HEADLINES

Year: 2024

Eagles Extend CB Avonte Maddox

November 20th, 2021 at 10:56am CST by Ben Levine

The Eagles have extended another member of their 2018 draft class. NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (via Twitter) that cornerback Avonte Maddox has signed a three-year extension.

The three-year deal is worth $22.5MM and includes $13.3MM in guaranteed money, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The deal will keep Maddox in Philly through the 2024 season.

The former fourth-round pick has developed into an important piece in the Eagles’ secondary. Despite starting only two of his 10 games, Maddox has been having a career year in 2021, collecting 48 tackles, four tackles for loss, two QB hits, two forced fumbles, and one pick. The 25-year-old has generally seen time in more than 60 percent of his team’s defensive snaps. In total, Maddox has appeared in 45 career games (25 starts).

Philly is still rosteirng four of their five picks from the 2018 draft, and each of those four players have now received extensions. Tight end Dallas Goedert signed a four-year extension with the team yesterday, while offensive tackle Jordan Mailata and defensive end Josh Sweat got new deals back in September.

Giants WR Dante Pettis Done For Season

November 20th, 2021 at 10:12am CST by Ben Levine

Dante Pettis is done for the year. Giants head coach Joe Judge told reporters that the wideout’s shoulder injury will knock him out for the rest of the season (per ESPN’s Jordan Raanan on Twitter).

Pettis landed on injured reserve earlier this month, leaving the door open for a potential return. However, it sounds like the player’s shoulder injury required surgery, and the recovery time will extend through the rest of the regular season.

The former second-round pick was barely relevant during his stint in San Francisco, and after getting waived last November, he was claimed by the Giants. Pettis appeared in two games down the stretch for New York in 2020, and he stayed with the organization throughout the offseason. He landed on the team’s practice squad following the end of the preseason, but he ended up seeing time in three games for the Giants in 2021, hauling in 10 receptions for 87 yards and one touchdown.

The Giants’ depth chart won’t see much of an impact with this news. Kenny Golladay, Sterling Shepard, and Kadarius Toney still lead the depth chart, with Darius Slayton, John Ross, and Collin Johnson also holding spots on the active roster.

Broncos Eyeing Courtland Sutton Extension

November 19th, 2021 at 4:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although the Broncos extended Tim Patrick on Friday afternoon, they did not view this as an either/or situation regarding he and Courtland Sutton. The latter remains in the team’s plans.

Denver still views keeping Sutton as a priority, Troy Renck of Denver7 tweets. Despite not being with the Broncos when the team drafted Sutton in the 2018 second round, George Paton identified him as a cornerstone player. Sutton has returned to action this season, after an ACL tear wiped out most of his 2020 campaign. He is scheduled to be a free agent in March.

[RELATED: Extension Candidate: Courtland Sutton]

The Broncos have the franchise tag to use on Sutton if they choose, though that price could surpass $17MM in 2022. Leading the team with 43 catches for 617 yards, the 6-foot-4 target looms as the team’s top 2022 UFA. Sutton reeled off a 1,000-yard season in 2019, doing so as the Broncos used three below-average quarterbacks in starting roles at various points, and is on pace for another.

Should the SMU alum avoid more injury trouble, he will be on track for big money in free agency — if the Broncos let him hit the market. It does not sound like they intend to do so. Denver has invested considerably at the receiver position over the past two years, becoming the first team since 2003 to select wideouts in Rounds 1 and 2 and then extending Patrick today. Jerry Jeudy and K.J. Hamler are tied to rookie deals through the 2023 season, with Jeudy controllable through 2024 because of the fifth-year option.

While the Broncos’ quarterback salary future is again uncertain, the team is in good shape with the cap. Much can change between now and free agency, but the Broncos reside in the top five for projected 2022 cap space, per OverTheCap. Having Sutton in the fold would also be attractive for QBs, and a few high-end arms — Aaron Rodgers, whom the Broncos pursued this year, and Russell Wilson among them — figure to be in trade rumors again in 2022.

Seahawks’ Chris Carson To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery

November 19th, 2021 at 3:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Chris Carson‘s setback in his return from IR will end up sidelining him for the rest of the season. The Seahawks’ starting running back will undergo season-ending surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

The Seahawks have been without Carson since Week 4 due to a neck injury but saw him return to practice last week. However, Pete Carroll expressed uncertainty about Carson’s timetable. Carson will revert to IR, with Carroll confirming Friday surgery is on tap.

The team had until the end of the month to activate Carson, and Carroll initially expressed optimism the fifth-year back was on track to return. But Carson did not practice this week and will instead aim to recover in time for the 2022 season. Carson, who began his fourth season as Seattle’s backfield starter, totaled 232 rushing yards and three touchdowns this season.

In March, the Seahawks kept Carson in the fold via a two-year, $10.4MM accord. Although the former seventh-round pick has two 1,100-yard seasons on his resume — 2018 and ’19 — injuries have piled up. The Oklahoma State product suffered a broken leg as a rookie, missed the end of the 2019 season because of a hip injury and was sidelined for four games last season due to a foot sprain. This neck issue has brought another bad break for the Day 3 success story.

Seattle has mainly used Alex Collins as its primary runner since Carson went down, but the team still has ex-first-rounder Rashaad Penny in the fold. The injury-prone back has only logged 26 carries over the past two seasons, however.

Broncos, WR Tim Patrick Agree On Extension

November 19th, 2021 at 3:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering the season with two key contract-year wide receivers, the Broncos made the move Friday to extend one of them. They agreed to terms with Tim Patrick on a three-year deal, Mike Klis of 9News tweets.

The former UDFA will collect a nice payday, with Tom Pelissero of NFL.com noting the contract carries a max value of $34MM and includes $18.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link). While Courtland Sutton remains unsigned beyond 2021, Denver is keeping its other outside wideout in the fold long-term.

Despite his undrafted status and complementary role with the Broncos, Patrick has become one of the NFL’s most dependable wideouts. He did not drop a pass last season and grades as Pro Football Focus’ No. 3 overall receiver against man coverage this season. Patrick’s drop-less streak extends to the 2019 season, with Field Yates of ESPN.com noting the ex-Utah Ute has not dropped a pass since Week 13 of that slate (Twitter link).

The 6-foot-4 wideout has been essential for the Broncos this season, with the team having lost K.J. Hamler for the year and having been without Jerry Jeudy for a chunk of it. Patrick has 37 receptions for 523 yards and four touchdowns this season; he led the Broncos with six TD grabs in 2020.

The Broncos initially signed Patrick in 2017, after three other teams cut him, and he became an auxiliary piece for a team still rostering Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders. Patrick became part of Denver’s solution after those Pro Bowlers left via trade. The team placed a second-round RFA tender on Patrick this offseason, and the soon-to-be 28-year-old target opted to bypass a free agency run to collect a Broncos payday early.

It remains to be seen if new GM George Paton will also extend Sutton, who will carry a higher price tag. Paton did refer to Sutton as a core player earlier this year. But the Broncos have Jeudy and Hamler tied to rookie deals through 2023, with Jeudy’s contract including a fifth-year option, and Patrick locked down through the ’24 season.

Cowboys Place Amari Cooper On Reserve/COVID-19 List

November 19th, 2021 at 2:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ahead of a key interconference matchup in Kansas City, Dallas will be without one of its weapons. Amari Cooper landed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list Friday.

This not only knocks him out for Sunday’s game, but Cooper will miss at least two games because of this development. Cooper tested positive and is unvaccinated, Todd Archer of ESPN.com notes.

Unvaccinated players must isolate for at least 10 days, so this will keep Cooper out of the Cowboys’ Thanksgiving Day game against the Raiders — a matchup that would have been the seventh-year veteran’s first against the team that traded him.

In his fourth season with the Cowboys, Cooper has not missed a game this season. The former top-five pick returned from ankle surgery, which kept him out for most of the Cowboys’ offseason work. The ex-Raiders Pro Bowler, who has since made two Pro Bowls as a Cowboy, has 44 receptions for 583 yards and five touchdowns this season.

Both CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup are healthy going into the Cowboys-Chiefs game, with the latter returning last week after missing half the season with a calf injury. Their statuses are worth monitoring, given their proximity to Cooper.

Steelers Rule Out T.J. Watt, Joe Haden For Week 11

November 19th, 2021 at 2:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Pittsburgh’s defense will be missing a few key pieces Sunday night. T.J. Watt and Joe Haden will not play against the Chargers this week.

Neither practiced this week after suffering injuries during the tie game against the Lions. Watt, who missed one game earlier this year because of a groin issue, is now battling hip and knee trouble. Haden is dealing with a foot injury.

This will further deplete a Steelers team that has Ben Roethlisberger and Minkah Fitzpatrick on its reserve/COVID-19 list. Mike Tomlin has said Fitzpatrick, placed on the list after a positive COVID test Monday, is unlikely to suit up. The team remains hopeful Roethlisberger, who has experienced symptoms after testing positive last Saturday, will start despite not practicing this week. The Steelers must activate Big Ben by Saturday afternoon for him to return to action.

Going through a contract year that is expected to lead to a free agency run, Haden missed a game earlier this season. He has been a Steelers starter since 2017, with his arrival coinciding with the team making a leap on defense. Watt arrived the same year, and his presence has been the top driver for the Steelers leading the NFL in sacks four years running.

Pittsburgh still has Alex Highsmith set to start Sunday, but its trade of Melvin Ingram stripped away a key depth piece — albeit one disgruntled about his reserve role at the time — from a defense that has dealt with injuries throughout the season.

The Steelers, who have been without Stephon Tuitt all season, also ruled out starting guard Kevin Dotson, who is down with an ankle ailment.

Bears’ Khalil Mack Done For Year

November 19th, 2021 at 1:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Khalil Mack‘s season is over. The Bears’ All-Pro pass rusher is set for foot surgery that will sideline him for the rest of the year, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Bears’ Trevathan Done For Year]

Mack missed the two Bears two games previous to their Week 10 bye. The Bears were optimistic that the former Defensive Player of the Year would be able to play this weekend, but the specialists have said otherwise.

Mack, 30, got off to a strong start this year with six sacks across the first six weeks of the season. Up until the foot injury, he had only missed two games during his three-plus-seasons in Chicago.

Acquired via a 2018 blockbuster trade with the Raiders, Mack has been the centerpiece of the past four Bears defenses. The former DPOY has delivered on the Bears’ investment, even though the gaudy Oakland sack totals have not followed him to Chicago. And, even though Mack’s double-digit sack streak ended after 2018, but was well on pace to post his fifth 10-plus-sack slate this year. Pro Football Focus graded Mack as its No. 1 edge defender in 2020, despite his lower sack (9) and QB-hit (13) totals.

Mack, who will be absent from the Pro Bowl list for the first time in a long time, remains under club control through the 2024 season. For right now, the Bears find themselves at 3-6, down both Mack and longtime defensive leader Danny Trevathan.

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