Alex Boone - Pro Football Rumors

Free Agent Rumors: Wisniewski, Browns, Pacman

March 7th, 2016 at 4:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Browns have expressed interest in Jaguars free agent center Stefen Wisniewski, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). The Browns are in danger of losing three-time Pro Bowl center Alex Mack to free agency and they could turn to the 26-year-old as a replacement. Hue Jackson was the coach in Oakland when the Raiders used their 2011 second round draft choice on Wisniewski.

The latest free agent rumors from around the NFL:

The Browns have expressed interest in free agent cornerback Adam Jones, a league source tells Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter). Jones, a Bengals free agent, has been heavily linked to Miami in recent weeks thanks to his connection with defensive coordinator Vance Joseph.
The Vikings and Matt Asiata are far apart on a possible contract, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter) hears from a source. Several other teams expressed an interest in the running back on Monday, he adds. Asiata has previously stated that he would like to return to Minnesota.
49ers free agent Alex Boone and Cardinals free agent Bobby Massie are two offensive linemen who could get north of $8MM per season, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) hears.
The Vikings have reached out to the representative of Bengals free agent linebacker Vincent Rey, per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press (on Twitter). The Vikings are in need of a linebacker and Mike Zimmer is familiar with Rey from their previous time together.
Backup quarterback Drew Stanton is unlikely to return to the Cardinals, an NFL source tells Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter).
The Eagles had significant interest in signing wide receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey before he re-upped with the Steelers, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets.

Dolphins Rumors: Miller, Guards, Matthews

March 4th, 2016 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

With five days left until pending free agents can sign with new teams, and just three days until 2016’s legal tampering period begins, the Dolphins continue to work on re-signing running back Lamar Miller, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. However, according to Jackson, $5MM seems to be a tipping point of sorts in those negotiations.

The question, according to Jackson is whether the Dolphins will concede to paying Miller more than $5MM annually, or if he would settle for $5MM (or slightly less) per year. If the two sides can’t find a middle ground, it seems reasonable to assume that the 24-year-old will see if there’s another team out there next week willing to go higher than $5MM.

Here are a few more Dolphins notes and rumors, via Jackson:

The Dolphins have made it clear that they’ll be looking to upgrade the guard position this offseason, making it one of their top three priorities, along with defensive end and cornerback. Jackson suggests the team will try to add at least one veteran guard, and perhaps two, in free agency.
While the Dolphins would love to sign Kelechi Osemele, he may end up being out of the club’s price range. Alex Boone and Geoff Schwartz appear to be more realistic targets, according to Jackson, who writes that both players would have interest in Miami. A team source tells Jackson that the Dolphins “held an exploratory conversation” regarding Schwartz and is interested in him, but wants to take a look at some other options as well.
Even though they’d like to bring him back, the Dolphins have told people there’s a good chance that wide receiver Rishard Matthews will get a bigger offer in free agency than what they can comfortably put on the table.

NFC Notes: Cowboys, Boone, Okung, Vikes

February 20th, 2016 at 10:50am CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cowboys were in need of pass-rushing help even before the NFL handed a four-game suspension to edge rusher Randy Gregory on Friday. Now, with Gregory out for the first quarter of next season and defensive end Demarcus Lawrence having undergone back surgery earlier this year, the Cowboys might be more inclined to re-sign Greg Hardy, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hardy had a respectable six sacks in 12 games last season, but he was a headache off the field, and sources close to the 27-year-old told Jason Cole of Bleacher Report in January that Dallas was unlikely to bring him back. The Cowboys’ present circumstances could change that, however.

Here’s more from the NFC:

The 49ers will discuss a new contract with Alex Boone‘s agents at next week’s scouting combine in Indianapolis, but chances are they won’t get a deal done before free agency opens March 9, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Boone has played his entire career with the 49ers since they signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2009, netting 59 starts – all of which came during the previous four years.
There was a late-January report stating Seahawks left tackle Russell Okung, a pending free agent, would undergo surgery on his dislocated left shoulder. Okung confirmed to 710 ESPN Seattle on Thursday that the surgery is complete and he’ll face a four-month recovery period, according to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. “It was something that I didn’t have to do, but decided to do just to mitigate any risks going forward,” the 28-year-old said.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman said earlier this week that next season would be pivotal in showing whether Cordarrelle Patterson is capable of being a viable NFL receiver going forward. Patterson agrees, telling Ben Goessling of ESPN.com, “If it don’t show this year it ain’t going to show at all. That’s all I can say about that.” The 2013 first-round pick pulled in a combined 78 receptions in his first two years, but he was barely involved in the Vikings’ offense last season and added just two catches.

49ers Send Alex Boone To IR, Sign Jarryd Hayne

December 26th, 2015 at 3:15pm CST by Sam Robinson

The 49ers placed fourth-year starter Alex Boone on injured reserve and signed Jarryd Hayne from their practice squad, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports (on Twitter).

Boone missed last week’s game with a knee injury but has started 59 games since starting his career at right guard at the outset of the 2012 season.

The 28-year-old former undrafted free agent will enter unrestricted free agency this offseason.

Boone will enter that courting period, however, on the heels of an ineffective season, according to Pro Football Focus, which rates the 49ers’ starting left guard 40th among guards this season. The Ohio State product was a second-team All-Pro selection in 2012.

Hayne returns to the active roster after spending the past two months on San Francisco’s practice squad. The 27-year-old ex-rugby standout’s played six games this season, mostly as a special-teamer,

West Notes: Manning, Houston, Boone, 49ers

December 17th, 2015 at 8:56am CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters on Wednesday, Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak announced that Brock Osweiler would continue to start for his team in Week 15, with Trevor Siemian serving as the No. 2 quarterback (Twitter link via Troy Renck of the Denver Post). That means Peyton Manning will be inactive for another week, despite the fact that he has returned to practice.

If and when Manning gets healthy, he has earned another shot at the starting job, in the view of Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports. Osweiler had all the momentum after his first couple starts, but the Broncos are coming off a home loss and haven’t scored an offensive touchdown in seven quarters. If he continues to struggle this weekend against the Steelers, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Manning return to action to play Cincinnati in Week 16, assuming he’s ready to go by then.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions:

As first reported by Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link), Chiefs pass rusher Justin Houston paid a visit to Dr. James Andrews recently, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. According to Getlin, there was “some fear” that Houston could miss the rest of the regular season, but there’s been no official word yet on the 26-year-old’s status.
Veteran guard Alex Boone – who is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season – has likely played his last game for the 49ers, having not gotten close to a long-term extension with the team, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Still, while he’s looking forward to free agency, Boone says he’d “love to hear an offer” from the Niners.
Shortly after a San Francisco Chronicle columnist speculated about the York family selling the 49ers, co-owner John York acknowledged on Wednesday that he has been disappointed by the on-field results this season. However, as Daniel Brown of the San Jose Mercury News details, York also said his family is “extremely passionate” about the Niners, and is looking ahead to the future of the franchise.
Writers and columnists for the Bay Area News Group looked into their crystal balls to attempt to determine who will be back and who won’t be for the 49ers in 2016.

49ers’ Alex Boone Won’t Return This Season

December 14th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Zachary Links

49ers left guard Alex Boone has a slight MCL tear in his right knee, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). The injury, which Boone suffered in the team’s 24-10 loss to Cleveland on Sunday, isn’t serious enough to force Boone under the knife. However, he will not play again in 2015. That’s an understandable move for Boone, who is slated to hit the open market.

This spring, Boone figures to be one of the top offensive lineman available in free agency. The 28-year-old was away from the 49ers for the entire 2014 offseason while fishing for a better contract. He wound up settling for a two-year pact, a deal that he figures to top in a matter of months.

With Boone done in a 49ers uniform for at least the rest of this season, the club will turn to second-year man Marcus Martin, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.

La Canfora’s Latest: Colts, Texans, Trades

November 1st, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Sam Robinson

With 2015 shaping up to be Chuck Pagano‘s last in Indianapolis, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com writes, the Miami Hurricanes job could be in play for the fourth-year coach.

The rest of the Colts‘ staffers are set for an uncertain future, with Jim Irsay considering changes after the thus-far-underwhelming team’s Week 10 bye.

Offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton‘s job is on the line. Pagano, per La Canfora, wanted associate head coach Rob Chudzinski to run the offense, and longtime organizational staffer Clyde Christensen also looms as an OC candidate in the event Pagano’s preferences are no longer relevant.

Pagano’s Miami connection stems from being the Hurricanes’ secondary coach from 1995-2000.

Irsay hopes to lure a top head-coaching candidate to Indianapolis next year, and that would mean GM Ryan Grigson would almost certainly be shown the door, the CBS reporter notes.

Here are some additional notes from La Canfora on Week 8 Sunday.

The schism that formed in Houston recently between Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith regarding now-ex-Texans quarterback Ryan Mallett will lead to a change in the organization’s power structure, La Canfora reports. The ninth-year GM could see a reassignment if O’Brien is to assume more control, as he’s used to the head coach having from his years with the Patriots. The present setup involves both O’Brien and Smith reporting to owner Bob McNair separately, and McNair doesn’t see that as a sustainable model in light of the Mallett incident. It’s caused a divide within the organization, sources told La Canfora. “It’s gone from a slow drip to a waterfall,” a team source told the CBS scribe, describing the rift that’s become off-putting for McNair.
Matt Forte and Brian Cushing are available for trades, La Canfora notes, mentioning the Bears, Texans and 49ers as the teams most likely to operate as sellers in advance of the Nov. 3 trade deadline. The 49ers have also entertained teams’ interest on offensive lineman Alex Boone and have fielded calls on Vernon Davis. The Seahawks are a team that is willing to trade a depth piece to acquire an offensive lineman to help fix their biggest issue, La Canfora reports. The Ravens and Chargers, despite carrying 11 losses between them, are viewed as being more hesitant to sell off veterans.

NFC Notes: Meachem, Lions, Boone

June 8th, 2015 at 8:36pm CST by Zachary Links

Former Saints wide receiver Robert Meachem will be working out for the Lions on Tuesday, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter). As previously reported, Detroit will also host receiver Brad Smith and running back Ben Tate on Tuesday. Here’s more from the NFC..

49ers lineman Alex Boone, who had not been part of the team’s offseason program to date, will be on hand for the veteran minicamp that runs Tuesday through Thursday, a league source tells Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The Niners’ starting right guard was away from the team for the entire 2014 offseason while fishing for a better deal. He wound up settling for a two-year pact, a deal that he’s ostensibly trying to upgrade from now. The 49ers lost their other starting guard, Mike Iupati, in free agency and last week learned that starting right tackle Anthony Davis would retire.
Cardinals linebacker Larry Foote says the itch to play hasn’t hit him yet and he’s likely to coach this season, Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com tweets. The Cardinals added Foote to their coaching staff earlier in the offseason with the intent of signing him to the roster later in the summer if he decided to continue playing.
Todd Archer of ESPN.com wonders if the Cowboys should lock up Tyrone Crawford now or later. Crawford finished with just three sacks but he had 29 quarterback pressures and four tackles for loss as he learned the defensive tackle position on the fly. Set to make just $675K in the final year of his rookie deal, it could make sense for Dallas to lock Crawford down for multiple years beyond 2015. Still, he’s rather unproven as those three sacks are the only sacks of his career.
Rainer Sabin of The Dallas Morning News wonders if Darren McFadden can get his second wind with the Cowboys. Dallas has always been enamored with the former Raiders back, but he has lost much of his luster due to injury in recent years. “He was a guy that was interesting to us,” Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said of McFadden. “Obviously he has some skill sets with his explosiveness and his speed. He can take it to the house if he gets the right seam. He’s an interesting back for us. We think he can bring something to the table here.”

NFC Notes: Eagles, Bennett, Collins, Boone

May 1st, 2015 at 11:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest from the NFC as Friday comes to a close:

Eagles coach and football czar Chip Kelly said he hasn’t received any calls regarding linebacker Mychal Kendricks, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). The Eagles have been shopping the three-year veteran, as Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported earlier this week.
In other Eagles linebacker news, one scout called their selection of Texas’ Jordan Hicks in the third round (84th overall) a “stupid pick,” per Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com. However, the Bengals would’ve taken him with the next pick, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Further, Kelly says the Eagles had a second-round grade on Hicks and saw him more than any other prospect prior to the draft, reports the Inquirer’s Zach Berman (via Twitter).
Despite all the recent rumors surrounding his team, Kelly claims he hasn’t talked to anyone during the draft about trading players, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter). What’s more, Kelly had to call multiple players recently to tell them that they weren’t trade bait, per USA Today’s Lindsay Jones (Twitter link). Mosher reports (Twitter link) that Kendricks and cornerback Brandon Boykin did not receive calls, while defensive end Vinny Curry did.
Bears general manager Ryan Pace says tight end Martellus Bennett has not requested a trade, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter link). However, Biggs notes that Bennett might want more money. Bennett, who amassed 90 catches and six touchdowns in 2014, has two years left on his contract, but no guaranteed money left. He was said earlier this week to be on the trade block.
Saints head coach Sean Payton says the team hasn’t taken LSU offensive tackle La’el Collins off its board, per Sean Fazende of Fox 8 (Twitter link). On the possibility of using a seventh-round pick on Collins, Payton went on to state, “I don’t know that we would consider that right now until we get more clarity.” Collins, whom Baton Rouge police wish to question regarding the murder of his ex-girlfriend, has seen his draft stock drop precipitously in recent days, and may not sign with a team that drafts him tomorrow.
General manager Trent Baalke says the 49ers haven’t spoken with guard Alex Boone or his agent, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Boone, who is entering the final year of his contract, will skip all voluntary offseason activities. Baalke referred to that as a “non-issue.”
Before the Rams swung a deal Friday to swap second-round picks with the Panthers (going from 41st to 57th) and acquire a pair of other selections, St. Louis had discussions with five other teams, per Howard Balzer (Twitter link), who says the team was willing to move down so far in the second round in order to pick up a third-round pick. Coach Jeff Fisher said the Rams were comfortable moving down because they felt they’d still be able to get one of the offensive linemen they liked, according to ESPN’s Nick Wagoner (Twitter link). That proved true, as they ultimately took Wisconsin offensive tackle Rob Havenstein.
Trading up could be a possibility Saturday for the Cardinals. Their general manager, Steve Keim, mentioned the possibility twice Friday, reports Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (Twitter link).
The Cowboys would be comfortable taking a running back in the fourth round, tweets Rapoport.

Extra Points: Hardy, Randle, Jordan

April 29th, 2015 at 10:19pm CST by Zachary Links

NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith firmly believes there is precedent for getting Greg Hardy‘s suspension reduced, Charean Williams of the Star Telegram writes. “In the last three years, we’ve had the league overturned three times in [the Saints’] Bounty, [Adrian] Peterson and Ray Rice,” Smith said as he gears up to defend the Cowboys star. “To me, it’s never a question about whether I’m confident or not. We start with the Collective Bargaining Agreement, and if they continue to seek to impose penalties that are inconsistent with that agreement or inconsistent of the law of the case that has been developed under that agreement, this is what unions do. We fight that.” More from around the NFL..

Cowboys running back Joseph Randle won’t face domestic violence charges for his incident in Wichita, according to Drew Davidson of the Star Telegram tweets. There was a “lack of evidence” cited by the DA’s office in the case. More from around the NFL..
Dolphins defensive end Dion Jordan issued a statement through the NFLPA regarding his suspension. “I’m very disappointed that I will not be playing in the NFL in the 2015 season,” the statement read. “Because of past positive tests and my status in the drug program, the consequence of dilute (not positive) tests is severe. I deeply regret putting myself in this position, and I apologize to my teammates and the Dolphins organization. I will use the time away from playing to finish my college degree. I will stay in excellent physical shape and look forward to returning to the NFL as soon as possible. I’m deeply grateful to my family and friends for their continued support.”
Before the Seahawks traded for tight end Jimmy Graham, they had trade discussions with the Bears about Martellus Bennett, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Alex Boone, who held out last offseason for a new contract, will skip all of the 49ers‘ voluntary activities in the final year of his contract, a source close to the guard tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Boone, who will earn $3.4MM in 2015, has not taken part in the 49ers’ offseason program, and he was not on the field Tuesday and Wednesday for the start of the team’s voluntary three-day minicamp at the team’s practice facility.
The Titans have gotten calls from multiple teams inquiring about what it will take to deal for the No. 2 overall pick, league sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Meanwhile, one team executive tells Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that the Titans have been asking for three first round picks to part with the No. 2 choice. The executive laughed hard when passing that info along, he adds.