HEADLINES

Kirk Cousins

Jets Fear Vikings In Kirk Cousins Chase

March 3rd, 2018 at 7:54pm CST by Zachary Links

The “legal tampering” period before free agency doesn’t begin until March 12, but the Jets are already worried about losing out on their top target. The Jets are aware of league-wide speculation that the Vikings will sign Kirk Cousins and they are taking that talk seriously after engaging in “informal, preliminary talks with his camp this week,” Ralph Vacchiano of SNY hears. Kirk Cousins (vertical)

The Jets badly need a quarterback solution for 2018 and the Vikings, in theory, have three starter-quality signal callers to choose from. However, the Vikings are not comfortable with relying on Sam Bradford or Teddy Bridgewater and they apparently would prefer to give Cousins a record-breaking deal over a more modest contract for Case Keenum. The Vikings are not expected to use the franchise tag on Keenum and it’s not hard to connect the dots to Cousins.

Cousins is reportedly planning to not agree to terms with any club before the official start of free agency on March 14, but that may change with the right offer from Minnesota. It’s anyone’s guess as to whether Cousins would change course and agree to a back-channelled deal beforehand, but the Jets are aware – and nervous – about the possibility.

The Broncos and Cardinals are also reportedly among the “final suitors” for Cousins’ services.

Latest On Kirk Cousins, “Final” Suitors

March 3rd, 2018 at 10:08am CST by Ben Levine

The Kirk Cousins sweepstakes is quickly heating up. Earlier today, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported (via Twitter) that there were four “final” teams vying for the quarterback’s services: the Broncos, Cardinals, Jets and Vikings.

Kirk Cousins (vertical)Denver, Minnesota, and New York have definitively been connected to Cousins for much of the offseason, but it’s mostly been speculation surrounding Arizona’s interest in the signal-caller. Following the retirement of Carson Palmer, the Cardinals currently aren’t rostering a single quarterback.

With the return of David Johnson and the presence of Larry Fitzgerald, Cousins would seemingly have an opportunity to flourish in Arizona. In a bit of an ironic twist, Cousins posted a picture of himself and Fitzgerald on Instagram yesterday, writing “Ran into Fitz in the airport yesterday. He’s a GREAT recruiter!” Unfortunately for the Cardinals, they’re currently operating with less cap space than the other three candidates.

Assuming these are indeed the final four teams vying for Cousins, the report seemingly takes several other potential suitors out of the mix. Primarily, the Browns, who are armed with $110MM-plus in cap space, seem to be out of the race for the quarterback.

Cousins had another productive season in 2017, completing 64.3-percent of his passes for 4,093 yards, 27 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions. We heard yesterday that the Broncos would be going hard after Cousins, while “rampant speculation” around the Combine projects that Cousins is ultimately going to Minnesota

Latest On Broncos, Kirk Cousins

March 2nd, 2018 at 5:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

Now that the Vikings are expected to be in the mix for Kirk Cousins, the Broncos’ chances of acquiring him likely lessened compared to what they were before Minnesota became a serious contender. But Denver has no plans to bow out.

John Elway said the team would explore all options this offseason to upgrade at quarterback, and Charles Robinson of Yahoo.com reports Cousins is far and away the option the Broncos prefer. Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune adds (via Twitter) the Cousins-to-Broncos rumors are flowing in Indianapolis.

Robinson notes the Vikings and Jets are expected to be the other top Cousins pursuers. Ralph Vacchiano of SNY.tv noted “rampant speculation” around the Combine is sending Cousins to Minnesota.

The Broncos do not possess the cap space the Jets do, with New York now holding more than $90MM. The Vikings also stand to sit with nearly $50MM as of Friday. But Robinson reports the team is looking at ways it increase its cap room. Denver is currently sitting on just less than $25MM, according to OverTheCap, but Robinson notes the Broncos are conjuring scenarios they can increase that to north of $40MM and perhaps as high as $50MM. Denver is likely parting with Aqib Talib ($11MM in cap savings), and Elway did not give assurances C.J. Anderson ($4.5MM) would be back for a fifth season as the Broncos’ starting running back.

However, Elway said Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders and Derek Wolfe would return. He also indicated (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post, Twitter link) embattled right tackle Menelik Watson ($4.5MM in possible savings with $2.7MM in dead money) would be back. That’s somewhat surprising given that Watson allowed the third-most sacks in the league despite playing in only seven games. Beyond restructures, and high-profile restructures haven’t been too common in Elway’s GM tenure, there aren’t other obvious avenues to create notable space.

Robinson notes a Cousins deal might be closer to a three- or four-year agreement and adds a shorter-term deal — one that would allow him to be in line to sign a new deal before his age-33 season — would be attractive for the passer. The Broncos are likely going after Cousins to help their Super Bowl core, and with those players being in their late 20s or early 30s, a three- or four-year Cousins agreement would line up with that. Although, a shorter-term doesn’t provide the kind of security a franchise would presumably seek in being involved in this kind of pursuit.

Cousins is expected to take visits to meet with teams, and Robinson writes the Broncos’ experience signing Peyton Manning after he made Denver his first visit in 2012 could provide an edge for the Colorado franchise. The Yahoo reporter compares the Broncos’ level of interest in Cousins to Manning.

Redskins Exec: No Discussions About Cousins Tag

February 28th, 2018 at 2:46pm CST by Zachary Links

Maybe the Redskins aren’t giving serious thought to using the franchise tag on Kirk Cousins after all. Redskins senior vice president of player personnel Doug Williams told reporters on Wednesday that the team has not had a meeting about franchising the quarterback (Twitter links via NBC Sports Washington). Kirk Cousins (vertical)

Placing the franchise tag on Cousins would be crazy, reckless, and petty, which is exactly why folks in the football world have speculated that the Redskins could go through with it. Redskins president Bruce Allen reportedly spoke to rival executives about the possibility, but if Williams is to be believed, that move is no longer on the table.

If he is not tagged between now and the March 6 deadline, Cousins will enter free agency on March 14 as an unrestricted free agent. The legal tampering period kicks off on March 12, but Cousins’ plan is to take his time and likely not agree to terms with a club until things officially get underway. Cousins is expected to set a new watermark as the league’s highest-paid player, though he won’t hold that title for long with Matt Ryan, Aaron Rodgers, and other QBs in line for lucrative extensions.

QB Notes: Brees, Cousins, Bortles, Draft

February 27th, 2018 at 9:52pm CST by Micah Powell

The Saints and Drew Brees have expressed mutual interest in maintaining their partnership going forward. While the future Hall of Fame quarterback is unlikely to leave when free agency opens, the team’s financial flexibility is greatly impacted if a deal is not reached by March 14, The Times-Picayune’s Josh Katzenstein writes.

If he is not signed by that date, Katzenstein notes Brees’ remaining three years on his contract will void and his remaining signing bonus will count for $18 MM in dead cap space. Knowing the situation the Saints are faced with, Brees and his team have a ton of leverage.

Brees, 39, is likely to look for a multi-year deal but the quarterback has mentioned taking his future one year at a time. Though his passing totals weren’t at the gaudy levels of years past, he was still an effective signal-caller, leading the league in completion percentage and ranking second in passer rating.

It is unlikely the two sides won’t come to an agreement by the deadline, but it is a story to follow.

Here’s more quarterback news from around the league:

  • The Broncos  have a meeting scheduled with Mike McCartney — agent to, among others, Kirk Cousins, Trevor Siemian and Richmond QB Kyle Lauletta — in Indianapolis while the two sides are in town for the NFL Combine, NBC 9 News’ Mike Klis reports. Per NFL tampering rules, the two sides can not discuss Cousins, but are free to talk about the latter two. Cousins is expected to be a top target of the Broncos once free agency opens.
  • Sticking with Cousins, the Vikings are expected to be strong contenders for the quarterback’s services NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo reports (Twitter link). In the video clip, Garafolo says he has been told by sources “the whole way” that the Vikes are going to make a strong push for the prized free agent.
  • The Jaguars‘ contract to Blake Bortles is more about freeing up cap space for this year rather than rewarding or showing confidence in the quarterback, overthecap.com’s Jason Fitzgerald writes. “The Jaguars front office should know what Bortles is and I don’t anticipate that this contract will change the fact that they could consider drafting a QB or signing a decent player to be a backup who could be asked to start if things go bad. They really just needed cap space and to that end they did a decent job.”
  • If teams are looking to draft a developmental quarterback, two of the most intriguing names are Lauletta, the Senior Bowl MVP, and Washington State’s Luke Falk, Yahoo’s Charles Robinson tweets. Robinson also notes the Redskins president Bruce Allen went to Lauletta’s Richmond and is very familiar with the quarterback.
  • Though the Dolphins are committed to Ryan Tannehill being their starter in 2018, that does not mean the team won’t look to draft a quarterback with its No. 11 pick in the first round, the Miami Herald’s Barry Jackson writes. He says the Dolphins were impressed by Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield in interviews at the Senior Bowl, though he is expected to be off the board by the time Miami gets on the clock.

Latest On Kirk Cousins

February 27th, 2018 at 11:01am CST by Zachary Links

Kirk Cousins is eager to become the highest-paid player in NFL history, but he won’t rush things. The Redskins quarterback’s current plan is to not agree to terms during the NFL’s two-day “legal tampering” period, a source tells Mike Florio of PFT (on Twitter). Instead, he’ll take one or more visits beginning on March 14. Kirk Cousins (vertical)

Of course, it’s not a certainty that Cousins will be able to explore the open market freely. The Redskins have privately hinted at the possibility of placing the franchise tag on the quarterback, which would give them the ability to recoup something for Cousins via trade. That plan could easily backfire on Washington, but the team has until March 6 to weigh the pros and cons.

Assuming Cousins is not tagged, he’ll find a booming market for his services with interest from the Jets, Broncos, Browns, and other QB-needy teams. Because he is the top signal caller available, he’ll likely hold up the QB market for many teams and players until he signs. A free agent like Case Keenum likely won’t be able to ink a contract until Cousins has made his call and the Bills probably won’t find a trade partner for Tyrod Taylor until teams know that they are out of the Cousins chase.

The Jets figure to bid aggressively for Cousins, but initial reports of them offering $60MM in the first year have been shot down. In addition to the aforementioned teams, the Cardinals, Vikings, and Bills may also factor into the Cousins chase.

AFC Notes: Bortles, Jets, Patriots

February 25th, 2018 at 9:55am CST by Rory Parks

The big news of the weekend broke last night, when the Jaguars and Blake Bortles struck an extension that will keep the former No. 3 overall pick in Jacksonville through the 2020 campaign. Bortles was already under club control through the 2018 season thanks to the fifth-year option that the Jags had previously exercised, but the new deal — which includes a fairly modest amount of guaranteed money — will give Bortles the ability to realize his potential in Jacksonville while not precluding the team from pursuing other QB options if it needs to. Plus, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reported this morning, Bortles’ cap number for 2018 will be reduced from the $19MM fifth-year option number to just $10MM, thereby giving the Jags more room to work this offseason (Twitter link).

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter) adds more details on Bortles’ deal, reporting that the entire $26.5MM in guaranteed money is guaranteed at signing, that Bortles will get $20MM in the first year of the deal and $16MM in the second year, and that incentives like earning Super Bowl MVP honors can push the total value of the contract to $66.5MM.

Now for more from the AFC, starting with another item on Bortles:

  • Bortles played the entire 2017 campaign with a wrist injury, and he underwent surgery on the wrist after the season. Per Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com, the injury consisted of a partially torn ligament on the outside of the wrist and inflammation on the top of it, but Bortles said he is on schedule in his recovery and expects to be cleared with no restrictions in early March. Given what transpired last night, the Jaguars are obviously comfortable with Bortles’ progress.
  • The Jets are expected to be aggressive in the bidding for Kirk Cousins, but as Rich Cimini of ESPN.com observes, Cousins has compiled a meager 4-19 mark against teams with winning records, and Cimini says if the Jets view him as a savior and open up the vault for him, they are letting desperation cloud their judgment. In any event, New York should have a pretty good idea of where it stands with respect to its own free agents and players from other clubs (like Cousins) at the end of this week. The NFL scouting combine begins on Tuesday, and in addition to evaluating collegiate prospects, teams use that time to meet with player agents.
  • The Patriots are currently near the bottom of the league in terms of salary cap space, but with most of their key players under contract, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe says New England will have plenty of room to operate as it sees fit this offseson. Plus, as Volin notes, the team can add another $17MM of cap space by cutting ties with some obvious release candidates like tight ends Martellus Bennett and Dwayne Allen. Volin also lays out a roadmap for the rest of the Pats’ offseason, which includes keeping Rob Gronkowski happy, re-signing Nate Solder, and letting Malcolm Butler walk.
  • We learned yesterday that the Steelers and Martavis Bryant may be headed for a parting of the ways.

Jets Not Preparing To “Wildly Overspend” For Kirk Cousins

February 24th, 2018 at 2:50pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Jets are planning to aggressively pursue Kirk Cousins in free agency, but their intentions don’t appear to include changing the way NFL contracts work.

Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports the Jets are not planning a history-making contract offer that would include $60MM in the first year. This was recently suggested, but Mehta reports the franchise is not prepared to wildly overspend to land the 29-year-old quarterback.

However, sources informed Mehta the Jets would “absolutely love” to add Cousins. But they won’t be radically changing the NFL landscape by offering the passer a fully guaranteed deal.

Another recent report indicated Gang Green was willing to spend “whatever it takes” to land Cousins, and while the Jets are in position to outmuscle the Broncos or Cardinals or Vikings or other possible suitors that aren’t the Browns (who are projected to hold $110MM-plus in cap space), Mehta reports the Jets are not planning to wildly overspend for Cousins. The Jets could have more than $90MM in space if they are to make certain logical cuts — which they’ve already started to do after not picking up Ben Ijalana‘s option — and the gap between Cousins and other veteran UFA quarterback solutions does look wide considering the former Redskins QB’s experience and lack of injury history.

Talk about how crazy the Jets are going to get in the Cousins sweepstakes has amused some at team headquarters, per Mehta, who adds the team does expect a few other teams to join them in chasing the seventh-year passer. The Jets expect three other teams to be strong suitors, but of the Broncos/Browns/Cardinals/Vikings/Bills group, Mehta notes the team doesn’t anticipate all of those teams being aggressive buyers here. The Jaguars may be considering a foray, but they could be hamstrung by Blake Bortles‘ physical.

Cousins has repeatedly said he wants to join a team that can contend immediately. The young Jets roster may take some time to move into position to do so, but if New York’s offer is well north of the competition’s, a decision to turn it down would obviously be difficult. Although it doesn’t appear the Jets are as full-speed-ahead intent on winning this race as has been suggested, they still may be the most aggressive team in this unique derby.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Jeffery, Cousins

February 21st, 2018 at 1:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Eagles wide receiver Alshon Jeffery had surgery on Wednesday morning to fix a torn rotator cuff, sources tell Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jeffery first suffered the injury in training camp and played through the pain all the way to a Super Bowl championship.

Jeffery’s toughness is commendable, but rotator cuff tears come in various degrees and his wasn’t of the most severe variety. By getting the surgery in February, the receiver should be ready well in advance of training camp.

Last offseason, the Eagles signed Jeffery to a one-year prove-it deal when the open market didn’t yield the kind of contract offers he wanted. The contract paid big dividends for both sides. The Eagles saw Jeffery catch 57 passes for 789 yards and nine touchdowns during the regular season. Jeffery, meanwhile, was rewarded with a fat four-year, $52MM extension in December.

Here’s more from the NFC East:

2018 NFL Franchise Tag Candidates

February 20th, 2018 at 12:13am CST by Zachary Links

Starting today, NFL teams will be able to place franchise and transition tags on potential free agents for the first time. While the window for franchise tags is open, most clubs won’t actually tag any players right away.

As our list of important dates for the 2018 offseason shows, the deadline for teams to assign those tags doesn’t come until Tuesday, March 6. Usually, when it comes to NFL contract discussions, deadlines spur action, so teams will wait until that deadline approaches to officially use franchise tags, once it becomes clear that they won’t be able to strike a longer-term deal yet with their respective free-agents-to-be.

Even though the action might not heat up for a couple more weeks, it’s worth taking a closer look at what to expect during 2018’s franchise tag period. The NFL hasn’t officially announced the salary cap figure for 2017, but OverTheCap.com recently projected the 2018 franchise tag salaries based on a presumed $178MM cap. Here are the expected non-exclusive franchise tag amounts:

  • Quarterback: $23.09MM
  • Running back: $11.72MM
  • Wide receiver: $16.23MM
  • Tight end: $10.36MM
  • Offensive line: $14.54MM
  • Defensive end: $17.52MM
  • Defensive tackle: $14.53MM
  • Linebacker: $15.47MM
  • Cornerback: $14.88MM
  • Safety: $11.08MM
  • Punter/kicker: $5.06MM

(For a refresher on the characteristics of the exclusive and non-exclusive franchise tags, as well as the transition tag, be sure to check out PFR’s glossary entry on the subject.)

Here’s our look at the most likely candidates to be tagged, along with several more outside possibilities:

Virtual Locks:

  • Le’Veon Bell, RB, Steelers: Last offseason, things got pretty weird between the Steelers and Bell. Just before the deadline to extend franchise tagged players, the Steelers believed that they had agreed on a five-year offer worth roughly $60MM. Ultimately, Bell backed out because he did not find the guarantees and cash flow to be to his liking. Soon after, friend and former teammate Ike Taylor said that Bell wanted a contract that reflects his performance as both a No. 1 back and a No. 2 receiver – something in the neighborhood of $15MM per year. Le'Veon Bell (vertical) This year, Bell topped his 75 catch total with 85 grabs, so one has to imagine that his position hasn’t changed. Despite some retirement threats in January, Bell has indicated that talks are going better this time around. Here’s where things get interesting – the Steelers say that today (Feb. 20) is the “deadline” for a long-term deal to get signed. If not, they’ll go ahead and franchise tag him for a second consecutive season, leaving Bell with a one-year, $14.5MM pact when factoring in the 20% increase. Will Bell buckle and sign a deal that isn’t quite to his satisfaction? In theory, the running back could abstain from offseason activities and even reboot retirement talk in an effort to get the Steelers to cave and abide by the real extension deadline on July 16.
  • Demarcus Lawrence, DE, Cowboys: It has already been reported that the Cowboys will go ahead and tag Lawrence to prevent him from reaching free agency. Once that happens, you can expect the cash-strapped Cowboys to get to work on an extension that will smooth out the $17.5MM cap hit for defensive ends. There won’t be much drama as to whether the Cowboys will or won’t tag Lawrence, but the subsequent multi-year negotiations will be interesting to watch. Lawrence had a rocky first three seasons in the NFL, but he stepped up big in his contract year with 14.5 sacks. The Cowboys must be willing to pay Lawrence like a top DE, but they may insist on protections like an easy escape hatch or heavy roster bonuses in the event that he is injured or suspended.

Strong Candidates:

  • Sammy Watkins, WR, Rams: As our own Micah Powell explained on Sunday, Watkins is a candidate for the tag with mutual interest on both sides in continuing their union. Committing major dollars to Watkins is dicey, however, given his injury history and his somewhat disappointing stat line in 2017. If the Rams let Watkins hit the open market, they’ll risk losing him to other teams with more wiggle room under the salary cap. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king. And in a weak crop of free agent wide receivers, Watkins could clean up and leave the Rams without an obvious replacement.Sammy Watkins (vertical)
  • Allen Robinson, WR, Jaguars: Tagging Watkins will be a tough call for the Rams and the Jaguars have a similarly difficult decision to make when it comes to Robinson. Robinson played only three snaps in 2017 before going down with a torn ACL and he didn’t set the world on fire in 2016. However, his 2015 performance – 80 catches, 1,400 yards, and a league-leading 14 touchdowns – makes it hard for Jacksonville to let him walk. In theory, the Jaguars could re-sign fellow free agent Marqise Lee and let Robinson go, but Robinson is clearly the more talented of the two and one could argue that Lee’s late-season emergence was fueled by advantageous matchups. It’ll be pricey, but the Jaguars are suddenly in position to win and they can’t afford to let one of their best weapons bolt.

Toss Up:

  • Kyle Fuller, CB, Bears: Frankly, I’m conflicted on this one. I’m sure Bears GM Ryan Pace can relate. Fuller turned in a strong rookie campaign and an excellent contract year, but he was a victim of the sophomore jinx and an unfortunate knee injury which cost him his entire season as an NFL junior. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears that Fuller will not be with the Bears this year. But, considering that Fuller graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 22 ranked cornerback and the position is already a major area of need for the team, the Bears have to at least think about tagging him for $14.88MM. Kyle Fuller (Vertical)
  • Ezekiel Ansah, DE, Lions: Ansah has performed pretty well over the last two seasons, despite playing through some serious pain. The Lions probably aren’t thrilled about extending a one-year, $17.5MM tender to Ansah, but pressure generating edge rushers like him are at a premium. Consider this: Ansah tallied 12 sacks last year despite knee, ankle, and back ailments. Only seven players topped that total: Chandler Jones, Calais Campbell, DeMarcus Lawrence, Everson Griffen, Cam Jordan, Ryan Kerrigan, and Joey Bosa.
  • Case Keenum, QB, Vikings: Is one year as an elite quarterback enough to justify the franchise tag? Maybe, but the Vikings have options at their disposal, including two other pending free agents already on the roster. If the Vikings can’t retain Keenum or Bradford or Bridgewater with a reasonable multi-year deal between now and free agency, they can use their mountain of cap space to get involved in the Cousins sweepstakes.
  • Sheldon Richardson, DT, Seahawks: The Jets had both Richardson and Muhammad Wilkerson under contract, but they could only afford to pay one of the two defensive linemen. Clearly, they chose wrong. For all of the headaches that Richardson gave the team, the five-year, $86MM deal given to Wilkerson wound up being a monumental mistake and will continue to be an albatross for the Jets even after they cut him this offseason. The Seahawks gave up a second-round choice and wide receiver Jermaine Kearse to get Richardson – will they make the same mistake and let him get away? Perhaps not, but it would also be a major gamble to tag him at $14.5MM with limited cap space and other holes to address. The best course of action here may be to try and work out a fresh deal without the franchise tag as a floor for Richardson’s camp. If that fails and the two sides can’t come to terms, the Seahawks can at least collect a 2019 compensatory pick.

Read more

Load More Posts