Quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Washington Redskins suspended contract negotiations on Tuesday and none are scheduled at this time, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Cousins, coming off his only season as a starter, is a pending free agent. The Redskins are on record stating they would like to bring Cousins back, and might lean on the franchise tag to retain him for 2016. Based on current projections, the 2016 salary cap is likely to be around $153 million and the one-year salary for quarterbacks given the franchise designation right at $20 million.
General manager Scot McCloughan said during the Senior Bowl in January that Cousins was a top priority for the Redskins this offseason. Cousins had a franchise-
—Roger Goodell made $34.1 million in 2014 as commissioner of the NFL, which reported record earnings of more than $13 billion.
ESPN obtained a copy of the league’s public tax filing on which Goodell was listed as the highest-paid employee by more than nearly $27 million. General counsel Jeff Pash made $7.5 million, according to the report.
Goodell’s salary was $4 million and the remainder was reported as “bonus income.” The NFL office had collective earnings of $618.97 million. Goodell previously reported single-year earnings of $44 million in 2012 and $35 million in 2013.
—Two teams that have strong ties to 2016 Pro Hall of Fame inductees will square off in the annual preseason game on Aug. 7 in Canton, Ohio. The Green Bay Packers and Indianapolis Colts will kick off the 2016 season in Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium the day after the enshrinement ceremony is held for eight inductees.
Hall of Fame inductee Brett Favre spent the majority of his career playing quarterback for the Packers, with whom he won a Super Bowl. Tony Dungy coached the Colts to a Super Bowl championship and Marvin Harrison was a prolific wide receiver for Indianapolis during a productive 13-year career.
—The Arizona Cardinals re-signed safety Chris Clemons to a one-year contract and also signed cornerback Joel Wilkinson. Financial terms of the deals were not available.
Clemons had four tackles on defense and three on special teams in seven regular-season and two postseason games with the Cardinals during the 2015 season. The 30-year-old was released by Arizona in October with an injury settlement but re-signed after safety Tyrann Mathieu suffered a season-ending knee injury.
The 24-year-old Wilkinson previously played Australian rules football He spent three years (2011-13) with his hometown Gold Coast Suns in the Australian Football League and two years (2014-15) with the Northern Blues in the Victorian Football League.
—The Chicago Bears released offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod after three seasons with the team.
The 31-year-old Bushrod started 34 of 42 games in his time with the Bears but only four games in 2015. According to the NFL transactions wire, Bushrod failed a physical. Early in the season, he sustained a concussion and shoulder injury and was replaced by Charles Leno.
Before coming to Chicago, Bushrod was a starter for the New Orleans Saints in 98 of 108 games, including the Super Bowl during the 2009 season. The Saints drafted him in the fourth round in 2007.
—Joique Bell’s four-year run with Detroit Lions apparently came to an end. The Lions released the running back, who went to college in Detroit at Division II Wayne State and proved to be a solid and versatile contributor before injuries took their toll in 2015.
Last season, the 29-year-old Bell averaged just 3.45 yards per rush, carrying the ball only 90 times for 311 yards, and added 22 receptions for 286 yards while Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Zach Zenner handled most of the carries.
During the 2012 season in Bell’s first extending playing time, he averaged 5.0 yards per carry while seeing action in all 16 games, finishing with 414 yards rushing and three touchdowns. He led the Lions in rushing in 2014 with 860 yards on 223 carries and seven touchdowns.
—New York Giants coach Ben McAdoo completed his first staff for the 2016 season, and it has a heavy holdover rate from Tom Coughlin’s final season with the team.
McAdoo interviewed and retained 12 coaches from the 2015 staff, including all three coordinators. Mike Sullivan will assume McAdoo’s former position as offensive coordinator after spending last season as quarterbacks coach. Steve Spagnuolo (defense), who was a candidate for the same position with the Philadelphia Eagles, and Tom Quinn (special teams) are back as coordinators.
The other coaches from the 2015 staff are: Craig Johnson (running backs), Kevin M. Gilbride (tight ends), Lunda Wells (assistant offensive line), Ryan Roeder (offensive assistant), Tim Walton (secondary/cornerbacks), David Merritt (secondary/safeties), Rob Leonard (defensive assistant), and Markus Paul (assistant strength & conditioning) and Joe Danos (performance manager).
The eight new coaches include Frank Cignetti Jr. (quarterbacks), Adam Henry (wide receivers), Mike Solari (offensive line), Patrick Graham (defensive line), Jeff Zgonina (assistant defensive line), Bill McGovern (linebackers), Dwayne Stukes (assistant special teams) and Aaron Wellman (strength and conditioning).
—Carolina Panthers defensive end Wes Horton re-signed with the team, agreeing to a one-year deal.
Horton played in eight games and had one sack with nine quarterback hurries.
He was suspended four games performance enhancing drugs and was released during the season. The Panthers re-signed him to the practice squad in December.