2016 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

Jets Notes: Fitzpatrick, Wilkerson, Revis

June 15th, 2016 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

It’s June and that means it’s about the time of year for Hall of Famer Joe Namath to drop some scorching hot contrarian takes on the Jets in an effort to get his name back in the local tabloids. This time around, Broadway Joe assessed the Jets’ quarterback situation and – shockingly – he took the exact opposite position of everyone else in the football world.

“I think Geno [Smith] is going to be the starting quarterback no matter if [Ryan] Fitzpatrick comes back or not,” Namath said (via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter on Twitter).

While you weigh the skills of Smith versus one of the league’s better quarterbacks in 2015, here’s a look at the latest on the Jets:

Jets coach Todd Bowles says the team does not have a “drop-dead deadline” on the Fitzpatrick situation, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. The coach added that he has no problem with the situation lingering until training camp. The Jets reportedly aren’t comfortable offering Fitzpatrick a one-year deal worth $12MM, while Fitzpatrick himself is content to wait out the club in the hopes of landing a better deal. The stare down continues with no end in sight.
When asked about Muhammad Wilkerson, Bowles said that his absence from minicamp will not be a distraction (link via Cimini). “That would be his prerogative. Business is business. We’d love to have him here, but if he feels like he doesn’t want to be here, that’s on him. I’ve got a team to coach,” Bowles said.
Count cornerback Darrelle Revis among the Jets players that disagree with Namath and want to see Fitzpatrick back with the team ASAP. “We want him back, we want to see him walk in this locker room,” Revis said Tuesday (link via Seth Walker of the New York Daily News). “Ryan is a big part of our success. He definitely is. He came here, he’s broken a bunch of records in the quarterback category. And he was a big part of our offense. This has been going on all offseason and we’re waiting for him to come back and play.”
Jets backup center Wesley Johnson has a fractured bone in his hand/wrist area, a source tells Cimini. No surgery will be necessary, however, and the hope is that he will be back by training camp.

Latest On Eugene Monroe, Ravens

June 15th, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday, Ravens head coach John Harbaugh told reporters that he was holding tackle Eugene Monroe out of practice because the team was trying trade him. Now, it sounds like we’ll have a resolution in short order, one way or another. The expectation is that Monroe won’t be on the team by the end of Thursday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. In fact, Monroe could even be traded or released by the end of today.

In the first half of the offseason, the Ravens operated as though Monroe would be their starting left tackle in 2016. However, that all changed in the first round of the draft when they tapped Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley with the No. 6 overall pick. Monroe held a great deal of promise when the team signed him to a five-year, $37.5MM contract prior to the 2014 season, but ever since then he has struggled to stay healthy, appearing in only 17 regular season games.

The Ravens also aren’t thrilled about Monroe’s off-the-field efforts to push the legalization of medical marijuana. However, it’s Monroe’s lack of durability and the presence of Stanley that are really driving the team’s efforts to move him. The Ravens would have tried to trade Monroe sooner, but the team first had to wait for him to get medical clearance and that did not happen until recently.

If the Ravens are forced to cut Monroe, it will leave them with $2.2MM in dead money with $6.5MM in cap savings this year. They’d also be on the hook for a combined $4.4MM in dead cash the next two seasons, though they’d save $13.5MM in that time. It might not come to that for Baltimore, though, as teams reportedly have inquired about Monroe. If healthy, the 90-start veteran should be able to improve someone’s offensive line.

With Monroe likely on the outs, the Ravens auditioned free agent O-lineman Todd Herremans yesterday.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Broncos Sign Brandon Marshall To Four-Year Extension

June 14th, 2016 at 9:00pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have announced the signing of linebacker Brandon Marshall to a four-year, $32MM contract extension that includes $20MM in guarantees and $10MM at signing. Denver now has Marshall under its control through the 2020 season.

The Broncos and Marshall had spent a large chunk of the offseason working on an extension. Prior to today’s accord, Marshall was slated to play out the season on a one-year, $2.533MM restricted free agent tender before hitting the open market. He’ll still earn that salary in 2016 before his extension kicks in the following season.

Marshall finished last season with 102 tackles and made it clear to team management that he was a must-keep player. Last month, PFR’s Sam Robinson analyzed Marshall as an extension candidate and accurately predicted that he would approach, but not top, DeAndre Levy’s four-year, $33.7MM pact with the Lions. The Broncos opted to let Danny Trevathan – last year’s team leader in tackles – leave in free agency for a four-year, $24.5MM deal with Chicago, but they clearly hold Marshall in higher esteem.

With Marshall’s extension in the books, the Broncos will now turn their attention to new deals for fellow stars Von Miller and Emmanuel Sanders. Recently, Broncos GM John Elway confirmed that he is gunning to get contracts hammered out for all three players in the coming weeks.

“The ideal thing would be to get all three of them done (by mid-July). That’s the goal. That would be nice if we could do that,” Elway said.

While things are getting a little bit chippy between Miller and the Broncos, the feeling has been that a new deal for Marshall was only a matter of time. The veteran has always spoken highly of the team and made it known that he wants to play out his career at high altitude.

“I love it here. I love it here, man,” Marshall said recently. “Ever since I got here, in 2013, they’ve treated me like family, even when I was on the practice squad. It just shows, I’m really all about ball, getting better and being with the team. … To stay away, that’s not me. I feel comfortable being here.”

Mike Klis of 9News first reported the deal. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Seahawks Notes: Robinson, Chancellor, Bennett

June 14th, 2016 at 8:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Here’s the latest on the Seahawks, all of which comes courtesy of The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta:

Pete Carroll confirmed longtime NBA point guard Nate Robinson‘s tryout with the Seahawks and lauded his athletic ability, but the head coach indicated that the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder faces long odds of getting a contract (Twitter link). Robinson, 32, hasn’t played competitive football since his days at the University of Washington. It will make for an excellent story if the Seahawks do sign the local product, who’s vying for a defensive role, but it doesn’t appear likely.
Safety Kam Chancellor spoke after practice today and expressed happiness regarding his situation (via Twitter). That’s a far cry from Chancellor’s state a year ago, when he was upset with his contract and ended up holding out until Week 3 of the regular season. The Seahawks called Chancellor’s bluff then and still haven’t awarded him a new deal. As of now, the four-time Pro Bowler remains under the contract he signed in 2013. That deal, which pays Chancellor upward of $7MM per year, is set to expire after the 2017 season.
Defensive end Michael Bennett, who also hasn’t made his desire for a new contract a secret, told reporters Tuesday that he believes he’s a $100MM player (Twitter link). Bennett, like Chancellor, has two more years remaining on his current contract. The only D-linemen in the league on deals worth at least $100MM are Ndamukong Suh, J.J. Watt and the newly signed Fletcher Cox. Bennett is already 30 and, although outstanding, has neither the track records of Suh or Watt nor the youth of Cox, so it’s highly improbable he’ll land a deal remotely close to theirs. However, if Bennett maintains his performance (or something close to it), he should be in line for an appreciable raise over his $7.13MM-per-year average salary whenever he signs his next deal.

Ravens Shopping Eugene Monroe

June 14th, 2016 at 7:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

7:58pm: Along with Monroe’s inability to stay on the field lately and Stanley’s presence, Monroe’s campaign to remove marijuana from the league’s banned substances list is part of the reason the Ravens are set to move on from him, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Hensley adds that it took until the middle of June for the Ravens to shop Monroe because they had to wait for him to get medical clearance, which he received Wednesday.

5:21pm: The Ravens are holding seventh-year offensive tackle Eugene Monroe out of practice because they’re trying to trade him, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters – including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun – on Tuesday. Harbaugh went on to state that Monroe’s status is in the hands of general manager Ozzie Newsome, with Zrebiec inferring from the coach’s comments that Monroe will not be a Raven this season (Twitter links).

Monroe, 29, entered the NFL as the Jaguars’ first-round pick (eighth overall) in 2010 and established himself as a durable starter in Jacksonville. The Jags then traded Monroe to the Ravens early in the 2013 season for multiple late-round picks, and Baltimore was impressed enough to award the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder a five-year, $37.5MM contract the ensuing offseason.

Injuries have become an issue for Monroe, though, as he has played in just 17 of a possible 32 regular-season games since inking his big-money deal. Monroe missed a career-high 10 games in 2015 and landed on season-ending injured reserve in December with a shoulder issue. Both Monroe’s lack of durability and the Ravens’ decision to use the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft on Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley will now combine to push Monroe out of Baltimore, it seems.

If the Ravens are unable to find a taker for the ex-Virginia standout via trade and then elect to cut him, it will cost them $6.6MM in dead money versus $2.1MM in cap savings this year. They’d also be on the hook for a combined $6.6MM in dead cash the next two seasons, though they’d save $11.3MM. It might not come to that for Baltimore, though, as teams have inquired about Monroe, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If healthy, the 90-start veteran should be able to improve someone’s offensive line.

With Monroe likely on the outs, the Ravens auditioned free agent O-lineman Todd Herremans earlier today.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Fallout From Fletcher Cox’s Extension

June 14th, 2016 at 7:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier today, PFR ran down some of the initial reactions to the mammoth six-year contract extension defensive lineman Fletcher Cox signed with the Eagles on Monday. Plenty more responses have come in since, so let’s dive in…

The Cox deal is yet another Eagles-inflicted blow to the Broncos, details Mike Klis of 9News. The Eagles hurt the Broncos’ chances to re-sign quarterback Brock Osweiler earlier this offseason when they inked Sam Bradford to a $17.5MM-per-year extension. Now Cox’s contract isn’t doing Denver any favors in its attempt to lock up star pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP who has amassed 60 sacks in 72 career regular-season games. The Broncos have until July 15 to sign Miller to a long-term deal. Otherwise, best-case scenario for the club: Miller will play out 2016 under the exclusive franchise tag. There have been rumblings that Miller could sit out the season if the reigning champions don’t meet his long-term demands, however. To this point, the Broncos haven’t been willing to give Miller a non-injury-guaranteed total approaching $60MM for the first three years of the six-year, $114.5MM extension they’ve offered him. The Broncos have instead offered to guarantee nearly $40MM over the first two years, and non-injury guarantees for the third year wouldn’t actually kick in until then. Cox, meanwhile, got $55.2MM in new money in the opening three years of his deal.
Denver isn’t the only team that the Cox contract could negatively affect, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Panthers and Jets have standout defensive linemen Kawann Short and Muhammad Wilkerson, respectively, entering contract years, and now their price tags stand to rise even higher. The Panthers aren’t bullish enough on Short to give him Cox-type money, which will make negotiations difficult, according to Cole. The Jets hold similar feelings toward Wilkerson, so the expectation is that he doesn’t have much of a future with the team. Wilkerson is currently scheduled to play this season under the non-exclusive franchise tag, though he hasn’t signed the tender yet and isn’t a lock to report to training camp.
Having second overall pick Carson Wentz in the fold as the prospective long-term solution under center is a luxury that enabled the Eagles to allocate bank-breaking money to Cox, opines Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Cox’s extension will kick in come 2017, which is when Wentz is expected to take over for Bradford under center. Wentz’s cap numbers from 2017-19 ($6.06MM, $7.26MM and $8.49MM) are palatable figures for a starting QB. Of course, Wentz will actually have to prove himself capable in the pros for Philly to take advantage of this situation, as the Seahawks and Colts have done in recent years with Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, respectively.
After former head coach Chip Kelly pushed him out of the picture last season, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has emphatically taken back the throne in Philadelphia, writes Marcus Hayes of the Inquirer. Cox’s extension is just the latest transaction Roseman has made this year to ensure the Eagles have a prosperous future. Along with locking up Cox, Roseman also inked Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Lane Johnson, Vinny Curry, Malcolm Jenkins and Bradford to multiyear deals. In addition to those deals and the aggressive move to land Wentz in the draft, Roseman spent the meat of the offseason getting rid of DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, Riley Cooper and DeMeco Ryans. Roseman has put his stamp on the Eagles and erased Kelly’s influence over the franchise in the process.

Saints DE Hau’oli Kikaha Suffers Torn ACL

June 14th, 2016 at 6:35pm CST by Zachary Links

JUNE 14: Unsurprisingly, Saints head coach Sean Payton said today that 2016 is likely lost for Kikaha. As of now, it remains unknown what type of procedure Kikaha will have to undergo to repair his knee, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. In better news, Payton doesn’t see this as a career-threatening injury.

JUNE 9: Awful news for Saints defensive end Hau’oli Kikaha as he has suffered a torn ACL in his left knee (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports). Given the severity of the injury, Kikaha is likely done for the season.

[RELATED: Saints Sign Roman Harper]

Unfortunately, this is not new territory for Kikaha as he also suffered two ACL tears in college. The 2015 second-round pick was able to come back strong from both of those ACL tears, but he is surely frustrated with this latest setback.

In his final season at Washington, Kikaha led the nation with 19 sacks and had at least one sack in 13 of his 14 games. The strong performance in his final year marked a tremendous comeback for Kikaha, who torn his ACL as a frosh in 2011 and again as a medical redshirt freshman in 2012.

Last year, the 23-year-old (24 in July) appeared in 15 games and made 11 starts for New Orleans. In that time, he racked up 4 sacks, 50 total tackles, two passes defended, four forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Darius Slay Wants Top 7 Cornerback Money

June 14th, 2016 at 6:26pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Lions’ Darius Slay is coming off his second straight 16-start, two-interception season, one in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best cornerback in the NFL. As a result of his on-field excellence, Slay – now in a contract year – wants to be paid like one of the league’s top seven corners on his next deal, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

In assessing his own performance, the 2013 second-round pick from Mississippi State said, “Right now I’ll say top seven, just cause as long as (Darrelle) Revis is in the game, he’s going to be the best corner to me. (Richard) Sherman’s the best, 24 picks in three years, nobody ain’t do that. Pat P (Peterson) of course. I love Chris Harris’ game. (Aqib) Talib. Joe Haden. I feel like them are the real elite, elite, elite guys, so I feel like I’m an elite guy, but I feel like I got to keep working to get to their level because they’re elite.”

As of now, the seven highest-paid corners in the league average roughly $14MM per year in salary and nearly $7.3MM in annual guarantees. Prices for high-end corners have continued rising since last season, with the likes of Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins scoring massive contracts in free agency.

Regardless of the exact amount it takes to lock up Slay, the 25-year-old hopes the Lions are the ones doling out his checks for the foreseeable future. Slay, who hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent in January and subsequently approached the Lions about an extension, told Birkett that he wants to remain in the Motor City for the long haul.

“I love the city, I love the fans, so that’s why I came to them and asked them for it,” he stated.

As for a time frame on an extension, Slay is aiming for sometime this summer, he told Birkett.

“I don’t really know why it’s that important, but I feel like it should be done then,” Slay said.

Slay is currently on track to earn just under $1MM in 2016.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Weddle

June 14th, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Safety Eric Weddle spurned other teams’ offers to sign a four-year, $26MM with the Ravens during the winter. One of the clubs that had interest in Weddle was the hated AFC North rival Steelers, and the three-time Pro Bowl defender revealed today that he and Ben Roethlisberger talked throughout the free agent process (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “Hopefully I get a lot of wins and interceptions against him,” said Weddle. “And maybe sprinkle in a few touchdowns.”

Todd Herremans Working Out For Ravens

June 14th, 2016 at 4:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent offensive lineman Todd Herremans is working out for the Ravens at their minicamp, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).

Herremans has been unemployed since the Colts released the 33-year-old last December and there hasn’t been any reported interest in him until now. Last season’s outcome wasn’t what Herremans or the Colts envisioned when the club signed him to a one-year, $2.25MM deal in March 2015. Prior to earning his release, Herremans started in just two of eight games and was inactive five times, as ESPN’s Mike Wells notes (on Twitter).

Before landing in Indy, Herremans was long a reliable lineman as a member of the Eagles, with whom he appeared in 127 games and racked up 124 starts from 2005-14. One of his coaches in Philadelphia was Juan Castillo, who’s now at the helm of the Ravens’ offensive line. If Herremans ends up in Baltimore, he’d likely serve as depth on the right side behind elite guard Marshal Yanda and tackle Rick Wagner.

In other Ravens notes, the team got good news today on second-year receiver Breshad Perriman. It was previously feared Perriman had a torn ACL, but that isn’t the case. He should be ready to go for Week 1.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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