2016 February - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Flacco, Jaguars, Patriots, Dolphins

February 26th, 2016 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

After reporting earlier today that the Ravens are growing increasingly optimistic about their chances of reworking Joe Flacco‘s contract, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) hears from another source that talks between the Ravens and agent Joe Linta have indeed been productive. A new deal may not be completed this week, but it’s getting closer, according to Zrebiec.

Flacco’s contract, which includes cap hits of $28MM+ in 2016 and $31MM+ in 2017, is a tricky one for the Ravens, since asking the quarterback to take a pay cut isn’t an option. In order for Baltimore to get some cap relief for more than just ’16, the team will likely need to tack on at least two years to Flacco’s deal.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

The Jaguars‘ willingness to go after older free agents this offseason shows that the team believes it’s closer to contention than it has been in past seasons, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, who notes that 18 of the 20 free agents Dave Caldwell signed in his first three years as GM were under 30 years old. “Now that we’re at that point in time where we can compete and compete for championships I have no issue with signing guys that are 30, 31 and 32,” Caldwell said.
As of Thursday, the Patriots remained in a holding pattern when it comes to their major offseason financial decisions, per Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Howe suggests that the team has engaged in the early stages of talks with free-agents-to-be Tarell Brown and LeGarrette Blount, but haven’t yet approached most veterans about pay cuts or extensions.
The Dolphins are saying they want to keep the majority of their free agents and release candidates, but given their limited cap room and their 6-10 record in 2015, continuity across the board may not be the best option for the franchise, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
The odds of a downtown stadium plan coming together for the Chargers in San Diego are long, but not impossible, says Logan Jenkins of the San Diego Union-Tribune.

Two Teams Have Inquired About Trading For RGIII

February 26th, 2016 at 1:13pm CST by Zachary Links

At least two teams have talked to Washington about trading for Robert Griffin III, sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Still, the QB controls the process because he has to sign off on a new deal.

Recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com identified the Chiefs, Eagles, 49ers, Broncos, and Cowboys as possible suitors for Griffin. At this time, however, it’s not clear which teams called to ask about RGIII. In an interview just days ago, Washington team president Bruce Allen was asked whether Griffin would remain on the roster for the 2016 season and, as many have speculated for months, he indicated that Griffin would be elsewhere.

“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.”

Washington has been in no rush to release Griffin, whose $16.155MM salary for 2016 remains non-guaranteed for now. 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 trade was previously thought to be a long shot, but things have apparently changed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Anthony Davis To Apply For Reinstatement

February 26th, 2016 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, veteran offensive tackle Anthony Davis will apply for reinstatement to the NFL after taking the 2015 season off, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Davis, whose rights are still held by the Niners, wants to play in 2016, per Schefter.

Davis, 26, was San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board 11th overall. Since then, he has started 71 games at right tackle for the team, playing all 16 regular season contests in his first four years before being limited to seven games in 2014. Davis dealt with hamstring and knee issues, and also battled concussion problems, which may have contributed to his decision to step away from the game temporarily in 2015.

Although his decision was initially classified as another retirement announcement in a series of them for the 49ers last summer, Davis was always viewed as likely to return to the game. In early January, he tweeted that his return to San Francisco was “guaranteed.”

At the time of his temporary retirement, Davis remained under contract with the 49ers for several more seasons, with a deal that ran through the 2019 season. It remains to be seen how he’ll fit into the team’s plans moving forward — to date, GM Trent Baalke hasn’t directly addressed the issue, choosing not to discuss it until Davis is formally reinstated.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Latest On DeMarco Murray, Eagles

February 26th, 2016 at 12:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Although DeMarco Murray has publicly stated that he’s committed to the Eagles, the message teams are receiving this week at the combine is that Murray is still not happy in Philadelphia, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). According to Rapoport, it will be difficult for the Eagles to accommodate a trade, but rival teams know his situation is “unsettled” and Philadelphia is willing to listen.

Murray, 28, rushed for just 702 yards and six touchdowns in 2015 after establishing career-highs of 1,845 yards and 13 TDs in his final season in Dallas. The former third-round pick, who never seemed to get comfortable in Chip Kelly‘s offense during his first year in Philadelphia, averaged a career-worst 3.6 yards per carry.

A report earlier this month, also from Rapoport, indicated that the Eagles and Murray were headed for a “stare-down” regarding his future with the team. At the time, Rapoport noted that the former Cowboys running back would likely welcome the opportunity to return to Dallas, a point that the NFL.com scribe repeats today. However, in the wake of that initial report, Murray stressed that he would be content to play the 2016 season in Philadelphia.

“I’m signed there for the next four years. I don’t know where that story is coming from,” Murray said during a PFT Live appearance. “It’s a little crazy. Every week I feel like there’s something new. It’s a little weird. I can’t worry about what people are saying. I’ll just continue to work hard. I’m signed for four years and I’m committed.”

Within that interview, Murray admitted it was “hard to get comfortable” in Kelly’s scheme, but claimed that the perception of problems with the coach were “blown out of proportion” over the course of the season. Murray said at the time that he had spoken to new Eagles coach Doug Pederson and was expecting a “more conventional” offensive scheme in 2016.

Whether or not Murray is happy with the Eagles, it may not make much of a difference in the short term, since his contract makes it so hard to do anything with him. Murray’s $7MM base salary for 2016 is fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of his $7.5MM salary for 2017. The Oklahoma product also has $4MM in additional dead money on his deal that would accelerate onto the current year if he’s traded or released.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Rams, V. Miller

February 26th, 2016 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive tackle Russell Okung, who will be representing himself in free agency, confirmed to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has had some conversations with the Seahawks about a new deal. According to Okung, the two sides have been “going back and forth” and still may “figure something out” before the veteran tackle hits the open market.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

Let’s check out a few more Friday updates on pending free agents around the NFL….

The Rams have made a five-year contract offer to cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but haven’t yet formally proposed a multiyear deal to their other free agent corner, Trumaine Johnson, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson. Cole believes that one of the two free agent corners will get a franchise or transition tag from Los Angeles, which would allow the club to focus on negotiations with the other player.
While the secondary remains their top priority, the Rams would also like to re-sign veteran center Tim Barnes, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “The plan at center is, hey, I’ll give Tim Barnes credit, he’s one of those guys we’d like to get back,” GM Les Snead said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t think he was a weak link so we definitely want to get him back.”
According to Cole (video link), the Broncos and Von Miller‘s reps are meeting at the combine, but the expectation from Miller’s side is that the team will use its franchise tag on the star pass rusher rather than getting a long-term deal done within the next few days.
The Panthers met in Indianapolis with Josh Norman‘s agent, but didn’t make a whole lot of progress, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Still, talks are expected to continue, and Norman is a franchise tag candidate if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by March 1st.
The Falcons met with the representatives for restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow about the possibility of a contract – or at least an RFA tender – but no decisions were made, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

2016 NFL Offseason Previews By Team

February 26th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Over the last few weeks, Pro Football Rumors has been taking a closer look at the 2016 offseason on a team-by-team basis. Our Offseason Outlook series focuses on each club’s key free agents, potential cap casualties, positions of need, and other issues facing teams this winter.

Just in case you missed our offseason preview for your favorite team, we’re rounding up all of our Offseason Outlook pieces in this post, which can be found anytime on our right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features.” We have several more teams to examine before free agency officially gets underway on March 9th, so if your team isn’t linked below, be sure to keep a close eye on PFR — it’ll be coming soon.

Here are the links to our 2016 NFL Offseason Outlook pieces to date:

AFC East:

AFC North:

AFC South:

AFC West:

NFC East:

NFC North:

NFC South:

NFC West:

Panthers, Ron Rivera Discussing Extension

February 26th, 2016 at 10:33am CST by Luke Adams

Following a season in which he led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and an appearance in the Super Bowl, head coach Ron Rivera appears to be in line for a raise. According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, the Panthers have reached out to Rivera to start working on a contract extension.

Rivera, who succeeded John Fox as the Panthers’ head coach in 2011, has posted a sub-.500 record in three of his five seasons with the team. However, his overall regular-season mark in Carolina is 47-32-1, and the team has won the NFC South three times in a row, earning the division title in 2014 despite a 7-8-1 record.

Following a 2013 campaign that saw the Panthers finish 12-4 and earned Rivera AP Coach of the Year honors, Carolina locked up the coach to a three-year extension believed to be worth north of $4MM per season. The deal keeps Rivera under contract through 2017, but after this year’s NFC championship, the Panthers would like to extend the relationship beyond that, and give their head coach another raise.

In spite of the Panthers’ 2015 success, Rivera will benefit from keeping both his offensive and defensive coordinators for at least one more year. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott interviewed for the Browns’ and Buccaneers’ head coaching jobs, while offensive coordinator Mike Shula turned down at least one opportunity to interview for a head coaching position, a source tells Person.

Rivera is the second NFC South coach rumored this week to be working on a deal. Sean Payton suggested on Thursday that he’s moving closer to an extension with the Saints.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

QB Rumors: Manning, Flacco, Kaepernick

February 26th, 2016 at 10:06am CST by Luke Adams

After repeatedly expressing since the Super Bowl that there’s no timeline for Peyton Manning to make his decision on whether or not to retire, Broncos general manager John Elway admitted during an appearance on NBCSN’s Pro Football Talk that he’ll need – and get – an answer before Manning’s 2016 salary becomes guaranteed on March 9th. Elway said on Thursday that the veteran quarterback still needs a little more time.

Here are a few more quarterback-related notes and rumors from around the NFL:

The Ravens are growing more confident that they’ll be able to get a reworked deal done with quarterback Joe Flacco, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Zrebiec cautions that nothing is done yet, but says the outlook is improving. Any agreement between the two sides would, of course, reduce Flacco’s $28.55MM cap hit for 2016.
Per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), the 49ers view Colin Kaepernick‘s 2016 base salary ($11.9MM) as reasonable, and continue to believe that he has plenty of upside, so the team is still debating how to handle his trade request.
With Carson Palmer set to turn 37 later this year, the Cardinals will need to identify a potential replacement for him at some point in the not-too-distant future. But as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes, that doesn’t mean the club will draft a QB this spring, since GM Steve Keim insists he doesn’t want to force a pick.
Texans head coach Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith have no problem with owner Bob McNair publicly expressing that the team needs a solution at quarterback, says Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Both men acknowledge that McNair is right, and as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle outlines, O’Brien has a lengthy checklist for what traits he looks for in QBs.
Generally speaking, teams lock up their starting quarterbacks before they reach unrestricted free agency, but there are several intriguing options set to become available this year, according to ESPN’s Bill Barnwell, who thinks 2016’s class could be the deepest and most interesting group of free agent QBs in years.

NFC North Rumors: Packers, Z. Miller, Kalil

February 26th, 2016 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

According to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, word around this year’s scouting combine from agents and league personnel is that the Packers intend to go after more free agents than usual this offseason — especially veterans released by their previous teams, who won’t factor into the compensatory draft pick formula for next year.

“We’ll see how it shakes out,” head coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday. “We might shock you this year.”

Green Bay, a draft-and-develop franchise, typically plays it fairly safe in free agency, making small additions here and there but mostly focusing on locking up the team’s own free agents. While a series of big splashes this year seems unlikely, it sounds like the Packers may foray into the open market in order to fill a couple holes.

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

The Bears would like to re-sign veteran tight end Zach Miller, but will likely let him test the free agent market to get a better sense of what he’s worth, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com details. “What happens at this stage in the game is you understand the reality that a lot of times these guys have to hit the open market to set their value,” GM Ryan Pace said. “We like Zach, I don’t want to go through every one of our unrestricted free agents, but he’s a guy we’d want back and we’re negotiating with him.”
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News (Twitter link) hears that the Vikings want to keep offensive tackle Phil Loadholt in 2016, but would like to lower his cap number, which is currently $7.75MM. Per Wolfson, a meeting on the Loadholt front took place last night at the combine.
As the Vikings look to retain Loadholt, they’re “torn” on tackle Matt Kalil, according to Wolfson (via Twitter). A former fourth overall pick, Kalil hasn’t necessarily lived up to his billing so far and has an $11MM cap number for 2016. But he has also never missed a regular-season start in his four NFL seasons, so Minnesota would have a hole to fill if the team were to let him go.

Ravens Use Franchise Tag On Justin Tucker

February 26th, 2016 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Ravens have formally placed the franchise tag on kicker Justin Tucker, agent Robert S. Roche announced today (via Twitter). Since the salary cap for 2016 has not yet been set, the exact franchise salary for Tucker is not yet known, but it’s expected to be at least $4.5MM.

For his career, Tucker has connected on 130 of 148 field-goal attempts (87.8%), with 12 of those 18 overall misses coming from 50 yards or longer. He has also nailed an impressive 10 game-winning field goals, including three in 2015.

At the end of the 2015 regular season, Tucker indicated that Roche and the Ravens had been engaged in contract discussions, “on and off, for a better part of a year, year and a half.” Despite the fact that the two sides had been talking about a potential extension for some time, the franchise tag always seemed to be a probable outcome, with general manager Ozzie Newsome suggesting multiple times in recent weeks that the tag would be in play if the team couldn’t lock up its kicker by March 1st.

Now that Tucker has been officially franchised, he can sign his tender and lock in his $4.5MM+ salary for 2016. Whether or not he does that anytime soon, he’ll also have until July 15th to work out a longer-term agreement with the Ravens. If the two sides don’t figure something out by mid-July, Tucker will play the 2016 season on his one-year franchise deal, and will be eligible for unrestricted free agency again in 2017.

Technically, until Tucker signs his franchise tender or works out a multiyear deal with Baltimore, he remains a free agent, and could sign an offer sheet with another team. But signing a franchised player requires parting with two first-round picks, so obviously the league’s other 31 teams will be staying away from Tucker.

By using their tag on Tucker, Newsome and the Ravens also take it out of the equation for free agent offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele. The price tag for Osemele would have approached $14MM, so that was never considered likely, but it formally takes one option off the table as the team attempts to re-sign its top free agent.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.