Extra Points: Heyward, Giants, Brees
Steelers defensive end Cameron Heyward said he’s in no rush to get his contract done, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review tweets. The veteran would like to get a deal done as soon as possible, but he’s not dwelling on it. The 26-year-old has appeared in every regular season game for the Steelers since his debut in 2011. Over the last two seasons, he has started 29 games for Pittsburgh and racked up a combined 114 tackles and 12.5 sacks. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- After Robert Kraft decided to accept the penalties brought against the Patriots, speculation began to fly that the owner made a back-room deal with Roger Goodell that includes leniency for quarterback Tom Brady. Giants owner John Mara finds that theory to be preposterous. “I believe [Patriots owner Bob Kraft] ultimately accepted the penalties because he knew he didn’t have anywhere to go” with an appeal or a potential lawsuit, Mara told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post.
- Giants center Weston Richburg is disappointed by the news of Will Beatty‘s injury but he also doesn’t see the team going out-of-house to replace him. “We were gonna depend on him big-time, but it’s a next man up mentality,” Richburg told SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) “We have guys here who can step up.”
- Drew Brees is confident that the Saints‘ young, inexperienced receivers keep the offense moving in the absence of tight end Jimmy Graham and receiver Kenny Stills, who’ve both been traded away, The Associated Press writes. While nine-year veteran Marques Colston remains on the roster, most of the receivers and tight ends on the club haven’t been asked to play prominent roles yet.
- Some are wondering why the Inglewood stadium could be the only possible L.A. host of Super Bowl LIV and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) explains it’s because it’s the only site that could have a team playing there in 2018. The Carson project simply wouldn’t be ready in time.
AFC East Notes: Geno Smith, Jets, Patriots
The Dolphins are making all the right moves this offseason, Jeff Darlington of NFL.com writes. This offseason, the Dolphins dumped overpaid receiver Mike Wallace, added Ndamukong Suh, drafted DeVante Parker, and extended both Mike Pouncey and Ryan Tannehill. Here’s more from the AFC East..
- The Jets have five quarterbacks on the roster, but head coach Todd Bowles says the team will go to training camp with four, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets.
- Meanwhile, Jets offensive coordinator Chan Gailey says there will not be a quarterback competition going into camp “Because [Geno Smith] is the starter,” Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
- The Patriots had free agent cornerback C.J. Spillman in for a workout today, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss (on Twitter). While the Pats could use some help at cornerback, Spillman has primarily shined as a special teams player in the past for the Chargers, 49ers, and Cowboys. The Pats had fellow cornerback Tarell Brown in for a second visit on Tuesday.
Goodell Talks Brady, Pats, Oakland, L.A.
At the conclusion of this week’s NFL meetings in San Francisco, commissioner Roger Goodell addressed the media, and while he took questions from reporters, he – unsurprisingly – didn’t drop any bombshells. Still, Goodell shed at least a little light on a few topics, so let’s check out a few highlights from the commissioner’s presser:
- As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports details, Goodell strongly hinted that Tom Brady‘s best chance at reducing his four-game suspension would involve the quarterback handing over text messages and emails that he didn’t initially surrender to Ted Wells. Goodell was also asked directly if Robert Kraft‘s decision not to appeal the Patriots‘ penalties would factor into Brady’s appeal, and replied with one word: “No.”
- Contradicting a report from earlier this week, Goodell said that the NFL didn’t ask the Patriots to suspend the two staffers – Jim McNally and John Jastremski – who starred in the Wells Report (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
- Asked about discussions with St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland about stadium plans, Goodell noted that he had yet to hear from Oakland about a plan for the Raiders. While he didn’t go so far as to call it frustrating, the lack of a proposal has “clearly irked” Goodell, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- Goodell on the Oakland situation: “We don’t have a deadline, but this is not a new issue that we’re all dealing with here. This is something that the Raiders have been working on a stadium for years. This is something that’s been very publicly debated. So we do need to have a proposal from the people here about how they’re going to be able to keep the raiders here in Oakland.”
- Colts owner Jim Irsay said today that it’s just a matter of “when” – not “if” – a team relocates to Los Angeles, but Goodell cautioned that a return to L.A. isn’t “inevitable,” per Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk. “There is certainly momentum, there are certainly opportunities,” Goodell said. “I can’t remember the last time we had two facilities that are actually entitled and are being developed. That’s a very positive development, and in fact there are actually even two more sites that have been entitled, but the two that we’re focusing on are obviously the Carson site and the Inglewood site. I think those are positive developments, but a lot more work has to be done.”
Extra Points: Brown, Wilkerson, Raiders
The NFL and NFLPA recently reached a settlement that capped the number of unsigned veterans who can participate in tryouts at rookie minicamp to five players, sources tell Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. The financial compensation for participating veterans was one of the NFLPA’s concerns, and that apparently outweighed the upside of deals coming together for players like Josh Morgan, who signed with the Saints after an impressive tryout during rookie minicamp. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- The Patriots had free agent cornerback Tarell Brown in for a visit today, a team source tells Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (on Twitter). This is the second time that the Pats have hosted Brown for a visit.
- Jets owner Woody Johnson didn’t make it sound like a new deal for Muhammad Wilkerson is coming anytime soon, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post writes. “We’re continuing to have dialogue sporadically, but it’s got to be something that works for both sides,” Johnson said.
- The Raiders are open to selling a minority stake in the team to a Bay Area company if that company can help fill the $400MM stadium financing gap that currently exists, Peter Schrager of FOX Sports tweets.
- Washington proposed that roster cuts should go from a 90-man roster to a 53-man roster, but that idea was voted down, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- With 49ers defensive lineman Justin Smith retiring in May, he has more than $2.1MM in unearned signing bonus money, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The 49ers could try and recoup that money, but they might feel indebted to Smith after he restructured his deal in 2013. Meanwhile, the former defensive end known as Cowboy says he checked out 49ers rookie minicamp and he might want to “dip my toe into coaching” after a couple years, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com tweets.
- Saints receivers coach John Morton probably had some input in the signing of wide receiver Lance Lewis, who spent last year under Morton on the 49ers’ practice squad, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune tweets. Earlier today, New Orleans signed Lewis and dropped kicker Shayne Graham.
- The release of Graham leaves the Saints on the hook for his $10K signing bonus, Woodbery notes (on Twitter). The team’s dead money total has now risen a tad, from $21.67MM to $21.68MM.
AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Manuel, Bills
Until recently, the possibility of a contract extension didn’t seem all that likely to Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill, Adam H. Beasley of the Miami Herald writes.
“I didn’t know if it was going to happen or not,” Tannehill told reporters today . “I still had two years [on my contract], so it wasn’t something I was expecting. Fortunately enough, we made it happen.”
Eventually, a deal came together and the quarterback now has major financial security in the form of a six-year, $96MM deal. And, as Beasley notes, agent Pat Dye could argue that Tannehill’s new-money average from 2017 through 2020 is the sixth-highest in the league – with a bit of accounting magic. Here’s more from the AFC East..
- Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman shot down speculation that quarterback EJ Manuel could be cut in training camp if he doesn’t show progress, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. Yesterday, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW reported that Manuel might not make the 53-man roster if he doesn’t take a step forward. The Florida State product had a promising rookie season in which he threw for 1,972 yards in ten starts but even then, his touchdown-to-interception ratio left much to be desired as he threw for 11 scores but gave up 9 picks. Last season, he lost the starting job after four games.
- Bills running backs coach Anthony Lynn is concerned about Bryce Brown‘s absence from voluntary workouts, Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News writes. That’s not great news for Brown, especially when considering all the backs in competition in Buffalo. “Bryce is doing what he has to do right now, taking care of his family in the offseason, but yes, it will set him back,” he said. “I mean, he’s five, six weeks behind everyone else. Once he gets here, it’s going to be hard to slow down and catch him up. That’s one of my biggest concerns, but, you know, he’s got the playbook. Hopefully he’s taking care of his business and hopefully he’ll come in in great shape and we’ll see what happens.”
- Patriots owner Robert Kraft surrendered in a battle he couldn’t win, Dan Shaughnessy of The Boston Globe opines.
NFLPA Moves To Recuse Goodell From Brady Appeal
The NFLPA announced that it has formally requested that commissioner Roger Goodell recuse himself as the arbitrator in Tom Brady‘s disciplinary appeal. The statement reads:
“Given a process that has contained procedural violations of our collective bargaining agreement, the Commissioner’s role as a central witness in the appeal hearing and his evident partiality with respect to the Wells report, the Commissioner must designate a neutral party to serve as an arbitrator in this matter. The players also believe that the Commissioner’s history of inconsistently issuing discipline against our players makes him ill-suited to hear this appeal in a fair-minded manner. If the NFL believes the Ted Wells report has credibility because it is independent, then the NFL should embrace our request for an independent review.”
The demand has been formally made by the union, but don’t expect the commissioner to cave. Indications leading up to the meetings continue to be that Goodell won’t step aside as he wants to talk to Brady himself, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets.
Pats Won’t Appeal DeflateGate Penalties
1:00pm: A “high-ranking” NFL source tells Greg A. Bedard of SI.com (Twitter link) that Kraft’s decision not to appeal doesn’t come attached to any sort of deal for Brady.
12:17pm: While Tom Brady and the NFLPA continue to work through the appeal process for reducing Brady’s four-game suspension, the Patriots organization won’t fight the discipline handed down to the team by the NFL, owner Robert Kraft told reporters today. As Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, Kraft said his club would “reluctantly” accept the penalties levied by the league.
Besides suspending Brady for four games, the NFL also fined the Patriots $1MM, and took away the team’s first-round pick in 2016 and its fourth-round pick in 2017. The franchise would have had until this coming Thursday to appeal those penalties, but Kraft eliminated any suspense with today’s announcement, after admitting that his only two options were to end the drama or to extend it (Twitter link via Peter Schrager of Fox Sports).
In the wake of Kraft’s decision and announcement, it’s possible that Brady will stand down when it comes to fighting his own suspension, perhaps agreeing to a deal with the NFL. NFLPA spokesman George Atallah has tweeted that Brady’s appeal won’t be affected by Kraft’s decision, though the quarterback himself could decide to withdraw it. So far, there’s been no indication that will happen, but it’s fair to wonder – as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk did (via Twitter) – if those reported “back-channel” talks between the league and the Pats will result in a reduced suspension for Brady now that the team has accepted its punishment.
Prior to today, there had been some uncertainty about whether the Pats would challenge the league’s ruling. While Kraft originally released a statement earlier this month suggesting that he planned to accept the league’s findings and its decision, the team was reportedly surprised and angered by the severity of the penalties. As Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets, Kraft admitted in today’s statement that, “If I made the decision last week, it would be different than it is today.”
NFL, Patriots Engaged In “Back-Channel” Talks
Things figure to get pretty ugly between Tom Brady and the NFL, but things might go a little bit smoother between the NFL and the Patriots. The two sides are engaged in “back-channel conversations” to see if the two sides can resolve their differences without an appeal or possible litigation, sources tell ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Patriots are still weighing their next move and they have until before Friday to file an appeal of their penalties. As it stands, the Pats stand to lose two draft picks (including a first-round choice) and a $1MM fine.
Patriots owner Robert Kraft and commissioner Roger Goodell – whose relationship appears to be on the fritz – are expected to attend the spring owners’ meetings, which start Tuesday in San Francisco. Schefter doesn’t explicitly say that the two will meet face-to-face there, but that sounds like a possibility from the outside.
AFC East Notes: Tannehill, Brady, Pats
The Dolphins bought themselves an extra four years with Ryan Tannehill for roughly what he was going to make over the next two, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Earlier today, the quarterback agreed to a lucrative new deal worth up to $96MM over the course of six years. Here’s more on that plus other items out of the AFC East..
- Tom Brady‘s camp is furious that Roger Goodell will be hearing his appeal rather than a neutral arbitrator. They’re giving real thought to bringing a lawsuit against him as a result, but a final decision on whether that suit would happen before or after a ruling has not been made, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Litigation in 2012 pressured Goodell to appoint a truly neutral arbitrator to handle the player appeals in the Saints bounty case, so there is encouraging precedent for the Pats QB.
- When it comes to the appeal from Brady and a potential appeal by the Patriots, it’s important to remember that the burden would be to challenge Ted Wells’ process and not his conclusions, Albert Breer of NFL.com tweets.
- The Dolphins now need to figure out how to protect their investment in Tannehill, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets. The left guard position could be a turnstile for Miami and he sees that as their top weakness on the line.
Minor Moves: Monday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Buccaneers have signed safety Derrick Wells, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter). The Lehigh, Florida native was one of the players in attendance for the team’s rookie mini-camp.
- The Cowboys welcomed back fullback Tyler Clutts on a one-year deal and cut Jed Collins, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. Clutts joined the Cowboys late in 2013 and played in every game last season, helping DeMarco Murray to an NFL-high 1,845 yards.
- The Giants removed Thomas Gordon from their injured reserve with an injury settlement, Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun tweets.
- The Patriots have said goodbye to Cameron Gordon and Devin Gardner, Wilson tweets. Gardner was a former quarterback at Michigan and was looking to transition to wide receiver in the NFL.
- Washington signed linebacker Alonzo Highsmith while waiving Brey Cook, James Gayle, LaKendrick Ross, wide receiver Tyler Rutenbeck, and quarterback Connor Halliday, as John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. Halliday’s release was just formality after he abruptly announced his retirement from football.
- The Saints announced the signings of linebacker Henry Coley, kicker Zach Hocker, offensive lineman Antonio Johnson, wide receiver Josh Morgan, and wide receiver Kyle Prater, as Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune tweets. To make room, offensive lineman Doniel Gambrell, guard Andrew Miller, and linebacker Stephon Sanders were shown the door while New Orleans waived/injured receiver Malcolme Kennedy (link).
- The Titans announced (on Twitter) that they have agreed to terms with tight end Tevin Westbrook and outside linebacker Dezmond Johnson. Running back Lache Seastrunk and outside linebacker Dontay Moch were waived.
- The Toronto Argonauts signed former NFL linebacker Brian Rolle, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rolle, 27 in November, was drafted by the Eagles in the sixth round of the 2011 draft. His last NFL gig was with the Steelers, who signed him on a futures/reserve contract in 2013. Meanwhile, the Argos said goodbye to wide receiver Mike Thomas and safety David Sims, who both have had multiple stops in the NFL (link).
- Wide receiver/kick returner DeShon Foxx has agreed to terms with the Seahawks, accoridng to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The 49ers signed Mylan Hicks and Justin Renfrow, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Seahawks signed Earnest Pettway and Charles Tuauu, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Chiefs cut Curtis Feigt with a non-football injury designation, Wilson tweets.