Latest On Raiders’ Stadium Talks
There has been no progress in recent weeks between the Raiders and the City of Oakland on stadium talks, multiple NFL and city sources tell Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. According to Tafur, Raiders owner Mark Davis has been ramping up his efforts to find a new stadium in another city, and he appears to have the NFL’s support in that endeavor, per Tafur’s sources.
The Raiders’ lease at the O.co Coliseum in Oakland expires at the end of the 2014 season, so it’s possible Davis could at some point attempt to come to a one-year extension agreement to by more time, but so far he hasn’t asked for that extension. And Tafur says the Raiders owner isn’t currently planning to ask for one. With the team’s long-term future in Oakland currently up in the air, here are a few more notes on the Raiders and potential possibilities for franchise:
- San Antonio city officials “quietly and feverishly” prepared for Davis’ visit to Texas last month, making a “much more concerted effort” than had been previously reported to sell the Raiders on the city, according to Josh Baugh and Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. While a move to San Antonio is still viewed as a long shot – as reports by both the Express-News and the Chronicle indicate – a source discounted to Baugh and Orsborn the recent comments made by Spurs shareholder Charlie Amato, who suggested Spurs ownership would require controlling interest in any NFL team in the city.
- That same source to the Express-News: “[Spurs majority owner] Peter [Holt] assured Mark that [the Spurs] would not be a roadblock to the Raiders relocating to San Antonio and would find ways to work with them.”
- For his part, Davis indicated to Tafur that Oakland remains his first priority despite a productive visit to San Antonio: “It was a serious conversation. I don’t waste my time just having meetings. But we continue to try to get something done in Oakland.”
- While San Antonio is one potential alternative for the Raiders, Los Angeles would be the more popular choice among fans. As Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com details, former Lakers star Magic Johnson, who owns a piece of MLB’s Dodgers, thinks L.A. is the most viable choice for the Raiders and hopes to see the franchise return to the city “in the next two years.”
- Although Johnson’s timeline may be overly optimistic, it’s worth noting, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets, that Dodgers ownership has a plan for a football-only stadium beyond center field at Dodger Stadium
Browns Sign Rex Grossman
WEDNESDAY, 12:57pm: Grossman’s one-year deal with the Browns is worth the minimum but includes $50K in guaranteed money, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com.
TUESDAY, 8:40am: The Browns have reached an agreement to sign free agent quarterback Rex Grossman, according to agent Drew Rosenhaus (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk). The signing reunites Grossman with Cleveland offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan, after the duo spent multiple seasons together in Washington.
Although Grossman hasn’t seen regular-season NFL action since starting 13 games for the Redskins during the 2011 season, he has spent the last few years in Washington, and continued to draw interest this offseason. In addition to frequent speculation throughout the spring and summer that the veteran signal-caller, who turns 34 this month, may land in Cleveland, Grossman also worked out for the Dolphins this week. After that audition, we heard that Grossman was scheduled to visit another club, so it appears that Cleveland was that team.
With Brian Hoyer and Johnny Manziel battling for the top spot on the Browns’ depth chart, there’s still an opening for the No. 3 job. Grossman figures to have the inside track on that spot, particularly since the team has announced the release of quarterback Tyler Thigpen (Twitter link).
During his last stint as a starter in 2011, Grossman threw for 3,151 yards and 16 touchdowns, though he also racked up 20 interceptions. Presumably, if he earns a spot on Cleveland’s regular-season roster, Grossman will be relied upon to provide veteran guidance for the rookie Manziel and the relatively inexperienced Hoyer. If Grossman ends up seeing any snaps for the Browns during the 2014 campaign, it’s likely a sign that the club’s season has gone off the rails.
Important Remaining 2014 NFL Dates
Way back in January, in the week leading up to the Super Bowl, we took a look ahead at many of the important offseason dates on the NFL calendar, including the opening of free agency and draft weekend. However, the last of those key dates came and went in July, so now that training camps and the preseason are in full swing, it’s time to revisit the NFL calendar and check out the most crucial remaining dates in 2014.
Here’s a breakdown of several of the key dates to keep an eye on in the coming weeks and months:
August 26: Teams must reduce their 90-man rosters to 75 players by 3:00pm central time.
August 27: Teams trying out players on this date and for the rest of the season must report those workouts to the commissioner’s office.
August 30: Teams must reduce their 75-man rosters to 53 players by 3:00pm central time. Any players on the active/PUP or active/non-football injury or illness lists may be moved to the reserve versions of those lists.
August 31: Claiming period for players waived during final roster cuts ends at 11:00am central time. After that point, teams may establish a practice squad of 10 players.
September 2: After 3:00pm central time, teams are permitted to place one player on the injured reserve list with the designation to return.
September 3: After 3:00pm central time, all contracts for each team must fit under the salary cap (top-51 rule expires at 11:00pm central time).
September 23: Waiver priority order adjusted to become based on the reverse order of 2014’s standings.
October 7-8: Fall league meetings in New York City.
October 14: Players who are on the reserve/PUP and reserve/NFI lists are allowed to begin practicing for the next 21 days. Players must be activated or placed on injured reserve by 3:00pm central time on the day following the expiration of that 21-day window.
October 28: Trade deadline at 3:00pm central time.
October 29: All released players subject to waivers for rest of regular season and postseason.
December 27: By 3:00pm central time, teams must provide written notice of the amount of unused 2014 salary cap space to be rolled over to the 2015 cap.
December 29: Teams may begin signing players to reserve/futures contracts for the 2015 season. Teams may also begin exercising fifth-year options on 2012 first-round picks and signing 2012 draftees to contract extensions.
NFL.com and The Phinsider were used in the creation of this post.
AFC South Links: Ronnie Brown, Colts, Oher
Let’s check in on the latest items from around the AFC South….
- Although Ronnie Brown will turn 33 later this year, making him one of the league’s oldest running backs, he only has 131 more career carries than Arian Foster, the man he’s now backing up in Houston, writes Dale Robertson of the Houston Chronicle. Having signed this week with the Texans, Brown still feels as if he has “a lot” left in the tank, as he tells Robertson.
- In his latest mailbag at Colts.com, Kevin Bowen fields a handful of questions about the Colts‘ offensive line, addressing whether he thinks the club would have interest in signing Richie Incognito or trading for Alex Boone.
- With Michael Roos still the Titans‘ starter at left tackle, there may not be room for both free agent signee Michael Oher and first-round pick Taylor Lewan on the team’s offensive line, but Oher isn’t pleased with any speculation that he’ll start the year on the bench, as he tells John Glennon of the Tennessean. “I’m kind of tired of getting disrespected by a lot of people who don’t know anything about the work I put in and how hard I work, and the love and passion I have for this game,” Oher said.
- Considering Lewan has played predominantly on the Titans‘ second team at left tackle, and no one seems to be calling for him to start over Oher lately, Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com thinks maybe the former Raven “needs to chill a little with the disrespect deal.”
Patriots Work Out Quarterbacks
Although a report suggesting the Patriots will sign free agent quarterback Dominique Davis is inaccurate, the former Falcon was among the signal-callers to work out for New England yesterday, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Per Doug Kyed of NESN, former University of Washington QB Keith Price and Southern Illinois’ Kory Faulkner also auditioned for the Pats.
Unlike in Miami or Cleveland, where the Dolphins and Browns have recently added veteran quarterbacks Brady Quinn and Rex Grossman, respectively, it seems unlikely that the Patriots will add a QB who has a chance to earn a 53-man roster spot. Tom Brady and second-round pick Jimmy Garoppolo aren’t going anywhere, and despite Peter King’s suggestion this week that cutting Ryan Mallett is within the realm of possibility for New England, it’s hard to imagine the Pats replacing a player who has several years of experience in their system with an inexperienced newcomer halfway through August.
In all likelihood, the Pats were taking a look at the group of quarterbacks in case they’re needed later in the season or further down the road. The club could also be considering options for its practice squad.
Davis saw a little playing time for the Falcons last season, but became expendable and was cut in June following Atlanta’s acquisition of T.J. Yates. As for Price and Faukner, both players earned deals as undrafted rookies this spring, signing with the Seahawks and 49ers respectively, but they’ve since been waived.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Here are Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL, with the latest transactions added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Dolphins signed tight end Evan Wilson, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
- Less than two weeks after signing tight end Raymond Webber, the Dolphins have waived him, a source tells ESPN.com’s Field Yates (Twitter link).
- Tight end Dorin Dickerson has been removed from the Titans‘ injured reserve list with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- With the open spot on their 90-man roster, the Buccaneers have signed former Toledo defensive end T.J. Fatinikun, who participated in the club’s minicamp in June, tweets Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com.
Earlier updates:
- The Steelers placed veteran punter Adam Podlesh on their reserve/did not report list, tweets Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Podlesh isn’t in attendance at Pittsburgh’s camp after his wife underwent a complicated – but successful – delivery of their child. He can be reinstated when he reports, but for now the Steelers are also free to sign someone else to take his roster spot.
- Offensive lineman Stephen Goodin has signed with the Cowboys, taking the roster spot of guard Andre Cureton, reports Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter links). Goodin, a former Giant, was waived earlier in the offseason by New York with an injury settlement.
- The Jets have swapped one defender for another, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who tweets that the club signed defensive back LeQuan Lewis and cut linebacker Tim Fugger. Per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Lewis, who ran a 4.36 40-yard dash during his tryout, received a two-year contract from the Jets.
Poll: How Long Will Gordon Be Suspended?
It’s been a little over a week since we heard that a decision on Josh Gordon would be made in about one to three weeks, so an announcement from the league on the Browns wideout could come any day now. Facing a year-long suspension for repeated violations of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Gordon and his representatives made the case at his appeal hearing earlier in training camp that the penalty was unwarranted, and that Gordon’s positive test – which barely passed the league’s strict threshold, was a result of second-hand smoke.
Given the way the league’s appeal system works, hearing officer Harold Henderson will have to make an all-or-nothing judgment on Gordon, either upholding the initial year-long suspension or wiping out the ban entirely, allowing the Browns receiver to play in Week 1 and beyond. As such, it was expected that the NFL and NFLPA would attempt to negotiate a settlement, perhaps reaching a compromise that saw Gordon’s suspension reduced, but not altogether eliminated.
As of last Thursday, no settlement talks between the two sides had taken place. However, there’s no guarantee that’s still the case, five days later. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated yesterday that the league would “like to find a way” for Gordon to play for at least a portion of the 2014 season, in part because a year-long ban for a transgression most fans don’t view as significant would create bad PR for the NFL coming so closely on the heels of Ray Rice‘s modest two-game penalty for an ugly domestic abuse incident.
From the perspective of Browns fans – and fans of the NFL in general – a season without Gordon, who racked up an incredible 1,646 receiving yards in just 14 games last season, would be a huge disappointment, but there isn’t a ton of wiggle room when it comes to the league’s policy relating to substance abuse. So a settlement may be Gordon’s best chance of seeing the field this year.
What do you think? Will Gordon’s suspension eventually be upheld, eliminated, or reduced?
AFC Links: Ravens, McCarthy, Texans, Colts
The Ravens could use some cornerback help, but the free agent market is thin and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun isn’t sure either Asante Samuel or Jabari Greer would have interest in joining the team. A preseason trade may be Baltimore’s best chance for an upgrade, says Zrebiec, though he admits the Ravens may not want to part with any more 2015 draft picks after trading a couple for Jeremy Zuttah and Michael Campanaro.
Let’s round up a few more Tuesday updates from out of the AFC….
- It sounds as if Titans linebacker Colin McCarthy will need shoulder surgery, which makes injured reserve a viable possibility for him, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
- Asked about the Texans’ overhaul of their backfield – which included signing Ronnie Brown and cutting Andre Brown – head coach Bill O’Brien said the Texans “had a chance to improve our team, and that’s what we did” (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
- Although he believes the Broncos have several good contracts, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap picks Terrance Knighton’s deal as the most team-friendly one on Denver’s books. On the other hand, Fitzgerald wasn’t a fan of the contract the Broncos gave DeMarcus Ware this offseason, which includes $16.5MM in fully guaranteed money.
- Because the Colts only had five draft picks in May – the fewest of any NFL team – the team extensively scouted college free agents and placed a greater emphasis on those players this year, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. As such, it wouldn’t be a surprise if a few earned spots on Indianapolis’ roster and/or practice squad.
- In his exploration on the positional investments successful and non-successful teams make in running backs, the Patriots and Browns are among the teams examined by Zach Moore of Over the Cap. The Pats only spent about $3.4MM on their productive group of runners last season, and Moore thinks that inexpensive rookie Terrance West should be a better value for Cleveland than free agent addition Ben Tate.
Pro Football Rumors Features
Pro Football Rumors passes along the latest news and rumors on NFL player movement 365 days a year, but those aren’t the only updates you’ll see on the site. On our right sidebar, you’ll find a number of additional features and featured posts. Here’s a rundown of a few of them:
- Most of the most noteworthy players on the 2014 free agent market came off the board back in March, but there are still plenty of recognizable veteran names available. You can find the full breakdown of veteran free agents by position using our list.
- With teams having completed most of their major offseason moves, our Offseason in Review series looked back at the changes clubs made to their rosters over the last few months. Our team of writers examined all 32 NFL teams, so be sure to take advantage of our index to find your club of choice.
- Several players figure to receive contract extensions from their respective teams between now and the start of the 2014 regular season, and we’ve identified a number of potential recipients in our Extension Candidate series, which profiles players eligible for extensions and assesses their value. As the list shows, a handful of the players we’ve profiled have since had their contracts extended.
- Teams around the league have been active in tweaking their rosters since training camps opened last month. With dozens of transactions being made each week, we’re doing our best to keep tabs on which clubs have full 90-man rosters and which still have open roster spots, as you can see using our updated list of NFL roster counts.
- 36 trades have been consummated by NFL teams in 2014, and you can find them all on our recap of 2014 NFL trades, which will continue to be updated up to this year’s trade deadline. Meanwhile, you can keep tabs on traded draft picks for 2015 with our tracker.
- The Pro Football Rumors glossary highlights a number of aspects of the NFL’s salary cap, free agency, and Collective Bargaining Agreement. Feel free to let us know if there’s a specific concept that you’d like us to discuss in a future Glossary piece.
- We value your input at PFR, which is why we regularly publish polls and have a regular feature called Pigskin Links, in which we highlight a few interesting recent articles from football blogs. You can find our poll archives here and our Pigskin Links pieces right here.
- The Pro Football Rumors app for the iPhone and iPad is available for free on iTunes.
- While a handful of our notable articles can be found under the “Featured Posts” section on the right sidebar, the PFR Originals archive rounds up all the original posts from our staff. Recently, we gauged the stocks of veteran free agents Jonathan Vilma and Richie Incognito, and listed the league’s longest-tenured general managers.
NFC East Notes: Scandrick, Giants, Redskins
In the wake of the four-game suspension handed out to his client, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick, agent Ron Slavin of BTI Sports Advisors issued a statement suggesting that if the proposed agreement related to HGH testing had been instituted by now, it would significantly reduce the number of PED suspensions (Twitter link via Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports). A number of drugs that currently fall under the PED umbrella would instead be tested under the substance abuse policy under that proposal, and first-time substance-abuse violations typically result in counselling and treatment rather than immediate suspensions.
Let’s round up a few more items on Scandrick and on some other NFC East clubs and players….
- Scandrick’s positive test came as a result of the recreational drug MDMA being found in his system following a vacation to Mexico, a source tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links). Jay Glazer of FOX Sports adds (via Twitter) that MDMA on its own should be subject to the substance abuse policy, but the drug can sometimes be laced with amphetamines, which likely resulted in the PED classification.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap notes that the timing of the suspension was actually somewhat fortuitous for Scandrick, since he restructured his contract with the Cowboys in the offseason to reduce his base salary. By converting a portion of his 2014 salary to a signing bonus, Scandrick will only lose out on about $847K in salary, rather than around $1.55MM.
- With David Wilson forced into retirement and Andre Brown back on the free agent market, a reunion between Brown and the Giants may seem logical, but Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that the Giants seem comfortable with the running backs on their roster, and don’t appear to have interest in Brown at this point.
- Redskins GM Bruce Allen confirmed today to reporters, including Jason Reid of the Washington Post (Twitter link), that his team only has about $2MM in cap space. Cap-clearing moves will likely be necessary for the club before the start of the regular season, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com.
- Mike Jones of the Washington Post fields a few Redskins-related questions in his latest mailbag.