Jets, Zach Orr To Meet On Saturday
Free agent linebacker Zach Orr will meet with the Jets on Saturday, following the conclusion of his Lions visit on Friday morning, agent Rob Sheets tells ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (Twitter link). Sheets says that Orr will also meet with another team in the next couple of days, but he did not reveal the identity of that club. 
[RELATED: Ravens Split On Whether To Pursue Zach Orr]
Orr’s visit with the Jets will almost certainly include a physical and that is much more than a formality in his case. Orr retired in January due to a congenital spine condition and at the time, the belief was that he could be at risk of paralysis or even death if he continued playing. The 25-year-old has found medical professionals to give him the thumbs up, but different doctors will have different opinions on whether he should play.
The incumbent Ravens are apparently split on whether to pursue a reunion with Orr. Some team decision makers would like to have Orr back in the fold, and that’s understandable after he led the team in tackles by a wide margin in 2016. Others are worried about the serious risks of having Orr on the field.
Roughly half of the teams in the NFL have called on Orr, according to his agent.
No Deal For Khalil Mack This Year
It appeared likely that the Raiders would extend each of Derek Carr, Gabe Jackson and Khalil Mack this summer, but that won’t be the case. After handing new deals to Carr and Jackson, the Raiders won’t have the cap room to lock up Mack until next offseason, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
The good news for the Raiders is that they won’t be at risk of losing Mack next winter, as he’s controllable through 2018 via his $13.846MM fifth-year option. Mack will surely look to outdo that number on an annual basis on a long-term deal, given that he has emerged as arguably the NFL’s premier defender since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2014. The former University at Buffalo star has been an iron man for the Raiders, having appeared in 48 straight games (all starts), and totaled 30 sacks and eight forced fumbles.
Mack is now coming off his second straight double-digit-sack season (11), in which he also piled up 73 tackles, a career-high five forced fumbles and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ best edge defender. More impressively, perhaps, Mack earned Defensive Player of the Year honors and his second straight first-team All-Pro nod.
Considering what Mack has accomplished, it’s fair to suggest he should be in line for a Von Miller-esque deal when the time comes for him to ink a long-term pact. The Broncos’ Miller, who fell three spots behind Mack in PFF’s rankings last season, signed a six-year, $114.5MM extension that features a whopping $70MM in guarantees last summer. The cap is consistently on the rise, so it wouldn’t be a shock to see Mack’s deal outpace Miller’s. For now, he’s on track to play 2017 for just $690K, likely making him the league’s biggest bargain.
Raiders, Gabe Jackson Agree To Extension
The Raiders and right guard Gabe Jackson have agreed to a five-year, $56MM extension, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The deal includes $26MM in guarantees, tweets ESPN’s Josina Anderson, and will keep Jackson with the Raiders through 2022.
Oakland had been prioritizing a Jackson extension since early in the offseason, so it’s no surprise that the two sides have agreed to a contract. Jackson’s now the second core member of the Raiders to accept a long-term deal this month, following quarterback Derek Carr, who landed a five-year, $125MM accord last week.
With the 25-year-old Jackson and Kelechi Osemele under wraps, the Raiders now have two of the NFL’s highest-paid guards. Osemele actually edges out Jackson in total value, having inked a five-year, $58.5MM contract as a free agent in 2016, but his deal includes less in guarantees ($25.4MM). Among guards, Jackson only ranks behind the Bengals’ Kevin Zeitler (five years, $60MM) and Osemele in value, and he’s second to Zeitler’s $31.5MM in guarantees.
Since entering the league as a third-round pick in 2014, Jackson has started in 44 of 45 regular-season appearances. The former Mississippi State standout has back-to-back 16-game seasons under his belt, and he’s coming off a year in which he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 22nd-best guard (72 qualifiers). Led by their two guards, left tackle Donald Penn and center Rodney Hudson, the Raiders had the fourth-best offensive line in the league last year, according to PFF. All four of those players, not to mention primary right tackle Austin Howard, are returning this season, meaning the Raiders should once again have an elite quintet of blockers to make life easier for Carr and their skill players.
Jets Reach Out To Zach Orr
Count the Jets among the many teams with interest in free agent linebacker Zach Orr, reports Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. Orr’s agent, Robert Sheets, confirmed to Schwartz that the Jets have reached out to his client, adding that they’ll attempt to set up a visit.
Orr, who retired in January thanks to a congenital spine condition, announced Wednesday that he’s considering a comeback after receiving more encouraging medical opinions than he got over the winter. Previously with the Ravens, who are mulling whether to attempt to re-sign him, Orr has a significant portion of the league interested in his services and already has multiple visits lined up – including one with the Lions.
Given that the 25-year-old Orr’s in his prime and coming off a season in which he earned second-team All-Pro honors, it’s no surprise that his unexpected foray into free agency has piqued teams’ interest. Of course, whether he signs with any will come down to if clubs believe he’ll be physically able to continue his career. Should Orr sign with the Jets, he’d replace departed middle linebacker David Harris, who’s now a Patriot after Gang Green released him earlier this month.
Ravens Split On Whether To Pursue Zach Orr
The Ravens’ leading tackler from 2016 is available to be signed, but opinions are split within the organization about whether to pursue him. Linebacker Zach Orr says that doctors have cleared him to play, but not everyone in Baltimore is convinced that he is able to get back on the field. 
“There are a lot of variables that the Ravens are having to deal with,” agent Rob Sheets told 105.7 The Fan (transcript via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “There’s a lot of internal consternation. One side of the line fighting to get Zach Orr back, and another line saying we need to move on.”
Orr’s agent says that he has spoken to 15 teams about his client so far. Today, he is visiting with the Lions and another visit is lined up for tomorrow, though Sheets did not say which team he’ll meet with on Friday. Next week, Orr has three more visits scheduled. Still, some of the Ravens’ top decision makers are not sure that taking Orr back would be a good idea.
The Ravens were planning to retain Orr for 2017, either through the restricted free agent tender or an extension. In the midst of contract talks, Orr opted to retire, citing a congenital spinal condition. Earlier this week, Orr announced that he is looking to come back to football and he is a free agent since the Ravens did not exercise the RFA tender.
Orr had 130 tackles in 2016 and earned second-team All-Pro honors.
Latest On Rams’ Aaron Donald
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald did not commit to appearing at training camp in a radio interview on Thursday. Donald gave Alex Marvez and Mark Dominik of SiriusXM a non-answer when asked if he would be on hand when camp starts in July. 
“I’m just [going to continue] working, just grinding, and we’re going to see what happens,” Donald said.
Donald reported to mandatory minicamp earlier this summer, so it stands to reason that he would report to training camp even without a deal. It’s possible that the 26-year-old is looking to drum up a little extra leverage for himself with an empty threat. It’s also possible that he’s serious about missing the start of camp, though it would cost him a fair amount of money to sit at home.
The defensive tackle is scheduled to carry a paltry $3.225MM cap number in 2017 before his salary jumps to $6.892MM in 2018 under the fifth-year option. A new deal for Donald will likely reset the market for defensive tackles.
Currently, Ndamukong Suh has the top deal of any DT – he’s in the midst of a six-year, $114.4MM pact with $60MM guaranteed. Unlike Suh, Donald will not be negotiating his deal on the open market. However, a new pact this year would make him two years younger than Suh at the time of signing and the salary cap has increased significantly since Suh’s deal in 2015. There’s also this: Donald is arguably an even better player than Suh was in his prime.
Cowboys’ David Irving Suspended Four Games
Cowboys defensive end David Irving has officially been suspended for the first four games of the 2017 season after violating the league’s PED policy, the NFL announced today.
News that Irving had reportedly failed a drug test broke last month, but it was unclear what length of time Irving would be forced to miss. A positive test for a diuretic or masking agent without a banned substance detected calls for a two-game ban, while a positive result for an anabolic agent, however, would mean a four-game suspension. Despite indications that Irving may have been able to fight a four-game ban, the NFL has decided to give him the lengthier punishment.
Irving, 23, appeared in 15 games for Dallas last season and developed into a serviceable pass rusher, especially near the end of the year. All told, he managed four sacks and 17 tackles while grading as the league’s No. 29 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. Now, Irving’s 500+ defensive snaps are likely to go other defenders — such as first-round pick Taco Charlton — for the first quarter of the season.
Given that he’s set to earn $615K next year, Irving will lose roughly $145K in base salary as a result of this suspension. He’ll be allowed to participate in all Cowboys offseason activities and preseason games.
Lions To Host Zach Orr On Visit
Well, that didn’t take long. The Lions have scheduled a visit with linebacker Zach Orr, according to Dan Graziano of ESPN.com (on Twitter), just hours announced that he is mulling a comeback. In addition to the Lions, seven other teams have already reached out to the 25-year-old.
[RELATED: Zach Orr Considering Comeback]
Orr was a restricted free agent with the Ravens, but they did not tender him a deal after he elected to retire in January. Months later, Orr has gotten new opinions regarding his congenital spinal condition and the doctors he has consulted with say he can play. The Ravens reportedly doubt their own doctors would clear him for action, so we’ll have to wait and see whether doctors for the Lions will give him a thumbs up.
Last year, Orr finished out with a team-leading 130 tackles and earned second-team All-Pro honors. From a football perspective, the Ravens would probably like to have him back on the field, but it doesn’t sound like they’ll be pursuing a new deal based on what GM Ozzie Newsome had to say Wednesday.
“I spoke with Zach yesterday and he informed me that he would like to continue to play football,” Newsome said in a statement. “He is a free agent.”
Zach Orr Considering Comeback
Linebacker Zach Orr retired from football in January due to a congenital spinal condition. Surprisingly, the former Ravens standout says that he is now thinking about a return to football. 
“I had my mind made up. I was like man, the doctors told me I was done,” Orr said on NFL Network Wednesday morning. “This is a serious issue. So I’m going to leave it alone. But I just kept hearing that from multiple people and some were telling me to just go check out and seek out some more opinions and things like that and come to find out my condition, it is rare — .01 percent of the people have what I have — but there’s no actual evidence or facts that I’m at a higher risk than any other player. And it’s actually been documented that a college player who had the exact same thing that I have that returned to play with no problems.”
The Ravens had the option of controlling Orr through 2017, but they did not use the restricted free agent tender on him before the window expired. The 25-year-old is now a free agent and he could be an interesting option for teams if he is in fact healthy enough to play.
People from the Ravens organization have been in touch with Orr, Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. They love him as a player and as a person, but they seriously doubt their doctors would pass him on a physical. It’s possible that other teams will have similar reservations about Orr, despite his optimism about playing.
Orr’s condition, which affects less than 1% of people, was thought to be serious enough to end his career. Initially, doctors told Orr that he was at risk of death or paralysis by playing with the condition. However, other doctors have since given him the green light to play. Those experts said their only concern would be if Orr played with herniated discs. Fortunately, the herniated discs he suffered last season have corrected themselves.
The former undrafted free agent became a starter for the first time in his career in 2016. As the replacement for Daryl Smith, Orr appeared in 15 games and played the most defensive snaps of any Baltimore ‘backer. All in all, Orr recorded 89 tackles, three interceptions, and five passes defensed.
Rams, Johnson Won’t Sign Long-Term Deal
Last week, we heard that the odds of an extension for the Rams and Trumaine Johnson are “extremely slim.” Now, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com hears (on Twitter) that there is “nothing close” between the two parties and flatly says that “no long-term deal will get done.” 
[RELATED: NFL Pushes Back Deadline To Sign Franchise Players]
Without a new deal, Johnson will play out the 2017 season on his one-year, $16.742MM franchise tender. This is the second straight year that the Rams have used the franchise tag on Johnson, though their actions have made it clear that they do not see him as a franchise player. The Rams seriously considered trading Johnson this offseason, though talks with teams like the Browns and Saints did not yield the kind of offers that they were seeking.
Johnson’s $16.742MM salary currently has him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL on a per-year basis. After a season in which he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 26th-best cornerback, one could argue that he’s drastically overpaid. The Rams probably weren’t crazy about that price tag, but they were also unwilling to lose a starting cornerback for the second consecutive offseason. Last year, the Rams franchised Johnson and allowed Janoris Jenkins to sign with the Giants in free agency.