Zac Stacy - Pro Football Rumors

Extra Points: Vikings, Giants, Norwell, Saints

March 13th, 2018 at 9:23pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Remember Zac Stacy? The former Rams and Jets running back is attempting an NFL comeback, according to Cameron Wolfe of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who spotted Stacy at Vanderbilt’s Pro Day earlier today. Stacy, who turns 27 next month, hasn’t played since 2015, and announced his retirement at this time last year following an ankle injury. The Rams’ starter as a rookie in 2013, Stacy racked up 973 yards and seven touchdowns during his only campaign as a team’s primary back. New York eventually acquired Stacy for a seventh-round pick, but he managed only 31 total rushes before hanging up his cleats.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

Now that Kirk Cousins is closing in on a fully guaranteed deal with the Vikings, at least one source tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link) that Minnesota could ask running back Latavius Murray or defensive end Brian Robison to accept a pay cut in 2018. Murray got into the end zone eight times in 2017, but he’s due to count more than $6MM on next year’s cap and isn’t a lock to start given that rookie sensation Dalvin Cook will return from injury. Robison, meanwhile, hasn’t even decided if he’ll play during the upcoming season. If he retires, the Vikings will pick up $3.488MM in cap space, the same total as if he retires.
Guard Andrew Norwell was considered the Giants‘ primary free agent target this offseason, and while he ultimately landed with the Jaguars, New York’s offer was close if not the same as Jacksonville’s, tweets Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com. Norwell is now the league’s highest-paid after receiving $13MM annually (and $30MM guaranteed) on a five-year deal. New Giants general manager Dave Gettleman originally signed Norwell as an undrafted free agent in Carolina, so the connection made plenty of sense, but Norwell simply chose the Jaguars, per Raanan.
New details have emerged on veteran safety Kurt Coleman‘s three-year deal with the Saints, as Josh Katzenstein of NOLA.com writes. In total, the pact is worth $16.35MM, but Coleman can earn another $2.25MM via incentives. Coleman will collect $6.2MM in full guarantees, $4.5MM of which will come in the form of a signing bonus. However, Coleman’s new contract is heavily back-loaded, as his 2018 cap charge is just $3.3MM. New Orleans will have a decision to make in 2019, as Coleman has a $500K roster bonus on the third day of the league year — he could be released with $3MM in dead money accelerating onto the club’s cap.

RB Zac Stacy Retires From NFL

February 16th, 2017 at 4:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Running back Zac Stacy is done with football. On Thursday afternoon, Stacy announced his retirement via Instagram:

“[I] would like to take this time to show appreciation to all those who have supported [me] and were involved throughout my career. The game of football was more than a game to me. It was a life changer…I am forever blessed and grateful for my many former coaches and teammates throughout the years, the resources and relationships that I’ve built playing this game…and the numerous opportunities that I received on Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays (and the occasional Monday night) to do what I love to do, and that’s to play the game of football.”

Stacy entered the league as a fifth-round pick of the Rams in 2013. As a rookie, he showed great promise as he gained 973 yards on the ground. In his follow-up campaign, he amassed just 293 yards rushing. After two years with the Rams, he landed with the Jets and saw his career 3.9 yards-per-carry average plummet to 2.9 yards per attempt. In July of 2016, he was cut by the Jets and we didn’t hear much about him after that. Now, he’s moving on to the next chapter.

Jets To Waive Zac Stacy

July 27th, 2016 at 10:53am CST by Zachary Links

The Jets are expected to waive running back Zac Stacy with a failed physical designation, a source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The tailback had left ankle surgery last November and apparently he has not fully recovered.

On Wednesday morning, the Jets signed running back Bernard Pierce and it appears that Pierce was brought in to replace the outgoing Stacy.

The Jets acquired the 24-year-old Stacy from the Rams during the 2015 draft, but the power back wasn’t able to come out of the slide that he has experience after his strong rookie season. Playing behind Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, Stacy rushed for just 89 yards on 31 carries in his eight games for the Jets last year.

The former fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft gained 973 yards for the Rams as a rookie. In his follow-up campaign, he amassed just 293 yards. His yards-per-carry figure of 3.9 in both of his St. Louis slates plummeted to 2.9 as a Jet.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Jets Place Zac Stacy On Injured Reserve

November 21st, 2015 at 2:07pm CST by Sam Robinson

Zac Stacy‘s initial season with the Jets will end after just eight games, with the team placing the backup running back on injured reserve, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News reports (on Twitter).

Stacy suffered a broken ankle in last week’s loss to the Bills. The Jets activated wide receiver Quincy Enunwa to take Stacy’s place on the 53-man roster.

The Jets acquired the 24-year-old Stacy from the Rams during the draft, but the third-year power back didn’t shake his descent that’s transpired since his strong rookie season. Playing behind Chris Ivory and Bilal Powell, Stacy rushed for just 89 yards on 31 carries in eight games for the Jets.

The former fifth-round pick in the 2013 draft gained 973 yards for the Rams as a rookie but struggled in 2014, amassing just 293. His yards-per-carry figure of 3.9 in both of his St. Louis slates plummeted to 2.9 as a Jet.

AFC East Notes: Stacy, Fitzpatrick, Pats, Fins

November 13th, 2015 at 8:51am CST by Luke Adams

With Bilal Powell sidelined in recent weeks, Zac Stacy has seen a little more action in the Jets‘ backfield as a backup to Chris Ivory, and even got a chance to act as the team’s kick returner on Thursday night. However, those kick-return duties resulted in an injury for Stacy, who fractured his ankle, according to head coach Todd Bowles (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).

While Stacy has yet to officially land on injured reserve, the injury figures to end his season. Powell is expected to return from his own ankle injury soon, so the team may not need to another running back to its roster, with Powell and Stevan Ridley available to back up Ivory.

As we wait to see what roster move the Jets make in the wake of Stacy’s injury, let’s round up a few more notes from around the AFC East….

Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s game, Bowles also confirmed that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will have surgery on his left thumb on Friday, and should be ready to play vs. the Texans in Week 11 (Twitter links via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News).
Given how well they’ve played this year, Patriots defenders Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones, and Jamie Collins all appear to be in line for big new contracts at some point in the not-too-distant future, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. All three players will see their current deals expire at the end of the 2016 season, and Howe believes that all three could earn $10MM+ annually on their next contracts, so it’ll be interesting to see if New England tries to retain all of them beyond next season.
The Dolphins have not approached wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who is in a contract year, about a new deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It sounds to me like any extension discussions between the two sides before Matthews reaches free agency will happen after the season.
Free agent running back Bronson Hill paid a visit to the Dolphins this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.

AFC Mailbags: McGloin, Richardson, Bengals, Jets

June 27th, 2015 at 9:45am CST by Ben Levine

It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let’s start the day with some notes from the AFC…

Considering the presence of Derek Carr and Christian Ponder, Bill Williamson believes the Raiders could shop quarterback Matt McGloin. If he ends up having a good preseason, another team could look to acquire the 25-year-old.
Regardless of the play of Raiders running back Latavius Murray, Williamson believes Trent Richardson will make the team’s opening day roster.
Coley Harvey would prefer to “wait and see” how the Bengals receivers perform before declaring that they need more depth at the position.
Rich Cimini guesses that four running backs will make the Jets roster, an indication that Zac Stacy will be safe. As the writer points out, the team surrendered a draft pick for Stacy, so the organization will try to make it work.
If Henry Anderson ends up starting on the defensive line for the Colts, Mike Wells says we can point to Kendall Langford‘s contract as a mistake.

Extra Points: L.A., NFLPA, Stacy, QB Market

June 4th, 2015 at 1:54pm CST by Luke Adams

The NFL’s owners typically don’t meet in August, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that the owners have scheduled an extra meeting this year to discuss the prospect of relocation to Los Angeles. Per Rapoport, the additional owners meeting will take place on August 11 in Chicago.

The purpose of the August meeting isn’t to make any major decisions, according to Rapoport, who indicates no major news is expected to come out of the session. But the NFL believes there needs to be some sort of update between May’s and October’s meetings, particularly to focus on the progress of stadium plans in the St. Louis, San Diego, and Oakland markets.

Let’s round up a few more odds and ends from around the league….

The NFL Players Association’s executive committee is pushing for the performance-based pay pool for 2015 and beyond to rise by at least $1MM per team, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who notes that the union and the league are still negotiating the parameters of the program for 2015. Per Marvez, the NFLPA’s executive committee also wants only a single “payee” to appear as the representative on a player’s contract, which would protect players from being sued for commission if multiple agents couldn’t agree on a split.
Don Banks of SI.com delves into the back story behind the one-word tweet (“Yikes”) that Zac Stacy published after the Rams drafted Todd Gurley in April. Stacy was traded to the Jets two days later, but the running back and Rams COO Kevin Demoff both insist the since-deleted tweet wasn’t meant to be read negatively, and didn’t immediately lead to Stacy being shipped out of St. Louis.
In the wake of Cam Newton‘s new extension, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com takes a look at what it will mean for Russell Wilson, Philip Rivers, Eli Manning, Joe Flacco, and Andrew Luck. Interestingly, Corry suggests Newton’s contract could have more of an impact on Manning’s and Flacco’s negotiations than Luck’s.
Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports identifies six players drafted in the first round in 2012 who will be under the microscope this season. These players, including linebacker Bruce Irvin and defensive backs Morris Claiborne and Mark Barron, didn’t have their fifth-year options exercised for 2016, so they’re eligible for unrestricted free agency at season’s end.

Jets Acquire Zac Stacy For No. 224 Pick

May 2nd, 2015 at 4:27pm CST by Rob DiRe

The Rams have traded running back Zac Stacy to the Jets in exchange for their seventh-round pick (No. 224), reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).

Stacy requested a trade after the Rams selected Todd Gurley with the 10th-overall pick in the first round of the draft, as he became part of a crowded backfield that already featured Tre Mason and Benny Cunningham.

The Jets were already rumored to be interested in dealing for Stacy, and that came true with this move. The Rams used the pick to select Baylor linebacker Bryce Hager.

Stacy might not be happy with his new situation either, as he moves from one crowded backfield for another. The Jets already have Chris Ivory, Stevan Ridley, and Bilal Powell, and Stacy will have his work cut out for him fighting for carries in that offense.

Jets Talked To Rams About Zac Stacy

May 2nd, 2015 at 12:37pm CST by Ben Levine

The Jets have already made a number of splashes this offseason, but it looks like the front office is not done. According to Brian Costello of the New York Post (on Twitter), the Jets are one of “several teams” to have spoken to the Rams about running back Zac Stacy. Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News clarifies (on Twitter) that the Jets discussions with the Rams did not include a formal offer. Stacy, of course, recently requested a trade following the Rams’ first-round selection of running back Todd Gurley.

The Jets already added one running back this offseason, signing former Patriots rusher Stevan Ridley. The team also has Bilal Powell and Chris Ivory under contract, but the Jets may be intrigued by the youth and potential of the 24-year-old Stacy.

The former fifth-rounder had a disappointing season in 2014, running for 293 yards and a touchdown on 76 carries. This was a far cry from his 2013 performance, when he rushed for 973 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie. As our own Luke Adams previously pointed out, Stacy’s contract makes him a valuable trade asset. The running back is set to earn $585K in 2015 and $675K in 2016, and the Rams would be left with only $88K in dead money if they decided to move him.

Extra Points: Falcons, Bennett, Spikes, Stacy

May 1st, 2015 at 2:28pm CST by Zachary Links

Some assorted, non-prospect related notes from around the NFL…

Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff denied a report that the team was working a trade to land Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. “He’s under contract,” Dimitroff said on 92.9 The Game this morning. “I didn’t give it a second thought.” Irvin, an Atlanta native, played for Falcons head coach Dan Quinn for the past two seasons in Seattle.
Bears tight end Martellus Bennett told NFL Network (video link) that he’s extremely high on first round choice Kevin White. While it’s not proof positive that Bennett is staying in Chicago, it could be a sign that he anticipates staying put this season. Bennett was rumored to be a trade candidate earlier this week.
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman was contacted on Thursday night about his interest in free agent linebacker Brandon Spikes, according to Darren Wolfson of KSTP TV in Minneapolis (via Twitter). Spielman passed on the offer, as Wolfson notes that the GM is confident he’ll get a linebacker in the draft.
Following reports that Rams running back Zac Stacy requested a trade, Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch tweets that representatives for the former fifth-rounder met with the organization. While it was a productive meeting, Thomas notes that a a decision hasn’t been made regarding Stacy’s future with the team. The Rams selected Georgia running back Todd Gurley with the tenth pick of the first round.

Ben Levine contributed to this post.