Tamba Hali - Pro Football Rumors

AFC Notes: Bengals, Osweiler, Hali

July 23rd, 2017 at 11:38am CST by Rory Parks

Tyler Eifert and Vontaze Burfict are both entering their contract seasons, and while the Bengals have not allowed a Pro Bowl player to leave via free agency who is under the age of 32 since 2011, both players present unique considerations. Both are justified in aiming to be paid at the top of the pay scale for their respective positions, but Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer says Burfict, because of his injury history and run-ins with the league’s player safety rules, is more likely to receive a contract like Dont’a Hightower‘s (four years, $35.5MM with $17MM in guarantees) than Luke Kuechly‘s (five years, $61.8MM with $34MM in guarantees). Also, given Hightower’s difficult time in free agency this season, it is unclear whether Burfict will want to try his luck on the open market.

Eifert’s own injury history could hinder his financial prospects, though league sources indicate he is in line for a five-year pact with an AAV of roughly $9MM. Unlike Burfict, however, the franchise tag is an option for Eifert if the two sides cannot hammer out a long-term deal this year, although both parties are motivated to get something done.

Now for more from the AFC:

Brock Osweiler apparently still has a chance to start for the Browns in Week 1. Although Cody Kessler and DeShone Kizer are considered the most likely candidates to open the season under center, a lot will depend on Kizer’s development. As Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com writes, if Kizer does not develop as anticipated during training camp — he has progressed well to this point, but things can always change when the pads are on — then Osweiler could reenter the mix as a challenger to Kessler.
Patriots linebacker Rob Ninkovich is entering his contract year, but at this point, he does not foresee himself playing for anyone other than New England, as Mike Reiss of ESPN.com writes. Ninkovich was drafted by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14. He is so grateful for his time in New England that, when asked if he could envision himself playing for another club, he said, “I wouldn’t do that.”
Tamba Hali‘s Twitter rant last night drew quite a bit of attention, but the Chiefs linebacker says he is not considering holding out and he has not been told he is not in the team’s 2017 plans. He said he simply wants to play more (Twitter link). Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star says (via Twitter) that Hali did address the matter internally back in January, and he was told by head coach Andy Reid to just “keep getting better.” That obviously did not sit well with Hali, who apparently stewed about it for some time before unleashing a bit last night.
Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union wonders what, if anything, Trai Turner‘s recent four-year, $45MM extension could mean for Jaguars center Brandon Linder, who was drafted one spot behind Turner in the 2014 draft. Linder started his career at right guard but was moved to center last season after missing 13 games due to a shoulder injury in 2015. He has missed 15 total games in his career, and it sounds as if Jacksonville will simply allow him to play out his contract because of that injury history. If contract talks do commence this year, it will be interesting to see if Linder gets paid like a center or if he receives a deal that suggests he could return to right guard in the future.

AFC West Notes: Hali, Reid, Raiders, Broncos

July 22nd, 2017 at 3:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

Entering his 12th season with the Chiefs, Tamba Hali‘s role might be closer to a part-time position when compared to his near-decade run as a consistent presence on Kansas City defenses. The team has Justin Houston healthy and Dee Ford back after a breakout season. Hali took to Twitter to address his status with the Chiefs, firing up a string of tweets shaped around his lack of usage in January’s divisional-round loss to the Steelers (Twitter links). The 33-year-old was not happy playing just seven plays and tweeted, “Am I needed in KC anymore?”

Hali added (on Twitter) he was told his minimized play was to preserve him for the playoffs, which is interesting considering the Chiefs were in an elimination game. But Ford and Houston were the team’s primary linebackers that night. Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, noting the tweets’ authenticity, pointed out how the outside linebacker kept quiet about this for a while but has obviously been upset about his lack of playing time in the Chiefs’ biggest game in 13 years (Twitter links). Paylor adds (on Twitter) Hali is not believed to be upset about being tied to the Chiefs but wants a prominent role.

A 2006 first-round pick, Hali is now on his third Chiefs contract — a three-year, $21MM pact — and that deal being backloaded inflates his cap charge from $3.8MM in 2016 to $8.6MM this season. Kansas City incurring a dead-money penalty of $8.91MM in the event of a 2017 Hali release makes that almost certainly a non-starter for a team up against the cap. But in 2018, the Chiefs can cut Hali and save $7MM. Ford’s salary also rises north of $8MM in 2018 due to the Chiefs exercising his fifth-year option. A five-time Pro Bowler whom Pro Football Focus rated as a top outside linebacker as recently as 2015, Hali started in front of slower-developing Ford in 2014 and ’15 but ceded ground as last season progressed and Houston returned.

However, the team could probably benefit from Hali as a part-time pass rusher, as several teams have from aging stalwarts in recent years. But his usage rate could be a point of contention, if Saturday’s string of posts is any indication.

Here’s the latest out of Kansas City and the rest of the AFC West.

The Chiefs’ ouster of John Dorsey and promotion of Brett Veach figures to give Andy Reid more power regarding personnel matters, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. Veach broke into the NFL with the Reid-era Eagles — as Reid’s personal assistant — in the 2000s and followed the coach to Kansas City in 2013.
UNLV hired a pricey lawyer to negotiate terms with the Raiders on the parties’ future use of the $1.9 billion domed stadium set for construction and future use, Adam Candee of the Las Vegas Sun reports. The Mountain West Conference program and the Raiders are legally bound, via state mandate, to co-exist at the to-be-constructed venue. But the sides have to negotiate the agreement. Florio notes the Raiders proposed the first draft of said agreement, one Candee and Florio note was tilted toward the NFL team.
The Broncos haven’t had a place for No. 4 cornerbacks since forming their dominant trio of Chris Harris, Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby in 2014. Kayvon Webster hardly saw the field as a defender after Talib and Roby arrived, leading to his defection to the Rams, but the Broncos drafted a project corner in Brendan Langley out of Lamar in the third round. Langley doesn’t figure to play a big role this season, but Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post notes the team sees the ex-Division I-FCS defender as a potential No. 1 corner down the line.

Tamba Hali Plans To Play At Least One More Season

January 16th, 2017 at 11:09am CST by Sam Robinson

The morning after another sobering Chiefs playoff exit, Tamba Hali set a loose timeline for his own career. The longtime Kansas City pass-rusher intends to play at least one more season, Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star reports (on Twitter).

Paylor adds Hali would like to play four more seasons, despite seeing his sack total decline considerably in 2016. Signed to his third Chiefs contract last March, he’s on Kansas City’s books for two more years.

Hali has battled injuries in recent years but has been available for the Chiefs when needed, having never missed more than a game during a season. And the AFC West champions required the veteran’s services this season due to Justin Houston‘s long absence. But the 33-year-old blindside rusher’s role decreased in his 11th season, with Dee Ford playing nearly 300 more snaps than the veteran’s 599. The former first-round pick finished with just 3.5 sacks — the second-fewest he’s registered in a season. Although, Hali still graded out as the Chiefs’ best edge defender in the opinion of Pro Football Focus.

Hali signed a three-year deal worth $21MM last year and stands to see his cap number balloon from $3.8MM this season to $8.58MM in 2017. The Chiefs’ method of backloading contracts included Hali’s, helping to give the franchise scant cap room with which to work as of now after it re-signed Hali, Derrick Johnson and Jaye Howard in the most recent free agency period.

Next season, the Chiefs figure to shift Hali to a pass-rushing specialist role as Ford and Houston stand to comprise the team’s first-string outside linebackers.

Chiefs’ Tamba Hali Comes Off PUP List

August 22nd, 2016 at 12:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Chiefs outside linebacker Tamba Hali is coming off of the PUP list, the team announced. He’ll begin practicing on a limited basis starting tomorrow.

Hali, 32, re-signed with KC this offseason before the official start of free agency. He has seen his sack totals decline a little over the last two seasons after he piled up a total of 46.5 from 2010 to 2013, but he has continued to be an effective edge defender for the Chiefs. Despite picking up just 12.5 total sacks in 2014 and 2015, Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran 11th out of 110 qualified players at the position in 2015, assigning him solid grades as both a pass rusher and a run defender.

Hali’s new deal pays him $21MM over the next three yeras with $11.5MM fully guaranteed.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Rams, Bills, Henry, Ford

March 26th, 2016 at 4:25pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here’s the latest from around the league, beginning with two Southern California training camp teams who aren’t jumping at the chance to reconvene for joint practices.

Despite the teams now training near Los Angeles, Cowboys and Rams aren’t planning to partake in another training camp scrimmage due to the brawl that occurred last year when the teams had joint practices in Oxnard, Calif., Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports. The Rams will be training at UC-Irvine this year, but Jason Garrett hasn’t engaged in any discussions on bringing the teams together again.
The Bills expect clarity on Percy Harvin‘s health status in the ensuing two weeks, Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News reports. Doug Whaley and Rex Ryan are open to the UFA returning despite Buffalo’s $6.9MM left in cap space. Harvin, whose troublesome hip issues ended up sidelining him for the season last November, would have to compete with newly signed Leonard Hankerson and players like Olympic long jump hopeful Marquise Goodwin for the Bills’ No. 3 receiver spot, however, and do so having missed 36 games over the past four seasons.
An NFC personnel man rates Arkansas’ Hunter Henry as the most complete tight end to be available in the draft in a long time, Mark Eckel of NJ.com reports. The unidentified evaluator sees Henry as a fit with the Jets, whose tight ends caught just eight passes last season after Jace Amaro missed the year with an injury. “I never liked Amaro,” the personnel man told Eckel. “(Hunter) is tons better than Amaro. Where do I see him going? That’s a tough question. (No. 20) might be a little soon, but he’s a first rounder. He’s definitely a first-rounder.”
Dee Ford figures to have a bigger role with the Chiefs in his third season. How much bigger will likely be determined by Justin Houston‘s health. John Dorsey and Andy Reid saw flashes of brilliance, per Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star, with Reid saying one of last season’s takeaways was finding out that Ford was “a pretty good football player.” The player who would be opposite Ford in a Houston-less look, Tamba Hali, believes the third-year player — who has been mostly buried behind Houston and Hali in his two seasons — needs to develop further mentally. “If I had to speak for him, I would like for him to take the next step in being a professional … basically (the reason) why they drafted him here is to take over the (starting) role. The season’s too long for me to focus on being a starter or a backup,” Hali said. “I think he’s in the position where he can kind of take the torch and go forward. That’s really mental; physically, the kid is gifted and he has it. But mentally we have to just make sure that he understands why we’re in this building and what needs to be done while we’re here.”
Former Ravens defensive tackle Terrence Cody has been handed a nine-month sentence in his animal cruelty case, as Pat Warren of CBS Baltimore writes. Cody was found guilty of negligence in the death of his canary mastiff who was starved to death. However, he was not found guilty of felony animal abuse because the court did not find his actions intentional, according to his lawyer. PETA issued a statement following the sentencing and implored the NFL to do more to combat animal abuse amongst its players.

Zach Links contributed to this report

Contract Details: Kearse, Whitehead, Hali

March 11th, 2016 at 10:49am CST by Luke Adams

Here are a few of the latest contract details for players who have agreed to new deals and/or signed them in recent days. All links are courtesy of Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle unless otherwise indicated…

NFC:

Jermaine Kearse, WR (Seahawks): Three years, $13.5MM. $6.3MM guaranteed. $5.5MM signing bonus. Up to $4.7MM in total incentives/escalators (Twitter links via Wilson and Tom Pelissero of USA Today).
Tahir Whitehead, LB (Lions): Two years, $8MM. $4.75MM guaranteed. $3MM signing bonus. $500K in annual playing-time/Pro Bowl incentives. $200K in per-game active roster bonuses in 2017 (Twitter links).
Sherrick McManis, CB (Bears): Two years, $2.85MM. $600K signing bonus. $150K roster bonus due 10th day of 2016 league year. $50K annual workout bonus (Twitter link).
Senio Kelemete, OL (Saints): Two years, $2.7MM. $300K signing bonus. $50K roster bonus due third day of 2017 league year. Up to $600K in annual incentives (Twitter links).
Kenrick Ellis, DT (Vikings): One year, $810K. $25K workout bonus. $25K bonus for one game on 53-man roster (Twitter link via Pelissero).

AFC:

Tamba Hali, OLB (Chiefs): Three years, $21MM. $11.5MM fully guaranteed. $4.75MM signing bonus. $500K annually in weight bonuses (five weigh-ins worth $100K each). $500K annually in per-game active roster bonuses (Twitter links via Wilson and Pelissero).
Robert Golden, S (Steelers): Three years, $4.95MM. $1.25MM signing bonus (Twitter link).
Eddie Pleasant, S (Texans): Two years, $2.15MM. $311K roster bonus in 2016. $36K roster bonus in 2017 (Twitter link).
Shane Lechler, P (Texans): One year, $1.8MM. $500K signing bonus (Twitter link).
Khiry Robinson, RB (Jets): One year, $1.175MM. $80K signing bonus. $20K roster bonus for first game. $350K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link).
Nick Novak, K (Texans): One year, $965K. Minimum salary benefit. $80K roster bonus due March 14 (Twitter link).

Free Agent Rumors: RG3, Rams, Chiefs

March 10th, 2016 at 12:18pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest free agent rumors:

Robert Griffin III would “very much” like to play for the Rams in Los Angeles, a source tells Vincent Bonsignore of the Daily News (on Twitter). The 49ers and the Broncos have also been connected to Griffin this week.
Despite outside interest, Tamba Hali says that he gave no thought at all to leaving the Chiefs, Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star tweets. The Falcons were reportedly a finalist for his services.
Stevan Ridley‘s market continues to unfold but the Patriots haven’t shown interest in a reunion, Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald tweets. Still, Howe (link) points out that the Patriots reached out to Ridley late last offseason before he joined the Jets, so nothing can be completely ruled out, even though that union is still unlikely. Ridley racked up 1,263 yards and 12 touchdowns on the ground back in 2012 for the Pats.
The Ravens reviewed eight free agent tight ends but after watching a handful of plays from Ben Watson on tape, they determined that he was their guy, GM Ozzie Newsome told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
The Eagles‘ interest in defensive tackle Cedric Thornton is “tepid,” Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. The Eagles haven’t ruled out a return, however.
The Seahawks are interested in guard Ted Larsen, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). As we learned yesterday, Larsen will also take a visit with the 49ers.

Chiefs Re-Sign Tamba Hali

March 10th, 2016 at 9:57am CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 9:57am: The Chiefs have officially re-signed Hali, the team announced today in a press release.

TUESDAY, 6:53pm: Hali and the Chiefs have agreed to a three-year, $22MM deal that contains nearly $12MM in guarantees, tweets Rand Getlin of NFL.com.

12:16pm: The Chiefs have reached an agreement on a three-year contract for outside linebacker Tamba Hali, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Schefter notes that the new deal will allow the veteran pass rusher to finish his career in Kansas City.

Hali, 32, has seen his sack totals decline a little over the last two seasons after he piled up a total of 46.5 from 2010 to 2013. However, despite picking up just 12.5 total sacks in 2014 and 2015, Hali has continued to be an effective edge defender for the Chiefs. Pro Football Focus ranked the veteran 11th out of 110 qualified players at the position in 2015, assigning him solid grades as both a pass rusher and a run defender.

As I noted in PFR’s top 50 free agents list, in which I placed Hali 22nd, the longtime Chief had been one of the few edge defenders who fit better in a 3-4 scheme as an outside linebacker, rather than a 4-3 defensive end, so Kansas City did well to keep him from rival suitors looking for pass-rushing help.

With Hali back in the fold, the Chiefs have now secured two of their key free agent defenders, having used their franchise tag on safety Eric Berry. Still, there are plenty of Chiefs on track to reach the open market tomorrow. Defensive lineman Jaye Howard, cornerback Sean Smith, and linebacker Derrick Johnson are among the team’s free-agents-to-be on defense, while backup quarterback Chase Daniel and starting guard Jeff Allen are also eligible to hit the market.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Benjamin, Falcons, Hali

March 8th, 2016 at 5:23pm CST by Zachary Links

The Falcons have inquired about free agent receiver Travis Benjamin, a source tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Benjamin played under Falcons OC Kyle Shanahan in Cleveland during the 2014 season. Benjamin also worked with current Minnesota OC Norv Turner in Cleveland, but per Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link), the Vikings have not show any interest in Benjamin.

Here are the latest free agent rumors:

Linebacker Tamba Hali was choosing between the Falcons and Kansas City before signing a three-year deal with the Chiefs, Kelsey Conway of AtlantaFalcons.com tweets.
The Patriots were interested in signing Michael Hoomanawanui before he re-signed with the Saints on Tuesdsay, Ben Volin of the Boston Globe tweets.
The Texans are interested in re-signing safety Quintin Demps, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle writes. This past season, Demps started a career-high 13 games and recorded 61 tackles, one interception, six passes defended, one forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. The 30-year-old free agent is also drawing interest from other teams, however.
The Buccaneers may not tender free agent defensive end Olatunji Fatinikun, but they still could sign him later in summer, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The DE is coming off of ACL surgery.

FA Notes: Winslow, Hali, Evans, Fitzpatrick

March 5th, 2016 at 11:38am CST by Ben Levine

In January, former first-round pick Kellen Winslow tweeted that he was focused on an NFL comeback. The 32-year-old confirmed this sentiment when he appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio this week.

“My body feels good enough to come back and play at a high level, even better I think because I’m just a little wiser,” Winslow said (via Michael David Smith of ProFootballTalk.com). “It was good to get away from the game just to work on me. I want to be a better player than I was before. I think I can.”

Winslow has caught 469 passes for 5,236 yards and 25 touchdowns during his ten-year career, but he hasn’t played an NFL game since 2013. Let’s check out some more notes regarding some of the league’s notable free agents…

The Chiefs didn’t ink impending free agent Tamba Hali prior to the March 4th deadline, meaning the outside linebacker’s contract was automatically voided. According to Terez A. Paylor of KansasCity.com, the Chiefs will be charged $4MM against the cap, even if the 32-year-old ends up returning.
Jerrold Colton, the agent for former Saints guard Jahri Evans, told 97.5 The Fanatic in Philadelphia (including Geoff Mosher) that his client “has [a] good chance” to sign a contract prior to the start of free agency.
Sam Bradford‘s new deal with the Eagles could have an impact on Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s future contract, writes ESPN’s Rich Cimini. Since the Jets presumably wouldn’t want to commit to the 33-year-old longterm, the writer wonders if the quarterback could secure a similar two-year deal.
ESPN’s James Walker mentions three potential destinations for free agent defensive end Olivier Vernon: the Jaguars, Giants, and Cowboys.