2014 September - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Domestic Violence

September 26th, 2014 at 7:26pm CST by Rob DiRe

Commissioner Roger Goodell and the NFL sent a memo to all 32 franchises earlier today, regarding the recent advances the league has made in its reactions to domestic violence among NFL players. Earlier, we passed along the highlights via the Twitter posts of Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman. For those interested in reading the full memo, they can access it here, courtesy of Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk.

Here are some other updates about ongoing domestic violence issues:

49ers‘ defensive tackle Ray McDonald will not be charged with domestic violence this Monday, as the hearing has been cancelled by the prosecution, reports Tracey Kaplan of the Mercury News (via Twitter). She writes that no new court date will be set “unless or until charges are filed.”
The district attorney reportedly had no case to evaluate on Monday, according to Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. She writes that the police has declined to release any reports on McDonald other than the brief synopsis that originally surfaced.
Every NFL game this weekend will feature a public service announcement on domestic violence from the NO MORE anti-domestic violence and sexual assault campaign, reports Jones. The total value of the ads in terms of commercial time is approximately $3MM.

AFC Notes: Colts, Graham, Owusu, Guy

September 26th, 2014 at 6:18pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Colts have worked out a number of safeties this week looking to improve their secondary. Among those they have considered are Chris Clemons, DeJon Gomes, M.D. Jennings, Jerron McMillian, Bacarri Rambo, Jamarca Sanford, reports Howard Balzer of LockerDome.com (via Twitter).

The Jets have brought in a few receivers as they attempt to add depth to the group. The lackluster group stands out even more when free agent addition Eric Decker is out with injury. The team has worked out former Bill T.J. Graham, reports Balzer (via Twitter).
The Jets also had former Charger and 49er Chris Owusu in for a visit, reports Balzer (via Twitter). However, Balzer notes that Owusu never had a tryout with the team.
The Ravens have recently added defensive linemen Lawrence Guy to the team, but they first sought a seal of approval from their former linebacker Jarret Johnson, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. The Chargers recently waived Guy, and Johnson recommended him to the Ravens, who are dealing with injuries along the defensive line.

Minor Moves: Friday

September 26th, 2014 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll track Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, as teams gear up for Week 4’s games. The latest moves will be added to the top of the list throughout the day….

The Patriots have replaced offensive lineman Chris Martin on their practice squad, re-adding defensive tackle Ben Bass to take his place, as Phil Perry of CSNNE.com writes.
Giants cornerback Jayron Hosley has been reinstated from suspension following the Giants’ fourth game of the season last night, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. The team will receive a roster exemption for Hosley, meaning New York will have until Monday to decide whether to cut the cornerback or someone else in order to get down to 53 players.

Earlier updates:

According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the Ravens have cut defensive tackle A.J. Pataiali’i from their practice squad. With Fitzgerald Toussaint and Deonte Thompson returning to the squad after being waived from the active roster, the team is now carrying the maximum 10 players.
Safety Chris Prosinski, who was recently placed on injured reserve by the Jaguars, has been removed from the team’s IR list with an injury settlement, tweets John Oesher of Jaguars.com. I touched on how injury settlements work earlier today in my PFR Glossary post explaining the injured reserve list.

NFL/NFLPA Notes: Rice, DUIs, Policies

September 26th, 2014 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The last few days haven’t been quite as explosive in terms of scandals and other major NFL stories as recent weeks have been, but the league is still dealing with the fallout of multiple embarrassing situations, and working on finalizing and creating various policies. Here are a few Friday updates on issues relating to the league and the player’s union:

Despite new details in an Associated Press report alleging that a law enforcement official sent the Ray Rice elevator video to league security chief Jeffrey Miller back in April, the league indicated today that its office “has found absolutely no evidence” suggesting it received the video or that an alleged phone call confirming its receipt took place. Nancy Armour of USA Today Sports has the details.
Player agents are being informed that their clients have until November 1 to resolve outstanding cases relating to DUI charges, in order to avoid the mandatory two-game suspension dictated by the league’s new drug policy, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Pelissero clarifies (via Twitter) that the deadline only applies to players who face chargers on alcohol-related impairment, so it wouldn’t apply to someone like Le’Veon Bell.
In a series of several tweets, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report passes along some highlights from a memo sent by Roger Goodell and the NFL to team owners today. The memo provides progress updates on the league’s efforts to improve its personal conduct policy and handling of domestic violence situations.

Jeremy Maclin, Eagles To Discuss Extension?

September 26th, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

After losing the 2013 season to a torn ACL, Jeremy Maclin signed a one-year, prove-it deal with the Eagles back in February, and so far in 2014, he’s proving it. With DeSean Jackson no longer in the picture, Maclin is Philadelphia’s leading receiver through three games, ranking first on the team in receptions (16), receiving yards (296), and touchdowns (three).

With Maclin seemingly back to his old self and thriving in Chip Kelly’s offense, the veteran wideout could be hearing from the Eagles’ front office soon, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. The club hasn’t completed an in-season extension for one of its players since 2009, but in the case of Maclin, there’s clearly mutual interest in getting a longer-term contract done. Maclin indicated in the offseason that he hoped to secure an extension from the team by midseason, and this week, he indicated that he’s still keen on working something out.

“I’m not pressing it. That time will come when it comes,” Maclin said. “But, yeah, this is where I want to be. I’ve always said that.”

Maclin reportedly passed on a five-year offer from the Eagles in the offseason, and so far that’s looking like the right call. We don’t know exactly what sort of salary the team proposed on that five-year deal, but I’d guess it was roughly in the same range as the five-year, $22.5MM pact signed by teammate Riley Cooper. As long as Maclin continues to produce and stays healthy, he could have a chance to match or exceed the larger five-year contracts signed by free agent wideouts this past year — Eric Decker‘s $36.25MM pact and Golden Tate‘s $31MM deal would likely be targets for Maclin and his agent.

For now, it doesn’t appear that the two sides are engaged in negotiations, but it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on this season as Maclin nears potential free agency once again.

NFL Aiming For London Franchise In 2022

September 26th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Raiders and Dolphins set to play the first of this season’s three NFL games in London’s Wembley Stadium on Sunday, the league is increasing its push to introduce an NFL franchise across the Atlantic, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network writes. The league’s international chief, Mark Waller, tells Breer that he believes the NFL remains on track to have a team permanently in place in London within the next decade.

“When we started (with the International Series in 2007), I reckoned it’d take 15 years to do it,” Waller said. “That was what I expected, and we’re still on course. We’re at the midpoint now.”

According to Waller, he and the league has been subtly testing the London market and fan base for the last several years, with an eye toward putting a franchise there full-time. After increasing the number of games per year in London from one to two, and now to three, Waller’s experimenting is now expected to become increasingly more deliberate.

“I’m less focused on going from three (games) to four, four to five, five to six,” Waller said. “Can we do back-to-back games? Will the surface hold up? Can we start sending teams there without the bye attached? It’s not about the number anymore. … We’re at a place now where if we continue to do the job with the fans, the fan base will grow, and we’ll be able to have a team (in London). The questions now are logistical.”

Although the NFL still has a long way to go before a team in Europe becomes a reality, Waller tells Breer that the London market is just a jumping-off point for the sort of growth the league hopes to experience globally. In the longer-term, using the longer template somewhere else in Europe or Latin America – perhaps Germany or Brazil – is a goal for the NFL.

For now though, the league continues to focus on London, and this year’s trio of games, starting with this Sunday’s Oakland/Miami contest, will be another key stepping stone as the NFL works toward establishing its first international franchise.

AFC Notes: Dolphins, McKnight, Pats, Browns

September 26th, 2014 at 12:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The offensive line was the primary area of focus for the Dolphins this offseason after last year’s bullying scandal, and the team addressed the position by signing Branden Albert in free agency and drafting Ja’Wuan James in the first round, among other moves. So far, the new-look unit has showed flashes of upside, as Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes, pointing out that Miami is averaging 5.2 yards per carry, second-best in the NFL. Of course, the team has also allowed the third-most sacks in the league (nine). In Albert’s view, his performance has been worthy of a C grade so far.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

After a big game on Sunday against the Dolphins, Chiefs running back Joe McKnight got some bad news today. According to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter), McKnight suffered a ruptured Achilles in practice yesterday while running a route. With that injury certain to end the 26-year-old’s season, we can probably expect to see him placed on IR soon, with someone else taking his place on the 53-man roster.
The Patriots worked out a handful of players this week, including defensive backs Justin Green, Keon Lyn, Kimario McFadden, and Trevin Wade, as well as tight end Konrad Reuland, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that long snappers Charley Hughlett and Kevin McDermott auditioned for the Browns.
While no Browns wideout is expected to replicate Josh Gordon‘s numbers while 2013’s leading receiver serves his 10-game suspension, free agent signee Andrew Hawkins has fit in well so far in Cleveland, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal details. Hawkins leads the club in both receptions and receiving yards through three weeks.

Injured Reserve

September 26th, 2014 at 8:57am CST by Luke Adams

As has been the case throughout the preseason and season so far, we saw several key players moved to teams’ injured reserve lists this week. Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel, Chargers running back Danny Woodhead, and Lions linebacker Stephen Tulloch are among the players who headed to the IR within the last several days, opening up a spot on their clubs’ active rosters for their teams to replace them.

The injured reserve designation is generally – though not always – used for players who will be out for the season. That’s especially the case with players like Woodhead, whose team will want to keep him around beyond this year. Woodhead signed a two-year contract extension with San Diego in July, so there’s little chance the club moves forward in 2015 without him in the mix. That means Woodhead will spent this season on IR, earning his full salary, and will plan on returning to the Chargers’ active roster next year.

That’s not the case for every player who lands on injured reserve though. Particularly during the preseason, we see players who weren’t part of their teams’ long-term plans hit the IR list, only to be cut several days later. Generally, these cases involve players who aren’t suffering from season-ending injuries, and receive injury settlements from their respective clubs in order to release those clubs from any liability.

For instance, let’s say a player is injured during the final week of the preseason with a high ankle sprain, and the player and team both agree that the injury will sideline him for three weeks. The club could place that player on injured reserve, then cut him with a two-week regular-season injury settlement (since the final preseason week is also taken into account). That would allow the player to receive 2/17ths of his season salary, and allow him to look for work with a new club when he gets healthy. If the club were to keep the player on injured reserve rather than removing him with a settlement, it would be required to cut him when he gets healthy.

Teams who release a player from IR with a settlement are eligible to re-sign that player later in the season, if they so choose. But they must wait six weeks, on top of the time of the initial settlement. In that previous example then, a club would have to wait until after Week 8 to re-sign the player with the high ankle sprain.

Players who remain on their clubs’ injured reserve lists all season continue to receive their full salary, which also counts against their teams’ salary caps. The Rams are one club that has an inordinate amount of what is essentially “dead money” sitting on injured reserve this season, since highly-paid quarterback Sam Bradford landed on the IR before the season begin.

In some instances, players agree to “split contracts” when they sign with a club, which means that the player will receive a smaller salary if he lands on injured reserve. Split contracts, which are worth less than the active roster minimum salaries, are fairly rare, and are primarily signed by undrafted rookies or veterans with injury histories.

One additional quirk related to the injured reserve list is the option each team has to designate one IR player to return each season. With the IR-DTR spot, a club can place a player on IR, but bring him back to practice after six weeks, and back to game action after eight weeks. Once a team uses this designation once, it can’t use it again that season, though not every club necessarily gets the opportunity to make use of it. Here’s our list of how teams have used the IR-DTR slot so far this season.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from The National Football Post was used in the creation of this post.

Extra Points: Goodell, Gordon, Streater, Bears

September 25th, 2014 at 9:35pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA has the NFL in a vulnerable spot, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The union currently has no real power in personal conduct cases, but if Roger Goodell wants the NFLPA to work with him, he’ll have to give up some of that power. Right now, NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith appears to be playing some chess with Goodell and Florio writes that if he wants a real victory, he shouldn’t bend at all given the position Goodell is in. Here’s more from around the NFL..

With one more strike under the new drug program, Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon faces banishment. Some may be worried that Gordon won’t stay on the straight and narrow upon his return, but receivers coach Mike McDaniel isn’t concerned, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. “Without a doubt (he understands it),” said McDaniel. “There’s no question in my mind. Now, do I think originally he understood the ramifications of his actions before he ever had a slip-up? Probably not, but it happens as it goes. That’s one thing I’ve really been taken aback by is how much responsibility he’s definitely taking and he needs to continue to take. But he’s definitely taking (it) on himself. It doesn’t sit well with him that he’s in this situation.”
Rod Streater‘s agent indicated that the wide receiver will be back in a matter of weeks, but Raiders coach Dennis Allen says it’s too early to know if he’ll be back this season, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle.
The Bears worked out five safeties when they brought in linebacker Darryl Sharpton yesterday, tweets Brad Biggs of The Chicago Tribune. Those safeties were former Viking Jamarca Sanford, Shamiel Gary, Kimario McFadden, Pierre Warren, and Anthony Walters, who was with the team last year.
The Panthers tried out former Browns running back/fullback Chris Ogbonnaya, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). The Panthers’ backfield could use some reinforcements with Mike Tolbert on the IR-DTR and injuries to Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams.

Latest On Ray Rice Situation

September 25th, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

A law enforcement official says that he sent the Ray Rice video to the attention of NFL security chief Jeffrey Miller, according to Rob Maaddi of The Associated Press. The official says Miller was sent the tape in April, though he doesn’t know if Miller ever saw the DVD or opened the package.

The law enforcement official’s only communication with the league was a 12-second voicemail on April 9th from league offices confirming receipt of the package, in which a woman says, “You’re right. It’s terrible.”

“Since the NFLPA and NFL have launched separate investigations into the league and the Ravens’ handling of Ray Rice’s case, I want to make a few things clear. No one from the NFL ever asked me for the inside-elevator video,” the official told the AP. “I mailed it anonymously to Jeff Miller because he’s their head of security. I attached a note saying: `Ray Rice elevator video. You have to see it. It’s terrible.’ I provided a number for a disposable cellphone and asked for confirmation that it was received. I knew there was a possibility Mr. Miller may not get the video, but I hoped it would land in the right hands.”

For his part, Miller has denied ever getting a copy of the tape.

“I unequivocally deny that I received at any time a copy of the video, and I had not watched it until it was made public on September 8,” he said in a statement issued through an NFL spokesman.

It remains unclear what happened to the video once it arrived at league offices. Maaddi notes that are two NFL executives named Jeffrey Miller, but the law enforcement official insisted the video was addressed to the chief of security. Despite Miller’s denial this evening, this story may turn up the heat on the league office and commissioner Roger Goodell.