2018 NFL Off-Season Thread

[Lineker]

Mike Pouncey to the Bolts.

Orlando Scandrick to Washington - they won't be signing DRC.

[Lineker]

The Colts have signed Eric Ebron.

[Lineker]

The Steelers have landed much-needed safety help with former Green Bay Packer Morgan Burnett expected to sign with Pittsburgh on Tuesday, according to a source.

The Oakland Raiders are trading fullback Jamize Olawale to the Dallas Cowboys, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported Tuesday, per sources informed of the deal. The Raiders also sent a sixth-round pick to Dallas in exchange for a fifth-rounder, per Rapoport. Olawale became expendable in Oakland after the Raiders signed fullback Keith Smith from Dallas this offseason.

The Jacksonville Jaguars will release wide receiver Allen Hurns on Tuesday, a league source told ESPN's Adam Schefter. The move will save the team $7 million against the salary cap. Hurns became expendable with the emergence of rookies Dede Westbrook and Keelan Cole in 2017.

Former NFL offensive lineman Jonathan Martin is facing charges of making criminal threats and carrying a loaded firearm in connection with a threatening Instagram post from last month. The Los Angeles District Attorney's Office filed four counts of making criminal threats and one count of carrying a loaded firearm on March 13, according to online records.

[Lineker]

Quote

While Vince McMahon promises to bring back a revamped XFL in 2020, Charlie Ebersol, who is a son of McMahon's partner in the previous doomed XFL venture, Dick Ebersol, said his football league will come first. And some big NFL names will be involved.

In New York City on Tuesday, Charlie Ebersol, who directed a documentary on the XFL that aired last year as part of ESPN's 30 for 30 series, announced that his league, called the Alliance of American Football, plans to debut on Feb. 9, 2019, the week after Super Bowl LIII. The season will run 10 weeks and will have 50-man teams.

To help him steer the league, Ebersol brought on former NFL general manager Bill Polian, currently an analyst for ESPN. The player side will be overseen by former Pro Bowl Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu, while the team side will be guided by former USC standout and executive J.K. McKay.

Advisers to the league also will include former NFL players Hines Ward and Justin Tuck, as well as Dick Ebersol.

While McMahon's league is backed by McMahon's money, Ebersol's league is backed by others, including former Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen, Peter Thiel's Founders Fund and The Chernin Group, which, among other investments, owns a significant share of Barstool Sports.

"I think where businesses like this fail is that they expect to have ludicrous and unrealistic ticket and media deal projections in Year 1," Ebersol said. "Our investors here understand that it's a 7-10-year plan."

Unlike McMahon, whose announcement came without a media plan, Charlie Ebersol said that his league, made up of players who didn't make the cut for the NFL, will have the initial contest and the championship game on CBS and one game a week on CBS Sports Network. Other games will be available on the league's app, which Ebersol said promises to integrate live fantasy play into the broadcasts.

"Fifty nine million people play fantasy and 20 million people play only fantasy football," Ebersol. "We have to be able to take advantage of the people who just stop playing fantasy when the NFL season ends."

Like McMahon, Ebersol said the success of the league will live and die with good football, something that he thinks is achievable.

"There are 28,000 Division I football players," Ebersol said. "Only 1,700 have NFL jobs," Ebersol said. "We're looking for those Kurt Warners working in grocery stores and we think we will find them."

The eight teams in cities that will be announced in the next three months will start by having regional drafts, protecting eligible players who played in the local community for their college days.

Besides good football and names the local market knows, Ebersol says a hallmark of the league will be no TV time outs and 60 percent fewer commercial, as well as an innovative approach to broadcasting the games.

There also will be no kickoffs (ball will be placed automatically at the 25-yard line) and no on-side kicks. The losing team will just start on their own 35-yard-line with fourth-and-10. Play clocks are 30 seconds and every touchdown has to be followed by a two-point conversion attempt.

[Maxx]

Quote

 Peter Thiel's Founders Fund

And I want it to fail

[Lineker]

The NFL's competition committee is expected to propose a new catch rule that would eliminate the "going to the ground" distinction in addition to reinforcing a high standard for overturning calls via replay, league executive vice president Troy Vincent confirmed Tuesday to the Washington Post.

[Lineker]

• The Seattle Seahawks added to their offensive line Tuesday by agreeing to terms with former first-round pick D.J. Fluker, a source tells ESPN's Jordan Raanan. Fluker's deal is for one year, according to the source.
• New England Patriots special-teams captain Matthew Slater has reached agreement on a two-year deal to return to the club, according to a league source.
• The San Francisco 49ers signed veteran guard Jonathan Cooper to a one-year deal on Tuesday.
• Ndamukong Suh is now onto a meeting with the Oakland Raiders.
• Jacksonville is releasing Marcedes Lewis, a source informed of the situation told NFL Network's Mike Garafolo. Mark Long of the Associated Press first reported the move.
• Ryan Grant signs with Colts on one-year, $5M deal

[Maxx]

  Why the hell would you be sad about that @Stick Stickly 

[Taxation is Theft]

Missclick. What am I missing about the guy that I should want this to fail?

[Lineker]

Quote

Buffalo Bills wide receiver Zay Jones was arrested and charged with felony damage to property after an incident that involved his brother, Vikings wide receiver Cayleb Jones, on Monday night at a Los Angeles apartment building.

"We are aware of the incident involving Zay Jones," the Bills said in a statement Tuesday night. "We are still in the process of gathering more information on the matter. At this point, we will have no further comment."

Officer Luis Garcia said Zay Jones was breaking glass doors and windows when officers arrived at the apartment building. He was arrested on suspicion of felony vandalism. The 22-year-old was booked Tuesday morning, and bail was set at $20,000.

Jones is being held at USC Medical Center, authorities told ESPN.

TMZ posted video of the incident Tuesday. A man is heard off camera saying, "I'm going to fight for Jesus." Then Zay Jones emerges into a hallway and his brother tries to stop him. Zay Jones, naked, then runs past his brother and a scream is heard.

TMZ posted photos of shattered windows and a hallway where blood could be seen.

Zay Jones' agent, Zeke Sandhu, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The Vikings did not provide a comment when ESPN reached out.

Jones was a second-round pick of the Bills in 2017. He had 27 receptions for 316 yards and two touchdowns as a rookie.

Cayleb Jones, 25, was on the Vikings' practice squad last season and was signed to a futures contract in January.

Chad Reuter five-round mock draft: Buffalo Bills trade up for Baker Mayfield

[Lineker]

• NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reports Detroit is signing former Seahawks tight end Luke Willson to a one-year contract worth $2.5 million, according to a source informed of the decision.
• Allen Hurns is scheduled to visit the Dallas Cowboys and then the New York Jets this week.
• Former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Willie Snead is visiting the Baltimore Ravens on Wednesday.

[Lineker]

• The Detroit Lions filled one of their biggest needs by signing defensive tackle Sylvester Williams to a one-year deal, it was announced Wednesday. The 29-year-old Williams, who helps the Lions replace Eagles-bound Haloti Ngata, likely would slide into a starting role and be in an interior line rotation with A'Shawn Robinson and Akeem Spence, who both started at defensive tackle after Ngata was lost for the season.
• Bidding for the Carolina Panthers has reached a record $2.5 billion, Bloomberg reported Wednesday.
• Ndamukong Suh cancelled his scheduled visit Wednesday with the Oakland Raiders and returned home to Portland to mull his options, sources told NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Michael Silver. Following dinner with coach Sean McVay and the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday night, Suh was slated to fly up to Oakland to meet with the Raiders, NFL Network's Tom Pelissero reported Tuesday. However, after the Rams reportedly "made a strong impression" on Suh, the three-time Pro Bowler put the kibosh on those plans.

[The Buscher]

The Giants just traded Jason Pierre-Paul and their fourth round pick to the Bucs for their third and fourth round picks.

I'm guessing they had hesitations about him being able to transition to the 3-4.  His contract was also pretty terrible.  Apparently the Giants will only clear $2.5 million in cap space this year with the rest being dead money, but it should free up a ton of room for 2019 with Odell Beckham, Landon Collins, and others up for free agency.

[Lineker]

Brock Osweiler is visiting the Miami Dolphins.

[The Buscher]

Sounds like the Giants really aren't all that sold on any of the QBs and with JPP now gone they're warming up to the idea of taking Chubb with #2 pick.

I'd like Chubb but I still think they'd be foolish to not trade down if the Bills are willing to back up the truck to move up.  

Hell Denver could get desperate and try to move up to 2 which would be even better for the Giants as it would mean QBs going 1, 2, and 3 and presumably Barkley 4th - leaving Chubb still there for NY at 5.

[Lineker]

• Terrelle Pryor agrees to terms on deal with Jets
• Philadelphia has agreed to terms with former Ravens wide receiver Mike Wallace on a one-year contract, the team announced Thursday. The deal is worth $2.5 million with incentives, per NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport.
• The Oakland Raiders re-signed backup quarterback EJ Manuel.
• New England has agreed to terms with LaAdrian Waddle on a one-year contract, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport reported, via a source informed of the situation.

[Maxx]

Cowboys signed Allen Hurns, hey a move I like!

[Maxx]

On 3/7/2018 at 13:36, Lineker said:

 

And Michael Bennett has just been traded to the Eagles.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/eagles/2018/03/23/michael-bennett-indicted-injuring-elderly-paraplegic-super-bowl-li/453774002/

High class guy!

[Your Mom]

Not trying to be offensive but how is a paraplegic a security officer?

[Maxx]

He pushed his way through a security team that included the elderly, who were telling him to use a different entrance.  Security probably isn't the right term, they were basically an usher or a ticket checker.  Someone simply posted at a door to say "I'm sorry you can't go this way please use a different enterance"