Alex Boone - Pro Football Rumors

West Links: Rams, Raiders, Harbaugh

April 19th, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Prior to the Jaguars adding Stefen Wisniewski on Saturday, the Rams researched the former Raiders center and maintained interest in him as an option to become their starting center, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Now, the Rams could opt to look in-house for their next snapper.

Unrestricted free agent Scott Wells regressed badly last season in 16 games for the Rams, rating as the worst center in the league, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Entering his third season, Barrett Jones will likely receive the first shot at succeeding Wells after arriving in St. Louis as a fourth-round pick in 2013, per Thomas. But he’s actually less-experienced than in-house competitor Tim Barnes, who started four games for an injured Wells in ’13. The tandem combined for just 32 snaps last season.

Thomas also notes the team’s brought in nine offensive linemen for visits, including Florida State’s Cameron Erving, with holes to fill at center, guard and right tackle.

Here are some more items from the Western divisions.

Despite being staunch in his position that there was no rift between former 49ers head coach and the players, Alex Boone admitted that Jim Harbaugh wore out his welcome in San Francisco, according to the staff at CSNBayArea.com. “I think he just pushed guys too far. He wanted too much, demanded too much, expected too much. You know, ‘We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this. We gotta go out and do this.’ And you’d be like, ‘This guy might be clinically insane. He’s crazy,’” Boone said. “I think that if you’re stuck in your ways enough, eventually people are just going to say, ‘Listen, we just can’t work with this.’”
The Seahawks have their starting quarterback position settled, with Russell Wilson ingrained as the starter for the foreseeable future, but the rest of the depth chart is still up in the air. Currently, B.J. Daniels and R.J. Archer remain on the roster, but Tarvaris Jackson could very well return as the team’s primary backup, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. He picks Wilson-Jackson-Daniels as his most likely trio for the final roster.
The issue of whether Oakland and Alameda can come up with a solution on keeping the Raiders long-term could generate some clarity in the next two weeks, report San Francisco Chronicle reporters Phil Matier and Andy Ross. The NFL is reportedly pressing for answers on this matter, which is coming down to how a new Bay Area stadium will be financed. NFL representatives met with city officials in Oakland and the Raiders on Wednesday while also taking summits with team executives and Carson officials a day later, according to the report. Both the Raiders and Oakland city and county officials have expressed they cannot afford to pay for a stadium costing around $1 billion on their own.
Expected to claim the Broncos‘ No. 3 wide receiver job behind Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders this season, Cody Latimer admits he fell behind in his quest to learn how to play in a Peyton Manning-paced offense last season, reports Troy Renck of the Denver Post. “I was in the playbook, but I could have done even more. When I actually got it, it was too late. It was just way different (than college),” Latimer told Renck. “I would know the play, then Peyton would change it.”Rob DiRe contributed to this report

49ers Place Boone, Ventrone On IR

December 26th, 2014 at 5:18pm CST by Zachary Links

5:18pm: Boone has a torn meniscus and will require surgery, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.

1:52pm: The 49ers have placed Alex Boone and Bubba Ventrone on IR, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (on Twitter). Filling their spots will be wide receiver Trindon Holliday and cornerback Cameron Fuller, who have been signed to the 53-man roster.

Boone’s knee injury is not considered to be serious, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). The team placed him on injured reserve only to open up a roster spot for the final game of the season.

Boone had reworked his contract after an extended holdout this past offseason, that resulted in language in his contract that precluded the team from using the franchise tag on him when he is set to become a free agent at the end of next year. Assuming Maiocco is correct in his assessment of the injury, it should not affect his ability to be on the field in 2015.

Ventrone is a special teams ace who has played with four teams since coming into the NFL in 2005. He is set to be a free agent this offseason.

Alex Boone Offered To Play 2014 For $1

September 14th, 2014 at 7:31pm CST by Rob DiRe

Alex Boone and the 49ers were at an impasse this offseason over contract negotiations for the Pro Bowl guard.

A league source reports that Boone was willing to play out the season for only one dollar, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The only caveat was that he wanted it guaranteed that the team could not franchise him at season’s end.

There would be no way for the 49ers to get away with paying Boone anything less than the veteran’s minimum. Boone however offered to to donate the rest of his salary to charity for the right to enter unrestricted free agency in 2015.

The team eventually did rework Boone’s deal at a substantially higher rate than Boone was willing to play for, at two years and an increased salary of $6MM. He would be eligible for free agency in 2016, but language prevent the 49ers from franchising him at that time.

Boone will be in the starting lineup for the 49ers as they take on the Bears for Sunday Night Football, reports Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (via Twitter).

49ers Release Kassim Osgood

September 6th, 2014 at 3:21pm CST by Rob DiRe

The 49ers have released special teams ace Kassim Osgood, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter).

They used the roster space in order to take Alex Boone off the exempt list following his holdout and return him to the active roster.

Osgood made a name for himself with the Chargers, making three Pro Bowls as a special teams player. He also spent time with the Jaguars and Lions, though he never developed into a receiving threat.

NFC Notes: Tate, Ellington, Boone

September 5th, 2014 at 12:42pm CST by Zachary Links

New Lions receiver Golden Tate is enjoying the offense in Detroit, writes Robert Klemko of the MMQB. “The offense is kind of a feel offense. You feel your way around. Obviously there are rules and depths, but at the end of the day you’ve got to play football and just be an athlete…Coach Lombardi’s thing is to just put guys in different places and let them make plays. In Seattle we might have thrown 15-20 times a game so it made it hard to get off there. I prefer what we have in Detroit,” Tate said.

Good news for Cardinals fans: the first prognosis on running back Andre Ellington‘s foot injury is that it’s a muscle injury, tweets Jay Glazer of FOX Sports. The team is still waiting on MRI results and a diagnosis from a foot specialist, however. If Ellington is sidelined, Jonathan Dwyer will presumably take the starting role with Stepfan Taylor and Robert Hughes in support.
During last night’s pregame show, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth said that Julius Peppers was prepared to return to the Panthers before Packers came along with an offer he couldn’t refuse, writes Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. “He was getting ready to go to Carolina, thinking he’d just go home and finish his career there,” Collinsworth said. “Then the Green Bay Packers called and said, ‘How’d you like to be a stand-up, 3-4 outside linebacker?’ And he said, ‘I’ve been waiting my whole life to do that.’” Retaining Peppers became quite the longshot for Carolina once Green Bay offered up a three-year, $26MM deal.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has the specifics on Alex Boone‘s new deal with the 49ers. The total contract value is $6MM over two years with another $2MM available in incentives. Those incentives are tied to being selected to the Pro Bowl and named first team All-NFL.

49ers, Alex Boone Rework Contract

September 1st, 2014 at 6:19pm CST by Rob DiRe

MONDAY, 6:19pm: Boone has passed his physical and returned to the 49ers, the team announced in a press release. San Francisco has asked for a roster exemption for Boone, who must be added to the 53-man roster before he is eligible to play.

SUNDAY 11:29am: Pro Bowl guard Alex Boone is expected to report to the 49ers within the next 24 hours, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter). He and the team have agreed to a reworked two-year contract in order to get him back with the team.

A key part of the deal is language that prevents the team from franchising him at the end of the two year deal, reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). Boone will be a true free agent at the end of the new deal, free to sign with any team.

Boone was set to make $3.7MM total over the next two years, and that number would increase to $6MM during the length of the contract, reports Pro Football Talk (via Twitter). They also note that the team has waived all fines and bonus forfeitures related to the holdout (via Twitter).

NFC Links: Boone, Packers, Spillman, Wright

August 31st, 2014 at 10:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at some extra notes out of the NFC on this Sunday evening…

ESPN’s Ed Werder notes (via Twitter) that the $2MM added to Alex Boone‘s deal with the 49ers means the player is guaranteed no franchise or transition designation when his contract expires.
The Packers currently have a pair of backup quarterbacks for Aaron Rodgers in Matt Flynn and Scott Tolzien. That hasn’t prevented the team from auditioning other quarterbacks, as ESPN’s Field Yates tweets that the team worked out Jeff Mathews, Pat Devlin and Jon Jennings earlier today.
Former 49ers special teams ace C.J. Spillman is on his way to Dallas to presumably sign with the Cowboys, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport.
Rapoport also (via Twitter) predicts that safety Major Wright, who was cut by the Buccaneers yesterday, will be on an NFL roster by the start of the season.
Lache Seastrunk was informed at the last minute that he wouldn’t be added to the Redskins practice squad, tweets The Washington Post’s Mike Jones. The team cited that they wanted to go in a “different direction.”

Extra Points: Sam, Boone, Burleson

August 26th, 2014 at 10:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Vikings star Adrian Peterson is approaching 30 but the running back says he’s far from done, writes Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune. “I work with the mind-set of being the best ever,” he said. “That, and my approach, set me apart. I have it in my mind that I’m doing things that nobody else is doing. You’re not just saying you’re going to be the best ever, you’re putting in the work to accomplish that.” More from around the NFL..

Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter) believes that Michael Sam will wind up making the Rams‘ roster. Garafolo adds that Sam can clinch his spot with a strong performance on Thursday night.
Before acquiring Logan Mankins from the Patriots, the Bucs inquired on 49ers guard Alex Boone, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Meanwhile, the 49ers and Boone’s representatives still have not spoken or exchanged proposals since the opening of training camp, according to a source. Multiple teams are calling on Boone but San Francisco is asking for a first- or second-round pick, a price that is probably too high for a guard, even one as talented as Boone.
Browns wide receiver Nate Burleson knows that his resume alone won’t keep him safe from roster cuts, write George M. Thomas and Nate Ulrich of the Beacon Journal. “This is a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately league,” he said. “So I can watch as many YouTube highlights of myself, but what I did today and what I do tomorrow is going to have a more profound effect than my resume.”

49ers Not Interested In Trading Alex Boone

August 20th, 2014 at 8:02pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have received inquiries from teams regarding the availability of holdout guard Alex Boone but are not interested in dealing him, a source told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Another source said the 49ers have told teams that they would be willing to part with Boone for a first- or second-round draft pick, which is unreasonably high for an offensive guard.

Boone, who is under contract for two more seasons, has skipped the first four weeks of training camp and is subject to fines of $30K daily. The 49ers tried to bring him back with a contract offer earlier this week but he turned it down. The value of the deal is quite uncertain. Some reports indicate that it would have made him one of the top 12 highest-paid guards in the league, but Bill Williamson of ESPN.com reported that it wouldn’t have even put him in the top-25. Reportedly, if the team offers Boone a deal that pays him $15MM over the next three years, he’d likely sign it.

Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015, but is now subject to about $900K in fines. While San Francisco’s offensive line could certainly use Boone, the team has other players that they can turn to and other extensions they may have to prioritize over him.

Alex Boone Turned Down Niners’ Offer

August 18th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00pm: According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the sense he’s gotten from talking to other teams is that the Niners probably won’t trade Boone, though that could change. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that if the team offers Boone a deal that pays him $15MM over the next three years, he’d likely sign it.

3:20pm: Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com offers some clarity on the conflicting reports on the Niners’ offer to Boone. Maiocco hears from sources that San Francisco is offering the guard an extension on his current deal, which wouldn’t kick in until 2016, rather than tearing up the current contract and negotiating a new one. So the extension which starts in ’16 may have a top-12 annual value, but Boone would still be underpaid for the next two seasons.

2:47pm: According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Niners’ most recent offer to Boone wouldn’t have even made him a top-25 highest-paid guard, let alone top 12.

2:34pm: A source tells Getlin (Twitter link) that it isn’t true that Boone declined a contract offer that would have made him one of the league’s 12 highest-paid guards, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com backs up Brandt’s report (via Twitter). I’m guessing the offer is structured in such a way that there’s a dispute about whether it’s actually a top-12 value — perhaps it includes incentives that must be met, or minimal guarantees. That’s just my speculation though.

2:09pm: The 49ers have made Alex Boone a contract offer that would have made him one of the top 12 highest-paid guards in the league, but the veteran offensive lineman turned it down, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). With the two sides still at an impasse, a trade is looking like an increasingly plausible scenario, and Boone’s trade value is on the rise as injuries begin to pile up around the league, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who says the market for the 49ers guard “continues to increase” (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports agrees, tweeting that the longer Boone holds out, the more valuable he becomes.

Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015, but is now subject to about $900K in fines, as Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News detailed last week. Having been an instrumental part of one of the league’s best offensive lines in recent years, the 27-year-old is looking for a raise to a level that more accurately reflects his talent.

Currently, Boone ranks as the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL, so the offer reported by Brandt sounds reasonable, though the structure and level of guarantee in that proposal aren’t known. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the 12th highest-paid guard in the NFL is currently Evan Mathis, at $5.1MM per year, so presumably San Francisco’s offer to Boone exceeded that figure. However, Mathis and the players around him on that list only received modest $5-6MM guarantees — Boone may be seeking a guarantee more in line with the $9-11MM received by 2014 free agents like Zane Beadles and Rodger Saffold.

While San Francisco’s offensive line could certainly use Boone, the team has a good deal of depth up front, and may have to prioritize extensions for other key players over a new deal for the former Ohio State Buckeye. If Boone doesn’t relent in his demands, moving him in a trade for a future draft pick may be in the 49ers’ best interests. I’d be surprised if the Niners are able to land a pick in the top 60, considering Boone’s new team would also face the cost of a new contract, but a third-rounder could be within reach.

If the Niners do move Boone, there are plenty of clubs that would make sense as fits. The Buccaneers and Giants have been cited as potential suitors, and I’d suggest Indianapolis and Miami are among the other logical landing spots. Even teams seeking a tackle, like perhaps the Falcons, who lost Sam Baker to a season-ending injury, could kick the tires on Boone, who has experience at multiple positions.