HEADLINES

Cary Williams

Seahawks Eyeing Free Agent Cornerbacks

March 5th, 2015 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

With Byron Maxwell poised to reach the open market, and almost certain to sign with a team besides the Seahawks, Seattle is considering its options for replacing the cornerback, and is looking at the free agent market for a solution. According to various reports, the club is eyeing Cary Williams and Tramon Williams as potential free agent targets.

A report from NFL Draft Diamonds indicates that the Seahawks would be hosting Cary Williams for a visit this week, several days after he was cut by the Eagles. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun confirms as much, reporting that there’s also mutual interest between Williams and the Ravens (Twitter links). The Jets and Titans are among the other clubs with interest in the ex-Eagle, according to NFL Draft Diamonds.

If the Seahawks are outbid for that Williams, another Williams (Tramon) could be an option for the team if and when he reaches the open market. As Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel details, Seahawks general manager John Schneider was involved in signing Tramon Williams to Green Bay’s practice squad back in 2006, and the team has made it clear it will pursue the veteran corner if he becomes available.

A source tells McGinn that the Packers proposed a two-year, $8MM deal for their free-agent-to-be, but Williams turned down the offer and is seeking a three- or four-year contract averaging $5MM+ annually. McGinn’s source adds that Williams would like a deal with a sizable guarantee as protection against being released.

While the Seahawks may like to retain Maxwell, he looks poised to land perhaps the largest deal among free agent cornerbacks this month. The Eagles are viewed as the current frontrunners, but several other teams – including the Jets – are expected to be in the mix.

FA Rumors: Cobb, Hartline, Branch, C. Williams

March 4th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

With 2015’s free agent period less than a week away, plenty of rumors are swirling around players who are set to become available on Tuesday, as well as players who have reached the open market early. Here’s the latest:

  • According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers have told agent Jimmy Sexton that they’d be interested in signing wide receiver Randall Cobb for a five-year deal worth between $8MM and $9MM per year. Seemingly confident that his client will receive more lucrative offers on the open market, Sexton hasn’t accepted Green Bay’s proposal. “Sexton does a good job for his players,” one NFL team executive tells McGinn. “He measures the market well and knows how to create a market for his clients as well.”
  • After visiting the Browns yesterday, wide receiver Brian Hartline headed to Chicago and is meeting with the Bears today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hartline’s visit in Cleveland “went really well,” per Florio, who says the ex-Dolphin hopes to decide on his new team within the next 24 hours. While other teams have shown interest in Hartline, it seems likely that the Browns and Bears would be the frontrunners if he anticipates a quick decision.
  • Safety Tyvon Branch, whose release was made official by the Raiders this week, will visit the Colts, a source tells Conor Orr of NFL.com (Twitter link). Orr’s report suggests that Branch’s meeting with Indianapolis will be the first of several visits for the free agent defensive back.
  • There has been heavy interest thus far in ex-Eagles cornerback Cary Williams, with a dozen teams contacting his agent since he was cut by Philadelphia, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams, who is believed to have interest in a reunion with the Ravens, has also drawn interest from the Titans, who “kicked the tires” on the free agent corner, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).
  • Jacoby Jones‘ next visit will be to San Diego to meet with the Chargers, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The veteran receiver and return man previously made trips to talk to the Bengals and the Titans.
  • Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV in New Orleans tweets that he has heard rumblings about the Eagles being interested in Mark Ingram. With the club poised to send starting running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, its reported interest in Ingram certainly makes a little more sense.

Eagles Release Cary Williams

March 3rd, 2015 at 10:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles have parted ways with a player who has started every game for the team during the last two seasons, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve terminated the contract of cornerback Cary Williams. As a vested veteran, Williams won’t have to pass through waivers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Williams, 30, inked a three-year, $17MM contract with the Eagles prior to the 2013 season, so he had one year remaining on that deal. He has been set to count against the team’s cap for $8.167MM in 2015, so by cutting him, the Eagles will create $6.5MM in cap savings — that was the amount of Williams’ base salary for the coming year. The move leaves the team with $1.667MM in dead money on the books.

While Williams’ performance in the Eagles’ secondary wasn’t great, he was far from a disaster, and he was certainly a workhorse for the club. In each of his two seasons in Philadelphia, Williams led all cornerbacks in defensive snaps, averaging over 1,180 plays per year. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), the veteran corner said today on Philadelphia radio that he wasn’t asked to take a pay cut, with the team simply deciding to move in another direction.

By cutting ties with Williams, the Eagles are moving toward overhauling their secondary, and particularly the cornerback position. Bradley Fletcher is also not expected to return, meaning the club will be looking for two new starters this offseason. The Eagles are viewed as a potential frontrunner for Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell, who will hit the open market next week.

As for Williams, he’ll have a modest head start on the slew of free agents who will be free to negotiate with new teams in a few days. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the ex-Raven has “strong interest” in returning to Baltimore, and that would seem to be a nice fit, given the problems the Ravens had in the secondary last season.

Eagles Frontrunners For Byron Maxwell?

February 20th, 2015 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Based on comments made by Seahawks general manager John Schneider, who said this this week at the combine that his team won’t be using its franchise tag, it sounds as if cornerback Byron Maxwell will be allowed to reach the open market next month. And according to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link), “present word” in Indianapolis suggests the Eagles are the frontrunners to land Maxwell.

Plenty can – and likely will – change between now and the beginning of the free agent period on March 10, and it’s possible that the Seahawks and Maxwell will find common ground during the next two and a half weeks. However, if the former sixth-round pick is available next month, it makes sense that the Eagles would be among his top suitors. As PFR’s Rob DiRe noted when he previewed the Eagles’ offseason last week, addressing the cornerback position will be a priority for the club this winter, and Maxwell may be the best corner on the market.

If the Eagles do want to sign Maxwell, he won’t come cheaply. Despite having been a full-time starter for just one season, Maxwell’s per-year asking price figures to be in the $10MM+ range, as Pauline reported earlier today. It remains to be seen whether he’ll land that sort of deal, given his limited track record. However, plenty of teams figure to be targeting corners, and multiple free agents last year – including Sam Shields, Aqib Talib, and Vontae Davis – signed contracts worth $9MM+ annually; the cap also looks poised to rise by about 8% for 2015.

Elsewhere on the Eagles’ front, Martin Frank of The News Journal hears from a source that cornerback Cary Williams has about a “50/50” chance of returning to Philadelphia for 2015. Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com has a similar assessment, tweeting that the Eagles and Williams haven’t discussed his future yet, but adding that that doesn’t mean he’s definitely gone. Williams is entering the final season of a three-year contract, and currently counts for $8.167MM against the team’s cap in ’15.

FA Notes: Fairley, Cowboys, Saints, Eagles

February 14th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Following news that Nick Fairley was cleared of his DUI charge, the Lions defensive tackle made it clear that he wants to stay in Detroit longterm.

“I love Detroit, to be honest,” Fairley said (via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “I feel the city, the people in it. I love the atmosphere of basically the hard work that they bring. I’m just all work, and that’s definitely the vibe I get from the city, and I like it.”

The former first-rounder struggled through a knee injury in 2014, finishing with career-lows in tackles (eight) and sacks (one).

Let’s take a look at some more notes regarding this year’s free agent class…

 

New Year’s Roundup: Jets, Coaches, Colston

January 1st, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are moving very quickly in their search for a new GM, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The team interviewed Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich in New Jersey this morning and is currently interviewing Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner. Citing a league source, Costello also tweets that New York plans to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller on Sunday or Monday. Costello reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets would like to hire a GM before making a decision on a new head coach, but they of course must stay active in the head coaching market lest they lose a top candidate to another club. According to another tweet from Costello, one of the most significant questions the Jets are asking GM candidates is what coaches they would like to work with.

As much of the country fixates on the Sugar Bowl, let’s take a look at a few other notes from around the league:

  • John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes a couple of early patterns in the Bears‘ search for a new head coach and GM, pointing out that the early coaching candidates “have a preponderance of winning in their immediate pasts” and that the team is not concerned whether their new coach has more of an offensive or defensive pedigree.
  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times examines the most important early decisions the Bears‘ new GM must make, which include determinations on the respective futures of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and how to handle the looming free agency of Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte, both of whom are entering the final year of their current contracts.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Washington, seeking to fill its newly-vacant defensive coordinator position, is setting up interviews with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, 49ers DB coach Ed Donatell, and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry.
  • Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com looks at some of the Eagles‘ potential cap casualties, including James Casey, Trent Cole, and Cary Williams.
  • With a new mega-deal in his near future, Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant is focused on Sunday’s playoff game against the Lions, not his next contract, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Byrant said, “I’m just going to keep working. I can’t worry about the contract.”
  • Saints wide receiver Marques Colston knows his future in New Orleans is up in the air, and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that, although Colston would like to stay with the only team he has ever known, he may be released or asked to take a pay cut with two years remaining on his current contract. If asked to take a reduction in pay, Colston said his relationship with Drew Brees and Sean Payton would play a role in his decision.
  • Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to request an interview with Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

 

Extra Points: Davis, Brown, Williams

September 21st, 2014 at 10:49pm CST by Rob DiRe

Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has been adamant that Shaun Hill will be the starting quarterback when healthy, but with Austin Davis delivering strong performances the last two weeks, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com believes the long time coach needs to reconsider. With the team approaching their bye week, Wagoner thinks some reflection will make it clear the Davis is the superior choice going forward.

Here are some other notes from around the NFL as the third Sunday of football wraps up:

  • Where some questioned the Chargers‘ decision to sign Donald Brown to a three-year contract, they put the former Colt to work as he came up big in their victory over the Bills today, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. The team already had Ryan Mathews and Danny Woodhead, so adding Brown only crowded the backfield. Now that Mathews is gone for at least another month, and Woodhead possibly done for the season, Brown could be a key piece in the team’s offense going forward.
  • Eagles‘ cornerback Cary Williams was critical of the coaching staff after the game today, despite pulling in the victory over the Redskins. He spoke about being overworked in practice and mentioned that many players were tired on game day, according to Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter). “A lot of guys had no legs,” said Williams. “We got to start taking care of our guys throughout the week in order for us to be more productive and have more energy on Sundays.”
  • The Chiefs are struggling to find reliable pass catchers on their offense, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com suggests that if they can find a decent player they should make a move to try to acquire him (via Twitter). Mid-season trades are unusual and often do not bring in great production, but Fitzgerald must see this situation as exceptionally barren.
  • Bills‘ fans are excited about their new ownership group, and the next move is to get a new stadium. Jerry Zremski of BuffaloNews.com outlines how the Bills could pay for a new home field.

Extra Points: Trump, Ravens, Manziel, Eagles, 49ers

August 3rd, 2014 at 10:23pm CST by Ben Levine

Al Michaels spoke to Donald Trump prior to NBC’s Sunday Night Football and the commentator revealed that the business magnate made a substantial bid to purchase the Bills. How substantial?

“He said he offered $1 billion. All cash, no contingencies, immediate closing. He’d have the check in one hour,” Michaels said (via ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio). “He was a little miffed that it went out for bid again.”

We previously heard that Buffalo Sabers owner Terry Pegula bid a reported $1.3 billion while the Toronto-based group led by Jon Bon Jovi bid an estimated $1.2 billion.

With that, that’s take a look at some more NFL notes…

  • The Ravens worked out free agent tight end Steve Maneri, tweets Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Wilson notes that the team auditioned Maneri as an offensive tackle.
  • ESPN.com’s Pat McManamon believes that Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel “took advantage” of his opportunities during Saturday’s practice. While Brian Hoyer has been “steady and solid” in camp, McManamon opines that he hasn’t improved much since the second day. As a result, the writer believes the rookie has changed the Browns quarterback conversation.
  • On Friday, Eagles cornerback Cary Williams expressed his displeasure about practicing with the Patriots during the preseason because “they are cheaters” (via CSNPhilly.com’s Geoff Mosher). On Sunday, Williams was missing from practice, but he made sure to emphasize that his absence had nothing to do with his comments. “[I]t had nothing to do with that,” Williams said (again, via Mosher).  “I haven’t even discussed anything with Chip (Kelly). I don’t think he’s trying any type of. . . . I’m sure maybe we’ll have a conversation, but I don’t know.”
  • Meanwhile, there were no question about 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh‘s intent when he sent a duo of starters to the locker room. As CSNBayArea.com’s Matt Maiocco writes, wideout Anquan Boldin was booted from practice on Friday following a scuffle. On Sunday, cornerback Chris Culliver was sent off the field following a rough hit on David Reed.

Eagles Rumors: Ryans, Mathis, Brown, FAs

February 25th, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

DeMeco Ryans finished the 2013 season as the 54th-ranked inside linebacker of the 55 that qualified, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). But despite the subpar grades from PFF and a $6.9MM cap number in 2014, the Eagles linebacker isn’t going anywhere, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Even asking Ryans to take a pay cut is unlikely, according to McLane, who says that the veteran commands more respect than virtually any other player in the locker room, and that “forcing” him to accept a reduced salary wouldn’t go over well with his teammates.

McLane also provided several other Eagles-related tidbits from the combine in Indianapolis, so let’s round them up….

  • All-Pro guard Evan Mathis figures to barely crack the top 15 highest-paid guards in the NFL next season, but don’t expect Philadelphia to increase his salary, says McLane, adding that a holdout from Mathis isn’t likely either.
  • Head coach Chip Kelly may prefer running back Chris Polk to Bryce Brown as LeSean McCoy‘s primary backup. That makes Brown a trade candidate this offseason, and there’s a “healthy market” for him, according to McLane. However, reaching a deal won’t be easy, due to the increasing salary cap.
  • According to McLane, several agents asked him at the combine if there was any chance of cornerback Brandon Boykin and linebacker Mychal Kendricks leaving their current reps. In other words, both players, who will enter their third seasons in 2014, are viewed as hot commodities. Boykin and Kendricks will be eligible for contract extensions after the ’14 season.
  • McLane can’t see the Eagles going into the 2014 season with Matt Barkley as the primary backup behind starting quarterback Nick Foles. Multiple scouts at the combine told McLane that they’ve seen enough to declare the former fourth-round pick a backup at best.
  • Cornerback Cary Williams is expected to remain on Philadelphia’s roster beyond the fifth day of the new league year, which would ensure that his $4.75MM base salary for 2014 becomes guaranteed.
  • “All signs” point to punter Donnie Jones re-signing with the Eagles, though other free agents like safety Kurt Coleman, defensive end Clifton Geathers, and linebacker Phillip Hunt look like good bets to hit the open market.