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Traded NFL Draft Picks For 2015

June 26th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

While most 2015 NFL draft picks that get traded won’t do so until after the 2014 season, or during next year’s draft itself, plenty of selections have already changed hands. The Bills’ big draft-day decision last month to send multiple 2015 picks, including their first-rounder, to the Browns in order to move up to No. 4 and snag a potential star receiver in Sammy Watkins made the biggest impact on this list of traded 2015 draft picks. However, it’s far from the only move that will shake up next year’s draft order.

Listed below are the 2015 draft picks that have been included in trades so far. In addition to the selections like Buffalo’s first- and fourth-rounders, which will change hands no matter what happens between now and the 2015 draft, we’ve also included several picks which were conditionally traded. If we have any information on what conditions must be met for those picks to be moved, that has been included as well.

This list will continue to be updated throughout the 2014 season and the 2015 season, and can be found anytime on our right-hand sidebar under the PFR Features menu. Be sure to check back after trades have been consummated for an updated look at which picks are on the move for 2015. If you have any corrections, please contact us.

Here are 2015’s traded draft picks:

Updated 3-8-14

Round 1

  • Browns acquired Bills‘ pick in deal for Sammy Watkins.

Round 4

Round 5

Round 6

Round 7

Picks with unknown conditions

  • 49ers conditionally acquired Colts‘ seventh-round pick in deal for Cam Johnson.
  • Bills conditionally acquired 49ers‘ third- or fourth-round pick in deal for Stevie Johnson.
  • Cowboys conditionally acquired Chargers‘ seventh-round pick in deal for Sean Lissemore.
  • Eagles conditionally acquired Bills‘ fourth-round pick in deal for Bryce Brown (would be 49ers‘ pick).9

Conditional picks in unknown rounds

  • Seahawks conditionally acquired Raiders‘ 2015 pick in deal for Matt Flynn.10
  • Jaguars conditionally acquired 49ers‘ 2015 pick in deal for Blaine Gabbert.11

Notes:

  1. Pick will change hands if Harvin remains on the Jets’ 2015 roster. Otherwise, the Seahawks will receive a sixth-round pick instead.
  2. Picks will change hands if McClain plays 50% of the Cowboys’ defensive snaps in 2014. If that doesn’t happen but McClain is on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster for five games or the 46-man roster for three games, Dallas will swap seventh-round picks in 2016 with Baltimore, assuming the Cowboys’ pick is higher. Otherwise, no picks change hands.
  3. Martin must make the 49ers’ opening day 53-man roster for the pick to change hands.
  4. Unclear if the Falcons received the Patriots’ seventh-rounder, via the Rams, or the Rams’ own seventh-round pick.
  5. McManus must remain Broncos’ kicker for more than four games for pick to change hands.
  6. Worthy must make the Patriots’ opening day 53-man roster for the pick to change hands.
  7. Barner must spend at least four games on the Eagles’ active 46-man roster for the pick to change hands.
  8. Edwards must spend at least 10 games on the Cowboys’ 53-man roster for the pick to change hands.
  9. Could also become a 2016 third- or fourth-round pick, depending on Johnson’s and Brown’s performances.
  10. Conditions aren’t known, but the pick likely won’t change hands since Flynn only appeared in two games for the Raiders.
  11. Gabbert must start eight or more games in 2014 for the Jaguars to receive the pick.

ProSportsTransactions.com was used in the creation of this post.

Redskins Sign Jerry Rice Jr.

June 26th, 2014 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

3:06pm: A source confirms to John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Redskins have indeed signed Rice. To make room on the roster, the club has waived undrafted rookie cornerback Blake Sailors.

2:40pm: The Redskins appear to have reached an agreement to sign wide receiver Jerry Rice Jr., according to the undrafted rookie himself (hat tip to Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com). The son of the legendary 49ers wideout published a photo of his new contract on his Instagram account today, with a message suggesting he will join the Redskins for training camp.

“This is an amazing day and I’m excited to get back to work to help the Redskins get back to the promised land,” Rice wrote on Instagram. “They gave me an opportunity and best believe they will get 110% out of me!“

After not being selected in May’s draft, Rice auditioned for the Ravens and 49ers at their respective minicamps, but didn’t earn a contract from either team. Rice, who turns 23 next month, played his college ball at UNLV and UCLA.

When Washington makes the signing of Rice official, the team will have to cut a player from its roster, since there are currently no openings available.

Team Facebook/Twitter/RSS

June 26th, 2014 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve detailed how you can follow Pro Football Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or using an RSS reader to ensure that you receive all of our updates, 365 days a year. If you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NFL team, PFR has you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 32 teams.

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

Transactions only: Twitter / RSS

Bay Area Notes: Davis, 49ers, Raiders

June 26th, 2014 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up today’s items from out of the Bay Area on the 49ers and Raiders….

  • 49ers tight end Vernon Davis says he’s “not stressing” over his holdout, and hopes to see the arbitrator rule in Jimmy Graham‘s favor on his positional designation hearing, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Of course, as we noted earlier this week, the Graham decision may not have any real bearing on Davis’ situation, since the Niners tight end didn’t line up as a receiver nearly as often.
  • Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com takes an in-depth look at which 53 players he expects to enter the regular season on the 49ers‘ roster, running through the squad position by position.
  • A deal that will keep baseball’s Athletics playing at the Coliseum in Oakland is not yet official, but has been agreed upon, and is now subject to the approval by the Coliseum Joint Powers Authority, which is scheduled to vote on the pending extension Friday, according to MLB.com’s Jane Lee. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk observes, that’s not great news for the Raiders, who want their own stadium, and won’t be able to build a new one in the current location if the A’s have the inside track on that spot. Florio suggests that we shouldn’t be shocked if owner Mark Davis “finally commences the launch sequence” to potentially move the Raiders to another city.

North Links: Peterson, Browns, Ravens

June 26th, 2014 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

NFL football doesn’t take a back seat to other sports too often in America, but all eyes this afternoon figures to be on what the rest of the world knows as football, as the U.S. men’s national soccer team faces Germany in Brazil. While you’re looking forward to that game, here are a few morning odds and ends from around the NFL’s two North divisions:

  • Vikings running back Adrian Peterson tells Dan Pompei of Sports on Earth that he wants to “beat down the things they are saying about the running back position.” While no running backs have been drafted in the right round for two consecutive years, Peterson thinks that will change when the right players are draft-eligible: “We haven’t had a good back, a must-have guy, come out of college in a couple years. That’s what’s missing. You get a guy who comes out who is like Marshawn Lynch… you’ll definitely want to bring that guy in.”
  • Ben Tate was one running back who felt the effects of a depressed free agent market this offseason, signing a modest two-year pact with the Browns. In the view of Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap though, Tate’s deal is Cleveland’s best contract, heading into the 2014 season. On the other end of the spectrum, Paul Kruger ranks as the Browns’ worst deal, according to Fitzgerald, who had Kruger’s contract in that spot in 2013 as well.
  • The Ravens have removed linebacker Xavius Boyd from their injured reserve list, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Per Wilson, the Ravens didn’t work out an injury settlement with Boyd, who expects to be healthy soon after suffering a hamstring injury in spring workouts.
  • Our Offseason in Review series has kicked off this week, with Zach Links examining the offseason moves made by the Browns and Steelers.

Contract Guarantees

June 26th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Luke Adams

Unlike in the NBA or MLB, players’ contracts in the NFL aren’t guaranteed by default. Typically, an NFL player will receive at least some guaranteed money when he signs a deal, but that money often comes in the form of contract bonuses, and in particular signing bonuses. While a player’s base salary, or P5 salary, will occasionally be guaranteed for a season or two, more often than not future seasons in that contract are fully non-guaranteed, allowing the team to escape the contract without much of a cap hit, particularly if the player’s bonus money was limited.

As our Zach Links detailed last night, the Steelers’ largest free agent expenditure this offseason in terms of years and overall dollars came when the team signed safety Mike Mitchell to a five-year, $25MM contract. However, the odds of Mitchell receiving that full $25MM aren’t necessarily great. The safety’s deal featured a fully guaranteed $4.75MM signing bonus and a $500K roster bonus, but that $5.25MM is the only part of the deal that’s guaranteed. Theoretically, Pittsburgh could release Mitchell tomorrow and not be on the hook for the base salaries in any of his five seasons.

Signing bonuses, which are generally paid in one or two lump sums, are fairly straightforward forms of guaranteed money, but not all guaranteed money is created equal. We saw a prime example of that when Colin Kaepernick inked a long-term extension with the 49ers earlier in June. When word of the agreement first broke, Kaepernick’s guaranteed money was reported to exceed $60MM+. However, upon learning the full details of the contract, we found that only about $13MM of that total was fully guaranteed, whereas another $48MM+ was guaranteed for injury only.

An injury-only guarantee is one of three types of guarantees that a team can write into a player’s contract that apply to his base salary in a given season. These guarantees are as follows:

  • Guaranteed for injury: If a player suffers a football injury and cannot pass a physical administered by the team doctor, he would still be entitled to his full salary if the team were to release him. For a player like Kaepernick who has several future seasons guaranteed for injury only, it would take a career-ending injury for the Niners to be on the hook for all those future injury-only guaranteed salaries.
  • Guaranteed for skill: The most subjective of the three, a player whose talents have significantly declined and is released for skill-related reasons (ie. another player beats him out for a roster spot) would still be entitled to his full salary if that salary is guaranteed for skill.
  • Guaranteed for cap purposes: This form of guarantee ensures that a player who is released due to his team’s need to create cap room will still be entitled to his full salary.

A team can use a combination of these forms of guarantees, making a player’s salary guaranteed for injury and skill, for example. In the event that a player’s salary is guaranteed for injury, skill, and cap purposes, we’d refer to that salary as fully guaranteed, since the player would be eligible for his full salary regardless of the reason for his release.

As is the case with prorated bonuses, all future guaranteed salary owed to a player by a team is considered “dead money” and would accelerate onto the club’s current cap in the event of his release (over one or two years, depending on whether the cut happens after June 1). For the most part though, beyond the first year or two of a deal, that prorated signing bonus money is the only guaranteed figure remaining on the contract, which is why teams often don’t have qualms about releasing a player in the later years of his deal.

Note: This is a PFR Glossary entry. Our glossary posts will explain specific rules relating to free agency, trades, or other aspects of the NFL’s Collective Bargaining Agreement. Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Extra Points: Steelers, Wharton, Sproles

June 25th, 2014 at 9:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier tonight, Clifton Brown of CSNBaltimore.com went into enemy territory to size up the Steelers‘ receiving corps. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley swears that this the deepest group of receivers he’s ever had the privilege of coaching, but it’s certainly lacking star power outside of Antonio Brown. Earlier tonight, we looked at the Steelers’ offseason, including their lack of change when it comes to wide receivers. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • With starting left guard Amini Silatolu looking healthy and optimism around rookie Trai Turner, the Panthers felt comfortable with not re-signing former starter Travelle Wharton, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Wharton, meanwhile, has hinted that he plans to retire.
  • You can call Eagles offseason pickup Darren Sproles a tailback or an all-purpose back, but don’t go calling him a receiver. “Yeah, that’s crazy,” the offensive weapon told reporters, including Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. “Half the time I get my catches out of the backfield.” Sproles, entering his 10th season, has 378 career receptions for 3,381 yards and 27 career receiving touchdowns. He has more career receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than either Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin, the Eagles’ two starting receivers.
  • The NFL announced that a revised settlement in the concussion lawsuit with former players has been reached. The funds will not be capped, meaning that once the compensation program is established funds will be available to any retired player who develops a qualifying neurocognitive condition.
  • The NFLPA announced via press release that an arbitrator has upheld discipline on three contract advisors, including Martin Magid for bad business dealings with former client Elvis Dumervil.

Poll: How Will Flowers Fare In San Diego?

June 25th, 2014 at 9:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this month, the Chiefs cut ties with defensive mainstay Brandon Flowers. Even though Flowers was seen as a trade candidate, it was still a surprise to see him outright released. Plenty of teams showed interest in adding the former second-round pick, but he decided that San Diego was the place for him after a multi-day visit with the club. In fact, Flowers never made it out to check in with the other clubs that were showing serious interest.

Flowers is a big name, especially for someone who became available in late June, but it’s hard to say exactly what the Chargers are getting here. Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) show that 2013 was a down year for Flowers. Much of that can probably be attributed to a poor fit with new Chiefs defensive coordinator Bob Sutton’s scheme, but he still ranked as just the 87th-best CB in the league among 110 qualified players. On the other hand, PFF rated Flowers as a top-seven corner in both 2011 and 2012, and Flowers is still just 28.

If you want to know what Flowers’ motives are with this deal, look no further than the terms of the contract. It’s a one-year deal that comes with a $1.5MM signing bonus, $1.5MM in base pay, and up to $2MM in incentives. It’s not a major payday, but if Flowers can get back to his old self in SD, he can cash in next offseason. After all, Flowers will be just 29 years old and could be in line for a hefty multi-year pact. Flowers surely wants to win in 2014, but he’ll have a little extra motivation with so much money on the line. Ultimately, do you think the signing will work out for the Chargers? Let us know in the poll and in the comments section.

Offseason In Review: Pittsburgh Steelers

June 25th, 2014 at 6:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Notable signings:

Notable losses:

Extensions and restructures:

Draft picks:

  • Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State (1.15): Signed
  • Stephon Tuitt, DE, Notre Dame (2.46): Signed
  • Dri Archer, RB, Kent State (3.97): Signed
  • Martavis Bryant, WR, Clemson (4.119): Signed
  • Shaquille Richardson, CB, Arizona (5.157): Signed
  • Wesley Johnson, OL, Vanderbilt (5.173): Signed
  • Jordan Zumwalt, OLB, UCLA (6.192): Signed
  • Daniel McCullers, DT, Tennessee (6.215): Signed
  • Rob Blanchflower, TE, Massachusetts (7.230): Signed

Other:

This offseason, the Steelers knew that they had to get younger and faster in the secondary. That’s why, just hours into free agency, Pittsburgh went out an inked safety Mike Mitchell to a five-year, $25MM deal to replace free agent Ryan Clark. Clark and All-Pro Troy Polamalu forged a strong bond through their years together, but the Steelers wanted to make a change, even after the 34-year-old had a career year with 104 tackles. After four years in Oakland, mainly as a reserve, Mitchell joined up with the Panthers on a one-year deal and racked up 52 tackles, four sacks, and an eye-popping four interceptions. Outside of the top safety on the open market this offseason, Jairus Byrd, Mitchell was one of the best available at the position. The Steelers would love it if Mitchell proves to be their answer for the next five seasons, but if he doesn’t work out, they’ll be on the hook for just $5.25MM in total.NFL: New Orleans Saints at Carolina Panthers

The Steelers have also undergone some noticeable changes on the defensive line. The club lost Ziggy Hood, a former first-round pick, to the Jaguars in free agency when he was signed to a four-year, $16MM deal. Hood started 37 games on the Steelers’ defensive line over the last three seasons, recording 39 tackles and three sacks in 2013, so it’s no small loss. Al Woods also left town, signing a two-year, $5MM deal with the Titans. The 6’4″, 307 pound lineman saw time in all 16 games last season (including two starts) and registered 2.0 sacks. On top of that, Brett Keisel‘s contract expired and his familiar bearded face is not in camp with the Steelers as of this writing.

How do you fill all of these vacancies? Well, the Steelers started off by adding defensive tackle Cam Thomas, who was brought aboard with a modest two-year, $4MM pact. In 11 starts for San Diego, Thomas logged 26 tackles and 13 quarterback pressures while playing primarily at nose tackle. Thomas, who stands at 6’3″ and 330 pounds, will presumably be asked to also spend some time at end to fill the swingman role that Woods used to fill. Whether he’ll be available to float between the two spots on the d-line will largely be up to rookie defensive end Stephon Tuitt. If Tuitt is ready to hit the ground running opposite Cameron Heyward, then the Steelers can afford to use Thomas at both positions. Otherwise, Thomas might have to spend all of his time at DE, leaving them somewhat thin in the middle. Most of Pittsburgh’s heavy lifting for this offseason is likely through, but they might want to give some thought to bringing Keisel back. In addition to his locker room leadership, he could also inject some much-needed experience back into this defensive line.

Behind Tuitt in the front seven will be first round choice Ryan Shazier. Like Tuitt, the linebacker out of Ohio State brings youth and speed to the Pittsburgh D which should help them in their effort to reload. Shazier is an adept pass rusher and can also help stuff the run and uses his agility to work around tough blocks. He also has the speed to cover tailbacks and tight ends in short coverage, which should help ease some of the burden on the secondary. Shazier, along with the transition tagged Jason Worilds, will help hold down the fort at linebacker in the wake of LaMarr Woodley‘s departure. Woodley was once one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL but injuries have slowed him down considerably and cost him most of 2013. Now, it’s Worilds’ time to shine.

Many expected to see a shakeup in the club’s cornerback ranks, but that just didn’t happen. Whether it was because of a thin crop of cornerbacks at the top of this year’s draft or just a stronger desire for others, the Steelers waited until the fifth round to take a CB. Shaquille Richardson of Arizona is a fine prospect, but he’s not the kind of impact rookie that many expected GM Kevin Colbert to tab. Apparently, the Steelers feel just fine with Ike Taylor, Cortez Allen, William Gay, and free agent pickup Brice McCain, so there was no need to make an expensive addition on the open market or use a high draft pick for anyone else.

On the other side of the ball, the Steelers gave their running game an added punch (See what I did there?) by signing LeGarrette Blount to a two-year, $3.85MM deal. The big, bruising tailback doesn’t look quite as promising as he did in his breakout season with the Buccaneers, but he did show some flashes last season with New England. Across 16 games (seven starts), Blount ran for 772 yards and had a career-high seven rushing touchdowns. Blount will be there to complement Le’Veon Bell at halfback and diminutive rookie tailback Dri Archer will also be in the mix to balance things out.

The lack of a major move at cornerback was sort of surprising for Pittsburgh but the inaction at wide receiver probably raised even more eyebrows. The Steelers watched Emmanuel Sanders sign a three-year, $15MM deal with the Broncos and didn’t exactly replace him with a superstar. To help deflect attention away from rising star Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh signed former Saints veteran Lance Moore and ex-Raider Darrius Heyward-Bey. Offensive coordinator Todd Haley also plans to incorporate Archer into the passing game as he did with Dexter McCluster in Kansas City and sophomore Markus Wheaton will be expected to take a leap forward. Haley has spoken glowingly about the team’s receiving depth, but you can’t fault outsiders for feeling unimpressed. If the Steelers want to add some pizazz to their batch of WRs, former Steelers star Santonio Holmes is still out there on the open market and waiting for a call.

The Steelers also did some housekeeping this offseason, extending some of their veteran players and restructuring deals to give them an extra bit of breathing room. Dominant center Maurkice Pouncey, who missed the majority of the 2013 campaign after suffering a torn ACL and MCL in Week One, was signed to a five-year, ~$44MM deal. Polamalu, Brown, and tight end Heath Miller reworked their deals to give Pittsburgh additional cap space. Taylor, who has shown talent but can also make some careless penalties, took a significant pay cut to stay on.

Ultimately, the Steelers didn’t have the most exciting offseason in the NFL but in a weakened AFC North, they could very well come out on top and win the division for the first time since 2010.

Spotrac and Over The Cap were used in the creation of this post. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Links: Avant, Cowboys, Redskins

June 25th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we rounded up a few items out of the NFC West. Now, let’s head to the other coast and check in on the NFC’s East division….

  • DeSean Jackson certainly drew more headlines this offseason, but Jason Avant was another wideout who only lasted one season in Philadelphia under Chip Kelly, and as he tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, he didn’t exactly see eye-to-eye with the Eagles‘ head coach. “When it came to certain things, we butted heads sometimes – route running and route technique. So I knew I didn’t fit his system,” Avant said, adding that he knew “maybe four games into last season” that he’d eventually be released.
  • One former Cowboy great believes Dez Bryant has earned a long-term extension from the team, as Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith tells Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News that he believes the wideout has matured and is “very passionate about football.”
  • Cowboys linebacker Justin Durant isn’t satisfied with what he has accomplished in Dallas or in his NFL career so far, but he could have a great opportunity to produce in 2014, with Sean Lee sidelined for the year, writes Machota. Durant will be eligible for unrestricted free agency after the season, so it’d be a nice boost to his stock if he earned the team’s starting job at middle linebacker.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com takes a closer look at the Redskins‘ nose tackle position, evaluating which players are likely to make the roster behind probable starter Barry Cofield.
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