Rob Ninkovich To Retire
Longtime Patriots stalwart Rob Ninkovich, 33, is expected to announce his retirement this afternoon, according to Mike Reiss of ESPN.com. Just last week, we heard that Ninkovich, who was entering a contract season, would not play for anyone other than New England. Now, it seems, he will play for no one at all.
Ninkovich was selected by the Saints in the fifth round of the 2006 draft and spent several years with the Dolphins, but his career did not blossom until he signed with the Pats in 2009. Since 2010, he has posted at least four sacks per season as a versatile defensive end/linebacker, including three consecutive eight-sack seasons from 2012-14.
All in all, Ninkovich piled up 423 tackles and 46 sacks during his tenure with the Patriots. He appeared in 17 playoff games, including 16 starts, and was a key member of two Super Bowl-winning teams. A classic overachiever, Ninkovich was also a team leader, serving as a captain in 2013 and 2015.
As Reiss observes, Ninkovich appeared in only 44.3% of the team’s defensive snaps in the 2016 regular season, though that was due in large part to the fact that he served a four-game suspension to open the season after testing positive for a banned substance. But in the Pats’ most critical games at the end of the year, Ninkovich’s snap count spiked, underscoring his importance to the club. The last game of his career, of course, will be a Super Bowl triumph.
The team was counting on another solid season from the Purdue product in 2017. The Pats will turn first to Kony Ealy — who was acquired in a trade with the Panthers this offseason — to replace Ninkovich’s production. Michael Lombardi of The Ringer tweets that Deatrich Wise, Jr., whom New England selected in the fourth round of this year’s draft, is also a player to watch. The Patriots will need someone like Wise or fellow rookie Derek Rivers to step up in a big way, as Doug Kyed of NESN.com writes, because New England’s pass rush without Ninkovich looks rather thin.
Lions Notes: Stafford, Quin, Caldwell, Decker
Although “internal optimism” exists regarding the Lions’ extension talks with quarterback Matthew Stafford, the veteran signal-caller says there’s “no timetable” guiding the negotiations, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link). Although Stafford admitted that his agent Tom Condon is currently discussing a deal with Detroit, he told reporters he wasn’t sure if he’d allow negotiations to continue once the regular season gets underway, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com reports. Last month, Lions president Rod Wood implied he’d be “comfortable” making Stafford the NFL’s highest-paid quarterback, which would mean agreeing to an annual salary north of $25MM.
Here’s more from the Motor City:
- Extension discussions are also underway between the Lions and safety Glover Quin, and Quin is confident an agreement will ultimately be hammered out, tweets Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Quin, 31, is entering the final season of a five-year, $23.5MM pact he signed prior to the 2013 campaign. Next season, he’s scheduled to a $4MM base salary and a $1MM roster bonus while carrying a cap charge of ~$7.828MM. Quin’s annual salary of $4.7MM ranks just 27th among NFL safeties.
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell is also entering the final year of his contract, but he’s not worried about serving out the season as a lame-duck head coach, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “I don’t even worry about it and I think I’ve tried to explain pretty well to you guys that there hasn’t been a time in my life where you operate under certain things,” Caldwell said. “You never know if you have a 15-year contract, it doesn’t mean you’re not going to be fired tomorrow. So you always got to perform.” Through four seasons as Detroit’s head coach, Caldwell has posted a 27-21 regular season record and lead the club to two NFC Wild Card appearances.
- Injured left tackle Taylor Decker is no longer wearing a sling and is “on track” in his rehab from a torn labrum, as Twentyman reports in a full article. Decker was projected to miss four-to-six months when he was originally injured in early June, meaning he could certainly be sidelined for the early portion of the 2017 season. In response, the Lions acquired former No. 2 overall pick Greg Robinson from the Lions and signed ex-Bills offensive lineman Cyrus Kouandjio.
Jaguars Worked Out Jonathan Meeks
The Jaguars worked out former Bills safety Jonathan Meeks on Tuesday, according to Mike Kaye of First Coast News (Twitter link).
Meeks, a fifth-round pick out of Clemson in 2013, appeared in 38 games for Buffalo over the past four years but never started a contest. Defensive contributions have never been the 27-year-old Meeks’ calling card, as he played on just 87 defensive snaps a year ago. Instead, Meeks has produced on special teams: he posted five tackles in 2017 while seeing action on roughly a third of the Bills’ special teams plays.
That’s the role Meeks would play if signed by Jacksonville, as well, as the Jaguars already boast two excellent starting safeties in Tashaun Gipson and Barry Church. Jacksonville’s special teams unit was below-average last season, ranking 25th in DVOA while losing 8.8 points of field position on punt coverage and 10.8 points of field position on punt returns. The Jaguars have since hired a new special teams coordinator — former Cowboys coach Joe DeCamillis — but Meeks would add another solid special teams presence.
Jacksonville agreed to terms with fellow defensive back Stanley Jean-Baptiste on Tuesday, so it’s unclear if Meeks is still in the running for a roster spot.
Dolphins Likely To Sign Or Trade For DT
The Dolphins are expected to sign or acquire a defensive tackle if the club determines none of its backup internal options are prepared to contribute in 2017, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald.
At present, the Dolphins boast rookies Davon Godchaux and Vincent Taylor behind starters Ndamukong Suh and Jordan Phillips, but reports earlier this year indicated the team doesn’t believe either 2017 draft choice is ready to play a large role during the upcoming season. Miami’s search for a rotational defensive tackle dates back to before the draft, though, as the club inquired on both Dontari Poe and Johnathan Hankins during the free agent period (both of whom would have been overqualified reserves).
Free agent options for Miami include Roy Miller, Sen’Derrick Marks, Dan Williams, and former Dolphin Paul Soliai, reports Jackson. Miller, notably, worked out for the Dolphins last week, but hasn’t yet agreed to a deal. Speculatively, other interior defenders of note that could interest Miami include Jared Odrick, Arthur Jones, and Vance Walker.
Trade candidates are more speculative, of course, but I recently examined defenders that could be available when assessing how the Saints could replace Nick Fairley, and many of those same players could be on Miami’s radar. Arik Armstead (49ers), Vinny Curry (Eagles), Carl Davis (Ravens), Steve McLendon (Jets), and Sheldon Richardson (Jets) comprise a list of defensive tackles who could conceivably be shopped.
Minor NFL Transactions: 7/29/17
The Rams have officially placed defensive tackle Aaron Donald on the reserve/did not report list, according to Alden Gonzalez of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The designation doesn’t mean much, as Donald can be removed from the list at any point. But it clears a roster spot for Los Angeles while Donald stages a holdout over a new contract.
Here are the rest of today’s minor moves:
- Quarterback Zac Dysert‘s 2017 season was already over after he underwent back surgery, and the Cowboys have now made that official by designating him as waived/injured, per James Palmer of NFL.com (Twitter link). Dysert will go through waivers, but he won’t be claimed thanks to his injury. He’ll revert to Dallas’ injured reserve list.
- The Raiders claimed running back George Atkinson III off waivers from the Browns, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. The son of former Raiders great George Atkinson, the running back spent time with the Raiders from 2014-15 and played in 16 games as a special-teamer for the Browns last season.
- Marcel Reece‘s return to the Seahawks will add a big-name fullback to the equation, and it will cut short fullback Algernon Brown. Seattle also waived linebacker Nick Usher, Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets. Usher was part of the Hawks’ UDFA contingent in May, but the team needed to make room for Marcus Smith. Brown’s exit leaves only Reece and Kyle Coleman as Seattle fullbacks, Condotta tweets.
- Again in need of a replacement linebacker, the Vikings signed Darnell Sankey, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (on Twitter). The team waived linebacker Shaan Washington. Tomasson notes (on Twitter) the Vikes originally picked up linebacker Noor Davis to replace Washington, but after a Kentrell Brothers injury, the team added a second new ‘backer.
- Signed by the Saints and converted to wide receiver earlier this year after a run as a dual-threat quarterback at Georgia Tech, Justin Thomas will need to find another team if he’s going to catch on in the NFL. The Saints cut the rookie wideout, Nick Underhill of The Advocate reports (on Twitter).
- The Bengals swapped out wideouts by waiving Monty Madaris and signing Lavonte Whitfield, Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Madaris resided on the Active/PUP list with a hamstring injury and will revert to Cincinnati’s Reserve/PUP list if he clears waivers, Owczarski notes (on Twitter).
- The Redskins announced that they’ve signed defensive back Jeremiah McKinnon while waiving/injured DB Lou Young. Young appeared in six games for Carolina a season ago.
- With Daimion Stafford mulling retirement, the Steelers announced that they’ve signed another safety, 2017 undrafted free agent Malik Golden.
- The Panthers waived tight end Wyatt Houston, Jourdan Rodrigue of the Charlotte Observer tweets.
Offseason In Review: Indianapolis Colts
The Colts limped to an 8-8 record for the consecutive year, as even an excellent campaign from quarterback Andrew Luck couldn’t overcome the club’s poor defense. With a new general manager installed in January, Indianapolis had several areas of focus to address during the offseason.
Notable signings:
- Johnathan Hankins, DT: Three years, $27MM. $10MM guaranteed. $3MM available via escalators.
- Jabaal Sheard, LB: Three years, $25.5MM. $9.5MM guaranteed.
- Jack Doyle, TE: Three years, $18.9MM. $7.5MM guaranteed.
- John Simon, LB: Three years, $14MM. $6MM guaranteed. $1.5MM available via incentives.
- Darius Butler, CB: One year, $3MM. $2.5MM guaranteed.
- Kamar Aiken, WR: One year, $2.6MM. $1.5MM guaranteed.
- Jeff Locke, P: Two years, $3.45MM. $1.25MM guaranteed.
- Barkevious Mingo, LB: One year, $2MM. $1MM guaranteed.
- Sean Spence, LB: One year, $2.5MM. $750K guaranteed.
- Margus Hunt, DL: Two years, $4.1MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Robert Turbin, RB: Two years, $2.7MM. $500K guaranteed.
- Brian Schwenke, OL: One year, $1.3MM. $300K guaranteed.
- Al Woods, DT: Two years, $4MM. $250K guaranteed.
- Brandon Williams, TE: One year, minimum salary benefit. $80K guaranteed.
- Fahn Cooper, OL: Two years, $1.02MM.
- Christine Michael, RB: One year, $775K.
- Jon Bostic, LB: One year, $690K.
- Troymaine Pope, RB: One year, $540K.
The Colts arguably had the worst defensive depth chart in the NFL heading into the 2017 offseason, meaning general manager Chris Ballard & Co. had quite a bit of work to do on that side of the ball. Indianapolis’ front office made several smart value signings, including that of former Giant Johnathan Hankins, who waited out the market with the hope of landing a hefty contract. Ultimately, the Colts landed Hankins for only $9MM annually, a salary which ranks just 21st among interior defensive linemen.
Hankins posted the worst season of his career in 2017, grading as the league’s No. 59 interior defender, according to Pro Football Focus, which handed Hankins extremely poor marks as a pass-rusher. But there are reasons to be optimistic about Hankins in Indy, and chief among them is his age. Despite having already played four NFL seasons, Hankins is only entering his age-25 campaign, so improvement isn’t out of the question. Additionally, Hankins will move to nose tackle with the Colts after playing three-technique in New York thanks to the presence of Damon Harrison. Shifting to a nose shade should aid Hankins’ play, as he’s always been more productive when playing over a center.
Indianapolis didn’t stop after adding Hankins, as the club inked two pass-rushers in the form of John Simon and Jabaal Sheard. Neither player is a superstar, but both are competent outside linebackers with experience in 3-4 schemes. Simon and Sheard are both solid against the run, as well, and should help improve a Colts run defense that ranked dead last in DVOA a year ago. Given that both Simon and Sheard are now transitioning from part-time roles to full-time jobs, it wouldn’t be a surprise if at least one of them reaches a double-digit sack total in 2017.
While most of the Colts’ defensive signings came along the front seven (which, despite the additions, PFF still ranks as the the No. 31 front in the NFL), the team did re-sign one of its own in the secondary, coming to terms with defensive back Darius Butler on a one-year pact. Butler, 31, put up arguably the best campaign of his eight-year career in 2016, and entered the free agent market with the intent of shifting from cornerback to safety. While it’s unclear exactly what role he’ll play for the Colts, Butler looks poised to fill a jack-of-all-trades position, roving between slot corner and safety, especially while Clayton Geathers is on reserve/PUP.
Hankins, Simon, Sheard, and Butler represented the most high-profile Colts signings/re-signings on defense, but Indianapolis also threw a limited amount of guarantees against the wall to bring in a number of defensive players. Sean Spence will likely start at inside linebacker, but Barkevious Mingo, Jon Bostic, Margus Hunt, and Al Woods were all brought in to add depth and perhaps play special teams. The total amount of guaranteed money spent on those players is $2.5MM, so it’s a small investment in order to ensure the club won’t be completely bereft of help if and when injuries strike. After years of fielding a top-heavy roster, the Colts are finally prioritizing depth throughout the squad.
On offense, Indianapolis’ primary move was re-signing Jack Doyle, who is now the club’s unquestioned No. 1 tight end following the trade of Dwayne Allen to the Patriots. Doyle, a former undrafted free agent, had never topped 22 targets prior to the 2016 season, but broke out during his fourth NFL campaign, managing 59 receptions for 75 targets for 584 yards and five touchdowns. With Allen out of the picture, it’s conceivable that Doyle — who ranked ninth in DYAR and 10th in DVOA, both courtesy of Football Outsiders — could play an even larger role in the season to come. Doyle isn’t a superb blocker (23rd in the run game, per PFF), meaning free agent signee Brandon Williams could see playing time as an in-line tight end.
Former Raven Kamar Aiken could possibly serve as the Colts’ No. 2 wide receiver or fall as far as fourth on the depth chart, and training camp/the preseason will likely determine where exactly Aiken fits. Donte Moncrief, Indy’s presumptive second wideout, hasn’t been able to stay healthy, while 2015 first-round pick Phillip Dorsett has averaged just 26 receptions per season during his first two years in the league. Aiken plays special teams and received $2.5MM in guarantees, so he’ll make the roster, and he was reportedly told the Colts would stage an “open competition” at receiver this offseason.
Vikings, Xavier Rhodes Close On Extension
The Vikings are close to finalizing an extension with cornerback Xavier Rhodes, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
A source informed Tomasson the deal is expected to be in the five-year, $70MM vicinity. That would tie Rhodes to the Vikings through the 2022 season. The cornerback is set to make just more than $8MM on a fifth-year option this season.
We heard earlier this week the Vikings made a “nice offer” to the 27-year-old cornerback, who is entering his contract year. Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN reported the team is willing to make him one of the league’s highest-paid corners.
An assistant coach at Florida State during Rhodes’ time there and a former NFL corner, Terrell Buckley serves as a mentor to Rhodes. He told Tomasson there was a “high probability” Rhodes will sign an extension by the end of the week but is attempting to get a couple of things “squared away” with this Vikes proposal. Buckley added Rhodes “loves” playing for Mike Zimmer and secondary coach Jerry Gray, further pointing to a long Rhodes stay in Minneapolis.
At $14MM annually, that would match Rhodes with Richard Sherman and Patrick Peterson as the third-highest-paid corner. Only Josh Norman makes more than that annually, although Trumaine Johnson‘s franchise tag ($16.742MM) has him as the league’s highest-paid corner for 2017.
In addition to Rhodes, the Vikings want to lock down key members of their defense, Tomasson reports. They are internally discussing extensions for Anthony Barr, Eric Kendricks and Linval Joseph, per Tomasson. The team just signed Everson Griffen to a $57.9MM extension.
The Vikings rode their defense to a dominant start in 2016, jumping out to a 5-0 mark. Minnesota finished third defensively last season. Barr became extension-eligible after last season, but Kendricks — as a 2015 second-round pick — isn’t yet allowed to sign one until after this season. Joseph has delivered dominant football to the Vikings after they signed him as a UFA from the Giants. He has two years remaining on the five-year, $31.25MM deal he signed in 2014. Joseph is set to make $6.85MM in each of the next two seasons.
Contract Details: Griffen, Casey, Kelly
This week, two defensive linemen signed landmark extensions with their franchises. Here’s how their contracts are structured.
- Everson Griffen‘s four-year, $58MM Vikings extension included $18.8MM fully guaranteed at signing, and that will pay out over the next two years, Andrew Krammer of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Griffen’s 2017 cap number rises to $8.6MM, and in 2018, that figure comes in at $11.6MM. The 29-year-old defensive end’s cap figures from 2019-22 are as follows: $11.9MM in ’19, $13.9MM (’20), $14.4MM (’21) and $15.5MM (’22). Griffen received a $2MM signing bonus. Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports Griffen’s $3.9MM base salary for 2018 is guaranteed for injury at signing and becomes fully guaranteed on the third day of the next league year. His $10.9MM base in ’19 becomes fully guaranteed on Day 3 of the 2019 league year. After ’19, though, the guarantees are partial. $4.3MM of Griffen’s 2020 base ($12.9MM) is guaranteed for injury only at signing. Griffen has no guarantees attached to the 2021 or ’22 seasons, leading Florio to tab this a two-year deal with extra injury protection in the following two seasons.
- Jurrell Casey‘s four-year, $60.4MM Titans re-up contains $22MM fully guaranteed at signing, Florio reports. Over the next two years, the interior defender will make $25.2MM — $11.27MM of which will be new money, per Florio. Most of Casey’s 2017 wages come through bonuses; he will earn $1.4MM in base salary. In 2018 and ’19, Casey will earn $10.6MM base salaries. The 2018 base is over $4MM more than he was set to earn under the terms of the initial Titans extension he signed in 2014. That rises to $11.25MM in 2020 and climbs to $11.68MM in ’21. By 2022, which would be Casey’s age-31 season, the two-time Pro Bowler is set to earn $13.25MM.
- The Titans agreed to extend offensive lineman Dennis Kelly as well. It’s a two-year deal worth $3.05MM, with $400K guaranteed, per Field Yates of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The swing backup will earn base salaries of $775K (2017), $1.1MM (’18) and $1.35MM (’19), per Terry McCormick of TitansInsider (via Twitter).
Titans, Corey Davis Agree To Deal
The 2017 rookie class is now completely signed. Corey Davis reached an agreement with the Titans on the customary four-year rookie contract, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
Davis is on his way to the Titans facility to sign the contract, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com reports (on Twitter). The No. 5 overall pick follows first-rounders Solomon Thomas (49ers) and Gareon Conley (Raiders) as draftees signed on camp weekend.
Offset language appeared to be at the root of the impasse between Davis and the Titans, and the team typically includes it in its rookie deals. It’s unclear whether the Titans budged on their precedent.
Davis headlines a wide receiver makeover in Tennessee, which also added third-round pick Taywan Taylor and UFA Eric Decker. The Western Michigan prodigy posted three straight seasons of 1,400-plus air yards and caught 52 touchdowns during his four-year career with the Mid-American Conference program.
West Rumors: Conley, Broncos, Cardinals
It took the Raiders until their training camp eve to reach an agreement with first-round pick Gareon Conley. Although no legal clarity has come after a woman accused the cornerback of sexual assault in April, the Raiders did not design Conley’s contract with that alleged incident in mind. Conley’s deal contains 90 percent guaranteed money, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets, adding the language in the four-year contract is standard despite the legal cloud surrounding the ex-Ohio State defender presently. The Raiders also agreed to terms with second-rounder Obi Melifonwu this week. Titans first-rounder Corey Davis is the only unsigned pick remaining.
Here’s the latest from the West divisions on opening camp weekend.
- The Broncos opened 2016 with a dominant outside linebacker corps, with DeMarcus Ware, Shane Ray and Shaquil Barrett joining Von Miller in the fold. Miller has none of those sidekicks available for the time; Ray and Barrett may both be out throughout the preseason. Vance Joseph discussed the early replacement hierarchy here Saturday, calling recent UFA signing Kasim Edebali the top edge rusher alongside Miller (via Mike Klis of 9News, on Twitter). Edebali played three years with the Saints but wasn’t offered an RFA tender in March, leading to his one-year deal with the Broncos.
- Bruce Arians said Justin Bethel and Brandon Williams could be battling for the Cardinals‘ No. 2 cornerback job until the final week of the preseason, but Williams and others will have some additional opportunities to build a case early. Bethel suffered a hyperextended knee and will be out for the coming days, Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com reports. Arians did not believe this injury was serious, but given this position duel likely coming down to the wire, it stands to raise Bethel’s degree of difficulty here.
- Regarding Williams, the second-year man has evidently been usurped on the depth chart by Ronald Zamort — a 2016 UDFA who spent last season on Arizona’s practice squad — according to Kent Somers of AZCentral.com (on Twitter). The Cardinals have been connected to Brandon Flowers and Tramon Williams this week, and Arians’ status on his own corners looks to have changed. Somers notes he now wants to add a veteran.
- The Raiders‘ handling of Donald Penn‘s holdout will be key to how future free agents view the team, Jerry McDonald of the San Jose Mercury News writes. The Raiders relied immensely on free agency in recent years, Penn being one of the key signings. On a two-year deal worth $6.25MM AAV, the 34-year-old Penn is now by far the fourth-highest-paid offensive lineman on his own team, after the Raiders made Gabe Jackson an $11MM-per-year man in June. Penn saw a host of less proven tackles sign for more than him this offseason, and he’s seeking top-10 left tackle money. His per-year wages rank 20th presently. The Raiders have just more than $14MM in cap space. Oakland lined up Marshall Newhouse at Penn’s left tackle spot and second-year man Vadal Alexander at right tackle on Saturday.
- Menelik Watson has missed 37 of a possible 64 regular-season games due to various injuries through four seasons, and the Broncos‘ projected right tackle starter dropped a lot of weight in an attempt to stay on the field. The former Raiders right tackle is close to 315 pounds after playing in the 340s earlier in his career, per Troy Renck of Denver7 (Twitter links), noting Watson told him the reduction is because of the slew of setbacks he encountered.
- Joseph won’t have 5-foot-7 rookie Isaiah McKenzie return kicks due to his slight frame, Klis tweets. Carlos Henderson and Cody Latimer are vying to handle those duties for the Broncos while McKenzie has the inside track to return punts. This is a deviation of sorts for a Broncos team who received high-end kick-return production from 5-5 Trindon Holliday in 2012-13. The team has not had much success in this area since, leading to the selection of McKenzie in the fifth round.