HEADLINES

Louis Murphy

NFC Notes: Bucs, Panthers, Saints, Cutler

December 27th, 2014 at 12:24pm CST by Ben Levine

Wide receiver Louis Murphy agreed to a three-year extension with the Buccaneers yesterday, and the 27-year-old is thrilled to be sticking around Tampa. The former fourth-rounder said as much to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times:

“I believe in this team, I believe in coach Lovie (Smith), I believe in the organization. I believe in all the guys in that locker room, regardless of what the record says. I believe we’re going to be contenders in the future and I want to be a part of it. I want to see it turn around.”

Murphy, who currently has 31 catches for 380 yards and a pair of scores, reflected on his tumultuous tenure with the Raiders, Panthers and Giants:

“My dad always told me growing up when preparation and opportunity meets, it equals success. So this year, I wrote it on my bathroom wall. Early on in the game, you can drop a ball and say, ‘Oh, I’ll get another chance at this.’ But with the road that I’ve taken and the road I’ve had to go through, I said, ‘No, I’m not going to let anything slip through the cracks.’ And that’s the mind-set I’m going to keep from here on out.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the NFC…

  • ESPN.com’s David Newton is skeptical about the return of two key Panthers (on Twitter): running back DeAngelo Williams and defensive end Greg Hardy.
  • Saints wideout Marques Colston isn’t thinking about next season. When asked by Nick Underhill of The New Orleans Advocate whether he’s consider returning for less money, the receiver responded that he’d cross that bridge when he comes to it (Twitter link).
  • The Saints will enter the offseason over the salary cap, but veteran guard Jahri Evans isn’t worried about his team’s predicament. “(The front office) will figure a way to figure it out. That’s what those guys get paid to do,” he told Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com. “I don’t see myself going anywhere.”
  • The Giants have yet to reach out to defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul regarding an extension, tweets ESPN’s Josina Anderson. The lack of communication is not a concern, however, and Anderson notes that the team will start the process following the season.
  • If one head coach could help turn around the play of Jay Cutler, ProFootballTalk’s Mike Florio believes it would be the man who drafted him: Mike Shanahan. Of course, that would depend on the Bears keeping the embattled quarterback and not shipping him off to another franchise.

Bucs, Louis Murphy Agree To Extension

December 26th, 2014 at 8:46am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have agreed to terms on a three-year contract extension with wide receiver Louis Murphy, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (on Twitter).

Murphy, 27 (28 by the start of next season), has hauled in 31 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns this season. Over the course of his six year career, which has also included time with the Raiders, Panthers, and Giants, Murphy has 152 career receptions for 2,124 yards and 10 touchdowns. The advanced metrics at ProFootballFocus (subscription required) aren’t all that impressed with his play this year, however. Murphy grades out as one of the worst wide receivers eligible for measure – he’s No. 106 out of 113 with a -9.2 overall rating.

The former Florida Gator was moved to the injured reserve list on December 15th, along with teammates Austin Seferian-Jenkins and Gerald McCoy. The speedster’s ankle will be good to go in 2015.

Bucs To Place Gerald McCoy, Others On IR

December 15th, 2014 at 2:19pm CST by Luke Adams

Adding injury to insult, the league-worst Buccaneers will place a handful of players on their injured reserve list today, according to head coach Lovie Smith. Smith told reporters, including Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (Twitter link), that defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (knee), wide receiver Louis Murphy (ankle), and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins (back) will all move to IR.

McCoy, the former third overall pick who signed a massive extension with the Bucs earlier this year, is the biggest loss for the team. However, according to Smith (via Twitter), the defensive tackle’s injured knee won’t require surgery, which is good news for Tampa Bay. Despite battling injuries this season, McCoy was his usual dominant self, posting 8.5 sacks and grading as the league’s second-best defensive tackle through 15 weeks, per Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required).

Meanwhile, Seferian-Jenkins’ back injury isn’t expected to sideline him for too long — the decision to move him to injured reserve comes as a result of there being just two games left in the season, says Smith (Twitter link).

When the series of moves becomes official, the Bucs will have three open roster spots available with which to sign free agents or promote practice squad players.

Bucs Sign Louis Murphy, Waive Chris Owusu

September 23rd, 2014 at 5:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bucs have re-signed wide receiver Louis Murphy and released wide receiver Chris Owusu, according to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune (on Twitter). Murphy worked out for Tampa Bay yesterday.

Murphy was a fourth-round pick of the Raiders, where he enjoyed some success. Murphy is known for his blazing speed, but he’s never been able to put it all together at the NFL level. He also spent some time with the Giants and Panthers, before joining the Buccaneers in March. The Bucs cut the former University of Florida star roughly three weeks ago, so we hope he didn’t bother packing up his stuff.

Owusu, 24, has spent parts of the last three seasons with the Buccaneers, seeing action in 17 games, hauling in 16 catches for 158 receiving yards and a touchdown. In the season opener against the Panthers, he caught two passes for 20 yards and a touchdown, the first of his NFL career. He also had a 45 yard kickoff return in Week 2 against the Rams.

In addition to signing Murphy and dropping Owusu, the Bucs announced that they have cut defensive end Adrian Robinson, linebacker Ka’Lial Glaud, and safety Kimario McFadden from their practice squad.

Buccaneers Release Louis Murphy

September 6th, 2014 at 3:50pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Buccaneers have released wide receiver Louis Murphy, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). The former University of Florida star was signed by the team earlier this offseason.

Murphy was a fourth-round pick of Oakland Raiders, where he had some success as a pass catcher. Murphy possessed top end speed coming out of college, but could never be a consistent contributor on an offense.

He also spent some time with the Giants and Panthers, before joining the Buccaneers in March.

Contract Details: Sanchez, McGlynn, MJD

March 31st, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and the National Football Post has passed along the specific details on a few recent contracts, so let’s dive right in and round them up (all links go to Twitter)….

  • Mark Sanchez‘s contract with the Eagles includes a $750K signing bonus, a $1.5MM base salary (guaranteed for $750K), and up to $1.75MM in playing-time incentives.
  • Offensive lineman Mike McGlynn signed a two-year contract with the Redskins, and according to Wilson, it’s worth $2.7MM. That includes a $200K signing bonus, base salaries of $925K and $1.125MM, a $100K roster bonus for 2014, a $300K reporting bonus for 2015, and annual workout bonuses of $25K. McGlynn can also earn up to $750K in incentives each season.
  • Maurice Jones-Drew‘s three-year pact with the Raiders has base salaries of $1.2MM (2014), $2.4MM (2015), and $2.4MM (2016). The rest of the $7.5MM contract is made up of a $1.2MM 2014 roster bonus, and annual $100K workout bonuses.
  • The one-year deal Louis Murphy inked with the Buccaneers is a minimum salary contract that also features a $65K roster bonus and up to $300K in incentives.
  • Winston Justice can earn up to $1MM in incentives on his new one-year, $1.175MM contract with the Broncos.

Buccaneers Sign Louis Murphy

March 26th, 2014 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers have signed free agent wide receiver Louis Murphy to a one-year contract, the team announced today.. Murphy, who visited the Bucs last week, also met with the Bengals before reaching an agreement with Tampa Bay.

A former University of Florida standout, Murphy returns down south after spending the first five years of his NFL career with the Raiders, Panthers, and Giants. The fourth-round pick got off to a strong start in Oakland, grabbing 75 balls for 1,130 yards and six touchdowns in his first two seasons with the team, but has played an increasingly diminished role in offenses since then. At age 26, Murphy has bounce-back potential, and could contribute as an occasional deep threat off the bench in Tampa Bay.

Although the Bucs have been very busy in free agency over the last two weeks, adding players like Josh McCown, Michael Johnson, Anthony Collins, and Alterraun Verner, Murphy is the first receiver signed by the team since free agency opened. The club will likely look to further fortify the position in free agency or the draft over the next couple months.

FA Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Ihedigbo, Underwood

March 20th, 2014 at 3:27pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Titans released Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, there was an expectation that it wouldn’t take long for the veteran quarterback to find work. Fitzpatrick remains on the market, but at least one potential suitor has emerged. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), Tennessee’s division rivals, the Texans, are hosting Fitzpatrick for a visit today.

Let’s round up a few more Thursday odds and ends related to the free agents still available….

  • According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), center Brian De La Puente finished his visit in Washington and is still considering multiple options, including the Redskins and Saints.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that safety James Ihedigbo, repped by a new agent, has at least two other teams in the mix for him besides the Lions, who seemed to be close to signing him earlier this week. The Ravens appear to be one of those two, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter).
  • Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is visiting the Panthers today, says Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The receiver-thin Panthers already signed Jerricho Cotchery today, and it “looks promising” that they could add Underwood as well.
  • Richie Incognito, who is aiming to return to the NFL in 2014, believes the Raiders make “a lot of sense” as a possible destination, writes Michael Silver of NFL.com.
  • Free agent defensive back Chris Owens had a visit this week with the Steelers, tweets Aaron Wilson.
  • Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos tried out free agent safety Jordan Pugh.
  • The Bengals have confirmed (via Twitter) that Louis Murphy visited the club today, which means the wide receiver left the meeting without a deal in place.

FA Rumors: De La Puente, Harrison, Murphy

March 19th, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Brian De La Puente is arguably the best center still available in free agency, and it sounds as if he’s drawing interest from plenty of potential suitors. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Saints, Giants, Broncos, and Patriots remain possibilities for De La Puente, who is scheduled to visit with the Redskins. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds that if there’s no agreement in place when the veteran center leaves Washington, more visits are expected.

Here’s more on some of the free agents still on the market:

FA Rumors: Cromartie, Murphy, Allen, Britt

March 18th, 2014 at 1:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s follow up this morning’s summary of the latest free agent rumors with another round for the early afternoon:

  • A league source tells Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link) not to expect the Jets to re-sign Antonio Cromartie. “They’re not being very aggressive,” the source said, repeating what is becoming a common refrain in discussions on the Jets’ approach to free agency.
  • Still in the market for receiving help, the Buccaneers are hosting free agent Louis Murphy today, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
  • Once he completes his visit with the Cowboys, Jared Allen intends to head home and weigh his options, according to Rapoport, who tweets that the veteran defensive end is unlikely to make a decision today. Allen could also decide to make more visits to teams after Dallas, Rapoport notes (via Twitter).
  • We heard on the weekend that wide receiver Kenny Britt would be meeting with the Redskins at some point this week, and that visit happened today, according to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter).
  • After visiting the Bucs yesterday, cornerback Mike Jenkins is meeting with the Cardinals today, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.
  • The Bears continue to have interest in re-signing cornerback and key special teams player Sherrick McManis, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Biggs suggested last week that the Ravens, Eagles, and Falcons could be in the mix for McManis, but the Bears remain in talks to bring him back.