Jeremy Kerley - Pro Football Rumors

FA Rumors: Okung, Kerley, Bruton, Allen

March 15th, 2016 at 3:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Now that they’ve agreed to sign offensive tackle Ryan Harris, the Steelers are out of the running for free agent tackle Russell Okung, a source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). It’s not clear if the Steelers are also out on Kelvin Beachum – since he’s their own free agent, they may be more willing to bring him back – but it seems clear that they’re willing to let him walk if he gets a better offer elsewhere.

With the Steelers no longer in contention for Okung, that likely reduces the field of suitors for the former first-round pick to three teams — the Seahawks, Lions, and Giants. Harris almost certainly won’t earn as much on his new deal as guys like Okung and Beachum will on theirs, but his signing may have given the tackle market the push it needs to get other players signed. Stay tuned.

Let’s round up a few more free agent rumors and updates from across the league….

After losing one of their wideouts – Chris Hogan – to the division-rival Patriots, the Bills are taking a look at another free agent receiver from the AFC East. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com reports (via Twitter) that Buffalo is bringing in ex-Jet Jeremy Kerley for a visit. Having recently been cut by New York, Kerley would likely compete for the No. 3 receiver spot and punt-return duties if he were to sign with the Bills.
Washington hosted safety David Bruton on a free agent visit on Tuesday, a source tells John Keim of ESPN.com. Bruton, a special-teamer who held his own when forced into action on defense for the Broncos, recently told Arran Anderson of KMGH-TV (Twitter link) that Denver had expressed interest in re-signing him, but he wanted to explore the market if the price wasn’t right.
Free agent defensive back Antonio Allen, who missed the 2015 season due to an Achilles injury, is visiting the Texans, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Allen made 18 starts in the Jets’ secondary from 2012 to 2014.
Linebacker Shea McClellin is making a visit with the Seahawks, per Caplan (via Twitter). The Bears recently signed Jerrell Freeman and Danny Trevathan, signaling that McClellin’s time in Chicago has likely come to an end.
Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys‘ previously-reported visits with cornerback Leon Hall and defensive end Chris Long will both take place on Wednesday.

Jets Re-Sign Kellen Davis, Kenbrell Thompkins

March 14th, 2016 at 3:40pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets may not have a starting quarterback lined up for the 2016 season yet, but they’ve brought back a pair of pass catchers from their 2015 squad. Pro Football Talk reports (via Twitter) that tight end Kellen Davis has signed a new one-year deal with the Jets, while Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that wide receiver Kenbrell Thompkins has signed his RFA tender.

Davis, 30, caught just three balls in his first season with the Jets, but he started nine games for the team and played more offensive snaps than any other tight end on the roster. With Jace Amaro returning from a season-ending injury in 2016, Davis may see his role reduced, but I’d expect him to continue to get a decent amount of blocking work.

As for Thompkins, the 27-year-old received a promotion from the Jets’ practice squad last October and played a role for the club down the stretch. For the season, the former Patriot recorded a modest 165 yards through the air on 17 receptions, but the Jets liked him enough to assign him a contract tender worth $1.671MM, despite their relative lack of cap room.

With Jeremy Kerley having been released earlier this month, Thompkins may get an opportunity to compete for the slot receiver job on the Jets’ offense.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Weddle, Kerley, Broncos

March 10th, 2016 at 9:49pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from some of the free agents yet to sign on Day 2.

Eric Weddle won’t be in a rush to determine his new location, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reports (on Twitter). Despite the eagerness Weddle displayed to leave San Diego during his acrimonious final days with the Chargers, the 10th-year safety figures to take his time and mull the options that present themselves to the 31-year-old two-time first-team All-Pro, La Canfora notes. Weddle, though, has four teams after him, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets. One of those is the Raiders, as expected.
Although it will take more than just money to secure the services of Colin Kaepernick given that he’s under contract with the 49ers, the sixth-year quarterback was high among the Broncos‘ plan B options, a source told 9News’ Mike Klis before Brock Osweiler agreed to the four-year, $72MM that sent him to Houston.
Should the Broncos not be able to pry Kaepernick away from the 49ers or sign Ryan Fitzpatrick, one of their options should be a two-pronged approach, Klis writes, involving a trade for either Brian Hoyer or Nick Foles and selecting a quarterback in the first round. While Fitzpatrick wants a salary in line with other franchise QBs at ~$16MM AAV, Foles’ salary for 2016 is $7.75MM and Hoyer set to earn $4.86MM. Klis, who rates this as the No. 1 option the Broncos should consider, lists Connor Cook and Dak Prescott as QBs that will be available at No. 31.
The Chiefs‘ perpetual search for a No. 2 wide receiver will continue when the team hosts Jeremy Kerley on a visit, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. Kerley will meet with the Chiefs on Friday, ESPN.com’s Josina Anderson reports (via Twitter). The Jets recently released Kerley despite having signed the slot receiver to an extension in Oct. 2014. Kerley, who will be 28 this year, finished with career-worst numbers after being phased out of Chan Gailey‘s offense as Eric Decker took over primary slot duties. Kerley’s best season came in 2012, when he caught 56 passes for 827 yards and two touchdowns. He hasn’t topped 550 yards since.
Rafael Bush will visit the Lions on Friday, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. A torn pectoral muscle sidelined Bush after one game last season, but he started in 13 combined contests in 2013-14 for the Saints.

Jets Release Jeremy Kerley

March 9th, 2016 at 7:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

7:18pm: Kerley’s release is official, as Randy Lange of the Jets’ website writes.

3:07pm: The Jets are releasing Jeremy Kerley, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Kerley will become an unrestricted free agent and will be free to sign with any team.

New York has already made a few other significant moves today at it looks to reshape its offense — the club has agreed to sign running back Matt Forte, and has also released tight end Jeff Cumberland. Of course, quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, perhaps the most significant piece of the the Jets’ offensive unit, is a free agent, as the team did not come to an agreement to re-sign him before free agency began.

Kerley, 27, agreed to an extension about 18 months ago, but it was the previous Jets front office that negotiated that deal. Cutting Kerley will save New York $1.3MM on the salary cap, but they’ll also incur $1.8MM in dead money. Largely written out of the offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Rumors: McCoy, Cruz, Culliver, Jets

February 23rd, 2016 at 3:14pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills running back LeSean McCoy had been scheduled to meet with Philadelphia district attorney Seth Williams at his office this afternoon at 4:00pm eastern time, per multiple reports. But when word of that meeting got out, it was canceled, according to John Gonzalez of CSNPhilly.com (Twitter links), who says McCoy’s lawyers wanted to avoid a media circus and were upset that the news was leaked.

According to a report from ABC 6 Action News in Philadelphia, however, the meeting hasn’t been canceled — it has just changed venues. Action News indicates that the meeting between McCoy (or perhaps just his lawyers) and the district attorney is happening now. Williams is reportedly still weighing whether to press charges against McCoy and his companions for a nightclub altercation that took place earlier this month.

Here’s more from across the NFL’s East divisions:

Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz, coming off a lost season, is set to make $8MM in 2016, but the club seems unlikely to bring him back at that price. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com polled several league sources and found that the general consensus was that the Giants should try to slice Cruz’s salary in half, perhaps giving him some incentives on a one-year deal in the $3-4MM range.
The secondary will be an area of concern for Washington this offseason, according to John Keim of ESPN.com, who says that there’s no doubt cornerback Chris Culliver will return to the team for 2016. Culliver’s one-game suspension in 2015 gave Washington the opportunity to void his guaranteed money for 2016, but the club doesn’t plan to remove the guaranteed portion of his deal, says Keim.
Antonio Cromartie was the first Jets veteran to become a cap casualty this offseason, but he’s unlikely to be the last, writes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Cimini identifies tight end Jeff Cumberland, wide receiver Jeremy Kerley, and kicker Nick Folk as possible release candidates.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post explores whether the Giants could afford to roll the dice on defensive end Noah Spence if the Eastern Kentucky pass rusher is on the board at No. 10 in the draft.

AFC Rumors: Jets, Ravens, Workouts

September 19th, 2015 at 1:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Despite signing a four-year, $16MM extension last October, Jeremy Kerley played just one snap for the Jets in Week 1 and doesn’t appear to have a role in Chan Gailey‘s offense. Gailey prefers receivers play different positions. Kerley’s skill set is mostly limited to slot work, putting his future with the team in doubt, according to Dom Cosentino of NJ.com. Kerley, who established career highs with 56 catches for 827 yards in 2012, missed time this summer with an Achilles injury and a concussion, leading to being phased out of the offense thus far. “We started molding [the offense] around other things, and we are where we are,” Gailey told media. Eric Decker played 43 snaps in the slot last week.

Here are some other items emerging from other AFC locales.

With Eugene Monroe set to miss tomorrow’s Ravens-Raiders game due to a concussion sustained in the first half of Week 1, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com posits the Ravens are not receiving good value from Monroe after he signed a five-year, $37.5MM deal last season. Monroe’s latest absence will mark the sixth time the Baltimore left tackle’s missed a game since signing that extension, and after quality seasons prior to last, Monroe graded out as Pro Football Focus’ 63rd-ranked tackle last year.
The Colts worked out cornerback Brandon Dixon, Bill Bentley and Robert McClain, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter) the latter of the trio having 17 career starts to his credit. The Patriots cut the 27-year-old McClain earlier this month after signing the ex-Falcon this offseason. A former Division II All-American and twin brother of Saints cornerback Brian Dixon, Brandon Dixon played 14 games last season for the Buccaneers. Bentley, a 2012 third-rounder, started eight games for the Lions in 2012-13 but ended up on injured reserve last season after playing in just one game.
The Browns worked out linebacker Jayson DiManche, and defensive ends Cam Johnson and Nordly Capi, Wilson tweets. DiManche played in 28 games for the Bengals the past two seasons, with Johnson suiting up in 13 for the 49ers and Colts in the past three.
In addition to trying out Bernard Pollard on Friday, the Raiders also brought in free safeties Durrell Eskridge and Ryan Murphy for auditions, notes Wilson (on Twitter).

AFC East Notes: J. Taylor, McCourty, Dareus

August 23rd, 2015 at 10:59am CST by Rory Parks

We learned earlier today that the Giants suffered yet another blow to their secondary last night, and as Adam H. Beasley of The Miami Herald writes, the Dolphins‘ secondary is also growing thin due to injury. After losing Louis Delmas to a torn ACL last week, Miami saw Jamar Taylor leave last night’s preseason game to a quadriceps injury. Taylor, fighting for a starting cornerback spot opposite Brent Grimes, dealt with a sports hernia in his rookie campaign in 2013, and last year he was placed on IR with a shoulder injury. The severity of Taylor’s latest ailment is unknown at this time.

As the Giants and Dolphins fret over their secondaries, let’s take a look at a few more links from the AFC East:

Devin McCourty played cornerback for the Patriots in their preseason contest against New Orleans last night, and he did not like it one bit. McCourty said, via Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com, “I hope it’s not permanent. It didn’t feel great, and I don’t think it looked great so we’ll see.” McCourty, of course, transitioned to safety from corner in 2012, and has thrived as a safety in the past couple of seasons. But with the exodus of starting-caliber corners from New England this offseason, the team may be forced to utilize McCourty’s versatility more than he would like.
In a separate piece, Curran discusses the status of the Patriots‘ running back battle in light of the impressive performances from James White and Dion Lewis last night.
PFR’s Sam Robinson wrote yesterday that Marcell Dareus has softened his public stance towards his contract negotiations with the Bills, and as Jerry Sullivan of The Buffalo News opines, it’s the right move. Sullivan writes that Dareus may be an excellent player, but he is surrounded by other terrific players on the defensive line, and he is not nearly the run defender that Ndamukong Suh is. Those facts, combined with Dareus’ past indiscretions, suggest that Dareus should not be paid like Suh, regardless of what Dareus himself thinks. In the end, the Bills will likely bend a bit, Dareus will bend a bit, and Dareus will remain in Buffalo for the foreseeable future.
Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com says Jets‘ tight end Jace Amaro, a holdover from the John Idzik regime, is on the “moderate” hot seat. Amaro was listed as the third tight end on the team’s first official depth chart, and the team has mixed feelings about him. Cimini adds that wide receiver Jeremy Kerley is in a similar situation, especially given the strong training camp of Quincy Enunwa.

Cap Notes: Rice, Kerley, Trades

October 24th, 2014 at 1:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With the trade deadline approaching, it’s worth keeping an eye on which teams have cap room to spare and which clubs don’t have much flexibility to make moves. Before we get into that though, we have a couple notes on how a pair of players will affect their respective teams’ (or former teams’) caps. Let’s dive in….

Because Ray Rice filed a grievance against the Ravens in an attempt to recoup his 2014 base salary, he’ll count against the cap for 40% of that disputed amount, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. Because Rice had been in line for a $3,529,412 salary, the cap charge for Baltimore works out to $1,411,765.
Adam Caplan of ESPN.com adds another note on Jeremy Kerley‘s contract details, tweeting that the Jets wideout has $3.841MM in fully guaranteed money at the time of his signing, with an additional $2MM becoming guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2015 league year.
As Albert Breer of the NFL Network considers whether there will be any deals of note before Tuesday’s trade deadline, he points out that 15 teams have less than $5MM in cap space, which could make it tricky to complete any sort of significant move.
Breer goes on to add that there are six teams with more than $10MM in cap room: The Jaguars ($22.84MM), Browns ($19.06MM), Eagles ($16.31MM), Jets ($12.82MM), Titans ($11.86MM), and Patriots ($10.54MM).

East Notes: Beckham Jr., Kerley, Pryor, Murray

October 23rd, 2014 at 7:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Giants rookie wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. was always destined for greatness, writes Brian Lewis of the New York Post. “My mom told me when I was four years old…I was outside playing, she came outside and said ‘What are you doing?’ I looked in her eye and told her I was practicing for Sundays. She said the way I said it she had no choice but to believe it,” the LSU product said. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

Jeremy Kerley‘s new four-year extension with the Jets calls for $14MM in new money, including a $3MM signing bonus, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter). ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan reported earlier this week that the wide receiver has $5.4MM in guaranteed salary under the new deal.
Jets coach Rex Ryan told reporters today that first round pick Calvin Pryor hasn’t “had the impact necessarily that all of us had expected,” writes Cimini. Part of that probably has to do with the hard-hitting Louisville product playing out of position. Pryor made a name for himself by delivering highlight reel hits near the line of scrimmage. Instead, he’s playing deep-middle safety thanks to the Jets’ injuries in the secondary.
Bob Sturm of The Dallas Morning News is really high on Georgia running back Todd Gurley. In fact, in a hypothetical where the Cowboys could part ways with DeMarco Murray and replace him with Gurley rather than franchising him or re-signing him to a big long-term deal, he would go with the rookie tailback. Of course, Dallas will have to make their call on whether to franchise Murray in advance of the draft and it doesn’t seem like Gurley, projected to be a top ten pick, will be around when the Cowboys are on the clock.

Jets Sign Jeremy Kerley To Extension

October 21st, 2014 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

2:00pm: The Jets have officially confirmed that they’ve signed Kerley to a four-year extension (Twitter link). Per Caplan (via Twitter), it’s worth $16MM, with $5.4MM in guaranteed money.

1:42pm: The future of Percy Harvin in New York beyond this season remains up in the air, but the Jets appear set to lock up another member of their receiving corps. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team is expected to sign wideout Jeremy Kerley to a four-year contract extension sometime today.

Kerley, who turns 26 next month, has been a Jet since being selected in the fifth round of the 2011 draft. Since then, he has appeared in 49 games for the team, starting 20, and has hauled in 150 balls for 1,865 yards, and seven touchdowns. While the TCU product may see his role reduced somewhat with Harvin now in the mix, the Jets are apparently happy enough with Kerley’s play that they’re interested in keeping him under team control through 2018.

It’s hard to imagine a huge payday for Kerley, who has career highs of just 56 receptions, 827 yards, and three TDs. Still, considering the total value of his rookie contract was about $2.224MM for four years, he should be in line for a decent raise. A new deal for Kerley also gives the Jets some insurance at wide receiver if the Harvin experiment doesn’t work out — offseason signee Eric Decker is also under contract through the 2018 season, so he and Kerley likely aren’t going anywhere anytime soon.