Fantasy Football Diehards | FootballDiehards.com

The Facts: Kittle and San Francisco are in agreement on a five-year, $75 million extension, NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport and NFL Network's Michael Silver reported. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: The language of the deal is still being worked on but Kittle will receive an $18 million signing bonus while more than half of the total amount is guaranteed, Rapoport added. "A large sum, especially in a pandemic," Rapoport wrote. "Mostly, he blows the doors off the TE market and they keep their own."

The Facts: The 49ers and Kittle reach a couple of key junctures in their negotiations toward a contract extension in the coming days. The sides have not reached any agreement, league sources indicated Wednesday to NBC Sports Bay Area, but they appear to be making “healthier progress” toward a deal that is expected to make Kittle the highest-paid tight end in the NFL by a wide margin. Reported by NBCBayArea.com

Diehards Line: Earlier this week, Mike Silver of the NFL Network quoted agent Jack Bechta as saying “progress has been minimal” in negotiations. ... Kittle reported to training camp on time in late-July. He and his teammates have been taking part in meetings, workouts and walk-throughs at the team's practice facility in Santa Clara. The 49ers are scheduled to hold their first non-padded practices Saturday and Sunday before engaging in their first padded practice on Monday. The practices represent the first set of risks for players as they return to the field. Kittle is scheduled to make $2.133 million this season on the final year of his original four-year contract after the 49ers selected him in the fifth-round of the 2017 draft. In addition to being a major factor in the 49ers’ run game as a blocker, Kittle had more receiving than any tight end in NFL history through three seasons. He has 216 catches for 2,945 yards and 12 touchdowns in 45 games. Kittle set the NFL record for most receiving yards in a single season from a tight end with 1,377 yards in 2018.

The Facts: The NFL will continue COVID-19 testing on a daily basis. The league and NFLPA agreed to continue daily testing through Sept. 5, the union announced Wednesday. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Sept. 5 is the Saturday before the start of Week 1, which kicks off on Sept. 10 with the Houston Texans visiting the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. The initial agreement between the league and union mandated daily testing for the first two weeks of training camp. The plan then dictated that if the positive COVID rate was at or below 5 percent, testing would move to every other day. The decision to extend daily testing underscores the fluid nature of protocols during the pandemic. What looks good one day, might not make sense a week later. Given the adjustment the league made to protocols after Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford had a false-positive, continuing daily testing is the most prudent move for the NFL and NFLPA to take.

The Facts: Sean McDermott has taken the Bills from afterthought to favorite to win the AFC East, which is worth some newfound job security in the eye of the franchise. Buffalo signed McDermott to a multi-year contract extension, the team announced Wednesday. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: According to ESPN's Adam Schefter, it's a six-year extension that keeps him tied to the Bills through 2025. ... It makes sense. In a relatively short amount of time, McDermott has instilled a tough, gritty culture in Buffalo that has produced stingy defenses and turned an also-ran into a contender. The Bills snuck into the playoffs in 2017, ending a drought that extended back to 1999, and two years later, they looked like a legitimate threat in their return to the postseason. A heartbreaking loss ended that run prematurely, but McDermott and general manager Brandon Beane have the Bills positioned well for the future. With franchise quarterback Josh Allen looking to take the next step and big-play threat Stefon Diggs arriving as the new guy in town, Buffalo's offense might come closer to matching the play of its reliable defense.

The Facts: According to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, Pederson has been cleared after his COVID-19 diagnosis, and has returned to work. Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: He tested positive on Aug. 2, and continued to coach the team virtually while he was under quarantine. He was the second NFL coach to test positive, following Saints coach Sean Payton early in the offseason. Since then, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn revealed he had tested positive.

The Facts: The Bengals have talked about getting a contract extension done with Mixon before the start of the 2020 season and they also have big ideas about how to use him during the season. “When he’s touching the ball 20 plus times, the total at the end of the game means his numbers are usually pretty good,” OC Brian Callahan said. “He’s been very effective as far as just pure touches. Carries and catches. The more Joe touches the ball the better it is for our offense, without a doubt. All the ways we can find to get him the ball, the better it’s going to be.” Reported by Profootballtalk.com

Diehards Line: Mixon only had 101 carries and 320 carries midway through the 2019 season, but saw his usage spike over the second half of the season. He finished the year with 278 carries and 1,137 yards while also scoring all five of his rushing touchdowns over the second half of the season. As PFT notes, it’s always easier to pile on carries while playing from in front and that wasn’t something the Bengals did much of last season. If the arrival of quarterback Joe Burrow, return of wide receiver A.J. Green and addition of other players this offseason help on the scoreboard, Mixon could wind up as the first Bengals back with more than 300 carries since Cedric Benson in 2010.

The Facts: HBO's Hard Knocks began in impactful and newsworthy fashion. In the opening scene of Hard Knocks: Los Angeles on Tuesday night, Chargers coach Anthony Lynn revealed he contracted COVID-19, unveiling the news during a Zoom meeting with his players. "This year is not like any year we've ever had in the National Football League," Lynn said. "I can't promise you you're not gonna get infected. I got infected." Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: Lynn, 51, is the third NFL coach to announce he has contracted the novel coronavirus, following New Orleans Saints coach Sean Payton and Philadelphia Eagles coach Doug Pederson. Prior to Lynn's announcement, a barrage of players' images flashed during the Zoom meeting, symbolic of the chaos and novelty of the 2020 offseason. Lynn is entering his fourth season with the franchise and is 26-22 across his first three seasons with the Bolts.

The Facts: NFL teams have been unable to workout players they have interest in signing because of COVID-19 concerns. Now, they can. Tom Pelissero of NFL Media reports that the league informed clubs Tuesday it is lifting the prohibition on tryouts, effective immediately. Reported by Pro Football Weekly

Diehards Line: Since implementing COVID-19 restrictions, the NFL had banned teams from bringing players into their facilities until recently when they eased the restrictions for physicals. As of today, any free agent, including Antonio Brown, Jadeveon Clowney, Everson Griffen, Clay Matthews, Logan Ryan and Devonta Freeman, can workout for any team. So expect tryouts quickly to pick up speed. The NFL will limit teams to working out eight players per day, per Pelissero, and free agents will need to pass two COVID-19 tests before being allowed on the field.

The Facts: Saints fans near and far fret about the future of Kamara in New Orleans. Entering the final year of his contract, will the dynamic dual-threat running back get a big long-term deal or not? How would paying an RB fit into the gymnastics the Saints' front office already does with the salary cap? Kamara, however, isn't fretting his contract. He's simply readying to play. "As far as contracts go, I'm not concerned with contract talks at all," he said. Reported by NFL.com

Diehards Line: A third-round pick in 2017, Kamara is set to earn $2.13 million in base salary on the final year of his rookie deal. "I'm just here to do my job. I'm healthy and back with my teammates, and we're working towards getting ready for Tampa (in Week 1)," he said. Kamara wasn't healthy last year. He missed two games due to injury and noted earlier this offseason that he played most of the year hobbling on "one leg" at 75 percent after injuring his knee against Jacksonville in Week 6. The threat of injury is one aspect of what makes Kamara's contract talks interesting. Teams have devalued the running back in recent years, but what of a dual-threat like Kamara? McCaffrey got paid, but the reticence remains, especially where injury questions live. Perhaps the Saints might convince themselves that Sean Payton can find another back to at least replicate a portion of what Kamara brought to the table. New Orleans could use the franchise or transition tag next year on Kamara, ensuring he remains a Saint for at least one more year. At this point, however, the running back is simply focusing on staying healthy and winning a Super Bowl for the Saints.

The Facts: Miller and the Patriots reached agreement on a one-year deal, pending a physical, per agent Drew Rosenhaus. Reported by ESPN.com

Diehards Line: Assuming the deal goes through, it's an opportunity to add some depth to their backfield as Sony Michel remains on PUP. The team still has second-year man Damien Harris and James White as viable candidates behind Michel, but the additional depth would make sense if that's the way it plays out.