Extra Points: Brooks, Dead Money, Quarterbacks
Let’s take a look at a few stories from around the NFL as this Friday comes to a close:
- Ahmad Brooks was accused of assault back in May, and was officially charged with sexual battery earlier this week. The 49ers have not made a decision yet on whether they will retain the embattled linebacker, and the NFL is dragging their feet on making a decision as well. The league could choose to place him on paid leave or the commissioner’s exempt list while his legal situation gets sorted out, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- As teams continue to trim down their rosters on the way to coming up with the best 53 players, it is fun to remember all the players who have already been cut or traded during recent offseasons who are still a burden to the salary cap. The Saints pace the league in dead money with 20% of their cap tied up, led by Jimmy Graham, Ben Grubbs, Junior Galette, and Curtis Lofton, per Spotrac.com. The Bengals sit on the other side of the spectrum, only having .57% of their cap devoted to players no longer on the roster.
- While teams like the Bills, Browns, and Jets might still have uncertain quarterback situations, the likelihood of finding a starter on the trade market in late August isn’t very high, writes Zac Jackson of Pro Football Talk. The precedent isn’t there, and even when players get traded this time of year, it is rarely for anything more than a backup. Brett Favre being traded to the Jets is the exception, but special circumstances surrounded that ordeal in Green Bay.
AFC Notes: Levitre, Brown, Raiders, Dolphins
Big money guard Andy Levitre isn’t starting for the Titans in the preseason for the second straight week, which doesn’t bode well for his chances of making the team, writes Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Cole expects the team to release him, and picks the Dolphins and Eagles as possible landing spots.
Here are some other notes from around the AFC:
- The Texans released Stevie Brown earlier today, and Tania Ganguli of ESPN writes that the timing is interesting because it was clear he wouldn’t make the team but the early release will help him find work elsewhere (via Twitter). Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle adds that there could be better opportunities for playing time elsewhere in the league (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Brown, the Raiders could be in play for his services, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). The Raiders were in play for him in free agency, and still have a need at the position.
- The Dolphins went all in this offseason for Ndamukong Suh, and could sacrifice buying potential in future offseasons due to the amount of money they committed to the All-Pro defensive tackle. However, the future could still be bright if they can develop their young talent, as James Walker of ESPN notes that the team is rich with under-25 talent on the roster, ranking second in the NFL by Football Outsiders (subscription required). The Cowboys are the only team with better young talent.
NFC Notes: Dill, Brown, Bell, Saints
Backup Cowboys offensive tackle R.J. Dill has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season for violating the policy on performance-enhancing substances, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram passed on a statement from Dill regarding the suspension (via Twitter). “My doctor suggested that I undergo testosterone replacement therapy, and I accepted the recommended treatment.”
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! notes that needing testosterone replacement for a 24-year-old professional athlete like Dill would be a rarity (via Twitter).
Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- The Texans just released Stevie Brown, and the Giants could be interested in bringing him back, given their current situation at safety, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN (via Twitter). Graziano adds that injury concerns led to the Giants passing on him in the spring, but as they have been saddled with injuries at safety (via Twitter).
- Speaking of injured Giants safety, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com is skeptical the Giants will keep Nat Berhe on the roster this season if he will miss the first four games of the season, maybe more (via Twitter). It could be way more, as surgery could end his season.
- Buccaneers’ fifth-round pick Kenny Bell will sit out of tomorrow’s preseason game against the Browns with a hamstring injury, and could miss the rest of the preseason, writes Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. If he does miss the rest of the preseason, it could effect whether or not he makes the 53-man roster come Week 1.
- As the regular season comes closer, the Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com opens his mailbag to discuss what the final roster will look like after the team is forced to cut it down first to 75 players and then 53 before Week 1. He is skeptical the Saints will keep more than four or five receivers, leaving Seantavious Jones and Willie Snead IV on the outside looking in. He also opines on which running back and defensive linemen on the bubble will find their way onto the roster for the regular season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/28/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Broncos have signed tight end Dan Light, who played college football at Fordham University in New York, writes Andrew Mason of DenverBroncos.com. The team has waived Solomon Patton to clear room on the roster.
- The Steelers have cut injured skill position player Ross Scheurman, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Scheurman played running back in college but might have also had value as a slot receiver, before injuring his Achilles during a drill in training camp early this month.
- Tackle Quinterrius Eatmon has been cut by the Oakland Raiders, per Wilson (via Twitter). Eatmon was a rookie free agent out of the University of South Florida.
- The Giants have reached an injury settlement with linebacker Tony Johnson, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media (via Twitter). Johnson was waived/injured earlier this week after suffering a knee injury.
- The Texans have released safety Stevie Brown, reports Tania Ganguli of ESPN (via Twitter). The former Giant gained notoriety with an eight-interception campaign in 2012, but hadn’t picked off a pass before or since.
AFC Notes: Dareus, Grimes, Golson, Dixon
Bills’ superstar defensive tackle Marcel Dareus is unhappy about his current contract, and is itching to hit free agency and chase some of that Ndamukong Suh money. Unfortunately for him, Suh was in a much better position in terms of leverage that allowed him to reach free agency. For Dareus, he will likely be subject to the franchise tag not once but twice before he is in position to get a Suh-like game-changing contract, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Here are some notes from around the AFC:
- Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes has decided to change agents, and will now be represented by Tom Condon of CAA, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Grimes was formerly represented by Ben Dogra of Relativity Sports.
- At the beginning of August, we learned that Steelers’ second-round pick Senquez Golson might require shoulder surgery that at the time was thought to be season ending. Golson tried to play through the injury, but ultimately decided to have the surgery this morning, reports Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. However, Golson and head coach Mike Tomlin have not announced whether or not he will miss the 2015 season.
- The Raiders have brought in safety Ahmad Dixon for a workout, accorting to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Dixon was a seventh-round pick for the Cowboys in 2014.
NFC Notes: Manning, Smith, Lions, Spadola
Giants quarterback Eli Manning has been making headlines recently, as he has allegedly demanded and then refuted reports that he demanded to be the highest-paid player in the NFL. Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com writes that all this could be the “storm before the calm” as was the case with Philip Rivers’ contract, noting that there is a reason all the top quarterbacks have received long-term extensions.
Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- With a need at safety, Jordan Raanan of NJ.com was asked if the Giants might be interested in the recently released Taylor Mays (via Twitter). Raanan opines that the team would not be interested, noting that perception around Mays isn’t positive.
- Eagles’ 2014 first-round pick Marcus Smith will miss two to three weeks with a hamstring injury, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “It was not as bad as I thought it was,” said Smith. “Three weeks is probably the most. I’ll definitely be ready for the Falcons game. Try to be ready for the last preseason game.”
- The Lions have a pair of key starters dealing with high ankle sprains, in offensive guard Larry Warford and defensive tackle Caraun Reid, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. It is uncertain when they will be able to return to the field, and head coach Jim Caldwell would not put a timetable on their recovery.
- Cardinals receiver Ryan Spadola is considering a career as a ref after his football career comes to an end, writes Bob McManamoan of AZCentral.com. Spadola has been a practice squad player bouncing around the league for two seasons, and is competing for a spot on the Cardinals’ roster.
Kam Chancellor “Dug In” With Holdout
Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor has made his position very clear from the beginning of his holdout. He alerted the team he would hold out if his contract was not renegotiated, and has not wavered from that position. The second preseason game has already started, and Chancellor is still waiting for his contract to be addressed.
Preseason games and training camp are one thing, but missing regular season games take a different kind of commitment. With a base salary of $4.55MM, per OverTheCap.com, he would miss upwards of of $267,000 per week through the regular season. Most players wouldn’t be willing to forgo those game checks when push comes to shove.
Chancellor’s former teammate Michael Robinson believes that the All-Pro safety is serious about his threat. When asked on NFL Total Access if he could envision Chancellor missing the full season, he admitted that he could, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
“From what I know of the situation, yeah,” said Robinson. “He’s dug in. He really feels that they have the ability to pay him.”
Robinson, a former fullback who was a member of the Super Bowl Championship Seahawks. He says he has remained close to Chancellor, and that the two have spoken about the safeties situation.
Just two days ago, we heard from Chancellor’s agent that nothing had changed and that he would not report until the two sides would be able to compromise on a new deal. Everything changes once these holdouts start effecting the player’s pockets, but if he is serious it will be an interesting beginning of the season. Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas are both dealing with injuries that could limit them early on, and Chancellor has long been a marquee player on these great Seahawks defenses.
Extra Points: Mexico, Milliner, Walker, Nicks
As the NFL continues to expand its presence in London, the next step in forwarding the game internationally could be Mexico City. There has been a suggestion that the NFL will play five games there, starting in 2017, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com.
This has not been made official by the NFL as of yet, and spokesman Michael Signora had this to say in response to that report:
“We are pleased with the growth in fan demand and the increased partner support we have enjoyed in recent years. With this in mind, we are actively assessing the opportunity to play games in Mexico. We have visited several stadiums in recent months, and are analyzing what needs to be done to bring games to Mexico. It is premature to comment specifically as to when this will happen, let alone how many, if any, games might be played.”
Here are a few more notes from around the NFL this Friday:
- The NFL has reversed a long-standing policy that regulated practice squad contracts by prohibiting teams from negotiating non-salary items into those deals, reports Diana Marie Russini of ESPN (via Twitter). Organizations will now be allowed to offer signing bonuses, roster bonuses, and guaranteed money to practice squad players (via Twitter). Russini expects this to cause teams to aggressively pursue other franchises’ top practice squad players (via Twitter).
- With Dee Milliner‘s recent injury, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reminds fans that the Jets received a number of trade inquiries on the former first round pick. He adds that at least one team was still interested as recently as this week, before the injury (via Twitter).
- The Patriots have opened up talks with defensive tackle Casey Walker about a possible return to the team, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter).
- Former Super Bowl hero Hakeem Nicks is fighting for his NFL career after signing a one-year deal with the Titans, writes Teresa Walker of the Associated Press. The chance to start across from Kendall Wright is an open competition, and Nicks will have to prove himself against former-Falcon Harry Douglas, rookie second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Justin Hunter.
NFC Notes: Peterson, Sendlein, Guion, Saints, Sproles
The relationship between the Vikings and star-running back Adrian Peterson had seemingly become strained since he missed 15 games last season after a domestic violence charge. Even so, Peterson has stated that not only does he want to keep playing until he is in his late thirties, and said he would have no problem signing another long-term contract with the team, in a Q&A with Ben Goessling of ESPN.
Here are some more stories from around the NFC:
- Newly re-signed Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said he had interest from other teams throughout the NFL, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). “Deep down,” said Sendlein, “we wanted to come back here.”
- The appeal of Letroy Guion‘s three-game suspension stemming from an offseason arrest will be heard by the NFL on August 24th, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- Tight end Jean Sifrin got a tryout with the Saints, according to Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate (via Twitter).
- Former Saints defensive end Glenn Foster, who was released recently, said he needs about one month to complete the rehab on his knee, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN. Foster still plans to sign somewhere when healthy and play in 2015.
- Despite adding workhorse running back DeMarco Murray and former Charger Ryan Mathews, head coach Chip Kelly sees a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense for Darren Sproles. While that could be the result of a pair of running backs with injury history, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the extra snaps and touches will like come as a receiver in 2015.
Nick Foles, Rams Agree On Two-Year Extension
8:05pm: Details of Foles’ contract extension are becoming clearer, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com confirms that the two-year extension will be worth more than $24MM (via Twitter). Schefter puts the number at $24.5MM and a three-year total of $26MM (via Twitter).
Rapoport also writes that the final year of the deal is voidable if Foles makes the Pro Bowl or depending on overall team performance.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports added that the deal featured a lot of “creativity” by both sides, which he sees as fitting under the unusual circumstances (via Twitter).
7:27pm: Rams have signed their new starting quarterback to an extension that will keep him in St. Louis through 2017, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
The extension itself adds two years to Nick Foles‘ current contract, and the team announced the signing through their official Twitter page.
The full details have been made known from the extension just yet, but Howard Belzer of Fox Sports writes that it could have significant roster bonuses (via Twitter). His colleague Mike Garafolo reports that the final year of the deal can be voided based on performance, and that the total value of the deal exceeds $12MM per year (via Twitter). Garafolo responded to Jeff McLane’s question of guaranteed money by noting the deal will include just under $14MM guaranteed (via Twitter).
Foles joined the Rams via trade this offseason after spending the first three years of his career with the Eagles, where he played in 28 out of 48 possible games. His 2013 season was particularly notable, when he completed 64% of his passes, throwing 27 touchdowns and only two interceptions.
However, in the 15 games other than his sophomore season he managed a much more mortal 19 touchdowns to 15 interceptions. His injury history also left little to be desired, which could be a reason the Eagles felt comfortable swapping him for the oft-injured Sam Bradford.
Despite all the concerns, the Rams have been trying to lock Foles up past this year since he arrived in St. Louis.
With the final numbers still yet to come out, it is worth checking out what our own Connor Byrne expected in terms of a possible extension a few weeks back, when he outlined the extension candidacy of Foles with the Rams.