Latest On St. Louis Stadium, L.A. Relocation
The St. Louis Board of Alderman approved a modified plan for a new riverfront football stadium in the city this week, setting the issue up for another vote on Friday, as David Hunn and Nicholas Pistor of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch outline. The latest development moves the possibility of a new St. Louis stadium slightly forward, but there are still plenty of roadblocks to overcome.
The most notable new detail of the stadium proposal includes a commitment from the NFL for an extra $100MM toward the construction of the building. However, this $100MM, which Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal notes isn’t guaranteed yet, would come at a cost. Per the Post-Dispatch report, the St. Louis stadium task force would agree to rebate city ticket taxes back to the team in this scenario, which would cost about $3MM per year.
Some St. Louis decision-makers seem apprehensive about the last-minute changes to the proposal, expressing concern about adhering to the NFL’s schedule rather than taking more time to review the plan. Alderman Scott Ogilvie asked, “Were we elected to write checks to the NFL without understanding what we are doing?”
Even if the stadium proposal is ultimately approved by St. Louis officials, it still must receive approval from the NFL as well. However, it certainly seems as if the St. Louis stadium plan is much further along than the ones in San Diego or Oakland, which may make NFL owners increasingly motivated to make things work in St. Louis.
Texans owner Bob McNair – one of six owners on the league’s Los Angeles committee – spoke to Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle about St. Louis, Los Angeles, and the teams vying to relocate to L.A., and offered up a few interesting nuggets. Here are some of the highlights from that conversation:
On the support the stadium plan is receiving in St. Louis and what that could mean for an NFL vote:
“One of the teams would not be able to move if we approve two. So they’d have to stay in their home market. And one of our concerns is what level of support are they receiving in their home market? And if they’re receiving a reasonable amount of support, my personal feeling and most owners’ is we don’t think people should move.
“St. Louis, they have come up with a proposal that is getting pretty close, in my opinion, to being an attractive proposal. And if they do come up with an attractive proposal, then in my view, my personal opinion, I don’t think the Rams will receive the approval to relocate. So that would mean then you’d have two teams, San Diego and Oakland, that would be going into Carson. They have a partnership to build a stadium.”
On the possibility of a new stadium getting built in San Diego or Oakland:
“In San Diego, they’ve been trying for about 15 years. They’ve had all kinds of political problems there. At one time, half the council went to jail or something. It’s been pretty bad. It’s hard to negotiate when you’ve got to go to the jail to negotiate. So they haven’t accomplished anything. They’re saying they’re going to do something now. But in order to do it, they’d have to have a referendum and the referendum isn’t until next June. Well, we can’t have these teams in limbo. You need to have certainty and you don’t know if the referendum would pass or fail. We can’t take what they’re saying very seriously.
“Oakland is basically saying, ‘We don’t have any money. We’re going to take care of the baseball team and we’re not going to do anything for the football team.’ So that’s where they are. And those are the two worst stadiums in the league.”
On the likelihood of a team – or two teams – relocating to L.A. for 2016:
“It’s the second-largest market in the country and certainly we should be there. On the other hand, we’ve done very well not being there. So it’s not the end of the world [if no team moves there].”
Bills Place CB Stephon Gilmore On IR
Stephon Gilmore‘s 2015 season has come to an early end, with the Bills announcing today that the team has placed the veteran cornerback on injured reserve due to a shoulder issue (Twitter links via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). To replace Gilmore on the 53-man roster, the Bills have signed linebacker Max Valles off the Raiders’ practice squad.
Gilmore, 25, suffered a shoulder injury in the Bills’ Week 13 win over Houston, which sidelined him this past week. Shortly after Gilmore sustained the injury, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters that he didn’t expect it to be a season-ender. However, Ryan was less confident about that earlier this week, indicating on Monday that the former first-round pick may land on IR due to a dislocated shoulder (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).
According to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link), Gilmore is undergoing surgery on his troublesome shoulder in order to repair a labrum tear. Since he was a first-rounder in 2012, Gilmore still has one more year remaining on his contract with the Bills, in the form of a fifth-year option, so he should return to the team next season.
Prior to the injury, Gilmore was having perhaps his best year as a pro, having established a new career high with 18 passes defended. The South Carolina product had also grabbed three interceptions, and ranks as a top-15 cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/15/15
Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Dolphins announced (Twitter link) that they have claimed defensive end Damontre Moore off waivers from the Giants. To make room, center/guard Jacques McClendon has been waived.
- The Bengals are expected to promote practice squad quarterback Keith Wenning to the 53-man roster as a backup to A.J. McCarron, per Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (on Twitter).
- The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have promoted rookie linebacker John Timu from the taxi squad while waiving veteran defensive lineman Ziggy Hood.
- The Seahawks waived receiver B.J. Daniels and safety Akeem Davis while activating linebacker Brock Coyle from IR, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes.
- Adrian Phillips will be promoted off of the Chargers‘ practice squad and on to the 53-man roster, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
- The Saints waived veteran defensive end Phillip Hunt on Tuesday, as Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune writes.
- The Raiders have signed long snapper Thomas Gafford, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). In a related move, long snapper Jon Condo has been placed on IR.
- The Bengals (on Twitter) announced that they have waived linebacker Chris Carter.
- Tight end Chase Coffman has re-signed with the Seahawks, a source tells Rand Getlin of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Washington announced the signing of veteran tight end Alex Smith (not to be confused with the quarterback of the same name). Smith, 33, is an 11-year veteran who has had previous stints in the NFL with the Bucs, Pats, Eagles, Browns, and Saints. In other roster moves Tuesday, the team waived safety Trenton Robinson from IR with an injury settlement.
- The Cowboys have released cornerback Tyler Patmon, according to a source who spoke with Charean Williams of The Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Terrance Mitchell will now be called up from the taxi squad and given an opportunity to play at nickel.
- The Rams waived kicker Zach Hocker and signed defensive tackle Louis Trinca-Pasat from the taxi squad, Howard Balzer of USA Today tweets.
AFC Notes: Bradham, Broncos, Dolphins
Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is one of three starters for the team whose contract will expire at season’s end. While Bradham was a better fit under Jim Schwartz‘s defensive scheme in 2014 than he has been for Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman this year, the veteran linebacker would still like to return to Buffalo next season, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.
“Yeah, I will always envision [being in Buffalo next season],” Bradham said today. “I’m here now, so I’m hoping that I’ll be here next year. But it’s one of those things where you never know. I just look forward to being here.”
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Despite an up-and-down first year in Buffalo, Bills head coach Rex Ryan is almost certainly safe. However, GM Doug Whaley‘s job security is less certain, writes Rodak in a separate ESPN.com piece.
- Former third overall pick Trent Richardson is among the players working out for the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). However, Klis adds that the players auditioning for Denver today are only being considered for future contracts, not for this season.
- The Dolphins have invested big money into their defense, but the unit still looks like one in need of an overhaul, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Middle linebacker, safety, and cornerback are among the positions Miami needs to address this offseason, in Salguero’s view.
- It’s true that some NFL team owners oppose the Raiders moving to Los Angeles, tweets Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. That’s why, in Acee’s estimation, it’s foolish to think that Chargers owner Dean Spanos would never team up with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
AFC Notes: Parker, Osemele, Bengals, Bills
Continuing a trend that the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero’s observed throughout this decade, a disconnect between the Dolphins‘ front office and coaching staff’s formed based on the usage of the team’s draft picks.
This season, Miami’s front office wanted first-round pick DeVante Parker to play more often than he did prior to becoming a regular down the stretch, Salguero reports.
Previous philosophical differences involved 2013 first-rounder Dion Jordan and 2013 fourth-round selection Dion Sims, whom then-GM Jeff Ireland wanted Joe Philbin to play more than he was, with a similar disconnect occurring two years prior in the form of Tony Sparano and Ireland disagreeing on which players the team would cut prior to the start of the 2011 season.
Such disharmony has been new to the Dolphins, with previous coaches Don Shula, Jimmy Johnson or Nick Saban having full decision-making autonomy. Salguero adds that new personnel man Mike Tannenbaum did not escalate this push for Parker to see the field sooner as Ireland did with Sparano and Philbin regarding former prospects.
Let’s look at some more AFC items as Week 14 shifts into its night-game sector.
- Kelechi Osemele ventured back to tackle Sunday in place of the underwhelming James Hurst and wants to stay there, Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun reports. Osemele, who began his career at the Ravens‘ right tackle before becoming one of the NFL’s premier left guards over the past two-plus seasons, moved to left tackle in a Ravens effort to increase their line’s overall talent level. This is significant because the former second-round pick will be one of the top offensive linemen available in free agency if he does not reach an accord with the Ravens before the new league year begins. The former Iowa State cog started 38 games at left tackle for the Cyclones. Osemele expressed desire to be Baltimore’s left tackle of the future. “I sure hope so,” Osemele told media about a desire to stay on the edge. “I would definitely love to be the guy for the Ravens into the future, as long as I can keep performing at a high level.” Baltimore placed high-priced, but injury-prone left tackle Eugene Monroe on IR on Saturday. Signed to a five-year, $37.5MM contract in 2014, Monroe has $6.6MM worth of dead money left on his deal.
- If Andy Dalton misses the rest of the season as he’s expected to, it will cost him a chance at a $5MM escalator in his contract, according to CBS Sports’ Joel Corry (on Twitter). The Bengals‘ starting quarterback needs to play at least 80% of the snaps, which he’s done for four straight seasons, to earn this bonus.
- Conversely, Michael Crabtree‘s enjoying a better week financially. The Raiders‘ newly extended wideout earned an additional $400K by catching four passes Sunday, ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports (via Twitter), giving him 70 for the season.
- An unpenalized threat resided at the root of the Bengals-Steelers pregame fight, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. After Vontaze Burfict‘s tackle of Le’Veon Bell resulted in the star Pittsburgh runner’s season-ending knee injury in the teams’ previous meeting, Steelers linebacker Vince Williams sent out a tweet that Burfict and other Bengals regarded as a death threat, Florio writes. Burfict confronted Williams, who previously deleted the tweet and apologized, before the game and took action because the NFL didn’t, Andrew Whitworth told PFT. Florio writes that Williams’ social media threat violates the NFL’s Personal Conduct Policy.
- The 15 penalties whistled against the Bills in their loss to the Eagles riled up the coaching staff to the point that one of them can be heard screaming at the officials while walking to the locker room that the 15 infractions — for 101 yards — were a “disgrace to the NFL,” Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reports (on Twitter). Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk points out Bills first-year defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman as the likely culprit.
Sunday Roundup: Murray, Tomsula, Spiller
Let’s take a look at some links from around the league, starting with more news on the Eagles‘ running back drama:
- During DeMarco Murray‘s recent and much-ballyhooed conversation with Eagles owner Jeffrey Lurie, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the embattled running back told Lurie that head coach Chip Kelly was “unapproachable.” When speaking with the owner, Murray openly questioned the abilities of Kelly and running backs coach Duce Staley.
- According to ESPN’s Adam Caplan (Twitter links), Murray did have a lengthy meeting with Kelly earlier this week, but Kelly made no assurances to Murray regarding his role for the remainder of the season. In fact, Murray is listed as the fourth back on the Eagles‘ depth chart today.
- As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, the message that the Eagles have sent to the rest of the league is clear: Murray is available. On a related note, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com explores the Eagles‘ options with regards to Murray’s contract, ultimately concluding that trading Murray in 2016 is the strategy that would work best for Philadelphia.
- The 49ers‘ improved play over the last few weeks has lightened the mood in the locker room and has likely bought head coach Jim Tomsula another year with the club, per Eric Branch of The San Francisco Chronicle. The team has appeared more engaged and has given the front office tangible signs of hope, which means Tomsula will probably be back in 2016.
- La Canfora writes that many league owners are concerned about the strength of the Raiders‘ ownership group and would prefer that the Chargers either move to Los Angeles by themselves or partnered with the Rams. Although that seems unlikely at this point, the overall “trepidation” surrounding the Raiders and the prevailing belief that Oakland remains a viable NFL market could mean that the Carson project–which would see the Raiders and Chargers move to LA together–may not get the requisite 24 votes at the league meetings in January to move forward.
- Tim Hightower has stepped in for the injured Mark Ingram in the Saints‘ backfield today, which represents yet another blow to free agent addition C.J. Spiller. Per Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune (citing The NFL Network), Spiller is a “long shot” to return to New Orleans next season.
- Although the Seahawks of course have been delighted with Thomas Rawls‘ performance thus far, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets that Marshawn Lynch is progressing and the team is very open to Beastmode’s return.
- Mark Potash of The Chicago Sun-Times writes that Bears GM Ryan Pace will have a tough decision to make with Matt Forte this offseason, and Potash examines Pace’s options in that regard.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/15
Here are Saturday’s minor moves from around the league.
- Sixth-round rookie Raiders linebacker Neiron Ball will move to IR, and the team signed defensive tackle Leon Orr to replace him, CSNBayArea.com reports. Ball started two games for the Raiders. Orr signed in Oakland as a rookie UDFA in May.
- In a corresponding transaction with Eugene Monroe being placed on IR, the Ravens added quarterback Bryn Renner to their active roster, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. Renner represents insurance in case Matt Schaub, who is questionable with a chest injury, sits out Sunday and forces backup Jimmy Clausen into the lineup.
- The Patriots signed linebacker Eric Martin from their practice squad and to fill that spot on the 10-man unit added running back Trey Williams, ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss tweets. Reiss notes Martin’s addition could be a reaction to the Eagles’ blocked punt in their upset win over the Patriots in Week 13. Martin worked out for the Texans last week.
- To fill Damontre Moore‘s roster spot after the defensive end’s Giants tenure concluded Friday, the team claimed defensive end Stansly Maponga off the Falcons‘ practice squad, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). A Falcons fifth-round pick in 2013, Maponga played in 12 games in both the 2013 and 2014 seasons but hasn’t suited up for a game this year. The 24-year-old TCU alum recovered two fumbles last season.
- The Titans signed linebacker J.R. Tavai off their practice squad and placed fellow backer Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil on IR to make room on the roster, Jim Wyatt of Titansonline.com reports (via Twitter). Cudjoe-Virgil suffered a torn patellar tendon in practice on Thursday.
- The 49ers elevated tight end Brian Leonhardt to their active roster, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The 25-year-old’s spent his NFL career in the Bay Area, playing in 12 games for the Raiders in 2014 after residing in Oakland in 2013 as well. A Division II product, Leonhardt has not seen any game action in San Francisco this season.
- The Ravens re-signed rookie safety Nick Perry to their practice squad, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter). An Alabama product, Perry hasn’t played in a game this season.
Minor NFL Transactions: 12/11/15
We’ll track the day’s minor transactions here, with the newest updates appearing at the top of the list:
- Two days after Rams head coach Jeff Fisher indicated that defensive end Robert Quinn and safety T.J. McDonald would be placed on injured reserve, McDonald has officially landed on IR, with the team promoting cornerback Eric Patterson from its practice squad to take the newly-opened roster spot (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch). For now, Quinn remains on the active roster.
- As Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com observes (via Twitter), Raiders practice squad defensive lineman Leon Orr tweeted today that he’s being elevated to the 53-man roster. Oakland will likely make that promotion – as well as a corresponding move – official tomorrow.
- The Patriots cut running back Trey Williams, who was claimed off waivers from Dallas earlier this month, as Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Williams officially got word of his release on Thursday, just a day before he turned 23.
- The Bills promoted linebacker A.J. Tarpley to the 53-man roster while placing linebacker Tony Steward on injured reserve, tweets Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. A back injury sidelined Steward last Sunday, bringing his rookie season to an early end.
AFC West Notes: Crabtree, Penn, Stewart, Iger
After betting on himself during the 2015 offseason, signing a modest one-year deal in the hopes of having a big season and increasing his value, Raiders wideout Michael Crabtree is happy to have a new extension in place, which will keep him from worrying about dealing with the free agent market again this winter.
“It’s always nice to get it done, right?” Crabtree said on Thursday, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. “That way we can just go play football. You ain’t worried about where you’re going to be next year and all that stuff. It’s pretty neat to know you’re wanted and you want to be on a team and you’re here.”
Here’s more on Crabtree’s new contract, along with some other items out of the AFC West:
- Ian Rapoport of NFL.com has a few more specific details on Crabtree’s four-year deal with the Raiders, tweeting that it can be worth up to $35.2MM, with a base value of $34MM. The pact doesn’t include a signing bonus, but Crabtree will make $11MM in 2016 and a total of $18MM by 2017. That $18MM is guaranteed for injury, according to Bair.
- As Bair details at CSNBayArea.com, veteran defensive back Charles Woodson believes Crabtree’s new contract – and his decision to stay with Oakland – is a sign that this isn’t the same old Raiders. “That’s great, because you hear that people don’t want to come to Oakland, that they don’t want to play here,” Woodson said. “Things are starting to change. With Crabtree signing his deal, other free agents will take notice once that time comes around. They’ll want to know why he wanted to stick around and play in Oakland. He’ll be a great ambassador for guys who are undecided.”
- Could left tackle Donald Penn be the next Raiders player to sign an extension? He’s not focusing on a deal right now, but says he’d like to spend the rest of his career in Oakland, as Bill Williamson of ESPN.com writes.
- Safety Darian Stewart doesn’t have Pro Bowl nods on his resume, like many of his fellow defensive backs in Denver, but the Broncos coaching staff has referred to him as the quarterback of the secondary, and his contract is looking like one of the bargains of the 2015 free agent period. Arnie Stapleton of The Associated Press has the story.
- Earlier today, we rounded up several quotes from Disney CEO Bob Iger on the Carson stadium proposal put forth by the Chargers and Raiders. Scott M. Reid of the Orange County Register has a few more comments from Iger, who says a Carson stadium would be well-positioned to attract football fans from Orange County.
Bob Iger Talks Los Angeles, Carson, Inglewood
The Carson stadium proposal put forth by the Raiders and Chargers got a big boost earlier this fall when Disney CEO Bob Iger came aboard. Iger, who became attached to the project a month ago, will only officially take over as the chairman of Carson Holdings if NFL owners vote to approve the Carson proposal, which would relocate the Raiders and Chargers to Los Angeles. However, he’s already involved in the planning process, and spoke to reporters on Thursday about the latest developments. Here are a few highlights from the Disney CEO, via Ramona Shelbourne of ESPNLosAngeles.com:
On why he decided to become involved with the Carson proposal, rather than the Inglewood plan:
“First of all, I believe in the two-team concept. This is a great market in Los Angeles, and it hasn’t had football for a long time. I’m convinced that not only can it sustain two teams, but if you’re going to bring football back to Los Angeles, do it in a big way, and two is twice as big as one. Why not give the fans real choice in terms of the teams they want to root for? It also enables the creation of a stadium that is affordable but also very exciting. It just makes such a loud statement about the NFL being back to Los Angeles. I like that. … I also thought that the concept for Carson and the choice of location was attractive and unique from a variety of different perspectives. It was an easy thing for me to get behind.”
On the possibility of leaving Disney in 2018 and potentially buying a minority stake in either the Chargers or Raiders:
“This is a great job, and it’s one I don’t want to give up quickly. But I have decided that 2018, I will have been in this job for 13 years at that point, it’ll be time. I am looking to have a variety of different activities post-Disney. I love the sport of football. I like the NFL a lot. I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to use the dozens of years of expertise that I have in entertainment and in sports and apply myself in a different way.”
On what his role would be if the Carson projects gets approved:
“I’m really working, should they get the approval, to shape the project. That’s everything from the fan experience to how the stadium will be programmed to repositioning the teams both physically and from a brand perspective to the Los Angeles market. Bringing my knowledge of site-based entertainment and customer/user interface and my knowledge of Southern California to the project.”
On the likelihood of the Carson or Inglewood plan getting approval:
“There is not much leeway. If the decision is not made soon, neither team will be able to relocate. … [But] I get a strong sense, and I actually have some optimism, that there is true momentum. While I can’t guarantee that it will happen, I feel pretty good about the prospects about the NFL finally reaching a decision and moving the NFL back to such a great city.”