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AFC North Notes: Rice, Green, Beachum

July 27th, 2015 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

Tony Porter and Ted Bunch – the co-founders of a national organization that encourages men to end violence against women – are among those advocating that former Ravens running back Ray Rice get a second chance in the NFL, writes Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

“We have been around a lot of abusive men, but our experience with Ray has been tremendously positive,” Porter said. “We feel strongly about him having the opportunity of having a second chance. He’s deserving of it.”

While we wait to see if an NFL team takes a flier on Rice this summer, let’s check in on some others notes from out of the AFC North….

  • We heard yesterday that the Bengals would like to get a new deal done with A.J. Green in 2015, and Coley Harvey of ESPN.com confirms, via a source, that the team is “happy to have that discussion now” with the star wideout. However, the club isn’t sure whether Green wants to get something done right away, or if he prefers to wait until after the season.
  • On the same day the Steelers extended general manager Kevin Colbert through 2018, we heard that the team had also begun discussing a new deal with left tackle Kelvin Beachum. Beachum tells Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette he isn’t concerned about his contract situation, suggesting that he’ll “let the business people take care of the business stuff.” As Fittipaldo observes, if the Steelers decide to extend Beachum and guard David DeCastro, the club would likely have the most expensive offensive line in the NFL.
  • After signing a new four-year extension with the Steelers this offseason, Ben Roethlisberger may be playing on his final NFL contract, but he’s not ready to consider his long-term future or his legacy quite yet, says Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “I treat my legacy the same way [as] when people ask me how much longer I am going to play,” Roethlisberger said. “Do I think about stats and Hall of Fame? No, because that is thinking about the end. If I think about the future, then I am cheating about right now.”

Extra Points: Rule Changes, Vikings, Galette

July 26th, 2015 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

There will be new procedures during the 2015 season for monitoring and preparing footballs prior to games, reports Mike Pereira of FoxSports.com. As the writer notes, there will be revisions to “the number of footballs prepared, random testing and changes in the oversight of the footballs once they’ve been checked by officials.”

The “properties” of a football will remain the same, meaning the infamous ball pressure will still be required to fall between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI.

Some assorted notes from the around the league as we wrap up the weekend…

  • The Vikings are likely waiting a year until they try to extend safety Harrison Smith, tweets Chris Tomasson of St. Paul Pioneer Press. The writer notes that the organization prefers to hand out extensions during the final year of a player’s contract.
  • Some of Junior Galette‘s former teammates are standing by the linebacker. Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis is hopeful that another organization will give the embattled player a second chance. “You know, that’s a guy who I think is a good guy. Probably made a couple of bad decisions lately, but I don’t want people to judge him,” Lewis told Joel A. Erickson of the Black and Gold blog. “Give him a chance, give him an opportunity. Wish the best for him. Don’t talk down on him and say this guy’s that. Like they say, don’t ever judge a book from the first two pages. Always read the middle.”
  • Safety Kenny Vaccaro echoed that sentiment. “I really didn’t follow all the stuff closely,” Vaccaro said. “Junior’s a great player, he played his heart out every game. It’s unfortunate that we can’t have him, because he’s a great pass rusher.”

 

Vikings, Blair Walsh Agree To Extension

July 26th, 2015 at 5:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

5:55pm: There are indeed $1MM worth of incentives in Walsh’s new deal, reports ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling (via Twitter).

The reporter also caught up with Walsh, who was thrilled about signing the extension.

“It’s nice to have security and get an extension,” he said. “But it makes you even more hungry to prove everyone right, to continue to perform like you’ve been performing. That’s the way I approach things: I’m never satisfied with anything. I want to continue to get better and do better.

12:30pm: The Vikings have signed kicker Blair Walsh to a contract extension, the team announced in a press release. The deal is for four years and worth up to $14MM, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), meaning that Walsh, who was entering his contract year, is now locked up through 2018. The pact contains $5.25MM in guaranteed money, per La Canfora.Blair Walsh

 “Blair has been a vital part of our special teams success since we drafted him and we felt it was very important to secure his future with our organization,” said Vikings general manager Rick Spielman in a statement. “His consistency on kickoffs and on long range field goals can help change the game for our team and we’re excited for his future here in Minnesota. This extension stays true to our philosophy of drafting young talent, developing them in our system and rewarding their success.”

Walsh, 25, has been in Minnesota since being selected in the sixth round of the 2012 draft out of Georgia. After an impressive rookie debut during which he made 92.1% of his field goals and was named to both the Pro Bowl and the All Pro team, Walsh’s production has declined in recent years, as he’s converted only 86.7% and 74.3% of his field goal attempts during the past two seasons, respectively.

Given that Walsh’s deal is worth “up to” $14MM, we can assume there are some incentives tied to the deal, and while we can’t calculate the average annual value just yet, a source does tell La Canfora that Walsh is now among the five highest paid kickers in the league. Dan Bailey is currently No. 5 among kickers in annual salary, earning about $3.214MM per annum, so Walsh will presumably pull in more than that figure.

PFR’s Luke Adams examined Walsh’s case for an extension a little over two months ago, specifically addressing whether Walsh’s problems from inside 40 yards would affect the Vikings’ interest in an long-term deal, given that extra points will be attempted from 32 or 33 yards beginning in 2015.

AFC North Notes: Brown, Bisciotti, Farmer

July 26th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Antonio Brown signed a six-year, $43MM deal with the Steelers prior to the 2012 season. Despite leading the NFL in receiving yards last season, the average annual value of the 27-year-old’s contract ranks 14th among wideouts.

While some of his peers would hold out for a new contract, Brown told Gilberto Manzano of NFL.com that that’s not the best route.

“Holdouts never go well,” said Brown. “Just look at history. It always ends badly. It wouldn’t be the best decision. I make a lot of money. I pull up to camp in Rolls-Royces.” 

Even with Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signing lucrative deals this past offseason, Brown isn’t focused on any future payday.

“You know you get caught up thinking about the future you lose sight of the present,” he said. “What I’m here to do today is to show how hard I’ve been working, showcase I can still be the best in the world and help my team win football games.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC North…

  • Following news that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was among those pushing commissioner Roger Goodell to keep Tom Brady‘s full four-game suspension, the 55-year-old denied the report. “I have not and will not put any pressure on the Commissioner or anyone representing the NFL office to take action in what everyone is calling ‘Deflategate,'” Bisciotti said in a statement. “The story circulating that I have put pressure on Roger (Goodell) is 100% wrong. The reports are unfair to Robert Kraft, who is an honorable person, and to his franchise. Let’s talk about football and the start of training camps. Fans and people like me want the issue resolved now.”
  • It was Browns CEO Joe Banner‘s decision to spend big money on 2013 free agents Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com writes. Since then, Cleveland’s big moves have been made by general manager Ray Farmer, including the additions of Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby and Dwayne Bowe.
  • A desire to have more depth on the offensive line was part of Farmer’s decision to draft Cameron Erving in the first round, Pluto notes.

PFR Originals: 7/19/15 – 7/26/15

July 26th, 2015 at 4:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:

  • We continued our Offseason In Review series, as Zach Links looked at the Lions, Jaguars, and Texans; Connor Byrne examined the Colts; and I touched on the Bears.
  • Connor went over the extension case for Rams quarterback Nick Foles, noting that while risk exists on both the side of player and team, a deal that’s structured like that of Andy Dalton‘s would make sense.
  • With the ink dry on the Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas extensions, Luke Adams examined what a long-term deal for Julio Jones might look like, writing that Jones could become the league’s second-highest paid receiver.
  • I looked at several candidates for release in both the NFC South and AFC West, where players like Jerricho Cotchery, Roman Harper, and Donald Brown could be on the chopping block.
  • We posted several topics in our Community Tailgate series, encouraging readers to contribute their thoughts in the comment section. The issues covered by Luke and Zach:

Reaction To Gosder Cherilus’ Release

July 26th, 2015 at 3:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Colts released veteran offensive tackle Gosder Cherilus this morning — the club will save $4MM in cap space this season, but they’ll incur $5.8MM in dead money in 2016. Let’s look at some of the reaction to the move, as well as what it means for both the Colts and Cherilus himself:

  • The Colts tried to work out a contract restructure before releasing Cherilus, but negotiations were not fruitful, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Cherlius’ agent, Greg Diulus, tells Holder that Indy’s offer was “not a reasonable proposal.”
  • Cherilus is “healthy and in great shape,” Diulus tells Holder, a sentiment that Holder corroborates with a second source. But even though the veteran right tackle is injury-free at the moment, the Colts still view him as an injury risk. Were to he suffer another serious injury during training camp or the preseason, the club would’ve been on the hook for his entire 2015 cap charge, so parting ways now makes sense, writes Holder.
  • More from Holder, who says that while a reunion between Cherilus and Indianapolis isn’t out of the question, the 31-year-old expects to sign elsewhere.
  • Given Cherilus’ 2016 cap charge of $9.9MM, he was probably going to be released after the upcoming season regardless, tweets Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. By releasing him now, the Colts are able to save $4MM, which might not seem like a significant figure, but given that the club is going to offer a large extension to quarterback Andrew Luck, every penny that can be saved — both in cash and on the salary cap — is beneficial, says Fitzgerald (Twitter link).
  • Now that Jack Mewhort is slated to take over at right tackle, Mike Wells of ESPN.com rounds up some quotes from general manager Ryan Grigson and Mewhort himself on the second-year pro’s versatility and the differences between playing tackle and guard.

Latest On Russell Wilson Extension Talks

July 26th, 2015 at 2:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Seahawks have offered quarterback Russell Wilson a extension that would guarantee him less than $20MM up front, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Calling a Saturday report that pegs the annual value of Seattle’s offer at $21MM “essentially accurate,” Rapoport says that Wilson hasn’t actually turned the deal down — rather, he just hasn’t accepted it.

Sources with the Seahawks tell Rapoport that the contract offer does contain significant guaranteed money, but the NFL.com scribe hears that most of those guarantees are for injury only. Wilson is likely looking for a large total in terms of fully guaranteed money, and the benchmark he might be shooting for that is $30MM, the figure the Cam Newton secured through his extension with the Panthers.

Newton will earn more than $50MM during the first 12 months of his deal, and according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, Wilson doesn’t plan on agreeing to any extension that guarantees him less than Newton. Whether that means Wilson is seeking more in terms of guarantees, total value, or simply wants a similar cash flow structure is unclear, but Newton’s pact definitely looks like the floor for a Wilson deal.

Wilson and his camp are expected to meet with Seahawks brass this week and attempt to work out a deal before the beginning of training camp, writes Condotta. Previous reports have indicated that negotiations will be shut down once camp gets underway.

Week In Review: 7/19/15 – 7/26/15

July 26th, 2015 at 2:04pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The headlines from the past week at PFR:

Key News:

Contracts:

Extended:

Signed:

Released:

Suspended:

Retired:

Other:

Vikings Place Casey Matthews On IR

July 26th, 2015 at 1:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings have placed linebacker Casey Matthews on injured reserve, the club announced. Matthews is dealing with a hip injury, one that head coach Mike Zimmer said occurred during the team’s offseason program, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.

Matthews, 26, agreed to a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with the Vikings earlier this offseason. After starting 11 games for the Eagles in 2014, Matthews looked like a legitimate option to compete with Audie Cole for Minnesota’s starting middle linebacker position. Once the Vikings selected UCLA’s Eric Kendricks in the second round of this year’s draft, however, Matthews’ route to playing time dissipated, and I listed him among the NFC North release candidates.

Depending on the nature of Matthews’ injury, it’s conceivable that he could still see the field this season. As Luke Adams explained in a PFR Glossary entry last year, players who are put on IR in the preseason — but who haven’t suffered season-ending injuries — are often released with a settlement. The club and the player come to an agreement on how long the injury will put the player out of commission, and the player is compensated for that length of time. It’s unlikely that Matthews will return to Minnesota however, as any club that releases a player off IR must wait six weeks on top of the initial diagnosis to re-sign him.

This the second Vikings headline of the day, as the club announced earlier this afternoon that it had agreed to a four-year extension with kicker Blair Walsh.

East Notes: Brady, Philbin, Eagles, Beason

July 26th, 2015 at 11:59am CST by Luke Adams

Tom Brady and the NFL Players Assocation are entitled to an independent decision on Brady’s appeal, so recent reports suggesting NFL team owners are trying to influence Roger Goodell’s ruling make it even more likely that the NFLPA will eventually take the league to court, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As Florio obseves, if a truly independent arbitrator were handling Brady’s appeal, it would be highly irregular for a team owner to lobby that arbitrator one way or the other. The fact that owners are apparently lobbying Goodell as he contemplates his decision could become a central issue in the looming litigation.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin wants to win this year, but it’s “more for everybody else’s sake” than for his own job security, he tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. “For everybody, I’d like us to reap the rewards of our labor. It’s time for all of us,” Philbin said. “But I haven’t really thought about playoff or bust for me.”
  • It’s easy to realize that you have to fix a 4-12 team, but Chip Kelly‘s decision to revamp a 10-6 Eagles squad this offseason wasn’t quite so simple, as Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes.
  • Giants linebacker Jon Beason, who spent most of the 2014 season on injured reserve, talks to Steve Serby of the New York Post about his recovery from last year’s toe and foot injuries, Jason Pierre-Paul‘s status, and the impact that free agent signee Shane Vereen will have for the Giants, among other topics.
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