Shaq Barrett has officially signed his franchise tag offer. The deadline to sign was 4 p.m. Wednesday. Barrett always fully intended to play for the Bucs in 2020 — it was just a matter of whether it would be on a franchise tag or a long-term deal.
Titans and RB Derrick Henry is signing a four-year, $50 million contract that includes $25.5 million guaranteed, source tells ESPN. In one off-season, the Titans keep both Henry and Ryan Tannehill on long-term deals.
With Dak Prescott's $31.4 million salary, the Cowboys and Kansas City are the only teams with three players with an average per year of $20 million in 2020, including DeMarcus Lawrence ($21 million) and Amari Cooper ($20 million). The Chiefs have Patrick Mahomes ($45 million), Frank Clark ($20.8 million) and Chris Jones ($20 million). Atlanta (Matt Ryan Julio Jones), Los Angeles Rams (Jared Goff, Aaron Donald) and Indianapolis (Philip Rivers, DeForest Buckner) have two apiece.
The deadline for reaching a long-term deal with franchise tagged players has arrived, and the Steelers and Bud Dupree are quiet. Barring a surprise, sneaky last-minute deal, Dupree will play the 2020 season on a franchise tag. The only question now is whether he'll make $15.828M as a linebacker, or if he'll be paid $17. 778 as a defensive end. Dupree filed a grievance to be classified as a DE last week.
Leonard Williams at $16.126 million (at least) will now officially be the highest-paid Giants player this season, barring any surprising blockbuster trade. James Bradberry at $16M, Blake Martinez $14M and Nate Solder $13M are next in terms of cash value for 2020.
Dak Prescott will play the 2020 season on the $31.4 million franchise tag. The deadline for a long-term deal passed at 4 p.m. ET without the Cowboys and Prescott's agent, Todd France, engaging in substantive negotiations. The sides talked on June 22 when Prescott signed the franchise tender. The wait on a long-term deal moves to after the season, per the CBA, with a second franchise tag of $37.68 million potentially coming next March.
Washington play-by-play voice Larry Michael announced his sudden retirement after 16 years with the franchise. He said in a statement to ESPN: "As a lifelong Washingtonian I was blessed to work with a lot of great people. I want to thank everyone who contributed over the years. I'm especially grateful to Dan Snyder for giving me the opportunity. On to the next chapter.”
Derrick Henry accounted for 30% of the Titans offense during the regular season. Heading into the AFC Championship Game, Henry accounted for 69% of the offensive production.
The Titans and Derrick Henry are closing in on a long-term deal before the deadline. Signing Henry to a multi-year contract sends a good message to the locker room. Do things the right way, produce, work hard and get rewarded.
Panthers owner David Tepper and his wife Nicole are contributing $250,000 to aid Johnson C. Smith University students dealing with financial hardship caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. "This pandemic has put a lot of people in a tough spot, particularly students who are trying to complete their education and earn their degrees,'' Tepper said. ‘'This institution means a lot to this community and we look forward to building on our relationship in the future."
Mayor's office provides clarification after Philadelphia officials declared no fans in stands this year for Eagles, Phillies.
Wednesday marks the final day that the Patriots and franchise-tagged left guard Joe Thuney can strike an extension until after the season. Otherwise, Thuney will play in 2020 on the franchise tag ($14.78 million), which has been the most likely scenario throughout.
While the deadline for the Cowboys and Dak Prescott to sign a long-term deal is Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, the actual deadline should be considered earlier than that because if the sides can reach an agreement on contractual parameters on length, money and guaranteed dollars, the real fight comes in the contractual language that could take a lot of time to come to terms.
Highest pass rush win rate when lined up as a defensive tackle, 2017-2019: Aaron Donald 27% Chris Jones 20% Grady Jarrett 19% >>ESPN stat, Next Gen Stats data
The Patriots announced the following today: "Should Gillette Stadium be allowed to have fans in the stands, it is expected to host about 20 percent of its total capacity. Ticketed parties will be asked to maintain physical distancing of at least six feet from other parties, tickets will be arranged in blocks of 10 seats or less, and the first eight rows of stadium seats will not be used ... Additionally, face coverings will be required at all times inside the stadium."
The Eagles are bringing back Jason Peters on a one year-deal. It's includes $3 million in guarantees and is worth up to $6 million, according to Adam Schefter. Peters is capable of transitioning to right guard, can be a swing tackle for the team and is a good insurance policy should Andre Dillard not perform as hoped at left tackle.
Randy Gregory's return from an indefinite suspension remains in limbo as training camp approaches, but there is some hope the Dallas Cowboys defensive end can be involved with the organization in some fashion, according to sources. Gregory's application for reinstatement has not been denied by the league, but he has not been cleared to return either. He started the reinstatement process earlier in the offseason.
Washington will wait until after the season to try to sign right guard Brandon Scherff to an extension, according to multiple sources. The deadline to sign players on the franchise tag to an extension is July 15. There hasn't been much movement toward a deal, so this comes as no surprise. Scherff has made three Pro Bowls, but has missed a combined 13 games the last two seasons with injuries. He'll count $15.03 million vs. the cap this season.
Brian Urlacher, Travis Kelce, DeMarco Murray joining forces with Alex Rodriguez, Jennifer Lopez with hopes of purchasing the New York Mets.
The University of South Carolina announced the Nicole and David Tepper Scholars Program in the school's Sports and Entertainment Management department. Each year, four incoming freshmen will receive $10,000 per year towards a four-year scholarship from the Panthers' owner and his wife. The program is being created with an initial gift of more than $567,000 over the next three years.
Despite Wednesday's deadline to sign Dak Prescott to a long-term deal, there are no scheduled talks between the Dallas Cowboys and the quarterback's agent, Todd France, according to multiple sources. While things can change quickly with a simple phone call, there was expected to be more urgency in getting a deal done that would lock the team and Prescott together for the long term while making the quarterback one of the highest paid quarterbacks in the NFL.
Relationship between Air Yards to Sticks (depth of target relative to line to gain) and WR separation. Separation doesn't equal openness, but I doubt it's nothing. The downward slope before 0 and flat line after are interesting but make sense: the important thing is the 1st down.
Quinton Dunbar has new legal counsel after new information came to light late last week about a possible payoff that took place at the office of attorney Michael Gieco. Grieco and Michael Weinstein have withdrawn as counsel. Andrew Rier and Jonathan Jordan of Rier Jordan will now represent Dunbar.
The Washington Redskins are close to having a new name "sooner than later", a source said Saturday night. Earlier in the day Yahoo's Charles Robinson reported a name could be announced within 24 to 48 hours. After Washington announced July 3 it would review its name, the feeling was it would be a quicker process. Multiple sources said owner Dan Snyder had started talking to the league about this three weeks ago. Snyder had once wanted an Arena League team, intending to call them the Warriors.
The Washington Redskins are close to having a new name "sooner than later", a source said Saturday night. Earlier in the day Yahoo's Charles Robinson reported a name could be announced within 24 to 48 hours. After Washington announced July 3 it would review its name, the feeling was it would be a quicker process. Multiple sources said owner Dan Snyder had started talking to the league about this three weeks ago. Snyder had once wanted an Arena League team, intending to call them the Warriors.
