Month: September 2024

Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Friday

When Chip Kelly was in charge of the Eagles, we often heard whispers that the coach coveted Colin Kaepernick and viewed him as the right kind of quarterback to lead his offense. Ever since Kelly has arrived in San Francisco, however, we’ve heard nothing but trade talk. After the first waive of free agency has left the Broncos, Jets, Browns, and other teams with question marks under center, the Kaepernick trade buzz has only gotten louder.

Here is the very latest on No. 7:

  • The Browns are willing to part with their third-round pick in 2016 for Kaepernick, but only if he restructures his contract, sources tell Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The 49ers want a second-round selection for Kaepernick, writes Cabot, who adds that Cleveland’s third-rounder (the second pick in that round) comes quite close to qualifying as one. The Broncos have the 63rd pick, but they don’t want to deal it for Kaepernick, tweets Albert Breer of NFL.com. Given that the Browns are likely to draft a quarterback in the first two rounds this year – perhaps as high as No. 2 overall – they might be averse to paying Kaepernick more than $7MM-$8MM per year (excluding potential incentives), according to Cabot. Kaepernick’s current average annual value is $19MM. Acquiring him would likely put veteran Josh McCown on Cleveland’s trading block, per Cabot.

Earlier updates:

  • The Broncos and 49ers remain apart when it comes to compensation on Kaepernick, according to Michael Silver of the NFL Network. Per Silver, the Browns and Niners are more on the same page regarding trade compensation, but Kaepernick’s agents and the Browns haven’t been able to make much progress on a rework deal for the quarterback. The NFL Network reporter notes that the 49ers are preparing for the possibility of keeping Kaepernick.
  • Silver tweets that the biggest question marks are whether the Broncos will increase their trade offer or whether the Browns will increase their contract offer for Kaepernick.
  • Kaepernick wants to play for the Browns, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. The quarterback has respect for new head coach Hue Jackson, making Cleveland an attractive destination for him. In the Kaepernick sweepstakes, the Browns are considered to be a more realistic trade partner than the Jets, who aren’t believed to be a serious suitor. The Broncos are also serious about him and may consider Kaepernick their top quarterback target.
  • As long as Kaepernick isn’t dead set against joining a particular team, the 49ers will drive the decision and not the player, Michael Silver of NFL Network tweets.
  • The Browns are still trying to trade for Kaepernick, according to Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. The Broncos are still actively in talks with the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • There is “no rush” by the 49ers to trade Kaepernick, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.
  • Mike Florio of PFT believes the 49ers are intent on trading Kaepernick. Otherwise, he argues, they’d shooting down any trade rumors that come their way. Instead, Florio suspects that they are the source of many of these leaks.

Newton, Peterson, Others Get Salary Guarantees

Several NFL players have contracts containing language which states that they’ll get a full or partial salary guarantees for 2016 and/or 2017 if they remained on their respective teams on Friday, the third day of the league year. Let’s check in some of those players (link courtesy of CBS Sports’ Joel Corry):

  • Cam Newton, quarterback (Panthers): $13MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed. Friday is also the deadline Cam Newton (Vertical)for the Panthers to pick up Newton’s 2020 option for $10MM.
  • Eli Manning, quarterback (Giants): $17.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Jay Cutler, quarterback (Bears): $16MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Adrian Peterson, running back (Vikings): $7MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Julio Jones, wide receiver (Falcons): $11.5MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
  • A.J. Green, wide receiver (Bengals): $6MM roster bonus is payable.
  • Brandon Marshall, wide receiver (Jets): $9.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Mike Iupati, guard (Cardinals): $6.75MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $2MM of Iupati’s $8MM base salary for 2017.
  • Rodney Hudson, center (Raiders): $7.35MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Gerald McCoy, defensive tackle (Buccaneers): $13.25MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Marcell Dareus, defensive tackle (Bills): $9.75MM base salary for 2017 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Justin Houston, linebacker (Chiefs): $14.75MM of Houston’s $14.9MM base salary in 2016 is now fully guaranteed, as is $6.75MM of his $16.35MM base salary for 2017.
  • DeAndre Levy, linebacker (Lions): $5.25MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.
  • Aqib Talib, cornerback (Broncos): $8.5MM base salary for 2016 is now fully guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Eric Weddle Weighing Four Teams’ Offers

Free agent safety Eric Weddle is weighing offers from four teams and will respond Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Weddle’s evaluation of each team’s roster, city and schools will factor into his decision, per Rapoport, who adds (on Twitter) that he’ll whittle the four clubs down to two and move forward with negotiations.

Three of the teams chasing Weddle are the Ravens, Cowboys and Steelers, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link). The other could be the Raiders, who were reportedly “zeroing in on” the 31-year-old as of Thursday.

Weddle has thus far spent his entire career with the Chargers, who selected him in the second round of the 2007 draft. The Eric Weddleex-Utah standout appeared in 137 of a possible 144 regular-season games in San Diego, making 122 starts, piling up three Pro Bowl nods, five All-Pro bids, and 19 interceptions.

Despite Weddle’s success in San Diego, his tenure there ended negatively last season, with the team reportedly informing Weddle that it was fining him $10K for remaining on the field during halftime of a game to watch his daughter perform in a dance ceremony. Weddle and agent David Canter didn’t go public about the fine at first, but the latter opened up after the Chargers placed the safety on IR in Week 17, a move that was made against his wishes. Further, the Bolts notified Weddle that there would be no room for him to travel on the team plane to the regular-season finale in Denver, according to Canter.

Drama aside, Weddle had a productive swan song in San Diego – amassing 76 tackles and six passes defended in 13 games – and he said in February that his motivation was to join a contending team.

“In the next three or four years, are they going to be competitive, are they going to be division winners, are we going to have a chance at the Super Bowl?” Weddle asked hypothetically.

Of the clubs linked to Weddle, the Steelers are the only one coming off a postseason trip and are seemingly the closest to Super Bowl contention. The Cowboys and Ravens are just a season removed from their last playoff appearances, though, and both had terrible luck with injuries during the 2015-16 campaign. The Raiders are stuck in a 13-year playoff drought after going 7-9 last season, but they have an enviable core of young talent and have already added three big-ticket free agents this week in offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, linebacker Bruce Irvin and cornerback Sean Smith.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: Foster, Fitz, Thurmond, Larsen, Fins

Running back Arian Foster isn’t in a hurry to sign anywhere, writes Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, who adds that the four-time Pro Bowler might not join a new club (potentially the Broncos) until after the draft. Foster spent the first seven years of his career in Houston, which cut the soon-to-be 30-year-old earlier this month after a torn Achilles cost him most of last season. Foster should be fully healthy by the summer, per Florio.

Here’s more on players who are presently without contracts:

  • Six-year veteran Walter Thurmond was terrific for the Eagles last season, his first as a safety after shifting from cornerback, but he isn’t generating much interest as a free agent. One possible reason: “Several people around the Eagles” think he might retire, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. Thurmond, 28, has dealt with injuries and has off-field business interests, one of which is filmmaking, Bowen adds (Twitter links). If Thurmond continues his football career, odds are it won’t be in Philly, which signed safety Rodney McLeod to a sizable deal earlier this week.
  • The Jets hold all the cards in their negotiations with Ryan Fitzpatrick, offers the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta, who opines that it’s time for the quarterback to admit defeat and re-sign with the only team willing to hand him a starting job. The Jets want Fitzpatrick back, but they’re not going to give the 33-year-old the $16MM to $18MM annual value that he wants, according to Mehta, and could instead turn to other options. Earlier today, Gang Green met with Robert Griffin III.
  • After meeting with the 49ers on Thursday and the Seahawks today, guard Ted Larsen is “weighing options,” a source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link). Both teams were familiar with Larsen before visiting with him – the 28-year-old has spent the last two seasons with NFC West rival Arizona. Larsen started in all 26 of his appearances with the Cards.
  • Linebacker Sean Spence is visiting the Dolphins tonight, PFT reports (on Twitter). The 2013 third-round pick spent the first three years of his career in Pittsburgh, with which he amassed 90 tackles and two sacks in 31 regular-season appearances (13 starts).

Brandon Weeden Visiting Dolphins

With Matt Moore lining up free agent visits elsewhere, Miami is exploring the market for a new backup for Ryan Tannehill. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Dolphins’ search has led them to Brandon Weeden, who will be visiting the team tonight.Brandon Weeden

Weeden, 32, began the 2015 season with the Cowboys, stepping in and making three starts when Tony Romo went down with an injury. While Weeden lost all three of those starts, he was hardly a disaster — he completed 72.4% of his passes, throwing for 739 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

Later in the season, having been cut by Dallas, Weeden got an opportunity to start again in Houston, and helped the Texans make the playoffs by completing 26 of 42 passes for 305 yards and three TDs over the span of two games (one start).

Weeden won’t live up to the billing of being a first-round pick back in 2012, but there are probably worse No. 2 options in the NFL, so it will be interesting to see if the Dolphins attempt to sign him to back up Tannehill.

Moore never got the opportunity to play much in Miami, but Tannehill’s up-and-down performance in 2015 means the backup job isn’t a spot that can be overlooked. Still, we heard earlier this week that the Dolphins aren’t looking to invest too heavily in a backup signal-caller.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/11/16

Here are the minor moves on Day 3 of free agency.

  • Defensive tackle Josh Mauro signed his exclusive-rights free agent tender with the Cardinals, ArizonaCardinals.com’s Darren Urban tweets.
  • The Chargers are set to re-sign defensive lineman Damion Square on a one-year, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (on Twitter). Square was a restricted free agent San Diego elected not to tender, but re-signed him anyway, per Gehlken (on Twitter). The 27-year-old Square played in six games, starting in one, for the Chargers last season after being promoted from the practice squad in November.

NFC FA Rumors: Vikings, Cowboys, Long, Conte

Andre Smith is expected to visit the Vikings on Sunday, Darren Wolfson of KSTP tweets. The 38th-ranked player in PFR’s top 50 free agents list, Smith’s market has been slower to materialize than Mitchell Schwartz, the other top right tackle in this year’s class. The veteran right-edge player rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 58 tackle last season and doesn’t have much left tackle experience.

The Vikings restructured the recently injury-prone Phil Loadholt‘s contract earlier this week, seemingly clearing up some of their uncertainty up front. But Loadholt’s sustained two season-ending injuries over the past two seasons and has just one year left on his contract, so it makes sense that Minnesota would have interest in adding some insurance.

Here’s more on free agents from around the NFC:

  • Chris Long‘s previously-reported visit with the Cowboys is now expected to happen next week, writes David Moore of the Dallas Morning News. According to Moore, no firm date has been set yet, but Dallas has interest in the veteran defensive end.
  • It’s a three-team race for free agent safety Chris Conte, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network, who tweets that the Buccaneers, Saints, and Giants are in the hunt. Having played for the Bucs last season, it sounds like Conte is drawing interest from his former team even though Lovie Smith is no longer the head coach — the safety played under Smith in Chicago as well.
  • The Vikings aren’t looking to bring back linebacker Jason Trusnik, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (on Twitter). A 32-year-old edge player, Trusnik played in eight games for the Vikings last season and in order to continue his nine-year career, Trusnik, who started six games for the Dolphins in 2014, will have to search for a fifth NFL destination.
  • Linebacker Terence Garvin will visit Washington, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets. The Steelers backup sat behind the myriad ex-first-rounders in Pittsburgh, starting one game in three seasons. Garvin totaled 21 special teams tackles during his time with the Steelers. Washington recently lost Keenan Robinson to the Giants, creating a need for additional cogs on its second level.
  • Previously reported to have visited Washington, Andre Branch has additional meetings lined up and won’t make his decision yet, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Patriots Sign Frank Kearse

The Patriots added prospective defensive line depth in the form of Frank Kearse, according to the team’s website.

An unrestricted free agent, Kearse shuffled back and forth from Washington’s active roster and practice squad last season. The defensive tackle appeared in four games in 2015 after playing in 15 during the previous season for Washington.

Originally a seventh-round pick of the Dolphins’ in 2011, Kearse has 5.5 career sacks accrued with the Panthers and Washington from 2011-14.

New England could be losing Akiem Hicks, with the defender visiting the Lions and Bears, and the 27-year-old Kearse could represent some competition for a depth spot along the Patriots’ defensive front.

Lions Working To Sign Akiem Hicks

5:20pm: Although the Lions are working to lock up Hicks, the Bears – who are hosting the defensive lineman on a visit today – remain “very much in [the] hunt” for him, tweets Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.

4:54pm: On the heels of bolstering their defensive front from within, the Lions are looking elsewhere for help. Detroit is working to sign Akiem Hicks, CBSSports.com’s Jason La Canfora reports (on Twitter).

The Lions have already re-signed Haloti Ngata and Tyrunn Walker to clear up their defensive tackle situation, but the connection to Hicks is obvious. Former Patriots executive Bob Quinn now being Detroit’s GM, Hicks serves as a natural target as a defensive end.

Quinn was on New England’s staff when the Patriots acquired Hicks from the Saints last September, and Hicks produced for the Pats, recording three sacks in his 13 games as a rotational piece for the AFC East champions.

Detroit has burgeoning star Ziggy Ansah under contract at end, with fellow starter Jason Jones facing free agency. Hicks rated as Pro Football Focus’ No. 42 interior defender last season.

Cowboys, James Hanna Agree To Deal

The Cowboys have locked up another one of their own free agents, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the club has agreed to a three-year deal with tight end James Hanna. It’s worth $8.25MM, per Caplan, and features $3.25MM in guaranteed money, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter link).James Hanna

Hanna, 26, has never been a focal point of the Cowboys’ offense since joining the team in 2012, but he has played well behind starter Jason Witten, catching the occasional pass but serving primarily as a blocker. For his four-year career, he has 33 receptions for 286 yards, with no touchdowns.

Despite his modest pass-catching numbers, Hanna had received interest from multiple teams since free agency began this week. He was cited as a potential target for the Vikings if Minnesota fails to re-sign Rhett Ellison, and also had a visit lined up with the Chargers today. It’s not clear if the agreement with the Cowboys came before that visit started, after it ended, or sometime in the middle.

Earlier today, the Cowboys re-signed some of their other free agents, including cornerback Morris Claiborne and linebacker Kyle Wilber. The club also secured linebacker Rolando McClain earlier in the week.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.