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Jonathan Goodwin

NFC Mailbags: Giants, Panthers, 49ers, Saints

May 3rd, 2014 at 11:10am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday and that means a fresh batch of mailbags from ESPN’s NFL writers. Let’s take a look at some notes from the NFC…

  • The Giants‘ need for a tight end does not offset their need on the offensive line, writes Dan Graziano. The team added four lineman in free agency, but Graziano believes the team needs to “address the problem in a meaningful, sustainable, long-term way.”
  • Graziano guesses that Giants safety Will Hill will be suspended and subsequently cut. General Manager Jerry Reese said that the team would wait out the appeal process.
  • Taking into account the uncertain future of Greg Hardy, Charles Johnson‘s age and Frank Alexander‘s four-game suspension, the Panthers should select a defensive end in the first round, opines David Newton. Wide receiver and offensive tackle may be the popular picks, but Newton sees value at those positions in the second and third round.
  • Newton projects a longterm deal between the Panthers and Hardy would be in the four-year range, worth $13MM to $15MM a season.
  • The signing of Brandon Lloyd shouldn’t affect the 49ers‘ draft plans at the position, writes Bill Williamson. Anquan Boldin is getting older and Michael Crabtree is entering the final season of his contract, so the position is still a need.
  • Mike Triplett can see the Saints drafting center’s Marcus Martin or Weston Richburg in the first round. The writer attributes Sean Payton‘s history of not selecting offensive lineman in the first round to “happenstance.”
  • Triplett believes the Saints still have interest in Jonathan Goodwin. Triplett adds that the veteran could be a fallback plan if the team’s doesn’t land a center in the early rounds.

NFC Rumors: Cowboys, Bell, Vikings, Bears

March 10th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys are interested in re-signing free-agents-to-be Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer, but Dallas isn’t the only team with interest in the defensive linemen. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, the free agent duo has at least seven interested suitors, including the Cowboys. Dallas is also interested in defensive tackle Henry Melton, according to Watkins (Twitter link), but the ESPN scribe cautions that there are no assurances of a deal, given the Cowboys’ limited cap space.

Here’s more from around the NFC, with free agency less than 24 hours away:

Zach Links contributed to this post.

49ers Sign Daniel Kilgore To Extension

February 28th, 2014 at 9:52am CST by Luke Adams

9:52am: Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) has a total of $5.4MM for Kilgore’s extension, including $2.595MM in guaranteed money and $1.8MM in escalators.

FRIDAY, 9:25am: Kilgore’s four-year deal is worth a total of $4.845MM, including a $1.35MM signing bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. If Kilgore does indeed become the 49ers’ starting center and holds that position, he could be a very nice bargain for the team.

THURSDAY, 2:26pm: The 49ers have reached an agreement on a contract extension with offensive lineman Daniel Kilgore, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. The 49ers confirmed the extension in a press release, indicating that the new deal will keep Kilgore under contract through 2017. That means the team added three new years to the 26-year-old’s rookie contract, which had been set to expire after the 2014 season.

“We are pleased to extend the contract of a talented, young player like Dan,” said GM Trent Baalke in a statement. “This move is another example of our philosophy to extend the contracts of our own young players.”

While he has served as a backup and part-time player during his first three NFL seasons since being selected by the Niners in the fifth round of the 2011 draft, Kilgore looks poised to assume a larger role going forward. The team’s 2013 starting center, Jonathan Goodwin, is eligible for unrestricted free agency and has yet to hear from the 49ers about a new contract, as Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted earlier today. As such, it looks like San Francisco may let the 35-year-old walk, handing the reins at center to Kilgore.

Kilgore, who has experience at both center and guard, played just 86 regular-season snaps for the Niners, mostly functioning as an extra blocker in run-heavy packages. He becomes the third member of the 2011 draft class to sign a contract extension this offseason, following Taiwan Jones of the Raiders and Jason Kelce of the Eagles.

NFC Notes: Saints, Eagles, 49ers, Goodwin

January 28th, 2014 at 10:47am CST by Luke Adams

2014’s Super Bowl Media Day has been fairly uneventful so far, so with little news of interest coming out of the Prudential Center in Newark, let’s take a look at what else is going on around the league, with a focus on a few NFC teams…

  • In examining the Saints’ running back situation, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes that the backfield looks fairly stable, though he wonders if the team could look to save a little money by trading or releasing Pierre Thomas this offseason.
  • With Michael Vick headed for free agency, Sheil Kapadia and Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com discuss the Eagles‘ options at backup quarterback for 2014.
  • Jonathan Goodwin, who has been the 49ers‘ starting center for the last three seasons, is facing free agency this season, and it may be an opportunity for the team to get younger on the offensive line, says Bill Williamson of ESPN.com. As Williamson points out, the Niners don’t have too many pressing needs and top college centers usually aren’t drafted high, so the club could target one with a second- or third-round pick.
  • Williamson adds within the same piece that some observers think Goodwin will have interest in signing with the Cardinals in Arizona, where his brother Harold is the offensive coordinator.
  • The Redskins are projected to have $28MM+ in cap space this winter, and could gain another $2MM if the player’s union takes advantage of its option to increase the spending limit this offseason, notes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com.

NFC Rumors: 49ers, Bucs, Burleson, Falcons

January 20th, 2014 at 3:37pm CST by Luke Adams

A day after being eliminated from the postseason by the Seahawks, the 49ers are already looking ahead to the offseason. Kicker Phil Dawson and center Jonathan Goodwin both expressed interest in re-signing with San Francisco, according to Steve Corkran of the Bay Area News Group (Twitter links). The team is also in talks with McLeod Bethel-Thompson about a return for the backup QB, and has signed defensive lineman Lawrence Okoye and wide receiver Devon Wylie to futures deals, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links).

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • All indications right now suggest that the Buccaneers are deciding between Jason Licht of the Cardinals and Marc Ross of the Giants as their next general manager, reports Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (via Twitter). Falcons vice president of player personnel Lionel Vital, who had been in the running for the Bucs job, told D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution today that he’ll remain in Atlanta.
  • Nate Burleson acknowledges he’ll likely have to restructure his contract in order to return to the Lions next season, but he hopes to play out his deal and eventually retire in Detroit, as Eric Lacy of MLive.com details.
  • The Falcons have interest in bringing back offensive lineman Mike Johnson, but only at the right price, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
  • The Seahawks and 49ers are among the early favorites to come out of the NFC a year from now, but both teams will have multiple players in line for raises before then. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few offseason issues for the NFC’s top two teams.