Bengals, Vontaze Burfict Discussing Extension
The Bengals and linebacker Vontaze Burfict are discussing an extension, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson hears (on Twitter). Burfict is currently scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season. 
Burfict’s talent is undeniable but his playing style has long been a source of controversy. His latest questionable tackle on Anthony Sherman in the preseason will have him shelved for the first three games of the 2017 season, down from an initial five-game ban. Burfict has only played in 58 of a possible 80 regular-season contests in his five-year career due to suspension and injury.
Burfict was Pro Football Focus’ No. 6 ranked linebacker in 2017, putting him behind only Jerrell Freeman, Luke Kuechly, Bobby Wagner, Paul Posluszny, and Sean Lee. In his suspension-shortened season, Burfict’s had 101 tackles and two sacks across eleven games.
The linebacker will celebrate his 27th birthday on Sept. 24, so the Bengals could be looking to control him for at least four extra years. Burfict would be sacrificing prime seasons in such an extension, but he also wouldn’t have to worry about what could be a tepid market for his services. One has to imagine that at least a few teams will shy away from Burfict given his track record.
The Bengals will be without Burfict when they take on the Ravens, Texans, and Packers in the first few weeks of the season.
Browns To Cut S Calvin Pryor
The Browns are expected to release safety Calvin Pryor, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Pryor got into a fight with wide receiver Ricardo Louis before practice, prompting Cleveland to show him the door. He is not a vested veteran, so he will be subject to waivers.
Coach Hue Jackson has spoken about changing the Browns’ locker room culture and he demonstrated today that he will not tolerate players stepping out of line, even when it’s someone as significant as Pryor. The former first-round pick was projected to open up the season as the Browns’ starting strong safety.
The Browns acquired Pryor from the Jets in early June in exchange for linebacker Demario Davis. At the time, Pryor said he was ecstatic to have a chance at a tabula rasa.
“I feel like it was a great opportunity – have a fresh start, learn a new system and buy into a new culture,” the safety said over the summer. “I had a feeling [with the Jets] drafting two safeties, but I can’t control that. I’m excited. I can’t thank (the Browns) enough.”
So much for the new beginning. Pryor is now out of work just days before most teams start their seasons.
The “Louisville Slugger” ranked as a top-50 safety in the NFL in his first two seasons, per the metrics at Pro Football Focus. Last year, however, he declined in PFF’s rankings.
Rob Ninkovich Won’t Rule Out Return
Longtime Patriots defender Rob Ninkovich retired over the summer, but the itch to play football has returned as the fall draws near. Ninkovich isn’t ready to suit up just yet, but he won’t rule out a comeback either. 
“I’m not closing the door. I’m not going to close the door. Just in case, you know, if something happened,” Ninkovich said on CSNNE (video link).
It’s not hard to imagine the Patriots calling on Ninkovich in the event of an injury, particularly since the front seven has been thinned out by rookie Derek Rivers’ season-ending injury and the release of Kony Ealy. The addition of Cassius Marsh may help New England on special teams, but the pass rush is looking like a major weak spot for the defending champs.
Ninkovich began his career with the Saints and also spent time with the Dolphins, but he has said that he cannot picture himself playing for any other team besides the Patriots. If he steps on the gridiron again, it will almost certainly be for a ninth season with New England.
Ninkovich saw the first significant action of his career when he signed with the Patriots in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14. All in all, Ninkovich piled up 423 tackles and 46 sacks during his tenure with the Patriots. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts, and was a key member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.
Sebastian Janikowski To Stay With Raiders
The longest-tenured Raider in franchise history is not going anywhere. Sebastian Janikowski has “resolved” his “contractual differences” with the team, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears. 
Janikowski’s future with the Raiders seemed uncertain this week when the team asked him to take a pay cut and auditioned other kickers. When he was put up against younger competition, the 39-year-old was said to have struggled, thanks in part to back trouble.
We don’t know for certain, but it sounds like Janikowski agreed to a salary reduction in order to keep his place with the team. The Raiders’ concerns about Janikowski’s performance may have merit, but it would have been terrible PR for the team to cut ties with him in the midst of its relocation to Las Vegas.
For his part, Janikowski says he would like to kick for the Raiders through their move to Las Vegas, which could be as late as the 2020 season. First, he’ll have to make it through the 2017 campaign.
Ezekiel Elliott’s Suspension Upheld
Arbitrator Harold Henderson has upheld Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott‘s six-game suspension, per Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Elliott will still play in Week 1 against the Giants, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, as the NFL typically doesn’t implement suspensions when a decision is made after 4pm ET on a Tuesday. Instead, Elliott will begin his suspension in Week 2, and will subsequently miss games against the Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, 49ers, and Redskins.
Of course, the battle may not yet be concluded even after a yearlong investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, a suspension, and a unsuccessful appeal. Elliott has vowed to take his case to court, and a judge is expected to rule on a restraining order against the NFL by 5pm ET on Friday, tweets Tom Pelissero of NFL.com. If that order is accepted, Elliott will likely be available to play out the entire season, according to Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).
Elliott, the fourth overall selection in the 2016 draft, has accused the NFL of a conspiracy against him, and the dispute has gotten ugly from all angles. Elliott and his camp have cast doubt on the consistency of his accuser’s claims and suggested her motives were profit-based, while the NFL has accused Elliott of victim-shaming. Nevertheless, Elliott plans to fight his ban to the “complete exhaustion of his legal options,” a source tells Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
On the field, Elliott is one of the league’s more dynamic talents, as he lead the NFL in rushing yards while scoring 15 times a year ago. Without him, the Cowboys will turn to a trio of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and Rod Smith to run behind arguably the league’s best offensive lines.
Jets To Sign Jeremy Kerley
He’s back. The Jets have signed wide receiver Jeremy Kerley to a one-year deal, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link). 
The Jets auditioned Kerley on Tuesday morning and it didn’t take long for a deal to come together. He’ll now return to the team with which he spent his first five seasons.
Kerley was a staple of the Jets’ offense for multiple seasons, but he fell off the radar in 2015. The next season, he landed in San Francisco where he flourished. The Niners re-signed him to a lucrative contract only to release him prior to this year’s 53-man deadline.
In 16 games last year, Kerley caught 64 of 115 targets for 667 yards and three scores. Those are solid numbers and they look a little more impressive when considering that he was playing in one of the league’s most putrid offenses. He might have a similar experience now that he’s back in New York. The good news for him is that he should have ample opportunities to showcase his skills. Kerley is arguable the most talented receiver on a Jets team that is without Quincy Enunwa this year.
Kerley can also be a contributor on special teams as a punt returner.
Broncos Add Jonathan Williams To P-Squad
The Broncos have signed running back Jonathan Williams to the practice squad, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. He’s receiving a sizable salary that equals out to $510K over the course of the season, which indicates that there was a healthy market for him after the Bills cut him loose. The minimum practice squad salary is just over $7K per week. 
Early on this offseason, Williams seemed poised to step into Mike Gillislee‘s role as LeSean McCoy‘s top backup. He lost ground in that competition, however, and the Bills decided to cut him loose rather than pay out the full value of his contract. The Broncos and 30 other teams declined to pick him up off of waivers, thereby picking up his deal and giving him a roster spot, but multiple teams wanted him on the taxi squad. The Broncos won out over the competition.
The Broncos will roll into the season with C.J. Anderson, Devontae Booker, Jamaal Charles, and De’Angelo Henderson at running back. Booker’s status is up in the air to start the season, so there’s already a potential roster opening for Williams if that injury lingers.
Cardinals Sign G Alex Boone
Free agent guard Alex Boone has agreed to terms with the Cardinals, according to his agents at Schwartz & Feinsod. Arizona announced the deal as a one-year pact.
Boone was a surprise cut by Minnesota prior to the 53-man deadline this weekend. Just last year, the Vikings inked him to a four-year, $26.8MM deal with $10MM guaranteed. After a so-so year, the Vikings decided to cut ties and save some dollars.
In Arizona, Boone could displace Evan Boehm as the team’s starting right guard. If he does, he’ll once again start opposite of Mike Iupati.
A 14-game starter for Minnesota in 2016, Boone ranked as the NFL’s No. 37 guard among 75 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, which assigned him high marks for his pass blocking but poor scores in the run game. During his best years as a member of the Niners, Boone was regarded as an above-average starter and even earned a second-team All-Pro selection in 2012.
This week, Boone expressed interest in signing with the Dolphins and reuniting with ex-Niners offensive line coach Chris Foerster. He’s a long way from Miami, but he is still joining a team with playoff potential.
Ezekiel Elliott Ruling To Come Down Today
The Ezekiel Elliott saga could be coming to a close. Hearing officer Harold Henderson has informed all parties that he will render his ruling by the close of business on Tuesday, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. 
After a yearlong investigation into domestic violence accusations made against him, Elliott was slapped with a six-game suspension this summer. Both Elliott and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones have said that the allegations are without merit and the running back’s camp has vowed to fight the ban until all options have been exhausted. That includes appealing through the highest levels of the justice system, so Elliott’s battle could continue if the suspension is not overturned or significantly reduced today.
If Elliott does not win his appeal or at least have the suspension reduced, he will miss games against the Giants, Broncos, Cardinals, Rams, Packers, and 49ers. Because the Cowboys have a Week 6 bye, an upheld suspension would delay his 2017 debut until October 29th when the Cowboys take on the Redskins.
Raiders, Sebastian Janikowski At Contract Impasse
The Raiders and 18th-year kicker Sebastian Janikowski are locked in an impasse over his contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports, and this matter could be resolved as soon as Tuesday.
Oakland’s brass has asked the 39-year-old specialist to take a pay cut, and thus far, Janikowski has declined, per Schefter. Janikowski is owed $4MM in base salary this season. A small portion of that figure ($238K) becomes guaranteed at 3pm Tuesday, per Schefter (via Twitter), who adds the rest of that salary will be fully guaranteed if Janikowski’s a part of the Oakland roster on Saturday.
This would explain the Raiders bringing in kickers to work out earlier Monday. Oakland auditioned Mike Nugent, Josh Lambo and Marshall Koehn on Labor Day. Should Janikowski stay on the team, it will be his 18th Raiders season. The former first-round pick has played in more games than any player in franchise history.
The Raiders are also concerned about Janikowski’s back injury. The back trouble caused the kicker to look “awful” today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (Twitter link). Lambo, in particular, stood out during the workouts, Rapoport reports (on Twitter).
Janikowski has one season remaining on his latest Oakland contract, and the cap figure ($4.41MM) sits only behind the Patriots’ Stephen Gostkowski among kickers in 2017. One of the strongest-legged kickers in NFL history, Janikowski has one Pro Bowl (2014) on his resume and has made a 63-yard field goal. Playing in 268 career games, the veteran kicker has missed just one contest since the start of the 2002 season.
The former Florida State kicker said earlier this summer he would like to kick for the Raiders through their move to Las Vegas, which could be as late as the 2020 season. He will be 42 by that point. A Janikowski release would surely cause other teams to consider an 11th-hour addition.