HEADLINES

Jason Avant

Extra Points: Tannehill, Burnett, Panthers

June 7th, 2014 at 10:44pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are some assorted NFL notes on this Saturday evening…

NFC South Notes: Panthers WRs, Saints TEs

June 7th, 2014 at 4:51pm CST by Peter Sowards

Chalk this up as one of the more amazing tidbits with respect to NFL team’s rosters, as written by The Charlotte Observer’s Joseph Person: none of the 11 wide receivers on the Panthers roster this spring caught a pass for the team last season.

The Panthers went wide receiver in the first round of the draft, selecting 6-foot-5, 240-pound Kelvin Benjamin from Florida State No. 28 overall. He’ll be looking to replace departed receiver Steve Smith, as will fellow young wideouts Tavarres King and Marvin McNutt, who have been rotating through the first-, second- and third-team offenses in organized team activities.

“One thing we’re trying to make sure is everybody’s getting a lot of reps right now,” Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “Because when we get to training camp, we want to make sure everybody’s up to speed. We’ve made an emphasis that we’re rotating a lot of players, as much as possible. Wide receiver’s one of those positions.” 

As Person notes in his column, both King and McNutt have impressive collegiate résumés, starring at Georgia and Iowa, respectively. They’ll be competing for the starting receiver spots with Benjamin and three free-agent acquisitions: Jerricho Cotchery, Tiquan Underwood and Jason Avant.

Check out more from the NFC South in the links below…

  • De’Andre Presley was the answer from Rivera when asked if a player has distinguished himself after Wednesday’s OTA, writes The Observer’s Tom Sorensen. Presley, a quarterback in college at Appalachian State, switched to cornerback upon signing with the Chargers as an undrafted free agent, and is now trying to make the Panthers roster at wide receiver.
  • The Panthers went defensive tackle back-to-back in the 2013 NFL Draft with the selections of Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short in the first and second rounds, respectively, but Short is still in a fight for a starting position, writes Jonathan Jones of The Observer.
  • Six tight ends combine for 20 years of experience on the Panthers roster, and Rivera loves the versatility they bring, ESPN.com’s David Newton reports.
  • While there is no replacing the immense talent of Jimmy Graham, Saints tight ends Ben Watson and Josh Hill are doing what is asked of them at OTAs, including everything Graham would be doing, per The Times-Picayune’s Christopher Dabe.
  • First-round pick receiver Brandin Cooks will be back for the final week of Saints OTAs, believes ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett.
  • Despite suffering two concussions in his rookie season, Saints safety Kenny Vaccaro said he won’t slow down nor change his reckless ways, Triplett writes.
  • With a defensive-heavy draft, notes ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure, the Falcons surely made defensive coordinator Mike Nolan a happy man. Nolan touched on each of the seven defensive players drafted, including a glowing review of Dez Southward, the former Wisconsin safety whom Atlanta selected in the third round: “He’s got really good size and is fast. He’s an intelligent guy. He doesn’t have as much football in his background as other guys because he played late in high school. But he’ll listen, as opposed to somebody that didn’t learn much and then they think that they have all the answers.”

Contract Details: Avant, Wilson, Lowery, Jean

April 9th, 2014 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and the National Football Post has passed along this several contract details on deals signed within the last few days. While most contracts being signed these days are minimum salary pacts, that’s not the case for all of them, and even some of those minimum deals include bonuses of varying amounts. Let’s turn to Wilson for a few of the latest updates (all links go to Twitter)….

  • Jason Avant‘s one-year deal with the Panthers includes a minimum base salary of $855K, but doesn’t qualify as a minimum salary benefit contract because his bonuses exceed $65K — Avant got $150K for signing, and will also be eligible for a $45K workout bonus, bringing the total value to $1.05MM.
  • The Falcons signed a pair of defensive backs yesterday, and both players received minimum salary benefit deals. Cornerback Josh Wilson got a $65K signing bonus on his minimum contract, while safety Dwight Lowery received a $30K bonus on his one-year pact, meaning their respective cap hits are $635K and $600K.
  • Lestar Jean‘s one-year, minimum-salary deal with the Vikings has the usual minimum salary benefit cap number of $635K, but took a different route to get there. In addition to his $570K base salary, Jean receives a $10K signing bonus and is eligible for a $55K roster bonus, meaning his contract doesn’t technically qualify as a minimum salary benefit deal, even though the cap hit is identical.
  • Finally, one last contract update comes courtesy of Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, who notes that Brian De La Puente is actually receiving one dollar more than a minimum salary deal would be worth. Because he’s not technically a minimum salary player, De La Puente is eligible to re-up with the Bears before free agency begins next season for a salary worth more than the minimum.

Panthers Sign Jason Avant

April 7th, 2014 at 5:35pm CST by Ben Levine

The Panthers have a deal in place with free agent wide receiver Jason Avant, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Bryan Strickland of Panthers.com confirmed the signing, reporting that it’s a one-year deal. The 30-year-old will add some much needed depth to a team that has lost three of it’s top four receivers from 2013.

Steve Smith (Ravens), Brandon LaFell (Patriots) and Ted Ginn (Cardinals) have all moved on, and tight end Greg Olsen is the Panthers’ only remaining offensive player who had more than 500 receiving yards last season. The team’s current depth at the position includes free agent additions Tiquan Underwood and Jerricho Cotchery as well as Marvin McNutt and Tavarres King.

Avant was released by the Eagles in early March. The eight-year veteran has spent his entire career in Philadelphia after being drafted out of Michigan in 2006. The receiver has been consistent over the past five seasons; he’s averaged 47 catches and 587 yards. 2013 was his worst season over the span, as he caught only 38 passes for 447 yards.

Panthers To Host Avant, DeCoud

April 6th, 2014 at 11:09pm CST by David Kipke

The Panthers are scheduled to host wide receiver Jason Avant and free safety Thomas DeCoud in Charlotte tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.

The team’s receivers have been subjected to the most significant upheaval of any position group in the NFL over the past few weeks with the departures of Steve Smith (to the Ravens), Brandon LaFell (to the Patriots), Ted Ginn Jr. (to the Cardinals), and Domenik Hixon (to the Bears). Although last week’s additions of Jerricho Cotchery and Tiquan Underwood will provide depth for the new-look Panthers’ receiving corps, Avant would be likely be a much more highly utilized target should he choose to sign with Carolina. Although he was only marginally effective in 2013, Avant, who played his first eight seasons for the Eagles, enjoyed the best three seasons of his career from 2010-2012, averaging over 50 receptions per year.

DeCoud’s visit raises significant questions regarding the status of former starting free safety Charles Godfrey. Godfrey, whose $7.1MM 2014 cap figure makes him the fifth-highest paid player on the Panthers’ roster, was thought to be a candidate for a contract restructure after missing the final 14 games of the last season with a torn achilles. While DeCoud started for the Falcons for the last five years and is a former Pro Bowler, he had by far the worst season of his career in 2013- registering just 44 tackles and failing to intercept a pass for the first time since becoming a starter.

AFC Notes: Titans, Browner, Clowney, Chiefs

March 25th, 2014 at 4:10pm CST by Luke Adams

The Eagles are considered the favorites to land Mark Sanchez, and it’s hard to determine which other teams may be a threat to Philadelphia for the signal-caller. The Seahawks have been ruled out as a destination, and reported interest from the Rams and Giants has been significantly downplayed. Now, Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com suggests that another rumored suitor isn’t seriously in the mix, tweeting that the Titans don’t have interest in bringing Sanchez aboard. As we wait to see where the former Jet lands, let’s check out a few more notes from around the AFC….

  • Chris Johnson‘s future with the Titans remains in limbo, as Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean writes.
  • In a series of four tweets, Tom Pelissero of USA Today explains how Brandon Browner‘s contract with the Patriots works, complete with financial specifics.
  • Field Yates of ESPN Boston (Twitter link) has the details on the playing-time incentives in Michael Vick‘s new deal with the Jets. As Yates outlines, Vick can earn bonuses up to $1MM depending on whether he appears in 50% ($100K), 60% ($300K), 70% ($550K), 80% ($900K), or 90% ($1MM) of the Jets’ snaps.
  • Texans head coach Bill O’Brien plans to attend Jadeveon Clowney‘s Pro Day next week, and is looking forward to continuing the “good talk” he had with Clowney at the combine, tweets James Palmer of CSNHouston.com.
  • Chiefs head coach Andy Reid confirmed that he spoke to free agent receiver Jason Avant, but suggested there’s nothing there when it comes to the team’s interest in the former Eagle. Reid instead hinted that he and Avant may work together down the road, according to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter links).
  • Chris Owens‘ one-year contract with the Chiefs is worth $800K, which includes a $730K base salary and a $70K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. $80K of Owens’ base salary is guaranteed.
  • Fullback Jamize Olawale has signed his exclusive rights tender to remain with the Raiders, the team announced today (Twitter link).

AFC West Notes: LBs, Watson, Wilfork, Chiefs

March 16th, 2014 at 12:33pm CST by Rory Parks

The Broncos have responded to their Super Bowl loss by attempting to win the offseason Super Bowl, signing DeMarcus Ware, Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, and (controversially) Emmanuel Sanders. However, they still have a gaping hole at middle linebacker, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The Broncos missed out on D’Qwell Jackson and also had interest in Karlos Dansby, Jon Beason, Perry Riley and Daryl Smith before those players signed elsewhere.

If the season started today, the talented but oft-injured Nate Irving and the unproven Steven Johnson would be battling for the “Mike” linebacker position. As a result, Klis writes, the Broncos will be forced to compile a “Plan B” list of free agent linebackers and/or find a gem in the draft. Klis suggests Michigan State’s Max Bullough would be an intriguing option in the third round.

More from the AFC West:

  • After the Rodger Saffold debacle, the Raiders‘ offensive line is still in flux. ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez writes that the team would love it if Menelik Watson won the job and was healthy enough to keep it, but if Auburn’s Greg Robinson is still available when Oakland is on the clock with the fifth-overall pick in this year’s draft, he would be very difficult to pass up.
  • Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com writes that Vince Wilfork, assuming he is released by New England, would fill a major need for the Chargers as a run-stuffer in the interior of their defensive line. However, Williams also notes that San Diego has little cap room and would have to release someone in order to bring Wilfork in.
  • The Chiefs thought they had a deal in place with Emmanuel Sanders, but Sanders ultimately signed with Denver instead. But even if the Chiefs had landed Sanders, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com writes that wide receiver would have remained a top priority for Kansas City. The team signed CFL veteran Weston Dressler and has expressed an interest in Devin Hester and Jason Avant, but all of those players are complementary pieces and the Chiefs may be looking at Hester solely as a return man. Given that the Sanders deal fell through, Kansas City will almost certainly address their dearth of receivers in the very deep 2014 draft.

 

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.

AFC Rumors: Raiders, Chargers, Haden, Edelman

March 11th, 2014 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

It appears the Raiders, the team with the most cap room in the NFL, will let both of their marquee free agents walk, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears from a source that Oakland believes Jared Veldheer is better suited to right tackle than left tackle, and that the team can’t justify paying $7MM annually to a defensive end (Lamarr Houston) who is more a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.

With free agency looming at the top of the hour, here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Raiders defensive tackle Vance Walker will test the market at 3:00pm CT, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland made Walker an offer, and he likes playing for the Raiders, but he wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent, says Tafur.
  • The Chargers are “very much in the mix” for free agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • The Colts remain in talks to bring Ahmad Bradshaw back, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The former Giants running back was an impact player last year before his injury.
  • The Browns‘ talks with Joe Haden on a long-term deal are ongoing, tweets Breer, adding that it would be interesting to see how a deal for Darrelle Revis would affect those talks.
  • Sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Chiefs have interest in wide receivers Jason Avant and Devin Hester.
  • Assuming the Patriots can’t re-sign Julian Edelman, Andrew Hawkins is a target to keep in mind for the team, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hawkins received an RFA tender from the Bengals, so Cincinnati would have a chance to match any offer for the receiver.
  • Speaking of Edelman, the Ravens have interest in him, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson also hears from a source that the Ravens will evaluate tight end Owen Daniels, who was released by the Texans (Twitter link).
  • After voiding his deal and becoming a free agent yesterday, defensive lineman Jason Babin told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that he’d like to return to the Jaguars if it’s possible. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes.
  • Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that “offers are on the table” for tight end Scott Chandler and kicker Dan Carpenter, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC West Notes: Jennings, Avant, Mitchell

March 10th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The latest from the AFC West:

  • Raiders free-agent-to-be Rashad Jennings tells Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com that he’d “love to return” to Oakland, but acknowledges that a new deal with the team is no sure thing. “I never look for a promise from anyone,” Jennings said. “Every year, I want an opportunity. Nothing is a given in this league. All I want is a chance to play in a system that fits my style of play.”
  • Blair also tweeted that the “Raiders remain a major player for” Jennings.
  • Although he thought the Chiefs might have interest in free agent safety Mike Mitchell, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets that there’s nothing doing on that front for now.
  • Paylor tweeted that the Chiefs have interest in recently-released receiver Jason Avant. Avant played under Chiefs coach Andy Reid in Philadelphia.
  • Looking to improve their defensive line, the Chargers will pursue nose tackle Earl Mitchell early in free agency, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Load More Posts