HEADLINES

Month: July 2016

NFC Notes: Eagles, Bolden, Buccaneers, Raji

July 23rd, 2016 at 11:59am CST by Ben Levine

Some assorted notes from around the NFC…

  • After having worked under Andy Reid for several years, Doug Pederson is now in full control as the head coach of the Eagles. Reid had guided the Eagles to the playoffs during his second season as head coach in Philly, but Pederson believes he inherited a better team than his mentor. “This team today is better than that team,” Pederson told Jeff McLane of Philly.com. “I just think that we’re in a better position.”
  • Safety Omar Bolden was released by the Bears yesterday, but Troy Renck of Denver7 ABC tweets that the 27-year-old “will land on his feet.” Renck notes that the former Broncos draft pick could wind up in Denver, and he adds that his release from the Bears was due to the team’s “logjam” at defensive back.
  • If Buccaneers offensive lineman Gosder Cherilus proves to be nothing more than a backup to Demar Dotson, Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times could see the team letting go of him and his $4.5MM salary. Other veterans who could find themselves on the hot seat include offensive lineman Evan Dietrich-Smith, defensive end George Johnson, tight end Brandon Myers, and safety Major Wright.
  • The Packers had offered B.J. Raji a “lucrative” contract, indicating that they expected him to play a major role on their 2016 squad. However, as ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes, the defensive lineman’s one-year hiatus from the NFL suddenly changed the organization’s offseason plans.

 

Latest On Saints, Drew Brees

July 23rd, 2016 at 10:34am CST by Ben Levine

As the summer has progressed, it’s appeared increasingly unlikely that the Saints and Drew Brees would come to an agreement on an extension. The quarterback’s recent comments did little to boost optimism regarding a new contract.

Drew Brees (Vertical)As several big-name signal-callers have earned contract extensions this offseason, Brees is still eyeing free agency following the season. While the two parties could suddenly come to an agreement, the 37-year-old told ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett that the sides haven’t negotiated in nearly three months.

“Not sure why things have not progressed,” he said. “They made an offer in March, we made an offer shortly thereafter. And besides the Josh Norman deal [the organization approached Brees with a new contract in order to sign the cornerback], there has been no talk about a contract since.”

Brees has been rather adamant that he won’t discuss an extension during the regular season, although he acknowledged that a solid deadline hasn’t been set. The team-leader has no intentions of holding out or skipping practices.

“I would say the deadline is the start of the regular season, not training camp,” he said.

As Triplett notes, guaranteed money is the likely “sticking point” in the negotiations between the quarterback and the Saints. Although Andrew Luck and Joe Flacco earned more than $60MM in guaranteed money on their extension, a similar deal would seemingly mean that the Saints would have to pay Brees until he’s at least 39 years old.

Brees will be entering the final year of his (then) record-breaking five-year, $200MM contract signed in 2012. The veteran has a staggering $30MM cap hit for this upcoming season, and he’s set to earn $19.75MM via his salary and $7.4MM via a signing bonus.

Despite wrapping up his 15th NFL season, Brees is still going strong. He finished the 2015 season with 4,870 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and only 11 interceptions — his lowest total since 2009.

QB Notes: Fitzpatrick, Kaepernick, Broncos

July 23rd, 2016 at 9:11am CST by Ben Levine

The Cardinals may play the Jets in mid-October, but Arizona quarterback Carson Palmer is still rooting for Ryan Fitzpatrick‘s pursuit of a new contract. The two signal-callers were teammates on the 2008 Bengals squad, and they remain good friends today. Palmer has been watching from afar as his free agent pal has been battling the Jets at the negotiation table.

“He’s a good friend of mine, he’s an ex-teammate of mine, and I know what he means to a locker room, I know what he means on the field,” Palmer said (via Dom Cosentino of NJ.com).

“He’s been a great player for them. I hope they take care of him the way they should because he means so much to that team, that team wants him there. They have a legit shot, with him at quarterback.”

Let’s check out some more notes pertaining to the league’s quarterbacks…

 

Free Agency Notes: Beatty, Welker, Kuhn, 2017

July 22nd, 2016 at 8:45pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The latest on a few NFL veterans who are currently without contracts and a look ahead to the 2017 class of free agents:

  • Eugene Monroe’s retirement is a significant blow to teams that need offensive tackles, tweets NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, who regards Will Beatty as the best one remaining on the market. Beatty, 31, has 63 starts on his resume, but he missed 2015 with a torn pectoral muscle and the Giants then released him in February.
  • In an interview with SiriusXM (Twitter link) on Friday, receiver Wes Welker reiterated that he has not retired. After catching 13 passes for 102 yards in eight games with the Rams in 2015, the 35-year-old has gone back and forth on the state of his career several times this offseason.
  • Fullback John Kuhn told SiriusXM on Friday that he continues to work out and wait for someone to call him with an offer, and he hopes the Packers are that team (Twitter link). Kuhn spent 2007-15 in Green Bay, made four Pro Bowls – including earning a Hawaii trip the past two years – and totaled 30 touchdowns between the regular season and playoffs. The 33-year-old appeared in 26.6 percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps and 34.7 percent of their special teams plays in 2015.
  • In a class that could also feature the likes of Drew Brees, Tyrann Mathieu, Jamie Collins, Le’Veon Bell, Eric Berry and Alshon Jeffery, among other household names, the best prospective 2017 free agent is Panthers defensive lineman Kawann Short, opines John Clayton of ESPN.com (Insider required). Short has expressed dissatisfaction this offseason with his current deal, one that will pay him just over $1MM in base salary in 2016, but Clayton expects the 315-pounder to land a $100MM-plus payday next year – if the Panthers don’t franchise tag him, that is. The three-year veteran led the Panthers in sacks (11), forced three fumbles and ranked a stellar eighth among 123 qualifying interior defenders at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) last season.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

AFC South Notes: Texans, Jags, Hardy, Colts

July 22nd, 2016 at 7:59pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Receiver DeAndre Hopkins is under Texans control for two more seasons, but he’d like to remain in Houston a lot longer than that. “I love this city. I don’t want to play anywhere else but here,” the 24-year-old said Friday, per Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com. Hopkins didn’t go into detail, however, about the type of long-term deal he’s seeking. “I’m not looking for a certain range. I just want to be treated for what I’m worth. That’s fair to say, right?”

There’s no word on whether Hopkins and the Texans are progressing toward an extension, but general manager Rick Smith is eager to retain the 2013 first-round pick from Clemson. “He certainly is one of those guys that we’re going to keep around here for a long time hopefully,” Smith stated.

Worst-case scenario, Hopkins will only stay in Houston through 2017, as the club exercised his $7.915MM fifth-year option in April. A long-term accord would surely cost the Texans far more than that on an annual basis, though, considering Hopkins has emerged as an elite weapon despite having caught passes from a slew of mediocre quarterbacks during his first three seasons. Hopkins is coming off his best year, one in which he hauled in 111 passes for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns, and became the first player to amass a 100-yard receiving game with four different QBs in the same season.

The latest on two of Houston’s division rivals:

  • The Jaguars recently worked out controversial free agent defensive end Greg Hardy and might even sign him, though a league source told Mike DiRocco of ESPN.com that such a move isn’t yet under consideration. However, the door isn’t completely closed on it, notes DiRocco, who opines that the Jaguars shouldn’t sign the 27-year-old because of his repellent behavior in Carolina and his issues last season in Dallas, where he was a headache both for the coaches and from a PR standpoint. From purely a football perspective, Hardy would upgrade a Jacksonville team whose top two edge rushers, Dante Fowler Jr. and Yannick Ngakoue, have zero NFL snaps between them. The Jags also finished just 20th in sacks last year (Hardy has 33 in his past 44 games), though Fowler missed the entire campaign with a torn ACL, Ngakoue was at Maryland and high-profile free agent pickup Malik Jackson was a Bronco.
  • Contary to DiRocco’s argument, there are some Jaguars who believe Hardy would fit in their locker room, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
  • After the Colts stumbled through a tumultuous 2015 that resulted in an 8-8 finish, the expectation was that owner Jim Irsay would let go of general manager Ryan Grigson and Chuck Pagano. Irsay did the opposite and extended the pair’s contracts, which has earned quarterback Andrew Luck‘s endorsement. “I think Mr. Irsay showed a lot of guts keeping coach Pagano and Ryan (Grigson),” Luck told Zak Keefer of the Indianapolis Star. “I think the easy thing is to start all over, I really do. I think that was an awesome, gutsy move. I think it surprised me, but then again, I think any decision would’ve surprised me.” One key reason the Colts went from three straight playoff berths to a .500 finish last season was the injury issues that beset Luck, who missed nine of 16 games. Luck also fared poorly in the seven games he did appear in, but that didn’t stop the Colts from awarding the 26-year-old a record-setting extension in June. In regards to the upcoming season, Irsay said of Luck, “I’ve never seen him more motivated. That fire is in his eye in a special way.”
  • Earlier Friday, the league suspended Indianapolis defensive lineman Arthur Jones four games for violating its performance-enhancing drugs policy.

Minor NFL Transactions: 7/22/16

July 22nd, 2016 at 7:08pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves:

  • Rookie cornerback Richard Leonard has reverted to the Texans‘ injured reserve list after being waived-injured, Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets. Leonard is recovering from hamstring surgery.
  • The Patriots signed undrafted University of Tennessee offensive lineman Kyler Kerbyson today, a source tells Wilson (on Twitter). Kerbyson plays both left tackle and guard.
  • The Eagles announced the release of wide receiver Jonathan Krause, who was promoted to the 53-man roster last November to fill in for Miles Austin. To take Krause’s place and keep their roster at 88 players, the Eagles will sign free agent linebacker Don Cherry, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Cherry played college football at nearby Villanova and went undrafted this year. He caught on with the Bears, but they ended up waiving him in June.

Latest On Josh Gordon’s Future

July 22nd, 2016 at 6:50pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The meeting Browns receiver Josh Gordon had with NFL commissioner Roger Goodell on Wednesday could bode well for the suspended star’s potential reinstatement to the league, reports Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Goodell wouldn’t have summoned him to New York if the commissioner didn’t believe Gordon had begun taking the necessary steps toward a return, according to Cabot.

Josh Gordon[RELATED: Browns Sign Nick Hayden]

Various substance abuse-related suspensions have cost Gordon 29 of the Browns’ past 48 games, including all of the 2015 season, and the league denied his previous petition for reinstatement in April after he failed a drug test. Gordon, 25, is next eligible to apply for reinstatement Aug. 1, and he could rejoin the Browns immediately if Goodell allows him back into the league. Goodell will first need evidence that the ex-Baylor standout has gotten past his substance issues, though, and then the Browns will have to show a willingness to welcome back the immensely talented Gordon.

It might help Gordon’s cause that owner Jimmy Haslam has taken an interest in his well-being, per Cabot. But Gordon’s future (or lack thereof) in Cleveland is likely to rest with new head coach Hue Jackson, who will decide whether the wideout fits into his program. If not, the Browns could trade or cut Gordon – who, with three accrued seasons, doesn’t have enough service time to avoid waivers.

The last time Gordon took the field for an extended period of time, in 2013, he performed like one of the league’s best players, racking up 87 receptions, a jaw-dropping 1,646 yards and nine touchdowns in 14 games. His ability, youth and the rebuilding Browns’ dearth of talent could lead the club to plug him back into its lineup opposite rookie first-round wideout Corey Coleman, who also attended Baylor. It’s worth noting, too, that Browns quarterback Robert Griffin III played at Baylor with Gordon.

“Josh is family. We went to Baylor together. I love the guy,” Griffin said during his introductory conference call in Cleveland in March (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).

In the event Gordon returns, he’ll make a relative pittance this year, $1,068,406, before becoming a restricted free agent next offseason.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

East Notes: Cowboys, Elliott, Eagles, Jets

July 22nd, 2016 at 6:11pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

Cowboys first-round rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott is currently a suspect in a domestic violence report, but there’s skepticism about its veracity from within the organization. One Cowboys source informed Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link) that the club thinks a Columbus woman’s allegations that Elliott assaulted her are flat-out untrue, but it warned the ex-Ohio State star to be more careful. Meanwhile, a team source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com, “The kid, we’ve done our research on him (before he became a Cowboy), it doesn’t point to that (being) part of his nature. That’s all I know.'”

More from the NFL’s two East divisions:

  • Former Lions head coach and current Eagles assistant Jim Schwartz is deferring to a neophyte, Doug Pederson, in Philadelphia, but he’ll essentially have full autonomy over the defense, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Schwartz, in fact, will be the “head coach on defense,” according to the offensive-minded Pederson. “He fully understands his role, his situation. He loves where he’s at as a coordinator,” Pederson said of Schwartz, who was 29-51 as Detroit’s head coach from 2009-13. Schwartz has accomplished more as a coordinator, including his stint atop a dominant Buffalo unit in 2014. Pederson is cognizant of that, saying, “My expertise is on offense. His is over there on defense. So whether I have suggestions or not, it’s our defense. But at the same time, he’s the master. He’s done it for 100 years. It’s proven. Just like the offense that I’ve been in is proven.”
  • Sheldon Richardson‘s motivation to land a lucrative contract extension and his full-time return to the Jets’ defensive line could lead to a huge season for the 25-year-old, argues Brian Costello of the New York Post. The Jets will no longer experiment with Richardson at linebacker, where he spent some time in 2015. He’s also entering the penultimate year of his contract and will be eligible to sign an extension after the upcoming season. New York just awarded a high-paying deal to fellow standout D-lineman Muhammad Wilkerson last week, of course, and Richardson will look to follow in his footsteps in 2017.
  • The Cowboys gave linebacker Justin Durant, who signed with them Monday, an $80K bonus and a $120K base salary guarantee on the one-year deal inked with the team. Durant will count $680K against their salary cap (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com).
  • In case you missed it, Bills cornerback Stephon Gilmore, who’s entering a contract year, is unlikely to receive an extension.

Pigskin Links: Giants, Foster, Packers

July 22nd, 2016 at 5:37pm CST by Zachary Links

Here at Pro Football Rumors, we deliver up-to-the-minute news on NFL transactions and high-quality original analysis. Each week, we also feature some of the best blog articles from around the web in our regular 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. If you would like to suggest your blog post (or someone else’s) for Pigskin Links, send us an email with the link and a brief synopsis at PigskinLinks@gmail.com.

Here’s this week’s look around the football blogosphere:

Got a great football blog post that you want to see featured in next week’s Pigskin Links? Email it to Zach or tweet it to him: @ZachLinks.

Browns Sign Nick Hayden

July 22nd, 2016 at 5:04pm CST by Connor J. Byrne

The Browns have added a 90th player to their roster, signing free agent defensive lineman Nick Hayden to an undisclosed contract, per a team announcement. Cleveland is now the fourth NFL organization for Hayden, who entered the league as a sixth-round pick of the Panthers in the 2008 draft.

Nick HaydenThe Browns’ signing of Hayden, 30, comes on the heels of the season-ending surgery fellow D-lineman Desmond Bryant underwent earlier this month to repair a torn pectoral muscle. While Hayden isn’t on Bryant’s level, he logged extensive playing time as a Cowboy from 2013-15 and emerged as a durable option in Dallas. The 6-foot-3, 295-pounder started in 47 of a possible 48 regular-season games during his three years with the club and picked up 130 tackles, including a career-high 48 in 2015 while playing in 55 percent of its defensive snaps. That output didn’t impress Pro Football Focus, however, which ranked Hayden just 115th out of 123 qualifying interior defenders last year.

The majority of Hayden’s action last season came against the run, and the Browns finished 30th in the league in rushing yardage allowed and tied for 26th in yards per attempt yielded. Hayden could help their cause in that regard, or at least provide depth along a line that features Xavier Cooper, Danny Shelton and John Hughes as projected starters, as Roster Resource indicates.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

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