NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Report: Mutual interest between Dez Bryant, Browns...

The chances of Dez Bryant landing with the Browns appear to be improving.

Shortly after a report from Cleveland that the Browns reached out to Bryant about a one-year deal went public, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that there is interest from Bryant in joining the team. Rapoport adds that the Browns are now working on scheduling a visit with Bryant with Monday pegged as a strong possibility.

If Bryant does sign with the Browns, he would give them an experienced piece in the receiving corps at a moment when it is uncertain when Josh Gordon might rejoin the team. Gordon is on the did not report list after announcing he would not be at the start of training camp while utilizing “the resources available to me that will ensure my well-being on and off the field.”

The Browns also announced this week that wideout Ricardo Louis will miss the entire season due to a neck injury, so there’s space in the receiving group for a new addition. If things continue trending in the same direction they’ve gone on Friday, it seems like Bryant will be the choice. (PFT)

 

I'd love to get Dez in the fold on a 1 year "prove it" deal...Fierce competitor.

 

I was hoping a Browns fan would comment on this possibility. Im curious to see what you all think.

I think, if he gets the gig, the Browns will have another formable weapon that defenses will have to take into account and that can bode real well for the Browns offense.

 

Oh calm down beach, I'm just giving it back to Gidion. How many balloons do you have to pop at a kids party before you are satisfied that they won't have any more fun?

 

I'm very calm Irish. Just noting the curious behavior of a fanbase constantly poking the bear and then playing the victim card when the bear bites back. Good luck this season.

 

Lions receiver Golden Tate is heading into the final year of his contract and would like a new deal, but he never considered holding out to get the contract he wants.

Tate said Friday that he believes in honoring his commitments, and when he signed a five-year contract with the Lions four years ago he expected to play all five years of it.

“I signed a five-year contract and I’m going to honor it,” Tate said. “I love the game a lot. I want to be out here around the guys.”

It’s actually somewhat rare for an NFL player to play out a full five-year contract, as Tate is poised to do. Usually players either over-perform and get a new deal that pays them more, or under-perform and agree to a pay cut or get cut.

Tate has been a good deal for the Lions, never missing a game in his four seasons in Detroit and topping 1,000 receiving yards in three of his four seasons. This year he has a $7 million base salary.

Tate will turn 30 next week, and he’ll hit free agency next year. With another good season he should be able to get a good contract next year. (PFT)
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Atta Boy, Tate ! That is refreshing !

 

Julio Jones gets $4.4 million signing bonus, reduces base salary...

The Falcons didn’t give Julio Jones more money to get him to report to training camp, but they did give him money sooner.

A league source tells PFT that Jones’ revised contract with the Falcons gives him a $4.4 million signing bonus and reduces his base salaries by $1.5 million this year and by $2.9 million next year.

The $4.4 million signing bonus will be spread out over 17 weeks, so what the Falcons effectively did is take $2.9 million of Jones’ 2019 salary and moved it into his 2018 salary, although for salary cap purposes that $4.4 million is spread over the remaining three years of his contract.

A $2.9 million salary advance is nothing to sneeze at, although it remains to be seen whether it’s enough to keep Jones satisfied next year. It’s possible that Jones and the Falcons will again be facing a contract dispute at the start of training camp a year from now.

For this year, however, Jones is satisfied, and so are the Falcons. (PFT)

 

Duane Brown will now make more than $14 million this year...

The Seahawks and left tackle Duane Brown have gotten the deal done.

Per a league source, Brown will make more than $14 million this year under a three-year extension with a maximum value of $36.5 million.

Coupled with the $9.75 million Brown was due to earn in 2018, it’s a four-year, $46.25 million package.

The deal includes $16 million guaranteed, and he’ll make $24 million in the first two years by meeting a minimal playing-time incentive this season.

Brown, who turns 33 next month, was traded to the Seahawks by the Texans last season. (PFT)

 

Steelers starting left guard Ramon Foster was carted off from practice after his right leg got caught underneath defensive end Stephon Tuitt, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports.

Foster will undergo further medical testing, but the injury appeared serious, according to Fittipaldo. Quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who had a scheduled day off, was concerned enough to take the ride on the cart with Foster.

“Unfortunately, it’s a part of the game,” Steelers coach Mike Tomlin said. “I’m not going to speculate. I’m simply going to make the necessary adjustments accordingly. More importantly, work our tails off to make sure we’re making this as safe as we can for them through this process.”

Foster, 32, has started 115 games for the Steelers since entering the league in 2009. So despite Tomlin expressing confidence in backup B.J. Finney, the Steelers will lose all of Foster’s 10 years of experience if they lose him.

“Ramon has been doing this for a long time and doing it at a high level,” Tomlin said. “He’s a core member of the group, obviously.”

 

The Panthers announced right tackle Daryl Williams dislocated his patella and tore the medial collateral ligament in his right knee during Saturday’s practice.

“We are beginning the early stages of rehabilitation, and there is currently no timetable for his return,” head athletic trainer Ryan Vermillion said in a statement.

Taylor Moton, a second-round draft pick in 2017, will take over the starting job in Williams’ absence, head coach Ron Rivera said.

Williams told the team website his foot stuck in the ground, “buckling” his knee. He added that he had never experienced as much pain.

“I feel way better than when I did it, and I’m definitely in good spirits,” Williams told
Bryan Strickland. “God has a plan, and it could have been worse.” (PFT)

 

Vita Vea carted off with leg injury...



Training camp. It’s time for optimism, hope. And endless worry that a key player will be injured.

We know the injuries will happen. We just don’t know who they’ll happen to, when they’ll happen, or how long the injured player will miss.

In Tampa, the breath-holding has begun regarding first-round defensive tackle Vita Vea. Via PewterReport.com, Vea left Sunday morning’s practice on a cart with an apparent leg injury.

Before the cart ride, Vea was seen getting his left shin wrapped. The injury, according to the report, seems to involve the left calf.

Vea is one of several upgrades that the Bucs made on defense, and he drew rave reviews from coach Dirk Koetter for the strength demonstrated in the offseason program. (PFT)

 

Reports now are that Vita's injury is not serious.

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...n-for-decision-to-skip-hall-of-fame-ceremony/

TO finally comes out with why he's not going to to the HOF induction and it's typical selfish TO 101. Sad.

 

Saints’ HC Sean Payton: “Our return game is kind of like The Bachelor right now. We have about 12 contestants all with roses. We don't know who our returner is going to be. And if she doesn’t like any of them we will bring in more.”

 

Eagles players unclear on helmet rule after meeting with officials...

Eagles players met with NFL officials to get a better understanding of the new rules governing the use of helmets that have been put into effect this season, but one of the team’s linebackers said they left the meeting without realizing that goal.

During the meeting, Eagles players were shown video of plays that would now be considered illegal and then showed officials a video of safety Malcom Jenkins’ hit that knocked Patriots wide receiver Brandin Cooks out of the Super Bowl with a concussion. The play did not result in a flag in February and the officials were split on whether it would now draw a flag, which is why Nigel Bradham still felt unclear when the meeting ended.

“We were trying to ask questions to get a better understanding, and yet they couldn’t really give us an answer,” Bradham said, via ESPN.com. “They couldn’t give us what we were looking for.”

Running back Matt Jones said it was “definitely going back and forth” between players and officials regarding what would be deemed illegal contact under the new rules. Ultimately, though, Jones said the players will have to abide by the rules and coach Doug Pederson said it’s up to him to make sure the players know exactly what those rules are.

“We did spend a little time with the officials that are here this week the other night, just to clarify some things,” Pederson said in comments distributed by the team. “And it’s really a nice forum for our team to ask questions. If there is something that they’re not familiar with or not sure of, and it’s just any rule. But my job is to make sure that our guys are well-educated on the points of emphasis, the new rule changes. And then our coaches are well-versed, and so we can continue to communicate and teach our players when we’re out here on the field.”

The Eagles aren’t the only people unsure just how the new rules are going to change the way games are played this season. With the preseason kicking off next weekend, there should start to be some idea about the answer to that question soon. (PFT)

 

Report: Cowboys rookie WR Cedrick Wilson believed to have torn labrum...

The pool of competitors for playing time in the Cowboys wide receiver corps appears to be a little shallower.

Sixth-round pick Cedrick Wilson injured his shoulder during Saturday’s practice and Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reports it is believed that Wilson tore his labrum. Wilson is set for more tests to determine next steps, but, if the diagnosis is accurate, seems likely to miss a good chunk of time under any circumstances.


Wilson caught 139 passes for 2,640 yards and 18 touchdowns in his two seasons at Boise State and was one of two receivers drafted by the Cowboys this year.

Third-rounder Michael Gallup was the other one and he joins Tavon Austin, Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams, Cole Beasley and Deonte Thompson and Noah Brown as other options at wideout in Dallas this season. (PFT)

 

Jets announce Sam Darnold’s deal is done...

Quarterback Sam Darnold has reported to training camp.

The Jets posted a video of Darnold arriving at the team’s facility on Monday and saying that it is “a pleasure to be signed now.” That video came shortly after mutual reports that the third overall pick’s deal was done several days after the Jets opened up training camp.

Disagreements over offsets and language concerning voiding guarantees in the contract were said to be the holdup in getting Darnold in camp and on the practice field on time. The deal reportedly includes offset language, which would keep Darnold from double dipping on salary in the event that he doesn’t make it to the end of his contract with the Jets.

If that’s the case, the problems for both the Jets and Darnold will go further than who will pay for some portion of the $30.25 million he’s set to receive over the next four years. Now that Darnold is signed, he can start practicing in hopes of taking that potential outcome off the table. (PFT)

 

Calvin Ridley calls Julio Jones an “amazing” coach...

Falcons rookie wide receiver Calvin Ridley is soaking up the knowledge from one of the best in the league in teammate Julio Jones.

Ridley told AL.com that Jones is like a coach on the field, with an “amazing” wealth of knowledge about the game.

“Everybody knows Julio is really, really good,” Ridley said. “But people don’t really know how good he is. He’s so detailed in the plays. He knows everything. He’s like a coach. He coaches me on everything. Even if I do it right, he’s still going to coach me: ‘You could do it better like this. You could lean on him. You could . . .’ So it’s like having another coach on the field.”

The Falcons took Ridley out of Alabama with the 26th overall pick in this year’s draft, seven years after they took Jones out of Alabama with the seventh overall pick in the draft. It may not be realistic to think Ridley will become the kind of player Jones has, but the Falcons would love to see him soak up everything Jones has to teach. (PHT)

 

https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/...ted-suicide-early-in-his-hall-of-fame-career/

Brian Dawkins talks about depression and thoughts of suicide early in his career. Wow. Thank God he overcame it all to be the HOF'er he soon will be !

 

Stefon Diggs insisted all summer his contact situation would "handle itself." Consider it being handled.

The Minnesota Vikings and the young receiver agreed to terms on a new contract, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Mike Garafolo reported Tuesday morning, according to sources informed of the decision. The team later made the announcement official.

NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports the contract is a five-year deal worth $72 million, with an $81 million max salary, and $40 million in guarantees. Diggs received a $15 million signing bonus plus this year's base is guaranteed ($16.9 million), Rapoport added. The $14.4 million base salary puts Diggs in the top 10 among receivers. If he reaches the max over five years, he'd earn $16.2 million per, which is on par with what Sammy Watkins and Brandin Cooks signed for this offseason.

The bump in pay is solid for the fifth-round receiver who was scheduled to make merely $1.907 million in the final season of his rookie deal. For a player without a 100-catch or 1,000-yard season, Diggs is now making a pretty penny. The Vikings are paying Diggs for his abundant potential. Getting a deal done now pays an ascending player while locking in the young wideout. With the salary cap increasing and prices escalating, if Diggs stays healthy, this could look like a team-friendly deal in a few seasons.
Diggs' most famous play came in the 'Minneapolis Miracle' playoff win over the New Orleans Saints. The wideout, however, is more than simply a one-play wonder. (NFL.com)