Raiders To Acquire QB A.J. McCarron
The Raiders will acquire quarterback A.J. McCarron from the Bills, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Buffalo will receive a fifth-round pick, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Bills signed McCarron to compete for their starting job this spring, but he quickly fell behind both Josh Allen and Nathan Peterman.
Raiders coach Jon Gruden made clear that the team was in the market for a veteran backup quarterback and that they weren’t happy with the performances of returning players Connor Cook and E.J. Manuel. It’s unclear what the compensation is at this point, but it’s likely nothing more than a late round pick.
The Raiders haven’t announced all their cuts yet, but this means that at least one of Cook or Manuel will be sent packing, if not both. McCarron developed a reputation as one of the league’s better backups while holding Andy Dalton’s clipboard the past few seasons.
He was expected to have opportunities to start this offseason, but he was greeted with a quiet market in free agency. He didn’t draw much interest outside of Buffalo, and ended up signing a two-year deal there. The Bills will now move forward with Allen and Peterman, although they haven’t announced who will start between the two.
Eagles To Start Nick Foles In Week 1
While Carson Wentz is close to returning, the Eagles will play it safe for the time being. Nick Foles will start for the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1 against the Falcons, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Wentz is on the verge of completing a “fantastic” rehab, in the Eagles’ eyes, after tearing an ACL and LCL late last year. The Eagles, however, are prioritizing Wentz’s long-term health over having him start before he’s 100 percent ready, Rapoport adds.
The starter’s been cleared for 11-on-11 sessions but interestingly has not been given the green light for contact work yet. So, Foles will start the season after delivering Philadelphia its first Super Bowl title. The Eagles redid Foles’ contract this offseason and turned down trade offers for their high-level backup.
While Foles did not perform well in the Eagles’ dress-rehearsal game in Cleveland, he still delivered a dominant postseason and will face the Falcons for the second time this year.
Chiefs To Bring Back Ron Parker
Ron Parker is set to return to the Chiefs after a few months away from Kansas City. The recently released safety will re-sign with the Chiefs, Terez Paylor of Yahoo.com reports (on Twitter).
The Chiefs released Parker in March after he’d played three seasons of a five-year, $30MM deal. It’s likely Kansas City can get back its longtime Eric Berry sidekick for less than what he was supposed to make on his previous Chiefs contract. The Falcons cut Parker this week after signing him late in the offseason.
Parker’s return comes for a Chiefs team that doesn’t have a surefire option opposite Berry. Projected starter Daniel Sorensen already underwent surgery for what could be a severe leg injury. He hasn’t been placed on IR yet but is not expected to return anytime soon.
The Chiefs deployed Parker as a starter for four seasons, first in 2014 as Berry’s replacement while he battled cancer and then as Berry’s complement. Parker is now 31 but is obviously familiar with fifth-year DC Bob Sutton‘s system and was durable for the Chiefs, playing in all 64 of their regular-season games the past four years.
Parker’s the second safety the Chiefs will have added in two days. K.C. acquired Jordan Lucas from the Dolphins as well, perhaps signalling Sorensen is, in fact, IR-bound.
Patriots Release RB Mike Gillislee
The Patriots have released running back Mike Gillislee, according to Kevin Duffy of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
Rumored as a cut candidate throughout the offseason, Gillislee will indeed have to look for a job elsewhere after his Patriots stay did not go as anticipated.
One of the NFL’s most productive runners on a per-carry basis in 2016, averaging 5.7 yards per carry on 101 handoffs with the Bills, he did not pick up where he left off with the Patriots. After a three-touchdown opener last season, Gillislee was phased out of the Pats’ rotation. And this year, New England added Jeremy Hill and Sony Michel to its backfield mix.
Now 27, Gillislee has spent his entire career in the AFC East — two years with the Dolphins, two with the Bills and two offseasons with the Patriots. He finished his New England tenure with 383 rushing yards (3.7 per carry) and five touchdowns.
Jets Made Strong Offer For Khalil Mack
The first known suitor for Khalil Mack did not step aside in this pursuit easily, but the Jets ultimately did not want to match what the Bears were offering.
The Jets, however, did make a “competitive” offer for the superstar edge defender, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. Gang Green expressed serious interest in Mack, but Vacchiano adds its offer did not include two first-round picks like Chicago’s did.
Said offer emerged in the past few days, but the Jets first called the Raiders about Mack more than a week ago, Vacchiano reports, adding the Raiders at that point weren’t ready to make a deal. At that point, the Raiders were “convinced” Mack would return and play out the season on his $13MM-plus fifth-year option salary. However, other reports have indicated Mack was resolute in his stance he would not return to the Raiders unless extended.
As of Thursday, the Raiders were going to keep Mack unless they received a “crazy offer,” per Vacchiano. The Bears’ two first-rounders plus another piece of value probably qualifies as such. The Jets are projected to have around $80MM in cap space next year and do not have a quality edge-rusher situation. However, they did not want to surrender two first-rounders.
Vacchiano notes Shane Ray and Dante Fowler could be options, but the Broncos just waived Jeff Holland, seemingly ensuring Ray will be one of their four edge rushers this season.
Latest On Khalil Mack Trade
One of this decade’s biggest blockbuster NFL trades came together in part because of something another team accomplished Friday.
Aaron Donald‘s $22.5MM-AAV Rams extension helped set up the Raiders’ choice to trade Khalil Mack to the Bears, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link).
The Raiders spent recent weeks and months pondering what Mack’s contract would ultimately cost them at least that, with Rapoport reporting Mack was not going to take anything less than what Donald received. Once the Donald deal occurred, the Raiders “certainly” knew they weren’t going to be able to authorize that kind of contract, per Rapoport. No progress had occurred on this front for months.
Teams then began contacting the Raiders about Mack again, despite previously being told he was not available. Upon receiving a Bears offer that included “at least” two first-rounders, the Raiders believed they “had to” accept it, Rapoport reports.
A two-first-rounder offer occurred within the past 24 hours, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com reports (video link). Another offer involving a first- and third-round pick, and one including a player, occurred earlier this week. But once teams heard the Raiders received a proposal including two first-rounders, other teams dropped out, per Pelissero.
Mack’s fifth-year option salary of $13MM-plus is now off the books, and the Bears have a lead pass rusher to anchor a Leonard Floyd-fronted supporting cast. As for the Raiders, their prized 2014 draft class splinters. They agreed to a then-record deal with Derek Carr and signed Gabe Jackson for eight figures per year in June 2017, but because of Mack’s fifth-year option, they waited on an extension for the 2016 defensive player of the year. And they ultimately decided they were better off with the draft picks and cap space than paying Mack.
Bills Release WR Corey Coleman
Corey Coleman‘s brief tenure in Buffalo has come to an end. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the Bills are releasing the wideout.
Following a pair of underwhelming seasons in Cleveland, Coleman was traded to the Bills earlier this month for a seventh-rounder. The move seemed to be of little risk for the Bills, who were hoping the receiver would show some of the promise that made him a 15th-overall pick in 2016 draft. However, he 24-year-old didn’t end up showing a whole lot in the preseason with his new team, hauling in only three receptions for seven yards.
After being traded at the beginning of the preseason, Coleman seemingly didn’t have enough time to crack Buffalo’s roster. With the wideout out of the picture, any one of Andre Holmes, Jeremy Kerley, or Kaelin Clay could push for the third receiver spot behind Kelvin Benjamin and Zay Jones.
Coleman had shown intermittent promise during his time with the Browns, although he had only managed to compile 56 receptions for 718 yards and five touchdowns in 19 career games. The former Baylor standout struggled with injuries — most notably, two hand breaks — and he saw the GM who drafted him ousted last year. Coleman was signed through the 2019 season and would have been under Bills control through 2020 via the fifth-year option.
Of course, considering Coleman’s brilliance in college, some time will surely take a shot at the wide receiver now that he’s a free agent. There are presumably plenty of receiver-needy teams that would be willing to sign the 5-foot-11, 185-pound wideout.
Raiders Trade Khalil Mack To Bears
Khalil Mack is heading to the Windy City. The Raiders have agreed to send Mack, a 2020 second-round round pick, and a conditional 2020 fifth-round pick to Chicago in exchange for a 2019 first-round pick, 2020 first-round pick, a 2020 third-round pick, and a 2019 sixth-round pick.
Furthermore,NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport Rapoport adds (via Twitter) that the Bears have permission to negotiate a long-term deal with Mack. They’re expected to ink him to a deal that would eclipse the record-breaking deal that Aaron Donald signed with the Rams yesterday.
We heard late last night that the chances of a Mack deal were “very real,” with the Jets and Browns among the teams connected to the defensive end (SNY’s Ralph Vacchiano confirms that the Jets called about Mack). However, it sounds like there was a difference in opinions among the Raiders staff, with owner Mark Davis apparently in support of keeping the disgruntled 27-year-old. On the flip side, head coach Jon Gruden was “far more open” to the idea, believing the financial commitment would be far better used on multiple players (via SI’s Michael Silver on Twitter).
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that several potential suitors dropped out of the sweepstakes last night as the Bears seemingly ramped up their pursuit, with the Raiders telling other teams that they had at least two first-rounders on the table. Rapoport tweets that the reported asking price was two firsts and a player, a price that only Chicago was willing to pay.
Mack was engaged in a contract dispute with Oakland throughout the preseason, and it was expected to last into the regular season. One of the NFL’s best pass-rushers, Mack is scheduled to earn $13.846MM in 2018 before hitting free agency next spring. If Chicago is going to make him the highest-paid defender in the NFL, then the contract would need to exceed the deal that Donald signed with the Rams yesterday. That contract is worth $135MM, including $87MM in rolling guarantees. The deal represents the richest defensive deal in NFL history.
Mack has been a wrecking ball since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. In 2017, Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the NFL’s seventh-best edge defender. A deal for Mack certainly indicates that the Bears are ready to win now, as no team would give up such a haul if they weren’t eyeing the playoffs. Mack will slide into the starting lineup alongside either Akiem Hicks or Jonathan Bullard.
Chances Of Khalil Mack Being Traded Are “Very Real”
The odds that Raiders edge rusher Khalil Mack is traded this weekend are “very real,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds the market for Mack is unsurprisingly “robust.”
Mack is currently engaged in a contract dispute with Oakland, one that’s expected to last into the regular season. One of the NFL’s best pass-rushers, Mack is scheduled to earn $13.846MM in 2018 before hitting free agency next spring.
The Raiders’ asking price for Mack is believed to start with two first-round picks, but it’s unclear if any club is willing to meet that price. While teams have inquired on Mack, and offers have been coming in, Oakland has yet to make a trade. The Jets, for one, are known to be interested in acquiring Mack, as are the Browns.
Mack, 27, has been a wrecking ball since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. A three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro, Mack has totaled 40.5 sacks over his first four NFL seasons. In 2017, Pro Football Focus graded Mack as the NFL’s seventh-best edge defender.
Multiple Teams Expressing Interest In Earl Thomas
Multiple teams have contacted the Seahawks to express interest in safety Earl Thomas, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (Twitter link).
While the identity of the clubs interested in Thomas remains unknown at this point, it’s an interesting development in the Thomas sage. Thus far, only the Cowboys are known to have had talks regarding a Thomas trade, so the mere fact that other teams are now in the mix could potentially give Seattle more leverage in negotiations.
Thomas, of course, is seeking a contract extension as he enters the final season of his pact. But the Seahawks have shown no willingness to discuss a new accord, and Pelissero similarly reports the two sides are still at a stalemate.
Thomas is set to earn a base salary of $8.5MM and count for $10.4MM on Seattle’s salary cap. That salary is courtesy of a four-year, $40MM extension which Thomas signed in 2014, a deal which now makes him the NFL’s sixth-highest-paid safety in terms of annual value.