NFL Weekly Report: Summer Break Has Arrived

Saquon Barkley Contract Update

The standoff continues with Barkley and the New York Giants. It also appears that there is no end in sight as the two sides are worlds apart. If you believe Barkley’s side of the story, he is not asking to be the highest paid RB but just wants his fair worth. We have discussed this at length about why the RB is becoming de-valued as the league is becoming more pass happy. With no end in sight, it appears that Barkley is willing to hold out into training camp and even into the regular season.

"Saquon Barkley is trying to get a fair long term deal..

I credit him for calling out the Giants for leaking out the idea that he's being greedy"@ProFootballTalk #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/MTKRQwORGH

— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) June 14, 2023

Ongoing Stefon Diggs Situation

As Buffalo began to take the field for minicamp last week, the big story was the conflicting reports of the whereabouts of star WR Stefon Diggs. It was believed he was absent from the mandatory offseason training but it turns out he was present but not on the field. Diggs’ contract is completely un-tradeable with not only the larger cap hit but also the dead money cap hit. Bills QB Josh Allen and Diggs exchanged some words after the playoff loss and it was believed that this is the reason Diggs wanted to voice his opinions before stepping onto the field. He did return to the field for Day 2 of Minicamp and this will be something to keep an eye on this upcoming season as the Bills are expected to be Super Bowl contenders.

DeAndre Hopkins Free Agent Visits

Hopkins took two visits this week with Tennessee and New England. He is looking to get a similar contract that Odell Beckham Jr got this season. And because of that, it will narrow his field to a very select few teams. That large contract demand likely sends Buffalo and Kansas City out of the running for his services as they have minimal room to maneuver the salary cap. There is (reportedly) an official offer from Tennessee but it appears that New England is the leader in the clubhouse. He has prior relationships with both the WR coach and New England OC Bill O’ Brien from their time in Houston. Hopkins seems to be in no hurry to sign a contract and this could go into early July or even right up until training camps begin next month.

Jets Sign Adrian Amos As Chuck Clark Suffers A Serious Knee Injury

It (unfortunately) happens every year, but we have our first major minicamp injury. It’s reported that newly signed Jets Safety Chuck Clark has a ‘significant knee injury.” The former Raven appears to be headed to the PUP list to start the season and potentially longer. Details are sparse so far but with the corresponding move of the Jets signing free agent veteran safety Adrian Amos, tells us that the Clark injury is serious. Amos signed a 1 year, $4 Million dollar deal for this season. Amos is more than capable as a fill in for Clark as he rarely misses time and has been a productive member of the Bears and Packers defense in his career.

Dalvin Cook Update

While any big-name free agent news is never completely quiet, the current news on Dalvin Cook is pretty quiet overall. He has no official visits on his schedule and like the other star free agent (Hopkins) he is no rush to sign anywhere. Cooks camp claims “lots of interest” but “willing to wait” for the right deal. Their does seem to be some interest in Cook and Hopkins teaming up but with large contracts this close to the season makes that nearly impossible. Teams that are said to still have interest are the New York Jets, Miami Dolphins and Denver Broncos.

Dalvin Cook: It would be "epic" to end up on same team as DeAndre Hopkins. https://t.co/jMbRwSy7V3

— ProFootballTalk (@ProFootballTalk) June 20, 2023