Trumaine Johnson - Pro Football Rumors

Rams Place Franchise Tag On Trumaine Johnson

March 1st, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have made their decision at the eleventh hour, using their non-exclusive franchise tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). The team had been mulling whether to tag Johnson or fellow free agent cornerback Janoris Jenkins.

[RELATED: Latest on Janoris Jenkins, Rams]

Coming into the 2015 season, Johnson had started just 20 career games, compared to Jenkins’ 43 total starts. Although conventional thinking suggested that Jenkins was the more valuable defensive back, Johnson arguably looked like the better player in 2015, as PFR’s Zach Links wrote in his preview of the Rams’ offseason. Johnson racked up seven interceptions and 17 passes defended, earning a higher Pro Football Focus grade than his teammate.

As the Rams debated which cornerback to tag, Jenkins fired his representation, putting negotiations with him on hold for the time being. Although Jenkins looks set to hire Neil Schwartz as his new agent on March 3rd, it would be a surprise if he re-signed with the Rams before reaching the open market next week.

Earlier this week, Jenkins tweeted, “Total disrespect when u held down one side all 4 years and force the ball the other way.. #ThanksButNoThanks,” suggesting that negotiations with the Rams weren’t progressing well before he changed agents. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report suggested that Jenkins had turned down an offer in the range of five years and $45MM, and considering what Byron Maxwell got on the open market last year (six years, $63MM), it’s fair to believe Jenkins could exceed $9MM annually.

Given the problems the Rams appeared to be having getting an extension done with Jenkins, I wondered on Monday if the team might use its franchise tag on him, with the aim of locking up Johnson to a multiyear deal. Johnson could still sign a long-term contract anytime before July 15th, but it’s increasingly starting to look like Jenkins won’t be back with the franchise as it prepares for its move to Los Angeles.

As for Johnson, his franchise tender, which he can sign at any time, will be worth $13.952MM. Only three cornerbacks in the NFL – Darrelle Revis, Patrick Peterson, and Richard Sherman – are on contracts with higher per-year salaries than that, but the Rams can afford the cap hit — the team entered this week with nearly $60MM in projected cap room.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Rams, V. Miller, Hayes

March 1st, 2016 at 8:48am CST by Luke Adams

The deadline for NFL teams to assign the franchise or transition tag to one of their players will arrive today at 3:00pm central time, so there will be plenty of interesting situations to keep an eye on over the next several hours.

One of those situations will be in Los Angeles, where cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins are both candidates to be tagged. While recent reports have suggested the Rams are leaning toward using their tag on Johnson, Rand Getlin of the NFL Network tweets that he firmly believes it will be used on Jenkins instead.

As I noted yesterday, the Rams may be incentivized to lock up Jenkins with a tag, since long-term contract talks with him don’t seem to be going well. Signing Johnson to a multiyear deal may be a more realistic proposition, so tagging Jenkins might give the team its best shot at retaining both corners.

Here’s more on pending free agents around the NFL, including one more who is expected to be tagged:

While Von Miller still appears on track for the franchise tag, he and the Broncos have shown a commitment to getting a longer-term deal done eventually, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport reports that any multiyear extension for Miller would eclipse Justin Houston‘s six-year, $101MM pact, and Mike Klis of 9NEWS agrees, writing that the Broncos are offering $17MM+ annually. However, Klis points out that the team views Ndamukong Suh‘s $19MM-per-year contract as an outlier, and probably won’t be willing to go quite that high.
Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com, Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports, and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report are bullish on the free agent market for Rams defensive end William Hayes. Cole tweets that Hayes will be “in high demand,” while Garafolo tweets that the veteran pass rusher may nearly double his previous annual salary ($3.4MM).
Appearing on PFT Live, Bengals cornerback Adam Jones said there have been “a lot of other teams” contacting his agent about signing him. Technically, of course, teams aren’t supposed to talk to an outside free agent’s representatives until the legal tampering period begins, but it’s widely acknowledged that clubs typically don’t wait that long.
Paul Schwartz of the New York Post explains why the Giants won’t use their franchise tag this year on Jason Pierre-Paul, despite possessing a ton of cap room.

FA Rumors: Broncos QBs, Snacks, 49ers, Hali, Mebane

February 29th, 2016 at 5:19pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

A look at the latest rumors as we draw closer to free agency:

The quarterback-needy Texans are likely to go after Brock Osweiler if he doesn’t re-sign with the Broncos, per CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora (Twitter link).
If Peyton Manning – whom Osweiler has backed up since entering the NFL in 2012 – returns for his age-40 season and the Broncos release him, the Texans and Rams could pursue the future Hall of Famer, writes Alex Marvez of FOX Sports. Should Manning elect against retirement, Denver is expected to cut the two-time Super Bowl champion by March 8 and save $19MM on its cap. A good portion of that money would go to linebacker Von Miller, who is looking for a deal similar to what Miami gave defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh last winter (six years, $114MM, with $60MM in guarantees), reports Marvez.
It’ll take a “major reversal” for Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison to not reach the open market, according to La Canfora (Twitter link). “Snacks” stated earlier this month that he and the Jets were making progress toward a deal, but that no longer appears to be the case. The 27-year-old was Pro Football Focus’ top-ranked interior defender against the run last season (subscription required).
Passing along what he heard at the scouting combine, Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee lists several prospective free agents the 49ers are thought to be targeting. Guards Kelechi Osemele, Brandon Brooks, J.R. Sweezy, Richie Incognito and Ramon Foster; receivers Marvin Jones and Mohamed Sanu; cornerbacks Sean Smith, Trumaine Johnson and Janoris Jenkins; and running back Doug Martin could all be on the club’s radar.
The Chiefs are working hard to retain linebacker Tamba Hali, whom they’ll meet with later this week, reports La Canfora (Twitter link). Hali has so far spent his entire career in Kansas City, which used a first-round pick on him in 2006. The 32-year-old has piled up 86 sacks (6.5 last season) while missing just four regular-season games in his decade-long career.
Speaking of players whose careers have been spent in one place, defensive tackle Brandon Mebane hopes to extend his nine-year tenure with the Seahawks. “I’d love to be back out there in Seattle, finish my career in Seattle,” the 2007 third-rounder told 710 ESPN. However, Mebane added that he’ll probably visit other teams. Mebane’s status is one of many issues PFR addressed in its offseason preview of the Seahawks on Sunday. Click here to read it.

Latest On Janoris Jenkins, Rams

February 29th, 2016 at 12:15pm CST by Luke Adams

As we heard on Sunday, after firing his previous agent, Rams cornerback Janoris Jenkins is expected to hire Neil Schwartz for representation, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who says the move will become official after the five-day waiting period ends on March 3rd.

Meanwhile, Jenkins took to Twitter last night with a message presumably inspired by contract talks with the Rams, which are now on hold: “Total disrespect when u held down one side all 4 years and force the ball the other way.. #ThanksButNoThanks”

Sunday’s report from Jason Cole of Bleacher Report indicated that Jenkins had balked at an offer from the Rams worth $45MM over five years, though it’s not clear how much of that money would have been guaranteed. Jordan Raanan of NJ.com tweets that he has heard Jenkins is seeking upwards of $12MM annually.

The Rams are considered very likely to use their franchise or transition tag on either Jenkins or fellow free agent cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Although Johnson is currently viewed as the stronger candidate of the two corners to be franchised, perhaps the lack of progress made in negotiations with Jenkins will prompt Los Angeles to tag him and focus on reaching a long-term agreement with Johnson.

The Rams will have until Tuesday at 3:00pm central time to make their decision. If the club opts to use the franchise tag, it will cost $13.952MM, while the transition tag will be worth $11.913MM.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Rams Leaning Toward Franchise-Tagging Trumaine Johnson

February 27th, 2016 at 4:18pm CST by Sam Robinson

We heard last night that the Rams were prepared to use their franchise tag on either one of their starting cornerbacks. Los Angeles appears to be leaning toward protecting Trumaine Johnson with the tag, NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (on Twitter).

Johnson’s market may be accelerating over the past week and may be worth more than Janoris Jenkins. Last weekend, the fifth-year corner was being discussed as a transition tag candidate but now his stock may have climbed to a point the Rams need to exhaust their top preservation measure in order to retain the breakout performer.

Using the franchise tag on Johnson will cost the Rams $13.95MM as opposed to the transition tag’s $11.91MM charge. The latter tactic, though, wouldn’t cost a prospective team that signs Johnson to fork over two first-round picks to the Rams in exchange.

The Rams have until March 1 to decide whether or not to apply the franchise tag to the 6-foot-1 Johnson, a former third-round pick who emerged in his contract year.

Jenkins, the team’s second-round pick in 2012, would become a more coveted commodity with Johnson off the market. The 27-year-old started 58 games in his career, whereas Johnson’s started just 33. Thirteen of those starts came last season, when Johnson finished as Pro Football Focus’ No. 19-rated corner.

The 5-10 Jenkins rated as the No. 26 corner on the 2015 list. If this plan comes to fruition, and the Panthers tag Josh Norman as they’re expected to, Jenkins’ asking price could go up, with pool of top-tier available corners diminishing.

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images

Rams Prepared To Tag Jenkins Or Johnson

February 26th, 2016 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The Rams have told others that they’re prepared to use the franchise or transition tag in order to retain one of their free agent cornerbacks, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). According to La Canfora, the club is still deciding whether to tag Janoris Jenkins or Trumaine Johnson.

La Canfora’s report is similar to one from Jason Cole of Bleacher Report earlier today. Cole indicated that the Rams would likely use a tag to retain one of their two free agent cornerbacks, adding that the team has offered five-year contract to Jenkins. Per Cole, Los Angeles has yet to make a formal multiyear offer to Johnson, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the club prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson.

When I examined potential franchise-tag candidates earlier this month, I didn’t mention either Jenkins or Johnson, since I didn’t expect the Rams to want to commit to a 2016 salary of nearly $14MM for either player. Since then, however, the team has released several pricey veterans, including defensive end Chris Long, tight end Jared Cook, and linebacker James Laurinaitis. Already armed with plenty of cap flexibility before making those moves, the Rams now have nearly $60MM in space, per Over the Cap, which gives the club more leeway to overspend on a one-year contract.

Coming into the 2015 season, Johnson had started just 20 career games, compared to Jenkins’ 43 total starts. Although conventional thinking suggests Jenkins is the more valuable defensive back, Johnson arguably looked like the better player in 2015, as PFR’s Zach Links wrote in his preview of the Rams’ offseason. Johnson racked up seven interceptions and 17 passes defended, earning a higher Pro Football Focus grade than his teammate.

Assuming the Rams use their franchise or transition tag on one of these two cornerbacks by Tuesday, the team will then have another eight days to try to secure the other player to an extension before he reaches the open market on March 9th.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Free Agent Rumors: Okung, Rams, V. Miller

February 26th, 2016 at 12:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Offensive tackle Russell Okung, who will be representing himself in free agency, confirmed to Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com that he has had some conversations with the Seahawks about a new deal. According to Okung, the two sides have been “going back and forth” and still may “figure something out” before the veteran tackle hits the open market.

“It’s very possible that I could stay here,” Okung said. “But I know my value, and I’m not going to settle for anything less than that. If it works out, great. And if it doesn’t, that’s great as well.”

Let’s check out a few more Friday updates on pending free agents around the NFL….

The Rams have made a five-year contract offer to cornerback Janoris Jenkins, but haven’t yet formally proposed a multiyear deal to their other free agent corner, Trumaine Johnson, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the team prefers Jenkins, or won’t re-sign Johnson. Cole believes that one of the two free agent corners will get a franchise or transition tag from Los Angeles, which would allow the club to focus on negotiations with the other player.
While the secondary remains their top priority, the Rams would also like to re-sign veteran center Tim Barnes, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “The plan at center is, hey, I’ll give Tim Barnes credit, he’s one of those guys we’d like to get back,” GM Les Snead said. “At the end of the day, we didn’t think he was a weak link so we definitely want to get him back.”
According to Cole (video link), the Broncos and Von Miller‘s reps are meeting at the combine, but the expectation from Miller’s side is that the team will use its franchise tag on the star pass rusher rather than getting a long-term deal done within the next few days.
The Panthers met in Indianapolis with Josh Norman‘s agent, but didn’t make a whole lot of progress, tweets Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports. Still, talks are expected to continue, and Norman is a franchise tag candidate if the two sides can’t reach an agreement by March 1st.
The Falcons met with the representatives for restricted free agent linebacker Paul Worrilow about the possibility of a contract – or at least an RFA tender – but no decisions were made, per Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Combine Updates: Packers, Colts, Rams

February 25th, 2016 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The scouting combine continues today in Indianapolis, and so have the press conferences and media scrums with head coaches and general managers around the NFL.

Here are some highlights from a few of those conversations, sorted by team:

Green Bay Packers:

Despite the fact that the Packers aren’t generally major players in free agency, GM Ted Thompson said his team isn’t averse to exploring the market. With that in mind, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) says Green Bay will likely be in the mix for a complementary wide receiver.
Asked whether Thompson listens to him if he wants a certain player, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said, “Everybody wants something. Someone has to say no. That’s why you have a chain of command. Someone has to be the bad guy” (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
McCarthy also said today that he’s “disappointed” in Mike Pennel‘s four-game suspension, according to Demovsky. “Mike’s one of our guys, but we’ll see him through this,” McCarthy said. “He’s a young player who really came on in the second half of the season.”

Indianapolis Colts:

Colts head coach Chuck Pagano didn’t go into specifics on personnel moves today, but he didn’t pull punches when discussing the team’s pass rush, tweets Stephen Holder of ESPN.com. Pagano conveyed that it hasn’t been good enough, and needs to be upgraded.
GM Ryan Grigson also weighed in on the idea of adding pass rushers, suggesting that the draft isn’t as deep at that spot as he’d like, and acknowledging that there will be some financial constraints in free agency (Twitter link via Holder).
Asked about Andrew Luck‘s potential contract extension, Grigson said today that the team has yet to open negotiations, “but that will probably happen soon” (link via Holder). While he declined to discuss specific numbers, the GM expressed confidence that there would be no issues holding up talks.

Los Angeles Rams:

The Rams’ top priority right now is re-signing the team’s many free agent defensive backs, GM Les Snead said today, per Andrew Siciliano of the NFL Network (via Twitter). Cornerbacks Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, along with safety Rodney McLeod, are eligible to hit the market in March.
The Rams released three veteran players last week to create cap room, but the team is planning to keep offensive lineman Rodger Saffold on its roster, according to Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Snead made it clear today that, in addition to addressing this year’s free agents, the Rams are also hoping to lock up key extension candidates, including defensive tackle Michael Brockers and linebacker Alec Ogletree (Twitter link via Wagoner).

Sunday Roundup: T. Johnson, Long, 49ers

February 21st, 2016 at 12:42pm CST by Rory Parks

We recently heard the the Rams are considering using the transition tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in just over two weeks. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com discusses why a team would consider the transition tag–which does not net a team any compensation when the tagged player signs elsewhere–when a slightly more expensive franchise tag would virtually assure the team of retaining the tagged player. As Florio writes, “Some may be doing it just to see what the player’s value is, knowing that if it’s too high they’ll let him walk. Others possibly don’t want the franchise tender to lay the foundation for a long-term deal.”

Florio, citing a league source, says that if Johnson does get the transition tag, he will not sign the transition tender. Instead, he will actively seek an offer sheet from another team, just as Alex Mack did in 2014 and Charles Clay did last season.

Now let’s take a look at some more notes from around the league:

Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com takes a look at whether the Seahawks will pursue recently-released DE Chris Long, who has 8.5 sacks in 15 career games against Seattle as a member of the division-rival Rams. Long’s age and injury history suggest that he’s probably in line for a relatively modest deal, and given that the Seahawks are always on the lookout for pass rushing help, Kapadia suggests that Long could be a fit.
Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers‘ No. 1 priority this offseason is resolving the Colin Kaepernick dilemma, and he sets forth four ways in which the team could find that resolution. Right now, indications are that Kaepernick would like to resume his career elsewhere, and if San Francisco wants to move on as well, the 49ers can give Kaepernick permission to seek a trade and work out a restructured contract with another team before a trade is finalized. Alternatively, the two sides could work out a settlement in which the team releases him and is not on the hook for the $11.9MM he is owed in 2016.
The Jaguars do not plan on filling the vacancy that was left when they promoted Todd Wash from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. Instead, Wash will continue to coach the team’s defensive lineman, and head coach Gus Bradley downplayed any notion that his first-time coordinator would be stretched too thin.
D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides his ranking of the Falcons‘ top 12 unrestricted free agents. Given that O’Brien Schofield tops the list, it is clear that the Falcons’ pending free agents are comprised primarily of role players and reserves.
Jesse James, selected in the fifth round of last year’s draft, will get the first chance to replace the recently-retired Heath Miller as the Steelers‘ No. 1 tight end, as Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. After being inactive for the first eight games of the regular season, James saw limited action in the next ten, including the playoffs. The Steelers will likely add a tight end in free agency to complement James and high-upside practice squad player Xavier Grimble, even though the free agent class of tight ends is fairly weak. Ben Watson, who met with Pittsburgh during training camp a few years ago, is perhaps the best fit for the Steelers.

Rams CEO Kevin Demoff On Cuts, CBs, L.A.

February 20th, 2016 at 2:13pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Rams made some of the most notable cuts since this offseason Friday by releasing James Laurinaitis, Chris Long and Jared Cook. Team CEO Kevin Demoff told Vincent Bonsignore of InsideSoCal.com the veterans, especially long-tenured Rams Long and Laurinaitis, deserved an advanced opportunity to catch on with other teams.

“We weren’t entirely positive moving forward on the best fits for these guys, and when you head into the combine, and with everything going on with the change in our offseason, we didn’t want people to move their families, come out here and maybe go into camp on uncertain footing. Especially guys like (James) and Chris, who have been the longest-tenured players on our team. They deserved the clarity; they deserved the chance to go into free agency and be free agents and not have it dangled.”

Demoff did not rule out any of the three returning but knows that’s the less likely route.

“When (head coach) Jeff (Fisher) and (general manager) Les (Snead) and I talked to them today, we all wished them well and we would never close the door on that as a potential option. But when you make these kinds of moves it’s always with the understanding it’s likely the players won’t come back by their choice or by our choice. Could we bring them back? Sure. But rather than talk to them about a pay cut, it’s better for them to see the market and understand the market, and then if they want to come back we can revisit those discussions at a later time.”

Los Angeles also has decisions to make on whether to retain Janoris Jenkins and Trumaine Johnson, who are two of the top cornerbacks on this year’s free agent market, should they get there. Last night, we heard Johnson could be a transition tag candidate. Demoff told Bonsignore negotiations between the Rams and the corners have been ongoing.

“We’ve been talking to Janoris and Trumaine for over a year and we’ve been close to deals at times and we’ve been far apart on deals at times. It’s a process. I think the great part is, they both love playing for coach Fisher, they’re excited about the move to Los Angeles, they want to be part of this.”

Since relocating in January, the Rams are still in search of a training camp home as well as a place to conduct OTAs. Demoff said finding a permanent practice facility for the team won’t come until much later in 2016, but he expects the bulk of these location-based decisions to be made by March 1.

“We are looking mainly at Oxnard for the offseason workouts. It’s a turn-key facility with what the Cowboys have done up there. From there – the Cowboys will be coming back in July – we need to find a new training camp home and we’ve talked to a number of different universities about that opportunity. We’re looking for what I call permanent/temporary space all around Los Angeles, with a focus on the (San Fernando) Valley area.”

Demoff stressed the pressure to win isn’t necessarily greater than it was in St. Louis but views 2016 as a seminal year in terms of attracting Southern California-stationed fans and turning them into Rams supporters. The Rams haven’t made the playoffs since 2004. Their final five years in Los Angeles, 1990-94, also didn’t feature a playoff berth after the franchise appeared in 14 playoff brackets — in four- and five-team fields, respectively — between 1973 and 1989.

“We’ve been at the cusp. But we need to make sure we develop a winner. That’s true every year. But I think you’d be naive to think it doesn’t play a bigger role this year than it has past years. Not that your try more or you care any more, but I do think the microscope and the spotlight are on our organization in a way it has not been the last few years.”

Photo courtesy USA Today Sports Images