Rumor Roundup with Joey Alibro

By Joey Alibro

Twitter: @joeyalibro

Eli Manning’s Contract Situation

Earlier this week, it was reported that in discussions with the Giants about a contract extension Eli Manning suggested that he wanted to be the highest paid player in football. Apparently, however, Eli himself was surprised by this news. He refuted the report and said that he hadn’t heard anything about it until Archie called him to ask about it.

The report shouldn’t have been taken seriously anyways. It seemed like a joke from “Bad Comedian Eli” that the demands of the two-time Super Bowl MVP would be released when contract negotiations are going on between two parties that usually keep things under wrap. Even if the report is false, it’s not an outlandish idea that he’s going to get paid like a top QB in the league.

DeflateGate Update

After 8 long months of Commissioner Goodell and the league office dragging out a minor issue that was blown up into a full blown scandal, we may finally have a permanent decision on Tom Brady’s status for the first four games of the season. U.S. District Court Judge Richard M. Berman ordered Brady and Goodell to appear in court on August 31st if a settlement wasn’t reached before then. It was also reported that Brady is willing to accept a reduced suspension, but he refuses to take the blame for DeflateGate. The owners are willing to agree to these terms, but the league office is a different story. Either way, expect some sort of decision to be made in the next couple of weeks.

Bills Quarterback Battle

The three man competition to be the Bills’ starting QB could finally be coming to an end, and no, LeBron isn’t in the running (See Ha Kung Wong’s earlier article about the Bills’ QB situation). EJ Manuel, Matt Cassel, and Tyrod Taylor have been battling for the spot all offseason, but according to NFL Network’s Albert Breer, Tyrod Taylor could lock up the starting job Thursday in the Bills’ preseason start against the Browns.

Taylor, who was a sixth round pick of the Ravens in 2011, has seen limited action in his four NFL seasons. The sheer fact that he is this close to winning the job speaks volumes about the development of EJ Manuel and how weak Buffalo is at the position.

tagged with , ,