NFL News

Wide receiver Percy Harvin didn’t make the trip overseas with the rest of the Bills, and won’t be playing in this weekend’s game in London against the Jaguars. As head coach Rex Ryan told reporters earlier this week, Harvin stayed stateside for personal reasons, rather than due to an injury.

While Ryan didn’t expand on Harvin’s absence and go into detail, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News (Twitter link) hears from NFL sources that the veteran wideout didn’t join the team in London because he’s contemplating retirement due to his hip issue.

Harvin has battled hip problems throughout his NFL career, particularly in Seattle, where they cost him nearly the entire 2013 season. Recent reports have indicated that the latest hip injury may cost Harvin significant time this season, so it makes sense that he’d be frustrated. According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter links), Harvin, who has talked about retirement in the past, is “not feeling football right now.”

At age 27, Harvin should still have plenty of productive years ahead of him, but if he can’t stay healthy – or wants to get healthy – and decides to call it a career, it wouldn’t exactly be an unprecedented move. We’ve seen a handful of very good NFL players retire earlier than expected within the last year alone, including Jason Worilds (27) and Chris Borland (24).

Harvin is currently under contract with the Bills through the end of the 2015 season — while his deal technically runs through 2017, it’s set to void this offseason.

There has been speculation the Ravens might try to talk wide receiver Steve Smith out of his plan to retire after the season or that Smith will change his mind. However, the veteran says that nothing has changed. “I’m on schedule for what I discussed earlier in the year,” the wide receiver said, according to Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com.

Here’s more from the AFC..

• If Smith is still retiring, the Ravens should trade him to a contender, Mike Florio of PFT opines. The Ravens are at 1-5 and, for all intents and purposes, they’re probably done in 2015. Florio suggests that the Packers would be a great fit for a savvy veteran like Smith.
• Free agent cornerback Robert McClain has worked out or visited eight teams since being cut on September 5th, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The veteran’s latest visit was to the Steelers on Wednesday, per Yates. McClain’s recent visits have also included the Bears and Saints.
• Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis told reporters, including Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter), that he never expected to return to the Patriots this past offseason. “No, the number was too high,” the corner said.
• Johnny Manziel should be on paid leave from the Browns for his recent altercation with his girlfriend, Christine Brennan of USA Today Sports writes. Manziel’s girlfriend declined to press charges over the matter and the all of the facts are still unknown, but Brennan feels that the former Texas A&M star should be sidelined until everything comes to light.
• On the Quick Slants podcast, CSNNE’s Tom E. Curran, Phil Perry, and Adam Hart discussed the Patriots secondary and the possibility of making an addition via trade.

Canton, Ohio – home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame – recently submitted an application to host the NFL Draft in either 2019 or 2020, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. It’s not immediately clear if Canton would host the draft in the Hall of Fame Village or at the aging Canton Civic Center or somewhere else, but the Hall of Fame is likely looking for a major event to bring attention and traffic to it’s ongoing renovation project. “I can’t guarantee it’s going to happen,” HOF president David Baker said. “But we’re gonna fight awful hard for this thing.”

Here’s more from around the NFL:

• The NFL is in London this week and the league is considering some interesting ideas involving the budding market, as Albert Breer of NFL.com reports (Twitter links). One idea would have one team play two games there next year in back-to-back weeks. If one team does play two games in UK in ’16, Breer adds that they probably wouldn’t give up two home games. That team, he writes, could play one or both games as the away team.
• Free agent defensive back Loucheiz Purifoy is now suspended for the first 14 weeks of the regular season, according to The Houston Chronicle’s Aaron Wilson (via Twitter). Purifoy was already suspended for 10 games, so Purifoy ostensibly has gotten another four weeks tacked on. The impetus for the increased ban is not known at this time.

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves:

• The Giants announced that they have signed cornerback Leon McFadden off the Cardinals‘ practice squad, as Michael Eisen of Giants.com writes. McFadden, 5-10 and 199 pounds, has played in 23 regular-season games with two starts for Cleveland and San Francisco. He has recorded 21 tackles (13 solo), one pass defensed and six special teams tackles.
• The Jaguars promoted running back Joe Banyard to the active roster, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets.

Here’s a quick look at the Giants and an update on the status of their star defensive end..

• When asked for an update on Jason Pierre-Paul, Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, “I wish I knew,” according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). When asked if he’d be coming in today (Wednesday), Coughlin said “Not that I know of.”
• Despite previous indications to the contrary, JPP did not come to the tri-state area on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano (on Twitter). The defensive end is still expected to meet with Giants doctors at some point this week, however.
• Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) hears that there are no set plans for a JPP visit with the Giants yet. It may happen, but it may not be this week and it could drag on until next week.
• Coughlin told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (on Twitter), that tackle Will Beatty (PUP) practiced on Wednesday. The Giants now have three weeks from now to activate him or put him on injured reserve.