2018 April - Pro Football Rumors

Aaron Rodgers Frustrated With Packers

April 17th, 2018 at 12:34pm CST by Zachary Links

The Packers’ relationship with their franchise quarterback is not in a great place right now. Aaron Rodgers is upset with the organization after being left out of discussions that resulted in major changes this offseason, multiple league sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports. Specifically, Rodgers wanted to be consulted with before the team released wide receiver Jordy Nelson and parted ways with quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt.

“Both of those decisions [with Nelson and Van Pelt] were made without him,” one source close to Rodgers said. “In both situations, he had no influence with [the front office] before anything went down….I know he’s thinking about that stuff when it comes to the next contract because he should have earned a voice by now. In other places with [elite] quarterbacks, consideration is given to those guys. I think Aaron wants to be engaged in some decisions. But that’s just not the way it works [in Green Bay]. I think that’s obviously frustrating and it’s going to keep coming out.”

The relationship between Rodgers and the Packers “isn’t in total disrepair,” but the divide is real. One can’t help but wonder if Rodgers’ discontent could lead to real problems for the two parties in the coming years.

The good news for the Packers is that, contractually, they have significant leverage. Rodgers is slated to earn $20.5MM in 2018 and $21.1MM in 2019 – numbers that are well below market for the two-time MVP – and he can be controlled through 2021 via consecutive franchise tags.

Bills Release DE Cap Capi

April 17th, 2018 at 12:08pm CST by Zachary Links

The Bills have released defensive end Cap Capi. Capi hooked on with the Bills last November and appeared in four games with the team.

Under the terms of his modest contract, Capi was under team control for another two years with hits of $555K in 2018 and $645K in 2019. There was no guaranteed money on his deal, so the Bills save $555K on this year’s cap by cutting ties with Capi.

Capi appeared in four games for the Giants earlier in 2017 before relocating to Western New York. With the Bills, he had five tackles, one sack, and a forced fumble in the regular season. He also appeared in the Bills’ Wild Card loss to the Jaguars and recorded a tackle.

There wasn’t much room for Capi on this year’s team after adding starter Trent Murphy and reserve defensive ends Owa Odighizuwa and Terrence Fede. The Bills will also return Shaq Lawson, Jerry Hughes, and Eddie Yarbrough to their DE group.

Joe Staley Gets Raise From 49ers

April 17th, 2018 at 11:38am CST by Zachary Links

49ers tackle Joe Staley has gotten a pay bump. The Niners have agreed to rework his contract to give him a raise over the next two years, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.

Originally, Staley was set to earn $11MM combined in 2018 and 2019. Now, he’ll earn $17.4MM over the next two years. In the coming season, he’ll make $8.72MM instead of $5.5MM.

Staley has been among the very best at his position for the last six years and his new salary comes closer to reflecting his performance, even if he’s not quite at the top of the tackle market. New Giants left tackle Nate Solder is the kingpin at the position with an average of $15.5MM per year and, even with the raise, Staley will average roughly half of that over the next two seasons. For reference, Pro Football Focus had Staley ranked as the second-best tackle in the NFL in 2017 while Solder placed at No. 32.

It’s not especially common for a team to give a player a pay bump without getting some additional years in return, but Staley is the anchor of the 49ers’ offensive line and has been a leader in the locker room for the past eleven years. If Staley was giving any thought to retiring after the 2018 season, the new deal could give him incentive to continue playing.

Former Jets C Nick Mangold Retires

April 17th, 2018 at 10:37am CST by Zachary Links

Nick Mangold is officially done with football. On Tuesday, Mangold announced that he will be signing a one-day contract with the Jets in order to officially retire with the team.

“Everything that happened from pee-wee football to high school football to having the good fortune to play at The Ohio State University molded me for my opportunity to play for the New York Jets,” said Mangold. “In my 11 years as a Jet, there were plenty of ups and downs but, through it all, I wanted to be the Steady Eddie. I wanted to be the guy that other guys looked at to see how it was done. I learned this attribute from the vets that I played with.

“My biggest regret is not bringing the Lombardi Trophy to New York but, as I retire, I will continue my efforts to bring the Trophy home in a different capacity. I have no idea what that capacity is but I’m sure I will figure something out in the future.”

Mangold, 34, played for the Jets from 2006 through 2016. In March of 2017, the Jets released him in the midst of a house-cleaning that saw several high-priced vets bounced out of New York. He spent all of last year out of football as he healed up from a foot injury and he indicated earlier this year that he might try to return to the game. At the same time, he has made tons of money over the course of his playing career, so he is able to comfortably walk away from the NFL and in order to spend more time with his family.

Dez Bryant Wants To Sign With Giants

April 17th, 2018 at 10:29am CST by Zachary Links

Dez Bryant is out for revenge. The former Cowboys wide receiver went on record with Mike Fisher of 105.3 The Fan to express his desire to play for a Dallas rival.

“I’m kinda hoping it’s an NFC East team,” Bryant said. “If it’s somewhere else, that’s fine. But I’d like to play the Cowboys twice.”

Not all of the Cowboys’ divisional rivals make sense for Bryant, however. The Redskins, who already have Josh Doctson, Jamison Crowder, and Paul Richardson, do not have him on their radar. And while it’s fun to think about the defending champions adding Bryant to the fold, the Eagles don’t have enough wiggle room under the cap to make that happen. That leaves the Giants, and Bryant is intrigued by their roster.

“The Giants got a helluva defense, they’re going to pay [Odell Beckham Jr.] Playing with him, Sterling Shepard, the tight end [Evan Engram], Eli Manning? Crazy,” Bryant said. “They draft (Penn State running back) Saquon Barkley with the No. 2 overall pick)? That’d be crazy!”

Fisher personally gets the sense that the Giants would be Bryant’s No. 1 choice. It remains to be seen whether Giants GM Dave Gettleman feels the same way about Bryant and whether he’s willing to bring such a bold personality into his locker room.

Bucs Exercise Jameis Winston’s Option

April 17th, 2018 at 10:14am CST by Zachary Links

The Buccaneers have exercised the fifth-year option on Jameis Winston‘s original rookie contract. The decision was not due until May 3, but the Bucs did not need to take this decision to the wire.

Winston was less than perfect in 2017, but this was still a fairly easy call for the Bucs to make. Even though Winston went 3-10 as a starter last year, he performed as a better-than-average starting QB and continues to show potential. Across three years in the league, Winston has thrown for 11,636 passing yards, 69 touchdown passes, and 44 interceptions. The Florida State product, who recently turned 24, is the second-youngest passer in NFL history to top 10,000 passing yards. Before his birthday, his 69 touchdown passes set the new watermark for any NFL QB at the age of 23.

Per the terms of the CBA, the fifth-year option is equal to the average of the top 10 salaries in the previous year. The Bucs and Winston will also have the opportunity to hammer out a new long-term extension before the option year kicks in.

The fifth-year option also comes with an escape hatch for NFL teams. The additional year is guaranteed for injury only, so the Bucs can back out if Winston’s performance declines for non-health reasons.

Extra Points: Cowboys, Rams, Brockers, Lions, Dunlap

April 16th, 2018 at 9:29pm CST by Micah Powell

After much speculation, Cowboys defender Byron Jones confirmed on Monday that he will be switching from safety to cornerback in 2018, the Dallas Morning News’ Jon Machota writes.

Viewed as a versatile defender coming out of college, Jones played cornerback as a rookie in 2015 and a safety the past two seasons. New defensive backs coach Kris Richard preferred him at the former.

“I think it will be a good move for me and the team. I’m always open to making position changes, as long as I’m in the best position to succeed. If [Richard] believes my best position is corner, then I’m down.”

Richard knows a thing or two about getting the best from bigger cornerbacks. With the Seahawks, Richard oversaw Richard Sherman’s ascent to one of the premier corners in the league. What remains to be seen is if the team prefers him on the boundary or in the slot. In 2017, rookies Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis showed plenty of promise on the outside.

Here’s more from around the NFL:

In a press conference on Monday, Rams defensive lineman Michael Brockers told reporters he tore his MCL in the team’s playoff loss to the Falcons in January, ESPN’s Alden Gonzalez tweets. During that game, the sixth-year defender sat out the second half. The good news for Los Angeles is that Brockers took part in team activities on Monday, but they’re not in pads until training camp.
If any Lions players are moved in draft-day deals, some of the names that make sense include Ameer Abdullah, Theo Riddick and Jake Rudock, ESPN’s Michael Rothstein writes. Those names all come to mind after the team added veterans in LeGarrette Blount and Matt Cassel in the offseason.
The goal is for the Bengals to sign both Carlos Dunlap and get a new deal with Geno Atkins, Bengals.com writer Geoff Hobson notes in a mailbag. Both Dunlap’s and Atkins’ deals run through the 2018 campaign.
NFL commissioner Roger Goodell is expected to be deposed in the next two weeks in Colin Kaeperncik‘s collusion case against the league, USA Today’s A.J. Perez writes. Seahawks general manager John Schneider and head coach Pete Carroll are also on the docket to be deposed.

Minor NFL Transactions: 4/16/2018

April 16th, 2018 at 8:30pm CST by Micah Powell

Here are today’s minor moves:

Denver Broncos

Re-signed: LB Zaire Anderson
Re-signed: DE Shelby Harris
Re-signed: LB Joseph Jones
Re-signed: WR Jordan Taylor
Re-signed: OT Elijah Wilkinson

Houston Texans

Signed original round RFA tender: OL Greg Mancz

Los Angeles Rams

Signed original round RFA tender: LB Matt Longacre

Washington Redskins

Re-signed: OT Tony Bergstrom

Cowboys Re-Sign David Irving

April 16th, 2018 at 7:59pm CST by Micah Powell

The Cowboys announced they have officially re-signed restricted free agent defensive lineman David Irving. The tendered deal is for one year at $2.9MM.

Signed off of Kansas City’s practice squad in 2015, Irving emerged as a playmaker in limited action in 2016 by logging four sacks and four forced fumbles. His 2017, however, was cut short due to a concussion and a four-game suspension at the season’s outset. Despite only playing eight games, he still managed to record seven sacks, the second most on the team behind DeMarcus Lawrence.

With Irving back, the Cowboys return the nucleus of a shockingly effective defensive front from a year ago. The team could also add a pass rusher like Boston College’s Harold Landry or a run-stuffer up the middle with Washington’s Vita Vea in the upcoming draft.

If he delivers another season similar to his 2017 campaign, Irving could be in store for a big payday in the 2019 offseason.

Chargers Pull RFA Tender On Chris McCain

April 16th, 2018 at 7:03pm CST by Micah Powell

The Chargers have withdrawn their qualifying offer from restricted free agent defensive end Chris McCain, ESPN’s Eric D. Williams writes.

With the right-of-first-refusal tender removed, McCain is now free to sign with another team. Chargers head coach Anthony Lynn cited the reworking of Corey Liuget’s contract when addressing the withdrawn offer.

“This sport does have a business side to it. I think when you re-do Corey Liuget, it gives you some flexibility there and we did some things with Chris. We think Chris is a heck of a player. The door’s definitely open for him to come back. We’ll just how it works out.”

A practice squad signee with the Chargers in 2016, the fourth-year player out of Cal enjoyed a breakout season in Los Angeles in 2017, posting a career-high five sacks while appearing in a career-best 15 games.