2014 February - Pro Football Rumors

NFC Notes: Vikings, Falcons, Packers, Graham

February 14th, 2014 at 2:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With Matt Cassel and Josh Freeman headed for unrestricted free agency, the Vikings will have some decisions to make at quarterback this offseason. Despite Christian Ponder‘s subpar performance in 2013, the team is confident will return, GM Rick Spielman tells ESPN.com’s Ben Goessling (Twitter link). As Goessling notes though, Spielman sounds committed to the idea of bringing in a young QB, and says the club will “at least two” signal-callers to the roster.

Let’s round up a few more Friday items from across the NFC….

The Falcons are giving “strong consideration” to hiring former Rams GM Billy Devaney to their front office, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). The Falcons, who recently added Scott Pioli to their ranks, employed Devaney as recently as 2007, when he was an assistant GM in Atlanta.
Even if the Packers hope to retain both of their restricted free agents – safety M.D. Jennings and linebacker Jamari Lattimore – it may not make sense to tender either player for $1.389MM, says Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, suggesting that the team could try to sign both players for something close to the minimum salary.
There’s a good chance that contract negotiations between Jimmy Graham and the Saints will go to the eleventh hour, but it’s not entirely clear when the clock will strike as midnight, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk explains.
Re-signing punter Donnie Jones should be the easiest call for the Eagles this offseason, according to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com.

Seahawks Sign Greg Van Roten

February 14th, 2014 at 1:32pm CST by Luke Adams

Just three days after being cut by the Packers, offensive lineman Greg Van Roten has signed with a new NFL team, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. According to Demovsky (Twitter links), Van Roten inked a one-year deal with the defending champion Seahawks. Van Roten himself confirmed the report on his Twitter account.

Van Roten, who spent a good chunk of the 2013 season on injured reserve with a foot injury, accumulated two credited seasons with the Packers, so assuming he signed for the minimum salary, he’ll be on the books for a $570K cap number in 2014. He’ll likely be competing for a roster spot in Seattle this summer.

Lions Links: Burleson, Delmas, Free Agency

February 14th, 2014 at 1:12pm CST by Luke Adams

The two players the Lions released yesterday, wide receiver Nate Burleson and safety Louis Delmas, weren’t the most talented on the roster, but they were the “emotional centers” of their respective units, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. While Meinke acknowledges that the cap figures involved made the cuts inevitable, he adds that losing two of their locker-room leaders could negatively impact the Lions’ chemistry. Here’s more out of Detroit:

Even before the team waived Burleson and Delmas, wide receiver and safety were areas of need, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, who explores a few potential options for the Lions as they seek reinforcements at those positions.
After relying heavily on Calvin Johnson in recent years, the Lions need to find a receiver who can not only complement him but perhaps be his eventual replacement, says ESPN.com’s Michael Robinson. Unfortunately, given the club’s cap issues, finding that receiver in free agency this offseason doesn’t appear likely.
The Lions’ need for a second receiver is also addressed by Dan Pompei in a piece for Sports on Earth, though Pompei addresses several other areas of concern for the club as well. Among them: Matthew Stafford‘s apparent regression, Ndamukong Suh‘s huge cap number, and the need for a culture change in Detroit.

Manziel Says Texans Would Regret Passing On Him

February 14th, 2014 at 11:50am CST by Luke Adams

John McClain of the Houston Chronicle has maintained for several weeks that the Texans will use the first overall pick in the 2014 draft to select a quarterback, and for his latest Chronicle piece, he got a chance to speak extensively with one of the top candidates for that No. 1 pick: Johnny Manziel. The former Heisman winner expressed in strong terms that he hoped and expected to be picked No. 1 by the Texans in May. Here are a few notable quotes from Manziel, as detailed by McClain:

On how he wants the Texans to feel about drafting him:
“I want them to say absolutely, without a doubt, with 100% certainty, that I’m who they want. I want everybody from the janitor at Reliant Stadium to the front office executive assistant all the way up to (owner) Bob McNair to say, ‘This kid is 100%, can’t miss. This is who we want being the face of our program. We want the Texas kid staying in Texas and leading the Texans.'”

On how the Texans should feel if they pass on him and he’s drafted by the Jaguars (No. 3):
“It would be the worst decision they’ve ever made. I’d be in the same division playing against them twice a year. Sorry, but you just turned that chip on my shoulder from a Frito into a Dorito.”

On his expectations for his NFL career:
“People can call me crazy, and it’s not cockiness — I’m going to put myself in (position) to win the Super Bowl every single year. A 5’10” guy (Russell Wilson) just won the Super Bowl in his second year in the NFL. That’s unreal. I want to be the first rookie to win the Super Bowl.”

On the possibility of being drafted by the Browns:
“If something happens, and it’s the Cleveland Browns, I’m going to pour my heart out for the Dawg Pound and try to win a Super Bowl for Cleveland. I don’t care if they’ve had 20 starting quarterbacks since 1999. I’m going to be the 21st and the guy that brought them the Super Bowl.”

On leaving the ‘Johnny Football’ moniker behind and simply becoming Johnny Manziel:
“Johnny Football is the stuff you see on TMZ. There’s part of that folktale that goes along with it and tries to twist me into somebody I’m not all the time. I feel like now there’s kind of like this frozen food package — a prewrapped, precooked package of who I am. Johnny Manziel is the guy that – whether it’s Houston, Jacksonville, Cleveland or Oakland – you’ll have to drag off that field before I stop playing for those guys. Those are my teammates. Those are my brothers from now on. I’m going to fight until there’s no time left on the clock. That’s Johnny Manziel.”

Saints Re-Sign Trevin Wade

February 14th, 2014 at 11:22am CST by Luke Adams

The Saints have re-signed cornerback and special-teamer Trevin Wade, according to Brian McIntyre (on Twitter). Wade had two years of NFL experience, so he was an exclusive rights free agents, unable to sign with any team except New Orleans.

A Browns’ seventh-round pick in 2012, Wade saw a decent amount of playing time (200+ snaps) in Cleveland’s secondary that season, but was cut by the team last summer. The 24-year-old caught in with the Saints in November, and was active for New Orleans’ final two regular season games as well as the club’s two postseason contests.

Wade’s one-year contract will be worth the minimum salary ($570K). Assuming he lasts the season in New Orleans, he’ll be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now.

Chiefs Re-Sign Richard Gordon

February 14th, 2014 at 11:14am CST by Luke Adams

The Chiefs have signed tight end Richard Gordon to a one-year, $645K extension, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Gordon had been eligible for restricted free agency this offseason, but he’ll instead return to Kansas City on a minimum salary deal.

Gordon, 26, hasn’t seen much playing time during his three NFL seasons with the Raiders, Steelers, and Chiefs, but he’s managed to record at least one reception in each of those seasons. The former Miami Hurricane, who was a sixth-round pick in the 2011 draft, figures to play on special teams and occasionally on offense for the Chiefs in 2014.

Buccaneers Sign Mike Kafka

February 14th, 2014 at 11:07am CST by Luke Adams

FRIDAY, 11:07am: Kafka’s deal with the Bucs is a two-year pact worth $1.255MM, tweets Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. That figure suggests the contract either includes a signing bonus or is worth slightly more than the minimum.

MONDAY, 3:15pm: The Bucs have officially announced the signing of Kafka, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).

2:05pm: Although it looked last week as if he was poised to join the Cowboys, free agent quarterback Mike Kafka will sign with the Buccaneers, according to his agent. Mike McCartney of Priority Sports tweeted today that he’s excited for Kafka signing with Tampa Bay.

Kafka, a fourth-round pick in 2010, saw a little action for the Eagles in 2011, but was waived by the team before the 2012 season. Signed last January to a reserve/futures contract by the Patriots, Kafka was subsequently waived and claimed by the Jaguars, where he competed for a roster spot in the summer before being cut again. The Northwestern alum worked out for the Cowboys last week, but it seems either Dallas or the signal-caller himself chose to go in another direction.

Although details of Kafka’s deal with the Bucs aren’t known, it will likely be another reserve/futures deal, perhaps with a small portion of guaranteed money included. Considering Josh Freeman is no longer in the picture in Tampa Bay and Dan Orlovsky is eligible for free agency, there may be an opening for the 26-year-old Kafka to compete for a job on the Bucs’ 2014 roster.

AFC East Notes: Wells Report, Patriots, Jets

February 14th, 2014 at 10:17am CST by Luke Adams

Ted Wells and the law firm of Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP have released their report on the Dolphins‘ bullying scandal, and their findings can be found right here. If you don’t have time to read the full, 140-page report, here’s the abridged version: While Richie Incognito promised that the truth would “bury” Jonathan Martin, the Wells report certainly doesn’t do that, instead emphatically rejecting “any suggestion that Martin manufactured claims of abuse after the fact to cover up an impetuous decision to leave the team.” That decision to leave the team was indeed “the result of persistent bullying and harassment by some of his teammates,” according to the report.

Here’s more on the Dolphins and the rest of the AFC East:

In addition to implicating Incognito, the Wells report also suggests that fellow linemen Mike Pouncey and John Jerry participated in “a pattern of harassment” directed at Martin, another young offensive lineman, and an assistant trainer. Considering the Dolphins seem intent on washing their hands of the situation by moving on from Incognito and Martin, it stands to reason that Pouncey and Jerry may not return to the team either.
The Dolphins and the league both released statements following the publication of the report indicating that they’re looking into the matter further.
Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald attempts to determine the best route for improving the Patriots’ wide receiving group, ultimately suggesting that re-signing Julian Edelman and perhaps adding another free agent makes more sense than targeting receivers in the draft.
While Rex Ryan‘s Jets typically acquires safeties on the cheap, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com believes it’s time for the team to start investing a little more money into the position.

Dave Tollefson Announces Retirement

February 14th, 2014 at 8:39am CST by Luke Adams

Former Giants defensive end Dave Tollefson has announced his retirement, as Michael Eisen of Giants.com details. Although the former seventh-round pick had been a free agent, having not played during the 2013 season, he chose to announce his retirement through the Giants, the team with which he won two Super Bowls.

Tollefson was active for 63 games for the Giants in five seasons from 2007 to 2011. As a part-time defensive end behind players like Justin Tuck and Osi Umenyiora, he recorded 58 total tackles and 10 sacks for the club during that stretch. In the 2012 offseason, Tollefson signed a two-year, $2.5MM contract with the Raiders, but only lasted one season in Oakland before the team released him last March.

At 32 years old, Tollefson is still relatively young, though he tells Eisen that he’s not quite sure yet what the next stage of his career holds.

“I have a couple surgeries lined up,” Tollefson said. “I have to get some stuff taken care of physically, but right now, it’s kind of up in the air. I’m looking at it as a little bit of a halftime for me. I had this great game plan for the first half of my life and it worked out great, playing pro football and everything, but now the game has changed a little bit, so I have to re-adjust.”

Introducing Pigskin Links

February 13th, 2014 at 10:30pm CST by Zachary Links

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Now, we will feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our new weekly feature, Pigskin Links.

We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links will be open to pieces on all areas of the game. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send Zach an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.