HEADLINES

Year: 2023

Jets Bring Back T Cedric Ogbuehi

September 21st, 2023 at 11:33am CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time this year and the third time since September 2022, the Jets reached an agreement with Cedric Ogbuehi. The veteran tackle is back with the team on a practice squad deal.

A former first-round pick who settled into a reserve role years ago, Ogbeuhi re-signed with the Jets in April but found himself cut less than a month after the contract came to pass. The Jets dropped Ogbuehi in May, shortly after signing Billy Turner. Four months later, the journeyman blocker is back in New York. To make room on their 16-man practice squad, the Jets released offensive lineman Ryan Swoboda.

The Jets initially signed Ogbuehi off the Texans’ practice squad nearly a year ago. With Duane Brown beginning last season on IR and then-starter George Fant suffering a knee injury — events that followed Mekhi Becton‘s second major knee injury — the Jets were busy adding veteran O-linemen. Mike Remmers and Laurent Duvernay-Tardif joined the team, which later lost Max Mitchell for the season. Brown, Becton and Mitchell are back in the mix, with Turner residing as a backup. Ogbuehi will be positioned behind this quartet upon coming back to the Big Apple.

Brown and Becton remain on the Jets’ injury report, with the blockers’ maladies that required extensive offseason rehab time — Becton’s knee, Brown’s shoulder — part of this week’s injury equation. Both have started each of the team’s first two games, however. Fourth-round rookie tackle Carter Warren is also on short-term IR. The Jets worked out a host of tackles last week; Ogbuehi, 31, was not among them.

Ogbuehi, who spent most of this offseason with the Dolphins before failing to make their 53-man roster, started five games for the injury-riddled Jets front last season. That marked the ex-Bengal first-rounder’s most starts in a season since 2017, his last year as a regular first-stringer.

G Laurent Duvernay-Tardif Retires

September 21st, 2023 at 10:55am CST by Sam Robinson

After pausing his football career at multiple junctures, Laurent Duvernay-Tardif is stepping away from the gridiron permanently. The former Chiefs and Jets guard announced his retirement (via Instagram) Thursday morning.

Famous for his blocker/doctor duality, Duvernay-Tardif played eight NFL seasons. Although the Chiefs drafted the Canadian guard in the 2014 sixth round, he did not play as a rookie. Duvernay-Tardif, 32, also passed on playing in 2020, becoming the first player to opt out during the COVID-19 pandemic. But the unique O-line presence returned to the game in 2021, finishing his career with two Jets seasons.

The McGill University alum secured a Chiefs extension back in 2017 and played a starting role on their Super Bowl LIV-winning squad two years later. Duvernay-Tardif returned from a fractured fibula during the 2018 season, being activated ahead of the Chiefs’ playoff run that year. But he did not suit up for the team in one of its postseason contests. He was back in his starting right guard role in 2019, starting 14 regular-season games and all three Kansas City playoff contests.

Duvernay-Tardif’s extension — a five-year, $42.4MM accord — came a year after the Chiefs had extended Eric Fisher and signed Mitchell Schwartz. This trio became the team’s O-line foundation for Patrick Mahomes, who made his starter debut in Duvernay-Tardif’s fifth season. Duvernay-Tardif spent more seasons blocking for Alex Smith (three) than Mahomes (two), but the Chiefs’ O-line unraveled at the end of the medical professional’s opt-out campaign. When the Chiefs surveyed the damage from Super Bowl LV, they moved on from Fisher, Schwartz and Duvernay-Tardif — none of whom were available during the Buccaneers’ blowout win — and remade their O-line in 2021.

Cutting Fisher and Schwartz in March 2021, the Chiefs held onto Duvernay-Tardif until training camp. The team, which had signed Joe Thuney and drafted promising guard Trey Smith in Round 6 in 2021, traded Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets midway through camp. The St. Hilaire, Quebec, native started eight games as a Jet, re-signing with the team during the 2022 season as injuries mounted. He played in five Jets games last season, closing out his higher-profile career.

Duvernay-Tardif will likely be best remembered for managing two careers and pausing his more glamourous craft to venture back to Canada during the initial months of the pandemic. Last year, he enrolled in a residency program at a hospital near Montreal. Duvernay-Tardif closes his NFL career with 65 career starts and more than $25MM in earnings.

Bills LB Christian Kirksey To Retire

September 21st, 2023 at 8:42am CST by Sam Robinson

Just before the season, Christian Kirksey ventured to Buffalo on a practice squad agreement. The veteran linebacker prioritized signing with a contender, upon not making the Texans’ 53-man roster. But he does not plan to stay on with the Bills.

Instead, the 10th-year vet has informed the team he plans to retire, NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo reports. Kirksey, 31, spent time with the Browns, Packers and Texans before coming to Buffalo. Prior to this season, the former third-round pick had been a regular starter in each of his previous nine seasons. The Bills have since announced Kirksey’s retirement plan.

To fill Kirksey’s spot on the practice squad, Garafolo adds the Bills are planning to bring back A.J. Klein. The off-and-on Bills regular was with the team during training camp. Klein re-signed with the Bills in April but was among the vested veterans not to make the team’s 53-man roster in August. The 11th-year veteran has remained in free agency since that cut.

Chosen by the Browns during what became an infamous draft for the team, Kirksey ended up a long-term starter for the downtrodden franchise. After selecting first-round busts Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel, the Browns did very well on Day 2 of the 2014 draft. They added Joel Bitonio in Round 2 and Kirksey in Round 3, taking the Iowa linebacker at No. 71 overall. Bitonio has become one of the Browns’ best players since the 1999 reboot, while Kirksey became a six-year starter for the team.

Kirksey’s post-Cleveland tenure provided a bounce-back effort after injuries sidetracked him as the 2010s wound down. After the Browns released him in 2020, Kirksey wound up with the Packers and started for a team that reached the NFC championship game. The Packers also released Kirksey, however, leading him to the Texans as one of the many veterans to stop through Houston on short-term accords during Nick Caserio‘s GM tenure. Kirksey spent the past two years in Houston, starting 29 games with the rebuilding team. After signing an extension to stay with the Texans in 2022, he started all 17 games and posted a 124-tackle, three-sack, two-interception season.

Excepting his 2020 Green Bay cameo, Kirksey did his best work for struggling teams. The off-ball ‘backer notched a career-high 148 tackles (11 for loss) during the Browns’ 1-15 season in 2016, earning a four-year, $38MM extension during the 2017 offseason. Cleveland then completed the NFL’s second 0-16 season, doing so despite rostering the likes of Bitonio, Kirksey, Joe Thomas and well-paid ILB Jamie Collins. The Browns cut bait on Kirksey’s deal with two years remaining, and he never came especially close to securing that kind of cash again. Still, Kirksey will leave the game having made more than $37MM.

Offering intermittent sack production despite his place on teams’ defensive second levels, Kirksey finishes his career with 16.5 sacks and 45 tackles for loss. He produced three 100-plus-tackle seasons.

Raiders Place OLB Chandler Jones On Reserve/NFI List

September 20th, 2023 at 10:08pm CST by Sam Robinson

The strange Chandler Jones saga may not cool down anytime soon. The Raiders are moving the veteran pass rusher to their reserve/non-football illness list, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

At odds with the team since just before Week 1, Jones has made a number of statements blasting the Raiders and their top staffers. The team had deactivated Jones for its first two games; this designation will sideline him for the next four. Jones is dealing with a personal issue, and Rapoport adds the Raiders have not ruled out a return “if his situation improves.” The former All-Pro’s second year with the Raiders has devolved into quite the mess, however.

Irate at being locked out of the Raiders’ facility days before Week 1, Jones went on social media and blasted Josh McDaniels and GM Dave Ziegler. He since shared a text exchange with owner Mark Davis. The Raiders shelved Jones for their Week 1 game against the Broncos. Jones had also indicated on social media that the Raiders sent a crisis team to his house, posting a series of since-deleted Instagram stories explaining the events and questioning why he was not allowed to play in Denver. Jones also shared that the NFLPA has attempted to contact him.

Recently, Jones kept adding to this bizarre dust-up by saying Davis is “holding a huge secret.” The Raiders deactivated Jones again for their Week 2 Bills tilt. Raider players and others around the league have expressed concern for Jones’ health, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini tweets. Jones has not practiced with the Raiders since the locked-door incident.

“I wish mark Davis told the ppl why I really can’t play,” Jones said (sic). “I think I know why, but I want y’all to ask him. I’ll let him say it to the public not me lmao. I wish I could play with my brothers, but marky mark is holding a huge secret that only I know! That’s why I was asking for my protection sorry if I sound scared because I’m not lol, when I found out I was lol.”

The Raiders gave Jones a three-year, $51MM deal in 2022. While the former Patriots and Cardinals standout disappointed last season, he was still expected to start opposite Maxx Crosby this year. The Raiders used the No. 7 overall pick on Tyree Wilson, signaling Jones’ tenure would likely be capped at two seasons. It is obviously not a lock Jones plays for the Raiders again, and the team can opt to not pay the 12th-year veteran while he is on the NFI list. It is not yet known if the Raiders will go that route. Considering how this odd storyline has unfolded, Jones may well let the public know if the Raiders have decided not to pay him. If the Raiders choose not to pay Jones during his NFI stay, the damage would be minimal thanks to an offseason restructure that reduced his 2023 base salary to $1.2MM.

A two-time All-Pro while with the Cardinals, Jones had angled for a trade ahead of his final Arizona season. He ended up playing out his five-year Cards contract in 2021, bouncing back from a biceps injury that ended his 2020 season, and rejoining McDaniels in free agency. McDaniels was in place as New England’s offensive coordinator during Jones’ first four years. Jones’ Patriots stay wrapped not long after an unusual episode that featured the team’s top pass rusher showing up shirtless at a Foxborough police station after a reaction to synthetic marijuana. Contract matters led to the Patriots trading him to the Cardinals during the ’16 offseason, leading to a run of strong seasons.

This Raiders issue will undoubtedly impact Jones’ ability to catch on elsewhere when that time comes. Las Vegas has kept Wilson as a rotational rusher to start the season.

Patrick Mahomes Addresses Chiefs Contract Rework

September 20th, 2023 at 9:44pm CST by Ely Allen

Two days ago, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes agreed to a new, restructured contract that gave him a significant raise for the short- and medium-term future while not requiring a completely new extension. It was noted that, while the overall value of his ten-year, $450MM contract didn’t change thus ensuring that his average annual salary didn’t change, Mahomes new deal set him up to potentially make $210.6MM over the next four years, the highest amount for that period of time in NFL history. It also sets him up to receive $56.8MM in cash for the 2023 NFL season, second only to Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, according to Spotrac.

This restructure was a nice reward for Mahomes, who, since receiving the original contract as a reward for winning the franchise’s first Super Bowl since the moon landing, has taken the team to two more Super Bowls, winning one of them, and has won a second league MVP award. But the new deal also serves a more magnanimous purpose.

“You’ve got to keep the bar going; you got to keep it moving,” Mahomes told Adam Teicher of ESPN. “I don’t want people to be negotiated against me, and so that’s the reason that you do something like I did…just trying to keep the market moving in the right direction…so not only me but other quarterbacks in other positions can get paid the money they deserve.”

That’s right. As odd as it may sound, Mahomes took a raise for the other quarterbacks in the league. He soundly reasoned that, as long as he continues to be one of the paradigms of the football world, anytime a young quarterback is up for a new contract, their accomplishments will be held in comparison to his.

The biggest downside of Mahomes’ incredibly long extension is that we have seen quarterback contracts more than double in value over the last ten years. Who’s to say how much they will continue to grow over the next ten? Perhaps, exponentially! If every young QB is being compared to Mahomes and their stats and accomplishments pale in comparison, they’ll constantly be dragged down to the level of his contract, fighting the natural inflation of player values.

Instead, Mahomes agreed to devise a way to raise the bar within the bounds of his current deal. As Jackson, Josh Allen, Deshaun Watson, Kyler Murray, Russell Wilson, Daniel Jones, Jalen Hurts, Justin Herbert, and Joe Burrow all have signed four- to six-year deals over the past couple of years, Mahomes decided to set a new precedent for deals ranging that amount of time. Mahomes has seen the value of the quarterback position continue to rise. As the reigning MVP and Super Bowl MVP, Mahomes took it upon himself to set a new bar that will continue to rise as quarterbacks earn new deals.

While Mahomes wanted to take care of himself and his fellow quarterbacks, he also didn’t want to hamper his team’s ability to win by bogarting all of Kansas City’s cap space. He wanted to make sure that general manager Brett Veach would still be able to surround him with the talent necessary for winning a third Super Bowl.

“You have to watch and see what’s going on around the league and find that right spot,” Mahomes said, “and I thought we found a good one in this negotiation…(in) that we will be able to still keep cap space for other guys to get signed.”

So, yes, Mahomes’ new contract makes him the highest-paid player in NFL history over the next four years, a just reward for his recent accolades, but it also raises the bar for what quarterbacks will be able to make in the future while preserving enough cap space to sign a talented crew around him. Who knew that becoming one of the richest players in NFL history could have such a selfless impact?

Bears DC Alan Williams Resigns

September 20th, 2023 at 8:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

8:45pm: Amid the presence of some fairly wild speculations, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, among others, have strived to set the record straight. According to Rapoport, rumors that Williams was involved in something that attracted the attention of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and that his absence and resignation are not health-related are completely unfounded.

Rapoport went on air to contradict the reports that claim the FBI conducted a raid of Halas Hall, the Bears’ headquarters, today. He also denied that the NFL had any interest in getting involved in Williams’ situation, which would have been a possible sign of misconduct or malpractice that could result in discipline. Finally, he disregarded the rumor that Charles Tillman, who is in all actuality an FBI agent, was involved in Williams’ departure in any way. It is unclear from where these rumors stemmed, but respected reporters are doing their due diligence to try and snuff them out before they get out of hand.

3:20pm: Alan Williams‘ Week 2 absence will lead to the veteran assistant leaving the Bears. The second-year Chicago defensive coordinator resigned his post Wednesday, according to the team.

Williams, 53, stepped away from the Bears two days before their Week 2 game against the Buccaneers. This led to Matt Eberflus calling the defensive signals. The Bears will need to determine how they divvy up Williams’ duties going forward, with this abrupt departure certainly bringing an unexpected challenge for Eberflus and Co.

“I am taking a step back to take care of my health and family,” Williams said in a statement. “I appreciate the opportunity to work with the Chicago Bears, a storied NFL franchise with a rich history. The McCaskey family is first-class and second to none. I would also like to thank Coach Matt Eberflus and General Manager Ryan Poles for giving me the opportunity to come to Chicago.

“I value the NFL shield and all that it stands for and after taking some time to address my health, I plan to come back and coach again.”

Eberflus is expected to continue calling the Bears’ defensive plays, CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones tweets. The former Colts DC held this responsibility from 2018-21 in Indianapolis, and the Colts ranked as a top-10 scoring defense in three of those years, earning Eberflus HC attention. Williams had served as the Colts’ safeties coach during Frank Reich‘s first four years at the helm in Indianapolis, and he followed Eberflus to return to a coordinator role.

The Bears gig represented Williams’ second chance as a defensive coordinator. He served in that capacity under Leslie Frazier with the Vikings from 2012-13. Williams has spent most of his NFL career working with Tony Dungy and then Jim Caldwell. The Colts’ DBs coach for 10 years (from 2002-11), Williams collected a Super Bowl ring and closed out his tenure during Caldwell’s three years in charge. He then rejoined Caldwell as the Lions’ DBs coach in 2014, staying on throughout the former’s four-year Detroit tenure.

Last season, the Bears slunk to last place in scoring defense. The team traded Khalil Mack in March and then dealt Robert Quinn before the deadline, while moving on from other Vic Fangio– and Chuck Pagano-era mainstays as well. Eddie Jackson also went down with an injury during Chicago’s losing streak that ended up securing the franchise the No. 1 overall pick. Through two games this season, the Bears rank 31st defensively.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/20/23

September 20th, 2023 at 7:55pm CST by Ely Allen

Wednesday’s practice squad transactions:

Arizona Cardinals

Atlanta Falcons

  • Signed: RB Carlos Washington Jr.

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

Patriots Not Adding Matt Corral To Practice Squad; Team Adjusts Trent Brown’s Contract

September 20th, 2023 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:47pm: Some may notice Corral’s presence on the wire today designating that he was taking a visit with his now former team in New England. According to Kyed, this is solely a formality. Kyed informs that “teams are required to report if a free agent is in the building” and Corral was at the facility this morning. His visit, though, had no bearing on his status with the team. Kyed reports that Corral’s relationship with the team is currently unchanged.

11:27am: After Matt Corral cleared waivers Tuesday, the Patriots were believed to have added the young quarterback to their practice squad. While this would mark yet another roster designation for the 2022 third-round pick, it has not come to fruition.

Corral has not returned to the Pats on a practice squad deal, Doug Kyed of the Boston Herald notes. While the Ole Miss product was on track to come back on a P-squad pact, Kyed adds he is no longer expected to do so.

The Pats claimed Corral off waivers from the Panthers shortly after roster cutdown day, and while the raw QB prospect practiced with the team for more than a week, he left the team without providing notice and ended up on the exempt/left squad list. The Patriots removed Corral from that list Monday, and no team claimed him. As of now, the Matt Rhule-era Panthers pickup’s career is in limbo.

Mac Jones and Bailey Zappe reside as the quarterbacks on New England’s active roster, while rookie UDFA Malik Cunningham is on the team’s P-squad. Teams rarely keep two passers on practice squads, but the Pats had intended to develop Corral, who spent all of last season on the Panthers’ IR due to a Lisfranc injury. While Carolina was interested in bringing Corral back on a P-squad deal, he is unattached as of Wednesday.

The Patriots briefly demoted Zappe, waiving the 2022 fourth-round pick before extending a P-squad opportunity. Zappe quickly moved back to the active roster, returning after the Corral partnership began to fizzle. Upon returning to the active roster, the Western Kentucky product remains signed through 2025, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Zappe’s rookie contract ran through 2025, as all drafted players’ initial NFL deals span four years. Despite Zappe spending a short time on the practice squad after struggling in Bill O’Brien‘s system this summer, he is back on track.

Additionally, the Patriots added $2MM in incentives to Trent Brown‘s contract, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter notes. Brown is attached to a two-year, $13MM deal he signed during the 2022 offseason. It is unclear what benchmarks Brown must hit to cash in, but the Patriots have dangled incentives for the veteran tackle previously. The team put weight-related clauses in Brown’s Raiders-constructed, Pats-adjusted deal in 2021 and included more in his current pact. Barring an extension, the team’s left tackle starter remains on track to hit free agency again in 2024.

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/20/23

September 20th, 2023 at 4:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Wednesday’s minor moves:

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

New Orleans Saints

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Steelers placing Anthony McFarland on IR left them with two active-roster running backs. Igwebuike will step in as Pittsburgh’s third-stringer behind Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren. Because the Steelers signed Igwebuike off another team’s practice squad, they must keep him on their active roster for at least three weeks.

Coming back to the Saints after spending the offseason and training camp with the Broncos, Jones scored two touchdowns in New Orleans’ Monday-night win over Carolina. But the Saints had used a gameday elevation transaction to bump the veteran backup to the active roster. Wednesday’s move makes Jones an official part of the Saints’ 53-man unit.

Knight caught on with the Lions’ practice squad shortly after the Jets waived him. With David Montgomery likely to miss time, Knight will join Jahmyr Gibbs and Craig Reynolds as the backs on Detroit’s 53-man roster. A 2022 UDFA, Knight saw time following Breece Hall‘s ACL tear last season but could not stick on the Jets’ roster after the AFC East team’s Dalvin Cook addition.

Giants Audition G Justin Pugh

September 20th, 2023 at 3:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Pugh said recently he was interested in rejoining the Giants. Issues along New York’s offensive line now have the team looking into a reunion.

The Giants brought in Pugh for a workout Wednesday, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Since they are stationed in Arizona after their Cardinals matchup — due to the Thursday assignment in San Francisco — Pugh made for a logical workout, as the five-year Cardinals guard still lives in Arizona.

Pugh, 33, last played for the Giants in 2017, closing out a five-year tenure with the team. The Giants drafted Pugh in the 2013 first round but let him walk during the 2018 free agency period, when he signed with the Cardinals. Working as a full-time guard starter in Arizona, Pugh saw his on-field run in the desert end after an October 2022 ACL tear. The Syracuse alum has been cleared and said he had been in talks with a handful of teams last month. The 10-year veteran has made 119 career starts.

Big Blue declared left guard Ben Bredeson out due to a concussion he suffered against the Cardinals on Sunday. The Giants had benched veteran right guard Mark Glowinski prior to the Bredeson injury, inserting the untested Marcus McKethan into the lineup. The Bredeson setback led to Glowinski returning. The Giants will face the 49ers without Bredeson or left tackle Andrew Thomas, who will miss a second straight game due to a hamstring injury.

Pugh played both tackle and guard while in New York, settling in as an inside blocker toward the end of his tenure with the team. The Cardinals gave Pugh a five-year, $44.8MM deal in 2018. After helping the Cardinals snap a playoff drought in 2021, Pugh considered retirement. But he returned for the final year of his contract last season. That campaign ended after five games.

The Giants held a lengthy three-way guard battle in camp, pitting Glowinski, Bredeson and Joshua Ezeudu against each other for the two starting spots. With the likes of Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux out of the picture, the Giants went with Bredeson opposite Glowinski. But Bredeson suffering a concussion during a game in which the team benched Glowinski — a 2022 free agency addition — does not paint the picture of stability up front for the team. Ezeudu, a 2022 third-round pick the team expected to win one of the guard jobs, replaced Thomas at left tackle in Week 2.

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