HEADLINES

Month: January 2023

WR Davante Adams Says He’s Sticking With Raiders

January 4th, 2023 at 10:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Davante Adams‘ friendship with quarterback Derek Carr led to the duo teaming up in Las Vegas. It looks like Carr’s tenure with the Raiders has likely come to an end, but even with the change at quarterback, the wide receiver has made it clear that he’ll be staying put. Adams told Tashan Reed of The Athletic that while he’d appreciate some input regarding the QB decision, he’ll “absolutely” be sticking with the Raiders regardless of how things unfold.

[RELATED: Raiders Expected To Retain Josh Jacobs]

“I wouldn’t have ended up here if Derek [Carr] wasn’t here, but it doesn’t necessarily mean that I won’t be here in the event that he’s not here,” Adams told Reed (Twitter link).“… My dream was to play for this team before he was a Raider, obviously, [and] at this point I want to try to make this thing work.”

We heard earlier today that Adams was likely heading toward a second season in Las Vegas, mostly due to his contract. The wideout is under contract through the 2026 season, so the team would have plenty of leverage if the player suddenly asked out. Plus, as former NFL agent Joel Corry points out on Twitter, the Raiders did a salary conversion back in July that ultimately resulted in Adams earning $43MM during his first year in Vegas. Ownership would surely push back at paying that amount for only one season of production.

Plus, for what it’s worth, it sounds like the receiver trusts head coach Josh McDaniels and general manager Dave Ziegler to figure out the Raiders’ quarterback situation.

“Me, Josh and Ziegler, we’ve got a really good dynamic and it’s something that I really appreciate,” Adams told Reed. “I’ve mentioned it to them, as well. Obviously, they don’t have to do anything. I’m not a part of the front office, but obviously the reason why I came here. A step like this is obviously something that means a lot to me in my personal career and obviously what I’m trying to chase as far as the ultimate pursuit to get that ring.

“I’m not a guy that’s just going to come in here just saying anything. They know whether it’s about the scheme or if it’s about personnel, whatever it is, there’s a rhyme to the reason. I’m definitely going to have something behind whatever it is that I’m thinking or I’m saying. We’ve obviously got a good understanding for one another and that helps this whole process.”

Adams has been productive during his first season in Las Vegas, hauling in 95 catches for 1,443 yards and 14 touchdowns. He showed what he can do with a different quarterback under center during Week 17, as the receiver collected 153 receiving yards and two scores with Jarrett Stidham tossing him the ball.

Latest On Eagles DE Josh Sweat

January 4th, 2023 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Despite a scary incident last weekend that saw Josh Sweat transported to the hospital with a neck injury, the Eagles defensive end may not miss much time. During the “Inside The Birds” podcast, Adam Caplan said the defensive end could be back for Philly’s first playoff game.

“What we have heard is that the first playoff game is absolutely in play as of now,” Caplan said (via InsideTheBirds.com). “He’s just super sore. They’ll know in a series of days how he really feels. Everything checked out well.”

Naturally, coach Nick Sirianni was quick to note that the Eagles will operate with caution when it comes to Sweat’s return to the field. However, Sweat himself already added some optimism regarding his return when he tweeted that he’ll “be back this season.”

“We’ll take Josh one day at a time,” Sirianni said (via the team’s website). “I’m just really thankful that it wasn’t more serious there and I know everybody in that stadium was holding their breath because anytime that stretcher comes out, that’s tough to deal with. Josh was saying, ‘Hey, let me get up. I can get up.’ The doctors in that scenario have to make sure they go through all the right scenarios. I felt a little more at ease because of what Josh was saying out there.”

Sweat was carted off the field during the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to New Orleans following a headfirst collision into Saints fullback Adam Prentice. Sweat was on the ground for several minutes before being positioned onto a stretcher and carted off the field. He was later transported to the hospital before being released on Sunday, with the team reporting that Sweat had movement in all of his extremities.

The 25-year-old is less than one calendar year removed from a life-threatening medical condition which emerged during the postseason and forced him to miss Philadelphia’s first-round matchup with Tampa Bay. He’s returned to have a career year for the Eagles, collecting career-highs in sacks (11), QB hits (23), and TFLs (15).

Chiefs Activate WR Mecole Hardman

January 4th, 2023 at 7:23pm CST by Ben Levine

The Chiefs will be getting some offensive reinforcement just in time for the postseason. The team announced that they’ve activated wideout Mecole Hardman from injured reserve. To make room on the roster, the team waived offensive tackle Geron Christian.

Hardman last saw the field during Kansas City’s win over the Titans in early November. He was listed on subsequent injury reports with an abdominal injury before ultimately landing on IR. He returned to practice back in December and his three-week activation window was set to expire this week. Hardman was a limited participant at practice today with a pelvis injury, per ESPN’s Adam Teicher.

The former second-round pick had more than 500 receiving yards in each of his first three seasons in the NFL, including a 2021 campaign where he had a career-high 739 yards from scrimmage. Hardman has also served as the team’s primary punt returner, and he earned a Pro Bowl nod for his punt/kick returning during his rookie campaign.

In eight games (five starts) this season, Hardman already hauled in a career-high six touchdowns to go along with 328 yards from scrimmage.

Christian got into 10 games for the Chiefs this season, with the majority of his snaps coming on special teams. He started 16 games for Washington and Houston between 2019 and 2021.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/4/23

January 4th, 2023 at 6:36pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Dallas Cowboys

  • Placed on IR: S Juanyeh Thomas

Denver Broncos

  • Signed: OL George Moore, TE Hunter Thedford

Kansas City Chiefs

New Orleans Saints

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: LB Ferrod Gardner
  • Activated from IR: G Nolan Laufenberg

Minor NFL Transactions: 1/4/23

January 4th, 2023 at 5:27pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor NFL transactions:

Baltimore Ravens

Buffalo Bills

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

Detroit Lions

Indianapolis Colts

Minnesota Vikings

New Orleans Saints

Seattle Seahawks

Washington Commanders

  • Placed on IR: LB De’Jon Harris

Cardinals Likely To Fire Kliff Kingsbury

January 4th, 2023 at 3:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the NFL expanding to 17 games has an effect here, the Cardinals are likely to match their record for most losses in a season. The 4-12 team faces the 49ers in Week 18; another loss would match Arizona’s 2018 and 2000 seasons (13). It does not look like Kliff Kingsbury will survive such a result.

The Cardinals are expected to dismiss Kingsbury at season’s end, Armando Salguero of Outkick.com reports, noting that such a transaction is “kind of an open secret” by now. This move would come months after Kingsbury signed an extension that runs through 2027. With Steve Keim also rumored to be on the outs months after his extension, this would represent a remarkable course change for the Cardinals.

Kingsbury, 43, took over the Cards after their Steve Wilks-led 3-13 season and made a successful push for Kyler Murray at No. 1 overall. The Cardinals became the first team since the 1982-83 Baltimore Colts to take first-round quarterbacks in back-to-back years. While the Cards were proven right to reinvest via the Murray pick and move on from Josh Rosen, this season marked a significant step back for the dual-threat talent. Murray fell off the Pro Bowl tier and is now rehabbing a torn ACL. Prior to the injury, he and Kingsbury were not believed to be on good terms.

A recent report indicated Kingsbury resigning was possible, but that seemed the less likely conclusion compared to a firing. A resignation would prevent Kingsbury (28-36-1) from cashing in on the extension money he is entitled to by virtue of the deal he inked in March. Little has gone right since the Cards reupped their HC-GM combo, however.

The Cardinals maneuvered through messy Murray situations — the pre-draft extension demand and the fallout from the homework clause included in the five-year, $230.5MM deal — and a report indicated Kingsbury has been “extremely frustrated” with the quarterback he has known since the latter’s high school days. Murray’s deal ties him to the Cards through 2028, which always made him most likely to be the last one standing despite Kingsbury and Keim’s extensions.

Arizona entered the season unable to deploy its newly assembled DeAndre Hopkins–Marquise Brown tandem, due to Hopkins’ six-game PED ban, and Kingsbury then could not use the wideouts together upon the All-Pro’s return because of Brown’s foot injury. It took until Week 12 for the talented pair to see the field together. By that point, the Cardinals were 4-7. Although J.J. Watt has rebounded from another injury-plagued season to record 10.5 sacks in his final NFL campaign, Kingsbury’s team ran into health issues along its aging offensive line and at tight end. Zach Ertz was lost for the season with ACL and MCL tears in Week 10. Murray, who missed two games with a hamstring injury as well, has been out since Week 14 because of his ACL tear.

Kingsbury’s fourth Cards offense ranks 21st in both scoring and yardage — down considerably from the team’s playoff offense last season — and Vance Joseph‘s defense ranks outside the top 20 in points and yards as well. Should this firing commence, it will spell another setback for college coaches hoping to establish themselves at the sport’s highest level. Matt Rhule, Chip Kelly, Greg Schiano and Nick Saban are among the latest who failed to carry their success to the NFL. In Kingsbury’s case, he made the strange leap from being fired at Texas Tech in 2018 to joining the Cards — shortly after he signed on to be USC’s OC. If Michael Bidwill follows through on a firing, it can be safely assumed the owner will select his next coach from the NFL level.

Raiders Expected To Retain Josh Jacobs; Latest On Davante Adams, Derek Carr

January 4th, 2023 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

After the Raiders’ previous regime made some missteps in recent first rounds, the Josh McDaniels–Dave Ziegler duo passed on all three of the team’s fifth-year options for 2023. Josh Jacobs was the most surprising such move, but he turned his contract year into a statement season.

Jacobs leads the NFL with 1,608 rushing yards and tops the league in yards from scrimmage (2,003); he is pushing to join Marcus Allen as the only Raiders to claim rushing titles. Allen’s top season, for which he was awarded MVP honors, came in 1985. While Jacobs might not quite break Allen’s single-season team records for either rushing yards (1,759) or scrimmage yards (2,314), he is unlikely to leave Las Vegas in 2023.

The Raiders are expected to retain Jacobs — either via a long-term contract or the franchise tag — rather than letting him hit free agency, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports. Jacobs joins a crowded cast of starter-caliber running backs eligible for free agency in March, but his 2022 season has enhanced his value considerably.

Considering the running back tag is only expected to come in at around $10MM, that becomes a valuable tool for the Raiders regarding Jacobs. The team can cuff the breakthrough back with the tag and either work out an extension before the July 15 deadline or see if 2022 was a fluke before coming back to the table in 2024. The Giants are likely to proceed this way with Saquon Barkley. After entering the season on an uncertain path — one that included a short stretch of trade rumors — the Alabama alum looks like he will remain in place as a cornerstone Raider.

The Raiders took Jacobs 24th overall, selecting him with the pick obtained in the 2018 Khalil Mack trade. Jacobs has logged a career-high (by far) 323 carries this season but has also stayed healthy, playing in all 16 Raiders games. That is a first, as minor injuries nagged him from 2019-21. Jacobs has totaled 1,055 carries as a pro, but his light college workload (251 totes in three seasons) will likely come into play during extension talks. The 24-year-old back presents a case to offer staying power and collect a nice payday. Eight running backs are tied to deals averaging at least $12MM per year. With those $12MM-AAV pacts all signed during either the 2020 or ’21 offseasons, Jacobs will have a case to check in beyond that given the cap’s expected bump past $220MM.

Las Vegas is coming off an eventful week, having effectively separated from Derek Carr. The Raiders benched the nine-year starter for Jarrett Stidham, who had never started a game in four seasons, and Carr is now away from the team. Trade options to move a $40.4MM guarantee off the books will be explored, and Bonsignore adds the team’s new regime had determined Carr was a poor fit early in the season. Long lukewarm on Carr, Mark Davis gave Ziegler and McDaniels freedom to proceed as they saw fit with the former second-round pick.

Carr’s durability notwithstanding, Albert Breer of SI.com notes the Raiders did not believe the veteran quarterback was doing enough to push the ball downfield. They viewed toughness as an issue, per Breer, who adds accountability became another concern for the team. There should be a market for Carr, who would be an upgrade for many teams, but Bonsignore notes the Raiders will cut him — on a dead-money charge of just $5.6MM, thanks to the uniquely structured contract — rather than bring him back and wait for a trade to materialize later. Unless Carr and the Raiders agree to move the guarantee vesting date back from Feb. 15, it appears a near-certainty the longest-tenured QB1 in team history will be gone within the next six weeks.

Davante Adams expressed disappointment with the team’s decision to bench his former college teammate; the duo’s friendship led Adams to seek a trade to Las Vegas. But Adams should not be expected to ask for a trade out of Nevada because Carr is on his way out, Bonsignore adds. Although it would be strange to see Adams remain a Raider but Carr gone, the team has the All-Pro wideout under contract through 2026. The Raiders, however, will likely keep Adams in the loop and are open to appeasing him via trade if their next QB plan does not meet his expectations.

Last season’s playoff berth aside, the new Raiders regime did not view this as a team set to contend in the long term, per Bonsignore. The McDaniels-Ziegler operation has indeed brought a regression, but Davis assured McDaniels will return next season. Following either a six- or seven-win 2022 season, the Raiders will be set for an interesting 2023 — one that will likely feature a host of McDaniels-Tom Brady reunion rumors.

Bears To Extend WR Equanimeous St. Brown

January 4th, 2023 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Bears threw a few darts at the receiver position this offseason, bringing in a host of Darnell Mooney supporting-cast options. They intend to retain at least one of them.

Equanimeous St. Brown agreed to stay via a one-year deal, Kevin Fishbain of The Athletic tweets. Rather than try his hand in free agency again, the complementary receiver will sign for $1.25MM, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter). This marks a slight raise for the 6-foot-5 target, who signed for $965K last year.

The elder of the NFL’s St. Brown brothers, Equanimeous came over from Green Bay with first-year Chicago OC Luke Getsy. The former Packers sixth-round pick has 20 receptions for 320 yards — eight shy of his career-high total, set back in 2018 — and a touchdown in the Bears’ run-oriented offense. St. Brown also has 54 rushing yards on six carries this year.

Chicago added St. Brown, Byron Pringle, N’Keal Harry, Dante Pettis and Velus Jones this offseason. Of this contingent, St. Brown has compiled the most receiving yards. Harry, Pringle and Pettis have one more game on their current Bears contracts. Although the Bears have run into injuries to several of their receivers this season, St. Brown has started 15 games during his Chicago debut.

The team has Chase Claypool, a deadline addition, signed through 2023. Mooney’s rookie deal also runs through 2023. St. Brown, 26, will be in position to supplement the higher-profile players next season.

Vikings Place RT Brian O’Neill, OL Austin Schlottmann On IR

January 4th, 2023 at 1:10pm CST by Sam Robinson

JANUARY 4: O’Neill is believed to have suffered a partially torn Achilles, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The fifth-year tackle will miss the rest of the season. The partial tear is in addition to the calf injury O’Connell confirmed he sustained, per Andrew Krammer and Randy Johnson of the Star Tribune. O’Neill will undergo surgery.

Coming into this year, O’Neill had never missed an NFL game due to injury. He appears likely to miss some of the Vikings’ 2023 offseason program as well, with O’Connell adding he is hopeful a recovery before the start of next season will commence.

JANUARY 3: The Vikings lost two offensive line starters during a blowout loss to the Packers on Sunday, and both may be done for the season. The team placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and interior O-lineman Austin Schlottmann on IR on Tuesday, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune tweets.

O’Neill left Sunday’s game due to a calf injury Kevin O’Connell called “pretty significant,” while Schlottmann — who had been filling in for injured center Garrett Bradbury — suffered a fractured fibula, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. While it can be safely assumed Schlottmann is done for the season, Tuesday’s transaction will sideline O’Neill for at least four games. Only a Vikings Super Bowl LVII trip could extend the veteran tackle’s season.

The team added former Rams guard Bobby Evans to the practice squad and signed veteran center Greg Mancz to its 53-man roster, but the losses of two starters — particularly O’Neill, who has been a Vikings first-stringer since the early part of his 2018 rookie season — stands to sting for a team that has relied on close wins to reach this perch. The Packers preyed on the Vikes’ vulnerable front in Week 17, a result that knocked the Vikings off their long-held No. 2 spot in the NFC. Minnesota now holds the conference’s No. 3 seed.

Minnesota’s offensive line features five homegrown first- or second-round picks, separating it from the rest of the league this season. Only one of those players, however, is signed to a long-term veteran contract. The Vikings extended O’Neill in 2021, giving the former second-rounder a five-year, $92.5MM extension. He has been a key part of Minnesota’s surge this season. Pro Football Focus rates both Vikings tackles — O’Neill and Christian Darrisaw — in the top seven at the position this season. O’Neill, who has started 75 games, checks in at No. 7.

Signed as a free agent after beginning his career in Denver, Schlottmann has become a key presence in Minnesota since Bradbury’s injury. Schlottmann started each of the Vikes’ past four games, matching his career-high total. Losing both he and O’Neill in the same game forced major adjustments to a line that had been healthy for most of this season.

A lower-back injury has sidelined Bradbury. While the former first-round center missed two games due to the injury sustained on the field, a December car accident affected his recovery. Bradbury said the minor accident caused his back to tighten up. O’Connell said Bradbury’s earliest return window will be in the playoffs, via ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert (on Twitter). Bradbury has not practiced since the Dec. 17 crash.

For now, offseason addition Chris Reed — a former Colts spot starter — is set to snap to Kirk Cousins. Fourth-year blocker Oli Udoh, a full-time guard starter for the 2021 Vikings, slid to tackle to replace O’Neill in Green Bay. A 2019 third-round pick, Evans made 12 starts for the Rams on his rookie contract. But the team did not view him as a regular option; its slew of O-line injuries this season led to four Evans starts. The Rams waived Evans this season. Mancz has made 32 career starts, most of them coming with the Texans.

Steelers Designate CB William Jackson For Return

January 4th, 2023 at 12:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Steelers’ trade for William Jackson has not led to any game action. Ahead of a possible win-and-in game in Week 18, however, that could change.

Jackson received a return designation Wednesday. The veteran cornerback is back at practice. The Steelers acquired Jackson just before the trade deadline, but a back injury lingered for the former Bengals and Commanders defender. This move comes a week after the Steelers designated cornerback Ahkello Witherspoon for return. Both players can be activated by Saturday’s deadline.

While the Steelers have three weeks to activate Jackson, they may be down to their final game. FiveThirtyEight gives Pittsburgh a 21% chance to make the playoffs. The Steelers (8-8) need to beat the Browns and see both the Patriots and Dolphins lose. It would be a borderline-historic achievement if the Steelers rallied back from 2-6 to the postseason, considering only two teams — the 1970 Bengals and 2020 Washington Football Team — have come back from that record to qualify.

This represents a lost season for Jackson, whom the Commanders benched in September. Jackson was not part of that 2020 Washington iteration, having signed with the team in March 2021. Washington gave the former Cincinnati first-rounder a three-year, $40.5MM deal but was quickly dissatisfied with his performance this season. The Steelers acquired Jackson for a conditional sixth-round pick in 2025, acquiring a conditional seventh-rounder in that draft in the deal as well.

Jackson, 30, has made 64 career starts and fared well enough with the Bengals to command those contractual terms. That contract led to Jackson’s low trade value, but Pittsburgh adjusted the deal upon acquiring the seventh-year vet. Jackson is attached to a $5MM base salary this season and a nonguaranteed $9.25MM base in 2023.

Given how this season went, it would be a bit of a surprise if Jackson played on that deal next year. The Steelers can save $12.75MM by releasing Jackson once such moves are allowed come February. Then again, the Steelers do not have much invested at corner. Both Witherspoon and Levi Wallace are attached to low-cost contracts; Cameron Sutton is due for free agency. The team also received a tremendous return from Joe Haden, having signed the former first-rounder quickly after the Browns cut him back in 2017.

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