2014 April - Pro Football Rumors

Seahawks, Pete Carroll Agree To Extension

April 4th, 2014 at 12:31pm CST by Ben Levine

12:31pm: It’s a three-year extension for Carroll, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

FRIDAY, 8:05am: Carroll’s new deal will make him one of the league’s three highest-paid coaches, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.

THURSDAY, 10:13pm: The Seahawks and head coach Pete Carroll have agreed to a contract extension, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). The deal will be announced at a press conference on Friday.

Carroll was entering the final season of his five-year, $35MM deal, but it isn’t unprecedented for a championship-winning coach to sign an extension shortly after winning a Super Bowl. Carroll would follow John Harbaugh (Ravens), Tom Coughlin (Giants) and Mike McCarthy (Packers) in a line of coaches that signed extensions after winning a ring. Last offseason, Harbaugh signed a four-year deal worth nearly $7MM a season. Considering Carroll made about that much money in 2013, Carroll’s new deal may exceed Sean Payton‘s league-leading $8MM annual salary. The deal should also have an impact on a potential Jim Harbaugh extension. Harbaugh’s deal is set to expire after the 2015 season.

After eight seasons as an NFL head coach, Carroll won his first Super Bowl this past February. Since taking over as the Seahawks head coach in 2010, the 62-year-old helped take the team from a sub-.500 squad to a perennial contender. Prior to his time in Seattle, Carroll also coached the Patriots and Jets. From 2001-2009, Carroll coached the USC Trojans and led the team to an 83-19 record, establishing the Trojans as one of the premier teams in college football.

NFC South Notes: Bucs, Godfrey, Draft Visits

April 4th, 2014 at 12:17pm CST by Luke Adams

The Buccaneers, who agreed today to send Mike Williams to the Bills, talked to all 31 teams about a trade, but only had two clubs interested in a deal, tweets Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. As was the case with DeSean Jackson, potential off-field issues likely dissuaded many teams from getting involved, but unlike Jackson, Williams’ 2014 cap hit was extremely affordable, allowing the Bucs to get something for their diminished asset.

Here’s more on the Bucs and their division rivals in the NFC South:

The Buccaneers will be in the market for receiving help now that Williams is gone, and the club has already started considering options, according to Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune, who tweets that the team took a look at longtime Titans receiver Lavelle Hawkins. Hawkins, who last played for the Chargers, had 47 receptions for Tennessee in 2011.
With Thomas DeCoud visiting the Panthers, there are question marks about Charles Godfrey’s future with the team, as Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer details. Godfrey’s cap number jumps to $7.1MM in 2014, and he’s returning from an Achilles injury that sidelined him for most of last season.
The Panthers and Saints will be hosting USC wideout Marqise Lee for pre-draft visits, according to Pro Football Talk (via Twitter).
Alabama-Birmingham offensive tackle Kaycee Ike will have a private workout with the Falcons on April 15, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.

Redskins Re-Sign Rob Jackson

April 4th, 2014 at 12:02pm CST by Luke Adams

The Redskins have re-signed free agent linebacker Rob Jackson, the team announced today (Twitter link). Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com (Twitter link) first broke word of the new deal between the two sides.

Jackson, who started 14 games for the Redskins in 2012, returned to a reserve role last season, and will likely play a similar part for the team in 2014. The 28-year-old had 19 tackles, a pair of sacks, and an interception in 2013, and contributed a handful of special teams tackles as well.

Prior to agreeing to return to Washington, Jackson reportedly visited with the Raiders earlier in free agency.

Titans Release Chris Johnson

April 4th, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

11:32am: The Titans have officially informed Johnson of his release, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

8:54am: ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link) has confirmed what was widely expected: The Titans will cut Chris Johnson today. As we noted earlier this morning, the veteran running back is in Tennessee today and his situation was expected to be resolved in the form of a release rather than a trade.

With $4MM in prorated bonus money remaining on Johnson’s deal, the club will carry that amount in dead money in 2014, unless the 28-year-old is designated as a post-June 1 cut. Even without that June 1 designation, the Titans will create $6MM in 2014 cap savings by clearing Johnson’s exorbitant base salary from their books.

Johnson, who has only missed one game in his six NFL seasons, has compiled at least 1,000 rushing yards in each of those seasons. In 2013, he posted 1,077 rushing yards and 10 total touchdowns despite reportedly playing through a torn meniscus. Still, those yards were hard to come by — he graded out as the league’s 42nd-best running back out of 55 qualified players last season, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Dallas has been mentioned as a potential destination for Johnson, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reiterates (via Twitter) that the Jets are also likely to be a primary suitor for the longtime Titan when his release is made official. New York pursued veteran backs like Donald Brown and Maurice Jones-Drew earlier in the free agent period, but came up empty in both instances. Johnson’s asking price may exceed what players like Brown and MJD were seeking, but CJ2K’s upside is arguably higher as well.

So far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year, so it’ll be interesting to see how Johnson does, especially since he’s coming off surgery to repair that meniscus and is hitting the market a few weeks late. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggested earlier today that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already addressed their backfields this offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Bills To Acquire Mike Williams From Bucs

April 4th, 2014 at 10:19am CST by Luke Adams

The Bills and Buccaneers have agreed to a trade that will send wide receiver Mike Williams to Buffalo in exchange for a sixth-round pick, a league source tells James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link), the deal is pending a physical.

We heard back in February that Williams’ future in Tampa Bay was uncertain due to a variety of off-field issues, and an incident last month in which the receiver was hospitalized after being stabbed by his brother only raised more questions. At the time, at least one report suggested that there would limited trade interest in Williams, making it possible that the team would release him at some point. However, it seems as if the Bucs were able to salvage something of value in the deal with the Bills — the sixth-rounder included in the swap will be the 185th overall pick next month.

Williams, a Buffalo native, saw his 2013 season cut short due to a torn hamstring, but flourished with the Bucs from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 64 receptions, 910 yards, and eight touchdowns per year. He’ll join a Bills receiving corps led by Steve Johnson, and will presumably be catching balls from E.J. Manuel in 2014, barring an unexpected change in Buffalo.

The Bills had been seeking receiving help throughout free agency, having been linked to DeSean Jackson and Kenny Britt, among others. Perhaps the team simply didn’t view those players as the right fit for the system, or wasn’t willing to match their asking prices. However, it’s also fair to wonder if it’s simpler for the Bills to trade for a player rather than to convince a free agent to commit to a long-term future in Buffalo, which isn’t one of the league’s perennial contenders or bigger markets.

While Williams is in the midst of a lucrative long-term contract, his 2014 base salary is only $1.2MM, to go along with a $600K workout bonus, so the acquisition represents a fairly inexpensive, low-risk pickup for the Bills. If things don’t work out this time around between Williams and Doug Marrone, his former coach at Syracuse, the team could cut ties with him without being on the hook for any dead money in 2015 or beyond.

As for the Bucs, Williams is the second big-name, big-money player the team has parted ways with this offseason, having previously cut Darrelle Revis. With Williams gone, Vincent Jackson will shoulder more responsibility as the team’s No. 1 receiver, and the position figures to become a greater priority for the club in the draft.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC Notes: Titans, Wimbley, McClain

April 4th, 2014 at 10:04am CST by Luke Adams

Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt had high praise for quarterbacks Jake Locker and Charlie Whitehurst, but suggested that their presence wouldn’t stop the team from considering signal-callers in this year’s draft, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.

“You always have to be prepared because you never know what can happen. If there is an opportunity in this draft where you have a guy you think is really good, then you have to look at it,” Whisenhunt said. “But more importantly you have to look at two or three years down the road. It is about finding out about these guys. And then, if you don’t have them on your team, you know about them. And if something happens down the road you’ll have an important piece.”

Derek Carr, Jimmy Garoppolo, and Zach Mettenberger are among the young QBs who have drawn some interest from Tennessee leading up to the draft. Here’s more on the Titans and a few other AFC clubs:

The Titans have asked defensive end Kamerion Wimbley to take a pay cut, reports Wyatt (via Twitter). The Tennessean scribe has suggested for much of the offseason that Wimbley would be a fit for the team’s new defense, but not at his current $6MM base salary (and $7.8MM cap number). If the veteran isn’t interested in accepting a pay cut, the team may release him, tweets Wyatt.
Two AFC East teams, the Bills and Jets, will host LSU receiver Odell Beckham for pre-draft visits next week, tweets Gil Brandt of NFL.com.
Speaking to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, former Ravens linebacker Rolando McClain says he’s preparing as if he’s going to return to the NFL in 2014.

Chris Johnson Resolution Expected Today

April 4th, 2014 at 8:22am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier this week, agent Joel Segal suggested he thought Chris Johnson‘s time with the Titans was over, but didn’t know exactly when that would become official. It looks like Segal may have his answer. The running back himself tweeted last night that he’s en route to Tennessee for a Friday meeting with the team, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean reports that the expectations is Johnson will take a physical before being released.

The Titans have been expected to part ways with Johnson for some time, but recent reports of trade interest created optimism that the 28-year-old could be moved rather than cut. As I pointed out yesterday, however, once those reports start to suggest that Johnson will be released if no trade partner is found, it becomes pretty tricky to extract anything of value for him in a deal.

If and when Johnson hits the free agent market, he’ll provide an interesting case for the value of running backs — so far this offseason, backs have been hard-pressed to sign deals worth more than $3.5MM per year. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk suggests that a contract which pays Johnson $8MM in year one, with an average annual value of $6MM, seems reasonable. But even that kind of offer may not be easy to find, considering how many teams have already fired their free agency bullets.

AFC Notes: Raiders, Burleson, Jaguars, Titans

April 3rd, 2014 at 9:29pm CST by Ben Levine

On this day in (sort of) NFL history, Bo Jackson signed a one-year deal with the Chicago White Sox. The year was 1991, and the signing came only three months after Jackson suffered a career-threatening hip injury while playing in the NFL playoffs with the Raiders. Jackson would never play another NFL game, finishing with 2,782 yards and 16 rushing touchdowns. Jackson would play in 23 games for the White Sox in 1991 and, after missing the entire ’92 baseball season, would appear in another 160 games between 1993 and 1994. Jackson was the first athlete to be named an All-Star in both the NFL and MLB.

Now, for some more news on the Raiders and other AFC teams…

The Raiders will host Northern Illinois defensive tackle Ken Bishop, tweets Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun.
Free agent wide receiver Nate Burleson will visit with the Browns on Saturday, tweets Alex Marvez of Fox Sports. Burleson met with the Dolphins earlier today.
The Jaguars are keeping their options open in regards to trading the No. 3 pick, and Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com looks at a couple of deals that the team could make. The “jackpot scenario,” according to DiRocco, would have to include the Texans selecting a quarterback and the Rams taking Greg Robinson. Plenty of teams would have interest in Jadeveon Clowney, meaning the Jags could move down a few spots while also adding a couple of draft picks.
Assuming the Titans draft a running back, there still will not be a bona fide starter among the group, ESPN.com’s Paul Kuharsky says in a chat. According to Kuharsky, snaps will change game-to-game between the rookie, Shonn Greene and Dexter McCluster.
In the same chat, Kuharsky says he wouldn’t “be surprised” if the team selected a receiver, adding that the team needs one more. When asked which players he would avoid in the first round, Kuharsky replied “the quarterbacks.”

NFC Links: Saints, 49ers, Rams

April 3rd, 2014 at 8:19pm CST by Ben Levine

Here are an assortment of NFC links to get you through this Thursday evening…

With Darren Sproles and Lance Moore both departing this offseason, the Saints should be looking for a return man, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. While Travaris Cadet has shown some abilities to return kicks, Triplett thinks the team could find their answer in a trio of potential first-round receivers: Odell Beckham Jr., Marqise Lee and Brandin Cooks.
When asked if LaMichael James could be traded to help the 49ers move up in the draft, ESPN.com’s Bill Williamson answered that the two-year veteran is more likely a “throw-in” than an actual trade chip.
The Rams will be hosting two offensive prospects, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The first is potential first-round pick, wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin (via Twitter). The other is Missouri native Reggie Jordan, who is taking part in the team’s local visit day (via Twitter).

Cowboys Rumors: Draft, Spencer, Smith

April 3rd, 2014 at 6:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Let’s take a look at a handful of notes pertaining to America’s Team…

Regardless of who may be available when it’s the Cowboys time to pick, the team has to go with a defensive player, opines Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. Specifically, George would like to see the team add a defensive lineman.
Even with the Redskins adding DeSean Jackson, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer doesn’t envision the Cowboys drafting a cornerback to counter that move. Archer thinks the team is likely to roll with their current grouping of Brandon Carr, Morris Claiborne and Orlando Scandrick.
In the same post, Archer mentions his belief that the ‘Boys would re-sign Anthony Spencer to a one-year deal.
In a separate article, Archer discusses who the Cowboys should pay first: Dez Bryant or Tyron Smith. Archer chooses Smith due to the importance of the left tackle position and the player’s age (Smith is 24-years-old).