HEADLINES

Month: May 2014

Extra Points: Sherman, Sam, Chargers

May 7th, 2014 at 9:55pm CST by Zachary Links

With Richard Sherman‘s new deal, the Seahawks now have the NFL’s most expensive secondary with $85MM guaranteed to three players, notes Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Earlier today, Seattle locked down Sherman with a four-year, $56MM extension that will keep him in place through 2018. Here’s tonight’s roundup from around the NFL as we get set for the draft…

  • Kevin Lynch of the San Francisco Chronicle looks at Michael Sam as a potential target for the 49ers. The 49ers could have a great marketing opportunity on their hands if they tap Sam since San Francisco is a historically gay-friendly city. More importantly, they could use a pass rusher in light of Aldon Smith‘s troubles.
  • Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com runs down running back possibilities for the Chargers in the draft. On the surface, San Diego is good to go with Ryan Mathews, Danny Woodhead, and free agent pickup Donald Brown. However, Mathews and Woodhead will be free agents after the 2014 season, so the Chargers could conceivably look into an RB as insurance.
  • We heard earlier today that Cleveland GM Ray Farmer is “enamored with” Teddy Bridgewater, but he’s not the only quarterback the Browns will be eyeing if they pass on a signal-caller with the No. 4 pick. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter), the club also likes Tom Savage and Jimmy Garoppolo.
  • The Browns have a big opportunity this weekend with seven picks in the top 127 and they can get it right this time, writes Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer. Pluto also feels that owner Jimmy Haslam will hold true to his word and not interfere with the decision process.
  • Scott Horner of the Indianapolis Star goes into the vaults to find out how well the Colts have drafted in the second round over the years.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

AFC East Notes: Bills, Goodell, Patriots

May 7th, 2014 at 8:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Commissioner Roger Goodell is confident that the Bills will continue to be successful in Western New York but says they need a new stadium, writes Jay Skurski of The Buffalo News. “We said at the time when they entered into their new lease, that this is really a short-term solution. We need to find the right long-term solution that is good for the community and can help the Bills continue to be successful in Western New York, and I’m confident we’ll get there,” he said. More from the AFC East..

  • The Bills have been rumored to be talking about moving up for weeks, but it’ll come at a serious cost if they do, writes Mark Gaughan of The Buffalo News. It’s hard to see Buffalo moving up from No. 9 into the top three without giving up their top pick in 2015. The Dolphins moved from No. 12 to No. 3 in a deal with the Raiders last year and only threw in the No. 42, but the top of this year’s draft is stronger than last year’s.
  • Unlike last year, when the Patriots‘ focus was on wide receivers, it’s very hard to tell what their target will be this time around, writes Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. One major dynamic to watch, however, will be to see if top quarterbacks slide down the board. The Pats are obviously set at QB but a quarterback-needly club could wind up overpaying for their No. 29 selection. If they want to groom someone to take over Tom Brady‘s job eventually, they could tap Pittsburgh’s Tom Savage later on.
  • Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com explains why the Patriots may trade out of the first round tomorrow night.

Draft Rumors: Mosley, Texans, Evans, Watkins

May 7th, 2014 at 8:22pm CST by Zachary Links

If you want to move up to the No. 1 overall pick, it’s going to cost you big time. When a team with a Top 10 pick contacted the Texans to ask what it would cost them to move up, FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer (video link) says Houston responded that they wanted the Robert Griffin III package. Two years ago, the Redskins gave up three first-round picks and a second-round pick to get their franchise quarterback. Of course, a team in the top five won’t have to give up as much as a team towards the back end of the top ten, so that’s not a flat asking price for everyone. The latest draft news from around the NFL..

  • Alabama linebacker C.J. Mosley told Bob Glauber of Newsday that he thinks he’ll go somewhere in the top half of the first round and maybe even be one of the first ten players off the board on Thursday night. “I heard top 10, I talked to my agent, I heard eight through 17,” Mosley said. “But at the end of the day, you never know. Teams trade up, they pretty much know who they’re going to pick, but they’re just looking to try to get the upper hand on other teams. I’m just going to go in with my family and my friends, just have fun and be happy wherever I get drafted.”
  • Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised to see Texas A&M wide receiver Mike Evans go in the top five. The expectation is that if Sammy Watkins out of Clemson goes before him, Evans doesn’t last much longer.
  • Johnny Manziel is still the guy generating most conversation among execs, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network (on Twitter). The perception around the NFL is the Buccaneers, Rams, and Vikings could all be in play for the polarizing Texas A&M star.
  • Don Banks of Sports Illustrated hears that Manziel’s family doesn’t want him to go to the Texans for fear that he won’t be able to distance himself from his “Johnny Football” persona. On top of that, he hears Manziel himself doesn’t want to play for the Jaguars.
  • Manziel’s agent Erik Burkhardt told Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk that any talk of the QB not wanting to play for the Jaguars is untrue.
  • Concordia defensive end Zach Moore tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter link) that he had private workouts with the Patriots, Dolphins, Panthers, and Falcons. We had previously heard that Moore visited the Chargers, Cardinals, and Raiders.
  • The Jets and Eagles have some interest in Syracuse defensive tackle Jay Bromley, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
  • The Broncos are more than open to moving up tomorrow night, tweets Rapoport.

Pigskin Links: 49ers, Manziel, Draft, Wilson

May 7th, 2014 at 8:07pm CST by Zachary Links

On this date in 1982, a United States Federal jury ruled that the NFL violated antitrust laws by preventing the Oakland Raiders from moving to Los Angeles. More than thirty years later, the Raiders are back in Oakland and there still isn’t a team in the nation’s second largest media market. The Jaguars and other clubs have been linked to L.A., but nothing appears imminent at this time.

Do you have a great football blog post – written by yourself or someone else – that you want to see featured on Pro Football Rumors? Email me a link at PigskinLinks@gmail.com. Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere..

Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Send it to Zach.

NFC North Notes: Vikings, Lions, Watkins, Barr

May 7th, 2014 at 7:02pm CST by Zachary Links

Whatever Vikings GM Rick Spielman‘s plan is, he has a lot of options heading into this weekend, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Through draft-day trades, the Vikings have managed to make 29 selections across the last three seasons. Tomasson looks at some of the Vikings needs this time around, including quarterback and linebacker. More from the NFC North..

  • While there’s talk that the Lions could trade up for standout wide receiver Sammy Watkins, Jeff Seidel of the Detroit Free Press says Detroit needs to stick to defense. The temptation to pair Watkins with Calvin Johnson and Golden Tate is understandably strong, but Seidel says the Lions should go with a cornerback at No. 10, even though it’s not the best value. He argues, however, that if they can get a starting CB, no one will be concerned five years down the line if he was taken five picks too soon.
  • While the Lions didn’t give UCLA linebacker Anthony Barr any indication of how they’d use him when the two sides met, he told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press it would be “very enticing” to play in the same defense with Ndamukong Suh and Ziggy Ansah. “They’d probably give me a lot of one-on-one matchups,” Barr said. “You got to win those, so I think we would complement one another very well.”
  • The staff at CSNChicago.com looks at offensive tackle Jake Matthews and his potential fit with the Bears. The Bears appear to be set at the O-Line but if Matthews falls to No. 14, he might have to give it some thought.

NFC East Rumors: Redskins, Cowboys, Sherman

May 7th, 2014 at 4:53pm CST by Zachary Links

Redskins GM Bruce Allen has said that quarterback Kirk Cousins won’t be going anywhere, but that could change sometime during the draft, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. If the Browns get past their second-round pick and still don’t have a quarterback, they could very well dial up the Redskins to inquire on Cousins. The Redskins are hoping that multiple teams find themselves in a similar spot and spark up a bidding war for Robert Griffin III‘s understudy. More out of the NFC East..

  • Wide receiver doesn’t figure to be an area of focus for the Cowboys in this week’s draft. Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets that the team only hosted two wideouts for pre-draft visits: Colorado’s Paul Richardson and Oregon’s Josh Huff.
  • In the wake of Richard Sherman‘s brand new deal with the Seahawks, David Moore of the Dallas Morning News can’t help but wonder how he would have looked in blue and white. Sherman was the 154th player taken in the 2011 draft, eleven picks after Dallas drafted fellow cornerback Josh Thomas. While Sherman is one of the best at his position, Thomas never saw a down for the Cowboys.
  • Johnny Manziel likes the Cowboys, but he hopes to be gone before they pick at No. 16, writes Charean Williams of the Star-Telegram.
  • The Redskins‘ special teams play was a disaster last season so it’s no surprise to hear that it’s a big priority this offseason, writes Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Many of the 14 free agents Washington signed will be counted upon to bolster special teams, including linebackers Akeem Jordan and Adam Hayward. That commitment to special teams figures to carry into the late rounds of this weekend’s draft.

Redskins Re-Sign Tanard Jackson

May 7th, 2014 at 4:32pm CST by Zachary Links

Well, that didn’t last long. The Redskins have re-signed Tanard Jackson, a team source tells John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Dianna Marie Russini of NBC Washington (on Twitter) first reported that Jackson was headed back to D.C.

The decision to cut ties with the defensive back on Tuesday only to re-sign him today appears to be a financial one. Terms of the new deal aren’t known, but the Redskins saved a few bucks by bouncing Jackson and asking him to sign a new contract after he was reinstated from league suspension.

Jackson, 28, was effective early in his career in Tampa Bay after being selected by the Buccaneers in the fourth round of the 2007 draft but hasn’t appeared in a regular-season NFL game since 2011. Jackson has tested positive for banned substances in the past and there have been question marks about his conditioning following his absence. While he might have some rust to shake off, we know that Jackson passed his physical without any trouble yesterday.

Seahawks Sign Richard Sherman To Extension

May 7th, 2014 at 3:31pm CST by Luke Adams

3:31pm: Sherman’s cap number for 2014 will be $3.631MM, tweets Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. It’ll jump to $12.2MM in 2015, $14.769MM in ’16, $13.631MM in ’17, and $13.2MM in ’18.

1:48pm: Tom Pelissero of USA Today confirms (via Twitter) that Sherman’s four new years are worth $56MM, meaning the overall value of his contract should be $57.431MM.

1:00pm: Just over a week after the Seahawks finalized a long-term extension with one key member of their secondary (Earl Thomas), the team has locked up another one of its top defensive backs. Richard Sherman officially signed a long-term extension with the Seahawks today, ensuring that he remains under contract for an additional four years, through the 2018 season (Twitter link).Richard Sherman

Sherman, 26, is viewed as one of the NFL’s best cornerbacks, and you could make the case he deserves to be atop that list. Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required) ranked Sherman outside the top five at the position in 2013, though quarterbacks compiled a meager 47.3 QB rating on passes into his coverage, which was the best mark in the league. The former fifth-round pick, who earned his second All-Pro spot in 2013, also grabbed a league-leading eight interceptions.

Back in April, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that Sherman and the Seahawks had made real progress on a new contract that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. At the time, La Canfora suggested that Seattle and Sherman hoped to finalize something in time for the draft, so the two sides ended up meeting that informal deadline.

The new contract also did indeed make Sherman the league’s highest-paid corner. According to Sherman’s website, the deal is worth $57.4MM, with $40MM in guaranteed money. We’ll have to wait on the specifics of those figures to see just how much of that salary is fully guaranteed, as opposed to being guaranteed for injury only. It’s also not entirely clear if the $57.4MM figure includes his 2014 salary ($1.431MM), or if it’s all new money. Assuming it includes his ’14 salary, the four new years would amount to about $56MM, good for $14MM per year.

Per OverTheCap.com’s data, the largest per-year salary at cornerback previously belonged to Darrelle Revis, who is essentially under contract one year at $12MM. Brandon Carr was the runner-up in annual value, at a little over $10MM per year. La Canfora reported last month that several league sources believed the Seahawks were resisting going up to $14MM annually on Sherman’s deal, but it looks like the team ultimately conceded to that asking price. Of course, if you include the 2014 season in Sherman’s contract, it works out to a five-year deal worth less than $12MM per season, which is a little more palatable for the team.

Sherman’s extension could have a significant impact on contract talks for other young star corners around the league, such as the Browns’ Joe Haden and the Cardinals’ Patrick Peterson. Both players will likely be pushing for similar annual salaries on their next deals.

Jay Glazer of Fox Sports (Twitter links) first reported that Sherman and the Seahawks had reached an agreement on a four-year extension that would make him the highest-paid cornerback in the league. Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter links), Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link), and Sherman himself also helped break the story.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

Pauline On Manziel, Bucs, Bortles, Raiders

May 7th, 2014 at 3:17pm CST by Zachary Links

NFL executives widely believe that if Johnny Manziel is selected in the first eight picks tomorrow, it will be by decree of the owner rather than the scouting department or GM, writes Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net. One source told Pauline that it feels like a lot of GMs are hoping Manziel is off the board before it’s their turn to pick so that there’s no discussion or distraction of selecting the signal caller. This is especially the case in Tampa Bay where Buccaneers owners are pushing for Manziel but coach Lovie Smith is after defensive tackle Aaron Donald. Here’s more from Pauline’s column..

  • Consistent with what we’ve already heard, the Browns like Manziel but not enough to use the No. 4 pick on him. The name that Pauline hears often connected to Cleveland is receiver Mike Evans and Blake Bortles is a dark horse possibility.
  • If Bortles slides past the Vikings at No. 8, look for the Cardinals to try and move up for him.
  • The Raiders are shopping their first round pick and while there’s been interest, no team has matched their asking price. Right now Oakland would like Khalil Mack, Mike Evans, or Sammy Watkins at No. 5. If they are able to trade down the pick is likely to be quarterback Derek Carr.
  • The Panthers have been known to like Joel Bitonio at No. 28 and Pauline hears the Chargers will also consider him at No. 25.
  • There’s a feeling the Panthers could attempt to trade up for a receiver or offensive tackle and the Dolphins are the obvious trade partner. Miami, Pauline hears, will entertain offers for the 19th pick if Zack Martin is unavailable. By doing that, the Panthers would assure themselves receiver Brandin Cooks or Marqise Lee, whichever is available. If that’s the case, Bitonio could then land with the Seahawks as the first round closes out.
  • The 49ers have let it be known they plan to be aggressive on draft day and use their arsenal of top 100 picks to move up. Right now, sources say SF has their eye on receiver Odell Beckham. The price to move up for Evans is a little steep and Beckham fills a need for them. Another plus to Beckham is that they’d provide a safeguard if Michael Crabtree‘s price tag in free agency next year is too high.

Dolphins Exploring First-Round Trades

May 7th, 2014 at 1:49pm CST by Luke Adams

As draft night nears, the Dolphins are very much open for business, according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald, who reports that the team has fielded and initiated multiple calls to other clubs, exploring potential trades up or down in the first round.

Salguero notes that the team’s apparent willingness to trade up from No. 19 is somewhat surprising, and he doesn’t have any specific details on possible moves up for Miami. In my view, it may be worth sliding up a few spots if an offensive tackle like Zack Martin or Taylor Lewan slips into the mid-teens. However, a trade down looks like the more likely scenario, particularly since the Dolphins only hold seven picks in this year’s draft, which doesn’t give them a whole lot of ammo to move up.

According to Salguero, the Dolphins have had “preliminary discussions” with the Eagles (No. 22), Browns (No. 26), and Saints (No. 27). The club has also spoken to the Niners, who hold the 30th pick, but may not want to drop behind the Panthers (No. 28), since Carolina also figures to be targeting an offensive tackle with its first pick.

As for specific targets, Salguero identifies Tennessee offensive tackle Ja’Wuan James and Ohio State linebacker Ryan Shazier as a couple players the Dolphins “love,” and adds that prospects like LSU wideout Odell Beckham Jr., USC receiver Marqise Lee, Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller, and Virginia offensive tackle Morgan Moses are also on Miami’s radar.

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