HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Extra Points: Brown, Cardinals, Bengals, Broncos

July 16th, 2014 at 9:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The NBA has seen tremendous growth in their developmental league and Ross Jones of FOX Sports argues that the NFL could benefit greatly from having one of their own. One of the questions the NFL would have to figure out, however, is exactly who would play in an NFL D-League. “You have 400 legitimate players entering the league each year, which means there are 400 legitimate players that have to leave the league each year,” agent Greg Linton said. “If a player is good, they get selected in the first through fourth rounds, so the only players that you’d be developing is seventh rounders and free agents. Is the NFL really concerned with developing that guy?” More from around the NFL..

  • The lack of guaranteed contracts has had a painful ripple effect for players, writes Jack Bechta of the National Football Post. The longtime agent says that the NFLPA has to make guaranteed contracts a top priority in the next CBA since they will take pressure off players to put their bodies at extreme risk. Guaranteed deals would also give teams incentive to give their players the best medical care possible.
  • Agent Drew Rosenhaus has officially re-signed Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown for representation, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Brown recently fired his reps at Roc Nation Sports.
  • In the first part of a two part series, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com looks at the top questions facing the Cardinals heading into training camp. Among the questions is whether free agent pickup Jared Veldheer will be the club’s answer at left tackle. The Cardinals gave Veldheer a five-year, $35MM contract, so the front office is obviously confident. Now it’s a matter of seeing what Veldheer can do for their blindside protection.
  • Bengals‘ seventh-round pick James Wright is one to watch, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. It’s been nearly two years since the former LSU athlete caught a pass in a game, but the Bengals are hoping his special teams skills will translate into success as a wideout. “That day I talked to him and said, ‘Look, I know what you can do on special teams, now you’ve got to play wide receiver,‘” Bengals receivers coach James Urban said. “He’s embraced it, he’s worked his tail off and he’s given us [a lot]. I mean, he’s a very intense young man. He wants to prove this organization and [team president] Mr. [Mike] Brown right in selecting him.”
  • In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mike Klis of The Denver Post if he gets the sense that GM John Elway & Co. could still have potentially one more high-profile signing up their sleeve. Klis could see the Broncos going for a veteran running back, but then again, he thought they would have added one by now.
  • After his conviction on charges of assault on a female and communicating threats, it’s unclear what Greg Hardy‘s long-term future will be with the Panthers, writes Steve Reed of the Associated Press. Hardy, who is set to hit the open market after this season, is being monitored by the NFL.

East Notes: Redskins, Jackson, Jets

July 16th, 2014 at 8:28pm CST by Zachary Links

A quick look at the AFC and NFC East..

  • Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com wonder if DeSean Jackson can match his Eagles production with the Redskins. El-Bashir believes that Jackson can pull it off since he’s only 27 and in the prime of his career. Tandler, on the other hand, doesn’t think that the Redskins are necessarily looking for Jackson to match his 2013 catches and yards. What the Redskins will expect out of him will be big yards after the catch, even if he’s not getting the same number of touches.
  • Florida State pass rusher Brandon Jenkins went from a draft steal to a longshot to making the Redskins‘ roster, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Washington coaches were over the moon when they landed Jenkins in the fifth round of last year’s draft, but he hasn’t shown much of anything so far.
  • Jets inside linebacker David Harris gets a lot of flack thanks to his contract, but Brian Costello of the New York Post expects him to play hard in his walk year to come away with a new deal that will pay him heavily and won’t be criticized. Last season Harris led the Jets with 124 tackles and had two sacks while Pro Football Focus ranked him as the 18th best inside linebacker out of 55 that played at least 25% of their team’s snaps.

Latest On Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas

July 16th, 2014 at 7:04pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have made contract offers to star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas but Broncos General Manager John Elway says that we shouldn’t expect a deal to be struck in the next week.

“Nothing is going to get done before camp, but we’ll keep talking to them in camp,” Elway told Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. “I’m never going to go into the season, but the first couple of weeks, we can continue to talk about it. After the second week of the preseason, we’ll want to have had something done, one way or another.”

The two men, who combined for 157 catches, 2,218 receiving yards, and 26 touchdowns in Denver’s record-setting offense last year, are entering the final years of their rookie contracts. Meanwhile, Elway indicated that the Broncos have not received a response from Julius Thomas’ camp after making the offer, believing that his reps wanted to see how Jimmy Graham‘s grievance against the NFL and subsequent contract negotiations played out. Graham wound up getting a hefty four-year, $40MM deal, but Elway has no intentions of going near that range for Thomas.

“Even though Julius had a tremendous year for us, he’s only (played) 23 games. We want Julius to be a Bronco for a long time and we think he has tremendous upside, but he’s not at that level,” Elway said.

Earlier this month, our own Luke Adams predicted that the Broncos’ standout tight end could land a five-year deal in the range of $35-40MM with a $10-13MM guarantee. That’s not Graham money, but that would be a solid payday for the 26-year-old.

NFC South Notes: Graham, Falcons, Saints

July 16th, 2014 at 6:29pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, the Saints and tight end Jimmy Graham agreed to a four-year, $40MM deal that gives him $21MM in guaranteed money. Graham lost his battle to be classified as a wide receiver, but he still came away with a hefty contract that makes him the highest paid TE in league history. Graham has been the league’s most consistent and productive tight end over the last three years, averaging 90 receptions, 1,169 yards, and 12 touchdowns per season during that span. Here’s more on Graham and other items out of the NFC South..

  • The Saints are essentially in “buy now, pay later” mode after giving Graham that contract, writes Jason Fitzgerald of the Sporting News. The Saints now have five top-of-the-market contracts on the roster with quarterback Drew Brees (fourth highest contract among quarterbacks), safety Jairus Byrd (second among safeties), guard Jahri Evans (third among guards) and punter Thomas Morstead (third among punters). In order to employ all these top-tier contract players within the salary cap, the Saints use large signing bonuses and escalating base salaries over the course of the contract.
  • Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter) won’t be surprised if the Falcons announced before training camp that safety Zeke Motta (neck surgery) will be out for the season. That could lead to a release of the 2013 seventh-round pick.
  • Quarterbacks aside, Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune argues that the newly-signed Graham is the best skill-position player (other than quarterback) in Saints history. Graham is one of just three Saints skill-position players to earn first-team All-Pro honors in his career.
  • Graham told Alex Restrepo of NewOrleansSaints.com that he wants to bring another Super Bowl to the Saints franchise. “I’m beyond excited,” Graham said Tuesday night. “I didn’t get into to football to learn litigation. I got into football to win games with my teammates, friends and coaches. I am extremely happy to get back to what it’s really about.”

NFC North Notes: Packers, Finley, Lions

July 16th, 2014 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com runs down the Packers‘ situation at wide receiver. Sederrick Cunningham and longtime mainstay James Jones are gone and Green Bay will be turning to rookies Davante Adams (second-round pick), Jared Abbrederis (fifth-round pick), and Jeff Janis (seventh-round pick) to support Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb, Jarrett Boykin et al. More from the NFC North..

  • Agent Blake Baratz says client Jermichael Finley is facing a choice between a $10MM no-tax disability policy or returning to football, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk says that’s not entirely accurate. The former Packers tight end has gotten multiple offers from the Steelers but claims that the deal isn’t lucrative enough for him.
  • The Lions signed running back George Winn earlier today and cut guard D.J. Morrell, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Morrell, a UDFA out of Old Dominion, was praised in scouting reports for his size and work ethic.
  • ESPN.com’s Michael Wright says that the Bears‘ addition of longtime Cardinals safety Adrian Wilson should add some much-needed competition at the position during training camp. Wilson is in his mid-30s and coming off a major injury, but he also isn’t far removed from his most recent Pro Bowl season (2011), so it’s reasonable to think the former third-round pick could contribute if he’s healthy.

Bills Sign Stevenson Sylvester

July 16th, 2014 at 4:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills announced a pair of minor moves earlier today. Buffalo signed former Steelers linebacker Stevenson Sylvester and released tight end Mike Caussin to make room for his arrival.

Sylvester, who stands at 6’2″ and weighs in at 231 pounds, has played the last four seasons for the Steelers mainly on special teams. The former fifth-round pick (2010) has appeared in 50 games in his NFL career and has lined up at both inside and outside linebacker. Sylvester was a three-time Mountain West Conference honoree in college playing at Utah. Stevenson, who turns 26 on Friday, gives the Bills another player to compete at LB following the loss of Kiko Alonso to a season-ending knee injury. One would expect Sylvester to push Ty Powell and rookie Randell Johnson for a role on special teams.

Caussin has been with the Bills for four years but has not played in an NFL game since 2011 thanks in large part to injuries.

Armond Armstead Retires

July 16th, 2014 at 2:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Patriots defensive tackle Armond Armstead has announced his retirement, according to an article on the team’s website. The 23-year-old has battled an assortment of conditions throughout his career, resulting in him missing the entire 2013 season.

Coach Bill Belichick released a statement:

“It has been a pleasure being around Armond, as he gave everything he could to play for us. Armond worked extremely hard since joining us last February. He’s had a lot of adversity personally that he’s had to deal with – unusual compared to most other players – but he’s always had a great attitude, worked hard and really did everything we asked him to do. While it is unfortunate he will not be able to play football, Armond is an outstanding young man who has a very bright future in whatever path he chooses.”

Armstead played three seasons with the USC Trojans, compiling 59 tackles and four sacks in 17 starts. The school’s staff would not medically clear him for the 2011 season, resulting in the player suing the school. Armstead claimed that a prescribed painkiller caused a heart attack.

After going undrafted in 2012, Armstead signed with the Toronto Argonauts of the CFL. He was named to the league’s All-Star game after finishing with 43 tackles and six sacks. In early 2013, the Patriots inked the defensive lineman to a three-year deal. Prior to the 2013 season, he was placed on the reserve/non-football injury list. Belichick said that the player had undergone surgery to treat an infection but believed it had nothing to do with his previous heart ailment (via Shalise Manza Young of The Boston Globe).

East Links: Pats, Bills, Eagles, Giants

July 16th, 2014 at 1:15pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL may have a reason to look into the reported 33 pages of text messages (via Jenny Wilson of the Hartford Courant) between Patriots coach Bill Belichick and former tight end Aaron Hernandez. As ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio writes, the league’s recent labor deal limits the amount of interaction between coaches and players during the offseason. The text messages, which were sent between February and May 2013, suggests some kind of communication.

However, the rule, which states “players’ activities may not be directed or supervised by any coaches,” can be interpreted very broadly and might not suggest a violation. Furthermore, the previous Peyton Manning/Adam Gase controversy proved that the league is willing to ignore some transgressions.

Let’s see what else is happening in the NFL’s East divisions…

NFC Notes: Hardy, Orakpo, Boone, Suh

July 16th, 2014 at 11:58am CST by Ben Levine

After being found guilty on Tuesday of assault on a female and communicating threats, Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy is currently being monitored by the NFL, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com.

While Hardy was found guilty by a judge, the two-step process in North Carolina allows him to now stand trial before a jury. This is an important note – as Florio writes, the NFL usually doesn’t punish first-time offenders “until there has been a disposition of the proceeding.”

However, as the writer points out, the NFL can still do whatever it wants. Futhermore, the Panthers could decide to suspend Hardy for “conduct detrimental to the team,” allowing them to save more than $770K a week.

Let’s check out some more notes from the NFC…

  • After not signing an extension by yesterday’s deadline, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo could be facing a make-or-break year, writes Rich Tandler of RealRedskins.com. As the writer notes, the team has done a lot to put Orakpo in a position to succeed. The Redskins added free agent pass rusher Jason Hatcher, drafted linebacker Trent Murphy and brought in coach Brian Baker to refine Orakpo’s skills. If the 27-year-old can’t succeed under those circumstances, Tandler says “there isn’t much hope that he ever will.”
  • There’s no denying that 49ers guard Alex Boone is underpaid, writes Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee. After all, the holdout candidate signed his current contract when he was a backup. However, the team could drag out negotiations by arguing that their depth, including Joe Looney and Marcus Martin, could fill in adequately.
  • The Lions still hope to sign Ndamukong Suh to an extension this offseason, writes MLive.com’s Justin Rogers. The writer takes a look at some of the most lucrative contracts signed by veteran defensive tackles and suggest a contract worth $63MM over five seasons.

Cowboys Release Kyle Orton

July 16th, 2014 at 10:21am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 10:21am: The Cowboys have officially announced Orton’s release, per Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).

TUESDAY, 4:22pm: The standoff between Kyle Orton and the Cowboys has come to an end, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who reports that the team is releasing the quarterback.Kyle Orton

Orton, 31, had strongly indicated throughout the offseason that his preference was to end his playing career, but the Cowboys hoped he’d return for the 2014 season as Tony Romo‘s backup. The situation led to an impasse, with Orton refusing to report to spring workouts and practices, while the Cowboys kept him on the roster in the hopes of pushing him to either report or to officially retire, at which point the team could attempt to recoup some of his bonus money.

Now that Dallas has opted to release the veteran signal-caller, the club will no longer be able to recover any of Orton’s signing bonus — however, the team is at least off the hook for his 2014 base salary of $3.25MM. Of the $3.383MM in dead money remaining on Orton’s deal, which ran through 2016, $1.128MM will apply to this year’s cap, with the remainder hitting the 2015 books. As such, the team creates a little additional cap flexibility this year, which could come in handy for additional signings or extensions for players like Dez Bryant or Tyron Smith.

Orton, who has spent time with the Bears, Broncos, Chiefs, and Cowboys, is now free to formally retire, and presumably won’t attempt to catch on with another club in time for the 2014 season. If he doesn’t play another snap in the NFL, the Purdue alum will finish his career having compiled more than 15,000 passing yards to go along with 83 touchdowns in 75 total contests (70 starts).

As for the Cowboys, they’ll turn to Brandon Weeden and Caleb Hanie as potential backup options behind Romo. The club will also have an open spot on its 90-man roster, which could be used on another QB or any other free agent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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