Tag: talks

Report: Contract talks ‘reopened’ between the Saints and Alvin Kamara

NOF’s Nick Underhill reports contract talks reopened between the Saints and Alvin Kamara. No. 41 wants to be a New Orleans lifer:

If Alvin Kamara gets his way, he’ll finish his career in pro football with the New Orleans Saints. The Pro Bowl running back has done his part to earn a new deal before his contract runs out (or the Saints have to make a tough decision and cut him in 2025), playing through injury and rejecting rumors of a training camp holdout. But contract negotiations were slow to develop over the summer, and he’s still on track to be released in the spring before the team has to pay him any non-guaranteed money.

Per NewOrleans.Football’s Nick Underhill, those talks reopened. It had been previously reported that Kamara tabled those discussions once the regular season started, since he didn’t want them to become a distraction when he was preparing for a game every week. Either he changed his stance or the team expressed such a great willingness to talk shop that he gave his agent the green light to pick up the phone.

This all comes as false rumors are spreading online about Kamara requesting a trade away from the Saints, which he publicly denied. When Underhill suggested that, if anything, Kamara wanted to stick around? Kamara kept his response direct: “Correct.”

Will the two sides ultimately come to an agreement? If the team’s early-season success is anything to go off of, he can still be part of the long-term solution as his career winds down. Better blocking and more creative play calling than what we saw with Pete Carmichael on the headset had Kamara looking like a possible Hall of Famer again. If the Saints plan on Klint Kubiak driving their offense (or someone running a similar offense), it would make sense to keep Kamara around.

But as Underhill said, nothing is imminent, so we’ll have to wait and see if this ends how Kamara — and the many fans who wear his jersey every Sunday — hope.

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Latest update on Chiefs DT Chris Jones’ contract talks

#Chiefs DT Chris Jones did not report to training camp with his veteran teammates, which means a holdout is coming as he seeks a contract extension.

The Kansas City Chiefs officially have a holdout situation on their hands with star defensive tackle Chris Jones.

According to a new report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Jones did not report to training camp with his veteran teammates. Veterans were able to begin reporting to Chiefs training camp at Missouri Western State University in St. Joseph, Missouri on Friday with their conditioning test set to take place on Saturday.

Schefter adds that the Chiefs and Jones’ camp remain far apart on a contract extension. That means the team could be in for a long holdout from Jones and it could be a costly one for the veteran. The new CBA requires a mandatory fine of $50,000 for each missed training camp practice session. If he were to miss the entirety of training camp, the team would be forced to fine him $950,000.

This is the first update that hasn’t been a positive one during the course of this process. Chiefs HC Andy Reid struck an optimistic tone while speaking to the media last week, stating that the two sides were still talking about a long-term deal. He did, however, not know if a deal would get done and allow Jones to report to training camp on time. Look for Jones to potentially strike a deal and report before the team’s first padded practice at training camp.

Jones signed a four-year contract extension back in 2020. The former second-round pick in the 2016 NFL draft has started 99 combined regular-season and postseason games in Kansas City. He’s recorded a whopping 256 combined tackles, 70 tackles for loss, 67 sacks and 42 passes batted during that span. A four-time Pro Bowl selection with a First-Team All-Pro nod in 2022, Jones has proven to be the lynchpin of the defense in Kansas City. He’s coming off a career year and his second Super Bowl title.

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Podcast: Saints’ lack of urgency is justifiably irking the fanbase

Podcast: The Saints’ lack of urgency is justifiably irking the fanbase, while things heat up in the Sean Payton sweepstakes

The newest episode of the Saints Wire Podcast is here, hosted as always by Ryan O’Leary (@RyanOLearySMG) with Saints Wire managing editor John Sigler (@john_siglerr). You can subscribe for new episodes released each week on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts or your podcast service of choice.

This week we’re working through some frustrations as the New Orleans Saints take their sweet time addressing what went wrong in 2022, and taking a bit of a look ahead at what’s in store for 2023. We’re also touching on the ongoing Sean Payton sweepstakes, with the Saints’ inactivity allowing Payton to dominate the news cycle. This episode was recorded prior to New Orleans’ controversial decision to hang onto offensive coordinator Pete Carmichael, which we’ll touch on next week.

Follow the Saints Wire Podcast:
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Seahawks speak to former Eagles HC Doug Pederson about OC vacancy

The Seahawks have recently spoken with former Eagles head coach Doug Pederson about Seattle offensive coordinator vacancy.

A second name has now surfaced in the Seattle Seahawks’ hunt for a new offensive coordinator. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Seattle has spoken with former Philadelphia Eagles coach, Doug Pederson.

“The #Seahawks have spoken with former #Eagles coach Doug Pederson about their offensive coordinator job, per sources,” Pelissero tweeted on Saturday. “Fired five days ago, Pederson may also still end up drawing interest for another head-coaching job. His options are developing.”

The Seahawks parted ways with former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer following Seattle’s loss to the Rams in the wild-card round. Schottenheimer had been hired in 2018 and spent three seasons with the team.

Seattle has also had recent discussions about the offensive coordinator position with another former head coach, ex-Chargers’ Anthony Lynn.

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How far apart are Alvin Kamara and the Saints in contract talks?

The New Orelans Saints and superstar running back Alvin Kamara are reportedly not too far apart in contract talks, but it could fall apart.

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Well, that escalated quickly. On Monday, ESPN reported that Alvin Kamara had missed three practice sessions in what may have been an in-house holdout related to his ongoing contract negotiations with the New Orleans Saints.

On Tuesday, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the Saints would consider trading Kamara; a report backed up by The Athletic’s Jeff Duncan, which said that the Saints would move Kamara if they can’t reach an agreement on a contract extension. Duncan added that the Saints would seek a first round draft pick in trade compensation.

So how far apart are they? Nick Underhill reported for NewOrleans.Football that proposals from the Saints and Kamara’s representatives are “about $2 million apart” in per-year salary. FOX 8 NOLA’s Sean Fazende reported that the latest offer from the Saints averaged slightly more than $12 million per year.

That would suggest Kamara’s seeking roughly $14 million per year, which is what Joe Mixon earned in his recent Cincinnati Bengals contract. But Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports reported that the Saints view this new Mixon deal “as a starting point,” and that they’re comfortable paying him him north of $12 million per year — but that Kamara is pushing for the $16 million in earnings Christian McCaffrey receives from the Carolina Panthers.

Some clarity on the trade buzz came from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who reported after a conversation with Kamara and his agent that any trade interest is coming from the other side of the bargaining table, not from them. Rapoport added that Kamara has not threatened a holdout or avoied the practice facility; previous NFL Network reports said that Kamara was dealing with a minor injury, causing him to miss practice.

The truth of it all probably falls somewhere in the middle. We’re speculating here, but after reviewing all of the different reports, it appears the Saints were willing to bump their offer up to $14 million (matching Mixon) from $12 million, which Kamara’s camp previously wanted. But that $2 million gap remained after Mixon raised the market, and now Kamara might be pressuring the Saints into approaching $16 million, which prompted the Saints to open up to trade possibilities. Maybe.

It’s a tough situation to navigate on its own, much less when you’re doing so with a bunch of tweets and media reports that are all, at best, secondhand information. The only certainty here is that the Saints aren’t that far apart in negotiating a new contract from what Kamara desires — it’s just a matter of which side blinks first, or if the Saints decide this close to the finish line that they actually want to blow it all up. We’ll see what happens next.

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No talks scheduled between NFL and NFLPA as of now

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have many protocols to iron out before the start of the season, but no talks are scheduled as of now.

The NFL and the NFL Players Association have a lot to discuss – including how and when to start the 2020 season. However, it looks like no talks are scheduled between the two sides, as of now.

“As of now (12:44 pm ET), there are no formal talks scheduled between NFL and NFLPA today on reopening protocols, though obviously that could change,” ESPN’s Dan Graziano tweeted Wednesday. “NFLPA is having an internal call this afternoon to discuss its response, and is also having a call this afternoon to update agents.”

The players’ union sent its response to league regarding major economic concerns, including the specifics of opt-outs for the season. States experiencing major surges in the virus could shut down once again, barring any gathering over 10, making training camps nearly impossible to hold.

“The NFL sent a response Tues night to the NFLPA’s proposal on reopening protocols,” Graziano continued in the thread. “Still no agreement. Players still want daily testing, elimination of preseason games and for COVID to be classified as a football injury. (Non Football Injury List allows team to not pay a player.)”

This story is continuing to develop.

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Lions have begun initial stages of contract negotiations with Taylor Decker

The Detroit Lions have begun initial stages of contract negotiations with left tackle Taylor Decker, but they’re in the very early stages.

During a virtual press conference with the Detroit media, Lions left tackle explained that he and the organization have begun contract extension negotiations, but they’re in the very early stages.

“Nothing major,” Decker said of the talks. “Obviously, ‘Hey, we like you, we like you’, sort of thing, but nothing major.”

Decker is currently playing on a fifth-year contract option and at this stage in the process, all $10.35 million is fully guaranteed for the 2020 season. That contract matches up very closely with where Pro Football Focus had Decker graded last season — his salary is the 21st highest for an offensive tackle, while he graded out as the 19th best.

It’s unclear how much Decker and his agent are asking for but it’s surely a contract that averages more than what he is making this year. A deal that averages somewhere between $15 and $18 million appears to be the going rate for an NFL starting left tackle.

Lions general manager Bob Quinn typically targets key veterans for contract extensions during training camp, but with the current COVID situation putting several traditional movements in question, it’s entirely possible Decker enters the season with no guarantees.

Fortunately for Decker, his career has been traveling on an upward trajectory since injuring his shoulder in June of 2017, and if he enters the season without a deal and his career continues his rise, his contract will reflect that.

Also working in Decker’s favor is his ability to maintain his typical offseason program. While other NFL players are struggling to workout, it’s been business as usual for Decker who is working out at LeCharles Bentley’s OLP training facility in Arizona — where Decker has an offseason home — as he has the last five offseasons.

“My gym has been open the entire time,” Decker said. “So, I’ve been fortunate to get to be around other NFL guys, doing what I typically do in the offseason — aside from having to adapt with not having the OTAs and going against a live defense.”

It’s not ideal to be playing the final year of his contract in the current world environment, but if this sense of normalcy gives Decker an advantage on the field, it could pay dividends in his bank account.

Vince Young talks at All-American Bowl Combine

Vince Young talked to all of the participants in the All-American Bowl game. Playing in the game himself, he was the MVP of the 2002 game.

After the first session of the 2020 All-American Bowl game, Vince Young took the time to talk to all of the participants in the game. Playing in the game himself in 2002, Young was the game MVP out of high school, leading the West team to a 26-6 victory.

Young is not the only former Longhorn in attendance, as Fozzy Whitaker, Aaron Williams, and Jaxon Shipley are coaching in the bowl game. There are even current Texas signees who will be playing with one another for the very first time.

The Longhorns will have four players participating in the game on Saturday night, with two on offense and two on defense. Offensively, five-star running back Bijan Robinson and four-star tackle Andrej Karic will play together for the first time, while four-star linebacker Prince Dorbah and four-star safety Xavion Alford will line up on the other side of the ball.

All four will be playing on the West team, led by Head Coach Steve Coury out of the state of Oregon. You can catch the game at Noon CST tomorrow on NBC.

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