North Notes: Steelers, Browns, McCarron
It’s already been a busy day for the North divisions, with the Ravens re-signing Lardarius Webb and Marvin Lewis weighing in on the potentially legitimate possibility he becomes a lame-duck coach in 2017. Let’s check out the latest from the Norths.
- The Steelers have not been shy about selecting linebackers in recent first rounds, but they hosted Florida linebacker Jarrad Davis on a visit, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com reports. Already housing Ryan Shazier and Vince Williams on the inside, the Steelers would continue their second-level-stocking ways by adding the former Gators ‘backer. Pittsburgh, though, did lose Lawrence Timmons — a 2007 first-rounder — to the Dolphins. The Steelers have selected a linebacker in the first round in three of the past four drafts, with the now-departed Jarvis Jones (2013) preceding Shazier (2014) and Bud Dupree (’15).
- The Browns remain interested in A.J. McCarron, a former charge of Hue Jackson while in Cincinnati, Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com notes. Familiarity with Jackson and a knowledge of his system endear the Browns to McCarron, with Cabot categorizing the quarterback as a bridge player while the franchise develops the rookie passer it’s expected to select. McCarron has two years remaining on his rookie contract. Cabot adds the fourth-year backup wants to be traded.
- Cabot connects the Browns Mitchell Trubisky, Deshaun Watson and Patrick Mahomes, believing they will draft one of this trio later this month. But sources informed the longtime Cleveland reporter the 2018 crop of passers outflanks this one. In particular, Wyoming’s Josh Allen is a “once-in-every-10-years talent,” one evaluator told Cabot.
- Anquan Boldin continues to insist he will play in 2017 but plans to wait until close to training camp to make a decision, per CBS Sports’ Jamey Eisenberg, who added the Ravens and Lions remain interested suitors. This gibes with what we’ve heard from the 14-year veteran throughout the offseason. Boldin’s teammate in both places, Haloti Ngata plans to help recruit the veteran wide receiver back to Detroit, per Eisenberg.
- DeAndre Levy also underwent surgery recently and is not happy with how the Lions handled his injuries over the past two seasons.
Levy Planning Grievance Against Lions?
DeAndre Levy went from cornerstone Lions linebacker to unrestricted free agent in less than two years, with injuries largely paving his way out of Detroit.
But the linebacker appears to be at odds against his former team after undergoing a recent surgery, with an Instagram post that read, “‘Your knee is fine,’ they said,” (via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, on Twitter). This calls into question the Lions’ assessment of his injured knee and could lead to a grievance.
Levy underwent surgery a few days ago, Birkett reports. The outside linebacker underwent a previous procedure to clean up meniscus tears in his knee last season, causing him to miss 11 games in 2016. Levy characterized the latest operation as “a retouch up on the meniscus and some other damage,” per Birkett, who adds Levy is unhappy with how the Lions handled his injuries over the past two seasons.
“There was more going on than I was being told,” Levy said, via Birkett. “I can’t say what this means for free agency. My main focus is to actually heal and get healthy under trusted physicians.”
The Lions released Levy on March 9 and designated him as a post-June 1 cut. However, Levy had a $1.75MM injury guarantee in his contract. The Lions avoided paying that in the release by passing him on his physical, Birkett reports, assuming this will lead to a grievance against the team centering around that injury guarantee.
GM Bob Quinn said the team did not approach Levy about taking a paycut from the $5.75MM salary he was supposed to earn in 2017 because the Lions wanted to turn to younger linebackers. Levy turned 30 in March.
Detroit signed the outside linebacker to a four-year, $33.74MM extension in the summer of 2015 to make him the highest-paid 4-3 outside ‘backer at the time of the deal. However, he played just six games since after running into extensive injury trouble. Hip and knee problems sidetracked Levy, who had played 16 games in three of the previous four seasons. A grievance would mark the second straight complex offseason regarding the release of a linebacker for the Lions, who went through a lengthy ways-parting saga with Stephen Tulloch last year.
Marvin Lewis Doesn’t Foresee Extension Before Season
Marvin Lewis‘ contract has been one of the primary issues facing the Bengals this offseason. However, the 15th-year coach does not expect that to be resolved before the start of the 2017 season.
Regarding his contract, Lewis said he doesn’t “anticipate anything happening” before the season begins, Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com reports. Lewis is under contract through the 2017 season. He’s signed several Bengals extensions, including one last April that runs through the ’17 slate.
Lewis said today both sides are fine with the current situation. Mike Brown had dinner at Lewis’ house in Arizona during the owners’ meetings last week.
“It’s not really a subject that’s on my mind,” Lewis said of a re-up, via Terrell. “I don’t think it’s on Mike’s mind either. I’ve gone into many seasons without a new contract. It’s not a focus for me.”
This continues a back-and-forth offseason for the 58-year-old coach on this topic. Lewis said from the Senior Bowl in January he was seeking an extension to help put his coaches’ minds at ease. A month later, Lewis backtracked on that by intimating his staff perhaps shouldn’t be especially comfortable coming off a 6-9-1 season. The Bengals, of course, previously ventured to five straight AFC wild-card games without winning one.
Brown’s shown consistent confidence in Lewis, and it’s obviously not certain the coach will enter the season as a rare lame duck. But as of now it’s pointing that way.
Bills Host Justin Durant On Visit
Justin Durant has not drawn much interest in advance of what would be his 11th NFL season, but the Bills are taking a look at the UFA linebacker. Durant visited the Bills today, Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets.
The 10-year veteran has played for four NFL teams, including two stints with the Cowboys, and served exclusively as a component on 4-3 defenses. The Bills planning to pivot back to a 4-3 scheme would seem to make Durant a potential option.
The 31-year-old ‘backer served as a backup on last season’s NFC East champion version of the Cowboys after previously working as a starter in Dallas from 2013-14. Durant has also spent time with the Jaguars, who made him a second-round pick in 2007, along with the Lions and Falcons. He made 37 tackles last season and recorded a sack.
Durant has 92 career starts to his name, the past 12 coming with the Falcons in 2015. Durant’s best season came in 2012 with Detroit, when he made 102 tackles in 16 games. He has not played a 16-game slate since.
Buffalo is thinner on its second level after losing Zach Brown to the Redskins via free agency defection. Currently, the team has Ramon Humber and recently re-signed Lorenzo Alexander slotted as its outside ‘backers. Reggie Ragland is also coming off a season-nullifying injury, so the Bills are in need of at least some depth at linebacker. The Bills did sign former Jaguars defensive end Ryan Davis, a player who converted to linebacker last season in a nomadic year. They previously visited with Brown and Keenan Robinson as UFAs, only to see both wind up in the NFC East.
Ravens To Re-Sign Michael Campanaro
The Ravens will bring back backup wide receiver Michael Campanaro, who could return to a receiving corps more in need of his services. Baltimore’s pact with Campanaro could be worth as much as $2MM, Jeff Zreibec of the Baltimore Sun reports.
This deal will replace the $1.79MM original-round tender the Ravens offered the then-RFA last month. The 26-year-old wideout will receive a $250K signing bonus and a $250K roster bonus, per Zreibec. With the $2MM figure being reachable only through incentives, this deal will save the Ravens approximately $600K.
Campanaro has mostly seen special teams work in his three years with the Ravens. The Wake Forest alum and Maryland native has 12 career catches for 137 yards. Although, the Ravens lost Steve Smith to retirement and Kamar Aiken to the Colts via free agency defection. So, it’s possible Campanaro sees a bigger role on the 2017 team.
Saints To Meet With Adrian Peterson
The Saints will meet Adrian Peterson next week, a source tells NFL.com’s Heath Evans (Twitter link). This will mark Peterson’s third free agent visit of the offseason. 
[RELATED: Will The Saints Take An RB At No. 11? Check Out PFR’s Mock Draft]
Previously, Peterson met with the Seahawks and Patriots, but there’s little chance of him landing in Seattle and the odds of him going to New England don’t seem all that high either. The Seahawks are already well set at running back with Eddie Lacy, C.J. Prosise, and Thomas Rawls on the depth chart. The Patriots, meanwhile, have five running backs under contract after re-signing Brandon Bolden this week.
The Saints have Mark Ingram as their top running back with Travaris Cadet, Daniel Lasco, and Marcus Murphy in support. A backfield starring Ingram and Peterson would be lethal and would help keep defenses honest against the Saints’ pass-heavy offense. The Saints’ exact level of interest in Peterson isn’t clear, but they’re at least curious about him after losing Tim Hightower to free agency. Peterson, meanwhile, is looking to join a contender and, depending on how the rest of the offseason goes, the Saints could fit the bill.
It will be interesting to see whether the Saints are simply meeting with Peterson or if they will also put him through a workout. Peterson’s recent powwow with the Patriots included some drills.
Seahawks Set Asking Price For Richard Sherman
The Seahawks have told teams they’ll only part with Richard Sherman if they receive “a very good player plus a high draft pick,” an NFL source tells Armando Salguero of The Miami Herald. When considered in tandem with the cornerback’s hefty contract, that’s a major expenditure for any interested team. 
While the Sherman trade talk has been bubbling for weeks, the latest news on that front has made it seem as though a deal is unlikely. Sherman himself has vacillated between being nonchalant and serious about the trade rumors, but his most recent comments indicate that he doesn’t see a deal going down. Meanwhile, the Patriots seem to be out on Sherman for the time being. Now that we know Seattle is seeking a big haul, the odds of a deal don’t feel quite as high as they did earlier this week.
Sherman’s deal calls for cap hits of $13.63MM and $13.2MM in each of the next two seasons. However, if a team trades for him, they won’t be on the hook for his $2.2MM prorated bonus. With an $11.431MM cap charge (adjusted for the bonus deduction), Sherman would have the ninth-highest cap hit for any corner in the NFL this year, which is a bit more palatable than his current No. 4 position.
Albert Breer On Sherman, Draft, 49ers
Seahawks GM John Schneider says that the trade rumors surrounding Richard Sherman are “real,” but the star cornerback isn’t too concerned.
“Very little chance it happens, but both sides are listening,” Sherman told Albert Breer of The MMQB. “I honestly don’t have much more to say about it than what I’ve already said. We have a great relationship, . . . There is a lot of love and respect. There is no bad blood.”
Now that the Patriots are no longer interested in Sherman, it’s possible that the odds of a trade have decreased. Then again, plenty of teams will be interested in adding a high-level talent like him.
Here’s more from Breer:
- Alabama pass rusher Tim Williams is a Top 10 talent, but Breer would be surprised if he goes in the first round due to his off-field red flags. “He’s up there with the top pure pass rushers,” said one area scout. “The real question is his personality, and the trust factor with teams. The problems aren’t rare, it’s more whether the team can trust the person. Can he work through the problems? Is he smart enough to work through the problems?” Breer notes that problems with previous high-profile pass rushers like Randy Gregory, Aldon Smith, Greg Hardy, and Dion Jordan aren’t helping Williams’ case.Williams admitted at the combine to failing tests in college and has a gun charge in his past.
- Breer expects new 49ers GM John Lynch to try and deal down to get more picks. He has heard “from a number of people” that the Niners like Alabama linebacker Reuben Foster and LSU running back Leonard Fournette.
- Because of the perceived depth of the draft and lack of excitement about the top quarterbacks, it’s a mild market in terms of teams looking to move up.
- Controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon is likely to go in round two or three, Breer hears.
Patriots Not Interested In Richard Sherman
For those of you dreaming of Richard Sherman in red, white, and blue, we have some bad news. The Patriots are not interested in trading for him, according to a source who spoke with Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com. 
Seahawks GM John Schneider admits that Sherman trade talks is “real” and we know that the Patriots, at one point, called Seattle about a potential deal. Yesterday, was said that the Patriots would only engage in a full-on pursuit if they wound up losing star cornerback Malcolm Butler this offseason. As it stands, however, it sounds like the Patriots have cooled on Sherman overall. That could be an indication that Butler will not be heading to the Saints, but that’s just my own speculation.
Interestingly, as Sherman finds himself in an awkward situation with the Seahawks, he is acting as his own agent. Sherman was a client of agent Ben Dogra when he signed his lucrative extension with Seattle, but he did not bother to hire a new rep after Dogra was hit with NFLPA sanctions.
Jahri Evans Wants To Continue Playing
Heading into the start of free agency, we had Jahri Evans ranked as the fifth-best interior offensive lineman available. One month later, all of the players ranked ahead of Evans and all of the players ranked beneath him on that top 15 list come off of the board, but Evans remains. Undeterred by the way his free agency has played out, Evans says that he still wants to play in 2017. 
“Not at all,” Evans told NFL Network (video link, via Twitter) when asked if this would be the end of the line. “I had a good season last year. We did a lot of good things, and I’m just waiting for that phone call, [waiting for] the right situation. As long I’m playing at an elite level, I’ll still strap on that helmet and give it a go.”
In my mind, the 33-year-old (34 in August) has proven that he still has something left in the tank. Last year, he graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 36 guard in the NFL. His 78.6 overall score is roughly in line with the work he has done over the past four NFL seasons.
It’s not clear where Evans will wind up, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll return to New Orleans after sending out a farewell to Saints fans via social media earlier this year. Evans has never played a regular season (or playoff) game for another franchise since being drafted by the Saints in 2006. Over the course of his eleven seasons in New Orleans, Evans racked up six Pro Bowl nods and four First-Team All-Pro selections.