Rashad Jennings To Tour With DWTS
Last night, Rashad Jennings was crowned the winner of this year’s “Dancing With The Stars.” The running back is still without an NFL team for 2017, but he has work to keep him busy in the meantime. Jennings will tour the country with DWTS, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, he has an out in his contract in the event that he gets an NFL opportunity that he wants to pursue. 
This year, Jennings became the latest active NFLer to participate in the show, joining notables such as Calvin Johnson, Antonio Brown, and Von Miller. He win also marks the fourth time that a professional football player has won the sought after disco ball trophy, joining Emmitt Smith, Hines Ward, and Donald Driver. Reportedly, teams weren’t thrilled about his decision to dance on national television instead of focusing on football.
Jennings, 32, is coming off of an injury-riddled season in which he averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. He did, however, turn in a solid year in 2015 as he averaged 4.4 yards per carry and started in all 16 regular season games.
It remains to be seen how much interest he garners as a free agent this summer, particularly since his availability for workouts might be limited during the tour. At the same time, one has to wonder if Jennings could use his newfound stardom as a launching pad for a career in broadcasting. After all, former Giant Michael Strahan made that transition seamlessly and he now makes even more money than he did on the field.
Bills Sign WR Rod Streater
The Bills have signed wide receiver Rod Streater and tight end Wes Saxton, according to a team announcement. To make room, tackle Cyrus Kouandjio and quarterback Josh Woodrum have been released. The Bills cut Kouandjio with a non-football injury designation, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. 
[RELATED: Why The Bills Should Sign TE Gary Barnidge]
Streater, 29, played in all 16 regular season games last season for the 49ers, catching 18 passes for 191 yards and two scores. He didn’t exactly set the world on fire, but he will add some depth to the team’s banged up receiver group. Star Sammy Watkins is still healing up after foot surgery and second-round rookie Zay Jones has been sidelined with a knee injury. As it stands, free agent additions Andre Holmes, Philly Brown, and Streater are the team’s top WRs in practice.
Kouandjio was involved in a bizarre incident with police in April. The lineman, 24 in July, was found partially undressed and in a field not far from the scene of a car accident. He was taken to a nearby hospital afterwards and that visit presumably included some psychiatric evaluation.
The University of Alabama product has appeared in 25 games for Buffalo since being drafted in the second round of the 2014 draft. Kouandjio has been a quality contributor in Buffalo and last season he outperformed name guys like Jake Matthews, Russell Okung, Doug Free, and Andrus Peat, according to Pro Football Focus.
Matt Jones Not In Redskins’ Plans
After Matt Jones ran for 123 yards in his second NFL game, it seemed like big things were in the running back’s future. Less than two years later, he might be on the outs in D.C. Jones does not appear to be a part of the Redskins’ plans for 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, and he will not take part in the team’s voluntary OTAs. 
[RELATED: Latest On Redskins’ GM Vacancy]
Jones was a healthy scratch most of last year and the team was said to be shopping him prior to the draft in April. After selecting Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine in the fourth round, the Redskins might not have much of a need for Jones. Washington has Rob Kelley as the projected lead back and Chris Thompson as the pass-catching specialist, so they could round out the RB depth chart with Perine plus Keith Marshall and/or Mack Brown.
It’s not immediately clear whether the Redskins are thinking about cutting Jones outright, but the team and the player have definitely cooled off on each other. If the Redskins can’t find a suitable trade for the 24-year-old, then Jones may become an intriguing waiver wire option for the other 31 teams in the league.
Seahawks Meet With Colin Kaepernick
Today is the big day for the Seahawks and Colin Kaepernick. Seattle is meeting with him at team headquarters, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Russell Wilson Would Be OK With Seahawks Signing Colin Kaepernick]
Earlier this month, head coach Pete Carroll said that both Kaepernick and RG3 are on the radar for the Seahawks as they look into reserve QB options. As it turns out, the Seahawks are far more interested in Kaepernick than they are in Griffin. Kaepernick and starter Russell Wilson were once divisional rivals, but it doesn’t sound like Wilson would have an issue with Kaepernick being his understudy.
Before setting their sights on Kaepernick, the Seahawks also looked into fellow former Niners QBs Blaine Gabbert and Christian Ponder, but they see the controversial signal caller as the most talented backup QB option available. If he performs well for coaches today, it might not be long before he has a new home for the 2017 season.
Kaepernick threw for 16 touchdowns against four interceptions in 2016 while supported by one of the worst offensive casts in the league. He wound up with a 1-10 record in his eleven starts.
Kaepernick first came to national prominence in 2012 when he stepped in for injured starter Alex Smith. He led the Niners to a 5-2 record in his regular season starts and led the team all the way to the Super Bowl. In 2013, he had what was arguably his best complete NFL season when he went 12-4 and threw for 21 TDs versus eight picks with 3,197 yards through the air. That year, the Niners went all the way to the NFC championship game before being stopped by Seattle. In 2014, he set a career highs in rushing yards (639) and passing yards (3,369), but the Niners went .500 and failed to make the playoffs.
Extra Points: Pats, Packers, Vikes, Panthers
NFL owners passed a resolution today that will no longer allow clubs to block prospective general manager candidates from interviewing elsewhere simply because the new role doesn’t come with final 53-man roster authority, reports Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link). Earlier today, the league’s owners also voted to eliminate the 75-man roster cutdown and allow teams to bring two players — instead of only one — off the injured reserve list during the season. One rule change that wasn’t voted on: granting clubs a roster exemption for players who’ve suffered a concussion, per Ben Volin of Boston Globe (Twitter link), who adds that proposal could be reintroduced next year.
Here’s more from around the league:
- The Packers are working out former Texas Southern wide receiver Derrick Griffin today, tweets Mark Berman of FOX 26. Griffin was a two-sport athlete during his collegiate days, but was dismissed from the football team and left the basketball in order to prepare for the NFL draft, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported earlier this year. Griffin, who stands 6’6″, 240 pounds, auditioned for the Texans during their local prospect day and also landed a tryout at the Vikings’ rookie minicamp. Green Bay drafted two wideouts — Purdue’s DeAngelo Yancey and LSU’s Malachi Dupre — and also added two undrafted pass-catchers.
- Offensive lineman David Andrews‘ three-year, $9MM extension with the Patriots contains $2.1MM ($700K annually) in playing time incentives) that can bring the maximum value of the deal to $11.1MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. The pact also contains a $1.6MM signing bonus — the only fully guaranteed portion of the contract — plus per-game roster bonuses of $300K in 2017 and $400K in 2018-2020. Andrews’ extension places him within the top half of the league’s highest-paid centers.
- The NFLPA is advising members of the Vikings‘ rookie class to not sign their contract until certain procedural language is cleared up, reports Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. While Minnesota maintains that it’s offering standard rookie deals with no changes from years prior, the players’ union is concerned with language dealing with offsets and anti-tampering. None of the 11-member Vikings class is under contract, but they’re each participating in offseason activities after signing protective waivers.
- Now that former assistant general manager Brandon Beane has taken the reins in Buffalo, the Panthers have restructured their scouting staff, as the club announced Monday. Mark Koncz is Carolina’s new director player personnel, Jeff Morrow is the new director of college scouting, and Matt Allen has been named the team’s new director of pro personnel. Meanwhile, Don Gregory, who was reportedly on the Bills’ general manager candidate list, is now a senior executive scout who will work in both the pro and college arenas.
Latest On Redskins’ GM Vacancy
Redskins team president Bruce Allen said Monday he’s interviewed roughly a dozen candidates for jobs in Washington’s front office, but executives with interest in the Redskins’ general manager position are worried about the level of power they’d have in the team’s decision-making structure, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Washington may not even hire a formal general manager to replace the fired Scot McCloughan, and one report suggested the club had submitted a front office plan to the NFL that included a restructuring of duties but no new GM. Allen himself pushed back against that notion, but the Redskins could simply choose to promote staffers from within. Doug Williams has been mentioned as a possible candidate to take on an expanded role within Washington’s personnel department, while scout Alex Santos and contract negotiator Eric Schaffer could also be in line for new responsibilities.
If they do opt to hire a GM, though, the Redskins could find a shortage of suitors, per Cole. McCloughan reportedly wasn’t allowed to hire his own scouting team or find his own additional staffers, leaving potential Washington candidates wary of how much control they’d wield. Previous reports have indicated Allen will act as the Redskins’ de facto general manager no matter what other hires the club makes.
Minor NFL Transactions: 5/23/17
Today’s minor moves:
- The Eagles have waived quarterback Jerod Evans and defensive tackle Charles Walker off injured reserve with injury settlements, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. Both players were waived/injured in the past two weeks, but cleared waivers without being claimed by another club. Instead of spending the year on Philadelphia’s IR list, Evans and Walker will now earn a payment equal to what they would have earned while injured. Evans and Walker can re-sign with the Eagles, but they’ll have to wait three weeks plus the time value of the settlement.
Derek Carr Extension Talks To Ramp Up?
Negotiations between the Raiders and quarterback Derek Carr are expected to gain steam following the conclusion of this week’s owner’s meetings, sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Any deal between Oakland and Carr is likely to be a “strong step above” the five-year, $122.97MM extension the Colts handed fellow signal-caller Andrew Luck last summer. Luck is currently the highest-paid quarterback in the league with a $24.594MM annual salary, but Carr could conceivably top that figure.
Carr, 26, may hold a bit more leverage than did Luck, as the Raiders don’t hold a fifth-year option on Carr given that he was originally a second-round selection. Oakland could deploy the franchise tag in 2018 at a cost of more than $22MM, but the club prefers not to use that tender, per Cole.
Raiders general manager Reggie McKenzie said in April that he’s been discussing an extension with Carr “for months”, and characterized those talks as “super positive.” Both McKenzie and Carr have expressed confidence that a new deal will get at some point.
Broncos’ Brandon McManus Wants New Deal
Broncos kicker Brandon McManus is the only restricted free agent yet to sign his tender, but that’s by design, as McManus hopes to receive a long-term extension, as Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post writes.
“There’s really no rush for me to sign the tender because it could go through June 15,” McManus said. “I’d love to be here as long as I can and be on a long-term deal here that gives me security. I love Denver. I love the fan base here. I would love to be here four more years so why not see what I can do?”
Denver tendered McManus at the second-round level, meaning he’ll earn a non-guaranteed base salary of $2.746MM in 2017. McManus, who is attending Broncos’ workouts despite being unsigned, didn’t generate any known interest during the restricted free agent period, so he essentially has two options: sign his tender, or sit out the season. If McManus doesn’t ink the tender by June 15, Denver can reduce his salary to 110% of his 2016 pay, which would amount to just $660K.
McManus, 25, converted 29 of 34 field goal attempts last season, and his 85.3% conversion rate ranked 17th in the NFL. He missed just one extra point, and managed 50 touchbacks on kickoffs, good for 14th in the league. Overall, the Broncos gained 1.5 points on field goals, but lost a whopping 8.6 points on kickoffs, according to Football Outsiders‘ DVOA metric.
Vikings’ Teddy Bridgewater Returns To Field
In what is extremely uplifting news, Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater returned to the practice field today, as documented in a short video posted on the club’s website. Bridgewater, of course, hasn’t been able to participate in football activities since tearing his ACL and dislocating his knee joint last August.
While the video is concise and doesn’t show much, Bridgewater is seen moving about, taking snaps, and throwing passes with a large brace on his left leg. Technically, Bridgewater didn’t “return to practice,” according to Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link), as the throws were part of Bridgewater’s recovery process. Still, as Vensel notes, simply witnessing Bridgewater able to perform some sort of football task is very encouraging.
Given that today marks the first we’ve seen of Bridgewater since last fall, it’s entirely unclear how far along he is in his rehabilitation, or what possibility exists of the 24-year-old playing during the 2017 campaign. Head coach Mike Zimmer admitted earlier this year that he has “no idea” when Bridgewater will fully return to action. With that in mind, the Viking signed veteran Case Keenum in March to back up starting quarterback Sam Bradford.
If Bridgewater doesn’t play next year, and spends the season on the reserve/PUP list, his contract could toll, meaning the Vikings would again hold his rights in 2018. However, Bridgewater and his representation could push back against any attempt by Minnesota to hold onto him for an additional year.