Steelers Unlikely To Trade Martavis Bryant?
Martavis Bryant wants the Steelers to trade him. But that doesn’t mean they will. Early indications are that the Steelers do not plan on moving the wide receiver, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
Bryant has been frustrated with the size of his role thus far in 2017. Still, the Steelers value him highly. Bryant has proven to be a valuable complement to Antonio Brown, as evidenced by his career 16.6 yards per catch average. Trouble is, he has only 17 catches for 231 yards and one score through six games this year. The 25-year-old (26 in December) is currently on pace for less grabs, yards, and TDs than he had in 2015, and he played in only eleven games that year.
The Steelers, who are now 4-2 after topping the Chiefs on Sunday, seem determined to move forward with Bryant, even if he has soured on them somewhat. Ultimately, Bryant’s trade demand could spark offensive coordinator Todd Haley and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to send more passes in his direction.
Latest On Giants, DRC
Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s “indefinite” suspension may soon come to an end. Giants head coach Ben McAdoo tells NBC’s Al Michaels that he will meet with the cornerback on Monday (Twitter links via Dan Duggan of NJ.com). 
McAdoo also explained that DRC had four separate incidents before the suspension went into effect last week. The coach did not get into specifics, but based on a previous report, we have a pretty good idea of what went down. Cromartie walked out of a team activity last Friday, stormed off the field during last Sunday’s loss to the Chargers, and bailed on a defensive meeting on Wednesday before the ban finally came down. Perhaps we’ll learn about incident No. 4 at a later date.
Despite the Giants’ early season struggles, Rodgers-Cromartie was doing alright through five games. DRC still ranks as a starting-caliber corner in the eyes of Pro Football Focus with a quality 80.3 overall score. That’s down from his best work, but, regardless, the Giants need him on the field in order to rack up some Ws.
If Cromartie is reinstated this week, as expected, he’ll be able to suit up against the Seahawks on Sunday at the Meadowlands.
Steelers’ Martavis Bryant Requests Trade
Martavis Bryant wants out of Pittsburgh. The wide receiver recently requested a trade, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com hears (Twitter link). Rapoport adds that his teammates and coaches are “well aware that he’s unhappy.” 
Bryant was suspended for all of last season after repeated violations of the substance abuse policy. The league granted him full reinstatement in September, allowing him to get back to work with the Steelers. However, he found that his role was downsized this season. After just two catches on Sunday, Bryant is itching to get more targets elsewhere.
Bryant, 25, has only appeared in 27 out of 54 possible regular season games over the course of his career, but he has been productive in his limited action. Heading into this week’s game against the Chiefs, he boasted a career average of 17.3 yards per catch over the last three years.
If the Steelers want to grant Bryant’s request, they’ll have to move quick. The NFL’s trade deadline is on Oct. 31.
Ezekiel Elliott Rumors: Friday
On Thursday, the Fifth Circuit of Appeals ruled in favor of the NFL, putting Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension into effect starting with Dallas’ post-bye return in Week 7. At least, that’s how it seems right now. If we’ve learned anything from monitoring the Elliott saga, it’s that nothing is over until it’s over.
In the aftermath of the decision, Elliott’s attorney said the running back’s camp is “exploring all..legal options” with a decision on the matter to come in “a couple of days.” While it seems like Elliott will be out of action until the Nov. 30 game against the Redskins, it’s still possible that the judicial system could help erase his ban or at least kick the can down the road until 2018.
We’ll keep track of the latest on Elliott here with the latest news up top:
- The NFLPA will be filing a petition for rehearing with the Fifth Circuit in the Elliott case (via lawyer Daniel Wallach on Twitter). Because the NFL’s latest legal victory came with a 2-1 vote and not a unanimous one, the union’s legal team may feel that it has a real chance of swinging things back in the other direction.
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones sounds like he’s going to continue his fight against Roger Goodell and the league office. “This was a setback yesterday,” he told 105.3 The Fan (Twitter link) “There’s still more to come.” He added that he does not feel the suspension was done in a “fair way,” (Twitter link). With the backing of the NFLPA plus the deep pockets of Jones, Elliott certainly has the resources to take his fight to the highest courts, provided that they will hear his case.
No Offset Language In Bowman’s Deal
The 49ers do not have special offset language in NaVorro Bowman‘s contract, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) has learned. That means Bowman can collect on both his guaranteed salary from San Francisco and pay from another team, based on the NFLPA’s understanding of his deal. 
[RELATED: 49ers Release LB NaVorro Bowman]
Players with offset language tend to approach free agency differently than those who do not. Darrelle Revis, for example, is owed $6MM from the Jets for the 2017 season, so he would effectively be playing for free if he were to sign with any team for less than that amount.
Since Bowman can double-dip, he probably won’t be willing to just sign with any club for the minimum. Instead, you can expect him to take full advantage of the double dip and encourage bidding amongst the interested teams. Although, he might be inclined to take a discount to play with a contender since he has not been to the postseason since 2013.
49ers Release LB NaVorro Bowman
NaVorro Bowman’s time in San Francisco has come to an end. The Niners announced that he has been released. 
[RELATED: No Offset Language In Bowman’s Deal]
“NaVorro gave his heart and soul to this team for the last eight years, and for that we are all extremely grateful,” said 49ers GM John Lynch. “During that time, NaVorro was a key component of one of the best teams in the League and his passion for the game allowed him to quickly become a favorite of our Faithful fans. Thursday evening, Kyle and I met with NaVorro, and from our conversation it became evident that going in different directions was best for both him and our team. Although NaVorro may be moving on, he will always be looked at as one of the great players to wear the red and gold. We wish him and his family great success.”
On Friday, it was reported that the Niners were working to trade the veteran linebacker. Earlier this week, Bowman’s agent Drew Rosenhaus sent a letter to the league’s other 31 teams saying he had permission to seek a trade (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). Even with Rosenhaus working to find a suitor, it couldn’t be done. Apparently, no one was willing to take on Bowman’s mammoth contract, which included a $12MM cap hit for the 2018 season.
Bowman first entered the league as a third-round pick of San Francisco in 2010. In the eight seasons since, he has earned First-Team All-Pro honors four times and three Pro Bowl trips. He also led the team in tackles in four of the previous six seasons (2011, 2012, 2013, and 2015).
Despite his impressive resume, Bowman has been subbed out frequently by the coaching staff this offseason. The pitch count was devised to keep Bowman fresh and healthy, but the veteran wanted no part of the linebacker rotation. He’ll finish out the SF portion of his 2017 season with 37 tackles, one pass defensed, and no sacks in five games. According to the metrics at Pro Football Focus, Bowman was playing some of the worst football of his career this year. His poor 45.0 grade puts him near the bottom of the league’s qualified linebackers, a precipitous drop from his past work.
49ers Shopping LB NaVorro Bowman
NaVorro Bowman is on the block. The 49ers are shopping the linebacker and there are teams interested, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Schefter adds that his time in San Francisco could “soon could come to an end,” so a trade could be imminent. 
This isn’t the first time that Bowman has been rumored to be on the block, but this time around the whispers are more like screams. This season, defensive coordinator Robert Saleh has limited Bowman’s snaps in an effort to keep him fresh and that has not been sitting well with the veteran.
“I would expect him to fight tooth and nail to come off the field and I would expect him to fight tooth and nail to get back on the field. That’s why Bowman is a special football player,” Saleh said on Thursday (link via USA Today).
Bowman, 29, suffered an Achilles tear around this time last year, ending his season after just five games. He also missed the entire 2014 campaign due to injury. The Niners’ desire to protect Bowman is understandable, but he is too fierce of a competitor to accept a reduced role in a three-man rotation.
The 49ers vigorously denied reports of Bowman being on the block this past spring, but it sure sounds like they are serious about shipping him out. Bowman has proven himself to be a world-class talent in past seasons, but there’s a new regime in SF and they are not keen on keeping him around in 2018 with a cap hit of $12MM. His contract runs through the 2022 season – his age-34 campaign.
Trading Bowman for draft picks would allow the 0-5 Niners to build towards the future while moving first-round pick Reuben Foster to his preferred role at Mike linebacker. The trade deadline is on Oct. 31, so the Niners have a little over two weeks to find a taker.
Vikings’ Bradford, Diggs Out With Injuries
The Vikings announced that they will be without both quarterback Sam Bradford and wide receiver Stefon Diggs when they take on the Packers this weekend. It’s perhaps not a great sign that both players have been ruled out completely two days before gametime. 
Bradford took a beating in the Vikings’ win over the Bears and was forced off of the field in the first half. He has no new injury to his knee, but the “wear and tear” he suffered is cause for concern given his history. The good news is that the Vikings won with Case Keenum under center, so they feel alright about starting him again this week. If they have to go longer than one week without their top QB, however, it could be a problem for the Vikings.
Diggs, meanwhile, was not able to practice on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday due to a groin issue. Groin injuries have a tendency to linger, so it’s a situation to monitor even beyond Week 6. Through five games, Diggs has 23 catches for 395 yards and four touchdowns. He hasn’t had a ton of grabs, but he has the fifth-highest receiving yardage average in the NFL on a per-game basis. Without Diggs, the Vikings will be leaning even more on Adam Thielen (No. 6 in per-game receiving yards) and the recently activated Michael Floyd.
Latest On Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
This week, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie was hit with what the Giants are calling an “indefinite” suspension for conduct detrimental to the team. The ban might not last all that long, however. On Friday, coach Ben McAdoo told reporters he and Rodgers-Cromartie will “revisit” the suspension next week (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). 
[RELATED: Victor Cruz Lobbies Giants To Sign Him]
Furthermore, McAdoo told reporters that DRC has not requested a trade. Even if that’s true, the 0-5 Giants may want to consider that possibility between now and the Halloween deadline. DRC has a cap hit of $8.589MM for this season and $8.5MM for next season before his contract expires. If the Giants are in for a rebuild, and it certainly seems like they are, it would make sense to turn him into draft capital. With young Eli Apple and Janoris Jenkins, the Giants would still have two quality starters to bank on going forward.
DRC has looked slow at times this season, but the stats indicate that he is still playing solid football. In his five games, DRC ranks as Pro Football Focus’ No. 30 corner in the NFL this season with a quality 80.3 overall score.
Victor Cruz Lobbies Giants To Sign Him
The Giants are in desperate need of help at wide receiver. Still, they say that former star Victor Cruz is not an option and that is a mystery to the player. 
“I’ve been literally thinking to myself of reasons why they wouldn’t and I can’t think of any,’’ Cruz said on his podcast (transcription via Paul Schwartz of the New York Post).
Earlier this week, coach Ben McAdoo threw cold water on the idea that Cruz could return to the Giants’ lineup in the wake of injuries to Odell Beckham Jr., Brandon Marshall, Sterling Shepard, and Dwayne Harris. That hasn’t stopped Cruz from dreaming.
“Can I paint a picture for you?’’ Cruz said. “Can you imagine, if I get a phone call from the New York Giants and I go back out there wearing the number 80 in blue and I get in that end zone one more time? Do you understand? I can already hear the deafening screams from the crowd. Already, I can hear it.’’
After the Giants’ nightmare of a game, Cruz says his agent called the team to ask about a potential reunion. The agent was told that the Giants would assess their injuries and then get back to him. If the 0-5 Giants can’t get in the win column this weekend, they may want to reconsider their stance on Cruz.