2017 February - Pro Football Rumors

Jets CB Darrelle Revis’ Hearing Postponed

February 21st, 2017 at 6:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis‘ preliminary hearing on charges stemming from an altercation in which two men were knocked unconscious was originally supposed to take place on Thursday but now won’t get underway until March 15, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links).

The hearing’s new date is critical for a number of reasons, most of them financial and most of them negative (at least, from the Jets’ point of view). Revis is due a $2MM roster bonus on March 10, so New York won’t have any sense of Revis’ legal status before a decision is due on that payment. Moreover, free agency begins one day earlier on March 9, so Gang Green will have to wade into the open market without knowing where it stands with Revis.

Additionally, the league and/or the Jets are unlikely to levy any sort of disciplinary suspension on Revis until his case is sorted out. Revis is due $6MM in guaranteed base salary in 2017, however, so if New York releases him before a ban is enacted (and potentially wipes out his remaining guarantees), the club will be on the hook for that entire total.

From a legal perspective, the fact that Revis’ hearing is being rescheduled could mean a settlement is in the works, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hypothetically, a deal for reduced or dropped charges could lead the NFL or the Jets to look upon Revis with greater favor. For his part, Revis (and/or his associates) have reportedly told New York management that a member of Revis’ entourage punched the two men, not Revis himself, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

OL Geoff Schwartz Announces Retirement

February 21st, 2017 at 5:44pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Longtime NFL offensive lineman Geoff Schwartz announced his retirement today, writing on SB Nation today that he’s decided to hang up his cleats.

Schwartz, 30, spent last summer on the Lions’ offseason roster after signing a one-year, minimum salary benefit deal with Detroit. Expected to serve as a reserve at several positions along the line, Schwartz was waived at the end of August. As he writes in his retirement piece, Schwartz fully expected to land another contract after parting ways with the Lions, but after weeks passed with no contact from interested clubs, Schwartz realized his career was likely over.

Nevertheless, Schwartz’s seven-year NFL run can’t be considered anything other than a success, especially given that Schwartz entered the league as seventh-round pick and suffered a devastating hip injury soon after becoming an established starter. After bouncing around with the Panthers and Vikings, Schwartz played his best ball with the Chiefs in 2013, grading as one of the best guards in the NFL.

After parlaying his seven-game starter stint in Kansas City into a four-year deal with the Giants, Schwartz dealt with injury once again, managing to play in only 13 games over two seasons thanks to ankle, toe, and leg issues. Having struggled to stay on the field, Schwartz was released by New York last February.

Schwartz has already begun his post-NFL career in media: not only does he pen excellent pieces at SB Nation, but he’s co-authored a book with his brother, Chiefs offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz. For offensive line junkies, Schwartz’s Twitter account is a must-follow, as is his podcast.

Bears Shopping Jay Cutler

February 21st, 2017 at 5:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Bears are “actively” looking to trade quarterback Jay Cutler, according to Jeff Darlington of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cutler was informed of Chicago’s plan when it began in mid-January, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

Chicago is expected to move on from Cutler this offseason, and while a release still looks like the expected outcome, a trade is certainly possible given the dearth of signal-callers around the league. Cutler, 33, is signed for four more seasons with cap charges between $16MM and $21.7MM each year. Nearly all of those figures are tied up in base salary, so while an acquiring club would be responsible for those totals, none of that money is guaranteed, meaning Cutler would essentially be a year-to-year proposition.

In the past month, Cutler has been loosely linked to a couple of quarterback-needy teams, including the 49ers and Jets, though no club has expressed solid interest (the Cardinals, for one, are decidedly not interested). That no team has begun strong negotiations for Cutler is unsurprising given both his salary and the results of his 2016 campaign, during which he was hampered by injuries and managed a Total Quarterback Rating of just 33.1 in five starts.

Dealing Cutler would allow the Bears to not only clear $14MM in cap space (vaulting them into the top-five in terms of NFL room), but signify the official start of Chicago’s hunt for a new quarterback. Matt Barkley remains on the roster as a restricted free agent, while veteran Brian Hoyer is unrestricted but could be retained. However, the Bears will likely explore all avenues as it searches for a franchise passer, undertaking a lengthy exercise by scouring both the draft and trade market.

Former LB DeMeco Ryans Joins 49ers Staff

February 21st, 2017 at 3:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Last summer, linebacker DeMeco Ryans pushed hard to continue his NFL career. Unfortunately, he was unable to find a landing spot in 2016. Now on the verge of his 33rd birthday, Ryans is apparently done playing. Ryans has signed on with the 49ers’ coaching staff as a defensive quality control coach, which signifies that he is officially retired.

Ryans, released by the Eagles this time last year, spent four seasons in Philadelphia after playing for the Texans for his first six years in the NFL. A two-time Pro Bowler in Houston, Ryans had two strong seasons with the Eagles before an Achilles injury and a reduced role slowed him down. In 2015, he recorded 49 tackles to go along with an interception, a forced fumble, and five passes defended.

When he was unable to find a gig last summer, Ryans indicated that he was comfortable with calling it quits. In July, Dallas Robinson of PFR proposed Ryans as a replacement for Rolando McClain, but Dallas went in a different direction. After a lack of real interest from around the league, Ryans will now begin the next chapter of his football life.

Panthers Cut FB Mike Tolbert

February 21st, 2017 at 12:44pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are making some major moves today. Moments after releasing defensive tackle Paul Soliai comes word that the Panthers are also cutting fullback Mike Tolbert (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com).

Tolbert is coming off of his third career Pro Bowl selection, all of which have come with the Panthers. In his five years with Carolina, Tolbert has also garnered two First Team All-Pro nods (2013, 2015). We can safely assume that Tolbert is being cut for cap purposes rather than football reasons. Tolbert was set to carry a $2.075MM cap charge but the team will clear $1.725MM in space by cutting him.

Historically, the Panthers gave Tolbert a decent amount of work as a running back in their offense. In 2016, however, he had only 35 carries – the lowest total of his Panthers career. Teams looking for a lead blocker with goal line ability will be getting in touch with Tolbert’s agent over the next few weeks.

Cardinals Not Interested In Jay Cutler

February 21st, 2017 at 12:33pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier this week, Peter King of The MMQB.com mused that a deal between quarterback Jay Cutler and the Cardinals this offseason wouldn’t be “shocking.” Apparently, Cutler signing in Arizona would indeed be a surprise. The Cardinals have zero interest in Jay Cutler, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets.

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians isn’t afraid to take chances on veteran players and his offenses tend to take chances deep down the field. Still, Cutler apparently isn’t of interest to the Cardinals. While the Cardinals are looking for a quarterback who can take over after Carson Palmer retires, they’d probably prefer to groom a younger player instead of signing a QB on the wrong side of 30 who would rather be starting somewhere else.

Cutler and the Bears are likely to part ways this offseason. It’s not clear where Cutler might land after that point and that’s probably because he’s more of a Plan B or Plan C guy than anyone’s primary target. Cutler, 34 in April, may or may not be a fit for the Jets. The 49ers could also have interest in Cutler as a transitional QB.

Panthers To Release DT Paul Soliai

February 21st, 2017 at 12:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers are cutting defensive tackle Paul Soliai, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Soliai signed a two-year, $7MM deal with Carolina just one year ago.

Soliai, 33, joined up with the Panthers after spending several years with the Dolphins and two seasons with the rival Falcons. This year, he was only able to appear in ten games for his new team and finished out the year with eight total tackles. For his limited time on the field, he had a dreadful 47.6 out of 100 score on Pro Football Focus.

Per the terms of his deal, Soliai was scheduled to collect on a $500K roster bonus on the fifth day of the 2017 league year. By informing him of his release today, the Panthers are giving Soliai several extra weeks to find his next NFL home. He might not be able to replicate his 2013 season, but he does offer plenty of experience and he is capable of playing in either a 4-3 or 3-4 scheme.

Latest On DeSean Jackson

February 21st, 2017 at 11:33am CST by Zachary Links

For months now, there has been speculation about DeSean Jackson returning to the Eagles via free agency this offseason. The wide receiver hasn’t done much to stop that talk with his latest comments to ESPN’s Adam Schefter (audio link).

“It definitely is a great story or ending, I guess you could say,” Jackson said (via PFT). “Starting your career somewhere then going to a division rival team [and] having the possibility of maybe going back. You just kind of think about all of that when you start somewhere maybe you could finish it. There is just a lot of speculation of a lot of thoughts. It all sounds good, but you really never know until the final decision is made. I’m just a firm believer that if you work hard, you put in the work, continuously go out there and show everybody what you’re capable of [then] the sky’s the limit.”

Jackson is reportedly eyeing a return to the Eagles, though he is also on the record as saying that he wants to stay with the Redskins. Jackson, 30, could be on the verge of losing his trademark speed, but he was still productive last year as he hauled in 56 catches for 1,005 yards and four touchdowns. There will be a healthy market waiting for Jackson in March and the Eagles won’t be the only team pursuing him. That group of suitors could include the Buccaneers. Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears the Bucs could be a possible destination for DJax and his relationship with quarterback Jameis Winston could help to facilitate a deal.

Jets, 3 Teams Offer Deals To K’Waun Williams

February 21st, 2017 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets have offered a contract to free agent cornerback K’Waun Williams, a league source tells Darryl Slater of NJ.com. The same source says that Williams also has contract offers from three other teams. Williams is expected to choose one of the offers later this week.

In addition to the Jets, Williams has also drawn interest from the Lions, 49ers, Vikings, and Dolphins. At this time, it’s not clear which of those teams have put contracts on the table. Williams, 26 this summer, could be drawn to the Jets because he grew up in Paterson, New Jersey and played at Montvale’s Saint Joseph Regional High. Ultimately, however, he’ll probably base his decision on playing time and lean towards any team willing to give him a partial guarantee on his deal.

Last summer, the slot corner was embroiled in a high-profile spat with the Browns organization. The Browns suspended Williams for “conduct detrimental to the team” when he independently decided that he could not play in the team’s first preseason game because of his ankle condition. Later, Williams had to have an operation to remove painful bone spurs and he is now pushing for the team to reimburse him for his 2016 $600K salary.

Kirk Cousins Won’t Sign Extension Before Franchise Deadline

February 20th, 2017 at 9:36pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Pending free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t planning to ink an extension with the Redskins before the franchise tag deadline on March 1, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Because Cousins signed the franchise tender last season, he’d be due a 120% raise if tagged again this offseason, meaning he’d be entitled to a one-year, fully guaranteed salary of $23.94MM. As such, Cousins’ financial calculation is a simple one: not only would accepting the tag force Washington to work off that nearly $24MM total in negotiations, but Cousins can point to exact numbers in terms of guaranteed money on a long-term deal.

As Florio writes, a tag in 2017 plus another 120% raise in 2018 would equal more than $52MM in guarantees over the next two seasons, and Cousins would be unlikely to accept any figure that comes in south of that total on an extension. Plus, Cousins will probably sign the franchise tender immediately (as he did in 2016), thus backing the Redskins into a position where Cousins has nothing to lose.

Washington reportedly wants to reach a long-term deal with Cousins, but as of earlier this month, the two parties hadn’t made much progress towards an extension. At one point, Redskins management may have considered letting Cousins gauge his value on the open market, but that won’t happen now that Cousins backers Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay are now in head coaching positions.