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Month: November 2024

Packers Announce Coaching Changes

February 12th, 2015 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

12:05pm: McCarthy confirmed at his press conference that Clements will call the offensive plays for the Packers in 2015, tweets Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

11:58am: The Packers have confirmed a handful of previously reported coaching changes, announcing today in a press release that the team has made changes on both sides of the ball, and named a pair of new special teams assistants as well. The new titles on Mike McCarthy‘s staff are as follows:

  • Tom Clements: Associate head coach/offense
  • Edgar Bennett: Offensive coordinator
  • Alex Van Pelt: Quarterbacks and wide receivers coach
  • Mike Solari: Assistant offensive line coach
  • Jerry Montgomery: Defensive front assistant
  • Ron Zook: Special teams coordinator
  • Jason Simmons: Assistant special teams coach

While the press release doesn’t mention anything about the Packers’ offensive play calls, McCarthy is expected to hand over the reins on play-calling to Clements as part of his promotion. Clements had previously been Green Bay’s offensive coordinator, while McCarthy called the plays, and now it appears that Bennett will be the OC while Clements calls plays.

McCarthy will speak to local reporters at the top of the hour to confirm the changes.

East Notes: Dolphins, Wallace, Maclin, Bills

February 12th, 2015 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

A possible contract extension for starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill will be a top priority for the Dolphins this offseason, but the club will also need to secure a backup, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. In Salguero’s view, considering Tannehill has been sacked more than any other QB in the league over the last two seasons, Miami will target a veteran backup who could potentially salvage the season if he were forced into action. Given his history with the team, free-agent-to-be Matt Moore may be the Dolphins’ best bet, but there should be no shortage of veteran alternatives on the market.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Nothing is off limits this offseason for wide receiver Mike Wallace, including being retained, traded or released by the Dolphins. Mulling the idea of a Wallace trade, James Walker of ESPN.com names three potential suitors for the veteran wideout, identifying the Seahawks and Colts as the best fits.
  • It doesn’t make much sense for Jeremy Maclin to sign a deal with the Eagles right now, writes Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, pointing out that Maclin could end up being the best receiver on the market in a few weeks depending on how teams use their franchise tags. If Maclin were to sign an extension with Philadelphia now, he could short-change himself by millions – or tens of millions – during his best chance to “hit the jackpot.”
  • Appearing on WGR 550 in Buffalo today, Bills head coach Rex Ryan indicated the team is keeping every option open in the search for an answer at quarterback. “We are in the evaluating stages. So, we’re looking,” Ryan said, per Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550. “We’ve got the draft coming up, free agency is coming up. You’re looking at all those type of things. Are there some scenarios out there, are there trade possibilities? You look at every possible scenario there is. From Doug Whaley all the way to our scouts, all our positional coaches… we’re looking at that. Believe me, we’ll be prepared for every scenario out there.“
  • Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com makes 12 predictions for the coming offseason, forecasting that DeMarco Murray will return to the Cowboys on a team-friendly deal, Dallas will pay Dez Bryant a top-of-the-market multiyear contract, and Darrelle Revis will pass up a potentially bigger offer to return to the Patriots.

Terrell Thomas Announces Retirement

February 12th, 2015 at 10:16am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran cornerback Terrell Thomas has announced his retirement from the NFL, the Giants confirmed today in a press release. Thomas hadn’t been on the Giants’ roster, but he played virtually entire his NFL career with the team, never appearing in a regular season game for another club.

Thomas, who turned 30 last month, was selected in the second round of the 2008 draft, and ultimately appeared in 60 games for the Giants, starting 41 of them. He was sidelined for two years – 2011 and 2012 – after suffering consecutive ACL injuries, the second and third ACL tears of his career. The USC product returned to the field in 2013 and was active in all 16 games for the Giants, making seven starts and logging 588 defensive snaps, but he expressed concern last June that teams were wary about signing him because of his injury history.

Although he eventually got a look from the Seahawks in training camp, Thomas didn’t make the club’s regular season roster, and didn’t catch on with another team during the 2014 season. The veteran corner admits that he thought he would have an active free agency, and would have no trouble finding a home, but says doctors didn’t give the OK on his knee.

“Knowing the game of football, being 29 with three ACL (injuries), I just figured my time is short,” Thomas said. “I can keep chasing a dream, but I was blessed to be able to come back and play that one year (2013). To be able to show my family and fans, my daughter and myself that I worked hard enough to overcome some significant injuries and I became the second player in NFL history to come back from three ACLs. I didn’t play with a brace. I am proud of my accomplishments. I have been through a lot and I overcame it. I am a smart dude and I am not going to chase football. Football is not chasing me. I feel like my time is over. I was blessed enough to play six years in the NFL. I lived my dream, and now it is time for the next chapter of my life.”

For his career, Thomas accumulated 285 total tackles, grabbed 12 interceptions, and defended 46 passes. His best season came in 2010, when he had 101 tackles, five INTs, 21 passes defended, and four forced fumbles.

Free Agent Market For Wide Receivers

February 12th, 2015 at 8:54am 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 wide receivers. Let’s dive in….

Top unrestricted FAs:

No other position has the same sort of star power at the top as this year’s free agent group of receivers does. In fact, in our last installment of 2015’s free agent power rankings, four of our top eight players were wideouts, with Bryant, Thomas, Maclin, and Cobb all making the cut.

Still, it’s probably fair to assume that Bryant and Thomas, at least, won’t reach the open market. Their respective teams have the franchise tag at their disposal, and intend to use it if a long-term agreement can’t be reached. Maclin and Cobb, on the other hand, may not warrant a tag, so they’ll be worth watching as free agency nears. If they make it to the open market, long-term deals worth $10MM+ annually aren’t out of the question, considering how many receiver-needy teams have cap room to spare.

While those four players are probably in a tier of their own, Smith isn’t far behind, and Crabtree is only two years removed from an 1,100-yard season. The rest of the list is a mix of reliable veterans (Royal, Washington, Wayne), and players with some upside (Britt, Nicks, Shorts), though teams likely won’t want to make too significant an investment on a guy from either of those groups.

Other unrestricted options:

You could make the case that Welker should be in the top tier of free agent wideouts this offseason, but his history of head injuries, combined with declining production, has him mulling the possibility of retirement, and I don’t think he’s the same guy he was even two or three seasons ago. Nonetheless, he’s one of the more intriguing names among this group, which features a number of players who are either past their primes or have yet to fully realize theirs.

If you’re looking for a player with some upside here, you could do worse than the two Raiders, Brown and Denarius Moore. Jernigan, who turns 26 this year, is also an interesting option — he was poised to assume a much larger role in the Giants’ offense in 2014 before a foot injury cut his season short. Williams also may have something left in the tank after a lost season in Buffalo, but a team shouldn’t invest more than a minimum-salary contract to find out.

In fact, that probably applies to most players on this list. There’s an outside chance a club could find an impact performer in this group, but most of these guys will end up no higher than third or fourth on a team’s depth chart. Others may not even rank that highly, contributing primarily on special teams or in the return game rather than an offense.

Restricted FAs:

It’s not easy to pry away a restricted free agent from a team that wants to keep him, and I assume that will be the case for the more noteworthy names among this year’s RFA wideouts. Guys like Beasley, Holmes, Johnson, Kearse, and Streater should pique the interest of teams in need of wideouts, but I imagine their current clubs will submit contract tenders to bring them back.

In my view, Holmes is the most interesting player in this group, but considering how much cap room the Raiders have, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Raiders placed a higher tender on the 26-year-old to discourage rival suitors from courting him. Typically, a minimum-level RFA tender is enough to scare off potential bidders, but for less than $1MM, Oakland could increase its offer to a second-round tender, meaning that any club hoping to sign Holmes would have to part with a second-round pick to land him.

Previous looks at the 2015 free agent market:

Extra Points: Rams, Bell, Incognito

February 11th, 2015 at 10:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Inglewood mayor James Butts told The Beast 980 that enough signatures have been acquired to support a stadium initiative. The next step in the process will be a public hearing regarding the stadium project on February 24th. Of course, there are many more hurdles to be cleared, but this is a potentially big step towards clearing a path toward the Rams heading west to L.A. More from around the NFL..

  • Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell is expected to be suspended for the first two games of the 2015 season following his August arrest, sources told ESPN.com’s John Clayton. Since Bell is a first-time offender, that’s the maximum suspension allowed under the NFL’s new substance abuse policy.
  • New Bills offensive guard Richie Incognito told Jeff Darlington of NFL Media that he discussed the Miami bullying scandal with his new team and told the club about what he learned from the situation. The 31-year-old says that he understands that this will be his last chance to play in the NFL given the hit that his reputation has taken.
  • The Chargers regressed on special teams in 2014 and they’ll need some reinforcements for 2015, Tom Krasovic of U-T San Diego writes. Depending on how things break, it’s possible that the Bolts could carry a kickoff specialist. Of course, doing that would take a bit away from other area on the roster.
  • The somewhat surprising decision by the Buccaneers to release quarterback Josh McCown could signal that the team is gearing up to spend significant dollars in free agency, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Meanwhile, if the Bucs don’t use that money to sign another quarterback in free agency, that almost certainly means the club will select either Marcus Mariota or Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick.
  • Former Buccaneers GM Mark Dominik‘s experience with Josh Freeman is why he prefers Mariota to Winston, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Both have serious talent, but Mariota is regarded as someone with very high character.
  • The Saints should retain Mark Ingram, but only at the right price, according to Sean Fazende of WVUE. Ingram stands as the fourth-best free agent tailback in Fazende’s view and he feels a four-year, $16MM offer with $6MM guaranteed would make sense for both sides.
  • Michael Felger of CSNNE.com wonders if the Broncos might use Tom Brady‘s contract as leverage in contract talks.

NFC North Notes: Marshall, Peterson, Favre

February 11th, 2015 at 10:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Brandon Marshall wants to return to the Bears but he hasn’t received any assurances he will next season, Patrick Finley of Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I definitely love Chicago, but I definitely understand it’s a business on both ends,” Marshall said. “For me, I wanna win. The organization wants to win. (Owner Virginia) McCaskey wants to win. So we’re definitely aligned there. But there’s a business side on both ends, and I get that.” The wide receiver is coming off of an injury-plagued season and is scheduled to make $7.5MM in 2015, leading some to believe that the new regime might look to cut ties with him. More from the NFC North..

  • Vikings president Mark Wilf expressed support for the idea of embattled running back Adrian Peterson returning to the team, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. “Adrian’s done a lot of good in this community,” Wilf said. “He’s done a lot for us on the football field, as well. Of course, he’s a Minnesota Viking, and we’d love to have him back. And of course, a lot depends on the NFL and steps he’s making in his own personal journey. That’s where we’re at with it.“
  • The Vikings have decisions to make on the fifth-year options of left tackle Matt Kalil and safety Harrison Smith and Brian Hall of FOX Sports North looked at the pros and cons.
  • Former Packers GM Ron Wolf spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) on the 23rd anniversary of Green Bay trading their first-round choice to the Falcons for Brett Favre. “If it came to it, I would have given a number one up to get Favre to Green Bay. I was ready to pull the trigger no matter what,” Wolf said.

Reactions To Bucs Releasing Josh McCown

February 11th, 2015 at 7:51pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Buccaneers bid farewell to Josh McCown after a rough year in Tampa Bay. McCown elevated his stock in 2013 when he filled in admirably for Jay Cutler in Chicago, but he was unable to carry that momentum over to 2014, winning just one of eleven starts. Even though McCown stumbled badly, he should wind up having multiple teams interested in him, especially given what else is out there at the position. More on McCown..

  • At one point, McCown was quasi-retired, but at this point his plan is to continue playing, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • McCown has already heard from a few interested teams wanting him to visit, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).
  • Ben Volin of The Boston Globe (on Twitter) speculates that the Bills would be all over McCown. He adds that the Browns, Texans, Jets, and Titans could also be in on the veteran.
  • Some of the money the Buccaneers saved by releasing McCown could go towards signing linebacker Lavonte David to a long-term deal, Ira Kaufman of The Tampa Tribune tweets. David is eligible to be a free agent in 2016.
  • McCown to the Ravens sounds good on the surface, but it’s not all that likely to happen given the dearth of quarterbacks available, writes Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun. McCown is flawed, of course, but the demand for signal-callers far outweighs the free agent supply. McCown will probably look for an opportunity to start or, at the very least, sit behind an iffy or injury-prone starter elsewhere. Still, McCown flourished under new Ravens’ offensive coordinator Marc Trestman with the Bears in 2013 and Joe Flacco‘s backup, Tyrod Taylor, is a pending free agent. If everything came together, one has to imagine that Baltimore would have serious interest in the veteran.
  • The Buccaneers cutting McCown bodes well for Jameis Winston, Steven Ruiz of USA Today Sports writes. Ruiz figures that the Bucs won’t have the patience to develop Marcus Mariota and will instead go with the FSU star who spent the last two years operating a pro-style offense.

Browns Notes: Manziel, Hoyer, Gordon

February 11th, 2015 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

In a chat with reporters earlier today, Browns owner Jimmy Haslam confirmed that GM Ray Farmer sent text messages to other members of the organization during games this past season, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. Still, Haslam remains in Farmer’s corner.

“I think Ray Farmer knows and has [privately] said that he made a mistake in sending those texts,” Haslam said. “Ray feels terrible about it. Ray’s a guy — I’ve known a lot of people — I think he has utmost integrity. And I think it’s important for you all to know that Ray has the organization’s and my full support, and despite the fact that he made a mistake here, it does not affect his standing with the Browns. He is totally focused on doing whatever we’re going to do in free agency and more importantly getting our organization ready for the draft.”

More highlights from Haslam’s chat..

  • Haslam is glad to see Johnny Manziel entering rehab. “I applaud him for raising his hand and saying I need help,” the owner said. He added that it’s way too early to give up on the polarizing quarterback and the organization “absolutely” believes that he can be a starter in the NFL.
  • The owner said that he didn’t mandate Manziel going to rehab and has no expectations for when he might rejoin the team.
  • Some are wondering why the Browns went ahead with drafting Manziel in the face of red flags, but Haslam inferred that the team might not have known everything about his history. “I don’t know how much of Johnny’s personal life was known by everybody then,” Haslam said.
  • Back in May, former Browns quarterbacks coach Dowell Loggains said a text he received from Manziel on the first night of the 2014 draft helped get the ball rolling towards picking him. However, Haslam said that story isn’t accurate and reiterated that Manziel was their top QB on the board.
  • The Browns are “going to explore every option” when it comes to re-signing quarterback Brian Hoyer, Haslam said.
  • Haslam wouldn’t rule out possibly trading up to draft a quarterback in the first round. “We’ve said we would do what’s necessary to solve the quarterback situation,” explained the owner.
  • Haslam expressed disappointment in wide receiver Josh Gordon, saying that he has failed to accept responsibility for his actions. For at least the next year, he says, the franchise has moved on from Gordon.
  • The Browns will be less involved in free agency than they were last year, according to the owner.
  • The Browns love restricted free agent free safety Tashaun Gipson, Haslam said. The team is working to keep him.
  • Despite rumors of heavy fighting within the organization, Haslam says things are going well in Cleveland. He added that it’s a misconception that coaches and executives want out of Cleveland and that the key people like working for the Browns.

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Lynch, 49ers

February 11th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Both Cardinals GM Steve Keim and head coach Bruce Arians have excelled since entering their roles and they’re both on the verge of being rewarded with extensions, according to team president Michael Bidwill. “I think it’s the right thing to do, and I want to reward people that have had success and brought success to the team,” Bidwill told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM. “I can’t think of two people more deserving — coach of the year, two times in three years, executive of the year. They’ve both done tremendous jobs, brought tremendous leadership and success to the organization and I want to be in the habit of rewarding people that bring that kind of success.” More out of the NFC West…

  • Seahawks GM John Schneider told KJR that he’s not sure if Marshawn Lynch is contemplating retirement because he wants a new contract or because he’s possibly done with football, according to Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times (on Twitter).
  • When asked about free agent cornerback Byron Maxwell, Schneider stated the obvious. “He would be very sought after [if he reaches the open market],” the GM said (link). He added that the Seahawks will put up a big fight to try and keep him, but he doesn’t know if that effort will ultimately be enough (link).
  • Defensive lineman Justin Smith, who is contemplating retirement, has been a regular visitor at the 49ers’ Santa Clara facility since the end of the season, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. Smith has one season remaining at a salary of $4.25MM and this could be a sign that he’s leaning toward returning in 2015.
  • Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times still expects to see Beast Mode in a Seahawks uniform next season. Condotta also digs in to Schneider’s comments regarding contract talks with Russell Wilson. He believes that the GM was hinting that Wilson would be willing to iron out a deal that would be cap friendly, but not necessarily one that would call for a big hometown discount. Schneider’s comments also inferred that it will take some time to come together as they wait for some dominoes to fall, in Condotta’s view.
  • Former NFL signal caller Jeff Garcia will interview for the Rams‘ quarterbacks coach job on Thursday, according to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (on Twitter).

Bucs Release Josh McCown

February 11th, 2015 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers’ quarterback situation for 2015 remains uncertain for now, but the team has decided to remove at least one veteran from the equation. According to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter), the Bucs are releasing quarterback Josh McCown from their roster. The team has since confirmed the move, via a press release.Josh McCown

Coming off an excellent run in Chicago in which he threw 13 touchdowns and just one interception in relief of Jay Cutler in 2013, McCown inked a two-year, $10MM deal with the Bucs last offseason. Many observers viewed the contract warily, since McCown has been a backup for most of his NFL career, posting a 71.2 QB rating in 54 total games (33 starts) prior to ’13. McCown’s age-35 season, his lone year as Tampa Bay’s primary starter, didn’t go well — he won just one of 11 starts, throwing more INTs (14) than TDs (11), and completing just 56.3% of his passes.

McCown’s deal didn’t include a signing bonus, so the Buccaneers won’t be on the hook for any dead money in 2015 — the club creates $5.25MM in cap savings by clearing the veteran’s entire base salary from its books. It’s also possible that McCown won’t be the last QB the Bucs part ways with this offseason. Mike Glennon and Seth Lobato remain on the roster, and Glennon has been cited frequently as a potential trade candidate. Given how weak this year’s market is for signal-callers – both in free agency and in the draft – Glennon could potentially net Tampa Bay a mid-round draft pick.

While there aren’t many long-term quarterback solutions expected to be available in the draft, there are two solid options at the top of the class, and the Bucs, armed with the No. 1 overall pick, will have their choice of either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. A report earlier today suggested that head coach Lovie Smith prefers Winston, though with the combine, pro days, and individual interviews still on tap, plenty could change between now and April 30.

As for McCown, he re-enters the quarterback market a year after signing the largest deal at his position. The free agent market for quarterbacks, which I examined on Monday, looks just as weak this winter as it did in 2014. Teams may prefer players like Brian Hoyer and Mark Sanchez to McCown, but the former third-round pick should be among the top options on the board.

One potentially intriguing destination for McCown could be Baltimore. He wouldn’t have the opportunity to compete for a starting job with Joe Flacco locked in as the starter, but the Ravens could be in the market for a backup with Tyrod Taylor facing free agency, and Baltimore’s new offensive coordinator is Marc Trestman, who got the most out of McCown in Chicago. Of course, given the number of teams that figure to seek a veteran to compete for a No. 1 role, and the lack of top-notch options available, McCown may prefer an opportunity that could lead to more playing time.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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