NFL - NEWS & NOTES

No disrespect was intended on my part. I found it interesting and unusual and hadn't realized that till now. It says something, in my opinion.

 

Yep. That's a fact. Here's the rest of the facts.

Of those 10 players;

• One had the Transition tag (Mack) and left for the money.
• Three were released (Taylor, Weeden and Manziel).
• The remaining six were traded (two of them to Pittsburgh).

 

My annual shameless NCAA Bracketology field prediction post I put in other forums so you can actually notice it and see it in time:

http://live4sportnetwork.com/forum/threads/2018-bracketology.13171/

 

The report of three years, $39 million for Richard Sherman may be “a mirage”

You know the drill by now. Player agrees to terms. Numbers get leaked to reporter who passes them along without scrutiny, analysis, or caveat. Real numbers come out later, exposing that the initial number was a lie.

Multiple league sources, based on history and some of the details already emerging about the deal signed Saturday night by cornerback Richard Sherman in San Francisco, predict that the three-year, $39 million package first reported by Ian Rapoport of NFL Media) is “a mirage.”

Already, signs are emerging that the deal may not be what it seems. Josina Anderson of ESPN tweeted on Saturday night that Sherman told her the deal is worth “up to $39.15 million.” The key words there are “up to,” because it implies a ceiling based on incentives and other payments tied to playing time or performance. Which means that Sherman’s base deal is lower than $39.15 million.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media has since posted the breakdown for the first year: $5 million signing bonus, $2 million base salary (there’s no mention as to whether it’s guaranteed, but as a practical matter it most likely is), $2 million in 46-man per-game roster bonuses, $1 million playing-time incentives, and a $3 million Pro Bowl incentive. (One source cautions that the “Pro Bowl” incentive may be an “All-Pro” incentive, which is harder to achieve since only two are selected for the entire league.)

Per Pelissero, if Sherman makes it to the Pro Bowl (or, possibly, All-Pro), $16 million of the deal becomes fully guaranteed over 2019 and 2020.

While those details aren’t nearly enough to show that the “three-year, $39 million” figure is a “mirage” (Pelissero may be trying to avoid committing NFL Media-on-NFL Media crime), it’s a strong clue that the contract isn’t what Rapoport reported it to be. Pelissero’s breakdown shows a maximum package of $13 million for 2018 (one third of $39 million), if Sherman dresses for all 16 regular-season games, achieves the total playing-time threshold, and make it to the NFC Pro Bowl team (or, possibly, the AP All-Pro team.)

Soon enough, the real numbers will emerge. And it could be the first example of what perhaps will be multiple instances of a common dynamic in the reporting of NFL contracts: In order to be first, reporters often will willingly be not entirely accurate. (PFT)
________
____________________

Bottom line - He's a 49er. I don't care how far off the numbers are, that always come out in the wash anyways. Inter-Division rivalry getting another teams player is interesting to me. Might even watch them when they play each other. Maybe.

 

Giants cut Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie

 

My annual shameless NCAA Bracketology field prediction post I put in other forums so you can actually notice it and see it in time:

http://live4sportnetwork.com/forum/threads/2018-bracketology.13171/

It has been updated for the final projection

 

Chargers cornerback Casey Hayward just got some job security in Los Angeles.

Hayward and the Chargers have agreed to a three-year contract extension that includes $20 million guaranteed at signing, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.


Although Hayward still had one more year on his contract, the Chargers decided after a big season in 2017 to lock him up for two years beyond 2018. His cap hit would have been $5.1 million this year; there’s no word on how this deal will affect his cap hit.

Last year Hayward started all 16 games for the Chargers and was chosen as a second-team All-Pro. (PFT)

 

DeMarco Murray visiting Lions Monday...

 

Also, Jonathan Stewart...

 

Trumaine Johnson says goodbye to the Rams, hello to next payday



Either Trumaine Johnson was the last one to figure this out, or he’s had this one in the hopper for a few days.

The Rams cornerback said goodbye to his fans (in both St. Louis and Los Angeles) and said hello to the open market in a social media post last night.

It was clear the Rams weren’t bringing him back after using the franchise tag on him twice, then trading for both Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters and also signing Sam Shields.

That sends Johnson into the market (which effectively opens today with the legal tampering period) as the top cornerback available.

There should be plenty of interest in the 28-year-old across the league. Teams with piles of money like the Jets could obviously use him but others such as the Raiders and 49ers have been mentioned.

Either way, he stands to make a windfall in the coming days, beyond the windfalls he’s received the last two years. (PFT)

 

Cardinals expected to release Adrian Peterson Monday



There’s been an expectation since January that the Cardinals would release running back Adrian Peterson as they start working on their 2018 roster and it seems that the day for that move has arrived.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that the Cardinals will release Peterson on Monday. Doing so allows them to avoid paying a $750,000 bonus due on the third day of the league year.

That bonus was part of the two-year deal that Peterson signed with the Saints last offseason and acquired by the Cardinals when they traded for Peterson in October. Peterson had a couple of impressive outings for Arizona, but wound up on injured reserve with a neck injury before the year was out.

Schefter adds that Peterson could return to Arizona in the future, although that wouldn’t offer Peterson much playing time unless the Cardinals lose David Johnson to another serious injury during the 2018 season. (PFT)

 

Three years after the Dolphins made a big splash for defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, one of the best interior defensive lineman in football is indeed expected to hit the open market, soon.

Per a source with knowledge of the situation, expect Suh to be released by the Dolphins after 4:00 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

This would allow the Dolphins to take advantage of the post-June 1 rule, which allows the dead money arising from the move to be spread over two years. Until June 1, his $17 million in salary and workout bonuses would remain on the books, and his cap number would continue to be $26.1 million. After June 1, the $17 million would evaporated, the cap charge for 2018 would drop to $9.1 million, and Suh would count for $13.2 million against the 2019 cap.

A report emerged during the season that Suh would be cut after the season because owner Stephen Ross had become fed up with Suh. That wasn’t the case then, and it isn’t the case now. This is, per the source, a financial transaction, premised on biting the bullet and removing an expensive cap number from the books.

That said, the Dolphins likely would have tried to find a way to keep Suh, if coach Adam Gase regarded Suh as one of the players around whom Gase hopes to build the team. After two years, Gase apparently has seen enough to conclude that Suh’s skills, abilities, and intangibles don’t justify the ongoing investment.

There’s still a chance that someone will trade for Suh, but that would result in an immediate cap charge of $22.3 million. The net savings would still be $3.9 million in cap space ($17 million in cash), and Suh could be off the books after 2018. Plus, the Dolphins may get something of value in return for him.

Cutting Suh means they’ll get nothing — other than the ability to push $13.1 million in dead money to 2019.

 

Ravens release veteran DB Lardarius Webb

 

Raiders parting ways with cornerback Sean Smith

 

Chiefs cut Tamba Hali



After 12 seasons with the Chiefs, defensive end Tamba Hali is on the way out.

The Chiefs are cutting Hali, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports.

The move comes as no surprise, as we noted a month ago that old, expensive players on the Chiefs’ defense were going to be on the way out.

Hali had one year left on his contract and would have cost $9.4 million against the Chiefs’ cap this year. Instead he’ll carry a $1.7 million dead cap charge, meaning the move saves the Chiefs $7.7 million in cap space.

The Chiefs chose Hali in the first round of the 2006 NFL draft. He was chosen to five consecutive Pro Bowls from 2011 to 2015. Last year he played in just five games and did not record a sack. (PFT)

 

Suh said he would play for the Eagles for free. haha. Doubt that happens, but imagine their defense? QBs better run for cover fast !

 

Buccaneers keep Cameron Brate on six-year, $40.8 million deal

The Buccaneers used a first-round pick on a tight end from Alabama a year ago. But that doesn’t mean they don’t want the undrafted tight end they signed out of Harvard four years ago.

PFT has confirmed that the Bucs have signed Cameron Brate to a six-year, $40.8 million contract. Of that amount, $18 million is guaranteed. (It’s unclear how much of it is guaranteed fully at signing.)

Up to $4.5 million is available for catches, touchdowns, and Pro Bowl appearances. Those amounts (the triggers are 65 catches and 10 touchdowns) apply over and above the base value of $40.8 million.

Brate emerged in 2016, with 57 catches for 660 yards and eight touchdowns. Last season, he 48 passes for 591 yards and six scores.

The contract comes only days after the Bucs extended by five years the contract of receiver Mike Evans, giving him a new-money average of $16.5 million and a total value of $15.9 million per year. The decision to keep Brate at an average of nearly $7 million per year will serve only to raise questions about the team’s plans for receiver DeSean Jackson, who was signed a year ago.

 

The Bills just made a huge trade with the Bengals. They traded one of their firsts and Cordy Glenn for #12.