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Matthew Stafford News & Rumors

NFC Notes: Ansah, Stafford, Bradford, Giants

May 6th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Defensive end Ziggy Ansah, who is now under contract through 2017 after the Lions picked up his fifth-year option for 2017, won’t say whether he’s interested in signing a multiyear extension to remain in Detroit long term.

“As of right now, I think you’ve got to take it step by step,” said the standout Lions defender, according to Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press. “You’ve got to see how this season goes, and I’m just looking forward as far as having a great season for the team.”

In 2016, Ansah will earn a modest $2.94MM salary, but that 2017 option will pay him $12.734MM, so he’s in line for a nice raise eventually, whether or not he inks a long-term deal with the Lions. The former first-round pick, who recorded 14.5 sacks in 2015 on his way to his first Pro Bowl nod, was the league’s 27th-best edge defender out of 110 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Here’s more from out of the NFC:

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Steelers, Stafford, Nkemdiche

April 21st, 2016 at 8:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though the Steelers were reported as an early suitor for free agent Josh Norman, the match never made sense, writes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (and notably, new reports have indicated that Pittsburgh is not, in fact, in the running for Norman). The Steelers have less than $4MM available in cap space, and given that Norman is said to be targeting an annual salary north of $14MM, the numbers were never going to add up.

Let’s take a trip around the NFL’s two North divisions…

  • Lions GM Bob Quinn admitted that DT Robert Nkemdiche is a red flag player, but said that doesn’t mean they wouldn’t select a player like that (Twitter link via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com). Quinn also made it clear at today’s presser that the team has no interest in trading Matthew Stafford, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com tweets.
  • Free agent tight end Chase Ford said he hasn’t heard from the Vikings, the club with whom he spent 2013-14, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). Ford has had a busy six months or so — the Ravens signed him in November, but then waived him earlier this month after offering him an RFA tender. The Browns claimed Ford, but similarly waived him just a week later.
  • Using the concept of surplus value, Brian Burke of ESPN.com declares the Browns the winner of last week’s draft pick trade with the Eagles.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

No Decision Yet On Lions HC Jim Caldwell

January 11th, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions introduced new general manager Bob Quinn today at an afternoon press conference, but the team has yet to make a decision on head coach Jim Caldwell, who remains in limbo. While Quinn initially said during today’s presser that he met with Caldwell today, he later acknowledged that it was more of an introduction than a meeting — it only lasted about 30 seconds (Twitter links via Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com and Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Quinn doesn’t expect to meet again with Caldwell today, and doesn’t have a timetable for his decision on the head coach, but he’d like to make that call sooner rather than later (Twitter links via Birkett and Twentyman). Still, the former Patriots executive won’t rush the decision, and would like to get to know Caldwell. Quinn added today that he expects to meet with Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson before announcing anything on Caldwell (Twitter link via Birkett).

As Quinn deliberates on Caldwell, we’ve got a few more items to pass along out of Detroit, so let’s dive in and round them up…

  • Although Quinn is going into his meeting with Caldwell with an open mind, he has other potential head coaching candidates at the ready, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora (Twitter link) would be surprised if the Lions end up targeting Patriots coordinators Josh McDaniels and Matt Patricia as Caldwell’s potential replacement, though Quinn did praise both Pats assistants today, suggesting they’re both ready and willing to become head coaches (Twitter link via Birkett).
  • Quinn not only got the general manager title in Detroit — he also was named executive VP and received a five-year contract, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com. As Caplan observes, it’s an impressive package for a first-time GM.
  • Quinn will report directly to owner Martha Ford, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. Meanwhile, the new GM said today that he’s not sure the old interim GM – Sheldon White – will be back with the club, per Twentyman (Twitter link). White has been with the franchise for nearly two decades, in several roles and under multiple regimes, so it would be a little surprising if he went anywhere.
  • Quinn will have “zero tolerance” when it comes to guns and domestic violence with his players, according to Birkett (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Forte, Lions, Lynch, Bonuses

December 28th, 2015 at 10:43am CST by Luke Adams

With Matt Forte‘s contract set to expire, Bears tackle Kyle Long hopes to continue playing with his veteran teammate, but knows there’s a chance next week’s game could be their last together, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes.

“I’d love to play with Matt forever, but it’s a business,” Long said. “I understand that. If he is around, I’ll be as psyched as anybody. And it will be one of the hardest things ever to see him in another jersey if that’s the case. But we have one more game with him, sure. We’re going to run the workhorse until the wheels fall off.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford has turned around his 2015 season since Jim Bob Cooter took over as the team’s offensive coordinator, so it’s no surprise that Stafford would like to see Cooter keep the job in 2016, as Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com details.
  • Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch hasn’t progressed as quickly as expected in his recovery from a sports hernia ailment, but he was seen training on Christmas Day at a San Francisco facility. The 29-year-old is expected to be back in Seattle this week, with an eye on potentially returning to practice, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports. A determination on Lynch’s ability to play in his fifth postseason with the Seahawks remains elusive, however.
  • In advance of the Seahawks‘ rematch with the Rams on Sunday, GM John Schneider said offensive rookie of the year contender Todd Gurley rated as the No. 1 player on Seattle’s draft board, the Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta reports (on Twitter).
  • Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) identifies a couple players with major money on the line in Week 17, noting that Vikings running back Adrian Peterson‘s 2016 roster bonus will be reduced by $1MM if he doesn’t rush for 132 yards against the Packers, while Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee will miss out on a $2MM salary increase if his playing time for the season dips below 80% (he’s currently at 82.1%).
  • One player who has cashed in on bonus money recently is Cardinals edge defender Dwight Freeney, who earned an extra $300K on Sunday after racking up three more sacks. Per Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Cardinals president Michael Bidwell says he hopes to write Freeney a year-end bonus check worth more than the $500K the veteran pass rusher has already earned.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Rams, Hardy, Lions

November 21st, 2015 at 10:18am CST by Ben Levine

Rams wideout Tavon Austin will be returning to his hometown of Baltimore to take on the Ravens this weekend. The former West Virginia University standout is happy playing in St. Louis, but he did tell Joe Lyons of STLToday.com that the Ravens did check up on him during the 2013 draft.

“They were definitely staying in touch,’’ the receiver said. “I had a great meeting with them. The GM (Ozzie Newsome) is an awesome guy. I thought they were going to pull the trigger, but Coach Fisher did. I’m proud he did and I’m happy to be a Ram.’’

Let’s check out some other assorted notes from around the NFC…

  • The Cowboys have shown that they’re willing to deal with all of Greg Hardy‘s on and off the field issues, leading Jon Machota of DallasNews.com to predict that the defensive end will play in Dallas next season. The 27-year-old appears to like the organization, and the writer believes Hardy would willingly return, assuming Dallas offers him close to what he wants.
  • Following news that Lions interim general manager Sheldon White would be a candidate for the full-time gig, the executive acknowledged that his team needs to win if he wants to keep the job. “Obviously if we don’t then, I won’t be a candidate,” White told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “But if we win these games and we find ways to get better and improve our roster, maybe I will be.”
  • New Lions president Rod Wood is confident that his team isn’t far away from contention, and with that mindset, Birkett believes quarterback Matthew Stafford could be sticking around. However, Wood did acknowledge that the decision would be up to the general manager. “I’m going to leave that to the general manager, but they’re great players,” Wood said, adding, “Matthew is my quarterback on my fantasy team if that means anything.”

Lions Interim GM On Outlook, Stafford, Johnson

November 14th, 2015 at 9:04am CST by Ben Levine

Lions interim general manager Sheldon White made his first public comments yesterday since the team let go of former GM Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand. The executive was at the podium to discuss the team’s acquisition of defensive lineman C.J. Wilson, but he predictably ended up answering questions regarding his job and the organization.

We’ve compiled some of the notable quotes below, all via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press and Chris Wesseling of NFL.com…

On his main priority as general manager:

“We have to win. Will I be a candidate (for the GM job full-time)? I can give you the best way to be a candidate is to win games. Obviously, if we don’t, then I won’t be a candidate. But if we win these games and we find ways to get better and improve our roster, maybe I will be.”

On his “interim tag,” and how he’s envisioning the future:

“I love the clarity that Mrs. Ford told me. She told me she’s hiring me as the interim general manager, but the reality of it is, this isn’t a Supreme Court justice appointment. The only person with a lifetime appointment in this building is our owner, and so the way I look at everybody, we’re all interim general managers, we’re interim coaches, we’re interim players. Eventually, it’ll be over, and we’ll be telling stories.”

On acquiring players for the rest of the season:

“There’s somebody out there, and we’ll see them. And it may be our team or some other team, but there’s some player out there that can help us win, help a team win, and they’re going to before the end of the year. It’s our job to grind it and find those guys. Are they on the street? Are they on practice squads? Are they in our building already and we just need to give them an opportunity to play?”

On the future of two of his team’s biggest stars: Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford:

“Those guys are awesome. They’re awesome. The things that I have to do on my end, in my opinion those guys are ultra-talented. I have to continue to surround them and continue to build our roster and you’ll see all the talents that those guys have. And they are unbelievable.”

NFC North Notes: Wallace, Lions, Megatron

November 13th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Zachary Links

Mike Wallace knows that his hefty contract could make this a one-and-done season with the Vikings, as Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Wallace is making $9.9MM this year and due to earn $11.5MM in 2016, but next year’s salary is not guaranteed. Meanwhile, Minnesota is pretty stacked at wide receiver, a stable that includes rookie Stefon Diggs.

“I’m not stupid. I’m a pretty smart guy. I understand everything,” Wallace said. “When you go to look at that, that’s a lot of money to leave out there that you want to get, but you have to make plays to get those numbers up. We’ll see.”

So far, Wallace has just 27 receptions for 296 yards. At that pace, his 54 catches would be fewest since his rookie year, and 592 yards would be a career-low. Diggs, meanwhile, has 28 catches for 461 yards despite being inactive for the first three of Minnesota’s eight games.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

  • Lions interim GM Sheldon White was non-committal when asked about the futures of Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. Stafford, 27, has struggled for most of the season and the Lions can get out from his deal this offseason with just an $11MM cap hit. Johnson, 30, is one of the most talented receivers in the game, but at his age he’s likely not worth the ~$16MM salary he’s due to make next year, a rate that comes with a whopping $24MM cap hit.
  • Contrary to published reports, two people familiar with the situation told Larry Lage of The Associated Press that the Lions have not hired a firm to assist them with their search for new executives.
  • In a separate piece, Birkett wonders if ex-Lions GM Martin Mayhew could get another chance to be a GM elsewhere. For what it’s worth, former Lions senior personnel executive Shack Harris feels that Mayhew should get another shot.
  • Per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Packers tried out several defensive players today, including cornerbacks Donald Celiscar and Joel Ross, linebacker Derrick Mathews, and defensive end B.J. McBryde.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Stafford, Palmer, Lockette

November 13th, 2015 at 10:42am CST by Luke Adams

After surveying seven NFL coaches and personnel men, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com say the results were unanimous, with those sources suggesting the Lions would be “foolish” to part with Matthew Stafford in 2016. Although Stafford could net a nice haul of draft picks for Detroit, the fact that there’d be no obvious replacement in free agency or the draft makes it unlikely that the Lions make a move.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • With Carson Palmer having another strong season in Arizona, the Cardinals now firmly believe that the veteran can be the team’s quarterback “for years to come,” according to Schefter and Mortensen. Assuming Palmer doesn’t run into any serious health problems, the Cards believe Palmer can play out his current contract – which voids after the 2017 season – and may want to retain him beyond that.
  • Defensive back DeShawn Shead wasn’t the only player to receive a $25K signing bonus from the Seahawks this week — according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Seattle did the same thing for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. While $25K isn’t a huge amount for an NFL player, teams don’t often simply give a player a mid-season bonus without making any other changes to his contract, so it’s a commendable move by the Seahawks — particularly if it happened after Lockette underwent season-ending neck surgery.
  • With a game against the Bears on tap this weekend, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher admitted to reporters that he viewed Jay Cutler as the top quarterback prospect in the 2006 NFL draft, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Of course, Fisher – who was coaching the Titans at the time, and didn’t yet have final say on draft decisions – ended up with Vince Young, the third overall pick in that draft.
  • The Giants will work out former Eastern Washington tackle Jake Rodgers next Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Rodgers was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of this year’s draft, but was cut prior to the regular season.

Extra Points: Stafford, Los Angeles, Packers

November 11th, 2015 at 9:12pm CST by Zachary Links

If Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford is made available, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) would expect the Texans, 49ers, Browns, and Jets to all express interest given their quarterback needs. Stafford has reasonable base salaries of $17MM and $16.5MM (both non-guaranteed) in 2016 and 2017, so he could have appeal to clubs despite his struggles. Meanwhile, teams looking at QBs feel that Stafford has more to offer than any signal caller in the draft.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Jets owner Woody Johnson says a decision on Los Angeles could come after January and perhaps even as late as March, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets. It sounds like we’ll have to wait a while before we learn the fate of the Raiders, Rams, and Chargers.
  • The Packers worked out defensive tackle Toby Johnson, according to Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Saints worked out wide receiver Damarr Aultman, cornerback Dwight Bentley, and fullback Trey Millard, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The Patriots worked out offensive tackle Reid Fragel, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
  • Former Texans wide receiver DeVier Posey worked out for the Bengals today, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).

Lions Notes: Stafford, GM Search, Ford

November 10th, 2015 at 11:01am CST by Luke Adams

Since GM Martin Mayhew and president Tom Lewand were fired last week by the Lions, the latest rumors and speculation in Detroit have centered on quarterback Matthew Stafford, whose future with the club beyond the 2015 season is somewhat uncertain. Still, speaking to FOX2 in Detroit on Monday, Stafford said he wasn’t caught up in thoughts about his long-term outlook, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com details.

“I don’t think it helps, you know, for me to sit there and think about it,” Stafford said. “I’m doing a disservice to the other guys in the locker room preparing to win games on Sundays to sit there and worry about what the future holds. I’m trying to play as good of football as I possibly can and help the Lions win. … I love playing here. I’ve enjoyed it. We’ll see what happens. Hopefully I’m here for a long time.”

Here’s more on the Lions:

  • Despite those Stafford rumors, some people around the league think the idea that the team would move him in the offseason is “crazy talk,” writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio notes, Stafford may not be a top-10 quarterback, but he’s not a bottom-10 option either, so the Lions are unlikely to let him go unless they have a viable plan in place for his replacement.
  • Gil Brandt of NFL.com (Twitter link) reported over the weekend that the Lions have hired a search firm to help the franchise identify and hire a new president and general manager. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press spoke to Ernie Accorsi and Ron Wolf, who have served as consultants for teams’ GM searches in recent years, about what that process entails.
  • In an ESPN.com piece, Rothstein lays out a few characteristics the team will be looking for in its next general manager.
  • Lions owner Martha Ford addressed the players on Monday, introducing the replacements for Mayhew and Lewand, and telling the team “in no uncertain terms that she expects the Lions to start playing better football,” Birkett writes for the Free Press.
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