HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

NFC North Links: Pettigrew, Clausen, Jones

July 4th, 2014 at 10:37am CST by Rob DiRe

Brandon Pettigrew signed a four-year contract worth $16MM this offseason to stay with the Lions, but will be in line for more of a blocking role than in years past, writes Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. When the team drafted tight end Eric Ebron with the 10th overall pick, it was assumed that Ebron would significantly cut into the targets available to other tight ends on the roster.

Here are some more links from around the NFC North:

  • New Lion James Ihedigbo knows what it takes to become a Super Bowl-winning team, after being a part of the 2012 Ravens championship squad. He believes the Lions have what it takes to win it all, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. “It’s one of those things, you can feel it. With this team, I can feel the makings of a championship-DNA team,” Ihedigbo said. “Are we willing to sacrifice? That’s the question, and I know we are. There are guys in this locker room that are willing to pay the price, whatever it is, to put the work in to be a champion. Yeah, we definitely have that championship DNA.”
  • While Jay Cutler is entrenched as the Bears‘ quarterback, the departure of Josh McCown leaves the backup job open in Chicago. Former Notre Dame standout Jimmy Clausen could push for the job, writes Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com. “It’s always tough when you get into a new system late and you’re trying to learn the verbiage,” said quarterbacks coach Matt Cavanaugh. “Because he has some years in the league, I don’t think there are any schemes we’re running that he is not familiar with.”
  • The Bears know the importance of having a glut of talented cornerbacks, according to Michael C. Wright of ESPN.com. Even though the team has transitioned from a defensive powerhouse under Lovie Smith to an offensive team under Marc Trestman, Chicago knows first-hand how hard it is to cover teams that regularly put two or three elite pass catchers on the field. “You need to have multiple corners,” Bears defensive coordinator Mel Tucker said. “A lot of the defenses we have to play, that we’re required to play nowadays in the National Football League, are sub packages with three corners or corner types in the game.”
  • Packers‘ linebacker Brad Jones will need to take on a bigger role in the team’s defense, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Jones took a major step back last year, but is paid to be a contributor. Demovsky writes that he must return at least to his 2012 form for the team’s defense to be successful this season.
  • Although he was a talented prospect, one of the knocks on Vikings‘ first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater was that he could not be the “face of a franchise,” but the rookie believes he can do that too, writes Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com. “Of course, I feel I can be that guy,” Bridgewater said. “With my personality, I just feel that’s something I can definitely do.”

Redskins Notes: Orakpo, Gruden, Griffin

July 4th, 2014 at 9:26am CST by Rob DiRe

Brian Orakpo will play the upcoming season on a franchise tag, as he auditions for a big payday next offseason. Orakpo has only hit double-digit sacks twice in his career thus far, but could have the opportunity to out up being numbers while being “turned loose” on defense, writes Keith McMillan of the Washington Post. New defensive coordinator Jim Haslett used that phrase to describe the new, more aggressive philosophies the team will use in 2014.

Here are some other notes from around Washington D.C.:

  • With the new aggressive defense focused on increasing their sack total, an even more important number might be yards per pass attempt, write John Keim of ESPN.com. The Redskins were 31st in the league in that category in 2013, and Keim writes that better tackling in the back end of the defense is more important than a lofty sack number.
  • New head coach Jay Gruden certainly has his own tendencies, but like his predecessor Mike Shanahan, he loves running the football, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. From 2011-2013, the Bengals were 11th in rushing attempts, only three attempts short of the Redskins. They also ran the ball on first down consistently, finishing fifth in that category.
  • Star quarterback Robert Griffin III is happy to have a new coaching staff, but needs to move on from the relationship troubles he had with Mike and Kyle Shanahan, writes J.P. Finlay of CSNWashington.com. Griffin mentioned his old coaches having “ulterior motives,” but Finlay hopes the quarterback is able to move on and leave the past behind.

Saints’ Offer To Jimmy Graham Stands

July 4th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Rob DiRe

The biggest fallout from Stephen Burbank’s ruling that Jimmy Graham is a tight end for franchise tag purposes is the leverage that the Saints gained from this decision. While the team suddenly has the additional leverage of holding a $7.035MM franchise tag over his head, the Saints have not withdrawn or reduced their offer which would make him the highest paid tight end in NFL history, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

The Saints reportedly had this offer ready back in February, but it was not even close to the $12MM average annual salary Graham was hoping to obtain. If Graham had won his grievance, the dollar figure he would have been franchised at would have been $12.3MM. Even if the arbitrator ruled a settlement in between the tight end and wide receiver, it would have provided Graham with significant negotiating power.

Florio writes that the team is still confident in its ability to get a long-term deal finished, despite the July 15 deadline. He believes Graham would have a hard time turning down an offer that paid him an average of $9.5MM per year with $15.4MM or more guaranteed.

Graham still has a chance to appeal Burbank’s decision, and has 10 days from his ruling to do so. However Florio still expects a long-term deal to be reached within the next 11 days.

Extra Points: Cutler, Greer, Bills, Witherspoon

July 3rd, 2014 at 10:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Donovan McNabb, who took plenty of criticism in his heyday, let his thoughts be known on Jay Cutler‘s contract earlier today on 87.7 The Game. “I think Jay might be the luckiest dude in Chicago, to be honest with you, with the contract that he received for what we haven’t seen thus far,” McNabb said, according to CSNChicago.com. “Don’t get me wrong, I think Jay’s got a strong arm, I think the sky’s the limit for him. But for what we’ve seen in Chicago, when you didn’t finish the NFC Championship — which it was due to injury. But even with that, you haven’t been able to get past that hump you needed. One game to get into the playoffs, you couldn’t get it done. Caleb Hanie comes in to play, Josh McCown comes in to play, and then contract comes up and you get paid like a top-three, top-four quarterback? I mean, are you serious? For what we’ve seen? If he doesn’t do it this year, it’s going to end up being a mistake.” More from around the NFL..

  • Jabari Greer said his rehab from last year’s major knee injury is “going really well,” but the former Saints cornerback said he’s not actively pursuing any opportunities to return to the NFL right now and says it’s probably unlikely that he’ll be able to work out for any teams in time for training camp, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “I think my pride and my body have two different things to say about that,” said Greer, who was released by New Orleans in February. “But we’ll see. I mean, God can do anything, man.”
  • The Bills‘ financial advisers, Morgan Stanley, began granting online access to the team’s detailed financial information, a major step in the sales process, writes Tim Graham of The Buffalo News. Terry Pegula and the man he bought the Buffalo Sabres from, Tom Golisano, each were believed to be among the possible buyers granted permission to review the numbers. Same goes for Jon Bon Jovi’s Toronto-based group and Donald Trump.
  • Veteran linebacker Will Witherspoon has had contract talks with both the Rams and the Falcons, reports Greg Brzozowski of WJHG-TV (hat tip: Pro Football Talk).
  • Patriots seventh-round wide receiver Jeremy Gallon is hoping to be the club’s latest late-round steal, writes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com.
  • Dion Lewis once thought he might have an opportunity to be the Browns’ feature back in 2014, but following Cleveland’s additions of Ben Tate and Terrance West, the 23-year-old Lewis’ role looks much more uncertain, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

NFC North Notes: Lions, Ebron, Suh, Rodgers

July 3rd, 2014 at 8:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the ESPN.com staff ran down the key questions for every team in the NFC North. When it comes to the Lions, Michael Rothstein says the biggest question is whether the release of cornerback Chris Houston will hurt them in the short- and long-term. The release of Houston, who had four years left on his deal, puts a lot of added pressure on the remaining Detroit cornerbacks. Here’s more out of the NFC North..

  • Weeks before the draft, the Lions told Eric Ebron that they would be drafting him at No. 10 if he was there. Detroit followed through on that promise, but the UNC tight end didn’t believe them at the time, writes Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News.
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com looks at 30 players who are headed for crossroads in their contracts. Near the top of the list, unsurprisingly, is Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh. Suh has leverage in discussions with Detroit thanks to his enormous cap number which makes a franchise tag rather untenable. A contract extension for Suh should be the richest veteran deal in NFL history for an interior defensive lineman because he probably isn’t going to accept a decrease from his rookie contract.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap looks at the recent quarterback rankings by Mike Sando of ESPN.com and matches them up with the salaries for each player. NFC North QBs featured include Aaron Rodgers of the Packers, the Bears‘ Jay Cutler, and the Lions’ Matthew Stafford.

Offseason In Review: Indianapolis Colts

July 3rd, 2014 at 6:41pm CST by Zachary Links

Notable signings:

Notable losses:

Draft picks:

  • Jack Mewhort, OL, Ohio State (2.59): Signed
  • Donte Moncrief, WR, Ole Miss (3.90): Signed
  • Jonathan Newsome, DE, Ball State (5.166): Signed
  • Andrew Jackson, LB, Western Kentucky (6.203): Signed
  • Ulrick John, OT, Georgia State (7.232): Signed

Other:

One of the earliest entries in this year’s Pro Football Rumors’ Offseason In Review series was a look at the Browns, a team that made massive wholesale changes and the most talked about draft pick of the year. While there’s a massive personnel and culture change underway in Cleveland, that’s not the case in Indianapolis. This was an offseason of retooling for the Colts, who hope that their minor tweaks will be enough to put them atop the AFC South in 2014.

The Colts wasted little time in putting pen to paper when free agency officially started this offseason. Just hours in, the Colts reached agreement on a new deal with their top cornerback Vontae Davis. At $39MM over four years, the Colts didn’t get away cheap, but the did fortify their secondary for years to come. Indianapolis could have had a massive crater to fill this offseason had they not wrapped him up considering the premium on free agent CBs this offseason and the dearth of quality options in this year’s draft. Now, the onus is on Davis to pay the Colts back with consistent play. When he’s on, Davis is one of the better corners in the league. When he’s not, opposing quarterbacks have a much easier time in the passing game. Just $15MM of Davis’ deal is guaranteed in total, so if things go south, the Colts can move on without having their cap flexibility crippled. In the short term, the Colts are probbaly better off with a returning Davis and Greg Toler than what they could have come up with out of house.

Of course, the Colts defense as a whole isn’t exactly world class. To help boost the linebacking corps, the Colts added former Browns locker room sparkplug D’Qwell Jackson and ex-Ravens defensive end Arthur Jones. Jackson got a four-year, $22MM deal out of the Colts and they’re hoping that the investment will bring them some hard-tackles as well as real veteran leadership for the younger players. For his part, Jackson says that he’s delighted to get away from “the Cleveland situation,” so there’s every reason to believe that he’ll bust his hump for his new club. In more ways than one, Jackson will be filling the shoes of departing LB Pat Angerer.

Jones, meanwhile, hooked on with a five-year, $33MM pact ($10MM of which is guaranteed). The four-year vet, like Jackson, brings a high-intensity approach to the game and a top notch work ethic. Jones started 20 of his 46 games played with the Ravens, totaling 8.5 sacks over the last two seasons. He’ll be asked to stuff the run on early downs and rush the passer on favorable down-and-distance situations and he says that he doesn’t care whether he’s lined up as a bookend or on the inside. The athletic Jones will probably see more time at DE, but don’t be surprised to see him pitch in at tackle also.

On the other side of the ball, the Colts re-signed Ahmad Bradshaw to an extremely low-risk one-year deal. Bradshaw underwent season-ending neck surgery in October and seemed destined to head elsewhere, but a minimum salary deal will keep him in blue and white. Of course, Bradshaw won’t be the focal point of the Colts’ running game as Vick Ballard and Trent Richardson figure to take the lion’s share of carries. That reality makes Bradshaw’s decision somewhat perplexing. One would think that a veteran coming off of a serious injury would rather take his services elsewhere to a team that would showcase him more and allow him to cash in in the following year. Whether that hurts Bradshaw’s wallet remains to be seen, but it’s a definite plus for the Colts. One thing Bradshaw has going for him in the battle for playing time are the departures of Tashard Choice and former Colts backfield mainstay Donald Brown.

Another former Giant notable will be joining the Colts this season – Hakeem Nicks. The wiry wide receiver was once the toast of the town in New York but injuries last season slowed him down considerably. For the first time in his career, Nicks went an entire season without finding pay dirt even once. He might not be able to regain his All-Pro form in 2014 but, then again, the Colts don’t need him too. The former UNC star will be there to help support T.Y. Hilton and veteran Reggie Wayne (perhaps supplanting Wayne if he can’t deliver), taking the spot vacated by Darius Heyward-Bey. At one-year and just $2.25MM guaranteed, Hicks would have been a solid pickup for any club this offseason. Rookie Donte Moncrief, Da’Rick Rogers, and Griff Whalen will also be there in support of the Colts’ primary receiving trio. LaVon Brazill, who got slapped with a suspension earlier today, won’t be.

Thanks to the Richardson deal, the Colts were without their first round pick in this year’s draft. With what was left, the Colts went and filled their remaining holes the best they could. Their top pick turned out to be Ohio State lineman Jack Mewhort. Adding a rookie to the mix on the offensive line is always treacherous and it might not help that they have quite a question mark in the middle of that o-line. The Colts will be rolling with sophomore center Khaled Holmes even though some expected them to go out and get someone with a more impressive pedigree, like Browns restricted free agent Alex Mack. Phil Costa, who should have been there in support of Holmes, opted to retire.

Ultimately, the Colts are a team doubling down on what they have and they didn’t feel the need to make major changes to reassert themselves in 2014. Their conservative approach to the offseason was something of a gamble in itself, and Colts fans need to hope that it will pay off.

Spotrac and Over The Cap were used in the creation of this post.

Longest-Tenured Head Coaches In The NFL

July 3rd, 2014 at 5:15pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL is a league of relative parity, one where a perennial contender can bottom out practically overnight and a team expected to finish at the bottom of its division can win it — just ask the 2013 Texans and Panthers, respectively. As such, it’s probably not a surprise that NFL head coaches’ jobs are rarely safe, with most coaches around the league just one or two underachieving seasons away from being replaced.

Of course, there are exceptions to that rule, as is the case in New England, where Bill Belichick is preparing to begin his 15th season as head coach of the Patriots. However, while there are several long-tenured coaches across the NFL, most men in the position are relative newcomers. More than half of the league’s 32 coaches have only been under contract since 2012, and seven have yet to coach a single game for their new clubs.

A coach like Belichick has such a proven track record that a poor 2014 season wouldn’t jeopardize his job. But there are several names on the list below whose longevity may be surprising, and who may be entering make-or-break years. Consider Joe Philbin of the Dolphins and Dennis Allen of the Raiders, who were hired just four days apart and are in the middle of the pack for longevity — disappointing ’14 results in Miami or Oakland may have Philbin and Allen printing new résumés in December.

Here’s the list of the current head coaches in the NFL, ordered by tenure, along with the month and year in which they assumed the role:

  1. Bill Belichick (New England Patriots): January 27, 2000
  2. Marvin Lewis (Cincinnati Bengals): January 14, 2003
  3. Tom Coughlin (New York Giants): January 6, 2004
  4. Mike McCarthy (Green Bay Packers): January 12, 2006
  5. Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints): January 18, 2006
  6. Mike Tomlin (Pittsburgh Steelers): January 22, 2007
  7. John Harbaugh (Baltimore Ravens): January 19, 2008
  8. Mike Smith (Atlanta Falcons): January 24, 2008
  9. Rex Ryan (New York Jets): January 19, 2009
  10. Pete Carroll (Seattle Seahawks): January 9, 2010
  11. Jason Garrett (Dallas Cowboys): November 8, 2010 (interim; permanent since January 2011)
  12. Jim Harbaugh (San Francisco 49ers): January 7, 2011
  13. Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers): January 11, 2011
  14. John Fox (Denver Broncos): January 13, 2011
  15. Jeff Fisher (St. Louis Rams): January 13, 2012
  16. Joe Philbin (Miami Dolphins): January 20, 2012
  17. Dennis Allen (Oakland Raiders): January 24, 2012
  18. Chuck Pagano (Indianapolis Colts): January 25, 2012
  19. Andy Reid (Kansas City Chiefs): January 4, 2013
  20. Doug Marrone (Buffalo Bills): January 6, 2013
  21. Mike McCoy (San Diego Chargers): January 15, 2013
  22. Chip Kelly (Philadelphia Eagles): January 16, 2013
  23. Marc Trestman (Chicago Bears): January 16, 2013
  24. Bruce Arians (Arizona Cardinals): January 17, 2013
  25. Gus Bradley (Jacksonville Jaguars): January 17, 2013
  26. Bill O’Brien (Houston Texans): January 2, 2014
  27. Lovie Smith (Tampa Bay Buccaneers): January 2, 2014
  28. Jay Gruden (Washington Redskins): January 9, 2014
  29. Ken Whisenhunt (Tennessee Titans): January 13, 2014
  30. Jim Caldwell (Detroit Lions): January 14, 2014
  31. Mike Zimmer (Minnesota Vikings): January 15, 2014
  32. Mike Pettine (Cleveland Browns): January 23, 2014

NFL Suspends Jordan, Watkins, Brazill

July 3rd, 2014 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

3:35pm: Colts wideout LaVon Brazill has also been suspended and will be facing an even lengthier ban, according to Rapoport, who tweets that Brazill has been suspeneded for at least a year without pay for violating the league’s substances of abuse policy.

3:14pm: Two more NFL players will face four-game suspensions during the 2014 season for breaking league rules, according to multiple reports. Per James Walker of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan has been suspended for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing substance policy. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (via Twitter) that Chiefs offensive lineman Rokevious Watkins faces a suspension for a violation of the league’s policy on substances of abuse.

Jordan represents the more significant loss for his team, as last year’s third overall pick looked poised to compete for a larger role on defense in training camp this season. It’s the second sizable blow sustained by the Dolphins recently, as Miami is also expected to be without a key piece of its offensive line to start the regular season, after Mike Pouncey underwent hip surgery. According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter), Jordan admitted in a statement that he tested positive for “stimulants” and says he’s “very sorry” about the impact the suspension will have on the team.

As for Watkins, he started one game for the Chiefs last season and may have been competing for an increased role this year, due to a free agent exodus of key offensive linemen. However, now that he won’t be available for the first month of the season, Watkins isn’t necessarily a lock to make Kansas City’s 53-man roster. The Chiefs would be on the hook for just $60K in dead money if they were to cut him.

Both players will forfeit four games worth of salary due to their suspensions.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Titans, Ravens, Browns

July 3rd, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority initially appeared poised to reject an agreement that would have extended the stay of MLB’s Athletics in the O.co Coliseum another 10 years, the two sides have reached a last-minute agreement, according to Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). After Athletics co-owner Lew Wolff suggested that MLB commissioner Bud Selig had given the franchise the go-ahead to “seek a temporary or permanent location outside the city of Oakland,” city and county officials immediately restarted negotiations and were motivated to work out a deal.

For the Raiders, that’s not great news, since the NFL team doesn’t want to share a stadium with Oakland’s baseball team for the long term, and with the A’s remaining at O.co, that leaves one less spot where the Raiders could build a new stadium. As we wait to see what effect the new deal could have on the Raiders, let’s check in on a few more items from around the AFC….

  • As ESPN.com’s team of beat writers lays out burning questions for each of the league’s 32 clubs, the theme in the AFC East is front office personnel and philosophies. Among the topics discussed: Whether the Bills have an offensive identity crisis; the relationship between the Jets‘ coach, GM, and owner; and a possible staff overhaul in Miami if the Dolphins miss the postseason again.
  • Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com explores what the Titans might do with the $25MM in cap space they’re currently carrying.
  • Within ESPN.com’s story on the AFC West, Jeff Legwold discusses whether the Broncos‘ have mortgaged their future by trying to win immediately, while Paul Gutierrez addresses how many games Dennis Allen will have to win in 2014 to keep his job as the Raiders‘ head coach.
  • ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley wonders if the Ravens did enough this offseason to improve their offensive line.
  • Second-year offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey is a dark horse candidate to crack the Browns‘ starting lineup this year, says Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.

Extension Candidate: Julius Thomas

July 3rd, 2014 at 12:09pm CST by Luke Adams

The decision made yesterday by arbitrator Stephen Burbank to rule in favor of the Saints on Jimmy Graham‘s positional dispute wasn’t good news for Graham. However, it may not have been bad news for tight ends in general. Had Burbank decided to consider Graham a wide receiver, teams would have made a greater effort going forward not to split out their own tight ends, which would potentially limit the pass-catching numbers for those players, who would have a harder time exploiting certain matchups.Julius Thomas

Additionally, now that Graham is officially viewed as a tight end, he’s poised to set a new high watermark for salary at the position. The Saints are reportedly willing to make Graham the league’s highest-paid player at the position, surpassing Rob Gronkowski‘s $9MM annual value. The creation of a new top tier for salary at the position should bode well when other tight ends begin to negotiate new contracts, and will only help increase the figures for future franchise and transition tags.

All of this is to say that a player like Julius Thomas, whose contract is set to expire at the end of the 2014 season, shouldn’t be discouraged by the Graham verdict. A franchise tag at wide receiver likely won’t be in Thomas’ future, but the franchise tag for tight ends should be on the rise next year, and if Graham cracks $10MM per year on a long-term deal with the Saints, Thomas will have a stronger case to exceed $7MM on a pact of his own.

An extension for Thomas is indeed on Denver’s to-do list, with GM John Elway confirming to Mike Klis of the Denver Post last month that the Broncos have opened extension talks with their tight end. In Klis’ view, a $7MM per year average may be the target for former fourth-round pick, who turned 26 last week.

When considering Thomas’ value, there are a handful of factors to take into consideration. Coming into the 2013 season, Thomas had just one reception on his résumé for his first two years in the NFL, and had battled ankle troubles in 2012. However, he broke out in a big way in ’13, catching 65 balls for 788 yards and 12 touchdowns, despite ceding plenty of targets with Demaryius Thomas, Eric Decker, and Wes Welker.

Thomas is young, athletic, and a gifted pass-catcher — the fact that he played only one year of college ball at Portland State could actually be a positive for the Broncos, since it suggests he still has plenty of room to continue to develop and improve following his breakout season. The tight end recently told Ross Jones of Fox Sports that he anticipates the team finding new, creative ways to use him in 2014, as he becomes more comfortable and confident in the offense.

“I do think I’m still scratching the surface,” Thomas said. “I’ve had guys who have told me that playing football around year four and year five, it starts to click and then it all starts to make sense of what you’re doing. That’s typical of a normal guy who has been playing forever. I still think I have so far to go. I need to keep getting repetitions and keep getting comfortable with things.”

Assuming Denver also believes Thomas is “scratching the surface” of his full potential, it makes sense that the team would attempt to lock him up before the upcoming season, before his value increases even further. Still, when it comes to Thomas’ next contract, the club could have some of the same concerns that exist in negotiations with wideout Demaryius Thomas. Peyton Manning‘s presence in Denver has helped pad stats for all the team’s pass-catchers, and the presence of Welker, free agent signee Emmanuel Sanders, and rookie Cody Latimer will ensure that no one receiver is necessarily indispensable to the team’s passing attack. Additionally, with Manning unlikely to continue his career for more than another two or three years, it’s worth considering who will be throwing the balls caught by the pair of Thomases if Denver signs both players to lucrative long-term deals.

If the Broncos think Thomas is the real deal though, there’s no reason not to attempt to secure him on a multiyear contract this summer. A deal like the one agreed upon between Dennis Pitta and the Ravens this offseason could make some sense — Pitta only received an average annual value of $6.4MM over five years, but $16MM of that $32MM deal is fully guaranteed. I’d guess the Broncos are more likely to push for a different sort of structure, one with a higher annual salary and a more modest guarantee. In that scenario, a five-year deal for Thomas could fall in the $35-40MM range, but with a guarantee in the neighborhood of $10-13MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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