Trevor Siemian

AFC East Rumors: Cutler, Hightower, Bills

March 11th, 2017 at 9:26pm CST by Sam Robinson

The team most linked to Jay Cutler now that he’s a first-time free agent, the Jets may be split on acquiring the former Broncos and Bears quarterback. Gang Green is intrigued by the 12th-year passer, and the feeling is believed to be mutual. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News notes a faction of the Jets wants the 33-year-old Cutler on the roster, linking former Broncos and Bears assistant Jeremy Bates — the Jets’ new quarterbacks coach — to being in the pro-Cutler camp. The Jets, though, aren’t presently inclined to spend much on Cutler, with Mehta noting if he were available for “a few million” the Jets’ brass would probably sign him. Cutler played three seasons of the seven-year, $126MM Bears deal he signed in 2014.

Here’s more from the Jets and some of their division rivals.

One team involved in talks with UFA linebacker Dont’a Hightower is convinced he will sign to stay with the Patriots, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com tweets. Breer doesn’t specify the team here, but the Patriots have been connected to the sixth-year ‘backer throughout free agency despite not placing the franchise tag on him. New England has been the only known team to be pursuing Hightower. While there are surely others in the hunt for a top-level free agent, none have been revealed yet.
Lorenzo Alexander expects the two-year, $9MM contract he signed with the Bills to be his last. “I see myself walking off into the sunset and transitioning into life after football after I’m done,” the soon-to-be 34-year-old pass-rusher said, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. The Bills re-signed the 2016 wonder despite being set to shift to a 4-3 defense. Prior to last season, Alexander (12.5 sacks in ’16) had nine career sacks in nine seasons.
The Jets would be interested in acquiring Trevor Siemian from the Broncos in the event they sign or trade for Tony Romo, Mehta reports. Unloading a late-round pick for Siemian would be something the Jets would consider. Cutler might be the Jets’ backup plan behind Siemian, Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com reported earlier this week. But there are a lot of moving parts to this string of deals, one that became murkier when the Texans cleared eight figures in cap space via their unorthodox Brock Osweiler trade. That opens the door for Houston to pursue Romo, and it’s unlikely the team will look to move Tom Savage in that event. The Broncos, though, would have less use for Siemian if they land Romo since Paxton Lynch is still tentatively viewed as their quarterback of the future. Siemian has two years remaining on his rookie contract.
In addition to keeping Alexander, the Bills re-upped right tackle Jordan Mills on Saturday.

Cowboys Expect To Trade Tony Romo To Broncos Or Texans

March 9th, 2017 at 1:31pm CST by Zachary Links

1:31pm: The Broncos are not currently shopping Siemian, James Palmer of NFL.com tweets.

1:27pm: Some “backpedal talk” has emerged regarding a Siemian-to-New York trade, Mortensen tweets. But he adds that Romo remains a trade candidate a day after being expected to be released.

1:07pm: The Cowboys now expect to trade Tony Romo to the Broncos or Texans, sources tell Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Meanwhile, the Broncos are talking with the Jets about trading Trevor Siemian to New York.

A Broncos trade for Romo would be surprising, a source tells Denver7’s Troy Renck (Twitter link). The Broncos have long been connected to Romo but never via trade until today. For more than a month, reports out of Denver have pegged the Broncos as being willing to look at Romo as a UFA.

Wednesday, there was word that the Cowboys would be releasing Romo, allowing him to explore free agency. It turns out that the Broncos and Texans are now willing to acquire him via trade. If a deal goes down, it stands to reason that Romo could agree to restructure his deal in order to make things work for the acquiring club.

Romo, 37 in April, has not been healthy for two full seasons. However, he does have four Pro Bowl selections on his resume. In his last healthy season (2014), Romo completed a league-high 69.9% of his passes with 3,705 yards through the air and 34 touchdowns against just nine interceptions.

The Broncos have been telling everyone that they are willing to go into 2017 with Siemian and Paxton Lynch as their quarterbacks. However, the Romo talk has been strong for weeks now and it sounds like they are looking to bring another star QB to Denver. The Broncos brought in Peyton Manning at a time when the world was writing him off and they might be able to find the same success here with Romo. If they do acquire him, it will be interesting to see whether Romo will be put into an open competition with Lynch or given the starting job from the get-go.

Houston has not been as bullish on a Romo acquisition as Denver has been reported to be. Although neither side has exactly been aggressive, word out of Houston was the team was not going to pursue Romo. The two-time reigning AFC South champions, though, did not get close to what they hoped from Brock Osweiler this season. The Texans’ four-year $72MM contract — one that cannot be realistically removed from the payroll until 2018 — now looks like an albatross after the 6-foot-7 passer could not complete his first Houston season without being benched. He returned to the lineup once Tom Savage sustained a concussion and won a playoff game, but Osweiler did not provide many signs he is the future in Houston.

The Cowboys would take a ~$19MM cap hit this year if they were to trade Romo rather than release him. They could not spread it over two years as they could by designating him a post June 1 cut.

The Jets would like to deal for Siemian but they will look hard at Jay Cutler if they cannot pull off a trade with Denver, Mortensen tweets. Right now, Siemian is Plan A, Cutler is Plan B, and it’s not clear what their Plan C might be if both fall through. The Jets, with limited cap space and little chance of contending in 2017, have very few options to address their vacancy under center.

A seventh-round pick out of Northwestern, Siemian has two years and just $1.3MM left on his rookie contract. He completed 59 percent of his passes and led the Broncos to an 8-6 record. But two injuries sidelined him, providing possible durability queries going forward.

Photo via PFR on Instagram.

AFC Rumors: Stills, Siemian, Revis, Texans

March 8th, 2017 at 10:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Kenny Stills may have had another contract proposal from at least one other club before re-signing with the Dolphins, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Bears and Eagles were the two known teams with interest in Stills, but it’s entirely possible other clubs also pursued him. Ultimately, Stills re-upped with Miami at a cost of $32MM over four years.

Here’s more from the AFC:

If the Broncos end up signing the recently-released Tony Romo, they could end up discussing a Trevor Siemian trade with the Jets, opines Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link). To be clear, this is only speculation on the part of Pelissero, but it’s an interesting thought experiment to imagine potential destinations for Siemian if Romo lands in Denver. Siemian isn’t the only semi-starting quarterback that could be affected by a Romo pursuit: if the Texans ink Romo, some executives think Houston will trade Tom Savage to the 49ers.
Former Pro Bowl cornerback Darrelle Revis showed evident signs of decline last season, and a developing legal issue led to the Jets ultimately cutting the veteran. One general manager recently told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News he wouldn’t pursue the veteran cornerback even if he was willing to play “for free.” Another executive told Mehta that “you respect the body of work throughout his career, but all good things come to an end.”
The Texans re-signed kicker Nick Novak last night, and Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link) has the details on the new pact. Novak’s one-year deal is worth $1.15MM and includes a $250K signing bonus.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC Rumors: Dolphins, Alonso, Broncos

March 1st, 2017 at 1:47pm CST by Zachary Links

Kiko Alonso doesn’t want to move from the middle linebacker spot in 2017, a source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Dolphins might want to move him to outside linebacker, but that might not be an option if he is unwilling to adjust. As Salguero notes, the Dolphins should probably figure all of this out in the next week with free agency on the horizon. There’s also this – in the past, Alonso has indicated a willingness to move, if it would help the team. So, even if the linebacker’s preference is to remain in the middle, he might be willing to be a good soldier and shift positions.

Here’s more from the AFC:

There has been lots of talk about the Broncos acquiring a veteran quarterback, but head coach Vance Joseph indicated that he’s happy with current options Paxton Lynch and Trevor Siemian. “We’ve got two young guys that combined to win nine games last year as starters — probably should have won two more games,” he said (via NFL.com). “We’re fine there with those two kids.”
Jaguars coach Doug Marrone admits leaving the Bills head coaching job was a “mistake” he has learned from, as Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News tweets. He added that he has spoken about it with Bills owner Terry Pegula. Marrone opted out of his Bills deal before the 2015 season, but a unique clause in his contract allowed him to still collect on his full $4MM salary.
On Wednesday, the Steelers re-signed James Harrison to a two-year deal. The new pact will take him through his age-40 season.

Latest On Broncos’ Tony Romo Interest

February 26th, 2017 at 2:38pm CST by Dallas Robinson

If the Cowboys release Tony Romo — as the veteran quarterback himself expects the club to do — the Broncos will internally debate the idea of pursuing 36-year-old signal-caller, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. If Romo’s price tag reaches the $13MM range, however, Denver is expected to bow out, per Klis.

The Broncos have long been believed to be Romo’s ideal landing spot, while Denver was reportedly only interested in Romo as a free agent signing, given that the club isn’t willing to sacrifice draft pick capital or assume Romo’s contract. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said last night his team hasn’t made any decision on the Romo front, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News, but a release seems likely, if only for financial reasons.

Romo has three years left remaining on his current deal, and an acquiring club would take on base salaries of $14MM, $19.5MM, and $20.5MM over the next three respective campaigns. A trade, though, would leave the Cowboys will nearly $20MM in dead money, the effect of multiple restructures that pushed prorated bonus money into the future. As such, a post-June 1 designated release of Romo makes more sense, as such a move would saddle Dallas with only $10.7MM in dead money.

Signing Romo would indicate a Broncos uneasiness with 2016 first-round quarterback Paxton Lynch, writes Klis, noting that Romo wouldn’t join Denver without an assurance of a starting job. Trevor Siemian, the Broncos’ primary starter last season, would also see his status become murky if Romo is signed. The 25-year-old is coming off shoulder surgery, but should be ready to go by OTAs, reports Troy Renck of Denver7.

The Broncos will likely have competition for Romo once he reaches the open market, as the Texans, Chiefs, Bills, and Redskins have all been linked to the 13-year pro.

Extra Points: Broncos, Jags, 49ers, Falcons

February 8th, 2017 at 9:01pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Broncos have been connected to quarterback Tony Romo, whom they could pursue in free agency if the Cowboys cut him, but head coach Vance Joseph insisted Tuesday that Denver’s 2017 starter is already on its roster. On whether he’s committed to Trevor Siemian and Paxton Lynch, Joseph said (via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com): “Absolutely, I am. They’re both smart guys. Obviously different skill sets, but I’m committed to both of those kids. They’re good football players and we’ve got to build around those guys.” Joseph’s offensive coordinator, Mike McCoy, echoed his boss, saying he’s “happy with the guys we have.”

After the Broncos hired Joseph and McCoy last month, Mike Klis of 9News reported that the club would rather start Lynch than Siemian next season. As a first-round rookie last year, Lynch sat behind Siemian – who fared OK in his first season as a No. 1 – but did see action in three games and pick up two starts.

Broncos Notes: Kubiak, Okung, Quarterbacks

December 31st, 2016 at 8:53am CST by Ben Levine

The Broncos could look a bit different in 2017, and those changes could start with the coaching staff. Cameron Wolfe of the Denver Post writes that both head coach Gary Kubiak and defensive coordinator Wade Phillips will have to decide whether they want to return to Denver for next season.

Kubiak’s health could play a significant role in any decision. The head coach was hospitalized earlier this season with a “complex migrane,” and he previously collapsed during a 2013 contest with the Texans. Naturally, the 55-year-old claims that he isn’t focused on the future.

“I love this league. I love the Broncos. I love this work. I’m all in on the Raiders right now,” Kubiak said. “There will be time for reflection and all of that stuff next week.”

Meanwhile, Phillips’ two-year contract is set to expire following this season. The 69-year-old has been responsible for Denver’s stifling defense, but the coach could decide to hang it up after having coached 39 years in the NFL.

“We think the world of Wade,” Kubiak said. “Everybody knows the job that Wade has done. (Contracts) are things that will be addressed after we get through this week. But Wade’s a tremendous person and a tremendous football coach.”

Let’s take a look at some other notes out of the Mile High City…

The Broncos offensive line has struggled this season, and Wolfe writes that the organization will have to choose whether they want to “cut the cord” on Russell Okung and/or Donald Stephenson. The team has until the first day of the league year (March 9th) to pick up a $1MM option on Okung’s contract – which would then trigger a unique four-year, $48MM extension ($19.5MM guaranteed). “It’s not on me. We’ll get to that hurdle when we get there,” said Okung. “For now, we still have to play Oakland.”
Meanwhile, the Broncos could save about $3MM in cap space if they release Stephenson. The veteran has struggled in 2016, making only 12 starts. As Wolfe writes, the lineman has been responsible for three sacks and 11 penalties. “I work my butt off,” said Stephenson. “The problems definitely aren’t from not trying. I’m giving it all I got. There’s some things I’ve got to get better at.”
Besides fixing the offensive line, NFL.com’s Chris Wesseling believes the Broncos should prioritize fixing their run defense and solidifying the quarterback position. The organization could choose between Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch as their future signal-caller, or Wesseling suggests the team could make a move for Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo.

Broncos To Stick With Trevor Siemian In 2017?

December 21st, 2016 at 9:31pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Although Denver invested a first-round pick in quarterback Paxton Lynch last spring and has been speculatively linked to soon-to-be former Cowboy Tony Romo, the Broncos are likely to move into the future with current starter Trevor Siemian, reports James Palmer of NFL Network (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).

“Talking to people within the building, the thought process is that even though they picked Paxton Lynch in the first round, Trevor Siemian is in mind to be the guy moving forward for the next couple of seasons” Palmer said Wednesday.

Palmer added that Broncos defenders, whom Siemian practices against, “have gained an immense amount of respect” for the second-year man because of his toughness. Meanwhile, Broncos coaches admire his calm demeanor.

Siemian didn’t attempt a pass as a seventh-round rookie in 2015, when he sat behind Peyton Manning and Brock Osweiler as the Broncos’ defense carried the team to a Super Bowl title. This year’s Broncos are 8-6 and have only a 17 percent chance to make the playoffs, per Five Thirty Eight, as they prepare for season-ending tests against AFC West rivals Kansas City (10-4) and Oakland (11-3).

Siemian’s output in his first taste of NFL action this year has been superior to the production Manning and Osweiler posted last season, but that’s not to suggest Siemian has been great. All told, the 24-year-old (25 on Dec. 26) has completed 61.3 percent of his 416 passes, tossed 16 touchdowns against eight interceptions, and averaged 7.24 yards per attempt in 12 games. His overall performance places him 21st among qualifying signal-callers in DYAR, with now-$72MM Texans backup Osweiler sitting in dead last (32nd). Siemian has been effective relative to his $525K salary, then, and he’s under contract through 2018 at similarly low costs. That’s a plus for a franchise which has big money tied up in cornerstone players like Von Miller, Demaryius Thomas, Emmanuel Sanders, Derek Wolfe and Chris Harris Jr., among others.

Lynch is slightly more expensive than Siemian, but his contract is hardly onerous and he’s controllable through the 2020 campaign. The former Memphis star, for whom the Broncos traded up to draft 26th overall, has taken the field in three games this year and started two as Siemian battled injuries. The 6-foot-7, 244-pound Lynch struggled in each of his starts, as he completed a combined 35 of 59 passes for 327 yards, a touchdown and an pick in games against Atlanta and Jacksonville. Now, given that Lynch hasn’t thrived in Year 1, it appears he’ll sit for at least another season.

AFC Notes: Siemian, Bolts, Browns, Cushing

December 10th, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Sam Robinson

After his second missed start this season, Trevor Siemian is expected to return on Sunday for the Broncos-Titans game, a player source informs Mike Klis of 9News. The first-year starter has missed 2 1/2 games now, with the two Paxton Lynch starts showing perhaps the rookie is not ready for regular duty.

Klis points out the mid-foot sprain Denver’s starter suffered is usually an injury that shelves players for multiple games, using Ronnie Hillman‘s six missed contests during the 2014 season as an example. Lynch completed 12-of-24 passes for 104 yards against the Jaguars last week, picking up his first win as a starter but doing so in less-than-optimal fashion.

Siemian is coming off his best game as a pro — a 368-yard, three-touchdown effort in an overtime loss to the Chiefs — but now needs to distance himself from another setback to avoid an injury-prone label after already missing time with a shoulder malady. For the Broncos, they likely need the second-year success story to return to make a last-ditch run at the AFC West title or possibly just to make the playoffs. Siemian (15 touchdown passes, seven INTs, 2,396 air yards) continuing to play reasonably well would continue to muddy the waters for the franchise in the future, though, with the first-round investment in Lynch still putting him in line as the quarterback of the future.

Here’s more from the AFC, continuing with more out of the West.

A substantial amount of money being tied to players on IR contributed to the Chargers‘ decisions about their replacements and extension decisions, Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. In losing players like Stevie Johnson, Keenan Allen, Jason Verrett and Danny Woodhead, the Bolts have a 17-man IR contingent and that represents $29.3MM of the team’s cap space. This helped influence what kind of experience the Chargers ($1.3MM in cap room) could target as replacements for these players since longer-tenured veterans naturally cost more. Additionally, this matter partially impacted extension talks for Melvin Ingram or Woodhead, Gehlken reports, adding the Joey Bosa cash-flow uncertainty affected these talks as well. Both are impending UFAs, with Ingram set to be an in-demand commodity if he reaches the market.
Placed on IR recently, John Greco suspects he suffered the same mid-foot Lisfranc injury Joel Bitonio did, Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal reports. The Browns‘ starting right guard, Greco would likely undergo surgery just as Bitonio, Cleveland’s left guard starter, did in October. The 31-year-old Greco’s been a Browns starter since 2012 and is optimistic about a 2017 return, just like Bitonio. He will visit Dr. Robert Anderson in Charlotte, N.C., next week to determine the next course of action. Despite entering what would be his 10th NFL season, Greco is under contract for just $975K in 2017.
Jamar Taylor and the Browns agreed to a three-year deal worth $15MM, and Joel Corry of CBSSports.com argues (on Twitter) this is a team-friendly pact despite the former Dolphins corner finishing the 2015 season as a healthy scratch for his former employer. This salary rests $2MM per year less than displaced starter Tramon Williams is making, leading Corry to believe Williams won’t be around next season (Twitter link) after Taylor supplanted him in the lineup. Williams will turn 34 in March and, as part of a three-year deal worth $21MM, would stand to make $7.5MM in 2017 — all but $500K of which is nonguaranteed, pointing to a cap-casualty future for the former Packers cog.
Brian Cushing‘s been playing with multiple broken bones in his back in his eighth Texans season, Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reports. “There’s two fractures in my back, but those are things you have to push through,” Cushing said. “Obviously, it’s painful, and I’m not able to get as many reps as I want in practice right now, but I’ll be out there Sunday with my team. I’ve missed a number of games with season-ending injuries, and I don’t want to miss any more time, so as long as I can walk, I’ll be out there.” The 29-year-old Cushing played at least 14 games in 2014-15 but saw his ’12 and ’13 slates end early because of ailments.

Broncos Promote WR Kalif Raymond

December 2nd, 2016 at 1:33pm CST by Zachary Links

The Broncos have promoted wide receiver Kalif Raymond from the practice squad to the 53-man roster, Mike Klis of 9News tweets. Raymond will now serve as Denver’s new returner, Klis adds, which could be a sign that Jordan Norwood is being squeezed out.

The Broncos had seven wide receivers on the roster before adding Raymond, so it stands to reason that at least one of the team’s receivers will be bumped from the 53-man roster. Lately, the Broncos have been using Cody Latimer and Norwood as their kick returners with Norwood as the primary punt return man. Now, those duties belong to Raymond, an undrafted Holy Cross product. In the preseason with Denver, he averaged 23.9 yards per kick return with his best return coming on a 41-yarder in the preseason finale.

In other Broncos news, quarterback Trevor Siemian will be sidelined on Sunday, coach Gary Kubiak told reporters. Paxton Lynch will get the start against Jacksonville in his place. In his previous outing, a 23-16 loss to the Falcons on Oct. 9, Lynch completed 23 of 35 passes for 223 yards, a touchdown and an interception. In total, Lynch has hit on 37 of 59 attempts for 393 yards, two scores and a pick this season.

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