NFL: Carolina Panthers at Jacksonville Jaguars

The Washington Commanders paid kicker Brandon McManus the other half of his signing bonus despite releasing him, Pro Football Talk reported Monday. The team paid McManus the first 50 percent of the $1.5 million bonus at signing, with the other half due Friday. However, the team released him in the aftermath of a civil lawsuit that was filed against him for an alleged incident while the kicker was with the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Commanders signed McManus to a one-year, $3.6 million deal in March. McManus and his former team, the Jacksonville Jaguars, are being sued by two women identified as Jane Doe I and Jane Doe II. The lawsuit was filed May 24 in Duval County, where Jacksonville is located, and it was made public three days later. They allege McManus rubbed and grinded against them during a team flight to London last fall. Jane Doe I said McManus tried to kiss her and Jane Doe II said McManus "smirked and walked away" after she confronted him about grinding against her. The women said the Jaguars did not provide a safe environment for staff on the flight. McManus, 32, spent the first nine years of his 10-year NFL career with the Denver Broncos and signed with the Jaguars in May 2023. --Field Level Media