Month: February 2017

South Notes: Titans, Colts, McAfee, Saints

During Wednesday’s press conference, commissioner Roger Goodell indicated that the Titans need to figure out their ownership situation and appoint one individual who will be in charge of all decisions (Twitter link via Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com). He also noted that they have been in violation of this policy in the past. For more highlights from Goodell’s presser, check out Wednesday’s post to see his comments on Ezekiel Elliott, Josh Brown, and more.

Here’s more from the AFC and NFC South:

  • Punters don’t typically get a lot of credit for what they do, but Pat McAfee‘s retirement leaves a significant void for the Colts to fill, Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes. For his career, McAfee averaged 46.4 gross yards per punt and 39.8 net yards per punt. He also had 33.6% of his 575 punt attempts land inside the 20.
  • Many would say the Saints‘ biggest need is at defensive end, but edge rusher Cameron Jordan would rather see New Orleans put their focus in the secondary. “I’ll take a corner,” he said (link via Josh Katzenstein of The Times-Picayune). “I’ll take two corners.” In 2016, the Saints’ nine interceptions were tied for 27th in the league. Meanwhile, they only had 30 sacks, which also placed them No. 27 in the NFL. Jordan, personally, seemed to be pulling his weight as he notched 7.5 sacks, 58 total tackles, and one forced fumble in 2016.
  • This week, Texans owner Bob McNair said that he hopes to hammer out long-term deals with both wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and cornerback A.J. Bouye this offseason. Bouye is scheduled for free agency in March.

NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Romo, Giants, Brown

Former Giants kicker Josh Brown admitted publicly to domestic violence for the first time during an interview with Good Morning America, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com writes. However, he insisted that he never hit her. Brown, 37, still wants to return to the NFL, but he admits that he’s not sure if he’ll get that chance. On Wednesday, commissioner Roger Goodell told reporters that Brown‘s domestic violence investigation remains open.

More from the NFC East:

Bengals’ McCarron Will Be RFA After ’17

Bengals quarterback A.J. McCarron has been in trade rumors for months now and he might be a little more valuable than initially thought. As a 2014 draft pick, McCarron was believed to be under contract through the 2017 season. But, because he spent most of his rookie year on the non-football injury list, he’ll only be a restricted free agent after the ’17 campaign, former agent and CBSSports.com columnist Joel Corry tweetsA.J. McCarron (vertical)

[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs: Cincinnati Bengals]

Now that McCarron can be kept for relatively little money for an extra year, he’s simultaneously more attractive as a trade chip and more attractive to Cincinnati as a backup QB. Still, McCarron has indicated that he wouldn’t mind getting traded to a team that would give him a playing opportunity. As it stands, he is blocked behind starter Andy Dalton.

McCarron saw some burn in 2015 when Dalton was out with injury and it was enough to intrigue rival teams about his potential. In the final four games of ’15, McCarron passed for 832 yards and six touchdowns against just two interceptions.

McCarron’s 2017 contract calls for him to carry a modest $735K cap number. It’s not immediately clear how much he is slated to earn in this new 2018 season.

Packers Have No GM Succession Plan In Place

Packers execs Eliot Wolf and Brian Gutekunst were both considered for GM jobs this offseason and it stands to reason that they will continue to be in the mix for those gigs going forward. Despite the fact that they are in high demand, neither man has been told that they will succeed GM Ted Thompson (link via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). Eliot Wolf

[RELATED: Packers Notes: Thompson, Montgomery, Lacy]

I don’t think you can make promises,” team president Mark Murphy said with regards to the two young scouts and cap guru Russ Ball. “Especially [because] the league changes so much year to year.”

Murphy says that he has an idea of how long Thompson, 64, will stay on the job, but he declined to disclose that timetable publicly. It’s also not immediately clear whether Thompson’s contract runs out after the 2018 season or following the 2019 draft.

On the field, the Packers have built a winning team by building talent from within. That philosophy extends to the front office, where they have multiple young candidates who are ostensibly ready to run the show. Interestingly, the Packers could reportedly change course this offseason and be active on the open market.

Seeking Writers For ProHockeyRumors.com

Last June, we launched Pro Hockey Rumors to cover all of the NHL transaction-related news, joining MLB Trade Rumors, Hoops Rumors, and Pro Football Rumors in our network. PHR has grown rapidly, and the NHL trade deadline is fast approaching. We’re looking to bring aboard multiple new writers with strong weekday daytime availability. The positions pay hourly. The criteria:

  • Availability to work at least ten hours per week covering NHL news, particularly with availability from 9am-5pm central time Monday through Friday.
  • Exceptional knowledge of all 31 NHL teams, no discernible bias. Knowledge of transaction-related concepts.
  • A high school degree is required, and further education is preferred. Please include your highest completed level of education in your application.
  • Writing experience is necessary, and online writing experience is preferred.
  • Attention to detail and ability to follow the MLBTR/Hoops Rumors/PFR style and tone.
  • Ability to analyze articles and craft intelligent, well-written posts summing up the news quickly and concisely.
  • Ability to use Twitter, Tweetdeck, and an RSS feed reader such as Feedly. In general, you must be able to multi-task.
  • Experience with social media, especially Twitter.
  • If you’re interested, email prohockeyrumorshelp@gmail.com and explain how you stand out and qualify in a couple of short paragraphs. Please attach your resume to the email. We often receive several hundred applications, so unfortunately we will not be able to reply to each one.

Colts Punter Pat McAfee Retires

One of the most colorful personalities in the game is calling it quits. Punter Pat McAfee announced early Thursday morning that he is walking away from the sport after eight years in the NFL. Pat McAfee (vertical)

In a lengthy farewell letter posted to Twitter, McAfee said that he spoke with Colts owner Jim Irsay at length about his future this week and although Irsay wanted him to continue playing, he is supportive of his decision. The charismatic punter says he will now join Barstool Sports full-time as a personality while continuing to live in Indianapolis.

From a talent standpoint, McAfee feels that he could have continued punting for “a few more years,” but he wasn’t sure if he could continue to boot balls at a high level with his attention split between different interests. McAfee, 29, leaves the game with two Pro Bowl selections and a highlight reel full of memorable celebrations, including his Conor McGregor strut. We wish McAfee the best in retirement.

Texans Seeking Hopkins, Bouye Extensions

No surprise here, but the Texans are hoping to hammer out an extension with DeAndre Hopkins this offseason, owner Bob McNair told reporters on Wednesday (link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Last year, Hopkins staged a brief holdout at the start of training camp over his contractual situation. McNair also says he wants to strike a long-term deal with pending free agent cornerback A.J. BouyeDeAndre Hopkins

[RELATED: Mutual Interest Between Texans, A.J. Bouye]

Those are good young players,” McNair said of Hopkins and Bouye. “Those are the kind of players that we want to keep around here. So, yeah, certainly we’re going to work on that and see if we can get both of them taken care of. It’s certainly our intention.”

Hopkins is scheduled to earn $7.915MM as he enters his fifth-year option year. As one of the league’s most talented wide receivers, he’d be in line for a massive payday if he were ever allowed to reach the open market. The Texans still have the franchise tag at their disposal to keep him through 2018 (or even ’19 with a second tag), but they could have a much happier Hopkins if they can agree to a long-term pact.

Last year, Hopkins had only 78 catches for 954 yards and four touchdowns, but that dip in production can be traced directly to the team’s quarterback woes. In the year prior, he had a career-high 111 receptions for 1,521 yards and 11 touchdowns on his way to his first Pro Bowl selection.

Currently, A.J. Green leads all wide receivers with a $15MM/year average annual value on his deal. In terms of guaranteed money per year, however, the list is led by Julio Jones ($7.1MM) and Demaryius Thomas ($7MM). Hopkins’ reps will have all of these numbers in mind as they discuss a new deal, particularly given the expected salary cap increases over time.

Bouye went from an unknown to an elite cornerback in a flash. He was nothing but stellar this year but without any real history before that, he’ll make for a very interesting contractual case. It sounds like the Texans will work to lock up the former UDFA before the start of free agency, but his reps may be eyeing a bigger deal than what Houston will offer during the exclusive period. On the most recent edition of PFR’s Free Agent Power Rankings, Bouye was ranked seventh.

It’s hard to come up with a comp for Bouye since he is such a unique case, but I expect him to best teammate Kareem Jackson‘s four-year, $34MM deal ($20MM in total guarantees) signed in 2015. At the time, Jackson only had two truly strong seasons under his belt (2012 and 2014) with three so-so campaigns. Jackson’s first-round pedigree probably helped matters, but Bouye is more than a full year younger than Jackson at the time of his negotiations.

Jags Approaching Decision On Kelvin Beachum

As part of the unique contract left tackle Kelvin Beachum signed with the Jaguars last offseason, Jacksonville holds a $5MM option bonus for 2017-2020. The option, which would fully guarantee Beachum an additional $13MM in base salary, must be exercised or declined 22 days prior to the start of the new league year, which, as Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com points out, means the Jaguars need to make a decision on Beachum by February 15, two weeks from today.Kelvin Beachum (Vertical)

[RELATED: Jaguars Retain Nathaniel Hackett As OC]

“There’s still something internally they have to continue to handle before they get to taking care of the roster,” Beachum said, adding that he’s been offered no hints about his status. “I’ve been in this position before. I was in this position in Pittsburgh last year. I don’t take anything for granted. There are no guarantees. I’m going to do what I do, which is train and take care of my body, and make sure I can do everything I can do to put my best foot forward wherever I am next year.”

Beachum, 27, was an elite left tackle during the 2014 with the Steelers, but an ACL injury during the 2015 campaign ended his season and torpedoed his free agent value. Like fellow injury-affected left tackle Russell Okung, Beachum agreed to an oddly-structured contract that fully guaranteed him only $1.5MM, but contains the aforementioned option bonus, option years, and $11MM in incentives and escalators.

Perhaps still recovering from his knee injury, Beachum struggled in 2016, grading as the league’s No. 63 tackle among 78 qualifiers, per Pro Football Focus, the same organization that rated him as the NFL’s fifth-best OT in 2014. As such, it’s fair to wonder how much the ACL is/was still bothering Beachum, even though he was able to remain on the field for 15 games.

If Beachum isn’t retained, the Jaguars will essentially have to start over at left tackle, as former No. 2 overall pick Luke Joeckel has since been moved to guard and is now headed for free agency after his own injury-marred season. With few options available on the open market, Jacksonville would likely need to invest a draft pick on the tackle position in order to stabilize a front five that ranked just 27th in adjusted line yards last year.

Larry Fitzgerald To Return In 2017

Cardinals wide receiver Larry Fitzgerald will continue his NFL career through at least 2017, according to Jim Trotter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As of early this week, Arizona was still unsure if Fitzgerald would return next year, but those concerns have now been alleviated.Larry Fitzgerald

[RELATED: Top 3 Offseason Needs — Arizona Cardinals]

Fitzgerald’s retirement status has been a subject of conversation since the 2016 season began, while the Cardinals are also waiting on an official word from quarterback Carson Palmer, who is also thought to be contemplating the end of his career. Extended on the same day last season, Fitzgerald and Palmer are signed through 2017 and 2018, respectively. As such, the 33-year-old Fitzgerald is scheduled to earn a base salary of $11MM next season, though that figure is guaranteed for injury only.

The return of Fitzgerald, who’s been with the Cardinals since entering the league as a first-round pick in 2004, will add stability to Arizona’s wide receiver corps, and the club’s offense as a whole. At present, Fitzgerald tops a WR unit that also includes John Brown, Jaron Brown, and J.J. Nelson. Although the Cardinals’ offense now revolves around running back David Johnson, the return of Fitzgerald could further entice Palmer to return in 2017, especially given that it was Palmer who was attempting to convince Fitzgerald to keep playing earlier this offseason.

In his 13th NFL season, Fitzgerald once again posted elite production, leading the league in receptions (107) while acting primarily as a slot receiver. While his yards per reception hit an all-time low, Fitzgerald put up 100 catches for the second consecutive year, serving as something of a glorified tight end (who excels at blocking) in Bruce Arians‘ offense.

From a historical perspective, Fitzgerald doesn’t have much else to prove, as he already ranks second in NFL history with 1,125 receptions, eighth in receiving yards (14,389), and sixth in receiving touchdowns (104). The last remaining goal, then, is a Super Bowl victory, which would only cap Fitzgerald’s Hall of Fame career.

Top 3 Offseason Needs: Cincinnati Bengals

In advance of March 9, the start of free agency in the NFL, Pro Football Rumors will detail each team’s three most glaring roster issues. We’ll continue this year’s series with the Cincinnati Bengals, who missed the postseason for the first time in six years after finishing with a 6-9-1 record.

Depth Chart (via Roster Resource)

Pending Free Agents:

Top 10 Cap Hits for 2017:

  1. Andy Dalton, QB: $15,700,000
  2. A.J. Green, WR: $13,500,000
  3. Geno Atkins, DT: $10,600,000
  4. Adam Jones, CB: $8,166,666
  5. Carlos Dunlap, DE: $7,250,000
  6. George Iloka, S: $5,400,000
  7. Michael Johnson, DE: $5,125,000
  8. Clint Boling, G: $4,925,000
  9. Tyler Eifert, TE: $4,782,000
  10. Vontaze Burfict, LB: $4,725,000

Other:

Three Needs:

1) Add an edge defender: The Bengals are now two years removed from a 2014 campaign in which they finished dead last in the NFL with only 20 sacks, and thanks to the return and gradual recovery of All Pro defensive tackle Geno Atkins, who suffered a torn ACL halfway through the 2013 season, the club’s pass rushing attack is now league average, as the unit ranked 15th in adjusted sack percentage and 19th in sacks. Much of that production (52% of Cincinnati’s 30 sacks in 2016), however, comes from Atkins and defensive end Carlos Dunlap, and given the lack of other high-quality edge rushers on the roster, and the fact that Dunlap and Atkins will both be nearing 30 years old when the 2017 season gets underway, the Bengals need to invest in another pass rushing force.Geno Atkins (Vertical)

To be sure, the interior of Cincinnati’s defensive line could use some work as well, but the presence of Atkins makes up for a lot. Veteran nose tackle Domata Peko is a pending free agent and is unlikely to be re-signed, but the club does have other options up the middle. 2016 fourth-round pick Andrew Billings should be ready to contribute after missing his entire rookie season with injury, Brandon Thompson‘s one-year contract will toll after he spent all of last year on the physically unable to perform list, and Pat Sims and Marcus Hardison are still under team control for 2017.

The edge, however, is relatively barren outside of Dunlap. Michael Johnson has never been a prototypical defensive end, as his prowess in the run game far outweighs his ability to take down opposing quarterbacks, and the 29-year-old is coming off arguably the worst season of his career. The Bengals are loathe to release veterans in the midst of multi-year deals, but cutting Johnson has to be in consideration this offseason. At the very least, he’ll need to see far fewer snaps than the 831 he played in 2016. Failed second-round pick Margus Hunt and multi-stint Bengal Wallace Gilberry are both heading for the open market, and it would be a surprise to see either return to Cincinnati. As such, Will Clarke — a former third-rounder who played on roughly a third of the Bengals’ defensive snaps last year — could be the only other defensive end available to play opposite Dunlap.Jabaal Sheard (Vertical)

The free agent market for pass rushers isn’t exactly overflowing with options, and the Bengals won’t even think about adding a high-priced player such as Chandler Jones or Jason Pierre-Paul. The most expensive free agent Cincinnati might contemplate is the Patriots’ Jabaal Sheard, who spent four seasons in the AFC North with the Browns before defecting to New England. Sheard, 27, is capable against the pass but is excellent in the run game, a trait the Bengals value immensely. Datone Jones (Packers) could also be on the table, and could benefit from playing in a 4-3 scheme, while Courtney Upshaw (Falcons) and Andre Branch (Dolphins) may also make sense.

More likely, though, Cincinnati will instead target a veteran on a low-cost one-year contract, attempting to fill the edge void on the cheap (the club has used a similar strategy over the past two seasons at linebacker by signing Karlos Dansby and A.J. Hawk). Dwight Freeney is the most obvious candidate for such a deal, as the Bengals worked out the 36-year-old last May before he signed with the Falcons. It’s possible Freeney will retire at season’s end, especially if Atlanta wins the Super Bowl, but he was still effective in 2016 while playing on nearly 40% of the Falcons’ defensive snaps.

A reunion with former Bengal Frostee Rucker could also be in the cards, especially given that Rucker offers the versatility to move inside on passing downs. Rucker, who spent 2007-11 in the Queen City, shouldn’t be expensive as he enters his age-34 season. Meanwhile, it wouldn’t be surprising if Cincinnati called Chris Long about a contract, while fellow veterans Jason Jones, Mario Addison, and Charles Johnson could all be available with various price tags. If released, Mario Williams, Jared Odrick, and Connor Barwin could also be on the Bengals’ radar.Derek Barnett (Vertical)

If the Bengals do opt for a one-year stop gap at end, the club will almost certainly devote additional resources to the position in the form of draft picks. Sitting within the top-10 for the first time in years, Cincinnati should have the opportunity to select a near-elite prospect who can contribute immediately. While Myles Garrett will be off the board, the Bengals should have a shot at one of Jonathan Allen (Arkansas), Derek Barnett (Tennessee), Tim Williams (Alabama), or Solomon Thomas (Stanford), the latter of whom was mocked to Cincinnati by both Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN.com and Josh Norris of Rotoworld. Michigan’s Taco Charlton, Missouri’s Charles Harris, and Auburn’s Carl Lawson, meanwhile, could be available in the early part of Day 2.

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