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Month: November 2024

Seahawks Sign 11 To Futures Contracts

February 4th, 2015 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With their season now in the books, the Seahawks have become the latest team to announce their initial wave of reserve/futures signings for 2015. Bob Condotta of the Seattle has the details, tweeting that the club announced 11 signings, with all of those players coming from the end-of-year practice squad. Here’s the complete list of signees, via Condotta (Twitter links):

Nine of those signees finished the 2014 season on Seattle’s active practice squad, while Bronson and Warmsley had landed on the taxi squad’s IR list. Of the players who finished the year on the unit, only linebacker Allen Bradford remains unsigned.

Steelers Re-Sign Greg Warren

February 4th, 2015 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers have re-signed veteran long snapper Greg Warren, the team announced today in a press release. Warren, who was set to become an unrestricted free agent, agreed to a one-year contract.

While terms of the deal aren’t immediately available, Warren is coming off a minimum salary benefit deal, which saw him earn a minimum base salary and the maximum allowable $65K signing bonus. There’s a good chance his new agreement with Pittsburgh looks the same as that contract.

Warren, 33, has served as the Steelers’ regular long snapper since the 2005 season, appearing in 149 regular season games during his time with the club. He had been one of 14 long snappers around the NFL eligible to hit the open market this offseason.

Trade Rumors App Now Has Notifications

February 4th, 2015 at 2:53pm CST by Tim Dierkes

The world’s best app for staying up-to-date on NFL, MLB, and NBA trades and free agency just got better. I’m happy to announce that our free Trade Rumors app, available for iOS and Android, now has notifications! You can set up notifications at the sport, team, or even player level, and receive a notification as soon as a new article is posted on that topic.

We’ve also rolled out an improved, more intuitive layout to the app, with each feed represented by a vertical column on the home screen. Switch between your feeds by swiping left on the home screen. Vertical columns allow for easier one-hand scrolling.

[Download Trade Rumors for iOS and Android]

But wait, there’s more! Other features of the Trade Rumors app:

  • Customize your home screen. The app has feeds for Pro Football Rumors, MLB Trade Rumors, and Hoops Rumors by default, but if you’re more of a one or two-sport person, you can easily remove and reorder feeds. You can also add a feed for any of the 92 MLB, NFL, or NBA teams, as well as the thousands of players in the archives of our three sites. Please note that the default ordering puts MLB Trade Rumors on your home screen, but you can easily go into Settings to reorder and add or remove feeds.
  • We’ve also allowed for filtering of all stories versus top stories, for what is shown on the home screen as well as for notifications. This allows you to limit yourself to just the most important news for a feed, if you prefer.
  • Article sharing options are plentiful: choose Facebook, Twitter, email, and text message.
  • Once you’ve clicked an article in a feed, you can swipe to read the next article in that feed.
  • Did we mention the Trade Rumors app is completely free? Download today for iOS and Android.

Wondering what’s next for the always-improving Trade Rumors app? We intend to add comments, but must first switch to a native commenting system on the three websites.

TradeRumors-Google-FeaturedImg

Minor Moves: Wednesday

February 4th, 2015 at 2:35pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL in this space, with the latest moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:

  • Cornerback Al Louis-Jean has re-signed with the Bears on a two-year deal, the team announced today (via Twitter). An undrafted free agent, Louis-Jean remained under team control, but didn’t have a contract for 2015, as an exclusive rights free agent. The 21-year-old recorded nine tackles and one pass defended as a rookie in 2014.
  • The Seahawks have signed wide receiver Douglas McNeil to a three-year reserve/futures contract, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). McNeil, who spent some time on the Broncos’ practice squad earlier in the season, finished the season on Seattle’s taxi squad. With Seattle’s season now over, I expect we’ll see the club lock up several more of its PS players very soon.
  • In addition to naming a defensive coordinator today, the Cardinals also made a small roster move, signing free agent safety D.J. Campbell, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). Cut before the 2014 season by the 49ers, Campbell last player a regular season game in 2013 for the Dolphins.

Cardinals Promote James Bettcher To DC

February 4th, 2015 at 2:11pm CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 2:11pm: The Cardinals have officially named Bettcher the team’s new defensive coordinator, per a team release. The team also confirmed Sanders’ hiring as a linebackers coach, and promoted Mike Chiurco to a defensive assistant/assistant DBs coach role.

SUNDAY, 1:58pm: The Cardinals are set to promote outside linebackers coach James Bettcher to defensive coordinator, according to Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910 (Twitter link). Bettcher will replace Todd Bowles, who was hired as the Jets’ head coach. Per Jurecki, the club will officially announce the Bettcher’s hiring tomorrow, and will also hire Bob Sanders as a linebackers coach.

We heard last week that Arizona would likely promote a new DC from within following the Super Bowl, meaning that Cardinals coaches Brentson Buckner, Kevin Ross, Nick Rapone, and Tom Pratt were viewed as candidates alongside Bettcher. Head coach Bruce Arians & Co. ultimately settled on the 36-year-old Bettcher, who’s been on the Cards’ coaching staff since 2013. A longtime college coach, Bettcher served as the special teams coordinator at New Hampshire in 2011 before acting as a special assistant to Chuck Pagano, Arians, and the Colts in 2012. Last year, Bettcher contributed to an Arizona defense that played extremely well (7th in DVOA) despite numerous injuries; as OLB coach, Bettcher coaxed impressive performances out of veterans like John Abraham and little-known players such as Sam Acho.

Bettcher will oversee a Cardinals defensive unit that could see significant change in 2015. Antonio Cromartie, Dan Williams, Tommy Kelly, and Acho are all free agents, and Arizona might not have the cap space needed to retain them. Veteran linebackers Abraham and Larry Foote are also impending FAs, and both could strongly consider retirement. Given the club’s financial restraints, it will likely have to rely on under-the-radar veteran signings, as well as developing draft picks, to maintain its success next season.

In addition to internal candidates, the Cardinals also had flirtations with two veteran defensive coaches before settling on Bettcher. The club had discussions with ex-Steelers coordinator Dick LeBeau, and nearly hired him as either a LB coach or a senior defensive assistant, but those negotiations ultimately fell through. Arizona also reportedly had interest in former Falcons DC Mike Nolan, but he instead took a position on the Chargers’ staff.

Per Jurecki, Sanders will be hired “as one of the LB coaches,” so it’s possible he’ll be brought in to directly replace Bettcher. The 61-year-old Sanders, not to be confused with the former Colts safety of the same name, served in the college ranks from 1978-2001. He acted as the Packers’ DC from 2006-08, and most recently was the Raiders’ LBs coach from 2013-14.

Falcons Notes: Weatherspoon, Coaching Staff

February 4th, 2015 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

As the Browns face potential sanctions from the NFL regarding a violation of the league’s electronic use policy, the Falcons are under investigation for pumping in artificial crowd noise at their home games, as we heard over the weekend. Owner Arthur Blank essentially acknowledged the team’s guilt during his meeting with the media yesterday, as ESPN.com details.

“I think what we’ve done in 2013 and 2014 was wrong,” Blank said. “Anything that affects the competitive balance and fairness on the field, we’re opposed to, as a league, as a club and as an owner. It’s obviously embarrassing but beyond embarrassing it doesn’t represent our culture and what we’re about.”

Like the Browns, the Falcons face penalties that may include fines or the loss of a draft pick, and Blank confirmed that he expects to hear from the league regarding the matter within the next couple weeks.

Here are a few more Falcons-related items for Wednesday:

  • Linebacker Sean Weatherspoon, who missed the 2014 season with a ruptured Achilles, will be “an important part of building this defense and building this team,” Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said yesterday, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution. That’s a strong endorsement for a player who doesn’t yet have a contract for the 2015 season, and suggests Atlanta is serious about bringing Weatherspoon back.
  • The Falcons received permission from the Seahawks to speak to Marquand Manuel, and will interview him Friday for their defensive backs coach job, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. McClure hears from a source that Seattle tried hard to keep Manuel, but it appears he’ll be joining former Seattle DC Dan Quinn in Atlanta — Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (TwitLonger link) says Manuel will be a senior defensive consultant for the Falcons, in addition to overseeing the secondary.
  • A pair of former Washington coaches are also set to join Quinn’s staff. Pete Sampson of Irish Illustrated tweets that current Notre Dame QBs coach Matt LaFleur is expected to leave the Fighting Irish for the Falcons, while John Keim of ESPN.com says (via Twitter) that Atlanta will also likely hire Mike McDaniel in some capacity. LaFleur previously served as Washington’s QBs coach, while McDaniel was the club’s WRs coach.
  • Alex Marvez of Fox Sports has even more details on new hirings for the Falcons, writing that the team has hired former Syracuse director of football operations Steve Scarnecchia (assistant to the head coach) and former UCLA defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich (LBs coach).

Browns May Lose Draft Pick For ‘Textgate’

February 4th, 2015 at 11:46am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL is expected to conclude its investigation into a sideline text-messaging incident involving the Browns either this week or early next week, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, who reports that the team are facing potential sanctions for the rule violation. Per Cabot, Browns GM Ray Farmer may be suspended, and the team could also be fined and even lose a 2015 draft pick for its actions.

Nearly a month ago, it was reported that a high-ranking official for the Browns texted the sidelines from the press box about playcalls during a game. Multiple sources have since told Cabot that it was Farmer who violated the NFL’s electronic use policy by texting the sideline, where his messages were apparently relayed to coaches. Per Cabot, the league is expected to announce sanctions for the Browns as soon as this week, and no later than three weeks or so from now — Farmer is facing a suspension of three or four games if it’s confirmed he violated the policy, and Cleveland may also be penalized a draft pick, though it’s not clear how high a pick it would be.

As we wait to see how the league rules on the situation, here are a few more Browns-related notes:

  • In a piece examining the situation in Cleveland, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes that the culture in the Browns building is “toxic.” Many of those who can leave – like former OC Kyle Shanahan – are eager to do so as soon as possible, according to La Canfora, who reports that, at season’s end, Shanahan presented head coach Mike Pettine with a 32-point breakdown explaining why he wanted out of his contract, which prompted the two sides to draw up an agreement to allow him to walk away.
  • Multiple team sources tell La Canfora that Farmer is “a path of least resistance” for owner Jimmy Haslam on personnel decisions. La Canfora also hears that it wasn’t unusual for Farmer to text and/or call ex-QBs coach Dowell Loggains during game days. There has been growing friction between Farmer and Pettine as well, writes the CBSSports.com scribe.
  • One team source, to La Canfora, on Haslam: “Jimmy is way too hands on. He’s like Jerry Jones, only without the football knowledge. There’s tension between [team president] Alec [Scheiner] and Pettine. Everybody sees that. Alec is involved in everything; it’s too much for him. There are no divisions. The guys on the business side want to run football operations. The GM wants to coach the team and have input on play calling. Jimmy calls the shots, and everyone is afraid of him with that quick trigger finger. If you stand up to Jimmy, he’s done with you. Jimmy’s own worst enemy is Jimmy.”
  • Tight end Jordan Cameron isn’t interested in re-signing with the Browns, sources tell La Canfora, who adds that the club isn’t interested in bringing in Mark Sanchez as a veteran QB option.
  • Calling the Browns a “raging dumpster fire,” Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com writes that Farmer must face the music and answer several questions about his decisions and his actions.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Hughes, Dolphins, Jets

February 4th, 2015 at 11:15am CST by Luke Adams

During the Bills‘ sale process last year, several intriguing names surfaced as potential bidders, but no group ever emerged as a serious threat to Buffalo Sabres owners Terry and Kim Pegula, who ultimately assumed control of the franchise. Months later, Tim Graham of the Buffalo News adds one more noteworthy name to the list of one-time suitors for the team. According to Graham, former New York Yankees shortstop Derek Jeter explored the possibility of investing in the Bills while playing his final MLB season. Presumably, Jeter would have been a part of a larger group, considering the final sale price for the franchise was $1.4 billion.

While we try to wrap our heads around the idea of Jeter as a Bills shareholder, let’s check in on several more items from across the AFC East….

  • The Bills will have to think long and hard about whether or not edge defender Jerry Hughes is a good fit in Rex Ryan‘s defensive system, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN. If the free-agent-to-be, coming off consecutive seasons of 10+ sacks, is looking to be paid like a top-10 defensive end, that would mean an annual salary of $8.3MM+ and/or $20MM+ in guaranteed money. That seems a little too pricey if Hughes is relegated to a part-time pass rusher under Ryan.
  • Responding to a piece by his colleague Dave Hyde, Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel explores how difficult it would be to replace a handful of Dolphins starters if the team decides to cut them for cap purposes.
  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates takes a look at some good and bad cap situations around the NFL, identifying the Jets as a club with one of the most favorable outlooks.
  • If the Patriots cheated by deflating footballs in the AFC’s championships game, they’re hardly alone, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who details a number of rules violations committed by other NFL teams over the years. Per Florio, the NFL is currently investigating four cases of game-integrity violations — Deflategate, the Browns’ sideline texting incident, the Falcons’ artificial crowd noise, and one unknown issue.

2015 Salaries Become Guaranteed For Brees, Graham, Others

February 4th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Luke Adams

Saints quarterback Drew Brees and tight end Jimmy Graham are among the players whose 2015 base salaries become fully guaranteed today, according to former player agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The contracts for Brees, Graham, Browns cornerback Joe Haden, and Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy all call for guarantees on the third day of the 2015 waiver period, which is today.

For Brees, that means that his $18.75MM base salary for 2015 is now fully guaranteed (Twitter link). Combined with a $7.4MM prorated signing bonus charge and a $250K workout bonus, Brees now counts for $26.4MM against the Saints’ cap, though that number could be reduced if the veteran signal-caller restructures or extends his deal. As for Graham, his $2.9MM base salary for 2015 becomes guaranteed along with his $5MM roster bonus for this year (Twitter link). After counting for just $4MM against New Orleans’ cap in 2014, the tight end’s cap number jumps to $11MM for the coming year.

Like Brees, Haden will simply see his 2015 base salary ($8.3MM) guaranteed today, without any additional bonuses (Twitter link). That locks him in for an $11.7MM cap hit on the Browns’ books, which is actually a step down from 2014’s $12.13MM figure.

Finally, McCoy’s contract sees the most activity — not only will his $5MM base salary and $6.5MM roster bonus for 2015 become guaranteed, but he’ll also have his 2016 base salary ($6MM) guaranteed, ensuring that he secures $17.5MM in total guarantees today (Twitter links). The standout defensive lineman is on the books for a $14.595MM cap number for the coming season.

2015 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates: NFC North

February 4th, 2015 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for assigning a franchise or transition tag on a 2015 free-agent-to-be is less than a month away, and we’re in the process of taking a look at players who are candidates to be tagged this year. Last week, we examined all four AFC divisions, covering the East, North, South, and West. This week, we’re shifting our focus to the NFC — we kicked things off on Tuesday with the East and we’ll tackle the North today. Here’s a breakdown of the franchise and transition tag candidates for the Bears, Lions, Packers, and Vikings:

Chicago Bears:

  • Candidates: Stephen Paea
  • Odds of being used: Unlikely
  • The Bears have a ton of pending free agents, but most of them are either non-core players, or longtime contributors who are no longer realistic candidates to be tagged, such as Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs. I don’t expect Chicago to use either of its tags, but if there’s one option out there, it’s probably Paea, whose impressive 2014 campaign may have been overlooked by many due to the defense’s poor overall performance. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded Paea as the league’s 11th-best defensive tackle, marking him down for 47 overall quarterback pressures, a lofty total for an interior lineman — among DTs, only Ndamukong Suh (57) and Kyle Williams (49) had more. It probably won’t take a franchise tag to retain Paea, but he should be a priority for the Bears if they have a spot for him in Vic Fangio‘s new defensive scheme.

Detroit Lions:

  • Candidates: Ndamukong Suh, Matt Prater
  • Odds of being used: Possible
  • You could make a case for Suh as the league’s top free-agent-to-be this offseason, which would normally mean the franchise tag makes a ton of sense. In Suh’s case though, his 2014 salary was so high that the cost of a franchise tag would be astronomical — nearly $27MM. As such, a long-term extension will be the Lions’ preference, but tagging Suh could be a last resort. If the star defender isn’t tagged, Prater may be considered, since he made 87% of his field goals for the club after a shaky debut. Still, considering they picked him up off the scrap heap just a few months ago, the Lions likely won’t have to tag the kicker to bring him back. Nick Fairley and Rashean Mathis are other regulars who may be briefly considered, but neither appears to be a viable option.

Green Bay Packers:

  • Candidates: Randall Cobb, Bryan Bulaga
  • Odds of being used: Possible
  • Cobb and Bulaga are players Green Bay would almost certainly like to have around for the 2015 season, and the wideout is the stronger candidate for a franchise tag than the offensive lineman. Although Bulaga has developed into a reliable right tackle for the Packers, the position just isn’t one that gets big money — as Over the Cap’s data shows, the highest-paid right tackle in the NFL (Gosder Cherilus) averages just $7MM per year, and a franchise salary would be significantly higher than that. Cobb, on the other hand, is coming off a season in which he recorded 91 receptions, 1,287 receiving yards, and 12 TDs. Those are No. 1 WR numbers, and Cobb is just 24 years old, so the Packers may be willing to pay him like one of the league’s best wideouts for a year while they try to work out a longer-term deal that’s worth a little less annually. Cornerback Tramon Williams is another solid contributor who might warrant fleeting consideration for a tag.

Minnesota Vikings:

  • Candidates: None
  • Odds of being used: Very unlikely
  • Defensive regulars Jasper Brinkley and Tom Johnson are among the club’s contributors eligible for free agency this offseason, but Minnesota doesn’t have a key free agent worth an eight-digit salary for 2015.
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