Chad Henne - Pro Football Rumors

Free Agency Notes: Vikings, Johnson, Gerhart

March 8th, 2014 at 5:46pm CST by Peter Sowards

With more than $40MM in cap room available, Vikings GM Rick Spielman and his staff will be busy adding talent to their roster once free agency officially opens at 3:00pm Tuesday. In addition to cornerback Alterraun Verner, Minnesota has also called to express interest in former Bengals defensive end Michael Johnson, tweets ESPN.com reporter Ben Goessling. Following up on that tweet was ESPN NFL Insider Adam Caplan, who tweeted that at least six teams should be involved for Johnson’s services.

More free agency notes from Minnesota and elsewhere around the league…

Fullback Jerome Felton is pessimistic that the team will be able to re-sign running back Toby Gerhart, per Chris Tomasson of TwinCities.com.
A league source told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio that free agent quarterback Michael Vick is not likely to have interest in the Vikings or Jaguars after the re-signings of Matt Cassel and Chad Henne.
The Bears and defensive lineman Michael Bennett have mutual interest, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Bennett is the older brother of Chicago tight end Martellus Bennett.
Free agent safety Mike Mitchell has drawn interest from the Bears, Eagles, Broncos and Falcons, reports Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer.
Recently released linebacker Jameel McClain has already visited the Bills and Giants, and is expected to visit the Vikings on Monday, said CSNBaltimore.com’s Bo Smolka.
Due to the increased salary cap, Caplan tweets that it will be hard for the Rams to re-sign offensive lineman Rodger Saffold.
Kevin Sherrington of The Dallas Morning News opines that the Cowboys should go ahead and release defensive cornerstone DeMarcus Ware, saving the team $7.8MM against the cap in 2014.

Extra Points: Collins, Bears, Cowboys, Jags

March 7th, 2014 at 4:47pm CST by Luke Adams

With Eugene Monroe, Branden Albert, and Jared Veldheer all seemingly on the verge of reaching unrestricted free agency, it’ll be an active market for left tackles and the teams seeking them. But the Bengals are hoping to stay out of the mix by locking up Anthony Collins before free agency begins, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Collins should draw a good deal of interest if he becomes available, as Rapoport suggests.

Here’s more from around the NFL on a Friday afternoon:

The Bears haven’t asked wide receiver Earl Bennett to take a pay cut, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (Twitter link), and fellow ESPN scribe Michael C. Wright says (via Twitter) that’s the case for defensive end Julius Peppers as well. Of course, there’s still some time for Chicago to approach both players, if the team needs to create some flexibility.
By officially releasing Phil Costa and restructuring Mackenzy Bernadeau‘s contract, the Cowboys are now about $2MM under the cap with free agency around the corner, tweets ESPN.com’s Todd Archer. That doesn’t necessarily mean the team is done cutting costs though — I’d still expect DeMarcus Ware‘s deal to be addressed in some form.
As for Costa, Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com tweets that the Cowboys asked if the veteran center would take a pay cut. Costa declined, as he feels he’ll garner interest elsewhere.
After re-signing with the Jaguars today, Chad Henne spoke to the media and admitted that he wanted to talk to other teams, but Jacksonville was his No. 1 choice and he decided to forgo the open market when the club made an offer he liked. Meanwhile, head coach Gus Bradley indicated that re-signing Henne doesn’t mean the Jaguars won’t draft a quarterback in May (Twitter links via Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com).
Punter Pat McAfee told reporters, including Craig Kelley of Colts.com (Twitter link), that he “didn’t really want” to hit free agency and is happy to have re-signed with the Colts.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jaguars To Re-Sign Chad Henne

March 7th, 2014 at 3:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jaguars have agreed to terms on a two-year contract with quarterback Chad Henne, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Ryan O’Hallaron of the Florida Times-Union had reported yesterday that the club expected to lock up Henne within the next couple days.

Henne’s two-year deal is worth $8MM, including $4.5MM guaranteed, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The contract includes a $1.5MM signing bonus and a $3MM roster bonus, and features incentives that can be earned based on playing time and other criteria. You can check out the full details from Marvez on Twitter, but the upshot is that the more Henne plays – and the better he performs – the more his salary will increase in both 2014 and 2015.

Henne, 28, started 13 games for the Jaguars last season after taking over the job from Blaine Gabbert. The veteran signal-caller completed 60.6% of his attempts, compiling 3,241 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with his 14 interceptions. While those numbers aren’t spectacular, the Jaguars had insisted since the regular season ended that they wanted to bring Henne back, and the team has now backed up those comments.

Although Henne will be back in Jacksonville next season, that doesn’t mean the team will simply hand him the starting job. The former second-round pick might head into 2014 as the No. 1 guy, or at least with a chance to compete for that spot, but the Jaguars are expected to select a quarterback fairly early in May’s draft. Henne’s spot on the depth chart could ultimately depend on whether Jacksonville uses its No. 3 overall pick on that signal-caller, or whether the club waits until the second or third round to draft a QB.

A league source told O’Halloran today that he doesn’t expect the Jaguars to prioritize a signal-caller in the draft after re-signing Henne (Twitter link). O’Halloran’s source figures the club won’t draft a quarterback until at least the second round, and perhaps the third or fourth.

Had Henne reached the open market, he would have drawn interest from other teams, including the Texans, tweets Garafolo. Clubs seeking a veteran quarterback will have to turn to other available options such as Michael Vick, Josh McCown, Matt Cassel, and Josh Freeman. Matt Schaub and Mark Sanchez may also hit the market, as they’re are among the signal-callers expected to become cap casualties within the next few weeks.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jaguars Expect To Re-Sign Chad Henne

March 6th, 2014 at 4:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The “expectation inside EverBank Field” is that the Jaguars will reach an agreement with Chad Henne on a new contract within the next couple days, reports Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). If Henne remains unsigned by Saturday, his agent can begin talking to teams besides the Jaguars, but it sounds like it may not reach that point.

Henne, 28, started 13 games for the Jaguars last season after taking over the job from Blaine Gabbert. The veteran signal-caller completed 60.6% of his attempts, compiling 3,241 passing yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with his 14 interceptions.

While those numbers aren’t spectacular, they make Henne one of the more desirable options among a underwhelming group of free agent quarterbacks that also includes Michael Vick, Josh McCown, and Matt Cassel. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) suggested earlier today that the Jaguars shouldn’t be ruled out as a potential suitor for Vick or McCown. However, if Jacksonville finalizes a new deal with Henne, the team will likely turn to the draft to add a second quarterback.

Depending on how high the Jaguars select a quarterback, Henne may head into 2014 competing for the starting job in Jacksonville, assuming he re-signs with the club.

Combine Updates: Boldin, Jags, Dolphins

February 20th, 2014 at 2:53pm CST by Luke Adams

“It’s not just me who wants Anquan Boldin back,” 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh said today of the team’s No. 1 receiver in 2013, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Suggesting that the San Francisco decision-makers are unanimous in wanting to re-sign Boldin, Harbaugh added that negotiations are heading in a “positive direction.” The Niners coach wasn’t the only one providing noteworthy quotes this afternoon at the combine. Here are several more notable updates from Indianapolis:

The Jaguars intend to meet with the top three quarterback prospects – Johnny Manziel, Teddy Bridgewater, and Blake Bortles – this weekend, according to GM Dave Caldwell (Twitter link via Ryan O’Hallaran of the Florida Times-Union). However, Caldwell also suggested it would be beneficial for the team to trade down from No. 3 overall, since the draft is so deep (Twitter link via Hays Carlyon of the Times-Union).
Asked if he expected prospective free agent Chad Henne to hit the open market, Caldwell replied, “I don’t think so,” suggesting that the Jaguars could reach an agreement with their incumbent starter prior to March 11 (Twitter link via O’Hallaran).
Broncos head coach John Fox is comfortable with the idea of moving forward with running Montee Ball if Knowshon Moreno leaves Denver in free agency, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
Responding to a report that suggested the Dolphins might bench Ryan Tannehill for Matt Moore at some point in 2014, new Miami GM Dennis Hickey expressed confidence in Tannehill. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald has that quote and several more from Hickey, who insisted that free agents will be attracted to the organization despite the recent controversy surrounding the team.
The Bears head into the 2014 season carrying three punters on their roster, meaning veteran Adam Podlesh will have to fight for the job, according to GM Phil Emery. Drew Butler and Tress Way will also be in the mix, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago details.
Projected first-round tight end Eric Ebron confirmed to reporters, including Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times (Twitter link), that the Ravens and Packers are among the teams with whom he’ll interview today. Tight end Jace Amaro will also meet with the Ravens, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), while ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes that Wisconsin offensive lineman Ryan Groy met with the Packers.

AFC Notes: Jags, McCourty, Decker

February 8th, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Matt Feminis

The Jaguars have been upfront about the team’s desire to re-sign Chad Henne as well as draft at least one quarterback, but GM Dave Caldwell told Jacksonville.com’s Vito Stellino (subscription required) he won’t be a slave to need: “If we’re going to give into pressure (to take a quarterback high if they have other players rated higher), we’re going to make the wrong decision,’’ he said. “Our vision is to build a franchise that can sustain and win over a period of time. In that process, if a quarterback presents himself, we’ll grab him.’’

Patriots safety Devin McCourty earned a $3MM contract bump for 2014, the final year of his rookie deal, because he played 80 percent of the snaps his first four years, according to Christopher Price of WEEI.com.
Broncos free agents Eric Decker and Knowshon Moreno would like to return to Denver, but they don’t know their futures, and executive VP of football operations John Elway is being vague about the team’s plans, per Colorado’s 9news.com. Industry insiders expect both players to be too expensive for the Broncos to re-sign, especially Decker, who will be highly sought after on the open market.

Extra Points: Henne, Packers, Keisel, Rivera

January 28th, 2014 at 9:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Contract talks could start soon between the Jaguars and quarterback Chad Henne, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “We’ll reach out to their people at some point in time,” general manager David Caldwell said. “There’s not a glaring rush. We’ve got some more meetings to go through, some game-planning with our coaching staff and our personnel staff just to see where we’re at and put together our plan for free agency and the draft.” Henne, who signed a two-year deal worth $6.75MM with the team in 2012, started 13 games in ’13 and threw for 3,421 yards and 13 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Here’s more from around the NFL..

Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com looks at the Packers‘ defensive line situation. Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, and C.J. Wilson are all free agents this winter and it sounds like there’s a decent chance that Raji winds up elsewhere. The defensive tackle didn’t have the kind of value-raising season he hoped for as he closed out his rookie contract.
Appearing on ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Russillo, free-agent-to-be Brett Keisel didn’t sound like a man ready to retire. The longtime Steelers defensive end suggested he feels as if he still has a couple years in left in him, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk details.
Extending Ron Rivera‘s deal was a no-brainer for the Panthers, writes David Newton of ESPN.com.
Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com looks at Adam Gase, the Broncos‘ offensive coordinator who has positioned himself as one of the prize candidates of next year’s head coaching searches. Gase politely rebuffed advances by the Browns and Vikings to interview for their head coaching openings in order to focus all of his energy on Denver’s playoff run.