2015 February - Pro Football Rumors

Minor Moves: Cardinals, Falcons

February 25th, 2015 at 7:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s minor moves..

Former Chiefs defensive back Damond Smith has signed with the Cardinals, a league source tells Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Smith was with KC before being removed from the Chiefs’ injured reserve with an injury settlement in September. The 23-year-old previously played for the British Columbia Lions of the CFL.
Former UConn wide receiver Nick Williams has signed with the Falcons, according to Zac Boyer of The Washington Times (on Twitter). Williams first joined Washington as an undrafted free agent in 2013.

NFC West Notes: Palmer, Dockett, Seahawks

February 25th, 2015 at 7:03pm CST by Luke Adams

While he appeared over the weekend to be headed to Detroit, Australian rugby league star Jarryd Hayne still hasn’t officially signed with an NFL team. That leaves the door open for another suitor to swoop in, and agent Jack Bechta confirms to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that there’s mutual interest between Hayne and the 49ers. Per Maiocco, the Niners don’t have a standing offer out to Hayne, but could still put something on the table — the former rugby player is expected to decide on his NFL team early next week.

The Cardinals may decide to restructure Carson Palmer‘s contract in order to create some cap flexibility, tweets Mike Jurecki of 910 Fox Sports Arizona. Palmer’s has a $9.5MM roster bonus coming up in March, which could be converted into a signing bonus to free up a chunk of cap room for 2015.
Kent Somers of Arizona Republic dives into the Darnell Dockett situation in Arizona, explaining why the Cardinals will likely have a harder time finding common ground with the veteran defensive lineman than they did with wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald.
We heard earlier today that Ricky Jean-Francois has visits lined up with Washington and the 49ers, and those aren’t the only teams that he’s scheduled to meet. According to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter), a visit with the Seahawks is also on the free agent defensive lineman’s docket for this week.
With the idea of a fully guaranteed contract for Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson gaining steam (at least among reporters), Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes that one difficult aspect of such a deal would involve team ownership having to put the entire amount of the contract in escrow up front. While that wouldn’t be an issue for Seahawks owner Paul Allen, who is one of the richest men in America, if it were to set a precedent, other owners may be reluctant to sign off on fully guaranteed deals where $50-100MM could be tied up.

Michael Oher Visits With Panthers

February 25th, 2015 at 5:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Ravens and Titans offensive tackle Michael Oher recently visited the Panthers, league sources with knowledge of the situation tell Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Oher, 28, was let go by Tennessee earlier this offseason.

Oher signed with the Titans last offseason after playing his first five seasons with the Ravens. He played in eleven games in 2014 for the Titans before being placed on injured reserve. His deal with the Titans was definitely ill-advised and widely panned at the time, but Oher could bring a lot of upside on a more reasonable deal.

Oher’s best days came with the Ravens where he started all 80 games across five seasons. His best football came during the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII championship run. It was not a surprise to see Oher dropped by the Titans though, especially with Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan in the mix. Oher allowed six sacks and 26 quarterback hurries in eleven games in 2014 before landing on IR.

Jaguars To Hire John Idzik As Consultant

February 25th, 2015 at 5:13pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars are expected to hire former Jets GM John Idzik as a consultant, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter) hears from a source that Idzik will focus on focus on the salary cap and cash spending. Idzik will consult Tim Walsh, the team’s Director of Football Administration, in the Jags’ salary cap department, O’Halloran tweets.

The position sounds well-suited to Idzik, who made his name as a cap guru with the Seahawks but fell flat as the GM of the Jets. Idzik isn’t the most popular guy in the New York area, but recently Seahawks GM John Schneider told the press that he doesn’t think Idzik got a fair shake in New York.

“I felt bad for him. I think that, it’s just my personal opinion that you should be able to hire a head coach,” the Seattle GM said back in January.

After two bad seasons in New York, it’ll be a while – if ever – before we see Idzik land another GM job in the NFL. However, this job will give him the opportunity to get back to doing what he does best. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com hears that he won’t have any involvement in player evaluation.

Browns, Panthers Interested In Ted Ginn Jr.

February 25th, 2015 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

4:51pm: Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) adds the Panthers to the list of teams with interest in Ginn.

1:15pm: Wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. became one of a handful of veteran players to hit the free agent market early when he was released on Monday by the Cardinals. Now, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Ginn is drawing interest from the Browns, who have called his agent to convey that interest. Cabot adds that a number of other teams are eyeing the Cleveland native as well.

As Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com detailed yesterday, Ginn once said that he’d be interested in finishing his career with his hometown Browns. At age 29, the next contract Ginn signs is unlikely to be his last, but the Browns would still be a good match, given the team’s huge amount of cap room, and a need at special teams. According to Football Outsiders, Cleveland ranked 14th in special teams DVOA in 2014, but that rank was buoyed by a solid kicking and punting game — the club received negative grades for kick and punt returns.

One current Browns player in favor of signing Ginn is veteran safety Donte Whitner, who said he texted head coach Mike Pettine to tell him that Ginn is interested in the Browns.

“[Pettine] said it’s definitely a consideration,” Whitner said. “There may be something to it. Hopefully it will happen. … [Ginn] can take the top off a defense and also take it to the house on returns. We need a guy like him on our team.”

If the Browns are in the market for a veteran return man, they could kick the tires on another player who became available earlier today, as the division-rival Ravens parted ways with Jacoby Jones.

Jarret Johnson Announces Retirement

February 25th, 2015 at 4:28pm CST by Dallas Robinson

WEDNESDAY, 4:28pm: The Chargers have officially cut the retired Johnson from their roster, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: Longtime edge defender Jarret Johnson has announced his retirement today via an Instagram post. A veteran of 12 NFL seasons, the 33-year-old Johnson spent the first nine years of his career with the Ravens before joining the Chargers in 2012. His statement reads:

“Today I am announcing my retirement from the game I love. I lived a dream which few can say but it’s time to move on. I want to thank the Chargers organization for giving me a home these past three years. I have nothing but respect for the players, coaches, front office staff and fans that were apart of me and my families lives. It’s been a great ride!! I also want to thank my Baltimore family. Where I leaned to be a pro and conduct yourself like a warrior on the field. Where I spent 9 of the best years of my life.”

Originally a fourth-round pick in the 2003 draft, Johnson eventually started 132 games in his career, racking up 349 tackles and 25.5 sacks. His best season came in 2009, when he started all 16 games, picking six sacks, two interceptions, and a forced fumble. Johnson displayed valuable versatility during his career, lining up at both outside linebacker and on the defensive line. And for what it’s worth, he was always regarded as a team leader in both Baltimore and San Diego.

Johnson was entering the final season of his contract. The Chargers will free up $5MM in cap space due to his retirement, but will carry $2.5MM in dead money. Johnson becomes the third notable Charger to retire this offseason, following offensive lineman Jeromey Clary and Nick Hardwick.

Lions Cut Reggie Bush

February 25th, 2015 at 4:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Less than an hour after the division-rival Packers parted ways with a former top-five pick, the Lions have done the same, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Detroit has released running back Reggie Bush from his contract, allowing him to hit the open market.

Bush, who turns 30 next week, spent the last two seasons in Detroit. The former second overall pick had an excellent season in 2013, racking up more than 1,500 yards from scrimmage in just 14 games, establishing a new career high. However, he was plagued by injuries in 2014, and wasn’t overly effective when he did play. Overall, Bush accumulated just 297 yards on the ground and another 253 through the air in 11 games.

Having inked a four-year, $16MM contract two years ago, Bush had been under contract through the 2016 season. A total of $3.556MM in dead money will now count toward the Lions’ cap in 2015, assuming the team doesn’t designate Bush as a post-June 1 cut. The move creates a little over $1.7MM in cap savings, which the club could put toward re-signing Ndamukong Suh or another free agent.

As for Bush, despite his age and his injury history, he still has some upside. He certainly won’t land another $16MM contract, but the former USC star should receive some interest on the open market, particularly since he can visit teams immediately rather than having to wait another two weeks.

The Lions currently have Joique Bell, Theo Riddick, and George Winn under contract at running back, and look like a decent bet to add an inexpensive rookie to their backfield during the draft this spring.

Packers Release A.J. Hawk

February 25th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Luke Adams

After spending the last nine seasons – his entire NFL career – in Green Bay, linebacker A.J. Hawk will be looking for a new contract and a new team. The Packers announced today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with the veteran linebacker, releasing Hawk from their roster.

“A.J. is a consummate Packer and we are grateful for all that he has given and how he represented the organization over the past nine seasons,” GM Ted Thompson said in a statement. “He was a durable and consistent contributor to our success, but more importantly, he is a great person and teammate. The Packers are grateful for all that he has done on the field and in the community.”

Hawk, a former fifth overall pick, had been entering the final year of his contract, and would have counted for $5.1MM on Green Bay’s cap. By cutting him, the Packers clear his base salary, roster bonus, and workout bonus from their books, creating $3.5MM in cap savings.

Over the last nine years, Hawk has been one of the most recognizable players on the Packers’ defense, averaging over 100 tackles per year and appearing in all but two of the team’s regular-season games. However, toward the end of his tenure with the franchise, the 31-year-old’s production no longer matched his salary. In 2014, he saw his playing time scaled back toward the end of the season and in the playoffs as he struggled with an ankle injury, and he recorded a -14.4 grade for the season, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Hawk is the second longtime Packers linebacker to find himself on the free agent market within the last week. Green Bay also cut Brad Jones last Friday. Like Jones, Hawk won’t have to clear waivers, and is immediately free to sign elsewhere.

Extra Points: DeVito, L.A., Garcon, NFLPA

February 25th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

While hundreds of NFL writers will submit mock drafts within the next two months, few are more plugged in than Peter King of TheMMQB.com, whose first mock draft of the year lends credence to the idea that the Eagles have real interest in Marcus Mariota. King’s mock has the Eagles pulling off a trade with Washington to move up to the No. 5 spot and nab Mariota — Philadelphia gives up its first- and second-round picks this year, along with its first- and fourth-round picks for 2016, in the hypothetical swap.

Here’s more miscellany from around the NFL:

The Chiefs are expected to ask defensive lineman Mike DeVito to take a pay cut, reports Conor Orr of NFL.com. DeVito, who is set to earn a base salary of $3.75MM with a 2015 cap number of $5.4MM, could be cut by Kansas City if he decides he doesn’t want to accept a reduced salary.
As Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times reported late last night (via Twitter), Inglewood’s City Council unanimously approved Stan Kroenke‘s Hollywood Park stadium project. By approving the project, the Inglewood City Council can skip a couple steps, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk explains. City officials can now avoid putting the stadium proposal up for a public vote, and can avoid “potentially lengthy” environmental reviews. Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link) notes that Carson officials are expected to do the same thing with the Raiders/Chargers‘ stadium proposal.
There have been “zero talks” about Pierre Garcon‘s contract between his camp and the Washington front office, according to John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). That doesn’t mean discussions won’t happen at some point, but Keim notes there’s been nothing yet to indicate that any sort of move involving Garcon is coming.
An already crowded field got even more crowded today, as former NFL player Sean Morey emerged as the latest candidate to become executive director of the NFLPA, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
The latest MMQB.com piece from ex-Packers executive Andrew Brandt touches on a handful of interesting topics, as Brandt explores the L.A. issue, notes the different between a contract restructure and a pay cut, and points out that salary cap flexibility can often be created fairly easily.

Steelers Rework Deals For Gilbert, Mitchell

February 25th, 2015 at 2:27pm CST by Luke Adams

2:27pm: The Steelers have also restructured the contract for safety Mike Mitchell, reports Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (via Twitter). According to Bouchette, the two moves create a total of nearly $6.2MM in cap space, so it sounds like Mitchell’s was a simple restructure as well, converting a portion of his base salary and his entire $2MM roster bonus into a signing bonus. That would reduce his 2015 cap hit by about $2.44MM, creating total cap savings of $6,165,250 when combined with Gilbert’s restructure.

8:16am: Offensive tackle Marcus Gilbert, who signed a five-year, $30MM contract extension with the Steelers last August, has already seen that deal modified, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who reports that the team has restructured Gilbert’s contract to free up a little cap space for 2015.

According to Yates, the Steelers have taken Gilbert’s $3.5MM roster bonus, which would have been paid out on the fifth day of the 2015 league year, along with $1.155MM of his $1.9MM base salary, and turned that $4.655MM into a signing bonus. Gilbert will receive that chunk of money immediately, but for cap purposes, it’s prorated over the next five seasons, at a rate of $931K per year.

While the move ensures that Gilbert’s cap hits for 2016 through 2019 all increase by $931K, it reduces his 2015 cap number by $3.724MM, taking it from $6.98MM down to $3.256MM. As Over The Cap’s data shows, the Steelers had been under the projected $143MM cap by less than $1MM prior to reworking Gilbert’s contract. The move should give the team a little breathing room, though I imagine further transactions are coming to create additional flexibility.