Panthers TE Greg Olsen Won’t Hold Out
The Panthers are set to report to training camp tomorrow, and Greg Olsen will reportedly be among the attendants. According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, the Pro Bowl tight end will not be holding out and is planning on reporting to Wofford College.
Olsen has been one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL over the past several years, and he recently became the only player at his position to post three consecutive 1,00o-yard seasons. Despite this production, the 32-year-old will be relatively underpaid, as he’s set to earn base salaries of $6.5MM over the next two seasons (along with a $10.35MM cap hit in 2017 and $9.75MM cap hit in 2018).
Olsen recently discussed his contract situation, and he didn’t reject the possibility of a hold out. Agent Drew Rosenhaus echoed this sentiment, but he cautioned that players shouldn’t “exercise” their “leverage” unless it’s necessary. The Panthers have seen plenty of front office turnover this offseason, but it sounds like the changes will have little impact on negotiations. Olsen made it clear that talks with former general manager Dave Gettleman were never contentious, although some tend to think that negotiations with interim general manager Marty Hurney may lead to a quick agreement.
The Panthers might be inclined to extend the tight end instead of reworking the final two years of his contract. This would provide the organization with additional control over the tight end’s upcoming cap hits, and it’d also let Olsen earn some extra cash.
Broncos, John Elway Agree To Extension
The Broncos and John Elway have agreed to a new five-year contract, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets. The new deal ties him to Denver through the 2021 season. Terms of the deal are not yet known, but it is expected to make him the NFL’s highest paid GM (Twitter link).
Elway, one of the franchise’s all-time great players, has furthered his legacy as Denver’s GM. Since taking over as executive vice president of football operations of the Broncos in 2011, the team has gone 67-29 in the regular season with five playoff appearances, two Super Bowl appearances, and a championship following the 2015 season.
“During these last six seasons, John’s clearly established himself as one of the best general managers in all of sports,” President and CEO Joe Ellis said in a statement. “He’s demonstrated impressive football instincts, a strong business acumen and a consistent ability to build competitive teams…There’s no doubt John means a great deal to the Broncos, our fans and the entire community. It was important for us to reach this long-term agreement, and we’re all excited to now turn our full attention toward the 2017 season.”
In total, Elway has won three titles for the Broncos – two as a player and one as an executive. The 1983 first-overall pick spent his entire 16-year career in Denver, and the Hall of Famer holds at least 30 franchise records. He finished his career with 51,475 passing yards (sixth all-time), 300 touchdowns (10th all-time), and 226 interceptions. Following the Broncos’ 2016 Super Bowl victory, Elway became the first person to win a ring as a player and as a general manager.
Since Elway joined the Broncos’ front office in 2011, the team has selected only three Pro Bowlers in linebacker Von Miller, tight end Julius Thomas, and cornerback Chris Harris (undrafted), although he did draft a number of capable NFL starters. Elway has seen the majority of his success in free agency, where he’s brought in a number of Pro Bowl veterans, including Peyton Manning, DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib and Emmanuel Sanders. This past offseason was highlighted by the hiring of Vance Joseph, who becomes the third head coach during Elway’s tenure (following John Fox and Gary Kubiak). The organization also signed running back Jamaal Charles and offensive linemen Ronald Leary and Menelik Watson.
Cardinals To Meet With CB Brandon Flowers
Former Chargers and Chiefs cornerback Brandon Flowers is visiting the Cardinals on Wednesday, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Flowers has also been talking with the Patriots, Schefter adds. 
Flowers was released by the Chargers just prior to the start of free agency. The Steelers expressed some interest in Flowers that week, but this is the first time that we’ve heard of other teams reaching out.
Flowers parlayed a strong 2014 season into a lucrative four-year deal with the Chargers before the 2015 season. He was unable to repeat that success in his first year with San Diego and his 2016 season was marred by concussion issues. Assuming that he is clear of any symptoms of brain trauma, he could be a valuable addition for teams in need of secondary help.
The Cardinals are presently without an established option to start at right cornerback opposite star Patrick Peterson. Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams have been battling it out for the job, but it’s possible that Bruce Arians is underwhelmed by what he’s seen so far this summer.
The Patriots have a lethal 1-2 combo of Malcolm Butler and Stephon Gilmore at cornerback, but they’re always on the lookout for additional depth. Eric Rowe, Justin Coleman, Cyrus Jones, and Jonathan Jones are among the other cornerbacks on the 90-man roster.
Colts’ Andrew Luck On Target For Week 1
For the most part, the Colts have been reluctant to put a timetable on Andrew Luck‘s recovery this offseason. There’s still nothing set in stone, but GM Chris Ballard told reporters today he expects Luck to come off of the PUP list in time for the season opener (Twitter link via Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star). 
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Reading between the lines, Stephen Holder of the Indy Star (on Twitter) gets the feeling that Luck will be held out of preseason action as a precaution. That’s probably a smart move for the Colts considering how much is riding on Luck’s health. If Luck were to miss time, they’d be looking at a pretty big step back with reserve Scott Tolzien. Then again, Holder argues, the fact that Ballard did not bring in a more established quarterback this offseason to compete with Tolzien can be taken as a sign of optimism for Luck’s health.
Last year, Luck completed 63.5% of his passes, accumulated 4,240 yards through the air, and threw for 31 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. It was a nice bounce back for the 27-year-old after an injury-plagued 2015. This year, the hope is that he’ll revert to his Pro Bowl form and lead the Colts to the playoffs.
Texans Meeting With LB Zach Orr
The Zach Orr free agency tour continues. The free agent linebacker is spending Monday afternoon with the Texans, according to NFL sources who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Already, Orr has visited the Lions, Colts, and Jets since announcing his intent to return to football. Reportedly, the Colts were uncomfortable with Orr’s medical status, and that could have also been a sticking point for the Lions and Jets.
The Texans signed Sio Moore in June as a low-cost depth option and Orr could be another late offseason addition to the linebacker group. After John Simon left in free agency to join the rival Colts, the Texans would like to sure up the unit as much as possible with the resources that are left.
Orr retired from football earlier this year, citing a congenital spinal condition. After gathering additional medical opinions, however, the 25-year-old changed course and decided that he wanted to play in 2017. Orr was initially a restricted free agent under the Ravens’ control, but he is now an UFA since the Ravens did not tender him an offer after he announced his retirement.
Orr had 130 tackles for the Ravens in 2016 – leading the Ravens by a wide margin – and earned second-team All-Pro honors. From a talent perspective, he’d be a huge addition to the Texans or any defense that would have him. However, teams will have to weigh out the upside against the potential risk associated with Orr taking the field.
Ezekiel Elliott Accuser Addresses Alleged Incident
The NFL’s investigation into the domestic violence allegations against Cowboys star running back Ezekiel Elliott is “wrapping up,” but considering this saga has dragged on for a year, it’s only fitting that there would be a new wrinkle to the story at the eleventh hour. Per TMZ.com, Elliott’s accuser issued the following statement on social media:
“Exactly one year ago today my life changed forever. Loving someone as much as I did, putting my all in no matter what happened. I finally got the strength to be the strong woman I was and got myself out of a very toxic relationship. Ladies never think you’re too in love or too scared to leave because at one point that was me. There’s plenty of opportunities out there for you. Love yourself first. Speak up and stop domestic violence.”
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk believes that, if the league chooses not to punish Elliott — though there is a sense he could receive a short suspension — the alleged victim may decide to tell her full story via an interview, a lawsuit, or both. I would posit that the NFL’s decision with respect to Elliott does not have much bearing on what action the alleged victim takes for herself, though Florio is correct in that her decision could put the NFL in an awkward position. If she does choose to go “more public,” the league would have to decide whether to reveal details that would refute her claims, or else face another PR storm.
Police have halted their investigation into a Dallas bar fight that allegedly involved Elliott because they can’t find the victim and witnesses aren’t cooperating.
Robert Griffin III Generating “Mild Interest”
Free agent quarterback Robert Griffin III has begun to attract “mild interest” from NFL clubs, according to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report, who notes the operative word in that sentence is “mild.” A number of teams could be willing to give RG3 an opportunity during training camp, adds Freeman.
Griffin’s physical traits remain tantalizing, and clubs are surely still holding out hope that RG3 can come close to replicating the production he exhibited in 2012, when he arguably posted the second-best rookie quarterback campaign since the merger. Still only 27 years old, Griffin should also come rather cheaply, as he won’t come close to matching the $7.5MM annual salary he landed from the Browns last offseason.
But it’s also apparent why teams would be wary of Griffin (one executive said last month that he wouldn’t sign RG3 “under any circumstances”). Griffin simply can’t stay healthy, as injuries have limited him in every season during his NFL tenure. Last year, health concerns relegated RG3 to five starts, and he wasn’t effective during those contests, completing less than 60% of his passes and registering a 72.5 quarterback rating.
The Seahawks are the only club known to have expressed interest in Griffin this offseason, but Seattle ultimately chose Austin Davis over Griffin and a host of other signal-callers (including Colin Kaepernick). PFR recently ranked Griffin as the fourth-best free agent quarterback, behind Kaepernick, Christian Ponder, and Shaun Hill.
Cowboys Work Out Ronnie Hillman
Denard Robinson isn’t the only veteran running back getting consideration from the Cowboys. The team also auditioned Ronnie Hillman on Thursday, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). 
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It appears that the Cowboys are looking into reserve running backs on the cusp of training camp. While they arguably have the best trio of running backs in the NFL (Ezekiel Elliott, Darren McFadden, and Alfred Morris), the Cowboys are still looking at ways to bolster the unit.
Hillman, 26 in September, was a surprise cut by the Broncos before the 2016 season. Last year, he spent time with the Vikings and Chargers, but he didn’t do a whole lot with his 41 combined carries. Hillman’s 131 rushing yards left him with a career-low 3.2 yards per carry average and he had zero touchdowns for the first time in his five-year career.
Bills To Work Out Anquan Boldin
The Bills are set to audition wide receiver Anquan Boldin, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter). The workout will take place on Monday with other players also involved. 
Boldin, 36, led the Lions with 22 red zone targets last season. He had 67 catches and a career-high eight touchdowns, though he averaged a career-worst 8.7 yards per grab (584 yards in total). The veteran is not a deep threat, but he could provide insurance in the event that Sammy Watkins is once again held back by injury.
As it stands, Watkins, rookie Zay Jones, and veteran Andre Holmes are the team’s top receivers. Although Buffalo improved in other areas, it’s possible that the Bills have left themselves a bit thin at WR. Adding Boldin could help to fix that.
It’s worth noting that Boldin has some history with Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor. Taylor was the Ravens’ backup quarterback while Boldin was in Baltimore.
Cowboys Work Out RB Denard Robinson
The Cowboys worked out former Jaguars running back Denard Robinson on Thursday, Jane Slater of NFL.com tweets. 
Dallas is pretty well set at running back as star Ezekiel Elliott is supported by a pair of former 1,000-yard rushers in Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden. It’s possible that the Cowboys are looking at Robinson as someone who can compete for fourth RB spot (if they carry four on the final roster) along with undrafted rookie Jahad Thomas and RB/FB Rod Smith. The Cowboys enjoyed the luxury of having four talented backs on the roster last year, but they’re slightly thinner now that Lance Dunbar is with the Rams. Someone like Robinson could also fill a temporary role on the roster if Elliott is suspended for any length of time.
Robinson, 27 in September, posted the second-worst YPC (3.5) of his career in 2016 off of 41 attempts. In 2014, however, he had a productive year as he averaged 4.3 yards per carry.
The former Michigan star worked out for the Bears in May and the Jets in June, but left both auditions without signing.