NFL Hopes To Finalize Opt Out Agreement Today
The NFL’s opt out deadline could be set by the end of the business day. The NFL and its players hope to execute the necessary revisions to the collective bargaining agreement this afternoon, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. If everything is signed, sealed, and delivered, players will have until next Friday, August 7, to make their decision.
[RELATED: 2020 NFL Opt Out Tracker]
Per the agreement, players can choose to skip the 2020 season with written (and irrevocable) notice. The due date was set for seven days after final execution of the CBA revision. In other words, it’s all dependent on how fast the lawyers can move.
Already, upwards of 30 NFL players have decided to sit out, and there could be dozens more on the way. The Patriots – who lost six players including Dont’a Hightower, Marcus Cannon, and Patrick Chung – have the most holes to fill of any team. Other notables to opt out include Bears defensive tackle Eddie Goldman, Bills defensive tackle Star Lotulelei, Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif, Giants tackle Nate Solder, and Eagles wide receiver Marquise Goodwin.
Jaguars’ Head Coach: Haven’t Heard From Yannick Ngakoue
The Jaguars had nearly perfect attendance for the start of training camp. Of course, there was one conspicuous absence – Yannick Ngakoue. Addressing reporters on Thursday afternoon, head coach Doug Marrone confessed that he has not spoken with the star defensive end. 
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“But, like I’ve said before: He’s one player that I know is always ready,” said Marrone (via the team website).
Ngakoue has not signed his franchise tender, so he is not running afoul of any contractual obligations. Per the terms of the tag, Ngakoue can sign anytime before Week 10 and still suit up in 2020. If he waits any longer, he’ll have to sit out. Furthermore, he’ll lose an accrued season towards free agency. There are a lot of hard feelings between the 25-year-old and his team, but there are also a lot of dollars at stake. Between his $17.788MM salary and the riches that could await him next March, it’s possible that Ngakoue could reverse course and cave on his demand.
Of course, if you ask Ngakoue, he’ll tell you that the ship has sailed on reconciliation. Before the deadline, he was willing to table extension talks for any team that’s able to pull off a trade, but the Jaguars’ sky-high asking price has warded everyone off. At one point, Ngakoue wanted his big payday to come in Jacksonville. Now, he says that he doesn’t want to play for the Jaguars under any circumstances.
Now that the deadline has passed, both sides are formally barred from hammering out an extension until next year. That, in theory, could make it easier for them to mend fences. Still, the Jaguars have the ability to trade Ngakoue, and he can continue to play a game of chicken with Marrone & Co.
Vic Beasley Says He’ll Report To Titans
A Thursday statement from Jon Robinson brought good news and bad news. The good: The Titans have made contact with outside linebacker Vic Beasley. The bad news: He has yet to report to the team, and his absence is unexcused. 
“On Tuesday July 28th, we placed Vic Beasley on the Reserve Did Not Report list. I have been in contact with Vic, he is not here, he understands his absence is unexcused, and he told me he will be reporting to camp in the near future,” Robinson said. “Our current focus is on the players that are here now, getting everyone acclimated to the protocols, our building, and our football program. We will have the same acclimation process with Vic when he reports.”
The Titans inked Beasley to a fully guaranteed $9.5MM deal earlier this year, with the expectation that he would bolster their DE group. Instead, he’s been MIA. No one’s sure why Beasley hasn’t shown up in Tennessee, but it sounds like he will report sometime soon.
A former first-round pick of the Falcons, Beasley broke out in 2016, his sophomore NFL season. He managed 15.5 sacks that year, but things cooled off after that – he notched five sacks in 2017 and 2018. In 2019, Beasley finished out with eight sacks, though that number was bolstered by a disproportionally strong home stretch.
When/if Beasley shows up for work, he’ll join Harold Landry in the Titans’ front seven.
Panthers Release K Graham Gano
The Panthers have released Graham Gano, according to a social media post from his wife (Twitter link via Joe Person of The Athletic). The veteran kicker was slated to make $3MM this year. 
Joey Slye, meanwhile, is under contract for just $675K. It’s a cost-cutting maneuver for Carolina, though the team will be left with even more dead money on the books. The Panthers have saved $2.8MM while taking on a leftover $1.5MM charge, to be dispersed over the next two years. All in all, the Panthers overhaul has saddled them with nearly $43MM in dead money in 2020.
Gano was tremendous in his last full season in 2017, sinking 29 of his 30 field goal tries for a league-leading 96.7% conversion rate. That performance earned him the first Pro Bowl bid of his career, and it also helped him secure a four-year, $17MM deal. Before his release, Gano had the fifth-highest AAV ($4.25MM) of any kicker in the NFL.
Now, the job belongs to Slye. Known for his strong leg, Slye nailed 78.1% of his kicks in 2019, with an 8-of-11 success rate from 50+ yards. He also missed four extra point tries, but the Panthers seem to think that he’ll tamp that number down moving forward.
Ravens Won’t Rule Out Antonio Brown
Maybe Lamar Jackson will get his wish after all. When asked about the possibility of signing Antonio Brown, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he’s willing to “look at any and every player” and Brown is “no exception,” (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL Network). Then, in reference to Brown’s murky status with the league office, Harbaugh addressed the obvious.
[RELATED: Ravens’ Jackson Still Pushing For Antonio Brown]
“I don’t think he’s available right now,” said the coach.
Jackson and Marquise Brown (AB’s cousin) would love to welcome Brown to Baltimore. Ditto for Seahawks star quarterback Russell Wilson. The NFL, it seems, is less than interested in bringing the controversial wide receiver back to the game. Brown’s investigation has dragged on for months and the league office has yet to provide his camp with meaningful status updates.
Brown, of course, has given the NFL a whole lot to sift through. Between the ugly allegations, legal entanglements, social media outbursts, retirements, and un-retirements, it’s hard to make sense of his situation.
The 32-year-old has tallied 841 receptions for 11,253 yards over the course of his career, which includes seven Pro Bowl appearances. At this moment, he’s aiming for a return in 2020, despite previous concerns about the health “risk [being] greater than the reward.”
Matt Jones Drawing NFL Interest
It’s been a few years since we’ve seen Matt Jones in the NFL, but he hasn’t given up hope of a return. He also has some reason to believe – the running back has chatted with multiple teams as the season draws near, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter).
As Garafolo points out, Jones’ odds could be helped by the growing list of players opting out of the 2020 season. Every team that loses a running back, in theory, is a potential landing spot for the former Colts and [Washington Football Team] rusher.
Jones played for the St. Louis Battlehawks of the XFL, up until the league’s midseason cancellation. He was named to the all-league team at the halfway point, behind a decent 3.9 yards per carry average. Of course, it all came on a minimal sample size – 80 carries for 314 yards, plus a 25-yard touchdown catch.
Jones, 27, came into the league as a third round pick with Washington. For a time, he was their top rusher, and he showed promise in short bursts. Eventually, he slipped down the depth chart and he was jettisoned from the roster in 2017. He then moved on to the Colts, swaying between the practice squad and active roster. In his limited time with the Colts’ varsity squad, he averaged less than three yards per carry.
Jones’ last NFL deal came with the Eagles in 2018, but he did not make their final cut.
Giants’ Markus Golden To Sign Tender
Giants edge rusher Markus Golden will sign his tender and report to the team, according to Art Stapleton of The Record (on Twitter). When he arrives, Golden will go through the first round of COVID-19 protocols and get to work once he’s given the green light.
Golden registered 10 sacks in a bounce-back 2019 season, but the game tape and advanced metrics told a slightly different story. With only 26 pressures, many evaluators felt that his sack totals were something of a fluke. Golden aimed for a lucrative multiyear deal, but the Giants instead tethered him with a rarely used UFA tender. When Golden wasn’t able to scare up another offer, he chose to take his time. Now, he’ll return to the G-Men and earn $4.125MM in 2020.
Last year, the Giants finished near the bottom in pass-defense DVOA. In a perfect world, they probably would have liked to upgrade from Golden, but they did not engage heavily with this year’s top edge rushers. Instead of adding one of the still-available options – a list that includes Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen, and Jabaal Sheard – the Giants seem ready to enter Week 1 with Golden, longtime Packers backup Kyler Fackrell, and a young group of DEs to bring the blitz.
Because Golden’s 10th and final sack last season triggered a $1MM incentive, he made more money in 2019 than his 2020 tender will pay. This sets up a strange “prove it again” season for the former Cardinals second-round pick. But with the Giants curiously doing little to augment their edge-rushing situation this year, Golden is again in line to be the team’s top pass rusher. This will be Golden’s age-29 campaign.
49ers, John Lynch Agree To Extension
The 49ers have agreed to a multi-year extension with John Lynch, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The new deal will keep the GM in SF for the next five seasons. The two sides will hash out the language in the coming days before Lynch formally inks his second contract with the club. 
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Lynch’s add-on will take him through 2024, to exactly match head coach Kyle Shanahan. The Niners went out-of-the-box in 2017 when they hired Lynch and signed him to a six-year deal, one that was set to expire after 2023. Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals VP of player personnel Terry McDonough were also in the mix during that cycle, but the 49ers were floored by Lynch’s presentation.
Early on, some believed that Shanahan would be the one calling the shots on the roster. Instead, the two have worked cohesively to form one of the NFC’s strongest contenders. Lynch may have lacked previous high-level front office experience, but he’s made up for it with aggressive moves and first-hand, field-level knowledge. Last year, Lynch’s squad nearly captured a sixth Super Bowl ring for the franchise. They’re a popular pick yet again in 2020, and it’s not hard to see why.
Lynch’s hire feels like it was just yesterday, but he’s far from the freshest face in the GM club. By our count, the longtime safety is one of the 20 longest tenured GMs in the league.
Ravens’ Lamar Jackson Still Pushing For Antonio Brown
After some consideration, the Ravens decided to pass on Antonio Brown earlier this summer. For what it’s worth, Ravens star quarterback Lamar Jackson hasn’t given up hope of bringing AB to Baltimore.
“It was nice throwing to Antonio Brown [this offseason],” Jackson said on Wednesday morning (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley). “I was hoping we would get him. I’m still hoping — a little bit.”
Brown’s talent is undeniable, but the complications that come along with him are impossible to ignore. Just recently, Brown announced his retirement from the NFL, only to reverse course three days later. Brown – who now says he’s ready to play – has called it quits at least three times since September of last year.
Jackson lobbied hard for Brown following their offseason workouts. Antonio’s cousin, Marquise Brown, agrees, and he would like to make it a family affair. Still, the four-time All-Pro and would-be future Hall of Famer remains in limbo with Roger Goodell. Even if the Ravens wanted to ignite a media circus and risk the potential headaches, they would not be able to bank on Brown’s early season availability. When the NFL finally rules on Brown’s situation, it stands to reason that he’ll face a suspension.
The Ravens have Hollywood and Willie Snead, but the run game is their bread-and-butter. One could argue that they don’t need Brown. At the same time, it’s hard to imagine anyone being able to keep a lid on their offense with a productive Brown in the lineup.
The Seahawks have also been connected to Brown, and Russell Wilson has advocated for him. Still, it’s not clear if the Seahawks are entertaining the possibility.
Tramon Williams: “90% Chance” I’ll Play
Tramon Williams is 37 years old and without a team, but he still plans on playing in 2020 (Twitter link via Jason Wilde of ESPN Radio). The veteran cornerback estimates a “90% chance” of playing in 2020, whether it’s with the Packers or another club. 
[RELATED: Packers’ Devin Funchess To Opt Out]
Like many NFL players, Williams has concerns about health issues and the league’s ability to protect players from coronavirus infection. Still, he’s leaning towards playing if he gets the opportunity. During the interview, Williams indicated that he received interest and opportunities earlier in the year. It’s not clear whether he’s on the verge of a deal as camp gets underway, however.
Before the draft, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst said that Williams was still on his radar. The Packers passed on taking a CB in April, so it stands to reason that Williams could still be a fit in Green Bay.
After spending nearly a decade with the Packers to start his career, Williams circled back in 2018. He’s appeared in all 32 regular season games over the past two seasons, including a 2019 campaign where he had eight passes defended and a pair of interceptions.