NFL | sneakerreporter

Tennessee Titans Sign Ryan Tannehill to Multi-Year Extension

by Brandon Jefferson | Mar 15, 2020 | Featured, NFL

The Tennessee Titans shocked most of the football world with their run through the AFC playoffs, which culminated in a trip to the AFC Championship game.

Their season turned around when they inserted Ryan Tannehill into the starting lineup and benched former number two overall pick, Marcus Mariota.

Tannehill’s contract was set to expire and for weeks there was speculation that the Titans may be after Tom Brady—a former teammate of current head coach, Mike Vrabel. However, all the rumors can now be put to rest. Tennessee has agreed to a multi-year extension with Tannehill.

The report from ESPN’s Jeff Darlington says the contract will be for four years and worth $118 million with $62 million fully guaranteed:

Ryan Tannehill has agreed to terms on a new four-year contract with the Titans, per source. Here’s the numbers:
$118m total
$29.5m average per year
$62m full guarantee
$91m total guarantee
BIG deal for Tannehill!
— Jeff Darlington (@JeffDarlington) March 15, 2020

With the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) now in place, the Titans acted quickly to secure Tannehill. Not only does it fortify their quarterback position but they also leave themselves the option to franchise tag running back Derrick Henry if they are unable to reach an agreement.

With the Ryan Tannehill deal done, Tennessee can now franchise tag RB Derrick Henry — keeping both of their key players from the 2019 season. https://t.co/NNIetSKiqU
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2020

The Titans are hoping they can keep the momentum from last year’s season going and that all starts with bringing back the quarterback who helped spark the fire.

Needless to say, Tannehill was happy with the deal:

Tennessee let’s run it back 🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼🙌🏼 #TITANUP pic.twitter.com/rydM0LSoEN
— Ryan Tannehill (@ryantannehill1) March 15, 2020

Mar 15, 2020 No Comments

BREAKING NEWS: Calais Campbell Traded to Baltimore Ravens

Featured

by Brandon Jefferson | Mar 15, 2020 | Featured, NFL

Now that all 32 teams understand what they are dealing with as the new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) has been officially ratified by the players it’s back to business as normal.

For the Jacksonville Jaguars, that means attacking an impending rebuild head-on. Last season, they shipped off Jalen Ramsey to Los Angeles. Earlier this offseason they sent A.J. Bouye to the Denver Broncos.

Now, they have made another move by sending Pro Bowl defensive end Calais Campbell to the Baltimore Ravens. ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal:

Jaguars and Ravens have agreed to a trade in principle that would send Pro Bowl DE Calais Campbell to Baltimore for a 2020 fifth-round pick, per sources. Campbell will try to finalize an extension with Baltimore.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 15, 2020

Ramsey didn’t hold back after the previous Jacksonville moves and he spoke up on Twitter once again after this move:

👀👀 oh wow
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 15, 2020

Yet, Jacksonville continues to stockpile assets for the future. NFL Network’s Mike Garofolo notes the amount of draft picks they have over the next two seasons:

The Calais Campbell trade gives the #Jaguars 11 draft picks in 2020. They already have nine in 2021, including two firsts.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 15, 2020

For Baltimore, they are focused on the present. With Lamar Jackson on a cheap rookie deal, the Ravens are making moves to bolster their team—that finished with the league-best 14-2 record last season—as they try to remain at the top of the NFL.

With linebacker Matthew Judon already receiving the franchise tag, adding Campbell only makes the Ravens defense even stronger. Campbell can be impactful in both the run and passing game.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports Campbell will sign a two-year extension worth $27 million:

The #Ravens and new DL Calais Campbell are finalizing a 2-year new deal for $27M, sources say. It gives him $20 guaranteed after the trade from the #Jaguars. It’s not completely done yet, but sounds like it will be.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 15, 2020

Mar 15, 2020 No Comments

BREAKING NEWS: NFL Players Vote to Approve New CBA

Featured

by Brandon Jefferson | Mar 15, 2020 | Featured, NFL

With NFL Free Agency still scheduled to begin in one day (for now), the league finally has certainty over its future as the NFL players ratified a new Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) that will keep labor peace for the next 10 years.

In a tight vote—1,019 voted yes and 959 voted no—the new deal was just barely approved as only 51.5 percent of players who voted were in favor of adopting this new CBA.

Our statement on the CBA vote: pic.twitter.com/3pXydLLQ9c
— NFLPA (@NFLPA) March 15, 2020

Now that we know there will be football played, there’s a need to look at what changes will come to the game in the new deal.

First, there will be two big ones that go into effect immediately.

Teams will no longer be able to use both of the franchise tag and transition tag in the same offseason. For instance, the Dallas Cowboys can no longer place tags on both Dak Prescott or Amari Cooper.

Also, the playoffs will be expanded to add two additional teams (one from both conference) and only the number one seeds will receive a bye. Had the rule been in place last season, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Rams would’ve made it into the postseason.

By 2021, the NFL will transition to a 17-game regular season with teams playing just three preseason games as a trade off.

Off the field, the CBA now provides a bump in the percentage of league revenue from 47 percent to 48 percent—and it could potentially grow larger as the league negotiates a new television deal in the coming years.

On the whole, this new agreement is most beneficial to the majority of the league. 60 percent of players in the NFL fall under the category of “lower-earning” and in this deal, minimum salaries are getting a 20 percent increase. By 2030, the minimum salary for players with less than one year experience will have risen from $510,000 to $1,065,000.

Also, game-day rosters will increase from 46 players to 48. By 2021, teams will be able to keep 14 players on their practice squad.

Another big takeaway from the deal is that the NFL will no longer be suspending players who test positive for marijuana use. Instead, any player who tests positive will have medical professionals review their results and offer any clinical care or treatment that they deem may be necessary for the player.

These are all just the tip of the iceberg in the new CBA and the new deal is going to bring a lot of changes to the NFL and relatively soon.

Mar 15, 2020 No Comments

New York Jets Defensive Lineman Quinnen Williams Arrested

Featured

by Brandon Jefferson | Mar 6, 2020 | Featured, NFL

At 9:15 PM EST on Thursday night, New York Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was arrested while attempting to board a flight at LaGuardia Airport in Queens.

Andy Vasquez of USA Today Sports was the first to report on the incident:

From the Port Authority Police: Jets defensive lineman Quinnen Williams was arrested at about 9:15 pm tonight at LGA for criminal possession of a weapon while trying to board a flight. They said his permit for the weapon is in Alabama. He’s currently being processed by the PAPD.
— Andy Vasquez (@andy_vasquez) March 6, 2020

Williams was detained after the authorities found a Glock 19 pistol on him as he tried to board his flight to Alabama. The former third overall pick has a permit to carry in the state of Alabama, however, he does not have one for the state of New York.

The 22-year-old will now have the Queens district attorney handle the rest of the case as reported by ABC New York’s Morena Basteiro:

The @nyjets player is now being processed by the Port Authority Police Department. The matter will then be handed over to the Queens District Attorney's Office.
— Morena Basteiro (@morenabasteiro) March 6, 2020

ESPN’s Rich Cimini is reporting that Williams will be in court on March 25th:

Williams has a March 25 desk/court appearance, according to a spokesperson for the Queens DA office. At that time, he will have formal charges. Authorities haven't indicated if the gun was loaded; that is an important detail. NYC gun laws are strict. #Jets
— Rich Cimini (@RichCimini) March 6, 2020

As John P. Gilbert notes on Twitter, a big detail will be whether or not the firearm was loaded while it was in Williams’ possession:

Loaded is a Class C felony (265.03(C)) with 3.5 – 15 years sentencing guidelines.
Unloaded is a Class E felony (265.01-B) with 16 months – 48 months of probation (no jail time).
Also important to keep in mind NY uses some very liberal definitions of "loaded". pic.twitter.com/j4POI7ho1z
— John P. Gilbert (@JohnPGilbertNFL) March 6, 2020

Williams’ agent, Nicole Lynn of Young Money Sports issued the following statement:

Statement from Quinnen Williams's attorney, Alex Spiro:
Mr. Williams respects and follows the law. There was allegedly a technical issue with the manner in which the lawfully owned firearm was stored – and we expect the matter to be resolved shortly.
— Nicole Lynn (@AgentNicoleLynn) March 6, 2020

This story will be updated as more information comes out.

Mar 6, 2020 No Comments

BREAKING NEWS: A.J. Bouye Traded to the Denver Broncos

Featured

by Brandon Jefferson | Mar 3, 2020 | Featured, NFL

The offseason is officially in gear as we got our first big trade. The Jacksonville Jaguars sent their starting cornerback to the Denver Broncos in return for a fourth-round pick in the upcoming 2020 NFL Draft.

Just two years ago, the Jaguars had the best defense in the league and were one half away from making it to the Super Bowl. The dynamic group was led by Bouye and his partner in the secondary, Jalen Ramsey. Now, both are no longer with the Jaguars.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter was the first to report the deal:

The Broncos and Jaguars have agreed on a trade that would send cornerback A.J. Bouye to Denver for a 2020 fourth-round pick, league sources tell ESPN.
The trade cannot be processed until the new league year begins March 18th.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) March 3, 2020

ESPN’s Josina Anderson was able to get quotes from Bouye about his feelings on the move:

AJ Bouye to me on the phone: "I'm on the way to get my kids, I get a phone call from (Dave) Caldwell, saying he appreciates everything I did for the team. Then Elway calls me, saying welcome to Denver. Now everyone is calling, I'm just finding out. I want to thank Jacksonville."
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 3, 2020

More AJ Bouye to me just now: "I'm definitely excited because Chris Harris always had good things to say about Denver. I'm about to watch film & look at their scheme some more and really study it. It's CB friendly. The 3 times I played there the atmosphere & fanbase was amazing."
— ig: josinaanderson (@JosinaAnderson) March 3, 2020

Chris Harris Jr. is currently a free agent and is likely to sign elsewhere when free agency opens in a couple weeks.

Whether he is being brought in as a companion or replacement, Bouye’s contract still has two years left on his deal with a base salary of $13 million.

This could potentially be the first of several moves the Jaguars make according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports:

Jags were a team other teams most wanted to talk at combine, as we noted. Beyond Bouye trade there is interest in Campbell, Linder, Norwell, though return likely not great. Moving Foles likely impossible from what I gather unless Jags goose pot by including a decent pick
— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) March 3, 2020

Ramsey, never the one to hold his tongue made his feelings about what’s going on in Jacksonville be known:

👀👀
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 3, 2020

Free all my dawgs lol
— Jalen Ramsey (@jalenramsey) March 3, 2020

Mar 3, 2020 No Comments

Pre Combine 2020 NFL Draft Position Rankings

Featured

by Brandon Jefferson | Feb 27, 2020 | Featured, NFL

The 2020 NFL Combine begins today at 4:00 PM EST with the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tight ends doing on the field work. With draft season officially upon us here’s a first look at SneakerReporter’s positional rankings for the 2020 NFL Draft.