The Vikingshave backed wide receiver Michael Floyd since he violated his probation by testing positive for alcohol last month, after which he insisted that he unknowingly ingested it when drinking kombucha tea. Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer spoke about Floyd’s situation Thursday, telling Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press: “Do I believe it? I don’t know how much tea he drank. I have no clue. I don’t have any doubt why there’d be skepticism, but he told me that he wasn’t (drinking). That it was legit.” Zimmer buys Floyd’s story, but he did issue the wideout a warning when the two spoke on the phone after his failed alcohol test. “I said, ‘If I find out you’re lying to me, I’m going to cut you,’ ” revealed Zimmer, whose team will go without Floyd early in the season because of a forthcoming suspension.
A bit more from the NFC:
Both the Redskins and Kirk Cousinsare reportedly OK with the quarterback playing 2017 under the franchise tag, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the club will nonetheless make him a last-ditch offer by Monday’s deadline. The expectation is that Cousins will need at least $52MM in guarantees in order to sign a long-term pact, though Florio suggests that something between that figure and the $40MM the Raiders gave Derek Carr could get Cousins to bite. If Cousins says no, the Redskins could leak the details of the offer and make him “seem greedy and selfish,” writes Florio.
Thurston Armbrister is among Lions linebackers with an on-the-bubble status entering training camp, writes Tim Twentyman of the team’s website. Armbrister wasn’t much of a factor on defense in 2016, his first season as a Lion, as the ex-Jaguar only played 63 snaps and made nine tackles in 14 appearances. However, he was one of Detroit’s key special teamers, racking up the fourth-most snaps (260) for a unit that Football Outsiders ranked as the sixth best in the NFL.
Earlier Thursday, PFR reviewed the offseasons of two NFC teams, the Giants and Eagles.
With five days to go until the deadline for teams to sign franchise tagged players to extensions, there apparently hasn’t been a ton of progress for any of the three players in question. Still, we’ve had some mid-July surprises in the past, like last year’s last minute extension for Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson. Here’s a quick refresher on where things stand for Kirk Cousins, Le’Veon Bell, and Trumaine Johnson:
Kirk Cousins
There has been no movement towards a deal for the Redskins and Cousins, and both sides are apparently alright with that. You know the deal by now: Cousins is looking at a $24MM salary in 2017 and the Redskins will have to give him a tender worth at least $28MM to keep him away from unrestricted free agency next season. Cousins is confident in his abilities and eager to push the market for quarterbacks, so he is not all that inclined to sign a multi-year deal.
Cousins’ agent probably won’t consider any offer with less than $52MM guaranteed. If his camp really wants to drive a hard bargain, it will insist on a minimum $58MM in the bag since that factors in the value a third franchise tag in 2018 ($34MM) rather than the $28MM transition tag, which would only give Washington the first right of refusal.
Cousins, like any player in extension talks, must weigh the benefit of cost certainty versus the upside of the open market. But, with the way quarterbacks get paid in the NFL, he is looking at a high floor. Cousins is not considered to be a top five QB, but if he were to put pen to paper today, he would be the highest-paid player in the NFL – at least for a couple of weeks. Even if Cousins has a mild regression in 2017, he’ll still be looking at either a one-year, ~$30MM deal in Washington or a $100MM+ deal in free agency. In order for the soon-to-be 29-year-old to sign, he’ll either have to be wowed by an offer or he’ll have to catch a case of cold feet in the coming days.
Le’Veon Bell
Bell, by any measure, is one of the very best running backs in the NFL. In a suspension-shortened 2016 season, Bell earned his second career trip to the Pro Bowl as he ran for 1,268 yrds off of 261 carries, mirroring a career-high of 4.9 yards per attempt. He also added 75 receptions for 616 yards. When averaged out on a per-game basis, his 2016 numbers actually bested his 2014 campaign, a season in which he was a First-Team All-Pro selection. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus had Bell ranked as the third best RB in the league last season, behind only Ezekiel Elliott and David Johnson.
While there has been talk about Cousins being less-than-thrilled with Redskins management, Bell has been open about wanting to stay in Pittsburgh. The feeling is mutual as the Steelers want to keep in him in the fold for the long term. So, what’s the holdup?
Bell is probably seeking to overtake Bills star LeSean McCoy as the highest-paid running back in the NFL. The Steelers are probably willing to oblige, but, as we all know, there’s a difference between becoming the market-setter in terms of years/dollars and the true value of a deal. If Bell wants to sign a five-year deal worth more than $40MM, odds are that he could do that right now. What he’s really after, however, are substantial guarantees with significant cash flow in the first two years of the deal.
Running backs are always at a high risk of injury and teams are typically adversed to paying out real dollars for them on multi-year deals, even if the cases of exceptional players like Bell. The Steelers are hoping to find a happy medium with Bell in the coming days since his $12MM price tag for this year is high and a potential $14MM tag for 2018 is spit take worthy.
Trumaine Johnson
Like Cousins, this is the second year in a row that Johnson has been hit with the franchise tag. Where the situations differ is that there is zero chance the Rams will apply the tag to Johnson for a third year in a row. If Johnson plays out the year on his one-year, $17MM tender, he’ll hit unrestricted free agency at the age of 28 because there’s virtually no chance that the Rams would tag him at upwards of $24MM in 2018.
Johnson has yet to establish himself as an elite cornerback, but this would be the time to do it as he enters a contract year. The Rams’ strong front seven should keep opposing quarterbacks under duress, allowing Johnson to swarm receivers on immature routes. It appears that Johnson has little incentive to sign a long-term deal here, unless the Rams are willing to make a cap-crippling commitment.
Which of these three players, if any, will sign extensions before the deadline on Monday? Cast your vote below and back up your choice in the comment section.
Barring something unforeseen, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins will play out the 2017 season on his one-year tender. That’s just fine with both Cousins and the team, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears.
The Redskins, of course, have put themselves in a tough position by not signing Cousins to a more reasonable deal when they had the chance. In 2018, Cousins could become the best quarterback to reach the open market in recent memory and the only way the Redskins can stop him is by applying the $28MM transition tag on him or a third consecutive franchise tag at $34MM. The Redskins are facing a very delicate public relations situation here and the best way to save face, at the moment, is for them to act as though they are comfortable with the year-to-year-arrangement.
“Yes,”said Redskins president Bruce Allen back in May asked if his club could use the franchise tag on Cousins again in 2018. “In the collective bargaining agreement, we really have one year and an option that we can do at the end of next season if we don’t get a contract.”
The deadline for the two sides to reach agreement is on Monday July 17. If they cannot shake hands on a multi-year extension, then they will not be able to sign such a deal until after the season has concluded.
There has been no movement on an extension between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins, Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports tweets. A deal is not close and there will not be an agreement until someone budges between now and Monday, Robinson adds.
This latest report is consistent with what we’ve been hearing about talks between Cousins and the Redskins in recent weeks. As of this writing, it sounds like there won’t be extensions ironed out for Cousins, Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell, or Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson. But, we have to throw in the obvious caveat – things can always change and deadlines tend to spur action.
Cousins has indicated that he is looking to reset the market on a new multi-year deal and he will not be giving the Redskins any form of a hometown discount. In fact, there are rumors that Cousins is extremely unhappy in the nation’s capital and that might mean that there is no amount of money the Redskins can offer him to get him to stay.
Redskins has been hit with the one-year, $24MM franchise tag, representing a 20% increase over the franchise tender he earned in 2016. The Redskins can conceivably retain Cousins again in 2018 with a third straight franchise tag, but that would call for a salary of $34MM. Alternatively, they could control him with the transition tag, but that would still set the Redskins back $28MM and would not entitle them to any form of compensation if he is signed away by a rival club. When considering the combined values of this year’s franchise tag ($24MM) plus the value of a transition tag next year ($28MM), Cousins’ camp must be seeking no less than $52MM in guarantees on a fresh contract.
The Redskins’ negotiating window with franchise-tagged quarterback Kirk Cousins is down to one week, but there have been no new developments in talks between the two sides, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post. As such, Washington and Cousins would essentially need to “start from scratch” in order to reach a deal, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
The only positive news to come out talks between Cousins and the Redskins in recent weeks came from Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who reported in late June that an “improved tone” had enveloped negotiations between the parties. However, a contract still doesn’t appear likely, which would mean Cousins would play out the 2017 campaign while earning a fully guaranteed $23.94MM base salary.
If Washington tags Cousins again in 2018, the 28-year-old signal-caller would be entitled to a 44% raise, meaning he’d be due a salary of roughly $35MM. That fact, combined with Raiders quarterback Derek Carr‘s new five-year, $125MM extension ($40MM guaranteed), means Cousins is likely looking for a deal that averages $25-28MM with $58MM in guarantees, per Jones.
“I hired my agent to do his job,” Cousins tells Stephanie Funkhouser of FOX 17. “I gotta go play football and throw touchdown passes and help our team win. I’ve got plenty to work on there so I’ll let my agent do his job. I’ll do mine and the good news is I’m under contract for this season and in a good place.”
One potential factor in Kirk Cousins‘ long-term future with the Redskins will be the birth of his first child in September, ESPN.com’s John Keim writes. Both Cousins’ family and his wife’s are on the East Coast and that could help him lean towards remaining in Washington. That doesn’t mean he wouldn’t look to join up with another team like the Niners, but it could be a factor to keep him in D.C. if everything else is kosher between him and management and if a contract offer is to his liking. Still, the rumblings about Cousins being unhappy with the Redskins have only grown louder this summer. Keim still does not see the quarterback signing a new deal with the Redskins before the deadline later this month.
Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com is confident that the Redskins will carry three quarterbacks on the 53-man roster, meaning that Nate Sudfeld‘s job is safe. However, things may get interesting during the year if Cousins is not signed long term and the team is out of contention. In that scenario, the Redskins may want to get Sudfeld on the field to find out what they have in him. Colt McCoy, the team’s No. 2 QB, could also be a candidate to step into the starting role in 2018 if Cousins goes and he might not be thrilled about getting leapfrogged. McCoy is under contract with the team through ’18.
More from Tandler, who looks way down the road to preview the Redskins’ defensive core in the 2020 season. He has first round defensive end Jonathan Allen listed as a “blue chip” player for Washington three years down the road, alongside cornerback Josh Norman. Although Allen slid down draft boards due to concerns about his shoulders, that’s an issue that could catch up with him in five or six years, not three years, Tandler reasons. Of course, it’s a difficult exercise to project any team’s defense three years in advance and a whole lot can change between now and then.
Let’s take a quick swing around the NFC after rounding up a few AFC rumors earlier today:
An article from Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com could have been construed to indicate that Buccanneers RB Charles Sims is a long-shot to make the team’s 53-man roster, but Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times says he would be surprised if Sims is cut, especially before Doug Martin returns from suspension in Week 4 (Twitter link). Auman adds (via Twitter) that Smith’s article probably meant to suggest that Blake Sims, not Charles, is a long-shot to make the roster. Indeed, Smith’s piece discusses how well-stocked Tampa Bay is at running back, and he suggests Charles Sims is one of the reasons the Bucs can field a solid RB group even without Martin. Smith later confirmed Auman’s interpretation via Twitter.
In addition to running back, the Buccaneers also have intriguing position battles at slot corner, safety, and kicker, as Roy Cummings of FanRagSports.com writes.
Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com examines the long-term outlook for the Redskins, and it’s a fairly promising one, at least on offense. He looks at a possible snapshot of the offense going into training camp in the year 2020, and of the 11 players he mentions — most of whom are good, very good, or at least have a lot of upside — 10 of them are already starters. While it would be foolish to expect all of those players to be in Washington in 2020, the fact remains that the team does have a talented offensive core that has the potential to stay around for a long time.
Tandler tweets that there is a slim chance the Redskins and QB Kirk Cousins can work out a multi-year deal by the July 17 deadline, but he confirms what we have known all along, which is that Cousins’ long-term future with the club probably won’t be settled until March 2018.
The Cowboys signed Stephen Paea to a one-year, $2MM deal this offseason, and though the big DT struggled the past two years in Washington and Cleveland, Dallas believes he can return to form in 2017. As Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News writes, Paea will be reuniting with Rod Marinelli, whom he worked under during his best years in Chicago, and his skill-set is well-suited to the Cowboys’ 4-3 defense.
Paul Perkins will be the Giants‘ starting running back this year, but as James Kratch of NJ.com writes, Perkins will be more of the lead back in a committee rather than a bell-cow. Kratch says Shane Vereen will get his share of carries, and Orleans Darkwa, Wayne Gallman, and Shaun Draughn all figure to be in the mix as well.
While Rams defensive tackle and extension candidate Aaron Donald could be pushing for Ndamukong Suh-like money ($20MM per year), his team control status makes securing that type of deal unlikely, observes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Suh was a free agent when he landed his massive contract with the Dolphins back in 2015, whereas Donald can’t voluntarily leave the Rams for a while. The superstar’s controllable at a relatively meager ~$10MM combined for at least the next two years (the Rams exercised his fifth-year option for 2018), and Los Angeles can then use the franchise tag on him during the ensuing couple offseasons if there’s no long-term deal in place. Because of that, there’s little incentive for the Rams to hurry into a Suh-esque extension for Donald.
More from the NFC:
With the Redskins running out of time to extend quarterback Kirk Cousins by the July 17 deadline, the next week-plus could solidify or destroy their future, contends Jerry Brewer of the Washington Post. Locking up the franchise-tagged Cousins would be a sign of stability for the Redskins, argues Brewer, who criticizes the club for lowballing the signal-caller in past negotiations. Washington’s reluctance to buy into Cousins for the long haul has led it to franchise him in back-to-back offseasons, thereby costing the team around $44MM. The Redskins designating Cousins as their franchise player again next offseason probably isn’t going to happen, as doing so would come with a price tag upward of $34MM (the transition tag will come in at $28MM); as such, there’s a legitimate chance the productive Cousins will head elsewhere after 2017 and leave the Redskins searching for an answer under center again.
Nolan Carroll and Leodis McKelvin were among the cornerbacks the Eagles relied on most last season, but the former left for the Cowboys in free agency and the latter is on the unemployment line. Now, with training camp approaching, the Eagles are unsure who will fill any of their top three corner roles, according to defensive backs coach Cory Undlin. Not even Jalen Mills, who finished second among Philadelphia’s CBs in snaps as a rookie last season (662), is guaranteed a prominent position. “It’s just going to be who’s going to step up here in training camp and through the preseason,” Undlin said (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). “Who’s going to say, ‘Listen, I’m starting here, I’m starting here, I’m going to play the nickel,’ and then here’s the backups.” Mills, whom Pro Football Focus’ ranked as the league’s worst corner last season, and the underwhelming veteran trio of Patrick Robinson, Ron Brooks and Dwayne Gratz are the only Eagles corners with real pro experience. The club does have a pair of rookies with upside in second-rounder Sidney Jones, who tore his Achilles in March and could miss the start of the season, and third-rounder Rasul Douglas.
The Buccaneerswaived undrafted rookie linebacker Paul Magloire at the end of May, but he’ll stay with the team on injured reserve, reports Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Magloire is facing a 30-week recovery after undergoing surgery on a double hernia and torn groin muscle. The Bucs originally added Magloire on a split contract, which will allow the ex-Arizona standout to earn 75 percent of the $465K rookie minimum ($348K) while on IR.
More bad news on the Kirk Cousins front. Dianna Russini of ESPN.com (Twitterlinks) hears that there isn’t a real price that will make the Redskins quarterback happy. The two sides, she adds, are at a point where they need each other but don’t want each other.
This comes on the heels of an Adam Schefter report indicating that a deal between now and mid-July is unlikely. Although there is an improved tone in talks, there apparently hasn’t been much in the way of forward progress. But, if Cousins is truly unhappy with the Redskins, then the problem is much more serious than just a disagreement over money.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
After converting to defense in 2016, quarterback Jameill Showers is working to make the Cowboys‘ roster as a safety. He faces competition from players with more experience in the secondary, but so far the early reviews for him are positive. “I’m really happy with what Showers has done,” Cowboys secondary coach Joe Baker told Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk. “He’s turned his body from a quarterback body into a defensive back body, which looks a lot different. You can tell he looks slimmer. He’s moving a lot better. The whole athleticism part of it is so much different at that position, and so I’m really proud of how he’s worked. He’s still got a ways to go, but movement-wise in terms of his backpedaling, changing direction, all those things we do as defensive backs, he’s really doing a nice job.”
The Cowboys worked out wide receiver Marquez North on Monday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
A long-term deal for Kirk Cousins and the Redskins is still viewed as a long shot, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. There has been an “improved tone” between the two sides, Schefter writes, but there apparently hasn’t been much progress.
It would cost the Redskins more than $34MM to use the franchise tag on Cousins for a third time in 2018, so there’s definitely incentive for them to get a long-term deal done. At the same time, Cousins is very comfortable with betting on himself, so he is not sweating things out. It is believed that the quarterback will push for $50-60MM in guaranteed money to get an extension done, a sum that roughly represents the money he would earn through franchise tags in 2017 and 2018. Even the less costly transition tag in 2018 ($28MM) would still give Cousins a projected $52MM over the next two years, so that $50-60MM ask makes plenty of sense.
