5 Key NFL Stories: 4/8/18 – 4/15/18

Cowboys cut Dez Bryant. Dallas finally cut Bryant on Friday, waiting a month after the opening of the free agent period to do so. The Cowboys did not ask Bryant to accept a pay cut in order to stay (although he says he would have been open to lowering his salary), and the veteran wideout now seems intent on exacting revenge by signing with a club within the NFC East. The decision by Dallas to hold on on releasing Bryant makes little sense, as the club can now no longer enter the market to find a replacement (it’s also not ideal from Bryant’s perspective given that most teams have spent the majority of their free agent dollars). Early potential suitors for Bryant include the Packers, Bills, Cardinals, and Ravens.

Seahawks postpone Colin Kaepernick workout. Seattle had plans to audition the controversial Kaepernick last week, but postponed the scheduled meeting over concerns about Kaepernick’s national anthem protests. While some reports have indicated the Seahawks are still open to signing Kaepernick and simply want to get a sense of his current thinking on the protests, others have said Kaepernick specifically declined to stop kneeling during the anthem. Kaepernick, of course, did not play in 2017 as teams were evidently wary of adding him given his stance on the anthem.

Browns extend Jarvis Landry. A little more than a month after acquiring him from the Dolphins, the Browns handed Landry a five-year, $75.5MM extension that contains $34MM guaranteed. On an annual basis, Landry is now the sixth-highest-paid wideout in the NFL, while his guarantees ranks fifth. Landry, of course, was under the franchise tag when Miami shipped him to Cleveland in excahnge for fourth- and seventh-round picks. One of the better slot receivers in the league, Landry’s new salary could mean the Browns have plans to use him on the outside.

Saints sign RFA Cameron Meredith. The Bears declined to match a two-year, $9.6MM offer sheet for Meredith and thus lost him to the Saints. Because Chicago only tendered Meredith at the original round level, the club won’t receive any compensation as Meredith heads to New Orleans. The Bears had the option of tendering Meredith at the second-round level at a cost of $2.914MM, only ~$1MM more than the original round price of $1.907MM.

Eric Reid visits Bengals. Like Kaepernick, Reid has not drawn much interest after kneeling for the anthem over the past season-plus. However, the safety market has also been slow to develop, as starting options such as Reid, Kenny Vaccaro, and Tre Boston all remain unsigned. Cincinnati owner Mike Brown reportedly asked Reid about his plans for the anthem going forward, and Reid did not say he would stop kneeling.

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