HEADLINES

Jermaine Gresham

NFC Notes: Panthers, Bears, Eagles, Cards

December 21st, 2016 at 7:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Multiple concussions have felled superstar Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly this season, though the 25-year-old unsurprisingly told media Wednesday that he isn’t mulling retirement. “I’m holding off that retirement word for a little ways down the road,” he said (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “It’s something you appreciate everybody concerned with how you’re doing, but whenever my opportunity comes back I’ll be back out there.” Kuechly has recovered from the concussion that he suffered Nov. 17, but the Panthers haven’t cleared him to return to action. Considering they’re 6-8 and all but out of playoff contention, it would behoove the defending NFC champions to keep Kuechly out until next season.

More from the NFC:

  • The Bears designated cornerback Kyle Fuller to return from injured reserve last month, but it turns out they won’t activate him, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune writes. There’s now a belief within the organization – including from defensive coordinator Vic Fangio – that Fuller wasn’t eager to come back this season from August knee surgery, per Biggs. Head coach John Fox addressed that, saying, “That’s hard to measure. Looking inside people is not real easy.” The likelihood now is that Fuller – a 2014 first-round pick – has played his final game with the organization, suggests Biggs, who notes that the Bears would take a late-round choice for him. Fuller, who appeared in all 32 games (30 starts) in his first two years and racked up six interceptions, is under contract next season for a relative pittance ($1.74MM-plus). He’s also controllable for 2018 by way of a fifth-year option, but it’s likely his employer – whether it’s the Bears or another team – will decline to exercise it by next spring’s deadline.
  • After Eagles left tackle Jason Peters earned his ninth Pro Bowl selection Tuesday, head coach Doug Pederson spoke out against the idea that the soon-to-be 35-year-old could be an offseason cap casualty. “I love him,’’ Pederson said (per Paul Domowitch of Philly.com). “I want him on the team. I don’t want him to go anywhere. I want him to be an Eagle for the rest of his career. Once we get through these next two games, we’ll address all of that.” Notably, Howie Roseman – not Pederson – has final say when it comes to the Eagles’ roster. Further, releasing Peters in order to avail the left tackle position for well-compensated right tackle Lane Johnson would free up $9.2MM in cap space against $2MM in dead money next year. Moving on from Peters would also significantly weaken the Eagles’ line, though, evidenced by his ninth-place ranking among 79 qualifying tackles at Pro Football Focus.
  • The Cardinals have an impressive class of 2017 free agents on the horizon, and general manager Steve Keim says he’s already touched base with the agents for many of those players, a list that includes Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, Tony Jefferson, Andre Ellington, and Jermaine Gresham, among others. “One thing public does not generally know, we have spoken to many agents regarding players whose contracts expire after the season and some whose contracts do not expire after the season that we’d just like to try to extend,” Keim told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. “There are several players we’d like to have back, but it takes two sides.”
  • The Packers worked out former Aggies punter Taylor Symmank on Wednesday, according to a source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
  • The 49ers plan to sign former Texas kicker Nick Rose to a reserve-future deal in the the offseason, tweets Wilson.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Jermaine Gresham Took Less To Re-Sign With Cards?

June 13th, 2016 at 7:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Jermaine Gresham could have earned more money on the free agent market this spring, but the veteran tight end preferred to re-sign with the Cardinals in order to contend for a Super Bowl, as he explains to Bob McManaman of AZCentral.com. Per Gresham, the Jets, Bears, and a third unnamed club all expressed interest in him earlier this year, and he was apparently offered a four-year, $23MM deal that contained $12MM guaranteed.

Dec 27, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; Arizona Cardinals tight end Jermaine Gresham (84) against the Green Bay Packers at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

“[M]y agent tried talking me out of it,” said Gresham. “But I think he felt that my happiness is more important. He saw my vision and he sid[ed] with me all the way to the end… I feel like I didn’t necessarily put my best foot forward last year and, hopefully, I’ll be able to significantly improve upon that and, hopefully, help make things even better than it was last year.”

Obviously, we can’t know the exact structure of any other deals that were apparently offered to Gresham, but if he was actually presented with $12MM guaranteed, it’s hard to imagine that re-signed with Arizona, who committed just $3MM in guaranteed money. Gresham, 28 this week, wasn’t especially effective in 2015, catching just 18 passes for 223 yards — while he graded out as an excellent run-blocker, he was overmatched in the passing game, according to Pro Football Focus.

All of which is to say that Gresham probably should have cashed out while he had the chance, as the proposed deal mentioned would have been one of the best contracts signed by a tight end this offseason. Only Coby Fleener, who signed a five-year pact with the Saints, would have come out ahead in either annual average value of guarantees.

Chicago was clearly interested in securing another tight end, as in addition to this reported wooing of Gresham, the club signed the Saints’ Josh Hill to a restricted free agent offer sheet, which New Orleans ultimately matched, and re-signed veteran Zach Miller. New York, on the other hand, did hardly anything at the tight end position this offseason, opting to simply re-sign journeyman Kellen Davis.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

FA Rumors: RGIII, Browns, Rams, Falcons

March 23rd, 2016 at 10:08am CST by Luke Adams

Will Robert Griffin III ultimately sign with the Browns after visiting Cleveland last week? According to Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter), the prevailing feeling at the owners’ meetings in Boca Raton is that the Browns will indeed be able to get something done with RGIII. There’s no agreement in place yet, but Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets that there’s a possibility of a deal by the end of the week.

As we wait to see if the two sides can strike a deal, let’s round up a few other items related to free agency, including another one on Griffin…

  • Asked about the possibility of pursuing RGIII, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher acknowledged that it’s something his team may have to consider (video link via TheRams.com). However, it didn’t sound like there was much urgency on that front for Fisher and the Rams, who have plenty of confidence in Case Keenum as their starter.
  • Falcons head coach Dan Quinn confirmed this morning that his club remains in negotiations with free agent linebacker Philip Wheeler, who may end up returning, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
  • Asked today about the possibility of bringing back defensive end Greg Hardy, Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said that Dallas is “focused on some other guys right now,” per Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Although there hasn’t been much movement on the Chad Greenway front so far, the veteran linebacker remains confident that he’ll be able to work out a new deal with the Vikings, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. While Greenway’s first choice is to remain in Minnesota, he did acknowledge that he has received some inquiries from other teams, but he’s not in a rush to make a decision.
  • Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said he was “shocked” that both Chris Johnson and Jermaine Gresham accepted less money to re-sign in Arizona, adding that there was no special sales pitch for either player (Twitter links via Peter Schrager of FOX Sports).

NFC Contract Details: Ayers, Shelby, Perry

March 14th, 2016 at 4:33pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest contract details from around the NFC on recently agreed-upon and signed deals. All links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated…

NFC South:

  • Robert Ayers, DE (Buccaneers): Three years, $19.5MM. $10.5MM guaranteed. $2.5MM roster bonus due on March 16. $2MM roster bonus due on fifth day of 2017 league year. $1MM roster bonus due on fifth day of 2018 league year. $550K annually in sacks incentives (Twitter links).
  • Derrick Shelby, DE (Falcons): Four years, $18MM. $7.5MM guaranteed. $5MM signing bonus. Annual $1MM base escalator from 2017 to 2019 (Twitter links).
  • Matt Schaub, QB (Falcons): One year, $1.75MM. $500K signing bonus. Up to $1MM in playing-time and 53-man roster incentives (Twitter link).

NFC East:

  • Tress Way, P (Washington): Five years, $7.8MM. $2.35MM guaranteed. $1.25MM signing bonus. Up to $400K in annual escalators from 2017 to 2020 (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Washington Post).
  • Nigel Bradham, LB (Eagles): Two years, $7MM. $4.5MM guaranteed. $1.5MM signing bonus. $500K base escalator for 2017 (Twitter link).
  • Kyle WIlber, LB (Cowboys): Two years, $3.25MM. $1MM signing bonus. $1MM playing-time incentive (Twitter link).
  • Logan Paulsen, TE (Washington): One year, minimum salary benefit. $35K signing bonus. $45K bonus for being on 53-man roster for first game (Twitter link).

NFC North:

  • Nick Perry, OLB (Packers): One year, $5MM. $1.5MM signing bonus. $2.3MM base salary. Up to $1MM in per-game active roster bonuses. $200K workout bonus. Up to $250K in incentives (Twitter links via Wilson and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
  • Marcus Sherels, CB (Vikings): Two years, $4MM. $1.5MM guaranteed. $500K roster bonus due on March 16. $100K in annual punt return average incentives. $50K annual Pro Bowl incentive (Twitter links).
  • Rafael Bush, S (Lions): One year, $2.4MM. $250K signing bonus. $250K in per-game roster bonuses. Up to $900K in playing-time bonuses (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press).
  • Don Muhlbach, LS (Lions): One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K signing bonus (Twitter link).

NFC West:

  • Jermaine Gresham, TE (Cardinals): One year, $3.5MM. $3MM guaranteed. $500K in per-game active roster bonuses. $500K in incentives for stats, playing time (Twitter link).

Cardinals Re-Sign Jermaine Gresham, Red Bryant

March 14th, 2016 at 10:52am CST by Dallas Robinson

MONDAY, 10:52am: The Cardinals have confirmed their deal with Gresham, and added that they’ve officially re-signed veteran defensive lineman Red Bryant as well (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). Bryant played sparingly in Arizona last year after serving as a full-time starter in Seattle and Jacksonville in previous seasons.

SUNDAY, 2:16pm: Gresham will sign a one-year deal with Arizona after receiving “strong” four-year offers from both the Jets and the Bears, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com.

2:02pm: Jermaine Gresham will spend a second year in the desert, as he’s agreed to re-sign with the Cardinals, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Per Rapoport, Gresham accepted less money than he could have earned elsewhere to stay with Arizona.Jermaine Gresham (Vertical)

Gresham spent the first five years of his career with the Bengals before joining the Cardinals prior to last year. In 15 games (12 starts) the 27-year-old tight end posted 18 receptions for 223 yards and one touchdown. Those totals were a far cry from his Cincinnati days, when Gresham averaged 56 catches for more than 500 yards and five scores from 2010-2014, but it’s fair to wonder if he was still feeling the affects of the surgery he underwent last March to repair a herniated disc.

And though his receiving numbers were down, Gresham did contribute in other ways — he graded as the league’s third-best run-blocking tight per Pro Football Focus, helping pave the way for Chris Johnson and David Johnson on the ground. Gresham will return to a Cardinals tight end group that also includes Darren Fells, Troy Niklas, and Gerald Christian.

Free agency went much smoother this time around than it did last year for Gresham, who ranked as PFR’s No. 11 free agent tight end, as he signs less than a week into the free agent period (he also drew interest from the Jets prior to agreeing to terms with Arizona). In 2015, largely due to his back operation, Gresham sat on the market until the end of July before landing with the Cardinals.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jermaine Gresham, Shea McClellin Visiting Jets

March 11th, 2016 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

The Jets are hosting tight end Jermaine Gresham and linebacker Shea McClellin on visits, according to multiple reports. Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports (via Twitter) that McClellin is visiting Gang Green today, while ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that Gresham also met with the team.Shea McClellin

Gresham, 27, signed with the Cardinals last season after spending five seasons with the Bengals. His role was reduced in Arizona, and he caught a career-low 18 balls for 223 yards and a touchdown. During his time in Cincinnati, Gresham earned two Pro Bowl nods, averaging 56 receptions per season.

The Jets, meanwhile, got little to no production from their tight ends in 2015. Gresham’s 18 receptions would have easily ranked first for New York, as the team’s TEs combined to catch just eight balls last season.

As for McClellin, the 26-year-old was the Bears’ first-round pick in 2012, and according to Biggs, Chicago would still like to re-sign him. However, the Jets figure to take a hard look at McClellin, since they have a need at inside linebacker, with both Demario Davis and Erin Henderson now on the free agent market.

The Jets are also hosting quarterback Robert Griffin and offensive tackle Kelvin Beachum on visits.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Jackson, Broncos, Long

March 10th, 2016 at 3:57pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos offered Malik Jackson roughly $11MM per year before he signed with the Jaguars, Troy Renck of The Denver Post tweets. The Broncos also made a strong offer to Brock Osweiler before he decided to join up with the Texans. The Broncos did not want to let linebacker Brandon Marshall get away, of course, which is why they used a second round RFA tender on him. When it comes to Danny Trevathan, however, the team decided to move on, so the front office wasn’t too crushed when he signed with the Bears.

Here are the latest free agent rumors:

  • Defensive end Chris Long wants to play for a winning team, Dianna Marie Russini of ESPN.com tweets. Long has spoken with the Falcons, Cowboys, and Washington, and a decision should be coming soon.
  • Tight end Jermaine Gresham is on his way to the Bears, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s an interesting visit as the Bears toy with the idea of trading Martellus Bennett.
  • Free agent guard Louis Vasquez will visit the Titans, but it will happen this weekend rather than on Friday as originally planned, John Glennon of The Tennessean tweets.
  • Cornerback Sherrick McManis is visiting with an AFC East team today, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets. McManis, who led the Bears with 17 special teams tackles, could still re-sign with Chicago.

West Notes: Raiders, CJ2K, Rivers, Rams

August 18th, 2015 at 5:15pm CST by Zachary Links

Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (on Twitter) spoke directly with the Raiders to shoot down a trio of rumors. The Raiders say they will not move to St. Louis, they will not move to San Francisco’s Levi Stadium, and owner Mark Davis will not sell the team. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC West..

  • Chris Johnson has $400K of his $870K salary with the Cardinals guaranteed, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic tweets. There are no other guarantees in the veteran running back’s deal. Unhappy with their choices behind Andre Ellington, the Cards inked Johnson to a deal on Monday.
  • Cardinals coach Bruce Arians said that he told both Johnson and Jermaine Gresham that they’re not “promised anything,” including a roster spot, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweets.
  • All in all, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap thinks that the Philip Rivers deal is a very good contract for the Chargers. The Bolts, he says, avoided giving Rivers a monstrous signing bonus and they receive fairly favorable terms on the cash flows of the contract. Just days ago, Rivers and the Chargers shook hands on a four-year extension that is worth $84MM with $65MM guaranteed.
  • Rivers will now earn $32MM in 2015, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets. He adds that $5.5MM of Rivers’ $22.5MM signing bonus is deferred until March 15th, 2016.
  • The Missouri Development Finance Board approved $15MM in tax credits this year for the proposed riverfront football stadium in St. Louis for the Rams, as David Hunn and Alex Stuckey of the Post-Dispatch write. Still, board Chairwoman Marie Carmichael said the money won’t be sent to new stadium planners until the board is assured the credits are a good deal for the state.
  • Carmen Policy says the Raiders and Chargers have agreed to shift divisions, if necessary, to make the Los Angeles project acceptable to the league, Michael R. Blood of the Associated Press writes.

Cardinals, Jermaine Gresham Agree To Deal

July 24th, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Cardinals have agreed to a one-year contract with free agent tight end Jermaine Gresham, Adam Schefter of ESPN reports (via Twitter). Financial terms of the deal have not yet been disclosed.

The 27-year-old Gresham spent the first half-decade of his career in Cincinnati, which used a first-round pick on him in 2010. With the Bengals, the ex-Oklahoma Sooner hauled in 280 passes and 24 touchdowns – including 62 receptions and five scores last season – while earning a reputation as a solid blocker. He averaged a meager 7.4 yards per catch in 2014, however, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him a below-average 37th out of 67 qualifying tight ends.

Gresham – who underwent surgery on a herniated disc in March – drew interest this offseason from several teams besides the Cardinals, including the Saints, Packers, Bears and Raiders. In Arizona, Gresham will provide a veteran tight end to a team that lost John Carlson and Rob Housler during the offseason. Carlson and Housler combined for 42 receptions, 479 yards and a touchdown last year. Gresham has exceeded 42 catches every year of his career, surpassed the 479-yard mark twice, and totaled at least four TDs in each of his five seasons.

Bears Consider Pursuing Jermaine Gresham

July 24th, 2015 at 2:24pm CST by Luke Adams

With training camps around the corner, unsigned tight end Jermaine Gresham is becoming a popular free agent target around the league. The latest team to be linked to Gresham is another NFC North squad — according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune, the Bears have discussed the possibility of pursuing the former Bengals tight end.

The Bears’ No. 1 tight end, Martellus Bennett, reportedly isn’t thrilled with his contract, and was mentioned as a potential trade candidate earlier in the offseason. However, Biggs’ report suggests that if the Bears were to go after Gresham, it would likely be as a complement to Bennett, rather than as a replacement.

While Chicago is one possible suitor for Gresham, he doesn’t appear to be lacking options these days. The 27-year-old recently paid a visit to the Cardinals, and the Packers hosted him for a visit this week as well, though Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets that Green Bay isn’t currently discussing a contract with Gresham. The Saints and Raiders are also said to have some interest in the former first-round pick.

I expect that Gresham, who is returning from offseason back surgery, will sign with a team around the time that training camps get underway in the coming days.

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