Rams Extend Jeff Fisher, Les Snead
The Rams have signed head coach Jeff Fisher to a contract extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes that the new deal will be for one year, with an option for 2018. Per Rapoport, Fisher agreed to the extension in the preseason and signed it in the regular season (Twitter link). Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio tweets that Fisher put pen to paper several weeks ago, but the news is just leaking now. ESPN’s Adam Schefter confirms the report and adds that the club has also extended GM Les Snead (Twitter link).
The news may be unwelcome for Rams fans, but it is relatively unsurprising, as Los Angeles was expected to extend its GM and head coach for some time now, despite their largely disappointing tenures with the club. Team COO Kevin Demoff praised Fisher earlier this week, emphasizing his steady hand through the specter of relocation and the relocation itself, along with his ability as a “leader of men.”
Fisher and Snead joined the Rams together in 2012, and the club has gone 31-43-1 since then. The team did land Jared Goff with the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft, and now that the former Cal star has taken over as the Rams’ starting quarterback, there is reason to hope that they will begin to show some improvement.
But even though the Rams have had largely disappointing quarterback play during the Fisher/Snead regime, the roster has not been entirely devoid of talent. And yet, the club has not posted a non-losing record under their watch, and Fisher has not enjoyed a winning season as an NFL head coach since 2008, his penultimate year in Tennessee.
However, team owner Stan Kroenke wanted to give Fisher a chance to coach the Rams through the opening of the team’s new stadium in Inglewood, and this extension will give him a chance to do just that (Twitter links via Jason Cole of Bleacher Report). But the fact that Fisher’s new deal is really for just one year, with an option for 2018, suggests that his job is still not especially safe. Schefter tweets that the extension does not give Fisher any more job security and that the Rams must play well down the stretch for Fisher to return next season (which won’t be easy, given the Rams’ strength of schedule). Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links) feels the same way, observing that it is not uncommon for a team to fire a head coach with two years left on his deal. Pelissero further opines that if the team agreed to the extension in the preseason but was “too embarrassed” to announce it publicly until months later, that cannot be a good thing for Fisher, despite Gonzalez’s note that Kroenke has largely been able to look past Fisher’s win-loss record because of how he represents the organization.
Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that the Rams are not commenting on the extensions, but that team officials may address the situation after the Rams’ matchup against New England today.
Colin Kaepernick To Opt Out At Season’s End
49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick restructured his contract back in October, a restructure that allows him to opt out of the deal at the end of this season and bars San Francisco from using the franchise tag on him in 2017. At the time of the restructure, we heard that Kaepernick fully planned to exercise his opt-out clause, and as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com writes, those plans have not changed.
Per Rapoport, Kaepernick will void his contract before the start of the 2017 league year in March and become a free agent. And it makes sense. Although the 49ers have not won a game since Week 1, Kaepernick has played well since reprising his role as the club’s starting quarterback, and he appears to be regaining his old form. Over the last four games, he has completed 86 of 145 passes for 1,110 yards with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. He has also rushed for 223 yards over that span. It makes sense, then, that he would want to test the free agent waters, as next year’s crop of available quarterback is topped by the likes of Geno Smith, EJ Manuel, Brian Hoyer, Ryan Fitzpatrick, and Mike Glennon (assuming, of course, that the Redskins don’t let Kirk Cousins get away). Even if veteran QBs like Tony Romo and Jay Cutler become available, Kaepernick would still stand to make a great deal of money on the open market.
But Rapoport indicates that Kaepernick could return to the 49ers, a scenario that seemed entirely implausible not too long ago. After all, his talents have played well in head coach Chip Kelly‘s system, and Rapoport writes that the once-strained relationship between the franchise and the quarterback is in a very good place. Kaepernick apparently appreciates the fact that the team supported him as he took a controversial social stance, and Rapoport suggests that the issues that precipitated his near trade to Denver this offseason have all but gone away. Plus, San Francisco will have plenty of money to spend.
Other scribes, however, are more skeptical of the possibility that Kaepernick returns to the Bay Area. Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, for instance, says that he cannot envision Kaepernick playing for the 49ers next season under the current front office regime (Twitter link). If Kaepernick does decide to move on, Matt Miller of Bleacher Report lays out a few potential destinations, which include the Bears, Broncos, Cardinals, Jets, and Browns.
Desmond Trufant Done For Season
Falcons cornerback Desmond Trufant will require surgery for a torn pectoral and will miss the rest of the season, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. On Tuesday, Atlanta made it all official, announcing that Trufant is headed to IR. In related moves, the Falcons have signed center Trevor Robinson and cornerback Blidi Wreh-Wilson to the active roster. Punter Matt Wile has been waived.
Trufant sustained the injury during Atlanta’s Week 9 matchup against the Buccaneers and consequently missed the team’s Week 10 contest against the Eagles. The Falcons then had their bye in Week 11, and Trufant practiced on a limited basis this week in the hopes of suiting up against the Cardinals today.
Needless to say, this is a major blow for the Falcons, as Trufant is the club’s best cover corner. He ranks as the 32nd-best corner in the NFL out of 119 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which is a big deal for a team that ranks among the bottom third of the league in pass defense (per Football Outsiders’ DVOA metric). He also notched an interception and two sacks this season.
The 6-4 Falcons sit atop the NFC South, just one game ahead of Tampa Bay. Luckily for Atlanta, the remainder of the team’s schedule is not littered with opponents that boast high-flying passing offenses, with the Week 17 matchup against the Saints looking like the only exception.
Trufant, the Falcons’ first-round draft pick in 2013, is scheduled to make $8MM in his fifth-year option season next year. Players like Brian Poole and C.J. Goodwin will need to step up in his absence.
Greg Robinson Benched
The Rams have benched former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson, as Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com writes. Robinson, whom the Rams selected out of Auburn in the first round of the 2014 draft, was a healthy scratch for today’s matchup against the Saints.
Robinson started 12 of 16 regular season contests in his rookie campaign and all 16 games in 2015. However, Robinson has suffered from inconsistent play and frustrating penalties since he entered the league, and his 28 penalties over the past two years are four more than anyone else in the NFL. He has also allowed a whopping 21 quarterback hurries this year, and he ranks 75th out of 80 qualified tackles according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Offensive line coach Paul Boudreau said of Robinson’s struggles, “[r]ecently, it’s just a matter of his technique. He’s all over the place with his feet, he’s all over the place with his hands. And when he gets in trouble, when he stops his feet, he grabs, and he gets those holding penalties that you really don’t need. So he’s got to concentrate on focusing on the little things.”
Although head coach Jeff Fisher may simply be giving Robinson a game off to get his head straight and to regain his focus, his struggles have spurred some speculation as to his status with the club heading into next year. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com wonders if this is the beginning of the end of Robinson’s tenure in Los Angeles, observing that the Rams were forced to trade a struggling Jason Smith some years ago for a pittance. Fitzgerald further points out that Robinson’s contract does make it feasible for him to be dealt if Los Angeles wants to go that route (Twitter links).
Left guard Rodger Saffold shifted over to left tackle for today’s game to take Robinson’s place.
East Notes: Stills, McVay, Vereen
Let’s take a quick swing around the league’s east divisions:
- The Dolphins will try to retain impending free agent Kenny Stills, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. Head coach Adam Gase loves Stills, who has become one of the league’s better deep threats, but depending on how aggressive the bidding on Stills becomes, Jackson writes that Miami could let him seek his fortune elsewhere and try to replace him with Leonte Carroo.
- Patriots defensive tackle Alan Branch will continue to play as he appeals his recent four-game suspension, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that the appeal is expected to be heard within the next month. That means that New England could lose Branch very late in the season and into the playoffs, which begs the question of whether it would be better for the team if Branch simply accepts his suspension now so that he is sure to be back for the stretch run. Branch, though, needs to do what is best for him, as the suspension could cost him about $1.13MM and could hurt his market when he reaches free agency this spring.
- Redskins offensive coordinator Sean McVay is not exactly a household name outside of the nation’s capital, but his work with Kirk Cousins and his development of Washington’s proficient offense is garnering attention around the league, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. Per La Canfora, the 30-year-old McVay is viewed as a coaching prodigy, and he is expected to get interviews for head coaching gigs at the end of the year if the Redskins’ offense continues performing at a high level.
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter passes along another interesting detail about Matt Forte‘s brief flirtation with the Patriots. According to Schefter, Forte flew into New Jersey to meet with the Jets on the first day of free agency, and Gang Green decided to sign him. However, there were some concerns about the condition of Forte’s knee during the physical, and the Jets did not rush to get the paperwork done. That made Forte a bit antsy, and he made plans to board a plane and visit the Patriots. But when New York learned of those plans, the team’s concerns with Forte’s knee suddenly evaporated and Forte was handed his contract.
- Giants RB Shane Vereen, currently on IR, could be on his way back to the field. Per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Giants are optimistic Vereen can return for the club’s December 11 matchup with Dallas.
NFL’s Decision On Aldon Smith Due This Week
Raiders linebacker Aldon Smith applied for reinstatement on October 3, and as ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has 60 days to render a decision on reinstatement under the terms of the collective bargaining agreement. That 60-day period ends on Friday, December 2.
Smith was eligible to be reinstated on November 17, which marked the end of the one-year ban he received for violating the league’s substance abuse policy when he was arrested in August 2015 on drunken driving, hit and run, and vandalism charges. That was the fifth time Smith had been arrested since he entered the league as the seventh overall pick of the 2011 draft. The 49ers, who drafted Smith and who reaped the benefits of his fearsome pass rush ability for several seasons, had simply had enough at that point, and they cut Smith shortly after the arrest.
He was subsequently scooped up by the Raiders, and he posted 3.5 sacks for Oakland in nine games during the 2015 season. Despite his most recent suspension–he also served a nine-game ban in 2013 for violating the league’s personal conduct and substance abuse policies–Oakland handed Smith a two-year, $11.5MM deal this spring.
Smith checked himself into a rehabilitation facility in Carbondale, Colorado in July, not long after a suspicious video post appeared on his Periscope account. That video featured an unidentified man that purportedly sounded like Smith and an unidentified woman talking about a hand-rolled cigarette. Smith has denied it was him in the video, but he entered rehab just the same.
He spent 120 days in the Carbondale facility, and although he also spent time in rehab in 2013, Schefter’s sources have said that Smith’s latest rehab stint had a “profound effect” on the Missouri product. The Raiders are optimistic that Smith will be reinstated and allowed to finish out the season, which would be a tremendous boon for the club as it battles to hold onto first place in the AFC West and competes for a first-round bye. Smith has accrued 47.5 sacks in 59 career games, and although he will not be expected to return to form right away, that kind of production does not grow on trees, and it shows why the 49ers and Raiders have exhibited considerable patience with Smith’s troubles.
Goodell’s decision could be taking awhile because the Periscope video compelled the league to investigate whether Smith violated the protocols required of a suspended player seeking reinstatement to the league following a violation of the substance abuse policy.
Could Jay Cutler Remain In Chicago In 2017?
It has long been speculated that the Bears would jettison quarterback Jay Cutler after the 2016 season as they search for a younger option with more upside. Cutler’s contract has largely driven that speculation, as the seven-year, $126MM deal that he signed with the Bears in January 2014 provides for no more guaranteed money once the 2016 campaign is over. As such, Chicago could save $14MM against the cap by releasing Cutler, thereby allowing the club to start afresh at the quarterback position.
But while Cutler’s release is still a strong possibility, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the Vanderbilt product could remain in the Windy City next year. After all, he is owed a $12.5MM base salary in 2017 to go along with $2.5MM in roster bonuses, which is hardly unpalatable for a starting signal-caller in today’s NFL. Plus, this year’s quarterback draft class is considered very weak, and Brian Hoyer, who performed well in limited action for the Bears this season before he was placed on IR with a broken forearm, will be a free agent at season’s end. And even though head coach John Fox is far from Cutler’s biggest fan, Fox is no lock to keep his job.
From my vantage point, it would still be something of a surprise to see Cutler back with Chicago in 2017. For the last several seasons, a quarterback has not been the best player on the board when the Bears have been on the clock, and it would not have made sense for the team to reach for a signal-caller when they had a solid quarterback on the roster with guaranteed money still to be paid. But now that the guaranteed money is gone, it would be especially difficult to continue with a 33-year-old quarterback who has a 51-51 record and only one playoff victory in seven-plus seasons in Chicago.
Cutler, of course, is also dealing with significant injury concerns. He has a partially torn labrum in his throwing shoulder, which has already been beset by significant wear-and-tear from years of bumps, bruises, and countless throws. The result is painful tendonitis that threatens to end his season, although he has not been officially ruled out for the remainder of 2016.
At this point, the Bears may need to make a change just for change’s sake. Though Cutler enjoyed a strong season under former offensive coordinator Adam Gase in 2015, he is clearly not the long-term solution in Chicago, and the Bears should probably divert their resources elsewhere in 2017.
Seantrel Henderson Faces 10-Game Ban
We heard several days ago that Bills offensive lineman Seantrel Henderson was facing another suspension, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports today that Henderson is looking at a 10-game ban for violating the NFL’s Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse. Henderson is appealing the ruling, and the appeal will be resolved sometime this week. If he is unsuccessful, he has not ruled out litigation to get back on the field.
Henderson’s battles with Crohn’s disease represent something of a microcosm of the league-wide dilemma concerning medical marijuana use. The 24-year-old Miami product uses marijuana to deal with the pain resulting from the illness and two intestinal surgeries, and one of Rapoport’s sources has said that Henderson “needs cannabis. You can’t take pain killers with the way his intestines are.”
Henderson already served a four-game suspension at the start of this season for a similar violation. Although his marijuana use dates back to his collegiate days, he insists he now utilizes marijuana only to treat his disease. But until the NFL softens its stance on marijuana, it appears as if Henderson will be stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Henderson has played in only one game this year after starting in all 26 appearances during his first two seasons, including 16 as a rookie. Thanks in part to his health issues, Henderson lost the Bills’ No. 1 right tackle job to Jordan Mills. However, his upside remains considerable, and as Rapoport writes, Henderson was a topic of trade discussions right before this year’s deadline. Teams like as the Vikings and Seahawks needed tackles, and Henderson was the top starter-quality player available at his position. Opposing clubs, though, were unable to meet the Bills’ asking price, and Buffalo opted to hold onto its embattled swing tackle.
Henderson remains under club control for the 2017 season, the last year of his rookie contract. He will count just over $700K against the cap, so there is a good chance Buffalo will keep him around even if the suspension stands.
Rolando McClain Suspended Another Year
5:56pm: Jerry Jones said after Dallas’ Week 11 win the team wants McClain back after his suspension ends, whenever that will be.
“We certainly, when he’s eligible, we won’t release him and when he’s eligible he’ll be a part of this team,” Jones said, via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “He had gotten in good shape. We’ll just deal with what I’ll find out with his status from the league.”
Since McClain has been on the reserve/did not report list this season, it’s possible his one-year Cowboys deal could be applied to 2017. But Jones did not want to speculate on that for fear of punishment from the league.
“I can’t talk about those items because it might imply that I knew something about his status,” Jones said, via George, “and I don’t want to lose a draft pick.”
If McClain is suspended for the bulk of 2017 as well, it would be a stretch he returns. He’ll turn 28 in July but will have, if this additional ban goes through, missed over 30 games by the time he’s eligible again. Jaylon Smith is expected to be given a strong chance at winning the middle-‘backer job next season, although the second-round rookie’s complex injury status leaves that reality far from certain as well.
8:20am: Cowboys linebacker Rolando McClain has been suspended for another year, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports that McClain recently missed another drug test. McClain was already serving a 10-game suspension for testing positive for opiates, a suspension that was scheduled to be lifted tomorrow, but now he will have wait until November 2017 before he is eligible to apply for reinstatement. He is, however, expected to appeal the ban.
Of course, even when he is eligible to return, it is unclear whether another NFL club will give him an opportunity to suit up. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the Cowboys themselves doubt that McClain will ever play again. Dallas will keep McClain on the reserve/did not report list until his suspension becomes official.
McClain’s return to prominence with the Cowboys in 2014 was an unexpected feel-good story, and he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 28th-best linebacker in 2015. He was rewarded with a one-year, $4MM deal with Dallas this past offseason, several months before his 10-game suspension was announced. He has infamously battled an addiction to “purple drank,” and he compounded his problems by skipping voluntary team activities in the spring and by failing to turn up to training camp. He is eligible for unrestricted free agency at season’s end, but it is difficult to envision the former Alabama star getting his career back on track.
Extra Points: Romo, Gase, House
Let’s round up a few notes from around the league as the early Week 11 rage on:
- We heard earlier today that retirement was a real possibility for Tony Romo at the end of the season, but Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News reports that the Cowboys‘ newest backup quarterback fully plans to play in 2017 (Twitter link). If Romo did retire, Dallas could recoup $19.6MM from him, according to former NFL agent Joel Corry (via Twitter), which further supports the belief that Romo will not hang it up just yet.
- The Dolphins have turned their season around in a big way, and Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports observes that first-year head coach Adam Gase is getting a great deal of credit both inside and outside the locker room. The players have responded to Gase’s no-nonsense, meritocratic approach, highlighted by his decision to release starting offensive linemen Billy Turner and Dallas Thomas, and his decision to leave Jay Ajayi home during the team’s Week 1 trip to Seattle (Ajayi’s subsequent breakout performance, of course, has been a big reason for Miami’s success). Gase has also stood steadfastly by quarterback Ryan Tannehill, which has done wonders for Tannehill’s confidence.
- The Jaguars‘ signing of Davon House in 2015 was widely regarded as a shrewd move that added a young and ascending player to Jacksonville’s secondary. During the first half of this season, though, opponents were 16-of-19 passing for 204 yards and three touchdowns against House in man coverage, and as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union observes, House has been fully phased out of the team’s game plan. It seems likely that the Jags will part ways with House in the offseason, as they could save $6MM against the cap without absorbing any dead money.
- 49ers wideout Torrey Smith is unlikely to play today, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). If Smith does not suit up, his streak of 89 consecutive regular season games played, which dates back to the first game of his rookie year in Baltimore, would come to an end.
- Bucky Brooks of NFL.com takes a look at two collegiate prospects who are generating a great deal of buzz: USC’s Adoree’ Jackson and South Alabama’s Gerald Everett. Brooks writes that Jackson could be one of the top prospects in the 2017 or 2018 class, and Everett could become the best tight end in the 2017 class, which is especially impressive considering that this year’s crop of tight ends is quite strong.