Tag: injury settlement

Broncos ‘still working on’ injury settlement with Jonas Griffith

Sean Payton said the Broncos would “do right” by Jonas Griffith with a settlement on Sept. 2. That settlement is still being finalized.

The Denver Broncos are “still working on” finalizing an injury settlement with former linebacker Jonas Griffith, according to a report from the Denver Gazette‘s Chris Tomasson.

When the Broncos cut Griffith in August, they did not give him an injury designation. Shortly thereafter, Griffith announced that he needed to undergo surgery on the same ACL that he injured with Denver in 2023.

Broncos coach Sean Payton has said the team will “do right” by Griffith by retroactively giving him an injury settlement. The details of that settlement are apparently yet to be finalized.

“We’re going to certainly do right by the player and take care of him,” Payton said on Sept. 2. “He’s someone that’s busted his tail here for the better part of two years trying to stay healthy.”

Denver reached an injury settlement with rookie outside linebacker Jaylon Allen on Aug. 14. Tomasson reports that Allen’s settlement was worth “about $3,000.” Allen (ankle) is now a free agent and once healthy, he might be a candidate to return to the Broncos on the practice squad.

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Saints waive Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement

The Saints got a little thinner at tight end after releasing Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement. What does it mean, and how does it work?

The New Orleans Saints got a little thinner at tight end after releasing Tommy Hudson with an injury settlement, per Thursday’s update to the daily NFL transactions wire. So what does it mean, and how does it work?

Hudson had landed on injured reserve earlier this week with an unspecified ailment. Had he remained on IR, he’d recover with the assistance of team doctors and trainers, but be ineligible to play again this season until he can pass a physical. So this is a good opportunity to recap what injury settlements are.

In most cases, the team and player must agree on an estimate for how many games the player would’ve missed recovering from this injury — say, six weeks into the regular season — which is then paid out as a lump sum, with the team getting a salary cap credit for the remaining weeks left on the contract. Then they become a free agent after clearing the waiver wire. Occasionally a neutral arbiter may be called in to help find that estimate if there are major disagreements between team doctors and the player’s camp.

Both sides have an interest in settling. The team wants that cap credit and for their trainers to have one less injured player to attend to. The player wants the opportunity to keep playing once healthy. What prevents a team from re-signing a player after letting them go with an injury settlement? NFL rules dictate that they cannot sign with the original team until three weeks after the agreed-upon settlement, but other teams are free game.

However, the terms of these settlements often remain confidential. We’ll likely see other Saints players on injured reserve agree too these deals before training camp is over, and it’s likely Hudson will catch on somewhere else, but it’s too soon to say when and where that will be. In the meantime, the Saints must get more production out of their tight ends than they have thus far with Juwan Johnson recovering from offseason foot surgery.

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Jaguars waive rookie WR Jaray Jenkins from IR with settlement

Jaray Jenkins is reportedly a free agent after the rookie receiver reached an injury settlement with the Jaguars.

Undrafted rookie wide receiver Jaray Jenkins was waived from the Jacksonville Jaguars’ injured reserve with a settlement on Monday, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 in Houston.

Jenkins, 23, was one of more than two dozen Jaguars players waived by the team during final cuts last week. After catching two passes for 32 yards through the Jaguars’ first two preseason games, Jenkins sat out the last game due to an injury. According to NFL reporter Jordan Schultz, the rookie wide receiver had foot surgery last week.

As a player who was waived with an injury designation, Jenkins returned to the Jaguars’ injured reserved after clearing waivers. Now Jenkins is a free agent after reaching an injury settlement with the team.

With seven receivers on the active roster — including rookies Parker Washington and Elijah Cooks — as well as Jacob Harris and Seth Williams on the practice squad, the Jaguars are loaded at the position. While Jenkins had a couple moments in preseason, his path to a role in Jacksonville was muddy, to say the least.

Prior to joining the Jaguars, Jenkins was a three-year starter at LSU where he recorded 1,370 receiving yards and 14 touchdown receptions.

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Saints release backup guard Koda Martin with an injury settlement

The Saints released backup guard Koda Martin with an injury settlement, giving him an opportunity to play again this year and lightening the workload on their medical staff:

Few positions have lost as many players to injuries at New Orleans Saints training camp as the offensive line, especially at guard. And the Saints moved on from one player who was already sidelined by an injury by releasing backup guard Koda Martin with an injury settlement.

Martin went down in practice with an ankle issue and was previously waived with an injury designation, later landing on the Saints injured reserve list. By now releasing him with an injury settlement, he’ll be paid the weeks of regular season salary that he would have received on the reserve list while recovering on his own.

So why agree to it? This opens the door for Martin to return to the Saints or sign with another team later this year, once he’s healed up and can pass a physical and practice. It also eases the workload on the Saints medical staff while they tend to other players on injured reserve and any others who may get banged up in the days, weeks, and months ahead. It’s as close to a win-win situation for the player and team as you’ll see in today’s NFL.

We’ll see if Martin returns later in the year or if he joins another squad. For now, the Saints are working to sort out their last remaining roster spots at guard behind Cesar Ruiz, James Hurst, and Andrus Peat with rookie draft pick Nick Saldiveri on top. Guys like Calvin Throckmorton, Lewis Kidd, Mark Evans II, Tommy Kraemer, and Chuck Filiaga are competing for one or two spots on the 53-man roster.

And as for those remaining on the Saints’ injured reserve list: guard Trai Turner, linebacker Andrew Dowell, and running back Eno Benjamin are all done for the year, though it’s unclear whether right tackle Scott Lashley is eligible for an injury settlement of his own. We’ll keep an eye out for more movement.

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Vikings reach injury settlement with T.Y. McGill

The defensive tackle is now a free agent

The Minnesota Vikings made a somewhat surprising move in placing T.Y. McGill on injured reserve on the day before final cutdown day.

On Tuesday morning, multiple reports came out that the Vikings had reached an injury settlement with DL T.Y. McGill.

Injury settlements work like this. The two sides agree on how long the player will be out, they get paid by the team for those weeks and become a free agent immediately after.

Considering his injury was not viewed to be serious, this is a puzzling move for the Vikings. McGill had played extremely well. The idea with the injury settlement without paying him for a single week says that they didn’t see a future for him with the team at all.

The Vikings now only have WR Olabisi Johnson on injured reserve.

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Packers reach injury settlement with TE Dominique Dafney

The Packers and TE Dominique Dafney have reached an injury settlement, representing a parting of ways for team and player.

The Green Bay Packers and tight end Dominique Dafney have agreed to an injury settlement, per Tom Pelissero of NFL Network.

Dafney was waived-injured last week, went unclaimed on waivers and reverted back to the Packers’ injured reserve list. With an injury settlement, Dafney and the Packers will officially part ways, giving the team a financial benefit (settlement cost is less than paying a player on injured reserve all season) and the player a chance to catch on elsewhere this season.

Dafney was dealing with a knee injury at the time the Packers waived him. The issue is minor and not season-ending.

Per Pelissero, several teams are already interested in working out the former Packers tight end.

Dafney, 25, played in 15 games for the Packers over the last two seasons. He caught four passes for 60 yards and a touchdown while playing 235 snaps on offense and 150 on special teams.

While not a traditional tight end type, Dafney worked as a H-back or move tight end in Matt LaFleur’s offense. He’ll likely be looking for a team with a similar scheme now that he’s free.

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Chiefs waive LB Emmanuel Smith from IR with injury settlement

Smith was placed on injured reserve on August 28.

The Kansas City Chiefs made a single transaction on Friday, the eve of the NFL’s 53-man roster deadline.

According to the NFL’s transaction report, the Chiefs have waived LB Emmanuel Smith from their injured reserve list with an injury settlement. Smith was first waived with an injury designation from the 80-man offseason roster on Aug. 27. He’d been dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him out of practice. That transaction made way for veteran free agent C Daniel Kilgore. On Aug. 28, Smith cleared waivers and reverted to injured reserve.

Smith first joined the Chiefs as a practice squad addition at the onset of the 2019 season. He spent the entire season on the Chiefs’ practice squad, including through Super Bowl LIV. He was one of the members of the team to receive a Super Bowl ring during the ceremony over the weekend.

Now that the Chiefs have waived Smith from injured reserve, he’ll be subject to waivers. If he clears waivers he’ll be free to sign with any team. Ultimately, this transaction does nothing to help the Chiefs get any closer to 53 players on the roster. That means the team will have to make all of the necessary roster moves to get down from 80 players tomorrow ahead of the 3:00 p.m. CT deadline.

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