2016 May - Pro Football Rumors

Panthers Sign Vernon Butler

May 13th, 2016 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers have completed signing their 2016 draft class, announcing today that first-round defensive tackle Vernon Butler has officially put pen to paper on his rookie contract. Butler had been the last of Carolina’s five draftees to formally sign his new four-year deal.

Of course, unlike the rest of the Panthers’ draft picks, Butler’s four-year pact will include a fifth-year option for 2020. His deal will also be the richest of any of Carolina’s rookie contracts — per Over the Cap, it will be worth nearly $8.397MM, with a signing bonus of about $4.307MM and a first-year cap charge of approximately $1.527MM.

For the Panthers, Butler will add another imposing presence on the interior of a defensive line that already looks strong at that spot. The former Louisiana Tech lineman will join a rotation headed by Kawann Short and Star Lotulelei, with Paul Soliai and others also in the mix.

With their draft picks secured, the Panthers will be able to focus on other things during this weekend’s rookie minicamp. As David Newton of ESPN.com details, the club still has five openings on its 90-man roster, and with 35 tryout players in attendance at the minicamp, there’s a good chance that a handful of those players will earn contracts within the next few days.

This weekend also represents the first opportunity the Panthers will have to see if any of their young players are capable of handling some of the snaps that went to cornerback Josh Norman in 2015, Newton writes in a separate piece. Noting that GM Dave Gettleman used three of his five picks on corners, Newton examines that subplot, along with a few others to keep an eye on in Carolina.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Draft Pick Signings: Packers, Panthers, Browns

May 12th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Luke Adams

News on draft pick signings continues to trickle in, so after pass along word of several draftees inking their rookie contracts earlier today, we’ve got a few more updates to round up. Let’s dive in…

The Packers have signed third-round linebacker Kyler Fackrell, the team announced today in a press release. Green Bay has now secured all but one of its seven draft picks, with only first-round defensive tackle Kenny Clark still unsigned.
The Panthers have also signed each of their draft picks except for their first-rounder, having formally locked up fifth-round cornerback Zack Sanchez today, per David Newton of ESPN.com. Sanchez, the 141st overall pick in the draft, is in line for a four-year contract worth $2.612MM, with a signing bonus of about $272K, according to Over the Cap’s data.
The Browns begin getting their draftees under team control today by signing fifth-round wideout Jordan Payton and seventh-round linebacker Scooby Wright to their rookie deals, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Cleveland still has plenty of business left to conduct — the team drafted 14 players, so 12 remain unsigned.
For the full breakdown of which draft picks have signed and which haven’t, check out our complete list.

Latest On Las Vegas, Raiders

May 12th, 2016 at 8:36pm CST by Luke Adams

The interest that Raiders owner Mark Davis is showing in Las Vegas isn’t a bluff, or an attempt to play one city against another, writes Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News. According to Bonsignore, Davis is becoming increasingly convinced that “the Oakland ship has sailed,” and is pushing to make Las Vegas the Raiders’ new home.

“It’s really a tremendous opportunity,” Davis said. “A fresh start in a growing market that’s easily accessible to areas of the country that are hot-beds for Raider Nation. But not just that, we want to be a member of the community. We want to build a strong, local fan base, and we believe we’ll do just that. And when people think about Las Vegas, it won’t just be for entertainment and vacations and casinos. They’ll think about the Raiders. The Las Vegas Raiders. That’s a game-changer in so many ways.”

While Davis sounds enthusiastic about the idea of moving his franchise to Vegas, he’s not the only owner interested in the possibility. One high-ranking NFL executive tells Bonsignore that Vegas would be “a great home for the Raiders,” and Cowboys owner Jerry Jones suggested publicly this week that he would likely be on board with the idea.

Jones didn’t specifically mention the Raiders when discussing the idea of an NFL team moving to Vegas, but as Todd Archer of ESPN.com details, the Cowboys owner indicated he would welcome the discussion, calling the city “one of the real crown jewels of communities” in America.

“As you well know, you have to have the right situation,” Jones said. “You have to have the right ownership, want to and then a lot of other considerations that have to come into play. For me, I think that certainly the fact that Las Vegas has a gambling aspect to it is far overshadowed by the entertainment value, if you will, family appeal, that you have, the convention appeal. So it does not have disfavor with me, in my opinion, relative to being an NFL city.”

Jones is just one owner out of 32, but he played an instrumental role in the Rams’ move to Los Angeles, throwing his support behind Stan Kroenke‘s project and getting other owners on board with the Rams’ relocation plan. If the Cowboys owner pushes equally hard for a Raiders move to Las Vegas, it would be a great sign for Davis’ franchise.

Still, although the Raiders look like the strongest candidate to consider a move to Las Vegas, mayor Carolyn Goodman suggested during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link) that if it doesn’t work out with the Raiders, the city plans to continue to push forward with its stadium project in the hopes of attracting another NFL team.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: A. Brown, D. Walker, Tunsil

May 12th, 2016 at 7:10pm CST by Luke Adams

Steelers general manager Kevin Colbert doesn’t sound like a man who is in a rush to discuss a contract extension with star Antonio Brown.

“He does have two years left and we expect that to be honored without any issue,” the Steelers GM told Mike Florio of Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “Again, Antonio’s a unique player. We understand that and he understands our policies. I don’t ever see that changing as long as we still have the mindset that it’s been good for the organization. Again we understand that he’s a special player and we’re glad we have him for two more years anyway.”

As Florio notes, Steelers usually don’t extend players with more than two years to go on their deals, unless those players are quarterbacks. However, one has to imagine that an exception could be made for Brown given his status as one of the league’s most dangerous offensive players.

Here are a few more odds and ends from across the AFC:

Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link) has some additional details on Delanie Walker‘s new contract with the Titans. The tight end dropped his base salary in 2016 from $4.275MM to $2.7MM. He’ll have base salaries of $4.2MM in 2017 and $5.4MM in 2018.
Mark Schlabach and Nicole Noren of ESPN’s Outside the Lines have provided an update on the draft-night hacks to Dolphins offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil‘s social media accounts. The duo reports that Ole Miss officials have determined that a text message conversation published to Tunsil’s Instagram was legit — the conversation included Tunsil asking Ole Miss assistant athletic director John Miller for money to pay his rent and his mother’s utility bill.
Mike Tanier of Bleacher Report argues that the Colts should act now to lock up quarterback Andrew Luck for the long term, even if it means making him the league’s highest-paid player after a disappointing, injury-plagued 2015 season.

Minor NFL Transactions: 5/12/16

May 12th, 2016 at 6:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Here are the latest minor moves from around the NFL:

After announcing 13 undrafted free agent signings earlier this week – and another one below – the Raiders have confirmed three more additions to their roster. Wide receiver Jaydon Mickens (Washington), guard Denver Kirkland (Arkansas), and guard/center Terran Vaughn (Stephen F. Austin) are the newest Raiders, according to a team release.

Earlier updates:

The Raiders announced that they have signed undrafted rookie free agent defensive end Greg Townsend Jr. from USC, as ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez writes. Townsend’s father played for the L.A. Raiders from 1983-93 and returned to Oakland in 1997. Townsend, who dealt with injury and health issues while in school, finished out his collegiate career with 6.5 sacks and 68 tackles in 33 career games (15 starts).
Fullback Toben Opurum has had a busy week — the 25-year-old was cut by New Orleans at the start of the week, was claimed off waivers by the Broncos, and now has been waived by Denver as well, due to a failed physical, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
The Bears announced that they have signed undrafted free agent rookie offensive lineman Adrian Bellard (Texas State), as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes (via Twitter) that Bellard received a $7K signing bonus. Meanwhile, defensive back Anthony Jefferson has been placed on waivers.
Washington confirmed today that the team has cut offensive tackle Joe Gore. According to Wilson (via Twitter), Gore received a failed physical designation, so it appears that the Clemson alum – signed last week as a UDFA – suffered an injury this week.
The Colts signed free agent tackle Jeremy Vujnovich and waived linebacker Anthony Sarao, Mike Chappell of CBS4 tweets. Vujnovich has spent the last two seasons on Green Bay’s practice squad.
The 49ers waived undrafted Stanford linebacker Kevin Anderson while signing Memphis linebacker Wynton McManis, Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group tweets.
The Chargers have cut offensive lineman Michael Huey, tweets Aaron Wilson. Huey will become a free agent if he goes unclaimed on waivers.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

West Notes: Chargers, Freeney, Chiefs, Berry

May 12th, 2016 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers announced on Wednesday that they have named Louis Clark the team’s senior director of pro personnel. Clark most recently held the same position with the Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles in 2013, Clark spent 16 seasons in the Jaguars’ player personnel department as a college scout, assistant director of pro personnel, and director of pro personnel. Clark and GM Tom Telesco have known each other for some time, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions, including a few notes on one of San Diego’s division rivals:

Veteran edge defender Dwight Freeney, who had eight sacks in 11 games for the Cardinals last season, identified Arizona as a team he’d like to play for in 2016 during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter today. However, Freeney said that if the Cards don’t want to bring him back, he’d still like to get a chance to continue his career with another winning team. The 14-year veteran turned 36 in February.
Chiefs GM John Dorsey told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) says that he tried to move up in the first round of the draft, but the cost proved to be too high. Instead, Kansas City traded back, and Dorsey says he still got the guy he wanted in defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Dorsey expects contract negotiations with safety Eric Berry to be a “slow process,” but the two sides continue to have dialogue (link). Because Berry received the franchise tag, he and the Chiefs have until July 15th to work out a multiyear deal. If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by that point, Berry would be in line to play out the 2016 season on his $10.806MM franchise salary.
More from Dorsey (link): According to the GM, Chiefs seventh-round pick Dadi Nicolas will be converted from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Draft Pick Signings: Jets, Bucs, Bills, Broncos

May 12th, 2016 at 3:56pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest round of draft pick signings from around the NFL features a pair of second-round selections, including a New York quarterback who could get a chance to see the field in 2016, depending on how the rest of the offseason and training camp plays out. Let’s round up the latest signings…

Second-round quarterback Christian Hackenberg and seventh-round receiver Charone Peake have signed their rookie contracts with the Jets, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Gang Green has now secured five of its seven draftees, including Hackenberg, who may get an opportunity to vie with Geno Smith and Bryce Petty for the starting QB job if the team doesn’t bring back Ryan Fitzpatrick.
The Buccaneers announced that they’ve signed second-round defensive end Noah Spence, as Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The only Tampa Bay pick that has yet to sign his rookie deal is perhaps the most controversial pick of the draft — second-round kicker Roberto Aguayo.
Bills sixth-round wide receiver Kolby Listenbee tweeted out a picture of him signing his contract. Listenbee posted the second-fastest 40-yard dash time of any wide receiver at this year’s scouting combine when he clocked in at 4.39 seconds.
The Broncos have signed sixth-round fullback Andy Janovich and sixth-round safety William Parks, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. As the 176th overall pick, Janovich will be in line for a four-year deal worth $2.504MM, with a signing bonus of about $164K. Parks, selected nearly an entire round later at No. 219, will get a bonus of about $100K.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Seahawks’ Ricardo Lockette Announces Retirement

May 12th, 2016 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 3:09pm: The Seahawks have officially issued a press release confirming Lockette’s retirement, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.

WEDNESDAY, 5:27pm: Seahawks wide receiver Ricardo Lockette is set to announce his retirement from the NFL, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Lockette will make the news official at a press conference on Thursday.

Lockette is stepping away from football as a result of the brutal neck injury he suffered in November against the Cowboys. Lockette thankfully had full motion and feeling in all his extremities after his on-field collision, but the injury did knock him out for the 2015 season. As it turns out, the injury was too much of an obstacle for Lockette to work with in 2016 as well.

Lockette, 30 later this month, hasn’t been a significant part of the Seahawks’ offense in recent years, totaling just 22 receptions for 451 yards and four touchdowns over parts of the last five seasons for Seattle. Still, he played a key role in the team’s run to the Super Bowl in the 2014 season, catching six balls in the postseason, including three against New England in the Super Bowl.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Hosting Dashon Goldson On Visit

May 12th, 2016 at 2:15pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams are hosting Dashon Goldson on a visit today, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Goldson, 32 in September, was released by Washington in early March and has remained on the open market ever since.

Goldson first came into the league as a fourth-round pick of the Niners in the 2007 draft. Goldson eventually took over as the team’s full-time free safety and he was recognized for his play in 2011 when he earned his first Pro Bowl selection. In 2012, his contract year, Goldson was once again named to the Pro Bowl and also earned First Team All-Pro honors. Goldson parlayed that performance into a five-year, $41.25MM contract with the Bucs which included a hefty $22MM guarantee.

By 2015, it was clear that the deal was not working out and the Bucs traded Goldson to Washington in a salary dump. Goldson was slated to make $8MM with Washington this season, a price tag that was far too rich given the level of production he currently provides. His entire salary was non-guaranteed, making it a pretty easy decision for the team.

This offseason, Goldson was a part of a deep safety class which was headlined by guys like Rodney McLeod, Tashaun Gipson, and George Iloka. But, even when those players came off of the board, interest for Goldson proved to be mild. The Cowboys were said to have some level of interest in Goldson and Washington reportedly didn’t rule out a reunion at a lesser rate, but it’s not clear if either team still has interest.

Goldson recorded 70 tackles and one interception in 2015, grading as the No. 70 safety among 88 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Greg Hardy Lobbying For NFL Opportunity

May 12th, 2016 at 1:22pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s mid-May, and one of this offseason’s most talented free agent defensive ends remains on the open market. As Greg Hardy continues to look for work, agent Drew Rosenhaus has sent a packet to teams teams detailing the work his client is doing to improve as a person and correct his pattern of bad behavior, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT.

Hardy, according to Rosenhaus’ literature, is working to fix his missteps both on and off the field. Of course, Hardy is considered bad news for his alleged domestic violence incident which sidelined him for most of the 2014 season. More practically speaking, however, teams are worried about Hardy’s bad attitude and suspect work ethic.

Hardy has been evaluated and treated by multiple NFL physicians, Rosenhaus & Co. say, and the former Pro Bowler has undergone therapy for anger management and also some evaluation for ADHD. This year, Hardy is said to have participated in at least two dozen therapy sessions.

On the field, Hardy still has plenty to offer, but the Cowboys decided after the 2016 season that they were done dealing with the off-field headaches that come with him. Last season, Hardy ranked as the league’s 28th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Heading into the offseason, we here at PFR ranked Hardy No. 21 on our list of top 50 free agents.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.