HEADLINES

Mario Williams

AFC Notes: M. Williams, Reich, Broncos, Jets

December 2nd, 2015 at 8:59am CST by Luke Adams

There are only 10 NFL players who will have higher cap hits than Mario Williams in 2016, and eight of those players are quarterbacks. As such, Mike Rodak of ESPN.com thinks it would be wise for the Bills to give serious consideration to moving on from the standout defensive end in the offseason. Buffalo could use the cap room, and simply releasing Williams would give the club much more flexibility than trying to restructure his contracts.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich, who received consideration for a couple NFL head coaching positions last winter, interviewed this week for the head coaching job at the University of Maryland, according to Don Markus of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Even if Brock Osweiler continues to have success for the Broncos down the stretch, the quarterback could likely be signed on a multiyear deal worth about $10MM per year, Mike Klis of 9News suggests in his latest mailbag. In Klis’ view, there’s virtually no chance that Von Miller doesn’t get the franchise tag from the Broncos.
  • When Osweiler took over as the Broncos‘ starting quarterback, Troy Renck of the Denver Post thought the team may look to bring back James Casey as a fullback. However, he concedes that adding a fullback would be a luxury for Denver at this point.
  • With Brandon Marshall having emerged as the “go-to guy” for quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes that the Jets‘ acquisition of the veteran receiver is looking like a steal for general manager Mike Maccagnan.
  • New Patriots slot wide receiver Damaris Johnson will probably factor into the mix in 2016 if things go well, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. Johnson inked a two-year deal with the Patriots on Tuesday and he’s ostensibly being brought aboard for his return skills.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Notes: Bills, Jets, Titans

November 27th, 2015 at 8:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A quick look around the AFC:

  • The Bills will be without injured Pro Bowl defensive linemen Mario Williams and Kyle Williams in Kansas City on Sunday, and The Buffalo News’ Tyler Dunne wonders (on Twitter) whether the team will part with them in the offseason. If the Bills cut both after the season, they’ll save $17.9MM on their salary cap in 2016 ($12.9MM for Mario Williams, $5MM for Kyle Williams).
  • Jets receiver Devin Smith, a second-round pick in last year’s draft, has put up a disappointing rookie season in terms of production. Smith has just seven catches in as many games and has had issues with drops, but offensive coordinator Chan Gailey isn’t worried. “We’ve got to keep letting him have the opportunity,” Gailey said, according to The Associated Press. “I think he just needs to get his confidence back. I haven’t lost confidence in him. I’ve just got to make sure that he keeps confidence in himself.”
  • The Titans could promote linebacker Yannik Cudjoe-Virgil from their practice squad sometime this weekend, interim head coach Mike Mularkey said (Twitter link via Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com). Cudjoe-Virgil signed with the Titans in the spring as an undrafted free agent out of Maryland.

AFC Notes: Yanda, Bills, Chiefs

October 18th, 2015 at 6:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s look at some of the news coming out of the AFC as Week 6’s late-afternoon games wind down.

  • Marshal Yanda‘s extension showed the Ravens prioritizing a top-quality player as opposed to trying to pay for the future of a younger, less-proven performer in Kelechi Osemele, CBSSports.com’s Joel Corry tweets. The 31-year-old Yanda is five years Osemele’s senior but has four Pro Bowls and a first-team All-Pro honor to his credit. Corry notes Osemele, the Baltimore left guard, will now have a set price to re-sign with the Ravens or seek his second contract elsewhere like so many of his former teammates have in recent years.
  • In extending the All-Pro right guard, the Ravens showed not only a belief that Yanda will continue to play at a high level as his 30s progress but loyalty to one of the performers that’s exemplified their franchise, ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley writes. In calling Yanda the best Ravens offensive lineman since Jonathan Ogden, Hensley notes keeping Yanda marks a change in course from the franchise that parted ways with Ed Reed and Haloti Ngata, but listed Yanda’s dominant level of play as the difference-making factor here.
  • Kyle Williams likely won’t play in next week’s Bills-Jaguars tilt, according to ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak, after suffering a knee injury. The veteran defensive tackle is believed to have suffered a PCL malady, which won’t require surgery but could sideline him for as long as four weeks, 550 WGR’s Sal Capaccio reports (on Twitter).
  • Mario Williams expressed confusion with a Bills defense that forced him to drop into coverage on numerous occasions, Syracuse.com’s Matthew Fairburn reports. Although the veteran who’s vacillated between defensive end and outside linebacker throughout his 10-year career denied being frustrated, Fairburn notes he used the phrase “plays that are called” more than a dozen times in a four-minute interview. “A lot is put on (the defensive line’s) shoulders as far as the amount given out to players on this team as far as income,” Williams said. “I would assume, those four guys, a lot is on their shoulders to go after the quarterback or stop the run, be disruptive. Like I say, if the call is three-man this or that, dropping, things like that, that’s the call.”
  • Both Jeremy Maclin and Mike DeVito sustained concussions in the Chiefs‘ loss to the Vikings, Adam Teicher of ESPN.com reports. Maclin’s totaled 37 receptions this season; the remainder of the Chiefs’ receiving corps has 28 combined.

AFC Notes: Bills QBs, Mario, Titans, Ravens

May 24th, 2015 at 6:27pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Most expect the Bills’ starting quarterback in 2015 to be either Matt Cassel or EJ Manuel, but don’t discount Tyrod Taylor, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. Taylor, who backed up Joe Flacco in Baltimore from 2011-14 and signed with the Bills as a free agent earlier this offseason, has a fan in head coach Rex Ryan. Although Taylor has thrown just 35 passes in his pro career, Ryan recruited the 25-year-old to Buffalo and views his dual-threat abilities as a plus in coordinator Greg Roman’s run-first offense, notes Orr.

Bills general manager Doug Whaley said earlier this week that all three QBs are going to get a real chance to win the No. 1 job prior to the season.

“The way they’re structuring practices everyone is getting a run with the ones,” Whaley stated. “So it’s a fair shake. In this system that we’re trying to figure out who is going to be the number one it’s all about competition. That’s why everybody involved is excited about it.”

Here’s more on the Bills and a couple of their fellow AFC teams:

  • Star pass rusher Mario Williams is entering his fourth year with the Bills and will work under his fourth different defensive coordinator. Williams isn’t concerned about the latest change, however, despite the success the defense experienced last season led by departed coordinator Jim Schwartz. The Bills will go from a 4-3 base to a 3-4 base under Schwartz’s replacement, Dennis Thurman, but they used a similar scheme two years ago with ex-coordinator Mike Pettine. Williams thinks that gives him and his fellow defenders a leg up. “Understanding the defense, I love it,” Williams told the Buffalo News. “It gives everybody ample opportunities to just do different things and just be able to bring different looks, different angles, and attacks, stuff like that. So I’m ecstatic.”
  • The pecking order at wide receiver will be something to watch during Titans training camp, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky expects Kendall Wright, second-round pick Dorial Green-Beckham, and Harry Douglas to comprise Tennessee’s top three wideouts. Things get murkier thereafter, though, with Justin Hunter, Hakeem Nicks, and seventh-rounder Tre McBride jockeying for position.
  • The Ravens’ offense was a success last year under Gary Kubiak, finishing 12th in yardage, eighth in points, and ninth in Football Outsiders’ efficiency rankings. With Kubiak having left to be Denver’s head coach, Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com believes the offense will change in 2015 to fit new coordinator Marc Trestman’s identity as a play caller – which should mean more screen passes – but will still tailor to the the players’ strengths.

East Notes: Dareus, Bills, Eagles

March 30th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills‘ top priority at this point would probably be hammering out an extension with defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, but the timetable on that isn’t 100% clear, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes. “In the near future,” GM Doug Whaley said when asked about when Dareus could get his new deal. “He will be priority No. 1 once the dust settles post-draft, maybe even before then, just to get the ball rolling.” The defensive tackle is one of the game’s best players at his position and after Ndamukong Suh‘s massive deal with the Dolphins, Buffalo will have to bring some serious bucks to the table. Here’s more from the AFC and NFC East..

  • The Bills could find that space to accommodate a deal for Dareus by restructuring their deal with defensive end Mario Williams. Williams is due to earn $19.4MM this year, $19.9 million next year, and $16.5 million in 2017. “He could free up the most and make it the most logical, because what we would do is not only restructure, but extend him similar to [what we did recently with defensive end] Kyle Williams, so these guys retire as Buffalo Bills,” Whaley said. “We want to set a precedent that we retain our own and we have them retire as Buffalo Bills. I think that’s a sentiment we’re trying to show the players on our roster now.”
  • While some have said that Miles Austin will be taking the spot of Brad Smith on the Eagles, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter) doesn’t feel that’s really the case. The versatile Smith was a key special teams contributor while Austin is likely being signed to be more of a pure wide receiver.
  • Sam Bradford‘s former coach Josh Heupel helped talk him out of quitting football, as Mike Sielski of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Meanwhile, Heupel is confident that Bradford will shine with the Eagles. “If he’s 100 percent healthy,” Heupel said, “he’ll be able to perform at an elite level.”

AFC East Notes: Bills, Hughes, Pats, Dolphins

February 20th, 2015 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

The Bills are trying to work out a new agreement with pass rusher Jerry Hughes to keep him in Buffalo in 2015 and beyond, but the club would prefer not to resort to the franchise tag, as GM Doug Whaley explained this week, per John Kryk of the Toronto Sun.

“We’re trying to avoid that.” Whaley said. “Because we’re trying to get him long-term for sure … so they (can say), hey, we got a good deal, and we say as the Buffalo Bills we got a good deal.”

As Kryk points out, the franchise tag for Hughes would likely work out to close to $15MM for one year, which would mean the Bills would be paying their four defensive lineman nearly $50MM in 2015, which seems somewhat unpalatable. Restructuring Mario Williams‘ deal could provide a little cap relief, but Whaley said that’s not something the team is consider right now, though “it’s something in our back pocket.”

Let’s check out a few more notes from around the AFC East….

  • Although the Bills are trying to re-sign C.J. Spiller, the team is also eyeing running backs, preparing for the possibility that Spiller departs in free agency, per Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. Whaley expressed enthusiasm about the depth at running back in this year’s draft, but also didn’t rule out adding a back in free agency.
  • Unsurprisingly, Darrelle Revis continues to be the Patriots‘ No. 1 priority, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. According to Howe, while New England explores the possibility of reaching a new agreement with the cornerback, the team is being deliberate with its other offseason objectives.
  • The Dolphins have met with the representatives for their own pending free agents this week, but there’s nothing major to report yet on that front, tweets Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald.

AFC Links: Browns, Phillips, Williams, Jets

January 23rd, 2015 at 10:37pm CST by Rob DiRe

New Browns offensive coordinator John DeFilippo did not study quarterback Johnny Manziel before accepting the position in Cleveland, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com.

“I’ll be honest with you. I’m going to be flat out honest with you because it’s the only way I know how to be. I have not. I’ve not watched the games from last year with Johnny. Obviously, I studied Johnny coming out of college and spent some time with Johnny,” said DeFilippo. “I wouldn’t say it was a lot of time, but I spent some time with Johnny. He flew out to Oakland and spent a day with him. Can you get an overview on a guy in one day? No, but you can get a grasp of what he thinks and how he’s feeling and those things. I got along with Johnny when we met with him, but I can’t tell you that I’ve watched the games yet. No, I have not.”

This could mean DeFilippo is not convinced that Manziel will be the quarterback of the future in Cleveland. That point is only further confirmed when he admitted during his pressure that the quarterback situation is still in flux. “We’re not sure if our starting quarterback is in the building right now or not,” said DeFilippo. “If he is that’s great. If he’s not, that’s great too.”

Here are some more links from around the AFC:

  • The Browns are pursuing former journeyman quarterback Steve Walsh to be their new quarterbacks coach, writes Alex Marvez of Fox Sports 1. Walsh has been coaching high school football for the past six years, but has turned down a number of opportunities to coach at a higher level.
  • The Broncos are still looking for a defensive coordinator, and one possibility could be former Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips, writes Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). Phillips served as the Texans defensive coordinator for three years under new Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak, and the two could reunite in Denver.
  • The Broncos have not hired a defensive coordinator, but they have hired Bill Kollar as their defensive line coach, according to USA Today. Kollar spent the last six years coaching the defensive line for the Texans.
  • The Jets have a pressing need a cornerback, and new GM Mike Maccagnan will have a number of options to improve the position, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. He writes they could go after Antonio Cromartie or Byron Maxwell in free agency, but an intriguing prospect in the draft could be Quinten Rollins of the University of Miami (Ohio).
  • Bills star pass rusher Mario Williams will be playing for a new defensive coordinator for the sixth straight year, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. With head coach Rex Ryan and defensive coordinator Dennis Thurman, the defense will switching back to a 3-4 base. Williams is excited to play outside linebacker. “I look forward to it,” he said. “So hopefully if (Ryan) hears this, this is my call-in: Will Linebacker. So hopefully it works out.”
  • Colts pass rusher Robert Mathis is still recovering from a torn Achilles that forced him to miss all of 2014, but there is no guarantee he will be back in time for next season’s training camp, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. “He’s still in recovery,” said general manager Ryan Grigson. “He’s a freak and you hope that he has an athletic genetic freak type of recovery so that he’s ready day one of training camp. But that information is not clear yet or a timeline is not there because it’s a tough injury. Hopefully in a couple months from now, we’ll be able to have some information on that.”

Examining Notable Pro Bowlers’ Contracts

December 24th, 2014 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL announced its Pro Bowl rosters on Tuesday night, a collection of 42 offensive players, 36 defenders, and eight special teams players. The list features the usual suspects such as Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers, as well as new faces like Le’Veon Bell, T.Y. Hilton, and Chris Harris, and can be viewed in full right here (PDF link).

Among the 86 players initially selected to appear in the game, several have signed new contracts in 2014, many more will be eligible for new deals in 2015, and others will receive a bump in pay based on their Pro Bowl nods. Here’s a breakdown of the Pro Bowl players with notable contract situations:

Recently signed or extended:

Eligible for free agency in 2015:

Received Pro Bowl bonuses:

(via Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap)

Perhaps the most interesting – or at least unusual – takeaway from this data is the abundance of cornerbacks on the first list. In fact, all eight cornerbacks initially named as Pro Bowlers (Davis, Grimes, Haden, Harris, Peterson, Revis, Sherman, and Talib) have signed new contracts, either extensions or free agent deals, since March. Rival teams hoping to get their hands on a Pro Bowl corner this offseason will have to focus on Revis — he’s the only one of the eight who can reasonably be expected to become available within the next few months, due to the structure of his contract with the Pats.

Data from Over the Cap was used in the creation of this post.

NFC Links: Giants, Lions, Packers

June 30th, 2014 at 2:28pm CST by Ben Levine

Eli Manning was the most overpaid NFL player during the 2013 season, at least according to Nathan Jahnke of Pro Football Focus (ESPN Insider subscription required). The Giants’ 57.5 accuracy percentage was the second-worst in the league (behind the Raiders‘ Matt McGloin), and his 27 interceptions were the most by a quarterback in nearly ten years. The writer utilized the “Jahnke Valuation Model” – a formula that measures a player’s potential salary based on production – and came to the conclusion that Manning deserved about $5.4MM. That’s a far cry from his 2013 cap hit of $20.8MM.

Second on the list also came from the NFC, albeit on the defensive side of the ball. Rams linebacker James Laurinaitis earned this honor, even though he compiled 116 tackles last season. Jahnke points to the player’s 13 missed tackles and estimates he should have earned about $1.3MM – a more than $11MM difference from his $12.4MM cap hit.

Three other NFC players – Falcons wideout Roddy White, Buccaneers safety Dashon Goldson and Vikings running back Adrian Peterson – made this list. For the AFC, Jets linebacker David Harris led the way, followed by Raiders quarterback Matt Schaub, Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph, Steelers cornerback Ike Taylor and Bills defensive end Mario Williams.

Let’s see what else is going on around the NFC…

  • Giants wideout Odell Beckham Jr. and Bears defensive tackle Ego Ferguson were previously represented by the Morgan Advisory Group’s Ryan Morgan & Zeke Sandhu. However, as Sports Business Journal’s Liz Mullen points out (via Twitter), the two players are now unaffiliated with MAG and are only represented by Sandhu.
  • History suggests that Lions head coach Jim Caldwell will only carry two quarterbacks, writes Justin Rogers of MLive.com. In his ten seasons with the Colts, Caldwell carried a trio of quarterbacks four times, including the 2011 season when he held on to an injured Peyton Manning. The competition is likely between veterans Dan Orlovsky and Kellen Moore, as well as rookie James Franklin. As Rogers notes, Franklin could stick around on the practice squad.
  • 12 linebackers were taken ahead of Packers rookie Carl Bradford, and Tyler Dunne of the Journal Sentinel writes that the player won’t forget about those taken in front of him. “I keep track of it, man,” Bradford said. “And I use that as motivation…We’ll see where I land at the end of all this.”