Seahawks Release Doug Baldwin, Kam Chancellor
Doug Baldwin is no longer a Seahawk. Two weeks after a report surfaced indicating injuries will likely force the veteran slot receiver to retire, the Seahawks released Russell Wilson‘s top target with a failed-physical designation, the team announced.
The Seahawks also cut Kam Chancellor with this designation. Chancellor announced intentions to retire before last season but did not officially retire in order to collect guaranteed money.
“The Seahawks have made the difficult decision to terminate/failed-physical Doug Baldwin and Kam Chancellor,” GM John Schneider said. “These are two of the most iconic players in franchise history and both were instrumental in establishing our championship culture, great examples of competitiveness and leadership on the field and in the community. These legendary players will always be a part of our Seahawks family.”
Knee, groin and shoulder injuries — which each required surgery — look set to end Baldwin’s career. The 30-year-old wideout led the Seahawks in receiving five times and, with 6,563 yards, is the franchise’s No. 3 all-time receiver — behind only Steve Largent and Brian Blades. Baldwin’s 49 touchdown receptions trail only Largent in Seahawks history. Baldwin booked two Pro Bowl berths and tied for the league lead with 14 touchdown receptions in 2015.
The Seahawks signed Baldwin as an undrafted free agent out of Stanford in 2011; he led the Tarvaris Jackson-quarterbacked team in receiving as a rookie before becoming Wilson’s most trusted target. Baldwin was a key member of both Seattle Super Bowl teams this decade, catching touchdown passes in both the Seahawks’ Super Bowl XLVIII win and crushing loss a year later. However, his momentum stalled last season.
A knee injury hampered him during training camp and likely throughout the 2018 campaign, one that ended with Tyler Lockett as Seattle’s leading receiver and Baldwin posting 618 yards — the second-lowest total of his career. While Baldwin came alive late to help the Seahawks back to the playoffs, scoring four of his five touchdowns in December, he clearly was playing hurt. This offseason, he underwent multiple corrective procedures.
Seattle traded up to select D.K. Metcalf in the second round, also adding Wake Forest’s Gary Jennings in Round 4 and Hawaii’s John Ursua in Round 7. The team did not make any notable veteran additions at the position, which will place plenty on Lockett’s shoulders this season.
Baldwin’s second Seahawks extension, signed in 2016, came with $24.25MM in total guarantees. Thursday’s transaction will allow him to collect the remainder of that sum. The Seahawks will save $6.9MM this year by releasing Baldwin. In total, cutting both cornerstone players will give the team around $20MM in cap space next year, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets.
Chancellor received a $5.2MM payment earlier this year. The Seahawks will be tagged with $10.2MM in dead money in 2019 because of this move. The 31-year-old safety’s release serves as a mere formality, with the neck injury he sustained during the 2017 season ending his career. These cuts leave Wilson, Bobby Wagner and K.J. Wright as the only starters left from Seattle’s Super Bowl rosters.
Telvin Smith Will Not Play In 2019
In a rather shocking twist, Telvin Smith announced he will sit out the 2019 season. The Jaguars linebacker plans to step away from the game for the time being, he announced on Instagram (via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, on Twitter).
After the draft, GM Dave Caldwell did not commit to Smith’s place on the ’19 Jags. Smith had not reported to Jaguars voluntary workouts this offseason. But the five-year veteran said recently he did not want to play anywhere else. While that still appears to be the case, Smith’s NFL future is much cloudier.
“At this time I must take time away from the game & get my world in order,” Smith wrote. “I must give this time back to myself, my family & my health. … I know the rumors of trade talk came about, but I started my career in Jacksonville & the day I do decide to call it quits will be right here in Duval.”
This appears to have caught the Jaguars by surprise as well.
“We will not have a comment about Telvin Smith’s statement at this time,” the team said in a statement. “We need to have a conversation with Telvin to understand the situation and the circumstances.”
Smith, 28, has been a Jaguars starter for all five years of his career. He earned Pro Bowl acclaim during a 2017 season that ended with the Jags on the Super Bowl precipice. Last season, he led the team in tackles by a significant margin with 134. The Florida State alum has been one of the NFL’s best off-ball linebackers, having been the only player to record 100-plus tackles, two interceptions and a fumble recovery in each of the past three seasons, per Warren Sharp of SharpFootballAnalysis.com (Twitter link). Smith has nine career picks, returning three for touchdowns, and six fumble recoveries.
Although Smith appeared on the Jags’ injury report with a shoulder injury at points last year, he did not miss a game. The former second-round pick has missed just four games in five seasons. The Jags extended Smith (four years, $44MM) in October 2017. Three years remain on his contract; the Jags stand to control his rights if he returns. Smith was scheduled to count $12.56MM toward Jacksonville’s 2019 cap. Now, the team will have to call an audible at outside ‘backer.
This makes Jacksonville’s third-round selection of Quincy Williams, a player most analysts did not consider a Day 2-caliber talent, more interesting. The Murray State alum could now play a bigger part for the Jags as a rookie. Myles Jack is entering a contract year. The Jags also signed former Packers starting inside linebacker Jake Ryan.
Patriots Sign Benjamin Watson
Benjamin Watson‘s Thursday visit with the Patriots will lead to a reunion. Ending a brief retirement, Watson plans to sign with the defending Super Bowl champions, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This will be a one-year, $3MM deal, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).
Watson signed the contract, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter).
The Patriots drafted the tight end in the first round of the 2004 draft and look set to turn to him as one of their post-Rob Gronkowski solutions. This will be quite the interesting reunion, considering Watson is nine years older than Gronkowski and preceded the future Hall of Famer in intentions to retire less than six months ago.
Word surfaced shortly before the draft that Watson was not set on leaving the game behind, and Gronk’s retirement naturally made New England a logical destination. Watson also had the Chiefs, Bills and 49ers on his radar (after the Saints signed Jared Cook) and will join Austin Seferian-Jenkins as key components of the Pats’ tight end corps.
He spent six years with the Pats, leaving after the 2009 season to sign with the Browns. Watson has since played for the Ravens and enjoyed multiple Saints stints. A month after Watson initially left New England, the Pats added Gronk and reshaped their dynasty. Now as they look to further prolong it, they will turn to a 38-year-old veteran.
Only a few tight ends, including Antonio Gates last season, have played past their 38th birthdays. No pure tight end, discounting long snappers, has suited up past his 39th. Watson turns 39 in December. Only Watson and Larry Fitzgerald remain in the league as skill-position players from the ’04 draft.
Watson finished last season with 35 receptions for 400 yards and two touchdowns. While he will not be mistaken for Gronkowski, the former Super Bowl winner has obviously displayed remarkable staying power and stands to team with ASJ to help out in filling the void Gronk’s retirement created. A former No. 32 overall pick, Watson caught six of Tom Brady‘s 50 touchdown passes in 2007 and, amazingly, will be called upon to help in the quarterback’s age-42 season.
Seahawks To Sign Ziggy Ansah
The Seahawks won out for Ziggy Ansah. The former Lions defensive end will head west on a one-year deal, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).
Ansah will sign his deal on Thursday, Rapoport tweets. This will take a key free agent off the board, a day after UFA signings became disconnected from 2020 compensatory picks.
It appeared the Seahawks and Bills were vying for Ansah, with Brandon Beane remarking hours ago his team was still negotiating with the former Pro Bowl pass rusher. But the Seahawks, who had a much bigger immediate need at defensive end, will make the addition. Ansah will join first-round pick L.J. Collier in a new-look Seattle edge corps.
The Seahawks’ Frank Clark trade left them vulnerable on the edge. They used the No. 29 overall pick on Collier, who maxed out at six sacks in his best TCU season, but now have a former top-five pick in the fold. Ansah has struggled with injuries, his most recent shoulder malady set to keep him out until perhaps midway through training camp, but has been productive when healthy. The soon-to-be 30-year-old edge presence has 48 career sacks, his 14.5 in 2015 sending him to the Pro Bowl and the 12 in 2017 inducing the Lions to place their franchise tag on him last year.
Free agent edges Nick Perry and Shane Ray also visited Seattle, but the team will go with Ansah. Perry and Ray join several starter- or sub-package-level pass rushers still available. Derrick Morgan, Michael Johnson, Andre Branch, Pernell McPhee, Dion Jordan and others remain on the market.
Bucs’ Jason Pierre-Paul Could Miss Season
The early word after Jason Pierre-Paul‘s car crash indicated that he was not seriously injured. Unfortunately, that no longer appears to be the case. The Buccaneers defensive end may be in danger of missing the entire season due to a neck injury suffered in the accident, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 
At this time, the belief is that Pierre-Paul will require surgery, which would almost certainly rule him out for the year. Pierre-Paul led the Bucs with 12.5 sacks last season, but the club will need to find pass rush pressure elsewhere in 2019.
Of course, this isn’t the first time that an off-the-field injury has held JPP back. On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger in a fireworks accident. To the surprise of many, he bounced back to register 15.5 sacks across 28 games in the following two seasons. Hopefully, Pierre-Paul can rebound similarly after his neck malady.
Roughly half of Pierre-Paul’s $14.9MM salary for 2019 became guaranteed in March, so the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. They also have very little in the way of cap flexibility, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to get in on the bidding for Ezekiel Ansah and other impact edge rushers left on the market.
Richie Incognito Leaves Raiders Without Deal
6:24pm: Incognito has left the Raiders without a deal, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). However, Bair says that the two sides could come to terms later, and he confirmed that Incognito is in great shape.
5:10pm: Incognito has finished his workout but still needs to pass a physical before the Raiders consider signing him, per ESPN. Incognito pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct stemming from his arrest last August, so he may still be subject to some league discipline if he signs with a team. And that, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter), may be the only obstacle to getting a deal done. Pelissero hears that there is mutual interest, and that Incognito is in great shape.
11:19am: The Raiders will work out free agent guard Richie Incognito on Monday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran was out of football last year out of a string of bizarre incidents, but he apparently wants to play again. 
Last year, Incognito agreed to a pay cut with the Bills only to “retire” for a short time and force his release from Buffalo. Days after his release, Florida cops placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him. Incognito claimed that he drew interest even after that event, but as far as we know, his Oakland workout marks his only real inquiry in the last calendar year.
On the plus side, Garafolo hears that Incognito is feeling well “in all aspects.” If he’s healthy – both mentally and physically – Incognito could factor into the Raiders’ starting left guard competition following the trade of Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. The Raiders say that Gabe Jackson will remain on the right side, which currently leaves Denzelle Good as the leader in the clubhouse at LG.
In 2017, Incognito graded out as the 12th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked seventh amongst all guards in 2016 and second in ’15, making him the Bills’ top-rated offensive lineman in that three year period.
Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill Denies Abuse Allegations
The latest round of allegations against Chiefs star Tyreek Hill may put his football future in jeopardy. However, in a four-page letter sent to the NFL by his lawyer, the wide receiver strongly refuted the allegations against him. 
“[Hill] categorically denies he has ever ‘punched’ his son in the chest or anywhere on his body, or otherwise touched him in the chest in a mean-spirited manner or as a form of discipline,” the attorney wrote (via ESPN.com).
Through his lawyer, Hill denied having any role in his son’s fractured arm. The attorney also noted that the injury to Hill’s three-year-old boy was ruled to be an accident when he was examined at the hospital. Hill’s letter to the league also refuted Crystal Espinal’s recorded allegation that their son is “terrified” of him.
Recently, local investigators closed their investigation into Hill, citing a lack of concrete evidence. However, damning audio of a conversation between Hill and his child’s mother may have breathed new life into the case. Some reports indicate that the investigation has been re-opened. Meanwhile, Terez A. Paylor of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter) hears that might not be true – at least, not yet.
For now, Hill remains barred from all Chiefs team activities.
Marshawn Lynch Open To Raiders Return
Maybe Marshawn Lynch isn’t dead set on retirement after all. The running back – who hung up his cleats just days ago – would be open to a Raiders return if the team wants him back, Steve Wyche of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. 
[RELATED: Lynch Retires For Second Time]
A Lynch return made some degree of sense in the wake of Isaiah Crowell‘s (likely) season-ending injury. However, the Raiders moved fast on Wednesday by re-signing Doug Martin. Now, the Raiders running back room feels crowded once again with Martin, rookie Joshua Jacobs, Jalen Richard, Chris Warren III, and DeAndre Washington under contract.
But, even if he’s not a fit for the Raiders in 2019, one has to wonder whether Lynch would entertain the idea of playing elsewhere. The 33-year-old is certainly past his prime, but he has averaged a respectable 4.3 yards per carry for the Raiders over the last two years and would add toughness to any backfield.
For his career, Beast Mode owns five Pro Bowl nods, one First-Team All-Pro selection, and a Super Bowl ring.
Titans To Decline Jack Conklin’s Option
The Titans will not pick up Jack Conklin‘s 2020 option, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). This was not necessarily the expected outcome for the former First-Team All-Pro. 
The 24-year-old (25 in August) started in every possible game in his first two seasons in the league. However, things turned a bit in the Titans’ divisional round loss to the Patriots following the 2017 season. Conklin’s torn ACL sidelined him for the offseason plus the first three games of 2018. Then, Conklin landed back on IR in December of last year.
In between the maladies, Conklin was not as sharp as his rookie self. Reading between the lines, it sounds as though the Titans have doubts about how well Conklin can recover from his knee injuries and concussions.
Last year, Conklin graded out as the 45th ranked tackle in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. That positions Conklin as a starting-caliber tackle, but not an elite one, making his would-be $12.866MM salary for 2020 a bit too rich for the Titans’ blood.
Saints To Decline Eli Apple’s Option
This will be a prove-it year for cornerback Eli Apple. The Saints will not exercise the former first-round pick’s option for 2020, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
The Saints had until Friday to exercise the 2020 option for Apple, which would have paid him $13.7MM (guaranteed for injury only) in the additional season. Given that Apple has missed time in the past, the extra year would have been a bit of a gamble.
Still, Apple has given the Saints reason to believe in his abilities. After coming over from the Giants in a midseason trade, the 23-year-old (24 in August) logged two interceptions and started in all ten of his games in New Orleans. Apple graded out as just the No. 64 ranked corner in the NFL, according to the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus, but it’s clear that the change of scenery has helped him.
For now, Apple will earn just $2.5MM in base pay for 2019, making him a solid value as a starter. If he takes another step forward in 2019, a more lucrative deal could be in his future.
