HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Chargers’ Melvin Gordon To Skip Camp

July 24th, 2019 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

As expected, Melvin Gordon will not be on hand for training camp (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Gordon, of course, is holding out in an effort to land a lucrative new deal. 

For each day that Gordon misses in training camp, the Chargers can fine him up to $40K. It’s a major risk and a major blow to his bank account, but in Gordon’s estimation, it’s worthwhile.

When looking at the history of running backs in the NFL – and their injury history in particular – Gordon’s push for financial security makes plenty of sense. Granted, running back holdouts don’t necessarily pay off. Le’Veon Bell famously skipped the 2018 season in an effort to preserve his body and reach free agency riches, but his four-year, $52MM deal with the Jets fell shy of his asking price.

This week, we heard that the Chargers have not budged in talks. Gordon, meanwhile, has expressed a desire to stay with the Chargers for the long haul.

Packers Release Mike Daniels

July 24th, 2019 at 9:21am CST by Zachary Links

The Packers have released Mike Daniels, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Given his Pro Bowl resume, the move comes as a total surprise. 

Daniels was due $8.1MM this season in base salary and roster bonuses, which was apparently too rich for Green Bay’s blood. By cutting Daniels, the Packers will save $8.3MM versus $2.4MM in dead money.

The Packers explored a Daniels trade, but couldn’t find a suitable deal, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Garafolo suggests that the Browns, with all their former Packers connections, are likely to take a look at Daniels after trying, and failing, to sign Gerald McCoy earlier this year.

The Packers extended Daniels via four-year, $41MM contract during the 2015 season. For the most part, the deal has paid off. Daniels earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2017, though he was less productive in 2018 before ultimately landing on IR in December with a foot injury.

In his Pro Bowl campaign, Daniels notched five sacks and 49 tackles across 14 games. Last year, he had two sacks and 18 tackles in ten contests.

Daniels is now free to sign with any club. His preference is to sign with a Super Bowl contender, Schefter hears (on Twitter).

Jaguars’ Yannick Ngakoue Skips Camp

July 24th, 2019 at 9:05am CST by Zachary Links

Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue did not report to training camp on Wednesday and won’t be with his teammates in Jacksonville, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears. Ngakoue continues to drive a hard bargain as he seeks a new extension. 

With 29.5 sacks, 70 QB hits, and no missed games over the last three years, Ngakoue has emerged as one of the best young pass-rushers in the league. He can stay away from the Jags for now, but he must report to camp by August 6 to earn an accrued season towards free agency.

Ngakoue is entering the final year of his rookie contract, and there’s no denying that he is criminally underpaid, given his performance. For now, he’s slated to earn just $2.025MM in 2019.

The Jaguars would, presumably, love to lock down the Maryland product for years to come. However, the continued explosion of the edge rushing market makes this an extremely costly proposition for Jacksonville. The Maryland product, who just turned 24 in March, is undoubtedly looking to meet or top the five-year, ~$105MM deals that fellow pass rushers Demarcus Lawrence and Frank Clark signed this year, both of which came with over $60MM in guarantees.

Panthers Sign Brian Burns

July 24th, 2019 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

It’s a done deal. On Wednesday, the Panthers agreed to terms with No. 16 overall pick Brian Burns, a source tells NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero (on Twitter). With that Burns, will report on time and partake in activities on Wednesday. 

Burns, a Florida State product, saved his best for last. In 2018, Burns registered ten sacks, 15.5 tackles for a loss, and 52 total stops. In the eyes of the Panthers and at least one other team, he was the best pass rusher left on the board in the middle of the first round.

Here’s the full recap of the Panthers’ 2019 draft class, via PFR’s tracker:

With Burns under contract, there are only two first-round picks unsigned: No. 2 overall choice Nick Bosa (49ers) and No. 3 pick Quinnen Williams (Jets).

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/23/19

July 23rd, 2019 at 9:48pm CST by Rory Parks

Buffalo Bills

Jacksonville Jaguars

Miami Dolphins

San Francisco 49ers

  • Waived: K Jonathan Brown

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Workout Notes: Dolphins, Texans, Saints

July 23rd, 2019 at 9:22pm CST by Rory Parks

Here are today’s workouts and auditions:

  • Cornerback Dexter McDonald worked out for the Dolphins, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). McDonald was a seventh-round pick of the Raiders in 2015 and appeared in 27 games (six starts) for Oakland from 2015-17. He spent all of last year on IR with an ankle injury.
  • The Texans worked out running back Johnny Thomas, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Thomas signed with the Bengals this year as a UDFA out of Penn State, where he was primarily a special teams contributor.
  • The Saints worked out safety Jordan Moore, per Wilson (Twitter link). Moore, who played for both TCU and the University of Texas at San Antonio as a collegian, signed with the Falcons as a UDFA in 2017. He was cut in August of that year and later caught on with the Broncos’ taxi squad, but Denver waived/injured him last September.

Falcons Notes: Julio, Neal, Allen, Smith

July 23rd, 2019 at 8:45pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that the Falcons may already have a new deal in place for star receiver Julio Jones, but GM Thomas Dimitroff declined to put a timetable on the negotiations. As Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes, Dimitroff did express optimism that the two sides would reach an accord.

Dimitroff said, “[w]e have the utmost faith that Julio is coming here and he’s taking care of his business while he’s here, and we’ll keep plugging away with [Jones’ agent] Jimmy [Sexton]. We have a very good working relationship and respect for Jimmy Sexton and CAA, and I’m confident [the deal] will get done.”

Sexton could not be reached for comment, but after getting long-term deals for Grady Jarrett and Deion Jones done this month, it looks like the Falcons will give Julio Jones his new contract in short order.

Now for more from Atlanta:

  • We heard back in May that the Falcons’ starting safety tandem of Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen, who suffered major injuries that ended their 2018 seasons prematurely, were expected to be ready for training camp, and that turned out to be true. As Ledbetter writes, Allen returned to the practice field Monday and went through most of the team drills, and Emmanuel Morgan of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says that Neal has participated in drills and has taken reps with the first-team defense. Unfortunately, the club lost backup safety J.J. Wilcox for the season after he tore his ACL on Monday.
  • The Falcons plan to expand RB Ito Smith‘s role this season, as Morgan writes in a separate piece. Smith will serve as the club’s No. 2 back behind Devonta Freeman, and he will look to improve his pass protection and his ability to hit holes at full speed while continuing to refine his abilities as a pass catcher. Running backs coach Matt Brock hinted that the club may only carry three RBs, so the battle for the No. 3 spot behind Freeman and Smith is one that he expects to be highly competitive.
  • Defensive lineman Michael Bennett suffered a broken ankle on Monday, but he could return this season, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets.
  • The Falcons signed veteran DL Allen Bailey yesterday.

More On Chiefs, Tyreek Hill

July 23rd, 2019 at 7:56pm CST by Rory Parks

Back in March, we learned that the Chiefs and wide receiver Tyreek Hill were negotiating a contract extension, and Albert Breer of SI.com reports that the team was willing to pay Hill roughly $20MM per season. Then, of course, news of the child abuse scandal that has dominated NFL headlines for months broke, and Hill was indefinitely banned from the team.

Breer says that Kansas City, despite its apparent inclination to give Hill a record-setting contract for a receiver, was proceeding with caution, especially because it knew that Hill had rekindled his historically toxic relationship with Crystal Espinal, the mother of his child. At one point, it seemed inevitable that Hill would be hit with a lengthy suspension, but he managed to avoid league discipline and is now back on track for a long-term deal.

Breer — whose piece also succinctly breaks down the events in this saga over the past few months, in case you should need a refresher — offers two reasons as to why the league opted against suspending Hill. First, he suggests that there has been a push among league owners, including several highly-influential ones, to get out of the “investigation business” and to go back to following law enforcement’s lead. Second, with new CBA negotiations looming, the league may choose to be cautious when it comes to matters like this in order to avoid having those negotiations become contentious like they were in 2011 (of course, the league recently opted to suspend Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed for an incident that did not lead to an arrest or criminal charges, so it’s hard to say just what the NFL is thinking at this point).

But it also sounds as though the league did not get much cooperation from prosecutors in the Hill matter. A.J. Perez of USA Today reports that the Johnson County (Kansas) District Attorney’s office denied the NFL’s request for information relating to Hill’s case, citing an exception to Kansas’ open-records law as the basis for its denial.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football reminds us, the league has no authority to subpoena documents or testimony, so it is often at the mercy of local authorities. Hill is undoubtedly quite grateful for this reality, as he appears likely to end up with his $20MM/year deal (even if it comes with a number of conditions attached).

Seahawks’ Jarran Reed Suspended

July 23rd, 2019 at 7:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Seahawks defensive lineman Jarran Reed has been suspended for the first six games of the 2019 season, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The ban stems from a 2017 violation of the personal conduct policy.

As Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes, the Bellevue Police Department recommended that Reed be charged with fourth-degree assault in connection with a domestic violence incident that occurred in April 2017, but the city’s prosecuting office did not believe there was sufficient evidence to prove the crime occurred, so it declined to pursue the matter. As such, Reed was never arrested or charged

According to the police report, Reed and his girlfriend got into an argument at Reed’s home, and Reed allegedly grabbed the woman’s throat and pulled her into the bathroom. Shortly thereafter, the woman claimed that Reed grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her across a bedroom floor and then down several stairs before she broke free.

The NFL did its own investigation and opted to suspend Reed 27 months after the incident. The league also denied Reed an appeal.

Of course, this will lead to obvious questions as to why Reed was suspended — and why it took so long to do it — when the Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill escaped league discipline. The NFL did not respond to the Seattle Times’ request for further comment on the matter.

Reed underwent sports hernia surgery in April but was on track to participate in training camp. Now, he’ll have to wait until at least October to see live action.

The Seahawks were banking on a big season from Reed, who is coming off of a season with 10.5 sacks as a starter. He was also an extension candidate, but those plans may now be put on hold.

The Seahawks will have to generate pass pressure from elsewhere, and that won’t be an easy task after the trade of Frank Clark. Poona Ford and first-round pick L.J. Collier will have to carry much of the load, unless the team is able to find help elsewhere.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

No Progress In Talks Between Cowboys, Byron Jones

July 23rd, 2019 at 6:52pm CST by Rory Parks

We have written a great deal about the Cowboys top extension candidates — Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, and Byron Jones — this offseason. It does not appear that the club is particularly close to striking a long-term deal with any of those players, and Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News reports today that there has been no progress between the Cowboys and Jones (Twitter link).

Dallas made Jones the No. 27 overall pick of the 2015 draft, and though he spent most of his first three years in the league as a safety, he converted to cornerback full-time last season, and it was a highly-successful transition. Jones was one of Pro Football Focus’ best-graded boundary defenders in 2018 en route to a Second Team All-Pro nod, and he has positioned himself nicely for a big payday.

Jones is due roughly $6.2MM in 2019 under the fifth-year option of his rookie contract, but a new deal would give him a considerable raise. The Dolphins made Xavien Howard the highest-paid CB in league history several months ago after signing him to a five-year, $76.5MM extension ($46MM guaranteed), and Jones will be shooting for a similar payout.

Given all of the big-money negotiations that the Cowboys are engaged in, it’s not surprising that they haven’t made much progress with Jones. But if they don’t get something soon, Jones may price himself out of the team’s range.

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