NFL notebook: Brady pleads Fifth on appreciation question

Tom Brady may have added more fuel to the fire surrounding the reports of internal strife within the New England Patriots organization. The superstar quarterback was asked by sportscaster Jim Gray if he was appreciated by the Patriots organization and if he felt it has shown the appropriate gratitude for what he has achieved during an appearance at the Milken Institute Global Conference on Monday night in Santa Monica, Calif. "I plead the Fifth," Brady said. The four-word response sparked laughter from the audience as Brady used the colloquial term for invoking the right to decline to answer questions that might incriminate him. After the laughter died down, Brady followed it up by saying that it was a "tough question" and that "I think everyone in general wants to be appreciated more at work (and) in their professional life." Gray followed up by asking Brady if he's happy, to which the three-time NFL Most Valuable Player responded: "I have my moments." Brady's comments are a few months removed from an ESPN report that detailed apparent discord between the quarterback, coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft. --Cleveland Browns general manager John Dorsey defended the team's decision to select Ohio State cornerback Denzel Ward over North Carolina State defensive end Bradley Chubb with the fourth overall pick of the 2018 draft. Dorsey told 92.3 The Fan in Cleveland that both players graded equally before Ward got the nod based on the Browns' need at the position. "We've totally upgraded the secondary there with unrestricted free-agent acquisitions and trades," Dorsey said, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "And then we attacked it also in the draft. I'm very pleased with Denzel Ward, great kid, loves the game of football, wonderful family. Now he's got the physical features you look for in a shutdown corner. "He's got the long vertical speed, he's got sudden-area explosive quickness that you like in those types of players, he's got great ball skills. And I see his ceiling of growth, I see it as really high." --Los Angeles Chargers tight end Hunter Henry admits to feeling the weight of great expectation as he heads into his first season without Antonio Gates by his side. That extra weight became real after the Chargers bid farewell to the 38-year-old Gates on Monday. "When I came in, it can be an intimidating thing when you come into that situation -- a Hall of Famer, first ballot, and one of the greatest tight ends of all time (playing with you). So, it can be intimidating, but he took me under his wing and taught me everything he could these past two years," Henry said, via the Los Angeles Times. "It's been incredible. ... It's been really cool to be able to play with him these past two years. But definitely, I'm ready to step up. ... I'm ready to go." The transition from Gates to the 23-year-old Henry started in 2016 when the club used a second-round pick on the Arkansas product. Henry recorded 45 receptions for 579 yards and four touchdowns in 14 games in 2017 before a lacerated kidney ended his season. --Tony Romo knows a thing or two about Dez Bryant during their seven seasons with the Dallas Cowboys. With the wide receiver looking for a new club, Romo went to bat for his former teammate following his U.S. Open qualifying round at Gleneagles Country Club in Plano, Texas. "There's a ton of teams he could help," Romo said, per ESPN. "One thing, I don't know how many teams will do their homework on it, but Dez is a good teammate and I think sometimes that might get lost in the way that the emotional aspect of things. If I was talking to any of the GMs or coaches, I would tell them he's not going to hurt the locker room in any possible way. He's going to come out and he'll be a great teammate when he gets there." Bryant, released by the Cowboys on April 13, expressed his desire to remain in the NFC East. He reportedly turned down a multi-year offer from the Baltimore Ravens prior to the draft in a bid to find the right fit on a one-year deal that could help secure a bigger contract in 2019. --The New England Patriots reportedly could have shaken up the 2018 draft had the Cleveland Browns opted against selecting quarterback Baker Mayfield with the top overall pick. How so? According to Mayfield's agent, Jack Mills, the Patriots could have traded with the New York Giants to acquire the second overall pick -- and thereby select the reigning Heisman Trophy winner out of Oklahoma. Mills made the following claim on "The Business of Sports with Andrew Brandt" podcast. "We knew that the (New York) Jets at (No.) 3 was the bottom line. We had another team which is going to surprise you. Another team had said, 'You may get a big surprise on draft day, at No. 2, if he's available.' And it was the Patriots," Mills said. "They had (No.) 23 and they had 31 and they had two seconds. We thought, 'That's gonna be a heck of a move, to get up that high from where they are.' And of course he wasn't available so we never knew if that was reality or not." --Running back Matt Jones was among seven players waived by the Indianapolis Colts. Jones was considered to be Washington's running back of the future after the Redskins selected him in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft out of the University of Florida. The bruising Jones appeared in 13 games as a rookie, rushing for 490 yards and three touchdowns in a backup role. He also had 19 receptions and a score. The 6-foot-3, 239-pounder opened 2016 as the starter and recorded a pair of 100-yard games and three rushing touchdowns before a knee injury in Week 7 ended his season. Jones was released by the Redskins just prior to the 2017 season and latched up with the Colts, but he never made much of an impact. He appeared in only five games, rushing for 14 yards on five carries. --Minnesota Vikings cornerback Terence Newman told reporters that he has just one more season left in the tank. "I think this will be my last year no matter what happens," Newman said, via the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Newman, who will celebrate his 40th birthday in September, will be the oldest active defensive player in the league. A two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2007 and 2009, Newman is the league's active leader in interceptions (42). He also has 876 tackles, eight forced fumbles and seven fumble recoveries in 221 career games with the Cowboys, Cincinnati Bengals and Vikings since being selected by Dallas with the fifth overall pick of the 2003 draft. --The New Orleans Saints are planning to sign former Ohio State quarterback J.T. Barrett, multiple media outlets reported. Barrett was expected to try out for the Saints but instead will sign a three-year minimum deal for an undrafted free agent, according to the New Orleans Times-Picayune, which confirmed the NFL Network's initial report of the signing. The Saints already have a pair of backups behind starting quarterback Drew Brees in Tom Savage and Taysom Hill. Barrett was part of a three-QB mix at Ohio State that included both Braxton Miller and Cardale Jones. A dual threat who appeared in all 14 games last season with the Buckeyes, Barrett guided the team to a 12-2 mark while registering career highs in touchdown passes (35) and yards (3,053) while throwing only nine interceptions. Barrett also rushed for 798 yards and 12 touchdowns, the third time in four seasons he amassed double-digit rushing scores. --Running back Jeremy Hill said he didn't waste much time after the New England Patriots showed interest in him as a free agent. "Before free agency started and kind of after a few days of free agency, their name never got mentioned once," Hill said. "Then I got a call saying they wanted me on a visit and I jumped on a plane as quick as I could. I'm excited about the opportunity that they have here for me." That opportunity also features a crowded backfield, but Hill insists he's not worried. The Patriots selected Sony Michel out of Georgia with the second of their two first-round picks in the 2018 NFL Draft. Michel and Hill join a backfield that consists of James White, Mike Gillislee and Rex Burkhead, Hill's former teammate with the Cincinnati Bengals. --Former SMU wide receiver Trey Quinn isn't a big fan of being labeled as "Mr. Irrelevant," a tag that is bestowed upon the last pick of an NFL draft. Quinn received that nickname after being selected by the Washington Redskins with the 256th pick in the 2018 draft. While appreciative of the opportunity to play in the NFL, Quinn told television station KPLC that he feels the label isn't applicable given all that he's accomplished in life. He led the NCAA with an average of 8.8 receptions per game last season, holds the all-time national high school record for career receiving yards and even pitched a no-hitter in the 2008 Little League World Series. "It's the most ironic name for me," Quinn said. "I went through my career and I set every record that I stepped foot in at every place. I think I might be the most relevant, (Mr.) Irrelevant ever. I have a chip on my shoulder. Everybody's going to see it." --Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan is bidding to complete a purchase of Wembley Stadium, and he wants the London site to play host to the NFL's marquee game. Khan told the BBC that if he successfully owns Wembley Stadium that he'll push for his new purchase to host the world's biggest events. "Our role would be to provide a world-class venue," Khan said. "Wembley is a great stadium and you want to get it configured to hold Super Bowl and World Cup finals." Khan, who also owns Fulham Football Club, insisted last week that his purpose for the potential transaction is not to send the Jaguars to London, rather to strengthen the franchise. --Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Tim Jernigan underwent surgery for a herniated disk, according to a published report. Howard Eskin of radio station 94 WIP in Philadelphia, citing NFL sources, reported that Jernigan is expected to make a full recovery, although he will not participate in the club's offseason program. Jernigan, 25, started 15 games last season with the Eagles, helping them win a Super Bowl championship in his first season with the team.