HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFC Notes: Galette, Falcons, Panthers

July 30th, 2015 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Former Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette is visiting Washington today, and a person familiar with Galette’s thinking tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post that last year’s NFC East cellar-dwellers are the leaders to sign the free agent pass rusher. With that in mind, Jones breaks down the pros and cons of a possible Galette signing for Washington, noting that he’d certainly be an upgrade on the field, and likely wouldn’t cost a ton. However, the team will have to be certain that Galette won’t be a problem off the field and in the locker room.

Within his piece, Jones notes that the Buccaneers are also believed to be a potential suitor for Galette, though Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted earlier this week that there was no indication the Bucs were interested in signing the ex-Saint.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The Falcons have tended to steer clear of players with off-field red flags over the years, but team owner Arthur Blank said he supported the club’s decision to select cornerback Jalen Collins in the second round this year, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Multiple teams flagged Collins due to his marijuana use, and the rookie admitted after the draft that he failed at least three drug tests at LSU.
  • Linebacker Luke Kuechly is the next Panthers player in line for an extension, but he tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer he’s not thinking about his contract. “This stuff gets done when it gets done,” Kuechly said. “We trust the guys in the building. So it’ll get done when it needs to get done.” GM Dave Gettleman has said he won’t negotiate extensions during the season, so Kuechly will have to wait until 2016 for a new deal if nothing gets finalized within the next few weeks.
  • In a separate piece for the Observer, Person identifies five Panthers players on the regular-season roster bubble, including veteran receiver Jerricho Cotchery.
  • With Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor reportedly mulling a holdout, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines Chancellor’s contract to see where he fits in the safety market.

Brady Lawsuit Moved From Minnesota To NYC

July 30th, 2015 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Minnesota judge Richard Kyle has ordered the NFLPA’s appeal on behalf of Tom Brady to be transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed its own lawsuit, tweets Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal. The decision tips the scales in the league’s favor, since Minnesota courts are typically viewed as more labor-friendly and have ruled in favor of the NFLPA in the past.

As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets, Judge Kyle found there was no reason for the case to have been filed in Minnesota, since the NFL is headquartered in New York, the arbitration proceedings took place in New York, and the award was issued in New York. Since the league also knew better than the NFLPA when Roger Goodell’s decision would be announced, it was able to gets its lawsuit in ahead of the union’s, and Kyle cited the “first-filed” rule when making his decision.

While the ruling is considered a positive sign for the league, it’s not necessarily all bad for the union. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Judge Kyle was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, while New York judge Richard M. Berman was appointed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. Democratic judges are generally believed to be more philosophically aligned with labor and individuals, rather than management, so Judge Berman figures to give Brady and the NFLPA a fair shake.

The NFLPA plans to refile its lawsuit against the league on behalf of Brady in Manhattan today, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

North Notes: Browns, H. Smith, Steelers

July 30th, 2015 at 8:46am CST by Luke Adams

The 2015 season will likely be a redshirt year for rookie cornerback Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, Browns head coach Mike Pettine said on Wednesday, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. At one point, Ekpre-Olomu, who continues to recover from a serious knee injury, was viewed as a potential first-round pick, but Cleveland snagged him in the seventh round in May following his torn ACL and disclocated knee. The Browns will have to wait until the end of training camp to move the Oregon alum to injured reserve if they want to avoid the risk of losing him on waivers.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

Washington Hosting Junior Galette For Visit

July 29th, 2015 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Saints pass rusher Junior Galette has his first potential suitor, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that Galette will visit Washington, taking a physical for the team and meeting club officials.

Galette, 27, was the Saints’ best pass rusher over the last two seasons, recording 12 sacks in 2013 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in 2014. His production earned him a lucrative contract extension in September, but his offseason was dominated by negative headlines. In January, Galette was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dropped. More recently a video from 2013 surfaced showing a man that appears to be Galette involved in a beach brawl, striking a woman with a belt.

The off-field concerns resulted in the Saints releasing Galette on Monday, despite having to eat a huge chunk of dead money. Following the move, reports surfaced indicating that Galette had a negative influence on the New Orleans locker room, and his former teammates didn’t seem too broken up about his departure.

Nonetheless, Washington will kick the tires on Galette and find out if there’s a potential fit for him on a roster that features outside linebackers Trent Murphy, Preston Smith, and the just-extended Ryan Kerrigan. If the team does decide to add him, it wouldn’t be the first time this offseason that an NFC East team has signed a standout pass rusher facing potential league discipline for an off-field incident — the Cowboys, of course, added Greg Hardy earlier this year.

Galette’s physical could also provide crucial information for Washington as the team decides whether or not to sign him, since the edge defender is recovering from a pectoral injury.

NFC South Notes: David, S. Hill, Saints

July 29th, 2015 at 10:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s wrap up Wednesday evening by taking a look at a few items from out of the NFC South….

  • Buccaneers GM Jason Licht says that he’s having “some healthy talks” with linebacker Lavonte David regarding a new contract, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Licht said that a deal like this doesn’t get done overnight, but he’ll do “everything” he can “to make sure Lavonte is a [member of the Bucs] for a long time” (Twitter link).
  • Meanwhile, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times classifies the David extension talks as “amicable but not fruitful” in his look at the Buccaneers linebacker.
  • Panthers wide receiver Stephen Hill was issued a citation for a drug paraphernalia charge during a traffic stop in Concord, North Carolina on Tuesday afternoon, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes. According to the incident report, Hill was charged for knowingly possessing with intent to use drug paraphernalia, including two grinders with marijuana residue and a marijuana bowl. Hill was already a long shot to get a spot on the team with a significant role, but this incident hurts his chances even more.
  • Speaking today to reporters, including ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett, Saints GM Mickey Loomis admitted that he’ll have to re-examine the steps that led him to locking up Junior Galette last fall. “I’ve got to say, ‘Hey, what could we have done differently? What were the red flags that we missed or that I missed?'” Loomis said. “I thought this was a player that’s had a lot of production for us and felt like the arrow was pointing up. At the time, I thought this was a good deal for us.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/15

July 29th, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves from around the NFL…

AFC:

  • The Browns have re-signed undrafted rookie defensive back Landon Feichter, as Nate Ulrich of the Beacon-Journal writes. The 5’11”, 201-pound Feichter originally signed with the Browns on May 11 after participating in the team’s rookie minicamp on a tryout basis. He was waived on June 22. Feichter appeared in 45 games as a safety at Purdue University and tallied 234 career tackles, 10 interceptions and eight passes defensed.
  • The Steelers have removed linebacker Shawn Lemon from their roster, waiving him from the PUP list and signing defensive back Jordan Sullen to take his place, tweets PR man Burt Lauten.
  • The Ravens have waived undrafted rookie wide receiver Cam Worthy and signed Tom Nelson, who is converting from safety to wide receiver, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Colts have signed cornerback Raymon Taylor, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Taylor played collegiately at Michigan.
  • The Chiefs have parted ways with running back Cyrus Gray, who finished last season on the team’s injured reserve list, tweets Wilson.
  • The Dolphins have signed defensive tackle Calvin Barnett, wide receiver Kai De La Cruz, offensive tackle Chris Martin, and waived defensive lineman Ellis McCarthy, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
  • Fullback James Develin, who received an exclusive rights qualifying offer from the Patriots way back in March, has finally signed it today, according to Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (via Twitter).
  • After clearing waivers, wide receiver James Wright has been placed on the IR by the Bengals, tweets Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer.

NFC:

  • The Falcons have signed offensive lineman Demarcus Love, bringing the roster up to 90 players, the team announced today in a press release. Love, who finished last season on the Broncos’ practice squad, worked out for the Browns yesterday, and inked a two-year deal with Atlanta, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • The Buccaneers, entering the day with one open roster spot, created two more openings by cutting defensive backs Deshazor Everett and Derrick Wells, according to a team release. To get back up to 90 players, the Bucs added rookie defensive backs Jude Adjei-Barimah and Al-Hajj Shabazz and free agent safety Kimario McFadden, who spent time on the Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Carolina practice squads in 2014
  • The Bears announced that guard Chad Hamilton, who missed a lot of time in the spring, is retiring from football, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Hamilton has been placed on the reserve/retired list.
  • The Saints have signed long snapper Chris Highland, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune (on Twitter).
  • Having cleared waivers, Cameron Lawrence, and offensive lineman Ryan Miller have been placed on the Cowboys‘ injured reserve list, per Wilson (Twitter link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: S. Smith, Weddle, Bengals, Pats

July 29th, 2015 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

While some players like the idea of going out on top, veteran receiver Steve Smith thinks he might continue playing even if the Ravens win the Super Bowl this season, per Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com.

“You still have the same bills, the same issues, you’re the same person,” Smith said, joking, “You don’t all of a sudden get free cable for life because you’ve won a Super Bowl.”

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • As expected, Chargers safety Eric Weddle doesn’t have a new contract in place as San Diego’s training camp gets underway, so expect him to play out the 2015 season with an eye toward free agency in the winter, says Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • With James Wright done for the year, Coley Harvey of ESPN.com expects the Bengals to add one more receiver via free agency. Harvey ran down some notable names that are still available, including Reggie Wayne, Wes Welker, James Jones, and Dane Sanzenbacher. Greg Little, who will audition with the team this week, earned an honorable mention on his list.
  • Cornerback Tarell Brown got a one-year, $1.5MM deal from the Patriots, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. Brown will receive a $100K bonus if he makes the team in Week 1, to go along with a $400K signing bonus and a $1MM base salary.
  • There was some confusion this week when the Dolphins re-signed quarterback Josh Freeman just four days after cutting him. However, as Field Yates of ESPN.com explains (via Twitter), Freeman’s new contract includes a split salary, which would allow the team to save money if the signal-caller gets hurt and lands on injured reserve.
  • After meeting with San Diego officials earlier this week to discuss the stadium situation there, NFL executive Eric Grubman was in East Bay today to talk about the Raiders‘ stadium progress, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Tom Brady Updates: Wednesday

July 29th, 2015 at 6:28pm CST by Luke Adams

6:28pm: The NFLPA has officially announced its suit on behalf of Brady, providing a brief summary of its arguments, along with the full text of the appeal.

6:08pm: The lawsuit from Tom Brady and the NFL Players Association seeking to vacate Brady’s four-game suspension has officially been filed in Minnesota district court, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link), NFLPA attorney Jeffrey Kessler says the union filed suit on four grounds, including a lack of notice and Roger Goodell’s partiality. Breer notes (via Twitter) that the suit also refers to Brady’s June appeal hearing as one that “defied any concept of fundamental fairness.”

Unsurprisingly, several news, notes, and opinions on the Brady situation have trickled in over the course of the day, so we’ll use this space to round them all up. Here’s the latest:

News/rumors/quotes:

  • The NFLPA will ask the judge to either rule by September 4th or to issue an injunction allowing Brady to play pending a ruling, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (on Twitter). Kessler thinks the situation can be resolved by September 4th, as Pelissero tweets.
  • At least two NFLPA player reps were “dismayed” by the union’s decision to vehemently defend Brady, since those players believe it’s likely that Brady is guilty and are concerned about the union’s spending on legal fees, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report. (video link). In a letter to the NFL Players Association’s board of player representatives earlier this year, attorneys Tom DePaso and Ira Fishman explained why the NFLPA has paid so much more in legal fees than the MLB and NBA player unions over the last three years (Twitter links via Cole).
  • Brady’s agent, Don Yee, told Ed Werder of ESPN (Twitter links) that his client was beyond cooperative with Roger Goodell and Ted Wells’ team and offered up all of his cell phone records. “I’m not sure there’s another person in America with a celebrity equal to Tom’s who would do that. Imagine Taylor Swift [doing that],” Yee said.
  • Yee also offered up a theory on why the NFL has decided to file preemptively in New York federal court (via Twitter links). “One inference is they’re not confident in their reason, not confident in their evidence. [They’re] looking for a friendly jurisdiction down the street from Park Avenue because they’re saying to the world, ‘We doubt our evidence and reasoning can withstand any jurisdiction in America.’ They’re essentially admitting that.”
  • Yee told Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (Twitter links) that he contacted AT&T’s general counsel to see if they could technologically retrieve the contents of Brady’s text messages, but they could not. Said Yee: “They are an independent third party. If we were trying to hide something, why would we even reach out?”
  • More comments on the matter from Yee to Curran and to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com can be found here and here.
  • Judge Richard Berman, described as “fair” and “more than capable,” has been assigned the NFL’s lawsuit in New York City, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Breer, meanwhile, tweets that Judge Richard Kyle drew the NFLPA’s suit in Minnesota, and suggests that could be good news for the league.

Opinions/editorials:

  • In a Pro Football Talk column, Florio wonders why Goodell didn’t increase Brady’s suspension, if the new information he received – since initially deciding on four games – convinced him that the Patriots quarterback deliberately obstructed the investigation by destroying his cell phone.
  • Brady didn’t just show contempt for Goodell — he disrespected every other NFL player too, Mike Vaccaro of the New York Post writes.
  • When one of the league’s “most ambassadorial” owners like Robert Kraft makes such a strong statement about his lack of trust in the NFL’s ability to be fair and just, it’s hard to imagine things getting much worse for the league, writes Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports.
  • Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report implores Brady to come clean so that the NFL can avoid a civil war. In a separate piece, Freeman passes along a text message he received from a Patriots player: “It’s us against the world.”
  • We may never know whether Brady was involved in deflating footballs, but it seems that his true crime in the eyes of the NFL and Goodell was refusing to play ball with the league, writes La Canfora in a CBSSports.com column.

Earlier: Robert Kraft, Tom Brady issue statements

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: JPP, Mincey, T. Williams

July 29th, 2015 at 5:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Giants co-owner John Mara has “no idea’” when Jason Pierre-Paul will report to training camp, Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Mara acknowledged it was “very disappointing” to him that Pierre-Paul refused to see two team officials who traveled down to Florida to check on his physical condition. Mara also said that no one from the organization has seen JPP’s damaged right hand, and he fears the defensive end is not “receiving very good advice right now.”

As Dan Graziano of ESPN.com writes, Pierre-Paul continues to rehab and get his own medical care near his home in South Florida. Here’s more on JPP, along with a couple other NFC East updates:

  • Within Graziano’s story, he cites a source who says that Pierre-Paul expects to be healthy and to return to the field for the Giants this season “sooner than a lot of people think.”
  • With defensive end Jeremy Mincey preparing to hold out from Cowboys camp, it sounds like the team is preparing to play hardball. According to Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link), Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said today that Mincey will be fined for each day of camp he misses, and the team won’t discuss a new deal as long as he’s absent.
  • Having locked up linebacker Ryan Kerrigan to a long-term extension, Washington figures to focus on left tackle Trent Williams next. Head coach Jay Gruden confirmed today that Williams, who is entering the final year of his current deal, is in talks with the team about a new contract, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.

Titans Re-Sign Chase Coffman

July 29th, 2015 at 4:50pm CST by Luke Adams

4:50pm: The Titans have confirmed in a press release that they’ve re-signed Coffman, announcing that they’ve added running back David Fluellen to their roster as well. Fluellen spent time with the Eagles and Colts last year after going undrafted.

3:49pm: The Titans are re-signing tight end Chase Coffman, who spent the majority of the 2014 season with the team, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Coffman, a former All-American at Missouri, appeared in 167 offensive snaps for the Titans last season, and also saw some time on special teams. The former third-round pick wasn’t a major part of Tennessee’s offense, but he did catch six balls for 64 yards and a touchdown.

Coffman, who returns to Tennessee after working out for the Saints earlier in the offseason, figures to play a similar depth role for the club in 2015, assuming he earns a spot on the 53-man regular season roster.

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