Eric Berry

West Notes: Broncos, Miller, Chiefs, Berry

June 21st, 2016 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Von Miller and Broncos have had “minimal communication in the last 10-12 days or so,” according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Facebook). As previously reported, the two sides still have a wide gap to bridge when it comes to guaranteed money and Von Miller is still exploring the idea of holding out if he does not get the deal that he is after. If Miller sits out and the Broncos tag him again next offseason, the compensation to sign him drops from two first-round picks to one first-round pick and one third-round pick. That’s still a hefty price to pay on top of the actual monster contract Miller will command, but there should be at least a few teams willing to go to that length.

Here’s more from the West divisions:

More from Fowler, who writes that Chiefs star Eric Berry has his eyes set on becoming the league’s highest-paid safety and wants to capitalize while he still can. In order to get that mantle, Berry will have to beat out Harrison Smith‘s brand new five-year, $51.25MM deal with the Vikings. Typically, the Chiefs quietly do work behind the scenes and of all the franchise-tagged players, Fowler believes that Berry’s path to a long-term pact could be the smoothest.
Does the addition of No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff make the Rams a title contender? Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes that Goff is a step in the right direction for Los Angeles, though there is nothing guaranteed with a rookie quarterback and it will likely take two or three years for the team to develop him into a reliable player. Ultimately, however, if Goff does pan out and Todd Gurley reaches his potential, the Rams could be a dangerous team.
In case you missed it, Fowler’s latest report also included an update on Bears wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
Earlier today, we heard from both the Chargers and agent Todd France on the Joey Bosa contract situation.

West Notes: Chargers, Freeney, Chiefs, Berry

May 12th, 2016 at 4:49pm CST by Luke Adams

The Chargers announced on Wednesday that they have named Louis Clark the team’s senior director of pro personnel. Clark most recently held the same position with the Eagles. Prior to joining the Eagles in 2013, Clark spent 16 seasons in the Jaguars’ player personnel department as a college scout, assistant director of pro personnel, and director of pro personnel. Clark and GM Tom Telesco have known each other for some time, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) notes.

Here’s more from out of the NFL’s West divisions, including a few notes on one of San Diego’s division rivals:

Veteran edge defender Dwight Freeney, who had eight sacks in 11 games for the Cardinals last season, identified Arizona as a team he’d like to play for in 2016 during an appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter today. However, Freeney said that if the Cards don’t want to bring him back, he’d still like to get a chance to continue his career with another winning team. The 14-year veteran turned 36 in February.
Chiefs GM John Dorsey told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) says that he tried to move up in the first round of the draft, but the cost proved to be too high. Instead, Kansas City traded back, and Dorsey says he still got the guy he wanted in defensive tackle Chris Jones.
Dorsey expects contract negotiations with safety Eric Berry to be a “slow process,” but the two sides continue to have dialogue (link). Because Berry received the franchise tag, he and the Chiefs have until July 15th to work out a multiyear deal. If the two sides don’t reach an agreement by that point, Berry would be in line to play out the 2016 season on his $10.806MM franchise salary.
More from Dorsey (link): According to the GM, Chiefs seventh-round pick Dadi Nicolas will be converted from defensive end to outside linebacker.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Franchise Tag Notes: Mo, Cousins, Norman

April 12th, 2016 at 6:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The asking price for Jets defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson is a first-round pick, and perhaps even more, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that Wilkerson is still on the trade block. One club that won’t be bidding for Wilkerson is the Bears, per Robinson, because Chicago doesn’t want to sacrifice the No. 11 pick and likes the depth of this year’s defensive line draft class.

Let’s take a deep dive into Robinson’s article (which is well worth a full read), as he passes along updates on the top franchise-tagged players…

Kirk Cousins wants a “legitimate” franchise quarterback offer before he considers signing a long-term deal with Washington, sources tell Robinson. In other words, Cousins, who is set to earn more than $19MM in 2016, isn’t interested in a “pay-as-you-go” extension signed by the likes of Andy Dalton and Colin Kaepernick. At the moment, Washington doesn’t view Cousins as the centerpiece of its team.
The Panthers aren’t interested in paying cornerback Josh Norman‘s asking price, which Robinson reports is around $15-16MM (a number that jibes with earlier reports). Carolina is fine with letting Norman play out the year under the franchise tag, which, at nearly $14MM, pays him like an elite corner.
Von Miller‘s price has gone up this offseason following Olivier Vernon‘s massive deal with the Giants, but the Broncos want to pay him somewhere between Ndamukong Suh and Justin Houston money, which would be around $18MM. Recent reports have indicated that Denver offered Miller more than $17MM annually.
The Bills have made left tackle Cordy Glenn their top priority, and because they view him as an “ascending cornerstone,” they’re willing to pay him elite tackle money, writes Robinson. The deal could be delayed, but Anthony Castonzo‘s deal with the Colts is a starting point in talks, per Robinson.
The Chiefs expect to get a deal done with Eric Berry, but probably not until after the draft, according to Robinson. Berry and Kansas City have a great relationship which should make negotiations easier, and Robinson opines that Berry should be able to top Devin McCourty‘s deal.
Alshon Jeffery is in the same boat as Berry, per Robinson, as the Bears are largely focused on the draft at the moment. Jeffery is not worried about reaching a long-term deal, especially since the franchise tag is paying him nearly $15MM, but the two sides are expected to knock out an extension later in the offseason.
The Rams might have a hard time getting cornerback Trumaine Johnson to agree to a reasonable deal, especially because they picked Johnson over fellow CB Janoris Jenkins, who went on to score a large contract with the Giants. If the two sides do work out an extension, says Robinson, it will be late in the offseason.

AFC West Rumors: Berry, Broncos, Raiders

March 26th, 2016 at 2:31pm CST by Sam Robinson

For the first time since becoming an unrestricted free agent and subsequently receiving the franchise tag, Eric Berry discussed his allegiance with the Chiefs. The seventh-year safety “definitely” wants to stay in Kansas City “long-term,” according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star.

GM John Dorsey has engaged in discussions with Berry’s representatives for months, and chairman Clark Hunt has gotten the impression the two-time first-team All-Pro defender values approves of the direction the Chiefs are going.

“I’m hopeful that we’ll be able to get a long-term deal with him done here in the next several months,” Hunt told media, including Paylor. “He’s certainly somebody that we would like to be a Chief for a very, very long time.”

Berry hasn’t signed his $10.81MM franchise tender, a figure that only one other safety — the Saints’ Jairus Byrd — is set to earn this season. Paylor writes the Chiefs, who possess $6.29MM in cap space, can slash that $10.8MM number by about half by signing Berry to an extension.

Here’s some more from the AFC West.

The division’s top three finishers last season each signed a player from a division rival, with the Chiefs adding Rod Streater after the Raiders brought in Sean Smith and Broncos poached Donald Stephenson. The Broncos signed Stephenson, a former third-round pick in 2012 whose career has underwhelmed to date, due to the versatility he could bring, Gary Kubiak told media (via Paylor). But the second-year Broncos coach identified Stephenson’s fit on the right side of their offensive line as one of the key factors in Denver deciding to sign him on Day 1 of free agency. Despite being eventually benched at right tackle after opening last season as the Chiefs’ left tackle starter, Stephenson figures to be the top candidate as of now to begin 2016 as the Broncos’ right tackle. Drafted to play right tackle, Ty Sambrailo — Denver’s 2015 second-rounder who slid to left tackle after Ryan Clady‘s ACL tear — may again see an offseason relocation, this time shifting inside to right guard.
Instead of meeting Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s salary demands or bothering with Colin Kaepernick, the Broncos should take Dak Prescott with the second round’s final pick, Woody Paige of the Denver Post writes. Paige likens the Mississippi State prospect to a version of Tim Tebow, whom the longtime columnist was high on during his time in Denver, only with a much better passing acumen. Generally sliding in as a Day 2 option for teams behind Conner Cook and the trio of signal-callers with first-round projections, Prescott accounted for nearly 4,500 total yards as a junior and completed a career-best 66.2% of his throws while throwing for a career-best 3,793 yards last season. The former Bulldogs dual-threat talent has a visit scheduled with the Broncos. Former Cowboys personnel man Gil Brandt told Paige a team will use a mid-round pick on Prescott and attempt to develop him into a “Cam (Newton)-like quarterback.”
Playing on a one-year lease at their 50-year-old stadium in 2016, the Raiders will pay $3.5MM in rent this season at O.co Coliseum after that figure stood at $925K last season, David DeBolt and Rebecca Parr report for InsideBayArea.com. The massive increase stems from increased costs of game-day security and other factors, Coliseum authority executive director Scott McKibben told the website. “We’re more or less trying to pass along some of these (costs) to the Raiders which is not unlike any other NFL team,” McKibben said. “I spent a lot of time visiting with a lot of other NFL teams and this has been customary throughout the league. And quite honestly at the end of the day the Raiders were very cooperative with us on that.” Seeking a new stadium despite discussions that haven’t progressed, the Raiders have courted other cities in which to settle, with Los Angeles and Las Vegas chief among them.

Chiefs Use Franchise Tag On Eric Berry

March 1st, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Luke Adams

2:10pm: The Chiefs have officially placed the franchise tag on Berry, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com.

1:15pm: As anticipated, it will be the franchise tag for Berry, tweets Getlin.

12:53pm: The Chiefs intend to use a tag to retain safety Eric Berry in advance of this afternoon’s deadline, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link). While Getlin didn’t specify which tag Berry will get, the non-exclusive franchise tag (worth $10.806MM) seems likely. The transition tag ($9.116MM) isn’t much cheaper, and would make the Chiefs much more vulnerable to rival offer sheets.

Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, the veteran safety was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs.

Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties, and the standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.

The franchise tag will lock up Berry for the coming season, and perhaps longer, as Getlin notes the two sides have interest in working out a longer-term agreement. In the meantime, the Chiefs have plenty of other free agent decisions to make, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Sean Smith, pass rusher Tamba Hali, inside linebacker Derrick Johnson, safety Tyvon Branch, and defensive lineman Jaye Howard are among the other Kansas City defenders eligible for free agency.

Berry is the ninth player who has either been tagged already, or will be tagged by 3:00pm central time. Von Miller (Broncos), Kirk Cousins (Washington), Cordy Glenn (Bills), Alshon Jeffery (Bears), Josh Norman (Panthers), Muhammad Wilkerson (Jets), Justin Tucker (Ravens), and Olivier Vernon (Dolphins) are all expect to be tagged when the dust settles, and there may be one or two more players added to that list — the Rams, for instance, are expected to tag one of their cornerbacks.

Of the players receiving tags, all but Miller (exclusive franchise) and Vernon (transition) are getting non-exclusive franchise tags. All franchised players will have until July 15th to work out multiyear extensions with their respective teams.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Chiefs Rumors: Charles, Berry, Johnson, Daniel, Branch

February 25th, 2016 at 4:28pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The torn ACL that ended star running back Jamaal Charles‘ season last October won’t bring about the conclusion of his Chiefs career, general manager John Dorsey said at the combine Thursday. The Chiefs will not release the five-time thousand-yard rusher, according to Dorsey, who added that Charles is progressing well in his recovery (link via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com).

In addition to Charles’ situation, Dorsey addressed the statuses of a few of the Chiefs’ pending free agents. Here’s the latest:

Dorsey says he’ll meet with safety Eric Berry‘s agent this weekend (Twitter link via Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star). As of earlier this week, not much progress had been made in the Chiefs’ quest to lock up Berry. If the two sides fail to reach a deal this month, the Chiefs are expected to place the franchise tag on the four-time Pro Bowler by the March 1 deadline.
Dorsey confirmed that he recently talked to the agent for linebacker Derrick Johnson, per BJ Kissel of the Chiefs’ website (Twitter link). Johnson, who has been with the Chiefs since they drafted him 15th overall in 2005, is coming off his sixth career 16-start season. He totaled 116 tackles, four sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles, and ranked eighth out of 97 qualifying linebackers at Pro Football Focus (subscription required). If the Chiefs strike a deal with Berry before the franchise tag deadline, Johnson could become a candidate for it, Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes.
Backup quarterback Chase Daniel has sat behind starter Alex Smith for the last three years, and now Daniel could be in line for a No. 1 job elsewhere. If another team is willing to pay Daniel like a starter, the Chiefs won’t be able to keep him, according to Dorsey – who says he has spoken with Daniel’s agent. Dorsey added that he thinks the Chiefs’ No. 2 QB is already on their roster (Twitter links via Paylor). They currently have Aaron Murray and Tyler Bray under contract.
The Chiefs are interested in retaining safety Tyvon Branch, a source tells Paylor (Twitter link). Branch, whom the Chiefs signed to a one-year deal last winter, appeared in all 16 of their games last season and started one. The 29-year-old added 43 tackles, one interception, a forced fumble, and four passes defensed.

Free Agent Rumors: Berry, Laurinaitis, Jackson

February 22nd, 2016 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

There have been multiple reports this month suggesting that the Chiefs are working on a contract extension for safety Eric Berry, making it one of their top priorities this offseason. Despite Kansas City’s obvious interest in getting something done with the All-Pro defender, no significant progress has been made at this point between the two sides, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network.

I identified Berry as a strong candidate to receive the franchise tag when I examined potential recipients last week, noting that the price for safeties is reasonable compared to some other positions. While that may be where this is heading, the Chiefs still have another week to try to work out something longer-term with the 27-year-old.

Let’s check in on a few other free agents, or free-agents-to-be….

Appearing today on SiriusXM NFL Radio, linebacker James Laurinaitis, who was cut by the Rams on Friday, said that he’d like to join a team with a shot to win the Super Bowl. According to Laurinaitis, agent Tom Condon told him that teams have already reached out, and he should have a better idea of his options after the combine. While he admitted that he grew up as a Vikings fan, Laurinaitis maintained that he’s open to any potential suitor (all Twitter links).
While one veteran Seahawks running back – Marshawn Lynch – has announced his retirement, Fred Jackson doesn’t appear ready to call it a career. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jackson want to play in 2016. It’s not clear yet if Seattle will be interested in bringing back the veteran, who doesn’t have a contract for next season.
A year after being traded to Detroit by the Ravens, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata is unlikely to reunite with his old team in free agency, says Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. As Hensley writes, the Ravens simply don’t have a real need for a player like Ngata, and will likely focus on edge defenders instead.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins holds all the cards in contract discussions with Washington, and the team knows it, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
The Jets would like to re-sign running back Bilal Powell, but there were other suitors – including division rivals – lurking if New York can’t lock him up by March 9th, as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com outlines.

Chiefs Prioritizing Deal For Eric Berry

February 17th, 2016 at 6:06pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Chiefs are prioritizing pending free agent safety Eric Berry and could sign him to a long-term deal as early as next week’s NFL scouting combine, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).

Berry is coming off a stellar season that saw him earn All-Pro honors for the second time, his fourth Pro Bowl nod and AP Comeback Player of the Year. The 27-year-old missed 10 contests in 2014 while battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but he was able to recover in time to return last season and play all 18 of the Chiefs’ games (playoffs included).

Earlier this month, Chiefs owner Clark Hunt spoke of Berry’s importance to the organization.

“Certainly, Eric is somebody that’s very important to the franchise,” Hunt said. “Coach (Andy) Reid and his staff think highly of him. They appreciate the leader that he’s become, and obviously personally, he had the amazing year overcoming cancer. We’ll do everything we can to try to bring him back.”

Berry’s now-expired pact, which he inked after the Chiefs drafted him fifth overall in 2010, ranked second among current safeties in total value ($50.05MM), fourth in AAV at over $8.34MM, and first in guarantees at just under $25.70MM. His next contract should keep him in the elite tier in all three categories.

In the event the Chiefs and Berry are unable to strike a new deal, the team could place the franchise tag on the 6-foot, 212-pounder by March 1 to prevent him from hitting the open market March 9. As PFR’s Luke Adams wrote earlier this week, the franchise price of over $10MM for a safety isn’t exactly cheap, but it wouldn’t be unpalatable in Berry’s case. Moreover, by tagging Berry, the Chiefs would buy themselves extra time to lock him up for the long haul.

While the Chiefs appear willing to do what it takes to retain Berry, they otherwise won’t be big-time players when it comes to handing out sizable contracts this offseason, Cole reports. That means they could lose one of Berry’s top secondary cohorts, cornerback Sean Smith, who’s also unsigned as free agency approaches.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

2015 NFL Award Winners

February 7th, 2016 at 8:19am CST by Rory Parks

The NFL announced this season’s award winners at last night’s “NFL Honors” event. The complete list can be found here, but the highlights are as follows:

AP Most Valuable Player:
Cam Newton, QB, Panthers

AP Offensive Player of the Year:
Newton

AP Defensive Player of the Year:
J.J. Watt, DE, Texans

Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year:
Jameis Winston, QB, Buccaneers

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year:
Todd Gurley, RB, Rams

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year:
Marcus Peters, CB, Chiefs

AP Coach of the Year:
Ron Rivera, Panthers

AP Comeback Player of the Year:
Eric Berry, S, Chiefs

Walter Payton Man of the Year:
Anquan Boldin, WR, 49ers

2016 NFL Hall of Fame Class:
Brett Favre, QB; Kevin Greene, LB; Marvin Harrison, WR; Orlando Pace, OL; Tony Dungy, coach; Ken Stabler, QB; Dick Stanfel, OL; Eddie DeBartolo, owner

Chiefs Working On Extension For Eric Berry

February 6th, 2016 at 8:55am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 8:55am: Team chairman Clark Hunt acknowledged Berry’s importance to the organization when talking with Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star.

“Certainly, Eric is somebody that’s very important to the franchise,” Hunt said. “Coach (Andy) Reid and his staff think highly of him. They appreciate the leader that he’s become, and obviously personally, he had the amazing year overcoming cancer. We’ll do everything we can to try to bring him back.”

Berry, meanwhile, isn’t allowing the extension talks to be a distraction.

“Right now, it’s in my agent’s hands,” Berry said, when asked about his contract situation. “With everything that went on this past year, I just want to kick it for a little bit, get the season off me, get all that off me, and then I think we’ll go from there.”

WEDNESDAY, 2:56pm: Having already extended a key offensive player this offseason, locking up Travis Kelce to a new, long-term contract, the Chiefs are now focusing on one of their top defenders, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. According to Rapoport (via Twitter), Kansas City is “ramping up talks” on a potential extension for safety Eric Berry.

Berry, who earned Pro Bowl nods in three of his first four NFL seasons, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 2014, raising some doubts about his future in the league. However, Berry was declared cancer-free in 2015 and enjoyed one of his best seasons this past year for the Chiefs.

Appearing in all 16 games for Kansas City in 2015, Berry logged 61 tackles to go along with a pair of interceptions and 10 passes defended. Pro Football Focus ranked the Tennessee product sixth among 88 qualified safeties. The standout season earned Berry his fourth Pro Bowl berth, along with a spot on the NFL’s All-Pro first team.

Unlike Kelce, who still had a year left on his rookie contract, Berry is eligible for free agency this winter, so if the Chiefs hope to lock him up before he can hit the open market, the club will have to do so within the next five weeks.

In the latest edition of Pro Football Rumors’ free agent power rankings, Dallas Robinson placed Berry 10th overall, down from eighth in our previous installment. Dallas noted that safeties typically don’t land the sort of guaranteed money that quarterbacks, left tackles, and pass rushers do, but added that Berry should still do very well for himself this offseason, whether he re-signs with Kansas City or joins another team.

In the fall, former agent Joel Corry estimated that the franchise tag for safeties in 2016 will be around $10.7MM, so that’s an option for the Chiefs if they can’t reach a longer-team deal with Berry within the next few weeks. Although that’s a significant price tag, it’s not a huge increase over the 27-year-old’s 2016 cap hit of $8.36MM, so Kansas City could probably make it work. Tagging Berry would also give the team a few extra months to work out a multiyear contract for him.

If Berry does ultimately sign a long-term deal, there’s a good chance it will make him one of the top two or three highest-paid safeties in the NFL. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the former fifth overall pick would have to secure an average annual salary of at least $9MM to crack the top three, while surpassing $10MM per year would make him the league’s highest-paid safety.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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