Falcons’ Kaleb McGary To Undergo Heart Surgery
Falcons rookie offensive lineman Kaleb McGary underwent a cardiac ablation procedure on Wednesday, per a team announcement. McGary had this surgery twice before and missed approximately two months after the last operation while at Washington. 
The good news for the first-round pick is that the cardiac ablation procedure is a minimally-invasive surgery. The club will have a better sense of his timetable after he comes out of the operating room.
The Falcons used their first Round 1 pick (No. 14) overall on Boston College guard Chris Lindstrom. But, they weren’t done revamping their offensive line, and they refused to let McGary get away. The Falcons traded their second- and third-round picks to the Rams to move back into the first round and snag McGary at No. 31 overall, giving them an alternative to Ty Sambrailo at right tackle.
Fallout From Michael Thomas’ Deal With Saints
On Wednesday, Michael Thomas and the Saints agreed to a deal that will keep the standout wide receiver in the fold through the 2024 season. The contract was initially reported to be worth $100MM over five years, but those numbers don’t quite tell the whole story.
Here’s the latest on Thomas’ shiny new pact:
- Thomas extension has a base value of $19.25MM per year, Mike Florio of PFT tweets. He can get to $20MM per year – giving him the initial reported value of $100MM in total, but as Florio’s source puts it, “He has to do some crazy sh-t in the last two years of the deal.”
- Thomas’ new contract is the first real movement at the wide receiver position since A.J. Green‘s 2015 extension, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets. The yearly record set by Green’s deal has been broken multiple times in the last four years, but this is the first contract to truly top its $20MM in inflated annual value.
- The Thomas deal will play well in the Saints’ locker room, Jeff Duncan of the The Athletic tweets. The team’s core of young stars – including Alvin Kamara, Marshon Lattimore, Ryan Ramczyk, and Sheldon Rankins – will know they’ll be taken care of if they continue to produce.
- The holdout-ending deal was the smart move by the Saints, NJ.com’s Darryl Slater opines. The monster numbers could come back to haunt them, but Slater’s feeling is that it was worthwhile to end Thomas’ holdout, especially considering the fact that Drew Brees has a limited championship window.
Redskins Discussing Trent Williams Trade
The Redskins are having trade discussions regarding tackle Trent Williams, according to a source who spoke with Jeff Howe of The Athletic (Twitter link). It’s unclear as to what they’re seeking in a trade, but there’s a feeling around the league the Patriots would be involved, Howe hears. 
There’s reportedly no end in sight to Williams’ holdout with the Redskins, so it only makes sense for the club to see what’s out there. They also just added veteran Donald Penn to the mix, so there’s a safety net in place in case they can’t smooth things out with Williams.
Williams has two years to go on his contract with $24MM in total remaining. He also hasn’t played a full season since 2013 and has missed 13 games over the last three years, but he is still an elite LT when on the field.
With depth issues at tackle, the Patriots would be a natural landing spot for Williams. It also helps that the Patriots carved out additional cap space by restructuring Marcus Cannon‘s contract on Wednesday. Still, even after the adjustment, the Pats only have $7.49MM in cap room and would have to fit Williams’ $11MM base pay under the cap.
Ravens Release Jordan Lasley
The Ravens released wide receiver Jordan Lasley, according to a team announcement. When speaking with reporters, head coach John Harbaugh explained that the 2018 fifth-round pick was cut because of football reasons and not his conduct in a chippy practice on Monday. 
Earlier this week, Lasley traded blows with cornerback Cyrus Jones and the two had to be separated by players and coaches. Soon after he returned to the field, Lasley caught a touchdown pass and launched the ball over the fence into a nearby pond.
“When you score in the red zone [and] you get a touchdown, you launch it in the pond,” Lasley said. “I learned that from Michael Crabtree.”
Still, it was not the airborne ball that got Lasley cut, nor was it the scrap. Harbaugh explained that he’d never cut a player for getting into a fight at practice. Rather, Lasley, who did not play last year, simply wasn’t a fit for Baltimore.
Without him, the club still has Willie Snead, Marquise Brown, Chris Moore, Miles Boykin, Michael Floyd, and a host of other wide receivers to consider.
Saints, Michael Thomas Agree To Deal
It’s a done deal. And it’s one for the record books (for now, at least). 
On Wednesday morning, the Saints and Michael Thomas agreed to a five-year, $100MM extension with $61MM guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The new deal makes him the league’s highest-paid receiver of all-time on a yearly basis.
With the new deal, Thomas is tied to New Orleans through the 2024 season. In 2019, he’ll still earn a paltry $1.148MM in the final year of his rookie contract, but he’s already locked in plenty of dough at signing.
The deal marks plenty of firsts for the Saints as well. They’ve never paid a non-QB skill-position player more than $10MM per year, but they’re now paying Thomas $20MM per annum. The previous watermark was owned by tight end Jimmy Graham, who banked $10MM/season before being traded to the Seahawks in 2015.
Last season, Thomas set Saints records with 125 catches and 1,405 yards while adding nine touchdown grabs. He was wildly efficient, too – Thomas’ catch rate of 84.5% was the highest of any NFL receiver since at least 2001.
With Thomas’ deal done, the attention will now shift to fellow standout wide receivers in search of their own monster contracts. Unlike Thomas, Falcons star Julio Jones has participated in training camp, but he is expecting a contract that will either match or exceed Thomas’ in average annual value. There’s also Bengals star A.J. Green to consider, though his recent injury may be a barrier in talks.
Down the line, Thomas’ new deal will also have ramifications for the Cowboys and Chiefs as they consider extensions for Amari Cooper and Tyreek Hill.
Jets Meet With Sam Young
The Jets met with free agent tackle Sam Young, according to Mike Florio of PFT. Young could be a depth option for the Jets after the Brent Qvale was carted off the field on Sunday. 
Young, 32, spent three years with the Dolphins under coach Adam Gase. His history with the new Jets head coach could lead to a deal and an easy-in for making the 53-man roster.
Over ten years, Young has 88 career regular season appearances, including 21 starts. Before his three-year stretch with the Fins, he appeared in games for the Cowboys, Bills, and Jaguars.
Bengals Sign CB Tony Lippett
The Bengals signed free agent cornerback Tony Lippett, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To make room, they’ve waived linebacker Chris Worley. 
For Lippett, a former second-round pick, it’s a new adventure in a familiar scheme. He spent time with defensive coordinator Lou Anarumo in Miami, so he may have a leg up on the competition as he guns for a spot on the 53-man roster.
Lippett, transformed from a collegiate wideout to an NFL corner and made 13 starts for the Fins in 2016. However, he missed the 2017 with a torn Achilles and missed the club’s final cutdowns in 2018. He bounced around a bit last year, including a three-game stint with the Giants.
Saints, Michael Thomas Nearing Deal (Again)
The Saints and wide receiver Michael Thomas are close on a new deal, Mike Florio of PFT hears. This was more or less what we heard late last week, but, at long last, the two sides sound like they’re at the goal line. 
Thomas has been holding out of Saints camp as he awaits a new deal, much to the chagrin of GM Mickey Loomis. Florio senses that Thomas is gunning for $20MM/year on a five-year deal while the Saints have pitched $19MM/season. Still, there are structural and guarantee issues to be resolved. For now, the Saints have the right to fine Thomas $40K per day missed in camp.
In 2018, Thomas led the league with 125 receptions while racking up 1,405 receiving yards and nine touchdowns.
Latest On Bengals’ A.J. Green
Bengals star A.J. Green underwent a minor ankle procedure on Tuesday morning to clean it out after his injury, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Here’s the good news – his timeline should remain the same as before, so Week 1 is still possible for the wide receiver. 
[RELATED: A.J. Green Expected Out 6-8 Weeks]
Initially ruled a standard sprain, Green’s injury may cost him regular season time. However, it’s not as scary as it first appeared. Green was carted off of the practice field late last week, creating a scary scene in Cincinnati.
The timing is less than ideal for a number of reasons. Personally, for Green, it comes in the midst of contract negotiations that were on course to put him near the top of the wide receivers list for average yearly compensation. Of course, an injury as minor as this shouldn’t completely derail talks, but it might be a bit of a barrier.
One of the Bengals’ all-time greats, Green ranks second in team annals in catches, receiving yards and touchdowns to Chad Johnson. Among the most productive wideouts since entering the league in 2011, Green earned Pro Bowl honors in each of his first seven seasons and has topped 1,000 yards six times.
Saints Place Buck Allen On IR
The Saints have placed running back Buck Allen on injured reserve, according to head coach Sean Payton. To take his place, the club has signed running back Robert Kelley. 
Allen worked out for the Saints in May alongside Kelley. Allen was the best of the bunch at the time, but Kelley will now get his shot now that the ex-Raven has been ruled out for the year.
Kelley only suited up for two games with the Redskins last year thanks to a toe injury (but he didn’t break his knee, dude.) The running back averaged 4.2 yards per carry as a rookie in 2016 and he’s hoping to regain his old form in 2019. Unfortunately for him, he has a tough road ahead of him to make the Saints’ roster. Behind star Alvin Kamara, the Saints already have Latavius Murray and the underrated Dwayne Washington.
In related moves, the club also inked wide receiver Travin Dural and waived defensive back Chris Campbell.