HEADLINES

Month: September 2019

49ers Notes: McKinnon, Ward, Verrett, Hurd

September 7th, 2019 at 6:12pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Jerick McKinnon‘s 49ers tenure may very well end without him ever taking a snap for San Francisco. The team placed the running back on injured reserve last week, ending his 2019 season before it could start. McKinnon tore an ACL just before the start of last season, and has had complications while recovering. McKinnon had another knee surgery earlier this week, but it turns out it was unrelated to his ACL, according to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports. His ACL is apparently fine, which McKinnon said was “reassuring.”

Instead it was a separate issue in the same knee, although it’s not clear exactly what that issue is. He’ll miss his second straight season, but McKinnon still really wants to play for the 49ers. “I love this team,” he said. “That’s why I came here. I love the coaching staff, the whole organization, the Yorks, John (Lynch), Kyle (Shanahan), all the coaches. Coach (Bobby) Turner and everyone has been supportive — behind me, 100 percent, and there’s nothing more you can ask for.” McKinnon wants to be back, but it seems likely the team will want to move on. McKinnon, who signed a four-year $30MM deal last offseason, is scheduled to make $6.5MM in 2020. The 49ers still have a solid backfield with Matt Breida, Tevin Coleman and others, so he’d likely have to take a significant pay-cut at the very least to be brought back.

Here’s more from San Francisco:

  • Their defense is going to be banged up in Week 1. Defensive end Dee Ford has been dealing with a nagging injury but is going to play, while fellow pass-rusher Nick Bosa and cornerback Jason Verrett are both questionable. Now they’ll be without starting safety Jimmie Ward, who had surgery after breaking a finger in Wednesday’s practice, per Matt Barrows of The Athletic. Ward has been ruled out for the team’s opener against Tampa Bay, although Barrows notes that he might be able to play with a cast on in Week 2. Second-year player Tarvarius Moore will start in his place.
  • Speaking of Verrett, the oft-injured corner received a nice chunk of change for making the team’s initial 53-man roster. Verrett got a $500K bonus for being on the active roster Week 1, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Verrett, a first-round pick of the Chargers’ back in 2014, signed a one-year deal with San Francisco earlier this offseason. Verrett has always been extremely talented and made the Pro Bowl back in 2015, but he’s appeared in just five games over the past three seasons. Verrett has already dealt with a torn ACL and Achilles in his young career, and he missed the entire preseason with an ankle injury.
  • Ward isn’t the only player they’ll be without in Week 1. Rookie receiver Jalen Hurd isn’t going to play against the Bucs and he could miss multiple games, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. The 49ers drafted Hurt 67th overall back in April, and he has the potential to turn into an intriguing weapon. Hurd rushed for nearly 3,000 yards in his college career as a running back and then transitioned to receiver, racking up 946 yards through the air in his senior season at Baylor. It should be interesting too see how Kyle Shanahan uses him, but unfortunately it looks like we might have to wait a few weeks for his debut as he deals with a back injury.

Patriots Sign Antonio Brown

September 7th, 2019 at 4:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Hours after the Raiders released Antonio Brown, the Patriots are set to swoop in. They have agreed to terms with the mercurial superstar, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The defending Super Bowl champions are set to take a chance on arguably this era’s premier wide receiver, despite his drama-filled 2019. The Patriots announced the signing.

This will be a one-year deal worth up to $15MM, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. Brown will receive a $9MM signing bonus, which could well end up being more than he will end up collecting from the Raiders.

Unfortunately for the football-following world, Brown cannot face the Steelers on Sunday night. But he stands to be part of this stunningly high-profile receiving corps Monday. Brown’s Instragram, as could be expected, has him Photoshopped in a Patriots jersey. Bleacher Report’s Master Tefatsion was the first to report Brown was nearing a Patriots deal (Twitter link).

In one of the league’s ultimate talent-trumps-everything moves, the four-time first-team All-Pro will move from the Raiders — who sent third- and fifth-round picks to the Steelers for Brown in March — to the Patriots. Different circumstances are obviously involved, but this mirrors another polarizing great’s trek from 12 years ago. The Pats traded a fourth-round pick to the Raiders for Randy Moss in 2007; Moss set the NFL’s single-season receiving touchdown record that season.

The Patriots exited their sixth Super Bowl season with question marks at wide receiver. They are set to enter Week 1 with Brown, Josh Gordon and Demaryius Thomas joining Julian Edelman. For a franchise that thrives on strikes of this sort, this qualifies as one of the Patriots’ all-time transactions. (Of course, the Pats will likely part ways with one of their wideouts, with Florio positing — on Twitter — Thomas might be the one to go.)

New England entered Saturday with $6.21MM in cap space, so some maneuvering will need to be done. But the perennial AFC favorites will see if they can manage the 31-year-old talent in a way the Raiders could not.

Brown has since released another video showing not exactly veiled excitement once he learned the Raiders released him (Twitter link). This came a day after a reportedly emotional apology Brown issued to his Raider teammates. There are not many NFL stories that can compete with this one, pound-for-pound.

Brown’s offseason included multiple retirement threats, him forcing his way out of Pittsburgh, the cryogenic chamber mishap and a months-long helmet dispute that ended with two rulings against him. His week included sharing a photo of a Raiders fine, a confrontation with GM Mike Mayock and a social media leak of a Jon Gruden phone call. The Raiders voided Brown’s $29MM-plus guarantees and released him shortly after, doing so a day after opting not to suspend him for Week 1. Brown will not play in Week 1 but will be eligible to suit up when the Patriots travel to Miami next week.

On the field, Brown has submitted a Hall of Fame resume. He transformed from sixth-round Steelers find to perennial Pro Bowler; he landed on the top All-Pro team from 2014-17. Last season, his yardage dropped to 1,297 but he still led the league with 15 touchdown catches. Brown has surpassed 1,499 yards in a season four times; the Patriots have only had one player (Wes Welker in 2011) do that in their 59-season history.

While not all of the Patriots’ gambles have worked out, with the likes of Chad Johnson and Albert Haynesworth disappointing following Foxborough arrivals, Moss and Corey Dillon delivered a major return. There certainly is no guarantee here, but the Patriots’ signing bonus reveals a degree of confidence they can make Brown’s Massachusetts stay look closer to his All-Pro work than what transpired in Oakland.

AB Fallout: Gruden, Steelers, Contract, Doss

September 7th, 2019 at 3:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the crazier sagas in modern NFL history concluded Saturday. The Raiders released Antonio Brown after voiding his guarantees, setting themselves up for another potential decision on Brown requiring an arbitrator. Jon Gruden addressed the decision, which came a day after he said Brown would play in Week 1 against the Broncos.

“We just have exhausted everything,” Gruden said. “We tried every way possible to make it work. And all I’m gonna say is it’s disappointing. We did everything we could to make this work. I’m sorry it didn’t. I apologize, but I’ll tell you, I’m very proud of what we did as an organization to try. I wish Antonio the best. I’m sorry we never got a chance to see him in silver and black. … I just don’t think it worked. It didn’t fit here.”

The Raiders’ top receivers going into Monday night’s game are now Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson. They drafted Hunter Renfrow and kept Ryan Grant over Gruden Hard Knocks favorite Keelan Doss.

Here is the latest from this round of AB fallout:

  • Brown did not completely morph into the polarizing figure he now is until Week 17 of last season, a sequence that began his Pittsburgh exit. A 2012 date sticks with some Steelers figures, however. A day after Brown received the first of his two Steelers extensions (July 28, 2012), he engaged in a heated exchange with Steelers defenders and then-DC Dick LeBeau at a training camp practice, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com notes. Another component in the Brown saga, per Robinson: Steelers owner Dan Rooney‘s death. The late owner was a Brown supporter, and Robinson adds Brown “took it hard” when the organization prioritized Ben Roethlisberger over him. This is a bit strange because the Steelers did not give Big Ben his latest extension until Brown forced his way out, though the team did back Roethlisberger after Brown’s Week 17 became an amazing run of drama.
  • Drew Rosenhaus mentioned this Brown saga indeed could become a legal situation, regarding the released wideout’s $29MM-plus in guarantees, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter). “We’ll do what’s best for Antonio. We will speak with the NFLPA,” Rosenhaus said, via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (Twitter link). While the Raiders no longer employ Brown, their part in this process does not look to be over. If Brown were to win a grievance, the Raiders could be tagged with $29.125MM in dead money, ex-GM Mike Tannenbaum tweets. The Steelers are already eating $21.12MM in 2019 dead cap charges.
  • Interestingly, the Raiders tried to bring Doss back after releasing Brown. But the Jaguars moved to give the rookie UDFA a full veteran-minimum salary to keep him, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reports (video link). Doss will become by far Jacksonville’s highest-paid practice squad player, making an active-roster minimum of $495K. The practice squad minimum is $8K per week.
  • Any team that signs Brown will guarantee 25% of his 2019 salary, per OverTheCap’s Jason Fitzgerald (on Twitter), because of termination pay rules. However, if one of the other three teams playing on Monday night — the Texans, Saints or Broncos — sign Brown before their respective games (extremely unlikely), Brown’s salary would be fully guaranteed.
  • Count the Saints out, however, with Sean Payton quickly indicating (via NOLA.com’s Herbie Teope, on Twitter) his team will not pursue the volatile All-Pro. This figures to be a theme, but there will certainly be teams that investigate this situation for a possible free agent signing.

Eagles Restructure Alshon Jeffery’s Deal

September 7th, 2019 at 2:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

On a busy day for contract restructures and wide receivers, the Eagles dabbled in both areas. They reached an agreement to restructure Alshon Jeffery‘s contract, the team announced.

Jeffery agreed to convert most of his $11.75MM 2019 base salary into a signing bonus, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). More importantly, $11.5MM of Jeffery’s $12.75MM base salary in 2020 now becomes fully guaranteed. No guaranteed 2020 money was previously included in Jeffery’s deal.

After entering the offseason without a notable receiver commitment for 2020, at least in terms of guarantees, the Eagles have are now tethered to their Jeffery-DeSean Jackson tandem for next season. Jackson turns 33 later this year; Jeffery will be 30 in February. The Eagles traded for Jackson and gave him $13MM in full guarantees. He is on Philadelphia’s 2020 books at $8.9MM.

Philadelphia extended Jeffery on a four-year, $52.25MM deal in December 2017. After missing three games, the veteran wideout posted 65 catches for 843 yards and six touchdowns in 2018. His yardage figure improved from a 16-game 2017, though Jeffery was playing with a shoulder injury that season.

Patriots, Jonathan Jones Agree To Deal

September 7th, 2019 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Patriots are closing in on a deal for fourth-year cornerback Jonathan Jones, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Given a second-round tender this offseason, Jones is nearing a long-term extension before New England’s Week 1 game.

It’s a three-year deal worth $21MM in base value, Rapoport tweets. Jones could earn up to $25MM and will receive $13MM guaranteed. He was slated to play for $3.095MM on the tender. The Patriots landed Jones as a 2016 UDFA out of Auburn.

Jones has not missed a regular-season game since coming into the league, though he did miss the 2017 AFC championship game and Super Bowl LII. The corner has been a part-time starter as a pro, opening with the Pats’ first unit in 10 games. He graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 73 corner last season.

This deal would tie the soon-to-be 26-year-old defender to the Patriots through the 2022 season. He and second-round pick Joejuan Williams would be the only Pats DBs signed through 2022. Stephon Gilmore‘s deal runs through 2021. Jones remains part of a deep New England cornerback corps, joining also Jason McCourty and J.C. Jackson. The Pats dealt from their surplus, unloading 2018 second-rounder Duke Dawson and Keion Crossen, recently but are prioritizing Jackson.

Rams To Extend P Johnny Hekker

September 7th, 2019 at 1:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

This has now become a two-transaction day for Rams punter Johnny Hekker. After restructuring his previous deal, the four-time All-Pro agreed to an extension, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

Hekker agreed to a one-year, $4.25MM re-up, which increases the Rams’ commitment to their top-flight specialist to five seasons. The 29-year-old punter is now signed through the 2023 season. This deal comes with $3MM in additional guarantees, Schefter adds. Hekker now has $18.75MM remaining on his Rams contract.

Earlier Saturday, Hekker converted $2.25MM in base salary to a signing bonus. The Rams, who also extended both Jared Goff and Tyler Higbee earlier this week, moved to reward him.

Having teamed with Greg Zuerlein since the 2012 season, Hekker now joins Goff, Aaron Donald, Todd Gurley and Brandin Cooks in Rams being signed through 2023. Given punters’ career spans, and Hekker’s performance through seven seasons, it’s a good bet he will be with the Rams through the ’23 season.

Hekker already has more first-team All-Pro seasons than Hall of Famer Ray Guy. Among pure punters, he trails only Shane Lechler (six) in NFL history. Hekker’s 2018 season was his first not to include a Pro Bowl invite since 2014, but in a defense-powered Super Bowl, the veteran punter did his part to keep the Rams in that game. His nine-punt performance ended with three dropping inside the Pats’ 20-yard line.

The Rams have Zuerlein signed through only 2019, so extension talks on that front should probably be expected. Both were All-Pros in 2017, that marking the third straight season Hekker cleared 47 yards per punt. He averaged 46.3 yards per boot in 2018 — seventh in the NFL.

Dolphins Sign OL Jesse Davis To Extension

September 7th, 2019 at 12:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Dolphins offensive lineman Jesse Davis has earned a nice pay increase. ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Miami has signed the 27-year-old to a three-year, $15MM extension. The deal includes $8.5MM guaranteed. As an exclusive rights free agent, Davis will earn a $645K salary in 2019.

The 2015 undrafted free agent out of Idaho spent the first year-plus of his career with the Seahawks and Jets before finally finding a home in Miami. He made the Dolphins’ 53-man roster following the 2017 preseason, and he’s proceeded to appear in 32 games (26 starts) over the past two seasons.

As ESPN’s Cameron Wolfe tweets, the coaching staff is especially happy with Davis’ versatility. The lineman started as a swing guard before earning a starting guard spot, and he’s also seen reps at right tackle. In fact, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald predicts that Davis will ultimately start at left tackle for the team’s season opener.

Falcons, Julio Jones Agree To Three-Year Extension

September 7th, 2019 at 12:16pm CST by Ben Levine

At long last, it sounds like the Falcons and wideout Julio Jones have agreed to a contract extension. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter) have agreed to a three-year, $66MM extension. The unprecedented deal is fully-guaranteed and includes $64MM due at signing.

Earlier today, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reported (via Twitter) that the two sides were finalizing a deal that would make Jones the highest-paid receiver in the league. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted that the deal was expected to be a three-year pact worth around $66MM.

Jones is now setting a new benchmark at the position. Saints Pro Bowler Michael Thomas leads wideouts with an average annual value of $19.25MM, following by Browns receiver Odell Beckham Jr. at $18MM. Jones had been pushing for an extension for several seasons, with his previous AAV ($14.25MM) ranking only 12th among wideouts.

Since Jones is heading into his age-30 season, his extension is a bit more complicated than the deals signed by Thomas and Beckham. Still, the nine-year pro was apparently able to set a new standard at the position, even if it’s only for a handful of years. The $64MM that’s due at signing is also a record-setter; 97-percent of Jones’ contract is guaranteed at signing, while the previous high for a non-QB (according to Schefter) belonged to Trey Flowers, who got 74-percent guaranteed at signing.

The two sides had been discussing an extension for months, with recent reports indicating that a deal was close. Jones didn’t hold out from minicamp nor training camp, while owner Arthur Blank consistently expressed optimism that they’d sign the receiver to a long-term deal. The front office has also been working on clearing up cap space, with many assuming the money would end up going to Jones.

The former first-rounder has certainly established himself as one of the best players at his position. Jones’ 7,994 receiving yards since the 2014 season are the most any player has ever compiled in a five-year span, and he finished last season with 113 receptions for a league-leading 1,677 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.

Cowboys Release RB Alfred Morris

September 7th, 2019 at 11:47am CST by Ben Levine

Ezekiel Elliott is back on the Cowboys active roster, but it cost one of his fellow running backs a job. NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports (via Twitter) that Dallas has released veteran running back Alfred Morris.

Morris had three-straight 1,000-yard seasons to start his career with the Redskins before struggling mightily during the 2015 campaign. He ended up catching on with the Cowboys prior to the 2016 season, and he quickly became one of the most dependable backups in the game. The veteran appeared in 28 games (five starts) during his two years in Dallas, including a 2017 campaign where he finished with 547 rushing yards and one touchdown on 115 carries.

That performance ended up earning him a one-year deal with the 49ers, where he was briefly thrust to the top of the depth chart following the season-ending injury to Jerick McKinnon. Morris saw his yards-per-carry average drop below four during his stint in San Francisco, and he finished last season with 428 rushing yards and two scores in 12 games (one start).

With Elliott holding out, the Cowboys re-signed Morris back in July. However, it was clear that Morris didn’t have a clear-cut role on the team, and this was before Elliott inked his recent extension. Ultimately, the organization decided to roll with rookie Tony Pollard and former undrafted free agent Jordan Chunn behind their All-Pro starter.

Raiders Release WR Antonio Brown

September 7th, 2019 at 11:02am CST by Ben Levine

And just like that, Antonio Brown‘s tenure with the Raiders has come to an end. The organization announced that they’ve released the star receiver. This comes hours after Brown requested his release from the team via Instagram.

Of course, the saga between these two sides is far from over. Brown effectively hasn’t seen a dime from the organization (Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com estimates that he earned a week’s salary), as the majority of his 2019 money was via a guaranteed $14.625MM base salary that was voided last night. As Mark Maske pointed out earlier today (on Twitter), Brown’s camp will likely fight both the team’s attempt to revoke the entire $29.1MM in guaranteed money and his $215K in fines.

As we noted earlier, the Raiders told Brown that he would “no longer will be entitled to termination pay” should he be released; former GM (and current ESPN employee) Mike Tannenbaum notes that the organization can’t “unilaterally take away a player’s right to termination pay” (which is a CBA perk for veteran players). On the flip side, the Raiders could pursue a “conduct detrimental claim” to recoup the money. That’s when things get tricky; the organization would then be dependent on the ruling of an arbitrator. If Brown’s behavior isn’t deemed to be detrimental, then the Raiders would have sacrificed more than $30MM and a pair of draft picks for zero production.

Brown has been a constant source of drama throughout his brief tenure in Oakland. Following frostbitten feet and a helmet dispute, it all seemed to culminate this week when the receiver berated general manager Mike Mayock after being fined for missing practices. The organization was then reportedly set to suspended the wideout, although the two sides seemingly made up, Brown was simply fined, and reports indicated that he’d play in Week 1. Then, last night, Brown was officially slapped with those fines, which then voided his guarantees. As a result, the 31-year-old requested his release this morning, and according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, Brown is attributing his discontent to the team’s apparent lack of respect.

“Told me do not come in Thursday. Bad my name,” Brown told Rapoport (Twitter link). “Then come work, give two papers after the press conference. No guaranteed no way.”

For the Raiders, the drama has seemingly ended for the time being. As Fitzgerald tweets, the move should open up around $28MM in cap space this season (pending any grievances). Meanwhile, the team will now have clarity on their receiver depth chart heading into Week 1. As of right now, Tyrell Williams and JJ Nelson are listed as Derek Carr‘s top targets.

Considering his status as a veteran, Brown isn’t subject to waivers, tweets NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero. ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the receiver is free to sign with a new team at 4:01 PM EST today, although he won’t be eligible to play for a new team tomorrow. Agent Drew Rosenhaus indicated that he’ll immediately start looking for a new home for his client.

“Now that Antonio is a free agent, we are focused on the future and I will immediately work on signing him to a new team,” Rosenhaus said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “Antonio is looking forward to a new beginning.”

The agent also provided some insight into Brown’s failed stint with the Raiders.

“It’s been well-documented that it’s been a rocky road from the beginning,” Rosenhaus told Rapoport. “Unfortunately, not all relationships between players & teams work out. … Everybody had the best intentions going in but it didn’t pan out.”

Load More Posts