2015 July - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Broncos Extend Demaryius Thomas

July 15th, 2015 at 3:01pm CST by Luke Adams

3:01pm: With the deadline for franchised players to sign multiyear deals having passed, Albert Breer of the NFL Network confirms (via Twitter) that Thomas’ contract has been finalized and filed

2:51pm: According to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link), $35MM of Thomas’ $43.5MM overall guarantee is fully guaranteed at the time of signing.

2:38pm: Shortly after the Cowboys and Dez Bryant agreed to a five-year, $70MM contract, the Broncos and Demaryius Thomas have done the same, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Thomas’ five-year, $70MM pact will feature $43.5MM in guarantees, just slightly less than Bryant’s $45MM.

Heading into the day, a multiyear extension hadn’t been considered likely for Thomas, who was reportedly seeking a contract in the neighborhood of Calvin Johnson‘s mega-deal with the Lions — the Broncos appeared unwilling to budge from a figure much lower than that, in the ballpark of $13MM annually. However, this afternoon’s deadline – along with Bryant’s deal – got the two sides back to the negotiating table, and they got something done with less than a half-hour to go.

This morning, we learned that Thomas was planning to skip the Broncos’ training camp and preseason if he didn’t get a long-term extension today, and it’s possible that threat helped move the team to action. After all, with a new head coach and offensive coordinator in place, it would have set the Broncos back somewhat to be without their No. 1 wideout until September. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), the club upped its offer today.

It’s also possible that the threat of a collusion complaint from the NFL Player’s Association played a part, though neither the Broncos nor the Cowboys appeared to take that investigation too seriously. Now that Bryant and Thomas have been locked up, the NFLPA will likely stand down, but amidst the union’s claims of collusion, it’s interesting to note that the two wideouts appear to have landed virtually identical contracts.

Like Bryant, Thomas has been one of the league’s top receivers over the last several seasons, piling up 297 receptions and three consecutive Pro Bowl nods since becoming a full-time starter for the Broncos in 2012. During that stretch, Thomas averaged 99 catches, 1,494 yards, and 12 touchdowns per season, establishing new career highs with 111 receptions and 1619 yards in 2014. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) has ranked the 27-year-old as a top-five wideout in each of the last three seasons.

Despite his gaudy numbers, Thomas wasn’t a lock to be extended by the Broncos, given the team’s uncertain quarterback situation beyond this season. Although Thomas’ success can’t be attributed entirely to Peyton Manning, there’s a chance his production will eventually drop off without the future Hall-of-Famer, who may not extend his career beyond 2015.

Still, having let standout pass-catchers like Eric Decker and Julius Thomas walk in free agency over the last two years, the Broncos appeared to be prioritizing Demaryius Thomas. By locking him up now, the team avoids having to make a tough decision next year, when both Thomas and Von Miller would be eligible for potential unrestricted free agency. With Thomas under contract, Denver now has the 2016 franchise tag available to use on Miller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Sign Dez Bryant To Extension

July 15th, 2015 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

2:31pm: Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com has tweeted out a photo of Bryant signing the contract, making it official.

2:16pm: Bryant will get $23MM in total money – including a $20MM signing bonus – for 2015, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter links). The other $22MM will become fully guaranteed by March of 2016.

2:10pm: The Cowboys and Dez Bryant have an agreement in principle on a five-year extension worth $70MM, which will be finalized prior to this afternoon’s deadline for franchised players to sign multiyear contracts, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the agreement features $45MM in guaranteed money, though it’s not clear yet how much of that amount is fully guaranteed.

Earlier reports had indicated that the two sides were closing in on an agreement and that Bryant was on his way to the team’s facility to hammer out the final details. Based on Rapoport’s report, it sounds like the star wideout will be putting pen to paper shortly.

The agreement between Bryant and the Cowboys brings to an end a saga that has played out over the last several months, ever since the team assigned its franchise tag to the All-Pro receiver back in March. While both sides indicated all along that they wanted to get a long-term deal done, there were plenty of potential roadblocks along the way, with Bryant threatening to hold out into the regular season if he didn’t get an extension, and the NFLPA looking into possible collusion between the Cowboys and Broncos over Bryant’s and Demaryius Thomas‘ contracts.

Although Bryant’s franchise tag was worth $12.823MM, he had been seeking a larger annual salary on a multiyear contract. Reports earlier today suggested that Dallas had increased its offer to north of $13MM annually, and while it was said that the wideout’s camp still wasn’t satisfied with that proposal, Bryant seemed eager to get something done and get his contract situation put to bed. It appears his new deal will average $14MM per year.

Bryant, 26, has established himself as an elite, durable wideout during the first five seasons of his career. The former first-round pick has racked up 381 catches and 56 touchdowns while appearing in 75 of a possible 80 regular-season games since Dallas selected him 24th overall out of Oklahoma State in 2010. Bryant hasn’t missed a game since 2011 and is coming off his third straight season with at least 88 catches and 12 TDs.

The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder set a new career high for touchdowns in 2014 by reaching the end zone 16 times, and he also tied his previous best yards-per-catch mark (15.0). As a result, Bryant earned First-Team All-Pro honors and his second consecutive Pro Bowl invitation.

Among the NFL’s elite receivers who are extension-eligible this season, Bryant is the first to land an extension, and the deal could result in other star wideouts around the league making progress on their own contracts. Thomas, Bryant’s fellow franchise-tag recipient, will have to get something done with the Broncos by the top of the hour if he hopes to sign a long-term deal before 2016, but Julio Jones and A.J. Green could negotiate extensions with their respective teams at any time throughout the year.

One reason that it took some time for one of these top receivers to sign an extension was the uncertainty about how they fit into a market that featured a significant gap between the top two contracts. The gap between Calvin Johnson‘s $16.21MM average salary and the $12MM annual figure for Mike Wallace was significant, with players and agents angling for something closer to Johnson’s number, while teams argued that was an outlier. Unsurprisingly, Bryant’s per-year salary falls nearly right in the middle of the two figures.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Demaryius Thomas Updates: Wednesday

July 15th, 2015 at 2:25pm CST by Luke Adams

With less than five hours for Demaryius Thomas and the Broncos to finalize a long-term extension, the odds of the two sides reaching an agreement don’t look great. We’ll round up Wednesday’s updates on Thomas in this space, with any additional news and rumors added to the top of the page throughout the day. Here’s the latest:

If the Broncos and Thomas are able to make a last-minute deal, expect it to be bigger than the five-year, $70MM deal Dez Bryant got from the Cowboys, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Thomas and the Broncos are talking, though they don’t have much time left.

Earlier updates:

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links), the Broncos have adjusted their offer to Thomas four times, but the last adjustment came over a month ago. That proposal, which is still on the table, was strong on guarantees but fell short of the per-year salary Thomas is seeking.
A source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that the Broncos had been under the impression that Thomas would take the best deal on the table today. Now, the team isn’t so sure about that.
As of 9:00am MDT, there had been no communication today between the Broncos and Thomas’ agent, Todd France, tweets Mike Klis of 9News. As Klis adds in a second tweet, if the two sides were intent on making a deal, they’d probably have to start hammering out specific details and language by now.
Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated that the Broncos are unlikely to budge from their current offer, which is in the neighborhood of $13MM per year.
We also heard that the standout receiver is expected to skip training camp and the preseason if he doesn’t land a new deal today. Because he has yet to sign his franchise tender, Thomas wouldn’t be subject to fines for his absence. Within that same story, we passed along word from Troy Renck of the Denver Post that multiple agents believe Denver has offered Thomas more than $40MM guaranteed, though it’s not clear if that amount is fully guaranteed.

Cowboys, Dez Bryant Closing In On Deal

July 15th, 2015 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

1:45pm: Assuming Bryant and the Cowboys finalize a contract, it’ll be for five years, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com.

1:37pm: Bryant is headed to the Cowboys’ facility now, in hopes of putting the finishing touches on an extension, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter links). There are still some minor points to work out, but there’s a sense it’ll get done, according to Schefter and Rapoport, who tweets that the two sides are finalizing a deal.

1:11pm: The Cowboys are moving closer to getting a long-term extension done with Dez Bryant, a source tells David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. Nothing has been agreed upon yet, and the two sides have less than two hours to finalize a deal, but everyone appears optimistic that it’ll get done, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Earlier today, we heard that the Cowboys had increased their offer to Bryant, going north of $13MM per year. However, that proposal was viewed by Bryant’s camp as “still not great,” according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Based on recent reports from Jason Cole of Bleacher Report and others, it sounds as if Bryant may be anxious to get a multiyear pact done today, rather than waiting until after the season to resume negotiations. If that’s the case, then the star wideout may ultimately elect to accept the best offer on the table, even if his representatives would prefer that he hold out for more.

If the two sides don’t strike a deal by 3:00pm central time, Bryant would have to play on a one-year contract in 2015, if he plays at all. He has threatened to miss training camp, the preseason, and even regular season games if he doesn’t get a long-term extension today.

Patriots To Extend Stephen Gostkowski

July 15th, 2015 at 1:18pm CST by Luke Adams

While he didn’t receive nearly as much attention as the other four franchised players this offseason, Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski also had until today to work out a multiyear contract with his team. And according to Christopher Gasper of the Boston Globe (Twitter link), Gostkowski has done just that, agreeing to an extension with the Pats. It’s a four-year deal worth $17.2MM, per Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com (Twitter links).

Gostkowski, 31, has led the NFL in field goals in each of the last two seasons, making 73 of his 78 total attempts during that stretch for a 93.6% mark. Gostkowski has also made all 95 of his extra point tries over the last two years. That success prompted the Pats to designate him as their franchise player, rather than using the tag on safety Devin McCourty, who eventually signed a long-term deal with the club as well.

Because he signed his tender shortly after he was tagged, Gostkowski wasn’t in the same situation as the other four franchised players, who were not under contract heading into today. Although today was the last day Gostkowski could sign a multiyear contract, there was no question that he’d report to the club later this month and participate in training camp, with or without a long-term contract.

Gostkowski’s one-year salary on the franchise tag had been $4.59MM, so his new deal reduces his annual salary slightly – to $4.3MM – in exchange for some longer-term security. Gostkowski’s extension also figures to include at least a modest signing bonus, which should allow the Pats to reduce his cap hit for 2015.

Latest On Tom Brady, Greg Hardy Suspensions

July 15th, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

As Roger Goodell continues to weigh whether or not to uphold Tom Brady‘s four-game suspension, NFLPA sources tell Ryan Smith of ABC News (Twitter link) that the union intends to challenge Goodell’s decision in federal court, even if Brady’s ban is reduced to one or two games.

That’s not a huge surprise, as Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets, pointing out that it has been the NFLPA’s plan all along to challenge the appeal decision in court. However, the final decision will be up to Brady himself. Breer also observes (via Twitter) that it wouldn’t make sense for the union not to plan on filing a lawsuit — it may not affect Goodell’s ruling, but the threat of legal action will make him consider every aspect of the decision more carefully.

Meanwhile, though we’re still waiting on an appeal ruling in Brady’s case, we got word last week that Greg Hardy‘s ban has been reduced from 10 games to just four games. That doesn’t necessarily mean the saga is over though — agent Drew Rosenhaus indicated at the time that he’d consult with Hardy, the NFLPA, and his lawyers before deciding whether or not to pursue legal action.

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, that decision is coming “any time now.” Time will be of the essence if Hardy’s camp pursues litigation, since the regular season is less than two months away, so the goal is to make a call one way or the other by the end of the week.

Chiefs Sign Justin Houston To Six-Year Deal

July 15th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

11:40am: Houston’s signing bonus is worth $20.5MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That means it’ll count against the cap for $4.1MM annually from 2015 to 2019.

11:22am: Houston has confirmed in a tweet that he has signed his contract with the Chiefs, thanking agents Joel Segal and Greg Barnett for their work getting it done. Meanwhile, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has some specifics on the money involved, tweeting that Houston will get $32.5MM in fully guaranteed money, including $43MM by March 2016.

11:00am: The Chiefs and Justin Houston have agreed to a contract extension that will be the richest deal in team history, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Schefter reports (via Twitter) that Houston’s new contract will be worth $101MM over six years, including $52.5MM guaranteed, narrowly surpassing J.J. Watt‘s pact with the Texans.

Houston becomes the first of this year’s class of franchised players to reach a multiyear extension with his club, doing so about four hours before this afternoon’s deadline. Outside of perhaps Stephen Gostkowski, who already signed his franchise tender with the Patriots, Houston had long been considered the franchised player most likely to ink a long-term deal.

Multiple recent reports had indicated that Houston was looking to match or exceed Watt’s six-year, $100MM contract, which seemed to be a more attainable goal than equaling Ndamukong Suh‘s six-year, $114MM+ deal. Unlike Suh, neither Houston nor Watt reached the open market when they agreed to their new contracts. However, you could make a strong case that the Chiefs and Texans pass rushers are currently the two most valuable defenders in the NFL.

In 2014, Houston led the league in sacks, racking up 22 en route to his first All-Pro nod. Over the past three seasons, the 26-year-old has terrorized opposing quarterbacks, accumulating 43 sacks in 43 games — he also forced four fumbles last season, totaling 68 tackles. The advanced numbers back up Houston’s dominance as well, as he has ranked as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 outside linebacker over each of the past two seasons (subscription required). Last year, his +51.1 grade nearly doubled the +26.0 mark posted by PFF’s second-best 3-4 OLB, Pernell McPhee.

A former third-round pick, Houston entered the league in 2011 with some off-field concerns after reportedly testing positive for marijuana at the NFL’s scouting combine. However, he has stayed out of trouble and on the field since then, instilling plenty of confidence in the Chiefs, who used their franchise tag on him before locking him up to a longer-term deal.

Had Houston not reached an agreement with Kansas City today, he would have had to sign his one-year franchise tender – worth $13.195MM – or negotiate a slightly modified one-year contract with the team. That salary would have been guaranteed once he signed his tender, but it looks like he’ll earn more than $13.195MM in 2015, between his signing bonus and his new salary. The Chiefs should also create a little breathing room under the cap, since they’ll be able to spread Houston’s signing bonus out over five seasons for cap purposes.

While the $52.5MM guarantee initially reported won’t all be fully guaranteed, Houston’s per-year salary makes him the highest-paid linebacker in NFL history. Interestingly, a report in May indicated the Chiefs wouldn’t want to pay Houston more annually than they’ve committed to quarterback Alex Smith, who is making $17MM per year. So it makes sense that Houston’s figure would come in just short of that, at about $16.83MM per season.

With Houston having landed an extension today, we’ll now be keeping an eye on Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, and Gostkowski, as the 3:00pm CT deadline for long-term contracts for franchised players looms. Jason Pierre-Paul is also eligible for a multiyear extension, but the uncertain nature of his hand injury makes a deal extremely unlikely.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Cowboys Increase Offer To Dez Bryant

July 15th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

11:26am: While the Cowboys improved their offer, it’s viewed as “still not great” by Bryant’s camp, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), who suggests the odds of a deal getting done are less than 50/50. However, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) wouldn’t be surprised if Bryant accepts the team’s best offer today.

10:33am: The Cowboys have increased their contract offer to Dez Bryant and are making a strong push to sign their star wideout, according to Ian Rapoport and Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Rapoport indicates that Bryant is “more optimistic than ever” about getting a deal done.

It’s not clear whether the Cowboys just increased their offer to Bryant today, but with about four and a half hours until the deadline, it appears the two sides are making a real effort to get something done and avoid the possibility of a holdout that extends through the preseason and potentially into the regular season.

According to Rapoport and Getlin, the Cowboys’ new offer to Bryant goes “beyond $13MM” annually, which still seems a little light. Over the last couple weeks, figures like seven years and $100MM have been floating around, and I’d expect it takes something in that neighborhood to get Bryant locked up. Still, the chances of an agreement being reached will hinge significantly on the guaranteed money in the Cowboys’ offer, and possibly the contract language that could void those guarantees.

A number of factors remain in play as this afternoon’s deadline nears, including Bryant’s threat to hold out and the NFLPA’s threat to file a complaint against the Cowboys and Broncos for collusion. If the two sides can hammer out a multiyear extension today, it would render many of those other factors and concerns moot.

Cole’s Latest: Dez, Thomas, Houston, Collins

July 15th, 2015 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has been busy today, providing several updates on franchised players who are seeking new contracts, as well as publishing a Q&A with rookie Cowboys offensive lineman La’el Collins. Let’s dive right in and check out the highlights from Cole so far today….

Cole gets the sense that, while Dez Bryant badly wants to get an extension done with the Cowboys, neither the team nor agent Tom Condon is eager to do a deal — presumably because the two sides don’t want to budge significantly from their current proposals (Twitter link).
Echoing something that Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk said earlier this week, Cole suggests that the Cowboys want to be able to escape a long-term contract for Bryant if the receiver gets into any off-field trouble (video link). As Florio writes in a new PFT piece, the Cowboys have included those sort of clauses in other recent deals, including cornerback Byron Jones‘ rookie contract. Jones’ deal features language that would void his guarantees if he’s arrested or even detained by police, or if he’s fined under the league’s substance abuse or personal conduct policies.
Don’t expect the Broncos to budge much from their current offer to Demaryius Thomas, which is for about $13MM per year, says Cole (video link). While the star wideout is seeking Calvin Johnson money, Denver almost certainly won’t go that high.
The Chiefs and Justin Houston are “still talking” about a multiyear extension, but Cole has no sense of where the two sides will land by the end of the day (Twitter link). Reports this week have suggested that Houston has the best chance of the four unsigned franchised players to come to terms on a long-term deal.
Cole’s Q&A with Collins features plenty of details on the lineman’s draft experience — or lack thereof. The Cowboys rookie tells Cole he lost 10 pounds during the week of the draft due to stress and being unable to eat.

Thomas Likely To Skip Camp Without New Deal

July 15th, 2015 at 8:12am CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos and Demaryius Thomas now have just a matter of hours to work out a new long-term contract extension, with this afternoon’s deadline looming. And according to Mike Klis of 9News, Thomas is expected to skip training camp and the preseason if he doesn’t get a new deal from the team today.

Of course, with the deadline for a multiyear contract only hours away, both sides figure to use whatever leverage they have, so there’s a possibility that Thomas is bluffing. But it’s not uncommon for unsigned franchise players to miss a good chunk of training camp and the preseason. Since he has yet to sign his one-year franchise tender, the star wideout wouldn’t be subject to fines for his absence.

Considering Peyton Manning is a player known for his meticulous preparation, the Broncos quarterback likely won’t be thrilled about the possibility of being without his No. 1 receiver this August, particularly with a new head coach and offensive coordinator in place. So the threat of Thomas’ absence could push the Broncos a little harder to get something done with him today.

However, based on this week’s reports, Thomas appears to be seeking a long-term deal in the Calvin Johnson range — Megatron’s contract with the Lions averages more than $16.2MM per season, with $48.75MM in fully guaranteed money. According to Troy Renck of the Denver Post, the Broncos have made a “significant” long-term contract offer to Thomas, with agents speculating that the guaranteed money exceeds $40MM. It’s not clear if that entire amount would be fully guaranteed.

A compromise today is possible, but not particularly likely, according to Klis, Renck, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If the two sides can’t finalize an agreement by 3:00pm central time, Thomas will have to play on a one-year pact in 2015. That doesn’t mean he necessarily has to sign the franchise tender as is — he and the team could negotiate a slightly different salary, or include various clauses, such as the Broncos not having the ability to tag him again in 2016.

While Denver appears to have most of the leverage once today’s deadline passes, Thomas’ absence from the camp and preseason could seriously impact the development of the club’s new offense, which may put pressure on John Elway and the front office to make concessions in negotiations.

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