Pro Football Rumors Seeking Part-Time Writers
We’re looking to add part-time contributors to the Pro Football Rumors Rumors writing team. The position pays on an hourly basis. Applicants must meet ALL of the following criteria:
- Exceptional knowledge of all 32 NFL teams, with no discernible bias.
- Knowledge of the salary cap and transaction-related concepts.
- At least some college education.
- Extensive writing experience, with professional experience and a background in journalism both strongly preferred.
- Keen understanding of journalistic principles, ethics and procedures. Completion of basic college-level journalism classes is strongly preferred.
- Attention to detail — absolutely no spelling errors, especially for player and journalist names.
- Ability to follow the site’s style and tone.
- Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news in a few paragraphs. We need someone who can balance quick writing with thoughtful analysis. You must be able to add value to breaking news with your own insight, numbers or links to other relevant articles.
- Ability to use an RSS feed reader. Ability to use Twitter. Both of these are crucial.
- Strong weekend availability is crucial. You must be available to work between 1pm-5pm central time on Sundays and frequently be available to work between 5-11 pm CT on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays.
- Flexibility. You must be available to work on short notice.
If you’re interested, email pfrapplications@gmail.com by August 12 (11:00pm central time) and take a couple of paragraphs to explain why you qualify and stand out. Many will apply, so unfortunately we cannot respond to every applicant.
Broncos TE Austin Fort Done For Season
Broncos’ undrafted free agent tight end Austin Fort suffered a torn ACL in Thursday night’s preseason game against the Seahawks, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Of course, it’s a season ending injury, so Fort will have to wait until at least 2020 to make his true NFL debut. 
[RELATED: Lions’ Kearse Breaks Leg, Suffers Ankle Damage]
Prior to the injury, Fort was impressing in training camp and was pushing hard for playing time on the roster. The Wyoming product was even getting time as a first-stringer in practice due to injuries.
Fort suffered the ACL tear after catching a beautiful 29-yard pass from fellow rookie Drew Lock. He went down quickly without contact and doctors confirmed the team’s worst fears soon after.
Fort’s injury leaves the Broncos thin at tight end. As it stands, Troy Fumagalli and Moral Stephens are the only healthy tight ends behind Jeff Heuerman and Noah Fant. Heuerman, meanwhile, is dealing with a shoulder issue.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/7/19
Today’s minor moves:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: OL Kiwanis Bushell-Beatty
- Waived/injured: WR Lance Lenoir
Houston Texans
- Signed: QB Jordan Ta’amu
- Waived: C D.J. Coker
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: Aca’Cedric Ware
- Placed on injured reserve: WR Steve Ishmael
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Signed: S John Battle, DT Stevie Tu’ikolovatu
- Waived/injured: OL Mike Liedtke (story)
- Waived: QB Vincent Testaverde
Details On Cameron Meredith’s Patriots Deal
On Tuesday, the Patriots agreed to sign wide receiver Cameron Meredith to a low-cost deal. Today, we learned the details of the pact, via Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
Meredith’s deal is worth just $2.02MM over two years and includes no guaranteed money. The deal also includes injury waivers for both years. It’s a big step down from the two-year, $9.6MM deal he inked with the Saints as a restricted free agent just a couple of years ago.
On the plus side, the deal gives Meredith a chance to prove that he is healthy and can still play at a high level. Meanwhile, it’s a very low-risk deal for the Patriots that could pay major dividends.
AFC East Rumors: Patriots, Brady, Jets
The Tom Brady extension is smart, but also risky for the Patriots, Tom E. Curran of NBC Sports opines. With the new deal, the Patriots will be able to lower Brady’s 2019 cap hit and gain flexibility in the coming year. And, with voidable salaries, the new pact will allow the team to avoid committing to an age-43 Tom Brady before seeing what he looks like at the age of 42.
On the flipside, the deal cancels out the team’s ability to franchise tag the quarterback in February. So, if Brady continues to perform at a high level, he’ll have lots of leverage with the Patriots, as well as interest from a boatload of teams in free agency.
Here’s more from the AFC East:
- Some league executives are suspicious of the new deal between the Brady and the Patriots, given the fact that Brady punted on a fully-guaranteed salary in 2014 that was on the verge of vesting, Mike Sando of The Athletic writes. Sando points to the Broncos’ mini-scandal of yesteryear when John Elway and Terrell Davis deferred $29MM in salary to lessen the team’s immediate cap hit in exchange for receiving the money with interest at a later date. To be clear – there’s no concrete proof of misdeeds between the Pats and Brady, but some folks in the football world are raising their eyebrows.
- After the Jets lured Ryan Kalil out of retirement, could they swing another big offensive line move by acquiring Redskins left tackle Trent Williams? That’s what many fans are wondering, but Rich Cimini of ESPN.com would be surprised if that happens. The Jets, he feels, should save their bullets for improving the cornerback situation, rather than upgrading from Kelvin Beachum.
- The Dolphins have a closer-than-expected quarterback race between Ryan Fitzpatrick and newcomer Josh Rosen.
NFL, NFLPA Resume Talks
The NFL and NFL Players Association will meet on Tuesday to discuss the collective bargaining agreement, according to Mike Florio of PFT. It’s a promising sign – earlier this summer, the two sides were slated to talk for consecutive days, but pulled the plug before day one was finished.
Of course, this doesn’t necessarily mean that real progress is being made in talks. Eight years ago, the two sides wound up in a lockout, so the possibility of a labor stoppage still looms large. As it stands, the current CBA is set to expire until after next season.
Recently, we heard that the two sides are far apart on a revenue split. In light of that, a new deal is not expected to be in place by the owners’ unofficial pre-Week 1 target date. Meanwhile, the owners have backed off the goal of having the next collective bargaining agreement in place by then.
Ezekiel Elliott Won’t Play Without Deal?
The situation in Dallas between Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys could drag on for a while. Elliott is unlikely to suit up in 2019 unless he gets a new contract, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter links) hears. 
Despite Jerry Jones‘ confidence in everything working out with Elliott (plus star players Amari Cooper and Dak Prescott), things are clearly not trending in the right direction. On Tuesday, it was reported that the Cowboys were growing frustrated with the lack of progress in that trio of talks, and Elliott seems ready to dig in on his holdout.
The Cowboys have reportedly proposed a contract that would be closer to Le’Veon Bell‘s than Todd Gurley‘s, making Elliott the second-highest paid running back in the league. Zeke, it seems, wants to be No. 1. Topping Gurley across all major fronts would mean beating out a four year, $57.5MM contract extension with $45MM in total guarantees and nearly $22MM guaranteed at signing.
Last season, Elliott posted 1,434 yards and six touchdowns on the ground while adding 77 receptions, 567 yards, and three scores in the passing game. Of course, Elliott also ran behind one of the NFL’s better offensive lines, and only ranked 18th in Football Outsiders’ success rate.
Cowboys Frustrated With Prescott, Cooper, Elliott Talks
The Cowboys are growing frustrated with the lack of progress in negotiations with Ezekiel Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper, Todd Archer of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. The team believes solid offers have been made that would put each player in the top five at their respective positions, yet the needle has not moved much. 
In the case of Elliott, the Cowboys are pitching him a contract that would be closer to Le’Veon Bell‘s than Todd Gurley, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic (on Twitter) reports. That deal would make Elliott second-highest paid running back in NFL. It seems that Zeke is either gunning for No. 1, or for a more favorable payout/guarantee structure than Gurley earned. Gurley got $45MM guaranteed in his deal, whereas Bell is looking at $39.5MM in potential earnings over the first three seasons.
On Sunday, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expressed confidence in the process for all three players. The team, at least behind the scenes, is now singing a different tune.
“You just know like so many things it’ll happen. It’ll happen,” Jones said of the extensions. “There literally is no concern on my part at all about any timeframe. That’ll happen. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. Think about it a minute. The results are too good for them and too good for the Cowboys. That always happens when it’s good for both (sides).”
Prescott does not sound receptive to a Cowboys-friendly deal and Cooper seems more than willing to play out the final year of his pact in search of the biggest payday possible.
Cardinals, Michael Crabtree Call Off Deal
Michael Crabtree won’t be joining the Cardinals after all. Just hours after word of an agreement leaked, negotiations between the two parties went bust, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. With that, the wide receiver remains on the free agent market. 
Crabtree was a logical fit for the Cardinals, who are looking for athletic wide receivers to work with new quarterback Kyler Murray. There was also a Texas Tech tie-in – both Kliff Kingsbury and Crabtree are alums of the Red Raiders and played under head coach Mike Leach. Despite the potential conversations with campus nostalgia and their shared understanding of Leach’s offensive principles, the deal fell apart.
Crabtree, 31, played all 16 games for the Ravens last season and finished out with 54 catches for 607 yards and two scores. It was his weakest stat line ever, but he was healthy and showed that he can still ball.
Right now, it doesn’t sound like the Cardinals will be circling back to Crabtree. The team has no plans to sign him, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
Latest On Cowboys’ Randy Gregory
Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory has yet to apply for reinstatement, Mike Florio of PFT hears. However, he has every intention of filing his petition and returning this season, according to a source. 
Furthermore, Florio hears that Gregory is “’doing well’ and continues to do everything necessary in his treatment and personal responsibility plan.” Meanwhile, Gregory’s parents are moving from Michigan to North Texas as part of Gregory’s “reliability partner” program.
Reading between the lines, this could be an indication that Gregory is not quite ready to retake the field. Florio hears that it’s unlikely that Gregory will get Roger Goodell’s approval for the start of the regular season, though hope has not been lost for 2019.
Once he applies, Gregory will push for a conditional reinstatement that will allow him to participate in training camp, meetings, and conditioning work leading up to his return. That seems feasible, particularly with the support of owner Jerry Jones, though Gregory stumbled when granted the same thing last year.