Taylor Decker Out 4-6 Months
The shoulder injury that Lions left tackle Taylor Decker incurred during organized team activities seems worse than initially feared. The 22-year-old suffered a torn labrum and will sit out four to six months, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). Decker now looks like a candidate to begin 2017 on the physically unable to perform list, which would cost the second-year man at least the first six weeks of the regular season.
Decker was the sturdiest member of Detroit’s O-line during his rookie season, starting each of the Lions’ games and joining quarterback Matthew Stafford as their only offensive players to line up for all 1,037 of the unit’s snaps. The first-round pick out of Ohio State was quite effective during that action, as Pro Football Focus assigned his performance the 23rd-highest grade out of 78 qualified tackles.
Not having Decker for the foreseeable future could force the Lions to shift right tackle Ricky Wagner to the left side and/or scour free agency for another viable option. The club did sign Tony Hills on Thursday, but the 32-year-old has just one start on his resume. Before adding Hills, Detroit visited with Cyrus Kouandjio, one of the top bookends on the market, though there’s no word on whether it’s interested in signing him. Other experienced free agents include Ryan Clady, King Dunlap, Austin Pasztor and Will Beatty. On the other hand, if the Lions stay in house to find their starter opposite Wagner, their choices are Hills, Cornelius Lucas and Joe Dahl. Those three have just seven starts among them.
Branden Albert To Report To Jaguars
Finally, the Jaguars will get to see their starting left tackle in action. Jaguars coach Doug Marrone told reporters that Branden Albert has informed him he’ll be at mandatory minicamp next week (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). 
The Jaguars acquired Albert via trade earlier this offseason from the Dolphins, but the tackle has been distant from the team in an effort to renegotiate his contract. With two years to go and little in the way of leverage, the Jaguars have held firm and refused to open talks with the veteran. Albert, it seems, is accepting that he will have to play out the deal that he inked with Miami. He’s scheduled to play out the 2017 season at an $8.9MM cap number. Next year, that figure jumps to $9.6MM.
Unfortunately for Albert, there is zero guaranteed money left on his contract. And even though he’s no longer considered an elite tackle, he feels that he should have a better deal, particularly when considering the way the tackle market exploded this spring.
Last year, Albert registered a career-worst 42.2 overall score on Pro Football Focus. He also missed four games due to injury. In his healthier years, however, he vacillated between above average to very good.
Lions’ Golden Tate Wants Extension?
There’s plenty of time left on his current deal, but Golden Tate could be getting ahead of the game. The Lions wide receiver took to Twitter last night with what is an apparent request for a new deal. 
“I hope I’m one of the next ones to get extended,” Tate wrote. “Big plays can come in all shapes and forms, huh?”
Tate, 29 in August, has two years to go on the five-year, $31MM deal he signed with the Lions back in 2014. Tate’s tweet came moments after Julian Edelman agreed to an extension with the Patriots, but there are some key differences between the two situations, namely that Edelman is entering his contract year. Teams are typically reluctant to enter extension talks with players that have two years to go for fear of setting a precedent with others.
Tate was the Lions’ top receiver in 2016 as he hauled in 91 catches for 1,077 yards and four touchdowns. His current deal pays him an average of $6.2MM per season and places him just 26th among receivers, so it’s not hard to see why he would want a pay bump. But, unless he’s willing to drum up some leverage by skipping out on minicamp, it’s not likely that he’ll get what he’s searching for this summer.
If Tate can reprise his 2016 performance, he should be in line for the extension he’s seeking next summer. The Lions inked cornerback Darius Slay, running back Theo Riddick, and punter Sam Martin to new deals when they were one year out from expiration and defensive back Don Carey got a new deal in the midst of his final season under contract.
Patriots, Julian Edelman Agree To Extension
It’s a done deal. The Patriots and Julian Edelman have agreed to a multi-year extension, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Earlier today, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com reported that the two sides were nearing agreement.
The two-year, $11MM pact includes $9MM in total guarantees and $7MM in full guarantees, and will keep Edelman in New England through 2019, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and Albert Breer of The MMQB (all Twitter links). The contract also comes with a $5MM signing bonus and $4MM in reachable incentives, giving it a $15MM max. 
[RELATED: Patriots Sign Top Pick Derek Rivers]
Edelman, 31, turned in one of his best seasons to date last year. In 2016, Edelman set a new personal watermark in receiving yards (1,106) and also had 98 catches and three touchdowns. Even with Brandin Cooks in the mix and Rob Gronkowski back in the lineup, Edelman still figures to be a top target for Tom Brady.
Edelman was selected with the No. 232 overall pick in the 2009 draft and it’s safe to say that he has outperformed his draft slot. In his rookie season, Edelman had 37 catches for 359 yards and one score. He wasn’t utilized much in the next few regular seasons, but since 2013, he has been a key part of the Pats’ offense. Now, the new contract should allow the Kent State product to complete his career in New England.
Of course, highlighting Edelman’s regular season achievements only tell half of the story with him. Since the Super Bowl era, Edelman ranks third in career playoff receptions with 89, as James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter) notes. He’s behind only Jerry Rice (151) and Reggie Wayne (93) on that all-time list and could very well pass Wayne before he’s through with football.
Nick Fairley Awaiting Third Opinion
Defensive tackle Nick Fairley signed a four-year, $28MM contract to remain with the Saints earlier this offseason, but there’s a chance his heart issue could prevent him from ever playing a down under that deal. Fairley is currently awaiting the results of a third medical opinion, according to head coach Sean Payton, and it could determine whether the 29-year-old will be able to continue his career (via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com).
The first specialist Fairley consulted with informed him that he “shouldn’t play football again,” Payton said Thursday. However, the second opinion Fairley received “was a little different.”
Continued Payton: “The things we know are this — it’s obviously something significant and serious that we’ve gotta pay attention to, obviously both for Nick and for the club. So we’re hopeful, and yet we’re guarded, because of the type of condition we’re talking about.”
Concerns over Fairley’s heart came to light at the time he was undergoing a physical after agreeing to a contract in March, per Payton. Nevertheless, that didn’t stop the Saints from re-upping the six-year veteran. For now, the Saints are leery of paying the half of Fairley’s $8MM bonus that they still owe him, reports Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). New Orleans wants more “clarity” on Fairley’s situation before it commits the money to him, according to Garafolo, who adds that the club would have a difficult time recouping the money it has already paid him if it attempted to. The reason: All 32 teams have known about Fairley’s condition since prior to the 2011 draft, in which he went 13th overall to the Lions.
Patriots, Julian Edelman Nearing Extension
The Patriots and wide receiver Julian Edelman are moving toward a contract extension, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The new deal should be completed in the next day or so, he adds. 
[RELATED: AFC East Rumors: Bills, Maclin, Jets, Decker]
Edelman’s current deal is set to expire after the 2017 season. He’s set to carry a $5.75MM cap number in the final year of the four-year, $17MM pact he inked in March 2014. As he enters his age-31 season, Edelman’s next deal could be his last in the NFL.
The Patriots added Brandin Cooks to the fold this offseason, but Edelman still figures to be a key part of Tom Brady‘s passing attack. Last year, Edelman set a career high in receiving yards (1,106) with 98 catches and three touchdowns. Over the last four years, Edelman has an average of 104 grabs and 1,113 yards with six touchdowns per 16 games. He has largely stayed healthy over that span too, with the exception of his nine-game 2015 campaign.
The Patriots currently have upwards of $19MM in cap room, so there is plenty of space to work with for New England.
Eagles HC: No Interest In Jeremy Maclin
It has been reported that the Eagles have interest in a reunion with Jeremy Maclin, but head coach Doug Pederson says that isn’t the case. Pederson told reporters that the team is not pursuing Maclin “at this time,” (Twitter link via NFL.com’s James Palmer). 
Maclin spent his first five NFL seasons with the Eagles, but it doesn’t sound like a reunion is in the cards if Pederson is to be believed. Earlier this week, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter heard that the Eagles have some degree of interest in signing him, so perhaps Pederson’s words should be taken with a grain of salt.
Even if the Eagles do want to add Maclin to the fold, they’ll have some stiff competition for his services. The Bills’ meeting with Maclin stretched into a second day and the Ravens, who met with Maclin on Wednesday afternoon, are making a hard pitch to add the wide receiver. The Browns, per Schefter’s aforementioned report, are also interested in Maclin.
The Eagles’ receiver group was disappointing in 2016 but the team is banking on free agent pickup Alshon Jeffery providing a boost in that department. Philly also signed Torrey Smith and added a pair of rookies – Mack Hollins and Shelton Gibson – in the draft.
Redskins, Kirk Cousins Making Progress
The July 15 deadline for Redskins franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins to sign an extension is approaching, and there are finally signs that a deal could get done. There has been an “improved, encouraging tone” in recent talks between the two sides, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN. Discussions have gone so well that there’s hope the Redskins will be able to re-sign Cousins after the season if they’re unable to reach an agreement with him by next month, according to Schefter.
“There’s no doubt it’s been more positive lately,” a source familiar with these negotiations told Schefter. “Everything has been much more positive in the past several months.”
It’s unclear if the Redskins have upped their offer from the reported five-year, $20MM-per-annum contract they were willing to give Cousins earlier this offseason. But one thing is certain, per Schefter: Owner Daniel Snyder wants Cousins in the fold for the long haul. Perhaps at Snyder’s behest, team president Bruce Allen and Cousins’ agent, Mike McCartney, had a face-to-face meeting at last month’s owners meetings. That was the first time the two sat down together since the Redskins first placed the franchise tag on Cousins last offseason.
In 2017, his second straight year as Washington’s franchise player, Cousins is slated to rake in a $23.94MM salary. While that’s a tenable amount for a quarterback of the 28-year-old Cousins’ caliber, tagging him again next offseason won’t be nearly as easy. Doing so would cost the Redskins upward of $34MM, leading Schefter to point out that Cousins is the one with the leverage in discussions between him and the team. Unsurprisingly, then, the Redskins seem more willing than they were in the past to recognize Cousins’ long-term value, writes Schefter.
Cousins, who entered the NFL in 2012 as a fourth-round pick and a backup to Robert Griffin III, has certainly looked like part of the solution for the Redskins since he took over for RG3 as their No. 1 signal-caller prior to the 2016 season. The ex-Michigan State Spartan has started 32 straight games, thrown 54 touchdowns against 23 interceptions, amassed over 9,000 yards (4,917 last year) and completed 68 percent of passes since grabbing the reins in Washington.
Jeremy Maclin Heads To Ravens Visit
Jeremy Maclin‘s visit to the Bills wound up spanning two days, but it won’t keep him from meeting with the Ravens. The free agent is leaving Buffalo and heading to Baltimore, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). 
Maclin could still sign with the Bills, as far as we know, but he does not have a deal with them at this time. That leaves the door open for the Ravens to swoop in and potentially land him this week. The Eagles and Browns are also among the clubs said to have interest in the 29-year-old.
The Ravens have Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, Chris Moore, and Michael Campanaro as their top receivers following the retirement of Steve Smith. Because Baltimore did not address the position in the draft, a veteran addition like Maclin would make tons of sense for the team and the need to add a weapon for Joe Flacco has only been amplified by Dennis Pitta‘s injury/release.
If the Ravens cannot get a deal done with Maclin, they could explore a potential deal for Jets receiver Eric Decker. The Jets have already called the Ravens about a swap.
Ravens Release TE Dennis Pitta
The Ravens have formally released tight end Dennis Pitta, according to a team announcement. Pitta’s career could be over after he suffered yet another hip dislocation. 
[RELATED: Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Has Dislocated Hip]
The move will free up roughly $2MM in cap room for Baltimore, money that could be directed towards landing another pass-catcher. The Ravens could have free agent wide receiver Jeremy Maclin in their sights and that extra space could be a difference maker.
For several years, Pitta has been dealing with painful hip issues that have kept him off the field. The tight end was limited to just seven games between 2013 and 2015, but he became a focal point of Baltimore’s offense once again in 2016 as he caught 86 passes for 729 yards and two scores. Ever the team player, he even accepted a pay cut for the second straight time this offseason. He’ll be free to pursue other opportunities now, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll be able to suit up again.
The Ravens also signed rookie free agent tight end Barrett Burns in a related move.