2015 April - Pro Football Rumors

Adrian Peterson Rumors: Thursday

April 16th, 2015 at 5:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Following Adrian Peterson‘s reinstatement, the next step to address is where he will play next season, for how much and for whom.

Here are some of the rumors circulating so far …

The Vikings have stated publicly, albeit very briefly today, they want the All-Pro runner in their backfield again, but Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune examines if they should want him back. He calls into question Peterson’s age (30) and his cap figure ($15.4MM) that dwarfs every other running back at a time in which the position’s value has never been lower. While Peterson was out last season, Teddy Bridgewater zoomed to the forefront of the Vikings from a marketing standpoint as well as serving in a leadership role, and Rand wonders how it would affect the locker room for the emerging quarterback to take a backseat to someone with Peterson’s reputation.
While the Cardinals and Cowboys are the most-rumored frontrunners, the Raiders are a stealth candidate here, writes Bleacher Report’s Mike Freeman after speaking with multiple general managers. The Raiders have the fifth-most cap space in the NFL at just more than $20MM and may be willing to bring Peterson aboard at his current deal, considering they have the financial resources, lack star power and were the bidders pushing the Eagles for DeMarco Murray last month.
Peterson not mentioning the Vikings in his statement today caught the eye of the Dallas Morning News staff, with the Peterson-to-Dallas angle already scrutinized for years. Not surprising considering Peterson’s demand to leave Minnesota hasn’t been a secret. A theory similar to LeBron James not mentioning Andrew Wiggins or Anthony Bennett in his SI essay, though, still requires a trade to continue the narrative. The Cowboys, however, do outflank the Cardinals — Peterson’s other rumored suitor — in terms of cap space with more than $12MM to the Cards’ $9MM+.
Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic writes a trade to the Cardinals, which remains in play should the Vikings move off their stance, would likely require a re-done contract.
The Cardinals’ interest in Peterson could come from the fact they’ve had a shaky track record when it comes to using high draft picks on running backs, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. Injuries derailed their last two runners taken — Ryan Williams (2011) and Beanie Wells (2009). Their most successful two ball-carriers selected in the past 25 years have been Thomas Jones (2000) and Garrison Hearst (1993). Both peaked elsewhere during long careers.
Although most analysts have pinpointed the draft as the prime Peterson trade window, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes the saga could drag on to minicamp June 16-18, which represents the first time Peterson could be fined for his absence. The running back has a $250K workout bonus. Goessling interprets the Vikings’ terse message as an ultimatum for Peterson to return unless they’re blown away with a trade offer. They might be the only team willing to work with his massive contract, which will be a critical chip in this staredown.

Minor Moves: Thursday

April 16th, 2015 at 5:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL. As always, any additional moves will be added to the top:

Seahawks cornerback DeShawn Shead signed his exclusive-rights tender, per Wilson (via Twitter). The two-year veteran appeared in all 16 of Seattle’s games last season and made 14 tackles.
Interior offensive lineman Mike Golic Jr. signed with the Saints, notes NOLA.com’s Evan Woodberry on Twitter. The son of the former Eagles defensive lineman was in camp with the Saints briefly last summer but last played in the Arena League.
The Chiefs cut long snapper Brandon Hartson, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun on Twitter. The 25-year-old’s only official roster time came with the Bears in 2013.
The Buccaneers waived punter Chase Tenpenny, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com on Twitter. Tampa Bay’s roster still houses two punters: veteran Michael Koenen, who’s punted for the Bucs for the past four seasons, and Andrew Wilder.

Extra Points: Winston, Gregory, Suh

April 16th, 2015 at 4:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Potential No. 1 overall pick Jameis Winston‘s off-field troubles persist, with the former Heisman Trophy winner being sued over a sexual assault allegation, according to the Tampa Bay Times’ Matt Baker on Twitter.

The suit was filed by the same woman who accused Winston of rape in December 2012, citing claims of sexual battery, assault, false imprisonment and “intentional infliction of emotional distress arising out of forcible rape,” Baker reports.

Attorneys for the woman filed a civil suit against Florida State in January. The Tallahassee Police Department did not charge Winston.

Here are some additional news items from around the league on Thursday.

Randy Gregory will visit the Titans on Friday, reports the Tennessean’s Jim Wyatt on Twitter. The Titans have already worked out pass-rushers Vic Beasley, Dante Fowler Jr., and Shane Ray.
The Lions hosted Florida offensive lineman D.J. Humphries and all-purpose runner, receiver and returner Marcus Murphy of Missouri on pre-draft visits, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Humphries is viewed as a probable first-round pick, while Murphy may be a late-rounder or an undrafted free agent.
Utah offensive lineman Jeremiah Poutasi has drawn interest from at least 15 NFL teams, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. According to Caplan (via Twitter) that Poutasi has visits with the Buccaneers, Colts, Eagles, and others, and workouts with the Panthers, Chargers, Raiders, Giants, Titans, and 49ers. Caplan adds (via Twitter) that most clubs project the Utah product as a right tackle or left guard in the NFL.
Colorado State-Pueblo pass-rusher Darius Allen‘s been busy in his quest for an NFL shot, despite hailing from a Division II school. The outside linebacker/defensive end has visited the Cardinals and Colts and worked out for the Seahawks and Cowboys in addition to doing so for the aforementioned franchises, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Western Carolina safety Ace Clark has been invited to participate in the Ravens‘ local pro day on Tuesday, Wilson reports.
Also from Wilson: Purdue running back Raheem Mostert had a private workout for the Chiefs (Twitter link).
CBS Sports’ Joel Corry examined how the recent mega-contracts for Ben Roethlisberger and Ndamukong Suh will affect the upcoming quarterback market, including the 2012 draft class. The former agent said agents of yet-to-be extended quarterbacks will use the Suh extension to their advantage, given that the new Dolphins defensive tackle is being paid like a high-level signal-caller. Suh’s $59MM fully guaranteed cash is far more than top-market QBs Aaron Rodgers or Drew Brees received in their recent extensions.
Hoping for clarity heading into the draft on suspended wideout Justin Blackmon, the Jaguars received none from the NFL, according to Ryan O’Halloran from the Florida Times-Union on Twitter. The league office reportedly gave the NFL Players Association no timetable. Blackmon’s been suspended since November 2013.

Luke Adams contributed to this report

Jaguars Give Posluszny One-Year Extension

April 16th, 2015 at 3:46pm CST by Rory Parks

THURSDAY, 3:46pm: The Jaguars officially announced Posluszny’s extension, reports Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com on Twitter. If the middle linebacker’s cap charge for 2015 is now $5MM, the Jags will have a league-high $39.5MM of cap space, according to Ryan O’Halloran and Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. This could create another busy offseason in Jacksonville next year.

THURSDAY, 12:27pm: According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Posluszny will now earn $15MM — or as much as $18MM, depending on whether he meets incentives — over the next three years. He had previously been slated to earn $7.5MM annually over the next two years.

WEDNESDAY, 11:20pm: Jaguars linebacker Paul Posluszny, who had been under club control for two more seasons, has agreed to a one-year extension with the team, according to Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com (via Twitter).

Posluszny, 30, signed a six-year, $42MM deal with Jacksonville in 2011 after excelling in his first few years in the league with the Bills, who selected the Penn State product in the second round of the 2007 draft. He has received somewhat mixed reviews from Pro Football Focus, sometimes being included in or near the top 10 middle linebackers in the league and other times being ranked closer to the bottom of the list of qualified players. However, he has consistently posted strong tackle numbers, and he has put up 12 sacks, 11 interceptions, and eight forced fumbles over the course of his career.

He has also been durable, as last season marked the first time since his rookie campaign that Posluszny had missed any significant action due to injury. He tore his pectoral muscle in the team’s seventh game of the season and was placed on IR shortly thereafter. He was coming off his first Pro Bowl nod, having recorded 162 tackles to go along with three sacks, two interceptions, and nine passes defended in 2013.

PFR’s Luke Adams wrote back in December that Posluszny would be open to reducing his $9.5MM cap number for 2015 in exchange for another year added to his contract, and this extension will presumably accomplish just that.

East Notes: Williams, Dolphins, Schedule

April 16th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

As possibly the No. 2 or No. 3 overall pick in the draft, Leonard Williams hasn’t taken the typical whirlwind tour some of his prospect compatriots have this month. That’s set to change this week.

The Falcons will visit with the USC defensive lineman while they’re in Los Angeles on Friday, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, with the consensus top-five pick set to visit the Jets and Washington facilities next week (Twitter links).

Williams, who accrued 21 sacks in three seasons on the Trojans’ front, will visit the Jets on Monday and be in D.C. on Wednesday, per Rapoport.

Here are some other draft-related rumors floating around the Eastern divisions …

After working out for Chip Kelly and meeting with the Packers, UNH wide receiver R.J. Harris will meet with Washington, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports. Harris had told Jovan Alford of TotalSportsLive.com (Twitter link) last week that he had a visit lined up with Washington.
Kelly conducted a private workout with Penn State safety Adrian Amos, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and National Football Post on Twitter. Amos’ workout with the Eagles came at Calvert Hall, a high school in Baltimore where Amos prepped. The safety clocked a 4.39-second 40-yard dash at his pro day last month.
The Eagles also plan to host Division I-FCS All-American interior offensive lineman Chad Hamilton on Friday, Wilson notes. A Coastal Carolina product, Hamilton also worked out today for the Falcons and previously for the Texans. He boasts a 4.87 40 time.
Further investment in the offensive front remains vital for the Dolphins, who’ve given up 100 sacks the past two seasons, writes Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. In signing Branden Albert last year and extending Mike Pouncey last week, the Dolphins have poured significant resources into the front, but an injury to Albert and the 2013 bullying scandal wrecked the unit in recent years. The team remains on the lookout for guards to play alongside Pouncey, Albert and right tackle Ja’Waun James.
Two years ago, the Bills expressed concerns about the NFL’s schedule-making process, with Buffalo playing several teams coming off bye weeks being at the forefront of the gripes. University of Buffalo researchers investigated the issue and presented findings at this year’s MIT Sloan Conference, and that’s led one of the schedule-makers, Mike North, spoke with the researchers about their results, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. This year’s schedule won’t be affected by the findings, but ESPN’s Kevin Seifert noted the league could collaborate with the researchers for assistance in future years.

Luke Adams contributed to this report

NFL Reinstates Adrian Peterson

April 16th, 2015 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL has reinstated Adrian Peterson following his suspension and his stint on the commissioner’s exempt list, the league announced today. According to the NFL’s press release, Peterson’s reinstatement will be effective as of Friday.

“In a letter from Commissioner Roger Goodell,” the league’s release reads, “Peterson was informed that he is expected to fulfill his remaining obligations to the authorities in Minnesota and Texas, as well as the additional commitments Peterson made during his April 7 meeting with the commissioner regarding maintaining an ongoing program of counseling and treatment as recommended by medical advisors.

“Beyond the requirement to comply with his court obligations and plan of counseling, Peterson was reminded that his continuing participation in the NFL depends on his avoidance of any further conduct that violates the Personal Conduct Policy or other NFL policies. Any further violation of the Personal Conduct Policy by Peterson would result in additional discipline, which could include suspension without pay or banishment from the NFL.”

Peterson, 30, faced child abuse charges last year after physically disciplining his four-year-old son, and was placed on the exempt list early in the 2014 regular season as the legal process played out. Once his case concluded, he was suspended by the NFL for the remainder of the season for violating the league’s conduct policy. Peterson and the NFLPA appealed that suspension and the decision was upheld by arbitrator Harold Henderson, but Henderson’s decision was challenged in court by the union, where Judge David Doty ruled in favor of the running back and the NFLPA.

Despite all the ups and downs in the Peterson saga, his reinstatement ultimately came when we originally expected — the terms of his suspension initially called for reinstatement to be considered no earlier than April 15.

Now that he’s an active player again, Peterson could return to the Vikings and participate in the team’s offseason activities. However, it seems unlikely that he’d do so immediately, considering he reportedly wants to be traded. The former MVP’s agent, Ben Dogra, figures to work on getting his client dealt to another team sometime in the next two weeks, before or during draft night.

The Cowboys and Cardinals have been cited most frequently as potential suitors for Peterson, though it’s not clear if either team would be willing to part with a high draft pick and take on his salary. The Vikings have also indicated they don’t have any plans to trade or release their star running back.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Browns, Cooper, Agholor, Titans

April 16th, 2015 at 1:05pm CST by Luke Adams

While he likely won’t be around by the time the No. 12 overall pick rolls around, Alabama wide receiver Amari Cooper paid a pre-draft visit to the Browns, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The Browns, of course, hold the 12th and 19th overall picks, so they have plenty of options at their disposal, including trading up or down, and they could certainly use some receiving help.

Here are a few more draft-related items from across the AFC:

USC wide receiver Nelson Agholor, who previously worked out for the Eagles twice, has also visited the Bills and has a workout lined up with the Patriots, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). With his draft stock reportedly on the rise, Agholor’s previously-reported workout with the Panthers happened today.
Michigan State running back Jeremy Langford, a potential mid-round selection, recently visited the Broncos, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. As Klis observes, Denver may be looking to develop a change-of-pace alternative, with Ronnie Hillman entering the final year of his contract. Klis notes in a second story that the Broncos also recently met with wide receivers Tre McBride (William & Mary) and Keith Mumphery (Michigan State).
The Steelers hosted a pair of prospects today, conducting their previously-reported visit with Nebraska pass rusher Randy Gregory and also taking a look at former Michigan quarterback Devin Gardner, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Gardner figures to play wide receiver at the NFL level.
After visiting the Steelers today, Gregory is on to Tennessee to meet with the Titans, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Rapoport tweets that the Titans are also hosting Louisville wideout DeVante Parker. Neither Gregory nor Parker seems like a viable candidate to go second overall, though they’ll probably be long gone by the second round, so it looks like Tennessee is preparing for a number of different scenarios.

Poll: Which QB Will Have Better NFL Career?

April 16th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, PFR’s Rob DiRe kicked off our position-by-position breakdown of this year’s top draft prospects by examining the quarterbacks in this year’s class. As Rob wrote in his piece, there are plenty of reasons to prefer Jameis Winston to Marcus Mariota, but there are a number of equally compelling reasons why teams may rank Mariota higher on their draft boards.

It still appears likely that the Buccaneers will draft Winston first overall, but while we’ll know Tampa Bay’s pick – and Winston’s and Mariota’s new NFL teams – a couple weeks from tonight, it figures to be years before we know which player will enjoy the more successful NFL career. Winston played in a more NFL-style offense in college, but he also has his share of off-field question marks, whereas there are few – if any – concerns about Mariota’s character.

Of course, there’s no guarantee that one of these two players will have the most productive NFL career among this year’s crop of quarterbacks. Winston and Mariota are the consensus top two signal-callers in this class, but we’ve seen mid-round, late-round, and even undrafted players have a ton of NFL success in the past. Rob identified Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty, Garrett Grayson, and Sean Mannion as the next tier of QBs behind Winston and Mariota, and maybe you prefer the long-term prospects of one of those players.

What do you think? Which 2015 rookie will have the most long-term success as an NFL quarterback?

Wilson’s Latest: Dorsett, Holmes, Waynes

April 16th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

With two weeks until the NFL draft gets underway, Aaron Wilson continues to be busy, passing along the latest news on pre-draft visits, workouts, and meetings for the National Football Post and the Baltimore Sun. Wilson has several new updates for us today, so let’s round up his Thursday morning items on a handful of prospects:

Phillip Dorsett, WR (Miami): Visiting the Titans today (link).
Rob Havenstein, OT (Wisconsin): Has had private workouts for the Bengals, Jaguars, Rams, and Buccaneers (link).
Gabe Holmes, TE (Purdue): Visiting the Cardinals today after having previously worked out privately for the team (link).
Bobby McCain, CB (Memphis): Visited Colts after having previously worked out privately for the team (link).
Joe Okafor, DT (Lamar): Meeting with Eagles today (link)
Trae Waynes, CB (Michigan State): Visited the Bears in addition to previously-reported visits with the Jaguars and Vikings (link).

West Notes: Wilson, McGrath, Rams, Broncos

April 16th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Luke Adams

Asked on KIRO 97.3 FM about contract negotiations with quarterback Russell Wilson, whose rookie contract expires after the 2015 season, Seahawks general manager John Schneider predictably didn’t offer up many details. As Terry Blount of ESPN.com details, Schneider alluded to the challenges of balancing the roster and the salary cap as he expressed how much the club wants to keep Wilson in the mix for years to come.

“Every negotiation is unique in and of itself and this is no different,” Schneider said. “He’s our quarterback. We’d love him to be our quarterback. But the thing is we need to keep as many of these guys together as we possibly can. What I can tell you is that this is the ultimate team sport. We have a track record of rewarding our players that we recognize as core players.”

Yesterday, we heard that the Seahawks and Wilson had begun extension discussions, but hadn’t made much progress. As we wait to see if the two sides move forward on a new deal, let’s check in on a few more notes out of the NFL’s two West divisions….

Former Chiefs tight end Sean McGrath, who retired last summer, has decided to make an NFL comeback, his agent tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link). However, he won’t return to Kansas City — the team reinstated him from the reserve/retired list yesterday, then immediately waived him.
The Rams‘ private workout with quarterback Marcus Mariota is happening today, and Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that head coach Jeff Fisher, GM Les Snead, executive VP of football operations Kevin Demoff, offensive coordinator Frank Cignetti, and quarterbacks coach Chris Weinke will all be in Eugene to meet with the Oregon signal-caller.
Per Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, the Seahawks have hosted Tennessee State guard Robert Myers for a pre-draft visit, and are also hosting West Georgia defensive lineman Tory Slater. Slater previously visited the Falcons as well.
Pittsburgh tackle T.J. Clemmings visited the Broncos earlier this week, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post, who adds that the club also held a private workout for Colorado State offensive lineman Ty Sambrailo.