HEADLINES

Sam Bradford

Rams Rumors: Draft, Bradford, Bucs, Manziel

May 6th, 2014 at 6:11pm CST by Zachary Links

The Rams own the No. 2 pick and head coach Jeff Fisher told reporters earlier today that he sees a lot more than two players they could be happy with, writes Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk. “We’ve identified six to eight players that we think could potentially fit us at two,” Fisher said. If that’s the case, trading down would make a lot of sense for St. Louis. Here’s more from today’s presser..

  • While that kind of trade might make sense, Fisher insisted that another much-discussed trade — the Rams moving quarterback Sam Bradford — is not in the cards, Smith writes. “With respect to Sam, he’s our starter, as you guys know,” Fisher said. “No. We are not shopping Sam.”
  • Asked if things could change on Bradford between now and Thursday, Fisher didn’t say no, but did say it would be highly unlikely, tweets Howard Balzer of USA Today.
  • There’s chatter in league circles that the Buccaneers could end up being the team that moves up to No. 2 with their No. 7 pick, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. It’s unclear what it would take for the Bucs to move up five spots and also unclear who Tampa Bay might target.
  • The Rams have worked out 45 players in person and Johnny Manziel is one of about a dozen quarterbacks they have looked at, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.

Vikings Rumors: Ponder, Bradford, Draft

May 6th, 2014 at 2:20pm CST by Luke Adams

Rick Spielman of the Vikings became the latest NFL general manager to speak to the media this afternoon, and ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling, Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, and Tom Pelissero of USA Today were among the reports in attendance. Spielman made a handful of interesting comments, so let’s dive right in and see what the Minnesota GM had to say (all links go to Twitter)….

  • The Vikings have no intention of trading Christian Ponder on draft day, per Spielman. Such a move would leave the club short-handed at quarterback, according to the GM, who says Minnesota turned down Ponder’s fifth-year option to keep its financial options open.
  • Spielman would “love to be active on draft day,” and has already had some calls and texts this week about potential trades. Teams have already made tentative offers for the Vikings’ second- and fourth-round picks, depending on whether their targets are available, according to the GM.
  • Despite rumors that the Vikings may be discussing Sam Bradford with the Rams, Spielman says his team hasn’t had any specific trade conversations with St. Louis.
  • Sharrif Floyd, last year’s first-round pick, drew praise from Spielman, but Floyd’s presence won’t preclude the team from drafting a pass-rushing defensive tackle this year.
  • The Vikings won’t reach for a quarterback with the No. 8 overall pick if one they like isn’t available. If a player they don’t want to pass on is available, they’ll draft him, but the club also would “love” to move down, says Spielman.
  • Spielman says he has read several mock drafts, but that writers are missing a few players the Vikings could take eighth overall.

NFC North Rumors: Bradford, Suh, Packers

May 5th, 2014 at 2:01pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Vikings and Rams may have discussed a Sam Bradford trade, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports told CBS Sports Radio 920 (per TurfShowTimes.com).

“There are people in the league who believe there have been discussions with the Vikings. Rams people have denied any conversations whatsoever. The bottom line is if they don’t take a quarterback, they’re not trading Sam Bradford. There’s so much uncertainty in this draft that it’d be difficult to put the horse before the cart…all these things are tied together….The Rams are going to talk to a lot of teams between now and whenever their first pick is…[and] continue to gauge the market.”

Such a trade would presumably allow the Rams, who have been linked to Johnny Manziel, to consider selecting a quarterback with either the second or 13th pick (or the eighth pick if the Vikings send a first-rounder for Bradford, which is unlikely).

Continuing with more news from the NFC North:

  • Lions general manager Martin Mayhew says the team is not aiming to trade Ndamukong Suh, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (on Twitter).
  • Mayhew said one interested team did call in January to inquire on Suh, but the Lions declined the offer, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Twentyman also tweets Mayhew’s more colorful description of the discussion: “(They) offered me a box of old tube socks and I said no thank you.”
  • Speaking of the Lions’ defensive line, Birkett analyzes the team’s needs at the position, noting that Detroit could add another pass rusher.
  • The Packers will add a rookie quarterback to the mix behind Aaron Rodgers, Matt Flynn, and Scott Tolzien, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Green Bay could look to either the late rounds of the draft or to rookie free agency to add a young signal-caller.
  • The Packers, at pick No. 21, might need to be wary of the Chiefs, at pick No. 23, attempting to jump ahead of them, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. Both teams employ similar “best player available strategies,” and Chiefs general manager John Dorsey used to work in Green Bay.
  • In his latest Q&A, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reasons it would take a third-round pick for the Bears to swap first-round positions with the Titans, moving ahead of the Giants in order to draft Aaron Donald.

Extra Points: CJ2K, Bradford, Pryor, Vikings

April 14th, 2014 at 3:57pm CST by Luke Adams

After Chris Johnson was released by the Titans, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported that the veteran running back was likely to find a new team last week. However, Johnson remains on the market. Now Florio writes that if CJ2K is going to a find a new home before the draft, he expects it to happen within the next few days. As Florio writes, most NFL teams will be focusing almost exclusively on the draft in the coming weeks, so if a club is going to engage in negotiations for the former 2,000-yard rusher, that team would probably prefer to get it done sooner rather than later.

As we wait to see if Florio’s latest prediction works out, let’s round up several more items from around the NFL….

  • Although he makes it clear that he’s not reporting that the Rams are shopping or even considering dealing quarterback Sam Bradford, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com makes a case for why the club should do exactly that, speaking to a few executives around the league to attempt to gauge Bradford’s current value.
  • Louisville safety Calvin Pryor, who has previously visited the Titans and Bears, is meeting with the Saints today and has visits lined up later in the week with the Bengals and Jets, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). Considered one of the top two safeties in this year’s draft class, Pryor is viewed as a likely first-round pick.
  • The Vikings have a big day of pre-draft visits lined up for Thursday, and linebackers Khalil Mack and Anthony Barr will be among the players in attendance, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
  • Barr will also be visiting the Eagles next week, a source tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com.
  • Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post passes along updates on a couple prospects, reporting that North Dakota State offensive tackle Billy Turner is visiting the Cowboys today and the Rams and Vikings later, and writing that Tennessee State offensive lineman Kadeem Edwards has met with the Dolphins, Titans, Colts, and Panthers.
  • The Falcons hosted Montana linebacker Jordan Tripp for a pre-draft visit today, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Rams Notes: Saffold, Bradford, Williams

February 21st, 2014 at 4:06pm CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few Friday updates on the Rams:

  • The offensive line will be a priority for the Rams this offseason, though GM Les Snead expects there to be more clarity in a few weeks once some contract situations are sorted out and injuries continue to heal. Meanwhile, coach Jeff Fisher says he would have “no reservations” about taking an offensive lineman in the first round, says Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links).
  • Fisher and Snead both emphasized the importance of re-signing free agent guard Rodger Saffold, according to Wagoner (via Twitter). Meanwhile, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic hears that the Cardinals would have interest in Saffold if he and the Rams don’t reach an agreement before March 11.
  • Snead says the Rams talked to Sam Bradford‘s camp last spring about a contract extension, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Wagoner adds (via Twitter) that Snead suggested those discussions are “ongoing and active.”
  • Free agent offensive lineman Chris Williams and the Rams have mutual interest in working out a new agreement, according to Fisher (Twitter link via Wagoner).
  • Auburn tackle Greg Robinson said he met with the Rams for a formal interview on Thursday night, tweets Wagoner.

Sam Bradford’s Future With Rams

February 18th, 2014 at 10:33am CST by Rob DiRe

TUESDAY, 10:33am: Appearing on Mike and Mike in the Morning today, Rams coach Jeff Fisher gave Bradford a vote of confidence, reiterating that the former No. 1 pick will be the team’s quarterback to start the 2014 season (link via Pro Football Talk). However, Fisher was noncommittal about the idea of an extension for Bradford, suggesting that the Rams “talk about extensions with all our players under contract.” GM Les Snead also weighed in on the possibility today, telling ESPN’s Ed Werder (Twitter link), “We have been – and still are – open to extending Sam.”

MONDAY, 6:56pm: It is unclear whether or not the Rams and quarterback Sam Bradford are working on a contract extension, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio notes, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reported today that the team had no intention of extending Bradford. Flying in the face of that report was a quote from Rams COO Kevin Demoff directly contradicting the statement.

“We’ve decided Bradford is our guy. If they wanted to do a contract extension, we would do it,” Demoff said (via Twitter).

That quote came back in September, before Bradford tore his ACL and was forced to miss the majority of the 2013 season. Florio also writes that when Demoff declared Bradford to be the quarterback of the future, other members of the organization were less than convinced.

La Canfora later heard from another source that the Rams would be open to an extension for Bradford. However, even with that update, he notes that it would still be a surprise for the two parties to reach an extension, writing that “adding guaranteed money beyond the current deal would make it cumbersome for the team to part with Bradford.”

The perfect juxtaposition to what is going on with Bradford and the Rams is the Cam Newton contract situation. These two players have contracts that will forever be linked. Bradford of course, was drafted first overall in 2010, negotiating a lucrative contract of six years and $78MM, with $50MM in guaranteed money before he had ever played an NFL game. Just one year and one CBA negotiation later, Newton was the first overall pick in 2011. Newton’s contract was very different. The Panthers signed him to a four year contract worth $22MM.

This season, Newton’s contract is coming into its option year, and the sports world is preparing for him to finally start looking for his big contract with huge guaranteed money. Bradford, on the other hand, already got his huge contract, a deal that most fans and writers would argue that he did not come close of living up to.

As of the most recent reports, neither player has been engaged of talks of extension yet. While most fans and NFL people would agree that Newton has been better, maybe even far better, than Bradford through their first contracts, both players still have plenty to prove before signing their next deals. The only difference is that Bradford has already made twice as much money on his first contract, simply by virtue of entering the league one year earlier