March 2019 - Football Wiretap

Dolphins Trade Robert Quinn To Cowboys

Mar 29, 2019 8:32 AM

The Miami Dolphins have traded Robert Quinn to the Dallas Cowboys for a 2020 sixth-round pick.

Quinn will receive a new one-year deal worth $8 million from the Cowboys and can earn $1 million more in incentives, according to sources.

The defensive end was set to make $11.8 million in the last year of his contract. Earlier in the month, the Dolphins paid Quinn a $1.12 million roster bonus and reportedly were willing to pay some of Quinn's base salary to facilitate a trade.

However, Miami is not paying any of the money in Quinn's new deal with the Cowboys.

Todd Archer/ESPN

Tags: Dallas Cowboys, Miami Dolphins, Misc Rumor, Official Trade, Trade Rumor

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Eagles Acquire Jordan Howard From Bears For 2020 Pick

Mar 29, 2019 8:47 AM

The Philadelphia Eagles have acquired Jordan Howard from the Chicago Bears for a draft pick in 2020.

The Bears will get a sixth-round pick that can become a fifth-round pick, according to a source.

Philadelphia struggled on the ground last season, finishing 28th in rushing yards (1,570) and was second from the bottom in yards per attempt (3.9).

Tim McManus/ESPN

Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears, Misc Rumor, Official Trade, Trade Rumor

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Greg Schiano Steps Down From Job With Patriots

Mar 29, 2019 8:27 AM

Greg Schiano has stepped down from his position on the coaching staff of the New England Patriots.

The Patriots never announced Schiano's specific role, but it was assumed he would have a high ranking position on their defense to replace Brian Flores.

"This is not the result of any one event, but rather a realization that I need to spend more time on my faith and family," Schiano said. "I don't want to look back years from now and wish I had done things differently. Therefore, I am taking time away from the game to recalibrate my priorities."

"I respect Coach Schiano greatly and appreciate his contributions to our staff and team," Belichick said in his statement. "He is a friend who we support completely."

Schiano is a longtime friend of Belichick's and coached Belichick's son Steve at Rutgers for one season.

Mike Reiss/ESPN

Tags: New England Patriots, Misc Rumor

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Raiders Sign Isaiah Crowell, LB Brandon Marshall

Mar 29, 2019 8:27 AM

The Oakland Raiders have signed Isaiah Crowell and linebacker Brandon Marshall.

Crowell's one-year deal is worth up to $2.5 million, and Marshall's one-year deal is worth up to $4.1 million, according to a report.

ESPN

Tags: Las Vegas Raiders, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Bruce Arians: Chris Godwin Could Be 100-Catch Guy

Mar 28, 2019 10:17 AM

Chris Godwin could break out in his third season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Adam Humphries and DeSean Jackson are gone, paving the way for Godwin to see more targets next to Mike Evans.

"I think Chris Godwin is going to be close to a 100-catch guy, especially because I think he can play in the slot," Bruce Arians said. "He's never coming off the field."

Godwin had 59 receptions for 842 yards and seven touchdowns in 2018.

Kevin Patra/NFL

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Misc Rumor

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AAF In Danger Of Folding Without Help

Mar 28, 2019 10:13 AM

The majority owner of the Alliance of American Football says the league is in danger of folding without help from the National Football League Players Association.

Tom Dundon told USA Today Sports that the NFLPA is not cooperating with the AAF by refusing to allow the first-year league to use young NFL players.

"If the players union is not going to give us young players, we can't be a development league," Dundon said. "We are looking at our options, one of which is discontinuing the league."

Dundon said he expects to make a decision about the league's future over the next two days.

ESPN

Tags: Misc Rumor

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NFL Execs Concerned With Precedent Set By Antonio Brown

Mar 28, 2019 9:27 AM

Several high ranking executives are concerned about the precedent of Antonio Brown forcing his way off the Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason with his trade to the Oakland Raiders.

Brown wanted a new contract the Steelers were never going to give him. 

“It’s a problem. Other star players see this and might want to do the same,” one source said. “I know the Steelers had a difficult situation and needed to get rid of him. But they had other options.”

Pittsburgh had Brown under contract for three more years at a total of $38.925 million.

“It was a very un-Steeler-like move,” one source said.

“He was crazy enough to pull this off,” one veteran agent said. “Most guys aren’t wired that way. The contracts and rules are in place.”

Le'Veon Bell also went down an unconventional path to accomplish his goals, which included higher guarantees.

“I’ve seen too many injuries not to value that,” Bell said. “I’ve seen the Steelers pretty much cut Troy Polamalu, a future Hall of Famer. [Polamalu retired with two years left on his contract.] AB did what he felt was best for him. My situation was different, but we both wanted to get our fair value. That’s what every player wants.”

Jeremy Fowler/ESPN

Tags: Las Vegas Raiders, Pittsburgh Steelers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor, Trade Rumor

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Buccaneers Sign Blaine Gabbert

Mar 28, 2019 9:24 AM

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have signed Blaine Gabbert to a one-year deal.

Gabbert played for Bruce Arians with the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.

Gabbert will compete with Ryan Griffin for the backup quarterback job behind starter Jameis Winston.

Gabbert backed up Marcus Mariota with the Tennessee Titans last season.

ESPN

Tags: Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor, Signing

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Eagles Prioritizing 'Volume' In Draft

Mar 27, 2019 6:31 PM

The Philadelphia Eagles have seven selections in this year's draft and as many as 11, 12 or 13 in 2020.

The Eagles plan to build their roster with a short-term version and a long-range plan.

“Absolutely critical,” Lurie said on Tuesday at the NFL Annual Meeting. “Basically, we planned it exactly how it's gone in the sense of we didn't have as many draft picks. We've had some good young players, really good young players, but volume of draft picks? We believe in volume. We're not cocky enough to feel that you're going to draft way better than anybody else, and it's very important to create volume.

“This draft we're going to have good volume, especially in the top of the draft, two twos (second-round picks) and two fours (fourth-round picks) to go with our one (first-round pick), and next year we're going to have quite a few draft choices. It's very important, so when you look ahead over the next 13 months, we're going to be adding about 20 draft choices. You're going to have some undrafted players make the team, and so you can imagine there's probably going to be about 20 to 25 players that are going to be about 22 years old, 23 years old on our roster, and we planned for that.

“To Howie's credit in the front office, what they've done, I think they've always balanced this and sort of analyzed it, should you sign a player who is a potentially good starting player at age say 31 or 30 versus a low-level starting player who's a lot younger. So, when I talk to Howie, it's always about what is the next two years going to be in that comparison. Yeah, you get the 25- or 26-year-old in his second contract, but he's a low-level starter. His team didn't want him, and maybe he can be a low-level starter for us at best, or you can get a guy who can make an impact, several guys who can make an impact, and we're banking on them for one to two years. So that's resource allocation. It's with the idea of what we're going to be allocating for quarterback and for every other position, and the notion that we're going to have about 20-odd players coming on to our roster in the next 13 months.

“An interesting stat in the league, and we'll be consistent with that, is that I think 65 percent of the players in the league are in their first to third years. So when you think about that and where will we be in about 13 months, I bet we're pretty close to that.”

Dave Spadaro/PhiladelphiaEagles.com

Tags: Philadelphia Eagles, Draft, Draft Misc

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Jordy Nelson Retires From NFL

Mar 27, 2019 11:17 AM

Jordy Nelson will retire from the NFL after 10 seasons.

Nelson retires with 8,587 yards receiving and 72 touchdowns. Nelson's peak came in 2014 with 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns.

Nelson spent the 2018 season with the Oakland Raiders after spending his entire career previously with the Green Bay Packers.

James Jones/NFL.com

Tags: Green Bay Packers, Free Agent Rumor, Misc Rumor

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Russell Wilson, Seahawks Have Only Had 'Topical' Extension Talks
Russell Wilson will be the next elite quarterback to discuss an extension with his incumbent team, which could set a new bar for contracts.

Brady Henderson/ESPN

Bobby Wagner, Seahawks Open Extension Talks
Bobby Wagner is representing himself in contract talks.

Brady Henderson/ESPN

Andy Reid Hasn't Begun Planning As If Tyreek Hill Won't Be On Chiefs
Andy Reid has not spoken with Tyreek Hill since learning of an alleged battery and child abuse.

Brooke Pryor/Kansas City Star

Giants Internally Explore Trade For Josh Rosen
The Giants could still also select a quarterback in this year's draft.

Ralph Vacchiano/SNY.tv

Kliff Kingsbury Insists Josh Rosen Fits His System
Kliff Kingsbury said with the first overall draft pick comes "tons of chatter."

Josh Weinfuss/ESPN

Robert Kraft Pleads Not Guilty Two Days After Issuing Public Apology
Robert Kraft has asked for a jury trial.

ESPN

Owners Reject Replacing Onside Kick With One Play from Scrimmage
The competition committee recommended the play by a vote of 7-1, but the owners still rejected it.

Barry Wilner/Associated Press

Dolphins Attempted To Trade For Matthew Stafford Before 2018 Draft
Adam Gase reached out to Matt Patricia personally about a potential deal.

Jose A. Iglesias/Miami Herald

Eaglers Prioritizing Long-Term Extension With Carson Wentz
Howie Roseman said that management has been talking about the prospect of a long-term deal for Carson Wentz for the past two years.

Tim McManus/ESPN

Bears-Packers To Kick Off NFL's 100th Season
The NFL will begin the 2019 season with the Bears hosting the Packers on the first Thursday of Week 1.

Rob Demovsky/ESPN

Tony Romo Seeking $10M+ Per Season On New Deal With CBS
Tony Romo is entering the final season of his initial contract with CBS in which he earns $4 million per year.

Michael McCarthy/Sporting News

NFL Looking For Online Streaming Version Of Sunday Ticket
The the NFL could split the Sunday Ticket rights between a conventional TV partner like DirecTV and an online service like Amazon or AT&T's own DirecTV Now.

Scott Moritz, Scott Soshnick/Bloomberg

Belichick Praises Quinnen Williams For Ruining OU's Scheme In CFP
Bill Belichick praised Quinnen Williams' effectiveness for continually splitting two blockers to create pocket pressure on Kyler Murray.

Jim McBride/Boston Globe

Nobel Prize Winner Explains Raiders' Logic Of Khalil Mack Trade
Richard Thaler won the 2017 Nobel Prize for Economics and has consulted with an NFL team about the value of draft choices and how to build a team.

Peter King/NBC Sports

Jared Cook Won't Back Out Of Deal With Saints After Gronk's Retirement
The Patriots had a sense last week that Gronkowski was likely to retire, but now the free agent tight end market is incredibly thin.

Peter King/NBC Sports

49ers Confirm They Were Unwilling To Trade No. 2 For Odell Beckham
The 49ers were aggressive in their pursuit of a trade for Odell Beckham.

Matt Maiocco/NBC Sports Bay Area

Brandon Beane: Bills Were Never Close To Acquiring Antonio Brown
Despite reports to the contrary, Brandon Beane says the Bills were never close to trading for Antonio Brown.

PFT Live

Steelers Not Rushing Extension For Ben Roethlisberger
Ben Roethlisberger has one year left on his contract and the Steelers aren't rushing an agreement on an extension.

Jeremy Fowler/ESPN

John Mara Was 'Reluctant' For Giants To Trade Odell Beckham
Giants ownership considers the trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Browns among the toughest moves they have ever made.

Jordan Raanan/ESPN

Rob Gronkowski Announces Retirement From NFL
Rob Gronkowski's 79 touchdown receptions since he joined the Patriots as a second-round draft choice in 2010 led the NFL.

ESPN