NFC Notes: Benjamin, Falcons, AP, RGIII
The Panthers are holding their collective breath as they await the results of an MRI on Kelvin Benjamin‘s left knee. The Panthers wideout went down with an apparent non-contact injury during today’s joint practice with the Dolphins, and while head coach Ron Rivera indicated that it’s a sprained knee, there’s a chance the injury is more serious than that. If Benjamin has to miss regular-season action, it’ll be bad news for a Carolina receiving corps that’s lacking legit playmakers outside of Benjamin. Jonathan Jones and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer have the details.
As the Panthers and their fans wait on the results of that MRI, let’s round up a few more items from across the NFC….
- A report yesterday suggested that free agent quarterback Rex Grossman was drawing interest from the Falcons, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says it’s the other way around, tweeting that Grossman is interested in the Falcons. According to Ledbetter, the team is happy with T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree behind Matt Ryan.
- Within an extensive look at Adrian Peterson‘s unusual offseason, Eli Saslow of ESPN The Magazine says that the Vikings running back wants to play another eight season in the NFL, in the hopes of breaking Emmitt Smith’s career rushing record.
- Washington would like to stick with Robert Griffin III as the team’s starting quarterback for the entire 2015 season in order to make a fully informed decision about his future, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The club has already picked up RGIII’s fifth-year option for 2016, but that salary doesn’t become guaranteed until the first day of the ’16 league year, so Washington could still decide to move on from the young QB if this season doesn’t go well.
- The Cardinals‘ signing of running back Chris Johnson is a potential coup, and a move straight from the Steve Keim playbook, writes Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
- Lions safety James Ihedigbo, who had been seeking a new contract earlier this year, still feels like he’s in his prime as he prepares to turn 32 years old, he tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
Cardinals Release Darryl Sharpton
Darryl Sharpton‘s stint with the Cardinals lasted just three months, as the team announced today that it has released the veteran linebacker (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Because he’s a vested veteran, Sharpton won’t have to pass through waivers before becoming a free agent.
In four years in Houston between 2010 and 2013, Sharpton, appeared in 42 games (19 starts), totaling 146 tackles as a part-time player for the Texans. The former fourth-round pick out of Miami joined the Bears last season, but played sparingly for the club, appearing in just 108 defensive snaps. Sharpton signed with the Cardinals in May in the hopes of providing some depth at linebacker for the team this season, but Arizona has opted not to hang onto him.
Following the release of Sharpton, the Cardinals have 89 players on their roster.
West Notes: Raiders, CJ2K, Rivers, Rams
Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter) spoke directly with the Raiders to shoot down a trio of rumors. The Raiders say they will not move to St. Louis, they will not move to San Francisco’s Levi Stadium, and owner Mark Davis will not sell the team. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..
- Chris Johnson has $400K of his $870K salary with the Cardinals guaranteed, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. There are no other guarantees in the veteran running back’s deal. Unhappy with their choices behind Andre Ellington, the Cards inked Johnson to a deal on Monday.
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that he told both Johnson and Jermaine Gresham that they’re not “promised anything,” including a roster spot, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets.
- All in all, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap thinks that the Philip Rivers deal is a very good contract for the Chargers. The Bolts, he says, avoided giving Rivers a monstrous signing bonus and they receive fairly favorable terms on the cash flows of the contract. Just days ago, Rivers and the Chargers shook hands on a four-year extension that is worth $84MM with $65MM guaranteed.
- Rivers will now earn $32MM in 2015, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. He adds that $5.5MM of Rivers’ $22.5MM signing bonus is deferred until March 15th, 2016.
- The Missouri Development Finance Board approved $15MM in tax credits this year for the proposed riverfront football stadium in St. Louis for the Rams, as David Hunn and Alex Stuckey of the Post-Dispatch write. Still, board Chairwoman Marie Carmichael said the money won’t be sent to new stadium planners until the board is assured the credits are a good deal for the state.
- Carmen Policy says the Raiders and Chargers have agreed to shift divisions, if necessary, to make the Los Angeles project acceptable to the league, Michael R. Blood of the Associated Press writes.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/15
Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- Long snapper Nate Boyer, who took an unusual path to the NFL, has been waived by the Seahawks, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). With the newly-created roster spot, the Seahawks appear to have signed quarterback Jake Waters, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
- The Steelers have reduced the number of quarterbacks on their roster by one, announcing today that they’ve cut Tajh Boyd, replacing him with wide receiver Jarrod West (Twitter link via Burt Lauten).
- Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt, who tore his Achilles on Saturday, has been officially placed on injured reserve, the team announced today. To replace him, Minnesota signed former Giants tackle Stephen Goodin.
- The Eagles‘ roster turnover at linebacker continues, as the team announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed former Southern Mississippi linebacker Dasman McCullum to replace Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, who has been waived/injured due to an ankle injury.
- The Colts made a change to their wide receiver group, signing UDFA wideout L.T. Smith and waiving Tyler Rutenbeck, according to a team release.
- Former Emporia State wide receiver Austin Willis has been waived by the Raiders, tweets Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com.
- The Cardinals have a new body in their secondary, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who reports that safety Anthony Walters has signed a one-year deal with the club. Linebacker Zack Wagenmann, who broke his foot, has been waived/injured, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
- More updates from Wilson: The Saints have cut receiver Kyle Prater and waived/injured defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil (Twitter link), the Jets have cut punter Jacob Schum (Twitter link), the Cowboys have cut cornerback Jason Wilson from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement (Twitter link), and the Steelers have removed running back Cameron Stingily from their IR with a settlement (Twitter link).
Extra Points: Rivers, Hilton, Ngata, Cherilus
Over the weekend, the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers reached agreement on a lucrative four-year extension worth $84MM. Today, we learned the details of the contract.
Rivers will earn a $22.5MM signing bonus with $15MM fully guaranteed in 2015, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. He’ll have a $16.5MM injury-only guarantee in 2016 which converts to a full guarantee on the second day of the ’16 waiver period. In 2017, Rivers will earn $14MM with $11MM guaranteed for injury only that will convert to a full guarantee on the second day of the waiver period. In the final two years, he’ll make $10MM and $11MM, respectively, with a $5MM roster bonus in each of those seasons.
That’s big bucks for the Bolts QB, but as we learned earlier tonight, that kind of deal apparently isn’t good enough for Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- T.Y. Hilton‘s deal with the Colts calls for him to earn base salaries of $1MM, $3MM, $8MM, $11MM, $13MM, and $14.54MM, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. Hilton’s new deal with Indianapolis could pay him $65MM in total with $39MM guaranteed.
- Contract talks between the Lions and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata are ongoing and positive, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Ngata, a five-time All Pro, indicated in March that he would be open to an extension, and Lions GM Martin Mayhew has said that team management is also interested in working out a long-term deal.
- Gosder Cherilus‘ deal with the Buccaneers is worth $7MM over two years, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will earn $2.5MM this year and $4.5MM next year. Cherilus gets a $500K roster bonus in 2016 and his $2M base salary escalates to $3M if he plays 75 percent of the snaps in 2015, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
- Cardinals UDFA rookie linebacker Zack Wagenmann broke his foot again and will miss the entire 2015 season, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/17/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- To make room for Chris Johnson, the Cardinals have waived/injured Brandon Person, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. Person tore his ACL on Saturday.
- The Chiefs announced that they have signed linebacker Ja’Gared Davis and cut wide receiver Adam Drake, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Saints signed linebackers Justin Anderson and Chris Young, defensive tackle Austin Brown, and tight end Michael Egnew, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Packers released Adrian Coxson outright but the player will pursue an injury settlement, Wilson tweets.
- The Dolphins announced that they have waived tight end Arthur Lynch and signed free agent linebacker James Davidson in his stead, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets.
- The Seahawks released defensive tackle Jimmy Staten and linebacker Dakorey Johnson, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (on Twitter). Seattle also signed defensive backs Jeremy Crayton and Keelan Johnson.
- The Jaguars have waived undrafted rookie linebacker Matt Robinson with an injury settlement, John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.
- The Panthers (on Twitter) announced that they have signed punter Matt Wile and waived/injured tight end Jamie Childers.
- The Colts announced that they have waived-injured linebacker Cody Galea and signed linebacker Nicklas Haag, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets.
West Notes: Rivers, Cardinals, Seahawks
One of the factors that was considered a potential roadblocks when the Chargers and Philip Rivers begun discussing a new contract for the star quarterback was Rivers’ aversion to playing in Los Angeles. With the Chargers’ future up in the air, there was some uncertainty about whether Rivers would want to risk leaving San Diego a year after signing a new deal.
Having officially signed his extension though, Rivers told reporters today, “I’m going to be a Charger, wherever we are.” The veteran signal-caller added that he doesn’t have any sort of “disdain” or “hatred” for Los Angeles, and that comments he has made in the past reflect his attachment to San Diego more than an aversion to L.A. (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune).
Here’s more on Rivers, along with a handful of other notes from out of the NFL’s two West divisions….
- According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, Rivers’ new contract features a no-trade clause, which means Rivers and the Chargers are unlikely to have a repeat of the situation that occurred earlier this year, when the QB was the subject of trade rumors and speculation.
- Since a report last week indicated that free agent running back Chris Johnson would visit and take a physical for the Cardinals, we haven’t heard any real updates. According to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link), Cards GM Steve Keim acknowledged today that the team has talked to Johnson, but said there’s “nothing on the horizon.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link) says Johnson passed his physical with the team.
- Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com passes along another comment from Keim, tweeting that the GM believes there will be four to six Cardinals players picked up by other teams after Arizona cuts them in a couple weeks.
- Wide receiver LaQuan Williams, who has spent parts of the last few seasons with Baltimore, is working out today for the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Williams also tried out for the Cowboys over the weekend.
Chris Johnson To Work Out For Cardinals
FRIDAY, 5:43pm: Johnson is headed to Arizona on Sunday to work out for the Cardinals and take a physical for the team, reports Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter). It sounds like there’s a decent chance the two sides could reach an agreement if all goes well.
TUESDAY, 9:02am: In search of some depth at the running back position, the Cardinals have interest in one of the most notable names on the free agent market. According to Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Arizona has offered Chris Johnson a one-year contract, and the veteran back is mulling the team’s offer.
We heard on Monday that Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians wasn’t overly thrilled with the play of his running backs so far this summer, and intended to discuss outside options with GM Steve Keim. The ground game was a weak spot in Arizona last season, as the team’s leading rusher, Andre Ellington, totaled just 660 yards, averaging 3.3 yards per carry. No other Cardinals back had more than 250 rushing yards.
Nonethless, the Cardinals head into the preseason with Ellington poised to bounce back, and third-round rookie David Johnson joining Stepfan Taylor and Kerwynn Williams as potential complements to Ellington. As Russini notes (via Twitter), Chris Johnson wants to go a situation where he knows he’ll make the team, and there’s no guarantee of that in Arizona.
Johnson, who turns 30 in September, is now six years removed from his 2,000-yard season, which came back in 2009. Last season for the Jets, Johnson ran for just 663 yards, the first time in his career he recorded fewer than 1,000 yards in a season. However, he averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry in 2014, and claims to be in great shape this year after being shot in a drive-by shooting during the offseason. It would be a surprise if he remained unemployed by Labor Day.
West Notes: Rivers, Massie, T. Williams
A report earlier in training camp indicated that the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers figured to shelve extension talks until 2016 if the two sides didn’t reach a deal by August 13. However, during Thursday night’s broadcast of the team’s preseason opener, Rivers still sounded open to getting something done this year, if the two sides can reach a compromise, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“I have a contract for 2015 and I’m excited to be here with the guys and try to go help us win,” Rivers told Alex Flanagan. “If that changes, if there’s more years after that, then I’ll be fired up. But if not, in the short term I’m excited just to be a part of this team this year and try to lead us to win a lot of football games.”
While we wait to see if the Chargers and Rivers can agree to terms on a new deal, let’s check in on some other items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….
- The police report from Bobby Massie‘s January arrest has been released by the Tempe Police Department, and Jim Walsh of the Arizona Republic passes along some of the troubling details. According to police, Massie – who was arrested on suspicion of driving under the influence – said he had been impaired by alcohol every day for the last 10 years, but didn’t believe he had an alcohol problem. The Cardinals‘ starting right tackle is facing a three-game suspension for the incident, though he’s appealing that penalty.
- Chargers outside linebacker Tourek Williams broke his foot during last night’s game against the Cowboys and will require surgery, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). It’s a significant blow for San Diego, since the team wasn’t particularly deep at the position to begin with. Williams could be a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return, depending on his recovery timetable.
- NFL rules prohibit team owners from owning NBA, NHL, or MLB teams in other markets that have NFL teams, but Rams owner Stan Kroenke continues to hold the Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche. As Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes, Kroenke has submitted a plan to the NFL to resolve that situation, and it should meet league approval, though details of the proposal aren’t known.
West Notes: A. Davis, Rivers, Foles, Sendlein
When former 49ers right tackle Anthony Davis announced his decision to leave the team earlier this offseason, it wasn’t considered a permanent retirement. Davis has since expressed a desire to return to football in 2016 after a year away, but coach Jim Tomsula isn’t thinking about a reunion just yet, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes.
“First of all, I’m not thinking about the playing side with Anthony,” Tomsula said. “He’s taking care of Anthony. I’m excited about hearing that he’d like to come back with football. I think that speaks volumes of where he’s at and how he’s feeling. That’s a different time and a different place. It does make you feel good. Obviously, things are going in the right direction for him.”
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two West divisions:
- If the Chargers don’t work out a new contract with Philip Rivers before the season begins, the team is “fully prepared” to use the franchise tag on him in 2016 and – if necessary – 2017, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. According to La Canfora, the two sides have made significant progress in extension negotiations, but there are still at least one or two issues holding up a potential agreement.
- La Canfora also passes along several details on Nick Foles‘ extension with the Rams, reporting that the deal includes $13.8MM in fully guaranteed money. The contract could void in 2017 if Foles meets certain team and individual goals, and he could also make up to $4.5MM in incentives based on individual and team achievements (all Twitter links).
- Center Lyle Sendlein‘s one-year deal with the Cardinals is worth $1.4MM with $500K fully guaranteed, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. With playing time incentives, the center could earn close to $2MM, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), Chiefs linebacker Derrick Johnson said, “I’m not ready for retirement and I have a lot of football left in me.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.