Charles Clay (TE) - Pro Football Rumors

Dolphins Want To Keep Charles Clay

March 12th, 2015 at 8:50pm CST by Rory Parks

Even after signing Jordan Cameron tonight, the Dolphins hope to keep Charles Clay in the fold, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. At the very least, Miami will keep the transition tag on Clay, thereby making it tougher for the Bills to sign him (Twitter links to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and ProFootballTalk).

Per Carucci, Clay returned to Miami tonight after spending the last three days in Buffalo. We heard several days ago that the Bills were planning to make a strong push for the tight end’s services, but we learned within the last few hours that Clay and the Dolphins were discussing a long-term deal that would keep Clay in Miami. The Dolphins recently cut Brian Hartline and may yet part ways with Mike Wallace, but as Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post tweets, the combination of Cameron, Clay, and Dion Sims would help to offset the team’s lack of depth at wide receiver.

But Carucci adds in a separate tweet that Buffalo is by no means out of the running for Clay. Carucci believes the Bills could either sign Clay as an unrestricted free agent, if Miami ultimately chooses to remove the transition tag, or they could present him with an offer sheet that the Dolphins would not be willing to match. The Browns, on the other hand, lost out on Cameron and are apparently no longer a threat to sign Clay either (Twitter link to Carucci).

Charles Clay, Dolphins Talking Long-Term Deal

March 12th, 2015 at 3:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills are contemplating signing tight end Charles Clay to a lucrative offer sheet, but the team may not get the opportunity to do so, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links), who reports that the Dolphins are talking to their transition player about a long-term contract. If Clay were to reach an agreement with Miami on a multiyear deal, it would take him off the free agent market.

Having designated Clay as their transition player, the Dolphins tendered him a one-year offer worth $7.071MM, which gives the team the right to match any offer sheet the tight end signs with another suitor, such as the Bills. However, the Fins wouldn’t receive any draft-pick compensation if they don’t match that offer sheet, and Buffalo has reportedly been trying to structure its offer sheet in a way that would make it difficult for Miami to match it.

Complicating matters is the fact that the Dolphins currently have another top free agent tight end, Jordan Cameron, in Miami on a free agent visit, and there’s mutual interest between the two sides. While Cameron represents a nice fallback option if the Fins lose Clay, the former Browns tight end is drawing interest from other clubs, including Cleveland. The Browns are also said to have interest in Clay.

The Bills, meanwhile, are badly in need of some help at the tight end position after releasing Scott Chandler and letting Lee Smith walk in free agency. If Buffalo ends up empty-handed in the Clay and Cameron sweepstakes, it’s not clear where the team would turn next. For his part, GM Doug Whaley told SiriusXM NFL Radio today his Bills are still debating whether to make Clay an offer, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com.

Bills Pushing For Charles Clay, Percy Harvin

March 11th, 2015 at 5:33pm CST by Luke Adams

5:33pm: Clay appears to be a top target for the Browns, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Still, the Bills are the clubhouse leader on him.

4:31pm: It’ll be tough to match what the Bills are preparing to offer, but the Dolphins are not ready to concede on Clay, Tim Graham of The Buffalo News tweets. The Browns, meanwhile, are a wild card when it comes to the tight end.

9:37am: The Bills are still preparing their offer sheet for Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (all Twitter links). As we heard yesterday, Buffalo intends to structure its offer in a way that makes it difficult for Miami to match it. La Canfora notes that the offer figures to be heavily frontloaded, with at least $9MM in the first year, but the Bills will wait until the Dolphins finalize their deal with Ndamukong Suh, so they have a better idea of their division rival’s cap situation.

Having designated Clay as their transition player, the Dolphins tendered him a one-year offer worth $7.071MM, which gives the team the right to match any offer sheet the tight end signs with another team. However, the Fins wouldn’t receive any draft-pick compensation if they don’t match that offer sheet, and La Canfora suggests that Miami may not be able to accommodate a big first-year cap hit, even if more cuts are on the way for the team that already released Randy Starks, today, and Philip Wheeler, and Shelley Smith yesterday.

As for the Bills, in addition to making a run at Clay, they’re trying to lock up Percy Harvin, who is visiting Buffalo, to a one-year deal, says La Canfora. A one-year, prove-it contract makes the most sense for Harvin, but he’d probably prefer a destination with a more proven quarterback to help rebuild his value. Still, as La Canfora points out, the Bills seem prepared to throw money around, so it’s possible Harvin’s best offer will come from Buffalo.

Bills Preparing For Run At Charles Clay

March 10th, 2015 at 4:26pm CST by Luke Adams

4:26pm: Clay will in fact be visiting the Bills, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). Buffalo will attempt to structure its offer sheet to Clay so that it’s difficult for the Dolphins to match, adds Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). In fact, the Bills value Clay so highly that they’d be happy with landing him and little else, tweets Tim Graham of the Buffalo News.

2:14pm: The Bills plan to prepare the strongest possible offer sheet for Clay, tweets Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, adding that the Browns are also interested in Clay.

7:20am: The transition tag isn’t expected to stop the Bills from making a run at tight end Charles Clay, says Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Clay, who received the one-year transition tender worth $7.071MM from the Dolphins last week, is still free to negotiate with other teams starting this afternoon, and according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Buffalo is preparing to make the tight end an offer.

While that offer could come as soon as today, Garafolo (via Twitter) cautions that things may not play out quite that quickly. For an unrestricted free agent, teams will race to get him to put pen to paper to finalize a deal, but for a transition player, the Dolphins will have five days to match any offer sheet, so there’s no rush to get anything done immediately. Garafolo expects the Bills to try to bring Clay in for a visit later this week.

In other Bills-related news, La Canfora notes that the team also hopes to sign former Vikings fullback Jerome Felton, who is a free agent this winter. With former Niners offensive coordinator Greg Roman ready to take over control of Buffalo’s offense, the Bills are expected to add some sort of fullback this offseason, whether it’s Felton or someone else.

Finally, speaking of San Francisco, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that – despite multiple reports to the contrary – the Bills weren’t actually among the teams pursuing former Niners guard Mike Iupati, who is expected to sign with the Cardinals.

King’s Latest: T. Smith, J. Thomas, Murray, Jets

March 9th, 2015 at 8:10am CST by Luke Adams

Peter King’s latest Monday Morning Quarterback column at TheMMQB.com doesn’t break any new signings or contract agreements, but there are plenty of noteworthy free agent tidbits tucked away within the piece. Here are a few highlights:

Wide receiver Torrey Smith isn’t re-signing with the Ravens, and by all accounts the 49ers look like they’re in position to sign him. According to King, Smith is likely headed to San Francisco for a deal worth about $9MM annually.
Julius Thomas also looks like a good bet to receive something in the neighborhood of $9MM per year if and when he finalizes a deal with the Jaguars, says King.
Despite the nice new contracts Marshawn Lynch and LeSean McCoy are receiving, King hasn’t heard of any team willing to pay DeMarco Murray $10MM per season.
Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton appears likely to leave Denver to sign with either Washington or the Raiders, per King. We heard yesterday that those two teams, along with the Bears and Colts, were among the suitors showing “serious interest” in Pot Roast.
A person with knowledge of the Jets‘ “ideal-world plan” for the offseason suggests to King that the team would love to land both Darrelle Revis and Antonio Cromartie, if possible.
King expects the Bills to make an effort to get Charles Clay to visit Buffalo and to sign him to a deal when free agency opens. Since Clay received the transition tag from Miami, the Dolphins would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet the tight end signed with the Bills.
If the Jaguars and Titans don’t sign a handful of players within the next few days, they’ll likely have some big offers turned down, according to King, who anticipates both teams being very active.

East Notes: Maclin, Gore, Clay

March 8th, 2015 at 11:34am CST by Rory Parks

There are a number of rumblings from the league’s east divisions today, so let’s dive right in:

We learned earlier today that Randall Cobb‘s decision to remain with the Packers would give the Eagles‘ Jeremy Maclin a little more leverage in his contract negotiations, and Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com has a little more on that front. Mosher writes that Maclin, who has asked for at least $11MM per season, is clearly the best wide receiver left on the free agent market, but the fact that he is two years older than Cobb and has torn his ACL twice since the start of his college career could deter teams from handing Maclin the same type of contract that Cobb received. Therefore, Mosher believes the stage could be set for Maclin’s return to Philadelphia.
Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com writes that the Eagles are interested in free agent running back Frank Gore and says that a deal could be done as soon as Tuesday.
The Bills are expected to make a “substantial offer” to Dolphins tight end Charles Clay, writes Omar Kelly of the Sun-Sentinel. Miami placed the transition tag on Clay last week.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com has a deeper look into the Jets‘ trade for Brandon Marshall and what it means for the team moving forward.
In the same piece, Cimini looks at the future of Darrelle Revis. Cimini writes that the Jets will almost certainly try to overpay for Revis, who will have to choose between the mega-bucks in New York and a lifetime membership in Patriots owner Robert Kraft‘s fraternity.
Washington and the Giants have both expressed interest in Arizona nose tackle Dan Williams (Twitter links to ESPN’s John Keim and Dan Graziano).

Dolphins Use Transition Tag On Charles Clay

March 2nd, 2015 at 2:04pm CST by Luke Adams

Five players have received the franchise tag from their respective teams so far, but until now, we hadn’t had a transition tag sighting yet this season. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Dolphins are the first team to make use of that tag this season, assigning it to tight end Charles Clay.

The transition tag typically isn’t used as often as the franchise tag, since it allows the player to sign an offer sheet with another team and leave without any compensatory draft picks, assuming his previous club chooses not to match the offer. However, we saw it surface a couple times last year — the Steelers assigned it to Jason Worilds, who played the 2014 season on the one-year tender offer, and the Browns used it on Alex Mack, eventually matching an offer sheet from the Jaguars.

By placing the transition tag on Clay, the Dolphins are extending a one-year offer worth $7.071MM. The tight end can sign that tender offer anytime, as long as the team doesn’t withdraw it, and he’ll also be free to explore the open market as of next week. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that three or four rival suitors are interested in Clay – the Bills have been mentioned as one interested party – but the transition tag may diminish the enthusiasm for him on the open market.

Clay, who turned 26 last month, saw his numbers dip a little in 2014 after he set career highs with 69 receptions, 759 yards, and three touchdowns in his breakout 2013 season. However, Clay isn’t alone at the top of this year’s tight end market as a player whose stock slipped a little as he neared free agency. A sprained ankle derailed Julius Thomas‘ 2014 season, and an injury-plagued campaign for Jordan Cameron ensured that his numbers fell off even more precipitously than Clay’s.

If the Dolphins do bring Clay back, either at the $7MM+ transition price, or on a long-term deal at a slightly lesser number, they should have no problem fitting him into their 2015 cap plans. The team has already parted ways with Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, Cortland Finnegan, and Nate Garner, and there could be more cuts on the way, including perhaps Mike Wallace.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: Pascoe, Jean-Francois, McCourty

February 25th, 2015 at 12:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The agent for tight end Bear Pascoe tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his client will be moving on from the Falcons next month.

“We had a great conversation with the Falcons and it looks like at this point Bear is going to explore some other options for next year and the Falcons are going to do the same,” said Noel LaMontagne, Pascoe’s agent. “The front office and Bear both were really appreciative of everything over the last year, but with coaching changes, there will always be other changes, so Bear is going to see what else is out there for the future.”

Let’s round up a few more Wednesday updates on 2015’s prospective free agents:

After been released by the Colts earlier this week, defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is seeking a new home for the 2015 season, and a pair of potential suitors has already surfaced. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jean-Francois has visits lined up with Washington and the 49ers this week. Jean-Francois has a history with the Niners, having spent the first four years of his NFL career in San Francisco.
Asked about the possibility of being franchised by the Patriots, safety Devin McCourty wasn’t sure if that’s the team’s plan, but said being tagged wouldn’t be the worst thing (Twitter link via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald). “The franchise tag is player-friendly now,” McCourty said (Twitter link via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com). “It’s a good number.”
After some confusion about his contract status, Lions defensive end George Johnson is being considered a restricted free agent by both the NFL and NFLPA, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). As such, there’s a very good chance Johnson returns to Detroit.
Appearing on PFT Live today, veteran safety Mike Adams said he’d like to retire as a Colt (Twitter link). Adams, who is eligible for free agency, turns 34 next month, so there’s a chance his next contract will be his last.
As we heard this morning, the Dolphins are working to get a deal done with tight end Charles Clay. If he remains unsigned when the free agent period arrives though, Clay’s market will be “very strong,” tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few clubs to watch in free agency, identifying the Falcons, Buccaneers, Raiders, Jaguars, and Bills as the teams poised to spend big.

Dolphins Rumors: Clay, Odrick, Harris, WRs

February 25th, 2015 at 7:52am CST by Luke Adams

Barry Jackson’s Wednesday Buzz column for the Miami Herald is chock full of notable Dolphins-related tidbits, so let’s dive right in and see what kind of free agent rumors Jackson has for us today….

Negotiations between the Dolphins and tight end Charles Clay are active and the team is cautiously optimistic that something will get done. There’s no certainty at this point, but Miami would like to keep its Clay/Dion Sims TE duo intact.
The Dolphins intend to make an offer to free-agent-to-be Jared Odrick, and have told him as much. However, the team has confided in people that the defensive tackle may command more than what the club is willing to pay — a contract worth $7MM+ per year isn’t out of reach for Odrick.
Miami wants to add a starting linebacker, and David Harris of the Jets figures to be a prime target. New Dolphins president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum drafted Harris back in 2007 when he was the Jets’ general manager. If Harris ultimately ends up out of the Dolphins’ price range, Mason Foster of the Buccaneers may be Plan B, per Jackson.
The Dolphins would like to re-sign prospective free agent defensive backs Louis Delmas and Jimmy Wilson, as well as tackle Jason Fox.
While the fate of specific players like Mike Wallace and Brian Hartline still hasn’t been made clear, the Dolphins have told people that there will be some turnover at the wide receiver position, according to Jackson.
Although Miami would like to bring back Samson Satele, he will likely find a better opportunity elsewhere now that the club is moving Mike Pouncey back to center.

East Notes: Clay, Reynolds, Jets, Dolphins

February 23rd, 2015 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

We led off our morning round-up of free agent rumors with a note on Charles Clay, passing along a report that suggested the veteran tight end is still very much a part of the Dolphins‘ plans. However, if Miami does want to re-sign Clay, he won’t come cheap. A league source tells Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald that the market for Clay is expected to be about $6MM+ annually.

While that may seem like a steep price for a player coming off a fairly modest season (605 receiving yards, three touchdowns), a $6MM annual salary would put Clay right in between Greg Olsen and Dennis Pitta, who are solid players but certainly not start tight ends. As Over The Cap’s data shows, Marcedes Lewis, Jared Cook, Antonio Gates, and Kyle Rudolph are among the players whose annual salaries range from $6.8-7.3MM, a notch above where Clay is expected to land.

Here are a few more items out of the NFL’s two East divisions:

The contract signed by offensive lineman Dallas Reynolds with the Giants last week includes $25K in guaranteed money, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com rounds up some notes from the scouting combine, with a focus on the Jets. Cimini leads off his report by suggesting that the Jets don’t seem to be in quarterback-or-bust mode for the draft, and that the team isn’t necessarily a lock to select Marcus Mariota if he falls to No. 6.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk clarifies some points from a weekend article on Dez Bryant, suggesting that all players who – not just the Cowboys receiver – should take certain steps to regain leverage if they receive a franchise or transition tag from their respective teams.
While Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald agrees that the Dolphins should consider off-field actions when deciding which players to add to their roster, he expresses some concern that the team’s criteria may be too strict — in Salguero’s words, Miami seems to be taking “extra steps” to ensure that the players on the squad “fall in line.”