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Terence Newman

Vikings Worked Out CB Terence Newman

January 11th, 2020 at 9:55am CST by Ben Levine

This would have been one heck of a comeback. The Vikings worked out 41-year-old cornerback (and assistant coach) Terence Newman this past week, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Field Yates (via Twitter).

Minnesota placed corner Mackensie Alexander on the injured reserve earlier this week, ending his season. Alexander joined 2018 first-rounder Mike Hughes on the IR, as the 22-year-old was shelved earlier this month. The team needed some reinforcement at the position, but they ultimately opted to promote Nate Meadors from the practice squad.

While Newman hasn’t played since the 2017 season, there is a connection to Minny. The veteran played under head coach Mike Zimmer in Dallas (2003-06), Cincinnati (2012-13) and Minnesota (2015-17). Since his retirement, Newman has been serving as an assistant on the Vikings coaching staff.

Newman, the fifth-overall pick in the 2003 draft, played 15 seasons in the NFL. He finished his career having compiled 745 tackles, 42 interceptions, eight forced fumbles, and three touchdowns.

North Rumors: Ryan, Lions, Newman, Bears

January 29th, 2019 at 9:48pm CST by Sam Robinson

The coaching carousel brought plenty of rumors Tuesday. Here is the latest from the North divisions on that front:

  • Sean Ryan was connected to multiple North-division offensive coordinator openings last year, but both the Browns and Vikings went in different directions. A year later, though, the Lions will bring the Texans’ quarterbacks coach north. Ryan will replace George Godsey as Detroit’s QBs coach, the team announced. Godsey will join Brian Flores‘ staff in Miami. This will be Ryan’s third gig instructing QBs. He first held that post with the Giants from 2012-13. The past two years, he worked with Deshaun Watson in Houston.
  • Following changes at OC and quarterbacks coach, more turnover will occur in Detroit. Lions running backs coach David Walker will step away from coaching. He coached the Lions’ running backs for the past three seasons. Walker coached at the college and pro levels for 22 years. This will be another place Patricia makes a hire. Only wide receivers coach Robert Prince remains as an offensive position coach from the Jim Caldwell era.
  • Terence Newman transitioned from the NFL’s oldest active defensive player to a Vikings coach at this season’s outset. The Vikings want him back for another year, but Newman is not certain to keep coaching, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP.com (via Twitter). The 40-year-old coach is no longer listed among Minnesota’s coaches on the team website.
  • One of Bob Sutton‘s Chiefs staffers will migrate to Chicago. Matt Nagy will hire Mark DeLeone to coach the Bears‘ inside linebackers, per Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times. DeLeone and Nagy worked together in Kansas City from 2013-17, and DeLeone stayed on with the Chiefs this season. Sutton’s firing, though, figures to force relocations from some of his position coaches. Vic Fangio‘s departure is having the same effect in Chicago, with only defensive line coach Jay Rodgers expected to return under Chuck Pagano.
  • Deuce Schwartz will be part of Freddie Kitchens‘ Browns staff as a defensive quality control coach, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets. Schwartz spent two seasons as an assistant in New Orleans, primarily working with the Saints’ specialty units.

Vikings Trim Roster To 53

September 1st, 2018 at 4:08pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

The Vikings have announced all of their cuts, getting their roster down to 53. Here are the moves:

Waived:

Placed on Reserve/Retired:

Placed on Reserve/Suspended:

Activated from Physically Unable to Perform:

Vikings CB Terence Newman To Retire

September 1st, 2018 at 3:16pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Vikings cornerback Terence Newman has announced his retirement, the club announced today. Newman will join Minnesota’s coaching staff.

A 15-year veteran, Newman agreed to terms with the Vikings earlier this year on a one-year deal that would allow him to play an age-40 season. He will turn 40 in three days. Prior to this announcement, he was the NFL’s oldest defensive player.

Mike Zimmer coached Newman for most of his career, so it stands to reason the former first-round pick would be a quality addition to Minnesota’s staff. A 2003 Cowboys first-round pick, Newman played nine seasons in Dallas before latching in with Zimmer — his original DC with the Cowboys — with the Bengals in 2012. Newman caught on the with the Vikings in 2015, Zimmer’s second HC season, and served as first a starter then a nickel defender.

Newman’s 42 receptions represent the most among active players. The Kansas State product started 205 of the 221 career games he played and made two Pro Bowls — both for Cowboys playoff teams in the late 2000s.

One of four first-round picks among Minnesota’s cornerback contingent going into the preseason, Newman will step aside and let the younger highly valued cogs lead the Vikes’ coverage effort. Mike Hughes joins the Xavier Rhodes–Trae Waynes starting duo this year, and former second-rounder Mackensie Alexander is also still with the team.

Newman presumably will provide additional instruction to this group, only doing so in Vikings coaching gear rather than in shoulder pads.

NFC Notes: Seahawks, Austin, Vikings, Spence

May 5th, 2018 at 9:23am CST by Ben Levine

The Seahawks released defensive end Cliff Avril with a failed physical designation yesterday, but it doesn’t sound like the decision was an easy one. Speaking with reporters following the first day of rookie minicamp, coach Pete Carroll reflected on the veteran’s impact on the organization.

“He’s been a great leader. He’s been a bit of a statesman for us. He always says the right thing, stands for the right stuff and been a really high character guy that you can always count on,” said Carroll (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson). “A great competitor in the program. I love him and would like to keep him connected with our club as long as we can because he’s just exactly what you hope to represent you. He’s had a great career with us.”

Avril, 32, said he wants to continue his NFL career.

Let’s take a look at some more notes from around the NFC…

  • Speaking of injured Seahawks, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets that safety Kam Chancellor has more neck scans scheduled in June. The veteran landed on the injured reserve last season due to an unspecified neck injury, and reports indicated that the 30-year-old may be forced to retire.
  • The Rams bailed on wideout Tavon Austin, sending him to the Cowboys for a sixth-rounder. While the receiver never lived up to his four-year, $42MM contract, his former organization doesn’t believe his tenure was a failure. “[The deal] was never necessarily to be, hey, a No. 1 receiver,” said general manager Les Snead (via ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez). “But he was a weapon for us on special teams and in the offense. He led our team in touchdowns, and he had a lot of special-teams touchdowns called back. He was just a unique weapon on offense.”
  • The Vikings re-signed veteran cornerback Terence Newman last week, and Ben Goessling of the Star Tribune has details on the new deal (via Twitter). The 39-year-old will earn a $1.015MM base salary and a $90K workout bonus. However, there’s no guaranteed money, and the contract accounts for a $720K cap hit.
  • The undisclosed 2019 pick that the Lions acquired from the Dolphins in the Akeem Spence trade is a conditional seventh-rounder, tweets ESPN’s Field Yates. Miami originally acquired the selection in the deal that sent Jarvis Landry to the Browns.

Terence Newman To Retire After Season

May 1st, 2018 at 1:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Terence Newman will return for his age-40 season, but he’s not planning on going much further. The veteran says that he has no designs on extending his career beyond 2018.

[RELATED: Vikings Re-Sign CB Terence Newman]

“I think this will be my last year no matter what happens,’’ Newman said (Twitter link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press). “After 15 years, I’ve soaked as much as I can in. It’s been a heck of a ride. I understand when it’s time for me. I’m not going to put an onus on doing anything special.”

Newman entered the league as the No. 5 overall pick of the 2003 NFL Draft. He is one of three active players remaining from that class and that number will be reduced to two if Cowboys tight end Jason Witten retires to begin his broadcasting career. Ravens linebacker Terrell Suggs is the only other player from the ’03 class still hanging on.

This year will mark Newman’s fourth year with the Vikings. Before that, Newman spent nine years with the Cowboys and three years with the Bengals.

Vikings Re-Sign CB Terence Newman

April 30th, 2018 at 1:52pm CST by Zachary Links

Terence Newman is back for another season. The Vikings announced that the veteran cornerback has re-signed with the team.

[RELATED: Vikings Pick Up Trae Waynes’ Option]

This year will mark Newman’s 16th season in the NFL. Even though he’ll turn 40 in September, the Vikings believe that he can provide valuable veteran leadership in the locker room and quality play in limited spurts on the field. He’ll mentor first-round cornerback Mike Hughes while he offers support in nickel packages behind starters Xavier Rhodes and Trae Waynes.

Last year, Newman appeared in all 16 of the Vikings’ regular season games as well as their two playoff contests. In the regular season, he tallied 35 tackles and five passes defensed as he played on 555 snaps, the third-highest total of any Vikings corner.

Pro Football Focus ranked Newman as 66th-best cornerback in the NFL, which indicates that he is still a quality contributor, even though he is no longer among the league’s best. Interestingly, the advanced metrics showed that Newman turned in one of his best seasons ever in 2016 – his age-38 season.

In the wake of James Harrison‘s retirement, Newman now stands as the oldest defensive player in the NFL. He also boasts the highest number of interceptions amongst all active players with 42.

North Notes: Browns, Vikings, Meredith

March 31st, 2018 at 6:24pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Vikings are working on a deal that would bring Terence Newman back to the Twin Cities, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press tweets. Newman has expressed a desire to not only return for his age-40 season but do so with the Vikings. However, Tomasson confirms a previous report that money is an issue for a potential re-up. Newman made $3.58MM in 2017. Minnesota reached an agreement to re-sign Marcus Sherels and has Mackensie Alexander back for a third year behind their the team’s starting duo. Newman played in 16 games last season and remained a mid-tier corner in the opinion of Pro Football Focus despite his age.

Here’s the latest from the North divisions as we enter draft month.

  • Connected mostly to Sam Darnold and Josh Allen at No. 1 overall, the Browns are still publicly expressing their interest in the big four quarterbacks at this juncture of the process. But Hue Jackson is “very close” to finalizing a preference to bring to John Dorsey and has said he would like a quarterback whose mobility is relatively in step with Tyrod Taylor‘s, as opposed to a stationary passer. The Baker Mayfield interest is believed to be genuine, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com reports, adding the Heisman Trophy winner enjoyed a “great” workout with the Browns this week. The team is expected to bring Allen, Darnold, Mayfield and Josh Rosen in for visits before the draft.
  • Darnold-to-Cleveland has been the scenario most discussed around the league at this point, Terry Pluto of cleveland.com writes. While Pluto doesn’t discount the idea of the Browns going in a different direction, he has not heard anything lately connecting the team to Rosen. The UCLA quarterback was not exactly a portrait of enthusiasm about a potential Browns union when that subject surfaced late last year.
  • After the Browns take their quarterback at No. 1, Pluto expects them to select Bradley Chubb at No. 4. The caveat of the N.C. State dynamo being available should obviously be included, but with the Jets expected to take a QB at No. 3 and it making sense for the Giants to do the same at 2, the Browns could have the inside track on selecting the top quarterback and top non-quarterback in the draft. Jackson hasn’t exactly been evasive about envisioning what Chubb would bring to the Browns’ defense.
  • The Vikings still had concerns about Teddy Bridgewater‘s knee after the 2017 regular season, despite the quarterback being activated midway through the year. Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune notes these concerns affected the team’s approach regarding the former first-round pick this offseason. “The reports I’d get back from the medical people weren’t as positive as I was about it,” Mike Zimmer said. “That’s kind of how it came down is that his knee wasn’t as … he still has some recovery to do. When I watched him in practice he moved well, I didn’t see limitations but from what I’m told there was some.” The Vikings deactivated Bridgewater for both of their playoff games, and his Jets contract is light on guarantees.
  • Having brought in several UFA or RFA wideouts for visits recently, the Ravens may have a favorite among these pass-catchers. Baltimore is believed to be particularly high on Cameron Meredith, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports. Given the low-end tender by the Bears, Meredith joined fellow RFA Willie Snead and UFA Michael Floyd in trekking to Maryland for visits this month. Meredith’s met with the Colts and Saints as well, doing so after missing the entire 2017 season. The 25-year-old former UDFA, though, broke out with 888 receiving yards for the 2016 Bears. The Bears have $27.5MM in cap space compared to the Ravens’ $10.7MM figure, for offer-matching purposes.

NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Vikings

March 27th, 2018 at 6:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Allen Robinson narrowed his potential destinations to the Bears and Packers before ultimately deciding on Chicago, as the star wideout tells Mike Kaye of First Coast News. While a number of clubs — including the Redskins, Browns, Ravens, Panthers, and incumbent Jaguars — were linked to Robinson before free agency officially opened, Green Bay was never mentioned as a suitor. The revelation is interesting on a few different levels, but chief among them is that the Packers clearly feel a need to upgrade their receiving corps. So far this offseason, Green Bay cut ties with franchise icon Jordy Nelson, but hasn’t made any additions to its wideout depth chart. Robinson, 24, eventually landed a three-year, $42MM deal from the Bears.

Here’s more from the NFC North:

  • The Lions‘ decision to release Eric Ebron was strictly a financial call, general manager Bob Quinn told reporters, including Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). Ebron had been scheduled to earn a base salary of $8.25MM in 2018, and that figure would have become fully guaranteed on the first day of the league year. Indeed, Ebron’s high salary also warded off any potential trade suitors, per Quinn, while Detroit never discussed an extension that would have reduced Ebron’s upcoming cap charge (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of the Detroit News). Ebron, a first-round pick in 2014, has subsequently inked a two-year, $13MM pact with the Colts.
  • Given that he’s currently in Ghana, Lions defensive end Ezekiel Ansah has no immediate plans to sign his franchise tag, per Birkett (Twitter link). However, Ansah does eventually plan to ink the tender and has no intention of dragging out the process. When he does eventually sign, Ansah will earn a fully guaranteed $17.143MM base salary for the 2018 campaign, and will have until July to hammer out a long-term extension with Detroit. Ansah finished the 2017 season with 12 sacks, 44 total tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
  • The Vikings have indicated they’d like to re-sign cornerback Terence Newman, but it sound as though money will be the determining factor in any such agreement, according to Brian Murphy of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link). While Newman will be 40 years old when the 2018 season gets underway, he was able to stay healthy for all 16 games last year. Newman, who ranked as the No. 66 CB among 119 qualifiers in 2017 (per Pro Football Focus), would reinforce a Minnesota secondary that also includes Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, and Mackensie Alexander.
  • Despite a previous report to the contrary, the Lions are not interested in free agent defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, tweets Birkett. Detroit has already upgraded its defensive tackle rotation by signing Sylvester Williams and Ricky Jean-Francois, but Hankins isn’t in the team’s plans.

Extra Points: Meredith, Curry, Ravens, Vikes

March 20th, 2018 at 9:55pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Bears restricted free agent wide receiver Cameron Meredith took a visit with the Colts today, and he’s expected to meet with at least one more (unidentified) team, reports Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. Chicago somewhat surprisingly used an original round tender on Meredith, so it won’t receive any compensation if it decides not to match an offer sheet for the former undrafted free agent. Meredith, 25, is coming off a torn ACL, so the Colts (and the mystery club) likely want to check the condition of his affected knee. In 2016, Meredith posted 66 receptions and 888 yards in only 10 starts, so he could potentially be a bargain if he gets away from the Bears.

Here’s more from around the league:

  • Defensive lineman Vinny Curry confirmed he had the chance to stick with the Eagles (almost assuredly at a reduced rate), but he ultimately secured interest from as many as seven teams before signing with the Buccaneers, according to SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Curry joined fellow former Philadelphia defender Beau Allen in inking three-year deals with Tampa Bay, and their respective signings led the Bucs to cut ties with veteran defensive end Robert Ayers. The Eagles reportedly attempted both to trade Curry or lower his 2018 salary before releasing him, as his presence was made superfluous by Philadelphia’s acquisition of Michael Bennett.
  • New Ravens wide receiver John Brown was diagnosed with the sickle cell trait back in 2016, but he claims that’s not impacting his health. “I’m healthy. I’m feeling good,” said Brown, who signed a one-year, $5MM deal with Baltimore (link via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “Sickle cell was never part of the problem.” Brown set career highs with 65 receptions for 1,003 yards and seven touchdowns for Arizona in 2015, but has not reprised that performance in the last two years. Brown will team with fellow free agent addition Michael Crabtree to give Baltimore a new-look wide receiver corps in 2018.
  • The Broncos are still searching the free agent market for a tight end, per Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post (Twitter link), who suggests the recently-released Marcedes Lewis could get a look from John Elway & Co. Denver lost blocking tight end Virgil Green to the Chargers last week, and didn’t pursue any of the market’s top tight ends such as Jimmy Graham, Trey Burton, or Tyler Eifert. At present, the Broncos’ TE depth chart is topped by Jeff Heuerman and Jake Butt, but free agents that could speculatively be of interest may include Martellus Bennett, Antonio Gates, Luke Willson, or Brent Celek.
  • Kicker Kai Forbath became the first Vikings unrestricted free agent to re-sign with the club earlier today, and Minnesota still has interest in retaining a number of UFAs, tweets Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. Cornerbacks Terence Newman and Marcus Sherels are on the Vikings’ radar, as are offensive lineman Jeremiah Sirles and defensive lineman Shamar Stephen. Minnesota could have competition for the latter two, as Sirles has taken a visit with the Panthers, while Stephen was hosted by the division-rival Lions.
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