Panthers’ Greg Olsen Suffers Broken Foot
Panthers tight end Greg Olsen broke his foot on Sunday. There is no timetable for Olsen’s recovery, but he already admits that he’s going to miss “a lot of games.” 
The Panthers beat the Bills by a score of 9-3 on Sunday and it’ll be even harder to come by points without one of Cam Newton‘s favorite targets on the field. For now, Ed Dickson profiles as the team’s new No. 1 tight end with Chris Manhertz as the backup. At minimum, the Panthers can be expected to sign another tight end for depth. If the Panthers want to sign an experienced TE with a history of offensive production, they could call on Gary Barnidge now that the Texans have passed on him.
Olsen hasn’t missed a game since his rookie season in 2007, so this is unfamiliar territory for him. In his previous six seasons with Carolina, Olsen has averaged 71 catches, 897 yards, and five touchdowns per campaign.
The 32-year-old has two seasons to go on the three-year, $22.5MM pact he inked before the 2015 season.
Latest On Browns WR Josh Gordon
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon will be out of rehab on September 21, former Olympic sprinter Tim Montgomery tells Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Montgomery, who has been working with Gordon for the last six months, says that Gordon is hoping to have the indefinite suspension lifted soon after he is released. 
Gordon has had multiple problems with the league office, so it’s not clear if commissioner Roger Goodell would allow him to return to football right away. At minimum, one has to imagine that the NFL will want to see if Gordon can stay on the straight and narrow for a period of time before giving him the green light. If that’s the case, we might not see Gordon suit up in 2017.
If Gordon is allowed back in football, the Browns will have a tough decision to make. While Gordon is one of the league’s most talented receivers, he may not be a fit for Hue Jackson‘s locker room. Jackson said last year he was ready to move on from the 26-year-old, but he seemed at least open to his return when asked about him in May.
“He’s not back, so I don’t even want to really get into that right now,” Jackson said. “I wish Josh well, and we’ll cross all those bridges when we get there.”
When asked about Gordon’s status, a league spokesman told PFT that there is “no update” at this time. That means that Gordon has yet to file for reinstatement, which makes sense considering that he is still in rehab. When Gordon was denied reinstatement this offseason, the league informed him that he could reapply in the fall, so he could get the ball rolling soon.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Colin Kaepernick has been criticized by some for not publicly stating his desire to play in the NFL. On Sunday, Kaepernick broke his silence and made his intentions clear. 
“Yes,” Kaepernick said when asked by Shaun King of the Daily News (Twitter link) if he wants to play . “I’ve never stopped. I’m ready right now. Working out daily.”
Kaepernick is reportedly working out five days a week and is back to his 2013 weight of 230 pounds. This offseason, the 29-year-old was knocked for his slender frame and for not announcing that he wants to get back into football. He has now checked those boxes, but it’s not clear if or when he will get an opportunity to play. It’s possible that Kaepernick could get a call from a contending club in the event of an injury, but that would require him to learn someone’s playbook on the fly.
For now, it sounds like it’s NFL-or-bust for Kaepernick. But, if the NFL doesn’t come calling and he has a change of heart, he could have a place on the Montreal Alouettes.
Jerry Jones Blocking Roger Goodell Extension?
Commissioner Roger Goodell‘s current contract expires in 2019, though an extension was expected to be reached prior to the regular season getting underway. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, the six-man compensation committee is expected to have a conference call on Wednesday to produce a specific term proposal for Goodell.
Also included on the call will be Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has made himself the unofficial seventh member of the compensation committee, which also includes fellow owners Arthur Blank (Falcons), Clark Hunt (Chiefs), Robert Kraft (Patriots), John Mara (Giants), Bob McNair (Texans) and Art Rooney II (Steelers). And, according to ESPN’s sources, Jones considers himself a representative of the remaining 26 owners who are not on the compensation committee, and he is impeding a new deal for Goodell. One person familiar with the contract negotiations said, “If not for Jerry, this deal would be done.”
Interestingly, but perhaps not coincidentally, Goodell was informed that Jones would take part in the process within the same time frame as the commissioner was deciding the eventual six-game suspension of Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott for violation of the league’s domestic violence policy.
Jones has told the compensation committee that the other 26 owners believe Goodell is significant;y overpaid. As Schefter and Mortensen write, “Goodell’s earnings of more than $200 million since he was elected commissioner in 2006 — including a $44 million salary in 2015 — is at the core of Jones’ aggressive strategy in communicating with fellow owners.”
Some owners believe an extension is imminent all the same, while others believe there is no way a new deal gets reached anytime soon. Even if an extension is offered, it is unclear whether Goodell would be happy with it, as he would have to meet certain incentives to realize the same salary he has enjoyed in the past.
Jones was unavailable for comment and the league declined comment.
Giants, Odell Beckham Jr. Open To In-Season Extension
All offseason, we have heard that the Giants are not prioritizing a new contract for star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. In fact, the most recent report about the matter indicated that Big Blue had not so much as discussed an extension for OBJ, which makes sense given that he is under contract through 2018 at a very reasonable rate ($1.8MM this season, $8.5MM in 2018). Plus, the team could keep Beckham under club control for at least one more season after that through the franchise tag, and assuming Beckham continues to perform at the level he has established for himself, even the franchise tag salary might look like a bargain.
Nonetheless, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that both parties are open to working out an in-season extension. The Giants do not have a policy against in-season deals, and Beckham’s absence in the team’s Week 1 loss to the Cowboys only served to underscore his value. Beckham, of course, would love to get something done soon, as a new contract for him would represent a massive raise and could have a total value approaching $100MM.
The Giants have to be a little careful, because they do not want to set a precedent of handing out extensions to a player that has two years left on his deal. But Beckham is a generational talent, and New York brass has expressly stated that it wants OBJ to be a Giant for the rest of his career. If that’s the case, the Giants might have to do what they can to keep him happy, including making an exception to the two-year rule.
If anyone deserves such an exception, it’s Beckham. Through his first three seasons in the league, the 24-year-old has averaged nearly 100 catches per year for nearly 1,400 yards and 12 TDs. That puts him into rarefied air, and while La Canfora reports that negotiating a new deal will take work, it is hardly impossible.
Beckham has been battling an ankle injury that caused him to miss last week’s season opener, and he is questionable to make his 2017 debut against the Lions tomorrow night.
Saints Could Trade Kenny Vaccaro
The Saints are discussing a Kenny Vaccaro trade with a “handful of teams,” according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports. There’s potential for a deal to come together, adds La Canfora, who notes that the Saints are “overloaded” at safety (Twitter link).
Vaccaro was on the field for all 65 of the Saints’ snaps in their loss to the Vikings on Monday, showing that he remains a prominent part of their defense, but the team has heavily invested in his position lately. New Orleans spent second-round picks on safeties in each of the previous two drafts, selecting Vonn Bell in 2016 and Marcus Williams this year. And Vaccaro is scheduled to hit free agency after the season, further calling his future in New Orleans into question. Currently on a $5.68MM salary, Vaccaro has made it known that he wants to stay with the Saints, yet there haven’t been reports of any serious contract talks between the sides.
Now 27, Vaccaro has been one of the few consistently good parts of New Orleans’ defense since the club used a first-round pick on him in 2013. The former Texas Longhorn has started in 56 of 57 appearances and is attempting to build on a 2016 in which he ranked an above-average 38th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties. Notably, Vaccaro did miss a quarter of last season on account of a suspension for Adderall use.
Colin Kaepernick’s CFL Rights Go From One Team To Another
It’s not clear how or when this happened, but Colin Kaepernick‘s CFL rights have been transferred from one team to another. At one point, his rights were held by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Now, the Montreal Alouettes have dibs on him if he ever plays in the CFL, according to CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora (on Twitter). 
La Canfora adds the rather obvious caveat of “not that he’s going,” but were the 29-year-old quarterback be interested in a CFL path, it appears Montreal would be his destination.
This news comes after La Canfora reported Johnny Manziel has a legitimate path to the Tiger-Cats. So it appears a Manziel-to-Hamilton route has formed, while a Kaepernick-to-Montreal path seems much less likely.
ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert reported in March the Tiger-Cats acquired Kaepernick’s rights, with both he and Robert Griffin III residing on the team’s exclusive negotiation list.
Kaepernick has been a free agent since he opted out of his 49ers contract; the team would have released him had he not done so. A visit with the Seahawks did not produce a contract, and not much has emerged on a Kaepernick NFL job since. Although, that subject’s produce plenty of ire, and protests, due to the number of less accomplished quarterbacks currently on teams’ rosters.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Johnny Manziel To Sign With CFL Team?
There were conflicting reports on how well Johnny Manziel did in his August audition for the CFL’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Apparently, the quarterback performed well enough to garner real interest from the team. The expectation among other CFL clubs is that the league office will allow Hamilton to sign the former Texas A&M star, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears. JLC adds that he would be surprised if a signing does not happen. 
Hamilton holds Manziel’s CFL rights, which would theoretically pave the way for a deal. However, there have been whispers of the league effectively blackballing troubled players in the past. Depending on who you ask, Greg Hardy may have been blocked from signing with a team north of the border. League officials apparently will not stand in the way of Manziel making a return to the gridiron.
Manziel, 25 in December, has not been on the field since Dec. 27, 2015 when he was with the Browns. In eight career NFL starts, the former first-round choice completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven touchdowns, and seven interceptions. His Browns went 2-6 in those games.
Bengals To Fire OC Ken Zampese
The Bengals will fire offensive coordinator Ken Zampese, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Bengals have not scored a touchdown in the first two games of the season and they are hoping a sideline shakeup will give them a jump start. For now, quarterbacks coach Bill Lazor will assume offensive coordinator responsibilities, the team announced.
Head coach Marvin Lewis didn’t exactly offer up support for Zampese after Thursday night’s loss to the Texans.
“We have to get better but I’m never going to come in here and tell you anything we’re going to do with one another,” Lewis said when asked about potential staff changes (via Cincinnati.com). “What we do is private to us.”
Zampese was promoted to offensive coordinator last year after Hue Jackson left for the Browns’ head coaching job. Last year, the Bengals finished 13th in total offense under his guidance, but 24th in scoring. His offense left the red zone without a touchdown on nearly half of its red zone tries in 2016 and this year has been even worse. The Bengals are 0-for-6 for TDs in the red zone thus far and that’s a big reason for their 0-2 start.
On paper, the Bengals were poised to have one of the better offenses in the NFL with a competent QB in Andy Dalton, a megastar receiver in A.J. Green, a quality tight end in Tyler Eifert, and an intriguing mix of backfield weapons including Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, and rookie Joe Mixon. The Bengals hope that another OC will be able to get the most out of what they have.
If the former Dolphins OC can’t get the offense going, then Zampese might not be the only coach bounced in Cincinnati this season. After 15 years at the helm, this just might be Marvin Lewis‘ last stand.
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