Browns Sign OL Wyatt Teller To Four-Year Extension
Wyatt Teller got himself paid. The Browns signed their starting guard to a four-year extension, reports NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).
The four-year pact will keep Teller in Cleveland through the 2025 season. The deal is worth $56.8MM ($29MM guaranteed), making him one of the highest-paid offensive guards in the NFL (via NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero on Twitter). Teller was originally set to hit free agency following this season.
Teller was a fifth-round pick by the Bills in 2018, but he was traded to the Browns after only one season in Buffalo. Since joining Cleveland, the offensive lineman has started 29 of his 35 appearances. That includes nine starts this season, with Teller appeared in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps. Pro Football Focus has been especially fond of his recent performance, grading him as one of the best guards (especially with run blocking) in the NFL (per Garafolo on Twitter).
GM Andrew Berry has been busy investing money and assets into his offensive line since he took on the role. He gave Jack Conklin a $42MM deal, and he selected Jedrick Wills Jr. with the 10th-overall pick in the 2020 draft. Now, Berry can rest easy knowing that he has another foundational piece under contract for the foreseeable future.
Raiders To Sign DeSean Jackson
DeSean Jackson has agreed to sign with the Raiders (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com). Terms of the deal are not yet known, but he’ll earn more than the veteran’s minimum, according to NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo (Twitter link). 
[RELATED: Raiders Pursued Adrian Peterson]
Jackson, dropped by the Rams last week, reportedly drew interest from seven teams. The Raiders were aggressive from the jump, aiming to sign the 34-year-old in the wake of Henry Ruggs‘ release. They got the deal done on Sunday afternoon, providing quarterback Derek Carr with the deep threat he needs.
Plenty of teams wanted Jackson, though no GM was willing to pay the remainder of his $2.75MM base salary. The Raiders got him for less than half of that price and they’ll probably target him a whole lot more than the Rams did. Jackson only played on ~1/3rd of the Rams snaps and didn’t top 25 snaps in any single game. To date, he has just eight catches in 2021. But, in classic DJax fashion, he’s made the most of them with 221 yards and one touchdown.
The Raiders are down to 5-3 after today’s loss to the Giants. Jackson will try and get them back in the win column next Sunday when they host the Chiefs in Las Vegas.
Browns, Odell Beckham Jr. Rework Contract; OBJ To Be 2022 Free Agent
The Browns and Odell Beckham Jr. will officially part ways Monday. They spent days reworking the disgruntled wide receiver’s contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, and the sides reached a separation agreement Friday afternoon.
The Browns agreed to remove the final two years of OBJ’s contract, Schefter tweets. Beckham, whose Giants-constructed extension previously ran through 2023, is now set to be a free agent after this season. The veteran receiver will officially be waived Monday. Waiver claims on Beckham will be due Tuesday afternoon, though the redone contract is pending the NFLPA’s approval, per Schefter (on Twitter).
This might all be immaterial given Beckham’s 2021 salary. He is still due $7.25MM for this season’s remainder, Schefter tweets. The transaction could not be processed Friday because of an NFL rule prohibiting teams restructuring players’ contracts and cutting them on the same business day. Regardless, Beckham will be off the Browns’ roster by Monday, ending a messy divorce that escalated this week.
Although Beckham was once one of the NFL’s most talented receivers, his value has dipped considerably. Injuries have slowed the 29-year-old wideout in each of his three Cleveland seasons. He played through multiple issues in 2019 and saw a torn ACL shelve him midway through last season. That knee injury kept him off the field for this year’s first two Browns games, and Beckham has also run into a shoulder ailment this season. In six 2021 games, OBJ has just 17 receptions for 232 yards and no touchdowns.
Last week, Beckham caught just one pass. The Browns could not find a taker for the eighth-year vet ahead of Tuesday’s deadline, and Beckham did not practice with the team this week. He will not play against the Bengals and figures to be on another team by this time next week. Whether that will come via free free agency or the waiver wire remains to be seen.
Only nine teams (excluding the Browns) hold more than $7.25MM in cap space presently. Though teams have myriad ways to create additional room, adding that salary in November is a pretty big ask. A team claiming Beckham could spoil his plans to find a way to a better situation. With the waiver wire determined by inverse record order, OBJ runs the risk of being claimed by a struggling team. However, the lofty second-half salary still provides a fairly good chance this saga ends with Beckham unclaimed and picking his next team via free agency. Even that might be a rental agreement that precedes Beckham signing with potentially a fourth team in March.
Browns Officially Release Odell Beckham Jr.
It’s officially official. On Friday morning, the Browns announced that they have released wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. 
[RELATED: OBJ Made Multiple Trade Requests]
“After careful consideration, internal discussions, and conversations with Odell and his representation, we’ve determined that it is in the best interest of all parties involved that Odell no longer play for the Cleveland Browns,” GM Andrew Berry said in a statement issued by the team. “We appreciate all his efforts and contributions while in Cleveland, but we’ve just reached a point where it is best that we move forward as a team without Odell. We are finalizing the process of granting Odell his release and we wish him well as he continues his career.”
Despite Berry’s diplomacy, it’s safe to say that the Browns are not huge fans of Beckham or his contributions. OBJ won’t be leaving Cleveland with fond memories either. After two-and-a-half seasons and 29 total games, he’ll leave with 114 catches and 1,586 yards, good for an average of 13.9 yards per reception. He scored just seven receiving touchdowns along the way, with per-game averages of 3.9 grabs and 54.7 yards per contest.
But, before he relocated to Ohio, Beckham was an absolute monster in New York. OBJ topped 1,300 yards in each of his first three seasons, including a career-high 1,450 yards in 2015. And, after his lost 2017 season, he still managed 77 catches, 1,052 yards, and six touchdowns in a 12-game 2018.
The Browns gave up 2019 first- and third-round picks, plus Jabrill Peppers and Kevin Zeitler, to acquire the star receiver and defensive end Olivier Vernon. He stayed healthy that year, but turned in his worst full season as a pro with 74 receptions, 1,035 yards, and four TDs. Now, that stands as his most productive season in Cleveland.
The rest of the league will have until 4pm ET/3pm CT Monday to claim Beckham. If he goes unclaimed, Beckham will be an unfettered free agent.
Raiders Cut WR Henry Ruggs
The Raiders cut Henry Ruggs on Tuesday night. The team announced the transaction, which comes shortly after the second-year wide receiver was arrested for his role in a fatal car accident Tuesday morning.
Ruggs is facing two felony charges for an accident that left a woman dead. Las Vegas police say that Ruggs was impaired when his Corvette crashed into another car and killed the driver of the other vehicle. The accident occurred just before 4am in a residential neighborhood west of the Las Vegas Strip. Ruggs and a passenger in his vehicle were hospitalized. Upon being released from a Las Vegas-area hospital Tuesday, Ruggs was booked at the Clark County Detention Center.
Authorities identified the victim as a 23-year-old woman. The collision caused the victim’s vehicle to burst into flames, killing the woman and her dog, according to ESPN.com. Ruggs faces charges of DUI resulting in death and reckless driving. The first charge carries a possible sentence of two to 20 years in prison. The second runs from probation to six years. Ruggs, 22, is due to appear in court Wednesday.
Ruggs and a female passenger in his Corvette suffered non-life-threatening injuries. The woman who was in Ruggs’ car remains hospitalized. Raiders players returned to the team’s Henderson, Nev., facility Monday, after their bye week, but had another day off Tuesday, according to ESPN.
Although players hit with felony charges are eligible for the commissioner’s exempt list, which keeps those players on teams’ rosters while legal matters play out, the Raiders acted swiftly to move on from Ruggs. This marks an abrupt end to Ruggs’ Raiders tenure, and the former Alabama standout’s NFL career is obviously in serious jeopardy. Ruggs will head to waivers, though that will almost certainly be irrelevant here. The Raiders have a clear path to voiding the remaining guarantees in Ruggs’ four-year, $16.67MM rookie contract. Ruggs’ deal was fully guaranteed.
Some Raiders staffers preferred Ruggs’ Alabama teammate, Jerry Jeudy in last year’s first round, but the team made Ruggs the first receiver drafted in 2020. Las Vegas drafted Ruggs with the 12th overall pick. The deep threat struggled as a rookie, catching 26 passes for 452 yards in 13 games. Ruggs had shown improvement to become a more consistent part of Las Vegas’ offense this season, having made 24 receptions for 469 yards and two touchdowns through seven games.
Las Vegas has fellow homegrown wideouts Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards signed beyond 2021, with Darren Waller under c contract beyond this season as well. As of now, Zay Jones is set to step into Ruggs’ starting position, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal notes. The Ruggs exit certainly leaves a void in the AFC West-leading team’s passing attack, but Renfrow, Waller and Edwards each have posted yardage totals north of 300 this season. Ruggs exited Week 7 as the team’s leading receiver, however.
Vikings DE Danielle Hunter To Miss Rest Of Season
Danielle Hunter is done for the season. Vikings coach Mike Zimmer confirmed that the veteran defensive end suffered a torn pectoral muscle and will miss the rest of the season (via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on Twitter).
Hunter suffered the injury during the second quarter of last night’s loss to the Cowboys. The 27-year-old had an MRI this morning that confirmed the season-ending tear.
After missing the entire 2020 season due to a neck injury, the two-time Pro Bowler seemed to be back to his pass-rushing ways in 2021. Through the first seven games, Hunter had collected six sacks, six tackles for loss, and 10 QB hits. The former third-round pick had previously established himself as one of the best defensive ends in the NFL, averaging more than 12 sacks per season between 2016 and 2019.
Hunter skipped Vikings OTAs this past year because of his contract, but the team ultimately appeased their top sack artist, converting $5.6MM of $12.2MM 2021 base salary into a signing bonus while bumping his 2022 earnings by around $8MM. It was speculated that Hunter’s expected $20MM base salary for 2022 was going to be a placeholder while the two sides hammered out a long-term deal. A second-straight season-ending injury will certainly complicate those negotiations. Hunter’s five-year, $72MM extension runs through 2023.
This is tough timing for a Vikings squad that dealt defensive end Stephen Weatherly to the Broncos during their recent bye week. Everson Griffen and D.J. Wonnum had swapped starts opposite Hunter, and the duo will presumably take over the lion’s share of the reps at defensive end going forward.
Broncos Trade Von Miller To Rams
The Broncos have agreed to trade Von Miller to the Rams (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). In exchange, the Rams will send a second-round draft pick and a third-round selection in upcoming draft. 
The Broncos will assume $9MM of Miller’s remaining salary, allowing the future Hall of Famer to squeeze under the Rams’ salary cap. That also enabled the Broncos to score a much larger haul than they would have otherwise.
The ten-year veteran missed all of 2020 with an ankle injury, prompting the Broncos to ask him for a pay cut earlier this year. Instead, the Broncos exercised his option to guarantee much of his $18MM salary. He’s still on course for unrestricted free agency next year, but he was hoping to finish out the season in Denver.
“I have totally bought into being a Coloradoan for life, let alone a Denver Bronco,” Miller said on Instagram in March. “I want to be here forever, through the thick, the thin, the Super Bowl seasons, the losing seasons. I want to be here forever.”
The Broncos improved to .500 on the year with yesterday’s win over the Washington Football Team, but GM George Paton chose to bolster his long-term prospects by trading Miller. As noted by Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter link), the Broncos would have only received a compensatory 2023 fifth-round pick by allowing Miller to leave via free agency. Instead, they’ve scored a pair of valuable Day 2 picks for the upcoming draft — a clear upgrade for 2022 and beyond.
Meanwhile, Miller will provide a serious boost to the Rams’ already star-studded defense. Even at the age of 32, Miller still has plenty left in the tank, as shown by his performance in September. Miller opened the year with four sacks across the first three weeks of the season to notch AFC Defensive Player of the Month honors. Meanwhile, he’s started in all seven of his games, bringing his career total to 142. All in all, the Super Bowl 50 MVP has 110.5 career sacks to his credit to lead the Broncos’ all-time list.
The Rams will now deploy Miller alongside Aaron Donald on the defensive line, in front of a secondary headlined by Jalen Ramsey. He’ll make his debut at home on Sunday when the Rams face the 6-2 Titans.
Cardinals DE J.J. Watt Likely To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
THURSDAY: Hopes Watt could somehow return late in a potential Cardinals playoff run now sound unrealistic. Watt suffered the following injuries in the second half of the Cardinals’ win over the Texans: a torn labrum, torn bicep, torn rotator cuff and a dislocated shoulder, Rapoport tweets. While still not ruling Watt out for a possible Cardinals playoff run, Rapoport adds the 11th-year vet will undergo surgery next week (video link).
Watt somehow finished the Cards’ Week 7 win but will likely be out of the picture for the unbeaten team the rest of the way. Although Watt beat his timetable to recover from a torn pec in 2019, returning for the Texans’ two playoff games that season, this latest run of injury misfortune figures to sideline the future Hall of Famer well into the offseason.
WEDNESDAY: It sounds like J.J. Watt‘s shoulder injury will likely cost him the rest of the season. The Cardinals pass rusher is likely to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
Watt injured his shoulder during Sunday’s win over the Texans, but there was hope that the veteran would only miss weeks, not months. Instead, Watt’s upcoming surgery will likely sideline him for the rest of the 2021 campaign. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (via Twitter), the recovery time is expected to take at least three months, which would bring us to late in the postseason. That slightly leaves the door open for a Watt return (especially considering his past ability to recover quickly), but no one should be hanging their hat on that scenario. Per Schefter, the surgery has yet to be scheduled.
Watt’s stint with the Texans ended this offseason, and he proceeded to ink a two-year, $28MM deal with the Cardinals. So far, that investment has been worth it for the team, as Watt has played a major role in guiding Arizona to a 7-0 record and a top-five defense. Through seven games, the 32-year-old has collected 16 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, five tackles for loss, and six QB hits. Despite his injury, he managed to finish Sunday’s win, but he was limited to a season-low 30 snaps on defense.
Injuries have consistently been an issue for the all-time great. Injuries in 2016 and ’17 interrupted Watt’s stratospheric pace, and although the three-time Defensive Player of the Year returned to an All-Pro level in 2018, the former Texans superstar missed a chunk of the 2019 season as well. Since 2016, Watt has missed a total of 32 regular season games, and we’ll be able to pencil in another 10 missed games for 2021.
While there really isn’t a silver lining, at least the Cardinals can rest a bit easier knowing they’ll be getting some reinforcement on their defensive line this week. Arizona will have Chandler Jones on the field after he spent the past two weeks on their reserve/COVID-19 list.
Texans Trading RB Mark Ingram To Saints
Mark Ingram is heading back to where his NFL career started. The Texans are trading the veteran running back to the Saints, reports NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero (via Twitter). Terms of the deal are still being finalized, but Pelissero tweets that it’s expected to “involve late-round future picks.”
Ingram was a first-round pick by the Saints back in 2011, and he proceeded to spend the first eight seasons of his career in New Orleans. He saw time in 106 regular season games (63 starts) during his first stint with the organization, collecting 55 total touchdowns. During his final two years in New Orleans, Ingram formed one of the league’s best running back tandems with Alvin Kamara, something the duo will be looking to recreate for a second time.
Ingram inked a three-year deal with the Ravens in 2019 but only made it through two seasons with the organization. He caught on with the Texans this past offseason and proceeded to start each of their first seven games, collecting 318 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown.
The Saints have been looking for a running back that could help to lessen their starter’s workload. Kamara is currently averaging 19 rushing attempts per game, which is a significant jump from the 11.2 attempts per game he averaged through his first four seasons in the NFL. Ingram should slide right into that second spot on the RB depth chart, and he’ll push the likes of Dwayne Washington, Devine Ozigbo, Tony Jones Jr. (who’s on injured reserve), and practice squad backs Lamar Miller and Ryquell Armstead further down the pecking order.
The 1-6 Texans are beginning their fire sale, so it’s not a surprise that they’ve decided to move on from their 31-year-old starting running back. Of course, the team’s depth chart at the position still consists of veterans, including David Johnson and Rex Burkhead.
Texans, Dolphins Agree On Deshaun Watson Compensation?
Deshaun Watson has informed the Texans he would accept a trade to the Dolphins, and John McClain of the Houston Chronicle reports the teams have agreed on compensation. Talks between GMs Chris Grier and Nick Caserio heated up last week and are expected to continue through the Nov. 2 trade deadline, but this journey still has ground to cover.
Should this deal go through, McClain notes the Texans are likely to see their asking price of three first-round picks met. But the back end of the deal — Houston’s aim for multiple second-rounders — might not quite meet the Texans’ goals. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross may serve as the key party here, and his current stance is somewhat murky.
[RELATED: Panthers Not Expected To Pursue Watson In 2021]
Reported as being behind a Watson trade before the season, Ross has spoken “excitedly” regarding the prospect of the three-time Pro Bowler coming to Miami, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes. However, NBC Sports’ Peter King adds Ross is not believed to be pressuring Grier to complete this deal. That said, McClain reports the longtime Dolphins owner has signed off on his team acquiring the embattled quarterback — with conditions. Those conditions make this deal difficult to finalize by the Nov. 2 trade deadline.
Ross wants more clarity on Watson’s legal situation and how the NFL will proceed regarding a suspension, McClain adds. Twenty-two women have accused Watson of sexual assault or sexual misconduct, with SI.com reporting (via Jackson) three of the 10 women who have spoken to the Houston Police Department have alleged Watson sexually assaulted them. That is a second-degree felony in Texas. Watson has long denied any wrongdoing and does not want to settle cases.
The NFL has not interviewed Watson, and his deposition in the civil suit is not slated to occur until after Super Bowl LVI. This has created a gray area, one that sets up the unusual and optically problematic prospect of Watson playing for another team this season before facing a lengthy suspension in 2022. Watson is not expected to be placed on the commissioner’s exempt list, and Roger Goodell confirmed Tuesday night the NFL does not have enough information on these cases to place Watson on the list, via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Dolphins (1-6) have quickly stumbled out of playoff contention, so a Watson move would be for the future.
This is not completely viewed as a Miami-or-bust scenario for Watson, with USA Today’s Josina Anderson noting the fifth-year QB is essentially fine with being traded to most of the teams connected to him (Twitter link). This might not include the Eagles, however. Watson invoked his no-trade clause to block a potential Philadelphia trade, McClain adds.
The Dolphins possess three first-round picks over the next two drafts, having acquired the 49ers’ 2023 choice in the deal that allowed San Francisco to move up for Trey Lance. Miami dealt the other first-rounder obtained in the Lance deal to move up for Jaylen Waddle. Still, a three-first-rounder package would be a historic haul and present tremendous risk for the Dolphins, given Watson’s present status. It will also be interesting if the Texans can land three first-rounders from the Dolphins if the Panthers are truly out of mix.
A Watson trade would, of course, bring a quick end to Tua Tagovailoa‘s run as Miami’s quarterback of the future. Though an August report indicated the Texans are not overly interested in Tagovailoa, Watson coming to Miami would lead to Tua becoming a trade chip at some point.
Brian Flores has repeatedly endorsed Tagovailoa as his starter, doing so again Wednesday morning, but Flores is now on the hot seat. The 81-year-old Ross’ win-now mindset may prevail over any PR blowback the Dolphins would face by acquiring Watson. It now looks like the Dolphins represent by far the best chance of Watson being traded this year. If the Texans do not unload the exiled passer now, McClain adds a trade may not happen until near the 2022 draft.