NFC West Rumors: Fitzgerald, Rams, Warner
Larry Fitzgerald‘s agent, Eugene Parker, has had positive preliminary contract talks with the Cardinals, sources tell Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic. Fitzgerald, who just completed his eleventh season, is due an $8MM bonus if he’s on the roster on March 17. Fitzgerald has to decide if wants to continue his career in Arizona, and if so, how big a pay cut he would be willing accept. Cards GM Steve Keim has said that he won’t cut the former Pro Bowler, but he hasn’t ruled out the possibility of trading him. A look at the NFC West..
- Vic Fangio would target Kyle Shanahan as offensive coordinator and Ed Donatell as defensive coordinator if he is promoted to head coach of the 49ers, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Shanahan would appear to have two horses in the race when it comes to the 49ers’ offensive coordinator gig as father Mike Shanahan has also interviewed for the head coaching position.
- Rams owner Stan Kroenke isn’t taking calls from St. Louis officials, so they’re now working directly with the NFL to try and keep their team, as Arash Markazi of ESPN.com writes (with help from The Associated Press). “After a while, you sort of get the hint,” said Jeff Rainford, the mayor’s chief of staff. City and state officials firmly believe that the Rams can succeed in St. Louis, but if they won’t stay, the city is prepared to try and lure another team.
- If the Cardinals had wanted to replace Ryan Lindley with Kurt Warner for their playoff run, he would have been open to it. “There was a scenario where I would have considered it,” Warner said on the Dan Patrick Show, according to Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk. “I don’t know what I would have done.” The 43-year-old Warner said he talked to Arians and GM Steve Keim “in passing” but that he doesn’t think they were ever seriously interested in bringing him back. But the veteran QB was interested enough that he talked to his family about it, and they were supportive.
NFC West Notes: Rams, Los Angeles, Cardinals
By making an advance move to plant his flag in Los Angeles, Rams owner Stan Kroenke will mobilize the opposition, writes Bernie Miklasz of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. The Chargers benefit from their proximity to Los Angeles and another team coming into that territory will take away from their bottom line. By firing the opening salvo, Kroenke is putting the Chargers on high alert. Beyond that, other owners are unhappy with his move to jump the line towards L.A. and with 24 votes needed to approve a relocation, he might have put himself behind the 8 ball. Here’s more out of the NFC West..
- Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com looks at the Cardinals‘ roster heading into the offseason and the team’s potential free agents. Defensive tackle Tommy Kelly sounds intent on signing a one-year deal, whether it’s with Arizona or another club. Linebacker Larry Foote, meanwhile, is considering retirement.
- However, Urban writes that he is more focused on the Cardinals‘ free agent class following the 2015 season. Among those scheduled to be up after ’15: defensive tackle Darnell Dockett, quarterback Drew Stanton, wide receiver Michael Floyd, defensive end Frostee Rucker, and many more key players. GM Steve Keim will work to extend many of those players, but that could still signal an offseason of significant change in Arizona.
- The Rams also have a number of key free agent decisions to make and Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch breaks it all down.
Extra Points: Newman, McCloughan, Bradham
As Terence Newman nears potential free agency, the veteran cornerback will have to decide whether or not he’ll continue his playing career, writes Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. While Newman would love a chance to compete for a Super Bowl, there’s also some appeal in going out on his own terms, as he explains.
“I think Barry Sanders did it best,” Newman said. “He just said, ‘Hey, this isn’t for me anymore.’ He was probably one of the only people that ever went out on his own terms; he wasn’t forced out age-wise or whatever. He just called it quits because he wanted to. He’s probably the only person I can think of that ever did that.”
Assuming Newman does decide to continue playing, another year with the Bengals is a possibility. The cornerback says he expects to be in contact with the team, adding “[we’ll] see what happens.” Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The draft order has been set for picks 21 through 24 this year, as Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk details. Based on record and strength-of-schedule tiebreakers, it’ll be the Bengals at No. 21, followed by the Steelers, Lions, and Cardinals, respectively.
- We heard on Monday morning that Washington has interest in hiring former 49ers GM Scot McCloughan to a front office role, and Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links) reports that McCloughan actually has offers from at least three teams for prominent front office positions. McCloughan is “relishing” being his own boss at the moment, but may seriously consider taking a role with an NFL team, says La Canfora. Meanwhile, Michael Silver of NFL.com (Twitter links) says the Raiders courted McCloughan, but were unwilling to give GM Reggie McKenzie‘s decision-making power to McCloughan, who would only have been interested in the role if he were running the team’s football department.
- Greg Roman, who is expected to land with another team as an offensive coordinator, definitely won’t be back with the 49ers, says Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who identifies a few possible candidates to oversee San Francisco’s offense in 2015.
- After reporting on Monday morning that the Bills were interested in negotiating a new deal for newly-extension-eligible linebacker Nigel Bradham, Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports tweets that Bradham has hired agent Drew Rosenhaus to represent him.
- Addressing his team’s defensive line and its inability to create a consistent pass rush, Bengals defensive coordinator Paul Guenther said today, “We need to improve the guys who are coming back here next year and continue to improve, and we need to infuse some new players, to be honest with you” (link via Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer).
- Nick Fairley‘s NFL future is largely tied to that of Ndamukong Suh, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, who explains that the Lions won’t have the ability to keep both defensive tackles this offseason.
- In response to a report that Rams owner Stan Kroenke plans to build an NFL stadium in Los Angeles, St. Louis officials released a statement today indicating that the city is “ready to demonstrate our commitment” to keeping the franchise in Missouri, per Daniel Kaplan of SportsBusiness Journal (TwitLonger link).
Cards Sign 10 Players To Futures Contracts
Following their first round playoff loss to the Panthers, the Cardinals are moving forward by locking up several players for 2015. The team announced today that it has signed 10 players to futures contracts, including nine members of their practice squad. The new additions are as follows:
- Zach Bauman, RB
- Ted Bolser, TE
- John Fullington, G
- Travis Harvey, WR
- Jimmy Legree, CB
- Kelvin Palmer, T
- Tavon Rooks, T
- Ryan Spadola, WR
- Ross Weaver, CB
- Darren Woodard, CB
Bolser confirmed today (via Twitter) that he rejoined the Cardinals’ practice squad at season’s end before inking his futures deal, which makes Rooks the only player on the list that didn’t finish the season on the team’s taxi squad. Arizona also signed three other players – tackle Cameron Bradfield, guard Antoine McClain, and cornerback Roc Carmichael – to reserve contracts last week.
Coaching Rumors: Sunday
We will keep you apprised of any new coaching rumors right here over the course of the day:
- Cardinals defensive coordinator Todd Bowles will be a busy man over the next few weeks, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reports that he will be interviewing with the Jets, 49ers, Falcons, and Raiders (via Twitter). As we learned earlier, the Bears are also expected to be on that list.
- Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports 1 confirms that Bowles will meet with all five of those organizations, and notes that he will likely begin his interviews on Tuesday or Wednesday (via Twitter).
- The Bears and Jets have both asked permission to interview Ravens offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak, but the former Texans head coach has decided not to pursue openings until his season is over, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN (via Twitter).
- Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis hopes to return to the team in 2015, but knows that is not guaranteed after another dismal playoff performance, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN. “Tomorrow’s not promised for anyone,” Lewis said. “That’s part of life in the NFL and the finality of losing when you lose in the playoffs.”
- Despite both teams losing this Wild Card weekend, Cardinals defensive coordinator Bowles and Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin have impressed D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (via Twitter). He notes that Austin’s ability to create pressue should have him moving up the Falcons’ list of candidates (via Twitter).
- Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich will interview for the Jets’ open head coaching position on Wednesday, reports Brian Costello of the New York Post (via Twitter).
- In addition to Reich and Bowles, the Jets will interview Dolphins director of college scouting Chris Grier in the coming days, reports Kimberly Martin of Newsday (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- We’ve previously heard that every team with a coaching vacancy had contacted the Cardinals about defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 tweets that official request for interviews have come from the Falcons, Bears and Jets.
- Current Bengals offensive coordinator (and former Oakland head coach) Hue Jackson has at least one fan in former Raiders CEO Amy Trask. “There is a misconception … that Hue is difficult to work with,” said Trask (via Twitter of Contra Costa Times Steve Corkran). “He is delightful…Hue Jackson is one of the most brilliant offensive minds I have ever had the privilege and pleasure of working with…He does what you hope a coach will do, which is put his players in the best position to win.”
- ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweets that the Raiders have requested permission to interview Cowboys passing game coordinator Scott Linehan. Linehan compiled an 11-25 record as head coach of the Rams from 2006-2008, but his subsequent work as the Lions‘ offensive coordinator and as Dallas’ passing game coordinator–a position that includes play-calling duties–has revived his reputation as a top offensive mind.
- Schefter also tweets that the Bills have requested permission to interview Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin and Bengals offensive coordinator Hue Jackson. Buffalo, which will be interviewing Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn today, has cast a very wide net as it seeks to replace Doug Marrone.
Cardinals Notes: QB, Dockett, Bowles
The Cardinals’ season is over after losing to the Panthers on Saturday, but the team has a number of decisions to make with their roster as they approach a critical offseason. The team’s front office will have to make a more than a few of choices on personnel, with a number of players’ statuses uncertain for 2015.
Receiver Larry Fitzgerald and defensive lineman Darnell Dockett both have high cap numbers going into next year and could be asked to take pay cuts to stay with the team, writes Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com. The team will also have the opportunity to bring back or move on from free agents Antonio Cromartie, Larry Foote, Tommy Kelly, and Sam Acho.
One of the biggest mysteries will be how the team treats inside linebacker Daryl Washington. Washington could be reinstated from suspension in May but could face a separate suspension for an assault conviction upon his return.
- Poor quarterback play ruined the Cardinals’ year after losing both starter Carson Palmer and backup Drew Stanton for the season. The team was forced to roll with Ryan Lindley down the stretch. Head coach Bruce Arians does not believe the team will be able to bring in another veteran signal caller in the offseason, citing the move as too expensive, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN (via Twitter).
- An important part of the defense that is expected to return is Dockett, writes Weinfuss (via Twitter). Bob McNaman of the Arizona Republic also writes the team plans on bringing Dockett back, despite a cap hit of close to $9MM next season (via Twitter).
- Coach Arians stated that defensive coordinator Todd Bowles has been requested for interviews with multiple organizations, and he expects his assistant coach to pursue openings in New York, Atlanta, and Chicago, according to Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (via Twitter).
- Arians was extremely complimentary of Bowles, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). “He’s a great teacher, great communicator and players love him,” said Arians. “Very bright guy. He’s soft spoken but a very good motivator and he can get on their asses as good as anybody.”
- Arians also noted that he does not expect to make any other coaching changes this offseason, other than Bowles, according to Weinfuss (via Twitter).
Sunday Roundup: Fitz, Polamalu, Suh
As soon as Larry Fitzgerald‘s 2014 season ended with an unceremonious whimper yesterday, talk regarding his cloudy future with the Cardinals began anew. Our Luke Adams wrote that Arizona is unlikely to cut Fitzgerald, but they could trade him or ask to him to restructure his contract. Although Carson Palmer recently signed a three-year extension with the club, Fitzgerald, who of course would like to add a Super Bowl ring to his Hall-of-Fame resume, will have to consider if his odds of winning it all might not be greater somewhere else before he accepts such a restructure or pay cut (which was deemed unlikely last week).
We noted earlier this morning that the Patriots will once again emerge as a logical landing spot for Fitzgerald. Tom Brady would offer him the caliber of quarterback that he has rarely enjoyed in his career, and New England is seemingly always on the lookout for upgrades at the wide receiver position.
Any decision on Fitzgerald, of course, will likely have to be made before March, when he is owed an $8MM roster bonus. For his part, Fitzgerald says he has not thought about his 2015 destination just yet. “The taste of defeat is the only thing I can think about right now,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s all that’s on my mind. It’s been a great season competing with these fellas and this coaching staff.”
Now for some links from around the league as Day 2 of Wildcard Weekend gets underway.
- Steelers safety Troy Polamalu says it is fair to wonder if he has played his last game, tweets Scott Brown of ESPN.com. Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review adds (via Twitter) that there is virtually no chance Polamalu returns next season.
- Rob Rossi of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review ponders the futures of several other Steelers veterans, including Ike Taylor and James Harrison.
- Ian Rapoport of the NFL Network tweets that the Lions hope Ndamukong Suh will test his value on the free agent market and ultimately return to Detroit.
- Suh may have a number of suitors, and although Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com notes that Washington will have some salary cap room to work with in free agency, Suh should not be one of the team’s targets.
- Andrew Kulp of CSNPhilly.com writes that the recent front office “shake-up” in the Eagles organization, which ostensibly gave head coach Chip Kelly full control over the team’s roster, does not really present much of a change. After all, as Kulp says, “[W]hat moves have the Eagles made in the two years since Kelly’s arrival that didn’t have his fingerprints all over them?”
- Ann Killion of the San Francisco Chronicle writes that the 49ers‘ lack of a consistent approach to their head coaching search makes their hiring process just as difficult to understand as the decision to cut ties with Jim Harbaugh.
- Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star lays out the difficult decisions the Chiefs have to make this offseason, including what to do with Dwayne Bowe and Tamba Hali, the release of whom could give the team some much-needed cap space.
- Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said that suspended linebacker Daryl Washington has “protocols” to pass before he can be reinstated, and Arians, team president Michael Bidwill, and GM Steve Keim will “sit down and talk about” Washington’s future (Twitter links from Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com).
- Arians also stated that he believes Cardinals quarterback Logan Thomas has a great future, which is one of the reasons Arians chose not to play him down the stretch and into the playoffs; he did not want to put Thomas through “growing pains” (Twitter link to Urban).
- In yet another tweet, Urban reports that Cardinals wideout Jaron Brown fractured his scapula in yesterday’s loss to Carolina and is expected to be out four to six months.
Extra Points: Packers, Fitzgerald, Raiders
As the Ravens look to put the finishing touches on a Wild Card win over the rival Steelers, let’s round up a few Saturday notes from around the NFL….
- In Saturday’s lone practice squad move, the Packers signed former West Virginia center Joe Madsen to their unit, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Green Bay had an opening on its taxi squad, so the club is back up to 10 players now.
- Now that the Cardinals‘ season is over, we can expect speculation about Larry Fitzgerald‘s future in Arizona to ramp up, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The club isn’t expected to cut its longtime star wideout, but a trade is an outside possibility, and a restructure or reduced salary seems even more likely.
- Joel Corry of the National Football Post provides an in-depth explanation of how players get paid during the postseason, including a couple oddities — for instance, Percy Harvin may be rooting for the Seahawks in the playoffs, since his time spent with the club this year means he could earn $70K+ if Seattle wins the Super Bowl.
- The Raiders are the latest team to be covered by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in his 2015 salary cap outlook series. Armed with up to nearly $60MM in cap space, Oakland should have a ton of flexibility this winter.
- In a separate piece for Over The Cap, Fitzgerald attempts to determine the value of the top wide receivers eligible for free agency this offseason.
- Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin runs through five burning questions that the Jets must answer this offseason, starting with whether or not Woody Johnson can make the right call on a new head coach and general manager.
Coach Updates: Bowles, Bears, Jets, Marrone
The Cardinals suffered an ugly loss in today’s Wild Card game against the Panthers, totaling just 78 offensive yards, a record low for a playoff contest. However, while Ryan Lindley and the offense struggled, Todd Bowles‘ defensive unit held its own, and now that Arizona’s season is over, Bowles will be free to interview for head coaching openings. As our head coaching search tracker shows, every team except the Bills has reportedly requested permission to interview Bowles, so he could be a busy man over the next few days — Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com tweets that the Cards DC is expected to interview with the Raiders next week.
Here are a few more coaching-related updates on a Saturday night:
- The Bears confirmed today (via Twitter) that they’ve interviewed Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase for their head coaching position. However, the club has no interest in Rex Ryan, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
- After meeting with the Jets this weekend, Doug Marrone is scheduled to interview with the Falcons on Monday, per Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
- Speaking of Marrone, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News has a column packed with feedback from Bills sources on the team’s former head coach, and it doesn’t paint a flattering picture. Mehta’s sources call Marrone a “control freak,” a “very dangerous person to have in the building,” and “the definition of average,” suggesting that the ex-Bills head coach didn’t get along with a number of players and others within the organization. Based on that assessment, Mehta thinks the Jets can do better with their head coaching hire.
- It shouldn’t be a problem for the Jets if the team ends up hiring a head coach before landing a general manager, writes Bob Glauber of Newsday.
- Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets a reminder that the league’s Rooney Role doesn’t apply to assistant coaching jobs. Despite the fact that the Fritz Pollard Alliance asked for that two years ago, the NFL turned down the request, and there has been no renewed push for it recently, says Maske.
NFC West Notes: Shanahan, Quinn, Cardinals
While the 49ers have interviewed former Washington and Broncos head coach Mike Shanahan, the Niners’ main focus is deciding whether they’re better off going with a big hire like Shanahan, or if they can take the time to develop a young coach such as Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase or Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, writes Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter).
- 49ers‘ CEO Jed York did say Shanahan was high on his list of candidates, writes Cole (via Twitter).
- Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group responded to Cole’s tweet by noting that York stated he wants the next coach to be with the team for 10 years (via Twitter). Shanahan is already 62 years old.
- Pro Football Talk adds that Shanahan would be much easier to deal with than Harbaugh was, which is a big plus after the most recent coaching situation (via Twitter).
- Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn has drawn strong interest as a head coaching candidate, but his top choice for general manager and partner was Vikings assistant GM George Paton, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Unfortunately, Paton decided not to interview with the Jets or Bears, and will remain with the Vikings.
- The Cardinals are currently playing the Panthers in the Wild Card round, and star receiver Larry Fitzgerald could be in his final game with the team, writes Kevin Patra of NFL.com. Patra notes that colleague Ian Rapoport reported the team is expected to ask Fitzgerald to take a pay cut after the season, but no official decision has been made.
- Cardinals nose tackle Dan Williams could draw interest in free agency this offseason, writes Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. Williams could be set up for a contract in the range of $6MM per year, and the team’s cap situation might make it difficult to keep.