HEADLINES

J.D. Walton

Giants Release J.D. Walton

March 2nd, 2015 at 3:12pm CST by Luke Adams

A year after inking him to a two-year, $6MM contract, the Giants have parted ways with center J.D. Walton, releasing him today, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Walton had been slated for a $3.625MM cap hit in 2015, so the move creates $3MM in cap savings, leaving $625K in dead money on the team’s books.

The signing of Walton looked like a curious move for the Giants a year ago, considering he was coming off consecutive seasons that had been wiped out by major injuries. The 27-year-old did manage to stay healthy in 2014, starting all 16 games for New York and playing 1,145 offensive snaps, the most of any center, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Of course, PFF’s data also suggested that Walton’s overall play wasn’t particularly good. The former Bronco ranked as the league’s 38th-best center out of 41 qualified players, recording below-average grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.

With Walton out of the picture, second-year lineman Weston Richburg is poised to take over the center job in New York.

NFC Mailbags: Panthers, Suh, Rodgers, Giants

January 24th, 2015 at 11:53am CST by Ben Levine

We checked out ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now switch focus to the NFC…

  • David Newton still believes the Panthers could re-sign Byron Bell, even following the offensive lineman’s subpar season. Even if the 26-year-old proves that he can’t cut it as a starter, the writer believes the former undrafted free agent could still contribute as a depth piece.
  • Michael C. Wright would choose a safety in the first round if he was in charge of the Bears. However, the writer notes that general manager Ryan Pace believes in selecting the best player available, regardless of position.
  • If Ndamukong Suh ultimately leaves Detroit, Michael Rothstein thinks the Lions have the flexibility to move to a 3-4 defensive scheme. If the team decides to stick with a 4-3, then Rothstein suggests the team could look to sign Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton as Suh’s replacement.
  • It’s not necessary for Aaron Rodgers to restructure his contract, writes Rob Demovsky. With more than $18MM in projected cap room, the Packers shouldn’t have an issue retaining free agents such as Randall Cobb.
  • Dan Graziano explores potential cap casualties for the Giants. The writer points to defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka as the most likely to be released, while linebacker Jon Beason and center J.D. Walton are also candidates.

NFC Notes: Sanchez, Cutler, Kaepernick, Kuhn

March 24th, 2014 at 4:46pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles appear to be the frontrunners to sign Mark Sanchez, but the quarterback doesn’t have an agreement in place with any team yet. As Sanchez and his suitors weigh the decision, we can rule out Seattle as a potential landing spot. Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com tweets that the Seahawks, who had been mentioned because of the connection to former USC coach Pete Carroll, aren’t in the mix for the former Jet.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • According to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter), the Bears have created a little 2014 cap space by converting $5MM of Jay Cutler‘s $22.5MM base salary into a signing bonus. That allows the team to spread the bonus out in even $1MM hits over the next five seasons, creating $4MM in cap savings for ’14.
  • Working out a deal that will keep Colin Kaepernick in San Francisco long-term is a “priority” for the 49ers, head coach Jim Harbaugh said today. Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com has the details and quotes from Harbaugh.
  • Free agent fullback John Kuhn continues to talk to the Packers and other teams, according to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • Saints GM Mickey Loomis spoke at length to Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune about his team’s offseason so far, including New Orleans’ additions and subtractions. Discussing the Darren Sproles trade with the Eagles, Loomis suggested that he hopes the move doesn’t come back to “bite” the Saints.
  • Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links) passes along some specific details on J.D. Walton‘s two-year contract with the Giants. With an overall base value of $6MM, the deal includes annual base salaries of $1.25MM (2014) and $2.25MM (2015), a $1.25MM signing bonus, a $250K roster bonus due on the fifth day of the 2015 league year, and $50K each season in per-game roster bonuses.

Giants Sign J.D. Walton

March 14th, 2014 at 1:12pm CST by Zachary Links

FRIDAY, 1:12pm: Walton’s deal is a two-year, $5MM contract with $3MM in guaranteed money, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (Twitter link). That’s not an insignificant commitment for a player who has had so much trouble staying on the field.

WEDNESDAY, 4:11pm: The Giants have signed center J.D. Walton, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Walton hasn’t seen the field since Week 4 of the 2012 season.

The Broncos released Walton, who once looked to have serious upside at the center position, in December. The severely broken ankle that he suffered in 2012 took him out of action without a real return date in sight, leaving Denver with no other options. The Redskins quickly picked him up, but he couldn’t get back on the gridiron for the 2013 season. Now, he’ll try and get healthy once again in New York.