HEADLINES

Jerome Simpson

Jerome Simpson’s Suspension Upheld

August 29th, 2014 at 10:44am CST by Zachary Links

Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson is being suspended for three games, a league source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Simpson was arrested for a DUI in November of last year. It’s just the latest run-in for Simpson who was convicted of a felony for mailing two pounds of marijuana to his Kentucky home while he was playing for the Bengals.

Simpson set a career high last season for receiving yards and was two catches shy of his best season ever in that category, but a DUI hurt his negotiating leverage. Ultimately, he saw his salary chopped from $2.1MM in 2013 to $1MM in 2014 and he said in June that he was surprised by that.

“I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised that I get paid less than what I got last year,” Simpson said. “I had my best numbers. But I guess when you got that negative thing on you, they kind of got you behind the eight-ball.“

The 28-year-old hauled in 48 catches for 726 yards and one touchdown last season. With Simpson out to start the season, the Vikings can be expected to lean heavily on talented sophomore Cordarrelle Patterson in the passing game.

NFC North Notes: Vikings, Simpson, Holmes

August 18th, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of the NFC North..

  • Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson missed practice Monday to attend a hearing at NFL headquarters in New York and defend himself against a possible suspension for his November drunken-driving arrest, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. Simpson served a three-game suspension during the 2012 season with the Vikings after being convicted of a felony for mailing two pounds of marijuana to his Kentucky home while he was playing for the Bengals, so he could be viewed as a repeat offender.
  • Some teams were wary of Santonio Holmes‘ reputation as a locker room disruption, but Bears coach Marc Trestman is hardly worried, writes Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. “We spent time with him,” Trestman said Monday. “I mean, people change. They get into new venues, new environments. You’re out for a while, you get a good, hard look at where you are not only in your work life, as well as other aspects of your life.”
  • However, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes, Trestman didn’t give any guarantee that the veteran will make the roster. For his part, Holmes says he’s really excited about the opportunity he has in Chicago.

NFC Links: Simpson, Lynch, Giants, Davis

June 12th, 2014 at 1:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran wide receiver Jerome Simpson was surprised that he had to take a pay cut from the Vikings, write Chris Tomasson and Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. Simpson set a career high last season for receiving yards and was two catches shy of his best season ever in that category, but a DUI hurt his leverage. Ultimately, he saw his salary chopped from $2.1MM in 2013 to $1MM in 2014.

“I can’t lie. I was definitely surprised that I get paid less than what I got last year,” Simpson said. “I had my best numbers. But I guess when you got that negative thing on you, they kind of got you behind the eight-ball.“

Here are several more Thursday links from around the NFC:

  • No one knows for sure yet if Marshawn Lynch will or won’t be in attendance when the Seahawks‘ mandatory minicamp gets underway, but if the running back holds out for a new contract, it won’t be a surprise, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Meanwhile, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap explains why Lynch has to do this now if he wants to strengthen his job security going forward. We heard last night that the Seahawks aren’t expecting Lynch to show up for the start of the camp.
  • Although they haven’t signed any new players yet, the Giants are believed to have hosted about 10 non-roster players for auditions yesterday, according to Jordan Raanan and Conor Orr of NJ.com.
  • Tight end Vernon Davis is seeking a new contract and didn’t show up for the 49ers‘ voluntary workouts, but he recognizes the mandatory nature of the team’s upcoming minicamp, as Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News writes. “It’s mandatory, so I should be there, for sure,” Davis said during an appearance on KNBR 680-AM in San Francisco.
  • While the Packers‘ decision to sign troubled tight end Colt Lyerla last month raised some eyebrows, Green Bay takes pride in developing all kinds of young players, according to Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report, who wonders if Lyerla could fill a void at the position for a club that no longer has Jermichael Finley on its roster.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC North Notes: Suh, Weems, Contracts

March 18th, 2014 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

At an appearance at the MGM Grand in Detroit, Lions president Tom Lewand suggested the team isn’t bothered by the fact that there’s no contract extension in place with defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh yet, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. While a new deal for Suh would open up some cap room for the Lions in 2014, the club never viewed an extension as an essential part of its free agency plans.

Let’s round up a few other items from around the NFC North….

  • The Bears have asked wide receiver and return man Eric Weems to take a pay cut, and will likely release him if he decides not to accept the cut, reports Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago. The team could create $1.1MM in cap savings by releasing Weems.
  • B.J. Raji‘s one-year contract with the Packers includes a $500K signing bonus, a non-guaranteed $3.1MM base salary, $300K in per-game roster bonuses, and a $100K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune details the specifics of Charles Tillman‘s one-year contract with the Bears. It includes a $2.25MM base salary, a $500K signing bonus, $100K in workout bonuses, and $400K in per-game roster bonuses. The total guarantee is $750K.
  • The Lions‘ one-year deal for Vaughn Martin is a minimum salary benefit contract, including a $65K bonus, tweets Michael Rothstein. So Martin will earn $795K, while the cap hit for the team will be $635K.
  • Via Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes (via Twitter) that Jerome Simpson‘s new deal with the Vikings is worth $1MM — a $900K base salary, plus $50K in workout bonuses and another $50K in roster bonuses.
  • Mark Craig of the Minneapolis Star Tribune examines some possible reasons why the Vikings haven’t addressed the linebacker position in free agency yet.

Vikings Re-Sign Jerome Simpson

March 14th, 2014 at 2:23pm CST by Luke Adams

2:23pm: GM Rick Spielman confirmed today that Simpson’s new deal is a one-year pact, and that the team felt comfortable re-signing him after the receiver met with Minnesota’s new coaches (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of USA Today).

1:32pm: The Vikings have re-signed Jerome Simpson to a new contract, according to the team. The wide receiver had been an unrestricted free agent.

Simpson, a former second-round pick, set a career-high in receiving yards in 2013, totaling 726 yards through the air on 48 receptions in his second year with the Vikings. Despite an off-field incident involving a DUI, the Vikings had interest in bringing the 28-year-old back for another season, as we heard earlier in the month.

With Simpson back in the fold, the Vikings will keep their 2013 group of receivers virtually entirely intact, with Greg Jennings, Cordarrelle Patterson, and Jarius Wright poised to return as well.

Vikings Rumors: Melton, Rudolph, Simpson

March 12th, 2014 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s round up a few Vikings rumors as the 24-hour mark of free agency approaches….

  • Free agent defensive tackle Henry Melton is drawing interest from several teams, including the Cowboys, but he’ll visit with the Vikings tomorrow, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Although it probably won’t happen anytime soon, the Vikings are expected to extend tight end Kyle Rudolph‘s contract, perhaps this summer or during the 2014 season, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities. Rudolph is a “big priority” among the team’s players eligible for 2015 free agency.
  • Wide receiver Jerome Simpson may still re-sign with the Vikings, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link).
  • Chris Cook tells Tomasson (Twitter link) that there’s still a possibility he re-signs with Minnesota, and adds that he doesn’t know anything about reported interest from the 49ers.
  • Tomasson also provides the financial details on Larry Dean‘s one-year contract with the Vikings (Twitter link).

NFC Notes: Packers, Hester, Mitchell, Smith

March 5th, 2014 at 9:59pm CST by Zachary Links

Nate Davis of USA Today ran down the Packers‘ offseason needs and rightfully noted that the D-Line will need to be addressed. Tyson Jackson, Arthur Jones, and Paul Soliai could be candidates for Green Bay, especially since B.J. Raji seems to have played his way off the roster. Here’s more out of the NFC..

  • In an interview with NFL Network. Bears return specialist Devin Hester indicated that he’ll likely be elsewhere in 2014, writes Dan Wiederer of the Chicago Tribune. “From my knowledge, I know that Chicago wants to go a different route with me,” Hester said, pretty much confirming a similar report from earlier in the week. “All I can say is thanks to the fans (for) the support. Always been great to me, always been loyal. I couldn’t want to play for a better city than those guys.” Hester averaged 27.6 yards per kickoff return and 14.2 yards per punt return last season, tying Sanders’ touchdown record with an 81-yard punt return against the Redskins in October.
  • Panthers safety Michael Mitchell is a shining example of how one-year deals can actually benefit veterans, writes USA Today’s Tom Pelissero. The 26-year-old didn’t get much opportunity in Oakland but after totaling four interceptions, two forced fumbles and 3.5 sacks in 15 games (14 starts) in 2013 with Carolina, he figures to see a bigger pay day this year.
  • Tom Sorensen of the Charlotte Observer says Panthers GM Dave Gettleman holds the cards in his standoff with wide receiver Steve Smith. The inventive columnist even goes so far as to come up with dialogue for an imagined meeting between the two men.
  • The Vikings want to re-sign veteran wide receiver Jerome Simpson, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. A source tells Tomasson that Minnesota is interested in a third year with Simpson even though he was arrested in November on suspicion of a DUI.
  • It’s no secret that the 49ers are trying to get deals done with Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown before they hit free agency, but it may be difficult to get both men to bypass the open market, writes Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • Bears guard Kyle Long has already begun lobbying for the team to sign free agent defensive tackle Nate Collins, writes John Mullin of CSNChicago.com. Earlier tonight, the Bears came to terms with fellow DT Jeremiah Ratliff.