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Steelers Won’t Change Contract Policy For Antonio Brown

August 20th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

When it comes to star wide receiver Antonio Brown, the Steelers won’t change the way they handle player contracts, according to GM Kevin Colbert. That means that Brown, who had been considering a holdout this summer, will likely have to wait until after the 2016 season to get a new deal from the team.

“Players sign contracts, we expect them to honor them,” Colbert said, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “If a player has one year to go other than a quarterback is when we have gotten into discussions. It has been the position of the organization and it has always been like that.

“It was something that was here before I got here and I am sure it will continue after I am gone,” Colbert added. “It is just the consistency within the organization. It is something that we believe in and it works for us, so I don’t see it changing.”

Brown, a former sixth-round pick, signed his first big, long-term contract in 2012, agreeing to a five-year, $41.7MM pact. That deal pays him over $8MM per year, but that annual average value is only the 14th-highest in the NFL among wide receivers, placing him behind players like Victor Cruz and Pierre Garcon.

Coming off a season in which he led the NFL with 129 receptions and 1,698 yards, Brown probably deserves a deal more in line with the big-money contracts signed by Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and T.Y. Hilton this offseason. However, as Colbert points out, the Steelers don’t renegotiate contracts with players until they have just one year left. Brown, who will earn base salaries of $6MM in 2015 and $8.25MM in 2016, has a deal that runs through 2017, so Pittsburgh is unwilling to rework it at this point.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/15

August 19th, 2015 at 9:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL:

  • When word broke earlier today that the Texans had signed safety Quintin Demps and defensive lineman Fili Moala, I noted that two corresponding roster moves would be required. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle has the details on those moves, reporting (via Twitter) that the team has waived defensive end Jasper Coleman and waived/injured tight end Mike McFarland. McFarland will land on the Texans’ injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
  • After releasing him earlier this week, the Saints have re-signed veteran tight end Alex Smith, placing tight end Kevin Brock on injured reserve, writes Nick Underhill of The Advocate. Brock had to be carted off the field after going down with an injury during Tuesday’s practice.
  • Former Georgia wide receiver Michael Bennett – not to be confused with the Michael Bennetts who played on the defensive line at Texas A&M or Ohio State, respectively – signed a contract with the Bengals today, according to the team (Twitter link). Cincinnati cut tight end Jake Murphy to create roster space for the addition.
  • The Steelers have claimed linebacker L.J. Fort off waivers from the Patriots, waiving linebacker Jordan Zumwalt, a 2014 sixth-round pick, with an injury designation, the team announced today (via Twitter).
  • The Chargers have also claimed a former Patriot, nabbing tight end Logan Stokes off waivers, according to a team release. Tight end Eric Frohnapfel was cut to create a spot for Stokes.
  • Washington has reached an injury settlement with outside linebacker Trevardo Williams, who landed on the team’s IR with a hamstring strain, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Williams is now a free agent, able to sign with any team.

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/18/15

August 18th, 2015 at 12:38pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Tuesday’s minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:

  • Long snapper Nate Boyer, who took an unusual path to the NFL, has been waived by the Seahawks, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link). With the newly-created roster spot, the Seahawks appear to have signed quarterback Jake Waters, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
  • The Steelers have reduced the number of quarterbacks on their roster by one, announcing today that they’ve cut Tajh Boyd, replacing him with wide receiver Jarrod West (Twitter link via Burt Lauten).
  • Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt, who tore his Achilles on Saturday, has been officially placed on injured reserve, the team announced today. To replace him, Minnesota signed former Giants tackle Stephen Goodin.
  • The Eagles‘ roster turnover at linebacker continues, as the team announced today (via Twitter) that it has signed former Southern Mississippi linebacker Dasman McCullum to replace Jordan Dewalt-Ondijo, who has been waived/injured due to an ankle injury.
  • The Colts made a change to their wide receiver group, signing UDFA wideout L.T. Smith and waiving Tyler Rutenbeck, according to a team release.
  • Former Emporia State wide receiver Austin Willis has been waived by the Raiders, tweets Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com.
  • The Cardinals have a new body in their secondary, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, who reports that safety Anthony Walters has signed a one-year deal with the club. Linebacker Zack Wagenmann, who broke his foot, has been waived/injured, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • More updates from Wilson: The Saints have cut receiver Kyle Prater and waived/injured defensive tackle Lawrence Virgil (Twitter link), the Jets have cut punter Jacob Schum (Twitter link), the Cowboys have cut cornerback Jason Wilson from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement (Twitter link), and the Steelers have removed running back Cameron Stingily from their IR with a settlement (Twitter link).

North Notes: Bears, Forte, Brown, Steelers

August 17th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Browns announced that backup center Ryan Seymour has been suspended for four games without pay for violating the NFL’s policy on performance enhancing substances. In a statement, Seymour said that he did not “knowingly” take a banned substance and added that he will be “much more careful in the future,” Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC North..

  • Bears running back Matt Forte has come to the realization that this season might be his last in a Bears uniform, Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. “All I can do is talk to them about it and they can say yes or no. They said we’re not talking about that type of stuff right now, so all I can do is play football. I’ve come to the realization that every run or catch that I may have might be my last in a Bears uniform, so if they don’t want to re-sign me, I’ll have to play somewhere else,” Forte said.
  • Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown‘s desire for an extension is “fueled by” the deals given to Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and T.Y. Hilton, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears. The Steelers are listening to Brown’s requests, but if they rework his deal, they want to wind up with a contract that will put him under club control for the remainder of his career.
  • Browns GM Ray Farmer told Grossi (Twitter link) that quarterback Connor Shaw underwent surgery on Monday morning. He adds that Shaw suffered ligament damage and not a broken thumb as some believed earlier.
  • Harland Gunn and Dionte Savage were among the offensive lineman that worked out for the Lions last week, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets.

La Canfora’s Latest: Washington, Jets, Brown

August 17th, 2015 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Within his latest piece for CBSSports.com, Jason La Canfora praises the “honest, slow, and steady approach” that new GM Scot McCloughan is taking to building the Washington roster. In La Canfora’s view, McCloughan is a “pure departure” from most of the decision-makers who have preceded him during Daniel Snyder‘s tenure as the team’s owner.

While we wait to see whether McCloughan’s approach translates into on-field success in Washington, let’s round up a few more highlights from La Canfora’s piece….

  • With training camps and the preseason in full swing, injuries have begun to take a toll around the league. According to La Canfora, many teams are scrambling to find healthy offensive tackles and tight ends, since those are two positions where clubs have been hit the hardest by injuries. As I noted last week when I examined some possible tight end options for Washington, the free agent market at the position is pretty thin.
  • La Canfora has heard a lot recently about the kind of money some left tackles have been seeking, calling it “crazy, quarterback money.” The CBSSports.com scribe wouldn’t be surprised if players like Trent Williams (Washington) and Nate Solder (Patriots) ultimately get the franchise tag rather than signing extensions right away.
  • The Jets are taking their time to consider possible quarterbacks, and one reason is that the team has interest in some veteran signal-callers who may be cut within the next few weeks.
  • Despite reports to the contrary, there have been no contract talks between the Steelers and Antonio Brown, sources tell La Canfora. With three years left on his deal, the wideout won’t get a new contract this year, but may be able to revisit the issue in 2016.

More Minor NFL Transactions: 8/14/15

August 14th, 2015 at 4:40pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier in the day, we rounded up several of Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, but there have been a number of moves since then. Here’s the latest:

  • The Broncos have claimed punter Spencer Lanning off waivers from the Buccaneers, increasing their roster to the maximum 90 players, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. For Lanning, who can also handle kickoffs, it’s the second time this offseason he has been claimed off waivers — the Bucs snatched him up in June after he was cut by Cleveland.
  • Defensive tackle Casey Walker has rejoined the Patriots, the team with which he saw the most action last season, the club announced today in a press release. According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link), after being cut by the Ravens earlier this month, Walker visited the Pats and Rams and received interest from other clubs as well.
  • Washington has swapped one linebacker for another, waiving Trevardo Williams and signing Sage Harold, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Williams, who’s dealing with a hamstring issue, will revert to the team’s injured reserve list if he clears waivers.
  • The following players have been removed from their respective teams’ IR lists with injury settlements, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all Twitter links): WR Caleb Holley (Bills), DB Shamiel Gary (Dolphins), and LB Quinton Alston (Buccaneers).
  • After being waived/injured by the Steelers earlier this week, running back Cameron Stingily is now on the team’s IR, tweets Wilson.

Extra Points: A. Davis, BJGE, J. Jones, Rice

August 13th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Zachary Links

When Anthony Davis announced his decision to step away from the 49ers, it wasn’t exactly classified as his retirement. Unlike Patrick Willis, Justin Smith, and Chris Borland, San Francisco’s former right tackle still plans to return to the NFL at some point, suggesting that he’ll probably take a year off before returning to the league.

“Yeah, I will come back,” Davis told Brian Dohn of Scout.com. “I want to rest. I feel like right now I could go into a camp and play, but I want to rest. … I’m getting my hands right, seeing specialists, foot specialists, making sure I’m on the right track to play another five or six years if I wanted to.”

According to Davis, it’s not accurate to say that he’s taking the 2015 season off to recover from a concussion — it’s more about getting his whole body right, and giving himself a rest.

Let’s round up the rest of today’s odds and ends from across the NFL….

  • BenJarvus Green-Ellis is looking for a new NFL home, and the free agent running back tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com that he’s “optimistic” about getting that call. “Obviously, each team that’s in the market is in the market for a certain type of back,” Green-Ellis said. “But I know somebody out there has a need for what I can do. More than anything, I’m excited to get back out there and hit somebody.”
  • We haven’t heard much recently on Julio Jones’ contract talks, but Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that it’s the most “professional and team cognizant contract approach” to a contract negotiation he’s seen.
  • When asked about Ray Rice, Texans owner Bob McNair said that the veteran free agent probably wouldn’t fit in his locker room, adding that the four running backs already on the roster are better players, tweets Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com.
  • Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown has a more legitimate gripe about his deal than Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, opines Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Brown has outperformed his contract at wide receiver while there has been no real change in the strong safety market. Earlier today, a source told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Chancellor was under the impression that he would have his contract reworked upon establishing himself as one of the best at his position.
  • Free agent wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers has been suspended for the first two weeks of the season, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That could help to explain why Rogers remains unsigned in mid-August.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Steelers, Antonio Brown To Discuss Contract

August 13th, 2015 at 1:00pm CST by Zachary Links

1:00pm: The Steelers are reluctant to re-work Brown’s deal any time soon as they still have him under contract for another three years, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.

10:15am: Agent Drew Rosenhaus is a busy man this week. After securing a new five-year, $65MM deal for client T.Y. Hilton, Rosenhaus is now set to meet with Steelers brass in Jacksonville to discuss reworking Antonio Brown‘s contract, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.

Brown signed a six-year, $43MM deal with the Steelers prior to the 2012 season. Despite leading the NFL in receiving yards last season, the average annual value of the 27-year-old’s contract ranks 14th among wideouts, putting him behind players like Victor Cruz and Pierre Garcon. Still, Brown explained late last month that he would not hold out in order to get a better deal.

“Holdouts never go well,” said Brown. “Just look at history. It always ends badly. It wouldn’t be the best decision. I make a lot of money. I pull up to camp in Rolls-Royces.” 

Although 2014 was the first time Brown led the league in either catches or receptions, his first All-Pro season certainly didn’t come out of nowhere. In 2013, the 26-year-old racked up 110 catches and 1,499 yards, placing him second in the NFL in both categories.

Brown left Drew Rosenhaus to sign with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation in May of last year but months later came back to the Miami-based power agent.

 

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 8/12/15

August 12th, 2015 at 9:01pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves from around the league:

  • After being waived/injured by their respective teams, DB Shamiel Gary (Dolphins), QB/WR Devin Gardner (Steelers), and LB Quinton Alston (Buccaneers) have landed on those clubs’ injured reserve lists, per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link).
  • Several days after waiving him with an injury designation, the Steelers have removed safety Isaiah Lewis from their IR with a settlement, tweets Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • A year ago, the Patriots ignored a so-called unwritten rule when they claimed injured rookie running back Tyler Gaffney off waivers from the Panthers when Carolina was trying to sneak him through waivers and onto the injured reserve list. Today, the Patriots waived Gaffney themselves, hoping to place him on IR if he clears, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The former sixth-round pick missed the 2014 season with a knee injury, and is still looking to get fully healthy.
  • The Falcons have signed cornerback Mike Lee and waived/injured nose tackle Ricky Havili-Heimuli, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. Lee, who initially signed with Atlanta as an undrafted free agent in May, was cut by the team last week.
  • When they claimed IK Enemkpali off waivers from the Jets today, the Bills needed to make a corresponding move to clear a roster spot. According to a team release, the club waived tight end Clay Burton with an injury designation to create that opening.
  • Cornerback Brandon Smith‘s pact with the Cowboys is a two-year deal, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Smith officially signed with Dallas on Tuesday.

Steelers Sign David Nelson, Put Suisham On IR

August 12th, 2015 at 5:38pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have made a handful of roster moves, replacing two injured players with two healthy bodies. According to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (via Twitter), the team has placed kicker Shaun Suisham on injured reserve and waived/injured running back Cameron Stingily. With the two openings, Pittsburgh signed veteran wide receiver David Nelson and Braylon Heard.

Nelson, 28, has spent the last several seasons with the Bills and Jets, recording 138 catches and 1,530 receiving yards over the course of his five-year career. His best season came in Buffalo in 2011, when he racked up 658 yards and five touchdowns on 61 receptions. Most recently, Nelson grabbed eight balls in part-time action for the Jets last year, but was cut in October when the club acquired Percy Harvin. The Florida product also tried out for the Bengals this summer.

As for Suisham, we heard earlier this week that the Steelers kicker suffered a torn ACL and was expected to miss the 2015 season — this transaction confirms it. The club signed free agent kicker Garrett Hartley yesterday to replace Suisham for the year.

Heard, meanwhile, replaces Stingily in the Steelers’ backfield this month, but will have an uphill battle to earn a spot on the team’s regular season roster, even with Le’Veon Bell suspended for the first two games. Stingily figures to land on Pittsburgh’s IR if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

According to Kaboly, wide receiver Jarrod West also worked out for the Steelers before they decided to sign Nelson.

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