2017 March - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Kaepernick, 49ers, Bears

March 30th, 2017 at 10:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After talking with general managers at the league meetings, Tom Pelissero of USA Today doesn’t sense that free agent quarterback Colin Kaepernick‘s political beliefs have stopped him from landing a contract. The problem isn’t Kaepernick’s asking price, either; rather, it’s that he needs a specific type of offense to fit his style as a mobile signal-caller who has issues with accuracy and struggles when he has to stay in the pocket. Notably, the 49ers’ new head coach, Kyle Shanahan, indicated to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that they’re not bringing Kaepernick back because he’s not right for their scheme. “I think Colin has a certain skill set that you can put a specific offense to it that he can be very successful in,” said Shanahan. “When we first looked at it … that wasn’t necessarily the direction I wanted to go.”

NFC Notes: Romo, Cowboys, Panthers

March 30th, 2017 at 8:49pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys should bring an end to the Tony Romo saga by April 17, the first day of their offseason workout program, opines Joel Corry of CBS Sports. If Romo is still on their roster then, it would behoove him to report because of a clause in his contract stating his base salary will decrease by $500K if he doesn’t complete at least 90 percent of offseason workouts. But the Cowboys shouldn’t want Romo to report, observes Corry, who points out that both his $14MM salary and $24.7MM for 2017 would become guaranteed if he were to suffer a serious injury in OTAs. While the Cowboys would like to trade Romo, it’s doubtful Romo would renegotiate his contract to facilitate a deal, according to Corry, noting that his three-year, $54MM pact isn’t unreasonable money for a starting QB.

Minor NFL Transactions: 3/30/17

March 30th, 2017 at 7:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Thursday’s minor moves:

The Vikings have signed three participants from last week’s veteran combine – tight end Nick Truesdell, wide receiver Mitch Mathews and Terrell Sinkfield. Truesdell was most recently in the Arena Football League, but he did spend time on the Colts’ practice squad last season. Mathews, who went undrafted out of BYU last year, was on the Chiefs’ and Browns’ practice squads for multiple-month stints in 2016. Sinkfield is the only one of three with previous experience as a Viking, having logged some practice squad time with them last year. He bounced around four other NFL organizations from 2013-15 and has three years’ experience in the Canadian Football League.
Falcons offensive tackle Carter Bykowski has retired, reports Vaughn McClure of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Bykowski, whom the 49ers chose in the seventh round of the 2013 draft, joined the Falcons in 2016 after a stint in Minnesota. He didn’t appear in any regular-season games during his career.

Draft Rumors: Browns, 49ers, Bears, Pack

March 30th, 2017 at 7:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns will host Ohio State safety Malik Hooker for a pre-draft visit Friday, reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. The club is “very high on” Hooker and is considering taking him in the first round, adds Cabot, who notes that it might not be in position to land him. The Browns are likely to take Texas A&M edge rusher Myles Garrett first overall, and Hooker could be off the board when their second selection (No. 12) arrives. Hooker underwent surgeries to repair a sports hernia and a torn labrum Jan. 31, causing him to miss the combine, but he’s still likely to come off the board in the first 10 picks.

In advance of its meeting with Hooker, Cleveland ran Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson through a private workout on the road Thursday, according to Cabot. Watson may well be the Browns’ pick at No. 12.

More of the latest draft notes:

Garrett has upcoming visits with the 49ers and Bears, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. The Niners pick at No. 2 and the Bears are at No. 3, so it’s doubtful either will land Garrett. But it seems the 49ers would jump at the chance of selecting him, as 49ers general manager John Lynch said Thursday at Garrett’s pro day that he “checks all of the boxes” (via Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area).
Add the Packers to the list of teams at least considering drafting Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon. The Pack brought Mixon in for a visit earlier this week, relays Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (Twitter link). At least two teams – the Patriots and Dolphins – have already ruled out a Mixon selection.
The Panthers recently worked out Alabama outside linebacker Ryan Anderson, a source told Matt Zenitz of AL.com (via Twitter). Anderson could be a second-round target for the Panthers, who own the 40th pick.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Buccaneers Possibility For Adrian Peterson?

March 30th, 2017 at 6:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

It might be time to add the Buccaneers to the list of possible landing spots for free agent Adrian Peterson. The running back worked out with Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston on Tuesday, and head coach Dirk Koetter then told Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times he’s “anxious to talk to Jameis and ask him how his workouts went.”

Koetter also called Peterson “one of the best running backs to ever play,” which is obviously true. Nevertheless, the 32-year-old Peterson hasn’t encountered much legitimate interest on the market since the Vikings declined his contract option in late February. Minnesota could have subsequently brought Peterson back for less, but it instead signed Latavius Murray. Conversely, the Lions and Giants haven’t ruled out a Peterson pursuit, though nothing seems to be brewing between the seven-time Pro Bowler and either team.

Interestingly, Peterson indicated in January, when he was still a Viking, that he had the Buccaneers on his radar. Tampa Bay could have a need in the backfield, too, as it only has “loose plans” for starter Doug Martin heading into 2017. Martin earned a four-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs toward the end of last year and will have to sit the first three contests of next season as a result. The ban also turned Martin’s $7MM salary from guaranteed to non-guaranteed, meaning Tampa Bay could easily move on from him if it wants.

“I don’t know what’s going to happen as I sit here today, but right now we’ve got time on our side,” Koetter said regarding Martin’s future.

Aside from Martin, who’s only two years removed from earning first-team All-Pro status, the Buccaneers’ running back depth chart features Jacquizz Rodgers and Charles Sims, neither of whom has ever been a bell cow. Peterson, on the other hand, has eight 200-carry seasons to his name. As was the case with Martin, Peterson was excellent in 2015, when he led the NFL in both rushing attempts (327) and yards (1,485). However, a torn meniscus limited him to three games and 37 carries last year, when he averaged a microscopic 1.9 yards per rush. The injury, Peterson’s most recent performance and his age have all conspired to prevent him from landing a contract this offseason.

Bruce Allen To Scot McCloughan: “Nobody Wants You Here”

March 30th, 2017 at 5:46pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Redskins president Bruce Allen spoke highly of fired general manager Scot McCloughan over the weekend, but it appears their relationship was disastrous behind the scenes. McCloughan relayed details of his two-plus-year tenure in Washington to his friend, former NFL fullback Michael Robinson, who passed along that information to FOX Sports 910 in Richmond, Va., on Thursday (via Michael Phillips of the Richmond Times-Dispatch).

While Allen claims he and McCloughan “had a wonderful relationship,” that wasn’t the case, according to the latter.

“(McCloughan) knew the players loved him, and he started feeling the hate from Bruce Allen right around, well, he’s been feeling it, but when they didn’t let him speak (to reporters) at the Senior Bowl, he said to him that was his last straw, and he knew that he was on his way out,” Robinson stated. “He said it was after a draft meeting, after the combine, Bruce called him up to his office and was just like, ‘Nobody likes you in this building. Nobody wants you here.’ And Scot was like, ‘Well, I guess I’m out of here.'”

After Allen hit McCloughan with the aforementioned gag order during the Senior Bowl, the GM wasn’t present at the scouting combine. The Redskins attributed McCloughan’s absence to the death of his grandmother, but speculation abounded regarding his status with the organization. And when the Redskins fired him shortly after, on March 9, a team official told the Washington Post that McCloughan, who has a history of alcohol abuse, “had multiple relapses” and “showed up in the locker room drunk on multiple occasions.” McCloughan says otherwise.

“He said, ‘Mike, I don’t have an issue right now drinking,'” Robinson revealed. “‘I haven’t touched a drink in a while. But of course they wouldn’t let me say it because they silenced me.'”

It’s possible McCloughan’s next move will be to take legal action against the Redskins, though the two sides could be working on a settlement to avoid litigation, contends Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. And whether McCloughan will land another job in the league is unknown, but it doesn’t seem a return to Seattle, where he worked from 2010-13, is going to happen.

Chris Chester Retires

March 30th, 2017 at 5:12pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent guard Chris Chester won’t be coming back for a 12th season. The 34-year-old has decided to retire, reports Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Chester entered the NFL as a Ravens second-round pick in 2006 and eventually established himself as one of the league’s most durable linemen. The former Oklahoma Sooner last missed a game in 2010, meaning he logged six straight 16-start seasons to conclude his career. Chester spent the previous two years in Atlanta, where he was part of an NFC championship-winning squad last season, but the team wasn’t interested in re-signing the 6-foot-3, 300-pounder and expected him to retire.

Between his five-year Baltimore stint and his pair of campaigns with the Falcons, Chester spent four seasons with the Redskins. All told, he picked up 169 appearances and 143 starts in his career.

Redskins Offering Cousins 5-Year Extension

March 30th, 2017 at 4:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins’ future in Washington is uncertain beyond 2017, team president Bruce Allen would like to keep him in the fold for the long haul.

Asked if the Redskins view Cousins as someone capable of serving as the face of the franchise for the next half-decade or so, Allen told Albert Breer of TheMMQB: “Well, since we’ve offered him a contract around that length, I’d say yes we do. He has gotten better the last three years, and we see him getting better in the future, and that’s why we do want to sign him long-term. We like his role as our quarterback and our leader, we just have to work that out.”

The Redskins have floated a five-year extension for Cousins, reports Breer, who adds that the new deal would include the soon-to-be 29-year-old’s franchise-tagged 2017, in which he’ll make $23.94MM. The pact would then begin in 2018 and keep Cousins under Redskins control through the 2022 campaign. However, “the sides aren’t close to getting something done now,” writes Breer. That’s not surprising, as the proposal includes “roughly” $20MM per annum and a “low guarantee,” reports Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post (Twitter link via the Post’s Mike Jones). A “serious” offer would need to feature at least $40MM fully guaranteed at signing, posits Joel Corry of CBS Sports (Twitter link).

If Washington doesn’t sign Cousins by July 15, he’ll play a second straight season under the tag. Designating him as their franchise player again next year would cost the Redskins an unpalatable $34MM-plus, which undoubtedly increases the urgency to reach a long-term deal in the next three and a half months. Cousins has made his case for a sizable committment since he took over as the Redskins’ starter in 2015. He started all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.

AFC Notes: Fins, Jets, Bills, Colts

March 30th, 2017 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Dolphins intend to keep core offensive players together through 2020, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald writes. That group includes quarterback Ryan Tannehill and starting receivers Kenny Stills, Jarvis Landry, and DeVante Parker. The Dolphins already have Tannehill and Stills locked down and they can effectively say the same for Parker thanks to his fifth-year option and the franchise tag. That just leaves Landry, who is scheduled to reach free agency after the 2017 season.

Vikings DT Sharrif Floyd’s Career In Jeopardy

March 30th, 2017 at 3:20pm CST by Zachary Links

Awful news for Vikings defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd. His career is in jeopardy due to complications from last fall’s knee surgery, sources tell Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

The nerve that controls Floyd’s quad muscle was disrupted during meniscus surgery and the situation has not improved in the last six months. Because his fifth-year option was guaranteed for injury, the Vikings had no choice but to keep him on the roster beyond the March 9 deadline. Whether he can take the field or not in 2017, he’ll earn a base salary of roughly $6.8MM.

Floyd, 26 in May, had a strong 2015 but his 2016 campaign ended when he went down in the season opener. For his career, the former first-round pick has appeared in 44 games with 24 starts, missing two games in 2014, three games in 2015, and just about every game in 2016. In that span, he has amassed 9.5 sacks and 95 tackles. His Pro Football Focus in 2015 cast him as a top 50 interior defensive lineman in the league while his 2014 PFF posting placed him in the top ten.