HEADLINES

Robert Quinn

NFC Notes: Hester, Urlacher, Sproles

September 16th, 2014 at 9:11pm CST by Zachary Links

In an interview with WFAN’s Boomer & Carton show, Lions tailback Reggie Bush said that embattled Vikings running back Adrian Peterson should be allowed to play football, writes NFL.com’s Marc Sessler. “Adrian Peterson, I’ve known for a while, and he’s a good guy,” Bush said. “... I don’t know all the details of the situation what happened, but I know me and like a lot of other guys who were born in the ’80s, and even before then, were raised differently and disciplined differently. And I was one of those kids. I got what we called ‘whoopings,’ whooped with belts and stuff like that. For me, growing up, it was normal. And not to say, not to try to downplay the situation at all, I think that this is genuine, and obviously, I’m sure there’s no ill intent against his own son.” More from the NFC..

  • Coach Lovie Smith definitely wanted Devin Hester in Tampa but the money situation simply didn’t work out in the Bucs‘ favor, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The former Bears standout wound up signing with the Falcons this offseason.
  • Former Bears linebacker Brian Urlacher resigned his job as a broadcaster job at FOX Sports 1 Tuesday and the Bucs have an injury to starting middle linebacker Mason Foster. Some may be wondering if Urlacher would be a fit for Tampa Bay but if it does happen, it won’t be this week, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. The Bucs plan to go with backup middle linebacker Dane Fletcher in Thursday night’s game at Atlanta.
  • Former Eagles president Joe Banner tweeted that he tried to sign Darren Sproles when he a free agent after his time with the Chargers. However, the speedy tailback badly wanted to reunite with Drew Brees in New Orleans and wound up with the Saints. Sproles’ presence in Philadelphia years earlier might have made a big difference for the team, Banner writes.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap gives his thoughts on Robert Quinn‘s extension with the Rams. The contract is similar to what Fitzgerald envisioned for J.J. Watt initially – it underpays him for his production, but it gives him a window for another mega-contract in just a few years. Quinn also gets a decent guarantee package from St. Louis.
  • The Peterson case shows a lack of leadership on the NFL’s part, writes Tom Powers of the Pioneer Press. The Vikings said they’ll let things play out in court for the running back but Powers notes that defensive back Chris Cook, cornerback A.J. Jefferson, and running back Caleb King were never given the same benefit of the doubt when they were in hot water.

Rams, Robert Quinn Agree To Extension

September 16th, 2014 at 10:22am CST by Ben Levine

TUESDAY, 10:22am: Quinn’s signing bonus on his new deal is a modest – and palindromic – $4,776,774, according to Joel Corry of the National Football Post (via Twitter).

SATURDAY, 7:54pm: Quinn receives $15MM at signing, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who specifies that $56.8MM of the extension is new money.

12:34pm: The Rams have agreed to a four-year extension with defensive end Robert Quinn, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter). The deal is worth $66.575MM, with the player receiving $41.2MM in guaranteed money through 2019. As Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter), Quinn is now the highest-paid player in franchise history.

We heard yesterday that the two sides were progressing towards a deal, and it seems like the Rams have secured one of the league’s top pass-rushers for the foreseeable future. The first-team All-Pro was dominant in 2013, finishing the season with 57 tackles, 19 sacks and seven forced fumbles. ProFootballFocus’ advanced metrics (subscription required) ranked Quinn as the top 4-3 defensive end in the league, and his 74.6 rating was nearly fifty points higher than that of number-two on the list, Greg Hardy. The website also ranked the 24-year-old as the top rushing defensive end.

As Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), the $66MM includes all six years that Quinn is signed. Therefore, the new money is worth about $57MM, or $14.2MM per season. This would only trail defensive ends J.J. Watt, Mario Williams, Charles Johnson and Hardy in regards to average annual value (hat tip to Overthecap.com).

Quinn, Rams Progressing Toward Extension

September 12th, 2014 at 9:39pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have made progress toward a contract extension that would lock up defensive end Robert Quinn for several years, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports, who reports that talks have intensified as the two sides close in on an agreement. Per Getlin, there is optimism in Quinn’s camp that a new deal could be in place before Week 3.

Quinn, 24, is coming off the best season of his three-year career, having racked up 19 sacks, 57 tackles, and seven forced fumbles in 2013, en route to earning spots in the Pro Bowl and on the All-Pro first team. As Getlin notes, the defensive end’s camp is looking for a contract that would make him one of the league’s highest-paid defensive players, something in the range of $15MM per season on a four- to six-year extension. It’s not clear whether Quinn will match or exceed that $15MM-per-year figure, but that’s the target for his reps, a source tells Getlin (Twitter link).

Like J.J. Watt, who signed a long-term extension of his own before the season got underway, Quinn was a first-round pick in 2011, meaning he’s under contract through 2015 after his fifth-year option was exercised. As such, an extension in the neighborhood of $15MM annually wouldn’t begin until 2016, so there’s no urgency for the team to get something done immediately.

Still, while Quinn likely won’t quite match Watt’s impact on the defensive side of the ball, he’s one of the league’s top pass rushers, and Watt’s extension provides a guideline for what Quinn’s next contract could look like. Quinn may not receive as many years (six) or dollars per year ($16.67MM) as Watt, but he shouldn’t be far behind the Texans star.

Rams, Quinn Exchanged Contract Numbers

September 4th, 2014 at 1:40pm CST by Luke Adams

In the wake of J.J. Watt‘s lucrative new contract extension with the Texans, the Rams have also broached the idea of a new deal for their star defensive lineman, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), who says the team has exchanged contract numbers with Robert Quinn. However, the two sides aren’t close to anything at the moment, says La Canfora.

Quinn, 24, is coming off the best season of his three-year career, having racked up 19 sacks, 57 tackles, and seven forced fumbles in 2013, en route to earning spots in the Pro Bowl and on the All-Pro first team. As was the case with Watt, Pro Football Focus’ data (subscription required) clearly displayed that Quinn was the most impactful player at his position last season — his +74.6 grade dwarfed Greg Hardy‘s +25.6 mark, which was good for second among 4-3 defensive ends. While a handful of other players would be in the conversation, you could make the case that Quinn is the NFL’s best defensive player behind Watt.

As such, La Canfora observes that it seems unlikely the former 14th overall pick would agree to a new contract worth less than $15MM per year, which would put him right near the top of the list of the league’s highest-paid pass-rushers, and defensive players in general.

Because he was a 2011 first-rounder, Quinn remains under contract for two more years, with the Rams having exercised their fifth-year option to keep him through 2015. Given the lack of urgency to get something done, the two sides may ultimately decide to wait until after the season to reopen talks if they don’t find common ground by this Sunday.

West Notes: Broncos, Quinn, Chiefs, 49ers

September 2nd, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

Although there was some speculation that the Broncos may face a penalty for potential violations of the league’s Collective Bargaining Agreement by Peyton Manning and offensive coordinator Adam Gase, the league won’t levy any punishment on the club, says Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. Manning and Gase both visited the University of Alabama in April, and taking a campus visit together would’ve violated the terms of the CBA, but it was determined that the two men took their trips separately.

Let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….

  • Now that J.J. Watt has agreed to a lucrative new contract extension, Rams defensive end Robert Quinn will be among the next high-profile defenders to keep an eye on. According to Albert Breer of NFL Network, when he spoke to Quinn about his contract situation last week, the standout pass rusher said he didn’t want to let it become a distraction and planned to stay in his lane for now. “When the opportunity approaches, I’ll take advantage of it,” Quinn said.
  • Former third-round pick Brandon Taylor, who was cut by the Chargers back in June, visited the division-rival Chiefs on Monday, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
  • According to Chiefs quarterback Alex Smith, who agreed to a contract extension with the team over the weekend, getting a long-term deal done with Kansas City was always the goal — it was just a matter of finding a figure that he felt was fair and that didn’t compromise the club’s flexibility too much. B.J. Kissel of KCChiefs.com has the quotes from Smith.
  • The 49ers worked out a few free agents this week, including fullback J.C. Copeland and defensive backs Rod Sweeting and Chibuikem Okoro, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.

La Canfora On Chiefs, 2011 Draftees, Smith

August 4th, 2014 at 10:59pm CST by Matt Feminis

In his latest edition of training camp notes, CBS’ Jason La Canfora provided an update on negotiations between the Chiefs and Alex Smith, saying talks “are ongoing, with the dialogue maintaining on a regular basis and the team looking for creative ways to secure him for the future, according to several sources. To this point, however, they haven’t been able to bridge a few gaps, but the Chiefs are willing to cut into their considerable cap space to strike a deal, and there are no plans to stop exchanging proposals.”

La Canfora adds talks have “remained cordial” and there is mutual desire to find common ground. Common ground would seem to be a “middle-tier” deal that would place Smith’s contract somewhere between the elite passers and the lower-paid, “bridge starters” group. From the team perspective, the Chiefs don’t want to overpay for Smith in the event a younger QB is ready to vie for the job, especially given Andy Reid‘s ability to develop quarterbacks.

More tidbits from La Canfora:

  • The Chiefs have revived talks with Justin Houston, who is also a priority. La Canfora does not expect a deal to get hammered out before the season, however, since the sides are far apart financially playing out the season could make the most sense for Houston.
  • La Canfora publicized first-year tight end Demetrius Harris as a “deep sleeper” and potentially “the next college basketball player to make the jump to tight end.”
  • Do not expect many more 2011 first-rounders to be extended for a while. This group includes Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, Robert Quinn, Cameron Jordan and Muhammad Wilkerson, among others. La Canfora quoted an agent for one prominent pass rusher, who said, “The money is going to be so high, these teams don’t really have an incentive to do it now. I’m not sure any of these guys get new deals this year. If there’s any movement going on I’m not aware of it.”
  • Some agents are outraged over the Cowboys’ eight-year extension to Tyron Smith because “he essentially gave the Cowboys two contracts for the price of one, locked up until age 32.” Those agents believe Jerry Jones might have used his “father figure” relationship with the young Smith to take advantage of him in negotiations.

 

Rams Pick Up Option On Robert Quinn

April 28th, 2014 at 11:53am CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have officially exercised their fifth-year option on Robert Quinn, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch had indicated earlier in the month that it was just a matter of time until the Rams picked up the 2015 option on the defensive end.

Quinn, 23, has emerged as one of the NFL’s top pass rushers over the course of his first three years with the Rams. In 2013, the North Carolina product finished a close second to Robert Mathis in total sacks, with 19 to Mathis’ 19.5. Quinn also placed second behind the standout Colts edge defender in forced fumbles, with seven to Mathis’ eight. According to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), Quinn was the league’s best 4-3 defensive end in 2013 by a wide margin, with an incredible grade of +77.2. Greg Hardy was the runner-up with a +28.0 grade.

Because Quinn was drafted outside of the top 10 in 2011, he’ll be in line for a $6.969MM salary in 2015. That’s the figure that applies to defensive ends selected between 11th and 32nd — fellow ends like Muhammad Wilkerson, Corey Liuget, and Cameron Jordan have also seen their options picked up in advance of the May 3 deadline.

To keep tabs on all of this year’s fifth-year option decisions, be sure to check out our tracker.

Extra Points: Clausen, Quinn, Ponder

April 18th, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

Former second-round pick Jimmy Clausen hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since his rookie year in 2010, but having undergone shoulder surgery last September, the 26-year-old feels like he’s healthy and ready to contribute somewhere. Clausen tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he’s looking for an opportunity to compete for a No. 2 job, then hopes to work his way up from there.

“I’m still really young,” Clausen said. “I’m going into my fifth year in the league. I feel great. This is probably right now the healthiest I’ve been since my junior year in college, to be honest with you.”

As the former Notre Dame signal-caller continues to look for NFL work, let’s check out a few other Good Friday updates from around the league….

  • Although the team has yet to do so, the Rams will exercise Robert Quinn‘s fifth-year option by next month’s deadline, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Quinn, like fellow defense end Muhammad Wilkerson, should be in line for a 2015 salary of $6.969MM.
  • Meanwhile, Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune takes a look at Christian Ponder‘s potential fifth-year option, which seems unlikely to be picked up by the Vikings.
  • Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp said newly-signed receiver Chad Johnson simply “wanted to be part of a team again,” and isn’t angling to make an NFL comeback (Twitter link).
  • North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen worked out for the Packers and could be a fit for the club, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
  • Five NFL teams have visited Wyoming to work out quarterback Brett Smith, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who says (via Twitter) that Smith is a likely late-round pick if he’s drafted at all.

NFC West Notes: 49ers, Quinn, Cardinals

March 8th, 2014 at 12:25pm CST by Matt Feminis

The 49ers have big-money decisions to make, while the Cardinals eye offensive line help in a batch of NFC West division tidbits:

  • Last season, 49ers cornerback Carlos Rogers declined a pay cut, but the team had no recourse because they needed him on the field. A year later, the team is prepared to release Rogers if he does not agree to a pay cut, as the veteran is scheduled to earn a $6.25MM base salary and count nearly $8.1MM against the cap, writes Matt Maiocco of CSN Bay Area. Releasing Rogers after June 1 would save $6.6 on the 2014 cap, but the team would incur $1.5MM in dead money on the 2015 cap. If the team swallowed the entire cap hit in 2014, the immediate cap savings would be $5.1MM with no dead money in future years.
  • The escalating salary cap helps the 49ers long-term, especially given the team’s desire to retain 2015 free agents Colin Kaepernick, Aldon Smith, Michael Crabtree and Mike Iupati, but the extra $10MM the rest of the league has to play with in the short term could make it difficult to retain this year’s free agents, including Donte Whitner, Tarell Brown and Phil Dawson, writes Eric Branch of sfgate.com.
  • Robert Quinn is entering the final year of his four-year rookie contract, but a provision in the new CBA (instituted in 2011 when Quinn was drafted 14th overall) allows the Rams to keep the reigning Defensive Player of the Year through 2015, notes Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. By virtue of Quinn being selected between No. 11 overall to No. 32, the team can pay Quinn the average salary made by the third- through 25th-highest paid players at the defensive end position ($6.9MM).
  • The Cardinals are targeting Branden Albert and Rodger Saffold in that order, according to Kent Somers of azcentral.com (via Twitter).

Young Stars In Line For Payday

February 14th, 2014 at 8:43pm CST by Matt Feminis

The NFL published its “All-Under-25” team, highlighting the league’s best players under the age of 25. From a contractual standpoint, five stand out as free agents to be at the conclusion of the 2014 season:

  • Rams defensive end Robert Quinn – Everyone knew Quinn was dripping with upside when the Rams picked him the first round of the 2011 draft, and the pass rusher extraordinaire’s third season was something to behold. Quinn was an unblockable one-man wrecking crew, garnering NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors and putting himself in position to break the bank on his second deal.
  • Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith – Knocking on the door of elite status at a critical position, Smith is expected to get a mega contract extension to ensure the safety of Tony Romo‘s blind side.
  • Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson – Did not have as many impact plays in 2013, but is a three-time Pro Bowler and legitimate No. 1 coverman at a time when big cornerbacks are in high demand.
  • Bengals middle linebacker Vontaze Burfict – Pre-draft character concerns which knocked him off draft boards and seem like a distant memory now. Burfict played at an elite level, leading the league with 171 tackles. If he behaves himself for another year, he’ll receive an exponential bump from his six-figure 2014 salary.
  • Titans defensive tackle Jurrell Casey – A stout run defender, Casey’s sack production jumped from 5.5 2011-2012 to 10.5 in 2013 when he was one of the most balanced interior defenders in the league.