tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Melifonwu, the 56th pick, went to the Raiders on the heels of a stellar four-year career at Connecticut, where he tallied eight interceptions. Four of those picks came last year for Melifonwu, who also notched a personal-best 118 tackles. There are some questions about Melifonwu’s instincts, but the 6-foot-4, 224-pounder should be effective around the line of scrimmage, per NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein, who likens him to the Bengals’ George Iloka.
With Melifonwu in the fold, every rookie from the second round down in the 2017 draft has now been signed to a contract. The only unsigned rookies left are 49ers defensive end Solomon Thomas, Titans wide receiver Corey Davis, and one of Melifonwu’s soon-to-be Raiders teammates, cornerback Gareon Conley. The Raiders’ hope is that he and Melifonwu will immediately boost a defense that finished just 25th in DVOA against the pass last year.
Eagles Trade G Allen Barbre To Broncos
The Eagles aren’t cutting Allen Barbre after all. Upon learning that the Eagles were planning to release the veteran guard, the Broncos reached out to the Eagles to work out a trade. A deal has been agreed upon, with Philly sending Barbre to Denver in exchange for a 2019 conditional draft pick (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). It’s a conditional seventh-rounder, tweets Mike Klis of 9News.
The Broncos already made one major upgrade on the interior line this offseason by signing former Cowboy Ronald Leary. Barbre could now compete with Max Garcia for the other starting guard spot or potentially push Menelik Watson at right tackle. Alternatively, he could be the Broncos’ super sub, filling in where needed at four different positions.
In Barbre, Denver gets a player with 76 appearances and 36 starts on his resume. The 33-year-old has started all 28 of his appearances dating back to 2015, including 12 last season, when he ranked an excellent 16th among Pro Football Focus’ 73 qualified guards. Barbre will earn $2.05MM this year and will have a chance at another $300K in playing time incentives, according to Klis (Twitter link).
The cap implications did not change for the Eagles when they flipped from releasing Barbre outright to trading him. After the deal, the Eagles will still save $2.1MM in cap space while leaving $500K on the books in dead money.