2016 February - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Romo, Lawrence, Bucs, Lions

February 23rd, 2016 at 6:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Let’s take a look at some of the latest news coming out of NFC cities, starting with Tony Romo‘s immediate future.

Romo has yet to make a final decision on what type of surgery he’ll undergo in March, but the 14th-year Cowboys quarterback leaning toward a Mumford procedure, a source tells Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. The Mumford procedure involves shaving off or removing a portion of the distal clavicle.
Demarcus Lawrence probably won’t be 100% until at least training camp after he underwent January back surgery to repair an injury that Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said was “a little more serious” than anticipated, per Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Lawrence played in all 16 games last season and led Dallas with eight sacks, but Jones conceded the third-year defensive end may miss time this summer due to the procedure.
The Buccaneers are leaning toward assigning RFA tenders to wide receiver Russell Shepard and safety Bradley McDougald, but have yet to make a decision on linebacker Danny Lansanah, per Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter links). Shepard and McDougald figure to be in line for low-end tenders, while Lansanah would become an unrestricted free agent if he doesn’t get an offer from the Bucs by March 9.
Tampa Bay wants Sterling Moore to return, per Cummings (on Twitter), but will allow him to test free agency. Moore experienced a down year after Pro Football Focus ranked the journeyman corner as a top-25 player at his position in 2014. The site ranked him 64th among cornerbacks last season. He started nine games for the Bucs after being nontendered by the Cowboys last March.
Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com has a few suggestions for Bob Quinn as the Lions general manager prepares for his first NFL combine as a GM. Calvin Johnson and Darius Slay are among the players on Quinn’s list of issues to address.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Travis Benjamin To Test Free Agent Market

February 23rd, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Zachary Links

5:19pm: Contract talks between Benjamin and the Browns have broken off, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Benjamin’s agent, Ron Butler, confirms the fifth-year wide receiver will venture into the free agent market. Benjamin will join Alshon Jeffery and a host of No. 2-type wideouts among a crop that lacks the firepower of last year’s.

4:23pm: Word from the combine is that Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin will test the free agent market, per Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (on Twitter). Benjamin has “almost a handful” of meetings with other teams set up, Pauline adds.

A report earlier this week indicated that the Browns and Benjamin were nearing a new deal, but that might not be the case. For months now, the Browns and Benjamin have been discussing a new pact. Recently, when about his pending free agency, Benjamin replied that “the ball is in my court,” suggesting that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign an extension with Cleveland or explore the open market. However, Benjamin has said multiple times that he’d like to return to the Browns. In December, Benjamin indicated that he was about 75% or 80% of the way to reaching a new deal with Cleveland. Now, he’s at least going to put his toe in the waters of free agency.

In 2015, Benjamin hauled in a career-high 68 catches for 966 yards and five touchdowns. He also served as the team’s primary punt returner, taking 28 punts back for an average of 11.6 yards per attempt. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (sub. req’d) placed Benjamin in a four-way tie for the 66th best receiver amongst all qualified players. To the naked eye, however, the 26-year-old looks the part of a strong No. 2 receiving option.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFL: Video Involving Jags’ Dante Fowler Jr. Contains ‘Disturbing Images’

February 23rd, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

A video involving two women fighting while Dante Fowler Jr. observes and then tries to stop the brawl surfaced today on TMZ Sports. The website refers to the women who scuffle in this video recorded at an apartment complex earlier this month as the mother of Fowler’s child and a woman believed to be Fowler’s current girlfriend

The NFL released a brief statement characterizing the video as containing “disturbing images,” (link via Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union), and will review the matter.

The Jaguars’ 2015 first-round pick, Fowler does not throw a punch in the video and breaks up the fight.

According to Carlyon, this fight occurred Feb. 1. The Jaguars and Fowler released statements following the NFL’s comment, and the Jaguars’ comments indicate Fowler informed the team of the incident before the video surfaced.

“I am embarrassed and have apologized for my actions to everyone involved,” Fowler said in his statement. “As a family, we have been dealing with this moment and the conflict that led to it since this occurred. The video surfacing is a sad reminder that emotions got the best of all of us. I take 100 percent responsibility for everything that happened

No police report of this incident exists.

Fowler missed all of his rookie season due to tearing his ACL during the first day of the Jags’ rookie minicamp last spring.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Salary Cap To Increase ~$2MM Per Team

February 23rd, 2016 at 4:44pm CST by Zachary Links

TUESDAY, 4:44pm: The NFL released a statement today on the arbitrator’s decision that will result in the 2016 salary cap to rise further than anticipated, stating the league’s error stemmed from a technical accounting error regarding stadium construction and renovation projects, via Daniel Kaplan of the SportsBusiness Journal (TwitLonger link).

MONDAY, 9:11pm: An arbitrator found that the NFL withheld roughly $120MM in ticket revenue from its players over the past three years, as Matthew Futterman of the Wall Street Journal writes. Now, the league will have to make it up to the players by increasing the salary cap by roughly $2MM per team, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets.

In December, the league’s estimate projected a cap between $150MM and $153.4MM with many saying that the number would land closer to the upper maximum of that range. Now, with the latest bump up, the cap could easily approach ~$155MM for the 2016 season.

“They created an exemption out of a fiction and they got caught,” said DeMaurice Smith, executive director of the NFLPA.

The league’s spokesman, meanwhile, referred to the ruling as the resolution of a “technical accounting issue under the CBA involving the funding of stadium construction and renovation projects.” Regardless of what the league says, this ruling marks yet another legal victory for the NFLPA which is a good sign for the union going forward. More importantly, the ruling has the potential to give players an additional $60MM+ in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Brice McCain

February 23rd, 2016 at 4:14pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Dolphins cornerback Brice McCain is mulling offers from multiple teams, per Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (on Twitter). McCain is now expected to make a decision after the Combine.

McCain was cut by Miami on February 12th and, apparently, it didn’t take long for his phone to start ringing. The veteran visited the Buccaneers day later, so Tampa Bay could be among his potential landing spots. The Steelers also want to bring in McCain for a visit, though it may not happen until March. The Titans would also reportedly like to host McCain sometime after the draft combine.

McCain, 29, signed with the Dolphins last March after spending five seasons in Houston and one in Pittsburgh. However, he lasted just one season with the team, as Miami opted to part ways with him last week in order to create $2.5MM in cap savings. McCain started 10 games and played 735 defensive snaps for the Dolphins in 2015, picking up an interception to go along with 39 tackles.

Coples and McCain were both among the potential Dolphins cap casualties mentioned by PFR’s Connor Byrne when he previewed the club’s offseason earlier this month.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On Robert Griffin III

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Appearing on the Dan Sileo Show on The Mighty 1090 in San Diego, Washington team president Bruce Allen was asked whether Robert Griffin III would remain on the roster for the 2016 season, and essentially confirmed what has been assumed for the last several months – RGIII is expected to take his talents elsewhere this offseason.

“I see Robert getting an opportunity with another team,” Allen said. “I think we’ve heard from some teams that are interested, and I think he’s going to have a choice of a couple teams that will let him excel in the future.”

[RELATED: Latest on Kirk Cousins, Washington]

Washington has been in no rush to release Griffin, whose $16.155MM salary for 2016 remains non-guaranteed for now. As John Keim of ESPN.com outlines, the team will have until the new league year begins to do something with RGIII, whose salary would become fully guaranteed if he’s still on the roster at that point. A source tells Keim that a trade is a long shot, and would require Griffin to re-do his contract, but Washington is exploring all its options.

While it’s not clear if any team will be willing to make a trade for Griffin, there are at least three teams interested in pursuing him as a free agent, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, Cole cautions that those teams – who don’t want to be identified – would likely want to make sure that Griffin is open to becoming more of a pocket quarterback and willing to accept a probable backup role.

As RGIII waits to find out his fate, Washington is focused on locking up starting quarterback Kirk Cousins, who is eligible for free agency next month. The team has another week to use its franchise tag on Cousins, which seems at this point like the most logical outcome, since the two sides aren’t believed to be close to a longer-term agreement.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

49ers Sign Garrett Celek To Extension

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

FEBRUARY 23: The 49ers have finalized a four-year extension for Celek, locking him up through the 2019 season, the team confirmed today in a press release. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the four-year pact is worth $14MM, with nearly $5MM in guaranteed money.

“Since Garrett entered the league as an undrafted rookie free agent in 2012, he has displayed the skill, work ethic and desire to compete at a high level in the National Football League,” 49ers GM Trent Baalke said in a statement. “His commitment and determination to succeed are reflected in the way he conducts himself as a professional on and off the field. As an organization, we would like to congratulate Garrett and look forward to his continued development as a member of this organization.”

FEBRUARY 17: The 49ers and tight end Garrett Celek are close to finalizing a long-term deal, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Celek was slated to hit free agency in early March.

Celek, 27, played in 11 games last year (eight starts) and hauled in 19 catches for 186 yards and three touchdowns. Celek played 39% of the 49ers’ offensive snaps and 19% of their special teams plays before suffering a high-ankle sprain late in the season. That injury caused him to miss the final five games of the year but he’ll be 100% when training camp gets underway.

Celek is the younger brother of Eagles tight end Brent Celek. Interestingly, Chip Kelly is now going from coaching one member of the Celek family to another.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Rumors: McCoy, Cruz, Culliver, Jets

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills running back LeSean McCoy had been scheduled to meet with Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams at his office this afternoon at 4:00pm eastern time, per multiple reports. But when word of that meeting got out, it was canceled, according to John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links), who says McCoy’s lawyers wanted to avoid a media circus and were upset that the news was leaked.

According to a report from ABC 6 Action News in Philadelphia, however, the meeting hasn’t been canceled — it has just changed venues. Action News indicates that the meeting between McCoy (or perhaps just his lawyers) and the district attorney is happening now. Williams is reportedly still weighing whether to press charges against McCoy and his companions for a nightclub altercation that took place earlier this month.

Here’s more from across the NFL’s East divisions:

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, coming off a lost season, is set to make $8MM in 2016, but the club seems unlikely to bring him back at that price. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com polled several league sources and found that the general consensus was that the Giants should try to slice Cruz’s salary in half, perhaps giving him some incentives on a one-year deal in the $3-4MM range.
The secondary will be an area of concern for Washington this offseason, according to John Keim of ESPN.com, who says that there’s no doubt cornerback Chris Culliver will return to the team for 2016. Culliver’s one-game suspension in 2015 gave Washington the opportunity to void his guaranteed money for 2016, but the club doesn’t plan to remove the guaranteed portion of his deal, says Keim.
Antonio Cromartie was the first Jets veteran to become a cap casualty this offseason, but he’s unlikely to be the last, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini identifies tight end Jeff Cumberland, wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, and kicker Nick Folk as possible release candidates.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post explores whether the Giants could afford to roll the dice on defensive end Noah Spence if the Eastern Kentucky pass rusher is on the board at No. 10 in the draft.

Stephen Jones Talks Gregory, Hardy, FAs

February 23rd, 2016 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Having initially expressed disappointment in Randy Gregory over his four-game suspension, Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said today that the team wants to avoid the risk that “four becomes more” for the defensive end. In other words, the Cowboys want to ensure that there are no more failed tests for their 2015 second-round pick, since that would result in an even longer suspension.

With Gregory out for the first four games of the season, targeting pass rushers in free agency and/or the draft will become an even greater priority in Dallas. Jones spoke to Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News about that topic, Gregory’s ban, and more. Here are the highlights from the Cowboys’ executive:

On Gregory’s four-game suspension:

“It’s disappointing, but at the same time, sometimes these things don’t get fixed overnight. Anybody who has ever been involved in this type of situation knows that sometimes it takes time. We’re there, but he’s going to have to buckle down, which he is. He’s working hard at it, but he’s got to get over the hump here.

“You have to be concerned. That’s the risk you get when you go there. It’s all about that risk-reward deal, but at the end of the day, we got the infrastructure in place to continue to help him. We think he’s utilizing it, but at the same time, it’s disappointing that we had this go far enough that it resulted in a suspension.”

On the possibility of re-signing Greg Hardy:

“[We are] still not finalized with where we’re going to come down on that.”

On upgrading the pass rush:

“We’ve just got to do everything we can. Obviously we tried hard last year. That will continue to be a focus. At the end of the day, that’s a big part of a successful football team, getting pressure on the passer. We’ve got some good players that can do it. We just need a couple more to go with [Demarcus] Lawrence and [Tyrone] Crawford and those guys.”

On the possibility of the Cowboys pursuing their first real big-money free agent since Brandon Carr:

“You never say never. You never know what player is going to be out there and how we feel about them. Obviously we’ve slowed down our spending in free agency. I think Brandon’s been a solid player, but at the end of the day, I’ve always thought that that’s what you end up doing in free agency, paying solid players like they’re All-Pro players. That’s the negative about the good ones in free agency, you tend to overpay because you’re competing. It’s a tough deal.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Matthews, Bradford, Nelson

February 23rd, 2016 at 12:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Last Friday, we heard that the Dolphins had reached out to free agent wide receiver Rishard Matthews about a possible new deal. The news was somewhat surprising, since Matthews had long been considered a lock to leave Miami in search of a team that would give him an opportunity for more playing time.

According to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), it looks like that’s still the case. Getlin reports that Matthews is “very likely” to reach the open market, adding that the market for the wideout “will be hot.” Matthews set new career highs in 2015 with 43 receptions, 662 yards, and four touchdowns, and while those numbers are relatively modest, they were compiled in just 11 games. Considering how weak this year’s free agent class of receivers is, there may very well be teams that view Matthews as a viable No. 2 option, and Miami almost certainly can’t afford to pay him like a No. 2.

Here are a few more updates on current free agent or free-agent-to-be from around the NFL:

Some rival teams are doubtful that Sam Bradford will become an unrestricted free agent on March 9th, believing that he may re-sign with the Eagles before then, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Cole adds that if Bradford does hit the open market, he might not receive the kind of lucrative long-term offers he’d expect, making a one-year, prove-it deal a possibility. I’m somewhat skeptical about that — I think Bradford’s second-half performance would ensure that at least one or two teams are willing to invest heavily in him.
The Cardinals are not interested in bringing Antonio Cromartie back to Arizona, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Cromartie spent a season with the team in 2014, earning a Pro Bowl spot, but the Cards were willing to let him walk in free agency, and don’t appear eager to pursue him now that he’s back on the market.
Safety Reggie Nelson saw his 2015 season come to an end when he left the Bengals‘ Wild Card loss with a sprained ankle, and he doesn’t want that to be his last play with the team. “Most definitely not,” Nelson said recently, per Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “They know that. Everybody knows that. I would love to be a Bengal.” According to Hobson, the Bengals aren’t expected to strike deals with their free agents at this week’s combine, but the club figures to discuss possible parameters for Nelson and others.