Latest On Los Angeles Relocation
Momentum continues to built toward the NFL returning to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, multiple sources tell Albert Breer of the NFL Network. One of those sources tells Breer that the league is “confident” there will be multiple viable options on the table before year’s end to make relocation to L.A. a realistic possibility.
While no significant movements forward are expected to be announced this week, Los Angeles will be a topic of discussion at the NFL’s spring meetings in San Francisco. Here’s more on what to expect at those meetings, and going forward:
- The cities of St. Louis and San Diego have made progress toward new stadiums, but Oakland has moved backward since March, “losing time without making any progress,” writes Breer.
- Breer also notes that Rams owner Stan Kroenke‘s Inglewood project continues to maintain an “incremental lead” over the Carson project spearheaded by the Raiders and Chargers. An outcome is “unlikely to crystallize” until late 2015, perhaps in advance of the NFL’s December meetings.
- While NFL executive Eric Grubman appreciates the city of San Diego expediting the process by submitting a proposal to build a new stadium, he tells Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com that it still needs some work. “I don’t think they made a specific proposal that includes all the key elements of how they get entitled and so forth and so on,” Grubman said. “So first of all, I haven’t dug into it. And second of all, I don’t know what the timing of that proposal could be.”
- As Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com details, Grubman also indicated that the league will look into compressing the window for teams to formally apply for relocation, which currently runs annually from January 1 to February 15.
South Notes: Mettenberger, Luck, Newton
Shortly after the Titans used the second overall pick in this year’s draft on quarterback Marcus Mariota, a report surfaced suggesting that incumbent signal-caller Zach Mettenberger wanted to be traded out of Tennessee. Mettenberger and the Titans quickly denied that claim, and now the second-year QB has taken a more significant step to show that he’s happy in Tennessee.
According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter links), Mettenberger has changed agents, going from Joe Linta to CAA’s Tom Condon and Jimmy Sexton. Although Mettenberger hasn’t explicitly stated his motivation for the change, McCormick notes that the post-draft trade talk was pinned on Linta, while Sexton also represents Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Ryan Tannehill belongs to the same draft class as Andrew Luck, but yesterday’s contract extension for the Dolphins quarterback means nothing for the former No. 1 pick, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. As Wells observes, Luck is in a “different bracket” than Tannehill, meaning their contracts almost certainly look all that similar when all is said and done.
- Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer believes the Tannehill extension doesn’t mean much for Cam Newton‘s next contract either, though Person notes that it increases the floor for QBs around the league.
- Zach Strief doesn’t have any misconceptions about Andrus Peat‘s future role with the Saints, telling Mike Triplett of ESPN.com that the 13th overall pick is going to be “taking my job eventually.” With Peat preparing to play right tackle, Strief also shot down the idea that he could transition to left guard. “[Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete] are two excellent football players, and two guys I’m never gonna beat out as a guard,” Strief said. “So it’ll be one of those two.”
- The Titans are looking for their rookie running backs to lose some weight and get in better shape, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.
Minor Moves: Friday
Let’s round up today’s minor transactions from the NFL, with any additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the evening:
- After waiving him yesterday with an injured designation, the Seahawks have officially moved defensive tackle Tory Slater to their injured reserve list, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. According to Condotta (via Twitter), to replace Slater on the roster, Seattle signed another defensive tackle, T.Y. McGill, who tried out for the club at its rookie minicamp last weekend.
- Tight end Brandon Barden and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, two players who signed futures contracts with the Chiefs at season’s end, were waived today by the team, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys made a back-of-the-roster move at the guard position, signing Reshod Fortenberry after a minicamp audition, and cutting Daniel Quave to make room on the roster, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
- Edge defender Martez Wilson, who was drafted by the Saints in the third round back in 2011, has signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Wilson also spent time with the Cowboys and Raiders during his NFL career before making the move up north this year.
Pats Undecided On Fighting Penalties
Tom Brady and the NFL Players Association officially appealed the quarterback’s four-game suspension on Thursday, publishing earlier today the letter that was sent to Troy Vincent at NFL headquarters. However, so far, the Patriots remain undecided on whether or not to challenge the discipline handed down on the franchise, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes that the team has until next Thursday, May 21, to file an appeal.
Prior to the announcement of the penalties levied against the Patriots in the wake of the Ted Wells Report, owner Robert Kraft indicated in a statement that he expected to accept the league’s ruling, even if he wasn’t happy with it — “fighting the league and extending this debate would prove to be futile,” Kraft wrote.
However, that statement was published well before the NFL announced that New England would lose two draft picks – its 2016 first-rounder as well as its 2017 fourth-rounder – and be fined $1MM. By all accounts, the Patriots organization was caught off guard and angered by the extent of the penalties handed down by the league, which were “unlike anything they expected.” That could prompt the team to challenge the NFL’s decision.
As Florio writes, the Patriots figure to take the full allotment of available time before making a decision, so we shouldn’t expect an appeal until next week, if one comes at all. As former Browns and Eagles executive Joe Banner observed (via Twitter), the Patriots’ Thursday response to the Wells Report may indicate that the club is unlikely to pursue legal action, since the Pats’ legal team wouldn’t have laid out its argument in advance.
Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) noted this morning that the Patriots fighting the NFL on sanctions would be unusual, but not unprecedented, since Dallas and Washington fought cap-related penalties handed to them by the league in 2012. Following up on that thought, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt rightly pointed out (via Twitter) that this would be a different kind of appeal, since it would mean challenging conduct directly rather than appealing a “system” issue.
Browns Sign Cameron Erving
3:14pm: In addition to confirming the Shelton signing, the Browns have also formally announced that they’ve locked up Erving.
1:21pm: The Browns, one of two teams to select two players in the first round of this year’s draft, have now reached deals with both of those rookies. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has agreed to terms with center Cameron Erving on the offensive lineman’s rookie contract.
When the Browns announced the signing of seventh-round defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu yesterday, the club indicated in its press release that 12th overall pick Danny Shelton had not yet officially signed his contract. However, a report earlier this week indicated that the team was in agreement with the defensive tackle, even if that agreement hasn’t been formally finalized.
As for Erving, his four-year contract with the Browns will be worth a total of about $9.429MM, with a signing bonus of approximately $5.118MM. His deal will also include a fifth-year option, allowing the Browns to lock him up through the 2019 season, if they so choose.
With Erving and Shelton having reportedly agreed to terms, the Browns have now locked up eight of their 12 draft picks, as our tracker shows.
Draft Signings: Raiders, Jaguars, Cowboys
Here are a few of the latest draft pick signings from around the NFL, as teams continue to work toward getting all their rookies under contract:
- The Raiders have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and sixth-round defensive end Max Valles, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Oakland has now locked up half of its 10-player draft class, including fourth overall pick Amari Cooper.
- The Michael Bennett who plays for the Seahawks and is currently playing out a $28MM contract has been a subject of a few rumors lately, but it’s another Michael Bennett, the defensive tackle out of Ohio State, that signed his rookie deal with the Jaguars today, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com reports (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have inked seventh-round offensive tackle Laurence Gibson to his four-year rookie contract, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Gibson will get a signing bonus of about $56K on a deal that’s worth $2.336MM in total, according to Over The Cap.
Broncos Sign Ty Sambrailo
The Broncos have secured four of their draft picks today, signing them to rookie contracts. The most notable of those players to sign is second-round tackle Ty Sambrailo, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
In addition to locking up Sambrailo, the Broncos have also signed seventh-round picks Trevor Siemian (QB), Taurean Nixon (CB), and Josh Furman (S), the team announced today in a press release. The series of moves leaves only two Denver picks unsigned — first-rounder Shane Ray and third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman.
Sambrailo, the 59th overall pick out of Colorado State, should get an opportunity this summer to earn playing time on an offensive line that has undergone some changes this offseason. Within the last couple months, the Broncos have seen Orlando Franklin and Will Montgomery depart via free agency, and traded Manuel Ramirez to the Lions. The team brought in Gino Gradkowski in a trade, and signed Shelley Smith as a free agent.
Per Over The Cap, Sambrailo will be in line for a signing bonus of about $1.057MM, with a four-year value of approximately $3.846MM on his rookie contract.
Offseason Extension Unlikely For Wilson
The Seahawks and Russell Wilson appear unlikely to reach an agreement on a long-term extension during the offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says that the Seattle quarterback will likely have to wait until after the 2015 season to secure a new deal.
Cole’s report echoes what we heard from other writers last week, suggesting that the Seahawks and Wilson are far apart when it comes to the signal-caller’s per-year value over the long term. According to Cole, Wilson is seeking a contract worth at least $20MM annually, while the Seahawks aren’t willing to go that high.
As Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously noted, Wilson’s relatively minuscule 2015 salary is a significant factor in contract talks. The fact that they’re paying him such a small amount this year makes the Seahawks comfortable going year to year with the franchise tag for 2016 and 2017, if it comes to that. Even if those franchise salaries exceed $20MM, which they would, Seattle would still likely pay Wilson less than $50MM for the next three seasons, an average below $17MM.
According to Cole, talks between the two sides have left Wilson feeling somewhat frustrated and underappreciated, which could help explain why the 26-year-old has been publishing semi-cryptic tweets as of late. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk detailed yesterday, one recent Wilson tweet advised not letting a “lack of gratefulness and respect bring you down.”
The Seahawks and Wilson still have more than two months before training camp begins, so there’s plenty of time to bridge the gap in negotiations and strike a deal. However, at this point that looks unlikely, and it may just be a matter of time until the two sides decide to shelve those contract discussions until after the season and focus on making it back to the Super Bowl.
Latest On Tom Brady’s Appeal, DeflateGate
The NFL Players Association has officially published the appeal letter it sent to the NFL on behalf of Tom Brady, making it available through the union’s website. Within the letter, the NFLPA argues that the league violated the CBA by allowing league executive Troy Vincent to hand a four-game suspension to Brady, since he is not authorized to impose discipline. The union added that it plans to call Vincent and commissioner Roger Goodell as witnesses for its appeal, which means – according to the NFLPA – the case should be arbitrated by someone without close ties to the NFL.
As we prepare for the next stage of this contentious process, let’s round up the latest items on DeflateGate and Brady’s appeal….
- Goodell will likely interview suspended Patriots employees John Jastremski and Jim McNally as witnesses for Brady’s appeal, per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- After Ted Wells was given a blank check and no deadline for his DeflateGate report by Goodell and the league, it will be difficult for the commissioner to disregard that report and conclude that its conclusions are inaccurate, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio points out that Goodell may have appointed himself as the arbitrator in this case because it avoids putting the league in a position where another arbitrator “overturns or undermines” the Wells report, embarrassing the NFL.
- Speaking of Wells, his statements to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter links) about the timeline of his investigation contradict information in the report itself, as Florio explains in a separate PFT piece.
- Goodell’s decision to hear Brady’s appeal himself “virtually assures” that it will wind up as a court case, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Florio tweets that a lawsuit will likely be filed soon in an effort to get Goodell to step aside as arbitrator.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe breaks down the Patriots’ rebuttal to the Wells report, writing that it makes some good points but falls short in answering a few crucial questions.
NFC Notes: Collins, J. Smith, Giants, Davis
In a piece for TheMMQB.com, Robert Klemko details La’el Collins‘ unusual draft journey, from the death of his former romantic partner Brittany Mills to his decision to sign with the Cowboys. Klemko’s story is full of interesting details, including a reveal that, despite telling teams their client would refuse to sign and would re-enter the 2016 draft if he was selected on Day 3, Collins’ agents were probably bluffing.
“We can put it on the record now: We were never going back in the draft,” Rick Smith of Priority Sports said of waiting for the 2016 draft. “If someone had drafted him, we would’ve had a long, long discussion about it, but at the end of the day you can’t go back in the draft. He could get injured, gain weight, or 10 great tackles could come out. Too many risks.”
Smith also revealed that a team – one that had already drafted four offensive lineman – told Collins’ camp it planned to select him in the seventh round, but ultimately decided against it after being informed again by Smith that it would be a waste of a pick. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes, the only team that drafted four offensive linemen was the Rams.
Here’s more on Collins, along with a few more items from around the NFC:
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) has the specific details on Collins’ three-year, $1.599MM contract with the Cowboys, which includes a $21K signing bonus.
- Speaking on Thursday to Pro Football Talk, 49ers general manager Trent Baalke said he should have “more of a feel” for defensive end Justin Smith‘s future today, per Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Smith has been mulling either returning for another season or retiring, and is expected to make his decision soon.
- Jordan Raanan of NJ.com passes along signing bonus and salary info for the Giants‘ undrafted free agent class. The team’s biggest UDFA investment was Tulane offensive lineman Sean Donnelly, who received $15K in guaranteed salary, along with a $15K signing bonus.
- Asked again about his contract negotiations with the Panthers, linebacker Thomas Davis referred to those talks as “a work in progress,” though he expressed optimism that “it’ll eventually get done.” Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer has the full quotes and details.
- Defensive tackle Josh Brent has decided to end his playing career, but that doesn’t mean his ties to the Cowboys will be severed, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News, who writes that owner Jerry Jones plans to continue to support Brent in different ways.