Brandon Marshall (WR)

AFC East Notes: Bills, Roman, Jets, Patriots

September 18th, 2016 at 9:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s the latest from the AFC East:

A recent report indicated that former Bills offensive coordinator Greg Roman has hard feelings towards Rex Ryan and felt that being associated with the outspoken coach would be damaging to his career. For what it’s worth, Roman went on the record with Alex Marvez of The Sporting News and denied any issues with Ryan. “I have nothing but respect for coach Ryan and I thought we had a great working relationship,” Roman said. “We met and he informed me of his decision. I thought it was handled very professionally. We then discussed how we could best make this work for everybody moving forward.”
After Brandon Marshall landed awkwardly on Thursday night, Jets coach Todd Bowles told reporters that the wide receiver was “fine.” Apparently, that’s not entirely the case. Marshall suffered an MCL injury and while the team believes that he’ll be ready to go against the Chiefs, it’s not a guarantee, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT. It’s an injury worth keeping an eye on as Marshall is arguably Gang Green’s greatest weapon. Through two games this year, Marshall has nine catches for 133 yards. In 2015, Marshall had 109 receptions for 1,502 yards and 14 touchdowns – arguably his strongest season to date.
Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels has once again established himself as a hot head coaching candidate, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano writes. The Pats have now gone 2-0 without Tom Brady or Rob Gronkowski and they even survived on Sunday afternoon without Jimmy Garoppolo for much of the game. “I was more so worried if (Garoppolo) was going to be OK or not,” running back LeGarrette Blount said. “As far as how we were going to do as an offense, I wasn’t worried about that.” McDaniels went 11-17 as the head coach of the Broncos before he was fired late in the 2010 season.
Speaking of Garoppolo, he’ll likely miss New England’s game against the Texans on Thursday because of a sprained AC joint in his throwing shoulder. That would open the door for third-round rookie Jacoby Brissett to make his first NFL start.

Brandon Marshall On Last Year’s Trade

September 1st, 2016 at 3:09pm CST by Zachary Links

Last offseason, the Bears continued their rebuilding process by shipping Brandon Marshall and a seventh-round selection to the Jets in exchange for their fifth-round pick. The Bears were looking to go younger, but the trade was also prompted by friction between the veteran and the Chicago front office. This week, Marshall opened up about the trade to Albert Breer of The MMQB.

Marshall said that he wanted out of Chicago for two reasons. First, his relationship with quarterback Jay Cutler had deteriorated to the point where the two were no longer on the same page. Secondly, the Bears were upset about Marshall’s foray into television and tried to 86 his role on Showtime’s “Inside the NFL.”

“When I sat down with [GM] Ryan Pace and coach John Fox, we met, and I asked, ‘What do you guys think about this?’ It was a big topic,” Marshall said. “And Ryan Pace said, ‘Well, we can do that in the offseason.’ So I was like, ‘Well, what about half the season?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about once or twice?’ ‘No.’ ‘What about bye week?’ ‘No, you can do that in the offseason.’ Right then, I knew I wouldn’t be a Bear anymore, because I think that the business of the NFL is growing every single day, and players are being told to stay in a box and just play football, and we’re missing out on a lot of opportunities, not only to grow as men and businessmen but to experience different things.”

This year, Josh Norman is pushing the precedent set by Marshall as he will appear on FOX during NFL Sundays. The cornerback also accepted the role without running it by head coach Jay Gruden or defensive coordinator Joe Barry.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Cousins, Brady, Lombardi, Jets

June 26th, 2016 at 9:58am CST by Rory Parks

The latest reports on contract talks between the Redskins and Kirk Cousins suggested that the two sides may not be reaching a long-term pact prior to the July 15 deadline, and that Cousins may consequently play out the 2016 season on the $19.95MM franchise tender. As Albert Breer of TheMMQB pointed out, Washington could be playing with fire if, as expected, Andrew Luck signs a record-breaking extension with the Colts and Cousins turns in another strong year.

Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com echoes those sentiments. He believes that, as we are still nearly three weeks away from July 15, both player and team are exercising the appropriate amount of patience and are right to not rush into a deal, but he does note that the Redskins have to be worried about the pending Luck contract. As Tandler writes, Washington could lock up Cousins today for something in the neighborhood of $20MM per year, but if they wait until next season, the club could end up paying more than $40MM more over the life of Cousins’ contract than if it acts now.

Let’s take a look at a few more links from the league’s east divisions:

Tomorrow marks five full weeks since Patriots quarterback Tom Brady filed a request for an en banc hearing with the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. As Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes, legal experts anticipated that the Court would take no more than six weeks to make its decision, so Brady should know within the next few days whether he will get a second bite at the appellate apple.
Ben Volin of The Boston Globe hears that Michael Lombardi‘s recent departure from the Patriots was not as mutual as it was first reported. Volin writes that New England was happy to have Lombardi serve as the team’s assistant to the coaching staff the past two years, because most of his salary was still being paid by the Browns, but after Lombardi’s contract expired, the Patriots chose not to keep Lombardi on the books. Volin adds that head coach Bill Belichick was Lombardi’s only real ally inside the building, and that Lombardi’s role in bringing in former Browns like Jabaal Sheard and Dion Lewis was overstated.
In his ongoing examination of each team’s best and worst contracts, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes that the best deal on the Jets‘ books is Brandon Marshall‘s, whereas Fitzgerald believes David Harris‘ deal is the team’s worst contract.

Jets Notes: Marshall, Decker, LBs, Smith

June 18th, 2016 at 7:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Jets wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, accompanied by Kimberley Martin of Newsday, took a helicopter ride to Marshall’s doctor’s office recently, where the older of the two New York starting wideouts received an advanced treatment as he prepares for training camp. Here are some of the highlights from that conversation, along with some additional Jets news.

An 11th-year pro who’s registered 1,000+ yards for four franchises in the past eight years, Marshall told Martin he spends around $200K per year on various health maintenance routines and spent a recent evening undergoing the same treatment Kobe Bryant used late in his career. Marshall uses the Regenokine Program, an anti-inflammation treatment involving injections, multiple times before training camp during the seasons to help accelerate recovery. “It’s what a lot of people call ‘the Kobe Bryant shots,’ ” Marshall told Martin. “For older athletes . . . this is like the fountain of youth.” The 32-year-old Marshall underwent this treatment for turf toe and knee maladies during the 2015 season and received injections in both areas during the recent visit.
Marshall admits he wasn’t sold on Decker as much more than a Peyton Manning-propelled player before he saw Decker’s Jets work, Martin reports. “Today he told me, ‘I honestly thought you were a product of Peyton [Manning]. Like I didn’t believe you were good,” Decker said. Decker doesn’t quite have Marshall’s body of work but displayed last season he could thrive without Manning’s assistance. The now-29-year-old receiver delivered his best statistical sample for the record-setting 2013 Broncos, gaining 1,288 yards through the air and finishing a two-season stretch with Manning where he scored 24 touchdowns. In 2015, Decker added 12 more scores and 1,027 yards.
As training camp approaches in less than six weeks, Marshall admitted he’s tired of talking about the Ryan Fitzpatrick saga, that still sits with the sides disagreeing on a three-year, $24MM offer. Although the duo was reported to have skipped a portion of Jets OTAs as a show of support for the team to re-sign Fitzpatrick, Marshall would prefer to know who his quarterback is soon. “It was funny and cool at the beginning,” Marshall told Martin regarding the Fitz situation, “Like, you can throw some punchlines in there. But now it’s like, it’s time to roll.”
The Jets have offered Fitzpatrick $15MM in guaranteed money and still want him to be their starter despite Geno Smith‘s offseason progression, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. Todd Bowles said recently Smith is “light years” ahead of where he was going into last year before the locker room sucker-punch incident derailed his season, but Cimini points out the fourth-year former second-round pick’s status atop the Jets’ depth chart this close to camp has strengthened the 33-year-old Fitzpatrick’s leverage. Although no other teams appear to be in on him at this point, Fitzpatrick and his camp has a Smith-led Jets offense as a point in their favor as the sides’ impasse continues.
Lorenzo Mauldin and Jordan Jenkins reside as the favorites to start at outside linebacker for Gang Green, Brian Costello of the New York Post reports. Third-round picks in the past two drafts, the duo would obviously bring little experience to the position, although Mauldin did back up Calvin Pace last season, playing 261 snaps. Two-hundred-twenty-four of those came on passing downs, which enabled him to see pass-rushing work en route to four sacks last season — second-most among Jets ‘backers. As Roster Resource details, the Jets are counting on these two young cogs, with Pace gone and no one drafted above the seventh round sitting behind them.

AFC Notes: Lee, Marshall, Robinson, Chargers

June 5th, 2016 at 8:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

First-round linebacker Darron Lee is the only remaining unsigned Jets draft pick, and Rich Cimini of ESPN.com examines why that might be the case, noting that players drafted 18th overall or lower in the first round have a little bit of space to negotiate. Lee, selected with pick No. 20, might be arguing for a full guarantee in the fourth year of his rookie contract, as Cimini notes that Ryan Kelly (No. 19 overall) has a full 2020 guarantee, while Josh Doctson (No. 22 overall) only has a partial guarantee. With rookie deals being essentially slotted, minor guarantee disputes are just about the only area for agents to actually negotiate.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Jets, Watkins, Jordan

June 1st, 2016 at 5:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Patriots quarterback Tom Brady has added a couple of powerful allies – the AFL-CIO and high-profile attorney Kenneth Feinberg – as he seeks to overturn his four-game suspension for his role in the Deflategate scandal, details The Associated Press. In a friend of the court brief filed Monday, the AFL-CIO asked the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to reconsider a three-judge panel’s April decision to reinstate Brady’s suspension. According to the labor federation, the panel made a mistake in regarding NFL commissioner Roger Goodell as a neutral arbitrator. Meanwhile, Feinberg claims that Goodell “impermissibly exceeded the scope of his authority” and “used the vehicle of arbitration as a mechanism to rewrite the underlying bargain between the parties, to the sole advantage of his organization.”

As for the rest of the AFC East…

There was a report last week that the Jets’ Eric Decker was skipping OTAs because of the team’s lack of progress in re-signing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the receiver issued a denial Wednesday. “That’s not the reason I wasn’t there,” he said (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News). Decker also expressed confidence that Fitzpatrick will eventually re-up with Gang Green, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. On the other hand, fellow wideout Brandon Marshall wouldn’t say whether his absence was on account of the Fitzpatrick situation (Twitter link via Costello). However, Marshall did acknowledge Wednesday that the Fitzpatrick-less Jets must “move forward and try to figure out how we can win some games.”
When news of a minor foot fracture surfaced earlier this month, the expectation was that Bills receiver Sammy Watkins would be ready for training camp. Based on the words of Watkins and head coach Rex Ryan, that’s now up in the air, as Kevin Patra of NFL.com writes. “The goal is the regular season,” said Watkins, whose walking boot will come off Thursday. “All I know is that Sammy won’t miss time in the regular season,” Ryan commented.
When asked about defensive end Dion Jordan applying for reinstatement, Dolphins coach Adam Gase said, “I’ll worry about that when it comes around” (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports). Jordan, the third pick in the 2013 draft, had to sit out last season after the league suspended him for violating its substance abuse policy. Jordan has missed 22 games because of suspensions during his short career and has totaled just three sacks in 26 contests.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Fitzpatrick, Smith, Misi

May 26th, 2016 at 4:43pm CST by Ben Levine

About a year ago, ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss focused on Tom Brady‘s praise for unheralded Patriots running back Dion Lewis. The career journeyman’s pass-catching skills were clear, but the running back was also commended for his ability to take “a teaching point that was covered in morning meetings…and [execute it] on the field.”

We all know how that experiment ended up working. Lewis compiled 622 all-purpose yards and four touchdowns in seven games.

Today, Reiss decided to highlight some “under-the-radar” OTA participants who could play a significant role on this year’s squad. Among the candidates were cornerback V’Angelo Bentley (who adds versatility via the return game), receiver DeAndre Carter (played on last season’s practice squad), running back D.J. Foster (undrafted free agent received personal phone called from Bill Belichick to join team), and cornerback Jonathan Jones (most guaranteed money among undrafted players).

While the Patriots determine whether they’ve landed on any hidden gems, let’s see what else is happening around the AFC East…

We have conflicting reports as to whether Brandon Marshall‘s absence from Jets OTAs is related to the team’s contract talks (or lack thereof) with Ryan Fitzpatrick. One source tells Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that there is “no story” with regards to Marshall not being in practice with his teammates. Eric Decker, however, is reportedly staying home to make a statement about his feelings on the Fitzpatrick situation.
Jets quarterback Geno Smith says that he is OK with his teammates voicing their support for Fitzpatrick, as Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. “When I’m out there on the field no matter who I’m with my job is to score points,” he said. “I have the utmost confidence in my abilities and myself. When the time comes when I’m out there, I’ll go out there and perform. As of right now, it’s about what we’re doing here and taking care of business.”
Dolphins linebacker Koa Misi was detained (but not arrested) by police following a fight outside a Fort Lauderdale nightclub on Sunday morning, according to a police report obtained by the Miami Sun-Sentinel. The report also indicated that the 29-year-old attempted to “flee a police officer” following the altercation. Misi could be in line for a team suspension, and it’s notable that the organization disciplined former defensive end Derrick Shelby following a fight outside the same club.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Notes: Marshall, Decker, QBs, Richardson

May 25th, 2016 at 4:30pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest on the Jets:

Wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker were both absent from OTAs today and offensive coordinator Chan Gailey told reporters (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post) that both players were also absent yesterday. There is speculation that the two are staying home to put pressure on the Jets to re-sign Ryan Fitzpatrick. When asked if Decker and Marshall are making a stand, Gailey said that he doesn’t think that’s the case, “but you’ll have to ask them that question.” Center Nick Mangold has also been away, but his wife gave birth Tuesday, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Gailey claims that the team will be comfortable with whoever wins the quarterback job (Twitter link via Costello). Currently, the Jets have Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and second-round pick Christian Hackenberg in camp. Of course, the shadow of Fitzpatrick looms large and there is pressure on the team to get a deal done.
Defensive lineman Sheldon Richardson says he has spoken to the NFL with regards to its investigation, Costello tweets. Richardson, who served a four-game suspension at the start of the 2015 season for violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, was his usual effective self upon returning, picking up five sacks and forcing a couple fumbles. Pro Football Focus, which classified him as an edge defender, ranked him 30th out of 110 qualified players in the group.

Jets Notes: Wilkerson, Hackenberg, Fitzpatrick

May 17th, 2016 at 11:09am CST by Zachary Links

Jets players hope to see Muhammad Wilkerson soon, but they shouldn’t count on it, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com writes. “He’s the leader of the D-line,” linebacker David Harris said.

“Actually, he’s one of the leaders of the defense. He’s a tremendous talent. He’s one of the best D-ends in the league, hands down. I hope he’s here.”

However, Wilkerson would hurt his leverage for a long-term deal if he were to show up before July 15, his deadline to sign the franchise tag tender. Furthermore, he’s still rehabbing his surgically repaired broken leg and it’s not necessarily guaranteed that he’ll be with his teammates in July. Some people believe that the Pro Bowl defensive end could consider not reporting to training camp, which would put some additional tension between the player and the team.

Here’s more on Gang Green:

Many view Jets rookie Christian Hackenberg as a developmental quarterback, but offensive coordinator Chan Gailey says the Penn State product could be closer NFL-ready than you might expect. “He retained a great deal from the pro style of offense that [former Penn State head coach Bill O’Brien] had,” Gailey said, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “He’s ahead in that respect, but he’s behind in seeing what’s going to happen to him defensively in the NFL.”
Ryan Fitzpatrick and the team’s receivers are missing out on valuable time to grow together, Manish Mehta of the Daily News writes. Last year, Fitzpatrick’s chemistry with Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker made everyone wonder about the damage they could do if they all had a full offseason to work with each other. Now, Mehta feels that the Jets are hurting their cause by not having a deal done with the veteran.
Recently, Decker expressed his desire to see Fitzpatrick back with the team ASAP. Marshall, meanwhile, said that the team will “be OK” with Geno Smith, Bryce Petty, and Hackenberg.

East Rumors: McCoy, Fins, Pats, Jets, Cowboys

April 16th, 2016 at 3:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Although LeSean McCoy was cleared of wrongdoing from the alleged brawl that took place involving the Bills running back and off-duty Philadelphia police officers, the Pennsylvania attorney general’s office will review the Philadelphia district attorney’s decision not to charge McCoy for the Feb. 7 incident, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com reports.

State Solicitor General Bruce Castor said McCoy and others possibly involved in the fight “are not totally cleared” of charges despite Philadelphia DA Seth Williams’ decision earlier this month not to charge the former Eagles ball-carrier. If the Pennsylvania DA’s office determines McCoy should have been charged for his role in the melee, Rodak reports it could ask a court to overturn Williams’ decision.

Citing insufficient evidence, Williams cleared McCoy of potential charges. Although we heard earlier this week McCoy is unlikely to face an NFL suspension despite the league conducting its own investigation, an overturn of Williams’ decision would increase the likelihood the Bills’ starting running back would miss time this season.

Here’s more from the Eastern divisions.

Ezekiel Elliott will visit the Dolphins on Monday and Tuesday, James Walker of ESPN.com reports. Miami having lost Lamar Miller and missed out on signing C.J. Anderson and Chris Johnson makes the team’s interest in backfield help fairly clear. “They do have a hole at running back, and they do have some good people around on offense,” Elliott said. “It seems like the running back is the spot that they’re missing out on. So I think it would be a pretty good fit.”
The Patriots do not treat their 30 allotted pre-draft visits like recruiting trips as some of their NFL brethren do, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports, with the six-time 21st-century AFC champions devoting an entire work day (8 a.m.-5 p.m.) to meeting with the prospect(s) in their facility rather than taking the player(s) to dinner. The secretive organization also prefers the players it’s serious about drafting not to leak word of the visit. The Pats abruptly cancelled Nate Solder‘s 2011 meeting when details of the summit surfaced, but New England drafted the tackle anyway.
Recently released defensive tackle Dominique Easley sent out an Instagram post thanking the Patriots for his time there, Volin relays. The Globe reporter notes upon Easley being drafted in the first round two years ago, he soon wanted nothing to do with the organization, refusing to listen to the team regarding his knee rehab process.
Former Patriots practice squad quarterback Garrett Gilbert will count $9K toward New England’s 2016 salary cap after winning a grievance related to a roster bonus that the team didn’t pay when the Lions claimed him last June, Volin reports. Gilbert has yet to throw a regular-season pass but did collect a Super Bowl ring from his work with the 2014 Patriots.
A Manhattan federal judge ordered the video from a 2012 incident involving Brandon Marshall to be made public, Kimberley Martin of Newsday reports. A federal jury last week found the Jets wideout not liable for one count of assault and one count of battery in the civil case in which a woman claimed the then-Dolphins wideout punched her in the face.
Tony Romo said Saturday he’s resumed throwing and has been delivering passes using his full throwing motion for nearly two weeks, per the Cowboys website. Recovery time from the Mumford procedure Romo underwent for his troublesome collarbone issues March 8 was slated at six-to-eight weeks.
Cowboys personnel worked out Jared Goff on Saturday morning in Berkley, Calif. Jason Garrett and Jerry Jones were among the team’s representatives there, and Jones, per Peter King (on Twitter), loved what he saw from the Cal quarterback. The Cowboys pick fourth, and after the Rams’ trade that allowed them to vault from No. 15 to No. 1, and may not be in position to take Goff any longer.

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