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PFR Polls News & Rumors

Poll: Are The Browns Moving In The Right Direction?

February 11th, 2014 at 6:06pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, the Browns surprised the football world when they sacked GM Michael Lombardi in order to promote Ray Farmer to that mantle. Of course, it wasn’t Cleveland’s first major shakeup of the season as they fired first-year coach Rob Chudzinski earlier in the offseason, much to the dismay of many Browns players. It’s not a stretch to imagine that the two are related. The Browns were said to have several coaches on their wishlist ahead of eventual hire Mike Pettine and they whiffed on all of them for one reason or another.

While they’re optimistic about the defensive-minded Pettine and the emergence of star wide receiver Josh Gordon on the other side of the football, the Browns haven’t made the playoffs since 2002 and their winter turmoil is cause for concern. Injured quarterback Brian Hoyer, who has the open support of the newly-crowned HC, doesn’t look like a world-beater and it’s said that the club won’t tab a QB to replace him with the No. 4 overall pick. One thing is for sure – Farmer’s decision to remove himself from consideration for the Dolphins’ GM job in January makes a whole lot more sense now.

Things seem pretty shaky in Cleveland and Browns fans have never been an optimistic bunch, but it’s possible that the readers of Pro Football Rumors will have a rosier view. Take your pick in our poll and weigh in in the comment section.

Poll: Should Graham Get WR Franchise Tag?

February 10th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

Jimmy Graham represents one of the more intriguing free-agents-to-be this offseason, and going up against a wide receiver class headlined by Eric Decker, Julian Edelman, and Anquan Boldin, you could make the case that Graham will be the top receiving option on the market. Still, the odds of Graham leaving New Orleans are virtually nil. Even if the Saints and their All-Pro tight end can’t reach a long-term agreement, the team figures to slap the franchise tag on him to ensure that he remains the top target in Drew Brees‘ arsenal.

If and when Graham receives that franchise tag though, it will spark a debate on what position he really plays. While he’s long been considered a tight end, the 27-year-old played significantly more snaps in 2013 split out as a receiver, rather than tight to the tackle. The positional debate would have a major impact on Graham’s potential earnings, since the franchise tag for tight ends will be in the neighborhood of $6.7MM, compared to $11.5MM for wide receivers.

In his MMQB column today, Peter King writes that the entire discussion is “ludicrous,” since every team in the league uses formations where tight ends are split out as receivers, but as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the NFL CBA dictates that a player be franchised at the position “at which [he] participated in the most plays during the prior League Year.” Considering Graham a tight end would be in the Saints’ best interests, since it would give the team nearly $5MM in cap flexibility to spend elsewhere. But it’s hard to argue that Graham, who has averaged 90 catches, 1,169 yards, and 12 TDs over the last three seasons and lined up so frequently as a receiver, should see his salary limited by a somewhat arbitrary designation.

A long-term deal between Graham and the Saints would end the discussion, or at least postpone it until a similar player reached free agency. But suppose New Orleans uses the franchise tag, and an arbitrator is tasked with determining Graham’s position. Would you argue that he should be viewed as a tight end or a receiver?

Poll: Who Should The Seahawks’ Top Priority Be This Offseason?

February 3rd, 2014 at 9:32pm CST by David Kipke

Yesterday, we passed along a report that suggested the Seahawks’ top priority this offseason is extending All-Pro safety Earl Thomas. However, giving Thomas a new contract would likely affect the team’s ability to negotiate a new contract with cornerback Richard Sherman this offseason. Both Thomas and Sherman are eligible for free agency a year from now, and if the Seahawks want to extend both players this offseason, they would likely have to cut receiver Sidney Rice.

Additionally, the Seahawks must decide if they want to table negotiations with the aforementioned players in order to retain receiver Golden Tate and/or defensive end Michael Bennett, who are hitting free agency this offseason. While the club may be able to re-sign or extend multiple players, it likely won’t be able to fit all of them under the cap.

Who do you think the Seahawks should prioritize this offseason?

Poll: Which Team Will Win The Super Bowl?

January 31st, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Luke Adams

After two weeks of buildup and hype, we’ve arrived at Super Bowl weekend, with Sunday’s game now just 48 hours away. Much has been made of the league’s No. 1 offense squaring off against its No. 1 defense, and on Sunday we’ll finally see which side comes out on top.

Ever since Denver dispatched the Patriots in the AFC Championship and Seattle survived the NFC game against the Niners, Peyton Manning and the Broncos have been the Super Bowl favorites. However, Denver’s predicted margin of victory is slim, and fans seem fairly split on which club will actually win. ESPN.com released its reporters’ individual predictions for Super Bowl XLVIII today, and of the 48 writers polled, 25 picked the Seahawks, while 23 went with the Broncos.

So today’s PFR poll question is fairly simple: Which team do you expect to win this year’s Super Bowl? Feel free to weigh in with your specific score predictions in the comments section.

Poll: What Should Saints Do With Graham?

January 26th, 2014 at 6:54pm CST by David Kipke

Earlier this weekend, we discussed Jimmy Graham’s developing contract situation. After Saints owner Mickey Loomis said that the team was prepared to use its franchise tag on the fourth-year All-Pro tight end, Graham said that he was “not too keen” on the franchise tag.

Because Graham has established himself as the premier tight end in the NFL over the past three seasons, many expect the Saints to prevent the 27-year-old Miami (FL) grad from hitting the free agent market. However, it remains to be seen if the Saints are ready to offer Graham a long-term extension. Two years ago, the Saints found themselves in a similar situation with Drew Brees, in which the team waited until just before the July deadline to sign Brees to a lucrative extension.

What do you think? Is Graham worth the long-term commitment right now? Or should the Saints play it safe and simply employ their franchise tag?