HEADLINES

Perry Riley

Redskins Re-Sign Perry Riley

March 11th, 2014 at 9:32am CST by Dallas Robinson

9:32am: The Redskins have officially re-signed Riley, the team announced today (Twitter link).

TUESDAY, 8:21am: Riley’s new contract with the Redskins is for three years and is worth $13MM, reports Russini (via Twitter).

MONDAY, 8:57pm: The Redskins have agreed to re-sign linebacker Perry Riley, according to Dianna Russini of NBC Washington (via Twitter).

Riley, 25, was a fourth-round-draft pick in the 2010 draft. He became a full-time starter during 2012, and last season racked up 115 tackles, three sacks, and one interception. However, he graded out as just the 46th best 3-4 inside linebacker according to Pro Football Focus. The Redskins will add him to linebacking core that includes Brian Orakpo, who was recently franchise-tagged, and Ryan Kerrigan, but is likely losing veteran London Fletcher to retirement.

FA Rumors: Talib, Allen, Carroll, McClain

March 5th, 2014 at 2:00pm CST by Luke Adams

While one prospective free agent cornerback, Brent Grimes, re-upped with his team earlier this week, we probably shouldn’t expect Aqib Talib and the Patriots to reach an agreement before Talib hits the open market, says Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. Howe hears from a source that Talib “wants to be paid as a top-of-the-market corner” in free agency, meaning he’s unlikely to accept any offer from the Pats before he sees what else is out there. New England has made the veteran cornerback a priority since the team’s season ended, but it looks like the Pats will have to compete with other suitors if they want to bring Talib back for 2014.

Here’s more on this year’s free agent class:

  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Jared Allen said that when he hits free agency, he’ll be looking for a good organization with a chance to win – as well as a fair contract – and expects to be very involved in the process. The longtime Viking didn’t sound bullish on the idea of joining the Raiders, suggesting that Oakland has a lot of things to “correct” and may not be looking for a veteran defensive end (all Twitter links).
  • The Vikings are “expected to take a strong look” at cornerback Nolan Carroll if and when he becomes available, a source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. We heard last week that the Dolphins have interest in bringing back Carroll, who anticipates testing the open market.
  • Jack Bechta, the agent for linebacker Pat Angerer, tells Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star that the Colts will let his client hit the open market next week without attempting to re-sign him. Angerer’s looming departure helps explain the club’s interest in signing free agent linebacker D’Qwell Jackson.
  • After visiting with the Bills today, free agent linebacker Jameel McClain will move on to meet with the Giants, tweets Joe Buscaglia of WGR550. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), the Bills and Giants are two of the five teams interested in McClain.
  • The Redskins continue talking to linebacker Perry Riley but aren’t particularly close to reaching an agreement, reports Mark Maske of the Washington Post.
  • Seth Walder of the New York Daily News expects the Jets to add a quarterback in free agency, and identifies Josh McCown, Michael Vick, and Tarvaris Jackson as a few potential targets for the club.
  • According to head coach John Harbaugh, the Ravens have “aggressive” offers out to all the pending free agents they want to keep (Twitter link via Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun).
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press takes a look at some free agent options for the Lions as the team hunts for a slot receiver to replace Nate Burleson.

NFC East Notes: Riley, Cowboys, Eagles

February 19th, 2014 at 2:16pm CST by Luke Adams

It’s already been a busy day for NFC East updates, as the Cowboys opened the morning by winning a coin flip for the 16th overall pick in the 2014 draft, while the Redskins followed up by finalizing their new contract agreement with cornerback DeAngelo Hall. We also heard that Washington will be seeking at least a second-round pick if the team decides to make Kirk Cousins available via trade. Now we’ve got a few more NFC East notes to pass along, so let’s dive in….

  • The Redskins and free agent linebacker Perry Riley haven’t made much progress so far in contract negotiations, sources tell Mark Maske of the Washington Post. The two sides continue to talk, and the Redskins still want to retain the free-agent-to-be, but no deal is close at this point, says Maske, adding that one source suggests Riley appears increasingly likely to test the open market in March.
  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com explores the long-term implications of Hall’s new deal with the Redskins, in a post at RealRedskins.com.
  • The Cowboys are still “getting the lay of the land” when it comes to making roster decisions on players like DeMarcus Ware and Miles Austin, executive vice president Stephen Jones tells Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.
  • There’s a very real chance that the Eagles draft a quarterback this May, as Reuben Frank details at CSNPhilly.com.
  • According to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal, Eagles defensive end Cedric Thornton has moved from CAA Sports to Joby Branion of Athletes First (Twitter link). Mullen adds that Branion, Carmen Wallace, and Athletes First will also represent Cowboys linebacker Bruce Carter, who has left former agent Carl Carey (Twitter links). Carter still has one year remaining on his contract, while Thornton is an exclusive rights free agent this offseason.

NFC Notes: Dimitroff, Shields, Orakpo, Eagles

February 15th, 2014 at 10:14am CST by Matt Feminis

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff was put under the microscope by the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dawson Devitt, who published the first part of an exhaustive retrospective analysis of the GM’s transaction history 2008-09, including free agency, cuts, trades, extensions and drafts. The verdict? More good than bad.

Other opinions from NFC writers:

  • Packers free agent cornerback Sam Shields‘ arrow is pointing up, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, who says the 26-year-old is worth $7-8MM per year. Shields has blazing speed to run with outside burners and has improved leaps and bounds with his technique and tackling.
  • With Henry Melton, Jay Ratliff and Nate Collins set to hit free agency, defensive tackle “will have to be a top priority” for the Bears, according to ESPN Chicago’s Michael C. Wright, who believes the team will add interior defenders in the draft, via free agency and still attempt to bring back its own free agents.
  • The Redskins can re-sign both Brian Orakpo and Perry Riley provided both players don’t ask for unreasonable deals, says ESPN Washington’s John Keim.
  • Thanks to second-year head coach Chip Kelly’s familiarity with college players, Dallas Morning News writer Rick Gosselin believes the Eagles are in a window when they have a distinct draft advantage. Gosselin cites past examples of Jimmy Johnson‘s move from the University of Miami to the Cowboys, Jim Harbaugh‘s jump from Stanford to the 49ers and Pete Carroll’s escape from USC to the Seahawks when the coaches drafted players they were familiar with, creating the core of winning NFL teams. Kelly, who recruited nationally for Oregon, “spent four years with the Ducks so he has a four-year window when he’ll know the draft board better than the NFL lifers,” contends Gosselin.

Redskins Rumors: Hall, Riley, Orakpo, Cousins

February 4th, 2014 at 4:51pm CST by Luke Adams

Within the last two days, we’ve heard reports that the Redskins are discussing new long-term contracts for free-agents-to-be DeAngelo Hall and Perry Riley. GM Bruce Allen confirmed as much today, telling Zac Boyer of the Washington Times that the team has engaged in negotiations with reps for those two players, as well as linebacker Brian Orakpo. According to Allen, the Redskins coaching staff is still evaluating the team’s free agents, so exact figures likely won’t be exchanged with those players and their agents until the end of the month.

Here’s more on the Redskins:

  • Within Boyer’s piece, Allen also indicated that Kirk Cousins hadn’t requested a trade and that the team plans to have its second-string quarterback back next season: “There’s no change from our perspective on Kirk. That’s it. We’re comfortable with Kirk.” For what it’s worth, the weekend report on Cousins suggested he was open to a trade, not that he’d asked for one.
  • Allen also spoke to Boyer about the limitations that the 2012 and 2013 cap penalties still place on the Redskins: “We have the same [cap] number everybody else does this year, which is different, but if you look at the cap room around the league, that’s because everybody carried room over from the previous year, so we don’t have that. We have a lot of free agents. We have a lot of holes on the team that we need to fill, and the key is to look at our guys first and then we’ll look around, but having an understanding of what’s also in the draft.”
  • ESPN.com’s John Keim examines a few ways the Redskins could clear even more cap space, and takes an in-depth look at the club’s cornerback situation.
  • Replying to Keim’s cornerback piece, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter) that Aqib Talib looks like a logical free agent target for Washington, given Talib’s connection to Allen, who drafted him in Tampa Bay, and Redskins DB coach Raheem Morris, who coached him in Tampa.

Perry Riley, Redskins Not Close On New Deal

February 4th, 2014 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have begun talking to Perry Riley‘s camp about a new contract for the linebacker, but the two sides don’t appear close to reaching a new deal yet, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Riley is one of several Redskins defensive starters poised to hit unrestricted free agency next month.

Riley isn’t necessarily viewed as one of the top free agents on the market, but he has started each of Washington’s last 40 games over three seasons, and is still just 25 years old. Considering London Fletcher plans to retire and Brian Orakpo is also eligible for free agency, retaining Riley figures to become one of the Redskins’ top priorities this offseason.

According to Jones (via Twitter), there are those who expect Riley to seek a contract similar to the one signed by Dolphins linebacker Dannell Ellerbe a year ago. Ellerbe inked a five-year pact that will pay him $7MM per year, with a $14MM overall guarantee. The Redskins have significantly more cap flexibility than usual this winter, but if Riley’s asking price is that high, the team figures to let him test the free agent waters in March to gauge his worth, tweets Jones.