The Buffalo Bills are fighting to get back into the playoffs, but there is reason to look forward to the offseason to try and keep this team in its contender window.
The eyes will be looking right at Josh Allen to get things done. No, Allen isn't going anywhere, but his contract may look a little different.
Spotrac suggests that the Bills could make "$22.7M of cap space by converting most of Allen's 2024 base salary + a $6M roster bonus into signing bonus."
"Josh Allen will be entering Year 4 of his 8 year contract in Buffalo, set to earn $30M cash against a $47M cap hit," Spotrac writes. "The practical guarantees on his deal expire after 2025, but his future with the Bills has no end in sight. The Bills need to address their QB2 again next March, as Kyle Allen was signed to a 1 year veteran minimum contract this past offseason."
This will free up money to go and re-sign defensive free agents Micah Hyde and Leonard Floyd, or find replacements for them in free agency. The team also has young front seven members Tyrel Dodson and A.J. Epenesa hitting the open market, and Buffalo could use some of the money Allen frees up to sign them.
Ultimately, these decisions won't happen for months, but it's something to think about as the season winds down.
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Quarterback Caleb Williams will be the most watched player during Chicago Bears training camp. However, on day one, the defense came away as the true stars. In particular, veteran linebacker Tremaine Edmunds started off training camp hot, intercepting Williams on his first pass in 11-on-11 drills. Seeing the defense shine makes sense early in camp, especially as Williams and company learn Johnson’s offense. However, Edmunds himself is entering a make-or-break season. More flash plays like his pick will only put him in stronger graces with his new head coach. Alongside Johnson, new defensive coordinator Dennis Allen was certainly impressed by Edmunds’ play. As he builds his first defense with Bears, Allen expects the linebacker to simply be an, “exceptional playmaker,” via Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Tremaine Edmunds’ run with Chicago Bears After a successful five-year run with the Buffalo Bills, the Bears signed Edmunds to a $72 million contract entering the 2023 season. While he hasn’t been a complete disaster, it’s fair to say the linebacker hasn’t lived up to his billing just yet. Over 32 games with the team, Edmunds has racked up 223 tackles, 15 passes defended and five interceptions. Four of those picks came in 2023. as Edmunds’ 2024 59.2 grade from Pro Football Focus ranked just 119/189 linebackers. Clearly, the veteran still has a lot to prove entering 2025. And if things really don’t pan out, Chicago does have an out in his contract. However, the Bears are hopeful Edmunds will return to his game breaking self in 2025. During his time with the New Orleans Saints, Allen was able to coax impressive linebacker play. During the 2024 campaign, Demario Davis put up an eye-catching 136 tackles alongside seven passes defended and an interception. Davis and Edmunds are obviously two completely different players, but it’s easy to see how the latter could be a force in Allen’s scheme. One interception, even if it opened training camp, isn’t going to change the expectations placed on Edmunds’ shoulders. Despite being a veteran, head coach Ben Johnson is wiping the slate clean and making everyone on the roster earn their opportunity. Still, Edmunds has more than proved he can be a dominant force in the NFL. Now, Allen is just patiently waiting to unleash him once more.
The Phoenix Suns had a busy start to their offseason but since free agency began, they have been very quiet. Of course, the Suns have made multiple moves this offseason to retool their roster around Devin Booker that all started with them sending Kevin Durant to the Houston Rockets for a package centered around Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks and the pick they used to select Khaman Maluach. Phoenix also acquired Mark Williams from the Charlotte Hornets and added Rasheer Fleming and Koby Brea in the draft before moving on from Bradly Beal via a contract buyout. The Suns are expected to make more moves this offseason and one player they have recently been linked to is Golden State Warriors restricted free agent Jonathan Kuminga who they could acquire via a sign-and-trade. With this in mind, Sports Illustrated’s Jackson Caudell and Rohan Raman recently came up with a three-team mock trade that would send Kuminga to the Phoenix Suns. In the trade, the Suns would send Grayson Allen, Royce O’Neal and an unprotected 2032 first-round pick to Golden State for Kuminga and Moses Moody. Phoenix would also send Nick Richards to the Atlanta Hawks who would be the third team in this mock trade. For the Suns, adding two more young players in Kuminga and Moody would be beneficial to the future of their franchise and they would also be able to move on from two veterans in O’Neal and Allen who have been in trade rumors since the offseason began. Kuminga would likely have a large role in the Suns’ rotation next season and Moody would be a solid addition to their bench behind Booker and Green. Despite this, the Warriors may be unwilling to move on from both Kuminga and Moody in the same trade without receiving more in return but this trade could be a solid one for the Suns as they try to turn their franchise around.
The NBA's summer leagues have quickly come and gone, and if there has ever been a truism about the showcase for rookies and other league longshots, it is this: Let what happens in summer league stay in summer league. For Lakers second-year player Dalton Knecht, that's certainly the hope. After struggling in the California Classic in San Francisco to start July, Knecht and the Lakers went to Las Vegas and there, the former No. 17 overall pick failed to turn around his fortunes. Knecht averaged 10.3 points in three games, shooting 27.9% from the field and 23.8% from the 3-point line. That showing, combined with a streaky rookie year (9.1 points, 46.1% shooting, 37.6% 3-point shooting) has left Knecht's future with the Lakers in some question. In fact, Jovan Buha of The Athletic noted this week that Knecht's stock has plummeted. Lakers Losing Value on Dalton Knecht? Remember, many considered Knecht to be a lottery pick in the 2024 NBA draft, but he fell all the way to the Lakers at No. 17, primarily on concerns about his age (he turned 24 in April) and defense. When the Lakers were set to trade Knecht in a package for Mark Williams of the Hornets last February, along with a future first-round pick, it was seen as the team giving up two first-rounders for Williams. But Buha said in his podcast that Knecht would not eb considered a first-rounder anymore. "Summer League has not helped Knecht's stock, and I don't think at this point he is valued as a first-round pick, in terms of an asset valuation," he said. "That was what I heard in Vegas from talking to multiple people, non-Lakers people, just gauging what would you give for Dalton Knecht? Or if the Lakers are putting Dalton Knecht in a trade, what is he worth? And the feedback I got was, no longer worth a first-round valuation." Dalton Knecht 'Can Shoot, He Has Value' But asked about Knecht's value, one Eastern Conference GM said that the summer did not change anything. "He is a shooter, and he has shown he can shoot," the GM said. "He needs to show he can do something else to get and stay on the floor, for sure. But his value has not gone anywhere, not based on a few summer games. Once you're drafted, it does not matter, no one is thinking of you as, 'You're a first-round pick, you're not a first-round pick.' It's what you can do to help us win. "Knecht can shoot, so that's his value. He rebounds his position. If he can be a better passer, and not be a big minus defensively, he is going to have a nice NBA career."
The Green Bay Packers practiced for the first time in training camp on Wednesday. In exactly 200 days, the goal will be playing in the Super Bowl. “Day 1, everybody gets back and first couple of days back in the building, that excitement, the energy’s there,” quarterback Jordan Love said. “We haven’t been on the field together for about a month, so it’s just exciting. There’s just a lot of energy and excitement for Day 1. It’s fun to go out there, get those little nerves out and get back to ball and have that mindset, the goals we’re focusing on, to get better every day. We get the bike tradition going. So, there’s a lot of excitement.” Here are the highlights from the hotly anticipated first practice of camp. Packers Injury Updates There are seven players on injury lists and those are the seven players who did not practice. The list: linebacker Quay Walker (ankle), receiver Christian Watson (knee), cornerback Micah Robinson (knee), linebacker Collin Oliver (hamstring), running back Amar Johnson (hamstring), offensive lineman John Williams (back) and center Elgton Jenkins (back). Jenkins is sidelined by a legit injury and is not sitting out in hopes of getting a contract extension, general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “Elgton hasn’t missed anything mandatory for us,” Gutekunst said. “He’s here and he’s working through a back thing. Contractually, listen, there’s all kinds of guys on our team and throughout the National Football League that would like different circumstances with that, so that’s normal. It’s just a part of the National Football League. “But Elgton’s always done right by us (and) we’ve always done right by him. We’re excited to see him move into this new position because we really do think he has an opportunity to really help our football team. He played center in college and he was excellent at it. Our football team needs as many reps with him out there as possible, but we’ve got to get through this back thing first.” Jordan Love’s Day Starting quarterback Jordan Love was eased into the action during a practice that lasted about 90 minutes. During live periods, he was 8-of-12 passing. Most of the action happened in the red zone. During those segments, he was 6-of-9 passing with three touchdowns and one interception. The touchdowns came to running back Chris Brooks, receiver Romeo Doubs and receiver Mecole Hardman. Hardman’s catch was an impressive one-hander against linebacker Isaiah Simmons. If the action were fully live, maybe Simmons would have done more to prevent the catch. The interception came on a fade to receiver Dontayvion Wicks, with All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney winning the jump ball in the back right corner of the end zone. “Always the biggest thing is consistency,” Love said. “There’s moments in games where you have a play dialed up vs. a perfect kind of defense you want, and sometimes you don’t hit on those plays, whether it’s the footwork, missing a throw, maybe being a tick late on the read. Just those little things that keep you up at night, like, ‘Man, that was an easy one. I wish I would’ve hit that.’ “Just finding ways to hit those plays, whatever it is, being as consistent as possible and not having those moments of regret on plays is my biggest mindset. Understanding that every play is so important to the game, the larger outcome of the game, and we’ve got to be able to hit, we can’t have any missed opps.” Player of the Day With starting linebacker Quay Walker recovering from offseason ankle surgery, Isaiah Simmons worked with the No 1 defense alongside Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie. On one of the first running plays, Emanuel Wilson made a nice cut to daylight. The daylight didn’t last for long, though, as Simmons was there to limit the play to a minimal gain. Next, the first red-zone series started with a toss to Josh Jacobs. Simmons was there in an instant. “First, he can run. He can run,” Jacobs said of his early thoughts on what Simmons can add to what’s already a strong defense. “He’s kind of a unicorn at that position. He can run. We can put him out on guys in the slot, he can cover guys. Really, I just can’t wait to see him in pads. I want to see how physical he is. I’ve played against him a couple times, so I know what kind of player he is, but it’s different when you see it on a day-to-day basis.” The next play was a quick screen to Jacobs. Again, Simmons was there. “He’s fast. Yeah, he’s fast,” Jacobs added. “You can see he’s starting to get a little more comfortable. He’s starting to fly around a lot more because he’s comfortable and he understands what he’s doing. I think he’s going to be a good addition to our team.” Play of the Day Early in practice, quarterback Jordan Love went play-action and fired a deep pass to Josh Jacobs. The ball was thrown perfectly and landed right in the hands of Jacobs. Cornerback Nate Hobbs, one of the team’s key free-agent additions, was there to separate Jacobs from the ball for an incompletion. “I didn’t want to hit him,” Hobbs said. “I was in a quarter and I was playing the quarterback – had my eyes on my man and my eyes on the quarterback. I just seen him release the ball, I speed-turned, saw the ball, made a play.” On one of the first plays of the day, Malik Willis booted to his right and completed a pass in the flat to tight end John FitzPatrick. Hobbs aggressively punched at the ball – a Peanut Punch reminiscent of former Bears cornerback Charles Tillman, who forced 44 fumbles during his career. FitzPatrick held onto the ball, but it gave a glimpse into Hobbs’ mindset. “I’m trying to get that ball. That’s how you change games,” he said. “If you know you’re a good tackler, you’re going to get him down, that allows you to take chances, you know what I’m saying? You can make the last shot of the game, you can miss the last shot of the game. It’s about are you willing to take that chance?” Packers Practice Highlights - At the start of practice, rookie second-round offensive lineman Anthony Belton got the crowd fired up. Later, he led a successful screen to tight end Luke Musgrave by delivering a key block against linebacker Kristian Welch. - It’s easy to see why the Packers are so excited about running back MarShawn Lloyd. A third-round pick who missed almost his entire rookie season with a long list of ailments, Lloyd seemingly had nowhere to go on one run but bounced to his right, found some daylight and broke into the open field. “We see his special abilities that he has. He’s going to help this team,” Josh Jacobs said. - The other third-round pick from last year who barely played was linebacker Ty’Ron Hopper. On one snap, he shot through the middle of the offensive line to stop Chris Brooks for a loss. - Malik Willis’ first two passes in a red-zone period resulted in touchdowns to rookie receiver Matthew Golden and veteran receiver Mecole Hardman. Willis went semi-sidearm on the pass to Golden, who broke away from Carrington Valentine. “I think the defense played Cover-2,” Golden said. “I got up under the corner, ran my route, and he gave me a great ball. So, that’s all that happened.” He added, “Definitely getting a catch or a touchdown in practice, it kind of boosts your confidence. Even if I don’t get the ball, I’m just out there trying to get better at my craft. So, whatever I can do to get better and do that, that’s what I’m out there doing.” - A couple plays later, Willis was “sacked” by defensive tackle Colby Wooden and defensive end Barryn Sorrell. If those two can apply pressure during the regular season, the Packers will be leaps-and-bounds better on defense. - The team’s most experienced cornerback, Keisean Nixon, had a quiet day. The only time he was tested was on Jordan Love’s shot up the sideline to Romeo Doubs during a red-zone period. Nixon’s coverage was good and the pass was incomplete. - Kicker Brandon McManus made all six field-goal attempts, ranging from the 33-yard extra point to 46 yards. - The final play of the day was a touchdown pass from Sean Clifford to tight end Johnny Lumpkin against rookie safety Kahzir Brown. Packers Lineup Notes - The first snap for the No. 1 defense consisted of Rashan Gary, Devonte Wyatt, Kenny Clark and Lukas Van Ness up front, Edgerrin Cooper and Isaiah McDuffie at linebacker, Keisean Nixon and Nate Hobbs at corner, Evan Williams and Xavier McKinney at safety, and Javon Bullard in the slot. When the defense went to its base 4-3 look on the next play, Isaiah Simmons stepped in at linebacker and Bullard headed to the sideline. That would signal that, for now, McKinney and Williams are the top tandem at safety. - With Elgton Jenkins out, the No. 1 line consisted of left tackle Rasheed Walker, left guard Aaron Banks, center Sean Rhyan, right guard Jordan Morgan and right tackle Zach Tom. The team also worked in Jacob Monk at center and moved Rhyan back to his customary spot at right guard. Rhyan played left tackle at UCLA and started all 17 games at right guard last year. What does he think about center? “I don’t mind it. It’s just a new position. I was getting comfortable at guard, but you can't get comfortable in this league,” he said. - The No. 2 line: left tackle Anthony Belton, left guard Donovan Jennings, Monk at center, Travis Glover at right guard and Kadeem Telfort at right tackle. Belton also worked at right tackle. Glover got some first-team snaps at right guard. - At one point, this was the No. 2 secondary: Carrington Valentine and Kamal Hadden at corner, Hobbs in the slot, and Zayne Anderson and Kitan Oladapo at safety. Receiver Bo Melton also got some second-team action at corner. - The punt-return rotation included Keisean Nixon, Mecole Hardman, Jayden Reed, Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs. Packers Training Camp Schedule The Packers will practice again on Thursday and Friday at 10:30 a.m. Maybe it was related to the forecast of heat and potential storms – neither of which came to fruition – but Day 1 of practice drew a lot fewer fans than usual. Quote of the Day Running back Josh Jacobs on leadership: “One thing about being a leader, it’s not always easy and it’s not always doing what’s comfortable. Sometimes you’ve got to ruffle feathers; sometimes we’ve got to hold each other accountable. That’s something that I try to do. I try to say the things that people are afraid to say. Whether I’m talking to X [Xavier McKinney] or I’m talking to Jordan [Love], it doesn’t really matter. Everybody’s got to be held to a certain type of standard. Even myself. For me, man, I feel like the greatest teams are the teams that are the closest but also the teams that hold each other the most accountable. That’s what we try to do. We’re trying to set the standard high. To be able to do what we want to do, what we say we want to do, we’ve got to live what we say.” Packers Training Camp Previews
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