HEADLINES

Philip Rivers

West Notes: Davis, 49ers, Knighton, Chargers

February 19th, 2015 at 8:30am CST by Luke Adams

Vernon Davis is coming off his worst season as a pro, and will count for nearly $7MM against the cap in 2015, but he’ll “absolutely” be returning to the 49ers, general manager Trent Baalke said on Wednesday at the combine, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. Referring to Davis’ contract and cap hit, Baalke suggested that the numbers are “not as daunting as you may think.”

Let’s round up a few more notes on the Niners and a handful of other West clubs….

  • The 49ers‘ wide receiver coaches are among the few San Francisco assistants in Indianapolis, which presumably indicates where the team’s offseason priority lies, tweets Barrows.
  • Broncos defensive tackle Terrance Knighton has “made it very clear” to team management that he wants to return to Denver and would be willing to take something of a hometown discount to make it happen. However, as he tells Josina Anderson of ESPN, Knighton doesn’t feel as if that interest is totally mutual. “To be quite honest with you, it’s frustrating and it’s somewhat disrespectful just knowing how important I was to the team and what the defense could’ve been without somebody like me,” Knighton said. “It’s almost like, the longer they wait, the worse it is going to be.”
  • Broncos GM John Elway hasn’t heard back from Peyton Manning on his decision for 2015 but he “had a good talk” with the quarterback and said that he’s feeling better, says Mike Klis of The Denver Post.
  • The Chargers intend to have extension discussions with quarterback Philip Rivers and safety Eric Weddle at the “appropriate time,” according to GM Tom Telesco, but those negotiations aren’t on the team’s agenda for this week, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • With a new contract from the Cardinals in hand, Larry Fitzgerald will almost assuredly start and end his career in the same place, a rarity for NFL legends, as Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic writes. The new deal is quite fair to Fitzgerald, Bickley opines, as the $22MM guaranteed for the next two seasons was arguably $6MM more than he would have found on the open market.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Chargers GM Talks Rivers, RBs, Offseason

December 31st, 2014 at 3:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Chargers general manager Tom Telesco addressed reporters in an end-of-season press conference today, and Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune passed along several of the GM’s more notable comments. Here are the highlights from the presser, with all links headed to Gehlken’s Twitter account:

  • Philip Rivers is under contract for one more year, and the Chargers will “definitely” work to extend his contract this offseason, said Telesco, adding that he thinks the quarterback has several good years left in him, and he wants Rivers to finish his career in San Diego. Still, Telesco admitted that he has to keep an eye on “what’s next” at the QB position, which may mean adding a young player to develop in the not-so-distant future.
  • Telesco is pleased with the culture and the foundation in place in San Diego, and thinks the next step is for the Chargers to continue developing their current young players and adding complementary pieces — no overhaul of any kind is necessary.
  • Discussing San Diego’s running backs, Telesco said Donald Brown – who is under contract for 2015 – will be back and that the front office knows what Ryan Mathews means the team. Mathews is a free agent, and the GM appreciates having time to make a decision on him.
  • Telesco also acknowledged that the running game must improve, which involves upgrading the offensive line as well.
  • The Chargers have “a number” of contracts to extend or restructure heading into the offseason, according to Telesco, though he didn’t identify specific deals.
  • The interest Frank Reich is receiving as a head coaching candidate doesn’t surprise Telesco, but the GM “selfishly” wants the offensive coordinator to remain in San Diego. The club won’t stop Reich from pursuing head coaching opportunities.
  • Telesco is comfortable with D.J. Fluker at right tackle moving forward.

Chargers Notes: Royal, Johnson, Freeney, Rivers

December 29th, 2014 at 4:31pm CST by Luke Adams

A win yesterday would have secured the Chargers the sixth seed in the AFC, but the team’s offense couldn’t get anything going against the Chiefs, losing the game and ceding that final playoff spot to the Ravens. That gives the Chargers an early and unwelcome head-start on their offseason. Here’s the latest out of San Diego:

  • Chargers wide receiver Eddie Royal earned a $250K bonus yesterday by surpassing 700 receiving yards on the season, per Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter).
  • Jarret Johnson‘s cap hit will jump from $3.5MM this year to $7.5MM in 2015, which raises some questions about his future with the Chargers. Even if San Diego decides to hang onto him, Johnson isn’t sure whether or not he’ll continue his playing career — the 33-year old tells Gehlken, “If I hung it up, I’ll hang it up happy” (Twitter link).
  • Another Chargers linebacker, Dwight Freeney, also has an uncertain future, telling Gehlken that he’ll give it about a month before deciding on his next move (Twitter link). Freeney will turn 35 in February, and doesn’t have a contract yet for next season. If the veteran pass rusher decides to retire, he’ll have a future in television, says Gehlken.
  • Philip Rivers is headed into the final year of his contract, and San Diego is expected to try to extend him this offseason. However, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune says the Chargers shouldn’t even bother if they don’t intend to also invest heavily in protecting their franchise quarterback.

Sunday Roundup: Houston, Rivers, Bears

December 21st, 2014 at 12:37pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some assorted links from around the league as Week 16 gets in gear:

  • Although we already learned that there will be no NFL teams relocating to Los Angeles in 2015, Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that Raiders owner Mark Davis is expected to sign a one-year lease with O.Co Coliseum for the team to play there next season. As Tafur writes, Davis “did reiterate he is steadfast in his desire to keep the team in Oakland.”
  • Adam Teicher of ESPN.com believes Chiefs linebacker Justin Houston is destined for the franchise tag.
  • ESPN’s Chris Mortensen tweets that Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, who led his team to an improbable comeback win over the 49ers last night, is dealing with a bulging disk in his lower back that may require surgery after the season.
  • Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune makes a case for Bears right guard Kyle Long to stay at guard rather than shifting to tackle in the future.
  • Jay Glazer of Fox Sports writes that the Bears are yet another team that could show interest in 49ers head coach Jim Harbaugh.
  • ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that there were a number of cornerbacks promoted from the practice squad to the active roster last week, and that the Ravens tried to sign five of them before landing the Vikings‘ Chris Greenwood.
  • The Packers devote 13.5% of their salary cap to quarterback Aaron Rodgers, writes CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. Of the six teams who devote more to the quarterback position, only one (the Steelers) currently have a winning record.

Injury Updates: Sunday

November 16th, 2014 at 10:00pm CST by Ben Levine

There were a number of notable injuries today, and PFR’s Dallas Robinson already updated us on some ailing NFC players (Max Unger, Trent Williams and Rafael Bush). Let’s check out the latest on others who were hurt today, as well as a notable NCAA player whose season ended yesterday…

  • Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers has bruised ribs with possible cartilage damage, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. However, the writer notes that there is no fracture or lung injury.
  • Chargers nose tackle Ryan Carrethers dislocated his elbow on Sunday, tweets Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego. He is expected to play through the injury and shouldn’t miss a game.
  • Colts tight end Dwayne Allen left Sunday’s game with the assistance of a cart, tweets Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. Allen injured his right ankle and will miss the rest of the game, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com.
  • Colts running back Ahmad Bradshaw left Sunday night’s game in the fourth quarter, and Mike Chappell of RTV6 tweets that the running back will be taken for x-rays on his left ankle.

Earlier updates:

  • Georgia running back Todd Gurley suffered a torn ACL in his first game back from suspension, according to Seth Emerson of Macon.com, and the writer notes that Gurley’s college career is likely finished. Regardless, Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole tweets that “NFL folks” still believe the running back will be a first-round pick.
  • Broncos tight end Julius Thomas suffered a sprained ankle in today’s game, according to NFL.com’ Ian Rapoport (via Twitter). He is set to have an MRI on Monday.
  • Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will undergo an MRI on Monday to check out the seriousness of his right MCL injury, writes ESPN’s Ed Werder.

Chargers, Rivers Expected To Open Extension Talks After Season

August 18th, 2014 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

Like the Steelers with Ben Roethlisberger, the Chargers aren’t expected to work out a new contract with Philip Rivers before the 2014 season, but the team figures to instigate talks with its quarterback after the season, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. La Canfora reports that San Diego is interested in keeping Rivers around beyond 2015, when his current deal expires, and would like to avoid having him play a lame-duck year without an extension in ’15.

With no deal expected until after the 2014 season, Rivers’ play this year could go a long way toward determining what kind of extension he eventually signs. After a solid but unspectacular 2012 campaign, the former fourth overall pick enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career in 2013, completing an NFL-best 69.5% of his passes while racking up 4,478 yards and 32 touchdowns to go along with just 11 interceptions.

If he can build off that success and continue to play well under Mike McCoy in ’14, Rivers should be in line for another lucrative deal, despite the fact that he’ll turn 34 before his current contract expires. With a handful of QBs around the league recently inking extensions, Rivers’ contract ($15.3MM per year) now ranks just outside the top 10 at the position when it comes to annual average value. Another solid year should earn him an extension in the neighborhood of the $18MM-per-year pacts signed by players like Tony Romo and Jay Cutler, though the Chargers may want to limit the years on that new deal, as Rivers enters his mid-30s.

Rivers will earn a base salary of $13.8MM in 2014 and $15.75MM in 2015, with cap hits of about $16.667MM and $17.417MM, respectively.