HEADLINES

Vontae Davis

FA Rumors: O-Line, Davis, Vinatieri, Campbell

March 9th, 2014 at 7:45pm CST by Ben Levine

The market for offensive linemen is beginning to heat up, and Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun has a couple of predictions from league sources. In one of his tweets, he identifies potential landing spots for Branden Albert (Dolphins), Jared Veldheer (Cardinals), Rodger Saffold (Raiders), Anthony Collins (Buccaneers) and Eugene Monroe (Ravens). In another tweet, he mentions that the Raiders have already talked to Saffold and Monroe, while the Buccaneers have contacted Saffold and Collins.

A couple of more notes on available (and potential) free agents…

  • The Colts are nearing a deal with Vontae Davis, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The deal is expected to be finished on Monday. However, Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star says a deal is not close (via Twitter).
  • The Colts are also talking with Adam Vinatieri, but it appears that the kicker will test the market, tweets ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
  • With Jason Campbell set to receive a $250K bonus, the Browns may choose to cut or trade the quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The bonus is due on the third day of the league year, which would be this Thursday.
  • When asked if the Jaguars would get a deal done with Will Blackmon, John Oehser of Jaguars.com responded “yes” (via Twitter).

FA Rumors: QBs, Saffold, Vikings, Ravens

March 7th, 2014 at 11:31am CST by Luke Adams

This year’s class of free agent quarterbacks doesn’t feature any stars, but there are a handful of players who should make very solid backups, writes Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. In his latest piece, La Canfora takes a shot at forecasting where a few of the more notable names on the market will land. Among his predictions: Michael Vick to the Jets, Josh McCown to the Vikings, Matt Cassel to the Texans, and Josh Freeman to the Raiders.

With just over 24 hours left for teams to exclusively negotiate with their own free agents, let’s check out a few more FA rumors and news items:

Colts Rumors: Jackson, Davis, Bradshaw

March 4th, 2014 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

After free agent linebacker D’Qwell Jackson meets with the Dolphins today, his tour will continue with a visit to the Colts, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The former Brown has drawn plenty of interest since being released last month by Cleveland, having already visited the Broncos and Titans as well. As the Colts look forward to making their pitch to Jackson, let’s round up a few more updates out of Indianapolis….

  • Vontae Davis remains the Colts’ top free agent priority, and Stephen Holder of the Indianpolis Star thinks the fact that the team didn’t franchise him signals optimism that a multiyear agreement can be reached. In Holder’s view, a deal similar to the one Brent Grimes inked with the Dolphins (four years, $32MM, $16MM guaranteed) is the likeliest outcome for Davis and the Colts.
  • The Colts have had recent conversations with prospective free agent Ahmad Bradshaw, a source tells Holder. A separate source confirmed that the club hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back the veteran running back. Indianapolis currently has Trent Richardson and Vick Ballard under contract for 2014, while Donald Brown is also a free agent.
  • Center Samson Satele, whose cap number for 2014 is about $5.07MM, may be cut at some point, but there’s no urgency to making a move quickly, says Holder. With plenty of cap space available, the Colts can afford to keep Satele around, and Holder points out that the center’s presence could even improve the team’s leverage in talks with free agent interior linemen.

Colts Won’t Franchise Vontae Davis

March 3rd, 2014 at 8:32am CST by Luke Adams

The Colts are still engaged in talks with cornerback Vontae Davis in an effort to lock him up to a long-term contract, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. However, today’s franchise deadline looming, the team won’t use its tag on Davis, La Canfora reports.

The deadline for NFL teams to use their 2014 franchise tags is today at 3:00pm central time. Assuming the Colts and Davis don’t agree to terms on a new deal by this afternoon, the two sides are expected to continue negotiating throughout the week, with Indianapolis attempting to keep the former 25th overall pick from hitting the open market. Even if Davis does become a free agent on March 11, that doesn’t mean he won’t return to Indy — gauging offers from other suitors may give Davis and the Colts a better idea of his value, allowing them to strike a deal.

Although Davis grabbed just one interception in 2013, the 25-year-old ranked among the best cornerbacks in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Only Darrelle Revis and fellow free-agent-to-be Brent Grimes had higher overall grades at the position than the Colts’ standout CB, according to PFF. Given his age and production, Davis figures to draw plenty of interest if he reaches unrestricted free agency.

Mike Chappell of the Indianapolis Star adds (via Twitter) that the Colts won’t use their franchise tag at all this year, which is unsurprising now that we know the club doesn’t intend to use it on Davis. Because kicker Adam Vinatieri has been tagged twice previously, he’s not a candidate to receive the franchise tag again. The only other viable candidate on the team is Antoine Bethea, but even the relatively modest franchise price for a safety ($8.433MM) looks a little too pricey for Bethea.

Vontae Davis, Colts In Early Stages Of Talks

February 20th, 2014 at 10:37am CST by Luke Adams

The Colts and free agent cornerback Vontae Davis have begun negotiating a new agreement, but the two sides remain in the early stages of discussions, according to Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. According to Holder, a deal is “far from imminent,” as the Colts and Davis wait for the free agent market to develop.

As Holder writes, teams with free agent cornerbacks figure to talk to those players’ camps at this week’s combine, and some clubs could decide to place the franchise tag on their free agent DBs. Those developments will help establish what sort of offers could be out there for Davis on the open market in March, which will help the two sides determine what might be fair value for the standout cornerback.

While Davis only grabbed one interception in 2013, the former 25th overall pick ranked among the best cornerbacks in the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). Only Darrelle Revis and fellow free agent Brent Grimes had higher overall grades than Davis, according to PFF.

Davis, who will turn 26 in May, is still very much in his prime, so he’ll likely draw significant interest in March if he and the Colts can’t reach an agreement before free agency. However, as Holder wrote earlier this month, there’s mutual interest in working something out.

AFC Links: Bailey, Davis, Harrison, Dolphins

February 3rd, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Champ Bailey indicated that he hoped to his continue his playing career and didn’t have any interest in moving from cornerback to safety. However, after the game last night, Bailey appeared willing to compromise on one of those two stances. The longtime corner suggested that he’d “definitely look into” playing safety if it’s something that makes sense for him and the Broncos, according to Matt Walks of the Denver Post. Of course, given his $10MM cap number for 2014, Bailey isn’t a mortal lock to remain in Denver, at least at that price.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • While Vontae Davis is expected to be among a strong crop of free agent cornerbacks this offseason, both he and the Colts seem to have interest in a reunion, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. There’s no guarantee that the team will re-sign Davis, but Holder expects the two sides to “work diligently” on a new contract in the coming weeks.
  • Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who will be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now, has changed agents, joining CAA Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.
  • ESPN.com’s James Walker examines a list of potential cap casualties for the Dolphins, led by offensive lineman Jonathan Martin.
  • One of the Dolphins‘ GM candidates who didn’t get the job tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) that he believes the club is one good offseason away from a playoff berth, and two or three years away from bigger things.
  • With backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst facing free agency, the Chargers will have to decide whether to bring him back or to add another signal-caller via the draft, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.