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Adrian Peterson

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.

North Notes: Joe Thomas, Bengals, Peterson

November 10th, 2015 at 1:22pm CST by Luke Adams

We’re a full week removed from the trade deadline, but whispers about the blockbuster deal that didn’t get done on that day – Joe Thomas to the Broncos – continue to linger. For his part, Thomas today denied a weekend report suggesting he and/or his agent asked the Browns to explore the trade market for a possible deal.

“I’m not sure where that report came from, but I can say in no uncertain terms that I never asked the Browns for a trade, that I never talked to them about wanting to be traded, (nor) did any of my representatives talk to the Browns about wanting to be traded,” Thomas said today, per Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. “From what I understand about how things went, the Browns were contacted by the Broncos and that’s where the trade came from.”

That weekend report also indicated that Thomas wanted the Broncos to guarantee his 2016 and 2017 salaries before agreeing to a deal, which the Browns star tackle also denied.

“The other thing I’m going to be very firm and make no qualms about is myself was never involved in any contract discussions with the Denver Broncos, my agent was never involved in any contract discussions, there was never any guaranteed money discussed,” Thomas said. “I was off the grid this weekend, so I was a little surprised to see (the report).”

Let’s round up a few more Tuesday notes from across the NFL’s North divisions….

  • The Browns will add running back Glenn Winston and cornerback Charles Gaines to their active roster at some point this week, according to head coach Mike Pettine (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). Having cut linebacker Jayson DiManche and defensive back De’Ante Saunders yesterday, Cleveland shouldn’t need to make any other roster moves to accommodate the returning players.
  • A pair of Bengals players that opened the year on reserve lists returned to practice for the team today, according to Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. As Harvey notes, Cincinnati will now have a three-week window to decide whether or not to activate offensive tackle Cedric Ogbuehi (non-football injury list) and linebacker Sean Porter (physically unable to perform list).
  • As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com observes (via Twitter), Adrian Peterson needs at least 1,350 rushing yards and a Vikings playoff berth to keep his 2016 roster bonus from dropping by $2MM. While those may have seemed like tall orders before the season, Peterson – the league’s leading rusher – is currently on pace to exceed 1,500 yards, and Minnesota is tied for first place in the NFC North.

North Notes: Packers, Peterson, Jacoby Jones

November 4th, 2015 at 7:14pm CST by Zachary Links

There are some big free agent decisions looming for the Packers, as Rob Reischel of the Journal-Sentinel writes. The Packers’ unrestricted free agents will include defensive end Mike Daniels, defensive tackles B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, cornerback Casey Hayward, outside linebackers Mike Neal and Nick Perry, kicker Mason Crosby, wide receiver James Jones, fullback John Kuhn, and running back James Starks. Meanwhile, safety Chris Banjo, linebacker Andy Mulumba and guard Lane Taylor headline Green Bay’s list of restricted free agents. GM Ted Thompson has done a great job of keeping the team’s core together in recent years, but this year’s free agent class might test his abilities.

Here’s more out of the North divisions:

  • Tom Brady isn’t the only star that wants to play for another decade, as Mike Florio of PFT writes. “If God’s willing, 10 more years,” Vikings running back Adrian Peterson said regarding the duration of his career. “If God’s willing, I’ll just be able to walk away from the game at the highest level whenever I decide.” For his career, AP has run for 10,823 total yards. He’s still 7,532 yards behind Emmitt Smith’s all-time career total.
  • Ravens coach John Harbaugh wasn’t aware of Jacoby Jones‘ release until shortly after practice Wednesday, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Harbaugh said that Jones’ availability will at least be discussed. On Tuesday, the Chargers parted ways with the one time Baltimore Super Bowl hero. The veteran returned five punts for a grand total of -4 yards for the Bolts, which clearly wasn’t what they had in mind when they gave him a two-year, $5.5MM deal in the spring.
  • The Browns will start Johnny Manziel vs. the Bengals on Thursday night, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

NFC Rumors: Peterson, Fusco, Maxwell, RG3

September 26th, 2015 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here is the latest coming out of NFC facilities, starting with Minnesota.

  • The NFL and NFLPA reached a settlement to dismiss a motion in the Adrian Peterson case, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. As a result, the NFL will not use the post-Ray Rice scandal domestic violence penalties for incidents occurring before Aug. 28, 2014, which includes the Vikings‘ star running back’s case. Oral arguments in Peterson’s case remain set for Oct. 19 in front of the Eighth Circuit in St. Paul, Minn.
  • Brandon Fusco played through a concussion in the Vikings’ Week 2 win over the Lions, and the Players Association is investigating whether the ATC spotter failed to take appropriate action when the Minnesota guard struggled to stand up after a third-quarter block involving helmet-to-helmet contact, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. The spotters are independent certified athletic trainers present to determine if players suffer concussions who as of this season have authorization to stop games in order to initiate immediate concussion examinations.
  • Byron Maxwell‘s struggles are flying under the radar compared to those of Sam Bradford and Chip Kelly amid the Eagles‘ 0-2 start, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. In the first month of a six-year, $63MM contract, Maxwell allowed Julio Jones to compile another Monday Night Football highlight package and then admitted to being too fatigued to stop Terrance Williams from scoring last week. Mehta argues matters will worsen for the ex-Seahawks corner when he faces a rejuvenated Brandon Marshall. The 27-year-old Maxwell is the 89th-rated corner thus far, according to Pro Football Focus, and has begun to hear the displeasure of a notoriously impatient fanbase. €œI feel it. They’re cold on me,” Maxwell told the Daily News. That’€™s fine. Everybody’s got their opinion.”
  • Florio notes Maxwell’s monstrous agreement with the Eagles is somewhat tenuous at two years and $25MM, with just $3MM of the $10MM salary in 2017 guaranteed. PFT’s top scribe believes that, absent “significant” improvement, Maxwell will be jettisoned after 2016.
  • In analyzing Washington‘s switch to Kirk Cousins, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap believes the team made this move so Robert Griffin‘s $16.5MM fifth-year option doesn’t become guaranteed due to an injury sustained this season. Expressing shock Washington picked up its maligned third-string signal-caller’s option and tied itself to Griffin further, Fitzgerald notes had this transaction not taken place, Griffin would be the starter, with the team only being on the hook for the fourth-year quarterback’s 2015 salary in the event of an injury.

North Notes: AP, Walsh, Manziel, Bears

September 19th, 2015 at 7:20pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Vikings quarterback Teddy Bridgewater is at his best in the shotgun. Vikings running back Adrian Peterson is at his best in the I-formation. Bridgewater is eight years younger than Peterson, meaning the Vikings have to consider his development of the utmost importance. That doesn’t mean they’re going to phase Peterson out of their offense, writes Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com. Peterson had just 10 carries for 31 yards in the Vikings’ 20-3 loss in San Francisco on Monday, but offensive coordinator Norv Turner doesn’t expect that lack of usage to become a trend.

“We’re looking at the things we have to do and the things that give us a chance to beat Detroit,” said Turner. “Games come up different and we all know Adrian is a big part of what we do and we want him to be able to have an impact.”

The Vikings’ matchup against the NFC North rival Lions is one of Week 2’s biggest, considering both playoff hopefuls are looking to avoid 0-2 starts. It’ll be interesting to see if Peterson rebounds and tears through the Lions’ defense – something he’s done throughout his career. The 30-year-old has 1,258 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns in 12 games against Detroit.

Here’s more on the Vikings and a couple other North-based clubs:

  • The Vikings elected in the offseason to let Peterson’s former lead blocker, fullback Jerome Felton, depart in free agency. Felton signed in Buffalo for $3.6MM in guarantees, and the Vikings gave kicker Blair Walsh slightly more ($3.7MM guaranteed). Both decisions could prove to haunt the team, opines Jim Souhan of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Walsh’s accuracy has dropped precipitously every year of his career, from 92.1 percent to 86.7 to 74.3 last year, and he missed one of his two kicks Monday.
  • With Johnny Manziel set to make his third career start, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal checked off what the second-year man will need to do against Tennessee in order to show the Browns he’s ready for a bigger role. Manziel’s tenure in the pros has been disastrous thus far, so a solid Sunday showing would obviously be a welcome change for him and the Browns.
  • The Bears had the second-most turnovers during the preseason, but most of the plays were made by defenders who are no longer filling prominent roles now that the regular season has begun. That’s a problem, writes the Chicago Sun-Times’ Adam Jahns, who wonders where the Bears’ defensive playmakers are. They have several well-paid defenders and former high-round draft picks, but they were quiet during the exhibition season and in the team’s Week 1 loss to Green Bay. Head coach John Fox is hoping for better things against Arizona in Week 2. “You get 16 opportunities, and we’re into our second one,’’ Fox said. ‘‘I look for improvement.’’

NFC Notes: Benjamin, Falcons, AP, RGIII

August 19th, 2015 at 2:33pm CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers are holding their collective breath as they await the results of an MRI on Kelvin Benjamin‘s left knee. The Panthers wideout went down with an apparent non-contact injury during today’s joint practice with the Dolphins, and while head coach Ron Rivera indicated that it’s a sprained knee, there’s a chance the injury is more serious than that. If Benjamin has to miss regular-season action, it’ll be bad news for a Carolina receiving corps that’s lacking legit playmakers outside of Benjamin. Jonathan Jones and Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer have the details.

As the Panthers and their fans wait on the results of that MRI, let’s round up a few more items from across the NFC….

  • A report yesterday suggested that free agent quarterback Rex Grossman was drawing interest from the Falcons, but D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution says it’s the other way around, tweeting that Grossman is interested in the Falcons. According to Ledbetter, the team is happy with T.J. Yates and Sean Renfree behind Matt Ryan.
  • Within an extensive look at Adrian Peterson‘s unusual offseason, Eli Saslow of ESPN The Magazine says that the Vikings running back wants to play another eight season in the NFL, in the hopes of breaking Emmitt Smith’s career rushing record.
  • Washington would like to stick with Robert Griffin III as the team’s starting quarterback for the entire 2015 season in order to make a fully informed decision about his future, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The club has already picked up RGIII’s fifth-year option for 2016, but that salary doesn’t become guaranteed until the first day of the ’16 league year, so Washington could still decide to move on from the young QB if this season doesn’t go well.
  • The Cardinals‘ signing of running back Chris Johnson is a potential coup, and a move straight from the Steve Keim playbook, writes Dan Bickley of the Arizona Republic.
  • Lions safety James Ihedigbo, who had been seeking a new contract earlier this year, still feels like he’s in his prime as he prepares to turn 32 years old, he tells Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.

NFC Notes: Peterson, Giants, Evans, Lions

August 15th, 2015 at 9:34pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Despite all the rumors and news surrounding Adrian Peterson over the offseason, the Vikings running back always felt that he’d return to Minnesota, as he tells Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “Deep down inside, I always knew I’d be back here,” said Peterson. “I like looking at situations and putting myself in other people’s positions. No way the Vikings were going to let me go.” Peterson will have to run behind a Phil Loadholt-less offensive line, as we learned earlier tonight that the Vikings right tackle tore his Achilles.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • The Giants have suffered a rash of injuries in their secondary, leading Paul Schwartz of the New York Post to wonder if the G-Men might be forced to make some additional signings. Rookie safeties Landon Collins and Mykkele Thompson each suffered injuries in last night’s preseason game (Thompson’s is more serious, as he’s expected to miss the season), and although head coach Tom Coughlin hopes that corner Prince Amukamara will return soon, he admits that new players may have to be brought in.
  • The Saints extended guard Jahri Evans this offseason — mostly to create cap space — but Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune isn’t sure how much the 31-year-old has left. Comparing Evans to a pitcher who has lost his fastball and has become “craftier,” Holder nevertheless observes that Evans has been regularly beaten by opposing defensive lineman during camp.
  • Offensive lineman Darren Keyton will miss the entire season after tearing his patellar tendon, tweets Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, and according to Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, the Lions didn’t wait around to look for candidates to take Keyton’s role. Detroit held OL tryouts directly after today’s practice, but the names of the players involved were not released.

Latest On Greg Hardy

August 10th, 2015 at 4:49pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFLPA wants to see what happens at Thursday’s hearing on regarding Adrian Peterson before taking any action on behalf of Greg Hardy, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Hardy still hasn’t made a decision regarding a potential lawsuit against the league, a source with knowledge of the situation tells Florio.

On July 10th, the Cowboys defensive end saw his ten-game suspension lowered to a much more palatable four-game ban. However, Hardy’s camp reportedly decided from the outset that they would battle anything beyond two games since he already sat out the lion’s share of the 2014 season. Florio’s source says that Hardy has decided to follow the lead of the union on this one – he’ll proceed with action if the NFLPA wants to, but otherwise, he’s prepared to serve a four-game suspension.

For now, assuming Hardy accepts the four-game suspension, he’ll have the potential to earn up to about $10.628MM this season. The 26-year-old’s contract has a modest base salary, but features up to $9.25MM in per-game roster bonuses and about $1.8MM in incentives. By getting his penalty reduced from 10 games to four games, Hardy will have the opportunity to earn nearly $3.5MM in extra per-game roster bonuses.

As a refresher, Hardy allegedly assaulted and threatened to kill ex-girlfriend Nicole Holder in May of 2014. After being found guilty by a judge, Hardy was scheduled to get a jury trial, but due to a lack of cooperation by Holder, the charges against the defensive end were ultimately dismissed, as he reached a civil settlement with his accuser. While the case played out, Hardy spent the 2014 season on the commissioner’s exempt list for the Panthers, missing all but one game. The Cowboys signed Hardy earlier this offseason before word of his suspension broke, and a four-game ban is about what the team had initially expected.

 

Adrian Peterson on Future, Vikings, Health

August 8th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

Adrian Peterson is trying to move forward following his tumultuous 2014 season. The Vikings running back only played in one game last season before being placed on the Exempt/Commissioner’s Permission list, compiling 75 yards on 21 carries.

It remains to be seen whether Peterson can return to MVP form, but when he last missed significant time in 2011, he returned with a record-breaking 2012 campaign.

The 30-year-old sat down with ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling to discuss his prospect’s for this season, his future, and his relationship with the Vikings. The whole interview is worth checking out, but we’ve compiled some of the more intriguing quotes for you below…

On whether he’ll try to catch Emmitt Smith‘s records, requiring him to play until he’s at least 35 years old:

“I think if I’m blessed to play [that long], I’ll get a feel. I think I’ll go off my gut feel. I think I can play for a long time, but I’m just going to take it one year at a time and see how I feel, because I did enjoy myself, realizing how much I was missing, as far as my kids. Just doing simple stuff, taking them to school, picking them up, that was fun to me. I missed that. Unfortunately, it’s during football season. So that could bring my career to an end earlier than expected.”

On whether he believes his relationship with the Vikings organization is strong enough to produce a new contract:

“I do. I do. I feel like the relationship is that good. The big thing is — because it is a business — is still being productive, being able to perform at a high level. I feel like if I do my part, they’ll do their part.”

On how his perspective has changed:

“Going through everything and realizing that hey, you can get kind of caught up when you’re the face of the franchise, and they’ve got you all over NFL Network. But one thing to put in perspective: You realize you’re just a small piece. In the big scheme of things, they’re going to do what’s best for them. It puts things in perspective. That’s kind of how I look at things now. It’s like, I don’t owe the NFL anything. It’s a privilege for me and every other guy that’s on this field. For them, without us, they don’t make a dime. That’s how I look at it now.”

On how he’s feeling heading into the preseason:

“I definitely feel stronger, having the extra time to let the body rest, for one, and then train even more. In season, you probably lift twice a week, just to keep things sharp and keep your strength up through the season. But having the type of time I had, I was able to push my body to the max, knowing I had enough time to recover and be ready for OTAs [organized team activities] and camp. I feel stronger. I feel more explosive. Mentally, that was the biggest thing. I was able to grow stronger mentally, and it’s been showing, when I’m in the weight room and when I’m out here as well.”

NFC Notes: Peterson, Sendlein, Guion, Saints, Sproles

August 7th, 2015 at 9:31pm CST by Rob DiRe

The relationship between the Vikings and star-running back Adrian Peterson had seemingly become strained since he missed 15 games last season after a domestic violence charge. Even so, Peterson has stated that not only does he want to keep playing until he is in his late thirties, and said he would have no problem signing another long-term contract with the team, in a Q&A with Ben Goessling of ESPN.

Here are some more stories from around the NFC:

  • Newly re-signed Cardinals center Lyle Sendlein said he had interest from other teams throughout the NFL, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (via Twitter). “Deep down,” said Sendlein, “we wanted to come back here.”
  • The appeal of Letroy Guion‘s three-game suspension stemming from an offseason arrest will be heard by the NFL on August 24th, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Tight end Jean Sifrin got a tryout with the Saints, according to Nick Underhill and Joel Erickson of the New Orleans Advocate (via Twitter).
  • Former Saints defensive end Glenn Foster, who was released recently, said he needs about one month to complete the rehab on his knee, according to Mike Triplett of ESPN. Foster still plans to sign somewhere when healthy and play in 2015.
  • Despite adding workhorse running back DeMarco Murray and former Charger Ryan Mathews, head coach Chip Kelly sees a bigger role in the Eagles’ offense for Darren Sproles. While that could be the result of a pair of running backs with injury history, Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer believes the extra snaps and touches will like come as a receiver in 2015.
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