2017 - Pro Football Rumors

Jimbo Fisher Leaves FSU For Texas A&M

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 12:54 pm

Jimbo Fisher has long been viewed as a potential NFL head coaching candidate. However, he won’t be in the mix for a pro job anytime soon. Fisher has left Florida State to accept the head coaching job at Texas A&M. It’s a ten-year deal that could be worth upwards of $80MM, Alex Marvez of The Sporting News (on Twitter) hears.

Even when he was firmly entrenched with the Seminoles, Fisher always left the door open for a possible ascension to the NFL.

“I love college and I had opportunities to go to pro football as an assistant coach and as a coordinator and I’ve had inquiries as a head coach,” said Fisher in May of 2016. “It’s got to be the right organization at the right time and the right situation if you’re ever interested. We have a great situation where I’m at. It’s not something that drives me.”

College coaching contracts often come with escape hatches, but a deal of this magnitude probably calls for a hefty buyout if Fisher bails early. At the very least, we know that Fisher will not be a candidate for NFL coaching vacancies this offseason.

In his eight years at FSU, Fisher amassed an 83-23 record, including a 48-17 record in ACC games.

12 comments Jimbo Fisher

NFC East Notes: Giants, Manning, Cowboys

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 12:45 pm

In theory, Eli Manning could be back in New York next year. But former Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride doesn’t see that happening.

“It is hard for me looking in from the outside seeing that happen just knowing the guy,” Gilbride told PFT. “I know he comes across and people look at him like he’s an ‘aww, shucks’ country boy, Huckleberry Finn-kind of guy, but I can assure you that beneath that facade lies the personality of a warrior. He’s going to compete and fight and do everything he can to play at the very highest level and represent himself at the very best and so that’s an investment of tremendous personal sacrifice and time and all that goes into being ready to play the game at the NFL level. So to do that, you’re a prideful guy — and he is — and so his pride has been attacked. I’m sure anything can be repaired but, boy, it would be very very difficult. . . . I don’t see it happening.”

Where could Manning go next? Gilbride, like many, is envisioning a reunion between Manning and Tom Coughlin in Jacksonville.

Here’s more out of the NFC East:

Manning might not be the only star leaving the NFC East this offseason. Longtime Dallas beat writer Charean Williams of PFT believes that the Cowboys will have a hard time justifying Dez Bryant‘s salary in 2018. She rightly notes that Bryant hasn’t played up to his contract, which calls for a $12.5MM salary next year with a $16.5MM cap number. The Cowboys may ask Bryant to take a pay cut, but Bryant – who is regarded as one of the league’s most talented wide receivers – may not be on board with that. So far this year, Bryant has 58 catches for 639 yards and five touchdowns in 12 games, putting him on pace for roughly 72 catches, 799 yards, and six TDs. Those numbers aren’t quite on a par with his best work from 2012-2014.
The Giants have a plan for increasing rookie quarterback Davis Webb‘s reps and getting into a game, coach Ben McAdoo tells reporters (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Jordan Raanan). However, McAdoo declined to share the details of how and when he intends to get Webb involved. What we do know is that Webb will not be the QB1 or QB2 this weekend when the Giants face the Raiders in Oakland this weekend.
The Redskins should consider using the non-exclusive franchise tag on Kirk Cousins, one beat writer opines.
There’s still no timetable for Eagles cornerback Sidney Jones to take the field.
The Cowboys could be without cornerback Orlando Scandrick for a bit.

1 comment Dallas Cowboys New York Giants Davis Webb Dez Bryant

Panthers Activate WR Damiere Byrd

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 11:43 am

The Panthers have activated wide receiver Damiere Byrd off of injured reserve. Byrd has been out of action since Week 4 when he broke his arm against the Patriots.

Byrd was previously designated for return, so it was just a matter of getting him back to full health and finding room on the roster. A spot unexpectedly opened up on Friday when defensive end Charles Johnson was hit with a four-game ban for performance enhancing drugs.

Byrd could be primed for a bigger role than initially projected at the start of the season. Recently, second-round pick Curtis Samuel went down with an ankle injury and Byrd could help replace his speed in the lineup.

“You never know what would happen from Week 4 to Week 12 or 13, so it kind of worked out pretty well,” Byrd recently told the team website when asked about the opportunity ahead of him. “At the end of the day, I just wanted to have a chance to come back and right now it looks like I have that. So I’m happy for it and ready to be back playing.”

Byrd, 24, has appeared in five games for Carolina over the last two seasons. He’ll look to build his stat line when the 8-3 Panthers take on the Saints this Sunday.

0 comments Carolina Panthers Damiere Byrd

Cowboys’ Orlando Scandrick Suffers Injury

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 11:20 am

Cowboys defensive back Orlando Scandrick suffered two transverse process fractures in his back, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The injury will cost him at least one game and potentially more.

Scandrick suffered the injury on the third play of last night’s win over the Redskins. Remarkably, he managed to play through the pain. On Friday morning, doctors delivered the bad news.

This marks Scandrick’s second significant injury of the year. In the season opener, the cornerback suffered a broken hand. Remarkably, he missed only one game following surgery.

So far this year, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus are not crazy about Scandrick’s work. He has a 47.8 overall grade for his eleven games, placing him as just the No. 89 cornerback in the NFL out of 118 qualified players. Last year, Scandrick ranking an 27th out of 111 qualified corners as he totaled 46 tackles, two sacks, and an interception.

While Scandrick is out, the Cowboys will likely start rookie Jourdan Lewis or Anthony Brown in his place.

0 comments Dallas Cowboys Orlando Scandrick

NFL Suspends Panthers DE Charles Johnson

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 10:38 am

The Panthers announced that Charles Johnson has been hit with a suspension for performance enhancing drugs. He’ll be sidelined for the next four games, as stipulated by the collective bargaining agreement.

Johnson, 31, has spent his entire 11-year career in Carolina. This offseason, the Panthers re-upped him on a two-year, $8MM deal that could be worth as much as $9.5MM with incentives. Just a few weeks later, Johnson went under the knife for back surgery. Then-GM Dave Gettleman admitted that the team did not know the full extent of Johnson’s back injury. The injury did not cost him any games – he’s played in all eleven of the team’s contests to date – but his performance has suffered. He currently ranks as the fourth-worst qualified edge defender in the NFL, according to the numbers at Pro Football Focus. After a so-so three months, Johnson has been forced out of action during a pivotal stretch of the season.

In a statement released by the team, Johnson admitted to taking PEDs to aid in his recovery:

“I accept full responsibility. I have been recovering from back surgery, dealing with the daily grind of football and mistakenly thought this could help. It was an error in judgement on my part. We have a special group here I wanted to be a part of and felt an obligation to do my part by getting back as soon as possible. I have always prided myself on being a person who does things the right way through hard work, dedication and sacrifice. I want to apologize to my team, Mr. Richardson and Panthers fans for this mistake. Regretfully I have disappointed people, but I promise to come back ready to redeem myself when this suspension is over.”

2 comments Carolina Panthers Charles Johnson (DE)

Charge Dropped Against Johnny Manziel

By Zachary Links | at December 1, 2017 8:14 am

A domestic assault charge against Johnny Manziel has been dismissed, as the Associated Press writes. Manziel first reached an agreement with prosecutors to dismiss the charge in December of last year. On Thursday, the court confirmed that he officially completed the requirements of the deal.

The agreement stipulated that he take an anger management course, participate in the NFL’s substance-abuse program, and stay away from former girlfriend Colleen Crowley. Alternatively, Manziel could have faced up to a year in jail and a $4K fine.

Of course, Manziel will likely have to serve a suspension before playing in the NFL again. He’ll also need a team to actually sign him. The Cowboys kept tabs on Manziel in the past and Saints coach Sean Payton met with him during Super Bowl week, but both teams have downplayed their level of interest in him.

Manziel, who turns 26 on Wednesday, hasn’t played in the NFL since the 2015 campaign. In eight career starts for the Browns, the former first-round pick completed 57% of his passes for 1,675 yards, seven scores, and seven picks. His overall passer rating was just 74.4.

9 comments Cleveland Browns Johnny Manziel

NFC West Notes: Seahawks, Kelly, Cardinals

By Sam Robinson | at November 30, 2017 9:52 pm

Cliff Avril underwent disc surgery this week, and Pete Carroll confirmed (via Stefanie Loh of the Seattle Times) the procedure went well. Avril will be out for the season, and previous reports indicated the longtime Seahawks defensive end’s career is in jeopardy. Avril, who said in October he wasn’t thinking retirement, sent out a tweet about his upcoming recovery process. Next season will be Avril’s age-32 slate. Michael Bennett said, via Loh, he talks to Avril daily and called his friend’s future “uncertain” as he prepares for a long recovery.

“I think you want to be able to walk away from the game the way you want to walk away from the game. To suffer an injury of any magnitude, especially one where you could easily have been paralyzed, is something you have to be able to try to move forward past, and it’s a hard thing to do,” Bennett said. “It’s always devastating to lose a guy and not know his future.”

Here’s the latest from the NFC West.

Chip Kelly agreeing to become UCLA’s head coach helped save the 49ers money. The five-year, $23.3MM contract Kelly signed with UCLA will help offset what the 49ers owe him, Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com reports. The 49ers will save $7.5MM because of Kelly’s Bruins agreement, per Maiocco, adding the team would have owed its one-season coach approximately $14MM between 2018 and ’19. Now, UCLA will pay $7.5MM of that amount. “Chip did us a solid,” a 49ers source said, via Maiocco. Kelly signed a four-year, $24MM contract to become San Francisco’s head coach last year but was fired after a 2-14 campaign.
The Seahawks have yet to place Kam Chancellor on IR alongside Avril, and Brady Henderson of ESPN.com notes this might be because of the franchise’s cap situation. Seattle’s up against the salary ceiling presently at $84K, per OverTheCap, and by placing Chancellor on IR and replacing him with another player could create a tricky situation. Chancellor’s salary is guaranteed whether he’s on IR or the active roster. Henderson writes the Seahawks might not make this move until they need a roster spot. Given that five games remain in the regular season, that date appears likely to arrive soon.
Bruce Arians said earlier this week he could envision Blaine Gabbert being the Cardinals‘ 2018 starting quarterback if he keeps playing the way he’s fared since taking over. Arians doubled down on that claim later this week by saying (via Sirius XM radio, on Twitter) Gabbert is not a game manager and fits the Cardinals’ system “really well.” Arians added the veteran passer can “spin it” as well as anyone he’s coached. For reference, Arians has coached Peyton Manning, Ben Roethlisberger and Carson Palmer. However, the straight-shooting coach is not known for doling out unwarranted praise. Palmer is under contract through 2018 but hasn’t made a decision about a return. Gabbert is a 2018 UFA.
Chandler Jones is having an All-Pro-caliber season, and the recently extended outside linebacker credits some of his improved production to being around 15 pounds lighter than last season, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com notes. Urban notes Jones reported to Cardinals camp overweight last year and played between 270 and 275 pounds. He’s just under 260 now. The recently extended pass rusher has 12 sacks — one more than he recorded all of last season. That’s tied with 2016 teammate Calais Campbell for best in the league and 4.5 sacks off Simeon Rice‘s 18-year-old team record.