Colts’ Marlon Mack Suffers Torn Achilles
The Colts’ fears have been confirmed. On Monday morning, doctors diagnosed running back Marlon Mack with a torn Achilles (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero). Mack will be placed on injured reserve and shut down for the remainder of the season. 
Mack went down in the middle of the Jaguars’ 27-20 upset win over the Colts. His game – and his season – came to an end after four carries for 26 yards plus three grabs for 30 yards. For Mack, it’s devastating for obvious reasons, but also for contractual reasons. The tailback is in his walk year and he was aiming for a big payday in the spring.
Last year, Mack went off for a career-high 1,091 yards despite missing a pair of games. The Colts, meanwhile, didn’t engage in serious extension talks before the start of the season. Instead, they drafted Jonathan Taylor in the second round, an indication that they were already thinking about going younger/cheaper. Taylor and Nyheim Hines figure to lead the way for Indy’s backfield moving forward while Mack concentrates on rehab.
Philip Rivers and his new-look backfield will try to get in the win column on Sunday when they face the Vikings.
Cowboys Fear TE Blake Jarwin Has Torn ACL
There have already been a few season-ending injuries on this first Sunday of NFL football, and now it looks like we’ve got another one. The Cowboys fear tight end Blake Jarwin has a torn ACL, a source told Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Teams’ field tests for ACL injuries are extremely accurate, so if that’s the initial impression then it’s almost certainly the case. Jarwin was the subject of seemingly endless hype this offseason, as the team envisioned a breakout year for him on the heels of Jason Witten‘s departure.
He signed a three-year extension worth $24.25MM back in March, and ended up making it just one game into that pact before likely being lost for the year. An undrafted success story in 2017, Jarwin had 365 yards and three touchdowns on 31 catches last year.
With Witten now in Las Vegas and Jarwin on the shelf for the foreseeable future, the Cowboys are now suddenly thin at tight end. Blake Bell, a blocking tight end who signed a cheap deal back in March, and 2018 fourth-rounder Dalton Schultz are the next two guys up. Neither has topped 186 yards in their respective pro careers. It’s a tough blow for an offense that was widely expected to be one of the best in the league.
Saints Sign LB Demario Davis To Three-Year Extension
Alvin Kamara isn’t the only Saint with a big new deal. New Orleans has signed linebacker Demario Davis to a three-year extension, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. (FOX’s Erin Andrews was first to report the news).
Rapoport notes that the deal has a base value of $27MM, with $18.35MM of that being guaranteed. He’ll also have Pro Bowl incentives of $500K in each of the three seasons. Davis signed in New Orleans on a three-year, $24MM deal back in March of 2018, and had been scheduled to become a free agent after the year.
As Tom Pelissero of NFL Network tweets the Saints recently tweaked defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins’ deal to clear up $4MM in cap space, perhaps helping to facilitate this deal. A third-round pick of the Jets in 2012, Davis spent the first four years of his career in New York, then spent a year with the Browns, then went back to the Jets.
A first-team All-Pro selection last season, Davis has never missed a game in his eight-year career. In 16 starts last year he had 111 tackles, four sacks, an interception, and 12 passes defended. New Orleans’ defense looked pretty good against Tom Brady in Week 1, and Davis will be a big part of that unit moving forward.
Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Three-Year Deal
Cooper Kupp is sticking around Los Angeles for at least the next few years. The team announced that they’ve signed the wideout to a three-year extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth up to $48MM.
Earlier this week, there was some pessimism surrounding a Cooper Kupp/Rams extension, but the two sides apparently made up some ground. Earlier today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (via Twitter) that the organization and the wideout had “made significant progress on a large new contract extension.”
We heard on Wednesday that the Rams were still pushing for a deal, but reports indicated that there was still “a lot of work to be done.” It was always going to be tough for the Rams to give Kupp a significant pay increase on his $2MM salary for the upcoming season. The organization is right against the cap, especially after they inked cornerback Jalen Ramsey to a new deal. Of course, the Rams have some flexibility to pay Kupp in future seasons (although they were projected to have just $9MM in space in 2021 prior to this extension).
While the Rams’ lack of cap space was a concern, it was also going to be tough to settle on a final number. As our own Dallas Robinson noted earlier this week, Jarvis Landry is the only slot receiver to be in the top-15 highest-paid players at his position ($75.5MM). Kupp could probably argue for more than that, but you’ve got to assume that the front office was wary of overspending on the wideout.
The 2017 third-round pick has been a productive member of the Rams offense since his rookie season, but he took it to a new level in 2019 after appearing in 16 games for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old set career-highs in receptions (94), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (10). With Brandin Cooks now out of the picture in Los Angeles, Kupp will have a chance to build off those numbers in 2020.
Saints, RB Alvin Kamara Agree To Extension
Another running back is inking a sizable extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that running back Alvin Kamara has signed a five-year extension with the Saints. The deal is worth $75MM in new money ($77.133MM overall), including a $15MM signing bonus. Rapoport adds that Kamara will earn$34.333MM in guaranteed money.
It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for the two sides. At one point, Kamara was skipping practices, and subsequent reports indicated that the Saints would consider moving the Pro Bowler in a trade (in exchange for a first-rounder, of course). Then, earlier this week, we learned that an extension was “extremely close,” an indication that the two sides apparently made up.
Christian McCaffrey‘s record-setting $16MM-AAV deal still leads the running back position, but Kamara will be right behind him at $15MM per year. Dalvin Cook also inked an extension today that’ll be worth $12.6MM per season, and Joe Mixon previously signed a deal that will pay him $12MM a year. Austin Ekeler (UDFA) and Kareem Hunt are among the other running backs from the 2017 class to earn extensions, with the likes of Aaron Jones and James Conner still waiting for theirs.
Since 2017, Kamara has registered an eye-popping 4,476 yards from scrimmage, teaming up with Drew Brees and Michael Thomas to form one of the best offensive trios in the NFL. The former third-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nods, second-team All-Pro recognition, and a number of rookie accolades.
Vikings Sign RB Dalvin Cook To Five-Year Extension
The Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets that the deal is worth $63MM with $28MM in guaranteed money. Pelissero adds that Cook earned a $15.5MM signing bonus, which is the largest for a non-QB in team history.
It was only a few days ago that we heard the two sides were “not close” on a deal. The Vikings had been negotiating with Cook’s camp for some time, and despite the Vikings front office tabling talks back in August, both sides were still focused on completing a deal. Talks never sounded contentious, although Cook did stage a mini holdout earlier this offseason. While it never seemed like Cook was going to sit out, things could have gotten worse if Minny tagged the running back following the 2020 campaign. Now, obviously, that isn’t a concern.
Earlier this year, Cook was reportedly targeting a $15MM/year salary, but it always seemed unlikely the Vikings would come anywhere near that figure. The new deal will pay him around $12.6MM per year, which is a step up on Joe Mixon‘s recent four-year, $48MM deal with the Bengals.
Now 25 years old, Cook has been always been productive when he’s been able to remain on the field. Last year, the former second-round pick posted 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground and added 53 receptions and 519 yards in the passing game. Health has always remained a question mark for Cook, however, and his 14 games in 2019 marked a career-high.
Titans OL Isaiah Wilson Arrested For DUI
Titans offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson was arrested for DUI last night, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds (on Twitter) that the first-round pick was “released from prison early this morning.” Buck Reising of A to Z Sports Nashville was first with the news of the arrest.
“We are aware of the situation,” the Titans in a statement. “This is not conduct that is indicative of the character of our football team and we are working through details on how to proceed.”
According to Reising’s report, Wilson was arrested in Nashville at 11:29 pm. The 21-year-old blew a “0.107 and 0.113 at the time he was pulled over,” with the legal BAC limit in Tennessee being .08.
Following a standout career at Georgia, the Titans selected Wilson with the 29th-overall selection in this past year’s draft. As ESPN’s Field Yates notes on Twitter, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the rookie. Wilson received a trespass warning after attending a Tennessee State party last month (a decision that “falls under conduct detrimental,” per Albert Breer on Twitter). He’s also had a pair of trips to the Reserve/COVID list, including one that could keep him out for the season opener.
Considering Wilson’s shortened offseason, it seemed unlikely that he’d start right out of the gate. There’s hope that he’ll eventually replace right tackle Jack Conklin, who left for Cleveland this past offseason. For the time being, it sounds like Dennis Kelly will earn the starting nod at that spot.
Rams Sign Jalen Ramsey To Extension
The Rams have locked down their shutdown corner. On Wednesday, the Rams announced a brand new five-year deal for Jalen Ramsey. It’s a five-year add-on worth $105MM, making Ramsey the highest-paid cornerback in NFL history, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. 
The pact, which averages out to $21MM per year, also comes with $71.2MM guaranteed at signing, another new record for the position. The deal comes after months of talks between the two sides, though recent word was that the talks were not moving in the right direction. Ultimately, the Rams were motivated to find middle ground, especially since they sent a wealth of draft capital to the Jaguars to acquire him.
The Rams shipped two first-round picks and a fourth-rounder to the Jaguars for Ramsey last October. Between his three games with the Jaguars and nine games with the Rams, Ramsey recorded just 50 tackles and one interception. He didn’t play up to his usual standards in L.A., but the belief is that he’ll play up to his whopping new deal.
Ramsey’s contract vaults him ahead of Tre’Davious White, who grabbed the mantle of highest-paid corner just days ago with $17.5MM/year. He also passed Byron Jones on a rocket ship for the most guaranteed cash paid to a cornerback. Jones, who inked his own sizable deal with the Dolphins earlier this year, secured roughly $57MM in guarantees.
Ramsey told the club that he wouldn’t hold out in 2020 if he didn’t have a new deal in place, but there were no promised made regarding a potential franchise tag in 2021. Without that safety net in place, the Rams did not want to roll the dice.
Broncos’ Von Miller Done For Year?
Von Miller suffered an ankle injury on Tuesday that will likely rule him out for the year (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). There’s no official word from the Broncos just yet, but confirmation is likely to come on Wednesday. 
[RELATED: Broncos Sign 15 To Practice Squad]
Miller, 31, was gearing up for his tenth season in Denver. Throughout his career, the Super Bowl 50 MVP has been lauded for his toughness and talent in equal measure. In the last six seasons, he’s missed just one game.
After a bout of COVID-19 in the spring, Miller quickly returned to his workout regimen with an eye on getting back to his old form. Last year was a down season by Miller’s standards – he registered eight sacks, his first season in single digits since 2013. All in all, Miller has 106 career sacks to his credit, trailing only Terrell Suggs (139) among all active players.
To make matters worse for the Broncos, Bradley Chubb‘s availability is still in question. As Chubb continues to work his way back from last year’s ACL tear, the Broncos could be down two top edge rushers for Monday night’s game against the Titans.
Browns To Sign Kareem Hunt To Extension
The Browns have reached agreement with Kareem Hunt on a two-year, $13.25MM extension, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The new deal will keep the running back under contract through the 2022 season. 
[RELATED: Saints, Kamara “Extremely Close” To Deal]
The Browns gave Hunt a second NFL chance in 2018, despite disturbing video of him striking a woman at a Cleveland hotel. In that same year, he also got into a physical altercation with a man in Ohio. Many criticized the Browns for their decision to claim Hunt, but he has delivered for them on the field. With a 4.2 yards-per-carry average in Cleveland, Hunt has shown the talent that made him a national star in Kansas City.
Hunt was previously slated to be a free agent after earning $3.26MM in base pay this year. In the early stages of the pandemic, an pre-season extension seemed unlikely to go down. However, the two sides were able to come to terms on a number that satisfied the 25-year-old and didn’t break the bank for the Browns.
Hunt’s ~$6.5MM/year new money average roughly ties him with Chargers tailback Austin Ekeler towards the back of the Top 10 for RBs. Both players will be nudged down the list once Alvin Kamara finalizes his megadeal with the Saints.