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Month: December 2024

Latest On Deshaun Watson Settlement Talks

June 20th, 2021 at 9:04am CST by Rory Parks

Tony Buzbee, the attorney representing the 22 women who have filed lawsuits against Texans QB Deshaun Watson, said back in May that his clients would not agree to a settlement with Watson. Shortly thereafter, Watson’s attorney, Rusty Hardin, said that Buzbee had indeed approached him about a settlement, but that settlement is not an option unless “the terms are made public and all participants are allowed to speak in their own defense at all times.”

Several days ago, Buzbee once again took to Instagram to discuss the matter. He said, “there will not be a settlement, at least anytime soon. I have my best people on the case. That should tell you a lot about our intentions. … our team is doing what it takes in discovery and prep to try these cases to a jury. The press folks say we’ve gone ‘quiet,’ but the truth is we made clear early on that we wouldn’t try these cases in the press and now are doing the important work required for our clients to try these cases to a jury.”

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, Hardin and Buzbee have privately discussed a settlement, but those talks broke down due to Buzbee’s unwillingness to waive confidentiality and make the terms of a settlement public. Florio believes that Buzbee is prepared to settle and that the general parameters of an agreement — including the amount of money Watson is willing to pay out — are in place, but that Buzbee still wants to keep the settlement confidential and is insisting he is prepared to try the case in an effort to get Hardin to change his stance. For his part, Hardin says there are no active settlement talks at the moment (via Courtney Zubowski of KPRC-TV).

For most observers, the football side of this matter is still on the backburner, but for the Texans, Watson, and any teams that might want to trade for the three-time Pro Bowler, it is very much a pressing issue. The NFL’s investigation is ongoing, but Florio believes the league must make a decision as to whether it will place Watson on the Commissioner’s Exempt list as soon as possible to be fair to all parties involved. Despite everything else that has happened since his trade demand earlier this year, Watson still wants to be traded and remains interested in the Broncos, though Denver reportedly would prefer to swing a deal for Packers QB Aaron Rodgers.

However, it’s unclear when the NFL might make a decision with respect to Watson’s playing eligibility. According to Hardin, the league has not even spoken to his client yet.

The criminal investigation into Watson is also ongoing.

This Date In Transactions History: Texans Trade QB T.J. Yates To Falcons

June 19th, 2021 at 6:31pm CST by Ben Levine

Seven years ago today, we had a rare June NFL trade. In a notable move (at the time), the Texans sent quarterback T.J. Yates to the Falcons for linebacker Akeem Dent.

Houston had actually planned on releasing Yates, their 2011 fifth-round pick. The North Carolina product had failed to show much during his first three years in the NFL, throwing three touchdowns and six interceptions in 13 games. With coach Bill O’Brien deciding to roll with the trio of Ryan Fitzpatrick, Case Keenum, and Tom Savage, Yates was set to be released and hit free agency. However, once word of Yates’ impending release got around the NFL, teams started calling in on the young signal-caller.

Houston ended up landing on a deal with the Falcons, receiving the intriguing Dent in return. The 2011 third-round pick had looked solid during his stint in Atlanta, starting 10 games and compiling 136 tackles in three years. While the Georgia product failed to progress during his time in Houston, the trade still appears to be a win for the Texans. Dent collected 38 tackles and one sacks in 15 games (seven starts) during his first season in Houston, earning himself a two-year extension. However, over the next two seasons, Dent only managed to compile a combined 29 tackles and zero sacks and hasn’t appeared in the NFL since 2016.

Yates’ tenure with the Falcons was short-lived. The quarterback appeared in only a single game for the franchise, completing three of four passes for 64 yards and one interception. He was released by Atlanta prior to the 2015 season, and he ended up catching on again with… the Texans. Yates looked a bit better during his second (and third) stint in Houston, and he earned a chance to play in 2017 due to injuries. He finished the campaign having completed 48.5-percent of his passes for 523 yards, four touchdowns, and three interceptions.

In an interesting twist, the two ex-players signed on to join the Texans’ coaching staff on the same day in February of 2019. Neither player stayed on for the David Culley administration, but Yates now serves as a passing game specialist for the Falcons.

49ers Make Front Office Changes

June 19th, 2021 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers may be a team to watch for GM hires in the near future. In addition to top John Lynch lieutenant Adam Peters, the team has moved other staffers to jobs from which teams often poach GMs.

Going into his fifth year with the 49ers, Ran Carthon will rise to the position of director of player personnel. The former Florida Gators fullback has spent nearly a decade as a pro personnel director, doing so with the Rams from 2012-16 and in his first four-plus years with the 49ers.

This was Peters’ post during his first three-plus years with the 49ers; he rose to assistant GM in February. R.J. Gillen, a seventh-year 49ers staffer, will succeed Carthon as the 49ers’ director of pro personnel.

Ethan Waugh will become San Francisco’s VP of player personnel. Having spent nearly 20 years with the franchise, Waugh has climbed from the assistant level to the scouting tier to college scouting director to this high-level executive post. Peters received multiple interviews for the Panthers’ GM job that went to Scott Fitterer. It would not surprise if one of the other 49ers high-ranking execs joined him on the GM interview circuit soon.

The 49ers are also promoting Salli Clavelle to an area scout post. A three-year 49ers staffer, Clavelle previously served as a pro personnel analyst. In 2019, Clavelle was the only woman to hold a full-time NFL scouting position. Additionally, the 49ers hired Jessi Seumalo as a scouting assistant. The younger sister of Eagles starting guard Isaac Seumalo, Jessi was part of Washington State and Utah’s recruiting operations over the past three years. Clavelle and Seumalo join the likes of Kelly Kleine (Broncos), Catherine Raiche (Eagles) and others in what has been a banner offseason for women advancing in the NFL front office and scouting ranks.

Latest On Vikings, Danielle Hunter

June 19th, 2021 at 4:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

After reworking his contract, Danielle Hunter reported for the Vikings’ minicamp this week. The accomplished pass rusher did not participate, but he is confident he will be ready for the upcoming season.

Hunter acknowledged he is not yet in football shape, but regarding the neck injury that derailed his 2020 season, the seventh-year defensive end categorized himself as “100%,” via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Hunter passed his physical and looked “fantastic,” Mike Zimmer said.

A herniated disk required Hunter to undergo season-ending neck surgery last year. This certainly complicated his pursuit of a new contract, and Hunter did skip Vikings OTAs because of an issue with his deal. The Vikings moved some money up to appease their top sack artist, converting $5.6MM of $12.2MM 2021 base salary into a signing bonus. This created a bit of cap room and could benefit Hunter in 2022.

The Vikings picking up Hunter’s new $18MM roster bonus — due on Day 5 of the ’22 league year — would bump his 2022 earnings by around $8MM, increasing his base salary to around $20MM. That is a rather high number, even with the salary cap likely to eclipse $200MM, and it would make sense for the Vikings to give Hunter a new deal before that point — if they see him return to form this season. Hunter’s five-year, $72MM extension runs through 2023.

In each of the two seasons following the extension agreement, Hunter notched 14.5 sacks. In December 2019, Hunter became the youngest to 50 career sacks — topping Robert Quinn — and made his second straight Pro Bowl. Without him and several other veterans in 2020, the Vikings plummeted from fifth to 29th in points allowed. With Hunter, 26, and Anthony Barr due back from injury, along with the new Michael Pierce–Dalvin Tomlinson–Sheldon Richardson interior D-line trio, Minnesota’s defense figures to improve this season.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Sutton, Chubb

June 19th, 2021 at 3:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

When the Raiders selected Damon Arnette 19th overall last year, it marked the second straight year the Jon Gruden–Mike Mayock regime stunned draft viewers in Round 1. Despite multiple thumb issues and a placement on the Raiders’ reserve/COVID-19 list, Arnette started seven games as a rookie. Pro Football Focus graded Arnette as a bottom-10 cornerback, however, and the Raiders may not have the Ohio State product in their lineup plans this year. Arnette has nearly drifted off the Raiders’ radar, Vic Tafur of The Athletic notes, adding that Casey Hayward is expected to line up as Las Vegas’ outside corner starter opposite Trayvon Mullen (subscription required). While a few lower-profile corners’ names surfaced during Raiders minicamp this week, Arnette’s was conspicuously absent, Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal adds. Talk surfaced last month of Arnette moving into the slot, but Tafur adds that job looks like Nevin Lawson‘s to lose. Arnette did not practice in the slot during minicamp.

Here is the latest from the AFC West:

  • Yannick Ngakoue is in search of a new agent. The recently signed Raiders defensive end left the Wasserman agency this week, according to the Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen (on Twitter). This is not a first for the former Jaguars, Vikings and Ravens pass rusher. He left his first NFL agent in May 2018 and made another change last August. Ngakoue’s next agent will be his fourth as a pro. Ngakoue signed a two-year, $26MM deal with the Raiders in March; that pact featured $21MM fully guaranteed.
  • Numerous key players missed extensive time for the Broncos last season, but the team received good news as it prepares for its next training camp. One of the biggest names to miss Denver’s 5-11 2020 slate, Courtland Sutton is not expected to start camp on the team’s active/PUP list, Vic Fangio said this week. The Pro Bowl wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 2 of last season. Neither Sutton nor Bradley Chubb, who is rehabbing offseason ankle surgery, are likely to miss camp time, Troy Renck of Denver7 notes. Chubb needed bone spurs removed from his ankle.
  • Bashaud Breeland moved on from the Chiefs after two seasons, signing with the Vikings. But the veteran cornerback initially wanted to re-sign with the Chiefs.

Bears LB Roquan Smith Not Pushing For Extension

June 19th, 2021 at 12:45pm CST by Ben Levine

While one of his teammates may be pushing for a new contract, Roquan Smith isn’t thinking about his next big deal. Speaking to reporters earlier this week, the Bears linebacker said he isn’t thinking about his inevitable extension.

[RELATED: NT Eddie Goldman No-Shows Bears Mandatory Minicamp]

“That’s going to come when it comes,” Smith said (via Sean Hammon of the Daily Herald). “I’m not too focused on that. My main focus right now is OTAs, getting out here with my teammates.”

The linebacker also noted that staying in Chicago is “definitely something” he wants. Smith was one of the few veteran defenders to show up to Bears OTAs (alongside defensive backs Tashaun Gipson and Desmond Trufant), and he certainly wasn’t going to skip mandatory minicamp in pursuit of his next deal.

“If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse, in my opinion,” Smith said. “So I feel like there’s a lot of things I’ve learned out there, bonding with some of new guys that are here, with some of the rookies as well, and also just learning little new things into the defense.”

The Bears picked up the 2018 first-round pick’s fifth-year option earlier this offseason, meaning Smith will earn around $9.735MM in 2022. While the 24-year-old still has two years remaining on his rookie deal, he could certainly make an argument for a raise. The former No. 8 pick has started 42 of his 44 games for the Bears, and he enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2020, compiling 139 tackles, 18 tackles for a loss, four sacks, seven passes defensed, and 2 interceptions.

This Date In Transactions History: Panthers Sign Steve Smith To Rookie Deal

June 19th, 2021 at 11:49am CST by Ben Levine

If Pro Football Rumors existed in 2001, we probably would have tucked the signing of a third-round receiver into one of our roundup posts. Fast forward 20 years, and that third-rounder is now considered one of the best wide receivers of the 2000s. On June 19th, 2001, the Panthers signed rookie wideout Steve Smith to his rookie contract.

Smith’s draft stock wasn’t necessarily due to a lack of talent. Rather, teams and scouts had limited (proverbial) tape on the receiver. Smith spent his first two years of college at Santa Monica College, a community college in California. He eventually got an offer to play for the University of Utah, and he proceeded to earn a pair of conference all-star nods during his two seasons in the Mountain West Conference.

However, with only a pair of Division I seasons under his belt (and with a nagging injury toward the end of his senior year), Smith ended up being the 11th wide receiver off the board during the 2001 draft. After going defense with their first two selections, the Panthers chose Smith with the No. 74 pick.

Smith didn’t see much time on offense during his rookie season, although he earned a first-team All Pro nod and Pro Bowl honors after finishing with 1,795 return yards (punt and kick) and three touchdowns. His net yardage of 1,994 led all rookies that season. During his sophomore year, Smith saw a much larger role in the offense, and he emerged as one of quarterback Rodney Peete‘s preferred targets, leading the team in receiving yards. The wideout established himself as one of the league’s top receivers in 2003; along with quarterback Jake Delhomme and running back Stephen Davis, the offensive trio helped guide the Panthers to an NFC Championship.

Unfortunately, that was the closest Smith would ever get to a Super Bowl ring, but the receiver still managed to establish himself as one of the best players in franchise history during his 13 seasons with the Panthers. Smith owns franchise records in receiving yards (12,197), receptions (836), and total touchdowns (67). His best season came in 2005, when he led the NFL in all three of those aforementioned categories (103 catches for 1,563 yards and 12 receiving touchdowns). Smith also earned a long list of accolades during his time with the Panthers, earning three All-Pro recognitions and five Pro Bowl appearances.

Smith’s tenure with the organization didn’t end on the best of terms; after being released by the team in 2014, the receiver promised “blood and guts” if he ever faced off against his former team. The veteran ended up inking a three-year deal with the Ravens, and when he faced off against the Panthers in Week 4 of the 2014 season, Smith went off for a season-high 139 receiving yards and two scores. Smith announced that he was going to retire following the 2015 season, but after that campaign was cut short due to an Achilles injury, he returned for one last season in 2016. He officially retired following that campaign.

The receiver will be eligible for the Hall of Fame next year. Smith ranks eighth all-time in receiving yards (14,731) and 12th all-time in receptions (1,031). Those are some spectacular numbers for a former third-rounder who probably wouldn’t have warranted his own post back in 2001.

WR Jordan Matthews Hoping To Land Job As TE

June 19th, 2021 at 9:48am CST by Ben Levine

After being limited to only five games over the past two years, veteran wideout Jordan Matthews is taking a different approach as he looks for a new gig. During a recent podcast appearance, Matthews told ESPN’s Turron Davenport that he’s looking to play tight end for his next team (Twitter link).

The 28-year-old noted that he’s added 30 pounds this offseason. He’s also been working out at the University of Louisville with wide receivers coach Gunter Brewer and assistant tight ends coach Stu Holt.

Standing at 6-foot-3, Matthews already had the height to play tight end. The veteran was listed at 215 pounds in 2020, so that extra 30 pounds of weight should provide him with the necessary bulk for the position. We’ve already seen one former wideout switch to tight end this offseason; Kelvin Benjamin will reportedly try to make the Giants roster at TE. More notably, former quarterback Tim Tebow is attempting a switch to tight end with the Jaguars.

Matthews, a former second-round pick, had at least 800 receiving yards in each of his first three NFL seasons, but he’s struggled to match that production over the past few years. Since 2017, Matthews has hauled in only 49 receptions for 615 yards and three scores. He saw time in the 49ers’ final two games of the 2020 season, appearing on 14 offensive snaps without recording a catch.

Free Agent DL P.J. Hall Arrested Earlier This Week

June 19th, 2021 at 9:14am CST by Ben Levine

Defensive lineman P.J. Hall was arrested earlier this week on chargers of assault and interference with public duties, according to ESPN’s Sarah Barshop (via Twitter).

According to court documents (via Barshop), Hall inflicted “bodily injury … by pushing the Complainant with his hand.” Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that the misdemeanor assault charge was filed back on June 13, and the 26-year-old is currently out on a $1,000 bond. Hall’s next court date is scheduled for mid-July.

Hall was a second-round pick by the Raiders out of Sam Houston State in 2018, but his stint with the organization was short lived. The defensive lineman saw time in 30 games (18 starts) during his two-year stint with the Raiders, collecting 48 tackles, 1.5 sacks, and nine QB hits. He was dumped to the Vikings last August, but after failing his physical, he reverted back to the Raiders roster and was ultimately waived.

Hall eventually caught on with the Texans, where he collected 34 tackles and one sack in 10 games (nine starts). Houston slapped him with a second-round tender following the season, but they later withdrew the offer, making Hall a free agent. Hall would have probably found another gig eventually, but suitors may be wary of a deal as they wait to see if the NFL hands out any punishment under their personal conduct policy.

This Date In Transactions History: Chiefs Sign Andre Rison

June 18th, 2021 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

If the current Chiefs run doubles as the most successful point in franchise history, the AFL stretch in the 1960s ranks second. But Kansas City carved out another championship window in the 1990s. The Chiefs booked seven playoff berths in the decade, and they made a big move to strengthen their Super Bowl hopes on this day 24 years ago.

On June 18, 1997, the Chiefs struck a deal with Andre Rison, a former perennial Pro Bowler who had bounced around the league in the mid-’90s. The accomplished wide receiver signed a two-year, $1.8MM contract, at a time when the salary cap was just $41.5MM. For one season, the Chiefs’ partnership with Rison proved crucial.

Once part of a trade that sent the No. 1 overall pick — Jeff George — to the Colts in 1990, Rison established himself as an elite wideout in Atlanta. In five Falcons seasons, the 1989 first-rounder made four Pro Bowls and totaled 56 touchdown catches. Amassed from 1990-94, those 56 TD grabs eclipsed all non-Jerry Rice NFLers by at least four in that span. However, free agency did not lead to a long-term stay elsewhere initially.

The Browns, Jaguars and Packers all cut Rison from 1996-97. Green Bay added the veteran as a midseason replacement for the injured Robert Brooks in 1996, and Rison caught two playoff TD passes from Brett Favre — the second of which a 54-yarder in Green Bay’s Super Bowl XXXI win. The Packers released Rison in March 1997, leading him to Missouri.

The Chiefs remade their passing attack that year, signing Elvis Grbac. While Brett Perriman, late-bloomer Joe Horn and then-rookie Tony Gonzalez were among Grbac’s aerial options that season, the Chiefs relied on a 30-year-old Rison in ’97. Only one Chiefs pass catcher topped 500 yards in 1997; Rison reached 1,092 on 72 receptions. Seven of those grabs went for touchdowns during a season that featured Grbac and future MVP Rich Gannon throwing Rison passes.

While the Chiefs lost in the divisional round, after going 13-3 and earning the AFC’s top seed, their Rison bet made a difference in the team’s second 13-3 season in three years. Despite the defense-powered Chiefs losing 14-10 to the eventual champion Broncos in their playoff opener, Rison’s 110 receiving yards led all players that day. The Michigan State alum made his fifth and final Pro Bowl in his first Chiefs season.

Rison scored a six-year, $15.5MM Chiefs extension in June 1998 but played only two years on that deal. A hamstring injury hampered him in 1998, and he was not productive in 15 games the following year. The Chiefs released Rison during the 2000 preseason. Rison concluded his career as a Raiders role player that year, hauling in six TD passes from Gannon on an Oakland team that advanced to the AFC championship game. Rison finished in the top seven in receptions, yards and touchdowns among pass catchers in the 1990s.

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