Month: October 2024

Browns Could Release QB Baker Mayfield?

Baker Mayfield could ultimately be cut by the Browns. A league source told Josina Anderson that while their team has expressed interest in a trade for the former first-overall pick, talks ultimately cooled because the team didn’t want to meet Cleveland’s asking price (Twitter link). Further, suitors believe this could be heading toward a release, so inquiring teams aren’t interested in breaking the bank for a player they could potentially sign outright.

“No one’s trying to do the Browns any favors in this situation,” the source told Anderson.

We previously heard that the terms of Mayfield’s $18.9MM 2022 option led to the Browns-Panthers trade talks fizzling. Carolina wanted Cleveland to pick up most of that fully guaranteed salary. The Browns have remained unwilling to cut Mayfield, but the organization may not have another choice as they look to avoid an awkward situation. The Panthers, Seahawks, and Texans have been among the teams most recently connected to the QB.

Mayfield attempting to play through a torn shoulder labrum undoubtedly hurt his standing, though the Browns were reluctant to engage in extension talks before the start of the 2021 campaign. Prior to Mayfield’s injury, reports emerged indicating he was fine with playing out his fourth season absent an extension. But Mayfield’s value cratered in 2021, with the former Heisman winner’s completion percentage plummeting from an NFL-best 82% before his September shoulder injury to 58% in the games following the setback. The latter portion comprised most of the season, leading the Browns to an 8-9 record and pushing this situation to its present state.

Mayfield underwent surgery in January but contacted Amari Cooper about a potential throwing session in March. However, the Browns’ entrance into the Deshaun Watson mix — and the “adult in the room” commentproved to be enough for Mayfield to request a trade. The 27-year-old passer requested to be dealt nearly two months ago, but the standoff persists.

 

Arrest Warrant Issued For FA S Earl Thomas

An arrest warrant has been issued in Austin, Texas for free agent safety Earl Thomas, per ESPN’s Brady Henderson.

The warrant, which was signed in late April, charges Thomas with a third-degree felony for at least two violations. A protective order from May 2021 stated that Thomas could only communicate with a woman “through a co-parenting phone app,” but the player has allegedly violated the order by sending “threatening messages to a woman about her and her children.”

The woman told police that Thomas recently threatened to “kick [her] ass” and bragged about the recent acquisition of two handguns. Thomas’s lawyer, who has been representing the player in his ongoing divorce, stated that his client was simply reaching out to the woman to coordinate visitation with their children.

This isn’t the player’s first run-in with the law. The Austin American-Statesman reports that Thomas was also arrested in February 2021 on a “a misdemeanor charge of unlawfully carrying a weapon.” The player eventually forfeited the weapon and the charges were dismissed. Meanwhile, as Henderson writes, a woman named Nina Thomas was arrested in April 2020 for pointing a loaded handgun at the NFL player during a “heated argument.”

In nine years with the Seahawks, Thomas totaled 664 tackles, 28 interceptions and 67 pass deflections. A key member of the ‘Legion of Boom’, it was with Seattle that he made two straight Super Bowl appearances, including a title in 2013. Things didn’t end well for Thomas in the Emerald City, however. A contract dispute, coupled with a broken leg, marked the conclusion of his final campaign with the Seahawks. He signed a four-year, $55MM deal with the Ravens in 2019, leading to big expectations for himself personally and the team in general.

In what ended up being his lone campaign in Baltimore, the 2010s All-Decade member put up respectable, if unspectacular, numbers. He recorded a pair of interceptions and allowed a passer rating of just 24.2, leading to his seventh Pro Bowl nod. His overall understanding of the playbook and interaction with teammates, however, weighed those statistics down. Not long before the start of the subsequent season, Thomas was involved in an altercation with fellow safety Chuck Clark. Shortly thereafter, he was released by the Ravens. Speculation heated up regarding where his next destination would be, including, most notably, the Cowboys. No team came close to signing him, however, and he has remained on the sidelines for the past two seasons.

Thomas recently stated his desire to continue his NFL career.

NFL Draft Pick Signings: 5/6/22

Here are the latest draft pick signings:

Baltimore Ravens

Chicago Bears 

Green Bay Packers

Kansas City Chiefs

Philadelphia Eagles

Seattle Seahawks

  • DB Tariq Woolen (fifth round, Texas-San Antonio)
  • LB Tyreke Smith (fifth round, Ohio State)
  • WR Bo Melton (seventh round, Rutgers)
  • WR Dareke Young (seventh round, Lenoir-Rhyne)

Washington Commanders

Seahawks Sign 14 UDFAs

After adding 9 rookies to the team through the NFL Draft, Seattle announced the signing of 14 undrafted free agents today that they’ll add to their 2022 class:

After trading away quarterback Russell Wilson and failing to address the position in the Draft, Seattle signed Lewis out of Louisiana-Lafayette. Over a career that saw him start four out of five seasons, Lewis broke a Ragin’ Cajuns record throwing 74 touchdowns against 18 interceptions while amassing a 35-7 record as a starter.

The Seahawks also wanted to add some depth behind starting safeties Quandre Diggs and Jamal Adams. They added 17 career college interceptions to the roster through Blount (9), Williams (6), Nelson (4), and Bolden (2).

Seattle brought in an interesting receiver prospect, as well, in Robertson. After signing to California as a 5-star recruit, Robertson was a Freshman All-American for the Golden Bears before eventually transferring and bouncing around from Georgia to Auburn.

Latest on Metcalf, Seahawks

In the weeks leading up to the draft, chatter was heard that Seahawks wide receiver D.K. Metcalf may be available for a price. After trading away quarterback Russell Wilson, many began to assume that the Seahawks were in sell-mode. While Seattle hasn’t looked to actively move the former second-rounder, they have fielded calls regarding a potential trade. It was reported in the build-up to the draft that the Jets were willing to part ways with the 10th overall pick, though nothing materialized on that front. 

In a radio interview, according to Brady Henderson of ESPN, head coach Pete Carroll spoke on the situation. “We want him to be here. He wants to be here,” Carroll said. “We’ll figure it out. It’ll just take us some time, but we’ll get it done.”

This is the second extremely encouraging statement made this week hinting that Metcalf will return to Seattle, after Metcalf commented recently saying“At the end of the day, once you sit down and make a grown-man decision, yeah, I want to be in Seattle.”

With Metcalf looking to remain a Seahawk, he could be in line for a similar deal to the one signed by A.J. Brown, his former Ole Miss teammate, with whom he shares an agent.

To accommodate such a lucrative extension, the Seahawks could use some of the cap relief they will be seeing next month. Given that Carlos Dunlap was released with a post-June 1 designation, the team will gain just over $5MM in space after that date, which should make a deal feasible from a financial perspective, provided all parties still wish to get a deal done at that time. Both Carroll and Metcalf’s remarks point to that being a strong possibility.

Chiefs Announce Signing Of 10 UDFAs

After an impressive Draft performance, the Chiefs announced the signing of 10 undrafted free agents that will be joining their rookie class:

Beyond Ross, who we’ve posted on already, headliners of the group include Fleet-Davis, Ealy, Crum, and Oginni.

Fleet-Davis had his best year for the Terrapins last year totaling 1,026 yards from scrimmage and 9 total touchdowns. Ealy was a consensus five-star recruit for the Rebels. The smaller back averaged 745.0 rushing yards per season and 181.67 receiving yards per season while racking up 20 rushing touchdowns and adding 4 receiving touchdowns over his three years in Oxford.

Crum was a three-year starter for the Golden Flashes, leading them to two bowl games, not qualifying after playing only four games during the COVID-shortened 2020 season. In 31 games as a starter, Crum completed 67.41% of his passes, throwing for 7,012 yards and tossing 52 touchdowns to 12 interceptions. He’ll compete for the backup quarterback position behind Patrick Mahomes with veteran-Chad Henne, Anthony Gordon, and Shane Buechele.

Oginni will make the move to America after coming up in the NFL’s International Player Pathway program in Nigeria. Despite being involved in a bus crash that killed three of his teammates, Oginni continued to train in Nigeria after his visa application was continuously denied. Oginni will get his opportunity in the big leagues and will have a chance to learn from one of the best in Travis Kelce.

Buccaneers’ Interest In Re-Signing Suh Waning

Before the NFL Draft, Tampa Bay was already exploring options for depth on the defensive line without re-signing Ndamukong Suh, but, according to Greg Auman of The Athletic, their move to draft Logan Hall may have sealed Suh’s fate

The Buccaneers signed Suh in 2019 in an effort to replace the production lost with Gerald McCoy‘s departure. Suh failed to produce numbers typical of his career in that first season in Tampa, posting a career low in sacks, but demonstrated his usual aptitude for playmaking, scoring two touchdowns on fumble recoveries, recording 7.0 tackles for loss, and hitting the quarterback 14 times. Suh returned to form the following two years recording 6.0 sacks in each season. Despite signing with the Buccaneers at 32-years-old, Suh has maintained a high level of play. In his three seasons with the team, he’s recorded 14.5 sacks, 23.0 tackles for loss, 46 quarterback hits, and 5 fumble recoveries.

Last month, after trading back to allow Jacksonville a second first-round pick, the Buccaneers used their first pick of the Draft to add the Houston defensive lineman, Hall, 33rd overall. Hall displays some of the same versatility that makes Suh so valuable, but at 13 years younger and on a rookie deal that should be much cheaper than bringing back the now 35-year-old Suh.

Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht hasn’t shut the door on re-signing Suh, making a comment that seemed to insinuate he may be an option in case an injury hurts the team’s depth at the position. Suh would certainly be an effective injury replacement as he hasn’t missed a start in his entire 12-year career. He’s only missed two games since getting drafted and those missed games were the result of suspension.

Still, barring an injury to the line, signing Suh wouldn’t make much sense for Tampa Bay after using such a high pick on Hall. It would add unnecessary cost to the position group and Suh’s playing time would cut into the early playing opportunities for Hall.

Eagles Add 11 UDFAs

After their best-known 2022 undrafted free agent became known over the weekend (Nevada quarterback Carson Strong), the Eagles announced the rest of their UDFA class. Here is that 11-man contingent:

The Oklahoma backfield continues to produce NFL talent, with Brooks having teamed with the likes of Rhamondre Stevenson and Trey Sermon during his days in Norman. Brooks is one of the rare Sooners to rip off three 1,000-yard rushing seasons during his time at the Big 12 program, notching the first of those slates as a true freshman in a Kyler Murray-led offense. Rather than turning pro after his 2020 COVID-19-related opt-out, Brooks returned to school for his senior season and amassed a career-high 1,253 rushing yards.

Brooks has a path to a potential role with the Eagles, who did not draft a running back and who have starter Miles Sanders entering a contract year. Behind Sanders, the team returns Boston Scott and 2021 fifth-rounder Kenneth Gainwell.

A guard at San Diego State, Dunkle did not allow a sack in 30 games at the Mountain West school. Sills started at four positions up front for Oklahoma State, while Williams will enter the NFL after spending six seasons in college (five at Houston, one as Miami’s starting right tackle). Covey tops that, having been in college since 2015. The 5-foot-8 wideout notched three return touchdowns for the Utes last year. Philly’s class also houses the 2021 Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Year (Fayad) and the son of longtime Lions defensive tackle Luther Elliss. Sporting a 346-pound frame, Noah Elliss was a three-year starter at Idaho.

The Eagles gave Elliss $250K guaranteed, while Goodrich — a first-team All-ACC cornerback and reigning Cheez-It Bowl MVP — received a $217K guarantee (per Pro Football Focus’ Doug Kyed, on Twitter). Blackwell will see a $137.5K guarantee, ProFootballNetwork.com’s Aaron Wilson tweets, while Kyed adds (via Twitter) Sills will collect $135K guaranteed. The Eagles are guaranteeing Dunkle $110K, Kyed tweets.

Jets Release G Greg Van Roten

After claiming Nate Herbig off waivers from the Eagles, the Jets jettisoned one of their experienced blockers and saved some money. They cut Greg Van Roten on Friday.

Van Roten’s release represents the Jets’ corresponding move for the waiver claim; the veteran starter will head straight to free agency. Van Roten, 32, had started 23 games for the Jets over the past two seasons but was no longer in line to be a first-stringer, with the team having signed Laken Tomlinson in free agency.

While this release saves the Jets $3.5MM, it cuts into their newly solid depth on their interior offensive line. Herbig and Dan Feeney represent the team’s top interior backup options. Van Roten, however, arrived prior to Robert Saleh and OC Mike LaFleur‘s arrivals. Tomlinson is set to team with 2021 first-round pick Alijah Vera-Tucker, with Connor McGovern still under contract at center.

The Jets signed Van Roten during the same offseason they landed McGovern, giving the ex-Panther blocker a three-year deal worth $10.5MM. He was set to earn a nonguaranteed $3MM this season. A New York native who emerged as a UDFA out of Penn, Van Roten has made 50 career starts — all since 2018. Pro Football Focus rated Van Roten as a middling guard last season; he figures to have a shot elsewhere at some point before the season.