LDN - Sports

National Football League roundup

[September 08, 2016] Sept 7 (The Sports Xchange) - The New Orleans Saints and quarterback Drew Brees finally agreed to contract extension on Wednesday.

The 37-year-old Brees will receive $44.25 million fully guaranteed over the next two years and gets more than the $20 million in 2016, according to ESPN and NFL Network. The extension will be announced as a five-year deal but contains an automatic void to two years.

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Minnesota Vikings coach Mike Zimmer doesn't plan to announce his starting quarterback before Sunday's regular-season opener in Nashville, but Tennessee Titans coach Mike Mularkey is fairly certain it will be Sam Bradford.

"The number of starts (Bradford) has, he's a very intelligent quarterback, he's faced this defense before," Mularkey said as he listed the reasons he believes that Bradford will be the starter. "They wouldn't give up a 1 (first-round pick) and a 4 (fourth-round pick) to have him sit very long."

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The Chicago Bears signed offensive lineman Kyle Long to a four-year extension that keeps the starting guard under contract through the 2021 season.

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Elvis Dumervil will not play Sunday in the regular-season opener for the Baltimore Ravens because of a setback in his recovery from offseason foot surgery.

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The New Orleans Saints re-signed six-time Pro Bowl guard Jahri Evans, according to multiple reports.

Evans missed just seven starts over 10 seasons with the Saints before the veteran was cut in February. He started all 153 games he played for the Saints.

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Buffalo Bills offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson is facing a four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance-abuse policy, according to an ESPN report.

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Henderson, 24, passed his physical on Aug. 22 and returned to practice for the first time in nearly nine months after battling Crohn's disease since last season. According to the report, the positive test was apparently caused by a treatment for the disease and Henderson is appealing the suspension.

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The New England Patriots officially acquired defensive back Eric Rowe in a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles in exchange for a conditional draft selection.

To make room on the roster, the Patriots released offensive lineman Josh Kline. Initial reports Tuesday had Kline going to the Eagles as part of the trade, but he was not involved.

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The Philadelphia Eagles signed kicker Caleb Sturgis to a one-year contract extension through the 2017 season.

Sturgis, 27, has a base salary of $900,000 for 2017. The extension can be worth as much as $1.3 million with incentives, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reported.

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The Indianapolis Colts signed free agent cornerback Rashaan Melvin and waived quarterback Stephen Morris.

The 6-foot-2, 193-pound Melvin has played in 12 career NFL games (two starts) and totaled 21 tackles, one pass defensed, one forced fumble and two special teams stops with the New England Patriots (2015) and Baltimore Ravens (2014-15). (Editing by Frank Pingue)

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