NFL News

[jaadam4]

Hold the phone on that. The Vikings gave up a 7th round pick for PJ Hall. That was a damned smart move on the queens part.

Too bad our GM is asleep at the wheel

[Futureshock]

Isn't that something? I have a lot more faith in Spielman's judge of talent then Quinn.

[Futureshock]

Signing bonus rule will clear cap space for teams with opt-outs

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 4, 2020, 7:55 AM EDT

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NFL teams will be getting some additional cap space when players who received signing bonuses opt out of the 2020 season.

The prorated portion of a player’s signing bonus will be removed from his team’s 2020 cap space as soon as he officially opts out, according to Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

For a team like the Broncos with offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James, his $10 million 2020 salary is taken off the salary cap and so is the $3 million proration of the $12 million signing bonus on his four-year contract. So the Broncos get $13 million in cap relief for the 2020 season.

As a practical matter, this may not make a big difference to how teams do business. Just because the Broncos suddenly have $13 million in cap space doesn’t mean there’s a $13 million player out there for them to sign: Few free agents remain around the NFL right now. And next year’s salary cap is expected to drop significantly, so teams may decide simply not to spend any extra cap space so they can roll it over to next year.

Still, this is could news for the few remaining free agents hoping to cash in. Jadeveon Clowney, for example, might find that a team which previously showed no interest is suddenly open to signing him now that it has a surplus in cap space. It’s coming late in the offseason, but it may prove to be a lucrative development for a handful of players.

[Futureshock]

Window to promote practice squad players extended to 90 minutes before games

Posted by Josh Alper on August 4, 2020, 7:41 AM EDT

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Under normal operating procedures, teams promoting players from the practice squad to play in that week’s games had until 4 p.m. ET on the day before the game to make the move.

This season is not progressing under normal operating procedures and that has led to a change in that timing. The NFL proposed moving the deadline to 90 minutes before kickoff if the team is replacing a player who has tested positive for COVID-19 or gone into quarantine after the usual deadline.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports the CBA modification agreement signed by the NFL and NFLPA on Monday allows for the extended window for promotions.

The agreement also expanded the size of practice squads from 12 to 16 players this season and players promoted to replace players for COVID-related reasons can be demoted without going through waivers.

[Futureshock]

Titans tackle Dennis Kelly laying down the (mask) law

Posted by Darin Gantt on August 4, 2020, 6:04 AM EDT

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The Titans re-signed veteran tackle Dennis Kelly this offseason, to lend some depth and experience to the line after losing Jack Conklin in free agency.

But Kelly’s got an even more important job at the moment, as players are gathering for the first time this offseason.

Via Erik Bacharach of the Nashville Tennessean, Kelly has become the Titans’ unofficial mask police, busting teammate Taylor Lewan when he saw him with his mask under his nose.

“I think Dennis would be an unbelievable dictator in any country with the way he’s been handling the mask thing,” Lewan joked. “And so although it’s been very annoying, he’s doing a good job. And I hate even saying that out loud. Dennis is a really good friend of mine so I hate throwing the boy compliments.

“He definitely is not worried about being annoying, which is good.”

Kelly’s the team’s NFLPA rep, so he’s been involved in discussions all offseason on how players can safely return to work. A big component of that is wearing face coverings, and he’s apparently been, well, diligent in spreading the word to teammates.

“He’s really been anal about it,” Titans safety Kevin Byard said. “We’re all getting used to these new rules and protocols and wearing a mask and stuff like that, and I think it’s good. . . . At the end of the day, man, the safest team and the healthiest team this year, I think is going to be the one that’s going to be playing in January and February.”

Kelly’s competing with first-round rookie Isaiah Wilson for the starting right tackle job this year, but it’s obvious he’s already playing a crucial role for the team, and doesn’t mind doing it.

[Futureshock]

Revised CBA is signed, finally

Posted by Mike Florio on August 3, 2020, 9:42 PM EDT

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It took 10 days, but it’s finally done.

The NFL and NFL Players Association have hammered out, finalized, and signed the formal document revising the Collective Bargaining Agreement in light of the realities of the pandemic. The tentative agreement was reached on Friday, July 24.

The actual agreement likely will be published sooner than later, allowing for full review and analysis of all terms.

Some will say the league won. Others will say the union won. By getting this behind them and allowing a mutual focus on finding a way to play the 2020 season during an unprecedented public-health crisis, they both won.

[Futureshock]

Report: Players have until Thursday to opt out

Posted by Mike Florio on August 3, 2020, 8:06 PM EDT

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The NFL had agreed to give players seven days after finalization of the revised Collective Bargaining Agreement to opt out of the 2020 season. The revision hasn’t been executed, but the deadline has been revised.

Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports that players will have until 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday to opt out. The league and the NFL Players Association still haven’t signed the agreement officially adjusting the CBA to account for the consequences of the pandemic.

As one source with knowledge of the situation tells PFT, the agreement is still being finalized.

It’s unknown at this point whether and to what extent the NFLPA will receive one or more concessions from the league to agree to the shorter deadline to opt out. Teams wanted the window to close sooner than later, given concerns that players who were destined to be cut were opting out and collecting six-figure stipends, and that some agents have been using the threat of an opt out to try to leverage new contracts.

[Futureshock]

Hold the phone on that. The Vikings gave up a 7th round pick for PJ Hall. That was a damned smart move on the queens part.

Too bad our GM is asleep at the wheel

Raiders Trade P.J. Hall To Vikings


August 3rd, 2020 at 2:59pm CST by Zach Links

The Raiders are trading defensive tackle P.J. Hall to the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, the Vikings will send a conditional seventh-round choice to the Raiders.

Hall was supposed to be waived before the end of the business day. Instead, the Vikings swooped in with a trade offer. Instead of crossing their fingers and waiting to see if Hall slipped on the waiver wire, they pulled off a deal. The pick will only change hands if Hall is on the roster for a certain number of games, so it’s essentially a low-cost, no-risk pickup for the Vikes.

Hall, a 2018 second-round pick, was pushed out of the starting lineup by the addition of Maliek Collins. Then, he lost his spot on the team, despite his reasonable rookie contract.

Hall started in 12 of his 16 games last year, finishing out with 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks from the interior. The Vikings will assume the remainder of his contract and have him under club control through 2021.

[jaadam4]

Raiders Trade P.J. Hall To Vikings


August 3rd, 2020 at 2:59pm CST by Zach Links

The Raiders are trading defensive tackle P.J. Hall to the Vikings, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In exchange, the Vikings will send a conditional seventh-round choice to the Raiders.

Hall was supposed to be waived before the end of the business day. Instead, the Vikings swooped in with a trade offer. Instead of crossing their fingers and waiting to see if Hall slipped on the waiver wire, they pulled off a deal. The pick will only change hands if Hall is on the roster for a certain number of games, so it’s essentially a low-cost, no-risk pickup for the Vikes.

Hall, a 2018 second-round pick, was pushed out of the starting lineup by the addition of Maliek Collins. Then, he lost his spot on the team, despite his reasonable rookie contract.

Hall started in 12 of his 16 games last year, finishing out with 26 tackles and 1.5 sacks from the interior. The Vikings will assume the remainder of his contract and have him under club control through 2021.

PJ Hall failed his physical and the trade was nullified.

[Futureshock]

PJ Hall failed his physical and the trade was nullified.

Hah! I saw on a Raiders site there was talk of him being overweight. I guess he took the whole "Stay Home" deal too literally. A second round pick eating his way out the league in his 3rd year.

[Futureshock]

Well Sheila is going to want that signing $ back...


For players considering opt outs, don’t forget the retirement option

Posted by Mike Florio on August 6, 2020, 6:30 AM EDT

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The permanent if not exercised (barring limited changes in circumstances), irrevocable if exercised (without exception) deadline for opting out arrives at 4:00 p.m. ET on Thursday. For some players, it may be too early to make a final decision.

Even if the shorts and T-shirts practice cocoon makes them feel safe, that sense of security could change once 11-on-11 padded practices begin, or after games start. But there won’t be a fresh window at that point to make a conscientious decision to walk away until the pandemic subsides or the preventive measures improve.

Remember this: After the opt out privilege evaporates, players have another way to walk away. They can simply retire.

And then, like Brett Favre did (and did . . . and did) they can unretire. There’s no magic to it. There’s no official paperwork to file.

You retire by telling the team (wait for it) you’ve retired. You unretire by telling the Commissioner (wait for it) you’ve unretired.

Both can be done over and over and over again. Your team must quickly decide whether to reinstate your contract, to trade you, or to cut you. (This year, there likely will be high demand all season long for the services of starting-caliber professional football players.)

Two questions need to be resolved before retiring. First, do you owe any money to the team if you retire? Signing bonuses, for example, represent advance payment for future services; there’s a chance the full signing bonus hasn’t been earned. Second, are you willing and able to write that check in exchange for the ability to retire?

If you’re on the fence about whether to opt out and if you’d like more time to consider all circumstances, talk to your agent ASAFP about whether and to what extent you’d owe money to the team if you retire later.

Andrew Luck did it last year, for reasons unrelated to the pandemic. You can do it this year. But don’t do it unless you’re fully aware of the potential financial consequences of doing so.

[Futureshock]

Kliff Kingsbury admits his draft day setup was “a bit much”

Posted by Michael David Smith on August 6, 2020, 4:51 AM EDT

Arizona Cardinals

The 2020 NFL draft was unlike any other, with everyone isolating at home and football fans getting to see how coaches, general managers and prospects live. We saw Bill Belichick in the kitchen with his dog, Mike Vrabel’s sons, and most of all Kliff Kingsbury’s setup.

Kingsbury looked like a model for Architectural Digest, in what he now admits was a carefully choreographed look that isn’t how he ordinarily appears when he’s just lounging around at home.

“Going into it I knew I was going to be super extra in the picture,” Kingsbury said on NFL Network. “I do think the fire — it was 100 degrees and sunny — was a bit much, but I laid four phones on the table because the NFL gave us a couple . . . all the screens, I just wanted to make it as extra as possible and it turned out good. It made for fun. The NFL only allowed us to have one person at the house or I might’ve had some people on the float swans in the back, or a DJ, really doing it big. There’s always next year, hopefully.”

Hopefully, next year we’ll finally have the pandemic well enough under control that everyone won’t be stuck at home. But if we are, maybe we’ll see something even bigger and better at Kingsbury’s house.

[Futureshock]

Players can anonymously report violations of COVID-19 protocols

Posted by Charean Williams on August 5, 2020, 7:53 PM EDT

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Colorado State has begun an “immediate and objective” investigation into allegations that student-athletes were “intimidated and threatened” about COVID-19 protocols. The NFL and NFLPA want to avoid the same happening in their sport.

The union sent players a phone number Wednesday, allowing for them to anonymously report NFL teams’ violations of the agreed-upon COVID-19 protocols, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.

The NFLPA can file a grievance on players’ behalves for perceived violations.

The NFL and NFLPA finalized protocols Monday, signing off on changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2020.

The NFLPA is not the first sport to create a hotline for reporting violations.

The NBA established an electronic anonymous hotline for reporting of violations of safety protocols within their “bubble” in Orlando. Some players have dubbed it the “snitch line.”

[Futureshock]

Raheem Mostert will play this season but will isolate from his family

Posted by Charean Williams on August 5, 2020, 3:38 PM EDT

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Raheem Mostert requested a trade last month before the 49ers gave him a renegotiated deal. He later considered an opt out.

The running back will play this season, and he will play in San Francisco.

“I’m not going to be opting out, but it was a long — very long and tough — discussion with my wife,” Mostert said in a videoconference Wednesday. “Right now our current situation, she’s back in Cleveland with the family, my 13-month-old son as well as we’re expecting our second child at the end of September. So the discussions we’ve had, man, have been long and extensive, but you know she understands the importance of me being out here and being able to provide for the family. All those good things. So we’ve had more positive talks than negative, and we’ve been able to communicate on a day-to-day basis, just to understand each other’s feelings and to make sure she’s at ease especially during a time like this with the uncertainty of COVID as well as having the birth of our second boy. It’s been a blessing that we’ve both been on the same page.”

Mostert will isolate himself from his family during the season, with his wife and son staying in Ohio.

“We’ve both had nights where we’ve cried on each other,” Mostert said, “just talking about, especially before I left, just talking about how we’re going to manage this whole deal. I told her flat out, ‘Hey, look, I don’t want you guys to even come to Cali. I don’t you to be infected. I don’t want my 1-year-old to be infected as well as the new addition to our family.’ We were able to work it out, and I’m here. She understands.”

Mostert rushed for 772 yards and scored 10 touchdowns in the regular season and added 336 yards with five touchdowns in the postseason.

His reworked deal will give him a chance to double his salary of $2.875 million in 2020.

[Panoptes]

Players can anonymously report violations of COVID-19 protocols

Posted by Charean Williams on August 5, 2020, 7:53 PM EDT

Getty Images

Colorado State has begun an “immediate and objective” investigation into allegations that student-athletes were “intimidated and threatened” about COVID-19 protocols. The NFL and NFLPA want to avoid the same happening in their sport.

The union sent players a phone number Wednesday, allowing for them to anonymously report NFL teams’ violations of the agreed-upon COVID-19 protocols, Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reports.

The NFLPA can file a grievance on players’ behalves for perceived violations.

The NFL and NFLPA finalized protocols Monday, signing off on changes to the Collective Bargaining Agreement for 2020.

The NFLPA is not the first sport to create a hotline for reporting violations.

The NBA established an electronic anonymous hotline for reporting of violations of safety protocols within their “bubble” in Orlando. Some players have dubbed it the “snitch line.”

(((ring)))

You have reached Big Brother. We are ahead of you in the attempt to report misbehavior. Our telescreens have already documented the transgressions. Do not fret. The offender will be banished into nonexistence, with all traces of them soon to be deleted.

(click)

SMFH

F sports and cancel culture