Antonio Brown Likely To Win Grievance Against Patriots?
While Antonio Brown is looking at an uphill battle if he wants to play football again in 2019, it does seem like he at least has a good chance to recoup some of the money he lost in his various releases.
The “consensus” of five different league sources is that the Patriots will eventually have to pay Brown the $9MM signing bonus they chose to withhold from him, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. It doesn’t sound like they’ll have to fork over the cash anytime soon though, as Robinson’s sources expect Patriots owner Robert Kraft will have to pay out “deep into the 2020 calendar, after an exhaustive arbitration grievance.”
One source took a particularly strong stance, saying “[New England] fighting to keep that signing bonus now is either a gross misunderstanding of [the CBA’s] rules on voiding signing bonuses or it’s just out of spite. I can’t believe they don’t understand the signing bonus voids in the CBA. There’s just no way. This is just spitefulness. They’re fighting [Brown] completely out of the anger and embarrassment in ownership.”
It seems like Brown is likely to get back $9MM from New England, and he isn’t going to stop there. We heard just yesterday that Brown was looking to pursue a grievance against the Raiders, although he might have a more difficult time getting money back from Oakland due to his repeated antics during his time as a Raider. The Patriots didn’t cut Brown after sexual assault allegations became public and allowed him to play in their Week 2 win over the Dolphins, which will make it hard for them to argue they released Brown because of information they weren’t aware of.
Although the star receiver has threatened retirement and has gone back and forth on Twitter about whether or not he wants to continue playing, his agent insists that he does and that teams are interested pending the league’s investigation into the assault allegations. We’ll keep you posted as soon as we hear any new developments on the grievance.
NFL Workout Updates: 9/28/19
Only one lone workout to report tonight on an otherwise quiet Saturday evening:
Detroit Lions
- P Sean Smith
The Lions have had the same punter, Sam Martin, for the past seven seasons now. He’s always been solid but not spectacular and there’s indication he’s dealing with an injury, so it’s possible the Lions are just updating their emergency list. Smith is an undrafted rookie from Dayton, who briefly spent some time with the Ravens this offseason.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/28/19
Today’s practice squad moves:
Detroit Lions:
- Signed: WR Travis Fulgham
- Released: DT Frank Herron
Seattle Seahawks:
- Signed: DT Bryan Mone
- Released: OT Elijah Nkansah
Chargers Reduced Melvin Gordon’s Fines
Melvin Gordon is officially back with the Chargers. Not only has he reported to the team and ended his holdout, but he’s been activated and appears set to suit up and play in Week 4 against the Dolphins. However, contrary to earlier reports, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Gordon will only play in an emergency, which means Chargers fans may need to wait until next week to see him in action.
Gordon recently addressed the media for the first time, and revealed some interesting information. For starters, Gordon said that Los Angeles cut his fines in half to help entice him to report, according to Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Gordon didn’t seem to be too peeved that he still had to pay some fines, and struck a conciliatory tone. “It comes with consequences siting out,” Gordon said. “To think the fines would be completely washed away, I knew if I got in this situation, it wouldn’t be. You do something against the rules, you pay the consequences.”
In a separate tweet, Williams notes that Gordon said he is retaining his same agent Fletcher Smith and Damarius Bilbo despite the tumultuous times. Gordon also revealed that his agents didn’t play any role in his holdout, and that they wanted him to report. “I was the reason I didn’t come in,” Gordon said. “They wanted me to come in, and I was like, ‘No.’”
The Chargers have limped to a 1-2 record, although the backfield hasn’t really been the problem so far. Head coach Anthony Lynn has said that Gordon will resume his normal featured role when he’s back in game-shape, and that current starter Austin Ekeler will go back to being the change-of-pace back.
NFC Notes: JPP, Keenum, Seahawks, Vikings
Jason Pierre-Paul restructured his contract with the Buccaneers yesterday, and now we have the details. Originally scheduled to make $13.65MM in 2019, his new base salary will be just $3MM, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic. He’s eligible to come off the NFI list and return for the final ten games of the season, and he’ll receive a $200K bonus for each of those games that he plays in. He’ll get an additional $200K for every game he plays at least 50 percent of the defensive snaps and another $200K for each game he plays 75 percent of the defensive snaps. If he’s able to hit eight sacks he’ll get a $500K bonus and another $1MM if he reaches ten sacks, pushing the maximum value to $10.5MM.
Those sack goals are pretty lofty for only ten games, and it’s unlikely he makes the max value. Because JPP suffered a non-football injury, the Buccaneers weren’t obligated to pay his 2019 salary at all and could’ve voided his guarantees. But as Auman writes, “the team wouldn’t look good not paying a player whose injury came in a car accident in which he wasn’t even cited,” so the two sides came to an agreement. It’s unclear if he’ll actually be ready to go in Week 8 after the Bucs’ bye, as we haven’t gotten an update on his neck in a while.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Case Keenum didn’t practice yesterday, sparking some excitement that the start of the Dwayne Haskins era might be right around the corner. That appears to have been false hope, as Keenum was back on the practice field working with the team during the portion open to the media Thursday. As of right now, the expectations is that he’ll be under center for the team’s Week 4 game against the Giants. Colt McCoy was also on the practice field today, and it looks like he’s close to returning from the leg injury that has sidelined him up until this point. Redskins head coach Jay Gruden has been tight-lipped about the situation, but it seems possible that Haskins will be demoted to third-string upon McCoy’s return.
- It appears Seahawks tight end Ed Dickson‘s recovery isn’t going as planned. Pete Carroll is “concerned” Dickson won’t be ready to come off injured reserve when first eligible, according to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times (Twitter link). When Dickson first had knee surgery back in early August, Carroll said the team was hoping he’d be out 4-5 weeks. That would’ve put him on track for an early September return, but now he apparently might not be ready for the Week 9 game in early November. Seattle is notoriously overly-optimistic about injuries, but that’s unusual even by their standards. The veteran’s first year with the Seahawks was last season, where he was mostly used as a blocker. Seattle just traded away Nick Vannett, and it looks like Will Dissly will be their only real option at tight end for the foreseeable future.
- On the flip side, Vikings receiver Josh Doctson‘s recovery appears to be going quite smoothly. Doctson was placed on injured reserve with a hamstring injury shortly after being signed, and he thinks he’ll be ready to go when first eligible after eight games. “For sure, absolutely,’’ he said Wednesday, per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. “That’s the target and that’s the plan.’’ Minnesota was recently forced to re-sign Laquon Treadwell because of how thin they were at receiver, so they could surely use Doctson. A former first-round pick of the Redskins, Doctson was released at final cuts. He was quickly scooped up by the Vikings, but suffered his injury a week later.
Broncos’ Bryce Callahan Out At Least 4 More Weeks
Bad news for the Broncos, as they’ll continue to be without cornerback Bryce Callahan for the foreseeable future. Callahan is undergoing a “non-surgical procedure on his troublesome left foot,” a source told Mike Klis of Denver 9 News.
Klis reports that the procedure will sideline Callahan for at least the next four weeks. The expected timetable is 4-6 weeks, tweets Troy Renck of Denver ABC 7. The Broncos signed Callahan to a three-year deal worth $21MM with $10MM guaranteed back in March, and he’s yet to appear in a game for them. Callahan broke his foot toward the end of last season, and was recovering well until he re-aggravated it in training camp when another player stepped on it.
The team still isn’t placing him on injured reserve, signaling they expect to have him back within that timetable. If they had placed him on IR at the beginning of the season, his current timetable would’ve lined up nicely with the first eight games he would’ve had to miss. Callahan had a big season with the Bears last year, and he followed his defensive coordinator in Chicago Vic Fangio to the Broncos.
Callahan is going to start when healthy, and Denver’s secondary needs him. Isaac Yiadom had been starting at corner but was struggling mightily, and he got pulled for De’Vante Bausby last week against the Packers. Klis writes that the team is expected to give Bausby, an AAF standout, his second-career NFL start this Sunday against the Jaguars.
Raiders Release Ryan Grant
Ryan Grant‘s time in Oakland is over. The Raiders are releasing the veteran receiver, according to a tweet from Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area. In a follow-up tweet, Bair notes the team is promoting linebacker Justin Phillips from the practice squad to take his place on the roster.
It’s been a tumultuous past couple of seasons for Grant, who was originally drafted by the Redskins in the fifth-round back in 2014. He made a name for himself in Washington and was a favorite of head coach Jay Gruden, racking up 573 yards and four touchdowns in 2017. The strong season landed him a four-year, $29MM deal from the Ravens with a whopping $14.5MM in guaranteed money in free agency. The amount Baltimore gave him attracted a lot of criticism, and the next day they failed his physical and voided the deal.
Grant ended up signing a one-year, $5MM deal with the Colts, and spent last year in Indy. He didn’t play a huge role, catching 35 passes for 334 yards. He signed with Oakland this offseason, and he had nine targets in the team’s first two games. He quickly fell out of favor and was a healthy scratch this past week, so the writing was on the wall.
With promising rookie Hunter Renfrow in the slot, there wasn’t much of a need for Grant’s services anymore. Fortunately for Grant as a vested veteran his salary became guaranteed Week 1, so he’ll collect $1MM from Oakland. He should be able to latch on with a team in need of receiving help at some point. Phillips is an undrafted rookie from Oklahoma State.
Texans Place Senio Kelemete On IR
The Texans’ offensive line just took a blow. Houston is placing guard Senio Kelemete on injured reserve, a source told Tom Pelissero of NFL Network (Twitter link). In a corresponding roster move the team has promoted linebacker Tyrell Adams from the practice squad to the active roster, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
A fifth-round pick back in 2012, Kelemete has been with the Texans since 2018. He spent a handful of seasons with the Saints as a part-time starter before signing a three-year deal with Houston last offseason. He was the team’s primary left guard last year, starting 14 games. He started their opener against the Saints in Week 1, but picked up a wrist injury. He practiced last week, so this is a bit of a surprise.
Kelemete will now have to miss at least the next eight games before he is eligible to return. Rookie first-round pick Tytus Howard filled in at left guard in Week 2, then flipped to right tackle. Rookie second-round pick Max Scharping started at left guard this past week, and appears to have that job secured moving forward. Adams is a journeyman who has bounced around a ton of teams’ practice squads and offseason rosters since entering the league as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He’ll be depth only.
Extra Points: Newton, Barkley, Edelman
The Panthers’ season got off to a disastrous start, as the team limped out to an 0-2 record and Cam Newton re-injured himself. It looked like they were quickly circling the drain, and then Kyle Allen happened. Allen was nearly perfect starting in place of Newton, averaging ten yards per attempt and tossing four touchdowns while leading Carolina to a road win over Arizona. Allen’s performance was so strong, that it sparked some talk of a potential quarterback controversy.
Speaking after the game Panthers head coach Ron Rivera said the starting job is still Newton’s when he’s healthy but that right now they’re “rolling” with Allen, per Joseph Person of The Athletic (Twitter link). Newton won’t be getting benched, but Rivera’s comments don’t exactly inspire confidence that he’ll be back soon. Newton aggravated a foot injury he suffered during the preseason, and his throwing shoulder which he underwent surgery on this offseason hasn’t looked 100 percent either. It’ll be very interesting too see what happens next, but with Allen’s emergence it appears Carolina’s quarterback situation isn’t as dire as it originally seemed.
Here’s more from around the league:
- We’ve heard that Giants running back Saquon Barkley has suffered a high ankle sprain and is going to miss some time, and now we have Barkley’s thoughts on his injury. “I’m not out for the season,” Barkley said, via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com. “I’m going to do whatever I can to get back as quickly as possible.” Barkley told Jordan Ranaan of ESPN.com that he had a high ankle sprain his freshman year at Penn State, and that he only missed two games with that injury (Twitter link). Right now two missed games would probably be a best-case scenario.
- Patriots receiver Julian Edelman was knocked out of New England’s win over the Jets with a rib injury, but fortunately it doesn’t seem too serious. X-Rays on his ribs were negative, sources told Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). Rapoport writes that it’s an “early positive sign,” which would seem to suggest he isn’t completely out of the woods yet. In the wake of Antonio Brown‘s release, the Patriots’ receiving corp would suddenly go from loaded to a bit thin if Edelman has to miss any time.
- In case you missed it, Redskins tight end Jordan Reed‘s career is in doubt.
Three Teams Were Interested In Antonio Brown
In Antonio Brown‘s latest outburst earlier this morning, he declared that he was done playing in the NFL. He also fired off several other bizarre tweets, lashing out at Robert Kraft and Ben Roethlisberger. 
Brown’s agent Drew Rosenhaus had said just yesterday that a few teams were interested in his client, and now we have a little more clarity on that. Three teams were probing around the controversial receiver, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. Obviously, Brown’s Twitter tirade complicates things, and it’s probably unlikely that all three of those teams are still interested. Notably, Brown has deleted most of his tweets from earlier this morning, although you can still read them at our original post here.
Despite his public proclamations, Florio writes that “it’s believed that Brown eventually will want to return to the NFL,” which is hardly surprising. Brown’s latest antics surely aren’t going to help him find a job, and it’s looking more and more likely that we won’t see Brown on the field again in 2019. If any team does eventually decide to sign him, it’ll certainly be a low-risk prove-it deal that doesn’t guarantee Brown much, if anything at all.