2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

Saints Rumors: Hill, Brees, Payton, Hightower

March 23rd, 2016 at 8:13am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this morning, Sean Payton broke some big news when he announced that he has signed a brand-new five-year contract through the 2020 season with the Saints. Payton’s contract has been a priority for New Orleans this offseason and they had plenty of motivation to get a deal done with several teams reportedly eyeing the 52-year-old coach.

Here’s more on the Saints:

It’s not out the question that Josh Hill returns after the tight end inked the Bears’ offer sheet, the coach told reporters (including Larry Holder of The Times-Picayune). Payton and GM Mickey Loomis will discuss Hill further today.
Payton said the ongoing Drew Brees extension talks are discussed in some form daily, Holder tweets. Brees, 37, is entering the final year of a five-year, $100MM deal he signed in 2012. Earlier this week, the QB said that he’s unsure of the timetable for a deal getting done and that he’s not positive that a deal will get done at all.
Payton said the Saints paid close attention to the guard market but things did not pan out, Holder tweets. Before the start of free agency, Payton did not anticipate signing a tight end (link via Holder). Overall, he looked more at offensive guards and defensive players. On March 9th, the Saints agreed to sign former Colts tight end Coby Fleener.
Heading into the draft, Payton says that he sees defensive end and three-technique defensive tackle as “musts,” (Twitter link via Holder). Payton added safety to the list of high-priority needs, as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com tweets.
The coach said there is absolutely a possibility that running back Tim Hightower will return to the team (link via Holder). Hightower started three games for the Saints last year after being years removed from the NFL.

Bears Sign TE Josh Hill To Offer Sheet

March 23rd, 2016 at 6:58am CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 6:58am: ESPN’s Mike Triplett and Adam Caplan provide a few more details on Hill’s offer sheet from the Bears, reporting that the three-year deal can be worth up to $7.5MM, and features $3.25MM in guaranteed money.

TUESDAY, 4:38pm: Hill’s offer sheet is worth in the neighborhood of $2MM annually, per Biggs, who notes that the Saints have less than $1.3MM in cap space (Twitter link).

4:01pm: The Bears have signed restricted free agent tight end Josh Hill to an offer sheet, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links). According to Biggs, Hill got a three-year deal, which New Orleans will have five days to match. Because the Saints assigned Hill a low-end RFA tender, they won’t receive any compensation if they decide not to match Chicago’s offer.

Hill, 25, is coming off a career-high 16-catch season, though he averaged just 7.5 yards per reception. The three-year veteran set personal marks in yards (176), YPC (12.5) and touchdowns (five) during a 14-catch showing in 2014. Prior to signing with the Bears, whom he met with Monday, Hill visited the Jets last week.

The Bears have a No. 1 tight end in Zach Miller, but they may have created a need in the top two last week when they traded Martellus Bennett to the Patriots. Rob Housler is currently the top reserve behind Miller, though adding Hill could put his spot in jeopardy. The Saints, meanwhile, signed ex-Colt Coby Fleener to a five-year, $36MM deal when free agency opened and have Michael Hoomanawanui as a backup.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patrick Robinson To Visit Colts

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:46pm CST by Rory Parks

9:46pm: It appears Robinson’s decision to switch agents may indeed push him away from the Cowboys, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Robinson will visit with the Colts tomorrow. Plus, the agreement that Conner negotiated with Dallas may now be off the table entirely, as Moore tweets that the two sides “had an agreement in principle until [Robinson] changed agents.” From the Colts’ perspective, Robinson would represent a quality replacement for Greg Toler, who could depart in free agency.

7:58pm: We heard earlier today that the Cowboys were wrapping up a three-year deal with free agent corner Patrick Robinson and that the deal would be consummated once Robinson resolved his “agent situation.” As it turns out, Robinson has actually switched agents. According to David Moore of The Dallas Morning News, club officials began discussions with Kevin Conner but have now been told that Ron Butler represents Robinson.

Dallas began negotiating with Conner before Robinson’s visit with the team, and the two sides had agreed in principle to the parameters of a three-year deal before Butler advised the Cowboys yesterday that he now represents Robinson. The reasons for the switch are unknown, and it is a little difficult to get a read on how the Dallas media contingent interprets this development.

While Moore couched his report a little pessimistically, opining that Robinson’s switch had thrown a wrench into the negotiations, Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram says the team has no intention of changing the deal that Conner had negotiated for his former client (Twitter link). Hill, who also authored the above-referenced tweet from this morning indicating that the deal would be completed once Robinson sorts out his agent situation, seems to suggest that, as long as Butler does not try to dramatically alter the contractual framework that has already been put in place, a deal will get done. Todd Archer of ESPN.com, meanwhile, says that the switch is the reason for the delay, and that Robinson was expected to sign yesterday (Twitter links). The fact that Robinson has not yet signed, and the fact that the team had still not met with Butler as of Archer’s tweets several hours ago, indicate that there may still be some work to do.

Robinson, of course, is one of the best free agents still available. After spending the first five years of his career with the Saints, he appeared in all 16 of the Chargers’ games in 2015, including 10 starts, and he put up 49 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble. His play over 713 defensive snaps with the Bolts earned him a 30th-place ranking among corners at Pro Football Focus among 111 qualifiers. Robinson also played 31.7 percent of the Chargers’ special teams snaps. If he does ultimately wind up with the Cowboys, Brandon Carr‘s future in Dallas would be cast into greater doubt.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

NFC Notes: Norman, Megatron, Seahawks

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that Josh Norman and the Panthers are far apart in discussions on a new, multi-year contract, and if those negotiations do not start to gain traction, Norman could miss voluntary workouts and OTAs and possibly the mandatory June minicamp. But as David Newton of ESPN.com writes, Carolina GM Dave Gettleman downplayed that speculation, saying that he does not expect the Norman situation to create much of a distraction.

Said Gettleman, “Josh is a pro and I don’t think there’ll be any issues. He and I had a great conversation before I put the tag on him. He understands where I’m at. I understand where he’s at. We respect each other’s stance and we’ll just see if we can get [it] done.” Gettleman added that he and head coach Ron Rivera are “very comfortable” regardless of whether Norman signs a long-term deal with the Panthers prior to the July 15 deadline or whether he plays out the 2016 season under the franchise tag.

Now let’s take a look at some more links from around the NFC:

There was some speculation earlier this month that Calvin Johnson wanted to retire as a free agent rather than under Lions control so that, in case he ever came out of retirement, he would be free to choose his next destination. Of course, Megatron ultimately retired as a member of the Lions, but according to Detroit president Rod Wood, it’s a moot point anyway, as he would be “very surprised” if Johnson ever expressed a desire to return to the NFL (video link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).
Seahawks GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll each signed three-year contract extensions in 2014 that take them through the 2016 season, which means they are both entering the final years of their respective deals. As Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes, however, Schneider says his contract is a “non-story.” Schneider said, “Pete and I have a great relationship, and we are just in a really good spot. We are just going to keep staying together and keep doing what we are doing and see how long we can make it last.” Kapadia believes the most likely scenario is that both men will sign extensions in the coming months, and we know that the club has already been working on a new deal for Carroll.
The Seahawks‘ offensive line was the subject of a great deal of criticism in 2015, and it does not look like it will be much better in 2016. Per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Schneider has indicated that if the season started today, last year’s right tackle, Garry Gilliam, would compete with the newly-acquired Bradley Sowell to be the club’s starting left tackle, with another free agent acquisition, J’Marcus Webb, penciled in at right tackle. In addition to losing Russell Okung in free agency, the Seahawks also lost right guard J.R. Sweezy, but Schneider offered no indication that the team would pursue any additional signings or trades to beef up its line.
Ralpha Vacchiano of The New York Daily News does not believe the Giants are done spending in free agency, and at the very least, he expects the team to pursue a veteran offensive lineman and a veteran safety. He does not, however, believe Big Blue will bring back Rueben Randle or Will Beatty.
The 49ers have not made a contract offer to free agent wideout Anquan Boldin, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, and while GM Trent Baalke said he has by no means closed the door on a possible reunion, he did not sound especially optimistic that Boldin would return to San Francisco next season. As Baalke said, “A lot of it is going to depend whether he feels and we feel it’s a fit moving forward with what we’re trying to do offensively and what he’s looking for at this stage of his career.” Boldin has already stated his desire to play for a title contender in 2016, and it is currently difficult to imagine the 49ers fitting that description.

AFC Contract Details: Patriots, Ravens, Texans

March 22nd, 2016 at 7:13pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here are the contract details on some notable AFC deals which were agreed upon or signed within the last week:

Shea McClellin, LB (Patriots): Three years, $8.95MM. $2.5MM signing bonus. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM salary in 2016 guaranteed. Annual $300K roster bonus. $100K workout bonus in 2016, $200K workout bonuses in 2017 and ’18. (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
Chris Long, DE (Patriots): One year, $2.375MM. $1MM guaranteed. $500K signing bonus. $625K roster bonus (Twitter link via Ben Volin of the Boston Globe).
Chris Carter, LB (Ravens): One year, $1MM. No guaranteed money. $500K split salary (Twitter link via Wilson).
Jonathan Grimes, RB (Texans): One year, $900K. $200K guaranteed roster bonus. Deal includes a de-escalator clause (Twitter links via Wilson).

AFC Notes: Browns, Pats, Raiders, Ravens

March 22nd, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

There was speculation late last season that Peyton Manning would retire and take a prominent front office position, perhaps in Cleveland. Manning has since retired and the Browns’ presidency is currently vacant, but it doesn’t sound as if the 39-year-old will end up with them.

“Whatever Peyton decides to do, and I have no idea what that is, I have not literally talked to him since wishing him good luck before the Super Bowl,” owner Jimmy Haslam, a friend of Manning’s, said (link via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “Whatever organization gets him will be fortunate whether it’s a pro organization, a business, media, but I think we’ve got a great organization in place in Cleveland and we’re excited to go forward.”

Here’s more form the AFC:

Even though Patriots owner Robert Kraft has made an effort to persuade the NFL into giving back the first-round pick it took from the team as a result of the Deflategate scandal, club president Jonathan Kraft told Tom Curran of CSNNE.com that it’s a losing battle. On why the Pats haven’t sued the league in an effort to recoup the pick, Jonathan Kraft said, “It’ll take longer than the time before the draft happens and the money isn’t the issue here, the issue is getting your draft pick back and at some point you have to realize it’s not gonna happen and the best revenge will be putting the best team on the field next year and hopefully having a very successful season.”
The Raiders have made some major additions in free agency this year, but they swung and missed on landing safety Eric Weddle – who signed with the Ravens. Not surprisingly, then, head coach Jack Del Rio acknowledged Tuesday that safety is an area of concern for the club, saying, “[W]e need to acquire some people” (Twitter link via Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle).
Safety issues aside, the Raiders’ roster looks more impressive on paper than it has in years. However, the organization’s future in Oakland remains uncertain. When asked to update the Raiders’ situation there, owner Mark Davis said, “There’s nothing … I’m still trying to get something with the stadium” (link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com). Davis also spoke highly of Los Angeles and Las Vegas as potential homes for the Raiders, as Maiocco writes, but he shot down the notion of relocating the franchise to St. Louis. “The Raiders brand is a different brand, I believe,” he said. “I just don’t believe St. Louis would maximize it.”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh suggested Tuesday that there would be competition at the left tackle spot going into next season, implying that Eugene Monroe isn’t locked in as the starter, but owner Steve Bisciotti sang a different tune. Bisciotti said “without hesitation” that the job is Monroe’s, Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports (on Twitter).
In Ravens-related draft news, Bisciotti stated that he doesn’t expect the club to trade up from the sixth pick and into the top five, but he wouldn’t be averse to moving back (Twitter link via Zrebiec).

Bills, Leonard Hankerson Nearing Deal

March 22nd, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Bills are “really close” to re-signing free agent wide receiver Leonard Hankerson, general manager Doug Whaley told the team’s official website (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

The 27-year-old Hankerson joined the Bills in late December after they claimed him off waivers from AFC East rival New England. Hankerson was active for one game apiece for both teams, but he didn’t catch a pass with either.

Prior to his 2015 stints with the Bills and Patriots, Hankerson appeared in eight games for the Falcons before they waived him on Dec. 15 and compiled 26 catches for 327 yards and three touchdowns. The receiver’s best season came with Washington in 2012, when he hauled in 38 passes for 543 yards and three scores.

If he remains with the Bills, the 2011 third-round pick from Miami could find playing time as part of a receiving corps that’s relatively barren aside from Sammy Watkins and Robert Woods. The Bills lost previous No. 3 wideout Chris Hogan to the Patriots in free agency, and Percy Harvin remains unsigned.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Notes: Panthers, Cowboys, Eagles, Colts

March 22nd, 2016 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers worked out three Clemson defenders – end Shaq Lawson, cornerback Mackensie Alexander and linebacker B.J. Goodson – on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links) and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Lawson had a “fantastic” workout with the team and looks like a top-15 pick in the making, per Miller. That would put Lawson well out of the range of Carolina, which has the 30th selection.

NFC Notes: Raji, Brees, Seahawks, Rams

March 22nd, 2016 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Packers president Mark Murphy was surprised by B.J. Raji‘s decision to walk away from football, but he respects the former NFL defensive lineman’s decision, as ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes.

“Oh yeah, he had been communicating with [team contract negotiator Russ Ball] and we thought we had a deal done,” the Packers president said. “I think it surprised his agent. I’ll tell you, I really respect B.J. It’s not an easy decision. The easy thing to do is take the money. Especially the letter he wrote, he obviously thought things through. No, I was surprised. I’m happy for him. He obviously gave it some thought.”

While Raji won’t be playing in 2016, he left the door open for a return in the future, and Packers head coach Mike McCarthy believes the big defensive tackle will eventually return. “It would have to be at the right time,” McCarthy said, per Demovsky.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Saints quarterback Drew Brees says that extension talks are ongoing, though he does not know when or if a deal will be worked out, as Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune writes. “I don’t know that it is something that will be done next week or before the end of the year or next year or when,” Brees said on 104.5-FM in Baton Rouge. Brees, 37, is entering the final year of a five-year, $100MM deal he signed in 2012.
Asked today about the message Kam Chancellor posted to Instagram last week indicating that he’s “not going anywhere,” Seahawks GM John Schneider confirmed that the safety will “absolutely” be a Seahawk in 2016, though he didn’t offer any specifics on whether a specific conversation or incident prompted Chancellor to post that message. Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has the details.
Schneider also said today that the Seahawks have not yet received Marshawn Lynch‘s retirement papers, but said there’s no rush to make a roster move involving Lynch — for cap purposes, the club may wait until after June 1 to do anything with Lynch (Twitter link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com).
Having lost Rodney McLeod in free agency, the Rams continue to monitor the market in search of potential help at the free safety position, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
Lions GM Bob Quinn indicated today that the team’s extension discussions with 2013’s draft class likely won’t really heat up until after the draft, per Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link). Ezekiel Ansah and Darius Slay are, of course, the two most noteworthy extension candidates who fit that bill.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

49ers Sign Zane Beadles To Three-Year Deal

March 22nd, 2016 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 22: The 49ers have officially confirmed the signing of Beadles.

MARCH 17: The 49ers have made an addition to their offensive line, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to terms on a deal with free agent guard Zane Beadles. Per Caplan, Beadles will get a three-year, $11.75MM contract from San Francisco.

Beadles, 29, inked a lucrative five-year contract with the Jaguars two offseasons ago, and started all 32 of the team’s games at left guard in 2014 and 2015. However, the former Pro Bowler wasn’t overly effective after heading to Jacksonville from the Broncos. In 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked him 64th out of 81 qualified guards, and the Jags ultimately moved on from him, releasing him earlier this month.

In San Francisco, Beadles seems like a logical fit to step in on the offensive line for Alex Boone, who played primarily at left guard in 2015 before departing for the Vikings in free agency last week. Because he was cut by his previous team, Beadles won’t count against the compensatory draft pick formula for 2016.

The 49ers have been relatively quiet in free agency so far, and actually entered the day with the most cap room in the NFL, according to OverTheCap.com. Teams that entered the offseason with more space than the Niners, such as the Raiders, Jaguars, and Giants, have been among the most active spenders in free agency, leaving San Francisco at the top of that list.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.