NFL notebook: Concussion symptoms still with Fleener

Former New Orleans Saints tight end Coby Fleener admitted that he is still plagued by symptoms from the concussion that ended his 2017 season. Fleener told The Athletic that he is still likely to play in 2018, but the symptoms are "still there, unfortunately." He's uncertain if he can return to the field for training camp. "Ummm, I don't know," he said. "That's a really hard question to answer, because, like I said, if you'd asked me a day or two after it happened, I would have said of course. But now I'm kind of taking it as the cliche goes, one day at a time. Tomorrow if I wake up and there are no symptoms, then we approach things differently." The Saints released Fleener just two seasons into his five-year, $36 million contract with a failed physical designation. He sustained his fifth career concussion in 2017. He has 72 catches for 926 yards and five touchdowns in 27 games since joining the Saints as a free agent in 2016. In 2017, the 29-year-old posted a career-low season total in catches (22) along with 295 receiving yards and two scores in 11 games. -- New England wide receiver Malcolm Mitchell didn't shed much light when asked about his status for training camp. Mitchell, who missed all of last season with an ailing knee, was limited to conditioning during the offseason program. The Patriots' training camp begins July 26. Per the Boston Herald, Mitchell offered two-word answers when asked about his knee -- "I'm good" -- and about his availability for training camp -- "We'll see." Mitchell, a fourth-round selection of New England in the 2016 NFL Draft, had a decent rookie campaign with 32 receptions for 401 yards and four touchdowns. New England placed Mitched on injured reserve before the 2017 season opener. -- Baltimore Ravens first-round draft choice Lamar Jackson recently revealed that a Los Angeles Chargers scout asked the quarterback to try out as a wide receiver before the NFL Draft. At the time, Jackson denied rumors that one team asked him about working out as a wide receiver. However, he said during a podcast on the Ravens' website that it was indeed the Chargers that talked to him about changing positions. "It was a Chargers scout who told me about it," the former Louisville quarterback said. "He was the first one to come to me about it. I'm like, 'What?' He caught me off guard with it. I even made a face at first like, 'What?' I thought he was trying to be funny, but he kept going with it. So it just became blown out of proportion." The Ravens selected Jackson with the No. 32 overall pick in April's NFL Draft. -- Free-agent safety Tre Boston is having a tough time finding work and he thinks he knows why. He contends that teams aren't willing to pay for the position. "It's kinda rough man, they got us where they think they want us," Boston told SiriusXM NFL Radio. "For us, we have to communicate with each other so we don't take this minimum wage." Boston met with the Indianapolis Colts and Arizona Cardinals during the offseason. The 25-year-old said his visit with the latter team started fine before going south. "They rolled out the red carpet for me, but the offer was very, very disrespectful," Boston said. Boston collected 79 tackles and five interceptions last season for the Los Angeles Chargers. Boston, who spent his three previous campaigns with the Carolina Panthers, has 187 tackles, eight interceptions and two sacks in 58 career games. -- Arizona Cardinals quarterback Sam Bradford has been true to his word about being an "open book" for Josh Rosen, the first-round draft pick confirmed. Rosen, who was the 10th overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft, told reporters recently that Bradford has been "helping me out a ton" and that he'll return the favor in any way he can during his rookie season. "I think it speaks to him as a person and how he's willing to embrace the competition and the team aspect,"Rosen said, via the Arizona Republic. "And I'm the same way. Regardless of starter-backup, I want the Arizona Cardinals to do the best possible because I want to be in a Super Bowl. If at least for this year the best way to do that is have Sam starting, then so be it, and I'm going to push him every single day." Bradford signed a one-year, $20 million contract with the Cardinals in March. One month later, Arizona moved up five spots to select Rosen in the first round of the draft. -- Kansas City Chiefs right guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif was denied a request to add "M.D." on his jersey, according to a report. Montreal-based Andy Mailly-Pressoir of TVA Sports reported that Duvernay-Tardif was rejected in his bid to honor his most recent accomplishment. The 27-year-old Quebec native completed an eight-year process to become a doctor late last month, as he graduated from McGill University in Montreal with a medical doctorate. Duvernay-Tardif was selected by the Chiefs in the sixth round of the 2014 NFL Draft, with the team having full understanding that he was in his third year of medical school. He has also done well for himself on the field, signing a five-year, $41.25 million contract extension with the Chiefs in 2017. He has started 38 games for Kansas City during the last three seasons. -- Tom Brady's success on the football field is without question. The five-time Super Bowl champion's success as a singer? Well, that's open to debate. Brady joined his supermodel wife Gisele Bundchen in attending a U2 concert in Boston on Thursday. The New England Patriots quarterback enthusiastically sang along with Bono on "Vertigo" and "Pride (In The Name of Love)" and shared those renditions with his 4.1 million followers on Instagram. While Bundchen seemed to enjoy Brady's musical "talents," a healthy portion of the Internet sang a decidedly different tune. Alas, Brady just had fun with it all. "The rumors are true, I'll be joining u2 on the remainder of the U2eiTour," he wrote as the caption for one of the videos. -- Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green has publicly supported Atlanta Falcons counterpart Julio Jones, who is holding out for a new contract. However, Green is happy with his deal. "I think the biggest thing for me, I'm always comfortable with stuff I'm doing -- I signed a deal and I'm comfortable with the deal and I just live with it," Green recently told the Cincinnati Enquirer. "After that's up, we go back to the board. I don't really get caught up in what's the money like because I signed my deal and it was the highest paid at that point. It's going to always go up. So you can't keep up with that." Green's contract pays him an average of $15 million per season, which was the highest amount at the time he signed the deal. Jones averages $14.25 million per season. Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown currently makes the most money on average per year at $17 million. Last season, Green made 75 catches for 1,078 yards with eight touchdowns. For comparison's sake, Jones had 88 receptions for 1,444 yards with three TDs, and Brown made 101 catches for 1,533 yards with nine TDs. -- A former member of the New York Giants has high hopes for this year's team due in large part to one of the newest players on the club. Plaxico Burress spoke glowingly about rookie running back Saquon Barkley on Saturday. The 40-year-old Burress said the second overall pick of the 2018 NFL Draft could have the same effect on the current group of wideouts as Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw did for him. "If he's everything we've been seeing in college, he can absolutely create some one-on-one matchups for the guys outside," Burress told The New York Post. "If he's as good as predicted, I think they can have one of the most explosive offenses in football. Defenses will have to pick their poison whether they put eight men in the box to stop the run or double Odell (Beckham Jr.)." Optimism has run rampant in New York thanks to Barkley, who rushed 217 times for 1,271 yards and 18 touchdowns last year with Penn State. He also caught 54 passes for 632 yards and two scores, as well as returning two kickoffs for touchdowns. -- Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles said he struggled a bit last year due in large part to getting acclimated to the team's new offensive scheme. With the learning curve in his rear-view mirror, he expects a far better season in 2018. Bortles signed a three-year, $54 million contract in February, one month after helping the upstart team advance to the AFC Championship Game. The 26-year-old connected on 60.2 percent of his passes for 3,687 yards and 21 touchdowns with 13 He finished the postseason with a 57.6 completion percentage for 594 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He added 121 yards rushing on 17 carries. -- Washington Redskins quarterback Alex Smith sees a great deal of promise in wide receiver Jamison Crowder. Smith praised Crowder's vision and instincts on the field, a combination that could make the speedy wideout invaluable to the 34-year-old quarterback this season. "He's so easy to read as a quarterback," Smith said, via ESPN.com. "Such great body control, body language. He sees defenses well and it's hardest to do that in between the hashes. You get so many looks and leverages and you have to handle all those things. He's decisive and he's so friendly. He's always coming back to the ball, always working for you." Crowder struggled during his first six games last season, as he collected just 19 catches for 149 yards and no scores. The 25-year-old finished with a flourish, however, with 66 receptions for 789 yards and three touchdowns last season. -- Former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber's relationship with the team soured after he retired in 2006, but the two sides appear to be patching things up. Barber was critical of the Giants, especially then-coach Tom Coughlin, after his playing career ended. He once publicly called for Coughlin to be fired. Barber also said his coaching style drove him to retirement. Though it appeared Barber's relationship with the Giants was damaged forever, new coach Pat Shurmur recently contacted Barber in an attempt to repair that damage. Barber told the Post he was happy to have that conversation with Shurmur. "When he called me out of the blue, it was shocking in a sense but it was welcome," Barber said. "We had a great conversation. I was taken by how calm he is and how measured and thoughtful he is, which resonates really well with me, because that's how I am."