2017 January - Pro Football Rumors

Month: November 2024

NFLPA Pushing For Less Strict Weed Policy

January 26th, 2017 at 9:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The NFLPA is preparing a proposal that would bring the issue of marijuana punishment to the forefront. Union executive director DeMaurice Smith said, via Mark Maske of the Washington Post, the goal of this will be a “less punitive” system regarding marijuana.

The league relaxed its policy to a point in 2014 by raising the standard by which a player could be suspended for the drug, with it now requiring four positive or missed tests to trigger a four-game ban. But this push for further loosening the restrictions on weed would again require a resolution between the league and the union. That’s obviously a complex process, and as Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes, the union should be prepared to make a concession to the league if it wants this to work.

“I do think that issues of addressing it more in a treatment and less punitive measure is appropriate,” Smith said at a meeting with the Washington Post reporters and editors. “I think it’s important to look at whether there are addiction issues. And I think it’s important to not simply assume recreation is the reason it’s being used.”

This comes as the NFLPA formed a committee centering on the usage of marijuana as a pain management tool, and that decision could shape this latest effort. The NFLPA plans to pitch the proposal to its board of player representatives before pursuing a deal with the NFL. The league said in the past it’s open to changing its policy on marijuana but only because of advisement from medical experts. Executives surveyed in November leaned toward a more lenient policy.

Florio also points out the country’s gradual relaxation on this drug, with several states having legalized it for recreational use in addition to medicinal use, could be set for a change after Jeff Sessions entered the picture as the potential Attorney General. The senator has argued against legalization in the past, and if he helps move the country to a stricter place on weed, Florio notes the NFL would have a tougher time considering a proposal that softens its stance.

Steelers To Re-Sign Cobi Hamilton

January 26th, 2017 at 8:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

As injuries and suspensions affected the Steelers’ pass-catching contingent this season, they became more reliant on lesser-known commodities. They will bring back one of them after agreeing to a one-year deal with wide receiver Cobi Hamilton, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com tweets. The sides came to an agreement earlier this week.

Hamilton resided as an exclusive rights free agent entering the Steelers’ offseason, and this deal is the second Pittsburgh signing today. The team signed ERFA Roosevelt Nix as well.

A former sixth-round Bengals pick in 2013, Hamilton did not record a reception from 2013-15 and spent the first half of this season on the Steelers’ practice squad. But the team promoted him and saw the 26-year-old target start eight games, catch 17 passes for 234 yards and score two touchdowns during the regular season. He and UDFA Eli Rogers became the Steelers’ top auxiliary receivers after the suspension of Martavis Bryant and injuries to Markus Wheaton and Sammie Coates. Hamilton caught Ben Roethlisberger‘s only touchdown pass in the AFC championship game on what became a rough day for Pittsburgh’s passing attack.

Wheaton is a UFA and Bryant has an uncertain road back to reinstatement, so Hamilton could again compete for a spot as a relevant cog in Todd Haley‘s offense.

Bengals Undecided On Adam Jones Return

January 26th, 2017 at 7:28pm CST by Sam Robinson

Adam Jones‘ recent arrest casts a shadow over his status with the 2017 Bengals. Despite the Bengals having signed the 33-year-old cornerback to a three-year deal last year, team sources told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer a consensus about Jones’ status in Cincinnati next season hasn’t been determined.

The controversial corner signed a $22MM deal last March, but this event could end his time with the Bengals. Jones may face a suspension for his actions on Jan. 3, and the Bengals do not plan to finalize their decision on Jones returning until a review of all the information surrounding the case concludes, Owczarski reports. The team has yet to make any public comments, other than an apology on Jan. 23, but is considering a potential future without him.

Cutting Jones before June 1 would save the Bengals $6.8MM while costing them $1.3MM in 2017 dead money. Cincinnati’s employed Jones since 2010 and has Dre Kirkpatrick as an impending UFA. But the Bengals still employ two former first-round picks in Darqueze Dennard and William Jackson III. Jones and Kirkpatrick rated as the Bengals’ top corners in 2016 in the opinion of Pro Football Focus, with 2015 fourth-rounder Josh Shaw being tabbed as the team’s No. 3 most productive player there.

Jones faces a felony charge for harassment with a bodily substance, along with misdemeanor charges for assault, disorderly conduct and obstructing police. He will turn 34 in September.

Dave Gettleman On Tackles, Oher, UFAs

January 26th, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Sam Robinson

Coming off one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history, the Panthers are set to make their first draft pick at No. 8. A position the team could look to target is tackle, where its incumbents have uncertain futures and potentially lower career trajectories than talents available at 8. But GM Dave Gettleman doesn’t hold this incoming tackle class in particularly high regard.

“It’s not great,” Gettleman said, via Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer, of the 2017 tackle class. “Here’s the other thing. In the past I’ve gotten killed for not drafting tackles. I’ll tell you right now, if you overdraft a guy, you’re going to be upset. The coaches are going to be upset. The team is going to be upset. Everybody’s going to be mad at the guy, and it’s not his fault. … I just will not reach. No matter how bad the perceived need is, I’m not going to reach.”

Alabama’s Cam Robinson, Wisconsin’s Ryan Ramczyk and Utah’s Garrett Bolles are viewed as first-round talents. Mike Remmers will be a UFA, and Michael Oher‘s future is uncertain after a severe concussion forced the recently re-signed left tackle to IR. The team drafted Daryl Williams in the fourth round in 2015 and started him in 10 games in his second season. As for Oher, signed to a three-year deal worth $21.6MM last offseason, Gettleman does not know about his 2017 status but will gauge the veteran tackle market for depth purposes if nothing else.

“You want to have as good a set of backup players as you can. Where we’re at right now is we’re gonna look at players, because right now we just don’t know,” he said. “I haven’t spoken to Michael in a little bit. I haven’t texted with him in a little bit. I want to back off and leave him alone. Because we want what’s best for Michael, really and truly. … We’re gonna look [at tackle options] but it’s more a function of making sure you build your team as strong as you can, because the backups play.”

The Panthers have a sizable collection of noteworthy free agents, including Kawann Short, Mario Addison, Charles Johnson and Ted Ginn. Gettleman said the staff is in the process of determining who the team wants to retain. Addison said recently he wants to come back, and Johnson would be interested in returning as well after re-signing with the Panthers on a one-year deal last March. Rodrigue estimates Ginn will be a priority, along with Short. Ginn changed agents earlier this month, with Drew Rosenhaus now representing the 31-year-old wideout.

“We’re not doing rocket science,” he said. “Anybody could identify the guys [with whom] we’re trying to get deals done. And I really believe deals get done when they’re supposed to be done. I know we’re reasonable, and every agent that we’ve dealt with to this point has been very reasonable.”

AFC North Notes: Browns, Steelers, Ravens

January 26th, 2017 at 5:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

Should the Browns‘ newly assembled power structure consult the team’s franchise player about a plan for the No. 1 overall pick, Joe Thomas would not use it on a quarterback. Going into his 11th year, the perennial All-Pro left tackle would rather see his team use the selection to bolster the pass rush.

“I think you need to get a pass-rusher,” Thomas said on the Dan Patrick Show today (via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com). “… You gotta be careful reaching for a quarterback at No. 1 because if they fail, they don’t help your team at all. Whereas if you pick a defensive lineman and maybe they don’t live up to the hype, you can still find a place to get him on the field and to have an impact. We need guys that can come in and start and that can contribute.”

Thomas, who has two years left on his Browns deal and will turn 33 during the 2017 season, said in the past the Browns need to identify a franchise quarterback. There isn’t a better spot to do that than the No. 1 pick. But this quarterback class — fronted by Deshaun Watson, DeShone Kizer and Cleveland-area product Mitch Trubisky — has divided scouts. The Browns have been reportedly coveting Texas A&M’s Myles Garrett at No. 1 and considering a Watson pick at No. 12. But obviously, the versatile Clemson talent is no lock to be there when Cleveland’s second first-round window opens, given quarterback prospects’ rises as drafts near.

Here’s more from northeast Ohio and some other regions housing AFC North franchises.

Jamie Collins‘ four-year, $50MM extension will pay $37.5MM in its first three years before containing no guaranteed money during the 2020 season, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Collins will also receive a $5MM signing bonus as part of the deal (per Howe, on Twitter) which includes $26.5MM guaranteed.
Negotiations between the Ravens and UFA nose tackle Brandon Williams have not yet begun but are expected to commence before he hits the market, Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun notes. Even before Zach Orr‘s retirement, Williams was set to be the top priority, per Preston, for a Ravens team that’s lost numerous talents in free agency in recent years. It’s a big year for free agent defensive tackles, with Dontari Poe and Kawann Short residing as impending UFAs.
The Ravens tied up some loose ends on their coaching staff today, per the Baltimore Sun’s Jeff Zreibec (on Twitter). Chris Hewitt will take over new Bills DC Leslie Frazier‘s position as secondary coach, and Mike MacDonald will assist him, Zreibec tweets. Craig Ver Steeg, a nine-year Ravens offensive assistant, will coach quarterbacks, will slide over from skill-position assistance to helping QBs coach/OC Marty Mornhinweg with the signal-callers, Zreibec notes (on Twitter). Drew Wilkins will serve as the assistant defensive line coach. Each of these staffers’ assignment changes represents an internal promotion.
The Steelers could determine another year with Ladarius Green is too risky, Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette notes. Green will enter his sixth season after experiencing a disastrous fifth, playing in just six games. However, he averaged 50.7 yards per game and made several big plays when healthy. But concussion issues dogged Green to the point Mike Tomlin said a decision needs to be made about the tight end. “I don’t have an assessment, long-term, of where he is,” Tomlin said. “I think that’s one of the chief medical decisions and questions that we have to have moving forward, in terms of guys getting an assessment of their overall health and what it means for 2017.” A Green cut will cost the Steelers $3.56MM in dead money while saving the team barely $2MM. Green said earlier this week he does not intend to retire.
Antonio Brown‘s constant desire for targets has rubbed many teammates the wrong way, but his occasionally selfish ways aren’t viewed as detrimental to the team, Gerry Dulac of the Post-Gazette writes. Ben Roethlisberger has told the All-Pro wideout to “shut up” multiple times on the field, and since-retired tight end Heath Miller told Brown to “stop complaining about not getting the ball” at a 2015 practice. However, Dulac notes Brown not a problem in the locker room. This could be a key point as Brown’s payday looms.

AFC Notes: Jaguars, Bills, Dolphins

January 26th, 2017 at 3:24pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although quarterback Blake Bortles has been a disappointment since the Jaguars drafted him third overall in 2014, the organization remains bullish on the soon-to-be 25-year-old. “I’ve said this time and time again: ‘I think we can win a lot of games with Blake; I think we can win a Super Bowl with Blake,” general manager Dave Caldwell told John Oehser of the team’s website. “I think he needs to improve and I think we need to improve around him, too, in order for that to happen.” The Jags amassed just three wins this season with Bortles, who went backward after a promising 2015. Bortles’ interception total decreased from 18 to 16, but he threw 12 fewer touchdowns than his 35-score 2015 and averaged a paltry 6.2 yards per attempt after posting a 7.3 YPA the previous year.

More on Bortles-led Jacksonville and a couple of its conference rivals:

Whether pending free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore will return to the Bills in 2017 is “all up to them,” the five-year veteran told Conor Orr of NFL.com. “They seem like they’re going to turn it around out there but, like I said, I don’t know what’s going to happen. They got a decision to make,” said Gilmore, who has spoken on the phone with two prominent members of the Bills’ new staff in head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Gilmore’s overall performance declined in 2016, as he fell from Pro Football Focus’ ninth-ranked corner in 2015 to No. 61, but he did intercept a career-high five passes across 15 starts. While this year’s free agent class could feature other No. 1-caliber corners like A.J. Bouye and Trumaine Johnson, Gilmore is happy to measure his résumé against theirs. “I know the other guys (cornerbacks on the market). But I did it for five years at a high level. I like myself,” he declared.
The Dolphins made a key trade with the Eagles last March to acquire two defenders – cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso – as well as the 13th pick in the draft (offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil) for No. 8. Now, Miami is once again aiming to go the trade route to bolster its roster, executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum informed Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We’re going to look at every avenue to improve the team. That could mean trades that start around the combine, and then we’ll get into free agency,” Tannenbaum said. “Our focus philosophically is we’re going to try to keep our own [free agents] as best we can. But [plan to] be opportunistic via free agency or trades, and draft as well as we can.”
Bills offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio suffered an injury to his hip thanks to a fall at home and had to undergo surgery Wednesday, the team announced. The expectation is that Kouandjio will be ready for training camp. The 2014 second-round pick from Alabama appeared in 12 games and started five in Year 3 of his pro career.
The Jaguars have hired Mark Collins as their new linebackers coach, tweets Sporting News’ Alex Marvez. Collins spent the previous two seasons coaching the Jets’ outside linebackers.

Steelers To Re-Sign Roosevelt Nix

January 26th, 2017 at 2:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Exclusive rights free agent Roosevelt Nix is re-signing with the Steelers, his agent, Bill Parise, told Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com. Nix will ink a one-year deal worth $615K – a mild increase over the $525K he made in 2016.

Nix, 24, originally signed with the Falcons as an undrafted linebacker in 2014. The ex-Kent State Golden Flash switched to fullback in an effort to make the team, but it didn’t work. Nix then spent some of the 2014 season in the Arena Football League before catching on as a fullback in Pittsburgh in 2015.

Nix has only received four touches – all receptions – in two years as a Steeler, though he has appeared in 25 regular-season games and amassed five starts. He was in on 9.2 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps and 38.2 percent of their special teams plays in 2016. If Nix makes the team again next season, indications are he’ll continue to block for star running back Le’Veon Bell – albeit on a limited basis.

Goodell “Disappointed” In Chargers’ Move

January 26th, 2017 at 2:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chargers’ decision to leave their longtime home, San Diego, in favor of Los Angeles has drawn the ire of the NFL’s owners, many of whom are reportedly “very upset.” Commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t thrilled, either, as he told FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd on Thursday that the league is “disappointed” in Chargers owner Dean Spanos’ choice to relocate. Goodell added that the league “did some unprecedented things to try to keep the Chargers in San Diego,” though he didn’t elaborate further (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

One option would have been for Rams owner Stan Kroenke to help pay for a stadium in San Diego, which would have enabled him to keep the Los Angeles market to himself, a league source told Florio. The Chargers still wouldn’t have gotten enough public money for a new facility to come to fruition, however, Florio notes.

On the other hand, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report disputes the idea of Kroenke’s involvement, tweeting that he never offered to help the Chargers remain in San Diego. Had he done so, Kroenke would have had to pay more for his Inglewood stadium, and he could have opened up the LA market to the Raiders – something he didn’t want to do (Twitter links).

Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, the LA situation is settled. The Raiders’ future isn’t, though the franchise did file its relocation papers last week to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Mark Davis-led organization remains hopeful about casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s involvement in a potential stadium, per Cole, who adds that Adelson believes contributing $650MM toward the planned $1.9 billion facility “would aid his legacy.” If Adelson doesn’t end up in the mix, Goldman Sachs would likely pick up the slack, according to Cole. However, whether it’s Adelson or Goldman Sachs helping him, Davis will need 23 of the league’s other 31 owners to sign off on his relocation plan in March. That’s “hardly a formality,” Cole relays (all Twitter links).

On the possibility of placing a team in America’s gambling capital, Goodell told Cowherd (via PFT’s Michael David Smith): “We’ve seen the changes in the culture around the country in gambling. We’re obviously very sensitive to that, but we’re also going to evaluate the Raiders case on the relocation application in what’s in the overall best interests of the league. But one thing we can’t ever do is compromise on the game. That’s one of the things we’ll do is to make sure the policies we’ve created, if we did in any way approve the Raiders, I don’t see us compromising on any of the policies.”

Redskins Want Long-Term Kirk Cousins Deal

January 26th, 2017 at 12:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Multiple teams are set to take a run at quarterback Kirk Cousins if he becomes available as a trade chip or free agent this offseason, but Washington has other plans. The Redskins are aiming to lock up Cousins for the foreseeable future, team president Bruce Allen indicated Wednesday (via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).

“The goal is to get long-term,” said Allen, who added that Cousins “knows our intent.”

The Redskins haven’t begun negotiations with Cousins, but they’ll get underway “shortly,” per Allen. Having posted back-to-back terrific seasons, including a 4,917-yard, 25-touchdown, 12-interception showing in 2016, Cousins is unsurprisingly looking to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal-callers on a long-term pact.

Cousins played this season under the $19.95MM franchise tag, and the Redskins could again tag the 28-year-old by March 1 if they’re unable to work out a deal. However, Cousins’ salary would increase to a guaranteed $23.94MM if he were to play under the tag next season, and it would rise to a sky-high $34.45MM in 2018 in the same scenario. It’s unlikely Washington would tag Cousins at that number, according to John Keim of ESPN.com, meaning he could only have one more year left in D.C. The Redskins seem to have more incentive to reach a multiyear deal than Cousins, who’s in the catbird seat and may have more leverage than any other player in the league.

Cousins stated Thursday that “it’d be great” to stay a Redskin, though he cautioned that it would have to be “under the right set of circumstances” (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Post). Previously, Cousins said Wednesday that while he’d “love to build something in Washington, we’ll see if the decision-makers let that happen” (per Dave Richard of CBSSports.com).

Between Allen’s words and head coach Jay Gruden‘s confidence that Cousins will continue in Washington, the club’s decision-makers are publicly making it clear that they want the five-year veteran in the fold for the long haul. Of course, that doesn’t mean private negotiations will go to either side’s liking.

NFC Notes: 49ers, Eagles, Vikings

January 26th, 2017 at 12:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In their drawn-out quest to find a general manager, the 49ers are down to two finalists – Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals Terry McDonough – but “it’s not a lock” either will end up with the job, a source close to the team told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While there’s a “good chance” one of them will land the role, per the source, the previously reported Mark Dominik “could become involved” if the Niners go in another direction, writes Maiocco.