HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Ezekiel Elliott Considering Holdout?

January 28th, 2019 at 6:35pm CST by Sam Robinson

Todd Gurley‘s record-setting running back deal affected Le’Veon Bell‘s decision-making in Pittsburgh this year, and it may play a role in how Ezekiel Elliott proceeds in 2019.

The Cowboys’ All-Pro running back has one year remaining on his contract, but with the team having an easy fifth-year option decision coming, Elliott may be in a tough spot. Dallas has a host of extension-eligible players, five of whom — DeMarcus Lawrence, Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper and Byron Jones and Jaylon Smith— either a franchise tag candidate or entering a contract year. Elliott having two years of team control left may move him to the back of the re-up queue, despite Dallas brass’ goal of signing him long-term.

An Elliott holdout will be a risk, sources told Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, the longer this drags on this offseason. With the Cowboys having no incentive to pay Elliott now, there may be more noise on this front as the offseason unfolds.

While Gurley received his extension with two years remaining on his contract, Elliott is also in the same position Aaron Donald was in 2017. Donald held out and missed the Rams’ first two games en route to defensive player of the year acclaim.

Elliott, 23, is due $3.58MM in 2019. His fifth-year option would come in north of $10MM in 2020. But Gurley’s four-year, $57.5MM deal altered the market. With Elliott winning rushing titles in both of the seasons in which he was a full Cowboys participant, the leverage he will have is removing himself from an offense dependent on his talents.

The Cowboys stand to hold more than $54MM in cap space and have taken care of three Elliott blockers, the most recent coming with Zack Martin‘s guard-record contract in 2018. Considering Elliott’s importance to the team, usage rate and the non-Gurley running backs’ position within the NFL salary landscape, a holdout would certainly make sense to see if the Cowboys would buckle and pay him this year rather than in 2020.

A Lawrence holdout also may be on the horizon, per Hill. Although, this could be expected given that the Cowboys may franchise him again. Lawrence signed his tender immediately last year and attended Cowboys offseason workouts, however.

Chris Harris Open To Broncos Extension

January 28th, 2019 at 6:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Harris suffered a fractured fibula in early December but returned to play in Sunday’s Pro Bowl. He is open to parlaying that momentum into another Broncos contract.

Denver formed probably the NFL’s best cornerback trio from 2014-17, but the trade of Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby‘s likely free agency departure leave Harris the last remaining member of that group. The All-Pro slot defender has one season left on his contract and would be ready to discuss another Denver extension.

“Definitely open to an extension, whenever they call me,” Harris said, via Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post. “I’m 29 right now. But I have a lot of juice left. I’m not close to being done. I feel like I’m getting better.”

Although Harris has been attached to a team-friendly, five-year pact worth $42.5MM since the end of the 2014 season, he has been one of this decade’s premier cornerbacks. Pro Football Focus again graded him as a top-five corner this season. Following the injuries to Harris and Emmanuel Sanders in a three-day span, the Broncos finished 0-4 after mounting a midseason win streak.

With Harris taking a discount for his second contract, it would stand to reason he would want to be paid like a top-tier corner on his next deal. It will likely cost the Broncos eight figures annually to keep their longest-tenured defensive back long-term. Elway traded a 31-year-old Talib this past offseason but has not been averse to retaining older talent at this position. One of his first acts as GM was signing Champ Bailey to a second Broncos extension.

Having given Harris an incentive package in 2018 and not yet identifying surefire future starters, it would stand to reason the Broncos would be open to a Harris re-up. The Broncos may well lose their Nos. 2-3 corners this offseason, with Tramaine Brock‘s one-year deal having expired. Denver drafted Brendan Langley and Isaac Yiadom in the past two third rounds, but neither’s starter potential is certain. Langley was bumped back to the practice squad for much of this season; Yiadom played 263 snaps as a rookie.

Cornerback resides as one of the Broncos’ top needs. A boundary defender in base defenses but largely a slot cover man, Harris would prefer whomever the Broncos bring in have inside-defending capabilities. Though, his acumen in that area may make that unrealistic.

“Oh, yeah, if we can find somebody who can play in the slot and I can just match the No. 1 guy, I would love that,” Harris said. “That would be ideal for me. But we have to find that guy. It’s hard. We’ll see happen with Roby’s situation or see if we can find some other guys.”

Steelers, Antonio Brown Still In Talks

January 28th, 2019 at 4:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the odds Antonio Brown is wearing a different uniform are still fairly decent, the All-Pro wide receiver continues to talk with members of the Steelers front office.

The Steelers have yet to grant Brown or agent Drew Rosenhaus permission to seek a trade. During this time, however, Brown has maintained a steady dialogue with some Steelers personnel executives, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (video link), adding that the relationship remains solid between Brown and some members of the front office.

However, Brown has not discussed his situation with Kevin Colbert or Mike Tomlin, Rapoport adds. Nor has Brown returned Art Rooney II‘s phone calls since the season ended, Mark Kaboly of The Athletic notes (subscription required).

As of Monday, Brown’s preference is still to be traded. Brown has been most connected to the 49ers, the latest link being a Photoshopped image of a No. 84 49ers jersey. But not much has developed on that front since rumors the Steelers might initiate trade talks surfaced.

Brown and Tomlin obviously did not leave things in a good place after the season ended. But Rooney appears to have softened his stance about the 30-year-old superstar returning to Pittsburgh in 2019. Brown still has some support in the Steelers’ locker room as well. Rooney, however, added the caveat of likely needing to hear some sort of an apology from Brown for his Week 17 actions if the parties will move forward together.

Poll: Will The Ravens Trade Joe Flacco?

January 28th, 2019 at 2:01pm CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens have their quarterback of the present and future in Lamar Jackson, but questions remain about their franchise QB of the past. The Ravens want to trade Joe Flacco in order to recoup something for the one-time Super Bowl champion, and they’re confident they can get a solid return, but not everyone in the football world is convinced.

“At the end of the day, if I was picking what would happen, I would say that he will be released,” said former NFL GM Charley Casserly told Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. “I have a hard time believing somebody is going to trade for that contract with the uncertainty of Joe this late in his career.”

Even with the dearth of quality QBs out there, there’s no doubt about it – Flacco’s contract is an issue. He has three years and $63MM to go on a deal that has no guaranteed money remaining, but still calls for a substantial cap number in 2019.

“You have to take on the $18.5MM to make the trade, unless the Ravens are willing to eat more salary to facilitate a trade,” former agent Joel Corry told Zrebiec. “You’re going to have to really want to get rid of the guy and get a draft pick to start eating salary.”

On the plus side, there are potential suitors for 34-year-old. The Jaguars are reportedly mulling a Flacco trade, the Redskins probably need a QB to fill in for Alex Smith this year, and clubs like the Dolphins, Panthers, Broncos may or may not be in the QB market depending on how things break. And, this year’s free agent crop is no hot shakes outside of Nick Foles and Teddy Bridgewater. In theory, these teams and others could wait to see whether Flacco is released outright, but that might not be a gamble worth taking.

Ultimately, do you think the Ravens will find a trade for Flacco? Cast your vote here and back up your choice in the comment section below (poll link for app users):

Following Specific NFL Players On PFR

January 28th, 2019 at 12:49pm CST by Zachary Links

As we’ve outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Pro Football Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, and RSS. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, it’s easy to follow all our updates on your favorite player as well.

If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell as he prepares for free agency, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest news involving Alex Smith, you can find his page right here.

In addition to dedicating pages to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific non-NFL topics. For example, all our posts relating to the XFL can be found here, while our updates on the Alliance of American Football (AAF) are here.

Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page, and each of those players also has his own RSS feed, making it even easier to follow the latest updates. Links to RSS feeds for specific players are all located on this page. You can also find links to RSS feeds for various miscellaneous categories there. For instance, if you only want to receive one update every Sunday recapping the week’s notable headlines, you can subscribe to our Week in Review RSS feed, right here.

Bills Sign LS Reid Ferguson To Extension

January 28th, 2019 at 11:42am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have re-signed long snapper Reid Ferguson to a three-year extension, according to a team announcement. Ferguson was set to be an exclusive rights free agent this offseason, meaning that he would not have reached the open market, unless the Bills renounced his rights. 

It’s early in the offseason, but the Bills have already started taking care of in-house matters. Earlier this month, the Bills signed Lorenzo Alexander to a new one-year deal and inked offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles to a fresh one-year pact.

The Bills’ list of free agents is rapidly dwindling, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. Here’s the full rundown of the Bills’ FAs-to-be, as of this writing:

Unrestricted Free Agents

Restricted Free Agents

Exclusive Rights Free Agents

Jets Not Interested In Kareem Hunt

January 28th, 2019 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are on the hunt for a running back this offseason, but their search will not include free agent Kareem Hunt, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. Despite Hunt’s talent, sources tell Mehta that the Jets do not want to get involved with the player after surveillance footage surfaced of him assaulting a woman. 

The league is currently investigating Hunt and the process is expected to finish before the start of free agency in March. It’s likely that multiple teams will do their homework on Hunt, but his market will obviously be limited by his past transgressions.

The Jets have been willing to gamble on players with iffy track records under GM Mike Maccagnan, but they appear to be drawing a line when it comes to domestic violence. For example, two years ago, the Jets reportedly took Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon off their draft board.

“There are some things that are extremely egregious that I personally have a very hard time with condoning,” Maccagnan said before the 2017 draft. “And violence in particular — that’s a very serious thing to me. That’s something that for me and my wife, we’ve had a personal experience with that. I would say, simply, we don’t take it lightly.”

After the Jets ranked 29th in yards per carry last year, they’re in desperate need of a running back upgrade. Even though Hunt captured the league’s NFL rushing title as a rookie with 1,327 yards on the ground, he won’t be in the mix for Gang Green.

The Jets’ lack of interest in Hunt could improve the odds of a Le’Veon Bell signing, though they may prefer to spread their $100MM+ in cap room around.

AFC Rumors: Chiefs, Raiders, Steelers

January 27th, 2019 at 9:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

De’Anthony Thomas was arrested on suspicion of marijuana possession and drug paraphernalia possession on Saturday, according to the Allen County (Kan.) Sheriff’s Office (via KMBC.com). The Chiefs wide receiver has since been released from Allen County Jail on bond. Thomas has played his entire NFL career with the Chiefs, signing a one-year deal to return to the team in 2018 after his rookie contract expired. The wideout’s latest Kansas City deal expired after this season. Thomas, 26, landed on IR in October.

As the Patriots venture to Atlanta for Super Bowl LIII, here is the latest from the AFC:

  • Needs exist at many spots on the Raiders‘ roster, but they are expected to conduct a defense-heavy draft, Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area notes. Oakland added several defenders in free agency last year, most of whom on one-year deals. The Silver and Black finished with an incredible 13 sacks — 17 fewer than the next-closest team (the Giants) this season and fewest in a season since the 2008 Chiefs, who also traded their best pass rusher that year (Jared Allen), recorded just 10 — and lack long-term answers at just about every position defensively. The Khalil Mack and Amari Cooper trades garnered the Raiders, whose own first-round pick became No. 4 overall, the Nos. 24 and 27 selections.
  • The Steelers exercised Bud Dupree‘s fifth-year option last May but have not decided on his long-term status with the team, per Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Dupree collected 5.5 sacks this season and has 20 in his career but has not lived up to his first-round billing. Dupree’s option price is $9.23MM. It would not be surprising if neither Dupree nor 2016 first-round pick Artie Burns inked second contracts with the Steelers, Fittipaldo writes. Burns’ fifth-year option decision is due in May. Considering Burns played just 308 snaps this season and will carry an option cost of close to $10MM, it would be incredibly surprising if Pittsburgh exercised it.
  • JuJu Smith-Schuster suffered an injury in Sunday’s Pro Bowl. While the Associated Press notes the injury that caused the Steelers wideout to leave the game was just a bruised knee, the second-year wideout was limping en route to the AFC team bus. Smith-Schuster may be on the verge of becoming Pittsburgh’s centerpiece receiver, should Antonio Brown be dealt. It doesn’t sound like he’ll be in danger of missing OTA time, however.
  • Included in Seth Wickersham’s must-read ESPN.com piece about the Jimmy Haslam-era Browns: a near-deal that would have added to the Browns and Texans‘ unique quarterback pipeline. After Cleveland chose Johnny Manziel in the 2014 first round, then-Browns GM Ray Farmer had to calm down a “furious” Brian Hoyer. The Texans soon called to offer their No. 33 overall pick for Cleveland’s then-starting quarterback, but Farmer declined the deal to get control of a draft that had gone haywire (with Mike Pettine leading the way for Justin Gilbert and Haslam behind the Manziel move). Hoyer played one more season with the Browns and in 2015 signed with the Texans, who used that No. 33 pick on offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo.

49ers To Hire Shane Day As QBs Coach

January 27th, 2019 at 7:36pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers have identified Rich Scangarello‘s replacement as quarterbacks coach, with NBC Sports Bay Area’s Matt Maiocco reporting (on Twitter) they will hire Shane Day to oversee the Jimmy Garoppolo-led group.

Day began his career in San Francisco as a quality control coach and was most recently the Dolphins’ tight ends coach, serving in that role during each of Adam Gase‘s three years.

Day’s most recent experience as a quarterbacks coach came with the 2010-11 Bears, where he worked under Mike Martz. Day also coached quarterbacks with the University of Connecticut for two seasons.

Kyle Shanahan continues to serve as the 49ers’ de facto offensive coordinator. He allowed Scangarello to leave for the Broncos’ OC post because it offered play-calling responsibilities. The 49ers appear to have their four key offensive coaches now, with Mike McDaniel and Mike LaFleur serving as run and pass game coordinators and Day set to work with Garoppolo and Co. LaFleur worked with QBs at the Senior Bowl, but Maiocco tweets he will have broader responsibilities next season while Day will be tasked only with quarterback work.

5 Key Stories: 1/20/19 – 1/27/19

January 27th, 2019 at 6:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

Brady, Brees Hall of Fame ceremonies will be further delayed: After a controversial Championship Sunday, the football-following world was denied a Tom Brady–Drew Brees Super Bowl clash. But fans do not have to worry about either legend walking away after the 2018 season. Despite the Saints’ historically brutal playoff exit, Brees offered immediately he plans to return for a 19th season. Brady has continued to insist he will play into his mid-40s, and the Patriots passer reiterated he is not going anywhere — win or lose in Super Bowl LIII — after this season. The 2019 season would be Brady’s 20th.

Fitz makes it official for a 16th season: While Brady and Brees’ contracts run through 2019, Larry Fitzgerald had played out his deal. And the future Hall of Famer did so for a 3-13 Cardinals team. Despite the Cards’ descent, Fitzgerald re-signed to play at least one more season this week. Fitz’s latest deal will be worth at least $11MM. He had previously communicated with Kliff Kingsbury and appears to be sufficiently intrigued by the former Texas Tech head coach coming to revamp the Cardinals’ offense.

 

Ravens finalize John Harbaugh deal: As the Eric DeCosta GM era begins, the most successful head coach in Ravens history’s time in Baltimore will continue. Harbaugh’s extension became official this week, completing his move off the hot seat and in firm command as the Lamar Jackson era gets going. The 12th-year Baltimore HC’s responsibilities are also set to remain the same under DeCosta.

Redskins not expecting Alex Smith to play in 2019: Previously viewed as having a chance to return by training camp, Smith encountered some complications in the hospital. Infections induced several additional surgeries. Now, Washington’s quarterback appears to be in line to miss all of what would have been his age-35 season. Smith appeared in public this week but did so with crutches and a cumbersome apparatus bracing his injured leg. If the former No. 1 overall pick is to return to the field, it will take an arduous process to do so.

Coordinator shuffle continues, with Chiefs entering equation: The Chiefs scored 24 points in the fourth quarter of the AFC championship game and still lost, with a crucial defensive penalty denying the franchise its first Super Bowl berth in 49 years. Two days later, the Chiefs fired DC Bob Sutton. After being connected to Rex Ryan, they replaced him with Steve Spagnuolo, a longtime Andy Reid assistant before his Giants days.

The Dolphins also identified their defensive coordinator in Patrick Graham, and the Bengals are going young on offense, pairing 35-year-old Zac Taylor with 34-year-old OC Brian Callahan. Tight ends coach continues to be a launching-pad Titans position, with new OC Arthur Smith following in Mike Mularkey‘s footsteps in rising from that role to a key job. The Adam Gase–Dowell Loggains partnership will continue in New York.

Nothing is official in Dallas yet, but 30-year-old Kellen Moore may be set for a staggering rise. The recently retired quarterback is the Cowboys’ top OC candidate. And he may be tabbed to call plays, with Jason Garrett‘s CEO-type role in line to continue.

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