2014 April - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Patriots, Bills, Jets

April 3rd, 2014 at 5:52pm CST by Ben Levine

Ryan Mallett hasn’t had much of an opportunity to prove himself as a starting-caliber quarterback since joining the league in 2011. Tom Brady‘s backup is entering the final season of his contract and there have been rumblings that team’s could be interested in trading for the former Razorback. If the Pats did decide to pull the trigger and trade Mallett, they aren’t likely to get much back, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Reiss actually has little faith that the team would get anything of use in return, and thinks Mallett is more valuable even as an expiring-contract backup than as a trade asset.

Let’s take a look at some more rumblings from around the AFC East…

In the same article, Reiss discusses his confidence that Devin McCourty will sign an extension with the Patriots. Reiss expects to see a new contract as early as this offseason.
Reiss also addresses Ryan Wendell‘s new contract with the Patriots, stating that the new deal doesn’t guarantee that Wendell will be starting this season. Reiss sees the offensive lineman as more of a backup and believes that the team will continue to look at upgrading the position.
The Bills announced that Mary Wilson, wife of the team’s late founder and owner, will now be the controlling owner, according to a post on BuffaloBills.com. Meanwhile, a source tells Tim Graham of The Buffalo News that the team won’t “ease” into the sale process and that a deal could come as soon as October.
Wide receiver Brandin Cooks has scheduled a pre-draft visit with the Jets, reports Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).

Lions Sign J.B. Shugarts

April 3rd, 2014 at 3:41pm CST by Luke Adams

The Lions have signed free agent offensive lineman J.B. Shugarts to a contract, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but it’s likely a non-guaranteed, minimum-salary contract for Shugarts.

Since going undrafted out of Ohio State in 2012, Shugarts has signed deals with the Browns, Cowboys, and Jets. However, he has yet to appear in an NFL regular season game. He’ll likely be an offseason body for the Lions, with a chance to earn a roster spot.

Draft Notes: Savage, Lions, Bills, Falcons

April 3rd, 2014 at 2:59pm CST by Luke Adams

With the 2014 NFL draft now just five weeks away, you can expect at least one round of draft updates per day from us, and often it’ll be more. Here’s Thursday’s afternoon updates on a few prospects and the NFL teams that are eyeing them:

The stock of Pittsburgh quarterback Tom Savage is on the rise, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who says Savage has had workouts with nine NFL teams so far and has another seven scheduled for this month (Twitter links).
Martavis Bryant certainly isn’t the biggest name among the Clemson receivers in this year’s draft class, but he seems to be drawing some interest from the Lions, who hosted him for a pre-draft visit today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
The Bills announced two more pre-draft visits today, revealing that Clemson defensive back Bashaud Breeland and Duke cornerback Ross Cockrell were in town on Thursday.
Speaking of Breeland, Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (Twitter link) hears that the Falcons are high on the Clemson DB. Pauline adds that the team is at Liberty University today, working out cornerbacks Walt Aikens and Kevin Fogg.
Kansas State safety Ty Zimmerman recently met with Falcons defensive backs coach Joe Danna, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
Middle Tennessee State defensive tackle Jimmy Staten will visit the Chargers next week, reports Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
The cousin of Cardinals running back Andre Ellington, South Carolina wide receiver Bruce Ellington, has a pre-draft visit scheduled with the Cards, tweets Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic.

FA Notes: DeCoud, Reynolds, Coffman, Packers

April 3rd, 2014 at 1:47pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of notable safeties have come off the board today, with Patrick Chung heading back to New England, and Danieal Manning putting the finishing touches on a deal with Cincinnati. Like those players, Thomas DeCoud didn’t have an expiring contract, but found himself on the open market last month when his team decided to release him. And it appears a potential suitor has emerged for DeCoud as well. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the former Falcon is visiting the division-rival Panthers on Monday.

While we wait to see if DeCoud ends up reaching a deal in Carolina, let’s check out a few more free agency items:

Rapoport passes along a little more free agent safety news, tweeting that Kurt Coleman, who met with the Jets earlier this week, is visiting the Colts tomorrow.
Before the Titans signed Eric Olsen for offensive line depth, the team engaged in contract talks with free agent guard Garrett Reynolds, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter). However, the two sides couldn’t work out an agreement.
Chase Coffman was already an unrestricted free agent, but now it looks like a lock that he won’t be returning to his old team. The Falcons have informed the tight end that they won’t be offering him a contract, Coffman tweeted this morning.
The Packers are the only team that hasn’t signed an unrestricted free agent from the 2014 class, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. While the team did bring players like Julius Peppers and Letroy Guion aboard, those players were released by other clubs, rather than having their contracts expire. As Hodkiewicz notes, the team’s offseason reflects GM Ted Thompson‘s philosophy, which places more value on the compensatory picks acquired by losing free agents than on signing free agents themselves.

Broncos, Will Montgomery Agree To Deal

April 3rd, 2014 at 1:31pm CST by Rory Parks

THURSDAY, 1:31pm: Although Montgomery’s deal is worth $1.325MM in base salary and per-game roster bonus money, there’s also another $600K available in incentives, says Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.

TUESDAY, 8:56pm: It’s a one-year, $1.3MM deal, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.

8:34pm: The Broncos and former Redskins center Will Montgomery have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter).

Montgomery, who graded out as the 14th-best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, was released by the Redskins on March 14. As our Dallas Robinson wrote when it was first reported that Montgomery was visiting with Denver several weeks ago, Montgomery will take over at center for the Broncos and Manny Ramirez will shift from center to left guard, replacing the departed Zane Beadles.

Montgomery, selected by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 draft, is at his best when part of a zone-blocking scheme, so he should continue to perform well in Denver. Ramirez should also see an uptick in his performance by virtue of moving to guard, his natural position, so the Broncos have in essence killed two birds with stone with this solid acquisition.

It is worth noting that Montgomery is capable of playing guard as well, so head coach John Fox has some flexibility if one of Ramirez or Montgomery should struggle or get hurt.

Seahawks Sign Jorgen Hus

April 3rd, 2014 at 1:28pm CST by Luke Adams

The Seahawks have signed long snapper Jorgen Hus to a three-year deal, reports Daniel Nugent-Bowman of the Regina Leader-Post (hat tip to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times). Like Seattle punter Jon Ryan, Hus played his college ball at the University of Regina in Saskatchewan.

Hus, who was in camp with the Rams a year ago, notably posted a YouTube video of his long-snap “trick shots” two years ago today. With Seattle, he’ll likely provide competition for the team’s current long snapper, Clint Gresham. While terms of Hus’ three-year agreement weren’t disclosed, I’d be surprised if there’s any guaranteed money attached to it.

Jets Sign Jacoby Ford

April 3rd, 2014 at 1:03pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 1:03pm: Ford’s one-year contract with the Jets is worth $740K, which includes a $675K base salary and a $65K signing bonus, says Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.

TUESDAY, 3:45pm: The Jets have signed free agent wide reciever Jacoby Ford, the club announced today in a press release. Ford represents the Jets’ second notable receiver addition of the offseason, coming a few weeks after New York locked up Eric Decker, and may end up returning kicks for the team as well.

Ford, 26, spent the first four seasons of his NFL career in Oakland after being selected by the Raiders in the fourth round of the 2010 draft. After hauling in 25 passes and returning three kicks for touchdowns in his rookie season, Ford had trouble staying in the field in subsequent years, accumulating just 32 total receptions from 2011 to 2013.

We first heard word of the Jets’ interest in Ford all the way back on March 17, though the Clemson alum didn’t make a visit to the team until this week. Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but it will likely be a short-term, minimum-salary contract, perhaps with a modest signing bonus.

Packers Re-Sign John Kuhn

April 3rd, 2014 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Packers have re-signed veteran fullback and fan favorite John Kuhn, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (via Twitter), who cites Kuhn’s agent Kevin Gold. Gold tells Demovsky (Twitter link) that his client is “excited to remain in the place that is best suited for his talents.” It’ll be a one-year deal worth a little over $1MM, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.

Although the Packers let Kuhn hit the open market, a return to Green Bay always looked to be the likeliest outcome. A March report indicated that the fullback was talking to teams besides the Packers, but those mystery suitors were never specifically identified.

Kuhn, 31, will assume the role of lead blocker, short-yardage specialist, and occasional pass-catcher, which he has done in Green Bay for the last seven seasons. While his 23 touches last season represented his lowest mark since 2009, Kuhn still managed to find the end zone at least once for the sixth straight year.

Redskins Sign Ryan Clark

April 3rd, 2014 at 12:04pm CST by Ben Levine

12:04pm: According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Clark’s deal is actually a minimum salary benefit contract, including a $955K base salary ($80K guaranteed) and a $65K signing bonus. That still works out to $145K in guaranteed money for Clark, but ensures that Washington’s cap hit is only $635K.

THURSDAY, 9:51am: Clark’s one-year contract is worth $1MM, which includes a $145K signing bonus, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. It’s the same deal Brandon Meriweather received from the team last month.

WEDNESDAY, 9:10am: The Redskins have officially announced the signing of Clark, who inked his deal today (Twitter link).

MONDAY, 5:12pm: The Redskins have agreed to terms with safety Ryan Clark, tweets Chris Russell of ESPN Radio 980 in Washington D.C.. Joel Turner, the agent for the 12-year veteran, offered “no comment” in regards to the report, tweets Zac Boyer of the Washington Times.

The team was actively looking for a safety, even after re-signing one of last year’s starters, Brandon Meriweather. Clark met with the Redskins a couple of weeks ago, but the player left Washington without a deal. The Washington Post’s Mike Jones reported that the player was asking for more money than the team was willing to spend.

The 34-year-old was drafted all the way back in 2002 by the Giants, where he spent two seasons. Clark played for the Redskins for the next two years before joining the Steelers in 2006. Over the next eight seasons, Clark became one of Pittsburgh’s most reliable defensive players, appearing in 111 of a possible 128 games.

Clark had a career-high 104 tackles to go along with two interceptions in 2013. In Steelers history, Clark ranks seventh in passes defended and tenth in tackles.

As DeSean Jackson visits the Redskins this evening, John Keim of ESPN.com mentions (via Twitter) that the team would want to bolster the locker room with leadership, which Clark certainly provides.

Giants Sign Robert Ayers To Two-Year Deal

April 3rd, 2014 at 12:00pm CST by Luke Adams

THURSDAY, 12:00pm: Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com provides the financial breakdown for Ayers’ two-year deal, which has a base value of $3.75MM and is guaranteed for $1.73MM. There’s also up to $1MM available via incentives.

WEDNESDAY, 9:35am: The Giants have reached an agreement to sign free agent defensive end Robert Ayers, a source tells Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). According to Garafolo, Ayers will ink a two-year contract with New York.

Although the Giants have been very active in free agency over the last several weeks, the defensive line was one area the team hadn’t really addressed, even after losing Justin Tuck to Oakland. Ayers, a former first-round pick, certainly won’t replace Tuck’s sack numbers, but the former Bronco, who started 27 games in Denver over five seasons, had excellent run-stopping grades in 2013, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Using PFF’s metrics, Ayers ranked 14th overall out of 52 qualified 4-3 defensive ends, and also set a career-high with 5.5 sacks.

Prior to the two sides agreeing to terms, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News and Dave Hutchinson of the Star-Ledger both suggested that a deal with possible — Vacchiano cited “strong mutual interest,” while Hutchinson said talks were “heating up” (Twitter links).