HEADLINES

Erin Henderson

Free Agent Rumors: Wisniewski, Jaguars, Giants, Sanu

March 11th, 2016 at 10:43am CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors:

  • Center Stefen Wisniewski remains an option to return as a starter for the Jaguars, but he is still shopping himself around, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets. The Jaguars, meanwhile, continue to seek out depth on the offensive line. Cowboys free agent guard Mackenzy Bernadeau is visiting the Jaguars, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets.
  • New Falcons receiver Mohamed Sanu says that his agent indicated that the Giants, Chargers, Patriots, Bucs, Titans, and Washington were all interested in him, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com tweets.
  • The Raiders sniffed around Jerrell Freeman but they seem closer to signing a different inside linebacker in Erin Henderson, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The Jets are also after Henderson, he adds.
  • Browns free agent linebacker Craig Robertson is on his way to visit the Seahawks, Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer tweets.

Jets Sign Erin Henderson

April 10th, 2015 at 5:24pm CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 5:24pm: Henderson’s one-year deal with the Jets is worth $745,000 and includes no up-front money, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

WEDNESDAY, 11:44am: The Jets have officially signed Henderson, the team announced today in a press release.

TUESDAY, 1:43pm: Former Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson will get an opportunity to resume his NFL career with the Jets this year, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com, who reports that the two sides have agreed to terms on a one-year contract.

Henderson, 28, is a talented player, having racked up 112 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions for the Vikings in just 14 games in 2013. However, he has been arrested multiple times for DUI-related incidents, and has been suspended by the league for his off-field behavior. The Maryland product didn’t play in the NFL in 2014 following his latest round of legal issues.

According to Cosentino, after doing their due diligence on Henderson, the Jets are satisfied that he has turned his life around. The team met with the linebacker multiple times, working him out in Arizona last month and hosting him for a free agent visit last week. The one-year contract the Jets offered to Henderson likely won’t cost much, meaning it shouldn’t be hard for the team to cut ties if the six-year veteran runs into more trouble.

Before he reached a deal to join the Jets, Henderson reportedly received interest from the 49ers as well.

Erin Henderson To Visit Jets

March 29th, 2015 at 9:28am CST by Rory Parks

Free-agent linebacker Erin Henderson will visit the Jets, according to Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter). The 28-year-old Maryland product looked as if he was prepared to establish himself as one of the better linebackers in the league in 2013, when he posted 112 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions for the Vikings in just 14 games. He also graded out as the 19th-best inside linebacker out of 55 qualifiers in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Henderson struggled in pass coverage but was evaluated as an above-average performer in ever other facet of the game, turning in a particularly strong showing against the run.

However, as our Luke Adams wrote last week, Henderson has been arrested multiple times for DUI-related incidents, and he did not play at all in 2014 after his latest bout of legal issues. But his upside is still intriguing, and he has garnered recent interest from the 49ers and worked out for the Chiefs back in January.

He had a private workout in Arizona last weekend separate from the inaugural veterans combine, and representatives from a number of teams attended those workouts. It seems, then, that Henderson will get another chance to prove himself in the league, the only question is which club will be willing to take that chance. The Jets can now be counted as a potential destination.

West Notes: Chargers, Raiders, Murray, 49ers

March 24th, 2015 at 1:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters this morning in Phoenix at the AFC coaches’ breakfast, Chargers head coach Mike McCoy addressed the team’s backfield, including quarterback Philip Rivers. Asked about Rivers’ decision to play out his contract, McCoy responded that the team plans on Rivers “retiring as a Charger” (Twitter link via Ed Werder of ESPN.com).

McCoy also indicated he’s confident the Chargers can win with the three running backs they have on the roster at the moment (Twitter link via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune). Donald Brown, Branden Oliver, and Danny Woodhead are currently slated to share the load for San Diego, with Ryan Mathews having departed in free agency. The club could also address the position in the draft.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two West divisions:

  • Within a piece on Jeremy Maclin, Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer reports, citing a league source, that the Raiders offered running back DeMarco Murray “significant more guaranteed money” than the Eagles did.
  • Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio identified defensive end and pass rusher as two spots he expects his team to focus on early in the 2015 draft, tweets Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Del Rio added that receiving help could also come via free agency, as Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets.
  • 49ers general manager Trent Baalke confirmed that his club has interest in several free agent inside linebackers, including Brandon Spikes. However, according to Baalke, there’s no official visit lined up for Erin Henderson at this point (Twitter link via Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com).
  • Casey Pearce of the Rams clarified today (via Twitter) that the Rams will have their own seventh-round pick this year — it was the Patriots‘ pick that St. Louis sent to the Falcons in a subsequent trade. With 2015’s compensatory picks now announced, the league should officially confirm the complete draft order soon.
  • UCLA’s Brett Hundley, considered perhaps the best 2015 quarterback prospect not named Jameis or Marcus, has a private workout scheduled with the Cardinals, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

49ers Eyeing Free Agent Linebackers

March 23rd, 2015 at 12:52pm CST by Luke Adams

12:52pm: The 49ers are also considering longtime Bears linebacker Lance Briggs, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee, who says the team has discussed the possibility of signing the veteran free agent. Barrows also notes that the club is looking at another FA linebacker, former Buccaneer Mason Foster.

10:04am: Earlier this offseason, the 49ers brought in one former Viking who has run into off-field legal troubles, when they signed wide receiver Jerome Simpson. Now, the team appears to be eyeing another player who fits that bill.

Former Vikings linebacker Erin Henderson had a private workout in Arizona this weekend separate from the veterans combine, reports Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (all Twitter links). According to Anderson, representatives from a number of teams attended Henderson’s workout — one of those teams was San Francisco, and Henderson has lined up a visit with the 49ers later this week. Henderson’s meeting with the Niners was first reported by NFL Draft Diamonds.

The Niners are in need of linebacker help, particularly on the inside, after both Patrick Willis and Chris Borland unexpectedly announced this month that they’d be retiring from the NFL. A report in early March indicated that San Francisco was shopping Michael Wilhoite, who stepped in last year as a starter when Willis and NaVorro Bowman went down with injuries, but now it appears the team may keep Wilhoite around. The Niners figure to add some depth to complement Wilhoite and Bowman.

Henderson, 28, is a talented player, having racked up 112 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions for the Vikings in just 14 games in 2013. However, he has been arrested multiple times for DUI-related incidents, and has been suspended by the league for his off-field behavior. The Maryland product didn’t play in the NFL in 2014 following his latest legal issues.

AFC Notes: Jets, Hali, Allen, Chiefs

January 8th, 2015 at 8:46pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are bringing back Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan for a second interview, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, who notes (via Twitter) that Maccagnan is the team’s first GM candidate to get a second interview. That second interview will take place on Friday, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com, adding that the Jets are impressed with Maccagnan. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News throws some cold water on Maccagnan’s candidacy though, tweeting that the overwhelming feeling he gets from front office executives around the league is that the Texans exec isn’t ready to be an NFL GM. More out of the AFC..

  • Sam Mellinger of The Kansas City Star has a radical plan for the Chiefs‘ offseason. Step one: cutting Tamba Hali. Hali is a model teammate and employee and still productive, but he had just six sacks in 2014, his lowest total since 2008. The Chiefs, he argues, would be better off with the $9MM in cap space they’d get by cutting Hali.
  • Cornerback Cortez Allen inked a $26MM contract extension with the Steelers at the start of the 2014 season, then had a disappointing year in which he was demoted multiple times. As Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review details, Allen is “highly confident” that he can fix his issues and bounce back in 2015.
  • Free agent linebacker Erin Henderson is working out for the Chiefs, tweets Randy Covitz of the Kansas City Star. Henderson played well for the Vikings in 2013, but was released by the team and didn’t find a new team in 2014 due to off-field concerns.
  • The Browns are looking for their sixth offensive coordinator in six seasons and the 13th in 17 seasons. Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal looks at the potential candidates for the job.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

South Notes: Panthers, Griffin, Titans, Bucs

October 23rd, 2014 at 10:00am CST by Luke Adams

Plenty of Panthers players were caught off guard by the team’s release of veteran defensive back Charles Godfrey, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, who says words like “shocking” and “surprising” were used to describe the move.

“With a guy of his stature who’s been here for as long as he had, and all of a sudden you wake up and he’s not here, it’s definitely got to be a shock. It’s shocking to me,” said fellow defensive back Roman Harper. “But it’s a job. We’ve got to take it seriously and understand that nobody’s job is safe from top to bottom. They’ll always fire you before you get them fired. That’s just what I’ve always been taught.”

As the Panthers’ defense adjusts to life without Godfrey and one of the newest additions to the free agent market looks for work, let’s check out a few more items from around the NFL’s two South divisions….

  • We heard yesterday that the Titans had been entertaining trade discussions involving wide receiver Nate Washington, and it sounds like he’s not the only veteran the team is mulling moving. In addition to confirming the Washington report, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com says he has heard defensive back Michael Griffin may be on the block as well (Twitter link). The Titans, who announced last night that Zach Mettenberger will start at quarterback this weekend, seem to be “embracing” a rebuild, notes McCormick.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link) adds several new names to the list of players to audition for the Panthers this week. According to Wilson, the club took a look at cornerbacks Trevin Wade, Robert Steeples, Ellis Lankster, and Josh Victorian, as well as offensive linemen Ryan Miller and Matt Patchan.
  • Besides the players they signed to their 53-man roster or practice squad, the Buccaneers also worked out linebackers Erin Henderson and Lawrence Wilson this week, tweets Wilson. Per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Henderson had a tryout with the Titans too.
  • Cornerback Deveron Carr auditioned for the Jaguars this week, according to Wilson (via Twitter).

Andre Brown, Erin Henderson Suspended

September 4th, 2014 at 4:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Three more suspensions have been announced today by the NFL, but unlike Wes Welker‘s four-game penalty, these late-minute bans won’t have an adverse effect on any teams around the league, since the players being disciplined are all free agents. According to Howard Balzer of The SportsXchange (via Twitter), quarterback Dominique Davis has received a one-game suspension, linebacker Erin Henderson has been suspended for four games, and running back Andre Brown has been banned for eight games.

Brown, whose penalty is the most severe, signed with the Texans earlier in the offseason, but was let go by the team in mid-August, well before roster cutdowns. Reports at the time suggested that Brown’s performance during training camp was underwhelming and that he was slipping down the depth chart, so it’s not clear if Houston knew a suspension was coming when the team decided to cut him. If the club didn’t learn about the suspension until after the fact, the decision was a fortuitous one.

The NFL suspended Brown back in 2012 for four games for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs, but that penalty was overturned since Brown tested positive for Adderall, a drug for which he had a prescription. As Adam Caplan of ESPN.com notes (via Twitter), the reason for this suspension has yet to be specified, so it’s not clear what rules Brown violated. The ban certainly doesn’t help his chances of finding NFL work this season though.

It’s also not clear why Davis was suspended for a game, though in Henderson’s case, presumably the four-game ban is related to violations of the NFL’s personal conduct policy — the ex-Vikings linebacker was arrested twice in the last year on suspicion of DUI.

Vikings Release Erin Henderson

February 7th, 2014 at 2:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have officially released linebacker Erin Henderson, the team announced today (Twitter link). Henderson had one year left on his contract, but only $250K of his salary was guaranteed, so Minnesota creates $2.1MM in cap savings with the move.

Henderson played a major role on the Vikings’ defense in 2013, starting 12 games and finishing second on the team in tackles with 112. He also recorded four sacks and a pair of interceptions. However, his off-field issues prompted the roster move for the Vikings — the 27-year-old was arrested twice since November on suspicion of DUI.

Since he has more than four years of NFL experience, Henderson won’t have to pass through waivers, and will get a head-start on March’s free agent period. As for the Vikings, they’ll have an extra $2MM+ to work with as they eye potential replacements for Henderson in free agency and/or the draft.