Chiefs, Tyreek Hill Agree To Extension
The Chiefs have agreed to a brand new deal with star wide receiver Tyreek Hill. The deal is worth $54MM over three years, Mike Florio of PFT tweets. 
Hill, of course, is a controversial figure. His partner, Crystal Espinal, has accused him of domestic violence, and, recently, there were allegations that Hill broke his three-year-old son’s arm. Hill did not receive league discipline or legal consequences for the claims of child abuse, and the Chiefs have stood by him.
Recently, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt met with Hill in person to discuss the latest controversy.
“So I had a good visit with him,” Hunt said. “I’m not going to get into the details of that conversation, but it was a very frank conversation, talking to him about responsibility as he comes back to be a Kansas City Chief.”
On the field, Hill has been absolute dynamite for the Chiefs. Last year, Hill nearly reached 1,500 yards receiving, averaged 17.0 yards per grab, and gave opposing defensive coordinators nightmares. His nickname – Cheetah – says it all. Hill is one of the fastest players in the entire league and one of the most dangerous on-field weapons the game has seen in years.
The $18MM average annual value of the deal makes Hill one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL. It’s also shorter than it would have been, if not for his off-the-field issues, and includes a “unique structure” that is almost certainly team-friendly (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports). Hill will get a relatively modest $5.8MM signing bonus, though the deal includes $35.2MM in total guarantees.
From a football perspective, the deal is a big win for the Chiefs. They boast one of the league’s very best offenses with a core that is locked down for years to come thanks to these recent extensions:
- RB Damien Williams (signed through 2020)
- WR Sammy Watkins (2020)
- TE Travis Kelce (2020)
- C Austin Reiter (2020)
- OT Eric Fisher (2021)
- OT Mitchell Schwartz (2021)
- OL Laurent Duvernay-Tardif (2022)
- WR Tyreek Hill (2022)
Raiders To Suspend Antonio Brown
There’s never a dull moment when it comes to the Raiders and Antonio Brown. The wide receiver and GM Mike Mayock got into an argument on Wednesday, and the team is now planning to suspend Brown, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Here’s where things stand at the moment:
- The Raiders have yet to formally suspend Brown for Week 1 (Twitter link via CBS’ Jason La Canfora).
- The incident between Brown and Mayock did not get physical (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). However, there was a screaming match, and Brown told Mayock that he would hit him in the face. Then, Brown punted a football and said, “Fine me for that.”
- A fun side note: Vontaze Burfict, who has had incidents of his own and has a history with Brown, held Brown back from escalating things with Mayock (via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur).
- Some around the league believe the Raiders could suspend Brown with the idea of trying to void his $30.125MM in guaranteed money (Twitter link via Schefter). Of course, Brown would not take this lightly, and this would result in a serious showdown involving the Raiders, the NFLPA, the NFL, and Brown.
- As noted by former NFL GM Mike Tannenbaum (Twitter link) – If Brown is on the active roster on opening day, his $14.625MM salary for 2019 will become guaranteed, because he meets the service time requirement for veteran status. It’s not immediately clear whether today (Thursday) is “opening day” for these purposes, or if that corresponds with the Raiders’ Week 1 opener.
For those of you who haven’t been following this summer’s craziest NFL storyline, here’s a quick recap. Brown, who was acquired via trade from the Steelers and given a lucrative new contract, missed time due to a combination of a cryotherapy session gone awry and a battle with the NFL for his right to wear his favorite helmet.
This week, the Raiders sent Brown a letter informing him that he would be fined for missing a practice and a walkthrough last month. Brown, in turn, posted a picture of that letter to social media to inform the Raiders (and the world at-large) that he would not be paying said fines.
Along the way, Mayock indicated that Brown would have to decide whether or not he was “all in” with the team. At this moment, it’s unclear as to whether Brown is “all in” with Mayock & Co. – and vice versa.
Eagles, Chargers Discuss Melvin Gordon
Melvin Gordon could be on the move and the Eagles, for the right price, would be interested in acquiring him. The Eagles offered up a trade in which they would send Jordan Howard to Los Angeles and swap mid-round picks, Albert Breer of The MMQB tweets. In the proposed swap, the Chargers would also eat a portion of Gordon’s salary. Unsurprisingly, the Chargers declined the offer. 
Howard, at one point in time, was a powerful rusher with juke ability for the Bears. However, he eventually lost his footing in Chicago, thanks in part to the emergence of Tarik Cohen. This year, the Bears shipped Howard to the Eagles for a draft choice and went on to add their new starting running back in the first round.
The Chargers are unwilling to extend Gordon this year and are, in theory, willing to trade him. The latest word – with at least one team, they’ve pitched a Gordon trade that would call for a 2020 first-rounder or a 2020 fifth- and 2021 first-rounder in exchange.
Cowboys Sign Ezekiel Elliott To Extension
It’s a done deal for the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott. At long last, America’s Team has ended America’s biggest ongoing football saga by inking a brand new extension with the star running back. 
Elliott’s new deal will give him $90MM over the course of a six-year add-on. The deal includes a whopping $50MM in guarantees, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (on Twitter) hears, though it’s unclear how much is fully guaranteed at signing.
More importantly, perhaps, the deal will bring an end to his 40-day holdout. With that, Elliott will take the field on Sunday against the Giants for the club’s 2019 season opener.
It remains to be seen how Elliott will adjust to the quick turnaround, as well as the plays of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. On the plus side, Moore’s offensive game plan is not believed to be a radical departure from the playbook of last year. Also, head coach Jason Garrett seems to think that Elliott will be able to pick up where he left off.
“Zeke is as capable as anybody I know,” Garrett said. “He’s an experienced player, he’s been a really good player for us, he knows our system of football. I don’t think they’ll be a lot of learning there. He’s a smart guy, an instinctive guy.”
In theory, the new deal ties Elliott to the Cowboys for the next eight seasons, though the exact breakdown of the deal may reveal that it’s something more akin to a four or five-year commitment for Dallas. Either way – it’s a lengthy add-on with enough cash to satisfy Zeke.
Here’s what we do know: Elliott’s “new money,” on average, gives him $15MM per season. That’s enough to match the league-high AAV for running backs, a mantle that used to belong solely to Rams star Todd Gurley.
Next up for the Cowboys – new deals for quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver Amari Cooper. If they ink both players to long-term deals, they’ll likely have Top 5 AAVs at the QB, RB, and WR position.
Rams, Jared Goff Agree To Extension
The Rams and quarterback Jared Goff have agreed to a four-year extension that will keep Goff in LA through 2024, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (Twitter link). The team announced that the two sides have indeed agreed to terms.
Schefter reports in a separate tweet that the four-year pact is worth $134MM and includes a record $110MM guarantee. When factoring in the two years that were remaining on Goff’s rookie deal (including the fifth-year option), LA effectively has Goff on a six-year, $161MM contract.
Carson Wentz, who was taken No. 2 overall in the 2016 draft — one spot behind Goff — signed a massive extension several months ago that ties him to the Eagles through 2024. Wentz’ extension is for four years and $128MM ($32MM per year) with just over $107MM in guarantees, so it stands to reason that Goff’s deal would top Wentz in terms of AAV and guarantees.
After all, Goff does not have the major injury concerns that have plagued Wentz in the early stages of his professional career, and Goff is coming off a stellar campaign in which he threw for 4,688 yards, 32 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions while earning a Pro Bowl nod and a trip to the Super Bowl. There was some chatter that the Rams would simply allow Goff to play out his contract and walk in free agency after the 2020 campaign, but head coach Sean McVay dismissed that notion back in June while fully committing to his soon-to-be 25-year-old signal-caller.
Obviously, the QB market is only growing, and it makes sense for the Rams to make a move now before it hits $40MM/year territory. Goff is not perfect, but he’s quite good already, and he still has room to grow. Plus, the Rams profile as Super Bowl contenders for at least the next couple of seasons.
The team already extended McVay and GM Les Snead in July, so three of the most important people in the organization are set to guide LA for the long haul.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported that the deal would pay Goff over $32MM per season and would include the largest guarantee in league history (Twitter links).
Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott Nearing Deal
It’s happening – we think. The Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott are nearing agreement on a deal that would allow the running back to suit up for Week 1, Mike Florio of PFT hears. 
Word has it that this would be a six-year, $90MM extension. That deal would tie Elliott to the Cowboys for an unfathomable eight years, since he has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
Of course, as with any NFL deal, it wouldn’t be a true eight-year deal. The guarantees, cash flow, and structure will dictate how long the Cowboys are truly committed to their star running back.
If all goes well, the Cowboys will have Elliott in action against the Giants on Sunday.
Cowboys, La’el Collins Agree To Deal
The Cowboys and La’el Collins have reached agreement on a brand new five-year extension, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). The new deal will keep Collins under control through the 2024 season. 
It’s a five-year, $50MM add-on that includes $35MM guaranteed, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. That gives Collins the highest guarantee of any right tackle in the NFL. Collins was set to make $8.5MM this year so it’s a six-year, $58.5MM deal in total.
The new deal has been a long time coming, with strong interest on both sides.
“I would love to stay in Dallas my entire career,” Collins said recently. “I love the Cowboys, I love Mr. (Jerry) Jones; I love the Jones family. I love everything about the whole organization and what they’ve done for me as a person and as a player. For me, it’s just all about going out there and taking it one day at a time, and proving myself, proving my worth, showing them that I want to be there by what I do and now what I say.”
Collins ranked as the No. 31 tackle in the NFL last year, per Pro Football Focus, and has looked the part of a top-tier protector at times. Still in his mid-20s, the sky is the limit for the powerful lineman.
The Cowboys have long boasted one of the league’s best offensive lines and they’ve gone to great lengths to ensure that things will stay that way. Not only is Collins inked through 2024 – they’ve also got left tackle Tyron Smith and center Travis Frederick through 2023 and guard Zack Martin through the 2024 campaign.
The Cowboys’ O-Line has helped turn quarterback Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott into superstars. Now, after addressing Collins’ deal, it remains to be seen how they’ll handle new contracts for Prescott, Elliott, and the reborn Amari Cooper.
Bears Sign G Cody Whitehair To Extension
The Bears have signed guard Cody Whitehair to a massive extension, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It will be a five-year, $52.5MM pact that features $27.5MM in guaranteed money, the second-highest guaranteed sum for a guard extension in league history.
Whitehair has been a key factor in the Bears’ offensive line success over the past three seasons, but despite earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2018, he was asked to change positions this year. Chicago is inserting 2018 second-round pick James Daniels at center, meaning Whitehair has been shifted to left guard.
Whitehair has experience moving between positions. At Kansas State, the now-27-year-old spent his first two seasons at guard before moving to tackle for his junior and senior campaigns. In the NFL, Whitehair has mostly stuck at center, although he did line up at both guard positions for a bit in 2018. The results have mostly been spectacular, as Whitehair graded as a top-10 center last season while ranking top-six in pressures allowed (min. 50% playtime), per Pro Football Focus.
Though the guarantee is nice, the average annual value of the deal ($10.5MM) shows that Chicago is paying Whitehair more like a top center than like a top guard. The AAV places Whitehair ninth among all guard contracts but third among all center contracts. But Whitehair, who would have been eligible for free agency in 2020, opted for the financial security of the extension rather than bet on himself for a marginally larger payday next year.
Dolphins Trade Kiko Alonso To Saints
The Dolphins aren’t cutting linebacker Kiko Alonso after all. We heard yesterday that Miami was releasing Alonso, which suggested the club’s efforts to trade him had been fruitless. However, Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network reports that the Fins are trading Alonso to the Saints (Twitter link), and Nick Underhill of The Athletic tweets that New Orleans is sending back LB Vince Biegel.
For Alonso, this is good news from a competitive and financial standpoint. Since he was traded rather than released, he remains tied to his $6.48MM salary for 2019, for which the Saints are now on the hook. Plus, New Orleans is a legitimate Super Bowl contender, while Miami is in the middle of a complete teardown.
Alonso has started every game in which he has appeared for the Dolphins since joining the team in 2016, compiling 354 tackles and five interceptions over that time. However, despite the nice interception total, he generally struggles in coverage and is not especially well-regarded by advanced metrics.
He can be effective when deployed properly, and he will join a Saints defense that also includes A.J. Klein, Alex Anzalone, and Demario Davis. He will provide solid depth if nothing else, but given the salary the team is taking on, it seems that New Orleans plans to give him a significant role. Plus, Anzalone and Craig Robertson haven’t practiced in some time, and Klein missed practice all of last week, so the Saints needed a plug-and-play LB.
Biegel, who has just 14 career tackles to his name, was used as an edge rusher and as a linebacker in the preseason, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets. The Dolphins may have been intrigued by his versatility, but it’s not as though they had a ton of leverage to ask for a more established player or for draft picks. Biegel appeared primarily on special teams for the Saints in 2018, but he will have the opportunity to earn a larger role with the Fins.
Chiefs Sign LeSean McCoy
LeSean McCoy‘s stay on the open market didn’t last long. Released by the Bills yesterday, Shady immediately drew interest from four teams, and as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports, McCoy will sign with the Chiefs. Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo! Sports says it will be a one-year, $3MM pact with incentives that can increase the value to $4MM (Twitter link).
Paylor adds in a separate tweet that the Chargers offered McCoy a similar contract, but McCoy opted to head to Kansas City due to his familiarity with head coach Andy Reid and the club’s front office. McCoy spent the first four years of his career under Reid when both men were with the Eagles.
The Chiefs’ decision to sign McCoy suggests that they were not entirely comfortable with presumptive RB1 Damien Williams taking the lion’s share of the carries. McCoy and Williams — much to the chagrin of Williams fantasy owners — will likely share the load, with sixth-round rookie Darwin Thompson and second-year player Darrel Williams in support.
McCoy struggled in 2018, which turned out to be his final year in Buffalo, but the Bills’ O-line was a mess. The six-time Pro Bowler is definitely nearing the end of the road, but he did top 1,000 yards in each of his prior two seasons with the Bills, and with a dynamic offense around him and younger players to ease some of his burden, there is reason to believe that he can be productive for the Chiefs in 2019.
McCoy, 31, has 10,606 career rushing yards, good for 25th on the all-time list.