Saints, Browns Discussed Odell Beckham Jr. Trade
The Browns and Saints discussed a trade that would have sent Odell Beckham Jr. to New Orleans 
(Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Kimberley A. Martin). Ultimately, the two sides couldn’t get a deal done, largely due to OBJ’s salary.
No offers came in that would have made sense for the Browns, per Dianna Russini of ESPN.com. Although there are no post-2021 guarantees in Beckham’s Giants-constructed contract, the eighth-year wide receiver is due more than $7MM in base salary for the rest of this season. He has also struggled (again) to carve out a steady role in Cleveland’s offense this season.
Beckham hasn’t been totally healthy since 2019, when he notched 74 catches for 1,035 yards and four touchdowns for the Browns. Meanwhile, he’s spent much of his Cleveland tenure at odds with coaches and management. Today, his camp seems to have stoked the flames of a potential trade sending him elsewhere.
Odell Beckham Sr. posted a video on Instagram of his son breaking open on various routes that did not produce targets from Baker Mayfield. The elder Beckham also appeared to endorse a comment that read “[Mayfield is] either hating on Odell or he just doesn’t want him shining,” via ESPN.com’s Jake Trotter. LeBron James weighed in on OBJ’s status as well, dropping a #FreeOBJ into a tweet supporting a player who has never truly fit in the Browns’ offense.
Cleveland acquired Beckham in March 2019, sending Jabrill Peppers and a first-round pick (which ended up being defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence) to New York. Beckham made three Pro Bowls as a Giant and totaled four 1,000-yard seasons in five years with his initial team, but in addition to never fitting in with the Browns, the soon-to-be 29-year-old weapon has been frequently hurt. He played through injuries in 2019 and suffered an ACL tear in 2020 — one that kept him out for the first two games of this season. In six games upon returning, Beckham has only topped the two-reception mark twice. He caught one pass for six yards in the Browns’ Week 8 loss to the Steelers.
The Saints are still waiting for All-Pro Michael Thomas‘ return from a late-offseason surgery, though they have since seen fourth-year contributor Tre’Quan Smith return. No Saints pass catcher has topped 300 yards this season, with Marquez Callaway leading the way with 284 yards — a chunk of those coming on a Hail Mary reception in Washington. The Saints cleared more than $100MM in cap space earlier this year, so adding Beckham’s base salary likely would not have been a deal-breaker for a team perpetually up against the salary ceiling. But the sides could not agree on terms, ensuring OBJ will finish a third season in Cleveland.
Broncos Trade Kary Vincent Jr. To Eagles
The Eagles have acquired rookie cornerback Kary Vincent Jr. from the Broncos in exchange for a 2022 sixth-round pick (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). The deal became official just before 3pm CT/4pm ET, beating the deadline by a matter of minutes.
[RELATED: No Trade For Eagles’ Fletcher Cox]
The Broncos were getting calls on multiple defensive backs this week, including Kareem Jackson and Kyle Fuller. Instead, those veterans will be staying put while Vincent heads to Philly.
Vincent, a seventh-round pick of this year’s draft, played three seasons at LSU before opting out of the 2020 season. His best work came in 2019 — 48 tackles, four interceptions, and nine passes defensed. He’s yet to see the field as a pro, but he could have his first opportunity on Sunday when the Eagles host the Chargers.
Eagles Won’t Trade Fletcher Cox
The Eagles did not find a suitable trade involving Fletcher Cox before today’s deadline (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). However, it wasn’t for a lack of trying. The Birds were aggressively trying to deal Cox, according to two NFL sources who spoke with Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). 
Trading Cox would have left the Eagles with an enormous cap hit, thanks to his six-year, $103MM contract. Cox still has another full year to go on his contract, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll play that out in Philadelphia. Keeping the defensive lineman under his current pact would result in a $23.8MM cap hit for 2022.
Cox has mostly lived up to his contract, but this is standard operating procedure for aging vets in the NFL. Even after collecting six straight Pro Bowls, the Eagles didn’t want to keep Cox through the end of the year.
“FOREVER PHILLY!!!!!,” Cox tweeted on Tuesday.
Forever might be an overstatement, but Cox will at least stay with the flock for the rest of this campaign. Cox, 31 in December, has started in all eight of his games this year while tallying one fumble recovery, one defensive touchdown, 12 tackles, and one sack to bring his career total to 55.5. He’ll make his next start on Sunday when the Eagles face the Chargers.
Chiefs Trade Laurent Duvernay-Tardif To Jets
The Chiefs have agreed to trade guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif to the Jets, according to sources who spoke with NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). In exchange, the Jets will send tight end Daniel Brown to Kansas City. 
It appears that Duvernay-Tardif personally signed off on the trade, since he’s one of ~10 NFL players to have a no-trade clause. The Chiefs received — and rebuffed — calls on LDT throughout the summer, but they’ve took Gang Green up on their pre-deadline offer.
LDT was a full-time starter for the Chiefs from 2015-19, but opted out of the 2020 campaign in order to treat COVID-19 patients. The licensed medical professional has yet to play this year, due to a broken bone in his hand.
This is just the latest move in the Chiefs’ offensive line revamp. After the Bucs clobbered KC’s front five in the Super Bowl, the Chiefs swung a blockbuster deal for tackle Orlando Brown Jr. and used a second-round choice to take center Creed Humphrey. LDT was set to be a part of that lineup, but his hand injury pushed sixth-round pick Trey Smith into a first-string role instead. Although he hasn’t played since the ’19 season, LDT offers serious experience with 60 games, including 57 starts.
Brown, 29, first entered the league as an undrafted free agent out of James Madison. After stints with the Ravens and Bears, he joined up with the Jets in 2019. He’s appeared in just six games for the Jets, with the bulk of that action coming in ’19. Known more for his blocking, Brown has just 44 catches for 420 yards and two touchdowns across six-and-a-half seasons.
Colts Expect To Keep Marlon Mack
Colts head coach Frank Reich says he expects Marlon Mack to stay with the Colts (Twitter link via Zak Keefer of The Athletic). The Colts promised the running back that they’d try to trade him before today’s deadline, but it doesn’t sound like they received any offers to their liking. 
Mack could have made sense for a few different clubs, like the Christian McCaffrey-less Panthers. Still, it’s not clear if Carolina called on the veteran or if any other teams were truly in pursuit.
Buried behind Jonathan Taylor this year, Mack has totaled just 101 yards on 28 carries. Taylor, meanwhile, has 649 yards on the year, good for second in the NFL. Of course, that’s a distant second to Derrick Henry‘s league-leading 937 yards, but his lengthy IR stay could give Taylor the rushing title in a matter of weeks.
Mack, still only 25, racked up 1,999 rushing yards between 2018 and ’19. Unfortunately, last year’s Achilles injury capped his season in September. He re-signed with the Colts on a low-cost, one-year deal, so he’ll have to try his luck in free agency next year without much of a platform.
Mack probably won’t be on the move, but defensive lineman Kemoko Turay could be traded if the right offer comes along. If they want to turn Turay into future draft ammo, they’ve got less than an hour to get a deal done.
Seahawks To Keep L.J. Collier?
Sounds like L.J. Collier is staying put. The Seahawks are not expected to trade the defensive lineman between now and the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline, according to sources who spoke with Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). 
The former first-round pick has hardly seen the field, playing in just two games so far this year. Despite that, Fowler hears that the Seahawks still see him as “valuable.” Reading between the lines, that probably means the Seahawks were underwhelmed with the offers they received.
Collier, the No. 29 overall pick in 2019, hardly played as a rookie but started in all 16 of the Seahawks’ games last year. This year, things have trended in the wrong direction, with Collier ceding ground to Robert Nkemdiche.
For now, the TCU product will remain with the only NFL team he’s ever known. Unless he manages to impress Pete Carroll & Co. this year, you can expect him to be back on the block in the offseason. By then, he’ll have just one year left on his deal with a fairly modest $1.97MM base salary.
Giants’ Darius Slayton Drawing Trade Interest
The Giants have been receiving trade inquiries on Darius Slayton (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). With a record of 2-6, the Giants could be willing to move the young wide receiver. 
[RELATED: Teams Calling On Giants’ Engram]
Slayton, 24, was a solid fifth-round find in 2019. He nabbed 48 passes for 740 yards and eight touchdowns as a rookie, good for a 15.4 yards per catch average. His encore was similarly solid — 50 receptions for 751 yards and three scores. This year has been a different story — hamstring issues sidelined him for several games and he was targeted just twice against the Chiefs last night. Through five games this year, Slayton has 12 catches for 190 yards and one touchdown.
His low-cost contract still has another full year to go, which should hold appeal to rival clubs. Then again, that’d be another reason for the Giants to keep him. And, despite their iffy status, GM Dave Gettleman and head coach Joe Judge have insisted that they won’t hold a desperation fire sale to save their jobs.
Tight end Evan Engram is also said to be drawing trade interest, with multiple teams calling on the fifth-year pro.
Dolphins Will Not Trade For Texans’ Deshaun Watson
No deal. At least, not today. The Dolphins will not trade for Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson before the 4pm ET/3pm CT deadline, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Dolphins owner Stephen Ross spent several weeks pushing his front office to get a deal done. However, he had “contingencies that needed to be met for any deal,” according to Schefter. Those contingencies likely pertain to the draft picks that would have been involved in the deal. The Dolphins reportedly wanted conditions to be attached to the picks in case Watson was held out of action by the league office. Texans GM Nick Caserio, meanwhile, has been unwilling to cave.
With that, the Dolphins will move forward with Tua Tagovailoa under center. That doesn’t guarantee Tagovailoa’s standing beyond 2021, but the young QB says that he’s made peace with the constant speculation.
“I don’t not feel wanted,” Tagovailoa said earlier this month (via ESPN.com). “I really don’t think about it. The only time I’m really hearing about it, like I’ve said before, is if [the communications staff] is kind of telling me what’s going on within the rumors or if my agent calls me. That’s really when I hear it. Other than that, I don’t really hear it.”
The Panthers, Broncos, and Eagles have also been connected to Watson in recent months. Watson, who holds a no-trade clause, tried to steer his way towards Miami or Carolina. After all the talk, the Texans are prepared to pay out the remainder of his $10.54MM salary and reevaluate their options in the offseason.
Philip Rivers Open To Joining Saints
If the Saints call, Philip Rivers says he’ll pick up the phone (Twitter link via Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times). The former Chargers and Colts quarterback hasn’t heard from Sean Payton & Co. yet, but he’s at least open to coming out of retirement. 
Rivers announced his retirement back in January, choosing to coach high school football rather than return for an 18th NFL season. However, the 39-year-old (40 in December) did say that he would stay in shape in case he had a change of heart in October or November.
“It’s a long shot at best. But gonna be ready just in case,” Rivers told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen in August (Twitter link). “…Will not even consider until our season is over no matter what. And like I said, somebody has to want ya.”
Rivers spent 16 years with the Chargers before spending the 2020 season with the Colts. All in all, the former No. 4 overall pick tallied 63,440 yards, 421 touchdowns, and nine Pro Bowl nods. He could, in theory, add to those totals with the Saints, but it’s not clear if the interest is mutual.
For now, the Saints are prepared to move forward with some combination of Trevor Siemian and Taysom Hill under center. Free agent Cam Newton is not under consideration and future Hall of Famer Drew Brees has already said that he’s not coming out of retirement.
Even without Winston, Siemian and the Saints still managed to beat the Bucs 36-27 on Sunday. Now at 5-2 on the year, it remains to be seen whether they’ll give Rivers a ring.
Raiders’ Henry Ruggs To Be Charged With DUI Resulting In Death
Raiders wide receiver Henry Ruggs will be charged in connection with a fatal car crash on Tuesday morning (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). Las Vegas police say that Ruggs was impaired when his Corvette crashed into another car and killed the driver of another vehicle. 
The crash occurred around 4am when authorities say Ruggs’ car collided with a Toyota Rav4. When the fire department arrived, they found the other driver deceased. Ruggs, 22, was transported to the hospital with “non-life-threatening injuries,” per the police report.
Ruggs was booked into Clark County Detention Center on Tuesday afternoon, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The victim was a 23-year-old woman, according to Mick Akers of the Las Vegas Review-Journal (on Twitter).
Ruggs, the No. 12 overall pick in the 2020 draft, posted ~1,500 yards and 24 touchdowns over his final two years at Alabama. On the field, the 6’0″ receiver has been a potent deep threat for the Raiders, averaging 18.4 yards per catch as a pro. Now, after today’s tragedy, his career is in limbo.
The wide receiver has two years and change to go on his contract, per the terms of his four-year, $16.67MM deal. The remaining salary and guarantees could be voided, depending on how his case progresses. In any event, he’ll likely spend the rest of the 2021 season away from the team.
The Raiders are now left with just three wide receivers on the roster in Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, and Zay Jones. Practice squad WRs Javon Wims, D.J. Turner, and Dillon Stoner could be candidates for promotion between now and Sunday’s contest against the Giants.