Veteran wide receiver Jerome Simpson was surprised that he had to take a pay cut from the Vikings, write Chris Tomasson and Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. Simpson set a career high last season for receiving yards and was two catches shy of his best season ever in that category, but a DUI hurt his leverage. Ultimately, he saw his salary chopped from $2.1MM in 2013 to $1MM in 2014.
“I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised that I get paid less than what I got last year,” Simpson said. “I had my best numbers. But I guess when you got that negative thing on you, they kind of got you behind the eight-ball.“
Here are several more Thursday links from around the NFC:
- No one knows for sure yet if Marshawn Lynch will or won’t be in attendance when the Seahawks‘ mandatory minicamp gets underway, but if the running back holds out for a new contract, it won’t be a surprise, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap explains why Lynch has to do this now if he wants to strengthen his job security going forward. We heard last night that the Seahawks aren’t expecting Lynch to show up for the start of the camp.
- Although they haven’t signed any new players yet, the Giants are believed to have hosted about 10 non-roster players for auditions yesterday, according to Jordan Raanan and Conor Orr of NJ.com.
- Tight end Vernon Davis is seeking a new contract and didn’t show up for the 49ers‘ voluntary workouts, but he recognizes the mandatory nature of the team’s upcoming minicamp, as Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes. “It’s mandatory, so I should be there, for sure,” Davis said during an appearance on KNBR 680-AM in San Francisco.
- While the Packers‘ decision to sign troubled tight end Colt Lyerla last month raised some eyebrows, Green Bay takes pride in developing all kinds of young players, according to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report, who wonders if Lyerla could fill a void at the position for a club that no longer has Jermichael Finley on its roster.
Zach Links contributed to this post.