Tag: cut

B/R shines a spotlight on Derek Carr’s contract in 2025

Bleacher Report calls Derek Carr’s contract the most important contract decision for the Saints next year, but their options are limited:

Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder took a look into the near future to take a look every team’s most important contract decision. The list primarily consists of 2025 free agents. That may feel like a decision for a year from now, but these decisions are often made ahead of time.

Players who enter the final year of their contract are ideal trade pieces. In the New Orleans Saints’ case, Derek Carr was the selection. He isn’t a 2025 free agent, but making a decision on his contract will impact the team-building strategy moving forward.

Unlike the other players mentioned, Carr isn’t an impending free agent, but his contract has an out that would save the Saints $30 million of cap space with a post-June 1 designation, per Over The Cap. That could be intriguing for a club that’s currently projected to begin the offseason over $90 million in the hole, especially if the team wants to rebuild.

Carr is a good choice, but this isn’t the right reason.

Finances are an annual talking-point around the team, and there’s no reason to see that ending. Carr’s cap hit is relevant to that topic because it’s salary cap-related. However, the decision on Carr will not be a salary cap decision.

The decision on what to do with Carr is purely performance based. If he’s a good fit in Klint Kubiak’s offensee, the Saints will keep him. He’s the starting quarterback. New Orleans isn’t getting rid of him before or after June 1 in the name of saving $30 million. His no-trade clause limits their options. And if they do want to move on with that post-June 1 cuts designation, they’ll have to find a way to get under the salary cap while carrying his $51.4 million cap hit on the books until June 2.

The decision to make is really does New Orleans want to be tied to him any more. Carr’s 2024 season will answer that question. It’s on him to earn more job security and put off talk about a potential rebuild (possibly surrounding Spencer Rattler) for another year.

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Tiger Woods will miss 2024 PGA Championship cut thanks to horrendous three-hole stretch on Friday

Woods is eight shots off the cut line and 19 behind the leader.

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Tiger Woods is heading home early.

The 15-time major champion will miss the weekend cut at the 2024 PGA Championship after a lackluster 6-over 77 on Friday in the second round at Valhalla Golf Club that was doomed from the start. Woods walked off the course at 7 over for the tournament, eight shots off the cut.

“The week, it was a great week being here, being here at Valhalla, and unfortunately my scores did not indicate how the people treated me and how great a week I had,” Woods said after his round. “Unfortunately, I hit too many shots.”

This week’s major championship is being held in Kentucky but Woods took a brief visit to Los Angeles on his scorecard with his 7-4-7 stretch of triple-bogey-triple that derailed his round from the jump on Nos. 2-4.

“Well, I got off to bad start and the rough grabbed me at 2. No sand in the bunker as well. Just made a mistake there. I compounded the problem there at 4,” Woods explained after his round. “Just kept making mistakes and things you can’t do, not just in tournaments but in majors especially. And I just kept making them. I hung around for most of the day but unfortunately the damage was done early.”

He did well to fight back and earn some honor with a pair of birdies on Nos. 7 and 8, but gave those right back with consecutive squares thanks to bogeys on Nos. 11 and 12. Woods hopped on board the par train on Nos. 13-17 and made a consolation birdie at the last to seal the deal for his trunk-slam finish at 7 over par, eight shots off the cut and a whopping 19 off the lead.

The score is frustrating, but what will really irk Woods will be the fact that it wasn’t his body that gave up on him today. It was his game. He wasn’t limping. He wasn’t grimacing and constantly stretching throughout the round. He just wasn’t dialed with his approaches or short game. Simple as that.

Despite the poor showing, the 48-year-old Woods is still confident his game will continue to improve. In due course, that is.

“I just got to — I need to play more. Unfortunately, I just haven’t played a whole lot of tournaments, and not a whole lot of tournaments on my schedule either,” he said. “Hopefully everything will somehow come together in my practice sessions at home and be ready for Pinehurst.”

The next time we should expect to see Woods will be at the 2024 U.S. Open at Pinehurst No. 2, June 13-16. The warm summer temperature in the Sandhills of North Carolina should be like an incubator for Woods’ surgically repaired body that’s held together by pins and screws, and the course should give Tiger an advantage due to his ability to get creative with various shots. That said, his lack of tournament reps and performances so far this year shouldn’t give fans too high of expectations.

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Ex-Chiefs WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling visited with Bills

Marquez Valdes-Scantling visited with the Buffalo #Bills on Monday. He won Super Bowl rings with the Kansas City #Chiefs the last two seasons.

The Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills made for unlikely bedfellows during the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, when the defending Super Bowl champions struck a deal with their bitter AFC rivals to trade up for wide receiver Xavier Worthy.

On Monday, the teams’ paths crossed yet again when ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that former Chiefs wideout Marquez Valdes-Scantling met with the Bills as a free agent.

Valdes-Scantling played a key role on offense on the Chiefs’ last two Super Bowl-winning teams but was released in March after an underwhelming 2023 season.

While there has been no indication that a signing is imminent for Valdes-Scantling, very few wide receivers on the market have Super Bowl experience.

Buffalo traded star WR Stefon Diggs to the Houston Texans shortly before April’s draft and selected Florida State wideout Keon Coleman with their first pick.

New Orleans Saints intend to release wide receiver Michael Thomas

The New Orleans Saints plan to release Michael Thomas, per the Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Jeff Duncan. This split has been a long time coming:

Here’s what we’ve been expecting: The New Orleans Saints intend to release wide receiver Michael Thomas, as first reported by the Times-Picayune | Advocate’s Jeff Duncan. Duncan says that Thomas has already caught his last pass in a Saints uniform, and that it’s a matter of when, not if, the team will let him go.

Expect the move to be processed as a post-June 1 cut. For accounting purposes, Thomas will remain on the books with a $12.4 million salary cap hit despite being a free agent with the opportunity to sign with other teams. On June 2, the Saints will receive $3.4 million in savings while counting $8.9 million against the cap in dead money this season, deferring $9.1 million onto the 2025 salary cap. If the Saints don’t use that designation, Thomas would count for $18.1 million against this year’s cap total.

A split makes the most sense for everyone. Thomas did his part to help the team in recruiting Derek Carr last offseason, but the quarterback proved to be a poor fit with him by hesitating too often on the in-breaking routes that Thomas runs best. Frustration behind the scenes spilled over onto social media, and now the clock is ticking on everyone going their separate ways.

It’s such a shame. Thomas joined the Saints at the perfect time to help extend Drew Brees’ career, and he was on a trajectory that would have sent him to the Hall of Fame before injuries derailed his career. Even after being limited to just 20 games in the last four years, Thomas will leave the Saints with the second-most receptions (565) and fourth-most yards (6,569) in team history. His 36 career touchdown catches are seventh-most.

Five players have caught 500 or more passes in a Saints uniform, and Thomas is one of two with fewer than 10 fumbles (5), along with Joe Horn (7). There aren’t many receivers who, when at their best, have been as reliable and exciting to watch as Thomas. Injuries and off-the-field drama don’t change that.

Where will he go next? Hopefully a team in the AFC. Playoff contenders like the Baltimore Ravens and Kansas City Chiefs could use another experienced wideout. Wherever Thomas lands, we’ll be wishing him well — except when he’s playing against the Saints.

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New Orleans Saints to release starting safety Marcus Maye

The New Orleans Saints intend to release starting safety Marcus Maye at the start of the league year, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz:

The New Orleans Saints plan to release starting safety Marcus Maye when the new league year kicks off on March 13, per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz. Maye had missed as many games (17) as he played for New Orleans (17) due to several injuries and a suspension over his two years with the team.

So it’s not too surprising that he’s being let go. Maye was due to count $9.6 million against the salary cap in 2024, the last year of his contract, and the Saints decided it’s worth more to replace him than keep it going. What’s curious is how they’re doing it.

If the Saints are simply cutting Maye loose they’ll have to pay more than $8.4 million against the cap in dead money, meaning they’re saving just $1.1 million by parting ways. But if they’re using one of their two post-June 1 cut designations on Maye, it means they’ll save the $1.1 million now and get another $6 million in savings over the summer to use to sign their rookie draft class and maybe some free agents for training camp. They’ll spread out the dead money with cap hits of $2.4 million in 2024 and $6 million in 2025, but again, the big savings won’t hit until June 2.

Which complicates things. Remember, teams are only allowed to use two of these designations. If the Saints are burning one of them on Maye then it means they can’t use it on one of the other two players who are seen as candidates for the post-June 1 release: Jameis Winston and Michael Thomas. Both players have firm deadlines to be released or extended so this isn’t a move the Saints are taking lightly. It means they’ve already decided which of them will be staying and who will be going.

Winston currently has a salary cap hit of $4.5 million but it’ll grow by about $100 million if he’s still on the roster by March 16, which means the Saints must tear up his contract and sign a new one or let him leave in free agency. Thomas is in a similar position with a $12.4 million cap hit. Releasing either of them with the post-June 1 designation would only save about $1.2 million, so this is all more procedural than actually helpful for the salary cap.

So stay tuned for clarity on Maye’s release and its impact on the Saints’ cap situation. What’s certain is that they must make their outgoing free agents at safety (guys like Johnathan Abram, Lonnie Johnson, and Ugo Amadi) priorities to re-sign. They should also consider additions in the draft or free agency to compete with Jordan Howden for the starting job next to Tyrann Mathieu — who, it should be noted, has played well in New Orleans and could sign an extension to finish his career in his hometown.

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These notables are going home early after missing the cut at the Fortinet Championship

Here’s a closer look at some of the notables who packed their bags and headed for home on Friday.

NAPA, Calif. — While Kevin Kisner grinded and Troy Merritt (67) and Chez Reavie (68) rallied like veterans, Arizona State’s Preston Summerhays showed he has the game to play with the big boys, making his first cut on the number.

They were among 68 players to shoot 3-under 141 at Silverado Resort’s North Course or better to make the cut and advance to the weekend at the 2023 Fortinet Championship.

Kisner, 39, holed a bunker shot at 17 for birdie en route to shooting 72 and making the cut on the number. Playing for the first time since he withdrew from the Travelers Championship in June, Kisner has a weekend tee time at a stroke-play tournament for the first time since the Players Championship in March. (Ben Crane has his first weekend tee time since the Corales Puntacana Championship, also in March.)

“It feels good,” Kisner said. “But damn if it wasn’t easy.”

Tom Johnson, a 42-year-old club pro and one-time Tour member, didn’t have to sweat the cut line but rather made it look like it was old hat for him. It was anything but at he survived his first cut since 2015 and nearly broke into tears of joy at the accomplishment after shooting a pair of 69s.

“It means so much to me and my family,” said Johnson, the director of instruction at The Meadow Club in Fairfax, California, and the father of a 2-year-old son.

They are all chasing Sahith Theegala, who posted the low round of the day, an 8-under 64, to improve to 12-under 132.

Here’s a closer look at some of the notables who packed their bags and headed for home on Friday.

All 37 players released, waived, and traded by the Chiefs on Tuesday

Check out every (former) #Chiefs player who was released, waived, or traded by Kansas City on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs had to part ways with many talented players yesterday, and there were plenty of surprises when cuts were announced throughout the morning and afternoon.

Players like Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, L’Jarius Sneed and Isiah Pacheco were all, obviously, unaffected by the onslaught of releases, but others who weren’t so established on Kansas City’s roster weren’t. While late-August cuts are nothing new, fans saw some of their favorite Chiefs exposed to the NFL waiver system, which may mean that they find a new home this week.

With the 2023 season kickoff set to take place on August 7, Kansas City had to make some tough decisions that are sure to play a role in the team’s hopes of championship defense during their coming campaign.

Take a look at the vested veterans, promising prospects, and NFL journeymen who saw their time with the Chiefs come to an unceremonious end on Tuesday:

Chiefs waived promising rookie RB Deneric Prince on Tuesday

Deneric Prince, who was a fan-favorite at #Chiefs training camp, was waived by Kansas City on Tuesday.

The Kansas City Chiefs waived promising rookie running back Deneric Prince on Tuesday during the team’s roster cut-down day.

It’s a move that would have surprised many in late July/early August as the hype for Prince was strong during training camp. Prince ran with the ones and twos plenty during practice, but his hype fell off quickly during the preseason as he slid down the depth chart in favor of La’Mical Perine (who also didn’t make the final 53-man roster).

Despite not being as productive as some hoped, Prince did show some talent in the preseason, earning 89 yards and a touchdown on 22 carries. Prince also showed an ability to return kicks and make tackles on special teams, making him a more versatile option all around.

If Prince isn’t plucked off waivers by another NFL team, he seems to have a good shot to make the Chiefs’ practice squad (though he may also be battling for a spot with Perine there as well).

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Chiefs waive WR Nikko Remigio with injury designation

Training camp standout Nikko Remigio was waived by the #Chiefs on Tuesday with an injury designation.

The Kansas City Chiefs waived rookie receiver Nikko Remigio with an injury designation Tuesday amid a flurry of roster cuts.

It was an expected move as the team cut down to the mandated 53-man roster. Remigio was a standout early in training camp and had an impressive showing during preseason Week 1, but he missed the final two preseason games with a shoulder injury.

It would have already been difficult for the undrafted rookie to make the Chiefs’ 53-man roster, as the team already kept seven WRs, rare for an Andy Reid-coached team.

Despite waiving Remigio, the 5-foot-9, 187-pound Fresno State product still has a chance to return to the Chiefs’ practice squad if another team doesn’t pick him up off waivers. With Remigio’s eye-catching preseason performance and his prowess as a returner on special teams, it’s possible he will end up seeing some time on the Chiefs’ roster this season if any injuries occur to other receivers.

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Commanders released former Chiefs mainstay on Monday

The Washington #Commanders parted ways with a former #Chiefs mainstay on Monday.

The Washington Commanders parted ways with former Kansas City Chiefs standout Marcus Kemp on Monday, clearing the way for a potential return to Western Missouri for the talented receiver.

Kemp signed with the Commanders in the offseason as part of a wave of former Chiefs who found a new home with Eric Bieniemy in Washington. While he wasn’t likely to push receiver Terry McLaurin for playing time on the Commanders’ depth chart, Kemp has made a name for himself in the NFL as a rock-solid special teams contributor.

His release on Monday hardly guarantees that he will be picked up by Kansas City later this week, but he could find his way back to the Chiefs as a member of the team’s practice squad.

Expect Kemp to be signed by a team in need of help at wide receiver in the coming days, as the two-time Super Bowl champion’s services should be in high demand ahead of the 2023 season.

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