HEADLINES

Month: June 2022

Falcons Denied Kyle Smith Permission To Interview For Bills’ Assistant GM Job

June 8th, 2022 at 10:32am CST by Sam Robinson

Brian Gaine ended up replacing Joe Schoen as the Bills’ assistant general manager, but the team did interview outside candidates. Buffalo attempted to meet with another, according to Brandon Beane, but was denied the opportunity.

The Bills identified Falcons vice president of player personnel Kyle Smith as a candidate for their assistant GM post, according to ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein (on Twitter). The Falcons denied Smith permission to meet with the Bills, leading to Gaine’s promotion.

While Gaine may well have been promoted regardless of Smith’s availability, the Falcons used an NFL rule to ensure Terry Fontenot‘s top lieutenant remained in Atlanta. Since Smith is classified as Fontenot’s second-in-command, Buffalo’s assistant GM gig was considered a lateral move. That opened the door for the Falcons to block the Bills from meeting with the western New York native.

The Falcons hired Smith shortly after Fontenot took over last year. He had previously spent several years with Washington, finishing out his time there as the team’s VP of player personnel. The young exec ran multiple drafts for the team, which was without a traditional GM for a stretch, but left ahead of Ron Rivera‘s second year in the nation’s capital.

Buffalo now has Gaine, Terrance Gray and Matt Bazirgan positioned in high-ranking posts under Beane, who has lost a few top staffers over the past two offseasons. The Giants hired Schoen as their GM, and Schoen took ex-Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey with him. Buffalo lost Dan Morgan last year, when he became Carolina’s assistant GM. The Bills interviewed former Steelers staffer Brandon Hunt for the assistant GM job this year, but he is now with the Eagles, joining a team that lost four staffers to assistant GM roles this year.

49ers Discussing Deebo Samuel Extension, Yet To Begin Nick Bosa Talks

June 8th, 2022 at 9:33am CST by Sam Robinson

Neither Deebo Samuel nor Nick Bosa participated fully during the first day of 49ers minicamp. Samuel did not go through any on-field work with the team, while Bosa shut down his activity following individual drills. Neither had participated in the team’s OTA sessions.

Samuel showing up represented a good sign for the 49ers, however, and Kyle Shanahan confirmed the team continues to discuss an extension with its All-Pro wide receiver, via Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News. The sixth-year San Francisco HC is confident the parties will hammer out a deal before the season, per The Athletic’s David Lombardi (on Twitter).

Shanahan passed on addressing whether Samuel’s trade request is still on. That request surfaced before A.J. Brown‘s $25MM-per-year Eagles deal came to pass. With Samuel connected to $25MM ahead of that contract, for a player who has yet to put together an All-Pro season, it will be interesting to see if the 49ers are willing to pay him $10MM north of George Kittle‘s tight end-leading AAV. Other than Pierre Garcon‘s five-year, $47.5MM contract, the 49ers have not paid much at the receiver position under Shanahan. The 49ers’ initial offer was believed to come in south of $19MM per year.

Although the 49ers’ murky negotiations with Samuel are underway, Shanahan said the team has not begun any talks with Bosa. Samuel is going into a contract year, while Bosa’s rookie deal includes a fifth-year option — one the 49ers made the simple decision to exercise last month. The former No. 2 overall pick is tied to an $895K 2022 salary and $17.9MM fifth-year option price.

While Shanahan expects Bosa to be a 49er “for a very long time,” the team may not end up completing a deal with the two-time Pro Bowler this offseason. John Lynch said a Bosa deal has been budgeted, but a few other key pass rushers’ timelines — from Aaron Donald to T.J. Watt to Joey Bosa — included extensions ahead of their fifth seasons. Myles Garrett signed his Browns re-up after his third season, but that serves as an outlier among top-tier edge rushers. Von Miller‘s Broncos extension did not come to pass until after his fifth season. None of those teams had a Samuel-type situation to address, either. That and Jimmy Garoppolo‘s $26.9MM cap number will continue to cloud matters with the younger Bosa.

Rob Walton Submits NFL-Record $4.65 Billion Bid For Broncos

June 7th, 2022 at 11:44pm CST by Sam Robinson

The second round of bids for the Denver Broncos came through, and the long-rumored frontrunner remained ahead in the race. Rob Walton‘s group submitted a $4.65 billion bid to buy the AFC West franchise, Mike Klis of 9News reports. The group enters a sales agreement, one expected to lead to the Broncos having new owners ahead of the 2022 season.

That price not only shatters the NFL record — one David Tepper set when he bought the Carolina Panthers for $2.3 billion in 2018 — but breaks the American sports record by more than $2 billion. Walton, his daughter Carrie Walton Penner and son-in-law Greg Penner — all Walmart family heirs — will take over a Broncos franchise that had been in Pat Bowlen‘s family from 1984 until it went on the market in February. Although the Broncos have been run by the Pat Bowlen Trust for years, disagreements among the late owner’s children led to the team going up for sale.

Walton’s group beat out the Josh Harris– and Magic Johnson-fronted contingent, along with those headed by Mat and Justin Ishbia and Jose Feliciano, respectively. All four finalists submitted bids Monday, but Walton’s — unsurprisingly, as his approximately $70 billion net worth puts him in line to become the NFL’s richest owner — won out. Walton’s net worth more than triples Tepper’s. The Panthers owner’s $16.7 billion worth currently leads the league. Rob Walton, 77, is the oldest son of the late Walmart founder, Sam Walton.

“I have enjoyed getting to know Rob Walton, Carrie Walton Penner and Greg Penner throughout this process,” Broncos CEO and president Joe Ellis said in a statement. “Learning more about their background and vision for the Denver Broncos, I am confident that their leadership and support will help this team achieve great things on and off the field.”

This transaction’s next step will be an NFL finance committee review. A three-fourths approval among other owners will greenlight Walton’s transition to becoming the Broncos’ next owner. Tepper’s Panthers purchase garnered a 32-0 vote. Walton’s acquisition is not expected to be met with resistance. A special convening between NFL owners is expected to take place in July, Klis notes. Walton appears set to be the Broncos’ controlling owner. But his daughter and son-in-law, along with Arial Investments co-CEO Mellody Hobson, will play roles.

All four ownership groups reached out to Peyton Manning, who had expressed interest in being part of the franchise’s next group. John Elway had as well. It is unclear as of Tuesday night if the Hall of Fame quarterbacks will move forward with a Walton-run franchise. Elway, the team’s GM from 2011-20, currently serves as a consultant to GM George Paton.

Injury Notes: Beathard, Glasgow, Jones, Texans, Bengals

June 7th, 2022 at 9:41pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jaguars number-two QB went down with an injury yesterday. C.J. Beathard was carted off the field during OTAs, per NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). According to the reporter, Beathard suffered a groin injury, and an impending MRI will reveal the extent of the injury.

The former third-round pick spent the first four years of his career with the 49ers. Beathard went 2-10 as a starter, completing 58.6 percent of his passes for 3,469 yards, 18 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. He signed a two-year, $5MM deal with the Jaguars last offseason, and he got into two games as Trevor Lawrence‘s backup, completing his pair of pass attempts.

If Beathard is forced to miss an extended amount of time, the Jaguars will likely turn to Jake Luton or rookie EJ Perry as Lawrence’s primary backup.

More injury news from around the NFL…

  • Broncos lineman Graham Glasgow broke his ankle last November, but the veteran is back at practice and is competing to regain his starting spot. “I’m no stranger to competition,’’ Glasgow said (via Mike Klis of 9News in Denver). “I’ve competed in the past and I’ve competed for starting jobs in the past. This whole offseason, I’ve been competing with myself to get better in my rehab stuff. If I’m healthy, I’m just going to go out there and do what I can and do what I do. We’ll see what comes out of that.” The 29-year-old guard/center has started 78 of his 82 career games, but Klis notes that Quinn Meinerz and/0r Netane Muti could push him for a starting gig.
  • Daniel Jones is apparently over his neck injury. Giants head coach Brian Daboll told reporters that if the season started today, then the Giants starting QB would be fully cleared to play (per Dan Duggan of The Athletic on Twitter). After going 4-7 in his 11 starts, Jones missed the final six games of the 2021 campaign with a neck injury. Despite his struggles, the former sixth-overall pick is expected to keep his starting gig in 2022, although the organization did bring in veteran Tyrod Taylor as competition.
  • Texans wideout DaeSean Hamilton is set to have knee surgery tomorrow, reports Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com (on Twitter). The receiver suffered the injury during a non-contact drill, but he didn’t tear his ACL and is expected to make a full recovery at some point during the regular season. Hamilton was a fourth-round pick by the Broncos in 2018, and he only missed a pair of games through his first three seasons. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL, and he caught on with the Texans back in March. The 27-year-old has 81 receptions in 46 games.
  • Bengals defensive tackle Tyler Shelvin suffered a wrist injury that will shut him down for the rest of the offseason program, per the team’s website. Coach Zac Taylor told reporters that the former fourth-round pick avoided a serious injury, but the player still needed to go under the knife to repair the ailment. Shelvin got into three games as a rookie, collecting four tackles.

Rams Dealing With RB Injuries

June 7th, 2022 at 8:39pm CST by Ben Levine

The Rams are dealing with some injuries to their running backs corps. Head coach Sean McVay told reporters that running back Kyren Williams broke his foot and had surgery (via Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic on Twitter). Fortunately, it sounds like Williams will only miss the first few sessions of training camp, but it’s still a tough break for the rookie.

Meanwhile, Darrell Henderson isn’t participating in on-field work as he deals with a “soft-tissue injury.” As Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com writes, Henderson initially aggregated the injury during May OTAs. At the time, McVay indicated that Henderson dealt with the same ailment in 2021, but the RB still managed to appear in 12 games (although he was limited on only a single playoff contest).

While Henderson found himself in and out of the lineup in 2021, he still managed to finish with a career-high 864 yards from scrimmage. Williams was selected in the fifth-round of this year’s draft following a standout career at Notre Dame that saw him collect 31 touchdowns between the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

It’s obviously too early for the Rams to worry about their injury situation, but the team’s depth at RB will certainly be stressed for the time being. The team still has Cam Akers, who led the RB grouping during the Rams’ Super Bowl run, but they lack experienced depth behind him (Henderson and Williams were likely to slot in as the second and third RBs, respectively). As a result, the likes of Jake Funk, Xavier Jones, and Raymond Calais will see increased reps over the next few week, and the current absences could help one of the three snag a final roster spot.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/7/22

June 7th, 2022 at 8:20pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor move:

Las Vegas Raiders

Horsted spent the first three seasons of his career with the Bears after going undrafted out of Princeton in 2019. He saw time in 13 games during his three seasons with Chicago, hauling in 10 receptions for 108 yards and three touchdowns. He was waived by the Bears earlier this month after failing a physical. He’ll be joining a depth chart that already includes six other tight ends.

OL B.J. Finney Retires

June 7th, 2022 at 6:45pm CST by Ben Levine

B.J. Finney is calling it a career. The offensive lineman told Kellis Robinett of the Wichita Eagle/Kansas City Star that he has “medically retired” from the NFL (Twitter link).

Finney joined the Steelers as an undrafted free agent out of Kansas State in 2015. The prospect was once considered the best center in the NFL Draft, and while teams were unwilling to use a draft pick on him, he was a hot commodity once he hit free agency. Despite the interest (and, presumably, lucrative offers), Finney opted to sign with his favorite team as a child.

After basically redshirting his rookie campaign, the lineman ended up getting into 56 games for Pittsburgh over the next four seasons, including 13 starts. He was never able to overtake Maurkice Pouncey or Ramon Foster in the starting lineup, but his ability to play offensive guard led him to being a top reserve.

Finney got a two-year, $8MM deal from the Seahawks in 2020, but he only got into six games with Seattle before being traded to the Bengals (in a trade for Carlos Dunlap). He saw time in one game for Cincinnati, spending the majority of his tenure on the various reserve lists. He rejoined the Steelers for the 2021 campaign, but after getting into seven games (two starts), a back injury ended his season prematurely.

Colts LB Darius Leonard Had Back Surgery

June 7th, 2022 at 5:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Darius Leonard recently went under the knife. ESPN’s Mike Wells reports (via Twitter) that the Colts linebacker will have back surgery, but Leonard is expected to be back at some point during training camp. The linebacker himself tweeted that the surgery has already been completed.

“Surgery went well, feeling amazing and ready to get back going!” Leonard tweeted. “If you know me you know I always come back way better than I was! Let’s go man ankle feels amazing and can’t wait to get back moving!”

As Leonard noted, he’s been struggling with an ankle injury throughout the spring that has prevented him from participating in Indy’s offseason workouts. This was the same ankle that Leonard got operated on last offseason, a surgery that forced him to miss time during training camp and ultimately hampered him for much of the 2021 campaign. Fortunately, the team doesn’t believe Leonard will need to undergo a second operation on the troublesome ankle.

However, the linebacker has also been dealing with a back ailment since his season came to an end, and he ultimately decided to get an operation. Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star writes that the surgery will force Leonard to miss “at least part” of training camp, but the veteran’s absence isn’t expected to extend into the regular season.

While Leonard dealt with injuries throughout last year, he still proved why he’s one of the best linebackers in the NFL, finishing with 122 tackles, four interceptions, and a league-leading eight forced fumbles. The performance earned him a first-team All-Pro nod, the third first-team honor of his career. The 26-year-old inked a whopping five-year, $99.25MM extension (including $52.5MM guaranteed) with the Colts last offseason.

Ravens Sign First-Round Pick Kyle Hamilton

June 7th, 2022 at 5:02pm CST by Ben Levine

The Ravens have signed their top pick. NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that Baltimore has inked Kyle Hamilton to his rookie deal.

The defensive back signed a four-year pact worth a fully guaranteed $16.225MM, and he’ll earn a signing bonus worth a tad more than $9MM. As Jonas Shaffer of The Baltimore Sun points out, this is one of the largest rookie deals in franchise history, rivaling Ronnie Stanley‘s four-year, $20.5MM deal in 2018 and Joe Flacco‘s five-year, $11.9MM deal (plus another $18MM in incentives) in 2008.

Hamilton had a highly productive three-year career at Notre Dame, collecting 138 tackles and eight interceptions. His ability to play multiple positions at a high level led to him being a projected top-five pick, but his testing numbers, season-ending knee injury, and subpar athletic profile ultimately led to him dropping to Baltimore at No. 15. Still, his versatility (Hamilton played both safety and linebacker in college) makes him an ideal fit for Baltimore’s defense.

The Ravens lost safety DeShon Elliott but replaced him with former-Saints safety Marcus Williams, so there’s a chance Hamilton ends up lining up at linebacker as a rookie. Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald recently described the rookie “as advertised,” with the coach noting that the young player was up for any challenge.

Hamilton wasn’t the only Ravens rookie to sign a contract today. The team also inked cornerback Damarion Williams to his rookie pact (via the team on Twitter). The Houston product appeared in 13 games during his senior season, compiling 53 tackles and one interception.

As our 2022 NFL team-by-team draft results show, Williams and Hamilton are now the fifth and sixth rookie to ink a contract with the Ravens. Second-round linebacker David Ojabo (Michigan) is the highest-drafted player who remains unsigned.

Steelers Yet To Submit Extension Offer To Diontae Johnson

June 7th, 2022 at 3:37pm CST by Sam Robinson

Diontae Johnson is three months from his contract season, and while it is unclear if the Steelers’ top wide receiver will play a fourth year on his rookie deal, the Steelers have yet to engage in serious talks. Johnson said the team has not made an extension offer, according to veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala (on Twitter).

The Steelers usually hammer out their extensions just before the season. Numerous veterans have signed late-summer deals to stay in Pittsburgh. New GM Omar Khan confirmed the team will continue to not discuss extensions in-season. What makes Johnson’s case more interesting is the team’s history with wide receivers and the team undoubtedly preparing a lucrative Minkah Fitzpatrick re-up. Those talks will take precedence over any negotiations with Johnson, who is believed to want to stay with the Steelers long-term.

Although Pittsburgh gave Antonio Brown two extensions, the rest of the team’s post-Hines Ward receiver troops moved on during or after their contract years. JuJu Smith-Schuster is a slight exception as well, having re-signed in 2021. But he left for Kansas City this year. And Johnson will be on track for a more lucrative deal. The team traded Santonio Holmes to the Jets after four seasons, let Mike Wallace join the Dolphins after his rookie deal expired in 2013 and operated the same way regarding Emmanuel Sanders, who signed with the Broncos a year later.

Pittsburgh, which also let James Washington join Smith-Schuster in leaving this year, drafted George Pickens in Round 2 and Calvin Austin III in Round 4. The team has a tremendous track record of receiver development, pointing to potential hesitancy in extending Johnson on an exploding receiver market. The former third-round pick is coming off his first 1,000-yard season and stands to be the top weapon for the team’s post-Ben Roethlisberger starting quarterback.

The team has time to finalize its path with Johnson and has the franchise tag at its disposal in 2023. Should Fitzpatrick not agree to a deal this year, he would be in line for a 2023 tag. For now, Johnson joins D.K. Metcalf, Terry McLaurin and Deebo Samuel as 2019 receiver draftees going into contract years. The Seahawks, Commanders and 49ers, respectively, have each indicated a desire to extend these players. The Steelers have not done so with Johnson yet. Another quality season from the soon-to-be 26-year-old pass catcher will position him for a big free agency accord.

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