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Parys Haralson

Extra Points: Raiders, Vegas, UDFAs, Haralson

May 10th, 2016 at 1:50pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders‘ long-term future remains up in the air, but there have been indications in recent weeks that Las Vegas is becoming a more and more viable landing spot for the franchise. There are still plenty of roadblocks to clear, including getting funding for the proposed Vegas stadium and getting at least 24 NFL owners to approve having a franchise in America’s gambling capital. But Las Vegas mayor Carolyn Goodman is confident that those hurdles can be overcome.

“The Raiders will come if Nevada handles this properly,” Goodman said during an appearance on ESPN Radio’s Capital Games podcast today, as ESPN’s Andy Katz writes. “[Raiders owner] Mark Davis has assured us that Las Vegas is not getting played in a Raiders stadium deal. I know we will have a team.”

While we wait to see if Vegas continues to make progress toward becoming a realistic possibility for Davis and his franchise, let’s round up a few Tuesday odds and ends from around the NFL…

  • In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, draft guru Mel Kiper identifies 30 undrafted free agents to keep an eye on this summer. The Bills, Panthers, Bears, Broncos, Colts, Saints, Jets, 49ers each have two signees on the list, while the Buccaneers have an impressive four of the 30.
  • The drastic pay cut Danny Amendola accepted to remain with the Patriots is the latest example of the significant leverage NFL teams have over players in most contract negotiations, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
  • The 49ers announced today in a press release that former NFL linebacker Parys Haralson has joined the team as the director of player engagement. Haralson, who last played for the Saints in 2014, spent seven years in San Francisco as a player from 2006 to 2012, and worked out for the Niners last fall after being cut by New Orleans.

Terrelle Pryor Working Out For Niners

October 5th, 2015 at 11:52am CST by Luke Adams

The 49ers will become the latest team to take a look at Terrelle Pryor, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that Pryor is working out for San Francisco today. Getlin adds that the former Ohio State signal-caller will audition as a wide receiver rather than a quarterback.

Pryor, making the transition from quarterback to receiver this summer, impressed Browns coaches in training camp. However, after the team set its 53-man roster prior to Week 1, Pryor was essentially the 53rd man, making him expendable when other holes needed to be filled, and resulting in his release.

Since then, Pryor has tried out for a handful of teams interested in seeing what he looks like as a receiver. The Patriots, Seahawks, Jets, and Steelers are among the clubs that have brought Pryor in for at least one workout.

Of course, even though the Niners view him as a receiver, Pryor’s workout in San Francisco may fuel various theories and speculation in the Bay Area about the quarterback position, given Colin Kaepernick‘s poor performance through the season’s first four weeks. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports writes, despite initially being billed as a $126MM extension, Kaepernick’s current contract doesn’t offer much long-term security — Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap also explained today why Kaepernick’s deal doesn’t assure him of the Niners’ starting job beyond 2015.

Still, while Pryor’s ability to throw the ball may be a bonus for any team that decides to take a flier on him as a receiver, there’s no indication that the Niners are looking to move on from Kaepernick at this point, and it’s unlikely that Pryor would be their first choice in that scenario anyway.

According to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, linebacker Parys Haralson is also working out today for the 49ers.

East Notes: RGIII, Patriots, Washington

September 29th, 2015 at 12:12pm CST by Luke Adams

Robert Griffin III hasn’t dressed for any of Washington‘s first three regular season games, but his presence “continues to loom over the franchise, writes Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Griffin still has support within the organization, and – according to Jones – league insiders have speculated that the Washington brass could eventually force Jay Gruden to go back to RGIII if Kirk Cousins falters, even though Colt McCoy is technically the backup.

Griffin has a fifth-year option on his contract for 2016 that is currently guaranteed for injury only, so playing him would put the team at risk — if the fourth-year quarterback suffered a serious injury, the club would be on the hook for $16MM+ in ’16. Still, Jones can’t help but wonder if the former second overall pick will get one last shot in D.C.

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

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Saints Cut Parys Haralson

September 5th, 2015 at 1:39pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Saints’ linebacking corps continues to fluctuate, with the team now deciding to cut veteran linebacker Parys Haralson, according to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport (on Twitter).

Haralson was a part-time starter in New Orleans the past two seasons, starting 20 games but appearing in all 32 since joining the team in 2013.

Prior to that, the 31-year-old linebacker was a fixture on the 49ers, starting from 2007-11 after being a fifth-round pick of the team’s in 2006.

Already out Curtis Lofton in free agency, the Saints earlier this summer cut Junior Galette and Anthony Spencer, the latter moving to injured reserve, so a lesser-known linebacking corps will man the second level for the team this season.

Haralson should attract interest, earning positive marks from Pro Football Focus the past two years for his work at outside backer.

 

Tuesday Roundup: Cassel, Winston, Peterson

February 24th, 2015 at 8:38pm CST by Rory Parks

Vikings GM Rick Spielman said that nothing definitive has been decided about bringing Matt Cassel back to the team, but Spielman was complimentary of his veteran signal-caller when discussing him earlier this week. “We went through our process, we evaluated all of our players,” Spielman said, according to Brian Hall of FOXSportsNorth.com. “We looked at everything from what they bring to our football team, in the locker room, off the field, what they bring to us on the field. But we also have to look at where they’re at from a standpoint of their contract, where we’re at from a cap standpoint…Matt’s done a great job. Came in and has won some games when he had to play. He’s a great locker-room guy. Matt has a lot of value to us.” Cassel is signed for the 2015 season at a salary of $4.15MM, and he’ll count $4.75MM against the cap.

Now for some more links from around the league on this Tuesday evening:

  • Tahir Whitehead filled in capably for Stephen Tulloch when Tulloch went out last season, and that leaves the Lions with an interesting choice this offseason, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Detroit could continue to roll with Whitehead at middle linebacker and carve out some space by parting ways with Tulloch. The 30-year-old is slated to count $5.8MM against the cap next season. Whitehead, meanwhile, costs just $713K.
  • The consensus around the league is that the Buccaneers will draft Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, according to a tweet from the NFL Network (citing its own Ian Rapoport).
  • The Colts are in dire need of a running back, and Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that the team will be closely monitoring the Adrian Peterson situation. If Peterson and the Vikings part ways, Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson, a noted risk-taker, may pull the trigger.
  • Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora has no plans to retire, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Umenyiora, 33, will become a free agent on March 10, and he said he would like to play at least one more season. If he could choose, Umenyiora stated that he would like to finish his career where it started: with the Giants.
  • Packers fullback John Kuhn is one of the last members of a dying breed, but the impending free agent reaffirmed his importance to the Green Bay offense in 2014, earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. As Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com writes, there is mutual interest in Kuhn’s return to the Packers.
  • Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered interest from at least a dozen teams, is expected to sign with a club this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
  • Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes middle linebacker Nate Irving could be a fit with the Raiders if the impending free agent is not re-signed by the Broncos.
  • Parys Haralson, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in February, hopes to end his career in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.
  • Jason Fitzerald of OverTheCap.com provides the Panthers‘ salary cap outlook for the 2015 season.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

 

FA Notes: Fairley, Cowboys, Saints, Eagles

February 14th, 2015 at 12:42pm CST by Ben Levine

Following news that Nick Fairley was cleared of his DUI charge, the Lions defensive tackle made it clear that he wants to stay in Detroit longterm.

“I love Detroit, to be honest,” Fairley said (via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “I feel the city, the people in it. I love the atmosphere of basically the hard work that they bring. I’m just all work, and that’s definitely the vibe I get from the city, and I like it.”

The former first-rounder struggled through a knee injury in 2014, finishing with career-lows in tackles (eight) and sacks (one).

Let’s take a look at some more notes regarding this year’s free agent class…

 

Saints Re-Sign Parys Haralson

February 14th, 2015 at 10:25am CST by Luke Adams

SATURDAY, 10:25am: Haralson will indeed earn the minimum salary, a one-year contract worth $870K, according to Evan Woodbery of NOLA.com (via Twitter).

THURSDAY, 5:58pm: The Saints made it official with a press release.

12:27pm: The Saints have agreed to terms on a one-year contract with outside linebacker Parys Haralson, keeping him off the free agent market, a league source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). According to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com (via Twitter), the deal figures to be for the minimum salary.

Haralson, who turned 31 last month, has spent the past two seasons with the Saints, serving as a part-time player on the team’s defensive unit. In 2014, he recorded 36 tackles and three sacks, to go along with a +1.5 Pro Football Focus grade in 498 snaps (subscription required). As PFF’s metrics showed, Haralson is at his best against the run — out of 40 qualified 4-3 outside linebackers, the former Tennessee Volunteer ranked fifth as a run defender.

Haralson’s previous one-year deal with the Saints was for the minimum salary and included a $65K signing bonus, the maximum bonus for a minimum-salary benefit contract. Like Fitzgerald, I expect Haralson’s new pact to look nearly identical to his last one, though the minimum salary for a player with his experience will get a modest bump, from $855K to $870K.

NFC South Notes: Haralson, Saints, Panthers

February 5th, 2015 at 1:27pm CST by Zachary Links

The Saints are starting to work on their free agents but there’s nothing new regarding linebacker Parys Haralson yet, according to Katherine Terrell of The Times-Picayune (on Twitter). The 31-year-old played in all 16 games in 2014 and made 12 starts. He registered 36 total tackles, 3.0 sacks, and 1 fumble recovery on the year. More from the NFC South..

  • Renee Benson testified Wednesday that her stepmother has kept her from seeing her father, Saints owner Tom Benson, Katherine Sayre of The Times-Picayune writes. Renee, Rita and Ryan Benson are waging a legal fight to have Tom Benson declared incompetent to manage his sports empire and other wealth. Last month, the 87-year-old announced that he intends to leave full ownership and control of the Saints (and the NBA’s Pelicans) to wife Gayle Benson rather than the three previous heirs.
  • Assistant wide receivers coach Carter Sheridan officially left the Saints to become the receivers coach at Tulane, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Sheridan was with the Saints organization for eleven years, starting out as an intern in the marketing department in 2004 before he made the transition to the coaching staff.
  • The Panthers promoted assistant Bruce DeHaven to the position of special teams coordinator and he’ll have his work cut out for him. If DeHaven and the Panthers are serious about improving in the third facet of the game, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer says they need to start by adding a veteran returner since they never properly replaced Ted Ginn last year. GM Dave Gettleman said last month he was considering bringing in players to play exclusively on special teams and Person supports that idea. The Panthers finished at or near the bottom in a number of key special teams categories under Richard Rodgers, who was moved to the defensive staff.

Saints Sign Parys Haralson

April 1st, 2014 at 6:33pm CST by Rory Parks

The Saints have re-signed free agent LB Parys Haralson to a one-year deal, the team announced (via Twitter).

New Orleans acquired Haralson last season in a trade with the 49ers, sending a 2014 seventh-round draft pick to San Francisco in exchange for the veteran linebacker. Haralson played in all 16 games for the Saints last season, starting eight of those games and finishing with 30 tackles and 3.5 sacks.

Over the course of his eight-year career, the former Tennessee Volunteer and 2006 fifth-round draft pick has played in 102 games, including 76 starts, and has amassed 330 tackles, 25 sacks, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, and 24 special teams stops. Haralson is capable of playing either on the weak-side or the strong-side, and is particularly particularly adept against the run; his presence would have been missed in New Orleans had he signed elsewhere.

NFC North Rumors: Tate, Neal, Haralson,

March 12th, 2014 at 2:32pm CST by Zachary Links

A quick look at the NFC North..

  • Golden Tate is visiting with the Lions today, according to Michelle Beisner of NFL Network (via Ian Rapoport on Twitter). The former Seahawks notable is coming off of his most productive season ever in which he hauled in 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns.
  • The Bears could target Packers free agent defensive end Mike Neal, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears already added Lamarr Houston at the other bookend. Neal appeared in all 16 games last season for Green Bay last season and made ten starts.
  • The Packers are expected to consider free agent pass rusher Parys Haralson, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (via Twitter).
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