HEADLINES

Sean Smith

AFC Notes: Pats, Browns, Raiders, Dolphins

September 29th, 2017 at 9:30pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Dont’a Hightower is expected to return to action for the Patriots on Sunday after missing each of the club’s past two games with a knee sprain, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. New England, notably, ranks dead last in the NFL in points allowed, yards allowed, and defensive DVOA. With the Patriots’ defense clearly missing its leader, Hightower’s return can’t come too soon. As Howe writes, New England had been using Hightower as an edge defender, but several defensive mistakes could lead the Pats to shift Hightower back to his natural off-ball linebacker position. Elandon Roberts, and possibly Kyle Van Noy, will likely see his snaps reduced as a result of Hightower’s return.

Here’s more from the AFC:

  • While Hightower will be back on the field in New England, the same can’t be said for Browns defensive end Myles Garrett, who is expected to miss Sunday’s game against the Bengals, reports Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Garrett, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, hasn’t played a regular season down this year as he deals with a high ankle sprain. Browns head coach Hue Jackson has hinted on multiple occasions that Garrett is “close” to returning, but the Texas A&M product will have to wait until at least Week 5 to make his NFL debut. Without Garrett in tow, Cleveland ranks just 23rd in adjusted sack rate.
  • Raiders cornerback Sean Smith pleaded not guilty on charges of assault and battery stemming from an alleged July altercation, as Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal writes. The details of the incident are rather sordid, but Oakland head coach Jack Del Rio indicated the club would stand behind Smith until the legal process runs its course. On the field, Smith is no longer starting just one year after agreeing to a four-year, $38MM free agent contract. Thus far, he’s played only a quarter of the Raiders’ defensive snaps, fourth among Oakland corners.
  • Punter Brandon Fields has announced his retirement from the NFL following a nine-year career, his agent announced on Twitter. Fields, 33, last played for the Saints in 2015, but is most well-known for his eight-season run with the Dolphins from 2007-14. The former seventh-round pick appeared in 130 career games and maintained a yards per punt average of 46.7.

AFC West Notes: Raiders, Smith, Mahomes

August 21st, 2017 at 2:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the AFC West:

  • Raiders coach Jack Del Rio offered some support for Sean Smith as he faces felony assault charges. “I think we’ll let him battle legally what issues he has,” Del Rio said (via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle). “I don’t really have anything to add to it. I mean, I think you heard the story. He was defending his sister. Obviously, things occurred that were taken issue with, so he’s having to defend himself right now.” Smith played in the team’s second preseason game Saturday night and right now there’s no reason to believe that the team will come down on him with a suspension. However, depending on how things shake out, Smith may have to answer to the legal system and the league office.
  • Chiefs coach Andy Reid was unequivocal when asked whether rookie Patrick Mahomes could start over quarterback Alex Smith. “It’s Alex’s job. There’s no gray area,” Reid said (via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com on Twitter). John Dorsey was in charge at the time of the Mahomes pick, but apparently new GM Brett Veach was the one who put him on Dorsey and Reid’s radar. There’s every reason to believe that Mahomes will wind up as the Chiefs’ main QB at some point, but the Chiefs want to avoid speculation of the transition happening this year.
  • Chargers back up offensive tackle Tyreek Burwell has a broken hand, as Alex Flanagan of NFL Network tweets. Burwell first joined the Bolts as an undrafted free agent in 2015. He appeared in eleven games as a rookie and five last season.

Latest On Raiders CB Sean Smith

August 18th, 2017 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

Raiders cornerback Sean Smith has been charged with assault and the latest word on the incident is not great. The victim – his sister’s boyfriend – was beaten so badly that he wound up in critical condition with multiple broken bones in his face, TMZ Sports has learned. Sean Smith (vertical)

[RELATED: Raiders’ Sean Smith Charged With Assault]

Smith’s attorney says he’s innocent, but cops claim that Smith beat the man and then stomped his head. Investigators spoke with multiple witnesses at the scene who say that Smith was the assailant in this Fourth of July fracas.

Smith was hoping to return as a starting cornerback for the Raiders in 2017, but he now has bigger fish to fry. Smith due back in court to be arraigned in September after posting 80K bond this week. The 30-year-old could face up to seven years in prison if he’s convicted of the charges.

The NFL has been known to suspend and/or fine players even when the legal system clears them of wrongdoing, so it’s quite possible that he’ll face punishment from the league office. Reportedly, Smith could temporarily wind up on paid leave while the case gets sorted out.

In 2016, his first year with Oakland, Smith totaled 40 tackles and two interceptions. He is slated to enter the second year of a four-year, $40MM contract.

Sean Smith Charged With Assault

August 17th, 2017 at 7:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Los Angeles District Attorney’s Office announced Thursday that it has charged Raiders cornerback Sean Smith with assault. Smith “faces one felony count each of assault by means of force likely to produce great bodily injury and battery with serious bodily injury” stemming from an alleged assault on his sister’s boyfriend on July 4. Smith, who allegedly beat and stomped on the victim’s head, could face up to seven years in prison if he’s convicted of the charges. His first court date is scheduled for Sept. 29.

“Sean has maintained his innocence,” Smith’s attorney, Daniel Rosenberg, told Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We are going to enter a plea of not guilty and fight these charges.”

Sean Smith

Smith, whom the Raiders signed to a four-year, $40MM contract in 2016, is in his second season with the club. The former Dolphin and Chief started in all 15 of his appearances last year, totaled two interceptions and ranked a stellar 16th in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified corners. Smith, 30, has been competing this summer to retain his starting role for a Raiders team with Super Bowl hopes, but his chances of remaining near the top of their depth chart are now in even greater jeopardy.

Even if Smith avoids serious legal punishment, the NFL could discipline him in some form, as it has done with other players in the past. For now, it’s possible Smith will go on paid leave, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports.

AFC Rumors: Broncos, Fins, Glenn, Raiders

August 6th, 2017 at 8:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

It’s not exactly a secret the Broncos are hoping their 2016 first-round pick takes the quarterback reins by Week 1, but Paxton Lynch has yet to offer much evidence he’s ready to do that. The obvious caveat of the Broncos being yet to begin their preseason slate applies, but Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com notes Trevor Siemian is in control of this job by default. Broncos staffers aren’t sensing a different vibe from this competition compared to last season, Robinson reports, adding current Broncos personnel view Siemian in front of this race due to Lynch’s inconsistency.

While the Broncos would still hold out hope for Lynch to seize this job at some point in the season, he has lost “every single practice” to the less heralded Siemian, Robinson writes. Siemian’s backstory as a seventh-round pick holding off a player of Lynch’s pedigree for a second season would be interesting for a Broncos team expected to again rely on its defense, but as of now the ex-Northwestern part-time quarterback has a legitimate chance to keep the job.

Here’s the latest out of the AFC:

  • Two anonymous agents told Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald any possible Dolphins overtures to coax Ryan Tannehill into a pay cut are likely to be met with a rejection on agent Pat Dye’s part. Only $5.25MM in injury guarantees remain on Tannehill’s deal, which runs through 2020. Tannehill’s 2018 salary ($17.5MM) becomes guaranteed on the fifth day of the next league year. And although there may be higher-end quarterbacks available in 2018 compared to the past several years, they would likely cost more per year than Tannehill’s deal requires, Jackson writes.
  • The Raiders return their entire starting secondary from last season, but they are not using Sean Smith as a first-unit player presently. Smith worked as a reserve corner on Sunday while the team shuttled rookie UDFA Breon Borders into the fray. Jack Del Rio confirmed this was a performance-based promotion for Borders, via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter). David Amerson and T.J. Carrie worked as the starting corners, with Borders at nickel, per Scott Bair of CSN Bay Area (via Twitter). The 6-foot-3 Smith has been used as a boundary corner for years, and Carrie patrolled the slot for the Raiders after D.J. Hayden went down last season. This marked the third day Carrie played ahead of Smith, Paul Gutierrez of ESPN.com notes. Smith’s $9.25MM salary is guaranteed for 2017, while no guaranteed money remains on the 30-year-old defender’s four-year deal after this season. Gareon Conley has yet to factor into this equation.
  • Cordy Glenn returned to Bills practice Sunday after a bout of ongoing foot trouble, and the sixth-year left tackle said he would “hopefully” be ready to go by Week 1, via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Ankle and foot injuries have dogged Glenn since last season. He recently received a second opinion from a specialist in Charlotte.
  • The Chiefs worked out defensive lineman Connor Wujciak on Sunday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter). Originally a UDFA with the Eagles in 2016, Wujciak missed all of his would-be rookie season with a shoulder injury. The Eagles waived him in February.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/16/17

May 16th, 2017 at 5:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Minnesota Vikings

  • Waived: DL B.J. Dubose

Pittsburgh Steelers

Washington Redskins

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Pats, Jets, Robinson

July 30th, 2016 at 8:20pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Dolphins were never mentioned as a suitor for cornerback Sean Smith during the free agent period, but Smith’s agent met with Miami general manager Mike Tannenbaum in the spring and pitched his client to the club, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Fins, who originally drafted Smith in 2009, weren’t interested in reuniting with the veteran defensive back, who ultimately signed with the Raiders for nearly $10MM annually. Passing on Smith was a mistake, opines Salguero, who adds that Miami is still looking for a press cornerback opposite Byron Maxwell, where the leading contenders for playing time are Xavien Howard, Tony Lippett, and recent signee Rashaan Melvin. Another defensive back could be on the way, as the Dolphins worked out former Bear Al Louis-Jean today, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

Let’s take a look at more from the AFC East:

  • Given that they’ll enter next offeason with more than $60MM in cap space, there’s no reason the Patriots can’t reach extensions with a decent number of their defensive free agents, explains Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Linebackers Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are the high-profile names, and New England could use the franchise tag to retain at least one of that duo. Defensive end Jabaal Sheard is also heading for free agency, while Malcolm Butler will be a restricted free agent. Further down the list, defensive backs Duron Harmon and Logan Ryan and defensive linemen Rob Ninkovich, Chris Long, and Terrance Knighton will all see their contracts expire.
  • Now that the Jets have re-signed Ryan Fitzpatrick, the conventional wisdom states that the club won’t carry Fitz, Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg on the 53-man roster, but head coach Todd Bowles downplayed that notion, telling Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk it’s “conceivable” that New York brings all four signal-callers to Week 1. However, as Florio notes, Bowles’ stance could merely be posturing in the hopes that another team will offer to trade for one of Gang Green’s reserve quarterbacks.
  • Jets owner Woody Johnson doesn’t appear to have meddled in contract negotiations with Fitzpatrick, as Darryl Slater of NJ.com writes. “…Woody is knowledgeable of what’s going on,” said general manager Mike Maccagnan. “From a negotiation standpoint and all that stuff, we communicate with him because he owns the team and he runs the team, but he lets us do our jobs and hopefully do it well.” 
  • Running back Khiry Robinson isn’t close to appearing in Jets camp as he recovers from a broken leg, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Robinson, 26, fractured his leg in November and was subsequently non-tendered by the Saints in the spring. He agreed to a one-year deal with New York that includes $80K guaranteed and $370K in per-game roster bonuses, so Robinson will be missing out on a decent chunk of money every time he misses a regular season contest.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

Contract Details: Smith, Martin, Sweezy, Thornton

March 10th, 2016 at 9:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some of the latest details on recently agreed-upon or signed contracts from around the NFL. All Twitter links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated…

  • Sean Smith, CB (Raiders): Four years, $38MM. $20MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. 2016 $5.75MM base salary is guaranteed. 2017 $5MM salary guaranteed against injury upon signing. 2018 base: $8.25MM. 2019: $8.75MM. $500K annual Pro Bowl incentive. Smith has $4.25MM roster bonus guaranteed on third day of 2017 league year. (Twitter links). $15.25MM fully guaranteed in first 12 months of the deal, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter)
  • Byron Maxwell, CB (Dolphins): As part of restructure, gave back $1.5MM in cash on 2017 salary in exchange for $2MM guaranteed in ’17, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter)
  • Doug Martin, RB (Buccaneers): Five years, $35.75MM. $15MM guaranteed. $4MM roster bonus on March 14. Guaranteed base salaries of $4MM, $7MM in 2016, 2017. Salaries from 2018-20: $6.75MM, $7MM, $7MM. $1.44MM escalator for stats, playing time, Pro Bowls from 2017-20 (Twitter links)
  • J.R. Sweezy, G (Buccaneers): Five years, $32.5MM. $14.5MM guaranteed. $5MM roster bonus on March 15. Base salaries from 2016-20: $4.5MM, $2.5MM, $6.5MM, $5.75MM, $5.75MM. $2.75MM roster bonus in 2017. (Twitter link)
  • Cedric Thornton, DE (Cowboys): Four years, $17MM. $9MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. Base salaries 2016-19: $1MM (guaranteed), $3MM (guaranteed against injury), $4MM, $4MM. (Twitter link)
  • Tracy Porter, CB (Bears): Three years, $12MM. $4.25MM guaranteed. $900K signing bonus. $1.6MM roster bonus on March 30. Base salaries from 2016-18: $1.5MM, $3.5MM, $3.5MM. $1MM Pro Bowl bonus in each year. (Twitter links via Wilson and Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times)
  • Bilal Powell, RB (Jets): Three years, $11.25MM. $250MM signing bonus. 2016 base salary of $850K, which is guaranteed. $2.5MM of $3.75MM 2017 base salary guaranteed. (Twitter link)
  • Tony Bergstrom, C (Texans): Two years, $5.75MM. $750K signing bonus. $1.5MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.23MM (guaranteed), $2.63MM (guaranteed against injury). $750K roster bonus April 18. (Twitter links)
  • Johnson Bademosi, DB (Lions): Two years, $4.5MM. $2.9MM guaranteed. Base salaries in 2016-17: $1.1MM, $1.3MM. $50K annual workout bonus. $400K Pro Bowl incentive. (Twitter link)

Sean Smith Signs With Raiders

March 10th, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Luke Adams

6:01pm: Smith signed his Raiders contract, according to the team’s official Twitter account.

6:52am: The contract agreed to by Smith and the Raiders is worth $40MM over four years, with $20MM in guarantees, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

6:42am: The Raiders are set to make their third major free agent splash of the week, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that cornerback Sean Smith has agreed to terms with the club. If and when the two sides make it official, Smith will be leaving the Chiefs to join one of Kansas City’s division rivals.Sean Smith

[RELATED: Raiders agree to sign Bruce Irvin]

For the Raiders, Smith is the third free agent ranked inside our top 10 who has agreed to terms this week with the team. Oakland has also struck deals with offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele and outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, as the club takes advantage of its massive amount of cap room.

Smith, 28, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Miami before playing the last three seasons for the Chiefs. Although he’ll only be entering his age-29 season, the former second-round pick already has 100 career starts to his name, and he has been a steady presence in Kansas City in recent years. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 12th out of 111 qualified cornerbacks, placing him right behind standouts like Chris Harris, Stephon Gilmore, and the recently franchised Josh Norman.

[RELATED: Raiders, Kelechi Osemele reach agreement]

Entering free agency, PFR ranked Smith as the ninth-best player available on the open market. Among cornerbacks, only Janoris Jenkins (fourth) ranked higher, and the Rams corner has since agreed to a five-year, $62.5MM contract with the Giants, setting the market for Smith. Since Jenkins is a little younger than Smith, the former Chief may not land quite as lucrative a contract, but he’s expected to do very well.

The 49ers were also believed to be in the running for Smith, with the Chiefs reportedly making a push to re-sign him on Tuesday night. However, the Raiders were frequently cited as perhaps the most aggressive suitor for the free agent corner, and it looks like they’re on the verge of officially adding him to their roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Free Agent Rumors: Hogan, Pats, Steelers

March 10th, 2016 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors out of the AFC:

  • Bills restricted free agent Chris Hogan is visiting the Patriots today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The Pats could sign the wide receiver/special-teamer to an offer sheet that the Bills would have five days to match. Pats head coach Bill Belichick has done serious research on Hogan and he likes the fact that he could serve as a backup punter, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets.
  • Steelers H-back Will Johnson has talked with the Jets, Bears, Chargers, and Titans since the opening of free agency, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. Johnson is a versatile blocker and special teamer, but Fowler adds that he could be looking for more carries, too.
  • The Chiefs weren’t close to matching the Raiders‘ offer for cornerback Sean Smith, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (on Twitter).
  • The Bengals are trying to close on re-signing linebacker Vincent Rey today, as Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com tweets.
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