Greg Hardy will miss the remainder of the 2014 NFL season as his trial date has been postponed. It was originally scheduled for mid-November, but it will now begin after the season is over.

Hardy is on the commissioner's exempt list.

Hardy was found guilty in a bench trial of assaulting and threatening his ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder, which is now under appeal.

In his Week 8 performance against the Green Bay Packers, Mark Ingram finally looked like the player the New Orleans Saints were expecting when they made him a first round pick out of Alabama.

The Saints declined their fifth-year option on Ingram last offseason.

Ingram is expected to become a free agent in 2015 and is still realtively young and without a ton of miles, which could make him an attractive option for teams looking for a running back.

One scout said Ingram is finally realizing his substantial talent due to increased confidence and the late 2013 shift to an inside/outside blocking scheme that emphasizes his strengths.

Kelvin Benjamin said he purposely ran a slower than usual 40 in order to play for the Carolina Panthers.

“Because I wanted to play for the Carolina Panthers,’’ said Benjamin, noting he has been clocked at 4.41 seconds, which would have been fifth fastest at the combine.

Benjamin was drafted with the 28th overall pick.

Brandin Cooks was the fastest receiver of the class, running at 4.33 seconds.

“He’s fast, man,’’ Benjamin said of Cooks. “He beats you over the top. That’s what he does.’’ 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have traded Mark Barron to the St. Louis Rams for a fourth and sixth rounder.

Barron is owed $4.6 million in guaranteed next season.

Champ Bailey has decided to retire from the NFL.

Bailey had been with the New Orleans Saints in training camp, but failed to make the roster.

Bailey was a 12-time Pro Bowler and was released in the offseason by the Denver Broncos to create cap space.

"At this time, Champ has decided not to accept on-field opportunities and pursue another career path," agent Jack Reale said. "He could be playing right now if he wanted to be."

Bailey was acquired by the Broncos in 2004 in a blockbuster deal for Clinton Portis.

Pete Carroll denied that there are issues in the relationship of Marshawn Lynch and the Seattle Seahawks.

"I have nothing to say about that because there's nothing to that," Carroll said Monday. "I have no idea where that came from."

An ESPN.com story Sunday said the organization has grown tired of Lynch's ways, including pulling a no-show at the White House Super Bowl ceremony, his training camp holdout and his possible contribution to locker room distractions, according to sources.

"At this point, I don't think it behooves us to try to respond to all these kinds of things," Carroll said. "Our players have told you how they feel about it, and we're in a really good place right now. It's just not worth it, but there's nothing to that."

Lynch missed the first eight days of training camp over a contract dispute. He has rushed for 482 yards on 111 carries this season.

"He's doing fine," Carroll said of Lynch. "He works his tail off. Since the day he got back here, he looked terrific. He returned in great shape. He's done everything we ask of him. He's always ready to play and he's doing great."

With the Atlanta Falcons struggling again this season after reaching the NFC Championship Game in the 2012 season, the status of Mike Smith as head coach is uncertain.

The Falcons are on a five-game losing streak.

"No," Smith said about if he's concerned about his job security. "None whatsoever. We're going to do what we've done for the last six-plus years and prepare each and every week like we know how to do it. And I'm going to continue to do that until Mr. Blank tells me otherwise."

Arthur Blank recently told ESPN.com he had confidence in both Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff to guide a turnaround and said he would wait to see how the season plays out before evaluating changes. But Blank was noticeably frustrated after Sunday's loss in London, telling the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "There's no way you lose that game -- just no way. There's nothing else I can say."

A report from Bleacher Report over the weekend suggested that some of Russell Wilson's teammates on the Seattle Seahawks didn't believe he was "black enough" and that he has too close of a relationship with the front office.

"Nobody in here said that," Richard Sherman said. "It's made up."

Wilson had a similar response, though he didn't directly contradict the veracity.

"Black enough? I don't even know what that means," Wilson said. "I'm just an educated, well-spoken male."

Jon Gruden has told a close friend he would return to the NFL as a head coach with the Oakland Raiders.

"If there is one job I'd come to the NFL for, it's the Raiders," Gruden reportedly said.

Gruden is currently an analyst on Monday Night Football.

According to three sources, Gruden spent round one of the draft imploring the Raiders to select Johnny Manziel.

The Raiders picked Derek Carr in the second round.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fielding offers for Doug Martin, according to sources.

Teams have already approached Tampa Bay about Martin, and some around the league believe that the Buccaneers would be willing to deal him for the right price before Tuesday's 4 p.m. ET trade deadline, according to sources.

Martin is averaging just 2.9 yards per carry this season, rushing for 139 yards and a touchdown. Martin was a breakout running back in his rookie season in 2012 but has since been limited by injuries.