2015 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

AFC East Notes: Jordan, Pats, Glenn

June 28th, 2015 at 10:47am CST by Rory Parks

Dion Jordan has had a pretty disappointing beginning to his NFL career. After the Dolphins traded up to select Jordan with the third overall pick of the 2013 draft, he has been suspended on three separate occasions for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, and the third suspension is a year-long ban that will force him to miss the entirety of the 2015 season. Even when he has seen the field, he has done little to live up to the potential that compelled Miami to jump up in the draft to nab him.

In fact, prior to the announcement of his year-long suspension, the Dolphins were nearing a trade that would send Jordan to Philadelphia. Combined with his on-field disappointment and off-field struggles, those trade discussions would seem to indicate that Miami has no plans to hold onto Jordan once the 2016 season rolls around. But as Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald and Darin Gantt of ProFootballTalk write, that may not be the case. Per Jackson and Gantt, the Dolphins are not actively trying to collect the bonus money they are entitled to recoup as a result of Jordan’s suspension–roughly $3.35MM–which suggests that they may give him one more chance to prove himself on what promises to be a talented defensive front next year.

Let’s take a look at a few more notes from the AFC East:

Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com says that if Roger Goodell does not wholly vacate Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, Brady and his legal team will continue the fight in court. However, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe writes, “going to court carries risk of Brady exposing himself and the Patriots to the discovery process, which could put a famously secretive organization in the open, not to mention the potential that Brady loses in court and has to serve his suspension late in the 2015 season, when the Patriots are trying to clinch a playoff spot.”
In the same piece cited above, Reiss writes that former Patriots guard Dan Connolly may have played his last snap. Reiss reports that the Buccaneers made a pretty strong pitch to Connolly, who would have had the chance to reunite with Logan Mankins in Tampa Bay, but Connolly did not want to move so far away from his family. So unless New England decides to extend an offer, which it is unlikely to do unless the team suffers an injury along the offensive line, Connolly appears prepared to hang up the spikes.
Cordy Glenn, whose contract expires at the end of this season, does not even know if he will be lining up at right or left tackle for the Bills in 2015, writes Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. Although Glenn has been the team’s regular left tackle since 2012, he spent much of the offseason practices this year alternating between left and right tackle with Seantrel Henderson. But Glenn is trying not to concern himself with his contract situation as he focuses on learning a new position. “I’m just going to come to work and see what happens,” Glenn said. “That’s all I can do.”

Michael Bennett To Hold Out?

June 28th, 2015 at 9:35am CST by Rory Parks

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett did not show up for the team’s voluntary OTAs in the spring, and as PFR’s Ben Levine wrote last month, that absence was the result of Bennett’s displeasure with his current contract. Although Bennett just signed a four-year deal in March 2014, the average annual value of that deal, $7.125MM, ranks him 14th among 4-3 defensive ends. And, since Bennett recorded seven sacks in 2014 and was the second-best player at his position group per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), he believes he has outplayed his contract.

According to Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Bennett may consider holding out of training camp in the hopes of reworking his deal. Bennett, who makes his offseason home in Honolulu, told Honolulu television station KHON2, “Of course, I think I’ve outplayed the contract that they gave me. It’s one of those things where you have to let your agent (Drew Rosenhaus) do the talking with the team and hopefully something good comes out of it. It never hurts to try.”

As Condotta points out, however, Bennett did show up for Seattle’s mandatory minicamp last week, so odds are good that he will report for training camp as well. Furthermore, players can be fined up to $30,000 per day for holding out, and even though the team is not required to actually assess those fines once a player ultimately reports, Bennett does have some financial incentive to show up for camp.

Therefore, Condotta believes that Bennett’s recent comments are simply designed to let the team know that he remains unhappy with his contract. It is well-established that the Seahawks do not rework deals with more than a year left, so, as Condotta writes, “Almost no one thinks Bennett has any real chance of getting a new deal from the Seahawks.” Marshawn Lynch, whose contract situation was discussed ad nauseum last year, was able to get his deal partially reworked, but his holdout did not result in a full renegotiation.

And it is unlikely that Bennett will get even a reworking of his deal. He has been an important piece of the team’s success in each of the past two seasons, but with three years left on his contract, the Seahawks, who will soon be committing a significant portion of their salary cap to Russell Wilson, simply have no incentive to revisit the matter. If his 2015 performance matches what he did in 2014, then perhaps Bennett will find the team a bit more willing to talk.

2015 Release Candidates: AFC East

June 27th, 2015 at 8:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Most clubs have fairly set rosters at this point, as OTA, minicamp, and preseason performances won’t do much to alter roster composition. The majority of key releases came in March, but there are still several scenarios where certain contributors could lose their roster spot in the coming months. For the most part, we’ll focus on situations where the cap savings would be in excess of $1MM.

Because free agency has already passed, financial ramifications won’t play a huge role in these decisions; there aren’t a ton of high-profile free agents on which to spend that saved money, so these calls will mostly be made based on performance. However, any cap space saved through these potential releases could be rolled over into 2016, so that’s something clubs have to consider.

Buffalo Bills:

Matt Cassel, QB: Just weeks after acquiring Cassel from the Vikings, a report indicated that Buffalo had interest in extending the veteran quarterback, if only for the purpose of making his 2015 cap charge more palatable. But Cassel’s performance during recent OTAs has some wondering if he’ll even survive final roster cuts. The Bills do have two younger QB options in EJ Manuel and Tyrod Taylor, but neither has ever had any sustained success in the NFL. Buffalo could clear nearly $5MM by releasing Cassel. Prediction: not released.
Bryce Brown/Anthony Dixon/Fred Jackson, RB: With LeSean McCoy and rookie Karlos Williams virtual locks for Buffalo’s 53, one of the aforementioned running backs will probably be cut before the seasons starts. Bills GM Doug Whaley has been adamant that Jackson won’t be released, and Dixon is a key special teams contributor. Brown has the lowest cap charge (by far), but he’s probably the worst fit given the team’s current makeup. Prediction: Brown released.
Manny Lawson, LB: Lawson had a poor season in 2015, grading as the second-worst defender on the Buffalo roster, accordin to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). But with the Bills switching back to a 3-4 defense, Lawson could have a better shot to stick on the roster, as he performed capably under former DC Mike Pettine‘s 34 look. Plus, the club would incur $750K in dead money in each of the next two seasons by releasing Lawson, as opposed to a 2015 cap hit of $3.1MM, so the savings wouldn’t be overly consequential. Prediction: not released.
Chris Williams, G: After signing a four-year deal last March, the 29-year-old Williams made just three starts for Buffalo before being placed on injured reserve with a back injury. He’s still recovering from said injury, and didn’t participate in OTAs. The former first-round pick has never lived up to his draft status, and now that the Bills have added Richie Incognito (via free agency) and John Miller (via the draft), the club could save nearly $2.5MM by cutting him. Prediction: released.

Miami Dolphins:

Dion Jordan, DE: There’s no financial reason for the Dolphins to release Jordan — given that he’s suspended for the entire 2015 season, he won’t count against Miami’s books. But given the former third overall pick’s repeated off-the-field troubles, Miami might just want to rid themselves of Jordan altogether. They wouldn’t incur any dead money by doing so, as Jordan’s suspension voided his remaining guarantees. Prediction: released.
Kelvin Sheppard, LB: Sheppard wasn’t a big part of Miami’s defense last season, seeing time on just 121 snaps. He’s currently set to act as Koa Misi‘s backup at middle linebacker, but his cap hit is $2MM; the club could save $1.5MM of that by releasing him. Perhaps if undrafted free agents Mike Hull and Zach Vigil impress during training camp, Sheppard’s role could be in jeopardy, but for now, he’s probably safe. Prediction: not released.

New England Patriots:

Had both receiver Danny Amendola (link) and linebacker Jerod Mayo (link) not restructured their respective contracts in March, they would have likely been released. As such, the Patriots don’t have any other high-profile release candidates.

New York Jets:

Calvin Pace, LB: Pace played the fourth-most snaps among Jets defenders in 2015, but he wasn’t overly effective, grading as the eighth-worst 3-4 OLB among 46 qualifiers, per PFF. New York would only keep $125K in dead money on their books by releasing the 34-year-old, as opposed to a $2.25MM cap hit by keeping him. Perhaps if the Jets like what they see from third-round rookie Lorenzo Mauldin, Pace’s role could be in jeopardy, but he’s probably safe. Prediction: not released.

NFC Notes: Gurley, Eli, Lions, Cowboys

June 27th, 2015 at 7:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though most first-round picks sign deals containing full guarantees, we learned last week that Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley will only see the first two years of his contract fully guaranteed due to his knee injury, which is considered a non-football injury because it didn’t occur in the NFL. But an NFLPA source tells Ben Volin of the Boston Globe that despite the optics, this scenario is actually a win for Gurley, not the club.

“No player in the league, from [Peyton] Manning to Jadeveon Clowney] to Jameis Winston, has protection against getting cut [and not paid/and guarantees not honored] due to this type of situation,” the source told Volin. “The fact that Gurley’s agent got him two years protected for a non-football injury is better than every other player in the first round, and the league in general.”

Largest 2015 Cap Hits By Position Group: Defense

June 27th, 2015 at 6:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Earlier this offseason, our Luke Adams examined the largest 2014 cap hits by position on both offense and defense, scrutinizing the most expensive individual cap charges for next year. The list that follows, while along the same lines, tabulates the largest cap hits by position group. Some overlap in the lists is unavoidable — if a single player has an exorbitant cap charge, it will inevitably raise the team’s cap hit for his position as a whole. After taking a look at positional group spending on offense earlier this week, we’ll examine defensive cap figures here.

Defensive line:

Rams, $47.679MM
Bills, $40.263MM
Jaguars, $37.876MM

The Bills’ inclusion on the defensive line section of this list could be followed by an asterisk, as Over the Cap’s data designates Mario Williams and Jerry Hughes — both of whom will likely play mostly, if not exclusively, at linebacker — as lineman. Exclude their two cap figures, and the Seahawks move into the top three among DL spending.
The clubs listed above (again, assigning Williams/Hughes as lineman) are three of six in the league that count three or more defensive lineman among their top 10 cap hits. The others? Miami, Tennessee, and Minnesota.
Unless a restructure occurs, the Dolphins will certainly place highly here in 2016, when Ndamukong Suh‘s cap charge will balloon to $28.6MM, currently projected as the highest figure in the NFL.
Another team that might stake a claim to fielding the league’s best defensive line — the Jets — rank just 19th in DL spending, thanks to Muhammad Wilkerson playing on a fifth-year option, Damon Harrison on a RFA tender, and Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams still under their rookie contracts.

Linebacker:

Colts, $33.599MM
Packers, $31.861MM
Chiefs, $30.726MM

At linebacker, we clearly see the impact of scheme differentiation, as clubs that employ 3-4 fronts — and therefore, pass-rushing outside linebackers — make up the majority of the top 10 in linebacker spending. In fact, the only among exception among the top 10 teams is the Bengals, at No. 9.
Conversely, eight of the bottom 10 teams in LB spending predominately use 4-3 schemes, and each of the outliers — the Bills and the Bears — only recently switched to 3-4 looks following coaching staff overhauls.
It’s not out of the realm of possibility that Kansas City moves out of the top three before the beginning of the season, as the club could work out an extension with franchise player Justin Houston (and thus lower his 2015 cap hit), and potentially release veteran Derrick Johnson, who was injured for the majority of last season and is set to count $5.25MM against the Chiefs’ books.

Cornerback:

Jets, $32.993MM
Cowboys, $27.857MM
Browns, $25.628MM

The most interesting section of the cornerback list at at the bottom, where the Patriots, one season after bringing two high-profile corners en route to a Super Bowl title, will use the least cap space on CBs of any club in the league, at just $6.531MM. None of the cover men brought in to replace Darrelle Revis or Brandon Browner has a cap charge in excess of $2.5MM, as Bradley Fletcher‘s $2.131MM number is the highest among New England corners.
While Revis’ deal with the Jets is somewhat frontloaded — his cap figure rises by $1MM in 2016 before decreasing in each of the next two seasons — fellow free agent additions Antonio Cromartie and Buster Skrine‘s cap numbers stay relatively stable, sitting between $7MM and $9MM for the duration of their contracts. As such, expect to see Gang Green on this list for the next few years, at least.
The Bills were the No. 1 team in the league against the pass last season, according to Football Outsiders, but they rank just 13th in cornerback spending, thanks in part to several key contributors still playing on rookie deals, and two veterans — Corey Graham and Leodis McKelvin playing under affordable deals, each with a 2015 cap hit of less than $5MM.

Safety:

Seahawks, $15.56MM
Raiders, $14.433MM
Dolphins, $13.772MM

Oakland is pushed to the No. 2 spot thanks to the signing of former Eagle Nate Allen, an addition questioned by many pundits. He’ll count for $7MM in year one of his deal, good for third on the the club and seventh among safeties league-wide.
The Patriots re-signed Devin McCourty to a contract that makes him the second-highest paid safety in terms of AAV, but New England ranks 13th in safety spending in 2015, thanks to the backloaded nature of McCourty’s deal. His cap charges from 2015 to 2019 continually rise, from $6MM, $8MM, $10MM, $11MM, and finally $12.5MM.

Information from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.

Extra Points: Tunsil, L.A., Jags, Sam

June 27th, 2015 at 4:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are some items from across the NFL lexicon on Saturday afternoon.

Oxford, Miss., police arrested potential top-5 2016 draftee Laremy Tunsil after the star Ole Miss offensive tackle punched his stepfather, reports ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy. The tackle, who as of now is projected by ESPN’s Todd McShay to go fourth next year, turned himself in. “We can confirm that Laremy Tunsil turned himself in and was arrested for a misdemeanor, domestic violence-simple assault,” Ole Miss coach Hugh Freeze said in a statement. “The incident occurred Thursday night and involves Laremy defending his mother against his stepfather.” A source close to the situation told McMurphy that Tunsil’s stepfather punched his mother and the Rebels junior retaliated.
After reports surfaced Friday that the now-well-traveled Michael Sam resurfaced with the Montreal Alouettes, the former Rams draft choice confirmed this today on his Twitter account. The defensive end missed two weeks of time with the CFL club that’s now 0-1.
In light of the scathing indictment of the Oakland stadium proposal our own Ben Levine relayed earlier today, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suspects this could further complicate matters in the Los Angeles-in-2016 derby.
Even after No. 3 overall selection Dante Fowler Jr.‘s ACL tear, four Jaguars rookies will see major time this season, writes Steven Ruiz of USA Today. T.J. Yeldon, A.J. Cann, James Sample and Michael Bennett, taken in the second, third, fourth and sixth rounds, respectively, are set for “significant” playing time this season. Bennett would look to compete for depth behind starters Sen’Derrick Marks and Jared Odrick, while Sample will tussle with Sergio Brown at free safety.
The Packers will begin ex-Michigan linebacker Jake Ryan on the inside in their 3-4 scheme, reports Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. A fourth-round pick, Ryan played on the strong side for three seasons with the Wolverines, before moving to the middle as a senior.
Veteran Andre Fluellen has around a 30% chance of making the Bills‘ 53-man roster, opines ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. Although the Bills used a four-man line during minicamp, they are expected to use plenty of 3-4 concepts, where Fluellen would slot at end instead of the inside spot he played with the Lions.

Cowboys, Dez Bryant’s Camp Discussing Deal?

June 27th, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the first time in almost four months, Dez Bryant‘s agent, Tom Condon, had a face-to-face summit with the Cowboys, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

This is a positive development for Bryant’s hopes at a contract extension, since Bryant, unlike fellow 2010 first-rounder Demaryius Thomas, showed some goodwill by making scant appearances during Cowboys workouts this summer after being franchise-tagged. Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones told media he’d push for a Bryant extension, but noted that a lot of work remains.

Bryant hasn’t signed his franchise tender that would pay him $12.82MM this year, a figure that doubles as Dallas’ second-highest financial commitment behind Tony Romo‘s renegotiated $14.97MM number.

The former Oklahoma State target’s threatened to miss regular-season games despite the threat of losing nearly $800K per missed contest. Archer speculates the only benefit Bryant could possibly have in skipping games would be if the team caved on its previous stance that it could re-franchise him next year. This stipulation exists in Greg Hardy‘s contract, but Jerry Jones‘ only public comments on this matter have been another Bryant tag is in play if the sides can’t come to an agreement by July 15.

Funding Rule Holding Up Russell Wilson Deal?

June 27th, 2015 at 2:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

We’ve heard plenty this week on the status of a long-term extension between the Seahawks and Russell Wilson, but today introduced another element into this process.

Multiple sources informed Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio of Wilson seeking a larger-than-usual portion of his next contract to be fully guaranteed, and the NFL’s funding rule could be impeding these proceedings. For teams to provide guarantees to players for skill, cap and injury purposes, all of that guarantee is not due upon signing, but must be placed into an escrow account immediately. The issue, according to Florio, is Seahawks owner Paul Allen being reluctant to agree to this stipulation.

Designed to protect players from owners who don’t have the cash to make the future payments, the funding rule wouldn’t seem to play a key component in Wilson’s pursuit of a lofty second deal. Allen is the league’s richest owner by a massive margin, checking in at No. 51 on Forbes’ world billionaires list with a net worth of $17.5 billion. He is the only NFL owner in the top 200; Dolphins boss Stephen Ross‘ $6.5 billion warchest sits at 216th, which is in the neighborhood of several of his contemporaries.

Florio adds that it’s unclear why Allen is reluctant in this case due to his fortune, but that one reason could be a collusion attempt on the owners’ part to avoid widespread fully guaranteed contracts across the league like the ones doled out in the NBA and Major League Baseball. It’s one of the NFL’s shortcomings fully guaranteed deals don’t exist like they do in the aforementioned, and far safer, disciplines, creating a sharper wedge between labor and management.

Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes the stakes in Wilson’s deal are rising and now are beginning to represent more than what is best for merely the Seahawks or Wilson. It could be a seminal negotiation that shapes how the players formulate their plan for when the next CBA talks emerge at the dawn of the 2020s. Mark Rodgers, Wilson’s agent, has primarily baseball ties after once negotiated former Rockies pitcher Mike Hampton’s then-record deal worth eight years and $121MM in 2000, and Condotta views this background as to why Wilson’s camp is taking this stance on guaranteed money.

As of now, Wilson will play this season as the league’s 44th-highest-paid signal-caller at a $1.67MM cap number, behind the likes of Johnny Manziel, Drew Stanton and Shaun Hill. This will almost certainly be the last year Wilson’s in this minuscule NFL tax bracket, and the fourth-year quarterback’s chances of staying in Seattle remain high. But this saga continues to unearth nuances that suggest the Seahawks view Wilson’s accomplishments perhaps much differently than his camp does.

NFC Mailbags: Cardinals, Bucs, Vikings, Saints

June 27th, 2015 at 12:44pm CST by Ben Levine

We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift focus to the NFC…

Josh Weinfuss believes Cardinals offensive lineman Ted Larsen, Earl Watford, Bradley Sowell and Bobby Massie could be moved because of the depth at their positions.
The Buccaneers have been active in their spot atop the waiver wire, claiming Tim Wright and D.J. Swearinger. Pat Yasinskas says the team could make five or six more claims before the start of the season.
If running back Doug Martin has a big season, Yasinskas thinks there’s a good chance he’d re-sign with the Buccaneers.
2018 is the earliest the Vikings would have to invest a longterm contract into a quarterback, writes Ben Goessling. That means that team shouldn’t have an issue signing their younger core players, including Harrison Smith, Matt Kalil and Xavier Rhodes. The one player that the writer could see the organization move on from is wideout Cordarrelle Patterson.
Mike Triplett says it’s “safe to assume” that Saints defensive coordinator Rob Ryan can’t survive another bad season. If the defense continues to struggle, defensive assistant Dennis Allen could also receive part of the blame.

Latest on Raiders Stadium Situation

June 27th, 2015 at 11:28am CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders might be one step closer to moving to Los Angeles, especially following the release of the financing plan for a new Oakland stadium. As Matthew Artz of the Bay Area News group writes, the proposed plan is so egregious, it would incentivize a move to another city.

The plan, submitted by businessman Floyd Kephart, would require the Raiders to sell 20-percent of the team to Kephart’s New City Development, LLC for $200MM. The company would subsequently develop the area around the stadium, including the construction of a shopping center, hotels, offices and 4,000 homes.

On top of that, the Raiders (along with money from the NFL and funds from future stadium revenues) would be responsible for financing the $900MM stadium, meaning the Raiders would have to rely on sponsorship revenue and naming rights fees to compensate for the nearly $300MM in potential loans.

As Artz explains, it’s not an easy task for Kephart, who helped rescue the project in 2014 after other developers dropped out. He has to obviously appease the franchise, which is a difficult task considering their interest in Los Angeles. Furthermore, he has to satisfy the local officials who refuse to help pay for a new stadium.

“This is not just the worst stadium proposal I’ve seen,” Marc Ganis, president of the consulting firm SportsCorp Ltd., told Artz. “It’s the worst by far.

“I can’t think of any sports team owner that would take a proposal like this even remotely seriously. It’s so one-sided and so bad, that it’s almost as if local leaders are saying ‘we can’t really do anything, so go ahead and leave.'”

As Robert Boland, a sports business professor at New York University explained, it’s unprecedented for a team to self-fund a stadium, especially when they’re also being required to sell a percentage of the franchise.

“This does create a scenario by which Los Angeles becomes more attractive,” he said.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the proposal on Tuesday. If it’s ultimately accepted, the city would begin negotiations with the franchise regarding a new stadium, with an eye towards starting construction in 2020.

Raiders ownership has continually said that they’d prefer to stay in Oakland.

“We’ve been working on a stadium in Oakland for the past at least six years, on a very strong basis,” owner Mark Davis told Raiders.com last month. “We definitely want to keep the Raiders in Oakland, if possible, and have made as much as we can trying with the city, the county and the Oakland A’s and the Raiders, trying to work something out, to figure it out, how we can get it done.”

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