2016 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Texans’ DeAndre Hopkins To Hold Out

July 31st, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Ben Levine

SUNDAY, July 31: Smith has issued more comments on this matter. Per Smith, team officials considered negotiating with Hopkins, but ultimately made the decision to hold firm. He added that Hopkins will be fined in accordance with the CBA for each day he is absent (Twitter links to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle).

SATURDAY, July 30, 4:03pm: Texans GM Rick Smith addressed the situation surrounding the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.

“We are disappointed DeAndre has elected not to report to training camp with the rest of his teammates. He has expressed his position regarding his contract status, and we have been clear with both he and his representatives of ours. Our focus is on the 2016 season and all of our collective efforts and attention with be centered on that endeavor,” Smith said, via Schefter (Facebook link).

12:10pm: ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that Hopkins will make that $445K bonus for being on the roster on August 4th. If the wideout is placed on a reserve list, he will not earn the extra money.

11:20am: Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that the Texans have continually refused to extend players with two years left on their contract, although the J.J. Watt extension was an exception.

Wilson also tweets that Hopkins recently switch representation to Creative Artists Agency.

10:34am: ProFootballTalk.com (on Twitter) reports that Hopkins never showed up to camp in the first place. As the tweet notes, there’s “major procedural differences” between leaving camp and being a no-show.

PFT’s Mike Florio elaborates on the differences, noting that Hopkins is still subject to the $40K fines for not having showed up. If the wideout had left, the Texans could have placed the receiver on the ‘reserve/left squad list.’ Hopkins would have had five days to ponder the punishment, and under this scenario, the team could have barred the receiver from playing in 2016.

10:25am: Texans star DeAndre Hopkins is unhappy with his contract, and the wideout has left camp, according to ESPN’s Tania Ganguli and Adam Schefter (Twitter links). The Texans reportedly “declined to negotiate,” and a hold out is “underway.” Schefter notes that Hopkins will now be subject to $40K fines for each day missed.

The 2013 first-round pick is set to earn $1MM in 2016 via his base salary and an additional $445K via a roster bonus, and the team recently picked up the receiver’s $7.92MM fifth-year option for 2017. Paying less than $9MM for two years of All-Pro production is an obvious bargain, and Hopkins’ 2016 base salary ranks 65th in the league. For comparison’s sake, Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery leads all wideouts with a $14.59MM base salary for next season.

Following a breakout 2014 campaign, Hopkins truly established himself as one of the league’s top receivers in 2015. The wideout finished with career-highs in receptions (111), receiving yards (1,521), and touchdowns (11), earning him his first Pro Bowl appearance. ProFootballFocus.com (subscription required) placed Hopkins sixth among their rankings of the league’s receivers.

The 24-year-old recently said that he isn’t seeking a specific contract and just wants to sign a fair contract.

“I’m not looking for a certain range,” Hopkins told Ganguli. “I just want to be treated for what I’m worth. That’s fair to say, right?”

Of course, Hopkins also previously indicated that he wants to spend his entire career in Houston.

“If I can play my whole career here, I would,” Hopkins said.“I love this place. This organization took a chance on drafting me. You have to look at that…. I love this organization. I love the fans here. I’ll never forget after we went 2-14 (2013), I don’t recall too many fans bailing out on us. It speaks a lot about this city and who they are.”

If the hold out somehow carries into the regular season, the Texans will be relying on several rookies to step up. As Roster Resource shows, Cecil Shorts III will presumably slot in as the team’s top wideout, followed by first-rounder Will Fuller and third-rounder Braxton Miller.

Contract Notes: A. Brown, Peterson, Gronk

July 31st, 2016 at 11:33am CST by Rory Parks

Steelers star wideout Antonio Brown has two years left on the five-year, $41MM deal he signed in January 2012, and Pittsburgh typically does not negotiate new deals with non-quarterbacks who have more than one year left on their contracts (although the club did give Brown himself that five-year pact after Brown’s second season in the league). The Steelers may be willing to make an exception to their usual standard operating procedure given how valuable Brown is to the team, and according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, they may have to.

Per Rapoport (Twitter links), Brown is currently monitoring DeAndre Hopkins‘ holdout in Houston, thereby implying that Brown may be willing to do the same thing in Pittsburgh. Rapoport adds that contract talks have moved much more slowly than Brown would like, and that the situation “bears watching.”

Now for some more contract notes on the league’s biggest stars:

Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports weighs in on the Brown dilemma, writing that contract talks are not just moving slowly, there have been no contract talks at all between Brown and the Steelers. La Canfora says he would be surprised if a deal for the kind of money Brown is seeking gets done until after this season.
Appearing on the Steelers Radio Network, Steelers GM Kevin Colbert discussed Brown’s contract situation. “We don’t renegotiate contracts with more than one year remaining with the exception of quarterbacks. Antonio’s under contract,” Colbert said (via ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler on Twitter). “He’s a great player. You can’t say enough good things about him. But he’s a professional. He respects the process, as do we. We’ll see where things end up.”
NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo tweets that Rob Gronkowski‘s agents, Drew and Jason Rosenhaus, are at Patriots‘ camp today. Garafolo’s sources indicate that they are working with New England on a new deal for the star tight end, but that nothing is imminent at the moment. Gronk, who signed a six-year, $54MM contract after the 2011 season, is under club control through 2019, his age-30 season, but he is significantly underpaid considering the going market rate for his position and his value to his team.
Adrian Peterson has two years left on his current contract, and as Chip Scoggins of The Star Tribune observes, the structure of Peterson’s deal will force the Vikings to take some sort of action after the 2016 season. Peterson is due a $6MM roster bonus in early March 2017 and would carry a gigantic $18MM figure if his contract is not addressed. No matter how good Peterson is, Scoggins writes that such a cap number would be untenable for a running back who will be 32 next season. Although the team is trying to build a more diverse offense for Teddy Bridgewater, Peterson is still likely to be among the league’s rushing leaders, but even if he is, Scoggins sees a restructure at season’s end as the most likely outcome.

Injury Notes: 7/31/16

July 31st, 2016 at 10:48am CST by Rory Parks

We will round up all of the day’s more significant injury news right here:

Patriots guard Jonathan Cooper, whom the club acquired in an offseason trade that sent Chandler Jones to Arizona, was diagnosed with a plantar fascia strain and “will be off his feet for a bit,” according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
One of the Cardinals‘ newest acquisitions, cornerback Mike Jenkins, broke a bone in his hand on Friday and is out indefinitely, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.

East Notes: McDaniels, Dolphins, Bills

July 31st, 2016 at 10:35am CST by Rory Parks

Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, whose brief stint as Denver’s head coach from 2009-2010 was generally a disaster, has more than rehabilitated his reputation since reprising his role as New England OC in 2012. He is mentioned as a top head coaching candidate each offseason, and as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, McDaniels has never been more decisive about his desire to return to the head coaching ranks than he was when speaking with media this week.

McDaniels said, “[New England] is an incredible place to work, I love being here and I’m happy to do this job as much as I can, as long as they’ll have me. I do want to be a head coach again at some point in my life. I’ve learned a lot over the last so many years and hopefully gained a lot of wisdom and if and when that time comes, I’d look forward to the challenge of doing it again.” Those statements have led Reiss to wonder if McDaniels might be more aggressive about pursuing a head coaching job in the near future.

Now for some more news and notes from the league’s east divisions:

The Dolphins placed Dion Jordan on the non-football injury list today, and there is some intrigue surrounding the move. Per Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald (via Twitter), head coach Adam Gase and the rest of the Miami brass were unaware that Jordan had knee surgery prior to his reinstatement, and as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets, Jordan declined to say how he injured his knee while not playing football since 2014. For what it’s worth, Gase did say that Jordan “has a fresh start with me. Whatever happened in the past is irrelevant” (Twitter link via Adam Beasley of The Miami Herald).
In addition to placing Jordan on the NFI list, the Dolphins made a couple of cornerback moves and activated Arian Foster from the PUP list, according to this team’s official website (via Twitter). Foster practiced with his new club this morning.
The Bills have made a habit of acquiring players with troubled pasts in recent years (see, e.g., Kiko Alonso, Richie Incognito, etc.), and some of those decisions have worked out better than others. But as John Kryk of The Toronto Sun writes, Buffalo GM Doug Whaley is not changing his philosophy in that regard anytime soon, despite the recent troubles of running backs Karlos Williams and Jonathan Williams. Said Whaley, “We always have the same philosophy of taking every player on a case-by-case basis. Granted, we’re disappointed (in the Williamses). But I think what we have here with the support system, with the locker room, the coaching staff, our player-engagement staff, once we get them here I think we do a good job.”
Justin Durant, whom the Cowboys recently signed to give them a viable option at middle linebacker in Rolando McClain‘s absence, was seriously contemplating retirement before coming back to Dallas, according to Clarence Hill of The Star-Telegram. But the 30-year-old Durant said, “You just get that itch. Once I started looking at TV and seeing everybody going back to OTAs and stuff, I just figured I wasn’t done yet. I feel like I still have the ability to play, and I guess this organization felt like I could still play.

NFL Reinstates Dion Jordan, Dolphins Place Him On NFI List

July 31st, 2016 at 9:16am CST by Zachary Links

SUNDAY, July 31: The Dolphins will place the newly-reinstated Jordan on the non-football injury list, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, and Jordan will not earn his $1.7MM roster bonus. Per Florio, Jordan failed a physical on Saturday and is currently recovering from a knee problem that required arthroscopic surgery. Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets that Jordan is expected to be back on the field within two to three weeks.

FRIDAY, July 29: Dion Jordan has been reinstated to the NFL, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, Jordan’s reinstatement is conditional. The defensive end will be in counseling and will be reevaluated before the start of the season.

The 26-year-old needs to prove to the league office that he can stay on the straight and narrow. When it comes to the Dolphins, he needs to prove that he can produce on the field. Through 26 games in 2013 and 2014, Jordan registered only 46 tackles and three sacks.

Jordan is not the only notable name to run afoul of the league’s policy on substance abuse. In recent years, Josh Gordon, Justin Blackmon, Martavis Bryant, Aldon Smith, and Daryl Washington have all been sidelined by the NFL and as Jordan has witnessed, those missteps can sometimes be career threatening or ending. For his part, Jordan has said that he’s not going to squander that opportunity if it is given to him.

“I’m not about to waste it. I can’t waste it. And I (expletive) love doing it,” Jordan said in May. “Who doesn’t love running out in front of 30,000-plus fans and you get that rush? But it’s also things that you can get that rush from that can be very satisfying and can carry you on to a successful life after football…I just turned 26 years old, so life starts to hit you in the face. Who are you outside of those shoulder pads and helmet? And it’s weird, but I feel like it’s a blessing for me at this point in time to think about it, instead of waiting ‘til they really tell me I can’t play football no more.”

In recent weeks, there was a great deal of talk as to whether the Dolphins would pay Dion Jordan his $1.69MM roster bonus if were to be reinstate. As it turns out, the Dolphins don’t really have a decision to make with regards to that payout. While the Dolphins will be required to pay that bonus on Aug. 1, Jordan must also repay his $3.35MM signing bonus to the team as a result of his suspensions. That money has not been fully returned yet and Jordan owes the Dolphins more money than they owe him. So, a reinstated Jordan would not be cut by the team in an effort to save money. However, the Dolphins could theoretically release or trade Jordan if they do not want him on the roster for football reasons.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Joey Bosa, Chargers

July 30th, 2016 at 8:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The contract stalemate between the Chargers and No. 3 overall pick Joey Bosa is centered around offset language and payout structure, and Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune adds a few more specifics to the dispute, reporting that Bosa and his camp want the entirety of his ~$17MM signing bonus to be paid in 2016. San Diego, meanwhile, prefers to pay a “significant portion” of the bonus next March.

The Chargers’ offer to Bosa is similar in nature to the deal signed between the Cowboys and fourth overall pick Ezekiel Elliott, according to Acee. Elliott will receive roughly 61% of his signing bonus during this calendar year, so using the same structure, San Diego wants to delay about $6.6MM of Bosa’s signing bonus until next March. Bosa’s agent Todd France, meanwhile, made clear last month that that structure is unacceptable.

The two sides still disagree on offset language, per Acee, as Bosa wants some sort of compensation — namely, his prefered bonus payout schedule — as a reward for agreeing to negate his fourth-year guarantee if he’s released by the Chargers and signs with a new club. So while offsets aren’t a key sticking point in talks, they are inextricably linked to the structure negotiations.

Bosa, who is now the only rookie who remains unsigned after Joshua Garnett reached a deal with the 49ers this morning, did not report to training camp yesterday, but general manager Tom Telesco indicated that the Chargers will stand by their contract approach in the name of precedent. Head coach Mike McCoy also told reporters today, including Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com, that Bosa “needs to be here” in order to get comfortable with the club’s playbook.

Photo courtesy of Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Jets, Robinson

July 30th, 2016 at 8:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins were never mentioned as a suitor for cornerback Sean Smith during the free agent period, but Smith’s agent met with Miami general manager Mike Tannenbaum in the spring and pitched his client to the club, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Fins, who originally drafted Smith in 2009, weren’t interested in reuniting with the veteran defensive back, who ultimately signed with the Raiders for nearly $10MM annually. Passing on Smith was a mistake, opines Salguero, who adds that Miami is still looking for a press cornerback opposite Byron Maxwell, where the leading contenders for playing time are Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett, and recent signee Rashaan Melvin. Another defensive back could be on the way, as the Dolphins worked out former Bear Al Louis-Jean today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Let’s take a look at more from the AFC East:

Given that they’ll enter next offeason with more than $60MM in cap space, there’s no reason the Patriots can’t reach extensions with a decent number of their defensive free agents, explains Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are the high-profile names, and New England could use the franchise tag to retain at least one of that duo. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard is also heading for free agency, while Malcolm Butler will be a restricted free agent. Further down the list, defensive backs Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan and defensive linemen Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, and Terrance Knighton will all see their contracts expire.
Now that the Jets have re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, the conventional wisdom states that the club won’t carry Fitz, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg on the 53-man roster, but head coach Todd Bowles downplayed that notion, telling Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk it’s “conceivable” that New York brings all four signal-callers to Week 1. However, as Florio notes, Bowles’ stance could merely be posturing in the hopes that another team will offer to trade for one of Gang Green’s reserve quarterbacks.
Jets owner Woody Johnson doesn’t appear to have meddled in contract negotiations with Fitzpatrick, as Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes. “…Woody is knowledgeable of what’s going on,” said general manager Mike Maccagnan. “From a negotiation standpoint and all that stuff, we communicate with him because he owns the team and he runs the team, but he lets us do our jobs and hopefully do it well.”
Running back Khiry Robinson isn’t close to appearing in Jets camp as he recovers from a broken leg, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Robinson, 26, fractured his leg in November and was subsequently non-tendered by the Saints in the spring. He agreed to a one-year deal with New York that includes $80K guaranteed and $370K in per-game roster bonuses, so Robinson will be missing out on a decent chunk of money every time he misses a regular season contest.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/16

July 30th, 2016 at 7:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:

To make for Melvin (listed below), the Dolphins have waived tight end Jake Stoneburner, the club announced. Stoneburner, who was offered a restricted free agent tender this spring, managed five receptions in 11 games for Miami last season.
The Bills have swapped out defensive tackles, signing Casey Walker while releasing Cedric Reed, the team announced. Walker, 26, has eight career games under his belt, having seen action with the Ravens, Patriots, and most recently, the Cowboys.
The Cowboys announced that they’ve agreed to terms with linebackers Darius Eubanks and Henoc Muamba. Dallas didn’t need to create any roster space because they’ve been given exemptions for linebacker Rolando McClain and defensive end Randy Gregory.
The Chiefs have signed defensive back Bryce Cheek, and opened up a roster spot by waiving fellow defensive back Tre Jones, the club announced.

Earlier updates:

Fourth-year cornerback Rashaan Melvin signed with the Dolphins, according to agent Mike McCartney (via Jenna Laine of ESPN.com, on Twitter). Melvin started two games for the Ravens in 2014 and spent 2015 with both the Ravens and Patriots, playing in eight games for the latter.
The Cardinals swapped out wide receivers by signing Franky Okafor and waiving Rico Richardson, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. Okafor is a rookie UDFA out of Division II Southwestern Oklahoma State. Richardson has played in six games since coming into the league in 2014, all with the Titans.
The Vikings have signed defensive tackle Claudell Louis, reports Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com notes that the team considered bringing in rookie punter Taylor Symmank for their 90th roster spot, but the team ultimately opted for undrafted defensive lineman out of Fresno State.
Meanwhile, the Ravens have used their final roster spot to sign punter Michael Palardy, tweets ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. The former Tennessee special teamer has also spent time with the Raiders, Rams, and Panthers.

Rams Place Tre Mason On Reserve/DNR List

July 30th, 2016 at 6:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have officially placed troubled running back Tre Mason on the reserve/did not report list, according to multiple reports. Los Angeles held mandatory team meeting Friday morning, and Mason did not attend, reports Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (all Twitter links). Per Bonsignore, the Rams weren’t surprised by Mason’s absence, but because of their inability to get in contact with him, the club wasn’t sure if Mason would be present.

[RELATED: Rams Release Nick Foles]

Mason’s recent off-field issues have been well-documented, beginning with a March arrest for reckless driving, resisting arrest, and possession of cannabis, an incident that is reportedly one of just five that have involved Mason and the police in the past several months. According to TMZ Sports, Mason’s family is concerned for his well-being, while the Rams have seemingly accepted that Mason won’t be contributing any time soon, as head coach Jeff Fisher said in June that his team has to “prepare [itself as though] that Tre’s not going to be here.”

At this point, a team or league suspension for Mason appears all but certain, while Los Angeles could also simply waive the third-year running back. The Rams are well-stocked at running back, as Roster Resource shows 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year Todd Gurley leads a group that includes Benny Cunningham, Chase Reynolds, and Malcolm Brown. But Mason, who rushed for more than 700 yards in 2014, could have surely played a role had his personal life not become so dire.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts Unlikely To Add Veteran Wide Receiver

July 30th, 2016 at 5:49pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though their depth chart is lacking behind their top three receivers, the Colts are unlikely to sign a veteran pass-catcher any time soon, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), who adds that it’s “practically certain” general manager Ryan Grigson & Co. are not interested in adding an experienced option.

The Colts, of course, were burned by last year’s veteran wide receiver addition, as Andre Johnson posted the worst season of his 13-year career, managing only 41 receptions for just over 500 yards before being released this spring. Depth option Griff Whalen was also cut this offseason, meaning that Indianapolis has little in the way of depth behind T.Y. Hilton and Donte Moncrief, though 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett will be asked to play a lot more than the 212 snaps he saw last season. As Roster Resource shows, Quan Bray, Josh Stangby, and Josh Boyce are next in line behind Indy’s starting trio.

Several veteran wideouts, including Johnson and Anquan Boldin, have found new homes this week, but other options such as Roddy White, Devin Hester, Marques Colston, James Jones, Brian Hartline, and Denarius Moore still remain on the free agent board. Both White and Hester recently reiterated their desire to continue playing in 2016, and Hester said this morning that seven clubs have already reached out to him. One other intriguing name could be Vincent Brown, who was recently released with an injury settlement by the Saints — Brown spent last summer on the Colts roster before being let go during final cutdowns, so he could be a familiar face for Indianapolis, provided he’s healthy.

Brian Tyms, meanwhile, could have been a candidate to scratch out a role on Indy’s roster, but the former Patriots receiver was placed on injured reserve today, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). To replace Tyms, the Colts signed fellow wide receiver Andre Debose, whom the Raiders waived in early June.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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