Jarius Wright - Pro Football Rumors

Vikings Looking To Deal Jarius Wright?

September 3rd, 2016 at 9:05am CST by Ben Levine

9:05am: A pair of sources told Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune that the Vikings are not looking to deal Wright (Twitter link). The writer notes that this could change at some point today, especially since Thielen has passed Wright on the depth chart.

8:13am: With the Vikings wide receiver depth chart being dominated by younger, versatile players, the organization may be looking to move one of their more veteran wideouts. According to ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling (via Twitter), the Vikings have been trying to trade receiver Jarius Wright.

Wright has spent his entire four-year career in Minnesota after being selected in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. It looked like 2015 could be a breakout year for the former Arkansas standout, especially following a 2014 campaign where he compiled 42 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns. However, despite playing in all 16 games, 2015 was a bit of a disappointment, as Wright only managed to grab 34 catches for 442 yards and no touchdowns.

Goessling notes that the Vikings will likely roll with six wide receivers, but he points out that the organization appreciates some of the player’s ability to play multiple positions. As Roster Resource notes, Stefon Diggs, Charles Johnson, and Laquon Treadwell already topped Wright on the Vikings depth chart. Assuming the 26-year-old is traded or released, that would presumably bump Cordarrelle Patterson, Adam Thielen, and Moritz Boehringer on the depth chart.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Vikings Extend Jarius Wright

September 10th, 2015 at 11:26am CST by Luke Adams

The Vikings have signed wide receiver Jarius Wright to a contract extension, the team announced today in a press release. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), it’s a four-year extension worth $14.8MM, with $7MM in guaranteed money.

Wright, 25, has been with the Vikings since the team selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. In 2014, he established new career highs in games started (seven), receptions (42), and receiving yards (588), and was also a threat to run the ball, racking up 71 rushing yards on five attempts. He had been set to earn $1.542MM in 2015, the final year of his rookie contract.

“Jarius has been a key member of our offense since we drafted him in 2012 and we felt it was necessary to secure his future with our organization,” GM Rick Spielman said in a statement. “His commitment to this team, hard work and leadership in the WR room are several of the intangibles that he brings to our club on a daily basis and we’re excited for his future with the Vikings. With the help of WR coach George Stewart, Jarius has greatly improved since coming to Minnesota. This extension stays true to our philosophy of drafting young talent, developing them in our system and rewarding their success.”

Wright heads into the season as Minnesota’s third receiver behind Charles Johnson and Mike Wallace, and his new deal is similar to the ones signed by a couple other slot wideouts recently — Cole Beasley of the Cowboys and Jeremy Kerley of the Jets each inked four-year pacts worth between $3.4MM and $3.5MM annually, so Wright did a little better with his $3.7MM annual average.

2015 Proven Performance Escalator Raises

January 16th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time in said snaps for the duration of his first three years in the league. If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s restricted free agent qualifying offer — that figure was $1.431MM last year, and will inflate commensurate with the salary cap increase. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their 2015 salary rise due to the PPE, courtesy of Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

Bengals: George Iloka, S; Mohamed Sanu, WR

Bills: Nigel Bradham, LB

Broncos: Malik Jackson, DL; Danny Trevathan, LB;

Browns: Billy Winn, DL

Cardinals: Bobby Massie, T

Chargers: Johnnie Troutman, G

Colts: Dwayne Allen, TE; T.Y. Hilton, WR

Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB; Olivier Vernon, DE

Eagles: Brandon Boykin, CB; Nick Foles; QB

Falcons: Lamar Holmes, T

Jets: Demario Davis, LB; Antonio Allen, DB

Packers: Mike Daniels, DL

Panthers: Josh Norman, CB

Patriots: Alfonzo Dennard, CB

Raiders: Miles Burris, LB

Rams: Chris Givens, WR; Trumaine Johnson, CB

Ravens: Gino Gradkowski, C

Saints: Akiem Hicks, DT; Corey White, CB

Seahawks: J.R. Sweezy, G; Russell Wilson, QB

Steelers: Kelvin Beachum, T

Texans: Brandon Brooks, G; Jared Crick, DL; Ben Jones, G

Titans: Coty Sensabaugh, CB

Vikings: Robert Blanton, S: Rhett Ellison, TE; Josh Robinson, CB; Jarius Wright, WR

Washington: Alfred Morris, RB

NFC Notes: Bucs, McCown, Vikings, Falcons

December 23rd, 2014 at 8:03pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers could wind up picking No. 1 overall, but head coach Lovie Smith isn’t thinking about it, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes.

“That can’t even come into the equation,” Smith said. “[In Sunday’s loss to Green Bay], even though we didn’t play as well, the guys fought right up until the end — they weren’t thinking about that pick or anything like that. This week we’re going to do the same thing. We’re going to make decisions that will give us the best chance to win by being able to look at players that we haven’t seen, that may come into the equation a little bit, but we’re going to do everything that we possibly can to try and win the game and let everything else take care of itself.”

Here’s more from around the NFC:

Although Buccaneers quarterback Josh McCown will turn 36 next summer, he’s not thinking about retiring after this season, as Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t know if it’s at that point yet,” McCown said. “Obviously right now at this point in the season your body is tired and all those things. But once you get away from it and kind of reassess things, I feel good. My plan right now is to keep playing.”
Wide receiver Jarius Wright and safety Harrison Smith are two Vikings players eligible for contract extensions this offseason, and as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details in a pair of pieces, Wright thinks he’s done enough to warrant a new deal, while Smith says he loves Minnesota and has no interest in playing anywhere else. Within that second piece, Tomasson also spoke to a few other Vikings about potential extensions, including tackle Matt Kalil.
Former Browns CEO Joe Banner is advising the Falcons, with a focus on the team’s new stadium business, per Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
Packers coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter), that his personnel department really liked center Travis Swanson coming out of the draft. Of course, Swanson wound up being selected by the Lions in the third round of this year’s draft instead.

Zach Links contributed to this post.