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Mike Remmers

Vikings Notes: Diggs, Thielen, Remmers

July 31st, 2018 at 12:21pm CST by Zachary Links

On Tuesday morning, Stefon Diggs became the latest wide receiver to cash in. Despite never having a 1,000 yard or 100 catch season, the Vikings gave him a five-year extension worth $72MM.

Adam Thielen, who had 1,276 receiving yards last season, agreed to a team-friendly deal two years ago that will pay him a fraction of Diggs’ deal for the next three seasons. The Vikings will have to pay in order to keep Thielen beyond 2020, but Courtney Cronin of ESPN.com (on Twitter) wonders whether the Diggs deal is an indication that he’ll take less to stay in Minnesota. For now, Thielen is set to carry cap numbers of $6.1MM, $5MM, and $6.5MM in each of the next three seasons.

Here’s more from Minnesota:

  • It sounds like the Vikings will be using offensive lineman Mike Remmers exclusively on the interior. The veteran has been playing exclusively at right guard through the team’s first five practices, Cronin tweets. Remmers worked as the Panthers’ starting right tackle from 2014-16, but he played at right guard towards the end of last season for the Vikings. The 29-year-old is entering the second year of a five-year, $30MM deal he signed with the club in March of 2017.
  • Improvement in Anthony Barr‘s pass-rushing production could help him become the next Vikings player to get paid, Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune writes. Barr had four sacks as a rookie, but his numbers have dropped each season as the Vikings have sent him after the quarterback less often and offenses have used linemen to block him more often instead of running backs. Last year, Barr rushed the QB on a career low 16.7% of his snaps, resulting in just one sack on the year.

Vikings Rumors: DeFilippo, O-Line, Barr

June 3rd, 2018 at 7:33pm CST by Sam Robinson

John DeFilippo played a big part in the Vikings‘ quarterback search. The new Minnesota offensive coordinator began studying film of the team’s three previous quarterbacks — Sam Bradford, Teddy Bridgewater and Case Keenum — on his first morning with the team in mid-February, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes. This process of finding a potential long-term option in Kirk Cousins also included scouting of QBs that weren’t Cousins or the Vikings’ free agent trio, per Goessling, who adds QBs coach Kevin Stefanski was also involved in this process, along with Rick Spielman and Mike Zimmer. DeFilippo and Cousins met at dinner the night before the new Minnesota starter signed his three-year, $84MM contract, per Goessling. Minnesota has not had a quarterback make it through three straight seasons as the primary starter since Daunte Culpepper in the early 2000s, and DeFilippo called the franchise’s signal-caller search as thorough as anything he’s been involved with in the NFL.

Here’s the latest from the Twin Cities:

  • Previously stationed at right tackle at Vikings OTAs, Mike Remmers took reps exclusively at right guard during one of the OTA sessions this week, Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune reports. Third-year UDFA Rashod Hill, in turn, lined up at right tackle. This was the Vikings’ arrangement at the end of last season. Remmers worked as the Panthers’ starting right tackle from 2014-16. Tom Compton, who worked as the primary right guard last week, alternated at left guard with Danny Isidora, per Krammer. Slotting Remmers at guard would give second-round pick Brian O’Neill an easier path to playing time, but it’s uncertain what Remmers’ primary position will be this season.
  • Anthony Barr reported to the Vikings this week and did so after taking out an insurance policy, Krammer notes. He missed the first week of Vikes OTAs while he ironed out this policy, which will cover him for injury while he’s still attached to his rookie deal. Barr remains hopeful he and the Vikings can come to terms before training camp. Minnesota agreed to extensions with Everson Griffen, Xavier Rhodes and Linval Joseph in a 10-day span just as camp began last year, and it would make sense Barr — one of the team’s big re-up candidates this year — would be the top priority for a pre-camp deal.
  • Despite being a first-round pick, Laquon Treadwell has 21 receptions (and no touchdowns) in two years. However, the Ole Miss product is not categorizing 2018 as a make-or-break year, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press notes. The Vikings cut Jarius Wright and have not re-signed Michael Floyd, potentially giving Treadwell a chance to move into the No. 3 wideout role. However, Minnesota’s Kendall Wright deal could impede that. Neverthless, it could be a stretch the Vikings pick up Treadwell’s fifth-year option in May of 2019 at this rate.

North Notes: Vikes, Browns, Ravens, Sutton

May 26th, 2018 at 7:53pm CST by Sam Robinson

At Vikings OTAs this week, they placed Mike Remmers back at right tackle, per Michael Rand of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Remmers finished last season playing guard, and the Vikings used a second-round pick on tackle Brian O’Neill out of Pittsburgh. Minnesota had UFA signee Tom Compton working as its first-string right guard during OTAs, per Rand. Compton has never been a full-time starter in his six-year career, coming closest with the 2014 Redskins, who used him as a nine-game starter. Last season, the Bears started Compton in five of the 11 games he played. Minnesota lost its most effective blocker, Joe Berger, to retirement and did not make any notable additions beyond Compton at the guard spot.

Here’s more from the north:

  • The Browns have made some adjustments to their front office and scouting department, and Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com expects that to continue. She targets the VP of player personnel decision as a possible turnover spot. Alonzo Highsmith, Ken Kovash and Andrew Berry currently reside in that role. John Dorsey just hired Highsmith, and Cabot reports Berry is safe from a change despite being an integral part of the previous regime. The Browns promoted Kovash shortly after the Sashi Brown regime took over in 2016 after he’d previously worked as the franchise’s director of football research.
  • Converted cornerback Damarious Randall will be the Browns’ starter at free safety this season, relocating Jabrill Peppers to strong safety, per Cabot. Gregg Williams‘ deep placement of Peppers, sometimes more than 25 yards off the ball, became a constant source of discussion and derision among Browns fans, and Peppers himself may be a bit tired of the jokes. But the Browns will now place him closer to the line of scrimmage, which is similar to the role he had at Michigan.
  • Optimism exists around Ravens cornerback Jimmy Smith, who saw a strong season end early in 2017 because of a torn Achilles, but Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun notes the veteran may not be ready for the start of training camp. The career-long Raven is going into his age-30 season.
  • Additional Ravens’ timelines are coming into focus as well. Defensive lineman Carl Davis, who started nine games last season, underwent surgery to repair a tear in his shoulder earlier this offseason, Zreibec reports. The former third-round pick is questionable to participate in minicamp. Offensive lineman Nico Siragusa also had an operation this offseason. The 2017 fourth-round pick missed all of last season because of ACL, MCL and PCL tears and required an additional knee surgery this year. Zreibec reports the goal for him is a training camp return. As for Alex Lewis, Baltimore’s projected guard starter opposite Marshal Yanda, he’s fully recovered from the shoulder injury that nixed all of his 2017 season, Zreibec notes.
  • The Steelers aren’t sure where to station Cameron Sutton. The 2017 third-round pick played 117 snaps as a rookie after an injury delayed his NFL debut. Pittsburgh may be planning to use him at outside or slot cornerback, or as a safety alongside Morgan Burnett, Tim Benz of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. But he notes that Artie Burns and Sean Davis will still have first crack at their respective jobs, outside cornerback and the non-Burnett safety starter, with the Steelers still hoping for the high draft picks’ upside to show. Mike Hilton remains the frontrunner to be the Steelers’ slot corner, where the former UDFA fared well in 2017.

NFC Notes: Winston, 49ers, Cards, Pryor

November 17th, 2017 at 2:11pm CST by Sam Robinson

The woman who accused Jameis Winston of groping her in an Uber vehicle in 2016, via Buzzfeed report earlier today, said only she and Winston were in the car at the time. But Winston’s representatives assert there were several people in the car, with the Buccaneers quarterback sitting in the backseat, NFL.com reports. Winston’s statement pointed to there being multiple passengers in the vehicle as well. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links) listened to the voicemail an Uber representative sent Winston, with the phrase “you or someone else in your vehicle engaged in inappropriate behavior” used. This led to Winston being banned from Uber but also has the third-year passer’s representatives saying there were more people in the car than the accuser’s account suggests.

Here’s the latest from the NFC.

  • The knee sprain Drew Stanton suffered will lead to the Cardinals starting a third quarterback this season. Bruce Arians said Blaine Gabbert will start Sunday against the Texans, marking the first time since October 2016 Gabbert will have started a game. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com notes it will be a game-time decision for who will be Gabbert’s backup. Stanton, who sprained a knee against the Seahawks, being healthy enough to be an in-case-of-emergency option will make him the No. 2. If not, recently signed Matt Barkley will serve as the backup. This marks the second time in four seasons the Cardinals have needed to start three quarterbacks. This happened in 2014, when Carson Palmer, Stanton and Ryan Lindley opened with that playoff-qualifying team’s first unit.
  • John Lynch said the 49ers don’t need to see Jimmy Garoppolo start a certain number of games in order to make a judgment about him for the future. The rookie GM the franchise’s view of the longtime Patriots backup has been enhanced by Garoppolo’s first few weeks in San Francisco despite him not seeing game action yet. “We know what we like about Jimmy Garoppolo. And that’s only been strengthened by the time that’s he’s been here,” Lynch said (via Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area). “We’re just going to let these things play out. People have had all these ideas about why we got Jimmy. We got Jimmy because we think he has big-time ability at the quarterback position. And we believe so much – to get where we need to get – you have to have a franchise quarterback. We think he’s got that ability. Whether that happens, when that happens, we’ll see. But we certainly like his future with the 49ers.”
  • Both Terrelle Pryor and Jordan Reed will miss the Redskins‘ Week 11 against the Saints, and Pryor’s ankle injury looks like one that could shelve him for multiple weeks. Pryor will see Dr. James Andrews about his ankle, Master Tefatsion of the Washington Post reports (on Twitter). Signed to a one-year contract, Pryor has been demoted from Washington’s first unit and now hopes he can return this season — one that’s doubled as a grim contract year. Center Spencer Long will also miss Washington’s game in New Orleans.
  • On the subject of less-than-ideal contract years, Ziggy Ansah will miss a second straight game with a back injury, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Injuries have limited the Lions defensive end for the past two seasons and figure to be a key part of the discussion once his contract expires after 2017. He has four sacks — all coming in two games — this season.
  • Mike Remmers experienced a concussion protocol setback this week and will miss the Vikings‘ Week 11 game against the Rams, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Andrew Sendejo will also miss Sunday’s game, the safety being out due to groin and hamstring pain. Rashod Hill and Anthony Harris will respectively replace the ailing duo in Minnesota’s starting lineup.

Tackle Notes: Remmers, Hill, Decker, Staley

November 10th, 2017 at 5:06pm CST by GregGoldstein

The Vikings will be without their starting right tackle when they go to Washington on Sunday. Mike Remmers has started all year long at the position, but will be unable to play because of a concussion he suffered during the team’s game two weeks ago, according to Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune. Backup tackle Rashod Hill will make his first start of his NFL career in the veteran’s place. Hill, 25, has played in 147 snaps, but seems comfortable with his new role given that he’s had a full week of practice to prepare.

“Oh yeah, it helps me a lot, man,” Hill said of practicing at right tackle all week. “Because unfortunately, when we were in London and Mike went down, I had been playing left [tackle] all week. So getting a full week down means getting a better feel for the plays.”

Hill is still in a difficult spot given that Remmers ranks as the 12th best tackle in all of football, according to Pro Football Focus.

  • Lions head coach Jim Caldwell told the media today that left tackle Taylor Decker is “close to returning”, as relayed by the team’s website. The second-year left tackle has been sidelined with a shoulder injury for the entire first half of the season with backup tackle Greg Robinson mainly taking over to protect Matt Stafford’s blindside. However, Detroit just released their backup offensive lineman earlier today, which clears the road for Decker to get back into the starting lineup in short order. Decker’s return will be a huge boost to a Lions team that is currently on the outside of the playoff picture. Decker started all 16 games for the Lions during his rookie campaign.
  • Another prominent offensive tackle looks likely to return from injury. 49ers veteran offensive lineman Joe Staley appears on track to play this Sunday after suffering an orbital fracture two weeks ago vs. the Eagles, according to Eric Branch of the San Francisco Gate. Branch notes that Staley was expected to miss at least two weeks with the injury, but is now ahead of schedule with his recovery. The veteran will have to wear a visor in order to protect his injured eye, but seeing the 33 year-old tough out the pain is the reason why he’s been one of the best lineman in football over the past decade. The 49ers will attempt to win their first game of the season when take on the Giants at home this weekend.

NFC Contract Details: Fairley, Peppers, Reiff

March 10th, 2017 at 8:51pm CST by Dallas Robinson

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

  • Nick Fairley, DL (Saints): Four years, $28MM. $14MM guaranteed. $8MM signing bonus. Base salaries of $1MM, $4.25MM, $5.95MM, $5.95MM (Twitter link via Wilson). $500K available yearly in sack incentives (link via Mike Triplett of ESPN.com).
  • Captain Munnerlyn, CB (Panthers): Four years, $17MM. $8MM guaranteed. $6MM signing bonus. $1MM available via incentives (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star Tribune).
  • Julius Peppers, DL (Panthers): One year, $3.5MM. $750K available via incentives (Twitter link via Josina Anderson of ESPN.com).
  • Riley Reiff, T (Vikings): Five years, $58.75MM. $26.3MM guaranteed. $11MM signing bonus (Twitter links via Ben Goessling of ESPN.com). Annual $500K Pro Bowl escalator clause (Twitter link via Wilson).
  • Mike Remmers, T (Vikings): Five years, $30MM. $10.5MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Matt Vensel of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune).
  • Dion Sims, TE (Bears): Three years, $18MM. $6MM guaranteed (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
  • Stefen Wisniewski, OL (Eagles): Three years, $9MM. $3.25MM guaranteed. $1.75MM signing bonus (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer)

Vikings To Sign OT Mike Remmers

March 10th, 2017 at 3:29pm CST by Zachary Links

The Vikings are set to sign tackle Mike Remmers, Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. It’s a five-year, $30MM deal, according to his agent Brett Tessler (on Twitter). Of course, we still need to wait and see what the guarantees on his deal look like. "<strong

Remmers bounced around the NFL over his first few seasons, but he seemingly found a home with the Panthers. After having played only six games during his first three seasons in the league, Remmers started all 32 games for Carolina over the past two years. This uptick in productivity certainly helped the free agent’s case, as PFR ranked the 27-year-old as the 10th-best free agent tackle.

In Minnesota, Remmers joins a tackle corps that includes the newly-acquired Riley Reiff, guard/tackle Jeremiah Sirles, T.J. Clemmings, Rashod Hill, and Willie Beavers. The Vikings’ offensive line has been snakebit by injuries in recent years and as expected they went out-of-house twice to fill their two starting tackle spots.

It remains to be seen how this Vikings O-Line will gel as a unit, but on paper, it’s looking pretty solid. From left to right, they’ll start Reiff, Alex Boone, Joe Berger, Sirles, and Remmers.

Remmers also had interest from the Lions.

Vikings, Texans To Meet With Mike Remmers

March 10th, 2017 at 8:57am CST by Ben Levine

Offensive lineman Mike Remmers will meet with the Vikings today and Texans tomorrow, reports ProFootballTalk.com (via Twitter). This is the first we’ve heard of these organizations having interest in the tackle, with the Lions being the lone team connected to the veteran (prior to their signing of Ricky Wagner).

After bouncing around the NFL over the past few seasons, Remmer found a home with the Panthers. After having played in six games over his first three seasons in the league, Remmers started all 32 games for Carolina over the past two years. This uptick in productivity certainly helped the free agent’s case, as PFR ranked the 27-year-old as the 10th-best free agent tackle.

In Minnesota, Remmers would join a tackle corps that includes Riley Reiff, Jeremiah Sirles, T.J. Clemmings, Rashod Hill, and Willie Beavers. Meanwhile, the Texans depth chart consists of Duane Brown, Chris Clark, Kendall Lamm, and Josh Walker.

NFC Rumors: Rams, 49ers, Lions, Saints

March 8th, 2017 at 9:03pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Rams are receiving “significant interest” as they attempt to trade franchise-tagged cornerback Trumaine Johnson, per Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). As of yet, the only club to be directly linked to the Johnson discussions is the Browns, and even that report from Ian Rapoport of NFL.com was seemingly tangential and not indicative of definitive interest. Johnson is set to earn nearly $17MM in 2017 under his second consecutive franchise tender.

Here’s more from the NFC:

  • Free agent defensive tackle Terrell McClain is generating “a lot of interest” from the 49ers, writes Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. McClain is coming off the best season of his career, as he started more 12 or more games for the first time since 2012. In 15 starts, McClain put up 39 tackles, 2.5 sacks, and two forced fumbles. He’s also been linked to Atlanta, Seattle, Washington, and Miami.
  • The Lions reached out to offensive tackle Mike Remmers before signing Ricky Wagner, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Remmers isn’t an elite tackle like Wagner, but he can play both the left and right side and has started 32 games for Carolina over the past two seasons. He rates as PFR’s No. 10 free agent offensive tackle.
  • Although the Saints have interest in retaining linebacker Michael Mauti, a deal may not come together until later in free agency, according to Joel Erickson of the Advocate (Twitter link). Mauti, 27, played in eight games for New Orleans last season before being placed on the NFI list with an intestinal issue. While he’s not a contributor on defense, Mauti did play 35% of the Saints’ special teams snaps despite only managing a half-season.
  • The meeting between the Vikings and controversial running back prospect Joe Mixon went “very well,” tweets Matt Miller of Bleacher Report. Mixon will meet with the Raiders next, per Miller, after posting a successful Pro Day this afternoon.

Top 2017 Free Agents By Position 2.0: Offense

March 6th, 2017 at 11:00pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL free agency is right around the corner! The legal tampering period starts on Tuesday and free agency officially starts on Thursday. The list of available free agents will change between now and then as players re-sign with teams or get cut loose, but we have a pretty good idea of who will be available right now. After looking at the top defensive players, we now shift our attention to the other side of the ball.

Here are our rankings for the top 15 free agents at each position. The rankings aren’t determined by earning power, they are simply the players we like the most at each position, with a combination of short- and long-term value taken into account. You won’t find restricted free agents or franchise tagged guys here since they are unlikely to go leave their current clubs.

Player evaluation is always subjective, so we encourage you to make your voices heard in the comments section in cases where you disagree with us.

Here’s our breakdown of the current top 15 free agents by offensive position for 2017:

Updated 3-7-2017, 2:55pm CT

Quarterback:

  1. Mike Glennon
  2. Nick Foles
  3. Brian Hoyer (story)
  4. Ryan Fitzpatrick
  5. Colin Kaepernick
  6. Josh McCown
  7. Case Keenum
  8. Matt McGloin
  9. Mark Sanchez
  10. Ryan Mallett
  11. Christian Ponder
  12. Blaine Gabbert
  13. Geno Smith
  14. Matt Schaub (story)
  15. EJ Manuel

Honorable mention: Ryan Nassib, Landry Jones, Shaun Hill Mike Glennon (vertical)

Colin Kaepernick’s agents have (wisely) let everyone know that their client will stand for the National Anthem in 2017. That may seem like a minor point, but teams say they would have automatically removed him from consideration if he continued his attention-grabbing protest. He grabbed headlines for his actions on the sidelines last year, but he actually turned in an OK season. From a football standpoint, Kaepernick would make sense for a lot of teams as a QB2 with upside.

Interestingly, this list includes three quarterbacks who couldn’t cut it as the Jets’ starter and three rejects from the 49ers. They say that one man’s trash is another man’s treasure and all six of those players (Ryan Fitzpatrick, Kaepernick, Mark Sanchez, Geno Smith, Christian Ponder, Blaine Gabbert) come with varying degrees of potential and proven effectiveness. Smith, somehow, could reportedly be retained by the Jets and installed as the starter in 2017.

Ryan Nassib is just outside of the top 15 here with EJ Manuel getting the final spot. Despite positive word about his play in practice, Nassib is unproven and the Giants’ apparent lack of interest in re-signing him says a lot. It’s also possible that he might not be 100% after ending the 2016 season on IR with an elbow injury. Manuel, for all his warts, has shown potential in small bursts.

Running back:

  1. Eddie Lacy
  2. Adrian Peterson
  3. LeGarrette Blount
  4. Latavius Murray
  5. Jamaal Charles
  6. Darren McFadden
  7. Jacquizz Rodgers
  8. Rex Burkhead
  9. Rashad Jennings
  10. Danny Woodhead
  11. Tim Hightower
  12. DeAngelo Williams
  13. Andre Ellington
  14. Chris Johnson
  15. Christine Michael

Honorable mention: Robert Turbin, Travaris Cadet, Benny Cunningham, Lance Dunbar, Bobby Rainey, Brandon Bolden, Denard Robinson, James Starks

Adrian Peterson (vertical)As expected, the Vikings have cut Adrian Peterson loose and he is expected to garner interest from contending clubs this week. Some might peg Peterson as the most talented running back in this year’s free agent class, but it all comes down to how you weigh his age and injury history. Peterson has shocked the football world in the past with an incredible comeback, but I’m a little skeptical of his ability to do it again in his age-32 season. Eddie Lacy, who has injury question marks of his own, takes the top spot at the position.

The Patriots believe they won’t be able to match the offers that come in LeGarrette Blount‘s direction. Latavius Murray could circle back to the Raiders, but he won’t be agreeing to a deal with them before free agency opens on Thursday.

Jamaal Charles has the most impressive resume of anyone on this list, with the exception of Peterson. However, no one knows exactly what he can do after playing eight games in the last two years. He’ll turn 31 in December and that’s usually not an indicator of success for running backs.

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