Ereck Flowers - Pro Football Rumors

Giants’ Ereck Flowers Hires Agent Drew Rosenhaus

May 1st, 2018 at 12:39pm CST by Zachary Links

The Giants tried their darnedest to find a trade for Ereck Flowers during the draft, so the former first-round pick is understandably concerned about his football future. On Tuesday, the tackle hired Drew Rosenhaus to represent him, the agent announced on Twitter.

Flowers entered the NFL without the services of an agent in order to avoid paying out a portion of his contract. Later on, he hired his own father as an advisor once he obtained the proper certification from the NFLPA. Everald Flowers will continue to serve as a rep for his son, but Rosenhaus will ostensibly be in charge of either smoothing things out with the Giants or navigating him to a better situation for 2018.

Flowers has started at left tackle for the G-Men for the past three seasons, but he’s presently in line to compete for the team’s right tackle job after the signing of free agent Nate Solder. The Giants are not expected to pick up Flowers’ fifth-year option before the Thursday deadline, so he’s effectively entering his contract year. Even if another team acquires Flowers in the next 48 hours, it seems unlikely that he’d have the $12.525MM option exercised.

If the Giants release Flowers outright, they’ll save themselves $2.2MM in roster bonuses, but they’ll be left with nearly $4.6MM in dead money.

Giants Shopped Ereck Flowers During Draft

April 30th, 2018 at 6:09pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ereck Flowers remains on the Giants’ roster, but the team’s interest in moving him accelerated during draft weekend. But the Giants did not find a taker.

New York was seeking a mid-round pick for its 2015 first-round selection, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports, adding one team considered that price “significantly” too steep for its liking.

The Giants’ left tackle starter for the past three seasons, Flowers is currently in line to compete for the team’s right tackle job. Raanan adds the Giants are not expected to pick up the ex-Miami standout’s fifth-year option. That would make 2018 a contract year, should Flowers even be part of the Giants this season.

Flowers has not shown up for Giants workouts yet, opting instead to train in Miami. Raanan notes the Giants are reluctant to cut him at this point because of league-wide issues teams are having locating tackle help. A 2017 UDFA, Chad Wheeler as of now looms as Flowers’ primary competition, with Raanan adding 2017 sixth-round pick Adam Bisnowaty could factor into this mix potentially. It would place some dead money on the Giants’ balance sheet if they waive Flowers, but the team would save $2.2MM if it parted ways with him prior to this season.

Some Giants offensive linemen didn’t hold Flowers in high regard last season, one that ended with a controversial DNP in Week 17. Raanan didn’t rule out the Giants pursuing a free agent option. While it’s a rather grim market, Austin Howard remains available after taking multiple visits this spring.

Giants Looking To Trade Ereck Flowers

April 24th, 2018 at 9:30am CST by Zachary Links

As the 2018 draft approaches, the Giants are looking to unload a former top 10 pick. The Giants have had trade discussions centered around former first round tackle Ereck Flowers, sources tell NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). Meanwhile, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (on Twitter) hears the Giants aren’t expecting a big return for him. The Giants believe a deal is possible, but they understand that they won’t get much in terms of compensation.

Flowers, who doesn’t turn 24 until April, has not panned out for the Giants. The University of Miami product has earned poor grades in each of his three years as the Giants’ starting left tackle and new addition Nate Solder is expected to man the left side for the Giants in 2018. Flowers, in theory, could handle duties at right tackle, but the new administration led by Dave Gettleman would apparently prefer a fresh start.

Given the need for tackles around the league, the Giants can’t necessarily bank on finding a replacement for Flowers at No. 34 overall. It is expected that Connor Williams (Texas) and Mike McGlinchey (Notre Dame) will be long gone by the time the Giants come up in the second round, so they may have to settle for lesser prospects like Tyrell Crosby (Oregon), Brian O’Neill (Pitt), and Kolton Miller (UCLA) if they want a tackle with that selection.

East Notes: Foles, Giants, Breeland

April 22nd, 2018 at 12:32pm CST by Rory Parks

The Eagles and reigning Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles just agreed to a reworked contract that gives Foles a $2MM raise for 2018, plus a whole host of incentives. The deal also includes a mutual option for 2019, though if Foles were to decline the option, he would have to give back the $2MM he just received.

Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com examines why Philadelphia, which is tight against the cap this year and will be again in 2019, made the move. The reworked deal probably had little to nothing to do with the Eagles’ wanting to reward Foles for his postseason heroics, so Shorr-Parks speculates that Foles and his camp could have put some pressure on the team, and he also suggests the new contract may come with a lower cap hit.

The chances that the Eagles exercise the 2019 option are very slim, as Foles would be owed a $20MM salary under that scenario. But, if the two sides want to continue their relationship beyond 2018, this gesture will certainly buy the Eagles some goodwill when it comes time to negotiate again. It also guarantees that Philadelphia, which already had the best QB insurance policy in the game, will keep that policy perfectly content this season, and even if Carson Wentz cannot stay healthy, the team has given itself a chance to deploy a capable signal-caller for at least the next two years.

Now let’s take a quick swing around a few other east division clubs:

Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com says the Giants could look to trade offensive tackle Ereck Flowers during the draft, though that will probably be a difficult trick to pull off. Raanan also says Big Blue has done a lot of pre-draft work on punters this year, and he believes the team could bring in a UDFA punter to compete with Riley Dixon. Dixon was recently acquired from Denver for a conditional seventh-round pick, so if he does not make the club, the Giants will likely not need to surrender the pick.
Former Redskins cornerback Bashaud Breeland was set to sign a three-year, $24MM pact with the Panthers last month, but Carolina scuttled the deal due to a “non-football incident” in which Breeland cut his foot. The foot became infected, and at the time, it was reported that Breeland was a few months away from being able to pass a physical. He will surely garner some interest this summer once he is healed, but JP Finlay of NBCSports.com says Washington is not expected to bring Breeland back into the fold. Indeed, Breeland himself indicated on Instagram that the Redskins never had interest in retaining his services.
The Patriots are in the unique position of having three fifth-year options to either exercise or decline before May 3, and Mike Reiss of ESPN.com says the team will almost certainly exercise those options on defensive tackles Danny Shelton and Malcom Brown (at a little over $7MM apiece). However, the team is unsurprisingly not expected to exercise the $9.387MM option for receiver Phillip Dorsett.
The Cowboys are expected to exercise Byron Jones‘ fifth-year option.

NFC East Notes: Giants, Cowboys, Sutton

April 9th, 2018 at 5:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ereck Flowers has not lived up to expectations since being a 2015 first-round pick, but the Giants are planning to move him to his initial NFL position. Flowers is set to shift to right tackle, where he was in his first NFL offseason before a Will Beatty injury moved him to the left side — where he played for three seasons — but meetings between Flowers and the Giants will have to wait. Flowers was the team’s only no-show for Day 1 of the Pat Shurmur regime, per Art Stapleton of NorthJersey.com (on Twitter). These workouts are voluntary, but considering Flowers was the only no-show, this is notable. The Giants were not briefed about a Flowers absence, Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports. The Giants had issues with Flowers’ attitude last season, and it’s reasonable the team will pass on his fifth-year option. Dave Gettleman has made it clear at about every turn this offseason he wanted to overhaul the Giants’ offensive line, and Flowers being a first-round pick in the Jerry Reese era might not grant him much leeway anymore.

Here’s the latest from the NFC East, continuing with a player who may or may not be changing positions up front.

Jason Garrett emphasized a preference for getting his best five linemen on the field and praised La’el Collins‘ versatility. With Cameron Fleming now in the fold for the Cowboys, this line of thinking would seemingly point to Collins returning to left guard. But he said Sunday he would prefer to stay at right tackle. “One of the things we want to do is always try to play our five best guys,” Garrett said, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “A big part of that beyond just who are the best is try to put them in the best place for them individually and the best place for them collectively. His versatility is going to help us.” Hill adds that Fleming, who played right tackle for the Patriots, will also get a look at guard. But he has less guard experience than Collins, who was an interior lineman from 2015-16.
With the Browns likely taking a quarterback at No. 1, the Giants are going to have their pick of the other sought-after members of this passer class and the best non-QB in the draft. However, how the Browns proceed may affect the Giants’ desire to invest their No. 2 overall pick in an Eli Manning successor. Sam Darnold is the only quarterback the Giants are believed to covet, Tony Pauline of DraftAnalyst.com writes. A previous report indicated the Giants would not be expected to pass on Darnold if he’s there.
If the Browns take the USC-honed QB, they may either be open for business at 2 or be ready to pull the trigger on Bradley Chubb. Chubb/Giants chatter has increased in recent days, per James Palmer of NFL.com (video link). James Bettcher said Chubb’s past in a 4-3 set would not preclude the Giants from plugging him into their new 3-4 alignment, even though the N.C. State edge defender is a bit large for a typical outside linebacker.
Courtland Sutton has already visited the Cowboys and will add another NFC East team to his meetings itinerary Tuesday. The SMU wide receiver will meet with the Eagles in Philadelphia, Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fan reports (on Twitter). New Eagles WRs coach Gunter Brewer spent time with Sutton at the Mustangs’ pro day, Mosher tweets.

Giants Move Ereck Flowers To Right Tackle

March 15th, 2018 at 10:15pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Giants confirmed their signing of left tackle Nate Solder to a four-year, $62MM deal, and in so doing, announced former first-round pick Ereck Flowers will move to right tackle.

The news doesn’t come as a complete surprise. Flowers had to play somewhere after all (unless New York intended to trade or release him), so the only question was whether he would shift to guard or right tackle. The former first-round pick was considered a guard prospect by many during the 2015 pre-draft process, but Flowers will stay at tackle, only on the right side.

“As soon as we announced the signing of Nate, [head coach] Pat [Shurmur] spoke with Ereck,” general manager Dave Gettleman said, per John Healy of the New York Daily News. “He called him on the phone to talk to him and said, ‘Listen, we’re going to move you to right, and at the end of the day, the five best offensive linemen play.’ That’s where they left it, and Ereck was fine on the phone.”

Although he’s only 23 years old, Flowers already has plenty of NFL experience, as he’s started 46 games for the Giants over the past three years. He’s never been effective, however: 2017 marked his best campaign to date, but that only resulted in Flowers grading as the league’s No. 54 tackle among 81 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus.

Contractually, Flowers’ position change doesn’t have any immediate effects. New York needs to decide on his 2019 fifth-year option by early May, but his move to right tackle won’t change anything. Fifth-year option values — like franchise tags — don’t have different values for tackles and interior linemen, let alone left and right tackles.

NFC Notes: Panthers, Peppers, Giants, Apple

January 5th, 2018 at 2:37pm CST by Zachary Links

The Panthers would like to have 37-year-old Julius Peppers back in the fold next year, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes.

“I’d love for him to come back, absolutely,’’ head coach Ron Rivera said. “And I know we’ve managed him [in terms of practice time] and we’ll do whatever we need to. But it’s all up to him. He’s had a very good year. Who knows? Hopefully, we can keep it rolling.”

Peppers is playing out a one-year deal with a base value of $3.5MM that could reach up to $4.25MM with bonuses. Of course, his focus is currently on helping the Panthers advance in the playoffs.

Here’s more from the NFC:

New Giants GM Dave Gettleman had a sit-down meeting with Eli Apple this week, according to Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter). Schwartz takes this as a sign that Apple could still be in the team’s plans for 2018 and Mike Garafolo of NFL.com (on Twitter) agrees. However, that comes with the caveat that Apple shows increased maturity. If all goes right, both Apple and offensive lineman Ereck Flowers could be a part of the team moving forward.
The Cardinals are in town to interview Eagles quarterbacks coach John DeFilippo and defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz for their head coach opening today, a source tells Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter). First, Schwartz gets his shot in the afternoon, followed by DeFilippo in the evening.
The Packers want to talk to a key executive from the Ravens about their GM vacancy.

Giants Souring On Ereck Flowers?

December 30th, 2017 at 7:14pm CST by Sam Robinson

Ereck Flowers has started all 15 Giants games this season and has missed just one game in his career. The third-year left tackle looks set to miss Week 17.

Flowers told coaches he would not play against the Redskins, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com reports. Although he’s questionable with a groin injury, Flowers has “checked out” and is ready for Big Blue’s season to end, per ESPN.

If Flowers does suit up, he will be benched. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv reports Dave Gettleman approved the benching of the former first-round pick, doing so along with making the call to waive Bobby Hart — who had started intermittently over the past two years. Both Flowers and Hart refused to practice on Friday, Vacchiano reports, adding the Giants are “fed up” with the duo’s attitudes. That resulted in Hart’s exit, but the team has more money tied up in Flowers.

Flowers is listed as questionable to play in Sunday’s meaningless game, but he practiced on a limited basis Wednesday and Thursday prior to sitting out Friday. A source told Vacchiano that Flowers would probably not be active Sunday.

The University of Miami product has disappointed since the Giants made him the No. 9 overall pick in 2015, and it seems unlikely the team will exercise his fifth-year option at this point. Although, Flowers has been incredibly durable and these options are guaranteed against injury only, in the event the sides mend fences in the near future. As for Flowers’ 2018 status, his $2.4MM base salary is fully guaranteed; he’ll count $4.5MM against the Giants’ cap whether he’s on the team or not.

The Giants have discussed moving Flowers to right tackle or to guard in the past, per Vacchiano, who adds the team is not expected to bring him back as the starting left tackle next season. Flowers has been Big Blue’s left tackle starter since his first offseason, when a Will Beatty injury moved him from right to left tackle.

Gettleman said Friday the offensive line needed fixing. Both Justin Pugh and Weston Richburg are free agents. With Flowers’ status less certain after recent events, the Giants are close to starting from scratch up front.

East Rumors: Giants, Fins, Jets, Cowboys

September 23rd, 2017 at 8:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

Justin Pugh‘s contract year could well include a lengthy stay at right tackle. The Giants‘ starting left guard slid to his original position on Monday night and will do the same Sunday against the Eagles. Big Blue plans to start Brett Jones at left guard and does not plan on ditching Ereck Flowers at left tackle, Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com notes. Pugh’s versatility will allow the Giants, per Ben McAdoo, to keep the “best five” on the field rather than the team having to use a swing tackle. Usual right tackle Bobby Hart will miss Week 3, and D.J. Fluker — a four-year Chargers starter — is apparently the Giants’ seventh offensive lineman. He’ll profile as the backup guard behind Jones and John Jerry, Raanan writes.

Here’s more from the Eastern divisions in advance of Week 3’s Sunday slate.

Lawrence Timmons‘ pre-Week 2 disappearance will be costly. The Dolphins linebacker signed a two-year, $12MM deal but will lose money because of the suspension his new team handed down this week. In addition to voiding the $4.5MM in guaranteed money attached to his 2018 salary, Timmons stands to lose as much as $235K in base salary this season — since he can only be suspended for four weeks under the CBA — and could be set to forfeit signing bonus money, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe reports. Volin adds the linebacker could be forced to refund 4/17ths of this year’s portion of his $5.5MM signing bonus. This team-imposed ban could cost Timmons $882K this season before giving Miami greater leverage over him in 2018 because of voided guarantees.
Jay Cutler reached out to Matt Forte about a possible Jets path, but his longtime Bears teammate couldn’t provide many details about an offensive system about to change, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports. Although the Jets and Cutler had multiple visits scheduled, neither came to fruition and the interest wasn’t heavy on either side. Cutler also talked with former Broncos and Bears quarterbacks coach Jeremy Bates, Gang Green’s current QBs instructor, throughout his first free agency process, per Mehta. But with Bates not calling plays in New York, that connection didn’t have the kind of appeal that would have induced Cutler to sign with the rebuilding team. Instead, Cutler’s second wave of free agency became a Dolphins-centric odyssey.
Austin Seferian-Jenkins weighed over 300 pounds in the recent past, according to Calvin Watkins of Newsday. The Jets tight end dropped a staggering 60 pounds, per Watkins, and is down to 262 as he comes off his two-game suspension for substance abuse. A May report indicated Seferian-Jenkins was down 25 pounds. A year ago Saturday, Seferian-Jenkins was arrested on suspicion of DUI. The Buccaneers cut him, routing the formerly coveted prospect to the Jets. As of this week, ASJ is approaching 250 days sober, Watkins reports.
The Cowboys struggled to stay with Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders in a Week 2 loss in Denver, and the team will take a shorthanded cornerback group to Arizona as well. Both Nolan Carroll and Chidobe Awuzie are out for the Cowboys’ Monday-night tilt against the Cardinals, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News tweets. A hamstring injury will shelve Awuzie, and Carroll’s in concussion protocol.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Giants

March 1st, 2017 at 9:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Eagles are entering free agency in need of help at wide receiver. Fortunately for them, “several” unsigned wideouts regard the idea of playing with Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz as intriguing, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com. Unsurprisingly, one of those players is the Redskins’ DeSean Jackson, who has made it clear he’d be open to returning to Philadelphia, where he starred from 2008-13. “Carson Wentz, he came in and had a heck of the year as a rookie. I don’t think a lot of people saw that coming,” Jackson told ESPN’s Adam Schefter. The 30-year-old added that Wentz “has all the intangibles in being a big-time quarterback in this league.”