Joseph Randle Denies Sports Betting Allegations
Veteran NFL running back Joseph Randle was released last fall in part because the Cowboys learned that he had been betting on sports, four sources told Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. According to George, a combination of issues led to the Cowboys’ release of Randle, who showed signs of mental instability and allegedly wagered on sporting events during the 2015 season.
“All of that became apparent to us right during the season,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week at the Senior Bowl. “Not before the season. It became real acute, a combination of things. Some issues … became more apparent.”
While Jones acknowledged that the team had concerns about Randle’s gambling – the running back was gambling at a Kansas City casino when he was arrested in November – the Cowboys owner suggested there’s no evidence that Randle bet on NFL games, or any games involving the Cowboys: “There are certain types of gambling that you can’t do as a player. Obviously you can’t be involved in … anything that we’re competing in, and I’ve never heard of anything like that.”
For his part, Randle is denying the allegations that he was involved in gambling on sports, telling Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a text message that there’s “no truth at all” to the accusations. The NFL has a strict gambling policy in place prohibiting players and league personnel from sports betting.
Whether or not the latest allegations against Randle are true, he continues to have a hard time staying out of trouble off the field. As we noted yesterday, the free agent running back was arrested early Monday morning in Irving and booked on a speeding charge.
A source tells George that the Cowboys “remain concerned for Randle’s well-being and believe he needs serious help.” The Cowboys, the NFL, and the NFL Players Association have all reached out to the 24-year-old to offer help on several occasions, but he has turned down those offers, according to George.
For now, Randle remains available to sign with any team, but given these latest allegations, along with the potential discipline he’ll be facing for his most recent arrest, it seems unlikely that suitors will be lining up to roll the dice on him this offseason.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: TNF, Randle, Wentz, Draft
The NFL announced today that it has reached an agreement with CBS and NBC to expand its Thursday Night Football package for the 2016 and 2017 seasons. While all of the Thursday night games will continue to be either aired or simulcast on the NFL Network, CBS will now show five of the games, while NBC will show another five.
According to a CNBC report (via Twitter), the fees for the Thursday night rights will be approximately $450MM. Although CNBC doesn’t specify, it’s probably safe to assume that each network will be paying that amount for the right to air a total of 10 games each – five per season – in 2016 and 2017. In 2015, CBS paid $300MM for eight games, so a bump up to $450MM for 10 apiece makes sense.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the league:
- Former Cowboys running back Joseph Randle has run into more trouble off the field, according to Matt Peterson of the Dallas Morning News, who reports that Randle was arrested early Monday morning in Irving and booked on a speeding charge. Randle’s off-field behavior was a factor in the Cowboys’ decision to release him in the fall, and it’s hard to imagine him getting a chance from another team if those legal issues persist.
- In a piece for PhiladelphiaEagles.com, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net focuses on the top quarterbacks available in this year’s draft, writing that Carson Wentz‘s stock is on the rise, and he and Jared Goff could both be top-five picks this spring. NFL decision-makers are also bullish on Christian Hackenberg‘s upside, and he’s expected to come off the board in the top 75 picks.
- Within that same piece, Pauline also suggests that Ohio State’s Nick Vannett could be the first tight end selected in the draft, and says Boise State safety Darian Thompson saw his stock rise at the Senior Bowl.
- In a memo, the NFL Players Association has indicated that agents are now required to contact the union at the “beginning of substantive discussions” on veteran re-negotiations worth at least $2MM per year, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. While the exact reason for this change is unclear, Getlin – citing “smart folks behind the scene” – suggests it may be a reaction to players signing extensions that didn’t thrill the NFLPA (Twitter link).
Cards Re-Sign Darren Fells, Add Shaun Prater
The Cardinals announced a pair of roster moves today, confirming in a press release that they’ve re-signed tight end Darren Fells and added safety Shaun Prater to their roster. Fells had been an exclusive rights free agent, while Prater had been available on the open market.
Fells, 29, took on a more substantial role in the Cardinals’ offense in 2015, establishing new career highs in receptions (21), receiving yards (311), and touchdowns (three). In the wake of John Carlson‘s retirement, the Cardinals signed Jermaine Gresham as a free agent, and expected continued development from 2014 second-rounder Troy Niklas, but it was Fells who led all Arizona tight ends in catches.
Because Fells only has two accrued NFL seasons under his belt, he was an exclusive rights free agent, meaning that if the Cardinals tendered him a contract offer, he’d have to sign it if he wanted to play in the NFL in 2016. Assuming Fells accrues a third season in ’16, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency next winter.
As for Prater, the veteran safety spent time with multiple teams in 2015, and was eventually cut by the Broncos near the end of the regular season. The 26-year-old has appeared in 21 NFL games, but only saw any real action on defense during the 2013 campaign for the Vikings. Prater’s new deal with the Cardinals is likely a reserve/futures contract.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Community Tailgate: Where Will Raiders Play?
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As we enter February, two of the three NFL franchises that faced major uncertainty last month have some sort of resolution for at least the short term. The Rams are heading to Los Angeles immediately and will play at the Coliseum until their brand-new Inglewood stadium is ready in a few years. The Chargers will play the 2016 season in San Diego before making a final decision on their long-term future.
The only team without any short-term certainty is the Raiders, who appear likely to return to Oakland for at least one more year, but don’t have an agreement in place to play at O.co Coliseum at this point. The stadium, which the Raiders share with MLB’s Oakland Athletics, isn’t exactly the NFL’s most impressive venue, but it’s fine as an interim home, and I expect the Raiders to play there in 2016 while the franchise considers its long-term options.
Owner Mark Davis is in the process of considering those options as we speak — Davis paid a visit to Las Vegas last Friday to meet with a group of investors proposing to build a $1 billion domed stadium near UNLV. Additionally, ideas such as the Raiders building an NFL stadium in San Antonio or sharing Levi’s Stadium with the 49ers have resurfaced in recent weeks as the Raiders mull their next move.
Of course, there are as many cons as pros for most of the Raiders’ potential homes. There’s major skepticism that the NFL would allow a team to relocate to Las Vegas, America’s gambling capital, and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and Texans owner Bob McNair would likely push hard to keep the Raiders out of Texas. As for sharing a stadium with the Niners, Davis has shown no interest in such a partnership.
Los Angeles is a possibility for the Raiders, but only if the Chargers ultimately decide to pass on a partnership with the Rams, and Davis would still have to reach his own agreement with Stan Kroenke in that scenario. If the Chargers head to L.A. in 2017, San Diego could be in play for the Raiders, though there’s some uncertainty about how the NFL and Chargers owner Dean Spanos would feel about that possibility.
London and Toronto have frequently been cited as potential homes for NFL franchises as well, though there’s no indication that Davis has explored international options yet. St. Louis, having just lost the Rams, would appear on the surface to be a logical match, but Davis has said he’s not considering St. Louis, and mayor Francis Slay doesn’t appear interested in pursing another team.
Oakland may be the best home for the Raiders in both the short- and long-term — Mayor Libby Schaaf expressed optimism for that outcome during an appearance on KTVU on Sunday night, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk details.
According to Florio, Schaaf hopes to secure a renewal of the Raiders’ lease at O.co Coliseum and then move on to negotiations on a “permanent, beautiful home for those Raiders.” That’s easier said than done though, and so far none of the discussions between the Raiders and the city of Oakland have resulted in any sort of viable stadium plan. It’s not clear whether the NFL committing an extra $100MM to the project will change that.
What do you think? Should the Raiders do everything they can to make it work in Oakland, or is there another city that makes more sense for them? Where do you think the Raiders will ultimately end up, and where do you think they should end up?
NFC North Notes: Long, Megatron, Greenway
Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long changed positions in 2015 after making the Pro Bowl as a right guard during his first two NFL seasons, moving over to right tackle under new head coach John Fox. Having earned another Pro Bowl nod this year, Long has now demonstrated an ability to play multiple positions up front.
While he was valuable to the Bears as a guard, Long, a former first-round pick, increased his earning potential by shifting to the outside, particularly now that Lane Johnson has set a new standard for right tackles with his huge new contract extension.
In Johnson’s case, the Eagles assume it’s only a matter of time before he moves over to left tackle, and it’s not clear if that will be the case for Long and the Bears, but either way, a payday is on the way for the former 20th overall pick, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. We’ll have to wait and see if Chicago plans on tackling a Long extension this offseason when the team still holds a fifth-year option on him for 2017, but when he eventually signs a new contract, there’s a real chance he could surpass every right tackle except Johnson in terms of per-year salary.
Here’s more from around the NFC North:
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at the cap implications of Calvin Johnson‘s potential retirement, explaining how placing the star wideout on the reserve/retired list would affect the Lions in 2016 and in future seasons. Fitzgerald also briefly explores the idea of Johnson using the threat of retirement as leverage to get a clean break from Detroit without having to request a trade.
- Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com suggests some potential uses for the cap room the Lions would save if Johnson retires, while Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press identifies some logical targets at wide receiver for the team.
- After the Vikings‘ heart-breaking Wild Card loss last month, veteran linebacker Chad Greenway said that he wants to continue his career, adding that he “can’t let it end like this.” Greenway isn’t under contract for next season, but wants to re-sign with the Vikings, so Ben Goessling of ESPN.com examines what a deal might look like, concluding that a one-year contract worth between $2-3MM would make some sense.
East Notes: J. Reed, Hardy, Dolphins, Bromley
Two tight ends from the 2013 draft class, Zach Ertz of the Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs, signed lucrative new contract extensions last week, potentially setting the market for another tight end who was drafted that year. As Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post writes, it could be time for Washington to explore a new deal for Jordan Reed, whom GM Scot McCloughan wants to keep around.
However, it’s not as simple as immediately offering Reed an extension similar to the ones signed by Ertz and Kelce. As Tesfatsion details, 2015 was the first time that the Washington tight end exhibited an ability to stay healthy for a full season, so the team may be wary about jumping right into a long-term commitment. The Kirk Cousins situation also looms large over Washington’s offseason, and it could make sense for the club to get a sense of what it will be paying Cousins in 2016 and beyond before finalizing anything with Reed.
As we wait to see how McCloughan and co. handle the Reed situation, let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s East divisions….
- Although the Cowboys may be unlikely to re-sign Greg Hardy, at least one of the defensive end’s teammates would like to see him back in Dallas in 2016. Dez Bryant recently told Vinnie Iyer of The Sporting News that he hopes the Cowboys can re-sign Hardy, adding that he’d “love” to continue playing with him.
- Teams rarely let 26-year-old pass rushers get away unless the cost is astronomical, which is why Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap thinks it would make sense for the Dolphins to retain Olivier Vernon this winter. Fitzgerald explores that topic and many others in his preview of Miami’s offseason.
- With a police investigation ongoing, Giants defensive tackle Jay Bromley is steadfastly denying that he attempted to rape and assaulted a woman in a New York hotel, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Bromley’s manager has said the allegations are “absolutely not” true, while the lineman’s attorney said he doesn’t expect his client to be charged.
North Notes: Mack, Browns, Lions, Vikings
Speaking to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) this week at Pro Bowl practices, Browns center Alex Mack said that he has yet to make a final decision on whether he’ll opt out of his contract this winter. According to Mack, he’ll start seriously considering his options after the Super Bowl, with a decision to follow within the next month or so.
Cole suggests that Mack will likely exercise that opt-out, which comes as no surprise — even if the veteran center ultimately wants to stay in Cleveland, it would make sense for him to sign a new contract with the team. Mack’s current pact calls for $8MM annual salaries for the next three seasons, and only his 2016 salary would be guaranteed if he opts in, so he should be able to easily exceed that deal on the open market.
As we wait to find out what Mack decides, let’s check in on some other items from out of the NFL’s North divisions…
- Browns head coach Hue Jackson hasn’t been in touch with quarterback Johnny Manziel yet, but he has sat down and spoken with North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Wentz, a potential target for Cleveland in the first round of this year’s draft, met with Jackson and the Browns at the Senior Bowl. “This just starts the process of getting to know these young players,” Jackson said. “It’s just phase one of the process. It’s just good to be able to talk to as many guys as we could. It was good to talk to him and find out a little bit about him and I’m sure I’ll get an opportunity to find out a little more as we go.”
- The Lions have hired former Giants director of football operations Matt Harriss as their new vice president of football administration, the team announced today. Harriss is expected to play a significant role in managing the Lions’ salary cap.
- Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune wonders if the Vikings ought to bring in some competition for punter Jeff Locke in 2016. As Vensel details, Locke’s production has trended in the wrong direction in recent years, so it would make sense for Minnesota to bring in a young punter to push him.
Eagles Sign Lane Johnson Through 2021
6:16pm: The base value of the five new years added to Johnson’s contract is $56.26MM, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says that figure could increase to $60.01MM via Pro Bowl escalators. Corry adds that the deal includes a $10MM signing bonus, increasing Johnson’s 2016 cap number by $2MM and giving him just under $21MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links).
While Johnson’s cap number for next season is going up, the Eagles will save some space in 2017. Johnson’s fifth-year option would’ve cost the Eagles anywhere from $11.5MM to $12MM, but the extension takes it down to $10MM, Corry tweets.
10:21am: The Eagles’ streak of contract extensions continues today, with the team announcing in a press release that offensive tackle Lane Johnson has been locked up through the 2021 season. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported (via Twitter) that the team was putting the “finishing touches” on a new deal for Johnson, while Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reported that the two sides had agreed to terms on a five-year extension.
[RELATED: Eagles extend Zach Ertz through 2021]
Johnson’s new deal will be worth up to $63MM, with $35.5MM in guarantees, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The former first-round pick is the third Philadelphia player to sign a contract extension this week. Tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek extended their deals with the team on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.
It’s unlikely that that $35.5MM is all fully guaranteed, and the base value of the new deal may be lower than $63MM, but it still looks like Johnson will become one of the highest-paid tackles in the NFL. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests (via Twitter) that Johnson is technically getting a new contract, rather than an extension, so the $63MM figure may apply to the next six years instead of the five years beginning in 2017.
If that’s the case, it would work out to an average of $10.5MM annually, which would tie him for fifth among offensive tackle in terms of per-year salary, according to Over the Cap’s data. If Johnson can earn up to $63MM in new money, in addition to what he would have made for 2016, it could make him the league’s second-highest paid offensive lineman by annual salary, behind Trent Williams.
Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2013, has been a starter for the Eagles since the team drafted him out of Oklahoma, playing primarily at right tackle before spending some time at left tackle in 2015. In his three years with the Eagles, he has only missed four games, when he was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2014 campaign. This past season, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position.
New head coach Doug Pederson has suggested that he thinks left tackle Jason Peters has a few more good years left in him, so the Eagles may not move on from Peters this offseason — but the veteran tackle is now 34 years old, and his cap number is on the rise, so at some point sooner or later Philadelphia will likely turn to Johnson to replace Peters permanently on the left side.
[RELATED: Eagles extend Brent Celek through 2018]
Assuming the plan is to eventually have him Johnson replace Peters, it makes some sense for the team to lock up the 25-year-old sooner rather than later. Left tackles are the highest-paid players among offensive linemen, but given Johnson’s relative lack of NFL experience playing on the left side, the Eagles may have had to pay even more in a year or two if he plays more left tackle and looks good there.
Now that they’ve finalized a new deal with Johnson, the Eagles will avoid having to make a decision on his fifth-year option for 2017. The team has now taken care of several of its top extension candidates early in the offseason — a report last Friday indicated that Philadelphia was exploring deals for Johnson, Ertz, and Vinny Curry, so locking up Curry before he reaches the open market may be the next item on Howie Roseman‘s to-do list.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Chargers To Remain In San Diego For 2016
Chargers owner Dean Spanos has issued a statement announcing that his franchise will remain in San Diego for the 2016 season, rather than immediately joining the Rams in Los Angeles. The Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to move to L.A. if they so choose, but Spanos intends to work with the city of San Diego to try to come up with a long-term stadium solution to avoid relocation.
[RELATED: Rams, Chargers agree in principle to L.A. deal]
“Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium,” Spanos said in his statement. “I have met with Mayor [Kevin] Faulconer and Supervisor [Ron] Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.
“This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.”
As he alludes to in his remarks, Spanos’ announcement comes on the heels of the Rams and Chargers agreeing in principle to a deal that would see the team sharing a stadium in Inglewood. If the Chargers ultimately decide that the situation in San Diego is untenable, the team will still have the opportunity to team up with Stan Kroenke and the Rams in Los Angeles.
For now though, the Chargers remain focused on San Diego, and the club’s agreement in principle with the Rams could help improve its leverage for stadium talks with Mayor Faulconer and other San Diego leaders. The proposal put forth by the city a month ago was deemed unsatisfactory by the NFL when it gave the Chargers approval to relocate.
Although the Chargers will have most of the year to attempt to work with San Diego to come up with an improved stadium plan, the team thinks it might know within the next two or three months if a solution will be doable, tweets Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.
As commissioner Roger Goodell notes in a statement issued today (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today), the NFL has committed an extra $100MM – on top of its usual $200MM – to help the Chargers get something done in San Diego. That extra money, along with the team’s Inglewood agreement, could help grease the wheels as the two sides resume negotiations.
Spanos’ decision leaves the Raiders in limbo for now. Mark Davis‘ team will have the opportunity to follow the Rams in Los Angeles if the Chargers ultimately remain in San Diego, but because the Chargers’ final decision isn’t due until at least 2017, L.A. and San Diego both remain off the table as relocation options for the Raiders for the time being.
As they wait to see where the Chargers land, Davis and the Raiders figure to explore other cities, including San Antonio and Las Vegas, though it seems likely that the club will play in Oakland for at least the 2016 season.
As for the Rams, Kroenke is likely pleased to have the market to himself for the 2016 season, giving him a head-start on any other team that may eventually join him in Inglewood. The one downside for Kroenke is that the Rams reportedly can’t begin selling suites or personal seat licenses until at least February 2017 without a second team joining them in L.A.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucs Rumors: Glennon, Martin, Jackson
Mike Glennon, the subject of trade rumors and speculation nearly every offseason, is expected to be retained by the Buccaneers for the 2016 season, according to general manager Jason Licht. Licht tells Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com that he intends for Glennon to enter the ’16 season as Jameis Winston‘s backup.
“Mike Glennon is just so valuable to us right now while we have him, while he’s under contract, I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks with him and Jameis,” Licht said. “If you just go out and get a mid-round pick for him, the chances of the mid-round pick working out or drafting a quarterback and that pick working out, the odds aren’t in your favor. Unless there’s [an offer] that blows us away, I think you lean towards keeping him and having him on your roster.”
As Reynolds explains, the Buccaneers view the idea of keeping Glennon as a win-win proposition. Either he eventually extends his contract with Tampa Bay and the team continues to have a very solid backup behind Winston, or he eventually leaves in free agency and earns the Bucs a compensatory draft pick.
According to Reynolds, the club may showcase Glennon this summer in the preseason, but it would be more about improving his stock for free agency – and therefore improving the Bucs’ comp pick – rather than showcasing him as a trade chip.
Here are a couple more items of interest out of Tampa Bay, via Reynolds:
- The Buccaneers met with agent David Dunn at the Senior Bowl this week to begin preliminary contract talks for running back Doug Martin, according to Reynolds. Tampa Bay does not intend to use its franchise tag on Martin, since the one-year price tag would be exorbitant for a running back, but the two sides are hopeful that they can work something out before free agency begins on March 9.
- The Buccaneers plan to bring back veteran receiver Vincent Jackson for the 2016 season without adjusting his salary or his cap hit, reports Reynolds. Jackson’s $12.21MM cap hit is sizable, but the Bucs have plenty of cap room and don’t view the free agent market or draft class this year as particularly strong for wideouts.
- Tampa Bay will likely add at least one receiver in free agency or the draft for depth purposes, but the team likes its current group, according to Reynolds.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.