NFL - NEWS & NOTES

Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and AB? Brady might do some damage there.

 

I mean, there were only so many places left for him to land. It was a coin flip at the time the posts were made, honestly. That's exactly why I pointed out that everyone has "sources" this time of year - because eventually you're going to be right and can just point at that.

 

There’s quite a bit of truth in this.

There are some national names you can trust and I have some local guys that I value (by local I mean no names in the ‘know’), but you still have to take most of it with a grain of salt.

 

The Browns have traded for a 2nd Fullback . . .

The Browns get Andy Janovich, the Broncos get a 2021 late round pick.

Makes me wonder if we'll see a T formation with two tight ends and no wide receivers some time this year.

 

lol

 

Trumaine Johnson's disappointing tenure as a New York Jet has come to an end.

The Jets will officially release Johnson on Wednesday, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, per sources informed of the situation.

Johnson arrived in New York as a high-priced free agent, but never lived up to the expectations, drawing the ire of two different head coaches in just two seasons. Johnson ended his first campaign as a healthy scratch in Week 17, benched by outgoing coach Todd Bowles for disciplinary reasons. The next season, Johnson was demoted from a starting role in Weeks 2 and 3 by new coach Adam Gase before regaining his job. That didn't last very long, though, as ankle injuries forced Johnson to injured reserve after just seven games.

Such was the tale of Johnson as a Jet: injuries and inconsistency. Once envisioned as a shutdown corner after six solid seasons with the Rams, Johnson struggled to stay healthy in New York. When he was able to play, he wasn't reliable. Johnson recorded five interceptions and seven passes defended in two seasons, including a pick-six in 2018, but he didn't play near the standard expected of him when he signed a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018.

Instead, the Jets will eat the $12 million dead cap number in order to get out of Johnson's contract, which would have accounted for $15 million of New York's 2020 cap space. New York will take the $3 million in net savings and move on from the failed signing made under a different front office headed by then-general manager Mike Maccagnan.

NFL.com

 

Did everyone notice that they eliminated substance abuse suspensions all together? Does that mean just drugs you get high on or does that include juicing up too?
55 man rosters and 48 man game day players, if you carry at least 8 oline men . If you carry 7 or less you only get to have 47 active players on game day. Why wouldn’t you dress the extra oline if that’s the case?
12 practice squad players with 4 of them able to be practice squad for their whole careers apparently.
Practice squad players can freely be moved up to the game roster and back to the practice squad without going through waivers, up to 2 players per week.
This is very different from the past CBA agreements.
I hope that they aren’t going to let players use performance enhancing drugs without repercussions.
17 games starting either 2021 or 2022.
2 more playoff teams.
522 players didn’t even vote on the CBA. I can bet you that LeVeon Bell missed the vote as he was probably but naked and robbed at some hotel room that day. You would think that the players would actually care about their possible futures, but apparently the new substance abuse policy has taken control of their off season.

 

I believe they eliminated suspensions for weed related instances only. Not really certain of that, though.

 

Jags will trade QB Nick Foles to the Bears for a fourth.

 

I was just reading the details on Wikipedia and it said that they eliminated substance abuse suspensions. Maybe they got that wrong? But that would be a big 360 on substance abuse.

 

The Falcons weren’t in great salary cap shape to enter free agency, but they found a way to make a splash.

Via NFL Network, they’ve agreed to a new three-year deal with Rams pass-rusher Dante Fowler. Per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, it’s worth $48 million.

Rams coach Dan Quinn coached Fowler at Florida, so there’s built-in familiarity. But their need for pass rush has gone on for some time, and adding Fowler (11.5 sacks) fills an immediate need, after free agent Vic Beasley went to the Titans.

Fowler seemed to tweet out the news moments ago, though it’s unclear if his bird emojis are universal (some people probably thought he meant the Eagles).

NBC

 

via, the Boston Globe...

NFL players would not face the possibility of being suspended from games over positive tests for any drug — not just marijuana — under a collective bargaining agreement that has been approved by team owners and is now being voted on by members of the players union.

It was reported last month that the policy change would apply to cannabis, but according to the newly released full text of the agreement, it would actually cover all illicit substances. The decision reflects a significant shift in the league’s approach to drug use by players, with the agreement emphasizing the need to focus on “ensuring evaluation and treatment” rather than punishment.

If a majority of players — who have until 11:59 p.m. on Saturday to vote on the proposal — ultimately approve it, those who test positive for drugs, exhibit behaviors that indicate drug misuse, or self-refer themselves will be required to enter an “intervention program” where they would receive an evaluation and treatment plan.

Testing positive for prohibited substances after that point would result in a half-week salary loss for first violations, a one-week salary loss for second violations, a two-week salary loss for third violations, and a three-week salary loss for fourth and subsequent violations. The threat of suspensions would be removed.

That said, refusing to comply with any required testing or clinical care more than three times would result in game suspensions under the agreement. The suspension penalty could also still be used in instances of arrests related to drug offenses.

NFL team owners already voted to approve the broad collective bargaining agreement that the drug policy changes are part of last month.

“Substance abuse can lead to on-the-field injuries, to alienation of the fans, to diminished job performance, and to personal hardship,” the document, first reported by NBC Sports’s Pro Football Talk, states. “The deaths of several NFL Players have demonstrated the potentially tragic consequences of substance abuse. NFL Players should not by their conduct suggest that substance abuse is either acceptable or safe.”

As revealed in an earlier summary of the agreement, the testing window for marijuana would also be narrowed. Players would be subject to testing for THC metabolites only between the start of the pre-season training session and the first pre-season game. For other drugs, the testing period extends from April 20 to August 9.

The threshold for a positive test for cannabis would also be increased from the current 35 nanograms per milliliter to 150 nanograms per milliliter, according to the document.

Additionally, a joint committee focused on pain management would be required to study “alternative therapies, including marijuana and THC-based therapies” and issue recommendations on the issue. The panel previously conducted a fact-finding study on CBD and concluded earlier this year that the “hype” over the cannabis compound isn’t backed by science.

Under the new proposal, the committee would also be charged with educating players about “any side-effects, including addictive behavior and risks of marijuana use (e.g., schizophrenia).”

If a majority of the players union agrees to the proposed agreement by the deadline, that will give NFL the time in needs to implement the bargaining agreement ahead of the 2020-2021 season.

If the new agreement isn’t ratified by that time, players would undergo at least one additional season where testing positive for cannabis and other drugs can result in fines, suspension, and rehabilitation. But if it is agreed to, NFL would become the latest major sports league to dramatically amend its drug policies.

The MLB announced in December that it will remove marijuana from its list of banned substances for baseball players, though the league clarified in a memo last month that baseball players are still barred from being sponsored by cannabis companies or investing in the industry.

After the MLB cannabis change was revealed, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones and New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady said in interviews that the NFL would likely soon be forced to modernize its approach to marijuana.

 

The Raiders added some secondary help to their busy week of free agency.

According to Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group, the Raiders have reached a deal with veteran cornerback Eli Apple.

The former Giants first-rounder spent the last two years with the Saints.

The Raiders have jammed a month’s worth of deals into this week, after previously adding Cory Littleton, Marcus Mariota, Jason Witten, Maliek Collins, Nick Kwiatkoski, Jeff Heath, Carl Nassib, and Christian Kirksey.

NBC

 

Eric Reid is on the way out in Carolina.

Reid, the safety who started all 16 games for the Panthers last season, is being released, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.

The 28-year-old Reid spent the first five seasons of his career in San Francisco before spending the last two years in Carolina.

One team that could be interested in Reid’s services is Washington, where coach Ron Rivera would be reuniting with Reid after coaching him the last two years.

NBC

 

NFL offers fans free access to NFL Game Pass

Starting today, the NFL will offer complimentary access to NFL Game Pass, providing fans the opportunity to relive incredible NFL games and moments from seasons past including Tom Brady's multiple Super Bowl victories with the New England Patriots, Peyton Manning's single season record of 55 touchdown passes as a Denver Bronco in 2013, Odell Beckham Jr.'s impossible one handed catch in 2014, and much more.

A digital product available across multiple platforms and devices, NFL Game Pass offers an extensive library of football programming for fans. This includes access to past regular and postseason NFL games, previous seasons of award-winning NFL Films series such as Hard Knocks and A Football Life, and exclusive NFL Game Pass Film Sessions with some of the league's star players and coaches.

Also starting today, NFL digital platforms will offer fans full game encores each day across NFL.com, the NFL app and NFL's official YouTube channel. These encores will feature signature wins from all 32 teams starting with Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs leading a stunning 4th quarter comeback over the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV. Featured games will be made available for viewing by Noon ET each day.

NFL.com

 

Who's his agent. First he gets that contract from the Jags and now he restructured his contract on trade to his benefit. Same years, same guarantees, but chance for more bonuses and ability to earn his way to void his contract after each of the next 2 years.

 

Report: “Framework” of deal in place to send Darius Slay to Eagles with extension



Darius Slay expressed a desire through his Twitter account on Wednesday evening that he hoped a trade to a new would be coming in the near future.

That hope apparently is becoming a reality just a few hours later. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, the framework for a deal is in place that would send Slay from the Detroit Lions to the Philadelphia Eagles. The trade would also come with a new three-year contract extension for Slay as well.

Slay has been seeking a front line deal in a new contract and skipped offseason workouts last year in a display of his discontent. The Lions had reportedly been exploring trade opportunities for Slay recently and appear to have determined they’ve gotten the best offers they would get at this point.

Slay, a three-time Pro Bowler, would immediately provide a big boost for an Eagles secondary that had significant issues last season.

NBC

 

Lions ink Desmond Trufant to two-year, $21M deal

Desmond Trufant is headed to the Motor City.

Hours after his release from the Falcons, the veteran cornerback is signing with the Detroit Lions, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero, per an informed source.

Pelissero added that the deal is for two years, $21 million.

ESPN first reported the news.

Trufant, 29, dealt with a number of injuries in 2019, which limited him to just nine starts. He missed Weeks 6-8 (Week 9 bye) with a toe injury only to return in Week 11 and play until Week 14 when he broke his forearm and landed on injured reserve. He contributed 18 tackles, a career-high four interceptions and seven passes defended in those appearances.

The 22nd overall pick in the 2013 NFL Draft, Trufant burst onto the scene with a strong first three seasons en route to being named as a Pro Bowl alternate in 2015. Unfortunately, he's been hampered by ailments in two of the last four seasons; in 2016, he also played nine games before being sidelined with a shoulder injury, missing the team's infamous run to Super Bowl LI.

In the seasons that weren't cut short, Trufant started 79 of a possible 80 games and played a vital role on the Falcons defense, often being the one to shadow the opposing team's most lethal receiver.

Trufant's arrival in Detroit, in addition to the team bringing in former Patriots safety Duron Harmon, will provide a boost as it attempts to sure up the secondary. The move will also give them a peace of mind as they continue to deliberate on the future of Darius Slay.

NFL.com