2018 February - Pro Football Rumors

Chiefs Didn’t View Broncos As Smith Option

February 8th, 2018 at 4:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although Andy Reid has dealt a starting quarterback to a team in his division before, sending Donovan McNabb to the Redskins in 2010, the Chiefs did not seriously entertain that notion in fielding offers for Alex Smith.

The two-time defending AFC West champions did not appear to consider the Broncos as a realistic trade destination for Smith, chairman Clark Hunt said (via Mike Klis of 9News).

“I think it’s pretty typical in the NFL not to seek trades within the division,’’ Hunt said, via Klis. “That’s pretty standard fare particularly when we’re talking about a high-profile player.”

The Chiefs’ starting quarterback from 2013-17 reportedly drew widespread interest, with as many as six teams contacting the Chiefs. Although the Broncos haven’t been mentioned as one of the suitors, their need for a passer to complement a veteran nucleus would have made the 33-year-old Smith a logical option. But it appears Hunt wasn’t going to seriously entertain a potential Denver offer.

The Broncos’ current power structure got a good look at Smith during his Kansas City tenure. Smith faced the Broncos nine times as a Chief, going 4-5, losing the first five matchups to the then-Peyton Manning-led team before helping turn the tide in the division and helping Kansas City to back-to-back season sweeps in this rivalry series. Patrick Mahomes‘ appearance against the Broncos in Week 17 helped illustrate the direction the Chiefs were going.

The Chiefs ended up acquiring a third-round pick and Kendall Fuller, who has two more years of rookie-deal control.

Colts To Interview Leslie Frazier

February 8th, 2018 at 4:21pm CST by Sam Robinson

Leslie Frazier will meet with the Colts about their HC vacancy on Saturday, Josina Anderson of ESPN.com tweets.

This will be the third confirmed interview of the team’s second search process, with the Bills’ DC joining Saints tight ends coach Dan Campbell and Eagles OC Frank Reich.

Frazier’s last head-coaching job came with the Vikings from 2011-13. He spent last season with the Bills and has been a defensive coordinator for four teams. The 58-year-old assistant also has Colts history, having spent the 2005 and ’06 seasons working for the Jim Irsay-owned franchise. The owner is reportedly fond of the former Indianapolis assistant head coach, who collected a Super Bowl ring for his Colts work.

As the only defensive-minded candidate among the three early interviewees, Frazier would bring a different style to the Colts — who were obviously all set to hire an offensively geared HC prior to the Josh McDaniels snafu. Counting six games as the Vikings’ interim HC in 2010, Frazier went 21-32 in his time leading the Vikes in the early 2010s.

Chiefs Cut Darrelle Revis

February 8th, 2018 at 3:58pm CST by Zachary Links

The Chiefs announced that they have released Darrelle Revis. The cornerback would have been guaranteed $8.8MM if he were still on the Chiefs’ roster on March 19, so the move comes as no surprise.

The Chiefs signed Revis in November with the hope that he could help bolster their secondary. The results were not great – Revis’ overall score from Pro Football Focus was a below-average 57.2. If he had enough snaps to qualify, he would have been outside of PFF’s top 90 cornerbacks for the year. In his final year with the Jets, Revis’ graded out as PFF’s No. 64 corner in 2016, which would place him right at the tail end of acceptable play. Clearly, Revis is on the backend of his career and it might just be over given the questions about his work ethic and motivation.

In five games with KC, Revis totaled two passes defensed and eleven tackles. His last season as an elite cornerback came with the Patriots in 2014 when he started in all 16 games and tallied five interceptions en-route to a Pro Bowl nod and a First-Team All-Pro selection.

Between the trade of Alex Smith and release of Revis, the Chiefs have created roughly $21.5MM in cap space. There are still holes to fill, but the Chiefs have positioned themselves well for what lies ahead in March.

With Revis out of the picture, the Chiefs may move the newly-acquired Kendall Fuller to the outside, pairing him with Marcus Peters as a starting cornerback with Steven Nelson handling the slot. Alternatively, the Chiefs could still go shopping for a CB2, which would allow Fuller to continue at nickel.

Jets Notes: Seferian-Jenkins, Foles, Cousins

February 8th, 2018 at 3:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Austin Seferian-Jenkins figures to be one of the hotter tight ends on the free agent market, but he might not be available by the time things open up in March, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com hears. ASJ has been vocal about his desire to stay with Gang Green and the team has already reached out to open up contract talks, Pauline hears.

Seferian-Jenkins overcame substance abuse issues to post the best season of his career in 2017 by posting 50 receptions for 357 yards and three scores. However, he did tail off towards the end of the year (he had only 11 receptions for 69 yards over New York’s final five games) and it has been said that the Jets will not overextend themselves to lock him up.

Here’s more on the Jets:

Should the Jets trade for Eagles quarterback Nick Foles? Rich Cimini of ESPN.com says yes, but he would not part with anything higher than a third-round pick since he has only one year remaining on his contract ($7MM). But, considering that Foles is the reigning Super Bowl MVP and that there are still questions about Carson Wentz‘s surgically-repaired knee, it’s hard to see Philly taking that deal. One thing to keep in mind is that the Jets are armed with two second-round draft picks thanks to last year’s Sheldon Richardson trade. The later pick, acquired from the Seahawks, is at No. 49 overall. That might be a reasonable price to pay for Foles if the Jets do not see themselves landing a top QB at No. 6 overall or signing prized free agent Kirk Cousins.
To Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.com, Foles feels like another Neil O’Donnell – a quarterback the Jets overspent on back in 1997, who was good, but never great. While Foles was excellent in 2013 and 2017, there was a lot of mediocre football in between. Of course, value will be a big determining factor in the Jets’ future plans. Cousins is highly preferable, but he’ll likely cost ~$30MM per year while Foles’ 2018 salary comes in at less than one-quarter of the price.

Nick Mangold Not Considering Politics

February 8th, 2018 at 1:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Nick Mangold is not closing the door on his football career but he is saying no to a political career for the time being. Despite speculation to the contrary, the former Jets says he is not mulling a run for a congressional seat (Twitter link).

“I am not running for Congress,” Mangold wrote. “While it would be an amazing opportunity and honor to serve the people of New Jersey’s District 11, I am not at a place where I could commit to that.”

On Thursday, Essex County Republican Chairman Al Barlas told Matt Friedman of Politico that a career in politics was in consideration for Mangold.

“I had a conversation with him. He’s intrigued by the idea. He has to think it over and talk with his wife,” Barlas said. “After an 11-year playing career and a college career, he’s enjoying being at home with his wife and kids.“

Mangold, 34, played for the Jets from 2006 through 2016. In March of 2017, the Jets released him in the midst of a house-cleaning that saw several high-priced vets bounced out of New York. He spent all of last year out of football as he healed up from a foot injury and he is probably in better position to play today than he was six months ago. At the same time, he has made upwards of $20MM over the course of his playing career, so he could comfortably walk away from the NFL if he wants.

49ers Sign Jimmy Garoppolo To Extension

February 8th, 2018 at 12:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo have agreed to a five-year, $137.5MM contract, a source tells Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). Full financial details of the deal have yet to leak out, but this stands as the largest deal in league history on an average annual value basis. Matthew Stafford set the bar with his five-year, $135MM ($27MM/season) deal last August. Garoppolo now has the new watermark with an average of $27.5MM per year.

Garoppolo signed the deal Thursday night, the team confirmed.

The Niners acquired Garoppolo during the season from the Patriots in exchange for a second-round choice. Based on the early results, the deal may go down as one of the greatest all-time heists in NFL history. Once the young QB was inserted into the Niners’ starting lineup, SF rallied from an ugly 1-10 start to finish out the year on a five-game winning streak. The sample size is small, but Jimmy G owns a career 7-0 record as a starting QB.

At the Senior Bowl, 49ers GM John Lynch sounded optimistic about a deal coming together soon:

“When you find the right guy at that position, it’s really good for your franchise. We believe we’ve found the right guy. Now the challenge is getting Jimmy signed. We’re working hard towards that. We’ll see. I think he wants to be with us and we want him there. I think it makes too much sense not to happen. So it’s just a matter of getting it done.”

Technically speaking, Garoppolo was due for unrestricted free agency in March. However, there was zero chance of Garoppolo reaching the open market as the Niners were fully prepared to use the franchise tag on the 26-year-old (27 in November).

The Patriots, in theory, could have kept Garoppolo and groomed him to be the successor to Tom Brady, who turns 41 in August. Depending on who you ask, his status in New England may or may not have caused a triangular rift between Brady, coach Bill Belichick, and owner Robert Kraft. It’s not hard to imagine the Patriots kicking themselves behind closed doors for the trade, particularly after the way Garoppolo performed in the second half of the 2017 season.

Then again, the Patriots did offer up four-year contract extensions for Garoppolo in the $17MM-$18MM per year range plus increases for if/when he succeeded Brady. Garoppolo, who was no doubt advised that he could crack $25MM per season on his next deal, declined the deal, opting to wait for an opportunity to run a team of his own.

Garoppolo’s position as the league’s highest-paid player might not last all that long. If Kirk Cousins reaches unrestricted free agency, he could very well top Garoppolo’s AAV, despite being three years older. Cousins himself might not stay atop the mountain for long with Matt Ryan entering his walk year and Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers, and Ben Roethlisberger being two years away from the open market.

Bears Questioned McDaniels Leaving Pats

February 8th, 2018 at 12:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Before Josh McDaniels flip-flopped on the Colts, he was in the running for other head coaching gigs, including the Bears. The Bears ultimately settled on Matt Nagy as their HC, in part because the team questioned whether McDaniels was actually willing to leave the Patriots, Adam L. Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times writes.

Before the Super Bowl, McDaniels spoke glowingly of the Bears and Ryan Pace, using adjectives like ‘‘tremendous’’ and ‘‘very well-prepared’’ to describe the GM. However, it seems that Pace & Co. picked up on McDaniels’ very real trepidation in leaving New England. The Colts had a funny feeling about McDaniels waffling days before they announced his hire, but they surely wish that they had a sense for his cold feet before settling on him and passing on runner-up Mike Vrabel.

Now that Vrabel and other top names are off the board, the Colts will be forced to start from square one with a whole new cast of candidates. As of this writing, the team has interviews scheduled with Saints assistant Dan Campbell and Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich while an interview request has been put in for Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Chiefs special teams coach Dave Toub may also be in consideration.

Latest On Giants’ Offensive Coordinator Vacancy

February 8th, 2018 at 10:13am CST by Zachary Links

Vikings quarterbacks coach Kevin Stefanski is the Giants’ top target for their offensive coordinator vacancy, a source tells Alex Marvez of The Sporting News. Trouble is, the Vikings will not allow him to walk unless they are able to lure quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo away from the Eagles. If the Vikings block the Giants from hiring Stefanski, they’ll likely turn to Eagles running backs coach Duce Staley, who Marvez characterizes as “the frontrunner” for New York’s OC vacancy.

DeFilippo could come off the table for the Vikings completely if he is promoted to the Eagles’ own OC job. The Eagles already have Frank Reich in that role, but Reich is up for the Colts’ head coaching position and could be moving on. Apparently, that’s the outcome the Eagles are rooting for – Philly would reportedly like to move DeFilippo into Reich’s position, but they’re not about to fire Reich days after the franchise’s first Super Bowl victory.

In an indirect way, Josh McDaniels flaking on the Colts could cost the Giants their top choice for OC.

Colts Request Interview With Leslie Frazier

February 8th, 2018 at 9:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Colts have officially requested an interview with Bills defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier for their vacant head coaching position, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport hears that owner Jim Irsay is a big fan and he is of the belief that Frazier might restore normalcy in Indianapolis following the bizarre chain of events that have taken place.

Frazier is now the third confirmed candidate for the Colts’ head coaching job. On Wednesday, the Colts lined up interviews with Saints assistant Dan Campbell and Eagles offensive coordinator Frank Reich. Campbell will interview with the team on Thursday while Reich’s meeting will take place on Friday.

Frazier previously served as the Vikings’ head coach and just wrapped up his first season as the Bills’ defensive coordinator. He also offers familiarity with the organization thanks to two years as a Colts staffer.

The Bills’ D didn’t light the world on fire, but the unit did okay considering that they traded away core players such as cornerback Ronald Darby and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus.

AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Ben, Bell

February 7th, 2018 at 10:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

As the Ravens seek to repair their offense in 2018, they should target free agent tight end Jimmy Graham, opines Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco has always displayed a proclivity for throwing to tight ends, and Graham could give the Ravens a valuable weapon in the red zone (each of Graham’s 10 touchdowns all came from inside the 20). While he did score often, Graham is entering his age-32 campaign and only managed 520 receiving yards on the season. Football Outsiders‘ DVOA metric, which records value on a per-play basis, wasn’t fond of Graham either, as he ranked just 28th out of 51 qualified tight ends. However, that was a higher finish than any of Baltimore’s tight ends from a year ago. The Ravens only have $10.5MM in available 2018 cap space, so adding any free agents might be tough unless general manager Ozzie Newsome & Co. release a few veterans or restructure contracts.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:

Dean Pees quickly accepted an offer to become the Titans’ defensive coordinator under new head coach Mike Vrabel shortly after “retiring” as the Ravens‘ DC, leading to questions about whether Pees was forced out of Baltimore. However, Pees said today that wasn’t the case, per Hensley (Twitter link). Pees helped the Ravens to the No. 3 defensive DVOA ranking a season ago, so it would have been surprising if head coach John Harbaugh removed Pees from his staff. Although Tennessee now employs a defensive head coach in Vrabel, Pees is expected to call the plays for the Titans.
With a solid core in place, the Steelers‘ personnel plan involves inking quarterback Ben Roethlisberger to a multi-year extension and signing running back Le’Veon Bell in the short-term, argues Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Roethlisberger wants to play for at least three more seasons, so Pittsburgh can reduce his 2018 cap charge by giving him a new signing bonus, the cap hit of which would be spread across multiple seasons. Bell, meanwhile, has a “conviction to set a healthier market for running backs,” but has indicated he’d accept the franchise tag next season.
Keeping stability among their most talented players is essential for the Steelers, but so is ensuring continuity on a staff that parted ways with offensive coordinator Todd Haley earlier this year. Head coach Mike Tomlin isn’t going anywhere, but as for the reports indicating a Steelers minority ownership group had pushed for Tomlin’s firing? “I didn’t get that letter yet,” Steelers majority owner Art Rooney II sad, per Fowler (Twitter link). “I don’t know if it got lost in the mail or it’s coming by Pony Express.”
The Steelers‘ one-year extension for punter Jordan Berry is worth $1.887MM, per salary cap guru Ian Whetstone (Twitter links). Berry had been scheduled to become a restricted free agent this offseason, and his new contract will pay him roughly the same as an original round tender. RFA tenders must increase by at least 5% each year, and given that last year’s low tender was worth $1.797MM, Berry’s salary is now equal to the 2017 original round tender plus that 5%. As such, it’s possible the Steelers have added a mechanism to Berry’s contract that will increase his pay when the tender amount is officially announced by the NFL, per Whetstone. For what it’s worth, Over the Cap projects the 2018 original round tender to come in at $1.908MM.
Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake will not return to team in 2018, as he indicated in a statement released by Pittsburgh that he’ll move home to California as his son finishes high school. Lake is longtime Steelers fixture, as he earned multiple Pro Bowl nods and was named to one All-Pro team during his decade-long career in the Steel City. He was hired to serve as Pittsburgh’s secondary coach in 2011, and that role comprises the sum of his coaching experience. Lake is only 50 years old, so there’s a chance he returns to the coaching ranks down the road.