2017 June - Pro Football Rumors

Month: December 2024

Latest On Chiefs’ GM Search

June 24th, 2017 at 11:20am CST by Ben Levine

Former Chiefs general manager John Dorsey‘s firing this past week was surprising for a number of reasons, including the timing. Terez A. Paylor of KansasCity.com writes how the late-June move was “unprecedented” and could lead to several complications for the organization.

As Paylor explains, the NFL is generally on “vacation” during this time of year, with most “player evaluators” fired after the draft to prevent them from passing along information to future employers. The writer also notes that Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt had previously said that he’d like to hammer out extensions for both Dorsey and head coach Andy Reid during this late-June timeframe. Following the firing, Paylor wonders if negotiation discussions may have broken down. Of course, on the flip side, a letter from Hunt earlier this week didn’t give any indications that contract negotiations had to do with the firing.

Either way, it will be particularly difficult for the organization to hire a replacement at this point of the offseason. If the Chiefs are eyeing someone from an outside organization, they’d have to get permission from the opposing team to interview that individual. As Paylor writes, few teams will be willing to grant that permission at this point of the year, as it’ll be presumably difficult to fill that spot in their own organization.

“Teams don’t want to lose a guy at this time of year because they’d be so hard to replace,” Senior Bowl director Phil Savage (and former NFL GM) said. “Most of these moves are made right after the season or after the draft, so you have all of May to get organized.

“I bet half of the teams are in NFL are out of country this week. To get a phone call saying ‘Hey, we want to interview your right-hand man,’ some teams would be reluctant.”

Paylor notes that the team could alternatively promote from within, with the writer suggesting co-directors of player personnel, Brett Veach or Mike Borgonzi, as potential candidates. Regardless of the team’s game plan, it will surely take some time before the Chiefs officially announce a replacement.

Derek Carr Discusses Extension

June 24th, 2017 at 10:12am CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders and franchise quarterback Derek Carr finally agreed to an extension this week that’s worth around $25MM per year. The 2014 second-round pick is now signed through the 2022 season, and he’ll presumably earn at least $70MM in guaranteed money ($40MM of that was already guaranteed upon signing the extension).

The 26-year-old met with the media yesterday to discuss his brand-new contract. The Associated Press reviewed his press conference, and we’ve compiled some of the notable soundbites below:

On his negotiations with the Raiders:

“I think that both sides wanted it to get done. It was two family members just figuring out how to get along, and we did. We figured out a way to do it so that we have the opportunity to sign the other guys that I think are important to this organization. That was really important to me, not just to take every single dime that we could.”

On him earning the NFL’s richest contract:

“I think I’ve set a standard for myself, the organization and for this team, personally, that no amount of money is going to matter. It doesn’t matter. You can give me a dollar, you can give me $25 million, it doesn’t matter to me. My goal is that I make sure I give everything I have to this organization. There’s no pressure, there’s no, ‘We’ll be on the 1-yard line and I won’t give it to Marshawn, I’ll throw it.’ None of that stuff. I don’t care about the stats, that’s not my No. 1 objective.”

On his teammates’ reaction to the extension:

“All of my teammates to a man said, ‘Man you work your tail off, you deserve it.’ I don’t feel like I deserve it. But just them saying that grabbed my heart because they’re the ones I go to battle with, they’re the ones I work with every single day. What they have to say really matters to me. I do know I will have to owe them all a big dinner. That will be fun.”

Tavon Wilson Sued, Accused Of Assault

June 24th, 2017 at 9:05am CST by Ben Levine

Lions safety Tavon Wilson is being accused of punching an ex-girlfriend and is being sued for $2.5MM, TMZ reports (confirmed by Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). Alanda Jackson, who is the mother of Wilson’s child, recently filed the suit over the 2016 incident. The report indicated that the 27-year-old allegedly threw Jackson to the ground and punched her in the nose. A second victim is also suing Wilson, claiming that she was stabbed during the accident by the player’s “entourage.”

“We are aware of the report regarding Tavon Wilson,” the team said in a statement. “We have spoken to Tavon and we have also notified the league office of this matter. Due to the personal nature of this situation, we will have no additional comment at this time.”

As Justin Rogers of the Detroit News notes (via Twitter), the organization has traditionally had a zero-tolerance policy for domestic violence, perhaps putting Wilson’s future in Detroit in doubt.

Following four seasons with the Patriots, Wilson joined the Lions prior to last season. He went on to play in 15 games (14 starts) during the 2016 campaign, collecting a career-high 89 tackles to go with one sack and two interceptions. If Wilson is ultimately cut loose by the team, Miles Killebrew and/or Don Carey would presumably see a more significant role on defense.

Extra Points: Manning, Fins, Carr, Cousins

June 23rd, 2017 at 9:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

In the wake of quarterback Ryan Tannehill‘s season-ending knee injury last December, Dolphins head coach Adam Gase reached out to the retired Peyton Manning about a possible comeback. “It started with Gase,” Peyton’s father, Archie Manning, told Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com. “He said, ‘Hey 18, Tannehill went down.’ He said, ‘I think he’s going to miss some time. The first question I’m going to get at the press conference in the morning is if I’m going to try to bring you to Miami. What do you want me to tell them?” Peyton Manning was resoundingly successful under Gase when he was Denver’s quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator from 2012-14, but neither a reunion with Gase nor joining a playoff-bound club late in the season could entice the future Hall of Famer to return. Continued Archie Manning: “The text message came back from Peyton, ‘You tell them I could probably come play, but there’s no way I can miss carpool the next two weeks.’ So, he was done.” With Peyton Manning unwilling to come out of retirement, the Dolphins turned to backup QB Matt Moore toward the end of the regular season and in the first round of the playoffs, in which Pittsburgh soundly defeated them.

A few more notes from around the NFL…

At $25MM per year, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr‘s newly signed contract is a record deal in terms of average annual value, but it still doesn’t match up to Colts signal-caller Andrew Luck‘s pact, writes Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com. While Luck is collecting less per season (just over $23MM) on the six-year, $139.1MM extension he inked last summer, he outpaces Carr in terms of both three-year value ($75MM to $67.6MM) and four-year value ($96.125MM to $87.7MM). Those are better gauges than the overall value of a contract, suggests Barnwell, who argues that the last year of a quarterback’s deal is essentially irrelevant. By then, the QB will have either landed a raise, thereby eliminating what was left on the previous contract, or gotten cut.
Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins isn’t going to sign a long-term deal worth less than $52MM over the first two years, contends JP Finlay of CSNMidAtlantic.com. That figure represents the combined totals of the $24MM franchise tag for 2017, which Cousins is slated to play under, and the $28MM transition tag for next year. Even that might not be enough for the Redskins to lock up Cousins by the July 17 deadline, observes Finlay, who’s not particularly optimistic that a deal will come together.
Fourth-year Steelers defensive tackle Daniel McCullers is facing a make-or-break summer, notes Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. The 352-pound McCullers is coming off his first 16-game season, but he only played 17.4 percent of defensive snaps, and the Steelers opted against giving him first-team reps in minicamp while starter Javon Hargrave dealt with an injury. When speaking with the team’s official website about McCullers’ status, Steelers defensive line coach John Mitchell didn’t mince words, saying: “Dan McCullers, he’s got to grow up. It’s time to make a move right now. This is going to be his fourth year. And usually in this league, after about four years, you have got to make a move. Or, either, you move somewhere else.”

NFC Notes: Giants, Redskins, Saints, ‘Boys

June 23rd, 2017 at 7:03pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Giants’ decision to hand defensive end Devin Taylor a minimum salary benefit deal last month has mostly generated positive reviews around the NFL, with one source calling it a “great signing,” reports Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. One NFC source took a less enthusiastic tone, however, calling Taylor “just a guy.” But, considering what they’re paying him, the Giants aren’t expecting Taylor to do much more than provide passable depth behind stars Jason Pierre-Paul and Olivier Vernon. Taylor, who started in all 16 of the Lions’ games last season and piled up a respectable 4.5 sacks (down from seven in 2015), will rotate at defensive end with the Giants and could see time as an interior rusher on passing downs, according to Raanan.

Giants Not Prioritizing Odell Beckham Deal

June 23rd, 2017 at 5:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Amid questions over whether the Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. would stage a holdout this summer, co-owner John Mara said earlier this month that he wants the wide receiver to spend his entire career with Big Blue. Beckham went on to downplay concerns over his current situation – he could play the next two seasons for a relative pittance – and Mara addressed the three-time Pro Bowler’s status again Thursday (via Neil Best of Newsday).

On whether the Giants will hand Beckham an extension this summer, Mara told Mike Francesa of WFAN: “There’s always a chance, but it’s not our No. 1 priority right now. But we do want to get it done. We have some time to get it done. But I can’t give you a timetable on that.”

Mara also explained why he wants Beckham to be a lifelong Giant, saying: “Well, he’s one of the best players in the league, and he makes us a different team when he’s on the field. He puts a lump in the throat of the opposing defense. He’s only 24 years old. And I think he can help us win a championship.”

Having amassed eye-popping numbers (235 receptions and 35 touchdowns) so far in his career, the three-year veteran could be on his way to eventually signing a record-setting contract for a receiver. But the Giants don’t have much financial incentive to lock up Beckham now, as the 2014 first-round pick from LSU is due a paltry $1.8MM this season and will be controllable in 2018 via his fifth-year option for a reasonable $8.5MM. Beckham’s situation becomes cloudier thereafter, but it seems likely the Giants will franchise tag him for an affordable $18MM-plus in 2019 if he remains a star and the two sides don’t have a long-term deal in place by then. The relationship between them is seemingly on solid ground, though, with Mara revealing that he sat down with Beckham for “a very pleasant meeting” in May.

“He’s a smart young man and he wants to be the best,” Mara said of Beckham. “He wants to win a Super Bowl. I wish we had a dozen more like him.”

AFC Rumors: Steelers, Broncos, Titans

June 23rd, 2017 at 5:11pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Steelers center Maurkice Pouncey‘s career could end when quarterback Ben Roethlisberger‘s does, relays Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pouncey’s still young (he’ll turn 28 in July), but it’s possible the seventh-year man and five-time Pro Bowler would rather hang it up than continue with someone other than Roethlisberger, who mulled retirement after last season and is entering his age-35 campaign. “It will be hard for me to come back if he’s not here,” Pouncey said of Roethlisberger. “Whenever you’re playing with that level of quarterback, to try to switch that up would be a different mojo for everybody on the team. … I’m glad he came back. We need him to win a championship around here.”

More on Pittsburgh and two other AFC clubs:

Three Broncos who have gone high in recent drafts, wide receiver Cody Latimer, offensive tackle Ty Sambrailo and tight end Jeff Heuerman, will have to fight for their roster spots in training camp, observes Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post. Latimer, a second-rounder in 2014, hasn’t made much of an impact as a receiver (16 career catches), and he’s not in position to change that with Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Carlos Henderson and Isaiah McKenzie ahead of him on the depth chart. As such, his best hope is to make the Broncos as a special teamer, posits Wolfe, who expects that to happen. Sambrailo, meanwhile, went in the second round a year later and has only totaled 13 appearances and seven starts. Even if he cracks the Broncos’ roster, Sambrailo seems likely to serve as primarily a backup again, as the team spent a first-rounder on tackle Garett Bolles this year after adding fellow bookend Menelik Watson on a three-year, $18.3MM deal in free agency. And then there’s Heuerman, a 2015 third-rounder who missed his entire rookie year with a torn ACL and then caught nine passes in 12 games last season. He’ll have to fend off Henry Krieger-Coble to make the team, notes Wolfe. Denver’s other tight end options include Virgil Green, A.J. Derby and fifth-rounder Jake Butt, a former Michigan standout who’s working back from the torn ACL he suffered in his final college game last December.
As a rookie last season, fifth-rounder Tajae Sharpe finished second among Titans wide receivers in catches (41), targets (83) and yards (522) in 2016. Nevertheless, it seems he’ll enter camp with a weak hold on a roster spot, writes Jason Wolf of the Tennesseean. The Titans used two valuable picks on receivers – Corey Davis in the first round and Taywan Taylor in the third – in the spring and then signed established veteran Eric Decker last week. Those additions combined with Sharpe’s questionable health (he recently underwent surgery for a stress fracture in his right foot) and a police investigation over an alleged assault have the 22-year-old in limbo, according to Wolf.
The fact that the Steelers have a deep receiving corps means third-year man Sammie Coates will have to battle for a spot in camp, suggests Fowler. Coates was a relatively high selection in 2015, when he went in Round 3 of the draft, but the ex-Auburn star has totaled just 22 receptions in 21 games as a Steeler. A broken finger and a groin injury likely contributed to Coates’ underwhelming output last season (21 catches on 49 targets, two touchdowns), and he indicated that he’s nearing full health with camp approaching. “I’m getting there. It’s a process,” said Coates, who underwent sports hernia surgery over the winter. “That’s what this process is for, to get your body back so you can compete during camp.”

Extra Points: CBA, CFL, Falcons, Jones

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

The cap floor, rather than rookie deals, should be the focus of the next collective bargaining agreement for the players, Mike Florio of PFT opines. Some, like Steelers linebacker Ryan Shazier, wants to eliminate the restrictions on rookie deals. However, more money for rookies doesn’t do any good for the players already in the league.

The cap floor is currently at 89%, which allows teams to pocket 11% of the allowed salary cap limit on a four-year average rather than spent it on players. Using the 2017 cap of $167MM, that theoretically means that each team can bank as much as $18.37MM. In any given year, roughly one-third of teams will view themselves as non-contenders, so the possibility for mass frugality is there.

It’s rare that unions will look out for rookies over veterans, so it’s pretty likely that the NFLPA’s focus will be on the salary floor and revenue sharing rather than an overhaul of rookie slotting.

Here’s more from the world of football:

CFL standout quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell is not ready to give up on his NFL dreams, despite the fact that he turned 27 earlier this year, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano writes. The Texas native had only one invite to tryout for an NFL team and that was in 2012 when the Texans came calling. Since then, he has captured the CFL’sMost Outstanding Player Award, a Grey Cup trophy, and Grey Cup MVP award. Last year, he threw for 5,385 yards.
Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones is the focus of a lawsuit between agents Pat Dye Jr. and Jimmy Sexton, as Greg Stephenson of AL.com details. Sexton is accused of stealing away key clients when he left SportsTrust Advisors for CAA in 2011. One of those clients is Jones. If the civil suit continues into the fall, Jones may be asked to give his testimony during the season.
Want up-to-the-second updates on the day’s biggest NFL news? Follow Pro Football Rumors on Twitter for wall-to-wall coverage and analysis that you can’t find anywhere else.

Follow Pro Football Rumors On Instagram

June 23rd, 2017 at 2:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Pro Football Rumors recently launched an official Instagram account (@ProFootballRumors) and it’s a must-follow for NFL fans. Each day, we share conversation-inspiring images about the hottest topics in football. From there, we invite you to give us a like, weigh in with your thoughts in the comments section, and even share the link with a friend.

Eager to see some of this year’s top acquisitions in their new uniforms? Our Instagram recently churned out jersey swaps for new Patriots linebacker David Harris as well as new Titans receiver Eric Decker. We also gave everyone a sneak peek at Jeremy Maclin in his Ravens gear.

Let’s be honest – your Instagram feed should have more than just fitness models and delicious food. If you’re not already, follow Pro Football Rumors on Instagram today!

Derek Carr: Deal Structured To Help Team

June 23rd, 2017 at 1:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Derek Carr‘s new contract is, in some ways, a record-setter. In other ways, it fell a bit short of what the football world figured he would get in an extension. At a Friday morning press conference, Carr explained that his contract is structured specifically so that the Raiders can also work out long-term deals with his best teammates.

“This affords us to do that. We’ll start on that ASAP,” GM Reggie McKenzie said (Twitter link via Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal).

Next up could be an extension for right guard Gabe Jackson. Back in March, McKenzie hinted that a new deal could be on the way for the 25-year-old. In 2016, Jackson graded out as the league’s 20th best offensive guard out of 72 qualifiers, per the numbers at Pro Football Focus. The Raiders’ offensive line also ranked first in pass protection in 2016, allowing an adjusted sack rate of just 3.4%, according to Football Outsiders. While interior offensive linemen don’t get as much love as tackles, Jackson is clearly a key cog in Oakland’s O-Line.

The Raiders will also have to address the contracts of wide receivers Amari Cooper and Khalil Mack down the line. The structure of Carr’s deal coupled with the Raiders’ cap flexibility should allow the team to hammer out deals for all of its stars and continue to build on one of the best cores in the league.

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