Junior Galette - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Quotes: Galette, Kalil, Forte, Foles

August 1st, 2015 at 10:17am CST by Ben Levine

As training camps have started around the league, we’ve compiled some assorted quotes from the NFC:

Recently-signed linebacker Junior Galette on the opportunity to play with Washington (via Mike Jones of The Washington Post):

“First of all, I’m thankful to be here. Just thankful to have the opportunity. Just blessed and grateful to be a [member of the organization], and now just want to move forward, not worry about the past, but just what’s ahead of me.

“I could’ve waited a little longer, but I love football and I didn’t want to be sitting around anymore. On the porch for five, six days is a little uncomfortable.”

Vikings lineman Matt Kalil on having his fifth-year option picked up (via Mark Craig of the Star Tribune):

“If I had a Pro Bowl season last year, I’m sure I would have already restructured, but I didn’t. I think it’s fair. You have to work to earn that money. For me, just playing well takes care of everything. I either get the fifth-year option money or they restructure my contract.”

Bears running back Matt Forte‘s reaction to not receiving an extension (via the Associated Press):

“I’m under contract anyway. When I was talking about the deal and that type of stuff, it really made sense. From my aspect I was trying to lower the cap number and then I’d be able to continue my career here as well. But you can’t have your cake and eat it, too. Like I’ve said plenty of times both sides have to want to do it.”

Rams GM Les Snead on potentially signing quarterback Nick Foles longterm (via the Associated Press):

“I always go to this: “Hey, if a quarterback is playing well and you’re winning, having team success, you have no problem asking your owner to write the check.”

Washington Signs Junior Galette

July 31st, 2015 at 1:38pm CST by Luke Adams

1:38pm: Having made Galette’s signing official, Washington waived linebacker Ja’Gared Davis from its roster in a corresponding move, the team announced (via Twitter).

11:19am: According to Galette’s agent, Alvin Keels (Twitter link), the one-year deal is for the league minimum. Considering Galette got a significant chunk of money from the Saints earlier this year, he’ll still be well-compensated in 2015, but it could be a bargain deal for Washington if he stays out of off-field trouble.

Per Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Washington will also have the right of first refusal on Galette for 2016, meaning the team will have the chance to match any offer he receives from another club.

11:08am: Four days after being officially released by the Saints, outside linebacker Junior Galette has found a new home. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Galette is signing a one-year deal with Washington for the 2015 season.

Galette, 27, was the Saints’ best pass rusher over the last two seasons, recording 12 sacks in 2013 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in 2014. His production earned him a lucrative contract extension in September, but his offseason was dominated by negative headlines. In January, Galette was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dropped. More recently a video from 2013 surfaced showing a man that appears to be Galette involved in a beach brawl, striking a woman with a belt.

The off-field concerns resulted in the Saints releasing Galette on Monday, despite having to eat a huge chunk of dead money. Following the move, reports surfaced indicating that Galette had a negative influence on the New Orleans locker room, and his former teammates didn’t seem too broken up about his departure.

Despite all the negatives – including the fact that Galette is coming back from a pectoral injury – the Washington front office apparently liked what it saw when the veteran free agent visited the team and took a physical this week. Galette will look to join Trent Murphy, Preston Smith, and the just-extended Ryan Kerrigan to create a formidable pass rush in D.C.

There’s still a possibility that the league decides to hand down a suspension for Galette’s off-field behavior, though there’s been no indication that it will happen, and the ex-Saint recently said he thought he was “in the clear” after meeting with league officials.

NFC East Notes: JPP, Giants, Gallette

July 30th, 2015 at 6:46pm CST by Zachary Links

When asked whether he had any idea when Jason Pierre-Paul might report to training camp, Giants co-owner John Mara said that he has no clue, as Jordan Raanan of the Star-Ledger writes.

“I don’t know how many fingers he has,” Mara said. “We know what we’ve read and what we’ve been told, but until we actually see him and the extent of the damage, it’s hard to make any sort of prediction as to what kind of condition he’s in.”

As the Giants wait to learn more information about their star defensive end, let’s take a look at more from the NFC East..

When asked about a new deal with quarterback Eli Manning, the Giants owner once again expressed optimism, but also said that it will take some time as Manning’s agent is asking for an unreasonable amount of money in negotiations, Raanan tweets.
Former Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette, who is meeting with Washington tonight, has also drawn interest from six other teams, John Keim of ESPN.com tweets. However, Galette would prefer Washington over his other suitors and feels like it’s a good fit, Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets.
Interestingly enough, Zac Boyer of The Washington Times (on Twitter) hears that Washington is the only team that has reached out with interest in Galette. The Bucs no longer seem to be in the mix, he adds.

NFC Notes: Galette, Falcons, Panthers

July 30th, 2015 at 10:57am CST by Luke Adams

Former Saints outside linebacker Junior Galette is visiting Washington today, and a person familiar with Galette’s thinking tells Mike Jones of the Washington Post that last year’s NFC East cellar-dwellers are the leaders to sign the free agent pass rusher. With that in mind, Jones breaks down the pros and cons of a possible Galette signing for Washington, noting that he’d certainly be an upgrade on the field, and likely wouldn’t cost a ton. However, the team will have to be certain that Galette won’t be a problem off the field and in the locker room.

Within his piece, Jones notes that the Buccaneers are also believed to be a potential suitor for Galette, though Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweeted earlier this week that there was no indication the Bucs were interested in signing the ex-Saint.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

The Falcons have tended to steer clear of players with off-field red flags over the years, but team owner Arthur Blank said he supported the club’s decision to select cornerback Jalen Collins in the second round this year, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Multiple teams flagged Collins due to his marijuana use, and the rookie admitted after the draft that he failed at least three drug tests at LSU.
Linebacker Luke Kuechly is the next Panthers player in line for an extension, but he tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer he’s not thinking about his contract. “This stuff gets done when it gets done,” Kuechly said. “We trust the guys in the building. So it’ll get done when it needs to get done.” GM Dave Gettleman has said he won’t negotiate extensions during the season, so Kuechly will have to wait until 2016 for a new deal if nothing gets finalized within the next few weeks.
In a separate piece for the Observer, Person identifies five Panthers players on the regular-season roster bubble, including veteran receiver Jerricho Cotchery.
With Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor reportedly mulling a holdout, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines Chancellor’s contract to see where he fits in the safety market.

Washington Hosting Junior Galette For Visit

July 29th, 2015 at 11:03pm CST by Luke Adams

Former Saints pass rusher Junior Galette has his first potential suitor, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network, who reports (via Twitter) that Galette will visit Washington, taking a physical for the team and meeting club officials.

Galette, 27, was the Saints’ best pass rusher over the last two seasons, recording 12 sacks in 2013 and picking up another 10 – along with three forced fumbles – in 2014. His production earned him a lucrative contract extension in September, but his offseason was dominated by negative headlines. In January, Galette was arrested on a domestic violence charge that was later dropped. More recently a video from 2013 surfaced showing a man that appears to be Galette involved in a beach brawl, striking a woman with a belt.

The off-field concerns resulted in the Saints releasing Galette on Monday, despite having to eat a huge chunk of dead money. Following the move, reports surfaced indicating that Galette had a negative influence on the New Orleans locker room, and his former teammates didn’t seem too broken up about his departure.

Nonetheless, Washington will kick the tires on Galette and find out if there’s a potential fit for him on a roster that features outside linebackers Trent Murphy, Preston Smith, and the just-extended Ryan Kerrigan. If the team does decide to add him, it wouldn’t be the first time this offseason that an NFC East team has signed a standout pass rusher facing potential league discipline for an off-field incident — the Cowboys, of course, added Greg Hardy earlier this year.

Galette’s physical could also provide crucial information for Washington as the team decides whether or not to sign him, since the edge defender is recovering from a pectoral injury.

Saints Release Junior Galette

July 27th, 2015 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

MONDAY, 3:52pm: After passing a physical earlier today, Galette has officially been released by the Saints, who also signed tight end Kevin Brock and guard Cole Manhart, waiving center Mike Brewster with an injury designation (Twitter link via Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune).

According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the team waited as long as possible to cut Galette in the hopes that the NFL would take action that would allow the Saints to potentially recoup some of the signing bonus money they owed him.

FRIDAY, 1:50pm: Galette must take – and pass – a physical with the Saints before he’s officially released, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, adding that the physical will likely happen this weekend.

1:24pm: In a surprising roster move, the Saints are releasing pass rusher Junior Galette before their training camp gets underway, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

While Galette has provided plenty of value to the Saints on the field over the last two years, recording back-to-back seasons of double-digit sacks, his off-field behavior cost him his job. The former undrafted free agent was arrested on a domestic charge in January, and a report last month indicated that a video has surfaced of a man who appeared to be Galette using force against a woman in a beach brawl.

With Galette making the wrong sort of headlines, and New Orleans’ roster undergoing a significant offseason overhaul, it came as no surprise when winter reports suggested head coach Sean Payton and the Saints wouldn’t have been opposed to moving on from the pass rusher if they could find a taker. However, given the off-field red flags, and the significant chunk of guaranteed money still owed to him, it was equally unsurprising that the Saints were ultimately forced to bite the bullet and simply cut him.

Galette, who turned 27 in March, just signed a lucrative four-year extension with the Saints last September, and has already received more than $17MM in salary and bonus money from the team since then. Having converted Galette’s $12.5MM roster bonus to a signing bonus earlier this year, New Orleans will now have to eat a tremendous amount of dead money to make the 27-year-old go away.

Based on contract information provided by Over the Cap, Galette’s $5.45MM cap hit for 2015 figures to remain unchanged, with the remainder of his prorated bonus money accelerating to the 2016 league year — based on my math, Galette will count for $12.1MM against New Orleans’ ’16 cap.

While Galette will hit the free agent market, that won’t stop the NFL from looking into his off-field behavior and potentially handing out a suspension, which will adversely affect his chances of landing with a new team. Depending on the language of Galette’s contract, I’d also expect the Saints to make an effort to get back some of the bonus money they’ve paid him over the last 12 months.

Galette’s odds of signing with a new team figure to be negatively impacted by his health as well — he’s said to be recovering from a pectoral injury, and won’t go under the knife to repair the damage.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Rule Changes, Vikings, Galette

July 26th, 2015 at 8:24pm CST by Ben Levine

There will be new procedures during the 2015 season for monitoring and preparing footballs prior to games, reports Mike Pereira of FoxSports.com. As the writer notes, there will be revisions to “the number of footballs prepared, random testing and changes in the oversight of the footballs once they’ve been checked by officials.”

The “properties” of a football will remain the same, meaning the infamous ball pressure will still be required to fall between 12.5 and 13.5 PSI.

Some assorted notes from the around the league as we wrap up the weekend…

The Vikings are likely waiting a year until they try to extend safety Harrison Smith, tweets Chris Tomasson of St. Paul Pioneer Press. The writer notes that the organization prefers to hand out extensions during the final year of a player’s contract.
Some of Junior Galette‘s former teammates are standing by the linebacker. Saints cornerback Keenan Lewis is hopeful that another organization will give the embattled player a second chance. “You know, that’s a guy who I think is a good guy. Probably made a couple of bad decisions lately, but I don’t want people to judge him,” Lewis told Joel A. Erickson of the Black and Gold blog. “Give him a chance, give him an opportunity. Wish the best for him. Don’t talk down on him and say this guy’s that. Like they say, don’t ever judge a book from the first two pages. Always read the middle.”
Safety Kenny Vaccaro echoed that sentiment. “I really didn’t follow all the stuff closely,” Vaccaro said. “Junior’s a great player, he played his heart out every game. It’s unfortunate that we can’t have him, because he’s a great pass rusher.”

NFC Notes: Cardinals, Galette, Holmgren, JPP

July 25th, 2015 at 12:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Cardinals wideout Damond Powell was shot Friday night at his home in Toledo, Ohio, the city police announced today (via Fox10Tv.com). The undrafted rookie was reportedly sitting in his driveway with friends when shots were fired from a car down the street.

Police do not believe the injuries to be life-threatening, and they’ve yet to make an arrest.

The Iowa star finished his two-year career with 31 receptions for 608 yards and five touchdowns. He also added three rushes for 23 yards. The 22-year-old was among 14 undrafted free agents to be picked up by the Cardinals in May.

Let’s check out some more notes from around the NFC…

Several Saints players told Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller that Junior Galette was a “cancer” in the locking room. The writer praises the Saints for the move, citing the team’s desire to change the culture of the franchise. Meanwhile, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says the Saints should be “ripped” for making a bad investment, but should also be “applauded” for not letting money cloud their judgement.
Mike Holmgren had reached out to the 49ers regarding their head coaching vacancy, but the 67-year-old was told the organization wanted someone younger. “I probably needed to hear that because you get your ego stroked and you’re flattered when people call you and you kind of get into a place where I’m not sure you’re making great decisions, but when I heard that I said, ‘Okay, I needed to hear that and now I’m going onto other things,’” Holmgren told CBS Sports’ Rich Eisen (via ProFootballTalk.com’s Mike Florio).
Giants legend Phil Simms told SiriusXM (via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News) that defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul should have trusted the organization following his firework accident. Simms cited the organization’s willingness to work with injured players, and Samuel notes that the team held on to David Wilson this past season despite the player suffering a career-ending injury.

Latest On Junior Galette

July 24th, 2015 at 6:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Saints’ eye-opening move to release pass rusher Junior Galette earlier today has drawn plenty of response, including from Gallette himself. Galette fired back at the team in the wake of its decision – which he called “terrible,” per Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com.

“Who else do they have?” he asked Woodbery, implying that the Saints don’t have anyone to replace the 22 sacks he provided the previous two seasons.

Per Woodbery, the Saints will try to fill Galette’s void with a slew of candidates – namely Anthony Spencer, second-round rookie Hau’oli Kikaha, fifth-rounder Davis Tull, Kasim Edebali and Ronald Powell. Whether any can adequately take over for Galette remains to be seen, but it doesn’t seem to matter to the Saints – who, despite his production and the four-year, $41.5MM contract they signed him to last September, were done with Galette months prior to today, according to Larry Holder of NOLA.com.

The Saints tried in vain throughout the offseason to trade Galette, who Holder reports was in a locker room fight with teammate Brandon Deaderick last year, and then video of him striking a woman with a belt in March 2013 came to the forefront in June. That was Galette’s second known domestic violence-related incident. The other came this past January, when he was booked on one count of misdemeanor simple battery (a domestic violence charge was subsequently dropped). A suspension may not be forthcoming, however, as Galette stated he met with league officials and said he was “in the clear” with respect to potential discipline, Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV tweeted. Holder wrote that the league’s investigation into both matters is “ongoing.” Galette expects to play somewhere, clearly, and said that he’ll be the top outside linebacker in the league in 2015, per Yellin (Twitter link).

Regarding which member of Saints brass was most influential in releasing him, Galette said, “Everything is Sean’s call,” referring to head coach Sean Payton. “He told me that himself. He’s the one who pulls the trigger,” Woodbery tweeted.

Payton axed Galette after the defender refused to go on season-ending injured reserve with a pectoral injury that he suffered last month, according to Yellin (Twitter link).

“I’m not hurt,” Galette told Payton. “Either play me or cut me.”

Payton’s move to get rid of Galette will have significant financial ramifications for New Orleans, as Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap detailed. In addition to having already paid Galette $17MM, the Saints won’t save any cap space this year and will be on the hook for a $5.45MM cap hit. It gets even worse in 2016, when the team will eat $12.1MM in dead cap space.

In his last parting shot (for now), Galette said on Snapchat, “They say don’t let business get personal. [Expletive] it,” Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate tweeted.

His release will become official once he takes – and passes – a physical with the Saints, which is expected to happen this weekend.

Extra Points: Colts, Galette, Falcons

July 22nd, 2015 at 8:35pm CST by Zachary Links

Colts GM Ryan Grigson recently told Mike Chappell of CBS4 (Twitter link) that there were “language issues” to finalize when it came to deals for cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive lineman Henry Anderson. Grigson added that there was no reason to believe those contracts wouldn’t get done for the two third-round draftees before August 1st. Smith and Anderson are the only remaining unsigned rookies now that Marcus Mariota and the Titans have reached agreement.

Here are a few more Wednesday evening odds and ends from around the league:

NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune that there is no update on outside linebacker Junior Galette‘s status with the Saints, just one week away from the start of training camp. McCarthy said the NFL would not comment or even confirm on whether there was meeting between Galette and league officials. “We consider a meeting a confidential part of the process between our office and the player,” he said.
This offseason, the Falcons moved on from veteran running back Steven Jackson and will go with a younger group at the position. D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution takes a look at the group, headlined by Devonta Freeman, a fourth-round pick in 2014 and Tevin Coleman, a third-round pick in 2015.
Commissioner Roger Goodell told Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Twitter link) on Tuesday that the NFL won’t expand past 32 teams. Interestingly enough, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred recently said that he will at least explore the idea of expansion.
The Raiders could use another young player to step up and create depth on the interior defensive line, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. Still, Oakland did add some size to its line this offseason with the signing of Dan Williams in free agency. C.J. Wilson, meanwhile, is expected to serve as a super-sub for the Raiders.