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The New York Giants are on record as saying that they are not openly shopping star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., but that doesn't mean they won't listen to offers. And should any NFL team be inclined to pick up the phone, it will need to attach two first-round draft picks in any proposal that includes the three-time Pro Bowl selection, ESPN's Adam Schefter reported on Wednesday, citing a league source.
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Giants general manager Dave Gettleman did not go so far as to say Beckham was not available for trade on Tuesday, but he did state the same phrase on three occasions during a 17-minute interview.
"You don't quit on talent," Gettleman said of Beckham, who has come under fire after co-owner John Mara on Sunday said that no one on the team is "untouchable" and that he could not rule out the possibility of trading the star wideout.
--The Denver Broncos acquired safety Su'a Cravens from the Washington Redskins, multiple media outlets reported.
Per reports, the teams swapped fourth- and fifth-round picks while the Redskins also secured another fifth-round selection from the Broncos.
The transaction comes nearly four weeks after Redskins coach Jay Gruden told reporters that the team was not trading Cravens.
--Tight end Benjamin Watson agreed to a one-year contract with the New Orleans Saints, multiple media outlets reported.
Watson, who met with the Saints on Tuesday, recorded a team-leading 61 receptions with the Baltimore Ravens last season after missing all of 2016 because of an Achilles injury.
--The Jacksonville Jaguars acquired quarterback Cody Kessler from the Cleveland Browns in exchange for a 2019 conditional seventh-round draft pick, the teams announced.
Kessler will serve as the backup to Blake Bortles after quarterback Chad Henne, who played for Jacksonville last season, signed a two-year deal with the Kansas City Chiefs.
Kessler started eight games during his rookie season in 2016. He completed 139 of 218 passes for 1,508 yards with six touchdowns and three interceptions in 12 career games since being selected by the Browns in the third round of the 2016 NFL Draft.
--Cornerbacks Richard Sherman and Josh Norman expressed their frustration over one of the NFL's newest rules.
The rule in question was approved by the NFL at the league's annual meetings on Tuesday, and it penalizes players 15 yards and carries a possible ejection should they lower their head to initiate contact with their helmet.
"It's ridiculous," Sherman, now with the San Francisco 49ers, wrote in a text to USA Today. "Like telling a driver if you touch the lane lines, you're getting a ticket. (It's) gonna lead to more lower-extremity injuries."
"I don't know how you're going to play the game," said Norman, who plays for the Washington Redskins cornerback said. "If your helmet comes in contact? How are you going to avoid that if you're in the trenches and hit a running back, facemask to facemask and accidentally graze the helmet? It's obviously going to happen. So, I don't know even what that definition looks like."
The rule would apply to any player anywhere on the field, including defensive linemen attacking offensive linemen headfirst at the line of scrimmage.
--When the NFL revealed its new catch rule on Tuesday, there were those in the media who said the new guidelines were in play during Super Bowl LII between the Philadelphia Eagles and New England Patriots in February.
On Wednesday, Al Riveron, NFL vice president of officiating, said: "No, we did not (apply the new rules in the recent Super Bowl). In order for us to overturn a call we had to see clearly indisputable evidence. And there was some slight movement (on a play in the Super Bowl) but we didn't see loss of control, we didn't see indisputable evidence that he did not have possession of the football."
Last week, Troy Vincent, the NFL executive vice president of football operations, told radio host Dan Patrick that under the old language, a slight movement of the football meant a catch should be overturned upon review.
Vincent also pointed out that Super Bowl referee Gene Steratore, when reviewing Corey Clement's touchdown catch for the Eagles, admitted that the ball moved slightly before upholding the call.
--Pittsburgh Steelers tight end Jesse James spoke out on the new catch rule on Tuesday, approximately three months after the old rule reversed his potential game-winning touchdown against the New England Patriots.
"It should have been a touchdown either way. Whether it was the old rule, or this new rule," James told the Steelers' official website after NFL teams unanimously voted in favor of modifications to the catch rule for the 2018 season at the league's owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. "To reverse something on review, it has to be clear cut. I feel like they didn't do a good job on that. It's nice to have the rule clearer."
--The Detroit Lions have agreed to terms with free agent tight end Levine Toilolo on a one-year deal, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN reported on Wednesday.
The 6-foot-8, 260-pound Toilolo spent the last five seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, who released him to save $3.5 million against their salary cap in 2018.
Toilolo, 26, started 12 games for the Falcons last season and had 12 receptions for 122 yards and one touchdown in 2017.
--Running back Le'Veon Bell wants the Pittsburgh Steelers to give him a contract worth $17 million a year, Aditi Kinkhabwala of the NFL Network reported.
Bell rushed for 1,291 yards, had 655 receiving yards and scored 11 touchdowns last season, and Kinkhabwala said he wants to be paid as a rusher and a receiver.
"Everybody associated with this has said that the Steelers want to do a long-term deal," Kinkhabwala said. "In fact, I spoke to (head coach) Mike Tomlin earlier today and he said, 'Everybody knows we're in the business of trying to lock him up for the rest of his career.' However, as (general manager) Kevin Colbert ... told the local media, there's no urgency right now, and here's why: Le'Veon Bell wants $17 million a year."
--Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Jim Kelly was expected to undergo reconstructive surgery on his upper jaw Wednesday in New York to treat a recurrence of oral cancer.
Kelly, 58, posted a personal message via video on Instagram to his fans, thanking them for their support. He also wrote the following on the social media site:
"Just arrived in NYC. Surgery (Wednesday) morning. Although this is overwhelming, we are comforted and strengthened by your love, support, and prayers. God is good...whether we walk through the valley or celebrate on the mountain top. He never changes! He is always faithful! Thank you for praying! We love and appreciate you!"
--David Humm, one of the greatest quarterbacks in Nebraska history who later played for the Oakland Raiders and two other teams in a 10-year NFL career, died at his home in Las Vegas from complications of multiple sclerosis. He was 65.
Humm was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis in 1988 at age 35 and was confined to a wheelchair permanently in 1997. But he continued to work for several more years as a radio analyst on Raiders games until he was physically unable.
--The Arizona Cardinals announced they have signed defensive lineman Moubarak Djeri, who played this past season in the German Football League. That season runs from April to October.
The 6-foot-3, 275-pound Djeri had 12 sacks, 40 tackles, 10 tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles for the Cologne Crocodiles in 2017.
--Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson is pleased with the progress made by quarterback Carson Wentz in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"Very encouraged with where he's at, the direction he's headed," Pederson said, per Philly.com. "It's day-by-day. I'm not rushing him, by no means. He's working extremely hard, obviously, trying to get himself ready to go. But really, no timetable.
"... I don't want to rush him back; make sure he's 100 percent. But knowing Carson, he's going to try to maybe get out there sooner than later. But be smart with it, make good decisions. But right now, really encouraged in the direction he's heading."
--Former UCLA head coach Jim Mora, Jr. recruited Josh Rosen and had a hand in his development, but Mora said on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft" that he would advise the Cleveland Browns to select USC's Sam Darnold with the top pick.
"Because of fit, I would take Sam Darnold if I were the Cleveland Browns," Mora said. "I think (he has) that blue-collar, gritty attitude. I think his teammates will love him. I think the city will love him. He'll say the right things. He'll come in and represent well. I think he kind of represents what Cleveland is. And then if I was one of the New York teams, I'd take Josh like that (snaps fingers). I think they're both going to be great pros."
--Washington Redskins coach Jay Gruden said his team has improved at the quarterback position after an offseason of change.
The Redskins acquired Alex Smith from the Kansas City Chiefs and watched as fellow quarterback Kirk Cousins departed to the Minnesota Vikings in free agency.
"Yeah, without a doubt," Gruden said when asked if Washington is better off under Smith. "I don't want to compare two players, but we're always trying to be better at every position. We got better. Alex's experience is well-noted, and his record the last five years is what it is. You could argue that all day, but we feel very good."
--The NFL tabled a proposal by the league's competition committee that could have prevented a repeat of a coaching candidate backing out of his deal, much like the situation involving Josh McDaniels and the Indianapolis Colts last month.
The proposed rule was officially known as Proposal G-4, although many have labeled it the "Josh McDaniels rule." Whatever the name, it was designed to allow teams to "negotiate and sign a head coach candidate during the postseason prior to the conclusion of the employer club's season."
While there was no official vote on the proposal, Colts general manager Chris Ballard -- who was left to pick up the piece after McDaniels had a change of heart -- said that he was not a proponent of the new rule.
--Owner Jed York said the San Francisco 49ers want troubled linebacker Reuben Foster on the team, but that it depends on him avoiding more off-the-field problems.
Foster and the 49ers are awaiting word from the Santa Clara County District Attorney's office about possible charges against Foster for domestic violence and other issues.
"We'd love Reuben to be on this team," York told NBC Sports Bay Area at the owners meetings in Orlando, Fla. "And we'd love him to participate for us. But if he's not doing things off the field that allow us to be able to rely on him, or he's doing something that we're not comfortable with off the field and it's proven that's what's going on -- I think the guys have said then you're just going to have to move on."
