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Michael Floyd

Michael Floyd Could Face Mandatory Jail Time

December 21st, 2016 at 5:42pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Already set for a possible suspension from the NFL in 2017, Patriots wide receiver Michael Floyd could also face a mandatory 45-day jail sentence for his Dec. 12 DUI arrest in Scottsdale, per WEEI.

Michael Floyd

At the time of his arrest, Floyd had a blood alcohol level of .21, which is more than twice the legal limit of .08. Moreover, given that it exceeds .2, it qualifies as a Super Extreme DUI under Arizona law. In addition to serving jail time if convicted, Floyd would have to install an alcohol monitoring device in his car and avoid drinking alcohol for 90 days. Alcohol has long been a problem for Floyd, who had a previous DUI arrest while at Notre Dame in 2011.

Floyd’s latest arrest, video of which leaked via TMZ on Tuesday, led the Cardinals to release the fifth-year man and 2012 first-round pick. Cardinals owner Michael Bidwill then told the team’s radio network Sunday that Floyd showed “no remorse” and “was unapologetic,” which made it easier for the franchise to move on from him (via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic). The Patriots subsequently claimed Floyd on waivers, and head coach Bill Belichick indicated Wednesday that the latest details of the 27-year-old’s arrest won’t affect his standing with the team.

“Yeah, we were aware of his situation when we claimed him,” Belichick told reporters, including Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. “He’s in an ongoing legal situation I’m not going to comment on.”

Floyd practiced with the Patriots on Wednesday and might debut with the AFC East champions Sunday against the Jets. While Floyd could help the Pats’ offense as they vie for a fifth Super Bowl title in the Tom Brady/Belichick era, his legal issues will surely damage his stock if he gets to free agency in the offseason. On a less serious note, he has also experienced a dip in production this year, having caught 33 of 71 targets for 446 yards and four touchdowns.

Michael Floyd Likely To Face 2017 Suspension

December 18th, 2016 at 2:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Wide receiver Michael Floyd, whom the Patriots claimed off waivers from the Cardinals last week, is expected to a face a league suspension in 2017 as a result of his recent DUI arrest, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. The length of Floyd’s ban will likely be determined by the results of his blood alcohol contest — although Floyd refused a breathalyzer at the scene, he did later undergo blood work.Michael Floyd

[RELATED: New England Patriots Depth Chart]

The state of Arizona has strict DUI laws, according to Schefter, leading some observers to believe that Floyd could be facing jail time in addition to league-imposed discipline. Either way, the news certainly isn’t positive for Floyd, who is scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency next spring after a three-game (plus postseason) audition with New England. Floyd has had trouble with alcohol in the past, as he was also arrested for DUI during his time at Notre Dame.

Floyd, who’s posted 33 receptions for 446 yards and four touchdowns so far this season, will be inactive for New England’s game against the Broncos later today.

Patriots Claim Michael Floyd Off Waivers

December 15th, 2016 at 3:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Michael Floyd has a new home. One day after being cut by the Cardinals, the wide receiver has been claimed off waivers by the Patriots. Michael Floyd (vertical)

[RELATED: Patriots Audition Devin Hester]

Floyd was considered a promising not too long ago and the Patriots are hoping that they can get something out of him late in the season. The Cardinals are on the hook for Floyd’s Week 15 salary, so the Pats are responsible for just two weeks of his pay. Floyd gets $430K per week on his $7.32MM salary, so claiming him costs them $861K. If he does well in the final weeks of the season and in the playoffs, he could find a role with the team next year. Alternatively, Floyd could net the Pats a compensatory draft pick if he were to sign elsewhere this offseason as a free agent.

So far this year, Floyd has 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, Floyd has slipped down the depth chart and his DUI was apparently the last straw for coach Bruce Arians & Co.

The 11-2 Patriots are tied for the best record in the NFL with the Cowboys. Since New England had winning successful claim, that means just about every other team in the league passed on adding Floyd for the home stretch of the season.

NFC Notes: Cards, Rams, Eagles, 49ers, Giants

December 14th, 2016 at 6:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There were no arguments from any of the Cardinals’ hierarchy regarding the decision to release wide receiver Michael Floyd on Wednesday, owner Michael Bidwill told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. “Yes, across the board,” Bidwill said on whether cutting Floyd on the heels of his second DUI arrest was a consensus choice. In summing up Floyd’s nearly five-year tenure with the Cardinals, Bidwill said, “He was a 2012 first-round draft choice for us, a person we thought would eventually take Larry Fitzgerald‘s position and be the No. 1 receiver for the future. Deeply disappointing that we moved on and he didn’t work out as a person we had a lot of faith in.”

More from the NFC:

  • Indications are that the Rams would like to retain general manager Les Snead, but that could depend on whom the team hires as its next head coach, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com. Snead is helping chief operating officer Kevin Demoff in the Rams’ search for a successor to the fired Jeff Fisher, though Demoff didn’t give the GM a public vote of confidence Monday. “It would be a mistake right now to say we’re satisfied with where we’re at on a personnel side and to ensure that Les would be back,” declared Demoff. “I think Les would be the first person to stand up here and say the same thing.”
  • Eagles guard Brandon Brooks had a brief hospital stay in late November and has missed two of the team’s past three games because of a stomach illness. It turns out Brooks’ physical issues stem from anxiety, he announced Wednesday (via Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer). “What I mean by anxiety condition is not nervousness or fear of the game,” Brooks explained. “I have an obsession with the game. It’s an unhealthy obsession right now. I’m working with team doctors to get everything straightened out and get the help I need.” Brooks is now taking medication and seeking professional help to curb his anxiety. Fortunately, the 27-year-old doesn’t expect the condition to affect his ability to continue in the NFL. “It’s nothing I’m ashamed of,” said Brooks. “I’ll get the help that I need, and life will go on. I’ll be fine. Career will be fine. I am concerned about it, obviously, but I’m not ‘woe is me’ at this point.”
  • The 49ers put in a waiver claim on running back Darius Jackson, a league source tells Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter). Unfortunately for the Niners, the Browns had top priority on the waiver wire and nabbed him instead.
  • The Giants worked out running backs Russell Hansbrough, Brandon Brown-Dukes and Julian Howsare on Wednesday, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan. Hansbrough ended up joining their practice squad.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Cardinals Release WR Michael Floyd

December 14th, 2016 at 2:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Early Monday morning, Michael Floyd was arrested on DUI charges. Less than 72 hours later, he’s out of work. The Cardinals announced that they have released the wide receiver. Michael Floyd (vertical)

At this stage of the offseason, all released players are subject to waivers. Floyd was considered a promising talent in the not-too-distant past and it stands to reason that he could be claimed. He is slated to hit the open market after the season, so there could be several teams interested in bringing him in for a low-risk three-game audition.

The Cardinals are on the hook for Floyd’s Week 15 salary, so any team claiming him will be responsible for just two weeks of his pay. Floyd gets $430/K per week on his $7.32MM salary, so claiming him would cost $861K.

So far this year, Floyd has 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, Floyd has slipped down the depth chart in the last couple of years.

In an interview yesterday, coach Bruce Arians indicated that he wanted to sternly punish Floyd but he could not go as far as he wanted to because of restrictions in the collective bargaining agreement. It now seems like the Cardinals have figured out their workaround.

In related moves, the Cards have signed wide receiver Jeremy Ross, and elevated offensive lineman Givens Price from the practice squad.

Cardinals Notes: Floyd, Mathieu, Arians, Wile

December 13th, 2016 at 9:56pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Any chance the Cardinals had at earning a postseason berth was likely destroyed on Sunday when Arizona fell to Miami on a last-second field goal, as FiveThirtyEight now gives the 5-7-1 Cards less than one percent chance of making the playoffs. With most of the focus in the desert turned to the offseason, let’s take a look at the latest out of Arizona…

  • The Cardinals are examining the contractual bargaining agreement to determine whether they can internally punish wide receiver Michael Floyd following his DUI arrest, head coach Bruce Arians told Alex Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Additionally, Arians said it’s possible the Floyd will simply be benched on Sunday against the Saints. Floyd is set to become an unrestricted free agent at season’s end, so these recent developments are the worst possible way for Floyd to finish the 2016 campaign.
  • Although a recent report indicated that he may need surgery, the Cardinals have their “fingers crossed” that defensive back Tyrann Mathieu can return to practice on Wednesday, according to Arians (Twitter link). Mathieu has been sidelined for four of Arizona’s past five games, and if he undergoes surgery, he’d presumably be shut down for the year. The Cards already placed two other critical defenders — linebacker Deone Bucannon and safety Tyvon Branch — on injured reserve yesterday.
  • Speaking to reporters yesterday, Arians was adamant that the Cards would not make any coaching changes after the season, tweets Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Arians was specifically referring to special teams coordinator Amos Jones, per Urban, as Arizona has particularly struggled on teams this season. On the year, the Cardinals rank dead last in special teams DVOA, according to Football Outsiders.
  • The move to replace Drew Butler with fellow punter Matt Wile would have occurred last week, but Arizona wanted to ensure that Wile was a capable holder on field goal attempts, per Arians (Twitter link).

Cardinals WR Michael Floyd Arrested For DUI

December 12th, 2016 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd has been arrested on DUI charges (link via 98.7 FM). The Scottsdale Police Department says Floyd was found asleep at the wheel of his car while it was running at 2:48 a.m. Monday morning. At that point, he was arrested on two counts of DUI and one count of “obstructing a roadway and failure to obey a police officer.” Michael Floyd

This marks the second time that Floyd has been arrested for operating a vehicle under the influence. In 2011, he earned a suspension at Notre Dame for a DUI. He was said to be driving at nearly twice the legal BAC limit. He also had other alcohol-fueled incidents while in college.

So far this year, Floyd has 33 catches for 446 yards and four touchdowns. Once regarded as the heir apparent to Larry Fitzgerald in Arizona, Floyd’s up-and-down play has put his future with the team in question. Today’s news could further impact the pending free agent’s chances of remaining with the Cardinals.

NFC Notes: Doctson, Cards, DGB, Saints

October 7th, 2016 at 8:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

An Achilles issue continues to bother Redskins first-round receiver Josh Doctson, who will miss his third straight game Sunday, and head coach Jay Gruden didn’t rule out an eventual trip to injured reserve Friday. “We’ll have to wait and see if this thing gets any better the next week or so and go from there,” he said (via JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic). “I hate to put him on IR and then he’s better tomorrow, you know what I mean, because he’s such a valuable, big play type guy. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt and see what happens.” Doctson is dealing with pain when he “pushes off,” according to Gruden, which Finlay notes is especially problematic for a receiver. The 22nd pick from TCU appeared in the Redskins’ first two games, catching two passes for 66 yards, but he previously missed all of training camp and the preseason.

More from the NFC:

  • After going without a catch or a target in the Cardinals’ 33-21 win over San Francisco on Thursday, wideout Michael Floyd is on a career-worst reception pace through five weeks. That led head coach Bruce Arians to posit Friday that Floyd’s status as an impending free agent is a factor in his sagging production. “I’m sure that has a lot to do with it,” Arians said of Floyd, who has caught only 12 of 35 targets through five games. Floyd averaged 52 receptions on 97 targets over his first four years, and the Cardinals remain confident in him, per Arians (Twitter links via Darren Urban of the team’s website).
  • Although Eagles receiver Dorial Green-Beckham hasn’t posted gaudy numbers this year (seven catches, 65 yards in three games), the club is pleased with the mid-August trade acquisition. “He’s done a nice job. He’s really grasped the offense and understood his role,” head coach Doug Pederson stated (via Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com). Green-Beckham, whom the Eagles got from the Titans for offensive lineman Dennis Kelly, has seen his offensive snap percentage rise in each of Philly’s games. The 2015 second-round pick participated in 32 percent of the Eagles’ plays in their opener and was on the field for 46 percent and 49 percent in Weeks 2 and 3.
  • The Saints were disappointed with high-priced free agent signing Coby Fleener after the first two weeks of the season, but the tight end has turned it around since, writes Herbie Teope of NOLA.com. After picking up a meager three catches on 12 targets in his first pair of games as a Saint, the ex-Colt totaled 10 receptions on 16 targets over the previous two. “I feel like over the last two or three weeks here, he’s really starting to, ‘OK, I got it, I understand what’s going on. I know what Drew’s (Brees) looking for,” assistant head coach/tights ends Dan Campbell told Teope.
  • Friday was an eventful day for backup quarterbacks in San Francisco: A contract restructuring is a possibility for Colin Kaepernick, as is a return to the starting lineup in Week 6. Meanwhile, some 49ers want Christian Ponder to take Blaine Gabbert‘s job.

West Rumors: Rams, Kaepernick, Broncos

April 27th, 2016 at 3:55pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams know who they’ll be selecting to kick off the 2016 NFL draft on Thursday night, but they won’t let that player know until it’s time to submit the card at No. 1, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes.

“We’ll get in touch with the player just before putting the card in,” said Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, whose team will pick either Cal quarterback Jared Goff or North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz. “There’s only a few things better in life than this phone call, these phone calls that are going to take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s a great opportunity and we don’t want to deny our pick the opportunity to experience that.”

As we wait for the team to confirm which quarterback will become the new face of the franchise in Los Angeles, let’s round up some other Tuesday updates from out of the West divisions…

  • 49ers general manager Trent Baalke continues to leave the door open for a possible Colin Kaepernick trade, but Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link) hears the Broncos are unlikely to make a move for Kaepernick before or during the draft. While it’s not out of the question, there have been “zero talks” recently, according to Klis.
  • For the second consecutive year, pre-draft trade rumors are swirling around Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd, who says he’s not worried about that talk at all. “I go into work, put my work in, watch film with my teammates and go about my day,” Floyd said of the trade speculation, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
  • Former Alabama edge defender Xzavier Dickson is working out today for the Seahawks, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Dickson was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the Patriots, but didn’t earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster.
  • Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds the Chiefs to the list of teams that hosted Florida wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a pre-draft visit.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Cousins, Reiff, Falcons, Floyd

February 24th, 2016 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

As noted earlier this afternoon, Washington‘s Scot McCloughan wasn’t on today’s schedule of general managers or head coaches to hold formal press conferences at the combine in Indianapolis. However, he did speak to the media about his team’s contract talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins.

While McCloughan didn’t go into specifics, he said that he has met with Cousins’ agent face-to-face this week, describing the sit-down as “very positive,” per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). According to McCloughan, conversations are going on “every day” between the two sides, and he remains optimistic that something will get done (Twitter link).

Let’s round up several more of the latest GM and head coach comments from the combine in Indianapolis, with a focus on NFC teams….

  • Lions tackle Riley Reiff is currently set to earn an $8.07MM salary for 2016, and while that money isn’t yet guaranteed, Reiff won’t be going anywhere, GM Bob Quinn said today (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not clear yet what position Reiff will play next season, but he’ll be a Lion.
  • Speaking to the media today, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said that he’d like to see defensive free agents Adrian Clayborn and O’Brien Schofield re-signed, and added that no veterans besides Paul Soliai have been approached about restructuring their contracts (Twitter links via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ESPN’s Vaughn McClure).
  • There’s no new deal imminent for Michael Floyd, but GM Steve Keim had plenty of praise for the Cardinals wideout, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com details. Floyd is extension-eligible but still has one year left on his rookie contract, so Arizona doesn’t have to get anything done right away.
  • Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman confirmed today that wide receiver Kevin Norwood met the conditions of the trade Carolina made with Seattle prior to the 2015 season, so the Seahawks will receive the Panthers‘ seventh-round pick in 2017, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
  • Despite a fairly sizable cap hit for 2016, Vikings defensive end Brian Robison sounds like a good bet to remain on Minnesota’s roster based on comments made today by GM Rick Spielman, says Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
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