HEADLINES

Month: February 2014

Extra Points: Hoyer, Harbaugh, Foles, Miller

February 2nd, 2014 at 4:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer speculates that the Texans might be interested in Browns quarterback Brian Hoyer. New Texans coach Bill O’Brien and Hoyer worked together with the Patriots, where O’Brien was the offensive coordinator. If the Browns select a quarterback with the fourth overall pick, Hoyer could become expendable. If the Texans opt to not to draft a quarterback with the first overall pick, they could use a player like Hoyer to stabilize the quarterback position, presuming they release Matt Schaub.

A few more pre-Super Bowl notes:

Thomas Extension Top Priority For Seahawks

February 2nd, 2014 at 3:40pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Re-signing safety Earl Thomas will be the Seahawks’ number one priority this offseason, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport. An extension for Thomas will take precedence over re-signing cornerback Richard Sherman, with whom the Seahawks may table discussions until more cap room is available. Rapoport further noted that extending both Thomas and Sherman this offseason may require other roster machinations, such as cutting receiver Sidney Rice (Twitter link).

Thomas, 24, was selected in the first round of the 2010 NFL draft. A three time All-Pro, he finished the 2013 with five interceptions and 10 passes deflected, and was graded as the league’s ninth-best safety by Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Along with his “Legion of Boom” teammates Sherman, Brandon Browner, and Kam Chancellor, Thomas helped the Seahawks rank first in defensive DVOA.

Thomas will look for a contract similar to the one signed by Eric Weddle in 2011, who received $19MM guaranteed over the course of a five-year deal. The Seahawks face will face other decisions with regards to free agency this offseason, as receiver Golden Tate, defensive end Michael Bennett, and cornerback Walter Thurmond are all free to test the market.

Decker Will Test Free Agency

February 2nd, 2014 at 3:18pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Broncos receiver Eric Decker will hit the free agent market, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Broncos view the 26-year-old receiver as a number two wideout, rather than a true number one option. Rapoport also indicates that the Broncos would like Decker to give them a chance to match the best offer he receives, but there are no guarantees that will happen (Twitter link).

The Broncos have many looming contract concerns, as running back Knowshon Moreno and guard Zane Beadles join Decker as free agents on offense, and cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie and defensive end Shaun Phillips are free agents on the defensive side. Perhaps most importantly, star receiver Demaryius Thomas will be a free agent following the 2014 season. With an offense lead by Peyton Manning and complemented by Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, and Wes Welker, perhaps the Broncos feel they can lose Decker and still remain an elite offensive unit.

Though the Broncos may view Decker as a secondary receiver, other teams may view him as a number one option, as Brian McIntyre notes on Twitter. Decker’s numbers certainly support this notion, at least with Manning as his quarterback. Over the past two seasons, Decker has averaged 86 receptions for 1,176 yards and 12 touchdowns, and he rated fourth in DYAR for the 2013 season.

The receiver market looks to be relatively barren, and Decker will be the clear top choice available, ahead of players like Julian Edelman, Hakeem Nicks, and Anquan Boldin. With this leverage, Decker will look to match or exceed recent contracts handed out to similar receivers. Dwayne Bowe and Mike Wallace, each older than Decker, received $20MM and $27MM guaranteed, respectively, on five-year deals.

Suh’s Future With The Lions

February 2nd, 2014 at 2:54pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Lions defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh was a behavioral problem in the locker room, the NFL Network’s Heath Evans tells 105.1 Detroit (audio link). Evans claims several Lions players told him Suh was uncoachable and disrespectful towards the coaching staff. “The consistent message that came out of there is that Suh was uncontrollable and that he would constantly do things to kind of show his power over Jim Schwartz, whether it was team meetings, showing up late, or whatever it may be.” The Lions have disputed the assertions, releasing a statement by Schwartz, who says “Ndamukong Suh was not late for any team meeting, practice or team travel in any of our four years together with the Lions.”

This news is relevant as Suh and the Lions prepare to engage in extension discussions. Suh, who recently fired his agent, is set to count an enormous $22.4MM against the cap in 2014, so the Lions have an obvious need to restructure his contract. Suh, who is under contract for two more seasons, already restructured once last year, allowing the Lions to save about $8MM. If an extension cannot be worked out, the franchise tag would not seem to be an option, as it would cost the Lions nearly $27MM.

The longer the contract talks go on, the more likely it is that Suh will test the free agent market, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. The Lions would prefer any new deal to come together before free agency begins in March, in order to alleviate their cap strain. For comparison, Geno Atkins of the Bengals recently got $15MM guaranteed on a five-year contract. Suh, who rated as the second-best defensive tackle according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), would likely command more.

AFC East Notes: Talib, Edelman, Wilkerson

February 2nd, 2014 at 1:39pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The Patriots want cornerback Aqib Talib to return, but it’s a matter of price tag, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Talib is a highly effective player when healthy, but injury concerns figure to drive his contract demands down. Reiss projects a three-to-four-year deal at around $8MM annually, with guarantees in the neighborhood of $12-14MM, figures similar to those in Antonio Cromartie‘s contract signed before the 2011 season. Like last year, it stands to be a buyer’s market in terms of cornerbacks, with other options like Brent Grimes, Alterraun Verner, and Vontae Davis available. Reiss ultimately believes Talib will re-sign with the Patriots.

Other notes from the AFC East:

  • Within the same post, Reiss indicates that Julian Edelman could approach the salary range of Danny Amendola, who was guaranteed $10MM over five years. While the Patriots could likely afford this, Reiss sees Edelman moving on, and identifies the Texans, with former Patriots offensive coordinator Bill O’Brien now in charge, as a top suitor.
  • The Patriots could stand to improve with regards to signing veteran free agents. Last season, they paid about $14MM to Amendola, Adrian Wilson, Tommy Kelly, and Leon Washington, and got little to no return.
  • Some in the industry believe Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson should hold out during training camp in an attempt to get a new contract, according to Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Wilkerson is due only a maximum of $7.2MM over the next two seasons, assuming the Jets exercise his 2015 option.
  • Cimini urges the Jets to get involved in any Larry Fitzgerald trade discussions, although he notes that Fitzgerald’s $18MM 2014 cap hit could be troublesome.

Extra Points: Hatcher, Jackson, Mack

February 2nd, 2014 at 12:46pm CST by Rory Parks

Cowboys free agent defensive tackle Jason Hatcher‘s best-case scenario might be to sign a club-friendly deal with Dallas, writes Bleacher Report’s Dan Pompei. Although Hatcher’s breakout campaign in 2013, which included a career-best 11 sacks, may have been enough to land him a lucrative deal under different circumstances, his age (32) and past performance will likely limit his market. Before 2013, Hatcher’s career high was 4.5 sacks, and Pompei believes it will be difficult for Hatcher to match or surpass last season’s success.

Some other notes from around the league:

  • Pompei notes that Steven Jackson is likely to remain with the Falcons. Jackson has struggled with injuries throughout his career, but Atlanta officials thought Jackson ran well when healthy and that his lackluster season was influenced by poor blocking from his linemen.
  • Pompei also thinks it is highly unlikely that Browns free agent center Alex Mack will get the franchise tag because it would cost the Browns around $11MM. The tag for offensive linemen as a whole is driven by the salaries of offensive tackles, which explains why it would be so expensive to tag Mack despite the fact that no center made more than $5.5MM last year. Pompei believes Mack will become the highest-paid center in the game, but he does not give an opinion as to who he thinks may land him.
  • In a pre-Super Bowl Twitter mailbag, Tony Grossi of ESPN.com tweets that it is unlikely the Browns will retain Mack, and he reaffirms his belief that Cleveland will use the franchise tag on safety T.J. Ward. Grossi said Ward himself expects the tag.

Michael Vick Believes He’ll Start In 2014

February 2nd, 2014 at 11:41am CST by Luke Adams

SUNDAY, 11:41pm: ESPN NFL Insider Adam Schefter tweets that the Buccaneers and Jets are likely to have some level of interest in Vick. Vick would likely have the chance to compete for a starting job with either of those clubs.

THURSDAY, 2:52pm: Teams in search of a starting quarterback may be best off addressing that need through the draft or a trade, as this year’s crop of free agent QBs is relatively uninspiring. Michael Vick is the most intriguing name on the list, and although he finished 2013 as a backup in Philadelphia, he doesn’t expect to begin next season on the bench. Vick told Dan Hanzus of NFL.com today that he’ll “absolutely” be starting in Week One next season.

Vick has shown flashes of brilliance since returning to the NFL in 2009, including a Pro Bowl season in 2010. He’s been plagued by injuries though, and will turn 34 this summer, meaning many of the physical tools that made him special are on the decline, limiting his upside.. In 2013, Vick was replaced in Philadelphia by Nick Foles, who threw 27 touchdowns and just two interceptions while leading the Eagles to a playoff berth.

While Vick would be an excellent backup for just about any NFL team, it remains to be seen how many starting jobs will be out there. Perhaps a non-playoff team unable to land a top QB prospect like Johnny Manziel, Blake Bortles, or Teddy Bridgewater in the draft would turn to Vick as a Plan B. Given Vick’s injury history, any team counting on him as a starter would likely have to pair him with a reliable second option.

Bucs Notes: Williams, Glennon, Clowney

February 2nd, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Rory Parks

Although Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Williams signed a five-year contract worth just under $40MM last season, his status with the team is far from certain, according to Tom Carpenter of ESPN.com. After tearing his hamstring halfway through the 2013 campaign, Williams accumulated over $200K in fines for being late to team meetings, missing team meetings altogether, and missing his scheduled rehab days, problems exacerbated by the “constant partying” that Williams documented on his Instagram account.

Carpenter writes that Williams’ behavior did not come as much of a surprise to former GM Mark Dominik. Dominik structured Williams’ new deal so that the team would have an “out” in 2014 if it needed one. As Scott Reynolds of Pewter Report observes, Williams’ deal includes a base salary of just $1.2MM in 2014. That way, if the wideout’s maturity became too much of an issue, or if his 2013 performance did not merit the length of the contract or the financial commitment, the team could release him this offseason and suffer just a $1.8MM cap hit in 2014.

However, new head coach Lovie Smith would probably like to have someone with Williams’ potential on board, particularly since his cap hit this year is so low. Since Williams’ contract is no longer guaranteed after 2014, the Bucs can simply go in a different direction if Williams doesn’t live up to that potential.

A couple of other Bucs tidbits:

  • For his part, ESPN.com’s Pat Yasinskas seems to think Williams will be back with Tampa Bay next year. In response to a reader’s question as to whether the Bucs will draft a receiver in the early rounds of the 2014 draft, Yasinskas said he thinks that the team has greater needs in other areas but that Tampa Bay would do well to target a speed receiver in the middle rounds of the draft or in free agency to complement Williams and fellow wide receiver Vincent Jackson.
  • In what is becoming an increasingly-popular question from fans around the league, another reader asks Yasinskas if the Buccaneers will trade up in the draft to nab South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Yasinskas replied that the Bucs would only make such a move if the team is comfortable with Mike Glennon as their quarterback. If so, and if the Bucs therefore don’t believe they need to take a QB in the first round, Yaskinsas thinks the defensive-minded Smith may push for the elite pass rusher.

Redskins Notes: Rebuilding, Orakpo, Safeties

February 2nd, 2014 at 8:50am CST by Rory Parks

It was already reported that the Redskins may be looking at wholesale changes in the interior of their offensive line, given the departure of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan and his zone-blocking scheme. New head coach Jay Gruden, who ran more of a power-blocking scheme while in Cincinnati, did say that he liked the effectiveness of Washington’s running game last year, so the fates of Kory Lichtensteiger, Will Montgomery, and Chris Chester remain in flux. Here are some more notes from the nation’s capital:

  • Rich Tandler of CSNWashington believes that the Redskins are in full-fledged rebuilding mode. They are coming off a 3-13 record, have a new head coach, 20 of last year’s players are set to become free agents, and GM Bruce Allen expects to have 20 new players on the roster in 2014. However, given that the team has $30MM in cap space and a viable answer at quarterback, Tandler believes the rebuild could see results sooner rather than later.
  • Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington examines the Redskins’ outlook at outside linebacker, one of the few position groups that had consistent success in 2013. However, Washington faces a difficult decision with free agent OLB Brian Orakpo. Orakpo rebounded well from his injury-plagued 2012 campaign, in which he played only two games due to injury. He fared well against the run, showed improvement in coverage, and once again showed why he is considered one of the better pass rushers in the league, collecting 10 sacks. El-Bashir, though, thinks Orakpo belongs in the second tier of outside linebackers, and that the Redskins would do well to sign him to a contract befitting that status: somewhere in the $6.7MM-$9MM range. If the Redskins can’t get him for that price, El-Bashir believes they should part ways.
  • Tandler, meanwhile, thinks the Redskins should put the franchise tag on Orakpo. The tag would cost just under $11MM, and if Orakpo performs poorly or is injured again, the Redskins can simply walk away after 2014. But if Orakpo has another terrific season, they could put the tag on him again. The projected $13MM cost of the 2015 franchise tag for outside linebackers would be a bargain for Orakpo at that point.
  • In a separate piece, Tandler looks at some of the Redskins’ potential targets at the safety position. Since safety Brandon Meriweather‘s contract voids five days after the Super Bowl, the team may have a big hole in the middle of their defense in 2014. Tandler thinks Washington will almost certainly pursue a safety in May’s draft, perhaps as high the second round. Tandler points to Jimmie Ward, Vinnie Sunseri, Ed Reynolds, Terrence Brooks, and Deone Bucannon as viable options.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Saints, Bills, Roster Rankings

February 1st, 2014 at 10:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Cowboys defensive tackle Josh Brent was sentenced to just 180 days in jail after he was found guilty of intoxication manslaughter, and Rick Gosselin of the Dallas Morning News believes the team will try to bring him back for the 2014 season. The team will push for a ruling from commissioner Roger Goodell regarding a league suspension before the draft, in the hopes that their areas of need will be more clarified. Regardless of Brent’s fate, the Cowboys will need to boost their defensive line this offseason. For his part, Gosselin opines that Brent should move on to a different team, and open a new chapter in his life.

Some more notes from around the league:

  • The Saints need to get younger at receiver, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. Marques Colston may only have a few years left as a productive player, and Robert Meachem and Lance Moore might not return to New Orleans next season. Adding big names to the receiving core via free agency is unlikely, as the Saints have proven they can succeed by pairing lightly-regarded players with quarterback Drew Brees.
  • The Bills have added Pepper Johnson as defensive line coach and Fred Pagac as linebackers coach, according to a team statement. Johnson was on the Patriots coaching staff for the past 12 seasons, while Pagac spent the past seven years with the Vikings.
  • Evan Silva of Rotoworld ranks each franchise by roster strength and identifies the top needs of each team. The Super Bowl participant Seahawks and Broncos come in at numbers one and three, respectively, while the 49ers, Patriots, and Saints round out the top five.
  • Teams like the Chiefs, who will pick near the end of the first round in the upcoming draft, may benefit from the ever-rising number of declaring underclassmen, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
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