2017 August - Pro Football Rumors

Saints’ Max Unger Passes Physical

August 17th, 2017 at 5:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

When Saints center Max Unger suffered a foot injury in May, the expectation was that he’d miss the opening of the 2017 season. It doesn’t appear that will happen, though, as Unger passed a physical on Thursday and is now eligible to come off the active/physically unable to perform list, Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com tweets.

Going without Unger to begin the year would’ve left the Saints sans two of their best offensive linemen at the outset of the campaign. As it stands, the club will have to make do without left tackle Terron Armstead, who suffered a torn labrum in June, until sometime in the fall. Armstead also sat out nine games last year on account of knee and quad issues.

Injuries have been problematic for Unger, too, as the 31-year-old has missed 30 of 128 regular-season games since the Seahawks chose him in the second round of the 2009 draft. Seattle dealt the two-time Pro Bowler and a fourth-round pick to New Orleans for tight end Jimmy Graham and a first-rounder in 2015, and the lineman has been a dependable pivot for the Saints during his two years with the club. Unger has appeared in 31 of a possible 32 contests with the Saints, all starts, and is coming off a year in which he ranked 14th among Pro Football Focus’ 72 qualified centers in overall performance.

DeMaurice Smith Expects 2021 Work Stoppage

August 17th, 2017 at 4:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The NFL hasn’t seen a work stoppage since a three-plus-month offseason lockout in 2011, but it appears more labor strife is on the horizon. The collective bargaining agreement the owners and players negotiated six years ago expires at the conclusion of the 2020 season, after which a strike or a lockout is “almost a virtual certainty,” NFLPA chief DeMaurice Smith told Albert Breer of The MMQB this week (video link).

While Smith is unsure if another stoppage will lead to missed games (it didn’t last time), there are obvious cracks in the relationship between the owners and players that could force a drawn-out battle. For example, Smith stated there won’t be another uncapped year before the current CBA expires because the owners “lied and cheated” about the previous one in 2010. He added that there was collusion on the owners’ side when they unanimously voted in 2008 to opt out of the prior CBA in 2011.

“All of the mutual benefits that were supposed to happen as a result of the opt-out didn’t happen last time,” said Smith. “Owners colluded with each other. We found out they colluded with each other. All of the bad things that went to the players happened and all of the bad things that went to the owners didn’t happen.We have a new deal where if it doesn’t get fixed, you head into a certain small ‘A’ armageddon.”

When serious discussions do commence on a new CBA, it’s fair to speculate that more financial security for the players and a less austere disciplinary system could factor into talks. The players have made it known on multiple occasions, particularly in light of recent contracts given out to NBAers, that they aren’t content with the non-guaranteed deals in the NFL. There has also been unhappiness toward the way the league has doled out punishment to players during commissioner Roger Goodell’s time at the helm. In fact, the NFLPA is currently in a public fight with the league over Cowboys superstar running back Ezekiel Elliott’s six-game ban stemming from domestic violence allegations.

Steelers Want To Sign Stephon Tuitt To Extension Before Week 1

August 17th, 2017 at 4:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Steelers are working to sign defensive end Stephon Tuitt to an extension before the start of the season, owner Art Rooney II said (Twitter link via Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). Tuitt made it clear back in June that his goal is to remain in Pittsburgh for the long haul.

“I would love it here,” he said. “It’s a blessing if they see me being here for the long term. I love the organization.”

Tuitt was a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, so the Steelers did not have the ability to retain him by way of a fifth-year option. As such, they’re currently at risk of losing the 24-year-old at season’s end. Tuitt’s departure would be a significant blow for the Steelers, who saw him burst on the scene as a full-time player over the previous two seasons. The ex-Notre Dame standout has started in all 28 appearances dating back to 2015, and he amassed 10.5 sacks during that period. Four of those sacks came last year for Tuitt, who graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 20 interior defender.

This year, Tuitt slated to make just $1.049MM. His next deal should give him a sizable pay bump, perhaps upward of $10MM per year.

Latest On Steelers RB Le’Veon Bell

August 17th, 2017 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Le’Veon Bell will report to the Steelers before the regular season starts, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. However, it’s still unclear exactly when Bell will report to the team.

If Bell were to miss games, he would be forfeiting the prorated portion of his $12.12MM salary for 2017. That would be a major gamble for Bell, whereas Rams defensive lineman Aaron Donald can afford to hold the line since he’s only making $3.225MM. All along, the Steelers have expected that Bell would show up before Week 1.

“Really, a holdout does not benefit him in any way,’’ GM Kevin Colbert said recently. “So, again, I hope that he sees the benefits of being here and comes in here sooner than later.”

Prior to the franchise extension deadline, the Steelers offered Bell a five-year, $60MM deal with $30MM in the first two years of the contract and $42MM over the first three seasons. The pact would have reset the market at the running back position, but Bell presumably balked at the lack of true guarantees at signing.

The Steelers have the ability to franchise tag Bell again next offseason for roughly $14.5MM.

49ers Re-Sign Shayne Skov

August 17th, 2017 at 1:28pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers announced on Thursday that they have re-signed Shayne Skov. It’s a one-year deal for the linebacker.

Skov spent the last three seasons with the Niners, but he was dropped from the roster in May as the team made way for a host of undrafted free agents. The 6’3″, 247-pound ‘backer has appeared in 24 games for SF with two tackles on defense and 12 tackles on special teams.

Skov has ties to the area as a San Francisco native and Stanford University product. At Stanford, he had 355 tackles, 40.5 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, five forced fumbles, and 13 passes defensed.

Skov will give the Niners another linebacker to evaluate in camp after they dropped injured LBs Donavin Newsom and Jayson DiManche.

Rams’ Aaron Donald Could Miss Games

August 17th, 2017 at 12:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Aaron Donald‘s holdout might not end anytime soon. The Rams defensive tackle could take his holdout into the regular season, league sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Facebook link).

One of Schefter’s sources even speculated that he could envision Donald sitting out the entire season. That would be an extreme measure, of course, but it says a lot about where negotiations are at this point in time.

Recently, Rams GM Les Snead indicated that the team has made a substantial extension offer to Donald. Apparently, the proposal was not to Donald’s liking.

Donald, 26, is slated to earn $3.225MM in 2017 and $6.892MM in 2018 through the fifth-year option. Those numbers are way below market for the player who graded as the league’s No. 1 interior defender in 2016, per Pro Football Focus. Donald may be seeking a deal that tops Ndamukong Suh‘s six-year, $114MM pact, making him the league’s highest paid defensive tackle.

An extended holdout may give Donald the leverage he needs since he still has two years of club control remaining on his contract.

Seahawks Sign Justin Britt To Extension

August 17th, 2017 at 12:06pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks and center Justin Britt have agreed to a three-year extension worth more than $9MM per year, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Britt, a second-round pick in the 2014 draft, was slated for free agency after the 2017 season. The team has confirmed the deal via press release.

The new deal marks a significant pay bump for Britt, who will carry a cap number under $1.1MM this year. Britt’s extension won’t kick in until 2018, but the yearly average would tie him for third in the NFL with Alex Mack of the Falcons if it were starting immediately. Only Cowboys center Travis Frederick ($9.4MM) and Brandon Linder ($10.3MM) have higher AAVs. He’ll now be among the league’s highest-paid players at the position with the ability to cash in again at the age of 29.

Britt has been a starter for the Seahawks in each of his three seasons, but he has been moved around the offensive line quite a bit. He played mostly right tackle in 2014 and shifted to left guard in 2015 before settling in at center last year.

The 6’6″ lineman graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 11 center in the NFL last season, putting him ahead of notable names like Maurkice Pouncey, Max Unger, and Jason Kelce.

Giants’ J.T. Thomas Takes Pay Cut

August 17th, 2017 at 10:30am CST by Zachary Links

J.T. Thomas‘ odds of making the Giants’ 53-man roster have improved. The linebacker accepted a major pay cut, taking his salary from $2.975MM to $775K in 2017, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The reworked deal includes a roster bonus of $20K plus a $400K bonus if he plays in 70% of the team’s snaps.

The playing time bonus is hardly an automatic for Thomas. The 29-year-old suffered a season-ending knee injury in last year’s season opener and appeared in only 12 games in 2015, his debut season with the Giants.

When Thomas came to the Giants on a three-year, $10MM deal, he was signed to be the team’s starting weakside linebacker. This time around, he’s fighting to make the cut as a special teams player and backup linebacker. On the plus side, coach Ben McAdoo has expressed confidence in Thomas’ abilities.

“He’s working through individuals and we’ll have a plan to build him up as we go. We’re not going to rush into anything with him,” McAdoo said earlier this week. “He’s got a chance to build himself up, play some meaningful games as we go. There’s a pretty good chance he won’t play this next ball game, but he’ll have a chance to play here shortly.”

Thomas will now battle it out with Curtis Grant, Mark Herzlich, Calvin Munson, and Deontae Skinner for the final linebacker spots on the roster.

Colts C Ryan Kelly To Have Foot Surgery

August 17th, 2017 at 9:58am CST by Zachary Links

Some injuries can be healed with Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation. Unfortunately, the R.I.C.E method did not work for Colts center Ryan Kelly. His broken foot will require surgery, coach Chuck Pagano told reporters on Thursday morning.

Kelly will likely be sidelined for 6-8 weeks, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. Given that timeframe, he’ll likely be placed on injured reserve and designated for return midseason, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Kelly was selected with the No. 18 overall pick in last year’s draft and went on to start in every game for the Colts last year. This season, he was being counted on to reprise that role.

The injury could motivate the Colts to turn to the free agent market. The Colts have been in talks with Jeremy Zuttah and they were working to line up a visit for this week. If Zuttah opts to return to Baltimore instead, the Colts could also consider free agent options like former Pro Bowler Nick Mangold.

For now, undrafted free agent addition Deyshawn Bond profiles as the team’s likely starter in Kelly’s absence. Adam Redmond, a 2016 UDFA, could also push for the job.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Eli, Rodgers, Lions

August 16th, 2017 at 9:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cornerback Tramaine Brock drew interest from his former team, the 49ers, before the Seahawks signed him on Wednesday, according to his agent, Ron Slavin. “The 49ers denied it, but they called me the minute [his case] got dismissed and wanted him back,” Slavin told Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Brock spent the first seven years of his career with the 49ers, who released him April 7 on the heels of an arrest on suspicion of felony domestic violence. Charges were dropped last week, though, leading a slew of teams to inquire about Brock before he chose Seattle. The 49ers announced that they were not among those clubs, but Slavin says otherwise. Brock will face his ex-team twice this year.

Here’s more from the NFC:

Giants quarterback Eli Manning, 36, told Ian O’Connor of ESPN.com on Wednesday that he’s optimistic about playing into his 40s. “Yeah, I think sitting here right now, I think I can play another four years,” said Manning, who’s under contract for three more seasons. Manning has been the picture of durability throughout his career, having played 16 games in every season other than 2004 – his rookie year, which he began as a backup. He’s similar in that regard to two-time Super Bowl opponent Tom Brady, whose ability to stay on the field for the vast majority of his career has helped him hang around into his 40s. Of course, durability was also key for Eli Manning’s brother, Peyton Manning, who managed to play until the age of 39.
Staying on the subject of Hall of Fame-bound signal-callers, Pete Dougherty of PackersNews.com opines that Green Bay must sign Aaron Rodgers to a new deal within the next year. While Rodgers is already under contract through 2019, awarding him a new pact would kill the possibility of the franchise tag coming into play, which Dougherty argues is rather important. Tagging Rodgers after 2019 would cost the Packers around $25MM, and that number would increase substantially if they were to franchise him again the next year. And if Rodgers doesn’t have an extension soon, the 33-year-old could decide he’d be better off playing under the tag for as long as possible and raking in all the guaranteed cash that comes with it, contends Dougherty.
With the Lions having lost Kerry Hyder and Brandon Copeland to season-ending injuries in recent days, they’re likely to look outside the organization for help along the defensive line, writes Nate Atkins of MLive.com. The Lions don’t possess a ton of cap space (around $7MM), but they have enough to pick someone up, contends Atkins, who lists Jared Odrick, Dwight Freeney, Paul Kruger, Trent Cole and Sen’Derrick Marks as logical targets in free agency. On the trade market, Atkins wonders if the Lions could pursue the Jets’ Sheldon Richardson, whom they’ve been shopping since last year. However, at upward of $8MM, Richardson has a high cap number, and he put the kibosh on potential trades with multiple teams earlier this year when he refused to take a pay cut.