HEADLINES

James Casey

West Notes: Wilson, Hudson, Culliver, Casey

February 23rd, 2015 at 6:24pm CST by Luke Adams

As Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) explains, the idea that Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson could land a fully guaranteed contract is causing concern for both team executives and agents. Team execs are worried about the precedent that a fully guaranteed deal might set, while agents are concerned that a full guarantee may prompt Wilson to settle for a salary several million dollars less than what he might otherwise land.

Let’s look at some more notes from the NFL’s West divisions…

  • The Chiefs met with the representative for center Rodney Hudson at the combine in Indianapolis, and talks will continue between the two sides, a source tells Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter links). Paylor writes that he expects Hudson – a prospective free agent – to command a per-year salary in the neighborhood of $6MM this winter.
  • The free agent market for cornerbacks is devoid of depth, but 49ers CB Chris Culliver might find more offers than expected when free agency starts next month, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio details, Culliver has had off-the-field trouble, but “chatter” around the league suggest he could find a healthy amount of suitors.
  • Adding to an earlier report, Mike Klis of the Denver Post reports that the meeting between free agent tight end James Casey and the Broncos will take place on Thursday.
  • In addition to Casey, the Broncos expect to target centers early in free agency, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Denver used both Manuel Ramirez and Will Montgomery at center in 2014.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

East Notes: Bills, Cowboys, Eagles, Dolphins

February 19th, 2015 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Based on comments made by Bills general manager Doug Whaley today, Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (Twitter link) believes free-agents-to-be C.J. Spiller, Brandon Spikes, and Da’Norris Searcy will be allowed to explore their options on the open market next month. Conversely, it sounds like the team badly wants to re-sign Marcus Easley prior to March 10 (Twitter link).

Let’s round up several more items relating to the league’s East teams….

  • While Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray are receiving most of the attention in Dallas this offseason, linebacker Rolando McClain is also someone the team is “very interested” in re-signing, according to Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones (link via Clarence Hill Jr. of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram).
  • The Cowboys were pleased with Brandon Weeden‘s work as Tony Romo‘s backup in 2014, but won’t rule out the possibility of upgrading at that spot if the opportunity presents itself, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. “Everybody is always competing in this league,” Jones said. “There is nobody guaranteed anything. That includes Weeden and everybody.”
  • Prior to their release of tight end James Casey today, the Eagles didn’t have any discussions about reducing Casey’s salary and keeping him, tweets Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. According to Bowen, the veteran is looking for a bigger role than he had in Philadelphia, so he may get that opportunity with a new team.
  • Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com believes the Eagles may find a logical trade partner in the Buccaneers, since GM Jason Licht hasn’t been shy about making deals since taking over the job. In Mosher’s view, Bucs safety Dashon Goldson makes sense as a trade target for Philadelphia.
  • The issue for the Dolphins when it comes to Mike Wallace isn’t as simple as cutting or keeping the veteran wideout, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who writes that the team is almost certainly trying to restructure Wallace’s deal, or get him to take a pay cut.

Eagles Release James Casey

February 19th, 2015 at 1:09pm CST by Luke Adams

1:09pm: The Eagles have made the move official, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve cut Casey.

12:54pm: The Eagles will clear some salary cap room for 2015 by parting ways with James Casey, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team will release the veteran tight end. Casey had one year left on his deal, which was set to expire after the 2015 season.

Casey, 30, spent the first four seasons of his career with the Texans, parlaying a solid 2012 season into a three-year, $12MM deal with the Eagles. Although he caught 34 balls during his final year in Houston, Casey hasn’t been used as a pass-catcher in Philadelphia, having totaled just six receptions on nine targets in two seasons with the team.

Casey has still been a positive contributor for the Eagles, grading as an above-average run blocker, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, considering he only played 173 offensive snaps in 2014, it makes sense that the team would view his $4MM salary for 2015 as exorbitant. That entire $4MM figure is non-guaranteed, so releasing Casey clears a nice chunk of cap space for the Eagles.

As a veteran with six years of NFL experience, Casey will immediately be free to sign with another team once the Eagles make the transaction official.

NFC Links: Eagles, Lynch, Suh, Panthers

February 7th, 2015 at 9:28am CST by Ben Levine

Former offensive tackle Tra Thomas was a member of the Eagles coaching staff this past season, but the 40-year-old wasn’t retained for 2015. Thomas spent time as a full-time assistant on both offense and defense, and he felt like he was actually making an impact on the players.

As a result, it was a surprise when he learned he wouldn’t be back with the organization next season.

“I was a little bit surprised just because when I switched over to the outside linebackers, they improved last year,” Thomas said on 97.5 The Fanatic in Philly (via Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com). “The last season, they put up 16 sacks, and then you switch me over to the other side, I start working with ’em, and then this past season we put up 26.5 sacks. Connor Barwin went from five sacks to 14.5 sacks. So I was a little bit surprised just because you can look at the numbers and see that there was improvement in that group. But it’s just the way it goes.

“I went in and asked Coach [Kelly] what my situation was gonna be, and what I was told was that position I had was just kind of something they made up for me to get me some experience on this side of the game, and that it’s not gonna exist next year.”

More from the Eagles amid notes from the NFC…

New Year’s Roundup: Jets, Coaches, Colston

January 1st, 2015 at 8:55pm CST by Rory Parks

The Jets are moving very quickly in their search for a new GM, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. The team interviewed Browns personnel executive Bill Kuharich in New Jersey this morning and is currently interviewing Seahawks director of pro personnel Trent Kirchner. Citing a league source, Costello also tweets that New York plans to interview Texans director of college scouting Mike Maccagnan and Eagles director of pro personnel Rick Mueller on Sunday or Monday. Costello reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets would like to hire a GM before making a decision on a new head coach, but they of course must stay active in the head coaching market lest they lose a top candidate to another club. According to another tweet from Costello, one of the most significant questions the Jets are asking GM candidates is what coaches they would like to work with.

As much of the country fixates on the Sugar Bowl, let’s take a look at a few other notes from around the league:

  • John Mullin of CSNChicago.com notes a couple of early patterns in the Bears‘ search for a new head coach and GM, pointing out that the early coaching candidates “have a preponderance of winning in their immediate pasts” and that the team is not concerned whether their new coach has more of an offensive or defensive pedigree.
  • Adam Jahns of the Chicago Sun Times examines the most important early decisions the Bears‘ new GM must make, which include determinations on the respective futures of Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall and how to handle the looming free agency of Alshon Jeffery and Matt Forte, both of whom are entering the final year of their current contracts.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Washington, seeking to fill its newly-vacant defensive coordinator position, is setting up interviews with 49ers defensive coordinator Vic Fangio, 49ers DB coach Ed Donatell, and Chargers linebackers coach Joe Barry.
  • Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com looks at some of the Eagles‘ potential cap casualties, including James Casey, Trent Cole, and Cary Williams.
  • With a new mega-deal in his near future, Cowboys star wideout Dez Bryant is focused on Sunday’s playoff game against the Lions, not his next contract, writes Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today. Byrant said, “I’m just going to keep working. I can’t worry about the contract.”
  • Saints wide receiver Marques Colston knows his future in New Orleans is up in the air, and Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that, although Colston would like to stay with the only team he has ever known, he may be released or asked to take a pay cut with two years remaining on his current contract. If asked to take a reduction in pay, Colston said his relationship with Drew Brees and Sean Payton would play a role in his decision.
  • Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 tweets that the Buccaneers are expected to request an interview with Titans tight ends coach Mike Mularkey for their vacant offensive coordinator position.

 

Eagles Notes: Foles, Kendricks, OTAs, Casey

June 10th, 2014 at 8:52am CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles likely kept a close eye on negotiations between Colin Kaepernick and the 49ers and the new contract that eventually emerged from those talks, since it’s just a matter of time until Philadelphia will have to discuss an extension with its own quarterback. But for his part, Nick Foles insists he’s not thinking about cashing in, as Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com details.

“The most important thing is you get a contract like that because you’ve played well and you’ve shown that you can be that guy for the franchise, whereas I have to continue to prove that each and every day,” Foles said. “I have a lot of guys on this team that look to me to go out here and work hard. When I’m playing out there, there’s no dollar sign on me when I’m throwing the ball.”

As Foles continues to focus on proving his worth to the Eagles, let’s check in on a few other updates out of Philadelphia….

  • Linebacker Mychal Kendricks has been playing a vocal role on defense for the Eagles this spring, calling plays and taking on other responsibilities that are typically assigned to DeMeco Ryans, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. McLane isn’t sure exactly why the club is leaning more heavily on Kendricks, but wonders if the Eagles are preparing for a time when Ryans is no longer on the roster.
  • McLane also passed along several observations from the Eagles’ latest practice sessions, including updates on Mark Sanchez, Matt Barkley, and Jordan Matthews.
  • Although tight end James Casey will accept whatever role the Eagles hand him, he hopes to prove his value on offense in addition to special teams this season, as he tells Kevin Rossi of CSNPhilly.com. Casey, who has two years left on his deal, is slated to earn $3.985MM in 2014.

Eagles Notes: Cooper, Maclin, Peters, Allen

January 25th, 2014 at 10:23am CST by Matt Feminis

With free agency looming and approximately $20MM worth of cap space to work with, the Eagles have decisions to make on key players. At the top of the list are receivers Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin. The belief among NFL people is that both players will be back next season, according to the Philadelphia Inquirer’s Jeff McLane.

  • A combination of factors could work to keep the 26-year-old Cooper, whom GM Howie Roseman calls a “young asset,” in Philadelphia. Cooper made a favorable impression on Chip Kelly, but other GMs could be reluctant to bring him into the locker room after last summer’s incident.
  • Maclin, 25, has been a playmaker when healthy, and his skill set is ideal for Kelly’s system, but he’s coming off his second right ACL tear. Consequently, Maclin acknowledges he might be willing to settle for a one-year, “prove-it” contract in an effort to cash in next year.
  • The team is pleased with its three tight ends. Zach Ertz is a bargain on his rookie deal, while Brent Celek ($4MM) and James Casey ($3.99MM) are reasonably priced, meaning the trio could remain intact.
  • DeMeco Ryans is scheduled to make $6.8MM next year and might have to take a pay cut to stay.
  • Franchise left tackle Jason Peters has one year remaining at $9.65MM and could be in line for an extension.
  • Free safety Nate Allen is also a free agent and a question mark to return. A second-round pick in 2010, Allen has not taken his game to the level expected when he was drafted, and was “afraid to hit,” according to an unnamed former coach.