The Seattle Seahawks made a big splash for their top-notch defense just before the start of the regular season.
The Seahawks acquired defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson from the New York Jets on Friday in exchange for wide receiver Jermaine Kearse and a second-round draft pick. The person spoke to The Associated Press on the condition of anonymity because the deal had not been announced by the teams. The clubs will also swap seventh-round picks in 2018 as part of the deal.
Landing Richardson solidifies the interior of Seattle’s defensive line and quells some of the concerns raised by the uncertainty surrounding rookie second-round draft pick Malik McDowell, who was injured in a July ATV accident. Richardson has spent his entire career with the Jets after being picked in the first-round pick in 2013 and was a Pro Bowl selection after the 2014 season, when he recorded a career-high eight sacks.
Richardson was a standout for the Jets — although he had a disappointing 2016 season — but seemed to outlast his welcome in New York. Most recently, Jets coach Todd Bowles expressed his displeasure with Richardson’s comments last month accusing former teammate Brandon Marshall of quitting on the team last season.
But Richardson can be a dominant interior lineman and joins one of the best defenses in the NFL. Seattle already has Michael Bennett, Cliff Avril, and Frank Clark as anchors and now adds an interior talent.
The addition of Richardson means eight of the 11 projected starters on defense have been voted to at least one Pro Bowl in their careers.
Kearse’s best season was 2015 when he had 49 receptions and five touchdowns in the regular season.
He also had some of the more famous catches in franchise history, including a fourth-down touchdown in the 2013 NFC Championship game, the winning TD catch in overtime of the 2014 NFC title game, and a juggling catch late in the fourth quarter of the Super Bowl against New England that would have far different context if not for Malcolm Butler’s interception that followed.
Kearse signed a $13.5 million, three-year deal with the Seahawks before the 2016 season but became expendable because of Seattle’s depth at wide receiver. He’ll immediately become a primary target with a Jets team in desperate need of experienced pass receiving options.
Goodell knew score
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was aware that one of his lead investigators believed Ezekiel Elliott shouldn’t be disciplined before the Dallas running back was suspended for six games in a domestic violence case, league spokesman Brian McCarthy said.
McCarthy disputed a key claim in a lawsuit filed by the players’ union on behalf of Elliott seeking to vacate an upcoming ruling on an appeal. McCarthy says Goodell knew of investigator Kia Roberts’s contention that Elliott’s accuser wasn’t credible before deciding to suspend Elliott.
‘‘That Kia Roberts’s information was not provided to others, that’s categorically false,’’ McCarthy said. ‘‘Her views were represented. The commissioner was aware of her views, aware of many other people’s views.’’
Arbitrator Harold Henderson is expected to rule on Elliott’s appeal soon. The lawsuit filed late Thursday night in federal court in Texas seeks to pre-empt Henderson’s ruling with the intent of making Elliott eligible to play in the season opener Sept. 10 against the New York Giants.
Elliott, the NFL’s 2016 rushing leader as a rookie, was suspended after the league concluded he used physical force last summer in Ohio against Tiffany Thompson, his girlfriend at the time.
According to the letter Elliott received informing him of the suspension three weeks ago, the NFL believed he used ‘‘physical force’’ three times in a span of five days in a Columbus, Ohio, apartment last July resulting in injuries to Thompson’s face, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, wrists, hips and knees.
Prosecutors didn’t pursue the case, citing conflicting evidence, but the NFL investigated for more than a year. Elliott denied Thompson’s allegations under oath in an appeal hearing that spanned three days. The hearing ended Thursday, about 12 hours before the lawsuit was filed.
Steelers get pair back
Martavis Bryant’s long journey back to the NFL is over. So is Le’Veon Bell’s extended vacation.
Two of the most dynamic components of the Steelers’ high-powered offense are good to go as the season opener approaches.
The NFL granted Bryant permission to play when the Steelers travel to Cleveland on Sept. 10, nearly 18 months after he was suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Bryant was conditionally reinstated in April, though his return hit a snag at the start of training camp when he was forced to sit for the first two weeks of practice due to procedural issues.
When the Steelers placed the franchise tag on Bell in February the two-time Pro Bowler responded by skipping Pittsburgh’s offseason program and stayed away during training camp. He appeared at the team’s facility Friday, passed a team physical, and is expected to sign his franchise tender of $12.1 million before the team returns to practice Monday.
Elliott’s case differs from the four-game suspension for New England quarterback Tom Brady in the Deflategate case in that Brady’s legal team waited until after Goodell denied the appeal to sue in federal court.
Meanwhile, the contentiousness between the NFL and the players’ union continued to escalate over Elliott’s case, with the league being sharply critical of language used by an attorney during Elliott’s appeal hearing this week.
‘‘The union has single-handedly turned back the clock and trampled on the rights of victims by saying it’s okay to commit violence against women as long as you’re provoked,’’ Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s executive vice president of communications and public affairs, said by phone Friday.
Lockhart was referring to statements made by Jeffrey Kessler, an attorney for the NFLPA, during the appeal hearing, the transcript of which became public with the union’s court filing. Kessler was speaking about the woman who accused Elliott of domestic violence last year.
In the transcript, Kessler said, “It is clear, given the extortionate threats given by [Elliott’s accuser], her harassing nature, her violative nature, her drug and alcohol abuse, her penchant for rough sex, there certainly would have been provocation involved that would be a mitigating factor for two young people like this. Now, we’re not asking you to do that. We’re asking you to overturn it all because there’s no credible evidence, but it’s hard to see how the full six games would be warranted even if you believed everything said, which you can’t possibly do.’’
The union declined to respond directly to Lockhart’s comment.
Browns cut Osweiler
Quarterback Brock Osweiler is being released by the Browns, who will have to pay his $16 million guaranteed contract not to have him on their roster, a person familiar with the team’s moves told The Associated Press. Osweiler, who was beaten out by rookie DeShone Kizer , will be officially cut on Saturday . . . The Bears released veteran wide receiver Victor Cruz, the NFL Network reported . . . The Cardinals released veteran running back Chris Johnson, a source told ESPN. Johnson, 32, was placed on injured reserve last season after suffering a groin injury in Week 4 . . . Former Navy star Keenan Reynolds and veteran center Jeremy Zuttah were cut by the Ravens . . . The 49ers released quarterback Matt Barkley, clearing the way for rookie C.J. Beathard to open the season as the backup to Brian Hoyer.
Snead suspended
Saints officials said receiver Willie Snead has been suspended for the first three games this season because of an offseason traffic violation for driving under the influence of alcohol. Snead has 141 catches for 1,879 yards and seven TDs in his two NFL seasons out of Ball State . . . DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans agreed a five-year, $81 million contract extension. The deal, which includes $49 million guaranteed, comes as the star receiver was entering the last year of his contract . . . The Broncos shipped disappointing backup offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo to Atlanta, obtaining a fifth-round pick in the 2018 draft for the former second-round selection.
