NFL Investigating Bucs QB Jameis Winston
An Uber driver alleges that she was groped by Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston in March of last year, Talal Ansari of BuzzFeed News has learned. In a letter to the alleged victim, lead NFL investigator Lisa Friel indicated that an investigation is underway. 
“The League has been informed that you may have been the victim of such a violation perpetrated by Tampa Bay Buccaneers player Jameis Winston,” the letter reads. “The league takes allegations of this nature very seriously and has opened an investigation into this matter.”
The female driver, identified only as Kate, says that she picked up Winston early on a Sunday morning. His friends placed him in the front seat, even though he was the only passenger. Kate agreed to take Winston to get fast food and the quarterback, she says, placed his hand on her crotch while they were waiting at the drive-thru.
Meanwhile, a Winston’s representative, Russ Spielman, issued a statement denying the allegations:
“We categorically deny this allegation. It is our understanding the Uber driver was unable to identify the specific individual who allegedly touched this driver inappropriately. The only reason his name is being dragged in to this is that his Uber account was used to call the ride.”
An Uber spokesperson issued a statement as well, indicating Winston is “permanently banned” from using the app.
“The behavior the driver reported is disturbing and wrong,” the statement read (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, on Twitter). “The rider was permanently removed from the app shortly after we learned of the incident.”
Winston has since released a statement on the matter. The third-year Bucs quarterback does not deny he was in the car at that point but said he was not the person in the front seat at the time this alleged incident occurred.
“(Buzzfeed’s story) falsely accuses me of making inappropriate contact with this driver. I believe the driver was confused as to the number of passengers in the car and who was sitting next to her,” Winston said (via Twitter). “The accusation is false, and given the nature of the allegation and increased awareness and consideration of these types of matters, I am addressing this false report immediately. At the time of the alleged incident, I denied the allegations to Uber, yet they still decided to suspend my account.
“I am supportive of the national movement to raise awareness and develop better responses to the concerns of parties who find themselves in these types of situations, but this accusation is false. While I am certain I did not make any inappropriate contact, I don’t want to engage in a battle with the driver and I regret if my demeanor or presence made her uncomfortable in any way.”
Buccaneers coach Dirk Koetter told reporters that the team will soon release a statement on the matter. The franchise has since done so.
“We are in the process of obtaining further information regarding today’s media report,” the team said in a statement. “We take these matters seriously and are fully supportive of the investigation that is being conducted by the NFL.”
Winston has encountered trouble on this front before. While at Florida State, the quarterback was accused of rape in 2012. However, Tallahassee, Fla., police did not charge him with a crime in connection with that alleged incident. In 2016, Winston settled a civil suit with his accuser.
No police report was filed by this latest accuser with the Phoenix or Scottsdale, Ariz., Police Departments, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com reports.
Latest On Jerry Jones/Roger Goodell Saga
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones did not react well when he first heard that running back Ezekiel Elliott was being handed a six-game suspension. That fateful phone conversation between Jones, commissioner Roger Goodell, and general counsel Jeff Pash instantly ignited a war between the Cowboys owner and the league office. 
“I’m gonna come after you with everything I have,” Jones said, according to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com. “If you think [Patriots owner] Bob Kraft came after you hard [over Deflategate], Bob Kraft is a p—y compared to what I’m going to do.”
The article from the ESPN duo, which is worth reading in full, paints an ugly picture of where things currently stand between Jones and the NFL. The story also goes into detail about a major chasm between Goodell’s administration and the league’s owners. Even within Goodell’s upper ranks, there appears to be a great deal of mistrust. Despite all of that, it appears that Goodell is on the brink of an extension that will give him a pay bump over his current $42MM salary.
Goodell was reportedly “furious” about this extension being delayed, and the ESPN duo report the 11th-year commissioner was “emboldened” at the notion he would accept a deep pay cut after making the league’s owners a lot of money, while “taking many bullets for them,” during his tenure. The commissioner still has support from many owners, and the ownership contingent expects his salary to land around the $40MM-AAV mark, Wickersham and Van Natta Jr. report. This comes after ESPN reported Goodell asked in August for a deal worth around $49MM per year, provided he reached incentives, and a compensation package that included the usage of a private jet for he and his family.
Goodell might walk away if the owners “squeeze him too hard” regarding his salary, Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham report. The lack of a successor plays into Goodell’s thinking here.
Van Natta Jr. and Wickersham also report the owners have considered other high-profile commissioner candidates. One owner’s confidant reached out to NBA commissioner Adam Silver about taking over for Goodell. Silver quickly said no. The owners also reached out to the International Olympic Committee in an attempt to find a candidate with experience growing sports globally.
Goodell’s predecessor, Paul Tagliabue, was mentioned as a possible one-year stopgap option while Goodell’s long-term successor was determined. It’s not clear whether the 76-year-old Taliabue would be interested, but Jones reportedly has his own candidate in mind. Other owners, by in large, aren’t interested in a Jones-handpicked successor.
The ESPN reporters note this Jones-Goodell feud is not about the commissioner’s contract, but rather power and control.
“Jerry’s message to Roger was ‘I run this league. You better get with it,'” a senior league executive told ESPN. “This is about power and control, not the contract. That’s all white noise.”
Meanwhile, Jones figures to become a point of discussion in the Colin Kaepernick case. The quarterback’s attorneys will delve into the relationship between Jones and Papa John’s CEO John Schnatter and will inquire about whether Jones pushed Schnatter to slam Goodell on an earnings call, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports hears. A deposition for Jones could be finalized by mid-December. Schnatter, however, cannot be forced to give a deposition.
Sam Robinson contributed to this report.
Cardinals Sign Larry Fitzgerald To Extension
It’s a done deal. On Friday morning, the Cardinals announced a new one-year extension for wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald. The veteran is now signed through the 2018 season. 
The deal is worth $11MM and includes a no-trade clause, according to Mike Jurecki of 98.7FM. The pact also includes incentives that can give him an extra $1MM if he reaches No. 2 on the NFL’s all-time receiving list.
Fitzgerald was considering retirement and many believed that the 2017 campaign would be his last. It’s still possible that he walks away at the end of the season, but there is at least a deal in place if the wide receiver decides to run it back one more time.
There’s a case to be made for both retirement and continuing. On one hand, Fitzgerald could leave on a high note – he currently leads the NFC with 60 receptions and is on pace for 107 catches and 1,204 receiving yards. No player in league history has ever had more than 100 catches and 1,000 yards in a season started at the age of 34 or higher. The odds of an encore, historically, are not on his side. Then again, it’s clear that he still has something left in the tank.
If Fitzgerald plays out this new deal, next year will be his 16th season on the field. Only quarterback Jim Hart (18) and kicker Jim Bakken (17) have played in more seasons for the Cardinals franchise (Twitter link via Mark Dalton of the Cardinals). If he plays every game through 2018, he’ll match Bakken for most regular season games played in Cardinals history with 234.
There are also lots of NFL records within range for Fitzgerald. With another 141 catches, he’ll leapfrog tight end Tony Gonzalez for second all-time in NFL history behind Jerry Rice. The 10-time Pro Bowler (likely en route to No. 11) can become third in all-time receiving yards this season with another 227 yards, allowing him to bypass Randy Moss. After that, he’s just another 642 yards away from topping Terrell Owens for second place.
The Cardinals also have quarterback Carson Palmer and coach Bruce Arians under contract through next season, meaning that the familiar trio could return for 2018.
Extra Points: Cowboys, Lions, Cards, Broncos
By accepting his suspension and serving it this season, Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott will actually save money, as David Moore of the Dallas Morning News notes (Twitter links). Elliott’s base salary increases to roughly $2.7MM in 2018, meaning a six-game ban would have cost him ~$400K more had it been pushed to next year. Instead, he’ll lose about $560K this season, and his guarantees in the 2018-19 campaigns have been voided. Elliott’s signing bonus, however, is not at risk due to his suspension.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Because the collective bargaining agreement allows for player contract language which voids salary guarantees under certain provisions, teams could hypothetically insert clauses which nullify guarantees if a player does not stand for the national anthem, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com opines. Such a provision would be similar to the so-called Carl Pickens Rule, named after the Bengals wideout who criticized management at the turn of the century. Loyalty clauses can now restrict such denunciations with the threat of lost salary, and a similar rule could speculatively have a similar effect on national anthem protests. Of course, the NFLPA (and players themselves) would likely fight such a stipulation.
- Lions offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter declined to comment on his interest in the University of Tennessee’s vacant head coaching position, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Cooter played and coached for the Volunteers before heading to the NFL. Under Cooter’s leadership, Detroit finished 15th in offensive DVOA in 2016, but has slipped to 21st this season. Tennessee has already expressed interest in another ex-Vol, Jets defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers.
- Given the injury to quarterback Drew Stanton, the Cardinals could opt to start Blaine Gabbert under center on Sunday, and the club is reportedly “intrigued” by the former first-round pick, reports Mike Jurecki of 98.7 FM (Twitter link), who adds Arizona believes Gabbert could be more than a bridge option for the club. While Gabbert does come with a high draft pedigree, he’s shown nothing in the NFL during his six-year career. Since entering the league in 2011, Gabbert ranks dead last in quarterback rating, touchdown percentage, and adjusted net yards per pass attempt. Both Gabbert and Stanton are scheduled to become free agents next spring, while starter Carson Palmer could theoretically hang up his cleats after flirting with retirement earlier this year.
- The Broncos worked out free agent punter Jeff Locke on Thursday, but it doesn’t sound as though Denver is interested in signing the veteran specialist, per Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Denver is facing a left-footed punter in the Bengals’ Kevin Huber on Sunday, so auditioning Locke gave returner Jordan Taylor a chance to catch punts from a lefty. Locke signed a relatively large (for a punter) deal with the Colts this offseason, but has since been cut by both Indianapolis and Detroit.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/17
Cowboys OT Tyron Smith Unlikely To Play
Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith is expected to miss his second consecutive game with a groin injury, according to Jane Slater of NFL.com (Twitter link), who reports Smith will not play Sunday night against the Eagles. Instead, Dallas will turn to veteran Byron Bell to man the blindside.
Chaz Green handled left tackle for the Cowboys in Week 10, and was memorably beaten like a drum by Atlanta defensive end Adrian Clayborn who posted a ridiculous six sacks, six more hurries, and a hit on Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott. Clayborn, who had topped six sacks in a season just once prior to 2017, earned a spectacular 99.9 overall grade from Pro Football Focus for his performance.
While Green is certainly due his fair share of blame for last week’s debacle, the Cowboys coaching staff didn’t help him out by putting a tight end on the left side of the line, or sending a back to chip Clayborn. Additionally, nearly every lineman in the NFL would represent a downgrade from Smith, who is arguably the league’s best tackle.
Bell, 28, offers quite a bit more experience than Green (84 career appearances), but it’s not clear how ready is to take on Brandon Graham, Vinny Curry, and the rest of Philadelphia’s defensive line. Bell hasn’t been a regular starter since the 2015 season (and was mediocre at best as a full-time player), and has played only 18 offensive snaps this year.
Sunday’s tilt between the Cowboys and Eagles is the most important game on the Week 11 schedule, at least according to ESPN’s Football Power Index. While Philadelphia is virtually assured of a postseason berth, Dallas is facing a 25% playoff leverage — a metric which indicates the change in chance of making the playoffs based on the results of the selected game — on Sunday night.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/17
Today’s minor moves:
Arizona Cardinals
- Promoted to active roster: T Vinston Painter
Washington Redskins
- Signed: OL Tyler Catalina
- Placed on injured reserve: OL T.J. Clemmings
Cardinals, Larry Fitzgerald Nearing Extension
The Cardinals and wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald are nearing an extension that would keep him in Arizona through 2018, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link).
Fitzgerald, now in his age-34 campaign, has flirted with retirement in the past, and while a new contract would certainly indicate that Fitzgerald plans to play in 2018, that’s not a guarantee. Instead, the deal will simply ensure that Fitzgerald will spent next season with the Cardinals if he decides to return for a 16th NFL season.
Fitzgerald agreed to a similar extension in August 2016, inking a deal that contained an $11MM base salary for the 2017 season. However, that contract did not contain any guaranteed money, and Florio at the time described the pact as a “free disability policy” for Fitzgerald. As such, it shouldn’t be surprising if Fitzgerald’s new extension is similar in format.
Not only the greatest Cardinals receiver in the history of the franchise but one of the NFL’s best pass-catchers of all time, Fitzgerald is still plugging along in an Arizona offense that is down to its backup quarterback. On 88 targets, Fitzgerald has posted 60 receptions, 677 yards, and three scores. Essentially playing as an undersized tight end in Bruce Arians‘ offense, Fitzgerald is also an asset as a blocker in the run game.
The Cardinals aren’t in contention for a playoff berth this season, and conventional wisdom had been that the club had missed its final shot at a Super Bowl run. But if Carson Palmer (who is also signed through 2018), Fitzgerald, and Arians all return next year, Arizona could potentially take one more run at a title.
Under the terms of his previous extension, Fitzgerald had a cap hit of $4.85MM on the Cardinals’ 2018 books. That was because Arizona used a void year, enabling the team to spread out Fitzgerald’s signing bonus. Had Fitzgerald retired or left the Cardinals as a free agent, the club would have absorbed that $4.85MM in dead money.
Latest On Seahawks’ Richard Sherman
Richard Sherman‘s season is over and it’s possible that his Seahawks tenure could be behind him as well. This offseason, Seattle will have to decide whether to carry the cornerback’s $11MM salary and $13.2MM cap number for 2018. If they feel that the cost is prohibitive, they could ask Sherman to take a pay cut or just release him outright. 
With that in mind, the Seahawks will be paying close attention to Sherman’s recovery. He just recently went under the knife to fix his ruptured Achilles tendon, but Sherman says he has been given a timetable that should allow him to get back on the practice field in May or June (via Liz Mathews of USA Today).
Sherman has been one of the league’s strongest (and most outspoken) cornerbacks for several years running. However, he turns 30 on March 30th and the Seahawks might look to put their dollars in a different direction. The offensive line, for example, could use a revamp, even after the acquisition of Duane Brown.
Sherman ranks as the 20th ranked cornerback in the NFL this year, per Pro Football Focus. His 82.7 overall score is solid, but it is also a career-low.
The good news for Seattle is that teammate Justin Coleman is in the midst of a career year and rates as PFF’s No. 26 CB. They also have Jeremy Lane (back with Seattle after the initial Brown trade was scrapped), third-round pick Jeremy Lane, and the newly-signed Byron Maxwell. If that group can do a good job of holding down the fort, it could push the Seahawks to part ways with Sherman in the spring.
AFC East Notes: Patriots, Gronk, Jets, Allen
Does Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski have a shot at maxing out his 2017 incentives? Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston checked in on Gronk’s deal to see if he can earn as much as $10.75MM this season through bonuses.
Gronk is currently on pace for 72 catches for 1,093 yards and nine touchdowns while playing in 81% of the Patriots’ snaps. Those numbers would put him in line to earn $8.75MM, the second-highest incentive tier. In order to reach the $10.75MM max, he would have to play in 90% of the Pats’ offensive snaps or record 80 catches or 1,200 receiving yards or earn All-Pro recognition. Of course, Gronk’s name recognition could help his All-Pro case, even if he doesn’t satisfy the other triggers for the top incentives package.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- The Jets love Wyoming quarterback Josh Allen, a league source tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Meanwhile, a Wyoming source tells Miller that the Jets have done more work on him than any other team. The Jets have gotten quality play out of Josh McCown so far this year, but they’ll almost certainly look to the free agent market and/or the draft for younger solutions since McCown will turn 39 in 2018. So far this year, Allen has thrown for 1,658 yards this season with 13 touchdowns against six picks. He has also rushed for 207 yards and five touchdowns off of 84 attempts.
- Jesse Davis has been doing a decent job at right tackle and that could alter Ja’Wuan James‘ future with the Dolphins, Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald (Twitter link) opines. If there’s no discernible difference between the two players, their salaries could be the tiebreaker. James, a 2014 first-round pick, is due $9.341MM through the fifth-year option, but the Dolphins can bail on that obligation before the start of the 2018 league year. It’s possible that James’ injury could be a season-ender, so he may have already played his final game for Miami.