Julius Thomas

AFC Notes: Browns, Raiders, Jags

February 27th, 2015 at 10:57pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns made the NFL’s most significant Friday move when they signed veteran quarterback Josh McCown to a three-year contract. Aside from a short, red-hot stretch with the Bears in 2013, McCown has never performed like more than a backup during his 12-year career. Combining that with Johnny Manziel‘s on- and off-field issues, the Cleveland Plain Dealer’s Terry Pluto expects the Browns to make more additions at quarterback this offseason. That said, Pluto would be “stunned” if Brian Hoyer, last year’s starting signal-caller and a pending free agent, returns to Cleveland. Moreover, he doesn’t think the Browns will use a first-round pick on a QB in the upcoming draft.

Here are some other newsworthy items from the AFC, including more on the Browns:

Tom Reed, also of the Cleveland Plain Dealer, opines that the Browns should be interested in Bills defensive end Jerry Hughes if he becomes a free agent in March. Hughes and current Browns head coach Mike Pettine both joined the Bills prior to the 2013 season. Hughes, formerly of the Colts, looked like a first-round bust at the time. With the help of Pettine’s work as the Bills’ defensive coordinator, Hughes racked up 10 sacks to resurrect his career. Pettine subsequently left for Cleveland, but Hughes was still productive without him last year (9.5 sacks). Reed believes that reuniting Hughes with Pettine would improve a Browns defense that finished 27th in the league in sacks in 2014. When Reed asked Hughes about Pettine last summer, the 26-year-old had nothing but praise for his ex-coordinator. “He’s a players’ coach,” said Hughes. “He knows how to have fun when it’s time and he knows when it’s time to get serious and work.”
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (video link) that tight end Julius Thomas “has no talks scheduled with the Broncos” and will have a “very active market” if he hits free agency next month. According to Rapoport, two teams to watch are the AFC West rival Raiders and the Jaguars. New Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio knows Thomas well from their time in Denver, where Del Rio was the defensive coordinator the last three years. Meanwhile, the Jaguars have plenty of money to spend – OverTheCap.com lists their available space at a league-leading $68.20MM – and are seeking skill-position help. Thomas, who has caught a combined 24 touchdowns the last two seasons, would seemingly provide it.
In a move that will be made official next week, the Raiders informed safety Tyvon Branch of his release Thursday. Branch spent seven years with the Raiders and, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com, he might be the first of many vets on the team’s chopping block. Per Bair, defensive end LaMarr Woodley, quarterback Matt Schaub, running back Maurice Jones-Drew and offensive lineman Kevin Boothe could all be out of Oakland by next season.

AFC Notes: Broncos, Coleman, Ravens, Revis

February 26th, 2015 at 4:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Following up on a report that indicated the Broncos and Peyton Manning are engaged in contract discussions, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) notes that the veteran quarterback would like the team to re-sign tight end Julius Thomas, even though that seems increasingly unlikely. Whether Manning takes a pay cut or simply restructures his deal, the move could create $7-9MM in cap room, which would certainly give the club more flexibility to bring back free agents like Thomas and Terrance Knighton.

Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall is still a year away from even being eligible for restricted free agency, but he has signed with Rosenhaus Sports, and will be represented by Drew Rosenhaus and Jason Katz, reports Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter).
The Chiefs met with the representative for safety Kurt Coleman at the combine, and talks between the two sides were positive, a source tells Herbie Teope of ChiefsDigest.com. Earlier in the month, we heard that Coleman would likely be seeking $1.5-2MM per year, and would prefer to sign with a team that gives him the opportunity to start.
There’s a case to be made for the Ravens to try to retain most of their free agents, but Pernell McPhee looks like a goner, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in his preview of Baltimore’s offseason. You can find PFR’s own look ahead at the Ravens’ offseason right here.
Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com also weighs in on the Ravens‘ upcoming moves, focusing on the immediate future and explaining what the team could do to create $15MM+ in cap room.
Joel Corry of CBSSports.com breaks down the Darrelle Revis situation, writing that it wouldn’t surprise him if the cornerback left a little money on the table to re-sign with the Patriots, but still drove a very hard bargain. Corry could imagine the first three years of such a deal exceeding Patrick Peterson‘s contract with the Cardinals, but falling short of top contracts like J.J. Watt‘s and Mario Williams‘.

La Canfora On Manning, Suh, McCown, Saints

February 25th, 2015 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Weighing in on two of the biggest offseason stories, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com leads off his latest piece by looking at the Peyton Manning and Ndamukong Suh situations. In La Canfora’s view, Manning will ultimately return to the Broncos after the two sides tweak his contract a little. As for Suh, the CBSSports.com scribe doesn’t have any updates on the Lions‘ talks with the defensive star, but says he thinks the Jaguars and Raiders will be major players. For those teams to be involved in the Suh derby, he’d have to reach the open market, which would mean no long-term deal or franchise tag from Detroit.

La Canfora also passes along plenty more tidbits related to free agency, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….

When it comes to the market’s top pass rushers, La Canfora thinks Pernell McPhee can reach $10MM per year, with Jerry Hughes in the $9MM range, and Brandon Graham and Jason Worilds around $7.5MM. La Canfora also believes that all four of those players will join new teams next month.
Free agent quarterback Josh McCown is expected to decide on his new team later this week or early next week, and could land another deal worth $5MM annually. The Bills and Browns look like the best bets for McCown, according to La Canfora.
The Saints are working through contract issues with about a half-dozen players on their roster, sources tell La Canfora. If things work out the way the team hopes, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, and Curtis Lofton would likely stick around on reduced salaries, while Ben Grubbs, Brodrick Bunkley, and David Hawthorne could be let go. As for Junior Galette, La Canfora is hearing that head coach Sean Payton has “expressed a desire” to part ways with him, following his January arrest. However, Galette’s contract still contains a sizeable chunk of guaranteed money, and the team likely can’t void those guarantees.
Percy Harvin probably won’t accept a pay cut from the Jets, which means the team will likely cut him. La Canfora expects the wideout to gamble himself in free agency, signing a one-year deal with a team that has a good quarterback in place.
The Jaguars will be seeking a top pass catcher, and La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if the team lands a player like Randall Cobb or Julius Thomas. Per La Canfora, the Packers recognize Cobb’s market could get out of hand, and may focus on re-signing other key free agents, like Bryan Bulaga and Letroy Guion.
Chiefs center Rodney Hudson came very close to signing a four-year extension worth $6MM per year during the season. He’s a good bet to exceed that amount in free agency, and the Raiders are one viable suitor.
La Canfora anticipates the Ravens will work out a restructured deal with Lardarius Webb, but isn’t as certain about Haloti Ngata, who may play for a new team in 2015.
The Jets would have interest in Ryan Mallett if he reaches the open market. However, the Texans have made their interest in the quarterback clear, and Mallett himself said today that he’d like to return to Houston (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).

Broncos Notes: Knighton, Moore, Thomas

February 22nd, 2015 at 10:40am CST by Sam Robinson

One of the few free agent groups housing multiple potential superstars, the Broncos face a choice they largely had in mind when they allowed a less-talented contract-year contingent to depart en masse last year.

Beyond ensuring Demaryius Thomas returns, which GM John Elway has already done, a key question in Denver: who else to retain, writes The Denver Post’s Mike Klis. The longtime Broncos reporter identified nine positions of need for the Broncos this offseason, and shed some light on which of the nine free agent starters he expects back in Denver.

Klis paints a reality where the Broncos lose both Terrance Knighton and Julius Thomas, which would allow Denver to add more outside free agents and perhaps ink some of their lower-tier free agent starters but leave gaping voids. Knighton’s price tag may now be too high for the Broncos ($28.5MM of cap space, listed at OverTheCap). Knighton’s been vocal on his preference to return to his post on the Denver defensive interior, but beyond Ndamukong Suh, there isn’t a more proven option in his prime than the 28-year-old run-stuffer — the 12th- and ninth-best defensive tackle the past two years, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required) — on the market. Sylvester Williams, the Broncos’ top in-house option at nose in their new 3-4 set, was one of the worst interior performers PFF graded last year.

Adding Jordan Cameron or former Gary Kubiak disciple Owen Daniels, who’s started for the Broncos’ new coach with the Texans and Ravens the past nine years, but neither offers the red zone security than does Julius Thomas (24 touchdown catches in the past two years). Klis also expects Denver to draft a tight end.

The Broncos also want former second-round pick and three-year full-time starter Rahim Moore back, but at a hometown price. With T.J. Ward, Chris Harris and Aqib Talib all making top-20 per-year money in the starting secondary, the Broncos would be cash-poor at areas of greater need if they re-signed Moore at or near his asking price.

Other items of note from Klis:

The Broncos will bring in a fullback for the first time since briefly using Chris Gronkowski in 2012. Veteran starters Jerome Felton and Henry Hynoski as possible space-clearers in Kubiak’s zone-blocking scheme are available.
Orlando Franklin, a four-year starter at either right tackle or left guard, will probably join Julius Thomas as high-paid players on other teams after a productive season inside.
Rookie sixth-round center Matt Paradis could be a cheap in-house option to replace free agent 32-year-old Will Montgomery.

In other news across the Broncos’ free agent board …

Columnist Woody Paige listed a blueprint of how Elway can fix the possible mass exodus of Denver-honed talent. Most notably, Paige calls for the addition of Cardinals noseguard Dan Williams, who was just two slots behind Knighton on PFF’s aforementioned DT grades, has experience in a 3-4 set and won’t be as expensive. Top-tier free agents Bryan Bulaga and Devin McCourty are also mentioned as options, but adding either of those two probably come at a cost of abandoning any plans to retain their own big-name FAs.
Benjamin Hochman and Mark Kiszla of The Post debate whether Virgil Green, also a free agent, can replace Julius Thomas while second-guessing the market’s top tight end’s negotiating strategy after turning down a reported $8MM per year. Hochman does not expect Thomas to earn that this year, although Jared Cook and Kyle Rudolph make $7MM-plus per season, so it might not be out of the question for Thomas to draw that next month.

AFC Links: Raiders, Thomas, Patriots, McPhee

February 21st, 2015 at 8:58am CST by Ben Levine

Following news that the Raiders and Chargers proposed a shared Los Angeles stadium, there were rumors that Raiders owner Mark Davis was using the move as leverage for a new stadium in Oakland. The owner didn’t necessarily confirm that rumor, but he did acknowledge that he’d like to keep the organization in it’s current location (via Vic Tafur of SFChronicle.com):

“That’s our No. 1 priority, to stay in Oakland, always has been and will continue to be,” Davis said. “We’re really trying to stay, and now there’s a great opportunity in Los Angeles. We need to get something done.”

Davis also touched on his relationship with Alex Spanos, the Chargers owner:

“My dad helped Alex (Spanos) get in the league, and while we have been fierce rivals on the field, we have common philosophies and goals,” Davis said. “And we have the same need. We are the two California teams that need a stadium.

“Together, we may be able to get it done.”

Let’s take a look at more rumors from the AFC…

As each day goes by, it sounds increasingly unlikely that Julius Thomas will return to the Broncos. Similar to many free agent departures, fingers are already being pointed, and the tight end’s agent believes the organization is to blame. “The Broncos came to me, we tried to get it done, it didn’t work,” said Frank Bauer (via Mike Klis of The Denver Post). “Does Julius love Denver? Yes. Does Julius love the fans there? No question. Does he love the organization and the community? Look at what he does for kids in that town…But for some reason people are trying to tear him down. In my opinion what they’re doing by tearing him down is pushing him away.”
While Patriots running backs Shane Vereen and Stevan Ridley are set to hit the open market, the team has plenty of depth to compensate for their potential departure. Among that group would be Tyler Gaffney, who missed last season while recovering from an ACL injury. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe believes the team stashed Gaffney for a reason, and he’ll be given every chance to make the team’s roster in 2015 (Twitter links).
Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower underwent shoulder surgery this past week and is expected to miss anywhere from six to seven months. Jeff Howe of The Boston Herald writes that the injury could have an impact on negotiations with veteran Jerod Mayo and his $10MM cap hit for 2015.
It was anticipated that Ravens linebacker Pernell McPhee would be a commodity in free agency, and ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure tweets that the 26-year-old is going to be more expensive than anticipated.

West Rumors: Fitz, Raiders, Parker, Wilson

February 20th, 2015 at 9:03am CST by Luke Adams

While we learned the basic details of Larry Fitzgerald‘s new contract with the Cardinals earlier this week, we didn’t have the specific figures until today, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com breaks down the deal in a series of five tweets. Fitzgerald will receive a $10MM bonus on the second day of the 2015 league year, and has fully guaranteed $1MM and $11MM base salaries for 2015 and 2016, respectively. That $10MM bonus will be considered a signing bonus, meaning it’s prorated over the course of the deal, which extends through 2018, though it’s scheduled to void five days after the 2017 Super Bowl. The contract, which includes a no-trade clause, reduces Fitzgerald’s 2015 cap hit to $10.85M, creating $12.75M in immediate cap room for the Cards.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

Although Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie has publicly stated that the team won’t rule out keeping Matt Schaub in 2015, league sources tell Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that Oakland won’t bring back its high-priced backup. According to Tafur, safety Tyvon Branch and outside linebacker LaMarr Woodley could also be on the chopping block, and running back Maurice Jones-Drew would likely have to take a pay cut to return to Oakland.
The Chiefs are engaged in ongoing discussions with the agent for free agent defensive back Ron Parker, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star, who tweets that Parker’s asking price is still about $6MM per year. Paylor reported earlier in the month that Parker would be seeking a $6MM annual salary on a four- or five-year deal.
Cap experts like Joel Corry and Jason Fitzgerald have recently speculated that when Russell Wilson signs an extension with the Seahawks, he could become the first quarterback to receive a fully guaranteed contract. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), that possibility is “very real,” and it’ll be fascinating to see how it plays out.
In his examation of the free agent market for tight ends, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap explains why Broncos TE Julius Thomas may be overvalued next month.

Falcons Rumors: Maxwell, Thomas, Bryant

February 19th, 2015 at 12:05pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, in our round-up of a few NFC South items, we passed along a couple of noteworthy Falcons-related tidbits — the team has yet to instigate negotiations on a contract extension for standout wide receiver Julio Jones, and new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan received a three-year deal when he was hired by the club. We’ve had a few more Falcons updates trickle in since then, so let’s check those out:

There’s “a lot of talk” that the Falcons will be a strong suitor for free agent cornerback Byron Maxwell, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). As Garafolo points out, Maxwell played under new Atlanta head coach Dan Quinn in Seattle, so there’s a logical connection there. Seahawks GM John Schneider also indicated earlier today that he expects the cornerback to reach the open market.
The Falcons will likely be interested in Broncos tight end Julius Thomas, another prospective who looks poised to hit the open market, writes D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Atlanta has been looking for an upgrade at the position since Tony Gonzalez retired, but the club would likely have plenty of competition for Thomas, who will be the top tight end available this winter.
There have been some talks between the Falcons and kicker Matt Bryant, but no substantial progress has been made so far, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The team will meet in Indianpolis with the agent for Bryant, who is eligible for free agency next month

Julius Thomas To Test Open Market

February 18th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Julius Thomas could still return to the Broncos, but not before taking a look around at other teams first. The tight end wants to test free agency when the market opens on March 10th, according to Mike Klis of The Denver Post.

At the combine this week, Denver has met or is meeting with the agents of several of the team’s free agent players, including Terrance Knighton, Demaryius Thomas, Orlando Franklin, and Rahim Moore. However, there’s no appointment with Frank Bauer, the agent for the tight end.

The Broncos offered J. Thomas a multi-year contract worth $8MM a year back in July — a deal that would have made him the third-highest paid tight end behind only Jimmy Graham and Rob Gronkowski – but they were rebuffed. Now, after Thomas suffered the second serious ankle injury of his career, he’s probably wishing he said yes. If the Broncos cannot re-sign him this offseason, they could look into notable free agent tight ends like Jordan Cameron, Owen Daniels, Jermaine Gresham, and Charles Clay.

Free Agent Stock Watch: Julius Thomas

February 14th, 2015 at 4:17pm CST by Sam Robinson

One of the more rapid rising stars in the game, Julius Thomas presents an interesting case in his first foray into free agency. The two-year starting tight end made next to no impact in his first and second seasons, hampered by lingering ankle maladies. But his ensuing two slates create a robust market for the athletic, yet frequently unavailable target.

Does Thomas’ value lie in being an athletic tight end with elite ball skills, a package the Broncos haven’t unleashed since Shannon Sharpe, who played under then-offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak for most of the latter half of his career? Or is he an injury-prone Peyton Manning product? Since the 26-year-old Thomas morphed into a red zone dynamo, with 12 touchdown receptions in each of the past two seasons, and has positioned himself as this market’s top tight end, teams will bid big to find out.

But the best offer for the 2011 fourth-round pick might not come from the Broncos. Now transitioning back to Kubiak’s offense, which relies heavily on tight ends blocking and not splitting out wide as much, with multiple other dominant free agents to take care of — including Demaryius Thomas and Terrance Knighton — Denver may not be able to afford Julius Thomas’ services. He may not even be in large font on the Broncos’ offseason itinerary considering the scheme change and the numerous ancillary free agents from their 2011 draft class, which is easily the best under fifth-year GM John Elway‘s watch.

Undrafted Pro Bowl cornerback Chris Harris re-upped for 5 years and $42.5MM, and first-rounder Von Miller will play out his fifth-year option on a $9.7MM cap number next season from that class. But Thomas, left guard Orlando Franklin and free safety Rahim Moore (second round), middle linebacker Nate Irving (third) and in-line tight end Virgil Green (sixth) are all free agents who played key roles last season.

Thomas, who played for just $645K last year, has understandably been lukewarm to the idea of a hometown discount, something to which Demaryius Thomas and Knighton have been receptive. With Demaryius Thomas likely to be slapped with the franchise tag, as we discussed Tuesday, the Broncos will need to reach a long-term contract with Julius Thomas to keep him around. Even though Elway reiterated his desire to keep Julius Thomas in Denver in January, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Post, the former Big Sky basketball standout already turned down a deal that would’ve made him one of the league’s top four highest-paid tight ends, a source told Kils in October. With a projected $26MM+ in cap space and more than a third of their starters unsigned, the Broncos likely won’t bring back all of their top three free agents and may be stuck with just one after franchising Demaryius Thomas, should Knighton also receive a strong offer considering his career metamorphosis the past two years.

The case for the Broncos bringing back Julius Thomas depends on which version of Manning they think they’re getting back. The future Hall of Fame quarterback has inflated the numbers for plenty of pass-catchers over the past 18 years, but assuming he returns for his age-39 season — this probably will be the case after the QB iterated his desire to return Friday night — he will need as much firepower as possible to keep the Broncos on their current course. Thomas’ reputation as a bigger wide receiver who is ill-equipped for Kubiak’s system may not be entirely accurate, either. The 6-foot-4, 251-pound Division I-FCS product improved from 2013 when Pro Football Focus (subscription required) tabbed him as the NFL’s second-worst run-blocking tight end to last season when the site gave Thomas a positive grade and slotted him at No. 33 in the category — just two spots behind Rob Gronkowski.

Former Broncos head coach John Fox and OC Adam Gase in a way validated Thomas’ market value by orchestrating a dramatic overhaul of the offense — to a C.J. Anderson-heavy ground approach — the week after Thomas encountered ankle turmoil for the fourth straight season. Not that there weren’t additional factors in Manning’s decline in the season’s second half, but the Broncos’ offense didn’t look the same without its top touchdown target. Without Thomas at full strength, a level he didn’t return to after his latest injury, Manning had just two games with a quarterback rating over 86 — against the Dolphins and Chargers, respectively. This precipitous fall came after Manning (22 TD passes and just three interceptions in the Broncos’ first seven games) charted just one game under 110 in a stretch that wasn’t a bad imitation of his 2013 MVP effort. Thomas had nine TD grabs during Denver’s peak span and three multi-score showings.

The case against re-signing Thomas hinges on what the Broncos do with Knighton, how much they want to invest in the aforementioned 2011 draft class, how much money they allocate to reshape their offensive line and, perhaps most importantly, whether they feel the tight end’s availability justifies his likely high re-up price. As TheMMQB’s Peter King summarized last year, Thomas considered giving up football after a persistent ankle injury he sustained in 2011 dogged him throughout his first two seasons. Overall, ankle problems forced him to miss 28 games in four years. But teams with shaky tight end outlooks — the Raiders, Cardinals and Browns, to name a few — likely won’t have as much of an issue with Thomas’ negatives, considering a player with these numbers rarely reaches free agency.

If Jared Cook and Kyle Rudolph could ink $7MM-per-year deals within the last couple years — Cook as a free agent with production nowhere near Thomas’ — Thomas has a good chance to earn top-five money at the position. That top five currently ends with Rudolph and starts with Jimmy Graham‘s $10MM-per-year contract signed last year, per OverTheCap.com.

Re-signing Green ($645K in his fourth season last year) or someone like Dolphins free agent Charles Clay makes sense if the Broncos don’t want to meet Thomas’ salary wishes, but for a team whose title window depends heavily on the success of an aging quarterback with fading arm strength, it might be prudent to keep his main weapons around — especially the one who is Manning’s preferred option to finish off drives. The cap math adds up better for the Broncos if Manning renegotiates his salary — something we learned on Friday he could be willing to do — which is set for $19MM and a $21.5MM cap hit.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Peyton Manning Ready To Return?

February 13th, 2015 at 5:41pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Denver Broncos may finally be able to devote their attention to their throng of priority free agents soon, because their five-time MVP and “non-free agent” appears ready to officially include them in his plans for a fourth season. Peyton Manning told Broncos officials he is ready to play at a “significant level” in 2015, sources told ESPN’s Chris Mortensen. Manning’s quadriceps injury that plagued him down the stretch of last season is fully healed, Mortensen reports.

Debated for weeks, Manning’s decision on whether or not to return for Year 18 and, as of right now, an NFL-high $19MM salary set for this season to go along with a $21.5MM cap figure — by far the highest on the Broncos — will likely coincide with his team’s ability to determine which of its free agents to focus on retaining.

A free agent group that includes Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Terrance Knighton and more than a third of the Broncos’ starting lineup, however, simply won’t be as effective without Manning, who’s fired 131 touchdown passes in his three years guiding their explosive offense. Mortensen also notes a key item that Pro Football Rumors also discussed earlier today: Manning could be receptive to a contract restructure, which would obviously go a long way in attempting to convince Julius Thomas and Knighton to remain Broncos with Demaryius Thomas almost certain to be franchise-tagged. The Broncos currently possess just more than $26MM in salary cap room, according to OverTheCap.com. Manning earned $18MM in 2012 and $15MM in each of the past two seasons.

Contingent with the the five-year contract he signed in 2012, Manning will still need to pass a physical sometime between Feb. 23 and March 5, according to the Denver Post, to make this re-agreement of sorts stick and guarantee his as-of-now $19MM this year.

The 39-year-old quarterback threw 39 touchdown passes last year, but his production took a nosedive in the season’s second half. But free of injuries, Manning opened the year throwing 22 touchdown passes to just three interceptions in last season’s first seven games. That recent level of play plus tonight’s reported proclamation essentially keeps the Broncos’ short-term Super Bowl window open despite their ugly loss to the Colts in the AFC divisional playoffs last month.

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