2016 August - Pro Football Rumors

Steelers To Restructure Antonio Brown’s Deal

August 31st, 2016 at 9:52am CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers and Antonio Brown on the verge of agreeing to a restructuring of his contract, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). That deal is expected to be completed shortly. Brown was due $6.25MM this year and will now earn ~$10.25MM, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Steelers are also promising to give Brown a true extension after the 2016 season (link).

Brown has two years left to go on his current deal and has been pushing for an extension. The Steelers, meanwhile, have been insistent that they won’t negotiate right now. Brown did not get the big pay bump he truly wanted, but he did get a small concession to keep him happy over the next year. The Steelers, citing team policy, have told Brown that they will not start discussing a new deal with him until he is one year away from free agency.

Brown is considered to be one of the very best wide receivers in the NFL. However, because of the team friendly deal he signed years ago, he is ranked 18th among wide receivers in terms of average annual compensation ($8.4MM/year). Last year, Brown tied for the league lead in receptions (136), finished second in yards (1,834), and scored ten touchdowns.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots, Matthew Slater Agree To Extension

August 31st, 2016 at 7:56am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots and Matt Slater have agreed to an extension, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a It’s a one-year, $1.8MM deal that will take the wide receiver/special teams specialist through 2017.

The five-time Pro Bowler was originally slated to hit the open market following the 2016 season. Slater, who turns 31 in September, has just one reception and seven targets his credit in eight years with the Patriots. Still, he is an important cog in the third facet of the Pats’ game and they wanted to ensure that he would remain in New England beyond this season.

In other Patriots news, one-time Pats hopeful Tim Tebow auditioned for MLB teams on Tuesday afternoon. The Patriots also placed Sebastian Vollmer and Dion Lewis on the PUP list, as expected. Both players will be sidelined for at least six weeks of the NFL season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Reactions From Tim Tebow’s Baseball Workout

August 30th, 2016 at 9:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Tim Tebow worked out in front of representatives of 28 different MLB teams on Tuesday and he didn’t exactly look the part of a polished big leaguer. Tebow got “mixed reviews” after his audition on the USC campus, Jerry Crasnick of ESPN.com writes.

Tebow, 29, ran a solid 6.70-second 60-yard-dash and belted some long home runs in practice. However, he struggled to hit off-speed pitches from former big-leaguers David Aardsma and Chad Smith. Also, according to one scout who spoke to Crasnick, Tebow showed a below-average 40 grade arm on the 20-80 scouts scale – an especially poor showing for a former NFL quarterback. Even though Tebow did not have a great day on the field, he still insists that he is serious about his baseball pursuit.

“This isn’t about publicity,” Tebow said. “It’s definitely not about money. I took a pay cut to do this. For me, you pursue what you love regardless of what else happens. If you fail or fall flat on your face, and that’s the worst thing that can happen, it’s OK. When did pursuing what you love become such a bad thing? I’ll make all the sacrifices to be the best I can.”

For what it’s worth, Tebow understands that he has some work to do before he reaches the big leagues and he may even consider playing winter league ball in Latin America. If Tebow is indeed willing to leave the country to play baseball, one can’t help but wonder why he was never willing to try and reignite his football career in the CFL.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Re-Sign Brad Sorensen

August 30th, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings will re-sign quarterback Brad Sorensen — who was just waived earlier this week — in the wake of Teddy Bridgewater‘s ACL injury, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Sorensen, 28, was a seventh-round draft choice of the Chargers back in 2013. Although he’s bounced around the league quite a bit during his four-year NFL career, Sorensen has never thrown an NFL pass or even appeared in a game. So while he has experience on the roster of the Chargers, Titans, and — most recently — Vikings, Sorensen isn’t the answer to Minnesota’s quarterback crisis. Instead, he’ll likely serve as depth to help the Vikings get through their final preseason game, and perhaps have a chance to stick as a second or third QB.

As it currently stands, the Vikings have veteran Shaun Hill on the depth chart. Hill offers experience, but he is an uninspiring starting option for a team with playoff aspirations. He also has never started more than 10 games in any given season. Other than Hill, the Vikings have Wisconsin product Joel Stave on the depth chart. Fellow signal-callerTaylor Heinicke has been placed on the NFI list with an injury.

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Peyton Manning Not An Option For Vikings

August 30th, 2016 at 8:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Peyton Manning has no interest in coming out of retirement to play for the Vikings, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Presumably, Manning wouldn’t re-enter the league to quarterback any club given that he left the NFL on top, but Minnesota is in especially dire straits after Teddy Bridgewater tore his ACL and suffered knee damage earlier today.

While Manning isn’t an option for the Vikings, Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter link) throws out Colts backup quarterback Scott Tolzien as a potential trade target for Minnesota given that offensive coordinator Norv Turner was (at one point) a fan of Tolzien. Turner has never coached Tolzien, so it’s possible that the veteran play-caller liked Tolzien’s college tape. However, a trade is unlikely at this point, per Marvez.

As it currently stands, the Vikings have veteran Shaun Hill on the depth chart. Hill offers experience, but he is an uninspiring starting option for a team with playoff aspirations. He also has never started more than 10 games in any given season. Other than Hill, the Vikings have Wisconsin product Joel Stave on the depth chart. Fellow signal-caller Taylor Heinicke has been placed on the NFI list with an injury.

A cursory glance at our list of NFL free agents shows that veteran options such as Matt Flynn, Michael Vick, and Charlie Whitehurst are available, as is former Viking Tarvaris Jackson. T.J. Yates, meanwhile, was recently cleared to return to action after recovering from a torn ACL.

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Falcons Likely To Sign Running Back

August 30th, 2016 at 8:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons’ running back corps is hurting, and given that the club isn’t going to play either Devonta Freeman or Tevin Coleman in its final preseason contest, Atlanta is aiming to sign a back before Thursday’s tuneup against the Jaguars, head coach Dan Quinn told reporters, including Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

While Terron Ward is set to see most of the Atlanta backfield snaps, Brandon Wilds was also scheduled to play a role. But now that Wilds is injured, Gus Johnson was waived, and Cyrus Gray was released with an injury settlement, the Falcons simply don’t have the bodies to get through Thursday’s game. Freeman and Coleman certainly aren’t going to be risked, and fullback Patrick DiMarco probably won’t play either, given that he’s a pretty important piece of the Atlanta offense.

Veteran free agents such as Joique Bell, Donald Brown, and Ahmad Bradshaw remain on the open market, but experienced players are probably unwilling to suit up for one game with the knowledge that they have no chance to make the roster. As such, the Falcons will likely end up signing a low-profile back, or perhaps even a college free agent who simply wants to get some snaps.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys To Meet With QB Austin Davis

August 30th, 2016 at 6:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys are known to be in the market for a veteran backup quarterback after losing Tony Romo to start the season, and they’ll meet with with a signal-caller who just earned his walking papers yesterday. Dallas is set to host quarterback Austin Davis, who was waived by the Browns on Monday, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).

Aside from Romo, the Cowboys’ only other quarterbacks are Dak Prescott — who presumably won’t play much, if at all, during the club’s final preseason game — and 2015 UDFA Jameill Showers. As such, Dallas needs options to simply get through it’s fourth exhibition contest, and George cautions that Davis might only be an arm for that final tuneup.

But Davis, 27, is also a viable No. 2 quarterback, as he has 13 games (10 starts) under his belt. Most of that action came in 2014, when he started right contests for the Rams, completing 61% of his passes for 2,001 yards, 12 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. In Cleveland last year, Davis started two games, tossing one touchdown and two picks.

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Vikings’ Roster Now At 75

August 30th, 2016 at 6:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings had already released center John Sullivan today, and now they’ve announced several other moves that bring them in at the 75-man deadline.

Waived/Injured:

DT Scott Crichton
S Antone Exum

Waived:

WR Troy Stoudemire

Placed on reserve/non-football illness:

OL Mike Harris

Harris, a former undrafted free agent, served an as offensive tackle during his two seasons with the Chargers. Harris played 12 games at right tackle for the Vikings in 2014, and he started all 16 games at guard this past season. He re-signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $2MM deal.

Saints Place Hau’oli Kikaha On PUP

August 30th, 2016 at 6:10pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Saints still had a bit of work to do in order to comply with the league’s 75-man roster limit, and they’ve made a few final moves today. The club announced that it’s released defensive tackle C.J. Wilson; waived linebacker Tony Steward, tight end RaShaun Allen, and cornerback Brandon Dixon; placed defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha on PUP; and placed offensive lineman Avery Young on NFI.

Wilson, 29, agreed to a one-year deal with New Orleans earlier this summer. The veteran defensive lineman has78 career games under his belt, with most of that time coming as a rotational option with Packers from 2010-2013. Wilson played in 12 contests in 2016 (eight with the Lions, four with the Raiders), and picked up nine total tackles to go along with one sack.

Kikaha, meanwhile, appeared in 15 games and made 11 starts for New Orleans in 2015. In that time, the 24-year-old racked up 4 sacks, 50 total tackles, two passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Release Ramon Humber

August 30th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots have made several transactions to get their roster under the 75-man limit. In addition to placing Dion Lewis and Sebastian Vollmer on PUP (moves that were previously reported), New England has made the following moves.

Released/Waived:

LB Ramon Humber
OL Keavon Milton
TE Steven Scheu

Humber, 29, agreed to a one-year deal with the Pats earlier this year. He served as a key special teams cog for the Saints after they signed him during the 2010 season. Since signing with the Colts as an undrafted free agent out of North Dakota State in 2009, the 28-year-old has appeared in 92 regular-season games and made 18 starts at linebacker.