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Month: November 2024

Odds Against Dak Prescott Extension?

July 12th, 2020 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:46pm, July 12: The latest news coming out of the endless Prescott-Cowboys saga points to the quarterback playing 2020 on the tag as well. Prescott and the Cowboys are not close to reaching an extension agreement by the Wednesday deadline, Calvin Watkins of the Dallas Morning News tweets.

5:42pm, July 11: The Cowboys began extension talks with Dak Prescott in mid-April 2019. Fifteen months later, they have four days to finalize a deal to avoid their quarterback playing the 2020 season on the franchise tag.

While the Cowboys are not worried, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes several league sources do not expect a deal to be finalized (video link). Prescott has signed his $31.4MM franchise tender, and the Cowboys are prepared (if necessary) for their fifth-year quarterback to play the season on the tag.

Prescott has held firm on his goal of a four-year deal, as opposed to the Cowboys’ five-year preference, and nothing has transpired on this front in months. The process is expected to go to the deadline, per Fowler. This reminds of Dallas’ standoff with Dez Bryant, which ended minutes before the 2015 July deadline. Only Prescott’s position brings higher stakes for the Cowboys.

The 27-year-old passer has aimed for a deal that exceeds Russell Wilson‘s $35MM-per-year pact. While Patrick Mahomes is now attached to a $45MM-AAV deal, the Chiefs quarterback’s 10-year agreement may not have too much bearing on Prescott’s situation because of his preference for a short-term deal. That stance will limit the Cowboys’ desire to up his price, and John Clayton of the Washington Post notes Jerry Jones would still like Prescott’s price to come in below the $35MM-AAV mark.

The Cowboys have signed several members of their current core to extensions over the past two years. Ezekiel Elliott, Amari Cooper, DeMarcus Lawrence, Jaylon Smith and Zack Martin all signed for more than four years. Their last known offer to Prescott was worth just more than $33MM annually, putting Prescott in the neighborhood of fellow 2016 draftees Jared Goff and Carson Wentz. Prescott turned down a $33MM-per-year proposal last season.

Dallas managed to re-sign Cooper and add several defensive pieces this year, despite Prescott’s tag price going on its books in March. Prescott playing this season on the tag, however, would remind of Kirk Cousins‘ situation in Washington. The current Vikings quarterback played 2016 and ’17 on the tag before leaving Washington as a free agent in 2018. A second Prescott tag would cost the Cowboys $37.7MM next year, when the cap may either decline or remain at $198MM due to the COVID-19 pandemic’s imminent attendance impact. A third tag in 2022 would be at an untenable $54MM-plus.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Jets, Pats, Camp, Cam

July 12th, 2020 at 4:38pm CST by Sam Robinson

The three AFC East teams located in the northeast will have different protocols for returning to training camp. Bills and Jets players will not have to quarantine for 14 days upon returning to their respective states for camp, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. New York is working with New Jersey and Connecticut on a COVID-19 travel policy that mandates 14-day quarantines for people who travel to these states from states with high coronavirus test rates. An exemption for NFL camps means the Bills, Jets and Giants will return to work under the same guidelines, despite the latter two franchises being headquartered in New Jersey. The teams’ players will need to be given COVID-19 tests upon arrival, and they will be restricted from working until the results arrive.

However, Patriots players will need to arrive sooner. Massachusetts is not working with the aforementioned three states, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com notes that with Pats camp still set to open July 28, players who reside out of state must arrive by Tuesday and quarantine for 14 days. Massachusetts requires all non-essential travelers from non-New England states, or New York and New Jersey, to go through with post-arrival quarantines. This will affect many Patriot players.

Shifting away from COVID-19 matters, here is the latest from the AFC East:

  • While Jamal Adams has submitted a trade request and has indicated he would like to play for the Cowboys — one of the handful of teams on the All-Pro safety’s desired destination list — one of his Jets teammates classifies this as overblown. Le’Veon Bell said during a recent radio interview with Hot 97 (Twitter link via ESPN’s Adam Schefter) he believes Adams wants to stay with the Jets. The fourth-year defender did say in December he wanted to stay with the Jets. However, he since skipped their virtual offseason program, requested a trade and has been linked to having issues with Adam Gase. This followed his issues with how GM Joe Douglas handled trade talks last fall.
  • The Jets have needed help on the edge for years, but they did not aggressively pursue aid on this front this offseason. They signed returning sack leader (with eight) Jordan Jenkins to a one-year deal and drafted Florida edge rusher Jabari Zuniga in Round 3. Do not expect the Jets to jump into a bidding war for Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen or Markus Golden ahead of training camp, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. The Jets are open to signing a pass rusher on a low-cost deal but are eyeing some carryover cap space for 2021, per Costello. Gang Green currently possesses $24.5MM in space — fifth-most in the league. This would help toward an Adams extension.
  • Cam Newton has a 13% playing-time incentive in his Patriots contract. The former Panthers quarterback will earn $250K if he hits that threshold. This does not count toward New England’s cap, however, with Reiss indicating that since Newton played just 12% of Carolina’s 2019 snaps the Pats were permitted to categorize this seemingly easy-to-obtain incentive as “not likely to be earned.”
  • The Bills hired two business-side executives recently, naming Jason Sinnarajah as their VP of business administration and Mike McFarlane as VP of finance and administration. Co-owner Kim Pegula‘s official statement stressed the duo’s ties to Buffalo and commitment to Western New York. The Bills’ future in Buffalo is a tad murky, after Roger Goodell‘s comments about the franchise’s stadium situation, so Pegula mentioning new hires’ Buffalo ties is somewhat notable.

Redskins To Fire Two Front Office Execs

July 12th, 2020 at 3:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite previous reports indicating Washington was planning to hire a GM after the draft, the franchise remains without one. The Ron Rivera-led team did move further away from previous regimes Sunday, however.

The Redskins are firing their top two executives in the pro personnel department, moving on from director of pro personnel Alex Santos and assistant pro personnel director Richard Mann II, Les Carpenter of the Washington Post reports.

Santos joined the franchise in 2006, before since-fired team president Bruce Allen‘s arrival, and had held the pro personnel director position since 2014. Mann resided in his post since 2017, having previously been a Redskins scout for seven years.

This will leave Washington shorthanded, for the time being, in terms of evaluating potential free agency additions going into training camp. Santos and Mann played a key role for recent Redskins teams, given the injury trouble they have run into — especially on offense.

Quinton Dunbar’s Attorney Criminally Investigated

July 12th, 2020 at 12:27pm CST by Rory Parks

The alleged cover-up attempt surrounding a incident in May that resulted in felony charges for Giants CB Deandre Baker and Seahawks CB Quinton Dunbar created a major plot twist in the evolving saga. The latest reports suggest that a witness to the incident, Dominic “Coach” Johnson, worked with Baker and Dunbar’s attorney, Michael Grieco, to pay other witnesses to recant their earlier testimony implicating the NFL players.

And according to Nicholas Nehamas, David Ovalle, and David Smiley of the Miami Herald, Grieco was under criminal investigation for his involvement at least as of last month. A spokeswoman for Miramar (Fla.) police said she could not comment on whether Grieco was still being investigated.

Grieco issued a statement saying that the witnesses are “seasoned career criminals” who have been attempting to extort Baker and Dunbar from the jump. Video footage, however, suggests that the alleged payoff took place at Grieco’s office, and Grieco presented to police affidavits from those very same witnesses immediately after the meeting. All five affidavits, according to police, are identical.

It’s not a good look for Grieco, Dunbar — who has retained additional counsel — or Baker. But Baker’s attorney, Bradford Cohen, says his client paid no one, has passed a lie detector test, and is the victim of a smear tactic (Twitter link).

Patrick Patel, an attorney who represents Baker in NFL-related matters — but who appears to be involved in strategizing his criminal defense just the same — tells Paul Schwartz of the New York Post that he and Cohen knew about the payoff attempt, and that they encouraged Baker to participate in the farce in order to expose it for what it really was. If that’s true, of course, then that means Grieco and Dunbar may indeed have paid for what they got.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, Dunbar and Baker may well have committed the crimes as alleged, but the victims may have seen an opportunity to cash in just the same. Both things can be true. But at this point, it looks as though Dunbar’s and Baker’s respective approaches must diverge, so this matter just became even more fascinating to follow.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times says the Seahawks have not yet considered cutting Dunbar, though Pat Leonard of the New York Daily News — who broke the original payoff story — cites unnamed Giants sources who said they don’t expect Baker to be on the club much longer.

Terrelle Pryor Attempting Comeback

July 12th, 2020 at 10:58am CST by Rory Parks

Things have not gone well for Terrelle Pryor lately. Following a terrific 2016 campaign with the Browns — his first full season as a wide receiver after converting from the quarterback position — Pryor badly misjudged the free agent market for his services. He was hoping for a long-term deal worth about $15MM per season, but when that didn’t materialize, he eschewed the multi-year offers he did have to take a one-year, $8MM contract with the Redskins.

He hoped that, if he built on his breakout effort in Cleveland and proved that it wasn’t a fluke, he would land a $15MM/year deal the following offseason. But his one year in Washington didn’t go as planned, as he played in just nine games (two starts) and caught 20 passes for 240 yards and a TD. He was hampered by an ankle injury for most of the season and ultimately landed on IR.

So instead of getting the massive payday he was seeking in the 2018 offseason, he settled for a one-year, $4.5MM pact with the Jets. He lasted just six games with Gang Green, catching 14 passes for 235 yards and two TDs. A groin injury slowed him a bit, and he was released in October 2018. The division-rival Bills scooped him up shortly thereafter, but he played just two games for Buffalo before being cut again.

Pryor signed with the Jaguars in May 2019, but he never played a regular season game for them. He was put on IR during final cutdowns and released several days later.

In November, Pryor was stabbed in the shoulder and chest by a woman in an incident that saw both parties criminally charged. Pryor, though, tells TMZ Sports that he is fully healthy and is ready for a chance to resume his NFL career.

He says he has been in contact with five teams, including the Patriots, about a potential contract. We don’t know who the other four teams are, but Pryor indicated he would also like to play for his hometown Steelers.

New England, though, seems like a better fit. Pryor’s abilities as a deep threat — assuming he still has them — would complement the rest of the Pats’ pass catchers nicely, and on paper it looks like New England needs more receiving help than Pittsburgh.

Regardless, it will take only a minimum commitment for any team to bring Pryor into the fold. Given his recent history, though, the 31-year-old may need to wait until COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted so he can prove to interested clubs that he’s ready to go.

Latest On Chiefs’ Chris Jones, Bengals’ A.J. Green

July 12th, 2020 at 10:05am CST by Rory Parks

And then there were three. With Broncos safety Justin Simmons and Buccaneers edge rusher Shaquil Barrett agreeing to sign their franchise tenders, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green, and Jaguars defensive end Yannick Ngakoue are the only franchised players whose statuses remain uncertain.

As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports, there may be some progress on the Jones front (video link). We recently heard that talks between Jones and the Chiefs had stalled, and that Jones is prepared to hold out until he gets the contract he wants. But Fowler says player and team have finally resumed negotiations, which is a big deal in and of itself considering that there had been radio silence for months.

However, there is still plenty of work to be done. Though Jones has been reportedly aiming for a deal with an average annual value of about $20MM, Fowler reports that KC will have to pony up “well over” the $20MM figure if it wants to get an extension completed. As good as Jones is, it’s unclear if the two sides will be able to bridge the gap in advance of the July 15 deadline.

Unlike Jones and the Chiefs, Green and the Bengals have discussed an extension recently. It doesn’t sound as if those discussions have been particularly fruitful, however, as Fowler notes there is not much optimism regarding a multi-year contract

Green has indicated previously that he will not hold out if he does not get a long-term deal of his liking, and given the new CBA’s rules for players holding out after having signed a contract as a veteran, that makes sense. A Jones holdout would be much more likely, as Jones just finished his rookie contract and has not yet signed a pact as a veteran player.

Resolution On Training Camps, Preseason Coming Soon?

July 11th, 2020 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Less than two weeks remain until rookies are scheduled to report to training camp, but as of now, that looms as a tentative arrival window because of the uncertainty on several fronts. But a resolution may be coming next week.

On an NFLPA call Friday, players were informed a resolution may well arrive by Monday or Tuesday, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com notes (video link). Some issues remain unresolved, but compromises may be in the works. The NFL and NFLPA have a call scheduled for Monday.

The NFLPA does not want the risk preseason games in the COVID-19 environment would bring, but Fowler notes the expectation is that one or two preseason tilts will happen in exchange for the NFL backing down on other issues. The league is not believed to want daily coronavirus testing, but the NFLPA has made this a “big, big issue,” Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Roster sizes and the opt-out rules remain unresolved as well.

Not much clarity has emerged on the opt-out issue. The NBA has allowed players to voluntarily opt out without fines being levied, and Major League Baseball did the same. MLB is giving players deemed to face higher risks of COVID-19 complications (or those who live with family members who fall into that category) pay and service time for opting out. Baseball players not at increased risk choosing to opt out do not receive their prorated salary nor a year of service time.

The NFLPA has proposed reducing the training camp roster limit from 90 to 80 players, to help with social distancing. Additionally, the sides have no agreement on COVID-19 positive tests — positives that would occur after players report to camp — being classified as football injuries, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter). The union is in favor of grouping positive tests with onsite injuries, since it would mean players would be paid after contracting the virus.

Latest On NFL Salary Cap Discussions

July 11th, 2020 at 4:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFLPA submitted a counteroffer to the owners’ most recent financial proposal, and the sides are prepared to resume discussions on a call Monday.

The union’s plan calls for a flat cap in 2021. The 2020 number ($198.2MM) would become next year’s cap as well, and NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero tweets that the NFLPA would prefer to pay for this by borrowing from future projected revenue — a long-rumored scenario. The union’s proposal involves moving some of the projected revenue from 2022-30 — the life of the new CBA — to 2021 to account for a season that will almost certainly feature significant losses (perhaps starting at $3 billion) because of the COVID-19 pandemic’s expected impact on attendance.

This would mean lesser cap spikes than projected at this CBA’s outset, but given how poorly the NFL’s pitch to players regarding moving 35% of their 2020 salaries into escrow went over, it was expected the players’ response would venture in a different direction. Indeed, the NFLPA’s proposal includes no 2020 money going into escrow, Pelissero adds. Both the players and owners are against a cap reduction in 2021, but the last time a flat-cap scenario took place (2011-13, when the cap froze at $120MM), some owners were strongly against that, per Albert Breer of SI.com (on Twitter).

Additionally, the proposal calls for all fully guaranteed money to be paid to players — even if the season is canceled — and for each player to receive a COVID-19 risk stipend worth up to $500K, Pelissero notes (on Twitter). A lack of a uniform attendance policy, which would allow teams to individually determine stadium capacities amid the coronavirus pandemic, further muddles this financial picture.

This CBA guarantees players their 2020 salaries, and both sides agree players are due their salaries once one game is played, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes. Should the season be unplayable during the pandemic, the NFL and NFLPA would need to discuss salaries. But as of now, the season remains on track to be played. That said, plenty of work appears to remain ahead. Less than two weeks before rookies are scheduled to report to camp.

Redskins Name Change Expected Soon

July 11th, 2020 at 3:56pm CST by Sam Robinson

Washington is expected to have a new team name by the start of the season. After years of a hardline stance against moving on from the controversial “Redskins” moniker, Daniel Snyder is “committed” to changing the name by the start of the season, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

A new name could be coming within days, with Yahoo’s Charles Robinson indicating during an appearance on Saturday Sports Brunch with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram’s Clarence Hill and ESPN 103.3’s D.J. Ringgenberg that a change is “imminent” (Twitter link). This was the expected course of action, but Washington will almost certainly not have a farewell season for this oft-scrutinized team identity.

This comes after FedEx and other sponsors applied pressure on the franchise to change the team name it has used for 87 years. The Redskins play at FedEx Field. The company sent a letter to the franchise July 2 threatening to remove its signage from the stadium after the 2020 season if the name wasn’t changed, Liz Clarke of the Washington Post reports. The parties agreed to a naming rights deal in 1999; that pact runs through 2027.

The Boston Braves became the Boston Redskins in 1933, the franchise’s second year. Should Washington unveil a new team name, it will mark the first NFL mascot change since the Tennessee Oilers became the Titans in 1999 in the franchise’s third season upon relocating from Houston.

Washington’s new team, as of now, is on track to keep the same color scheme, John Keim of ESPN.com notes. The new name will not feature Native American imagery, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The latest Las Vegas odds favor “Redtails,” “Generals,” and “Presidents” to become the new name.

Patriots Open Cap Space After Settling Grievances

July 11th, 2020 at 11:52am CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have opened up a chunk of cap space after settling compensation grievances concerning a pair of former players. ESPN’s Mike Reiss (via Twitter) and Field Yates report that settlements regarding Antonio Brown ($4MM) and Aaron Hernandez ($2.55MM) have opened up around $6.5MM in cap space.

Brown filed a grievance against the Patriots back in September after the team refused to pay him a $10MM signing bonus following his release. New England was also left with $4.5MM in dead money from the Brown debacle.

While Hernandez was released by the Patriots seven years ago, the NFL Players Association was still fighting on the behalf of his estate regarding a $3.25MM guaranteed signing bonus that was previously withheld by the team. Following Hernandez’s arrest (and prior to his eventual conviction for first-degree murder), the player gave up $19.3MM in non-guaranteed money while the organization voided the rest of his guaranteed money. The team also looked to recoup some of the bonus money that had already been paid out.

As Yates notes on Twitter, the Patriots started the week with less than $500K in cap space. Following today’s news and the Rex Burkhead restructuring from earlier this week, New England now has close to $7.8MM in space.

As Sports Illustrated’s Devon Clements pointed out back in February, the Patriots also had a pair of active grievances with defensive lineman David Parry ($179K) and offensive lineman Cole Croston ($163K). The status of those grievances hasn’t been reported.

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