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Wrapping Up a Wild NFL Holiday Weekend Part 2

Photo courtesy of the Pittsburgh Steelers

We’re still muddling through what turned out to be the busiest weekend of the NFL off-season, making sense of roster moves, trades, cuts and injury reports. Read on.

-Le’Veon Bell is finally ready to rejoin his teammates. The All-Pro running back signed his franchise tender Monday that will pay him $12.1 million to play football for the Pittsburgh Steelers this season.

“I feel good,” Bell told NFL Network. ” I feel great. I feel fresh.”

So we know one thing. If this whole football thing doesn’t work out, Bell can walk right into a lucrative feminine hygiene product endorsement.

According to the NFL Network, Bell turned down a contract that would have paid him more than $12 million a season and $30 million over the first two seasons this off-season. Bell apparently thinks he can get a better deal on the open market. I’d bet he’ll get the chance to find out in 2018.

Last season Bell played in 12 games and carried the ball 261 times for 1,268 yards and seven touchdowns. He caught 75 passes for 616 yards and two scores.

-Duane Brown’s holdout doesn’t look like it’s coming to an end this week. The left tackle told a local news station that he plans to play in 2017, but didn’t act like a new contract was forthcoming.

“I’m not getting into that too much, but I’m definitely playing football this year,” Brown said. “It’s tough, man. It’s my craft, something I love to do. Those are my brothers. So it’s tough. But like I said I’m not going to get into it too much. We’ll see what happens.”

Brown still has two more years on his contract with the Texans and was due to make $9.65 million this season. Due to his hold out, a de-escalator clause in his contract has been activated and now he’s due $9.4 million.

-Speaking of hold outs, Los Angeles Rams All-Universe defensive tackle Aaron Donald has continued his, missing practice Monday. Like Brown, Donald has two years left on his present contract thanks to the Rams picking up his fifth-year option this off-season. Unlike Brown, Donald isn’t making anywhere near to what he’s worth.

Last week Los Angeles COO Kevin Demoff and GM Les Snead flew to Atlanta to talk to Donald’s reps and, according to head coach Sean McVay, he and Donald talk on the phone every day.

“I’ve kind of been chasing him around like I’m chasing a girl in high school,” McVay said.”…I’ve reached out to Aaron, but it’s kind of been a back-and-forth. He’s a guy that I enjoy talking to. I’ll enjoy it a lot more when I see him in person.”

Donald’s hold out has earned him $1.52 million in fines, but don’t expect that to be an issue. According to McVay, Monday was the first day of real preparation for the team’s season opening game against the Indianapolis Colts. With Tuesday off, Wednesday would be the last chance Donald would probably have of getting to play in the Week One game, even if his holdout ends.

“I’m an optimistic guy,” McVay said.. “I’m always going to take the positive approach. Aaron’s a very special player to us,” McVay said. “We want him here, and we want him to be a part of this. With what these players have started to create, I think it would be special to have Aaron be a part of that.”

McVay and Donald don’t discuss contract issues when they talk.

“He (Donald) wants to be here,” McVay said. “We respect their approach and where they’re at, their stance, based on what they want to get accomplished out of these things. But with regards to mine and Aaron’s dialogue, it’s been exclusively player-coach football related stuff. That’s what you want it to be.”

-The Atlanta Falcons cut former 2014 second round pick Ra’Shede Hageman after he was placed on the Reserve/Commissioner Exempt list over a 2016 domestic violence accusation. Last season Hageman started four games for the Falcons and played in 12, recording 18 tackles, two sacks and one pass defense.

-Offensive guard Lane Taylor has inked a three year, $16.5 million contract extension with the Green Bay Packers. Taylor started every game for the Packers last season. The team signed him as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State in 2013.

-The Philadelphia Eagles shored up their offensive line as well, signing guard Chance Warmack to a one year contract extension that could be worth up to $5 million.

-Lorenzo Mauldin will open the season on injured reserve. The New York Jets linebacker could be able to return Week Eight if he’s healthy. Mauldin was a third round pick back in 2015. He started three games last year and recorded 16 tackles, 2.5 sacks, two passes defended and one interception.

https://twitter.com/JCaporoso/status/903995337156767745

-Quarterback Brandon Allen wasn’t out of work long. The Los Angeles Rams claimed the former Jacksonville Jaguars No. 3 quarterback Monday after cutting their own No. 3 guy, Dan Orlovsky, over the weekend. Allen was a sixth round pick for the Jagaurs out of Arkansas in 2016. In his senior season with the Razorbacks, he completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 3,440 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions.

The Cleveland Browns continued adding depth to their offensive line, claiming offensive tackle Zach Banner off waivers after he was cut by the Indianapolis Colts. Banner was a fourth round pick out of USC back in April’s NFL Draft.

-Looking at the possibility of playing rookie Nathan Peterman with both Tyrod Taylor and T.J. Yates on the NFL’s concussion protocol this week, the Buffalo Bills signed discarded quarterback Joe Webb Monday. Webb has been with the Carolina Panthers for the last three seasons. He has two starts as a quarterback in his career and went 1-1 back in 2010 with the Minnesota Vikings.

-A day after cutting him, the Kansas City Chiefs changed their mind and brought back running back C.J. Spiller. The move comes shortly after the Chiefs handed the starting tailback job to rookie Kareem Hunt. Last season Spiller played in six games, four with the New York Jets and two with the Seattle Seahawks. He rushed six times for 18 yards and caught six passes for 50 yards.

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Written by Adam Greene

Adam Greene is a writer and photographer based out of East Tennessee. His work has appeared on Cracked.com, in USA Today, the Associated Press, the Chicago Cubs Vineline Magazine, AskMen.com and many other publications.

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