Brandon Weeden - Pro Football Rumors

FA Rumors: Weeden, Browner, DRC, Clark

March 14th, 2014 at 5:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Count the Cowboys among the teams with interest in Brandon Weeden following the signal-caller’s release from the Browns, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. According to Archer, even though the Cowboys believe Kyle Orton will return next season to back up Tony Romo rather than opting to retire, the team could carry three quarterbacks on its 53-man roster. Here’s more on a few free agents who either remain on the market or recently agreed to deals:

Albert Breer and Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network hear from Redskins sources that Brandon Browner hadn’t arrived at Redskins Park for his free agent visit as of close of business today (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link) hears that Browner remains in New England, attempting to hammer out a deal with the Patriots. We recapped the odd back-and-forth developments in the Browner story in an earlier post.
Following Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s visit with the Jets, the cornerback will meet with the Giants, assuming he doesn’t yet have a deal in place, reports Conor Orr of The Star-Ledger.
The Panthers have showed interest in free agent safety Ryan Clark, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
Wide receiver Steve Smith said on a conference call today that before he agreed to sign with the Ravens, the Chargers made him an offer and the Redskins and Seahawks also expressed interest (Twitter link via Joseph Person).
B.J. Raji received interest from the Raiders and Chiefs before he agreed to re-sign with the Packers, tweets Ian Rapoport. I imagine it’s no coincidence that the general managers in both Oakland and Kansas City have roots in Green Bay.

Browns Release Brandon Weeden

March 12th, 2014 at 2:52pm CST by Luke Adams

2:52pm: The Browns have officially announced the release of Weeden (Twitter link).

2:46pm: The Browns will release former first-round pick Brandon Weeden by Monday, a source tells Mike Silver of the NFL Network (via Twitter). With a new regime in place and Weeden no longer a part of the club’s future plans, Cleveland had been expected to either trade or cut the signal-caller this offseason.

The move will actually put more money onto the Browns’ cap for 2014 unless the team designates it as a post-June 1 cut.

AFC North Notes: Sanders, Cap, Weeden, Draft

February 20th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Steelers are prepared to let receiver Emmanuel Sanders test free agency, and do not expect to retain him, according to Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Steelers GM Kevin Colbert expounded on Sanders’ value, and noted “where he goes in free agency and what his market is we don’t know at this point, but he certainly performed for us last year, and we’ll see where it is in the future.”

Sanders had a nice season as a complementary receiver to Antonio Brown, catching 67 passes for 670 yards and six touchdowns. However, the Steelers don’t have much cap room with which to work, and they believe Markus Wheaton is ready to step into the number-two role. Our own Luke Adams put Sanders in the second tier of free agent receivers, and speculated that the Patriots could be interested in his services (as they were last season when they signed to him to an offer sheet, which the Steelers then matched), while we have also learned that the Jets covet Sanders.

Other news from the AFC North:

The increased salary cap might benefit the Steelers even more than other teams, writes Brown in a separate article. With the team looking to shed salary in any way possible, the slight bump will be very beneficial. The Steelers will look to clear cap space by releasing several players as well as restructuring contracts, perhaps including that of quarterback Ben Roethlisberger.
The new salary cap could also be a boon to the Bengals, as they look to re-sign two key free agents. With the 5% increase, the team might be able to retain both defensive end Michael Johnson and offensive tackle Anthony Collins, reports Cole Harvey of ESPN.com.
A decision on much-maligned Browns quarterback Brandon Weeden will be coming soon, according to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The 30-year-old Weeden is widely expected to be released, though it was rumored that he has requested a trade. Whether the Browns could garner even a late-round pick for him remains to be seen.
Browns GM Ray Farmer knows what he wants in quarterback, and needs to find out if any of the top QBs in the draft fit the bill, writes ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon. “I truly believe that a guy being able to accurately throw the football, make quick decisions and process and throw from what I call a quote-unquote crowded pocket,” said Farmer. “Guys who can play in those instances [have] critical factors in my mind of what the quarterback needs to be able to demonstrate he can do.”
The Ravens could look to add either a wide receiver or an offensive tackle in the first round of the draft, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun goes over some of the available options.

Brandon Weeden Seeking Trade?

February 14th, 2014 at 4:36pm CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 4:36pm: Asked today if he wanted to stay in Cleveland, Weeden said yes, according to Gina Mizell of The Oklahoman (hat tip to Pro Football Talk). However, the Browns quarterback acknowledged that his fate isn’t necessarily in his hands.

“I understand the business side of everything that’s going on,” Weeden said. “It’s kind of out of my control, because I’m still under contract. The ball’s kind of in their court, depending on what they want to do and do with me going forward. I kind of have no control over it. It is what it is, and things will work out.”

TUESDAY, 10:47pm: Last year’s coach, CEO, and GM are gone and now the one-time starting quarterback wants out too. Brandon Weeden wants the Browns to trade him elsewhere before the start of the 2014 season, according to Mike Silver of the NFL Network (via Jeff Schudel of the News-Herald).

Two sources close to the Browns’ 2012 first-round draft choice told Silver that Weeden wants to get a fresh start with another club. The news isn’t terribly surprising since new head coach Mike Pettine made a point to stay that he is a fan of Michigan State product Brian Hoyer, calling him a “winner” with “off the charts” intangibles during his introductory press conference. It’s still possible that the Browns will target a signal caller in the draft, which would bump Weeden down the depth chart even further.

Silver mentioned the Cardinals, Buccaneers and Texans as teams that might be interested in Weeden, who has a 5-15 record under center. Weeden’s salary of $1,124,872 for 2014 is guaranteed.