Sunday NFL Transactions: NFC North
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four NFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s NFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Chicago Bears
Signed:
Cut:
Placed on injured reserve:
- TE Adam Shaheen
Detroit Lions
Claimed:
- OT Andrew Donnal
- DB Dee Virgin
Cut:
Practice squad:
- LB Alex Barrett
- CB Mike Ford
- WR Chris Lacy
- S Rolan Milligan
- QB Jake Rudock
- LB Darnell Sankey
- OL Dan Skipper
Green Bay Packers
Practice squad:
- RB Joel Bouagnon
- C Austin Davis
- LB Kendall Donnerson
- FB Joe Kerridge
- DL Tyler Lancaster
- DL James Looney
- LB Greer Martini
- G/T Adam Pankey
Minnesota Vikings
Claimed:
Cut:
Practice squad:
- WR Jeff Badet
- WR Chad Beebe
- LB Reshard Cliett
- DT Curtis Cothran
- LB Garret Dooley
- C Cornelius Edison
- G Colby Gossett
- T Storm Norton
- S Jack Tocho
North Notes: Bears, Ravens, Packers, Browns
Among the offers the Raiders received for edge rusher Khalil Mack, the Bears‘ was “by far” the strongest, tweets Michael Lombardi of The Athletic. Chicago eventually acquired Mack, so it’s unsurprising their offer was the most substantial, but Lombardi’s report may indicate the Bears outbid rivals by several magnitudes. In the end, Chicago sent Oakland a 2019 first-round pic, a 2010 first-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2019 sixth-round pick in exchange for Mack, a 2020 second-round round pick, and a conditional 2020 fifth-round pick. The Bears have since extended Mack, making him the NFL’s highest-paid defender.
- Ravens rookie kicker Kaare Vedvik was found with upper body injuries and is believed to have assaulted last night, according to Justin Fenton and Childs Walker of the Baltimore Sun. It’s a scary situation, and Vedvik’s health is the most serious issue at hand. Roster-wise, rival clubs were reportedly watching what Baltimore would do with Vedvik, as he was a possible waiver claim candidate. Instead, the Ravens placed him on the non-football injury list. PFR extends it best wishes to Vedvik in his recovery.
- Having already lost Jake Ryan for the season, the Packers are likely to be without fellow linebacker Oren Burks for at least Week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Burks, a third-round rookie, had been projected to replace Ryan — who suffered a torn ACL last month — next to Blake Martinez. Instead, he’ll be sidelined for the season opener, and could miss a few additional weeks after that, according to Rapoport. Antonio Morrison, whom Green Bay recently acquired from the Colts, figures to take over in the middle of the Packers’ defense.
- Mychal Kendricks could conceivably file a grievance against the Browns after Cleveland released him following insider trading charges, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Meanwhile, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports explains just how brazen Kendricks was in his misdeeds, as he accrued 1,500% return on an $80K investment.
Packers Move Roster To 53
The Packers have trimmed their roster to 53 by making the following transactions:
Waived/Injured:
- RB Devante Mays
- T Kyle Murphy
- CB Quinten Rollins
Placed on suspended list:
- RB Aaron Jones
Cut:
- G Kofi Amichia
- LB Vince Biegel
- RB Joel Bouagnon
- CB Donatello Brown
- TE Emanuel Byrd
- RB LeShun Daniels
- C Austin Davis
- C Dillon Day
- LB Kendall Donnerson
- S Marwin Evans
- CB Demetri Goodson
- CB Josh Hawkins
- LB James Hearns
- RB Bronson Hill
- LB Naashon Hughes
- WR Adonis Jenings
- FB Joe Kerridge
- DL Tyler Lancaster
- WR Kyle Lewis
- DL James Looney
- LB Greer Martini
- DL Joey Mbu
- LB Chris Odom
- G/T Adam Pankey
- LB Marcus Porter
- TE Kevin Rader
- FB Aaron Ripkowski
- DL Conor Sheehy
- TE Ryan Smith
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- LS Zach Triner
- WR DeAngelo Yancey
Browns Release Jeff Janis
The Browns did not deem former Packers wide receiver Jeff Janis as worthy of their 53-man roster. They released the fifth-year veteran on Friday, along with a host of other moves.
Janis was in the mix for one of Cleveland’s backup jobs but couldn’t impress enough to beat out some younger competitors. Known best for his heroics in a Packers-Cardinals divisional-round game, Janis will avoid outright waivers due to his vested-veteran status. The other players the Browns are parting with Friday will head to waivers.
Here’s the full list:
- TE Stephen Baggett
- DB Christian Boutte
- DB Elijah Campbell
- OL Anthony Fabiano
- DL Jeremy Faulk
- OL Avery Gennesy
- OL Fred Lauina
- QB Brogan Roback
- DB Derron Smith
- DL Blaine Woodson
The Browns also waived three players with injury designations.
- WR C.J. Board
- LB Justin Currie
- DL Lenny Jones
Glennon, Other QBs Drawing Trade Interest
On Wednesday morning, the Packers traded Brett Hundley to the Seahawks. That deal is unlikely to be the last trade involving a backup quarterback, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Mike Glennon of the Cardinals, Tom Savage of the Saints, and Joshua Dobbs are the Steelers are among the QBs being discussed by teams of need, Rapoport hears. 
The Cardinals signed both Sam Bradford and Glennon in March, but the QB room changed dramatically in April when they drafted UCLA star Josh Rosen. Rosen may not be ready for primetime, but the Cardinals may feel that he is ready to be a capable No. 2 QB. Glennon flamed out in his one month as the Bears’ starter last year, but he would represent a QB2 upgrade for many teams around the league.
Savage has been long rumored to be on the bubble, but he is now firmly on the trade block following the Saints’ acquisition of Teddy Bridgewater. The Saints project to move ahead with Bridgewater and Taysom Hill as the backups to Drew Brees, leaving Savage without a spot in New Orleans. Savage, a former fourth-round pick out of Pittsburgh, entered the 2017 season as Houston’s starter, but he lost the job to rookie Deshaun Watson rather quickly. He finished the year with 1,412 yards and five touchdowns against six interceptions.
The writing has been on the wall for Dobbs ever since the Steelers used a third-round pick on Mason Rudolph in this year’s draft. Landry Jones is locked in as the backup quarterback and Rudolph is locked in as the No. 3, so Dobbs is clearly on the block.
Packers, Aaron Rodgers Agree To Extension
The Packers and Aaron Rodgers have agreed to a record-breaking extension, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Rodgers’ new pact is a four-year add-on is worth $134MM, according to former teammate James Jones (on Twitter). The deal includes $103MM in the first three years, $80MM delivered by March of next year, and the opportunity to earn even more via incentives. 
Rodgers has yet to ink the contract, but it is in the process of being finalized, according to Schefter. The deal should be formally completed before the start of the Packers’ season, which will be on Sept. 9 against the rival Bears.
Rodgers’ $33.5MM average annual value tops the $30MM AAV of Matt Ryan‘s extension with the Falcons and the $28.8MM AAV of Kirk Cousins‘ free agent deal with the Vikings, making him the league’s highest-paid player of all-time. After that, Jimmy Garoppolo ($27.5MM), Matthew Stafford ($27MM), and Derek Carr ($25MM) rank as the league’s highest-paid QBs.
Rodgers’ signing bonus of $57.5MM is the largest in NFL history, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. And, with $4MM in escalators, he can reach a maximum value of $138MM over the course of the extension.
The six-time Pro Bowl selection and one-time Super Bowl champion is among the very best quarterbacks in the NFL today. In 2013, he signed a five-year, $110MM deal to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, but the market quickly advanced and Rodgers’ deal became one of the most team-friendly pacts in the NFL.
Before this latest deal, Rodgers was the ninth-highest paid player in the NFL with salaries of $20.9MM this season and $21.1MM in 2019. With the new contract, the Packers have restored him as the league’s financial kingpin.
Last year, Rodgers got off to a hot start before suffering a broken collarbone in Week 6. Although Rodgers missed significant time, he’s 100% healthy this year and poised to get back to his old form.
Since taking over as the starter for the Packers in 2008, Rodgers has thrown for 312 touchdowns (the second most in the NFL) and led the Packers to the playoffs in 8-of-10 seasons.
Packers Trade QB Brett Hundley To Seahawks
The Packers traded quarterback Brett Hundley to the Seahawks in exchange for a sixth-round pick, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. 
Austin Davis and rookie seventh-round pick Alex McGough were competing to back up Russell Wilson in Seattle, but it sounds like Pete Carroll & Co. were not completely comfortable with either player. With the season opener just days away, Hundley may wind up as the Seahawks’ one and only backup to Wilson.
The Packers drafted Hundley in the fifth-round of the 2015 draft. He didn’t see a lot of action at first, but he was called upon in 2017 when Aaron Rodgers was lost to injury. In nine starts, Hundley went 3-6 as he threw for 1,836 yards with nine touchdowns against 12 interceptions. Hundley is not a world-beater, but, as the Seahawks have learned, quality backup QBs are hard to find.
After moving on from Hundley, the Packers plan to keep both DeShone Kizer and Tim Boyle as backups on the 53-man roster, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets.
Brian Gutekunst On Aaron Rodgers, Deals, Front Office Setup
As Brian Gutekunst prepares for his first season as Packers GM, he takes the reins of a team coming off its worst performance of the decade and one that is mired in contract negotiations with its cornerstone player.
The Aaron Rodgers extension buzz has picked up, but it’s not certain the Packers will have this deal done by the regular season. And Gutekunst doesn’t seem to believe that’s been a key deadline for a player with two years remaining on his contract.
“I don’t think there’s any timetable on it. it’s just a matter of getting to the point that both sides think it’s the best thing moving forward,” Gutekunst said in an interview with PackersNews.com’s Pete Dougherty. “The perception of when the deal was getting done is probably why people are anxious outside of this building. Inside the building it’s always one of those things that’s taken its normal course. From my perception it’s not something that’s dragged on longer than I thought it would.”
As for if the Packers — who may prefer a longer-term pact than Rodgers does — would push this well beyond this season and into a 2020 franchise tag, Gutekunst doesn’t envision it. The Packers’ party line throughout the offseason is the expectation Rodgers’ deal is finalized this year, and Gutekunst believes his quarterback is deserving of a contract that makes him the highest-paid NFL player in history.
That would mean anything north of $30MM per year.
“I think Aaron is one of the more unique players that I’ve ever been around or seen. It’s a tough question, but I think he’s as deserving as anybody,” Gutekunst said of Rodgers’ potential place atop the NFL salary spectrum, as he was when he signed his current five-year, $110MM deal in 2013. “I don’t think it will ever come to (a tag situation). I think this is something that’s moving along at the right pace and should come to a conclusion at some point. I don’t think we’re looking at those things right now.”
Despite the Raiders currently employing Khalil Mack, the Packers are oddly the Las Vegas frontrunners to be the team signing his checks by season’s end. The Packers were notoriously stingy in pursuits of players outside the organization under Ted Thompson, but Gutekunst will be in the market for top-level talent in trades or free agency.
However, the Packers — factoring in an imminent Rodgers re-up — would be in a historic place in the event of a Mack trade. One team has never employed two $20MM-per-year players, and any team trading for Mack would almost certainly have to a $20MM-AAV-plus extension upon doing so.
“When you’re talking about unique players, there’s only so many of them out there,” Gutekunst said. “At the same time, the financial challenges may be difficult, but without players you can’t win. It’s like any significant player, they’re not inexpensive, but you have to have them to win.”
However, the first-year GM doesn’t have as much power as his predecessor. Gutekunst, Mike McCarthy and executive VP Russ Ball all report to Packers president Mark Murphy. Gutekunst, who maintained Thompson will still be in the picture from time to time, assessed this setup and the potential hurdles that will come with roster-building as a result.
“If we have differences (McCarthy) explains to me what he’s thinking. I explain to him what I’m thinking, and we usually kind of get to a common ground,” Gutekunst said. “But again, this is my first go-through with this, the 53, so we’ll see how it goes. I’ve had a relationship with Mike since he’s been here, even before that. I don’t anticipate any issues where it’s going to come to that.
“… I have no regrets about taking the job at all. It was clearly spelled out to me from the beginning by Mark. Again, it wasn’t something I’d worked under before. Mark has been very up front, if there’s any player I want to sign, I have all roster decisions that way. That’s never come up. I’ve never been prevented from signing a player if that’s what I wanted to do.”
Colts Trade Antonio Morrison To Packers
The Colts have traded linebacker Antonio Morrison to the Packers, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Demovsky hears that Green Bay will send cornerback Lenzy Pipkins to Indianapolis in return, which has since been confirmed by multiple reporters.
Morrison, whom the Colts selected in the fourth round of the 2016 draft, started 15 games for the club last year. While he showed some promise, racking up 108 tackles in the middle of the Colts’ defense, he lacks the speed and athleticism that new defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has been stressing. He was firmly on the roster bubble, so GM Chris Ballard decided to get something for him rather than potentially letting him go for nothing.
Indianapolis does need help at corner, and the team hopes that Pipkins will provide some depth in that regard. He started one game for Green Bay last year and appeared in 12, picking up 14 tackles and a pass defensed.
The Packers, meanwhile, needed help at linebacker, as rookie Oren Burks is expected to miss time with an injury (per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, via Twitter). Green Bay has already lost Jake Ryan for the season.
Opinion: Packers Should Keep Hundley Over Kizer
Although many have assumed that the Packers will keep DeShone Kizer on their final roster — after all, Kizer is just one year removed from being a second-round draft pick, and Green Bay liked him enough to trade for him this offseason — Eric Baranczyk and Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com believe the Packers should keep Brett Hundley and cut Kizer if it comes to that. Baranczyk and Dougherty say the game has slowed more for Hundley than it has for Kizer, and the fact that Green Bay recently traded for Kizer should not be a factor in the team’s decision (after all, the Packers were likely to cut Damarious Randall anyway if Cleveland hadn’t been willing to deal Kizer for him). Ideally, the Packers would be able to swing a trade for one of Hundley or Kizer, but failing that, the Packers News scribes think GM Brian Gutekunst should stick with Hundley, who did not play very well in relief of the injured Aaron Rodgers last year.