49ers Sign Arik Armstead
The 49ers announced that they have signed first-round pick Arik Armstead, as Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets. The defensive end was selected with the No. 17 overall pick.
Armstead comes from a family of high-level athletes. His father, Guss, was a basketball player at Sacramento State. His brother Armond, meanwhile, played football at USC and enjoyed a stint with the Patriots.
Armstead took a major leap forward from 2013 to 2014, according to NFL.com’s Mike Mayock. Armstead already has great size for the position at 6’7″ and 292 pounds, but Mayock writes that he can still add more bulk to his frame. At the same time, he’s also fairly raw and may need time before he’s a major contributor at the next level.
Chiefs Sign Marcus Peters
The Chiefs announced that they have signed three rookies, including two of their draft picks from this year’s class. First-round cornerback Marcus Peters, third-round cornerback Steven Nelson, and undrafted free agent defensive tackle Charles Tuaau are all under contract with KC.
Peters, 22, was selected with the No. 18 overall pick in the draft. The former Washington star has undeniable talent, but some teams stayed away from him due to perceived attitude issues. While at Washington last season, he was suspended one game for acting out on the sidelines after committing a personal foul. However, assuming that he can stay on the right track in terms of his temper, he figures have a bright future at the cornerback position. Mike Mayock of the NFL Network noted that Peters possesses great size for the position in his pre-draft profile on the player.
Nelson, an Oregon State product, was a two-year starter after transferring from junior college. Last season he racked up 60 total tackles, two interceptions, and 10 past deflections across 12 games. Nelson was selected with the 98th overall pick in this year’s draft.
Minor Moves: Friday
Let’s round up today’s minor transactions from the NFL, with any additional moves listed at the top of the page throughout the evening:
- After waiving him yesterday with an injured designation, the Seahawks have officially moved defensive tackle Tory Slater to their injured reserve list, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. According to Condotta (via Twitter), to replace Slater on the roster, Seattle signed another defensive tackle, T.Y. McGill, who tried out for the club at its rookie minicamp last weekend.
- Tight end Brandon Barden and defensive tackle Hebron Fangupo, two players who signed futures contracts with the Chiefs at season’s end, were waived today by the team, per Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star (via Twitter).
- The Cowboys made a back-of-the-roster move at the guard position, signing Reshod Fortenberry after a minicamp audition, and cutting Daniel Quave to make room on the roster, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com.
- Edge defender Martez Wilson, who was drafted by the Saints in the third round back in 2011, has signed with the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Wilson also spent time with the Cowboys and Raiders during his NFL career before making the move up north this year.
Pats Undecided On Fighting Penalties
Tom Brady and the NFL Players Association officially appealed the quarterback’s four-game suspension on Thursday, publishing earlier today the letter that was sent to Troy Vincent at NFL headquarters. However, so far, the Patriots remain undecided on whether or not to challenge the discipline handed down on the franchise, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, who notes that the team has until next Thursday, May 21, to file an appeal.
Prior to the announcement of the penalties levied against the Patriots in the wake of the Ted Wells Report, owner Robert Kraft indicated in a statement that he expected to accept the league’s ruling, even if he wasn’t happy with it — “fighting the league and extending this debate would prove to be futile,” Kraft wrote.
However, that statement was published well before the NFL announced that New England would lose two draft picks – its 2016 first-rounder as well as its 2017 fourth-rounder – and be fined $1MM. By all accounts, the Patriots organization was caught off guard and angered by the extent of the penalties handed down by the league, which were “unlike anything they expected.” That could prompt the team to challenge the NFL’s decision.
As Florio writes, the Patriots figure to take the full allotment of available time before making a decision, so we shouldn’t expect an appeal until next week, if one comes at all. As former Browns and Eagles executive Joe Banner observed (via Twitter), the Patriots’ Thursday response to the Wells Report may indicate that the club is unlikely to pursue legal action, since the Pats’ legal team wouldn’t have laid out its argument in advance.
Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter link) noted this morning that the Patriots fighting the NFL on sanctions would be unusual, but not unprecedented, since Dallas and Washington fought cap-related penalties handed to them by the league in 2012. Following up on that thought, former Packers executive Andrew Brandt rightly pointed out (via Twitter) that this would be a different kind of appeal, since it would mean challenging conduct directly rather than appealing a “system” issue.
Browns Sign Cameron Erving
3:14pm: In addition to confirming the Shelton signing, the Browns have also formally announced that they’ve locked up Erving.
1:21pm: The Browns, one of two teams to select two players in the first round of this year’s draft, have now reached deals with both of those rookies. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the team has agreed to terms with center Cameron Erving on the offensive lineman’s rookie contract.
When the Browns announced the signing of seventh-round defensive back Ifo Ekpre-Olomu yesterday, the club indicated in its press release that 12th overall pick Danny Shelton had not yet officially signed his contract. However, a report earlier this week indicated that the team was in agreement with the defensive tackle, even if that agreement hasn’t been formally finalized.
As for Erving, his four-year contract with the Browns will be worth a total of about $9.429MM, with a signing bonus of approximately $5.118MM. His deal will also include a fifth-year option, allowing the Browns to lock him up through the 2019 season, if they so choose.
With Erving and Shelton having reportedly agreed to terms, the Browns have now locked up eight of their 12 draft picks, as our tracker shows.
Browns Sign Danny Shelton
FRIDAY, 3:13pm: The Browns have officially signed Shelton, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 1:29pm: The Browns and first-round defensive tackle Danny Shelton, the 12th overall pick in the 2015 draft, have agreed to a four-year deal with $11.7MM in guarantees and a $6.7MM signing bonus, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter).
Shelton, who is listed at 339 pounds, had a standout college career at the University of Washington. He capped it off in 2014 with 93 tackles, nine sacks, and an NCAA-leading five fumble recoveries. Those numbers helped propel him to first-team AP All-America honors. Shelton is expected to carry that dominance to Cleveland, which is in desperate need of help after finishing with the worst run defense in the NFL last year.
With Shelton and second-round edge defender Nate Orchard having agreed to deals in recent days, the Browns have two of their top three picks locked up. Center Cameron Erving, the 19th overall selection, remains unsigned.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Draft Signings: Raiders, Jaguars, Cowboys
Here are a few of the latest draft pick signings from around the NFL, as teams continue to work toward getting all their rookies under contract:
- The Raiders have signed fourth-round offensive lineman Jon Feliciano and sixth-round defensive end Max Valles, according to a pair of press releases from the team. Oakland has now locked up half of its 10-player draft class, including fourth overall pick Amari Cooper.
- The Michael Bennett who plays for the Seahawks and is currently playing out a $28MM contract has been a subject of a few rumors lately, but it’s another Michael Bennett, the defensive tackle out of Ohio State, that signed his rookie deal with the Jaguars today, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com reports (Twitter link).
- The Cowboys have inked seventh-round offensive tackle Laurence Gibson to his four-year rookie contract, tweets Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. Gibson will get a signing bonus of about $56K on a deal that’s worth $2.336MM in total, according to Over The Cap.
Broncos Sign Ty Sambrailo
The Broncos have secured four of their draft picks today, signing them to rookie contracts. The most notable of those players to sign is second-round tackle Ty Sambrailo, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (Twitter link).
In addition to locking up Sambrailo, the Broncos have also signed seventh-round picks Trevor Siemian (QB), Taurean Nixon (CB), and Josh Furman (S), the team announced today in a press release. The series of moves leaves only two Denver picks unsigned — first-rounder Shane Ray and third-round tight end Jeff Heuerman.
Sambrailo, the 59th overall pick out of Colorado State, should get an opportunity this summer to earn playing time on an offensive line that has undergone some changes this offseason. Within the last couple months, the Broncos have seen Orlando Franklin and Will Montgomery depart via free agency, and traded Manuel Ramirez to the Lions. The team brought in Gino Gradkowski in a trade, and signed Shelley Smith as a free agent.
Per Over The Cap, Sambrailo will be in line for a signing bonus of about $1.057MM, with a four-year value of approximately $3.846MM on his rookie contract.
AFC Notes: Allen, Gipson, Raiders, Heuerman
After tight end Dwayne Allen didn’t initally report to the Colts‘ voluntary offseason program, a text message from head coach Chuck Pagano was enough to get him to show up, as Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star outlines. Allen is heading into a contract year and figures to seek a new deal with the team.
Here’s more from across the AFC:
- Browns cornerback Joe Haden acknowledged that fellow defensive back Tashaun Gipson is upset about the contract tender he received from the team, but said Gipson will be in attendance for Cleveland’s mandatory minicamp and training camp (Twitter link via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com).
- The Raiders seem unsatisfied with their safety depth, Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com writes. Oakland gave an offer sheet to restricted free agent Sean Richardson earlier in the offseason, but the Packers matched to retain him. Then, this week, Oakland put a waiver claim in on D.J. Swearinger but they were behind the Bucs (and the Jags, who also placed a claim) in the pecking order. The Raiders do have some quality depth at the position, but their actions have made it clear that they want more.
- Broncos rookie tight end Jeff Heuerman hasn’t signed yet but he eventually will, despite his knee injury, per Troy Renck of the Denver Post (on Twitter). Recently, the Jaguars completed their deal with Dante Fowler Jr. after the No. 3 overall pick suffered his own season-ending injury.
- Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com is excited to see what diamonds in the rough might emerge at the Chargers‘ rookie minicamp after last year produced Branden Oliver, Tenny Palepoi, and Chris Davis.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Offseason Extension Unlikely For Wilson
The Seahawks and Russell Wilson appear unlikely to reach an agreement on a long-term extension during the offseason, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who says that the Seattle quarterback will likely have to wait until after the 2015 season to secure a new deal.
Cole’s report echoes what we heard from other writers last week, suggesting that the Seahawks and Wilson are far apart when it comes to the signal-caller’s per-year value over the long term. According to Cole, Wilson is seeking a contract worth at least $20MM annually, while the Seahawks aren’t willing to go that high.
As Danny O’Neil of 710 ESPN Seattle and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com previously noted, Wilson’s relatively minuscule 2015 salary is a significant factor in contract talks. The fact that they’re paying him such a small amount this year makes the Seahawks comfortable going year to year with the franchise tag for 2016 and 2017, if it comes to that. Even if those franchise salaries exceed $20MM, which they would, Seattle would still likely pay Wilson less than $50MM for the next three seasons, an average below $17MM.
According to Cole, talks between the two sides have left Wilson feeling somewhat frustrated and underappreciated, which could help explain why the 26-year-old has been publishing semi-cryptic tweets as of late. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk detailed yesterday, one recent Wilson tweet advised not letting a “lack of gratefulness and respect bring you down.”
The Seahawks and Wilson still have more than two months before training camp begins, so there’s plenty of time to bridge the gap in negotiations and strike a deal. However, at this point that looks unlikely, and it may just be a matter of time until the two sides decide to shelve those contract discussions until after the season and focus on making it back to the Super Bowl.