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Nigel Bradham

Extra Points: Slay, Lions, Bills, Griffin, Oher

February 19th, 2016 at 9:19pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Lions cornerback Darius Slay has made it clear that he’d like to sign an extension with Detroit, and it looks like some movement may be coming on that front. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Slay’s new agent Drew Rosenhaus will meet with the Lions at the scouting combine to discuss a new contract. As Cole notes, it probably makes sense for Detroit to strike a deal now — and add some guaranteed money in 2016 while they’re flush with cap space — instead of waiting until next offseason and running the risk of having to franchise Slay.

Here’s a few more notes from around the NFL:

  • Restricted free agent Corbin Bryant believes he can be part of the solution in Buffalo, and the Bills defensive lineman wants to be retained, as Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News writes. Because of cap trouble, Dunne expects the Bills to tender Bryant, a restricted free agent, at the lowest level, but he notes (via Twitter) that the two sides haven’t had any talks as of yet.
  • While Bryant is set to hit restricted free agency, Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is an unrestricted free agent, and he’s willing to accept a one-year, “prove-it” deal to return to Buffalo, reports Dunne (Twitter link). Bradham was a much better fit under former Buffalo DC Jim Schwartz than he is in Rex Ryan‘s system, but general manger Doug Whaley wants Bradham to return, per Dunne.
  • Free agent safety Michael Griffin has hired David Mulugheta and Andrew Kessler as his new agents, as Rand Getlin of NFL Network reports (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Griffin was released last week after nine seasons with the Titans.
  • Like Slay did earlier this year, Panthers tackle Michael Oher has hired Rosenhaus as his representative, tweets Getlin. Oher, coming off a surprisingly successful first season in Carolina, has a $4.5MM 2016 cap charge in the second year of a two-year deal, and could be a candidate for an extension.

East Notes: L. Johnson, Patriots, Bills, Cowboys

January 30th, 2016 at 6:09pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Although perennial Pro Bowler Jason Peters currently mans left tackle in Philadelphia, the Eagles‘ extension of Lane Johnson indicates that the club clearly views him at its left tackle of the future. Johnson’s new deal, which locks him up through 2021, makes him the highest-paid right tackle in the league, and would put on him par with the most well-compensated left tackles, as well. For his part, Johnson agrees that his time on the blindside will come eventually.

“I think that’s what they drafted me for,” Johnson tells Zach Berman of Philly.com. “Obviously, Jason Peters is probably the best tackle of all time. One of them. Him and Walter Jones, in my opinion. Having him here, he’s taught me so much. I’m going to continue to [play right tackle] until that time comes.”

Here’s more from the NFL’s East divisions:

  • The Patriots‘ offensive struggles were on full display during the AFC Championship Game, and the club will have some work to do to improve the unit in 2016. But one lineman who is unlikely to be retained is swing tackle Marcus Cannon, whom Matt Dolloff of CBS Boston believes will be a salary cap casualty. Releasing Cannon would save New England about $3.69MM (the Patriots currently project to have only ~$4MM in 2016 cap space).
  • If the Patriots opt to make outside additions to its offensive line, someone like Browns right tackle Mitchell Schwartz will probably be outside of their comfort level financially. But Chiefs free agent Jeff Allen would be more affordable, and as Dolloff notes, Allen’s ability to play both guard and tackle could be intriguing to Bill Belichick.
  • Free agent linebacker Nigel Bradham clearly won’t be a priority for the Bills as they seek to re-sign Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com, who predicts that Bradham won’t return to Buffalo if he asks for $4-5MM annually. One potential replacement could be Jets linebacker Demario Davis, according to Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com, who says Buffalo could circle back to Davis after the first wave of free agency.
  • While reports have indicated that Johnny Manziel — who is in the news again for an off-field incident — would like to play for the Cowboys, Todd Archer of ESPN.com doesn’t think it would be a good move. Returning to the state where he is the biggest celebrity would not be a positive for the 23-year-old, opines Archer.

AFC Notes: Bradham, Broncos, Dolphins

December 15th, 2015 at 1:41pm CST by Luke Adams

Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is one of three starters for the team whose contract will expire at season’s end. While Bradham was a better fit under Jim Schwartz‘s defensive scheme in 2014 than he has been for Rex Ryan and Dennis Thurman this year, the veteran linebacker would still like to return to Buffalo next season, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com details.

“Yeah, I will always envision [being in Buffalo next season],” Bradham said today. “I’m here now, so I’m hoping that I’ll be here next year. But it’s one of those things where you never know. I just look forward to being here.”

Here’s more from across the AFC:

  • Despite an up-and-down first year in Buffalo, Bills head coach Rex Ryan is almost certainly safe. However, GM Doug Whaley‘s job security is less certain, writes Rodak in a separate ESPN.com piece.
  • Former third overall pick Trent Richardson is among the players working out for the Broncos today, according to Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). However, Klis adds that the players auditioning for Denver today are only being considered for future contracts, not for this season.
  • The Dolphins have invested big money into their defense, but the unit still looks like one in need of an overhaul, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. Middle linebacker, safety, and cornerback are among the positions Miami needs to address this offseason, in Salguero’s view.
  • It’s true that some NFL team owners oppose the Raiders moving to Los Angeles, tweets Kevin Acee of U-T San Diego. That’s why, in Acee’s estimation, it’s foolish to think that Chargers owner Dean Spanos would never team up with Rams owner Stan Kroenke.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Bills GM On McCoy, Incognito, Ryan

November 23rd, 2015 at 9:21pm CST by Zachary Links

Bills General Manager Doug Whaley hasn’t been heard from much in the 2015 season, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW got an opportunity to sit down with him prior to Buffalo’s contest against New England. The whole Q&A is worth a read, but here’s a look at the highlights:

Offseason acquisitions Richie Incognito and LeSean McCoy had issues with their previous teams. What led you to believe that they would be such a good fit in Buffalo?

Two things. Just from our ownership, and the whole construction of our organization, we knew that once we got those players in here, they know what’s expected of them, and they’re going to toe the line and be Buffalo Bills not only on the field, but off the field. And I think that’s a credit to the coaching staff, Rex Ryan, and also the Pegulas — just to set up an organization when you come in, you’ve got to buy into what a Buffalo Bills means, again, on and off the field.

The Bills have three starters headed for unrestricted free agency: Incognito, Nigel Bradham, and Cordy Glenn. Will you be able to retain all three?

Well, it’s going to be an organizational determination on who can we keep, and prioritize from top to bottom, of your free agents. And we’re a victim, unfortunately, of our scouting staff and how well — not only on the pro side — of acquiring free agents, but on the college side and our drafting. So, we’ve been drafting everybody. And you can’t keep everybody. That’s just the nature of the business. We’re going to try. We’re going to try our hardest, and we’re going to develop a plan after the season and try to implement it. Again, it’s going to be tough, but we’re going to try our hardest to keep all those guys.

Quarterback Tyrod Taylor has one year left on his deal. Will the Bills try and lock him up long-term this offseason?

Again, that’s another thing we’re going to have to talk about in the offseason. It’s a possibility that we’ll try to do that, but again, we’ve got a lot of things to work through in this offseason. It’s going to be a challenging one for us as a staff and an organization, like you said, just because of all the guys we’ve got coming up and the guys you want to lock up long-term. If Tyrod’s the guy, we’ll try to make sure we get him, and be our quarterback for a long, long time. And that’s a good problem to have. All these problems, we’re not complaining about, but they’re good problems.

On talk of not being on the same page as Ryan:

Rex and I, like I said from day one, we can complete each other’s sentences. The best thing about our business now is, when someone throws a report out there, they’re more believed than when you ask me a question and I answer it. If I answer it and say, ‘We’re great,’ people are still going to say, ‘I don’t believe him.’ So, that’s the business we’re in and that’s the business we’ve chosen… I’m fine with that. To answer your question, Rex and I are thick as thieves.

East Notes: Bills, Giants, Welker, Pats

October 1st, 2015 at 10:36am CST by Luke Adams

The Bills were one of the league’s most active teams this past offseason, bringing in players like LeSean McCoy and Matt Cassel via trades, signing Charles Clay and Percy Harvin in free agency, and locking up Jerry Hughes to a lucrative long-term contract. Still, while the team’s new additions have played a part in Buffalo’s early-season success, it’s the players in contract years that have contributed even more significantly, writes Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News.

As Dunne outlines, linebacker Nigel Bradham is among the Bills who have performed well in the early going and will be eligible for free agency after the season. And Bradham agrees that it’s “most definitely” a motivator to be playing for a new deal.

“It can keep you focused knowing you have to continue to play well,” Bradham said. “Because you want that — especially when you’ve never had an opportunity to get it. For me, I just play. That’s what I tell myself. Just play.”

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • The Giants brought wide receiver Wes Welker in for a workout this week, and head coach Tom Coughlin said the veteran free agent looked healthy and “very quick.” New York hasn’t signed Welker, but Coughlin acknowledged that there’s “always a chance” if the need arises (Twitter links via Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News).
  • By trading from a position of strength, the Patriots were able to add another player at a position that’s generally hard to fill, says Mike Reiss of ESPN.com in his assessment of the team’s swap of TE Michael Hoomanawanui for defensive lineman Akiem Hicks. As Reiss observes, there’s no guarantee Hoomanawanui would have even earned a post on New England’s initial 53-man roster if fullback James Develin hadn’t broken his leg.
  • With the Jets and Dolphins prepared to play one another for the first time this season, George Willis of the New York Post suggests that Jets head coach Todd Bowles is already making the Dolphins regret passing him over. Bowles was Miami’s interim head coach at the end of 2011, but the team opted to hire Joe Philbin in the offseason, rather than having Bowles continue on in the role.

Bills Clearing Room For Marcell Dareus Deal?

September 5th, 2015 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

Matt Cassel‘s release earlier today appears to be part of the Bills’ plan to make enough room for Marcell Dareus‘ looming contract extension, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (on Twitter).

The Bills, according to Carucci, want to extend Dareus before the season begins. If a deal cannot be completed in the next week before the regular season begins, the team will not address the fifth-year standout’s contract until the season ends, notes Carucci (on Twitter).

Buffalo also wants to extend outside linebacker Nigel Bradham, according to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (via Twitter).

Like Dareus, who will earn just more than $8MM this season as part of the defensive tackle’s fifth-year option, Bradham is entering a contract year. Although since the third-year starter arrived as a fourth-round pick in 2012, he has no such fifth-year negotiation-delaying luxury, increasing the team’s incentive to lock up the underrated outside backer.

 

AFC East Notes: Fins, Tannehill, Bradham, Jets

March 23rd, 2015 at 1:11pm CST by Luke Adams

The Dolphins will work this spring on attempting to finalize a long-term contract extension for quarterback Ryan Tannehill, but if the two sides don’t reach an agreement, Miami will be comfortable exercising Tannehill’s fifth-year option for the 2016 season, writes Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel.

That option would pay Tannehill $16.155MM, and would give the Dolphins a little more time to work something out with the signal-caller. However, the team may prefer to get a deal done sooner rather than later in order to ensure that Tannehill’s 2016 cap number isn’t quite so high.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC East, including a couple more Dolphins notes….

  • The Dolphins don’t have plans to add a guard in free agency or in the first couple rounds of the draft, per Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who passes along some quotes from executive VP of football operations Mike Tannenbaum on the subject. The club currently plans to have Billy Turner at one guard spot, with Dallas Thomas getting the opportunity to win the other starting job.
  • Tannenbaum also spoke to Salguero about why the Dolphins were comfortable swapping out Mike Wallace for Kenny Stills, even though it meant essentially giving up a third-round pick in exchange for a fifth-rounder.
  • The Bills are expected to discuss a potential contract extension for linebacker Nigel Bradham this week, sources tell Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Bradham, who established new career highs with 104 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, and seven passes defended, is eligible for an extension on his rookie deal for the first time this offseason, and hired Drew Rosenhaus as his new agent back in January. Both Rosenhaus and Bills negotiator Jim Overdorf are in attendance at the annual league meetings in Arizona.
  • Former Giants linebacker Spencer Paysinger could become the latest free agent to make the move from one New York team to the other. According to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter links), Paysinger is scheduled to visit the Jets tomorrow.

2015 Proven Performance Escalator Raises

January 16th, 2015 at 8:21pm CST by Dallas Robinson

According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time in said snaps for the duration of his first three years in the league. If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s restricted free agent qualifying offer — that figure was $1.431MM last year, and will inflate commensurate with the salary cap increase. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.

Here are the players who will see their 2015 salary rise due to the PPE, courtesy of Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap.

Bengals: George Iloka, S; Mohamed Sanu, WR

Bills: Nigel Bradham, LB

Broncos: Malik Jackson, DL; Danny Trevathan, LB;

Browns: Billy Winn, DL

Cardinals: Bobby Massie, T

Chargers: Johnnie Troutman, G

Colts: Dwayne Allen, TE; T.Y. Hilton, WR

Dolphins: Lamar Miller, RB; Olivier Vernon, DE

Eagles: Brandon Boykin, CB; Nick Foles; QB

Falcons: Lamar Holmes, T

Jets: Demario Davis, LB; Antonio Allen, DB

Packers: Mike Daniels, DL

Panthers: Josh Norman, CB

Patriots: Alfonzo Dennard, CB

Raiders: Miles Burris, LB

Rams: Chris Givens, WR; Trumaine Johnson, CB

Ravens: Gino Gradkowski, C

Saints: Akiem Hicks, DT; Corey White, CB

Seahawks: J.R. Sweezy, G; Russell Wilson, QB

Steelers: Kelvin Beachum, T

Texans: Brandon Brooks, G; Jared Crick, DL; Ben Jones, G

Titans: Coty Sensabaugh, CB

Vikings: Robert Blanton, S: Rhett Ellison, TE; Josh Robinson, CB; Jarius Wright, WR

Washington: Alfred Morris, RB

Extra Points: Newman, McCloughan, Bradham

January 5th, 2015 at 11:44pm CST by Luke Adams

As Terence Newman nears potential free agency, the veteran cornerback will have to decide whether or not he’ll continue his playing career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. While Newman would love a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, there’s also some appeal in going out on his own terms, as he explains.

“I think Barry Sanders did it best,” Newman said. “He just said, ‘Hey, this isn’t for me anymore.’ He was probably one of the only people that ever went out on his own terms; he wasn’t forced out age-wise or whatever. He just called it quits because he wanted to. He’s probably the only person I can think of that ever did that.”

Assuming Newman does decide to continue playing, another year with the Bengals is a possibility. The cornerback says he expects to be in contact with the team, adding “[we’ll] see what happens.” Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The draft order has been set for picks 21 through 24 this year, as Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk details. Based on record and strength-of-schedule tiebreakers, it’ll be the Bengals at No. 21, followed by the Steelers, Lions, and Cardinals, respectively.
  • We heard on Monday morning that Washington has interest in hiring former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan to a front office role, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) reports that McCloughan actually has offers from at least three teams for prominent front office positions. McCloughan is “relishing” being his own boss at the moment, but may seriously consider taking a role with an NFL team, says La Canfora. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter links) says the Raiders courted McCloughan, but were unwilling to give GM Reggie McKenzie‘s decision-making power to McCloughan, who would only have been interested in the role if he were running the team’s football department.
  • Greg Roman, who is expected to land with another team as an offensive coordinator, definitely won’t be back with the 49ers, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who identifies a few possible candidates to oversee San Francisco’s offense in 2015.
  • After reporting on Monday morning that the Bills were interested in negotiating a new deal for newly-extension-eligible linebacker Nigel Bradham, Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Bradham has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.
  • Addressing his team’s defensive line and its inability to create a consistent pass rush, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said today, “We need to improve the guys who are coming back here next year and continue to improve, and we need to infuse some new players, to be honest with you” (link via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
  • Nick Fairley‘s NFL future is largely tied to that of Ndamukong Suh, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, who explains that the Lions won’t have the ability to keep both defensive tackles this offseason.
  • In response to a report that Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, St. Louis officials released a statement today indicating that the city is “ready to demonstrate our commitment” to keeping the franchise in Missouri, per Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal (TwitLonger link).

AFC East Notes: Bradham, McDaniels, Dolphins

January 5th, 2015 at 11:00am CST by Luke Adams

As two teams from the AFC East – the Bills and the Jets – continue to hunt for a new head coach, let’s check in on a few unrelated items from out of the division….

  • The Bills are interested in extending the contract of linebacker Nigel Bradham, who is coming off a breakout season, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Bradham, who established new career highs with 104 tackles, a pair of forced fumbles, and seven passes defended, is eligible for an extension on his rookie deal for the first time this offseason.
  • Asked in his weekly conference call about his discussions last week with the Falcons and 49ers for their head coaching vacancies, Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels said those meetings were “fine,” as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com details. “I just had an initial meeting with them and it hasn’t really gone any further in either direction,” McDaniels said. “So, again, I’m back to focusing on the next task at hand for us, which is the Ravens. I’m sure they’ll do what they need to do on their end. I’m sure those things will take care of themselves in the future.”
  • Because he spent the 2013 season on the reserve/non-football injury list, Bills offensive lineman Chris Hairston finishes his rookie contract this winter eligible for restricted free agency rather than unrestricted free agency, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter). As Rodak points out, linebacker Kiko Alonso will be in the same situation a year from now.
  • Given the lack of star head coaches available this winter, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald can understand why Dolphins owner Stephen Ross elected to retain Joe Philbin for the 2015 season.
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