NFL Players Association - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Gronk, Brady, Dolphins, Clay

August 4th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this summer, an excerpt from Rob Gronkowski‘s autobiography revealed that the Patriots tight end claims he hasn’t spent a dime of his NFL salary, living off of endorsement money instead. As of July 30, Gronkowski has a little more NFL money to save up — according to Field Yates of ESPN.com, the Pats reworked their star tight end’s contract, converting $4MM of his $10MM end-of-year option bonus to a signing bonus. The option, which is due before the end of the league year, is now worth $6MM, and New England appears more likely than ever to exercise it.

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap breaks down the unusual cap ramifications of the move, suggesting that the restructure should increase Gronkowski’s 2015 cap hit by $2MM before reducing his 2016 charge by $2MM. After that, the cap numbers for the rest of Gronkowski’s contract should remain the same.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

NFLPA executive George Atallah confirmed today (via Twitter) that Tom Brady and union reps will attend a conference in New York on August 12 to meet with the NFL and U.S. District Judge Richard M. Berman. Roger Goodell will also attend the hearing in person, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe notes (via Twitter) that NFLPA and NFL attorneys had a telephone conference yesterday with Mag. Judge James C. Francis regarding the Patriots quarterback’s case.
Appearing on the Jose Rose Show on 560 WQAM in Miami, Dolphins VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum didn’t rule out pursuing free agent guard Evan Mathis, as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post details. The Dolphins’ interest in Mathis has been downplayed recently, but I imagine they’d be very interested if one of their current guards struggles or suffers an injury.
Having brought in Rex Ryan, LeSean McCoy, Percy Harvin, and Richie Incognito over the offseason, the Bills made plenty of newsworthy moves. However, no player received more guaranteed money from the team this year than tight end Charles Clay. Tyler Dunne of The Buffalo News examines how Clay is fitting in so far in Buffalo.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Bills, Dolphins

July 30th, 2015 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we learned that a Minnesota judge ruled that the NFLPA’s appeal on behalf of Tom Brady will be transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed its own lawsuit. According to NFLPA outside counsel Jeffrey Kessler, the union doesn’t view that as a big deal.

“It really doesn’t matter to us where the case is,” Kessler told Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “What we finally have is a neutral forum. Before a neutral forum, we are very confident in our position.”

The NFLPA will have make some revisions when it re-files its appeal in New York, but “ostensibly we will be making the same arguments,” said Kessler, adding that the union is “very happy” to have Judge Richard M. Berman appointed to the case.

Let’s round up a couple more items related to the Brady situation, along with some other notes out of the AFC East….

Kessler spoke yesterday to Tom Pelissero of USA Today, broadly addressing the NFLPA’s appeal on Brady’s behalf and explaining the case the union will be making in court. As Pelissero writes, the NFLPA’s appeal quotes Patriots owner Robert Kraft at length, and Kessler said of Kraft’s statement from earlier this week: “I’ve never more agreed with Robert Kraft in my life, about anything.”
On the Dan Patrick Show today, NFLPA executive George Atallah said the NFLPA’s settlement offer involved Brady paying a fine instead of serving a suspension, and the NFL didn’t respond to that offer (Twitter link via Noah Coslov).
Appearing at a “Business of Sports” breakfast in Buffalo on Thursday, Bills owner Terry Pegula said work on a new stadium for his team is “nothing urgent right now,” writes Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News. Commissioner Roger Goodell and some NFL owners have said that a new stadium will eventually be a necessity in Western New York, but Pegula pointed to several upgrades made on Ralph Wilson Stadium in recent years, suggesting it would be “foolish” to pursue a new stadium right after renovating the current one.
Speaking today to reporters, including James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Dolphins owner Stephen Ross praised the talent on Miami’s 2015 roster, and said he and head coach Joe Philbin are expecting a payoff this year. While Ross didn’t specifically address Philbin’s job status, there has been plenty of speculation that the head coach will be on the hot seat if the Fins don’t make the playoffs this season.

Brady Lawsuit Moved From Minnesota To NYC

July 30th, 2015 at 9:18am CST by Luke Adams

Minnesota judge Richard Kyle has ordered the NFLPA’s appeal on behalf of Tom Brady to be transferred to Manhattan, where the NFL first filed its own lawsuit, tweets Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal. The decision tips the scales in the league’s favor, since Minnesota courts are typically viewed as more labor-friendly and have ruled in favor of the NFLPA in the past.

As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets, Judge Kyle found there was no reason for the case to have been filed in Minnesota, since the NFL is headquartered in New York, the arbitration proceedings took place in New York, and the award was issued in New York. Since the league also knew better than the NFLPA when Roger Goodell’s decision would be announced, it was able to gets its lawsuit in ahead of the union’s, and Kyle cited the “first-filed” rule when making his decision.

While the ruling is considered a positive sign for the league, it’s not necessarily all bad for the union. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk notes, Judge Kyle was appointed by President George H.W. Bush, a Republican, while New York judge Richard M. Berman was appointed by President Bill Clinton, a Democrat. Democratic judges are generally believed to be more philosophically aligned with labor and individuals, rather than management, so Judge Berman figures to give Brady and the NFLPA a fair shake.

The NFLPA plans to refile its lawsuit against the league on behalf of Brady in Manhattan today, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

NFL Open To Settlement For Tom Brady

July 27th, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Luke Adams

A report last week indicated that the NFL Players Association made a settlement offer to the NFL regarding Tom Brady‘s suspension, and the league met that offer with “silence.” However, over the past several days, the NFL has been more open to the idea of a possible settlement for Brady, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, who reports that the league and the union have had an “open line of communication.”

Veteran Patriots players will report to training camp on Thursday, so the clock is ticking for resolution on Brady’s appeal. A source tells Garafolo that the Super Bowl MVP is frustrated with the lack of a decision from Goodell, nearly five weeks after the appeal hearing took place.

While a ruling from Goodell could come soon, a settlement would likely be the preferred outcome for both sides, since it would avoid prolonging the saga into the regular season with a court battle. However, it still appears unlikely that the two sides will reach a resolution that satisfies all parties — Brady figures to fight any penalty that includes him missing games, while the commissioner is reportedly receiving pressure from some owners to uphold the four-game suspension.

East Notes: Brady, Philbin, Eagles, Beason

July 26th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Tom Brady and the NFL Players Assocation are entitled to an independent decision on Brady’s appeal, so recent reports suggesting NFL team owners are trying to influence Roger Goodell’s ruling make it even more likely that the NFLPA will eventually take the league to court, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As Florio obseves, if a truly independent arbitrator were handling Brady’s appeal, it would be highly irregular for a team owner to lobby that arbitrator one way or the other. The fact that owners are apparently lobbying Goodell as he contemplates his decision could become a central issue in the looming litigation.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin wants to win this year, but it’s “more for everybody else’s sake” than for his own job security, he tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “For everybody, I’d like us to reap the rewards of our labor. It’s time for all of us,” Philbin said. “But I haven’t really thought about playoff or bust for me.”
It’s easy to realize that you have to fix a 4-12 team, but Chip Kelly‘s decision to revamp a 10-6 Eagles squad this offseason wasn’t quite so simple, as Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes.
Giants linebacker Jon Beason, who spent most of the 2014 season on injured reserve, talks to Steve Serby of the New York Post about his recovery from last year’s toe and foot injuries, Jason Pierre-Paul‘s status, and the impact that free agent signee Shane Vereen will have for the Giants, among other topics.

Latest On Tom Brady’s Appeal

July 23rd, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

A month ago today, NFL commissioner Roger Goodell served as the arbitrator for Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing, at which point the Patriots quarterback and the NFLPA made a case for why Brady’s four-game suspension should be rescinded. With no official timeline in place for a decision, it’s no surprise that Goodell has yet to make an announcement — it took arbitrator Harold Henderson more than six weeks to announce a ruling on Greg Hardy‘s appeal.

While we wait to see if Brady’s penalty is upheld, reduced, or wiped away entirely, let’s round up the latest updates on the case….

Settlement discussions for Brady have occurred between the NFL and the Players Association, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, no progress has been made between the two sides, and it would be unexpected if they found common ground and worked something out.
According to that same source, Goodell is being pushed by “a small handful of influential owners” to uphold Brady’s four-game suspension, writes Florio.
However, there’s some concern that, if Goodell were to stand firm on Brady’s ban, the penalty would eventually be overturned by a federal court. According to Florio, attorney Gregg Levy, who participated in the appeal as a legal consultant to Goodell, has been warning the commissioner that it will be hard to make a suspension stick in court.
A source tells Dan Graziano of ESPN.com that the NFLPA made a settlement offer to the league last week, but that proposal was met with “silence” by the NFL. According to Graziano, it is believed that Brady will continue to fight any suspension, even a reduced penalty, but would consider accepting a fine.
Yesterday, NFLA president Eric Winston indicated that the union is prepared to take the next step on behalf of Brady if he’s not exonerated.

East Notes: Brady, Cooley, Washington

July 22nd, 2015 at 10:04pm CST by Luke Adams

As of Thursday, a month will have passed since Tom Brady‘s appeal hearing, and with no timeline in place for a ruling from Roger Goodell, it’s not clear if that announcement will come this week, next week, or sometime after that. According to NFLPA president Eric Winston, it’s “not even worth trying to guess” when Goodell will make his decision. However, Winston hopes Brady is exonerated, adding that if he’s not, the union is prepared to take the next step (Twitter links via Rob Guerrera of NBC Sports Radio).

Ultimately, the decision on whether or not to continue fighting the NFL if Brady’s suspension isn’t wiped away will be up to the Patriots quarterback himself, but Winston’s comments confirm that the NFLPA is ready to take the league to court on Brady’s behalf, if necessary.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Chris Cooley spent his first nine NFL seasons in Washington, but the team hasn’t had any discussions about bringing back the tight end, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. The Cardinals are said to be kicking the tires on Cooley, who is contemplating a comeback.
Tarik El-Bashir and Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com debate whether Brandon Scherff was the right pick for Washington at No. 5 overall in this year’s draft. El-Bashir writes that Scherff fits all of Scot McCloughan’s prerequisites and even though the lineman could have been plucked later in the draft, he doesn’t really find fault with Washington jumping at the chance to get him at No. 5. On the other hand, Tandler isn’t wild about Scherff’s value that high in the draft.
After Mike Sando of ESPN.com grouped the NFL’s starting quarterbacks into tiers based on talent, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap examines how each QB’s salary matches up to his placement on Sando’s list. Unsurprisingly, Brady is the major outlier, with Sando placing the Patriots quarterback near the top of his list, despite the fact that he has a fourth-tier salary.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link), agent Tom Condon discussed one client who just signed an extension (Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant) and another client who looks like a good bet to sign a new deal in the near future (Giants quarterback Eli Manning).

North Rumors: Packers, Pitta, Browns

July 21st, 2015 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Packers president Mark Murphy wasn’t thrilled to see his a handful of his players at the center of off-field incidents this offseason, with Datone Jones having been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, while Letroy Guion and Andrew Quarless were each arrested and could be suspended as well. However, the team still doesn’t have any plans to release any of those players to send a message, as Murphy tells Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“While we’re disappointed in all the situations, we have to let the process play out and see exactly what happens in each situation,” Murphy said.

As we wait to see how Quarless’ legal situation plays out, and whether or not Guion receives discipline from the NFL, here are a few more items from around the league’s two North divisions:

Although Dennis Pitta has made “significant progress” in his recovery from a fractured and dislocated right hip, his NFL future is still up in the air. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens tight end will likely begin the 2015 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which would sideline him for at least the first six weeks. Pitta, who will earn a guaranteed $4MM base salary this year whether or not he plays, has yet to be medically cleared to practice.
In his latest piece for ESPNCleveland.com, Tony Grossi highlights the departure of former Browns director of player engagement Jamil Northcutt, suggesting that the so-called mutual parting reflects a “seeping rift” between head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer. Sources have told Grossi that Northcutt was a recipient of Farmer’s illegal in-game texts that earned the GM a four-game suspension, though another source says that’s not accurate.
The Vikings don’t have interest in free agent guard Evan Mathis, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who tweets that the team wants to see what it has in its young players. Minnesota could consider revisiting Mathis later if the club’s guard play is an issue.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Janie Mayeron has ordered the NFL and the Players Association into settlement negotiations in their battle over Vikings running back Adrian Peterson‘s suspension, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press. The legal fight stems from the NFLPA claiming that the league “deliberately ignored” Judge David Doty’s ruling when Doty sided with the union in rejecting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision to uphold Peterson’s suspension.

NFLPA Likely To Drop Collusion Claims Against Cowboys, Broncos

July 15th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA is not expected to pursue collusion claims now that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas got their deals done, a union source told Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (on Twitter). Both players agreed to lucrative deals earlier today that, interestingly, were roughly equal.

Evidence of possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos reportedly stemmed from a conversation that took place between Bryant and Cowboys COO Stephen Jones. Jones explained to Bryant that the Calvin Johnson contract, which is the most lucrative deal for a wide receiver in the NFL, had no relevance to other receivers because of the unique circumstances surrounding those negotiations. Then, according to Bryant’s account (per the source), Jones told the receiver that he talked to Broncos GM John Elway about the situation. Because the Broncos also had franchise-tagged receiver in Thomas, the admission that Jones and Elway communicated about the situation constitutes evidence of collusion.

The NFLPA letter containing the collusion claims against the Broncos and Cowboys went out to clubs on Tuesday, but it sounds like all is forgiven now that the two star receivers have gotten hefty paydays.

NFLPA Looking Into Cowboys, Broncos

July 10th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Luke Adams

7:15pm: Suspicions in the matter stew from both the Cowboys and the Broncos refusing to use Calvin Johnson‘s contract with the Lions as a comparable during negotiations with Bryant and Thomas, respectively, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. That seems a little odd, as the total value of Johnson’s contract is nearly twice that of Mike Wallace, the second-highest paid receiver, and as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap tweets, Megatron’s deal has always been viewed as an outlier. Nevertheless, Florio reports that the NFLPA believe it has reliable information that the two clubs involved “have been communicating to set, control, or manipulate the [receiver] market.”

Meanwhile, the Broncos say they have not been contacted by the NFLPA regarding this issue, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post.

5:48pm: Asked about the NFLPA’s investigation, a Cowboys source tells Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Telegram (Twitter link) there’s “nothing to it.” That’s what you’d expect to hear from a team source, though I wouldn’t be surprised if that turns out to indeed be the case.

3:59pm: With five days left for franchised players to negotiate multiyear contract agreements with their current teams, only two of the four unsigned franchise-tag recipients play the same position: Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, the NFL Players Association is reviewing information to determine whether the Broncos and Cowboys have colluded in regard to contract talks for their two star receivers.

Per Schefter, the NFLPA believes the Broncos and Cowboys were in contact about Thomas’ and Bryant’s contract situations, despite the fact that the the league’s collective bargaining agreement prohibits such contact. The NFLPA is investigating the situation to determine whether or not collusion did in fact occur, and when to potentially file a claim.

July 15 is the deadline for franchised players to sign long-term extensions with their teams — if no agreement is reached by that date, a player who received the franchise tag will have to play on a one-year deal in 2015, if he intends to play at all. Given the relatively similar statistical production posted by Bryant and Thomas – as well as Bengals wideout A.J. Green and Falcons receiver Julio Jones, who are playing on fifth-year options this year – there’s been a sense that everyone is waiting for one team to extend its star receiver to establish the market.

Of course, if one team were to lock up its receiver to a lucrative new extension that exceeds his expected worth, it could adversely affect negotiations for other teams locking to lock up their own wideouts, driving up the price. As such, it makes sense that the Cowboys and Broncos might want to discuss the situation with one another, though Schefter’s report doesn’t suggest there’s any hard evidence that happened.

NFL Players Association News & Rumors