Seahawks Rookie Germain Ifedi Suffers Injury
Seahawks first-round pick Germain Ifedi suffered a high-ankle sprain in practice yesterday, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The injury will sideline the offensive lineman for a few weeks. 
Ifedi was slated to start for Seattle at guard and the team’s confidence in his ability to play right away surely played a factor in their decision to cut former Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans this offseason. With Bradley Sowell, Mark Glowinski, Justin Britt, and Garry Gilliam taking up the other starting spots on the O-Line, the Seahawks will probably have to turn to third-round rookie Rees Odhiambo to fill in for Ifedi.
Ifedi was selected with the 31st overall pick after the Seahawks traded down from No. 26. Because the Patriots didn’t have a first-round pick this year, the former Texas A&M lineman represented the final pick of the 31-player first round. The Seahawks are planning to start Ifedi on the interior line for now before eventually moving him to tackle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Cowboys Restructure Jason Witten’s Contract
The Cowboys have restructured Jason Witten‘s yet again in order to give themselves additional cap space. The Cowboys converted $5.5MM of Witten’s $6.5MM base salary into a signing bonus, as ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. Thanks to the reworked deal, the Cowboys will save $2.75MM in cap room. 
[RELATED: Latest On Ezekiel Elliott]
Witten, 34, is the third player to have his contract restructured after Orlando Scandrick and Sean Lee both agreed to move some money around. The Cowboys also restructured the deals of left tackle Tyron Smith and defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford earlier this offseason. Witten is signed through 2017 and is set to make $7.4MM next season with a cap figure of $12.262MM.
Witten has not missed a regular season game for the Cowboys since 2003, his rookie year. Last season, in yet another 16-game showing, Witten hauled in 77 passes for 713 yards and three touchdowns. Since becoming a full-time starter in Dallas, Witten has averaged 82 catches and 906 yards with five touchdowns per season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Giants’ J.T. Thomas Accepts Pay Cut
J.T. Thomas will remain with the Giants for the upcoming season after accepting a pay cut. Thomas has gone from a $2.975MM in base salary this season to $1.5MM, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. However, Thomas will be able to earn $100K in per-game roster bonuses and $550K in playing-time incentives. All in all, that’s a potential pay cut of $1.375MM for 2016. 
Thomas signed a three-year, $10MM deal with the Giants last offseason after he appeared in all 16 games for the Jaguars the year prior and made ten starts. The 28-year-old is still signed through 2017 and Raanan writes that the final year of his deal remains untouched for now.
Thomas missed most of the summer with a hamstring injury, putting him on the roster bubble. He also struggled last season. However, the Giants still value him as a special teams contributor and he may see some time as a backup to Jonathan Casillas at weakside linebacker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Mets Sign Tim Tebow
The Mets announced that they have signed Tim Tebow to a minor league contract. The former NFL QB will participate in the Mets Instructional League in Port St. Lucie, Florida. 
Tebow, 29, ran a 6.70-second 60-yard-dash and belted some long home runs in practice when he auditioned for MLB scouts late last month. However, he struggled to hit off-speed pitches from former big-leaguers in batting practice. Also, one scout claimed that Tebow showed a below-average 40 grade arm on the 20-80 scouts scale – an especially poor showing for a former NFL quarterback. The Mets, of course, are signing Tebow in part because of what he can do for minor league ticket sales. But, on his end, Tebow says that he is dead serious about his pursuit of a career in baseball.
“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow said. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”
The former first-round pick of the Broncos has not appeared in the NFL since 2012 when he was with the Jets. Since then, he has had training camp stints with the Patriots and Eagles, but he fell short each time.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Workout Notes: 9/7/16
The latest workouts from around the NFL.
- The Patriots tried out eight free agents today, Doug Kyed of NESN.com reports. Quarterback Sean Renfree joined wide receivers Da’Ron Brown, Jordan Leslie, Max McCaffrey, Mekale McKay and DeAndrew White, along with linebacker Deon King and defensive lineman B.J. McBryde. Renfree may be the highest-profile player in this bunch to have auditioned. A former Falcons seventh-round pick in 2013, Renfree saw brief action last season but couldn’t make it out of training camp with Atlanta this season.
- The Bengals worked out linebacker/defensive end Sadat Sulleyman today, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The team also worked out cornerback Robertson Daniel, as Wilson tweets.
- Former Texans running back Kenny Hilliard is drawing interest from multiple NFL teams, per Wilson (on Twitter) but is still weighing his options.
- The Seahawks auditioned defensive end Dominique Davis, edge defender Jason Fanaika, defensive end Shelby Harris and offensive lineman Ian Silberman, Wilson tweets. The Raiders cut Harris this offseason after the former seventh-round pick played in eight games with the team in 2014-15.
Minor NFL Transactions: 9/7/16
Here are today’s minor moves.
- The Colts waived quarterback Stephen Morris and signed cornerback Rashaan Melvin, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Melvin was cut loose by Miami a few days ago as they dropped down to a 53-man roster. Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
- The Buccaneers waived/injured running back Mike James, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter). A former sixth-round pick, James spent three seasons with the Bucs, with his most notable work coming as a rookie in relief of Doug Martin. James rushed for 295 yards before himself going down with a season-ending injury. He averaged 4.9 yards per carry during that 2013 season.
- The Jaguars removed safety Earl Wolff from their IR with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. A fifth-round Eagles pick in 2013, Wolff started six games for Philadelphia that season, deflecting five passes and grabbing his only career interception. Wolff reached a settlement with the Eagles prior to the 2015 season before the Jags signed him to a reserve/futures contract in January.
Saints Re-Sign Jahri Evans
5:48pm: The Saints announced their reunion with Evans, via Twitter.
11:35am: Jahri Evans is back with the Saints. The team agreed to bring the offensive guard back into the fold today on a one-year deal, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Over the course of ten seasons in New Orleans, Evans started in all 153 of his appearances and earned four first-team All-Pro nods. However, knee and ankle injuries limited him to 11 games in 2015 and he was cut loose this offseason for cap reasons. Evans hooked on with the Seahawks in early August, but he was released last week after he failed to win a starting job.
Now, New Orleans is expected to move former first-round pick Andrus Peat to left guard, placing Evans on the right side. Evans, 33, may or may not start ahead of Tim Lelito.
The Saints freed up a roster spot this morning when they cut quarterback Garrett Grayson.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Vikings Reach Injury Settlement With Michael Griffin
WEDNESDAY, 5:37pm: Griffin and the Vikings reached an injury settlement, sending the veteran safety into free agency, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com tweets. Griffin injured his back in late August.
SATURDAY, 5:07pm: The Vikings announced that they’ve actually placed Griffin on IR, but could presumably release him with a settlement.
SATURDAY, 1:00pm: The Vikings quest to get down to 53 will include the release of a veteran safety. Michael Griffin, who just joined the Vikings this offseason, has been cut. Griffin wrote the following on Instagram (sic):
“Just want to thank the @vikings organization for the opportunity and want to wish them the best the Season. Thanks for memories and friendships that will never be broken.”
At the age of 31, Griffin is not the player he once was. He still managed to start 14 games for Tennessee last season, accruing 65 tackles, one interception, and one sack. He was not expected to be a focal point of Minnesota’s secondary, but he apparently didn’t do enough to make the team this summer.
For a full list of the Vikings cuts today, check out our Vikings tracker.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Steelers To Sign David DeCastro To Extension
The Steelers and guard David DeCastro are close to a contract extension, a source tells ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link). 
DeCastro, 26, has established himself as one of the core pieces of the Steelers’ offensive line since the team used a first-round pick on him in 2012. Starting in all but one game over the the last three seasons, he’s coming off a year in which he earned Pro Bowl and All-Pro selections for the first time. DeCastro was slated to be on the Steelers’ books this season for $8.07MM before being out of contract but the team wanted to make sure he was locked in for longer.
Pro Football Focus has graded DeCastro as one of the league’s 20 best guards in each of the last three years. PFF graded DeCastro as the league’s 14th-best guard in 2013, 18th in 2014, and 15th at his position last year with roughly equal grades for his pass blocking and run blocking.
Graziano notes that DeCastro’s agent, Tom Condon, also represents Drew Brees, who just signed an extension with the Saints. Last year, Condon clients Eli Manning, Luke Kuechly, and Anthony Castonzo all signed extensions just before the start of the season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Saints, Drew Brees Agree To Extension
The Saints and Drew Brees have reached agreement on an extension, according to a team announcement. The new deal is technically for five years but automatically voids to two, as Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets. Thanks to what is effectively a one-year extension, Brees will be committed to the Saints this year and next only for $44.25MM guaranteed. He’ll earn $20MM in 2016 and $24.25M next season. 
The deal includes no-trade protection and also prohibits the Saints from using the franchise tag on him. At ~$22MM per year, Brees’ new deal probably less than market value. But, the veteran gave up dollars in exchange for fiscal security and a no-trade clause. Brees was said to be seeking a four-year deal worth $100MM, but that was likely just posturing by his agents.
Prior to the extension, Brees was slated to count for $30MM against the Saints’ 2016 cap. Now, his cap charge has been reduced to $17.5MM (Twitter link).
The 37-year-old is coming off his eighth straight season with at least 30 touchdown passes. He also eclipsed the 4,800-yard mark for the fifth consecutive year. During his ten-year run in New Orleans, Brees has missed just two games while leading the Saints to a 94-64 regular-season record. He has guided the Saints to five playoff appearances and a Super Bowl title to cap off the 2009-10 campaign. Along the way, Brees has thrown 348 touchdowns, recorded four 5,000-yard seasons, made eight Pro Bowls, and established himself as the Saints’ all-time best player.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.