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Richie Incognito

Bills Sign Richie Incognito

February 10th, 2015 at 11:08am CST by Rob DiRe

TUESDAY, 11:08am: As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com tweets, Incognito will have a base salary of $900K, a signing bonus of $100K, and a workout bonus of $100K. The veteran guard can also earn up to $350K in per-game roster bonuses, and $800K in playing-time incentives. So it looks like the deal can only be worth $2.25MM if it maxes out, with a more modest base value.

Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes that the playing-time incentives begin if Incognito plays at least 60% of Buffalo’s offensive snaps, and max out if he plays more than 75%.

MONDAY, 11:03am: The Bills have officially signed Incognito, the team announced today. The press release confirming the move includes a statement from co-owner Terry Pegula, which reads as follows:

“I personally met with Richie, along with Doug Whaley, Rex Ryan and Kim [Pegula] regarding an opportunity to earn a spot on the Buffalo Bills roster. Obviously, we all discussed Richie’s past experience in the NCAA and NFL. We are convinced that Richie is prepared to move forward and has and will continue to take the necessary steps to improve himself as a person and a teammate. Following discussion with the rest of the coaching staff, we as an organization will provide him with the opportunity to do so.”

SATURDAY, 8:02pm: Incognito’s one-year deal is worth $2.25MM, tweets ESPN’s Mike Rodak.

5:14pm: The Bills have officially reached an agreement with Incognito, according to a team press release. It’s a one-year deal, tweets ESPN’s James Walker. Financial terms have not yet been disclosed.

2:27pm: We heard last night that Richie Incognito was visiting the Bills, and now the team has signed the controversial free agent guard, according to Jeff Darlington of the NFL Network (via Twitter).

Before the season, Dallas Robinson assessed Incognito’s stock, noting that in the absence of guaranteed money or a large financial commitment, the Pro Bowl guard’s talent should be enough to warrant at least one team taking a chance on him.

Incognito was able to work out for teams, but was unable to sign on for the 2014 NFL season despite being cleared to play. He will get another chance with Rex Ryan and the Bills, as well as a chance to face his former team – the Dolphins – twice in 2015.

AFC Links: Manning, Ngata, Hughes, Incognito

February 6th, 2015 at 10:54pm CST by Rob DiRe

Even with a coaching change and big decisions to make on Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas, the Broncos’ offseason will more or less be about whether or not Peyton Manning returns in 2015.

If Tony Dungy is correct, Manning will be back next year, according to the Associated Press on IndyStar.com.

“I was with him last week and he didn’t give me any indication one way or another, but he certainly didn’t say anything to me that led me to believe he wouldn’t be playing,” said Dungy. “My gut feeling is that he’ll be back unless he really has a health-related problem. He enjoys the team. He enjoys his teammates. I think he really wants to come back and play well and not let that be the last game of his career.”

Here are some more links from around the AFC:

  • The Ravens have asked star defensive tackle Haloti Ngata to restructure his contract in the past, but for the first time they have leverage to make such a request this offseason, writes Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun. Ngata is owed $8.5MM in base salary and will count for $16MM against the cap. Considering the Ravens need to free up money for free agency, the declining Ngata could have to look for a new team if he refuses to restructure his deal, and coming off a four-game suspension for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy, the team holds all the cards.
  • The top priority for the Bills this winter should be figuring out a way to bring back Jerry Hughes, who has developed into one of the league’s most productive pass rushers, writes Jason Fitzgerald in his preview of Buffalo’s offseason at OverTheCap.com.
  • The Bills will host Richie Incognito for an official visit and physical on Saturday, reports James Walker of ESPN (via Twitter). Incognito has not played since being suspended as part of the bulling investigation with the Dolphins. The team needs help at guard, with Erik Pears and Kraig Urbik unlikely to return to the team, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN (via Twitter). The meeting may be merely a formality, as the team is expected to sign Incognito should he pass his physical, according to Tim Graham of the Buffalo News (via Twitter).
  • Cornerback Curtis Brown, a former Steelers third-round pick, will have a workout with the Jets on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).
  • Malcolm Butler may be a Super Bowl hero, but the undrafted Patriots cornerback isn’t going to get hung up on one play. He is already concerned with continuing to improve and become a fixture in the NFL, writes Tom Curran of CSNNE.com. “I’m going to probably enjoy this moment, I’ll never forget it,” said Butler. “Probably for a couple more days or whatever, however it dies down. Have a little time to relax and then get back to work and just try to prove my point that this one play doesn’t [define] me. I don’t want to be known as a great player for one play, so I’ve got more to prove. So, I’ll have a little relax time and get back to work.”

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC Mailbags: Chiefs, Colts, Jags, Ravens

November 29th, 2014 at 12:30pm CST by Ben Levine

We took a look at ESPN’s NFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now focus on notes from the AFC…

  • Adam Teicher says the Chiefs biggest need “in both the short and long terms” is at wide receiver.
  • Mike Wells believes it’s too late for the Colts to reinforce their offensive line depth with a free agent like Richie Incognito.
  • Firing offensive coordinator Jedd Fisch wouldn’t make “any sense” for the Jaguars, writes Michael DiRocco. A new O-coordinator would mean Blake Bortles would have to learn a new offensive, which is “virtually guaranteed” to stunt a young quarterback’s growth.
  • Jamison Hensley believes the Ravens will add some depth at cornerback, wide receiver, tight end and offensive tackle in the offseason. Meanwhile, the writer says it would be “uncharacteristic” for the team to pursue top free agent defenders like Jason Pierre-Paul or Ndamukong Suh.

AFC Notes: Hoyer, Oher, Broncos

November 16th, 2014 at 11:04am CST by Rory Parks

Much has been made of Brian Hoyer‘s future as the impending free agent continues to inch the Browns closer to an improbable playoff berth, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, if Hoyer does leave Cleveland after 2014–which would “shock” at least one prominent talking head–the Texans would be a likely destination. As Schefter writes, “Hoyer trusts [Texans head coach Bill] O’Brien as much as any coach in the league from their time together in New England, per sources, and would welcome a reunion.” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Cardinals‘ head coach during Hoyer’s one season in Arizona, would also have interest in bringing Hoyer to Tennessee. Schefter writes that a long-term deal between Hoyer and Cleveland will “get done only as soon as the Browns truly are ready to make Hoyer, not Johnny Manziel, their long-term quarterback.”

Now for some more links from the AFC (an NFC Notes post from this busy Sunday can be found here):

West Notes: Incognito, Bowman, Tate

November 14th, 2014 at 3:16pm CST by Luke Adams

The Broncos are the latest team to bring in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a visit and a workout, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears that Incognito’s visit to Denver and previous auditions with the Chiefs and Buccaneers went well. One executive even tells Freeman that Incognito looked “excellent” in his tryout. However, considering the former Dolphin is still looking for work, it appears he remains too toxic for any club to seriously consider signing him at this point, writes Freeman. At some point, a team will look past Incognito’s involvement in last year’s bullying scandal in Miami and give him another shot, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that it will happen this season.

As we wait to see whether Denver or another club picks up Incognito in the second half, let’s check in on a few Friday items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

  • The 49ers will see one of their standout linebackers return to the field this weekend, with Aldon Smith having been activated after serving his nine-game suspension. However, there’s a “real possibility” that injured linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season, won’t return to action in 2014, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • Wide receiver Golden Tate inked a lucrative five-year deal with the Lions back in March, and while that deal may have raised some eyebrows at the time, it’s turning into a great investment, with Tate in the top five in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards. Tate discussed his free agent process today, admitting that he thought he’d be a “hot commodity,” but “that wasn’t the case at all” (link via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Having previously referred to the Seahawks‘ contract offer as “laughable,” Tate didn’t show much sympathy for his old team today. “Their problem,” Tate said of Seattle. “Now they don’t have me or Percy [Harvin].”
  • The Broncos had hoped to keep linebacker Nate Irving in case he could return this season, but the team ultimately decided to place him on season-ending injured reserve yesterday due to his knee injury. Denver head coach John Fox explained the decision today, as Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post details.

AFC Notes: Hoyer, Chiefs, Manuel, Jets

November 13th, 2014 at 8:48pm CST by Ben Levine

As Brian Hoyer and the Browns continue to play well, the quarterback’s contract situation will continue to be a story. Former agent and current CBSSports.com analyst Joel Corry appeared on CBS Sports Radio’s Ferrall on the Bench yesterday, expressing his belief that the team should wait one more season before making a decision about the position…

“There haven’t been any contract discussions with Brian Hoyer since the spring…He’s making $1.2 million this year. He’s severely underpaid, so they’re ultimately going to have to make a choice. Do they go with their first-round pick, Johnny Manziel, as quarterback, or do they pay Brian Hoyer like a starting quarterback and then figure out what to do with Johnny?”

“What I would do is delay the decision a year. I would either put a transition tag for $16 million on Brian Hoyer for 2015 or franchise him for $18.5 million for the one year. It all depends on what my strategy would be, which tag I would use. If I wasn’t afraid of some team in the open market signing him to an offer sheet – which the Browns would be able to match because they’ll have about $50 million of cap room – (I might do that). And (if) they were comfortable with letting the market decide the deal and have him go long-term at that point, then I’d put the transition tag on him. If they wanted to truly play it out for another year, you franchise him for the $18.5 million and let things unfold in 2015.”

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

  • Bleacher Report’s Jason Cole hushed any rumors regarding Richie Incognito and the Chiefs. The writer tweeted that the lineman has not worked out for Kansas City.
  • Bills quarterback EJ Manuel will not become a consistent starter in the NFL, opines CBS NFL analyst Steve Beuerlein (via Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today Sports). “There’s no doubt Kyle Orton is not the guy for the future, but you’ve got to decide whether or not EJ Manuel is,” said Beuerlein. “There are just so many questions there, that I don’t know how you make that decision in his favor.”
  • There is no reason that Mark Sanchez‘s apparent turnaround couldn’t have happened with the Jets, writes Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.

Richie Incognito Visits, Works Out For Broncos

November 11th, 2014 at 6:29pm CST by Luke Adams

6:29pm: A source described the Broncos’ workout/meeting with Incognito as “exploratory” to Ed Werder of ESPN (on Twitter). As Klis and Glazer said, there’s nothing imminent between the two sides.

3:40pm: The Broncos haven’t closed the door on Incognito, but won’t be signing him for now, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link) suggests the club may revisit the possibility after its games against the Rams and Dolphins.

11:00am: Seeking a potential upgrade on the offensive line, the Broncos brought in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a workout and visit recently, reports Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter). According to Glazer (via Twitter), the Broncos are “doing their full diligence” on Incognito, though multiple coaches already know him from coaching him at the Pro Bowl.

Incognito, of course, has been on the open market since last season, following his involvement of the Dolphins’ bullying scandal that resulted in Jonathan Martin leaving the team. While Incognito’s play on the field has remained solid, questions about his character, locker room presence, and potential off-field issues have prevented him from finding a new home.

If there’s any locker room in the league that could handle bringing in a player like Incognito, the Broncos would seem to fit the bill. With a handful of strong veteran leaders in place, including Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware, it’s hard to imagine Incognito falling back on the same sort of behavior that got him into trouble in Miami.

While Manning is having another superb season in Denver, the team hasn’t been happy with its running game. The Broncos currently rank 27th in the league in rushing yards, and offensive coordinator Adam Gase expressed frustration with the club’s ground attack before Sunday’s game against the Raiders. The team shuffled around its offensive line a little for that contest, moving right guard Louis Vasquez to right tackle and having backup Manuel Ramirez play at right guard. If the Broncos were to seriously consider signing Incognito, presumably they’d have that right guard spot in mind for him.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Giants, Redskins

September 29th, 2014 at 11:45am CST by Luke Adams

LeSean McCoy is under contract with the Eagles through 2017, but 2014 acts as something of a contract year for the veteran running back, since his salary balloons next season to $9.75MM, significantly more than he’s making in any other year of his deal. With his cap number on the rise and running back contracts around the league on the decline, McCoy is off to a slow start this season, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. While the Eagles’ banged-up offensive line isn’t doing Shady any favors, he “doesn’t look like the same player” he was in 2013, according to Fitzgerald, who suggests that a down year for McCoy would force the Eagles to make a difficult decision for 2015.

Here’s more from around the NFC East:

  • The roster exemption the Giants received for cornerback Jayron Hosley, who is back from suspension, is for a week, so the team won’t have to make a move to get down to 53 players until next Monday, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
  • Appearing on WIP in Philadelphia, Eagles head coach Chip Kelly confirmed the club has not brought free agent lineman Richie Incognito for a workout, says Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link), who adds that it sounds like there’s no interest there.
  • The Redskins have multiple openings on both their 53-man roster and their practice squad, but those spots likely won’t stay open for long. Mike Jones of the Washington Post tweets that the team is having a large group of players in to audition today.
  • Earlier this morning, we rounded up a few Cowboys items.

NFL PR Notes: Goodell, Redskins, Incognito

September 24th, 2014 at 10:17pm CST by Rob DiRe

It seems that as of late the NFL has not been able to escape controversy. One thing after another has come up to humiliate and embarrass the league.

Here are a few notes surrounding some of the controversies the NFL has had to deal with:

  • Saints‘ All-Pro quarterback Drew Brees has been very critical of the way NFL commissioner Roger Goodell has reacted to recent transgressions made by players and team personnel. Much like the punishments the Saints were forced to endure after the bounty scandal, Brees sees the NFL’s abuse of power to be unfair, reports Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. “Too many times, I’d say especially over the last few years, a punishment’s been handed down and nobody has really seen the evidence except for those in the league office – supposedly,” Brees said. “So decisions were made in kind of a, ‘Hey, trust us.’ But did the public see any of the facts? Did the accused see any of the facts? In most cases, no.”
  • Former Ravens‘ running back Ray Rice has hired Peter Ginsberg as representation for his upcoming appeal, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Ginsberg had previously represented NFL players such as Pat Williams, Kevin Williams, and Jonathan Vilma in their suspension appeals with the league. Florio’s source feels that Ginsberg will push for Rice’s case to be heard by the September 30 deadline or the suspension be overturned.
  • The assistant district attorney in 49ers‘ defensive tackle Ray McDonald case is still without the official report, reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (via Twitter). Without that report, chances are increased that the court date will have to be pushed back.
  • In the CBS Thursday Night Football commercials for the upcoming Giants versus the Redskins matchup, the word “Redskins” is conspicuously missing, reports Zac Boyer of the Washington Times. While big blue is referred to as “the Giants”, the Redskins are referred to as “Washington.”
  • Classic Comedy Central animated comedy South Park focused its season premiere on the Redskins’ name controversy. Timothy Burke of Deadspin.com has compiled highlights from the episode, that featured parodies of a number of NFL characters.
  • The Patriots‘ are having offensive line problems after trading All-Pro guard Logan Mankins, but they aren’t desperate enough to reach out to disgraced former Dolphin Richie Incognito, according to Andy Gresh on CSNNE.com. “He’s the ultimate last resort,” said Gresh. “There are other teams with o-line issues. He’s gotten a few calls, but no one has signed the guy yet. So I do think the temperature in the league might be a part of it. But he’s out there and no one has said, ‘I’ll deal with it because he’s a good enough player.'”

AFC Notes: Alex Smith, Lindell, Ravens, Pats

August 27th, 2014 at 3:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Alex Smith has indicated that he would prefer not to let extension talks bleed into the regular season, but with Week 1 fast approaching and no agreement in place yet, the Chiefs quarterback told Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star yesterday that he didn’t have a specific deadline in mind for ending negotiations.

“I wish I had an answer for you,” Smith said. “I feel like I’ve kind of been locked into games and practicing. With camp winding down here, preseason winding down, certainly we’ll see. But sorry. No answer for you today.”

As we wait to see if Smith and the Chiefs can agree on a new deal before the team begins its season, let’s check in on a few other notes from around the AFC…

  • We heard yesterday that ex-Cardinals kicker Jay Feely would be working out for the Titans this week, and Alex Marvez of FOX Sports says (via Twitter) that Rian Lindell will also be a part of that audition. Brazilian youngster Maikon Bonani currently sits at the top of the team’s depth chart, but he has yet to attempt a regular-season NFL kick, so Tennessee may be seeking a veteran alternative.
  • While a deal isn’t necessarily likely, it sounds as if the Ravens are keeping their trade options open, as Aaron Wilson and Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun detail. In the view of Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com, the fact that Baltimore restructured Lardarius Webb‘s deal is notable and could signal that another move is forthcoming, since the team usually tries to avoid reworking contracts.
  • According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Tom Brady wasn’t overly pleased with the Patriots‘ decision to trade Logan Mankins to Tampa Bay. However, Cole suggests that it should only take a day or two for Brady to move past it.
  • The Patriots‘ trade of Mankins is the latest example of the lack of sentimentality the team has for its long-tenured veterans, writes Ben Volin of the Boston Globe. Although Mankins probably has some good years left in him, the Pats likely concluded he wasn’t worth carrying on an eight-digit cap number, says Volin.
  • Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star lays out the pros and cons for the Colts hypothetically signing free agent guard Richie Incognito.
  • Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News takes a look at Reggie McKenzie‘s track record since joining the Raiders, suggesting that the general manager hasn’t brought in many impact players since taking over the reins.
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