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Brandon Marshall (WR)

Brandon Marshall, Jets Restructure Contract

May 30th, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Ben Levine

10:10am: Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com has an interesting note on the timing of the new deal (via Twitter). Multiple teams showed interest in Marshall when he was shopped by the Bears, and the Jets agreed to sweeten the wideout’s contract to earn an advantage in trade negotiations.

The two sides had to wait until May 22nd, the one year anniversary of Marshall signing his extension with Chicago, to give the receiver a raise.

9:41am: After having traded for the Pro Bowler this past offseason, the Jets have agreed to rework wideout Brandon Marshall‘s contract. According to ESPN.com’s Field Yates, the two sides have agreed to a new three-year, $26MM contract, with $1.3MM in fully guaranteed money. Marshall’s previous contract called for the wideout to earn $24.3MM over the next three seasons.

Yates has the yearly breakdown for the new contract. Marshall’s 2015 salary includes a full-guaranteed base salary of $9MM, but with no workout bonus. Marshall was originally owed $7.5MM this upcoming season, with a $200K workout bonus.

Marshall’s 2016 base salary is now at $9.5MM (only guaranteed for injury), up from the $7.9MM he was originally set to make. His 2017 salary dropped from $8.3MM (not including a $200K workout bonus) to $7.5MM. There is also a $700K de-escalator clause if the team wins a Super Bowl.

Marshall had one of the least productive seasons of his career in 2014, finishing with 61 catches for 721 yards and eight touchdowns. Nonetheless, the 31-year-old still placed 26th among 110 candidates in Pro Football Focus’ wide receiver rankings (subscription required).

AFC Rumors: Marshall, McCoy, Anderson

May 8th, 2015 at 11:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

Already traded three times in his nine-year career, Brandon Marshall narrowly missed out on what could’ve been his highest-profile transaction.

In an appearance on ESPN 1000, the Jets wideout said he was nearly traded to the Patriots before last season, writes Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times.

The Bears pondered trading Marshall but instead gave the now-31-year-old receiver a three-year, $30MM extension last May. They ultimately trading Marshall to the Jets this offseason after acquiring him in 2012. Marshall, who saw his streak of seven consecutive 1,000-yard seasons end last year, preferred to remain in Chicago for the remainder of his career.

Elsewhere around the league on Friday night …

  • New Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase, while praising Matt Forte‘s fitness level, said his old charge in the backfield, C.J. Anderson, had to be subbed out frequently due to being “a little chubby” sometimes. The Broncos’ newfound starter told 9News‘ Mike Kils that his weight issues are nothing new. “Hey, everybody knows I’m a weight guy,” Anderson told Klis. “My body can go up and down.” The Broncos‘ offense became increasingly reliant on Anderson last season despite the former undrafted performer hovering on the fourth level of the depth chart during training camp due to his inconsistent shape status.
  • In a lengthy ESPN piece on Chip Kelly‘s enigmatic offseason, one NFL executive told ESPN.com’s Ashley Fox he saw merit in the Eagles coach’s madness and did not agree with the Bills‘ decision to immediately extend LeSean McCoy. “He had an impressive five-year run, but measure it statistically,” the executive said. “Over time, most running backs have a five- to six-year run, then they decline relatively precipitously. They don’t become bums overnight, and they don’t fall off the cliff, but Buffalo made an extremely stupid mistake extending him. They should’ve played it out. He will not earn that money.” Buffalo tacked three years onto McCoy’s contract, which is now a five-year deal worth $40MM, shortly after acquiring him from Philadelphia.
  • Following Dante Fowler Jr.‘s torn ACL that’s expected to sideline him for the season, the Florida Times-Union’s Ryan O’Halloran looks at the team’s remaining candidates to play the “Leo” defensive end in Gus Bradley‘s 4-3 scheme. Chris Clemons now goes from third-down rush specialist to every-down player, while 2012 second-rounder Andre Branch escapes the roster bubble with much more playing time available, notes O’Halloran.

Bears Notes: McDonald, Forte, Cutler

April 28th, 2015 at 5:49pm CST by Zachary Links

Bears defensive end Ray McDonald hasn’t been charged despite a sexual assault allegation in December, and said Tuesday he’s “extremely confident” he will not be, Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I had two incidences as to where I feel like I didn’t do anything wrong,” he said. “But, still, it’s in the spotlight. It was in the national spotlight for quite some time. I’m just trying to move forward from it. I’m a Bear now. I’m just trying to help this team win football games.” More from Chicago..

  • When asked about the whereabouts of running back Matt Forte, John Fox replied: “I prefer he’d be here,” according to Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter). Forte has been absent from the team’s voluntary workouts and, ostensibly, is looking for a contract extension.
  • Bears quarterback Jay Cutler acknowledged that his relationship with former teammate Brandon Marshall wasn’t the best. “We’ve had our ups and downs and back-and-forths,” the quarterback said of the wide receiver (via Jahns on Twitter).
  • TE Gator Hoskins, G/C Ronald Patrick, NT Derrick Hopkins, OLB Rakim Cox, S Malcolm Bronson are all tryout players at the Bears’ minicamp, Jahns tweets.

Jets To Acquire Brandon Marshall

March 10th, 2015 at 3:35pm CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 3:35pm: In addition to acquiring Marshall, the Jets will also be getting Chicago’s seventh-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. The reporter confirms that New York will be sending the Bears a fifth-round pick.

FRIDAY, MARCH 6th, 4:47pm: Per Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links), the Jets are tweaking Marshall’s contract as part of the deal, meaning he’ll have a chance to earn even more than the $15.8MM previously available to him over the next two seasons.

11:34am: The Jets are expected to give up a fifth-round pick in the swap, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). That makes sense, considering the team’s fourth-rounder and sixth-rounder are currently tied up in the Harvin trade.

10:08am: The Bears and Jets have reached an agreement on a trade that will send wide receiver Brandon Marshall to the Jets, pending a physical, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). News of the move, which can’t be officially completed until the new league year begins, comes a day after we learned that the Bears were exploring their trade options with regard to Marshall. The agreement was first reported by Aaron Leming of BearReport.com (via Twitter).Brandon Marshall (WR)

Marshall, who turns 31 later this month, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locks him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox didn’t waste much time moving in a different direction.

While it’s not clear yet what sort of compensation the Bears will receive for Marshall, the team had reportedly been seeking a mid-round draft pick, and Leming suggests the pick may end up falling in the “late” rounds. Of course, the club will also clear some cap room in the move — Marshall’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015 was due to become fully guaranteed next Thursday, and that will now be the Jets’ responsibility, rather than Chicago’s. With $5.625MM left in dead money on the Bears’ cap, the team will create nearly $4MM in cap savings.

As for the Jets, the acquisition of Marshall likely removes any of the suspense regarding the club’s decision on Percy Harvin. The team had reportedly been interested in reducing Harvin’s pay and keeping him around, but the former Seahawk didn’t seem open to that idea, and will almost certainly be released this month. Assuming the Jets cut Harvin before March 19, they’ll owe the Seahawks a sixth-round pick as compensation for the wideout, rather than a fourth-round pick.

During the 2014 season, Marshall struggled along with the rest of the Bears, totaling just 721 receiving yards and 61 catches, his worst marks since his rookie season in 2006. However, he’s only a year removed from a 100-catch season and a spot in the Pro Bowl, so if the Jets can find a quarterback to get him the ball, he should help anchor a solid receiving corps in New York, alongside Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley.

Of course, if the Jets continue to have quarterback issues, it’s fair to wonder if the situation with Marshall could go south. The veteran wideout isn’t the type of player to quietly go about his business if things aren’t going well for him or his team. This will be the third time since 2010 that Marshall has been traded in a league where trades are rare, and his clubhouse presence has certainly played a role in a couple of those moves, if not all three of them.

Chicago, meanwhile, figures to be in the market for a wide receiver in free agency or the draft this offseason to pair with Alshon Jeffery. Jeffery is extension-eligible for the first time this winter as he heads into the final year in his contract, and I expect the Bears to seriously explore a long-term deal for him now that Marshall is out of the picture.

Schefter (Twitter link) reported earlier today that the Colts and Browns had also spoken to the Bears about Marshall.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Maclin, Gore, Clay

March 8th, 2015 at 11:34am CST by Rory Parks

There are a number of rumblings from the league’s east divisions today, so let’s dive right in:

  • We learned earlier today that Randall Cobb‘s decision to remain with the Packers would give the Eagles‘ Jeremy Maclin a little more leverage in his contract negotiations, and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com has a little more on that front. Mosher writes that Maclin, who has asked for at least $11MM per season, is clearly the best wide receiver left on the free agent market, but the fact that he is two years older than Cobb and has torn his ACL twice since the start of his college career could deter teams from handing Maclin the same type of contract that Cobb received. Therefore, Mosher believes the stage could be set for Maclin’s return to Philadelphia.
  • Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes that the Eagles are interested in free agent running back Frank Gore and says that a deal could be done as soon as Tuesday.
  • The Bills are expected to make a “substantial offer” to Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, writes Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Miami placed the transition tag on Clay last week.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com has a deeper look into the Jets‘ trade for Brandon Marshall and what it means for the team moving forward.
  • In the same piece, Cimini looks at the future of Darrelle Revis. Cimini writes that the Jets will almost certainly try to overpay for Revis, who will have to choose between the mega-bucks in New York and a lifetime membership in Patriots owner Robert Kraft‘s fraternity.
  • Washington and the Giants have both expressed interest in Arizona nose tackle Dan Williams (Twitter links to ESPN’s John Keim and Dan Graziano).

Bears Exploring Brandon Marshall Trade

March 5th, 2015 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

11:08am: The Bears are asking for a mid-round draft pick in exchange for Marshall, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports.

10:20am: The Bears are exploring their trade options with regard to veteran wide receiver Brandon Marshall, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Biggs hears from one source that the team is shopping Marshall and is intent on moving him, while another source says the club is simply fielding calls on the wideout. Either way, Chicago seems prepared to move on without the former fourth-round pick in the mix.

Marshall, who turns 31 later this month, signed a three-year contract extension with the Bears last May that locks him up through the 2017 season. However, with Marc Trestman, Phil Emery, and the old regime out of the picture in Chicago, it appears that new GM Ryan Pace and head coach John Fox are more inclined to go in a different direction.

The Bears will likely have to make a decision on Marshall within the next week, as his $7.5MM base salary for 2015 is due to become fully guaranteed next Thursday. That would lock in the wideout at a $9.575MM cap number for the coming year.

Among potential suitors for Marshall, the Colts would be one interesting possibility. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported last week that Indianapolis has internally discussed the possibility of adding a veteran wideout, and Cole identified Marshall as one of the team’s top choices. It’s not clear what Chicago’s asking price would be, but one source suggests to Biggs that the Bears could seek a mid-round pick, which could be palatable for the Colts — they certainly have the cap space necessary to absorb Marshall’s salary.

It also remains unclear if the Bears will be willing to release Marshall if they can’t find a satisfactory deal, or if the team is open to the possibility of bringing him back for another season. With his March 12 guarantee date looming, we should have an answer to that question fairly soon.

WR Rumors: Marshall, V-Jax, Wallace, Harvin

February 27th, 2015 at 3:07pm CST by Luke Adams

With Reggie Wayne‘s NFL future still up in the air, the Colts have explored the possibility of bringing in a veteran wide receiver to start opposite T.Y. Hilton, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). According to Cole, the team has internally discussed players like Brandon Marshall, Andre Johnson, Mike Wallace, and Vincent Jackson as potential targets. Not all of those players will become available in the next few weeks, but one or more could be traded or released, and if the Colts had their pick, Marshall may be their top choice, per Cole.

While we wait to see if any opportunities open up for the Colts, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has a few more tidbits for us on the wide receiver market. Let’s dive in….

  • Cole noted in the above video that Jackson likely isn’t going anywhere, and La Canfora agrees that it looks like he’ll be back with the Buccaneers. However, it doesn’t seem as if Jackson will be willing to take a pay cut, sources tell La Canfora.
  • La Canfora also touches on the Marshall situation, noting that if a team were to call asking about a possible trade, “it’s not like [the Bears] wouldn’t pick up the phone.”
  • According to multiple general managers, Wallace is the only wideout being “actively shopped” at the moment. The Dolphins continue to explore a deal, and La Canfora suggests Wallace himself would be interested in returning to the Steelers, though it’s not clear if that interest is mutual. $3MM of Wallace’s base salary for 2015 becomes guaranteed on March 13, so that may act as a deadline of sorts for Miami.
  • Percy Harvin won’t accept a pay cut to stick with the Jets, and trading him would likely be impossible, so he looks like a good bet to be cut. If that happens, many teams would want to pick him up on a short-term deal, says La Canfora.
  • We can expect the Dwayne Bowe situation to come to a head soon — paying him $11MM with a $14MM cap hit is a luxury the Chiefs can’t afford, so Bowe may be willing to accept a pay cut, knowing he won’t make close to that amount on the open market.
  • With cap numbers for Anquan Boldin and Stevie Johnson on the rise, and Michael Crabtree and Brandon Lloyd eligible for free agency, La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if only one of those four players returns to the 49ers for next season — if that.
  • Johnson and the Texans had a bit of a stand-off a year ago, and with the veteran wideout carrying a $16MM into the 2015 season, the two sides may be headed for another interesting summer. La Canfora isn’t convinced Johnson will remain in Houston long-term, but says “time will tell.”
  • Two Dolphins wideouts have already been released today, and according to Armando Salguero the Miami Herald (Twitter links), Rishard Matthews asked the team to be cut or traded as well. However, Miami has denied that request for now, says Salguero.

Combine Pressers: Bears, Bucs, Titans, Bills

February 18th, 2015 at 11:48am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we rounded up the noteworthy comments made by a handful of head coaches and general managers who spoke to reporters today in Indianapolis at the NFL’s scouting combine. Wednesday’s press conferences will continue through to about 3:30pm central time, and we’ll keep providing recaps of the highlights from those sessions. Here’s the latest:

Bears head coach John Fox and GM Ryan Pace:

  • Asked about whether he has decided to proceed with Jay Cutler as the team’s quarterback, Fox replied, “We’re not up against a deadline. … We’ll keep you posted.” Fox later continued: “I don’t think there’s any question there’s ability and talent there but there’s a lot more that goes into it.”
  • In addition to dancing around questions about Cutler, Fox was also noncommittal when asked about Brandon Marshall.
  • Like Fox, Pace didn’t put his full support behind either Cutler or Marshall — the new GM didn’t call Cutler the team’s starting QB, and said the team would “take our time” with evaluations. As for Marshall, Pace suggested football needs to be the wideout’s top priority, in reference to Marshall’s 2014 gig with “Inside the NFL.”
  • The Bears head coach confirmed that he met with Josh McCown today and that the club has interest in him. “He’s the right kind of guy… that you want on your football team,” Fox said of the former Buccaneer. Pace also had praise for McCown, suggesting he’s capable of being a starter or backup for an NFL team.
  • Fox also confirmed that the Bears will be switching to a 3-4 defense under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio. Defensive ends like Jared Allen and Willie Young are expected to get a look at the outside linebacker position in the new system.
  • Fox and his staff are still evaluating players like Charles Tillman and Lance Briggs, so there’s no decision on whether to bring them back, but they’ve been “great Bears,” says the head coach. Pace added that the decisions on Tillman and Briggs will be big ones for the team.

Buccaneers GM Jason Licht:

  • The Bucs are leaning toward keeping the first overall pick, but are open to all options and aren’t closing any doors, according to Licht. As for who the Bucs will select with that No. 1 pick? “We have a favorite, but we want to let the process play out,” said the GM, adding that it would be an “insult” to say it’s 50-50 between Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota based on the team’s research and draft meetings to date.
  • For what it’s worth, Lovie Smith said earlier today that the Bucs would be comfortable making Winston the “face of the franchise,” and previous reports have indicated that Tampa Bay prefers the Florida State signal-caller. Licht said today the Bucs will have “several meetings” with both Winston and Mariota.
  • Veteran guard Logan Mankins is part of the solution in Tampa Bay, not part of the problem, according to Licht, who says Mankins has a future with the team.
  • While Licht reiterated the team’s support for Mike Glennon, he said he remains open-minded about discussing trades and moving players in general.

Titans GM Ruston Webster and head coach Ken Whisenhunt:

  • The Titans like Zach Mettenberger but haven’t yet committed to him as the 2015 starter, and will fully consider Jameis Winston and/or Marcus Mariota with the No. 2 overall pick, according to Webster.
  • Although the QBs are receiving most of the attention at the top of the draft, Webster said today that there are several other players the Titans feel are worthy of the second overall pick. The lines of communication are also open for Tennessee in terms of trading the selection to another team. Whisenhunt added that a “defensive difference-maker” would be an option for the club at No. 2.
  • The general manager expects the club to try to fill some holes through free agency, but cautioned that the most effective way to build a strong roster is through the draft.
  • While the Titans will work through their defensive coaching roles this spring, Whisenhunt said today that new senior assistant Dick LeBeau will have control of the unit, and that defensive coordinator Ray Horton is comfortable with LeBeau’s hiring and his role.

Bills head coach Rex Ryan:

NFC North Notes: Marshall, Peterson, Favre

February 11th, 2015 at 10:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Brandon Marshall wants to return to the Bears but he hasn’t received any assurances he will next season, Patrick Finley of Chicago Sun-Times writes. “I definitely love Chicago, but I definitely understand it’s a business on both ends,” Marshall said. “For me, I wanna win. The organization wants to win. (Owner Virginia) McCaskey wants to win. So we’re definitely aligned there. But there’s a business side on both ends, and I get that.” The wide receiver is coming off of an injury-plagued season and is scheduled to make $7.5MM in 2015, leading some to believe that the new regime might look to cut ties with him. More from the NFC North..

  • Vikings president Mark Wilf expressed support for the idea of embattled running back Adrian Peterson returning to the team, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. “Adrian’s done a lot of good in this community,” Wilf said. “He’s done a lot for us on the football field, as well. Of course, he’s a Minnesota Viking, and we’d love to have him back. And of course, a lot depends on the NFL and steps he’s making in his own personal journey. That’s where we’re at with it.“
  • The Vikings have decisions to make on the fifth-year options of left tackle Matt Kalil and safety Harrison Smith and Brian Hall of FOX Sports North looked at the pros and cons.
  • Former Packers GM Ron Wolf spoke with SiriusXM NFL Radio (via Twitter) on the 23rd anniversary of Green Bay trading their first-round choice to the Falcons for Brett Favre. “If it came to it, I would have given a number one up to get Favre to Green Bay. I was ready to pull the trigger no matter what,” Wolf said.

Bears Place Marshall On IR, Promote Bellamy

December 8th, 2014 at 3:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As expected, the Bears have officially placed wide receiver Brandon Marshall on injured reserve, ending his 2014 season, the team announced today (Twitter link). In a pair of related roster moves, Chicago promoted wideout Josh Bellamy from the practice squad to the active roster, and signed linebacker Jonathan Brown to the taxi squad.

Marshall, 30, left last Thursday’s game against the Cowboys with a rib injury and was hospitalized for several days. The veteran receiver broke multiple ribs and also sustained a lung injury, making it an easy decision to shut him down for the rest of the season, particularly with the club no longer in the playoff hunt.

With Marshall out for Chicago’s last three games, it could open the door for second-year wideout Marquess Wilson to assume an increased role in the team’s offense. Wilson entered the season hoping to establish himself as the No. 3 receiver behind Marshall and Alshon Jeffery, but missed a good chunk of the year with a fractured clavicle.

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