HEADLINES

Taylor Decker

Extra Points: Chargers, Brady, Las Vegas

April 27th, 2016 at 9:15pm CST by Zachary Links

With less than 24 hours to go until the draft, we have a pretty good idea of how the first two picks will go. The real intrigue, then, starts with the Chargers at No. 3. Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) seems confident that the Bolts will take Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley.

While we wait to see how that plays out, here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The NFL does not see any need to reignite settlement talks with Patriots QB Tom Brady and the NFLPA, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Facebook). The NFL believes that neither the NFLPA nor anyone from Brady’s camp has provided any rationale for settlement discussions, so they are not motivated to revisit that idea. The league believes the time for those talks has come and gone, Schefter writes, after the two sides had discussed a settlement last summer.
  • The Raiders will need the approval of 24 NFL owners if they wish to move to Las Vegas, but Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News figures that they already have four votes in the bag. The Rams and Chargers would likely OK the move because it would remove the Raiders from their market. Meanwhile, the Cowboys and Texans would likely approve the relocation because it would prevent the Raiders from moving to San Antonio.
  • Lions GM Bob Quinn and head coach Jim Caldwell went to Ohio State to work out offensive tackle Taylor Decker, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. If Detroit goes tackle in the first round, Birkett gets the sense that Decker could be their guy. Decker says that he has also met with the Bills, Broncos, and Titans.
  • Johnny Manziel‘s lawyer, Jim Darnell, tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) that there has been no settlement of any kind with the quarterback’s ex-girlfriend Colleen Crowley. That contradicts a previous report that indicated Manziel and Crowley had reached an out-of-court civil settlement, and suggests that Crowley will have motivation to cooperate with the prosecution during Manziel’s case.
  •  The Seahawks worked out defensive end/outside linebacker Xzavier Dickson today, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Dickson, a former seventh-round pick of the Pats, played collegiately for Alabama. He also spent time with Atlanta’s taxi squad.
  • 49ers GM Trent Baalke personally worked out Clemson defensive end/outside linebacker Kevin Dodd and also brought him in for a pre-draft visit, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets.

Reactions to D’Brickashaw Ferguson’s Retirement

April 9th, 2016 at 9:49am CST by Ben Levine

Following D’Brickashaw Ferguson‘s surprising retirement announcement yesterday, ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini writes that the former fourth-overall pick deserves to be applauded for his contribution to the Jets. The 32-year-old never missed a game during his ten-year career, and the writer believes he’ll eventually be honored in the organization’s Ring of Honor.

As we previously learned, the Jets asked Ferguson to take a sizable pay cut for the next season, but Cimini doesn’t believe Ferguson’s decision can entirely be attributed to money. The offensive tackle showed signs of decline last season, and instead of being “the guy who hangs on,” Ferguson simply decided to hang it up.

Let’s check out some more notes regarding Ferguson’s surprise retirement…

  • Despite the announcement, the retirement isn’t yet official. Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole tweets that the two sides were still working to finalize the paperwork.
  • There have been rumblings that the Jets were among four teams to inquire on the Titans‘ first-overall pick in this year’s draft, but Cimini believes it’d take too much for the team to move up from the 20th pick. The writer opines that a deal involving this year’s first, two future picks, and Muhammad Wilkerson could get it done, but he’s uncertain whether he’d want to “mortgage the future” for Laremy Tunsil.
  • Cimini focused on several offensive line prospects the Jets could pursue in this year’s draft, including Ohio State’s Taylor Decker, Texas A&M’s Germain Ifedi, and Indiana’s Jason Spriggs.
  • In regards to veterans, Cimini points to Broncos lineman Ryan Clady, who is reportedly on the trade block. Potential free agent targets include Will Beatty and Jake Long.

East Notes: Randle, Bills, Dolphins, Giants

April 1st, 2016 at 6:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Receiver Rueben Randle says he turned down longer deals than the modest one-year offer he accepted from the Eagles last week, according to Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. “There were [other teams interested],” the 24-year-old said. “I just felt like it was a better opportunity for me here to showcase my talents on a one-year deal, to go out and prove myself.” Along with Jordan Matthews, Randle is one of the Eagles’ two most accomplished wideouts. Not surprisingly, then, he expects to start. “I feel confident that I will be [a starter]. That’s for me to go out there and prove,” he said.

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin seemingly tweeted Friday that he was done with the team and then insisted it’s not an April Fools’ joke, as Ron Clements of the Sporting News writes. The Bills haven’t released Goodwin. Instead, he plans to dedicate his time and training to the upcoming Olympics, per Clements. Goodwin, twice an NCAA long jump champion at Texas, was part of the 2012 Olympics as a long jumper for the U.S. team. Since the Bills chose Goodwin in the third round of the 2012 draft, he has appeared in just 24 of 48 regular-season games and amassed 20 receptions and three touchdowns. Goodwin, 25, has one year and $675K left on his contract.
  • In other Bills news, team brass dined with six Ohio State prospects on Thursday, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Quarterback Cardale Jones, outside linebacker Darron Lee, cornerback Eli Apple, defensive end Adolphus Washington, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, and free safety Vonn Bell all met with a Buffalo contingent.
  • The Dolphins announced that cornerback Greg Toler‘s visit with the team has concluded, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. Presumably, there is no agreement between the two sides – at least, not yet.
  • Toler might not be the only free agent corner on the Dolphins’ radar, writes the Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly, who says the team hasn’t closed the door on signing either Leon Hall or Antonio Cromartie. Hall – a Bengal since his career started in 2007 – has a connection to new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was Cincinnati’s defensive backs coach the previous two seasons. Cromartie’s first stint with the Jets began via trade back in 2010, when Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum was Gang Green’s general manager.
  • Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admits that he’s “disappointed” he wasn’t elevated to head coach, as Ebenezer Samuel of the Daily News writes. “I’m not going to lie to you,” Spagnuolo said. “I was disappointed I wasn’t the guy . . . but I’m not giving up on my dream of being a head coach…But I like [Ben McAdoo] a lot. It was two-fold. It didn’t happen, so it was a disappointment. But it’s always nice to be wanted.”

Zach Links contributed to this report.