National Football League News and Rumors
Saints, Brees playing high-stakes game of chickenMike Florio, profootballtalk.com So why does a $5 million annual gap exist between the Saints and quarterback Drew Brees? The Saints believe that, no matter how much Brees huffs and puffs, he’ll never hold out for any significant period of time. Especially not in 2012. In 2012, the S… |
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Doug Farrar, yahoo.com Since Peyton Manning has already taken the pre-emptive step of allowing for the idea of an incentive-laden contract with his next team (once the Indianapolis Colts almost assuredly bail on his $28 million roster bonus next week), it's a good time to loo… |
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D’Qwell deal has $10.4 million guaranteedMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com If the Browns had used the franchise tag on linebacker D’Qwell Jackson, he would have received $8.8 million in guaranteed money. By signing a five-year contract with the Browns, Jackson bumped that number for $10.4 million. Reported as containing $19 … |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com On Thursday afternoon, the jury contemplating the fate of former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox began their deliberations. By the close of business on Thursday, no verdict had been reached. And so they’ll return on Friday morning to continue their del… |
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Cross out one potential mystery team for GriffinMar 1, 2012
Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com Rams COO Kevin Demoff told SI.com’s Peter King that a team “you would never expect” has contacted St. Louis about a possible trade up to the No. 2 overall pick. Buffalo, who holds the tenth pick, is not that mystery team. “It is absolute. It’s a… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com When assessing the announcement of a deal to build a new NFL stadium in Minneapolis, it’s important to remember that an understanding between the team, legislative leaders, and the mayor of Minneapolis doesn’t constitute a final agreement to break out… |
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Vikes acquire new stadium plan, tough sell aheadMar 1, 2012
ST. PAUL, Minn. (AP) -- It has taken the Minnesota Vikings nearly a decade to get this far in their quest for a new stadium. |
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Oakland places franchise tag on safety BranchMar 1, 2012
ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Oakland Raiders have placed their franchise tag on safety Tyvon Branch, the team announced Thursday. |
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Plan would put new Vikes stadium near 'DomeMar 1, 2012
Associated Press, ESPN.com Gov. Mark Dayton, political leaders and the Minnesota Vikings unveiled a proposal Thursday to build a $975 million stadium for the team in downtown Minneapolis and called for quick action on the plan before the Legislature adjourns this spring. |
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Steelers boot Kemoeatu tooMar 1, 2012
Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com The purge in Pittsburgh continues. Guard Chris Kemoeatu will join wide receiver Hines Ward and defensive end Aaron Smith as veterans that the Steelers recently released, according to Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Kemoeatu used to be a ma… |
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Falcons’ 2012 “to-do” listMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Atlanta Falcons have spend the last few seasons knocking on the door. They desperately want to kick it in. But they shouldn’t be too desperate. In fact, they shouldn’t be desperate at all. That’s the challenge for 2012 and beyond. Sticking… |
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Eagles place franchise tender on wideout JacksonMar 1, 2012
PHILADELPHIA (AP) -- The Eagles on Thursday placed the franchise tag on wide receiver DeSean Jackson. |
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SAN DIEGO (AP) -- Four-time Pro Bowl guard Kris Dielman has retired from the San Diego Chargers, saying it's the right thing to do so after he sustained a concussion last season that led the NFL to tell game officials to watch closely for symptoms durin… |
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Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com Of all the events of the recently-completed Scouting Combine (even Mike Silver has “borrowed” our “Underwear Olympic” label), none attracts more attention than the activity that occurs on a football field only when something very good - or very … |
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Eli Manning has a new quarterbacks coachMar 1, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com When Mike Sullivan jumped to the Buccaneers as offensive coordinator, the Giants were left with an opening at quarterbacks coach. They didn’t have to look far for a replacement. The Giants announced Thursday that Sean Ryan, who coached the Giants wide r… |
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Ravens cut Chris CarrMar 1, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Steelers aren’t the only AFC North team saying goodbye to one of their players on Thursday. Aaron Wilson of the Carroll County Times and Jason La Canfora of the NFL Network are both reporting that the Ravens are releasing cornerback Chris Carr. Carr… |
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ESPN.com news services, ESPN.com The Pittsburgh Steelers have informed defensive end Aaron Smith that he is being released, a source told ESPN.com's John Clayton. |
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Bears cut Frank OmiyaleMar 1, 2012
Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com The Bears made the release of defensive lineman Anthony Adams official on Thursday. They also cut tackle Frank Omiyale while they were at it. Omiyale wasn’t previously reported, but the news doesn’t come as a shock. He is part of the ever-struggling… |
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Chris Chase, yahoo.com Two weeks after a racist Jeremy Lin headline forced ESPN to make a public apology and to fire the employee responsible, another headline involving an Asian-American athlete was pulled from the network's website. An ESPN.com headline about the impending … |
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Packers approach odd anniversaryMar 1, 2012
Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com The unremarkable transaction came across the NFL wire on March 27, 2009: Packers signed center/guard Duke Preston. The Packers haven’t signed an unrestricted free agent since. Preston didn’t exactly work out; he was released during training camp. Alm… |
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Packers sell 268k shares, raise $67m in offeringMar 1, 2012
MILWAUKEE (AP) -- The Green Bay Packers sold more than 268,000 shares in their most recent stock offering, raising $67 million dollars to help fund stadium improvements, the team said Thursday. |
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Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com The Cowboys met with the player rep for free agent linebacker Anthony Spencer at last week’s Scouting Combine, but no breakthrough occurred in contract talks. The sides plan to meet again soon. Calvin Watkins of ESPN Dallas reports that the Cowboys have… |
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'Bama RB Richardson slow, still shinesMar 1, 2012
SI.com's draft analyst Tony Pauline of Draftinsider.net checks in daily with news and notes about top prospects participating in pro days. |
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Cox chooses not to testifyMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It’s his Constitutional right, right there in the Fifth Amendment. And former Broncos cornerback Perrish Cox opted to exercise it on Thursday. According to the Denver Post, Cox chose not to testify in his ongoing rape trial. But this doesn’t mean th… |
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The Hillis Identity: Running back of CIA agent?Mar 1, 2012
Mjd, yahoo.com In a brief article noting that the Cleveland Browns won't use the franchise tag to keep Peyton Hillis, ESPN's Adam Schefter also casually mentions that Hillis also considered walking away from football to become a CIA agent. Cook it up, Schef: Throughou… |
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Evan Silva, profootballtalk.com Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh exploded onto the NFL scene as a rookie in 2010, earning Associated Press Defensive Rookie of the Year honors while leading all defensive tackles in sacks (10) and becoming the first rookie defensive tackle to garner… |
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Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com Ben Roethlisberger remember stepping into the huddle in his first year as a starting NFL quarterback. “He was Hines Ward, one of the best receivers in the game. I got a chance to be in the huddle with him and Jerome Bettis. He made me better. It didn’… |
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Drew Magary, deadspin.com As a Vikings fan, I have been long conditioned to treat any rumor of an impending stadium deal with a great amount of skepticism. This team has been announcing new stadium "plans" every year since around 1997. Every announced plan was less a f… |
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Raiders face a key deadline in Wimbley dealMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com As the Raiders try to reduce dramatically cap a commitment that currently exceeds $145 million, the cross hairs initially have landed on linebacker Kamerion Wimbley. He’s due to receivea base salary of $11 million in 2012, $11 million in 2013, $10 milli… |
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Kroy Biermann expected to re-sign with FalconsMar 1, 2012
Gregg Rosenthal, profootballtalk.com Another solid defensive player is going to be taken off the free agent market before he even gets there. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports that the Falcons will re-sign defensive lineman Kroy Biermann within the next 36 ho… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com The proposal from the St. Louis Convention and Visitors Commission to upgrade the Edward Jones Dome isn’t good enough for the Rams. The Convention and Visitors Commission announced today that the Rams have rejected the $124 million proposal to overhaul … |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com For the second consecutive offseason, the Chargers are preparing to lose a running back who’s also a solid contributor on special teams. Mike Tolbert isn’t Darren Sproles, but he’s an important player in San Diego who led the Chargers in touchdowns … |
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Bengals WR Simpson pleads guilty to pot chargeMar 1, 2012
COVINGTON, Ky. (AP) -- Cincinnati Bengals receiver Jerome Simpson could receive a 60-day jail sentence after pleading guilty Thursday to a drug-related felony charge as part of an agreement with prosecutors. |
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Jets hope to sign Jarret JohnsonMar 1, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Most of the talk surrounding the Jets this offseason has been about potential changes on offense, but coach Rex Ryan thinks one of his old players in Baltimore, Jarret Johnson, could be the right man to bolster the defense. Manish Mehta of the New York … |
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Rams, Brandon Lloyd talking about a new dealMar 1, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com Brandon Lloyd grabbed a lot of attention when he went on PFT Live last month and talked about his interest in signing with the Patriots as a free agent this offseason. There’s still two weeks to go before he can officially do that so Lloyd is filling th… |
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Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com We noted during the Scouting Combine that Memphis defensive tackle Dontari Poe was both the strongest player on the bench press and shockingly nimble for a man who weighs 346 pounds. It turns out that talk of Poe’s impressive performance reached the Ova… |
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Steelers won’t use franchise tag on Mike WallaceMar 1, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com Last week Steelers G.M. Kevin Colbert said the team is committed to keeping soon-to-be free agent wide receiver Mike Wallace, and the franchise tag was still an option. But now that teams are free to use the franchise tag, the Steelers have reportedly d… |
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Saints will restructure Will Smith’s contractMar 1, 2012
Josh Alper, profootballtalk.com The Saints are trying to hold onto potential free agents like Drew Brees and Carl Nicks and they’re working on a way to create more money to do it. Mike Triplett of the New Orleans Times-Picayune reports that the team will restructure the contract of de… |
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Clock ticking for Colts, ManningMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com It’s finally March 1. (I spent half of Wednesday thinking it was March 1. OK, all of Wednesday.) In only one week, the Colts must pay quarterback Peyton Manning a fresh $28 million (to go along with the $26 million he received for doing nothing in… |
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Source: Steelers won't franchise WR WallaceMar 1, 2012
Adam Schefter, ESPN.com The Pittsburgh Steelers plan to tender, not franchise, restricted free agent Mike Wallace, according to a source close to the wide receiver. |
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Chris Myers will test the marketMar 1, 2012
Mike Florio, profootballtalk.com The Houston Texans want to keep center Chris Myers. And Chris Myers says he wants to stay with the Texans. In the end, he very possibly will. A league source explains, however, that several other teams are interested in Myers, and he’ll therefore di… |
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Marcus Vick faces another arrest warrantMar 1, 2012
Michael David Smith, profootballtalk.com We noted this week that a judge issued an arrest warrant for Marcus Vick after Vick failed to report to jail for a 10-day sentence. As it turns out, Vick is actually facing two arrest warrants from two judges. The other arrest warrant is in Montgomery C… |
