NFC Notes: Kaepernick, Lions, Megatron
A group will gather outside of the NFL’s headquarters on Wednesday to show support for former 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, as ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes.
“He stood up for us. It’s only right that he took our issues in our communities and brought it to a national level and sacrificed salary and being ostracized by the NFL,” nonprofit chair Kevin Livingston said. “It was only right that we stand up for him. I started this, literally, when he came to my office — I was moved. I work with parolees. People usually want to ostracize this particular population. Me working with him on the front lines and him coming to my office, this is not the first time I’ve worked with him. “So I thought it was only right that I stand up for him.”
In addition to the demonstration in Manhattan, there will also be pro-Kaepernick gatherings in Brooklyn, Harlem, Las Vegas, Milwaukee, Orlando, Florida, Chicago, Houston, Washington, D.C., Miami, Detroit, and other locations. The Seahawks are known to have some interest in Kaepernick, but the QB still remains without work.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- Former Buccaneers first round pick Josh Freeman participated in an open CFL tryout in Dallas, as noted by Neil Stratton of Inside The League (on Twitter). Freeman, 29, has not appeared in an NFL game since he made one start for the Colts in 2015. Freeman’s agent tried to get the quarterback signed by Dallas last summer after Kellen Moore broke his leg. Dallas declined, but things worked out pretty OK for the team anyway in 2016.
- Calvin Johnson is annoyed at the Lions for having to repay the unearned portion of his signing bonus, but Mike Florio of PFT argues that he could have avoided this predicament. The wide receiver had a salary of $15.95MM and a cap number of $24MM hitting the books in March 2016, so he could have held the line before opting to retire.
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer will be taking some time off to recovery from eye surgery, the team announced today. He’ll miss the start of OTA practices, but the hope is that he will be “back on the field in a few weeks.”
Jets Waive Injured WR Devin Smith
The Jets announced that they have waived/injured wide receiver Devin Smith. In related news, the team re-signed receiver Deshon Foxx. 
Smith tore his ACL in the first team workout of the year, ending his 2017 season before it could begin. He tore the same ligament during his rookie season in 2015, meaning that the former second round pick has been on the field for just 14 games in total. It’s fair to wonder whether Smith will be able to get back on track after suffering the same serious injury twice.
In his limited action, Smith has caught ten passes for 135 yards and one score. If he clears waivers – and he probably will – then he will revert to the Jets’ IR.
Even with Smith out of the picture and Jalin Marshall facing a four-game ban, Foxx still faces long odds of making the 53-man roster. The Jets have 13 receivers on the 90-man roster, including Eric Decker, Quincy Enunwa, free agent pickup Quinton Patton, and 2017 draft picks ArDarius Stewart and Chad Hansen.
Former Ravens S Matt Elam Arrested Again
More bad news for Matt Elam. The former Ravens safety was arrested on Monday morning in Florida for grand theft and battery, according to TMZ. This marks his second trip to jail in 2017. 
[RELATED: Why The Ravens Are A Possible Fit For WR Victor Cruz]
Elam’s first arrest came in February when he was cuffed while holding 126 grams of marijuana and three grams of oxycodone. The former first round pick hurt his chances of signing somewhere after that incident and the odds have only gotten worse with this week’s arrest.
Elam struggled as a starter in his first two NFL seasons and he missed the entire 2015 campaign thanks to a biceps tear in training camp. After losing much of last year to a knee injury, Elam showed very little in the nine games that he did appear in.
NFL Still Investigating Ezekiel Elliott
The league’s investigation into Cowboys star Ezekiel Elliott “remains under review,” a spokesman tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The inquiry into domestic violence claims against the running back has been going on since July and that probably marks a new record for the league office. 
A former girlfriend of Elliott’s claims that she was a victim of five separate domestic violence incidents when they were together. Meanwhile, the district attorney’s office in Columbus, Ohio, opted against pursuing charges against him last September. Elliott has maintained his innocence ever since the allegations came to light.
In January, Elliott said that he wanted the investigation to conclude so that he could have closure and move on:
“I do want closure,” Elliott said. “I would rather it not drag on this long. If there was something to find, which there’s not, they would’ve found it by now. The police did a very thorough investigation. I will tell you this — it just seems like they’re dragging their feet right now. Who knows, man? I’m just ready for it to end.”
Elliott, 22 in July, ran for a league-leading 1,631 yards off of 322 carries last year with 15 scores. He also added 32 catches for 363 yards and one touchdown.
Latest On Panthers OT Michael Oher
The Panthers were without Michael Oher for the bulk of 2016 after a brain injury kept him off the field. Now, the Panthers aren’t quite sure when they’ll get Oher back in the fold, and it’s not entirely related to his concussion issues. 
Oher skipped the first five weeks of the Panthers’ voluntary OTAs and has given no indication that he plans to check in until the team’s mandatory minicamp next month, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Oher still has yet to be cleared from concussion protocol, but his absence is not solely because of the brain injury, nor is it strictly because of the fallout of his alleged fight with an Uber driver this spring. The tackle is dealing with other personal matters that are sidetracking him from football, Person hears.
A player’s absence from voluntary workouts is not newsworthy in and of itself, but given the multitude of issues Oher is facing, it’s fair to wonder if he’ll be ready to go for Carolina at all this season. After the Panthers signed left tackle Matt Kalil to a five-year, $55.5MM deal in March, Carolina isn’t necessarily banking on Oher in 2017. The Panthers are willing to give Oher time to work through his problems, Person hears, but they’re also worried about the extra weight he has gained this offseason.
The Panthers are tied to Oher for three more seasons. In 2017, Oher is slated to carry a cap number of $5.5MM, but the Panthers can lop off $2.5MM from that sum by releasing him.
No Market For CB Darrelle Revis?
Darrelle Revis will not face NFL punishment for the February fracas that got him in hot water, but it’s not a certainty that he’ll find work in 2017 either. Officials from four different teams indicated to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com that there isn’t any real demand for the cornerback’s services. 
[RELATED: NFL Will Not Punish Darrelle Revis]
“He has lost a step with his age and some change-of-direction [ability] with his knee [surgery in 2012],” said one anonymous head coach. “I still believe he can do an adequate job at corner. I’m not sure if he has the range for free safety. He used to be a physical tackler, but with age that’s gotten worse, so playing strong safety is out of the question. Let him play corner with some protection and he’ll do fine.”
After speaking with the head coach plus one team executive, one personnel director, and one scout, Cimini gets the sense that Revis’ significant decline in 2016 and concerns about his commitment have tanked his value. Revis reportedly wants upwards of $6MM to play for someone in 2017, but it doesn’t sound like anyone wants to come near that kind of money for him based on what Cimini is hearing.
“His tape is so bad that it’s probably scaring a lot of teams away,” the scout said. “If he still thinks he’s a starter — and wants to be paid like a starter — that will be an issue.”
Buccaneers Sign First-Round TE O.J. Howard
The juice is no longer loose. The Buccaneers have signed first-round pick O.J. Howard, according to a team announcement. 
Heading into the draft, the Alabama product was projected by some as a top 10 pick. With that in mind, the Bucs were over the moon when they were able to grab Howard at No. 19 overall. Evan Engram and David Njoku were also widely regarded as Day 1 talents, but Howard was universally considered to be the best TE in this year’s crop.
The 6’6″ tight end tallied 45 catches and 595 yards with three touchdowns in his senior year for the Crimson Tide. Blessed with tremendous athletic ability, Tampa Bay is excited about the prospect of using him in a lot of two tight end sets alongside last year’s starter Cameron Brate. In time, Howard could become the team’s TE1 and a top overall performer at the position.
Howard is the first member of the Buccaneers’ rookie class to sign. The team still have five players to go, including second round safety Justin Evans, third round wide receiver Chris Godwin, and third round linebacker Kendell Beckwith.
Broncos Reach Out To TE Gary Barnidge
Gary Barnidge left his early May visit with the Bills without a contract and roughly three weeks later he remains on the open market. Things could be picking up for the tight end, however. Barnidge tells SiriusXM (Twitter link) that he has heard from some of his old coaches that are now with the Broncos. 
The Broncos added a big name at tight end when they selected Michigan’s Jake Butt in the fifth round. However, he has torn an ACL in each knee with the latest one happening during the Orange Bowl this past January. While Butt recuperates, the Broncos project to go into September with Virgil Green, Jeff Heuerman, and A.J. Derby as their top three tight ends. Barnidge could be added to the mix to help push Derby and/or Henry Krieger-Coble for the final TE spot on the 53-man roster.
Around the time of his visit to Buffalo, it was also reported that meetings with the Jaguars and Panthers could be on the docket. Barnidge confirmed that he has heard from the Jaguars, but it’s not immediately clear whether the Panthers still have interest.
Barnidge’s earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 as he hauled in 79 receptions and 1,043 yards and nine touchdowns. Last year, he caught 55 passes for 612 yards and two touchdowns for the Browns.
Redskins Rumors: Cousins, Doctson
Redskins president Bruce Allen says the team has maintained a dialogue with Kirk Cousins‘ agent (Twitter link via Josh Keim of ESPN.com). Allen said he remains optimistic they can reach a long-term deal.
The Redskins have been publicly telling everyone that things are pointing in the right direction with Cousins, but it seems like the two sides are still oceans apart on a potential extension. Earlier this year, the Redskins proposed a five-year deal worth $20MM annually, but Cousins rejected that in favor of playing out the season on his one-year, $24MM repeat franchise tender. If the Redskins were to franchise tag him for a third consecutive season, he’d make a whopping $34MM in 2018, so an average annual value of $20MM won’t be enough for him to give up his chance at free agency.
The deadline for franchise tagged players to sign extensions is on July 15th. It’s possible that the deadline will spur action, but if it does not, then the Redskins will have to wait until after the season has concluded to restart talks.
Here’s more out of D.C.:
- Allen said he’s met with a dozen people about a front office job in Washington (Twitter link via Keim). He went on to say that he’d like to add two or three people to the front office in some capacity. The Redskins do not intend to hire a new GM, so it sounds like they’ll simply reorganize the front office with the addition of some new faces. Presumably, it will be Allen and owner Dan Snyder calling the shots.
- Redskins coach Jay Gruden says that wide receiver Josh Doctson will be participating in full during OTAs. The TCU product played in only two games last year thanks to an Achilles injury.
- The Redskins will not be relocating any of their outside linebackers to defensive end before camp starts.
NFL Will Not Punish Darrelle Revis
The NFL will not discipline Darrelle Revis for his alleged role in a skirmish earlier this year, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Revis was once facing felony assault charges, but a Pittsburgh judge dismissed those charges in March.
[RELATED: Checking In On The CB Market]
Revis, 31, was arrested following a street fight in which two men were knocked out. Initially, he was looking at two felony counts of aggravated assault, one felony count of robbery, one felony charge of conspiracy, and a misdemeanor count of terroristic threats. Later, a childhood friend of Revis’ took responsibility for just about everything that took place and that exonerated the cornerback.
Recently we learned that two unidentified teams were interested in Revis, but neither club was willing to fork over more than the $6MM he’s slated to earn from the Jets. Because of the offset language in his deal, Revis would effectively be playing for free if he signs for less than that sum in 2017.
It still seems unlikely that a team will agree to sign Revis for upwards of $6MM, but he could see increased interest from clubs now that they know that he will be eligible to play in Week 1.
Over the weekend, PFR’s Rory Parks checked in on Revis and other big-name cornerbacks still on the open market.