HEADLINES

Month: December 2024

NFL Storylines To Watch Before Training Camp

June 26th, 2015 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

The period between June minicamps and the start of NFL training camps is typically the quietest time of the year for the league. However, even during these weeks when many coaches, players, and NFL writers are on vacation, there are still plenty of stories to keep an eye on, proving that the NFL is truly a year-round league.

Here are a few storylines worth keeping an eye on as we wait for 2015 training camps to get underway:

Greg Hardy‘s and Tom Brady‘s appeal decisions
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the fact that we’ve been waiting more than four weeks for arbitrator Harold Henderson to make a decision on whether or not to uphold Hardy’s 10-game suspension suggests that we shouldn’t expect quick resolution in Brady’s case either. The CBA gives arbitrators wiggle room to take their time when making these decisions, but I expect we’ll get an announcement on Hardy very soon, and it’d be a surprise if Roger Goodell hadn’t made a ruling on Brady by the time training camps begin.

The July 15 franchise tag extension deadline
Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul have yet to sign their one-year franchise-tag tenders, and all four players are seeking long-term agreements. If that’s going to happen this year, it’ll have to get done by July 15, so we can expect teams to ramp up extension negotiations over the next couple weeks. If any – or all – of these players don’t sign multiyear contracts by July 15, they’ll have to play on a one-year deal for 2015, if they intend to play at all.

The three remaining unsigned draft picks
The current CBA has essentially made rookie holdouts a thing of the past, since salaries and bonuses are slotted fairly rigorously. However, there are still a few details in those rookie contracts for teams, players, and agents to hammer out, and two AFC South teams have yet to lock up all their draftees. As our tracker shows, the Colts have yet to sign two third-rounders, cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson, while the Titans haven’t got No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota under contract. I think all three players will have reached agreements by the time their respective teams’ training camps start, but Mariota is worth keeping an eye on, since Titans GM Ruston Webster recently said it’s not a big deal if a player misses a few days of camp.

Evan Mathis and other notable free agents
While Evan Mathis is the most coveted veteran player on the open market, there are several other interesting names available, many of whom could be snatched up as teams finalize their camp rosters. PFR’s Dallas Robinson recently published his list of the best available remaining free agents, identifying tackle Jake Long, tight end Jermaine Gresham, wide receiver James Jones, and pass rusher Dwight Freeney as a few of the top options.

Russell Wilson and other notable extension candidates
Wilson has received more attention than just about any other extension candidate, since his contract will expire at season’s end, and he could become the NFL’s highest-paid player, as we discussed yesterday. But there are plenty of other noteworthy players who could be extended by their teams before training camps get underway, including Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, and many others.

The Los Angeles situation
No major decisions on Los Angeles are expected to be made within the next few weeks, considering the NFL’s next meeting on the situation isn’t scheduled to happen until August 11. Still, it seems as if every day there are new updates on the stadium situations in Oakland, San Diego, and St. Louis. The latest sign of possible forward movement for the NFL’s return to Los Angeles came this morning, as the league began formally exploring temporary venues in the L.A. area for 2016.

Are there any other storylines we’ve left out of our list that you’ll be watching over the next few weeks? Let us know in the comment section!

Extra Points: Titans, Beckham, Raiders, Bucs

June 25th, 2015 at 9:32pm CST by Ben Levine

Following the Titans announcement today of their 20-year agreement with Nissan, CEO/president Steve Underwood reiterated that the team is not for sale.

“The team is not for sale,” Underwood told John Glennon of the Tennessean. “We have not had any discussions with anyone about selling the team. Our owners are committed to continuing to maintain the team just as it is in their family, and we couldn’t be happier about that.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…

  • Following reports that Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. was peeved at his teammates’ teasing, the second-year player told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post that he gets along fine with the other players. “I have no problem with anybody on the team or inside or anything,” he said.
  • ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson took a look at the Raiders cap situation. The NFL requires teams to spend at least 89 percent of their cap between 2013 and 2016. The Raiders entered the offseason having spent just over 80 percent, and Williamson surmises that the team will need to spend nearly “all of their cap room” in the next two years.
  • Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht recognizes that it takes time to build a contender. However, as he told Steven Ruiz of USA Today, he believes his roster has improved drastically in his year-plus on the job. “This wasn’t a rebuild, this was a little bit of a retool,” he said. “When you have players like Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David and Mark Barron and Vincent Jackson and the list goes on and on, you can’t call it a rebuild. We just had a little retooling to do.”

Stadium Notes: Titans, Raiders, Rams

June 25th, 2015 at 8:34pm CST by Ben Levine

Goodbye LP Field. Hello Nissan Stadium.

The Titans and Nissan announced this morning that they have agreed to a 20-year partnership, according to the Associated Press. The new name will be subject to approval by the NFL.

The stadium was initially called Adelphia Coliseum following it’s completion in 1999, and it’s been know as LP Field since 2006. Besides the Titans, the space is also home to the Tennessee State football team and the Music City Bowl.

As you’ve likely heard, there’s plenty of other stadium talk going around the NFL. Let’s take a look at those whispers…

  • Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf met with commissioner Roger Goodell in New York earlier this month, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Schaaf’s intent is to keep the Raiders in Oakland, as opposed to moving the team to Los Angeles. Eric Grumman, the “league point man for Los Angeles relocation and franchise retention in home markets” (as Bair so eloquently describes), was also at the meeting, and he claims there were no negotiations. “The Mayor outlined visions and goals at a general level,” Grubman said. “No specific proposal was discussed. Roger encouraged dialogue, and he stressed that there was a need to have a specific and actionable plan put forward soon.”
  • The main topic in a St. Louis courtroom this afternoon pertained to the construction of a new Rams stadium, as David Hunn of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch describes. Attorneys basically argued that the stadium could be considered “adjacent” to the dome in downtown St. Louis, regardless of where it’s built.

NFL Quotes: Raiders, Pryor, Vikings, Packers

June 25th, 2015 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

With OTAs finished, it’s been relatively slow in the NFL world (luckily we have the Tom Brady saga to distract us temporarily). Even with a lack of news, various beat reporters have still been able to come away with some excellent sound clips, and we’ve compiled those for you below…

Raiders offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave on team’s offense (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com):

“We made some strides, but we have a long way to go. That’s probably the understatement of the year. … We have our moments, but we have to be much more consistent. I think we all recognize and acknowledge that. That will be our goal, of course, going up there to training camp so we can get good in a hurry.”

Ohio State coach Jim Tressel on Terrelle Pryor‘s quest to become a wideout (via WHBC in Canton, Ohio; quote via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com):

“If anyone can, he can. He certainly has tremendous athletic ability and a passion to help wherever he can be helpful. So if anyone can do it, he can. And, he could be the bonus of, he can be the team’s third quarterback, and that way they only have to carry two, which gives you a chance to have one more good player on special teams or whatever else. So I think he could be a bonus.”

Vikings wideout Charles Johnson on his job security (via Master Tesfatsion of the Minneapolis Star Tribune):

“In this business, you’re never secure. You never want to lie down and say, ‘Hey, I made it.’ I’m always working, and we’re always working together. Nobody here has been handed anything, and we’re just ready to come out here and work and become the best players we can be.”

Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari on his interactions with Aaron Rodgers (via Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin):

“I didn’t really talk to Aaron. I was like, ‘If he speaks to me, I’ll speak to him.’ If he didn’t speak to me, I didn’t want to go up to him unless he wanted to engage in a conversation.”

East Notes: Bradford, JPP, Gachkar, Jets

June 25th, 2015 at 6:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

After years of being proactive with their quarterbacks in the post-Donovan McNabb era, the Eagles are still at a crossroads with their projected starter.

Philadelphia extended Kevin Kolb and Michael Vick in the late Andy Reid years before re-signing Mark Sanchez this offseason. But Sam Bradford still sits in a walk year despite changing teams, and Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com analyzes the risks both sides take by standing pat and the benefits possible for each party.

Brandt estimates Bradford, with the huge caveat of whether the 27-year-old signal-caller makes it through the season unscathed, could be somewhat of a prize next offseason for a quarterback-needy franchise considering a market that as of now houses Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers and Eli Manning could be left with only Bradford with the cost of inking QBs on a perpetual rise. But despite Bradford having already earned a preposterous $65.1MM as the last No. 1 overall pick of the old CBA, the sixth-year veteran could be worth next to nothing with another season-ending malady, increasing the urgency to negotiate a deal with the Eagles before the season begins.

Although traded for 2013-14 starter Nick Foles, who has won almost as many games (14) in three seasons than Bradford has in five (18), Brandt notes there remains a remote trade possibility, and Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com writes a Week 1 starting lineup featuring Sanchez is not beyond the realm of possibility. On the books for $12.99MM cap number, Bradford’s still in a solid position, with what could be a scant quarterback derby next March and the possibility of the position’s franchise tag skyrocketing to around $20MM next season, per Kulp.

Let’s look at some additional Eastern items this afternoon.

  • Jason Pierre-Paul intends to play this season at around 265 pounds, notes the New York Post’s Paul Schwartz. Weight’s served as a bit of an issue for Pierre-Paul since his dominant 2011 showing. The 2010 first-round pick hasn’t signed his franchise tender worth $14.8MM yet and hasn’t showed at the Giants‘ facilities for OTAs or minicamp, instead opting to train in his native Florida. Schwartz adds only a “remote” chance exists JPP and the Giants agree on a long-term deal by July 15.
  • Special teams coach Rich Bisaccia and linebackers boss Matt Eberflus influenced Andrew Gachkar to sign with the Cowboys, along with Texas’ absence of a state tax, reports Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Gachkar said his primary position will likely be strongside linebacker while playing under his former instructors at Missouri and with the Chargers, respectively.
  • At the moment, the Jets‘ starting tight end is sixth-year veteran Jeff Cumberland, as Jace Amaro is listed as the H-back under Todd Bowles. But the Jets won’t wait around for the inconsistent Cumberland, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Although the 28-year-old hasn’t exactly had proficient quarterbacks throwing to him, Cumberland rated as the worst tight end last season among players who garnered at least 25% of their team’s snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
  • The Dolphins are likely to deploy Jeff Linkenbach as their starting right guard, offers James Walker of ESPN.com. Walker predicts the former Kansas City Chiefs and Indianapolis Colts cog will beat out Billy Turner for the position. Possibly the most reported Evan Mathis suitor, Miami would be giving snaps to a sub-par guard in Linkenbach in this scenario. The sixth-year veteran’s last full season as a starter — 2011 in Indianapolis — produced some ghastly results, according to PFF (subscription required). Linkenbach hasn’t started more than eight games since.

NFC Rumors: Brees, Rams, Moeaki, Locke

June 25th, 2015 at 4:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

The city of St. Louis and the development commission tasked with extracting funds to finance a new Rams stadium along the Mississippi River front continued their arguments in court Thursday.

At the crux of this is a St. Louis city ordinance that requires a public vote for city funds to be used to finance a stadium, and the Regional Convention and Sports Complex Authority (curiously referred to as the RSA) insists that ordinance is restricting its ability to keep the Rams in St. Louis, according to John Henry of KSDK, a local TV station.

What the RSA refers to as “broad” language in the 2002 city ordinance prompted the commission to sue the city in order to ask a judge if the law is constitutional, and St. Louis mayor Francis Slay said the city would defend the ordinance “vigorously.”

This is just one of the many disconnects between cities and their football futures occurring right now as the Los Angeles market appears set to re-open.

Here are some other notes from the NFC this afternoon.

  • In speaking with ESPN.com’s Ed Werder, Drew Brees is “very convinced” the Saints will win another Super Bowl before he retires (Twitter link). The presumptive Hall of Famer also iterated he was “heartbroken” after the team shipped Jimmy Graham to Seattle on Day 1 of free agency, noting that there were “big plans” for Graham in the ensuing years of the star tight end’s contract. Stripped of key weaponry and coming off a disappointing 7-9 season, the Saints are not an attractive pick to challenge for an NFC title this season. But the 36-year-old quarterback hasn’t missed the playoffs in back-to-back campaigns since the 2007-08 bracket absences, and it’s not like the NFC South is teeming with juggernauts.
  • Housing one of the league’s worst tight end stables, the Falcons are the latest team to give the injury-riddled Tony Moeaki a chance. Despite making just $744K this season, Moeaki will compete with Jacob Tamme — the Broncos’ third-string tight end last season who signed a two-year, $4MM contract in March — to be the Falcons’ top pass-catching tight end, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. Incumbent Levine Toilolo received the worst pass-receiving grade from Pro Football Focus among 67 qualified tight ends last season, opening the door for an odd Tamme-Moeaki battle.
  • At special teams coach Mike Priefer‘s request, the Vikings declined to bring in competition for Jeff Locke at punter, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. A fifth-round pick in 2013, Locke ranked 25th in yards per punt (39.2) last season and dropped just 8% of his boots inside the 10-yard line, which was 30th.

Community Tailgate: Russell Wilson’s Contract

June 25th, 2015 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still a few months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This week, we’ve launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.

Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.

Today, we’re taking a look at what has been one of the biggest ongoing stories of the offseason: Russell Wilson‘s future in Seattle. Wilson and the Seahawks have discussed a contract extension as the Pro Bowler enters the final year of his rookie deal, but no agreement is imminent, and there’s a growing sense that Wilson is willing to play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place.

Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) indicated that agent Mark Rodgers is looking to make his client the NFL’s highest-paid player, attempting to surpass the five-year, $110MM deal signed by Aaron Rogers in 2013. According to Cole, Wilson’s agent believes that quarterback contracts will “explode” in the near future, with Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, and Rodgers (again) exceeding $22MM per year on their next contracts as well.

It would be a challenge to make a case that Wilson is a better NFL quarterback than Rodgers, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be better to land a contract that exceeds Rodgers’ deal with Green Bay. After all, the salary cap has risen by nearly $20MM since Rodgers signed his extension, and it’s poised to continue growing next year. When Rodgers landed a $22MM annual salary, that amount represented nearly 18% of the 2013 cap. That same percentage of 2015’s salary cap would work out to a per-year salary of about $25.63MM.

Of course, just because Wilson and his agent believe his value exceeds $22MM annually, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks agree, or that the team has to meet those salary demands. Seattle could hold off on an extension, with the option of using the franchise tag in each of the next two years to keep Wilson off the free agent market.

We want to hear your thoughts on these contract negotiations. Should the Seahawks make Wilson the NFL’s highest-paid player? Or should the team balk at his reported asking price, going year-to-year and perhaps eventually letting him walk instead? Jump into the comment section below to voice your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.

Extra Points: Battle, Sam, Bills, Browns

June 25th, 2015 at 2:38pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NFL sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle could be a third-round value in this year’s supplemental draft. We learned earlier today that Battle would be eligible for the supplemental draft, and Robinson suggests that a strong 2015 season at Clemson might have pushed Battle into the top five prospects at his position for the 2016 draft. The young lineman is still raw, so it will be interesting to see which teams, if any, are willing to part with one of their 2016 picks to land him.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:

  • The NFL’s rookie salary structure needs to be overhauled again, in the view of Jason Reid of ESPN.com, who makes the case that young players – especially non-first-rounders – who play well during their first three or four seasons are undercompensated.
  • Jim Popp, the general manager of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, tells Les Carpenter of The Guardian that he thinks Michael Sam will eventually return to the team, and that the Missouri alum “needed a break.” Popp also revealed that the Alouettes were close to adding both Sam and Tim Tebow last fall, and added that a few NFL teams have called him since Sam left Montreal, asking if he knows why the edge defender departed and whether or not he’ll be back.
  • After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, Bills safety Jonathan Meeks finds himself on the team’s roster bubble, with Mike Rodak of ESPN.com giving him a 55% chance of earning a spot on the 53-man squad.
  • The Browns may not have had pre-draft contact with Marcus Mariota, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t have any interest in the Oregon quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, pointing out that new Cleveland quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell worked extensively with Mariota before joining the Browns.
  • ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters have assigned offseason grades to each of the league’s 32 teams, with links to all 32 stories and videos right here.

Largest 2015 Cap Hits By Team: AFC East

June 25th, 2015 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Between now and the start of NFL training camps, we’ll be taking a closer look at the top 2015 cap hits for teams around the league. We began our series yesterday by focusing on the NFC East, and we’ll tackle the other East division today, as we move over to the AFC.

Listed below are the top 10 cap hits for the coming season for each of the four AFC East franchises, accompanied by some observations on the spending habits of those clubs. Let’s dive in….

Buffalo Bills:

  1. Mario Williams, DE/OLB: $19,400,000
  2. Marcell Dareus, DT: $8,060,000
  3. Kyle Williams, DL: $6,950,000
  4. Eric Wood, C: $6,650,000
  5. Jerry Hughes, DE/OLB: $6,175,000
  6. LeSean McCoy, RB: $5,500,000
  7. Charles Clay, TE: $5,000,000
  8. Leodis McKelvin, CB: $4,900,000
  9. Matt Cassel, QB: $4,750,000
  10. Sammy Watkins, WR: $4,530,819
    Total: $71,915,819

Mario Williams’ massive 2015 cap number is one of the highest in the entire NFL, and it won’t get any easier to stomach next year, when it jumps to $19.9MM. The figures make Williams a candidate to be released or to have his deal restructured if his production falls off, but he’s coming off an All-Pro season, so the Bills are likely content to carry that cap number for now, particularly with only one other player above $7MM.

While Mario Williams, Kyle Williams, Dareus, and Hughes may see their roles change this year in a new defensive scheme, the four players were all defensive linemen in 2014, so it’s interesting that they all rank in Buffalo’s top five cap hits this year. Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman will certainly enjoy working with the talented, albeit costly, group of front-seven players.

The Bills’ top-10 list also features a number of new additions, with McCoy, Clay, and Cassel all having joined the club this offseason, while Hughes signed a brand-new contract. The cap charges for McCoy, Clay, and Hughes will all rise significantly in future seasons — after totaling a combined $16.675MM cap charge in 2015, the trio will count for a combined $28.75MM against the Bills’ cap next year.

Miami Dolphins:

  1. Branden Albert, LT: $10,725,000
  2. Cameron Wake, DE: $10,450,000
  3. Brent Grimes, CB: $10,000,000
  4. Reshad Jones, S: $7,712,942
  5. Mike Pouncey, C: $7,000,000
  6. Mike Wallace, WR: $6,600,000 (dead money)
  7. Dannell Ellerbe, LB: $6,400,000 (dead money)
  8. Ndamukong Suh, DT: $6,100,000
  9. Ryan Tannehill, QB: $4,873,364
  10. Dion Jordan, DE/OLB: $4,682,276
    Total: $74,543,582

Many of the largest contracts on the Dolphins’ books have relatively modest cap numbers this year — Pouncey and Tannehill earn spots on this list, but they’ll almost certainly place higher in 2016, when their cap charges jump to $10MM+. As for Suh, his cap hit will soar to a staggering $28.6MM next season. With $157MM+ already committed to their top 51 players for 2016, the Dolphins will have some decisions to make next year.

In 2016, the team will also have to try to avoid the sort of dead money charges they’re carrying this year. Wallace and Ellerbe both earn top-seven spots here, and Brian Hartline‘s $4.2MM dead money hit nearly cracked the top 10 as well. Jordan’s cap charge might as well be dead money too, since the former third overall pick has been suspended for the season.

Despite some questionable entries within their top 10 cap hits, the Dolphins are optimistic about their chances in 2015, and that can be partially attributed to their talented and inexpensive offensive skill players — Jarvis Landry, Kenny Stills, and Lamar Miller count for just over $3MM in total against the 2015 cap.

New England Patriots:

  1. Tom Brady, QB: $14,000,000
  2. Rob Gronkowski, TE: $8,650,000
  3. Nate Solder, LT: $7,438,000
  4. Sebastian Vollmer, RT: $7,020,833
  5. Jerod Mayo, LB: $6,100,000
  6. Devin McCourty, S: $6,000,000
  7. Darrelle Revis, CB: $5,000,000 (dead money)
  8. Rob Ninkovich, DE: $4,750,000
  9. Julian Edelman, WR: $4,656,250
  10. Stephen Gostkowski, K: $4,590,000
    Total: $68,205,083

Brady didn’t rank among the NFL’s top 2015 cap hits for quarterbacks, but he’s still atop the Patriots’ own list by a comfortable margin. For a team coming off a Super Bowl victory though, there aren’t many highly-priced players on New England’s roster, a reflection of the way the team manages its cap — the $68MM total for the Pats’ top 10 cap hits of ’15 is the lowest figure in the AFC East.

Of course, while the Patriots manage their cap well, that doesn’t mean that this is simply a list of their 10 best players. Revis shows up here after New England declined his option, the price the team had to pay for his one year of service. Additionally, the Pats are the only team we’ve seen so far with a kicker in their top 10, and even ones at talented at Gostkowski rarely have cap numbers this high.

New York Jets:

  1. Darrelle Revis, CB: $16,000,000
  2. D’Brickashaw Ferguson, LT: $11,698,670
  3. Nick Mangold, C: $10,407,100
  4. Brandon Marshall, WR: $9,000,000
  5. David Harris, LB: $7,500,000
  6. Antonio Cromartie, CB: $7,000,000
  7. Muhammad Wilkerson, DL: $6,969,000
  8. Eric Decker, WR: $6,500,000
  9. Breno Giacomini, RT: $5,125,000
  10. Dee Milliner, CB: $3,453,028
    Total: $83,652,798

John Idzik may not have been the general manager the Jets needed to lead the franchise back to the playoffs, but he did a good job managing the cap — New York has less than $3.5MM in dead money on its 2015 cap, which allowed the team to spend big in free agency this offseason. By comparison, the Bills have $7MM+ in dead money on their 2015 cap, the Pats have nearly $14MM, and the Dolphins are carrying over $22MM.

All the Jets’ cap room allowed the team to frontload contracts for its big free agent additions like Revis, who shows up on two separate top-10 lists in this division. Marshall and Cromartie also arrived within the last few months, while Harris signed a new contract with the team.

One name to watch from this list going forward is Wilkerson, who could be a fixture among the Jets’ top cap charges for the next few years if he signs an extension with the team. After drafting Leonard Williams sixth overall, however, the Jets are certainly under less pressure to pay Wilkerson a massive salary.

Committing nearly $84MM in cap room to the players on this list, the Jets’ total top-10 cap hit is the highest we’ve seen yet, but that can be attributed in large part to the fact that the team simply had space to burn, having carried over plenty of room from 2014. Most of those deals shouldn’t come back to haunt the franchise down the road.

Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.

AFC Notes: Butler, Brady, Mariota, Ravens

June 25th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

It didn’t take long for Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler to come back down to earth this spring. The Patriots cornerback was reportedly benched by Bill Belichick for a handful of the team’s on-field practices during OTAs after he missed the first voluntary session due to a travel issue.

Now, sources tell ESPN.com that the NFL Players Association has filed a complaint against the Patriots on Butler’s behalf, though the complaint was filed without the cornerback’s approval or involvement. Within the complaint, the union cited Article 21 of the CBA, which states that a player’s absence from a voluntary activity can’t result in “adverse consequences affecting his working conditions.”

While we wait to see what comes of the latest case involving the Patriots, let’s round up a few more items from across the AFC….

  • Marc Ganis, who is the president of SportsCorp consulting firm and is close with many NFL owners, thinks a decision on Tom Brady‘s suspension appeal will come “sooner rather than later,” writes Howard Ulman of The Associated Press. Ganis points out that the league has already been criticized for the way the DeflateGate situation has dragged on, though I think the NFL is unlikely to speed things along now after moving deliberately for months. I don’t expect we’ll hear a ruling on Brady’s appeal until at least mid-July.
  • Titans GM Ruston Webster recently suggested that it wouldn’t be a big deal if unsigned first-round pick Marcus Mariota missed a few days of training camp, but the QB tells NFL Media’s Tiffany Blackmon that training camp is still a “long ways off,” as Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com details. “It’s the furthest thing from my mind,” Mariota said. “My agent is going to do his job. He’s going to do whatever it takes. It’s a business deal it takes some time. I’m happy to be a part of the organization and I’m sure it will work out.” I’d be very surprised if Mariota still didn’t have a contract in place by the time Tennessee’s training camp begins.
  • In his latest piece for Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald identifies Joe Flacco‘s contract with the Ravens as the least team-friendly quarterback deal in the NFL.
  • Taking into account the Ravens‘ roster patterns from recent seasons, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun predicts what this year’s squad might look like.
Load More Posts