Anquan Boldin Rules Out Late Season Return
After less than two weeks in Buffalo, Anquan Boldin informed the team that he is retiring. The timing is unusual, but Boldin insists that he is not leaving the sport simply to get away from the Bills. He also insists that he is retired for good. 
[RELATED: Anquan Boldin Retires From NFL]
“I’m done with the sport of football,” Boldin said when asked about the possibility of hooking on with a contender late in the season (via Ross Tucker of SiriusXM on Twitter). “My passion is elsewhere.”
That passion, he says, is to help heal the great social and political divide in the United States. When asked about what changed his mind in recent weeks, he cited the events in Charlottesville and did not mention the team’s blockbuster trades.
“I’m uncomfortable with how divided we are as a country. This is not a fly by night decision. It’s something I want to dedicate my life to,” Boldin said.
After dedicating his life to the sport throughout his amateur days and 14 NFL seasons, one can hardly blame Boldin for switching gears. When he celebrates his 37th birthday in October, Boldin will be doing something other than playing football.
NFL To Extend Roger Goodell Through 2024
Roger Goodell isn’t going anywhere. The NFL is set to extend its commissioner through the 2024 season, according to Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that there are still some issues for the two sides to iron out before a deal formally gets signed.
[RELATED: DeMaurice Smith Expects 2021 Work Stoppage]
Goodell’s current contract runs through 2019, which put the league in an awkward spot since the NFL’s current collective bargaining agreement is set to expire in early 2021. Recently, NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith characterized a strike or lockout as a “virtual certainty” after the 2020 season, so it’s imperative for the league to have stability in leadership. If Goodell serves through 2029, that will mark 19 years in power.
It hasn’t always been a smooth ride for Goodell and the Ray Rice scandal of 2014 nearly cost him his job. Still, the league has grown tremendously since he came to power in 2006 and Goodell has been well compensated for his time.
For the 2012 season, Goodell raked in $44.2MM. He took some pay cuts after that, earning $35MM in 2013, $34.1MM in 2014, and $32MM in 2015. We don’t know how much Goodell earned in 2016 or how much he’ll earn in the coming season, since the NFL dropped its tax-exempt status in 2015. However, it’s possible that Goodell could make a little less per year on his extension.
Even in the ~$30MM range, Goodell is still compensated better than any player in the NFL.
Extra Points: Bills, Taylor, Lions, Wilson
Here’s a look around the NFL:
- Bills coach Sean McDermott says he is not considering a quarterback change, despite comments that made it seem as though he could move away from Tyrod Taylor (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News). Taylor struggled against Jacksonville on Thursday night, leading some to speculate that rookie Nathan Peterman could step in as the starter. The Bills inked Taylor to a new two-year deal this past offseason, but they’re really only tied to him through 2017. Only $1MM of his $10MM salary in 2018 is guaranteed and he could theoretically be released before he can collect on his $6MM roster bonus early in the 2018 league year.
- Lions coach Jim Caldwell says safety Tavon Wilson could still face a potential suspension for the civil lawsuit filed against him by his ex-girlfriend. “The league has the information,” Caldwell said (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). “They’ll look at, they’ll make a determination. If there’s an issue they’ll let us know. So that’s all we can do.” The woman claims that Wilson and his friends threw her to the ground and broke her nose, but the safety was not charged with any crimes relating to the May 2016 incident.
- The Colts did not pursue Jeremy Zuttah as hard as the Ravens did, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter links) hears. The Colts also had a need for Zuttah in the wake of Ryan Kelly‘s injury, but their offer apparently didn’t measure up to Baltimore’s.
Le’Veon Bell Flaked On Steelers Deal?
We learned shortly after the franchise tender extension deadline that Le’Veon Bell turned down a lucrative contract offer from the Steelers. Apparently, things weren’t that cut and dry. On July 17, Steelers officials thought they had reached agreement with Bell’s agent on a five-year deal. However, at the last minute, Bell nixed the contract, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
Meanwhile, agent Adisa Bakari says he and his client never had any agreement with the Steelers. “All stories to contrary are false,” he told ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
The deal would have given Bell more than $12MM annually on average and roughly $30MM across the first two years, Bouchette hears. According to previous reports, he would have seen ~$42MM over the first three seasons. Sources tell Bouchette that Bell said no because he is pushing for $15MM annually, a sum that he first demanded in a rap track recorded last year.
“I’m not a real greedy guy. I don’t play football just for money or things like that. I just want to be valued — whether it’s $15 million or lower or higher, whatever it is,” Bell told ESPN after releasing his song. “I think we will get to an agreement eventually.”
Bell is slated to play out the year on the one-year, $12.12MM tender. He is currently staying away from the team, but it is expected that he will be back before the start of the regular season.
Bears Sign LB Kelvin Sheppard
The Bears announced that they have signed linebacker Kelvin Sheppard. To make room, rookie linebacker Hendrick Ekpe has been waived. 
Sheppard recently auditioned for the Dolphins alongside fellow linebacker Rey Maualuga, but both players left Miami without a contract. The 29-year-old was with the Dolphins in 2014 and 2015 before moving to the Giants in 2016.
With Miami, Sheppard made 30 appearances with the club and started 15 times in two seasons. Last year, the 29-year-old appeared in each of the Giants’ games last season and made 11 starts, but he finished with just 47 tackles, failed to force any turnovers and earned a poor grade (39.1) from Pro Football Focus.
Sheppard may not be able to reprise the career-high 102 tackles he had in 2015, but he could still be a quality depth option for Chicago to evaluate. The Bears project to start Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman at the inside linebacker spots, though Trevathan is questionable for Week 1 with a knee issue (same goes for reserve outside linebacker Pernell McPhee). Before the addition of Sheppard, 2016 fourth-round pick Nick Kwiatkoski and former UDFAs Christian Jones and John Timu were the team’s top reserve ILBs.
Jaguars To Work Out K Dan Carpenter
The Jaguars are bringing in free agent kicker Dan Carpenter to work out and potentially compete with incumbent Jason Myers, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Free agent kicker Patrick Murray, most recently of the Saints, is also working out for Jacksonville.
[RELATED: Jaguars Unhappy With Blake Bortles; Open Up QB Competition]
Carpenter served as Buffalo’s kicker from 2013-16, but the Bills let him go in March rather than carry him at a $2.937MM cap number for 2017. In his first year with Buffalo, he nailed 92% of his field goal attempts. However, his numbers have been slipping in recent years. In 2015, he missed six of the recently-elongated extra points and bricked five more in 2016. Last year, Carpenter made only 76% of his field goal tries.
Over the last two years, Myers has made 82.8% of field goal attempts and 85.9% of his extra point tries. The Jaguars aren’t completely satisfied with the way he’s looked this summer, so they’ll evaluate Carpenter and potentially open up a kicking competition.
Ravens Sign C Jeremy Zuttah
The Ravens signed center Jeremy Zuttah. Mike Preston of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter) first reported that the two sides were nearing agreement. It’s a two-year deal with nearly $4MM in base salary and a max value of $6MM achievable through playing time, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). To make room on the roster for Zuttah, the Ravens waived/injured wide receiver Kenny Bell.
[RELATED: Why Ryan Mathews Makes Sense For Ravens]
The Ravens traded Zuttah to the 49ers this offseason, but he wound up on the free agent market when San Francisco cut him loose earlier this month. The Ravens were obviously ready to move on from Zuttah at that point, but that was before a rash of injuries and a surprise retirement left them with major holes on the offensive line. Alex Lewis and Nico Siragusa were both knocked out for the whole season with injuries while John Urschel opted to walk away from the game at the age of 26.
In 2016, the 31-year-old played nearly every offensive snap for Baltimore, grading out as the No. 13 center in the league, according to Pro Football Focus. Zuttah is expected to regain his spot as the team’s starting center while Ryan Jensen will shift to left guard.
Before he landed back in Baltimore, the Colts also expressed interest in signing Zuttah.
Latest On Raiders CB Sean Smith
Raiders cornerback Sean Smith has been charged with assault and the latest word on the incident is not great. The victim – his sister’s boyfriend – was beaten so badly that he wound up in critical condition with multiple broken bones in his face, TMZ Sports has learned. 
[RELATED: Raiders’ Sean Smith Charged With Assault]
Smith’s attorney says he’s innocent, but cops claim that Smith beat the man and then stomped his head. Investigators spoke with multiple witnesses at the scene who say that Smith was the assailant in this Fourth of July fracas.
Smith was hoping to return as a starting cornerback for the Raiders in 2017, but he now has bigger fish to fry. Smith due back in court to be arraigned in September after posting 80K bond this week. The 30-year-old could face up to seven years in prison if he’s convicted of the charges.
The NFL has been known to suspend and/or fine players even when the legal system clears them of wrongdoing, so it’s quite possible that he’ll face punishment from the league office. Reportedly, Smith could temporarily wind up on paid leave while the case gets sorted out.
In 2016, his first year with Oakland, Smith totaled 40 tackles and two interceptions. He is slated to enter the second year of a four-year, $40MM contract.
Former Ravens LB Zach Orr Retires
Zach Orr is retiring for a second time. The linebacker will not be making a return to football as teams feel his medical condition puts him at too great of a risk. 
“Today, I’m officially retiring from professional football … again,” Orr wrote in a piece for The Players’ Tribune. “And I’m even more at peace this time around because the teams have spoken. If there was any way I could come back, I would. Now, I know that’s not possible.”
Orr first announced his retirement in the winter due to his congenital neck condition. Months later, Orr said that he wanted to return to football after new doctors told him he could play again. The Ravens did not apply the restricted free agent tender to Orr after his retirement announcement, so he became a hot name in the late stages of free agency this summer.
Orr was told that he was only at risk to play football again if he played with herniated discs and was under the belief that those herniated discs had corrected themselves. However, he spoke with roughly a dozen teams and visited six of them and none of those clubs were willing to take the gamble.
Orr, signed by Baltimore as an undrafted free agent in 2014, climbed the ranks to become a starter for the first time in 2016. In that season, Orr appeared in 15 games and played the most defensive snaps of any Baltimore linebacker. All in all, Orr recorded 89 tackles, three interceptions, and five passes defensed.
At the age of 25, Orr will have to transition to a new career.
Patriots’ Derek Rivers Done For Season?
Derek Rivers’ rookie season has ended before it could even start. The team fears that the defensive end has suffered a season-ending knee injury, according to Field Yates and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Specifically, Rivers has suffered a torn ACL and sprained LCL, per the initial MRI, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Additional testing will likely confirm that surgery is needed.
Rivers was injured during a kickoff coverage drill on Wednesday. It’s a bad break for both the player and the team as Rivers was expected to pitch in at both defensive end and outside linebacker in the wake of Rob Ninkovich‘s retirement.
Rivers was a third-round pick in this year’s draft, but he wound up being the team’s highest draft choice after the Pats sent their first-round pick to the Saints for wide receiver Brandin Cooks and dealt their second-round choice to the Panthers for defensive end Kony Ealy.
The injury could prompt the Patriots to look at free agent options. There aren’t a ton of high-impact edge rushers left, but Dwight Freeney is one of the more notable names left on the board. As a pass rush specialist for the Falcons last year, Freeney finished out with 3.0 sacks and ten tackles in the regular season.