Devin McCourty - Pro Football Rumors

Updates On Maxwell And McCourty

March 8th, 2015 at 10:09am CST by Rory Parks

We learned last night that the Eagles would be aggressive suitors for prospective free agents Devin McCourty and Byron Maxwell, and the team seems to be especially active in its pursuit of Maxwell. Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweeted yesterday that the Eagles were “out in front” for Maxwell, and Getlin added (via Twitter) this morning that Philadelphia is willing to give Maxwell a deal worth over $10MM a year, which would be a somewhat surprising top-of-the-market offer.

If Philadelphia displays the same aggressiveness with McCourty, they may be able to land him as well. As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com writes, the Patriots would love to have McCourty back, but if the bidding goes much higher than $8MM per season, New England may have to bow out. We heard yesterday that McCourty is seeking at least $9MM per year, which Jairus Byrd was able to land last season. PFR’s Luke Adams predicted yesterday that McCourty, who has been a consistently productive defensive back over the course of his career, would be able to make at least as much.

The Giants are also reported to have interest in McCourty, but Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets that the team may be more interested in addressing its defensive line in free agency. As of right now, the smart money seems to be on the Eagles using a big chunk of their newfound $36MM in cap space to boost their secondary with both McCourty and Maxwell.

FA Rumors: Bulaga, McCourty, Suh, Raiders

March 7th, 2015 at 11:36pm CST by Luke Adams

While the Packers were able to retain one of their top two free agents tonight, reaching an agreement to bring back wide receiver Randall Cobb, the team may end up losing tackle Bryan Bulaga, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

Two league sources tell Silverstein that Bulaga is seeking a contract worth at least $7-8MM per year, and has a good chance of landing such a deal. Per one of Silverstein’s sources, Green Bay isn’t interested in paying $7MM+ annually for Bulaga, and would let him walk if the bidding got that high. The Buccaneers, the Jaguars, and Washington are believed to have interest in the free agent tackle.

Here’s more from around the league on what has been a busy Saturday:

According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter), safety Devin McCourty is seeking an annual salary of $9MM per year, like what Jairus Byrd got a year ago. When I listed McCourty as 2015’s second-best free agent earlier today, I noted that if Byrd could land $9MM per year, the Pats safety should be able to do just as well on the open market.
Cole also has an update on Ndamukong Suh, tweeting that one high-placed source is confident that Suh will end up with the Dolphins, while a second source says the Lions are the only other team involved in the bidding. Given how rare it is for a player of Suh’s caliber to reach the open market, I’d be pretty surprised if only two teams were pursuing him, but multiple reports over the last several days have identified Miami and Detroit as the frontrunners.
Cobb had been high on the Raiders‘ list of wide receiver targets, but now that he’s off the market, Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) says the team will likely shift its focus to Jeremy Maclin, Torrey Smith, and – if and when he becomes available – Percy Harvin.
The Texans have interest in quarterbacks Ryan Mallett and Brian Hoyer, and it may not be an either/or proposition for the team, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the club would like to sign both players.
The Cowboys have elected not to tender a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore, meaning he’ll be an unrestricted free agent rather than an RFA, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.

Eagles To Target Byron Maxwell, McCourty

March 5th, 2015 at 9:13pm CST by Dallas Robinson

By making a series of moves in recent days, the Eagles have cleared quite a bit of cap room — with more than $40MM available (the seventh-highest figure in the NFL), Philadelphia is clearly set up to spend when free agency opens next week. The club’s secondary, in particular, could be in need of a talent infusion, and sources tell Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com that defensive backs Byron Maxwell and Devin McCourty will be the team’s “top targets” come free agency.

Philadelphia’s defensive backfield is an obvious area of concern, as the club ranked second-to-last in passing yards allowed in 2014, besting only the Falcons. Additionally, the club has already released cornerback Cary Williams — while not an outstanding player by any means, Williams was a steady presence on the Eagles’ defense, playing on 1,198 snaps, second-most among Philly defenders.

The 27-year-old Maxwell is considered the top corner available on the free agent market, and will be in line for contract that averages more than $10MM per year. A report last month indicated that Philadelphia would be the frontrunners to sign Maxwell, who has only been a full-time starter for one season with the Seahawks. However, the Jets are also expected to target Maxwell, and New York has more both more cap space and arguably a greater need at CB, meaning the Eagles could be forced to overpay.

Like Maxwell, McCourty is the premier player available at his position, and there’s perhaps even less free agent talent available at safety than at corner. Somewhat surprisingly, the Patriots opted to place the franchise tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski instead of McCourty, so while it isn’t a fait accompli that McCourty won’t return to New England, the odds are certainly lower than they were just a week ago. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com wrote yesterday that the Giants will be interested in adding McCourty, and the 27-year-old should enjoy a robust market starting next week.

The Eagles have been perhaps the most active team in preparing for the opening of free agency, as they’ve traded LeSean McCoy, released Williams and Trent Cole, and signed linebacker Brad Jones. Additionally, Maxwell and McCourty aren’t expected to be their only targets among defenders, as they also reportedly have their eyes on free agent outside linebacker Jason Worilds.

Free Agent Rumors: Spiller, Suh, Harris

March 4th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) that C.J. Spiller turned down a contract offer worth $4.5MM per year from the Bills before the team decided to make a move for LeSean McCoy. It’s hard to evaluate Spiller’s decision without knowing how Buffalo’s offer was structured, but presumably the running back will be trying to top that number on the open market next week. More free agent rumors..

Russini also reports (via Twitter) that the Colts are expected to try to get involved in the Ndamukong Suh derby, if the star defender reaches the open market. Washington, Miami, and the Giants have also been identified as potential suitors this week.
Expect the Bills to put on a “full court press” for linebacker David Harris, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, using a cross-sport metaphor. Buffalo was already considered a potential landing spot for Harris due to the Rex Ryan connection, and the trade of Kiko Alonso makes it an even more obvious fit.
The 49ers are expected to be in the mix for newly-available edge defender Trent Cole, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Cole would likely be a better fit in a 4-3 system, but he’s been effective enough in Philadelphia over the last two seasons that it looks like 3-4 teams won’t rule out pursuing him.
Former Packers wide receiver Kevin Dorsey had been scheduled to visit with the 49ers on Tuesday, but the two sides had to cancel the meeting due to bad weather on the East Coast, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. San Francisco is hoping to reschedule Dorsey’s visit, but hasn’t done so yet, per agent Chad Wiestling.
Expect the Giants to kick the tires of Devin McCourty if he makes it to the open market, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Giants safeties Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps, and Stevie Brown are all eligible for free agency, so the safety position is wide open in New York.
Veteran defensive end Chris Canty, cut by the Ravens last week, is scheduled to visit the Jets on Friday and Saturday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). New Jets head coach Todd Bowles and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers were both on the coaching staff in Dallas from 2005 to 2007 when Canty started his NFL career with the Cowboys.

AFC East Notes: Jets, Revis, Tannehill, Pats

March 3rd, 2015 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have been involved in “serious internal discussions” about the possibility of bringing back cornerback Darrelle Revis, with owner Woody Johnson very much involved in those talks, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. The Jets’ interest in Revis is hardly news, but the closer we get to March 9 without an agreement in place between the Patriots and the star cornerback, the more likely it is that he reaches the open market next week.

Let’s round up a few more items related to the Jets and their AFC East rivals….

While there have been rumblings in recent weeks suggesting the Jets could target C.J. Spiller in free agency, the team would like to bring back Bilal Powell and will make a “sincere effort” to re-sign him, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Cimini estimates that Powell will land a deal that averages between $1.5MM and $2MM per year.
Brian Costello of the New York Post examines how new Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan will approach the team’s hole at cornerback this offseason.
Former Packers wide receiver Kevin Dorsey, who recently visited the Patriots, is working out for the Jets today, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Visits with the 49ers and Chiefs are next up on Dorsey’s schedule.
Ryan Tannehill said today that he has yet to sit down with the Dolphins to discuss a contract extension, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. There’s no real rush for the Fins to get anything done, since Tannehill has one more year left on his rookie contract, and the club holds a team option for the 2016 season.
As Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com details, Patriots safety Devin McCourty spoke to ESPN’s Josina Anderson yesterday after the team announced that it was franchising kicker Stephen Gostkowski, rather than McCourty. The veteran safety didn’t say anything too noteworthy in addressing his contract situation, but acknowledged that not being tagged made it more “realistic” that he could end up somewhere besides New England.
The Patriots hired former 49ers special-teamer Bubba Ventrone today as an assistant special teams coach, as first reported by Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Ventrone, who began his NFL career with the Pats, is just 28 years old, so the move from playing to coaching is a little surprising, but he hadn’t been under contract for the 2015 season.

Patriots Franchise Stephen Gostkowski

March 2nd, 2015 at 1:51pm CST by Luke Adams

In the first somewhat surprising franchise-related move of the day, the Patriots have used their tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Safety Devin McCourty had been considered the more viable candidate in recent weeks, but we heard earlier today that the Pats were leaning toward franchising their Pro Bowl kicker, rather than the standout safety.

If any kicker is worthy of a franchise tag, Gostkowski certainly fits the bill. He has led the NFL in field goals in each of the last two seasons, making 73 of his 78 total attempts during that stretch, for a 93.6% mark. Gostkowski has also made all 95 of his extra point tries over the last two years.

Franchising Gostkowski will mean tendering him a one-year offer worth $4.56MM, which he will immediately be free to sign. Before or after Gostkowski signs that tender, the two sides will have the option of working out a longer-term deal.

As for what the move means for McCourty, it certainly looks like he’s one step closer to reaching the open market next Tuesday. The Pats still have another few days to exclusively negotiate with the veteran safety, but there have been no recent talks, per Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (via Twitter), and the team is reportedly prioritizing Darrelle Revis, whose option will need to be addressed by next Monday. The decision to use the franchise tag on Gostkowski may be a sign that the club is willing to let McCourty go in order to get something done with Revis, but that’s far from a given at this point.

While the Pats have a reputation for cutting ties with players earlier than expected, in their ongoing quest to maximize a player’s value, they’ve had remarkably little turnover at the kicker position over the last two decades, with only Gostkowski and Adam Vinatieri handling the role. New England previously franchised Vinatieri twice in the first half of the 2000s in order to keep him on the roster.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: Pats, Dockett, Langford, Freeney

March 2nd, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a few Monday rumors on current free agents, as well as free-agents-to-be….

With this afternoon’s franchise and transition tag deadline looming, the Patriots are more likely to use their tag on kicker Stephen Gostkowski than safety Devin McCourty, sources tell Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston. Reiss cautions that the situation is “fluid” and that things could change by 3:00pm central time. However, if the Pats do decide to trade Gostkowski, it would mean McCourty could potentially hit the open market next week, as far and away the best safety available. It would be surprising if the Pats let McCourty get away, but that would at least seem to bode well for the return of Darrelle Revis.
According to agent Drew Rosenhaus, free agent defensive lineman Darnell Dockett is generating “a lot of interest” on the free agent market, writes Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. Rosenhaus is expecting Dockett to have a new home by the end of the week. As for the Cardinals, who released Dockett last week, they’re still hoping to bring the veteran defender back — Somers reports that they’ve offered a one-year deal worth up to $4MM through incentives, with a base value of $2.5MM.
Former Rams defensive tackle Kendall Langford, cut by St. Louis last week, is visiting the Lions today, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). It’s an interesting tidbit of news, as Detroit attempts to lock up its own free agent defensive tackles, such as Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley. For now, we should probably assume that Langford is just a Plan B, or a potential depth piece, but we heard earlier today that the team won’t franchise Suh, so there’s no guarantee he returns to Detroit.
After mulling the possibility of retiring, veteran Chargers pass rusher Dwight Freeney has decided to continue his playing career and return for a 14th season, writes Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Freeney doesn’t have a contract for 2015, so he’ll have to find a taker, but I imagine he’ll still draw plenty of interest — despite recording only 3.5 sacks in 2014, the 35-year-old recorded 53 overall quarterback pressures, according to Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required).
Linebacker Brad Jones, who was released by the Packers last month, recently visited the Titans and has a visit lined up today with the Eagles, reports Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). Of the two veteran linebackers cut this offseason by Green Bay, A.J. Hawk received most of the headlines, but Jones is another player who could still contribute elsewhere.

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.

AFC Notes: McPhee, Revis, Johnson

February 22nd, 2015 at 12:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

Teams have scoured the Ravens‘ depth chart in recent years to bolster their own defenses, and Pernell McPhee is probably the latest Baltimore-created free agent that will morph from part-time Ravens cog to full-time starter elsewhere, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

Paul Kruger, Arthur Jones and Dannell Ellerbe cashed in their mostly situational success with the Ravens for lucrative deals with the Browns, Colts and Dolphins, respectively. A fifth-round pick in 2011, McPhee grew immensely this season behind Elvis Dumervil and Terrell Suggs, collecting 7 1/2 sacks for a fearsome Ravens pass pursuit that nearly lifted the team to its third AFC title game in four years. But with Dumervil and Suggs still on the books for next year as Baltimore’s seventh- and ninth-highest cap figures, respectively, McPhee probably finds a much better fortune elsewhere. The Ravens possess just $5.7MM in cap space, according to OverTheCap.

In the mold of Broncos part-time defensive end Malik Jackson, McPhee earned rave reviews from the analytics crowd even if the take-notice all-22 tape didn’t produce a starting job. While Jackson was Pro Football Focus’ third-best 4-3 defensive end last season in just 578 snaps, McPhee was even better, garnering the second-best 3-4 outside linebacker grade (subscription required) — ahead of Suggs (fourth) and Dumervil (sixth) — while playing only 540. McPhee charted 64 quarterback pressures and at 6-foot-3, 280 pounds, will give a team the option of playing him at multiple positions as the Ravens did.

CBSSports’ Pete Prisco ranks the 26-year-old backup 10th overall on his top-50 free agent board, behind only Justin Houston among linebackers.

Fellow Ravens free agent Torrey Smith will have options next month, and CSNBaltimore.com’s Clifton Brown examines where the might go if he leaves the mid-Atlantic region for the first time. Brown lists the Browns, Panthers and Seahawks as potential destinations. A Virginia native who emerged as one of the NFL’s best deep threats out of Maryland, Smith just turned 26. But he’s coming off his worst season as a pro with just 49 catches for 767 yards. Those numbers are nearly 500 yards off his career-best 2013 total, but his value could increase if/when Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas and Randall Cobb are franchise-tagged.
The Ravens’ decisions aren’t as high-profile as what the Patriots are staring at, however, and the Boston Herald’s Karen Guregian writes the duo of Darrelle Revis and Devin McCourty are irreplaceable in this market or in the draft. Regaining his first-team All-Pro status after two essentially lost years, Revis, should the Patriots pick up his team option, would carry a $25MM cap number team option for this season. New England presumably won’t pay that, as Pro Football Rumors examined this month. The franchise tag for McCourty will be around $9.6MM, but the Super Bowl champions are more than $2MM over the cap, making the notion of retaining both of these standouts less likely.
Coming off his worst season in which he played at least 15 games, Andre Johnson is slated to earn $10.5MM in base salary next season with a cap figure ($16.1MM) that’s not commensurate with his performance: 936 yards, three TDs. The Texans wideout will be 34 in July and stuck again in a murky quarterback situation, prompting the Houston Chronicle’s Randy Harvey to suggest the Texans should liberate Johnson from this scenario.

Patriots Links: Revis, McCourty, Gostkowski

February 17th, 2015 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

Only time will tell if Darrelle Revis is forced into a 2015 year with the Patriots and if there are any fireworks along the way, but the cornerback’s last two deals should serve as a cautionary tale about the negative trade-offs that can happen when agreeing to certain contract structures, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. In Revis’ agreement with the Bucs, he got the $16MM AAV he was after, but had no guaranteed money. In his Pats deal, Revis’ camp agreed to a second year that would carry a $25MM cap hit, assuming that the team would never keep him on board at that price. However, a $20MM salary for 2015 – and $32MM over two years – isn’t ridiculous when compared to what guys like Patrick Peterson, Joe Haden, and Richard Sherman are making in the first two seasons of their respective contracts.

Let’s round up a few more items out of New England….

Of the potential free agents on the Patriots’ roster, the two who seem most likely to be hit with the franchise tag – if the team uses it – are safety Devin McCourty and kicker Stephen Gostkowski. However, McCourty is the more probable candidate, WEEI’s Ryan Hannable writes, though Hannable speculates that the Pats could give the safety the tag a few days in advance of the deadline in hopes of working out a long-term deal.
In a video segment, a CSNNE panel debates whether retaining Revis is worth potentially losing other free agent starters like McCourty, Gostkowski, and Dan Connolly, with Andy Hart suggesting that New England needs to keep its star cornerback “at all costs.”
In a separate CSNNE video segment, Ron Borges suggests that both Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork will be asked to take pay cuts and “may not be happy about it.” That applies especially to Wilfork, who accepted a pay cut last year and had a strong season.
After capturing another Super Bowl ring, the Pats have proven they don’t need to spend a ton of money on an elite receiving weapon, says Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (video link).
The 2011 collective bargaining agreement calls for teams to spend at least 89% of the salary cap in cash over two four-year periods (2013-16 and 2017-20), and the Patriots are one of 10 teams that must increase spending over the next couple years to meet that threshold, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Considering all the free-agents-to-be that the club is working to retain, using most or all of its cap room shouldn’t be a problem for New England in 2015.

Zach Links contributed to this post.