2014 February - Pro Football Rumors

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.

Hakeem Nicks Joins CAA, Roc Nation

February 20th, 2014 at 9:58am CST by Luke Adams

Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports has added another noteworthy NFL client to its roster. Pending free agent Hakeem Nicks announced today via Twitter that he is “proud to become a part of the Roc Nation Sports family!” A league source tells Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that while Roc Nation will be representing Nicks for marketing purposes, CAA will negotiate his next contract.

Although Nicks’ new partnership with CAA and Roc Nation doesn’t necessarily make the Giants any more likely to retain the free agent receiver, it’s worth noting that longtime teammate Victor Cruz has a similar arrangement with CAA and Roc Nation. Cruz has publicly admitted that he’s been lobbying for Nicks to remain in New York.

While Nicks is coming off a down year in 2013, having failed to score a single TD on 56 catches, while accumulating 896 yards, he has plenty of upside and is still just 26 years old. As our Rob DiRe wrote in a recent look at Nicks’ free agent stock, the former first-round pick could turn out to be a No. 1 caliber receiver available for the price of a No. 2. However, with new representation on board, Nicks is unlikely to be a bargain buy.

Bears Notes: Garza, McCown, Williams, Conte

February 20th, 2014 at 9:47am CST by Luke Adams

While he didn’t draw quite the crowd of reporters that Dolphins coach Joe Philbin did before him, Bears head coach Marc Trestman shared a handful of interesting tidbits this morning in his conversation with reporters. Here are some highlights:

Trestman indicated that the team’s focus this offseason will be on improving its defense, and that it will be a “defensive-orientated draft” for Chicago in May (Twitter link via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN Chicago).
Trestman said that the Bears want to bring back center Roberto Garza, who should finish his career in Chicago, in the head coach’s opinion (Twitter links via Brad Biggs and Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune). The team will also do everything it can to retain free agent quarterback Josh McCown and would like to re-sign linebacker D.J. Williams, according to Trestman (Twitter links via Adam Johns of the Chicago Sun-Times and Biggs).
Asked if safety Chris Conte will be a Bear in 2014 after a subpar season in 2013, Trestman said yes, according to Campbell (Twitter link). Conte ranked 82nd among 86 safeties using Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

AFC East Notes: Wendell, Mankins, Dolphins

February 20th, 2014 at 9:24am CST by Luke Adams

As Thursday’s slate of head coach and general manager press conferences gets underway at the NFL combine in Indianapolis, let’s check in on a few updates out of the AFC East, including a certain Dolphins head coach finally breaking his silence on the Ted Wells report….

The Patriots have yet to enter negotiations with free agent center Ryan Wendell about a new deal or talk to Logan Mankins about an extension to reduce his cap number, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Volin adds in a second tweet that both players would likely be receptive to those talks.
Speaking to reporters at the combine today, Dolphins coach Joe Philbin indicated that no decisions have been made yet on whether the team will bring back players like Richie Incognito, John Jerry, and Mike Pouncey (Twitter link via Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe). While that may be true, it seems pretty clear that Incognito and Jerry, who are eligible for free agency, won’t be back.
Philbin also told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (Twitter link), that Dolphins owner Stephen Ross has reached out to Jonathan Martin and will meet with him. Philbin was noncommittal on Martin’s future with the club.

49ers, Jonathan Baldwin Rework Contract

February 20th, 2014 at 9:09am CST by Luke Adams

49ers receiver Jonathan Baldwin has restructured his contract for the 2014 season, reports Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Having initially been slated to earn a base salary of about $1.275MM along with a workout bonus of $130K, Baldwin will now receive a minimum base salary of $645K, with $755K available in incentives. The transaction creates a little extra cap flexibility for the Niners, reducing Baldwin’s cap number.

According to Yates (via Twitter), Baldwin will need to play 80% of the team’s snaps, catch 65 passes, and surpass 800 receiving yards to receive his full salary. Considering the former Chief has 44 receptions and 607 yards in his three-year career so far, that may be a long shot.

Still, Baldwin is only 24 years old, and is a former first-round pick. While he didn’t have a real role in the 49ers’ offense in 2013, catching just three passes in seven games, perhaps he’ll take on more responsibility in 2014 if the team loses Anquan Boldin in free agency.

Raiders To Meet With McFadden’s Agent

February 20th, 2014 at 8:43am CST by Luke Adams

Darren McFadden‘s agent will meet with the Raiders this Saturday at the scouting combine in Indianapolis to discuss his client’s free agency, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). The Raiders aren’t viewed as likely to re-sign McFadden for 2014, but it sounds like the team is at least open to discussing the possibility.

McFadden flashed superstar potential in the 2010 season, when he racked up 1157 rushing yards and 10 overall TDs while averaging 5.2 yards per carry. However, he has been plagued by injuries in recent years, playing in just 29 of Oakland’s 48 games over the last three seasons. After missing time in 2013 due to a hamstring issue, the former fourth overall pick lost his starting job to Rashad Jennings, who will also be eligible for free agency next month.

While injuries have prevented McFadden from achieving stardom, he’s still only 26 years old, and ranks alongside Maurice Jones-Drew as one of most intriguing running backs set to hit the open market. Since he’s unlikely to re-up with the Raiders prior to March 11, it will be interesting to see what sort of offers McFadden receives next month. The Bengals are among the teams expected to have interest.

Cowboys Links: Bryant, Smith, Austin, Ware

February 20th, 2014 at 8:28am CST by Luke Adams

With a deadline of March 11 for getting under the 2014 cap, the Cowboys don’t sound like they’re in any hurry to make roster moves quite yet, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Still, there are a number of interesting decisions to be made over the next several weeks by the team which has the most 2014 cap commitments in the NFL. Let’s check in on some of them….

While the Cowboys intend to spend “efficiently” in free agency, that doesn’t necessarily preclude contract extensions for wide receiver Dez Bryant or offensive tackle Tyron Smith, Archer notes in a separate ESPN.com blog post. Both players are eligible for long-term deals this summer, and executive vice president Stephen Jones suggests the team will “make decisions individually” on Bryant and Smith, meaning it’s possible that just one of the two will be extended this offseason.
Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News contextualizes some comments made by Jones in examining the team’s options with Miles Austin and DeMarcus Ware.
Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com takes an in-depth look at how Terrell Suggs’ new extension with the Ravens could influence Ware’s contract negotiations with the Cowboys. Dallas may not have as much leverage as Baltimore did, but the club could create significant cap savings by cutting Ware, so he figures to be open to restructuring his deal.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Matthews, Devaney

February 19th, 2014 at 9:27pm CST by Zachary Links

Could Mavericks owner Mark Cuban go from the pages of Hoops Rumors to Pro Football Rumors? Don’t bank on it. In an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cuban was asked if he could see himself buying the Cowboys someday and he didn’t sound like a man ready to break out his checkbook, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. “I think football teams have gotten so expensive that it would take a whole consortium, you’d have to put together a whole fund in order to buy them and that wouldn’t be any fun,” Cuban said. “It wouldn’t be any fun because it wouldn’t be my money, it wouldn’t be my team. It would have to be purely a business. That makes it a lot tougher.”

Wide receiver Chris Matthews will get a guaranteed $10K bonus on his futures contract with the Seahawks, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Matthews is one of just a few futures signees to see guaranteed money on their deal.
Former Rams GM Billy Devaney is joining the Falcons‘ player personnel department as a regional scout, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We learned on Valentine’s Day that Atlanta was giving consideration to hiring Devaney, who was previously working as an analyst with ESPN. Former Rams scout Russ Bollinger has also been hired by the Falcons, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
The Lions signed Rugby speedster Carlin Isles to a reserve/futures contract, but it sounds like he’ll be sticking with his first sport. David Ferguson of The Scotsman writes that Isles, who has recorded a 4.22 40-yard-dash time, will ink a deal with the Glasgow Warriors, keeping him from the NFL.
The Dolphins announced that they have canned offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletics trainer Kevin O’Neill. Both men were named in the Ted Wells report which examined the Dolphins organization following the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin controversy.

AFC North Notes: Cotchery, Ravens, Rice

February 19th, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

Earlier today, we learned that center Alex Mack has some questions for the Browns before he discusses re-signing with them. “I think the most important thing is Alex really would want to meet the coaches,” agent Marv Demoff said. “He was pretty close to [former offensive line coach George] Warhop, and liked [former head coach Rob] Chudzinski. Everything he had in Cleveland is changed. Warhop was a constant for five years. He’s gone. There’s a different head coach, different offensive coordinator, different offensive line coach. If you’re looking at this from an intelligent point of view, there’s more to it than money. You have to believe in what you’re doing. I want Alex first to be able to sign off and say I’m fine with all the changes and where they’re headed.” Tonight’s look at the AFC North..

Free agent Jerricho Cotchery has switched agents, going from Jack Scharf to Brian Levy of Goal Line Football, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (on Twitter). Last year with the Steelers, the 31-year-old hauled in 46 catches for 602 yards and ten touchdowns. It was Cotchery’s highest yardage total since 2009 with the Jets and his first 16-game season since 2008.
The Ravens are in a lose-lose situation with running back Ray Rice, writes ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley. If the Ravens stand by Rice in the face of the ugly allegations, they’re going to face increasing pressure from fans and negative media attention to cut him. If the Ravens cut Rice, they will lose a significant chunk of their salary cap as they try to rebound from their disappointing 8-8 season.
The Ravens have reached out to left tackle Eugene Monroe about re-signing him to a new deal, but Monroe notes that it’s “still early” in the process, writes Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times.

Jets Notes: Cumberland, Ebron, Evans

February 19th, 2014 at 7:26pm CST by Zachary Links

The Jets and Austin Howard are working on a new deal and the two sides hope to have something ironed out before the start of free agency on March 11th. Howard could be in line for a deal similar to the one signed by Patriots right tackle Sebastian Vollmer a year ago which would mean something in the range of a four-year contract worth about $17MM that could balloon to $27MM due to various incentives. The Jets could also dip into the coffers to take care of another member of Gang Green. More out of the Meadowlands..

The Jets are in discussions to bring back unrestricted free agent tight end Jeff Cumberland, team sources tell Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. Cumberland’s playing time was curtailed early last season by Kellen Winslow‘s presence but the organization is bullish on Cumberland’s ability to take the next step in 2014, his fifth season.
Within the article, Mehta also runs down possible draft day targets for the Jets as the combine approaches. North Carolina tight end Eric Ebron, Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans, and Florida State wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin are among the players highlighted.
Big changes loom for the Jets as the combine approaches, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. The Jets currently have about $20MM in cap space and can free up another $25.5MM by saying goodbye to former franchise stars Mark Sanchez, Santonio Holmes, and Antonio Cromartie.