This Date In Transactions History: Broncos Cut Adam “Pacman” Jones
On this date in 2018, the Broncos released cornerback Adam Jones. As the veteran broke the news himself on social media, he vowed to continue his career elsewhere. 
“Well, Denver, it was good,” Jones wrote on Instagram. “Thanks for the opportunity!!!! On to the next.”
Jones didn’t realize it at the time, but this pretty much marked the end of his NFL career. Jones, 35 at the time, hooked on with the Broncos that summer to serve as their punt returner and No. 4 CB. Once a dynamic threat in the return game, he did not live up to expectations. Jones had just 25 total yards off of seven attempts.
Jones was showing obvious signs of decline before his Denver deal — few teams considered him before the Bengals rejected his option for 2018. The veteran was limited to just nine games with the Bengals in 2017 and didn’t fare particularly well on his 299 defensive snaps. Pro Football Focus assigned Jones the worst mark (47.1) of his entire career that year, indicating that he was more of a return man than a reliable corner.
Jones’ legacy may be clouded by his string of off-the-field incidents, but he was a force in his prime. After being selected by the Titans with the No. 6 overall pick in the 2005 draft, Jones offered up a series of head-turning highlights, including three punt return touchdowns in his second pro year.
Years after being ID’d as a suspect in the now-infamous Atlanta incident, Jones found his second wind with the Bengals. Jones spent eight years in the Bengals’ secondary and put together three straight seasons with three interceptions in each. In 2014, Jones earned his first ever First-Team All-Pro nod and received a Pro Bowl selection in 2015. He achieved a great deal throughout his tumultuous career, but his 2018 release proved that he could no longer outrun Father Time.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/19/21
Today’s minor moves:
Chicago Bears
- Promoted: LB Cassius Marsh (story)
New Orleans Saints
- Promoted: K Brett Maher
- Waived: K Brian Johnson
New York Giants
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Logan Ryan
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/19/21
Today’s taxi squad moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Released: G Joe Sculthorpe
Detroit Lions
- Signed: OT Dan Skipper
Minnesota Vikings
- Released: DE Nate Orchard
New Orleans Saints
- Signed: DT Montravius Adams
Bears’ Khalil Mack Done For Year
Khalil Mack‘s season is over. The Bears’ All-Pro pass rusher is set for foot surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the year, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport 
(Twitter link).
[RELATED: Bears’ Trevathan Done For Year]
Mack missed the two Bears two games previous to their Week 10 bye. The Bears were optimistic that the former Defensive Player of the Year would be able to play this weekend, but the specialists have said otherwise.
Mack, 30, got off to a strong start this year with six sacks across the first six weeks of the season. Up until the foot injury, he had only missed two games during his three-plus-seasons in Chicago.
Acquired via a 2018 blockbuster trade with the Raiders, Mack has been the centerpiece of the past four Bears defenses. The former DPOY has delivered on the Bears’ investment, even though the gaudy Oakland sack totals have not followed him to Chicago. And, even though Mack’s double-digit sack streak ended after 2018, but was well on pace to post his fifth 10-plus-sack slate this year. Pro Football Focus graded Mack as its No. 1 edge defender in 2020, despite his lower sack (9) and QB-hit (13) totals.
Mack, who will be absent from the Pro Bowl list for the first time in a long time, remains under club control through the 2024 season. For right now, the Bears find themselves at 3-6, down both Mack and longtime defensive leader Danny Trevathan.
Bears’ Danny Trevathan Done For Year
The Bears have placed Danny Trevathan injured reserve, per a club announcement. This marks the veteran linebacker’s second trip to IR, which will officially shut him down for the rest of the season. In related moves, the Bears have officially signed linebacker Bruce Irvin while promoting fellow LB Cassius Marsh to the 53-man roster. 
[RELATED: Bears Sign Bruce Irvin]
Trevathan, 31, has been with the Bears since 2016. A training camp knee injury camp sidelined him to start the year, but the 10th-year linebacker returned after missing the first four games. His presence alongside Roquan Smith figured to strengthen Chicago’s defense, but he wasn’t able to stick around for long. Appearing mostly as a reserve, Trevathan registered just 19 tackles across five games and appeared in roughly one-quarter of Chicago’s snaps. That’s a big drop from last year when Trevathan turned in a full slate, registered 113 stops, and lifted the Bears to the playoffs.
Even with Trevathan in the lineup, the Bears have sunk to 3-6 on the year. Now, they’re out to stop their four-game skid against the Ravens without one of their key defenders.
Trevathan is no stranger to injuries, having missed a ton of time since 2016. Still, he’s been a starter for most of his Bears tenure and remains under contract through 2022, thanks to the three-year pact he inked in 2020.
Eagles Sign Dallas Goedert To Four-Year Extension
The Eagles have signed Dallas Goedert to a four-year contract extension, per a club announcement. The deal positions Goedert as one of the three highest-paid tight ends in the NFL on a yearly basis (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo) and ties him to the club through 2025. 
Before the deal, Goedert was on course for free agency in March, where he would have commanded top dollar. “There’s going to be no discount on Dallas Goedert,” Eagles GM Howie Roseman confessed in October, the same week in which he traded one-time star Zach Ertz to the Cardinals.
“No discount” is right. Goedert’s new four-year deal is worth $59MM with $35.7MM guaranteed, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). That’s a sizable — and well-deserved — bump up from his current $1.24MM salary.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk provides the full details on the contract, pointing out that “only” about $14.92MM is guaranteed at signing (in the form of a $10.22MM signing bonus, $408K 2021 salary, $3.22MM option bonus for 2022, and $1.08MM base salary for 2022). However, Goedert’s $12.92MM option bonus for 2023 and his $1.08MM base salary for 2023 — which are both guaranteed for injury already — become fully guaranteed this coming March, so unless something unforeseen happens over the next few months, Goedert’s practical full guarantee is about $29MM.
With Ertz out of the picture, Goedert has served as the undisputed top dog in the club’s tight end room. Through nine games played, the 26-year-old has 29 catches for 429 yards and two touchdowns.
In his 26 games between 2019 and 2020, Goedert tallied 104 catches for 1,131 yards and eight TDs. He’s also been highly efficient throughout his career, having caught more than 70% of his targets over the last four years.
Goedert’s new average annual value slots him ahead of Ravens TE Mark Andrews for third at the position. He trails only George Kittle ($15MM/year) and Travis Kelce ($14.3MM), which makes sense given his production and age. Goedert, who won’t turn 27 until January, already has 166 catches for 1,894 yards and 14 touchdowns to his credit — numbers that are even more impressive given his previous split with Ertz.
Bills Sign Bobby Hart
The Bills have signed offensive lineman Bobby Hart, per a club announcement. He’ll help fill in for right tackle Spencer Brown, who was placed on the COVID-19/Reserve list earlier this week. 
Hart has managed to stick in the NFL for seven seasons despite being selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft. The lineman started 21 games for the Giants between 2015 and 2017. He later started 45 games (out of 46 appearances) for the Bengals between 2018 and 2020.
The Bengals dropped Hart in March and he’s been making the rounds ever since, spending time with the practice squads of the Bills and Dolphins. The Titans also picked him up for a bit, using him in three games this year. Now, the 6’5″, 330-pound lineman is back in Buffalo with a chance to play.
The Bills will likely start Daryl Williams alongside Dion Dawkins while Brown is out. They’ll be supported by Hart and fifth-round rookie Tommy Doyle.
The Bills advanced to 6-3 last week, cruising past the Jets 45-17. Next up, a Sunday afternoon tilt against the Colts in Buffalo.
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/16/21
Today’s minor moves:
Atlanta Falcons
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: G Josh Andrews
Detroit Lions
- Waived: WR Geronimo Allison
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: OLB Tipa Galeai
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: QB Shane Buechele (story)
Jacksonville Jaguars
- Waived: WR Tyron Johnson
Miami Dolphins
- Placed on IR: T Greg Little
- Waived: S Sheldrick Redwine
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: C Garrett Bradbury
- Placed on reserve/COVID-19 list: S Josh Metellus
New Orleans Saints
- Waived: DT Montravius Adams
New York Jets
- Signed off Bills’ practice squad: CB Rachad Wildgoose
- Promoted: TE Kenny Yeboah
Tennessee Titans
- Activated from IR: OLB Derick Roberson
- Promoted: LB Dylan Cole
Washington Football Team
- Promoted: DL Daniel Wise
- Activated from reserve/COVID-19 list: T Saahdiq Charles
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/16/21
Keeping tabs on the latest taxi squad moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Released: T Jaryd Jones-Smith
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: DT Eli Ankou
Carolina Panthers
- Signed: DL Josh Avery
- Released: DT Treyvon Hester
Cleveland Browns
- Released: WR Isaiah Zuber
Dallas Cowboys
- Released: WR Damion Ratley
Denver Broncos
- Released: G Shaq Calhoun, QB Danny Etling
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: OLB Ladarius Hamilton, RB Kerrith Whyte
- Released: DL Auzoyah Alufohai
Miami Dolphins
- Released: DE Jabaal Sheard
Minnesota Vikings
- Activated from practice squad reserve/COVID-19 list: T Timon Parris
- Signed: FB Garrett Groshek
- Released: C Cohl Cabral
New Orleans Saints
- Released: DT Montravius Adams, RB Lamar Miller
New York Jets
- Signed: WR Keelan Doss, LB Corey Thompson
- Placed on practice squad IR: LB Noah Dawkins
Seattle Seahawks
- Released: QB Jake Luton, DE Alex Tchangam
Washington Football Team
- Signed: TE Temarrick Hemingway, DT Gabe Wright
Ravens To Release Le’Veon Bell
The Ravens are releasing Le’Veon Bell, per an announcement from the running back himself. As a post-trade-deadline cut, he’ll be subject to the waiver wire before potentially reaching the open market. 
“This hurts, but it’s been a blessing to be here to say the least,” Bell tweeted. “I’ve enjoyed every second of this short period and got a whole new meaning of what this city is like..it’s a great place to be. I appreciate [GM Eric DeCosta] and [head coach] John Harbaugh for the opportunity to be called a Raven.”
[RELATED: Ravens Activate TE Nick Boyle]
While a reunion is possible, per Harbaugh, Bell’s 2.7-yard average this season does not present considerable upside. Bell joined the Ravens’ taxi squad in early September and earned a promotion to the varsity squad soon after. The 29-year-old has appeared in a total of five games this season, collecting 31 touches for 83 yards and two touchdowns.
“I really appreciate everything about him: professionalism, attitude, work ethic,” Harbaugh said, via ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. “Being around him is a joy every single day. He’s really a great guy and he helped us.”
Bell has had issues holding a job since his famed 2018 holdout. No longer producing like his old All-Pro self, he was limited to just 466 yards between the Jets and Chiefs last year. Still, he did register more than 1,000 all-purpose yards with Gang Green in 2019.
The Ravens were expected to use Bell quite a bit following injuries to J.K. Dobbins, Gus Edwards, and Justice Hill. Instead, they’ll stick to the rest of their RBs — Devonta Freeman, Ty’Son Williams, and Latavius Murray.