Roger Goodell “Furious” Over Contract Delay
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is reportedly “furious” over the league’s insistence that he accept a contract that includes performance-based incentives that could still allow him to reach his prior salaries, according to Don Van Natta Jr. and Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com.
A potential Goodell extension has been in the works for months, but has been consistently delayed — the latest hurdle, of course, is Cowboys owner Jerry Jones‘ threat to sue the NFL over Goodell’s contract. At least one source tells the ESPN scribes that Jones’ lawsuit is simply a “scare tactic,” although Jones could hope to change rules that currently require only two-thirds of NFL owners to approve a Goodell extension. Jones reportedly wants a new deal to be signed off on by three-fourths of the league’s owners.
Jones had essentially been acting as an “ad hoc” member of the NFL’s compensation committee, but that group has since removed his access. Still, Jones believes four to five owners agree that Goodell should be replaced as commissioner, while another 12-15 owners are “on the fence.” Jones, though, reportedly has his own candidate in mind to serve as the league’s next commissioner, a fact that may have lessened his support.
Goodell, meanwhile, has earned in excess of $200MM since taking over as NFL commissioner in 2006, and isn’t interested in accepting a pay reduction. “He feels as if the owners have made a lot of money and he should be compensated accordingly,” a source tells Van Natta and Wickersham. “The incentives thing really angers him.”
While Goodell is seemingly under fire, other reports have indicated his situation isn’t quite as dire — Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (Twitter link) Goodell’s extension is still a “certainty,” adding Jones has “maybe three” owners on his side.
Cowboys Owner Jerry Jones To Sue NFL?
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has a bone to pick with Roger Goodell and he’s not letting up anytime soon. Jones is threatening to sue the NFL and some of his fellow owners over talks to extend Goodell’s contract, two people with direct knowledge of the situation tell Ken Belson of the New York Times. 
Last week, Jones informed the owners on the league’s compensation committee that he has hired famed lawyer David Boies to represent him. The majority owners of the Chiefs, Falcons, Giants, Patriots, Steelers, and Texans all serve on the committee. Jones has effectively shoehorned his way into the group, though he does not carry a vote since he is not an official member.
Goodell’s extension was reported to be near completion months ago. It has been greatly delayed, however, and Jones appears to be the driving force behind the roadblock. The Cowboys owner is livid at Goodell over the pending six-game ban of Ezekiel Elliott and he is determined to make him pay.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, Patriots owner Robert Kraft, and Texans owner Bob McNair, amongst others, will be deposed and asked to turn over all cell phone records and emails in relation to the Colin Kaepernick collusion case against the NFL, a league source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link). Seahawks coach Pete Carroll and owner 49ers Jed York are also among those on the deposition list, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) hears.
Other owners, team officials, and league officials may also be deposed, but those are the individuals confirmed for now.
Here’s more on Kaepernick:
- Colin Kaepernick’s attorney believes that the quarterback will sign with an NFL team soon. “I think within the next 10 days somebody will sign him,” Mark Geragos told Adam Carolla earlier this week (transcript via BleacherReport.com). “I think somebody’s gonna sign him. I think the NFL has to come to their senses, and realize every day that goes by just proves the collusion case even more.” Geragos may have confidence, but there’s no reason to expect a Kaepernick signing anytime soon. A potential spot opened up this week when Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson suffered a season-ending ACL tear, but Houston opted to sign Matt McGloin and T.J. Yates. For now, Tom Savage is the starter in Houston and there are no known plans for the team to audition Kaepernick.
- NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart deferred to the NFLPA on the topic of having Kaepernick at the next meeting between players and owners (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com). “We’d welcome his participation, but that’s an issue for the players to determine,” he said.
Latest On Colin Kaepernick, NFL Protests
One of the centerpieces of Colin Kaepernick‘s collusion grievance against the NFL will be President Donald Trump’s tweets and comments regarding his and other players’ racial inequality-themed protests and those words’ possible influence on owners, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports. La Canfora adds Kaepernick’s case will involve the numerous times the president has attempted to exert influence on owners regarding this matter, one that the quarterback is charging has him unemployed while numerous passers of lesser pedigrees are on teams’ rosters. Arguing certain inferior players are rostered while Kaepernick isn’t may not be enough to satisfy the CBA’s “burden of proof” element, so it appears Kaepernick’s side is taking a different approach.
Trump’s tweeted about having conversations with owners about protesting players and has discussed publicly his sway over them regarding this recent movement, and La Canfora writes Kaepernick’s lawyers could argue this has created a climate in which “numerous owners have colluded” to keep the quarterback from having a chance to sign as a free agent. Trump recently tweeted about speaking with Jerry Jones in late September regarding this issue, and the Cowboys owner made comments about the team benching protesting players in early October. Jones spoke about Trump discussing the game-day manual regarding anthem protocols as well, per La Canfora.
Kaepernick became a free agent in March by opting out of his 49ers contract, but San Francisco GM John Lynch said the team would have released him had he not done so.
Here’s the latest surrounding the Kaepernick grievance and the protest discussions that came out of the league meetings this week.
- Other owners wish Jones would refrain from making bold pronouncements like his anthem directive in an effort to preserve the goodwill fostered between them and the players this week, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports, adding the owners would like the NFL to stay off Trump’s political agenda. Jones could be an outlier among owners who have expressed optimism about talks with the players on social activism, Robinson writes. The Cowboys owner did not make further remarks about this issue after the owners’ meetings. Considering Jones speaks with the media often, this issue will come up again soon.
- Michael Bennett said an early step toward further discussions with owners about social issues would be making sure Kaepernick signs with a team. “I think before we even negotiate anything about whether we sit, whether we stand [during the national anthem], it should be a negotiation about opening up the doors for Colin Kaepernick and giving him an opportunity again,” the Seahawks defensive end said, via Brady Henderson of ESPN.com. “Because I feel like through everything, that’s been lost.”
- However, other players may not see a Kaepernick job as an automatic end to the protests. One anonymous member of the NFL players coalition, assembled this year to help with criminal justice reform in these players’ respective communities, told Ed Werder (Twitter link) a Kaepernick signing won’t just stop the protests. The same player told Werder (Twitter link) the quarterback “continues to isolate himself from [the coalition]” with this grievance.
- The Jets player reps at this week’s owners’ meetings, Kelvin Beachum and Demario Davis, declined to answer questions about them. Davis did compose a statement, however. “I will say that the talks were very productive,” the linebacker said, via Daniel Popper of the New York Daily News. “It’s encouraging to me as an athlete to see so many athletes and owners so concerned about our country and pushing in the right direction. We have a tremendous platform in the NFL, and to whom much is given, much is required. And that’s why we simply can’t just play football.”
- Jaguars owner Shad Khan said Trump’s failure to buy an NFL team has led to this crusade against the league. “This is a very personal issue with him,” Khan said (via Jarrett Bell of USA Today). “… He’s been elected president, where maybe a great goal he had in life to own an NFL team is not very likely. So to make it tougher, or to hurt the league, it’s very calculated.” Trump attempted to buy the Bills in 2014, but Terry Pegula wound up acquiring the franchise.
East Rumors: DRC, Marshall, Cowboys
Let’s take a swing around the league’s East divisions:
- In keeping with reports from several days ago, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that Giants CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie will miss Big Blue’s matchup against the Broncos this week, but he will be back for next week’s game against Seattle, which means he will have served just one game of a possible four-game suspension.
- Giants WR Brandon Marshall, who is out for the season due to an ankle injury, has no plans to retire, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Said Marshall, “I’m a competitor, and I don’t want to go out like that. I’m definitely not going out like that.” The report does not come as a major surprise, as Marshall indicated when he signed his two-year deal with the Giants that he would retire at the end of that contract, which expires after the 2018 season.
- Former Dolphins OL coach Chris Foerster has checked into a rehab facility in Miami, per Schefter. Foerster’s decision comes less than a week after his resignation from his post with the Dolphins following publication of a video that shows him snorting a white, powdery substance off a desk in the Dolphins’ training facility. Should another NFL club try to hire him in the future — and he had been in demand in the past — he would be subject to league discipline.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com reports that Patriots LB Shea McClellin, who is eligible to begin practicing this week after opening the season on IR, appears to be close to returning to the field. WR Malcolm Mitchell , however, is not close to returning, and he may not be back this year. DT Vincent Valentine, who went on IR on September 22, could be back at some point this season.
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones has become a vocal member of the anti-protest contingent in the NFL, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, that is creating anger and frustration in the team’s locker room. The anthem issue had not been a hot topic among the Cowboys before Jones’ public statements on the matter, but Jones has helped to make it one, which is not good for a team that already has plenty of on-field concerns.
- Despite a great deal of confusion on the matter, we learned earlier today that Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott will remain suspended unless and until he receives an en banc hearing from the Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit and the temporary restraining order that was previously issued is reinstated. The odds of that happening are pretty slim.
NFC East Rumors: Jones, Johnson, Giants
Jerry Jones spoke at length after Sunday’s Packers-Cowboys game and expanded on his stance about players’ protests that have intensified this season. The longtime owner announced a policy that figures to be a key talking point across the league.
“If there’s anything that is disrespectful to the flag, then we will not play,” Jones said, via Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “OK? Understand? If we are disrespecting the flag, then we won’t play. Period. Period. We’re going to respect the flag, and I’m going to create the perception of it. And we have.”
Although no Cowboys decided to sit or kneel during the national anthem today, David Irving and Damontre Moore raised their fists. Jones was asked directly about that. It’s not known if the owner considers what the defensive ends did as disrespecting the flag. Jones said he was “not aware” of Irving and Moore’s protests and called the team “very much on the same page together” regarding this issue. The defensive linemen (via Williams) each did not view it as such. Jones’ decree comes two weeks after the owner knelt with his team during a nationally televised game against the Cardinals, doing so before the anthem played.
The NFLPA also released a statement after these comments and Vice President Mike Pence’s decision to leave the 49ers-Colts game once players knelt during the anthem.
“NFL players are union members and part of the labor movement that has woven the fabric of America for generations,” the statement read (via Mike Florio of PFT). “Our men and their families are also conscientious Americans who continue to be forces for good through our communities and some have decided to use their platform to peacefully raise awareness to issues that deserve attention. … We should not stifle these discussions and cannot allow our rights to become subservient to the very opinions our Constitution protects.”
Shifting to on-the-field matters in this division, here’s the latest on that front.
- Lane Johnson may have a difficult time taking the field for the Eagles on Thursday after suffering a concussion in Philadelphia’s Week 5 rout of the Cardinals. While the Eagles said their right tackle left the game because of a head injury, Les Bowen of Philly.com reports a concussion caused Johnson to miss the second half. Halapoulivaati Vaitai took over for Johnson at right tackle and would seemingly be in line to start there Thursday night against the Panthers, with the league’s concussion protocol making it difficult for players to return on short weeks.
- The Giants lost four wide receivers during their loss to the Chargers on Sunday, and while Odell Beckham Jr.‘s broken fibula will hit the team hardest, Big Blue also will likely be without Sterling Shepard in the near future. The complementary wideout sprained an ankle and is expected to miss a couple of weeks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The Giants believe this injury is similar to one Shepard suffered over the summer. The Giants will travel to Denver next week and will likely have to make roster moves before taking the field against the Broncos, considering Brandon Marshall and Dwayne Harris also left the game due to injuries. Beckham and Harris will be out for sure, with the latter fracturing his foot.
- Adding to this nightmarish Giants season that’s spiraled to 0-5, Eli Manning underwent a neck X-ray after the loss to the Chargers, John Healy of the New York Daily News notes. The 36-year-old quarterback’s X-ray was negative, however. Manning has never missed a start since taking over in that role midway through his rookie season.
Jerry Jones Blocking Roger Goodell Extension?
Commissioner Roger Goodell‘s current contract expires in 2019, though an extension was expected to be reached prior to the regular season getting underway. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen, the six-man compensation committee is expected to have a conference call on Wednesday to produce a specific term proposal for Goodell.
Also included on the call will be Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, who has made himself the unofficial seventh member of the compensation committee, which also includes fellow owners Arthur Blank (Falcons), Clark Hunt (Chiefs), Robert Kraft (Patriots), John Mara (Giants), Bob McNair (Texans) and Art Rooney II (Steelers). And, according to ESPN’s sources, Jones considers himself a representative of the remaining 26 owners who are not on the compensation committee, and he is impeding a new deal for Goodell. One person familiar with the contract negotiations said, “If not for Jerry, this deal would be done.”
Interestingly, but perhaps not coincidentally, Goodell was informed that Jones would take part in the process within the same time frame as the commissioner was deciding the eventual six-game suspension of Cowboys’ star running back Ezekiel Elliott for violation of the league’s domestic violence policy.
Jones has told the compensation committee that the other 26 owners believe Goodell is significant;y overpaid. As Schefter and Mortensen write, “Goodell’s earnings of more than $200 million since he was elected commissioner in 2006 — including a $44 million salary in 2015 — is at the core of Jones’ aggressive strategy in communicating with fellow owners.”
Some owners believe an extension is imminent all the same, while others believe there is no way a new deal gets reached anytime soon. Even if an extension is offered, it is unclear whether Goodell would be happy with it, as he would have to meet certain incentives to realize the same salary he has enjoyed in the past.
Jones was unavailable for comment and the league declined comment.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott, Cowboys
Following reports that Ezekiel Elliott had been suspended for the first six games of the upcoming season, the Cowboys running back released a statement regarding the punishment (via Twitter):
“I am both surprised and disappointed by the NFL’s decision today, and I strongly disagree with the League’s findings.
“I recognize the distraction and disruption that all of this has caused my family, teammates, the Dallas Cowboys organization as well as my fans — for that I am sincerely sorry.
“I admit that I am far from perfect, but I plan to continue to work very hard, on and off the field, to mature and earn the great opportunity that I have been given.”
We learned last night that Elliott was planning on appealing the suspension.
Let’s take a look at some other notes pertaining to the Cowboys and their star running back…
- According to ProFootballTalk.com’s Charean Williams, TMZ had obtained eight photos showing bruises on Elliott’s former girlfriend. The photos were part of the evidence used by the NFL during their investigation, and the league confirmed that the pictures were nothing new. Experts said the bruises were consistent with abuse, although Elliott claims his ex-girlfriend suffered the injuries at a bar.
- If the suspension ultimately stands, SiriusXM’s Alex Marvez points out (via Twitter) that the Cowboys would owe the NFL $186K “per remittance policy for suspended players.”
- Jerry Jones defended Elliott and questioned the league’s investigation throughout the offseason. Now, as CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora writes, the Cowboys owner has some explaining to do. If Jones was actually aware of the extent of the NFL’s evidence and case against Elliott, then the writer believes the owner deserves criticism. On the flip side, if Jones wasn’t aware, his speaking “in such a cavalier fashion without any true indications of what the league was discerning” also isn’t a good look.
- Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s top communications chief, discusses Jones’ consistent dismissal of the investigation. “I don’t think we have a comment, one way or the other, on anything that anyone else in this case, that involved in this case or looked at this case, or commented on this case,” he told La Canfora. “I can say that we believe this investigation was thorough, exhaustive and fair to all parties involved.”
- USA Today’s A.J. Perez writes about Elliott’s options going forward, referring to the former suspensions for Adrian Peterson, Ray Rice, and Tom Brady.
Latest On Ezekiel Elliott Suspension
The Ezekiel Elliott suspension will reside as one of most memorable Friday news-dump sequences in the NFL’s history with this tactic, and the result has Jerry Jones “furious,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Cowboys owner and recent Hall of Fame inductee said as recently as late last week the domestic violence issue that now stands to drastically alter Elliott’s season was not an issue. Jones previously categorized the accusations against Elliott as being without merit, and while the running back will appeal the suspension, as of now the Cowboys’ top offensive weapon will be shelved until late October. This stands to give the defending NFC East champions a tougher road to defending that title.
Here’s more on the second-year running back’s suspension.
- An NFL source relayed to Schefter this process took as long as it did because the NFLPA was responsible for a lengthy delay in delivering information requested in mid-December. Schefter reports (Facebook link) the NFL did not receive said information until mid-May.
- Elliott’s ban was based on two components: the accusation of repeated domestic violence in July 2016 and the incident in March involving the running back removing a woman’s top on a parade float, Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets. The running back’s alleged involvement in a DJ breaking his nose at a club last month was not considered, Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News tweets.
- While the above NFL source accused the NFLPA of delaying this investigation considerably, union executive director DeMaurice Smith wonders independently why this took so long. “I just have a hard time understanding how come an investigation takes a year, results in a 165-page report and takes so long and so many person hours,” Smith said, via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com. “As a homicide prosecutor and violent crimes prosecutor, I had to try a violent offender or a murderer 100 days after arrest or the person goes free. I know there’s a couple of prosecutors that are working with the league on these personal conduct issues but I gotta tell ya there’s a whole group of prosecutors and law enforcement folks laughing at them going, ‘Why does it take so long?‘”
NFC Notes: OBJ, Elliott, Seahawks, Bears
We learned earlier this week that the Giants weren’t prioritizing a contract extension with star wideout Odell Beckham Jr., and that could be because the Pro Bowler is seeking a record-breaking deal. The 24-year-old said on Thursday that he was aiming to become the league’s highest-paid receiver, and he elaborated on those remarks on Friday.
“That’s what you want to do, you want to change the game,’’ Beckham told Paul Schwartz of The New York Post. “This is not just for Odell Beckham, this is for everybody in the league, people who deserve it.
“You sit there and you watch the NBA, it’s crazy. Being realistic, it’s crazy what they’re getting. And there’s people in the NFL who deserve that, I want to do, if I can, be on the forefront for it and help push the league, the game that way, because I feel like the fans deserve it, I feel like we go through a lot, we put ourselves through a lot. They just deserve it. It’s not for me.’’
As our own Connor Byrne noted earlier this week, the top-paid honor usually belongs to quarterbacks, with Raiders signal-caller Derek Carr currently holding the distinction. Steelers wideout Antonio Brown‘s $17MM annual salary is the highest value at his position. Beckham is set to play the upcoming season on a $1.8MM salary, although the organization did pick up his $8.5MM fifth-year option for 2018.
Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…
- Although Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said an NFL decision on running back Ezekiel Elliott could be handed down “imminently,” no announcement is expected today nor this weekend, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The league is reportedly wrapping up its investigation into domestic violence allegations against Elliott, and while Jones claimed his own review of the evidence indicated Elliott had done nothing wrong, a short suspension is still expected. If Elliott is banned, Dallas will turn to a cadre of Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris, and the newly-signed Ronnie Hillman in the backfield.
- Former offensive lineman Lemuel Jeanpierre will be joining the Seahawks coaching staff as an offensive assistant, according to Charean Williams of ProFootballTalk.com. The 2011 undrafted free agent out of South Carolina spent six seasons in Seattle, appearing in 63 games (11 starts). The 30-year-old also appeared in nine postseason games, and he earned a ring after the Seahawks won Super Bowl XLVIII.
- The Bears have promoted former Pro Scouting Direction Champ Kelly to Assistant Director of Player Personnel, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). According to the reporter, the Dolphins tried to “lure away” Kelly this past offseason, but Chicago clearly had bigger plans for the executive. The former United Indoor Football general manager has been with the Bears organization since 2015, and he previously spent time as the Broncos’ Assistant Director of Pro Personnel.
- Biggs passes along (on Twitter) that the Bears have also promoted several other members of their scouting team. Chris White is now one of the team’s pro scouts, while Scott Hamel and Brendan Rehor have been promoted to area scout and combine scout, respectively.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.