2014 June - Pro Football Rumors

Eric Wright To Retire

June 17th, 2014 at 6:12pm CST by Luke Adams

6:12pm: The 49ers announced that Wright has retired, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

3:49pm: Vernon Davis and Alex Boone weren’t the only players absent from the 49ers’ mandatory minicamp today. Eric Wright was also an unexpected no-show, with head coach Jim Harbaugh telling reporters, including Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter link), that the veteran defensive back was contemplating retirement. Now, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link) confirms that Wright has indeed opted to end his playing career, and will officially file the paperwork to retire today.

Wright, 28, played for the Browns, Lions, Buccaneers, and Niners over the course of his seven-year NFL career, appearing in 92 games overall (81 starts). The former second-round pick was a full-time starter in his early years in Cleveland, enjoying arguably his best season in 2008, when he intercepted three passes, recovered three fumbles, and ranked as a top-10 cornerback according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required).

Since signing a massive five-year deal with the Bucs in 2012 though, Wright has battled injuries and seen his playing time decline. In 2013, he appeared in just seven contests for the Niners as depth in the secondary. The UNLV product hadn’t been expected to play a major role for the club in 2014, but we’ll have to wait and see whether the team brings in another defensive back to compete for a roster spot in his absence.

Wright had been slated to earn a base salary of $855K in what would have been the final year of his contract.

Browns Cut Earl Bennett

June 17th, 2014 at 5:49pm CST by Luke Adams

5:49pm: The Browns will absorb $75K of Bennett’s $730K base salary, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.

3:55pm: With Josh Gordon facing a lengthy suspension, the Browns attempted to bolster their receiving corps with a handful of modest free agent signings this offseason. However, one veteran wideout signed by Cleveland is already heading back to free agency. The Browns announced today (via Twitter) that they’ve terminated the contract of former Bear Earl Bennett, who inked a deal with the club just over a month ago.

Bennett, who spent several seasons with the Bears after being drafted by the team in the third round in 2008, was cut earlier in the offseason after Chicago tried and failed to find a trade partner. The 27-year-old hasn’t been a starting wideout since 2009, but posted decent numbers in part-time action over the last few years, catching between 24 and 46 balls for an average of 390 yards per season and 10 overall touchdowns from 2010-2013. However, it seems that the Cleveland brass saw enough this spring to convince them that Bennett wasn’t worth a longer look in training camp.

With Bennett no longer in the mix, the Browns should head into training camp with a group of receivers that includes Gordon and newcomers Miles Austin, Andrew Hawkins, and Nate Burleson.

Texans Waive T.J. Yates

June 17th, 2014 at 4:54pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after naming Ryan Fitzpatrick their starting signal-caller heading into training camp, the Texans have trimmed their depth chart at the position. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Houston has released quarterback T.J. Yates.

Yates, a fifth-round pick in 2011, has spent the last three seasons with the Texans, most notably starting five games for the club in his rookie year and winning a playoff game in that season. Since then, he has seen limited action, completing 19 of 32 attempts in the last two years, with no touchdowns and three interceptions.

A report last week suggested the Texans may release a quarterback before training camp, and considering Fitzpatrick and Tom Savage were locks to make the roster, the choice essentially came down to Yates and Case Keenum. With Yates out of the picture in Houston, Keenum and Savage figure to compete for the backup job behind Fitzpatrick.

Because he’s only in his fourth NFL season, Yates will have to clear waivers before he’s free to sign with any other team. As Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter), the Ravens are worth keeping an eye on, since former Houston coach Gary Kubiak is now the offensive coordinator in Baltimore, and the club doesn’t have a clear-cut No. 2 option behind Joe Flacco.

AFC Notes: Titans, Vick, Ravens, Chiefs, Bills

June 17th, 2014 at 4:52pm CST by Luke Adams

According to recent reports, the Broncos may or may not have offered Demaryius Thomas a five-year contract extension, but there’s no doubt that discussions are open between the two sides, prompting Joel Corry of the National Football Post to examine what a new deal for the star wideout might look like. Corry points out that matching the massive contracts signed by Calvin Johnson and Larry Fitzgerald probably isn’t likely for Thomas and other standout receivers approaching free agency. But as I suggested last week, the five-year, $60MM+ deals signed by Mike Wallace and Percy Harvin in recent years could be used as benchmarks in negotiations between Thomas and the Broncos.

Here’s more from around the AFC:

The Titans worked out a pair of linebackers, Quentin Groves and Marvin Mitchell, on Monday, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Neither player received a contract from the club right away, however. Per Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter), the Titans are also auditioning WR/FB Dorin Dickerson this week at their minicamp.
Michael Vick is on a one-year contract with the Jets, but the signal-caller feels like he has about three years left at his “current level,” as he tells Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (Twitter link). Although the “current level” qualifier makes it unclear whether Vick plans to continue his playing career beyond that point, it sounds like he hopes to play for at least a couple more seasons after his current deal expires.
Asked today about a potential contract extension with Baltimore, defensive tackle Haloti Ngata told reporters that he’d “love to be a Raven for life” (Twitter link).
We heard yesterday that several veteran cornerbacks would be trying out for the Ravens at their minicamp this week, and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds one more name to the list of participants today: Kevin Thomas, a Colts third-round pick in 2010 who hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2011. Wilson adds in a pair of tweets that cornerback Bobby Felder, linebacker Austin Spitler and wide receiver Dezmon Briscoe are also trying out for the Ravens.
Former Missouri defensive back Kip Edwards was one of four non-roster players to audition for the Chiefs at the club’s minicamp today, tweets Adam Teicher of ESPN.com. Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (Twitter link) provides the other three names: Cornerback Quinton Byrd, and wide receivers Mark Harrison and Cole Stanford.
In a series of three tweets, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com report that wide receiver Tori Gurley, cornerback Kamaal McIlwain, and cornerback Sam Miller are auditioning for the Bills at their minicamp.

Titans Sign Second-Rounder Bishop Sankey

June 17th, 2014 at 3:08pm CST by Luke Adams

The Titans have locked up their second round pick, agent Jason Bernstein announced today, tweeting that running back Bishop Sankey has signed his rookie contract with the club (hat tip to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan). The deal will keep Sankey under contract through the 2017 season.

The 54th overall pick, Sankey was the first running back off the board in last month’s draft, and was the Titans’ second pick after offensive tackle Taylor Lewan, who remains unsigned. As I detailed earlier this afternoon, Sankey and Lewan were two of just 13 picks who had yet to put pen to paper, so the running back’s agreement means we’re down to just 12 unsigned draftees now.

According to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, Sankey’s signing bonus will be worth about $1.115MM, while the overall value of his four-year pact amounts to around $3.843MM.

13 Draftees Still Unsigned

June 17th, 2014 at 2:41pm CST by Luke Adams

While a couple dozen mandatory offseason minicamps around the NFL are getting underway today, we’re still several weeks away from players reporting for training camps. That means there’s still plenty of time for members of 2014’s draft class to sign contracts with their respective teams. Still, for the most part, this year’s draftees won’t need to take those next few weeks to negotiate their deals.

After the Browns announced their agreement with Johnny Manziel and the Texans signed Xavier Su’a-Filo today, nearly 95% (243 of 256) of this year’s draft picks have been locked up by their new NFL clubs. 24 of 32 teams have totally locked up their draft classes, including the 49ers, who selected a league-high 12 players last month.

Since the new Collective Bargaining Agreement made rookie contracts so standardized, there’s little wiggle room for teams and players to push for better deals, and essentially no reason for players to hold out. Among the remaining unsigned players, five are first-round picks, six are second-rounders, and the last two are third-rounders, so in many cases the holdup can likely be attributed to haggling over offsets, guaranteed money, or the way in which that money gets paid. But as soon as a player was drafted, he essentially knew what his rookie contract would look like, based on his draft slot.

With the help of our tracker, here’s the full list of the remaining 13 unsigned draftees:

Blake Bortles, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars (1.3)
Justin Gilbert, CB, Cleveland Browns (1.8)
Taylor Lewan, OT, Tennessee Titans (1.11)
Ja’Wuan James, OT, Miami Dolphins (1.19)
Dominique Easley, DT, New England Patriots (1.29)
Demarcus Lawrence, DE/OLB, Dallas Cowboys (2.34)
Joel Bitonio, OT, Cleveland Browns (2.35)
Marqise Lee, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.39)
Stephon Tuitt, DE, Pittsburgh Steelers (2.46)
Bishop Sankey, RB, Tennessee Titans (2.54)
Allen Robinson, WR, Jacksonville Jaguars (2.61)
Billy Turner, OT, Miami Dolphins (3.67)
Dexter McDougle, CB, New York Jets (3.80)

Jimmy Graham Hearing Begins Today

June 17th, 2014 at 1:53pm CST by Luke Adams

1:53pm: While an agreement may not be expected between Graham and the Saints before the arbitrator’s decision, agent Jimmy Sexton flew into New Orleans today for a face-to-face meeting with the team, reports Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.

9:34am: Based on the timetable for Drew Brees‘ grievance in 2012, we can probably expect a decision on Graham in about a week, says Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter).

8:49am: Most teams around the NFL will be focused on the opening of their mandatory minicamps today, but in New Orleans, management will be watching another situation just as closely. The hearing for Jimmy Graham‘s grievance over his franchise tag positional designation begins today, barring a compromise between Graham and the Saints. And that sort of last-minute settlement appears unlikely, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).

If arbitrator Stephen Burbank rules in favor of the NFL, Graham’s franchise tag value will remain at $7.035MM, the tight end figure. If Burbank rules in favor of the NFLPA, that franchise tag increases to $12.312MM, the amount for a wide receiver.

Back when the date of the hearing was first reported, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com indicated that it would occur on June 17 and 18, suggesting it would be a two-day affair. It’s not clear how much of the hearing will extend into Wednesday or when exactly we’ll get word of Burbank’s decision, but we can at least expect both sides to lay out their cases at the hearing today.

According to Rapoport (via Twitter), the NFL will argue that Graham meets in the tight end room, lines up where tight ends line up, and even lists himself as a tight end on his Twitter account. As Triplett wrote last week, the NFL will also point out that Graham’s argument ignores the historical use of tight ends, who often line up split out from the tackle.

Conversely, the players’ union seems to technically have the letter of the law on its side. The NFLPA will make the case that Graham lined up where a receiver would line up on about two-thirds of his snaps, and for franchise tag purposes the CBA defines a player’s position as the one “at which the franchise player participated in the most plays during the prior league year.” The union has “expressed a lot of confidence” in its case, according to Rapoport (via Twitter).

As Katherine Terrell of the New Orleans Times-Picayune notes (via Twitter), this week’s decision isn’t about the $5MM difference between the one-year tight end and receiver franchise salaries — it’s about the long-term leverage that will be afforded to either Graham or the Saints. If Graham wins his grievance, he’ll have the opportunity to push for a multiyear contract similar to that of a top-five receiver. If the Saints win, they should have the leverage to keep that long-term deal more modest, though I’d still expect Graham to become the league’s highest-paid tight end.

The impact of the decision will extend beyond Graham and the Saints as well. If Graham wins the grievance, it could have a real effect on the way teams around the league line up their tight ends going forward, since clubs won’t want to be backed into a spot where they have to pay their standout tight ends like top wideouts.

Marshawn Lynch Present At Seahawks’ Camp

June 17th, 2014 at 1:45pm CST by Luke Adams

Marshawn Lynch reportedly wants a new contract, but that didn’t stop him from showing up for the Seahawks’ mandatory minicamp this week. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link) reports that Lynch has arrived at the team’s camp, after ESPN.com’s Terry Blount wrote earlier today that the four-time Pro Bowler was expected to be in attendance.

According to Blount, Lynch doesn’t want to pay the fine of nearly $70K that would be levied upon him if he missed this week’s practices with the club. However, the running back’s presence at the minicamp doesn’t mean that he’s willing to drop his demands for a new contract — Blount suggests that Lynch believes the Seahawks will be open to negotiating in good faith.

Lynch is entering the third year of the four-year deal he signed with the Seahawks in 2012 and is set to earn a base salary of $5MM this year and $5.5MM in 2015. However, taking into account the bonus money also included in the pact, the 28-year-old still ranks among the top five backs in the league when it come to average annual value.

Ian Rapoport of NFL.com suggested last week that Seattle isn’t particularly inclined to work something out with the standout rusher, in part because he’s already paid well relative to other players at his position, and also because it would set a bad precedent for players pushing for new contracts halfway through large extensions.

Brandon Flowers Rumors: Tuesday

June 17th, 2014 at 1:36pm CST by Luke Adams

Yesterday’s roundup of Brandon Flowers rumors primarily consisted of sources downplaying teams’ interest in the veteran cornerback, though several clubs still appear to be in the running. The Lions, at least, are said to be “seriously considering” making a run at the former Chief. Here are Tuesday’s updates on Flowers, with any new reports added to the top of the page throughout the afternoon and evening:

Although the Falcons, who employ former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, were quickly identified as one of the favorites to land Flowers when he became available, an organizational source tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that Atlanta doesn’t presently have interest in the corner.
Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities hears that the Vikings are still in the hunt for Flowers, though he thinks it will be a “tough battle to win,” with several other clubs also involved (Twitter link).
We heard yesterday that the Redskins don’t have interest in Flowers, and ESPN.com’s John Keim (Twitter link) confirms that Washington wasn’t even one of the 10 clubs that initially inquired on the free agent.

Texans Sign Second-Rounder Xavier Su’a-Filo

June 17th, 2014 at 1:23pm CST by Luke Adams

1:23pm: Su’a-Filo’s deal includes $3.96MM in guaranteed money, out of a $5.55MM total, tweets John McClain of the Houston Chronicle.

12:29pm: The Texans have officially signed second-round offensive lineman Xavier Su’a-Filo to his rookie contract, tweets ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan. Because he was the first selection of the second round, Su’a-Filo won’t have a fifth-year team option on his four-year rookie deal.

As the 33rd overall pick, Su’a-Filo will still make out nicely in the agreement, earning a signing bonus of about $2.358MM, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. The 23-year-old out of UCLA figures to compete for a starting job on the Texans’ offensive line in camp this summer.

By securing Su’a-Filo, the Texans have now ensured that their entire 2014 draft class is under contract, making Houston the 24th team to sign all of its picks. You can follow all the signings using our tracker.