2014 June - Pro Football Rumors

AFC East Notes: Marino, Dareus, Patriots

June 2nd, 2014 at 7:57pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Former Dolphins quarterback Dan Marino has joined 14 former players in suing the NFL, reports Nathan Fenno of the Los Angeles Times. In an 18-page complaint, the litigants claim that the league withheld ” information about football-related brain injuries and misled players,” allegations that the NFL has long denied. Marino, who retired in 1999, had been a broadcaster with CBS’ The NFL Today from 2002 until January 2014, leading Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post to wonder (via Twitter) if Marino would have been involved in the lawsuit had his relationship with CBS (and tangentially, the NFL) not been terminated.

More news from the AFC East:

Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, already facing felony charges in Alabama stemming from a May incident, was arrested last week and charged on seven counts regarding a car race, according to James Staas of the Buffalo News. Dareus, whose 2015 option was exercised in April, could face an NFL suspension. This latest episode could also dissuade the Bills from offering Dareus an extension; in February, Buffalo general manager Doug Whaley said a new deal was “on the radar,” but perhaps not a priority.
The Bills have several options regarding Dareus, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak, which include releasing the Pro Bowler immediately (unlikely), releasing him following the 2014 season (his 2015 option is guaranteed for injury only) or allowing him to play out his contract.
ESPNBoston.com’s Mike Reiss and Field Yates offer opinions on several complementary free agents who have been linked to the Patriots, opining that New England should sign linebacker James Anderson and tight end Dustin Keller, while passing on tight end Jermichael Finley (who visited the team last week) and running back Michael Bush.
New Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno appears to be out of shape at OTAs, and is playing behind Lamar Miller, writes James Walker of ESPN.com.
Walker, in a series of tweets, adds that free agent signee Louis Delmas is happy with the Dolphins’ roster: “I see a group of guys that want to win. We don’t have any 14- or 15-year vets on the team,” said Delmas. “This is a very young group that’s determined to get better each and every day. I plan on being a part of that.”

West Notes: Tebow, Thomas, 49ers, Seahawks

June 2nd, 2014 at 6:43pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Tim Tebow still has hopes of returning to the NFL someday, even as he continues his television work with the new SEC Network, writes Mike Organ of the Tennessean. Tebow, who lead the Broncos to the playoffs in 2012, spent one season with the Jets before attending training camp with the Patriots in 2013. “I’m training every day and feel like I’m the best that I’ve ever been,” said Tebow. “I still love it, love playing, talking about it, and I’m just excited about whatever the future holds. Who knows what could happen? But I’m excited about it, though.”

More notes from the West divisions:

Broncos receiver Demaryius Thomas is looking at a huge payday, says Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. Thomas, an unrestricted free agent following the upcoming season, could be in line for a contract close to that of Larry Fitzgerald, who earns over $16MM annually and received $27MM in guarantees.
Raiders safety Charles Woodson might have retired had the Oakland not re-signed him in March, but that doesn’t mean that 2014 will be the veteran’s final NFL season, tweets ESPN.com’s Paul Gutierrez. Woodson, 37, graded out as the league’s 28th-best safety in 2014 per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), excelling more in coverage than in run defense.
Sio Moore will likely play more weak-side linebacker for the Raiders next season, says Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com (via Twitter). Moore spent most of 2013 on the strong side, but Oakland’s first-round pick, Khalil Mack, will move into the SAM position.
Chargers offensive lineman Jeromey Clary, already recovering from offseason shoulder surgery, recently underwent hip surgery, leaving his training camp availability in question, according to Michael Gehlken of U-T San Diego.
The 49ers, along with the Ravens and Packers, are masters of the compensatory pick system, and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com thinks that San Francisco could be in line for additional picks in the sixth and seventh rounds, citing the losses of Donte Whitner and Tarell Brown.
Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin had hip surgery today, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). While Condotta notes “there is not real prognosis yet,” Irvin himself chimes in on Twitter, saying that he will return by training camp.
Several lesser-known players are getting opportunities for the Seahawks, as defensive lineman Jordan Hill is receiving some playing time in nickel packages (filling the void left by Clinton McDonald), and rookie offensive lineman Justin Britt is manning right tackle while Michael Bowie deals with a minor injury, per Jayson Jenks of the Seattle Times.

Poll: Will L.A. Or London Get An NFL Team First?

June 2nd, 2014 at 5:41pm CST by Dallas Robinson

The NFL is already a multi-billion dollar industry, and its growth doesn’t figure to slow down any time soon. The next logical step in its progression figures to involve placing a franchise in a foreign city, such as London, or a major, currently NFL-free American metropolis like Los Angeles, which has been without an NFL team since the Raiders moved to Oakland in 1995.

One regular season game has been played each year in London since 2007, and Falcons owner Arthur Blank tells Peter King of TheMMQB.com that this could be a precursor to moving a team to Europe full-time:

“I think it will lead to [a team]. I think it will start with an increased number of games. That will be translated into a very successful series of games, and eventually, I think a franchise. And maybe more than one. London’s a big city … I think eventually having that many games says that we really are playing a season in London, so we probably ought to have a team here. I think it will be a natural progression to a team.”

Blank also told King that he believes there will be “one or more teams” in L.A. in the near future. Dolphins owner Stephen Ross agrees, telling the Wall Street Journal’s Kevin Clark last week that he sees a team in L.A. “within five years” (Twitter link).

Along the same lines, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk examined which teams could be moved to London or L.A., and listed the Bills (who cannot move until 2020), the Jaguars (who will play one game in London through 2016), and the Raiders, Rams, and Chargers, each of whom has been headquartered in L.A at one time.

I think that L.A. is the likelier destination for an NFL franchise. A London-based team would cause all sorts of logistical nightmares for teams, and it makes much more sense to place a team in the second-largest city in the United States. What do you think? Will L.A. or London get a franchise first?

Which city will get an NFL franchise first?

Los Angeles 86.82% (428 votes)

London 13.18% (65 votes)

Total Votes: 493

Minor Moves: Vikings, Bears, Saints, Bills

June 2nd, 2014 at 5:01pm CST by Luke Adams

A couple of more notable free agents have come off the board today, including cornerback Aaron Berry and center Jonathan Goodwin. However, there are also a handful of under-the-radar moves to round up. Here are Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:

After being cut by the Browns on Friday, defensive back Julian Posey has been claimed off waivers by the Vikings, the club announced today (Twitter link). Another defensive back, Kip Edwards, was waived to make room on Minnesota’s roster for Posey.
The Bears have signed undrafted free agent cornerback Al Louis-Jean, the team confirmed today (via Twitter). Louis-Jean, who played his college ball at Boston College before leaving early, auditioned for Chicago at last month’s rookie minicamp.
Guard Mike Golic Jr. and linebacker Spencer Hadley, who both signed with the Saints last month, have been cut, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune (via Twitter).
Former Syracuse center Macky MacPherson has signed with the Bills, bringing the team’s roster to the maximum 90 players, tweets ESPN.com’s Mike Rodak.

Jermichael Finley Visited Patriots

June 2nd, 2014 at 4:21pm CST by Luke Adams

Free agent tight end Jermichael Finley paid a visit to New England to meet with the Patriots, reports ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (via Twitter). Agent Blake Baratz told Pro Football Talk last week that his client a Friday visit scheduled but declined to identify the team. It appears the Pats were that club, as PFT speculated at the time.

Finley, 27, met with the Seahawks early in the free agent period, but Seattle is reportedly no longer in the mix for the former Packer. While the Pats and ‘Hawks are the only two teams to host Finley so far, the veteran tight end, who was voted by PFR readers as the best free agent still on the market in May, should garner some interest, particularly now that he has been medically cleared by his personal doctor and is no longer linked to future compensatory draft picks.

Although his 2013 campaign was cut short by his spinal injury, Finley was one of Aaron Rodgers‘ top weapons in Green Bay in previous years, averaging 58 receptions, 717 receiving yards, and five touchdowns per season in 2011 and 2012.

Broncos Sign Cody Latimer, Two Others

June 2nd, 2014 at 3:50pm CST by Luke Adams

3:50pm: Paradis has also signed his four-year deal, the team announced in a press release. The offensive lineman is the 200th of 256 total draftees to reach an agreement.

3:38pm: One of the NFL’s two teams that had yet to sign any draftees coming into the day, the Broncos have sprung into action, locking up a pair of picks and working on deals with two more. Second-round receiver Cody Latimer announced on Twitter that he has signed his rookie contract with Denver, and the club confirmed in a press release that seventh-round linebacker Corey Nelson has also inked his deal.

In addition to the pair of draftees who already signed, the Broncos are also closing in on agreements with fifth-round linebacker Lamin Barrow and sixth-round center Matt Paradis, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Klis adds that the club’s other two drafted players – first-round cornerback Bradley Roby and third-round tackle Michael Schofield – are expected to complete their respective deals within the next 10 days or so.

Latimer will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $1.017MM, while Nelson’s will be a more modest $48.6K, per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap. Now that Denver has secured two of its draftees, the Rams are the league’s only club without any draft picks under contract. As our tracker shows, only 57 players remain unsigned, and 11 of those are St. Louis’ picks.

Patriots Sign Jimmy Garoppolo

June 2nd, 2014 at 2:43pm CST by Luke Adams

The Patriots have locked up their second-round pick, announcing today in a press release that quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo has signed his four-year rookie deal. The agreement with Garoppolo means that only first-round defensive tackle Dominique Easley remains unsigned, with eight of the club’s nine draftees now under contract.

Garoppolo, the 62nd overall pick, was viewed as New England’s potential quarterback of the future when he was selected, but with Tom Brady and Ryan Mallett both still in the picture for 2014, he doesn’t figure to see the field anytime soon. In fact, owner Bob Kraft suggested last week that the rookie signal-caller is “disaster insurance” and that he hopes Garoppolo won’t see regular action for the Pats for quite some time.

Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the Eastern Illinois product will be in line for a signing bonus worth about $854K and an overall four-year contract worth approximately $3.484MM.

Latest On Daryl Washington

June 2nd, 2014 at 2:01pm CST by Luke Adams

Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington is facing a year-long suspension from the NFL, but the team doesn’t intend to cut ties with him at this point, says ESPN.com’s Ed Werder. According to Werder, there are two reasons the Cards won’t release Washington: The acceleration of dead money would increase the linebacker’s 2014 cap hit (from $6MM to $11.5MM) and the team would no longer be in position to recoup a portion of his $10MM option bonus.

As Werder explains, even though a prorated portion of that bonus applies to the cap in 2014, none of the $10MM has actually been paid yet. By keeping Washington on the roster through March, Arizona triggered that bonus, but Joel Corry of CBSSports tweets that it’s scheduled to be paid in three separate future installments. As such, the Cards will be looking to at least avoid paying the first $2.5MM installment which applies to the 2014 season, though it remains to be seen what happens with the rest of the bonus.

While the Cardinals attempt to recoup some of the money owed to Washington, the team will place the 27-year-old on the reserve-suspended list, writes Werder. In addition to potentially forfeiting $2.5MM in option bonus money, Washington is also expected to lose his $2.9MM base salary, $100K in workout bonuses, and about $457K in prorated signing bonus money.

Giants Waive Will Hill

June 2nd, 2014 at 11:32am CST by Luke Adams

On the heels of the announcement that he’ll be suspended for the first six games of the 2014 season, Will Hill has been waived by the Giants, the club announced today in a press release. Several reports, including one from Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News last week, suggested that Hill’s stint with the Giants would likely come to an end after his latest transgression.

Hill, 24, started 10 of the 12 games he appeared in for the Giants last season, and played well, compiling 77 tackles and creating a handful of turnovers (two INTs, two forced fumbles, one recovery). Pro Football Focus’ grades ranked Hill as the league’s second-best safety in 2013, behind only Devin McCourty (subscription required), but off-field issues and character red flags have always loomed over his on-field performance.

The latest suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy is Hill’s third, and while it prompted the Giants to cut ties with him, that doesn’t mean another team won’t take a flier. Even though Hill won’t be eligible to appear in more than 10 regular-season games in 2014, his minimum salary contract ($570K) is affordable, and wouldn’t come with any long-term risk. We should find out within the next 24-48 hours whether or not Hill passes through waivers and becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Jets Sign Calvin Pryor

June 2nd, 2014 at 11:20am CST by Luke Adams

The Jets have officially signed first-round safety Calvin Pryor, the team announced today in a press release. The 18th overall pick last month, Pryor was the first safety to come off the board, and was the sixth consecutive defensive player to be selected in the first round by the Jets.

In three seasons at Louisville, Pryor racked up 218 tackles and 14 passes defended to go along with seven interceptions. Per Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, the new Jets defensive back should be in line for a signing bonus worth nearly $4.548MM, with an overall four-year value of about $8.563MM on his contract. The deal will also include a fifth-year team option for the 2018 season.

Pryor becomes the 11th of 12 draftees to ink his rookie contract, with only third-round cornerback Dexter McDougle still unsigned. To follow all of 2014’s draft pick signings, be sure to check out our tracker.