2016 March - Pro Football Rumors

East Notes: Vernon, Giants, Gipson, Wilkerson

March 2nd, 2016 at 8:07pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants will have nearly $60MM in cap room to work with when the free agent period begins next week, and the club is expected to use that ample space to target pass rushers, according to Ebenezer Samuel and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Both Olivier Vernon — who was designated as the Dolphins’ transition player — and Mario Williams (recently released by the Bills) figure to “at least get a call” from general manager Jerry Reese & Co, sources tell the NYDN scribes. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com (Twitter link) agrees, guessing that Vernon will be the first player contacted by the Giants.

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

Along with the edge rush, safety is another area on the Giants‘ roster that could use improvement, as PFR’s Zach Links pointed out in his preview of the New York’s offseason. Browns free agent Tashaun Gipson will be one of the top safeties available on the open market, and Raanan hears (via Twitter) that Gipson would “welcome” the idea of playing in New York. Gipson is widely expected to move on from Cleveland and find a new club next week.
The Jets have long been rumored to be willing to explore the possibility of trading franchise player Muhammad Wilkerson, but Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News doubts that the team will find a suitor willing to not only part with a first-round pick, but pony up the $40MM+ that Wilkerson is said to covet. One general manager told Mehta that he wouldn’t sacrifice a second- and third-round pick package for Wilkerson, so it’s fair to wonder if a market will develop for the star defensive end.
Receiver Brian Tyms tweeted his goodbyes to the Patriots organization today, a sign that he won’t return to New England in 2016, writes Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. Tyms, who spent the 2015 season on injured reserve with an Achilles injury, was set to be a restricted free agent, so the Patriots apparently won’t tender him a contract.

Kirk Cousins Signs Franchise Tender

March 2nd, 2016 at 7:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Washington quarterback Kirk Cousins has officially signed his free agent tender, according to his agent Mike McCartney (Twitter link). Cousins will earn $19.953MM in 2016 under the terms of the non-exclusive franchise tag.

That franchise tag figure, clearly, represents a massive raise for Cousins, who earned just $660K in base salary last season. Of course, Cousins will have the opportunity to earn even more money, as he and Washington can work towards a long-term extension until July 15. If the two sides can’t agree to a deal, Cousins will play under the one-year tender, and then reach free agency again in 2017 (at which point, it would cost Washington roughly $24MM to franchise him again).

Cousins, 27, became Washington’s full-time starting quarterback for the first time last season, earning 16 of his 25 career starts in 2015. The four-year veteran finished the regular season on a tear, completing 74% of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 134.0 quarterback rating over the final four weeks of the year.

That end-of-season run helped Cousins cement his standing as a quarterback Washington couldn’t afford to lose, but his first 12 games weren’t too bad either. For the season, Cousins thew 29 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, led the league in completion percentage (69.8%), and helped Washington win its first division title since 2012.

As Luke Adams observed last week in his preview of Washington’s offseason, Cousins’ breakout season put the franchise in a difficult spot. The signal-caller’s lack of a track record will likely make GM Scot McCloughan and the rest of the front office hesitant to offer a lucrative, multiyear deal this offseason. However, Washington couldn’t let Cousins reach the open market, where there may have been multiple QB-needy teams ready to make him that kind of long-term offer.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Roddy, Irvin, Conte, Mack

March 2nd, 2016 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons released wide receiver Roddy White earlier today, ensuring that the veteran pass-catcher won’t spend a 12th season in Atlanta. But another NFC club could soon come calling, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says the Buccaneers are a team to “keep an eye on” as White looks for his new home. The connection makes sense, as new Tampa Bay head coach Dirk Koetter was the Falcons offensive coordinator from 2012-14.

Only one week remains until the start of free agency, so let’s round up the latest rumors…

In a piece looking at NFL free agency from a broad point-of-view, John Clayton of ESPN.com suggests that Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin should be able to garner $9.5MM per year on the open market, and points to the Jaguars and Falcons as potential suitors. But according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), NFL front offices “would do cartwheels” if Irvin could be had for that price, as the 28-year-old is expected to command a “significantly higher” salary.
The Buccaneers are meeting with the agent for free agent safety Chris Conte this week as part of an effort to re-sign him before the beginning of free agency, reports Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune (Twitter link). A report last week indicated that Tampa would like to retain Conte, who just finished up his first season with the club after four years in Chicago.
Running back Matt Asiata will hit free agency for the first time next week, and the Vikings seem to want to keep him around, writes Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Minnesota reportedly values Asiata’s pass-blocking acumen, as well as his prowess near the goal line.
Center Alex Mack opted out of his Browns contract earlier today, and is now the top center available in free agency. One team that isn’t expected to show interest in signing Mack is the Cardinals, according to Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic, who notes that the Cards simply have too many internal free agents and other holes to fill to cough up the $10MM salary that Mack will surely request.

Cardinals Tender RFA Tony Jefferson

March 2nd, 2016 at 5:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The first restricted free agent tender of the offseason has been assigned to Cardinals safety Tony Jefferson, a source tells Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), who adds that Arizona offered Jefferson the lowest tender. If he signs the tender, Jefferson will be paid $1.671MM for the 2016 season.

By giving Jefferson the lowest tender, the Cardinals are opening themselves up to seeing Jefferson poached by another club. If a competing team signs Jefferson to an offer sheet, and Arizona declines to match, it would only be entitled to original round compensation. But because Jefferson was an undrafted free agent, the Cardinals wouldn’t receive a draft pick in return if Jefferson opts to sign elsewhere.

Joining a new NFL club is certainly on the table for Jefferson, and according to Rand Getlin of NFL Network (Twitter link), the Texans are a “team to watch,” as they are on the hunt for an upgrade at safety. Houston saw four players — Andre Hal, Eddie Pleasant, Quintin Demps, and Rahim Moore — rotate through the safety positions last season, and as I noted in my preview of the Texans’ offseason, the team could look to add another contributor in the secondary.

It’s a bit surprising that the Cardinals would tender at Jefferson at the lowest level, as the 24-year-old has been solid in the defensive backfield during his three seasons in the desert. He’s appeared in all 48 possible games, starting 17, and played on more than 70% of Arizona’s snaps last season. The production has been there, too — Jefferson graded as the No. 18 safety among 88 qualifiers in 2015, per Pro Football Focus.

Cap space is something of an issue for the Cardinals, to be sure, as they rank 20th with about $19.3MM in reserves. And the club does have other free agents to re-sign, including Jefferson’s secondary mates Rashad Johnson and Jerraud Powers. But the second round tender is only valued $2.553MM, not even $1MM more than the original round tender, and likely would have come with enough of a draft pick cost attached to dissuade other suitors. For $882K, Arizona is risking the loss of a valuable option in the secondary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rashean Mathis Announces Retirement

March 2nd, 2016 at 5:12pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 2: The Lions have officially placed Mathis on the reserve/retired list, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).

FEBRUARY 16: Lions wide receiver Calvin Johnson is reportedly leaning toward retirement, and the team will also see a veteran starter on the other side of the ball call it a career. Detroit cornerback Rashean Mathis told Tori Petry of DetroitLions.com (video link) that he has decided to “hang up the cleats,” and his agent has since congratulated him on his NFL career (Twitter link).

[RELATED: Calvin Johnson likely to retire]

“I’ve been teetering on the fence the last few years,” Mathis said. “I wanted to finish healthy. I wanted to finish on a good note. It was a little sour, my last year in Jacksonville [since] I was coming off an ACL injury, and I think my last three years in Detroit have been amazing…. Being with [Jim] Caldwell for the last two years, I couldn’t ask for anything more to go off on a happy ending.”

Mathis, 35, entered the NFL in 2003 as the 39th overall pick out of Bethune-Cookman. The cornerback spent the first decade of his career with the Jaguars, earning his lone Pro Bowl nod and All-Pro spot in 2006 when he recorded a career-high eight interceptions and 21 passes defended.

Over the course of his 13-year career, Mathis appeared in a total of 175 regular-season games – including 137 for Jacksonville – and totaled 32 interceptions. Although Mathis’ final season with Detroit was cut short by concussion issues, he played a key role on the 2014 squad that earned a playoff berth.

Mathis’ contract with the Lions had featured a $500K roster bonus due to be paid in March, as well as a $1MM base salary for 2016. The team will no longer be on the hook for that money, but will still carry a $375K cap charge on its books for the veteran defensive back this year.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Cut Brandon LaFell, Scott Chandler

March 2nd, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

4:47pm: Chandler’s release comes with a failed physical designation, according to Reiss (on Twitter).

4:10pm: Two key cogs won’t be back with the Patriots in 2016. The Patriots cut Brandon LaFell and Scott Chandler, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter and Mike Reiss (on Twitter).

LaFell’s play last season did not match what he delivered for the Super Bowl champion Pats in 2014, with the 29-year-old receiver finishing with just 515 receiving yards and no touchdowns after beginning the season on the PUP list with a foot injury.

He was set to count for $3.675MM against New England’s cap. The Patriots will save $2.675MM of that figure with this transaction.

LaFell played a key role for the Patriots in 2014 after signing in New England on a three-year, $9MM deal. Prior to catching a touchdown pass in Super Bowl XLIX, LaFell established career highs across the board, hauling in 74 passes for 953 yards and seven touchdowns.

With Julian Edelman out last season, however, LaFell couldn’t provide the consistent option the Patriots needed as they slunk out of the No. 1 seed.

Chandler, who signed with the Patriots last year, recorded 259 yards and four TDs backing up Rob Gronkowski. Entering his age-31 season, Chandler was to count for $3.05MM against the Pats’ salary cap in 2016. The team saves $2.05MM of that total by cutting him.

These releases will increase the Patriots’ cap space to more than $10MM.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Ravens Re-Sign Albert McClellan

March 2nd, 2016 at 4:37pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 4:37pm: McClellan’s deal is worth $3.75MM over three years, according to Zreibec (on Twitter). It includes a $600K signing bonus.

TUESDAY, 2:02pm: McClellan’s new deal will be a three-year pact and will feature a signing bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

TUESDAY, 1:33pm: The Ravens are re-signing linebacker and special-teamer Albert McClellan, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Zrebiec is unsure of the terms of McClellan’s new deal, but tweets that it will be a multiyear agreement.

An undrafted free agent, McClellan joined the Ravens in 2011, and has spent the last five seasons with the team. Although the Marshall alum started 11 games at linebacker in 2012, recording 42 tackles, a sack, and a pair of fumble recoveries, he has primarily been a depth piece on defense during his time in Baltimore, contributing mostly on special teams.

In 2015, McClellan played just 161 defensive snaps for the Ravens, despite the fact that starting outside linebacker Terrell Suggs missed nearly the entire season with an Achilles injury. Still, Zrebiec tweets that Ravens coaches love McClellan, regarding him as a “very valuable” special-teamer and backup linebacker.

McClellan, who is coming off a two-year, $2.2MM contract, had been eligible for unrestricted free agency this offseason. He figures to return on a new deal that matches or – more likely – exceeds his previous $1.1MM annual salary.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Falcons Release Roddy White

March 2nd, 2016 at 3:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

After a disappointing 11th season in Atlanta, it appears Roddy White won’t receive a 12th for the team that drafted him. The Falcons announced the release of their longtime wideout on their website.

The Falcons don’t gain too much financially by cutting ties with White, their first-round pick in 2005. White was set to take up $6.14MM of Atlanta’s cap — the fifth-highest figure on the team. The Falcons will create $2.36MM of cap room but be charged with $3.78MM in dead money as White’s contract had two more seasons left.

White, who in January said he wasn’t interested in taking a pay cut, wants to continue his career for “another year or two,” he told ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson (Twitter link).

The 34-year-old White made four Pro Bowls and was a first-team All-Pro in 2010, when he caught a career-high 110 passes for 1,389 yards and 10 touchdowns.

White signed a three-year, $18MM extension with the Falcons in July 2014, and he delivered an 80-reception, 921-yard, seven-touchdown slate. In 2015, however, White started all 16 games but caught just 43 passes for 506 yards and one touchdown as Julio Jones led the league in receiving.

White is by far the Falcons’ all-time receiving leader, with 10,863 yards, as the only player in franchise history to have more than 10,000 yards receiving. He broke Terrance Mathis‘ career touchdown mark in 2014 and has 63. White’s the only Falcons target to catch 600 passes, ballooning his career total to 808.

The Falcons drafted White at No. 27 overall in 2005 out of UAB. He became a regular starter in 2007 and held that post for nine seasons with the team.

White will enter a thin receiver free agent class, which also now includes Marques Colston, who was essentially the Saints’ equivalent of White. Like Colston, who posted a career-low 520 aerial yards last season, White did not show much in 2015. He’ll turn 34 in November.

With only Eric Weems and Justin Hardy behind Jones, expect the Falcons to be in the market for a No. 2 receiver in free agency, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

NFC Notes: Coughlin, Peppers, 49ers, Cooper

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

When Tom Coughlin‘s departure as Giants head coach was announced in January, it was classified as a resignation. At the time though, it was considered more of a firing, with most observers believing that the team would have made a change if Coughlin had been unwilling to step down. The veteran head coach insinuated as much during an appearance on the Jay Mohr Show on FOX Sports Radio, per John Healy of the New York Daily News.

“Hey, do I agree with the move? Of course not,” Coughlin said. “It hurts. It hurts. ‘Former’ is not a good word. I don’t like the word but that’s the way it is.”

As Coughlin continues to consider his next career move, whether that involves joining the Giants’ front office, waiting on another head coaching job, or simply retiring, let’s check out a few more odds and ends from around the NFC…

Julius Peppers acknowledges that within “the next four years, somewhere in there,” he’ll be calling it a career, but that won’t happen this offseason, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details. The veteran edge defender plans to play for the Packers in 2016, and based on a February report, it sounds like the club will welcome him back for the final year of his contract.
In Jerry Jones‘ ideal world, the Cowboys would have the same sort of handoff from Tony Romo to their next QB that the Packers did they had Aaron Rodgers ready to replace Brett Favre. Todd Archer of ESPN.com has the details and the quotes from the Cowboys’ owner.
Bill Williamson of FanRag Sports (Twitter link) is hearing that the 49ers won’t be shy about spending money during the free agent period next week. Williamson identifies cornerback Sean Smith, running back Doug Martin, and offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele as possible targets for San Francisco.
The 49ers reworked tackle Joe Staley‘s contract today, converting $4MM into a signing bonus, per ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini (via Twitter). However, the move was procedural and won’t change the club’s cash or cap outlook for 2016, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.om (Twitter link). Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap examined Staley’s unusual bonus situation last April, and that explanation looks relevant once again.
The Cardinals are considering moving Jonathan Cooper to center, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 reports (on Twitter). Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic and NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport confirm Arizona’s plans for their thus-far-disappointing lineman here (Twitter links). Cooper’s made just 11 regular-season starts at guard since being drafted by the Cardinals at No. 7 overall in 2013. A knee injury shelved Cooper last season after he made nine starts, and Ted Larsen supplanted him in the Cardinals’ lineup. Larsen is a free agent, as is Lyle Sendlein, who’s started 124 games at center for Arizona since 2007.

Sam Robinson contributed to this report

Washington Puts Franchise Tag On Kirk Cousins

March 2nd, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

WEDNESDAY, 3:14pm: Cousins plans to sign his franchise tender potentially as soon as this afternoon, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). This would represent a stark contrast from the approaches of last year’s crop of tagged players.

TUESDAY, 2:30pm: Washington has officially filed the paperwork for Cousins’ franchise tag, reports Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 12:11pm: Washington will place the franchise tag on quarterback Kirk Cousins in advance of today’s 3:00pm central time deadline, reports Grant Paulsen of 106.7 The Fan (Twitter links). According to Paulsen, Cousins will be receiving the non-exclusive franchise tag from the team.

The non-exclusive franchise tag for quarterbacks is worth $19.953MM. While that’s about $2.3MM more expensive than the transition tag, Washington apparently decided that it wasn’t worth the risk to potentially lose its starting quarterback without receiving any compensation any return. The transition tag only would have given the team the right of first refusal.

If a rival suitor wants to sign Cousins to an offer sheet after he has been franchised, that club would have to be willing to give up two first-round picks to land him, so the 27-year-old appears likely to remain in D.C., either on a one-year franchise tender or a longer-term deal. The two sides will have until July 15th to work out a multiyear extension.

Cousins became Washinton’s full-time starting quarterback for the first time last season, earning 16 of his 25 career starts in 2015. The four-year veteran finished the regular season on a tear, completing 74% of his passes for nearly 1,200 yards, 12 touchdowns, and a 134.0 quarterback rating over the final four weeks of the year.

That end-of-season run helped Cousins cement his standing as a quarterback Washington couldn’t afford to lose, but his first 12 games weren’t too bad either. For the season, Cousins thew 29 touchdowns against 11 interceptions, led the league in completion percentage (69.8%), and helped Washington win its first division title since 2012.

As I observed last week in my preview of Washington’s offseason last week, Cousins’ breakout season put the franchise in a difficult spot. The signal-caller’s lack of a track record will likely make GM Scot McCloughan and the rest of the front office hesitant to offer a lucrative, multiyear deal this offseason. However, Washington couldn’t let Cousins reach the open market, where there may have been multiple QB-needy teams ready to make him that kind of long-term offer.

Assigning the franchise tag to Cousins provides Washington with a short-term fix. McCloughan and his team can either work on getting a long-term extension completed with Cousins at a price they’re comfortable with, or have him play out the 2016 season on a one-year franchise deal, giving the club a better sense of his value by 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.