Ray Farmer - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: McCoy, Mathis, Browns

September 4th, 2015 at 4:38pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

After releasing longtime backfield weapon Fred Jackson earlier this week, the Bills could find themselves without his replacement, LeSean McCoy, for their Week 1 matchup with Indianapolis on Sept. 13. McCoy, the Bills’ big-ticket offseason acquisition, has been dealing with a hamstring injury since last month and was noncommittal about his status for the opener when asked by reporters Friday.

“We’ll wait and see,” he said, according to ESPN.com. “Only thing I can do is control what I can control, and that’s just working hard and getting treatment and getting ready to go get out there.”

Bills head coach Rex Ryan stated he’s “optimistic” McCoy will be ready for Week 1. If McCoy can’t go, Ryan isn’t ready to name a starter for the Indy game.

“I’m not gonna get into those type of scenarios, the what-ifs and all that type of stuff. I know one thing: This football team will be ready. Period,” he said.

Browns Links: Haslam, Manziel, Thomas, Pryor

August 1st, 2015 at 4:46pm CST by Sam Robinson

A recent history of abandoning fledgling operations, the Browns may be ready to ride this one out in hopes of it completing a long-sought-after franchise rejuvenation. Owner Jimmy Haslam threw his support behind GM Ray Farmer and second-year coach Mike Pettine, vowing to not “blow things up” if the team sputters this season, according to Nate Ulrich of Ohio.com.

“I think we’re on the right track, so we’re not going to blow things up,” said Haslam, who axed the Browns’ previous power structure of Joe Banner, Mike Lombardi and Rob Chudzinski, along with the decision-making troika before that (Mike Holmgren/Tom Heckert/Pat Shurmur. “I understand why people might ask that after a couple of bumps in the road the first couple of years, but we’re not going to do that. I think we’re putting in place a good foundation.

“… (Farmer and Pettine are) quality people; they’re smart; they work hard; they’ve been around football all their life,” Haslam said. “Listen, if I would’ve said this time last year we were going to be 7-9, you all would’ve probably said that was pretty good, right?”

Instances like Textgate, a reported riff between Pettine and Farmer, offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan fleeing Cleveland with two years remaining on his deal, and Johnny Manziel‘s disastrous rookie year have the organization in a rough spot.

Speaking of Manziel, here’s some news surrounding the Browns’ mercurial backup quarterback and from the rest of the team.

Haslam does not intend to give up on Manziel, contrary to some of the rumblings from anonymous sources around the league, and that the 2012 Heisman Trophy recipient doesn’t have to show he’s capable of succeeding in the league this year to receive another shot. “I think it’s important — everybody forgets he’s barely 22 years old,” said Haslam, via Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer. “He’s still young, so I think over the next couple of years we’ve got to see if Johnny can be a legitimate quarterback or not. I don’t want to put too much pressure on him or our coaches to say it has to happen this year.” Manziel seems to be entrenched as a backup behind journeyman Josh McCown.
A hallmark of consistency but not much of an offseason buzz-generator considering his sturdy status, Joe Thomas said he’s not looking to find a way out of Cleveland despite the Browns’ struggles throughout the All-Pro left tackle’s tenure, reports Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. “It’s more important for me to take this Cleveland Browns team to the playoffs, for only the second time since they’ve come back, turn this team back into a contender year in and year out, than it is to go somewhere and latch on with an all-star team and go to the playoffs or win the Super Bowl. Because I don’t think it means as much,” Thomas told Grossi.
Grossi is 50-50 on Terrelle Pryor making the 53-man roster and advocates the team use him in short-yardage or two-point conversion scenarios, but the coaching staff is set on using him only at receiver. The former Raiders signal-caller has stood out early in camp but still an uphill battle with the likes of Travis Benjamin, Taylor Gabriel and 2015 draft choice Vince Mayle hovering as the Browns’ potential backups.
The ESPNCleveland scribe said the team doesn’t want to use versatile first-rounder Cameron Erving at right tackle in order to keep starter Mitchell Schwartz in the lineup and view what Michael Bowie can do with reserve reps.

AFC Notes: Brady, Pettine, Broncos, Chargers

July 27th, 2015 at 9:11pm CST by Zachary Links

After Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti denied that he was among those pushing commissioner Roger Goodell to keep Tom Brady‘s full four-game suspension, Colts owner Jim Irsay issued a similar denial today.

“That’s not true at all,” Irsay told Zak Keefer of The Star when asked about a recent assertion made by ESPN’s Sal Paolantonio. “I haven’t talked to Roger Goodell about DeflateGate since late January. Not true. That’s not the way things work involving someone else’s business and someone else’s team. It’s not something I’ve ever seen, and I’ve been around ownership (in the NFL) for half a century.”

Irsay claims his last interaction with Goodell regarding the Deflategate controversy came months before the results of Ted Wells’ investigation were released in May. Here’s more out of the AFC..

Despite a recent report to the contrary, Browns coach Mike Pettine swears he’s on good terms with GM Ray Farmer, as Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal writes. “I think it was that late summer slow news day,” Pettine said. “The unfortunate thing is this: When you don’t win, when you have the history, or not so recent history of the Browns, to me, there’s not much credibility there. You can take an individual event and extrapolate that out to it has a negative connotation to it. That was the disappointing part of that.”
If the status of Antonio Smith‘s case doesn’t change, he could report to Broncos training camp on Thursday, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. Denver excused Smith from voluntary offseason workouts to tend to his personal matters but the club has remained in contact with him over the past two months and is expected to determine his status soon. If the Broncos decide they need more time to make a decision on Smith he cannot be fined for his absence from camp. Smith is being investigated following a complaint of sexual child abuse.
NFL executive Eric Grubman will visit San Diego again on Tuesday to get a briefing from the Chargers and local government officals on the progress of the stadium initiative, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets.

AFC North Notes: Brown, Bisciotti, Farmer

July 26th, 2015 at 5:50pm CST by Ben Levine

Antonio Brown signed a six-year, $43MM deal with the Steelers prior to the 2012 season. Despite leading the NFL in receiving yards last season, the average annual value of the 27-year-old’s contract ranks 14th among wideouts.

While some of his peers would hold out for a new contract, Brown told Gilberto Manzano of NFL.com that that’s not the best route.

“Holdouts never go well,” said Brown. “Just look at history. It always ends badly. It wouldn’t be the best decision. I make a lot of money. I pull up to camp in Rolls-Royces.”

Even with Dez Bryant and Demaryius Thomas signing lucrative deals this past offseason, Brown isn’t focused on any future payday.

“You know you get caught up thinking about the future you lose sight of the present,” he said. “What I’m here to do today is to show how hard I’ve been working, showcase I can still be the best in the world and help my team win football games.”

Let’s check out some more notes from the AFC North…

Following news that Ravens owner Steve Bisciotti was among those pushing commissioner Roger Goodell to keep Tom Brady‘s full four-game suspension, the 55-year-old denied the report. “I have not and will not put any pressure on the Commissioner or anyone representing the NFL office to take action in what everyone is calling ‘Deflategate,'” Bisciotti said in a statement. “The story circulating that I have put pressure on Roger (Goodell) is 100% wrong. The reports are unfair to Robert Kraft, who is an honorable person, and to his franchise. Let’s talk about football and the start of training camps. Fans and people like me want the issue resolved now.”
It was Browns CEO Joe Banner‘s decision to spend big money on 2013 free agents Paul Kruger and Desmond Bryant, Terry Pluto of Cleveland.com writes. Since then, Cleveland’s big moves have been made by general manager Ray Farmer, including the additions of Donte Whitner, Karlos Dansby and Dwayne Bowe.
A desire to have more depth on the offensive line was part of Farmer’s decision to draft Cameron Erving in the first round, Pluto notes.

North Rumors: Packers, Pitta, Browns

July 21st, 2015 at 11:43am CST by Luke Adams

Packers president Mark Murphy wasn’t thrilled to see his a handful of his players at the center of off-field incidents this offseason, with Datone Jones having been suspended for violating the league’s substance abuse policy, while Letroy Guion and Andrew Quarless were each arrested and could be suspended as well. However, the team still doesn’t have any plans to release any of those players to send a message, as Murphy tells Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.

“While we’re disappointed in all the situations, we have to let the process play out and see exactly what happens in each situation,” Murphy said.

As we wait to see how Quarless’ legal situation plays out, and whether or not Guion receives discipline from the NFL, here are a few more items from around the league’s two North divisions:

Although Dennis Pitta has made “significant progress” in his recovery from a fractured and dislocated right hip, his NFL future is still up in the air. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun, the Ravens tight end will likely begin the 2015 regular season on the physically unable to perform list, which would sideline him for at least the first six weeks. Pitta, who will earn a guaranteed $4MM base salary this year whether or not he plays, has yet to be medically cleared to practice.
In his latest piece for ESPNCleveland.com, Tony Grossi highlights the departure of former Browns director of player engagement Jamil Northcutt, suggesting that the so-called mutual parting reflects a “seeping rift” between head coach Mike Pettine and GM Ray Farmer. Sources have told Grossi that Northcutt was a recipient of Farmer’s illegal in-game texts that earned the GM a four-game suspension, though another source says that’s not accurate.
The Vikings don’t have interest in free agent guard Evan Mathis, according to Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News, who tweets that the team wants to see what it has in its young players. Minnesota could consider revisiting Mathis later if the club’s guard play is an issue.
U.S. Magistrate Judge Janie Mayeron has ordered the NFL and the Players Association into settlement negotiations in their battle over Vikings running back Adrian Peterson‘s suspension, writes Dave Campbell of The Associated Press. The legal fight stems from the NFLPA claiming that the league “deliberately ignored” Judge David Doty’s ruling when Doty sided with the union in rejecting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision to uphold Peterson’s suspension.

Extra Points: Browns, Bengals, Bonuses

May 3rd, 2015 at 6:00pm CST by Sam Robinson

Fond of assessing teams’ draft performances hours after their completion, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. provided some additional immediate analysis (Insider subscription required) on which teams’ depth charts improved the most.

Not coincidentally, six of Kiper’s eight teams mentioned here made their first pick in the top 10, with only the Browns and Seahawks drawing mention for their selections in the middle and near the end of the rounds, respectively.

While Kiper chastised Seattle for reaching each year, he’s come to accept what the franchise does may work, considering the annual production from homegrown players. He identified Tyler Lockett as a potential impact player for a team mostly devoid of them on the outside. Beyond their two first-rounders, the Browns’ third-round bolstering of their backfield with Duke Johnson drew specific praise from the longtime draft expert.

Here is some other news from around the league …

With interior-line players coming to Cleveland after first-round notifications, the Browns were definitely not as flashy in this draft as they were last year, writes Jeff Schudel of the Lorain Morning Journal. Characterizing this year’s class as one orchestrated by Mike Pettine and Ray Farmer rather than what he determines as a Jimmy Haslem move in getting Johnny Manziel last year, Schudel notes the Browns, who may start Josh McCown rather than the first-round quarterback they traded up for in 2014, are planning for low-scoring contests this season.
Coming off a torn ACL sustained in a bowl game, Cedric Ogbuehi seems destined for the physically unable to perform list to start his NFL career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com in his look at Cincinnati’s new depth chart. Second-round tackle Jake Fisher should also be ready for work at center, offers Hobson, with offensive line coach Paul Alexander preferring versatility from his charges.
With teams allotted $86K in bonuses to dole out to undrafted free agents, this year they are using funds from an unlimited area to compensate for that figure, reports Philly.com’s Paul Domowitch (Twitter links). By splitting finances for undrafted performers between bonus money and base salary guarantees, the latter not having a specific limit like the former, teams are spending quite a bit to land their post-draft targets.
The 49ers did the most in terms of securing future resources during this draft, by acquiring two of the five 2016 selections exchanged this weekend, according to Pro Football Talk’s Mike Wilkening. The Chargers and Cowboys traded the 49ers fifth- and sixth-round picks, respectively, in next year’s draft.

Sunday Roundup: Collins, AFC North, Pats

May 3rd, 2015 at 12:56pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at a few notes from around the league on this post-draft Sunday:

The La’el Collins saga will be one of the more fascinating storylines to watch over the coming days. Gil Brandt of NFL.com tweets that if Collins is cleared of any wrongdoing after his meeting with Louisiana police tomorrow, he will sign as an undrafted free agent. Brandt adds that there will be a great deal of interest in Collins’ services if he is, in fact, cleared.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com looks at what Collins could make as an undrafted free agent,
It appears that Browns ownership is “digging in” and committing to the Ray Farmer–Mike Pettine regime, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer passes along Farmer’s and Pettine’s responses to questions as to why the Browns did not select a quarterback in this year’s draft. The GM and head coach simply reaffirmed their faith in the team’s current signal-callers while acknowledging that the group does not include an elite talent. However, Pettine simply stated, “We’re not going to over-prioritize the quarterback position.”
The Ravens have invited Maryland DE Andre Monroe to rookie mini-camp on a tryout basis, writes Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Paul Dehner, Jr. of The Cincinnati Enquirer describes how the Bengals passed on the “acrobatic athletes and track stars” in this weekend’s draft and instead focused on powerful linemen and strong tight ends.
The Eagles may regret not selecting an offensive lineman in the draft, writes Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer. As we learned earlier today, however, four of the team’s 16 undrafted free agents are offensive linemen.
Although they did not address their cornerback need in the draft, Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald believes the Patriots strengthened the secondary simply by adding some punch to the team’s pass rush.
The Patriots passed on drafting a receiver for the second consecutive year, meaning that third-year wideout Aaron Dobson will still have a good chance to live up to his considerable potential, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com.
With a draft class that most analysts agree is a strong one, and after an active free agency period, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union says the Jaguars are finally adding depth to their roster and creating some much-needed competition.
Jeff Duncan of The Times-Picayune says the Saints‘ draft class, which does not include a single wide receiver or tight end, reaffirms their faith in Drew Brees, Sean Payton, and the offense as a whole.

AFC Draft Notes: Pats, Browns, Chargers, Titans

May 1st, 2015 at 12:25pm CST by Ben Levine

The Patriots have had a number of successful drafts during Bill Belichick‘s tenure, but Malcom Brown is confident he’ll be regarded as one of the best picks in team history.

Following the Patriots’ selection of the hulking defensive lineman last night, the University of Texas standout expressed his confidence to reporters (including Phil Perry of CSNNE.com):

“Ya’ll about to get the best player ya’ll have ever drafted so just be ready for when I touch the field.”

Of course, that may be a bit of an overstatement, especially since the team stole future Hall of Fame quarterback Tom Brady in the sixth round. However, Brady made similar comments following the 2000 draft (also via Perry):

“I’m the best decision this organization has ever made.”

Let’s take a look at some more draft notes out of the AFC…

Browns GM Ray Farmer denied trying to move up to the No. 2 pick for quarterback Marcus Mariota, as Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes. “No, no, no,” Farmer said. “Again, I’ve tried to tell people without telling them specifically, but the answer is no. There were no conversations of trading.”
The Chargers traded up to No. 15 because Melvin Gordon was the last of seven “impact players” left on their board, Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego writes.
Meanwhile, Chargers general manager Tom Telesco told reporters (including Michael Gehlken of UTSanDiego.com) that he’s open to trading down either Friday or Saturday.
ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini examines some possible targets for the Jets on the second day of the draft. Among the possibilities are Virginia outside linebacker Eli Harold and Ohio State wideout Devin Smith.
The Titans like Dorial Green-Beckham, and Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com says he wouldn’t be “shocked” if the team selects the wideout with the 33rd pick (via Twitter).

Zach Links contributed to this post.

North Notes: Manziel, Peterson, Browns

April 23rd, 2015 at 9:45pm CST by Zachary Links

Browns GM Ray Farmer told reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer (on Twitter), that he did not try to trade Johnny Manziel to the Eagles, despite rumors to the contrary. Recently, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report reported that the Browns tossed out the idea in a conversation with Philadelphia, but it didn’t gain any traction. As for the Eagles, they apparently didn’t have any real interest in making that happen. Here’s more on the Browns and the rest of the AFC North..

Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports told Arizona Sports 98.7 FM that the Cowboys are not in the running for Vikings tailback Adrian Peterson. “Whoever says otherwise is 1,000 percent wrong,” he said. “The Cowboys have not spoken to the Minnesota Vikings about Adrian Peterson. It has not happened. They haven’t offered a draft pick, they have not picked up the telephone to talk to the Minnesota Vikings about Adrian Peterson. It simply has not happened.” Robinson says the Cardinals, Buccaneers, and Jaguars are the teams in the mix for No. 28 at present and he wouldn’t rule out the Falcons joining that group. Robinson is 100% confident that the Vikings would trade Peterson to the Cardinals if they were to offer up their first-round pick, but it remains to be seen if they’re willing to do that.
Farmer said that he’ll add to the competition at quarterback if he finds a viable option, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets. He’s not, however, desperate for a signal caller. “It’s constantly reported we’re [quarterback] starved and we’ll do whatever it takes to get one person. I don’t know why that is,” the GM said (link). The Browns’ collection of quarterbacks currently includes Manziel and veteran Josh McCown.
When asked if he’d take a running back in the first round, Farmer responded, “Sure. Why not?” (via Ulirch on Twitter). The Browns own the No. 12 and No. 19 picks in the draft.
The team has yet to decide on an interim GM that will be in charge while Farmer is suspended, Cabot tweets.

Browns Notes: Manziel, QB, Farmer

April 4th, 2015 at 4:38pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Browns are set up for success with two first-round picks in 2015. However, their recent history of having multiple selections in the first round has been tragically bad, writes Pat McManamon of ESPN.com.

Gil Brandt of NFL.com ranked the Browns as both the worst and second-worst in terms of teams with multiple first-round picks since 2010. Both Trent Richardson and Brandon Weeden in 2012 were off the team within two years, and last year’s draft of Justin Gilbert and Johnny Manziel has gotten off to a terrible start.

Here are some more notes from the Browns:

The Browns have reportedly moved on from Manziel, but McManamon believes that the statement from Chris Mortensen was taken out of context. McManamon writes that Mortensen was giving his opinion, and that the meaning was that the Browns’ front office was not considering Manziel as an option until he comes out of rehab and they re-evaluate him.
McManamon also writes that while it is unlikely, he would not completely rule out Manziel as being a part of a draft-day trade. However, he believes the team still wants to give him a shot to become the face of the franchise.
While quarterback is thought of as an option early in the NFL Draft, the team will only target a player if they are sold on his abilities, writes McManamon. The team could still find an interesting option next offseason, with a number of intriguing quarterbacks set to enter the draft.
For Browns’ fans holding out hope that Cardale Jones enters the supplemental draft, McManamon has bad news. He writes that Jones would have to quit school to become eligible for the supplemental draft, and even then there would be no guarantee that the Browns would be able to draft him.
Asked by a fan which Browns’ jersey to invest in, Tony Grossi of ESPN has difficulty picking players he is confident will be with the team for the next five years. He picks Joe Haden and Joel Bitonio as the best bets to be with the team long term.
The Browns didn’t lose any draft picks during the Ray Farmer scandal, but that doesn’t mean the team will not suffer with Farmer suspended. Grossi writes that the Browns made approximately 25 minor transactions during the first four weeks of 2014, and without Farmer those decisions will be in the hands of an interim general manager.