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| Former Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack is mobbed in the stands after intercepting a pass during a game against the Carolina Panthers in 2016. Mack was traded to the Chicago Bears on Saturday. Photo by Terry Schmitt/UPI |
By The Sports Xchange
Defensive end Khalil Mack and the Chicago Bears reached agreement on a six-year, $141-million deal Saturday that makes Mack the highest paid defensive player in the history of the NFL.
Chicago acquired Mack in a trade with the Oakland Raiders earlier Saturday.
The deal, according to NFL Network, includes $90 million guaranteed with $60 million guaranteed at signing. Mack will receive $155 million over seven years.
Details of the trade show the Bears are paying a heavy price for one of the pre-eminent pass rushers.
The Raiders will get first-round draft picks in 2019 and 2020, a third-rounder in 2020 and a sixth-rounder in 2019. In addition to Mack, Chicago is getting a 2020 second-round pick and a conditional 2020 fifth-round selection, according to NFL Network.
Mack was locked in a contract stalemate with the Raiders, refusing to report to training camp and the team's offseason workouts.
Mack's new deal eclipses the record extension signed by Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald on Friday.
Donald, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year, and the Rams worked out a six-year, $135 million extension that made him the highest-paid defensive player in history.
--San Francisco 49ers running back Jerick McKinnon sustained a torn ACL, according to multiple sources, on the final play of practice and will be lost for the season.
The injury was of the non-contact variety.
McKinnon was to be the starter when San Francisco visits the Minnesota Vikings -- McKinnon's former team -- in Week 1 on Sept. 9.
McKinnon sustained a calf strain earlier in the preseason but was expected to be ready for the season opener versus Minnesota.
--Nick Foles is expected to start Week 1 for the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, according to NFL.com.
The Eagles open the season Thursday night against the Atlanta Falcons.
Coach Doug Pederson has not made it official, but sources around the team have indicated that Foles will get the start over Carson Wentz, who tore his ACL and LCL in Week 14 last season.
Foles led the Eagles to a 41-33 victory over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII, completing 28 of 43 passes for 373 yards and three touchdowns. In three postseason games, Foles completed 72.6 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and one interception.
--The Oakland Raiders traded a fifth-round pick in 2019 to the Buffalo Bills for quarterback A.J. McCarron.
McCarron will back up starter Derek Carr.
The Raiders will be McCarron's third team after the 27-year-old spent most of his career backing up Andy Dalton in Cincinnati. The Bills signed McCarron in March to a two-year, $10-million deal after trading Tyrod Taylor to the Cleveland Browns.
The Raiders released Connor Cook to make room for McCarron.
--The Oakland Raiders released troubled wide receiver Martavis Bryant.
The Raiders gave up a third-round pick in April to the Pittsburgh Steelers to acquire Bryant. The Steelers used that pick to select their quarterback of the future, Mason Rudolph.
Bryant is facing another suspension from the NFL, pending appeal, sources told the NFL Network. Bryant was informed recently that he is facing another ban, his third in four seasons.
--Tight end Devon Cajuste was among the cuts made as the Cleveland Browns trimmed their roster to 53 players.
Cajuste became a fan favorite after being highlighted in the HBO series "Hard Knocks."
Linebacker Nate Orchard was waived despite returning a touchdown in Thursday's preseason win over Detroit.
Orchard also was favorite on "Hard Knocks".
--The Indianapolis Colts acquired wide receiver Marcus Johnson from the Seattle Seahawks in exchange for tight end Darrell Daniels.
Johnson was acquired by the Seahawks in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles on March 14. He played in 10 games with the Eagles in 2017 and caught five passes for 45 yards.
As a rookie in 2016, Johnson spent time on Philadelphia's practice squad. He originally signed with the Eagles as an undrafted free agent on May 5, 2016.
--Denver quarterback Paxton Lynch has earned a spot on the Broncos, for now.
According to multiple reports, Lynch will serve as the third-string quarterback behind Case Keenum and Chad Kelly.
The Broncos selected Lynch in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft out of Memphis. He was unable to win the starting job from Trevor Siemian in both 2016-2017.
Lynch might have secured a spot on the 53-man roster in the Broncos final preseason game. Against the Arizona Cardinals, he completed 14 of 15 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns.
--Dallas trimmed 36 players to reach the 53-man limit, and among those cuts was kicker Dan Bailey.
Bailey has been one of the most accurate kickers the league has ever seen. His 88.2 career field-goal percentage is second only to Justin Tucker of the Baltimore Ravens.
Bailey holds the all-time record for Dallas with 186 field goals made.
By waiving Bailey, the move saves the Cowboys $3.4 million in salary cap.
Brett Maher will be the Cowboys' new kicker. Undrafted out of Nebraska in 2013, Maher has never attempted a field goal in the NFL. He's played in the CFL the past four years and connected on 78.1 percent of his attempts.
--The Cincinnati Bengals placed quarterback Matt Barkley on injured reserve, the team announced Saturday.
Barkey, who was battling for the backup quarterback job behind starter Andy Dalton, hurt his knee on his second series of Thursday's preseason game against the Indianapolis Colts.
The NFL Network reported that Barkley suffered a grade 3 strain of the medial collateral ligament. The injury to Barkley solidified Jeff Driskel's chances to open the regular season as Dalton's backup.
--Dallas Cowboys tight end Rico Gathers was arrested for marijuana possession, the Dallas Morning News reported.
Gathers was arrested Friday night in Frisco, Texas. He was in possession of less than two ounces of marijuana, the newspaper reported.
Gathers spent the night in jail and reportedly posted bond Saturday morning. A spokesman for the Frisco Police Department said officers detected the smell of marijuana coming from a parked car.
A sixth-round draft choice out of Baylor in the 2016 NFL Draft, Gathers has yet to appear in a game. He was among Dallas' final roster cuts as a rookie and was placed on injured reserve prior to the start of last season.
The 6-foot-6, 285-pound Gathers was a basketball player at Baylor University and had not played football since the eighth grade.
--Matt Cassel appears to have won the backup quarterback job in Detroit.
The Lions released quarterback Jake Rudock on Saturday, according to multiple media outlets, leaving journeyman Cassel as the backup to starter Matthew Stafford.
Detroit also cleared out its cluttered backfield in trimming its roster to the league-mandated 53 players, placing running back Zach Zenner on injured reserve and waiving running back Dwayne Washington.
--A year ago, Mike Gilllisee was the starting running back for the New England Patriots. On Saturday, he was among the players waived as the Patriots got down to the 53-player roster limit.
The Boston Herald first reported that Jeremy Hill had beat out Gillislee. He was fighting for a spot behind Rex Burkhead, James White and Sony Michel.
In 2017, Gillislee rushed for 383 yards and five touchdowns on 104 carries before losing his job to Dion Lewis.
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