HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

AAF To Suspend Operations, May Fold

April 2nd, 2019 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Alliance of American Football (AAF) will suspend all football operations on Tuesday, according to Darren Rovell of Action Network (on Twitter). New majority owner Tom Dundon, Rovell hears, acted against the wishes of league co-founders Charlie Ebersol and Bill Polian with the decision. 

On the surface, Dundon has lost approximately $70MM on his investment just weeks after scooping up the league. However, the perception inside the league office is that Dundon simply purchased a majority stake in the company to obtain the technology behind its gambling app, Albert Breer of The MMQB (on Twitter) hears.

“Dundon got the technology he wanted and he’s now minus one rather large headache,” a source told Breer.

John Kryk of the Toronto Sun offers a grim prognosis, saying that an AAF source has told him that the league is finished (Twitter link). Even if that’s not the case, the league’s move to suspend operations in the middle of its first season is not a good sign. Early on, the AAF seemed to have potential thanks to a broadcast deal with the CBS Sports Network, but the costs of stadium rentals and payroll quickly caught up with the fledgling league. Additional backing from Dundon appeared to be their life preserver, but that was not the case.

Recently, Dundon indicated that the league would not be able to move forward unless the NFLPA agreed to allow active players to join the AAF. Ultimately, the tactic did not work, and the AAF is now in serious trouble.

Broncos’ Chris Harris Skips Workouts

April 2nd, 2019 at 9:42am CST by Zachary Links

Broncos cornerback Chris Harris will be a no-show for the Broncos’ first day of offseason activities, according to Mike Klis of 9News. The workouts are voluntary, but Harris is looking to make a statement as he pushes for a new deal. 

Harris is entering the final year of his contract and is slated to earn $7.8MM in base pay. The Broncos are open to an extension, but they’re hoping to hold off on serious negotiations until after the draft.

In 2018, Harris once again graded out as a top five cornerback in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Meanwhile, his salary is tied for 23rd among all cornerbacks in the NFL. The Broncos, ostensibly, would like to keep Harris beyond 2019, but they have just $11.77MM in cap room with $5MM of that sum slotted for their No. 10 overall draft pick.

The Broncos can ill afford a Harris holdout. Even though they added defensive back Kareem Jackson on a three-year, $33MM deal and signed slot corner Bryce Callahan to a three-year, $21MM pact, Harris is the heart and soul of their secondary.

Cowboys, Randy Gregory Agree To Extension

April 2nd, 2019 at 9:31am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys and Randy Gregory have agreed to an extension that will keep him under club control through the 2020 season, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. The news is somewhat surprising, given that Gregory was recently hit with the fourth suspension of his career for violating the substance abuse policy and is indefinitely banned from the NFL. 

The new pact will convert $310K of Gregory’s 2019 salary into a signing bonus. Meanwhile, he’ll gain an additional year worth $735K that can increase with a salary escalator.

For their part, the Cowboys are hopeful that Gregory can be reinstated for 2019. If not, he’ll have a home for 2020, provided that he can convince the NFL to allow him to return to the field once more.

The Cowboys aren’t necessarily banking on Gregory taking the field this year, but he would go a long way towards helping their pass rush. The Cowboys acquired defensive end Robert Quinn in a trade with the Dolphins last week, but it’s still possible that DeMarcus Lawrence will stay away from the club if he does not get the extension he is seeking.

Last year, Gregory finished out with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles in just 522 snaps.

Patriots Give Michael Bennett New Deal

April 2nd, 2019 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots and Michael Bennett have agreed to a reworked two-year deal, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The fresh pact will give the defensive end a base value of $16.75MM, including a $4MM signing bonus. 

The new deal gives Bennett an additional $800K in base compensation this year with an additional $500K guaranteed for injury, potentially giving him a total boost of $1.3MM. Bennett had no guaranteed money left on the deal he had with the Eagles prior to the trade, so this is a nice bump for a player who had little in the way of leverage. Meanwhile, the adjustment creates $700K in cap space for the Patriots in 2019.

The Patriots swung a deal for Bennett as protection against Trey Flowers‘ potential departure. Days later, Flowers left to sign a five-year, $90MM free agent deal with the Lions. Bennett is several years older than Flowers, but he’s an accomplished sack artist who will cost them a whole lot less.

Last year, Bennett amassed nine sacks for Philly, giving him his highest total since 2015. The three-time Pro Bowler has 63 career sacks to his name across nine NFL seasons.

Draft Notes: LBs, Cowboys, OL, Pats, Ravens

April 1st, 2019 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Two teams who will be visiting with Devin White soon are also set to have this draft’s other high-profile Devin on their pre-draft itineraries. The Bengals met with Devin Bush on Monday, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets, adding the Buccaneers are next up on the Michigan-produced linebacker’s schedule. White is expected to go off draft boards a bit sooner, but Bush is viewed as a solid first-round pick as well. Bush finished out the 2018 season with 66 tackles, including 8.5 for a loss, and 4.5 sacks. In 2017, the versatile linebacker posted 95 tackles, 10 for loss, and 5.5 sacks. He is the son of former Falcons, Rams and Browns safety Devin Bush Sr., a 1995 first-round pick who played in back-to-back Super Bowls in the late 1990s. The Bucs hold the No. 5 pick, while the Bengals’ first pick comes at No. 11.

Here’s the latest from the draft world:

  • While Bush may be a solid first-round bet, White has climbed to the point of potentially becoming the first off-ball linebacker to be drafted in the top five since Aaron Curry in 2009. A consensus of White being as good or better than Roquan Smith as a prospect has formed, Albert Breer of SI.com notes, adding that he could be a fit at No. 4 for the Raiders or No. 5 for the Bucs.
  • The Cowboys have made most of their 30 visits known, and some higher-level prospects reside on Dallas’ list — despite the team not holding a first-round pick. Wide receiver Deebo Samuel and safeties Taylor Rapp and Johnathan Abram are set to visit the Cowboys, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News reports. Four defensive tackles, four safeties, three wideouts and three running backs appear on the Cowboys’ list. The past six Cowboys first-round picks visited the Cowboys pre-draft, Machota notes, though with Dallas not holding a selection until late in the second round (No. 58) could complicate matters. NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah rates Samuel, a South Carolina-honed receiver, as this class’ No. 6 wideout. He rates Abram (Mississippi State) as the class’ top safety.
  • Rapp will be receiving a nice tour of the country this month, with a three-time zone trip on the horizon. The Lions, Rams, Giants and Panthers also booked pre-draft summits with the Washington safety, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com notes. A three-year Huskies contributor, Rapp intercepted seven passes and made at least 50 tackles in each of his college campaigns. Pauline expects Rapp to be a second-round pick.
  • A fellow Washington Huskies product, tackle Kaleb McGary has visits lined up with the Patriots, Rams and Jaguars, per Pauline. The Falcons are also going to work out McGary, who was a three-plus-season starter at right tackle for the Pac-12 program.
  • The top two centers on Jeremiah’s list, N.C. State’s Garrett Bradbury and Texas A&M’s Erik McCoy, will visit the Ravens, The Athletic’s Jeff Zreibec reports (subscription required). Baltimore allowed Ryan Jensen to walk in free agency last year and turned to Matt Skura to replace him in 2018. Skura graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 23 center last season for a Ravens team that became far more reliant on the run once Lamar Jackson entered the equation.

Giants Rumors: Haskins, Draft, Manning

April 1st, 2019 at 8:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

More steam is building for the Giants bypassing a quarterback at No. 6 overall to take a pass rusher. They have been rumored to be interested in this draft’s bevy of front-seven talents while simultaneously being less than enthralled by this crop of passers. One Giants source informed Ralph Vacchiano of SNY the team will have a tough time passing on a defender at 6.

“There are a ton of great defensive players in this draft,” the source told Vacchiano. “As much as we need a young quarterback, I honestly don’t know how we can pass on one of the pass rushers at 6.”

This follows a Vacchiano report that indicates the Giants are “strongly” leaning in the direction of drafting a pass rusher at No. 6. The Giants’ visit list, so far, includes Nick Bosa and Josh Allen. Both players may be gone by the time New York’s first draft window opens, with Quinnen Williams possibly set to be a top-five selection as well. However, players like Montez Sweat, Ed Oliver and Rashan Gary may well still be on the board at that point. The Giants have gutted their pass rush in consecutive offseasons, trading Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. They finished with 30 sacks in 2018 — the second-lowest total in the league. New York added Markus Golden in free agency but still needs help on the edge.

Here is the latest on the Giants, shifting to the other side of this debate:

  • Despite this buzz surrounding Big Blue and pass rushers, the Giants still have a glaring long-term need at quarterback. And this is peak smokescreen time. As the Giants continue to research Dwayne Haskins, they remain pleased with the results, per Vacchiano. Should the Cardinals be running a historic Kyler Murray smokescreen operation and the Heisman Trophy winner drops to the Giants, Vacchiano adds they would still take Haskins over the 5-foot-10 passer. The Ohio State breakout star is the likely choice, if, in fact, the Giants go quarterback at 6. Haskins is set to visit the Giants.
  • The Giants also sound interested in filling their post-Manning quarterback need via trade for Josh Rosen, if he becomes available. They have discussed this internally and are expected to be a suitor, and many around the league believe New York’s No. 37 overall pick would be enough to get this done. The Giants do not have their own third-round pick, which would have been near the top of the round, but do hold a No. 95 choice as a result of the Odell Beckham Jr. trade. That by itself might not be sufficient for the Cardinals’ 2018 first-round QB.
  • The Eli Manning-in-2020 rumors may be quite legitimate. Giants brass do not believe the 38-year-old quarterback has declined to the degree most of the NFL media does, Vacchiano notes. The hope remains the Giants will have Manning’s heir apparent lined up this year, and Daniel Jones has now surged into the conversation, but Vacchiano adds the Giants “will not hesitate” to extend Manning into 2020 if not. They would like him to mentor his successor, whether said passer arrives this year or next.
  • Dave Gettleman is taking plenty of heat for his offseason decisions, most notably the ones that sent away Beckham and Landon Collins. But Giants ownership is fully on board with the second-year GM’s plan, Vacchiano writes, adding that ownership likes that Gettleman has attempted to create a better culture in the locker room.
  • Pass rushers and quarterbacks aside, the Giants are on linebacker Devin White’s visit list.

Cardinals To Sign CB Tramaine Brock

April 1st, 2019 at 7:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tramaine Brock will again join a Vance Joseph-coached defense. The one-year Broncos contributor will sign with the Cardinals, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets.

Both Brock and Morris Claiborne visited the Cardinals Monday, and Brock will join a veteran-heavy cast of corners in Arizona.

Should Brock make the Cards’ 53-man roster, this will be his 10th NFL season. After one-season stints with the Vikings and Broncos, he will return to the NFC West. Brock spent seven seasons with the 49ers, serving as a backup and part-time starter for Jim Harbaugh‘s teams and then becoming a full-timer during the 2015-16 seasons.

Brock will turn 31 before the season starts. His arrival in Arizona will make the Cards secondary one of the most seasoned in the league. Patrick Peterson enters his ninth season, and Robert Alford and David Amerson are heading into their seventh. The Cardinals also added fifth-year veteran Josh Shaw this offseason.

With the draft coming, it is not a lock this quintet all makes the roster. But the Cardinals, who have had issues for years filling their CB2 role, are going with a volume approach to augment this position group this offseason.

A former UDFA, Brock served as the Broncos’ No. 3 corner last season. He did not fare especially well, grading as one of Pro Football Focus’ lowest-graded corners. But he will have a chance to continue in Joseph’s system. Secondary coaches Marcus Robertson and Greg Williams also worked with Denver’s DBs last season, creating more familiarity for the newest Cardinal corner.

Nick Bosa To Visit 4 Teams

April 1st, 2019 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nick Bosa is not expected to have to wait long to hear his name called during the first round of the upcoming draft, in the event the Cardinals indeed pass on him. Teams with a combination of a high pick and an edge-rushing need are going to bring in the Ohio State standout.

The Cardinals and Giants will bring in Bosa this week, Albert Breer of SI.com reports, adding that Bay Area trips — to meet with both the 49ers and Raiders — are on tap next week.

Bosa has already had dinner with both Cardinals and 49ers representatives, but official visits to the teams holding the top picks in this draft are on tap. Nearly all mock drafts have Bosa going to one of these two NFC West franchises, most now sending him to San Francisco given the Kyler Murray-Cardinals noise.

The Giants are not believed to be interested in packaging their two first-round picks to move up. The team operating this way would almost certainly prevent landing Bosa. The Raiders hold three first-round picks, but with teams ahead of them linked to Bosa, moving up might be difficult. Oakland finishing last season with just 13 sacks — the lowest team total since the 2008 Chiefs — may further drive the franchise toward addressing this need early in Round 1, however.

Nick Bosa did not boast Joey Bosa–caliber stats while with the Buckeyes, registering 17.5 sacks and 29 tackles for loss in his three-season run in Columbus. But he has been universally regarded as a top-tier prospect, as his brother was three years ago.

Jets Hosting T Andre Smith On Visit

April 1st, 2019 at 6:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Bolstering the offensive line resided as one of the Jets’ priorities coming into the offseason. They have added All-Pro Kelechi Osemele and brought in potential starter/swing man Tom Compton. Another veteran is in play.

Andre Smith visited the Jets on Monday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). While Smith is no longer in his prime, with the Cardinals having released him midway through a rough 2018 season, he has been a contributor for 10 years.

The former Bengals first-round pick has enjoyed three stints in Cincinnati, the most recent coming after the Cardinals cut him. Smith, 32, has started 93 career games, including eight last season.

Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell remain in place atop the depth chart for Gang Green at tackle. The Jets have been rumored to be heavily interested in trading down from their No. 3 draft slot, in order acquire more picks, but the team’s need at edge rusher may nix those plans.

It’s possible more additions to the Jets’ front may be on tap, but as of now, a similar-looking group could be slated to start in 2019. New York ranked last in the league in Football Outsiders’ adjusted line yards metric in 2018.

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