HEADLINES

Keith Rivers

Cowboys’ Keith Rivers Retires

July 30th, 2015 at 1:07pm CST by Luke Adams

Veteran linebacker Keith Rivers, who signed with the Cowboys back in March, has decided to retire. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (via Twitter), the Cowboys have placed Rivers on their reserve/retired list, opening up a roster spot.

Rivers, a seven-year veteran, was a top-10 pick out of USC in 2008, drafted ninth overall by the Bengals. The 29-year-old spent his first four years in Cincinnati, appearing in 35 regular season contests for the Bengals before his final year with the team was wiped out by a wrist injury.

In 2012, the Giants acquired Rivers in exchange for a fifth-round pick, and the linebacker spent the next two years with Big Blue before joining the Bills for the 2014 season. He appeared in 12 games for Buffalo last year, making 16 tackles.

The Cowboys’ linebacking corps has taken a bit of a hit with Rivers’ retirement and Rolando McClain‘s four-game suspension to start the season. However, the team is still fairly deep at the position, with Sean Lee coming back from a season-ending injury and Jasper Brinkley and Andrew Gachkar having signed with Dallas in the offseason.

Cowboys Sign Keith Rivers

March 5th, 2015 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

THURSDAY, 1:53pm: The Cowboys have officially announced the signing of Rivers, via a press release.

WEDNESDAY, 5:45pm: The Cowboys have agreed to sign linebacker Keith Rivers to a one-year deal, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Rivers was let go by the Bills on February 17th.

Rivers, who previously spent time with the Bengals and Giants, played just 12 games for the Bills in 2014, starting three. Of his 192 defensive snaps, nearly all of them came in the first half — the former ninth overall pick played just 24 snaps on defense after Week 8. After seeing his role dwindle in the second half of the 2014 season, the Bills opted to save $1.7MM by letting him go ($500K in dead money).

Rivers, a seven-year vet, spent 2012 and 2013 with the Giants. In his time with Big Blue, Rivers started 14 games and registered 83 tackles.

 

Bills Release Keith Rivers

February 17th, 2015 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

Linebacker Keith Rivers, who signed with the Bills at the start of the 2014 free agent period, will be on the lookout for a new job again this winter. The Bills announced today in a press release that they’ve parted ways with Rivers, terminating his contract a year before it was set to expire.

Rivers, who previously spent time with the Bengals and Giants, played just 12 games for the Bills in 2014, starting three. Of his 192 defensive snaps, nearly all of them came in the first half — the former ninth overall pick played just 24 snaps on defense after Week 8.

In his preview of the Bills’ offseason on Sunday, PFR’s Connor Byrne identified Rivers as a potential cap candidate, considering his dwindling role in Buffalo was paired with a $2.2MM cap hit. Buffalo won’t clear that entire amount from its books by cutting Rivers, but the team will be left with just $500K in dead money, creating $1.7MM in cap savings.

Rivers won’t have to pass through waivers, and is immediately eligible to sign with a new team.

AFC Notes: Cody, Manziel, Hightower, Bills

February 2nd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Ravens made their release of defensive tackle Terrence Cody official today, cutting ties with him just weeks before he was scheduled to hit free agency. The timing of the move can be explained by Cody’s off-field legal troubles — according to Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter links), the Baltimore County Police Dept. announced today that Cody has been indicted for animal cruelty by a grand jury, and was processed and released on a $10K bail. In a series of tweets, Zrebiec details the charges against Cody, which include multiple counts of animal abuse or neglect involving a dog, illegal possession of an alligator, and marijuana possession. A former second-round pick, Cody figured to draw some interest in free agency, but the charges against him figure to diminish his value significantly.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The fact that Johnny Manziel has entered rehab does not mean he must be placed in the NFL’s substance abuse program, but the league would have the power to do so. League spokesman Greg Aiello has declined to confirm one way or the other whether the Browns quarterback will enter into the program, according to Mike Wilkering of Pro Football Talk.
  • Patriots linebacker Dont’a Hightower will undergo labrum surgery now that the team’s season is over, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hightower should be ready to go for the 2015 season.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com takes a look at potential release candidates on the Bills, predicting that the team will at least think about cutting linebacker Keith Rivers, guard Kraig Urbik, and cornerback Leodis McKelvin.
  • Prior to hiring Joker Phillips as their new wide receivers coach, the Browns interviewed former Alabama State head coach Reggie Barlow for the position, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap previews the Chargers‘ offseason, suggesting that the team should do what it can to re-sign free agents like King Dunlap and Brandon Flowers.
  • Titans fans could surely be frustrated by the production of former player (and current Patriots linebacker) Akeem Ayers, but ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky believes the organization missed out on another defender who played last night. Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett gave the Patriots fits during the Super Bowl, and Kuharsky wonders what could have been had Tennessee pursued him in free agency in 2013.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Smith, Coples, Kouandijo

July 26th, 2014 at 8:24am CST by Matt Feminis

Jets second-year quarterback Geno Smith has received 74 percent of the snaps through two days of camp, per Brian Costello of the New York Post. However, GM John Idzik claims the “competition” isn’t tilted: “There will be a little bit of fluctuation in reps. Going into camp, we feel like we’re going to give the lion’s share to Geno and we’ll see how he responds.”

Here’s some more AFC East reading:

  • Jets 2012 first-round defensive lineman Quinton Coples hasn’t lived up to expectations, but he dedicated himself in the offseason, writes Costello in the New York Post. Coples reported to camp at 270 pounds (20 pounds lighter) and approximately nine percent body fat.
  • Sammy Watkins has “stolen the show” early in Bills camp, according to ESPN’s Mike Rodak, who provides an update on the team’s rookies. As for second-rounder Cyrus Kouandijo, “He’s the heir apparent at right tackle but that transition might not take place until next season,” says Rodak.
  • Kamaal McIlwain has impressed early in Bills camp, according to WGR 590’s Joe Buscaglia, who says, McIlwain could be in the mix for the final cornerback spot. Buscaglia also noted the team is making an effort to train linebackers to learn each of the three positions. Accordingly, Keith Rivers, Nigel Bradham, Preston Brown and Stevenson Sylvester have rotated with the first team, flanking Brandon Spikes in the middle.
  • The Patriots have ongoing competitions for the center and right guard jobs, according to Boston.com’s Ben Volin. Additionally, “There’s been a lot of talk about the competition between WRs Kenbrell Thompkins and Josh Boyce for a roster spot,” says Volin, “and if that is indeed the case, Thompkins appears to be ahead by a sizable margin right now.”
  • Not surprisingly, the new-look Dolphins offensive line is enduring early growing pains as the new starters work to develop chemistry, but Omar Kelly of the Sun Sentinel says the remodeled blocking unit should still be held to a high standard: “For those creating built-in excuses for the Dolphins’ offensive line, concerned that they’ll hold Miami’s offense back, keep in mind that this present unit collectively has 287 regular-season NFL starts heading into September.” Kelly cites the Bears, whose offensive line was atrocious in 2012 before they turned over four starters and improved drastically last season.

AFC East Rumors: Wilfork, Dolphins, Bills

March 24th, 2014 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

We haven’t heard much on the Vince Wilfork front since a report earlier this month suggested the defensive lineman had asked the Patriots to release him. Reporters at the NFL’s owner meetings in Orlando asked Robert Kraft about the situation, and the New England owner expressed optimism that some compromise could be worked out to keep Wilfork in New England, since the veteran is one of Kraft’s “favorite” Pats. Still, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald hears from sources that Wilfork cleaned out his locker around the time he asked for his release, so it doesn’t sound like he expects to return.

Here are a few more notes from around the AFC East:

  • Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey confirmed today in Orlando that his team still has interest in signing running back Knowshon Moreno, writes James Walker of ESPN.com. “Free agency is ongoing, so we have talks,” Hickey said. “We’ll continue to go through [it] and continue dialogue and see where it goes from there.”
  • Even if the Dolphins don’t reach an agreement with Moreno, the team could add another free agent elsewhere, writes Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, who suggests that linebacker may still be an area of focus for the club. Jackson also adds that the Dolphins spoke to Darrelle Revis‘ agent before the cornerback signed with the Patriots. However, Miami was never a serious suitor since Revis wanted to play for a championship contender, and likely wanted more than the Dolphins were willing to pay.
  • John Kryk of the Toronto Sun spoke to Bills GM Doug Whaley about a number of topics, including the team’s quarterback position. According to Whaley, the Bills never looked into signing Michael Vick or Ryan Fitzpatrick, and consider their QB position “secure.” Whaley added that Keith Rivers and Brandon Spikes had been at the top of Buffalo’s list of targets heading into free agency.

AFC Contract Details: Talib, Bills, Conner

March 13th, 2014 at 5:11pm CST by Luke Adams

Aqib Talib‘s contract with the Broncos features a $5MM signing bonus, a $2MM roster bonus, a $4.5MM guaranteed base salary, and $500K in per-game roster bonuses, says Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter). Since Talib has a small signing bonus and his 2015 and 2016 salaries are guaranteed for injury only, the Broncos could essentially cut ties with him for no guaranteed money and a minimal ($4MM) cap hit even after the 2014 season, barring a major injury, tweets Pelissero. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the breakdown in chart form right here.

Here are a few more specific details on deals signed this week:

  • Corey Graham‘s new contract with the Bills can be worth over $19MM, but on the surface, it’s a four-year, $16.3MM deal with $8.1MM guaranteed, says Pelissero (via Twitter). According to Pelissero, the deal includes $700K in annual incentives, plus an extra $100K bonus each season for making the Pro Bowl.
  • The Chargers‘ three-year deal with Kavell Conner is worth $2.7MM, with a $270K signing bonus and an escalator worth up to $500K in 2016, tweets Pelissero.
  • Jim Dray‘s contract with the Browns features a $900K signing bonus, says Pelissero (via Twitter).
  • Pelissero also passes along the details on Chris Williams‘ four-year contract with the Bills. According to the USA Today scribe (via Twitter), it’s worth $13.04MM with $3.025MM in the first year, and is only guaranteed for injury in year two. Pelissero adds in another tweet that there’s a $2.5MM roster bonus due early in 2016 that’s a clear “trigger point” for the deal.
  • The Colts signed safety Sergio Brown on Tuesday, and that one-year deal will be worth $1.4MM, with a $300K signing bonus, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
  • While Keith Rivers‘ new deal with the Bills was reported as a two-year, $5MM contract with half of that amount guaranteed, it looks like it won’t be worth quite that much. Wilson tweets that it’s worth $4.05MM, with a $1MM signing bonus, base salaries of $1.25MM (2014) and $1.6MM (2015), and annual workout bonuses of $100K.
  • Michael Hoomanawanui‘s two-year contract with the Patriots is worth a total of $2.4MM, with a $360K signing bonus and $1.1MM in total guarantees, tweets Wilson.
  • The two-year, $5MM figure reported for Al Woods earlier today includes incentives, according to Wilson (via Twitter). The defensive lineman’s contract with the Titans features a signing bonus of $1MM, base salaries of $900K (2014) and $2.1MM (2015), and incentives worth up to $500K annually.

Bills Sign Keith Rivers

March 12th, 2014 at 5:40pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bills have signed free agent linebacker Keith Rivers to a two-year, $5MM deal, tweets James Walker of ESPN. Half of that deal is guaranteed, adds Tim Graham of Buffalo News (via Twitter).

Rivers played 16 games for the Giants in 2013, compiling 45 tackles and one sack. The former first-round pick was drafted by the Bengals in 2008 and played three seasons with the team. Prior to the 2012 season, Rivers was traded to New York for a fifth-round pick.