2017 February - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Bucs, Saints, Lions, 49ers

February 23rd, 2017 at 7:25pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston lobbed on Wednesday for the club to sign Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson in free agency, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. “I’ve met him before, and we want DeSean. You better believe we want DeSean here,” Winston said. “I think he would be a great asset to our team. Me growing up an Eagles fan, seeing what he did for the Eagles and back in his Cal days and even with the Redskins, I would love to have DeSean.” The 30-year-old Jackson is coming off his fifth 1,000-yard season and might command upward of $10MM annually on the open market. Tampa Bay is among the NFL’s leaders in cap space, though, and PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted Monday that the speedy Jackson could be a fit for its receiver-needy offense.

Vikes Notes: AP, QBs, Kalil, Floyd, Greenway

February 23rd, 2017 at 6:22pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a $6MM roster bonus due March 11, two days after the market opens, but general manager Rick Spielman told reporters Thursday that the rusher’s future “will get addressed here before free agency starts” (via Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune). Spielman hasn’t yet spoken to Peterson or his representative, but it’s fair to suggest that the Vikings likely won’t exercise the seven-time Pro Bowler’s option. Even if they don’t, though, Spielman indicated he’s amenable to bringing back the soon-to-be 32-year-old Peterson at a lesser cost in 2017. “If we don’t exercise that option, we always will keep the door open on all of our players,” Spielman said.

Regardless of whether Peterson returns next season as Minnesota’s No. 1 back, it has “got to run the football better,” head coach Mike Zimmer told Lindsey Young of the team’s website. The Vikings finished dead last in rushing (1,205) and yards per carry (3.2) last season, and barely having Peterson available didn’t help. While Peterson posted a microscopic 1.9 YPC, he did it over just 37 carries, having missed most of the year because of a torn meniscus.

4 To 5 Teams Interested In Josh McCown

February 23rd, 2017 at 5:34pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Having landed on the open market when the Browns released him Feb. 7, quarterback Josh McCown isn’t going to have difficulty finding work in free agency this offseason. The soon-to-be 38-year-old has spoken to four or five interested suitors over the past couple weeks, though he’s going to take his time picking his next club, he informed SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday (Twitter links here).

Unless McCown ends up with a previous employer, the team he chooses this year will be his 10th in the NFL since the Cardinals used a third-round pick on him in 2002. The journeyman has typically served as a backup, having started double-digit games in just two seasons, and indicated he’d like to mentor a young signal-caller if he takes on a reserve role with his next team. McCown also regards proximity to his home state, Texas, and joining a contending club as important factors.

Speculatively, McCown’s list of preferences could point him to Dak Prescott-led Dallas, which will trade or release backup Tony Romo and could lose both Mark Sanchez and Kellen Moore to free agency. It’s also worth noting that the Cowboys showed interest in acquiring McCown from the Browns when Romo suffered a back injury last summer.

McCown ultimately stayed in Cleveland in 2016, of course, and totaled five appearances (three starts) with the 1-15 Browns as he battled injuries. When on the field, McCown completed 54.5 percent of passes, averaged 6.7 yards per attempt and tossed six touchdowns against six interceptions. During his 82-game, 60-start career, McCown has posted fairly similar numbers to his 2016 output (59.1 percent completion rate, 6.7 YPA and 79 scores against 69 picks).

Broncos Could Pursue Andrew Whitworth

February 23rd, 2017 at 5:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the Broncos set to move on from left tackle Russell Okung, they’ll need to find a new blindside protector for their quarterback – whomever it may be – in 2017. Here’s some good news for that QB: The expectation is the Broncos will show interest in the best pending free agent tackle in this year’s class, the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth, if he reaches the market March 9, reports Troy Renck of Denver7.

The Bengals are prioritizing re-signing Whitworth, who has spent his entire 11-year career with the club since it selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft. However, Whitworth is open to departing Cincinnati in advance of his age-36 season.

“I love Cincinnati and I want to be there,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “I’m pretty positive that things will work out in a way that I’ll be there again, but I want to take advantage of the opportunity of being free and listen to what other people have to say. I think that’s the right way to do it.”

Should Whitworth leave Cincy for Denver, it would be a major blow to the former and a significant boon for the latter. Whitworth, after all, has been both durable and effective during his career, having logged nine 16-appearance, 16-start regular seasons and earned three Pro Bowl nods. He’s now fresh off his second straight Pro Bowl campaign, having ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best tackle among 78 qualifiers in 2016. Whitworth made $9MM last season and would be within reason to push for a raise on a short-term contract in the coming weeks.

Alterraun Verner Drawing Interest

February 23rd, 2017 at 4:51pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It doesn’t appear free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner will go without an employer for long. Since the Buccaneers released Verner on Thursday afternoon, four to five teams have expressed interest in the seven-year veteran, he told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Verner also thanked the Bucs for their decision to release him early, thereby enabling the 28-year-old to reach the open market a couple weeks in advance of March 9.

A fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2010, Verner has appeared in 16 regular-season games in all but one campaign, 2014, and he only missed two contests then. The 5-foot-10, 181-pounder has also racked up 70 starts and 15 interceptions, though he saw his playing time wane dramatically over the past two seasons. Verner started just three games in 2016, tying a career low, and only appeared in 22.8 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive plays.

Verner, who will now look to join his third team, likely won’t approach the four-year, $25.5MM pact he inked with the Bucs as a free agent in 2014. At that point, he was a 25-year-old coming off a second-team All-Pro season. Nevertheless, he could be of interest to clubs that aren’t in position to pay premium prices for pending free agent corners like A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, Logan Ryan and Stephon Gilmore, among others.

Jets Release Breno Giacomini, Nick Folk

February 23rd, 2017 at 2:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets’ spring cleaning is underway. The Jets have announced the release of former starting right tackle Breno Giacomini and kicker Nick Folk.

Giacomini was slated to count for $5.1MM against the cap, but the Jets will save $4.5MM by cutting him. Folk, meanwhile, was scheduled to carry a $3.6MM cap number and his release means $3MM in savings. In total, the Jets have created $7.5MM in cap room between these two moves.

The release of Giacomini has been long expected. Last year, injuries limited him to just 266 total snaps. He did not see enough action to qualify for ranking, but his 44.3 overall score from Pro Football Focus would have placed him among the 15 worst tackles in the NFL. After Ryan Clady was let go, Giacomini stood the team’s only tackle with significant starting experience, but that did not Gang Green from going cheaper and younger. Giacomini will turn 32 in September.

Folk, 33 in November, connected on 27 of his 31 field goals last year, good for an 87.1% mark. He also went 24-for-26 on extra points. Folk finishes his Jets career with the second-most field goals made in franchise history. He has converted on 175 three-point tries with Gang Green in addition to his 64 makes with the Cowboys.

Buccaneers To Cut CB Alterraun Verner

February 23rd, 2017 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers are releasing cornerback Alterraun Verner today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter).

Verner has not lived up to expectations in his three seasons in south Florida. The 28-year-old was scheduled carry a $6.5MM cap number in 2017, a number that was not at all palatable for Tampa Bay. Verner hasn’t been a regular starter since 2015 and last season he did not show any signs of getting back to his old form. In 16 games, he made three starts and finished the year with 12 total tackles and seven passes defensed. Verner saw only 241 snaps on the year, putting him far behind Brent Grimes and Vernon Hargreaves in terms of playing time.

Verner will now enter a competitive free agent cornerback market. As of this writing, A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, Logan Ryan, Stephon Gilmore, Prince Amukamara, Morris Claiborne, and Dre Kirkpatrick are all potential unrestricted free agents.

Broncos To Decline Russell Okung’s Option

February 23rd, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have informed Russell Okung they will not be picking up his option, according to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The option was technically for $1MM, but it would have triggered a four-year, $48MM deal with $20.5MM in guaranteed cash.

Last year, Okung made the unusual decision of negotiating his free agent deal without the help of an agent. Although the pact came with the possibility of guaranteed money for 2017 and beyond, there was really nothing in guaranteed cash at the time of signing. If Okung had an agent at the time, it’s hard to imagine that he would have ever agreed to such terms. After all, even minimum-salary players often receive guaranteed $80K signing bonuses. He also put himself behind the 8-ball since agent-less players cannot interact with teams during the legal tampering period before free agency officially starts.

Okung bet on himself and his gamble did not pay off. Although he turned in his first-career 16-game season, the advanced stats at Pro Football Focus gave him a 73.5 grade, which placed him as the No. 38 tackle in the NFL last year. Okung drew a dreadful 55.0 score for his pass blocking, though his 79.7 run blocking grade was the 21st best showing in the league in 2016.

This year’s free agent tackle class currently includes Andrew Whitworth, Ricky Wagner, Kelvin Beachum, Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, and other notable names. It’s not the strongest OT crop I’ve seen, but Okung ranks no better than the third tackle in this group in my estimation.

Mitch Trubisky Will Throw At Combine

February 23rd, 2017 at 11:07am CST by Zachary Links

North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky could be the first quarterback off the board and possibly the first player drafted in April. Sometimes, elite QB prospects like him forego drills at the combine, but he’ll be throwing for scouts in Indianapolis, his father tells Mark Podolski of the News Herald.

Trubisky will participate in most of the drills offered at the combine, including the 40-yard dash. However, he will not do the bench press. Texas Tech quarterback Patrick Mahomes II has a similar gameplan and will not attempt to bench 225 pounds as many times as possible (via Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com). Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson told The Associated Press that he plans to do “everything” when it comes to combine drills (link via The Associated Press). Ditto for Cal’s Davis Webb (via Dalton Johnson of CSNBayArea.com). Overall, it sounds like most of this year’s top quarterbacks will be full or near full participants in the Underwear Olympics.

Trubisky’s biggest test might not be in the drills, but in the measurements portion of the combine. His high school coach told the News Herald that he is a legit 6’2″, but there are rumors that he is actually under 6’1″. That may not sound like a big deal, but only two QBs at 6’1″ and under (Johnny Manziel and Rex Grossman) have been selected in the first round in the last 15 years.

Eagles To Retain Jason Peters

February 23rd, 2017 at 9:00am CST by Zachary Links

Despite some speculation to the contrary, left tackle Jason Peters will be back with the Eagles in 2017, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Peters was is set to earn a $9.95MM base salary in the coming year, according to Rapoport, though Over The Cap has his base pay listed as $10.45MM.

Earlier this month, the Eagles approached Peters about taking a pay cut. Apparently, those talks were not fruitful, but the Eagles are still willing to keep Peters at his current salary. The 35-year-old may be pricey, but he is still one of the best tackles in the game. Last season, Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics placed Peters as the eighth-best tackle in the entire league. His 88.3 overall score on PFF ranks as the third-highest showing of his career. In short: Peters is as good as ever and the Eagles are unwilling to leave Carson Wentz‘s blindside exposed.

For his career, Peters has made nine Pro Bowls and is a three-time first-team All-Pro.