HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Dak Targeting Russell Wilson’s AAV Mark

August 13th, 2019 at 5:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Dak Prescott has threatened Antonio Brown‘s grip on NFL news cycles over the past few days, and now that the Raiders receiver’s helmet mania is winding down, the Cowboys quarterback’s contract negotiations may be the NFL’s top mid-August talking point.

Momentum does not appear to be building toward a Prescott extension, and the Monday report of a $40MM-AAV goal may not be too far off. Prescott is targeting Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year deal, Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com tweets. While another Monday report indicated Prescott absolutely is not eyeing a market-altering, $40MM-AAV accord, Robinson adds that other teams have heard the $40MM target rumor during this process as well.

While Prescott is aiming higher than 2016 draft classmate Carson Wentz, likely because of the $32MM/year deal Wentz signed, the Cowboys’ negotiations also played into the Eagles’ negotiations. Leery of a monster Prescott deal forcing them to up their Wentz price, the Eagles moved quickly to get their quarterback signed earlier this summer, Robinson reports.

“That played a part in getting Carson’s deal done early,” a source told Robinson. “It was a priority [for the Eagles] anyway, but not knowing if Dallas would just completely cave in with Dak and do something stupid definitely entered into the conversation.”

Dallas has not yet caved to Prescott, who is reported to have turned down a $30MM-per-year offer. But talks with Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott have not progressed to the point either extension feels imminent. The Eagles acted despite Wentz having two years left on his rookie deal. Landing Prescott in Round 4, the Cowboys do not have that luxury.

The franchise tag may enter the equation, of course, with Amari Cooper, Byron Jones and La’el Collins also in contract years. That would also be a bold choice from Prescott, who will earn barely $2MM this season. But it is fairly clear he does not have a team-friendly deal on his itinerary.

As a former third-round pick, Wilson was in this situation four years ago. The Seahawks quarterback signed what was then the No. 2 quarterback contract ($21.9MM per year). The cap has gone up by more than $30MM since, and the quarterback market has changed dramatically over the past year and change. That’s helped lead to this Prescott-Cowboys standoff, one of the more interesting negotiations in recent memory.

Jets Sign CB Marcus Cooper

August 13th, 2019 at 3:45pm CST by Zachary Links

So much for the Jets standing pat at cornerback. On Tuesday, the Jets signed veteran Marcus Cooper, per a team announcement.

Cooper was released on Tuesday by the Lions. The 29-year-old was a seventh-round of the 49ers in 2013 but has already played for four different NFL teams. In total, he has 74 appearances and seven interceptions to his credit.

This isn’t the major CB upgrade that Jets fans were hoping for this season, but it will provide the Jets with depth for however long Trumaine Johnson needs to recover from his hamstring injury. Currently, Darryl Roberts, Arthur Maulet, and Brian Poole stand as the Jets’ three best healthy corners.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Gase, Bills

August 13th, 2019 at 3:36pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have been widely planned for their lack of improvement at the cornerback position, but head coach Adam Gase doesn’t agree with the critics and doesn’t feel the need to upgrade before the season starts (via PFT).

“I guess I don’t look at it like that,” Gase said. “I look at it as Trumaine [Johnson] is down right now, this is a great opportunity for a lot of guys. Like somebody has a chance to step up and make a name for themselves. Somebody has a chance to get in with that first defense, go against our wide receivers, go against our offense and Sam [Darnold] and those guys and see if a guy can play at that high level. I mean it’s a great opportunity.”

To recap: Johnson is week-to-week with a hamstring injury, and so is undrafted rookie Kyron Brown. At present, Darryl Roberts, Arthur Maulet, and Brian Poole represent the Jets’ three best healthy cornerbacks. Gase might not view it as a thin unit, but this week, safety Jamal Adams was moved to volunteer himself to play CB.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

  • More roster insight Gase – The Jets do not plan to add a second kicker to compete with Taylor Bertolet, who was signed this week after Chandler Catanzaro retired (via the NY Daily News).
  • Before the Bills signed defensive end Sam Acho, they also worked out former Saints second-round outside linebacker Hau’oli Kikaha, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Kikaha, the 44th overall selection in the 2015 draft, has been beset by injuries and ineffectiveness throughout his career. After playing on 62% of the Saints’ snaps during his rookie campaign, Kikaha missed the 2016 season with a torn ACL (the third of his football career) and subsequently saw action on only 209 defensive snaps the following year. New Orleans shopped Kikaha ahead of the 2017 trade deadline, and waived him during final cutdowns. Last year, he worked out for a number of clubs, but did not land a deal.
  • The Dolphins have inquired on Redskins tackle Trent Williams.

Latest On Raiders’ Antonio Brown

August 13th, 2019 at 2:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown reported to training camp on Tuesday, but he brought his good friend and agent Drew Rosenhaus with him. When speaking with reporters, Rosenhaus claimed that Brown’s absence was more about his foot issue than his helmet kerfuffle (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of The Athletic). 

According to the agent, Brown’s return was not linked to Monday’s loss in arbitration that barred Brown from wearing the same headgear. Instead, Rosenhaus says it’s all coincidental – he claims Brown returned on Tuesday because his off-site treatment just recently wrapped up.

For those still tuned in on Brown’s helmet saga – if Brown finds a helmet with the same design that he feels comfortable with, he may be permitted to wear it. However, that helmet will be subject to testing and the approval of NFL and NFLPA officials (Twitter link via Peter King of NBC Sports).

Giants’ Golden Tate Loses Appeal

August 13th, 2019 at 2:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Golden Tate fought the law and the law won. On Tuesday, the NFL denied the Giants wide receiver’s appeal, per a press release. 

Tate was hit with a four-game ban for violating the league’s Performance Enhancing Substance policy in late July. Soon after, Tate pushed back and denied any wrongdoing.

“This past April, during the off-season, my wife and I decided to see a specialist for fertility planning,” Tate said in a statement. “I started the treatment prescribed to me and just days later I discovered it contained an ingredient that is on the league’s banned substance list. I immediately discontinued use, I reported the situation to the Independent Administrator of the NFL Policy on Performance-Enhancing Substances, and I spoke with my coaches and general manager. I did all of this well before a failed test was even confirmed.”

Now that the suspension has been upheld, Tate will lose around $1.75MM in 2019 money. Perhaps more importantly, the receiver will forfeit his $7.975MM in 2020 guarantees. Tate signed a four-year, $37MM deal with the Giants this past winter, but he’s already lost at least a chunk of that cash thanks to the suspension.

Following Tate’s suspension and the season-ending injury to Corey Coleman, the Giants’ current WR depth chart is headlined by Sterling Shepard, Cody Latimer, Bennie Fowler, Russell Shepard and Darius Slayton. In positive news, Shepard’s thumb injury is not as serious as once believed and should be ready for the team’s season opener against the Cowboys on Sept. 8.

Raiders End Punting Competition

August 13th, 2019 at 1:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders’ punter competition is over. On Tuesday, the Raiders waived Johnny Townsend, which effectively anoints undrafted rookie A.J. Cole as the team’s punter moving forward. 

The Raiders used a fifth-round pick to select Townsend last year, but he didn’t do much in his rookie season or training camp this summer. Cole, meanwhile, managed to put two punts inside the 20 against the Rams on Saturday. Quickly, Cole earned a fan in head coach Jon Gruden.

“[Cole] put on an orbital display the other day against the Rams [in joint practices last week],” Raiders head coach Jon Gruden said Saturday night (via Scott Bair of NBC Sports). “We haven’t seen kicks like that since [Shane] Lechler was here or [Marquette] King. He has a live leg and it looks like he can directional punt and hold, so Townsend has his hands full.”

In related moves, cornerback Hamp Cheevers was waived. Meanwhile, the club signed defensive backs Makinton Dorleant and Joshua Holsey.

Dolphins Inquire On Redskins’ Trent Williams

August 13th, 2019 at 11:31am CST by Zachary Links

For now, the Redskins are refusing to trade Trent Williams. But, if they change their minds about parting with the offensive tackle, the Dolphins may be among the interested teams. The Dolphins reached out to the Redskins about a potential Williams trade, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears. 

[RELATED: 4 Potential Landing Spots For Trent Williams]

The Williams saga has been going on for months, with no real resolution in sight. Williams has abstained from camp with hopes of forcing a trade to a new team (one, presumably, that will rework his contract), but the Redskins have yet to flinch. Still, the Redskins seem to be protecting themselves in the event of a deal. Recently, they signed Donald Penn to help bolster the O-Line.

Williams, a seven-time Pro Bowler, is due $24MM over the next two years. The Dolphins, who might have the worst offensive line in the NFL, would be a logical fit, from a football perspective.

Patriots Waive QB/WR Danny Etling

August 13th, 2019 at 11:22am CST by Zachary Links

The Patriots have waived quarterback/wide receiver Danny Etling, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates tweets. Etling worked at wide receiver this offseason to try to increase his roster chances, but the experiment is now over. 

After the trade to acquire tight end Eric Saubert from the Falcons, someone in New England had to go. Etling, who had some trick play potential, was the victim of the roster shuffle.

The Patriots drafted Etling in the seventh-round of the 2018 draft and there was some buzz about him occupying a creative Tayson Hill role for the Pats. Still, he was never viewed as a sure thing to make the team.

Antonio Brown To Report To Raiders

August 13th, 2019 at 11:17am CST by Zachary Links

Antonio Brown is back in the fold. Days after threatening to retire if the NFL did not clear him to wear his favorite helmet, and hours after losing his arbitration case, Brown has informed the team that he will report to the club for training camp on Tuesday (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Review-Journal). 

Furthermore, Brown’s foot – which was negatively impacted by a cryotherapy session gone awry – is not considered to be a long-term impediment. With that, Brown is set to hit the ground running with ample practice time before his real Raiders debut against the Broncos on Sept. 9.

Brown seemed to be extremely dug in on the helmet issue, but it’s now “very unlikely” that he will appeal the arbitrator’s decision. All now seems to be well in Oakland, especially after Jon Gruden voiced support for the 31-year-old.

Meanwhile, Brown may wind up with his favorite helmet after all. The NFL will let Brown wear the Schutt AiR Advantage, if he can find one that is less than ten years old (Twitter link via PFT’s Mike Florio). AB, apparently, will leave no stone unturned in his search:

 

Buccaneers Sign S Darian Stewart

August 13th, 2019 at 8:57am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have signed safety Darian Stewart, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic (on Twitter). When completed, it’ll be a one-year deal at the veteran’s minimum salary, plus incentives, Auman hears.

Stewart, 31, has spent the last four years as a starter for the Broncos. With the Bucs, he’s expected to provide veteran guidance to a young secondary group.

The Broncos released Stewart in March in order to save roughly $3.6MM against the cap. Prior to that, the veteran started in nearly all of his 58 games for the Broncos and recorded a forced fumble and a sack in the team’s Super Bowl 50 victory.

Stewart saw some time at cornerback and free safety in ’17, but he played mostly at strong safety last year. He graded out as just the No. 77 ranked safety in the NFL in 2018, according to Pro Football Focus. His 59.6 overall score was a massive step back from his first two seasons in Denver, which included a Pro Bowl nod in 2016.

The Colts met with Stewart earlier this summer but did not sign him.

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