2015 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Extra Points: Hardy, J. Houston, JPP, Levitre

July 10th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Arbitrator Harold Henderson’s ruling to reduce Greg Hardy‘s suspension from 10 games to four contains little in the way of clear logic, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Instead of working off the old policy of a two-game ban for a domestic violence incident, or acknowledging that the new standard calls for a six-game suspension, Henderson did neither, per Florio, opting to seemingly create his own rule, simply stating that a ten games is “too much.” Had Henderson used the old statute as a basis for his decision, writes Florio, he would have had to explain how Hardy’s actions were twice as worse as those of Ray Rice, who was suspended two games after his domestic incident.

Here’s more from around the league…

Assessing the status of the four unsigned franchise players, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) ranks them (most likely to least likely) work out a long-term deal with their respective club: Justin Houston, Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Jason Pierre-Paul. Cole gives JPP a zero percent chance of agreeing to an extension with the Giants given his injury concerns, but puts the chances of Houston reaching a deal with the Chiefs at 60%. Houston will discuss his contract with KC management this weekend.
The four franchise-tagged players are among the NFL players who could stage holdouts during training camp in the coming weeks, according to Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News, who looks at some other situations where a holdout might occur. Eric Weddle, Michael Bennett, and his brother Martellus Bennett could all stay away from training camp unless their contract situation is resolved.
Signed to a six-year. $46.8MM deal before the 2013 season, guard Andy Levitre has been a disappointment during his time with the Titans, but now that he feels completely healthy, he sees a turnaround on the horizon in 2015. “Knowing what I am capable of doing, and knowing I have done it in the past, I want to be able to get back to where I need to be to be successful,” Levitre told Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. “And to have that personal accomplishment means more to me than anything, and I think that will show to the coaches and the guys upstairs.”

2015 Release Candidates: NFC North

July 10th, 2015 at 7:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Most clubs have fairly set rosters at this point, as OTA, minicamp, and preseason performances won’t do much to alter roster composition. The majority of key releases came in March, but there are still several scenarios where certain contributors could lose their roster spot in the coming months. For the most part, we’ll focus on situations where the cap savings would be in excess of $1MM.

Because free agency has already passed, financial ramifications won’t play a huge role in these decisions; there aren’t a ton of high-profile free agents on which to spend that saved money, so these calls will mostly be made based on performance. However, any cap space saved through these potential releases could be rolled over into 2016, so that’s something clubs have to consider.

We’ve already looked at the AFC East, NFC East, and AFC North, so let’s dive into the NFC North…

Chicago Bears:

Jermon Bushrod, T: There’s no disputing that Bushrod an improvement over what the Bears were running out at left tackle in the years preceding his arrival in the Windy City — but that doesn’t mean that he’s been worth the five-year, nearly $36MM contract he signed with Chicago prior to the 2013 season. He’s actually been well below-average, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), which ranked Bushrod as the 55th- and 57th-best left tackle in the league in 2013 and 2014, respectively. $1MM of his $5MM base salary became fully guaranteed earlier this year, however, so if the Bears were going to cut him they already would’ve (and it’s not as as though there a litany of left tackle options lying around the free agent market, anyway). But given that we’ve passed the June 1 cutoff, Chicago could save $4.85MM by releasing the 30-year-old Bushrod now; if he falters again in ’15, I suspect the club might part ways with him next season (when they could save $4.3MM before June 1 and $6.5MM after said date). Prediction: not released.

Matt Slauson, G: The only other Bear who is even remotely a candidate for release is another offensive lineman, left guard Matt Slauson. The 29-year-old played in only five contests last year, missing a few weeks at the beginning of the season due to a high ankle sprain before being placed on injured reserve after tearing his pectoral in Week 8. Similar to their situation at left tacke, the Bears don’t have any viable replacements were they to release Slauson, as Michael Ola was thoroughly unimpressive while filling in on the interior last season, and free agent signee Vlad Ducasse has never lived up to his second-round billing. Additionally, Slauson was quite good in 2013 after coming over from the Jets, and just signed a four-year deal last January, so there’s no reason Chicago won’t give him a chance to get healthy and prove his worth. Prediction: not released.

Detroit Lions:

Ryan Broyles, WR: Broyles was only nine months removed from a torn ACL when he entered the league in 2012, and he suffered another ACL injury (opposite knee) during his rookie season. Midway through his sophomore season in 2013, he was dealt another blow as he ruptured his Achilles. Broyles was largely healthy during the 2014 campaign, but still didn’t play much — he’s totaled just 21 games during his three-year career. Thought to be an explosive slot weapon coming out of Oklahoma, it seems like injuries have sapped much of Broyles’ athleticism, and though the Lions would save less than $900K by cutting him, he seems like a long shot to earn a spot on Detroit’s roster, let alone make his first significant NFL contribution at age 27. Prediction: waived.

Jason Jones, DE: The 29-year-old Jones is entering the final season of a three-year deal, and is scheduled to count nearly $4MM against Detroit’s cap. His first season with the Lions — 2013 — was a wash, as he played in just three games before suffering a season-ending injury. Jones played in (and started) all 16 games last season, but wasn’t very effective, ranking as the just the 47th 4-3 defensive end among 59 qualifiers, according to PFF. Digging into the numbers a little deeper gives a better overall impression, as Jones ranked in the top half the league against the run and total pressures, but he finished only 36th in pass rush productivity. The Lions lost both Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley to free agency, so they need all the help they can get along the defensive line — it’s just not clear if Jones is all that helpful. In his early Lions 53-man roster projection, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com noted that Detroit likes that fact that Jones can play both end and tackle, surmising that that versatility could keep him on the roster (for the record, Rothstein did list Jones among his projected final 53). For now, Jones is probably safe, but if a backup shows something in training camp, or a high-quality option can be found via the waiver wire, it wouldn’t be shocking to see Jones out of a job. Prediction: not released.

Stephen Tulloch, LB: Tulloch’s season was (somewhat embarrassingly) cut short when he tore his ACL while celebrating a sack during a Week 3 contest against the Packers. There a quite a few factors working against Tulloch’s return to Detroit: his recovery from his injury; his $5.8MM cap figure, $4.3MM of of which would be wiped out if he’s released; and the presence of fourth-year pro Tahir Whitehead, who filled in admirably at middle linebacker in Whitehead’s absence. However, Tulloch ranked as the second-best inside linebacker in the league as recently as 2013 (per PFF), and Tulloch indicated through an Instagram post earlier this year that he’d be back in Detroit for 2015. That post doesn’t mean his return is official, obviously, but it might indicate that Lions management told him he’d be retained. Prediction: not released.

Green Bay Packers:

Mike Neal, LB: As I wrote earlier this year in the Packers Offseason Outlook post, Neal’s production simply doesn’t match his production. Signed to a two-year, $8MM deal prior to last season, the 28-year-old Neal went on to rank as the worst 3-4 outside linebacker in the league according to PFF, finishing as the worst pass-rusher at his position by a considerable margin. In May, however, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com noted that Neal had been paid a roster bonus — which Over the Cap pegs at $1.3MM — so if Green Bay had wanted to release Neal, they obviously wouldn’t have shelled out that cash. Prediction: not released.

Julius Peppers, LB: Peppers is only listed here due to the combination of his age (35) and the large bump in his cap figure from 2014 ($3.5MM) to 2015 ($12MM). Neither his ’15 nor ’16 base salaries are guaranteed, so the Packers could clear all but the remaining $5MM in bonus money left on his deal. But Peppers was simply too valuable during his first year in Green Bay to let go, although the Packers could approach him about a restructure. Prediction: not released.

Nick Perry, LB: Only three other 2012 first-round picks have accumulated fewer snaps than Perry during their first three seasons in the NFL: Dre Kirkpatrick, who was buried on the Bengals’ CB depth chart until the end of last season; David Wilson, who is now retired due to injuries; and A.J. Jenkins, perhaps the most obvious first-round bust from that ’12 draft. Perry doesn’t have much special teams value, either, although his ST snap percentage has risen from less than 4% his rookie year to 16.5% in 2014. The Packers already declined Perry’s 2016 option, and even with Clay Matthews moving to the inside, there’s no reason to pay Perry his full 2015 cap charge when the club could save nearly $1.5MM by cutting him. Between fourth-rounder Jake Ryan, and the several UDFAs Green Bay signed after the draft, the team should be able to rely on players making minimum salary to fill in its linebacking unit. Prediction: waived.

Andrew Quarless, TE: The Packers reportedly don’t plan to release Quarless in the wake of his recent arrest, and while that could obviously change, it’s much too soon (and the situation too bereft of facts) to render a prediction.

Minnesota Vikings:

Casey Matthews, LB: Matthews doesn’t fit our criteria of offering cap savings of $1MM+, but I included him here both because he played a semi-prominent role in Philadelphia last year after DeMeco Ryans suffered an injury, and because some expected him to possibly start for the Vikings following the departure of Jasper Brinkley. Minnesota selected UCLA linebacker Eric Kendricks in the second round of this year’s draft, however, and that combined with the presence of Audie Cole means that Matthews wouldn’t have a shot at much playing time. Prediction: released.

Brian Robison, DE: Robison has been the Vikings’ full-time starter at left end four four seasons, and 2014 was his first truly sub-par season, as he graded as the league’s No. 52 4-3 defensive end among 59 qualifiers per PFF. He’d been above average in the years prior, especially excelling at pass rushing. Robison is signed for three more years, and Minnesota would actually save a good deal of cap space ($4.65MM) by releasing him, but given that he was still productive just two seasons ago, I’d expect him to be retained, especially given that the Vikings don’t have much in the way of defensive end depth. Prediction: not released.

LB Chad Greenway accepted a pay cut earlier this offseason or he would have likely been released.

NFLPA Looking Into Cowboys, Broncos

July 10th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: Suspicions in the matter stew from both the Cowboys and the Broncos refusing to use Calvin Johnson‘s contract with the Lions as a comparable during negotiations with Bryant and Thomas, respectively, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That seems a little odd, as the total value of Johnson’s contract is nearly twice that of Mike Wallace, the second-highest paid receiver, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap tweets, Megatron’s deal has always been viewed as an outlier. Nevertheless, Florio reports that the NFLPA believe it has reliable information that the two clubs involved “have been communicating to set, control, or manipulate the [receiver] market.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos say they have not been contacted by the NFLPA regarding this issue, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

5:48pm: Asked about the NFLPA’s investigation, a Cowboys source tells Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Telegram (Twitter link) there’s “nothing to it.” That’s what you’d expect to hear from a team source, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns out to indeed be the case.

3:59pm: With five days left for franchised players to negotiate multiyear contract agreements with their current teams, only two of the four unsigned franchise-tag recipients play the same position: Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the NFL Players Association is reviewing information to determine whether the Broncos and Cowboys have colluded in regard to contract talks for their two star receivers.

Per Schefter, the NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys were in contact about Thomas’ and Bryant’s contract situations, despite the fact that the the league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA is investigating the situation to determine whether or not collusion did in fact occur, and when to potentially file a claim.

July 15 is the deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions with their teams — if no agreement is reached by that date, a player who received the franchise tag will have to play on a one-year deal in 2015, if he intends to play at all. Given the relatively similar statistical production posted by Bryant and Thomas – as well as Bengals wideout A.J. Green and Falcons receiver Julio Jones, who are playing on fifth-year options this year – there’s been a sense that everyone is waiting for one team to extend its star receiver to establish the market.

Of course, if one team were to lock up its receiver to a lucrative new extension that exceeds his expected worth, it could adversely affect negotiations for other teams locking to lock up their own wideouts, driving up the price. As such, it makes sense that the Cowboys and Broncos might want to discuss the situation with one another, though Schefter’s report doesn’t suggest there’s any hard evidence that happened.

Ravens Notes: Yanda, Osemele, Flacco, Tucker

July 10th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although the Ravens took care of one impending free agent contract yesterday — locking up punter Sam Koch to a five-year extension worth $18.75MM — the club’s roster still contains several key players who will head into the year on expiring contracts, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. I profiled the two most prominent FAs-to-be, guards Marshal Yanda and Kelechi Osemele, earlier this year, and Wilson adds that while no deal is imminent with either player, Osemele could end up being the odd man out given his injury history, including a significant back ailment suffered just last season.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of Baltimore…

Kicker Justin Tucker is another candidate for a multi-year deal, according to Wilson, who writes that the former undrafted free agent could eventually become the highest-paid kicker in the league, garnering more than $9MM in guarantees. At the minimum, the Ravens would use the franchise tag on Tucker next season, but it sounds like the two sides would like to work to come to an agreement.
The Ravens are expected to attempt to restructure the contract of quarterback Joe Flacco between now and the start of the new league year in March 2016, writes Wilson within his story on Koch’s extension yesterday. The news is unsurprising, as Flacco’s 2016 cap number of $28.55MM is projected to be the second-highest in the league. Flacco obviously wouldn’t be sacrificing any money, but a simple restructure — converting a portion of his base salary into a signing bonus — should be able to give Baltimore some breathing room.
The primary motive in negotiating a long-term deal with Koch wasn’t to clear out cap space for 2015, per Wilson. I had included Koch among the AFC North candidates for release earlier this week, speculating that the Ravens might to like to clear out, or at least reduce, Koch’s 2015 cap charge of $3.1MM (although I ultimately predicted he would not be cut). However, Wilson reports that the extension was instead aimed at solidifying the contract status of a well-respected veteran, meaning the deal can be viewed more as a reward than a financial maneuver. (It should be noted, though, that Koch’s cap number for next year will decrease by $700K; Wilson has the entire breakdown of the deal here.)

Largest 2015 Cap Hits By Team: AFC West

July 10th, 2015 at 6:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Before NFL training camps get underway later this month, we’re taking a closer look at the top 2015 cap hits for teams around the league. We began our series in June by focusing on the NFC East and AFC East divisions, before looking at the NFC North, AFC North, and NFC South last week. Earlier this week, we recapped the AFC South and NFC West, and today we’ll wrap up our series by concluding with the AFC West.

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

Denver Broncos:

Peyton Manning, QB: $17,500,000
Demaryius Thomas, WR: $12,823,000
Von Miller, OLB: $9,754,000
DeMarcus Ware, OLB: $8,666,666
T.J. Ward, S: $7,750,000
Aqib Talib, CB: $6,968,750
Louis Vasquez, G: $6,250,000
Emmanuel Sanders, WR: $5,850,000
Britton Colquitt, P: $3,750,000
Chris Harris, CB: $3,000,000
Total: $82,312,416

The top three contracts on the Broncos’ list are all ones worth keeping an eye on. Manning’s cap number for 2015 was adjusted earlier in the offseason, bringing it down from $21.5MM, while Thomas and Miller are both candidates for extensions. Thomas’ figure is based on the franchise tag and Miller’s is based on the fifth-year option — presumably, the team would like to lock up at least one of those two players to a long-term contract this offseason to avoid having to decide between them for the franchise tag in 2016.

Elsewhere on the list, Sanders and Harris look like two of the NFL’s best bargains. Harris’ cap hit will jump to $9MM in 2016, but based on what Byron Maxwell received on the open market this winter, that still looks like a very fair price for one of the top cornerbacks in the league. As for Sanders, his cap charge continues to be very affordable next year, at just $6MM.

One name that jumps out on this list is Colquitt, who is a solid but unspectacular punter, ranking 23rd in net average last year. It looks like the team will probably carry him this year, but when his cap hit increases to $4MM in 2016, with just $750K in dead money, it may be time to bring in some legitimate competition at the position.

Kansas City Chiefs:

Alex Smith, QB: $15,600,000
Justin Houston, OLB: $13,195,000
Dwayne Bowe, WR: $8,894,118 (dead money)
Eric Berry, S: $8,357,700
Jamaal Charles, RB: $7,970,835
Sean Smith, CB: $7,750,000
Eric Fisher, LT: $6,051,954
Derrick Johnson, LB: $5,250,000
Tamba Hali, OLB: $4,964,706
Chase Daniel, QB: $4,800,000
Total: $82,834,313

Like the Broncos, the Chiefs have a franchise player near the top of their list of cap numbers, so if Houston reaches a long-term agreement with the club within the next few days, his number could be reduced.

Still, there are some unexpected names here for Kansas City — Bowe, for instance, will be playing in Cleveland this season while he continues to count for nearly $9MM against the Chiefs’ cap. It’s also not clear if Berry will be able to return to the field in 2015, though obviously his recovery from lymphoma is more important than any cap considerations.

When I looked at the NFC West earlier this week, I observed that the Cardinals were one of the league’s only teams with two quarterbacks amongst their top 10 cap charges. Kansas City is the other club to have that honor, and it’s somewhat surprising that Daniel’s contract hasn’t been addressed. The Chiefs clearly value him highly, having made him one of the NFL’s highest-paid backups, despite the fact that he has only thrown 75 passes in his career.

Oakland Raiders:

Rodney Hudson, C: $13,000,000
Dan Williams, DT: $8,000,000
Nate Allen, S: $7,000,000
Tyvon Branch, S: $6,671,000 (dead money)
Curtis Lofton, LB: $6,500,000
Austin Howard, RT: $6,400,000
Donald Penn, LT: $5,400,000
Justin Tuck, DE: $4,968,750
Khalil Mack, OLB: $4,244,773
Charles Woodson, S: $4,200,000
Total: $66,384,523

The Raiders entered the offseason with a boatload of cap room to use, and they took advantage by lavishing lucrative contracts onto a handful of free agents who may not have been entirely deserving of such big annual salaries.

Still, it’s worth pointing out that the figures here for Hudson, Williams, Allen, and Lofton aren’t quite representative of their per-year salaries — all four players will see their cap numbers decrease in future seasons, with Hudson dipping most drastically between 2015 and 2016, from $13MM to $7.7MM. The contracts themselves may not turn out to be smart investments, but Oakland was smart to allocate larger cap hits to 2015, when the team had cap space to burn.

The Raiders, like a handful of other teams we’ve examined so far, benefit from not having to spend big yet on their young quarterback, but the club’s spending habits at other positions are a little unusual. While most teams would invest most heavily in players on the outside – left tackles, edge rushers, wide receivers, and cornerbacks – the Raiders’ top 2015 cap hits are all for up-the-middle players, including a center, defensive tackle, safety, and inside linebacker.

San Diego Chargers:

Philip Rivers, QB: $17,416,668
Eric Weddle, S: $10,100,000
Antonio Gates, TE: $9,762,500
Corey Liuget, DT: $7,977,000
Donald Butler, LB: $5,480,000
Malcom Floyd, WR: $4,716,668
Orlando Franklin, G: $4,400,000
Mike Scifres, P: $4,347,500
Brandon Flowers, CB: $4,250,000
King Dunlap, LT: $4,125,000
Total: $72,575,336

The Chargers’ top 10 cap numbers for 2015 are made up nearly entirely of players who are entering the final year of their respective contracts and players who just signed new contracts with the club this offseason. Only Butler, who signed an extension in 2014, and Scifres, who is under contract for 2016, don’t meet this criteria.

Of the longtime Chargers entering the final year of their contracts, Rivers appears to have the best chance of reaching a long-term extension that would affect his cap number for 2015. Talks between the Chargers and Weddle haven’t gone well, Gates is facing a four-game suspension, and Floyd has talked about the possibility of retiring after the coming season.

As for the recently signed players, Liuget, Flowers, and Dunlap re-upped with San Diego this offseason, with Flowers and Dunlap narrowly avoiding reaching the open market, while Franklin was poached from the division-rival Broncos. All four players will see their cap numbers rise after this season, going from a combined $20.752 in 2015 to a total of $33.275 in 2016.

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

Community Tailgate: 7/10/15

July 10th, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re still about two months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. Earlier this summer, we 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’ll focus on the afternoon’s big news and take a closer look at the reduction of Greg Hardy‘s suspension. After initially being banned for 10 games, the Cowboys defensive end had his suspension cut to four games today by arbitrator Harold Henderson, who said in a statement that 10 games was “simply too much of an increase over prior cases.”

Taking into account the details of Hardy’s domestic violence case, a mere four-game suspension sounds awfully light, especially considering Tom Brady is currently facing the same penalty for his possible involvement in DeflateGate, a case which lacked the sort of hard evidence available against Hardy. Of course, the two cases are wildly different, but it still isn’t a good look for the NFL that the two players are facing equal penalties.

On the other hand, Hardy’s domestic incident took place while the league’s old personal conduct policy was still in effect, and that policy called for a two-game suspension for this sort of violation. Throw in the fact that Hardy was forced out of action for 15 games in 2014, spending time on the commissioner’s exempt list while the legal process played out, and you could make a case that the four-game ban is still too much. Agent Drew Rosenhaus left the door open today for Hardy to continue to fight the suspension in court in an effort to reduce it to two games, though Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) says that’s unlikely to happen.

What do you think? Is a four-game suspension fair for Hardy? Should he and his camp drop their fight and accept the reduced penalty? And, on a somewhat related note, does today’s ruling alter your view of Brady’s appeal, and how Roger Goodell might rule in that case? Weigh in below in the comments section with your thoughts and opinions and the subject. We’re looking forward to hearing what you have to say!

NFC Notes: Washington, Panthers, Rams, 49ers

July 10th, 2015 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

On Wednesday morning, a federal judge in Virginia ordered the U.S. Patent Office to cancel registration of the Washington Redskins‘ trademark registrations, upholding an earlier ruling by the federal Trademark Trial and Appeal Board. Responding to the news, team president Bruce Allen released a statement soon after.

“I am surprised by the judge’s decision to prevent us from presenting our evidence in an open trial,” Allen said in the statement (via CSNWashington.com). “We look forward to winning on appeal after a fair and impartial review of the case. We are convinced that we will win because the facts and the law are on the side of our franchise that has proudly used the name Redskins for more than 80 years.”

No one expected Washington to roll over and allow its trademark registration to be canceled without a fight, so Allen’s statement didn’t come as a surprise. As we wait to see how that case plays out, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFC….

Greg Hardy‘s reduced suspension is good news for the Panthers, who will be eligible to receive a compensatory draft pick in 2016 if Hardy is on the Cowboys’ roster for 10 games, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. Under the terms of the initial suspension, Hardy wouldn’t have been active for more than six regular season contests in 2015.
The Rams were wise to bolster their offensive line depth by taking Clemson tackle Isaiah Battle in Thursday’s supplemental draft, Jeff Gordon of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch writes. Battle joins 2015 draft picks Rob Havenstein, Jamon Brown, Andrew Donnal, and Cody Wichmann as part of a rookie-heavy unit for the Rams, and while he’s green, Battle is said to possess serious upside. The cost of selecting the underclassman was a fifth-round choice in the 2016 draft, a small price to pay in Gordon’s estimation.
The 49ers have made a habit of using some of their draft picks in recent years on “redshirt”-type players who are coming off injuries So far, those draftees haven’t made a real impact for the team so far, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who examines a few players who fit the bill.
Tom Benson‘s lawsuit seeking to cut his daughter and grandchildren out of ownership of the Saints will continue in New Orleans, after U.S. District Judge Jane Triche Milazzo denied a motion to dismiss the case. The Associated Press has the latest details on the Benson family feud.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Greg Hardy’s Suspension Cut To Four Games

July 10th, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

2:34pm: Henderson has issued a statement to accompany his ruling, and Albert Breer of the NFL Network has the full text:

“After consideration of all the record evidence and arguments, I conclude that the Commissioner acted within his authority and properly exercised his discretion in finding that Hardy violated the NFL Personal Conduct Policy.

“I find that the conduct of Hardy clearly violates the letter and spirit of any version of the PCP since its inception, and of the NFL Constitution and Bylaws long before then. The egregious conduct exhibited here is indefensible in the NFL.

“However, ten games is simply too much, in my view, of an increase over prior cases without notice such as was done last year, when the ‘baseline’ for discipline in domestic violence or sexual assault cases was announced as a six-game suspension. Therefore, the discipline of Mr. Hardy hereby is modified to a suspension of four games; all other terms of the discipline letter remain in place.”

1:24pm: More than six weeks after the appeal hearing, arbitrator Harold Henderson has made his decision on Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy. According to NFL PR man Brian McCarthy (Twitter link), Hardy’s suspension has been upheld, but the penalty has been reduced from 10 games to four games.

As Albert Breer of the NFL Network observes (via Twitter), Hardy’s new suspension for violating the NFL’s personal conduct policy appears to represent a compromise between the league’s old policy and new policy. While the old policy called for a two-game ban, a domestic incident calls for a six-game suspension under the league’s new guidelines.

The incident for which Hardy is being suspended occurred when the NFL’s old personal conduct policy was still in place, but by the time the case was resolved and the league handed down its discipline, the new policy had been implemented, creating some confusion about how the case was handled.

While Henderson’s ruling looks like a big win on the surface for Hardy and the Cowboys, the defensive end and the NFLPA could still choose to file a lawsuit, challenging the decision in court. Earlier this week, we heard conflicting accounts on Hardy’s willingness to continue the fight, with one report suggesting he’d likely accept his suspension if it were reduced by a few games, while another report indicated he’d challenge the ban if it was for more than two games.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), agent Drew Rosenhaus said today that he’ll confer with Hardy, the NFLPA, and his lawyers before deciding whether or not to proceed with legal action.

For now, assuming Hardy accepts the four-game suspension, he’ll have the potential to earn up to about $10.628MM this season, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. The 26-year-old’s contract has a modest base salary, but features up to $9.25MM in per-game roster bonuses and about $1.8MM in incentives. By getting his penalty reduced from 10 games to four games, Hardy will have the opportunity to earn nearly $3.5MM in extra per-game roster bonuses.

As a refresher, Hardy allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder in May of 2014. After being found guilty by a judge, Hardy was scheduled to get a jury trial, but due to a lack of cooperation by Holder, the charges against the defensive end were ultimately dismissed, as he reached a civil settlement with his accuser. While the case played out, Hardy spent the 2014 season on the commissioner’s exempt list for the Panthers, missing all but one game. The Cowboys signed Hardy earlier this offseason before word of his suspension broke, and the new four-game ban is about what the team had initially expected.

With Hardy’s case resolved – barring further legal action from his camp and the NFLPA – the next appeal to be addressed is Tom Brady‘s. A decision on Brady could reportedly come as early as next week, though I wouldn’t be surprised if it took longer than that for Roger Goodell to make an announcement. Despite the drastic differences in their cases, the reduction of Hardy’s penalty might bode well for the Patriots quarterback.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chiefs, Houston To Talk Contract This Weekend

July 10th, 2015 at 11:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs and Justin Houston will discuss a possible extension for the standout pass rusher this weekend, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who indicates agent Joel Segal will talk to Kansas City GM John Dorsey.

Like Jason Pierre-Paul, Dez Bryant, and Demaryius Thomas, Houston received the franchise tag earlier this offseason but has yet to sign that one-year, $13.195MM tender, preferring for the time being to pursue a long-term contract. It’s no surprise that Houston and the Chiefs are expected to ramp up negotiations in the coming days, since the deadline for franchised players to strike a multiyear deal is next Wednesday.

According to Cole, the Chiefs have an offer on the table for Houston that features “generational wealth”-type money. It’s not clear exactly what that means in terms of per-year salary or overall guarantees, but Cole suggests the NFL’s reigning sack leader is seeking a deal in the neighborhood of J.J. Watt‘s six-year, $100MM pact. That’s no surprise either — we heard way back in November, when Houston was on his way to finishing with 22 sacks, that he and Segal may look to top Watt’s deal.

If the Chiefs don’t increase their offer into the Watt range, the two sides likely won’t get anything done within the next five days, leaving Houston to play the 2015 season on his one-year franchise tender. However, it’s not unreasonable to think Kansas City’s offer could get close to that six-year, $100MM figure.

Although Watt received more than $50MM in total guarantees, only about $20MM of that amount was fully guaranteed up front. And while a report in May indicated the Chiefs wouldn’t want to pay Houston more annually than they’ve committed to quarterback Alex Smith ($17MM), a six-year, $100MM agreement would come in just below that.

Houston isn’t quite the one-man wrecking ball that Watt is up front, but Watt’s deal is viewed as a relative bargain for the Texans, since they got it done well before he would’ve reached free agency. Additionally, you could make the case that Houston is the league’s second-best pass rusher, considering he has racked up 43 sacks over the last three seasons, earning Pro Bowl nods in each of those years.

Based on that production, Houston is probably worthy of an extension that matches or exceeds the contracts for top pass rushers like Mario Williams and Robert Quinn, who are in the $14-16MM per year range. We’ll see if the Chiefs are willing to go that high, or if they’re more inclined to go year to year on their star outside linebacker.

Chiefs Sign Kevin Short

July 10th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

11:17am: The Chiefs have officially confirmed the signing of Short, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve waived cornerback Kenneth Penny to make room for the new addition. Penny, a UNLV alum, had just signed with Kansas City last month.

8:49am: Former Kansas cornerback Kevin Short wasn’t selected in yesterday’s supplemental draft, but it didn’t take him long to find an NFL home. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, Short has joined the Chiefs, signing a standard three-year contract for an undrafted rookie.

Short, a 6’2″ 190-pound defensive back, never actually played for the Jayhawks, having been declared academically ineligible last season. He left school in September, citing personal reasons, before entering this week’s supplemental draft.

While Short was the first of the undrafted players from this week’s group to land a deal, I expect it includes little to no guaranteed money, so he won’t be assured of a roster spot for the 2015 season. If he impresses in training camp, Short could get a longer look and perhaps earn a spot on Kansas City’s practice squad.

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