With just one more week of the preseason to go, the NFL regular season is quickly approaching. As teams start to make decisions on the final roster cuts, attention is starting to turn to week one. With that in mind, there are still some news stories dominating the headlines to let’s take a look around the league over the last week.
Latest On Melvin Gordon, Ezekiel Elliott
As week 3 of the preseason continues, two of the biggest running backs in the league are still out of their camp. For the Chargers, it does not look like their saga with Melvin Gordon will be ending anytime soon. Gordon is expected to continue his holdout into the season and will train on his own. Gordon is in the last year of his contract and is looking for an extension in the $12 to $13 million, while the Chargers are offering more around $10 million. Last season, Gordon rushed 175 times for 885 yards and 10 touchdowns. He also had 50 receptions for 490 yards and another 4 touchdowns. It will be interesting to see how long the holdout lasts. If he does not report by the end of November, he won’t be able to play this season, and his contract would carry over to next season. If he can’t get a deal done, he is hoping to play elsewhere. A full season holdout would put him back into the same situation he is currently in at this time next year.
The other big-name holding out is Ezekiel Elliott. In his case, the Cowboys have made him a lucrative offer that would reportedly put him as one of the two highest-paid running backs in history. Still, the writing on the wall is that it would still fall short of Todd Gurley’s average salary of $14.38 million, a figure he is hoping to beat. It at least appears that there are more fluid talks between the Cowboys and Elliott, so a deal may be done between those two earlier than with Gordon and the Chargers. Last season, Elliott rushed for 1,434 yards on 304 carries while adding 6 touchdowns. He also caught 77 receptions for 567 yards and another 3 touchdowns. Needless to say, he is a significant part of the Cowboys’ offense and a player they hope to get back into camp soon.
Antonio Brown Saga Could Be Ending
In the on-again, off-again saga of Antonio Brown and the Raiders, it appears that the star wide receiver is back on again. Between issues with his feet (stemming from an incident with a cryotherapy chamber) and concerns over his helmet, Brown has missed good chunks of the training camp thus far. On Monday, though, Brown reported back to practice and appears to be all systems go in getting ready for week one. Brown was a huge acquisition for the Raiders this year to give quarterback Derek Carr a legitimate number one wide receiver. Last season, with the Steelers, Brown had 104 receptions for 1,297 yards and 15 touchdowns. It is possible that another issue could arise, but for now, it seems like all is well in Raider Nation.
Michael Crabtree Finally Signs
It took a lot longer than expected but, at last, the Arizona Cardinals have signed wide receiver Michael Crabtree. As Arizona’s wide receiver depth has thinned out recently (4th-round pick Hakeem Butler fractured his hand, and Kevin White was released), the need for another wide receiver grew more pressing. There were reports that Crabtree was close to a deal earlier in the month, but it appears now that the two sides have finally reached an agreement. While Crabtree’s best days are behind him, he would still bring a substantial veteran presence that could fit in nicely with Larry Fitzgerald and Christian Kirk. Frankly, as many weapons that Arizona can get for new franchise quarterback Kyler Murray will be for the best. While the Cardinals are not considered contenders this year, it will still be advantageous for the franchise to start taking steps in the right direction. Last season, with the Ravens, Crabtree played in all 16 games, catching 54 receptions for 607 yards and 3 touchdowns. His best season came in 2012 with the 49ers, where he caught 85 passes for 1,105 yards and 9 touchdowns. While he is far removed from that production level, the Cardinals still hope he can produce in his age 32 season.
A Couple Extensions Signed In The Last Week
While some players are looking for extensions, a couple of players got some this last week. First, the Detroit Lions have reportedly extended defensive tackle Damon Harrison for an extra season, keeping him in Detroit for the next three seasons. The deal is worth $11 million for the extra season (he will make $12 million for both this season and next). For Harrison, last season he had 81 tackles (9 for loss), 3.5 sacks and a forced fumble.
While the Cowboys are still working on extending players like Elliott, Dak Prescott, and Amari Cooper, they did extend one player this week, Jaylon Smith. The linebacker agreed to a five-year, $64 million deal with the Cowboys. In addition to his current contract, he will be in Dallas for the next seven years. Of the deal, $35.5 million is guaranteed. Last season, Smith had 121 tackles (6 for loss), 4 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries (one for a touchdown).
