HEADLINES

Month: June 2014

AFC Links: Williams, Chiefs, Bengals, Jags

June 5th, 2014 at 3:38pm CST by Ben Levine

Veteran defensive tackle Kevin Williams is visiting with the Patriots today, reports CSNNE.com’s Tom Curran (via Twitter). The six-time Pro Bowler previously met with the Giants and Seahawks, but warned that he may retire if he didn’t receive an offer he liked. Yesterday, Williams jokingly asked for USA Today’s Tom Pelissero’s assistance in connecting him with New England.

Let’s take a look at some more notes and minor moves from the AFC…

Steve Smith Had Planned To Retire As Panther After 2014

June 5th, 2014 at 2:58pm CST by Luke Adams

Shortly after Carolina was eliminated from the postseason by the 49ers in January, wide receiver Steve Smith decided that 2014 would be his last season with the Panthers and as an NFL player, according to Don Banks of SI.com. Smith planned to play one more year, then retire as a Panther, the veteran confirmed.

“I finally decided and made the commitment to my family,” Smith said. “I told them, ‘I’m done. I don’t think I can do it much longer.’ My knee was sore and I knew all the work I had put into my career and what it would take. I came to terms with it, that this year was going to be my last year ever playing football.”

However, when he was released by the Panthers in the offseason, Smith received an unexpected jolt, and is now motivated to continue his career beyond the coming season. The 35-year-old signed a three-year pact with the Ravens and hopes to play out that contract before retiring.

“After this contract with the Baltimore Ravens, I am done,” Smith said. “I’m going to be stay-at-home dad, and I’m going to get on with the rest of my life’s work. I know sometimes there are people saying, ‘Oh, he needs to just let it go.’ Believe me, I will. I’m going to let it go. But I’m going to take a few people down with me. Not in spite, but just fun. I’m going to enjoy playing ball again. I’m going to have fun here.”

Of course, the modest $3.5MM signing bonus on Smith’s deal means that the Ravens could create cap savings by cutting ties with Smith in 2015 or 2016 if the new marriage doesn’t work out as well as anticipated. For now though, it appears a newly-motivated Smith is committed to playing multiple seasons before calling it a career.

Raiders Sign Three Players, Cut Three

June 5th, 2014 at 2:26pm CST by Luke Adams

The Raiders have made a handful of roster moves today, signing three players and cutting three to make room, the team announced in a press release. The new additions are wide receiver David Gilreath, whose signing was reported earlier today, as well as wide receiver Rahsaan Vaughn and kicker/punter Michael Palardy. To clear spots on the roster, Oakland waived wide receivers Jared Green and Noel Grigsby, along with punter Daniel Zychlinski.

Like the Raiders’ longtime kicker Sebastian Janikowski, Palardy is a lefty, and played as both a kicker and punter at the University of Tennessee before going undrafted last month. Meanwhile, Vaughn signed as a rookie free agent with the Jets in 2013 out of Oregon, and spent a little time on the club’s practice squad during the season.

All three players cut by the Raiders will have to pass unclaimed through waivers before becoming unrestricted free agents.

NFC Notes: Goodwin, Saints, 49ers, Giants

June 5th, 2014 at 1:30pm CST by Luke Adams

The Saints may have landed their new starting center in free agency this week, and it’s a familiar face — Jonathan Goodwin, who is back for his second stint with the club, recognizes that it’s rare to return to a team later down the line, but had always hoped to retire as a Saint, tweets Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link), head coach Sean Payton confirmed that the Saints waited until June to sign Goodwin in order to avoid him being linked to future draft pick compensation.

Here’s a little more on Goodwin, as well as several other updates from around the NFC:

  • Goodwin’s one-year deal with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit contract, but it includes $125K in guaranteed money, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Goodwin received a $65K signing bonus in addition to $60K in guaranteed money on his base salary.
  • Before he signed a contract extension to remain in New Orleans, Pierre Thomas thought his days with the Saints were coming to an end, as he admits to Christopher Dabe of the Times-Picayune.
  • Investing heavily in Colin Kaepernick would’ve reduced the 49ers‘ leverage in contract negotiations with coach Jim Harbaugh, since the head coach played such a significant role in picking and developing Kaepernick, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, since San Francisco has some flexibility to get out of Kaepernick’s deal if need be, that should give the club some flexibility in regard to Harbaugh too.
  • Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at Kaepernick’s extension and wonders if Robert Griffin III could eventually ink a similar contract, since the two signal-callers play a somewhat similar style of quarterback.
  • The latest Read Option column from Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report includes several interesting tidbits, including items on Greg Robinson‘s current and future position with the Rams and the Packers‘ reasoning for selecting Davante Adams in the second round over other available wideouts.
  • Addressing the team’s decision to cut safety Will Hill following his latest suspension, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), “When you run a business you have to be able to rely on people to be there when you need them.”

AFC Notes: Kirksey, Ridley, Pats, Gilreath

June 5th, 2014 at 12:08pm CST by Luke Adams

With few, if any, impact free agents left on the board and the draft behind us, most rosters around the league are starting to resemble what we’ll see during the 2014 regular season, at least once teams have made their cuts. But that doesn’t mean that those rosters aren’t without their holes. In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Tom Gower of Football Outsiders breaks down the AFC West, looking at the remaining needs for the Broncos, Chiefs, Chargers, and Raiders. Those most notable holes are on the offensive side of the ball for the Chiefs (pass-catcher) and Raiders (offensive lineman), and on defense for the Broncos (middle linebacker) and Chargers (cornerback).

Here’s more from around the AFC:

  • The Browns have agreed to terms with third-round linebacker Christian Kirksey, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). The agreement, which includes a signing bonus worth about $663K was first reported by Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
  • Patriots running back Stevan Ridley is entering the final year of his rookie deal, but he told reporters today, including Albert Breer of the NFL Network, that he’s focused on playing “mistake-free” football rather than on his contract situation (Twitter link).
  • Field Yates of ESPNBoston.com has the details on James Anderson‘s minimum salary benefit contract with the Patriots, which includes a $15K signing bonus and a $50K roster bonus if he makes the team.
  • The Raiders have signed former Wisconsin wideout David Gilreath, agent Sean Stellato tells Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter link). Gilreath recorded his first and only career NFL reception during the 2012 season for the Steelers.

Poll: Andrew Luck Vs. Russell Wilson

June 5th, 2014 at 10:50am CST by Luke Adams

Earlier today, we learned that buzz around the NFL suggests that Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson will be in line for annual salaries of $24-25MM when they’re eligible to extend their rookie contracts. Whether either player will ink an extension as soon as they’re eligible is debatable. Considering teams now hold fifth-year options on first-round picks, the Colts will have a little leverage if they want to wait on Luck. In any case, for now we’re not considering the timeline for the quarterbacks’ new deals — we’re examining which one deserves to be paid more.

As I noted in that previous post when comparing Luck and Wilson, not only does the Seattle signal-caller have more postseason success, but he has also posted better regular-season numbers in many key categories. In their two years in the NFL, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck. The Seahawks star also has a higher career passer rating (100.6 to 81.5), more yards per attempts (8.1 to 6.8), and more rushing yards (1,028 to 632).

Those statistics, combined with Wilson’s Super Bowl win, would suggest that he has significantly more value than Luck, but the numbers don’t tell the whole story. Wilson has been aided by a Seahawks defense that not only played a huge part in the team’s Super Bowl run but also consistently puts the team’s offense in good scoring position. Additionally, Seattle’s offense often takes a run-first approach led by Marshawn Lynch, allowing Wilson to pick and choose his spots more carefully, whereas a subpar running game has forced the Colts to lean more heavily on Luck to accumulate first downs and points over the last two years.

A former first overall pick, Luck is also a year younger than Wilson, and when the two players sign their next contracts, they won’t just be paid for what they’ve already accomplished — their teams will be paying for the continued development and growth they expect in the coming years. And if you asked people around football which quarterback will be the league’s best five years from now, I imagine you’d hear Luck’s name mentioned often.

What do you think? Which franchise quarterback do you think deserves to be paid more on his next contract?

Luck, Wilson On Track For $24MM+ Per Year?

June 5th, 2014 at 9:33am CST by Luke Adams

While Colin Kaepernick‘s new contract has the potential to be massive, its average of $21MM per year didn’t set a new standard. The high water mark for quarterbacks’ annual salaries still belongs to Aaron Rodgers and his $22MM per year figure. Nonetheless, it may just be a matter of time before a new wave of young signal-callers tops that amount. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), word around the NFL suggests that when Andrew Luck and Russell Wilson sign extensions, their new deals will come in at around $24-25MM per year.

As Joe Flacco‘s long-term contract with the Ravens exhibited, Super Bowl victories typically give a notable bump to a quarterback’s value, so it’s no surprise that Wilson, coming off a championship, would be eyeing such a mega-deal. However, his regular-season numbers also stack up quite well against Luck’s — the Indianapolis QB has piled up more yardage, but in their two years in the league, Wilson has completed a higher percentage of passes (63.6% to 57.0%), tossed more TDs (52 to 46), and thrown fewer interceptions (19 to 27) than Luck.

That isn’t to say that Luck won’t also be deserving of a $24MM+ annual salary, particularly with the salary cap on the rise. The former first overall pick showed plenty of improvement in 2013 even after one of his top weapons (Reggie Wayne) went down with a season-ending injury, and more is expected of him on offense than of Wilson, who plays in a more run-heavy system in Seattle. Further growth is expected for Luck in 2014, and the Colts will do everything they can to lock up their franchise quarterback. Still, barring a drastic turn this season, Wilson may actually have a stronger case to become the highest-paid QB in football.

Cam Newton, Nick Foles, and Robert Griffin III are among the other talented young quarterbacks who also figure to engage their respective teams in talks on long-term extensions sometime within the next year or so.

Details On Colin Kaepernick’s Extension

June 5th, 2014 at 8:18am CST by Luke Adams

When word first broke yesterday that the 49ers had extended Colin Kaepernick‘s contract, huge numbers were being cited for his future earnings. The deal was said to be worth up to $126MM, with $61MM in guaranteed money, which would be a new record. However, as I cautioned at the time, those initial figures are generally coming from the player’s side, often from a source like his agent. So it was fair to wonder if they were artificially inflated.

As it turns out, that was indeed the case. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has passed along several details on the contract, which is much more team-friendly than initially believed. Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap has attempted to distill the reported figures into chart form, but we’ll break down a few pertinent details below:

  • At the time of signing, only $13.073MM is fully guaranteed — a $12.328MM signing bonus, a 2014 base salary of $645K, and a ’14 workout bonus of $100K. Additionally, the ’14 base salary and workout bonus were already on Kaepernick’s previous deal, so the signing bonus is really the only part of the new contract that’s fully guaranteed.
  • For now, Kaepernick’s base salaries in 2015, 2016, 2017, and part of 2018 are guaranteed for injury only. They become fully guaranteed if the quarterback remains on the team’s roster beyond April 1 of each year. Those base salaries are as follows:
    • 2015: $12.4MM
    • 2016: $13.9MM
    • 2017: $16.9MM
    • 2018: $17MM ($5.2MM currently guaranteed for injury only)
  • Kaepernick’s 2019 and 2020 base salaries are fully non-guaranteed. They amount to $18.8MM and $21MM, respectively.
  • In each year from 2015 to 2020, the overall value of the contract is set to de-escalate by $2MM, up to a total of $12MM. Kaepernick can halt this de-escalation at any time by taking 80% of the team’s snaps and either appearing in the Super Bowl or being named the first- or second-team All-Pro quarterback. If Kaepernick were to meet these criteria in 2014, that entire $12MM would remain. However, if, for instance, he doesn’t meet the criteria and stop the de-escalator until the 2017 season, he’d lose $6MM in overall value – $2MM for each of the three previous seasons.
  • Beginning in 2015, the contract includes a massive $2MM per year in per-game roster bonuses, meaning Kaepernick would miss out on $125K for each regular season game he didn’t play.
  • Starting in 2015, the deal also includes $400K in annual workout bonuses.
  • The contract required Kaepernick to buy a disability policy that pays the Niners $20MM if he suffers a career-ending injury.
  • In total then, the value of the new money in the extension is $126.328MM. However, given the modest signing bonus and the absence of a lot of fully guaranteed money, the 49ers essentially have the ability to go year to year on the deal without risking too much dead money acceleration.

Extra Points: Blount, Allen, Anderson, Titans

June 4th, 2014 at 9:50pm CST by Zachary Links

Interviews with a cross section of executives, analysts, and observers suggest the landscape is ripe for an NFL-sanctioned developmental league to replace NFL Europe, writes Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com. There is some concern that it will be a money pit as NFL Europe lost $30MM for the league, but a competitive TV deal would assuage those concerns. More from around the league..

  • Steelers running back LeGarrette Blount told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that he was surprised that there wasn’t more money spent on the free agent running back market this offseason. He went on to say that Toby Gerhart, who landed with the Jaguars, shouldn’t have been the highest paid RB of the bunch. Blount himself got a two-year, $3.85MM deal from Pittsburgh.
  • Raiders coach Dennis Allen is happy with his club’s offseason haul, but the third-year coach didn’t get the veteran tight end he wanted, writes Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. Oakland has been connected to free agent tight end Jermichael Finley, but as it stands, the team will have to find its man from among a group that includes David Ausberry, Mychal Rivera, and Nick Kasa.
  • Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com looks at the Patriots‘ linebacker corps after the signing of veteran James Anderson. Anderson has worn down in the second half of recent seasons, but New England is probably planning on giving him a more limited workload compared to what he’s used to.
  • The Titans have agreed to terms with cornerback Marc Anthony, according to Jim Wyatt of The Tenneseean (on Twitter). Wide receiver Josh Stewart was waived in order to make room.

NFC Notes: Zimmer, Newton, Kaepernick

June 4th, 2014 at 9:04pm CST by Zachary Links

A report yesterday quoted Vikings coach Mike Zimmer as saying that he almost didn’t show up for his second interview for the job. Today he clarified that story for reporters, including Michael Rand of the Star Tribune. The coach didn’t consider bailing on the Vikings interview because he wasn’t enthused for the position; he says he was just disappointed about not getting the Titans’ gig and didn’t think he had a great chance anywhere else. Here’s more out of the NFC..

  • A lot of people are surprised by Colin Kaepernick‘s hefty new contract, but Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk argues that salary cap spikes could drive the quarterback market even higher. Because of that, he says that the Panthers need to move quickly on a new deal for QB Cam Newton. Soon, he says, the high-water mark for an elite QB will be $25MM per year and, eventually, $30MM per season. With another strong year or two, Newton could push the ceiling sky-high.
  • The 49ers spent 15 hours straight negotiating with Kaepernick’s representatives, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. The 49ers knew that the QB would play out his rookie deal rather than accepting anything with an average annual value under $20MM.
  • The Falcons are counting on free agent pickup Dwight Lowery to fill their free safety hole, writes Michael Cunningham of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. After starting eight of 27 games for the Jets in 2009 and 2010, Lowery was a full-time starter for the Jaguars over the past three seasons. However, his season ended after just three games in 2013 after he suffered a bad concussion and went on injured reserve.
  • There might not be an opportunity at present, but after signing a three-year extension with the Eagles yesterday, guard Allen Barbre says he would like to start, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Of course, the Eagles value his versatility off the bench as he has filled in admirably at both guard and tackle.
  • Brian McNally of The Washington Times wonders if Redskins linebacker Keenan Robinson can fill the void left by the retirement of London Fletcher.
  • The Cardinals signed undrafted rookie free agent running back Damien Thigpen, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. To make room, the Cards dropped wide receiver Kevin Smith. Thigpen was in rookie minicamp a couple of weeks ago with Arizona and apparently made quite an ipression. The 5’8″, 180 pound tailback tore his ACL late in his junior year and also missed part of his senior season.
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