2016 April - Pro Football Rumors

Josh Norman Visiting Washington

April 21st, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Dallas Robinson

10:00pm: Norman could have an agreement with Washington by the end of the day tomorrow, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link), who adds that the deal is expected to be quite lucrative.

6:29pm: Norman is discussing five-year deals with both Washington and the 49ers, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. Norman is expected to command at least $14MM, per Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link), while Schefter says any deal will come in between $14-15MM.

5:39pm: Norman will visit Washington tomorrow, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

5:34pm: Washington and the 49ers are considered the frontrunners for free agent cornerback Josh Norman, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Washington, in fact, has a solid offer on the table for Norman, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who confirms the 49ers’ strong interest. As Mike Jones of the Washington Post notes (via Twitter), Norman can’t finalize a deal for a few days since he recently changed agents.

Norman, of course, has been the hottest non-draft story in the NFL since the Panthers rescinded his franchise tag yesterday, making him an unrestricted free agent. The Buccaneers, Dolphins, Rams, and Titans have all expressed interest, while Carolina general manager Dave Gettleman declined to close the door on a possible reunion.

Norman’s camp is all about exceeding an average of $14MM per year while still shooting for $15MM/year, La Canfora reported earlier today. Interestingly, he says that his camp does not seem as caught up in total guaranteed money. Last offseason, Darrelle Revis inked a five-year, $70MM deal with a whopping $39MM fully guaranteed. Norman, apparently, would like to edge that AAV while understanding that he won’t approach that gaudy guarantee.

Norman, 28, enjoyed a career-year in 2015 as he was named to the All Pro first team and selected for his first Pro Bowl. After producing career highs in both interceptions (four) and passes defensed (18), Norman is in great position as he demands a multi-year payday. Norman was well-regarded by advanced metrics as well, finishing as the league’s 12th-best corner byPro Football Focus’ grades.

If they are able to land Norman, Washington may be more likely to trade down from pick No. 21, opines John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: DePo, Browns, Eagles, Jefferson

April 21st, 2016 at 9:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Paul DePodesta won’t be making any calls on draft day, as Mark Dominik of ESPN.com hears that DePodesta will serve only in an observational role for the Browns as he continues to learn about the NFL (Twitter link via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports). DePodesta, of course, comes from Major League Baseball, and with less than six months on the job it’s perhaps not surprising that he won’t be intimately involved in the draft day process.

Here’s the latest from around the league…

There’s another wrinkle to the trade that saw the Eagles acquire the No. 2 overall pick —the 2017 fifth-rounder headed to Philadelphia from the Browns is conditional, per Andrew Siciliano of NFL.com (Twitter link). If the Browns get a fourth-round compensatory pick (as is expected), that selection will instead go to Philadelphia.
Safety Tony Jefferson inked a one-year qualifying offer with the Cardinals on Monday, but he almost wound up elsewhere, as Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com writes. “I came close (to signing) with a few teams,” said Jefferson, though the Cardinals had the option to match any offer sheet given. “We didn’t really put stuff out there (publicly), but we came close with a few teams. At the same time, I’m stoked to be back here.” While he talked with teams, no one presented him with a formal offer. Jefferson, who has started 17 games for the Cardinals over the last three seasons, had a strong 2015, notching 74 tackles, three forced fumbles, two sacks, and a pair of interceptions, including one for a touchdown.
The Rams began talking with the Titans about moving up in the draft at the combine, when the two clubs’ boxes were conveniently placed next to each other — Peter King of the MMQB.com has that detail and many more in his inside look at how the trade went down.
Both Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap and Frank Schwab of Yahoo! Sports take a look at the Panthers‘ shocking decision to rescind the franchise tag to Josh Norman.

Draft Rumors: Goff, Wentz, Cardale, Dixon

April 21st, 2016 at 9:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have completed their predraft visits with Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). After trading up the No. 1 overall pick, there’s no doubt Los Angeles will select a quarterback, but there’s still a little mystery as to which one. Goff seems to be the favorite, but with the Rams meeting with both he and Wentz this week, we aren’t likely to know definitely unless the club announces their pick ahead of next Thursday:

Here’s the latest on the draft (one week away!):

Goff and Wentz are two of several quarterbacks expected to be taken in the first round, but Ohio State’s Cardale Jones is one of the more interesting options that figures to be available on Day 2 or 3. As Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes, Jones has attracted the attention of both the Cardinals and the Chargers — each club will make the trek to Columbus to meet with the signal-caller. Arizona and its downfield passing attack, particularly, would mesh well with Jones’ skill-set.
Louisiana Tech running back Kenneth Dixon has had a pre-draft visit with the 49ers, a source tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. In 2012, Dixon’s 27 rushing touchdowns led the nation and set an NCAA record for freshmen. The powerful back is expected to be a mid-round pick at the end of this month.
Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew had a private workout with Buccaneers secondary coach Brett Maxie, according to Jenna Laine (Twitter link). Killebrew has had a busy schedule, as he’s had workouts with the Patriots, Cardinals, Titans, Panthers, and Browns, per Laine (Twitter link).
Auburn wide receiver Ricardo Louis visited the Texans this week, reports Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Louis is considered a pass-catcher, but per Wilson, he has done defensive back drills for some clubs.

Contract Details: Hillman, Browner, Heath

April 21st, 2016 at 9:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are the details of some recently-signed contracts:

Ronnie Hillman, RB (Broncos): One year, $2MM. $600K guaranteed, including $400K of base salary. $100K signing bonus, $100K workout bonus (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle).
Brandon Browner, CB (Seahawks): One year, minimum salary benefit. $428K split (Twitter link via Wilson).
Jeff Heath, S (Cowboys): Four years, $7.761MM. $1.8MM signing bonus. Annual $100K workout de-escalator. $500K NLTBE playtime incentives in 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Wilson).
Josh Brown, K (Giants): Two years, $4MM. $1MM guaranteed. $750K available via playtime incentives and escalators (Twitter links via Wilson).
Greg Zuerlein, K (Rams): One year, $1.25MM. $675K guaranteed, including $275K of base salary (Twitter link via Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch).
Chase Reynolds, RB (Rams): One year, $862K. $200K guaranteed. $87K roster bonus (Twitter link via Thomas).

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/21/15

April 21st, 2016 at 8:47pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Here are today’s minor moves:

Saints restricted free agent center Tim Lelito has signed his tender, and he shared a picture of the transaction on Instagram. Lelito started 13 games at guard for New Orleans last season, and has 47 career appearances under his belt. The 26-year-old garnered interest from the Cowboys earlier this offseason, but opted to stay with the Saints, where he has a better chance of seeing the starting lineup.

North Notes: Steelers, Stafford, Nkemdiche

April 21st, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though the Steelers were reported as an early suitor for free agent Josh Norman, the match never made sense, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (and notably, new reports have indicated that Pittsburgh is not, in fact, in the running for Norman). The Steelers have less than $4MM available in cap space, and given that Norman is said to be targeting an annual salary north of $14MM, the numbers were never going to add up.

Let’s take a trip around the NFL’s two North divisions…

Lions GM Bob Quinn admitted that DT Robert Nkemdiche is a red flag player, but said that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t select a player like that (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com). Quinn also made it clear at today’s presser that the team has no interest in trading Matthew Stafford, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets.
Free agent tight end Chase Ford said he hasn’t heard from the Vikings, the club with whom he spent 2013-14, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Ford has had a busy six months or so — the Ravens signed him in November, but then waived him earlier this month after offering him an RFA tender. The Browns claimed Ford, but similarly waived him just a week later.
Using the concept of surplus value, Brian Burke of ESPN.com declares the Browns the winner of last week’s draft pick trade with the Eagles.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC South Notes: Falcons, Saints, Buccaneers

April 21st, 2016 at 7:45pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Falcons currently the hold the No. 17 pick in the first round, but they are open to trading down, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com detail. GM Thomas Dimitroff has been aggressive in moving up the draft board in past years, but with this draft class being extremely deep, a move down is more enticing.

“We’ve looked at all the different scenarios, of course, and having few picks this year gives us an opportunity,” Dimitroff said of the Falcons’ strategy. “We think the draft has some really good strength from No. 15 on — obviously, as well as at the front of the draft. But we think there’s some good opportunities all the way through into the third round. So, it does present options to potentially move back.”

Here’s the latest out of the NFC South…

Rutgers wide receiver Leonte Carroo is visiting the Saints today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. PFR’s Rob DiRe projected Carroo to come off the board at the end of the second round in the first edition of PFR’s Mock Draft.
Former Florida safety Keanu Neal says the Falcons would be the ideal fit for him, as McClure writes in a separate piece. “For me, schematically, yes,” Neal said. “I feel like that’s a great fit for me and my style of play. The coaching staff is authentic. I can tell they really care about each other and the program. I feel like [secondary coach] Marquand Manuel can really help me out as a person and a player. And Coach [Dan] Quinn, he’s a tremendous head coach. Getting under him, getting under his wing and learning will skyrocket my career.”
Offensive lineman Caylin Hauptmann worked out for the Buccaneers today, tweets Wilson. The 24-year-old Hauptmann, a Florida International product, has spent time with the Browns, Patriots, and Seahawks, but has just one career NFL game to his name.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Josh Norman Rumors: Thursday Evening

April 21st, 2016 at 7:05pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that as many as ten teams have reached out to Josh Norman since he was effectively cut loose by the Panthers on Wednesday. So far, it has been reported that the Steelers, Buccaneers, Dolphins, 49ers, Washington, Jets, and Titans have called on the elite cornerback. However, the Steelers and Jets are reportedly only kicking the tires and don’t have serious plans to pursue the 28-year-old.

Here’s the very latest on Norman:

The Dolphins are likely out of the running for Norman, according to Cole (Twitter link).
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff says the team is not interested in signing Norman, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “We are not going in that direction,” Dimitroff said.

Earlier Updates:

Norman has switched agents since having his franchise tag revoked by Carolina, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Norman has hired agent Ryan Williams of Athletes First to take lead on his contract. Agent Michael George will serve as his co-representative.
The Falcons are also in on Norman, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. He adds that the bidding for Norman is likely to go higher than Janoris Jenkins’ free agent deal of $62.5MM over five years.
The Panthers came close to not putting the franchise tag on Norman before the start of free agency, two sources tell Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman told reporters (including ESPN.com’s David Newton) that the more he and the staff talked, the less attractive a one-year tag for Norman became. He added that there is incentive in getting a compensatory pick as well.
Gettleman says the message sent to the Panthers by not keeping Norman is “we want people that were all in,” (via Newton). Ultimately, he says $13.9MM was too much.
The 49ers have interest in Norman, but they’d like to meet with him before diving into the market for him, a league source tells Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee.
Norman will approach free agency carefully, a source tells Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Norman will consider money, city, team makeup, coach, and ownership and attempt to pick the team which offers the best combination in those areas.
The Dolphins have $19.5MM in cap room, James Walker of ESPN.com (on Twitter) notes. Miami, in theory, has the kind of money to sign Norman, but they also have to find room to sign their rookie class.
A few teams have called on Norman in part to find out why the Panthers rescinded the franchise tag, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets.

QB Notes: Hoyer, Broncos, Jets, Bradford

April 21st, 2016 at 6:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Neither the Broncos nor the Jets talked contract with free agent quarterback Brian Hoyer during their respective visits, sources tell Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Denver, per Klis, is inclined to wait until after the draft to find a new signal-caller, a concept that Jason Cole of Bleacher Report confirms (video link), saying that GM John Elway won’t overpay for a “mediocre” quarterback.

Hoyer, meanwhile, could very well be off the market by the time the Broncos are ready to make a decision at QB. Hoyer now has at least six teams interested in him, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.

Let’s take a look at some other interesting quarterback situations around the NFL…

The Jets and Broncos should call the Eagles about Sam Bradford, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines. With Bradford’s $11MM signing bonus already earned, another team could theoretically trade for the QB and pay him $24MM on a two-year deal with just $7MM in 2016. That $7MM salary is the same amount as what Denver wants to pay Kaepernick and the same sum the Jets want to give to Ryan Fitzpatrick. Of course, the Eagles might not be thrilled about the idea of trading Bradford after having picked up a significant portion of the check on him.
While Bradford is a good guy, the fact that two teams he has played for have made massive trades to take a top two quarterback is not a resume builder, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. Cole reported earlier tonight that Bradford may ask for a trade from the Eagles.
The Eagles’ trade for the No. 2 pick is a reminder that Washington has been wise to seek quarterback help in the past even when they seemed set at the position, John Keim of ESPN.com writes. In 2012, Washington drafted Kirk Cousins even though they appeared to have a future star in RGIII. Even though Cousins is installed as the starter now, Keim believes that Washington should get some insurance by drafting developmental QB.
The Eagles/Browns trade could have a trickle-down effect on the Jets‘ quarterback plans, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Cimini believes that the Jets were previously interested in making a move for one of the top quarterbacks and using Muhammad Wilkerson as trade bait, but the cost of moving from No. 20 to No. 2 was unrealistic. The Jets could now miss out on the draft’s third-best quarterback prospect in Paxton Lynch since the Browns could target him at No. 8. The Jets could turn to the next tier of QBs including Michigan State’s Connor Cook and Penn State’s Christian Hackenberg and Cimini hears that Gang Green likes Hackenberg. Meanwhile, the Jets allowed Hoyer to leave his visit without a deal and the team could be putting themselves in jeopardy if they don’t retain Fitzpatrick.
Pat McManamon of ESPN.com didn’t like the trade down for the Browns because the Browns’ wait for a franchise quarterback continues to drag on. The team is staying true to analytics by trading down, but McManamon argues that even an exceptionally talented team will hit a ceiling without a competent QB. McManamon sees RGIII as the biggest winner of the trade since Cleveland is now putting more faith in him than any other team in the league would.
A formal indictment in free agent Johnny Manziel’s domestic violence case will be handed down on Monday, reports Jennifer Emily of the Dallas Morning News, who writes that Manziel is likely to face a criminal charge.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Sam Bradford Likely To Request Trade?

April 21st, 2016 at 6:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Following the Eagles’ trade to acquire the No. 2 overall pick — and their probable intent to select a quarterback — incumbent starting QB Sam Bradford is likely to request a trade out of Philadelphia, a source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Yesterday, a source told Adam Schefter of ESPN.com that Bradford was unhappy with the Eagles’ decision to move up. “He’s hot,” said the source, who spoke with Bradford. “Who wouldn’t be? This is Philly saying, ‘We don’t see (you) as long-term answer.’ He’s mad and wants to show everyone who’s best.’’

Bradford might even be willing to take a paycut to leave the Eagles, according to Cole, who says that Bradford would like to join a team that views him as the long-term answer at quarterback. Philadelphia, meanwhile, would like to have a short-term option at quarterback to bridge the gap until the rookie they choose at No. 2 is ready. Luckily, the club signed Chase Daniel last month, and he could presumably serve as that stopgap.

If the Eagles did trade Bradford, they’d take on a $11MM dead money charge in 2016. Setting aside any possible paycut Bradford might take, an acquiring team would be on the hook for his $7MM base salary in 2016 and his $13MM base salary in 2017.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.