Chiefs To Let Branden Albert Walk
The Chiefs have made the decision to let left tackle Branden Albert walk in free agency, according to Danny Parkins of AM 610 in Kansas City (Twitter link). Parkins adds that Donald Stephenson and Eric Fisher will be the starting tackles for the Chiefs in 2014.
Albert, 29, has been in Kansas City since the team drafted him 15th overall in 2008, starting 83 of 85 games over the course of his seasons with the club. However, after using their first overall pick on Fisher in 2013, the Chiefs will likely have the 23-year-old protect Alex Smith‘s blind side in 2014, with Stephenson manning right tackle.
As for Albert, he finished the season as the 28th-best tackle in the NFL in Pro Football Focus’ estimation (subscription required), including 18th among left tackles. While that ranking doesn’t place him among the league’s very best, he’s still just 28 years old, so he’ll likely receive some lucrative offers in free agency from teams looking to improve their offensive lines. Previous reports have suggested that the Cardinals and Dolphins figure to be squarely in the mix for Albert’s services.
Extra Points: Helu, Cardinals, Cowboys
Defensive ends didn’t find a whole lot of cash out there on the open market last offseason but that should change this time around, writes Joe Fortenbaugh of National Football Post. Free agent DEs like Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett found themselves agreeing to short-term pillow contracts to try and get back to free agency while they can still cash in last year. This year, the Falcons, Jaguars, and Bears are among the many clubs with needs at that position…
- Two people familiar with Roy Helu‘s contract tell The Washington Times that he has reached the “proven performance escalator,” a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that rewards players who were drafted in the third through seventh rounds who are entering the final year of their rookie contract. As a result, his base salary for 2014 will double. The running back was the Redskins’ leading rusher as a rookie in 2011 and played a significant role for the team last season. Helu was supposed to earn a base salary of $645K this season but will instead earn a base salary of $1.39MM.
- Teams can start using the franchise tag as early as Monday, but the Cardinals won’t be among those clubs, writes Darren Urban of Cardinals.com. Linebacker Karlos Dansby was hit with the tag two years in a row by the Cards a few years back but he won’t be in line for a deal that would pay him ~$10.9MM.
- Don’t expect the Cowboys to make any major moves on the free agent market, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- Are the Bears better off letting Charles Tillman and Julius Peppers go? Ryan McGuffey and John Mullin of CSNChicago.com (video link) discuss the pros and cons.
- Despite his differences with special teams coach Mike Pfeiffer, former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe says Minnesota would be a good place for Michael Sam, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Karlos Dansby Says He’ll Stay With Cardinals
Cardinals linebacker and free-agent-to-be Karlos Dansby could wind up in a different uniform next season, but he doesn’t envision that happening. In an interview with SiriusXM (audio link) last night, Dansby said that he expects to remain with the club that originally drafted him in 2004.
“I definitely expect to be an Arizona Cardinal next year,” Dansby said. “We don’t have long here (before free agency) so we’ll get to talking and try and hammer something out.”
The Cardinals want him back as well after he hauled in a career-high four interceptions (two returned for touchdowns), 6.5 sacks, a career-best 21 passes defended, and 135 total tackles. But, after Dansby made $2.25MM last season, he’ll surely be looking for a pay bump. The Cardinals want to be fiscally responsible going forward and doling out a hefty multi-year deal to a player turning 33 in November wouldn’t fit that gameplan.
Dansby was hit by the franchise tag twice (2008, 2009) during his first stint with the Cardinals. His stay in Arizona was interrupted in 2010 when he inked a five-year, $43MM deal ($22MM guaranteed) with the Dolphins but he returned after being cut loose in March of last year.
NFC Notes: Murray, Austin, Cardinals
In spite of putting up career numbers in 2013, running back DeMarco Murray isn’t expected to receive an extension from the Cowboys any time soon, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Murray ran for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, which were solid improvements for the 25-year-old. Still, Archer refers to the Cowboys reluctance to re-sign former running back Julius Jones as a clue that the team may be patient with their third-year star. Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- Archer adds that the Cowboys want to move on from wide receiver Miles Austin. Hamstring injuries derailed Austin’s 2013 season, as the 29-year-old only had 24 receptions. Archer thinks there’s a chance Austin could return at a reduced rate, but he also believes the team may replace Austin in the draft or free agency. The writer names Robert Meachem as a possible target.
- ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss feels there’s a possibility that the Cardinals don’t re-sign any of their top free agents, but suggests that Karlos Dansby, Matt Shaughnessy and Antoine Cason are among the players most likely to return.
- Weinfuss also guesses that the Cardinals will not cut offensive guard Daryn Colledge. While the move would save the Cardinals $5MM, Weinfuss believes that the offensive guard played well enough in 2013 to stick around.
NFC Notes: Zastudil, Moss, Cowboys, 49ers
Cardinals punter Dave Zastudil signed a two-year extension with the team last month, and today Brian McIntyre provides the financial details for that contract (via Twitter). According to McIntyre, the deal will be worth $2.95MM over two years, with a $545K bonus, a 2014 cap hit of $1,252,500, and $450K in possible incentives.
Let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFC….
- Most recent Redskins rumors have revolved around the team’s negotiations with its defensive free-agents-to-be, but the club has also had talks with wide receiver Santana Moss about a new deal, tweets Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Moss has indicated that he’d like to remain in Washington.
- In a chat with readers, Tim Cowlishaw of the Dallas Morning News said on Thursday that the Cowboys won’t be major players in free agency, but that the team will be active in reworking contracts over the next several weeks, with Tony Romo among the restructure candidates.
- Safety is a major area of concern for the Eagles this offseason, as Sheil Kapadia and Tim McManus outline at PhillyMag.com.
- Based on their recent free agent history, the 49ers are unlikely to be aggressive and make a big splash when the free agent period begins next month, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com, who says the team is more likely to target players who fall through the cracks.
- Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com speaks to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com about the cap situations for the three contenders in the NFC West, the Seahawks, 49ers, and Cardinals.
NFC West Notes: Peterson, Seahawks, Rams
A report from Pro Football Talk this week indicated that Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson hadn’t ruled out the possibility of a holdout, but Peterson’s comments themselves were more innocuous than the headline suggested. Asked about the possibility of holding out, Peterson said that he and his agent have yet to discuss his contract situation and added, “I can’t speak on that right now.”
The NFL’s new rookie pay scale reduced the leverage of players like Peterson when they become extension-eligible, making a new deal less likely during the coming offseason. But even without a long-term extension, Peterson isn’t likely to hold out, opines ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss. Noting that Peterson dislikes bye weeks because they mean a few days away from football, Weinfuss expresses skepticism that the young All-Pro would willingly sit out OTAs and minicamps, let alone any actual games.
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- Coming off a Super Bowl win, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll doesn’t think his roster requires any significant additions, as Tim Booth of The Associated Press writes. “I don’t see anything that we need to add,” Carroll said. “We just have to get better.”
- There’s a good chance the Seahawks cut players like Sidney Rice, Zach Miller, and Chris Clemons this offseason to create cap space to retain more important roster pieces, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com. However, as Corry outlines, given all the players who will require new deals within the next couple years, Seattle could lose plenty of veteran talent during that period, especially since teams have a tendency to overpay players on Super Bowl teams.
- While there’s nothing wrong with adding reinforcements in free agency, the Rams should be building through the draft rather than spending big on free agents, says Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com.
NFC Notes: Collins, Panthers, Cousins, Cards
After announcing on Twitter earlier this week that he’s “ready for action,” former All-Pro safety Nick Collins spoke to Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin about his attempt to return to the NFL. While Collins admits that he probably won’t be back with the Packers, he says Green Bay’s team physician, Dr. Pat McKenzie, was the “only doctor” unwilling to medically clear him to play.
“I’ve been trying to get that opportunity for two years now and no one seems to want to take that chance,” Collins said. “But I’m ready if anybody is willing. I guess it’s all about just getting the teams to understand the [idea] of me coming back. They can bring me in, they can get their own doctors to look at me, they can do their own evaluation and we can go from there. If they say we can roll with it, I’ll take that chance.”
As Collins continues to pursue an NFL job, let’s round up a few more Wednesday items from around the NFC….
- In addition to extending the contract of head coach Ron Rivera, the Panthers also signed Rivera’s assistants to extensions, according to David Newton of ESPN.com.
- Kirk Cousins figures to be the subject of several trade rumors this offseason, but Mike Jones of the Washington Post believes the Redskins should probably hang onto their backup quarterback unless they’re offered a second-round pick or better.
- While Matt Cassel‘s decision to opt out of his contract with the Vikings could create an opportunity in Minnesota for Michael Vick, Cassel’s presence on the free agent market means the two quarterbacks will likely be competing for the same potential job openings, writes ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan.
- Now that Larry Fitzgerald has restructured his contract, the Cardinals should have some flexibility to retain their free agents. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com breaks down the team’s free-agents-to-be, ranking them from highest to lowest priority.
NFC West Rumors: Wilson, Fitzgerald, Seahawks
Expecting to see Russell Wilson go from the pages of Pro Football Rumors to MLBTradeRumors? Unfortunately, despite some speculation to the contrary, the Seahawks star quarterback won’t be heading to spring training with the Texas Rangers, his agent tells Jon Paul Morosi of FOX Sports (Twitter links). The Rangers acquired Wilson’s rights in December’s Rule 5 draft from the Rockies, but it doesn’t sound like he’ll explore being a two-sport athlete anytime soon. More out of the NFC West..
- The Seahawks will have to create space to sign Golden Tate and Michael Bennett and extend Richard Sherman and Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (via Twitter) surmises that they’ll likely cut Sidney Rice and ask Zach Miller to take a pay cut.
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com weighs in with his reaction to Larry Fitzgerald‘s contract restructuring. The Cardinals wide receiver agreed to convert $11.75MM of his $12.75MM deal into a bonus to help the Cards save about $9.4MM against the cap.
- The restructuring of Fitzgerald’s deal should all but end the trade speculation around him, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. The Patriots and Cardinals have never entertained serious trade discussions for Fitzgerald but the speculation/wishful thinking has been there for some time.
Larry Fitzgerald Restructures Contract
6:40pm: Fitzgerald converted $11.75MM of his $12.75MM deal into a bonus, saving Arizona about $9.4MM against the salary cap, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network.
5:40pm: Fitzgerald’s deal is a simple restructuring that converted part of his salary to a bonus, two NFL sources tell Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Somers figures that the move will give the Cards about $10MM in space.
4:04pm: Larry Fitzgerald said last week that he’d be open to the possibility of restructuring his contract, and it didn’t take him long to back up those comments. Fitzgerald sent out a tweet today announcing that his “first order of business” upon returning to Arizona after the Super Bowl was to sign a reworked deal to help improve the Cardinals’ flexibility for 2014. Though specific numbers aren’t yet known, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com confirms that the star receiver has officially restructured his contract.
Fitzgerald, who was set to enter the fourth year of the eight-year extension he signed with the Cardinals back in 2011, had been slated to earn a base salary of $12.75MM this year, with bonuses bringing his total cap number to $18MM. Assuming the 30-year-old didn’t accept a pay cut, the simplest way for the Cardinals to create cap space for 2014 would involve converting most of his base salary to a bonus that can be spread across the remaining five years on the deal. Such an agreement would increase the amount of guaranteed money owed to Fitzgerald, and increase his cap number in the contract’s later years. We’ll have to wait for the actual figures to be reported, but by my calculations, Arizona could create up to about $9MM in 2014 cap room in the move.
Given how quickly the Cardinals and Fitzgerald reached an agreement, it seems as if the two sides are committed to continuing the relationship, which should quiet trade rumors for now. A recent report suggested that the Patriots contemplated the idea of pursuing Fitzgerald in a trade last offseason, but now that the Cards have reduced his cap number, Arizona is no longer under any immediate pressure to move him. Of course, by putting off their financial commitments to Fitzgerald, the Cardinals will eventually face a similar cap crunch, perhaps as soon as next season, when his cap number was already projected to be over $21MM.
For now though, with their newfound cap flexibility, the Cardinals can turn their attention to retaining some of their prospective free agents, which includes a list of 15 players headed for unrestricted free agency. The team also figures to discuss a long-term deal for Patrick Peterson, who is extension-eligible for the first time this offseason.
Arians On Cardinals’ Left Tackle Situation
Cardinals coach Bruce Arians downplayed the idea that acquiring a left tackle to help protect quarterback Carson Palmer was a pressing need, according to Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. While Arians noted that improving the blind side will be a priority, he said “it doesn’t have to be the highest.” “(Current left tackle) Bradley (Sowell) played OK, and he’s going to get better with another year of strength and conditioning,” said Arians.
Arians’ opinion that Sowell “played OK” seems to be without much validation. After taking over for the injured Levi Brown following the fourth week of the season, Sowell gave up seven sacks, 12 quarterback hits, and 40 quarterback hustles, leading to his being graded as the worst offensive lineman in football, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). However, as Weinfuss notes, Sowell did not allow a sack over the course of the final four games. Brown, meanwhile, was traded to the Steelers, meaning Sowell currently sits atop the depth chart.
Palmer has never been the most mobile of quarterbacks, meaning that the Cardinals’ left tackle position is even more crucial than it may be on other teams. If they do opt for improvement, Chiefs tackle Branden Albert may be the primary option, tweets Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports Radio 910. Albert played the 2013 season under the franchise tag, and Jurecki notes that Albert’s asking price in free agency will determine if the Cardinals draft a left tackle. Eugene Monroe of the Ravens and Jared Veldheer of the Raiders are also scheduled to hit free agency, and could interest the Cardinals.
The Cardinals hold the 20th pick in the first round, so potential options like Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews and Auburn’s Greg Robinson will likely be off the board. However, Taylor Lewan of Michigan and Zach Martin of Notre Dame present intriguing selections. Additionally, the Cardinals will have 2013 first-round guard Jonathan Cooper back in the fold after returning from a broken leg, which should help steady the line play.