HEADLINES

Jaiquawn Jarrett

AFC Notes: Browns, Texans, Jags, Jets

June 16th, 2017 at 7:30pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Second-round signal-caller DeShone Kizer is in the mold of Super Bowl-winning division rivals Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers) and Joe Flacco (Ravens), according to Browns quarterbacks coach David Lee, but it doesn’t sound as if he’ll see the field for a while. “He’s got a great future,” Lee told reporters, including Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com. “He’s just a long way from being ready. He’s not ready, but he’s climbing on it, and he’s making progress.”

Kizer, the 52nd overall pick from Notre Dame, is competing against Brock Osweiler and Cody Kessler to open the season as the Browns’ starter. Osweiler has impressed Cleveland’s coaches since coming over in March in a surprising trade with Houston, and the fact that he’s the most experienced and accomplished of the Browns’ QBs matters to Lee. “You can say what you want, but the guy in the last two years has taken two different teams [Texans and Denver Broncos] to the playoffs, and there’s nobody else in that room that can say that,” Lee pointed out. “Plus, this is his sixth year of experience. [The other guys have] got [little or] no experience. … So he’s the senior citizen. He looks like a guy who’s played before. He’s great at the line of scrimmage. He’s great in the huddle, I mean calming effect. Is he the quarterback? We don’t have one yet, but he’s in the mix for sure.”

  • The Texans worked out safety Jaiquawn Jarrett on Monday, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Jarrett, a former second-round pick, spent the first two seasons of his career with the Eagles before joining the Jets from 2013-15. He didn’t appear in the NFL in 2016. A veteran of 47 career games, Jarrett boasts nine starts through five pro seasons. Houston has no plans to sign either Jarrett or fellow defensive back Aaron Williams, whom the Texans hosted earlier this week, as Wilson writes in a full article.
  • Jaguars cornerback Jalen Ramsey underwent core muscle surgery Thursday, per NFL.com’s Mike Garafalo, who adds that he should be ready for the regular season (Twitter link). Ramsey also dealt with a notable injury last spring, a torn meniscus that required surgery and kept him out of organized team activities and minicamp, but still went on to post an excellent rookie season. Last year’s fifth overall pick, Ramsey started all 16 of the Jags’ games, intercepted two passes (one of which he returned for a touchdown) and ranked as Pro Football Focus’ 21st-best corner.
  • Josh McCown has a smaller-than-anticipated lead over Christian Hackenberg as the Jets’ training camp quarterback battle approaches, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. McCown wasn’t all that sharp in minicamp, whereas Hackenberg exceeded expectations, per Cimini, who notes that Bryce Petty is a clear third in the race. The Jets invested a second-rounder in Hackenberg only a year ago, but it seems the ex-Penn State Nittany Lion is widely regarded as a lost cause after he couldn’t crack the lineup last season for a club whose QB play was among the worst in the league. But Hackenberg should get on the field sometime this year for a team that’s now in a full-scale rebuild.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Falcons, Jennings, Giants, Draft

April 8th, 2016 at 12:26pm CST by Luke Adams

Could the Falcons be considering a local standout with their first-round pick? D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes that pass rusher Leonard Floyd, who was born in Atlanta and played his college ball at Georgia, is paying a visit to the Falcons on Friday. Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link) reports that the Falcons also hosted Indiana tackle Jason Spriggs on a visit this week, while Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets that Stony Brook defensive end Victor Ochi is in Atlanta today to meet with the team.

Let’s round up a few more updates from across the NFC….

  • During an interview with KFAN earlier this week, free agent wide receiver Greg Jennings admitted that he missed playing in Minnesota, and left a voicemail for Vikings GM Rick Spielman expressing interest in a reunion. Aj Mansour of KFAN.com has the details and the quotes from Jennings.
  • Southeastern Louisiana defensive back Harlan Miller had a private workout with the Panthers on Thursday, tweets Rand Getlin of the NFL Network. Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle tweets that Tennessee wideout Marquez North is among the players working out for Carolina at the team’s local prospect day.
  • According to Aaron Wilson (Twitter link), the Giants recently tried out a handful of veteran free agents, including running back Bobby Rainey and defensive back Jaiquawn Jarrett.
  • Indiana quarterback Nate Sudfeld has privately worked out for the Cardinals twice, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Caplan suggests Sudfeld projects to come off the board on day two of the draft, or early on day three, though that could be an optimistic forecast.
  • University of Minnesota cornerback Eric Murray recently met with the local NFL team, paying a visit to the Vikings, and has a visit on tap with the 49ers next week, tweets Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News.

Minor NFL Transactions: 10/26/15

October 26th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves..

Jets Re-Sign Jaiquawn Jarrett

April 24th, 2015 at 4:02pm CST by Luke Adams

Safety Jaiquawn Jarrett has signed his restricted free agent tender and will return to the Jets for the 2015 season, the team announced today in a press release. New York had tendered Jarrett at his original-round level, meaning he’ll receive a salary of $1.542MM if he plays out the full season with the club.

Jarrett, 25, had played 29 regular season games in his NFL career prior to the 2014 season, but he saw his most significant playing time on defense last season, setting career highs in virtually every category. In 14 games (five starts), the former second-round pick tallied 41 tackles, two interceptions, 1.5 sacks, and a fumble recovery.

While restricted free agents who receive original-round tenders typically have more freedom to sign with other teams, that’s because many of them were undrafted free agents, meaning teams wouldn’t have to surrender a draft pick to sign them. In Jarrett’s case though, it would’ve cost a rival suitor a third-round pick to sign him, given his original draft spot.

The Jets’ other RFA, Damon Harrison, hasn’t officially signed his second-round tender, but is expected to do so soon.

Jets GM Talks Draft, Wilkerson, RFAs

April 24th, 2015 at 12:50pm CST by Luke Adams

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan will be running his first draft this year after arriving in New York from Houston this offseason, and it’ll be an important one for the franchise, which holds the sixth overall pick next Thursday. Speaking to reporters today, Maccagnan addressed a number of topics related to the upcoming draft and the Jets’ general plans. Here are a few highlights, with all links going to the Twitter accounts of beat writers Rich Cimini (ESPN.com) and Manish Mehta (New York Daily News):

  • Maccagnan would prefer to add more picks, which increases the team’s chances of finding good players, rather than to give up picks to move up for someone. The Jets will still reach out to every team picking ahead of them to gauge the market value of those selections, but don’t necessarily expect to trade up.
  • Asked about Muhammad Wilkerson‘s absence from the club’s offseason program, Maccagnan downplayed the defensive lineman’s absence, noting that the workouts were voluntary and adding, “I’m sure Mo is doing a good job wherever he’s working out.” For now, the club is too focused on the draft to deal with Wilkerson’s contract situation, but the GM says that will happen “at some point in time going forward.”
  • The Jets expect restricted free agents Damon Harrison and Jaiquawn Jarrett to sign their tenders. Today is the last day RFAs can sign offer sheets with rival teams, and neither player appears poised to do so.
  • Maccagnan and the Jets “absolutely” feel comfortable with the amount of homework they’ve done on Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota, whom they saw during a visit, a private workout, and his pro day.
  • Maccagnan, point to the Steelers as an example, said he’d like to create a “pipeline” of 3-4 outside linebackers, since those players take some time to develop.
  • The Jets evaluated just under 1,400 prospects, and ended up with just under 300 on their draft board, per Maccagnan.
  • According to Maccagnan, his philosophy involves using free agency to fill needs (such as cornerback), and using the draft to select the best players available.

Minor Moves: Monday Evening

March 9th, 2015 at 10:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Our first round-up of today’s minor transactions around the NFL was starting to get a little unwieldy, so we’ll recap the rest of the afternoon and evening minor moves right here. Here’s the latest:

  • The Titans won’t tender either receiver Kris Durham or linebacker Kaelin Burnett, making both free agents, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
  • The Ravens have tendered ERFA cornerback Rashaan Melvin at $585K, per Wilson (Twitter link). Melvin started two games for Baltimore near the end of the season.
  • The Ravens also have extended an exclusive rights tender worth $435K to long snapper Patrick Scales, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link). Scales was originally signed in December, becoming Baltimore’s third snapper of the season. The man he replaced, Kevin McDermott, didn’t get an RFA tender, tweets Wilson.

Earlier updates:

  • Rather than tendering restricted free agent linebacker Mike Morgan, the Seahawks have simply signed him to a one-year contract, per Condotta (via Twitter).
  • Updating a previous note, the Seahawks actually have tendered receiver Ricardo Lockette, and have offered a contract to ERFA defensive back DeShawn Shead, as well, per Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links).
  • The Jets have tendered offers to two RFAs — defensive tackle Damon Harrison received a second-round tender worth $2.356MM, while safety Jaiquawn Jarrett received the lowest tender.
  • With Ryan Mallett returning to the fold and a deal with Brian Hoyer moving closer to completion, the Texans started clearing out a crowded quarterback position today by cutting Thad Lewis, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. Somewhat ironically, Lewis was initially added to Houston’s roster back in November to replace Mallett, who landed on injured reserve with a pectoral injury.
  • The Ravens extended an RFA tender to safety Will Hill at the low-end level, reports Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links). The $1.542MM offer ensures that Baltimore maintains the right of first refusal if Hill signs an offer sheet with another club. The Ravens also tendered ERFA defensive end Steven Means, locking him up for 2015, tweets Wilson.
  • The Seahawks have elected not to tender contracts to wide receiver Bryan Walters and offensive lineman Stephen Schilling, says Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter links). All three players could still re-sign with Seattle, but they’ll be unrestricted free agents and can negotiate with other teams too.
  • Punter Marquette King, safety Brandian Ross, and safety Larry Asante all received low-end RFA tenders from the Raiders, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Defensive back Chimdi Chekwa and running back Kory Sheets weren’t tendered, and will become UFAs tomorrow.

AFC East Notes: Revis, Vick, Bills, Jarrett

November 10th, 2014 at 1:06pm CST by Luke Adams

In advance of this Thursday’s showdown between the 5-4 Bills and 5-4 Dolphins, let’s round up a few Monday items from around the AFC East….

  • Asked if he plans on being a member of the Patriots beyond this season, cornerback Darrelle Revis smiled and replied, “Ask Bill [Belichick],” according to Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. The Patriots technically have a second-year option on Revis for 2015, but the structure of his deal makes it extremely likely that New England will cut him, allowing the Pro Bowler to hit the open market and seek out the highest bid once again. It’s not clear yet whether the Pats will be involved in that bidding, says Curran.
  • Sunday’s performance against the Steelers showed that Michael Vick still has plenty left in the tank, as Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report writes. The Jets signal-caller is on a one-year deal, so a strong second half could earn him another shot at a starting role via free agency this winter.
  • The Bills‘ defensive line was excellent once again on Sunday against the Chiefs, but as the offseason approaches, it’s not clear whether the team will be able to keep the entire group together. As Mike Rodak of ESPN.com notes, Jerry Hughes is eligible for free agency in 2015, and Marcell Dareus will have just one year left on his deal.
  • Hughes was one of two AFC East players singled out by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap this week as having boosted his stock as he nears free agency. The other? Jaiquawn Jarrett of the Jets, who is eligible for restricted free agency, and likely earned himself a tender offer entirely based on his performance against the Steelers.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Dolphins will be promoting running back LaMichael James to their active roster, as left tackle Branden Albert heads to injured reserve with a torn ACL and MCL.