HEADLINES

Marquise Goodwin

Contract Details: Jones, Gresham, Church

March 13th, 2017 at 12:14pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Let’s take a look at the details of some recently-signed contracts:

49ers To Sign WR Marquise Goodwin

March 8th, 2017 at 6:57pm CST by Zachary Links

Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin is signing with the 49ers, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. The speedster should be a strong fit for Kyle Shanahan‘s offense in San Francisco, and he could make up to $8MM on a two-year deal, per Rapoport (Twitter link).

Marquise GoodwinGoodwin, a former track and field Olympian, spent the last four years in Buffalo. With the Bills, he totaled 49 catches and six touchdowns in 39 games. Goodwin set career highs last year with 15 appearances, 29 catches, 68 targets and 431 yards. He also matched a personal watermark with three touchdowns.

Our own Dallas Robinson suggested that the 49ers should pursue some new offensive weapons this offseason, and they’ve done that so far. The team signed fellow free agent wideout Pierre Garcon earlier today, and the duo should team up nicely with new quarterback Brian Hoyer.

Besides the two additions, the 49ers also have a number of other wideouts on the roster, including Jeremy Kerley, Aaron Burbridge, Bruce Ellington, and Chris Harper.

NFC Rumors: Bucs, Redskins, Seahawks

March 7th, 2017 at 7:22pm CST by Zachary Links

Buccaneers wide receiver and special-teams captain Russell Shepard currently has interest from six teams, including the Bucs, a source tells Jenna Laine of ESPN.com. About half of those teams see him as a No. 3 receiver, with a chance of being a No. 2. The other teams have offered to make him “one of the highest-paid special-teams players in the league with multiple offensive packages,” the source told Laine. I would surmise that this news comes from Shepard’s agent, so it should perhaps be taken with a grain of salt.

More NFC rumors:

  • The Redskins have interest in receiver Marquise Goodwin, per Mike Jones, Master Tesfatsion and Liz Clarke of the Washington Post. The onetime Olympian (track and field) has thus far spent his four-year career in Buffalo, where he has totaled 49 receptions and six touchdowns in 39 games. Goodwin set career highs last year with 15 appearances, 29 catches, 68 targets and 431 yards. He also tied a personal best with three touchdowns.
  • Despite non-tendering him, the Seahawks still would like cornerback DeShawn Shead back in 2017, his agent tells Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times. Shead started in all 15 of his regular-season appearances last year, but the torn ACL he suffered in the Seahawks’ divisional-round loss to the Falcons led the club to non-tender him. Clearly, though, they want like him in the fold at a lesser salary than he would have made if healthy.
  • Along with Shead, the Seahawks have interior offensive lineman Brian Schwenke on their radar, writes Condotta. Schwenke’s a four-year Titan with 41 appearances and 28 starts on his resume. The 25-year-old took part in a career-high 16 games last season, but he only picked up three starts.

Connor Byrne contributed to this post.

Extra Points: DeVito, Claiborne, Goodwin, Browns

July 3rd, 2016 at 8:59pm CST by Sam Robinson

Mike DeVito would have given strong consideration to playing another season in 2016 were it not for his family’s concern, the former Chiefs and Jets defensive end said on a Sirius XM Radio appearance with Alex Marvez and Rick Neuheisel on Sunday (Facebook link). The increasing data emerging on concussions led to DeVito making the decision to retire after nine seasons in April.

DeVito’s third season with the Chiefs brought two concussions, with those coming after he suffered a season-ending Achilles tear in Week 1 of the 2014 campaign.

“You see the new data coming out. That really changes who you are as a person. So it was a tough sell to my wife and, obviously, she’s a higher priority to me than football is. It made the decision easy, but it still was difficult,” the 32-year-old DeVito said.

DeVito enjoyed a solid 2013 season but couldn’t recapture his starting position full-time after the emergence of Jaye Howard, whom the Chiefs chose to re-sign during an offseason when both he and DeVito resided as UFAs. Although the Chiefs were reportedly interested in retaining DeVito, they moved on after he retired and drafted Chris Jones in the second round.

Here’s the latest from around the league.

  • Prior to Morris Claiborne re-signing with the Cowboys, the Vikings were among the “handful of teams” that showed interest in the fifth-year cornerback, Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. A week after Claiborne re-upped with Dallas for one year and $3MM, the Vikings re-signed Terence Newman before selecting Mackensie Alexander in the second round a month later. Given the deal Claiborne ended up signing, it’s unlikely the now-cornerback-rich Vikings were offering much for his services.
  • The Bills will have their full assortment of wide receivers in training camp after Marquise Goodwin failed to complete a return bid to the Olympics. A London Olympian during his senior year at Texas, the 25-year-old finished seventh in the long jump finals at the USA Olympic Trials on Sunday with a 27-foot, 3/4-inch mark. A two-time NCAA champion while with the Longhorns and 2012 U.S. champion, Goodwin is entering a contract year with the Bills.
  • Contrary to the Lions, who we heard are looking at potential UFAs as training camp nears, the Browns aren’t likely to make any such efforts, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. The rebuilding Browns jettisoned veterans like Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby, Randy Starks and Brian Hartline and won’t be aiming to deprive their young contributors of reps, per Cabot.
  • After using Cecil Shorts and Jonathan Grimes in wildcat sets last season, the Texans have a better weapon for those looks this year in Braxton Miller, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle notes. Although Shorts rushed 10 times for 47 yards last season, Miller earned Big Ten offensive player of the year acclaim twice as a dual-threat quarterback before moving to wide receiver, so he fits this niche role well.

East Notes: Randle, Bills, Dolphins, Giants

April 1st, 2016 at 6:53pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Receiver Rueben Randle says he turned down longer deals than the modest one-year offer he accepted from the Eagles last week, according to Dave Zangaro of CSNPhilly.com. “There were [other teams interested],” the 24-year-old said. “I just felt like it was a better opportunity for me here to showcase my talents on a one-year deal, to go out and prove myself.” Along with Jordan Matthews, Randle is one of the Eagles’ two most accomplished wideouts. Not surprisingly, then, he expects to start. “I feel confident that I will be [a starter]. That’s for me to go out there and prove,” he said.

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Bills receiver Marquise Goodwin seemingly tweeted Friday that he was done with the team and then insisted it’s not an April Fools’ joke, as Ron Clements of the Sporting News writes. The Bills haven’t released Goodwin. Instead, he plans to dedicate his time and training to the upcoming Olympics, per Clements. Goodwin, twice an NCAA long jump champion at Texas, was part of the 2012 Olympics as a long jumper for the U.S. team. Since the Bills chose Goodwin in the third round of the 2012 draft, he has appeared in just 24 of 48 regular-season games and amassed 20 receptions and three touchdowns. Goodwin, 25, has one year and $675K left on his contract.
  • In other Bills news, team brass dined with six Ohio State prospects on Thursday, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (on Twitter). Quarterback Cardale Jones, outside linebacker Darron Lee, cornerback Eli Apple, defensive end Adolphus Washington, offensive tackle Taylor Decker, and free safety Vonn Bell all met with a Buffalo contingent.
  • The Dolphins announced that cornerback Greg Toler‘s visit with the team has concluded, as Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald tweets. Presumably, there is no agreement between the two sides – at least, not yet.
  • Toler might not be the only free agent corner on the Dolphins’ radar, writes the Sun Sentinel’s Omar Kelly, who says the team hasn’t closed the door on signing either Leon Hall or Antonio Cromartie. Hall – a Bengal since his career started in 2007 – has a connection to new Dolphins defensive coordinator Vance Joseph, who was Cincinnati’s defensive backs coach the previous two seasons. Cromartie’s first stint with the Jets began via trade back in 2010, when Dolphins executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum was Gang Green’s general manager.
  • Giants defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo admits that he’s “disappointed” he wasn’t elevated to head coach, as Ebenezer Samuel of the Daily News writes. “I’m not going to lie to you,” Spagnuolo said. “I was disappointed I wasn’t the guy . . . but I’m not giving up on my dream of being a head coach…But I like [Ben McAdoo] a lot. It was two-fold. It didn’t happen, so it was a disappointment. But it’s always nice to be wanted.”

Zach Links contributed to this report.

Bills Sign Jordan Mills; Marquise Goodwin To IR

October 20th, 2015 at 8:40am CST by Luke Adams

The Bills have officially signed offensive tackle Jordan Mills from off the Lions’ practice squad, the team announced today in a press release. The signing, which was first reported yesterday, required a corresponding roster move, so the Bills have placed wide receiver Marquise Goodwin on injured reserve.

Mills, 24, started 29 games at right tackle for the Bears during the 2013 and 2014 seasons, but was cut by the team last month and has bounced around a little since then, spending time with the Cowboys and Lions. He figures to play a backup role in Buffalo, providing depth on the offensive line.

As for Goodwin, 2015 was another injury-plagued season for the young wideout, who has failed to make much of an impact since joining the Bills as a third-round pick in 2013. Before a hip injury landed him on IR, Goodwin caught just two balls for 24 yards this season, and returned a pair of kickoffs.

Bills Notes: QBs, Injuries

August 29th, 2015 at 7:07pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Bills head coach Rex Ryan is closing in on a decision regarding the team’s three-way competition for the starting quarterback job. Ryan will make his choice for the No. 1 spot Sunday, but he won’t announce it yet, according to Joe Buscaglia of WKBW (Twitter link).

Tyrod Taylor, E.J. Manuel and Matt Cassel have been vying for the role throughout the spring and summer, and all three have fared well during the preseason. That was especially true Saturday, when the trio shredded Pittsburgh in a 43-19 victory. The three combined to complete 25 of 28 passes for 321 yards and two touchdowns. Taylor added a 20-yard TD run to his 12-of-13, 122-yard performance through the air. Saturday’s effort will likely be the last of the preseason for Taylor, Manuel and Cassel, as Ryan expects fourth-stringer Matt Simms to play all of Buffalo’s exhibition finale against Detroit, Rodak tweeted.

Here’s more on the Bills:

  • Third-year receiver Marquise Goodwin may have broken a few ribs Saturday, according to Ryan (via Twitter).
  • Ryan seems optimistic about No. 1 cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who departed Saturday with a shoulder injury. “Gilmore is gonna be fine, I hope. We need him,” Ryan said, per Buscgalia (Twitter link).
  • Safety Aaron Williams left the game with a leg injury before eventually returning. He was limping in the locker room afterward and “clearly not 100 percent,” Rodak reports (Twitter link).
  • Ryan said rookie linebacker Tony Steward hurt his MCL and will be out a few weeks, per Rodak (Twitter link).

Bills Notes: Goodwin, Harvin, Cassel

June 26th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL activities have slowed to the usual late-June crawl, but here is some Friday-evening news coming out of Buffalo Bills headquarters.

  • Bills reserve wideout Marquise Goodwin decided on a whim to compete in this weekend’s USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., and, despite not participating in the sport since the 2012 London Olympics, placed fourth in the long jump with a personal-best mark. The top three long jumpers qualify for the World Championships, which are set for late August in China, so Goodwin won’t be missing any Bills training camp time. After finishing 10th in London, Goodwin leaped 27 feet, 5 1/2 inches, which was just more than a foot off champion Marquis Dendy’s result but nearly 2 feet farther than Goodwin’s best leap in the Olympic final round. The 24-year-old Goodwin insists football remains his primary sport, but he told Austin Meek of The Register-Guard (Ore.) he will attempt to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Bills GM Doug Whaley told Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News he hadn’t given Goodwin’s surprise participation plans “any thought” but hoped he did well.
  • With LeSean McCoy slated to accrue the lion’s share of Buffalo’s carries this season, Percy Harvin won’t be utilized in quite the same manner he has been during the bulk of his career. Though the Bills will place Harvin in his usual slot spot frequently, they intend to give the mercurial target extensive repetitions outside, writes Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. Coach Sanjay Lal, who instructed Harvin with the Jets last season before venturing to Buffalo with Rex Ryan, is intent on developing Harvin exclusively as a wide receiver. Although Harvin’s spent past games aligned primarily outside, last season represented the seventh-year receiver’s first long-term look at that position, with his first seven Jets contests featuring left or right wide receiver as his main position (according to Pro Football Focus, which requires a subscription).
  • Although viewing Matt Cassel as a consummate teammate with experience handling reserve roles, Carucci does not see the newly acquired 33-year-old quarterback and his $4.75MM cap figure staying on the team if EJ Manuel reclaims his starting job. Carucci expects the Bills to extend Cassel’s contract, which expires after 2015, to provide cap relief, and views such a move not yet occurring after the 11th-year QB’s offseason struggles as a sign Cassel may not be on the team should Manuel or Tyrod Taylor usurp him for the starting gig.
  • The Buffalo reporter also sees a Marcell Dareus extension, which our Luke Adams analyzed earlier this week, being finalized before the season begins. As of now, the All-Pro defensive tackle will play this season on an $8.1MM cap figure as a result of his fifth-year option being exercised.

East Links: Cowboys, Eagles, Bills, Pats

April 16th, 2015 at 6:05pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With the NFL having reinstated Vikings running back Adrian Peterson on Thursday, Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News compared a possible Peterson trade to the famous Herschel Walker deal that Minnesota and Dallas made 26 years ago. The 30-year-old Peterson’s future in Minnesota is nebulous and the Cowboys are in need of a star-caliber rusher after losing DeMarco Murray to free agency earlier this offseason, which has led to speculation that Peterson might end up in Dallas. Despite Peterson’s off-field troubles and his lack of enthusiasm toward continuing his career as a Viking, Gosselin doesn’t believe it would make sense for the team to let him the six-time Pro Bowler go. However, if the Vikings do elect to move on via trade and the Cowboys come knocking, Gosselin expects that Dallas would have to give up plenty to acquire Peterson.

Here’s more from the league’s two East divisions:

  • Although Mychal Kendricks has been a standout linebacker during his three years with the Eagles, the presence of two other ILBs – Kiko Alonso and DeMeco Ryans – and the possibility of another on the way via the upcoming draft could render him superfluous to the team’s roster, per Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com. Kulp believes Kendricks, who is entering the final year of his deal and hasn’t discussed an extension with the Eagles, could be dealt prior to the draft.
  • Wide receiver Marquise Goodwin‘s days in a Bills uniform may be numbered, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Goodwin might end up the odd man out after Buffalo’s acquisition of Percy Harvin, whom it signed in free agency. The Bills used a 2013 third-round pick on Goodwin, who has appeared in 22 games in two seasons and caught just 18 passes. He had a meager one reception last year.
  • The guard-needy Giants haven’t addressed the position in the first round of the draft since 1974, when they selected eventual bust John Hicks. Now might be the time for the team to break the 41-year drought, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post. The Giants hold the ninth overall pick, where Iowa’s Brandon Scherff could be a tempting option.
  • Judy Cohen of WEEI profiled Texas defensive tackle Malcom Brown, who is a potential fit for the Patriots in the first round of the draft.

AFC East Links: Goodwin, Jets, Solder

November 29th, 2014 at 9:29am CST by Ben Levine

It hasn’t been the easiest season for Bills wideout Marquise Goodwin. Following a rookie season where he caught 17 passes for 283 yards and three scores, the former third-rounder only has a single catch in 2014. Making matters worse is the team’s recent acquisition of return man Marcus Thigpen, making Goodwin’s role on the team even more unclear.

“I don’t like being inactive,” Goodwin said (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). “I don’t practice hard just to be an inactive. But it is what it is. If I don’t fit the game plan, I just don’t. I just do what I’m told, work hard and just try to help the team win in any way that I can.”

“It has been a humbling experience this whole year, coming from scoring a few touchdowns last season to having one reception right now and not really being able to help my team be victorious.”

Let’s see what else is going on in the AFC East…

  • ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini believes Robert Griffin III would be a Percy Harvin-like fit for the Jets, and the writer suggests the team could take a flyer on the embattled quarterback. Cimini also looks at other quarterbacks the team could pursue, including Jay Cutler, Sam Bradford and Brian Hoyer.
  • Meanwhile, Cimini writes that the Jets may have to trade up in the draft to get one of Jameis Winston or Marcus Mariota. The team will have to hope they finish ahead of other quarterback-needing squads, particularly the Titans and Buccaneers.
  • Cimini thinks Percy Harvin could be back with the Jets next season, but not for the $10.5MM he’s owed. The writer says a renegotiation makes the most sense for both sides.
  • Mike Girardi of CSNNE.com sees the Patriots drafting a pass rusher in next year’s draft. They could also anticipate Nate Solder‘s expiring contract and draft an offensive tackle.