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Fallout From Doug Baldwin’s Extension

June 29th, 2016 at 4:56pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

With Seahawks receiver Doug Baldwin‘s four-year, $46MM extension in the books, the Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders is now at the front of the line of wideouts set to land new deals prior to the season, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN. Baldwin, the Chargers’ Keenan Allen and the Jaguars’ Allen Hurns have all signed extensions worth upward of $40MM – including $20MM-plus in guarantees – this month, but each is younger than Sanders. Nevertheless, the 29-year-old is coming off back-to-back 1,000-yard campaigns, having combined for 177 catches and 15 touchdowns during that span, and figures to net a sizable raise over the $5.6MM he’s scheduled to make in 2016. The Broncos and Sanders are already in negotiations, as 9NEWS’ Mike Klis reported earlier this month.

More out of Seattle:

  • The Seahawks will now turn their attention to locking up the Super Bowl-winning duo of general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Caroll, whose deals expire after this season, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Extensions for the pair could come during training camp, per Condotta. Defensive end Michael Bennett, meanwhile, is the next member of the Seahawks’ roster likely to rake in a big payday, writes Condotta. Bennett won’t be a free agent until after the 2017 campaign, however, so he might have to wait another year.
  • Baldwin went undrafted in 2011 out of Stanford, where he was teammates with superstar Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman. After all 32 NFL teams snubbed Baldwin for seven rounds, Sherman – a fifth-rounder that year – contacted the wideout and encouraged him to sign with the Seahawks. “They’re going to call you. I want you to be here,” Sherman said (via Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times). Baldwin has since morphed into one of the pros’ best and richest wideouts because of his football-first mindset, which has come at a cost to his personal life, details Jenks. “I’m not the fastest, the strongest, the most athletic, the tallest,” Baldwin told Jenks. “But in order for me to be good at what I do, I have to focus on my craft so much that it alleviates those other things. I can’t have personal relationships like other people do. I can’t spend time on that.”
  • Baldwin’s extension means the Seahawks will enter camp with one fewer distraction, observes ESPN’s Sheil Kapadia, who adds that Baldwin’s 1,000-yard season in 2015 was just the fourth by a slot receiver over the past five years. Baldwin is also the only receiver since 1992 – when targets were first tracked – to rack up 1,000-plus yards while hauling in at least 80 percent of the passes intended for him, per Kapadia.

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Carroll, Cardinals

June 3rd, 2016 at 2:10pm CST by Zachary Links

Those who are criticizing the Seahawks‘ first-round selection of Germain Ifedi will come to regret it, offensive line coach Tom Cable told ESPN Radio (link via Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com).

“You watch him and see what you think then,” Cable said. “People don’t have to be accountable, they can say or think what they want, and that’s OK. But what they really don’t realize is how they could screw up a young person, because all these kids read all the Twitter and social media. One minute they’re loved and the next minute they can’t do this or they can’t do that, it was a bad pick, or whatever. Fortunately … Germain is a strong-minded, strong-willed kid. … So I just think watching him play, it will be kind of cool, whoever they are, they’ll kind of eat their words.”

Here’s a look at the NFC West:

NFC Notes: Locke, Seahawks, Cardinals, Bucs

May 8th, 2016 at 9:02pm CST by Sam Robinson

A fifth-round pick in 2013, Jeff Locke looks to be set to face some competition to finish out his contract with the Vikings. Minnesota is expected to add rookie punter Taylor Symmank on Monday, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

The Vikings brought in Symmank and Nick O’Toole to compete at their rookie minicamp this weekend, but O’Toole left the Twin Cities on Sunday, while Symmank looks to be staying. Symmank averaged 46 yards per punt last season at Texas Tech. After Locke’s per-punt figure hovered at 44.2 yards in each of his first two seasons, it slunk to an NFL-worst 41.6 in 2015.

Symmank told Tomasson he’s been asked to take a physical with the Vikings, who currently have 89 players on their roster. Locke has a nonguaranteed $721K due this season.

Check out the latest from around the league as teams continue to assemble their 90-man rosters.

  • The Seahawks envision former Notre Dame running back/wide receiver C.J. Prosise becoming a potential replacement for Fred Jackson as the team’s third-down back, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times notes. Seattle initially placed the third-round pick with the running backs to start its rookie minicamp but shuttled him into receiver drills on Sunday. Converted to running back before the 2015 season, Prosise totaled 1,337 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns in 2015. “I’ve never had anyone that was a receiver that went to running back that could do both. You commit one way or the other,” Pete Carroll told media, including Condotta. “… It’s a real prize for us. I don’t really have a guy to compare him to at this point.”
  • Also from Condotta: Rees Odhiambo will compete with Mark Glowinski for the Seahawks‘ starting left guard position, and Carroll plans to use Jarran Reed at both nose tackle and 3-technique. “It’s just such a crucial pick for us,” Carroll said. “Jarran can really jump right in and give us the stout play, he’s just got a great savvy for the running game. He’ll play both spots, for sure.”
  • The Cardinals are planning to replace the still-unsigned Jerraud Powers with Justin Bethel, but given that third-round pick Brandon Williams has only played the position for one season after playing running back from 2011-14, Arizona could use a veteran corner to help lead Patrick Peterson‘s cadre of sidekicks, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic writes. Beyond Bethel and Peterson, no Cardinal cornerback has more than one year of NFL experience. Joining Powers among the top unattached corners right now are fellow former Cardinal Antonio Cromartie, Leon Hall and Phillip Adams.
  • Although Ryan Smith lined up at cornerback in 2015 for North Carolina Central, he’s expected to work at safety for the Buccaneers, Roy Cummings of Today’s Pigskin writes. The Bucs added Vernon Hargreaves III in the first round after signing Brent Grimes in an attempt to fortify a cornerback corps that helped yield 31 touchdown passes last season and allow the second-highest quarterback rating in the league. The 5-foot-11, 198-pound Smith arrived in Tampa as the No. 108 overall pick and will compete with the likes of Chris Conte and Keith Tandy for playing time on the Bucs’ back line. Cummings identifies Bradley McDougald as a starter at either the free or strong safety spots, with his complement undecided. Pro Football Focus graded Conte as the Bucs’ best safety last season and tabbed the now-27-year-old veteran as its No. 32 safety.

Extra Points: Texans, Seahawks, Killebrew

March 27th, 2016 at 12:09pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL on this Easter Sunday…

  • Texans coach Bill O’Brien had Brock Osweiler atop his free agent list since January, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. O’Brien and general manager Rick Smith agreed that they’d pursue the quarterback in free agency, and owner Bob McNair made it clear that he’d pay whatever it took to sign the former Broncos signal-caller.
  • Besides Russell Wilson, Phillip Sims is the Seahawks’ only other quarterback. As a result, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times guesses that the team will add at least another quarterback for training camp, and he believes last year’s backup, Tarvaris Jackson, is a strong candidate to return.
  • For what it’s worth, Condotta notes that Pete Carroll prefers to have a veteran backup quarterback, and the Seahawks coach previously commended Jackson for his leadership. “We really liked his contributions and he’s been a big factor for us and we would like to have him back if we could,’’ Carroll said.
  • Southern Utah safety Miles Killebrew is generating plenty of interest around the league, tweets Bleacher Report’s Luke Easterling. The defensive back is set to meet with the Buccaneers, Panthers, Titans, Cardinals, Patriots, and Falcons.

NFC Notes: Norman, Megatron, Seahawks

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:36pm CST by Rory Parks

We learned yesterday that Josh Norman and the Panthers are far apart in discussions on a new, multi-year contract, and if those negotiations do not start to gain traction, Norman could miss voluntary workouts and OTAs and possibly the mandatory June minicamp. But as David Newton of ESPN.com writes, Carolina GM Dave Gettleman downplayed that speculation, saying that he does not expect the Norman situation to create much of a distraction.

Said Gettleman, “Josh is a pro and I don’t think there’ll be any issues. He and I had a great conversation before I put the tag on him. He understands where I’m at. I understand where he’s at. We respect each other’s stance and we’ll just see if we can get [it] done.” Gettleman added that he and head coach Ron Rivera are “very comfortable” regardless of whether Norman signs a long-term deal with the Panthers prior to the July 15 deadline or whether he plays out the 2016 season under the franchise tag.  

Now let’s take a look at some more links from around the NFC:

  • There was some speculation earlier this month that Calvin Johnson wanted to retire as a free agent rather than under Lions control so that, in case he ever came out of retirement, he would be free to choose his next destination. Of course, Megatron ultimately retired as a member of the Lions, but according to Detroit president Rod Wood, it’s a moot point anyway, as he would be “very surprised” if Johnson ever expressed a desire to return to the NFL (video link via Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press).
  • Seahawks GM John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll each signed three-year contract extensions in 2014 that take them through the 2016 season, which means they are both entering the final years of their respective deals. As Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com writes, however, Schneider says his contract is a “non-story.” Schneider said, “Pete and I have a great relationship, and we are just in a really good spot. We are just going to keep staying together and keep doing what we are doing and see how long we can make it last.” Kapadia believes the most likely scenario is that both men will sign extensions in the coming months, and we know that the club has already been working on a new deal for Carroll.
  • The Seahawks‘ offensive line was the subject of a great deal of criticism in 2015, and it does not look like it will be much better in 2016. Per Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times, Schneider has indicated that if the season started today, last year’s right tackle, Garry Gilliam, would compete with the newly-acquired Bradley Sowell to be the club’s starting left tackle, with another free agent acquisition, J’Marcus Webb, penciled in at right tackle. In addition to losing Russell Okung in free agency, the Seahawks also lost right guard J.R. Sweezy, but Schneider offered no indication that the team would pursue any additional signings or trades to beef up its line.
  • Ralpha Vacchiano of The New York Daily News does not believe the Giants are done spending in free agency, and at the very least, he expects the team to pursue a veteran offensive lineman and a veteran safety. He does not, however, believe Big Blue will bring back Rueben Randle or Will Beatty.
  • The 49ers have not made a contract offer to free agent wideout Anquan Boldin, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, and while GM Trent Baalke said he has by no means closed the door on a possible reunion, he did not sound especially optimistic that Boldin would return to San Francisco next season. As Baalke said, “A lot of it is going to depend whether he feels and we feel it’s a fit moving forward with what we’re trying to do offensively and what he’s looking for at this stage of his career.” Boldin has already stated his desire to play for a title contender in 2016, and it is currently difficult to imagine the 49ers fitting that description.

 

Pete Carroll, Seahawks Working On Extension

February 26th, 2016 at 3:06pm CST by Luke Adams

With Pete Carroll‘s contract set to expire at the end of the 2016 season, the Seahawks are working on a new deal that would lock him up beyond this year, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).Pete Carroll

An extension for Carroll would avoid having him enter the 2016 campaign as a lame-duck head coach. It would also give both sides some added security — Carroll would be guaranteed a salary for a few extra years, and the Seahawks would mitigate the risk of their head coach eyeing another job.

While there has been no indication that Carroll would want to leave Seattle, one January report suggested that the former USC head coach may eventually have interest in a Los Angeles NFL job, with the Rams – and possibly Chargers – returning to L.A. An extended deal with the Seahawks would quiet those rumblings.

As Rapoport notes (via Twitter), Carroll’s current contract is believed to place him among the NFL’s top three highest-paid coaches, with an annual salary in the range of $7-8MM per year. Presumably, a new deal wouldn’t involve a pay cut of any sort, so Carroll will continue to rank near the top of the salary leaderboard for coaches if and when he signs an extension.

Since taking over as the Seahawks’ head coach in 2010, Carroll has led the team to a 60-36 regular-season record, with a 9-6 record and a Super Bowl win in the postseason. Seattle has won at least 10 games and made the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, winning at least one postseason contest every year and earning a spot in the Super Bowl twice.

Several NFC teams are believed to be working on new deals for their respective head coaches. In addition to the Seahawks and Carroll, the Panthers are discussing an extension with Ron Rivera, and Sean Payton suggested on Thursday that he’s moving closer to an extension with the Saints.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Saints, Carroll, Kaep, Texans

February 25th, 2016 at 9:08pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Saints head coach Sean Payton told NFL Network on Thursday that a contract extension for quarterback Drew Brees “will get done very easily,” per Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. General manager Mickey Loomis said earlier this month that he wants to lock up Brees, whose deal expires after next season. Loomis also stated at the time that he and Tom Condon, Brees’ agent, hadn’t yet spoken about an extension. That changed at the combine, where Loomis and Condon met, according to Payton.

In a different interview, Payton told Pro Football Talk that offensive guard and the defensive front seven will be the Saints’ main concerns in free agency and the draft (Twitter link via Dabe). Earlier this month, the Saints cut guard Jahri Evans and two front seven defenders, linebackers David Hawthorne and Ramon Humber.

Other news from around the NFL:

  • Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein that he has no interest in returning to USC to become its athletic director (Twitter link). Carroll, of course, led USC to an 83-19 mark as its football coach from 2001-09.
  • Colin Kaepernick‘s contract – a middle-of-the-road deal for a quarterback – shouldn’t scare off possible suitors, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. If the 49ers do trade Kaepernick, which looks like a distinct possibility, Fitzgerald lists six teams as potential fits. He expects the Niners to seek a second-round pick in return.
  • The Texans have met with guard Brandon Brooks‘ representatives at the combine, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Brooks, a pending free agent, has started in each of his last 44 appearances.
  • The Falcons have not yet made any decisions regarding Devin Hester‘s status with the team, according to GM Thomas Dimitroff, who says that won’t happen until after Hester is fully recovered from his toe surgery (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com).
  • The Saints ($42K), Broncos ($267K) and Rams ($1.245MM) opted against carrying over their full allotment of space from 2015, tweets Pro Football Talk. The Broncos’ motivation was to prevent other playoff teams from signing their practice squad players during the postseason, according to PFT’s Mike Florio. Each team has to make its call on carryover space at the end of the regular season. The Saints and Rams didn’t make the playoffs, so it’s currently unclear why they left their respective amounts behind. The list of all 32 clubs’ carryover totals can be found here.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Cole’s Latest: Lynch, Carroll, Chargers, Lacy

January 19th, 2016 at 3:48pm CST by Luke Adams

In a series of videos today for Bleacher Report, Jason Cole tackled a handful of notable topics from around the NFL. Here’s the latest from Cole:

  • The Seahawks would like to bring back running back Marshawn Lynch in 2016, since the team feels he’s still capable of big-time production. However, Seattle isn’t interested in retaining Beast Mode at his current $9MM base salary and $11.5MM cap hit, says Cole (video link). The club will explore the possibility of a pay cut – perhaps lowering Lynch’s base salary and adding incentives to his deal – but if the two sides aren’t making much progress, Seattle may eventually have to cut the standout running back.
  • Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll is currently signed through 2016, but it’s unclear what his future holds after that. If Carroll wants to continue his coaching career, I’d expect Seattle to try to keep him around, but Cole suggests that the Rams – and the Chargers, if they move to L.A. – could make a play for the former USC head coach (video link).
  • Speaking of those Chargers, they’re still a little apprehensive about dealing with Rams owner Stan Kroenke, but the NFL has been encouraging Dean Spanos‘s franchise to take advantage of the opportunity to move to Los Angeles, according to Cole (video link). The league believes that the basic deal it has outlined for the Chargers would allow the team to make more money in L.A. than it would if it remained in San Diego.
  • Not that we needed to be told, but Cole cites Packers sources who say running back Eddie Lacy looked “sluggish” during his 61-yard run against Arizona, adding that the team was disappointed with Lacy’s lack of development and fitness level this season. There’s major uncertainty surrounding Lacy’s future with the franchise, says Cole (video link).

West Notes: Berry, Hali, Seahawks, Rams

January 18th, 2016 at 9:47pm CST by Sam Robinson

As expected, Andy Reid didn’t do much prioritizing when it came to pinpointing which of the Chiefs‘ free agents will return, but he did single out the one likely residing at the top of the itinerary.

“I think he wants to be here. We want him to be here. The agents and our people need to get with him, they’ll deal with all that, work through all that. But I like Eric Berry. I can tell you, I love Eric Berry,” Reid told media, including Dave Skretta of the Associated Press.

Berry will be the top safety on the market and one of the top players available as an unrestricted free agent. The Pro Bowl safety played out his entire rookie contract, a six-year deal worth $60MM, from the old CBA that was much friendlier to first-round selections.

“Obviously,” Berry told media, when asked if he wants to return to the Chiefs. “This is family. At the same time, we’ll sit down and talk about it when we talk about it. But right now I’m just thankful for my teammates, my coaches and everybody that has something to do with me being back on the field this year. This is something special.”

The Chiefs could have their franchise tag ready if talks with the 27-year-old cancer survivor stall. The remainder of the Chiefs’ free agent class includes a number of expiring deals from their top-flight defense. Sean Smith, Derrick Johnson, Tamba Hali and Jaye Howard are free agents.

Kansas City possess $31.62MM in salary cap space, according to OverTheCap.

Here is the latest coming out of the Western divisions.

  • Hali’s path may lead to retirement or back to Kansas City, with Skretta noting it’s unlikely the 32-year-old outside linebacker will head elsewhere. The former first-round pick and career Chief told media after the Chiefs’ loss to the Patriots he would contemplate his future after spending most of this season not practicing due to knee trouble. Hali renegotiated his deal last season to help Kansas City with its cap. Of course, with the Chiefs having some lucrative free agents to consider retaining in hopes of keeping that strong defense intact, Hali’s third Chiefs contract won’t be nearly as hefty as the five year, $60MM deal he signed in 2011. Though Hali, a Pro Bowler this season and a top-10 edge player as graded by Pro Football Focus, could still command a reasonable accord on the open market if he sought such a path. “I know some of these (free agents) are going to return. That’s how it rolls. Which ones and how it works into the (salary) cap and all that, that’s (GM John) Dorsey‘s baby there,” Reid said.
  • The Chiefs will have their lowest first-round pick in 20 years after their 11-5 season ended in the divisional playoffs. They will pick 28th, lowest of the teams eliminated this weekend, according to Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk. The Steelers, Seahawks and Packers will pick 25th, 26th and 27th, respectively, based on a schedule strength tiebreaker.
  • Bruce Irvin told media, including Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com, he will take less money on his second contract to stay with the Seahawks. Irvin said both John Schneider and Pete Carroll asked him if he’d accept a below-market deal Monday. “Pete and John asked me that when I met with them today. If it came to that, I would definitely come back. $3, $4 million? $3, $4, $5 million? I would definitely come back because I’m established here,” Irvin said. The Seahawks did not pick up Irvin’s fifth-year option last year, making the edge-rusher an unrestricted free agent. The January gesture may not hold a lot of weight come March, per Joel Corry of CBSSports.com, who tweets Irvin’s agent, Joel Segal, won’t be interested in seeing Irvin take a hometown discount after he pushed the Chiefs to give Justin Houston a record deal last summer. Russell Okung, Jeremy Lane and Jermaine Kearse are among the Seahawks’ notable UFAs, with Marshawn Lynch‘s $6.5MM in cap savings likely to benefit toward this cause as well.
  • Carroll told media, including Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, he’d like to bring back Christine Michael, a UFA who bounced around this year before re-signing with Seattle. Michael averaged 4.9 yards per carry with the Seahawks and 3.4 per rush with the Cowboys this season.
  • Stan Kroenke is borrowing approximately $1 billion from JPMorgan Chase for his new Inglewood stadium, Daniel Kaplan of Sports Business Daily tweets. The stadium’s expected to cost a record $2.7 billion, and Kroenke’s $1 billion loan would represent one of the largest ever taken for a stadium, according to Elyse Glickman of the Los Angeles Business Journal.

West Notes: Lynch, Washington, Manning

November 22nd, 2015 at 8:51pm CST by Sam Robinson

Marshawn Lynch will visit a specialist in Philadelphia, with a possible sports hernia injury, Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter).

Pete Carroll noted after Lynch missed the Seahawks‘ victory against the 49ers that injury hasn’t been ruled out, and such a diagnosis would shelve Lynch for a while.

The Seahawks appear to be in solid shape due to Thomas Rawls‘ presence, however, and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio didn’t mince words when characterizing what the rookie’s 255-total-yard day means for the 29-year-old Lynch’s future in Seattle, saying the sixth-year Seahawk will not be back with the team for a seventh season due to the gulf between the backs’ contracts.

With a cap number of $11.5MM, Lynch would be the third-highest-paid Seahawk in his age-30 season. Should the Seahawks take Florio’s advice and turn their backfield over to 2015 UDFA Rawls, who’s slated to make $530K next year, Lynch’s recent extension which runs through the 2017 season contains $5MM worth of dead money going into next season.

Here’s some more news coming out of the Western divisions tonight.

  • Former Cardinals Pro Bowl linebacker Daryl Washington continues to violate the terms of the NFL’s substance-abuse policy, Jay Glazer reported on Fox (as relayed by Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk). The 29-year-old Washington hasn’t played since Week 17 of the 2013 season due to his year-long suspension that hasn’t been revisited. Washington was scheduled to apply for reinstatement in March, and there are concerns his career is over.
  • Rams starter Case Keenum sustained a concussion during the team’s loss to the Ravens today, but he continued to play, losing a fumble that led to Baltimore’s game-winning field goal, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports. A Timmy Jernigan sack that didn’t count due to an offside penalty negating it did the damage, according to Jeff Fisher. Media learned of Keenum’s concussion only when informed by the St. Louis media relations staff that the quarterback wouldn’t be available for postgame interviews.
  • San Diego mayor Kevin Faulconer met with Chiefs chairman Clark Hunt to discuss progress on a path to a new Chargers stadium, David Garrick of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. Hunt’s a member of a six-owner committee focused on Los Angeles relocation, and Faulconer’s met with five members of that newly formed coalition thus far. The two didn’t discuss the two LA stadium projects, Garrick reports, with the meeting instead focusing on San Diego’s path to green-lighting construction on its own. Faulconer’s plan features $350MM in contributions from city and county taxpayers, and after California Gov. Jerry Brown’s recent ruling to expedite an environmental review would put this proposal up for a city vote as early as June, but the Chargers have yet to resume negotiations with the city.
  • Gary Kubiak hasn’t decided if Peyton Manning or Brock Osweiler will start for the Broncos against the Patriots next week, Florio reports. The PFT scribe notes Kubiak said he’d have a difficult time benching Osweiler after his solid performance against the Bears, and if the fourth-year career backup follows it up with an upset over the Patriots, Kubiak’s previous declaration of starting Manning again when healthy will simply resolve itself when the first-year Denver coach deems the 39-year-old of insufficient health to recapture the job.
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