NFL notebook: NFLPA reportedly considering challenging new anthem rule

The NFL Players Association apparently is prepared to mount a challenge over the league's new national anthem policy. The NFLPA is seeking options to challenge the legality of the policy by retaining multiple law firms, Pro Football Talk reported Thursday, citing a source with knowledge of the situation. NFL owners unanimously approved a new policy on May 23 that requires players and league personnel on the sideline to stand for the national anthem but gives them the option to remain in the locker room if they desire. The policy subjects teams to a fine if a player or any other personnel do not show respect for the American flag and anthem. Those clubs will also have the option to fine any team personnel for the infraction. The NFLPA immediately objected to the policy upon the announcement, arguing in a statement that "the NFL chose to not consult the union in the development of this new 'policy.'" --The Washington Redskins have all eight of their 2018 draft picks under contract after third-round offensive tackle Geron Christian agreed to a four-year deal, the team announced. The other seven picks, including first-round defensive lineman Da'Ron Payne, all signed over a month ago. Christian, 21, served as protection for former Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson at Louisville. The 6-foot-5, 298-pounder made 39 starts for the Cardinals and earned an all-ACC honorable mention in 2015 and 2017. Selected with the 74th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, Christian is expected to provide depth at the position in back of six-time Pro Bowl selection Trent Williams, Morgan Moses and Ty Nsekhe. --Tyrod Taylor is looking forward to playing for the Cleveland Browns, but that doesn't mean he doesn't reflect upon his time with the Buffalo Bills. Taylor said he felt he deserved better from the Bills and is "definitely motivated" to prove to them that they made a mistake in letting him go. "Definitely motivated. Things didn't end the way I would've liked it to in Buffalo," Taylor told NFL Network. "We could possibly see those guys in the playoffs or we could knock those guys out of the playoffs. I would definitely love that. It definitely added motivation and I take it to work with me every day." --Los Angeles Rams defensive coordinator Wade Phillips isn't putting too much stock into the absence of stud defensive tackle Aaron Donald from mandatory minicamp. Well, for the moment, anyway. "It's something you can't do anything about," the 70-year-old Phillips told reporters Wednesday, via the Rams' official website. "I mean, I don't stay up all night, every night. "It's the business part of it. We feel like it will happen sooner or later -- hopefully sooner -- but he didn't come until later last year and he did OK. I guess he fit in the 3-4; everybody was worried about that." Donald didn't attend organized team activities and training camp last year before reporting in early September. He went on to record team highs in sacks (11) and forced fumbles (five) en route to being named the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year. --Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis told reporters on Thursday that he was open to playing beyond 2018. "I'm very open to the possibility of playing next season," the 35-year-old Davis said, per the Charlotte Observer. Davis' season will be shorter after he was suspended for the first four games for violating the league's policy on performance-enhancing substances. He insisted on Thursday that he never "knowingly" took anything illegal, and that the supplements he was using were the same as he's done the previous eight years. In January, Davis declared that the 2018 season would be his last of a 14-year career. --Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco has appeared inspired this offseason in the view of teammate Eric Weddle. "He's obviously been challenged," the safety said Wednesday, via ESPN.com. "Drafting Lamar (Jackson) and bringing (Robert) Griffin in, it's lit a fire under (Flacco). You can tell. It has shown." Flacco's physical appearance has trimmed into shape and he appears more engaged with the wide receivers prior to and after drills, per the report. The 33-year-old Flacco is coming off a subpar season in which he dealt with a balky back. He threw for 3,141 yards with 18 touchdowns against 13 interceptions while posting a career-worst 5.7 yards per attempt. --Detroit Lions wide receiver Marvin Jones shot down the notion that new head coach Matt Patricia is alienating his players by making them run for mistakes made in practice. "Shoot, it's football. We run. You know what I'm saying?" Jones told NFL Network's Good Morning Football on Thursday. "Nobody is complaining. Everybody is just going out here working hard and we're having fun doing it. "So, whoever's grandma wrote that story, I don't know." Carlos Monarrez of The Detroit Free Press wrote a column that said the first-year head coach could lose his players by using such a method. --Arizona Cardinals general manager Steve Keim said the team plans to reward David Johnson as the running back seeks a contract extension. Johnson elected against showing up for mandatory minicamp this week as he pursues a more lucrative contract. He is set to make a base salary of $1.8 million in the final year of his rookie deal this season. Johnson has an Aug. 7 deadline to report to training camp in order to secure the accrued season needed to become an unrestricted free agent in 2019. --The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have their entire eight-member 2018 draft class under contract after signing running back Ronald Jones to a deal, the team announced. Jones, who was one of Tampa Bay's three second-round picks, was chosen out of USC with the 38th overall selection. The 5-foot-11, 208-pound Jones rushed for 1,550 yards and 19 touchdowns with the Trojans last season. He was named as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award, given annually to the top running back in the country. Jones carried the ball 591 times for 3,619 yards and 39 touchdowns while adding 32 receptions for 301 yards and three scores during his three seasons at USC. --A skirmish on the final day of the New York Giants' mandatory minicamp resulted in prize free-agent acquisition Nate Solder walking away with a limp. Tensions escalated between defensive tackle Damon Harrison and 2018 second-round pick Will Hernandez on Thursday, with the rookie losing his helmet in the exchange. Harrison reportedly used the helmet to take a swing at the head of Hernandez, without making contact. While Hernandez was fortunate to escape injury, the 6-foot-8, 314-pound Solder was not. The former New England Patriots left tackle was rolled up on by a teammate during the ensuing melee. Solder told ESPN.com that his knee "hurt a little bit" while head coach Pat Shurmur said he was "fine." --Veteran Josh McCown will enter training camp as the starting quarterback of the New York Jets. New York head coach Todd Bowles told reporters Thursday on the last day at the team's mandatory minicamp that McCown will enter training camp atop the depth chart. That doesn't mean McCown is guaranteed to be the Week 1 starter. He will have to win the job in training camp against Teddy Bridgewater and rookie Sam Darnold, who are listed as Nos. 2 and 3 on the depth chart. "The competition will heat up when we're in pads," Bowles said Thursday. --The Browns signed kicker Ross Martin, the team announced. Martin, 24, was participating at Cleveland's minicamp this week on a tryout basis. Kicker Zane Gonzalez, a seventh-round draft pick in 2017, is entering his second season with the Browns. An undrafted free agent out of Duke in 2016, Martin spent the past two training camps with the New York Jets. He was released by New York in August 2016 and was among the final cuts in September last season. --The Patriots and fullback James Develin are nearing agreement on a two-year contract extension, multiple outlets reported. Develin will be entering his seventh NFL season, all with the Patriots. His current two-year contract was set to expire at the end of the 2018 season. The pending deal was first reported by The Athletic. The 6-foot-3, 255-pound Develin has appeared in 16 games in four of the past five seasons, making a career-high seven starts in 2017 and earning Pro Bowl honors for the first time. --The Kansas City Chiefs have all their draft picks under contract after signing rookie Derrick Nnadi, the team announced on. Nnadi, a nose tackle out of Florida State, was the first of Kansas City's two third-round draft picks (No. 75 overall). The 6-foot-1, 312-pound Nnadi could be in line for a major role as a rookie, working with the starting unit during both organized team activities and the Chiefs' mandatory minicamp. Kansas City also announced three other signings Thursday, adding running back Algernon Brown, wide receiver Josh Crockett and offensive tackle Bentley Spain. To clear roster space for the new signees, the Chiefs waived Kaleb Johnson, defensive back Malik Reaves and running back J.D. Moore. --Quarterback Christian Hackenberg visited New England, according to ESPN. Hackenberg is looking for a new employer after he was placed on waivers Tuesday by the Oakland Raiders. No team put in a claim on Hackenberg during the 24-hour period. A former second-round draft pick of the New York Jets in 2016, Hackenberg was traded to the Raiders last month for a conditional seventh-round pick. --The Cardinals signed punter Andy Lee to a two-year contract extension, the team announced. Financial terms were not disclosed for the deal, which will keep Lee with the Cardinals through the 2020 season. The 35-year-old Lee will be entering his 15th NFL season overall and second with Arizona. He established a single-season franchise record with a 47.3-yard punting average in 2017. --The Dallas Cowboys officially announced the signing of All-Pro guard Zack Martin to a six-year contract extension. Although the team did not disclose financial terms, Martin's deal is worth $84 million, including a signing bonus of $20 million and another $20 million fully guaranteed. The contract will keep Martin with the Cowboys through the 2024 season. The average of $14 million per season makes Martin the second-highest-paid offensive lineman in the NFL behind tackle Nate Solder of the New York Giants. -- Eagles defensive end Chris Long was named the 2018 Good Guy Award winner by the Professional Football Writers of America. Long is the 14th recipient of the PFWA's Good Guy Award and the first member of the reigning Super Bowl champion Eagles to be honored. Lauded for his dealing with the media during Philadelphia's Super Bowl run, Long was selected from a field that included Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Calais Campbell, Eagles safety Malcolm Jenkins, New York Jets quarterback Josh McCown and two recent retirees -- tackle Joe Thomas of the Cleveland Browns and tight end Jason Witten of the Dallas Cowboys. --The Jets signed defensive lineman Courtney Upshaw, the team announced. Upshaw, who spent the previous two seasons with the Atlanta Falcons, came to terms after trying out with the Jets during their mandatory minicamp. The 6-foot-2, 272-pound Upshaw was a former second-round pick of Baltimore in the 2012 draft and spent his first four seasons with the Ravens. Upshaw started 51 of 64 games at linebacker with Baltimore before he was shifted to defensive tackle upon joining the Falcons in 2016. --Carson Wentz is willing to play the role of recruiter if it helps the Philadelphia 76ers land superstar LeBron James. The Philadelphia Eagles quarterback said Wednesday that he "absolutely" would be willing to help recruit the four-time NBA Most Valuable Player to the City of Brotherly Love. In fact, Wentz and tight end Zach Ertz attended Game 4 of the NBA Finals in a bid to get that "process" started. James is in line to become a free agent this offseason, assuming he declines his player option to return to the Cleveland Cavaliers. Many expect James to do precisely that after the Cavaliers were unceremoniously swept by the Golden State Warriors in the NBA Finals.