Ryan Grigson

Extra Points: Colts, Raiders, Cards, Bears

December 14th, 2016 at 10:00pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Colts owner Jim Irsay unexpectedly awarded four-year contract extensions to general manager Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano last winter. Now, in the midst of a second straight disappointing season, Irsay gave somewhat flimsy votes of confidence to the pair Wednesday. “Honestly, at the end of every season, we sit down and review where we’re at,” he told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “I don’t have any anticipation of change. There’s no plan of that. We’ll evaluate everything. I will.” On the possibility of the 6-7 Colts missing the postseason, Irsay commented, “This is the first time in almost 20 years we (wouldn’t have) made the playoffs in back-to-back years. That’s extremely disappointing.” Despite their sub-.500 record, the Colts remain in contention in the weak AFC South, though they’re going to have to leapfrog both the Texans and Titans over the season’s final three weeks to win the division. Indianapolis dropped its two matchups against the Texans this year, including a 22-17 loss last Sunday, but swept the Titans.

Ryan Grigson On Draft, Free Agency, Defense

October 15th, 2016 at 2:04pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Colts managed to win their Week 5 game despite coming off the London trip without a bye, but they’re not exactly on the level they were during the early years of Andrew Luck‘s career, having gone 10-11 over the past 21 games. Ryan Grigson‘s served as GM since the team’s latest franchise quarterback arrived and has come under fire for some of the organization’s decisions in recent years and most recently his comments regarding Luck’s contract constraining the team from building a defense.

He spoke with WTHR’s Bob Kravitz about some of the primary issues facing the team.

On the Colts’ track record in the drafts for which he was responsible:

“If you went just chronologically, 2012 is arguably one of the best drafts in Colts history. I say that with a straight face; I don’t know if there is one better. [Is] 2013 as good as 2012 was? You know, it wasn’t. But I do include Vontae [Davis] in that group; he was a second-round pick that we used for that draft [via trade], and he ended up being our second-most impactful player, I would say, on our team the last five years. I think it’s fair to say. But from ’14 through ’16, we’ve got 11 starters, and in the last two years, I think we’ve done really well, and have really nailed the last two drafts.”

On the team’s somewhat maligned reputation in bringing in outside free agents in recent years.

“Not good enough. A lot of times going in, it is a losing proposition. A lot of times the house does win with free agency, and that’s the old adage, and that’s something that Jim Irsay’s even exclaimed. … It’s got to be better, and now we’re going to have to be a lot more selective with our free agents. … But the other thing, I think, that gets left out of the equation a lot is how our contracts are structured for these free agents. We have a lot of flexibility in the out years, and it keeps us in really good cap health because we’ve been very disciplined in our approach from a cap sense.”

On the notion Indianapolis’ defense — currently ranked 30th — will be more of a grass-roots build because of the extensions given to Luck, T.Y. Hilton and Anthony Castonzo.

“I’m being completely transparent of where we are fiscally, the environment we’re in when you make those type of investments. Not only signing your own and the huge contracts we did — and that’s T.Y., [Castonzo], all those guys including our quarterback — you’re in a different fiscal environment than you’ve ever been in before. That’s just the facts. That’s reality. But we have to be able to, within that environment, we have to be able to hit like no other on the draft; those select free agents that we are able to sign, that we do have the funds to sign, we have to nail them.

“I have to be able to find [contributors] late in the draft, because our resources are shrunk to a degree. I do like always trying to acquire extra picks, and we’ve been successful doing that in every draft for the most part, so the more picks you get, the better; the more comp picks you get, the better.”

Is Andrew Luck’s Contract To Blame For Colts’ Struggles?

October 8th, 2016 at 11:00am CST by Ben Levine

When the Colts signed quarterback Andrew Luck to a record-breaking six-year, $140MM contract, the team was probably anticipating (at the very least) consistent playoff appearances. They certainly weren’t expecting a disappointing 1-3 start to the 2016 season.

The Colts have struggled mightily through the first month of the season. The offensive line has allowed a league-high 15 sacks, while the defense ranks towards the bottom of the league in both yards and points allowed. Most pundits would attribute the Colts’ problems to their head coach, Chuck Pagano. Perhaps they’d rather blame the architect of the roster, general manager Ryan Grigson. However, in a recent interview on Jay Mohr Sports, Grigson actually placed the blame on Luck’s giant contract.

“On defense, we’ve never come out and said it’s Super Bowl or bust this year,” Grigson said (via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com). “We have a defense that is a work in progress. … Once we paid Andrew (Luck) what we did, it’s going to take some time to build on the other side of the ball.”

Sure, Luck’s $24.6MM salary for 2016 is the highest in the league, but the contract shouldn’t prevent the organization from building a solid squad around their franchise player. As Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com writes, Luck’s contract isn’t a “position buster,” meaning his deal isn’t egregious when compared to the fifth-highest player at his position. Signing a player to such a contract means the team may have to sacrifice “two low level veteran depth guys for younger talent.” However, as Fitzgerald notes, that “should not change the top level composition of the team.”

Futhermore, Luck’s contract shouldn’t restrict the Colts from making moves in the future, either. Over the next six seasons, Luck’s contract will never account for more than 15-percent of the cap. For comparison’s sake, Peyton Manning accounted for a similar amount of the Broncos cap last season, and that team managed to win a Super Bowl behind an elite defense. Plus, the team ranks 19th in total contract value per year, which (if managed properly) shouldn’t prevent the team from building a solid foundation around Luck.

The team’s biggest offseason signings on defense, cornerbacks Patrick Robinson and Antonio Cromartie, haven’t played a significant role in 2016, and the latter was even released earlier this week. Meanwhile, Grigson has only used 16 of his 38 draft picks on defensive players, which
makes it tough to develop a talented and productive unit. Fitzgerald notes that the team has also overspent on free agents Gosder Cherilus, LaRon Landry, and Greg Toler in recent years. They haven’t drafted a Pro Bowler since 2012, and they sent out another first-rounder for running back Trent Richardson. When you look at it that way, it’s especially hard to blame the quarterback’s contract.

When all is said and done, the Colts should have anticipated this “predicament.” Fitzgerald estimates that a team should expect to spend at least $19.5MM a season on a franchise quarterback, and plenty of teams have succeeded despite paying that kind of money. Furthermore, the team failed to take advantage of Luck’s team-friendly rookie contract, another slight on Grigson’s shaky record.

Fortunately, there’s reason for optimism, Colts fans: Grigson isn’t panicking!

“The thing about is, we’re all accountable,” Grigson said. “Myself is accountable. Our coach always brings that up to the team constantly, we’re all accountable in this thing. We’re accountable to ourselves. We’re accountable to our owner, the horseshoe and all that. … Coach and I have a lot of faith in this team. It’s an early season. There are a lot of good 1-3 teams right now. There’s no reason to panic.”

However, if the Colts continue to struggle and Grigson continues to displace the blame, the general manager’s attitude will undoubtedly change.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Jags, Hardy, Colts

July 22nd, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is under Texans control for two more seasons, but he’d like to remain in Houston a lot longer than that. “I love this city. I don’t want to play anywhere else but here,” the 24-year-old said Friday, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Hopkins didn’t go into detail, however, about the type of long-term deal he’s seeking. “I’m not looking for a certain range. I just want to be treated for what I’m worth. That’s fair to say, right?”

There’s no word on whether Hopkins and the Texans are progressing toward an extension, but general manager Rick Smith is eager to retain the 2013 first-round pick from Clemson. “He certainly is one of those guys that we’re going to keep around here for a long time hopefully,” Smith stated.

Worst-case scenario, Hopkins will only stay in Houston through 2017, as the club exercised his $7.915MM fifth-year option in April. A long-term accord would surely cost the Texans far more than that on an annual basis, though, considering Hopkins has emerged as an elite weapon despite having caught passes from a slew of mediocre quarterbacks during his first three seasons. Hopkins is coming off his best year, one in which he hauled in 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, and became the first player to amass a 100-yard receiving game with four different QBs in the same season.

The latest on two of Houston’s division rivals:

The Jaguars recently worked out controversial free agent defensive end Greg Hardy and might even sign him, though a league source told Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com that such a move isn’t yet under consideration. However, the door isn’t completely closed on it, notes DiRocco, who opines that the Jaguars shouldn’t sign the 27-year-old because of his repellent behavior in Carolina and his issues last season in Dallas, where he was a headache both for the coaches and from a PR standpoint. From purely a football perspective, Hardy would upgrade a Jacksonville team whose top two edge rushers, Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue, have zero NFL snaps between them. The Jags also finished just 20th in sacks last year (Hardy has 33 in his past 44 games), though Fowler missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL, Ngakoue was at Maryland and high-profile free agent pickup Malik Jackson was a Bronco.
Contary to DiRocco’s argument, there are some Jaguars who believe Hardy would fit in their locker room, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
After the Colts stumbled through a tumultuous 2015 that resulted in an 8-8 finish, the expectation was that owner Jim Irsay would let go of general manager Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano. Irsay did the opposite and extended the pair’s contracts, which has earned quarterback Andrew Luck‘s endorsement. “I think Mr. Irsay showed a lot of guts keeping coach Pagano and Ryan (Grigson),” Luck told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I think the easy thing is to start all over, I really do. I think that was an awesome, gutsy move. I think it surprised me, but then again, I think any decision would’ve surprised me.” One key reason the Colts went from three straight playoff berths to a .500 finish last season was the injury issues that beset Luck, who missed nine of 16 games. Luck also fared poorly in the seven games he did appear in, but that didn’t stop the Colts from awarding the 26-year-old a record-setting extension in June. In regards to the upcoming season, Irsay said of Luck, “I’ve never seen him more motivated. That fire is in his eye in a special way.”
Earlier Friday, the league suspended Indianapolis defensive lineman Arthur Jones four games for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy.

Extra Points: Colts, McLeod, McCown

June 4th, 2016 at 12:39pm CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFL…

There were questions surrounding the relationship of Colts general manager Ryan Grigson and coach Chuck Pagano, but ESPN.com’s Mike Wells writes that the two have seemingly resolved their issues ever since receiving extensions. With the pair being under contract for the same amount of years, the duo has made sure that they’re “on the same page when it comes to the makeup of the roster.”
Before settling in on a five-year, $37MM contract with the Eagles, safety Rodney McLeod received similar offers from other teams. Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice tweets that McLeod heard from the Jaguars, Browns, and Buccaneers.
Josh McCown would prefer that the Browns make their starting quarterback decision sooner than later, the signal-caller said on 850 WKNR in Cleveland (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “I’m a human being and there’s no doubt, you want things mapped out,” McCown said. “I don’t like it, but I think it helps me get better.”
Former Seahawks fullback Derrick Coleman was charged with vehicular assault following a car crash last October (via the Associated Press). The 25-year-old appeared in 14 games with Seattle in 2015, compiling 32 yards on eight rushing attempts.

NFL Mailbags: Colts, Lions, Ravens, Patriots

April 23rd, 2016 at 10:42am CST by Ben Levine

Colts general manager Ryan Grigson is always a threat to make a big trade, but Mike Wells can’t envision the team moving back in the first round. The team could surely collect extra assets by making such a move, but Wells believes the team has too many holes to justify a trade. Grigson actually echoed this sentiment earlier in the week.

“I don’t think you (trade back) just to hoard more picks,” Grigson said. “I just think that wouldn’t be wise. I think we’ve moved up and moved back in every draft pretty much, so I think if the opportunity is there and there is a player we really like, quote, unquote ‘really like,’ then we’ll be aggressive if we can be.

“Like I said, we’ve got to make these picks count. There’s always picks — I’ve never tried to trade a pick like five years from now but maybe, you never know.”

Let’s take a look at some more notes via ESPN’s weekend NFL mailbags…

The Lions seem to have interest in Louisiana Tech defensive tackle Vernon Butler, writes Michael Rothstein. If the team is serious about adding the lineman, the writer believes they could trade back in the first round to secure both Butler and extra picks.
With the Rams and Eagles presumably trading up to select quarterbacks, Jamison Hensley now believes there’s a chance that Florida State cornerback Jalen Ramsey or Ole Miss offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil could fall to the Ravens at number-six.
While the Patriots could use their back-t0-back second rounders to move into the first round, Mike Reiss sees that as unlikely. Rather, the writer could envision the organization using a sixth-round pick to move up in the second round.

Draft Notes: Panthers, Cowboys, Eagles, Colts

March 22nd, 2016 at 4:58pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Panthers worked out three Clemson defenders – end Shaq Lawson, cornerback Mackensie Alexander and linebacker B.J. Goodson – on Tuesday, according to Rand Getlin of NFL.com (Twitter links) and Matt Miller of Bleacher Report (on Twitter). Lawson had a “fantastic” workout with the team and looks like a top-15 pick in the making, per Miller. That would put Lawson well out of the range of Carolina, which has the 30th selection.

North Notes: Bengals, Griffin, Bears

March 20th, 2016 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

Watching most of their UFAs either defect or still reside in free agency, the Bengals allowed their latest longtime starter who fled Cincinnati to do so without an effort to keep him. The Bengals did not pursue Andre Smith, Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com reports, and the eighth-year right tackle signed with the Vikings.

Smith landed in Minnesota on a one-year, $3.5MM deal, one that could be deemed as a value-reestablishing accord. The Bengals, though, prepared for Smith’s departure a year in advance in drafting tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the first two rounds last year. Although, Fisher moved to H-back toward the end of last season.

Longtime secondary cogs Reggie Nelson and Leon Hall remain unsigned, while the Bengals let Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu join higher-bidding teams.

Here’s some more on the Bengals, along with other North-division franchises.

Former Bengals OC Jay Gruden expects Tyler Eifert and Giovani Bernard to command hefty contracts, per Hobson. “You have to tip your hat to that offensive scheme over there and the way Andy [Dalton] is throwing the ball around,” Gruden said. “That’s what that offense is supposed to be about. It’s supposed to get people touches, just not A.J. [Green]. Marvin and Mo got big contracts. A.J. has already established himself. Eifert will get a big deal. Giovani will get a great deal.” Gruden, who watched former auxiliary wideout Andrew Hawkins attract a solid contract from the Browns a few years ago, doesn’t anticipate a big drop-off from the Bengals’ offense after Sanu and Jones left. “[The Bengals] will be fine,” Gruden said. “Andy will throw it to the open guy and he’ll make someone else a couple of million dollars.”
While noting the Browns‘ meeting with Robert Griffin III went well, Jackson indirectly seemed to intimate a prospective interest in Colin Kaepernick, telling NFL.com’s Steve Wyche (via Marc Sessler) “I can’t comment on players on other teams. But it is where it is and eventually I think all those things will show itself.” Kaepernick should be one of the chief topics of this week’s owners’ meetings, with the Browns, Broncos and Jets having indicated some interest over the past couple of weeks. Jackson went on to call RG3 a “tremendous talent.” Griffin’s now visited the Jets and Browns. The Browns remain interested in Griffin, a source informed Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Cabot notes the prospect of a Griffin-Browns union becoming reality would make the most sense this week, with the Cleveland brass in Boca Raton, Fla., for the meetings.
Kyle Long would play right guard for the Bears with the personnel that’s presently on the roster, John Fox told media (including Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune) from the spring meetings. A two-time Pro Bowl guard who earned an additional Pro Bowl nod upon being moved to right tackle in 2015, Long moving back there would stem from the Bears adding Bobby Massie in free agency. Long’s performance appeared to dip last season, however, with Pro Football Focus ranking him as its 37th-best tackle. The Bears trotted out Charles Leno at left tackle last season.
Fox said the Bears weren’t done in free agency, and Biggs hears from a source the team is looking to add a tight end this week. After keeping Zach Miller and trading Martellus Bennett, the Bears have Rob Housler under contract as well. Biggs points out Jared Cook could be a fit after playing for new OC Dowell Loggains with the Titans. The Bears haven’t allocated much money to the position, with Miller receiving a two-year, $6MM deal.
Fox believes both Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman can function as nickel linebackers for them, and Ryan Grigson concurs, telling media (including John Mullin of CSNChicago.com) Freeman can “do it all” as a three-down linebacker. Trevathan logged 513 snaps against the pass last season compared to Freeman’s 449, although Freeman would have likely matched or surpassed his new linebacking mate’s 2015 figure had he played more than 13 games.

Colts Extend GM Ryan Grigson Through 2019

January 28th, 2016 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

When the Colts announced several weeks ago that head coach Chuck Pagano would be retained, the team indicated that general manager Ryan Grigson would receive a new contract of his own to coincide with Pagano’s new four-year deal. That extension has now been finalized, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that Grigson got three years added to his contract and is now locked up through 2019.

Grigson, who previously worked for the Eagles as the team’s director of college scouting and then their director of player personnel, was hired by the Colts in 2012 as the team’s general manager. Grigson’s first draft pick in Indianapolis was quarterback Andrew Luck, who has helped lead the team to three playoff berths in the last four seasons.

As the Colts struggled through the 2015 season, however, with Luck battling injuries and missing a chunk of the season, some of Grigson’s personnel decisions came under fire. Veteran free agents expected to be major contributors in 2015, such as Andre Johnson, Trent Cole, and Todd Herremans, underperformed, and Pagano and Grigson reportedly weren’t seeing eye to eye on multiple team matters.

However, rather than clear house at season’s end, Colts owner Jim Irsay decided to bet on Pagano and Grigson bouncing back from a poor 2015 showing. With a handful of offseason decisions around the corner, it’ll be interesting to see how the GM handles free agency and the draft this time around, with a new contract in hand that gives him a little more security. There has been speculation that the Colts won’t be as aggressive on veteran free agents this winter.

Tight ends Coby Fleener and Dwayne Allen are among the top potential free agents for the Colts this offseason, while an extension for Luck will almost certainly be addressed within the next year or so.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Colts To Keep Chuck Pagano, GM Ryan Grigson

January 4th, 2016 at 10:45pm CST by Zachary Links

The Colts announced that they have agreed to extensions with head coach Chuck Pagano and GM Ryan Grigson. It’s a shocking turn of events after weeks of speculation indicated that Pagano would be shown the door after the 2015 season with Grigson likely to follow.

Pagano, whose contract was set to expire, gets a four-year extension that will keep him in place through 2019. Grigson, whose previous contract called for him to stay on board through 2016, will get a three-year extension to line up with his coach. In a late Monday night press conference, owner Jim Irsay said that Pagano and Grigson are now “contractually tied.”

After helping lead the Colts to playoff berths in his first three years with the team, Pagano’s club fell short this season during an injury-riddled, tumultuous campaign. After guiding the team to an 8-8 finish, the Colts were widely expected to let go of Pagano, whose contract is up. However, despite the down season and reported friction between him and team execs, Pagano will return to the team for 2016.

After finishing with an 11-5 record and an AFC South crown for three straight seasons, the Colts entered 2015 with Super Bowl aspirations, but took a significant step backward. While the Colts’ struggles could be attributed, at least in part, to injuries and questionable roster construction, Pagano was already under pressure to win heading into the year, with the team offering him only a one-year extension rather than any sort of longer-team deal — he turned down that offer. Pagano holds a 41-23 record during his four years in Indianapolis, which includes the time he missed in 2012 due to cancer treatments.

Grigson, meanwhile, has come under fire for a number of moves over the years, including a 2013 blockbuster that went awry. Roughly two years ago, Grigson sent a 2014 first-rounder to Cleveland for running back Trent Richardson, who spent two unproductive seasons in Indy and is now out of the NFL. Beyond that, Grigson has also meddled in the affairs of Pagano and many believed that the two would not be able to co-exist much longer. Alas, both men will be keeping their jobs for next season.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter) first reported that Grigson would also be receiving an extension. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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