Stefen Wisniewski - Pro Football Rumors

Reaction To Stefen Wisniewski Signing

April 18th, 2015 at 2:08pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Jaguars came to terms with one of the more interesting free agents of this offseason in Stefen Wisniewski, signing the former Raider to a one-year deal worth $2.5MM.

Here is some reaction from around the league about Wisniewski’s value, interest, and NFL future:

Wisniewski also visited with the Patriots, Seahawks, Titans, and Washington in free agency, writes Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com.
One reason the Seahawks might have been hesitant to pursue Wisniewski more adamantly is that the center would likely cost a compensatory draft pick, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
Darren Wolfson of 5 Eyewitness News believed the Vikings had some interest in Wisniewski, but the team never called to pursue him. (via Twitter).
Many Raiders fan were hoping the team could re-sign Wisniewski to play guard next to free agent acquisition Rodney Hudson, but neither the player nor team were interested in that arrangement, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN (via Twitter). Williamson believes the coaching staff did not think very highly of him as a player (via Twitter). He adds that Wisniewski could be added to a long list of recent Raider draft picks to not make it to their second contract in Oakland (via Twitter).
The one-year deal will allow Wisniewski to prove his value before reaching free agency again next offseason, where he could command a larger contract, writes Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 (via Twitter).

Jaguars Sign Stefen Wisniewski

April 18th, 2015 at 12:30pm CST by Ben Levine

12:30pm: The organization has announced the signing, with general manager Dave Caldwell releasing a statement (via Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com):

“We had the opportunity to spend time with Stefen earlier this month and remained in contact with him with the hopes of getting a deal done. We are excited to get him on board before we officially start our offseason conditioning program next week. He gives us great position flexibility along our offensive line as he has started at both center and guard during his career. He has a familiarity with our offensive system and brings a lot of experience to our offensive line room.”

12:13pm: After visiting numerous teams this offseason, Stefen Wisniewski has finally found a home. According to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter), the Jaguars have inked the center to a one-year deal. The deal is worth $2.5MM, according to Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo (via Twitter).

Wisniewski had spent his entire four-year career with the Raiders, starting 61 games. The Penn State product missed only three games in those four seasons, and he managed to play 16 games in 2014 in spite of a torn labrum. The injury resulted in Wisniewski undergoing surgery this offseason, and it also provided a possible explanation for the player remaining unsigned for so long.

Pro Football Focus (subscription required) gave Wisniewski high marks for his performance during the 2012 and 2013 seasons, as the center ranked in the top-20 among eligible center candidates. He received his first negative rating in 2014, but he still ranked 22nd among 41 candidates.

The 26-year-old had attracted attention from many teams, including the Titans, Seahawks, Patriots and Washington. The Jaguars had been rumored to be eyeing the former second-round pick, but reports yesterday suggested the organization hadn’t reached out to the center. He was listed as the 39th best free agent in our ranking of the top 50 free agents.

NFC South Notes: Wisniewski, Draft, Saints

April 17th, 2015 at 6:52pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Free agent interior offensive lineman Stefen Wisniewski has been heavily linked to the NFC South this offseason, having drawn interest from the Buccaneers, Saints and Panthers. The 26-year-old, who spent his first four seasons with the Raiders and started in all 61 of his appearances, visited the Buccaneers last month and then underwent shoulder surgery. That hasn’t killed the Bucs’ interest, according to the Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings, who tweets that the team could sign Wisniewski when he recovers. Cummings notes (Twitter link) that the Bucs have competition for the services of Wisniewski, who has visited with at least a dozen teams. If Tampa does add Wisniewski, Cummings believes he’ll be its center (via Twitter).

Here’s the latest on the Bucs’ division rivals:

Alabama safety Landon Collins is visiting the Panthers today, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Collins is expected to be a first-round pick and might not make it to 25th overall, where Carolina selects. In a mock draft posted last week, our own Rob DiRe projected Collins as a top-20 selection.
Miami (Ohio) University cornerback Quinten Rollins will visit the Falcons next week, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. An ex-basketball player, Rollins played just one season of college football. He made it count, earning MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors in 2014.
The Saints need to address their lack of playmakers on defense and at wide receiver via the draft, writes Katherine Terrell of NOLA.com. New Orleans’ defense allowed the second-most yards in the league in 2014 and struggled to take the ball away, and its offense has to replace wideout Kenny Stills – whom the team traded to Miami earlier this offseason. Stills led the Saints with 931 receiving yards in 2014.

AFC South Notes: Jaguars, Jennings, Luck

April 17th, 2015 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Let’s check in on a handful of Friday items from out of the AFC South….

The Jaguars still have interest in center Stefen Wisniewski and wide receiver Greg Jennings, but haven’t made a contract offer to either player, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Speaking of Jennings, Nick Underhill of The Advocate writes that the wideout has received interest from the Ravens in addition to the four teams he’s been linked to previously — the Saints, Dolphins, Panthers, and Jags. I examined Jennings’ free agent stock this morning.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, front office executives and agents around the NFL are in rare agreement on the issue of Andrew Luck‘s contract situation — both sides are surprised that the Colts aren’t doing whatever they can to sign him to an extension sooner rather than later. Owner Jim Irsay indicated last month that the team likely won’t address the quarterback’s contract until 2016.
In the wake of his new extension and restructure with the Jaguars, linebacker Paul Posluszny said he thinks the deal is mutually beneficial, per Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union. “I want to be a part of this organization and I wanted to do what I could to be here,” Posluszny said. “This was a great opportunity to extend the contract and give me another shot and opportunity to compete with the Jaguars.”

NFC Notes: AP, Wisniewski, Wootton, Saints

April 15th, 2015 at 1:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Today is April 15, which means that, under the terms of the NFL’s original suspension, Adrian Peterson is now eligible to be reinstated. Still, nothing has happened on that front so far today, and few expect anything definitive or formal to actually happen in the next few hours either, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

As Rapoport notes (via Twitter), the legal case related to Peterson’s suspension may still drag out for some time, but the league can reinstate him in the meantime, which will signal the end of his time served, making him eligible to start the 2015 season. Time will tell whether that happens with the Vikings or another team.

Let’s round up a few more items from across the NFC….

Free agent center Stefen Wisniewski visited Washington this week, but the club is “probably” not the frontrunner for him at the moment, tweets John Keim of ESPN.com. Wisniewski has made a handful of visits since free agency opened, having met with the Patriots, Jaguars, and Titans as well. However, it’s not clear whether all those teams have real interest in him, or if the visits were more exploratory in nature — perhaps to get a closer look at Wisniewski’s surgically-repaired shoulder.
Veteran defensive lineman Corey Wootton, who tried out for the Jaguars and Titans earlier in the offseason, is visiting the Saints today, according to Sean Fazende of FOX 8 in New Orleans (Twitter link).
The Vikings and Saints, a pair of teams in need of a cornerback, are hosting Georgia corner Damian Swann for pre-draft visits, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
Florida State’s Cameron Erving, viewed as the top center in this year’s draft class, is paying a visit to St. Louis to meet with the Rams, today, reports Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). The offensive line figures to be one of main areas of focus for the Rams during the draft.
The Packers will take a closer look at BYU wide receiver Jordan Leslie, who is scheduled to visit the team prior to the draft, writes Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Stefen Wisniewski Visited Washington

April 14th, 2015 at 9:02am CST by Luke Adams

With Michael Crabtree now under contract with the Raiders, only two of PFR’s top 50 free agents for 2015 remain unsigned, and one of those two players is former Raiders center Stefen Wisniewski. While Wisniewski doesn’t appear to be on the verge of a contract, he did receive interest last week from a potential suitor. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Washington hosted Wisniewski for a visit last Friday.

A market has been slow to develop for Wisniewski, but that can be at least partly attributed to the fact that he underwent surgery this offseason to repair a torn labrum. The veteran lineman has made several visits since free agency began, meeting with the Patriots, Jaguars, and the Titans before he headed to Washington. Presumably, a physical exam played a significant part in those visits for Wisniewski.

Wisniewski, who turned 26 last month, wasn’t at his best in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which rated him as the league’s 22nd-best center. Of course, his shoulder injury could have played a role in his decreased production, as PFF has assigned him a higher grade in years past.

Washington got solid production at center in 2014 from Kory Lichtensteiger, who ranked as PFF’s ninth-best player at the position. However, it was Lichtensteiger’s first season at center, after he spent the previous few seasons playing left guard for the club. Chris Chester and Shawn Lauvao held their own as Washington’s guards last season, and both players appear poised to return for the 2015 season, but signing Wisniewski could give the team a little more depth and a few more options along its offensive line.

Stefen Wisniewski Visiting Titans

April 6th, 2015 at 10:06am CST by Zachary Links

Free agent center Stefen Wisniewski is visiting the Titans today, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter). The former Raiders lineman has met with a handful of teams in recent weeks.

The 26-year-old stands as one of the last of PFR’s top 50 free agents who is still without a deal. The center visited the Patriots late last month and met with the Jaguars last week, but he has yet to find a deal. The Vikings would seem like a logical landing spot for a quality interior lineman like Wisniewski, but Minnesota reportedly has yet to express interest.

It’s somewhat surprising to see Wisniewski still on the shelf, but we learned recently that the lineman’s market has been held up as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery. The former Raiders apparently played the 2014 season with a torn labrum and clubs understandably want to know that he’s healthy before making a sizable committment to him. Still, Wisniewski is reportedly seeking a $4MM per year salary, a figure that wouldn’t even place him inside the top ten at his position.

Wisniewski didn’t fare too well in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which rated him as the league’s 22nd-best center. Of course, his injury could have played a role in his decreased production, as PFF has assigned him a higher grade in years past. The Penn State alum was PFR’s No. 39 free agent.

A return to Oakland is out, of course, after the Raiders inked Rodney Hudson to a five-year, $44.5MM deal.

South Notes: Brees, Fowler, Jags, Bucs

April 3rd, 2015 at 11:55am CST by Luke Adams

In an interview with WWL radio in New Orleans on Thursday, quarterback Drew Brees said he intends to retire with the Saints, and dismissed any speculation about potential trade talks involving him.

“I have a close enough relationship with everybody within the Saints organization that if something was going on, I would have heard about it from them,” Brees said. “If there was any seriousness, you know, reality (to the rumors), that would be discussed. Anything that I hear or get wind of is typically false. False reports.”

Of course, the reports Brees calls “false” never really existed. Some columnists wrote speculative articles about the possibility of quarterback-needy teams checking in on Brees while the Saints were seemingly making everyone available, but at least one report suggested the quarterback was one of the only players the team was not shopping. Nonetheless, GM Mickey Loomis, head coach Sean Payton, and Brees himself have all felt the need to shoot down that speculation.

Here’s more from around the NFL’s two South divisions:

Asked about upcoming pre-draft meetings, Florida pass rusher Dante Fowler Jr. says he has visits lined up with the Jaguars and Titans, writes Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com. Fowler is considered one of the top pass rushers in the draft, and projects as a potential top-five pick — Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN recently expressed confidence that Fowler will go third overall to Jacksonville.
Center Stefen Wisniewski left his visit with the Jaguars without a deal in place, but head coach Gus Bradley said the team will “have more conversations about him,” per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. Bradley also said that, while the team is keeping its options open in regard to adding a fullback, it’s conceivable that Jacksonville starts the season with four tight ends and no fullbacks on its roster.
We can add linebacker Larry Dean to the list of free agents to visit the Buccaneers this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Guard Dan Connolly, wide receiver Jerrel Jernigan, and defensive end George Johnson are among the other players who recently paid a visit to Tampa Bay.

FA Notes: Wisniewski, Lowery, Housler, Sam

April 1st, 2015 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

One of the last of our top 50 free agents who is still without a deal, center Stefen Wisniewski has seen his market move slowly in part because he underwent shoulder surgery this offseason to repair a torn labrum. However, things may be picking up for the former Raider.

According to Albert Breer of the NFL Network (via Twitter), Wisniewski visited the Patriots earlier this week, and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that the center visited the Jaguars today. There’s no deal with either team in place yet, but it could just be a matter of time until Wisniewski find a new home.

Here’s more on Wisniewski and a few other free agents:

The Vikings could use an interior lineman like Wisniewski, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities says (via Twitter) that Minnesota hasn’t expressed any interest in the veteran free agent.
According to Breer (via Twitter), free agent safety Dwight Lowery visited the Colts this week. The last update on the Lowery front came two weeks ago, when he admitted the Falcons hadn’t shown a ton of interest in re-signing him.
The Bengals are hosting tight end Rob Housler for a free agent visit on Thursday, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Tyler Eifert figures to take on a bigger role for Cincinnati in 2015 if he’s back to full health, but with Jermaine Gresham unlikely to return, the Bengals could use another tight end. Housler has also visited Atlanta and Baltimore, and received a contract offer from the Ravens.
Tight end Emmanuel Ogbuehi, who spent time on the Browns‘ and Ravens‘ practice squads in 2014, is visiting the Vikings and Buccaneers this week, according to Wilson.
The Montreal Alouettes hold Michael Sam‘s CFL rights, and general manager Jim Popp told Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette this week that he believes his team has a “50/50” shot at signing the former Rams draftee.

Stefen Wisniewski Had Shoulder Surgery

March 29th, 2015 at 4:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Given that we’re almost three weeks removed from the start of free agency, it’s more than surprising that the consensus No. 2 free agent center — Stefen Wisniewski — is still unsigned. There appears to be a reason for his cold market, however, as Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune reports that Wisniewski is recovering from offseason shoulder surgery after he played the 2014 season with a torn larbrum.

Obviously, any sort of injury or surgery is going to make clubs wary, as evidenced by the fact that tight Jermaine Gresham still hasn’t found a home after it was revealed he was set to undergo a back operation. But Wisniewski’s injury situation might not be the only factor scaring clubs, as Biggs adds that the center is looking for a $4MM per year salary. Such a demand doesn’t sound extravagant, as that AAV wouldn’t even place Wisniewski inside the top 10 among centers. Per Biggs, however, no team has been willing to pay that price, and it’s possible that Wisniewski will have to ultimately sign a one- or two-year “prove-it” contract.

Wisniewski’s former club, the Raiders, have already replaced him, signing top FA center Rodney Hudson to a five-year, $44.5MM deal, and Oakland has no plans to re-sign Wisniewski to play guard. But he has drawn interest from a number of teams, including the Rams and Chiefs, and he met with the Buccaneers and Seahawks. According to Biggs, it would also “be a mistake to rule out the Bears” signing Wisniewski.

The 26-year-old Wisniewski didn’t fare too well in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), which rated him as the league’s 22nd-best center. Of course, his injury could have played a role in his decreased production, as PFF has assigned him a higher grade in years past. The Penn State alum was PFR’s No. 39 free agent.