HEADLINES

Month: August 2014

Bears Sign Santonio Holmes

August 19th, 2014 at 9:57am CST by Matt Feminis

TUESDAY, 9:57am: According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Holmes’ deal is a minimum salary benefit contract, with no guaranteed money.

SATURDAY, 5:29pm: The Bears have officially announced the signing of Holmes, with Eric Weems being cut to make room on the roster for the former Jet (Twitter link).

9:49am: Veteran receiver Santonio Holmes has agreed to sign with the Bears, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).

Holmes, 30, joins the Bears after four years with the Jets. Though he caught just 23 balls and one touchdown last season, he averaged nearly 20 yards per catch despite missing five games because of a pulled hamstring. Holmes also sat out 12 games in 2012 with a Lisfranc injury.

Holmes worked out for the Bears last week, as they’re in desperate need of a third receiver after Marquess Wilson suffered a broken clavicle. Holmes was one of the biggest “names” remaining on the free-agent scrap heap, but thanks to his age, injuries and character questions, he received just tepid interest as his free agency lingered into mid August.

The Jets were relieved to be rid of Holmes when they cut him in March, at which time the New York Daily News’ Manish Mehta wrote, “General manager John Idzik released the underachieving, injury-prone diva wide receiver Monday, capping a strange four-year journey sprinkled with malaprops, meltdowns and “misunderstandings.” In June, Holmes’ agent admitted teams were asking if his client is a “diva.” And recently, reports surfaced that the Browns passed on Holmes because they didn’t think his talent was worth the risk of him disrupting team chemistry.

Nevertheless, injury has opened the door for Holmes in Chicago, where Marc Trestman has shown the ability to get star players with unique personalities or coachability issues to buy in. If Holmes has gas left in the tank, he figures to have a realistic chance of playing a key role as a complimentary piece in a Bears offense loaded with talented skill players.

Vikings, Chris Kluwe Reach Settlement

August 19th, 2014 at 9:15am CST by Luke Adams

TUESDAY, 9:15am: Kluwe and Halunen held their presser this morning to announce the settlement, which the Vikings have now confirmed in a press release of their own. Per Tomasson (Twitter links), the Vikings have agreed to make “substantial monetary contributions” to five LGBT groups, as an effort toward educating against homophobia.

FRIDAY, 4:47pm: A source tells Tomasson (Twitter link) that nothing is in writing yet regarding the settlement, but that there’s no reason to believe it won’t get done.

4:41pm: The Vikings and punter Chris Kluwe have agreed to a settlement, according to Kluwe’s attorney Clayton Halunen. Halunen told both Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that an agreement has been reached, though Vikings lawyer Kevin Warren said to Tomasson that nothing has been finalized yet (Twitter link). It’s possible Halunen’s announcement is premature, but I’d guess the team just wants to wait until everything is official before making a statement of its own.

According to Halunen, a press conference will be held next week to announce the settlement between the two sides. Had the parties not agreed upon a compromise, Kluwe had been expected to file a lawsuit against his former team. The punter and attorney were upset that the full 150-page investigative report into Kluwe’s allegations had not been made public, with the Vikings opting instead to release a 29-page summary.

Kluwe, 32, alleged in a January article on Deadspin.com that his release by the Vikings came as a result of his outspoken support of gay marriage. According to Kluwe, special teams coordinator Mike Priefer “openly and privately made homophobic comments and slurs intended to intimidate” the punter while he remained on the roster.

While it’s not clear yet what terms were agreed upon by the two sides, Kluwe has indicated in the past that any money handed out by the Vikings as a result of the settlement will be donated to LGBT groups.

Extension Candidate: Torrey Smith

August 18th, 2014 at 10:45pm CST by Rory Parks

Torrey Smith, who was drafted by the Ravens with the 58th overall pick in the 2011 draft, is entering the final year of his rookie contract. Although he struggled with drops in his first training camp, he was given a chance to start against the Rams in Week 3 of his rookie season when veteran Lee Evans went down with an injury. In the first quarter in St. Louis, Smith recorded the first three receptions of his pro career; they all went for touchdowns.

Torrey Smith

Since then, Smith has established himself as Baltimore’s premier receiving threat. Even when he shared a field with Anquan Boldin, his speed and play-making ability was the element of the Ravens’ passing game that drew the most attention from opposing defenses. Last season, he set career highs in receptions (65) and yards (1,128) and boasted an impressive 17.4 yards per reception, which matched his 2012 mark and serves as a testament to his big play potential.

However, he has been referred to as a “one-trick pony,” with his one trick being his ability to blow past opposing corners on deep routes. Although that assessment may be somewhat harsh, his route running has not developed as much as the team would like and his hands still let him down on occasion (though he has demonstrated marked improvement in each of those areas over the course of his first several seasons in the league). For what it’s worth, he also ranked as the 76th-best receiver out of 108 eligible wideouts, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

As such, it is difficult to put a finger on what an extension for Smith might look like. 2014 will be a defining season for a number of Ravens’ offensive players, as the unit will now be guided by the West Coast leanings of respected offensive mind Gary Kubiak, who is being treated as something of a savior among Baltimore fans. If Smith demonstrates continued improvement in his raw statistics while also showing advancements in his route running ability–indeed, Kubiak’s offense will require proficiency in short and intermediate routes, even if he takes a few shots downfield every game–he will be in line for a huge payday (think something along the lines of the five-year, $60MM deal Mike Wallace signed last season). If, on the other hand, he stagnates a bit, he will still be paid handsomely, but his new contract would likely keep him in the second or third tier of receivers. Something akin to the five-year, $42.5MM deal that Antonio Brown signed in July 2012 would probably be a reasonable benchmark.

Back in March, we learned that the Ravens made it known that a new contract for Smith was a priority, and Smith indicated that the feeling was mutual. Smith, who grew up in Virginia and went on to star at the University of Maryland, is not a true No. 1 receiver just yet. However, he is far and away the closest thing to a No. 1 that the Ravens have ever drafted, he has come up with a number of clutch catches, and he has been a consistent and positive presence in the Baltimore community. It is understandable, then, why both parties have interest in getting something done.

At this point, though, it does not appear that a new deal will be reached until the 2014 season is over. Although we do not know what offers the team has previously extended to Smith, it could be that, like his teammate Joe Flacco in 2012, Smith is “betting on himself” this year. With Steve Smith playing opposite him and a top-flight offensive coordinator on board–not to mention new wide receivers coach Bobby Engram, who, in his playing career, excelled in the areas where Smith still struggles–the conditions are perfect for Smith to take the proverbial next step and land a mega-deal in the process. The Ravens would probably be glad to meet his price if he does so, even if that price makes Smith one of the richest wideouts in the league.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images

Darnell Dockett Tears ACL, Out For Season

August 18th, 2014 at 9:20pm CST by Zachary Links

9:20pm: It is indeed a season-ending ACL tear for Dockett, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Dockett did not, contrary to some reports, tear his MCL, which will at least make his rehab for the 2015 season a bit easier.

7:41pm: Earlier tonight, Cardinals defensive tackle Darnell Dockett was carted off of the field with an apparent right knee injury. Unfortunately, it looks like Dockett’s MRI yielded some bad news. The Cards believe that the defensive tackle has a torn ACL, sources tell Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports 1 (on Twitter).

It goes without saying that losing Dockett for the year would be a major blow to the Cardinals defense. Dockett, 33, has spent his entire career with Arizona and has missed just one game in the last ten seasons. Dockett is coming off of a season in which he registered 4.5 sacks and 36 tackles as a part of a career in which he has tallied 40.5 sacks and 349 tackles.

Dockett is slated to count $8.75MM against the cap in 2014 and is scheduled to count $9.8MM against the cap in 2015. Even before today’s unfortunate development, it seemed likely that the Cards would ask Dockett to take a pay cut or release him before the start of the ’15 campaign.

Extra Points: Manziel, Onobun, Wright

August 18th, 2014 at 9:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Let’s round up some links from around the league on this Monday evening, wherein the players and the officials in the Browns–Redskins preseason tilt have conspired to transform the Twitterverse into an alternately bemused and enraged cacophony:

  • Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com offers his first entry in what will be a three-part series examining how Super Bowl champions work within the confines of the salary cap to build a winner. Part I examines the percentage of the cap that different champions spent on their highest-priced player. Interestingly enough, the teams who invested most heavily in one player had the most success in the three-year period immediately following their Super Bowl victory.
  • The Ravens might need some out-of-house reinforcements depending on the severity of Jimmy Smith‘s chest injury and Jon Meoli of the Baltimore Sun looks at some of the names out there on the open market. Some of the more recognizable names are Asante Samuel, Chris Houston, Corey Webster, Dunta Robinson, and Quentin Jammer. However, as we learned yesterday, there is a reason most of those players are still on the market. GM Ozzie Newsome has never been one to make moves out of desperation, and if the injuries to Smith, Lardarius Webb, and/or Asa Jackson are more dire than initially thought, the Ravens are probably more likely to trade for a corner or sign someone who will be released in the coming weeks.
  • Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith is less-than-thrilled with tight end Tim Wright‘s play and Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com writes that he needs to show improvement quickly if he doesn’t want his spot on the roster to be in danger. “He hasn’t played as well as Tim should be playing,” Smith said. “He’s dropped some balls. If you watched practice, he’s dropped balls. But he’s a big part of what we want to do with the two-receiver, two-tight-end set. Tim hasn’t blocked as well inside. Once you’re that H-back and you don’t block, now they say you’re just another receiver and teams start going nickel. If they do that at least you have to be a good pass catcher. Tim’s a good player. He just hasn’t played as well as he needs to lately.”
  • Jaguars tight end Fendi Onobun has been diagnoses with a torn quad and will require surgery, which means he’s done for the year, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
  • Mike Rodak of ESPN.com writes that Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus did not take part in team drills on Monday, and the Bills used a combination of Landon Cohen, Corbin Bryant, and Stefan Charles in his stead. Although Buffalo could keep all three of those players as depth behind Dareus and Kyle Williams, they could choose to keep just two and release the third.
  • If the Cowboys tabbed Johnny Manziel, as a newly-released book says owner Jerry Jones nearly made happen, the Browns‘ rookie quarterback would be Teddy Bridgewater, tweets Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
  • In Jim Dent’s new book “Manziel Mania,” the author wrote that Cowboys owner Jerry Jones wrote Johnny Manziel’s name on the draft card for the No. 16 pick only to have his son, Stephen Jones, literally yank the card out of his hand. As great as that story is, it’s simply untrue, a source tells Sean Lester of the Dallas Morning News. As Lester notes, given that the actual draft card is delivered in New York and Jerry and Stephen Jones supervised the draft from the team’s Valley Ranch war room, it seems unlikely the episode occurred as Dent described.

Rory Parks contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Monday

August 18th, 2014 at 8:29pm CST by Luke Adams

We’ll round up Monday’s minor transactions from around the NFL below, with the latest moves added throughout the day to the top of the list:

  • The Bears announced (via Twitter) that they have also signed KR/WR Darius Reynaud and have released LS Chad Rempel and P Tress Way. As Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets, the release of Way means that sixth-round pick Pat O’Donnell has won the team’s punting competition.
  • Cornerback Peyton Thompson, who was cut by the Redskins earlier this month, has agreed to sign with the Bears, according to his agent, Doug Hendrickson (via Twitter). Chicago will have to make a move to clear room on the roster for Thompson.

Earlier updates:

  • The Vikings have claimed former Lions linebacker Justin Jackson off waivers, a source tells Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), Minnesota waived-injured linebacker Dom DeCicco in a corresponding roster move.
  • In a series of three tweets, Wilson passes along a list of players who have been removed from their teams’ injured reserve lists: Korey Lindsey (Cowboys), David Snow (Steelers), and Steve Hull (Saints). Per Wilson (via Twitter), the Saints also terminated Richard Quinn‘s contract from their reserve-retired list. Lindsey and Snow both received settlements, while Hull and Quinn are ending their careers.
  • Having officially moved tackle Sam Baker to injured reserve, the Falcons have brought aboard another veteran lineman, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed Pat McQuistan, who has played for five NFL teams and has 11 career starts.
  • After recently being cut by the Redskins, defensive lineman Doug Worthington has signed with the Chargers, who announced today that defensive end Damik Scafe will be waived-injured to make room (Twitter link).
  • The Steelers completed a series of roster moves today, signing offensive tackle Graham Pocic and cornerback Dayonne Nunley. The team also cut wideout James Shaw and waived-injured guard Bryant Browning. The team’s PR man, Burt Lauten, has the details via Twitter.
  • Running back Cameron Marshall has been waived by the Dolphins to clear a roster spot for the team to sign defensive end Rakim Cox, the team announced today (via Twitter).

NFC North Notes: Vikings, Simpson, Holmes

August 18th, 2014 at 6:24pm CST by Zachary Links

The latest out of the NFC North..

  • Vikings wide receiver Jerome Simpson missed practice Monday to attend a hearing at NFL headquarters in New York and defend himself against a possible suspension for his November drunken-driving arrest, a person with direct knowledge of the situation told Brian Murphy of the Pioneer Press. Simpson served a three-game suspension during the 2012 season with the Vikings after being convicted of a felony for mailing two pounds of marijuana to his Kentucky home while he was playing for the Bengals, so he could be viewed as a repeat offender.
  • Some teams were wary of Santonio Holmes‘ reputation as a locker room disruption, but Bears coach Marc Trestman is hardly worried, writes Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune. “We spent time with him,” Trestman said Monday. “I mean, people change. They get into new venues, new environments. You’re out for a while, you get a good, hard look at where you are not only in your work life, as well as other aspects of your life.”
  • However, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk notes, Trestman didn’t give any guarantee that the veteran will make the roster. For his part, Holmes says he’s really excited about the opportunity he has in Chicago.

Pigskin Links

August 18th, 2014 at 5:40pm CST by Zachary Links

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. In addition to that, we feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our weekly feature, Pigskin Links.

We’re looking for interesting reads on all things football from blogs of all sizes. While PFR is dedicated to player movement, Pigskin Links is open to pieces on all areas of the game and it runs every Tuesday night. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send Zach an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.

Alex Boone Turned Down Niners’ Offer

August 18th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

5:00pm: According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), the sense he’s gotten from talking to other teams is that the Niners probably won’t trade Boone, though that could change. Meanwhile, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report tweets that if the team offers Boone a deal that pays him $15MM over the next three years, he’d likely sign it.

3:20pm: Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com offers some clarity on the conflicting reports on the Niners’ offer to Boone. Maiocco hears from sources that San Francisco is offering the guard an extension on his current deal, which wouldn’t kick in until 2016, rather than tearing up the current contract and negotiating a new one. So the extension which starts in ’16 may have a top-12 annual value, but Boone would still be underpaid for the next two seasons.

2:47pm: According to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Niners’ most recent offer to Boone wouldn’t have even made him a top-25 highest-paid guard, let alone top 12.

2:34pm: A source tells Getlin (Twitter link) that it isn’t true that Boone declined a contract offer that would have made him one of the league’s 12 highest-paid guards, though Ian Rapoport of NFL.com backs up Brandt’s report (via Twitter). I’m guessing the offer is structured in such a way that there’s a dispute about whether it’s actually a top-12 value — perhaps it includes incentives that must be met, or minimal guarantees. That’s just my speculation though.

2:09pm: The 49ers have made Alex Boone a contract offer that would have made him one of the top 12 highest-paid guards in the league, but the veteran offensive lineman turned it down, reports Gil Brandt of NFL.com (via Twitter). With the two sides still at an impasse, a trade is looking like an increasingly plausible scenario, and Boone’s trade value is on the rise as injuries begin to pile up around the league, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report, who says the market for the 49ers guard “continues to increase” (Twitter link). Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports agrees, tweeting that the longer Boone holds out, the more valuable he becomes.

Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015, but is now subject to about $900K in fines, as Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News detailed last week. Having been an instrumental part of one of the league’s best offensive lines in recent years, the 27-year-old is looking for a raise to a level that more accurately reflects his talent.

Currently, Boone ranks as the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL, so the offer reported by Brandt sounds reasonable, though the structure and level of guarantee in that proposal aren’t known. As Over the Cap’s data shows, the 12th highest-paid guard in the NFL is currently Evan Mathis, at $5.1MM per year, so presumably San Francisco’s offer to Boone exceeded that figure. However, Mathis and the players around him on that list only received modest $5-6MM guarantees — Boone may be seeking a guarantee more in line with the $9-11MM received by 2014 free agents like Zane Beadles and Rodger Saffold.

While San Francisco’s offensive line could certainly use Boone, the team has a good deal of depth up front, and may have to prioritize extensions for other key players over a new deal for the former Ohio State Buckeye. If Boone doesn’t relent in his demands, moving him in a trade for a future draft pick may be in the 49ers’ best interests. I’d be surprised if the Niners are able to land a pick in the top 60, considering Boone’s new team would also face the cost of a new contract, but a third-rounder could be within reach.

If the Niners do move Boone, there are plenty of clubs that would make sense as fits. The Buccaneers and Giants have been cited as potential suitors, and I’d suggest Indianapolis and Miami are among the other logical landing spots. Even teams seeking a tackle, like perhaps the Falcons, who lost Sam Baker to a season-ending injury, could kick the tires on Boone, who has experience at multiple positions.

East Notes: Bills, Dolphins, Redskins, Wilson

August 18th, 2014 at 4:56pm CST by Luke Adams

Although Jim Kelly ultimately decided not to team with Jon Bon Jovi‘s Toronto-based group in an effort to buy the Bills, a source tells John Kryk of the Toronto Sun that Morgan Stanley – the investment firm handling the sale of the franchise – recommended Bon Jovi’s group meet with the Kellys as a way of making their bid “more Buffalo friendly.” As we heard this morning, it was the Kellys’ lack of confidence in the Toronto’s group’s intentions to keep the team in Buffalo that scuttled any potential agreement.

Here’s more from around the league’s two East divisions:

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