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Rob Ninkovich

Rob Ninkovich Won’t Rule Out Return

September 7th, 2017 at 9:45am CST by Zachary Links

Longtime Patriots defender Rob Ninkovich retired over the summer, but the itch to play football has returned as the fall draws near. Ninkovich isn’t ready to suit up just yet, but he won’t rule out a comeback either. Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

“I’m not closing the door. I’m not going to close the door. Just in case, you know, if something happened,” Ninkovich said on CSNNE (video link).

It’s not hard to imagine the Patriots calling on Ninkovich in the event of an injury, particularly since the front seven has been thinned out by rookie Derek Rivers’ season-ending injury and the release of Kony Ealy. The addition of Cassius Marsh may help New England on special teams, but the pass rush is looking like a major weak spot for the defending champs.

Ninkovich began his career with the Saints and also spent time with the Dolphins, but he has said that he cannot picture himself playing for any other team besides the Patriots. If he steps on the gridiron again, it will almost certainly be for a ninth season with New England.

Ninkovich saw the first significant action of his career when he signed with the Patriots in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14. All in all, Ninkovich piled up 423 tackles and 46 sacks during his tenure with the Patriots. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts, and was a key member of two Super Bowl-winning teams.

Rob Ninkovich To Retire

July 30th, 2017 at 8:16am CST by Rory Parks

Longtime Patriots stalwart Rob Ninkovich, 33, is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Just last week, we heard that Ninkovich, who was entering a contract season, would not play for anyone other than New England. Now, it seems, he will play for no one at all.

Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

Ninkovich was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14.

All in all, Ninkovich piled up 423 tackles and 46 sacks during his tenure with the Patriots. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts, and was a key member of two Super Bowl-winning teams. A classic overachiever, Ninkovich was also a team leader, serving as a captain in 2013 and 2015.

As Reiss observes, Ninkovich appeared in only 44.3% of the team’s defensive snaps in the 2016 regular season, though that was due in large part to the fact that he served a four-game suspension to open the season after testing positive for a banned substance. But in the Pats’ most critical games at the end of the year, Ninkovich’s snap count spiked, underscoring his importance to the club. The last game of his career, of course, will be a Super Bowl triumph.

The team was counting on another solid season from the Purdue product in 2017. The Pats will turn first to Kony Ealy — who was acquired in a trade with the Panthers this offseason — to replace Ninkovich’s production. Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets that Deatrich Wise, Jr., whom New England selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, is also a player to watch. The Patriots will need someone like Wise or fellow rookie Derek Rivers to step up in a big way, as Doug Kyed of NESN.com writes, because New England’s pass rush without Ninkovich looks rather thin.

AFC Notes: Bengals, Osweiler, Hali

July 23rd, 2017 at 11:38am CST by Rory Parks

Tyler Eifert and Vontaze Burfict are both entering their contract seasons, and while the Bengals have not allowed a Pro Bowl player to leave via free agency who is under the age of 32 since 2011, both players present unique considerations. Both are justified in aiming to be paid at the top of the pay scale for their respective positions, but Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Burfict, because of his injury history and run-ins with the league’s player safety rules, is more likely to receive a contract like Dont’a Hightower‘s (four years, $35.5MM with $17MM in guarantees) than Luke Kuechly‘s (five years, $61.8MM with $34MM in guarantees). Also, given Hightower’s difficult time in free agency this season, it is unclear whether Burfict will want to try his luck on the open market.

Eifert’s own injury history could hinder his financial prospects, though league sources indicate he is in line for a five-year pact with an AAV of roughly $9MM. Unlike Burfict, however, the franchise tag is an option for Eifert if the two sides cannot hammer out a long-term deal this year, although both parties are motivated to get something done.

Now for more from the AFC:

  • Brock Osweiler apparently still has a chance to start for the Browns in Week 1. Although Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer are considered the most likely candidates to open the season under center, a lot will depend on Kizer’s development. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, if Kizer does not develop as anticipated during training camp — he has progressed well to this point, but things can always change when the pads are on — then Osweiler could reenter the mix as a challenger to Kessler.
  • Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is entering his contract year, but at this point, he does not foresee himself playing for anyone other than New England, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Ninkovich was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14. He is so grateful for his time in New England that, when asked if he could envision himself playing for another club, he said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
  • Tamba Hali‘s Twitter rant last night drew quite a bit of attention, but the Chiefs linebacker says he is not considering holding out and he has not been told he is not in the team’s 2017 plans. He said he simply wants to play more (Twitter link). Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star says (via Twitter) that Hali did address the matter internally back in January, and he was told by head coach Andy Reid to just “keep getting better.” That obviously did not sit well with Hali, who apparently stewed about it for some time before unleashing a bit last night.
  • Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union wonders what, if anything, Trai Turner‘s recent four-year, $45MM extension could mean for Jaguars center Brandon Linder, who was drafted one spot behind Turner in the 2014 draft. Linder started his career at right guard but was moved to center last season after missing 13 games due to a shoulder injury in 2015. He has missed 15 total games in his career, and it sounds as if Jacksonville will simply allow him to play out his contract because of that injury history. If contract talks do commence this year, it will be interesting to see if Linder gets paid like a center or if he receives a deal that suggests he could return to right guard in the future.

Patriots Activate Tom Brady, Rob Ninkovich

October 8th, 2016 at 4:16pm CST by Sam Robinson

It’s time for pure, unadulterated excitement, Patriots fans. New England activated Rob Ninkovich on Saturday in advance of the Patriots-Browns game. He will be set to return to his place at left defensive end after his four-game PED suspension concluded.

The team also activated Tom Brady, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports (on Twitter).

While these moves aren’t surprising, they officially mark the return of the iconic quarterback and longtime edge player to the field for the AFC East-leading Pats.

In addition to the suspension, Ninkovich suffered a torn triceps muscle in August. Both Jabaal Sheard and Chris Long have played more than 70 percent of the Patriots’ snaps at defensive end, so Ninkovich might not return to the starter’s role he held immediately, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald estimates. The 32-year-old veteran has started since the 2010 season for the Pats and has been the longest-tenured performer on their defense, starting in all 16 games in each of the past five seasons.

Both Long and Sheard have five quarterback pressures, and the former Browns edge presence leads the Pats with three sacks.

For the record, Brady returns from his four-game Deflategate suspension to stabilize what’s been a chaotic Patriots quarterback position.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

14 Players Returning From Suspension

October 3rd, 2016 at 7:06pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Fourteen players will return from four-game suspensions this week, according to Howard Balzer (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). The most high-profile returnee, of course, is quarterback Tom Brady, who will re-join the 3-1 Patriots on Sunday against the Browns.

The following players have completed their suspensions:

The club that employs each player will receive a short roster exemption that ends the day following the team’s Week 5 game. that means the 49ers’ exemption for Lynch ends Friday, the Panthers’ exemption for Scott ends next Tuesday, and the rest end next Monday.

Sterup, meanwhile, was on the Chiefs’ practice squad when he was banned, but he hasn’t completed the PED reinstatement requirements, according to Balzer. So although he can sign with a new club, Sterup can’t practice or play until he’s approved by the league.

Patriots Extend Ninkovich, Restructure McCourty

September 11th, 2016 at 6:15pm CST by Rory Parks

The Patriots have signed suspended and injured defensive end Rob Ninkovich to a one-year extension, as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe tweets. Ninkovich is now effectively playing on a two-year, $4.27MM deal, and the extension will save him approximately $117K in suspension-related fines. Ninkovich, already slated to miss several weeks to start the season after suffering a torn triceps injury, was suspended four games earlier this month for a violation of the league’s policy on performance-enhancing drugs.

Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

Ninkovich has been a boon to the New England pass rush during his tenure with the club, racking up at least 6.5 sacks per year since the 2011 season. The extension therefore helps the club ease some of the financial strains Ninkovich will face as a result of his suspension while keeping one of its more important defensive players under club control for 2017 at a reasonable rate.

The Patriots also restructured Devin McCourty‘s contract on Friday, according to Volin (via Twitter). The team converted $3.74MM of McCourty’s base salary into a signing bonus, thereby creating $2.8MM of cap space in 2016. As a result, Volin tweets, the team adds a fairly palatable $935K to McCourty’s cap number for each of the 2017-19 seasons.

McCourty signed a five-year $47.5MM deal last March as the top safety on the free agent market, but he started his professional career as a corner. The Rutgers product excelled at that position in 2010, his rookie season, grading as the league’s seventh-best CB that year, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics. However, even though he remained effective against the run in 2011, his coverage grade lagged and he dropped to 57th on PFF’s cornerback rankings.

In 2012, therefore, he began splitting his snaps between corner and safety, and he was named an All-Pro safety in 2013. He has remained a stalwart at that position ever since. Prior to reworking the contract, the Patriots had a little more than $6.5MM in cap room (per OverTheCap.com), so they did not necessarily need to create more space, but the move does give the club a bit more of an operating budget for 2016.

Ninkovich will have a cap hit of $4.77MM this season after this new deal, giving the experienced Patriot a $367K increase from the previous ’16 figure, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reports. As for 2017, Ninkovich’s cap hit will be $2.25MM ($1MM base salary). The deal includes a $400K roster bonus ($25K per game), according to Howe. Ninkovich’s $1MM base for 2017 is guaranteed.

All in all, Ninkovich can earn up to $3.5MM in new money as a result of this extension, which Howe reports was signed on Monday. He’ll receive a $1.5MM signing bonus as well.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Patriots DL Rob Ninkovich Suspended Four Games

September 2nd, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Zachary Links

More bad news for Patriots standout Rob Ninkovich as he has been suspended four games for a violation of the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

“Few things are more important to me than my name and reputation. This might call that into question for some, which has me heartbroken,” the linebacker/defensive end told Reiss. “I don’t want to cut any corners. I want to do things the right way, with high integrity, and that’s what I have always wanted to stand for.”

Ninkovich was already slated to miss several weeks to start the season after suffering a torn triceps injury. Because of that, he is not necessarily missing any additional time. He will, however, be docked roughly 25% of his base salary.

The 32-year-old insists that he would never knowingly take an illegal substance. It is not immediately clear whether he plans to appeal.

“Any supplement I’ve ever used was bought at a store. I was unaware something I bought had a substance in it that would give me a positive test because it wasn’t listed [as an ingredient],” he told ESPN.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Patriots Notes: Hightower, Ninkovich, Gronk, QBs

August 14th, 2016 at 6:30pm CST by Ben Levine

Dont’a Hightower is set to be a free agent following the season, and ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss has noticed a notable change in the linebacker’s “approach with the media.” This sentiment was confirmed in an interview with WEEI, where he made it clear that the contract situation wouldn’t be a distraction.

“As far as I’m concerned, I’m here for the year,” Hightower said (via Reiss). “I’m not worried about it. Anything that is going to be done with that will be dealt with [agent] Pat Dye. Until then, I will just control what I can control in between these white lines.”

When asked how he deals with the distraction, Hightower said he tries to “avoid the media as much as possible; that’s the No. 1 thing.”

As the linebacker seeks a lucrative extension, let’s take a look at some other notes out of New England…

  • Agent Drew Rosenhaus attended the Patriots preseason opener, only 11 days after having attended the team’s training camp. Reiss wonders is his presence was in regard to clients Rob Gronkowski and Jabaal Sheard, who could both be in line for lucrative contract extensions.
  • Reiss notes that the Patriots dealt linebacker Jonathan Bostic to the Lions earlier this offseason in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick. Bostic suffered a serious leg injury this week, and if the linebacker ends up missing the season, the Patriots presumably won’t end up receiving the pick.
  • Coach Bill Belichick isn’t anticipating the addition of a veteran quarterback, writes Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com. “We’ve talked about it but we’re where we’re at,” Belichick said. “We are where we’re at right now.” With Tom Brady set to miss the first four games of the season, the Patriots will be rolling forward with a pair of quarterbacks: fill-in starter Jimmy Garoppolo and rookie Jacoby Brissett.
  • After having torn his tricep earlier this week, defensive end Rob Ninkovich was back at practice today, tweets Ben Volin of The Boston Globe.

Patriots DE Rob Ninkovich Suffers Torn Triceps

August 10th, 2016 at 9:04am CST by Zachary Links

WEDNESDAY, 9:04am: Ninkovich is expected to miss 4-6 weeks, a source tells ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter).

TUESDAY, 4:55pm: Ninkovich tore only his tricep muscle, meaning that no surgery is necessary, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Ninkovich will start rehabilitating the muscle and, If all goes well, he could return by October.

4:54pm: Patriots defensive end Rob Ninkovich has torn one of his triceps muscles, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com tweets. It’s unclear how long Ninkovich could be sidelined with the injury, but one has to imagine that this will cost him a good chunk of the regular season. Rob Ninkovich (vertical)

[RELATED – Offseason In Review: New England Patriots]

Ninkovich, 32, has missed just one game since joining the Patriots in 2009. Each year, Ninkovich has been a key cog in the Pats’ front seven, racking up 42 sacks in that span. Last year, Ninkovich tallied 6.5 sacks and 52 tackles with 7 pass deflections.

This upcoming season is/was a critical one for Ninkovich as he is set to hit the open market after the 2016 campaign. This year, the veteran is slated to earn $4.75MM in total and, at his age, his next NFL contract could be his last.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

New Deals For Connor Barwin, Rob Ninkovich

March 18th, 2015 at 6:28pm CST by Luke Adams

6:28pm: According to CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (on Twitter), Barwin’s new deal will guarantee the 28-year-old’s 2015 salary of $6.4MM. Furthermore, the new deal will also partially guarantee $3MM of his 2016 salary.

4:11pm: A pair of veteran edge defenders, Connor Barwin of the Eagles and Rob Ninkovich of the Patriots, have agreed to new contracts, according to reports. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com first tweeted that Ninkovich and the Patriots had agreed to adjust his deal, while Barwin himself broke word of his new contract, via Twitter.

According to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com, the Pats have increased Ninkovich’s compensation for the 2015 season. The veteran defensive end had been set to earn $2.45MM, including a base salary of $2.1MM. However, he’s now in line for a total of $5MM this year, with $4.5MM of that amount fully guaranteed. The exact breakdown of the restructure isn’t yet clear, so it’s possible New England picked up some cap space in the move.

As for Barwin, it appears he also received a bump in pay. Multiple Eagles reporters, including Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com, have indicated that Barwin’s new deal doesn’t lower his cap number for 2015, but rather rewards him for an excellent 2014 campaign.

Barwin, who had 14.5 sacks and made his first Pro Bowl in 2014, had been set to make a base salary of $6.4MM. Mosher notes that the Eagles recently re-signed Brandon Graham for $6.5MM annually, and perhaps wanted to ensure Barwin, as the team’s top outside linebacker, is earning more than Graham, who has been a part-time player in recent years.