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Daryl Washington

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Wilson, 49ers

June 2nd, 2015 at 7:55pm CST by Zachary Links

In a Q&A with Bob McManaman of The Arizona Republic, Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that he hasn’t given much thought to the idea of inside linebacker Daryl Washington returning to the team.

“I don’t lose one minute’s sleep or even think about it,” Arians said when asked about where he stands on Washington, who was suspended in 2014 for a drug policy violation and still faces a likely suspension for his domestic violence case. “Until he becomes a Cardinal again, it’s a waste of breath.”

If he is reinstated, however, Arians says that the players want him back in the locker room and he won’t get in the way of that. Here’s more from the NFC West..

  • Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson says he’s prepared to play this season without a new deal though he hopes to stay in Seattle for a long time, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. It’ll be interesting to see how recent deals for Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill and Panthers QB Cam Newton will affect Wilson’s talks with Seattle.
  • Fullback Bruce Miller is expected to rejoin the 49ers for their offseason program after pleading no contest Tuesday to misdemeanor disturbing the peace in connection with a March 5 argument with his former fiancée, Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. Miller, 27, must attend a 16-week domestic violence counseling course as part of his plea, and he is barred from contact with his ex-fiancee. He is expected to be sentenced in about six months, after he has completed the program.
  • Former 49ers and Bears defensive tackle Ray McDonald‘s former fiancee said in court records that McDonald repeatedly attacked her over several months, The Associated Press writes. In the document, the ex-fiancee wrote that McDonald began a pattern of “verbal abuse and controlling behavior” in February 2014 after the couple got engaged and that escalated into “full attacks.”

NFC Notes: Raji, Alonso, D. Washington

May 30th, 2015 at 3:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji missed all of last season with a torn bicep and then re-signed with the team on a one-year deal earlier this offseason, but Green Bay wasn’t his only suitor in free agency.

“I actually, ironically, had more interest this time around than last year,” said Raji, according to Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com. “I’m talking about as far as the contending teams. I had two, three playoff teams.”

One of those teams was the defending Super Bowl champion Patriots, per Wilde, but Raji simply couldn’t bring himself to leave Green Bay.

“I just wasn’t comfortable leaving this place in the shape that it was in, the perception about the defense, the perception of myself,” Raji said. “If I was going to leave this place, I wanted to be able to say, ‘Yeah, those guys really get it.’ I didn’t want to leave with questions. As a person, having a lot invested in this program, if it is ever time to leave, I want to leave on a good note.”

Here’s the latest on a couple of the Packers’ fellow NFC teams:

  • Eagles linebacker Kiko Alonso, whom the team acquired from Buffalo earlier this offseason, missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in July. There don’t seem to be any lingering effects from the injury, however, as the 24-year-old is ahead of schedule in his recovery, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. “I honestly didn’t think I’d be doing this much,” said Alonso, who participated in organized team activities this week without wearing a brace. “I’ve just been going on how I feel, and it’s feeling really good.”
  • Speaking of the Eagles’ defense, the team revamped its secondary in the offseason by signing Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, using a first-round pick on Eric Rowe, and parting ways with Cary Williams, Bradley Fletcher, and Nate Allen. Despite all the noteworthy additions and subtractions, safety Malcolm Jenkins believes the most important move Philadelphia made with respect to its secondary was replacing previous defensive backs coach John Lovett with Cory Undlin, who coached Denver’s DBs from 2013-14. “Adding Cory Undlin is really probably the biggest addition we had when you talk about upgrading that (defensive backs) room,” said Jenkins, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. The Lovett-led Eagles finished 2014 second last in the NFL in pass defense and toward the bottom of the league in interceptions.
  • The league suspended Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington for four games in 2013 and all of 2014 because of multiple substance-abuse violations, and he’s expected to miss time this year because of domestic-violence issues. Despite all that baggage, Washington’s teammates still want him back, head coach Bruce Arians told Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com. “If he’s reinstated by the league, I know this – our players want him back in the locker room. That’s fine by me,” said Arians.

West Notes: Raiders, Chargers, Cardinals

May 22nd, 2015 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Though Raiders owner Mark Davis said on Tuesday that he wants to keep his club in Oakland, a different scenario involving the team’s location has been floated in league circles, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). Per Rapoport, it’s possible that the Raiders could sign a one-year lease to remain in Oakland for the 2016 season, allow the Chargers and Rams situations time to play themselves out, and then be the only team left standing for a possible move to a different city the following year.

Such a delay tactic would allow the Raiders to discuss transitioning to a city like San Antonio or even St. Louis (in the event the Rams relocate), says Rapoport. Davis did indicate that there was no chance he’d move his team to Missouri, but the NFL.com scribe cautions (via Twitter) to not rule out such a move.

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

  • The Raiders aren’t the only AFC West club in a state of flux, as the Chargers have also been heavily linked to the Los Angeles area. But the team hasn’t been straight about its plans with the city of San Diego or Chargers fans, argues Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • Suspended Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington still isn’t sure of his status with the NFL, reports Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910. Washington, who hasn’t seen the field since 2013, still hasn’t been disciplined for a domestic violence incident, and all told, is expected to be handed a two- to six-game ban, per Jurecki.
  • More from Oakland, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap analyzes the Raiders in his latest piece for Sporting News, writing that the club is set up to spend heavily in free agency next offseason. Of course, cap space hasn’t been a problem for Oakland during the past few offseasons, but they’ve still had difficulty landing marquee free agents.

West Notes: D. Washington, 49ers, Raiders

April 10th, 2015 at 8:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Daryl Washington emerged as a standout linebacker with the Cardinals during the first four years of his career, racking up a pair of 100-tackle seasons, 18 sacks and a Pro Bowl invitation in 2012. However, the NFL suspended him four games in 2013 for violating its substance abuse policy. He then violated the same policy again and the league hit him with a much harsher penalty last May in the form of a year-plus suspension. That suspension caused Washington to miss all of the 2014 campaign. What’s more, the league hasn’t yet disciplined Washington for a domestic violence arrest last spring, when he pleaded guilty to assaulting the mother of his child.

Now, hoping to put his off-field issues in the past, Washington plans to apply for reinstatement to the league in the coming weeks, writes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. The 28-year-old’s status should be determined in the next two months, per Somers, who reports that the Cardinals are conducting business as if Washington won’t be with them in 2015. The Cardinals paid Washington a $10MM roster bonus last year to keep him around, with half of that prorated total being sent to the defender in February 2014. Washington, whose $8MM per season makes him the league’s sixth-highest-paid ILB, has $15MM worth of dead money remaining on a contract that runs through the 2017 campaign.

Here’s more from the league’s two West-based divisions:

  • Despite the departure of longtime 49er and eight-time 1,000-yard rusher Frank Gore, quarterback Colin Kaepernick is confident the team’s running game will be fine going forward. “We have Kendall (Hunter) coming back, who a lot of people forget about,” Kaepernick said, per Cam Inman of the Mercury News. “Carlos (Hyde) had a great rookie year for us, and we’ll probably be using him a lot more this year. We’ve brought Reggie (Bush) in, who’s another great weapon on offense.” Kaepernick is also a fan of newly signed Jarryd Hayne, a former Australian league ruby star who could make an impact in San Francisco’s backfield. “A phenomenal athlete, just a natural,” the QB said. “ It doesn’t seem like there’s much of a learning curve for him.”
  • Raiders linebacker Sio Moore is on track to return for training camp, writes ESPN’s Bill Williamson. Moore, who is recovering from hip surgery, played 11 games in 2014 and totaled 90 tackles and three sacks as a second-year man.
  • The Raiders will meet with South Florida wide receiver Breshad Perriman and Miles College cornerback Travis Lee before the draft, Williamson reports. Perriman is someone Oakland could have an eye on in the second round, with the 35th overall pick.

Sam Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: D. Washington, Eagles, Cowboys

March 22nd, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the latest from the NFC…

  • Speaking to Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910, suspended Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington said he’s completed anger management and domestic violence classes, and has passed every drug test (link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic). Washington was suspended last May for at least one year, and also was involved in a assault incident, for which he received probation. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said last month that he doesn’t even consider the 28-year-old Washington a part of the team.
  • Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has let DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin go in consecutive offseasons, and part of the reason for their departure may be that Kelly finds “hidden value” in receivers, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Route-running (even on plays where the player is not the primary receiver) and blocking are among the attributes that Kelly looks for, and he believes that Riley Cooper and Jordan Matthews are more than capable in those areas.
  • Veteran defender Anthony Spencer probably won’t return to the Cowboys, opines Todd Archer of ESPN.com. After adding Greg Hardy last week, Dallas appears set at defensive end, so there’s not an obvious need for Spencer on the roster.
  • Washington‘s offseason additions have been praised this year, writes John Keim of ESPN.com, and that wasn’t the case a year ago. Keim takes a look back at the club’s signings from 2014, most of which didn’t pan out.

Combine Pressers: Cards, Browns, Seahawks

February 19th, 2015 at 10:29am CST by Luke Adams

The media availability portion of the NFL’s 2015 scouting combine rolls on today, with press conferences for 20 head coaches and general managers on today’s schedule. Here’s a recap of the noteworthy comments made during a few of this morning’s early pressers, with all links pointed toward the Twitter accounts of reporters in attendance:

Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians:

  • Asked about suspended linebacker Daryl Washington, Arians indicated that he doesn’t consider Washington a part of the team until he’s reinstated by the league. “I don’t even think about him,” the head coach said.
  • The Cardinals would like to re-sign Antonio Cromartie, but the team expects the cornerback to reach the open market, according to Arians. That wouldn’t necessarily preclude a return to Arizona, but it sounds like a reasonable bet that Cromartie will land elsewhere.
  • In Arians’ view, defensive speed is one area the Cardinals need to improve, especially at linebacker.
  • The Cardinals are happy with their current offensive tackles, but Arians acknowledged that the interior line positions could use some work — he hopes to have some competition at those spots this year.

Browns general manager Ray Farmer:

  • Before taking questions, Farmer admitted his role in the ‘Textgate’ controversy surrounding the Browns, apologizing to the organization and to fans for the incident.
  • The GM admitted that he and the Browns understood the red flags on Johnny Manziel prior to the 2014 draft, and take responsibility for selecting him in spite of those warning signs.
  • Echoing what head coach Mike Pettine said yesterday, Farmer indicated that “every option is on the table” for the Browns as they try to find a long-term solution at quarterback. That includes free agency, the draft, and even potential trades.
  • Farmer also didn’t rule out the possibility of trading up in the draft for a signal-caller, adding that he has done a cost-benefit analysis on such a move.

Seahawks general manager John Schneider:

NFC West Notes: Cardinals, Fitzgerald, Martz

January 29th, 2015 at 7:47pm CST by Zachary Links

The Cardinals will hope to have suspended linebacker Daryl Washington in action for 2015 but they’ll plan for the worst, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com writes. “He’ll be facing the issue with the domestic violence and there has been no determination of what happens there,” president Michael Bidwill said. “He was only suspended for the drug issue, so we want to make sure we understand what that (other punishment) is. Last year, we learned about his suspension after free agency. This year we are going to plan to make sure we address all the issues not knowing whether Daryl will be back for part of next season or all of next season. ‘Next man up’ is real but we have to make sure we’ve gone into free agency and addressed that situation.” More from the NFC West..

  • Bidwill went on to express confidence that Larry Fitzgerald will be back with the team in 2015. “Larry and I have met about it, just he and I talking about it, and I know he’s interested in getting something resolved,” Bidwill said, according to Urban. “After the playoff game, he got away, left the country. He’s back now, it’s a busy week this week and we’ll start working on this next week. I think we’ll get this all worked out. He’s such a great person and a great player, he’s got many years left and I want to see him retire as an Arizona Cardinal. I want to see us move past getting this contract resolved and move forward.“
  • Fitzgerald says he wants to retire a member of the Cardinals, but today he told Kim Covington of 12 News he could envision himself playing for another team next year. Fitzgerald told Kim he has met with Bidwell, but he understands football is a business and that may mean his time with the Cardinals may be over.
  • The Rams are having some trouble finding an offensive coordinator and Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch suggests a familiar name: former head coach Mike Martz. Martz, of course, was one of the most creative, innovative, daring, forward-thinking offensive minds in the modern era. Since Martz left the building in 2005 with a serious health issue, the Rams have averaged 17.8 points per game, which ranks 30th among 32 teams.
  • Even if the Seahawks prevail Sunday in Super Bowl 49, there may be hope for their NFC West division rivals, Miklasz writes. Quarterback Russell Wilson is about to get paid, and Seattle will lose a major competitive advantage when they lose his dirt cheap contract. Wilson make just $817K in 2014, less than backup Tarvaris Jackson.
  • The Cardinals had interest in Mike Smith as a senior defensive assistant but things didn’t work out, sources tell Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The former Falcons head coach has been linked to other coaching opportunities around the NFL, including the Raiders’ defensive coordinator vacancy.

Cardinals Notes: QB, Dockett, Bowles

January 4th, 2015 at 6:58pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Cardinals’ season is over after losing to the Panthers on Saturday, but the team has a number of decisions to make with their roster as they approach a critical offseason. The team’s front office will have to make a more than a few of choices on personnel, with a number of players’ statuses uncertain for 2015.

Receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive lineman Darnell Dockett both have high cap numbers going into next year and could be asked to take pay cuts to stay with the team, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. The team will also have the opportunity to bring back or move on from free agents Antonio Cromartie, Larry Foote, Tommy Kelly, and Sam Acho.

One of the biggest mysteries will be how the team treats inside linebacker Daryl Washington. Washington could be reinstated from suspension in May but could face a separate suspension for an assault conviction upon his return.

  • Poor quarterback play ruined the Cardinals’ year after losing both starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton for the season. The team was forced to roll with Ryan Lindley down the stretch. Head coach Bruce Arians does not believe the team will be able to bring in another veteran signal caller in the offseason, citing the move as too expensive, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN (via Twitter).
  • An important part of the defense that is expected to return is Dockett, writes Weinfuss (via Twitter). Bob McNaman of the Arizona Republic also writes the team plans on bringing Dockett back, despite a cap hit of close to $9MM next season (via Twitter).
  • Coach Arians stated that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been requested for interviews with multiple organizations, and he expects his assistant coach to pursue openings in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
  • Arians was extremely complimentary of Bowles, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). “He’s a great teacher, great communicator and players love him,” said Arians. “Very bright guy. He’s soft spoken but a very good motivator and he can get on their asses as good as anybody.”
  • Arians also noted that he does not expect to make any other coaching changes this offseason, other than Bowles, according to Weinfuss (via Twitter).

Sunday Roundup: Fitz, Polamalu, Suh

January 4th, 2015 at 12:34pm CST by Rory Parks

As soon as Larry Fitzgerald‘s 2014 season ended with an unceremonious whimper yesterday, talk regarding his cloudy future with the Cardinals began anew. Our Luke Adams wrote that Arizona is unlikely to cut Fitzgerald, but they could trade him or ask to him to restructure his contract. Although Carson Palmer recently signed a three-year extension with the club, Fitzgerald, who of course would like to add a Super Bowl ring to his Hall-of-Fame resume, will have to consider if his odds of winning it all might not be greater somewhere else before he accepts such a restructure or pay cut (which was deemed unlikely last week).

We noted earlier this morning that the Patriots will once again emerge as a logical landing spot for Fitzgerald. Tom Brady would offer him the caliber of quarterback that he has rarely enjoyed in his career, and New England is seemingly always on the lookout for upgrades at the wide receiver position.

Any decision on Fitzgerald, of course, will likely have to be made before March, when he is owed an $8MM roster bonus. For his part, Fitzgerald says he has not thought about his 2015 destination just yet. “The taste of defeat is the only thing I can think about right now,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s all that’s on my mind. It’s been a great season competing with these fellas and this coaching staff.”

Now for some links from around the league as Day 2 of Wildcard Weekend gets underway.

  • Steelers safety Troy Polamalu says it is fair to wonder if he has played his last game, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review adds (via Twitter) that there is virtually no chance Polamalu returns next season.
  • Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ponders the futures of several other Steelers veterans, including Ike Taylor and James Harrison.
  • Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweets that the Lions hope Ndamukong Suh will test his value on the free agent market and ultimately return to Detroit.
  • Suh may have a number of suitors, and although Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com notes that Washington will have some salary cap room to work with in free agency, Suh should not be one of the team’s targets.
  • Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com writes that the recent front office “shake-up” in the Eagles organization, which ostensibly gave head coach Chip Kelly full control over the team’s roster, does not really present much of a change. After all, as Kulp says, “[W]hat moves have the Eagles made in the two years since Kelly’s arrival that didn’t have his fingerprints all over them?”
  • Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the 49ers‘ lack of a consistent approach to their head coaching search makes their hiring process just as difficult to understand as the decision to cut ties with Jim Harbaugh.
  • Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star lays out the difficult decisions the Chiefs have to make this offseason, including what to do with Dwayne Bowe and Tamba Hali, the release of whom could give the team some much-needed cap space.
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said that suspended linebacker Daryl Washington has “protocols” to pass before he can be reinstated, and Arians, team president Michael Bidwill, and GM Steve Keim will “sit down and talk about” Washington’s future (Twitter links from Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com).
  • Arians also stated that he believes Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas has a great future, which is one of the reasons Arians chose not to play him down the stretch and into the playoffs; he did not want to put Thomas through “growing pains” (Twitter link to Urban).
  • In yet another tweet, Urban reports that Cardinals wideout Jaron Brown fractured his scapula in yesterday’s loss to Carolina and is expected to be out four to six months.

Joel Corry On Worst Salary Cap Situations

December 25th, 2014 at 10:18am CST by Rob DiRe

On Christmas Eve, Joel Corry of CBS Sports took a look at a few NFL teams who have the worst salary cap situations going into 2015. He picked out the five organizations stuck deepest in salary cap hell:

  1. New Orleans Saints – $23.07MM over the cap
  2. Arizona Cardinals – $6.44MM
  3. Pittsburgh Steelers – $2.901MM
  4. New England Patriots – $1.945MM
  5. San Francisco 49ers – $928,000

Here are some of the highlights of actions Corry suggests that would help them get under the cap in order to have a successful offseason:

Saints

  • Pass rusher Junior Galette could see his contract restructured to open up $10MM, despite signing the extension this past offseason.
  • Another contract doled off last offseason that can be restructured is of prized free agent Jairus Byrd, which could open up $5.6MM in cap space.
  • A third contract from last offseason that can be restructured is that of tight end Jimmy Graham. That move could save $4.77MM in cap space.
  • Both of their Pro Bowl guards are suddenly highly paid luxuries as they have seen their performance drop, and Jahri Evans and Ben Grubbs are candidates for release. If cut, they will free up $6.6MM and $3.6MM, respectively.
  • Veteran receiver Marques Colston holds a $9.7MM cap number, and has seen a sharp decline in his play. It will be a tougher cut, but is a candidate to be released.
  • The team could restructure Drew Brees‘ contract again, although they will only push their cap problems into the future in exchange for immediate relief.
  • Releasing linebacker David Hawthorne will free up $2.99MM in cap space if he is released before his $2.5MM roster bonus on the third day of the 2015 league year.

Cardinals

Steelers

Patriots

  • The obvious move for the Patriots would be signing Darrelle Revis to a long-term deal, which would create substantial cap space. The team is unlikely to keep him in 2015 at his current number. They will open $20MM in cap space if they do not keep him on the roster.
  • The Patriots could open up $4MM in cap space by restructuring Tom Brady‘s contract.
  • The team will likely ask linebacker Jerod Mayo to take a pay cut, or they may release him. Corry writes that his $4.5MM injury guarantee will be the only thing that potentially saves him from being released.
  • Danny Amendola will be expendable, and cutting him will free up $2.1MM in cap room or $4.5MM if he is designated a post June 1st cut.
  • Vince Wilfork could also become a cap casualty, as the team will have to decide whether to guarantee his contract for 2015 and 2016. Releasing him will free up $7.566MM in cap room.
  • The team could also recoup some money from Aaron Hernandez‘ signing bonus if the grievance ruling comes back favorable for the Patriots.

49ers

  • The 49ers could restructure Colin Kaepernick‘s contract to lower his 2015 cap number.
  • Linebacker Ahmad Brooks may be released, freeing up a little over $4MM in cap room.
  • Another staple of the team, Vernon Davis, could be released as performance has dropped. The team would gain $4.95MM from releasing him.
  • If Aldon Smith‘s off-field troubles are too much for the 49ers, the team could decline his 2015 option and pick up $9.754MM in cap space.
  • The team could pass on re-signing Michael Crabtree, and will likely cut Stevie Johnson and save just over $6MM unless they lose Crabtree and replace him with Johnson.
  • The team will most likely not seek to bring Frank Gore back to the team, unless it is at an extremely reasonable number.
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