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Cards, Larry Fitzgerald Agree To New Deal

February 18th, 2015 at 11:04am CST by Luke Adams

11:04am: Although Fitzgerald’s new deal is technically a four-year pact, it voids after two years, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. That allows the Cards to spread out bonus money over additional years, reducing the cap hits for 2015 and 2016.

10:38am: Speaking to reporters in Indianapolis today, Cardinals GM Steve Keim confirmed that Fitzgerald’s deal is done, and said it’s “essentially” a two-year agreement (Twitter links via Josh Weinfuss and Darren Urban).

10:06am: A source tells Pro Football Talk (via Twitter) that the agreement between Fitzgerald and the Cards is “done” and that it will create $13MM in cap space for 2015. Fitzgerald’s old contract has been replaced by a new one that will guarantee him $11MM in each of the next two seasons, per PFT.

8:07am: The Cardinals and receiver Larry Fitzgerald are closing in on a new multiyear contract extension that is expected to be finalized soon, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Schefter, the agreement will enable the veteran wideout – and longtime Cardinal – to finish his career in Arizona.

Fitzgerald is currently under contract with the Cardinals through the 2018 season, so the new agreement may not add any new years to that deal. However, it will certainly reduce the 31-year-old’s cap number for 2015, at least — an $8MM base salary, combined with a $7.35MM prorated bonus and an $8MM roster bonus, had Fitzgerald counting for more than $23MM on the Cards’ books for the coming year.

Fitzgerald’s production has fallen off a little during the last three years, as he has averaged only about 72 catches and 845 yards per season from 2012 to 2014, compared to averages of close to 93 receptions and 1,296 yards in the five-year span from 2007 to 2011. Nonetheless, the Cardinals wanted to keep him around, and there was also interest from Fitzgerald’s side in working out a new arrangement that would give him a better opportunity to play out the rest of his career in Arizona without fear of being cut.

Additionally, Arizona is one of just a handful of teams currently projected to be over the 2015 cap, ahead of only the Saints in terms of potential cap room (or lack thereof), per Over the Cap. As such, restructuring Fitzgerald’s deal was a top priority for the club as the free agent period approached.

A simple restructure, which involves converting base salary to a signing bonus, won’t be enough to lighten the load on the Cardinals’ cap in 2015 and beyond, so the wideout will almost certainly have to take a pay cut, though I assume he’ll be receiving some money up front as part of the agreement — converting his $8MM roster bonus into a prorated signing bonus could be part of the move, but we’ll have to wait for the full details to be reported to be sure.

Vikings GM Expects To Retain Adrian Peterson

February 18th, 2015 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

While the general consensus as recently as a few weeks ago suggested that Adrian Peterson‘s time in Minnesota was probably over, members of the Vikings’ brass have been going to bat for the embattled running back lately. Today, Vikes general manager Rick Spielman became the latest key member of the organization to suggest he wants to see Peterson wearing purple again in 2015, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details.

“I think our whole organization is on that same page (about wanting Peterson back),” Spielman said. “What team wouldn’t want an Adrian Peterson talent? He’s a unique player that you don’t see come around too often and Adrian’s been a key part of our organization. He’s made a mistake. He’s doing everything and he’s got to follow through and rectify and do the things the NFL is requiring him to do.”

Peterson and the Vikings are in a tricky situation, given where his suspension and his contract currently stand. The team isn’t allowed to be in contact at this time with the running back, who isn’t eligible for reinstatement until at least April 15. Once he’s reinstated, Minnesota will likely want to address his contract, since Peterson is currently on the books for a $12.75MM base salary and a $15.4MM cap hit.

Since the free agent period begins several weeks before Peterson is eligible to be reinstated, most teams will have already completed their major offseason roster moves by that point, meaning the running back’s leverage will be reduced. That may be one reason why the Vikes are leaning toward bringing him back — AP may be more inclined to take a pay cut or restructure his deal if there aren’t many other legit suitors out there for him, particularly if Minnesota continues to publicly support him while he serves the suspension.

Besides addressing Peterson, Spielman also said today that he likes Matt Cassel, but wouldn’t commit to whether or not the Vikings have decided to bring him back as their backup quarterback for 2015, tweets Tomasson.

Combine Pressers: Steelers, Bucs, Broncos, 49ers

February 18th, 2015 at 9:59am CST by Luke Adams

48 head coaches or general managers are scheduled to speak today, tomorrow, and Friday at the NFL’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, with the Eagles, Saints, and Patriots the only teams not represented on this year’s schedule. Those mini-pressers are already underway, so let’s round up a few of the notable comments made by the men who have spoken to the media so far. All links go to the Twitter accounts of various NFL reporters in attendance….

Steelers GM Kevin Colbert:

  • Contract talks between Ben Roethlisberger and the Steelers are “progressing,” according to Colbert. With Big Ben heading into the final year of his current deal, the two sides are expected to work out a new agreement at some point during the offseason, and the GM is very confident it can be done within a traditional cap structure.
  • Despite the fact that LeGarrette Blount ultimately played a major role for the Super Bowl champion Patriots, Colbert said today that he and his club have no regrets about parting ways with the running back during the season.
  • While Colbert said he’d love to bring back free-agent-to-be Jason Worilds, he didn’t convey a ton of confidence that something will get done, telling reporters, “Maybe he comes back, maybe he moves on.” Per Colbert, the outside linebacker may need to test the open market to gauge his value.

Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith:

  • Calling Josh McCown a “lifelong friend,” Smith said he thought it was in both the team’s and the quarterback’s interests to part ways earlier this month.
  • The Buccaneers’ new coaches like Mike Glennon, so the plan right now is to move forward with Glennon at quarterback — he’s the only signal-caller on the roster at the moment, but Smith thinks he has the potential to be a solid NFL starter.
  • While Glennon may be atop the Tampa Bay depth chart by default for now, Smith also addressed the idea of selecting a quarterback with the first overall pick in April. According to the head coach, the Bucs aren’t put off by Jameis Winston‘s off-field issues, and would be comfortable with the idea of making him the face of their franchise. The vetting process for both Winston and Marcus Mariota is ongoing, and Smith says the team has already “talked to a lot of people” about both prospects.
  • Asked about Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs, two potential free agents whom used to play for Smith in Chicago, the head coach said he’s not sure how much interest they’ll generate, but he believes they can still be positive contributors.

Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak:

  • Although Kubiak said he has received no assurances that Peyton Manning will be back with the Broncos, all indications are pointing toward him returning. The new Denver head coach talked about adjusting his offense to suit Manning’s skills, which strongly suggest he expects to be coaching the future Hall-of-Famer.
  • According to Kubiak, he had a “good conversation” with Wes Welker, who says he’s feeling good and wants to play in 2015. Of course, the receiver doesn’t have a contract yet, so there’s no guarantee he’ll continue playing for the Broncos. Denver would “love to have him back” though, says Kubiak.
  • Kubiak expects the transition from a 4-3 defense under Jack Del Rio to a 3-4 scheme under Wade Phillips to go fairly smoothly.

49ers GM Trent Baalke:

  • Baalke intends to meet with veteran defensive end Justin Smith after the combine to determine whether or not Smith wants to return for a 15th NFL season in 2015.
  • Asked about wide receiver prospects at the combine and in the draft, Baalke said, “It’s no mystery, we’re looking for guys who can run.”
  • Baalke declined to comment on Jim Harbaugh‘s recent suggestion that the former head coach’s departure from the 49ers was the team’s decision and not his own. “He’s moved on and we’ve moved on,” the GM said.
  • According to the Niners GM, the team’s head coaching job was offered to “one person and one person only” (Jim Tomsula), meaning the club never officially offered the position to Adam Gase. Baalke did confirm that the Niners made an effort to retain defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, but that was dependent on who became the head coach.

East Links: Romo, Cowboys, Pats, Giants

February 18th, 2015 at 9:28am CST by Zachary Links

Before the action really ramps up at this week’s combine in Indianapolis, let’s round up a few links from out of the NFL’s two East divisions….

  • Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones doesn’t think that quarterback Tony Romo is at the end of the line, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes. “I still think Tony has a lot of time left, personally,” Jones said.“I heard him say anywhere from four to five years, so that’s a long time.”
  • The Cowboys will approach the free agent market intent on maximizing the return on their investments, which doesn’t necessarily mean that they’ll target top-of-the-class players, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
  • Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com runs down five things to look for in the NFL combine from the Patriots‘ perspective. New England is unlikely to take a skill player high in the draft and they’ll probably target offensive and defensive linemen. On the o-line, he identifies Andrus Peat (Stanford), Cedric Ogbuhei (Texas A&M), and T.J. Clemmings (Pittsburgh) as some of the names to watch. For defensive linemen, meanwhile, he highlights Malcom Brown (Texas), Jordan Phillips (Oklahoma), Michael Bennett (Ohio State), and others.
  • Paul Schwartz of the New York Post looks at some of the players the Giants will have their eye on at the combine. The Giants could be in the hunt for a safety and Shaq Thompson of Washington is one intriguing option. The 6’2″, 231-pound force profiles as a safety but wouldn’t look out of place at linebacker either.
  • The Eagles have hired former Jets assistant Brian Smith as their assistant linebackers coach, the team announced today (via Twitter).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Free Agent Market For Interior DL

February 18th, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Luke Adams

Our list of 2015 free agents provides a comprehensive position-by-position breakdown of which players are eligible to hit the open market this year. However, that list of names doesn’t include much context or additional information about those players. So, with March’s free agent period fast approaching, we’ll be taking a closer look this month at the free agent market for each position. Today, we’ll turn our attention to interior defensive linemen — defensive tackles and 3-4 defensive ends. Let’s dive in….

Top unrestricted FAs:

Suh may be the subject of more headlines this offseason than the rest of the players in this group put together, but there are plenty of above-average contributors here besides the Lions star. In fact, a couple of them are Suh’s teammates, Fairley and Mosley. It’s almost certainly a one-or-the-others scenario for Detroit, as the team will likely let its other defensive tackles go if Suh returns to the fold — if he lands elsewhere, the Lions would have much more flexibility to bring back the rest of their potential free agents.

Outside of the Lions trio, the top names here include Odrick, Knighton, Paea, and Williams. Melton could join this group too, if a team was confident in his health. All five of those players ranked among the top 20 defensive tackles in the league in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). Paea and Melton excelled at getting to the quarterback, but had the worst grades against the run of any top-20 defensive tackle. Knighton and Williams, on the other hand, had their positive grades buoyed by strong performances against the run, while Odrick was somewhere in between.

PFF also liked the performance of McDonald, who ranked as the NFL’s 12th-best 3-4 defensive end. However, the off-field issues surrounding McDonald, who is being investigated following accusations of sexual assault, were serious enough that the 49ers released him before the season even ended. Even if McDonald isn’t formally charged or convicted, he could be facing discipline from the league, and the trouble he has had with the law could scare off potential suitors.

Raji is another wild card in this group. He’s still only 28 years old, and he’s a former first-round pick, but he missed the entire 2014 campaign with a torn biceps, and had a dismal 2013 as a 3-4 DE. If he’s healthy and transitions back into his original nose tackle role, Raji could be a bargain for a team that takes advantage of a buy-low opportunity.

Other unrestricted options:

If a team misses out on the top tier of interior linemen, it should have plenty of choices here. The players in this list range from nose tackles to 4-3 DTs to 3-4 DEs, and some of them may even be capable of playing on the end for a 4-3 team, so a club’s targets will depend on its needs.

Kelly and Williams are among the veterans here who would be nice stopgaps for a team looking for a short-term solution on the inside. Guion should also attract plenty of interest, though he could be facing discipline from the league following his legal troubles. The same goes for Cody, whom the Ravens released just weeks before he actually reached the open market, due to an animal cruelty investigation.

Klug, Jenkins, Douzable, and Ellis are a few more players in their mid-to-late 20s who could be nice fits in the right system. Douzable and Ellis, in particular, are interesting cases — they have played well for Rex Ryan‘s Jets as run stoppers in recent years, but with so much talent on the Bills’ defensive line already, it will be interesting to see if they follow Ryan to Buffalo or try to find an opportunity that could afford them more playing time.

Restricted FAs:

In a class of restricted free agents that isn’t particularly strong overall, this group actually looks a little more intriguing than the RFAs at most positions. In my opinion, Harrison and Thornton are each worthy of at least second-round tenders from their respective clubs. Both players ranked among the best players at their positions against the run, according to PFF (subscription required). The full list of defensive tackle who had better run defense grades than Harrison? Marcell Dareus and Suh — that’s it. With negotiations for Muhammad Wilkerson on the horizon, the Jets will want to ensure that they lock up Harrison, so it wouldn’t even be a surprise if he received a first-round tender, given the team’s excess cap room.

Walker and Kitchen also held their own as part-time players for the Saints and Browns respectively, so I’d expect them to draw interest if their clubs decide not to extend an RFA tender.

Previous looks at the 2015 free agent market:

Browns, Bears Eyeing Josh McCown

February 18th, 2015 at 8:05am CST by Luke Adams

After Josh McCown left Buffalo earlier this week without an agreement in place, reports indicated that he had at least one more visit – and perhaps more – lined up. It looks like one of the stops on McCown’s free agent tour could be Cleveland, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, who reports that the Browns are interested in the veteran quarterback. Cabot says the two sides haven’t officially planned a visit yet, but could do so soon.

The Bills and Browns certainly aren’t the only teams interested in McCown, however. The free agent signal-caller said last week that at least six teams had expressed some interest in him after he was cut by the Buccaneers, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets this morning that the number is up to eight. Per Rapoport, one of those potential suitors is the Bears, and according to Vaughn McClure and Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (Twitter links), McCown is dining with new Chicago head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace this morning. McCown can afford to be patient and take his time with the free agent process, since his main competition on the market won’t be free to sign until March 10.

For the Browns, McCown makes some sense as a potential fit. While we’ve heard some whispers about the club having interest in Oregon prospect Marcus Mariota, it seems more likely that the team would bring in a veteran to compete with and push Johnny Manziel, last year’s first-round pick. Brian Hoyer served that role in 2014, and could still return to Cleveland, but the closer this year’s free agent period gets, the more likely Hoyer is to test the open market.

As Cabot notes, McCown also has a little history with new Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo, who was working in Oakland as the Raiders’ quarterbacks coach when McCown started nine games for the team back in 2007. A source tells Cabot that, despite Hoyer’s 2-7 record during that run, the two enjoyed working together and would welcome the opportunity to do so again.

Extra Points: Mariota, Titans, Fairley

February 17th, 2015 at 10:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Marcus Mariota has informed teams that he will throw Sunday at the combine even though the other quarterbacks will go on Saturday, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Jameis Winston is also throwing at the combine, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter), though it’s not immediately clear if he’ll also buck the trend and throw on Sunday. Here’s more from around the NFL..

  • Titans GM Ruston Webster recently said a lot of good things about quarterback Zach Mettenberger and Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com wonders if he should instead be sending smoke screens when it comes to the No. 2 pick in the draft. With potentially quarterback hungry teams like the Jets, Browns, Texans, and Eagles further down in the draft, they could potentially use that kind of talk to get a massive haul for Mariota
  • Defensive tackle Nick Fairley told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) that he is still waiting on a phone call from the Lions. The hosts of “The SiriusXM Blitz” also asked Fairley if he thought that the Lions’ lack of a long-term offer would hurt his marketability. Fairley doesn’t see that being the case.
  • The Vikings haven’t approached linebacker Chad Greenway about restructuring his contract, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. The linebacker said at the end of the season he was open to reworking his deal if it helped keep him in Minnesota for the final year of his contract, and Greenway reiterated on Tuesday that he’s still willing to do that. But for the moment, he said, “We’re still under contract. We’ll just see what they say.”
  • At long last, the Browns formally announced that Kevin O’Connell has been hired as the team’s quarterbacks coach. “Kevin has already shown a knack for individual teaching at a high level,” head coach Mike Pettine said. “Our experience being around him makes us confident he will easily transition into being an extremely valuable member of our staff.”

AFC East Notes: Pouncey, Wilkerson, Pats

February 17th, 2015 at 9:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, due $7.4MM in the final season of his contract, said Monday he was left with the impression that the Dolphins want to work out a multi-year deal this offseason, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald writes. “I think I’ll be a Dolphin for a long time,” Pouncey said. Pouncey wants to move back to center and he’s advocating Miami to sign a “really good veteran guard.” Specifically, he wants the Dolphins to go after impending free agent Mike Iupati. Here’s more from the AFC East..

  • New Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has a meeting with Muhammad Wilkerson‘s agent on his schedule for this week in Indianapolis, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN New York. Wilkerson is heading into the final year of his contract and is extension-eligible, so while the two sides probably won’t reach an agreement this week – and may not even exchange figures – they’ll touch base with an eye toward getting something done eventually.
  • If Danny Amendola is cut by the Patriots, Chris Gasper of CSNNE.com doesn’t think they should turn to Wes Welker to replace him. Getting Welker back now, he says, would be adding him a year or two late at this point. The wide receiver has suffered multiple concussions over the course of his career and it appears that they have taken a toll.
  • Legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has returned to work for the Patriots on a temporary basis through the end of the 2015 draft, a source tells Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Scarnecchia also helped the Patriots last year around this time.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC West Notes: Houston, Chiefs, Manning

February 17th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Zachary Links

San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer responded to the letter from Chargers special counsel Mark Fabiani’s with a strongly worded one of his own, Stefanie Loh of U-T San Diego writes.

“His divisive tone and criticism of this group of volunteers, civic leaders and the City of San Diego as a whole are not conducive to developing a plan for a new stadium. I hope his behavior is not indicative of our ability to find a solution,” Faulconer said of Fabiani.

If the two sides truly want to get a new stadium done for the Bolts in San Diego, Faulconer and Fabiani will have to kiss and make up at some point. Here’s more from the AFC West..

  • The franchise tag continues to look like the most likely scenario for Justin Houston and the Chiefs, and according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link), if Houston does get tagged, he may not sign the one-year tender right away. Assuming Houston gets the non-exclusive franchise tag, he could still negotiate with other suitors, though any team interested in signing him would have to be willing to part with two first-round draft picks in that scenario, making it a tough sell.
  • Broncos coach Gary Kubiak laid any speculation to rest today when he said that he wants Peyton Manning to be his starting quarterback in 2015. “I’m expecting him to come back,” Kubiak said, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post. “We want to play with him. This organization has won a lot of games with him and we want to get back and do it again. Expecting him to come back.” Manning hasn’t said that he’s definitely coming back, but Kubiak seems to think it’s a foregone conclusion.
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explained why Manning will have leverage if the Broncos ask him to take a pay cut. In short, Denver doesn’t have the upper hand because remaining a Super Bowl contender largely hinges on whether Peyton Manning is the quarterback. If Manning doesn’t play in Denver next season, it could be reminiscent of Brian Griese taking over in 1999 after John Elway retired.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Cowboys Notes: Murray, Bryant, Jones

February 17th, 2015 at 7:48pm CST by Zachary Links

There’s a sentiment going around that DeMarco Murray‘s production can be replaced and Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News says that’s bogus. Of course, Murray isn’t the top priority this offseason, but Sherrington feels he should be retained if at all possible. Beyond the numbers, he argues, the Cowboys offense feeds off of the powerful running style of Murray. While you ponder that, here’s some news on Dallas’ No. 1 offseason priority..

  • If Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant gets franchise tagged, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com cautions not be surprised when he chooses not to show his face for the rest of the spring until he is contractually required to do so.
  • Bryant took to Twitter earlier today to voice his displeasure with the Cowboys, as the staff of The Dallas Morning News notes. When a follower said that he loves how dedicated the wide receiver is to the team, he responded: “I wish They felt the same way but it’s cool.. It’s #business“
  • In response to Bryant expressing that he feels the Cowboys aren’t dedicated to him, club exec Stephen Jones said “[Dez] is definitely not feeling the right vibe,” according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). In Jones’ comments earlier today, he seemed to hint that the team will lean towards hitting the star receiver with the franchise tag.
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