Dashon Goldson - Pro Football Rumors

Washington Rumors: Goldson, Thomas, Paul

March 23rd, 2016 at 8:33am CST by Zachary Links

On Wednesday morning, Washington coach Jay Gruden addressed reporters at the owners’ meetings. Here’s everything you need to know:

Gruden said the door has not been shut on Dashon Goldson returning and he says it was a financial decision to release the safety, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNMidAtlantic.com tweets. He added that there have been talks with the veteran since his release (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post). Goldson was set to carry an $8MM cap figure in 2016 and while Washington wanted to keep him, they did not want to keep him at that rate. The veteran started 15 games for Washington last season, playing on more than 90% of the team’s defensive snaps. Goldson posted 70 tackles and one interception, grading as the No. 70 safety among 88 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.
Gruden says that running back Pierre Thomas is still a possibility for Washington, El-Bashir tweets. Thomas, 31, spent the first eight seasons of his NFL career with the Saints, but saw his 2014 campaign derailed by injuries. In 2015, he had a cup of coffee with the 49ers before landing with Washington in December. In four games with Washington, Thomas carried the ball 11 times for 52 yards. He also added nine receptions for 84 yards.
Washington plans to use tight end Niles Paul at fullback on some occasions when he’s healthy even though it’s a position that they hardly used last year (Twitter links via Tesfatsion).
Washington will try out Will Blackmon and Deshazor Everett at safety, Tesfatsion tweets. “We’re thin in the secondary,” Gruden said.

Cowboys Eyeing Upgrades At Safety

March 15th, 2016 at 3:28pm CST by Luke Adams

3:28pm: The Cowboys aren’t bringing in Goldson for a visit, tweets Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. It’s unclear if there’s just nothing formally scheduled for now, or if Goldson isn’t among the team’s targets.

12:21pm: The Cowboys are “working diligently” to upgrade at the safety position, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says the team has been “rebuked” so far by its free agent targets. Dallas had reportedly been one of the clubs with interest in signing veteran safety Eric Weddle before he landed with the Ravens.

According to Cole, the Cowboys would like to move 2015 first-rounder Byron Jones to cornerback on a more permanent basis, after he spent much of his rookie year playing safety. Considering J.J. Wilcox had an inconsistent 2015 campaign and may not be relied upon as a starter again, that leaves Barry Church as the only stable option at the position.

According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), one veteran free agent the Cowboys are eyeing is former Buccaneer Dashon Goldson, who was recently released by Washington. A source tells Rapoport that Dallas is planning on bringing in Goldson for a visit.

Goldson didn’t have a great year in 2015, but his released can be attributed more to the fact that he had been set to count for $8MM against Washington’s cap in 2016. At a more affordable price, he could be worth rolling the dice on.

Besides Goldson, a few of the more noteworthy unrestricted free agent safeties on the board include Reggie Nelson, Rashad Johnson, Husain Abdullah, David Bruton, and Rahim Moore. Walter Thurmond also remains unsigned, but he is believed to be leaning toward retiring.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Washington Could Re-Sign Dashon Goldson

March 12th, 2016 at 6:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Washington could look to bring back safety Dashon Goldson, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. Goldson, of course, was just released by the club on Monday.

When Goldson’s release was reported, Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com reported that Washington attempted to restructure Goldson’s contract before cutting him, but when the two sides couldn’t reach an agreement, the veteran defensive back was released. That jibes with Keim’s report, which states that Washington wanted Goldson to return in 2016, but not at his $8MM cap figure.

So while Washington and Goldson clearly had different ideas about his value prior to the start of free agency, it remains to be seen if Goldson can find a better deal on the open market. Clearly, no competing club was in a rush to sign him during the opening wave of the free agent period when a number of other safeties — such as Rodney McLeod, Tashaun Gipson, and George Iloka — flew off the board. Goldson, at 31 years of age, is quite a bit older than those options, so he might need to sit on the market for awhile before landing a new contract.

Washington still has abut $17.22MM left in 2016 cap space, so finding room for Goldson shouldn’t be an issue. The team also has a need in the back end, especially after releasing another safety — 2015 signee Jeron Johnson — earlier this week. DeAngelo Hall and 2015 sixth-round pick Kyshoen Jarrett are currently penciled as Washington’s starters, with Duke Ihenacho available off the bench, so Goldson could certainly find a role among that group.

Of course, Goldson has never quite been the player he was in San Francisco, where he was named first-team All Pro in 2012. He started 15 games for Washington last season, playing on more than 90% of the team’s defensive snaps. Goldson posted 70 tackles and one interception, grading as the No. 70 safety among 88 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Washington Releases Dashon Goldson

March 7th, 2016 at 3:04pm CST by Zachary Links

3:04pm: Washington has officially confirmed Goldson’s release.

12:55pm: Washington will release safety Dashon Goldson, according to Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (on Twitter). Washington had hoped to restructure Goldson’s deal, but the two sides could not come to an agreement (link). Goldson is the latest in a long line of Washington vets to receive his pink slip today.

Washington was said to value what Goldson can provide both on the field and in the locker room, but their valuation of him did not sync up with his own. Clearly, Goldson is not the same player that commanded a massive five-year contract worth $47.5MM with the Bucs prior to the 2013 season. In April of last year, the Bucs traded Goldson to Washington, where he quickly agreed to a restructured deal.

Goldson was slated to make $8MM with Washington this season, a price tag that was far too rich given the level of production he currently provides. His entire salary was non-guaranteed, meaning that it will all come off of Washington’s cap without fiscal repercussions.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC East Notes: Bradford, Ryans, Washington, Donnell

February 25th, 2016 at 7:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest from the NFC East:

Having spoken this week at the combine about how they’d like to re-sign Sam Bradford, Eagles head coach Doug Pederson and GM Howie Roseman met with the quarterback’s agent, Tom Condon, on Wednesday in Indianapolis, tweets Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Negotiations between the two sides are ongoing.
Agent Ben Dogra says the Eagles did not offer to keep DeMeco Ryans at a lower figure, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (on Twitter). Dogra added that his client wants to continue his playing career after being cut by Philadelphia.
Washington team officials and agents for some of the club’s players will meet Friday to discuss contract restructurings, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Jones lists receiver Pierre Garcon ($10.2MM), defensive end Jason Hatcher ($8.7MM) and safety Dashon Goldson ($8MM) as players whose deals Washington could look to rework.
Giants general manager Jerry Reese updated the status of tight end Larry Donnell, whose season ended in December because of a neck injury. “We’re expecting him to be back, but necks can be tricky, so we’ll have to wait and see where that goes,” Reese said Thursday. “Hopefully he can get healthy and come back and continue his career.” Despite Reese’s guarded statement, Donnell’s neck injury isn’t a “career concern,” a source tells the New York Daily News’ Ebenezer Samuel.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cousins, Goldson, Eli

February 4th, 2016 at 8:50am CST by Luke Adams

After meeting with several candidates for their front office opening, the Eagles have halted their search for a new personnel chief for now, as we learned earlier this week. Speaking on Wednesday to reporters, including Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, Howie Roseman explained why the team doesn’t plan to fill that position until after the draft.

“Just by the nature of the time of year, teams aren’t necessarily going to be so aligned with [a comprehensive search],” Roseman said. “We’re looking at this as a long-term decision for us – not just a five-month decision. The candidates we looked at were good, but we also want to make sure we’re looking at all the good candidates that are available.”

Roseman was also asked about the possibility of re-signing quarterback Sam Bradford and extending defensive lineman Fletcher Cox, and while he declined to go into specifics, he expressed some interest in locking up both players. “Everything is positive about Sam” and the Eagles have the cap space to re-sign him, according to Roseman, who said of Cox, “We’d love for him not only to start his career but finish his career as an Eagle.”

Here’s more out of the NFC East:

Although Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap initially thought the Eagles overpaid offensive tackle Lane Johnson on his new extension, a deeper dive into the number reveals the deal is more team-friendly than it looks on the surface, as Fitzgerald explains.
Mike Jones of the Washington Post weighs the pro and cons of Washington franchising Kirk Cousins or signing him to a multiyear deal, concluding that locking the quarterback up to a long-term deal now would “probably bring more benefits” than the franchise tag would.
Veteran safety Dashon Goldson is set to count for $8MM on Washington‘s books in 2016, and the team could clear that entire amount by cutting him. However, John Keim of ESPN.com thinks Goldson will stick around, perhaps after accepting a pay cut or restructure, since the club still values what he can provide both on the field and in the locker room.
As his 39-year-old brother prepares to play what could be his last game, Giants quarterback Eli Manning said this week that he believes he has several more good years of football in him and is optimistic about playing until he’s 40, per Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.

NFC Links: Lions, Brees, Washington

January 23rd, 2016 at 11:50am CST by Ben Levine

Haloti Ngata was banged up for much of his first season in Detroit. Still, the veteran enjoyed his time with the Lions, and the impending free agent is very interested in returning.

“I’d love to stay,” he told Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. “I love what coach (Jim) Caldwell has done here. I love playing under him and coach Kris (Kocurek). I feel like I got in a groove at the end of the season and hopefully I can play a full season understanding the system.”

Let’s look at some more notes from around the NFL…

The Lions are expected to hire David Walker as their running backs coach, reports Fox Sports’ Alex Marvez (via Twitter). Walker previously spent time on the Colts coaching staff, where he worked under Lions head coach Jim Caldwell.
Drew Brees doesn’t necessarily need to take a payout to save the Saints some money, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett. The veteran quarterback could sign a multi-year extension, and the organization could then distribute the cap hit however they’d like. Ultimately, the writer believes the team should continue to pay Brees $20MM a season. While it isn’t necessarily a paycut, it’s well below what the veteran could make on the open market.
Safety Dashon Goldson could be among the surprise cap casualties for Washington this offseason, according to Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com. Meanwhile, Tarik El-Bashir points to lineman Kory Lichtensteiger and receivers Pierre Garcon and DeSean Jackson.

East Notes: Pats, Jets, Mathis, Goldson

August 1st, 2015 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

As our first weekend of 2015 training camp action is upon us, let’s look at some of the matters emerging from the Eastern divisions.

Adding to last night’s report of an August 12 conference involving Tom Brady and Roger Goodell, Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio notes the transcript from Brady’s June appeal hearing with Goodell will become available if the case isn’t settled. Florio views Judge Richard M. Berman’s action of getting directly involved in trying to settle this case quickly one of the more active attempts by a judge to do so in his extensive law history. The PFT scribe notes that Berman probably already knows which way he’ll rule should both sides indeed join him for this summit as opposed to settling this matter beforehand.
The Patriots are not observing the latest Deflategate-related directive to tone it down, as Florio notes, and instead have launched a website aimed at uncovering what they believe is misinformation in the Ted Wells report. The first post on a site titled WellsReportcontext.com shows a chain of emails between Patriots general counsel Robyn Glaser and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash. While this means more Deflategate coverage more than six months after the story surfaced, it looks to now at least have created a job for a Patriots IT staffer.
Evan Mathis‘ agent, Drew Rosenhaus, has engaged in preliminary talks with the Jets, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (Twitter link) after speaking with Jets GM Mike Maccagnan. “We’ve had talks with Evan’s agent,” Maccagnan said, according to Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News. “They’re kind of getting a feel for where – they have a range for where they want to be. The other thing with a lot of teams honestly at this point in time, you almost want to kind of see what you have first to a certain degree.” The former All-Pro would certainly be an upgrade over Willie Colon, who’s battled a knee ailment all offseason before coming off the PUP list Saturday. Tasch, however, adds Nothing is imminent, with Mathis — who was slated to make $5.5MM with the Eagles this season before his release — searches for significant money. Gang Green has $5.5MM in cap room, per OverTheCap.
Shortly after Rod Graves vacated his spot in the Jets’ front office to take a job with the league office, the Jets will replace him as director of football administration with Jacqueline Davidson, according to Randy Lange of NewYorkJets.com. Joining Cardinals assistant Jen Welter, Raiders play-by-play voice Beth Mowins and newly appointed official Sarah Thomas as one of the highest-ranking women in the league, Davidson already serves as the Jets’ lead negotiator in player contracts and played a key role in the Jets’ reacquiring of Darrelle Revis.
Washington safety Dashon Goldson, as part of the renegotiated contract upon his trade from the Bucs, received a $2.3MM roster bonus today, per ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter).

Washington Acquires Dashon Goldson

April 3rd, 2015 at 2:55pm CST by Luke Adams

2:55pm: The Bucs announced that the deal is now official, according to Matt Baker of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

9:14am: A source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that the Bucs will pay the $4MM portion of Goldson’s 2015 salary which is fully guaranteed, which makes the deal a very minimal risk and investment for Washington.

9:06am: According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, who notes that $4MM of Goldson’s salary for 2015 is guaranteed, the safety’s contract was adjusted as part of the trade, though the specific details aren’t immediately clear (Twitter link).

8:50am: After contemplating releasing him, the Buccaneers have found a taker for veteran safety Dashon Goldson, reports Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). According to Stroud, the Bucs have agreed to send Goldson to Washington for a 2016 draft pick. Albert Breer of the NFL Network clarifies (via Twitter) that Washington is giving up a 2016 sixth-rounder in the deal, while Tampa Bay is including a ’16 seventh-rounder along with the safety.

Goldson, 30, signed a massive five-year contract worth $47.5MM with the Bucs prior to the 2013 season, so he still has three years left on that deal. Because there was no signing bonus on that deal, Tampa Bay will avoid carrying any dead money on its cap by trading him. Washington, meanwhile, will take on the safety’s $7.5MM base salary for 2015, along with a $500K workout bonus, for a cap hit totaling $8MM. Goldson has cap numbers of $8MM for 2016 and $7.25MM in 2017.

When Goldson signed that lucrative five-year contract with the Bucs, he was coming off an All-Pro season in San Francisco. However, his production has slipped a little over the last two seasons, as he has battled injuries. In 2014, among 87 qualified safeties, only Ryan Clark performed worse than Goldson, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Goldson’s -14.5 pass coverage grade was dead last among safeties — per PFF, he allowed a 69.7% completion percentage and a 127.2 passer rating on throws into his coverage.

Of course, Clark is the player that Goldson is replacing in Washington, so even if the former Buc doesn’t bounce back in 2015, it could technically be an upgrade for the team. Assuming Goldson looks good in camp, he and free agent signee Jeron Johnson figure to be Washington’s new starting safety duo — if not, the club could release Goldson and turn to an in-house option such as Trent Robinson, or perhaps a draftee. Still, since $4MM of Goldson’s base salary is guaranteed, Washington has some financial incentive to make things work with him.

Current Washington general manager Scot McCloughan was a member of the 49ers’ front office when the team drafted Goldson back in 2007.

Buccaneers Likely To Cut Dashon Goldson

March 12th, 2015 at 10:07am CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 10:07am: Now that Conte is under contract with the Bucs, resolution on Goldson should be coming soon. According to Stroud (Twitter links), the team hasn’t ruled out the possibility of finding a trade partner for Goldson, but even if Bucs don’t find a deal, they’re unlikely to bring back Goldson for 2015.

WEDNESDAY, 6:37am: The Buccaneers are preparing to release safety Dashon Goldson once they complete a deal with fellow safety Chris Conte, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter).

After signing a five-year deal prior to the 2013 season, Goldson was supposed to team with Darrelle Revis to give Tampa Bay one of the most feared secondaries in the league. That didn’t quite work out Goldson, 30, hasn’t held up his end of the bargain, as he’s been among the worst safeties in the NFL, including grading out as the second-worst at his position in 2014, according to PFF.

He’s was floated as a trade candidate, but even with a lack of quality safeties out there, it probably wasn’t easy to find another team willing to take on Goldon’s contract, which contains a $7.5MM base salary for this season ($4MM guaranteed). Tampa will now have to carry that $4MM in dead money.