Ryan Fitzpatrick - Pro Football Rumors

RGIII Leftovers: Jets, Broncos, Draft, McCown

March 25th, 2016 at 9:42am CST by Luke Adams

With Robert Griffin III now a member of the Browns, the Jets have lost one of their backup plans at quarterback, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes. According to Mehta, RGIII would have been an “acceptable fallback choice with upside” for the Jets, who continue to prioritize Ryan Fitzpatrick. With their alternatives dwindling, the Jets should increase their offer to Fitzpatrick and get something done, in Mehta’s view.

Here are a few more reactions to Griffin’s new deal in Cleveland:

Having lost Brock Osweiler to Houston, Broncos GM John Elway briefly considered RGIII as an option in Denver, but after making some phone calls, Elway had concerns about the signal-caller’s character, says Mike Klis of 9NEWS. According to Klis, the team never reached out to Griffin’s camp to express interest.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports suggests the Browns were the only team with legit interest in RGIII, noting that teams in need of a backup like the Cowboys and Chiefs never engaged.
In a slideshow at Cleveland.com, Mary Kay Cabot breaks down five things the Griffin signing means for the Browns, suggesting that the team will likely still draft a quarterback early, and that Josh McCown figures to be a goner.
Pat McManamon of ESPN.com echoes the idea that the Browns should still select a quarterback early in the draft, writing that signing Griffin is just the start of the team’s QB search — not the end of it.
Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the contract signed by the former second overall pick, explaining that the deal suggests the Browns gave him the best chance to start. As Fitzgerald points out, if Griffin thought he could get a starting job somewhere, it might have made more sense to take a one-year, prove-it deal to try to land a bigger contract a year from now — instead, he locked himself into a two-year pact that will be team-friendly if he ends up starting and playing well.
Browns head coach Hue Jackson was extremely impressed with what he saw from Griffin when the QB worked out for the team last week, as Jeff Darlington of NFL.com details. Given Jackson’s reputation for understanding quarterbacks “as well as anyone,” his endorsement helped convince the team to get a deal done.

FA Rumors: Ravens, V. Davis, Fitzpatrick, Jets

March 22nd, 2016 at 1:19pm CST by Luke Adams

The Ravens remain in the market for pass rushing help, but when asked today about Greg Hardy, head coach John Harbaugh replied, “Greg Hardy? He won’t be a Raven, I can tell you that” (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). Harbaugh also said that free agent linebacker Courtney Upshaw is still on the team’s radar, but Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets that Upshaw’s return sounds unlikely.

Here are a few more updates related to free agency:

GM Scot McCloughan confirmed today that Washington still has interest in free agent tight end Vernon Davis, who paid a visit to D.C. earlier in March (Twitter link via Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com). In fact, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) suggests that Washington has made Davis a contract offer, in the hopes of pairing him with Jordan Reed and giving Kirk Cousins an additional weapon in the passing game.
Although there’s still a significant gap between the Jets‘ offer and Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s asking price, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News writes that the “Wild Wild West stare-down narrative has been exaggerated.” A source tells Mehta that the two sides have had an open line of communication in recent weeks.
Packers head coach Mike McCarthy confirmed that Green Bay is moving on from free agent wideout James Jones, says Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Jones’ agent said as much on Monday.
Before he re-signed with the Cardinals, running back Chris Johnson was believed to be deciding between Arizona and Miami. However, Johnson tells Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that the Patriots also had interest in him.
Colts owner Jim Irsay said today that the team will continue to meet with free agents this week, but Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star cautions (via Twitter) that the team won’t be making any major moves.

AFC Rumors: Texans, Jets, Fitzpatrick

March 22nd, 2016 at 9:22am CST by Zachary Links

On Monday, Texans owner Bob McNair said that fates of head coach Bill O’Brien and GM Rick Smith are not tied to the success or failure of new quarterback Brock Osweiler, as Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com tweets. Earlier this month, Osweiler agreed to leave the Broncos for a four-year, $72MM contract with Houston. Osweiler was rated as PFR’s No. 1 free agent quarterback for the 2016 offseason. Overall, we slated Osweiler as the third-best free agent available, behind defensive linemen Olivier Vernon and Malik Jackson.

Here’s more out of the AFC:

Head coach Todd Bowles says the Jets have discussed an internal deadline to get an answer from Ryan Fitzpatrick but “right now, we’re not close to that,” (Twitter link via Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports).
The Jets do have contingency plans if Fitzpatrick goes elsewhere, Bowles says. “You better have a Plan A, B, and C,” he said (Twitter link via Ian Rapoport of NFL.com).
Bowles said Geno Smith “matured a lot last year,” adding “he’s one of the options if Fitz doesn’t sign back,” (Twitter link via Rich Cimini of ESPN.com).
When asked about D’Brickashaw Ferguson, Bowles said, “Right now, he’s on our team,” (Twitter link via Cimini). The offensive lineman had an up-and-down year in 2015, so Bowles is understandably non-committal when it comes to him.
Jaguars coach Gus Bradley says the franchise has a five-year plan to construct a team with proper salary-cap management so they can afford their younger players’ second contracts (Twitter link via Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com).
Colts coach Chuck Pagano admitted that there is some concern regarding the team’s depth at wide receiver (Twitter link via Stephen Holder of Indy Star). Right now, T.Y. Hilton, Donte Moncrief, and Phillip Dorsett are the team’s unquestioned top three receivers.

Latest On Jets, Ryan Fitzpatrick

March 21st, 2016 at 4:52pm CST by Zachary Links

As we approach the final week of March, just one top-20 player from our list of this year’s top 50 free agents remains unsigned. There continues to be mutual interest between quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets in a reunion, but there’s also still a significant gap between what the player is demanding and what the team is offering.

On Monday, Jets owner Woody Johnson spoke about the ongoing talks with the 33-year-old and passed along the message that he hopes Fitzpatrick will “come back to the Jets.”

“I kind of hope so because he had such a good year last year,” Johnson said of Fitzpatrick, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “I mean, it seems like an ideal [situation]. I like him a lot as a person. He’s very engaging. He’s great with kids, great with our fans, great with our players. They really respect him. He’s two guys. He’s the Harvard guy and then he’s the normal guy. They all make fun of him for being a Harvard guy, but he’s a normal guy, too.”

While some observers are surprised that Fitzpatrick isn’t already under contract with the Jets, Johnson said that he’s not surprised by the ongoing negotiations. He also hinted that the Jets would be comfortable with Fitzpatrick missing the offseason program since he already has a handle on Chan Gailey‘s offense.

Johnson declined to discuss the Jets’ Plan B if Fitzpatrick is not re-signed, but GM Mike Maccagnan previously indicated that Geno Smith is a “definite possibility” to step into the starting role. The Jets also have reserve Bryce Petty under contract and have explored a few other out-of-house options. The team recently met with Robert Griffin III, but Cimini writes that the Jets do not have “strong interest” in him. For what it’s worth, Johnson says that the team was very impressed with RG3 as a person.

When it comes to quarterback, Johnson admits that the team has swung and missed on at least one tremendous opportunity.

“We could’ve drafted Russell Wilson in the second round [in 2012],” he said. “We’ve had shots at players, but we didn’t take those. Hopefully, we’re getting better at evaluating talent, particularly at quarterback.”

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Wilkerson, Blount

March 19th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Ben Levine

The Jets made it clear earlier this week that their goal is to sign free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but general manager Mike Maccagnan is still realistic about his team’s chances to retain the 33-year-old.

“We like Ryan — we’d like to have Ryan back — but at the end of the day, it’s free agency,” the Jets executive said (via ESPN.com’s Rich Cimini). “You go through it. At some point in time, hopefully, we can find a middle ground we’re both happy with.”

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

As Jets Pro Bowler Muhammad Wilkerson continues to recover from a broken leg, agent Chad Wiestling tweets that the defensive lineman will be playing for “someone” during the 2016 season.
Considering his age and price tag, it would make sense for the Jets to trade for Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Clady to replace incumbent D’Brickashaw Ferguson. However, if the team was truly looking for a Ferguson replacement, Cimini believes the team would have been better off pursuing Russell Okung, who signed with the Broncos earlier this week.
ESPN.com’s Mike Reiss doesn’t believe the Donald Brown signing would prevent LeGarrette Blount from returning to the Patriots. Even if the team does bring back the veteran, the writer still envisions the Patriots selecting a running back in the draft.
Before signing with the Patriots, linebacker Shea McClellin also met with the Seahawks, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

FA Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Steelers, Norwood

March 18th, 2016 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

Only five players on our list of this year’s top 50 free agents remain unsigned, and quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick (No. 19) is the highest-rated player of that group. The Jets and Fitzpatrick have been at an impasse since free agency opened, with Fitzpatrick seeking a sizable raise and New York offering a more modest deal.

Speaking today to reporters, including Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said that Fitzpatrick remains a “very good fit” for the team, adding that the goal is to eventually re-sign him. According to Rich Cimini of ESPN (Twitter links), Maccagnan declined to put a time frame on those talks, suggesting there’s no real deadline. The GM also confirmed that the Jets’ visit with Robert Griffin III was “due diligence,” and that the club remains focused on getting something done with Fitzpatrick.

As we wait to see if the two sides can reach an agreement, let’s check in on a few other free agent updates from across the NFL…

The Steelers are hosting free agent linebackers Spencer Paysinger and Mike Morgan for visits today, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Neither player projects as a probable starter, so Pittsburgh is presumably looking to fill out its depth chart after losing Sean Spence to the Titans. Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald notes (via Twitter) that the Dolphins would like to bring back Paysinger, but he wants to see if he can get more than the minimum salary from another club.
Free agent wide receiver Jordan Norwood ended his visit with the Lions today without a deal in place, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. According to Birkett, Norwood – who also met with the Jets – has a visit with another team set up for next week, and has yet to make a decision.
Offensive tackle Andre Smith, who signed with the Vikings, said today that his agent told him he would have a visit with the Cardinals, but that trip never happened (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).

AFC FA Rumors: Weddle, Holmes, Fitzpatrick

March 14th, 2016 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Steelers were among the teams rumored to be in the hunt for safety Eric Weddle, who ultimately agreed to join the division-rival Ravens, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) hears that Pittsburgh didn’t make a formal contract offer to the safety. According to La Canfora, the Steelers stopped monitoring Weddle’s market over the weekend, shifting their focus to landing an offensive tackle.

Meanwhile, the Patriots were also a team frequently cited as a potential suitor for Weddle, but New England wasn’t one of the finalists for his services, according to Peter Schrager of FOX Sports (Twitter link). Schrager notes that Weddle and his agent spent a few hours this morning “going back and forth with two teams.” One of those clubs was the Ravens, but the identity of the second team remains unclear.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

The Raiders are making a push to bring back wide receiver Andre Holmes, tweets Bill Williamson of Fanrag Sports. Williamson cautions that nothing is done yet, and there’s no guarantee Holmes will return to Oakland, but the two sides appear headed toward a reunion for now.
While there’s a belief that the Jets will eventually increase their offer to quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and find a middle ground, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders if Fitzpatrick may not give them the opportunity, possibly having been insulted by a lowball offer. Of course, for that to happen, the free agent quarterback will need to find a suitable offer elsewhere.
According to Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (via Twitter), Patriots head coach Bill Belichick called Akiem Hicks last night in a last-ditch effort to keep him in New England. The defensive tackle ultimately signed with the Bears instead, and Howe suggests that the Pats’ offer was for more years, but at a lower annual salary.
Former Ravens safety and special-teamer Brynden Trawick, who was non-tendered by Baltimore, is paying a visit to the Bengals, tweets Joe Goodberry of CincyJungle.com.
Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald isn’t sure why the Dolphins are interested in veteran defensive end Chris Clemons.

Latest Rumors: Osweiler, Broncos, A. Smith, Titans

March 13th, 2016 at 7:17pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Earlier this week, quarterback Brock Osweiler agreed to leave the Broncos for a four-year, $72MM contract with the Texans, but agent Jimmy Sexton never gave Denver a chance to match the offer, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

Sexton told Osweiler not to return any calls from any Broncos employees until the agent had reached a deal with either Denver or Houston. Osweiler wanted out of the Mile High City after the Broncos went back to Peyton Manning for their playoff run, a source close to Osweiler’s family told Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link). If true, that obviously helped the Texans win the battle for his services.

“They wanted him in Denver, but (general manager) Rick (Smith) hung in there and got the deal consummated,” Texans owner Bob McNair said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”

Smith and head coach Bill O’Brien undoubtedly join McNair in his excitement. After watching tape of pending free agent QBs, both came to an agreement that Osweiler was atop their wish list.

“We came out of the film room agreeing that Brock Osweiler was the quarterback to lead us where we want to go,” Smith said.

However, the Texans didn’t know whether they’d have a chance to land Osweiler, as McNair stated.

“He could have signed (with Denver) and not been available. We really didn’t know, but we were still looking at him and hoping he would be available,” said McNair.

More on the Broncos and a couple other NFL teams:

With Manning and Osweiler gone, the Broncos are “exercising patience” in their search for a signal-caller, tweets The Denver Post’s Troy Renck, who lists Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Fitzpatrick, Brian Hoyer, and draft prospects as their targets. They aren’t yet considering Robert Griffin III, per Renck.
Offensive tackle Andre Smith – who visited the Vikings on Sunday – doesn’t have any more meetings currently lined up, but his agent told him this morning there are other teams that could be interested in him (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). Smith spent 2009-15 with the Bengals after they selected him sixth overall and made 73 regular-season starts in 82 appearances. If Smith signs with the Vikings, he’d be the third starting-caliber O-lineman to do so this offseason, joining guards Alex Boone and Mike Harris.
Linebacker Terence Garvin will visit the Titans on Monday, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter link). Garvin has been with the Steelers since they signed him as an undrafted free agent from West Virginia in 2012. The 25-year-old has appeared in 43 regular-season games (one start) and amassed 21 special teams tackles. Garvin met with Washington earlier this week.

Sunday Roundup: Okung, Lions, RGIII

March 13th, 2016 at 12:51pm CST by Rory Parks

Let’s take a look at some notes from around the league as the second wave of free agency starts to heat up:

After meeting with Russell Okung today, the Steelers are scheduled to meet with free agent tackles Ryan Harris and Chris Hairston later this week, per a tweet from ESPN’s Adam Schefter (we had already heard about the Harris meeting, but the Hairston visit is a new development). Pittsburgh has a void at left tackle that it is seeking to fill, as Kelvin Beachum, who missed most of the 2015 campaign with a torn ACL, looks ready to sign elsewhere.
The Lions have already had a visit with Okung, and while all reports seem to indicate that it was a positive meeting, Detroit remains in a holding pattern with the talented but oft-injured tackle. As Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes, Detroit may have no other choice but to make a big-time offer for Okung, despite the risks, as the offensive line is in serious need of an upgrade and Okung is far and away the best talent still on the market.
Darius Slay and Sam Martin are two members of the Lions‘ terrific 2013 draft class that could sign extensions with the club in the coming months, and as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes, Theo Riddick is also open to an extension that would keep him in Detroit for the foreseeable future. No contract talks have taken place yet, but Riddick, who led all running backs with 80 receptions in 2015, could have a bigger role in the running game in 2016, and he could get a nice payday as a result.
Birkett writes in a separate piece that new Lions GM Bob Quinn has done a nice job of patching holes on his team’s roster while steering clear of overpaying for mediocre talent, a common pitfall for first-time GMs. But Birkett also observes that the Lions are no better right now than they were last year, and Quinn will have to prove that his eye for young talent in the draft matches matches his prudence in free agency.
Former NFL agent Joel Corry does not believe that the Jets have serious interest in Robert Griffin III, and he believes the team’s “pursuit” of RGIII is simply a leverage play staged for Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s benefit. If the team were to sign Griffin, Corry believes it would be a modest, one-year pact worth between $4MM-$5MM (Twitter link).
Free agent safety Rashad Johnson was set to meet with the Titans on Friday, but per ESPN’s Josina Anderson, that visit has been pushed back to tomorrow (Twitter link).
The Raiders appear to be trending upwards, and they have suddenly transformed from a last resort to a desired destination, as Jerry McDonald of InsideBayArea.com writes. Although the team lost out on Malik Jackson, who ultimately signed with the Jaguars, Oakland landed three major free agents–Kelechi Osemele, Bruce Irvin, and Sean Smith–just one year after being spurned by a number of its top free agent targets. As GM Reggie McKenzie said, “It’s good to see people call us and not always have to beg.” McDonald adds that McKenzie is not done spending–the team still has considerable cap space, after all–and the club’s free agent haul, combined with its talented young core, could propel the Raiders back to the playoffs in 2016.

East Notes: Fitzpatrick, Patriots, Giants

March 13th, 2016 at 11:36am CST by Rory Parks

We heard earlier today that the Broncos have, in fact, reached out to free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but like the Jets, Denver is unwilling to meet Fitzpatrick’s current salary demands. As Brian Costello of The New York Post writes, Denver’s “stinginess” in that regard could push Fitzpatrick back to New York, since other quarterback-needy clubs like the Browns, 49ers, and Rams have expressed no interest in the 33-year-old. Costello does have a point, and as he writes in a separate piece, it is probably time for both sides to come out of their respective trenches and compromise, with a contract worth about $10MM per year and some incentives based on statistics or playoff appearances looking like a fair middle ground.

Now let’s take a look at some more links fro the league’s east divisions:

Count Jets wideout Brandon Marshall as one big-name member of Gang Green that wants Fitzpatrick to return to the team. As Seth Walder of The New York Daily News writes, Marshall fears losing Fitz to free agency, saying, “The way we communicate, the way we practice together, the way we bring other guys together, I’ve never seen that anywhere else. And I’ve been a lot of places. And I’ve had a lot of quarterbacks. So that’s the toughest thing for me when I think about him potentially putting on another jersey.”
The Patriots, as usual, have been relatively quiet during the first wave of free agency, and as Ben Volin of The Boston Globe observes, that approach makes sense, as New England already has its top players under contract and is saving to re-sign some of its key contributors whose contracts expire at the end of the 2016 season (like Malcolm Butler, Jamie Collins, and Rob Ninkovich). Volin suggests, however, that the team may want to take care of Rob Gronkowski and Julian Edelman now to head off any possible discontent (Gronkowski has recently expressed frustration with his contract on Twitter, and while Edelman has not publicly voiced any concern with his current deal, the fact that Chris Hogan and Danny Amendola are set to make more money than him in 2016 could change things in a hurry).
Unlike New England, the Giants made a huge splash in the early stages of free agency, and Ralph Vacchiano of The New York Daily News commends the club for its extravagances. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com, though, notes that Big Blue is not done spending, and he puts together a list of second-tier players the Giants could target, a list that includes players like Andre Holmes, Rashad Johnson, and Andre Branch.
Raanan passes along a note on Keenan Robinson‘s new deal with the Giants, pointing out that the contract is actually a one-year, $2.6MM pact. It had previously been reported that Robinson had inked a one-year, $3.5MM deal, but Raanan says that $900K of that figure is comprised of not likely to be earned incentives. Raanan’s piece provides details on all of the Giants’ free agent contracts thus far.
Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald welcomes the Dolphins‘ new, more measured approach to free agency this offseason, a stark contrast to the team’s recent free-spending ways. Although one can take issue with some of Miami’s decisions–the Mario Williams signing, for instance–the change in strategy is still refreshing.