Marcell Dareus

Latest On Marcell Dareus

August 22nd, 2015 at 1:57pm CST by Sam Robinson

Seizing headlines from Deflategate and Kam Chancellor as this week winds down, Marcell Dareus may have come to grips with the fact that he’ll play for the Bills in 2016, whether it’s on his terms or not.

Dareus now indicates he will sign a franchise tag tender if it comes to that next spring, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, rather than follow the path of this summer’s tagged superstars.

“If that’s something they consider,” Dareus told Dunne after Bills practice. “There’s not really much I can do. I’ll sign the paper.”

This is a curious concession when comparing this new stance with his pointed comments after the Bills’ second preseason game Thursday night, when the fifth-year defensive tackle brushed aside word of the team’s reported six-year, $90MM offer, and the fact that things mostly worked out for this summer’s franchise-tagged contingent, unless fireworks were involved.

Dareus also backed down from his “Thank you, Suh” comment regarding that offer, which comes in more than $20MM in total dollars less than Ndamukong Suh‘s mega-pact with the Dolphins, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak. Dareus now states he’s “not necessarily looking at Suh numbers, a figure he wouldn’t be able to get unless he somehow reached the market, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio.

Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap examines why pursuing such an outlier contract is similar to Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas going after Calvin Johnson‘s mammoth accord, which also came when the wideout, like his larger ex-Lions teammate, had immense leverage. With the threat of a more reasonably priced franchise tender looming, Dareus does not.

Fitzgerald, nonetheless, expects the Bills to give in despite their significant investment in their defensive front.

The 25-year-old is set to earn $8.06MM this season on his fifth-year option. A 2016 franchise tag would pay him in the neighborhood of $12MM per year, which would slot behind only Suh and Gerald McCoy in terms of 2016 values. The Bills are also set to pay Mario and Kyle Williams $19.9MM and $8MM, respectively, next season.

Richie Incognito sided with Dareus following the DT’s media availability session Saturday, exclaiming “pay the man” as he walked by the media.

A 2014 All-Pro, Dareus acknowledges the tag is a serious possibility but also that his public agitation isn’t going to change the Bills’ mind when it comes to his second contract proposal.

“I want to be a part of the Buffalo Bills. I want to be a part of the history we’re going to make here. But at the same time, it’s a business and we have to go through negotiations just like anybody else in any other career. So we just try to do what we can and move forward,” Dareus said. “People feel certain ways, but at the same time, we’re going to get over that hill. We’re going to make something happen and try to get a deal done.”

AFC Notes: Dareus, Grimes, Golson, Dixon

August 21st, 2015 at 9:51pm CST by Rob DiRe

Bills’ superstar defensive tackle Marcel Dareus is unhappy about his current contract, and is itching to hit free agency and chase some of that Ndamukong Suh money. Unfortunately for him, Suh was in a much better position in terms of leverage that allowed him to reach free agency. For Dareus, he will likely be subject to the franchise tag not once but twice before he is in position to get a Suh-like game-changing contract, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.

Here are some notes from around the AFC:

Dolphins cornerback Brent Grimes has decided to change agents, and will now be represented by Tom Condon of CAA, reports Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Grimes was formerly represented by Ben Dogra of Relativity Sports.
At the beginning of August, we learned that Steelers’ second-round pick Senquez Golson might require shoulder surgery that at the time was thought to be season ending. Golson tried to play through the injury, but ultimately decided to have the surgery this morning, reports Chris Adamski of TribLive.com. However, Golson and head coach Mike Tomlin have not announced whether or not he will miss the 2015 season.
The Raiders have brought in safety Ahmad Dixon for a workout, accorting to Adam Caplan of ESPN (via Twitter). Dixon was a seventh-round pick for the Cowboys in 2014.

AFC East Notes: Dareus, Flynn, Bryant

August 21st, 2015 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus , frustrated with contract negotiations, is “delusional” if he thinks he’ll get an extension similar to Ndamukong Suh‘s deal with the Dolphins, tweets former agent Joel Corry. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap essentially agrees with that assessment, suggesting that Suh’s contract is one of the biggest outliers in the NFL, made possible by the fact that Suh reached the open market when the Lions were too cap-strapped to franchise him.

As Corry tweets, Dareus may have a hard time topping Mario Williams‘s contract with the Bills – which was worth $16MM per year – since pass-rushing edge defenders are typically paid more than even the best interior defensive linemen. On the other hand, Fitzgerald argues that the fact the Bills were willing to make Williams the highest-paid player on their team with that massive deal three years ago means that Dareus could be right to assume they’ll do it again. In Fitzgerald’s view, the team may not “have a leg to stand on” in offering the star defensive tackle less than $16MM annually.

As we wait to see if the Bills and Dareus can reach a compromise before the season begins, let’s check out some other items from around the AFC East….

The one-year deal Matt Flynn got from the Jets is a minimum-salary pact that includes a guaranteed $60K signing bonus, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (via Twitter).
Pelissero also provides some details on Red Bryant‘s new one-year contract with the Bills, tweeting that the veteran defensive lineman got $80K to sign, and can earn up to $100K in playing-time incentives on top of his minimum salary.
As Brian Costello of the New York Post details, Dan Quinn and Todd Bowles were viewed as the consensus top coaching candidates among assistants at the end of the 2014 season, and the Jets and Falcons each had interest in both coaches. Bowles had been scheduled for a second interview in Atlanta following his second meeting with the Jets, but New York came away so impressed that the team decided not to wait on Quinn, hiring Bowles instead.

Marcell Dareus Frustrated With Bills’ Talks

August 21st, 2015 at 8:21am CST by Luke Adams

A report yesterday indicated that contract extension discussions between the Bills and star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus had come to a standstill, and Dareus himself confirmed as much after last night’s win over the Browns. Speaking to Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News, Dareus took the negotiations public, expressing frustration with the process.

“They’re making it hard,” Dareus said. “And it’s just really making me unhappy. I feel like they don’t really want me here. … I feel like they don’t want me here as bad as I want to be here, as bad as the fans and my team wants me here. I feel like they’re saying, ‘Whatever. You come a dime a dozen.'”

According to Dunne, the Bills have offered Dareus a six-year extension worth more than $90MM, though it’s not clear what portion of that money would be guaranteed. It’s a per-year average of $15MM+, which would exceed Gerald McCoy‘s deal but falls short of contracts like those signed by J.J. Watt and especially Ndamukong Suh. Dareus appears to be using the latter player’s deal as a benchmark — asked if he had a specific figure in mind, the Bills’ Pro Bowler replied, “I’ll just say, ‘Thank you, Suh.'”

As Dunne observes, the Bills committed big money to a handful of players earlier this offseason, and have potential extensions for players like cornerback Stephon Gilmore, tackle Cordy Glenn and outside linebacker Nigel Bradham to consider. However, if the club isn’t careful, it could risk losing Dareus, or at least having to use its franchise tag on him in 2016. For now, he doesn’t appear willing to settle.

“They’re playing,” Dareus said. “It’s a contract game. They’re playing. They’re going back and forth. I play one game, they play this game. There’s not much I can really say. I know what I’m worth.”

Marcell Dareus Contract Talks At Standstill

August 20th, 2015 at 11:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have stressed since the draft that their top offseason priority is getting a new contract done for star defensive lineman Marcell Dareus. However, for now, negotiations on that extension are at a standstill, two sources tell John Wawrow of The Associated Press.

One source tells Wawrow that the Bills and Dareus’ camp haven’t exchanged offers within the last few weeks, raising concerns that the two sides won’t be able to get something done before the regular season gets underway. Buffalo’s Week 1 game isn’t viewed as a hard deadline for the contract talks, but players generally prefer to focus on football once the regular season gets underway.

Back at the end of July, Bills general manager Doug Whaley confirmed that he and Dareus’ reps had exchanged proposals, but cautioned that “these things take time.” With the 25-year-old heading into the final year of his rookie contract, I still think there’s a good chance the club locks him up within the next few weeks.

When I examined Dareus as an extension candidate, I suggested that his camp would likely push for an extension in the ballpark of J.J. Watt‘s deal, or perhaps even aim for something similar Ndamukong Suh‘s new contract. However, the team is probably seeking something closer to Gerald McCoy‘s deal with the Buccaneers.

As Over the Cap’s data shows, Suh, Watt, and McCoy are earning $19.06MM, $16.67MM, and $13.6MM per year, respectively.

AFC Notes: Miller, Rivers, Dareus, Jets

August 1st, 2015 at 9:35pm CST by Luke Adams

Two years ago, Broncos pass rusher Von Miller was suspended six games for violating the NFL’s substance abuse program, and missed nearly half the 2013 season. However, last season, he played all 16 of Denver’s regular season contests, and a source tells Mike Klis of 9NEWS that after not testing positive for two years, Miller is no longer in the league’s drug program.

Typically, multiple positive tests result in harsher and harsher penalties for players, as we’ve with someone like Josh Gordon. But a positive test for Miller at this point wouldn’t result in significant discipline, since his status has been reset, writes Klis. It’s an extremely positive development for Miller as he enters a contract year, since the Broncos will have less reason to be concerned about him missing games in the future, making the team more likely to offer him a lucrative extension.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers confirmed today that there are no new developments on the contract extension front, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. According to Rivers, the two sides will likely shelve negotiations until 2016 if they don’t reach an agreement within the next 10 or 12 days.
According to Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News, Marcell Dareus seems encouraged by the progress that has been made in contract discussions between him and the Bills, joking that he owes a thank-you to Ndamukong Suh for resetting the market this offseason.
Jets GM Mike Maccagnan expressed support for Sheldon Richardson following his recent arrest, indicating that he and the Jets will devote resources to helping the standout defensive lineman, as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com outlines. However, Maccagnan was noncommittal on Richardson’s long-term future with the Jets, and acknowledged that there’s “a degree of trust that has been broken.”
Chargers defensive end Tenny Palepoi suffered a fractured foot, and will likely be sidelined for two months, a source tells Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune. Depending on how Palepoi’s recovery progresses, he could be a candidate for the injured reserve list with the designation to return, though the Chargers may prefer to save that one-time designation for someone else.

AFC East Notes: Richardson, Brady, Dareus

July 31st, 2015 at 2:34pm CST by Luke Adams

Tim Lohmar, the prosecuting attorney in Sheldon Richardson‘s case, didn’t feel he could get a conviction on a charge of child endangerment, and only charged the Jets defensive lineman with resisting arrest and traffic violations, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Lohmar also couldn’t bring any drug charges against Richardson, despite his car smelling freshly burned marijuana, as he explains to Costello.

“The odor, according to the officer, was such that it was a fresh odor. The weed had just burned,” Lohmar said. “I think you can reasonably assume that had been taking place while they were driving and somewhere between that and the time they were pulled over, whatever was in the car was thrown from the car. We don’t know that, obviously.”

Given the lack of drug charges, the incident may not technically be a violation of the league’s drug policy, though that’s not certain, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com. Despite the lack of serious charges against Richardson, the NFL will conduct its own investigation and could penalize the Jets defender harshly based on the violation of the league’s personal conduct policy.

However the case plays out, Richardson embarrassed himself and the Jets by trying to hide his arrest, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com.

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

The NFLPA and NFL have requested an expedited schedule in the Tom Brady case, which would avoid the need for preliminary injunction and would give both sides more certainty, per Gabe Feldman (Twitter links). As Feldman explains (via Twitter), the league and the union agree that “no discovery is needed to adjudicate the motions” and proposed a schedule that would involve filing their motions by August 7, replying by August 14, then making their oral arguments and getting a decision before the start of the NFL regular season. The proposal could set the stage for a settlement between the two sides, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
General manager Doug Whaley said today that his Bills have “exchanged proposals” with Marcell Dareus regarding a new contract, cautioning that “these things take time” (Twitter link via Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News).
While the Dolphins have been the team most frequently linked to free agent guard Evan Mathis, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that he has it “on good authority” that the club hasn’t even begun speaking to Drew Rosenhaus about a contract for his client. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports noted yesterday (via Twitter) that the Dolphins’ interest in Mathis had been overstated.
Although he showed up for the Jets‘ training camp, Muhammad Wilkerson admits that it’s “a little frustrating” not to have a new contract in place yet, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. Wilkerson remains hopeful that the two sides can get something done before the season begins.

AFC East Notes: Brady, Dareus, Bills

June 30th, 2015 at 10:32am CST by Luke Adams

If Tom Brady is exonerated in the DeflateGate case by the NFL or the outside legal system, could the Patriots quarterback could get some payback against the league in the form of a defamation suit? Christopher Price of WEEI.com explores the issue, noting that legal analyst Michael McCann recently indicated it would be a tough suit to win.

“Brady would need to show that not only were public statements made about him false and damaging to his reputation, but he’d have to show those statements were made with actual malice, which means knowingly or intentionally,” McCann said. “In other words, if the Wells Report contained reputationally-damaging inaccuracies or lies about Brady, that would not be enough for Brady to prevail in a defamation lawsuit.”

Here’s more from around the AFC East:

The Bills have said one of their top priorities this year is to lock up Marcell Dareus to a long-term extension, and the defensive tackle sounds like he’d like to stay in Buffalo. Speaking to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, Dareus praised the work done in recent years by GM Doug Whaley and president Russ Brandon: “We’ve got a better locker room, a better team atmosphere, and the organization is slowly but surely changing altogether. … We’re just enjoying it all.”
It would be easy to assume the Bills‘ starting quarterback battle is a two-man race between Matt Cassel and EJ Manuel, the two signal-callers with starting experience. But Rex Ryan‘s fondness for Tyrod Taylor, along with the fact that no one separate himself from the pack during offseason practices, means the former Raven could challenge for the job, writes Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News. The club’s quarterback competition was the subject of one of our Community Tailgate discussions earlier this month.
The Jets, Dolphins, and Bills were among the NFL’s most active teams this offseason as they tried to load up to topple the Patriots in the AFC East. However, according to ESPN’s future power rankings, New England is still the team in the best shape for the next three seasons, by a comfortable margin. In the Insider-only feature, the Pats placed third among NFL teams, while the Jets, Dolphins, and Bills rank 21st, 23rd, and 26th, respectively.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Extension Candidate: Marcell Dareus

June 22nd, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Luke Adams

Under old head coach Doug Marrone, the Bills’ defensive line wasn’t just the best part of the team’s defense. It was the strength of the roster as a whole. It was also on the verge of becoming very, very expensive.

Defensive end Mario Williams was already one of the league’s highest-paid players, with a cap hit of $19.4MM due for 2015. Fellow defensive end Jerry Hughes was on his way to a payday of his own, and landed a $45MM extension in March. Meanwhile, defensive tackles Marcell Dareus and Kyle Williams were in line for the club’s second- and third-highest 2015 cap numbers.

The arrival of Rex Ryan and new defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman doesn’t make any of those players any less expensive, but a new defensive scheme should spread those big salaries out a little among the front seven. Rather than four defensive linemen being among the Bills’ five largest cap charges of 2015, two of those players – Hughes and Mario Williams – now figure to line up at the outside linebacker position most of the time in Thurman’s 3-4 defense.

Had those four standout players remained on the defensive line, the Bills would have had to decide whether to commit a huge chunk of their salary cap to one position group, and it looked as if the team was prepared to do just that. Certainly, if one of the four were to walk in free agency, it would have been Hughes, the only one in the group who hasn’t earned a Pro Bowl nod. Hughes, who has recorded double-digit sacks in each of the last two seasons, can hold his own against the run, but he’s essentially a pass-rushing specialist, and the club was still willing to lock him up for $9MM per year.

That deal bodes well for Dareus, the last member of the Bills’ old 4-3 line eligible for a big payday. Because he was a first-round pick, the former Crimston Tide star had a fifth-year option on his four-year rookie contract, which the Bills exercised a year ago, keeping the All-Pro lineman under team control through the 2015 season. While that bought the club a little extra time, Dareus’ contract will have to be addressed soon, or else he’ll be eligible to be franchised or to hit the open market in 2016.

A defensive tackle under Marrone, Dareus appears likely to continue playing on the inside under Ryan, occupying the nose tackle role in Thurmond’s 3-4 scheme. Interior defensive linemen typically don’t post huge sack numbers, but Dareus has done an impressive job getting after the quarterback in his first four seasons, recording 28.5 career sacks, including 10 in 2014, a total that matched Hughes’ output. That number may decline for the first time in 2015 as Dareus moves to nose tackle, but the Bills value his ability to stop the run at least as much as his ability to bring down the quarterback.

Without extensively studying Dareus’ game tape, his overall impact against opposing run games is hard to quantify, particularly since the Bills were outside of the top 10 run defenses in 2014, allowing 106.4 yards per game and 4.1 yards per carry. However, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Dareus first among the league’s defensive tackles as a run defender, giving him a +20.7 grade. By comparison, Ndamukong Suh was second, with a +17.6 mark.

At age 25, Dareus is several years younger than Mario Williams or Kyle Williams, who are both in their 30s, and he’s a more dynamic and well-rounded defender than Hughes. Coming off his first All-Pro nod, the former third overall pick appears poised for a massive payday. The only thing that might derail it? Some dreaded “off-field concerns.”

The term “off-field concerns” has become a catch-all that can refer to anything from possible mental health issues to a serious criminal record. In Dareus’ case, those “concerns” date back to a pair of arrests that occurred during the 2014 offseason — one for possession of a controlled substance and drug paraphernalia, and another for endangerment and leaving the scene of an accident.

Dareus is facing a one-game suspension for his drug arrest, meaning he’ll miss the Bills’ regular season opener in 2015. While one missed game isn’t a huge concern, and probably won’t have a major impact on the team’s willingness to extend the star defensive tackle, it’s a red flag, since any subsequent violations would result in longer and costlier suspensions. I don’t think that risk will deter the Bills from making Dareus one of the highest-paid defensive linemen in the NFL, but the club may include language in the 25-year-old’s next contract that protects the franchise if he’s arrested again.

So what sort of years and dollars might Dareus be looking at on his next contract? He and his reps may point to Suh’s deal and argue that Dareus has been just as effective as the former Lion. But Suh joined the Dolphins as an unrestricted free agent, and Dareus would be hard-pressed to match those numbers even if he reached the open market, which won’t happen anytime soon. It’s too early to know exactly what the 2016 franchise tag figures will look like, but it would likely cost Buffalo about $12MM to franchise Dareus, which looks like a nice bargain compared to the $19MM+ annual salary Suh is earning in Miami.

It’s more likely that Dareus’ extension comes in at a price closer to what Gerald McCoy got from the Buccaneers. McCoy’s seven-year pact was worth $95.2MM, an average of $13.6MM per season, which could go as high as $14MM per year via incentives. With the salary cap on the rise, there’s a chance Dareus exceeds that annual salary, but I think it’s more likely that he settles for a bit less. Based on how Tampa Bay’s front office structures contracts, McCoy’s extension didn’t include a ton of guaranteed money, whereas the Bills are more likely to include sizable signing bonuses and option bonuses in their deals.

If Dareus were to accept a multiyear extension worth in the neighborhood of $12-13MM per year, the team could be happy knowing that it will pay its star defensive tackle less money per year than the Bucs are paying McCoy, and significantly less than Suh or J.J. Watt are getting from their respective teams, which could help assuage those “off-field concerns.” At the same time, Dareus could land a guarantee that’s more significant than what McCoy got from the Bucs, which would make it more difficult for the Bills to move on from him within the first two or three years of the contract.

If Dareus’ legal run-ins are a serious concern for the Bills, or if Suh’s mammoth new contract has increased Dareus’ asking price significantly, it’s possible these contract talks will extend into 2016, perhaps necessitating the use of a franchise tag. However, GM Doug Whaley has stressed that working out a long-term agreement with Dareus is the Bills’ top priority this summer, so I expect we’ll see the two sides get something done before the season begins.

What do you think? Will the Bills and Dareus reach a deal soon? What’s your salary estimate for his next contract?

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Details On Cam Newton, Cam Jordan Contracts

June 3rd, 2015 at 9:48am CST by Luke Adams

More details are trickling in on Cam Newton‘s massive $103.8MM extension with the Panthers, as well as Cameron Jordan‘s new five-year extension with the Saints. We’ll round up the latest on the two NFC South mega-deals right here:

Newton:

According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), the cap numbers on Newton’s new deal are as follows: $13MM (2015), $19.5MM (2016), $20.166MM (2017), $21.5MM (2018), $23.2MM (2019), and $21.1MM (2020). Corry notes (via Twitter) that the deal includes a $10MM option bonus in 2016, with a $10MM non-exercise fee. The non-exercise fee is the amount that must be paid out if a player is kept on the roster without his option being picked up.
There have been varying reports on the amount of the full guarantee in the contract. Albert Breer of the NFL Network suggests (via Twitter) that only $31MM is fully guaranteed. That would be the $22.5MM signing bonus, the $7.5MM roster bonus due later this week, and the $1MM base salary for 2015.
As we passed along earlier today, however, Corry says the full guarantee works out to $41MM, which also seems to include his $10MM option bonus for 2016. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that $54MM is fully guaranteed, which would be the aforementioned amounts, plus Newton’s $13MM base salary for ’16.
While we may have to wait for further clarification, my guess is that – while it’s possible only $31MM is fully guaranteed at the time of the signing – Corry’s $41MM figure is probably accurate. That $10MM second-year option may not be fully guaranteed at this point, but as Corry wrote in a piece last year, sometimes teams will guarantee future base salary, with that guarantee voiding or reducing after an option has been picked up — that approach minimizes or eliminates the risk of a player being cut before the option exercise period ends.
One detail that everyone agrees on, which was reported at the time of the initial agreement yesterday, is that the total amount of guaranteed money – including injury-only guarantees – is $60MM.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap breaks down what Newton’s extension looks like in chart form, and also compares the deal to other notable quarterback extensions signed recently.

Jordan:

While Jordan’s five-year, $55MM extension includes $33MM guaranteed for injury, just $23.96MM is fully guaranteed, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Facebook link). Jordan’s previous $6.969MM salary for 2015 had already been fully guaranteed, so that’s $17MM in new fully guaranteed money.
When the agreement was first reported yesterday, it was noted that $5MM was available for Jordan in incentives — those are sack-related, according to La Canfora, though he doesn’t have details on the specific requirements.
If Jordan’s play slips, the Saints could comfortably move on from this contract after two seasons, says La Canfora. In his view, the deal won’t be a point of reference when star lineman like Marcell Dareus and Muhammad Wilkerson are negotiating new contracts, though it may make a good comparable for a player like Cameron Heyward of the Steelers.

Load More Posts