Truth & Rumors > NFL

06:59 AM ET 05.24 | The clock on Jared Allen, the Vikings $14-million man (his cap number is more than $17M), is ticking. As you well know, [Allen] has reached an unfamiliar point as he enters his 10th NFL season. He's suddenly in a contract year. ... Given Allen's age (31), his battles with shoulder and knee injuries in 2012 and the expensive price tag he'll certainly command until his playing days are over, it's very possible his time as a Viking could be nearing an end. ... Oh, and you also should know that when Allen went to get his haircut a few weeks back, he decided to go back to his trademarked mullet. "I'm going to rock it, man. Let's bring it back," Allen said. "I figured why not end my contract the way I started it."

Star Tribune

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06:02 PM ET 05.23 | Philadelphia Eagles tight end James Casey will undergo arthroscopic surgery to clean out loose cartilage his right knee and will be out of action for the rest of the spring, a team spokesman confirmed to USA TODAY Sports. The spokesman said Casey should be ready to go by the start of training camp. The Eagles signed tight end Will Shaw this week, surely in part to help take some reps in Casey's absence. Shaw's addition is why the team waived running back Miguel Maysonet, who was claimed by the Cleveland Browns. There was speculation cutting Maysonet, who received a $10,000 signing bonus, was a sign of a rift between general manager Howie Roseman and coach Chip Kelly. However, a person informed of the team's thinking said Casey's surgery meant the Eagles needed a roster spot for Shaw.

USA Today

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05:53 PM ET 05.23 | Bill Belichick???s two-year run as America???s highest-paid coach has come to an end. That title now belongs to Sean Payton, the fellow NFL coach who will be paid around $8 million per year to lead the New Orleans Saints for the next five seasons. Payton???s future employment was something of a mystery at the end of last year when the NFL voided his contract extension with the Saints, making him a free agent at season???s end. But New Orleans, not keen on letting the franchise???s first Super Bowl-winning coach skip town, quickly locked up Payton with the rich contract offer. Not only has Belichick been knocked off of his top spot, but he doesn???t even get sole possession of the No. 2 place on our list. He is now tied with Andy Reid, who picked up a new coaching gig in Kansas City just days after losing his job in Philadelphia, where he won nearly 60% his games and made the NFC Championship five times.

Forbes

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05:45 PM ET 05.23 | Johnny Jolly was back in a Houston courtroom Wednesday ... but this time, it was a good thing. Jolly can now return to the Packers. The troubled defensive lineman was in a courtroom to receive his diploma for completing a court-ordered drug treatment program, his final step before returning to the NFL. There to hand him the diploma was the judge who sentenced Jolly to prison. "I know I've seen a change, and I know your family has seen a change, and we are just so darn proud of you today just for the progress that you've made," The Honorable Denise Bradley said. "I didn't know if we would see this day happen." The Packers had been quiet about the process for Jolly to return, but this was his last obstacle. Jolly last played in 2009 and then was suspended from the league for several drug-related arrests and jail time in Houston.

WBAY Action 2 Sports

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05:39 PM ET 05.23 | Former Titans offensive lineman Leroy Harris worked out for the Lions on Wednesday. Harris played in 75 games, with 42 starts, for the Titans over the past six seasons. Harris started the first eight games of the 2012 season before suffering a right knee injury. He underwent surgery to repair a partially torn ACL, and is not yet 100 percent. Harris, a fourth-round draft pick in 2007, is not expected to return to the Titans.

Nashville Tennessean

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