Pierre-Paul still hasn’t signed tender
Pro Bowl DE’s status with Giants unclear as opener looms.
New York Giants officials met with defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul on Tuesday, but the discussions apparently broke down because the sides could not agree on Pierre-Paul’s readiness to play, ESPN.com reported.
Pierre-Paul left without signing his one-year, $14.8 million franchise tender. That amount counts on the Giants’ salary cap even though Pierre-Paul is not playing.
Pierre-Paul sustained injuries to his right hand in a July 4 fireworks accident. The most significant damage was done to his index finger, which had to be amputated.
He underwent a physical exam performed by team doctors on Monday, then he was scheduled to meet with team officials on Tuesday so they could evaluate his playing status and decide how to proceed. The hope was that Pierre-Paul would be cleared to play, but apparently that has not yet occurred.
Teams have already submitted their final 53-man rosters, so the Giants cannot place him on the non-football injury list, which would allow him to be activated after six games.
Bills: Backup quarterback Matt Cassel re-signed a new one-year contract three days after he was among the final players cut by the team.
Cassel, who lost the starting job to Tyrod Taylor last week, was set to make a $4.15 million base salary this season, which was deemed too expensive by the Bills.
Falcons: Veteran offensive tackle Jake Long is scheduled to work out for Atlanta today. Long was cleared to resume football activities by Dr. James Andrews, ESPN reported Tuesday. Long is recover- ing from a torn ACL for the second time.
Cardinals: Filled the final two starting positions that were up for grabs by naming Earl Watford the right tackle and Lyle Sendlein the center.
Watford takes the place of Bobby Massie, suspended for two games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Sendlein was released by the Cardinals in the offseason but re-signed a week into training camp.
Coach Bruce Arians also said wide receiver Michael Floyd, out after dislocating three fingers and undergoing surgery to repair them, will rejoin practice today.
Cowboys: Added a second quarterback to their practice squad — Kellen Moore, a veteran who will be reunited with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan, his former coach in Detroit.
Lions: Signed quarterback Ricky Stanzi to their practice squad after cutting No. 3 quarterback Kellen Moore over the weekend.
Browns: The woman who filed an assault com- plaint against offensive line coach Andy Moeller said during a 911 call that “he tried to strangle me.”
Moeller has been suspended indefinitely by the team while the city’s prosecutor investigates.
League: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell is willing to lessen his role in the player discipline process, but he’s still reluctant to give up final say.
Goodell told ESPN Radio on Tuesday the league resists third-party arbitration. The players union wants disciplinary power now held by Goodell to be handled by a neutral arbitrator.
Goodell said he’s “very open” to changing his role and called it “extremely time-consuming,” adding he has discussed this matter with several owners the past couple years.
After a federal judge overturned Tom Brady’s four-game suspension in the “Deflategate” scandal last week, Falcons owner Arthur Blank suggested it may be time to revisit the system that makes Goodell the sole arbiter of cases.