49ers: NaVorro Bowman Isn’t Being Shopped
On the most recent installment of his podcast (SoundCloud link), former executive Michael Lombardi reported that the 49ers have made it known to rival teams that linebacker NaVorro Bowman is healthy and available via trade. Today, Niners GM John Lynch and coach Kyle Shanahan strongly denied such talk. 
“The report that we have been shopping NaVorro Bowman is completely false,” Lynch and Shanahan said in a statement issued to Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. “From the time we joined the organization, NaVorro has been the consummate professional. It is evident he has been working very hard to prepare for the upcoming season and we have been impressed by what we have already seen on the field. We are looking forward to NaVorro’s future contributions to this team.”
Lombardi is generally well plugged-in on matters such as these and he was the first to report that San Francisco tight end Vance McDonald was on the block, a report that was later verified by Lynch and Shanahan. The duo now wants it known that Bowman is not being shopped to other teams, though denials such as these have to be taken with a grain of salt.
Depending on one’s perspective, a GM letting teams know that a player is available may be different than shopping him outright. And, for what it’s worth, the joint statement stops short of saying that Bowman will definitely be staying put. Lombardi, meanwhile, stands by his report (Twitter link).
Bowman’s deal runs through the 2022 season and calls for him to earn $7.5MM in salary and bonuses this season. In 2018, that number jumps to $9.45MM. The linebacker has four first-team All-Pro honors to his credit but missed the entire 2014 season and the majority of 2016 due to injury.
Ravens Interested In Victor Cruz
It’s not just the Jaguars who are thinking about adding Victor Cruz. The Ravens are interested in Cruz and that interest is being reciprocated by the veteran wide receiver, Art Stapleton of The Bergen Record tweets. The two sides are hammering out the details to line up a potential visit in Baltimore. 
[RELATED: Jaguars To Host Victor Cruz On Visit]
Cruz has been on the open market since February but hasn’t attracted a ton of interest. The Panthers met with Cruz shortly after he was released and the Broncos – depending on who you ask – may have discussed him internally, but we have basically gone three months without hearing a peep about the former Giant. Now that the draft is over and teams are getting a better sense of where the roster is, we have at least two teams that are mulling the possibility of Cruz.
Cruz says that he is not at all interested in retiring, but he’ll have to be realistic about where he is at this stage of his career if he wants to move forward. After missing the majority of the 2014 season and sitting out the entire 2015 season, the salsa-dancing fan favorite clearly lost a step in 2016 as he caught 39 passes for 586 yards and one touchdown in 15 games. The 30-year-old (31 in November) might be able to recapture some of that old magic if he is used in the slot, but it’s hard to imagine the Ravens or any other team giving him a significant guarantee on his next deal.
The Ravens would be a logical landing spot for Cruz given their need at the position and their affinity for older receivers. Following Steve Smith‘s retirement and Kamar Aiken‘s free agent departure, the Ravens currently project to go into the season with Mike Wallace, Breshad Perriman, Chris Moore, and Michael Campanaro as their top four receivers. Vince Mayle, Chris Matthews, and Navy product Keenan Reynolds are among those jockeying for the final one or two WR spots on the 53-man roster.
Browns’ Josh Gordon Denied Reinstatement
Browns wide receiver Josh Gordon has been denied reinstatement, a source tells Tony Grossi of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Gordon can re-apply in the fall, but for now he remains in limbo. 
[RELATED: Browns RB Isaiah Crowell Signs RFA Tender]
Gordon applied for reinstatement in March and was left hanging for a bit while the league office considered his case. When he applied, Gordon’s business manager said the wide receiver was living with him and was “in the best place mentally that he has been in…years.” Apparently, that wasn’t good enough for Roger Goodell & Co. after all of Gordon’s off-the-field missteps.
When he’s been on the field, Gordon has performed like one of the very best wide receivers in the NFL. In 2013, his last full season, he totaled 87 receptions, a league-leading 1,646 yards, and nine touchdowns in 14 games. In 32 career games, he has racked up 161 catches, 17.1 yards per reception, and 14 touchdowns. Still, even once he’s reinstated, it’s not a sure thing that the Browns will want to keep him. Top Browns executive Sashi Brown says the club is open to a Gordon return, but multiple have indicated the team may look to trade him.
Earlier this week, we learned that Gordon is currently without an agent. The 26-year-old has gone through three different reps in the last three years.
Jaguars To Host WR Victor Cruz On Visit
Victor Cruz will visit the Jaguars, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today tweets. He’ll be in Jacksonville on May 23-24 and he’ll work out for the team while he’s there.
[RELATED: Jaguars Release LB Marcus Rush]
So far, Cruz hasn’t garnered much interest on the open market, but the veteran says that he wants to continue playing and has no plans to retire. It’s possible that he could find a landing spot in Jacksonville where his former coach Tom Coughlin is now calling the shots. Cruz caught 303 passes and 25 touchdowns under Coughlin’s watch with the Giants, so this seems like a natural fit for the 30-year-old.
The Jaguars have a solid receiver group headlined by Allen Robinson, Allen Hurns, and Marqise Lee. There has been some talk of the Jags using rookie Dede Westbrook as their slot receiver this year, but it might also make sense for them to bring in a vet like Cruz to help him get acclimated to the role.
Cowboys’ Scott Linehan Received Head Coaching Interest
Cowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan says that he received head coaching interest in the offseason. Instead of pursuing those opportunities, however, he signed a contract extension with Dallas to make him one of the highest-paid coordinators in the NFL. 
“There was interest,” Linehan said (via Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News). “But I’ve been through that before. My wife and I talked about it. If it’s not something that’s getting more serious then that’s not … I’m 53 years old, I’ve got a great job. If there was a great opportunity after this season … I would certainly look into that. But it’s not really what drives me, it’s being the best I can be here.”
Linehan, 53, helped mold rookie Dak Prescott into a top quarterback last season and led Dallas’ offense to the third highest DVOA in the league, so it’s not a huge surprise to hear that he got some bites for head coaching jobs. He also has previous head coaching experience thanks to his time with the Rams from 2005-08.
Linehan is now signed through the 2019 season, but it sounds like he would consider leaving for the right opportunity to be a head coach again. If the Cowboys offense dominates again in 2017, the veteran coach could be a top candidate league-wide.
Extra Points: Stafford, Ravens, Rams, Bills
At least one NFL source believes Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford will wait for the Raiders to extend Derek Carr before working out his own long-term deal, reports Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Both Oakland and Carr want extension talks to wrap up as quickly as possible, at which point Stafford and his representation would be able to point to Carr’s new figures as a starting point. Detroit is reportedly in the early stages of negotiations with Stafford, who — like Carr — is scheduled to become a free agent in 2018.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- After the Ravens surprisingly didn’t add a wide receiver at any point during the draft, the club could conceivably turn to the trade market in its search for a pass-catcher, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun and Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com write. Both scribes point to New England’s Danny Amendola and Los Angeles’ Dontrelle Inman as logical potential acquisitions, as higher-caliber wideouts such as the Bills’ Sammy Watkins and the Jets’ Eric Decker probably aren’t feasible. It’s not known whether the Ravens are calling teams about wide receivers, but as Zrebiec notes, they’ve gone this route before. In 2010, Baltimore traded two draft picks to Arizona to acquire Anquan Boldin, and one year later, dealt for Buffalo’s Lee Evans.
- Although he was being courted by the Rams, Joe Hortiz will remain in place as the Ravens‘ director of college scouting, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Hortiz, who has worked in Baltimore for 19 years, was Los Angeles’ top choice to lead its reshuffled scouting department. Although the Ravens couldn’t block Hortiz from leaving, he’s chosen to stay in his current role. Hortiz was a contender for a top personnel role with the Eagles in 2015, but either declined to interview or wasn’t allowed to by the Ravens.
- The Bills have found a new general manager in former Panthers executive Brandon Beane, but the club has more work to in its front office, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Jim Overdorf, Buffalo’s chief contract negotiator, could be on the chopping block given that Beane’s prior work history is rife with salary cap experience. As such, Beane may look to bring in his own financial staffers instead of relying on Overdorf, who’s handled the Bills’ cap since 2008. As Carucci explains, Buffalo’s roster is full of “bloated contracts”, meaning the next negotiator will have his hands full.
Colts Add Morocco Brown To Front Office
The Colts have added another face to their evolving front office, as the club has agreed to hire former Redskins and Browns executive Morocco Brown, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). Brown will serve as Indianapolis’ director of college scouting, reports Albert Breer of the TheMMQB.com (Twitter link).
Chris Ballard has now hired three fresh names to the Colts personnel staff in the past two days, as the new general manager brought in former Seahawks executive Ed Dodds and ex-Jets college scouting director Rex Hogan on Tuesday. As Breer indicated yesterday, Dodds and Hogan will act as co-vice presidents of player personnel. Incumbent director of pro personnel Kevin Rogers will stay in his current role, per Breer.
Ballard is clearly valuing familiarity in his new hires, as he enjoys a prior working relationship with both Hogan and Brown. Brown, who previously served as Cleveland’s vice president of player personnel and Washington’s director of pro personnel, worked alongside Ballard with the Bears. Brown was tangentially linked to the 49ers’ general manager vacancy earlier this year.
Jaylon Smith Expects To Be Ready For Opener
Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith is still recovering from the knee injury that forced him down 2016 draft boards and caused him to miss the entirety of his rookie season, but he’s confident he’ll be ready for the 2017 season opener, according to David Moore of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link).
Smith is still using a brace for his drop foot condition, and it’s unclear if he’ll be forced to wear it during the regular season, tweets Charean Williams of the Star Telegram. Ultimately, the brace use will depend on the condition of Smith’s nerve, which is reportedly regenerating. If Smith is required to wear the brace for drop foot, he’d be the first NFL player to do so.
“At the end of the day, we’re very optimistic about where [Smith] is at this point,” said Cowboys CEO Stephen Jones, per Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). “I think if anything, we think he’s starting to make a lot bigger jumps than we even might have thought he could have when he first got here last year and heading into the season.”
In his final season at Notre Dame, Smith compiled 115 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble. Prior to his unfortunate injury, Smith was widely projected as a top 10 pick in the 2016 draft. Instead, he fell to the Cowboys in the second round. If he’s able to make a recovery, Dallas’ risk could pay major dividends in 2017.
Keenan Robinson Rejected Multi-Year Offers
Before re-signing with the Giants, linebacker Keenan Robinson received multi-year offers from other clubs, as he explains to Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com.
“Other teams offered multiple-year deals, but I’m still young,” said Robinson. “A one-year deal is fine. I’m still 27, so, like I said, right now I’m in a great situation. So I wanted to be a part of it. I was willing to make it work and be flexible as far as that goes.”
Robinson, who visited the Bengals and Bills prior to re-upping with New York, ultimately received $2.6MM ($1MM guaranteed) from Big Blue. Returning in a similar role, Robinson will likely serve as the Giants’ nickel linebacker in 2017, per Raanan — the fifth-pro played 70% of the team’s defensive snaps in that capacity last season.
Titans WR Tajae Sharpe Accused Of Assault
Titans wide receiver Tajae Sharpe has been accused of assault in a federal civil suit, according to Stacey Barchenger of the Tennessean.
Nashville police are investigating Dante Satterfield’s claims that Sharpe beat him until he was rendered unconscious outside a bar on April 27. Sharpe was allegedly upset at the Titans’ first-round selection of fellow wideout Corey Davis, and “took exception” to Satterfield’s comments about the draft choice. After the group left the bar out a back door, Sharpe reportedly punched Satterfield in the face while Titans offensive lineman Sebastian Tretola stood watch.
Satterfield is now dealing with broken bones in his face, a perforated eardrum, and a concussion, and is seeking $500K in damages. Sharpe’s lawyer, for what it’s worth, calls Satterfield’s claims “ridiculous.”
Clearly, given how the situation plays out, Sharpe could be in danger of not only earning a league-imposed suspension, but losing his roster spot altogether. Tretola, too, could face discipline depending on his level of involvement.