HEADLINES

Month: September 2024

Packers Meet With Rodney Gunter

April 3rd, 2019 at 3:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Cardinals free agent defensive tackle Rodney Gunter is visiting today with the Packers, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). The Cardinals had a down year in 2018, but Gunter did well on an individual level.

Gunter, 27, entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Cardinals. After spending his first three seasons in a reserve role, he appeared in all 16 games last year with ten starts and turned in career highs in sacks (4.5) and tackles (44). Gunter finished out with a respectable 70.1 overall score from Pro Football Focus, placing him 59th out of 112 qualified interior defenders.

Gunter could step in as a replacement for Muhammad Wilkerson, who continues to float in free agent limbo. If signed, he could also be a future fill-in for the likes of Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels. If Clark’s fifth-year option is not picked up in early May, he’ll be eligible for free agency after the ’19 season. Daniels, who was one spot ahead of Gunter on PFF’s rankings, is set to hit the open market next March.

Raiders Sign WR Ryan Grant

April 3rd, 2019 at 1:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Raiders made another addition to their receiving corps on Wednesday, agreeing to a deal with Ryan Grant. It’s a one-year deal worth up to $2.5MM, tweets Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review Journal.

Grant will join Antonio Brown, Tyrell Williams and J.J. Nelson as new pass-catching cogs in Oakland. The Raiders were interested in Grant last offseason, but he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Colts.

Only winding up in Indianapolis because his four-year, $29MM Baltimore deal fell through, with the Ravens soon after adding then-recent Raiders cut Michael Crabtree, Grant did visit Oakland last year in between his Ravens and Colts agreements. He’ll now join a Raiders wideout group that will look almost entirely different from its 2018 version.

Seth Roberts is the only notable player left from the Reggie McKenzie era’s receiving arsenals, and the longtime Raider slot target is no lock to be on the team come September. Jon Gruden‘s team cut Crabtree last year, doing so before trading Amari Cooper. The Raiders released Jordy Nelson, who has since retired, earlier this offseason.

With the Colts, Grant caught 35 passes for 334 yards and one touchdown. He attracted more interest following a 45-reception, 573-yard, four-TD season with the Redskins in 2017. But after a failed physical with the Ravens, Grant signed a one-year, $5MM deal with the Colts. It’s unlikely this Raiders pact is worth more than that.

Latest On Russell Wilson, Seahawks

April 3rd, 2019 at 12:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although news surfaced of Russell Wilson‘s April 15 deadline for a new contract, the team was not blindsided by it and thus trying to address this situation at the 11th hour.

The eighth-year Seahawks quarterback provided that date to the team in January, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). Wilson has one season remaining on his four-year, $87.6MM deal. As of February, no new negotiations had commenced, despite Pete Carroll indicating they would in January.

As for what would be next if the Seahawks do not extend Wilson within these next two weeks, the prospect of a franchise tag stands to increase. However, Wilson would not plan a holdout if tagged in 2020, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reporting (video link) the decorated passer would sign his franchise tender soon after.

Despite the possibility for acrimony here, the Seahawks would also like to get a deal done by Wilson’s deadline, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (video link). The Seahawks, who have begun negotiations with Bobby Wagner and franchised Frank Clark last month, begin their offseason program April 15.

This may well be a negotiating tactic by Wilson’s side, with the 30-year-old franchise cornerstone signing his current contract late in the 2015 offseason. But Wilson has a bit more leverage this time around, having earned more than $60MM on his current deal compared to having played on a third-round rookie salary from 2012-14.

In 2018, Wilson expected a scenario of being franchised in 2020. The quarterback tag was worth just less than $25MM this year. Wilson in that price neighborhood would be quite reasonable, obviously, given what he’s worth to the Seahawks. Wilson piloted the Seahawks to another playoff berth last season, doing so when few expected the team to be playing in January. He is now the organization’s unquestioned centerpiece, which was not necessarily the case in 2015 — when the Seahawks’ defense housed Pro Bowlers Wagner, Earl Thomas, Richard Sherman and Kam Chancellor. Only Wagner and K.J. Wright remain from those Super Bowl units.

When Wilson signed his current deal, he was the NFL’s second-highest-paid quarterback. Due to the seismic shifts in a previously stagnant market, the signal-caller salary landscape looks quite different now. Wilson is the 11th-highest-paid passer. Any new deal would almost certainly have to eclipse $30MM AAV, which Aaron Rodgers and Matt Ryan did via 2018 extensions, but likely would make Wilson the game’s highest-paid player.

Jordy Nelson Open To Packers Return

April 3rd, 2019 at 10:57am CST by Zachary Links

In March, Jordy Nelson retired from the NFL. However, he could be talked out of it if Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers asks him to return to the field. 

“It would probably be hard to say no,” Nelson told NBC Sports’ Dan Patrick when asked about the hypothetical scenario.

As far as we know, Rodgers has not asked Nelson if he would be interested in coming back to football to play for the Packers once again. It’s also not clear if the Packers would have interest in Nelson, though they have a need at the position after losing Randall Cobb to the Cowboys in free agency.

Nelson, 34 in May, spent his entire career with the Packers until he was released by the club in March of 2018. After that, he hooked on with the Raiders, where he had 63 catches for 739 yards in his lone season in silver and black.

For his career, Nelson has more than 8,500 receiving yards, 72 touchdowns, and a Super Bowl ring to his credit. If the Packers would be interested in having him back, he could add to those totals in 2019.

Bills Sign G Quinton Spain

April 3rd, 2019 at 9:39am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills signed guard Quinton Spain to a one-year deal, according to a team announcement. Spain, who was previously with the Titans, started 48 games over four seasons with the club. 

[RELATED: Bills To Meet With D.K. Metcalf]

The Bills placed an emphasis on protecting young quarterback Josh Allen this offseason. So far, they’ve added center Mitch Morse, tackle Ty Nsekhe, guard Spencer Long, tackle LaAdrian Waddle, and guard Jon Feliciano in an effort to fortify the front five. The Bills might not be done yet – they could still add offensive linemen in the draft to shore things up.

Spain, 28 in August, earned a solid 75.6 score for pass blocking from Pro Football Focus last season.

East Notes: Cowboys, Gregory, Pats, Gronk

April 3rd, 2019 at 9:33am CST by Zachary Links

This week, the Cowboys surprised many when they signed Randy Gregory to an extension. The immensely talented edge rusher is serving the fourth substance abuse suspension of his career, one that has him indefinitely banned. Still, the Cowboys gave him a new contract to take him through the 2020 season.

The Cowboys believe that Gregory can be an impact player once again, and coach Jason Garrett says the organization appreciates the seriousness of what he is dealing with.

“Again, without going into the details of all the things he’s done to try to get to the point where he can play for us, it’s been a very serious approach as an organization and his approach has been serious,” Garrett said. “He’s been able to make strides. He was able to come back and play for us and be a very productive player and a productive guy in our locker room but unfortunately, my understanding of all of this is sometimes relapse is part of rehab, so we’re working through the process of suspension right now with the NFL, but Randy Gregory is working very hard trying to get back, trying to get the situation under control and we’re doing everything we can under the rules to help him do that.”

The Cowboys are hopeful that Gregory’s ban will be lifted sometime in 2019, but if it’s not, they plan to have him on the field in 2020.

Here’s more from the East divisions:

  • Redskins left tackle Trent Williams should be ready for training camp after having a growth or tumor on his head removed (via NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport). For a while, teammates were under the impression that the potentially malignant growth could keep Williams out for the season. Fortunately, that’s not the case, and Williams should be OK moving forward. The veteran has dealt with multiple health issues over the last few seasons – he’s missed time with thumb, knee, and rib injuries. In 2017, he managed to play through a torn patellar tendon and pushed off surgery until the offseason.
  • A reminder from ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss – If Rob Gronkowski isn’t moved off the reserve/retired list by Week 13, he can’t return at all. There has been speculation that the tight end could make a mid-season return to the Patriots, though Gronk insists that he’s done with football.

Extra Points: AAF, Seahawks, Marshall

April 2nd, 2019 at 10:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Seahawks carried a decent amount of cap space into free agency but, other than the K.J. Wright re-signing, have been fairly quiet. Compensatory picks are partially at the root of this patience. While this free agency period will produce 2020 comp picks, John Schneider also has his eye on more 2019 draft choices. The Seahawks hold just four 2019 picks, the fewest any team currently has. That is a number their GM would like to increase.

“This year, we’re trying to be a little bit more selective with the cap casualty guys that don’t count toward your compensatory picks,” Schneider said during an appearance 710 ESPN Seattle (via Seahawks.com). “Right now we’re looking at 11 picks in 2020, but we have four right now and I just spent the weekend looking at our board like, ‘That’s not cool.’”

The Seahawks have not used their originally slotted first-round pick since selecting James Carpenter in the 2011 first round. Recently, they traded back in 2018, 2017 and 2016 and in 2015 sent their first-rounder to the Saints in the Jimmy Graham deal.

“It’s safe to say, but it’s a darn good draft, so I could see a very good player being there for us at 21,” Schneider said on the prospect of his team accumulating more 2019 draft capital. “Then the other part of it is everybody’s like, ‘Well, (the Seahawks) always like to go back,’ but you have to find a partner, you have to negotiate within a specific amount of time, so it’s not like an easy thing just to move back. We’d love to pick more than four times, though.”

Here is the latest from around the football universe:

  • Another ominous sign for the AAF: the league sent out an email to its employees, announcing only a small staff will be retained going forward with the goal of securing additional funding. The email (via NFL.com’s Aditi Kinkhabwala, on Twitter) includes the phrase, “Should these efforts prove successful, we look forward to working with many of you in season two.” So, it almost certainly appears the AAF’s operations suspension will mean its 2019 season — which had two regular-season weeks remaining — will end.
  • Shifting back to the Seahawks, they will bring in three more veterans for visits. Davon House, Nate Orchard and Courtney Upshaw have Seahawks summits scheduled, Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk tweets. Following Orchard’s Hard Knocks close-up, he played in four games for the Chiefs and Bills in 2018. House saw an injury end his ’18 season after three games. After the Jets released Upshaw last July, he did not catch on anywhere else. However, the former Ravens and Falcons front-seven starter is still just 29.
  • Prior to the Raiders signing Brandon Marshall, the Ravens expressed interest. However, they did not want to sign the free agent linebacker until after the May 7 date when UFAs no longer factor into the compensatory formula, Marshall said during an appearance on Orange and Blue 760 (via The Athletic’s Nicki Jhabvala, on Twitter). The Ravens, who said they would have been interested in a multiyear Marshall pact post-draft, are one of the NFL’s premier comp pick-seeking conscious franchises. Marshall said he did not want to wait until after the draft. Both the Chargers and Cardinals also showed more initial interest than the Raiders, Marshall said (Twitter link), but those teams’ respective signings of Thomas Davis and Jordan Hicks pointed him elsewhere.

Draft Notes: Ferguson, Williams, Gary, Jags

April 2nd, 2019 at 8:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Louisiana Tech-produced edge prospect Jaylon Ferguson will have one of the busiest Aprils on tap for any NFL hopeful in memory. He is set to meet with 22 teams this month, according to Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. The Bengals and Buccaneers are two of the teams who have requested summits. Those visits will occur this week, per Laine. Ferguson set the Division I-FBS sack record with 47 in his four-year run with the Bulldogs, accumulating 67.5 tackles for loss in the process. But a simple battery conviction, stemming from a fight at a McDonald’s during his freshman year, resulted in a partial ban from the Combine. Teams are looking to examine Ferguson more thoroughly.

Here is the latest from the draft world:

  • While Nick Bosa is expected to be the first defensive player off the board, Quinnen Williams has been looming as a potential top-three pick as well. The Alabama interior defender met with the 49ers on Monday night, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets, adding a Raiders summit is up next for the high-end D-line prospect. Holding the No. 3 overall pick, the Jets figure to also be in play for Williams. Both Bay Area teams, however, are doing extensive work on this class’ top defenders.
  • Another possible top-10 defensive line pick, Rashan Gary spent time in Jacksonville on Tuesday, per Pelissero (on Twitter). The Jaguars visit represents one of many for the Michigan-developed defensive lineman. He was already mentioned as a 49ers, Raiders and Bengals top-30 visit. Gary finished his Wolverines career with just 9.5 sacks, but the 6-foot-4 defender carries elite measureables — including a 4.58 40-yard dash — that have him projected as one of the top players available.
  • While the Jaguars may have erred in not using their most recent top-10 pick to take either Patrick Mahomes or Deshaun Watson in 2017, and instead rolling with Blake Bortles for two more seasons, they are understandably not connected to this year’s crop of draft-eligible quarterbacks. The team that gave Nick Foles $50MM guaranteed, however, did do “a ton” of work on these passing prospects during the 2018 college football season, Albert Breer of SI.com notes. While Breer mentions the Jags as a team that could be a stealth quarterback suitor at No. 7 overall, that would certainly be an interesting use of offseason resources.
  • After meeting with the Cowboys, safety prospect Johnathan Abram will trek to Arizona for a Cardinals powwow, Calvin Watkins of The Athletic tweets. Abram is this class’ top safety, per NFL.com’s Daniel Jeremiah. The Mississippi State alum, who began his career at Georgia, notched two interceptions and three sacks last season. He also made nine tackles for loss. The Cardinals’ second pick comes at No. 33.

Saints Re-Sign CB P.J. Williams

April 2nd, 2019 at 7:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints brought back one of their cornerbacks on Tuesday, announcing they have agreed to a one-year deal with P.J. Williams. Williams appears to have done well on this pact, with Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweeting the deal is worth $5MM.

A third-round Saints pick in 2015, Williams has been a primary contributor for the past three seasons. He became a part-time starter in each of New Orleans’ most recent two NFC South championship campaigns, starting 13 games over the past two years.

While Williams did not have a strong season in 2018, finishing as Pro Football Focus’ sixth-worst full-time cornerback, he played 810 snaps for the NFC’s No. 1 seed. He became needed again on a near-full-time basis when 2018 UFA addition Patrick Robinson suffered a season-ending injury in September of last year.

Likely representing possible depth for the 2019 Saints, Williams will rejoin a secondary that houses Robinson, Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple. However, the 25-year-old defender is a suspension candidate, having been arrested for driving under the influence in January.

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