LeSean McCoy Recruiting Jeremy Maclin
LeSean McCoy and Jeremy Maclin were teammates with the Eagles from 2009-14, and McCoy would like to reunite with the newly free agent wide receiver. McCoy is recruiting Maclin to sign with the Bills, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.
“I know he could help us out tremendously,” McCoy said. “I’ve been doing my recruiting already, and don’t be surprised if it happens. That would be cool to have another weapon on the offense. But you never know. A lot of things would have to work out for that to happen. You know how the business goes.”
While McCoy was clear that he has no inside information on Buffalo’s plans, a Maclin addition would make sense for the club. Sammy Watkins is the Bills’ No. 1 wideout, but he’s had problems staying healthy, and second-round pick Zay Jones will be making the transition from East Carolina to the NFL. Other wide receivers on Buffalo’s depth chart include Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, and Corey Brown, so the team could certainly use a veteran presence like Maclin.
McCoy isn’t the only Bills offensive player who plans to speak with Maclin, as quarterback Tyrod Taylor told Rodak he’ll reach out to the former Chiefs wide receiver and lobby Buffalo coaches about Maclin. “Would love to have a guy like him on our team competing and coming out and making plays for us,” Taylor said. “Especially means a lot to our wide receiver room, putting another veteran guy with a whole bunch of talent and still potential left to reach his best. I would love to have him.”
Saints DT Nick Fairley Has Heart Issue
Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley has been sidelined from the club’s organized team activities with a heart issue that could threaten his career, according to Jennifer Hale of FOX Sports (Twitter link).
Fairley has dealt with this condition for his entire NFL career, as the issue was originally detected during the predraft process in 2011, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The veteran defensive tackle recently saw a doctor who wanted to run further tests regarding the ailment, says Rapoport. Fairley has reportedly not communicated his health struggles with his New Orleans teammates, as Saints players who regularly speak with Fairley have not heard from him, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.
Fairley, 29, started 16 games and posted 6.5 sacks during his first campaign with the Saints, grading as the league’s No. 34 interior defender among 127 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus. He re-signed with New Orleans this spring, inking a four-year, $28MM deal that contains $9MM in guarantees.
Chiefs Release WR Jeremy Maclin
In a rather surprising move, the Chiefs announced that they’ve released wide receiver Jeremy Maclin.
“I’d like to thank Jeremy for his effort and dedication the past two seasons,” general manager John Dorsey said. “I have great respect for all players, which makes decisions like these very difficult, but we felt it was in the best interest of our club moving forward to part ways at this time. We wish Jeremy the best as he continues his career.”
Maclin, 29, posted a down season in 2016, missing four games with a groin injury and registering career-lows in both receptions and receiving yards. Additionally, Kansas City is tight on cap space, with just over $2MM available in funds at the moment. Maclin’s release will help alleviate the Chiefs’ fiscal situation, as the club will clear $10MM in cap room while assuming $2.4MM in dead money.
Even given those factors, the release of Maclin comes as a shock, as the veteran wideout was set to act as the Chiefs’ No. 1 pass-catcher in 2017. Signed to hefty contract just two years ago, Maclin had success during his first campaign with Kansas City in 2016, managing 87 catches for more than 1,000 yards and eight scores.
Without Maclin in the fold, the Chiefs’ wide receiving corps is extremely short on experience. Tyreek Hill was a revelation during his rookie season last year, but he acted as more of a gadget player than as a true No. 1 wide receiver. While Kansas City boasts an excellent tight end in Travis Kelce, the club’s other receivers are Chris Conley, rookie Jehu Chesson, De’Anthony Thomas, Demarcus Robinson, and Kenny Cook.
Maclin now becomes the clear top option among the free agent wide receiver class, as he joins the likes of Anquan Boldin, Steve Johnson, Eddie Royal, and Marquess Wilson on the open market.
Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Has Dislocated Hip
As had been the fear, Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta has once again dislocated his hip, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). Pitta will likely undergo surgery at some point, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.
When news initially broke of Pitta’s injury earlier today, Schefter reported that if Pitta had indeed dislocated his hip for the third time in four years, the veteran tight end’s career was likely finished. Now that the severity of the injury has been identified, it’s unclear if Pitta will make a quick decision regarding his playing status, or perhaps take some (deserved) time to evaluate his future.
Pitta, 32 this month, led all tight ends in receptions last season, while he also posted a career-high in receiving yards. Having agreed to a paycut earlier this year, Pittta is now slated to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in each of the next two seasons.
Seahawks Pass On Colin Kaepernick
The Seahawks won’t be signing Colin Kaepernick. At least, not right now. Today, coach Pete Carroll told reporters that while the door remains “open” to a union with Kaepernick, there is nothing imminent on that front. 
[RELATED: Seahawks Sign Marcus Cromartie]
This jibes with a report from earlier this week which indicated that no deal would be coming together at this time. Still, all signs indicate that the Seahawks’ meeting with Kaepernick was not just done as a courtesy. The team had real interest in him, reports say, and Carroll insists that there is some degree of interest in the former 49ers signal caller. Carroll said that Kaepernick demonstrated that he is still a starting-caliber quarterback and he can’t imagine that he won’t get an opportunity to play somewhere in the NFL this year.
Austin Davis worked out for the Seahawks on the same day as Kaepernick, but he also remains unsigned. If the Seahawks want to continue looking at outside backup QB options for starter Russell Wilson, they could explore vets such as Robert Griffin III, Shaun Hill, and Christian Ponder.
Ravens TE Dennis Pitta Suffers Hip Injury
Awful news for Dennis Pitta. The Ravens tight end suffered yet another hip injury during practice on Friday, GM Ozzie Newsome announced. 
[RELATED: Tavon Young Suffers Torn ACL]
“This is incredibly disappointing, obviously for Dennis, and for the Ravens,” Newsome said in the statement. “Dennis is one of the great Ravens, and he has done everything he can to make our team better.”
The severity of Pitta’s hip injury has not been officially disclosed, but this is crushing news for Pitta, the team, and the tight end’s supporters. The fear is that Pitta fractured and dislocated his hip for third time in four years, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. If that’s the case, then his NFL career is likely finished.
For approximately four years now, Pitta has been dealing with painful hip issues that have kept him off the field. Last year, Pitta bounced back in a major way and became one of the league’s greatest comeback stories.
In 2016, Pitta set career-highs in receptions (86) and receiving yards (729) while adding a pair of touchdowns. It was especially remarkable when considering that Pitta was limited to just seven games between 2013 and 2015.
Pitta, 32 in June, was originally set to carry a hefty $7.7MM cap number in 2017 and 2018. Now, per the terms of his recently restructured pact, he’s slated to carry $5.2MM cap numbers in each of the next two seasons.
Texans Release Bullough, Mumphery
Texans receiver Keith Mumphery and inside linebacker Max Bullough have been released, according to Mark Berman of FOX 26 (on Twitter). Different off-the-field issues have led to both players being jettisoned from Houston. 
Bullough was suspended four games for a PED violation back in May. In a statement, Bullough indicated that a tainted supplement was to blame for the positive test, but that excuse apparently did not fly with Texans brass. The Michigan State product appeared in every game for Houston last season and even made three starts. He had just 19 tackles in total, however, and only saw the field for 240 defensive snaps.
The Texans used a fifth round pick on Mumphery in 2015 but only recently learned that he was expelled from Michigan State for a sexual misconduct violation. The local prosecutor declined to press charges when the accuser could not be reached, but the university booted him from the program for violating the policy on “relationship violence and sexual misconduct.” More than two years after the alleged incident, Mumphery now finds himself out of work in the NFL.
Visit Pro Hockey Rumors for NHL Offseason Coverage
Just over two weeks remain before we find out the expansion protection lists for all 30 NHL teams and things are already starting to heat up. Who will be the latest victim of Chicago’s cap problems? Will Anaheim be able to protect all of its young defensive depth, or be forced to take a last-minute deal? Which goaltender will be the starter in Vegas next season?
For all the expansion draft info plus updates, analysis and insight for the rest of the NHL offseason, make sure to visit our sister site Pro Hockey Rumors. Make sure to also follow @prohockeyrumors on Twitter and download the Trade Rumors app for breaking news from the NHL as well as MLB, the NBA and the NFL!
Chris Johnson Wants To Continue Playing
CJ2K says that he still has some yards left in him. The veteran running back made it clear today that he wants to continue playing in 2017. 
“I want to play. A few teams are interested and we’ve stayed in close contact with the Cardinals,” Johnson told SiriusXM (Twitter link).
Johnson, 32 in September, has taken a backseat to David Johnson in the Arizona backfield as of late. Before going on injured reserve with a groin ailment last October, CJ accrued just 25 carries in four games. Back in February, the veteran indicated that there was mutual interest between him and the Cardinals, but he wanted to see if he could find a club that would give him more playing time.
“I need to be involved,” the speedster said. “At this point in my career, I don’t want to sit on the sideline. I want to get in the game.”
Be that as it may, it doesn’t sound like Johnson was able to find much in the way of outside interest. CJ2K has six 1,000-yard seasons (including a 2,000-yard campaign) and three Pro Bowl nods on his resume, but teams probably feel that he’s a bit limited at this point in his career. His desire for playing time is understandable, but his best and only chance at that will be to hook on as a third or fourth running back and wait for an injury.
In addition to starter David Johnson, the Cardinals also have running backs Kerwynn Williams and rookie T.J. Logan on the roster. Andre Ellington remains with the team, but Arizona plans to convert him to wide receiver.
Dwight Freeney To Return To Falcons?
Dwight Freeney isn’t done with football just yet. Although he does not have a team for 2017, it sounds like that could change rather quickly. 
[RELATED: NFC South Teams Take On International Players]
“I’ve already been talking to the coaches and going back and forth here and there with the draft picks and free agents,” Freeney said (via Alex Marvez of The Sporting News). “That line of communication is still very open. They say they’re still very interested. I’m planning to reach out to them here soon and hopefully we both believe they want me back and playing for them.”
The Falcons will receive a $4.3MM salary cap credit on Friday and a chunk of that could go towards re-signing Freeney. At one point, that didn’t seem likely at all. Coach Dan Quinn is on record as saying that Freeney would have to participate in the team’s offseason program if he did want to return, but it now sounds like they’ll make an exception for the future Hall of Fame inductee. The good news is that Freeney, who would be entering his 16th NFL season, says that he has been staying in shape with workouts that are not overly strenuous on his joints.
Last season, Freeney played on roughly a third of the Falcons’ defensive snaps in 2016, and posted three sacks and 18 hurries. He can be a valuable edge rusher in a part-time capacity for Atlanta while also helping to mentor younger players like rookie Takkarist McKinley.