HEADLINES

Matt Ryan

NFC Notes: Romo, Murray, Ryan

March 31st, 2015 at 10:40pm CST by Zachary Links

When DeMarco Murray was hoping that the Cowboys would sign him to a long-term deal earlier this month, the Pro Bowl running back made a bold request to his quarterback, as Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes. “DeMarco ended up asking me, ‘Why don’t you take a pay cut?’ I said, ‘I will. I would take a pay cut to go do this,'” Tony Romo told 105.3 The Fan. “I was like, ‘They’re going to restructure me.’ That’s the same thing in some ways, just for the salary cap purposes. He was like, ‘OK, now we’re back to being friends, again.’ I would take $5MM less if meant getting him back.” More from the NFC..

  • As part of his contract with the Falcons, quarterback Matt Ryan is scheduled to receive a $12MM deferred payment today, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The payment won’t have an impact on Ryan’€™s 2015 cap number, which remains at $19.5MM.
  • Now in charge of the team’s personnel decisions, Eagles coach Chip Kelly has shown a predilection for going after injured players. Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com looked at the injured veterans that Kelly has picked up and their current status heading into April.
  • As the weeks tick down, the Vikings‘ draft possibilities remain wide open, Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press writes. Currently, the consensus appears to be that Minnesota will select Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes with the No. 11 pick, but of course, nothing is certain and much will depend on how the first 10 picks unfold.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Davis, Graham, 49ers, Redskins

June 24th, 2014 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

Vernon Davis seems to be keeping a close eye on the outcome of Jimmy Graham’s positional designation hearing, but the Graham decision shouldn’t have a real impact on the 49ers’ contract talks with their tight end, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. As Maiocco points out, Graham has a much stronger case to be considered a wide receiver, since he lined up in the slot or split out wide on two-thirds of his snaps, while Davis did so on only about 30% of his snaps.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • With no decision on Graham yet from arbitrator Stephen Burbank, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if the process may extend beyond July 15, the deadline for Graham and the Saints to reach a multiyear agreement. Even if Burbank’s ruling comes this week, it won’t be final until the losing side has the chance to appeal the decision. If New Orleans doesn’t sign Graham to a long-term deal by July 15, the star pass-catcher can only ink a one-year contract for 2014.
  • The 49ers‘ draft was almost universally lauded, and Bill Williamson of ESPN.com looks at what San Francisco hopes each pick will contribute in 2014. Second-rounder Carlos Hyde was thought to be a “steal” at pick No. 57, and is expected to receive opportunities at running back right away. Third-round center Marcus Martin has a chance to win the starting job, and fourth-round linebacker Chris Borland could earn playing time in the absence of the injured NaVorro Bowman.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap provides his take on the Redskins‘ best and worst contracts, identifying one of this year’s free agent signees – Jason Hatcher – as the player with the least team-friendly deal.
  • Jason Avant is expected to provide a veteran presence among the Panthers’ young receiving corps, but leadership alone wasn’t enough to keep him with the Eagles, where the 31-year-old quickly realized he wasn’t a fit in Chip Kelly’s scheme. “When they stop calling your number and guys start running some of the routes that you run,” Avant told Scott Fowler of the Charlotte Observer, “I knew from the beginning that I didn’t fit his style of offense, in that I’m a crafty guy that gets open in an atypical way.”
  • In the view of Falcons head coach Mike Smith, a player’s salary should be “nobody’s business,” but quarterback Matt Ryan says he isn’t feeling increased pressure now that he’s on a $100MM+ deal, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Ryan, Packers, Saints

February 10th, 2014 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

Several players from the Super Bowl champion Seahawks had their 2014 salaries become fully guaranteed this week, notes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com in his latest update on teams’ cap space. Percy Harvin, Cliff Avril, and Kam Chancellor had their contracts for 2014 vest from partially guaranteed to fully guaranteed, according to Fitzgerald, who notes that Matt Ryan of the Falcons was among the other players in that boat.

Here’s more from across the NFC:

  • Having drafted well and avoided bad contracts, the Packers will have significantly more cap flexibility this offseason than many of their NFC rivals, says Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
  • 13 players from the Saints‘ Super Bowl win in 2010 remain on the team’s roster, but as many of nine of those players could depart this offseason, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. As Triplett points out, four are unrestricted free agents, while five more are potential cap casualties.
  • Compensatory picks for the 2014 draft won’t be announced for a few more weeks, and the Falcons‘ situation is murky, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. Based on projections by Craig Turner (via Philly.com), the Falcons could add as many as four compensatory picks, but may end up with just one or two, depending on where the cutoff is.
  • The Redskins have hired former Super Bowl MVP Doug Williams to their front office as a personnel executive, the team announced today in a press release.