HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Zachary Links

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

  • The Eagles have signed reserve offensive lineman Dennis Kelly to a one-year extension through 2016, according to a league source who spoke with Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Kelly will earn a $760K base salary with a $30K workout bonus.
  • The Seahawks waived running back Robert Turbin off of their IR with an injury settlement, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The 25-year-old Turbin was a fourth-round pick of Seattle in 2012. Since then, he’s amassed 928 yards on 231 carries (4.0 YPC), also adding 43 catches and two receiving touchdowns. Seattle waived Turbin shortly after adding Fred Jackson last week.
  • Washington gave wide receiver Evan Spencer (concussion) an injury settlement and released him from injured reserve, Zac Boyer of The Washington Times tweets.
  • The following players reached injury settlements with their respective teams, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter): Jerome Smith (Falcons), D.J. Tialavea (Falcons), Josh Martin (Chiefs), Christion Jones (Dolphins), Melvin Meggs (Chargers), Josh Allen (Buccaneers).
  • The Seahawks worked out an injury settlement with Triston Wade, Wilson tweets.

Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor Discusses Holdout

September 9th, 2015 at 6:34pm CST by Zachary Links

Kam Chancellor told Dan Hellie of NFL Network (Twitter links) that he has been willing to meet the Seahawks halfway and that the two sides are less than $1MM apart at this point. The safety added that he’s not looking for more money — rather, he simply wants money to be moved from 2017 to 2016.

At this time, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (Twitter links), the two sides aren’t close on a new deal, though that can change rather quickly. As has been the case for weeks now, the Seahawks are very concerned about setting a bad precedent by re-working Chancellor’s deal.

The 27-year-old is in the midst of a four-year, $28MM deal that runs through 2017 and is holding out to ensure the highest level of compensation as he enters what should be the most productive years of his career. In 2018, he’ll be entering his age-30 season and his payout could be fairly limited at that point.

Chancellor – who racked up 104 total tackles with seven pass deflections and one interception in 14 regular season games last season – is a key part of Seattle’s defense and he’s even more critical to the team this year with Earl Thomas potentially sidelined to start the year. However, the advanced metrics don’t portray him in quite as flattering a light. In 2014, he graded out as the 20th-best safety in the NFL according to the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d). In the year prior, Chancellor came in as the 12th-best safety in the NFL.

In tonight’s Community Tailgate, we asked PFR readers to weigh in on how they think things will play out between Seattle and Chancellor.

Community Tailgate: Kam Chancellor’s Holdout

September 9th, 2015 at 6:15pm CST by Luke Adams

With the NFL season nearly underway, we’ll have a whole new series of topics to discuss in the coming weeks, and PFR’s Community Tailgate is designed to address those topics. 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.

Speaking to reporters today, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll confirmed that star safety Kam Chancellor is continuing his holdout and has yet to report to the team. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, that means Carroll and his club expect to take the field in Week 1 without Chancellor in the secondary.

“He’s not here right now, so he’s not playing,” Carroll said. “That’s that.”

When Chancellor, who wants the Seahawks to rework his contract, began his holdout earlier in the summer, many observers were skeptical that he would stay away from the team this long. For the most part, players who hold out eventually relent before the possibility of missing game checks becomes a reality. Conversely, many teams are willing to at least temporarily placate their players by moving some salary around and giving them a little extra money up front — the Seahawks did that with Marshawn Lynch a year ago.

In this case though, neither side appears willing to budge. Chancellor just signed his contract two years ago, and it runs through the 2017 season, so the Seahawks are understandably hesitant to set a precedent by giving their star safety a raise already. On the other hand, Chancellor is one of the leaders of one of the league’s best defenses, and will earn base salaries of just $4.55MM in 2015 and $5.1MM in 2016. Given the lack of longevity for most NFL players’ careers, it’s hard to blame the 27-year-old for wanting to maximize his earnings while he can.

With Chancellor poised to miss the Seahawks’ first game of the year, he’d become the first player who signed a contract under the current Collective Bargaining Agreement to miss game action due to a holdout, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. Rapoport notes (via Twitter) that Carson Palmer was the last player to extend a holdout into the regular season, sitting out the first six games of the 2011 season before the Bengals traded him to the Raiders.

How do you see this situation playing out now that Chancellor is on the verge of missing the Seahawks’ opener? Will he or the Seahawks eventually give in? Will he be traded? Or will the stand-off drag on throughout the season? Let us know your thoughts in the comments section below!

Giants Sign Louis Nix, Drop Asa Jackson

September 9th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 4:55pm: It turns out that the Giants will sign Nix after all, as Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets.

TUESDAY, 3:59pm: A pair of recent Giants pickups have been shown the door just days after being claimed off waivers. Cornerback Asa Jackson has been cut loose two days after signing, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. Meanwhile, defensive tackle Louis Nix has failed his physical, which means that he’ll be exposed to waivers once more.

Jackson, 25, saw his first stretch of extended playing time on defense last season in Baltimore, when the Ravens’ secondary was decimated by injuries. Jackson started six games and allowed a quarterback rating of 106.6 on passes thrown into his coverage, per Pro Football Focus.

As for Nix, he was selected in the third round of the 2014 draft by the Texans, but never saw regular season action for the team, having spent the majority of his rookie campaign on injured reserve. In the opinion of the Giants, he’s not 100% healthy at this time either.

With two players off of their roster, the Giants could fill one of the spots with a tight end of note. Earlier today, Big Blue hosted ex-Lions tight end Joseph Fauria on a visit, per Yates.

Patriots Place Bryan Stork On IR-DTR

September 9th, 2015 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots’ starting center has landed on injured reserve with the designation to return, according to Brian McIntyre, who tweets that New England used the IR-DTR slot on Bryan Stork, who is suffering from a concussion. With the newly-created roster opening, the Pats signed cornerback Justin Coleman off the Seahawks’ practice squad.

Stork, 24, emerged as the Patriots’ starting center just four weeks into his rookie season in 2014, and finished the year there. Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required) suggested that Stork’s performance was somewhat up and down, but most of his worst performances came during the first half of the season.

Now that Stork has landed on injured reserve with the designation to return, he won’t be eligible to practice for six weeks, and he’ll have to wait at least eight weeks to return to game action. In the interim, Ryan Wendell and rookie David Andrews look like the strongest candidates to replace him.

By our count, the Pats become the ninth NFL team to use their short-term IR spot before the season gets underway. To catch up on how other clubs have used their IR-DTR slots, be sure to check out our tracker.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/9/15

September 9th, 2015 at 2:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are Wednesday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:

Atlanta Falcons

Buffalo Bills

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Detroit Lions

Miami Dolphins

New York Giants

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Tennessee Titans

  • Signed: LB Jason Ankrah; LB Justin Staples (Twitter link via Terry McCormick)

Chiefs Place Paul Fanaika On IR

September 9th, 2015 at 1:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs’ offensive line depth took a hit today, as the team announced (via Twitter) it has placed veteran guard Paul Fanaika on the injured reserve list. To replace Fanaika on the roster, the club re-signed linebacker Dezman Moses.

Fanaika, 29, emerged as a starter in Arizona in 2013, and ultimately started 30 games at right guard for the Cardinals over the last two seasons. After signing with the Chiefs back in March, Fanaika earned a spot on the 53-man roster as a reserve offensive lineman, and likely would’ve been relied upon at guard or tackle if he was needed.

Instead, he’ll spend the year on injured reserve, or at least will remain on IR until he and Kansas City reach an injury settlement. The nature and severity of Fanaika’s injury isn’t yet known.

As for Moses, he returns to the Chiefs after spending the 2014 season on injured reserve. He was a special teams contributor for the club in 2013, playing just 59 defensive snaps that year.

AFC Notes: Steelers, A.J. Green, Patriots

September 9th, 2015 at 12:51pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re only about 30 hours away from the 2015 NFL regular season getting underway, as the Patriots and Steelers, two AFC teams with plenty of Super Bowl wins under their belts, get set to kick off Thursday night’s action. While we look forward to that game, let’s round up a few items of note from around the AFC….

  • Given the Steelers‘ long-standing policy of not negotiating contract extension during the season, the team is running out of time to lock up tackle Kelvin Beachum and guard Ramon Foster, says Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  • The clock is also ticking on A.J. Green and the Bengals, as Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer notes. The Bengals are typically averse to doing deals with huge guarantees, and most of the top receiving contracts from this offseason have featured plenty of guaranteed money, so it’s possible Green will play out the 2015 season and get the franchise tag in 2016.
  • The Patriots have sent an application to the NFL to reinstate the two employees that were suspended as a result of the Deflategate investigation, according to an Associated Press report. With Tom Brady‘s suspension lifted, we’ll see if the league follows suit for John Jastremski and Jim McNally, who referred to himself as “the deflator” in text messages.
  • The two-year cash flow on Nate Solder‘s new extension with the Patriots mimics the pay structure of other recent contracts signed by offensive tackles, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Of course, Solder’s extension is only for two years rather than the four or five years that most players sign for. As Fitzgerald observes, the new deal also means that Solder will be eligible for free agency at the same time as Brady.

Contract Details: Cassel, F-Jax, J. Jones, Solder

September 9th, 2015 at 11:42am CST by Luke Adams

With teams getting their rosters in order for Week 1, a handful of free agents have signed with new – or old – clubs, and players around the league are having their contracts extended. Here are the latest details on a few notable contracts that have been recently signed:

  • Matt Cassel‘s base salary on his new deal with the Bills is down to $2MM from the $4.15MM he was set to earn on his previous pact, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. However, according to Yates, the veteran quarterback can earn up to $4.15MM via incentives on the new contract. Presumably, Cassel would have to reclaim the starting job to achieve any of those incentives.
  • The Seahawks‘ deal with running back Fred Jackson is a one-year pact worth $900K, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). The minimum salary for a player with Jackson’s experience is $870K, so unless Pelissero is simply rounding up, it looks like there’s a small bonus included.
  • There’s no signing bonus on James Jones‘ new contract, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Demovsky says Jones’ deal with the Packers is worth the veteran’s minimum of $870K, so the veteran wideout will count for just $585K against the cap.
  • Offensive tackle Nate Solder got a $12.5MM signing bonus as part of his two-year extension with the Patriots, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (all Twitter links). As part of the agreement, Solder had his 2015 base salary reduced by $6MM to $1.438MM, and had his 2016 salary ($6MM) fully guaranteed.

Extension Rumors: Bradford, Eli, Dareus

September 9th, 2015 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots locked up left tackle Nate Solder to an extension earlier today, but Solder is unlikely to be the last notable player to sign a new contract this week. With regular season openers right around the corner, teams will be looking to wrap up negotiations with key extension candidates, getting something done with them before the real games begin, since many of those players won’t want to continue talks during the season.

Here’s the latest on a few noteworthy extension candidates:

  • The Eagles are no longer engaged in discussions regarding a short-term extension for Sam Bradford, according to Ed Werder of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The two sides were exploring a bridge deal that would give the former first overall pick some security while still allowing him to hit free agency in a couple years. However, it appears Bradford’s preseason success has made him less enthused about signing a below-market deal at this point.
  • Jordan Raanan of NJ.com reported earlier this week that the Giants and Eli Manning were making progress on an extension, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News hears the same thing, writing that there’s optimism a deal can be reached “relatively quickly,” though there’s still some work to be done.
  • Contract talks between the Bills and defensive lineman Marcell Dareus have continued, a league source tells Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link). There were indications in August that Dareus and the Bills were far apart in negotiations, but the team still hopes to get something done by Sunday.
  • The Jets would like to get their own standout defensive lineman, Muhammad Wilkerson, locked up to an extension, but it’s unclear whether something will happen this week, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. A July report indicated that Wilkerson would play out the final year of his current contract if he and the Jets can’t finalize an agreement by the start of the regular season.
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