Latest On Roger Goodell
The Roger Goodell saga has dominated headlines for months, but we could be inching closer to a resolution. There is a “strong sentiment” among owners to get the matter fully resolved ahead of NFL’s owners meeting on Dec. 13, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. That group of determined owners includes some of those who serve on the league’s six-man Compensation Committee. 
Recently, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that he expects the matter to be discussed at the December meeting. Although Jones wields considerable influence and the meeting is being held in his backyard, it’s not his call to make since the league’s full ownership group already voted to authorize the Compensation Committee to complete a deal months ago. With that in mind, owners looking to put a bow on Goodell’s negotiations (presumably resulting in a new multi-year deal for the commissioner) believe things can be taken care of in New York this week with a portion of the NFL’s owners on hand for committee meetings.
The committee meetings take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, so Goodell could have a new contract in hand shortly. La Canfora hears that Falcons owner Arthur Blank is particularly driven to get things squared away.
“It could happen really fast after the committee meetings,” one ownership source told La Canfora, adding that Blank is expected to “allow for more dialogue with any owners” – beyond Jones and (Redskins owner) Dan Snyder – who have “issues” with the proposed deal.
Chiefs Sign Darrelle Revis
The Chiefs announced that they have signed Darrelle Revis. He’s still collecting a paycheck from the Jets, so the Chiefs’ deal for him will help to lessen New York’s obligation. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that it’s a two-year deal for the cornerback, with no guaranteed money in 2018. He’ll be making the minimum in 2017.
“Darrelle is a proven player in this league and we are excited to add him to our secondary,” Chiefs General Manager Brett Veach said. “He’s had a Hall of Fame career and his leadership and playing experience will be valuable to our defense.”
Revis has 485 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 137 passes defensed, 29 interceptions, six forced fumbles, and 12 fumble recoveries for his career. He also has a Super Bowl ring thanks to his time with the Patriots and seven Pro Bowl nods. He started all 15 of his games for the Jets in 2016, compiling 43 tackles, one interception, and five passes defended. He ultimately ranked as the league’s No. 64 corner in 2016, per Pro Football Focus
“We’re excited to add Darrelle to the roster,” Chiefs head coach Andy Reid said. “He has experience and familiarity with Bob Sutton’s defense, he’s a team guy and we feel like a player of his caliber can help our football team.”
Revis had been determined to play this season, but there wasn’t a whole lot of intrigue in the veteran. Besides a pair of unidentified teams expressing interest back in May, we only heard definitively that the Chargers (along with a “handful” of other teams) had reached out to the cornerback.
Reid told Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star that Revis will eventually slide into the starting lineup (Twitter link). With All-Pro Marcus Peters manning one side of the field, that means former sixth-rounder Kenneth Acker will likely move to the bench. The Chiefs could ultimately look to move on from one of their cornerbacks, as they’re also rostering Terrance Mitchell, Steven Nelson, and Phillip Gaines.
Lions Claim Dwight Freeney
The Lions have claimed Dwight Freeney off waivers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Freeney was released by the Seahawks on Tuesday. 
Once among the league’s most dominant edge rushers, the 37-year-old isn’t quite the world-beater that he used to be. Still, Freeney could be a useful situational player, as evidenced by the three sacks he compiled in four games with Seattle. He was also effective in small doses for the Falcons in 2016. Freeney scored three sacks and 26.5 pressures for the Falcons last year while playing roughly a third of Atlanta’s defensive snaps.
In Detroit, Freeney will help to serve as depth behind starters Anthony Zettel and Ezekiel Ansah. If Ansah’s knee keeps him from the field on Thanksgiving, Cornelius Washington will draw the start at right defensive end, potentially putting Freeney in line for significant playing time. Jeremiah Valoaga and the newly-promoted Christian Ringo will also be in the same boat.
Freeney has a chance to reach the postseason with the Lions, who are 6-4. He also has a chance to move up the all-time sack chart. Currently, he sits 17th with 125.5 career sacks, putting him within range of Derrick Thomas (126.5) and Rickey Jackson (128). If he plays in 2018, he might have a chance at leapfrogging Lawrence Taylor and Leslie O’Neal (132.5).
Cardinals’ Johnson, Palmer Done For Season
The Cardinals were hoping to get at least one of David Johnson or Carson Palmer back before the end of the season. On Wednesday, coach Bruce Arians announced that a return to action is unlikely for both players. In fact, no one on Arizona’s IR has progressed all that much in rehab, Arians says, and that group includes rookie running back T.J. Logan.
At 4-6, the Cardinals’ odds of making the playoffs are not all that strong, but it will be even tougher to sneak in without two of their most important offensive players. The odds calculator at Football Outsiders gives the Cardinals just a 0.4% chance of reaching the postseason.
Johnson was among the league’s best offensive players last year with more than 2,100 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. The Cardinals swung a surprising trade for Adrian Peterson before the deadline, but the veteran has not been able to replicate his production.
Recently, Palmer expressed optimism that he could return at the very end of the season.
“I could potentially be available the last two weeks of the season,” Palmer said earlier this month. “Who knows? I don’t know where I’ll be (with rehab) at that point. I don’t know where we will be as a team at that point. I just try to be as ready as I can as quick as I can.”
The 37-year-old (38 in December) will probably weigh retirement this offseason. If he does decide to play, there is a contract in place for 2018.
New York Notes: Jets, Giants, Darnold
The misdemeanor assault charge against Jets outside linebacker Lorenzo Mauldin has been dropped, as Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes. Mauldin was said to have punched a 22-year-old man in the face, but New York authorities did not find enough evidence to move forward with the case. Still, Mauldin faces a civil suit and league discipline is still possible even though he is in the clear, legally speaking.
Mauldin, a third-round pick in 2015, was in the mix for a starting job this season. Instead, he lost the entire season to a back injury. Next season is slated to be his final year with the Jets and that may mark his final opportunity to make a good impression on a regime that did not draft him.
Here’s more out of the Meadowlands:
- Who will be the Jets‘ starting quarterback in 2018? Ralph Vacchiano of SNY profiled some candidates, including incumbent Josh McCown and top draft prospects Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen. The Gang Green beat writer gives top odds to McCown (5-1) while dismissing chances of middling prospects Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, or Baker Mayfield being the guy (500-1). At 25-1, he’s perhaps more bullish on the Jets landing Kirk Cousins than anyone else.
- Speaking of Jackson, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears that the Jets do not believe that Jackson can thrive as an NFL quarterback. Other teams may be higher on the Louisville product, but Mehta cannot envision the Jets investing a Round 2 or 3 pick in him.
- In the interest of equal time, Vacchiano looks at the candidates for the Giants‘ starting job. The odds remain strong that Eli Manning will be the Week 1 starter, but Vacchiano does not completely rule out Rosen, Darnold, or in-house options Geno Smith and Davis Webb. In related news, Vacchiano hears from multiple team sources that there are no plans to play Webb the rest of the way.
Bears Designate Deiondre’ Hall For Return
The Bears announced that safety Deiondre’ Hall will return to practice on Wednesday. With that, the team has started a 21-day countdown clock for him to return from injured reserve. If he is not activated within the next three weeks, he will not be eligible to play this year. 
Hall went down with a hamstring injury in the Bears’ preseason finale but all along the hope has been that he could suit up again this year. If the Bears wind up placing outside linebacker Leonard Floyd on injured reserve this week, they could have an open spot ready for him.
Hall, a fourth round pick in 2016, was moved from cornerback to safety this offseason. He played primarily on special teams in his eight games as a rookie and he could be asked to reprise a similar role down the stretch here in 2017.
After putting Hall on the practice field, the Bears still have one IR-DTR spot to use. Safety Quintin Demps will be eligible to practice at the end of the week for the first time since suffering a broken arm in Week 3.
The 3-7 Bears travel to Philadelphia this weekend to take on the 9-1 Eagles.
Broncos To Start Paxton Lynch At QB
First, the Broncos made a change at offensive coordinator. Now, they’re making a big change under center. In Week 12, the Broncos will start Paxton Lynch at quarterback. Tuesday was an off day in Denver, so head coach Vance Joseph waited until Wednesday morning to deliver the news to the rest of his staff and the players. 
[RELATED: Broncos Fire OC Mike McCoy, Promote Bill Musgrave]
In some ways, this has been a long time coming for the 2016 first-round pick. In another sense, this was a quick ascension up the ladder. Last week, Paxton suited up for the very first time in 2017 as Brock Osweiler‘s backup with Trevor Siemian marked as a healthy scratch for the first time since Peyton Manning retired. This Sunday, Lynch will start, Siemian will serve as the QB2, and Osweiler will be left off of the active roster.
Last season, Lynch was on the field for three games and two starts. In that short sample, he completed 49 of 83 passes with two touchdowns against one interception. The Broncos have had some concerns about Lynch’s NFL readiness, but there’s no time like the present given their 3-7 record.
Last week, when discussing the possibility of starting Lynch, Joseph indicated that he would tailor the offensive game plan to the rookie’s strengths.
“That’s on the coaches and myself if he does play for us to make have a system that fits Paxton,” Joseph said Monday. “He’s practiced the last two weeks. Again guys, it won’t be soccer. It’s football for him. What he’s practiced the last couple weeks may be called a little different. It may be called more of the same stuff, but it’s just football, so he’ll be fine.”
Lynch’s first start of the season will come on Sunday against the Raiders.
The news was first reported by Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Bills To Start Tyrod Taylor At QB
After a disastrous game, the Bills are pulling the plug on the Nathan Peterman experiment. Starting this week, the Bills will reinstall Tyrod Taylor as the starting quarterback. 
“It’s the right thing for our team. It was my decision and it will always be about what’s best for our team,” McDermott told reporters.
The Bills shocked everyone last week when they announced that Taylor would be benched in favor of the rookie QB. Taylor has admittedly been shaky this season, but the change seemed risky and a bit too future-minded for a team still in the thick of the playoff chase. After Peterman had a historically bad outing against the Chargers, the Bills are flip-flopping and hoping that it’s not too late to land themselves a wild card spot.
Taylor’s performance in these final six games (assuming he holds on to the starting job) will impact the Bills’ playoff chances as well as his own future with the team. The Bills can keep Taylor at an affordable $10MM salary for 2o18 with a $6MM roster bonus due in March. Alternatively, the Bills can cut him early in the league year, leaving them on the hook for just $1MM.
Taylor’s first assignment will be to lead the Bills to victory over the Chiefs on Sunday. According to Football Outsiders, the 5-5 Bills still have a 23.7% chance of making the playoffs.
Patriots Cut Cassius Marsh
The Patriots have released defensive end Cassius Marsh. The move did not come with much warning, though Marsh played just two snaps against the Raiders on Sunday. To take his place, the Patriots have signed fellow DE Eric Lee off of the Bills’ practice squad. 
The Patriots acquired defensive end Marsh from the Seahawks in September. In the deal, New England shipped a fifth-round pick and the seventh-round pick it already acquired from Seattle in exchange for sending cornerback Justin Coleman back to the Seahawks. Marsh was expected to provide depth at defensive end as well as special teams help, but his role dwindled over time. In nine games with the Pats, he recorded 16 total tackles and one sack.
He is signed through the year at an affordable rate of $690K, so he would be a low-cost addition for another club on waivers.
Seahawks Waive Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney‘s time is over in Seattle. The Seahawks announced that they have waived the veteran. 
Freeney joined the Seahawks in October and recorded three sacks in four games. Although he was effective as a pass rusher in limited downs, the Seahawks appear to be looking for some more well-rounded defensive line depth.
Because the trade deadline has come and gone, Freeney will be subject to waivers. He could draw interest from some contending clubs looking to improve their QB pressure. By the same token, it wouldn’t be surprising to see clubs pass on the 37-year-old. After all, he was without a team until midway through the season.
If this is indeed the end of Freeney’s career, he will leave the sport with an impressive list of accomplishments. In 16 NFL seasons, Freeney earned seven Pro Bowl nods and was First-Team All Pro on three separate occasions. He’s also 17th on the NFL’s all-time career sack list with 125.5 and is second only to Julius Peppers among active players.