Case Keenum - Pro Football Rumors

Rams, Broncos Discussed Case Keenum Trade

September 8th, 2016 at 5:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Denver and Los Angeles engaged in trade talks centering on Rams quarterback Case Keenum during the preseason, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. No deal came to fruition, of course, as the Broncos ultimately didn’t come up with an offer appealing enough to convince the Rams to trade the 28-year-old (Twitter links).

The reigning champion Broncos, who open their season tonight in a Super Bowl rematch with Carolina, ended up naming second-year man Trevor Siemian their starting quarterback to replace the retired Peyton Manning. That came after Siemian beat out the since-released Mark Sanchez, now with the Cowboys, and first-round rookie Paxton Lynch for the job.

Siemian, a seventh-rounder from Northwestern, hasn’t yet attempted a regular-season pass. Keenum, on the other hand, has thrown 455 in a combined 16 games with the Texans and Rams, completing an unimpressive 56.7 percent of attempts to go with 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

After a respectable six-game showing last season, the Broncos had interest in Keenum over the winter, but the Rams’ decision to tender the restricted free agent at a first-round price led Denver to look elsewhere. Despite that, Keenum hardly looked like a shoo-in for Los Angeles’ starting job after it sent a massive haul to the Titans to acquire the first pick, with which the Rams chose ex-California signal-caller Jared Goff. However, the 21-year-old didn’t show enough progress during the summer to beat out either Keenum for the starting role or Sean Mannion for the No. 2 spot, so he’ll begin the season inactive.

As the Rams wait for Goff to get up to speed, Keenum will try to do enough to remain at the helm and help them snap their 11-year playoff drought in their return to LA.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Case Keenum Signs RFA Tender With Rams

April 18th, 2016 at 1:44pm CST by Luke Adams

The only player to be tendered at a first-round level this offseason, Rams quarterback Case Keenum, has officially signed his RFA tender, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The transaction doesn’t come as a surprise, since the first-round tender made it extremely unlikely that Keenum would get an offer sheet.

By assigning him a high-end tender worth $3.635MM, rather than the second-round tender ($2.553MM) or the right-of-first-refusal tender ($1.671MM), the Rams ensured that any team attempting to poach Keenum would have to be willing to send a first-round pick to Los Angeles to do so.

Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing nearly 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception.

Keenum’s solid 2015 performance had head coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead talking this offseason as if he would head into the 2016 season as the team’s starting quarterback. Now that the club has acquired the first overall pick in the draft though, Keenum’s role looks a little less certain.

With Keenum, Foles, 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion, and either Jared Goff or Carson Wentz all potentially in the mix at quarterback, the Rams will almost certainly have to trade or release at least one signal-caller before the season gets underway. While it’s possible that Keenum will be dealt, the Rams like him enough – and he’s cheap enough – that it would make sense to keep him around to compete for the starting job or to back up the No. 1 pick. Foles appears to be more expendable for now.

Still, now that Keenum has signed his RFA tender, he’s eligible to be traded, if the Rams do get an offer they like. A report last week suggested that the Broncos might have some interest in Keenum.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

West Rumors: Broncos, Keenum, Rams, Foles

April 15th, 2016 at 5:57pm CST by Luke Adams

With the Rams poised to use their newly-acquired No. 1 pick to select a quarterback, the Broncos might have some interest in Case Keenum, who had been in line to be the starter in Los Angeles, tweets Mike Klis of 9NEWS. Troy Renck of the Denver Post adds (via Twitter) that the Broncos had some interest in Keenum before the Rams placed a first-round RFA tender on the QB.

Even if the Broncos are interested in working out a deal for Keenum, it’s not clear if the Rams would be on board. With Carson Wentz or Jared Goff joining the team, the depth chart at QB will certainly be crowded, with the rookie joining Keenum, Sean Mannion, and Nick Foles. However, the Rams like Keenum enough that they may prefer to explore a deal involving Foles or Mannion.

In fact, when Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk asked Rams head coach Jeff Fisher whether Foles will be on the team’s regular-season roster in 2016, Fisher was noncommittal, but called it a “good question,” hinting that the former Eagle could be the odd man out.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s West divisions, including a few more Rams-related notes:

Rams general manager Les Snead said today during an appearance on ESPN Radio that his team is “97% sure” about which player will be the first overall pick, as Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets.
As part of the trade for the No. 1 pick, the Rams agreed to send a 2017 third-round pick to the Titans. According to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com, that third-rounder will be a compensatory pick, since those comp picks can be traded beginning in 2017, and the Rams expect to get one for losing Janoris Jenkins. If L.A. doesn’t get a third-round comp pick, the team will send its own pick to Tennessee, and get a 2017 seventh-rounder back from the Titans.
The Broncos are expected to re-sign free agent safety Shiloh Keo when their offseason program gets underway next week, reports Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Keo, who signed in Denver last December, was arrested for driving under the influence in February.
The Rams hosted Iowa tight end Henry Krieger-Coble for a pre-draft visit today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
While the Chargers are viewed as a near-lock to select Ole Miss tackle Laremy Tunsil if he’s on the board at No. 3, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune explains why Tunsil may be a bit of a “messy fit” in San Diego. Gehlken makes some good points, but given the Chargers’ offensive line woes in recent years, it would still be a surprise if they pass on the draft’s top tackle.

Rams Acquire No. 1 Pick From Titans

April 14th, 2016 at 9:14am CST by Luke Adams

9:14am: After initially suggesting the Rams would likely grab Carson Wentz with the first overall pick (as noted below), Sam Farmer and Matt Miller have walked that back a little. Farmer tweets that he believes the Rams are leaning toward Wentz, but cautions that Jared Goff remains “heavily in the mix,” while Miller cites multiple sources who believe the Rams prefer Goff (video link).

Peter King tweets that the Rams “have not decided with certainty” which player they’ll take with that No. 1 overall selection, which seems somewhat hard to believe, given the haul the team gave up to land that pick. Presumably, the Rams at least have a pretty good idea which player they’ll be drafting.

8:04am: With two weeks to go until the 2016 draft gets underway, a new team will be on the clock to open day one. According to Peter King of TheMMQB.com (via Twitter), the Titans have traded the first overall pick in the draft to the Rams. Tennessee has confirmed the swap.

According to Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com, the Rams will get a fourth-round pick (No. 113) and sixth-round pick (No. 177) from Tennessee, in addition to the No. 1 overall pick.

In exchange, the Titans will receive the 15th overall pick this year, two second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), and a third-round pick (No. 76). Tennessee will also get Los Angeles’ first-round pick and third-round pick in 2017.

Four years after the Rams landed a huge haul of draft picks when they sent the No. 2 overall pick – and the right to draft Robert Griffin – to Washington, Jeff Fisher‘s club is on the other side of a blockbuster deal that will likely allow the club to land a quarterback. Sam Farmer of the Los Angeles Times and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (Twitter links) suggest North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz is believed to be the top target for the Rams, though Cal’s Jared Goff also figures to be considered.

Fisher, GM Les Snead, and the Rams have insisted throughout the offseason that they’re comfortable with Case Keenum as their starting quarterback, and while Keenum may still get the opportunity to win that job, it seems the club has tacitly acknowledged that he’s probably not the long-term answer at the position. As for Nick Foles, he could end up falling to third on the Rams’ QB depth chart, or even fourth depending on how the team feels about Sean Mannion‘s development, which likely makes Foles a trade candidate.

The Titans, meanwhile, have indicated for weeks that they were open to moving down in the draft, with reports earlier this week suggesting they had one or two promising trade offers on the table. GM Jon Robinson also said earlier this month that he wouldn’t mind completing a deal sooner rather than later, to give his team plenty of time to map outs its new approach to the draft.

It’s hard to know which players will be available at No. 15, but the Titans have reportedly done plenty of homework on offensive tackles, and could be hoping to land someone like Ronnie Stanley or Jack Conklin. Still, with three second-round picks, Robinson and his team could go in a number of different directions.

While the deal will allow the Rams to make a huge splash as they make the move west to Los Angeles, it also shakes things up for other teams at the top of the draft. If the Browns want to take a quarterback, and the Rams prefer Wentz, Cleveland would presumably opt for Goff. And if the Rams and Browns do both go the QB route, that would allow top prospects at other positions, such as Laremy Tunsil, Jalen Ramsey, and Joey Bosa to all still be on the board beginning at No. 3.

Of course, if the Browns aren’t committed to taking a QB, and another club covets Goff, Cleveland could now receive increased trade interest in that No. 2 overall pick. Essentially, the blockbuster Rams/Titans swap blows up most mock drafts and creates a handful of new scenarios for day one of the draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

La Canfora’s Latest: Thomas, Foles, Broncos

March 20th, 2016 at 5:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Several sources have informed Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com that Joe Thomas would be open to a trade from the rebuilding Browns to a contender. Numerous executives in turn have pointed out that the Browns, who lost Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack on Day 1 of free agency, should consider moving him as they attempt what could be a lengthy reconstruction effort.

A six-time first-team All-Pro, Thomas has said repeatedly he won’t request a trade. He has $29.5MM remaining on his Browns contract, one that runs through the 2018 season.

La Canfora recalls being stunned the Browns balking at the Broncos’ offer of a first-round pick for Thomas at the last trade deadline, and Cleveland collecting a first-rounder for the 31-year-old left tackle is a move he’d implore the team to make considering the franchise’s current state. Some inside the Browns organization regarded a Thomas trade as a key component to the offseason, while Jimmy Haslam hasn’t expressed the same sentiment, La Canfora notes.

The Seahawks, however, could emerge as a candidate to surrender a first-round pick for Thomas, La Canfora writes. John Schneider hasn’t been bashful about dealing first-rounders, having used two in the past four years to acquire Percy Harvin and Jimmy Graham, respectively, and the Seahawks have a need for a blind-side blocker after Russell Okung defected to Denver.

Here’s more from La Canfora.

Regarding the Colin Kaepernick trade pursuit, La Canfora sees the Broncos as the most interested suitor who may be willing to execute a trade, whereas other teams may be willing to call the 49ers‘ bluff and wait for the sixth-year quarterback’s potential release. The CBS reporter doesn’t see the Browns as being enamored with the signal-caller to the point they’d cough up much in a trade despite recent reports. Numerous executives have informed La Canfora John Elway isn’t panicking about Denver’s suddenly barren quarterback situation in private, and La Canfora wouldn’t expect the Broncos’ sixth-year GM overbidding for Kaepernick or spending much on Robert Griffin III.
Nick Foles has not generated much of any interest from quarterback-needy teams, La Canfora reports. Due $24MM over the next two years despite having lost his Rams job to Case Keenum, Foles’ trade buzz resides well behind the rumblings generated by Mike Glennon and Brian Hoyer, La Canfora notes.

Rams Extend First-Round Tender To Case Keenum

March 9th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams have offered a first-round tender to restricted free agent Case Keenum, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Keenum would earn $3.635MM in 2016 under the one-year deal.

If another club expressed interest in poaching Keenum, they would not only have to sign him to an offer sheet, but they would need to sacrifice a first-round pick if Los Angeles declined to match the offer. That scenario seems wholly unlikely, so Keenum will likely return to the Rams, who have already said Keenum will enter the offseason as their starter.

Keenum, 28, took over as the Rams’ starter last season after Nick Foles was benched — he went on to start five games, completing about 61% of his passes for 828 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Head coach Jeff Fisher has said Keenum will start, but it’s always possible that the club brings in competition, either via the draft or through free agency.

Foles, meanwhile, can reportedly be had via trade, and a number of clubs could make sense as suitors.

Rams Rumors: Keenum, Foles, Ogletree

February 24th, 2016 at 8:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Here’s a look at the Los Angeles Rams:

Jeff Fisher reiterated that Case Keenum is going into the 2016 season as the starter, as Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Still, he says that veteran Nick Foles has a chance to compete for the job. The Eagles were rumored to have trade interest in Foles earlier this month, but even if they did like Foles, his cap number and dead money charge mean that a trade is unlikely.
Still, Fisher says there’s a “good chance there will be one, maybe two new quarterbacks on roster” by training camp, as Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News tweets.
The Rams have a meeting scheduled with Alec Ogletree‘s agent this week at the Combine, per Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter) and he says an extension is looming. Ogletree, 25, suffered a right ankle injury in the fall and underwent surgery to repair the damage. He was placed on IR-DTR but he did not return later in the year. The Rams will have to decide on Ogletree’s fifth-year option for 2017 this year.

Rams GM Talks L.A., Coliseum, Keenum, Foles

January 29th, 2016 at 9:28am CST by Luke Adams

Rams general manager Les Snead is in attendance at this week’s Senior Bowl to complete some prep work for the 2016 draft, but Snead has more on his plate than most GMs around the league this year, as his team prepares to pack up and make the move from St. Louis to Los Angeles. Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times spoke to Snead about the relocation to L.A. and a number of other Rams-related topics, so let’s dive in and check out a few of the GM’s more noteworthy comments.

On playing in the Coliseum while waiting for the Inglewood stadium to open:

“The Coliseum is such an historic place; that will be neat for our players. I think our players will really enjoy being outdoors. And judging from the initial ticket [deposits] and having a relatively full Coliseum, any pitfall there is, all those things will outweigh it by a long shot.”

On any concerns about how moving to a large market like L.A. will affect players:

“I’ve definitely thought about it because it’s a larger market with more distractions…. I do know that some of the teams have been very, very successful in L.A., on the field, on the court and in the rink. So it’s proven that you can be a professional athlete and be young and still thrive…. I definitely think it would be prudent to go out and visit some of those teams and see how they handle it and go from there.”

On the possibility of re-signing quarterback Case Keenum, who is a restricted free agent:

“That is a goal. We’re not going to let him go somewhere else.”

On keeping Nick Foles as a backup “at something like $12-13MM”:

“His contract is not exactly that. I don’t want to get into the exact numbers, but it’s about half of that [Ed. note: Foles is owed a $6MM roster bonus and $1.75MM base salary in 2016]. There’s a lot of things that get written about contracts. The answer from a salary standpoint is, yes, he’s easily keepable.”

On the possibility of drafting a quarterback early this spring:

“You definitely have to prepare that you might do it.… Sometimes with QBs we’ve seen some very successful ones go in the second round, and the third round seems to be hot of late. I’m thinking of Russell Wilson. I’m thinking of Kirk Cousins [fourth round]. So the thing about the draft is, because it’s become a nice entertainment segment … there’s so much attention on the first round, especially at the QB position, that sometimes the third-round QB, it’s ‘Oh, he’s a third-round QB.’ But the long story short on all of that is we’ll definitely scout QBs, and we’ll definitely look at the trade market and free-agent market.”

On whether the Rams’ offensive line is mostly set:

“The answer is yes…. Last year we went into [the draft] needing [offensive linemen]. Four of our five starters from the 2014 team, when we went to draft, still weren’t on our roster for various reasons. We needed to draft, develop some guys and let them grow together … we think we’re on our way to see it come to fruition.”

NFC West Notes: Rams, Boldin, Cardinals

January 27th, 2016 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

Before he threw a single regular-season pass for the Rams, Nick Foles signed a two-year extension that ensured he wouldn’t be eligible for free agency this winter. Although Foles is sticking around, he won’t be handed the starting quarterback job in 2016, according to Rams general manager Les Snead.

Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio from the Senior Bowl, Snead told Mark Dominik and Alex Marvez that he expects Foles, Case Keenum, Sean Mannion, and any other offseason QB additions to battle for the No. 1 job this summer (link via Marvez at FOX Sports). “If I learned one thing last year, we should have let the quarterbacks have a competition from the start and the best man win instead of just passing the torch to Nick,” Snead said.

The Rams are paying Foles like the starter, as the former Eagles will count for $8.75MM against the cap in ’16. By comparison, Mannion will have a cap hit under $1MM, while Keenum – a restricted free agent – likely won’t make more than $2-3MM. Still, it sounds like Foles’ higher price tag won’t guarantee him anything.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFC West…

49ers wideout Anquan Boldin, who is eligible for free agency this winter, spoke briefly to Chip Kelly after the new head coach joined the team, but said today that he has yet to engage in negotiations with anyone from the Niners’ front office about a new contract. Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle has the details, along with Boldin’s quotes.
Former Missouri edge defender Michael Sam plans to take “one more shot” at making an NFL roster this year, he tweeted on Tuesday. Sam became the first openly gay player to be drafted when he was selected by the Rams in 2014.
After bringing him in for a workout last month, the Cardinals have tried out defensive back Joel Wilkinson again, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
Earlier today, veteran Cardinals long snapper Mike Leach announced his retirement. Our full story can be found right here.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Mangini, Rams

January 4th, 2016 at 10:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The 49ers have not interviewed any candidates yet nor scheduled any, GM Trent Baalke told reporters, including Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group (on Twitter). He added that there are no in-house candidates at this time which is interesting given the presence of defensive coordinator Eric Mangini. Geep Chryst, the team’s offensive coordinator, has had head coaching buzz in the past, but his stock isn’t terribly high after a dismal 2015 season in San Francisco.

Here’s more from the NFC West:

While keeping option open at the position, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher said that quarterback Case Keenum will enter the 2016 season as the starter at quarterback, Jim Thomas of the Post-Dispatch tweets.
Fisher also said that team intends to bring in competition for kicker Greg Zuerlein, Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com tweets. Zuerlein is an unrestricted free agent this offseason.
Fisher liked the job Rob Boras did as offensive coordinator, but has not made a decision yet on whether Boras will keep the job, Thomas tweets. Fisher indicated that there could be coaching staff changes made this offseason.
In addition to offensive coordinator Frank Reich, the Chargers announced that offensive line coach Joe D’Alessandris, wide receiver coach Fred Graves, defensive line coach Don Johnson, and tight end coach Pete Metzelaars have been let go.