Khalil Mack Fallout: Suitors, Raiders, Donald
While the Bears won the 11th-hour Khalil Mack sweepstakes, several other teams are now known to have inquired or submitted bids. After reports of interest from the Jets, Browns and 49ers, Albert Breer of SI.com adds the Packers and Bills contacted the Raiders about their disgruntled defensive end. However, neither team was close to agreeing to the terms the Bears did. Only the Jets were on the Bears’ level in terms of compensation, Breer notes, and the Jets are not believed to have offered two first-round picks. A team was reported to have offered a first- and third-round pick for Mack; it’s possible that was the Jets. (Although, that report last week may have been about a possible first Bears offer rather than the Jets’.) The Packers hovered as the team Las Vegas pegged as the favorites to land Mack, but they will stick with Clay Matthews and Nick Perry on the edge. Buffalo has Jerry Hughes and Trent Murphy slotted as its starting edge defenders, with trade-block occupant Shaq Lawson positioned as a depth piece.
Here’s more from one of this century’s biggest NFL transactions:
- The Raiders submitted an offer to Mack’s agent in February, and it was swiftly rejected, Breer notes. Jon Gruden said Sunday the Raiders were not in the Bears’ ballpark on numbers, and Breer adds once the Aaron Donald $22.5MM-per-year deal surfaced, the Raiders knew Mack’s asking price was going to become more reasonable. For weeks, the Raiders gave hard no’s when approached with Mack trade inquiries. However, teams noticed the Raiders’ tone changed regarding Mack late last week, with Breer adding they were much more open to deals. It’s logical to assume the Donald agreement catalyzed this process.
- Chicago brass monitored the Mack situation all summer, with Ryan Pace and Matt Nagy having long meetings about the prospect of acquiring the 2016 defensive player of the year last week, Breer reports.
- As for why the Raiders didn’t try to hold their line about Mack playing on his fifth-year option salary? Jon Gruden referenced Kirk Cousins‘ situation with his brother Jay‘s Redskins as part of his reasoning for why he felt Mack had to go. “We have waited. We waited and waited and the (Week 1) Rams game was looming,” Gruden said, via Vic Tafur of The Athletic (subscription required). “Our feeling was that he was not going to report anytime soon. And … I saw the Redskins go through it with Kirk Cousins. … It’s a long process. You can wait it out; you can franchise him; you can force him to play. But we made a decision and we’re going to stand by it.” However, the Cousins situation dragged into the passer’s sixth season. Mack has yet to play his fifth. The Raiders had the franchise tag to use in 2019 and 2020, but it appears Mack’s threat about sitting out games prompted them to take the Bears’ unique offer while it was on the table.
- Mack’s six-year, $141MM Bears deal will feature $73.3MM coming to the new Bears weapon within the first three years, Breer notes. He’ll make $41MM overall in 2018. Donald’s three-year haul on his six-year, $135MM Rams pact will be $67MM.
Workout Notes: Giants, Jets, Raiders, Colts
As Week 1 practices are underway, here’s the latest from the workout circuit:
- The Giants appear to envy the Raiders’ roster depth. After adding Mario Edwards and cornerback Antonio Hamilton, Big Blue will work out Raiders 2017 fourth-round tackle David Sharpe, Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal tweets. Sharpe’s shed 30 pounds this offseason, per Gehlken. He played in five games and started two as a rookie. The Giants will also audition former Broncos cornerback Michael Hunter, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). These workouts will take place Tuesday.
- Hunter was part of a four-cornerback contingent that auditioned for the Texans on Labor Day, with veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer tweeting Hunter, Breon Borders, Chris Campbell and Jalen Myrick took part in the Monday showcase. Of this quartet, only Myrick has NFL experience. He played five games as a Texan last season.
- Dan Bailey appears to have a good chance to be the Jets‘ next kicker, but in the event the team doesn’t sign him, an insurance option is coming to the Big Apple for a workout. Matt McCrane will kick for Jets brass on Wednesday, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. The Cardinals cut McCrane last week. Jason Myers currently sits as Gang Green’s kicker, but he may not have a good grip on the job.
- Prior to the Raiders signing Brandon LaFell, they worked out one of their former wideouts. Brice Butler trekked back to Oakland for a Monday workout, Vic Tafur of The Athletic tweets. Although most of Reggie McKenzie‘s draft picks aren’t too popular with Jon Gruden right now, Butler joined the Raiders as a 2013 seventh-round and played sparingly in 2013 and ’14. The Raiders traded him to the Cowboys prior to the 2015 season. Butler did not impress the Cardinals in camp, despite signing a two-year deal this spring.
- The Patriots worked out tight end Stephen Anderson, tackle Eric Smith and wide receiver Jace Billingsley on Monday, Balzer tweets. New England will sign Smith to its practice squad.
- Thinner at wide receiver after losing Marqise Lee, the Jaguars will work out former Giants wideout Kalif Raymond on Tuesday, Ryan Dunleavy of NJ.com tweets. The former UDFA mostly served as a Giants return man last season.
- Multiyear Steelers backup Fitzgerald Toussaint visited the Colts on Monday, per Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). The Steelers cut the 28-year-old running back last week after what ended up being a three-year stay.
- Linebacker Jonathan Celestin will work out for the Browns on Tuesday, per NFL Draft Diamonds (Twitter link). The Falcons axed Celestin after the preseason.
- Lastly, the Chiefs auditioned tackle Pace Murphy on Monday, per Balzer.
Minor AFC Transactions: 9/3/18
Here are Monday’s minor moves from the AFC:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: TE Ryan Hewitt
Kansas City Chiefs
- Claimed off waivers (from Browns): C Austin Reiter
- Released: OL Bryan Witzmann
Los Angeles Chargers
- Waived: RB Justin Jackson
Miami Dolphins
- Signed: T Sam Young
- Waived: DB Maurice Smith
New York Jets
- Placed on IR: RB Elijah McGuire
Oakland Raiders
- Claimed off waivers (from Cowboys): DT Brian Price
- Waived: WR Johnny Holton, DT Treyvon Hester
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/18
We’ll keep track of today’s practice squad moves here:
Atlanta Falcons
- Signed: RB Brian Hill
Arizona Cardinals
- Signed: LB B.J. Bello, S Demetrious Cox, CB Chris Jones
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed: DE Christian LaCouture
Chicago Bears
Signed:
- OL Dejon Allen
- DL Abdullah Anderson
- QB Tyler Bray
- WR Tanner Gentry
- DB Michael Joseph
- DB Jonathon Mincy
- RB Taquan Mizzell
- RB Ryan Nall
- OL James Stone
- LB Josh Woods
Cleveland Browns
Signed:
- OL Christian DiLauro
- DL Daniel Ekuale
- DL Zaycoven Henderson
- RB Dontrell Hilliard
- OL Kyle Kalis
- TE Pharoah McKever
- DB Jeremiah McKinnon
- DB Montrel Meander
- DB Tigie Sankoh (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- WR Da’Mari Scott
- LB Brady Sheldon
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: RB Bo Scarbrough
Detroit Lions
- Signed: DT John Atkins, CB Cre’Von LeBlanc, DE Eric Lee
Denver Broncos
- Signed: G Avery Gennesy, OLB Jeff Holland
Houston Texans
- Signed: CB Mike Tyson
Indianapolis Colts
Signed:
- G Jamil Douglas
- RB Jeremy McNichols
- DE Carroll Phillips
- LB Ahmad Thomas
- DE Jihad Ward
Los Angeles Chargers
- Signed: TE Thomas Duarte, QB Cardale Jones
Minnesota Vikings
- Signed: TE Cole Hikutini
New England Patriots
- Signed: WR Jace Billingsley, T Eric Smith
New York Jets
Signed:
- WR Deontay Burnett
- C Nico Falah
- OT Dieugot Joseph
- RB De’Angelo Henderson
- DL Bronson Kaufasi
- QB John Wolford
New York Giants
- Signed: LB Ukeme Eligwe
Oakland Raiders
- Signed: G/T Denver Kirkland, DB Terrell Sinkfield, DB Rico Gafford
San Francisco 49ers
- Signed: OL Zack Golditch
Seattle Seahawks
Signed:
- RB Lavon Coleman
- DT Frank Herron
- CB Akeem King
- TE Marcus Lucas
- QB Alex McGough
- T Elijah Nkansah
- WR Keenan Reynolds
- G Jordan Roos
- WR Caleb Scott
- LB Antwione Williams
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Signed:
- OL Cole Boozer
- CB Javien Elliott
- DE Demone Harris
- TE Tanner Hudson
- S Godwin Igwebuike
- DL Jeremiah Ledbetter
- LB Eric Nzeocha (International Pathway Player, does not count against 10-man limit)
- DE Pat O’Connor
- RB Dare Ogunbowale
- LB Azeem Victor
- WR Bobo Wilson
Tennessee Titans
- Signed: OL Coleman Shelton, WR Austin Proehl, DL Deon Simon, QB Logan Woodside
Raiders Sign WR Brandon LaFell
The Raiders are signing wide receiver Brandon LaFell, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter link).
Rapoport says it’s a one-year deal “with upside”, noting “there was a need after Martavis Bryant was released.” LaFell was released by the Bengals last month. At the time, LaFell’s agent said he had been asking for his release from the Bengals due to unhappiness with his role.
LaFell spent two seasons as the number two receiver in Cincinnati, with varying success. After compiling 64 catches for 862 yards and six touchdowns in 2016, LaFell had just 52 grabs for 548 yards and three scores last year. A week after his release, it was reported that the Browns might have some interest, but nothing ever came of it and his market has been quiet since.
As Rapsheet points out, the Raiders were in need of a veteran receiver after Bryant was cut due to an impending suspension. Oakland gave up a third round pick for Bryant, who ended up never playing a down for the team, and they’ll look to replace some of his expected production with LaFell. LaFell will turn 32 in November, and is another aging piece added to this veteran Raiders team. His best season came with the Patriots in 2014, when he caught 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns.
Latest On Raiders’ Khalil Mack Decision
Addressing the Khalil Mack trade for the first time, Jon Gruden said the Raiders’ salary cap situation indeed played into the choice to ship the team’s best player to Chicago. Particularly, Derek Carr‘s contract played a role.
While Gruden said (via the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Michael Gehlken, on Twitter) he was not involved in the daily communications between Mack’s agent and the team, he did indicate Carr’s $25MM-AAV contract — one the quarterback signed in hopes of leaving his team enough money to take care of teammates’ deals down the road — made it difficult to complete a Mack extension. And the Raiders weren’t particularly close on terms with their former superstar defender.
The Bears gave Mack a six-year, $141MM contract with $90MM in guarantees — raising the bar for defenders after Aaron Donald did so previously. Gruden confirmed (per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area, on Twitter) the Raiders made an offer, and it was “not anywhere close” to the terms Mack received from the Bears.
Gruden said the 27-year-old phenom was part of why he accepted Mark Davis‘ offer to return to coach the Raiders, per Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter), but added the $90MM in guarantees was something the Raiders “could not do.” Rumors about the Raiders’ wherewithal to authorize such a guarantee surfaced late in the offseason, but nothing concrete emerged about Davis’ ability to construct a Mack extension. But it’s clear the Raiders were not willing to venture into the financial neighborhood the Bears were.
As for pulling the trigger on a trade now, when Mack was attached to a $13MM-plus fifth-year option and could have been franchise-tagged in the future, Gruden said he did not believe Mack was going to report and it was “time to move on.” Additionally, the Bears’ “unique” offer prompted the Raiders to make the deal, with the 55-year-old head coach adding there was no guarantee a proposal including two first-round picks would’ve been on the table in 2019 (Twitter links via The Athletic’s Vic Tafur).
The Raiders received interest from several teams on the Mack front — the Jets, 49ers and Browns are the known suitors who didn’t match the Bears’ haul — and ended up giving the Bears a second-round pick in the deal. Gruden said, via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), he was not part of the discussion that sent a future Day 2 pick to the Bears.
With Gruden having cut or traded several of Reggie McKenzie‘s recent draft picks in recent weeks, and having criticized the 2015-17 classes during training camp — and on Sunday (Twitter link via Gehlken) — some understandable discord may be taking place in Oakland. Some around the NFL did not expect the Gruden-McKenzie partnership, one that featured Gruden siphoning much of the GM’s power, to last, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports tweets. However, Gruden said the Raiders came to this Mack decision “as an organization,” per Gehlken (on Twitter).
Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC West
Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC West teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders are noted below.
Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.
Here are Sunday’s AFC West transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:
Denver Broncos
Placed on injured reserve:
Re-signed:
Claimed:
- QB Kevin Hogan
Cut:
- QB Paxton Lynch
Practice squad:
- RB David Williams
- TE Brian Parker
- OL Austin Schlottmann
- OL Avery Gennesy
- WR River Cracraft
- WR Carlos Henderson*
- OLB Jeff Holland
- CB Brendan Langley
- DL DeShawn Williams
- DT Kyle Peko
- S Trey Marshall
Kansas City Chiefs
Claimed:
Placed on injured reserve:
Cut:
- QB Matt McGloin
Practice squad:
- WR Josh Crockett
- WR Gehrig Dieter
- T Ryan Hunter
- DT Dee Liner
- QB Chase Litton
- LB Rob McCray
- S Leon McQuay
- C Jimmy Murray
- DB Arrion Springs
- DB D’Montre Wade
Los Angeles Chargers
Claimed:
- LB Emmanuel Ellerbee
- DT T.Y. McGill
Cut:
- QB Cardale Jones
- LB Hayes Pullard
Practice squad:
- DE Patrick Afriyie
- WR Dylan Cantrell
- S A.J. Hendy
- LB D’Juan Hines
- WR Andre Patton
- DL Steven Richardson
- OL Trent Scott
Oakland Raiders
Claimed:
- OT T.J. Clemmings
- OT Justin Murray
Cut:
Signed to practice squad:
- WR Marcell Ateman
- WR Saeed Blacknell
- TE Paul Butler
- LB Jason Cabinda
- S Dallin Leavitt
- DT Gabe Wright
- FB Ryan Yurachek
* = suspended
Giants Waive Davis Webb
In a surprising move, the Giants have waived QB Davis Webb, per Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). We learned earlier today that the Giants were open to trading either Webb or rookie signal-caller Kyle Lauletta, but it did not seem likely that either player would be waived. Instead, if the Giants could not find any trade partners, it appeared more plausible that the team would part ways with 30-year-old Alex Tanney.
But GM Dave Gettleman decided to cut ties with Webb, a 2017 third-round choice who played fairly well throughout the preseason and who at one point appeared to have a big lead over Lauletta for the backup QB job. Of course, Webb was selected by the Giants’ prior regime, so Gettleman & Co. did not have any attachment to him.
Raanan adds in a separate tweet that New York did discuss trading Webb to the Raiders before Oakland acquired A.J. McCarron to be its backup signal-caller. We will have to wait and see what the future holds for Webb, though he is not likely to be without work for long given his draft pedigree and the league-wide need for competent QBs.
Reggie McKenzie On Khalil Mack Trade
Yesterday’s trade that sent Khalil Mack from the Raiders to the Bears rocked the NFL world, and we can expect more details to trickle out in the coming days. For instance, Oakland GM Reggie McKenzie conceded yesterday that he never had any desire to trade Mack until the end. Per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press, McKenzie said, “My whole thought process was how to get Khalil in here. Absolutely, it was here at the end, it was in the final hour that it kind of just hit and it hit hard and heavy. It was not the plan to trade him at all.”
McKenzie also said he was not afraid to pay top dollar for Mack, but he just could not justify Mack’s asking price. He said, “We presented him with an offer. We got the counter back and talked about it with (agent Joel Segal). What they were demanding, it just wasn’t going to work” (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). McKenzie, though, did not elaborate on how Mack’s counteroffer to the Raiders compared with the contract he ultimately landed with the Bears. Gehlken also tweets that more than half the league inquired on Mack, and Oakland ultimately narrowed the list of suitors to teams that it believed could be picking high in the first round in 2019.
- The Raiders released WR Martavis Bryant yesterday, as Bryant is facing yet another drug-related suspension.
Raiders Announce Roster Cuts
Trading Khalil Mack wasn’t the Raiders’ only order of business Saturday. They’ve also moved their roster to 53 players by making the following transactions:
Waived:
- WR Marcell Ateman
- TE Marcus Baugh
- WR Saeed Blacknall
- Te Pharaoh Brown
- WR Martavis Bryant
- RB James Butler
- TE Paul Butler
- LB Jason Cabinda
- CB Jarell Carter
- QB Connor Cook
- LB James Cowser
- CB Antwuan Davis
- DE Mario Edwards Jr.
- DT Connor Flagel
- CB Antonio Hamilton
- G Cameron Hunt
- G Denver Kirkland
- S Dallin Leavitt
- S Quincy Mauger
- CB Raysean Pringle
- G Jordan Simmons
- DL Shakir Soto
- LB Azeem Victor
- T Jylan Ware
- WR Isaac Whitney
- DT Gabe Wright
- FB Ryan Yurachek
Released:
- QB EJ Manuel
- G Oday Aboushi
- C James Stone
- CB Shareece Wright
Waived/injured:
Placed on injured reserve:
- K Eddy Pineiro
- RB Chris Warren
Placed on PUP list: