HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Andre Brown, Erin Henderson Suspended

September 4th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Three more suspensions have been announced today by the NFL, but unlike Wes Welker‘s four-game penalty, these late-minute bans won’t have an adverse effect on any teams around the league, since the players being disciplined are all free agents. According to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter), quarterback Dominique Davis has received a one-game suspension, linebacker Erin Henderson has been suspended for four games, and running back Andre Brown has been banned for eight games.

Brown, whose penalty is the most severe, signed with the Texans earlier in the offseason, but was let go by the team in mid-August, well before roster cutdowns. Reports at the time suggested that Brown’s performance during training camp was underwhelming and that he was slipping down the depth chart, so it’s not clear if Houston knew a suspension was coming when the team decided to cut him. If the club didn’t learn about the suspension until after the fact, the decision was a fortuitous one.

The NFL suspended Brown back in 2012 for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, but that penalty was overturned since Brown tested positive for Adderall, a drug for which he had a prescription. As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the reason for this suspension has yet to be specified, so it’s not clear what rules Brown violated. The ban certainly doesn’t help his chances of finding NFL work this season though.

It’s also not clear why Davis was suspended for a game, though in Henderson’s case, presumably the four-game ban is related to violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy — the ex-Vikings linebacker was arrested twice in the last year on suspicion of DUI.

Broncos Restructure Jacob Tamme’s Contract

September 4th, 2014 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos have created a little cap room by restructuring the contract of tight end Jacob Tamme, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, who tweets that Tamme accepted a reduced salary in order to remain with the team.

Having previously been set to earn a $3MM base salary in the final year of his contract, Tamme can still make that much if he maxes out on bonuses and incentives, but his base salary has been reduced to just $1.25MM, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The new deal includes up to $450K in per-game roster bonuses ($28,125 per game), as well as up to $1.3MM in incentives.

After Julius Thomas‘ emergence last season, Tamme has settled into a reduced role on the Broncos’ offense. Even with Wes Welker out for the season’s first four weeks, Thomas, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Andre Caldwell, and rookie Cody Latimer will be among the players vying for targets. Still, given how much Peyton Manning and the Broncos like to throw, we should see the occasional pass heading Tamme’s way.

Rams, Quinn Exchanged Contract Numbers

September 4th, 2014 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of J.J. Watt‘s lucrative new contract extension with the Texans, the Rams have also broached the idea of a new deal for their star defensive lineman, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says the team has exchanged contract numbers with Robert Quinn. However, the two sides aren’t close to anything at the moment, says La Canfora.

Quinn, 24, is coming off the best season of his three-year career, having racked up 19 sacks, 57 tackles, and seven forced fumbles in 2013, en route to earning spots in the Pro Bowl and on the All-Pro first team. As was the case with Watt, Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required) clearly displayed that Quinn was the most impactful player at his position last season — his +74.6 grade dwarfed Greg Hardy‘s +25.6 mark, which was good for second among 4-3 defensive ends. While a handful of other players would be in the conversation, you could make the case that Quinn is the NFL’s best defensive player behind Watt.

As such, La Canfora observes that it seems unlikely the former 14th overall pick would agree to a new contract worth less than $15MM per year, which would put him right near the top of the list of the league’s highest-paid pass-rushers, and defensive players in general.

Because he was a 2011 first-rounder, Quinn remains under contract for two more years, with the Rams having exercised their fifth-year option to keep him through 2015. Given the lack of urgency to get something done, the two sides may ultimately decide to wait until after the season to reopen talks if they don’t find common ground by this Sunday.

Champ Bailey Worked Out For Lions

September 4th, 2014 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

12:01am: Bailey’s workout went well and the Lions liked what they saw, but it doesn’t seem that any signing is imminent, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

11:26am: The Lions appear to be on the lookout for veteran help in their secondary, and will bring in cornerback Champ Bailey for a workout today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (via Twitter). Bailey was let go over the weekend by the Saints as New Orleans cut its roster down to 53 players.

Bailey’s visit to the Lions comes on the heels of the team trying out several other free agent defensive backs. Roc Carmichael, Tommie Campbell, Chris Clemons, and Anthony Walters are among the players to audition for Detroit so far this week. The secondary, which lost 2013 starters Chris Houston and Louis Delmas this offseason, appears to be the weakest part of the Lions’ roster, or at least the group with the most question marks.

Bailey has a few question marks himself, after failing to earn a roster spot with the Saints despite receiving a $500K signing bonus when he signed with the club in April. The 12-time Pro Bowler appeared in just five regular season games in 2013 due to a foot injury, and his exorbitant cap hit made him a cap casualty for the AFC champion Broncos. He’s said to be healthy, but it remains to be seen how much he has left in the tank at age 36.

Rams Rework Contracts For Pettis, Long

September 4th, 2014 at 11:58am CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have reworked the contracts for a pair of their players, creating a little more cap flexibility as the 2014 season gets underway. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap has the details on the team’s new agreement with wide receiver Austin Pettis, while Brian McIntyre tweets the information defensive end Chris Long‘s restructure.

Pettis, 26, has agreed to slice his base salary for 2014 by more than half, from $1.431MM to just $700K. In exchange for taking a pay cut, the former third-round pick received a $250K signing bonus. Because he’s in the final year of his contract, the bonus won’t be prorated at all, but it still results in nearly $500K worth of cap savings for the Rams. And for Pettis, is likely means his roster spot is safe.

Long’s restructure was a simpler move, with the team converting $3MM of his 2014 base salary into a signing bonus. That bonus will be prorated across the final three years of his deal at a rate of $1MM per season, meaning his ’14 cap number has been reduced by $2MM.

Overall, the Rams created about $2.48MM in cap room.

Patriots Re-Sign Danny Aiken, Chris White

September 4th, 2014 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have officially re-signed long snapper Danny Aiken and linebacker Chris White to their 53-man roster, the team announced today in a press release. The team had initially parted ways with Aiken on Saturday while trimming their roster from 75 to 53, and then cut White on Sunday to make room on the active roster for waiver claims.

Aiken, 26, has been the Patriots’ long snapper for the last three seasons, and figures to continue on in that role in 2014, despite having been shuffled on and off the roster in the last week. As for White, he didn’t have a role on New England’s defense a year ago, but contributed on special teams, logging five tackles in kick and punt coverage.

No corresponding moves will be necessary for the Pats, since the team cut defensive tackles Bruce Gaston and Kelcy Quarles from its roster yesterday. After removing long snapper Charley Hughlett from their practice squad yesterday, the Pats have also filled that 10th and final spot today, re-signing quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson.

Poll: Which Team Will Win The Super Bowl?

September 4th, 2014 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

It’s been over seven months since the Seahawks dismantled the Broncos to win Super Bowl 48, and we’re finally here: The NFL’s 2014 season gets underway tonight, with those same Seahawks back in action, hosting Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. So, appropriately, with the season’s first week about to begin, we’ll turn attention to the last week of the coming season, in an attempt to predict which team will still be standing in February.

While we haven’t seen a back-to-back Super Bowl champion since New England defeated the Panthers and Eagles in 2004 and 2005, the Seahawks retained many of the crucial players that allowed them to make that run last winter, and head into the season as the favorite to come out of the NFC. In fact, Vegas pegs a rematch of this year’s game as the most likely matchup for Super Bowl 49, with the Broncos heading into the season as the team with the best odds to win it all (5.5-to-1), per betting site Bovada.lv.

Besides the Broncos and Seahawks, Bovada has listed four other teams whose odds of winning this year’s championship at 9-to-1 or better. Those four clubs are the Patriots, 49ers, Packers, and Saints. While it’s certainly possible that another team walks away with the crown at season’s end, those six clubs head appear to be heading into Week 1 representing the NFL’s top tier. The team with the seventh-best odds, per Bovada, is the Eagles, down at 20-to-1.

What do you think? Will one of those preseason favorites be celebrating in Phoenix on February 1, or will an upstart team win this year’s Super Bowl? After placing your vote, feel free to weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section below.

Extra Points: Watt, Galette, Lions, Dez

September 3rd, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Zachary Links

In a piece for the Sporting News, Jason Fitzgerald looks at the far-reaching impact of J.J. Watt‘s $100MM contract with the Texans. The large cash payouts on the front end of his contract and the virtually guaranteed nature of those payouts, despite the lack of contract leverage, should have an impact on rookie contracts of all positions going forward. So for the extensions for the 2011 class have come with minimal guarantees and protection in the contracts but this deal, which basically treated Watt as a veteran free agent, could change that. More from around the NFL..

  • Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (on Twitter) confirmed with a league source that Junior Galette‘s $41.5MM deal with the Saints is all new money. That’s in addition to the $4MM he was already due in 2014 and ’15. Triplett adds that value could increase to $48MM if Galette notches 12 sacks this year (link). He got a $3.5MM signing bonus in the contract and is due a $12.5MM bonus next year.
  • The Lions are worked out cornerback Roc Carmichael today, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). Carmichael last played for the Eagles. The Lions also tried out fellow defensive backs Tommie Campbell, Chris Clemons, and Anthony Walters, Howard Balzer of USA Today (Twitter link).
  • Dez Bryant is talking about a new deal with the Cowboys, but he insists his focus in on beating the 49ers in Week 1, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. “Man, look, it’s like this,’’ Bryant said. “My mind is focused on San Fran. It’s the only thing it’s focused on. All the other stuff is going to take care of itself, I promise.’’
  • The Bengals worked out Brendon Kay, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

AFC Notes: Burfict, Allen, Dolphins, Wright

September 3rd, 2014 at 10:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) has the details on Vontaze Burfict‘s new $19MM, three-year deal with the Bengals. Burfict gets a $3.1MM signing bonus, a $3.8MM roster bonus on Aug. 30th, and a $3.15MM roster bonus due on the fifth day of 2015 year. Burfict has non-guaranteed base salaries of $700K, $1.05MM, $2.85MM and $3.75MM with cap figures of $5.279MM, $5.175MM, $3.825MM, $4.725MM. More out of the AFC..

  • The Steelers will cut off contract negotiations with all their players come Sunday, which means time is ticking on a new deal with Cortez Allen, writes Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. It wouldn’t be unprecedented for PIttsburgh to get something done at the 11th hour, however. Troy Polamalu signed an extension in 2011 at the airport on the Saturday before the start of the season as the team was about to depart for Baltimore.
  • The Dolphins gave tryouts to five linebackers, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today (on Twitter). Miami worked out Zac Diles, Brandon Hepburn, Terrell Manning, Etienne Sabino, and Kelvin Sheppard.
  • New Patriots tight end Tim Wright is making a solid impression on offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, writes NFL.com’s Chris Wesselling. “We just got him, and he was able to come in here and learn enough to be able to go out there and play for us in a preseason game for 40-some snaps or whatever it was,” McDaniels said. “He’s working hard, certainly a bright kid and has some talent that hopefully we can utilize, and he just seems to fit in good and has a good attitude and work ethic. I’m just excited about seeing what we can do going forward.”
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