2015 February - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Cut Brandon Gibson

February 27th, 2015 at 2:42pm CST by Luke Adams

After releasing Brian Hartline earlier in the day, the Dolphins have cut ties with a second wide receiver, announcing (via Twitter) that Brandon Gibson has been dropped. Gibson had been set to enter the final season of a three-year contract.

A former Ram, Gibson joined the Dolphins prior to the 2013 season, and put up nearly identical numbers in his first two seasons with the club. Of course, in 2013, when he grabbed 30 balls for 326 yards and three touchdowns, he did so in just seven games. In 2014, he totaled 29 receptions for 295 yards and a TD in 14 contests.

Gibson carried a cap hit of $4.26MM for 2015, and the Dolphins will clear all but $1MM of that number from their books by cutting him. The move creates $3.26MM in cap savings, potentially helping to clear the way for a new contract for free-agent-to-be tight end Charles Clay.

By cutting both Hartline and Gibson today, the Dolphins are moving closer to a total overhaul of their receiving corps. For now, Mike Wallace remains on the roster, but he’s a candidate to be released or traded. If Miami parts ways with Wallace, the club’s 2015 receivers will likely be led by 2014 draftee Jarvis Landry, with the ‘Fins potentially adding new wideouts in the draft and/or free agency.

North Notes: Felton, Peterson, Canty, Suh

February 27th, 2015 at 2:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, former Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, who opted out of his contract at season’s end, said he has talked to his old team about the possibility of a reunion (Twitter link). Felton went on to say he wouldn’t close the door on re-signing with the Vikings, though it sounds as if a possible return for the veteran fullback may hinge on whether or not Adrian Peterson stays with the team. Felton has, of course, been Peterson’s lead blocker since 2012, earning a Pro Bowl nod during the season in which the MVP ran for nearly 2,100 yards.

Here’s more on Peterson, along with a few more items from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:

Barring something unexpected, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) expects Peterson to ultimately end up with the Vikings, Cowboys, Colts, or Cardinals for the 2015 season.
Although the Ravens released veteran defensive lineman Chris Canty today, he expects to continue playing in 2015, and Baltimore hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing him back at a lesser salary, according to GM Ozzie Newsome. “We certainly would not close the door to Chris coming back to us,” Newsome said (Twitter link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com).
If the Lions shell out the money necessary to keep Ndamukong Suh locked up for multiple seasons, it may be a big gamble for the franchise, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. As Birkett outlines, teams in similar situations in the past have had mixed results when making a big investment in a star player.
Birkett has a second piece on Suh today for the Free Press, identifying the Raiders, Jaguars, Colts, and Jets as the likeliest suitors for the star defensive linemen if he doesn’t return to the Lions.

Washington Parts Ways With Stephen Bowen

February 27th, 2015 at 2:06pm CST by Luke Adams

In addition to confirming the previously reported release of defensive tackle Barry Cofield, Washington has announced that it parted ways with another defensive lineman. According to the club (via Twitter), Stephen Bowen has been released, hitting the free agent market a year before his contract was scheduled to expire.

Like Cofield, Bowen missed a chunk of the 2014 season with an injury, and didn’t come off the physically unable to perform list until October. It was the second straight injury-plagued season for the former Cowboy, who played just 18 games over the last two years, and has recorded only a single sack in his last three seasons. In his 243 defensive snaps in ’14, Bowen recorded a -6.1 grade, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Back in August, Bowen, who turns 31 next month, negotiated a new deal in which he took a pay cut in order to stay on Washington’s roster for the 2014 season. However, despite Jay Gruden‘s suggestion that the team was exploring another restructure of that contract, the team decided to simply cut him this time around. Doing so will clear all but $2.52MM of his $8.02MM cap number from Washington’s books for 2015, creating $5.5MM in cap savings.

Over the course of the last two days, Washington’s defensive line has undergone a bit of an overhaul, with Cofield and Bowen heading out, and former Colt Ricky Jean-Francois added to the mix.

Besides releasing Bowen and Cofield, Washington confirmed one more transaction, announcing that offensive lineman Tom Compton has been re-signed. Compton had been slated to be an exclusive rights free agent, so he’ll be back on a minimum-salary contract.

Washington Releases Barry Cofield

February 27th, 2015 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

2:03pm: Washington has officially confirmed the release of Cofield (via Twitter).

12:40pm: On the heels of the team’s agreement with free agent defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois, Washington has informed defensive tackle Barry Cofield that he will be released, according to agent Mike McCartney (Twitter link). The club has yet to formally announce the move, but it looks like it should become official shortly.

Cofield, who turns 31 next month, suffered his first major injury in 2014, as he missed about half the season after an ankle injury forced him onto the injured reserve list with the designation to return. While the veteran lineman returned to action in November, he only started three of eight games for the season, marking the first time since 2007 that he appeared in a game he didn’t start.

With a cap hit of $7.678MM due for 2015, Cofield was a potential cap casualty, and head coach Jay Gruden confirmed at the combine that the team had been in touch about a potential restructure or pay cut. It seems the two sides didn’t come to an agreement, however, so by releasing Cofield, Washington will carry $3.555MM in dead money on its books for the coming year, creating $4.123MM in cap savings.

It’s easy to point to those cap savings and deduce that they went directly toward paying Jean-Francois — the new three-year pact for the former Colt reportedly has a total base value of $9MM.

Falcons Cut Justin Blalock

February 27th, 2015 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

Longtime Falcons offensive lineman Justin Blalock won’t be back with the team for the 2015 season — at least not on his current contract. The club has parted ways with Blalock, releasing him with two years left on his deal, Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com confirmed today (via Twitter).

The decision to cut Blalock is a little surprising, since the 31-year-old has been a mainstay at the left guard spot in Atlanta since entering the league in 2007, having started all 125 games he has played during his career with the Falcons. Additionally, the former second-round pick continues to be an above-average guard, according to Pro Football Focus — Blalock has received positive grades from the site for each of the last five seasons (subscription required).

Still, Blalock was on track to have the third-highest cap number on the Falcons’ roster, and that $7.91MM figure would also have placed him among the highest-paid guards in the NFL. The veteran will turn 32 later this year, and may not have been an ideal fit for the new coaches in Atlanta, who have decided to go in a different direction — likely a younger, cheaper direction.

Blalock will continue to count against the Falcons’ cap for $4.12MM in dead money for 2015, creating $3.79MM in cap savings. As a vested veteran, he also becomes a free agent immediately, without clearing waivers, and I expect he’ll draw some interest on the open market from teams looking for a short-term or stopgap solution on the interior offensive line.

The Falcons also cut wide receiver Harry Douglas today and running back Steven Jackson yesterday.

Vikings Release Charlie Johnson

February 27th, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran guard Charlie Johnson has started 61 of 64 potential regular season games for the Vikings over the past four years, but it appears he won’t be back for the 2015 season. The Vikings announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve terminated Johnson’s contract, which had been set to expire a year from now.

Johnson had no dead bonus money left on his deal, so by avoiding paying his $2.45MM base salary and $50K workout bonus for the 2015 season, the Vikings will wipe his entire $2.5MM cap number from their books. Johnson, meanwhile, will have the opportunity to go out and try to find work immediately, without having to pass through waivers or wait until next month’s free agent period.

Of course, it remains to be seen what sort of market there will be for Johnson. Despite his extensive experience (115 career starts), the 31-year-old received a negative grade from Pro Football Focus (subscription required) in each of his four years in Minnesota, including a -12.1 mark in 2014.

Eagles Release Todd Herremans

February 27th, 2015 at 12:35pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 12:35pm: The Eagles have formally announced in a press release that they’ve released Herremans.

“Todd has been the ultimate professional during my two years in Philadelphia with him,” head coach Chip Kelly said in a statement. “He is a tough player and I wish him all of the best as he moves forward in his NFL career. I spoke to him earlier today and one of the things I told him was that by releasing him now, he will have a full opportunity to explore all of his options around the league.”

THURSDAY, 10:25am: Yesterday, a long-tenured Packer became a free agent when Green Bay released A.J. Hawk, and today the Eagles are parting ways with a player who has been with the team even longer than Hawk had been with the Packers. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Philadelphia will release veteran offensive lineman Todd Herremans, making him an unrestricted free agent.

Herremans, 32, has been with the Eagles since the club selected him in the fourth round of the 2005 draft. Over the course of the last decade, the 10-year veteran has appeared in 127 games for the Eagles, starting 124 of them at every spot besides center on the offensive line. In recent years, Herremans has served as Philadelphia’s right guard or right tackle, though his 2014 campaign came to an early end due to a biceps injury.

By releasing Herremans, the Eagles avoid paying his $4MM base salary for the 2015 season. Herremans’ contract still has $2.4MM in dead money remaining on it, which will apply to the 2015 cap, but since his original cap number had been $5.2MM, the Eagles will create $2.8MM in cap savings with the move.

Jason Peters, Jason Kelce, Evan Mathis, and Lane Johnson appear poised to continue to anchor Philadelphia’s offensive line for the 2015 season. Matt Tobin and Andrew Gardner also remain under contract, and both players filled in at times due to injuries or suspensions during the 2014 season — along with Allen Barbre, they look like the frontrunners to compete for Herremans’ old job in the Eagles’ starting lineup this summer.

Bengals Cut Robert Geathers, Greg Little

February 27th, 2015 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bengals have announced a pair of cuts, confirming today (via Twitter) that they’ve let go of defensive lineman Robert Geathers and wide receiver Greg Little. Because both players have at least four accrued NFL seasons, they won’t need to pass through waivers, and will immediately become free agents.

Cincinnati’s release of Little won’t create any real cap savings, since the former Brown had been on a minimum-salary contract. However, the club will save $3.05MM in cap room due to the release of Geathers. The veteran defensive end had been slated to earn a $2.85MM base salary, along with a $200K workout bonus, with no dead money on his contract for 2015.

Little, 25, was cut by the Browns last offseason, and though he initially landed in Oakland, the Raiders didn’t find room for the former second-round pick on their regular-season roster. Little signed with the Bengals in October, but despite injuries to A.J. Green and Marvin Jones, the UNC couldn’t carve out much playing time in Cincinnati — he finished the year with just six catches on 12 targets, for a total of 69 yards.

As for Geathers, he becomes the latest long-tenured player to receive his walking papers this week, on the heels of players like A.J. Hawk and Todd Herremans being informed of their respective releases. Having initially joined the Bengals as a fourth-round pick in 2004, Geathers played 152 games for the franchise over the last 11 years, but hasn’t been a starter since the 2012 campaign. Cutting the 31-year-old prior to this year’s free agent period should give him a head start to try to latch on with another club.

Bears Re-Sign Zach Miller

February 27th, 2015 at 11:33am CST by Luke Adams

The Bears have kept tight end Zach Miller off the free agent market, extending his expiring contract today, according to an announcement from the team (via Twitter). Miller’s new deal is a one-year pact.

Miller, not to be confused with the Seahawks tight end who has the same name, saw his 2014 season come to an end before it even began, as he went down in August with a season-ending foot injury and spent the year on injured reserve. However, the Bears liked what they saw from Miller prior to that injury — he caught a pair of touchdowns in the team’s preseason opener.

Considering Miller had been on a minimum-salary contract in 2014, he’ll almost certainly make the minimum again on his new deal after sitting out the season. While the new agreement may include a little guaranteed money, it won’t be enough to assure of him anything heading into camp this summer.

Dolphins Rumors: Hartline, Wallace, Skuta

February 27th, 2015 at 10:56am CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins made a roster move this morning, announcing the release of wide receiver Brian Hartline, which will create more than $3MM in cap savings. A few of today’s Dolphins-related rumors stem directly from that transaction, so let’s dive in and round them up….

According to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, Hartline had been open to the idea of reducing his salary to remain with the Dolphins, but the team is not believed to have made an offer. A source close to Hartline tells Salguero that the wideout is disappointed by the move, but would like to land with a team closer to his native Ohio, and will prioritize clubs with accomplished quarterbacks. The Colts are one possibility, per Salguero.
Following up on a Thursday report that suggested Mike Wallace isn’t interested in restructuring his contract, Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald confirms that the receiver is at least uninterested in taking a pay cut. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk confirms with a source that there’s no roster bonus or other trigger in Wallace’s deal for March that would force the Dolphins to make a quick decision on the wideout. However, the $3MM guarantee on his deal has offset language, so if the team decides to cut Wallace, doing so sooner rather than later could be advantageous.
49ers linebacker Dan Skuta, who is capable of playing both inside and outside, is on the list of free agents the Dolphins like, writes Jackson.
Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (Twitter links) has heard from multiple people that new head of football operations Mike Tannenbaum actually has his eye on the 2016 season rather than 2015. As Beasley points out, that means the possibility of a roster purge is in play, though he’s skeptical that head coach Joe Philbin and GM Dennis Hickey would support a rebuild, given their potentially their job security.