2020 February - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Release Alec Ogletree, Kareem Martin

February 26th, 2020 at 10:34am CST by Zachary Links

The Giants have released linebackers Alec Ogletree and Kareem Martin, per a club announcement. By cutting the two veterans, the Giants will save roughly $10MM against the 2020 salary cap.

The Giants acquired Ogletree via trade with the Rams in 2018. Despite his experience and soft hands (he has a dozen interceptions to his credit), the savings were too good to pass up. Ogletree appeared in 26 games for the G-Men in his two seasons and led the team with 173 stops in that span. He also set the franchise record for INTs by an LB in 2018 with five picks – two of which were brought back for touchdowns.

Martin joined the Giants on the same week as Ogletree. In his first campaign, Martin had perfect attendance with seven starts at linebacker and notched a career-high 48 tackles with 1.5 sacks. Last year, a Week 1 knee injury pretty much wiped out his season. He played in just five contests and logged a grand total of six tackles. He had one more year to go on his deal, but few expected him to see that final season.

By dropping Ogletree and Martin, the Giants will head into March with approximately $70MM in breathing room.

Seahawks Open To Marshawn Lynch Return

February 26th, 2020 at 9:48am CST by Zachary Links

The Seahawks aren’t ruling out another year of Beast Mode. Head coach Pete Carroll says he’d be open to having running back Marshawn Lynch back in the fold, even though it likely wouldn’t be for a full season.

“We’ll see. Never say never,” Carroll said (via Gregg Bell of The News Tribune). “I’m not going to rush him back to offseason, that’s for sure. That’s never been one of his strengths.”

Lynch, 34 in April, joined the Seahawks for the club’s final regular season game and their pair of postseason games. Carroll said Lynch did an “extraordinary job” in the limited run, which included four rushing touchdowns.

“Marshawn made an exceptional impression coming back, starting with me,” Carroll said. “He worked very hard to get to the point to have the chance to be available, how he got to that spot that maybe he could play later in the season. He reported in good shape. He performed well…Did a great job for us just picking things up and showing how, what it takes to be available and all that. He was gracious and great to all the young guys. It didn’t matter how old you were, he was just great to everybody.”

Lynch’s yards-per-carry average didn’t jump off of the page, but he got the job done for them in the red zone. All things considered, it was a solid showing for a player who had spent more than a year away from the game. After the rash of injuries that sidelined Chris Carson, Rashaad Penny, and C.J. Prosise, it only makes sense for Seattle to keep Lynch on speed-dial.

Panthers Pick Up Chris Reed’s Option

February 26th, 2020 at 9:32am CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers have exercised Chris Reed‘s option for the 2020 season, as Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. Reed figures to provide depth along the interior line, addressing a lower priority item on the Panthers’ offseason checklist.

Reed, 28 in July, was with the Dolphins up until his late-season release. The Panthers claimed him in December and put him on the field for three games down the stretch.

His play got them curious enough to see what he can do in camp. By exercising the option, the Panthers will have Reed under contract for one more season at $1.425MM. The sum is non-guaranteed, however, so the Panthers aren’t necessarily bound to him. Reed will occupy a spot on the 90-man roster and aim for making the 53-man cut in September.

Earlier this week, the Panthers declined the option for wide receiver Jarius Wright, which will free up a few extra dollars in mid-March. Meanwhile, they seem intent on keeping former MVP Cam Newton as their starting quarterback.

Latest On Tua Tagovailoa’s Medicals

February 26th, 2020 at 9:18am CST by Zachary Links

So far, so good. After two days of medical testing at the combine, Alabama quarterback Tua Tagovailoa has received “overwhelmingly positive” feedback from clubs that have checked out his dislocated hip, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

As expected, the QB’s MRIs came back clean and showed that his fracture is healed. There’s also been no loss of blood flow, which is equally important as he looks to get back to full strength and withstand the rigors of an NFL season. One source went so far as to tell Rapoport that the hip “looks great.” Indeed, Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com says Tagovailoa expects to receive full medical clearance on March 9 and will hold his own pro day one month later, on April 9. Of course, he is not participating in on-field drills at this week’s scouting combine.

Tagovailoa was once viewed as the top prospect in the 2020 class. His hip injury changed his outlook, though the Alabama star still isn’t expected to last long in April. The Dolphins, who own the No. 5 overall pick, have been connected to him for months, though there are rumblings that they may prefer the elite arm strength of Oregon’s Justin Herbert.

Before the injury, Tagovailoa threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 43 touchdowns and just six interceptions as a sophomore. In that year, he finished in second place in Heisman voting, behind Oklahoma star and No. 1 overall pick Kyler Murray.

After the injury, Tagovailoa has focused on recovery and showing all 32 teams that he’s good to go.

“My main goal is not to win the 40, not to win the bench press, but to win my medical,” Tagovailoa said earlier this year. “I’m going to go over there looking to win my medical and then go in and interview with the teams. That’s pretty much what I’m going to do. And then hopefully there’s a pro day down the line, either late March or early April.”

Bills Interested In Josh Norman

February 26th, 2020 at 8:51am CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have checked in with free agent cornerback Josh Norman, GM Brandon Beane says (via the team website). So far, the talks have been informal, though there’s an obvious connection between the longtime Panthers star and the Bills’ regime.

“We have looked into him and even talked to him,” said Beane. “Nothing more than that. I’m sure he may have some other teams that he’s looking at beyond Buffalo. Probably a similar situation to Greg Olsen, he’s in a spot where he’ll be able to choose where he wants to go. I don’t know what his plan will be of whether we’ll come to any type of agreement.”

Beane and head coach Sean McDermott – formerly with the Panthers – were in the running for Olsen before he signed with the Seahawks. Their familiarity could lead to something with Norman and the cornerback position is on their to-do list.

The Bills are set to return Tre’Davious White, Taron Johnson, and Levi Wallace (ERFA) at cornerback while Kevin Johnson is out-of-contract. They’ll have to weigh Norman and other big-name CBs against larger needs, however. The Bills could use a top-end receiver, a reliable tight end (since the Olsen deal didn’t come together), and upgrades on the offensive line.

Latest On OT Jason Peters, Eagles

February 25th, 2020 at 9:58pm CST by Ben Levine

If Eagles head coach Doug Pederson has his way, Jason Peters will be back in Philly next season. When asked if he’d welcome back the 38-year-old offensive lineman, the head coach didn’t mince words.

“Yeah,’’ Pederson told Paul Domowitch of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via the Inquirer’s Jeff McLane on Twitter). “I think I said the same thing [last year] about Darren Sproles.

“JP is a Hall of Fame left tackle in my opinion. You want those kind of guys back. They’re great for leadership with those young players.’’

While the 16-year veteran may be getting up there in age, Peters was still plenty productive last season. As Domowitch notes, Pro Football Focus rated Peters as the league’s fourth-best tackle, and he only allowed three sacks and 21 quarterback pressures. After making a modest $6MM last season, the veteran is set to hit free agency.

It would also make sense for Philly to move on from the veteran, especially since they traded up to select Washington State offensive tackle Andre Dillard in the first round. Of course, as Domowitch observes, the Eagles thought they were drafting Peters’ replacement when they selected Lane Johnson back in 2013; Johnson has since been moved to right tackle.

While general manager Howie Roseman didn’t give such a definitive answer about Peters’ role on the 2020 squad, it sounds like he’s also open to re-signing the veteran.

“When you’re talking about Jason Peters, you’re talking about a Hall of Fame player, a Hall of Fame person,’’ Roseman said. “Someone who’s very special to us and played at a really high level for us last year. We’ll go through all of these decisions this week.’’

Buccaneers GM Discusses Jameis Winston, QBs

February 25th, 2020 at 8:47pm CST by Ben Levine

While Buccaneers head coach Bruce Arians couldn’t commit to Jameis Winston, general manager Jason Licht acknowledged that the quarterback is still an option for next season. Talking to reporters, Licht noted that Winston is a candidate to stick around next year.

“We’re not saying we don’t want Jameis,” the executive said (via The Athletic’s Greg Auman on Twitter). “We’re just saying we want to check what’s potentially behind Door No. 2, 3, 4, just so we can gather as much information as possible before we make the decision of what we do.”

We heard last week that the organization was considering a two-year deal for the former first-overall pick, with the contract being guaranteed at a franchise-tag-level rate (of approximately $27MM) for the first year followed by an option year. There are some who believe that the front office will simply slap Winston with the franchise or transition tag, although a new CBA could complicate matters.

While Winston set career-highs in passing yards (5,109) and touchdowns (33) in 2019, he also set a career-high (and led the NFL) with 30 interceptions. Perhaps recent LASIK surgery will help reduce those turnover numbers in 2020.

It sounds like Tom Brady could be behind one of Licht’s proverbial doors. The Buccaneers were mentioned as one of three teams that continue to be associated with the future Hall of Famer and impending free agent (along with the Raiders and Chargers).

Broncos To Pick Up Options On K Brandon McManus, LB Todd Davis

February 25th, 2020 at 8:00pm CST by Ben Levine

A pair of veterans will be back with the Broncos next season. General manager John Elway told reporters (including Ryan O’Halloran of the Denver Post) that Denver’s picking up the options on kicker Brandon McManus and linebacker Todd Davis. Meanwhile, the Broncos won’t be picking up lineman Ronald Leary‘s option.

McManus has been the team’s full-time kicker since 2014, and he had another solid year during his age-28 season. The veteran connected on 85.3-percent of his field goal attempts and 96.2-percent of his extra point tries last season. McManus signed a three-year extension prior to the 2017 season, and the extra option year will count $4.25MM against the cap.

Davis has also been with the organization since the 2014 season, and he’s continued to evolve into one of the organization’s most productive players. Despite appearing in only 14 games last season, the 27-year-old finished with a career-high 134 tackles. Davis has a cap number of $6MM for next season.

Leary would have counted $9.3MM against the cap next season, and the decision to avoid his option will save the organization around $8.44MM. Denver signed the offensive guard to a four-year deal back in 2017, and he’s started all 29 of his games during his stint with the team. Unfortunately, each of his three seasons with the Broncos ended on the injured reserve.

Latest On Raiders QB Derek Carr

February 25th, 2020 at 6:58pm CST by Ben Levine

The Raiders aren’t necessarily committed to Derek Carr. Raiders general manager Mike Mayock told reporters that they’d consider moving on from their quarterback if there’s a “chance to upgrade.”

“Derek played at a high level last season,” Mayock said (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter on Twitter). “I’m very happy with Derek. But as I’ve said before, we will evaluate every position on our roster and if there’s a chance to upgrade, we will look into that.”

We heard earlier this month that teams were preparing offers for the 28-year-old, but the Raiders were still determining how to proceed at the position. There have been rumbling that the Raiders plan to make a run at Tom Brady, but they won’t replace Carr with just any quarterback. Vic Tafur of The Athletic previous noted that he’s “not sure they see [Teddy] Bridgewater as an upgrade over Carr.” Mayock and head coach Jon Gruden have continued to support Carr throughout their tenures with the organization, but it sounds like they’d be ready to move on if the right opportunity presents itself.

While Carr has yet to replicate the team and personal success of 2016, he’s still put up solid numbers over the past few years. He finished last season with career-highs in passing yards (4,054) and completion percentage (70.4) while tossing 21 touchdowns vs. eight interceptions.

Falcons “Still Deciding” On Takk McKinley’s 5th-Year Option

February 25th, 2020 at 5:59pm CST by Marc Delucchi

Falcons head coach Dan Quinn told reporters earlier Tuesday that the team is undecided on whether to exercise the fifth-year option in edge rusher Takkarist McKinley‘s rookie contract, according to Jason Butt of The Athletic Atlanta. Butt first reported that Quinn said the team would decline McKinley’s option just after general manager Thomas Dimitroff said the team had yet to make a decision. When Quinn was asked to clarify, he deferred to Dimitroff and said the team was “still deciding.”

McKinley has failed to develop in the way Atlanta hoped when they selected him with the 26th overall pick back in the 2017 NFL Draft. While he has consistently taken the field for the Falcons and put up reasonable production, he has yet to emerge as a legitimate game-changer.

As a rookie, McKinley appeared as a rotational pass rusher in all 16 games and accrued 6.0 sacks. In his sophomore campaign, McKinley started 8 games, recorded 22 tackles, and 7.0 sacks and expectations were he could become a game-changer with time. However, in 2019, McKinley turned in his least productive campaign even while receiving the most playing time of his career (13 starts).

McKinley’s fifth-year option would be above eight figures and would be a very large gamble on a player who has yet to take the next step at the NFL level.