Christian Ponder - Pro Football Rumors

Contract Details: Revis, Cromartie, Spiller

March 18th, 2015 at 4:42pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few notable details from some of the contracts signed by free agents within the last several days:

AFC deals:

Darrelle Revis, CB (Jets): Five years, $70MM base value. $39MM fully guaranteed. Options for 2018 and 2019 (Twitter links via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Antonio Cromartie, CB (Jets): Four years, $32MM base value. Can be worth up to $35MM (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
Marcus Gilchrist, S (Jets): Four years, $22MM base value. $3.5MM fully guaranteed. $3.125MM cap number in 2015 (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com).
Tramon Williams, CB (Browns): Three years, $21MM base value. $10MM fully guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $2MM roster bonus due this month (Twitter links via Wilson).
Scott Chandler, TE (Patriots): Two years, $5.3MM base value. $2MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald).
Christian Ponder, QB (Raiders): One year, $2.25MM base value. $1.5MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Bill Williamson of ESPN.com).

NFC deals:

C.J. Spiller, RB (Saints): Four years, $16MM. $7.3MM fully guaranteed. $2MM available in escalators. Voids after three years if Spiller makes it to two Pro Bowls (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
Rashean Mathis, CB (Lions): Two years, $3.5MM base value. $750K signing bonus (Twitter links via Wilson).
Chykie Brown, S (Giants): Two years, $1.8MM base value. $200K signing bonus (Twitter link via Wilson).
Tyrunn Walker, DT (Lions): One year, $1.75MM base value. $550K signing bonus (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).

Raiders To Sign Christian Ponder

March 13th, 2015 at 3:45pm CST by Luke Adams

3:45pm: With the Ponder deal set to be finalized, the Raiders are expected to cut Schaub unless a team is willing to give up a draft pick for him, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Bill Williamson of ESPN.com adds (via Twitter) that he wouldn’t be surprised if McGloin is eventually cut as well.

3:24pm: The Raiders are expected to sign Ponder to a one-year deal, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

2:48pm: Former Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder became an unrestricted free agent for the first time this week, and his first visit will be to Oakland to meet with the Raiders, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Bill Musgrave, who worked with Ponder in Minnesota for multiple seasons, was hired back in January as the Raiders’ new offensive coordinator

Ponder, who turned 27 last month, started 36 games during his four years with the Vikings, though he was essentially the team’s No. 3 signal-caller in 2014, behind Teddy Bridgewater and Matt Cassel on the depth chart. With a career 59.8% completion rate and 75.9 passer rating, Ponder likely isn’t being considered for any starting roles or even QB competitions this offseason, but he’s a former 12th overall pick and could still be a solid backup.

Derek Carr is set to enter the 2015 season as the Raiders’ starter, but the backup situation in Oakland is uncertain, particularly with a new coaching staff in place. Matt Schaub remains under contract, but the team could clear his entire $5.5MM cap hit from its books by cutting him. Matt McGloin is also under contract.

NFC Notes: Melton, Falcons, Clark, McManis

December 29th, 2014 at 2:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Ndamukong Suh‘s one-game suspension is the bigger story, but the Lions may not be the only team in this weekend’s Wild Card showdown with the Cowboys that’s missing a key defensive tackle. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com first reported (via Twitter), Cowboys lineman Henry Melton sustained a leg injury that could sideline him for the postseason. Melton’s agent, Jordan Woy, confirmed to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link) that his client suffered a bone bruise on his knee, and the timeline for his return appears to be a matter of weeks rather than days.

Here’s more from around the NFC on a busy Monday:

In addition to requesting permission to speak to Dan Quinn and Adam Gase about their head coaching vacancy, as we’d previously learned, the Falcons have also asked for interviews with Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). Both coaches have Wild Card games coming up, so they aren’t allowed to interview for head coaching jobs this week.
Speaking to reporters today, including Jeff Darlington of NFL.com (Twitter link), Washington head coach Jay Gruden said he’ll recommend to owner Daniel Snyder and GM Bruce Allen that the club should retain defensive coordinator Jim Haslett.
Washington‘s Ryan Clark has yet to decide whether he’ll continue his playing career, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post, who tweets that the veteran safety is expected to make his decision within the next couple days. Dianna Marie Russini of NBC4 believes Clark will call it a career, tweeting that the safety will simply sign the necessary papers rather than making a big announcement.
According to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter), the Bears made an attempt last week to lock up cornerback Sherrick McManis to a two-year contract extension, but the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement.
The Buccaneers will be on the lookout for an offensive coordinator in the coming days and weeks, and head coach Lovie Smith says he wants to “talk to as many people as I possibly can,” according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link).
Vikings quarterback Christian Ponder, who is eligible for free agency this winter, said today that he’ll start researching potential landing spots later in the week, tweets Darren Wolfson of ESPN 1500 Twin Cities.

Vikings Notes: Berger, Johnson, Ponder, FAs

December 27th, 2014 at 9:37pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have at least a dozen potential free agents on their roster at the moment, though not all of those players will have the opportunity to reach the open market. Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press spoke to several of those potential free-agents-to-be about their futures, so we’ll round up the notable comments right here:

Offensive lineman Joe Berger had been considering retirement, but may elect to continue his career after receiving plenty of playing time in the second half this season. “I’ve had fun playing and it’s been great the last eight, nine weeks, so I don’t know that [retirement] is what I’d want to do yet,” Berger said, adding that if he returns for an 11th season, he’d like to stay in Minnesota.
While Berger would be fine with another one-year contract, that’s not the case for defensive tackle Tom Johnson. “I’m trying to get more than a year deal somewhere,” Johnson said. “I want to go somewhere where I can pretty much end my career at. I got a couple of more years left in these legs.”
As Tomasson points out, Johnson may be the Vikings’ most sought-after free agent, but quarterback Christian Ponder will be the club’s biggest name available. Asked about what he’ll be looking for if he hits the open market, Ponder indicated that his top priority would be potential playing time. “Whether it’s (being with) a guy who is older and will be out of the league soon or a questionable quarterback situation where I can go in and compete,” Ponder said.
Linebacker Jasper Brinkley says he “definitely” wants to re-sign with the Vikings.
Of Minnesota’s two free agents, running back Matt Asiata is very likely to return, while tackle Mike Harris has a chance to be back, according to Tomasson.

Vikings Links: Ponder, Greenway, Wilson

December 26th, 2014 at 9:53pm CST by Zachary Links

With a win over the Bears on Sunday, the Vikings can finish with a 7-9 record — given the Adrian Peterson incident, and the presence of both a rookie quarterback and rookie head coach, such a conclusion would certainly be a positive sign for the future. Let’s look at a few notes regarding even more changes that could occur in Minnesota during the offseason…

Too much baggage makes it highly unlikely Christian Ponder and the Vikings will renew vows during the offseason, even though the team’s other veteran quarterback, Matt Cassel, could be prowling for another starting job elsewhere. Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press sat down with the former first-round pick to discuss his time in Minnesota. Ponder says that his No. 1 priority in free agency will be looking for playing time.
The longest-tenured Viking on the roster, linebacker Chad Greenway has been in Minnesota since being selected in the first round of the 2006 draft. However, he isn’t sure he’ll be back with the team in 2015. “I guess we’ll find out,” Greenway told Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune (Twitter link). “I don’t have the answer there.” Greenway, who accepted a $1MM pay cut earlier this year, is set to count $8.8MM against the Vikes’ cap in 2015.
Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson left the Steelers after being considered for the offensive coordinator job with the Ravens, but after a good season making due without Adrian Peterson, he may be up for another offensive coordinator job soon, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Eagles, Bridgewater, Panthers

September 28th, 2014 at 9:13pm CST by Rob DiRe

Despite scoring 21 points in a loss to the 49ers, the Eagles offense was shut out during the game. They scored on a blocked punt, and interception return, and a punt return. When speaking after the game, head coach Chip Kelly was very critical of the team’s ability to run the football and block along the offensive line, writes Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Dailey News (via Twitter). “We got lumped up front,” said Kelly. “They created pressure with three and four rushers. [We] tried to put in quarterback’s hands.”

The Eagles could not run the ball, and Kelly attributes that to the troubles along the offensive line, writes Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). “We’re not very good up front right now,” said Kelly.

The team is without starting offensive linemen Jason Kelce and Evan Mathis due to injury, and Lane Johnson is set to return to game action next weekend after serving a four-game suspension. They also lost left tackle Jason Peters for portions of the past two games, last week to an ejection and today due to injury.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC:

Vikings‘ quarterback Teddy Bridgewater was brilliant in his first NFL start, but he left the game late in the fourth quarter with an ankle injury. X-rays came out negative, and he will undergo an MRI tomorrow. The question is whether or not he will be ready to play this Thursday against Green Bay, and head coach Mike Zimmer is optimistic on his quarterback’s chances. “I assume he’s going to play,” said Zimmer. “Teddy’s pretty dang tough.”
After Bridgewater left with the injury, the Vikings turned to former first-round pick Christian Ponder once again. Ponder was prepared to be back in the starting lineup, but has come to terms with the team’s commitment to Bridgewater.“Football is a crazy game and injuries unfortunately always happen. I’ve got to be prepared, God forbid something happens to Teddy. It’s Teddy’s team,” Ponder said. “Teddy, he was the first-round pick this past year and that’s the direction they’re heading. For me, I’m going to prepare to play if something happens, but I’m here to support Teddy and help him any way I can.”
The Panthers‘ running game has struggled this season with injuries to Mike Tolbert and Jonathan Stewart, in addition to a limited Cam Newton. It only got worse today, and DeAngelo Williams left the game early and was not able to return, writes Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer. The team had to play two undrafted free agents in the backfield, and will have trouble finding replacements if those injuries persist all season.

NFC Notes: Redskins, Lions, 49ers, Boykin

September 9th, 2014 at 3:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Following Jordan Reed‘s injury on Sunday, the Redskins auditioned a few tight ends today, including Michael Higgins, Kevin Brock, and Tony Scheffler, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. Scheffler is the most interesting name in the group — the last we heard from him, he was announcing his retirement after sustaining three concussions in the last four years. Apparently he hasn’t decided to move entirely away from the NFL quite yet though.

The Lions were already on the lookout for secondary help, having worked out Champ Bailey and other veteran defensive backs last week. Now, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, the team will have to deal with a season-ending ACL injury for cornerback Bill Bentley, meaning some sort of roster addition appears likely.
Having recently rejoined the 49ers, special-teams ace Kassim Osgood tells Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link) that he hopes to play in the NFL at least another three years — that would give him 15 total seasons in the league, at age 37.
49ers CEO Jed York reiterated today that he and head coach Jim Harbaugh will sit down and discuss Harbaugh’s contract, which runs through next year, at the end of the 2014 season, tweets Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee.
In a look at Brandon Boykin, who is playing the nickel role in Philadelphia, Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com examines the cornerback’s contract situation. Boykin is eligible for a new deal at year’s end, and McManus points out that it will be interesting to see if the 24-year-old is content with re-signing in the same role with the Eagles or wants the opportunity to be a starting outside corner elsewhere.
Michael Rand of the Star Tribune thinks it makes sense for the Rams to work out a trade with the Vikings for Christian Ponder.

“No Chance” Of Mark Sanchez To The Rams

August 24th, 2014 at 6:10pm CST by Rob DiRe

With Sam Bradford out for the season with a torn ACL, the Rams will have to turn to backup quarterback Shaun Hill to lead them through the season in a brutal NFC West.

Other options have been open, including Eagles’ backup quarterback Mark Sanchez. Sanchez spent three years under the tutelage of Rams’ offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer during their time with the Jets, with the duo advancing to two AFC Championship games in three seasons.

Despite the obvious connection, Tom Pelissero of USA Today is told there is “no chance” of Sanchez being moved to the Rams this season. Sanchez has a chance at a fresh start under Chip Kelly’s offense, and is no interested in grabbing a starting job on a Rams team expected to finish last in their division (via Twitter).

Head coach Jeff Fisher is adamant that the team is content going forward with Shaun Hill, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). “Shaun (Hill) is our guy,” said Fisher. “We have around our QB position as much talent as we’ve had since we’ve been here.”

Fisher did respond to the rumors that the team would look outside the organization to find help at quarterback, as reported on the teams official Twitter page. “That’s not true. It doesn’t mean to say that we won’t, but we haven’t done it to this point.”

Fisher and his staff will eventually evaluate the quarterback market to gauge who is available, reports Rapoport (via Twitter). However, Rapoport also notes that the team had the option to sign Sanchez in the offseason, and elected to go after Shaun Hill instead (via Twitter).

Another big name backup, Christian Ponder, was not called when Bradford went down last year, and Pellissero would be surprised if anything had changed that would make the Rams interested this time around (via Twitter).

According to our Pro Football Rumors readers, Redskins’ Kirk Cousins is still the best quarterback by trade.

Vikings Notes: Ponder, Turner, Greenway

August 20th, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Rob DiRe

While Christian Ponder is reportedly open to a trade, he has not asked the Vikings’ management or coaching staff for one, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter).

Ponder was in the running to be the team’s starter earlier this offseason, sharing first-team reps, writes Chris Wesseling of NFL.com. More recently, he has been relegated to the third string as Matt Cassel and first-round pick Teddy Bridgewater continue to compete for the starting spot.

While he would like a chance to start, he is saying the right things as he has accepted his current role with the team, according to Tomasson.

“I’m learning so much right now. I do feel like it’s beneficial for me to be right here right now,” said Ponder. “As a competitor, though, you want to be the guy that’s out there playing. But I do feel like in the situation I’m in right now, I am getting better though I’m not playing.”

Here are some other notes from around Vikings organization:

Ponder may no longer be in contention in Minnesota, but the team has yet to announce an official depth chart at quarterback. However, offensive coordinator Norv Turner may have revealed a bit about his selection process, writes Jim Souhan of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Cassel will start the season opener, and will remain the start if he is healthy and performing well. Bridgewater will be inserted into the lineup only when he is ready. “I know Teddy’s getting himself ready to play,” said Turner. “And he’s got to be ready to play, because this league is tough on quarterbacks. You can be in there real fast.’’
New head coach Mike Zimmer is enjoying his new chess pieces on defense, trying to balance his versatile players while installing his fundamental system, writes Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. “It’s a little bit of, ‘What can the guy do and still be effective?'” Zimmer said. “Once I feel like we have the fundamentals down and the techniques down, then you can worry about tricking somebody else or disguising. You don’t always have guys like Everson Griffen, Anthony Barr, Brian Robison that can do a number of different things. Those three guys can stand up and drop, play outside linebacker and rush.”
Linebacker Chad Greenway missed practice with a wrist injury, allowing second-year player Michael Mauti to get some extra reps, writes Matt Vensel of the Minnesota Star-Tribune. Mauti is still on the bubble, but a strong performance in Greenway’s absence could go a long way to help him make the team.
While Mauti fights to make the team, and Zimmer tries to find ways to use his other defensive players, the Vikings are still looking for a third linebacker to step up and take the middle linebacker spot, writes Derek Wetmore of 1500ESPN.com. Jasper Brinkley and Audie Cole are fighting to earn that spot. “Jasper seems to be a little bit more communicative and Audie seems to have a little more range. As far as the running game they’re very close and the passing game they’re similar,” Zimmer said. “You have to look at all the different things: how it affects the rest of the guys on the team; you have to look at their blitz ability; their communication on different formations that you get. There’s so many variables with that position that goes into it that you just kind of overall look at it.”
Griffen is not letting any of the scheme and roster uncertainty get in the way of the basics, writes Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. After signing a huge contract to remain with the team, he knows the basic philosophy of the defense will be to get after the football. “We’re going to be in attack mode and we’re going to be able to play,” Griffen said. “Just go out there and have fun. Football’s fun.”

NFC North Links: Lions, Ponder, Packers

August 20th, 2014 at 1:37pm CST by Luke Adams

Roster construction is a collaborative effort in Detroit, but head coach Jim Caldwell acknowledges that general manager Martin Mayhew will have the final say on the 53 players the Lions carry into the regular season, as he tells Justin Rogers of MLive.com. If Caldwell were making the final decisions, he’d like favor production over potential, for one obvious reason.

“I’m in the business of winning games and winning games now,” Caldwell said. “So the most important thing to me is getting guys who can be in a position to help us win right now. There are other, businesses (and) positions within the organization that may look at it differently, but we have to look at it as coaches. We’re looking for the best guy to help us win, at this particular moment in time, and that’s what counts for us.”

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

Although Christian Ponder has made comments indicating he’d be open to a trade, he clarified today that he’s not asking to be dealt by the Vikings. “As a competitor you want to be the guy out there playing,” Ponder said. “But I do feel like in the situation I’m in right now, I am getting better” (Twitter links via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).
Colt Lyerla was waived-injured by the Packers yesterday after tearing his MCL and PCL, but agent Vinnie Porter gets the sense that the team still has his client in its plans, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Assuming Lyerla clears waivers, he could spent the year on injured reserve and continue on with Green Bay next season.
In a separate piece for the Journal Sentinel, Dunne explores whether or not there’s still room on the Packers for former first-round pick Nick Perry. The linebacker’s roster spot probably isn’t in jeopardy, but 2014 could be a make-or-break season for him.
By signing Julius Peppers and having him make the transition from a 4-3 defensive end to a 3-4 outside linebacker, the Packers are hoping the ex-Bear has a career renaissance similar to the one experienced by Charles Woodson when Woodson joined the Packers and began to play positions besides just cornerback. Andy Benoit of TheMMQB.com has the story.