Jacoby Jones - Pro Football Rumors

FA Rumors: Cobb, Hartline, Branch, C. Williams

March 4th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

With 2015’s free agent period less than a week away, plenty of rumors are swirling around players who are set to become available on Tuesday, as well as players who have reached the open market early. Here’s the latest:

According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers have told agent Jimmy Sexton that they’d be interested in signing wide receiver Randall Cobb for a five-year deal worth between $8MM and $9MM per year. Seemingly confident that his client will receive more lucrative offers on the open market, Sexton hasn’t accepted Green Bay’s proposal. “Sexton does a good job for his players,” one NFL team executive tells McGinn. “He measures the market well and knows how to create a market for his clients as well.”
After visiting the Browns yesterday, wide receiver Brian Hartline headed to Chicago and is meeting with the Bears today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hartline’s visit in Cleveland “went really well,” per Florio, who says the ex-Dolphin hopes to decide on his new team within the next 24 hours. While other teams have shown interest in Hartline, it seems likely that the Browns and Bears would be the frontrunners if he anticipates a quick decision.
Safety Tyvon Branch, whose release was made official by the Raiders this week, will visit the Colts, a source tells Conor Orr of NFL.com (Twitter link). Orr’s report suggests that Branch’s meeting with Indianapolis will be the first of several visits for the free agent defensive back.
There has been heavy interest thus far in ex-Eagles cornerback Cary Williams, with a dozen teams contacting his agent since he was cut by Philadelphia, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams, who is believed to have interest in a reunion with the Ravens, has also drawn interest from the Titans, who “kicked the tires” on the free agent corner, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).
Jacoby Jones‘ next visit will be to San Diego to meet with the Chargers, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The veteran receiver and return man previously made trips to talk to the Bengals and the Titans.
Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV in New Orleans tweets that he has heard rumblings about the Eagles being interested in Mark Ingram. With the club poised to send starting running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, its reported interest in Ingram certainly makes a little more sense.

Jacoby Jones Visiting Bengals, Titans

March 2nd, 2015 at 10:34am CST by Luke Adams

After being released by the Ravens last week, free agent wide receiver and return man Jacoby Jones has a visit lined up with one of Baltimore’s division rivals. According to Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com (via Twitter), Jones is meeting with the Bengals. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reports (via Twitter) that the former Raven also has a visit lined up with the Titans, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean tweets that the Cincinnati visit will happen today, followed by the Tennessee meeting tomorrow.

Jones, 30, returned kicks and punts for Baltimore in 2014, but his role on offense was significantly reduced — after being targeted 68 times and hauling in 37 passes in 2013, Jones received just 18 targets and caught nine passes in 2014. He also averaged 30.6 yards on 32 kickoff returns, and 9.2 yards on 30 punt returns.

Teams targeting Jones in free agency this month will likely be doing so with the intent of having him return kickoffs, and perhaps punts as well. At this point in his career, the former third-round pick likely won’t have a significant role in an offense — he’ll probably be about fourth on the depth chart for whichever he team he ultimately lands with.

Ravens Cut Jacoby Jones

February 25th, 2015 at 11:08am CST by Luke Adams

Less than a year after locking him up to a new four-year contract, the Ravens have parted ways with veteran wide receiver and return man Jacoby Jones. The team made the move official today, announcing in a press release that Jones’ contract has been terminated.

Because Jones’ contract came with a $3.5MM signing bonus and still runs for three more years, the Ravens won’t free up much cap space by releasing the 30-year-old. Assuming the club doesn’t designate Jones as a post-June 1 cut, his cap hit will be reduced from $3.375MM to $2.625MM for 2015. Designating him a post-June 1 cut would create $2.5MM in cap savings.

Jones, a former third-round pick, continued to return kicks and punts for Baltimore in 2014, but his role on offense was significantly reduced — after being targeted 68 times and hauling in 37 passes in 2013, Jones received just 18 targets and caught nine passes in 2014. He also averaged 30.6 yards on 32 kickoff returns, and 9.2 yards on 30 punt returns.

Having decided to cut Jones, the Ravens still have a number of other important contract issues to address. Baltimore is working on restructuring deals for Haloti Ngata and Lardarius Webb, and Justin Forsett and Torrey Smith are among the team’s notable free-agents-to-be.

As for Jones, as a veteran with more than four years of NFL experience, he won’t pass through waivers, and is immediately eligible to sign elsewhere.

AFC Links: Jets, Brady, Browns, Ravens

February 15th, 2015 at 9:52am CST by Ben Levine

The Steelers have a number of impending free agents, including linebacker Jason Worilds and cornerback Ike Taylor. While some Pittsburgh fans may be pessimistic about the team retaining all of their players, general manager Kevin Colbert is actually confident.

“Almost to a man I’d be shocked if [they] didn’t want to stay,” Colbert said (via ESPN.com’s Scott Brown). “I feel they all would like the opportunity to be able to stay. It doesn’t mean they won’t field other offers or see what else is out there. In the end I think the majority of them will want to be here.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes from the AFC…

We heard yesterday that Antonio Cromartie would be very open to a reunion with the Jets, but the cornerback cautioned that he may want to play for a contender. However, he also noted that the organization was closer to contention than their 4-12 record indicated. “I don’t think the Jets are rebuilding at all,” Cromartie told Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
Tom Brady is set to make $5MM today as part of the $30MM signing bonus from his 2013 extension with the Patriots, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates.
If Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com was the Browns owner, his first move this offseason would be re-signing Brian Hoyer. However, he’d only make that move if the entire organization agreed.
ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley examined whether the Ravens should cut wideout Jacoby Jones, with the writer concluding that the team should hold on to the return specialist. The writer does caution that the receiver’s production may not justify his salary.

AFC North Notes: Manziel, Browns, J. Jones

February 3rd, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

Experts in the field say that a rehab program may not be effective, particularly for young people, if they’re not willing to go on their own, but that’s not the case for Johnny Manziel, who voluntarily entered treatment last Wednesday, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Based on Manziel’s willingness to seek help, friends and family of the Browns quarterback are confident that he’ll take it seriously and do the work needed to get well, according to Cabot.

While we wait for updates on Manziel and wish him the best, let’s check in on a few other items from out of the AFC North….

Responding to tweets from his followers about the likelihood of the Browns retaining a pair of their notable free agents, Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com put the odds of Brian Hoyer‘s return at 51%, but gave tight end Jordan Cameron just a 1% chance to re-sign (Twitter links).
Although Ben Tate was a disappointment, rookies Isaiah Crowell and Terrance West had solid rookie seasons for the Browns in 2014. Still, Pat McManamon of ESPN.com thinks running back is a position the team ought to address in the offseason, perhaps by bringing in a veteran to complement the youngsters.
Within his look at 10 of the most noteworthy NFL storylines to watch this offseason, ESPN.com’s Mike Sando (Insider link) suggests keeping an eye on the Ravens‘ offense and the Steelers‘ defense, after the two rivals lost coordinators Gary Kubiak and Dick LeBeau, respectively.
Wide receiver Jacoby Jones may be a luxury rather than a necessity for the Ravens, according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun, who explains why the club may consider cutting one of the most productive kick returners in football this winter.

AFC Contract Details: Jones, Smith, Davis

March 14th, 2014 at 8:10pm CST by Rob DiRe

Jacoby Jones has re-signed with the Ravens, on a modest four-year deal worth up to $12MM, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The deal includes a $3.5MM signing bonus, with no other money guaranteed.

Here are more details on contracts signed for players by AFC teams this week:

Details on Steve Smith‘s deal with the Ravens were released earlier, but Wilson adds that his base salary for 2014 will only be $1MM, and will increase to $3MM for 2015 and 2016 (via Twitter).
While Vontae Davis‘ contract with the Colts was originally reported as including $20MM guaranteed, according to OverTheCap.com only $15MM is fully guaranteed, with an additional $5MM partially guaranteed.
Jason Babin‘s contract with the Jaguars will be a three-year deal worth $8.275MM, reports Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (via Twitter). The contract is very incentive based (via Twitter).
Brandon Ghee signed a two-year deal with the Chargers, worth $1.65MM, reports Wilson (via Twitter). The deal includes a $230,000 signing bonus.
Richard Marshall‘s deal to re-sign with the Chargers is a one-year deal worth $855,000, reports Pelissero (via Twitter). The deal contains no guaranteed money.
Husain Abdullah‘s new deal with the Chiefs contains a $750,000 signing bonus, according to Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).

Extra Points: Cousins, Hood, Graham, Saffold

March 13th, 2014 at 2:03pm CST by Luke Adams

A Kirk Cousins trade remains unlikely for the Redskins, write Mike Jones and Mark Maske of the Washington Post. There was talk that Washington would be open to moving the quarterback since he would like to start and he is stuck behind Robert Griffin III on the depth chart. For his part, Cousins has said that he will be professional and won’t demand a trade.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Before he agreed to sign with the Jaguars, defensive lineman Ziggy Hood received interest from the Redskins, Raiders, and Chiefs, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Meanwhile, Chris Clemons said the Raiders and Falcons reached out to him before he agreed to sign with the Jaguars, according to O’Halloran (via Twitter).
Cornerback Corey Graham, who signed with the Bills, told reporters today that he was preparing to go to dinner with the Redskins when he got the call from his agent about Buffalo’s offer (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR550).
Wide receiver Jacoby Jones had a similar story to Graham, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun details in a pair of tweets. Jones says he was in New York, about to have dinner with the Giants, when he realized he wanted to stay with the Ravens and headed for the airport instead.
Safety Mike Mitchell is extremely happy to be with the Steelers and tells reporters, including Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (on Twitter) that he wanted to come to Pittsburgh more than the club wanted him to be there.
As expected, the Cardinals have paid Daryl Washington his option bonus, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic. There was some talk that they wouldn’t pay out his bonus due to legal issues.
Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle provides a look at the Raiders‘ perspective on why their deal with Rodger Saffold fell apart yesterday.
Wide receiver prospect Marqise Lee is drawing significant interest from the Jets and had a private meeting with the team, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
Georgia tech outside linebacker Jeremiah Attaochu, a projected second- or third-round pick tells Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times (Twitter links) that six teams have shown strong interest in him. Those clubs are the Ravens, Eagles, Titans, Redskins, Chargers, and Steelers.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

East Rumors: Giants, Jets, Pats, Eagles

March 12th, 2014 at 7:12pm CST by Ben Levine

A couple of rumblings from the teams in the Eastern divisions…

Jacoby Jones turned down more money from the Giants to re-sign with the Ravens, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Linval Joseph, who was signed by the Vikings, said today that the final offer he got from the Giants was nowhere close to what he got from Minnesota, tweets Paul Schwartz of the New York Post.
The Jets have expressed interest in recently reinstated cornerback Brandon Browner, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. However, at this time, it appears unlikely that he’ll end up with Gang Green.
Jason Avant, who hit the market early after being released by the Eagles, will visit with the Patriots, tweets Field Yates of ESPN Boston.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (on Twitter) surmises that if another team really wanted Patriots free agent receiver Julian Edelman, he’d be signed by now. The wide receiver market isn’t terribly hot at the moment.
Malcolm Jenkins said the Raiders and Rams showed interest before he decided to sign with the Eagles, says Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly (via Twitter). As Mosher points out, Rams’ defensive coordinator Greg Williams was Jenkins’ coach with the Saints.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Contract Details: McCluster, Bradshaw, Cassell

March 12th, 2014 at 6:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest contract details from around the NFL..

Dexter McCluster‘s three-year deal with the Titans gets him $7.35MM guaranteed with a $3MM bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. While he can earn $12MM over those three years through incentives, it’s valued closer to $9MM, tweets Jim Wyatt of The Tennesseean. The base salaries are as follows: $1MM, $2.35MM, and $2.275MM (link).
Ahmad Bradshaw‘s deal with the Colts is a minimum salary benefit contract, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The tailback gets an $855K base which counts as $695K against cap. The deal also has an injury split.
Jacoby Jones‘ four-year deal with the Ravens has a base value of $12MM and a max value of $14MM, tweets Wilson. The wide receiver has a $2MM incentive clause for catches and $4.5MM guaranteed.
Matt Cassel gets a $3MM roster bonus Monday and a $2.65M base in 2014 in his new two-year, $10.5MM pact with the Vikings, tweets Pelissero. In 2015, it’s a $4.15MM base with a $500K roster bonus due in March. There’s also $100K without the bonus each year. He also has an injury waiver.
In Linval Joseph‘s five-year, $31.25MM deal with the Vikings, he gets $12.5MM guaranteed with a $3MM signing bonus, tweets Wilson.
Jon Asamoah‘s deal with the Falcons is a five-year, $22.5MM deal with $8MM guaranteed, Pelissero tweets. The total includes $500K in per-game roster bonuses each year.
T.J. Ward‘s deal with the Broncos is a four-year, $22.5MM pact with $7MM due in the first year, tweets Pelissero. Another $6.5MM is guaranteed for injury only in 2015.
DeMarcus Ware‘s three-year, $30MM deal with the Broncos is front-loaded, with $13MM due in 2014 and $23M after 2015, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports. Ware’s cap numbers are: $9.6MM, $11.6MM and $8.6MM for 2014, 2015 and 2016, respectively, adds Corry (via Twitter).
Austin Howard‘s five-year, $30MM deal with the Raiders has $11.8MM guaranteed, tweets Wilson. The salaries are as follows: $2.9MM, $3.9MM, $4.4MM, $4.9MM, and $5.4MM.

Ravens To Re-Sign Jacoby Jones

March 12th, 2014 at 3:11pm CST by Zachary Links

3:11pm: Jones’ four-year contract is worth $14MM, with $4.5MM in guaranteed money, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN.

2:53pm: The Ravens have reached agreement on a four-year deal with Jacoby Jones, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun. Jones was scheduled for a visit with the Giants today and had interest elsewhere, but he has inked a new deal that could keep him in Baltimore through 2017.

Jones, 30 in July, averaged 12.5 yards per punt return and 28.8 yards per kick return in 2013, including a kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Vikings. He also got involved in the passing game, hauling in 37 receptions for 455 yards and two scores. Jones’ most productive season as a wideout came in 2010 with the Texans when he had 51 receptions and 562 receiving yards.