HEADLINES

Anquan Boldin

NFC West Notes: Boldin, 49ers, Combine

February 17th, 2014 at 9:49am CST by Rob DiRe

Anquan Boldin and the 49ers are working on a long-term contract, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson’s sources give the impression that an extension is likely, and the team would like to put the deal together prior to the start of free agency. Here are some other notes from around the NFC West:

  • With Colt McCoy entering free agency, the 49ers have a question mark at backup quarterback, writes Bryan Knowles of Bleacher Report. While the easiest option would be to re-sign McCoy, Knowles lays out a few other players who could fill the void, including Josh McCown and Josh Freeman.
  • The Rams are set up to have another huge draft haul thanks to the Robert Griffin III trade. Steven Gerwel of Bleacher Report put together a list of prospects the team will be looking at closely during the scouting combine next week.
  • The Seahawks have three offensive lineman reaching free agency this offseason, but Brian Nemhauser of SeattlePI.com does not expect them to make a splash at the position this offseason. Instead, he sees the team looking to add some depth to the core they have in place.

WR Notes: Holmes, Burleson, Broncos

February 16th, 2014 at 10:08am CST by Rory Parks

Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes that that Jets will cut Santonio Holmes. Holmes has been a disappointment both on and off the field since coming to New York from Pittsburgh, and he would cost the Jets $10.75MM against the cap this year if he were to be retained. However, the Jets will save $8.25MM by cutting Holmes, and Cimini believes the team will use at least a significant portion of that money to bring in a new wideout. As our own Luke Adams wrote last week, the Jets “covet” the Steelers’ Emmanuel Sanders and the Eagles’ Jeremy Maclin, both of whom are eligible for unrestricted free agency.

It is a buyer’s market for receivers this year, with over 50 wideouts set to hit the open market. Some more notes on the wide receiver carousel:

  • Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com writes that Nate Burleson would make sense for the Cowboys, given the imminent release of Miles Austin and the limitations of players like Dwayne Harris and Cole Beasley. Archer believes Burleson’s skill-set, veteran leadership, and connection with new Cowboys’ play-caller Scott Linehan could add up to a nice complement to top receivers Dez Bryant and Terrance Williams.
  • Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com believes the Broncos will have to grab at least one receiver in the draft. Eric Decker and Andre Caldwell are both unrestricted free agents, but the Broncos will want to make sure they have enough money to pay Demaryius Thomas when he hits free agency after the 2014 season, and that will limit what they could give to Decker, Caldwell, or any other free agent receiver this season. As such, Denver will be left with only two receivers on the roster who have started an NFL game: Thomas and Wes Welker. For a team that uses a three-wide set about 70% of the time, that is simply not enough depth.
  • Joe Kaiser of ESPN.com examines the chatter surrounding Anquan Boldin‘s return to the 49ers, all of which indicates Boldin will be back in the Bay Area next year.
  • In a recent interview with Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post, NFL Films’ Greg Cosell confirms the general consensus that Clemson’s Sammy Watkins is the best receiver in this year’s draft, but Cosell doesn’t stop there. He believes that Watkins is the best receiver available since the 2010 draft, when Julio Jones and A.J. Green were taken in the first round.

 

Extra Points: Bills, Boldin, Brady, Browns

February 12th, 2014 at 10:32pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills would be smart to add some competition at quarterback and trading for Kirk Cousins could be one way for them light a fire under E.J. Manuel. Mike Rodak of ESPN.com looked at why a deal for the Redskins‘ No. 2 QB could happen, why it might not happen, and what it would take to get it done. More from around the National Football League:

  • Consistent with what we’ve been hearing this offseason, the 49ers want wide receiver Anquan Boldin back and the feeling is mutual, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
  • Would the Patriots ever trade Tom Brady? Bob Neumeier and Fred Toucher stopped by CSNNE.com (video link) for some friendly debate.
  • Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap wonders if the Browns‘ situation is really so bad despite their many question marks. The Browns have a tremendous talent in Josh Gordon and lots of cap room to work with this offseason.
  • The Bears announced that Pat Meyer has been promoted to offensive line coach, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter).
  • Veteran defensive tackle Vaughn Martin visited the Jets and Lions over the last two weeks and is fully recovered from the hernia surgery he underwent during last season, tweets Adam Caplan of SiriusXM. The Canadian has recorded 78 tackles and three sacks over the course of his NFL career.

NFC Notes: Bennett, Kuhn, Redskins

January 27th, 2014 at 7:34pm CST by Ben Levine

A couple of notes from around the NFC on this Monday evening…

Corry On Patriots, 49ers, Manning

January 24th, 2014 at 7:35pm CST by Rob DiRe

As the Seahawks and Broncos prepare for the Super Bowl, the front offices of the Patriots and 49ers are already in offseason mode, and each team has a lot of work to do, writes Joel Corry on CBSSports.com. Here are some thoughts from his piece..

  • The Patriots are only set to be $3.9MM under the salary cap in 2014, based on the projected cap number of $126.3MM. They can look to create room by first cutting safety Adrian Wilson and defensive tackle Isaac Sopoaga. Neither was able to contribute to a banged up defense in 2013, because of injury and poor play, respectively, and their release would save about $3.67MM of cap room. Corry also sees the Patriots looking to restructure the contracts of Pro Bowlers Logan Mankins and Vince Wilfork to create additional room.
  • The two biggest names the Patriots could try to re-sign are Aqib Talib and Julian Edelman. Talib was the focal point of an injured defense, and played great when healthy. Of course, he did sit a few games with a hip injury this year and failed to stay healthy in each of the last two AFC Championship games. His contract demands may be high, and with the Patriots’ cap constraints the franchise tag might not be an option. Edelman filled in admirably in the role vacated by Welker in free agency, one Danny Amendola could not fill due to injury, but with money invested in Amendola, Corry is unsure if the Pats would be willing to pay Edelman.
  • Brandon Spikes and LeGarrette Blount are also big names hitting free agency this offseason, but due to depth at those positions there is a chance the Patriots will not pursue them.
  • The 49ers have a little more room, with $8.6MM under the cap before re-signing their restricted free agents. Carlos Rogers looks to be an easy cut, as the highest paid and least dependable member of their secondary. The 49ers would gain more than $5.1MM by releasing him. A tougher decision will have to be made on Frank Gore, who is turning 31 in May. He is coming off a productive season, but with draft picks invested in Kendall Hunter, LaMichael James, and Marcus Lattimore, this could be a good time to turn the page in order to shed his $6.45MM salary. They can also create $6.2MM by restructuring contracts with star linebackers Patrick Willis and Ahmad Brooks.
  • The 49ers also have decisions to make on whether or not to re-sign Anquan Boldin and Donte Whitner. Boldin was great on a one-year-deal, but could command interest on the open market. Whitner is thought to have priced himself out of his job, as he could demand too much for the 49ers to pay with contract extensions for Aldon Smith, Michael Crabtree, Mike Iupati and Colin Kaepernick on the horizon.
  • Speaking of Kaepernick’s next contract, Corry also wrote a piece for the National Football Post detailing the effect Peyton Manning‘s decision to sign a five-year, $96MM deal in March of 2012 to become the starting quarterback for the Denver Broncos. Manning was rumored to have turned down an even larger offer from the Titans, possibly of $25MM per year. Corry details how this affected the contracts of the next group of quarterbacks to reach free agency. With one year left on his rookie deal, if Kaepernick is looking for a Joe Flacco or Matt Ryan type contract, it may have helped him had Manning grabbed the extra money to sign the Titans’ supposed offer.