NFL teams have to have their rosters finalized by Tuesday at 4 p.m., which means before then, chaos runs rampant in the league with trades and surprising cuts. There’s already plenty to dive in amongst the current rumors in the NFL ahead Week 1 of the season. Trey Hendrickson finally settled on his new deal with the Cincinnati Bengals, but was it worth it?
And the drama is the AFC West is heating up as well as roster changes take shape. Here’s some rumors to dive into as we rapidly approach the season opener.
The Las Vegas Raiders star receiver abruptly demands a trade ahead of roster cut day
Jakobi Meyers just unintentionally extended an olive branch to some receiver needy teams after demanding a trade away from the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday afternoon. This is an intriguing move for a couple of reasons. For one, without Meyers, the Raiders essentially have Brock Bowers at tight end and a bunch of lower tier receivers. Meyers eclipsed 1,000 receiving yards and had four touchdowns last year.
The addition of Geno Smith was supposed to bring optimism to the Raiders’ offense and instead, looks like it’s pushing players away. The good thing is he should have too much trouble finding a new team to land on if the Raiders grant his demand. Between the San Francisco 49ers and the Minnesota Vikings, to name a couple teams, he can carve out a nice role with a new team.
This move makes the Raiders plans of turning things around a bit tricky. Terry McLaurin is already off the market, Meyers is demanding a trade and there are no other top tier receivers left to choose from. If Las Vegas parts ways with Meyers, it will severely disrupt their hopes of contending for the AFC West title and possibly a playoff run.
The Cincinnati Bengals and their eleventh-hour pitch to keep Trey Hendrickson in the Queen City
There’s a new twist in the Cincinnati Bengals and Trey Hendrickson saga I didn’t see coming. The Bengals seemingly found an interesting way to keep Hendrickson in Cincinnati, but it’s not quite in the form of a long-term deal. According to Ian Rapoport, Hendrickson and the Bengals settled on a one-year deal.
This just might be the best case scenario for everyone. This allows the Bengals to still get Hendrickson this year while not throwing more money at an aging player for a long term deal. It’s the best of both worlds, assuming Hendrickson is just as destructive.
If I were Hendrickson, I would push back for a longer deal, though. Because if he does get injured this year, it just about ruins any leverage for a contract elsewhere. The Bengals are wise to realize they have to find a way to keep Hendrickson around even in an interim status.
Kansas City Chiefs thin out quarterback room in favor of Gardner Minshew as Patrick Mahomes’ back up
Bailey Zappe was a roster cut casualty on Monday as the Kansas City Chiefs decided to part ways with the former New England Patriot quarterback. With the move, the Chiefs turned to former Raiders quarterback Gardner Minshew as Patrick Mahomes’ backup. It shouldn’t be a surprise as Zappe did his best to play himself out of contention.
Zappe had less than 100 passing yards and tossed two interceptions this preseason. In 15 NFL games, Zappe has 2,223 passing yards with 12 touchdowns and 14 interceptions. If there’s one thing the Chiefs like is a proven veteran to back up Mahomes. Minshew is the perfect person to back him up. He’s a much better backup than he was as a starter.