Tom Brady - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Hunter, Brady, Thomas

September 1st, 2015 at 9:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Titans wide receiver Justin Hunter‘s case was continued until Sept. 15 because a defense witness did not show up to court today, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets. Just days ago, Hunter had his charge reduced to a misdemeanor. The 24-year-old was viewed as a potential breakout candidate last year, but battled injuries and complied just 498 yards and three touchdowns on 28 receptions.

Here’s more from around the NFL..

Judge Richard Berman will issue his decision and order in the Tom Brady case by the end of the week, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. As it stands, the Patriots QB is set to serve a four-game suspension.
Following his doctor’s visit, Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas has decided to have surgery on his injured finger on Wednesday, a source told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Thomas could be out for a month, as previously estimated.
Larry Foote was coaching at Cardinals practice today, which is likely a sign that he’s not playing this season, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com tweets. Foote had to make a decision on his status by 1pm Arizona time, and that deadline has come and gone. The Cardinals added the 35-year-old to their coaching staff earlier in the offseason with the intent of signing him to the roster later in the summer if he decided to continue playing.
Rams coach Jeff Fisher made it clear that Case Keenum will be the team’s No. 2 quarterback, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. That leaves Austin Davis and Sean Mannion to battle for the No. 3 job (link). Given that Mannion was a third-round pick this year, it seems unlikely that Davis will win that battle.

Extra Points: Bucs, F. Jackson, Brady, Ridley

September 1st, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers had a slew of problems on their offensive line last year, and even after addressing the position multiple times in the draft, the club isn’t totally satisfied with its line play. According to Jenna Laine of SportsTalkFlorida.com (via Twitter), the Bucs are looking for interior offensive line help, and are shopping for possible trades. The club could also look to claim a player off waivers or sign a free agent, as more cuts are made this week.

Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL, as teams reduce their rosters to 75 players:

Fred Jackson appears likely to land with the Seahawks, but the Ravens have also expressed interest in the veteran running back, says Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (via Twitter). According to Carucci, there’s been no indication that the Patriots, Cowboys, or Browns have shown interest in Jackson.
When Judge Richard Berman announces his decision on Tom Brady‘s case this week, he’ll either uphold or vacate the four-game suspension for the Patriots quarterback. However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains, Berman has a handful of different options available to him when he makes that ruling.
All signs are pointing to Jets running back Stevan Ridley, who is returning from an ACL injury, starting the regular season on the club’s reserve/PUP list, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
David Newton of ESPN.com conducted a Q&A with Panthers GM Dave Gettleman, who addressed the play of new left tackle Michael Oher, the team’s acquisition of wideout Kevin Norwood, and the areas of the roster that may still need an upgrade.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell also discussed a Monday trade, indicating that the decision to move kicker Josh Scobee was the “toughest decision we’ve had to make.” John Oehser of Jaguars.com has the details.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the cap ramifications of some of the more notable veteran cuts made over thee weekend and on Monday.

Tom Brady Was Open To One-Game Suspension

August 31st, 2015 at 8:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady was believed to be “open” to serving a one-game suspension for his role in the DeflateGate matter, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It was a possibility heading into settlement talks in court Monday, but talks never got that far.

Settlement talks between Brady and the NFL broke down Monday when Judge Richard M. Berman decided the two parties were too far apart and there was no point to continuing. Brady maintains his position that he will not accept the findings of the Wells Report and he is unwilling to accept responsibility for his alleged role in the deflation of footballs. The NFL, meanwhile, has said that it will only slash Brady’s suspension if he’s willing to accept responsibility.

Previous reports have indicated that the NFL would be willing to cut Brady’s suspension to two games if he were to admit guilt. However, Gary Myers of the New York Daily News (on Twitter) hears that the NFL has indicated that it would only take the suspension down from four games to three games. The NFL has yet to make a formal settlement offer to Brady’s camp.

No Settlement For Brady; Ruling Expected Soon

August 31st, 2015 at 10:45am CST by Luke Adams

It may not fit the traditional definition of the term, but it’s clear that this year’s most significant “quarterback controversy” has been the one in New England. By the end of this week though, the Patriots should get some resolution and find out whether or not Tom Brady will be available to play in Week 1.

According to Manhattan Federal Court reporter Stephen Brown (via Twitter), today’s hearing in Judge Richard Berman’s courtroom concluded without a settlement between the NFL and the NFLPA. With no compromise reached, Berman expects to make a ruling on Tuesday or Wednesday, or at least by the end of the week.

Because Judge Berman can’t force the two sides to reach a settlement, and can’t determine a middle ground himself, he’ll have to either uphold or vacate Brady’s four-game suspension. Of course, regardless of which way Berman rules, the losing party will almost certainly appeal the decision, resulting in more litigation. But if Berman were to vacate the suspension, it would clear the path for Brady to start the Patriots’ regular season opener.

According to Bowen (all Twitter links), Giants owner John Mara and NFLPA rep Jay Feely both took part in negotiations today, but they went nowhere. Judge Berman acknowledged that both parties “tried quite hard” to settle, but it just didn’t happen.

AFC East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Brady, Branch

August 31st, 2015 at 9:11am CST by Rory Parks

Manish Mehta of The New York Daily News certainly doesn’t believe Ryan Fitzpatrick is the Jets‘ long-awaited savior at quarterback, but given Fitzpatrick’s performance in the team’s preseason win over the Giants on Saturday night, along with the Jets’ corps of talented wideouts and loaded defense, Mehta does think the Harvard grad could keep Gang Green in playoff contention all season.

Now for some more links from the AFC East:

Judge Richard Berman is set to meet with NFL and NFLPA reps in court again today regarding the Tom Brady case, and a source in the Patriots quarterback’s camp tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) that, barring a settlement, a decision is expected by week’s end. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Giants owner John Mara is attending today’s hearing.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe wonders if the Patriots regret signing Alan Branch to a two-year deal worth as much as $6.6MM this offseason. Branch played well for New England in 2014, but he skipped the team’s offseason workout program this year and arrived to training camp overweight and out of shape. Branch has a history of similar behavior, and since the Pats have some defensive line depth and only gave Branch $700K in guaranteed money, it would not be hard for the team to move on.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald would not be surprised if the Dolphins made the somewhat unorthodox decision to try and sign kicker Andrew Franks to the team’s practice squad. Salguero notes that Franks has tremendous upside. (Twitter link).
The Dolphins have their starting lineup mostly set as the regular season approaches, but the one exception is who will start at corner opposite Brent Grimes, writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. Jamar Taylor was the leader before injuring his quadriceps, and Brice McCain hasn’t locked up the spot in his absence. Beasley writes that the great pressure the defense has gotten on the quarterback has made it difficult to evaluate the cornerback depth chart with the starting unit.

Rob DiRe contributed to this post.

East Notes: Galette, Wayne, Brady, Ryans

August 25th, 2015 at 12:41pm CST by Luke Adams

There’s “a feeling” in Washington that the team will learn this week whether or not veteran pass rusher Junior Galette will face a suspension for any off-field incidents, writes John Keim of ESPN.com. Washington didn’t waste much time picking up Galette after he was released by the Saints, suggesting the front office wasn’t expecting a significant penalty. According to Keim, the club is hopeful that any Galette suspension would be for two games or less.

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

Josina Anderson of ESPN.com provides a couple specific figures on Reggie Wayne‘s new contract with the Patriots, tweeting that has a maximum value of $2.8MM and features a $450K signing bonus. According to Wayne, he fielded “a lot of serious calls from some good teams,” but decided New England was the best fit for him, per Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Attorneys for the NFL and NFLPA met yesterday for another settlement conference regarding Tom Brady‘s case, but – as expected – the session didn’t lead to an agreement, tweets Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The next hearing in Judge Richard Berman’s court regarding the Patriots quarterback is scheduled for August 31.
Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links) wonders what the Mychal Kendricks extension means for Eagles linebacker DeMeco Ryans. As McLane explains, he heard earlier this year that Kendricks would likely only play one more season in Philadelphia, so the apparent change of heart from the team may be related to Ryans, who turned 31 last month.
E.J. Manuel acknowledged during training camp this year that he knows his days with the Bills may be numbered if he doesn’t play well. However, as Sal Capaccio of WGR550 details, Manuel says he loves playing in Buffalo: “I want to stay here.”

NFC East Notes: Brady, Giants, Hardy

August 20th, 2015 at 8:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the NFC East..

Giants co-owner John Mara has respectfully declined to participate in settlement discussions between Tom Brady and the NFL, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com. There are currently conflicting reports on whether Brady would be open to accepting a suspension of any kind. League lawyers, who sources say were reluctant about the idea, communicated Wednesday to the judge that Mara cited an obvious competitive conflict of interest.
Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy still hasn’t made a final decision about suing the NFL to reduce his suspension, but every passing day reduces the chances of that happening, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
Giants quarterback Ryan Nassib told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post that he’ll have to assess his options if the Giants decide to give Eli Manning a new multi-year deal. “Yeah, that’s something we would look into once the season’s over,” Nassib said. “We’ll see when the decision’s made or whatnot. [Unless it happens], that’s something I can’t really speculate on.” The 2013 fourth-round pick is signed through 2016 at a cap-friendly total of $1.26MM over the next two seasons.

Extra Points: Weddle, Chancellor, Brady

August 19th, 2015 at 10:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Adam Jones will probably go down as one of those “what-if” history stories in sports and the Bengals cornerback is well aware of that. “If I would have never gotten suspended, I would have $100 million right now,” Jones said, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. Still, Jones says that he tries not to live with regrets and that he hopes to make the most of the remainder of his career. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Eric Weddle‘s agent David Canter confirmed (via Twitter links) that he would like to see the Chargers safety land with the Dolphins. However, he made it clear that he and Weddle “have never and will never ask for a trade from San Diego.” Teams typically don’t trade their best players, Canter notes, and he says that Bolts fans can rest assured that he won’t be going anywhere, at least in 2015.
Agent Alvin Keels told ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (on Twitter) that everything is status quo with his client, Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor. “Nothing has changed. He will not report without his contract being addressed this season. The team and I have been in contact, but we haven’t been able to agree on any compromise,” Keels said.
Right now, there are no more settlement talks planned between the NFL and NFLPA until the August 31st court appearance, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.
Brandon Meriweather‘s deal with the Giants is a one-year pact worth $870K and no guaranteed cash, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
During practice Sunday, Raiders‘ WR Andre Holmes fractured his hand and now is expected to be out 3-4 weeks, sources tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).
New Jets quarterback Matt Flynn says that there’s no timetable on when he’ll recover from his hamstring issue and added that he is not guaranteed a roster spot with Gang Green, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets.
Guard-center Josh Samuda, former Dolphin and Viking, worked out today for the Chiefs, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Latest On Tom Brady’s Suspension Appeal

August 19th, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

1:38pm: While Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) heard from a source this morning that Schefter’s report on Brady (detailed below) was “dead on,” some contradictory reports have surfaced since then. Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald writes that Brady isn’t getting ready to accept a suspension, while Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) that Brady’s stance hasn’t changed and that he isn’t willing to accept any suspension at this point.

Unless Schefter and Freeman were entirely off base, it’s possible that today’s hearing in New York played a part in Brady’s continued reluctance to agree to any form of suspension. According to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter links), Judge Berman was “very critical” of the NFL today, grilling the league’s lawyers and making observations on his own that boosted the credibility of the NFLPA’s arguments. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (TwitLonger link) and Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk detail a few specific points made by Berman as he poked holes in the NFL’s arguments.

Per Schefter (via Twitter), Judge Berman continued to push today for a settlement, asking the two sides to return to court on August 31 if there’s still no agreement in place. It’s still not clear which way Berman would rule if the two sides can’t reach a compromise, but given the way he has grilled the NFL so far, it looks like there’s more pressure on the league to reach a settlement — especially since, as Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole reports, team owners want resolution in the matter, and would accept a reduced suspension for Brady.

8:04am: Throughout the appeal process for Tom Brady‘s case, a settlement has been viewed as extremely unlikely, since the NFL is pushing for some form of suspension for Brady, while the Patriots quarterback has appeared unwilling to agree to more than a fine. A settlement still doesn’t appear imminent, with the two sides returning to court today, but there may be a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link), Brady is open to the idea of accepting a suspension, but only for failing to cooperate with the NFL’s investigation — not for admitting to anything in Ted Wells’ report’s findings. Of course, the suspension would have to be reduced from its current four games, in that scenario. Per Schefter, the NFL has been adamant that Brady admit to the report’s findings, which the Super Bowl MVP doesn’t seem willing to ever do.

A penalty that results in perhaps a one-game suspension and a fine for Brady has always seemed like the most logical compromise, if the two sides are going to reach an agreement. That would allow the NFL to uphold its suspension, while allowing Brady to significantly reduce the number of games he’d miss. We’ll see if Judge Richard M. Berman can cajole the two sides any closer to such an agreement today.

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com has a primer on what to expect from today’s hearing.

Tom Brady Settlement Talks At Standstill

August 18th, 2015 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard that Tom Brady was headed to New York in order to be present for Wednesday’s federal court hearing with Judge Richard M. Berman. However, now it seems that Brady’s time in New York will be brief, and won’t include attending tomorrow’s meeting.

According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter), Brady was in New York today to participate in settlement discussions regarding his case, but no progress was made. Pelissero suggested (via Twitter) that Brady had made the decision to rejoin the Patriots rather than sticking around New York, but Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that the Super Bowl MVP was told by Judge Berman that there’s no need for him to be there tomorrow, with settlement talks at a standstill.

Throughout the process, Judge Berman has encouraged the NFL and NFLPA to try to find common ground and reach a settlement, but that outcome always looked like a long shot. The league wants Brady to serve a suspension of some sort, even if it’s not his full four-game penalty, while the Patriots signal-caller is reportedly unwilling to accept more than a fine.

With a settlement looking increasingly unlikely, Judge Berman figures to eventually make a ruling on the case. Tomorrow’s hearing, which will take place without Brady, should help to provide a timeline for when Berman’s decision could come.