Chad Greenway - Pro Football Rumors

North Notes: Lions, Greenway, Bengals

February 25th, 2016 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

Lions general manager Bob Quinn said at the combine this week that one of his main objectives this offseason will be to improve the team’s roster depth, though he’s somewhat wary of relying on the free agent market to fill those holes, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details.

“The thing about free agency is you don’t really know who’s going to be available,” Quinn said. “I have a list of players like everyone else does, but these guys are getting signed every hour right now. There’s a couple guys I saw on NFL Network half an hour ago that just redid their contracts. So we’re prepared for all scenarios. We have the guys that we want to target at each level, different positions, across the board.”

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s North divisions:

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer expects Chad Greenway to return to the club in 2016, telling Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune (Twitter link) that the club thinks the veteran linebacker can still play. Greenway, a free agent, has said he’d like to re-sign with Minnesota for one more season before retiring.
Bengals director of player personnel Duke Tobin told reporters – including Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (Twitter link) – that he’s hoping to retain free agent safeties Reggie Nelson and George Iloka this spring. The team is being “proactive” when it comes to trying to keep those safeties – and free agent wide receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu – off the open market, according to Tobin, who added that the Bengals will “spend resources” to keep their guys (Twitter link).
Tobin also said on Thursday that the Bengals love Adam Jones‘ passion and will try to re-sign the cornerback before he becomes an unrestricted free agent (Twitter link via Hobson).
Earlier today, we rounded up a few Browns rumors, passed along the latest on the Packers, and learned that running back Trent Richardson is expected to sign with the Ravens.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Lions, Greenway, Eagles

February 19th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Panthers are adding former 49ers special teams coach Thomas McGaughey to their staff as a special teams assistant, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera wanted to hire a young special teams coach to assist coordinator Bruce DeHaven, who has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. The team also interviewed former Bucs assistant Kevin O’Dea and ex-Panthers linebacker Chase Blackburn for the job.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

On the heels of the news that the Lions will release linebacker Stephen Tulloch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that another veteran starter, safety James Ihedigbo, will be “gone” as well. Ihedigbo is eligible for free agency this winter, so Rapoport’s tweet suggests the 32-year-old won’t be re-signing with the Lions.
Echoing comments he made after the Vikings‘ season ended in January, linebacker Chad Greenway said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’d like to return to Minnesota for another season, as Alex Marvez of FOX Sports details. Assuming the Vikings re-sign Greenway, it will likely be one final year before he retires.
The Eagles and college scouting coordinator Matt Lindsey have mutually agreed to part ways, per a report from FootballScoop.com (on Twitter). As Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets, this leaves Philly without a college scouting director or college scouting coordinator right before the combine.
Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), cornerback Jeremy Lane said today that he’d love to re-sign with the Seahawks this winter, pointing to the fact that Seattle gave him his “first crack” in the NFL. Lane, a sixth-round pick in 2012, is eligible for free agency this offseason.

NFC North Notes: Long, Megatron, Greenway

February 1st, 2016 at 10:20am CST by Luke Adams

Bears offensive lineman Kyle Long changed positions in 2015 after making the Pro Bowl as a right guard during his first two NFL seasons, moving over to right tackle under new head coach John Fox. Having earned another Pro Bowl nod this year, Long has now demonstrated an ability to play multiple positions up front.

While he was valuable to the Bears as a guard, Long, a former first-round pick, increased his earning potential by shifting to the outside, particularly now that Lane Johnson has set a new standard for right tackles with his huge new contract extension.

In Johnson’s case, the Eagles assume it’s only a matter of time before he moves over to left tackle, and it’s not clear if that will be the case for Long and the Bears, but either way, a payday is on the way for the former 20th overall pick, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. We’ll have to wait and see if Chicago plans on tackling a Long extension this offseason when the team still holds a fifth-year option on him for 2017, but when he eventually signs a new contract, there’s a real chance he could surpass every right tackle except Johnson in terms of per-year salary.

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap looks at the cap implications of Calvin Johnson‘s potential retirement, explaining how placing the star wideout on the reserve/retired list would affect the Lions in 2016 and in future seasons. Fitzgerald also briefly explores the idea of Johnson using the threat of retirement as leverage to get a clean break from Detroit without having to request a trade.
Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com suggests some potential uses for the cap room the Lions would save if Johnson retires, while Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press identifies some logical targets at wide receiver for the team.
After the Vikings‘ heart-breaking Wild Card loss last month, veteran linebacker Chad Greenway said that he wants to continue his career, adding that he “can’t let it end like this.” Greenway isn’t under contract for next season, but wants to re-sign with the Vikings, so Ben Goessling of ESPN.com examines what a deal might look like, concluding that a one-year contract worth between $2-3MM would make some sense.

Vikings’ Chad Greenway Expects To Play In ’16

January 10th, 2016 at 4:22pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings suffered a devastating loss to the Seahawks earlier today, as kicker Blair Walsh missed a chip shot field goal that would have put Minnesota ahead with just seconds remaining in the contest. The defeat was so painful that it appears to have affected the plans of veteran Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway, who spoke about his NFL future after the game.

“I’ve got to play one more year,” Greenway told reporters, including Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). “I can’t let it end like this.”

If Greenway makes good on his intentions to return, he’ll be entering his 11th NFL season, all of which have been spent with the Vikings after they selected him in the first round of the 2006 draft. This isn’t the first we’ve heard of Greenway wanting to return for the 2016 campaign (he said as much in late December), but it sounds as though today’s loss has reinforced those wishes.

Of course, the feeling would need to be mutual, as the Vikings also have a decision to make on Greenway. The 32-year-old isn’t signed for next season — he earned a base salary of $3.4MM this season after accepting a pay cut, and he’d likely have to take even less than that to return. With Eric Kendricks and Anthony Barr dominating the snaps at linebacker, Greenway only saw the field in base packages, playing in about 58% of Minnesota’s snaps.

Photo courtesy of USA Sports Images.

North Notes: Greenway, Lions, Browns

December 30th, 2015 at 9:41am CST by Luke Adams

Veteran linebacker and two-time Pro Bowler Chad Greenway has spent his entire nine-year NFL career with the Vikings, and he wants to return to the team for the 2016 season, according to Jim Souhan of The Star Tribune.

“I want to enjoy this moment, and enjoy the playoffs,” Greenway said. “To me, it rejuvenates you as an athlete and a person to go through this and have this in front of you. I’m probably going to play next year. To go through a year like we’ve gone through and to be part of this has been really fun.”

While Greenway sounds committed to continuing his playing career, he doesn’t want to play for a team besides Minnesota, so the Vikings would have to be willing to have him in 2016. The linebacker, who will turn 33 next month, is in the final year of a contract and is earning a $3.4MM salary to go along with a $5.575MM cap hit in 2015, so I suspect the Vikes would be on board with his return if they could reduce both of those numbers a little for next year.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s North divisions:

As the Lions search for a new general manager and possibly a new head coach as well, it’s crucial that those two figures share a philosophy and can co-exist without any friction, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
It’s difficult to support the idea that the Browns should retain coach Mike Pettine for 2016, Tom Reed of The Plain Dealer writes.
Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), the Browns are the latest team to work out standout CFL wide receiver Eric Rogers, who is reportedly in the midst of visiting 14 NFL clubs.
Eddie Goldman‘s ankle injury figures to end his season, but it’s not expected to require surgery, and the arrow is pointing up for the Bears defensive tackle, as Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune outlines.

NFC North Notes: Greenway, Johnson, Jeffery

December 25th, 2015 at 7:15pm CST by Rob DiRe

Luke Adams took a look at some top stories from around the NFC North earlier today, but a few more notes come across the wire worth sharing.

Before the season, Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway wasn’t sure whether or not 2015 would be his last season. Now he is sure of his decision, but he hasn’t told any teammates or reporters, according to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. “I’ve told a bunch of people but not (a reporter) or anybody else that’s in this locker room,” said the 10-year veteran. “I’ve decided, but you guys (the media) don’t know yet.”
Tomasson also looked at the future of Charles Johnson in Minnesota. Johnson was a key receiver down the stretch last season, but has lost his starting spot to rookie Stefon Diggs and has only nine catches this season. Next year will be the last year of his rookie contract, and with a decreased workload he might find a better situation elsewhere if the Vikings release him this offseason.
Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery will miss his sixth game of the season this week against the Buccaneers, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. He has only 54 catches for 807 yards this season, after going over 85 and 1,000 each of the past two seasons. He will be heading into free agency this offseason, seeking to be paid like a top-NFL wideout. However, a big money contract or even the franchise tag would be a lot to pay for a receiver who has struggled with injury and consistency.

NFC Notes: Washington, Forte, David

April 28th, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Washington owner Daniel Snyder may have finally gotten it right with his hiring of GM Scot McCloughan, Jarrett Bell of USA Today Sports writes. The 44-year-old McCloughan made none of the splashy, high-dollar moves that had become a franchise trademark in his first offseason. Instead, he signed Terrance Knighton, Stephen Paea and Ricky Jean-Francois to fortify the defensive line at reasonable rates while obtaining Pro Bowl safety Dashon Goldson for next to nothing.

As we wait to see what McCloughan has up his sleeve in the draft, let’s round up some more items from across the NFC….

Bears head coach John Fox said today that he doesn’t believe running back Matt Forte is present at the team’s voluntary minicamp, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Forte is heading into a contract year, and figures to be seeking an extension.
Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway is returning to the Vikings for at least one more season, but he’s not sure yet whether 2015 will be his final year in the NFL, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Speaking today to reporters, Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David said he’s not thinking about contract negotiations. Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune tweets that the team intends to begin extension talks with David following the draft.
Defensive end Adam Carriker, who was cut by Washington a year ago, is trying out for the Falcons during the club’s minicamp this week, per Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (Twitter link).
Nebraska’s Randy Gregory would be a gift from the gods if the Cowboys could land him, Rick Gosselin of The Dallas Morning News writes. If Gregory somehow falls all the way to No 27 and Dallas doesn’t take him, Gosselin would be shocked.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com ranked the 49ers‘ top five draft needs, starting with inside linebacker. San Francisco won’t necessarily take an inside linebacker in the first or second round, but at some point the team will add depth at the position.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Chad Greenway Accepts Pay Cut

March 28th, 2015 at 8:31am CST by Ben Levine

The Vikings checked an offseason priority off the list this morning, as ESPN.com’s Field Yates reports that Chad Greenway has agreed to take a pay cut. The linebacker’s base salary will drop from $7MM to $3.4MM in 2015, with $1MM guaranteed and $600K in incentives. The move will create $3.225MM in cap space for Minnesota.

We’ve been hearing for some time that the Vikings were hoping to redo the 32-year-old’s contract, with general manager Rick Spielman recently mentioning the desire for Greenway to retire in Minnesota. The veteran battled injuries in 2014, compiling 93 tackles, one sack and one forced fumble in 12 starts. He ranked 38th among 40 candidates at 4-3 linebacker by Pro Football Focus (subscription required), and the website generally hasn’t been impressed with his performance over the past four seasons.

Following a red-shirted rookie season when he tore his ACL, the former first-round pick didn’t miss a single game for the Vikings from 2007-2013. In that time, Greenway earned a pair of Pro Bowl selections as well as a spot on the All-Pro team.

North Notes: Greenway, Browns, Bears, Rice

March 24th, 2015 at 9:52pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that the club is trying to work through a contract restructure with linebacker Chad Greenway, adding that the team wants him to retire as a Viking. As a declining player set to count more than $7MM against the cap, Greenway will probably have to accept a straight pay cut to remain on the roster.

Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions…

Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ vice president of football operations, met with agent Ben Dogra last night, but Dogra’s client Adrian Peterson didn’t come up in conversation, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Dogra also represents free agent corner Terence Newman, whom the Vikes are rumored to be interested in, leading Wolfson to speculate that he was the topic of the meeting.
As was widely rumored, it was the Browns that offered a first-round pick to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford, St. Louis GM Les Snead confirmed to Sal Palantonio of ESPN (Twitter link via John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game).
Bears chairman George McCaskey initially told GM Ryan Pace that he could not sign embattled defensive end Ray McDonald, noting that the “pattern” and “frequency” of McDonald’s off-the-field trouble worried him, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).
Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wonders why former Raven Ray Rice is still a “pariah” in the eyes of the NFL, especially given that players with similar incidents (such as Greg Hardy) have been signed by other clubs.
Texas A&M-Commerce receiver Ricky Collins has a visit lined up with the Browns, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.

Extra Points: Saints, Greenway, Tebow, Eagles

March 18th, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Zachary Links

After years of loading up on salary, the Saints have now swung back in a far different direction – shedding veterans who make too much money and loading up on draft picks, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora wondered if coach Sean Payton is loading up on draft picks to make a play for Marcus Mariota and he spoke with football execs who felt that the Oregon quarterback would be a terrific fit with what he wants to do at the quarterback position. While the Saints have Drew Brees under center, 2015 could be the last go ’round for the veteran in New Orleans.

Let’s round up a few more notes from across the league….

Veteran linebacker Chad Greenway tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that his agent and the Vikings are working on a new contract that would keep him in Minnesota for the 2015 season.
In the wake of Tim Tebow‘s workout with the Eagles earlier this week, Albert Breer of the NFL Network takes a closer look at the former first-round pick’s efforts to get back on an NFL roster.
The Eagles have made a lot of moves this offseason but their wide receiver situation remains a bit murky, as Sheil Kapadia of Philadelphia Magazine writes. The group of remaining free agents is not very interesting, headlined by Greg Jennings, Michael Crabtree and Dwayne Bowe. Given that the Eagles don’t have a ton of cap space to work with, it seems unlikely that they’re going to sign a wide receiver, Kapadia writes.
Following Chris Borland‘s surprise retirement, Matt Bowen of Bleacher Report, a former NFL player, spoke to a handful of fellow NFL veterans, and most of them said the rewards of playing in the NFL outweigh the risks. However, Borland’s decision “definitely has heightened awareness that the balance could be shifting.”
For now, it seems that the Dolphins‘ offense has taken a step backward, Chris Perkins of the Sun Sentinel writes. Assuming that Charles Clay leaves for Buffalo, Miami is left with question marks when it comes to touchdowns in the red zone, even with Jordan Cameron in the fold. Meanwhile, there are also some uncertainties surrounding the power running game, the deep passing game, and even the quarterback (to an extent).
The Jaguars have signed president Mark Lamping to a five-year contract extension, according to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (on Twitter). Lamping’s deal was set to expire in a few weeks, so the new pact has been in the works for some time (link).

Luke Adams contributed to this post.