It's a bad day for the Buffalo Bills organization and all of football as Hall of Fame owner Ralph Wilson passed away on Tuesday.
Buffalo Bills founder and owner Ralph Wilson passed away at the age of 95 on Tuesday. Bills CEO Russ Brandon, whom Wilson relinquished control of the team to in early 2013, delivered the news at the league meetings in Orlando Tuesday afternoon.
Wilson has been one of the most influential people to shape the NFL into what it is today. One of the original members of the NFL, Wilson made the Bills the seventh team in that league, which would eventually merge with the NFL in 1970. He's been an active and opinionated owner throughout his entire career, as evidenced by the fact that it took him until January of 2013 to give up control of the team to Brandon.
Wilson was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame on Aug. 8, 2009. He was the last living member of the "Foolish Club," the founders of the original eight teams that played in the AFL. The Bills captured an AFL Championship and four consecutive AFC titles in 1990, 1991, 1992 and 1993, but they were never able to win a Super Bowl.
Here's what else is happening around the NFL on Tuesday:
Kelly to undergo further cancer surgery
Unfortunately, it has not been a good day for the Bills organization. Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly is expected to undergo surgery on Thursday following the return of his oral cancer. Kelly's cancer is spreading and is "aggressive," according to the Associated Press. Kelly's cancer was reported to have returned on March 14 when he had follow-up tests after surgery back in June of 2013, which was to remove cancerous cells from his upper jaw.
Kelly has plenty of supporters, among them John Elway of the Denver Broncos organization:
My thoughts and prayers go out to Jim Kelly and his family! There's not a stronger or tougher guy to handle this battle!!
— John Elway (@johnelway) March 25, 2014Panthers will use option on Newton
The Carolina Panthers will likely exercise the fifth-year option in quarterback Cam Newton's rookie contract, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. General manager Dave Gettleman said that the team would like to get Newton signed to a long-term extension, but that the team is "in conversations" on whether or not to use the fifth-year option.
He put it plainly that it is likely, however. When asked if the team is expected to use the option on Newton, he said "The short answer is yes. That's a fair statement." As part of the collective bargaining agreement signed in 2011, first-round picks were all signed to four-year contracts with a fifth-year option. The top-10 picks will earn an average salary of the top-10 players at their position in the fifth year, much like the transition tag. It's worth noting that the fifth year is fully guaranteed against injury and becomes fully guaranteed at the start of the fifth year. Carolina is in a very interesting situation with all of this, given that Newton was the first player drafted and signed under the newest collective bargaining agreement.
Ravens extend Harbaugh
The Baltimore Ravens gave head coach John Harbaugh a one-year contract extension late Monday. Harbaugh was signed to a new four-year contract after the team won the 2012 Super Bowl over the San Francisco 49ers, but after going 8-8 in 2013, some fans were unhappy with his personnel decision-making. Baltimore might have felt as though they needed to give Harbaugh a public show of support by tacking on another year to his contract.
49ers want to extend Kaepernick before training camp
Quarterback Colin Kaepernick is one of the most promising up-and-coming players in the NFL, and he's nearing the end of his rookie contract. He's already played in two NFC Championships and a Super Bowl, though he's yet to be victorious in the big game. Still, the San Francisco 49ers need to get him signed to a contract extension sooner rather than later. Just how soon, exactly? General manager Trent Baalke said on Tuesday that he would like to get Kaepernick signed to a new deal before the opening of training camp in late July, according to Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. The two sides are just beginning formal contract talks.
Jackson Tweets about media, adds zero clarity to situation
Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver DeSean Jackson may or may not be leaving the team via trade, may or may not be released if a trade can't be reached, may or may not be ignoring Chip Kelly and may or may not actually care if you understand this situation in any way whatsoever. At this point, we only know that there has to have been some discussion about Jackson potentially going elsewhere in 2014, in whatever form that took.
On Tuesday, we had multiple reports suggesting the Kelly and Jackson have spoke and that Jackson has called teammates to tell them he's staying after a talk with Kelly. Whatever the case, Jackson did post to his Instagram feed that he's talked to Kelly and seemed to have a positive attitude about it.
Then this one happened:
We're just as confused as you are. At this point, we'll wait for official word from the team or really, we might just have to wait until the season gets underway and we see if Jackson comes running out of the locker room with the rest of the team. That seems to be the only way to get clarity on this situation.
Baltimore wants to extend Smith, Smith
The Baltimore Ravens may have just extended their head coach, but the team has two key players they'd like to have under contract going forward: cornerback Jimmy Smith and wide receiver Torrey Smith, as noted by the team website. Both are entering the final seasons of their rookie deals and both have been productive for the team as starters. It will be interesting to see if the Ravens plan to use the fifth-year option on Jimmy, given that he was a first-round pick. They do not have that option with Torrey.
Cox signs one-year deal
The 49ers signed cornerback Perrish Cox to a one-year contract on Tuesday. San Francisco is continuing to add bodies at the cornerback position, in hopes that they can find a solid starting three among them. The team feels confident in Tramaine Brock as a starter and is confident enough in Chris Culliver to return from his injury, as they let Tarell Brown walk in free agency and released Carlos Rogers due to his high cap hit. Both were starters last season. Cox was a special teams player who occasionally saw time in the dime.