The Boston Globe - 05.08.2019

(Brent) #1

C2 Sports The Boston Globe MONDAY, AUGUST 5, 2019


WR Nelson calls it a career

ASSOCIATEDPRESS
JordyNelsonis retiring as a
member of the Green Bay Pack-
ers. The veteran widereceiver
played in
Green Bay
from 2008 to
2017, winning
a SuperBowl with the Packers,
before spending last season
with the Oakland Raiders.
Packers general manager
BrianGutekunstsaidSunday
that Nelson had informed the
team of his decision. A news
conference was planned for
Tuesday.
Nelson,34, had 550 recep-
tionsand 69 touchdown catch-
es in his nine active seasons in
Green Bay. He madethe Pro
Bowl in 2014,missed the 2015
season with a knee injury, and
was named the 2016 Comeback
Player of the Year.
The Packers selected Nelson
in the second round(36th over-
all) of the 2008 draft out of
Kansas State. He played in 136
regular-season games, includ-
ing 88 starts, for Green Bay.
Nelson led the Packers with
nine receptions for 140 yards
and a touchdown in Green
Bay’s 31-25 Super Bowlvictory
over the Steelers in 2011.
He played in 15 games for
Oakland last year, finishing
with 63 receptions for 739
yards and three touchdowns.

Ngakouereturns
YannickNgakoue’sholdout
failed to land him a new con-
tract.
The standout pass rusher re-
ported to Jaguarstraining
camp following an 11-day ab-
sence and is ready to play out
his rookie deal.He insisted he’s
not angry and not worried
about risking an injury that
could cost him millions.
‘‘At the end of the day, they
had a chanceto sign me for a
long-term deal, but it didn’t get
done,’’ he said. ‘‘I love football,
love my teammates, and I'm
here to play games.”
Ngakoue is entering the fi-
nal year of a $3.84 million con-
tract. He is due to make $2.

million this fall — far less than
othertop playmakers at his po-
sition. He also is facing
$528,650 in fines — more than
a quarter of his salary — be-
cause he skipped a three-day
minicamp in June and nearly
two weeksof training camp.
He had been seekingmore
than $20 million a year, but the
Jaguars seemingly don’t con-
sider the former third-round
draft pick fromMaryland an
elite defensive end. Jacksonville
also selected Ngakoue’s poten-
tial replacement,Josh Allen
from Kentucky, with the sev-
enth overall pick in the NFL
Draft and is expected to make
JalenRamseythe league’s high-
est-paid cornerback next year.
According to the NFL’s col-
lective bargainingagreement,
Ngakoue had to report by Tues-
day to accrue a fourth season
and becomean unrestricted
free agent in 2020.
The Jaguars also signed for-
mer Vikingsrunning backRoc
Thomas, who is suspended for
the first three games of the reg-
ular season for violating the
NFL’s substance-abuse policy.
The Jaguars are down two run-
ning backs — rookieRyquell
Armstead(quadriceps) and
veteranThomasRawls(ham-
string) — heading into joint
practices and theirpreseason

opener in Baltimore.

Foremancutloose
Running backD'Onta Fore-
manwas releasedby the Tex-
ans. Foreman,who was a third-
round pick in 2017, appeared
in just one gamelast season af-
ter rupturing his Achilles’ ten-
don late in his rookie year. The
Doak Walker Award winner
played 10 games as a rookie,
finishing with 78 carries for
327 yards and two TDs...
Running backTheoRiddick
has signedwith the Broncos
followinghis surprising release
from the Lions last month. The
Broncos also placed defensive
linemanBillyWinn(arm)on
injured reserve... The Vikings
signedcornerbackBeneBen-
wikere, adding experience at
position where theirdepth has
taken a hit. Benwikere has
spent time with six teams over
his first five NFL seasons...
Cliff Branch, one of the Oak-
land Raiders’ career-leading
wide receivers who won three
Super Bowlsin 14 seasons with
the franchise, has died. He was


  1. Branch was found dead Sat-
    urday in a hotel roomin Bull-
    head City, Ariz., the city’s police
    department said. It said that an
    investigation revealed no foul
    play, and that Branch died of
    natural causes. Obituary, D


MIKE ROEMER/ASSOCIATED PRESS
WidereceiverJordyNelsonhad 550 receptionsand 69
touchdowncatches in hisnineactiveseasonsin GreenBay.

Brady agrees to 2 more years


Mr. [Robert] Kraft and his fami-
ly. We’ve had just incredible
success so hopefully we keep it
going.”
Even though he gets that $
millionsalary bump, ESPN re-
ported that Brady’s 2019salary-
cap hit will come downby $5.
million. Had he and the Patriots
not cometo an agreement on
an extension, he’d have counted
for $27 million against the cap
in 2019, which would have
been the fourth-highest cap hit
in the NFL this year. Brady has
not had a top-10 cap hit in the
last five years.
The Patriotswere$7.5 mil-
lion under the salary cap before
Brady’s extension.Adding$5.
million to that totalwouldput
them $13 million under, giving
them room to sign a high-im-
pact player.
Brady is on the books to earn
$30 million in 2020and $
millionin 2021with this exten-
sion,but thosenumbers could
easily change. ESPN reported
that both future years are void-


uPATRIOTS
ContinuedfromPageC


able,whichwould mean that
their primary function is to
help create cap relief by spread-
ing the hit from Brady’s signing
bonus over moreseasons.
With 2020and 2021 being
voidable, Brady and the Patriots
would essentially still be going
year to year. Patriots fans, those
first-world problem-havers of
the NFL, will be wondering
about Brady’s contract againaf-
ter 2019.
“We’re all day to day if you
thinkaboutit,” Brady said last
weekwhen pressed about when
and if he’d get an extension.
“None of us are reallypromised
anything.”
He was joking, but the senti-
ment ringstrue now.
Brady and the Patriots are in
a uniquespot. No NFL quarter-
back has played for so long and
maintainedas higha level of
performance as Brady has, but
trusting that will continueruns
counter to the values and busi-
ness practices the Patriots have
stuck by under Bill Belichick.
That’s the rub that madeit
slowgoing for Brady and the

teamto reachan agreement.
Backin March, whenthe addi-
tionalcap roomcouldhave
beenusedduringthe initial
rushof free agency, the two
sides weren’t talking. Even last
week,thoughBrady was affable
in his delivery, he implied he
was the one waiting for the Pa-
triots to pony up.
“Talk to Mr. [Robert] Kraft,
comeon,” he said, laughing.
It soundslike Kraft heard
him loud and clear. Brady got a
raise and the Patriots got addi-
tional flexibility this year, a win-
win.
Just be clear on the fact that
we’re usinga loosedefinition of
the word“extension” whenwe
talk aboutthis dealand that
bothsidescouldvery well be
back at the drawing board next
spring or summer.
Take it from the manhim-
self: We’re all just day-to-day if
you thinkabout it.

Nora Princiotti canbe reached
at [email protected].
Follow her on Twitter at
@NoraPrinciotti.

FILE/LANE TURNER/GLOBESTAFF

Tom BradyandthePatriotshave theireyes onanotherprizeafterfinishinglast season
witha victory overtheRamsin SuperBowlLIII— whichgave Bradya recordsixtitles.


NFL
NOTEBOOK

Registerat OneDayU.comor call800 3003438


SUNDAY,OCTOBER13 |9:30AM–1:15PM


COHENAUDITORIUMAT TUFTSUNIVERSITY


40 TALBOTAVE |MEDFORD


DATE:


LOCATION:


ONE DAYUNIVERSITY


ONEDAY UNIVERSITYBRINGSTOGETHERPROFESSORSFROM PRESENTEDBY:


THEFINEST UNIVERSITIESINTHE COUNTRYTOPRESENT


SPECIALVERSIONSOFTHEIRVERYBESTLECTURES-LIVE.


LIVE
EVENT

Full price$159 UsecodeBS
$

ADAY OF GENIUS


PART 2 :


ThePoliticalGeniusof


FrederickDouglass


PROFESSOR:


KennethMorrisJr./ColumbiaUniversity


AnneFrankChangetheWorldAward


REGISTERTODAYTOLOCKINYOURDISCOUNT


FORTHISREMARKABLEEVENT


9:30 AM



  • 10:35 AM


SCIENCE


10:50 AM



  • 11:55AM


POLITICS


12:10 PM



  • 1:15 PM


LITERATURE


PART 1 :


TheScientific Geniusof


Marie Curie


PROFESSOR:


SusanLindee/UniversityofPennsylvania


WinnerIdaandHenrySchumanPrize


PART 3 :


TheLiterary Genius of


WilliamShakespeare


PROFESSOR:


SethLerer/UniversityofCaliforniaatSanDiego


OutstandingTeachingAward


(100 STUDENTSONLY)

Free download pdf