HEADLINES

Akeem Spence

Contract Details: Garcon, Baker, Klein, Jones

March 9th, 2017 at 6:59pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at some details of the free agent contracts signed today:

  • Chris Baker, DL (Buccaneers): Three years, $15.75MM. $9MM guaranteed. $1MM in sack incentives each season (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
  • Jack Crawford, DL (Falcons): Three years, $10.3MM. $3.75MM in 2017 (Twitter link via Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com).
  • Pierre Garcon, WR (49ers): Two years, $23MM. $17MM guaranteed. Options for 2019 ($6MM), 2020 ($8.9MM), and 2021 ($9.6MM) (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
  • Landry Jones, QB (Steelers): Two years, $4.4MM. $600K signing bonus (Twitter link via Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com).
  • A.J. Klein, LB (Saints): Four years, $24MM. $4MM signing bonus. $9.4MM guaranteed. 2020 season will void Klein is on Saints roster on last day of 2019 league year (via Nick Underhill of the Advocate).
  • Jeff Locke, P (Colts): Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com and Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star).
  • Ryan Mallett, QB (Ravens): One year, $2MM. $1MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Pelissero).
  • Akeem Spence, DL (Lions): Three years, $9MM. $3.5MM guaranteed. $1MM available via escalators (Twitter link via Peliserro).
  • D.J. Swearinger, S (Redskins): Three years, $13.5MM. $9MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Kinkhabwala).

Lions To Sign Akeem Spence, Cornelius Washington

March 9th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Lions have agreed to sign defensive lineman Akeem Spence to a three-year, $10.5MM deal, tweets Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Detroit has also inked fellow DL Cornelius Washington, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It’s a two-year, $6MM deal for Washington, with a max value of $8MM, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).

Spence, 25, has spent the past four seasons in Tampa Bay after being selected in the fourth round of the 2013 draft. He’s started 30 games during that time, but most of those starts came during his rookie campaign. Since then, Spence has become more of a rotational piece. In 2016, Spence appeared in all 16 games, managing 10 tackles and a half sack.

Washington, meanwhile, has been with the Bears for four years. The former sixth-round pick has followed a career path similar to that of Spence, as Washington has mostly served as a depth option in Chicago. Last year, he appeared in 15 games (two starts), and posted 14 tackles and two sacks.

2016 Proven Performance Escalators

February 12th, 2016 at 5:53pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.

If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure is projected to be $1.696MM in 2016. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2016 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:Keenan Allen (Vertical)

49ers: Gerald Hodges, LB

Bears: Marquess Wilson, WR

Buccaneers: William Gholston, DE; Mike Glennon, QB; Akeem Spence, DT

Cardinals: Andre Ellington, RB; Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S; Alex Okafor, LB

Chargers: Keenan Allen, WR

Colts: Sio Moore, LB; Hugh Thornton, G

Cowboys: J.J. Wilcox, S; Terrance Williams, WR

Dolphins: Jelani Jenkins, LB; Dallas Thomas, T; Dion Sims, TE; Kenny Stills, WR

Eagles: Bennie Logan, DT

Falcons: Kemal Ishmael, S; Levine Toilolo, TE

Jaguars: Josh Evans, S; Dwayne Gratz, CB

Jets: Brian Winters, G

Lions: Larry Warford, G

Packers: David Bakhtiari, T; Micah Hyde, S

Patriots: Duron Harmon, S; Chris Jones, DT; Logan Ryan, CB

Raiders: Mychal Rivera, TE

Rams: T.J. McDonald, S

Ravens: Ricky Wagner, T; Brandon Williams, DT

Saints: Terron Armstead, T; John Jenkins, DT

Seahawks: Luke Willson, TE

Steelers: Markus Wheaton, WR

Titans: Brian Schwenke, C

Washington: Jordan Reed, TE

Bucs Place Akeem Spence On IR

December 26th, 2015 at 3:29pm CST by Sam Robinson

Akeem Spence‘s third season will end with a trip to injured reserve, with the Buccaneers shelving one of their starting defensive tackles, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports (on Twitter).

The third-year starter alongside Gerald McCoy had been ruled out for Sunday’s game due to an ankle injury. Running back Mike James will take Spence’s place on the 53-man roster.

Spence began the season on the PUP list with a back malady, but returned to play in eight games this season (seven starts). The 2013 fourth-rounder notched 11 tackles and his fifth career sack this season.

A starter for five games last year and 14 as a rookie, Spence will enter his contract year next season on the heels of a down campaign. Pro Football Focus rated the 24-year-old interior defender 92nd in that category this season, behind both McCoy and teammate Clinton McDonald, who was placed on IR earlier this season.

Tony McDaniel and Henry Melton will see more time in Tampa Bay’s remaining two games as a result.

James has played 19 games, all of which coming in the 2013-14 slates. His most extensive NFL work came as a rookie in ’13, when he took over for an injured Doug Martin and rushed for 295 yards (4.9 per carry). James also caught 10 passes for 43 yards before going down for the year himself.

The 24-year-old ex-sixth-round pick didn’t factor in much last season, gaining just 37 yards in 11 games.

 

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/25/15

October 25th, 2015 at 8:13am CST by Rory Parks

Today’s minor NFL signings, cuts, and other moves, with the latest news added to the top of the page throughout the course of the day:

  • The Buccaneers have officially activated DT Akeem Spence from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, and they have waived OT Jeremiah Warren, per a release from the team’s official website.
  • The Chiefs continue to play musical chairs with wideouts Fred Williams and Kenny Cook. Per Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star (via Twitter), the team has re-signed Cook and has cut Williams.

NFC Notes: Kilgore, Carroll, Thompson, Fells

October 20th, 2015 at 3:33pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers center Daniel Kilgore suffered a broken left leg in a loss against the Broncos one year ago, but his 2015 debut doesn’t appear to be imminent, Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle writes. When asked if he could sit out the 2015 season, Kilgore didn’t rule out that scenario.

“I wouldn’t suspect that, but there’s always that possibility,” Kilgore said. “A year ago, I wouldn’t have said I would be in this situation. So you always have that possibility.”

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the NFC….

  • Joining a chorus of NFL head coaches who have had to shoot down college rumors in recent weeks, Seahawks coach Pete Carroll said that a return to USC is “not happening,” as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes.
  • Good news for the Panthers: Shaq Thompson appeared to suffer a serious injury on Sunday, but a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) that it turned out to only be a sprained MCL for the rookie linebacker.
  • Cardinals tight end Darren Fells may miss two or three weeks with a sprained shoulder, a source tells ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss (on Twitter). Fells had an MRI on Monday morning to better assess the damage.
  • As we detailed yesterday, the Buccaneers have two players now eligible to begin practicing, and the club announced today that both Demar Dotson (IR-DTR) and Akeem Spence (PUP) will rejoin their teammates on the practice field beginning Tuesday. Tampa Bay will have a three-week window to activate the duo.
  • Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com feels that Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery is worthy of a long-term investment. Jeffery’s performance in Detroit – eight receptions for 147 yards and one touchdown – reinforced his importance to the team in the view of Dickerson, who says Chicago should not let the wideout reach the open market next spring. Dickerson doesn’t view Jeffery as an elite receiver, but he does feel that he is in the next tier, along with guys such as T.Y. Hilton, Mike Wallace, Vincent Jackson and Jeremy Maclin. I’d agree with that assessment, though Jeffery has to stay healthy in order to justify that type of money.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

PUP, NFI Players Soon Eligible To Practice

October 19th, 2015 at 10:30am CST by Luke Adams

Week 6 of the NFL season will come to an end after Monday night’s game between the Giants and Eagles, and when teams begin preparing for Week 7, many clubs could be welcoming injured players back to practice. Six weeks into the NFL season, players who were placed on the physically unable to perform list or the non-football injury list prior to Week 1’s games will be eligible to return to the practice field.

Of course, just because those players are able to return to practice doesn’t necessarily mean they’ll be healthy enough to do so. Players on the PUP list have a five-week window to begin practicing. Once they return to practice, they have three weeks to be added to their respective teams’ active rosters. In other words, a player currently on the PUP list could return to the field for his team’s Week 7 game, or could return as late as for his team’s Week 15 contest.

The rules for NFI players are similar to those for PUP players. If a player on either reserve list doesn’t return to practice or game action in time, his 2015 season will officially be over.

Here are the players currently on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list who can begin practicing as soon as this Tuesday:

And here are the players currently on their teams’ non-football injury or illness lists, who are also eligible to begin practicing this Tuesday:

  • Arizona Cardinals: WR Damond Powell
  • Buffalo Bills: CB Leodis McKelvin
  • Cincinnati Bengals: T Cedric Ogbuehi
  • Cleveland Browns: DB Ifo Ekpre-Olomu, TE Randall Telfer, RB Glenn Winston
  • Dallas Cowboys: LB Mark Nzeocha
  • Houston Texans: T David Quessenberry
  • Kansas City Chiefs: QB Tyler Bray
  • San Francisco 49ers: WR DeAndre Smelter
  • Seattle Seahawks: DT Jesse Williams

In addition to monitoring players on the PUP and NFI lists, it’s worth keeping an eye on players who have been placed on the injured reserve list with the designation to return. Teams can use this IR-DTR spot on one player per season, placing him on the injured reserve list without necessarily ruling him out for the season. As we explained in an earlier post, players given this designation can begin practicing after six weeks and can return after eight weeks.

That means that a player who was placed on IR-DTR prior to Week 1 can begin practicing on Tuesday, though he won’t be eligible to return to game action until Week 9. A player who was placed on IR-DTR after Week 1 will have to wait until next Tuesday – October 27 – to return to practice, while other IR-DTR players will have to wait until November to practice.

Here’s the list of players currently on IR-DTR who can begin practicing as soon as Tuesday:

Bucs Cut Michael Koenen, Get Down To 75

September 1st, 2015 at 10:22am CST by Luke Adams

10:22am: The Bucs have confirmed Koenen’s release and announced four more roster moves, to get down to the required 75 players. Here are Tampa Bay’s other Tuesday transactions, per a team release:

Waived/injured:

  • G Josh Allen
  • WR Robert Herron
  • CB Leonard Johnson

Placed on reserve/PUP list:

  • DT Akeem Spence

8:09am: The Buccaneers have made a change on their special teams unit, according to Rick Stroud and Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, who report (via Twitter) that the club has released veteran punter Michael Koenen. As a vested veteran, Koenen will avoid waivers and will become a free agent immediately.

The Bucs brought in multiple punters this offseason to challenge Koenen, and while Spencer Lanning didn’t make the cut, it appears the team likes what it has seen from newcomer Jacob Schum. Unless another move is forthcoming, Schum looks likely to open to the regular season as Tampa Bay’s punter.

Koenen, 33, had been set to earn a $3.25MM base salary in 2014 after ranking as just the 23rd-best and 24th-best punter in the NFL over the last two seasons, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Because he had no prorated signing bonus money left on his deal, Koenen won’t leave any dead money on the Bucs’ books, so the team clears his entire $3.25MM cap charge for this year and for 2016.

Bucs’ Akeem Spence Suspended One Game

August 17th, 2015 at 10:44am CST by Luke Adams

Buccaneers defensive tackle Akeem Spence has been notified that he’s facing a one-game suspension for violating the NFL’s policy on substance of abuse, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). It’s not 100% clear, based on Rapoport’s tweet, if Spence can still appeal the penalty, but assuming he’s been notified of the suspension by the league, it sounds like the appeal process has already been completed.

Spence, 23, has been a regular contributor on the Buccaneers’ defensive line since being selected by the team in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft. In his two seasons with the club, he has started 19 of 32 contests, recording 68 overall tackles, four sacks, and three fumble recoveries. Spence, who remains on Tampa Bay’s PUP list, underwent back surgery earlier in the summer, and had already been expected to miss the first few weeks of the 2015 regular season.

When he does get healthy and is ready to return to the Bucs’ active roster, Spence will have to serve his one-game suspension as a result of a 2014 arrest on a marijuana charge. The incident, which took place way back in January of 2014, was the result of a traffic stop in Flomaton, Alabama.