Extra Points: Gordon, Chargers, Browns
One of the biggest stories in the league over the past week has been the situation involving Melvin Gordon and the Chargers. Somewhat out of nowhere, we heard that Gordon was threatening a holdout and a trade demand unless he received a new contract from Los Angeles. The 2015 first-round pick is set to play out the final year of his contract under the fifth-year option. Gordon struck a somewhat conciliatory tone recently, saying that he wants to end up back with the Chargers at the end of the day. Sometimes disputes like this can cause locker room issues and other chemistry problems, but Gordon isn’t worried about that here.
In a sit-down interview with Sam Alipour of ESPN, Gordon said of his Chargers teammates, “they’re all behind me. They all got my back.” Gordon continued, saying “they all told me, ‘You know what — we don’t really speak on contracts — but you just go and do what’s best for your family.’ And I’m glad I got that support from them.” Running backs across the league have bonded together as they’ve seen their value get questioned by many in recent years, and Gordon said that he’s heard from a ton of them. “A lot. A lot of starters. A lot, a lot of backs,” have reached out to him “just saying go out and get what you deserve,” he revealed. Gordon will be an interesting case-study, as the Chargers likely don’t want to pay him top of the market money. Backs like Le’Veon Bell, Todd Gurley, and David Johnson have commanded in the area of $15MM annually, and Los Angeles seems hesitant to pay that much. As we’ve broken down, Gordon doesn’t have all that much leverage because he can’t sit out the season like Bell did without his contract tolling.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Speaking of teammates having each other’s backs in contract negotiations, the Duke Johnson situation has created some drama with the Browns this offseason. Baker Mayfield publicly criticized Johnson and his trade demand, which didn’t go over well with some Browns veterans. Several Browns players were reportedly unhappy with Mayfield talking about Johnson’s situation with the media. Johnson has said he doesn’t feel wanted in Cleveland, and he wants to be moved. Now Browns receiver Jarvis Landry is wading in, and he doesn’t think it will become too big of an issue. “It will not be a distraction,” Landry said recently, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “Our focus is pretty clear. We want to win a championship and the guys that are here, that’s going to help us do that. We start on Thursday. Let’s get it done,” he continued. For what it’s worth the Browns have insisted they plan on keeping Johnson, so him and Mayfield might be forced to patch things up.
- Training camps are already opening across the league, but there are still some relatively big names left on the market. They’ll likely be snatched up in the coming weeks, and Gil Brandt of NFL.com took a stab at projecting where they’ll land. Notably Brandt picks receiver Kelvin Benjamin to go to the Giants, cornerback Morris Claiborne to go back to the Jets, defensive tackle Corey Liuget to go back to the Chargers, and running back Jay Ajayi to go to the Colts. Recently we did our own breakdown on the best landing spots for Ajayi. Brandt connects a lot of dots, including the fact that current Giants GM Dave Gettleman drafted Benjamin in the first-round during his time in Carolina. Brandt also thinks Eric Berry will eventually land in Cleveland after all, and that Tre Boston will end up in San Francisco since the 49ers could use some safety help.
- In case you missed it, the Rams’ offensive line could be a concern in 2019.
Latest On Chiefs, Tyreek Hill Extension Talks
Tyreek Hill picked up a huge victory earlier today when it was announced that he wouldn’t be suspended by the league. We heard shortly after that the team was going to wait to resume contract talks, but that doesn’t mean they don’t still plan on locking him up. Sources reiterated to Terez Paylor of Yahoo Sports that the team does plan on extending him still.
A source also told Paylor that “there are questions that must still be answered about Hill’s personal life,” and he writes that “there are still things that need to play out that will provide closure and comfort that a similar ordeal won’t happen in the future.” That being said, Paylor also points out an interesting factor that might entice the Chiefs to get a deal done sooner rather than later.
Both Hill and superstar defensive tackle Chris Jones are heading into the final year of their contracts. If the Chiefs don’t extend one of them before the season ends, then at least one will enter unrestricted free agency and spark a bidding war, “since NFL teams can franchise tag only one player per season.” It’s an interesting observation, as the team would certainly like to keep both under team control without letting either hit the open market.
In a video posted to Twitter, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided some additional clarity on the situation. Rapoport explained why the team stood by him even when things weren’t looking good, saying the Chiefs “believed he was upfront and honest with them” and never lied to them, which was a “direct contrast to the Kareem Hunt situation,” where Kansas City felt Hunt didn’t tell them everything.
Pivoting to his contract, Rapoport confirms the Chiefs “plan on making sure” that Hill is “properly compensated,” and that they’ll likely make him one of the highest-paid receivers in the league. He notes that possible delays will be due to the team taking time “specifically to make sure that” complex contract language can be sorted out. It seems likely that whatever deal Hill signs will include specific language to protect the franchise in case he gets in any more off-field trouble.
For what it’s worth, Hill’s side understandably seems eager to talks going again. “Hill’s camp hopes to revisit contract talks ‘as soon as possible,'” a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. It might not go as quickly as Hill’s reps would like, but it sounds like something will get done in the near future.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/19/19
Today’s minor moves will be posted here:
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: WR Malik Taylor
Miami Dolphins
- Claimed off waivers from Raiders: WR Saeed Blacknall
Taylor is an undrafted rookie who played his college ball at D-II Ferris State. He originally signed as an UDFA with the Buccaneers after the draft, but didn’t last long in Tampa Bay. The Packers already have a bunch of young receivers on the roster, so he’ll be facing an uphill climb to even make the practice squad.
Blacknall is a speedster who went undrafted out of Penn State last year. He signed with the Raiders and after some impressive moments during the preseason he made the practice squad. He was briefly signed to the active roster in November, so he does have one NFL game under his belt. Blacknall could have a legit shot of making the team since the Dolphins are entering a full-blown rebuild and will be looking for as much young talent as possible.
Eagles Re-Sign Darren Sproles
Darren Sproles is coming back for at least one more year. The veteran is signing a one-year deal with the Eagles, the team announced on Twitter. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the deal has a base value of $1.03MM and includes a $300K signing bonus. Plus, $600K of his base pay is guaranteed.
We heard back in May that Sproles was interested in returning for one more year, but that he wanted to play with one of the teams he already had familiarity with, meaning the Chargers, Saints, and Eagles. After Sproles only played in three games due to a broken arm and torn ACL in the Eagles’ Super Bowl-winning season, he said 2018 would be his last year in the league. But injuries ruined last year for him too, and he missed ten games.
All the health issues left a bad taste in his mouth, and he didn’t want to go out like that. “That’s my whole thing,” Sproles said recently when speaking to Dr. David Chao of the Pro Football Doc podcast. “I want a full year. I want to get up to top-four or top-five in all-purpose yards, like ever. Right now, I’m number six. If I would have played a full year last year, I’d be number four right now.”
Sproles will now be joining a crowded backfield in Philadelphia, with Miles Sanders, Jordan Howard, Corey Clement, and Josh Adams (among others) already in tow. In a tweet, Tim McManus of ESPN.com writes that the “coaching staff had been keeping door open for [Sproles].” He might not play quite as big of a role as he did in the past, but Sproles will still be a valuable change-of-pace back who can catch passes well out of the backfield, and he’ll be a nice veteran presence in a mostly young group.
Now Sproles will get the chance to go out with the full 16-game season that he wants, as well as to climb the all-purpose yards leaderboards. He’s 36 now, but he’s still been pretty good when he’s been healthy the last couple of years. Last year, Sproles carried the ball 29 times for 120 yards and a touchdown, and he dded 15 receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. He also returned ten punts for 83 yards.
Extra Points: Haynesworth, CBA, XFL
We have unfortunate news, as former NFL defensive tackle Albert Haynesworth is dealing with a serious health issue. Haynesworth is battling kidney disease, and he recently took to Instagram to announce he was in desperate need of a transplant, per Ethan Cadeaux of NBC Sports. Haynesworth posted a caption that reads as follows:
“Some of you may know I’ve been battling kidney disease for a few years now the time has come family, friends and fans I’m in dire need of a kidney mine have finally failed me on July 7 2019. It’s hard to believe from being a professional athlete to only 8 season in retirement that my body has taken another major blow. First with the brain aneurism (sic) 3 seasons out of the NFL to now my kidneys failing me. But the bright side of this latest ordeal I can ask for help by asking for someone to generously donate a kidney. If you are interested in giving this precious gift please call Vanderbilt at 615-936-0695 and hit option 2. GOD BLESS thank you for your prayers and thanks for sharing this message.”
Haynesworth entered the league as a first-round pick of the Titans back in 2002, and became one of the league’s best defensive tackles. He was a back to back first-team All-Pro in 2007 and 2008. The Tennessee product played ten seasons in the league before hanging them up following the 2011 campaign. All of us here at PFR wish Haynesworth the best and send him our thoughts.
Here’s more from around the league:
- There’s been a lot of talk about a proposed 18-game schedule recently. Ever since it was leaked that owners planned to push for an extended schedule in the next round of CBA negotiations, there’s been a lot of pushback. In response to that pushback, the league is reportedly planning on pitching a plan for 18 games, but where players are only eligible for 16 of them. In order to guarantee players don’t have to play more than they currently are, each player would have to sit out at least two of his team’s games. In that hypothetical scenario players wouldn’t have to play more than they currently do, but they apparently aren’t buying it. Some people in the NFLPA are “suspicious of the idea of an 18-game schedule with only 16 games for players to be eligible, believing it will morph players playing all 18 some day,” according to veteran NFL reporter Jason Cole (Twitter link). It’s understandable why the union would be skeptical, as the idea of star quarterbacks being forced to sit out at least two of their team’s games likely wouldn’t last very long. In all likelihood, the schedule will stay the exact same in the next CBA.
- The XFL held its last showcase today, and some more notable names were in attendance. In addition to the presence of Connor Cook and Trent Richardson, which was previously reported, quarterback Zach Mettenberger, running back David Cobb, tight end Clay Harbor, and defensive end Jacquies Smith were all in attendance, per Greg Auman of The Athletic (Twitter link). Mettenberger, who had a brief stint as the Titans’ starting quarterback a handful of years ago, was playing in the AAF before that upstart league folded. Cobb, Harbor, and Smith all had somewhat notable stints in the league.
- In case you missed it, Dak Prescott doesn’t plan on taking a hometown discount from the Cowboys.
NFC South Notes: Buccaneers, Panthers
When Buccaneers cornerback Ryan Smith was suspended for the first four games of the season earlier this week it seemed to spell trouble for him. Smith’s standing was already in question after the Bucs used multiple early picks on cornerbacks during April’s draft, and the suspension didn’t look good. However, it turns out that at least Tampa wasn’t caught off-guard by the news. “They’ve known about it since before the draft and have already done things knowing it was coming. This is news to us, but not to them,” tweeted Greg Auman of The Athletic.
Auman also added “don’t look for the Bucs to do anything in response to today’s news of Ryan Smith’s suspension.” For now it doesn’t look like Smith’s roster spot is in danger. The 2016 fourth-round pick has played a big role the last two years, starting a combined 16 games. Last year he played around 40 percent of the team’s defensive snaps, while also playing a huge role on special teams. While the Buccaneers knew it was coming and appears to be standing by him for now, he’s not exactly in the clear. The young guys will be getting more run while he’s out, and there might not be much playing time left for him by the time he returns if they seize the opportunity.
Here’s more from the NFC South:
- Speaking of the Buccaneers, there were also some interesting nuggets in Auman’s recent roster projection. Notably, Auman projects Alex Cappa to start at guard. A third-round pick last year, Cappa appeared in only six games with no starts as a rookie. Cappa was an upside prospect from D-II Humboldt State, so he was always going to take a while to develop. It’s especially interesting because there have been rumblings that Cappa isn’t progressing like the team was hoping. Jenna Laine of ESPN.com was recently told that Cappa “still isn’t where they’d like him to be yet,” and she floated the potential acquisition of additional interior offensive linemen (Twitter link). Cappa had dominant film in college (look it up, some of it is hilarious), but he was always facing off against weaker competition. It’ll be interesting to see what he looks like when he finally steps on a pro field.
- We’ve seen a few notable players switch agents recently, including Kenny Stills and Duke Johnson. Add Panthers receiver D.J. Moore to the growing list. Moore is now with NFL super-agent Drew Rosenhaus, according to Joseph Person of The Athletic. Person reports that Moore decided to switch agents after his former agent Damarius Bilbo was suspended for three months back in January. Moore just finished his rookie season so he won’t be eligible for a new contract for a while, but this is still something to keep an eye on. Rosenhaus has a reputation for playing hardball with teams, and this could come back into play in the future. A 2018 first-round pick from Maryland, Moore had a promising rookie season, racking up 788 yards on 55 catches.
- In case you missed it, Saints rookie Carl Granderson was recently sentenced to six months in jail.
Security Guard Pressing Charges Against Ezekiel Elliott
UPDATE, 5:35pm: Shortly after this story broke, Elliott’s attorneys released a statement saying that he was being extorted by the alleged victim, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link). The statement reads:
“Over the course of the past several weeks, Mr. Elliott has been the target of extortion. Kyle Johnson’s filing of a criminal complaint against Mr. Elliott in connection with the Las Vegas incident is the latest attempt to do so. Mr. Elliott and his team are in contract with all of the proper authorities and are fully cooperating with them in their investigations.”
5:28pm: Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott won’t be suspended for his incident with a security guard in Las Vegas back in May, but the situation isn’t over quite yet. 
The security guard is filing assault charges against Elliott in Vegas, according to Enzo Marino of FOX 5 Vegas. The security guard, Kyle Johnson, alleges that Elliott “bumped me and then shoved me over a metal railing.” Per Marino, “Johnson said he was only seeking a sincere apology from Elliot, but decided to press charges after he says the NFL and Elliot tried to sweep the incident under the rug.”
The league spent a lot of time digging into it and the investigation garnered a lot of headlines. Elliott was summoned to meet with commissioner Roger Goodell a couple of weeks ago, and he released a lengthy statement afterward taking responsibility and apologizing for the incident.
Zeke has only been in the league for a few years, but he’s already had a lot of battles with the commissioner’s office. He famously went to court over his six-game suspension in 2017, and the Cowboys have said they feel Elliott has been unfairly put under a microscope by the league. We’ve also heard that if Elliott were to get himself into any additional trouble, Goodell would likely crack down harshly.
This all comes at a pivotal time for Elliott, as he angles for an extension. He’s under team control through the 2020 season due to the fifth-year option in his rookie contract, but he wants to get locked up well before then. We heard last month that Dallas wasn’t in any rush to extend him and could even let him play out his rookie deal and enter free agency, but then it was reported more recently that they had changed their minds and now viewed extending him as a priority.
Marino reports that the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police will now conduct an investigation, and decide whether or not to charge Elliott with battery. We’ll keep you updated on the situation as it unfolds.
Fired Texans GM Wanted To Extend Jadeveon Clowney, Bill O’Brien Didn’t
We heard earlier today that the Texans won’t be extending Jadeveon Clowney. The two sides aren’t going to reach a deal before the July 15th deadline, and Clowney will play the 2019 season under the franchise tag. 
After firing Brian Gaine and failing in their attempt to hire Nick Caserio away from the Patriots, the Texans were left without a general manager. It’s been unclear who is running things in the front office, although now we have a little more clarity that it’s head coach Bill O’Brien. Gaine and O’Brien “disagreed on whether to make a long-term commitment to” Clowney, a source told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.
There was a report right after Gaine was fired that his handling of the Clowney situation was partially responsible for his termination, but that suggested that Gaine was fired for not making progress on an extension. Now it seems like the opposite is true, and that it was Gaine who wanted to extend him all along.
Word leaking out that a head coach opposes a contract extension for a current player is sure to make things awkward in the locker room, and makes it more likely that this is Clowney’s last season with the team. The Texans are widely expected to make another run at Caserio once his contract expires following the 2020 draft, but they’ll need to make a decision on Clowney before then when free agency opens in March. O’Brien is likely to still be running the show then, and he clearly is hesitant to commit to Clowney for the future.
The first overall pick back in 2014, Clowney has blossomed into a great player, but the Texans don’t want to break the bank for him. A Pro Bowler each of the last three seasons, Clowney is likely looking to reset the market for pass-rushers yet again, and he’s been staying away from the team’s offseason activities while he held out for a new deal. The report from earlier today indicated he might miss a solid chunk of training camp, but that he’s expected to show up in time for the regular season.
Extra Points: Supplemental Draft, Bucs, McDowell, Wilkerson
The 2019 Supplemental Draft is tomorrow, and just like last year we could see a lot of action. Before last season, when two players were taken, there had only been one selection since 2013. This year, it seems likely that two players will get taken again, Washington State safety Jalen Thompson and West Virginia receiver Marcus Simms. Thompson is more highly regarded by the scouting community, and has been drawing a lot of interest. He met with the Packers earlier today, and 26 teams attended his workout yesterday. To help get you prepared for tomorrow, Dane Brugler of The Athletic studied game tape of both players and wrote up detailed scouting reports.
He notes that while Thompson is a “terrific athlete” and good in coverage, he’s also “undersized for the safety position.” There’s been some speculation that Thompson may have to switch to corner at the pro level. Brugler gives Thompson a third or fourth round grade. Brugler writes that Simms is a burner with excellent speed, but that his route-running isn’t very well developed. As a “best-case NFL player projection,” Brugler lists Kenny Stills, while giving Stills a fifth-to-seventh round grade. We’ll know the results of the draft tomorrow afternoon.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Things reportedly aren’t going well between rookie first-round pick Josh Jacobs and the Raiders. There’s a holdup in negotiations over his rookie deal, and it looks like Jacobs isn’t going to report to training camp in a couple of weeks. Don’t expect anything similar for linebacker Devin White and the Buccaneers. The fifth overall pick in April’s draft is going to sign “any day now,” and “you can bet he won’t miss a meeting,” writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The Bucs are counting on White to play a huge role for their revamped defense, so it’s good to hear there’s no drama surrounding his contract.
- A couple of weeks ago we heard that free agent defensive lineman Malik McDowell had been arrested, and now we have video of the incident, courtesy of TMZ Sports. In the video, McDowell can be seen getting tased, and then attempting to fight the arresting officer after pulling the taser prongs out. McDowell was drafted by the Seahawks in the second round back in 2017, but never played a game for them. He suffered serious injuries in an ATV accident before his rookie training camp, and the Seahawks never cleared him to return. McDowell has reportedly been cleared to play by independent doctors, and recently met with the Cowboys, but nothing materialized. Back in May, the Seahawks filed a lawsuit seeking to recoup some of McDowell’s signing bonus.
- Free agent defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson is one of the biggest names left on the market. He was arrested for DWI at the beginning of June, which could be delaying his signing. Wilkerson recently appeared in court, and turned down a plea deal prosecutors offered him, per Shayna Jacobs and Sarah Valenzuela of the New York Daily News. Wilkerson’s attorney said it was “telling” that they offered the deal, and seemed confident his client would get off. After spending seven seasons with the Jets, Wilkerson signed a one-year deal with the Packers last season. A serious ankle injury ended his first year in Green Bay after just a few games. Wilkerson is still capable of playing at a high level, and should sign somewhere soon.
DT Ahtyba Rubin Visiting Seahawks
We heard yesterday that the Seahawks could be interested in veteran defensive tackle Ahtyba Rubin, and now they’re following through on that interest. Rubin is in Seattle right now to visit with the team, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
Condotta writes that if the two sides can agree on a deal, Rubin “would likely sign a one-year, low-risk (veteran minimum or just above) deal.” Rubin has some familiarity with the Seahawks, as he spent two seasons with the team in 2015 and 2016. He originally entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Browns back in 2008, and he spent the next seven seasons in Cleveland.
He had a productive 2015 campaign, and earned a new three-year, $12MM extension from Seattle. He lasted just one year into that pact before getting cut just prior to the start of the 2017 season. Rubin signed with the Raiders last offseason, but missed the entire year with a biceps injury. Rubin is turning 33 later this month but Seattle’s run-defense really struggled last year, so perhaps he could help out in a situational role.
Condotta writes that it’s a position of need, and that the Seahawks will keep looking for help there if they don’t end up signing Rubin. He notes that “the defensive line remains one of the team’s top two or three main areas of concern entering training camp, and Seattle is expected to continue looking to add players to that spot as preseason rolls along.”