2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Woody Johnson Talks 2015 Season, Bowles, Revis

January 30th, 2016 at 8:43am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets finished 2015 with 10 wins, making it the organization’s most successful season since 2010. Still, there was some disappointment surrounding the team after they blew a chance to make the playoffs in the season finale.

Owner Woody Johnson still hasn’t gotten over that loss, which was clear in his talk with Seth Walder of the New York Daily News. The whole interview is worth checking out, but we’ve grabbed some of the notable quotes below…

On the team’s season-ending loss to the Bills:

“When you lose a game of football, it’s never pleasant, I can tell you that. It’s a hard thing to live through. I wish we had completed a few more passes, or we could have won that easily.”

“Those things stay for a long time. Kind of indelible ink. But you’ve got to move on. Move forward, and learn from what happened in that game.”

On whether he was satisfied with his team’s 2015 performance:

“I don’t think as an owner you can ever be satisfied until you do win the Super Bowl. We haven’t had one for now, (let’s see) this is Super Bowl 50, that was Super Bowl III, so it’s been a while. Until we get there, we’re going to work as hard as we can.”

On Todd Bowles’ and Mike Maccagnan’s first seasons in New York:

“So far, so good…I like them. This is a refreshing start. The 10 (wins). We were in every game. Rebuilt the way we had to.”

On the offseason addition of Darrelle Revis:

“It’s always great to have somebody, a Hall of Famer-type player like Darrelle. So we’re very happy to have him. Both on the field and off the field, the leadership and the way he plays and just his presence for us.

“He played pretty well last year. He’s 1 or 2 in the league.”

Extra Points: Rodgers, Jets, Jaguars, 49ers

January 29th, 2016 at 10:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in the days following the team’s Jan. 16 playoff loss to Arizona, Jason Wilde and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com report. A source indicated that the procedure was a “clean-up of an old injury.” Rodgers should be ready for the Packers’ offseason program in April, according to Wilde and Demovsky. Rodgers told Wilde that he’s “doing well” and “recovering on schedule” (Twitter link via Demovsky).

Fallout From Chargers’ 2016 Decision

January 29th, 2016 at 9:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In response to Dean Spanos’ decision on Friday to keep the Chargers in San Diego for at least another season, Mayor Kevin Faulconer and Ron Roberts of the County Board of Supervisors jointly issued a statement (Twitter link via Faulconer):

“We appreciate Mr. Spanos’ commitment to staying in San Diego for the 2016 season to work with the region on a stadium solution. We look forward to discussing his vision for a new San Diego home for the Chargers, and will be working with him and our negotiating team on a fair and viable plan to put before voters. We have agreed to meet again in the near future.”

Rams owner Stan Kroenke, whom Spanos could eventually join in Los Angeles if he’s unable to reach an agreement with San Diego, also released a statement (Twitter links – 1, 2, 3 – courtesy of the LA Daily News’ Vincent Bonsignore):

“The Los Angeles Rams have reached an agreement with the San Diego Chargers to join us in the new Inglewood Stadium. If they choose to exercise their option to relocate within the next year, we look forward to partnering with the Chargers in Inglewood, but the decision of course is Dean’s to make.”

Spanos’ decision to stay or leave will obviously come down to whether he can get a new stadium built in San Diego. The Chargers would prefer their next venue be a joint stadium and convention center in downtown San Diego, reports ESPN’s Eric D. Williams, who notes that the team isn’t a fan of its current location, Mission Valley.

In an effort to move forward on their stadium/convention center plan, the Chargers are expected to create a citizens’ initiative in San Diego for a November ballot, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). If the Chargers get the necessary 60,000 signatures from voters, that would enable them to bypass requirements set by the California Environmental Quality Act, per Cole. Should the Bolts get their initiative on the ballot this year, the deadline on their LA decision could extend to 2018, write Kevin Acee and David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune, and the extra year would allow for legal challenges or a second election.

Regardless of what happens long term, we know the Chargers will spend the 2016 season in San Diego, which has seemingly caused mixed reactions among some of their players. While franchise quarterback Philip Rivers is excited – “It’s good to know we get to make another run at it here,” he said, per Michael Gehlken of the Union-Tribune – a couple of his teammates came off as less enthusiastic about the news, even tweeting ultimatums to the club’s fans.

“The stadium better be packed. The fans got what they wanted,” receiver Keenan Allen wrote.

“Every home game better be sold out,” linebacker Melvin Ingram added.

According to ESPN’s attendance numbers, the Chargers had the 18th-most fans (a total of 534,180) at their games during the 2015-16 season and finished 22nd in capacity percentage (94.6). The figures rank as the Chargers’ highest in both categories since 2009.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Vegas, Jets, Chiefs, Titans

January 29th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was a report Thursday that Raiders owner Mark Davis and Las Vegas Sands Corp. Chairman and CEO Sheldon Adelson would meet Friday to potentially discuss stadium details. That meeting did indeed happen, as the company tweeted that Davis and Adelson “had a great visit.”

If Davis does try to move the Raiders to Las Vegas, he’s likely to meet resistance from the NFL because of the city’s association with sports gambling, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole adds that the hypothetical Las Vegas Raiders would be a “windfall” for Davis because he wouldn’t have to put much money toward a stadium. Most of the funding would come from Adelson.

Here’s more from the AFC:

In November, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star reported the Chiefs and free agent-to-be Jaye Howard were discussing a long-term deal. Paylor updated the situation Friday, tweeting that the Chiefs and the defensive linemen “have maintained solid dialogue.” The talks are “fluid,” a source told Paylor. Howard, 27, set career highs in starts (14), tackles (57) and sacks (5.5) during the 2015-16 season, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) graded him a terrific 24th among 123 qualifying interior D-linemen.
Like Howard, Jets running back Chris Ivory is also nearing free agency. The fact that the Jets are low on cap space and have higher priority free agents in Muhammad Wilkerson and Ryan Fitzpatrick could lead to Ivory’s departure, which the Pro Bowler acknowledged Friday. “They want to bring me back but like I said, I think it’s about the cap space. That’s going to be the biggest factor as to whether I’m back or not,” Ivory told Around the League, per Conor Orr of NFL.com. Ivory is coming off his first thousand-yard season (1,070), one which also saw him establish new career bests in carries (247), receptions (30) and touchdowns (eight).
The Titans have hired Keith Willis as their assistant defensive line coach, according to Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). Willis, who played in the NFL from 1982-1993, had been the D-line coach for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes since 2013.

North Notes: Mack, Browns, Lions, Vikings

January 29th, 2016 at 7:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) this week at Pro Bowl practices, Browns center Alex Mack said that he has yet to make a final decision on whether he’ll opt out of his contract this winter. According to Mack, he’ll start seriously considering his options after the Super Bowl, with a decision to follow within the next month or so.

Cole suggests that Mack will likely exercise that opt-out, which comes as no surprise — even if the veteran center ultimately wants to stay in Cleveland, it would make sense for him to sign a new contract with the team. Mack’s current pact calls for $8MM annual salaries for the next three seasons, and only his 2016 salary would be guaranteed if he opts in, so he should be able to easily exceed that deal on the open market.

As we wait to find out what Mack decides, let’s check in on some other items from out of the NFL’s North divisions…

Browns head coach Hue Jackson hasn’t been in touch with quarterback Johnny Manziel yet, but he has sat down and spoken with North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Wentz, a potential target for Cleveland in the first round of this year’s draft, met with Jackson and the Browns at the Senior Bowl. “This just starts the process of getting to know these young players,” Jackson said. “It’s just phase one of the process. It’s just good to be able to talk to as many guys as we could. It was good to talk to him and find out a little bit about him and I’m sure I’ll get an opportunity to find out a little more as we go.”
The Lions have hired former Giants director of football operations Matt Harriss as their new vice president of football administration, the team announced today. Harriss is expected to play a significant role in managing the Lions’ salary cap.
Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune wonders if the Vikings ought to bring in some competition for punter Jeff Locke in 2016. As Vensel details, Locke’s production has trended in the wrong direction in recent years, so it would make sense for Minnesota to bring in a young punter to push him.

Eagles Sign Lane Johnson Through 2021

January 29th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Luke Adams

6:16pm: The base value of the five new years added to Johnson’s contract is $56.26MM, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says that figure could increase to $60.01MM via Pro Bowl escalators. Corry adds that the deal includes a $10MM signing bonus, increasing Johnson’s 2016 cap number by $2MM and giving him just under $21MM fully guaranteed at signing (Twitter links).

While Johnson’s cap number for next season is going up, the Eagles will save some space in 2017. Johnson’s fifth-year option would’ve cost the Eagles anywhere from $11.5MM to $12MM, but the extension takes it down to $10MM, Corry tweets.

10:21am: The Eagles’ streak of contract extensions continues today, with the team announcing in a press release that offensive tackle Lane Johnson has been locked up through the 2021 season. Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer first reported (via Twitter) that the team was putting the “finishing touches” on a new deal for Johnson, while Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) reported that the two sides had agreed to terms on a five-year extension.

Johnson’s new deal will be worth up to $63MM, with $35.5MM in guarantees, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). The former first-round pick is the third Philadelphia player to sign a contract extension this week. Tight ends Zach Ertz and Brent Celek extended their deals with the team on Monday and Tuesday, respectively.

It’s unlikely that that $35.5MM is all fully guaranteed, and the base value of the new deal may be lower than $63MM, but it still looks like Johnson will become one of the highest-paid tackles in the NFL. Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggests (via Twitter) that Johnson is technically getting a new contract, rather than an extension, so the $63MM figure may apply to the next six years instead of the five years beginning in 2017.

If that’s the case, it would work out to an average of $10.5MM annually, which would tie him for fifth among offensive tackle in terms of per-year salary, according to Over the Cap’s data. If Johnson can earn up to $63MM in new money, in addition to what he would have made for 2016, it could make him the league’s second-highest paid offensive lineman by annual salary, behind Trent Williams.

Johnson, the fourth overall pick in 2013, has been a starter for the Eagles since the team drafted him out of Oklahoma, playing primarily at right tackle before spending some time at left tackle in 2015. In his three years with the Eagles, he has only missed four games, when he was suspended for performance-enhancing drugs during the 2014 campaign. This past season, Pro Football Focus ranked Johnson 24th among offensive tackles, out of 81 qualified players at the position.

New head coach Doug Pederson has suggested that he thinks left tackle Jason Peters has a few more good years left in him, so the Eagles may not move on from Peters this offseason — but the veteran tackle is now 34 years old, and his cap number is on the rise, so at some point sooner or later Philadelphia will likely turn to Johnson to replace Peters permanently on the left side.

Assuming the plan is to eventually have him Johnson replace Peters, it makes some sense for the team to lock up the 25-year-old sooner rather than later. Left tackles are the highest-paid players among offensive linemen, but given Johnson’s relative lack of NFL experience playing on the left side, the Eagles may have had to pay even more in a year or two if he plays more left tackle and looks good there.

Now that they’ve finalized a new deal with Johnson, the Eagles will avoid having to make a decision on his fifth-year option for 2017. The team has now taken care of several of its top extension candidates early in the offseason — a report last Friday indicated that Philadelphia was exploring deals for Johnson, Ertz, and Vinny Curry, so locking up Curry before he reaches the open market may be the next item on Howie Roseman‘s to-do list.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chargers To Remain In San Diego For 2016

January 29th, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Luke Adams

Chargers owner Dean Spanos has issued a statement announcing that his franchise will remain in San Diego for the 2016 season, rather than immediately joining the Rams in Los Angeles. The Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to move to L.A. if they so choose, but Spanos intends to work with the city of San Diego to try to come up with a long-term stadium solution to avoid relocation.

“Today I decided our team will stay in San Diego for the 2016 season and I hope for the long term in a new stadium,” Spanos said in his statement. “I have met with Mayor [Kevin] Faulconer and Supervisor [Ron] Roberts and I look forward to working closely with them and the business community to resolve our stadium dilemma. We have an option and an agreement with the Los Angeles Rams to go to Inglewood in the next year, but my focus is on San Diego.

“This has been our home for 55 years, and I want to keep the team here and provide the world-class stadium experience you deserve.”

As he alludes to in his remarks, Spanos’ announcement comes on the heels of the Rams and Chargers agreeing in principle to a deal that would see the team sharing a stadium in Inglewood. If the Chargers ultimately decide that the situation in San Diego is untenable, the team will still have the opportunity to team up with Stan Kroenke and the Rams in Los Angeles.

For now though, the Chargers remain focused on San Diego, and the club’s agreement in principle with the Rams could help improve its leverage for stadium talks with Mayor Faulconer and other San Diego leaders. The proposal put forth by the city a month ago was deemed unsatisfactory by the NFL when it gave the Chargers approval to relocate.

Although the Chargers will have most of the year to attempt to work with San Diego to come up with an improved stadium plan, the team thinks it might know within the next two or three months if a solution will be doable, tweets Jim Trotter of ESPN.com.

As commissioner Roger Goodell notes in a statement issued today (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today), the NFL has committed an extra $100MM – on top of its usual $200MM – to help the Chargers get something done in San Diego. That extra money, along with the team’s Inglewood agreement, could help grease the wheels as the two sides resume negotiations.

Spanos’ decision leaves the Raiders in limbo for now. Mark Davis‘ team will have the opportunity to follow the Rams in Los Angeles if the Chargers ultimately remain in San Diego, but because the Chargers’ final decision isn’t due until at least 2017, L.A. and San Diego both remain off the table as relocation options for the Raiders for the time being.

As they wait to see where the Chargers land, Davis and the Raiders figure to explore other cities, including San Antonio and Las Vegas, though it seems likely that the club will play in Oakland for at least the 2016 season.

As for the Rams, Kroenke is likely pleased to have the market to himself for the 2016 season, giving him a head-start on any other team that may eventually join him in Inglewood. The one downside for Kroenke is that the Rams reportedly can’t begin selling suites or personal seat licenses until at least February 2017 without a second team joining them in L.A.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bucs Rumors: Glennon, Martin, Jackson

January 29th, 2016 at 4:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Mike Glennon, the subject of trade rumors and speculation nearly every offseason, is expected to be retained by the Buccaneers for the 2016 season, according to general manager Jason Licht. Licht tells Scott Reynolds of PewterReport.com that he intends for Glennon to enter the ’16 season as Jameis Winston‘s backup.

“Mike Glennon is just so valuable to us right now while we have him, while he’s under contract, I feel like we have two starting quarterbacks with him and Jameis,” Licht said. “If you just go out and get a mid-round pick for him, the chances of the mid-round pick working out or drafting a quarterback and that pick working out, the odds aren’t in your favor. Unless there’s [an offer] that blows us away, I think you lean towards keeping him and having him on your roster.”

As Reynolds explains, the Buccaneers view the idea of keeping Glennon as a win-win proposition. Either he eventually extends his contract with Tampa Bay and the team continues to have a very solid backup behind Winston, or he eventually leaves in free agency and earns the Bucs a compensatory draft pick.

According to Reynolds, the club may showcase Glennon this summer in the preseason, but it would be more about improving his stock for free agency – and therefore improving the Bucs’ comp pick – rather than showcasing him as a trade chip.

Here are a couple more items of interest out of Tampa Bay, via Reynolds:

The Buccaneers met with agent David Dunn at the Senior Bowl this week to begin preliminary contract talks for running back Doug Martin, according to Reynolds. Tampa Bay does not intend to use its franchise tag on Martin, since the one-year price tag would be exorbitant for a running back, but the two sides are hopeful that they can work something out before free agency begins on March 9.
The Buccaneers plan to bring back veteran receiver Vincent Jackson for the 2016 season without adjusting his salary or his cap hit, reports Reynolds. Jackson’s $12.21MM cap hit is sizable, but the Bucs have plenty of cap room and don’t view the free agent market or draft class this year as particularly strong for wideouts.
Tampa Bay will likely add at least one receiver in free agency or the draft for depth purposes, but the team likes its current group, according to Reynolds.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams, Chargers Agree In Principle To L.A. Deal

January 29th, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams and Chargers have agreed in principle to a deal that would see the two franchises sharing an NFL stadium in Inglewood, reports Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune. While such an agreement allows the Chargers to move to Los Angeles as early as 2016, the club has yet to officially make that decision.

As Acee explains, the Chargers will have until January 15, 2017 to announce whether or not the team will exercise its option to move to Los Angeles. If the club confirms in the coming weeks that it will make the move, relocation could occur immediately, for the 2016 season — the Chargers have already reportedly bought land in Santa Ana to potentially use for a team headquarters, and the L.A. Coliseum is expected to allow a second NFL team to join the Rams there on a temporary basis.

However, the Chargers could also use the agreement as leverage to attempt to work something out with the city of San Diego. If the team decides to try to make things work in its current home, it could spend the 2016 season at Qualcomm while negotiating with the city, in the hopes of coming up with a viable stadium plan before next January.

According to Acee, the Chargers’ deadline to make its Los Angeles decision could even be extended to 2018 if the team gets a stadium initiative on the ballot in San Diego this year. The extra year would allow for legal challenges or a second election. If the Chargers ultimately reach an agreement with the city of San Diego to remain there, the Raiders would get the opportunity to join the Rams in Inglewood.

With an agreement between the Rams and Chargers in place, the next step is for Chargers owner Dean Spanos to make a decision on the team’s short-term – and potentially long-term – home. If the team intends to move to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, it will have to make that decision by March 23, though an announcement one way or the other is expected to come well before then.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Titans, McDermott, Falcons

January 29th, 2016 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

In a fascinating piece for Bleacher Report, former Broncos general manager Ted Sundquist shared some details about his recent interview for the Titans‘ GM position, explaining what he would have done during his first days, weeks, and months on the job if he had been hired by the club.

The entire piece is worth reading, and features a handful of interesting tidbits from Sundquist, who writes that there were some indications that Titans ownership, which wanted to retain head coach Mike Mularkey and stay the course within the front office, “wasn’t necessarily looking for a complete diagnosis of its problems.”

Here’s more Friday reading from around the NFL’s South divisions:

Albert Breer of the NFL Network echoes what Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported earlier today, writing that the Titans are “very open to the idea” of shopping the first overall pick. However, Breer cautions that the Titans still want to walk away from the draft with an elite prospect, so there will be a limit to how far the team is willing to trade down. A handful of clubs picking between 11 and 15 could be in the market for a quarterback, but that would be a long way for those teams to move up, and a long way for Tennessee to move down, says Breer.
While the Buccaneers ultimately opted to name Dirk Koetter their new head coach, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott interviewed “very, very well” with Tampa Bay, according to Breer. McDermott figures to be a strong candidate for a head coaching job in 2017.
Speaking to reporters on Thursday, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff acknowledged that 2016 feels like a make-or-break year for him, though he added the caveat that he views every year that way, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Dimitroff also suggested that the Falcons will continue to shop for discounts and values in free agency rather than making a big splash, and said the team has yet to make a decision on Roddy White‘s future, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution details in a pair of articles.

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