2016 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: January 2025

Lions To Hire Kevin Anderson

January 28th, 2016 at 5:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Lions are hiring former Patriots director of player development, Kevin Anderson, to head their football operations department, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter). Anderson will hold the title of Chief of Staff, Assistant to the GM and will report directly to GM Bob Quinn (link).

The Lions hired Quinn as GM back in January, crossing off one major task on their to-do list. And, earlier this month, they elected to retain Jim Caldwell as head coach. Of course, there are still many more items to go on that list for the Lions this offseason. For starters, Quinn still has to touch base with star wide receiver Calvin Johnson to figure out what he’ll be doing in 2016 and beyond. As the team gears up for free agency and the draft, they’ll now have a league veteran in Anderson to assist with all of their other matters.

Anderson wasn’t the only front office addition made by the Lions in the last couple of weeks. On January 10th, the team hired Ernie Accorsi as a special advisor to team president Rod Wood. Accorsi, who also consulted with the Bears during their GM hunt last offseason, brings a wealth of experience to the table as he works alongside Wood and first-time general manager Bob Quinn. The 74-year-old Accorsi has worked in the NFL since 1970, but his most memorable time came with the Giants, with whom he was employed from 1994-2007 (acting as GM from 1998 onward).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Dolphins, Marino, Bills, Incognito

January 28th, 2016 at 4:23pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have indicated that they’ll prioritize re-signing Richie Incognito in the coming weeks, and that interest in a new deal is mutual, according to the veteran guard (link via Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com):

“My goal is to come back and play in Buffalo,” Incognito said during an appearance on The John Murphy Show. “I love it there. I love my teammates and I love playing for coach Rex and Greg Roman. I really think that my personality and my hard work approach and physical nature really resembles the spirit of Buffalo. A blue collar town and a bunch of hard working people up there, and they just want to win. That’s my number one goal is just to win and restore the glory of Buffalo.”

Here are a few more items from out of the NFL’s East divisions:

Hall of Fame quarterback Dan Marino was a part of the Dolphins‘ contingent at the Senior Bowl and he’s becoming more and more involved in the team’s personnel decisions, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Originally, Marino was more involved in the PR side of things than the front office. Ultimately, he wants to work his way into more of an executive role and the current higher-ups say they’re delighted with him.
At a press conference today, Steelers president and co-owner Art Rooney II revealed that the Eagles have received permission to interview Steelers executive Brandon Hunt for their director of player personnel job (Twitter link via Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). According to Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links), Hunt has already met with Howie Roseman and Jeffrey Lurie, and will meet with Tom Donahoe on Friday — Donahoe, a former Steelers GM, is having a major impact on Philadelphia’s search for a top personnel exec, tweets Mosher.
Eagles left tackle Jason Peters turned 34 this month, and his cap hit will rise to nearly $10MM in 2016, but new head coach Doug Pederson doesn’t want Peters to go anywhere, as Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com writes. “I think J.P.’s got several good years left in him,” Pederson said. “I think that he does the right things in the offseason to get himself ready to go for another year.”
Former Bengals defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, now the defensive coordinator in Miami, admitted today that he felt responsible for Adam Jones‘ penalty against the Steelers in the Wild Card game, referring to Pacman as his “guy.” As Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter links) observes, Joseph’s new role means Jones might be on the Dolphins‘ radar in free agency this winter.

Latest On Rams/Chargers L.A. Talks

January 28th, 2016 at 4:07pm CST by Luke Adams

4:00pm: The Chargers have acquired land in Orange County, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter), and he hears that it is for their headquarters and practice facility. The Bolts issued a statement on the matter (Twitter link via Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News) and explained that they are simply keeping their options open. Because of the red tape involved in doing such a project, the statement explained, it was necessary for the Chargers to get the ball rolling on that process in the event that they relocate to L.A.

11:44am: A report out of Southern California earlier this week suggested that talks between the Rams and Chargers on a potential stadium partnership had reached an impasse, with the Chargers likely to remain in San Diego for 2016. However, that’s not the case, according to Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com, who reports that the Chargers are simply doing their due diligence and completing the number-crunching necessary to fully evaluate the proposal on the table for a potential move to L.A.

Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune hears that people around the league continue to believe that the Rams and Chargers will agree to a deal soon. The Chargers would like to have resolution by the end of this week, one source tells Acee, though it’s not clear yet if that goal will be met. Bonsignore heard on Wednesday that, depending on when the situation is resolved, the Rams and Chargers could postpone an announcement until after the Super Bowl, so as not to upstage the NFL’s main event (Twitter link).

Although an agreement looks likely to be reached, Acee cautions that even if the Rams and Chargers agree to a deal in principle, that doesn’t necessarily mean the Chargers will leave San Diego right away. Team and league sources tell Acee that a deal with the Rams is necessary for the Chargers if they intend to try to get a stadium built in San Diego, since it would give the franchise significant leverage.

The Chargers have until next January to officially make a decision on their long-term home, so the club could theoretically play in San Diego for one more season – with a Los Angeles deal in place – and then move to L.A. in 2017 if there’s still no viable San Diego stadium solution on the table by that point.

If the Chargers and Rams strike an agreement, it would be a limited partnership deal, according to Acee. The Rams would take on the majority of the risk, along with the majority of the revenue, while the Chargers would “still realize significant gains over what is available in San Diego.” One league source tells Acee that there’s no downside to the L.A. proposal for the Chargers, while another says it would be a “good-to-great” deal for the team.

Moving to Los Angeles along with the Rams may be more beneficial for the Chargers over the long term, but league sources are unconvinced that owner Dean Spanos is totally on board with the idea yet, with one source telling Acee, “I believe Dean will be very, very unhappy in Los Angeles.” So that’s worth keeping in mind as the Chargers move toward a decision.

Finally, if the Chargers end up in Los Angeles for the 2016 season, they’ll need someplace to play, and sharing the L.A. Coliseum with the Rams looks like the most logical solution to that dilemma. Per an Associated Press report, the Coliseum Commission is meeting today to consider amending USC’s current lease to allow a second NFL team to play at the stadium.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Notes: Packers, B. Miller, Saints, Giants

January 28th, 2016 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

While inside linebacker is an area of need for the Packers, the team is unlikely to use its first-round pick on a player at that position, since they view it as a spot that can be addressed in the middle rounds, similar to running back, says Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Miller, Green Bay is more likely to use that 27th overall pick on an outside linebacker, a cornerback, or an offensive lineman.

Here are several more draft items from around the NFL:

The Steelers, Patriots, and Chiefs all like Ohio State wide receiver Braxton Miller as a potential second-round target, according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link).
Pauline also reports (via Twitter) that Indiana tackle Jason Spriggs has been impressive in Mobile, Alabama this week and appears to be cementing himself as a late first-round pick.
The Saints appear to have their eye on defensive players like Eastern Kentucky pass rusher Noah Spence and Southeastern Louisiana cornerback Harlan Miller at the Senior Bowl. Mike Triplett of ESPN.com reports that New Orleans had an “extensive” lunch meeting with Spence this week, while Pauline tweets that Miller has had four separate meetings with Saints coaches and/or scouts.
The Giants have been keeping a close eye on linebackers at this week’s Senior Bowl practices, according to James Kratch of NJ Advance Media, who identifies a few players who have impressed scouts and coaches so far.
Defensive tackle is a position of need for the Lions, and it appears they’ll have plenty of options available for them on the first couple days of this year’s draft. As Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details, Mike Mayock of NFL Network says this year’s Senior Bowl features the “best group of defensive tackles I’ve seen at this game in 10 years.”

Steelers Notes: Haley, Bell, A. Brown, Ben

January 28th, 2016 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (hat tip to Pro Football Talk), Steelers offensive coordinator Todd Haley is believed to have told people he wasn’t interested in any head coaching jobs this year. Haley was identified as a potential candidate for the Dolphins early in their search process, but his name didn’t surface after that for any openings around the league, and Bouchette’s note helps to explain why.

Bouchette and Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review each passed along several more Steelers-related items today from team president and co-owner Art Rooney II, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….

The Steelers are optimistic that Le’Veon Bell will fully recover from his torn MCL and still view the running back as a difference-making player. Bell is under contract for one more year, and Rooney isn’t sure if Pittsburgh will explore an extension now or later, but the team has him in its long-term plans (all Twitter links via Kaboly).
The Steelers will likely address Antonio Brown‘s contract “as the offseason goes on,” though Rooney didn’t go into specifics, and said the team will have to be “cautious” when considering a restructure or extension for the star wideout (Twitter links via Kaboly).
Although he acknowledged that the team still has some work to do, Rooney said the Steelers’ cap situation is “manageable,”and should allow the club to be “maybe a little better” at going after free agents (Twitter links via Bouchette).
Rooney identified pass defense as an area that the Steelers will focus on this offseason, so the team figures to keep a close eye on defensive backs in free agency and the draft (Twitter link via Kaboly).
It doesn’t sound like the Steelers will draft Ben Roethlisberger‘s eventual successor this year. Rooney said today that there’s not much sign of Roethlisberger falling off, so the club won’t start down that road yet (Twitter link via Bouchette).

Colts Extend GM Ryan Grigson Through 2019

January 28th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Colts announced several weeks ago that head coach Chuck Pagano would be retained, the team indicated that general manager Ryan Grigson would receive a new contract of his own to coincide with Pagano’s new four-year deal. That extension has now been finalized, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Grigson got three years added to his contract and is now locked up through 2019.

Grigson, who previously worked for the Eagles as the team’s director of college scouting and then their director of player personnel, was hired by the Colts in 2012 as the team’s general manager. Grigson’s first draft pick in Indianapolis was quarterback Andrew Luck, who has helped lead the team to three playoff berths in the last four seasons.

As the Colts struggled through the 2015 season, however, with Luck battling injuries and missing a chunk of the season, some of Grigson’s personnel decisions came under fire. Veteran free agents expected to be major contributors in 2015, such as Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Todd Herremans, underperformed, and Pagano and Grigson reportedly weren’t seeing eye to eye on multiple team matters.

However, rather than clear house at season’s end, Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to bet on Pagano and Grigson bouncing back from a poor 2015 showing. With a handful of offseason decisions around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see how the GM handles free agency and the draft this time around, with a new contract in hand that gives him a little more security. There has been speculation that the Colts won’t be as aggressive on veteran free agents this winter.

Tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen are among the top potential free agents for the Colts this offseason, while an extension for Luck will almost certainly be addressed within the next year or so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Von Miller, Cardinals, 49ers

January 28th, 2016 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

If Von Miller were to reach the open market, he would likely be looking to become the NFL’s highest-paid defensive player, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who points to Ndamukong Suh‘s six-year, $114MM deal with the Dolphins as the one Miller would like to match or exceed. As Cole notes, there would be plenty of teams with interest in the outside linebacker if he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

However, the odds of Miller hitting the open market look pretty slim. Even though the Broncos have other key free agents that could be candidates for the franchise tag, including Brock Osweiler and Malik Jackson, Denver is expected to use that tag on its star pass rusher, says Cole. That doesn’t mean Miller won’t sign a long-term deal this offseason, but it would have to be either with the Broncos or with a team willing to give up two first-round picks to land him, so his leverage will be limited.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions:

The Cardinals‘ top priority this offseason will be improving their pass rush, and GM Bruce Arians said on Arizona Sports 98.7 that he doesn’t expect to make an impact addition in free agency, says Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. That means that the team will likely target a pass rusher early on in the draft.
Within his article, Urban notes that if a player like Miller were to avoid the franchise tag and reach free agency, it could change the Cardinals‘ stance. While that’s unlikely to happen, I wonder if Arizona might be willing to consider an offer sheet for the Broncos pass rusher even if he gets franchised — parting with two first-round selections wouldn’t be as significant a blow for a team like the Cardinals, whose first-rounders won’t be particularly high picks. Teams are typically hesitant to pursue other teams’ franchised players, not wanting to part with those picks, and I doubt the Cardinals would seriously go after Miller if he’s franchised. For a pass rusher of his caliber though, it’s at least worth considering.
While the 49ers have the cap space and low payroll necessary to be very aggressive in free agency, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap doesn’t expect the team to splurge in March. Within his preview of San Francisco’s offseason, Fitzgerald suggests it would make sense for the Niners to lock up defensive lineman Ian Williams to a three-year contract and cut linebacker Ahmad Brooks.

Cowboys Unlikely To Re-Sign Greg Hardy

January 28th, 2016 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after Greg Hardy made his debut for the Cowboys this past season, the team’s decision-makers expressed enthusiasm about locking him up to an extension, ensuring that he remained in Dallas beyond 2015. However, neither Jerry Jones nor Stephen Jones has reiterated those sentiments recently, and sources close to Hardy tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) that the defensive end is unlikely to be back with the Cowboys.

According to Cole, Hardy partied frequently during the 2015 season, which contributed to his tardiness for the occasional team meeting and didn’t particularly endear him to the Cowboys as the season wore on. When taking into account his questionable in-season decisions, both on and off the field, as well as his alleged domestic violence history, it makes sense that the Cowboys would consider Hardy to be too much of a liability – or at least a distraction – to invest in going forward.

Still, Hardy had another solid season as a pass rusher in 2015, recording six sacks, a forced fumble, and an interception in 12 games for the Cowboys. He wasn’t quite as dominant as he was during his best years in Carolina, but Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender, out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus.

Based on his on-field production, Hardy’s camp expects him to land with some NFL team, though it remains to be seen which clubs will be willing to take a shot on the 27-year-old. As was the case last offseason, it’s hard to imagine any team locking him up to a multiyear contract that features a big chunk of guaranteed money, so Hardy could be in line for another short-term, incentive-laden deal.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Aponte, Dolphins, Pats, Lewis

January 28th, 2016 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

Although there were some rumblings that longtime Dolphins executive Dawn Aponte would be heading to Detroit to help Lions GM Bob Quinn deal with contracts and the salary cap, Aponte will be staying in Miami, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links).

Let’s check in on some more items from out of the AFC East…

The fact that Adam Gase retained nine coaches from the Dolphins‘ old coaching staff doesn’t mean that he had trouble finding better candidates, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero explains, many of those coaches drew interest from other teams around the league, so it’s not as if they aren’t highly regarded — special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, for instance, had four interview requests, all of which the Dolphins turned down, says Salguero.
While the Patriots will have some potential free agents to deal with this offseason, the team’s priority may be to lock up the “big four” defenders who could reach the open market after the 2016 season, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. New England has a little over a calendar year to explore extension for cornerback Malcolm Butler, defensive end Chandler Jones, and linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower. In Reiss’ view, the latter three players could all be in line for deals that exceed $8MM annually — Butler will be a restricted free agent, so he should be relatively affordable for at least one more year beyond 2016.
Running back Dion Lewis, who signed a contract extension with the Patriots in the fall, is currently on track to be recovered from his torn ACL in time to participate in training camp, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

Dolphins Plan To Restructure Ndamukong Suh’s Contract

January 28th, 2016 at 8:47am CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 8:47am: Having revisited the terms of Suh’s contract, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) reports that the language of the deal allows the Dolphins to restructure it without needing the defensive tackle’s approval. And the team intends to do just that at some point within the next few weeks, per Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

As noted below, Miami could create up to about $18MM in cap savings, though it’s not clear yet if the team will want to convert that much of Suh’s base salary into a signing bonus. Obviously, the more room the Dolphins create for 2016, the more money is added to future years of the contract.

TUESDAY, 8:12pm: Dolphins VP Mike Tannenbaum says the team hasn’t made any decision regarding the salary cap for 2016, but a restructuring of Ndamukong Suh‘s contract is a possibility, James Walker of ESPN.com tweets. Suh signed a mammoth six-year, $114MM contract with the Dolphins in March of last year and, unsurprisingly, the Dolphins are feeling a bit hampered by that commitment.

Suh, 29, is slated to carry a cap number of $28.6MM in 2016, a major step up from his Year 1 figure of $6.1MM. Miami could open up some space in the immediate future by restructuring, but that would also hurt the team in the long run, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets. If they’re willing to take that kind of hit down the road, the Dolphins could create up to $18MM in space for 2016.

Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked the former second overall pick among the NFL’s top four defensive tackles in every season from 2012 through 2014. By PFF’s count, Suh racked up 72 total quarterback pressures in 2013, well ahead of any other DT besides Gerald McCoy, and he generated 57 quarterback pressures in 2014, tops in the league among defensive tackles. In 2015, his first season with Miami, Suh started in all 16 regular season games, racking up 60 total tackles and 6.0 sacks. The Dolphins’ D (and offense, for that matter) got off to a rough start this past season and Suh did not record his first sack until Week 7 against the Texans.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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