2015 June - Pro Football Rumors

Colin McCarthy Announces Retirement

June 4th, 2015 at 9:54am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran linebacker Colin McCarthy announced today on Twitter that he is retiring from the NFL. While his Twitter message didn’t explicitly mention retirement, the former Miami Hurricane confirmed in a message to Susan Miller Degnan of the Miami Herald that he is “officially retiring today.”

“Truly blessed to have played the game as long as I have!!” McCarthy wrote on Twitter. “To my family, friends, teammates and fans, Thank You!!”

McCarthy, a fourth-round pick in 2011 by the Titans, is just 27 years old, so it seems fair to speculate that health concerns are largely responsible for his early retirement, given his injury history. Prior to spending the 2014 season on injured reserve after undergoing shoulder surgery, McCarthy also battled a concussion and ankle and hamstring problems earlier in his career.

When he did see the field in Tennessee, McCarthy started 19 of his 36 games, recording 161 career tackles, forcing three fumbles, and snagging three interceptions, including one for a touchdown. McCarthy reportedly paid a free agent visit to the Patriots this offseason, but nothing came of that meeting.

East Notes: Bradford, Wilkerson, Giants

June 4th, 2015 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

Eagles offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur held the same position in St. Louis during Sam Bradford‘s rookie season with the Rams, when the No. 1 pick won Offensive Rookie of the Year and nearly led the team to the playoffs. So, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes, head coach Chip Kelly turned to Shurmur for input and information on Bradford before Philadelphia acquired him in March. While Shurmur’s endorsement didn’t directly lead to the trade, the Eagles OC is optimistic about what Bradford can do with the club.

“I certainly have a very strong, good opinion of what he can accomplish,” Shurmur said. “Had he been able to stay healthy, he wouldn’t have been available for us. When the deal was getting made, I had my fingers crossed in the background that it was going to get done.”

As we wait to see how the Shurmur/Bradford reunion plays out, let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL’s two East divisions….

Jets head coach Todd Bowles said yesterday that he wasn’t sure whether or not Muhammad Wilkerson would report to the Jets’ mandatory minicamp this month, but a person familiar with the defensive lineman’s thinking tells Steve Serby and Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post that Wilkerson will be in attendance. Wilkerson has been absent from the club’s offseason activities so far, as he seeks a new contract.
The Giants continue to keep an eye out for potential offensive line help, general manager Jerry Reese tells Dom Cosentino of NJ Advance Media. With Will Beatty out for the season, the team could use some veteran depth. “Obviously, everybody has around 90 men on their roster right now, so there’ll be some cuts,” Reese said. “There will be some chances to add some offensive linemen.”
Bills coach Rex Ryan sounds impressed with third-round guard John Miller so far, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. “When we took him, we thought he’d be our starter and we’ll see,” Ryan said. “But I feel pretty confident that he’s going to be a major contributor for us.”

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Hardy, Saints, Cowboys, Peterson

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s not yet known when offseason acquisition Greg Hardy will be able to play for the Cowboys this year, but coach Jason Garrett is impressed with what he’s seen so far in practice, Clarence E. Hill Jr. of the Star-Telegram writes. “He’s done a really good job,” Garrett said about Hardy’s work ethic. “Once we decided to sign him, we’ve certainly tried to embrace him in every way and he’s embraced the situation. He was here well before the off-season program got into full gear and guys were in the weight room and out on the field working and he embraced being a part of that once the off-season program started.” More from the NFC..

Rita LeBlanc spent about eight hours on the witness stand Wednesday in the competency trial of Saints owner Tom Benson, as the staff at The Times-Picayune writes. LeBlanc was tabbed by her grandfather as his future successor until Benson announced in January that his third wife would be inheriting the Saints and the NBA’s Pelicans instead.
Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee is back on the practice field one year after a knee injury wiped out his season and he’s confident that he’ll be good to go for training camp and the start of the season, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes.
Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is cautiously optimistic about the team’s potential now that Adrian Peterson is back in the fold, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes.

East Notes: Wilkerson, Tannehill, Bills

June 3rd, 2015 at 8:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles running back Duce Staley believes that new running back DeMarco Murray is a perfect fit for the team, as Corey Seidman of CSNPhilly.com writes. “He’s a perfect fit for us, exactly what we want to do,” Staley said. “Downhill, full-steam ahead. That’s what we’re preaching every day: one, two, three, four yards and a cloud of dust. And all the backs we have, they’re able to do that.” Here’s more from the East divisions..

Jets coach Todd Bowles says he’s “hopeful” that Muhammad Wilkerson will be at the team’s minicamp next week, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets. When he does arrive the coach says he’ll step right into his usual starting spot, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets.
While the Dolphins had their issues last season, former quarterback Phil Simms told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that Ryan Tannehill wasn’t the problem for them. Simms felt like Tannehill, who just linked a lucrative new deal with Miami, made strides in 2014 and grew up as a quarterback.
Coach Rex Ryan says the Bills acquired free-agent defensive end/linebacker Michael Buchanan Tuesday mainly with the idea of having him be a backup to outside linebacker Jerry Hughes, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. For his part, Buchanan believes that he has a better opportunity to make an impact with the Bills than he did with the Patriots. He also said he has fully recovered from the sports hernia that caused him to finish last season on the IR.

Raiders To Sign Kris Durham

June 3rd, 2015 at 8:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Raiders are expected to sign wide receiver Kris Durham, according to a league source who spoke wtih Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Durham was with the Titans in 2014.

Recently, the free agent wide receiver worked out for the Saints, but it sounds like he’ll be joining up with Oakland instead. The Cowboys also got a look at Durham last month. The four-year veteran has played for the Seahawks, Lions, and Titans during his career, hauling in 55 passes and three touchdowns.

The 27-year-old finished 2013 with career-highs in receptions (38) and yards (490). He also led all of the Lions offensive skill players in snaps, even topping All-Pro Calvin Johnson.

Saints Host Jermaine Gresham On Visit

June 3rd, 2015 at 7:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham visited the Saints today, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The Saints, from the outside, appear to be a little thin at the position following the Jimmy Graham trade of this offseason. As of right now, however, there is no deal between the Saints and Gresham, Garafolo adds.

Gresham, one of the biggest names remaining in free agency, has yet to sign after undergoing back surgery earlier this offseason. When he does sign, eventually, it will be with a different rep at the table after he canned the controversial Ben Dogra. As of late March, the Raiders and Bengals were said to be in the mix for his services.

The soon-to-be 27-year-old was certainly one of the more intriguing options on the free agent market, but his subpar 2014 campaign didn’t earn him a place on Luke Adams’ list of the top 50 free agents. He finished last season with 62 catches for 460 yards and five touchdowns, earning him a negative rating from Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, it was a step up from his performance in 2013 and 2012, when PFF rated him as one of the two worst tight ends in the entire league.

West Notes: Chargers, Seahawks, Raiders

June 3rd, 2015 at 6:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Cam Newton signed a new deal with the Panthers this week, locking him up through the 2020 season, but several notable QBs remain unsigned beyond 2015, including Seahawks signal caller Russell Wilson. Earlier today, PFR’s Luke Adams looked at how Newton’s brand new deal will affect Wilson. It remains to be seen exactly what the impact will be, but Luke wouldn’t be surprised to see him top Aaron Rodgers‘ $22MM annual salary.

Here’s a look at the AFC and NFC West..

New information emerged about a land acquisition in Carson related to an alternative stadium plan the Chargers are pursuing with the Raiders, as David Garrick and Roger Showley of U-T San Diego write. Meanwhile, the city of Carson, Calif. has been sued by a real estate development company over alleged breach of contract related to building on a landfill. Among Rand’s allegations was that in the summer of 2013, city officials “spoke with representatives of NFL teams, including the San Diego Chargers, about relocating to Carson.”

The Seahawks are moving former quarterback B.J. Daniels to wide receiver, leaving just two quarterbacks on their 90-man roster for the time being, as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk writes. Tarvaris Jackson has served as the backup to Wilson in each of the last two seasons and currently remains unsigned, though there is mutual interest between the two sides.

The Raiders‘ signing of Trindon Holliday shows what they think of their other returners, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com tweets. Oakland inked Holliday earlier today after learning that rookie Andre Debose would be sidelined with an Achilles injury.

NFC East Notes: Bryant, Jackson, Eagles

June 3rd, 2015 at 5:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Cowboys quarterback and current radio color commentator Babe Laufenberg (via the The Dallas Morning News) watched the Cowboys’ practice on Wednesday and wasn’t sure what to make of the defense. Ultimately, the unit he saw today will not be the same one fans see in Week 1 against the Giants. Greg Hardy could be suspended, Demarcus Lawrence and Rolando McClain could be sidelined, and it remains to be seen where Randy Gregory‘s head is at. Here’s more out of the NFC East..

Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones has not talked recently with Dez Bryant’s agents but he remains hopeful something can be worked out. At the same time, he does not feel pressured to do a deal by the deadline, as Todd Archer of ESPN.com writes. “We know he will be a Cowboy this year,” Jones said. “If he ends up playing this year under the tag we will go right back to work again next year. Now would we like to get a long term deal on him? Of course we would. We’ll work hard to do that and I’m sure we’ll make a push at some point and see if we can make it work. If not, hopefully he will understand it’s difficult to make a deal at this point and he’ll come in and get ready to play.” When and if Bryant signs his tender, he’ll be guaranteed a $12.823MM salary. The deadline to hammer out a long-term pact is July 15th.
In a chat with reporters, Washington wide receiver DeSean Jackson didn’t go into detail on what kept him away from OTAs last week, but he did mention his reality TV show on BET and that he is preparing for the birth of a child, Mike Jones of the Washington Post writes. Team president Bruce Allen on Monday said he wasn’t concerned with Jackson’s absence. “I had personal things I had to do back home,” Jackson said. “I’m a veteran in this league, going on my eighth year. Communication with my head coach and the guys here, they knew about it. Like I said, I had things I had to do, I was obligated to do back home in California. I’m here now, and I’m happy to be here with my teammates, and they’ve been putting in some great work, so I’m just trying to catch up and get back in the swing of things. But I had things I had to handle.”
The Eagles announced that they have finalized their scouting department overhaul, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes. The most significant move is the promotion of Trey Brown from West Coast scout to assistant director of college scouting. Brown, entering his third season with the organization after three with the Patriots, will essentially assume the responsibilities held by former director of college scouting Anthony Patch, who was fired recently.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

June 3rd, 2015 at 4:32pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s transaction wire has been fairly quiet so far today, but we’ll round up any additional minor moves made tonight in the space below. For now, here are today’s minor transactions from around the league:

Yesterday, we heard that the Lions were re-signing running back Rasheed Williams to their 90-man roster, and today Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com confirmed the move. In order to create space on the roster for Williams, Detroit parted ways with wide receiver Erik Lora, who signed with the team a few weeks ago after spending some time with the Vikings in 2014.
The Raiders waived/injured seventh-round pick Andre Debose with an Achilles injury, as Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets. Debose figured to play a significant role in the return game, which explains the team’s signing of Trindon Holliday earlier today.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Newton, Jordan, Cards, Bears

June 3rd, 2015 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on the details we passed along earlier today on Cam Newton‘s and Cameron Jordan‘s new extensions, we have another pair of notes. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com clarifies (via Twitter) that while Newton’s $10MM option bonus isn’t technically guaranteed at the time of the signing, it’s practically guaranteed, since there’s essentially no chance the Panthers will cut the quarterback before picking it up. Meanwhile, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Jordan received a significant signing bonus, worth $16MM, from the Saints.

Here are a few more items from across the NFC:

The Cardinals signed defensive lineman Frostee Rucker to a one-year extension earlier this week, and Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com identifies three more defensive players who could be next in line for new deals. Weinfuss’ list includes safety Rashad Johnson, defensive back Justin Bethel, and cornerback Jerraud Powers.
Asked about whether he expects Martellus Bennett to attend the Bears‘ June minicamp, head coach John Fox said he “can’t predict” the tight end’s intentions, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. Bennett, who wants a new contract, has been absent from the team’s OTAs.
Having signed a $40MM deal to remain with the Packers this offseason, wideout Randall Cobb vows the new contract won’t change his approach or create added pressure, per Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com.
According to an incident report obtained by the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, former Falcons linebacker Prince Shembo admitted to kicking his girlfriend’s dog and considered fleeing the country after the animal’s death. The AJC’s Tyler Estep has the details.