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AFC Notes: Ravens, Nicks, Broncos, Luck

November 2nd, 2015 at 9:33pm CST by Zachary Links

A day after losing Steve Smith Sr. for the season, the Ravens will work out a group of free-agent wide receivers that includes Hakeem Nicks, sources tell ESPN’s Ed Werder. The wide receiver has been making the workout rounds as he searches for a new team in 2015 and his most recent stop was with the Patriots.

Nicks, who spent his first five years with the Giants, posting multiple 1,000-yard seasons in New York, caught just 38 balls for 405 yards and four touchdowns last year in Indianapolis. He found a new home in free agency when he signed with the Titans earlier in the year, but Tennessee opted to keep just four wideouts on the roster to start the season, cutting Nicks in September. The veteran wideout has als0 worked out for the Saints, Cowboys, and Giants.

Here’s more from the AFC..

  • Even after acquiring Vernon Davis, Broncos GM John Elway says he’s open to more deals, as Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. “We will always listen. We are always trying to get better,” Elway said.
  • Peter King of TheMMQB.com believes that the NFL has to investigate a report that Andrew Luck has been playing through broken ribs. If that investigation reveals that the Colts didn’t include a rib fracture on their injury report, the league should levy a significant fine on the franchise, in King’s view.
  • Ravens coach John Harbaugh said that defensive end Brent Urban is healthy and will return to practice soon, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun tweets. Urban is currently on the IR-DTR list.
  • Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt says that he has not considered making any staff coaching changes in-season, as Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com tweets.

AFC Notes: Patriots, Grigson, Thomas

November 1st, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Patriots have been very active in midseason trades in recent years, but playing on Thursday didn’t give them a big advantage in terms of trade talks ahead of the Tuesday deadline this year, writes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “Teams are involved with games here, yesterday, today, so even though we had a little time, I’d say teams have their rosters set for this game and probably wouldn’t want to do something, maybe a disruptive move at the end of the week,” Belichick said. “I don’t really think there’s not too much talk going on in the league. We’ll see what happens next week.”

Here are some other notes from around the AFC:

  • Reports that Andrew Luck has been playing through broken ribs for much of this season has forced Colts general manager Ryan Grigson to defend his injury reports, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The Colts have been accused of not accurately communicating player injuries with the league in wake of the Luck news. “Our injury reports are accurate,” Grigson said. “If people have any questions about player injuries, they should refer to our injury reports.”
  • Browns All-Pro left tackle Joe Thomas may be on the trading block, but that doesn’t mean he is looking to get out of Cleveland. Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com reports that Thomas does not want to be traded. “I’m not a quitter,” said Thomas. “I’m not a guy that gives up on my goals and my goal from day one was to be part of the turnaround here and that hasn’t changed.”

Extra Points: Luck, Trades, Draft, Browns

November 1st, 2015 at 12:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Andrew Luck‘s difficult navigation through his fourth season’s caused ripples throughout the Colts‘ organization, and Jay Glazer of Fox Sports shed some light on why, noting that Luck’s been playing with multiple fractured ribs. Luck already missed two games with a shoulder injury. This further explains some of Luck’s struggles (56 percent completion rate, 11-to-9 touchdown-to-interception ratio) while giving opponents some ammunition, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

As the early games get going, here’s some additional information from around the league.

 

Colts To Start Matt Hasselbeck Vs. Jaguars

October 4th, 2015 at 11:29am CST by Dallas Robinson

Andrew Luck will be among the Colts’ inactives when the club faces the Jaguars later today, the club announced, meaning that veteran Matt Hasselbeck will be thrust into the starting quarterback role. Per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), Indianapolis performed tests on Luck’s injured shoulder and found no structural damage, so it’s possible that Luck’s injury is of the short-term variety.

Today’s contest will mark the first that Luck has missed during his career, as he had started 51 straight games since entering the league in 2012. The 26-year-old had been laboring through his worst season yet, completing just 56% his passes en route to a 5:7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report tweeted last Sunday that many coaches and executives around the league believed that Luck was injured, and obviously his subpar statistics gave some validation to that claim.

Hasselbeck, now 40 years old, will earn his first start since 2012. Since signing with the Colts prior to the 2013 season, Hasselbeck has appeared in seven games in relief of Luck, attempting 56 passes for 431 yards and two scores. The former Seahawk will try to manage the Colts’ offense as the club attempts to even its record at 2-2.

La Canfora On WR Extensions, Colts, JPP, Jets

July 27th, 2015 at 11:37am CST by Luke Adams

After addressing a few burning questions on DeflateGate, the Marcus Mariota contract negotiations, and Junior Galette‘s release, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com takes a look around the rest of the NFL, passing along several noteworthy tidbits from all over the league. Let’s dive right in and check out a few of the highlights from La Canfora’s newest piece…

  • La Canfora expects both Julio Jones and A.J. Green to sign new deals before the 2015 season begins, and estimates that both deals will fall in the range of $13MM per year. I’m guessing that figure takes into account their current $10.176MM salaries for 2015, so the annual average of the new money would be closer to the $14MM per year that Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas received.
  • Several executives around the league believe that Andrew Luck‘s price tag may end up being so high that it puts the Colts in a bind with T.Y. Hilton. La Canfora thinks Hilton’s extension could come in at close to $12MM per year, and some observers aren’t convinced Indianapolis would go that high.
  • Jason Pierre-Paul and the Giants will likely come to terms on a one-year contract agreement that features per-game roster bonuses, says La Canfora, adding that New York also hopes to get something out of Will Beatty in the season’s second half.
  • La Canfora suggests that Muhammad Wilkerson and the Jets should consider working out a short-term extension – perhaps for two or three years – that gives the standout defensive lineman a nice chunk of guaranteed money and buys the team some time to make long-term decisions on Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. Wilkerson would be “very open” to the idea, per La Canfora.
  • Some team executives around the league raised an eyebrow at the Steelers‘ big-money extension for Cameron Heyward. However, Pittsburgh likes Heyward more than a lot of clubs do and was willing to take a “calculated gamble” on his upside, writes La Canfora.

AFC South Notes: Orakpo, Luck, Hilton

June 11th, 2015 at 11:30am CST by Zachary Links

Prized Titans offseason acquisition Brian Orakpo is still being held out of practice, but Whisenhunt says it’s more precautionary than anything, as Glennon writes.

“I think probably right know he could go,” the coach said. “But we’re holding him back, just because we want to make sure we don’t do anything now and we’ve got him when we get rolling in (training) camp.”

While we wait for Orakpo’s practice debut, here’s more out of the AFC South..

  • Colts owner Jim Irsay told reporters, including Mike Chappell of the Indy Star (on Twitter), that quarterback Andrew Luck will be in Indianapolis “for a very long time.” Irsay has repeatedly expressed confidence that he will eventually lock his franchise QB up for the long term.
  • After listening to Colts GM Ryan Grigson talk today, Mike Chappell of CBS4 (on Twitter) is convinced that T.Y. Hilton will wait until the end of the season for a new deal. On Wednesday, Irsay gave reporters the impression that he could get a new pact done with Hilton before the start of the year.
  • The Colts would be smart to make Luck a big offer now, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk opines. Waiting to get a deal done with Luck, he argues, will only increase the quarterback’s leverage. The odds of Luck suffering a career-threatening injury that would diminish his value go down the closer he gets to completing his contract. The Colts could capitalize on that fear now and convince Luck to take a deal that will give him security against something catastrophic, just as the Dolphins did with Ryan Tannehill.

How Will Newton Deal Affect Wilson, Luck?

June 3rd, 2015 at 11:10am CST by Luke Adams

With about three months remaining until the 2015 season gets underway, the market for quarterback contract extensions is starting to get interesting. Cam Newton signed a new deal with the Panthers this week, locking him up through the 2020 season, but several notable QBs remain unsignAndrew Lucked beyond this year. Russell Wilson, Eli Manning, Philip Rivers, and Nick Foles will all see their contracts expire in the winter, and Andrew Luck is extension-eligible as well, though the Colts exercised their fifth-year option on him for 2016.

Manning and Rivers are veteran signal-callers coming off veteran contracts, and will be entering their mid-30s by the time their next deals begin. Foles, meanwhile, had one incredible season with the Eagles, but doesn’t have nearly the same track record as a player like Newton, Wilson, or Luck. So for now, we’ll just focus on those latter three players, since their situations are the most similar.

Newton, 2011’s No. 1 overall pick, has four NFL seasons under his belt, while Wilson and Luck just have three, but all three quarterbacks have been their respective team’s starter since entering the league — between the three of them, they’ve only missed two total games in their NFL careers (both Newton in 2014, due to a rib injury). With Newton securing a contract that places him among the game’s highest-paid QBs, it makes sense that Wilson and Luck would be paying close attention to the numbers on that deal.

As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk outlines, the Seahawks will probably view Newton’s contract as a ceiling for Wilson, while Wilson – and agent Mark Rodgers – will consider it his floor. Having played his first three seasons on a third-rounder’s salary, Wilson may be more motivated than Newton (a former No. 1 pick) to maximize his earnings, which could inspire him to play out the 2015 season on his current contract, rather than accepting any sort of discount from Seattle.

As for Luck, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that there’s no question that 2012’s first overall pick should be paid more than Newton, and perhaps more than anyone else in the NFL. The question is how much more.

A look at the career stats for Newton, Wilson, and Luck shows why both unsigned QBs could make a strong case that they’re more deserving than Newton of a mega-deal that exceeds even Aaron Rodgers‘ $20MM for year. All numbers in this chart, with the exception of regular-season and playoff records, are averages per season:

Young QBs

You could make a case that Newton’s supporting cast hasn’t been as strong as Luck’s or Wilson’s during his first few NFL seasons, but it’s not as if Wilson has been surrounded by Pro Bowl wideouts, and the Colts’ inconsistent and unproductive running game hasn’t helped Luck. Newton’s value has also been buoyed by his ability to make things happen with his legs, but Wilson and Luck aren’t exactly statues in the pocket either. Plus, history has shown that a quarterback’s rushing ability typically declines as he gets older, so I doubt the Panthers are expecting Newton to run for 650 yards and eight touchdowns per season over the course of his next contract.

What this chart does show is that Luck is a more productive passer than Newton, averaging about 700 more passing yards and eight more touchdowns per year, despite an up-and-down rookie campaign. As for Wilson, he’s certainly more efficient than Newton, throwing for a higher completion percentage, fewer interceptions, and a much better rating.

Most importantly, both Luck and Wilson have had significantly more postseason success than Newton, whose lone playoff victory came after his team earned a home game in the Wild Card round despite a 7-8-1 record, and defeated a third-string quarterback. Wilson has a Super Bowl win on his résumé, and came one play away from another, while Luck has reached an AFC championship game, and has three career postseason wins. Considering there are many other factors in play, it may not be fair to judge an NFL quarterback so heavily on his playoff success as opposed to his regular season performance, but it happens. Just ask Andy Dalton.

There should be no question then that, unless they decide to take a discount, Luck and Wilson will do even better on their extensions than Newton did on his. With the cap on the rise, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see both players exceed Rodgers’ $22MM annual salary, and I could easily imagine Luck setting a new high watermark for guaranteed money. With the Seahawks apparently playing hardball though, and with the Colts postponing Luck’s extensions talks until 2016, it may take some time before those deals are actually consummated.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Mettenberger, Luck, Newton

May 19th, 2015 at 9:01am CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after the Titans used the second overall pick in this year’s draft on quarterback Marcus Mariota, a report surfaced suggesting that incumbent signal-caller Zach Mettenberger wanted to be traded out of Tennessee. Mettenberger and the Titans quickly denied that claim, and now the second-year QB has taken a more significant step to show that he’s happy in Tennessee.

According to Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter links), Mettenberger has changed agents, going from Joe Linta to CAA’s Tom Condon and Jimmy Sexton. Although Mettenberger hasn’t explicitly stated his motivation for the change, McCormick notes that the post-draft trade talk was pinned on Linta, while Sexton also represents Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:

  • Ryan Tannehill belongs to the same draft class as Andrew Luck, but yesterday’s contract extension for the Dolphins quarterback means nothing for the former No. 1 pick, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. As Wells observes, Luck is in a “different bracket” than Tannehill, meaning their contracts almost certainly look all that similar when all is said and done.
  • Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer believes the Tannehill extension doesn’t mean much for Cam Newton‘s next contract either, though Person notes that it increases the floor for QBs around the league.
  • Zach Strief doesn’t have any misconceptions about Andrus Peat‘s future role with the Saints, telling Mike Triplett of ESPN.com that the 13th overall pick is going to be “taking my job eventually.” With Peat preparing to play right tackle, Strief also shot down the idea that he could transition to left guard. “[Tim Lelito and Senio Kelemete] are two excellent football players, and two guys I’m never gonna beat out as a guard,” Strief said. “So it’ll be one of those two.”
  • The Titans are looking for their rookie running backs to lose some weight and get in better shape, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com.

AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Jennings, Luck

April 17th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a handful of Friday items from out of the AFC South….

  • The Jaguars still have interest in center Stefen Wisniewski and wide receiver Greg Jennings, but haven’t made a contract offer to either player, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Speaking of Jennings, Nick Underhill of The Advocate writes that the wideout has received interest from the Ravens in addition to the four teams he’s been linked to previously — the Saints, Dolphins, Panthers, and Jags. I examined Jennings’ free agent stock this morning.
  • According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, front office executives and agents around the NFL are in rare agreement on the issue of Andrew Luck‘s contract situation — both sides are surprised that the Colts aren’t doing whatever they can to sign him to an extension sooner rather than later. Owner Jim Irsay indicated last month that the team likely won’t address the quarterback’s contract until 2016.
  • In the wake of his new extension and restructure with the Jaguars, linebacker Paul Posluszny said he thinks the deal is mutually beneficial, per Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. “I want to be a part of this organization and I wanted to do what I could to be here,” Posluszny said. “This was a great opportunity to extend the contract and give me another shot and opportunity to compete with the Jaguars.”

Colts Exercise Andrew Luck’s 2016 Option

April 9th, 2015 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

In the least surprising fifth-year option decision of the year, the Colts have officially exercised Andrew Luck‘s option for the 2016 season, the team announced today in a press release. The move ensures that Luck will be under contract for ’16 for a salary worth $16.155MM.

Luck, 25, has led the Colts to three consecutive 11-5 seasons since entering the league in 2012, establishing new career highs in 2014 with 4,761 passing yards and 40 touchdowns. He also led the team to a pair of postseason wins this winter, reaching the AFC Championship game against the Patriots. In other words, the former first overall pick has done nothing but prove that he’s in line for a mega-deal, and there’s a possibility his next contract makes him the highest-paid player in football.

However, with Luck now secured for two more seasons, the Colts probably aren’t in any rush to negotiate an extension. Team owner Jim Irsay indicated last month at the NFL’s owners meetings that the club may not address the young signal-caller’s contract until 2016.

Luck becomes the third player from 2012’s draft class to formally have his fifth-year option picked up. The Steelers exercised their option on David DeCastro today, while the Chargers picked up Melvin Ingram‘s option earlier this week. You can follow all of this year’s option decisions using our tracker.

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