Calvin Pryor - Pro Football Rumors

Calvin Pryor Discusses Trade, Jets, Cleveland

June 10th, 2017 at 9:18am CST by Ben Levine

In a relatively unsurprising move, the Jets traded former first-rounder Calvin Pryor to the Browns last week. The safety’s tenure in New York ended up being a disappointment, as the Louisville product compiled only 129 tackles, two interceptions, and two forced fumbles through three seasons with the organization.

Now, Pryor has a fresh start in Cleveland, where he could realistically slot in as a starter. The 24-year-old is set to hit free agency following this season, so perhaps we’ll begin to see Pryor show more of his worth as he looks to cash in.

The safety sat down with Cleveland.com’s Mary Kay Cabot to discuss his hectic week. The whole article is worth checking it, but we’ve compiled some of the notable quotes below…

On his apparent demotion by the Jets:

“I can’t really speak on too much of that. That’s in the past…One thing I know — I can play football. It’s about being in the right situation and then going about things the right way.”

His feelings on the Jets organization:

“I mean, don’t get it twisted now. I had some great times in New York. My years that I was there, I really enjoyed playing football. It’s just a blessing to be in the NFL period, so it doesn’t really stop here. I’m looking forward a fresh start, having an opportunity to play with the Cleveland Browns. That’s what I’m looking forward to the most.”

His reactions to getting traded to Cleveland:

“I feel like it was a great opportunity – have a fresh start, learn a new system and buy into a new culture. I had a feeling [with the Jets] drafting two safeties, but I can’t control that. I’m excited. I can’t thank (the Browns) enough.”

On whether he’ll play alongside rookie Jabrill Peppers:

“I can’t speak on that because that’s the coaches’ job, but I do know that (Peppers) is one heck of a player. I do look forward to playing with him, whether it’s in different packages or we’re just on the field at the same time. I know that we both can play football. I look forward to being a great teammate and helping him out along the way.”

Extra Points: Seahawks, Lynch, Browns, Rice

June 3rd, 2017 at 11:59am CST by Ben Levine

While it doesn’t sound like the Seahawks are going to add quarterback Colin Kaepernick, starter Russell Wilson indicated that he’d welcome the former division rival.

“I haven’t had the chance to be around Colin too much, but the times I have he’s been great,” Wilson said (via Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com). “Obviously, I think first of all he’s a really, really good football player. He’s made a lot of good plays in a lot of big games and done a lot of good things. I have tons of respect for him in that way. And then in terms of everything else he stood for, I think he was trying to stand for the right things, he was trying to stand for equality. And so I respect that too, as well. . . . I wouldn’t have any issue at all. As many good players as we could have, the better.”

Reports indicated that the Seahawks weren’t going to sign Kaepernick because they believe he deserves a starting role, and there were whispers that the two sides also couldn’t agree on a monetary value for the quarterback. However, Florio wonders if Pete Carroll and the organization may be trying to avoid a controversy.

There have been murmurs that Wilson hasn’t received the full support of his teammates. If the Seahawks faced any adversity next year, Florio wonders if some members of the Seahawks would push for Kaepernick to take over the starting role.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFL…

According to ESPN.com’s Sheil Kapadia, Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch has several performance-based incentives in his contract that could add $5.5MM to his salary in 2017 and $2MM in 2018. As the writer explains, the running back could earn this extra money via incentives for “rushing yards, rushing touchdowns, the Raiders making the playoffs, Lynch making the Pro Bowl, Lynch earning regular-season MVP honors and Lynch earning Super Bowl MVP honors.”
The Browns acquistion of Calvin Pryor does provide some much-needed depth at safety, but ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon notes that the team is still “one player short of a starting unit at linebacker.” There have been whispers that the Browns could utilize Pryor and rookie Jabrill Peppers in a 4-2-5 alignment, with Jamie Collins and Christian Kirksey serving as the linebackers. However, before the team commits to this strategy, McManamon believes they have to determine whether Pryor is even capable of starting.
After having served as an unofficial coach for New Rochelle High School’s football team over the past three years, former Pro Bowler Ray Rice is now the squad’s official running backs coach, according to Josh Thomson of Lohud.com. The 30-year-old will also assist with the secondary, his defensive position during his time with the Huguenots. “Ray has been around so much that there’s more buzz when visiting teams see him and when visiting parents see him or when we’re out in public,” said coach Lou DiRienzo. “These kids are around him all the time. He’s Ray to them. A celebrity is not in their midst.”

AFC Notes: Broncos, Browns, Fins, Jets

June 1st, 2017 at 9:14pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Broncos second-year safety Will Parks is facing two misdemeanor charges stemming from a March 31 arrest, reports Mike Klis of 9News. Parks, charged with harassment and non-violent domestic violence, has a court date in Brighton, Colo., on June 30. His ex-girlfriend told police that Parks started making threats against her because he believed she stole his social security card, birth certificate, football rings and football jerseys. Parks claims he never threatened her, but she nonetheless filed a restraining order against him. The Broncos knew about Parks’ arrest before it became public knowledge, the team informed Klis. “We became aware of the issue involving Will Parks immediately after it occurred in April,” stated the club. “It was promptly reported to the league office and we are continuing to monitor the matter.” The NFL is currently determining whether Parks violated its personal conduct policy, tweets Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post.

Jets Were Planning To Release Calvin Pryor

June 1st, 2017 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

No surprise here, but the Jets were planning to release Calvin Pryor before completing a Thursday morning trade with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Rather than cutting him outright, the Jets got something instead of nothing and the Browns got to scoop up the former first-round pick without competing with other clubs.

The Jets are hoping that linebacker Demario Davis will perform like he did during his first Jets stint. However, if he has regressed, they can cut him without financial penalty because his $3.7MM salary is not guaranteed. Had they released Pryor, they would have been on the hook for his $1.6MM salary.

Pryor’s shaky status with Gang Green has been the worst kept secret in football for much of the offseason. When the Jets used their first two draft picks on safeties, that all but sealed his fate. When Pryor skipped out on the early part of OTAs, something finally had to give.

Jets Trade Safety Calvin Pryor To Browns

June 1st, 2017 at 8:07am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are trading former first-round pick Calvin Pryor to the Browns, sources tell Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter). In return, the Jets are getting linebacker Demario Davis, a player who spent multiple seasons as a starter in New York before leaving for Cleveland in free agency. The Browns have since confirmed the trade via press release.

“Calvin is a young, experienced safety that has upside,” said Browns Executive Vice President of Football Operations Sashi Brown. “We are pleased to be able to add him to our defensive back room and just like every player we acquire, we expect him to come in with a hard-working mindset ready to compete. DeMario is a guy that we developed the utmost respect for in his time with our team, not only as a professional but also as a person. We appreciate all he did for our organization in his time in Cleveland.”

Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” Pryor was drafted by the old regime with the hope that his hard-hitting style would elevate the team’s secondary. Unfortunately, he has not been able to produce in his three NFL seasons and the new regime didn’t have much use for him after drafting LSU’s Jamal Adams No. 6 overall and Florida’s Marcus Maye in the second round. The Jets couldn’t find a trade partner for Pryor prior to the 2017 draft, but they have struck a deal today with Cleveland.

Pryor would probably like to start at strong safety for the Browns, but that job might already belong to first round pick Jabrill Peppers. Still, there’s no reason why he can’t find work as a key reserve. Although he doesn’t fit the Jets plans, the advanced metrics are higher on him than you might think. In his first two NFL seasons, Pro Football Focus had Pryor ranked as a top-50 safety in the NFL. Last year, he took a slight step back, but he still earned a better score than Derrick Kindred and Ibraheim Campbell, two safeties who are hoping to stick on the Browns’ 53-man roster.

Davis saw part-time action in his rookie season after being selected in the third round of the 2012 draft by the Jets, but started every game for the team from 2012-2015. In 2015, his final year with the Jets, he totaled 89 tackles to go along with a pair of sacks and a fumble recovery. Davis inked a two-year, $8MM deal with the Browns in March 2016 and he’s now headed back to New York to complete the final year of that pact. He’ll make a $3.7MM salary this year, though it is completely non-guaranteed.

AFC East Rumors: Jets, Richardson, Patriots

May 24th, 2017 at 2:19pm CST by Zachary Links

Tell us what you really think, Sheldon Richardson. On Tuesday, the Jets defensive lineman ripped former teammate Brandon Marshall. He says the Jets’ locker room atmosphere is better than it was last year. He elaborated by saying, “Let’s just say there are 15 reasons why it’s better” (Twitter link via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News). The mention of “15” was a clear reference to Marshall’s jersey number.

The locker room may be better, but it’s not clear if the team will be any better than it was last year. As it stands, the rebuilding Jets might have the least talented roster in the NFL.

Here’s more from the AFC East:

Andrew Hawkins declined four other offers so that he could play with the Patriots and catch passes from Tom Brady, a source tells Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Hawkins inked a one-year deal with New England, but his place on the 53-man roster is not a sure thing given all of the talent New England has.
Jets offensive coordinator John Morton says quarterbacks Josh McCown, Bryce Petty, and Christian Hackenberg will all get first team reps, as Peter Schrager of NFL.com tweets. It seems that the Jets have an open competition going for the starting job, though I personally view McCown as the odds-on favorite.
Jets safety Calvin Pryor, who has been the subject of trade talk, showed up for OTAs on Wednesday (Twitter link via Mehta).

Jets To Decline Calvin Pryor’s Option

May 2nd, 2017 at 8:17am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are not going to pick up safety Calvin Pryor‘s fifth-year option, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). He is now eligible to reach the open market after the 2017 season.

After the Jets used their first two picks in the 2017 draft on safeties, it was expected that they would turn down Pryor’s option for the 2018 season. The John Idzik regime drafted Pryor in 2014 with the hope that his hard-hitting style would translate well at the professional level. The Louisville slugger brought some big hits, but he has not improved enough in coverage. The Jets will now focus on Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye while saving themselves $5.597MM on Pryor in 2018.

The Jets would reportedly like to trade Pryor, though GM Mike Maccagnan claims that he would like to keep him.

Extra Points: Jets, Pryor, Steelers, Lewis

April 29th, 2017 at 9:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets were said to be looking for a Calvin Pryor buyer, but the team now may be backing off that pursuit. GM Mike Maccagnan said he “doesn’t see any reason” why the Jets can’t retain Pryor, despite having selected safeties in each of the first two rounds of this draft (Twitter link, via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News). Pryor is entering his fourth season and the Jets have until Wednesday to decide if they will pick up his fifth-year option. The selections of Jamal Adams and Marcus Maye certainly make that unlikely. A 2014 first-rounder, the hard-hitting safety is set to make a guaranteed $2.74MM this season.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

A Steelers/Keenan Lewis reunion does not look to be in the works. A visit to Pittsburgh concluded with Lewis leaving the team’s facility. As Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette puts it (Twitter link), the cornerback doesn’t have “any further interest” in a Steelers deal. That is somewhat interesting since the soon-to-be 31-year-old Lewis hasn’t played in the NFL since 2015 and hasn’t played a season without major injury trouble since 2014. But it appears the former Steelers and Saints corner will continue his comeback hopes elsewhere.
Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell sees Cam Robinson as a left tackle, as Hays Carlyon of 1010XL writes. It’s an interesting statement considering that the Jaguars acquired Branden Albert in a trade with Miami earlier this offseason. So far, Albert has not shown up for voluntary workouts and has not touched base with coach Doug Marrone, so the team could be trying to send him a message by slotting Robinson for the outside.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jets Shopping Calvin Pryor

April 28th, 2017 at 3:50pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s not just Sheldon Richardson who is on the block. The Jets are also shopping safety Calvin Pryor, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (on Twitter).

Nicknamed the “Louisville Slugger,” the hard-hitting Pryor has not panned out for the Jets. Gang Green will almost certainly decline to exercise his fifth-year option for 2018 and the pick of Jamal Adams at No. 6 last night pretty much sealed his fate in New York. In a different era, Pryor could have been a top strong safety for the Jets. However, the game dictates that safeties have to be more than enforcers in the middle of the field and Pryor’s substandard coverage just doesn’t cut it.

Last year, Pryor earned a weak 68.7 score from Pro Football Focus, a step down from his two previous ~77.0 showings. He ranked 74th out of 90 qualified safeties in 2016.

Jets Rumors: Pryor, Richardson, McCown

March 24th, 2017 at 1:42pm CST by Zachary Links

Jets GM Mike Maccagnan addressed reporters moments ago and touched on a wide range of topics. Here’s a quick look at the highlights:

Maccagnan won’t say if they will pick up safety Calvin Pryor’s fifth-year option, as Brian Costello of the New York Post tweets. Pryor, a first-round pick made by the old regime in New York, is reportedly in some danger of being cut this offseason. The Jets have until early may to make the call on Pryor’s option and it sounds like they are hesitating over guaranteeing his 2018 season for injury. The Louisville product known for his hard hitting had 60 total tackles in 2016.
Maccagnan declined to commit to Sheldon Richardson‘s future with the Jets and says he’ll weigh all options with regards to the defensive lineman (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). The Jets once dangled Richardson with the hope of getting a first-round pick, but it now seems like they might have to settle for a third-round choice if they move him.
Maccagnan says it’s “highly unlikely” they will add another veteran quarterback, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. However, he won’t rule out drafting a QB. He also wouldn’t commit to Josh McCown being the team’s starter in 2017, saying that it’s a decision that will be made by coach Todd Bowles. McCown’s deal came with a $6MM guarantee, so it would be a bit surprising if he wasn’t the team’s Week 1 starter.
There were rumblings about Muhammad Wilkerson being out of shape this offseason, but the defensive lineman refuted that talk earlier this week.
The Jets signed Quinton Patton on Thursday, giving them seven wide receivers under contract.