Percy Harvin

Bills Place Harvin On IR, Activate McKelvin

November 7th, 2015 at 12:00pm CST by Ben Levine

12:00pm: There’s a growing belief that Harvin may have not just played his final game for the Bills, but perhaps his final NFL game. As you may remember, the wideout was previously considering retirement, and this injury may convince him to hang it up.

Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com writes that Harvin could be released from the IR, or else the wideout would receive the rest of his $2.9MM base salary.

9:45am: The Bills roster is set to lost an offensive weapon, but they’ll be getting some reinforcement on defense. The team announced this morning that they’ve placed Percy Harvin on the injured reserve, ending his season. To take his spot, the Bills have activated cornerback Leodis McKelvin.

Harvin joined the Bills on a one-year, $6MM deal in March, but the veteran had struggled to stay on the field this season. Battling through a persistent hip injury, the 27-year-old only appeared in five games, compiling 19 catches for 218 yards and a touchdown. Harvin also had five kick returns and five rushes, proving that he still possessed his versatility despite his age and injury.

It ended up being a knee injury that ultimately forced the wideout of the lineup for the rest of the season. The Bills could now be seeking help at the position, especially since Sammy Watkins is banged up and Marquise Goodwin was recently placed on the IR.

McKelvin will be returning to the Bills almost a year after he broke his fibula in a loss to the Dolphins. His recovery was briefly delayed by a setback, requiring a pair of additional surgeries. The former first-round pick has spent his entire career with Buffalo, collecting 243 tackles, 11 interceptions, and four forced fumbles in 89 career games. The 30-year-old should help out a secondary that currently ranks 22nd in passing yards allowed per game.

AFC Notes: Colts, Harvin, Jets, Browns

November 6th, 2015 at 6:10pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The 3-5 Colts, losers of three straight games and one of the NFL’s most disappointing teams, are a strong bet to drop their fourth consecutive contest this Sunday when they match up with the 7-0 Broncos. Their season has also gone poorly away from the field, as speculation regarding the statuses of beleaguered general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano has abounded and offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton lost his job earlier this week.

Indy’s players – specifically team leaders Robert Mathis and D’Qwell Jackson – are cognizant of the organization’s off-field turmoil and called a meeting among themselves last week in an effort to galvanize each other. At the meeting, the players encouraged one another to ignore distractions coming from the front office and coaching staff, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star reports. One issue players are unhappy with centers on the front office – not the coaching staff – making certain lineup decisions, a dysfunctional action that takes a significant amount of power from Pagano & Co.

Here’s more from the AFC:

Bills receiver Percy Harvin could end up on injured reserve with a knee injury, general manager Doug Whaley told The Buffalo News’ Vic Carucci (Twitter link). Harvin’s knee “flared up,” Whaley said (via Twitter). The seventh-year man has 19 catches on 30 targets this year. He has been out of the Bills’ lineup with injuries since mid-October.
Jets cornerback Dee Milliner is back to full health after undergoing wrist surgery during the summer, but the team is unlikely to activate him from short-term injured reserve for this weekend’s game against the Jaguars, per ESPN’s Rich Cimini (Twitter link). On why Milliner won’t be in the lineup, head coach Todd Bowles said (via Howie Kussoy of the New York Post), “It’s just a numbers thing.” If the Jets don’t activate Milliner by Tuesday, they’ll have to place him on season-ending IR.
Browns head coach Mike Pettine said cornerback Charles Gaines, who had been on short-term IR because of a hamstring injury, is likely to start playing soon (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). Gaines, a sixth-round rookie out of Louisville, hasn’t appeared in an NFL game yet.
The Jets worked out two free agent receivers – LaRon Byrd and Damarr Aultman – on Friday, according to Cimini (Twitter link). Byrd is the only of the two who has seen action in the league, though it was for just four games back in 2012. He has one career catch.

East Notes: Jets, Harvin, Washington, Pats

November 2nd, 2015 at 3:44pm CST by Luke Adams

Speaking to reporters today, including Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter links), Jets head coach Todd Bowles provided updates on his injured quarterbacks, indicating that Geno Smith has a bruised shoulder and is day to day, while Ryan Fitzpatrick is also day to day with ligament damage in his thumb. Fitzpatrick will require surgery eventually, but may be able to play through the injury for now.

Still, with their top two quarterbacks uncertain for Week 9, the Jets are considering outside options, eyeing both the free agent market and the trade market, Bowles confirmed (Twitter links). The head coach identified Matt Flynn as one option the club is mulling, and added that if the Jets bring in a new QB, the newcomer could start or back up Bryce Petty, depending on Smith’s and Fitzpatrick’s availability (Twitter links).

Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFL’s East divisions…

As Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets, Bills wide receiver Percy Harvin is back with the team and has met with the doctors, who are evaluating his hip injury. Reports in October suggested Harvin was contemplating the idea of retiring, but head coach Rex Ryan said today that Harvin wants to play and is committed to the Bills, per Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News. “That’s the least of our concern with him,” Ryan said. “I know he wants to play. He desperately wants to contribute to this team.”
Ryan also told reporters today that Bills cornerback Leodis McKelvin, who began the season on the non-football injury list, will be activated and placed on the 53-man roster this week (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WKBW).
A team source tells John Keim of ESPN.com that Washington isn’t expected to be active at the trade deadline on Tuesday. Keim cautions that things could change if the club gets desperate, but it appears unlikely Scot McCloughan and company will make a deal.
With an eye on keeping their special teams emergency lists fresh, the Patriots worked out a handful of players today, including long snapper Tyler Ott and punter Cody Mandell, tweets Mike Reiss of ESPN.com.

East Notes: Bradford, Wake, Harvin

October 25th, 2015 at 9:49am CST by Rory Parks

As part of the trade that sent Nick Foles to St. Louis and Sam Bradford to Philadelphia, the Eagles had a chance to acquire a 2016 draft choice from the Rams if certain conditions were met, conditions that the clubs did not reveal when the trade was consummated. According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, those conditions pertain only to Bradford’s playing time. Once he plays 50% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps, Philadelphia will receive no compensation. If he plays fewer than 50% of the team’s snaps, the Eagles would garner a fourth-round pick in 2016 (had he played no snaps, the team would have been in line for a third-round selection in 2016).

With the season’s midway point fast approaching, it is becoming increasingly clear that the Eagles will not recover a 2016 draft choice from the Rams. Despite Bradford’s struggles this season, head coach Chip Kelly has remained steadfast in his support of his signal-caller, and although he could acquire an additional draft pick by reverting to Mark Sanchez now, all indications are that Bradford will remain under center for the foreseeable future.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

When former Dolphins defensive coordinator Kevin Coyle was fired, a great number of the schematic complexities that had handcuffed some of the club’s best defensive players went with him. Relying more on individual matchups than scheme, Miami’s defense enjoyed its best game of the season last week, and defensive end Cameron Wake led the way with a whopping four sacks after recording zero in the team’s first four games. Of course, Wake won’t put up that kind of production every week, but if he goes on the type of tear he is capable of, he could be in for a big payday. Wake is scheduled to make $8.4MM in 2016, the final year of his contract, but he has significant escalators tied to his sack production. As La Canfora writes, “If [Wake] achieves 10-12 sacks he earns $750,000 more in base salary next year, while 13-14 sacks nets him an additional $1.75MM and 15 sacks earns him $3MM. Should he lead the league in sacks, the defensive lineman receives $5MM in additional base salary.”
In keeping with reports from earlier this week, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that Percy Harvin is not contemplating retirement at the moment. If his hip is healthy enough to allow him, Harvin will play for the Bills this season. Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News adds (via Twitter) that Buffalo wants Harvin to play and that the team does not want to place him on IR, as Harvin would then keep his $3MM signing bonus plus the remainder of his base pay.
Giants tackle Will Beatty began practicing on Wednesday, which means he now has a little less than three weeks to be activated from the team’s PUP list or be placed on season-ending injured reserve. Per Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, Beatty appears to be in good physical shape and is trending towards a return. He could suit up for the Giants when they take on the Saints next week, and with rookie Ereck Flowers just settling in to the left tackle position, the team could ask Beatty to shift to right tackle, especially since current right tackle Marshall Newhouse has been inconsistent in 2015. Beatty, who last played right tackle in his rookie season in 2009, has been receptive to the possibility.

Bills Re-Sign Jordan Gay

October 23rd, 2015 at 10:05am CST by Luke Adams

10:05am: The Bills have officially re-signed Gay, waiving safety Josh Bush to clear room on their roster, tweets Rodak.

8:41am: A little over two weeks after cutting him, the Bills will be re-signing kicker Jordan Gay, head coach Rex Ryan told reporters today (Twitter link via Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News). Gay will be returning to handle kickoff duties rather than extra points or field goals, which are still Dan Carpenter‘s domain.

In order to make room for Gay, the Bills will release a player from their roster, rather than placing someone on IR. However, Ryan stressed that the Gay signing doesn’t have anything to do with wide receiver Percy Harvin, who is rumored to be considering retirement (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).

There were conflicting reports yesterday on whether or not Harvin was seriously considering the possibility of calling it a career. Still, it’s clear that something is going on with the veteran wideout, outside of his hip and knee issues.

General manager Doug Whaley told the media today that he’d address the Harvin situation “as soon as we get more answers on it,” stressing again that the 27-year-old is away from the team for “personal reasons” (Twitter links via Dunne). While that’s not exactly a confirmation that Harvin is contemplating retirement, the Bills aren’t trying to hide the fact that there’s something going on there besides the injuries.

As for Gay, he’ll return to the Bills after being cut in favor of Billy Cundiff earlier in October. In the interim, Gay had a workout for the Buccaneers, but didn’t sign with Tampa Bay.

AFC Notes: Harvin, Brady, Bengals, Moore

October 22nd, 2015 at 12:27pm CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we heard conflicting reports on whether Bills wide receiver Percy Harvin, who is battling hip and knee issues, is truly considering retirement. As Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports writes, the fact that Rex Ryan and the Bills have made sure to stress that Percy Harvin’s absence in London this week is “personal” and not injury-related suggests that there’s something to the retirement rumors.

If Harvin were to retire during the season, he’d risk forfeiting several million dollars in salary and signing-bonus money, as the Bills would be within their rights to try to recoup that money. For his part, the veteran wideout would probably rather avoid a contract stand-off, which would help explain why he’d want to continue his career, even if health problems had him contemplating the idea of retirement.

As we wait to see how the Harvin situation plays out in Buffalo, let’s round up a few more AFC notes….

Tom Brady said this week that his goal is to play “maybe 10 more years,” according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Pressed on whether or not he was serious, the Patriots quarterback added: “That’s what my goals are, that’s what I’m hoping.” Of course, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, it’s not the first time Brady has repeated that “10 more years” mantra, and if he really wants to play that long, there’s no guarantee he’ll do so in New England.
Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links) passes along news on a pair of Bengals workouts, reporting that quarterback Bryn Renner and linebacker Alex Singleton got a look from Cincinnati today.
After spending the first four years of his NFL career with the Broncos, safety Rahim Moore signed with the Texans this offseason. Those teams’ respective places in the standings indicate that Moore may regret his decision, but that’s not the case, as Wilson writes for the Chronicle. “I think this is a great decision,” Moore said. “Some people can make the wrong decision in free agency and have regrets. I don’t have any”

Percy Harvin Contemplating Retirement?

October 22nd, 2015 at 7:59am CST by Luke Adams

7:59am: Harvin is increasingly frustrated with his hip and knee injuries, which are expected to sideline him indefinitely, but he’s not seriously considering retirement, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As noted below, multiple reporters believe Harvin has contemplated retirement, but it doesn’t sound like he plans to call it a career anytime soon.

7:56am: Wide receiver Percy Harvin didn’t make the trip overseas with the rest of the Bills, and won’t be playing in this weekend’s game in London against the Jaguars. As head coach Rex Ryan told reporters earlier this week, Harvin stayed stateside for personal reasons, rather than due to an injury.

While Ryan didn’t expand on Harvin’s absence and go into detail, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News hears from NFL sources that the veteran wideout didn’t join the team in London because he’s contemplating retirement due to his hip issue.

Harvin has battled hip problems throughout his NFL career, particularly in Seattle, where they cost him nearly the entire 2013 season. Recent reports have indicated that the latest hip injury may cost Harvin significant time this season, so it makes sense that he’d be frustrated. According to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter links), Harvin, who has talked about retirement in the past, is “not feeling football right now.”

At age 27, Harvin should still have plenty of productive years ahead of him, but if he can’t stay healthy – or wants to get healthy – and decides to call it a career, it wouldn’t exactly be an unprecedented move. We’ve seen a handful of very good NFL players retire earlier than expected within the last year alone, including Jason Worilds (27) and Chris Borland (24).

Harvin is currently under contract with the Bills through the end of the 2015 season — while his deal technically runs through 2017, it’s set to void this offseason. According to Carucci, the Bills are “comfortable with the possibility of moving on without” Harvin if he does decide to retire during the season.

East Notes: Pats, Bills, JPP

October 18th, 2015 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots are again among the league’s most legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and although their slow start to 2014 led some to believe that their dynasty was nearing its end, the fact that they brought home the Lombardi Trophy and have opened 2015 undefeated have silenced those talks. And, as Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, New England’s window of opportunity won’t be closing anytime soon.

Per La Canfora, there is no significant player on the Patriots’ roster whose contract expires at the end of this season, and the team projects to be at least $8MM under the 2016 salary cap. Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski will count just $22MM against the cap, and no one will earn more than $10MM in 2016. That means that the team can supplement its already-talented roster with marquee free agents–something it has not frequently done in the past–and extend their reign of dominance for another few years. La Canfora also notes that, since New England will be without its first-round pick as a result of the DeflateGate scandal, it could look to move Jimmy Garoppolo for a high pick.

Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:

Washington and the Jets are squaring off this afternoon, and as Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes, the Jets are looking across the field at two players who could be on their radar in 2016: Kirk Cousins and Robert Griffin III. The future for both players is up in the air, and New York, of couse, could be in the market for a quarterback. Jets head coach Todd Bowles was effusive in his praise for Cousins, but indicated that RGIII would not be a consideration for his club.
There were reports this morning that E.J. Manuel could rekindle the Bills‘ quarterback competition with a strong showing today, but Joe Buscaglia of WKBW thinks differently (via Twitter). He notes that Buffalo coaches love Tyrod Taylor and that it would take more than a good performance for the team to even think about moving on from Taylor.
La Canfora tweets that the Bills are “very concerned” that wideout Percy Harvin could miss significant time with his latest injury. Harvin has not played a significant role in the team’s offense this year, and this could represent yet another major setback for the once-explosive playmaker.
Last Thursday, Sammy Watkins publicly bemoaned his lack of targets in the Bills‘ offense thus far in 2015, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com breaks down in detail what targets mean to a wide receiver from a contractual standpoint.
Jay Glazer of FOX Sports tweets that Jason Pierre-Paul will report to the Giants this Tuesday so that the team can check in on his progress. Pierre-Paul is hoping to play soon, but as Jordan Raanan of NJ.com writes, there is still doubt that JPP will be cleared.

AFC Rumors: Brady, Bills, Browns, Jaguars

August 22nd, 2015 at 2:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

In giving a figurative 50-0 lead for Tom Brady and the NFLPA in their court battle against the NFL in the latest Deflategate stage, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe posits Judge Berman appears to be siding with the quarterback.

But Volin also pumps the brakes on a victory, believing that the NFL’s reluctance to settle means the league knows a possible trump card exists in Article 46 of the CBA, the now-infamous inclusion that continues to give disciplinary power to the commissioner. The league, in also banking on judges often upholding arbitrators’ decisions, remains steadfast in its belief these factors will be enough to eke out a victory, Volin notes.

“Judges’ questions are not always predictive of how they’ll rule,” SI legal expert Michael McCann told Volin. “It is not unusual for attorneys to complain that they thought they would win a case based on the judge’s apparent sentiments during oral arguments, only to unexpectedly lose when the written order was published.”

According to Volin, only two arbitration cases have been overturned in the past 25 years by the Southern District of New York and the Second Circuit, meaning the odds still may not be with the NFLPA despite Berman appearing to agree with their arguments.

NFLPA representative Jay Feely tweeted that during the CBA negotiations in 2011 Article 46 was deemed off the table by the owners.

Percy Harvin (hip) will be back in time for the Bills‘ regular-season opener, according to Rex Ryan (via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com).
Leodis McKelvin, however, may not be ready by then, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News reports. The longtime return man who re-emerged in Buffalo’s starting lineup the past two seasons watched practice on a cart, still recovering from the fractured ankle he suffered last November. The Bills are prepared to start rookie Ronald Darby in his place, Dunne writes.
Contrary to a London Times report that indicated a deal to keep the Jaguars‘ annual England cameo going until 2030, no such deal has been reached, per Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. The current four-year agreement expires after next season. Jim Woodcock, a spokesman for Jags owner Shad Khan, however, said negotiations are ongoing and the team wants to continue to play a game in London each year. Woodcock also denounced a separate report, from the London Evening Standard, had Khan planning to move the team to London and play its games in Tottenham Hotspur’s new stadium.
Browns first-round pick Cameron Erving‘s long-term future looks to be at guard, according to Mike Pettine (via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal). The versatile lineman who has experience at center, and offensive and defensive tackle didn’t play guard at Florida State but is currently listed as the Browns’ backup right guard behind John Greco.

Bills Notes: Goodwin, Harvin, Cassel

June 26th, 2015 at 6:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

NFL activities have slowed to the usual late-June crawl, but here is some Friday-evening news coming out of Buffalo Bills headquarters.

Bills reserve wideout Marquise Goodwin decided on a whim to compete in this weekend’s USA Outdoor Track and Field Championships in Eugene, Ore., and, despite not participating in the sport since the 2012 London Olympics, placed fourth in the long jump with a personal-best mark. The top three long jumpers qualify for the World Championships, which are set for late August in China, so Goodwin won’t be missing any Bills training camp time. After finishing 10th in London, Goodwin leaped 27 feet, 5 1/2 inches, which was just more than a foot off champion Marquis Dendy’s result but nearly 2 feet farther than Goodwin’s best leap in the Olympic final round. The 24-year-old Goodwin insists football remains his primary sport, but he told Austin Meek of The Register-Guard (Ore.) he will attempt to make the 2016 U.S. Olympic team. Bills GM Doug Whaley told Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News he hadn’t given Goodwin’s surprise participation plans “any thought” but hoped he did well.
With LeSean McCoy slated to accrue the lion’s share of Buffalo’s carries this season, Percy Harvin won’t be utilized in quite the same manner he has been during the bulk of his career. Though the Bills will place Harvin in his usual slot spot frequently, they intend to give the mercurial target extensive repetitions outside, writes Chris Brown of BuffaloBills.com. Coach Sanjay Lal, who instructed Harvin with the Jets last season before venturing to Buffalo with Rex Ryan, is intent on developing Harvin exclusively as a wide receiver. Although Harvin’s spent past games aligned primarily outside, last season represented the seventh-year receiver’s first long-term look at that position, with his first seven Jets contests featuring left or right wide receiver as his main position (according to Pro Football Focus, which requires a subscription).
Although viewing Matt Cassel as a consummate teammate with experience handling reserve roles, Carucci does not see the newly acquired 33-year-old quarterback and his $4.75MM cap figure staying on the team if EJ Manuel reclaims his starting job. Carucci expects the Bills to extend Cassel’s contract, which expires after 2015, to provide cap relief, and views such a move not yet occurring after the 11th-year QB’s offseason struggles as a sign Cassel may not be on the team should Manuel or Tyrod Taylor usurp him for the starting gig.
The Buffalo reporter also sees a Marcell Dareus extension, which our Luke Adams analyzed earlier this week, being finalized before the season begins. As of now, the All-Pro defensive tackle will play this season on an $8.1MM cap figure as a result of his fifth-year option being exercised.

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