HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

No Talks Yet For Seahawks, Earl Thomas

May 21st, 2018 at 1:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks’ OTAs are underway, but safety Earl Thomas is not among those in attendance, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Thomas has been pushing for a new deal, but there have been no talks yet and there are none on the horizon either, Pelissero hears. 

Thomas is under contract with Seattle for one more season at a salary of $8.5MM. Although participation in OTAs is voluntary, Thomas’ decision to stay home is probably a sign of his dissatisfaction with the lack of discussion regarding his contract.

“I think Earl Thomas deserves the money he’s asking for,” former Seahawks teammate Richard Sherman said recently. “I think he deserves to be compensated as the top safety in the league. Whether Seattle does that or not is up to them.”

Making Thomas the highest-paid safety in the NFL would mean giving him upwards of $13MM per year, topping Eric Berry‘s mammoth six-year, $78MM deal. At the time of signing in 2014, the Seahawks’ four-year, $40MM extension with Thomas put him ahead of all other NFL safeties, but he has since been leapfrogged by five others: Berry, teammate Kam Chancellor, Reshad Jones (Dolphins), Lamarcus Joyner (Rams), and Harrison Smith (Vikings).

Will the Seahawks put him atop the heap once again? It’s hard to see that happening after months of mulling trade possibilities, including a swap with the Cowboys. Dallas balked at giving up a second-round pick for Thomas, however, so he remains in the team’s plans – for now.

NFL Won’t Suspend Lions’ Matt Patricia

May 21st, 2018 at 1:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL has determined that neither the Lions nor Matt Patricia will not be subject to discipline in regards to previous allegations made against the head coach. The league met last week with the Lions and Patricia and opted against launching an investigation. 

“Our office reviewed the matter with the Lions and Mr. Patricia, and ensured the club engaged in appropriate and thorough hiring practices and that the coach did not mislead the team during the interview process,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy said in a statement. “We determined that the Lions handled the interview process in a thoughtful and comprehensive manner and fully and appropriately complied with all applicable employment laws. As we learned from both Mr. Patricia and the Lions, the matter was not part of his employment interview process for job opportunities outside of or within the NFL. He was under no legal or other requirement to raise this issue.”

The NFL faced a similar issue in 2017 when it came to Raiders cornerback Gareon Conley. Conley was accused of sexual misconduct before the 2017 NFL Draft and the league did not conduct a thorough and costly investigation as it has in the past for other players. The accusation against Patricia took place in 1996 and and the case was dismissed in January 1997. Patricia, like Conley, has denied any wrongdoing.

“The truth is on my side,” Patricia said in a news conference earlier this month. “I lived with the mental torture of the situation where facts can be completely ignored or misrepresented with disregard to the consequence and pain that it would create for another person. I find it unfair and upsetting that someone would bring this claim up over two decades later for the sole purpose of hurting my family, my friends and this organization with the intention of trying to damage my character and credibility.”

Bengals Sign Rookie Billy Price

May 21st, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bengals have signed first-round draft pick Billy Price, according to a team announcement. Per the terms of his slot as the No. 21 overall pick, Price will earn $11.7MM over the course of his four-year deal. And, as a first-round pick, the Bengals will have the option to tack a fifth year on to his deal down the line. 

Price suffered a torn pectoral muscle while doing the bench press at the draft combine in February. Fortunately, he rebounded quickly from the injury and put himself squarely back into the first round conversation. The Bengals believe that he will be back to full health this summer, which should allow him to be the team’s starting center in 2018.

Last year, Pro Football Focus’ collegiate arm gave Price an 83.2 overall grade for his work at Ohio State, positioning him as the fifth-best center in college football. Clearly, Price transitioned well to the new position after spending his first two years at left guard and his third year at right guard.

As shown on Roster Resource, the Bengals project to start Cordy Glenn, Clint Boling, Price, Trey Hopkins, and Jake Fisher on the offensive line. The Bengals are hoping for significant improvement from last year when their O-Line was ranked near the bottom of the league by virtually every measure.

As of this writing, the Bengals have just two players left to sign in their 2018 draft class in third-round picks Sam Hubbard (DE, Ohio State) and Malik Jefferson (LB, Texas).

Saints Sign Rookie Tre’Quan Smith

May 21st, 2018 at 12:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints announced the signing of third-round wide receiver Tre’Quan Smith. With that deal done, the Saints now have all of their draft picks under contract. 

Smith, a 6’2″ receiver out of UCF, was the Saints’ second-highest pick in this year’s draft class thanks to their 2017 deal with the Niners that allowed them to select running back Alvin Kamara. Although there were players the Saints would have liked to have at No. 59 overall this year, it’s safe to say the trade was worthwhile.

Heading into the draft, many viewed Smith as a fourth or fifth-round prospect. The Saints clearly did not agree with that assessment as they grabbed him late in the third. Armed with a quick first step and a freakish wingspan, the Saints believe that Smith can be molded into a quality contributor.

Here’s a look at the Saints’ complete 2018 draft class:

You can view every team’s 2018 draft class and the contractual status of its rookies with PFR’s Results By Team tracker.

Latest On Patriots’ Rob Gronkowski

May 21st, 2018 at 12:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Tom Brady opted against attending the Patriots’ OTAs on Monday, and it’s not yet known whether tight end Rob Gronkowski will follow suit. However, he will be there at some point, Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter) hears. 

Apparently, there’s a good reason for Gronk potentially skipping Monday and reporting in the near future. Gronk’s reps and the Patriots are discussing a revised contract and, per NFL rules, a reworked deal involving incentives cannot be completed until one year after the last restructuring.

Last year, the Pats and Gronk agreed to tweak the tight end’s deal on May 24th, as James Palmer of NFL.com (on Twitter) notes, so that’s the date to keep an eye on this year. If the two sides can reach an accord in the coming days, Gronk could be on the field starting Thursday.

In 2017, Gronk had incentives added to his deal that gave him the potential to earn some extra cash while protecting the team against another major injury. The 29-year-old hit the top tier of the bonus structure, giving a total salary of $10.75MM by way of his First-Team All-Pro selection.

Gronk bounced back from an injury-riddled year to haul in 69 grabs for 1,084 yards and eight touchdowns. He also had 16 catches for 218 yards and three scores in the postseason.

Details On Jamar Taylor’s New Contract

May 21st, 2018 at 11:52am CST by Zachary Links

Last week, the Cardinals acquired cornerback Jamar Taylor from the Browns. In order to facilitate the deal, Taylor agreed to a restructured contract. It turns out that Taylor has taken a significant pay cut in order to play opposite of Patrick Peterson. 

Taylor’s base salary will drop from $4.25M to $975K under the terms of his revised deal, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. His overall cap number has decreased by $2.75M thanks to the adjustment.

That marks a substantial hair cut for Taylor, especially when considering that he signed his three-year, $15MM extension less than a year-and-a-half ago. However, Taylor was unlikely to make the Browns’ final cut after the additions of T.J. Carrie, E.J. Gaines, Terrance Mitchell, and No. 4 overall pick Denzel Ward this offseason. Faced with the prospect of hitting free agency in the summer when teams have already set their CB plans or taking less money to (likely) start in Arizona, Taylor went with the latter.

It’s not immediately clear whether the 2019 portion of Taylor’s deal has also been tweaked. Assuming the ’19 season remains untouched, he remains on course to earn a base salary of $4.075MM with a $5.1MM cap number. However, the Cardinals would be left with just $750K if they were to release him under those terms.

In 2016, Taylor ranked as one of the 20 best corners in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. He took a step back last year, but the Cardinals are optimistic that he can revert to his old form. Even if he performs somewhere in between, that’s still preferable to the team’s other CB2 options, which include Brandon Williams, Bene Benwikere, and Marcus Williams.

Aaron Donald Skips Rams OTAs

May 21st, 2018 at 11:27am CST by Zachary Links

Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald has informed the team that he will not be in attendance for Organized Team Activities on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Donald, of course, is still pushing for a new contract, and his absence from OTAs is no coincidence. 

On the plus side, the Rams remain optimistic about hammering out a new deal with the three-time First-Team All-Pro. While Donald will not be with the club for their voluntary workouts this week, Rams head coach Sean McVay has been texting with Donald, and he says the line communication is stronger than last summer.

“He’s responding more than he was at this time last year, so that’s what I feel good about,”said McVay.

Given that Donald has been an elite player in each of his four NFL seasons, it seems likely that he’ll top Von Miller‘s $19.083MM average annual value, making him the highest-paid defender in league history. The Rams are aware of what it will take to lock him up, but they also have to be careful not to blow their budget with several other stars due for new deals. That group includes running back Todd Gurley and cornerback Marcus Peters as both players are due for unrestricted free agency after the 2019 season.

Last year, Donald amassed eleven sacks, five forced fumbles, and 41 total tackles playing mostly from the interior. Opposing teams will have their hands full as they deal with a defensive line unit that includes Donald, Ndamukong Suh, Michael Brockers, Ethan Westbrooks, and Dominique Easley in the rotation.

Cowboys Wrap Up Draft Class

May 21st, 2018 at 10:59am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have wrapped up their 2018 draft class. On Monday, the team reached agreement with the last straggler in their group – third-round wide receiver Michael Gallup (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Todd Archer). 

Last year, it took the Cowboys a while to sign all of their draft picks. Third-round pick Jourdan Lewis did not agree to terms until June 29, but this time around, Dallas ironed everything out with its third-round pick in short order.

Gallup hauled in 100 receptions for 1,413 yards last year at Colorado State and figures will compete for time in a revamped wide receiver group with Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley, Allen Hurns, Deonte Thompson, and others. Although he’s a bit green, the Cowboys are hopeful they can get him up to speed quickly.

Here’s the full rundown of the Cowboys’ draft class, courtesy of PFR’s Draft Results By Team tracker:

Latest On Tom Brady

May 21st, 2018 at 10:36am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots started the on-field portion of their Organized Team Activities on Monday, but did so without Tom Brady, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. While OTAs are voluntary, Brady’s absence could be a sign of friction in New England. 

Brady’s decision to stay away could mean the two sides are still far apart in talks to re-work his contract. Brady, who has been playing under a below-market deal for years, is currently signed through the 2019 campaign. In each of the next two years, he’s scheduled to earn a base salary of $15MM, while $7MM of annually prorated signing bonus money will bring his cap charges to $22MM in each season. The 40-year-old has no intentions of retiring anytime soon, so he is seeking a deal that will take him into 2020 and beyond.

Brady has indicated that he is staying away from the team, in part, to spend more time with his family.

“Part of this offseason for me is certainly about still preparing for what’s ahead in my next journey, my next mountain to climb with this group of teammates, but it’s also [acknowledging] that a lot of people are getting the short end of the stick in my life — certainly my wife and my kids,” Brady said recently. “Football is year-round for me. It’s a lot of thought, a lot of energy and emotion put into it, but I need to invest in them, too. My kids are 10, 8 and 5. They’re not getting younger, so I need to take time so I can be available to them, too. … I’ve really spent the last two or three months doing those things, and I think I’m really trying to fill my tank up so that when I do go back, I can go back and I think I’ll actually be, in my mind, a better player, a better teammate, because I’ll be really rejuvenated.”

While OTAs are voluntary, the June mandatory minicamp is not (as the name suggests). With that in mind, the real situation to watch will be next month when the team gets to work on June 5-7.

Dalvin Cook Ahead Of Schedule

May 20th, 2018 at 9:34pm CST by Micah Powell

In late April, it was reported Vikings running back Dalvin Cook was on track to be ready for training camp in July. In an interview with NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero on Sunday, head coach Mike Zimmer confirmed that report and added that the second-year back is ahead of schedule. 

“He’s done really well. He’s ahead of schedule and we’re excited about where he’s at. I think he’ll get in OTAs some but it’ll be limited until we get to training camp.”

The Florida State product got off to a hot start in 2017, rushing for 288 yards in Minnesota’s first three games. In Week 4 against Detroit, however, Cook tore his ACL and was lost for the remainder of the season. He returned to the field and participated in some on-field drills when the team held their voluntary workouts in April.

With Cook returning and the addition of Kirk Cousins in the offseason, Minnesota appears to have improved upon an offense that ranked in the top 10 in points in 2017. When Cook returns, he will share the load with Latavius Murray, who rushed for 593 yards and seven touchdowns following the team’s Week 9 bye week.

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