HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Patriots To Sign Jared Veldheer

May 7th, 2019 at 12:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots are planning to sign free agent offensive tackle Jared Veldheer later this week, sources tell Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran met with the Pats last week and, days later, the two sides appear to have agreed on numbers. Once completed, it’ll be a one-year, $3.5MM deal with a maximum value of $6.5MM, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM (on Twitter).

A nine-year veteran, Veldheer started 12 games in Denver last season and graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 58-rated tackle. Veldheer has more experience playing left tackle, having lined up there with the Raiders and Cardinals for several years. But, the Cards switched Veldheer and D.J. Humphries in 2017, moving him over to the right side. The 31-year-old (32 in June) may be a swing option for the Patriots in the upcoming year.

New England drafted third-round tackle Yodny Cajuste but lost Trent Brown and LaAdrian Waddle this offseason. Meanwhile, they have 2018 first-rounder Isaiah Wynn coming off a season-nullifying torn Achilles. All of this leaves them with a depth need that Veldheer can fill.

Bucs’ Jason Pierre-Paul Could Miss Season

May 7th, 2019 at 11:37am CST by Zachary Links

The early word after Jason Pierre-Paul‘s car crash indicated that he was not seriously injured. Unfortunately, that no longer appears to be the case. The Buccaneers defensive end may be in danger of missing the entire season due to a neck injury suffered in the accident, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 

At this time, the belief is that Pierre-Paul will require surgery, which would almost certainly rule him out for the year. Pierre-Paul led the Bucs with 12.5 sacks last season, but the club will need to find pass rush pressure elsewhere in 2019.

Of course, this isn’t the first time that an off-the-field injury has held JPP back. On July 4, 2015, Pierre-Paul lost his right index finger in a fireworks accident. To the surprise of many, he bounced back to register 15.5 sacks across 28 games in the following two seasons. Hopefully, Pierre-Paul can rebound similarly after his neck malady.

Roughly half of Pierre-Paul’s $14.9MM salary for 2019 became guaranteed in March, so the Bucs have little recourse here when it comes to the salary cap. They also have very little in the way of cap flexibility, so it’s unlikely that they’ll be able to get in on the bidding for Ezekiel Ansah and other impact edge rushers left on the market.

Latest On Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper

May 7th, 2019 at 10:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Cowboys have made more progress in their contract talks with quarterback Dak Prescott than wide receiver Amari Cooper, a source tells Clarence Hill of the Star Telegram. A new deal for Prescott would come in at around $30MM per year, Hill hears, but the Cowboys seem unfazed by that figure. 

”We are sold on Dak,” Jones said in a recent radio interview. “We do want to have him for the long term. We think he is worthy of investing in for the long term. He is going into his fourth year in the NFL. When you look at the snaps he has had, the situations he has been in and how he has got here and you see he has performed, we see real upside in Dak. You don’t have it all yet. We love the way he logically progresses through a game. You see when the going gets tough when he’s got to come from behind when he turns it loose a little bit. You see him make those plays. He emboldens me to make a deal with him that puts him here for the long term.”

They’d also like to lock up Cooper for the long haul, though his deal likely wouldn’t be less than $16MM/year. Cooper underwhelmed towards the end in Oakland, but he bounced back when came to Dallas in a midseason trade. In nine starts, Cooper hauled in 53 receptions for 725 yards and six touchdowns.

For now, the Cowboys have Cooper under contract for $13.924MM in 2019 thanks to his fifth-year option. Prescott, meanwhile, is on course for unrestricted free agency after his four-year rookie deal expires following the ’19 season.

Compensatory Pick Formula Ends Today

May 7th, 2019 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

Starting at 4pm ET/3pm CT, any unrestricted free agent that signs with a new team will not count towards the 2020 compensatory draft pick formula, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This should quickly accelerate the market for several free agents of note, including:

Compensatory picks are given to teams that lose a greater number of compensatory free agents (or, a greater quality of free agents) than they acquire. The complicated formula that dictates how the picks are dispersed is not disclosed to the public, but teams are wary of signing even lower impact UFAs while it is in effect.

But, when the formula is turned off, veteran free agents should start flying off of the board.

Buccaneers Waive WR Sergio Bailey

May 6th, 2019 at 9:53pm CST by Ben Levine

Last preseason, it looked like Sergio Bailey could be part of the Buccaneers’ future. Today, he’s without a job. Greg Auman of The Athletic reports (via Twitter) that Tampa Bay has waived the receiver.

The Eastern Michigan product had a standout collegiate career, including a senior season where he hauled in 54 receptions for 878 yards and nine touchdowns. Despite the production, Bailey still went undrafted during the 2018 draft, and he ultimately caught on with the Buccaneers last April.

Bailey proceeded to have a s0lid preseason with Tampa Bay, collecting five receptions for 73 yards and one touchdown. Unfortunately, the receiver never got a chance to show his worth during the regular season, as an ankle injury forced him to be placed on the injured reserve.

The Buccaneers wide receiver corps will look a bit different in 2019 as both DeSean Jackson and Adam Humphries are now placing elsewhere. The team did add Breshad Perriman to play behind Mike Evans and Chris Godwin. However, it’s surprising that the Buccaneers didn’t hang on to Bailey to compete with the likes of Bobo Wilson, Justin Watson, K.J. Brent, and sixth-round rookie Scott Miller.

Latest On Suspended WR Martavis Bryant

May 6th, 2019 at 8:27pm CST by Ben Levine

We heard back in February that suspended wideout Martavis Bryant could apply for reinstatement this month. That’s apparently still the plan, as the receiver told ESPN’s Dan Graziano that he’s planning on applying for reinstatement in the coming weeks (Twitter link).

Bryant was banned indefinitely back in December after unsuccessfully fighting a substance abuse suspension. According to Graziano, the 27-year-old is now arguing that the league’s drug program “is not set up to offer players access to proper treatment for mental health issues.” Regardless of the argument’s merit, the receiver will presumably have to continue executing his treatment plan in accordance with the league’s wishes.

Furthermore, it’s uncertain if the NFL will be all that willing to let Bryant back into the league. Back in December, FanSided.com’s Jason Cole cited one league source who didn’t believe that Bryant “will ever play again.” The receiver reportedly “seriously angered” the NFL during his appeals process.

The 2014 fourth-round pick had previously served two suspensions during his stint with the Steelers: a four-game ban in 2015 and a season-long ban in 2016. He was conditionally reinstated by the league in April of 2017, and this most-recent ban was attributed to “violating the terms of his conditional reinstatement.”

The Raiders sent Pittsburgh a third-rounder during the 2018 draft to acquire Bryant, but the organization later learned that the wideout was facing this potential suspension. The Raiders ended up releasing the wideout at the end of the preseason, but they re-signed him to a one-year deal less than two weeks later. Bryant was allowed to play during the appeals process, and he proceeded to play in eight games for Oakland, hauling in 19 receptions for 266 yards and no touchdowns. The team placed the receiver on the injured reserve in early December after he suffered a knee injury.

Seahawks Sign Four Draft Picks

May 6th, 2019 at 7:41pm CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks have started signing a handful of their 11 draft picks to contracts. According to ESPN’s Brady Henderson (via Twitter), Seattle signed four of their rookies today:

Blair is the most notable name on the list, as the Seahawks used one of their two second-rounders on the Utah product. Following a solid 2017 season, the safety had a breakout campaign in 2018, finishing the season with 44 tackles, two passes defended, and two picks.

The Seahawks watched as both Earl Thomas and Mo Alexander left via free agency, leaving some open spots on the depth chart. Tedric Thompson and Bradley McDougald are currently slotted in as the team’s starting safeties, but Blair should be able to supplant one of the two. The team also inked another rookie safety, Amadi, to his contract, providing the team with even more depth at the position.

Haynes may have a difficult time cracking the lineup, as both Mike Iupati and D.J. Fluker are standing in his way. However, the rookie has a chance to become a useful reserve lineman. The same goes for Burr-Kirven, who should compete with Barkevious Mingo, Shaquem Griffin, and Austin Calitro for backup reps at linebacker.

Following today’s signings, seven of the Seahawks’ draft picks remain unsigned.

NFC Notes: Wagner, Newton, Zeke

May 6th, 2019 at 6:47pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that the Seahawks and linebacker Bobby Wagner may not have held serious discussions regarding a new contract just yet, and we speculated that if Wagner pushes for a top-of-the-market deal (i.e. $17MM per season), he may be playing elsewhere in 2020. And as Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network tweets, Wagner will indeed be looking to meet or exceed C.J. Mosley‘s new contract with the Jets, and he will not be taking a hometown discount. If that’s the case, it will be difficult for Seattle to retain him.

Now for more from the NFC:

  • Good news for Panthers fans. Per David Newton of ESPN.com, Carolina quarterback Cam Newton says his rehab from shoulder surgery is going “unbelievable,” and he hopes to be throwing before training camp. Newton, who turns 30 on Saturday, still doesn’t have a timetable for when he’ll be cleared, but everything is trending upwards so far.
  • The Cowboys may be preparing for life after Ezekiel Elliott, but Albert Breer of SI.com believes it would be a mistake for Dallas to move on anytime soon. He notes that the Cowboys are built to rely on Elliott, and if they ink him to a big-money deal now, they could spare themselves lengthy and potentially contentious negotiations, and they could still cut ties later on in the contract — once the guaranteed money is gone — if Elliott’s abilities start to fade.
  • The Packers claimed wide receiver Jawill Davis off waivers from the Giants earlier today, and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel writes that Davis will compete for a return specialist role. Davis appeared in seven games for Big Blue last season, returning 12 punts and seven kickoffs. He also caught four passes for 40 yards.
  • We wrote earlier today that the Buccaneers may be preparing to cut Gerald McCoy.

Richie Incognito Leaves Raiders Without Deal

May 6th, 2019 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

6:24pm: Incognito has left the Raiders without a deal, per Scott Bair of NBC Sports Bay Area (via Twitter). However, Bair says that the two sides could come to terms later, and he confirmed that Incognito is in great shape.

5:10pm: Incognito has finished his workout but still needs to pass a physical before the Raiders consider signing him, per ESPN. Incognito pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor charge of disorderly conduct stemming from his arrest last August, so he may still be subject to some league discipline if he signs with a team. And that, per Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network (via Twitter), may be the only obstacle to getting a deal done. Pelissero hears that there is mutual interest, and that Incognito is in great shape.

11:19am: The Raiders will work out free agent guard Richie Incognito on Monday, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). The veteran was out of football last year out of a string of bizarre incidents, but he apparently wants to play again. 

Last year, Incognito agreed to a pay cut with the Bills only to “retire” for a short time and force his release from Buffalo. Days after his release, Florida cops placed Incognito in a mental hospital after he hurled weights at a gym and told officers that the government is spying on him. Incognito claimed that he drew interest even after that event, but as far as we know, his Oakland workout marks his only real inquiry in the last calendar year.

On the plus side, Garafolo hears that Incognito is feeling well “in all aspects.” If he’s healthy – both mentally and physically – Incognito could factor into the Raiders’ starting left guard competition following the trade of Kelechi Osemele to the Jets. The Raiders say that Gabe Jackson will remain on the right side, which currently leaves Denzelle Good as the leader in the clubhouse at LG.

In 2017, Incognito graded out as the 12th best guard in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus. He ranked seventh amongst all guards in 2016 and second in ’15, making him the Bills’ top-rated offensive lineman in that three year period.

Bucs Likely To Cut Gerald McCoy?

May 6th, 2019 at 6:02pm CST by Rory Parks

We heard last month that the Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy wasn’t generating much trade interest, and as Albert Breer of SI.com wrote today, nothing has changed on that front.

The primary barrier to a trade, of course, is McCoy’s contract. McCoy is due $13MM in 2019, and he is under contract through 2021, with cap charges north of $12MM in each of the next two years. And Tampa Bay does not have very much leverage, because other clubs who might be interested in McCoy know that the Bucs — who are right up against the salary cap — can clear all of that money off of their books with no dead money ramifications by cutting McCoy.

Plus, although McCoy is certainly still a good player, his on-field performance no longer justifies his contract. So as Breer notes, it’s much more likely that Tampa Bay releases the 31-year-old, especially since the club still needs to sign its rookie class, which includes the fifth-overall pick.

In 2018, McCoy ranked fourth among defensive tackles with 21 quarterback hits and finished as the NFL’s No. 28 interior defender, per Pro Football Focus. However, he hasn’t played a full 16-game season since 2013, and he hasn’t graded as a top-10 interior defender since 2014.

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