The Buccaneers and offensive lineman Ali Marpet agreed to a five-year extension earlier today, with the deal expected to be worth $55MM ($27.125MM guaranteed). General manager Jason Licht last said that one of the top items on the front office’s to-do list was signing the 25-year-old to a long-term deal.
“One of our top priorities heading into this season was to secure our core players to long-term deals and I am thrilled to add Ali to that list,” Licht said (via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter). “In his first four seasons, Ali has developed into one of the league’s best offensive guards and we believe he will only continue to improve. His ability to play multiple positions across the line, along with his strong work ethic and overall leadership abilities, were all important factors in our decision to ensure he remains a Buccaneer for the long term.”
Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFL…
- While previous reports had indicated that the Eagles had given “serious consideration” to a Le’Veon Bell trade, ESPN’s Adam Schefter clarified that that wasn’t actually the case. Yahoo’s Charles Robinson echos that sentiment, writing that the Eagles hadn’t been in pursuit of the Steelers running back. However, Robinson notes that Bell “is a viable option” for Philly after they lost Jay Ajayi to a season-ending injury. For the time being, the Eagles will turn to one of Corey Clement, Wendell Smallwood, Josh Adams, and Darren Sproles (once he returns from injury).
- Two more practice squad players got raises this week after other teams tried to poach them, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. Jets center Nico Falah and 49ers cornerback Emmanuel Moseley are now making $28,235 a week, well above the taxi squad minimum. Given the way they are valued by their respective teams, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see either player promoted to the main roster soon.
- The Lions expect to see offensive lineman T.J. Lang back on the field at some point this season.
Ben Levine contributed to this post.
The Eagles made cap space and until they fill it with a RB, everybody is gonna speculate everyday on a trade with the Steelers for Bell. It’ll probably happen as soon as Bell signs his franchise tag and reports.
100
Does the Eagles report come down to o reported it right then I reported it wrong?
Shady going back to Philly
Shady is done.. Eagles might be too so its a match made in heaven.