Nick Mangold - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Garoppolo, Jets, Workouts

December 10th, 2016 at 9:39am CST by Ben Levine

Where will Jimmy Garoppolo be playing next season? Well, if you ask former Browns and Patriots executive Mike Lombardi, he believes the young quarterback will be playing in Cleveland.

“The next quarterback that’ll be the Cleveland Browns’ quarterback perhaps is Jimmy Garoppolo in New England,” Lombardi said on FS1’s Speak for Yourself (via Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com). “I think Cleveland understands, [coach] Hue Jackson specifically understands he needs a quarterback. I think they’ll be very aggressive. I think Jimmy Garoppolo’s on top of their list, and I think they’ll go hard after him.”

The Browns are stocked with picks for the upcoming draft, including a pair of firsts and a pair of second-rounders. Furthermore, the two teams have already made a pair of trades this year in the Barkevious Mingo deal and the Jamie Collins deal.

Assuming the Browns aren’t going to pursue some of the available veteran options, Garoppolo could be the most attractive option. In two full games this season, the former second-rounder completed 70-percent of his passes for 496 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions. The 25-year-old will be entering the final year of his rookie contract in 2017.

Let’s check out some more notes out of the AFC East…

Ben Volin of The Boston Globe suggests (via Twitter) another suitor for Garoppolo: the Bears. Volin tweets that Chicago desperately wants a young quarterback, and he also notes that the Patriots signal-caller is from Chicago and went to Eastern Illinois. Volin also suggests the 49ers and Cardinals as potential landing spots.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini details how the Jets can get under the cap and clear about $50MM worth of space. In a vacuum, the team could cut or trade several notable veterans to get to that threshold, including Brandon Marshall, Nick Mangold, David Harris, Ryan Clady, Breno Giacomini, and Sheldon Richardson (trade). Of course, as Cimini notes, cutting that many veterans would create some giant holes on the roster.
Wideout Quincy McDuffie worked out for the Jets yesterday, tweets agent Brett Tessler. McDuffie spent the 2016 season with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Tessler notes that the speedy wideout is widely regarded as the best return man in the CFL.

Jets Shut Nick Mangold Down For Year

December 8th, 2016 at 1:16pm CST by Zachary Links

Frustrated with the slow healing of his ankle, Jets center Nick Mangold is being shut down for the year, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. With four games to go this year and no chance of making the playoffs, the decision has been made to end Mangold’s season after today’s visit with specialist Dr. Robert Anderson in North Carolina.

[RELATED: Jets Claim Arthur Brown]

Mangold, 33 in January, is a seven-time Pro Bowler and generally regarded as one of the best centers in the NFL. This year, he has been hampered by injury and has not been playing up to his usual standard. In his eight games, Mangold has a 78.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, slotting him as just the 24th best center in the NFL. Backup Wesley Johnson has a disappointing 45.0 score, but the Jets feel like he has been a capable fill-in. Johnson will likely get the nod with Mangold is sidelined.

Mangold is entering the final year of a seven-year extension worth a potential $54.075MM. He’s due to carry a cap number of $9.075MM but the Jets can avoid paying a chunk of that by cutting him this offseason.

Jets Notes: Quarterbacks, Mangold, Revis

December 3rd, 2016 at 9:01am CST by Ben Levine

Geno Smith hasn’t shown the ability to lead a team during his four years in the league, but you can’t knock the quarterback’s confidence. Talking to Fred Kerber of the New York Post, the 26-year-old said he agrees with his mother when she says the signal-caller’s best is yet to come.

“My mom told me something that was pretty special,” Smith said. “She’d been going to my games since I was a kid and never missed a game. And these past few years, I missed more games than I missed in my life and she said, ‘There’s always a time for that, there’s always a season where you feel like things aren’t going right. And then what comes after that is usually the best part of your life.’”

For what it’s worth, ESPN’s Rich Cimini (via Twitter) wouldn’t rule out Smith sticking around with the Jets in 2017, but he ultimately believes it’s “unlikely.” Smith is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason.

Let’s take a look at some more notes out of the Big Apple…

Speaking of quarterbacks, Cimini can’t envision the team cutting bait with Bryce Petty (Twitter link). Furthermore, even considering Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s impending free agency, the writer can’t see the team selecting a quarterback in this year’s draft. Instead, Cimini points to a pair of veteran quarterbacks the Jets could pursue: Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com believes the Jets could cut veteran offensive lineman Nick Mangold this offseason. However, the writer cautions that the team could offer him a “token pay cut” like they did with D’Brickashaw Ferguson.
Ralph Vacchiano of SNY writes that it “remains possible” that cornerback Darrelle Revis could return to the Jets next season. Fitzgerald tweets that the Jets are on the hook for $6MM of Revis’ salary, so they might as well get some return on the investment. Earlier this week, the veteran cornerback dismissed reports that he’s ready to retire.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Jets, Mangold, Fins, Gase

July 19th, 2016 at 6:16pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

This season is only Rex Ryan‘s second with the Bills, but it might already be a make-or-break year for the head coach. With the Bills’ disappointing defense having been the primary cause of the team’s 8-8 finish in 2015, another year without a playoff berth could push Ryan out of Buffalo. But count receiver Sammy Watkins as one notable Bill who, regardless of what happens this year, wants Ryan back in 2017. “Honestly, I love Rex,” Watkins said Tuesday (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com). “It will be sad if somebody just got fired off of losses. And I know it’s a business, but that’s how things work.”

A full campaign from Watkins, who caught 60 passes for 1,047 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games last season, could help the Bills end their NFL-worst 16-year playoff drought and keep Ryan under their employ. Watkins suffered a minor foot fracture during the spring, though the third-year man should be ready for the start of training camp at the end of the month.

More regarding Buffalo and two of its AFC East rivals:

The Jets are at the beginning of a two-year evaluation period with center Nick Mangold, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. A Jet since they selected him in the first round of the 2006 draft, Mangold remains effective, as Costello notes, but he’ll be 34 when his contract expires after the 2017 season. If the seven-time Pro Bowler doesn’t show signs of aging over the next two years, he could extend his career-long tenure in New York.
The presence of rookie head coach Adam Gase is one of the main reasons to expect the Dolphins to improve on their 6-10 mark and last-place finish from a year ago, opines Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. While opposing coaches often out-schemed Gase’s 2015 predecessors, Joe Philbin and Dan Campbell, Beasley doesn’t look for that to continue during the Gase era, citing his previous success as an offensive coordinator in both Denver and Chicago. Gase worked well with quarterbacks Tim Tebow, Peyton Manning and Jay Cutler in those cities, and he’ll now try to maximize Ryan Tannehill‘s potential with the Dolphins.
Of the Bills’ seven undrafted free agents, former Oklahoma linebacker Eric Striker has the best chance to earn a roster spot this summer, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW explains. After Preston Brown, Reggie Ragland and possibly Zach Brown, the Bills don’t have any inside linebackers who are strong bets to make their roster. That could open the door for Striker, who totaled 45 tackles for loss and 22.5 sacks with the Sooners from 2013-15.
At least in terms of name value, Miami made a significant move in signing free agent running back Arian Foster on Monday. Buffalo is also hoping to lure in a recognizable back, meanwhile, having made an offer to the unemployed Reggie Bush.

East Notes: Wilkerson, Snee, Ertz

July 19th, 2014 at 9:00am CST by Matt Feminis

Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson will make a “ridiculously low” $1.2MM this season, writes ESPNNewYork’s Rich Cimini: “[Wilkerson] won’t become a Darrelle Revis-type distraction — Wilkerson vowed not to stage a holdout — but the topic is bound to come up in his dealings with the media. He has two years remaining on his deal…The Jets have time (and leverage) on their side, so they won’t do a deal unless it makes sense for them. With more than $20 million in cap room, why not do it now? It would send a positive message, showing the organization is committed to keeping its own. That hasn’t always been the case. See: Revis.”

Here’s some more AFC and NFC East reading:

Center Nick Mangold carries the second-highest cap hit on the Jets, and while his play has slipped a bit, he remains invaluable, says Brian Costello in the New York Post.
The rookie season of Bills first-round quarterback EJ Manuel was scrutinized by Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo. The results? Manuel struggled with deep passing, but perhaps more worrisome is that Manual struggled with a clean pocket.
The Bills are unlikely to keep two fullbacks, meaning bubble players Frank Summers and Evan Rodriguez will compete for the job. ESPN’s Mike Rodak makes the case for both players, saying Summers “contributed on both offense and special teams and remains the Bills’ best option as a lead blocker in goal line situations,” while Rodriguez “offers more of that ‘triple threat.'”
Veteran Chris Snee will be the Giants’ right guard if he’s healthy enough to handle the job, but his elbow injury prevented him from getting through OTAs and minicamp. Accordingly, NJ.com’s Jordan Raanan views Brandon Mosely as the “healthiest and strongest candidate heading into camp.”
The Eagles are anticipating a breakout season from second-year tight end Zach Ertz, who produced 36 receptions for 469 yards and four touchdowns in 450 snaps last season.
Redskins safety Bacarri Rambo started three games as a rookie last season, but he sounds like a player on the bubble in the eyes of ESPN’s John Keim: “Rambo did such a poor job in this area last year and there’s no way you can be a backup safety and not contribute on special teams. He will not bump Ryan Clark from the starting job so Rambo had better improve on special teams.”