Cardinals release WR Anderson after unproductive season

The Arizona Cardinals released receiver Robbie Anderson on Wednesday, ending a short and unproductive stint.

The Cardinals traded for Anderson on Oct. 17, sending a pair of future late-round draft picks back to the Carolina Panthers. The hope was the 6-foot-3, 190-pounder, who recently changed his legal name to Chosen Robbie Anderson, would help the offense after an injury to Marquise Brown.

But the 29-year-old Anderson was slow to acclimate to the Cardinals’ offense and had just seven catches for 76 yards over 10 games.

The move will save the Cardinals around $12 million in salary cap space.

Anderson caught 95 passes for 1,096 yards for the Panthers in 2020 but his production has fallen sharply since that season.

JAGUARS: The Jacksonville Jaguars cut highpriced cornerback Shaquill Griffin on Wednesday, a move that was months in the making and will save the team $13.1 million against the salary cap.

Griffin tweaked his back early last season and was essentially benched before going on injured reserve. He was scheduled to count $17.1 million against the cap next season.

The 27-year-old Griffin should have plenty of options to land elsewhere. He has started 72 games over six seasons with Seattle and Jacksonville. He had six interceptions for the Seahawks before signing a three-year, $40 million contract with the Jaguars in free agency in 2021.

The Jaguars seemingly lost confidence in Griffin after he struggled early last season and moved forward with a starting tandem of Tyson Campbell and Darious Williams.

IRVING SUIT: Two men who were in a Phoenix hotel lobby the night that Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin was accused of misconduct with a female employee said Wednesday they didn’t see him do anything wrong and that his brief interaction with the woman appeared friendly.

Phil Watkins of Australia and Bryn Davis of Philadelphia appeared at a news conference by video link with Irvin and his attorney.

Irvin has filed a $100 million defamation lawsuit against a “Jane Doe” and Marriott International Inc., alleging that a false misconduct claim on Feb. 5 caused him to be kicked out of the Renaissance Phoenix Downtown Hotel and removed from the NFL Network’s Super Bowl week coverage.

Watkins said he saw “nothing at all” that could be considered inappropriate, and that Irvin and the woman shook hands and laughed.

“There was nothing untoward out of the interaction,” and Irvin soon left for the elevator as the woman went back toward the bar, Watkins said.

Irvin has insisted he did nothing wrong during the encounter with the woman and went to his room alone. He has said there was no inappropriate physical contact.

Irvin’s attorney, Levi McCathern, complained that Marriott has not adequately provided him with video footage of the encounter. McCathern said he was allowed to watch a short video in Marriott’s attorney offices on Tuesday but was not allowed to take a copy or make one.

The video showed Irvin and the woman meet and shake hands, and Irvin twice touched her elbow before leaving, McCathern said.