2016 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

NFC North Notes: Vikes, AP, Lions, Megatron

June 21st, 2016 at 7:37pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As he enters his age-31 season, Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has no concerns about his body holding up over the long haul, he told Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Peterson isn’t sure how much longer he’ll play, though, because of some of the tedious aspects that accompany playing in the NFL.

“Training camp, going through the grind, OTAs and all that — that will definitely be the deciding factor,” he said, adding “it’s so repetitive that it’s more suited toward the young guys and getting them into the system. It gets kind of boring.”

Peterson went on to cite the success he had previously without partaking in training camp, stating, “Think about this: The 2012 season [after recovering from ACL surgery], I didn’t do any training camp. But I was over there on the side, working out. You get that extra month of working out? Come on, man. I would much rather not participate in training camp and work out, just to have more of an edge.”

That year happened to be the best of Peterson’s career, as he earned the NFL MVP award after rushing for 2,097 yards – the second-highest single-season total ever – and 12 touchdowns. Peterson wasn’t quite that effective last season, but he once again led the league in rushing (1,485 yards, to go with 11 scores) en route to garnering first-team All-Pro honors for the fifth time.

More from the NFC North, which the Peterson-led Vikes won last season:

When Bob Quinn took over as the Lions’ general manager in January, it was unclear whether he’d bring back head coach Jim Caldwell on the heels of a 7-9 season. After much deliberation, Quinn elected to go forward with Caldwell, who has helped Detroit to an 18-14 record and a playoff appearance in two years. Quinn told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday (via Justin Rogers of MLive.com) that retaining Caldwell “was the easiest and best decision I made,” citing the pair’s “great working relationship.”
Now-retired receiver and potential Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson was instrumental in the majority of the Lions’ 18 wins from 2014-15, and it stands to reason his departure will leave a significant void in the team’s offense. Not so, says quarterback Matthew Stafford. “Obviously we used to feature Calvin, and everybody kind of got theirs after that. It’s going to be, I think, tougher for defenses in a certain way in that they don’t know who we’re going to. There’s no guy to key in on,” he told SiriusXM on Tuesday (per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com). To help replace Johnson, who exited with 88 catches, 1,214 yards and nine touchdowns in 2015, the Lions signed ex-Bengal Marvin Jones to a $40MM deal. He and Golden Tate are unquestionably the Lions’ top two wideouts. After them, the club has offseason pickups Jeremy Kerley, Andre Roberts and Andre Caldwell among those vying for roles, as Roster Resource shows. The door is also still open on Detroit adding free agent Anquan Boldin, who visited with the team earlier this month.
In case you missed it, the Bears and franchise wideout Alshon Jeffery are discussing a long-term contract.

Bills Notes: Stadium, Gilmore, Front Office

June 21st, 2016 at 6:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Commissioner Roger Goodell commented on Ralph Wilson Stadium – the Bills’ 43-year-old home – earlier this month, saying, “You’ve got great facilities (around the league), and the Bills have to stay up with that.” None of Bills owners Terry and Kim Pegula, Buffalo, Erie County or New York state are ready to put a new stadium plan in place for the league’s second-smallest market, however, writes Sal Maiorana of the Rochester Democrat and Chronicle.

“We’re in the fact-finding mode,” said Kim Pegula, who added that the Bills “don’t talk about it now because we don’t have all the answers and we don’t want to get misconstrued because things change.”

Buffalo – along with Baltimore – is one of just two NFL cities without a Fortune 500 company, as Maiorana notes, and the team is cognizant of the economic reality in which it finds itself.

“With a new stadium comes a lot of things — public-private partnership, there’s PSLs (personal seat licenses), there’s cost increases across the board,” club president Russ Brandon told Maiorana. “We’ve been successful in Buffalo with a volume model; lot of seats in the building, lot of suites in the building, and we’ve been able to keep costs down because we’ve been able to manage a 43-year-old building and we’ve been able to do that very well. That equation, economically, changes with a new building.”

With help from New York state and Erie County, which combined to chip in $95MM, the Bills renovated Ralph Wilson Stadium at a cost of $130MM in 2013-14.

Joseph Randle Facing Another Felony Charge

June 21st, 2016 at 5:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent running back Joseph Randle is once again in legal trouble, reports KAKE-TV in Wichita, Kan. The former Cowboy is now facing a felony charge stemming from allegations that he threatened a Sedgwick County Jail deputy on May 14. Randle was in Kansas awaiting dates on two other felony cases at the time, according to the Dallas Morning News.

This represents the latest in a string of off-field incidents for the 24-year-old Randle, whom the Cowboys waived in November and who, as the Morning News details, accrued six arrests in an 18-month span at one point. Randle spent more than a week in jail in February after charges of aggravated battery, criminal damage and possession of marijuana led to an arrest. Prior to that, Randle was arrested at a Kansas casino in November and charged with one felony and five misdemeanors.

Based on his arrests, Randle earned a four-game suspension from the NFL in November for violating its personal conduct policy. Teams had interest in possibly pursuing Randle before the announcement of the ban, but his ever-increasing rap sheet makes it unlikely he’ll ever suit up in the league again.

Randle flashed plenty of talent on the field during his three seasons with the Cowboys, making his personal problems all the more unfortunate. After Dallas selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, the ex-Oklahoma State standout totaled 822 yards on 181 carries, good for a stellar 4.5 per-rush average, and nine touchdowns in 35 games. Despite appearing in only six games in 2015 – all of which were starts – he set career marks in carries (76) and scores (four).

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Chiefs, Bolts, Ravens, Titans

June 21st, 2016 at 4:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The fact that the Chiefs have running backs Jamaal Charles, Charcandrick West and Spencer Ware in the fold could lead them to trade fellow rusher Knile Davis, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. As of late April, the Chiefs were shopping Davis, who requested a trade over the winter. Davis switched gears last month in expressing a desire to remain with the Chiefs, but even with Charles missing most of last season on account of a torn ACL, Davis only racked up 28 carries. West and Ware, meanwhile, combined for 232 attempts and subsequently netted contract extensions earlier this offseason. The writing seems to be on the wall, then, for the 24-year-old Davis, whom the Chiefs used a third-round pick on in 2013. The ex-Arkansas Razorback has amassed 232 carries and a paltry 3.3 yards-per-rush average during his three-year career.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Chargers first-round defensive end Joey Bosa has a better chance at improving the payout of his ~$17MM signing bonus than getting guarantees without offsets, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) opines. Bosa, the third overall selection, is one of the last few first-rounders in this year’s class who hasn’t signed yet; however, Chargers president of football operations John Spanos doesn’t seem concerned.
The Ravens have a handful of notable veterans who will enter training camp on the bubble to make the roster, reports Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic. Eighth-year cornerback Kyle Arrington, 2013 second-round linebacker Arthur Brown, 2014 third-round safety Terrence Brooks and fourth-round running back Lorenzo Taliaferro, and third-year receiver Michael Campanaro are all in jeopardy, per Brown.
Dennis Polian, son of Hall of Fame executive Bill Polian, has resigned from his position as the Titans’ assistant director of football administration/pro scout to take a player personnel role with Texas A&M, according to Jason Wolf of the Tennessean.
Earlier Tuesday, the Jaguars signed third-round edge defender Yannick Ngakoue and have now locked up their entire seven-player draft class.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Minor NFL Transactions: 6/21/16

June 21st, 2016 at 4:31pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves from around the NFL…

Bills safety Phillip Thomas reverted to injured reserve after being waived-injured and clearing waivers, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets.
The Lions have waived offensive tackle Dominick Jackson, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Detroit signed Jackson on June 1 as a UDFA out of Alabama, but he wound up lasting less than a month with the team.

Jaguars Wrap Up Draft Class

June 21st, 2016 at 1:05pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jaguars have officially signed every player in their 2016 draft class. Today, the Jaguars announced that they have formally inked third-round defensive end Yannick Ngakoue.

Prior to the draft, the Maryland linebacker was very popular on the workout scene and managed to boost his stock from a fourth- or fifth-round prospect to a third-round draft choice. While Ngakoue has a ways to go when it comes to defending against the run, he is regarded as a strong pass rusher and should serve as a solid rotational piece in 2016. As the Jaguars’ page on Roster Resource shows, Ngakoue figures to be a preferred backup behind Dante Fowler Jr. and Jared Odrick. The Jaguars also have Ryan Davis, Jonathan Woodard, Chris Smith, and Quanterus Smith on the DE depth chart.

The Jaguars’ top pick this year was Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey. Ramsey was highly coveted by rival teams heading into this year’s draft, but the Jaguars had a clear path to grab him once the Chargers selected Joey Bosa and the Cowboys plucked Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott. Unfortunately, Ramsey had to undergo surgery on his right knee, but he is expected to be back in time for training camp and should not miss any regular season time if all goes well.

Here’s the complete rundown of Jacksonville’s 2016 draft class:

1-5: Jalen Ramsey, DB (Florida State)
2-36: Myles Jack, LB (UCLA)
3-69: Yannick Ngakoue, DE/OLB (Maryland)
4-103: Sheldon Day, DT (Notre Dame)
6-181: Tyrone Holmes, DE (Montana)
6-201: Brandon Allen, QB (Arkansas)
7-226: Jonathan Woodard, DE (Central Arkansas)

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Notes: Broncos, Miller, Chiefs, Berry

June 21st, 2016 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Von Miller and Broncos have had “minimal communication in the last 10-12 days or so,” according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Facebook). As previously reported, the two sides still have a wide gap to bridge when it comes to guaranteed money and Von Miller is still exploring the idea of holding out if he does not get the deal that he is after. If Miller sits out and the Broncos tag him again next offseason, the compensation to sign him drops from two first-round picks to one first-round pick and one third-round pick. That’s still a hefty price to pay on top of the actual monster contract Miller will command, but there should be at least a few teams willing to go to that length.

Here’s more from the West divisions:

More from Fowler, who writes that Chiefs star Eric Berry has his eyes set on becoming the league’s highest-paid safety and wants to capitalize while he still can. In order to get that mantle, Berry will have to beat out Harrison Smith‘s brand new five-year, $51.25MM deal with the Vikings. Typically, the Chiefs quietly do work behind the scenes and of all the franchise-tagged players, Fowler believes that Berry’s path to a long-term pact could be the smoothest.
Does the addition of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff make the Rams a title contender? Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes that Goff is a step in the right direction for Los Angeles, though there is nothing guaranteed with a rookie quarterback and it will likely take two or three years for the team to develop him into a reliable player. Ultimately, however, if Goff does pan out and Todd Gurley reaches his potential, the Rams could be a dangerous team.
In case you missed it, Fowler’s latest report also included an update on Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Earlier today, we heard from both the Chargers and agent Todd France on the Joey Bosa contract situation.

Bears, Alshon Jeffery Still Talking Extension

June 21st, 2016 at 11:58am CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this summer, it was reported that the Bears and wide receiver Alshon Jeffery were highly unlikely to hammer out a contract extension prior to the July 15th deadline. Apparently, things have changed in recent weeks. The two sides have reignited their dialogue about a long-term contract and a new deal is “certainly possible,” according to ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (Facebook link).

As of this writing, Jeffery is slated to play out 2016 on the one-year franchise tag of $14.6MM. The two sides have roughly three weeks to get a multi-year deal done and Fowler hears that if an extension is agreed upon, it will be late in the process.

The Bears, understandably, have reservations about Jeffery’s long-term health after he missed seven games in 2015. However, the Bears also know that their offensive attack is much more potent with a healthy Jeffery in the lineup. In 2014, the Bears star was active for all 16 games and the team finished with the third-ranked red zone offense in the NFL. Last year, however, they dropped to No. 25 in the league as Jeffery was sidelined for much of the year.

After averaging 87 receptions and 1,277 yards in 2013 and 2014, Jeffery was plagued by injuries in 2015, but he was excellent when healthy, averaging a career-high 89.7 yards per game. Jeffery wants the security of a multi-year pact, but one could argue that he would be better off playing out the 2016 season under the franchise tag anyway. After missing time last year, Jeffery could boost his leverage by turning in that same kind of output across a full 16-game season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cox, Hardy, Cowboys

June 21st, 2016 at 10:45am CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles still have salary cap flexibility after doling out $280MM in guarantees this year, Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com writes. This offseason, GM Howie Roseman handed major money out to in-house players like Fletcher Cox, Sam Bradford, Lane Johnson, and Zach Ertz while signing Brandon Brooks, Chase Daniel, Rodney McLeod, and Leodis McKelvin.

On the surface, the Eagles have an issue as they are $5.7MM over the projected salary cap for 2017. However, there is some wiggle room there if the team is willing to be on the hook for some dead money. Bradford’s salary-cap charge for 2017 is $22.5MM but the Eagles can release him before that season, saving $13MM and eating $9.5MM in dead money, leaving them $7.3MM under the projected 2017 salary cap. The Eagles could also cut left tackle Jason Peters, who will be 35 in 2017, to save another $9MM in cap space.

Here’s more out of the NFC East:

The new six-year, $103MM contract extension for Cox shows that the Eagles both value Cox and the defensive tackle position, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. “It’s really hard when you look at building your team because when you have great offensive tackles, you can scheme against great defensive ends — I’m not telling you they are not equally as important; they are,” Roseman said. “But when you can get pressure up the middle and in a quarterback’s face, it’s hard. It’s hard for them. It makes them uncomfortable. I think this is something that we always believed in. There were very few guys that are this big and this athletic and have this kind of motor that are ever born, let alone play in the National Football League.”
Cowboys free agent Greg Hardy is apparently trying to clean up his public image as he seeks NFL employment, Darin Gantt of PFT writes. Hardy’s Twitter avatar now shows him holding a baby and his profile picture shows him smiling with a group of schoolchildren. Of course, given Hardy’s immense baggage and his disastrous interview with ESPN earlier this year, his social media revamp might not be enough to turn public opinion. Late last month, we ran down a list of teams that could still consider Hardy despite the PR backlash and headaches that he would bring with him. Recently, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones reflected on the team’s year with Hardy and even though he admitted that the signing didn’t work out as well as he had hoped, he also said that he will not shy away from similarly risky players in the future.
Early this morning, it was reported that the Redskins will not seek to extend defensive lineman Chris Baker this summer.

Latest On Chargers, Joey Bosa

June 21st, 2016 at 10:03am CST by Zachary Links

It’s late June and the Chargers have yet to sign Joey Bosa, the No. 3 overall pick in this year’s draft. The two sides were said to be haggling over offset language, though agent Todd France tells Alex Marvez of Sirius XM that the negotiations are more complicated than that.

“You are a little more boxed in from the pure dollar standpoint, total dollars, but there are a lot of moving parts,” he said (transcript via NFL.com). “Language-wise, there’s different things you can look at. And, then, obviously, how you structure it, especially in those top 15, 16, 17, 18, 19 picks in the first round, whether those bonuses in the second and third, fourth year — those training-camp roster bonuses — do you not want those? What’s the cash flow? What’s the deferral? Those types of things.”

Meanwhile, Chargers’ president of football operations John Spanos claims that offset language is the main hangup in getting a deal formally signed.

“I would say that there are a lot of things in our business that come with the territory and negotiating contracts are one of them. That’s part of the business,” he told 1090 in San Diego. “Was it disappointing to have 89 players instead of 90 in for camp? Sure. But these things tend to work themselves out and the good thing was, when Joey Bosa was here he looks great.”

With no offset language, the Chargers would pay Bosa the balance of his four-year guaranteed contract even if they release him midway through the deal. Then, theoretically, Bosa could collect two salaries upon signing elsewhere. With offset language in place, the Chargers would be off the hook for Bosa’s salary with his new team, paying him only the difference. The Bolts see offset language as the biggest barrier to a deal, but Bosa’s agent apparently has other qualms outside of that.

Before acquiring the No. 2 overall pick in this year’s draft, the Eagles reached out to Carson Wentz‘s camp to confirm that he would agree to offsets. However, the Rams do not believe in offset language and, subsequently, they did not include offsets in their deal with No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff. I would imagine that the precedent set by the Rams in this year’s draft has been brought up quite a bit from Bosa’s side of the table.

Photo via Pro Football Rumors on Instagram.

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