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East Notes: Revis, Jets, McCoy

February 5th, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

It’s long been assumed that the Patriots would not pick up Darrelle Revis‘ 2015 option as it would mean carrying the cornerback’s $25MM cap charge next season. However, the idea of New England exercising the option has been gaining traction, and Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) passes along how the contract’s guarantees would be structured. Per Corry, Revis would be entitled to a $12MM roster bonus on the first day of the 2015 league year. The bonus would be paid in four $3MM installments, with payments coming on March 31, October 31, December 31, and March 31 of 2016.

Here’s more from the league’s east divisions:

  • As PFR’s Zach Links wrote in his evaluation of the Jets’ offseason, Gang Green could look to release Percy Harvin and/or Chris Johnson to create cap space. Rich Cimini of ESPN.com agrees, and adds that linebacker Calvin Pace and defensive lineman Jason Babin could also be on the chopping block.
  • Christopher Price of WEEI.com offers his free agent forecast for the Patriots, noting that both Devin McCourty and Stephen Gostkowski are legitimate candidates for the franchise tag.
  • Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com looks at the state of the Eagles‘ running back corps going into the offseason. It’s a diverse and talented group, but the team will have to decide what, if anything, should be done with LeSean McCoy. Although McCoy was not the electrifying playmaker in 2014 that he was in 2013, he still had a very productive season, with 1,319 rushing yards and a 4.2 YPC average. However, his $11.95MM cap hit has left some wondering if Philadelphia would be better off cutting him. Kapadia, though, believes McCoy is not going anywhere, though the Eagles could approach him with a restructure proposal and may select a running back in the middle rounds of the draft.
  • Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com look at how Washington might approach their safety positions, which seem to be in a constant state of flux, this offseason. Although the team has often tried to bring in cheap veteran free agents without much success in the past, both writers believe Washington has no other choice but to open the checkbook again. Tandler suggests Kendrick Lewis as a possible target for free safety, while advocating for Phillip Thomas to be given the strong safety job. El-Bashir, though, thinks the team must fill both positions in free agency and expresses no confidence in Thomas.
  • Liz Clarke of the Washington Post examines the value of Brian Orakpo, who was Washington‘s highest-paid player in 2014, as he hits free agency.

Zach Links and Rory Parks contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Maclin, Frank Gore, Ed Dickson

January 30th, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at some news items from the NFC…

  • We heard earlier today that Jeremy Maclin‘s agent had begun extension talks with the Eagles, and now the veteran receiver has weighed on in the notion that Philadelphia can’t afford both he and running back LeSean McCoy (who has indicated he isn’t open to a pay cut). “I don’t know where everything started, people saying they can’t keep us both,” Maclin told Comcast SportsNet’s John Clark (link via Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com). “I think that’s crazy. As far as what he does with his deal, that’s not my place to comment on that. There’s no reason why you can’t keep us both. That’s one of the most ridiculous things I’ve heard all offseason.”
  • Had the 49ers hired Rob Chudzinski as offensive coordinator, Matt Barrows of the Sacrament Bee would have placed good odds on running back Frank Gore returning to San Francisco next season, as Chud was Gore’s OC at the University of Miami. Now that the club has instead promoted Geep Chryst, Barrows thinks Gore’s future in the Bay Area is less clear.
  • After signing a one-year deal for the veteran minimum to join the Panthers last year, tight end Ed Dickson would like to return to Carolina in 2015, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Dickson would like to sign a multi-year contract, and has spoken to offensive coordinator Mike Shula about augmenting his role in the offense, Person adds.

McCoy Open To Restructure, Not Pay Cut

January 29th, 2015 at 4:08pm CST by Luke Adams

If the Vikings release Adrian Peterson this offseason, a move that many expect to happen, it would leave LeSean McCoy as the only running back in the NFL with an eight-digit cap hit on the books for 2015. McCoy, whose current ’15 cap number is $11.95MM, said today that he’s open to restructuring his contract to lower that number, but he doesn’t want to take a pay cut, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.

“I know how hard it is to keep a team together and I want to be part of this team. But I don’t want to take less money,” McCoy said. “I want to figure a way to make it happen [where] we’re all together.”

McCoy’s comment about keeping everyone together likely refers, at least in part, to wide receiver Jeremy Maclin, who is eligible for free agency this offseason, and is in line for a substantial raise after a hugely productive 2014 campaign. “I got to pay my boy Mac,” McCoy said, when asked specifically about the effect his situation could have on Maclin.

It would be possible for McCoy to reduce his cap number by a pretty significant sum without taking a pay cut, assuming the Eagles are open to the idea. If the two sides agreed to convert, for example, $6MM of the running back’s $9.75MM base salary for 2015 into a signing bonus, it would take his cap hit from $11.95MM to $7.95MM. The downside for Philadelphia? That would increase McCoy’s cap numbers for 2016 and 2017 by $2MM each, and would add more guaranteed money to the 26-year-old’s deal.

McCoy, a 2009 second-rounder, has racked up over 2,900 rushing yards in Chip Kelly‘s first two seasons in Philadelphia, and wouldn’t be easily replaceable. Still, Kelly and the Eagles showed a year ago when they cut DeSean Jackson that they’re willing to cut ties with productive playmakers if necessary. Off-field factors likely played a role in Jackson’s release, but the move still created a precedent that may make McCoy wary of negotiating too aggressively this winter.

NFC East Notes: Dez, Eagles, Washington

December 29th, 2014 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

Suggesting that reports about the Cowboys‘ off-field concerns about Dez Bryant are exaggerated, team owner Jerry Jones tells Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com that “nobody in the world” knows about his concerns for a potential Bryant contract extension besides Jones and executive VP Stephen Jones. As Jones puts it, there are concerns for any pricey, long-term deal, not just Bryant’s.

“I don’t know that I’ve ever signed a contract that I didn’t have things to worry about, but nobody talked about them,” Jones said. “You can’t make business decisions, especially multi-million dollar business decisions without having a nice little worry list over on the right. Everybody does. So it’s wrong to say that that is an issue. That’s not an issue relative to overall getting it done. We just want to get it done.”

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • Eagles general manager Howie Roseman received praise from head coach Chip Kelly, who says Roseman does “an outstanding job” managing the cap, as Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com details. More importantly, Roseman got an endorsement from owner Jeffrey Lurie, who said the GM has done a great job, and will be back for 2015, per Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
  • Speaking today to reporters, including Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter link), Kelly said it will be a priority for the team to retain running back LeSean McCoy, wideout Jeremy Maclin, and outside linebacker Brandon Graham this offseason. Meanwhile, as McLane tweets (Twitter link), Trent Cole said he’d be willing to rework his contract to return to the Eagles.
  • Washington wide receiver Santana Moss will turn 36 in the summer, and doesn’t have a contract for 2015, but he thinks he can still play in the NFL, and will attempt to continue his career, preferably in Washington, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com.
  • Quarterback Robert Griffin III would also like to stick with Washington, despite an up and down 2014 season, says Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Unlike Moss, Griffin is under contract for another year, but he has been cited as a potential trade candidate, given his seemingly shaky relationship with head coach Jay Gruden.
  • Washington running back Roy Helu believes there’s a 50/50 chance he re-signs with the team, telling John Keim of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he’s excited about the possibility of hitting the open market.
  • Washington will take a few days before making any decisions one way or the other on the members of Gruden’s staff, including defensive coordinator Jim Haslett, Jones writes for the Post.

Eagles Links: McCoy, Sanchez, Roseman

December 28th, 2014 at 10:13pm CST by Rob DiRe

After beating the Giants in Week 17, a number of writers for the Philadelphia Inquirer came out to eulogize a promising season that ended in disappointment.

One of the biggest questions the Eagles have heading into the offseason is the contract of Pro Bowl running back LeSean McCoy. Zach Berman caught some of what McCoy said about his future with that team in a series of tweets.

“I’m an Eagle, I love it here. My six years here have been excellent. I’ve been very, very, very productive here,” said McCoy. “We’ll see what happens. It’s a business. Anything can happen; I know that. But I’m sure we can work something out.” 

“It depends how they want to do it. …I love this team, and I’ll do whatever it takes. …We’ve got some time.”

While he has made it clear that he would be willing to restructure his deal, Jeff McClane writes that he would be surprised if McCoy took a pay cut to remain with the team (via Twitter).

  • McCoy may be the most talented player on the offense, but Chip Kelly’s offense needs a quarterback to make it go. Mark Sanchez has likely played his final game as the team’s starting quarterback, and his time as an Eagle in general may be up, writes Mike Sielski.
  • Owner Jeffrey Lurie was unwilling to commit to the team’s other quarterback, Nick Foles, according to McClane (via Twitter). He said the team would know more by March about the situation developing at the position.
  • The Eagles are coming off two good seasons, one that ended in a playoff appearance and one that fell just short of the mark. Bob Ford believes the team needs to make the next step, which won’t be easy. “The hardest part is to go from good to great,” Lurie said. “We’re at the good, but we don’t want that. We want to be great. I just look at what we could have accomplished this year. It’s exciting. We’re not sitting here 2-14 or 4-12 or whatever. . . . I think we’re pretty close. We know exactly what we need to upgrade. We’ve got a great group of young players, a lot of up-and-coming stars in this league. It’s all in front of us.”
  • One big decision for Lurie that could be the difference between taking the team from good to great is the choice to keep or move on from general manager Howie Roseman, writes McClane. As of now, Lurie says that Roseman will be back with the team. Roseman’s first-round pick in 2014 was unable to see much playing time, and reports have it that the hierarchy is unclear between himself and Kelly.
  • A weakness of the 2014 Eagles was the secondary, and that will be a priority this offseason, according to Marc Narducci. He writes about how they fared without Bradley Fletcher, and with inconsistent play even in the Week 17 win, there will surely be changes in time for 2015.

NFC Links: Peppers, Long, McCoy

December 25th, 2014 at 3:06pm CST by Ben Levine

If you’ve been following our site, you’ll know that there’s been plenty of rumblings surrounding the future of 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh. Those rumors could certainly wear on a person, but the coach said that he’s ignored the constant whispers. He gave his strategy to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com:

“The interesting thing is if you don’t look at the Internet and you don’t watch TV, you really do not know that it’s going on. That has been exactly what I have done. Put the focus on the week of preparation, put the focus on the players and the coaches and what we are trying to get done here. It works if you really don’t pick up.

“On the way home, you don’t turn on the talk radio and you don’t look at the Internet, you can be completely unaware that anything is swirling. I walk by people and I see their faces. I know something is going on.”

Let’s take a look at some more rumbling from the NFC…

  • While Packers general manager Ted Thompson usually is wary of aging players, Pete Dougherty of the Press-Gazette Media writes that the team shouldn’t move on from linebacker Julius Peppers. The Packers could cut the veteran without severe cap implications, but the writer believes Peppers has produced enough to stick around for at least another season.
  • John Mullin of CSNChicago.com writes that lineman Kyle Long‘s future position is likely offensive tackle (as opposed to his current guard position), but some of his Bears teammates resented that prediction. “Why would you move him to guard?” said Jay Ratliff . “He’s definitely one of the best. He comes off the ball hard pretty much every single snap and he knows how to make adjustments. A lot of guys come in and you can beat them with something over and over and over again…He adjusts automatically, realizes what he’s done wrong, and self-corrects, almost auto-corrects.”
  • LeSean McCoy made another Pro Bowl this season, but as Philly.com’s Zach Berman points out, the Eagles running back’s regular season success has never translated to the playoffs. Is the running back worried that he’ll never taste postseason success while in his prime? “I’m only 26; I’m not really sure,” McCoy said. “I’ve got a lot of years left, I feel like, with the way I play. I have a lot of stuff I want to accomplish. Individual and team goals. At the end of my career, I want to one day hopefully put that jacket on – and win a Super Bowl.”

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Redskins

September 29th, 2014 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

LeSean McCoy is under contract with the Eagles through 2017, but 2014 acts as something of a contract year for the veteran running back, since his salary balloons next season to $9.75MM, significantly more than he’s making in any other year of his deal. With his cap number on the rise and running back contracts around the league on the decline, McCoy is off to a slow start this season, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. While the Eagles’ banged-up offensive line isn’t doing Shady any favors, he “doesn’t look like the same player” he was in 2013, according to Fitzgerald, who suggests that a down year for McCoy would force the Eagles to make a difficult decision for 2015.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • The roster exemption the Giants received for cornerback Jayron Hosley, who is back from suspension, is for a week, so the team won’t have to make a move to get down to 53 players until next Monday, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • Appearing on WIP in Philadelphia, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly confirmed the club has not brought free agent lineman Richie Incognito for a workout, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), who adds that it sounds like there’s no interest there.
  • The Redskins have multiple openings on both their 53-man roster and their practice squad, but those spots likely won’t stay open for long. Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that the team is having a large group of players in to audition today.
  • Earlier this morning, we rounded up a few Cowboys items.

Extra Points: Dreessen, Cutler, Ferguson

July 12th, 2014 at 1:11pm CST by Matt Feminis
  • Speaking with Vic Carucci & Dan Leberfeld on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen weighed in on the Jimmy Graham ruling, saying the decision struck a nerve and that he agreed with Tony Gonzalez’s take on the situation: “It’s kind of frustrating that guys who get asked to do probably the second most after the quarterback is kinda down there on the pay scale.”
  • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune listed 12 NFL training camp storylines to watch, including Jay Cutler‘s new deal. “The Bears signed quarterback Jay Cutler to a $126 million contract extension that is essentially a $54 million deal for the next three seasons before it goes year-to-year,” says Biggs. “It’s a huge payday that general manager Phil Emery based on future performance, as Cutler’s resume includes only one postseason victory.”
  • Last year was an “uncharacteristically bad year” for Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, says the New York Post’s Brian Costello, who believes 2013 will prove to be “an aberration and not a sign of decline.” However, Costello does caution: “Ferguson has the highest salary cap figure on the team at $11.7 million. After a few restructurings to help the team gain salary cap space in 2012 and ’13, the bill is now coming due for the Jets. Ferguson’s cap numbers are huge for the next four years. If Ferguson’s play slips, the Jets might have to consider releasing him before the 2016 season, when they could save $9 million in cap space by cutting him.”
  • Branden Albert of the Dolphins and Jairus Byrd of the Saints topped ESPN’s list of free agents who will transform teams. The last three seasons, Albert has allowed just 4.6 pressures per 100 pass blocks, good enough for third in the league over that span. As for Byrd, he allowed a paltry 0.23 yards per coverage snap last season, third-best in the league.
  • Answering questions about the Eagles’ projected roster, PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus said he doesn’t expect many “curveballs,” i.e. surprises, when the team’s 53-man is finalized. McManus expects LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles and Chris Polk to serve as the running back trio, and he expects Brad Smith to stick as the fifth receiver. The one mild surprise could be Travis Long forcing veteran Brandon Graham out, though that would mean employing two backups at defensive end (Long and first-rounder Marcus Smith) with no NFL experience.
  • Entering training camp, 49 Patriots players are “sure-fire locks” or “near locks,” in the estimation of ESPN New England’s Mike Reiss, who breaks down the projected roster.