Muhammad Wilkerson - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Mailbags: Jets, Patriots, Ravens

January 30th, 2016 at 9:45am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. We’ve compiled some of the more notable answers below…

When it comes to the Jets own free agents, Rich Cimini believes the team should make re-signing quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson and defensive tackle Damon Harrison a priority. On the other side, the writer can’t envision linebackers Demario Davis and Calvin Pace or running back Chris Ivory returning.
With uncertainty surrounding the Patriots receiver depth, Mike Reiss explored several free agents who could help the team. The writer points to Bengals wideouts Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu, as well as Leonard Hankerson, Rishard Matthews, and Anquan Boldin.
While the Ravens could certainly use a playmaker on defense, Jamison Hensley doesn’t believe the team will sign Von Miller. The talented linebacker is a free agent, but Hensley is convinced he’s going to return to the Broncos.
Hensley also believes the Ravens will end up staying pat with the sixth pick of the draft, but he notes that general manager Ozzie Newsome has previously shown a willingness to trade back.

Front Office Notes: Jets, Giants, Titans, Lions

January 16th, 2016 at 12:29pm CST by Ben Levine

Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan filled his season-ending press conference with “generalities and overall nothingness,” writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Still, the executive did elaborate on several topics, including free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick.

“We’d like very much to get him back… We’ll see how this thing works out.”

“Bryce [Petty] has made a lot of progress. We’re kind of excited to have another offseason with him… With Geno [Smith], he’s under contract. We like the progress he’s made.”

Maccagnan also noted that “it’s not impossible” to keep all of their top defensive linemen, including Muhammad Wilkerson, Sheldon Richardson, Damon Harrison and Leonard Williams.

Let’s check out some more notes from the league’s front offices…

Giants general manager Jerry Reese understands that it’s his job to improve the roster, and he said he puts it on himself if the team doesn’t perform well. “At the end of the day, it’s my responsibility,” he said (via Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News). “If somebody doesn’t get it right, if somebody doesn’t pan out, it’s the GM’s responsibility.”
While candidates have been interviewing for the Titans head coach vacancy, ownership has made it clear that they have no desire to sell the team, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The Lions have fired senior personnel executive Scott McEwen, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). The former Director of College Scouting was the longest tenured scout in the organization.
According to Schefter (on Twitter), the Lions have hired Kyle O’Brien as their Director of Player Personnel.

Extra Points: Kaepernick, Jets, Foster, Draft

January 14th, 2016 at 10:35pm CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers announced today that Chip Kelly will be the team’s new head coach, which created a whole new set of questions about whether Colin Kaepernick might have a future in San Francisco after all. After being benched in 2015, Kaepernick, who is owed a base salary of nearly $12MM in 2016, looked like a candidate to be traded or released this offseason.

According to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), however, Kelly told the Niners in his interviews that he likes both Kaepernick and Blaine Gabbert, so the team and its new coach are keeping their options open. Kelly plans to sit down with Kaepernick at some point to determine which direction to go, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who tweets that Kelly will make the call on the club’s quarterback.

While we look forward to seeing if Kaepernick can be rejuvenated under Kelly, let’s check out a few more odds and ends from around the NFL….

General manager Mike Maccagnan indicated today that his Jets would like to re-sign Muhammad Wilkerson and the franchise tag is definitely in play for the defensive lineman, says Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Still, Wilkerson is facing a six-month rehab for his broken leg, and may have to be placed on the PUP list to start training camp. Cimini gets the sense that the Jets GM isn’t optimistic about keeping both Wilkerson and defensive tackle Damon Harrison.
As Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes, Arian Foster‘s future with the Texans remains up in the air, but it looks like something’s got to give, since the veteran running back is coming off a torn Achilles and has a cap hit of nearly $9MM in 2016. “We’ll have to see how healthy he is,” Texans owner Bob McNair said. “But until we know that, there’s really not much you can think about.”
The Jets are showing significant interest in CFL star wide receiver Eric Rogers, who visited them on Wednesday after working out for them a few weeks ago, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com tweets. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets that the Lions and Rogers may be a logical fit as well, since new GM Bob Quinn worked him out in New England, and wide receiver may be a position of need for Detroit.
Mel Kiper’s first mock draft of 2016 at ESPN.com (Insider-only link) features Joey Bosa, Jared Goff, and Laremy Tunsil coming off the board in the top three to the Titans, Browns, and Chargers respectively.

AFC Notes: Luck, Weddle, Jets, Broncos

January 9th, 2016 at 5:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this week, Colts quarterback Andrew Luck said signing a contract extension to stay in Indianapolis “would be great.” It appears he’ll be in luck (no pun intended), as Colts owner Jim Irsay told Gregg Doyel of the Indianapolis Star that an extension for the 25-year-old this summer “is the goal.”

“If we don’t get an agreement, we still have time,” Irsay continued. “And he is going to be signed. There’s a reasonably good chance we can come to that agreement this offseason. He will be here, trust me. Andrew and I have talked – we talked after the end of the season – and he couldn’t be more excited.”

Luck is set to count over $16MM against the Colts’ cap in 2016, the final year of his deal, before he’s scheduled for free agency. The chances of Luck hitting the market are essentially nonexistent, though, as the Colts will either extend the four-year veteran or, worst-case scenario, place the franchise tag on him. An extension could potentially make Luck the NFL’s highest-paid player.

East Notes: Coughlin, Eagles, Fins, Jets, Hardy

January 3rd, 2016 at 6:44pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Beleaguered Giants head coach Tom Coughlin isn’t a lock to go quietly, according to Pro Football Talk. The site tweets that Coughlin’s resignation isn’t definite, which would obviously require the team to fire the longtime coach if it wants to get rid of him. It isn’t out of the question that Coughlin will end up back with Big Blue for a 13th season, as co-owners John Mara and Steve Tisch could be at odds over his fate, per PFT.

Mara and Tisch will meet Monday to discuss Coughlin’s future, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). Vacchiano adds (on Twitter) that neither Coughlin’s assistant coaches nor some members of his family know his fate.

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

Bears offensive coordinator Adam Gase will interview with the Eagles and Dolphins regarding their head coaching vacancies in the coming days, ESPN’s Dianna Marie Russini reports (Twitter link).
Speaking of the Dolphins, while they’re unlikely to promote interim head coach Dan Campbell to the full-time role, his players hope he gets the job. “I know, 100 percent, he has the support of the locker room,” quarterback Ryan Tannehill said Sunday, ESPN’s James Walker writes. Owner Stephen Ross had kind words for Campbell after Miami’s 20-10 victory over New England, but he doesn’t exactly sound ready to promote the 39-year-old. “I guess in 2016, we are undefeated. It’s 2015 that I am disappointed in and the way this team,” Ross said. “But I really have to thank Dan Campbell for the great job I think he’s done in really elevating this team. I’m very pleased with that.”
Though Pro Bowl Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson suffered a broken leg Sunday in the team’s season-ending loss to Buffalo, he’ll make a full, normal recovery, per Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (on Twitter). As La Canfora notes, despite the injury, the free agent-to-be is in position to earn a big payday this offseason.
Cowboys defensive end Greg Hardy, a pending free agent, wants to return to Dallas next season. “If the Cowboys offer me an opportunity to stay, I would love to stay here,” he said, per ESPN’s Jean-Jacques Taylor. Owner Jerry Jones seems open to re-signing Hardy. “He was an outstanding player and we may not have gotten his individual sack total up, but he made an impact across the board. He was a good player for us, and we’ll evaluate real close any good player.”

Muhammad Wilkerson Breaks Leg

January 3rd, 2016 at 3:33pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Not only did the Jets fail to secure a playoff berth by losing to the Bills today, but the offseason status of one of their star players just got quite a bit more complicated. Head coach Todd Bowles told reporters, including Kimberly Martin of Newsday (Twitter link), that defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson suffered a broken leg during today’s contest.

Because he suffered the injury in early January, Wilkerson should have no trouble getting back on the field in time for next season. But Wilkerson could have his offseason workout routine disrupted, and more importantly, his contract expires at season’s end, meaning he’ll head to free agency amid questions about his health. The 26-year-old hadn’t been seeing any progress in extension talks with the Jets, and had looked like a candidate for the franchise tag.

A Pro Bowler this season, Wilkerson had played in 15 games, racking up an impressive 12 sacks and grading as the league’s No. 13 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). I placed Wilkerson fourth in the inaugural edition of PFR’s 2016 Free Agent Power Rankings.

AFC Notes: Pagano, Manning, Jets

December 26th, 2015 at 5:47pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look around the AFC:

One of the reasons for the Colts’ offensive decline this season is head coach Chuck Pagano‘s mentality, a source told Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Pagano prefers a run-first, ball-control attack rather than a high-flying approach – a 180 in attitude for a team that led the NFL in passing yards in 2014. With Indianapolis having been without quarterback Andrew Luck for a large chunk of the year, it’s hard to fault Pagano for shying away from the passing game. However, his ground-and-pound method hasn’t worked, as Indy is tied for 30th in both rushing yards (1,211) and per-carry average (3.6). The Colts have also been dismal through the air, coming in at 31st in yards per attempt (6.4) and 29th in rating (77.6).
Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak took in Peyton Manning‘s workout Saturday and subsequently offered some encouraging words on his injured quarterback. “It went really well,” Kubiak said, per Mike Klis of 9News. “He had a good week, worked really hard this morning. Well, he worked every morning, but worked out really hard this morning conditioning-wise and throwing-wise.” Manning, who hasn’t played since mid-November because of a partially torn plantar fascia in his left foot, will miss the Broncos’ key game Monday against Cincinnati. There’s a small chance he could be healthy enough to play in Denver’s regular-season finale on Jan. 3. Of course, even if the 39-year-old is ready to come back by then or during the playoffs, there’s no guarantee he’ll take the starting job back from Brock Osweiler.
The Jets will have important decisions to make over the next couple offseasons regarding three members of their dominant defensive line. Both Muhammad Wilkerson and Damon Harrison are free agents at the end of the season, and Sheldon Richardson‘s contract is up after the 2016 campaign. Don’t be surprised if all three are Jets for at least one more year, ESPN’s Rich Cimini writes. Cimini expects Wilkerson to get the franchise tag, while he believes the team could lock up Harrison to a long-term deal worth roughly $4.5MM per annum. If the Jets enable Harrison to hit the open market, he’s likely to head elsewhere. Richardson has been mentioned in the past as a trade candidate, but the Jets are unlikely to move him because of his off-field legal issues. He could start next season suspended for as many as six games, which would significantly damage his trade value and deter the Jets from dealing him.

East Notes: Cowboys, Wilkerson, Pouncey

December 23rd, 2015 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys‘ 2015 season was derailed by multiple collarbone injuries to quarterback Tony Romo, with the team struggling to win even a single game in his absence. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), there are members of the Cowboys organization who want to avoid risking that scenario again in 2016 by selecting a quarterback early in this year’s draft.

Drafting a quarterback early would give the club a more viable backup option in the short term, and would potentially provide a long-term replacement for Romo. However, Cole adds that owner Jerry Jones may be more inclined to use the team’s top-10 pick on a player at another position that could help the team return to contention immediately. Considering Jones said earlier this season that he thinks Romo still has four or five years left in him, that’s not a real surprise — I’m not sure I believe the 35-year-old can play that long, but if Jones believes it, there’s no reason he’d feel the need to draft Romo’s replacement yet.

Here are a few more items from around the NFL’s East divisions:

Noting that rumors of a potential contract extension have died down within the last few weeks, Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk wonders if Jones’ comments this week about the Cowboys‘ disappointing pass rush indicate “some degree of buyer’s remorse” on Greg Hardy.
Muhammad Wilkerson has had a great season, and he’ll get paid at some point, but given the other talent they have on their defensive line, the Jets don’t necessarily be the team that gives him a long-term deal, according to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, who suggests once again that a tag-and-trade approach might work best for New York.
Center Mike Pouncey was the only Dolphin selected as a Pro Bowler on Tuesday night, and while it’s not clear yet whether he’ll be able to finish the season and play in the Pro Bowl, he at least won’t require surgery on his injured left foot. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that Pouncey sprained his foot and ankle, and is currently wearing a boot on that foot.
Addressing a Tuesday report that suggested the Eagles were considering shutting down Bennie Logan for the season due to a calf injury, head coach Chip Kelly denied that, indicating that the defensive tackle is day to day (Twitter link).

NFL Pro Bowlers In Contract Years

December 23rd, 2015 at 10:10am CST by Luke Adams

The NFL announced its Pro Bowlers for the 2015 season on Tuesday night, and while those rosters will certainly undergo some changes in the coming weeks – as players with injuries or on Super Bowl teams bow out and are replaced by alternates – it’s worth noting that several players in this initial crop are in contract years, and will be eligible for free agency this winter.

Currently, there are eight players in contract years among the Pro Bowlers, and not all of them are players you might expect. When we ranked the top free agents of 2016 earlier this month, we placed Bears wideout Alshon Jeffery second overall, but Jeffery didn’t get a Pro Bowl nod, partly due to the injuries that have slowed him down this season, and partly due to the star-studded group of receivers he was up against.

Similarly, our list of this offseason’s top 10 potential free agents included a pair of left tackles, Russell Okung of the Seahawks and Cordy Glenn of the Bills. However, given the strong group of left tackles that are locked up to long-term deals – including Tyron Smith (Cowboys), Jason Peters (Eagles), Joe Thomas (Browns), and others – neither Okung nor Glenn could crack the initial Pro Bowl roster.

Here are the eight potential free agents who earned Pro Bowl berths:

Eric Berry, S (Chiefs)
Doug Martin, RB (Buccaneers)
Von Miller, OLB (Broncos)
Reggie Nelson, S (Bengals)
Josh Norman, CB (Panthers)
Mike Tolbert, FB (Panthers)
Muhammad Wilkerson, DL (Jets)
Charles Woodson, S (Raiders)

Berry, Miller, Norman, and Wilkerson earned spots on our top-10 list, and each of those four standout players should be in line for either the franchise tag or a lucrative long-term contract. However, the extension cases for the other four players on this list aren’t quite to cut-and-dried.

Woodson, of course, has an expiring contract, but isn’t expected to sign another one, having announced earlier this week that he’ll retire after the season. That takes him out of the extension equation entirely.

Martin is having an excellent bounce-back season in Tampa Bay, and is the most logical candidate to receive the biggest free agent deal for a running back this offseason. As we saw last winter though, not many running backs sign massive free agent contracts, and 2015’s biggest deal – DeMarco Murray‘s – won’t exactly encourage teams to invest heavily at the position. So there’s a ceiling on how much Martin will earn this winter, despite his Pro Bowl berth.

Nelson and Tolbert are interesting cases. Nelson’s counting stats (an NFL-best eight interceptions) and Pro Football Focus grades (10th among safeties) suggest he’s had a very strong year, but he’ll also be entering his age-33 season, so it’s fair to question whether he’s deserving of a contract in the range of the ones that Berry and perhaps Eric Weddle will sign.

As for Tolbert, his Pro Bowl nod comes at one of the league’s least-valued positions, and he’s also now on the wrong side of 30, which is generally bad news for running backs. I expect he’ll draw interest from plenty of teams if the Panthers don’t lock him up, but as a 30-year-old fullback, his earning potential is limited.

One more player worth mentioning is Browns center Alex Mack. Technically, Mack still has three years remaining on his contract, but he’ll have the opportunity to opt out this winter, and coming off a Pro Bowl season, there’s a good chance he’ll take advantage of that option.

Ultimately, these eight players – plus Mack – aren’t likely to get a huge boost to their annual salaries on their next contracts simply because they made the Pro Bowl. In fact, Tuesday’s Pro Bowl announcement may very well have a more tangible impact on players with Pro Bowl bonuses in their current contracts.

Still, you can bet that the representatives for these potential free agents will be sure to point to this year’s Pro Bowl roster to help make their case that their clients are among the best players in the NFL at their respective positions.

East Notes: Giants, Tannehill, Jets

December 12th, 2015 at 7:23pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

While Giants brass was fed up enough with pass rusher Damontre Moore to cut him Friday after he got in a fight over headphones with then-teammate Cullen Jenkins, ESPN’s Dan Graziano writes that most of the club’s players aren’t happy the 23-year-old is gone. One Giant told Graziano that Moore’s gameday encouragement of both offensive and defensive players will be missed, and another said the third-year man could always be counted on to attend teammates’ charity events without asking for anything in return.

The atmosphere in the locker room was quiet after Moore’s release, per Graziano, who believes his ex-Giants teammates want things to go better for him in his next stop. There’s a chance the Giants and Moore could meet as foes this year, Graziano notes, as one of their remaining opponents – the Dolphins, Panthers, Vikings or Eagles – might land him.

More on Big Blue and a couple of AFC East teams:

While the Giants’ Tom Coughlin may be past his prime, the recent work of general manager Jerry Reese hasn’t helped the head coach’s cause, submits Newsday’s Bob Glauder. The release of Moore, a third-round pick in 2013, is the latest check mark against Reese – whom Glauber believes has too often underwhelmed in the early and middle rounds of drafts over the last few years. Reese’s failure to hit on those picks has caught up to the Giants, which is a big reason why they’re 5-7.
Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill has gotten plenty of blame for the team’s disappointing season, but offensive coordinator Zac Taylor says the fourth-year man hasn’t “regressed in any way, shape, or form,” per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
The Jets have two key defensive linemen scheduled to become free agents at year’s end. One is Muhammad Wilkerson, who’s among the best, most well-known defenders in the league. The other, Damon Harrison, doesn’t have Wilkerson’s name recognition, but he has performed brilliantly. That will make it difficult for the Jets to let Harrison go, opines Brian Costello of the New York Post. The 27-year-old currently grades out as the fifth-best run-stuffing interior D-lineman in the league this season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Backup Dolphins tight end Brandon Williams broke a bone in his left foot and is likely to miss the rest of the season, head coach Dan Campbell said (Twitter link via ESPN’s James Walker).