Month: January 2025

Roger Goodell To Retire In 2024

Roger Goodell has himself a new five-year extension. And this deal, NFL spokesman Joe Lockhart says, will be his last. In 2024, Goodell will step aside and the NFL will appoint a new commissioner. However, Goodell himself claims he hasn’t “made any determinations” on whether this will be his last contract as commissioner, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com.Roger Goodell (vertical)

Goodell has earned hundreds of millions of dollars as commissioner – not counting his new $200MM deal – and dealt with countless headaches, so it’s no surprise to hear that he has a retirement date in mind. In what is likely a concession towards Jerry Jones, Goodell will not receive post-retirement benefits (via Dan Kaplan of Sports Business Journal, on Twitter) and 90% of his new contract will be incentive-based.

The commissioner must now focus on guiding the league through the next round of CBA negotiations and fixing his legacy. The NFL’s domestic abuse issues brought a great deal of scrutiny on the league office and Goodell’s attempts to counterbalance that with harsh punishments have not always been well received. He also drew fierce criticism for his handling/bungling of the Patriots’ Deflategate scandal.

It may be hard for Goodell to win fans back, but he has about six years to replace those bad memories with good ones. Then again, it’s not necessarily Goodell’s job to win fan approval. Some would say that a large part of Goodell’s job is to be the fall guy for the owners’ controversial decisions.

Colts’ Frank Gore Wants To Play In 2018

Frank Gore turns 35 in May, but he’s not thinking about retirement. The Colts running back says that he wants to continue playing in 2018, though not necessarily in Indianapolis. Frank Gore

I want to finish strong to give myself an opportunity for a team to want me,” he said (via Stephen Holder of the Indy Star). “If there’s a great situation, I’m gonna play.”

This season, Gore surpassed LaDainian Tomlinson for fifth place on the league’s all-time rushing yards list. If he can rack up 238 yards on the ground in the next three games (and if he can play through his hand injury), he’ll have his tenth career season with at least 1,000 yards. That won’t be easy, but 80 yards per game is doable and Gore is certainly motivated to hit that milestone for the second year in a row.

It’s clear that Gore still has some football left in the tank and there could be even more history for him to make if he continues playing next year. He could also give himself an opportunity to win his first ever Super Bowl ring and solidify his place in Canton.

Giants To Start GM Interviews Next Week

The Giants are expected to start GM interviews next week, according to Judy Battista of NFL.com (on Twitter). However, they are unlikely to name one before end of the season for fear of missing out on candidates currently with teams. Giants Helmet (Featured)

After Jerry Reese was let go, the Giants did not rule out the possibility of signing his replacement before the end of the calendar year. However, that was always a longshot. By waiting until the offseason, the Giants will give themselves an opportunity to gauge a wider range of executives and give themselves additional time to make the right hire.

The Giants are expected to start with former Panthers GM/Giants exec Dave Gettleman and their own interim GM Kevin Abrams, according to Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter). After that, he hears that the Giants will likely meet with two or three other candidates in early January.

Gettleman is said to be the frontrunner for the job, though Abrams will also be given a legitimate chance to be the team’s GM going forward. It sounds like former Chiefs GM John Dorsey also would have been in the mix for the job if the Browns did not pounce on him first.

 

Patriots Cut Jonathan Freeny

The Patriots are releasing linebacker/defensive end Jonathan Freeny, as first reported by Mark Daniels of the Providence Journal (Twitter link). The move will create room for the team to formally sign Freeny’s former Rutgers teammate Kenny BrittJonathan Freeny

[RELATED: Patriots To Sign Kenny Britt]

Freeny, 28, did his most notable NFL work with the Patriots in 2015 and 2016. His latest stint in New England lasted only a week, however.

Because the trade deadline has come and gone, Freeny will hit the waiver wire. If he is not claimed by a team in the next 24 hours, he will be free to sign with any club of his choosing.

In ’15 and ’16, Freeney has recorded 60 tackles and one sack for the Patriots. He appeared in only 18 games during that span due to injury.

NFL Workout Updates: 12/12/17

Today’s workout updates, with all links going to veteran NFL reporter Howard Balzer’s Twitter account unless otherwise noted:

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

New York Jets

San Francisco 49ers

Packers’ Aaron Rodgers Medically Cleared

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has been medically cleared in time for Week 15, as Rodgers himself indicated on Instagram. Green Bay hasn’t yet activated Rodgers for Sunday’s game against the Panthers, but that formal transaction will likely be made in the near future.Aaron Rodgers (vertical)

Nearly every report from Green Bay had indicated Rodgers was progressing extremely well in his recovery from a broken collarbone, but his clearance was not a foregone conclusion. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported earlier today, the Packers’ medical staff uses an abundance of caution with respect to injuries, so although Rodgers was pushing to play this weekend, the club wanted to ensure his long-term health.

Now that he has returned, Rodgers not only offers a boost to the Packers’ postseason chances, but reshapes the NFC playoff picture as a whole. Given the strength of the NFC, there’s no guarantee Green Bay will earn a postseason berth even if it wins out to finish with a 10-6 record. But two consecutive victories with backups signal-caller Brett Hundley under center have given the Packers a fighting chance, and Rodgers certainly has the All Pro ability to push Green Bay into the playoffs.

The Packers will face three NFC opponents — the Panthers, Vikings, and Lions — over the next three weeks, and they’ll likely need to win each of those contests in order to secure a playoff slot.

2018 Salary Cap Likely At $174.2-$178.1MM

The 2018 NFL salary cap is expected to be set between $$174.2MM and $178.1MM, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Given that the cap was $167MM for the 2017 season, the 2018 projected figure would represent an increase of roughly four to six percent.NFL General Helmet (Featured)

The salary cap will continue the incredible upward trajectory it has been on since 2013. Here’s what the league’s salary cap has looked like over the last few years:

  • 2013: $123MM
  • 2014: $133MM
  • 2015: $143.28MM
  • 2016: $155.27MM
  • 2017: $167MM

The NFL’s management council will submit their first 2018 cap projections to the league’s owners during meetings this week, and the league will then announce the final cap number early next year, typically in February or March before the new league year opens. The salary cap, of course, affects not only teams’ roster moves for the entire season, but the figures used in franchise/transition tag calculations.

Using a projected salary cap of $178MM (the high end of the NFL’s range), Over the Cap recently posted estimates for franchise, transition, and restricted free agent tender amounts, figures that won’t be precisely determined until the NFL formally announces the 2018 cap.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/12/17

Today’s practice squad updates:

Chicago Bears

Cleveland Browns

  • Waived: OL Korren Kirven

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Kansas City Chiefs

Los Angeles Chargers

Minnesota Vikings

New York Giants

New York Jets

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Latest On Jerry Jones, Roger Goodell

Before Roger Goodell formally signed an extension that will keep him as the NFL’s commissioner until the start of the 2024 league year, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones proposed a resolution that would have delayed negotiations for six months, according to a memo obtained by Seth Wickersham of ESPN.com.Jerry Jones (vertical)

The proposal was included in an agenda for this week’s league meetings, per Wickersham, and called for a secret vote on a six-month moratorium on Goodell’s extension. While the resolution obviously failed (and Jones failed to organize any compelling level of anti-Goodell support among his fellow owners), Jones will still be able to voice concerns among Goodell’s contract when the league convenes Wednesday. Indeed, owners are “bracing” for Jones to attempt “one last play” to circumvent Goodell’s deal at the league meetings, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

 “I’m not going to get into details,” Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. “But the resolution I put in is still in place. This is why we have the meetings. I am looking forward to it. It will be a great opportunity. We will able to get some meaningful things done because of what we have been doing over the last few months.”

Jones’ battle against Goodell isn’t a new fight, of course, as the Cowboys owner has claimed the league’s owners were “misled” by the commissioner’s new deal. While Jones’ angst has generally been directed at compensation committee chairman Arthur Blank, Jones is also reportedly upset over Goodell’s decision to suspend Dallas running back Ezekiel Elliott.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/12/17

Today’s minor moves:

Cincinnati Bengals

  • Designated to return from injured reserve: QB Jeff Driskel

Cleveland Browns

Los Angeles Chargers

New York Giants

  • Signed off Chiefs‘ practice squad: OL Damien Mama

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

  • Promoted to active roster: LB Riley Bullough
  • Waived: CB Deji Olatoye