NFL - NEWS & NOTES

This is where the argument starts to fade in my mind.

I agree AS LONG AS HE STAYS HEALTHY, this formula works great. But, if everyone stayed healthy in the NFL, no player would need long term deals, they would just do a series of 1 year deals and make a lot more money in the long run. Truth is, MOST QBs in the NFL deal with injuries. You have a handful of players over the past 15 years that have skated through careers relatively unharmed, but many QBs suffer injuries that could scare that one year deal down to next to nothing. It is because of this risk that long term deals are brokered to begin with.

Everyone is arguing about the tags and how much he can make in 2018 and beyond by sticking it to the man...However, if he is injured and misses a significant portion of 2017, and even worse goes into the next negotiation without a time table to return in 2018, then he stands to lose much more than the guarantees included in the current contract offer by the Redskins.

This comes down to betting against injury...which is what it has always come down to. It's just that most players in the past didn't want to risk the injury factor in the equation.

 

If every player does as the article suggests and cares only about their own personal financial gain than it makes a lot of sense. Fortunately not every player is built like Kirk Cousins. The words team, family, winning and community hold weight with the majority of NFL players.

 

This would be more believable if those same players didn't hold out for top 2 contracts when possible. To hear a QB say they'd love to finish their career in ______, but then they don't sign a contract until they are the highest paid QB in history, or close to it, takes away from those words. For example.

Cousins is simply playing the system from a different angle. One with more risk, but also more reward

 

I agree with what Beach said previously... It is very possible Cousins just doesn't want to stay in Washington.

While he is there, tho, he's playing the 'make the most money' game till something better materializes. That being said, Cousins might be ticked at Red Skins ownership & management for not offering him fully gauranteed years on an multi-year extension.

 

Washington has been treating Cousins like he is yesterdays trash for a couple of seasons now, maybe he is just at the point of saying fuck them.

 

How so?

 

Cousins comments on contract from NFL.com...

Despite the speculation that Cousins wants out of D.C., the 28-year-old quarterback said he wants to remain with Washington beyond 2017, noting he'd play on one-year deals with the Redskins for the next 10 seasons if necessary.

"It has always been my first choice to be with the Redskins," Cousins said. "When you look around the league and you see great quarterbacks, they've nearly all played for one team. And the ones that haven't, it really wasn't their choice. It was usually a situation that dictated they had to move on, but that wasn't their preference. I'm no different, I would love to be with the Redskins long-term. That's why I think that there's still a lot of hope that next offseason, when the season ends, the Redskins are going to have I think about two months to be the exclusive team that I can talk with. Then they still have the opportunity, if we're not anywhere at that point, to use one of two tags.

"From there, there's still time. While the ball is in my court during the season to play football well, the ball certainly goes back to the Redskins' court to continue this process," Cousins said. "So while there was a deadline this summer, the real deadline to make a decision of next year is next year. That's now where my focus is, my focus is on playing football, but there will be plenty of time to figure that all out down the road. Again, my first choice would be to be with the Redskins long-term. We'll see with more information if we can make that happen."

Cousins noted that the only thing he can control is his play during the upcoming season and he doesn't worry about his murky future adding more pressure. He also isn't fretting the Redskins wielding the franchise tag for a third straight season -- which would cost Washington roughly $35 million in 2018.

"If I'm getting tagged a third time, that means this season went really, really well and that would be a beautiful thing," he said.

 

Dozens of QBs (most far better than Cousins) have signed contracts that didn't make them the highest paid and most did so at a time that was team friendly and allowed them to approach the rest of their off-season with a bonafide plan.

 

Detroit Lions' Armonty Bryant suspended four games

Detroit Lions pass rusher Armonty Bryant was suspended four games for violating the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse, the team announced Tuesday.

Bryant, who was suspended twice last season for violating the NFL policy on performance enhancing drugs (four games) and violating the league's policy on drugs of abuse (three games), will now miss the Lions' first four contests of the 2017 season. He's eligible to return on Oct. 2 after Detroit's Oct. 1 tilt against the Minnesota Vikings.

Bryant, who was claimed off waivers by the Lions in October after being released by the Cleveland Browns last season, re-signed with Detroit in March. He recorded five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble with the Lions before suffering a season-ending knee injury in December.

 

Dante Fowler arrested on two misdemeanor charges

Jaguars pass-rusher Dante Fowler was arrested Tuesday night in St. Petersburg, Florida, on misdemeanor charges of simple battery and mischief, according to the St. Petersburg Police Dept.

Per police records obtained by NFL.com, Fowler was seen "punching" a man after a "brief verbal confrontation." The 22-year-old Fowler then stepped on the man's glasses, "breaking a lens," according to the report. Police stated the man did not claim injury in the incident.

Fowler was arrested shortly before 8:30 p.m. ET and was released from jail at 1:43 a.m. ET Wednesday after posting $650 bond, per Pinellas County Sheriff's Office records.

The Jaguars sent out a statement in response to the arrest, stating they "are aware of the situation involving defensive end Dante Fowler Jr. and are currently gathering more information," while adding that club officials have "been in communication with Dante."

The arrest comes one week before Fowler and his teammates are scheduled to report for training camp.

 

Carolina Panthers hire Marty Hurney as interim GM

Carolina Panthers owner Jerry Richardson wasted no time finding a temporary replacement for fired general manager Dave Gettleman.

The Panthers announced Wednesday they've hired Marty Hurney, their former GM, to be the team's interim general manager. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported earlier that Richardson met with Hurney on Tuesday and that he was expected to be hired as the team's interim GM.

Hurney will be formally introduced as the Panthers' interim GM during a news conference scheduled for Wednesday at 2 p.m. ET.
"Marty is the perfect person to help us in the interim," Richardson said in a statement released by the team. "He worked with us for 15 years and understands the culture we have here. He had a lot to do with the core of our team being in place. I'm thankful that he is willing to help us in this transition period."

 

Breaking...


Chargers' Mike Williams likely to start camp on PUP list

The Los Angeles Chargers will likely be without their first-round pick for the start of training camp.

Rookie wideout Mike Williams, who recently underwent a second epidural for a herniated disc in his lower back, will likely start camp on the physically unable to perform list, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.

ESPN first reported the development.

Williams was initially diagnosed with a mild herniated disk during Chargers' rookie minicamp this spring.

 

Jaguars to work out free-agent TE Gary Barnidge

Free-agent tight end Gary Barnidge has yet to land with a new team, but he is drawing interest in the lead-up to training camp.

The former Cleveland Browns pass-catcher is set to meet with the Jacksonville Jaguars on Tuesday, a source informed told NFL Network's James Palmer.

Mike Kaye of First Coast News in Jacksonville?first reported the development.

The 31-year-old Barnidge is coming off a 55/612/2 line with the Browns, who made it tough on their skill-position players by trotting out roughly 37 quarterbacks last season.

Barnidge earned Pro Bowl honors in 2015 after hauling in 79 catches for 1,043 yards and nine scores, but was released by Cleveland this spring after the team drafted first-round tight end David Njoku out of Miami.

After parting ways with Julius Thomas, the Jaguars have room for veteran help at tight end. Marcedes Lewis isn't getting any younger and the rest of the group -- Mychal Rivera, Ben Koyack, Neal Sterling, Alex Ellis and Caleb Bluiett -- offers little in terms of plug-and-play producers.

"I'm staying in shape. I'll be ready when that call comes, so I'm in no rush right now," Barnidge said earlier this month.

 

That is not good news for Williams or the Chargers. You don't mess with disk problems in your back. That's not something that's going to just go away. This is likely going to be a career-long issue, and may significantly delay him getting on the field (obviously I don't know the severity, but I have far too much experience with back injuries, and they don't usually turn out well, long-term).

 

Probe into incident involving Ezekiel Elliott suspended

The Dallas Police Dept. is suspending its assault investigation into an incident at a Dallas bar?on Sunday night involving Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott.

"The assault offense that occurred on July 16th at the Clutch Bar located at 2520 Cedar Springs Road has been suspended due to the lack of a complaint," Dallas Police spokeswoman Melinda Gutierrez wrote in a statement obtained by NFL Network's Tom Pelissero on Wednesday. "Dallas detectives made several attempts to contact the victim through various ways but at this time have not been able to make contact. To date no witnesses have come forward to provide any additional information about this incident."

Elliott was not arrested and police did not name Elliott or anyone else as suspects in the alleged assault. Elliott's exact involvement in the incident remains unknown. Although the investigation has been suspended the Dallas police could still reopen their probe.

 

Chargers 7th overall pick Mike Williams may miss season due to season-ending back surgery. They are seeing how he responds to treatment first. He apparently hurt it during draft prep but kept it well hidden.

 

Takkarist McKinley reportedly will miss start of camp

The Atlanta Falcons open training camp next Wednesday, but their first-round pick could be on the shelf for the beginning sessions.

Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report noted that Takkarist McKinley is scheduled to sit out the early days of training camp as the pass rusher continues to progress from March shoulder surgery. The news comes from Pompei's fascinating in-depth look at McKinley, which is worth your time.

McKinley's surgery came after an impressive combine workout. The UCLA product played through the torn labrum last year. His recovery period was expected to be 4-6 months. We're currently at the beginning of that time frame, so it's understandable the Falcons would ease him into training camp.

On draft night, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported that teams had different medical evaluations of McKinley before the first round opened. Per Rapoport, some teams believed he had a chance to be ready for the season, while others thought he'd start the season on the non-football injury (NFI) list and would miss the first six games of the season. Clearly, the Falcons fell in the former group.

Atlanta needs pass rushing help opposite Vic Beasley. McKinley owned a relentless motor during his college career and could provide a jolt to a young, improving Falcons defense. First, he must get to 100 percent.

 

Year-to-year approach may become a trend for star?players

Before NFL players would ever ?miss game checks during a work stoppage, they need to show a willingness to drive a hard bargain in other ways. Here?s one way they now can, thanks to the examples set by (of all people) Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins and Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson.

Star players who attract the franchise tag may now be inclined to refuse to sign long-term deals and to play on a year-to-year basis. One source with extensive experience negotiating player contracts firmly believes that this will become the trend.
If it happens, here are a few names to watch in the near term: Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford, Raiders pass rusher Khalil Mack, and Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald.

Consider Stafford?s situation. With a cap number of $22 million in 2017, Stafford would be eligible for a franchise tag of $26.4 million in 2018. By rule, that would move to $31.68 million in 2019 and then to $45.6 million in 2020.
That?s a three-year haul of $103.68 million.

And what?s the risk for Stafford to go one year at a time? He?ll get $16.5 million this year in salary, pushing his eight-year haul to $125 million. Unlike Cousins and Johnson, Stafford has the money to let it ride; if he suffers a career-ending injury or suddenly loses his ability to play at a high level, he?s already set, multiple lifetimes over.

Though Mack and Donald have far less in the bank (and a far greater risk of injury), a year-to-year arrangement makes sense for them, too.

For Mack, who isn?t getting a new deal this year and thus will make less than $3 million, he can pocket $13.846 million under his fifth-year option and then do the year-to-year tag dance in 2019, 2020, and 2021.

Ditto for Donald, who would make $1.8 million this year and $6.892 million next year before going year-to-year under the tag.
For all three guys, the question becomes whether they?d trade the year-to-year haul for a long-term deal that has two years of fully guaranteed money before becoming a one-way street that the team exclusively controls.
Consider the record-setting (not really) contract signed by Raiders quarterback Derek Carr. He traded roughly $1 million in salary this year and the franchise tag next year for $25 million in cash flow in 2017, another $22.25 million in 2018 and then, essentially, a year-to-year option held by the team.

Consider what Carr gave up. If he?d been willing to keep his salary at $1 million in 2017, he would have been eligible for $22 million (maybe more) in 2018 under the tag, a 20-percent bump (at least $26 million) in 2019, and a 44-percent increase over that ($38 million, minimum) in 2020.

That?s at least $86 million over three years, estimated conservatively. Under his current deal, Carr will make $86.5 million over the next four years, with no fully-guaranteed money at signing beyond the first $40 million.

It?s hard to call the richest contract ever (not really) a bad deal, but it?s actually kind of a bad deal in light of the alternative. If Carr had gone year to year, he?d have more money over the next four years than he?ll have ? and he wouldn?t have been tied to the team for two more years at an average of $19.7 million, which will come at a time when the market for franchise quarterbacks could be well north of $30 million per year.

Maybe Carr crunched the numbers and consciously chose to take a long-term deal that is less advantageous than going year to year. Maybe the injury guarantee for 2019 influenced him, given the broken leg he suffered last last year.?Regardless, it?s reasonable to say he would have been better off going year to year.

And it?s definitely reasonable to assume that more star players will seriously consider it ? and that some of them will do it.

 

O.J. Simpson is granted parole in a unanimous 4-0 vote. He could be released from jail by OCT 1 of this year.