2017 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Prosecutors Want Jail Time For Michael Floyd

June 26th, 2017 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

Michael Floyd says that kombucha tea is to blame for his positive alcohol tests during house arrest, but that excuse doesn’t fly with Arizona prosecutors. In Scottsdale, prosecutors say they will ask a judge to hit the Vikings wide receiver with jail time for violating the terms of his probation.

“It appears he’s in violation and he should be ordered to serve the rest of his jail time,” city prosecutor Caron Close told Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press on Monday. “The deal he made really gave him special considerations by letting him transfer out of state to continue his career.”

Floyd served 24 days of a 120-day jail sentence after his February conviction for a DUI. He was allowed to serve out the remainder of the sentence from home, but prosecutors say they are miffed after Floyd violated the terms of his arrangement. The Vikings are supporting Floyd and backing up the fermented tea story, but it remains to be seen whether CEO Kevin Warren‘s letter to the judge will help Floyd’s case.

Floyd‘s one-year deal with the Vikings doesn’t contain any guaranteed money, so the Vikings won’t be on the hook for any portion of the deal if they want to bail. So far, however, they’re standing beside him.

Chiefs Request Interviews With Two Execs

June 26th, 2017 at 10:54am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs have requested permission to speak with Titans Director of Player Personnel Ryan Cowden and Seahawks co-director of player personnel Scott Fitterer for their GM job, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). If permission is granted, then the executives will become the first outside candidates to interview for the vacancy.

On Monday morning, we learned that Vikings executive George Paton declined the opportunity to be considered for the Chiefs job. In theory, that means that Cowden and Fitterer will have a little less competition for the position, provided that they are actually looking to take the job.

Fitterer has been in the mix for multiple GM jobs, including the Colts and 49ers earlier this year. He was also being considered for a top job with the Eagles before removing himself from consideration. The Seahawks have enjoyed great success in recent years, particularly when it comes to building through the draft and discovering talented undrafted free agents. While John Schneider oversees the operation, Fitterer and Trent Kirchner have been instrumental in building the roster.

After 16 years with the Panthers, Cowden was hired by the Titans in 2016 to oversee all areas of the scouting department, including collegiate scouting, NFL scouting, advance scouting, and international scouting for the draft, free agency, and upcoming opponents. Titans GM Jon Robinson offered glowing praise of Cowden at the time of the hire.

“When I was first hired by the Patriots, Ryan was promoted by Carolina to handle the Southeast and we cut our teeth together in that region scouting,” Robinson said. “We were both learning the ropes, going to many of the same places and had a lot of interaction through the years on the road. He has a strong eye for talent, he has developed good managerial skills over the years and in the team-building process it will be nice to get his take, as they have put together very good teams there in Carolina over the years.”

Details On Chiefs’ Firing Of John Dorsey

June 26th, 2017 at 10:18am CST by Zachary Links

There have been some apparent issues with the Chiefs’ front office in recent years, including the team’s salary cap woes. However, it sounds like suspect cap management was not the main impetus for the Chiefs firing former GM John Dorsey, based on what Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star writes.

Owner Clark Hunt’s decision to can Dorsey was fueled, in part, by concerns about his lack of internal communication and management style, Paylor hears from multiple sources with knowledge of the situation. While observers believed that Dorsey and coach Andy Reid were working harmoniously together, the two men also had different approaches to their jobs and that apparently led to some friction. Reid is known for being process-oriented and regimented while Dorsey has a more casual demeanor.

“He’s not a big disciplinarian or big on chain of command,” one source said, “so people did what they wanted.”

For example, Dorsey made the sole decision to fire director of football administration Trip MacCracken and director of pro scouting Will Lewis. Both men were with the team for at least four years and, apparently, others in the building were not clear on why they were canned.

Paylor’s report gives us some insight as to why Dorsey was fired, but it does little to explain the timing of it all. Had the Chiefs made this decision in January, they could have promoted Chris Ballard to the top job before allowing him to accept the Colts’ offer. Instead, they allowed Dorsey to oversee the most important parts of the offseason and fired him at a time when all of the best outside candidates are already spoken for.

Chiefs To Interview Brett Veach This Week

June 26th, 2017 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs owner Clark Hunt is expected to interview co-director of player personnel Brett Veach this week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Veach has been identified as an early frontrunner for the job.

Last week, Rapoport reported that Veach is the name to watch in the team’s GM search. Veach goes way back with Andy Reid, having served as his assistant with the Eagles. The exec has also gotten lots of face time with Hunt in recent years and has been highly regarded by the organization. Veach has come up as a GM candidate before, having been linked to the Bills’ vacancy earlier this year.

Veach’s fellow co-director of playr personnel, Mike Borgonzi, has also been mentioned as a leading in-house candidate. There’s no word yet on when or if he will get an interview, but logic dictates that he will also be interviewed by Hunt & Co. in the coming days.

Vikings’ George Paton Turns Down Chiefs

June 26th, 2017 at 9:24am CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs’ GM search is underway and the team was hoping to pencil in Vikings assistant GM George Paton for an interview. However, “for a variety of reasons,” he has declined the opportunity, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Paton was a GM candidate for the Colts and 49ers openings before those jobs went to Chris Ballard and John Lynch, respectively. He has long been viewed as a rising front office name, so he likely feels that he can be selective about GM offers. One has to wonder if Paton has turned down the Chiefs because of the dysfunction going on in Kansas City. The Chiefs made the unusual decision of firing John Dorsey in June, long after the conclusion of the draft and the most important stages of free agency. Dorsey’s dismissal likely came after some in-fighting and poor communication and that’s not particularly appealing for a young front office man like Paton.

Paton completed his tenth season with the Vikings in 2016. Prior to that, he had experience elsewhere in the NFL including stops with the Bears and Dolphins.

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Bethel, Seahawks

June 25th, 2017 at 8:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a glance at the NFC West:

The cornerback position tops the Cardinals‘ list of concerns heading into camp, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com writes. The Cardinals still don’t have a clear-cut starter to go alongside Patrick Peterson, he writes, adding that Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams haven’t done much to separate themselves from one another. If that keeps up, one has to wonder if Arizona will turn to outside solutions at CB. On the other hand, as Weinfuss notes, players cannot engage in contact until the third day of training camp, so we haven’t gotten to see the man-press skills of either player. Once that comes into focus, Arizona might have a better idea of what they have in the two in-house candidates. On Sunday, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ran down the best available cornerbacks on the open market, including Darrelle Revis and Brandon Flowers.
Gregg Bell of The News Tribune wonders if Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham will have a big year for himself as he enters the final season of his $40MM contract. For what it’s worth, coach Pete Carroll is talking him up after watching him in practice this summer. “He’s so much more of a complete player than maybe we thought he would even become, really,” Carroll said. “So, he surprised us. He and Russell are really tuned in. They spend a lot of time together.” Graham is earning $10MM in 2017, making him the highest-paid tight end in the NFL. If he hopes for another big deal, he’ll have to reprise or best his numbers from last season. In 2016, his second season with the Seahawks, Graham had 65 catches for 923 yards and six scores. In his best seasons with New Orleans, Graham twice topped 1,200 yards.
Will 49ers rookie Solomon Thomas wind up as the best top ten pick from this year’s draft? Click here to cast your vote.

East Notes: Patriots, Garoppolo, Cowboys

June 25th, 2017 at 7:00pm CST by Zachary Links

Phil Perry of CSNNE.com wonders aloud about how Derek Carr‘s new deal may impact Patriots quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. In short, Perry comes to right conclusion – not much. Both players were taken in the second round of the 2014 draft, but the similarities between the two players start to dwindle after that. Carr, of course, has proved himself as a starter. Garoppolo, on the other hand, has only impressed in a limited sample size. Unless Garoppolo winds up seeing significant time in 2016, Perry concludes, the Carr deal won’t really have an immediate impact on him. Earlier this month, Jimmy G indicated that he would be open to discussing an extension with New England.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

The Cowboys‘ 2016 draft saw them land a franchise quarterback and an elite running back, but as with any draft, there were still potential misses. With that in mind, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News looked at the five players that the Cowboys likely regret passing on. The list starts with Eastern Kentucky defensive end, Noah Spence. Spence went No. 39 to the Bucs, five picks after Jaylon Smith, and made up for a slow start by finishing out with 5.5 sacks and three fumbles. Moore also lists defensive end Yannick Ngakoue (No. 69 overall, Jaguars), cornerback Tavon Young (No. 104 overall, Ravens), wide receiver/return specialist Tyreek Hill (No. 165 overall, Chiefs), and linebacker Corey James (No. 194 overall, Raiders) as missed opportunities.
Over the weekend, one beat writer ran down seven players who could still be released by the Jets this summer.
It sounds like wide receiver Brian Quick could be on the Redskins‘ roster bubble.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Rodgers, Lions

June 25th, 2017 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has signed with CAA Sports to represent him in off-the-field work, Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal tweets. That in and of itself is not necessarily headline news, but CAA represents some of the league’s highest-paid players and one can’t help but wonder if Rodgers may mull an agency change for his on-the-field work as he eyes a new deal.

On the other hand, as PFT points out, Rodgers was very complimentary of agent David Dunn recently.

“Well, that stuff usually takes care of itself, and I have a fantastic agent, he does a great job. He worries about that stuff,” Rodgers said (via ESPN.com). “When it comes to setting the market values, I let that stuff take care of itself. I know my value in this league, and I know the team appreciates me. I’m going to continue to make myself an indispensable part of this roster. When you do that, when your time comes up to get a contract, you usually get a contract extension.”

Rodgers is under contract with Green Bay through 2019 thanks to the $110MM contract extension he inked in 2013. At the time, the deal gave him the richest contract in the league. Since then, however, he has slipped to No. 6 amongst QBs based on annual average value.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wonders how invested the Lions truly are in tackles Greg Robinson and Cyrus Kouandjio. The Lions added both veterans after learning that Taylor Decker would be missing significant time this season. Birkett indicates that the Lions are somewhat locked in with Robinson since the final year of his rookie contract is fully guaranteed for $3.322MM and has no offset language. On the other hand, the team isn’t nearly as tethered to Kouandjio. The former Bill got a $35K signing bonus from Detroit, but the rest of his deal is pretty lean. He’s due for a $690K base salary plus a $75K roster bonus.
Lions coach Jim Caldwell says that he hasn’t lost any faith in running back Dwayne Washington, despite some struggles in 2016. “Nobody really knows how good he can be, but he has talent,” Caldwell said (via Birkett). “He has ability. We like what we see in that particular area and he’s developing.” Washington likely profiles as Detroit’s No. 4 running back, behind Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick, and Zach Zenner. Free agent addition Matt Asiata is also in the mix, but Caldwell’s words could be a sign that the former seventh-round pick is not in danger of losing his roster spot.
Meanwhile, Bears running back Ka’Deem Carey may be in danger of missing the cut.
On Saturday, the Vikings offered support for wide receiver Michael Floyd.

PFR Originals: 6/18/17 – 6/25/17

June 25th, 2017 at 4:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:

Although premier players typically aren’t available at this point in the NFL calendar, teams can still attempt to make incremental roster improvements via the players that are on the market. With that in mind, I took a look at the the best remaining free agents on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball. Colin Kaepernick, Chris Johnson, Anquan Boldin, Gary Barnidge, Dwight Freeney, and Darrelle Revis are among the top players still available.
The Jets are likely to roll with Josh McCown under center (at least to begin the season), but in PFR’s latest Community Tailgate segment, Rory Parks asked readers to discuss how Gang Green will proceed at the quarterback position for the long term. While Bryce Petty and Christian Hackenberg are conceivably incumbent options, the Jets could also target another passer in the 2018 draft.
In PFR’s second Community Tailgate piece of the week, Zach Links wondered whether Raiders quarterback Derek Carr should have pressed for a larger contract. Yes, Carr is now the highest-paid NFL player in terms of annual salary, but his cash flow doesn’t match up to that of Andrew Luck. For what it’s worth, Carr said he took less money in order to help Oakland lock up other players.
The Titans haven’t earned a postseason berth since 2008, but following a successful offseason, Connor Byrne asked PFR readers whether the club will head back to the playoffs this year. Tennessee addressed both sides of the ball, adding Corey Davis, Taywan Taylor, and Eric Decker on offense while bringing in Jonathan Cyprien, Logan Ryan, and Adoree’ Jackson on defense. As such, more than three-quarters of respondents think the Titans will make a postseason appearance in 2017.
With the 2017 draft nearly two months in the rearview mirror, Zach asked PFR readers which top-10 pick will have the most career success. So far, the voting is extremely tight, as Leonard Fournette (Jaguars), Mitch Trubisky (Bears), Jamal Adams (Jets), Myles Garrett (Browns), and Christian McCaffrey (Panthers) all received more than 10% of the vote.
Only a handful of 2017 draft choices remain unsigned (11 of 253 at last count). I examined those remaining unsigned picks and went over possible reasons why they haven’t reached deals.

Top Remaining NFL Free Agents: Defense

June 25th, 2017 at 2:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Any NFL club aiming to seriously upgrade its roster through free agency in June is clearly not adept at personnel management, but small tweaks can still be made as the summer begins. While headliners such as Colin Kaepernick and Anquan Boldin remain unsigned, it’s often lesser-known players that can make incremental differences once the season gets underway.

After looking at offense on Saturday, let’s examine the best remaining free agents on the defensive side of the ball:

Edge defender

Now entering his age-37 campaign, Dwight Freeney had to wait until August to find a contract last offseason, and it’s possible he’ll be on the market until late summer once again in 2017. He’s made it clear that he intends to play, however, and the Falcons could conceivably be interested in a reunion. Atlanta will see Derrick Shelby return from an injury-plagued campaign, and the club also spent a first-round pick on Takkarist McKinley, so it’s unclear if the Falcons are searching for another pass rusher.

Mario Williams is the bigger name, but Erik Walden has actually drawn more interest on the free agent market. While Williams hasn’t been mentioned in connection with any team, Walden has been linked to both the Titans and Jets. Per Pro Football Focus‘ grades, Williams was the far more effective player in 2016, as he ranked roughly 50 spots higher than Walden and earned positive marks in run defense.

One edge rusher who didn’t quite make this list is former Buccaneer Howard Jones, who is still recovering from a torn ACL. Jones is only 27 years old and managed five sacks in limited snaps as recently as 2015. He met with the Jets earlier this year and was expected to make a decision on a new team, but still has yet to land a deal.

Interior defensive line

Dan Williams is the type of defensive lineman that is slowly being removed from the field as NFL offense move to more spread-based looks. The 6’2″, 330-pounder played on only a third of the Raiders’ defensive snaps a year ago before being released in the spring, and hasn’t met with any clubs since. Massive run-stuffers aren’t a need for most clubs in 2017, but if a team wants a force in the middle, Williams is the best available.

Like Williams, Jared Odrick received his walking papers earlier this year, but he’s drawn a bit more interest than the former Oakland defender. Odrick has been linked to the Seahawks, Eagles, and Giants, and also met with the Patriots (although Odrick may not want to play in New England). Although he played in only six games in 2016, Odrick has been a reliable defender for much of his career and isn’t yet 30 years old.

Arthur Jones and Vance Walker are very similar players: classic 3-4 defensive ends who probably are best in a two-gap scheme. Unfortunately (at least for them), NFL teams are exponentially moving towards one-gap fronts, meaning Jones and Walker might fit better as defensive tackles. Both have dealt with injuries in recent seasons and could struggle to find much — if any — guaranteed money.

Linebacker

Based solely on 2016 production, Perry Riley may be the single most notable player who’s still on the free agent market. In fact, he’s one of only two of PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents who has yet to find a contract (the other being offensive tackle Ryan Clady). The Raiders seem to want Riley back, especially after not adding much to their linebacking unit this offseason, and given that some rumblings of retirement seem to have been unfounded, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Riley in silver and black by the time the season gets underway.

While Riley posted a breakout season in 2016, DeAndre Levy regularly posted excellent campaigns for the Lions before injuries severely limited his production. In 2013-14, Levy was one of the best off-ball linebackers in the NFL, but he’s appeared in only six games over the past two years. Levy was reportedly planning a health grievance against the Lions earlier this year, which could suggest his knee condition won’t allow him to play any time soon.

D’Qwell Jackson and Rey Maualuga are essentially worse versions of fellow linebacker David Harris, who signed with the Patriots last week. Harris landed a two-year, $5MM deal that contains only $1.25MM guaranteed. The former Jet graded as the league’s No. 35 linebacker in 2016, according to Pro Football Focus, while Jackson and Maualuga ranked as bottom-10 at the position. Maualuga, for what it’s worth, did meet with the Chiefs earlier this year.

Cornerback

Darrelle Revis will earn $6MM in guaranteed base salary from the Jets in 2017 even though he’s no longer on their roster, and that money could complicate his free agent market. Any salary he makes from a new team will offset his New York cash, and no club is likely to offer Revis more than the $6MM he’s earning from Gang Green. Two clubs reportedly showed interest in Revis in May, but his market may be limited. I ran down the top eight fits for Revis earlier this year.

Given that both are best served in the slot, Alterraun Verner and Leon Hall are very similar players. Hall may still be the more talented defensive back, but given that Verner is four years younger, the former Buccaneer figures to draw more free agent interest. Indeed, Verner worked out for the Jaguars in May and expects to sign with a club this summer.

One player who should be listed here based on talent is former 49ers cornerback Tramaine Brock. Brock, 28, posted a superb 2016 campaign but was released after being arrested on domestic violence charges. Teams were reportedly “keeping tabs” on Brock and may have been interested if the charges had been dropped, but given that Brock was officially charged earlier in June, his NFL career may be over.

Safety

Corey Graham has been consistently excellent since becoming a starter in 2012, posting positive marks for the Ravens and then Bills while playing both corner and safety. He’ll be 32 years old later this summer, which could limit his appeal, but Graham would add a veteran presence to any team in need of experience in the back end. The Giants, Browns, and Buccaneers stand out as potential fits for the 10-year pro.

Both Jairus Byrd and Marcus Gilchrist were recently released from large contracts with the Saints and Jets, respectively, but both players could still contribute as deep safeties on cheap deals. Most depth safeties are going to be asked to play special teams, and Byrd (103 snaps) and Gilchrist (45 snaps) both did a little of that in 2016. If clubs are searching for more pure special teamers, however, Steven Terrell, Kelcie McCray, and Jonathan Meeks could be of interest.

As with the cornerback list, there’s one safety who isn’t included here based on non-performance reasons: former Dolphins defensive back Isa Abdul-Quddus. IAQ was released in March after suffering a serious neck injury last year. Certainly, Abdul-Quddus shouldn’t risk his future health in order to return to the field, but if he can get medically cleared, he should be able to contribute to a safety-needy club.

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