Carson Palmer Tears ACL, Out For Year
MONDAY, 1:24pm: Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians confirmed today that Palmer did indeed tear his ACL, and isn’t expected back until next summer, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. There’s no additional damage, but Palmer likely won’t have surgery for a couple weeks, as he waits for the swelling to subside, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. The veteran signal-caller figures to land on IR this week.
SUNDAY, 6:53pm: Just two days after finalizing a lucrative three-year contract extension with the team, Cardinals quarterback Carson Palmer left today’s game on a cart with what appeared to be a serious knee injury. According to Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), the club fears that Palmer suffered a torn ACL, which would end his season. The veteran signal-caller will undergo tests to confirm the diagnosis.
The timing of the injury is especially unfortunate for the Cardinals, who reportedly committed about $20MM in guaranteed money to Palmer this week, and have Super Bowl aspirations this season. In today’s game against the Rams, backup quarterback Drew Stanton and the Arizona defense combined for three fourth quarter touchdowns to seal a 31-14 victory, but if Stanton is forced to assume the starting job for the rest of the season, it figures to adversely affect the team’s chances of making a deep playoff run.
Palmer, who will turn 35 next month, had posted a 99.3 quarterback rating in five games entering today, throwing 11 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. He’d also won all five contests he’d started this year, helping to lead the Cardinals to a league-best 7-1 record, a mark they improved to 8-1 today.
For the former first overall pick, this injury appears reminiscent of one he suffered back in January 2006, during his first playoff game with the Bengals. That 2006 injury, which included an ACL tear among other ligament, cartilage, and knee damage, was viewed as potentially career-ending at the time. However, even though Palmer suffered today’s injury to that same left knee, it would be a new tear, since his previous graft will have healed during the last eight years, tweets Dr. David J. Chao.
We’ll know more details on the severity of the injury and the recovery timetable when tests are completed and the Cardinals make an announcement.
AFC East Notes: Revis, Vick, Bills, Jarrett
In advance of this Thursday’s showdown between the 5-4 Bills and 5-4 Dolphins, let’s round up a few Monday items from around the AFC East….
- Asked if he plans on being a member of the Patriots beyond this season, cornerback Darrelle Revis smiled and replied, “Ask Bill [Belichick],” according to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. The Patriots technically have a second-year option on Revis for 2015, but the structure of his deal makes it extremely likely that New England will cut him, allowing the Pro Bowler to hit the open market and seek out the highest bid once again. It’s not clear yet whether the Pats will be involved in that bidding, says Curran.
- Sunday’s performance against the Steelers showed that Michael Vick still has plenty left in the tank, as Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report writes. The Jets signal-caller is on a one-year deal, so a strong second half could earn him another shot at a starting role via free agency this winter.
- The Bills‘ defensive line was excellent once again on Sunday against the Chiefs, but as the offseason approaches, it’s not clear whether the team will be able to keep the entire group together. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com notes, Jerry Hughes is eligible for free agency in 2015, and Marcell Dareus will have just one year left on his deal.
- Hughes was one of two AFC East players singled out by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap this week as having boosted his stock as he nears free agency. The other? Jaiquawn Jarrett of the Jets, who is eligible for restricted free agency, and likely earned himself a tender offer entirely based on his performance against the Steelers.
- Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins will be promoting running back LaMichael James to their active roster, as left tackle Branden Albert heads to injured reserve with a torn ACL and MCL.
Dolphins To Promote LaMichael James
Running back LaMichael James will get back on an active roster for the first time since being cut by the 49ers in September, according to agent Jeff Sperbeck, who tweets that the Dolphins are promoting his client to their 53-man roster. Having previously been on Miami’s practice squad, James will take the roster spot vacated by tackle Branden Albert, who is headed to injured reserve with a season-ending knee injury.
James, 25, entered the league in 2012 as a second-round pick by the 49ers. Despite his draft pedigree, the Oregon product was never able to produce in San Francisco, and was virtually buried behind Frank Gore and Kendall Hunter on the team’s depth chart. James played in just 14 games during his first two seasons, contributing mostly on special teams — he racked up only 39 rush attempts and five receptions during that span. When he found himself behind Gore and rookie Carlos Hyde on the Niners’ depth chart this year, James requested and was granted his release.
By promoting James, the Dolphins will have four running backs on their active roster, with Lamar Miller, Daniel Thomas, and Damien Williams already on board. If the club doesn’t make any other changes to its 53-man roster this week, I’d expect to see an offensive lineman added to the practice squad to take James’ spot.
DA Won’t File Charges Against Ray McDonald
The Santa Clara District Attorney’s office has elected not to file domestic violence charges against 49ers defensive lineman Ray McDonald due to insufficient evidence, reports Shelley Smith of ESPN.com (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). Reports at the end of October had indicated that McDonald was unlikely to face charges.
Earlier this year, when Adrian Peterson, and Greg Hardy agreed to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list while their legal cases played out, the 49ers faced increased scrutiny for allowing McDonald to continue playing. However, as the team pointed out at the time, while an incident involving the 30-year-old was being investigated, no formal charges had been made. McDonald was initially arrested on August 31 on suspicion of domestic violence.
While the 49ers’ defensive line is undergoing some changes, McDonald’s role figures to remain the same now that it appears he won’t face any sort of discipline from the league. Nose tackle Ian Williams suffered a fracture in his leg during yesterday’s game against the Saints, but the Niners figure to replace him with backup Quinton Dial or Glenn Dorsey, who is now eligible to come off the injured reserve list. McDonald is expected to continue on in his role at defensive end in San Francisco’s 3-4 scheme.
Latest On Dez Bryant
After a week of rumors and speculation about extension negotiations between Dez Bryant and the Cowboys, the star wideout showed on Sunday why he’s deserving of a lucrative new contract, torching the Jaguars in London for 158 receiving yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, Bryant’s camp doesn’t expect to work out a long-term deal with the club at this point.
Cole indicates that the Cowboys seem reluctant to engage in serious discussions about a long-term extension for now, making the franchise tag a more plausible option for Bryant. The 26-year-old said a week ago that he’d be “highly disappointed” if the Cowboys franchised him, but according to Cole, the club still has concerns about Bryant’s maturity, and aren’t sure how he’d handle getting a huge multiyear contract.
In the view of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Bryant would be far better off if he forced the Cowboys to use their franchise tag on him rather than accepting the sort of long-term offer the team reportedly put on the table. That proposal, which is rumored to be for 10 years and $114MM, but with just $20MM guaranteed, is similar to the deal signed by left tackle Tyron Smith earlier this year. It provides some short-term security, with more guaranteed money than the franchise tag would be worth, but it also gives the Cowboys virtually all the power — the team would essentially get to make year-by-year decisions on Bryant for most of the rest of his career, while he wouldn’t have the chance to opt out of the agreement.
Both sides appear to be playing hardball as Bryant’s free agency nears, with the receiver joining Roc Nation and the team launching a P.R. attack against Tony Romo‘s favorite target. At this point, the Cowboys using their franchise tag on Bryant looks like the most realistic scenario, but there’s still plenty of time for the two sides to find common ground on a longer-term arrangement.
NFC West Notes: Aldon Smith, Rams, Lynch
The Rams lost again yesterday, falling to 3-6 on the season and further deflating any long-shot playoff hopes they may have had. Things are getting interesting elsewhere in the NFC West though, with the Cardinals, Seahawks, and 49ers all picking up Week 10 victories. At 8-1, Arizona leads the way, but it looks as if the team will be without starting quarterback Carson Palmer the rest of the way.
Meanwhile, last year’s NFC Championship participants, Seattle and San Francisco, remain firmly in playoff contention, but don’t have an easy path to the postseason by any means. At the moment, the 7-3 Cowboys and 6-3 Seahawks project as the NFC’s Wild Card teams, with the 6-3 Packers and 5-4 49ers on the outside looking in.
Let’s round up a few items out of the NFC West to start the week….
- NFLPA executive VP George Atallah tells Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports that 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith “fulfilled all of his obligations to be considered to return from his suspension early.” However, the NFL elected not to reinstate Smith until he served his full nine-game suspension. Garafalo suggests we can expect to hear more on this issue this week, since Smith’s camp and the NFLPA aren’t pleased that the linebacker wasn’t reinstated a week or two early, as had been rumored.
- The Rams‘ defense came into yesterday’s game in Arizona thin at cornerback, and the club’s depth took another hit when nickel back Lamarcus Joyner left with a groin injury, writes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see St. Louis make a roster move or two this week to shore up the position.
- It’s viewed as a fait accompli by some observers that Marshawn Lynch won’t be back with the Seahawks next season due to his age, contract, and possible off-field concerns, but performances like yesterday’s four-touchdown romp show how important he is to the club, says Larry Stone of the Seattle Times.
Ray Rice Ruling Expected By Thanksgiving
Following Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing this past week, former U.S. District Judge Barbara Jones is expected to make a ruling on the case sometime before the end of November, according to reports from Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Canfora indicates that a decision may come before Thanksgiving, while Rapoport says it should happen within the next three weeks.
Although last week’s two-day hearing has concluded, the two sides are scheduled to present closing arguments to Jones this coming Thursday, with an understanding that a ruling on the case will come within 10 days of that date, says La Canfora. Meanwhile, Rapoport indicates that the final briefs from both sides are due to Jones a week from Monday, at which point she should have all the materials necessary to make a decision.
Jones has been tasked with deciding whether or not to uphold the league’s indefinite suspension of Rice, which the union argues was levied on the running back despite no new incidents or new information surfacing since he was originally suspended for two games for assaulting his then-fiancée in a casino hotel elevator.
If he’s reinstated, Rice will be eligible to sign with any team, but that may be a moot point for at least the 2014 season. Even if he’s deemed eligible to return to the field, it’s hard to imagine a team signing Rice within the next few weeks, given the backlash that the club would certainly face.
NFC Notes: Peterson, 49ers, Palmer, Cox
The Vikings front office has become very sensitive about bringing back running back Adrian Peterson following his prolonged legal saga, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who adds that there are “no guarantees” the club would welcome him back if he’s reinstated by the NFL. Citing multiple sources with knowledge of the situation, La Canfora writes that the Vikings harbor “serious concerns” about Peterson’s physical and mental state — while the running back accepted a no-contest plea, the team isn’t sure he recognized the seriousness of the charges he was facing. La Canfora also hears from sources that Peterson isn’t currently in game shape.
As we wait to see what the NFL and the Vikings decide to do with the former All-Pro running back, let’s check in on several other items from around the league….
- The Vikings should cut Peterson and let another team deal with the circus surrounding his return, argues Tom Powers of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
- 49ers nose tackle Ian Williams suffered what head coach Jim Harbaugh called a “small fracture” in his left leg today, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle details. The team’s regular nose tackle, Glenn Dorsey, is on track to return soon from off the injured reserve list, but if he’s not quite ready yet, Quinton Dial figures to get the start next week.
- According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Carson Palmer‘s new extension features $10MM in guaranteed signing and roster bonuses, as well as a $10.5MM salary for 2015 that’s guaranteed for injury. So even though he may have torn his ACL today, the Cardinals quarterback has secured $20.5MM in guarantees over the course of this year and next year.
- Giants running back Michael Cox was in a wheelchair with what appeared to be a serious leg injury following the team’s loss in Seattle today, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com, who tweets that the club is likely to add a replacement running back this week. The Giants confirmed tonight that Cox fractured the lower part of his left leg, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
- Lions offensive lineman Larry Warford doesn’t have an ACL injury, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Warford will undergo further tests to determine the severity of his knee injury.
- Jeremy Maclin bet big on himself when he turned down a multiyear contract offer from the Eagles in the offseason to sign a one-year deal, and that decision is paying off, writes Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
Teams With Most Salary On Injured Reserve
On Friday, we took a look at the league’s highest-paid players to land on season-ending injured reserve. As I explained in that post, teams have control over how they use their cap space, but have little control over players’ injuries, so if highly-paid players end up on injured reserve, clubs may have limited flexibility to adequately replace them.
The next logical step then is to examine which teams have been the hit the hardest overall by season-ending injuries this year. Of course, a player’s cap number doesn’t necessarily reflect his importance – many of the league’s best players are underpaid – but when clubs devote significant chunks of their cap room to certain players, having those guys go down with injuries can be hard to overcome.
Listed below are the 14 teams who currently have more than $10MM in player salaries on season-ending injured reserve. Players who received the designation to return when they were placed on IR aren’t taken into account here, since those players could still contribute this season. Additionally, players on practice squad IR lists aren’t included, and cap numbers rather than base salaries are considered when adding up a team’s total IR cap hit. Here’s the top 14:
- St. Louis Rams: $30,605,636 (seven players)
- New York Giants: $22,033,726 (12)
- Oakland Raiders: $21,844,733 (8)
- Washington: $15,984,975 (7)
- Tennessee Titans: $15,202,696 (7)
- Atlanta Falcons: $14,885,479 (7)
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $14,617,538 (10)
- Arizona Cardinals: $14,230,500 (4)
- Philadelphia Eagles: $12,858,000 (5)
- Miami Dolphins: $12,567,956 (8)
- Chicago Bears: $11,210,500 (4)
- Cleveland Browns: $11,147,375 (4)
- Dallas Cowboys: $11,121,121 (7)
- San Diego Chargers: $10,316,892 (7)
So is there any correlation between a team’s “dead money” on the injured reserve list and its record? On the whole, the 13 clubs on this list combine for a 52-65 record thus far, which isn’t great. However, it gets a whole lot worse when we separate the top half from the bottom half — the first seven teams on this list have combined for an incredibly dismal 14-44 record.
Would some of those teams have been cellar-dwellers even without injury problems? Most likely. It’s hard to imagine a team like the Raiders, for instance, as even a .500 squad if they’d stayed completely healthy. Still, a few of those clubs were expected to compete for playoff spots, and the fact that they’ve fallen well out of contention likely has at least something to do with how much of their cap space is currently being devoted to players who aren’t actually playing.
Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.
New York Notes: Coughlin, McAdoo, Ryan
Already having combined for a 4-13 record this season, the Giants and Jets will face challenges once again this weekend as they look to pick up victories. Eli Manning and the Giants will head to Seattle to try to knock off the reigning Super Bowl champs, while Rex Ryan‘s Jets will try to slow down the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger, who was tossed 12 touchdowns passes in the last two weeks. As we look forward to seeing whether either team can pull off the upset, here are a few Saturday items out of New York:
- The Giants‘ ideal scenario would see head coach Tom Coughlin eventually decide on his own to retire, with current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo sliding into the head coaching role at that point, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News, who describes McAdoo as “Coughlin Light.” Of course, if this season continues to go south, that transition may not be possible, but Giants management is confident in McAdoo’s ability to fix the team’s offense, as well as his future head coaching potential.
- In the view of Gary Myers of the New York Daily News, “the fire is gone” for Coughlin and Ryan, both of whom could be gone at the end of this season. As Myers notes, if the Giants and Jets both decide to make coaching changes, they’ll be in direct competition as they scour the market for candidates.
- While Jets owner Woody Johnson would be justified in moving on from Ryan after the season, the head coach has earned the right to finish the year, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- Earlier today, we rounded up a few more Jets notes.