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Month: November 2024

Draft Rumors: Browns, Bears, Bucs

April 3rd, 2016 at 5:36pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns are set to meet with Stanford QB Kevin Hogan, according to Alex Marvez of FOXSports.com (via Twitter). This is a potentially intriguing development, as Cleveland has been expected to take one of this year’s top quarterback prospects with the No. 2 overall pick despite having signed Robert Griffin III late last month. Hogan is considered more of a mid-round talent, but he certainly has his fans in the scouting community after setting a Stanford school record for victories (36). The Browns may just be doing their due diligence, but if they pass on a quarterback with the No. 2 overall selection with the intention of picking up a signal-caller like Hogan or Christian Hackenberg later in the draft, it could have major ramifications for the teams picking immediately behind Cleveland in the first round.

More of the latest draft-related news…

  • German wide receiver Moritz Boehringer will host a private workout for teams Friday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Boehringer, who could go as high as the fourth round, has already met with Minnesota officials. He also has visits scheduled with the Bears, Rams, Panthers, Chiefs and Broncos, per Andy Fenelon of NFL.com.
  • The Bears look poised to draft a quarterback this year, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com, as the team dedicated a sizable amount of its interview time at the February combine to signal-callers. “It’s a good position in the draft,” general manager Ryan Pace said last month. “We’ve gotta be smart.” Other than entrenched starter Jay Cutler, the Bears’ in-house options under center include 2014 sixth-round pick David Fales and Matt Blanchard – who signed a reserve/futures contract in January.
  • The Buccaneers invited Western Kentucky tight end Tyler Higbee to their pro day, but the 6-foot-6, 250-pounder is only doing private workouts and top-30 visits, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Higbee hauled in 38 passes, averaged 14.8 yards per catch, and racked up eight touchdowns last season.
  • Former Georgia Tech and Florida linebacker Anthony Harrell will attend the Buccaneers’ local workout on April 15, Auman reports (on Twitter).

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Powers, A. Davis, V. Davis, Giants

April 3rd, 2016 at 4:48pm CST by Dallas Robinson

After visiting with the Giants last Thursday and Friday, free agent cornerback Jerraud Powers left New York without a deal and will continue to explore other options, according to Jordan Rannan of NJ.com. The club will continue to search for secondary depth, per Ranna, because even after signing Janoris Jenkins to pair with Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, the Giants are pretty thin beyond those top two corners. Trevin Wade, Leon McFadden, and Tramian Jacobs make up the rest of Big Blue’s corner options.

Let’s dive into a few more notes out of the NFC…

  • If Anthony Davis applies for reinstatement as is expected, the situation between the right tackle and the 49ers could become complicated, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. Davis was forced to repay a portion of his signing bonus when he retired prior to last season, and if he returns, its unclear exactly how the situation will be handled. The CBA is murky on the issue, per Fitzgerald, but San Francisco could threaten to release Davis and recoup another $3MM.
  • Washington inked tight end Vernon Davis to a one-year, $2.38MM deal last week that contains $1.1MM in guarantees, leading Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com to observe that Davis figures to play a significant role in the club’s offensive plans. Davis is Washington’s highest-paid tight end, but that’s only because Jordan Reed — who no doubt will still be the No. 1 tight end — is still playing on his rookie contract.
  • Kam Chancellor held out for all of training camp last season, and ultimately missed two regular season games, but the Seahawks safety figures to be a full participant in this year’s offseason activities. Tricia Romano of the Seattle Times caught up with Chancellor over the weekend, and discussed the holdout, Seattle’s chances in 2016, and Russell Okung‘s agent-less negotiations.

Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Hardy, Carter

April 3rd, 2016 at 3:29pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Jets have had a relatively quiet offseason — especially compared to their 2015 free agent haul — as they’ve added complementary pieces like Matt Forte and Steve McLendon while retaining inside linebacker Erin Henderson and running back Bilal Powell. The elephant in the room remains free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, and earlier today Rich Cimini of ESPN.com looked at how the ongoing Colin Kaepernick trade talks might affect the possibility of Fitzpatrick returning to New York.

Let’s take a look at a few more notes from the Big Apple, all courtesy of Cimini’s column…

  • Though Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan has said he is not “actively pursuing” a trade involving defensive ed Muhammad Wilkerson, Cimini says the Bears are a “team to watch” as the draft approaches, noting that New York would instantly accept an offer of the No. 11 overall pick. Wilkerson, who was designated as the Jets’ franchise player, can be assigned the franchise tag again in 2017, essentially allowing Gang Green to lock him up for $34.5MM over two years.
  • The Jets have no interest in free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, per Cimini — though the club could certainly use help at pass-rusher, Hardy simply carries too much off-the-field baggage to be worth the risk. Most of the news surrounding Hardy this offseason has been teams saying they are not interested in bringing in the mercurial defensive end, though Jason Cole of Bleacher Report said last month that several clubs are pursuing Hardy using an “under the radar” approach for fear of generating bad PR.
  • After agreeing to terms with linebacker Bruce Carter on Saturday, the Jets are expected to use something of a platoon at inside linebacker, according to Cimini. While veteran David Harris will likely remain an every-down player, Henderson will probably play on early downs before ceding to Carter on third down.
  • Just a few years ago, Mike Catapano was a defensive tackle with the Chiefs, but after slimming down to the 260-pound range, he’s getting the opportunity to act as a full-time linebacker with the Jets, per Cimini.

Week In Review: 3/27/16 – 4/3/16

April 3rd, 2016 at 1:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Rumors:

Extended:

Signed/Re-Signed:

Released:

Retired:

Colin Kaepernick Notes: Sunday

April 3rd, 2016 at 12:44pm CST by Rory Parks

There are significant differences of opinion as to how close the 49ers and the Broncos are to completing a Colin Kaepernick trade, but there is already a considerable amount of potential fallout to consider if the deal is ultimately consummated. Let’s have a look:

  • Denver reportedly wants to pay Kaepernick $7MM of the $11.9MM he is guaranteed for 2016, with the 49ers kicking in the $4.9MM balance. As Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com reminds us, NFL teams cannot trade cash as a MLB or NBA team can. Instead, the Niners could turn part of Kaepernick’s salary into a signing bonus, pay it, and then trade him (Twitter link). If the 49ers were to go that route, the team would eat $12.29MM in dead cap room in 2016, per Spotrac (via Twitter). Although that is hardly an ideal scenario, it’s not as though the 49ers couldn’t afford it. According to Spotrac, the club has just shy of $57MM of cap space.
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk proposes a creative solution to the reported holdup in contract talks between the Broncos and Kaepernick. Florio suggests that Kaepernick should forfeit the $4.9MM difference between what he is owed and what Denver is willing to pay, and in exchange, Denver should wipe out the remaining four years of his “notoriously team-friendly contract.” Of course, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, while that solution has its merits, it would put the 2017 Broncos in the same position they are in right now. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com tweets that Kaepernick would certainly be justified in taking a paycut if the Broncos were willing to tear up the remainder of his contract.
  • Of course, if Kaepernick ends up with the Broncos, Denver will need to make some tweaks to its current roster regardless of how much it ends up paying Kaepernick (after all, the club only has $1.62MM of salary cap room at present). As Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com writes, the team has to do something with Ryan Clady, and although the Broncos have been trying to trade Clady, interested clubs are not inclined to pull the trigger on a trade because they are fully aware of Denver’s tight financial situation. Instead, the Broncos may have to release their long-time left tackle in order to create $8.9MM of space. The Broncos could also release punter Britton Colquitt, thereby clearing over $3MM off the books, or they could convert the base salaries of some of the larger contracts on the team–like those for Demaryius Thomas, Aqib Talib, and Chris Harris–into signing bonuses, which would afford the team some 2016 cap relief.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says a Kaepernick trade would be highly beneficial for the Jets, because if the trade happens, Ryan Fitzpatrick will lose his last potential suitor (Denver) outside of the Jets. As such, Fitzpatrick would either have to accept New York’s “low-ball offer” of $7MM per year, or not play at all. Theoretically, San Francisco could be in the market for Fitzpatrick’s services if it deals Kaepernick, but there have been no substantive rumors regarding that possibility.

Patriots Rumors: Chung, Knighton, Gronk, Edelman

April 3rd, 2016 at 10:22am CST by Rory Parks

As most of the NFL world continues to be consumed by Colin Kaepernick rumors and draft talk, let’s take a look at some notes from the Patriots, who are quietly preparing to make a run at their eighth consecutive AFC East title:

  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com weighs in on Patrick Chung‘s recent contract extension, observing that the Patriots took the $1.8MM that Chung was likely to earn in playing-time incentives in 2016 and 2017 and turned it into a $1.8MM signing bonus, along with an extra $600K. In return, Chung added one year to his contract, keeping him under club control through 2018. New England, as Reiss notes, frequently turns incentives into signing bonus money as part of a win-win strategy that makes the player happy by giving him upfront cash and makes the team happy by keeping a productive player in the fold for another season. The extension was therefore not, as some have suggested, a simple display of generosity on the part of the Patriots as a reward to Chung for a job well done; there are rarely any giveaways in Foxborough, and the Chung contract was no exception.
  • In the same piece, Reiss opines that the one-year, $4.5MM deal Terrance Knighton recently inked with New England sounds a little high, given that the team was unwilling to make that kind of commitment for Akiem Hicks and Nick Fairley and consequently missed out on both players. Reiss believes that Knighton’s base pact is more likely to be closer to $2MM, with realistic incentives that could push it to $3MM and less realistic incentives that could max out at $4.5MM.
  • Knighton is just the latest in a long list of defensive tackles who sign on with the Patriots in the latter stages of their careers hoping to rekindle or continue their success, as Christopher Price of WEEI.com writes. Keith Traylor, Ted Washington, Shaun Ellis, Albert Haynesworth, Andre Carter, Tommy Kelly, and Alan Branch have all landed with New England relatively late in their careers, and you can pretty much count on New England bringing at least one such player aboard every offseason.
  • Just as the Patriots converted some of Chung’s incentives into a signing bonus, Ben Volin of The Boston Globe believes the team will likely do something similar in the near future with Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman. Volin writes that New England will probably take future base salaries for Edelman and Gronkwoski–both of whom are significantly underpaid when compared with the going market rate for their respective positions–and convert them into signing bonus money in an effort to keep them happy and focused.
  • Volin does observe that the Patriots have already prepared for Gronkowski and Edelman to be at least little unhappy with their current deals. The contracts for both players call for $250K workout bonuses for attending 90% of the team’s offseason practices, by far the highest workout bonuses of any Patriots player, so if they were to protest their contracts by skipping offseason workouts, they would miss out on a fair amount of money.

Colin Kaepernick Trade Not Close?

April 3rd, 2016 at 8:49am CST by Rory Parks

A report from ESPN’s Adam Schefter yesterday indicated that the 49ers and Broncos had agreed to the parameters of a trade that would send Colin Kaepernick to the Broncos in exchange for a mid-round draft pick or two, with the only holdup being an agreement between Kaepernick and Denver on a reduced contract. However, subsequent reports from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport and Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee indicated that the two teams do not, in fact, have the parameters of a deal in place, and that while a trade could certainly happen, there are still a number of hurdles to clear.

Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk concurs with Rapoport and Barrows, writing that, “the notion that the only thing keeping a deal from happening is a deal between the Broncos and Kaepernick on a reduced contract is…a ‘real stretch.'” Florio’s source says “someone” planted the news that trade talks are much further along than they actually are because that “someone” wants a deal to get done and believes that reports indicating a deal is close will provide the push necessary to make it happen.

Colin Kaepernick (vertical)

But Schefter continues to stand by his original report that the trade compensation is a “non-issue” and that the only obstacle is Kaepernick’s contract. And, according to Schefter’s latest story, Kaepernick and the Broncos have made progress on most of the signal-caller’s contract, which runs through 2020, with the upcoming 2016 season being the only sticking point. Schefter writes that the Broncos are willing to pay $7MM of Kaepernick’s $11.9MM 2016 salary, which became fully guaranteed on Friday, but they would like San Francisco to pay the remaining $4.9MM, something the Niners are reportedly unwilling to do. Kaepernick, understandably, has no desire to simply forfeit that $4.9MM to make a deal work.

Clearly, there is some disagreement among some of the NFL’s most prominent writers as to the imminence of a Kaepernick trade. There are some scribes, like John McMullen of Today’sPigskin.com, who believe that Kaepernick should forfeit the $4.9MM in order to facilitate a deal and land on a contending club, which could increase his salary in the long run. As McMullen writes, “a give back by Kaepernick in the short-term could be taking the proverbial one step back to eventually take two forward because a rejuvenated career means more money on the back-end.” But if Schefter’s report that Kaepernick and Denver have more or less ironed out the final four years of the quarterback’s deal, then the premises of McMullen’s theory don’t necessarily hold up, and although Kaepernick clearly wants to get out of San Francisco, spending at least one season in Chip Kelly‘s offense would hardly be the worst thing for him from a football standpoint.

Like the rest of the football world, we’ll just have to wait and see.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Draft Rumors: Elliott, Ramsey, Nkemdiche

April 2nd, 2016 at 8:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Cowboys have added Alfred Morris this offseason to go along with incumbent running back Darren McFadden, but there’s still speculation that Dallas will add another back in the upcoming draft. The draft’s highest-rated runner, Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott, will fly to Texas tomorrow for a meeting with the Cowboys (having already been worked out by the club in Columbus), according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

The first round of this year’s draft gets underway in 26 days, so let’s take a look at the latest updates…

  • Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey, widely regarded as one of the five best available prospects, has visits planned with both the Jaguars and the Ravens, reports Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Ramsey, who can play both corner and safety, may not fall to the fifth or sixth selection, where Jacksonville and Baltimore respectively pick.
  • The Saints will work out California tight end Stephen Anderson on Monday, tweets Getlin, adding that Anderson’s workout with the Falcons went well. Anderson has also been linked to the Patriots, Titans, and Texans.
  • The Bears intend to meet with Ole Miss defensive tackle Robert Nkemdiche and Southern Illinois quarterback Mark Iannotti in the next few weeks, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Nkemdiche is a first-round talent who may slip in the draft due to character concerns, while Iannotti is considered a late-round pick or UDFA.
  • Eastern Washington offensive linemen Clay Debord and Aaron Neary did “extensive white board” work with the Cardinals following their pro day, according to Tony Pauline of WalterFootball.com. 22 clubs were present at the EWU pro day.

Colin Kaepernick Rumors: Saturday

April 2nd, 2016 at 8:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Trade rumors have swirled around 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick for months, but it looks like a resolution might be close, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported earlier today that San Francisco is close to working out a trade that would send Kaepernick to the Broncos. The only issue reportedly obstructing a deal is Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary, which became fully guaranteed yesterday. Let’s dive into the latest on the trade talks…

  • Though Schefter indicated that the 49ers and Broncos had agreed upon the parameters of a trade — with San Francisco sending a mid-round pick to Denver — Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) reports that no such agreement is in place. The deal can still happen, says Rapoport, but there many obstacles and Kaepernick’s visit with Broncos general manager John Elway didn’t change things.
  • Schefter, meanwhile, doubled down on his initial report, adding (via Twitter) that the two clubs agreeing on draft pick compensation was the “easy part” of the talks. But a finalized trade is still not close because the Broncos need to convince Kaepernick to take less money, per the ESPN scribe.
  • Mike Klis of 9News chimes in (Twitter link), noting that the term “mid-round pick” could conceivably identify any slot in rounds three through five. However, Denver doesn’t have a pick in the fourth round, having lost their selection as a part of a trade with the Ravens to acquire Gino Gradkowski. The Broncos do own pick No. 94 in the third round and No. 144 in the fifth round, and additionally, it’s possible that a trade might include future draft pick compensation.
  • The Broncos have long been the most likely landing spot for Kaepernick, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, but “a lot” of progression is still needed before any trade becomes finalized.
  • Nothing is imminent in terms of a trade, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), who also hears the draft pick compensation has not yet been agreed to.

Browns Release Donte Whitner

April 2nd, 2016 at 7:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Browns have continued their purge of veteran players, as they’ve announced the release of safety Donte Whitner. Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (Twitter link) was the first to report the news. Whitner himself alluded to the move earlier in the evening, tweeting “Cleveland I’m gone!”Donte Whitner (Veritcal)

“It is important for us to thank Donte for all of his contributions to the Cleveland Browns over the last two seasons,” said Browns executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown in a statement. “His passion for this city and dedication to his craft was contagious. These are difficult decisions to make but we felt it was the best decision for the Browns at this time. We wish him the best as he continues his career.”

[RELATED: Browns waive CB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu]

Whitner, who will turn 31 this summer, is the latest Brown to be released, as Cleveland also parted ways with linebacker Karlos Dansby and receiver Dwayne Bowe last month. Of course, those weren’t the only Browns who won’t be returning for the 2016 season, as the club has seen free agents Mitchell Schwartz, Alex Mack, Travis Benjamin, Tashaun Gipson, and Craig Robertson sign elsewhere over the course of the last month.

Cleveland has added a few players — namely quarterback Robert Griffin III, linebacker Demario Davis, and safety Rahim Moore — but the release of Whitner is sure to add fuel to the notion that the Browns are “tanking,” Agents complained last month that the club was hesitant in negotiations to bring back any of its internal free agents, and the team’s revamped front office, led by Brown and former MLB executive Paul DePodesta, has been under scrutiny for the entirety of the offseason. Whitner himself added a few parting shots (Twitter links), saying that Cleveland is playing “Moneyball” and that he would have preferred to be released earlier to get a head start on free agency.

Whitner will now hit the free agent market after playing out only two seasons of a four-year deal he signed with the Browns prior to the 2014 season. A former top-10 draft pick, Whitner started 30 games for Cleveland, posting more than 120 tackles and one interception over the past two years. In 2015, Whitner graded as the league’s No. 24 safety among 89 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

The release of Whitner will save the Browns nearly $4MM against the cap, but the club will also incur a dead money hit of $4.5MM. Even after accounting for Whitner’s dead money, Cleveland would still have more than $30MM in cap space, so financially, the team can handle the hit. But it’s fair to wonder if the Browns will designate Whitner as a post-June 1 release, spreading his dead money out over the next two years ($2.25MM in both 2016 and 2017).

While most of the free agent money has already been spent, Whitner will vault to the top of the free agent safety rankings, where his only real competition is former Bengal Reggie Nelson. Walter Thurmond (who is contemplating retirement), William Moore, and Roman Harper make up the rest of the available class at the position, so any club still looking for safety help is sure to place a call to Whitner’s representatives. Because he was released, Whitner won’t factor into the compensatory pick formula, a positive for the team that signs him.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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