Seahawks Cut OL Chad Wheeler After Arrest
The Seahawks waived offensive lineman Chad Wheeler on Wednesday, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. The move comes days after his arrest on suspicion of felony assault-domestic violence. Wheeler has been charged with first-degree domestic violence assault, domestic violence unlawful imprisonment and resisting arrest, Condotta adds (on Twitter).
Ugly details from Wheeler’s alleged assault have surfaced, and the 27-year-old lineman announced (on Twitter) he will leave football. Wheeler was due for restricted free agency in March.
Wheeler was booked into the King County (Wash.) Correctional Facility early Saturday morning. The Kent Police Department responded to a call from a woman who said she believed she was “being killed,” according to a police report obtained by the Seattle Times. The woman suffered a dislocated arm and was bleeding when police arrived. Wheeler was standing beside the alleged victim when authorities arrived, according to the report.
This horrifying incident reportedly began when Wheeler asked the woman to “bow to him,” and when she did not, he threw her on a bed. The report indicates Wheeler strangled the woman until she lost consciousness. After regaining consciousness and running into a bathroom, the woman called 911. The report added that Wheeler was on medication for bipolar disorder but that he had not taken the medication recently.
Wheeler started 14 games at right tackle for the Giants in 2018. After the Giants cut the former undrafted free agent in September 2019, Wheeler signed with the Seahawks. He played in five games with Seattle this season.
Jason Witten To Retire After 17 Seasons
After two years back in the game, Jason Witten will return to retirement. The future Hall of Fame tight end informed ESPN.com’s Todd Archer he is leaving football for a second time.
Witten retired after the 2017 season but returned to the NFL in 2019, re-signing with the Cowboys. He played the 2020 season as a Raider. When Witten’s one-year Raiders contract expires in March, he intends to sign a one-day Cowboys deal to make this second NFL exit official.
“A coach once told me, ‘The legacy of heroes is the memory of a great name and the inheritance of a great example,’” Witten said, via Archer. “As I hang it up, I walk away knowing that for 17 seasons I gave it my absolute all. I am proud of my accomplishments as a football player on the field and the example I tried to set off of it. Football is a great game that has taught me many valuable lessons, and I look forward to passing on that knowledge to the next generation.”
While Witten was productive upon returning to the Cowboys in 2019, catching 63 passes for 529 yards and four touchdowns, his age-38 season in Las Vegas saw a steep statistical decline. After signing for $4MM in March 2020, Witten caught just 13 passes for 69 yards with the Raiders. Although he did score two TDs — one of which a go-ahead grab late in a shootout against the Chiefs in Vegas — the Raiders had Pro Bowl tight end Darren Waller do most of the heavy lifting on the receiving end.
Witten’s one-and-done Raiders run did allow him to surpass 13,000 receiving yards for his career. Witten and Tony Gonzalez are the only tight ends to do that. No other tight end has ventured past 12,000 yards. The reliable possession cog, however, resides much higher on the receptions list. Witten’s 1,228 catches rank fourth all time — behind only Jerry Rice, Larry Fitzgerald and Gonzalez.
A Cowboys third-round pick in 2003, Witten became one of the most reliable players of his era. He produced four 1,000-yard seasons — each during Tony Romo‘s stay as Dallas’ quarterback — and 11 Pro Bowls. That is tied with Bob Lilly for the most in Cowboys history. A Cowboys cog for 16 seasons, Witten owns the team’s records for receptions, receiving yards, games played (255) and games started (245). The veteran’s one-year stay as a Monday Night Football analyst not going especially well will end up merely delaying his Hall of Fame enshrinement.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/26/21
Here are Tuesday’s reserve/futures deals:
Buffalo Bills
- OL Trey Adams, TE Nate Becker, DT Brandin Bryant, DE Bryan Cox, WR Tanner Gentry, DB Dane Jackson, WR Jake Kumerow, DE Mike Love, DB Josh Thomas, RB Christian Wade, QB Davis Webb, WR Duke Williams
Green Bay Packers
- WR Reggie Begelton, C Jake Hanson, K J.J. Molson, CB KeiVarae Russell, DL Delontae Scott, WR Juwann Winfree
Las Vegas Raiders
- WR Keelan Doss
Miami Dolphins
New York Giants
49ers Re-Sign RB Jeff Wilson
A 49ers season that saw five players see key rushing responsibilities ended with Jeff Wilson atop the backfield hierarchy. The team will make sure Wilson sticks around next season.
The 49ers announced they reached a one-year extension with Wilson on Tuesday. A 2018 UDFA, Wilson was on track for restricted free agency. He is now under contract for 2021.
Rushing for 600 yards (4.8 per carry) and seven touchdowns in his third NFL season, the North Texas product joined Raheem Mostert and Tevin Coleman in missing time with injury but stood out when on the field at points as well. Wilson scored three touchdowns against the Patriots but suffered a high ankle sprain during that blowout win. However, he returned late in the season and took over after Mostert was shut down. The 25-year-old back torched the Cardinals for 204 scrimmage yards in Week 16 and will represent a low-cost option for San Francisco next year.
San Francisco’s backfield was oddly both injury-prone and reliable in 2020, with its cogs constantly going down but producing frequently as well. The 49ers have Mostert, Wilson and JaMycal Hasty under contract in 2021. Higher-priced cogs Coleman and Jerick McKinnon are set for free agency.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/25/21
A day after they secured their trip to the Super Bowl, the Chiefs have made a change to their practice squad:
Kansas City Chiefs
- Released: OT Prince Tega Wanogho
The former Auburn standout was a sixth-round pick by the Eagles in this past year’s draft, and he spent the majority of the 2020 campaign on Philly’s practice squad. He caught on with Kansas City’s practice squad last week, providing the organization with some extra depth along the offensive line.
That depth will be tested during the Super Bowl, as we learned earlier today that left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game. The team is also expected to be without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz during the championship game. Perhaps the team will look to sign a veteran offensive lineman to their practice squad with Wanogho’s former spot.
NFL Reserve/Futures Contracts: 1/25/21
Today’s reserve/futures deals:
Buffalo Bills
- WR Tanner Gentry, WR Jake Kumerow, RB Antonio Williams
Green Bay Packers
- OLB Tipa Galeai, LB Scoota Harris, OG Zack Johnson, TE Isaac Nauta, DL Willington Previlon, DL Anthony Rush, CB Stanford Samuels, RB Mike Weber, RB Dexter Williams, P Ryan Winslow
Los Angeles Rams
- S Jake Gervase, QB Devlin Hodges
As a reminder, these are all non-guaranteed deals, usually for practice-squad-type players, to help teams flesh out their 90-man offseason rosters.
Chiefs’ Eric Fisher Tears Achilles
Chiefs left tackle Eric Fisher tore his Achilles in the AFC Championship Game, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. This is the news that Andy Reid expected following Sunday’s win over the Bills. 
Fisher, of course, will be out of action when the Chiefs take on the Buccaneers in the Super Bowl. The Chiefs were already playing without right tackle Mitchell Schwartz, and they could be sans both of their starting tackles in the title game. Following Fisher’s exit, the Chiefs moved right tackle Mike Remmers over to the left side, slotted RT Andrew Wylie at right guard, and brought in swingman Stefen Wisniewski to play RG. That’ll likely be the Chiefs’ game plan in Super Bowl LV if Schwartz is still out of action.
The Bucs have a dangerous duo on the edge in Jason Pierre-Paul and Shaquil Barrett, so they’ll be relying heavily on their pass protection. On the plus side, the Chiefs have been resilient throughout the year, despite playing with a weakened front five. Early on, they lost interior standout Laurent Duvernay-Tardif and rookie tackle Lucas Niang to COVID opt-outs. They also lost left guard Kelechi Osemele in October — none of that has stopped the Chiefs’ world-class offense.
Lions, Anthony Lynn Finalizing OC Deal
The Lions will go with the most experienced coach in their offensive coordinator search pool. They are finalizing a deal with Anthony Lynn, Michael Lombardi of The Athletic tweets.
Lynn spent the past four seasons as the Chargers’ head coach and was the Bills’ OC in 2016. Lynn joined several position coaches in the running for the Detroit job and was linked to the Seattle OC position as well. But his bounce-back opportunity will come in the Motor City.
This will be a reunion between Lynn and new Lions HC Dan Campbell. During Campbell’s playing career, he was with the Cowboys in 2005. Lynn coached Dallas’ running backs that season, during a 14-year run as an NFL running backs coach. This connection helped bring Lynn to Detroit, with Adam Schefter of ESPN.com noting (via Twitter) Lynn wanted to work with Campbell and DC Aaron Glenn again. Officially hired as Lions DC Saturday, Glenn was also on the 2005 Cowboys’ roster.
Lynn, 52, beat out Ravens QBs coach James Urban, former Jets OC John Morton, Steelers wideouts coach Ike Hilliard and Bills QBs coach Ken Dorsey for this post. The former Chargers HC brings far more experience than this lot of position coaches and will be in position to call plays again — something he did not do this past season with the Chargers.
While Lynn was not the Bolts’ primary play-caller during his stay as their head coach, each of the team’s four offenses in this time ranked in the top 11 in total yardage. This past season began a promising new chapter for the Chargers, who saw Justin Herbert break out quicker than expected — en route to becoming the Offensive Rookie of the Year favorite — under the tutelage of Lynn and OC Shane Steichen.
The veteran coach will now attempt to lead a Lions offense in transition. Matthew Stafford remains under contract but has been mentioned in trade speculation, with the Lions having hired a new coach and GM this month. The Lions also have starting wideouts Kenny Golladay and Marvin Jones set for free agency.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 1/23/21
Here are Saturday’s NFL practice squad decisions:
Buffalo Bills
- Signed: K Tristan Vizcaino
- Released: DB Duke Thomas
Green Bay Packers
- Signed: P Ryan Winslow
- Released: RB Dexter Williams
Minor NFL Transactions: 1/23/21
Here are the latest NFL minor moves:
Baltimore Ravens
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: WR Deon Cain
Buffalo Bills
- Promoted: CB Dane Jackson
Green Bay Packers
- Promoted: DL Brian Price, CB KeiVarae Russell
Kansas City Chiefs
- Promoted: WR Marcus Kemp, DB Chris Lammons
New York Giants
- Signed to reserve/futures deal: DB Keith Washington
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Promoted: S Javon Hagan, G Ted Larsen