Prince Amukamara - Pro Football Rumors

Giants Rumors: JPP, Ayers, Amukamara

February 29th, 2016 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

The Giants would like to re-sign defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul and will continue to try to make it happen, writes Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. However, according to Raanan, the club is currently only willing to do a one-year, prove-it deal. Unless that stance changes within the next week or so, there’s a good chance JPP will explore the market, and if he finds a more appealing offer elsewhere, there’s a good chance he’ll depart.

As Raanan details, it’s possible that another team in desperate need of a pass-rusher will be willing to offer Pierre-Paul a multiyear contract in the neighborhood of $10MM per year, but there are too many variables in play for the Giants to make such an offer themselves before letting JPP gauge his value. It will be an interesting situation to watch as free agency nears.

Here’s more from Raanan on the Giants:

On the whole, the free agent market is expected to be player-friendly, and one player who will likely benefit is Giants defensive end Robert Ayers. According to Raanan, Ayers is expected to land a deal in the range of $6MM per year, and the Giants will be in the running.
The Giants will allow Prince Amukamara to reach the open market to get a sense of his value. The team doesn’t appear poised to spend big money on the cornerback position, since the front seven is the priority, says Raanan. If that’s the case, Amukamara could land with another team.
New York will likely explore signing a veteran free agent safety to pair with Landon Collins, says Raanan. Isa Abdul-Quddus is one player the team could target if it doesn’t spend on a top-tier safety.
The Giants are willing to let kicker Josh Brown walk if he finds a lucrative multiyear contract on the open market, since they don’t want to invest too heavily in the position.

Latest On Giants, Prince Amukamara

February 17th, 2016 at 3:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara says that he doesn’t expect to discuss a new contract with the Giants before hitting free agency in March (Twitter link via SiriusXM NFL Radio). Noting that his agent instructed him to “open-minded” through the free agency process, Amukamara says that he hopes to return to the G-Men in 2016 (link).

Amukamara, 26, has had an up-and-down run with the Giants since his entry into the league in 2011, but some of his problems can be chalked up to injury. Of course, that’s a double-edged sword when evaluating a free agent. Amukamara’s only 16-game season came in 2013 and in the last two years, he has only taken the field for 19 contests. Still, in his 11 games in 2015, Amukamara was a difference maker, notching 63 total tackles, 10 pass deflections, one fumble recovery, and one interception.

When healthy, Amukamara has demonstrated the ability that made him the No. 19 overall pick in the 2011 draft. I’d expect the Giants to make an effort to re-sign Amukamara before free agency officially gets underway, but the team will only go so far to retain him given the options that are out there at cornerback. If the bidding for him gets into the neighborhood of $10MM annually, that’s a price that the Giants probably won’t pay.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Thurmond, Giants

February 13th, 2016 at 9:44am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFC…

The 2016 base salaries for several Seahawks players will be guaranteed today, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. The list includes Richard Sherman ($12.569MM), Russell Wilson ($12.342MM), Cliff Avril ($6MM) and K.J. Wright ($5.25MM). $6MM of Earl Thomas‘ $8MM 2016 salary is also guaranteed today (via Corry).
The Eagles and free agent safety Walter Thurmond haven’t started discussions on an extension, tweets Geoff Mosher. The two sides are expected to start talking at the NFL Combine.
Jordan Raanan of NJ.com puts the Giants chance of retaining cornerback Prince Amukamara at “40 percent.” With the 26-year-old expected to fetch a contract of at least $10MM annually, Raanan isn’t convinced that the team is willing to spend at the position.
Raanan also believes the Giants should pursue Dolphins defensive end Olivier Vernon. The 25-year-old is younger than Mario Williams (who is expected to be released) and he’s more dependable than Jason Pierre-Paul.

Extra Points: Dolphins, Lynch, Giants, Browns

January 1st, 2016 at 10:09pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

As the Dolphins get their head coaching search under way, the Miami Herald’s Armando Salguero lists a slew of candidates. Chip Kelly, Todd Haley, Josh McDaniels, Jim L. Mora, Jim Schwartz and Hue Jackson are those with NFL head coaching experience. The potential first-timers consist of three offensive coordinators – Carolina’s Mike Shula, son of legendary ex-Dolphins coach Don Shula, as well as Chicago’s Adam Gase and Tampa’s Dirk Koetter. The Dolphins are looking for a leader of men capable of assembling a great staff, according to Salguero.

More from around the league as the first day of 2016 wraps up:

Welcome news for the Seahawks as the playoffs near: Running back Marshawn Lynch should return to practice Monday, head coach Pete Carroll said (link via The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta). Lynch has been out since mid-November because of abdominal surgery.
Sunday could be head coach Tom Coughlin‘s last game with the Giants. The same holds true for a pair of the club’s defensive institutions, writes Paul Schwartz of the New York Post, as end Jason Pierre-Paul and cornerback Prince Amukamara are both pending free agents. “I’d be lying if I said it’s never come up in my head or someone has never brought it up to me,” said Amukamara, whom the Giants chose in the first round of the 2011 draft. Amukmara added that he’d like to remain a Giant. “I love the organization, definitely treated first class here, so it’s been great.’’ There’s no word on whether the Giants want to retain Amukamara, but there was a report Thursday that they are hoping to keep Pierre-Paul, a 2010 first-rounder.
Browns pass rusher Paul Kruger indicated Thursday that the team’s coaching staff hasn’t deployed him properly this year. “Personally, I probably wouldn’t say so. I don’t have too much more to say about it, and I don’t put everything personally this year on that, but I don’t think I was utilized in the best way,” he opined, per Jeff Schudel of the Morning-Journal. Kruger has just 27 tackles and 2.5 sacks, his lowest total since 2010, though Schudel notes that he’s second in the league in quarterback hurries (33, up from 18 in 2014). Assuming Kruger’s with the Browns next season, he’ll probably work under a different staff than the one with which he’s currently disenchanted, as head coach Mike Pettine and coordinator Jim O’Neil are both on the outs.

NFC Notes: Reiff, Randle, Amukamara, Cutler

January 1st, 2016 at 12:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Lions invested a first-round pick in Riley Reiff four years ago, but haven’t found a permanent home for him on the offensive line. He has played both tackle spots, but the team hasn’t decided where his long-term future will be.

Offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter hasn’t made an officialy declaration, but he suggested the team was happy with how he locked up the left tackle position down the stretch this season, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I see him locking down our left tackle spot going forward,” said Cooter.

While Reiff finds a permanent home along the offensive line in Detroit, here are a few notes about players hoping to find permanent homes with their current teams this offseason:

The Giants have Odell Beckham Jr. for two more years on his rookie deal, but they will need to make a decision on a different receiver this offseason, as Rueben Randle hits free agency. Whether or not the Giants prioritize keeping him, Randle says he wants to stay with the team, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post. Randle’s up and down play might discourage the team from pursuing him.
Randle isn’t the only Giant who wants to come back, as cornerback Prince Amukamara has also expressed interest in returning to the team in 2016, writes James Kratch of NJ.com. Like Randle, Amukamara has had uneven play on the field, but the former first-round pick at cornerback has also struggled with injuries off the field.
Jay Cutler has had to answer similar questions on whether he’ll be back with the Bears in 2016. Cutler isn’t a free agent, but his high cap number has made him a candidate for release. He does want to be back, according to Larry Hawley of WGNTV.com. “Why wouldn’t I be [back?,” said Cutler. “I definitely want to be here. I wanted to be here last year whenever things did go bad.”

East Notes: Giants, Harrison, Eagles

December 27th, 2015 at 11:16am CST by Rory Parks

The Giants were officially eliminated from playoff contention last night by virtue of Washington’s victory over the Eagles, which has led ESPN’s Dan Graziano to wonder where Big Blue goes from here. He lays out the three biggest questions facing the team this offseason, including, of course, the fates of head coach Tom Coughlin and former first-round draft picks Prince Amukamara and Jason Pierre-Paul. Although it has been widely reported that Coughlin would be fired if his team failed to reach the playoffs this season, Graziano writes that a decision on Coughlin’s future has not yet been made.

Let’s take a look at a few more links from the league’s east divisions, beginning with more out of New York:

Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News suggests that there will be pressure from within the Giants‘ organization to make a coaching change, but Vacchiano says it would be unwise to underestimate how much team president John Mara likes Coughlin, and if Mara wants to stick with the coach that has delivered two Super Bowl titles to his club, Vacchiano lays out five reasons that would justify such a decision.
If the Giants do decide to part ways with Coughlin, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports says offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo is highly thought of within the organization and would become a strong candidate to become the team’s next head coach.
If he stays with the Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick could land a contract that will pay him between $10-12MM annually, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (citing a prominent NFL agent).
Damon Harrison, one of the unsung heroes of the Jets defensive line, will be a free agent at year’s end, and during a recent Q&A with Steve Serby of The New York Post, Harrison expressed his desire to remain with the Jets for the foreseeable future.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald looks back at the disastrous 2013 offseason that saw the Dolphins make enormous mistakes in both the draft and free agency, mistakes that will continue to haunt the team in 2016 and beyond.
After the Eagles‘ loss to Washington last night, quarterback Sam Bradford said he would like to remain in Philadelphia going forward, per Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk. Although Bradford has had an up-and-down season in his first year with the club, Bob Brookover of The Philadelphia Inquirer believes the impending free agent did enough last night to prove to the Eagles that he is worthy of a new contract.
As Les Bowen of The Philadelphia Daily News notes, the question of who will make the decision on Bradford’s future with the Eagles is still very much up in the air. Although Bowen still believes owner Jeffrey Lurie is “in too deep” with Chip Kelly to pull the plug on his embattled head coach so soon after handing him control of the team’s personnel decisions, the Eagles loss last night and the manner in which they lost may force Lurie’s hand.

Jason Fitzgerald on Kaepernick, Free Agency, Rams

December 19th, 2015 at 9:00am CST by Ben Levine

Jason Fitzgerald of OvertheCap.com answered a variety of questions on Twitter last night. The conversation focused on the upcoming offseason, and the writer did his best to make some early predictions. We’ve compiled the best of them, which you can find below…

Fitzgerald is convinced that the 49ers will be able to trade quarterback Colin Kaepernick. With a maximum $14.3MM cap hit (due to the $1MM savings if the team decides to deactivate him), the writer believes the Eagles could be a good fit for the embattled star.
Among the big-name players who could switch teams in free agency are (according to Fitzgerald) Alex Mack, Matt Forte, Russell Okung, Prince Amukamara, and Lamar Miller.
On the flip, Fitzgerald could imagine several big names being cut loose by their current teams, including Jamaal Charles, Jimmy Graham and DeMarcus Ware.
One of Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins will be back with the Rams next year, with Fitzgerald predicting an $8MM contract for Jenkins and $6MM for Johnson.
Assuming Marshawn Lynch‘s tenure in Seattle is over, Fitzgerald could envision the Patriots pursuing the running back. However, the writer is uncertain whether New England would have much interest.

Extra Points: Amukamara, Chargers, LA, Steelers

November 28th, 2015 at 9:54pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A quick look around the NFL as we draw closer to Sunday’s Week 12 action. . .

From a business standpoint, it would make a lot more sense for the Chargers to head to Los Angeles than stay in San Diego, writes Dan McSwain of the San Diego Union-Tribune. If the Chargers get a new stadium in San Diego, which doesn’t appear likely, projections indicate it would boost the team’s revenue by $50MM per annum. Conversely, the yearly revenue increase accompanying a new stadium in LA could be anywhere from $300MM to $500MM. Thus, the league’s relocation fee of $500MM to $600MM doesn’t look as if it should serve as much of a deterrent to either the Chargers or any other team eyeing LA.
Though Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara will be a free agent at season’s end, he’d like to stay where he is. “This is the organization that took a chance on me,” he told Steve Serby of the New York Post. “It’s a first-class organization.” Amukamara, who has missed 25 of 74 regular-season games since he was a first-round pick in 2011, added that he doesn’t “think the Giants would ever have to worry about the corner position again if I could stay on the field.”
Steelers offensive tackle Mike Adams has had a disappointing career since the team used a second-round selection on him in 2012, appearing in only 41 games (20 starts). Adams – who won’t play at all this year because of a back injury – will be a free agent after the season, but he might end up remaining with the Steelers, per Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. As Kaboly notes, the Steelers have just two tackles signed next season (Marcus Gilbert and Alejandro Villaneuva), so it’s possible they’ll bring back Adams as a depth player on a team-friendly deal.

NFC Notes: Amukamara, Bucs, Packers, Boldin

October 17th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Sam Robinson

Let’s look at some of the news coming out of NFC locales Saturday afternoon.

Prince Amukamara‘s latest injury, a partially torn pectoral muscle expected to sideline the Giants cornerback for multiple games, could cost him millions in free agency, writes Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News. Currently playing on his fifth-year option, Amukamara profiles as one of the top corners on next year’s market, joining Sean Smith and Leon Hall in a thin class. A former first-round pick, the 26-year-old Amukamara’s played in 16 games just once (2013) and has been available for double-digit contests just twice in four seasons. Vacchiano reports the talented-yet-brittle corner’s injury history represents why Big Blue hasn’t been negotiating an extension with him.
Now back with the Bucs, Connor Barth generated a public apology of sorts from Tampa Bay GM Jason Licht, who expressed regret over choosing rookie Kyle Brindza over the veteran Barth. “In hindsight, I shouldn’t have let him go,” Licht told Sirius XM radio (via Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune). The Bucs cut Brindza after he endured a horrendous start that included two errant extra points and six misssed field goals, and brought back Barth, an accurate field goal specialist but one with a weaker kickoff leg. “(Barth) has always been a steady kicker, but his kickoff leg has always been inconsistent, to put it mildly,’’ Licht said. “But (after Barth hit five touchbacks in eight kickoffs in Week 5) I asked him where that came from and he said he had been working on it. I think he realized that was his best chance to stick around for a long time.”
After Steve Spurrier announced his retirement this week, former Packers GM Ron Wolf recalled twice trying to offer him the Packers’ head-coaching job — once in 1999 and again in 2000 — but the longtime SEC coach showed no interest in American pro sports’ smallest city, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. The Packers hired Ray Rhodes to succeed Mike Holmgren in 1999 then after firing him brought in Mike Sherman instead of Spurrier, who ended up coaching in Washington from 2002-03.
49ers wideout Anquan Boldin acknowledged he achieved what he wanted to with the Ravens and now accepts his former team’s decision to trade him for a sixth-round pick. “I went there to win a championship, so job done,” Boldin told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. “I understand the business part of it now. No team is the same the following year. It wasn’t a big surprise.”

NFC East Notes: Kelly, Giants, USC, Cowboys

October 15th, 2015 at 2:50pm CST by Zachary Links

The Eagles are 2-3 and Southern Cal just fired coach Steve Sarksian. Naturally, people have started connecting Chip Kelly, who was a successful coach with Oregon, to the Trojans. At a Thursday morning press conference, Kelly did his best to quiet down that talk. Kelly said that no one from USC, or any college, has contacted him about its head coaching opening, as Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Kelly went on to say that he hopes to reach a level of success like Giants coach Tom Coughlin so that he doesn’t have to answer questions about returning to college football.

Here’s more out of the NFC East..

Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara will be out for 2-4 weeks with a partial pectoral tear, Coughlin told reporters (via the Giants on Twitter).
Former Colts/Dolphins/Raiders linebacker Philip Wheeler was among those working out for the Giants on Wednesday, according to ESPN.com’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Over the course of his seven-year career, he has played in 108 games (60 starts). Overall, he has registered 455 tackles, 5.5 sacks, four forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. In 2013 with the Dolphins, he led the team with a career-high 118 tackles. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rated Wheeler as the 18th best outside linebacker in a 3-4 set last season, giving him an overall grade of 2.6.
The Giants also worked out defensive backs Brandon McGee, Garry Peters, Greg Reid, and Dax Swanson this week, Dan Graziano of ESPN.com tweets. Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (on Twitter) adds wide receiver A.J. Jenkins of Illinois to that list.
Cowboys special teams coach Rich Bisaccia could have interest in the South Carolina job recently vacated by Steve Spurrier, as Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram writes.