2020 September - Pro Football Rumors

Rams, WR Cooper Kupp Agree To Three-Year Deal

September 12th, 2020 at 11:51am CST by Ben Levine

Cooper Kupp is sticking around Los Angeles for at least the next few years. The team announced that they’ve signed the wideout to a three-year extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the deal is worth up to $48MM.

Earlier this week, there was some pessimism surrounding a Cooper Kupp/Rams extension, but the two sides apparently made up some ground. Earlier today, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reported (via Twitter) that the organization and the wideout had “made significant progress on a large new contract extension.”

We heard on Wednesday that the Rams were still pushing for a deal, but reports indicated that there was still “a lot of work to be done.” It was always going to be tough for the Rams to give Kupp a significant pay increase on his $2MM salary for the upcoming season. The organization is right against the cap, especially after they inked cornerback Jalen Ramsey to a new deal. Of course, the Rams have some flexibility to pay Kupp in future seasons (although they were projected to have just $9MM in space in 2021 prior to this extension).

While the Rams’ lack of cap space was a concern, it was also going to be tough to settle on a final number. As our own Dallas Robinson noted earlier this week, Jarvis Landry is the only slot receiver to be in the top-15 highest-paid players at his position ($75.5MM). Kupp could probably argue for more than that, but you’ve got to assume that the front office was wary of overspending on the wideout.

The 2017 third-round pick has been a productive member of the Rams offense since his rookie season, but he took it to a new level in 2019 after appearing in 16 games for the first time in his career. The 27-year-old set career-highs in receptions (94), receiving yards (1,161), and touchdowns (10). With Brandin Cooks now out of the picture in Los Angeles, Kupp will have a chance to build off those numbers in 2020.

Saints, RB Alvin Kamara Agree To Extension

September 12th, 2020 at 11:28am CST by Ben Levine

Another running back is inking a sizable extension. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that running back Alvin Kamara has signed a five-year extension with the Saints. The deal is worth $75MM in new money ($77.133MM overall), including a $15MM signing bonus. Rapoport adds that Kamara will earn$34.333MM in guaranteed money.

It’s been a tumultuous few weeks for the two sides. At one point, Kamara was skipping practices, and subsequent reports indicated that the Saints would consider moving the Pro Bowler in a trade (in exchange for a first-rounder, of course). Then, earlier this week, we learned that an extension was “extremely close,” an indication that the two sides apparently made up.

Christian McCaffrey‘s record-setting $16MM-AAV deal still leads the running back position, but Kamara will be right behind him at $15MM per year. Dalvin Cook also inked an extension today that’ll be worth $12.6MM per season, and Joe Mixon previously signed a deal that will pay him $12MM a year. Austin Ekeler (UDFA) and Kareem Hunt are among the other running backs from the 2017 class to earn extensions, with the likes of Aaron Jones and James Conner still waiting for theirs.

Since 2017, Kamara has registered an eye-popping 4,476 yards from scrimmage, teaming up with Drew Brees and Michael Thomas to form one of the best offensive trios in the NFL. The former third-round pick has earned three Pro Bowl nods, second-team All-Pro recognition, and a number of rookie accolades.

Vikings Sign RB Dalvin Cook To Five-Year Extension

September 12th, 2020 at 11:18am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings and running back Dalvin Cook have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension, reports Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter). Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets that the deal is worth $63MM with $28MM in guaranteed money. Pelissero adds that Cook earned a $15.5MM signing bonus, which is the largest for a non-QB in team history.

It was only a few days ago that we heard the two sides were “not close” on a deal. The Vikings had been negotiating with Cook’s camp for some time, and despite the Vikings front office tabling talks back in August, both sides were still focused on completing a deal. Talks never sounded contentious, although Cook did stage a mini holdout earlier this offseason. While it never seemed like Cook was going to sit out, things could have gotten worse if Minny tagged the running back following the 2020 campaign. Now, obviously, that isn’t a concern.

Earlier this year, Cook was reportedly targeting a $15MM/year salary, but it always seemed unlikely the Vikings would come anywhere near that figure. The new deal will pay him around $12.6MM per year, which is a step up on Joe Mixon‘s recent four-year, $48MM deal with the Bengals.

Now 25 years old, Cook has been always been productive when he’s been able to remain on the field. Last year, the former second-round pick posted 1,135 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground and added 53 receptions and 519 yards in the passing game. Health has always remained a question mark for Cook, however, and his 14 games in 2019 marked a career-high.

Titans OL Isaiah Wilson Arrested For DUI

September 12th, 2020 at 8:43am CST by Ben Levine

Titans offensive lineman Isaiah Wilson was arrested for DUI last night, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport adds (on Twitter) that the first-round pick was “released from prison early this morning.” Buck Reising of A to Z Sports Nashville was first with the news of the arrest.

“We are aware of the situation,” the Titans in a statement. “This is not conduct that is indicative of the character of our football team and we are working through details on how to proceed.”

According to Reising’s report, Wilson was arrested in Nashville at 11:29 pm. The 21-year-old blew a “0.107 and 0.113 at the time he was pulled over,” with the legal BAC limit in Tennessee being .08.

Following a standout career at Georgia, the Titans selected Wilson with the 29th-overall selection in this past year’s draft. As ESPN’s Field Yates notes on Twitter, it hasn’t been smooth sailing for the rookie. Wilson received a trespass warning after attending a Tennessee State party last month (a decision that “falls under conduct detrimental,” per Albert Breer on Twitter). He’s also had a pair of trips to the Reserve/COVID list, including one that could keep him out for the season opener.

Considering Wilson’s shortened offseason, it seemed unlikely that he’d start right out of the gate. There’s hope that he’ll eventually replace right tackle Jack Conklin, who left for Cleveland this past offseason. For the time being, it sounds like Dennis Kelly will earn the starting nod at that spot.

Broncos Extend K Brandon McManus

September 12th, 2020 at 8:13am CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos are holding on to Brandon McManus for the foreseeable future. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported last night (via Twitter) that the veteran kicked has signed a four-year extension with Denver. The deal is worth $17.2MM with $9.5MM in guaranteed money.

The 29-year-old was traded from the Giants to the Broncos prior to the 2014 campaign, and McManus has unexpectedly become one of the most accurate kickers in franchise history. He ranks second in Broncos history in field goal percentage (81.5%), and he holds the franchise record for best postseason field goal percentage.

McManus is also 11 field goals away from jumping both Matt Prater and Jim Turner for second-most field goals made in franchise history, and he currently sits fifth on the Broncos’ all-time scoring list. Of course, McManus already earned a spot in Broncos lore after connecting on all 10 of his field goal attempts during the Broncos’ run to a Super Bowl championship.

McManus was productive once again in 2019. He connected on 29 of his 34 field goal attempts, and he was a perfect 15-for-15 from within the 40. The veteran also connected on 25 of his 26 extra point tries.

Kevin Stefanski To Call Browns’ Plays

September 11th, 2020 at 4:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite being hired after a successful one-season stay as the Vikings’ offensive coordinator, Kevin Stefanski refused to commit to calling plays for months. He ended the suspense Friday.

The first-year Browns head coach will indeed call plays this season, he announced. This certainly does not come as a surprise, with OC hire Alex Van Pelt last serving in that role 11 years ago in Buffalo.

Stefanski, however, does not have extensive experience calling plays either. He took over as Vikings OC late in the 2018 season, after Minnesota ended John DeFilippo‘s play-calling tenure, and retained play-calling responsibilities after Gary Kubiak‘s arrival last year. The Vikings moved from 18th to 10th in offensive DVOA from 2018-19, and their 38-year-old play-caller parlayed that into the Browns’ HC position — after being passed over for Freddie Kitchens in 2019.

The Browns finished 20th in offensive DVOA last season, with their Kitchens-head coach experiment lasting only one year. This metric has not placed the Browns in the top half of the league since their 10-6 2007 season.

WR Notes: Fitz, Evans, Sutton, Reagor, Lions

September 11th, 2020 at 3:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

Larry Fitzgerald has taken a year-to-year approach to retirement for a while now, but the Cardinals‘ all-time great has continued to return and remain productive. However, he will not spend much time considering a return if the now-Kyler Murray-led team makes a surprise run and wins Super Bowl LV this season.

“That would definitely validate me,” Fitzgerald said of a Super Bowl victory, via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “You wouldn’t see me around here anymore if that happened. Another catch, another touchdown, another yard is not going to make more whatever – my legacy is pretty much cemented. I just want to win a championship, I want to compete for a division title. Those are the things that are important to me.”

Now 37, the league’s oldest active wideout has climbed into second place on both the receptions and receiving yards lists. Needing 172 catches to pass Jerry Rice, Fitz would likely need at least two more full seasons to have a chance to move into the No. 1 spot on that list. A yardage pursuit does not seem remotely attainable. Regarding the Cards’ Super Bowl hopes, they sit 17th at plus-5000 — according to BetOnline.ag — to claim a championship this year.

As Week 1 approaches for 30 teams, here is the latest wide receiver news:

Sunday will likely force fantasy managers to make changes, and Tom Brady may well have to adjust in his first game with Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have listed Mike Evans as doubtful to face the Saints. Evans did not practice Wednesday or Thursday with a hamstring injury, before being limited Friday. This is a familiar situation for the seventh-year wideout; Evans missed the final three games of the 2019 season with a hamstring malady.
Kenny Golladay is on track to miss the first game in his contract season. The Lions listed their top wideout as doubtful as well. The fourth-year standout has also encountered hamstring trouble. Detroit is not particularly deep at wideout, at least in terms of proven targets, but does have Marvin Jones back to start his contract year. The Lions also re-signed Danny Amendola this offseason.
The AC joint sprain Courtland Sutton suffered in practice looks likely to shelve him for the Broncos‘ Monday opener against the Titans. While the Broncos are calling their top receiver “day to day,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes the third-year standout is a long shot to play in Week 1 (video link). Sutton has not yet missed a game as a pro.
Not all the current wide receiver news skews negative. After fears pointed to Jalen Reagor missing multiple September games, the Eagles wide receiver was a full practice participant each day this week and appears on track to play against Washington on Sunday. The first-round pick suffered a torn shoulder labrum during training camp. His presence will certainly help a receiving corps down Alshon Jeffery for the foreseeable future.

Texans Tried To Sign Jadeveon Clowney

September 11th, 2020 at 3:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Before he signed with the Titans, the Texans reached out to Jadeveon Clowney to gauge his interest in a reunion, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets. Ultimately, Clowney was not interested in returning to his longtime employer.

Clowney didn’t leave on the best of terms, but the Texans didn’t want to pass up the chance to improve their edge rush. They also didn’t want to leave an open lane for Clowney to join up with their divisional rivals. After being rebuffed, they’ll now face their former No. 1 overall pick twice per year. The Texans weren’t alone in that thinking, according to PFT’s Mike Florio. He hears that the Seahawks – Clowney’s last club – wanted to keep Clowney away from the Saints. Ditto for the Jaguars and Ravens, who wanted to block the Titans.

Chess game aside, the Texans’ interest in Clowney is an indication that they’d like to upgrade in the front seven. As it stands, Charles Omenihu is set to play opposite of J.J. Watt at defensive end. At outside linebacker, Whitney Mercilus and Brennan Scarlett are slated to start, with DE/OLB shuffling along the way.

In other Texans news, Deshaun Watson is now locked in through 2025 thanks to a four-year, $177MM+ extension. Patrick Mahomes still leads all QBs (and players) with an AAV of $45MM, but Watson’s $39MM AAV now ranks second among QBs to top the likes of Russell Wilson, Ben Roethlisberger, Aaron Rodgers, and Jared Goff.

Chargers’ Mike Pouncey To Miss Time?

September 11th, 2020 at 1:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Chargers center Mike Pouncey missed practice this week with a hip injury, and he’s likely to also miss the season opener against the Bengals, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The severity of the injury isn’t immediately clear, but history suggests that this could be another long recovery for the four-time Pro Bowler.

Pouncey’s hip limited him to just five games in 2016 and clearly hindered him in 2017, his final year with the Dolphins. In 2018, his first year with the Chargers, he was back to his usual self. Starting in all 16 games, Pouncey was named to his first career Pro Bowl. Then, last year, a neck injury shut him down after just five games.

At one point, doctors advised Pouncey that he would eventually need hip replacement surgery. Hopefully, that day never comes. At minimum, Pouncey is hoping to stave off anything major until later in life. Last year, Pouncey re-upped with the Chargers on a one-year, $9MM extension. After 2020, he’ll be out of contract and eligible for free agency.

The Bolts are already without star safety Derwin James, so they’ll have to get by without some of their best talent on both sides of the ball. After passing on interior offensive lineman in this year’s draft, the Chargers may look to slide Dan Feeney from left guard to center.

Cowboys Add Voidable Year To DeMarcus Lawrence’s Deal

September 11th, 2020 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

DeMarcus Lawrence has agreed to extend his deal with a voidable year for salary cap purposes, as Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets. In essence, Lawrence’s deal remains the same. But, in terms of cap flexibility, it’ll make a huge difference for Dallas.

By converting $15MM of the defensive end’s base salary into a signing bonus, the Cowboys will open up $12MM in cap space this year. Lawrence was happy to help – he’s now locked in a giant chunk of cash, protecting him in the event of any game cancelations in 2020.

The seventh-year defender gave some thought to opting out of the season, but ultimately decided to play. That was a big relief from the Cowboys, who are counting on lots of pressure from their star pass rusher. The sack production wasn’t there in 2019, the first year of his five-year, $105MM mega-deal, but he registered a combined 25 sacks between the 2017 and 2018 seasons. Now another year removed from shoulder surgery, the Cowboys have every reason to believe that Lawrence can resume his Pro Bowl form.

After restructuring Lawrence’s deal – as well as Zack Martin‘s contract – the Cowboys could be ready to spend. Despite word that the Cowboys have cooled on Earl Thomas, it’s worth noting that the star safety remains available.