The latest NFL player news from CBSSports.com http://www.cbssports.com en-us Copyright 2012, CBSSports.com Sun, 12 Feb 2012 08:14:02 EST 30 http://images.cbssports.com/images/cbsdm/spec/cbssportscom.gif http://www.cbssports.com 380 70 Rey Maualuga has officially been charged by Cincinnati police with misdemeanor assault stemming from a bar fight last weekend. This report comes from The Associated Press. The Bengals had no comment.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=8233b6fe5703399d8c0b4320c968fd92 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/559367/rss 1328973828559367 NFL,CIN Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:23:48 EST Hines Ward for 2012. This news comes according to NFL Network's Jason La Canfora. "He has one year left on his deal worth $4 million," said La Canfora. "According to my sources, he won't be back there. So that's $4 million off the books."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=e465670b3d9696351955e3c227f6ffea http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/12795/rss 132897315312795 NFL,PIT Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:12:33 EST Kevin Faulk is contemplating retirement after being a healthy inactive for the Super Bowl loss to the Giants, reports the Boston Globe. "That morning, when I got the word that I wasn’t going to dress . . . wow," Faulk said. “I went in the room, cried a little bit, because 75 percent of me knew that this could be my last game playing, not playing, just dressing. If I dress, there could be that chance that I could play. So that really crushed me a whole lot. Went into my room, read my Bible, read so many different Scriptures, so many different chapters in the Bible, until it was time to go to the stadium. [I took] my exit physical after the game and the trainers give me a big hug and that’s when I knew, like ‘Wow, that might be it'."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=c1c403474686aab8666b7dd8b080f627 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/133281/rss 1328972687133281 NFL,NE,NYG Sat, 11 Feb 2012 10:04:47 EST Reggie Wayne told ESPN that while he'd like to stay with the Colts, he's just not sure if they want him. Wayne is scheduled to be a free agent this offseason and understands that his time might be over in Indy after 11 years. "I have been there 11 years and I would prefer to end my career a Colt. However, in due time those feelings could subside," he said. "I haven't heard anything from them yet, so maybe I am not as important on the chain of command as I should be. But either way, I'm cool. I have nothing bad to say about the Colts. ... My phone hasn't rung yet. It's only fair I worry about number 87 first. When I'm signed, then I can weigh in more."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=ae9396f9e1a0c6b58f8635091a898555 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235256/rss 1328911392235256 NFL,IND Fri, 10 Feb 2012 17:03:12 EST Tennessean reports Friday that the Titans have agreed to terms on a contract extension for WR Lavelle Hawkins, who had his best season in 2011. He had 47 catches for 470 yards and one touchdown.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=196d9fff2b639134596738a78a9a06e5 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/559551/rss 1328908511559551 NFL,TEN Fri, 10 Feb 2012 16:15:11 EST Sports Xchange reports that new Titans GM Ruston Webster said WR Kenny Britt, who suffered a torn ACL in September and had surgery in early October, should return in time for training camp in 2012. He said Britt appears to be a fast healer and is ahead of schedule in his recovery. "Kenny has been working hard and he's coming fast, probably even a little faster than I thought he would. So I'm real happy about that," he said. "We expect to have him out there for training camp. The good thing about his injury, is there is a good thing, is it happened early, and he's a very strong young and bounces back very quickly. We're hoping and planning to have him back for training camp."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=0968eb35167679b3b8b64236ac909092 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1115016/rss 13289029681115016 NFL,TEN Fri, 10 Feb 2012 14:42:48 EST Kevin Smith would like to return to the Lions in 2012. Smith, 25, re-signed with Detroit last November and had four starts in seven games. He finished the regular season with 72 carries for 356 yards and four touchdowns, plus had 22 receptions for 179 yards and three scores. "In every interview that I've done, even though I'm a free agent, I've referred to the team and me as us," Smith said. "I'm on the Lions roster in my opinion until I'm not on the Lions roster. That says it all."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=88e328a7d4d335c6705c36d57e8bcb9b http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/559743/rss 1328898740559743 NFL,DET Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:32:20 EST Mike Tolbert would like to remain in San Diego in 2012. “I would love to be here, but I’ve got to weigh my options and do what’s best for my family,” Tolbert said.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=08ebf7c54cdbb06341b3add1b4a7ccb6 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1616887/rss 13288984641616887 NFL,SD Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:27:44 EST Boston Herald reports that Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski underwent successful surgery Friday to fix his ailing ankle. The surgery was an arthroscopic procedure to clean out the ankle. Gronkowski played on a high-ankle sprain in Super Bowl XLVI, battling ligament damage to make two catches for 26 yards. The estimate is that it’s a 10-week recovery. That should allow him to be ready by mid-April, possibly for mini-camp.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=e15a1565e9908c9aaf0da6dbb80ab3a7 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1244303/rss 13288981151244303 NFL,NE Fri, 10 Feb 2012 13:21:55 EST Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta more than filled the shoes of departed longtime TE Todd Heap. In their first season splitting the workload, they combined to catch 94 passes for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. Those are better numbers than any of Heap’s 10 seasons in Baltimore in all three categories. Now Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron only sees more production ahead out of his two young tight ends. “Those two are right on track in their development and we expect big years out of both of them next year,” Cameron said.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=3dcaff363d387a15a2dc56a734d217cc http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1273811/rss 13288862861273811 NFL,BAL Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:04:46 EST http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=3dcaff363d387a15a2dc56a734d217cc&p=4 3dcaff363d387a15a2dc56a734d217cc ]]> Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:04:46 EST Ed Dickson and Dennis Pitta more than filled the shoes of departed longtime TE Todd Heap. In their first season splitting the workload, they combined to catch 94 passes for 933 yards and eight touchdowns. Those are better numbers than any of Heap’s 10 seasons in Baltimore in all three categories. Now Ravens Offensive Coordinator Cam Cameron only sees more production ahead out of his two young tight ends. “Those two are right on track in their development and we expect big years out of both of them next year,” Cameron said.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=fd56ef811b12cf8e1a81b7e6824015c9 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/565631/rss 1328886284565631 NFL,BAL Fri, 10 Feb 2012 10:04:44 EST Vincent Jackson. Jackson has maintained his preference is to stay in San Diego despite a relationship with the front office that has been acrimonious in the past. The Chargers aren’t expected to use the franchise tag on Jackson and sound open to trying to work out a long-term deal. But the Chargers likely won't be the highest bidder for Jackson, and he could land with a new team. Jackson earned $11.4 million during the 2011 season under the franchise tag, a figure that is expected to increase to $13.7 million this offseason. The report said Jackson could exceed $10 million per season over five seasons.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=44afeebcfffb036b3fb56eedb829f0a6 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/541651/rss 1328885937541651 NFL,SD Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:58:57 EST Peyton Manning as the saga continues early this offseason in his recovery from missing this past season from neck surgery. CBSSports.com NFL Insider Mike Freeman reports that there remain a handful of team personnel men who have serious doubts he will ever play again or at the very least will miss most of next season. But, according to NFL.com, former Colts vice chairman Bill Polian, who was fired in early January, said he believes Manning will be fine in 2012 after he last saw Manning throw in late December. "It's marked (improvement) from where he was back in September," Polian said. "He threw it accurately, he threw it with a good, tight spiral, and he threw it with velocity. Generally, he looked like a pretty confident quarterback out there." Polian also indicated that Manning was able to make a variety of throws and throw across his body, which differs from a report on NFL Network earlier this week. Polian said that Manning's recovery is "coming, but coming slowly. But, nonetheless, its making progress."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=34d4cf753f4e8e9ac892c732a2ecc706 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/12531/rss 132888561912531 NFL,IND Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:53:39 EST Stanford Routt one of the cornerstones of the Oakland Raiders defense with a lavish contract that kept him from free agency. Routt became the first player casualty under the new regime with the Raiders, released on Thursday just one year into a $54.5 million, five-year contract, ending his seven-year tenure in Oakland as the team heads in a new direction.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=1e67f0ee0d5c4fd0b6f055eeb211a1c5 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/419954/rss 1328884159419954 NFL,OAK Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:29:19 EST Fred Jackson has been cleared to return to football activities for a couple of weeks following a broken fibula, but the good news for him doesn't stop there. The official team website reports that Jackson has been promised by team GM Buddy Nix that he will receive a contract extension, with the timeline set for before the 2012 season. Jackson is slated to be in a contract year as it stands now, but a new deal would change that. "Fred and I have talked," said Nix. "We want to extend Fred. I'd like for Fred to finish his career as a Bill. He's meant a lot to us. I've got great respect for him. We do want Fred back and we do intend to try to work out a deal with him. I've told him that. What we said is what we're going to do."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=7912da4ef7c9484db7667e9509cd5c19 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1102782/rss 13288840161102782 NFL,BUF Fri, 10 Feb 2012 09:26:56 EST Sports Xchange reports that WR Victor Cruz became a star this season for the Giants, and now he wants to be paid like a star. Cruz, who made $405,000 in 2011 after signing with the Giants as an undrafted free agent in 2010, won the Vizio Top Value Performer Award this season as the NFL player who did the most for the least money. He's ready to say goodbye to the "least money" part of that sentence. "I feel like after my performance this year, I deserve to be paid more money at this point," Cruz said. "But that's something I'll let my agents and people take care of and I'll just go out there and play the game." Cruz led the Giants with 82 catches for a franchise-record 1,536 yards during the regular season, then added 21 more catches for 269 yards and a touchdown in the playoffs. That touchdown came in the first quarter of Super Bowl XLVI against the Patriots, as he caught a 2-yard pass from Eli Manning to make it 9-0 New York. "I want to remain a Giant for a very long time," he said.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=9d4309080160a36b049bdd1782f27cc6 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1684073/rss 13288215651684073 NFL,NE,NYG Thu, 9 Feb 2012 16:06:05 EST Sports Xchange reports that Patriots WR Chad Ochocinco has decided to eighty-six his name change after less than four years. Ochocinco announced via his Twitter account that he will change his name July 4, responding to a fan who claimed to have five of the star's jerseys on his wall. "Take them down," Ochocino tweeted. "I'll be Johnson on July 4th." Ochocinco caught 15 passes for 276 yards during the 2011 season, his first with New England after 10 seasons with the Bengals. He caught one pass during the postseason, a 21-yard reception during Super Bowl XLVI.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=f92e0a27ea083b33f6b001e0a514cf25 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/235222/rss 1328821028235222 NFL,CIN,NE Thu, 9 Feb 2012 15:57:08 EST Sports Xchange reports that Browns QB Colt McCoy will be ready to play in the 2012 season. Team president Mike Holmgren said in a radio interview that McCoy has recovered from the helmet-to-helmet hit he received from Steelers LB James Harrison in December. "He passed all his tests and he's feeling fine," Holmgren said, "and he has no residual effects from the play." The Browns, who finished fourth in the AFC North at 4-12, have two first-round picks in this April's NFL Draft, including the fourth pick overall. The team is expected to bring in competition for McCoy at quarterback this offseason, possibly a top draft pick like Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III of Baylor. Whatever the situation, Holmgren expects McCoy to be ready to compete. "I know that no one will work harder this offseason than Colt McCoy," Holmgren said.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=1e1fa76d4b93b7e1344235804e6491f4 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/584648/rss 1328807393584648 NFL,AFC,CLE,DRF,HOF,PIT Thu, 9 Feb 2012 12:09:53 EST Kyle Orton might be next on the Redskins' radar if they cannot sign Peyton Manning, Comcast SportsNet reports. Orton was considered by the Redskins when he was waived by the Broncos but the team thought there could be friction between him and Rex Grossman, so they didn't claim him. Orton would be a cost-effective alternative to Manning, though he's not as good as Manning.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=7242cef5a641dd46c4f26afd2cd282e5 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/418071/rss 1328800487418071 NFL,KC,DEN,WAS Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:14:47 EST http://ads.pheedo.com/click.phdo?s=7242cef5a641dd46c4f26afd2cd282e5&p=4 7242cef5a641dd46c4f26afd2cd282e5 ]]> Thu, 9 Feb 2012 10:14:47 EST Wes Welker is expected to get the franchise tag from the Patriots before the start of free agency, according to the Boston Globe. The report adds that things could turn ugly between Welker and the team including a holdout potentially going as long as possible. Welker played big in his contract year, catching 122 passes for a career-best 1,569 yards and career-high nine touchdowns in 2011.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=ff72a4b0ea9d97b92c8a48af34df7d50 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/493735/rss 1328797200493735 NFL,NE Thu, 9 Feb 2012 09:20:00 EST Terrell Owens has officially signed on to be a player and co-owner of the Allen Wranglers of the Indoor Football League. Owens, 38, did not play in the NFL in 2011 after having surgery for a torn ACL in April. "It was an opportunity for myself and my family." Owens said of signing with the IFL. "It's a way for myself to keep in shape. I haven't retired from the NFL. I want to play a couple more years. I know I'm physically fit to play the game still."


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=9154cc6cd9024a4c13c0e765407cdd56 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1290/rss 13287956171290 NFL,CIN Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:53:37 EST Plaxico Burress told Howard Eskin of 94 WIP SportsRadio in Philadelphia that he "wants to play for Eagles. Badly!" Eskin posted the news on his Twitter account, saying he spoke to him at the Super Bowl, and later posted that he thinks that the "Eagles will think about" signing him. Burress recently commented on his year with the Jets to the New York Post, failing to elaborate on any comments and seeming uninterested in staying with them.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=31cd99ae1705f8081cf45860346dfb4a http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/187385/rss 1328795205187385 NFL,NYJ,PHI Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:46:45 EST Markell Carter, WR Britt Davis, DE Aaron Lavarias, LB Mike Rivera, WR Tiquan Underwood and DB Ross Ventrone to future contracts.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=3b973317980497ac353a176059d2f781 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/1675126/rss 13287948021675126 NFL,DEN,NE Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:40:02 EST Tiquan Underwood to a futures contract. Underwood was released by the Patriots on the day before the Super Bowl. He played in five games, catching three passes for 30 yards in the regular season for New England.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=844135b242ee497e5373aa717f7cc191 http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/563723/rss 1328794674563723 NFL,NE Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:37:54 EST Bryant McFadden and WR Arnaz Battle and waived TE Miguel Chavis and LB Erik Clanton. The team did sign CB Myron Rolle, WR Juamorris Stewart and LB Brandon Hicks.


]]> http://feeds.cbssports.com/click.phdo?i=d5915dc38adaeed22fc2119c0a06452b http://www.cbssports.com/nfl/players/playerpage/395924/rss 1328794561395924 NFL,PIT Thu, 9 Feb 2012 08:36:01 EST