NFL Week in Review: Cardinals’ extensions, Jahri Evans finds a home, and more

The weeks are flying by now as we approach the first game of the 2016 season. It starts tonight with the Hall of Fame induction ceremony, and then, football. It may consist only of bubble guys and reserves, but when the Indianapolis Colts and Green Bay Packers kickoff tomorrow night in Canton, Ohio, I’ll be sitting in front of my television grinning like an idiot. Football. Is. Back.

Home Cookin’

Hope you are all keeping a Field Gulls tab open throughout training camp, the content has been great. Daily coverage, stories, press conference notes and more. Here are some of the highlights:

The Seahawks signed Jahri Evans on Saturday, among others.

Kenny’s been continuing his 30 under 30 series, with Luke Willson, Alex Collins, Kevin Pierre-Louis and Tharold Simon being featured this week.

Samuel Gold is back with two excellent breakdowns, on sophomore pass rusher Frank Clark, as well as Odell Beckham and Malcolm Butler’s matchup from the 2015 season.

Extensions for all in the NFC West

A brilliant redemption story had another chapter added this week, as Cardinals defensive weapon Tyrann Mathieu signed a five-year, $62.5 million extension with the team. The deal has $40 million in guarantees and handsomely rewards Mathieu for the player he is on the field, as well as the leader and person he has become off of it.

Another comeback story getting rewarded, this one of a different kind. NaVorro Bowman and the 49ers agreed to a four-year, $44 million extension, tying the linebacker to San Francisco through 2022. Bowman led the NFL in tackles in 2015, after missing all of 2014 recovering from a knee injury suffered in the 49ers defeat to the Seahawks in the NFC Championship game.

The Cardinals superstar-duo of Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald both agreed to one-year extensions on Friday, tying Palmer with the team through 2018, while Fitzgerald will now be a Cardinal through 2017. Palmer’s additional year is worth $24.35 million, while Fitzgerald’s comes in at $11 million.

Veterans come and veterans go but Kellen Winslow is forever

Long time Green Bay Packer John Kuhn has signed a one-year deal with the New Orleans Saints. Kuhn, 33, leaves the Packers after spending the first nine seasons of his career with the team. Kuuuuuuuuuuuhn.

Veteran wide receiver Lance Moore returned to the NFC South, signing with the Atlanta Falcons this week. The former Saint, who spent eight seasons with the team, agreed to a one-year deal with Dan Quinn’s Falcons after spending the last two seasons with the Detroit Lions.

Out of the league since 2013, former NFL tight end Kellen Winslow Jr. is attempting a comeback, with a tryout scheduled for Sunday with the Green Bay Packers. The former Browns star last played for the New York Jets, where he caught two touchdowns in his final NFL season.

Dallas Cowboys backup Kellen Moore broke his ankle this week, ending his 2016 season. The injury presumably puts the Cowboys in the backup quarterback market, where they’ve already swung and missed. Nick Foles signed a deal with the Kansas City Chiefs to backup Alex Smith, amid interest from the Cowboys.

The San Diego Chargers lost a veteran receiver this week, with Stevie Johnson tearing his meniscus. While the injury may or may not end his season, the team has signed James Jones in his place. Despite catching eight touchdowns in his return to Green Bay in 2015, Jones began to show his age in the worst way towards the end of the season.

Once more Trent Richardson’s comeback attempt is off the rails. The draft bust was unable to get healthy after starting training camp on the PUP list, and was released by the Baltimore Ravens this week as a result.

Fullback/tight end/blocker extraordinaire Ryan Hewitt signed a three-year extension with the Cincinnati Bengals this week, worth $7.5 million. Hauling in just 99 yards receiving in 2015, Hewitt’s versatility will again be a big piece of the Bengals balanced offense in 2016.

Reggie Bush and the Buffalo Bills made it official on Monday, after a week of speculation. Bush signed a one-year deal with the team. While Bush will certainly help makeup for the loss of Karlos Williams during the season’s first four games, he’s expected to contribute largely in the return game.

L.O.B and Dwight Free-ney

Former Legion of Boom member Jeron Johnson signed with the Chiefs on Friday, reuniting him with fellow ex-LOB member Ron Parker. Johnson spent last season in Washington and should see a fair amount of reps while Eric Berry remains unsigned.

Cornerback Leon Hall signed a one-year deal with the New York Giants on Friday worth $2 million. Hall is a solid signing for this time of the year and chose not to return to the Bengals despite interest from Cincinnati following…

William Jackson’s torn pectoral muscle. The 2016 first-round pick suffered the injury during the first day of training camp and could miss his entire rookie season as a result.

The man with the world’s best spin move is joining forces with Quinn in Atlanta. Dwight Freeney signed a one-year deal with the Falcons this week, after spending 2015 with the Cardinals, where he collected eight sacks in zero starts. Quinn summarized the signing best, saying: “We didn’t bring him here to coach, we brought him in to rush.” And rush he will, coach Quinn.

That’s it for this week, thanks for reading. Enjoy watching NFL football tomorrow night, and as always, Go Hawks.