2016 February - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

NFC South Notes: Saints, Norman, Shula

February 2nd, 2016 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead and defensive tackle John Jenkins will see their salaries increase by nearly $1MM apiece for 2016, based on the proven performance escalator clause in their rookie contracts, writes Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. Both players had been slated to earn a base salary of about $700K, but will now make $1.696MM each.

Let’s round up a few more of today’s items from out of the NFC South:

The Panthers may end up using the franchise tag on cornerback Josh Norman this winter, which could postpone a lucrative, long-term extension for at least a few months. However, as Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) outlines, it’s just a matter of time until Norman lands that big, multiyear deal.
In a separate video for Bleacher Report, Cole wonders if Mike Shula‘s lack of an agent could hinder his chances of landing a head coaching job. The Panthers offensive coordinator didn’t draw much interest last month from the seven teams conducting head coaching searches, despite Carolina’s success this season.
Drew Brees turned 37 years old last month, and is entering the final year of his contract, but the Saints don’t need to find his replacement quite yet, says Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
Improving team speed, particularly at linebacker, will be a main focus for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn this winter, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Within his piece, McClure takes a look at some fast, athletic linebacker prospects who may catch Atlanta’s eye as the draft approaches.

NFC North Notes: Lions, Golden, Loadholt

February 2nd, 2016 at 2:18pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Lions want to keep their 2013 draft class, it’ll cost them a pretty penny, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. The Lions are slated to have $20MM in salary cap space right now and they could tack on another $11MM if Calvin Johnson retires. Still, the team has five starting-caliber players from the 2013 class that are slated to hit the open market in 2017 if they don’t sign new deals.

Here’s more on the Lions and some of their division rivals:

Speaking of Johnson’s potential retirement, in a separate piece for the Free Press, Birkett writes that some observers believe Megatron would be more likely to continue playing for the Lions if the team had won more during his time in Detroit.
The Lions have hired former Miami and Temple head coach Al Golden as their tight ends coach, the team announced in a press release. It’s the first NFL job for the longtime college coach, who was with the Hurricanes from 2011 to 2015.
Vikings tackle Phil Loadholt, who is working his way back from a torn Achilles, is optimistic that he’ll be ready to go for offseason workouts this spring. However, it remains to be seen whether he’ll still be on Minnesota’s roster at that point, since the club could create $6MM in cap savings by releasing him. Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune spoke to Loadholt about his recovery and his uncertain contract status.
Earlier this afternoon, we learned that Bears tight end Zach Miller is seeking $5MM per year on his next contract. That story is right here.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Bears’ Zach Miller Seeking $5MM Per Year

February 2nd, 2016 at 1:15pm CST by Luke Adams

After enjoying a breakout season in 2015 for the Bears, veteran tight end Zach Miller is eligible for free agency, and according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, he’s aiming high on his next contract. Biggs reports that Miller is asking for $5MM per year on a new deal.

Not to be confused for former Pro Bowler Zach Miller, who spent time with the Raiders and Seahawks, this Zach Miller had an improbable comeback to the NFL in 2015 after not having appeared in a game since the 2011 season due to various injuries. The former sixth-round pick, who came into the season having recorded 45 career receptions, set new career highs by grabbing 34 balls for 439 yards and five touchdowns in 2015.

While the timing of the lucrative new extensions signed by Zach Ertz of the Eagles and Travis Kelce of the Chiefs may appear to help Miller’s case for a big raise, those players are significantly younger than the Bears tight end, and have more impressive résumés.

At age 31, Miller is more comparable to Gary Barnidge, who came out of nowhere at age 30 to rack up 79 catches, 1,043 yards, and nine touchdowns for the Browns. However, even Barnidge, whose numbers were much more impressive than Miller’s, didn’t get a $5MM annual salary on his new extension, so it seems unlikely that Miller will be able to get that high.

Although Miller’s asking price is reportedly at $5MM annually now, that figure could decrease in the coming weeks. If it doesn’t, the tight end may get an opportunity to gauge his value on the open market in March — if he finds that the Bears aren’t the only team unwilling to meet his asking price, it could pave the way for a reunion with Chicago at a lesser rate.

Considering he’s coming off a productive year and is already 31 years old, it’s hard to blame Miller for doing his best to cash in on what will likely be the biggest contract of his NFL career.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eagles Halt Search For Personnel Chief

February 2nd, 2016 at 12:13pm CST by Luke Adams

After having announced last month that they intended to hire a new front office executive to serve as their head of player personnel, the Eagles have put that search on hold for now, reports Geoff Mosher of EagleScoutingNest.com. According to Mosher, the Eagles aren’t expected to hire a personnel chief until sometime after the 2016 NFL draft.

Having parted ways with head coach Chip Kelly and top personnel executive Ed Marynowitz several weeks ago, the Eagles are seeking a high-ranking senior executive to lead the scouting department, but the timing of their search may have limited their list of potential candidates. As Mosher explains, most NFL teams are currently “knee deep in the pre-draft process” and would be hesitant about allowing a top personnel executive to leave.

The team did meet with several candidates, including Brandon Hunt, Morocco Brown, Dwayne Joseph, and Mark Dominik, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. And as Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News tweets, it’s possible that the team has already reached an agreement with a candidate who isn’t free until after the draft.

For now though, Philadelphia looks poised to head into free agency and the draft with Howie Roseman making many of the key decisions. Tom Donahoe and new head coach Doug Pederson also figure to be involved in the process, but as McLane writes, Roseman will be the one making the final decision on roster moves.

Even if the team intends to resume its search after the conclusion of this year’s draft, there’s some skepticism around the league that the Eagles will be able to attract top candidates for the position, says Mosher. While Philadelphia doesn’t currently have a general manager, the team’s front office opening isn’t exactly a GM position, and Roseman figures to maintain final say on personnel decisions, so rival executives may not view it as a significant promotion.

As Mosher notes, Kelly was in a similar position last year when tasked with replacing Tom Gamble, and had difficulty attracting an outside personnel exec — he ultimately promoted Marynowitz.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Browns Expected To Cut Johnny Manziel

February 2nd, 2016 at 11:27am CST by Luke Adams

The Browns have issued a statement on quarterback Johnny Manziel, who is currently being investigated by the NFL for his latest off-field incident. The team’s announcement, which was made by executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown, strongly hints that Manziel won’t be with the club much longer.

“We’ve been clear about expectations for our players on and off the field,” Brown said. “Johnny’s continual involvement in incidents that run counter to those expectations undermines the hard work of his teammates and the reputation of our organization. His status with our team will be addressed when permitted by league rules. We will have no further comment at this time.”

Brown’s reference to Manziel’s status with the team being addressed “when permitted by league rules” makes it sound as if Cleveland ultimately plans to waive the quarterback. The offseason waiver process doesn’t get underway until next Monday, after the Super Bowl is over, and the new league year doesn’t begin until March 9. The Browns may hang on to Manziel until then, for cap purposes, but it doesn’t appear he’s in the club’s future plans anymore.

Pat McManamon of ESPN.com confirms as much, writing that the Browns plan on cutting Manziel when the 2016 league year begins in March. By waiting until then to make the move official, Cleveland avoids having Manziel’s dead money accelerate onto the 2015 cap — the team needs to absorb that hit in 2016 instead, having already rolled its ’15 cap room over to next year, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

Assuming they don’t designate him as a post-June 1 cut, the Browns will take on a ’16 cap hit of about $4.33MM if they release Manziel on or after March 9. Of course, the team could remove that entire figure from its cap if the 23-year-old is claimed on waivers, but that seems extremely unlikely.

While today’s news all but confirms it, there was already a strong sense that Manziel was no longer a part of the Browns’ outlook for 2016 and beyond. On the day the club hired Hue Jackson as its new head coach, a report surfaced suggesting that the former Bengals offensive coordinator had made it clear during the interview process that he intended to move on from Manziel.

A first-round pick in 2014, Manziel started eight games during his two years in Cleveland, completing 57% of his passes and throwing seven touchdowns to seven interceptions, for a QB rating of 74.4. While his on-field performance was unspectacular, it was off-field behavior that will cost him his roster spot. In addition to not being pleased by his multiple run-ins with the law, the Browns were also concerned about Manziel’s fondness for partying, which seems to have persisted since he checked himself into rehab last year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Coaching Notes: Cowher, McDermott, Hirings

February 2nd, 2016 at 10:59am CST by Luke Adams

With CBS broadcasting this year’s Super Bowl, Bill Cowher is in San Francisco to cover the game for the network. But just because he’s on the media side of things now doesn’t mean he can avoid questions about a potential return to coaching.

Asked on Monday about that possibility, Cowher said that he didn’t have any contact with the Giants about their head coaching job after Tom Coughlin resigned, but the former Steelers head coach didn’t rule out a return to an NFL sideline, as Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News details.

“You know what? I’ve never shut a door,” Cowher said. “I don’t think you need to shut a door that you don’t need to. I’m very happy at CBS. I love what I’m doing. I’m 58 years old. I feel young. I still feel involved in the game. But this element of the game gives me a life that I was never able to experience before…. I never say never, but I’m very, very satisfied with where I’m at.”

Here are several more coaching-related updates from around the NFL:

Speaking to the media on Monday night, Panthers defensive coordinator Sean McDermott confirmed that he spoke to Howie Roseman about the Eagles‘ head coaching opening, despite not having a formal interview with the team, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “We had some preliminary talks,” McDermott said. “It was clear from the beginning they wanted to go offense.”
The Cowboys are looking to hire a replacement for defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson, who joined the Falcons, and the next coach Dallas is talking to is former 49ers head coach Mike Nolan, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Alex Marvez of FOX Sports has the details on a couple additions to the Browns‘ coaching staff, reporting (via Twitter) that the team has hired Johnny Holland and Eric Sanders. Holland, who had been working in the CFL, resigned from the B.C. Lions last month because he knew he would have a position on Hue Jackson‘s staff, according to Marvez, who adds that Holland will be the Browns’ inside linebackers coach (Twitter links). Sanders, a Stanford defensive assistant, will join the Browns in the same capacity.
The Chargers have hired former Titans quarterbacks coach John McNulty as their new tight ends coach, according to Marvez (via Twitter). McNulty has a longtime connection to former Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who has now returned to the offensive coordinator role in San Diego.
The Titans have completed their coaching staff, hiring Keith Willis as the team’s assistant defensive line coach and Brandon Blaney as a defensive assistant, the club announced in a press release.

Raiders Expect To Play In Oakland In 2016

February 2nd, 2016 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

The Rams officially left St. Louis last month, but it appears the other two teams involved in Los Angeles talks will stay put for at least one more season. In the wake of the Chargers’ announcement that they’ll spend the 2016 season in San Diego, Raiders owner Mark Davis said he expects his club to remain in Oakland for 2016.

Barring a “dramatic breakdown” in negotiations with government officials, the Raiders will play the 2016 season in O.Co Coliseum, writes Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News. The franchise doesn’t currently have a lease to play in the Coliseum, but Davis expects to get a short-term solution worked out sometime soon, as he said on Kawakami’s podcast.

“As of today, right now, we are in the process of trying to negotiate a one-year extension at the Oakland Coliseum to play the 2016 season there,” Davis said. “After we get that done, we’ll sit down and try to figure out where the future of the Raiders lies.”

When the Chargers decided to try to make things work in San Diego, it likely shut the door on the Raiders’ only other potentially viable 2016 home. Although Davis and the Raiders have engaged in discussions with city leaders and potential investors in San Antonio and Las Vegas, those cities are considered potential long-term options for the Raiders, and were always unlikely to be ready immediately.

Ultimately, the Raiders’ most plausible long-term landing spots are probably in California, which means the franchise is unlikely to make any major decisions on its future until the Chargers make their decision. If Chargers owner Dean Spanos decides to keep his team in San Diego, there’s a very real chance Davis and the Raiders would join the Rams in Los Angeles. If Spanos heads to L.A., Davis would likely to take a long look at San Diego, as he confirmed to Kawakami.

“I think San Diego’s a phenomenal place,” Davis said. “For the Raiders, it would be great because we have a very large Hispanic market; we think that’s something we could tap into down there…. That’s just looking at it from a bird’s eye view. I don’t have any idea of what kind of negotiations Dean has going on there. I’m hoping he gets something done because I know that the fans there would love to keep them.”

Of course, Oakland is still a possibility for the Raiders, and Mayor Libby Schaaf has recently made comments about wanting to move forward on negotiations for a new stadium solution in the city. Bringing the team back to O.co Coliseum for 2016 is a good first step in the interim, but for the Raiders to have a realistic shot at remaining in Oakland for the long term, the team and the city will have to make significant progress in stadium talks, after the NFL ruled that the most recent proposal was not viable.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Joseph Randle Denies Sports Betting Allegations

February 2nd, 2016 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran NFL running back Joseph Randle was released last fall in part because the Cowboys learned that he had been betting on sports, four sources told Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. According to George, a combination of issues led to the Cowboys’ release of Randle, who showed signs of mental instability and allegedly wagered on sporting events during the 2015 season.

“All of that became apparent to us right during the season,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last week at the Senior Bowl. “Not before the season. It became real acute, a combination of things. Some issues … became more apparent.”

While Jones acknowledged that the team had concerns about Randle’s gambling – the running back was gambling at a Kansas City casino when he was arrested in November – the Cowboys owner suggested there’s no evidence that Randle bet on NFL games, or any games involving the Cowboys: “There are certain types of gambling that you can’t do as a player. Obviously you can’t be involved in … anything that we’re competing in, and I’ve never heard of anything like that.”

For his part, Randle is denying the allegations that he was involved in gambling on sports, telling Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram in a text message that there’s “no truth at all” to the accusations. The NFL has a strict gambling policy in place prohibiting players and league personnel from sports betting.

Whether or not the latest allegations against Randle are true, he continues to have a hard time staying out of trouble off the field. As we noted yesterday, the free agent running back was arrested early Monday morning in Irving and booked on a speeding charge.

A source tells George that the Cowboys “remain concerned for Randle’s well-being and believe he needs serious help.” The Cowboys, the NFL, and the NFL Players Association have all reached out to the 24-year-old to offer help on several occasions, but he has turned down those offers, according to George.

For now, Randle remains available to sign with any team, but given these latest allegations, along with the potential discipline he’ll be facing for his most recent arrest, it seems unlikely that suitors will be lining up to roll the dice on him this offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Follow Pro Football Rumors On Instagram

February 2nd, 2016 at 7:00am CST by Zachary Links

Pro Football Rumors has just launched an official Instagram account (@ProFootballRumors)! Each day, we’ll be sharing conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in football. From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.

Our inaugural Instagram post features a sneak peek at what Robert Griffin III might look like in a Texans uniform. The former No. 2 overall pick is almost certainly going to be released by Washington this offseason and he’ll be free to sign with any of the league’s other 31 teams.

With serious question marks under center – not to mention a close proximity to where Griffin played his high school and college ball – the Texans have been linked to RGIII in recent weeks. Do you think he’ll sign with Houston? Do you think he could complete a Lone Star homecoming with the Cowboys instead? Or do you see him signing somewhere else entirely? Follow us on Instagram today and reply back in the comments section with your thoughts.

Latest On Calvin Johnson

February 1st, 2016 at 7:53pm CST by Zachary Links

In yet another sign that Calvin Johnson could be getting ready for retirement, the wide receiver called owner Martha Ford to thank her and her daughters for everything over the years, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Still, as of this writing, Johnson has not formally relayed his decision to the team.

Meanwhile, Lions’ coaches are still keen on finding a way to bring Megatron back (link). Johnson will not be brought back at his current salary as his cap charge is set to balloon to more than $24MM next season. Still, he could be brought back at a lesser AAV on an extension. Rapoport suggests Larry Fitzgerald‘s extension as a possible comp and that could be a logical move for both sides, if Johnson can be talked into playing. This time last year, Fitzgerald agreed to a deal that instantly created $13MM in cap space for the Cardinals. Prior to the deal, he was slated to count for $23MM against the cap in ’15.

If Johnson does retire, he will owe the Lions $3.2MM in signing bonus money. Moreover, Detroit will save more than $11MM on its 2016 salary cap if Johnson hangs it up.

Since leading the NFL with 122 receptions and 1,964 yards in 2012, Johnson has seen his production decline a little. Still, he continued to be one of the league’s more productive pass catchers in 2015, with 88 catches, 1,214 yards, and nine touchdowns. Johnson is the Lions’ all-time leader in receptions (731) receiving yards (11,619) and receiving touchdowns (83), tweets Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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