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North Notes: Bears, Anderson, Steelers

April 6th, 2019 at 4:32pm CST by Sam Robinson

Anthony Miller showed promise for the Bears as a rookie, hauling in seven touchdown receptions and being a key player from the outset of the team’s NFC North championship season. The Memphis product dealt with a shoulder injury, however, for much of the season. Miller said he dislocated his shoulder at least five times during his rookie campaign, with Colleen Kane of the Chicago Tribune noting the first such dislocation came in September and the last had him a shell of his optimal version. By season’s end, Miller had faded, finishing his first regular season with a four-catch, 25-yard December. Miller underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in January and expects to be limited throughout the Bears’ offseason program, per Kane, but understandably anticipates a production increase as an NFL sophomore — should he sufficiently recover from this ailment.

Here is the latest from the North divisions:

  • Details are in on C.J. Anderson‘s Lions deal, courtesy of Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. The veteran running back’s one-year agreement is worth nearly $1.5MM and can max out at $3MM (Twitter links). Anderson received $200K to sign. Anderson signed for one year and nearly $1.7MM with the Panthers last year. Both of these agreements represent steep pay reductions when compared to Anderson’s previous four-year, $18MM Broncos pact. But the 27-year-old back stands to play a key part in Detroit’s backfield this season, perhaps setting him up for another contract in 2020.
  • Despite the Steelers and Ben Roethlisberger having been engaged in extension discussions for more than a month, no impasse between the parties exists, Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette writes. While the Steelers have spoken with Big Ben’s agent, Ryan Tollner, little dialogue has transpired between the Steelers and their 16th-year quarterback, Dulac adds. One year and $23.2MM remain on Roethlisberger’s current deal. Despite entering his age-37 season, Roethlisberger stands to take on even greater importance this coming year — considering the caliber of players the Steelers recently lost.
  • The Steelers are doing some research on higher-end cornerbacks in this year’s draft, hosting Rock Ya-Sin and Justin Layne on pre-draft visits Friday, Ray Fittipaldo of the Post-Gazette notes. A former Division I-FCS transfer who played just one season at Temple, the 6-foot Ya-Sin nevertheless rates as the No. 29 overall prospect on NFL.com draft analyst Daniel Jeremiah’s board. A converted wide receiver, the 6-2 Layne started two seasons as a corner at Michigan State.
  • After a three-arrest offseason, running back Mark Walton received his walking papers from the Bengals.

NFC Notes: Bridgewater, Saints, 49ers, Gragg, Buccaneers

March 22nd, 2019 at 2:56pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Teddy Bridgewater had a dramatic free agency. He appeared all set to return to the Saints, when the Dolphins swooped in with a last second offer to be their starting quarterback. But in the end, he decided to return to New Orleans, potentially setting him up to take over for Drew Brees. In a recent interview with WWL Radio, Bridgewater elaborated on his decision to stay in the Big Easy, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Bridgewater indicated it mostly had to do with how much he enjoyed his time in New Orleans, rather than about potential playing time.

“I told my agents every time that I talked to them that I haven’t stopped smiling since I arrived,” Bridgewater said. They made playing football fun, they made learning the game fun … and that’s something I appreciate. I was able to be part of that for 18 weeks last season, and it was nothing but positive things that occurred,” he continued. It sounds like Bridgewater has bought in to whatever the Saints are promising, and they clearly think very highly of him if they’re giving him $7.25MM to be their backup quarterback.

Here’s more from around the NFC:

  • The 49ers brought in tight end Chris Gragg for a workout, a source told Matt Maioccio of NBC Sports (Twitter link). An Arkansas product, Gragg was taken by the Bills in the seventh round of the 2013 draft. He spent the next four years in Buffalo, then was with the Jets during the 2017 offseason. Gragg has struggled with injuries, missing the entire 2016 and 2017 seasons while hurt. He spent all of last year out of the league, and this is the first we’ve heard of him in a while. Gragg had his most productive season in 2015, when he caught 12 passes for 150 yards. He’s unlikely to make much of an impact even if San Francisco does opt to sign him.
  • The Buccaneers are making a historic move. Tampa Bay is hiring Maral Javadifar and Lori Locust as the first full-time female assistant coaches in franchise history, the team announced in a release. Locust will be an assistant defensive line coach, while Javadifar will be an assistant strength and conditioning coach. The Bucs are now the first team in NFL history to have two women as full-time coaches. New Bucs coach Bruce Arians has emphasized the need for greater diversity on NFL coaching staffs, and is now practicing what he preaches. Arians had said he would do something like this, so it isn’t surprising.
  • The Saints are reportedly close to a deal that would bring Jared Cook to New Orleans, but they might not be done adding to their tight end group. The team is “paying close attention” to LSU tight end Foster Moreau today at his pro day, Larry Holder of The Athletic is told (Twitter link). Moreau caught 22 passes for 272 yards and two touchdowns at LSU last year.

 

Contract Details: Jackson, Verrett, Roberts, Williams, Paulsen

March 16th, 2019 at 8:47pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Some assorted contract details from around the NFL:

  • Malik Jackson, DT (Eagles): Five years, $50MM, $17MM guaranteed. $9MM signing bonus, $1MM 2019 salary guaranteed. $7.6MM salary in 2020, $4.6MM of which is guaranteed. Base salaries of $9MM, $10MM, and $11MM in 2021-2023. Twitter link via Dan Graziano of ESPN.com.
  • Jason Verrett, CB (49ers): One year, cap charge of $1.5MM. $1.1MM salary of which $600K is guaranteed, plus $400K signing bonus. Verrett “can earn up to $3 million for the season if he is active for all 16 games. It’s $31,250 per game on 53-man roster (up to $500k) and an additional Roster Bonus of $62,500 per game on 46-man game day roster (up to $1 million)”. Twitter links via Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
  • Darryl Roberts, CB (Jets): Re-signed. Three years, $18MM max value, but essentially only a one year deal according to Darryl Slater of NJ.com. There’s $6MM in guaranteed money, with another $2MM of his 2020 salary guaranteed for injury only. $5MM salary in 2020, $6.5MM salary in 2021, and zero dead money in either year if they want to cut him.
  • Tyrell Williams, WR (Raiders): Four years, $44MM. There was originally reported to be $22MM in guaranteed money, but that’s apparently not true. There’s only $10MM in guaranteed money in the contract, according to Vic Tafur of The Athletic (Twitter link).
  • Logan Paulsen, TE (Falcons): Re-signed. Paulsen’s one year deal will have a base salary of $930K. Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.

Contract Details: Joyner, Titans, Rams, Hart

March 12th, 2019 at 4:14pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

Let’s take a look at the details of a few recently-signed contracts from around the NFL. Twitter links courtesy of Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, unless otherwise noted.

Antonio Brown Notes: Steelers, Broncos, Eagles, Contract

March 4th, 2019 at 7:59pm CST by Zachary Links

The Antonio Brown saga rages on, as the Steelers continue to look for a trade partner for the All-Pro receiver. Brown made recent comments to ESPN that indicated he wouldn’t be accepting anything other than complete control over his situation, saying “I don’t even have to play football if I don’t want. I don’t even need the game, I don’t need to prove nothing to anyone. If they wanna play, they going to play by my rules. If not, I don’t need to play.” Brown’s threats to no longer play come on the heels of a report that quarterback play is a strong factor on where Brown wants to be dealt.

Brown’s latest comments are a ploy to get the Steelers to release him, opines Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link). Following up on additional speculation that the Steelers may be forced to just release Brown, Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweeted that the Steelers “will never cut him,” and would rather trade him for a conditional seventh round pick than let Brown win. The latest report has the Eagles and Raiders as strong players in a potential Brown trade.

Here’s the latest on Brown from around the league:

  • The Broncos have been connected to Brown in the press, but the team isn’t interested in trading for him, according to Mike Klis of Denver 9 News (Twitter link). A source close to Denver GM John Elway gave Klis an “emphatic no” when he asked about the possibility of adding Brown. Klis writes that Browns is not “worth the price.” The Broncos recently announced Emmanuel Sanders would be back in 2019, and given that Sanders and Brown have feuded publicly in recent months, it makes sense why they wouldn’t be involved in Brown discussions.
  • Add the Eagles to the list of teams that won’t be trading for Brown, according to Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). A league source told Berman the Eagles “do not have interest.” The Eagles aren’t in the AFC and have shown a willingness to make bold, splashy moves so it seemed like a potential fit, but they apparently aren’t interested. Philly has also been linked to another soon-to-be former Steeler, Le’Veon Bell.
  • There was a report yesterday from Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com that said the Steelers don’t have to pay Brown’s $2.5MM roster bonus until Week 1 of the regular season. Florio seemed to indicate that meant the Steelers aren’t in the rush to trade Brown by March 17th, when the roster bonus is earned, that many have assumed. But Jason Fitzgerald of Overthecap.com pushed back on that in a tweet, saying he’s “never heard of not having to account” for a roster bonus in a trade, even when the bonus isn’t due until later. Based on Fitzgerald’s reporting, it sounds like the Steelers will still be on the hook for the $2.5MM cap hit if he’s on the roster on March 17th, even if they don’t have to pay it until later.

Official 2019 Franchise/Transition Tag Values

March 1st, 2019 at 5:54pm CST by Micah Powell

On Friday, the NFL released the official franchise and transition tag values for the upcoming season, The MMQB’s Albert Breer tweets. Those values are based on the $188.2MM salary cap that was also announced on Friday, and are as follows:

Franchise Tag

  • Quarterback – $24.865MM
  • Running back – $11.214MM
  • Wide receiver – $16.787MM
  • Tight end – $10.387MM
  • Offensive lineman – $14.067MM
  • Defensive end – $17.128MM
  • Defensive tackle – $15.209MM
  • Linebacker – $15.443MM
  • Cornerback – $16.022MM
  • Safety – $11.150MM
  • Kicker/punter – $4.971MM

Transition Tag

  • Quarterback – $22.783MM
  • Running back – $9.099MM
  • Wide receiver – $14.794MM
  • Tight end – $8.815MM
  • Offensive lineman – $12.866MM
  • Defensive end – $14.360MM
  • Defensive tackle – $12.378MM
  • Linebacker – $13.222MM
  • Cornerback – $13.703MM
  • Safety – $9.531MM
  • Kicker/punter – $4.537MM

NFL Sets Salary Cap At $188.2MM

March 1st, 2019 at 4:25pm CST by Zachary Links

The NFL salary cap for 2019 has been officially set at $188.2MM, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). That marks an increase of $11MM from last year’s figure of $177.2MM.

This is the sixth consecutive year in which the cap has gone up at least $10MM per club. It’s a sign of continued success and increased revenue for the league, though the final mark is a bit shy of some projections.

In December, the NFL told teams that the final cap would fall somewhere between $187-$191MM. The free spending of clubs has led some to speculate that the cap would fall no lower than $190MM, but ultimately, it doesn’t make a huge difference – revenue is up, the cap is up, and teams like the Colts and Jets have serious money to burn.

Free agency begins on March 13, but a good chunk of the league’s cap space will be absorbed by extensions between now and then.

Buccaneers Notes: McCoy, Smith, Brate

February 23rd, 2019 at 3:01pm CST by Sam Robinson

As a fourth new Buccaneers coaching staff this decade continues to gather intel early in a pivotal offseason, here is the latest out of Tampa. It’s looking like Gerald McCoy will be part of Bruce Arians‘ first Bucs squad.

  • Arians and his new staff have evaluated McCoy and view the stalwart interior defender as a good fit, even as the team transitions to a 3-4 defense, Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times reports. McCoy is not in line to be traded or released, per Stroud, who adds the 10th-year defensive lineman was confident he would return to finish out the 2010s with the Bucs. A McCoy move was considered possible, with Jason Licht not guaranteeing the former top-five pick’s status with the 2019 team. McCoy coming back would mean a move to defensive end, but with teams spending so much time in nickel sets, the longtime 4-3 defensive tackle should see plenty of time as an interior presence next season.
  • McCoy will turn 31 on Monday, and after recording at least seven sacks from 2013-16, the former Oklahoma standout has registered six in each of the past two seasons. While McCoy remains an upper-echelon defensive tackle, Jenna Laine of ESPN.com writes his $13MM 2019 salary seems lofty. However, Laine adds that trading McCoy would likely only fetch the Bucs a fourth- or fifth-round pick. There are a few defensive tackles in free agency, even if the Falcons tag Grady Jarrett. Ndamukong Suh and Sheldon Richardson are back in free agency. And this year’s defensive line class being one of the best in many years further weakens McCoy’s value.
  • Another player considered a possible departure candidate could well be staying in Tampa as well. Donovan Smith is three weeks away from free agency, but Laine notes the four-year left tackle starter is not going anywhere. The Bucs will either tag Smith or extend him before free agency’s outset, per Laine. Smith has not graded as a top-tier tackle in the view of Pro Football Focus, but he has been a durable edge blocker, never missing a game. That said, a Smith tag would cost the Bucs approximately $14MM. It is debatable if he would receive that AAV on the open market, even considering how well offensive linemen have fared in recent free agency periods. A long-term Smith deal is expected to be in the $12-$13MM-per-year range, Laine adds.
  • Although Cameron Brate signed an extension to stay in Tampa last year, no dead money remains on the tight end’s deal. Arians, though, intends to keep the Bucs’ TE2 for 2019, Stroud notes. Arians, whose Cardinals teams did not have a consistent receiving threat from the tight end position, is intrigued by having two with the Bucs, per Stroud. Brate will make $7MM this coming season. He underwent hip surgery after this season, however. Both Bucs tight ends are coming off injuries, with foot and ankle maladies ending O.J. Howard‘s season.

Bengals RB Mark Walton Arrested

February 16th, 2019 at 10:04am CST by Ben Levine

Mark Walton‘s offseason has gotten off to a poor start. The Bengals running back was reportedly arrested in Miami last night (via Josh Alper of ProFootballTalk.com).

It’s uncertain whether Walton was arrested on Friday night or early Saturday morning. Either way, the running back is reportedly facing a battery charge. David Ovalle of the The Miami Herald tweets that the Walton was taken into custody and has already posted bond.

Following a standout career at Miami, the Bengals selected Walton in the fourth round of the 2018 draft. The 21-year-old was slotted behind Joe Mixon and Giovani Bernard during his rookie campaign, running for 34 yards on 14 carries in 14 games. He also added another five receptions for 41 yards, and he compiled five tackles on special teams.

Walton could face punishment from the NFL, putting at least the start of his 2019 campaign in doubt. The Bengals have all of their 2018 running backs under contract for next season, including undrafted rookie Quinton Flowers.

Staff Notes: Chiefs, 49ers, Falcons, Bears

February 12th, 2019 at 2:12pm CST by Sam Robinson

The Chiefs will, in fact, be poaching an SEC defensive coordinator. Kentucky will let Matt House leave the school to take a job with the Chiefs, per Brooke Pryor of the Kansas City Star. This comes after a report indicated House would not be permitted to get out of his Kentucky contract to join Steve Spagnuolo‘s defensive staff. But the Chiefs will pay House’s $150K buyout in order for him to become their new linebackers coach. House previously worked with Spagnuolo, serving as an assistant linebackers coach with the Rams. Both of the Chiefs’ previous linebacker staffers — Mike Smith and Mark DeLeone — are now coaching in the NFC North. While Kentucky just lost its defensive boss, both Florida and Texas A&M’s DCs have been linked to the Bengals’ job.

Here is the coaching carousel’s latest:

  • An NHL assistant will make a move to the 49ers‘ staff. They are hiring Philadelphia Flyers sports science director Ben Peterson to oversee their medical and training staffs, Matt Barrows of The Athletic reports (subscription required). This is a new position Kyle Shanahan and John Lynch conjured up, with Barrows noting the rash of injuries the 49ers endured the past two seasons prompted the unorthodox move. While Peterson’s position has not been announced, his primary role is to ensure better cohesion exists between the 49ers’ medical and training staffs, Barrows adds. The 49ers have been using sports science since the Chip Kelly regime, and Peterson’s arrival will surely increase the franchise’s investment in this area.
  • The Falcons will move one of their scouts to their coaching staff. After serving as a pro scout last year, Bob Kronenberg will become the team’s assistant offensive line coach, according to D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. A former offensive lineman at the pro level, Kronenberg has been with the Falcons for eight years.
  • Former NFL wide receiver Chris Jackson will join Matt Nagy‘s Bears staff as a defensive assistant, the team announced. Jackson initially caught on with the Bears during 2018 training camp via the Bill Walsh Diversity Coaching Fellowship. He spent last season as a high school assistant in Peoria, Ariz.
  • More new Cardinals assistants are emerging. The team announced Rusty McKinney will join Kliff Kingsbury‘s staff as a defensive assistant. Like Charlie Bullen, McKinney spent the past three seasons on Adam Gase‘s Dolphins staffs. The former defensive quality control coach worked with new Cardinals DC Vance Joseph in 2016.
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