Dont’a Hightower

Patriots Notes: Lewis, Jackson, Bennett, Butler

The Patriots have made team-friendly extension offers to a number of their pending free agents — including Martellus Bennett, Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Logan Ryan — but so far, no player has been interested in putting pen to paper, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Given that the salary cap continues to rise, each of these impending free agents figures to cash in the open market, and therefore have little incentive to agree to any offer New England puts on the table.

Here’s more on the Patriots, who are now 5-1 after beating the Bengals today:

  • After opening the year on the physically unable to perform list, running back Dion Lewis is eligible to begin practicing this week. There’s a chance that happens, but it also wouldn’t be surprising for the Patriots to hold Lewis out of game action until after the club’s November bye, writes Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Lewis has made “positive progress” as he recovers from ACL surgery, per Reiss, but New England will exude caution nonetheless.
  • Offensive lineman Tre’ Jackson also started the season on the PUP list, but he’s closer to returning than is Lewis, reports Reiss. Mason is expected to practice this week, and should be able to play again as soon very soon. In fact, New England’s release of guard Jonathan Cooper may have precipitated by Mason’s health.
  • The Patriots recently gave $52,700 raises to four practice squad players — running back Bishop Sankey, defensive end Geneo Grissom, guard Chris Barker, and defensive tackle Anthony Johnson. For what it’s worth, Grissom and Johnson were then promoted to active roster on Saturday.

Patriots Notes: Hightower, Ninkovich, Gronk, QBs

Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent following the season, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss has noticed a notable change in the linebacker’s “approach with the media.” This sentiment was confirmed in an interview with WEEI, where he made it clear that the contract situation wouldn’t be a distraction.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m here for the year,” Hightower said (via Reiss). “I’m not worried about it. Anything that is going to be done with that will be dealt with [agent] Pat Dye. Until then, I will just control what I can control in between these white lines.”

When asked how he deals with the distraction, Hightower said he tries to “avoid the media as much as possible; that’s the No. 1 thing.”

As the linebacker seeks a lucrative extension, let’s take a look at some other notes out of New England…

  • Agent Drew Rosenhaus attended the Patriots preseason opener, only 11 days after having attended the team’s training camp. Reiss wonders is his presence was in regard to clients Rob Gronkowski and Jabaal Sheard, who could both be in line for lucrative contract extensions.
  • Reiss notes that the Patriots dealt linebacker Jonathan Bostic to the Lions earlier this offseason in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. Bostic suffered a serious leg injury this week, and if the linebacker ends up missing the season, the Patriots presumably won’t end up receiving the pick.
  • Coach Bill Belichick isn’t anticipating the addition of a veteran quarterback, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com“We’ve talked about it but we’re where we’re at,” Belichick said. “We are where we’re at right now.” With Tom Brady set to miss the first four games of the season, the Patriots will be rolling forward with a pair of quarterbacks: fill-in starter Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Jacoby Brissett.
  • After having torn his tricep earlier this week, defensive end Rob Ninkovich was back at practice today, tweets Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.

Patriots Notes: Butler, FAs, Sheard

Mike Reiss of ESPN.com believes the extension that Allen Hurns signed with the Jaguars a few days ago could serve as a useful blueprint for the Patriots in their efforts to deal with the contract situations of three of the club’s top defenders: Jamie Collins, Dont’a Hightower, and Malcolm Butler. Collins and Hightower are eligible for unrestricted free agency at the end of the 2016 season, whereas Butler is set to become a restricted free agent.

Hurns, like Butler, came into the league as an undrafted free agent, and like Butler, he was set to make $600K in 2016 before becoming a RFA in March 2017. But as Reiss points out, the four-year, $40MM deal Hurns inked with the Jags was tacked on to the final year of his UDFA contract, so Hurns is now effectively playing under a five-year, $40.6MM pact, which sounds a lot more reasonable for a player who enjoyed a successful 2015 campaign but who does not have a long track record of success or an impressive draft pedigree. Such an arrangement would seem to make a great deal of sense for Butler in particular, though Reiss says that an extension for any of the Butler/Collins/Hightower trio would likely be similar in concept and would benefit both sides, as the player gets coveted financial security while the team stays ahead of a rising market by being willing to strike a deal a year early.

Now let’s take a look at more on the Patriots:

  • In the same piece, Reiss says the Patriots did try to follow a similar contractual model with Devin McCourty as he entered the final year of his contract two seasons ago, but their offer was not enticing enough for McCourty. As a result, New England ended up having to pay McCourty at a market value that was higher than the club anticipated. Reiss therefore believes the Pats will be more proactive in their approach with their biggest free agents-to-be this time around.
  • Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald echoes the sentiments put forth by former NFL agent Joey Corry last week, saying that Butler needs to understand his contract will take a backseat for the time being given that he will only become a RFA when the 2017 league year begins and can be retained for 2017 for a relatively modest $4MM or so. In addition to Collins and Hightower, Guregian also mentioned Jabaal Sheard as a pending unrestricted free agent whose contract the team may try to address before Butler’s.
  • Christopher Price of WEEI.com offers an early 53-man roster projection for the Patriots.

 

AFC Notes: Ravens, Jets, Hightower, Broncos

Following an NFL investigation into the Ravens‘ use of full pads during their rookie minicamp, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley reports that the team has been forced to cancel a week of organized team activities. The organization was fined $343,057, while coach John Harbaugh was fined $137,223.

The team reportedly put players in pads for a single five-minute stretch. However, the league believes the organization wasn’t actually ignorant to the rule, thus explaining the hefty punishment.

Harbaugh took full responsibility for the violation earlier today:

“It’s on me,” Harbaugh said. “It’s completely me. It was my decision. That’s the situation that we’re in and we’ll adjust and we’ll adapt. We’ll still become the best football team that we can be.”

Let’s check out some more notes from around the AFC…

  • Jets owner Woody Johnson told Bob Glauber of Newsday that the team had considered Mike Holmgren for the team’s previously vacant head coach opening. “This was for coaching, just coaching,” Johnson said. “It wasn’t for general manager or anything else. That setup doesn’t work normally. You get too many jobs for one person. But I was flattered he took the call. It’s Mike Holmgren we’re talking about. He’s a legendary figure, a great coach. I enjoyed talking to him.”
  • Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent at the end of this season, but the 26-year-old isn’t anxious to discuss his contract situation. “I don’t have anything to do with any of that,” Hightower told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. “I’m just out here trying to get better with my teammates.”
  • Broncos offensive tackle Russell Okung sounds like he’s content with his decision to join the organization. When asked if he received the best deal for himself this past offseason, the veteran said he got the “best deal in the best place” (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post on Twitter).
  • After not having his fifth-year option picked up, Broncos defensive tackle Sylvester Williams views the slight as motivation. “I have to go out there and prove myself again,” he said (via Jhabvala). “I look at it as it benefited me.”

Patriots Notes: Jones, Hightower, Ebner, Hogan

The Patriots have filled the vacancy created when Bob Quinn left for the Lions, as Dave Ziegler has been promoted to director of pro personnel, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Ziegler, 38, had spent the past three year’s as Quinn’s No. 2, and previously worked for the Broncos under current New England offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels.

Here’s a bit more on the Patriots…

  • New England has an impressive crop of players entering the final year of their contracts, as Chandler Jones, Dont’a Hightower, Jamie Collins, and Malcolm Butler — among others — will be free agents after the 2016 season. But the club hadn’t initiated extension talks with any of those players as of Friday, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. The Patriots might begin contract conversations after free agency concludes, per Volin, but Hightower, for his part, appears likely to play out the season on his fifth-year option without coming to a long-term agreement.
  • Receivers Danny Amendola and Brandon LaFell are both potential cap casualties, but the Patriots haven’t “tipped their hand” about their plans for the pass-catchers, writes Volin. Additionally, offensive lineman Sebastian Vollmer and Marcus Cannon, also though to be on the roster bubble, aren’t sure of their status.
  • The Patriots want to retain free agent defensive back Nate Ebner — a special-teams ace — but the team is playing “hardball” at the moment, and hopes that it can re-sign Ebner for the veteran’s minimum.
  • Defensive tackle Alan Branch‘s $400K option bonus is due on the third day of the new league year, according to Reiss. If he’s retained, the 31-year-old Branch is due to count $2.75MM against New England’s cap.
  • The Patriots have a history of targeting restricted free agents — both those who are tendered by their clubs and those who aren’t — and one such player who might interest New England this offseason is Bills receiver Chris Hogan, per Reiss, who notes that Buffalo may not tender Hogan due to its salary cap restraints.

AFC East Notes: Aponte, Dolphins, Pats, Lewis

Although there were some rumblings that longtime Dolphins executive Dawn Aponte would be heading to Detroit to help Lions GM Bob Quinn deal with contracts and the salary cap, Aponte will be staying in Miami, according to Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (Twitter links).

Let’s check in on some more items from out of the AFC East…

  • The fact that Adam Gase retained nine coaches from the Dolphins‘ old coaching staff doesn’t mean that he had trouble finding better candidates, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. As Salguero explains, many of those coaches drew interest from other teams around the league, so it’s not as if they aren’t highly regarded — special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, for instance, had four interview requests, all of which the Dolphins turned down, says Salguero.
  • While the Patriots will have some potential free agents to deal with this offseason, the team’s priority may be to lock up the “big four” defenders who could reach the open market after the 2016 season, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. New England has a little over a calendar year to explore extension for cornerback Malcolm Butler, defensive end Chandler Jones, and linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower. In Reiss’ view, the latter three players could all be in line for deals that exceed $8MM annually — Butler will be a restricted free agent, so he should be relatively affordable for at least one more year beyond 2016.
  • Running back Dion Lewis, who signed a contract extension with the Patriots in the fall, is currently on track to be recovered from his torn ACL in time to participate in training camp, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.

AFC Notes: Gronk, Hightower, Broncos, Bengals

After checking in on a few items from out of the NFC earlier this afternoon, let’s shift our focus to the AFC and round up the latest….

  • The MRI on Rob Gronkowski‘s knee revealed only a minor knee strain, according to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link). The star tight end will likely be good to go in a week or two, which is great news for the Patriots.
  • The Patriots also got relatively good news on linebacker Dont’a Hightower, who is week to week with his knee injury, per Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Russini adds that Hightower will be re-evaluated within the next few days.
  • The Broncos suddenly have a contracts problem on their hands for 2016, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes that the team will only be able to rely on the franchise tag to retain one of Brock Osweiler and Von Miller. Osweiler has won his first two starts as a Bronco, but it seems a little too early to assume he’s worthy of a significant investment. After five more regular season games and at least one playoff contest, Denver should have a much better idea of Osweiler’s value.
  • The Bengals worked out six defensive backs today, including cornerback Bradley Fletcher, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. According to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (Twitter link), cornerback Chykie Brown was also a part of that group. With Darqueze Dennard out for the season, and other members of the secondary banged up, Cincinnati seems to be keeping an eye out for possible depth additions.

AFC East Notes: Gronk, Hightower, Dolphins

It’s been an eventful 24 hours in the AFC East, where the Dolphins fired their offensive coordinator and the Patriots lost their undefeated season, along with key players on both sides of the ball. We’ve got updates on those injuries sustained by New England players on Sunday night, so let’s dive in and round up the latest from out of the AFC East….

  • As first reported late last night by Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN (Twitter link), Rob Gronkowski‘s knee injury isn’t believed to be as serious as it initially looked. Many reporters have since echoed that notion, with one source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that “we think he is going to be OK.” The star tight end still has to undergo tests today, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that the Patriots don’t think there’s any structural damage to Gronkowski’s knee, and hope he won’t miss much time.
  • On the defensive side, the early diagnosis for Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower is an MCL sprain, per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link). If there’s no further damage to Hightower’s knee, that injury shouldn’t end the linebacker’s season, though he’d probably have to miss some time — a sprained MCL generally results in a recovery time of two to four weeks.
  • An ESPN report on Sunday suggested that Quinton Coples was involved in an incident on the Jets‘ flight back from Houston last week, which was part of the reason for his release. However, Coples and Jets head coach Todd Bowles both denied that was the case, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post. “I don’t know where that came from,” Coples said. “Only thing is I didn’t fit with the defense.”
  • Before this morning’s firing of Lazor, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald wrote that the Dolphins are in trouble “from top to bottom,” calling this year’s team the worst for the franchise since 2007.
  • In addition to the other changes to the Dolphins‘ coaching staff today, the club has also promoted Phil McGeoghan to wide receivers coach, according to the team (Twitter link).

AFC East Notes: Stacy, Fitzpatrick, Pats, Fins

With Bilal Powell sidelined in recent weeks, Zac Stacy has seen a little more action in the Jets‘ backfield as a backup to Chris Ivory, and even got a chance to act as the team’s kick returner on Thursday night. However, those kick-return duties resulted in an injury for Stacy, who fractured his ankle, according to head coach Todd Bowles (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).

While Stacy has yet to officially land on injured reserve, the injury figures to end his season. Powell is expected to return from his own ankle injury soon, so the team may not need to another running back to its roster, with Powell and Stevan Ridley available to back up Ivory.

As we wait to see what roster move the Jets make in the wake of Stacy’s injury, let’s round up a few more notes from around the AFC East….

  • Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s game, Bowles also confirmed that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will have surgery on his left thumb on Friday, and should be ready to play vs. the Texans in Week 11 (Twitter links via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News).
  • Given how well they’ve played this year, Patriots defenders Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones, and Jamie Collins all appear to be in line for big new contracts at some point in the not-too-distant future, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. All three players will see their current deals expire at the end of the 2016 season, and Howe believes that all three could earn $10MM+ annually on their next contracts, so it’ll be interesting to see if New England tries to retain all of them beyond next season.
  • The Dolphins have not approached wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who is in a contract year, about a new deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It sounds to me like any extension discussions between the two sides before Matthews reaches free agency will happen after the season.
  • Free agent running back Bronson Hill paid a visit to the Dolphins this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

AFC East Notes: Mosley, Vollmer, Vick

The Dolphins‘ late addition of C.J. Mosley, on a strong recommendation from their slightly higher-profile ex-Lions defensive line newcomer, came as a result of concerns about the depth toward the bottom of their depth chart, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.

Mosley, who will make just more than $1MM in what will be his 11th season, is a more reliable piece than what the team currently has behind Ndamukong Suh — unproven performers in A.J. Francis and Anthony Johnson — but it shouldn’t be viewed as an indictment on second-rounder Jordan Phillips‘ progress, writes Jackson.

Here are some more Sunday-morning news items from Miami and the rest of the AFC East.

  • Back under the guidance of a more enthusiastic coach in Mike Zimmer, Mike Wallace either strongly prefers this personality trait compared to the lower-key Joe Philbin or is trying to please his new employer. “Honestly, [Zimmer]’s more of my type of guy — fired up. It’s cool when you do things and just do them. But when you do them and have some fire with it, it’s a lot more fun,” Wallace is quoted in Jackson’s notes piece. “I think it’s more of an environment for me, coming from [Steelers] coach [Mike] Tomlin being fired up and going to Coach Philbin, who was a lot more reserved, then coming back to another coach who’s fired up. I love it.”
  • Despite each undergoing labrum surgeries this offseason, Dont’a Hightower and Sebastian Vollmer are on divergent recovery courses, reports Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Vollmer is on track to be ready for training camp, while Hightower’s status for Week 1 isn’t a lock. Hightower, who had surgery in February after playing through a torn labrum during the latter portion of last season, played with a bigger brace than Vollmer, which indicates his tear needed a more extensive surgical overhaul. Vollmer, however, likely played with a mere labrum fray, inducing a smaller-scale surgery, notes former Chargers team doctor David Chao. Chao does expect Hightower to be on the field for Week 1.
  • Although Patriots fifth-round long snapper Joe Cardona‘s received apparent clearance from the navy to postpone his service time to play in New England this season, the team doesn’t know how long it’ll have him. It’s structured Cardona’s contract accordingly, notes Volin. Receiving only a $100K bonus rather than the $190K that would’ve been customary with his draft position, Cardona will receive roster bonuses for each year he’s with the Patriots and not in the navy. Per Volin, Cardona will collect just more than $17K, $37K and $45K for the 2015-17 seasons, respectively, if he’s on the active roster for at least one game, the PUP list or injured reserve.
  • The Pats are now extremely well-equipped to challenge teams at the goal line, writes Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald, with their addition of 6-foot-6 Scott Chandler to go with Rob Gronkowski. With New England also adding Fred Davis to go with goal-line threat Michael Hoomanawanui, the team could add to its inside-the-20 proficiency after scoring 39 red zone touchdowns last season, a figure which was tied for the league high.
  • Michael Vick‘s unemployment extending into the summer likely stems from his lax work ethic last season, reports Volin, who notes the former No. 1 overall pick barely looked at the Jets‘ playbook last season and yielded many of his practice reps to Matt Simms.