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No Matt Judon extension is complete, but the Chris Lindstrom restructure will make way for another critical payment. Justin Simmons‘ Falcons visit will produce a deal.
Atlanta is bringing in the longtime Denver safety starter on a one-year, $8M accord, NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero reports. This will give the Falcons an elite safety duo, with Simmons — a four-time All-Pro — set to team with Jessie Bates. Former Simmons Broncos teammate Su’a Cravens, now with CBS Sports Central, initially reported this deal would come to pass.
Simmons will receive $7.5M fully guaranteed, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports. Of course, guarantees on this contract are less crucial due to vested veterans’ salaries locking in just before Week 1. Still, Simmons does far better than a veteran-minimum deal after a lengthy free agency stay. The former Broncos defensive centerpiece will have a chance to create a 2025 market for himself, and the Falcons will have exclusive negotiating rights with the ninth-year veteran until March.
Since Simmons’ 2016 NFL debut, no one has more interceptions than the former third-round pick. The Boston College product snared 30 in Denver. Four came off Patrick Mahomes, though team success eluded the seven-year Denver starter. Drafted two months after the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 win, Simmons soon toiled for a franchise that struggled to replace Peyton Manning. Simmons and Patrick Surtain kept the Denver defense afloat because the Russell Wilson trade did not pan out. Simmons has camped on the All-Pro second team, landing there four times since 2019.
Although Simmons played under Vic Fangio and Ejiro Evero, he will land in Atlanta instead. Raheem Morris worked with Evero in Los Angeles, which should make a quicker acclimation process possible for the 30-year-old defender. Simmons had said he wanted to land with a contender. While the Falcons have not qualified as such since midway through the Dan Quinn years, they have operated aggressively to change that this offseason. Kirk Cousins‘ arrival spearheaded the effort, and Simmons will join Judon in helping Atlanta attempt to snap a postseason drought. The Falcons’ drought has lasted almost as long as the Broncos, with the 2017 divisional round doubling as the team’s most recent playoff outing.
Simmons led the NFL with six interceptions in 2022, helping keep the Broncos in close games amid their maddening Wilson-Nathaniel Hackett season, and his return from injury — after the Dolphins’ 70-20 demolition — coincided with a midseason turnaround. Also intercepting five passes during the 2020 and ’21 seasons, Simmons will join a Falcons secondary that just received a strong Bates debut. The ex-Bengal intercepted six passes and forced three fumbles in his first Falcons slate. Bates is tied to a four-year, $64M deal that checked in just higher than Simmons’ 2021 Broncos extension.
Given his age, Simmons is unlikely to come too close to a deal in the ballpark of the one he inked three years ago (four years, $61M). But he played three years on that contract and collected franchise tag money in 2020. The Falcons have former second-round pick Richie Grant under contract, but part-time starter DeMarcco Hellams recently sustained a significant ankle injury. Although Grant has started 32 career games — including 15 last season — this addition reduces his role. It should be expected the Falcons will trot out a Bates-Simmons pair in a secondary that still includes AJ Terrell‘s rookie contract.
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Packers Promising Playmaker Limps off Practice Field
Second-year Green Bay Packers running back Marshawn Lloyd can’t seem to catch a break. Chosen by the Packers with the No. 88 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, Lloyd dealt with hamstring injuries throughout training camp last summer before suffering a season-ending ankle injury just one week into his rookie season. Marshawn Lloyd Knocked from Packers Practice As the intensity ratchets up at Packers training camp, Lloyd’s second season may have already gotten off on the wrong foot, during Green Bay’s first practice in full pads this summer. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Lloyd stayed out on the field but didn’t continue to practice, instead watching from behind the huddle without a helmet. Demovsky points out that Lloyd was slow to get up but then did not return to practice the rest of the day. The Packers are likely hoping for big things from Lloyd, who is likely to compete with Emmanuel Wilson for the lion’s share of carries behind Wilson. It remains to be seen how serious Lloyd’s injury is, but if the 24-year-old is forced to miss any significant time, general manager Brian Gutekunst and the Packers may be wise to go shopping for some quality running back help in the days and weeks ahead.
Oilers to Acquire a Top-Tier Goalie. An Official Trade Offer Is on the Table in a Blockbuster Deal
The Boston Bruins have been under pressure to retool after a disappointing season, and now a potential blockbuster move could shake the entire NHL. A major trade proposal has surfaced that could send a star goaltender to the Edmonton Oilers, a move that would give them the elite presence they've lacked in net while forcing Boston closer to a rebuild. The deal being floated by multiple outlets would send Edmonton's current starter, Stuart Skinner, along with Matthew Savoie, Beau Akey, and a 2028 first-round pick to Boston, while the Oilers land a goaltender capable of changing their Cup window overnight. Edmonton's push for a franchise goalie could reshape the Western Conference and challenge the Dallas Stars' path to the Cup If this trade goes through, the Oilers would instantly address one of their biggest weaknesses, setting up a showdown with teams like the Dallas Stars, who already see Edmonton as one of their toughest rivals. Boston, on the other hand, would fully commit to a rebuild, pairing Joonas Korpisalo with Skinner in what could be one of the NHL's weakest tandems, likely boosting their draft lottery odds in one of the most hyped draft classes in recent memory (NHL.com). An insider noted, "They weren't the only ones who had inquired about Swayman, but yes, I was told they poked around." That comment shows just how wide the interest is for this level of goalie talent (Heavy.com). I think this kind of trade would completely shift the balance of power in the West, making Edmonton even more dangerous for teams like Dallas, who could end up facing a vastly upgraded Oilers team in the playoffs. If Boston truly embraces a rebuild, moving their top goaltender could be the first domino in a massive roster overhaul, something that could shake the market for weeks.
Phillies star confronted MLB commissioner in team clubhouse
Throughout the season, MLB Commissioner Rob Manfred visits all 30 team clubhouses in an attempt to strengthen his relationship with the players. But when Manfred visited the Philadelphia Phillies last week, he did anything but strengthen his relations, at least not with Phillies star Bryce Harper. As reported by ESPN's Jeff Passan, Harper wasn't a fan of a conversation that seemed to be heading toward the possibility of implementing a salary cap in the game. Harper stood nose to nose with Manfred, telling him, "If you want to speak about that, you can get the [expletive] out of our clubhouse." Passan's report says that Manfred reportedly responded that he was "not going to get the [expletive] out of here." Manfred's main source of argument comes from his view that it's an important issue to discuss and has a direct impact on the game of baseball. Nick Castellanos, who's been known to have a fiery side of personality himself, helped to mediate the situation by saying, "I have more questions" to Manfred. Because the meeting continued, things settled down, and eventually, Manfred and Harper shook hands. Though Harper did not answer phone calls from Manfred the next day. "It was pretty intense, definitely passionate. Both of 'em. The commissioner giving it back to Bryce and Bryce giving it back to the commissioner. That's Harp. He's been doing this since he was 15-years-old," Castellanos told ESPN. Both Harper and Manfred declined to comment to ESPN on the matter. Manfred is certainly in a difficult spot with players themselves against a salary cap, as well as the MLB Players Association, which is adamantly against it. But some team owners are for it, most notably Baltimore Orioles owner David Rubenstein, who purchased the club in August 2024. It's certainly worth noting that the 1994 players' strike was a result of the league's effort to move to a salary-cap system. That is the worst-case scenario for MLB. And it seems to stress out Manfred. "Rob seems to be in a pretty desperate place on how important it is to get this salary cap," Castellanos added in his comments to ESPN, "because he's floating the word lockout two years in advance of our collective bargaining agreement [expiration]. That's nothing to throw around. That's the same thing as me in a marriage saying, 'I think divorce is a possibility. It's probably going to happen.' You don't just say those things." It's also important to note that Harper is a client of baseball super agent Scott Boras, and Castellanos is a former Boras client who now represents himself. Boras is known for bargaining for a ton of money for his clients, so that may provide one explanation of many for why Harper would be so against the discussion. It seems the only thing all parties can agree on is that no one wants a work stoppage in Major League Baseball. But that might just be where the agreements end.
Shedeur Sanders gets new chance after Browns QB injury
Shedeur Sanders has been working with the Cleveland Browns' equipment staff as the No. 4 quarterback this summer. He'll have a new opportunity following the troubling injury news for Kenny Pickett. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, Pickett suffered a hamstring injury during Saturday's practice and will not receive reps until his issue is re-evaluated. "Browns QB Kenny Pickett injured his hamstring near the end of Saturday’s practice and is expected to re-evaluate the injury later this week, per sources," Schefter posted on X. "Pickett was coming off a strong couple of practices, per sources, and at least for the short term, there now will be more reps for Joe Flacco, Dillon Gabriel and Shedeur Sanders. Pickett's injury will shake up the quarterback race in Cleveland. Through OTAs and early in training camp, Sanders has been the odd man out as the only signal caller on the roster not to receive reps with the first-team offense. It's unclear if the Browns coaching staff intends to give Sanders reps with the first-team offense now that Pickett is sidelined, but the fifth-round pick will have more chances this week to prove that he deserves an opportunity to stay in Cleveland. The Browns are in a unique situation with their rookie quarterbacks. Third-round pick Dillon Gabriel was selected before Sanders, but the son of Deion Sanders fell to Day 3 of the draft for reasons other than talent. The majority of draft analysts had Sanders as a better-graded quarterback than Gabriel, and many thought the Colorado product would be taken in the first round. The Browns can use the injury as an excuse to give Sanders reps with the first team, and it's a task they need to take advantage of before the team names a starter. Sanders has the potential to be a starter in the league, and this week is pivotal for his rookie season in Cleveland.
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