HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFL Could Move Only One Team To L.A.

September 23rd, 2015 at 7:25pm CST by Zachary Links

For the last few months, it has been widely reported that the NFL wanted to move two franchises to Los Angeles. At first, that appeared to be a positive for the joint Chargers/Raiders effort, though there were also rumblings that the Bolts and Rams could hook up on a stadium project.

Now, the NFL may ultimately move only one team to Los Angeles, a league source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of PFT. That would not be a short-term plan, either – it would be an indefinite move that could result in a second team never going to L.A. If only one team goes, that team likely would be the Rams, since owner Stan Kroenke already has plans in place to fund privately a one-team stadium. Florio writes that the league is concerned that they might not be able to connect with Angelenos if they come in cold with two teams after a 20+ year absence from the market. Instead, they may choose to ensure that they get things right with just one club.

Here’s more on Los Angeles and even news on a possible London team..

  • Things could be getting more serious as the Committee on Los Angeles Opportunities, comprising six owners, along with Commissioner Roger Goodell, will be taking a more prominent role in the L.A. proceedings, Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times writes. While that might not seem like a big change, it is noteworthy since things have been fairly stagnant since the spring.
  • When asked on Twitter when there will be an NFL franchise in London, mayor Boris Johnson responded, “We are working hard on deal – high hopes for Tottenham in the next few years…watch this space.”
  • The L.A. committee was scheduled to discuss a potential relocation fee in detail last week, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. The committee is expected to set the fee and structure of the payment at an October meeting in New York.

NFL Minor Transactions: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves..

  • The Dolphins announced (via Twitter) that they have signed running back Jonas Gray off of the practice squad. The Dolphins first added Gray to their taxi squad earlier this month and since then he has been promoted, cut outright, and re-signed to the practice squad before finally being brought back up to the 53-man roster today. Gray emerged as a potential starter for the Patriots during his 201-yard, four-touchdown performance against the Colts during the 2014 season, but was leapfrogged on New England’s depth chart by LeGarrette Blount and others down the stretch. In early September, several running backs in New England got ahead of him in line, leading to his release.
  • The Giants cut Josh Gordy from injured reserve with an injury settlement, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • The Bills promoted safety Jonathan Meeks to the 53-man roster, per Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (on Twitter).
  • The Steelers released wide receiver Tyler Murphy to make room for the returning Le’Veon Bell, as Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are the latest practice squad signings and cuts from across the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Buffalo Bills

Dallas Cowboys

  • Signed: DE Efe Obada (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com)

Detroit Lions

  • Signed: WR/KR Kaelin Clay (link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press)
  • Cut: WR Kendrick Ings

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

  • Signed: TE Sean McGrath (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle), CB Eric Patterson (via Mike Chappell of FOX59 on Twitter)
  • Cut: OL David Arkin

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

  • Signed: TE Connor Hamlett (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune)

Tennessee Titans

Cowboys Restructure Jason Witten’s Contract

September 23rd, 2015 at 3:48pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have restructured the contract of tight end Jason Witten, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. The Cowboys were facing a salary cap crunch following the acquisition of quarterback Matt Cassel but they now have a little bit of breathing room after moving some money around with their star tight end.

Witten, earning a base salary of $5.1MM this year, was set to make $4.5MM during the final 15 weeks of the season. To create some cap space for 2015, the Cowboys turned $3.6MM of the remaining base salary into a signing bonus. The move adds $1.2MM to Witten’s cap figures in 2016 and 2017.

By acquiring Cassel, the Cowboys took on $1.76MM in base salary plus $2.15MM in playing time/postseason incentives, although those bonuses are not likely to be earned. Dallas will also owe $5.78MM to Greg Hardy for ten game roster bonuses once his suspension ends. Now that Witten’s money has been moved around a little bit, the Cowboys won’t have to sweat either one of those charges.

Right now, Witten is focusing on getting healthy for Sunday’s matchup with the Falcons. The tight end sprained both ankles and one of his knees in Sunday’s win against the Eagles and his status for this upcoming week is uncertain.

Workout Notes: 9/23/15

September 23rd, 2015 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

Teams around the NFL are bringing in players for workouts, surveying the free agent landscape for possible practice squad additions or 53-man roster players, either for the near future or down the road. Here are a few of the latest auditions from across the league, via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (all links go to Twitter):

AFC:

NFC:

NFC Notes: Graham, Alonso, Norman

September 23rd, 2015 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The biggest news out of the NFC today is Kam Chancellor‘s decision to end his holdout and report to the Seahawks, but we’ve got several more items to round up from around the conference, including a couple more updates out of Seattle. Let’s dive in…

  • Tight end Jimmy Graham isn’t happy with the role he has had in Seattle’s offense during the season’s first two weeks, and has questioned why the Seahawks would trade for him if they intended to use him like this, says Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (video link). Freeman expects the team to tweak its offensive approach to get Graham more involved, but if that doesn’t happen, the Pro Bowl tight end could express his unhappiness publicly.
  • According to Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle, the Seahawks would have released veteran center Max Unger even if he hadn’t been involved in the trade that sent Graham from New Orleans to Seattle.
  • Evaluations on whether or not Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso will be able to play through his knee injury are ongoing, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (via Twitter). Head coach Chip Kelly said today that Alonso has a sprained knee, which doesn’t contradict a previous report indicating that it’s a partial tear of the linebacker’s ACL.
  • Cornerback Josh Norman has been one of the most impressive players on the Panthers in the early part of the 2015 season, and the team may regret not locking him up in the offseason when he was extension-eligible, writes David Newton of ESPN.com. Norman’s price tag is on the rise as he nears the end of his contract, which expires in 2016.
  • The lucrative new extension Julio Jones signed with the Falcons in the preseason is paying early dividends for the Falcons, as Orlando D. Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details.

Reactions To Kam Chancellor Ending Holdout

September 23rd, 2015 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

Word broke this morning that Pro Bowl safety Kam Chancellor is ending his holdout and reporting to the Seahawks, despite not getting a new contract from the team. The two sides still need to sort out whether or not Chancellor will pay all of his fines and return bonus money to the team, and a player will need to be removed from Seattle’s 53-man roster before Chancellor can officially return. But it looks like he could play this weekend against the Bears.

Here are a few reactions and updates on the Chancellor situation:

  • Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) confirm that Chancellor doesn’t have a new deal in place with the Seahawks, and simply decided to report. According to Rapoport, the 27-year-old flew on a private plane from Los Angeles to Seattle this morning.
  • As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Chancellor racked up $1.1MM in fines, $500K in signing-bonus forfeiture, and about $534K in lost salary, for a total of about $2.134MM in potential lost earnings. The Seahawks could choose not to go after all of that money, and if they do, it could make sense for the club to waive the fines, since they don’t count against the salary cap anyway, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.
  • One could argue that the Seahawks would be setting a dangerous precedent if they waive all of Chancellor’s fines and don’t go after his signing bonus, since it could encourage others to hold out in the future. But Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) believes that refusing to budge on Chancellor’s contract is a more important precedent — as Corry observes, players won’t be lining up to hold out and miss out on pay checks.
  • Still, Corry wouldn’t be surprised if Chancellor requests a trade if the Seahawks don’t meaningfully address his contract in 2016 (Twitter link).
  • The Seahawks have received a roster exemption for Chancellor, meaning he can practice with the team without Seattle having to move someone off the 53-man roster for now, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). To make him active on game day, the club would have to move Chancellor onto the 53-man roster.
  • There’s no doubt that the Seahawks have missed Chancellor on the field, writes Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com in his look at what the safety’s return means for Seattle’s defense.

Kam Chancellor To Report To Seahawks

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:38am CST by Luke Adams

The final holdout of the 2015 NFL season appears to be coming to an end, according to Adam Schefter and Stephen A. Smith of ESPN (Twitter link), who report that Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor is reporting to the team.

“Ima go help my teammates that are understanding of my position and the ones who aren’t,” Chancellor said in a text message to Smith, according to Schefter. “God forgives all, why can’t i? Time to help us get back to the big dance . I can address business after the season. Me and Marshawn started a mission 2 years ago. I can’t let my Dawg down….Real talk.”

As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports notes (Twitter links), there are still plenty of issues for Chancellor and the Seahawks to iron out, even if the club doesn’t plan on altering his contract at all. The team has told Chancellor’s agent, Alvin Keels, that they weren’t going to forgive the fines the Pro Bowler has piled up during his holdout, but they’ll likely discuss a possible reduction. To date, Chancellor has forfeited more than $2MM, including lost salary, bonus money, and fines.

After signing a four-year contract extension with the Seahawks in 2013, Chancellor saw his $7MM annual figure surpassed by a handful of safeties in the two years since then, and wanted a raise heading into this season. Reportedly, the 27-year-old hadn’t been seeking any extra money for 2015, but wanted a chunk of 2017 money pushed forward to 2016. The two sides were said to be less than $1MM apart, but with three years still remaining on Chancellor’s deal, GM John Schneider and the Seahawks were reluctant to give in to his demands and set a precedent going forward.

Without Chancellor in their lineup, the Seahawks have started off the season 0-2. Of course, it’s possible that the team would have the same record even with their star safety in the mix, since the schedule began with two tough games in St. Louis and Green Bay. Still, Chancellor’s Week 1 replacement Dion Bailey did get burned for a key touchdown against the Rams.

Assuming Chancellor and the Seahawks are able to reach an accord on the issue of his fines and lost salary, I’d expect him to suit up for the team’s Week 3 contest against the Bears. Before that can happen, the Seahawks will have to clear a spot on the 53-man roster for Chancellor, who had been on the reserve/did not report list.

Browns To Start Josh McCown In Week 3

September 23rd, 2015 at 8:34am CST by Luke Adams

Last week, reports suggested that the Browns would have played Josh McCown over Johnny Manziel at quarterback if the veteran signal-caller had been medically cleared, and even after Manziel led the team to a Week 2 win over the Titans, it appears that stance hasn’t changed. After passing through the concussion protocol and getting the go-ahead, McCown will start this weekend against the Raiders, the Browns announced today in a press release.

McCown, 36, led the Browns all the way down the field in the team’s opening series of the regular season, completing five of eight passes for 49 yards, and picking up another 23 yards on the ground. However, he suffered a concussion on the very last play of the drive, when he took a big hit while trying to dive into the Jets’ end zone.

Manziel held his own in McCown’s absence, so the leash for the veteran figures to be a little shorter beginning this weekend than it would have been at the start of the season.

In other Browns news, Berea prosecutor Jim Walters won’t be filing charges against offensive line coach Andy Moeller, according to Vince Grzegorek of Cleveland Scene (Twitter link). The Browns suspended Moeller indefinitely earlier this month while he was being investigated for a possible domestic incident.

“It is quite clear an incident of volatile nature took place,” the Berea prosecutor’s office said in a statement, per Grzegorek (Twitter link). “What is less clear is the actions of the two persons involved.”

While Moeller will no longer face charges for the incident, the NFL could still suspend him after conducting its own investigation, so we’ll have to wait and see whether or not he’s reinstated by the Browns.

Extra Points: Decker, Bucs, Dolphins, Jets

September 22nd, 2015 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys‘ acquisition of Matt Cassel is more proof that Dallas is all in for 2015, Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News writes. In time, Sherrington wonders if Cassel will take the starting job away from Brandon Weeden, who is currently slated to start while Tony Romo heals up. Cassel has started 71 games, nearly four times Weeden’s total, and he might make more sense for a Cowboys team that is looking to win. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Jets coach Todd Bowles says that Eric Decker has a sprained knee and is day-to-day, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Decker left Monday night’s game in the fourth quarter after a Colts defender landed on him following an incompletion. The wide receiver had a tremendous showing against the Colts, catching eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown, all in the first half.
  • Buccaneers tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins suffered a strained shoulder and it’s expected to sideline him for 4-6 weeks, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The sophomore tight end will get a second opinion on the matter, he adds.
  • Former Giants tight end Adrien Robinson worked out for the Dolphins today, according to a source that spoke with Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (on Twitter). Robinson was dropped by Big Blue on September 5th as the club trimmed down to a 53-man roster.
  • Former Ravens wide receiver Daniel Brown worked out for the Jets today, according to a league source who spoke with the Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). Brown was dropped by Baltimore on September 10th in favor of center Asa Jackson.
Load More Posts