2015 September - Pro Football Rumors

NFL Appeals Judge’s Ruling On Tom Brady

September 3rd, 2015 at 1:52pm CST by Luke Adams

1:52pm: The NFL has officially filed its appeal, according to Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). Brandt confirms that the league didn’t request an injunction, so there are no obstacles for Brady playing in Week 1.

11:26am: The NFL Players Association was quick to issue a statement following Judge Richard Berman’s decision to nullify Tom Brady‘s suspension, and now commissioner Roger Goodell has released a statement of his own. According to Goodell, the league – as expected – will appeal Berman’s ruling, continuing the litigation process. Here’s the full statement, via the NFL’s website:

“We are grateful to Judge Berman for hearing this matter, but respectfully disagree with today’s decision. We will appeal today’s ruling in order to uphold the collectively bargained responsibility to protect the integrity of the game. The commissioner’s responsibility to secure the competitive fairness of our game is a paramount principle, and the league and our 32 clubs will continue to pursue a path to that end. While the legal phase of this process continues, we look forward to focusing on football and the opening of the regular season.”

While the NFL will continue to fight the DeflateGate battle in court, it doesn’t appear the league will seek an injunction to prevent Brady from playing early in the season. That means that, barring Berman’s decision being overturned and the case being finalized before the end of the year, which seems unlikely, Brady will be able to play the entire season for the Patriots.

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), there are at least some team owners who would have preferred to see the NFL stand down, rather than continuing the appeals process. Presumably, those owners don’t want the DeflateGate saga to draw attention away from the action on the field, with the regular season around the corner. According to Cole, some owners are also becoming more interested in retooling the NFL’s discipline process.

AFC Notes: Pats, Iosefa, Levitre, Chargers

September 3rd, 2015 at 12:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Until the NFL’s slate of Week 4 preseason games gets underway tonight, there’s only one story dominating the headlines, and that’s Judge Richard Berman’s decision to vacate Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension today. We’ll have a few more reactions and notes on that decision coming up later this afternoon, in the wake of the NFL’s announcement that it will appeal the ruling.

In the meantime, let’s check in on a few more items from around the AFC, including an additional tidbit on Brady’s Patriots….

The Patriots are bringing in fullback Joey Iosefa for a visit and a workout today, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Iosefa is the rare draftee who didn’t survive his team’s first round of cuts this week — he was selected in the seventh round by the Buccaneers in May.
While there’s been some speculation that veteran Titans guard Andy Levitre is on the verge of losing his roster spot in Tennessee, it sounds like the team will keep him as a backup, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Levitre will earn a base salary of $6.5MM this season and will have a cap hit of $8.6MM. Those figures remain the same in 2016 and 2017, so he’ll be a release candidate going forward.
Rooke kicker Josh Lambo has shown he deserves to be on every general manager’s emergency short list, but Nick Novak is the clear choice for the Chargers‘ job as the team makes its cuts to 53 players, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

NFLPA Issues Statement On Brady Ruling

September 3rd, 2015 at 10:38am CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of Judge Richard Berman’s decision to vacate Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, NFLPA assistant executive director of external affairs George Atallah tweeted “Players’ rights win again.” Now, the union has released a more complete statement on the matter. Via the NFLPA’s website, here’s the full statement:

“The rights of Tom Brady and of all NFL players under the collective bargaining agreement were affirmed today by a Federal Judge in a court of the NFL’s choosing. We thank Judge Berman for his time, careful consideration of the issue and fair and just result.

“This decision should prove, once and for all, that our Collective Bargaining Agreement does not grant this Commissioner the authority to be unfair, arbitrary and misleading. While the CBA grants the person who occupies the position of Commissioner the ability to judiciously and fairly exercise the designated power of that position, the union did not agree to attempts to unfairly, illegally exercise that power, contrary to what the NFL has repeatedly and wrongfully claimed.

“We are happy for the victory of the rule of law for our players and our fans. This court’s decision to overturn the NFL Commissioner again should signal to every NFL owner that collective bargaining is better than legal losses. Collective bargaining is a much better process that will lead to far better results.”

While the victory for the NFLPA is a huge one, and will allow Brady to start in Week 1 – and presumably play the entire 2015 season – it doesn’t necessarily bring the DeflateGate saga to an end. The NFL is expected to appeal Judge Berman’s decision, taking it to the Second Circuit. The league has yet to officially issue a statement of its own, however.

Tom Brady’s Suspension Overturned By Judge

September 3rd, 2015 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

Judge Richard Berman has ruled in favor of Tom Brady and the NFLPA, nullifying the quarterback’s four-game suspension, according to Larry Neumeister and Tom Hays of The Associated Press. While the NFL figures to appeal the decision and continue the litigation process, the ruling paves the way for Brady to start for the Patriots in Week 1.

After Brady was initially suspended for four games by the league for his supposed involvement in DeflateGate, commissioner Roger Goodell acted as the arbitrator during Brady’s appeal, and upheld the suspension. The NFLPA appealed that decision in court, and throughout the legal process, Judge Berman was critical of the NFL’s case, hammering the league’s lawyers with questions, an indication that momentum was shifting in Brady’s favor.

Judge Berman continually encouraged the NFL and NFLPA to work out a compromise, but with Brady unwilling to acknowledge any involvement in deflating footballs, and the league unwilling to budge from its stance that he accept guilt, the two sides never got close to reaching a settlement. That left Berman to make a decision one way or the other, either upholding the four-game suspension or overturning it. As the AP report indicates, he opted for the latter.

Three primary factors are at the core of Berman’s ruling, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com: Goodell’s decision not to allow NFL counsel Jeff Pash to be examined during Brady’s appeal; a failure by the NFL to give Brady “adequate notice” of potential discipline; and the league denying access to files during the appeal process. Berman’s full, 40-page ruling can be found right here.

With Brady no longer having to serve the suspension, Jimmy Garoppolo will return to a backup role, while the Super Bowl MVP prepares to face the Steelers a week from tonight. If Brady had been forced to miss the first four games of the season, he also would have sat out contests against the Bills, Jaguars, and Cowboys, but he now appears poised to play in all of those games. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, the NFL is unlikely to seek an injunction to keep Brady off the field, if and when the league appeals Berman’s ruling.

The decision to vacate Brady’s suspension leads to a handful of additional questions. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com wonders (via Twitter) if Patriots owner Robert Kraft may reconsider his acceptance of the penalties his team received for DeflateGate. The league fined the Patriots $1MM and took away two draft picks, including a 2016 first-rounder, a decision Kraft accepted at the time for the good of the league.

Meanwhile, Trey Wingo of NFL Live observes (via Twitter) that the NFL has now lost several court decisions in recent years, including having their penalties for Ray Rice and Adrian Peterson overturned. As such, it may be time for the league to revisit its discipline and appeal process. In the meantime, a player like Greg Hardy may be more inclined to challenge his suspension in court — Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that Hardy’s camp is discussing that possibility, in the wake of the Brady decision.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chiefs Extend Tyler Bray Through 2017

September 3rd, 2015 at 8:47am CST by Luke Adams

Quarterback Tyler Bray underwent surgery on a torn ACL back in January, and will open the 2015 season on the Chiefs’ reserve/non-football injury list, but as GM John Dorsey said at February’s draft combine, Bray remains in the team’s plans. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Kansas City has signed Bray to a two-year extension, keeping him under team control through the 2017 season.

Bray, 23, tore his ACL playing basketball, which is why he landed on the NFI list, rather than injured reserve. When a player suffers a non-football injury, a team can elect to withhold his salary, but the Chiefs will pay Bray the full $510K he’s owed for 2015, as part of the extension agreement, according to Yates.

While the Chiefs made a concession on this year’s salary, they’ll get a good bargain on the two new years of Bray’s contract. Per Yates, those two years have a base value of just $1.925MM, with no guaranteed money.

The fact that Bray’s 2016 and 2017 seasons feature no guarantees means his roster spot in Kansas City is far from safe. But if the Chiefs like what they see from the former UDFA as he recovers from his ACL tear, the team could consider promoting him to the No. 2 role next season, with Chase Daniel‘s contract set to expire in March.

Steelers Not Interested In Phil Taylor

September 2nd, 2015 at 9:39pm CST by Zachary Links

9:39pm: The Steelers are not interested in signing Taylor, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. The team feels that Taylor’s bad knee is in need of repair and will take too long to heal, according to a source.

5:23pm: Nose tackle Phil Taylor became a free agent on Tuesday but he might not be unemployed for long. The former Browns first round pick visited the Steelers on Wednesday, according to a source that spoke with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) hears that upwards of eight teams are expressing interest in the veteran.

Taylor, 27, actually asked to be released by the Browns after it became clear that Danny Shelton would be the club’s starting nose tackle. The Browns obliged and didn’t ask to reduce the money owed to him, even though he’s slated to earn a $5.477MM fully guaranteed salary.

In 2013, Taylor was a starter on defense for Cleveland, but only played 555 defensive snaps, serving primarily as a run stopper. While he wasn’t a full-time player, Taylor’s performance against the run still placed him a solid 26th among 69 qualified defensive tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). The 27-year-old played just 133 snaps in 2014 before being sidelined with a knee injury.

Taylor was the Browns’ last remaining player from the Julio Jones trade with the Falcons four years ago. Now, the Browns have nothing to show for that deal.

Extra Points: Titans, Trent Williams, Cowboys

September 2nd, 2015 at 9:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL Players Association recently filed an injury grievance on behalf of former Titans tight end Taylor Thompson, according to a league source who spoke with ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan. Thompson, who was officially waived June 19th, is expected to have knee surgery in the near future, but he was not released with an injury designation at the time of the transaction.

Here’s more from around the NFL..

Washington‘s new deal with Trent Williams resets the market for left tackles, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. Williams’ deal is similar to the contract Joe Thomas signed with the Browns in some respects, like the $42MM value of the first three years of the deal. However, in years four and five, Williams could earn a good deal more than Thomas or Tyron Smith of the Cowboys. The biggest difference of all, of course, is the guarantee structure, which amounts to $30MM in total.
Cowboys COO Stephen Jones said there could be a lot of action from the team after final cuts, as Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram tweets. Jones added that running back will be a position of interest for the organization.
The Raiders are very likely on the look out for a kick returner on the waiver wire, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.

West Notes: Manning, Chancellor, 49ers

September 2nd, 2015 at 9:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC West..

Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning said on ESPN that he hopes to play next season, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. “I am really enjoying myself.. I feel good and feel I can help and contribute,” Manning said. Manning, 39, had another excellent season for the Broncos in 2014, putting up 4,727 passing yards to go along with 39 touchdown passes. However, he was hampered by injuries late in the season and struggled down the stretch, particularly in the team’s divisional playoff loss to the Colts, in which he totaled just 211 passing yards on 46 attempts.
Both the Seahawks and Kam Chancellor need to find a way to save face, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, and he doesn’t think that it will be hard to do. Chancellor is due to make $4.55MM this year, $5.1MM in 2016, and $6.8MM in 2017, so Florio suggests that the Seahawks could take $1MM from next year and $1MM from 2017 and move it to 2015. Alternatively, the Seahawks could give Chancellor more guaranteed cash in 2016 and/or 2017. At some point, Seattle should stop reworking deals, but Florio doesn’t think that this is the place to draw the line given Chancellor’s importance in the locker room.
Niners head coach Jim Tomsula said the decision to waive defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye during the first round of cuts to 75 players was made to give him the best opportunity to land with another team this season, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. “Just to be frank, Lawrence hasn’t played a lot of football,” Tomsula said. “So for somebody to give him an opportunity in fairness to him, they’re going to want to (see him before the cut to 53 players). So, when you have a guy in that situation, was my thought, that it gives him a better opportunity … What he’s done in three years or two-and-a-half years is remarkable.”

Rams/Chargers To Join Forces On L.A. Stadium?

September 2nd, 2015 at 6:22pm CST by Zachary Links

A pairing of the Rams and Chargers in Inglewood, Calif. is gaining momentum among NFL owners who fear that the Raiders don’t have the cash to make the move work, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. At this time, the Rams are on board with that plan but the Bolts are reluctant since there isn’t “a lot of trust” between the two teams at this time (link).

Long-term, Cole wonders aloud (link) if the Raiders’ financial situation could force Mark Davis to sell the team to someone with deeper pockets. He also hears that NFL owners and executives are kicking around the idea of moving the Jaguars to St. Louis to replace the Rams if they head west (link). Nothing is certain at this time, but it sounds like there could be a serious domino effect stemming from the NFL’s venture into the Los Angeles market.

Meanwhile, Floyd Kephart, the man trying to redevelop the Oakland Coliseum complex and finance construction of a new stadium for the Raiders, has been pitching his plan to the team for several months. As it turns out, that proposal didn’t jive with the team’s “terms and conditions” for deal and is a non-starter for the Raiders, Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News Group writes. In short, the Raiders made it clear to Kephart that they needed to control stadium revenues to help pay for the team’s $500MM contribution toward the stadium, including a $200MM stadium loan from the NFL. Kephart’s proposal, meanwhile, would have had the financial shortfall filled primarily through issuing bonds backed by future stadium revenue.

Lance Briggs To Retire, Join CSN Chicago?

September 2nd, 2015 at 5:16pm CST by Luke Adams

5:16pm: Strangely, Briggs’ agent says that the linebacker still wants to play football, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com tweets.

2:51pm: Briggs clarifies (via Sqor.com) that he has not filed any papers yet to make his retirement official, though he says he’ll make an official decision in “the coming weeks.” Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that Briggs told him he’d submit the retirement paperwork in the next week or so.

2:26pm: Veteran linebacker Lance Briggs has announced his retirement from the NFL, confirming the decision during today’s Cubs/Reds broadcast on Comcast SportsNet. Briggs, who spent his entire playing career in the Windy City, will be joining CSN Chicago as a studio analyst for the 2015 season, participating in pregame and postgame coverage of the Bears.

“I’m excited to continue my partnership with Comcast SportsNet,” said Briggs, who has co-hosted CSN’s ‘The Lance Briggs Show’ with Pat Boyle since 2010. “I’ve had the good fortune of being a part of this network over the past few years. I credit Pat Boyle who immediately made me feel at home here and I always told him I wanted to be here after my career. It’s just a great atmosphere and I love being surrounded by some really great people. This was the right decision for me.”

Briggs, who turns 35 in November, played in 173 regular season games for the Bears in his 12 NFL seasons, earning seven Pro Bowl appearances and making a case to be considered for the Hall of Fame. The Bears, however, opted to go in a new direction this offseason and in early March they informed him that he wouldn’t be returning for another season.

Briggs, who entered the league as a third-round pick in 2003, was a key piece on the defensive side of the ball for the Bears for more than a decade. Known for being tough and durable throughout his career, Briggs has missed 15 of 32 games across the last two seasons. That’s a stark contrast to the four total contests he missed in his first 10 seasons.

After accumulating more than 1,100 tackles, 16 forced fumbles, and 16 interceptions during his career with the Bears, Briggs drew some interest from the 49ers this offseason, as San Francisco saw its linebacking corps depleted by retirements. However, the Niners never reached an agreement with Briggs, and now the former third-round pick will remain in Chicago as he moves onto the next phase of his career.