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Cowboys Notes: S. Jackson, Tryouts, Dez

July 31st, 2015 at 12:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Notable free agent running backs like Ray Rice and Chris Johnson have been linked to the Cowboys in recent weeks, but it appears those rumors are coming from the players’ side rather than from the team, as executive VP Stephen Jones said yesterday that the club has no plans to add a veteran back.

That didn’t stop another veteran free agent, Steven Jackson, from publicly lobbying the team for an opportunity though. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk details, Jackson made use of Photoshop and Twitter in trying to get the Cowboys’ attention.

It’s no surprise that Dallas looks like a desirable destination for free agent running backs, considering the team has one of the league’s best offensive lines and no clear-cut candidate to carry the workload now that DeMarco Murray is an Eagle. But for now at least, it appears the Cowboys want to get a good look at the backs on their roster in training camp before they make any changes at the position.

Here’s more out of Dallas:

  • With Keith Rivers having retired and Rolando McClain not available for the start of the season, the Cowboys are perusing the free agent market for linebackers. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter), the club is bringing in Keith Smith, Lawrence Wilson, and Ashlee Palmer for workouts. Tight end Gator Hoskins is also auditioning for Dallas, notes Archer.
  • Dez Bryant‘s new $70MM contract isn’t going to change the way he plays, as Archer writes in a piece for ESPN.com. “It’s no pressure. That deal don’t make me,” Bryant said. “I play this game because I love this game. I don’t give a damn about none of that. It’s not going to change the way I play. It’s not going to change the way I act.”
  • Over two weeks ago, we heard that Greg Hardy would make a decision “any time now” on whether or not to take the NFL to court over his suspension. Based on how quiet it’s been on the Hardy front, it seems increasingly likely that the defensive end will simply accept his four-game ban, and Cowboys radio analyst Babe Laufenberg thinks the team would be in favor of that decision (link via Dallas Morning News).

Seahawks Sign Russell Wilson To Extension

July 31st, 2015 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

12:13pm: Wilson has signed his new contract, and the Seahawks have officially confirmed the contract, per Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).

8:47am: The Seahawks have agreed to a contract extension with Russell Wilson, beating the quarterback’s self-imposed deadline, reports Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter). According to King, it’s a four-year, $87.6MM deal for Wilson, including a $31MM signing bonus and $60MM in guarantees (Twitter link).Russell Wilson

With the Seahawks set to have their first training camp practice today, Wilson was prepared to shut down contract talks and focus on football if the two sides hadn’t worked out an agreement within the next few hours. Instead, he’s poised to sign an extension that will keep him under contract with Seattle through the 2019 season.

The new contract doesn’t make Wilson the highest-paid quarterback in the league, but he comes very close to matching Aaron Rodgers‘ $22MM per-year salary, with an average annual value of $21.9MM. We’ll have to wait to hear how the deal is structured, and how many of that $60MM in guaranteed money is actually fully guaranteed, but it appears Wilson’s new contract strongly resembles Ben Roethlisberger‘s pact with the Steelers – Big Ben also got a $31MM signing bonus on his four-year, $87.4MM deal.

Earlier in the process, we heard that Wilson was aiming to top Rodgers’ salary, perhaps seeking an annual salary approaching $25MM, so it appears he made some concessions to get something done this week. The Seahawks may have made some concessions of their own, as most quarterback extensions are for longer than four years. The relatively short term, which is in line with extensions Seattle has done for other key players, will allow Wilson to enter the final year of the contract when he’s just 30 years old.

The negotiations between Wilson and the Seahawks have been one of the NFL’s top stories all offseason, as the Super Bowl-winning quarterback had been set to earn a very modest $1.542MM salary in 2015. He and agent Mark Rodgers were reportedly comfortable with playing out the season on that deal, potentially forcing Seattle to use its exclusive franchise tag on Wilson next winter. However, that drama will be avoided now that the two sides have agreed to terms on a long-term contract.

Because Wilson’s 2015 salary was just $1.542MM, his overall five-year contract won’t look quite as impressive as the new-money figures suggest. Again, we’ll have to wait for the full breakdown of the deal to be sure, but it appears as if the extension is worth $87.6MM in new money for four new seasons, and those new-money amounts are typically how the industry evaluates contracts. Still, once we take into account the ’15 season, Wilson’s overall deal will likely be worth $89.142MM over five years, an average of about $17.8MM annually.

Wilson, 26, has led the Seahawks to three straight playoff appearances and consecutive division titles since joining the franchise as a third-round pick in the 2012 draft. With a career 36-12 regular-season record and a Super Bowl victory under his belt, the Wisconsin product has put himself among the top tier of quarterbacks in the NFL. In 2014, he completed 63.1% of his passes, throwing for 3,475 yards, 20 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. He also adds value with his legs, running for a career-high 849 yards and six touchdowns last season.

While there had been some questions about whether Wilson deserved a contract in line with the league’s top quarterbacks, given how much the Seahawks lean on their running game and defense to win games, the new deal clearly shows how much the club values its quarterback.

With Wilson now locked up, the Seahawks will be free to focus on a handful of other contract situations. Linebacker Bobby Wagner looks to be next in line for an extension, and left tackle Russell Okung is another candidate for a new deal. However, general manager John Schneider and the Seattle front office may also have to figure out what to do with a couple other players — safety Kam Chancellor is reportedly set to hold out from camp in search of a new deal, and defensive end Michael Bennett is unhappy with his contract as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Philip Rivers’ Extension Talks

July 31st, 2015 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

After being the subject of several trade rumors earlier in the offseason, quarterback Philip Rivers reported to Chargers camp this week, and looks poised to continue his career with the team in 2015 and beyond. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Rivers is “hopeful” of signing an extension with San Diego within the next couple weeks.

While Rivers declined to discuss specific details of his contract talks with the Chargers, Cole hears from sources that the veteran quarterback’s next contract figures to exceed $20MM per year. That would be a significant bump for Rivers, whose current deal paid him $15.3MM annually, but it wouldn’t be a surprise. Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, and now Russell Wilson have all signed contracts this offseason that exceed $20.75MM per year, and I’d expect Rivers’ next deal to be in the same ballpark.

Despite Rivers’ optimism about the chances of a deal getting done within the next couple weeks, the Chargers signal-caller also isn’t averse to playing out the 2015 season on his current deal, says Cole. According to the Bleacher Report scribe, Rivers will likely shut down extension discussions in a few weeks if the two sides still haven’t reached an agreement, since he wants to focus exclusively on football during the season.

Rivers, 33, is coming off a 2014 season in which he threw for 4,286 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a league-high 18 interceptions. The five-time Pro Bowler led San Diego to a 9-7 record, narrowly missing the postseason, despite the fact that the team was missing several key players due to injuries, and Rivers himself was banged up for much of the year.

Bashaud Breeland Suspended One Game

July 31st, 2015 at 9:56am CST by Luke Adams

Washington cornerback Bashaud Breeland will serve a one-game suspension to open the 2015 season, stemming from a citation for marijuana possession from last summer, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link). The penalty will sideline Breeland for the club’s Week 1 contest at home against the Dolphins.

Breeland, 23, was cited for marijuana possession on the campus of Virginia Commonwealth University last August, before he had played in a regular-season NFL game. However, the incident didn’t stop him from earning a starting job for Washington and playing nearly 900 defensive snaps for the team in 2014.

The fourth-round pick was a below-average defender in his rookie year, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required), with his 13 penalties negatively impacting his grade. However, even after Washington went out and added Chris Culliver in free agency, Breeland still projects as a starter in the team’s secondary in 2015. In Week 1, either DeAngelo Hall or David Amerson figures to get the opportunity to start across from Culliver.

Offseason In Review: Carolina Panthers

July 31st, 2015 at 8:36am CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have managed to make the playoffs for two straight seasons, an impressive feat considering general manager Dave Gettleman had little room to work with under the cap.

Finally armed with some financial flexibility, the Panthers had a surprisingly quiet offseason. Some could be disappointed that the team failed to bring in any game-changing additions, but the organization seemed to be more focused on locking up their own guys long term.

Notable signings:

Gettleman had previously indicated that Carolina’s cap room could result in the team pursuing bigger-name free agents.

“Last year we were shopping in the dollar store,” the general manager said in January (via Chris Burke of SI.com). “This year we may be able to move up in class a little bit.”

He quickly stepped back from his comments, perhaps trying to temper fans’ expectations.

“I said we’re going to move up in class,” he added. “I didn’t say we’re going to go out and spend big money on a player.”

This latter statement ended up being a clue into the Panthers’ offseason strategy. The Panthers ended up adding some notable players, but none of their free agent additions made Luke Adams’ list of the top 50 free agents. Instead of plugging their holes with pricey, popular players, the Panthers decided to pursue guys on short-term, less-lucrative contracts.

The team’s “biggest” offseason signing was offensive lineman Michael Oher, who had been released by the Titans in February. The former first-round pick struggled during his only season in Tennessee, and injuries limited the 29-year-old to a career-low 11 games.

The poor performance resulted in Oher being ranked 75th among 84 offensive tackles last season (via Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics). However, Byron Bell, the player he’ll likely be replacing, ranked 83rd on that same list. Still, such a slight upgrade won’t do much to improve one of the worst offensive lines in the league.

The Panthers did give Cam Newton some new toys to play with on offense, bringing in Ed Dickson, Ted Ginn Jr. and Jarrett Boykin. The trio wasn’t particularly flashy in 2014 (Kelvin Benjamin finished with 680 more yards than the three players combined), but each player has a 600-plus yard season on their resume. Ginn in particular had seemed to develop some rapport with Newton during his previous stint with the Panthers.

Elsewhere on offense, the team brought in quarterback Joe Webb to compete with Derek Anderson for the backup gig. Jordan Todman proved to be a bit of a receiving threat out of the backfield for the Jaguars, but Jonathan Stewart still figures to be the primary target among the running backs.

Defensively, the organization ultimately signed five defensive backs to their squad. It remains to be seen whether any of these players will be anything more than backups, but the signings at least provide the unit with some depth.

The most intriguing signing of the bunch is veteran Charles Tillman. The 34-year-old’s 12-year tenure with the Bears came to and following an injury-marred last two seasons. The two-time Pro Bowler was considered a top cornerback as recently as 2012, so if he can somehow stay healthy, the Panthers may have found a bargain.

Kurt Coleman could be another sneaky grab for the franchise. The 27-year-old has settled into more of a backup role in recent years, but he’s still managed to bring above-average production. He gave the Chiefs 37 tackles, a forced fumble, and three interceptions in 2014, and he was ranked 26th among 87 cornerback candidates on PFF.

The pair of defensive tackle re-signees, Dwan Edwards and Colin Cole, weren’t rated favorably by PFF, and neither of the two played more than 600 snaps last season. The duo should still be able to provide solid depth behind Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei.

Notable losses:

The Panthers played the majority of last season without their best defensive player, forcing the team to adjust and compensate for his absence. Therefore, Hardy’s departure this offseason shouldn’t have as big of an impact as someone like, for instance, Ndamukong Suh.

While the organization is likely relieved to have rid themselves of Hardy and his baggage, there’s no denying the impact he could have had on the team’s defense in 2015. After all, the 27-year-old was one of the best players in the league as recently as 2013.

Charles Johnson had a standout season, and the trio of Kony Ealy, Wes Horton and Mario Addison all filled in admirably for the Pro Bowler. Hardy’s departure seemed inevitable, and the organization essentially had an entire season to prepare for this moment. Still, it doesn’t make Hardy’s exit any easier.

Perhaps the Panthers’ toughest offseason move was releasing veteran running back DeAngelo Williams. The franchise leader in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns was officially released in March, with the transaction ultimately saved the team about $2MM against the cap. The 2014 season wasn’t a particularly productive campaign for Williams, as the 32-year-old set or tied career-lows in games played (six), attempts (62), rushing yards (219) and touchdowns (zero).

Replacing Williams in the lineup shouldn’t be difficult. However, like last season’s departure of Steve Smith, the team may miss the veteran’s presence in the locker room.

The Panthers reinforcement on the offensive line could be connected to the departures of Byron Bell and Fernando Velasco. Bell had been a Panthers mainstay for the previous four seasons, starting 56 of his 62 games played. Despite his starting role, the former undrafted free agent had never performed above league average, according to PFF. The advanced metrics consistently ranked Bell among the worst tackles in the league, culminating in him earning the distinction of receiving PFF’s second-lowest score among tackles in 2014. Velasco performed mostly in a backup role during his lone season with the Panthers, but he still received a better rating than four of his lineman teammates.

DeCoud’s tenure in Charlotte lasted only one season. The 30-year-old started 11 of his 15 games for the Panthers, compiling 49 tackles, three passes defended and one interception. The veteran’s role diminished as the season progressed, making him expendable this offseason.

Trades:

  • Acquired a 2015 second-round pick (No. 41; WR Devin Funchess) from the Rams in exchange for a 2015 second-round pick (No. 57; T Rob Havenstein), a 2015 third-round pick (No. 89; QB Sean Mannion), and a 2015 sixth-round pick (No. 201; WR Bud Sasser).
  • Acquired a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 102; T Daryl Williams) from the Raiders in exchange for a 2015 fourth-round pick (No. 124), a 2015 fifth-round pick (No. 161; OLBNeiron Ball), and a 2015 seventh-round pick (No. 242; CB Dexter McDonald).

The Panthers made a pair of moves to move up during this past year’s draft. They moved up 16 spots in the second round to select Michigan wideout Devin Funchess, giving up three 2015 picks in the process. The former tight end finished with 62 catches for 733 yards and four touchdowns last season. The hope is that the 6-5, 230-pound rookie will be long-term compliment to Benjamin.

The Panthers sacrificed another three 2015 picks to move up 22 spots in the fourth round, selecting offensive tackle Daryl Williams. The addition of Oher and the precense of Mike Remmers may limit the Oklahoma product to more of a backup role for at least this season.

Extensions and restructures:

The Panthers locked up three key players during the offseason, including handing out a lucrative five-year extension to Newton. The signing was clearly an indication by the franchise that the former first overall pick was their guy going forward, and the organization seemingly set the market for young, franchise signal-callers. The 26-year-old finished with the lowest quarterback rating of his career in 2015, but Pro Football Focus still ranked him as the eighth-best quarterback last season.

Olsen has been one of Newton’s most consistent targets since he joined the Panthers in 2011. The 30-year-old set career-highs this past season in catches (84) and yards (1,008), and he recorded his seventh-straight season with at least five touchdowns. Along with Benjamin, the Panthers now have three key members of their offense signed for at least three more seasons.

Davis struggled through injuries from 2009 through 2011, but the veteran has established himself as one of the top linebackers in the league since then. The 32-year-old ranked fifth among 40 linebacker candidates (via PFF), and he was rated behind Luke Kuechly as the second-most valuable defender on the Panthers.

Draft picks:

  • 1-25: Shaq Thompson, LB (Washington): Signed
  • 2-41: Devin Funchess, WR (Michigan): Signed
  • 4-102: Daryl Williams, T (Oklahoma): Signed
  • 5-169: David Mayo, ILB (Texas State): Signed
  • 5-174: Cameron Artis-Payne, RB (Auburn): Signed

There’s no denying Shaq Thompson’s talent, but some evaluators have questioned whether the Washington product truly has the size to play linebacker. Furthermore, the team’s two best defensive players (Davis and Kuechly) play the same position, and there were clearly other areas of need.

As mentioned previously, the Panthers gave up four extra draft picks to move up in both the second and fourth round. While the additional depth may have been good for the franchise, you can’t criticize a front office for going after the players they want.

David Mayo and Cameron Artis-Payne weren’t “reaches” by any stretch of the imagination, but you’ve got to wonder whether Gettleman would have been better off drafting for need.

Other:

Picking up Kuechly’s option was perhaps the most predictable move of the Panthers offseason, as Gettelman had previously said he’d “have to be brain-dead” to not exercise the contract.

Top 10 cap hits for 2015:

  1. Charles Johnson, DE: $20,020,000
  2. Cam Newton, QB: $13,000,000
  3. Ryan Kalil, C: $11,795,000
  4. Jonathan Stewart, RB: $8,300,000
  5. Greg Olsen, TE: $6,300,000
  6. Thomas Davis, LB: $5,900,000
  7. DeAngelo Williams, RB: $4,333,333 (dead money)
  8. Luke Kuechly, LB: $4,002,283
  9. Steve Smith, WR: $4,000,000 (dead money)
  10. Mike Tolbert, RB: $3,425,000

The Panthers’ roster has seen plenty of turnover since last season, and the roster certainly improved, if only slightly. Assuming the team’s young players continue to improve (and assuming that Newton doesn’t get passive following a new contract), this team should be in contention for a playoff spot once again.

Contract information from Over the Cap and Spotrac was used in the creation of this post.

NFC Notes: Bennett, Foles, Panthers

July 30th, 2015 at 9:25pm CST by Zachary Links

Martellus Bennett sat out the voluntary portion of the Bears’ offseason program to help force a new contract, but he now accepts that a new deal isn’t coming his way anytime soon, Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times writes.

“It’s just business,” Bennett said. “I have no hard feelings against anybody. Some business deals go the way you want. I have several business deals this offseason that worked and didn’t work out. “For me, [the pursuit of new contract was] just another business deal, and then that’s just the way it is. Some deals get done, some don’t. Still got to come work and do my job.”

Here’s more from the NFC..

  • Rams GM Les Snead says that it is “definitely realistic” that the team and Nick Foles will agree to an extension before the quarterback becomes a free agent after the season, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com writes. The two sides have been discussing a new deal for more than a month now and, recently, PFR’s Connor Byrne evaluated Foles as an extension candidate.
  • Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman says Stephen Hill‘s arrest won’t affect his chances to make the team, David Newton of ESPN.com writes. Hill, a second-round pick by the Jets in 2012, spent last season on Carolina’s practice squad after being released by the Jets at the end of training camp.
  • The Panthers GM was surprised to learn that backup left tackle Jonathan Martin is retiring, as Newton writes. However, the team has good depth at the position with Nate Chandler, Amini Silatolu, and rookie Daryl Williams competing to back up Michael Oher.

AFC Notes: Brady, Weddle, Lewis, Kromer

July 30th, 2015 at 9:23pm CST by Zachary Links

A U.S. District Court judge ordered the NFL and NFLPA to try to resolve their differences over Tom Brady‘s suspension without litigation, as ESPN.com writes. Of course, it seems unlikely that the two sides will peacefully resolve the conflict regarding the Patriots quarterback. Here’s more from the AFC..

  • Chargers safety Eric Weddle says that he will not hold out from camp but added that he believes this will be his last year with the team, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Weddle and the Bolts have been embroiled in a contract dispute all offseason and there has been no sign of the two compromising on an extension.
  • Bengals coach Marvin Lewis wants to win a Super Bowl this season and “walk away” afterwards to leave the game on top, Paul Daugherty of The Cincinnati Enquirer writes.
  • Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer entered a written plea of not guilty in a Florida court, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com tweets. Kromer is scheduled for a September 2nd pre-trial hearing.

Seahawks’ Kam Chancellor To Hold Out

July 30th, 2015 at 9:06pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 9:06pm: Chancellor will not report to training camp and will hold out until he gets the contract he wants, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

9:02pm: Chancellor followed through on his threat and didn’t show up today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. If he doesn’t show tomorrow, he’ll officially be a holdout.

WEDNESDAY, 11:23am: Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor wants a pay raise and he has told Seattle that he’s strongly considering a camp holdout to make it happen, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The safety has three years and nearly $17MM to go on the extension he signed in 2013, with nothing guaranteed beyond this season.

Chancellor is set to earn $4.55MM this year but he’s apparently looking for a deal that reflects his level of play in recent years. Chancellor is a key part of Seattle’s defense and he’s even more critical to the team this year with Earl Thomas potentially sidelined to start the year. There’s also precedent for the Seahawks reworking a deal after running back Marshawn Lynch successfully forced their hand last year.

Chancellor, 27, racked up 104 total tackles with seven pass deflections and one interception in 14 regular season games last season. Last season, he graded out as the 20th best safety in the NFL according to the advanced metrics used by Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d). In the year prior, Chancellor came in as the 12th best safety in the NFL.

Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett also has said he wants more money and is mulling his options, Rapoport tweets. He is a better candidate to show up than Chancellor, though.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/30/15

July 30th, 2015 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves and signings..

  • The Panthers announced (on Twitter) that they have signed wide receiver Avius Capers and punter Matt Wile while waiving cornerback Garry Peters.
  • Tackle Jonathan Martin, who has retired from the NFL, has been placed on the Reserve/Did Not Report list (Twitter link). Martin was supposed to fill out retirement paperwork by this afternoon but apparently did not, prompting the Panthers to make that roster move, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets.
  • The Bengals signed rookie free agent wide receiver Desmond Lawrence, Paul Dehner Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets.
  • The Titans have signed nose tackle Isaako Aaitui, Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean tweets.

Falcons, Julio Jones Begin Extension Talks

July 30th, 2015 at 7:58pm CST by Zachary Links

Julio Jones says his agent and the Falcons have started negotiations toward a new long-term contract, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. When asked for a timetable, however, Jones wasn’t able to put a date on it.

“I don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t talked to [the Falcons, personally]. My agent [Jimmy Sexton] and the Falcons obviously have been talking. I haven’t been talking. I talked to DQ [coach Dan Quinn] earlier. Me and him are on the same page. He just needs me to be the leader I am and to continue to keep working hard and take care of what I can take care of.”

While things appeared to get a little chippy between Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos and downright ugly between the Cowboys and Dez Bryant, Jones made it known that he would never be a training camp holdout. Of course, with one more year to go before Jones could be franchise tagged, he was in a much different position than either of those wide receivers.

Jones is coming off a franchise-record-setting 1,593 receiving yards last season on a career-high 104 receptions. At the moment, he is set to play the 2015 season on his fully guaranteed fifth-year option, worth $10.176MM. For what it’s worth, his 2014 numbers compare favorably to Thomas and Bryant. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him right behind the duo, despite the fact that he played fewer snaps than either player.

Just last week, Luke Adams of PFR looked at Jones as an extension candidate.

 

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