Rams/Chargers To Join Forces On L.A. Stadium?
A pairing of the Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, Calif. is gaining momentum among NFL owners who fear that the Raiders don’t have the cash to make the move work, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. At this time, the Rams are on board with that plan but the Bolts are reluctant since there isn’t “a lot of trust” between the two teams at this time (link).
Long-term, Cole wonders aloud (link) if the Raiders’ financial situation could force Mark Davis to sell the team to someone with deeper pockets. He also hears that NFL owners and executives are kicking around the idea of moving the Jaguars to St. Louis to replace the Rams if they head west (link). Nothing is certain at this time, but it sounds like there could be a serious domino effect stemming from the NFL’s venture into the Los Angeles market.
Meanwhile, Floyd Kephart, the man trying to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum complex and finance construction of a new stadium for the Raiders, has been pitching his plan to the team for several months. As it turns out, that proposal didn’t jive with the team’s “terms and conditions” for deal and is a non-starter for the Raiders, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group writes. In short, the Raiders made it clear to Kephart that they needed to control stadium revenues to help pay for the team’s $500MM contribution toward the stadium, including a $200MM stadium loan from the NFL. Kephart’s proposal, meanwhile, would have had the financial shortfall filled primarily through issuing bonds backed by future stadium revenue.
Chargers Reduce Roster To 75 Players
The Chargers are the latest team to officially announce their cuts down to 75 players, and the team’s four Tuesday moves involve a handful of injured players. According to a press release, San Diego has waived/injured the following four players:
- WR Torrence Allen
- CB Chris Davis
- S Gordon Hill
- G Melvin Meggs
Each of those players will have to pass through waivers unclaimed in order to remain with the Chargers’ organization. Assuming they do, they’ll revert to San Diego’s injured reserve list.
Having trimmed their roster to 75 players, the Chargers will now have to make 22 more moves in order to get down to a 53-man roster by Saturday afternoon.
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/31/15
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..
- The Bills announced that they have designated wide receiver Austin Willis as waived/injured.
- Defensive end Camaron Beard will re-join the Jaguars, Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com tweets. Beard will take the roster spot made vacant by Monday’s Josh Scobee trade.
- The Chargers cut Forrestal Hickman, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). The offensive tackle, who is listed as 6’7″ and 320 lbs, signed on with the Bolts in June.
- Toby Johnson has been released by the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of Titans Online (on Twitter). The defensive tackle was signed by the Titans as an undrafted free agent on May 11, 2015.
- The Ravens placed Darryl Baldwin, Allen Reisner, Chris Greenwood, and Steven Means on IR, according to Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Chargers Cut 11 Players
The Chargers have reduced their roster from 90 players to 79, leaving the team with four more cuts to make before Tuesday’s 75-man deadline. Here’s the complete list of players dropped by the club so far, via a press release:
- Manny Asprilla, CB
- Cameron Botticelli, DL
- Titus Davis, WR
- Jahwan Edwards, RB
- Curtis Grant, LB
- Brock Hekking, LB (waived/injured)
- Forrestal Hickman, T
- David Paulson, TE
- Chase Rettig, QB
- Luther Robinson, DL
- Logan Stokes, TE
Extra Points: Weddle, Chancellor, Brady
Adam Jones will probably go down as one of those “what-if” history stories in sports and the Bengals cornerback is well aware of that. “If I would have never gotten suspended, I would have $100 million right now,” Jones said, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Still, Jones says that he tries not to live with regrets and that he hopes to make the most of the remainder of his career. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Eric Weddle‘s agent David Canter confirmed (via Twitter links) that he would like to see the Chargers safety land with the Dolphins. However, he made it clear that he and Weddle “have never and will never ask for a trade from San Diego.” Teams typically don’t trade their best players, Canter notes, and he says that Bolts fans can rest assured that he won’t be going anywhere, at least in 2015.
- Agent Alvin Keels told ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter) that everything is status quo with his client, Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor. “Nothing has changed. He will not report without his contract being addressed this season. The team and I have been in contact, but we haven’t been able to agree on any compromise,” Keels said.
- Right now, there are no more settlement talks planned between the NFL and NFLPA until the August 31st court appearance, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
- Brandon Meriweather‘s deal with the Giants is a one-year pact worth $870K and no guaranteed cash, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
- During practice Sunday, Raiders‘ WR Andre Holmes fractured his hand and now is expected to be out 3-4 weeks, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
- New Jets quarterback Matt Flynn says that there’s no timetable on when he’ll recover from his hamstring issue and added that he is not guaranteed a roster spot with Gang Green, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
- Guard-center Josh Samuda, former Dolphin and Viking, worked out today for the Chiefs, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
Minor NFL Transactions: 8/19/15
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.
West Notes: Raiders, CJ2K, Rivers, Rams
Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter) spoke directly with the Raiders to shoot down a trio of rumors. The Raiders say they will not move to St. Louis, they will not move to San Francisco’s Levi Stadium, and owner Mark Davis will not sell the team. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..
- Chris Johnson has $400K of his $870K salary with the Cardinals guaranteed, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. There are no other guarantees in the veteran running back’s deal. Unhappy with their choices behind Andre Ellington, the Cards inked Johnson to a deal on Monday.
- Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that he told both Johnson and Jermaine Gresham that they’re not “promised anything,” including a roster spot, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets.
- All in all, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap thinks that the Philip Rivers deal is a very good contract for the Chargers. The Bolts, he says, avoided giving Rivers a monstrous signing bonus and they receive fairly favorable terms on the cash flows of the contract. Just days ago, Rivers and the Chargers shook hands on a four-year extension that is worth $84MM with $65MM guaranteed.
- Rivers will now earn $32MM in 2015, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. He adds that $5.5MM of Rivers’ $22.5MM signing bonus is deferred until March 15th, 2016.
- The Missouri Development Finance Board approved $15MM in tax credits this year for the proposed riverfront football stadium in St. Louis for the Rams, as David Hunn and Alex Stuckey of the Post-Dispatch write. Still, board Chairwoman Marie Carmichael said the money won’t be sent to new stadium planners until the board is assured the credits are a good deal for the state.
- Carmen Policy says the Raiders and Chargers have agreed to shift divisions, if necessary, to make the Los Angeles project acceptable to the league, Michael R. Blood of the Associated Press writes.
Extra Points: Rivers, Hilton, Ngata, Cherilus
Over the weekend, the Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers reached agreement on a lucrative four-year extension worth $84MM. Today, we learned the details of the contract.
Rivers will earn a $22.5MM signing bonus with $15MM fully guaranteed in 2015, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. He’ll have a $16.5MM injury-only guarantee in 2016 which converts to a full guarantee on the second day of the ’16 waiver period. In 2017, Rivers will earn $14MM with $11MM guaranteed for injury only that will convert to a full guarantee on the second day of the waiver period. In the final two years, he’ll make $10MM and $11MM, respectively, with a $5MM roster bonus in each of those seasons.
That’s big bucks for the Bolts QB, but as we learned earlier tonight, that kind of deal apparently isn’t good enough for Giants quarterback Eli Manning. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- T.Y. Hilton‘s deal with the Colts calls for him to earn base salaries of $1MM, $3MM, $8MM, $11MM, $13MM, and $14.54MM, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star tweets. Hilton’s new deal with Indianapolis could pay him $65MM in total with $39MM guaranteed.
- Contract talks between the Lions and defensive tackle Haloti Ngata are ongoing and positive, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. Ngata, a five-time All Pro, indicated in March that he would be open to an extension, and Lions GM Martin Mayhew has said that team management is also interested in working out a long-term deal.
- Gosder Cherilus‘ deal with the Buccaneers is worth $7MM over two years, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The offensive lineman will earn $2.5MM this year and $4.5MM next year. Cherilus gets a $500K roster bonus in 2016 and his $2M base salary escalates to $3M if he plays 75 percent of the snaps in 2015, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets.
- Cardinals UDFA rookie linebacker Zack Wagenmann broke his foot again and will miss the entire 2015 season, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
West Notes: Rivers, Cardinals, Seahawks
One of the factors that was considered a potential roadblocks when the Chargers and Philip Rivers begun discussing a new contract for the star quarterback was Rivers’ aversion to playing in Los Angeles. With the Chargers’ future up in the air, there was some uncertainty about whether Rivers would want to risk leaving San Diego a year after signing a new deal.
Having officially signed his extension though, Rivers told reporters today, “I’m going to be a Charger, wherever we are.” The veteran signal-caller added that he doesn’t have any sort of “disdain” or “hatred” for Los Angeles, and that comments he has made in the past reflect his attachment to San Diego more than an aversion to L.A. (Twitter links via Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune).
Here’s more on Rivers, along with a handful of other notes from out of the NFL’s two West divisions….
- According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com, Rivers’ new contract features a no-trade clause, which means Rivers and the Chargers are unlikely to have a repeat of the situation that occurred earlier this year, when the QB was the subject of trade rumors and speculation.
- Since a report last week indicated that free agent running back Chris Johnson would visit and take a physical for the Cardinals, we haven’t heard any real updates. According to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link), Cards GM Steve Keim acknowledged today that the team has talked to Johnson, but said there’s “nothing on the horizon.” Meanwhile, ESPN’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link) says Johnson passed his physical with the team.
- Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com passes along another comment from Keim, tweeting that the GM believes there will be four to six Cardinals players picked up by other teams after Arizona cuts them in a couple weeks.
- Wide receiver LaQuan Williams, who has spent parts of the last few seasons with Baltimore, is working out today for the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Williams also tried out for the Cowboys over the weekend.
Chargers Extend Philip Rivers Through 2019
The Chargers and quarterback Philip Rivers have agreed to a four-year extension, the club announced (via Twitter). Rivers, who was set to enter the final year of his contract, is now locked up through the 2019 season. The deal is worth $84MM, with $65MM guaranteed, according to Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link).
This new deal brings to end months of speculation about the future of the relationship between Rivers and the Chargers, which was rumored to on its last legs throughout the spring. Reports had indicated that Rivers had no interest in negotiating an extension with the club potentially weighing a move to Los Angeles, and the Chargers reportedly dangled him in trade talks in an effort to move up to the second overall pick in the draft. As recently as April 20, Rivers declined to engage in extension negotiations, but less than two weeks later the team told Rivers that he would not be dealt.
Despite reports of an August 13 deadline for talks to conclude, Rivers yesterday downplayed the notion that a deal was no longer on the table. San Diego obviously had incentive to get something done, as well, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported on Wednesday that the club would use the franchise tag on Rivers in both 2016 and 2017, if need be.
The 33-year-old Rivers has spent the entirety of his 11-year career with the Chargers, passing for more than 35,000 yards and 250 touchdowns during that time. The five-time Pro Bowler has experienced something of a late-career renaissance under the leadership of Mike McCoy, as Rivers has completed 68% of his passes during the past two seasons, averaging more than 4,300 yards and 32 touchdowns during that span. Rivers has made the postseason five times, most recently in 2013, advancing to the AFC Championship Game in 2007.
While the reported guarantees likely aren’t full guarantees — $65MM would be the highest guaranteed figure among quarterbacks by $11MM — Rivers’ new $21MM annual salary would place him fourth among QBs, trailing only Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, and Ben Roethlisberger. Rivers’ deal looks eerily similar to that of Roethlisberger, who signed a four-year deal worth $87.4MM ($34.25MM guaranteed) earlier this year. The other notable member of that 2004 draft class, Eli Manning, is still waiting on an extension with the Giants.
Working out an extension with Rivers puts a bow on an active Chargers offseason that not only saw the club bring in new weapons for Rivers in the forms of Stevie Johnson and Melvin Gordon, but fortify the offensive line with by re-signing King Dunlap and adding free agent additions Orlando Franklin and Joe Barksdale.