HEADLINES

Month: November 2024

Extra Points: Peterson, Rivers, Murray, Hardy

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:26pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the league as we wrap up this Monday evening…

  • Adrian Peterson‘s agent, Ben Dogra, reiterated that his client shouldn’t be playing for the Vikings in 2015. “I don’t think it’s in the best interests of [Adrian Peterson] to play for the Minnesota Vikings,” Dogra said (via Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole on Twitter).
  • However, Vikings owner Mark Wilf whistled a different tune to USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. “He’s an important part of the Minnesota Vikings and we look forward to him being part of our team in 2015,” the owner said (Twitter link).
  • Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said the the team isn’t considering trading quarterback Philip Rivers, according to ESPN.com’s Eric Williams (on Twitter).
  • ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson says (via Twitter) the Raiders are not currently pursuing Eagles offensive guard Evan Mathis.
  • Jaguars general manager David Caldwell said the Eagles offer to DeMarco Murray exceeded his team’s offer by a “large amount,” tweets Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com.
  • Cowboys coach Jason Garrett touched on his team’s addition of defensive end Greg Hardy (via David Moore of SportsDayDFW.com on Twitter): “If we didn’t believe that Greg Hardy could become the right kind of guy we would not have signed him.”
  • Moore also tweets that the Cowboys have interest in bringing back linebacker Rolando McClain, but Garrett said the sides haven’t made any recent progress on a contract.

Minor Moves: Monday

March 23rd, 2015 at 10:02pm CST by Luke Adams

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

  • The Colts have signed cornerback Deveron Carr, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com (via Twitter). Carr, an undrafted free agent in 2013, participated in the NFL’s veteran combine this past weekend. The former Arizona State standout made nine appearances with the Buccaneers during his rookie season, and he auditioned for the Titans, Jaguars, Giants and Patriots at some point in 2014.

Earlier updates:

  • Former West Texas A&M wide receiver Nathan Slaughter became the first player who participated in the veterans combine to secure a new deal, as he agreed to terms with the Cardinals, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Slaughter, who went undrafted last spring, signed with the Texans as a rookie free agent, then spent time with the Jaguars before landing on injured reserve in August due to a foot injury. He got a two-year contract from Arizona, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

AFC Links: Texans, Jaguars, Dolphins, Browns

March 23rd, 2015 at 9:16pm CST by Ben Levine

The Texans current batch of quarterbacks would never be confused with Tom Brady or Peyton Manning. Ryan Mallett, Brian Hoyer and Tom Savage don’t evoke fear, but that doesn’t mean their team can’t be successful. Owner Bob McNair is a supporter of that sentiment, as he told Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com that he believes his team could contend for a Super Bowl:

“Teams have done that. Look at Baltimore back in 2000. They had an outstanding defense. They could run the ball and they had a quarterback that didn’t turn it over that much. I think that is a plan that can bring you great success. Look what we did last year playing four quarterbacks. We didn’t have that consistent play at quarterback and yet look how close we came. We’ve improved our defense this year.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the AFC…

  • Jaguars general manager David Caldwell told Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that his team has interest in free agent wideout Greg Jennings, but he warns that they haven’t scheduled a visit (Twitter link).
  • While appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum said his team also hasn’t scheduled a visit with Jennings (via Alex Marvez of Fox Sports on Twitter). However, Tannenbaum noted that Miami could pursue the veteran wideout later in free agency.
  • Following news earlier today that Browns owner Jimmy Haslam could be a candidate to purchase the Titans, a Browns spokesman told Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com that the Tennessee native is devoted to Cleveland. “It’s 100% false,” the spokesman said. “There is no truth to the careless speculation from the reporter.”
  • Browns general manager Ray Farmer said the organization would continue to monitor potential quarterback additions, tweets Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com.
  • Farmer would not reveal whether the Browns offered a first-round pick to the Rams for Sam Bradford, but he did comment that the current Eagles signal-caller likely isn’t available (via Ulrich on Twitter).

2015 NFL Compensatory Draft Picks

March 23rd, 2015 at 8:20pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL has officially announced the 32 compensatory draft picks for 2015 that have been handed out to teams who had the most significant losses in free agency a year ago. These picks, which can’t be traded, are determined by a formula that accounts for salary, playing time, and postseason honors. Teams can’t receive more than four picks each, and this year’s selections were divided up among 14 clubs.

Here’s the list of 2015 compensatory picks by team, with the round and overall selection number included:

  • 49ers: 4th (132), 7th (254)
  • Bears: None
  • Bengals: 3rd (99), 4th (135)
  • Bills: None
  • Broncos: 4th (133), 6th (208), 7th (250), 7th (251)
  • Browns: None
  • Buccaneers: None
  • Cardinals: 7th (256)
  • Chargers: None
  • Chiefs: 3rd (98), 5th (172), 5th (173), 6th (217)
  • Colts: 7th (255)
  • Cowboys: None
  • Dolphins: None
  • Eagles: None
  • Falcons: None
  • Giants: None
  • Jaguars: None
  • Jets: None
  • Lions: None
  • Packers: 6th (210), 6th (212)
  • Panthers: 5th (169), 6th (213)
  • Patriots: 3rd (97), 7th (253)
  • Raiders: None
  • Rams: 6th (215)
  • Ravens: 4th (136), 5th (171) , 5th (175)
  • Saints: None
  • Seahawks: 4th (134), 5th (170), 6th (209), 6th (214)
  • Steelers: 7th (252)
  • Texans: 5th (174), 6th (211), 6th (216)
  • Titans: None
  • Vikings: None
  • Washington: None

Draft Notes: Bucs, Mariota, Browns, Steelers

March 23rd, 2015 at 8:05pm CST by Ben Levine

The Buccaneers could take many different routes with the first-overall pick in this year’s draft, and head coach Lovie Smith indicated as much on Monday. Appearing on the NFL Network, Smith said his team could surprise the league by not selecting either Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com):

“I can see why people would assume we’re gonna take a quarterback. There are two excellent quarterbacks that are available at the top and when you get a chance to draft someone like that, most of the time, people do. But there are other good players in the draft also. I think it’s a deep draft for defensive line. Like last year, there are a lot of great receivers that are coming out. I think, just overall, the amount of athletes coming into each incoming class, it’s pretty deep for players that can make an immediate impact.”

As Florio points out, Smith could be hinting that he’s willing to trade the pick.

Let’s take a look at some more assorted draft notes from around the league…

  • ESPN.com’s Eric Williams tweets that the Chargers will schedule a workout with Mariota.
  • Meanwhile, Browns general manager Ray Farmer told reporters that his team will also conduct a private workout with Mariota (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Farmer indicated that he’s talked with other teams about moving up or down the draft board.
  • The Dolphins will work out Colorado State quarterback Garrett Grayson, according to ESPN.com’s James Walker. Grayson is projected to be drafted in the second round or later.
  • Maryland wideout Stefon Diggs is scheduled to visit the 49ers in April, reports Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Diggs finished last season with 62 catches for 792 yards and five touchdowns.
  • Indiana running back Tevin Coleman will be busy in the coming weeks, as he has workouts scheduled with the Panthers, Cardinals, Chargers and Ravens, according to Wilson. The Heisman candidate previously met with the Lions.
  • After talking to Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert and head coach Mike Tomlin, Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review says he’d be “stunned” if Pittsburgh didn’t take a cornerback in the first round (Twitter link).

Owner/GM Quotes: Lions, Patriots, Colts, Seahawks

March 23rd, 2015 at 7:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The NFL’s owner meetings were held earlier today, giving the league’s various reporters an opportunity to talk to owners and general managers. We’ve compiled notable quotes regarding some of the offseason’s biggest moves, which you can find below…

Lions GM Martin Mayhew on his team’s outlook following Ndamukong Suh‘s departure (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press):

“I think anytime you lose a quality player like that, especially in the short term, that is to your detriment. I think in the long term, I think we’re going to be glad we don’t have that contract on our books. But in the short term, that’s an issue.”

“There’s a lot of different ways to give somebody $100 million, so a lot of times the structure comes into play, too, and all those things matter. But I know we have some quality players on our team that we probably couldn’t keep if we had that deal on our books.”

“I couldn’t say we misjudged anything about (the situation). I think every step throughout the process I think we made a rational, thoughtful decision to move forward and then I think it got to a point where economically in terms of building a sustainable quality football team it didn’t make sense. And at that point, we decided that we weren’t going to continue to offer more.”

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Brandon Carr Not Taking Pay Cut

March 23rd, 2015 at 5:48pm CST by Ben Levine

Throughout the offseason, we’ve heard whispers that Cowboys cornerback Brandon Carr would inevitably have to restructure his contract. Those assumptions may have been a bit off, as the player’s agent, Ben Dogra, told Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram that his player would not be accepting a pay cut (Twitter link).

Carr’s $12.7MM cap hit in 2015 certainly doesn’t justify his production. The former fifth-round pick finished 2014 with 54 tackles and zero picks, the first time in his career that he failed to record a single interception. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t fond of his performance last season, ranking him 90th among 108 cornerback candidates.

In spite of the poor rating, Carr is still guaranteed the second-most money among cornerbacks in 2015 (behind Darrelle Revis). The team could reasonably move from the cornerback and his $8MM base salary following post-June 1st cuts, when they’d only be left with $4.7MM in dead money.

Previously, Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com suggested that Carr could be a cap casualty if he wasn’t willing to accept a pay cut. However, the organization may be forced to keep the 28-year-old while fellow cornerback Morris Claiborne recovers from an ACL tear.

NFC Notes: Bennett, Lions, Rams, Jennings

March 23rd, 2015 at 5:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters in Arizona today, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said that defensive end Michael Bennett hasn’t requested a trade and is happy in Seattle, tweets Terry Blount of ESPN.com.

A report last week indicated that Bennett wanted a new contract, and perhaps a trade to Dan Quinn‘s Falcons, but even if that’s the case, it doesn’t look like the Seahawks have any plans to move him. For what it’s worth, Schneider appeared to dodge the issue of whether the defensive end wants his contract reworked, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets.

Schneider also confirmed that defensive lineman Jesse Williams will be re-added to the Seahawks’ roster soon, indicating that Williams was only waived as a procedural transaction (Twitter link via Condotta).

Here’s more out of the NFC:

  • Lions GM Martin Mayhew confirmed today to reporters, including Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that his team is in talks with free agent guard Rob Sims about a new deal.
  • The Rams are keeping their eye on free agent offensive linemen like Joe Barksdale, Stefen Wisniewski, and Justin Blalock, but the club isn’t expected to sign any of those players this week, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
  • While the Cowboys aren’t likely to make any other noteworthy free agent investments, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com suggests the club could go bargain shopping, identifying offensive tackle, safety, and return man as three potential areas of need.
  • Panthers owner Jerry Richardson took responsibility for the organization’s decision to not re-sign embattled defensive end Greg Hardy. “Whose call would you think that would be?” Richardson asked ESPN.com’s David Newton. When asked about the owner’s logic, Richardson replied that the Panthers “do the right things.”
  • When wideout Greg Jennings left the Packers for the Vikings in 2013, the veteran displayed some animosity towards the organization. However, Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson made it clear that those kinds of comments wouldn’t dissuade his team from pursuing the 31-year-old. “We’re not that sensitive about things like that,” Thompson said (via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com). “Players are players. Players say things. Sometimes we make mistakes [too].”

Vikings Acquire Mike Wallace

March 23rd, 2015 at 5:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

MARCH 24: The fifth-rounder headed to Miami will be pick No. 149, according to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The Vikings will keep the 137th pick, acquired from Tampa Bay via Buffalo.

MARCH 13: The Dolphins have traded wide receiver Mike Wallace and a seventh-round pick to the Vikings for a fifth-rounder, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). Both picks are in the 2015 draft, the Dolphins tweeted. USATSI_8073288_168380616_lowres

In dealing Wallace, the Dolphins free up $2.5MM of cap space in 2015, $9.3MM in 2016 and $11.5MM in 2017, though they’ll be stuck with over $16MM of dead money during that time span. Most of that dead money ($9.6MM, to be exact) will be on Miami’s books this year. However, the $2.5MM the Dolphins save for next season will help in their efforts to keep tight end Charles Clay, a transitional free agent whom the AFC East rival Bills are pursuing. Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that Miami has “more than enough” cap for Clay. That news comes in the wake of both the Wallace trade and the deal the Dolphins made earlier Friday to send expensive linebacker Dannell Ellerbe and a third-round pick to the Saints for wideout Kenny Stills.

As for Wallace, the trade should come as no surprise to the 28-year-old, who Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald reported was on the phone with Vikings staff members throughout the afternoon on Friday. Wallace, who spent the first four years of his career in Pittsburgh, signed a five-year, $60MM contract with the Dolphins prior to the 2013 season. He subsequently caught 140 passes for nearly 1,800 yards and 15 touchdowns during his two years in Miami. The Dolphins will replace him with Stills, who hauled in 63 passes for over 900 yards as a second-year man in 2014.

In Minnesota, Wallace will give young quarterback Teddy Bridgewater a durable, productive target. The six-year veteran has missed just one game in his career and has five consecutive seasons of at least 60 catches. Wallace is coming off a campaign that saw him tie a personal best with 10 TDs, giving him 47 for his career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts May Not Address Luck’s Deal In 2015

March 23rd, 2015 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Along with Russell Wilson, quarterback Andrew Luck is the most notable player eligible for an extension for the first time this offseason, but it doesn’t sound like the Colts are in a rush to finalize a new deal for the former first overall pick. Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters today that his team likely won’t address Luck’s contract until next offseason, tweets Mike Wells of ESPN.com.

Luck, 25, has led the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons since entering the league in 2012, and established new career highs in 2014 with 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. He also led the team to a pair of postseason wins this winter, reaching the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. In other words, the young signal-caller has done nothing but prove that he’s in line for a mega-deal, and there’s a possibility his next contract makes him the highest-paid player in football.

Still, from the Colts’ perspective, there’s plenty of time to get something done. Because he was a first-round pick, Luck – unlike Wilson – has a fifth-year option for 2016 attached to his rookie contract. Barring an unexpected extension within the next few weeks, Indianapolis will exercise that option, locking up Luck for the ’16 campaign. The team would then also have the franchise tag in its back pocket for the 2017 and 2018 seasons, so there’s no risk of Luck hitting the open market for a while.

Of course, there’s no reason to play hardball with a player expected to be the face of the franchise for at least the next decade, so even if the Colts don’t delve into serious discussions about an extension this offseason, there’s no reason to think the team won’t make it a priority a year from now. I’d be surprised if Luck ultimately plays the 2016 season on his fifth-year option salary ($16.155MM).

When Luck and the Colts do work out a new deal, it could set a new benchmark for NFL quarterbacks. With the salary cap on the rise in recent years, a salary in the neighborhood of $25MM per year – or higher – appears realistic for the Stanford product.

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