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Eleven things you need to know from training camps

Richard Sherman has the ring. Patrick Peterson has the money.

The Arizona Cardinals and Peterson agreed to terms on a five-year extension through 2020, the team announced Tuesday night. Peterson, meanwhile, went all Ian Rapoport by sharing the contract details: $70 million, with $48 million guaranteed.

Initial contract numbers are usually inflated and agent-driven. But it's safe to say that Peterson's guaranteed money should be greater than Sherman's $40 million guaranteed.

The numbers aren't a huge surprise. Peterson was drafted No. 5 overall, so he was building off a bigger base than Sherman. More importantly: Peterson is more talented than Sherman. Peterson is less scheme dependent. Ask 32 general managers who they would take, and the majority would likely pick Peterson as their cornerback to build around.

Now it's up to the talented Cardinal to live up to his end of the bargain. He's coming off his best season, but hasn't always been consistent as a cover cornerback. He's now getting paid to be the league's best.

Here's what else you need to know from training camp Tuesday:

  1. Oakland Raiders owner Mark Davis confirmed that he met with San Antonio officials during a recent visit there. All the details can be seen here, but the news got an immediate reaction from Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.

"I am very pleased that we have the fan base that we have down there and the percentage of fans we have (in San Antonio)," Jones said. "I think it is 97, 98, 99 percent Cowboys fans in the area. But it doesn't surprise me at all. I know that there were those kind of rumors regarding the Saints."

  1. Seahawks brass is starting to soften their public stance on Marshawn Lynch. Coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Schneider both made comments Tuesday on how much they love "Beast Mode" and want him back. In the NFL, love equals money. And the Seahawks don't seem willing to give Lynch more.
  1. The Detroit Lions are willing to let Ndamukong Suhtest his market value next offseason as a free agent after deciding to table long-term contract talks, according to NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport. This does not sound like a great idea if the team wants to keep him. Once players get to free agency, they generally don't stay. Reading between the lines, Suh's contract demands this offseason might have been viewed as unrealistic.

Looking up

  1. Colin Kaepernick keeps raving about Michael Crabtree's improved quickness this offseason. It's easy to forget that Crabtree was coming off a torn Achilles' tendon last season, even when he was putting up numbers. He's set up for a nice year.
  1. The Buffalo Bills released their first depth chart Tuesday. Robert Woods, not Mike Williams, was listed as the starting receiver opposite the "Summer of Sammy Watkins." We love Woods to emerge as a quality No. 2 receiver this year.
  1. Good news for fantasy fans: The Jets admit that Chris Ivory will "obviously" be the man on goal-line duties. Clarity is appreciated.

Downers

  1. We've got all your injuries covered in our massive round up here. The Dallas Cowboys reportedly fear second-round pick Demarcus Lawrence has a broken right foot. The Seattle Seahawks lost third-string tight end Anthony McCoy for a year. And Patriots wide receiver Aaron Dobson's foot injury is a growing concern. 
  1. Greg Bedard of TheMMQB.com raised the question: Could Champ Baileyget cut by the New Orleans Saints? The end is rarely pretty in the NFL, even for all-time greats.
  1. The Washington Redskins' top pick this year, third-round tackle Morgan Moses, has reportedly been struggling badly in training camp. The Washington Post wondered if he could get cut, but that would be more surprising than Bailey losing his job.

Giant issues

  1. Every depth chart looks shiny and promising as training camps open. And the slow process of degradation begins as unfulfilled expectations and injuries strike.

The New York Giants are hoping that first-round draft pick Odell Beckham and the return of running back David Wilson can add explosiveness to an ordinary offense. Tuesday was a reminder that the best laid plans can go awry before the end of July.

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After waiting for clearance for more than nine months following a neck injury suffered last year, Wilson suffered a "burner" in practice Tuesday. That's a potential nerve injury to the neck. Giants coach Tom Coughlin said soberly that "we were all praying that it wouldn't be an issue."

We hope this setback isn't serious, but any recurrence of neck issues raises questions about Wilson's future. Beckham's hamstring injury is not as significant, but he's barely been able to practice since getting drafted.

He's going to miss at least another week with the injury, and has a lot of ground to catch up. Many rookie receivers have been waylaid by hamstring injuries in their first training camp, and they don't get a chance to truly catch up until their second season. The Giants are hoping that these July speed bumps don't predate another rocky offensive season.

The latest Around The League Podcast visits with former Jets general manager Mike Tannenbaum and discusses the best of the early training-camp surprises.

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