Dolphins’ Xavien Howard Not Seeking Trade
After a brutal 59-10 pummeling at the hands of the Ravens, several Dolphins players have already requested trades. However, cornerback Xavien Howard is not one of the players looking to bail, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald (on Twitter) hears. 
Despite their rebuilding efforts, the Dolphins have told Howard that they value him. In turn, Howard has said he wants to stay, even though this figures to be a long season for a club that has traded left tackle Laremy Tunsil and jettisoned other key veterans.
This year, the Dolphins re-upped Howard on a five year, $75.25MM extension with $27.18MM fully guaranteed at signing and $46MM in total guarantees. That is to say – Howard might not win much with the Fins in 2019, but he’ll be paid handsomely.
Things won’t get much easier from here for the Dolphins. They’ve had success against the Patriots at home, but no one is anticipating an upset win in Miami on Sunday. After that, they’ll travel to Dallas to take on one of the league’s most dangerous offenses.
Jets Considering Kicker Change?
Nothing has been decided just yet, but it sure sounds like the Jets are thinking about dumping their kicker. After Kaare Vedvik missed a PAT and 45-yard field goal in the first half in a 17-16 loss to the Bills, head coach Adam Gase didn’t exactly offer up a glowing endorsement of the kicker.
“We’ll see what happens on Monday,” Gase said when asked if he can trust Vedvik moving forward (via NJ.com). “I don’t know, I haven’t had a chance to have a conversation with the personnel guys, what they want to do. We’ll have more as we go.”
In August, the Vikings sent a fifth-round pick to the Ravens to acquire Vedvik. Then, just a few weeks later, the Vikings released him outright, leading him to the Jets. The Jets figured that their well-documented kicking woes were over – turns out, things are the same as ever. Vedvik’s miss from 45 yards out was hideous, and his missed extra point wound up being the difference-maker in the one-point loss.
By the end of the business day on Monday, Vedvik could be in search of his fourth NFL team in four weeks.
Jaguars’ Nick Foles Out Indefinitely
Jaguars quarterback Nick Foles suffered a broken left clavicle against the Chiefs, the team announced. There’s no timetable for his return, but this figures to be a lengthy absence for the club’s new signal caller. He’ll go under the knife on Monday and, after the operation, doctors should know more about his status moving forward.
Foles’ debut wound up lasting less than one quarter. Early on, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones broke through the O-Line and slammed Foles to the ground, where he suffered the injury. Foles’ ball was caught by DJ Chark for a touchdown, but the club was forced to turn to sixth-rounder Gardner Minshew on the next drive. The Jaguars went on to lose 40-26 without Foles, and it didn’t help that they also lost linebacker Myles Jack along the way following his ejection.
For now, Minshew projects as the club’s starter for next week’s game against the Texans, as he is the only QB on the active roster. His backup, in all likelihood, will be practice squad member Chase Litton.
The Jaguars inked Foles to a four-year, $88MM deal in March, including $50MM+ in guarantees. The club, of course, still has high hopes for the 30-year-old and one-time Super Bowl MVP.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Eli, Eagles
Let’s take a look at the latest from the NFC East, starting with the Cowboys’ contract situation. The team has now extended four high-profile players over the past several months and remains at work on at least two other deals.
- Cowboys VP Stephen Jones was adamant that new contracts with Jaylon Smith and La’el Collins were not done to try to put some pressure on Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott or Amari Cooper. “We’d consider other agreements right now and it wouldn’t affect what we’re doing with Dak, Amari or anyone else,” Jones said (Twitter link via The Athletic’s Jon Machota). The Cowboys now have Smith, Collins, Elliott and DeMarcus Lawrence signed long-term; they are still working on re-ups for Prescott and Cooper.
- On his “Hail to the Podcast” podcast with Erin Hawksworth, former Redskins defensive back DeAngelo Hall said that Trent Williams could make his return “sooner (rather) than later.” Despite his holdout, GM Bruce Allen recently confirmed that the disgruntled Pro Bowler will not be traded and that he does not see him retiring.
- According to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY, Giants officials have privately told him that Eli Manning will remain the starting quarterback as long as they are in the playoff race. Moreover, sources also told Vacchiano that Pat Shurmur will have a significant say in the matter. “It’s Shurmur’s call,” one team source said. “Let’s just see how it goes. When and if it’s time, we’ll all know.” Manning confirmed this past summer that he is not rushing into retirement.
- Eagles linebacker Nigel Bradham was thought to be AWOL after missing the team’s preseason finale against the Jets, and the team was “livid” at his absence, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane. However, Bradham said he was “under the weather” and needed to communicate better with team officials. Bradham signed a five-year, $40MM deal in 2018 and has been a key contributor to the defense since coming over from the Bills in 2016.
Seahawks Geno Smith: I Had Better Offers
The Seahawks dropped quarterback Geno Smith prior to the 53-man roster deadline, only to re-sign him two days later. For the Seahawks, it was a clever way to shuffle the roster – for one reason or another, they did not fear losing Smith to another team in free agency.
But, according to the one-time Jets starter, he drew more lucrative offers than what the Seahawks were willing to give him after his brief break from the team.
“I had some teams call me, actually offering me more money,” Smith said, via Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “But, I decided to stay. . . . It’s always tempting when you get offered more money, right? But I didn’t want to move.”
Smith’s 2019 salary is believed to be $805K, the same as his original contract with the Seahawks. We have yet to hear of specific clubs that were interested in signing Smith during his 48-hour stint on the market.
Titans Sign LS Beau Brinkley To Extension
The Titans have agreed to terms on a multi-year extension with long snapper Beau Brinkley, per a club announcement. Exact terms of the deal are not yet known.
Brinkley first joined the Titans as an undrafted free agent following the 2012 draft. Since then, he’s manned the long snapping spot for Tennessee. Currently, he’s partnered with punter Brett Kern, who has achieved Pro Bowl status in back-to-back seasons, thanks in part to Brinkley. Meanwhile, kickers Rob Bironas (2012-13) and Ryan Succop (2014-18) combined to make 85.6% of their field goals across Brinkley’s first seven seasons.
Last time around, in 2015, Brinkley inked a five-year, $5.75MM extension with the Titans. His new deal will give him a bit of a pay bump, plus increased security.
Raiders’ Antonio Brown To Play Vs. Broncos
What a week. What an offseason. 
Antonio Brown will play on Monday night against the Broncos, Raiders head coach Jon Gruden announced. Brown made a mea culpa to Raiders staffers and teammates on Friday morning, and that apparently put him back in the team’s good graces.
It’s a stunning turn of events, particularly after Brown’s latest incident. For those of you who haven’t been tuned in to the NFL’s most fascinating story of the offseason:
- Brown threatened to retire, and skipped practices, when the NFL refused to let him wear his helmet of choice.
- Brown was handed a letter, outlining fines for those missed practices when he returned to the club in late August. He expressed his dissatisfaction by posting a picture of the letter to social media and indicated that he would not pay the fine.
- Sometime after, Brown nearly came to blows with GM Mike Mayock. He punted a football, threatened to punch him, and called him a “cracker.”
At least, that’s the Reader’s Digest version. There’s also the strange saga of Brown’s final two years in Pittsburgh, the trade that brought him to the Raiders, and the cryotherapy session gone awry that left him with a foot malady.
In light of all of that, the strangest twist of all is this: Brown will suit up and play in the Raiders’ season opener against the Broncos on Monday night.
Raiders’ Antonio Brown To Play On Monday?
Things move fast in Oakland. On Thursday, Raiders coach Jon Gruden told people that Antonio Brown was not in the team’s plans for Monday. Now, there is a real chance he will not be suspended, allowing him to suit up for the season opener against the Broncos (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). 
On Friday, Brown issued “an emotional apology” at a team meeting, while standing alongside team captains (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com). Things have been extremely fluid between Brown and the team all offseason long, but this could be a real turning point. At this moment, it appears that Brown is on course to face Denver.
Days ago, Brown got into a heated argument with GM Mike Mayock that reportedly included Brown:
- Punting a football in Mayock’s vicinity
- Threatening to punch Mayock in the face
- Cursing Mayock out, and calling him a “cracker”
After the incident, the Raiders appeared set on suspending Brown and voiding his ~$30MM in guarantees. But, despite that exchange, and all of the wild drama of the summer, the two parties appear ready to bury the hatchet – for now.
Latest On Raiders, Antonio Brown
Raiders wide receiver Antonio Brown and GM Mike Mayock got into it this week, and details of the argument are starting to emerge. At some point during the exchange, Brown cursed out Mayock and called him a “cracker,” according to ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson. 
It was previously reported that Brown also threatened to punch Mayock in the face and punted a football during the exchange. After sending the ball into the sky, Brown told the GM, “Fine me for that!” Mayock, it seems, is ready to take things a step further by suspending the mercurial star, which would put his ~$30MM guarantee in jeopardy.
Brown’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, admits that Brown’s relationship with Mayock is not a great place. Meanwhile, he insists that Brown is on good terms with head coach Jon Gruden.
“Right now I think (Antonio Brown’s) relationship with Coach Gruden is good, very good. I’m not going to get into his relationship with Mike Mayock, but I will say that we’re hopeful that that will be a good one, as well. It has been in the past,” Rosenhaus said in an interview on ESPN.
The Raiders are reportedly set to suspend Brown, but nothing has officially happened on that front.
Chiefs, Tyreek Hill Agree To Extension
The Chiefs have agreed to a brand new deal with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The deal is worth $54MM over three years, Mike Florio of PFT tweets. 
Hill, of course, is a controversial figure. His partner, Crystal Espinal, has accused him of domestic violence, and, recently, there were allegations that Hill broke his three-year-old son’s arm. Hill did not receive league discipline or legal consequences for the claims of child abuse, and the Chiefs have stood by him.
Recently, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt met with Hill in person to discuss the latest controversy.
“So I had a good visit with him,” Hunt said. “I’m not going to get into the details of that conversation, but it was a very frank conversation, talking to him about responsibility as he comes back to be a Kansas City Chief.”
On the field, Hill has been absolute dynamite for the Chiefs. Last year, Hill nearly reached 1,500 yards receiving, averaged 17.0 yards per grab, and gave opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. His nickname – Cheetah – says it all. Hill is one of the fastest players in the entire league and one of the most dangerous on-field weapons the game has seen in years.
The $18MM average annual value of the deal makes Hill one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. It’s also shorter than it would have been, if not for his off-the-field issues, and includes a “unique structure” that is almost certainly team-friendly (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports). Hill will get a relatively modest $5.8MM signing bonus, though the deal includes $35.2MM in total guarantees.
From a football perspective, the deal is a big win for the Chiefs. They boast one of the league’s very best offenses with a core that is locked down for years to come thanks to these recent extensions:
- RB Damien Williams (signed through 2020)
- WR Sammy Watkins (2020)
- TE Travis Kelce (2020)
- C Austin Reiter (2020)
- OT Eric Fisher (2021)
- OT Mitchell Schwartz (2021)
- OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (2022)
- WR Tyreek Hill (2022)