2014 May - Pro Football Rumors

NaVorro Bowman Reworks Contract

May 22nd, 2014 at 11:13am CST by Luke Adams

49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman has restructured his contract to create some 2014 cap space for the club, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links). According to Yates, Bowman has reduced his base salary to the minimum ($730K), converting $3.27MM into a signing bonus.

The move is a win-win for both Bowman and the Niners, since it creates cap space for the team while ensuring Bowman of a larger upfront guarantee. That new $3.27MM signing bonus will be prorated over the next five seasons, at a rate of $654K annually. While that increases Bowman’s future cap hits a little, it creates $2.616MM in cap savings for San Francisco in 2014.

Bowman’s cap number for ’14 is now just $4.434MM, a great price for a player who has earned a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro team for three straight seasons. 2013 may have been the best year yet for the former third-round pick, who racked 180 tackles, six forced fumbles, five sacks, and a pair of interceptions, including one returned for a touchdown.

Over The Cap’s most recent data recently suggests that the Niners were only under the cap by about $656K, so reworking Bowman’s deal could help create room to sign 2014’s draft picks without necessarily needing to wait for post-June 1 cut Carlos Rogers to come off the books.

East Notes: Bills, Pats, Cowboys, Eagles

May 22nd, 2014 at 10:03am CST by Luke Adams

ESPN Insider Mike Sando provided grades for all 32 NFL teams’ offseasons, and while the Bills received a C+, that grade has the potential to fluctuate significantly depending on how the next couple years play out for the club. Buffalo was the only team to trade away its 2015 first-round pick during the 2014 draft, and as ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak notes, one general manager who spoke to Sando questioned that move for Sammy Watkins.

“Watkins dominated all the way through college, has rare measurables and plays with a mean streak, but if you are going to mortgage your future, you do it to get a quarterback, not a receiver,” the GM said. “They gave up way too much. They mortgaged the future when they do not have a franchise quarterback, in my opinion. They will be looking for another QB in a year and they will not have a first-round pick to get him.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

The Patriots cut linebacker James Morris with a failed physical designation earlier this week, just four days after signing him as an undrafted free agent, but Morris made out reasonably well for four days of work. According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, the Pats had given the Iowa product a $10K signing bonus and $10K in other guarantees, so his brief stint cost the club $20K.
Appearing on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas on Wednesday, Tony Romo confessed that he may have had a little inside information heading into this year’s draft, so he wasn’t concerned about the Cowboys potentially drafting Johnny Manziel. Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News has the details and the quotes from Romo.
Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com takes an early look at how he thinks the Eagles‘ 53-man roster could shake out.
ESPN.com’s team reporters are unveiling their offseason wrap-ups this week, and Todd Archer, Andy Jasner, Dan Graziano, and John Keim have published their recaps for the Cowboys, Eagles, Giants, and Redskins, respectively.

Reggie Bush Wants To Retire As Lion

May 22nd, 2014 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

At age 29, the most productive years of Reggie Bush‘s career may be behind him rather than ahead of him, but we heard earlier this year that the running back still hopes to play several more seasons. Still, while Bush would like to extend his career beyond his current contract with the Lions, which expires in 2016, that doesn’t mean he wants to leave Detroit. Speaking to Erik Kuselias of Pro Football Talk, the former second overall pick indicated that he’d like to spend his remaining seasons with the Lions.

“I want to stay here, I want to retire here and I’d love to retire as a Detroit Lion,” Bush said. “I don’t want to bounce around from city to city, from team to team. I think I have something good going here, have been really getting to know the city over the past year and just really looking forward to bringing a championship here someday and making history.”

NFL players on long-term contracts often don’t play out their entire deals, particularly if they’re running backs whose contracts run through their age 31 season. Bush also may have to assume a slightly lesser role in the Lions’ offense in the coming years, now that the club has re-signed young playmaker Joique Bell to complement him in the backfield. If Bush hopes to play five more seasons, as he suggested in January, and to retire as a Lion, reductions in both pay and playing time figure to be in the cards at some point.

For now, Bush will likely be focused on building upon a 2013 campaign that saw him set a career high in total offensive yards from scrimmage (1,512) despite appearing in just 14 contests.

Draft Signings: Vikings, Chiefs, Eagles, Jags

May 21st, 2014 at 10:50pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re dedicating full posts to first- and second-round picks who sign their rookie contracts, but we’ll be recapping the remaining mid-to-late round signings in posts like this one. Here are the latest draftees to agree to terms with the clubs that selected them earlier in May:

Vikings third round pick Scott Crichton tweeted out a picture of himself signing his rookie deal. The Oregon State defensive end racked up 22.5 career sacks in three seasons. With Crichton in the fold, Minnesota has just one unsigned rookie remaining: third-round running back Jerick McKinnon.
The Chiefs have signed fifth-round quarterback Aaron Murray, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Kansas City is now one player away from locking up its modest six-player draft class, with only first-rounder Dee Ford left to sign.
Fifth-round safety Ed Reynolds has agreed to terms with the Eagles on his four-year rookie contract, the club announced today (via Twitter). The Stanford product is in line for a signing bonus worth about $184K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap.
The Jaguars have also signed a fifth-round pick, securing defensive end Chris Smith, tweets John Oehser of Jaguars.com. Smith went three spots ahead of Reynolds, at 159th overall, meaning he figures to receive a slightly larger bonus of about $187K.
The Bengals inked a pair of draft picks today, signing sixth-round linebacker Marquis Flowers and seventh-round wideout James Wright to four-year deals, says Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (via Twitter). Flowers and Wright are the first two draftees that have reached agreements with the Bengals so far this month.

Extra Points: Bills, Smith, Romo, Redskins

May 21st, 2014 at 10:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano intends to bid on the Bills when they’re put up for sale, according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun. Reports for more than a month have pegged the billionaire originally from Rochester, N.Y., as a likely bidder, so the news doesn’t come as a surprise.

AFC Notes: Bills, Chiefs, Smith, Manziel

May 21st, 2014 at 8:58pm CST by Zachary Links

New Browns wide receiver Miles Austin knows that the team is going to miss Josh Gordon this season, but he refuses to dwell on it, writes Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal.

“Obviously, he’s a tremendous receiver,” Austin said of the 6’3″, 225-pound Gordon. “The first time I saw him, the first time I actually brushed up against to him, I was like ‘Man, this guy is huge.’ At the end of the day, the NFL is a league where, regardless of what happens with any situation or position, if someone goes down, someone has to fill in. And if it’s not one person, it’s collectively as a group you have to pick up the slack.”

Let’s round up a few other AFC notes…

A knowledgeable source tells Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (on Twitter) that a sale of the Bills in time for approval at the October owners meeting remains highly ambitious, but still possible. Earlier today we learned that the Bills have selected financial firm Morgan Stanley and legal firm Proskauer Rose to head up the sale process.
Chiefs GM John Dorsey told SiriusXM that he’s optimistic the team will be able to re-sign quarterback Alex Smith, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Earlier this month Albert Breer of NFL Network reported that talks between Smith and KC were not moving quickly.
Dorsey went on to call first-round pick Dee Ford the second-best pass rusher in the draft, though he declined to say whether he had Jadeveon Clowney or Khalil Mack rated at No. 1, Marvez tweets.
Browns general manager Ray Farmer didn’t hesitate Wednesday when asked which quarterback is better right now (Brian Hoyer or Johnny Manziel), writes Mary Kay Cabot of the Plain Dealer. “Brian Hoyer. Probably (by) a substantial margin,” Farmer told 92.3 The Fan’s Bull Fox. “He’s a guy that’s been in the league, that knows the defenses, that reads it quicker, that understands (the pro game). (It’s like) he’s got an advanced calculus degree and Johnny’s good at math but I don’t know if he’s in the advanced calculus stages yet.”

Minor Moves: Cowboys, Chiefs, Chargers

May 21st, 2014 at 7:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s minor moves..

The Cowboys signed cornerback Tyler Patmon and waived the injured Marvin Robinson, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Patmon started five games last year at Oklahoma State after a three-year run at Kansas and had 30 tackles, nine pass breakups, and an interception in 2013.
The Chiefs signed linebacker DeRon Furr, Wilson tweets. The Fort Valley State safety was originally a top recruit competing as a true-freshman quarterback at Auburn in 2008. Meanwhile, they cut offensive tackle R.J. Dill, Wilson tweets.
The Chargers signed running back Branden Oliver, tweets Wilson. The Buffalo product broke several records during his tenure at UB including the all-time rushing record (4,049 yards) and the single-season rushing record (1,535 yards).
The Chargers were also impressed by West Texas A&M guard Craig Watts at their rookie minicamp and they’re set to sign him, tweets Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune.
The Titans placed Eric Ward on injured reserve after he was waived-injured, tweets Wilson. The quarterback last played last with the Edmonton Eskimos of the CFL.
Lineman Micajah Reynolds was released by the Saints earlier this week, according to Joe Rexrode of the Detroit Free Press. The Michigan State product was looking to hook on with the Saints as an offensive lineman but he’ll now go back to defensive tackle as he tries to make the Dolphins.
The Chargers waived-injured wide receiver Tobais Palmer and cut Ian White, tweets Wilson. Palmer, a 24-year old out of North Carolina State, was on San Diego’s practice squad last season.

Browns Rumors: Cameron, Manziel, Berry

May 21st, 2014 at 6:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned the contract details on two Browns free agent pickups. Miles Austin got a $300K bonus to go with his $1.7MM deal while veteran Earl Bennett will have $75K of his minimum salary guaranteed. Both men will have the difficult task of coming to Cleveland and trying to help fill the void left by Josh Gordon‘s suspension. Here’s more on the Browns..

Browns tight end Jordan Cameron isn’t saying much about his contract negotiations, but he did address one rumor today, writes Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group. It has been said that the Los Angeles native would prefer to play on the West Coast rather than re-sign with the Browns, but Cameron says there’s no truth to that. “If I didn’t say it, it’s not true,” Cameron said of a report last month. “I would love to play here. I started here, I want to finish up here. But the contract stuff is outside of here. I’ll let my agent deal with that. I’m trying to stay positive. Like I said, if it didn’t come out of my mouth it’s not true.“
The Browns are already mishandling Johnny Manziel and the attention that he brings, opines Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
Cornerback Aaron Berry had a tryout with the Browns, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today. Berry was released by the Lions after a pair of offseason arrests in 2012 and signed with the Jets in October. He appeared in seven games for Gang Green in ’12 but missed all of 2013 with a torn ACL. Cleveland coach Mike Pettine was the defensive coordinator of the Jets when they signed Berry.

Raiders Sign Derek Carr

May 21st, 2014 at 3:49pm CST by Luke Adams

Not long after locking up their first-round pick, the Raiders have also secured their second-rounder, announcing today in a press release that quarterback Derek Carr has signed his rookie deal with the club. With Carr, Khalil Mack, and three seventh-round picks now under contract, the Raiders have signed five of their eight draftees.

“I feel great. I’m excited,” Carr said in a statement. “I’m excited that this part of it is over and now we can just get to work and focus on winning games and getting better every day.”

The 36th overall pick earlier this month, Carr is in line for a signing bonus of $2.227MM, per Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Because he was a second-round pick, the former Fresno State signal-caller won’t have a fifth-year club option tacked onto the end of his contract. While Carr isn’t expected to usurp Matt Schaub as Oakland’s starter immediately, he’s viewed as the club’s potential QB of the future and should get the opportunity to turn heads this summer.

Falcons Reach Deals With Matthews, Hageman

May 21st, 2014 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Falcons have agreed to terms on contracts with their top two draft picks, the team announced today (via Twitter). Sixth overall pick Jake Matthews and 37th overall selection Ra’Shede Hageman have reached agreements with Atlanta, leaving just two unsigned rookies out of the club’s nine-player draft class.

Matthews becomes the seventh first-rounder to agree to a deal with his new NFL club, and the second-highest pick to do so, after Oakland’s Khalil Mack, who went fifth overall. As Jason Fitzgerald’s figures at OverTheCap.com show, the offensive tackle’s four-year contract features a signing bonus of about $10.269MM and an overall base value of around $16.43MM, and also includes a fifth-year option for the 2018 season. As for Hageman, the defensive lineman’s signing bonus should be a more modest $2.2MM, with his four-year deal checking in at about $5.336MM.

With Matthews and Hageman now locked up, only third-round safety Dezmen Southward and fourth-round running back Devonta Freeman still need to ink their deals with the Falcons. To keep tabs on all of this year’s draft pick signings, check out our tracker right here.