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Scott Chandler

Extra Points: NFLPA, Moreno, Contract Details

March 20th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Newly-minted NFLPA president Eric Winston is just hours into his new role, but he sounds like he’s ready to hit the ground running.

“This union has always been about fighting,” Winston told Tom Pelissero of USA Today. “It won’t change.”

Winston didn’t mince words when it came to the idea of expanding the NFL season from 16 to 18 games, telling Pelissero that the idea is “dead in the water.” He was less definitive when it came to the idea of playoff expansion, but he made it clear that the union will only be on board under certain conditions. Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • Knowshon Moreno arguably had the most impressive 2013 campaign of any of this year’s free agent running backs, but his name hasn’t surfaced at all in the last nine days. That changed today, with word breaking that the Dolphins will have Moreno in a for a visit on Friday (Twitter link via Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald).
  • The Panthers continue to pursue free agent receivers, and will have Lestar Jean in for a visit tonight and tomorrow, according to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter).
  • The Buccaneers hosted free agent defensive back Chris Owens today, tweets Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune. Owens also met with the Steelers this week, as we heard earlier this afternoon.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap has the full breakdown of many of the new contracts signed in recent days, including, but not limited to, Andrew Hawkins‘ four-year pact with the Browns, Scott Chandler‘s two-year deal with the Bills, James Starks‘ two-year deal with the Packers, Charlie Johnson‘s two-year contract with the Vikings, and Usama Young‘s two-year deal with the Raiders.
  • Jerricho Cotchery‘s deal with the Panthers is technically for five years, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details (via Twitter). I imagine it includes three void years, similar to Roman Harper‘s new contract. Cotchery also received a $2.25MM signing bonus.
  • Wilson (Twitter links) also provides details on a pair of minimum salary benefit contracts, noting that fullback Jed Collins will get $710K from the Lions between his $65K signing bonus and $645K base salary. Safety Craig Steltz will get $795K from the Bears between his $730K salary and the $65K roster bonus for 2014.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

Bills Re-Sign Scott Chandler

March 19th, 2014 at 4:59pm CST by Luke Adams

MARCH 19: The Bills’ deal with Chandler is now official, tweets ESPN’s Adam Caplan.

MARCH 13: Tight end Scott Chandler will be returning to Buffalo, having reached an agreement on a new two-year contract with the club, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

With players like Jimmy Graham and Dennis Pitta off the market before free agency began, Chandler was one of the more accomplished tight ends available. The 28-year-old has seen his reception and yardage totals climb in each of his first four NFL seasons, all the way up to 53 catches for 655 yards in 2013.

The Lions were said to be interested in Chandler before he agreed to terms with the Bills.

NFC FA Rumors: Cowboys, Seahawks, Lions

March 11th, 2014 at 7:31pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ve passed along word of all the free agents who have already found homes – old or new – but there are plenty of players still on the market. Let’s take a look around the NFC at some of the day’s free agent rumors….

  • Now that Julius Peppers is an unrestricted free agent, the Cowboys have interest in the veteran defensive end, tweets Dianna Russini of NBC Washington. It would have to be a pretty inexpensive deal, given Dallas’ cap limitations.
  • Jeff Sullivan of DallasCowboys.com (Twitter link) and Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link) both classify the Cowboys‘ interest in defensive lineman Henry Melton as strong, and Sullivan suggests there’s mutual interest. Melton will visit with the team and things could move quickly, according to the Dallas writers.
  • Free agent receiver Jacoby Jones will visit with the Giants on Wednesday, tweets Josina Anderson of ESPN. The Ravens are still discussing a potential return to Baltimore for Jones.
  • The Seahawks are in talks with defensive tackle Tony McDaniel on a new deal that would bring him back to Seattle, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport also tweets that the Seahawks will meet with free agent tight end Jermichael Finley and wide receiver Taylor Price, while Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link) adds defensive tackle Jason Hatcher to that list.
  • Meanwhile, former Seahawks receiver Golden Tate is visiting with the Lions tonight, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
  • Schefter passes along word via ESPN.com colleague Michael Rothstein (Twitter link) that the Lions have interest in safety Chris Clemons. The Steelers were also originally mentioned as a suitor, but they’re almost certainly out of the mix now that Mike Mitchell is headed to Pittsburgh.
  • In their pursuit of a tight end, the Lions are discussing a potential visit for free agent Scott Chandler, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com.
  • The Panthers would like to retain free agent receiver Domenik Hixon, but the Bears are also in talks with him, reports Rand Gatlin of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter).

AFC Rumors: Raiders, Chargers, Haden, Edelman

March 11th, 2014 at 2:31pm CST by Luke Adams

It appears the Raiders, the team with the most cap room in the NFL, will let both of their marquee free agents walk, says Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio hears from a source that Oakland believes Jared Veldheer is better suited to right tackle than left tackle, and that the team can’t justify paying $7MM annually to a defensive end (Lamarr Houston) who is more a run-stopper than a pass-rusher.

With free agency looming at the top of the hour, here’s more from around the AFC:

  • Raiders defensive tackle Vance Walker will test the market at 3:00pm CT, tweets Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle. Oakland made Walker an offer, and he likes playing for the Raiders, but he wants to take advantage of the rare opportunity to be an unrestricted free agent, says Tafur.
  • The Chargers are “very much in the mix” for free agent defensive tackle Earl Mitchell, tweets Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune.
  • The Colts remain in talks to bring Ahmad Bradshaw back, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. The former Giants running back was an impact player last year before his injury.
  • The Browns‘ talks with Joe Haden on a long-term deal are ongoing, tweets Breer, adding that it would be interesting to see how a deal for Darrelle Revis would affect those talks.
  • Sources tell Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that the Chiefs have interest in wide receivers Jason Avant and Devin Hester.
  • Assuming the Patriots can’t re-sign Julian Edelman, Andrew Hawkins is a target to keep in mind for the team, says Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Hawkins received an RFA tender from the Bengals, so Cincinnati would have a chance to match any offer for the receiver.
  • Speaking of Edelman, the Ravens have interest in him, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Wilson also hears from a source that the Ravens will evaluate tight end Owen Daniels, who was released by the Texans (Twitter link).
  • After voiding his deal and becoming a free agent yesterday, defensive lineman Jason Babin told SiriusXM NFL Radio today that he’d like to return to the Jaguars if it’s possible. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes.
  • Bills GM Doug Whaley told WGR 550 that “offers are on the table” for tight end Scott Chandler and kicker Dan Carpenter, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Mallett, Byrd, Howard, Trades

March 2nd, 2014 at 10:51am CST by Rory Parks

Tom Brady is signed through the 2017 season, and the Patriots will be facing the same series of questions until that contract is up: should we draft his eventual replacement? Is the replacement already on the roster? Should we sign a veteran backup? Within the framework of those questions, Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald examines the status of current backup Ryan Mallett, who will be a free agent after the 2014 season.

There have been rumors that the Texans may be interested in Mallett, given his familiarity with the offense that Houston’s new head coach Bill O’Brien plans to install, and the Vikings might also have some interest. But despite Mallett’s potential and the fact that he has been mentored by Brady and Bill Belichick, his impending free agency might reduce the the return the Patriots could expect in a trade.

Further complicating the situation is the fact that, if New England were to take a QB in this year’s draft, that player’s rookie deal would expire at the same time as Brady’s. But with Mallett unlikely willing to wait until Brady plays out his contract before finally getting a shot, the Patriots probably have no choice but to trade him now or let him walk after this season. As such, the Pats will keep their eyes peeled for the next young quarterback to impress them the way Mallett did in 2011.

Some more notes from the AFC East:

  • The Bills have nearly $25MM in cap space, and Mark Gaughan of the Buffalo News examines how the team might utilize that flexibility. Most notably, Gaughan writes that Buffalo has enough space to retain Jairus Byrd, whether they bring him back on a long-term deal or put the franchise tag on him. GM Doug Whaley said the team will “go after” all of its own free agents, and Gaughan observes that the most significant of those free agents beyond Byrd are Scott Chandler and Dan Carpenter. The team could create even more cap space–about $3.1MM– with the expected release of backup quarterback Kevin Kolb. Right tackle Erik Pears is also in danger of being cut, and his release would save about $2.9MM.
  • Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com expects the Jets to re-sign tackle Austin Howard before free agency opens on March 11. He also notes that, with all their cap space–which will increase following the expected release of Santonio Holmes–the Jets will also attack the free agent market for quarterbacks and wide receivers. Cimini expects the team to pursue quarterbacks Michael Vick and Josh McCown and wideouts Golden Tate, Emmanuel Sanders, and Hakeem Nicks.
  • James Walker of ESPN.com says it is “difficult to believe” that the Dolphins are seeking to trade Dion Jordan, Cameron Wake, and Mike Wallace, particularly since the team is in “win now” mode. We heard several days ago that Miami was shopping those players, rumors that the team quickly denied. Walker thinks the most “tradeable” of that group is Jordan, who had a difficult time finding a good fit on the Dolphins defense last year. However, Walker adds that Miami is not likely to give up on such a special talent after just one season.