AFC Rumors: Garoppolo, Jets, Lynch, Ravens
Contract-year quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo indicated Tuesday that he would be open to discussing an extension with the Patriots, relays Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. “I’d entertain any possibility,” said Garoppolo. “I’m really not thinking about too much right now. There’s just so much going on with OTAs and training camp is right around the corner. That’s where my focus is, and we’ll cross that bridge when we get there, I guess.” Unsurprisingly, Garoppolo added that he’s not satisfied holding a clipboard, saying: “Obviously I want to play. That’s the competitor in me. I think everyone out here wants to play. And we come out here and compete every day for that opportunity. If you go out there and earn it, it’s yours.”
With Tom Brady entrenched under center, there’s no path to immediate playing time in New England for Garoppolo, though the former is in a race against time as he goes into his age-40 season. While the Patriots would like to keep Garoppolo and have him eventually take over for Brady, preventing him from hitting free agency next offseason might not be realistic if Brady‘s excellence continues. There’s no indication an extension is coming, per Mike Garafolo of NFL.com, but Mike Reiss of ESPN.com suggests the Patriots should take a proactive approach and offer the signal-caller a one-year, $24MM extension now. If Garoppolo were to accept it, the Pats would be able to spread the money over the next two seasons. Otherwise, should the team place the franchise tag on Garoppolo next year, it would potentially have a backup QB occupying $24MM in cap space.
More from the AFC:
- The Jets are going to release linebacker David Harris, but they did try to get the 10-year veteran to take a pay cut before deciding to part with him, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Harris’ camp is unhappy with the Jets, though, because there were no negotiations about a reduction in pay before the offseason began in earnest, tweets Garafolo. Agents Brian Mackler and Jim Ivler told Garafolo they’re “very disappointed in the timing of this event and the decision. The Jets could’ve done this prior to free agency instead of waiting three months, especially for a player who has exhibited nothing but loyalty and class for 10 years.” It doesn’t seem as if Harris will go without a job for long, as he is already drawing interest from other teams, Mackler informed SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- The Raiders’ forthcoming move to Las Vegas inspired Marshawn Lynch to come out of retirement and join the franchise as its time in Oakland nears an end, the running back told media on Tuesday (Twitter links via SiriusXM NFL Radio and Michael Gehlken of the Las Vegas Review-Journal). Lynch, an Oakland native, expressed regret that “a lot of Oakland kids won’t have the opportunity to see their idols play football anymore.” The Raiders are down to their final two or three years in Oakland and will head to Vegas in 2020. Lynch won’t make that trek, it seems, as he’s already 31 and only under contract through next season.
- The Ravens could be the next destination for soon-to-be former Jets wide receiver Eric Decker, according to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports (Twitter link). For now, the receiver-needy Ravens are scheduled to meet with free agent wideout Jeremy Maclin on Wednesday, but he’s currently in Buffalo and won’t make it to Baltimore if the Bills are able to close the deal tonight.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/6/17
Tuesday’s minor NFL transactions:
- The Bills have added wide receiver Rashad Ross and cut fellow wideout Kolby Listenbee with a waived/non-football injury designation. Buffalo is already the seventh team for Ross, who went undrafted out of Arizona State in 2013. A veteran of 22 regular-season games, Ross has never caught a pass, though he has returned 34 kicks and run one back for a touchdown. Listenbee went to the Bills last year as a sixth-round pick, but the ex-TCU target didn’t participate in any of their games.
- The Saints have waived linebacker Travis Feeney with an injury designation, tweets Nick Underhill of the Advocate. New Orleans plucked Feeney off the Steelers’ practice squad last December, but the then-rookie sixth-rounder from Washington didn’t see action with either team.
- The Cardinals have announced three signings – linebacker Alex Bazzie, cornerback Daniel Gray and Chris Hubert – and the waiving of linebacker Mikey Bart. Bazzie is now on his third team dating back May 1, as both the Colts and Panthers cut the ex-Canadian Football League player last month. Gray went undrafted from Utah State and tried out for the Cardinals afterward, but he wasn’t able to earn a roster spot then. He’s a cousin of Cardinals quarterbacks coach Byron Leftwich, notes Brandon Judd of the Deseret News. Hubert has had multiple go-arounds with Arizona since it first signed him undrafted out of Fayetteville State last year. And Bart lasted just over two weeks with the Cardinals, who signed the UDFA from North Carolina on May 17.
- The Ravens announced that they’ve signed tight end Ryan Malleck and cut cornerback Carlos Davis. Malleck, undrafted from Virginia Tech in 2016, previously spent time with the Giants and Steelers. Davis hooked on with the Ravens last month as an undrafted free agent, but he suffered an injury early in OTAs.
- The Titans have waived/injured cornerback John Green and signed free agent receiver Mekale McKay. Green had a short stay with the Titans, who signed the undrafted ex-UConn defender in May. McKay, undrafted from Cincinnati a year ago, was previously with the Colts, Jaguars and Broncos.
- The Broncos have signed guard Christopher Muller, who’s joining his second team since going undrafted last month. Muller, formerly with Rutgers, had a brief stint with the Colts.
Jets To Trade Or Release Eric Decker
The Jets have told wide receiver Eric Decker that they will either trade or release him this week, reports ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
The departure of Decker will continue a significant offseason shakeup for the Jets, who previously released a slew of notable veterans in receiver Brandon Marshall, center Nick Mangold, cornerback Darrelle Revis and linebacker David Harris, among others. Like those four, Decker is in his 30s (he just turned 30 in March), meaning he doesn’t fit into the Jets’ youth movement. He’s also coming off an injury-shortened season, one in which he missed the Jets’ final 13 games after undergoing hip surgery and an operation to repair his partially torn rotator cuff.
For now, Decker has two years remaining on the five-year, $36.25MM contract the ex-Bronco signed with the Jets in March 2014. Decker, a 2010 third-round pick who broke out in Denver from 2012-13, carried his strong production from the Mile High City to New York in his first two years with the Jets. The 6-foot-3, 206-pounder combined for 154 catches, 1,989 yards and 17 touchdowns (including 12 in 2015) over 28 games during those seasons. And before injuries derailed him last September, Decker again looked on track for a big year, catching nine passes for a whopping 194 yards and two scores.
By trading or releasing Decker, the Jets will save $7.5MM in cap space in each of the next two seasons. His exit will leave the Jets with Quincy Enunwa, Robby Anderson and two 2017 draft picks (third-rounder ArDarius Stewart and fourth-rounder Chad Hansen) as their top receivers entering the upcoming season. Decker, meanwhile, will join fellow accomplished veteran wideouts Jeremy Maclin, Anquan Boldin, Eddie Royal and Steve Johnson on the open market if the Jets don’t find a taker for him via trade.
Taylor Decker Could Miss Start Of Season
The Lions might have to begin the 2017 campaign without left tackle Taylor Decker, head coach Jim Caldwell told Kyle Meinke of MLive.com and other media on Tuesday. Decker underwent shoulder surgery Monday as a result of an injury he suffered during organized team activities, and he’ll be out until at least training camp and potentially into the regular season.
“Anytime that you’ve had surgery, you just don’t know details (about) how long it actually takes,” Caldwell stated. “Like I said, we’ll update you in the fall.”
Decker, whom the Lions chose 16th overall in last year’s draft, emerged as a 16-game starter during his rookie season. The former Ohio State stalwart carried his strong play with the Buckeyes to Detroit, ranking 23rd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified tackles. More impressively, perhaps, Decker joined quarterback Matthew Stafford as the Lions’ only players to participate in all 1,037 of their offensive snaps.
When he’s ready to return, the 23-year-old Decker will rejoin a remade offensive line that, earlier this offseason, lost guard Larry Warford and tackle Riley Reiff and replaced them with big-money signings T.J. Lang and Ricky Wagner. Those two will make up the right side of the Lions’ O-line when Decker’s healthy. But Wagner could shift to the left with Decker out, per Caldwell, or the team could use another in-house option in Cornelius Lucas or Joe Dahl. Caldwell also didn’t rule out the possibility of adding a tackle from outside the organization. That could put free agents such as Ryan Clady, Austin Pasztor and King Dunlap, among others, in play for the Decker-less Lions.
Latest On Dwight Freeney
Dwight Freeney says that he would like to return to the Falcons. What’s not clear is whether the Falcons necessarily want him back. Coach Dan Quinn told reporters that he has spoken to the veteran, but he has not spoken to him about a return, as D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. He declined whether to say if he’d be interested in having Freeney on the team for 2017.
“I haven’t even found out if he’s ready to play yet,” Quinn said. “I know he was pretty committed to golf. He’s such a competitor. But our conversations haven’t been about playing. When we drafted [first-round defensive end Takkarist McKinley], that was someone I wanted him to connect with. But we haven’t talked about playing. If he does [bring it up], he knows we’re going down the line of looking at our team here first.”
In addition to adding McKinley, the Falcons also signed Jack Crawford this offseason. Still, there could still be room made for Freeney after he found success as a situational pass rusher last season. For his part, Freeney would like to suit up again for Atlanta. After the team received a $4MM+ post June 1 cap credit, the Falcons could theoretically afford to link up again.
NFC West Rumors: Maclin, Cardinals, Rams
Here’s a look at the NFC West:
- The Cardinals have no interest in Jeremy Maclin, according to an NFL source who spoke with Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). The Cardinals, in theory, could have used Maclin as a No. 2 option opposite of Larry Fitzgerald, but they’re apparently not giving him much thought. For now, the Cards will have the speedy John Brown, JJ. Nelson, Brittan Golden, and Jaron Brown as the WRs behind Fitzgerald. While the Cardinals are not interested in Maclin, at least four teams are in on the veteran.
- Cornerback Trumaine Johnson was missing from Rams OTAs until Monday, but that was not due to any issues over his contract, as Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times writes. “Right now, I’m happy to be here and playing ball,” Johnson said. “I’m controlling what I can control. When that contract stuff comes up, I’ll handle it.” The Rams have until July 15 to sign Johnson to a new contract. Otherwise, he will play under his one-year, ~$17MM franchise tender.
- Austin Davis‘ deal with the Seahawks is for the veteran’s minimum, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com tweets. The quarterback will earn a $775K base salary with a $50K signing bonus plus a $30K roster bonus if he makes the team. Seattle inked Davis earlier this week, effectively choosing him over Colin Kaepernick.
Jets To Release LB David Harris
The Jets are planning to release linebacker David Harris, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). Harris was slated to head into his eleventh NFL season with Gang Green. 
Harris, 33, started 15 games for the Jets last season and played 250 more defensive snaps than any other Jets linebacker. All in all, he graded out as the NFL’s No. 35 linebacker, per the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus. In terms of the traditional stats, Harris racked up 94 tackles, two forced fumbles, and a half-sack. He’s started 147 contests during his whole Jets tenure, placing him sixth all-time in franchise history.
Harris was due a base salary of $6.5MM in 2017, but none of that total was guaranteed. The team’s decision to move on from him could be a sign that the returning Demario Davis is indeed in their plans for 2017. With Harris out of the equation, Davis could be plugged in as a starting inside linebacker or used as a key sub behind Bruce Carter. Even if the Jets are able to make up for Harris’ production, they’ll be hard-pressed to make up for the loss in locker room leadership.
The Jets cut several veterans at the age of 30 or older this offseason. Only a handful of players on the wrong side of 30 remain, including quarterback Josh McCown (37), running back Matt Forte (31), and wide receiver Eric Decker (30).
Fred Jackson Wants To Continue Playing
Even at the age of 36, Fred Jackson is not ready to walk away from football. The former Bills running back says that he has yet to ink his retirement paperwork and still feels that he can contribute to an NFL team. 
“I want to play, but it’s one of those things where we’ll see what happens,” Jackson told Sal Capaccio of WGR550. “Training camps are around the corner. Some teams lose a back or two and maybe they give me a call. We’ll see what happens. I’m not ready to hang ‘em up yet, but I do know that I’m 36 and a lot of teams are scared of that.”
Jackson spent eight years with the Bills uniform, rushing for 5,746 yards, placing him third on the franchise’s all-time list behind only Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and O.J. Simpson. He also added 354 receptions for 2,897 yards, good for fifth all-time in Buffalo. The Bills cut Jackson prior to the 2015 season and he had a mostly forgettable run with the Seahawks, though he did appear in his first ever playoff game. In 2016, Jackson was out of football.
For his part, Jackson says that he would love to give it another try with the Bills, though it’s not clear if they have any interest at this time.
Eagles Express Interest In Jeremy Maclin
The Eagles have expressed some level of interest in free agent Jeremy Maclin, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. A deal, of course, would mark a homecoming for the wide receiver. 
Maclin spent the first five years of his career in Philadelphia before he departed for Kansas City in 2015. Maclin did his best work with the Eagles in 2014 having caught 86 passes for 1,318 yards and ten touchdowns. He set a new career high in catches in 2015 when he hauled in 87 passes, but he has not replicated that kind of yardage total in the last two seasons with KC. His 15.5 yards per grab in 2014 also stand as a career high.
In addition to the Eagles, the Browns have also shown interest in Maclin, Schefter says. The Browns already made one major upgrade to the receiver group this spring with the Kenny Britt signing, but adding Maclin would give them a formidable 1-2 combo. The Browns are also expecting offensive production from rookie David Njoku, but no pass catcher in Cleveland offers Maclin’s combination of experience and skill.
While the Browns are flush with cap room, the same cannot be said for the Eagles. The Eagles have roughly $5MM in space to work with and they might have to find additional room if they hope to reunite with the 29-year-old.
We now have four known teams interested in Maclin. Maclin is visiting with the Bills today before potentially meeting with the Ravens on Wednesday.
Bills To Meet With Jeremy Maclin
The Bills and wide receiver Jeremy Maclin are set to meet today, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). After that, Maclin’s next stop could be with the Ravens on Wednesday.
[RELATED: Bills QB Tyrod Taylor Eyeing Maclin]
LeSean McCoy has made no secret of the fact that he wants Maclin in Buffalo and he started recruiting the receiver hard after he was released by the Chiefs. Maclin could help to keep defenders away from star Sammy Watkins and also step up in the event that he is injured again in 2017. The Bills’ depth chart also includes second-round pick Zay Jones, Rod Streater, Andre Holmes, and Corey Brown.
The Chiefs cut Maclin when they couldn’t find another team willing to take on his 2017 base salary of $9.75MM. He’ll likely sign for less with another club, but he should still command a decent salary given the impact that he can potentially have elsewhere. Maclin turned in a decent season in 2016, hauling in 87 catches for 1,000+ and eight touchdowns.