Newsstand News & Rumors

NFL Approves Tom Brady’s Raiders Ownership Stake

October 15th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Nearly 18 months after Tom Brady agreed to buy a stake in the Raiders, NFL owners have finally approved the measure. The all-time QB great-turned-broadcaster is now a part-owner of the AFC West franchise, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets.

Brady’s ownership effort receiving the necessary 24 votes Tuesday both finishes his long-running bid to become a part-owner and ensures he will not make a comeback as a player. Brady, 47, had teased the idea as being on his radar — a late-season comeback, that is — but owners were not open to the idea of the 23-year veteran being a part-owner who also plays for a team. The current lead FOX analyst is OK with this and will move into the unique position of being an NFL owner who is also a broadcaster.

Brady is in at roughly 5% of the Raiders, with SI.com’s Albert Breer noting another 5% going to business partner/Knighthead Capital Management co-founder Tom Wagner. With Wagner part of Brady’s group, the latter technically holds a 10% stake in the Las Vegas NFL franchise. Brady had recently raised his ownership bid, doing enough to move this journey into the end zone.

Providing financial details on this transaction, Ben Fisher and Austin Karp of the Sports Business Journal report the deal will see Brady and Wagner pay $220MM in equity along with $24MM which will go to the league’s other owners as a condition of the franchise’s move to Vegas. The Raiders’ valuation for the purpose of Brady and Wagner’s addition is roughly $3.5 billion, per the report. Forbes’ most recent valuation checked in at $6.7 billion.

Hall of Famer Richard Seymour, who was believed to have been separated from the Brady stake, is a part-Raiders owner at 0.5%, Breer adds. Seymour did not need to wait nearly as long as Brady did on the ownership front, with a few owners meetings coming and going without the matter being part of an official discussion. That changed Tuesday.

Mark Davis agreed to sell a stake to Brady in May 2023; the two were already partners in the WNBA, with Brady buying a piece of Davis’ Las Vegas Aces franchise. Owners took issue with Brady’s stake price and then expressed concerns about the conflict of interest FOX’s first-team color commentator also owning part of a team. The price issue was ironed out months ago, and going into this season, the NFL imposed a round of Brady-only restrictions that prevent him from attending team facilities or taking part in player and coach broadcast meetings.

The restrictions certainly limit Brady’s ability to do his FOX job, but he did not back down from this Raiders ownership pursuit. As a result, Brady will continue to broadcast without going through the usual pregame work his contemporaries do. Owners’ concern also included Brady appearing at a Raiders practice late last season, putting the eventual limitations in motion, but the recently retired quarterback had said he planned to play a passive role as an owner. That also may be subject to change.

Brady should be expected to have a prominent voice as a Raiders part-owner, an NFL source informed the Las Vegas Review-Journal’s Vincent Bonsignore. He was linked as being involved in the Raiders’ HC and GM searches, though not to the extent Seymour eventually was. If Brady indeed becomes an integral figure in Raiders football decisions, his FOX role may come under additional scrutiny. And Tom Telesco‘s GM power may be conceivably worth questioning. For now, however, the former Patriots and Buccaneers passer is set for dual NFL citizenship of sorts.

A Brady effort to become a player/owner — with Sean Payton as the coach — for the Dolphins produced significant punishment for the AFC East franchise, though at that point, a player/owner effort was not completely off the table. A rule passed last summer, in the wake of Lionel Messi being given equity in Miami’s MLS club, now nixes any NFL player/owner crusades. As a result, Brady’s playing career will officially end.

The 49ers had pursued Brady after his second retirement, seeking to have him start and mentor Brock Purdy. Brady turning down his hometown team, which presented a loaded roster that eventually pushed the Chiefs to the brink of double overtime in Super Bowl LVIII with Purdy at the controls, effectively confirmed he was done playing. While he unretired once and made mention of doing so in an emergency circumstance again this offseason, the book — barring an about-face on an ownership bid he has spent the better part of the past two years pushing for — is closed on Brady the player.

It will now be interesting to see if Brady indeed takes on an active role with the Raiders. Seymour, Brady’s Patriots teammate who played for the Raiders from 2009-12, has been a Davis confidant for a while and was part of the team’s interview process that produced the Telesco-Antonio Pierce pairing. A Hall of Fame defensive lineman, Seymour will now work with his most prominent former teammate in Vegas.

Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson Leaves Game With Season-Ending Leg Injury

October 13th, 2024 at 10:58pm CST by Ely Allen

10:58pm: Rapoport has officially reported that Hutchinson’s broken tibia is season-ending. The loss is obviously huge for the Lions’ defense who will need to triage their defensive ends group, but the loss of this season is perhaps bigger for Hutchinson. The 24-year-old’s incredible production through four games had him in conversations as a potential Defensive Player of Year, albeit an extremely early candidate for the award.

Hutchinson will miss the remainder of the season, but his prognosis to return for 2025 does not appear to be in question. The Lions, though, still have 2024 to contend with. How they will address the defensive ends position remains to be seen.

7:14pm: The Lions experienced an impressive win today in a dominant performance over the Cowboys. In the midst of that victory, though, the team suffered a brutal loss. As star defensive end Aidan Hutchinson tackled quarterback Dak Prescott for the team’s third sack of the day, Hutchinson appeared to suffer a serious leg injury.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, head coach Dan Campbell told reporters that Hutchinson would stay in Dallas for immediate treatment and that “obviously he’s going to be down for a little while.” Jordan Schultz of FOX Sports reported that Hutchinson would be undergoing immediate surgery for a broken tibia, an injury he reported to be “season-ending.” The Lions will likely have more tests performed and treatments done before coming to that conclusion themselves.

As Hutchinson descended to the ground in the third quarter, bringing Prescott down with him, cameras could just pick up what appeared to be a bend in Hutchinson’s leg below the knee, a gruesome indicator of a broken bone. The medical carts were rushed onto the field, where an aircast was applied to his left leg before he was carted off the field into the locker room, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network. Pelissero’s colleague Ian Rapoport followed that up with a quick report that Hutchinson had been ruled out for the remainder of the game with a lower leg injury.

The NFL’s No. 2 overall draft pick in 2022, Hutchinson has lived up to his draft stock thus far. As a rookie, Hutchinson was dynamic all over the field. Not only did he make plays on an improved defense as a pass rusher, totaling 9.5 sacks and 15 quarterback hits, but he also added value as a disruptive force. Hutchinson tallied nine tackles for loss, three passes defensed, three interceptions, and two fumble recoveries during his rookie campaign.

Hutchinson avoided a sophomore slump, improving on his rookie numbers with 11.5 sacks, 14 tackles for loss, 33 quarterback hits, one interception, seven passes defensed, three forced fumbles, and two more fumble recoveries. In only four games in 2024, Hutchinson was showing signs of improvement once again. He entered the day with 6.5 sacks, six tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and a forced fumble, all stats that were on track for new career highs. He added a sack, a tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits before exiting today’s contest.

Hutchinson’s injury is only the latest of what has been a slew of injuries in Detroit this year. The Lions already have 13 players on injured reserve, including five on the defensive line and eight on the defensive side of the ball. By the end of today’s game, Detroit ruled out seven more players, including Hutchinson.

If Hutchinson’s leg injury is as serious as it appeared, his name will be the latest placed on IR in Detroit. The Lions’ defensive ends room is looking extremely bare with Marcus Davenport, John Cominsky, and Nate Lynn all on IR. In addition, or more aptly subtraction, James Houston has missed two games, as well.

Houston suffered a fractured ankle in Week 2 of the 2023 season, and though he attempted to make a comeback late in the year, the injury ended up being season-ending. He seems to be healthy at this point, but a combination of limited snaps and healthy scratches have kept him from contributing this year. Houston made an impact in 2022 as a rookie, tallying eight sacks across from Hutchinson, but lately has struggled to get back on the field. His return could be key during this time when bodies are scarce.

If the Lions can get Houston back to his rookie form, he would likely line up across from Josh Paschal as the starter. One would also expect practice squad edge rusher Isaac Ukwu to get promoted to the active roster after getting elevated from the practice squad today. Past that, Detroit will need to get creative with how it fills out the ends of its defensive line. There’s seems to be a bit of hope that Hutchinson might return late in the year as major outlets and Campbell have yet to call the injury a season-ender, but the outlook is grim for now.

Lions Extend RB David Montgomery

October 12th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Lions’ highly effective backfield tandem is set to remain intact for years to come. David Montgomery has agreed to an extension which will keep him in place through 2027, as noted by FOX2’s Dan Miller.

The deal is now official, per a team announcement. As a result, Montgomery has become the latest Lion on the offensive side of the ball to land a new contract. The 27-year-old has proven to be a strong fit in the team’s scheme since arriving as a free agent in 2023. Adding financial details to the agreement, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports this will be an $18.25MM deal including $10.5MM guaranteed.

Montgomery began his career with the Bears, immediately serving as a key member of their offense during his rookie campaign. He logged no fewer than 201 carries during his four years in Chicago, remaining highly durable despite that heavy workload. Across his tenure in the Windy City, however, the former third-rounder only averaged 3.9 yards per carry and questions were raised about his efficiency coming off his rookie contract.

The Bears were interested in retaining Montgomery on a new deal last spring, and an offer was made. Minnesota was also interested in a contract, but he wound up making a different intra-divisional move. Montgomery joined the Lions to serve as the team’s Jamaal Williams replacement. The Iowa State product inked a three-year, $18MM pact to head to Detroit. Guaranteed salary only existed on the first two years of the pact, however, and it was set to void in February 2025. That helps explain the timing of this move.

Of course, a mutual desire would also naturally exist to continue this relationship given how productive it has proven to be. Running behind one of the league’s top offensive lines, Montgomery topped 1,000 rushing yards for the second time in his career last season at a career-best rate of 4.6 yards per attempt. He added a personal best 13 touchdowns, which ranked tied for third in the NFL amongst running backs. The early portion of the current campaign has also yielded strong numbers; Montgomery has found the end zone once in every game so far in 2024.

The Lions used the first of their two Day 1 selections on Jahmyr Gibbs last April, adding him as a high-upside complement to Montgomery in the backfield. The Alabama product – as expected – had notable production in the passing game (52 catches, 362 yards) as a rookie, and an expanded role was planned in the offseason for 2024. Indeed, Gibbs has seen his number of carries increase to 13.5 per contest this year, and he has remained efficient on the ground and productive overall (four total touchdowns). While Gibbs plays out his rookie contract, Montgomery will remain in place after receiving a raise.

The latter will now be attached to the seventh-highest AAV amongst running backs after previously ranking 14th in that regard. Montgomery will be expected to remain a strong short-yardage and red zone contributor over the coming years as Gibbs continues to develop. If that tandem can remain arguably the league’s best, Detroit’s offense will be among the most efficient on the ground for several years.

The 2024 offseason saw quarterback Jared Goff, receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown and offensive tackles Penei Sewell and Taylor Decker each land multi-year extensions. Those players will stay in place as pillars of the offense for the foreseeable future. Montgomery’s new pact is much smaller in value, but it too will help ensure a notable degree of continuity on that side of the ball for the Lions.

Jets Demote Nathaniel Hackett, Give Play-Calling Reins To Todd Downing

October 10th, 2024 at 9:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

As Robert Saleh was planning to do, Jeff Ulbrich will demote Nathaniel Hackett. The second-year Jets offensive coordinator will no longer carry play-calling responsibilities.

Instead, quarterbacks coach and pass-game coordinator Todd Downing will take over. Ulbrich announced this change Thursday morning, and Hackett’s stock continues to nosedive in the years since his Packers OC tenure. This will be Downing’s third chance at calling plays for a team, as he did so as Raiders OC and Titans OC. Ulbrich will remain the Jets’ defensive play-caller.

The Jets had conducted a backchannel search for an assistant that would aid Hackett this offseason, contacting Arthur Smith about the unusual role. No official OC interviews occurred, and Hackett — who has continually received Aaron Rodgers endorsements despite his shaky resume — retained play-calling duties. But the Jets’ offense has not seen Rodgers’ return produce a substantial improvement. Considering Zach Wilson was primarily at the controls last season, these struggles played a central role in Saleh being fired.

Hackett’s offense, which ranked 29th in scoring and 31st in yardage last season, enters Week 6 ranked 25th and 27th in those categories. Breece Hall is averaging just three yards per carry, with the Jets ranking last in rushing. The second-generation NFL coach has taken heat for a lack of pre-snap motion, keeping an old-school West Coast Offense attack in place for Rodgers to run. Hackett, 44, had begun to lose respect in the locker room; Jets defenders were irked by the lack of accountability for the offense’s struggles.

Hackett, who saw his stock rise from his stay as a non-play-calling OC in Green Bay under Matt LaFleur, has proven overmatched at multiple stops this decade. This demotion continues one of the more memorable coaching freefalls in recent memory.

Fired as Jaguars OC during the 2018 season, Hackett rebounded with the Packers and beat out Dan Quinn to become Broncos HC in 2022. A shockingly disjointed offense defined that disastrous Denver campaign, which saw the team plummet from 21st to 32nd in scoring despite the blockbuster Russell Wilson trade. The Broncos fired Hackett after 15 games, making him the second HC since 1979 fired before his first season ended. Eyeing Rodgers, the Jets gave Hackett a lifeboat soon after. But Saleh’s hire did not produce desired results. With Rodgers back and not showing much of his MVP form following an Achilles tear, the Jets booted Saleh and are now giving the keys to Downing.

This represents a bounce-back opportunity for Downing, who saw a DUI during the 2022 season lead him out of Tennessee. The Titans canned Downing, 44, after the ’22 season brought a step back. The Titans dropped from 15th to 28th in scoring from 2021-22, though Ryan Tannehill‘s ankle injury — which cost the starter five games during the ’22 season — contributed heavily to that decline. That said, Downing was a one-and-done OC in Oakland. Jack Del Rio promoted his QBs coach to OC, replacing Bill Musgrave, in 2017. The end result: Del Rio’s firing and Downing returning to his hometown Vikings as tight ends coach.

Derek Carr took a noticeable step back, despite Amari Cooper remaining on the Raiders’ roster, in 2017; that led to Mark Davis‘ restart around Jon Gruden. Downing joined Mike Vrabel‘s Titans staff in 2019, following the Smith trajectory by being bumped from TEs coach to OC. This Jets gig will present far more pressure, however, as an all-in team with jobs on the line will rely on Downing to inject some life into an offense that has stagnated.

The Jets, who are retaining Hackett on staff, scored just nine points against the Broncos and fell behind 17-0 against the Vikings. Meanwhile, the Saleh- and Ulbrich-coached defense ranks fifth in scoring and second in yardage. After Saleh fell on his sword, Ulbrich will be tasked with re-routing the 2-3 team’s course. The team faces the Bills for a shot at the division lead Monday. Suddenly, Downing holds the keys to the Jets’ Rodgers-centric plan being salvaged.

Jets Fire HC Robert Saleh

October 8th, 2024 at 10:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming into the season coaching for his job, Robert Saleh could not do enough to impress Jets ownership. Five games in, the team will go through with an abrupt course change.

The Jets are firing their fourth-year HC, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. This will end an underwhelming tenure for the veteran defensive coach and invite more questions about the franchise’s direction. Saleh will finish his Jets tenure with a 20-36 record. This news comes on the heels of back-to-back losses — to the Broncos and Vikings, dropping the team to 2-3 — and three straight sub-.500 seasons.

Woody Johnson fired Saleh this morning, blindsiding the HC, according to Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer. This is Johnson’s first in-season firing. The Jets had seen every HC finish a season since 1977; Lou Holtz quit to take an Arkansas HC offer in 1976. The Jets had not fired a coach in-season since Charley Winner in 1975.

Defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich will be named interim HC, according to NFL Network’s Peter Schrager. Ulbrich has been the Jets’ DC throughout Saleh’s tenure, calling the signals on that side of the ball. Given the scrutiny surrounding OC Nathaniel Hackett, he never stood much of a chance to be named the interim option. Ulbrich has a long runway here, given that 12 games remain.

One season remained on Saleh’s contract, Schefter adds. The Jets largely handcuffed Saleh to megabust Zach Wilson, with that partnership extending beyond Year 2 thanks to Aaron Rodgers‘ Achilles tear four plays into the 2023 season. Ownership gave both Saleh and GM Joe Douglas mulligans for 2023, given the franchise’s Rodgers-dependent plan combusting so early. Saleh, 47, has not inspired much confidence this year, as Rodgers has been viewed as the nerve center for the Jets essentially since his April 2023 arrival. That will continue, and Douglas remains in his GM chair. But the latter remains on the hot seat as well.

Hired after four seasons as 49ers DC, Saleh quickly entered an uphill battle thanks to the Wilson pick. The Jets did not add a veteran backup quarterback in 2021, installing Wilson — a BYU product who broke out during a Cougars season that featured an atypical schedule thanks to COVID-19 — as the unquestioned starter from Day 1. Wilson proved quickly he was not up to the job, and Saleh ended up benching the highly touted prospect three times from 2022-23. Ownership not springing for a better backup option in 2023 — inaction largely traced to Johnson’s refusal to spend due to what the franchise already authorized for Rodgers in terms of trade compensation and cash — left Saleh with Wilson for much of last season, leading to a 7-10 record.

Saleh, however, repaired the Jets’ defense early during his run. After a 4-13 2021 squad finished last in both points and yards allowed, the Jets rocketed to fourth place in both categories in 2022. Last season, the Jets finished 12th in scoring and third in yardage defensively. Wilson held this operation back, but Saleh did not do much to confirm he was right to lead the team.

From making comments about Wilson being the best QB option for the Jets (despite having benched him for Tim Boyle) last season to being put on the podium to answer questions about Rodgers and Haason Reddick‘s minicamp absences (for which both were fined, with Reddick never reporting following a March trade), Saleh did not exactly convey strong leadership. Reports of veteran unrest surrounding the HC’s defenses of Wilson emerged at multiple points during Saleh’s tenure as well.

The Jets shipped Wilson to Denver this offseason, signing Tyrod Taylor. But Rodgers has largely not looked his MVP self upon return from his injury, either. This has put Hackett under fire, as the former Broncos HC has gone through a disastrous stretch since his Green Bay run ended. Despite this, Hackett remains in place as the Jets’ play-caller; New York’s offense ranks 23rd in DVOA, 25th in points and 27th in yardage.

The Rodgers trade cranked up the heat on Saleh and Douglas, as the Jets hoped to pair a well-built defense with a four-time MVP. New York’s defense exited Week 5 ranked fifth in scoring and second in yardage, hence Ulbrich’s opportunity over Rodgers’ preferred OC, but friction also appeared to be developing between Saleh and the QB.

Rodgers memorably shoved Saleh away as the HC attempted to embrace the QB on the sideline during a Jets Week 3 win over the Patriots. A loss to the Broncos a week later led Saleh to suggest Rodgers change his cadence, as the team committed five false start penalties. Rodgers bristled at that suggestion, saying the team instead needed to hold players accountable.

Rodgers’ 11th-hour endorsement of Saleh, downplaying the friction, did not do much good. The quarterback, whom a January report pegged as having an outsized influence in the Jets organization, will now work with Ulbrich while continuing to plug away in Hackett’s offense. The Jets had made a backchannel effort to install a veteran assistant to help Hackett after a rough 2023 (which followed the embattled coordinator’s woeful one-and-done as Broncos HC). Saleh had expressed reservations about Hackett last season but kept the Rodgers-backed OC as his offensive play-caller.

It is also worth noting that Woody Johnson did not hire Saleh. Christopher Johnson, who served as acting owner during his brother’s ambassadorial stint, hired him. When Saleh was hired in January 2021, Woody was finishing up a tenure as the country’s UK ambassador under then-president Donald Trump. Christopher also hired Douglas in 2019, and the GM will likely need a quick turnaround to avoid an ouster of his own.

Ulbrich, 47, coached at the Senior Bowl this year and received interest from the 49ers. The NFC West team sought to interview Ulbrich for its DC vacancy; Ulbrich played his entire NFL career with the 49ers. Saleh blocked the interview, as teams are permitted for contracted assistants regarding lateral moves. Now, Ulbrich will take a crack at filling Saleh’s post, as this Jets regime attempts to prevent full-scale change.

Ulbrich worked as Falcons linebackers coach from 2015-18, overlapping with former Saleh boss Kyle Shanahan during part of that tenure. The ex-Dan Quinn staffer moved into Atlanta’s DC role in 2020, when Raheem Morris took over as Falcons interim boss. Saleh, as ESPN.com’s Jeff Darlington points out, is the third HC over the past 10 years to be fired in the wake of a London loss; he joins ex-Dolphins and Raiders leaders Joe Philbin and Dennis Allen in that regard.

By being retained for Year 4, Saleh joined a select few modern HCs in surviving after three consecutive sub-.500 seasons. Only six HCs have managed to last into Year 4 without a .500 season in their first three years this century. Dom Capers (Texans), Mike Nolan (49ers), Jeff Fisher (Rams), Gus Bradley (Jaguars) and Jon Gruden (Raiders 2.0) are the other club members.

Despite the Jets having a chance to claim the AFC East lead Monday night against the Bills, Saleh will not have a chance to see a turnaround through. It will not be hard to see Saleh, after the Jets’ defensive performance since 2022 and based on the 49ers defense’s ascent on his watch, earning a DC opportunity in 2025. But he is out of a job in New York. Now, the Douglas watch begins.

Dolphins’ Jaelan Phillips To Undergo Season-Ending Knee Surgery

October 2nd, 2024 at 10:03pm CST by Adam La Rose

Jaelan Phillips has once again run into injury trouble which will cut his season short. The fourth-year Dolphins edge rusher announced on Wednesday he will miss the remainder of the campaign.

Phillips’ statement notes he suffered a knee injury during Miami’s Week 4 loss on Monday night. As Rapoport detailed in a subsequent report, Phillips sustained a partially-torn ACL, which will require reconstructive surgery and set him up for another lengthy rehab process that will hopefully allow him to be ready for the start of the 2025 campaign. As a result, the Dolphins will be without one of their top defenders the rest of this season while attempting to rebound from a 1-3 start.

Medical red flags were present when Phillips entered the NFL, but he did not miss any time during his first two seasons. That situation changed last year when the former first-rounder suffered an Achilles tear on Black Friday. Phillips was limited to eight games as a result, and his promising campaign came to an abrupt end. As expected, he was back to full strength in time for the start of the 2024 slate, but in short order he has once again been sidelined by a major injury.

The UCLA and Miami product had an encouraging rookie campaign, notching 8.5 sacks. He followed that up with seven one year later and 6.5 (before the injury) last season, leading to high expectations for his production in 2024. Phillips, 25, managed only one sack and a pair of pressures before going down, but his absence will still be acutely felt on a Dolphins team dealing with key injuries at a number of positions.

Of course, Miami’s edge contingent has been without Bradley Chubb so far this season. The two-time Pro Bowler remains on the PUP list as he rehabs the ACL tear which ended his 2023 campaign. With the first four weeks of the season in the books, Chubb is eligible to return to practice and be activated at any time. It remains to be seen, however, when the former Bronco will be healthy enough to suit up. Without Chubb (for the time being) and Phillips for the season’s remainder, Miami will rely on the likes of veteran Emmanuel Ogbah and rookies Chop Robinson and Mohamed Kamara along the edge.

The Dolphins picked up Phillips’ 2025 fifth-year option, tying him to a salary of $13.3MM that year. A long-term deal loomed as a logical path for the team to take given his early production, but back-to-back injuries creating lengthy absences will no doubt affect Miami’s approach to negotiations on that front. Phillips will turn his attention to rehab ahead of an offseason in which his financial future will be a key talking point.

Raiders Gauging Interest In Davante Adams; WR Prefers To Be Traded

October 1st, 2024 at 10:13pm CST by Adam La Rose

Davante Adams‘ name has frequently been floated in trade rumors, and that remains the case through four weeks of the season. While nothing is imminent, a deal is at least receiving consideration on the part of the Raiders.

Vincent Bonsignore of the Las Vegas Review-Journal reports the team is “growing open to the idea” of a trade sending Adams elsewhere, adding the Raiders have reached out to teams to gauge his market.. Such a development was speculated in advance of the 2024 campaign, one in which expectations were low for the Raiders. Sitting at 2-2 on the year, Vegas is certainly not out of the playoff picture; still, a deal involving Adams would not come as a surprise.

The lines of communication between team and player appear to be open at this point. Adams has informed the Raiders his preference is to be traded, Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Network report. Nothing is imminent as things currently stand, but that could could certainly change in relatively short order.

The three-time All-Pro had made it clear multiple times this summer he remained committed to the Raiders. That sentiment was reciprocated by the team, one now led by general manager Tom Telesco and head coach Antonio Pierce. No thought was given to a trade in the build-up to the campaign, and that sentiment reportedly remained the same before Week 4. Adams missed that contest due to a hamstring injury, and the 31-year-old is considered week-to-week.

Despite the desire expressed by both parties in continuing their relationship, Adams was seen around the league as a potential trade target before the season kicked off. Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers remarked about his interest in reuniting with the former Green Bay Pro Bowler in the future, and when speaking about a hypothetical trade Adams named the Jets as a desirable destination. It remains to be seen if New York is among the teams which Vegas has been in contact with while exploring a potential deal, but the Jets are of course a logical suitor.

Three years remain on the Fresno State product’s deal, but only 2024 contains guaranteed salary. Adams’ base compensation for this season is $16.89MM; any acquiring team would take on a prorated portion of that figure before no doubt engaging in talks on a reworked contract covering future campaigns. Adams has yet to go public with any trade request, but actions from Pierce has led to a new wave of speculation on the subject.

The first-year head coach (in a full-time capacity) liked an Instagram post from Sports Illustrated suggesting Adams will be dealt. When asked about the matter during an appearance on the Up and Adams show, the 11th-year veteran said he has not yet spoken with Pierce (video link). Adams added that he is not aware of any actions on the team’s part regarding a trade being sought out.

“I don’t really know exactly what that was about,” he said. “It’s one of those situations where I just keep my head down and keep doing my thing and let the chips fall where they may. There’s been no communication with anybody from the team since that became a thing… It’s always some sort of drama… So, people can say what they want, but I’m just chilling and trying to be the model for not stirring the pot and just locking in and doing what I got to do.”

As noted by Tashan Reed of The Athletic, the Raiders declined to comment on the situation (subscription required). Provided Bonsignore’s report is accurate, though, this situation will become one of the league’s central storylines leading up to the trade deadline. 18 teams currently have eight figures’ worth of cap space to work with, meaning a number of suitors could emerge especially later on in the campaign as Adams’ acquisition cost (in terms of finances) drops.

After a strong campaign reunited with Derek Carr for 2022, Adams’ production dipped last season. Still, his 103-1,144-8 statline demonstrates his potential at this stage of his career, and he would be an attractive trade piece for any number of teams. Whether or not the Raiders proceed with serious talks on a swap in the near future will be worth watching closely.

Steelers’ James Daniels Suffers Achilles Tear

September 30th, 2024 at 9:06am CST by Sam Robinson

Coming into Week 4 with significant injury trouble along their offensive line, the Steelers exited their season’s first defeat worse off. James Daniels is not expected to play again this season.

The veteran guard suffered an Achilles tear during Pittsburgh’s loss to Indianapolis, ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler tweets. Daniels, who is not signed beyond this season, joins first-round rookie Troy Fautanu in being set to miss the regular season. While Fautanu’s absence is not certain to shut him down if the Steelers make the playoffs, Daniels should not be considered an IR-return candidate regardless of how far the team’s season lasts.

Pittsburgh has already played without its other guard starter — Isaac Seumalo — throughout the season. The ex-Eagle is expected to return soon, as he is not on IR, but the team’s initial starting center — Nate Herbig — is on IR due to a torn rotator cuff sustained during the preseason. The Steelers placed Herbig on IR without a preseason return designation, ending his season. Daniels’ injury adds to a burgeoning crisis for the 3-1 team up front.

This is a brutal blow for Daniels, who exited the Steelers’ Week 4 loss as Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked guard. The former Bears second-round pick, based on where this year’s guard market went, was poised to cash in on a lucrative third contract. The Steelers, who do not negotiate in-season, did not extend Daniels this offseason. While the team holds exclusive negotiating rights with the Iowa alum until the 2025 legal tampering period, Daniels’ price probably drops — perhaps significantly — due to this setback.

Daniels, 27, is attached to a three-year deal worth $27MM signed in 2022. He joined center Mason Cole as free agency imports brought in that year, as the Steelers planned to select Ben Roethlisberger‘s heir apparent and equip him with veteran O-linemen. The Kenny Pickett plan failed, and the team made Cole a cap casualty early this offseason. But Daniels remained in Pittsburgh’s designs. He had missed just two games with the team from 2022-23.

While Daniels had loomed as a potential offseason extension recipient, the seventh-year blocker subsequently confirmed the Steelers were not planning to pay him this year. The team does not field a particularly pricey O-line, with no eight-figure-per-year contracts up front, and is paying low-level money to its two quarterbacks of note. But Daniels still entered the season without an extension. Now, his future is a bit cloudy.

Pittsburgh has used 2023 seventh-round pick Spencer Anderson in place of Semualo to start the season; the 2023 free agency pickup has missed time with a pectoral injury sustained shortly before the season. Semualo is not on IR but has already missed four games. A weekend report also indicated the ex-Eagle was not quite ready to return, pointing to a potential Anderson-Mason McCormick guard duo — around rookie center Zach Frazier — in Week 5.

The Steelers chose McCormick in Round 4 this year. McCormick already usurped Anderson for the starting LG gig in Week 4, with the duo in line to platoon to open the game. PFF grades Anderson as the NFL’s fifth-worst guard, among qualified options. Seumalo’s debut could restore this platoono; until then, the Steelers will be forced to go young at guard on an O-line that already features second-year tackle Broderick Jones.

Chiefs Fear ACL Tear For WR Rashee Rice

September 29th, 2024 at 10:30pm CST by Ely Allen

The Chiefs have enjoyed a hot start to the season from wide receiver Rashee Rice. The team’s top wideout exited today’s game after an ugly-looking knee injury, and according to James Palmer of Bleacher Report, there’s concern that he suffered a season-ending ACL tear. The 24-year-old will undergo an MRI Monday to find out the severity of his injury.

Rice is in his second season as a pro out of SMU. As a second-round rookie, Rice caught 79 balls for 938 yards and seven touchdowns. His reception and yardage numbers were second on the team, while he led Kansas City in receiving touchdowns.

So far, in 2024, Rice has dominated the receiving numbers in Kansas City. Through three games, Rice has 24 catches for 288 yards and two touchdowns, all best on the team. The next closest player on the team is rookie first-rounder Xavier Worthy who has nine catches for 154 yards and two sccores. Rice has been so good through three weeks, in fact, that he came into Week 4 with the second-most receiving yards in the NFL behind only Nico Collins of the Texans.

With a Super Bowl ring as the result of his rookie season, it would seem that the transition has been an easy one for Rice. The real learning experiences for him have come off the field. Three separate events this offseason made it appear as though Kansas City may have been in danger of starting the season without Rice.

It started with Rice’s involvement in a hit-and-run incident that resulted in eight felony charges. He was believed to have been driving 119mph and fled the scene following a six-car accident. Soon after, a report emerged indicating Rice, or a member of his party, fired gunshots into an empty car belonging to an SMU basketball player. That incident occurred while Rice was still at SMU. But the NFL can factor it into its investigation. Finally, in May, Rice was accused of punching a photographer in the face at a Dallas nightclub, though the accuser asked police not to file charges.

Initially, the Chiefs were bracing for a league suspension for Rice, but as the regular season approached, it began to seem as though any decisions on a suspension would be delayed as the league made the decision to wait for “the conclusion of the legal process.” Ultimately, it became clear that Rice was not expected to serve any suspension in 2024.

Rice’s injury today was the result of a turnover. When Chargers cornerback Kristian Fulton intercepted Patrick Mahomes and began returning the ball downfield, Rice pursued the defender. When attempting to knock the ball out of Fulton’s hands, Rice was cut down at the knees by Mahomes, who was attempting to tackle Fulton.

Losing Rice is a big blow to the Chiefs offense. Without Rice for the game, tight end Travis Kelce had a resurgent performance after a slow start to the year. If Rice joins free agent addition Marquise Brown on injured reserve, Mahomes will be targeting a group of weapons that consists of Worthy, Justin Watson, JuJu Smith-Schuster, Skyy Moore, and Mecole Hardman. While none of those names jump off the page as scary x-factors, Mahomes has won Super Bowls with similar receiving corps.

If it is confirmed with tomorrow’s MRI that Rice is out for the year with an ACL tear, his absence may be extended even past his recovery. With plenty of time before Rice will potentially play again, the legal process for Rice’s offseason trouble will have time to play out. If the NFL decides to levy a suspension as a result, Rice’s absence could be extended by three to six games or more.

Dolphins To Place Tua Tagovailoa On IR

September 17th, 2024 at 10:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Tua Tagovailoa is not planning to reconsider retirement, but the Dolphins are planning to give their starting quarterback plenty of time to recover from the latest concussion he sustained.

Miami is placing Tagovailoa on IR, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo report. With Miami’s bye occurring during this window, the earliest the fifth-year QB can return will be Week 8. This is not especially surprising, but it does represent a change from how the Dolphins handled their quarterback during his concussion-marred 2022 season.

The Dolphins did not use IR during Tagovailoa’s concerning ’22 slate, which featured two confirmed concussions and most likely three head injuries. Tua rehabbed on Miami’s active roster that year, though the team did shut him down after his Week 16 injury. The player who spent most of the time replacing Tagovailoa at QB that season — former seventh-round pick Skylar Thompson — is now in position to start for the Dolphins. The team, though, did bring in Tyler Huntley this week.

This plan certainly changes the equation for the Dolphins, who had seen Tagovailoa submit a quality 2023 season — a 17-game campaign devoid of concussion recurrences — and earn a four-year, $212.4MM extension this offseason. Tagovailoa received $93.2MM guaranteed at signing and is protected in the event he is not cleared from his latest head injury. Tua will need to return to action, however, if cleared in order to collect the bulk of the money from his lucrative extension.

A collision with Bills safety Damar Hamlin brought instant concerns from Dolphins and Bills players, and Miami confirmed its fifth-year starter sustained a concussion soon after. This sequence came just less than two years after the handling of a potential Tua concussion — one the team did not end up confirming, leading to an immediate return in a Week 3 win over the Bills — changed the NFL’s protocol. Players regularly return from concussions soon after the injuries, even with the enhanced protocols, but the Dolphins have their passer’s past and future to consider. This is a significant step, as it will undoubtedly have a major impact on the team’s 2024 season.

Tagovailoa has not been on IR since 2021, when a rib injury led him out of the mix. He did miss five regular-season games and the team’s wild-card tilt in 2022. (Tua also suffered a concussion at Alabama.) In addition to the initial review of the Dolphins’ handling of Tua’s injury against the Bills in September 2022, the team was the subject of another probe due to leaving Tagovailoa in a Packers matchup in which he sustained another concussion. Tua did not report symptoms until the following day, and the second investigation soon cleared the Dolphins. But they are back in familiar territory nearly two years later.

Thompson, 27, saw action in 2022 due to Teddy Bridgewater suffering multiple injuries — including a concussion — as well. He completed just 57.1% of his regular-season passes — at a mere 5.1 yards per attempt — but gave the favored Bills a scare in the wild-card round. Thompson beat out 2023 Tua backup Mike White this summer and will be given the first chance to lead an explosive Dolphins offense.

Huntley has far more experience, starting nine games in place of Lamar Jackson from 2021-23. Huntley, however, did not draw extensive free agency interest. The Browns ended up cutting the four-year Ravens backup, who made his way back to Baltimore — on a practice squad deal — before the season. Because the Dolphins signed Huntley off the Ravens’ P-squad, he must remain on Miami’s active roster for at least three weeks. This could set up a QB competition, but for now, it will be Thompson at the controls.

Big picture-wise, the Dolphins’ immediate QB plans are not especially important. The team has Tagovailoa signed through 2028, and his recovery will be monitored closely. The left-hander’s eventual reinsertion into Miami’s starting lineup will prompt natural outside concerns about his future, and Tua did consider retirement following that 2022 season. But he secured a big-ticket extension after staying healthy in 2023. The Dolphins are planning to have their starter back at some point, and it will be interesting to see when he is cleared from this latest concerning injury.

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