HEADLINES

Month: October 2024

Jaguars Sign Third-Rounders Luke Fortner, Chad Muma To Finalize Draft Class Deals

May 25th, 2022 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jaguars became the latest team to wrap up the draft pick-signing portion of their offseason. Two third-rounders — center Luke Fortner and linebacker Chad Muma — rounded out this process by signing their four-year rookie deals Wednesday.

Fortner’s deal at the No. 65 overall slot will be worth $5.5MM, according to Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com, who adds the Kentucky alum will collect a $1.18MM signing bonus (Twitter link). Muma, chosen 70th overall out of Wyoming, will be entitled to a bonus just north of 2021 No. 70 selection Brady Christensen‘s; the Panthers tackle collected $1.15MM guaranteed.

Brandon Linder‘s retirement created an immediate need for Jacksonville. Linder had been the team’s longest-tenured starter, and although he battled injuries for much of his career, the talented blocker had been the Jaguars’ starting center since 2016 after beginning his career at guard. Fortner played center and guard at Kentucky, starting 36 games played after taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility schools provided after the COVID-19 pandemic hit.

Fortner moved from right guard to center before last season. He stands to vie for the Jags’ center spot with previous Linder backup Tyler Shatley, who is the team’s longest-tenured player. Shatley has been with the Jags since 2014; he started eight games last year.

Jacksonville aggressively pursued upgrades at linebacker this year. The team gave ex-Atlanta starter Foyesade Oluokun a three-year, $45MM deal and traded back into the first round for Utah standout Devin Lloyd. The Jags selected Muma with the pick obtained in last year’s C.J. Henderson trade. They moved on from longtime starter Myles Jack this offseason as well. Muma broke out last season by making 142 tackles (eight for loss), earning first-team All-Mountain West Conference acclaim. It will be interesting to see where he fits with a Jags team that reloaded at this position.

Here is how the Jags’ draft class breaks down:

Round 1: No. 1 Travon Walker, Edge (Georgia) (signed)
Round 1: No. 27 (from Buccaneers) Devin Lloyd, LB (Utah) (signed)
Round 3: No. 65 Luke Fortner, C (Kentucky) (signed)
Round 3: No. 70 (from Panthers) Chad Muma, LB (Wyoming) (signed)
Round 5: No. 154 (from Commanders through Eagles): Snoop Conner, RB (Ole Miss) (signed)
Round 6: No. 197 (from Eagles) Gregory Junior, CB (Ouachita Baptist) (signed)
Round 7: No. 222 Montaric Brown, CB (Arkansas) (signed)

Mat, Justin Ishbia In Mix To Buy Broncos

May 25th, 2022 at 7:54pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Broncos are down to five potential owners. Another of those groups became known Wednesday night. Brothers Mat and Justin Ishbia front a group that remains in contention to acquire the AFC West franchise, Mike Klis of 9News reports.

Mat Ishbia was a member of Michigan State’s national championship-winning 1999-2000 basketball team. He has since become quite successful in the mortgage business. The Ishbias toured the Broncos’ facility and met with team executives recently, Klis adds, noting Mat would be the controlling owner if this group makes the top bid. Mat Ishbia played three seasons with the Spartans, being on the Tom Izzo-coached team from 1999-2002. Yahoo Finance lists his net worth at around $11 billion.

This group joins the ones headed by Philadelphia 76ers owner Josh Harris and Magic Johnson, Walmart’s Rob Walton and longtime media mogul Byron Allen. Dodgers and Los Angeles Sparks part-owner Todd Boehly has been connected to this pursuit, but Klis notes it is not certain if he remains in the mix. Boehly has been in Europe finalizing his most recent high-profile acquisition, English Premier League club Chelsea. Allen has also yet to visit the Denver facility, but he remains in play to buy the team.

Walton was previously mentioned as the favorite here, while Harris’ group received the first tour. The team must accept the highest bid, one that is expected to approach or surpass $5 billion — a mark that would shatter the American professional sports record. Second-round bids for the Broncos have yet to take place, per Klis, but those offerings appear to be coming soon.

Raiders Sign DL Tyler Lancaster

May 25th, 2022 at 7:23pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders have made several additions to their defensive line this offseason. They agreed to terms with another veteran free agent Wednesday.

Four-year Packers D-line contributor Tyler Lancaster signed with the Raiders. He follows the likes of Vernon Butler, Bilal Nichols, Andrew Billings and Kyle Peko to sign with Las Vegas this offseason.

New Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham has a short history with Lancaster. Graham was in Green Bay when the team signed Lancaster as a UDFA in 2018. While Graham was the Packers’ linebackers coach that year and left to become the Dolphins’ DC in 2019, he will bring back a familiar face to potentially help in his current gig.

Lancaster worked as a part-time starter. Despite going undrafted out of Northwestern four years ago, Lancaster started 10 games for an NFC championship-bound Packers team in 2019. Green Bay kept the interior D-lineman as a backup for most of the past two seasons, which featured six combined starts, but he was a regular. Lancaster, 27, saw his defensive snap rate stay the same in 2020 (37%) compared to his year as a regular starter. The 313-pound defender played 31% of Green Bay’s defensive snaps last season, when he finished with 31 tackles (three for loss).

While Maxx Crosby and Johnathan Hankins are back, most of the key cogs that will see time for Las Vegas’ D-line are new. Butler came over after a year in Buffalo, while Nichols was in Chicago’s 3-4 scheme for the past four seasons. Billings spent last season in Cleveland. The Raiders also used fourth- and fifth-round picks on D-linemen (Neil Farrell and Matthew Butler). Their Lancaster signing adds to this competition.

NFL Changes Injured Reserve Rules

May 25th, 2022 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Over the past two seasons, the NFL changed the structure of its injured reserve system. After the league’s pandemic-induced flexibility effort on the injury front, it will reintroduce hard limits on how many players can be brought back from IR.

The league is scuttling the unlimited returns of the past two years, with Mike Garafolo of NFL.com relaying eight players can now be activated from IR and reserve/NFI lists combined during the 2022 season (Twitter link). The waiting period for an IR return will also increase from three games to four. These changes will certainly reintroduce some strategy regarding the redeployment of injured players.

The format of the past two years was popular and allowed more players the opportunity to return in-season, thus keeping starter-caliber talent in the equation for teams after the previous system hard-capped re-emergences from IR. Eight still represents a big jump from those days, but it is still a major shift from how teams were permitted to use IR from 2020-21.

While the number of players who will return from IR this season will be reduced, players can be activated from IR twice. Previously, players could only be activated from injured reserve once in a season. Should a player be activated off IR twice, both instances will count toward a team’s eight permitted activations.

Not that long ago, the NFL carried strict IR rules. A player placed on the injured list was forced to miss the rest of the season. During the 2010s, the league implemented the IR-boomerang setup, which allowed a player to return from the injured list. In 2017, the league expanded that number to two. These designated players could return after eight weeks. The past two years radically altered that setup, but it appears the NFL sought to reintroduce some order here as it hopes to transition from the two coronavirus-impacted years.

Eagles Expected To Promote Jon Ferrari To Assistant GM

May 25th, 2022 at 6:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

A day after another of Howie Roseman‘s top lieutenants left the organization, the Eagles will promote from within. They are expected to elevate Jon Ferrari to their assistant general manager post, veteran NFL reporter Aditi Kinkhabwala tweets.

This might not be the only assistant GM under Roseman, per Kinkhabwala, who adds Steelers executive Brandon Hunt is also name to watch for a move to Philadelphia. Hunt could be in line for a vice president-type role with the Eagles.

Hunt interviewed twice for the Steelers’ GM job, but the team went with Omar Khan. Ex-Eagles exec Andy Weidl will be Khan’s right-hand man, opening the door for Hunt — the current Steelers pro scouting coordinator — to explore outside options. The Eagles interviewed Hunt for a high-ranking job earlier this month. With the Bills meeting with Hunt about their assistant GM job, it appears he is strongly considering leaving Pittsburgh.

News of Ferrari’s promotion comes after Colts exec Morocco Brown was no longer in the running for the post. A front office structure featuring Ferrari and Hunt as Roseman’s top lieutenants would resemble the new Browns hierarchy. Cleveland hired ex-Philadelphia exec Catherine Raiche recently; she and Glenn Cook will be the Browns’ assistant GMs under Andrew Berry.

Ferrari has been with the Eagles since 2016 and has worked mainly in the team’s compliance department. His most recent position was vice president of football operations and compliance, a role he began filling in 2019. A void remains in Philly’s front office, however, with most of Roseman’s top staffers either leaving or being dismissed. Four Roseman charges became assistant GMs with other teams this year.

The Eagles have lost Raiche, Andy Weidl, Casey Weidl, Brandon Brown, Ian Cunningham and Tom Donahoe this offseason. Brown (Giants) and Cunningham (Bears) joined Raiche and Andy Weidl in becoming assistant GMs elsewhere. The Eagles fired Casey Weidl, and Donahoe — a 10-year staffer who previously headed up the Steelers and Bills’ front offices — parted ways with the team after the draft.

Cardinals Sign Round 3 OLB Cameron Thomas, Wrap Draft Class Deals

May 25th, 2022 at 5:22pm CST by Sam Robinson

As they finished their first week of OTAs, the Cardinals also wrapped up their draft class signings. Third-round pick Cameron Thomas signed his four-year rookie contract Wednesday.

Arizona made nine selections in this year’s draft. Coming off the board 87th overall, Thomas will be expected to help the Cardinals early. The team lost Chandler Jones in free agency and did not sign a replacement for the decorated edge rusher, leaving Thomas alongside the likes of Markus Golden, Devon Kennard and third-round edge Myjai Sanders (Cincinnati) at outside linebacker.

Although Thomas was a San Diego State regular as an underclassman, combining for 9.5 sacks from 2019-20, he broke through as a junior last year. Thomas tallied 20.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks, en route to Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2021.

Here is how the Cardinals’ draft class breaks down:

Round 2: No. 55 Trey McBride, TE (Colorado State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 87 Cameron Thomas, DE (San Diego State) (signed)
Round 3: No. 100 (from Ravens) Myjai Sanders, DE (Cincinnati) (signed)
Round 6: No. 201 Keaontay Ingram, RB (USC) (signed)
Round 6: No. 215 Lecitus Smith, OG (Virginia Tech) (signed)
Round 7: No. 244 Christian Matthew, CB (Valdosta State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 256 Jesse Luketa, OLB (Penn State) (signed)
Round 7: No. 257 Marquis Hayes, OG (Oklahoma) (signed)

Lamar Jackson Absent From Ravens’ OTAs

May 25th, 2022 at 3:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

Lamar Jackson has been the source of much debate and speculation this offseason as a result of his contract situation. Another talking point has emerged, however, due to the fact that he is absent from the team’s OTAs. 

[RELATED: Latest On Jackson, Stalled Contract Talks]

As detailed by the Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec (subscription required), Jackson’s pattern of attendance for voluntary on-field work makes his decision to stay away from the team newsworthy. He also notes, however, the fact that the 25-year-old has already done private work with the team’s receivers this offseason. As a result, the team “maintain[s] they are fine with” the current situation.

When asked about the two-time Pro Bowler’s decision to stay away, head coach John Harbaugh said, “We’ve been down this road many times through the years” via ESPN’s Jamison Hensley. “It’s not for me to speak for somebody else on that. It’s up to him to speak for himself on that.”

The Ravens have repeatedly tried to work out a long-term deal with Jackson, but his own willingness to do so is widely seen as the primary obstacle to an extension. He is due $23MM this season on the fifth-year option, and would be in line for sizeable raises in the two seasons after that through franchise tags, should the situation reach that point.

Jackson’s absence is further amplified by the fact that he missed the end of the 2021 campaign due to an ankle injury, and that the team has one of the least experienced receiving corps in the league. With little to no expectation that a contract will be forthcoming during the upcoming season, it is possible he remains absent until mandatory minicamp in June.

Latest On Colts CB Kenny Moore

May 25th, 2022 at 1:05pm CST by Adam La Rose

Among the many notable absentees from ongoing OTAs is Colts cornerback Kenny Moore. As is the case with a number of other players skipping the voluntary program, he is doing so in the hopes of landing a more lucrative contract, as detailed by Joel A. Erickson of the Indy Star (Twitter link). 

Moore, 26, has experienced quite the upward career trajectory. Beginning his tenure in Indianapolis as a former UDFA in 2017, he quickly emerged as a starter and key contributor to the team’s secondary. As a result, he was given a four-year extension in 2019; the $30MM in new money he received as a result of the deal was a record for slot corners.

He still has two years remaining on that contract, with salaries of $6.5MM and $6.795MM. His cap hits over that span are $6.75MM and $7.545MM, which represent solid value given his level of play. Between Moore’s continued ascension – which included a Pro Bowl nod after a career year in 2021 – and the fact that there is no more guaranteed money left on his contract, though, he is now among the players attempting to leverage a new deal.

“Everything’s voluntary at this point,” Frank Reich said, via The Athletic’s Stephen Holder (subscription required). “You guys obviously know how we feel about Kenny. Every player’s got to make his own decision. We love Kenny. We’re going to continue to work hard and get the guys ready who are here. I’m glad he’s here. I know he didn’t get to work today. But I’m thankful he’s here and seeing everything that’s going on.”

As Erickson states, Moore is “upset and feels like he’s underpaid” relative to his contributions to the team. If he were to negotiate a new contract, it would represent another significant move made by the Colts with respect to their CB room. That said, the Colts are likely to resist negotiating with a player who has more than a year remaining on his contract, Holder adds, due to the precedent it would set. That is not an uncommon stance, though Moore is arguably the team’s most valuable defensive back.

The team traded away Rock Ya-Sin and signed Stephon Gilmore in free agency this offseason. The situation with Moore could now become more complicated than many would have expected.

Browns Nearing Extension With TE David Njoku

May 25th, 2022 at 12:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

One week ago, it was reported that the Browns had tabled a contract offer to tight end David Njoku. According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, a deal could be coming in the near future. 

[RELATED: Browns Submit Offer To Njoku]

As Cabot notes, the 25-year-old is currently away from the team during OTAs while negotiations continue. The team used the franchise tag on him in March, which would pay him $10.9MM in the absence of a long-term deal. The move was seen as something of a surprise, given Njoku’s inconsistent production and the presence (at the time) of Austin Hooper.

With the latter out of the picture now, and the arrival of Deshaun Watson at quarterback, expectations are high for the former first round pick. The Browns have maintained their desire to keep Njoku in the fold, and the two sides were engaged in contract talks at the beginning of April. The fact that the Miami product is the undisputed No. 1 at his position on one hand, and his career-high in receiving yards being just 639 on the other, make this situation an intriguing one.

Cabot adds (via Twitter) that the sides are “very close” on the matter of the deal’s average value of around $13MM. That figure is right in line with the amount reported last week, and would move Njoku into the top five in the league in terms of annual compensation. Cabot reports that the main impediment to a contract being finalized is the matter of guaranteed money, but that the deal could finalized by the end of the week.

If it does get done, that would place even higher expectations on Njoku within the Browns’ new-look offense. It would also likely have a notable ripple effect on the contract demands of Mike Gesicki and Dalton Schultz, whom the Dolphins and Cowboys, respectively, franchise tagged this offseason as well.

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