NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Alvin Kamara’s attorney says they will do own investigation into battery allegations



The attorney representing New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara released a statement regarding the arrest of Kamara in Las Vegas on battery charges.

Via Amie Just of the New Orleans Times-Picayune, Drew Findling said they will be conducting their own investigation into the claims against Kamara.


“Alvin Kamara has gained a well-deserved reputation for being a hard-working and community minded individual,” Findling said in a statement. “The recent Las Vegas allegations are not consistent with who Mr. Kamara has shown himself to be in both his public and private life. Therefore, we are conducting our own investigation into all of the circumstances and individuals associated with this matter to determine both the facts and motivations of all involved.”

Kamara was arrested after the conclusion of the Pro Bowl on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium. Darnell Greene was taken to the hospital after an altercation at the Cromwell Hotel outside of the Drais After Dark Club on Saturday. Kamara is alleged to have shoved Greene as he approached an elevator bank with multiple people then attacking Greene causing injury. Police have said that surveillance footage of the incident supports the claims.

The statement is somewhat odd. If there’s surveillance video of the incident, it should be rather clear what happened. Either Kamara participated in an assault of Greene, or he didn’t.

Greene sustained an orbital fracture of his right eye, per the police report.

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Rams WR Cooper Kupp named 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year

No wide receiver has ever won NFL MVP, but Cooper Kupp couldn't have had a more valuable season at his position.

The proof is in the productivity -- from both him and the Rams.

After claiming the first receiving triple crown in more than a decade, and just the fifth in history, Kupp was voted the 2021 AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year on Thursday during NFL Honors. He's only the third wideout to earn the award.

Kupp tallied 35 of a possible 50 votes with Colts running back Jonathan Taylor finishing runner-up with 10 votes. Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady (three) and Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (two) received votes, as well.

Kupp, of course, isn't done. He'll have a chance to add to his hardware in Super Bowl LVI versus the Bengals on Sunday. He's already responsible for the most prolific receiving season ever.

That's right. Kupp's 145 catches and 1,947 receiving yards were the second-highest totals in league history. No one has come close to approaching both of those marks in the same season, much less with 16 TDs. He's tallied an unprecedented 170 catches and 2,333 receiving yards over the 20 games he's played including playoffs. His 20 touchdown catches overall are tied for fourth-most all time.

It's all the product of Kupp seemingly reaching a physical and mental peak in 2021. He possessed no discernible weaknesses prior, but manifested his precise route running, plus hands, and acumen for lining up everywhere to make arguably the biggest leap in the game. The first-time All-Pro, and Pro Bowler, recorded 90-plus receiving yards in 13 straight games (most in Super Bowl era) and 16 overall (most in NFL history). His 11 games with 100-plus yards tied the NFL record.


The Rams needed every bit of it to win the grueling NFC West and make it back to the Super Bowl.

Kupp has led the team in catches this season 19 times and in receiving yards 18 times, constantly finding soft spots in zone defenses while proving to be virtually unguardable versus man coverage. After Robert Woods was lost in early November to a season-ending injury, Matthew Stafford kept finding Kupp. The fifth-year wideout's per-game averages in catches and yards only increased down the stretch despite the increased attention. In the playoffs, he made the two biggest catches in a three-point win over the Buccaneers, and he snagged both of Stafford's touchdown throws in a three-point, NFC title game win over the 49ers.

Injuries prevented Kupp from playing in the closing games of the Rams' previous two playoff runs, both of which were losses. This super season of his fittingly ends Sunday -- and it will be remembered forever.

NFL.com

 

Titans coach Mike Vrabel named 2021 AP NFL Coach of the Year

The Tennessee Titans overcame the loss of their most impactful player among a rash of injuries to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC last year, and now their coach has been honored accordingly.

Mike Vrabel was named the AP NFL Coach of the Year on Thursday during the 11th annual NFL Honors event.

He is the first coach in Titans history to earn the award.

Vrabel drew 36 of the nationwide panel's 50 votes, with Green Bay's Matt Fleur receiving eight votes. Las Vegas interim coach Rich Bisaccia (three), Cincinnati's Zac Taylor (two) and New England's Bill Belichick (one) also got votes.

Not surprisingly, the Titans rewarded Vrabel with a contract extension earlier this week.

The Titans reached the Divisional Round of the playoffs, losing a home game to the Cincinnati Bengals, 19-16, to finish the season at 12-6.

Nonetheless, it was an especially impressive campaign for Vrabel, given that the club lost star running back Derrick Henry for the second half of the season due to a foot injury. Backup running back D'Onta Foreman filled in effectively, and the Titans defense tightened as well.


Minus Henry, the club went 6-3 from Week 9 through the end of the regular season despite averaging roughly 10 fewer points per game without the two-time Pro Bowler. The strong finish allowed Tennessee to claim the top seed in the AFC and earn a bye in the Wild Card Round of the playoffs.

But the injury issues went far deeper than Henry.

Skill-position players missed a total of 112 games, including missed action for starting wide receivers A.J. Brown and Julio Jones. By the end of the regular season, the Titans had broken an NFL record with 91 players seeing action. COVID-19-related unavailability contributed to that total as well -- something every club in the league dealt with -- but it's worth noting that the clubs which set the previous mark of 84, the 2019 Miami Dolphins and 2020 San Francisco 49ers, finished 5-11 and 6-10, respectively.

Also noteworthy from Vrabel's fourth season in Tennessee was a pair of overtime wins. The Titans opened the season 6-2, with victories over the Seattle Seahawks and Indianapolis Colts requiring an extra period.

Vrabel, the former New England Patriots linebacker, has yet to post a losing season in four years as the Titans' coach. The club was 9-7 in each of his first two years, including an AFC title game berth in 2019. Since then, Vrabel's teams have won back-to-back AFC South titles.

NFL.com

 

Report: Saints are not expected to trade Michael Thomas



The Saints have said goodbye to Sean Payton this offseason, but word is that they are not planning to say farewell to wide receiver Michael Thomas.

Thomas missed all of last season because of an ankle injury that required preseason surgery and then led him to have another procedure during the season after having a setback. Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports that Thomas was getting weekly treatments on his ankle in New York, but is now back in New Orleans and in communication with the team.


Based on that communication, the team is not expected to trade Thomas. That’s not overly surprising given the $25 million in dead cap space they’d take on with a trade that’s completed before June 1.

They would clear over $15 million in cap space if they made a trade after that date, so the outlook could change at some point this offseason. For now, though, the team looks like it will be focusing on who will be throwing passes as the team’s quarterback this season.

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Under Sean Payton, he would have been gone.

 

2 more arrests in Las Vegas fight involving NFL’s Kamara

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Las Vegas police have arrested two more suspects who turned themselves in to authorities in connection with the earlier arrest of New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara on charges accusing him of beating a man at a nightclub on the Las Vegas Strip.

Darrin Young and Percy Harris were booked into the Clark County Detention Center Monday on suspicion of felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and conspiracy to commit battery, police said in a statement Wednesday.

Detectives said the two participated in the Feb. 5 battery at the nightclub. Police have issued a warrant for the arrest of an additional suspect who remained at large on Wednesday, according to Las Vegas Justice Court records.

Young and Harris posted bonds Tuesday and were released pending court appearances March 16. Court records don’t list lawyers for them.

Police said at the time of Kamara’s arrest on Feb. 6 that at least three other men were with him when he’s accused of punching and badly injuring a man in an attack at the rooftop nightclub Drai’s at the Cromwell hotel-casino.

Kamara was arrested for suspicion of felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. He posted bond and is scheduled to appear in court on March 8.

 

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Chris Lammons become the fourth suspect arrested in connection with an assault at a Las Vegas nightclub that prompted the Feb. 6 arrest of New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara.

Lammons turned himself in Thursday in Las Vegas and was briefly booked into the Clark County Detention Center on suspicion of felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm and conspiracy to commit battery, police said.

Two other men, Darrin Young and Percy Harris, turned themselves in Monday and were booked on the same charges before posting bonds.

Police say surveillance video shows Kamara and at least three other men attacked the victim Feb. 5 at about 6:30 a.m. They say it shows Kamara punching the man repeatedly before others stomped on the man while he was on the floor at the rooftop nightclub Drai’s above the Cromwell hotel-casino.

Kamara was arrested Feb. 6 after he played in the NFL Pro Bowl at Allegiant Stadium. Police say he told officers he punched the man after he thought he had done something to someone in his group and was trying to run away.

He faces a single charge of felony battery resulting in substantial bodily harm. He was released on bond and scheduled to appear in court on March 8.

Lammons’ first court appearance also is set for March 8. His attorney, Ross Goodman, told the Las Vegas Review-Journal Thursday he plans to launch his own investigation of the alleged attack.

“It appears to be an unplanned and spontaneous altercation based on my review of the reports,” he said.

Las Vegas police said in a statement after Lammons’ arrest Thursday they’re still investigating.

 

Good reason to not play any exhibition game like the pro bowl in Vegas because the unimportance of the game gives players idle time to get stupid.

 

On a lighter note . . .

Here's a good bar trivia question for y'all. (Guaranteed to get you a free adult beverage or two)

How many times has Cleveland won the NFL championship?

 

I know of 1?

 

You owe me a beer.

 

lol! Im with ya brother.

 

Agreed. They should move it back to Miami where nobody gets stupid. Oh wait

Nah, I don't think Vegas is to blame. Knuckleheads find a way, wherever they are.

 

Window to use franchise tags opens Tuesday



We’re more than a week past the Super Bowl and closing in on the end of February, which means that the start of the new league year and opening of free agency is drawing closer.

One of the milestones on the way to that point comes on Tuesday. It is the first day that teams are permitted to use the franchise tag on one of their impending free agents. The window remains open through March 8.


Any player who gets a non-exclusive tag and signs their tag will be guaranteed a salary representing the average of the top five players at his position over the last five years or 120 percent of his previous salary unless they are being tagged for a third time. That would result in a 144 percent bump in salary. Those players can negotiate with other teams, but their current teams can match the offer or they would get two first-round picks as compensation.

An exclusive franchise tag pays the average of the top five salaries for the current year and bars negotiation with other teams.

There is also a transition tag available. It pays the average of the top 10 salaries at the position and teams have the right to match other offers, but would not receive compensation if they chose not to match.

Packers wide receiver Davante Adams, Bengals safety Jessie Bates, Patriots cornerback J.C. Jackson, Cardinals edge rusher Chandler Jones, Buccaneers cornerback Carlton Davis, Chiefs tackle Orlando Brown, Chargers wide receiver Mike Williams, Titans edge rusher Harold Landry, and Dolphins tight end Mike Gesicki are among the candidates for tags this offseason.

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Pro Bowl CB J.C. Jackson says Patriots 'feel like they don't need me' as contract talks remain silent

No NFL player has ever recorded more interceptions in their first four seasons than J.C. Jackson. Mr. INT's next takeaway might not come as easy.

As the franchise-tag window opened Tuesday, the Pro Bowl cornerback said the Patriots have not discussed a new contract with him, per Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston.

"I guess they feel like they don't need me," Jackson said. "I guess I can't be that important to them. I know I am, but they're not showing me."

Jackson has shown New England nothing but production since he was signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018, growing into one of the best corners in football. His 25 interceptions over the past four years tops the league. In 2021, his first season as a full-time starter, Jackson recorded an NFL-high 23 passes defensed and eight interceptions. That netted him a Pro Bowl selection and second-team All-Pro honors.

It remains to be seen what type of contract he'll garner. Jackson said the team approached him about an extension this past year, discussions he described as positive but ones he chose to put off until after the season.

"I wanted to focus on ball at the time," Jackson said. "I wanted to finish the season the right way. I didn't really come back to them on it."

The Pats have yet to resume negotiations with the impending free agent. They have until March 8 to designate Jackson with a franchise or transition tag. They could also elect to let Jackson walk in free agency or tag him while lining up a trade partner that would sign him to a multiyear pact. Jackson said he's open to playing on the tag, estimated at $17.295 million, but his goal this offseason is to ink a long-term deal -- in New England or elsewhere.


"I love the game," he said. "If they tag me, I'm gonna go out there and play. ... Whatever happens happens. I'm taking it day by day. But it's time for me to get paid. It's time to get Mr. INT paid."

NFL.com

 

Bills, Siran Neal agree to three-year deal



Cornerback Siran Neal has become a core member of the Bills special teams since joining the team as a 2018 fifth-round pick and he’s set to stay in Buffalo for years to come.

NFL Media reports that Neal has agreed to a new three-year deal with the team. Neal was set to become an unrestricted free agent in March and his new pact has a maximum value of $10.9 million.


Neal has missed one game during his four seasons in the NFL and he’s played 1,056 special teams snaps while also serving as a reserve on defense for the AFC East champs.

Neal has 83 tackles, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in his 64 regular season appearances. He also caught one pass for 13 yards during the 2020 season and has seven tackles and a sack in six postseason appearances.

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Saints create nearly $34M in salary-cap space by restructuring Michael Thomas, Ryan Ramczyk, Andrus Peat contracts

Mickey Loomis is at it again.

The Saints general manager is no stranger to salary-cap maneuvering, and with New Orleans severely under the projected salary cap, Loomis went to work on alleviating that burden Saturday.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported the Saints created nearly $34 million in cap space by restructuring three marquee contracts: wide receiver Michael Thomas, offensive tackle Ryan Ramczyk and guard Andrus Peat. Rapoport adds that Thomas' and Ramczyk's restructuring netted more than $26 million in cap space, while Peat's created an additional $7.8 million.

New Orleans now sits roughly $42 million under the projected salary-cap of $202.8 million after Saturday's adjustments, per Spotrac.

With free agency just weeks away, look for the Saints and Loomis to find more ways to fix the team's cap pains.

NFL.com

 

Browns, Jack Conklin restructure final year of contract



The Browns have restructured the contract of one of their key offensive linemen.

According to multiple reports, Cleveland and right tackle Jack Conklin have agreed to a change in the last year of his contract. Conklin was due $12 million in non-guaranteed salary. But he will now earn $8 million guaranteed with $4 million in play-time incentives.


Conklin is coming off a torn patella tendon suffered in Week 12. He also missed games in 2021 due to a dislocated elbow.

According to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Conklin’s agent, Drew Rosenhaus, said a few weeks ago that Conklin is ahead of schedule in his rehab process and is on track for the start of the 2022 season.

Conklin signed a three-year $42 million deal with the Browns back in 2020. The No. 8 overall pick in 2016, Conklin played his first four seasons with the Titans.

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