Extra Points: Winston, Peterson, Lions
Buccaneers coach Lovie Smith isn’t thrilled with former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden and his comments about Jameis Winston, Greg Auman and Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times write.
“I’m disappointed. To say that the young man is an “embarrassment’? That’s pretty strong,” Smith said. “I just don’t think he’s speaking for all of Florida State, even though he’s in an official role there. Normally, what we’re doing today with our greats, you (embrace) them. Everybody on the outside may be throwing stones at them. Normally, when you’re in a family, you don’t do that. I’m very disappointed that somebody like that would make that type of statement.”
Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer claims that he doesn’t envision any issues with team harmony if Adrian Peterson returns to the club and remains disgruntled, Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press writes. Peterson, who missed 15 games last season, has been (ostensibly) pushing for the Vikings to guarantee the money owed to him over the next three years of his contract. Peterson is set to earn $12.75MM in 2015 and Zimmer declined comment when asked if he has spoken recently to Peterson or if the running back will be at OTAs.
- Ameer Abdullah‘s trainer offered up a very flattering NFL comparison for his client. “He reminds me a ton of Steve Smith and you see what he’s done in the league,” Otis Leverette told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. “I played with him in (a college) all-star game and played with him in the league for a while, they’ve kind of got that same thing to them. They just don’t know that they’re supposed to be small, they don’t believe in obstacles. The things that other people see as obstacles, they just see as another day at the office.” The Lions‘ second-round pick put pen to paper earlier today.
- Cardinals fans who are wondering which rookie free agents will be making the final roster should look at the bonuses being paid to the UDFAs for clues, Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic writes. BYU inside linebacker Alani Fua leads the pack with a healthy $17K bonus while North Carolina State tackle Robert Crisp is the runner-up with $15K.
East Notes: Bills, Pats, Cowboys
The NFL may be a passing league, but Bills coach Rex Ryan is happy to buck convention with his signing of fullback John Conner, Vic Carucci of The Buffalo News writes.
“A lot of teams don’t even have a fullback, and we’ve got two of them,” Ryan said Wednesday, after the team announced it had signed Conner as a free agent. “Two of the best fullbacks in the league are on our football team. So I think that may tell you a little bit about the type of style of football that we want to play.”
For his part, Conner acknowledges that making a team as a backup fullback won’t be easy, but he feels his kick-coverage prowess gives him a good chance. More from the AFC and NFC East..
- The research firm hired by the NFL in the Patriots’ DeflateGate investigation has a history of conflict-of-interest allegations, Mark Daniels of The Providence Journal writes. In the Wells report, Exponent shut down the notion that weather could have been the sole reason for the low inflation levels of the Patriots’ game balls. In the past, the company has been accused of of being a hired gun that skews its findings to suit big-business clients. In 2010, Exponent was widely criticized for finding that second-hand smoke does not cause cancer. In 2009, the firm found that Chevron’s dumping of toxic chemicals in Ecuador did not cause cancer and the study did not disclose that a member of Chevron’s board of directors was also the single largest shareholder in Exponent.
- Earlier today, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said that addressing Brandon Carr‘s contract is a priority for him. The cornerback, meanwhile, says he wants to stay put in Dallas, David Moore of The Dallas Morning News writes. “I’m a Cowboy. I love being a Cowboy. As long as I’m in this building I’m going to give it my all. I love playing the game of football,” Carr said. Carr is in the middle of a five-year, $50MM contract and has previously refused to accept a salary cut.
- Despite losing DeMarco Murray, Jones says the Cowboys have a better run game than they did last year, Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News writes. As it stands, Dallas is prepared to enter the season with a running back stable of Darren McFadden, Joseph Randle, Lance Dunbar, and Ryan Williams. The Cowboys haven’t closed the door on adding another running back, but it also sounds like they’re content to roll with what they have.
- WEEI.com’s John Tomase wonders if the Patriots are hurting their brand by challenging the NFL.
Broncos Sign Max Garcia, Darius Kilgo
The Broncos have signed their first draft picks from this year’s class:
- Florida center/guard Max Garcia, a fourth round choice of the Broncos, has signed his deal, according to Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post (on Twitter). Garcia began his college career at Maryland before joining Florida in 2012. The versatile athlete made starts at left guard, left tackle, and center for the Gators, but primarily played center in his final season there.
- Sixth-round nose tackle Darius Kilgo took to Instagram to announce that he has inked his deal with the Broncos. The No. 203 overall pick will earn about $2.39MM over four seasons with a signing bonus that is worth about $112K, as Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post writes.
Falcons To Sign Tyler Polumbus
Tyler Polumbus has agreed to terms on a one-year deal with the Falcons, his agent tells Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Polumbus played under offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan with Washington.
Polumbus was Washington’s primary right tackle for the last three seasons, but his services were no longer needed in D.C. this year with No. 5 overall pick Brandon Scherff taking over the position. The 30-year-old recently had a tryout with Atlanta and it didn’t take long for them to swoop him up.
Polumbus began the 2014 season as the starting right tackle for Washington, but he was supplanted in Week 8 by Tom Compton. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) wasn’t crazy about his play across seven starts and eleven total games, giving him a -12.6 overall grade and placing him just 62nd out of 84 qualified tackles. He was much better in the previous year, however, earning a 14.0 overall score and ranking amongst the top 20 tackles in the NFL.
NFL May Ask Rams, Chargers To Share Stadium
Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) heard that the NFL may push the Rams to share a stadium with the Chargers in Inglewood, California. The development comes as a surprise since the Chargers and Raiders have been working together to build a stadium in the Los Angeles area.
There’s still a long way to go before the Chargers and Rams shack up together, Cole adds, but it’s another permutation in the list of possibilities for the Los Angeles market. Rams owner Stan Kroenke has been pushing to build a stadium that would be occupied only by his team and while he has been viewed as the frontrunner, the league has made it known that it’s preference is to put two teams in L.A. Putting the Rams and Chargers together could be the best of both worlds for Roger Goodell & Co.
Just a few weeks ago, the Raiders and Chargers secured the approval of the Carson City Council for a privately funded NFL stadium. Regardless of which project/proposal wins out, neither the Inglewood nor the Carson stadium would be ready for several years. Therefore, any team moving to the nation’s second largest media market would need a temporary home in the interim.
The Rams, who have played in St. Louis’ Edward Jones Dome since 1995, are free to break their lease and relocate after next season. The same holds true for the Raiders and Chargers in their respective stadiums.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Broncos signed guard Andre Davis and wide receiver David Porter, both undrafted rookies, Troy E. Renck of The Denver Post writes. Both tried out for other NFL teams recently before the Broncos landed them. Davis played guard for the University of Buffalo after originally playing defensive tackle early in his college career.
- The Rams have released defensive end/tight end Mason Brodine, Nick Wagoner of the Post-Dispatch tweets. Brodine sat out the 2014 season with a fractured ankle.
- The Seahawks have signed safety Ace Clark as an undrafted free agent following the team’s invitation to tryout, according to NFL Draft Bible. Clark finished his Western Carolina career with 340 career tackles including 169 solo stops, ranked second in the school record books for career tackles.
- The Falcons waived Azusa Pacific offensive tackle Cody Clay today, according to Jay Adams of AtlantaFalcons.com (via Twitter). Atlanta’s roster now sits at 89 players.
- The Lions released wide receiver Skye Dawson today, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
- The Rams signed former Virginia Tech center David Wang, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter).
Update On Franchise-Tagged Players
Pro Football Rumors’ list of current free agents features a number of interesting names, including veteran players like Steven Jackson, Wes Welker, and Reggie Wayne. But the most intriguing free agents remaining on the list are a handful of players with an “(F)” following their names — Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
Of course, if these players were truly unrestricted free agents, they would’ve been snapped up about two minutes after free agency opened back in March. That “F” signals that they’ve been franchised by their respective clubs, with the non-exclusive tag. They’re still technically free agents, since they have yet to sign their one-year tenders, but their free agency is restricted — any team wanting to sign one of these players would have to submit an offer sheet, and surrender two first-round picks if their offer isn’t matched by the player’s current club.
That’s a steep price to pay for any team, which is likely why we haven’t heard of any potential suitors trying to make a run for any of these players. You could make an argument that a team with cap flexibility that expects to pick late in the first round in the next couple years – the Packers, Bengals, or Chargers, for instance – should consider making a run at a star pass rusher like Houston. However, spending time negotiating with a franchised player and attempting to craft an offer that his team won’t match takes a lot of time and effort. And when the alternative to simply wasting time is losing two first-round picks and committing upwards of $15MM annually to a free agent, it makes sense that teams would be wary.
In all likelihood then, these four “free agents” will simply return to their current teams. So far though, none of the four have reported to their respective clubs’ offseason programs.
Asked about Pierre-Paul’s potential attendance at next month’s mandatory minicamp, Giants coach Tom Coughlin told Newsday’s Tom Rock, “I expect him to be there.” That’s a sentiment I imagine head coaches Jason Garrett, Gary Kubiak, and Andy Reid would echo for their own franchised players.
Because these four players have yet to sign their tenders though, they’re under no obligation to attend a so-called “mandatory” minicamp or even July’s training camp. Those camps are only mandatory for players under contract, and Bryant, Thomas, Houston, and Pierre-Paul aren’t under contract for now.
So what’s the next step for these players? That next step could still be a couple months away. July 15 represents a key deadline, since it’s the last day a franchised player can sign a multiyear extension with his team. If no long-term deal is in place by then, the player will likely have to simply sign his one-year tender (though not necessarily right away) and play out the 2015 season before potentially hitting unrestricted free agency in 2016.
The Cowboys, Broncos, Chiefs, and Giants are all believed to have discussed long-term contracts with their franchised players at some point, whether that happened recently or as far back as last fall. While those talks may not have been fruitful up until now, deadlines tend to spur action, so over the next two months, it will be worth keeping an eye on these four players to see how many of them bridge the gaps and reach agreements on multiyear extensions, avoiding the uncertainty of a one-year deal for 2015.
For what it’s worth, the only player whose franchise tender remained unsigned as training camp approached last year was Jimmy Graham — Graham and the Saints ultimately struck a deal on – you guessed it – July 15.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Bowers, Cowboys, Eagles
A second-round pick just four years ago, Da’Quan Bowers hasn’t generated much interest on the free agent market this offseason — or at least not much that has been reported. However, with veteran free agents no longer tied to draft pick compensation after May 12, the former Buccaneers defensive end may soon find a home.
According to Jayson Braddock of ESPN 97.5 Houston (Twitter link), Bowers is paying a visit to New Orleans to meet with the Saints this week. Previously, Braddock reported (via Twitter) that the 25-year-old had narrowed his options down to the Lions and Dolphins, so it’s not clear whether those teams remain in the mix, or if they’ve moved on.
As we wait for an update on Bowers, let’s round up a few more items from around the NFL….
- Cowboys owner Jerry Jones confirmed today that restructuring Brandon Carr‘s contract is a priority for the team this offseason, but no work has been completed yet on that front (Twitter link via David Moore of the Dallas Morning News). Meanwhile, Jerry’s son Stephen Jones said that the Cowboys’ meeting with Orlando Scandrick and agent Ron Slavin was productive, but he wouldn’t say whether the two sides will reach a new contract agreement (link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com).
- The Eagles have announced in a press release that former Bears executive Dwayne Joseph has been hired as the team’s director of pro scouting, while Louis Clark has been promoted to senior director of pro personnel. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), who reported Joseph’s hiring earlier today, notes that the Bears tried hard to keep their associate director of pro personnel, but he chose to seek a better opportunity in Philadelphia.
- Offensive lineman Austin Wentworth, who joined the Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2014 and was cut earlier this month, must end his playing career because of blood clots in his leg, as he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. While the 25-year-old is currently walking with a limp, and will have to wear a brace for the rest of his life, he’s expected to walk normally eventually, according to Tomasson. Wentworth is currently on Minnesota’s reserve/non-football illness list.
- Former Iowa State defensive end Cory Morrissey had agreed to terms on a three-year rookie contract with the Ravens as a UDFA, but ultimately decided to walk away from football instead, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun details.
- Elsewhere at the Baltimore Sun, Jeff Zrebiec takes a closer look at what this week’s roster moves and decisions mean for the Ravens.
Cards Sign Markus Golden, Rodney Gunter
The Cardinals have two more draft picks under contract, having signed second-round outside linebacker Markus Golden and fourth-round defensive lineman Rodney Gunter to their rookie deals today, according to Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link).
Urban notes that the moves leave three Cardinals draftees unsigned, tweeting that the contract for seventh-rounder Gerald Christian isn’t officially in the books yet. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun reported earlier today that Christian’s deal was done, so perhaps 2015’s “Mr. Irrelevant” has agreed to terms but not yet put pen to paper.
As for Golden and Gunter, Over the Cap’s data shows that the duo will be in line for respective signing bonuses worth about $1.11MM and $510K. For 2015, the Cardinals will have Golden and Gunter on their books for modest cap hits of approximately $712K and $562K, respectively.
Besides Christian, first-round tackle D.J. Humphries and third-round running back David Johnson have yet to formally sign their rookie contracts for the Cardinals.
Chargers Sign Four Draft Picks
With just five picks this year, the Chargers had one of 2015’s smallest draft classes, and the team nearly locked up all its draftees in one fell swoop today. According to the club’s official website, the Chargers have signed four rookies, including second-round linebacker Denzel Perryman.
In addition to inking Perryman to his rookie contract, the team also made things official with third-round cornerback Craig Mager, fifth-round outside linebacker Kyle Emanuel, and sixth-round defensive lineman Darius Philon. First-round running back Melvin Gordon, this year’s 15th overall selection, is the only San Diego draftee who has yet to put pen to paper.
As Over The Cap’s data shows, the cap numbers for the Chargers’ four signed picks will range from about $465K to $870K. Of the four players, Perryman will pull in the largest signing bonus, at about $1.734MM. Mager’s bonus will be worth approximately $662K, while Emanuel’s will come in at about $219K, and Philon will get about $121K.
For a complete breakdown of which draft picks have and haven’t signed their rookie contracts, be sure to check out our tracker.