HEADLINES

Cam Newton

Extra Points: Newton, Foles, Romo, Bills

June 5th, 2014 at 9:54pm CST by Zachary Links

Good news for Los Angeles, Chicago, and Madison Square Garden landlord James Dolan: they’re all finalists to host the 2015 NFL Draft, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. Radio City Music Hall has informed the NFL that it will not be available to host the NFL draft in April or May, because the Rockettes are more important, apparently. Here’s more from around the league…

  • Cam Newton‘s next contract with the Panthers is unlikely to mirror Colin Kaepernick‘s new deal with the 49ers, writes Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. “I’m sure the Carolina Panthers will go, ‘Hey, we’ll give you Kaepernick’s structure,’” said Joel Corry, a former NFL agent. “But (Newton’s agent) Bus Cook is not going to be too receptive to that.” Newton, selected No. 1 overall in the 2011 draft in which Kaepernick was picked in the second round, is entering the fourth year of his rookie deal. In April, the Panthers picked up the club option on Newton for 2015 at $14.67MM.
  • Eagles quarterback Nick Foles will set his own market, not Kaepernick, writes Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com. For now, Foles stands as the biggest QB bargain in the NFL, save for the Seahawks’ Russell Wilson, but the Eagles will have to give him big bucks after this season to wrap him up long term. For his career, Foles has thrown 33 touchdown passes and seven interceptions (27 TDs and two interceptions last year), completing 364 of 582 passes (62.5%) for 4,590 yards.
  • The relationship between Cowboys coach Jason Garrett and quarterback Tony Romo could wind up saving Garrett’s job, writes Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News. The Cowboys have bent over backwards to accommodate Romo and keeping Garrett would continue that trend.
  • Former Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano confirmed today that he has interest in bidding on the Bills when they are put up for sale, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. “Everybody has a degree of reasonableness,” Golisano said. “If it costs way more than I’m willing to pay, then I won’t feel bad if I don’t get them. I’ll only feel bad if they move out of Western New York. If they get moved out of Western New York, I’m not going to feel very good about it. I might even feel partially responsible. Not totally, but partially responsible.”
  • While the deal seems hefty on the surface, Kaepernick’s new deal with the 49ers is actually quite team-friendly, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. Branch, like Person, checked in with Corry for his take on the deal and he says that while the contract works in SF’s favor, the QB’s agents at XAM Sports didn’t necessarily get taken advantage of. It’s very possible that Kaepernick, as others have suggested, specifically wanted an under-value deal in order to make new deals possible for others on the roster.

NFC South Rumors: Cooks, Falcons, Benjamin

May 9th, 2014 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

The Saints had no doubt in their mind that they wanted to go with Brandin Cooks at No. 20, writes Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune. “Periodically you have a real strong conviction on a player, and this was one of those players,” head coach Sean Payton said. The Oregon State star tallied 128 receptions, 1,730 yards, and 16 touchdowns last season, cementing himself as a first round talent. More out of the NFC South..

  • Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff told 92.9 in Atlanta that there’s no truth to any rumor about Chiefs safety Eric Berry being a trade target, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Dimitroff also said that by the time the Jaguars took Blake Bortles at No. 3, there was no doubt he’d be selecting tackle Jake Matthews at No. 6 (link).
  • Dimitroff also told 92.9 that the Jaguars, led by his protege David Caldwell, were his most viable potential trade partner last night, tweets McClure.
  • The Panthers hit a trifecta with first-round pick Kelvin Benjamin, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton, as the 6’5″, 240-pound Florida State receiver addresses a need, provides value and makes quarterback Cam Newton happy. David Newton also quotes GM Dave Gettleman, who said “unusual ball skills” and the ability to make contested catches sold the team on Benjamin.

Matt Feminis contributed to this post.

NFC Draft Links: Cards, Rams, Eagles

May 4th, 2014 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

There hasn’t been a single first-round pick from the 2011 draft who has signed an extension and Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com investigates the matter. While a solid portion have had their fifth-year options picked up, Florio says it’s “curious” that even a handful of the players have yet to ink a longterm deal. According to the writer, a league insider suggests that the lack of extensions is an indication of collusion among the teams.

The list of players includes Panthers quarterback Cam Newton, Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson and Falcons receiver Julio Jones. These players could holdout (and pay a hefty fine of $30K a day), with Florio adding that Peterson hasn’t ruled out that option.

Let’s take a look at some draft notes from around the NFC…

  • Cardinals general manager Steve Keim makes it sound like he’s in favor of trading back, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “You are going to get third-round players in the fourth and fifth round,” Keim said, “guys who can come in and be immediate impact players for you.”
  • 2014 will be a crossroads year for the Rams, says Bernie Miklasz of The St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead are in their third year on the job, and the writer opines that if a general manager/coach duo can’t succeed by year three then “you have to wonder if they’ll be able to get it done at all.”
  • The Eagles are committed to drafting the best available player in each round, but in each instance that could potentially be a wideout, writes Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As a result, Berman says that it’s essential for the team to identify receivers they like and where in the draft they’ll be selected.
  • Eagles general manager Howie Roseman isn’t impressed by the safeties in the upcoming draft and hinted that the position may not be a priority, writes Les Bowen The Philadelphia Daily News.

Panthers Pick Up Cam Newton’s 2015 Option

April 25th, 2014 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:40am: The Panthers announced via Twitter that they have exercised Newton’s option.

THURSDAY, 5:00pm: Based on tweets from Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com’s David Newton, it sounds like the option pickup isn’t quite finalized yet, but the team is in the process of making it official.

4:14pm: The Panthers have officially exercised their fifth-year option on quarterback Cam Newton, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter). The move ensures that Newton remains under contract with the club through the 2015 season.

As the first overall pick in the 2011 draft, Newton is eligible for a 2015 salary equivalent to the 2014 transition tag amount for QBs, meaning his ’15 salary will be $14.666MM. Although that’ll be the largest fifth-year salary for any members of the 2011 draft class, it’s still a good price for the Panthers, given the going rate for franchise quarterbacks.

Still, even with Newton now formally locked up for two more seasons, Carolina will presumably keep working on a longer-term deal for the 24-year-old. Newton had perhaps his best all-around season in 2013, leading the Panthers to a division title and a first-round bye. He’ll have his work cut out for him in 2014, after the club’s top four receivers from 2013 departed in free agency and standout offensive tackle Jordan Gross opted to retire.

Panthers GM Dave Gettleman first said nearly a month ago that the club would pick up its 2015 option on Newton. To keep tabs on all of this year’s fifth-year option decisions, be sure to check out our tracker.

NFC Notes: Newton, Cowboys, Suh, Rams

March 25th, 2014 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Although the Panthers would like to eventually reach an agreement with quarterback Cam Newton that keeps him in Carolina for several years, for now the club expects to take advantage of its fifth-year option for 2015, GM Dave Gettleman confirmed today. As a top-10 pick in 2011, Newton will be in line for a fifth-year salary worth the amount of the quarterback transition tag. Here are a few more updates from across the NFC:

  • Like the Panthers, the Cowboys hope to lock up their own 2011 first-rounder, Tyron Smith, for the long-term, but in the meantime, “all signs point to” the club exercising its fifth-year option for 2015 on Smith, according to Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News.
  • Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dismissed the idea that his team is in rebuilding mode, as Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com details.
  • Lions president Tom Lewand confirmed today that he has been in contact with Jimmy Sexton, the agent for Ndamukong Suh. However, the two sides won’t meet in Orlando to discuss an extension for Suh, since Lewand doesn’t believe it’s an ideal setting to do business (Twitter links via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
  • Jimmy Graham of the Saints and Greg Hardy of the Panthers are still on the franchise tag for now, but Saints owner Tom Benson is very confident New Orleans will work out a multiyear deal with Graham sooner or later, writes Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune. As for Hardy, Gettleman says the Panthers are letting the smoke clear before revisiting a potential long-term contract for the star defensive end, tweets David Newton of ESPN.com.
  • Although the Rams may have some interest in Mark Sanchez, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch believes that interest is tepid at best.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that both players the Rams signed on Monday received minimum-salary deals, with Greg Reid inking a three-year contract and Etienne Sabino signing for one year. Neither pact included a bonus.

NFC Notes: Delmas, Falcons, Panthers

February 18th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles will be targeting safeties this offseason in an effort to upgrade their secondary, but veteran free agent Louis Delmas doesn’t appear to be on their wish list, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. A source tells Frank that the Eagles have “little interest” in the former Lion, who was released by Detroit last week, and that disinterest is likely related to Delmas’ health. While the 26-year-old free safety started all 16 games in 2013, he has had surgeries on both knees in recent years, and missed 13 of 32 regular season contests in 2011 and 2012.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • In a Tuesday news release, CBS Sports confirmed that Tony Gonzalez will be joining the network’s pregame studio show, replacing the departing Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. The new job for Gonzalez essentially rules out a return to the field in 2014, meaning the Falcons will get $7MM in cap savings, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan outlines (via Twitter).
  • Noting that the Panthers haven’t really begun negotiating with any of their prospective free agents yet, ESPN.com’s David Newton says there’s no reason to get worked up about Cam Newton‘s contract situation, since he’ll get paid eventually, whether it happens this offseason or down the line.
  • The Cowboys will have to lock up wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith at some point, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com believes a new deal for Smith should take precedence.
  • Following up on the latest Sam Bradford rumors, Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com breaks down the four scenarios for the Rams: Releasing Bradford, extending him with a pay cut, extending him without a pay cut, and standing pat.

Cam Newton Seeking Extension

February 17th, 2014 at 5:49pm CST by Rob DiRe

Our own Dallas Robinson let it be known that Cam Newton will not hold out while looking for a long-term contract, but that doesn’t mean the Panthers quarterback is content to let his current deal play out. Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer writes that Newton would like the team to come to terms with him on a long term extension.

“My agreement with the Panthers, it’s not something that you can just say off the top of your head,” Newton said. “Hopefully I will be able to get that long-term deal because Charlotte is a place that I can call home.”

Because Newton was the first quarterback selected under the new CBA, he is in a unique position coming into the final year of his original contract, and the Panthers have a team option for a fifth year. While the other quarterbacks selected in that first round (Jake Locker, Blaine Gabbert, and Christian Ponder) have all failed to live up to the expectations that come with being a top quarterback picked, it is unlikely that their teams will pick up the team option unless something drastic changes in 2014. Therefore, Newton is alone in having to deal with the team-friendly rules that enable the Panthers to hold on to their franchise quarterback an extra year without committing to him as the quarterback of the future.

The fear for players drafted in the first round of the 2011 NFL Draft is that not only will the teams exercise the fifth year option, but then will still have the option to apply the franchise tag to them. That gives the team six years of control of a player’s career. The individual player would have very little leverage in this situation, and the thought is that it could cause a player to hold out until he is given a new deal.

When Robinson wrote that Newton would not hold out, he mentioned that Cardinal cornerback Patrick Peterson might hold out to ensure a long-term contract. Star defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson also has had to deal with questions about a potential holdout.

Newton is right about the reasons his situation is different when talking about holding out. He is the face of that franchise, and as a quarterback, a leader on that team.

Of course, no matter what he says publicly, no player wants to play on a one-year contract in that fifth year, with no long-term security. This is especially true when a team can place a franchise tag on a player rather than committing to them and providing the financial security that comes with a contract extension. The longer the Panthers push negotiation talks into the future, the more likely a potential holdout from the face of the franchise becomes.

Cam Newton Will Not Hold Out

February 17th, 2014 at 3:05pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Panthers quarterback Cam Newton will not hold out in the hopes of getting a contract extension, he told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio (who was guest hosting The Dan Patrick Show). While Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson may use a hold-out as a way to angle for an extension, Newton says he won’t follow suit. “I think our positions are completely different,” he told Florio. “Being the leader of this team, I don’t think that would be a good look for me.”

Newton continued, noting that his priorities are on the field. “My main focus is trying to become a better player. I think Russell Wilson put a lot of pressure on young quarterbacks [by winning the Super Bowl], but needless to say, we don’t have that fallback answer no more. We’re no longer young quarterbacks.”

Newton is in the fourth year of his rookie deal, and is set to earn about $3.4MM. Under the new CBA, the Panthers hold a fifth-year option on the star quarterback. Newton’s free agency will make for an interesting precedent. Not only will he be the first franchise quarterback to get an extension who was drafted under the new CBA (as Gregg Rosenthal notes), but he will also be the first star QB signed since Michael Vick who is valued for his running ability as much as his passing acumen. Newton’s rushing prowess obviously adds to his overall value, but it could also make the Panthers worried about his risk of injury.

Panthers GM On Cam Newton, Free Agency

January 25th, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Peter Sowards

After a highly successful first season as general manager of the Carolina Panthers in which his team by improved five wins and won the NFC South, Dave Gettleman now has the unenviable task of getting a handle on 21 unrestricted free agents. The franchise cornerstones on offense and defense — quarterback Cam Newton and linebacker Luke Kuechly — are not among that group, but both are nearing hefty second contracts. Defensive end Greg Hardy totaled 26 sacks the past two seasons and will be a prime candidate for the franchise tag after his four-year rookie deal expired. Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer sat down with Gettleman at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., for an hour-long interview to glean insight on the future of this young, talented team.

On how impressed he is with Newton‘s maturity:

“Just step back and put yourself in his shoes: first pick of the draft, you’re seen as the savior, in athletics you’ve had very few failures and then you walk into the NFL, 2-14, coming out of the lockout with no OTAs (Organized Team Activities) with no nothing. The way he accepted leadership, the way he grew, you guys wrote about how he was letting his teammates help him, his improvement in reading the field and going through his progressions.”

On what he wants to do with Hardy:

“He’s part of the puzzle.”

On what life will be like without Steve Smith:

“Steve has just had a tremendous career. He’s 34. He’s exceeded the normal career of any wide receiver and he should be very proud of what he’s accomplished and he’s been a great Carolina Panther. Who knows? You don’t know when he’s going to be done.”

On head coach Ron Rivera being in the final year of his contract:

“Well again, to answer your question, I said in the press conference, ‘I’ve got ultimate confidence in him.’ And that’s the exact quote. And I still do. So …”