HEADLINES

Charles Woodson

AFC Mailbags: Dolphins, Ravens, Raiders, Chiefs

October 4th, 2014 at 12:50pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s NFC mailbags earlier today. Let’s take a look at notes from the AFC…

  • LaMichael James‘ best chances of making the Dolphins 53-man roster is via a role on special teams, according to James Walker.
  • The “slower-than-antcipated” development of Ravens linebacker Arthur Brown has resulted in him being labeled a disappointment, writes Jamison Hensley. However, the writer says that it’s too early to give up on the former second-rounder.
  • Bill Williamson can envision the Raiders giving Charles Woodson one more season if the cornerback wants to continue playing.
  • Adam Teicher says there’s a possibility the Chiefs could cut Dwayne Bowe after the season, but it’s far from a guarantee.
  • The Chiefs should be in no rush to extend linebacker Justin Houston, writes Teicher. The team has until March to reach an agreement, and Teicher notes that the Chiefs have leverage with their franchise tag.

West Notes: Tebow, Thomas, 49ers, Seahawks

June 2nd, 2014 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tim Tebow still has hopes of returning to the NFL someday, even as he continues his television work with the new SEC Network, writes Mike Organ of the Tennessean. Tebow, who lead the Broncos to the playoffs in 2012, spent one season with the Jets before attending training camp with the Patriots in 2013. “I’m training every day and feel like I’m the best that I’ve ever been,” said Tebow. “I still love it, love playing, talking about it, and I’m just excited about whatever the future holds. Who knows what could happen? But I’m excited about it, though.”

More notes from the West divisions:

  • Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas is looking at a huge payday, says Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Thomas, an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season, could be in line for a contract close to that of Larry Fitzgerald, who earns over $16MM annually and received $27MM in guarantees.
  • Raiders safety Charles Woodson might have retired had the Oakland not re-signed him in March, but that doesn’t mean that 2014 will be the veteran’s final NFL season, tweets ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez. Woodson, 37, graded out as the league’s 28th-best safety in 2014 per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), excelling more in coverage than in run defense.
  • Sio Moore will likely play more weak-side linebacker for the Raiders next season, says Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). Moore spent most of 2013 on the strong side, but Oakland’s first-round pick, Khalil Mack, will move into the SAM position.
  • Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary, already recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, recently underwent hip surgery, leaving his training camp availability in question, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
  • The 49ers, along with the Ravens and Packers, are masters of the compensatory pick system, and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com thinks that San Francisco could be in line for additional picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, citing the losses of Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown.
  • Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin had hip surgery today, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). While Condotta notes “there is not real prognosis yet,” Irvin himself chimes in on Twitter, saying that he will return by training camp.
  • Several lesser-known players are getting opportunities for the Seahawks, as defensive lineman Jordan Hill is receiving some playing time in nickel packages (filling the void left by Clinton McDonald), and rookie offensive lineman Justin Britt is manning right tackle while Michael Bowie deals with a minor injury, per Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times.

Contract Details: Vick, Campbell, Jenkins

March 25th, 2014 at 9:50am CST by Luke Adams

The one-year deal Michael Vick inked with the Jets is worth a guaranteed $4MM, including a $2MM signing bonus and $2MM guaranteed base salary, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The contract was originally reported as a $5MM pact, so perhaps there are incentives related to playing time or performance.

Here are several more contract details from around the NFL:

Raiders Re-Sign Charles Woodson

March 21st, 2014 at 1:06pm CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 1:06pm: The Charles have officially announced the signing of Woodson (Twitter link).

WEDNESDAY, 10:40pm: Charles Woodson has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Raiders, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN. Financial terms of the deal are not yet known.

Late last month, the veteran said that he would walk away from the game if he wasn’t paid appropriately.

“If the right numbers don’t come across, for myself and from the team’s standpoint, then it is a serious consideration at this point that I could have played my last season in the NFL,” Woodson said. “So that’s definitely something that I think about. I do plan on playing another year. Hopefully something can get done with the Raiders but if not then I’ve got to take a real hard look at this last year being the last one.”

Ultimately, the Raiders and the cornerback-turned-safety were able to hammer out a new contract. Woodson, 38 in October, earned $3.4MM with Oakland in 2013 when counting his incentives for performance and playing time. Woodson started all 16 games for the Raiders last season in the secondary and finished with 75 tackles, one interception, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.

West Notes: Woodson, Dawson, Tate, Schwartz

February 28th, 2014 at 10:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jaguars aren’t the only team that are getting the short end of the stick with the surprisingly high salary cap, as the Raiders now have a whopping $66.512MM in cap space according to OverTheCap.com. While the Raiders will get a little extra cap room, the new cap number mitigates the team’s advantage this offseason, writes Nick Gill of SportsMedia101.com. The extra cap room will allow the 31 other franchises more flexibility to re-sign their own free agents, so the Raiders will never be able to court them in the open market. It also will give other teams more money to compete with the Raiders for the free agents that do become available this offseason.

Here are some other notes from our two divisions out west:

  • One of the seemingly easy moves for the Raiders was thought to be re-signing Charles Woodson, but the contract talks have been rougher than expected, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. After receiving $3.3MM in salary and incentives in 2013, Woodson believes he has proven he is still a valuable NFL safety. While Woodson wants to play, he said he would consider retirement if the price was not right.
  • Staying in the bay area, the 49ers have seen a market unfold for signing kicker Phil Dawson, writes Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle. With Nick Folk being franchised and Graham Gano getting a long-term deal, both kickers will be making north of $3MM per season. Dawson has been better than both kickers over the past two seasons.
  • While the 49ers work on retaining their kicker, their rival Seahawks have cleared cap space and have opened up some space that could be used on receiver Golden Tate, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. “Hopefully, I can call Seattle home for a few more years,” said Tate. “But we’ll see. I know that coach (Pete) Carroll has expressed that he would like to have me on the team, and I have expressed that I would like to stay on this team because I see this team winning for a long time. But we will see. Only time will tell.’’
  • The Chiefs met with the representation of guard Geoff Schwartz during the scouting combine, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. The Chiefs are interested in retaining Schwartz, but Paylor writes that the two are not close to an agreement. Schwartz played in 14 games in 2013, filling in at both guard and tackle.

Extra Points: Woodson, Pouncey, Kaepernick

February 27th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent veteran Charles Woodson told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he might consider retirement if the Raiders or another club don’t offer him enough money, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).

“If the right numbers don’t come across, for myself and from the team’s standpoint, then it is a serious consideration at this point that I could have played my last season in the NFL,” Woodson said. “So that’s definitely something that I think about. I do plan on playing another year. Hopefully something can get done with the Raiders but if not then I’ve got to take a real hard look at this last year being the last one.”

Including playing-time bonuses, Woodson made $3.4MM last season with Oakland. More out of the AFC:

  • Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey told WMEN-640’s Orlando Alzugaray on Thursday that he’s committed to center Mike Pouncey, who was implicated in the Ted Wells report. “Pouncey is an excellent player,” Hickey said, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I’ve had good conversations with him in the last month. I’m excited about the future.”
  • Two sources tell Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the contract talks between the Bills and Jairus Byrd have been pleasant so far, a departure from last year at this time.
  • Sean Gilbert has a plan to get the players out of the current CBA and is making a case to head the union, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com gave his perspective on a possible extension for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Any way you slice it, there are going to be challenges for San Francisco.

Free Agent Rumors: Strief, Carroll, Woodson

February 24th, 2014 at 5:51pm CST by Ben Levine

The hot stove is slowly starting to heat up. Here are some rumors regarding free agents from around the league…

  • The Saints and offensive tackle Zach Strief have “mutual interest” on a signing a new deal, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says (via Twitter). The player’s agent says that initial conversations have been good.
  • The Dolphins have interest in bringing back cornerback Nolan Carroll and have met with his agent, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Confora. La Confora notes that Carroll will test the open market and see where the best offers are.
  • Charles Woodson is going to play in 2014 and the Raiders want him back, writes Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin. When asked about a reunion with the Packers, Woodson didn’t express much optimism.
  • Packers coach Mike McCarthy expressed interest in bringing back B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and his other free agent defenders, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. McCarthy also acknowledged that it “wasn’t realistic” to bring back all of the players.