Tag: release

Chiefs 2023 schedule news tracker

We’ll be keeping track of all of the latest #Chiefs schedule news here throughout the week:

The 2023 NFL schedule is slated to be released in its entirety on the evening of Thursday, May 11.

With the NFL once again turning its schedule reveal into a week-long spectacle, we’re going to be keeping track of all the news and reports coming out prior to the big reveal. Beginning on Wednesday, May 10, various NFL broadcast partners will be revealing select games from the schedule. We don’t know the exact times of those releases, but we do know where and on what date they’re coming:

International Games – May 10 on NFL Network and ESPN

Black Friday Game – May 10 via Amazon

Select individual games – May 10 on Fox & Friends and CBS Mornings

Select individual games – May 11 on Today Show and Good Morning America

Chiefs Wire will round up all the legitimate schedule news and rumors down below ahead of the official release. Check back frequently for updates throughout the next two days:

NFL expands 2023 schedule release into sprawling two-day extravaganza

Leave it to the NFL to convert a mundane schedule release into a sprawling two-day extravaganza. Here’s when we’ll learn what’s in store for the Saints:

Leave it to the NFL to transform what should be a mundane announcement of dates to circle on your calendar into a sprawling, two-day multimedia extravaganza. The 2023 season schedule release will begin on Wednesday, May 10 and wrap up on Thursday, May 11. It’s a lot of fanfare to simply attach times, dates, and a unique location or two to the list of opponents we already know about.

New Orleans Saints fans are among those who should be tuning in sooner — they’re reportedly traveling abroad for a game with the New England Patriots in Germany, which will be confirmed one way or another when this year’s International Series games are announced on Wednesday (exclusively on NFL Network and ESPN).

But that’s not all. Amazon will reveal the first-ever Black Friday Game on Wednesday, too, with “select individual games” to be announced on the Fox & Friends and CBS Mornings programs as well.

That brings us to Thursday’s full reveal. More individual games (likely primetime and holiday features for national broadcast) will be announced on Good Morning America (ABC) and the Today Show (NBC), with each team sharing their full schedules that evening. Saints stars Cameron Jordan and Tyrann Mathieu will be a part of the primetime broadcast on the NFL+ streaming service at 7 p.m. CT/8 p.m. ET, as well as their former teammate Mark Ingram II.

Some other changes are coming, too. League broadcast partners have more flexibility in choosing which games they want to feature, and not every team is guaranteed a primetime game. Conversely, teams can be forced into playing two Thursday night games each season after previously being limited to one appearance. Stay tuned for what all this means for the Saints.

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NFL aiming for May 11 reveal of 2023 schedule

We now have an estimated release date for the #Chiefs’ 2023 schedule per a new report.

With the 2023 NFL draft now in the books, the next big event on the NFL calendar is the 2023 NFL season schedule reveal.

Before the dust has settled in Kansas City, we already know when that might be coming for the Chiefs and the rest of the NFL. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Commissioner Roger Goodell and the league’s scheduling head Howard Katz will soon meet to finalize the schedule for the upcoming season.

Schefter says the league is currently targeting Thursday, May 11 as their release date for the schedule, citing that big quarterback moves such as Aaron Rodgers’ trade to the Jets and Lamar Jackson’s extension have paved the way to move forward.

There have been some pre-releases of various games in years past. During the first round of the 2022 NFL draft last year, the league revealed the first “Thursday Night Football” game on Amazon, which the Chiefs were a part of. With the draft behind us and no game announcements, it might be a new gimmick they focus on this year.

With more international games coming this year, including an expected matchup between the Bears and Chiefs in Germany, expect that some international games will officially be announced up to a week early. The same thing happened last year.

Teams were also permitted to announce their first home game opponent two hours prior to the full schedule reveal. I expect that will be allowed again to get the hype rolling into the schedule release shows.

You can find a reminder of the team’s home and away opponents here.

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Report: Saints offered Jameis Winston a restructured contract to stay for 2023

ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that Jameis Winston has been offered a restructured contract to stay with the Saints:

So this was unexpected. ESPN’s Dianna Russini reports that the New Orleans Saints have offered Jameis Winston a restructured contract to stay on the team for 2023. But they included a hard deadline of March 15 — the start of free agency and the new league year — for him to make a decision, or else he’ll be released.

Could Winston hang around as Derek Carr’s backup? Maybe, but he’s probably going to scope out the free agent market. If he sees the opportunity to compete for a starting job somewhere it wouldn’t make much sense for him to stay in New Orleans and hold a clipboard all season.

But it does make sense from the team’s perspective to make this offer. If the Saints cut Winston without using a post-June 1 designation, they’ll only save $4.4 million. If they do use that designation, they’ll have to keep his $15.6 million cap hit on the books until June 2, when they get $12.8 million in savings. That would be after free agency and after the draft when those resources would be put to the best use. Getting a midsummer windfall to sign your draft class is great, but it would be better to have that money in hand now so they can go sign veteran upgrades.

So redoing Winston’s deal to save money in the near future might make the most sense for New Orleans. But it might not be what’s best for Winston. He was benched due to injury last season and his relationship with team management frayed because of it. He could have a lot to gain by starting over fresh somewhere else. If the Saints are asking him to take a pay cut and reduce his base salary from $12.8 million to something in line with other backups, like Andy Dalton’s $3 million last year, he may choose to seek a better deal in another town.

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Texans released defensive back Isaac Yiadom on Tuesday

Yiadom was signed as a free agent by the #Texans in March, but saw his tenure in Houston come to an abrupt end on Tuesday

In order to clear roster space for newly claimed running back Eno Benjamin’s spot on the Houston Texans’ 53-man roster, the team parted ways with defensive back Isaac Yiadom on Tuesday. The move comes after a flurry of activity following the Texans’ loss to the New York Giants in Week 10 and is a sign that general manager Nick Caserio isn’t yet satisfied with his team’s roster construction after a 1-7-1 start.

Yiadom was signed by Houston in the offseason back in March and seemed to be positioned to compete for substantial playing time before the Texans targeted defensive backs in the 2022 draft. He had been activated for just three games at the time of his release and was involved in just a handful of snaps on defense, though he had shown some promise on special teams.

A journeyman to this point in his career, Yiadom was initially drafted by the Denver Broncos in the third round as part of the 2018 draft class and was once considered a valuable cornerback prospect. His time in Denver ended in 2019, and he was picked up by the New York Giants in 2020 before eventually finding his way to a contract with the Green Bay Packers last season. He played collegiately at Boston College and was a standout at the Senior Bowl ahead of his entry into the NFL ranks.

He should be considered a premium practice squad prospect at this point in his career, and with some attention from coaches in the right system, could develop into the kind of playmaker many thought he could be when he was drafted.

Though this release could be the end of the road for Yiadom’s time in Houston, expect other cornerback-needy teams to court him in the coming weeks as they look to add a low-risk high-reward prospect that might be able to give them competent reps down the stretch in the 2022 season.

Texans release linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill

The former #Texans linebacker had been a role player in the defense, and holds the franchise record for most tackles in a game with 19

The Houston Texans made a surprising move on Thursday by releasing linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill just days before the NFL trade deadline. Some had speculated that the team might look to deal one of their linebackers given the depth they had at the position, but Thursday’s transaction report is a clear indication that the market for the talent they have available hasn’t developed.

Grugier-Hill is in his seventh year at the pro level and played for the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles, and Miami Dolphins before catching on in Houston last year. He was a member of the Eagles’ Super Bowl roster back in 2018 that defeated the New England Patriots.

An Eastern Illinois product, Grugier-Hill was among the most decorated players in the Ohio Valley Conference when he declared for the NFL draft in 2016 after being named to the all-conference first team in both 2014 and 2015. He and the Eastern Illinois Panthers were two-time Ohio Valley Conference champions in 2012 and 2013 in his freshman and sophomore seasons in Charleston.

His release today came at his request, which was surprising given that he has been at the center of one of the team’s most talented position groups that seemed to just be hitting its stride with the debut of Christian Harris in Week 7. Perhaps Harris’ first action was writing on the wall for Grugier-Hill’s prospects of decreased playing time with the rookie pushing for serious snaps in the coming weeks.

Though this move may have been a necessary one, and certainly for the best given that Grugier-Hill asked for it, the loss of a veteran presence on defense will cut deep for Houston fans who are anticipating improvement from the unit before the end of the season. He set a franchise record for the most tackles in a single game with 19 in an effort against the Indianapolis Colts last year, so with his departure leaves a piece of Texans history.

Dwayne Washington says he’s ‘not going nowhere’ after Saints release

That’s a relief. Dwayne Washington says he’s ‘not going nowhere’ after Saints release, suggesting he’ll re-sign with New Orleans soon after this procedural move:

Well that’s reassuring. Dwayne Washington took to Twitter on Thursday evening to allay the concerned New Orleans Saints fanbase, saying from his personal social media account that “I’m not going nowhere,” upon his surprise release from the black and gold. The veteran backup has been a big help for the Saints on special teams and looked to be running with some more juice in their three preseason games over the summer, so parting ways with him so suddenly after the NFL roster cuts deadline was perplexing.

But it makes sense as a procedural move. The Saints have multiple players managing injuries, with some of them expected to hit the reserve list soon, but they have to wait until certain dates to file those transactions to best benefit the team (either from a salary cap standpoint or in allowing the players to return for games later this season). They needed an open roster spot, and Washington was a vested veteran who would not be subject to waivers, so they could temporarily release him only to re-sign the running back once other moves are processed.

It’s complicated, but it’s part of the game. Right now the Saints are at capacity with 53 players on the active roster (defensive tackle Malcolm Roach will be going on injured reserve, but that hasn’t been officially processed yet) and 15 of their 16 practice squad spots filled. Once Roach and some others are sent to IR, we should anticipate a quick return for Washington. The roster is very much in flux this time of the year — there’s a reason we call it the initial 53-man lineup, not the final iteration.

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Saints waive second-year QB Ian Book, their former fourth draft pick in 2021

The Saints are waiving former fourth-round QB Ian Book. They’ll save a spot for him on the practice squad, but he’s got to clear waivers first:

Woof. Ian Book has been waived by the New Orleans Saints, who drafted him a year ago in the fourth round at No. 133 overall. The second-year quarterback was a surprise pick at the time and characterized as a pet project for Sean Payton. That made sense given Book’s limitations coming out of college, especially in taking snaps under center — something he did only rarely at Notre Dame, and which he’s struggled to pick up in the NFL.

But Book lost his biggest advocate with Payton no longer coaching the Saints. He continued to put balls on the turf and mishandle center-quarterback exchanges throughout his second preseason with New Orleans, and now the team has decided it’s time to step away. At least temporarily.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport reports that Book is a “practice squad target” for the Saints should he clear waivers, though every other team in the league will have the opportunity to decide whether they want to roster him. If they all choose to pass on adding Book to their 53-man lineup, he’ll be a prime candidate to re-sign with the Saints practice squad and continue working on his development.

As for the other quarterbacks on the team: Jameis Winston is locked in as the starter, but Andy Dalton has looked very comfortable backing him up. And if disaster strikes and they really need him, Taysom Hill can also move back to quarterback after shifting his focus to tight end this summer. Let’s just hope it doesn’t come to that.

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Packers release tight end Eli Wolf, clearing spot on 90-man roster

The Packers roster is back down to 89 players after releasing TE Eli Wolf on Friday.

The Green Bay Packers opened up a spot on the 90-man roster by releasing tight end Eli Wolf on Friday, just four days before Matt LaFleur’s first training camp practice.

The Packers now have 89 players and the ability to add one to the roster before the start of training camp.

Wolf, 25, was claimed off waivers from the Indianapolis Colts on May 12. An undrafted free agent from Georgia, Wolf spent his first NFL season in Baltimore with the Ravens and half of last season on the practice squad of the Colts.

The Packers signed tight end Sal Cannella on Thursday, possibly pushing Wolf out the door in Green Bay. The roster now features seven total tight ends, including Cannella, who was an All-USFL player for the New Orleans Breakers.

Wolf would have had a very difficult time making the 53-man roster. The team has at least five tight ends they like: Robert Tonyan, Marcedes Lewis, Josiah Deguara, Tyler Davis and Dominique Dafney.

The Packers placed Tonyan and eight other players on the PUP list while placing three more on the non-football injury list on Friday.

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QB Kurt Benkert explains release from Packers

Former Packers QB Kurt Benkert explained why he was released on Friday. He was surprised but also thankful for the timing of the decision.

Kurt Benkert said he was surprised about being released by the Green Bay Packers, but the veteran quarterback expressed respect for general manager Brian Gutekunst and the process behind the decision.

“They way he did it and went about it, mad respect for him, and for the window he cut me in, to give me an opportunity to go somewhere and compete for another job to make the 53, knowing there was no chance to make the 53 here…respect the (expletive) out of that,” Benkert said during a stream on Twitch on Sunday.

The Packers cut Benkert on Friday. While he said he “definitely didn’t expect it” and was “truly surprised,” he understands the process from the team side and is thankful for the timing.

“He could have kept me around for five weeks and then cut me as soon as I showed up for training camp, or kept me around for preseason, given me a quarter a game if that, and then cut me, Benkert said. “I’m just excited to see what’s next.”

Benkert said he is going back to Florida. He’ll go on waivers and should know by Monday afternoon if he’s been claimed by another team.

The Packers signed Benkert after a tryout last May.

Understanding life as a backup quarterback helped ease the pain of his sudden departure. He “knew the situation” in Green Bay being stuck behind Aaron Rodgers and Jordan Love and having no real path to the 53-man roster.

“No room to grow, in a sense,” Benkert said. “This gives me a chance.”

The reality of the situation: Benkert, despite his experience in the offense, was likely to get cut by the Packers at the end of the preseason.

“I know at the end of the preseason, what it was going to look like. Thankful they did me a solid and didn’t waste any time,” Benkert said. “I knew at the end of the preseason I was going to get cut. There’s no room for me on that roster for an extra quarterback on the 53.”

Benkert said social media reaction against Gutekunst and the Packers was unwarranted and unnecessary. He said all the conversations with the team were “really good” as he exited.

The Packers still have Danny Etling as the third quarterback behind Rodgers and Love.

The next step for Benkert is landing with a new team and continuing the fight for a 53-man roster spot. But he very much enjoyed his one year with the Packers.

“I’m gonna miss Green Bay, not going to lie.”

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