Newsstand News & Rumors

Cardinals CB Jeff Gladney Dies At 25

May 31st, 2022 at 4:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

MAY 31: The Dallas County Sheriff’s Department later confirmed a woman, Andrea Mercedes Palacios, died in the accident. Palacios was 26. Gladney’s girlfriend, Palacios was with him in a white vehicle that was found overturned Monday morning, ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss reports. The vehicle was believed to be speeding; it lost control after hitting another vehicle in front of it and colliding with a beam on Woodall Rogers Freeway in Dallas. The two passengers in the other vehicle were not injured.

MAY 30: Cornerback Jeff Gladney, a former first-round pick who had recently signed with the Cardinals, was killed in a car accident early Monday morning in the Dallas area, Clarence Hill and Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram report. The accident occurred at around 2:30am, according to SI.com’s Albert Breer (on Twitter). Gladney was 25.

Minnesota drafted Gladney 31st overall in 2020, 10 spots after former TCU teammate Jalen Reagor went off the board. The Eagles wide receiver made several tweets mourning Gladney’s loss Monday.

Gladney did not play in the NFL last season, with a felony family violence assault charge leading the Vikings to waive him in August 2021. After being acquitted of the charge in March, Gladney signed a two-year deal worth $6.5MM with the Cardinals.

“We are devastated to learn of Jeff Gladney’s passing,” the Cardinals said in a statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, friends and all who are mourning this tremendous loss.”

Gladney made 42 starts at TCU and finished the 2019 season eighth in Division I-FBS with 14 pass breakups. That helped garner the New Boston, Texas, native first-team All-Big 12 honors as a senior. Gladney, who was at TCU for five years, intercepted five passes during his college career.

The 5-foot-10 defender became an immediate starter for the Vikings, who used the rookie on 89% of their defensive snaps during the 2020 season. Making 15 starts for a Vikings defense that encountered numerous injury problems, Gladney made 83 tackles as a rookie. He was set to be a key part of the Cardinals’ secondary in 2022.

Browns, TE David Njoku Agree On Extension

May 27th, 2022 at 3:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

David Njoku will turn his franchise tag into a top-five tight end agreement. Weeks ahead of the deadline for franchise-tagged players to sign extensions, the Browns have come to terms with the former first-round pick.

The Browns are signing Njoku to a four-year deal worth $56.75MM, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report (on Twitter). Njoku will see $28MM fully guaranteed. This $14.2MM-per-year deal makes the five-year Browns contributor the NFL’s fourth-highest-paid tight end.

Cleveland, which entered Friday holding the second-most cap space in the league, could have used this season as a de facto audition year for Njoku on the tag. But reports kept indicating the Browns’ seriousness about extending him. After making an offer north of $13MM per year, the Browns confirmed their faith in Njoku with this deal.

Njoku’s $14.2MM-AAV figure comes in below George Kittle‘s $15MM positional highwater mark, but it is right in the neighborhood of Travis Kelce ($14.3MM AAV) and Dallas Goedert ($14.25MM). Considering Njoku’s lack of statistical success on his rookie contract, this is a major win for the ex-Miami Hurricane and a Browns bet on his potential.

The 2017 first-rounder has just one 500-yard season on his resume. That came back in 2018, when Hue Jackson, Todd Haley and Freddie Kitchens were running Cleveland’s offense. The 6-foot-4 pass catcher, however, is only going into his age-26 season. Several prime years could remain ahead for Njoku, who should have a big opportunity to up his game with Deshaun Watson now at quarterback in Cleveland.

This extension comes two months after the Browns cut Austin Hooper, whom they previously signed to a top-five (at the time) tight end deal. Hooper’s presence cut into Njoku’s opportunities, but in tagging the latter ahead of the March deadline, the Browns signaled they still believed in the younger player’s potential. Njoku headlines a Cleveland tight end depth chart that includes 2020 fourth-round pick Harrison Bryant. This contract makes it clear who the Browns will rely on at the position.

The Browns traded back into the 2017 first round, after having already selected two players that year (which included trading out of the Watson draft slot with the Texans), to nab Njoku with the No. 29 overall pick. Other than his 639-yard 2018 showing, Njoku has never taken off in Cleveland. His tenure also included a rocky stretch in 2020, when he requested a trade at multiple points after Hooper signed. The sides patched up their relationship, and Njoku did produce his second-best statistical season (475 yards, four touchdown catches) — as the Browns’ passing attack cratered — in 2021.

Amari Cooper is set to be the centerpiece of Cleveland’s passing attack, and Donovan Peoples-Jones is positioned to be the trade acquisition’s top complementary player. The team cut Jarvis Landry and, despite rumors about a reunion, let him sign with the Saints following the draft. Njoku will be poised to be a key target for Watson and, in all likelihood, Jacoby Brissett this season.

This still represents a big bet on the potential of a player who has not displayed consistency yet. This deal also stands to impact the negotiations for fellow franchise-tagged tight ends Mike Gesicki and Dalton Schultz. It will be interesting to see if it affects Darren Waller‘s approach with the Raiders. Going into his age-30 season, the former Pro Bowler is tied to a below-market $7.6MM-per-year pact.

Raiders To Work Out Colin Kaepernick

May 25th, 2022 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders will become the first team in five years to give Colin Kaepernick a workout. Out of the NFL since the 2016 season, the former 49ers quarterback is auditioning for the Raiders on Wednesday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports.

Kaepernick, now 34, returned to the spotlight earlier this year by continuing his workouts and making comments about still seeking an NFL return. Kaepernick’s trainer said in March he had spoken with multiple teams, and Mark Davis said back in 2020 he had given his blessing for the Raiders to sign the polarizing quarterback at any point since his long free agency stay began in 2017.

GM Dave Ziegler will join Josh McDaniels and Co. for the workout, Albert Breer of SI.com tweets. New Raiders offensive coordinator Mick Lombardi was on the 49ers’ staff from 2013-16. Kaepernick also returns to Nevada, where he starred in college prior to being a 2011 second-round pick.

The Raiders began their OTA sessions Monday and have a day off today; the team is scheduled to finish off its first week of OTAs Thursday. It is not out of the question their quarterback room could have a high-profile addition by that point, though it is far from certain the Raiders will move forward here.

Kaepernick merely receiving this opportunity is surprising, considering how long it has been since his last workout for a team (with the Seahawks, in May 2017) and how long it has been since the NFL-sanctioned/Kaepernick-adjusted Georgia workout (November 2019) commenced. The six-year 49er did, however, throw at Michigan’s spring game — one that featured NFL staffers present — after receiving an invite from former coach Jim Harbaugh.

The Raiders have an unquestioned starter in Derek Carr, whose recent career rebound enticed the new Las Vegas regime to extend him earlier this offseason, and added ex-Patriot Jarrett Stidham and ex-49er Nick Mullens behind him. Kaepernick’s profile and accomplishments obviously dwarf both of Carr’s current backups, but the former Super Bowl starter has not thrown a regular-season pass since New Year’s Day 2017.

Even if the quarterback’s NFL exile was only about ability, he would still face long odds at re-establishing himself. Teams have steered clear of the talented passer/runner since his decision to kneel during the playing of the national anthem, protesting racial injustice and police brutality, caused a firestorm for the NFL. The fallout from that led to Kaepernick and former 49ers teammate Eric Reid suing the league for collusion and receiving a settlement in 2019.

Reid received another opportunity, with the Panthers signing him in 2018 and giving him an extension months later. Always the more divisive figure as a well-known quarterback and the leader of the racially inspired movement, Kaepernick never was granted such a chance. Given this and the time that has elapsed, Kaepernick returning to an NFL sideline would be one of the most astonishing comebacks in sports history.

“You have ‘End Racism’ in the back of your end zone. You have ‘Black Lives Matter’ on your helmet. Everything I’ve said should be in alignment with what you’re saying publicly,” Kaepernick said during an appearance on the I Am Athlete podcast. “It’s a $16 billion business. When I first took a knee, my jersey went to No. 1. When I did the deal with Nike, their value increased by six billion dollars. Six billion. With a B.

“… So if you’re talking about the business side, it shows [it’s] beneficial. If you’re talking about the playing side, come in, let me compete. You can evaluate me from there. The NFL’s supposed to be a meritocracy. Come in, let me compete. If I’m not good enough, get rid of me. But let me come in and show you.”

At his best under Harbaugh, Kaepernick guided the 49ers to back-to-back NFC championship games and nearly led a comeback win in Super Bowl XLVII. Post-Harbaugh, the 49ers steadily deteriorated, leading to multiple coaching changes. Kaepernick finished 29th in QBR in 2015 and 23rd in 2016 and opted out of his 49ers contract before the Kyle Shanahan regime was prepared to release him. Teams in need of a backup or an emergency starter passed on Kaepernick in the years that followed, and he became mentioned less and less in connection with various in-season QB openings.

The Nevada alum’s profile has obviously soared in the years since, and seeing if the Raiders — set to enter next season with the most optimism surrounding their contender status in many years — sign Kaepernick instantly becomes one of this offseason’s top storylines.

Steelers Expected To Promote Omar Khan To General Manager

May 24th, 2022 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a thorough search, the Steelers look to have a general manager. The lengthy process that included more than a dozen executives from around the league is expected to include with an in-house staffer, with ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter reporting (via Twitter) Omar Khan will be the next Steelers GM.

Khan, who was on the cusp of being the Texans’ GM last year, was one of the first names mentioned when Kevin Colbert announced he would step down after the draft. One of the six execs to receive second interviews for this position, Khan is set to rise to the top of Pittsburgh’s front office.

Shortly after the news of Andy Weidl becoming the Steelers’ assistant GM emerged, veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala pointed to a Khan hire. The Steelers will team two of their GM finalists together to head up their post-Colbert front office. While this represents a major change for the Steelers, given Colbert’s 21-plus-year tenure with the franchise, they are going with continuity.

Khan, who worked as the team’s vice president of football and business administration for the past six-plus years, has been with the franchise since 2001. Khan and Weidl’s Steelers tenures did not overlap, with Weidl wrapping his late-1990s internship before Khan’s arrival. But teaming a Pittsburgh native with a 21-year staffer goes heavy in the familiarity direction.

The 45-year-old exec was on board for the Steelers’ three Super Bowl trips from 2005-10 and has played an integral role in managing the team’s salary cap. He worked in his previous position since 2016. The longtime Steelers exec generated interest from other teams in recent offseasons, but he will end up leading the franchise he knows best.

Houston was believed to be negotiating a deal to name Khan as its GM last year, but the franchise backtracked late in the process and hired longtime target Nick Caserio. Khan also interviewed for the Panthers’ GM post in 2021, meeting with Carolina brass twice for the role. That job ended up going to ex-Seahawks exec Scott Fitterer. This year, Khan met with the Bears about their GM vacancy; they hired former Chiefs staffer Ryan Poles.

Colbert presided over the team’s Ben Roethlisberger era, the second-most successful period in franchise history. After becoming one of Colbert’s top lieutenants, Khan will be paired with 16th-year HC Mike Tomlin in attempting to keep the team on the contender tier. The Steelers operated intently at quarterback in the draft, selecting their preferred passer (Pitt’s Kenny Pickett) 20th overall — two rounds before the rest of this year’s top QB prospects came off the board. Pickett and free agency addition Mitchell Trubisky will vie to be the team’s Week 1 starter, but the Khan era will be tied to Pickett in its early years.

Browns To Re-Sign DE Jadeveon Clowney

May 22nd, 2022 at 12:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

After weeks of rumors connecting Jadeveon Clowney to a Cleveland return, that agreement has come to pass. Clowney will stay with the Browns on a one-year deal, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports (on Twitter).

The ninth-year defensive end will stay in Cleveland on a deal worth up to $11MM, USA Today’s Josina Anderson tweets. Incentives are included in this total, making it appear similar to the one-year, $8MM pact Clowney inked with the Browns in 2021. Either way, this will ensure Myles Garrett‘s edge-rushing partner will return — something the All-Pro lobbied for — for a second season.

The sides agreed to this deal Wednesday, per NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, but needed a few more days to finalize it (Twitter link). Clowney should be expected to earn close to that $11MM total, RapSheet adds, noting that the veteran edge defender turned down multiyear deals worth more than $14MM from other teams to stay in Cleveland (Twitter links).

While this does not stop Clowney’s run of one-year agreements, it does ensure he will return to a team for the first time since his Texans rookie deal expired. Since the Texans executed a tag-and-trade sequence with the Seahawks late in the summer of 2019, Clowney has spent the past three seasons in Seattle, Tennessee and Cleveland. The Browns season marked his most successful, even if the team underwhelmed. Clowney’s nine sacks were his most since 2018, his most recent Pro Bowl year. He finished with 32 pressures (tied for 25th in the NFL) alongside Garrett, who tied T.J. Watt for a league-high 52. Garrett’s 16 sacks were also a Browns single-season record.

Cleveland used a third-round pick on defensive end Alex Wright and traded for ex-Patriots edge contributor Chase Winovich. This duo will now be positioned to be rotational rushers behind the Garrett-Clowney tandem. With the Browns having moved on from 2021 defensive tackle starters Malik Jackson and Malik McDowell, Clowney will be positioned to help as an inside rusher as well. That would allow one of the edge backups to join he and Garrett in sub-packages.

This does continue an interesting run of contracts for Clowney, who led off a talented 2014 draft. Injuries have plagued the former South Carolina super-prospect for most of his career, with knee trouble being at the forefront of his health issues. Clowney did play in 14 games last season, however. But the long-term deal packed with guarantees — along the lines of the ones 2014 classmates Aaron Donald and Khalil Mack received years ago — eluded him. Clowney, 29, played out his Texans contract but will finish his 20s on a year-to-year path.

Still, Clowney earned $15MM in 2019 (via the tag), $13MM in 2020 and $8MM (plus $750K in incentives) last year. In addition to the $30MM-plus he made in five years with the Texans, the three-time Pro Bowler has done pretty well for himself — albeit in unorthodox fashion.

Packers Finalizing Extension With Jaire Alexander

May 16th, 2022 at 9:38am CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers signed one of their stars to a massive extension earlier this offseason with Aaron Rodgers. They have done so again with cornerback Jaire Alexander. The team is extending him on a four-year, $84MM contract (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

As Schefter notes, the deal includes a $30MM signing bonus, which is a record for corners and will allow him to earn $31MM in 2022. Overall, the annual average of $21MM per year represents another high-mark at the position, and makes him the third CB to eclipse the $20MM-per-season plateau (along with Jalen Ramsey and Denzel Ward).

While those numbers are high, only Alexander’s signing bonus is guaranteed. Among cornerbacks, Alexander agreed to deal that slots him only 12th in terms of fully guaranteed money. That said, the Pro Bowl cornerback should be expected to be with the Packers for a while. His 2025 and ’26 base salaries, per Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, jump to $16.2MM and $18.2MM, respectively. Alexander’s deal also includes an $8MM roster bonus in 2024. This transaction continues the Packers’ pattern of not guaranteeing any money to a non-quarterback beyond the first year, Florio adds, noting only they and the Bengals still use this old-school method.

A first round pick in 2018, Alexander has been an immediate starter and anchor of the team’s secondary since his arrival. He was named a Pro Bowler for the first time in 2020, leading to increased optimism for this past season. The 25-year-old was limited to just four regular season games due to a shoulder injury, however. With the team having picked up his fifth-year option, it was already a guarantee he would be suiting up for Green Bay for at least the 2022 campaign.

The two sides began negotiations on a long-term extension this offseason, one which saw plenty of other notable moves being made by the team to try and stay competitive while remaining cap compliant. It came out not long after free agency began that the Louisville product was seeking a deal which would place him at the top of the CB market. This news confirms that he has accomplished that goal.

Schefter adds that Alexander’s cap number will be lowered in 2022 by virtue of his base salary being valued at just over $1MM. That will help the Packers absorb another record-breaking contract as they try to extend their Super Bowl window. Alexander will remain with the team through 2026 at the head of a secondary also featuring the likes of Eric Stokes, Rasul Douglas, Darnell Savage and Adrian Amos.

Saints To Sign WR Jarvis Landry

May 13th, 2022 at 3:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the second time in two weeks, a Pro Bowler from New Orleans agreed to sign with the Saints. Following Tyrann Mathieu‘s agreement, the team is signing Jarvis Landry.

The former Dolphins and Browns wide receiver confirmed his decision Friday on Twitter. It’s a one-year deal, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero adds that the contract is worth up to $6MM (video link). Landry visited the Saints before the draft and will now join a receiving corps that, if Michael Thomas can stay healthy, could be formidable. The team has made two major investments at the position this offseason, with the Landry addition coming after a trade-up maneuver for Chris Olave.

Absent Thomas last season, the Saints deployed perhaps the league’s worst receiving corps. The team did not have a 700-yard receiver in 2021. This year’s crew now features the NFL’s single-season reception record holder, a five-time Pro Bowler, and a top-15 pick. The Saints also re-signed former third-rounder Tre’Quan Smith and still have 2021 receiving leader Marquez Callaway under contract. This corps stands to give Jameis Winston a better chance of succeeding after ACL rehab.

Connected to the Falcons and Ravens as well, Landry had been in the mix to return to the Browns. But that door closed recently, with Cleveland — which made Landry a cap casualty in March — intent on seeing how its younger players perform around Amari Cooper. The Saints opted for veteran stability, and the LSU product will be positioned as a key contributor.

Landry, 29, is coming off his worst season as a pro — 52-catch, 570-yard campaign. But Baker Mayfield‘s shoulder injury did well to sink the Browns’ passing attack. Battling an MCL injury last season, Landry also missed five games. Prior to 2021, Landry served as the top receiver on a 2020 Browns team that snapped a 17-year playoff drought. He also has three 1,000-yard seasons and five 900-yard slates on his resume. Used as a slot player in Miami, Landry also has compiled 110- and 112-catch seasons as a pro. The latter showing led the NFL in 2017, leading to the Dolphins franchise-tagging Landry and trading him to the Browns.

Broncos WR Jerry Jeudy Arrested

May 12th, 2022 at 6:20pm CST by Sam Robinson

6:20pm: Jeudy did not commit domestic violence, Arapahoe County Sheriff Tyler Brown said, calling the charge a “very low misdemeanor.” The incident involved only property, via CBS4’s Michael Spencer (Twitter links).

The domestic violence-related charge was issued because the woman involved is the mother of Jeudy’s one-month-old child, via Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). The woman involved accused Jeudy of withholding medical records, her wallet and the baby’s car seat, Klis tweets. Jeudy accused the woman of taking one of his three phones, Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post adds (on Twitter). Jeudy went into police custody without incident and will meet with a judge Friday morning, Spencer tweets.

3:44pm: Broncos wide receiver Jerry Jeudy was arrested and booked into the Arapahoe County (Colo.) Detention Center this afternoon, authorities announced. The third-year wideout is being held on a no-bond hold, according to the Arapahoe Sheriff (Twitter link).

Authorities have charged Jeudy with second-degree criminal tampering with a domestic violence enhancer. In Colorado, that means tampering with another’s property with the intent to cause “injury, inconvenience, or annoyance to that person or to another.” Jeudy can be released from jail upon approval from a judge, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com noting such a meeting is likely to occur within the next 24 hours (Twitter link). He was arrested around noon Thursday.

This is not a felony charge, with Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com noting (via Twitter) it is a Class 2 misdemeanor that carries a punishment of a $1K fine and up to a year in prison. It still will fall under the purview of the NFL’s personal conduct policy, which could result in a Jeudy suspension at some point.

Jeudy, 23, came to the Broncos as a first-round pick in 2020. He led the team in receiving as a rookie and posted 467 receiving yards in an injury-shortened 2021 season. The Alabama alum is expected to be a central part of the Broncos’ first Russell Wilson-led offense this season.

DeAndre Hopkins Suspended Six Games For PED Violation

May 2nd, 2022 at 3:04pm CST by Adam La Rose

3:32 PM: NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport tweets that Hopkins “withdrew his appeal” of the suspension, making it official that he will miss the opening six weeks of the season without pay.

3:04 PM: The Cardinals made one notable addition to their receiving corps over the weekend, but they will be starting the season without their No. 1. DeAndre Hopkins is being suspended six games for a violation of the league’s Performance Enhancing Drug policy (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter).

The WR room has seen some significant changes this offseason for the Cardinals. Christian Kirk left in free agency, leaving a vacancy for a starting spot at the position. The team then filled that hole with the acquisition of former Raven Marquise Brown. As Schefter notes, that transaction becomes perhaps less surprising given the news of Hopkins’ suspension.

In years past, four games was the benchmark for suspension lengths regarding PED usage. More recently, however, that number has been elevated to six – as the likes of Ryan Anderson and Corey Coleman have found out. This news extends the length of Hopkins’ overall absence, as he missed the final four games of the 2021 regular season (and the team’s playoff loss) due to injury.

That missed time led to the three-time All-Pro posting career-low totals in terms of production. Across his two seasons with the Cardinals, the 29-year-old has posted 1,979 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. In his absence late in the year, however, Arizona’s offense continued a concerning trend of falling off considerably. The team will be in a similar situation to begin the 2022 campaign.

Hopkins becomes the second big-name wideout to receive a notable ban this offseason. Calvin Ridley will be sidelined for at least the entire 2022 campaign after he wagered on NFL games.

Jets Offered No. 10 Overall For Deebo Samuel

April 29th, 2022 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Connected to veteran receivers throughout the offseason, the Jets ended up using the No. 10 overall pick to address the position. Garrett Wilson will be tasked with elevating Zach Wilson, but the Jets did make an offer for Deebo Samuel.

The 49ers turned down the Jets’ proposal — the No. 10 overall pick and a fifth-rounder for Samuel and San Francisco’s second-rounder (No. 61) — according to The Athletic’s Matt Barrows, who adds the Lions made an offer as well. Detroit’s offer was viewed as “light” for the All-Pro wideout. It does not sound like the 49ers seriously engaged with the Jets or Lions, via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (video link).

The Jets were viewed as the frontrunners for Samuel, though the Lions and Packers pursued him as well. Samuel’s trade request surfaced April 20, though the 49ers learned about it well before then. Multiple teams were believed to have offered first-round picks for Samuel. The Lions might have included their No. 32 overall choice in their respective package. Detroit ended up using its No. 32 pick to trade up for Jameson Williams.

Gang Green did not include a first-rounder in its Tyreek Hill offer but did put both its second-round picks and a third in that proposal — one the Chiefs were prepared to accept. Hill’s preference for Miami led to a second-place Jets finish there. The Jets were also linked to using the No. 10 overall pick in a D.K. Metcalf proposal. Given the second-round pick that would have come back to the Jets in the Samuel offer, the 49ers exited the talks to lead the AFC East team to focus on draft options at receiver.

Like a Hill trade, a Samuel swap would have required the Jets to work out a monster extension. Garrett Wilson, though an unproven commodity at the pro level, can be controlled through 2026 on a rookie deal. Still, the events of Thursday night will make matters more difficult for the 49ers. Samuel’s trade request came when all his 2019 receiver classmates were tied to their rookie contracts. A.J. Brown has since agreed to a four-year, $100MM deal.

The 49ers’ initial Samuel offer was believed to be for less than $19MM annually. While Samuel is reportedly now against being used as a running back and may or may not have issues with living in California, the 49ers will certainly need to up their offer now that Brown is tied to his new contract.

Load More Posts