Commissioner Roger Goodell does not believe any NFL team tanks to enhance its draft position.Goodell made a visit to the New York Jets’ training camp in Florham Park, N.J., and strongly stated teams would not deliberately lose games.
“I don’t think any team tanks, I really don’t,” Goodell told reporters when questioned about the Jets, who parted ways with 11 veteran players during the offseason.”I think teams, depending on where you are, go through transitions. They are looking to sort of say, ‘We need to build more talent here, we’ll do it through the draft. Let’s let some of our veteran players go and develop some of our younger players.'”
The Jets, who haven’t made the playoffs since 2010, have been accused of sacrificing this season for a high draft pick in 2018.
Ravens asking fans, sponsors about Kap deal
Before moving forward with free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick, the Baltimore Ravens are going all out to weigh the potential cost of bringing him on board.Team president Dick Cass confirmed the franchise is reaching out to former players, anchor sponsors and advertisers and others to gauge the potential for a negative reaction to signing Kaepernick.”We want to get a sense of what the attitude is out there and how Colin would handle it if he were to come, how he’d handle it and how that would change people’s views,” Cass said.According to Cass, owner Steve Bisciotti discussed Kaepernick with former linebacker Ray Lewis and several fans in addition to corporate sponsors. Bisciotti also asked Ravens fans to “pray for us” when it came to the decision on inking the quarterback.The Ravens are still waiting for final word on how much time Joe Flacco will miss, although it is expected to be several weeks at minimum.
Seahawks ink Chancellor to extension
Kam Chancellor agreed on Tuesday to sign a three-year, $36 million extension to remain with the Seattle Seahawks, ESPN reports.
The 29-year-old and four-time Pro Bowl strong safety will receive $25 million in guaranteed money in the deal, per ESPN.”I love this team,” Chancellor told reporters Monday. “They gave me the first opportunity and the only opportunity, and I would love to retire here.”
The former fifth-round pick in the 2010 draft added that he hopes to keep playing “until the wheels fall off.”
Chancellor is entering his eighth NFL season, all with Seattle. He has amassed 557 tackles, 12 interceptions, 42 passes defensed, eight forced fumbles and two sacks over 100 career games.Last season, Chancellor had 85 stops, two interceptions, eight passes defensed and a forced fumble in 12 games. He recorded 16 tackles in two playoff games after helping Seattle to a 10-5 regular-season record en route to an NFC West championship.
Big Ben talks post-2017 retirement
Ben Roethlisberger teased the idea of walking away from football after last season but never truly seemed serious.However, the five-time Pro Bowl quarterback said during an interview with the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette on Friday that retirement at the end of the 2017 season is a serious consideration. Roethlisberger, 35, will tie Terry Bradshaw for the longest tenure as a Steelers quarterback as he heads into his 14th NFL season.
Big Ben told Ed Bouchette of the Post-Gazette that retirement remains an option for him after this season and that his wife, Ashley, would like to see him give up football.”It’s just, it’s 14 years; that’s a long time,” Roethlisberger told the newspaper. “I think the average life expectancy in the NFL is three years, maybe 3 1/2 now. I’ve been blessed to do this a long time. I think it’s just seeing my kids growing up, and in the offseason I love getting to spend time with them, and then I come here and football season just has to take up so much of your time. Even when you get home, I try my best to turn it off when I walk in the front door. I think I do a pretty good job of that, but it still consumes you in a way.”
