Mason Crosby - Pro Football Rumors

Packers Expect To Re-Sign Mason Crosby

February 25th, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have been engaged in “regular talks” with agent Mike McCartney, the rep for Mason Crosby, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, who reports that the team expects to get a deal done with its kicker without using the franchise tag.

Crosby, 31, has been kicking for the Packers since the 2007 season, making 79.7% of hie field goals over the course of those nine seasons. He has been even better in recent years, making at least 85% of his kicks in three of his last five seasons. In 2015, he converted 24 of 28 field goal tries (85.7%), and didn’t miss any longer extra-point attempts.

The Packers don’t have any position players who look like viable candidates for the franchise or transition tag, so it makes sense that Crosby would be the only real option. If Green Bay did franchise him, it would probably cost the team in excess of $4.5MM for 2016 — a high price for a kicker, but not exorbitant for a one-year deal.

Based on Demovsky’s report, though, it sounds as if the Packers are optimistic they’ll work out a longer-term agreement with Crosby. If they get something done, the per-year salary will likely be more modest, but the total guarantee could match or exceed that $4.5MM+ franchise-tag amount.

In other Packers news, Demovsky writes that Brian Murphy, B.J. Raji‘s agent, said he met with Packers chief negotiator Russ Ball this week about a new deal for his client — nothing is imminent at this point, but there’s mutual interest between the two sides.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC North Notes: Lions, Bears, Guion

February 15th, 2016 at 2:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions and Bears each formally announced additions to their coaching staff today, with Detroit naming a new quarterbacks coach and Chicago confirming a new wide receivers coach.

As previously reported, the Lions’ new QBs coach is Brian Callahan, who spent the last six seasons with the Broncos, and has previously worked with Detroit offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter. In 2015, Callahan was an offensive assistant in Denver, playing a part in coaching the club’s QBs.

As for the Bears, their new wide receivers coach is Curtis Johnson, who had been Tulane’s head coach for the past four seasons after serving as the WRs coach for the Saints from 2006 to 2011. Joining Johnson in Chicago is Ben McDaniels, whose hiring was also reported last Friday. Josh McDaniels‘ brother officially joins the Bears as an offensive assistant.

Here’s more from around the NFC North:

According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link), Letroy Guion‘s new contract with the Packers features a modest $500K signing bonus. Silverstein adds that the deal includes “$1.5MM more later,” though it’s not clear if that refers to a signing bonus or his 2016 salary. Friday reports indicated the three-year pact is worth a total of $11.25MM.
Having locked up two key defensive players – Mike Daniels and Guion – who would have been eligible for free agency this winter, the Packers‘ next priority may be a special-teamer, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, who examines kicker Mason Crosby‘s impending free agency.
Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com explores the possibility of cornerback Tracy Porter re-signing with the Bears for the 2016 season after a strong 2015 campaign.

NFC Rumors: Packers, Falcons, Saints

December 26th, 2015 at 4:52pm CST by Sam Robinson

With playoff seeds potentially set to be finalized across the NFC this weekend, let’s look at some news coming out of some of the conference’s locales.

The Packers‘ decision to sign rookie long snapper Rick Lovato instead of a veteran special teams presence surprised some coaches, Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. “I want a veteran,” an NFC special teams coach told McGinn. “Try a rookie in camp, not on a playoff run.” Another coach called Lovato’s game tape “terrible” but saw marketed improvement at his pro day this past spring, and the rookie agreed with that assessment. Two AFC special teams coaches didn’t rank Lovato among their top four draft-eligible snappers, McGinn writes.
Mason Crosby could command a deal that pays him $4MM per year and guarantees him $8MM this offseason, Tom Silverstein of the Journal-Sentinel writes. The Packers’ patience with Crosby after a 2012 season where he missed 12 field goals has paid off, with the ninth-year kicker missing just 14 over the past three seasons. “Obviously, I want to be a Packer. I love playing here. This is all I know. It’s home to me,” Crosby told media, including Silverstein. “It’s a special place. I would love nothing more than to just continue my career here.”Stephen Gostkowski is the only kicker who makes more than $4MM per year. Justin Tucker and Adam Vinatieri are a couple of the notable kickers that comprise the upcoming free agent class.
Marques Colston, Jahri Evans and Zach Strief could be part of the next batch of Saints veterans cut for salary cap relief, Jeff Duncan of NOLA.com writes. The Saints are again in cap turmoil, residing $4MM+ over the 2016 cap presently. Set to play on an $8.2MM cap number, and $7.1MM worth of dead money, Evans has the best chance of sticking around, Duncan notes, due to a potential release of the perennially durable guard netting the team barely $1MM in cap savings. Cutting Colston, who’s been usurped by Brandin Cooks and Willie Snead, would save $3.2MM. A Strief release, however, would save the Saints just $1.3MM.
Embattled Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff‘s penchant for allowing his coaches significant input in key personnel decisions has led to some slip-ups in recent years, Jeff Schultz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Mike Smith preferred the Falcons select Ra’Shede Hageman in the second round last year, and then-defensive coordinator Mike Nolan convinced the GM to build a 3-4 defensive front around Paul Soliai and first-round bust Tyson Jackson a year earlier, Schultz writes.