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Mike Pouncey

Dolphins Pick Up Option On Mike Pouncey

April 29th, 2014 at 3:22pm CST by Luke Adams

Not long after Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported that the Dolphins would exercise their fifth-year option on Mike Pouncey, the team has made it official, announcing the move today (via Twitter). The option pickup ensures that Pouncey will remain under contract through the 2015 season.

Since taking over as the Dolphins’ full-time starting center in his rookie season, Pouncey has developed into one of the more reliable options in the NFL, ranking eighth among centers in 2012 and 13th in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Miami’s offensive line has undergone a significant overhaul this offseason, including the addition of tackle Branden Albert, who received $20MM in guaranteed money — Pouncey represents one of the few holdovers, a core piece in the middle of the line.

There were some questions raised about Pouncey’s long-term future in Miami after he was identified in the Ted Wells report as one of the players involved in the bullying of Jonathan Martin. However, Richie Incognito was considered the main instigator in that situation, and both Incognito and John Jerry – who was also named in the report – departed in free agency. Martin is also no longer on the roster, having been sent to San Francisco. Presumably, with those players out of the picture, the Dolphins feel Pouncey’s role in the scandal was minimal enough that the club is comfortable with keeping him on the roster moving forward.

Pouncey, 2011’s 15th overall pick, will be in line for a salary of $7.438MM in 2015, the fifth-year option amount for any offensive lineman picked between 11th and 32nd. You can keep tabs on all of this year’s option decisions leading up to the May 3 deadline with our tracker.

Florida Rumors: Jags, Matthews, Pouncey, Fins

April 29th, 2014 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

Two Florida teams figure to have a significant impact on how next week’s top 10 draft picks play out, as the Jaguars hold the third overall pick and the Buccaneers pick seventh. This morning’s round of updates on the NFL’s Florida teams provides some insight into what direction the Jags might be leaning with that No. 3 pick, and checks in on the one Florida club not picking in the top 10 — the Dolphins. Let’s dive in….

  • After bringing in Jake Matthews for a visit last week, the Jaguars are believed to be targeting the Texas A&M offensive tackle with their third overall pick, a league source tells Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. While some teams may have Zack Martin or Taylor Lewan higher on their draft boards, Matthews and Greg Robinson are generally viewed as the top two tackles in this year’s class. Jacksonville’s pick is one of the most interesting to watch at the top of the draft, since a number of players, including Jadeveon Clowney, Sammy Watkins, and the top quarterbacks and tackles, could be fits for the club.
  • The Dolphins are expected to exercise their fifth-year option on center Mike Pouncey in advance of this weekend’s deadline, reports Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Based on Pouncey’s on-field production, the $7.438MM option is a lock to be picked up, but the center’s involvement in last year’s bullying scandal complicates the decision a little.
  • Teams are no longer allowed to host players for pre-draft visits, but the Dolphins will be working out Wyoming receiver Robert Herron today and tomorrow, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).

AFC Notes: Bridgewater, Texans, Dolphins

April 18th, 2014 at 12:46pm CST by Luke Adams

Teddy Bridgewater visited with the Jaguars earlier in the month, but it appears Jacksonville is interested enough in the Louisville quarterback to take a longer look at him. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Bridgewater is scheduled to have a second meeting and workout tomorrow with the Jags. Jacksonville isn’t the only AFC South team eyeing the young signal-caller. While we originally heard that Bridgewater was supposed to visit the Texans this week, it seems that visit will actually happen next week, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Texans need a quarterback, and you could make a case for the team drafting a player like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles first overall, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com thinks Houston should nab Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick in May. In La Canfora’s view, Clowney is the clear-cut top prospect available, and the Texans would be better off letting Bill O’Brien “work his magic” on a quarterback drafted in the second or third round.
  • James Walker of ESPN.com suggests the Dolphins‘ fifth-year option decision on center Mike Pouncey isn’t as simple as it may seem on the surface, though the team is still likely to pick up that 2015 option.
  • The amount of homework the Dolphins have done on quarterbacks like Miami’s Stephen Morris and Georgia’s Aaron Murray signals that the team could seriously be considering drafting a signal-caller next month, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
  • The current plan for Rolando McClain is to have the linebacker join the Ravens as early as Monday for the team’s offseason workout program, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
  • Boston College running back Andre Williams has drawn the most interest from the Patriots, Browns, Steelers, and Jets, says Wilson at the National Football Post.
  • Wilson also reports (via the Sun) that Wisconsin nose tackle Beau Allen and Bowling Green tight end Alex Bayer visited the Ravens this week, and writes (via the NFP) that the Jets will host Murray State wide receiver Walter Powell for a visit on Monday.

Alex Mack Updates: Thursday

April 10th, 2014 at 4:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Alex Mack was the subject of several PFR posts yesterday after word broke that the transition-tagged free agent would be signing a five-year offer sheet from the Jaguars. While a center doesn’t typically inspire so much discussion, there are few, if any, in the NFL better than Mack, who ranked as our sixth-best free agent heading into the offseason.

The situation developing between the Browns and Jags is particularly interesting, since there are questions about whether Cleveland could have handled the situation better — assigning the franchise tender to Mack rather than the transition tender would’ve cost the team a little more, but would’ve meant a team wanting to sign him away would’ve had to part with two first-round picks. That essentially would’ve taken the center off the open market.

Here are today’s Mack updates, as we wait for the longtime Brown to formally sign the offer from Jacksonville. Any new items will be added to the top of the page throughout the day:

  • The general consensus among reporters since Mack’s contract details surfaced has been that the Browns will still likely match, despite the Jaguars’ creative structure. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) hears from one source that the Browns will probably match, while another source says Cleveland should let Mack walk due to the 2016 opt-out.

Earlier updates:

  • Mack’s offer sheet with the Jags will be worth $42MM over five years, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The deal is worth $18MM over the first two years, and includes a player option after the 2015 season. Because of the timing of that option, whichever team Mack is playing for at that point won’t be able to use the franchise or transition tag on him, Rapoport notes (via Twitter).
  • Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports adds (via Twitter) that if Mack opts in after the second year, his $8MM salary for year three (2016) becomes fully guaranteed.
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) hears from a source that Mack’s deal with the Jaguars will indeed be executed on Friday, so the five-day clock for the Browns to match it will start tomorrow.
  • Ed Werder of ESPN.com tweets that as of late last night he was hearing Mack’s offer sheet from the Jaguars may not be officially finalized and signed until Friday, which is consistent with initial reports.
  • A source tells Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (Twitter link) that Mack’s offer sheet has been “reviewed, but not executed.”
  • Once Mack signs the Jaguars’ offer sheet, the Browns will likely match it in “no time at all,” according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
  • Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also hears from a league source that the Browns figure to match the offer and retain Mack. As Florio notes, the average annual value of the Jags’ sheet is less than what the Browns would pay if they kept Mack under the transition tag in 2014 and 2015, so the club can afford it.
  • While much has been made of Mack’s desire to leave Cleveland, Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) believes Mack will be happy, or “overjoyed even,” to remain with the Browns if the money is right.
  • Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com explains why it wasn’t a mistake for the Browns to transition Mack instead of franchising him, though much of Grossi’s explanation seems to rely on the idea that Cleveland won’t match Jacksonville’s offer. For now at least, that doesn’t appear to be the case.
  • The deal Mack eventually gets will affect Mike Pouncey‘s next contract, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald outlines. The Dolphins could extend their center’s rookie contract one more year by exercising his fifth-year option, but a long-term deal will be necessary at some point.

Extra Points: Woodson, Pouncey, Kaepernick

February 27th, 2014 at 10:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Free agent veteran Charles Woodson told SiriusXM NFL Radio that he might consider retirement if the Raiders or another club don’t offer him enough money, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (Sulia link).

“If the right numbers don’t come across, for myself and from the team’s standpoint, then it is a serious consideration at this point that I could have played my last season in the NFL,” Woodson said. “So that’s definitely something that I think about. I do plan on playing another year. Hopefully something can get done with the Raiders but if not then I’ve got to take a real hard look at this last year being the last one.”

Including playing-time bonuses, Woodson made $3.4MM last season with Oakland. More out of the AFC:

  • Dolphins general manager Dennis Hickey told WMEN-640’s Orlando Alzugaray on Thursday that he’s committed to center Mike Pouncey, who was implicated in the Ted Wells report. “Pouncey is an excellent player,” Hickey said, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. “I’ve had good conversations with him in the last month. I’m excited about the future.”
  • Two sources tell Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (Twitter link) that the contract talks between the Bills and Jairus Byrd have been pleasant so far, a departure from last year at this time.
  • Sean Gilbert has a plan to get the players out of the current CBA and is making a case to head the union, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
  • Former agent Joel Corry of CBSSports.com gave his perspective on a possible extension for 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick. Any way you slice it, there are going to be challenges for San Francisco.

AFC East Notes: Wendell, Mankins, Dolphins

February 20th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

As Thursday’s slate of head coach and general manager press conferences gets underway at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, let’s check in on a few updates out of the AFC East, including a certain Dolphins head coach finally breaking his silence on the Ted Wells report….

  • The Patriots have yet to enter negotiations with free agent center Ryan Wendell about a new deal or talk to Logan Mankins about an extension to reduce his cap number, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Volin adds in a second tweet that both players would likely be receptive to those talks.
  • Speaking to reporters at the combine today, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin indicated that no decisions have been made yet on whether the team will bring back players like Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Mike Pouncey (Twitter link via Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe). While that may be true, it seems pretty clear that Incognito and Jerry, who are eligible for free agency, won’t be back.
  • Philbin also told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has reached out to Jonathan Martin and will meet with him. Philbin was noncommittal on Martin’s future with the club.

AFC East Notes: Dolphins, Jerry, Jones

February 17th, 2014 at 8:48am CST by Rob DiRe

On Saturday we took a look at how the Wells Report would hurt the four Dolphins‘ players involved, and Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald believes the NFL will come in with fines and suspensions at some point this offseason. While Richie Incognito could get off easy because he was already suspended last season. Mike Pouncey could still be suspended a few games, and Salguero guesses that offensive line coach Jim Turner could be sidelined for the season due to his involvement.

Ted Wells Report: Future With Dolphins

February 15th, 2014 at 7:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

Since the Ted Wells Report was released, the Richie Incognito–Jonathan Martin controversy has returned to the forefront of sports talk radio and hundreds of sports blogs and columns. In addition to those two, Dolphins guard John Jerry and their Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey seem to be equally implicated as part of the bullying that allegedly went on. It seems that everybody has to weigh in on what this means to the modern NFL locker room, and has somehow been paired with the other big NFL story, the acceptance of Michael Sam into the NFL.

These stories are plenty important, but what they are replacing is the normal NFL offseason chatter about who is going where and what team is looking at which player. Until some semblance of a contract materializes for Incognito or Jerry, or a trade happens for Martin, these players are only important as it pertains to the Wells Report. However, all four have been seriously hurt in terms of their football stock.

Dolphins’ owner Stephen Ross has been open in that he believes it is unlikely that either Incognito or Martin will return to the team in 2014, though the club does own Martin’s rights. The second-round pick out of Stanford still may have some value, writes Darrin Gantt of Pro Football Talk, since he is still a cheap option at right tackle. James Walker of ESPN.com writes of Martin: “He’s young, cheap and can play left and right tackle. Those players do not grow on trees.” Walker also notes that because other teams know that the Dolphins will release him Martin they cannot trade him, that does significantly lower his trade value.

Former coach Jim Harbaugh was an avid defender of Martin, which may prompt speculation that San Francisco could be a destination. However, the 49ers are set at tackle, with Joe Staley and Anthony Davis on each side. The Colts also have that connection, with Pep Hamilton and a number of former Stanford players there. Of course, they also have a lot of money already invested in tackle play, with Anthony Castonzo and Gosder Cherilus.

Incognito and Jerry are both free agents, making them easy decisions for the Dolphins — both will most likely be let go. Incognito was probably set for a pretty large contract extension with the Dolphins, due to his high level of play and status as a “leader” in the team’s locker room. Now, his value is minimal. He didn’t make many friends with the Rams before he joined the Dolphins, so he does not have a lot of coaching staffs to fall back on. The Raiders’ offensive coordinator Greg Olsen could put a good word in for him, as the Raiders are in need of offensive line help.

Vinnie Iyer of SportingNews.com does note that in the landscape of the modern NFL, Incognito has a better chance of being accepted into another locker room than Martin. “Incognito doesn’t come out of the investigation looking like Mr. Nice Guy, but he hasn’t tried to. There’s a reason his mean streak is one of his biggest assets as a player,” Iyer writes. “For teams needy of interior line help, such as the Buffalo Bills, Indianapolis Colts or San Diego Chargers, he’s Mr. Nice Price.”

Jerry was also a candidate to be retained by the Dolphins before being implicated in the Wells Report, but his return is now unlikely, writes Charlie McCarthy of Fox Sports Florida. Jerry doesn’t have the history of performance that Incognito did. What he does have in his favor is a far less noticeable role in the bullying of Martin, but still he will find it difficult to sign a deal similar to one he could have had with the Dolphins had he not been implicated. Both Incognito and Jerry’s free agency could be further hurt if the league decides to suspend them for a few games during the 2014 season.

Finally, there is Pouncey, who despite his age, might be the most accomplished of the four, and definitely has the brightest future. Much like Jerry, he is able to downplay his role in the bullying, but unlike Jerry he is under contract for 2014. Also unlike Jerry, he has performed on the field as one of top lineman at his position over his short career thus far, reaching the Pro Bowl this past year. Still, a week ago James Walker of ESPN.com listed Pouncey as one of the players on the Dolphins who has outperformed his contract and is deserving of a raise. After his name became involved in the Wells Report, and with a looming suspension possible, that raise seems highly unlikely.

AFC East Notes: Wells Report, Patriots, Jets

February 14th, 2014 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

Ted Wells and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP have released their report on the Dolphins‘ bullying scandal, and their findings can be found right here. If you don’t have time to read the full, 140-page report, here’s the abridged version: While Richie Incognito promised that the truth would “bury” Jonathan Martin, the Wells report certainly doesn’t do that, instead emphatically rejecting “any suggestion that Martin manufactured claims of abuse after the fact to cover up an impetuous decision to leave the team.” That decision to leave the team was indeed “the result of persistent bullying and harassment by some of his teammates,” according to the report.

Here’s more on the Dolphins and the rest of the AFC East:

  • In addition to implicating Incognito, the Wells report also suggests that fellow linemen Mike Pouncey and John Jerry participated in “a pattern of harassment” directed at Martin, another young offensive lineman, and an assistant trainer. Considering the Dolphins seem intent on washing their hands of the situation by moving on from Incognito and Martin, it stands to reason that Pouncey and Jerry may not return to the team either.
  • The Dolphins and the league both released statements following the publication of the report indicating that they’re looking into the matter further.
  • Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald attempts to determine the best route for improving the Patriots’ wide receiving group, ultimately suggesting that re-signing Julian Edelman and perhaps adding another free agent makes more sense than targeting receivers in the draft.
  • While Rex Ryan‘s Jets typically acquires safeties on the cheap, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes it’s time for the team to start investing a little more money into the position.

Dolphins Rumors: Grimes, Patterson, Tannehill

February 7th, 2014 at 10:31am CST by Luke Adams

Rookie general manager Dennis Hickey will have his work cut out for him in Miami, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, who takes a detailed look at the offseason decisions facing the Dolphins. La Canfora’s piece is filled with notable tidbits, so let’s dive and round up some of the highlights….

  • Several team and league sources tell La Canfora that bringing back cornerback Brent Grimes is a top priority for the Dolphins. Grimes will be eligible for free agency next month, and could earn the franchise tag if he and the team can’t work out a long-term deal.
  • It’s “virtually certain” that Dimitri Patterson won’t be back at his current salary ($5.4MM), though he could return to the Dolphins at a lesser figure.
  • Defensive tackles Randy Starks and Paul Soliai are both free-agents-to-be, and the Dolphins will likely only keep one of the two, sources tell La Canfora.
  • Pro Bowl center Mike Pouncey “might not be inclined” to play for his current 2014 salary of $1.7MM, and figures to seek an extension that will put him among the highest-paid players at his position, says La Canfora.
  • Said one person who interviewed for the Dolphins’ GM job: “It’s a total rebuild on the offensive line. They seemed to understand that there. Total rebuild. I’m not sure exactly how much of their budget they were planning to put into the line, but it had better be substantial.”
  • Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin “definitely wants to push [Ryan] Tannehill more,” according to one source, who adds that the club could turn to highly-paid backup Matt Moore if Tannehill doesn’t show noticeable improvement.
  • According to La Canfora, Hickey’s contract with the Dolphins is for two years, with a team option for year three, as I speculated earlier in the week.
  • If 2014 doesn’t go well for the Dolphins, there’s a possibility that the team could jettison Philbin and renew its pursuit of an A-list coach, such as Jim Harbaugh, Bill Cowher, or Jon Gruden, writes La Canfora.