HEADLINES

Robert Mathis

Colts Extend Robert Mathis, Sign Jalil Brown

September 30th, 2014 at 11:06am CST by Luke Adams

The Colts announced a series of roster moves today, including the signings of one player to the 53-man roster and a pair of players to the practice squad. However, the most notable of the team’s Tuesday transactions is a contract extension for edge defender and pass rusher Robert Mathis, whose deal has been extended through the 2016 season.

In addition to locking up Mathis for an additional year, the Colts have also signed defensive back Jalil Brown to their active roster. The two openings on the club’s practice squad have been filled by wide receiver Chandler Jones and inside linebacker Rob Ruggiero.

Mathis was reinstated from his suspension following Indianapolis’ Week 4 win over the Jaguars, but rather than being moved to the active roster, the veteran defender was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. The 33-year-old tore his Achilles while working out away from the club, which means he wasn’t necessarily entitled to his 2014 salary. However, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Mathis is still receiving his full ’14 salary, while the new deal tacks on a $6MM salary for 2016.

As Breer explains (via Twitter), the one-year extension essentially represents a team option for 2016, with Mathis doing a favor for Indianapolis in exchange for receiving his salary this season. It’s not clear if the extension also reduces Mathis’ $10.75MM cap hit for 2015 at all.

As for Brown, he saw action on special teams and occasionally on defense for the Chiefs in 2011 and 2012, but didn’t see the field much last season during his time with the Colts and Dolphins. No corresponding move is necessary to add Brown to the 53-man roster, since the Colts had placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve earlier this week and had an opening. The club should also have room for another addition this week, with LaRon Landry heading to the reserve/suspended list.

Minor Moves: Monday

September 29th, 2014 at 5:39pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll keep tabs on Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day….

  • The Colts placed Mario Harvey on injured reserve, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
  • Defensive end Chase Vaughn has been cut from the Broncos‘ injured reserve list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • The Panthers have waived running back Tauren Poole, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Carolina is still short-handed at the position, but is expected to explore adding a more veteran back this week.
  • To make room for Chris Owusu, whose signing is noted below, the Jets are waiving cornerback LeQuan Lewis, per Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter). As Cimini notes, Lewis committed two penalties on special teams in Sunday’s game.
  • The Chargers have swapped one defender for another on their practice squad, re-signing safety Adrian Phillips and cutting defensive lineman Chas Alecxih, the team announced today in a press release.
  • Defensive end Frank Alexander (Panthers), safety Jakar Hamilton (Cowboys), wideout Ace Sanders (Jaguars), and safety Reshad Jones (Dolphins) have all been reinstated from their suspensions, tweets Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange. Their respective teams won’t have to make corresponding moves immediately, since all four clubs will have roster exemptions that last until next Monday (Twitter link).

Earlier updates:

  • The Eagles‘ beat-up offensive line will receive a little help this week, as Lane Johnson has been activated after serving his four-game suspension (Twitter link). To make room on the 53-man roster, the club has waived offensive lineman Kevin Graf.
  • After adding T.J. Graham to the roster earlier today, the Jets will sign another wideout, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who reports that former Buccaneer Chris Owusu is set to join the club (Twitter links).
  • The Colts have waived wide receiver Da’Rick Rogers on the heels of his arrest for DUI, according to a team release. Head coach Chuck Pagano confirmed to reporters, including Mike Chappell of RTV6 (Twitter link), that Rogers was cut for conduct detrimental to the team. Indianapolis also promoted safety Dewey McDonald from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, and moved Robert Mathis from the reserve/suspended list to the reserve/non-football injury list.
  • With a short week ahead of them and Teddy Bridgewater recovering from an ankle injury, the Vikings have added another quarterback to their practice quad, signing Chandler Harnish and cutting wideout Donte Foster (Twitter link).
  • Wide receiver Tommy Streeter has signed to the Jaguars‘ practice squad, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Jacksonville currently has a full 10-man unit, so someone will have to be dropped – or promoted – to make room for Streeter.
  • The Redskins have signed outside linebacker Gabe Miller to fill the final opening on their practice squad, per agent Brett Tessler (Twitter link).

Robert Mathis Tears Achilles, Out For Year

September 8th, 2014 at 2:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts were already planning on being without edge rusher Robert Mathis for the first four games of the season, and now they’ll have to get used to being without him for longer than that. Multiple league sources tell Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that Mathis suffered a torn Achilles tendon while working out in Atlanta last week, and will be sidelined for the entire 2014 season.

The NFL’s sack leader in 2013, Mathis has been a key part of the Colts’ defense for the last decade, averaging more than 10 sacks per season and earning spots in five Pro Bowls since emerging as a regular in 2004. However, following the suspension and the Achilles injury, his time in Indianapolis may be approaching an end.

The team could decide to place Mathis on the non-football injury list this season, since he didn’t suffer the injury in a team workout. That would mean the club could withhold his salary for this season, and then would have to decide whether to keep him around for next year, when he has a cap hit of $10.75MM for his age-34 season. Indianapolis could save $7MM in cap room by releasing him before the 2015 season.

For now, the Colts will have to find a way to get pressure on quarterbacks this season without their best pass rusher in the fold.

Colts Finalize Roster, Deal Burley To Seahawks

August 30th, 2014 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

The Colts have finalized their 53-man regular season roster, according to the team, which announced in a press release their roster moves to get down to 53 players. In addition to the moves listed below, the team also pulled off a trade, sending defensive back Marcus Burley to the Seahawks for a 2015 sixth-round pick, according to the Colts’ Twitter account.

Here’s Indianapolis’ full list of transactions:

Waived:

Released:

Waived-injured:

Placed on reserve-suspended list:

Robert Mathis Suspended For Four Games

May 16th, 2014 at 4:04pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s 2013 sack leader will be hard-pressed to defend his title in 2014, as a suspension will force Robert Mathis out of action for the first month of the upcoming season. The Colts and the NFL announced today that the standout pass rusher will have to serve a four-game suspension as a result of violating the league’s policy on prohibited substances (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan).

“Like many families, my wife and I faced fertility challenges, and I sought medical assistance,” Mathis said in a statement explaining the situation (TwitLonger link). “I specifically asked the doctor if the medication he prescribed for me would present a problem for NFL drug testing, and unfortunately, he incorrectly told me that it would not. … The union has worked very closely with me to present all of the facts and medical records for consideration of discipline that does not include a suspension because of the unique facts of my case, but the Commissioner refused the request.”

Missing the first four contests of the 2014 season means that Mathis won’t be available to chase former teammate Peyton Manning during the league’s opening game in Denver. He also won’t be available when the Colts play the Eagles, Jaguars, and Titans. In addition to sitting out for four games, Mathis will also have to forgo about $706K in base salary, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The silver lining for Mathis and his family? His wife did indeed became pregnant shortly after Mathis took the medication.

The NFL and the Colts also released statements on the suspension (Sulia links via Caplan).