Extra Points: Saints, Carroll, Kaep, Texans
Saints head coach Sean Payton told NFL Network on Thursday that a contract extension for quarterback Drew Brees “will get done very easily,” per Christopher Dabe of NOLA.com. General manager Mickey Loomis said earlier this month that he wants to lock up Brees, whose deal expires after next season. Loomis also stated at the time that he and Tom Condon, Brees’ agent, hadn’t yet spoken about an extension. That changed at the combine, where Loomis and Condon met, according to Payton.
In a different interview, Payton told Pro Football Talk that offensive guard and the defensive front seven will be the Saints’ main concerns in free agency and the draft (Twitter link via Dabe). Earlier this month, the Saints cut guard Jahri Evans and two front seven defenders, linebackers David Hawthorne and Ramon Humber.
Other news from around the NFL:
- Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll told the Los Angeles Times’ Gary Klein that he has no interest in returning to USC to become its athletic director (Twitter link). Carroll, of course, led USC to an 83-19 mark as its football coach from 2001-09.
- Colin Kaepernick‘s contract – a middle-of-the-road deal for a quarterback – shouldn’t scare off possible suitors, writes Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap. If the 49ers do trade Kaepernick, which looks like a distinct possibility, Fitzgerald lists six teams as potential fits. He expects the Niners to seek a second-round pick in return.
- The Texans have met with guard Brandon Brooks‘ representatives at the combine, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Brooks, a pending free agent, has started in each of his last 44 appearances.
- The Falcons have not yet made any decisions regarding Devin Hester‘s status with the team, according to GM Thomas Dimitroff, who says that won’t happen until after Hester is fully recovered from his toe surgery (Twitter link via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com).
- The Saints ($42K), Broncos ($267K) and Rams ($1.245MM) opted against carrying over their full allotment of space from 2015, tweets Pro Football Talk. The Broncos’ motivation was to prevent other playoff teams from signing their practice squad players during the postseason, according to PFT’s Mike Florio. Each team has to make its call on carryover space at the end of the regular season. The Saints and Rams didn’t make the playoffs, so it’s currently unclear why they left their respective amounts behind. The list of all 32 clubs’ carryover totals can be found here.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
South Rumors: Foster, Falcons, Martin, Jags
Texans running back Arian Foster, entering the final year of his contract, is set to make a $6.5MM base salary, with an overall cap hit of nearly $9MM. Those figures make him a potential release candidate, but if general manager Rick Smith says Houston won’t cut the veteran back because of his salary.
“As it relates to all the free agent conversations, I’m never really going to tell you one way or the other what we are doing, but I will tell you this: his salary is not a reason why we would cut Arian,” Smith said.
That doesn’t necessarily close the door on the Texans releasing Foster, since the team could have concerns about his health or his production. But if they’re comfortable paying a healthy Foster $6.5MM, it increases the odds that he’ll be back in Houston for the 2016 season.
Let’s check in on a few other items from around the NFL’s South divisions….
- Head coach Dan Quinn and the Falcons will be monitoring wide receivers closely in both free agency and the draft, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. According to McClure, the Falcons have “done their homework” on this year’s pending free agent wideouts, including Travis Benjamin, Mohamed Sanu, Jermaine Kearse, and Nate Washington.
- Buccaneers GM Jason Licht confirmed that he met with Brian Murphy, the agent for Doug Martin, on Wednesday at the scouting combine. However, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times tweets, no agreement between the two sides will be reached in Indianapolis.
- The Jaguars will head into the free agent period armed with a ton of cap space, according to GM David Caldwell, who suggests that estimates of $75MM “might be a little low,” per Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. In a separate piece, O’Halloran also passed along a few notable comments made by Jacksonville head coach Gus Bradley during his media availability.
- Craig Stevens‘ new one-year contract with the Titans features a $1.15MM base salary, a $250K workout bonus, and per-game roster bonuses worth up to $500K, says Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. A report last week indicated that the tight end’s deal could be worth up to $2.6MM via incentives.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association issued a press release today announcing the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2016 season. The official salary cap amount for 2016 has yet to be announced by the league, but it’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $155MM+. When that figures becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official cap for 2016.
According to the press release, the Broncos, Rams, and the Saints are the only teams that opted not to carry over the full amount available to them, though none of those clubs are believed to have left significant amounts on the table.
Here are the salary cap carryover amounts for 2016, per the NFLPA, from highest to lowest:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32,774,928
- Tennessee Titans: $20,783,801
- Cleveland Browns: $20,734,144
- Oakland Raiders: $13,373,617
- San Francisco 49ers: $12,206,686
- New York Giants: $11,193,231
- Miami Dolphins: $9,137,544
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,987,748
- Cincinnati Bengals: $7,587,902
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,255,362
- Green Bay Packers: $6,953,847
- Washington: $5,837,734
- Indianapolis Colts: $4,950,629
- Buffalo Bills: $4,467,331
- Atlanta Falcons: $3,905,771
- Carolina Panthers: $3,731,200
- Dallas Cowboys: $3,571,239
- Denver Broncos: $3,300,000
- Arizona Cardinals: $3,031,663
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,000,327
- Kansas City Chiefs: $2,622,838
- New York Jets: $2,484,216
- San Diego Chargers: $2,287,176
- Minnesota Vikings: $2,090,409
- Houston Texans: $1,637,055
- Baltimore Ravens: $1,633,944
- New Orleans Saints: $1,400,000
- New England Patriots: $1,347,882
- Los Angeles Rams: $933,521
- Chicago Bears: $867,589
- Detroit Lions: $862,191
- Seattle Seahawks: $11,587
NFC Notes: Cousins, Reiff, Falcons, Floyd
As noted earlier this afternoon, Washington‘s Scot McCloughan wasn’t on today’s schedule of general managers or head coaches to hold formal press conferences at the combine in Indianapolis. However, he did speak to the media about his team’s contract talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
While McCloughan didn’t go into specifics, he said that he has met with Cousins’ agent face-to-face this week, describing the sit-down as “very positive,” per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). According to McCloughan, conversations are going on “every day” between the two sides, and he remains optimistic that something will get done (Twitter link).
Let’s round up several more of the latest GM and head coach comments from the combine in Indianapolis, with a focus on NFC teams….
- Lions tackle Riley Reiff is currently set to earn an $8.07MM salary for 2016, and while that money isn’t yet guaranteed, Reiff won’t be going anywhere, GM Bob Quinn said today (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not clear yet what position Reiff will play next season, but he’ll be a Lion.
- Speaking to the media today, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said that he’d like to see defensive free agents Adrian Clayborn and O’Brien Schofield re-signed, and added that no veterans besides Paul Soliai have been approached about restructuring their contracts (Twitter links via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ESPN’s Vaughn McClure).
- There’s no new deal imminent for Michael Floyd, but GM Steve Keim had plenty of praise for the Cardinals wideout, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com details. Floyd is extension-eligible but still has one year left on his rookie contract, so Arizona doesn’t have to get anything done right away.
- Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman confirmed today that wide receiver Kevin Norwood met the conditions of the trade Carolina made with Seattle prior to the 2015 season, so the Seahawks will receive the Panthers‘ seventh-round pick in 2017, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Despite a fairly sizable cap hit for 2016, Vikings defensive end Brian Robison sounds like a good bet to remain on Minnesota’s roster based on comments made today by GM Rick Spielman, says Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
Free Agent Rumors: Benjamin, Schwartz, CJ2K
Earlier today, we rounded up the latest updates on several current and pending free agents. With the combine underway in Indianapolis, there’s no shortage of news and rumors on free agency, so we’ve got another set of items to pass along already. Let’s dive in….
- According to Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net (via Twitter), word from the combine suggests that the Chargers and Falcons will be in the hunt for wide receiver Travis Benjamin, if and when he reaches free agency. Current Atlanta offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan used to hold that same position with the Browns, who have reportedly broken off talks with Benjamin for now.
- The Browns are making an effort to extend the contract of tackle Mitchell Schwartz, but he appears headed for the open market, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. According to Cabot, Schwartz is believed to be seeking left tackle money, and while the Browns have made an offer, the two sides aren’t close to an agreement.
- The Dolphins would like to hang onto wide receiver Rishard Matthews, but if his price tag reaches $5MM+, Miami is unlikely to be seriously in the mix, tweets Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- Cardinals GM Steve Keim said today that the team will talk to Chris Johnson‘s representatives this week at the combine, per James Palmer of the NFL Network (Twitter link). Johnson said on Tuesday that he would like to re-sign with Arizona.
- The odds of the Eagles getting something done with safety Walter Thurmond prior to the start of free agency next month don’t look great, according to Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News, who tweets that the team has not yet made an offer.
- The Cowboys will meet with the agent for linebacker Rolando McClain at the combine this week, per executive VP Stephen Jones (link via Todd Archer of ESPN.com). McClain is eligible for unrestricted free agency in March.
Sunday Roundup: T. Johnson, Long, 49ers
We recently heard the the Rams are considering using the transition tag on cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who is eligible for unrestricted free agency in just over two weeks. Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com discusses why a team would consider the transition tag–which does not net a team any compensation when the tagged player signs elsewhere–when a slightly more expensive franchise tag would virtually assure the team of retaining the tagged player. As Florio writes, “Some may be doing it just to see what the player’s value is, knowing that if it’s too high they’ll let him walk. Others possibly don’t want the franchise tender to lay the foundation for a long-term deal.”
Florio, citing a league source, says that if Johnson does get the transition tag, he will not sign the transition tender. Instead, he will actively seek an offer sheet from another team, just as Alex Mack did in 2014 and Charles Clay did last season.
Now let’s take a look at some more notes from around the league:
- Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com takes a look at whether the Seahawks will pursue recently-released DE Chris Long, who has 8.5 sacks in 15 career games against Seattle as a member of the division-rival Rams. Long’s age and injury history suggest that he’s probably in line for a relatively modest deal, and given that the Seahawks are always on the lookout for pass rushing help, Kapadia suggests that Long could be a fit.
- Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com says the 49ers‘ No. 1 priority this offseason is resolving the Colin Kaepernick dilemma, and he sets forth four ways in which the team could find that resolution. Right now, indications are that Kaepernick would like to resume his career elsewhere, and if San Francisco wants to move on as well, the 49ers can give Kaepernick permission to seek a trade and work out a restructured contract with another team before a trade is finalized. Alternatively, the two sides could work out a settlement in which the team releases him and is not on the hook for the $11.9MM he is owed in 2016.
- The Jaguars do not plan on filling the vacancy that was left when they promoted Todd Wash from defensive line coach to defensive coordinator, according to Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union. Instead, Wash will continue to coach the team’s defensive lineman, and head coach Gus Bradley downplayed any notion that his first-time coordinator would be stretched too thin.
- D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution provides his ranking of the Falcons‘ top 12 unrestricted free agents. Given that O’Brien Schofield tops the list, it is clear that the Falcons’ pending free agents are comprised primarily of role players and reserves.
- Jesse James, selected in the fifth round of last year’s draft, will get the first chance to replace the recently-retired Heath Miller as the Steelers‘ No. 1 tight end, as Mark Kaboly of The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. After being inactive for the first eight games of the regular season, James saw limited action in the next ten, including the playoffs. The Steelers will likely add a tight end in free agency to complement James and high-upside practice squad player Xavier Grimble, even though the free agent class of tight ends is fairly weak. Ben Watson, who met with Pittsburgh during training camp a few years ago, is perhaps the best fit for the Steelers.
Bengals Unlikely To Re-Sign Mohamed Sanu
3:28pm: The Browns, mentioned below as a potential suitor for Sanu, are indeed expected to pursue him in free agency, a source tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. The source added that former Bengals OC Hue Jackson “loved Sanu’s versatility.”
8:38am: The Bengals have multiple wide receivers eligible to hit the open market in March, and at least one of them is unlikely to return to Cincinnati. According to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, there’s “virtually no chance” that the Bengals re-sign Mohamed Sanu, who is expected to explore other opportunities in free agency.
Sanu, 26, established new career highs in 2014 with 56 receptions, 790 receiving yards, and five touchdowns. However, with fellow free-agent-to-be Marvin Jones back in the mix for Cincinnati in 2015, Sanu took on a decreased role in the Bengals’ offense. Receiving half the targets that he did the year before, the former third-round pick saw his numbers dip to 33 catches and 394 yards, and he didn’t record a single touchdown. Sanu admits that he’d like a bigger role going forward, wherever he lands.
“I think about that all the time,” Sanu told Marvez on SiriusXM NFL Radio. “When you’ve got so much talent on one team, it’s hard to get the ball. It definitely crossed my mind going elsewhere. We’ve just got to see how everything unfolds.”
While Sanu’s contract year wasn’t overly impressive, he’s expected to draw interest from multiple teams in free agency, including perhaps the Browns, Falcons, and Giants, writes Marvez. This year’s wide receiver market isn’t strong, so once the top two or three options come off the board, the Bengals wideout could become a more attractive target for teams that need to upgrade the position, particularly since so many clubs will have cap space on hand. One report earlier this week estimated a deal worth $5MM annually for Sanu.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Falcons Ask Paul Soliai To Take Pay Cut
The Falcons have approached defensive tackle Paul Soliai and his agent about the possibility of a pay cut, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (via Twitter). While no decisions have been made yet, Cole says Soliai is unlikely to assent, preferring to take his chances on the open market.
Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com (Twitter links) confirms that discussions are ongoing between the Falcons and Soliai’s camp, and that there’s no resolution yet, though he classifies the team’s request as a restructure, rather than a pay cut.
Still, if the Falcons want to do a simple restructure of the contract, converting a portion of Soliai’s salary into a signing bonus to reduce his cap hit, there’s little reason for the player to oppose it, so I imagine a pay reduction of some sort is part of the proposal — perhaps the team would give Soliai the opportunity to earn back his full salary through bonuses and/or incentives.
Soliai, 32, has spent the last two years with the Falcons after playing seven seasons for the Dolphins. Although Soliai’s numbers in 2015 (22 tackles, one fumble recovery) were modest, he was still one of the more reliable cogs in Atlanta’s interior defensive line rotation, so it makes sense that the team would want to retain him, albeit not at his current price.
Soliai’s contract, which runs through 2018, calls for a cap charge of about $6.838MM in 2016, which includes a $5MM base salary. Those cap numbers will increase to $6.9MM and $8.4MM in the final two years of the deal, so it seems unlikely he’ll be a Falcon for much longer unless he and the club can reach some sort of agreement.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/16/16
Here are the latest minor signings, cuts, and other transactions from around the NFL:
- The Cardinals announced a pair of signings today in a press release, confirming that they’ve re-signed safety Chris Clemons and added Australian Rules Football player Joel Wilkinson. A former starter in the Dolphins’ secondary, Clemons hasn’t seen much playing time since joining the Cardinals in 2014, but the team likes him enough to bring him back for a third season. As for Wilkinson, he’ll try to follow in the footsteps of Jarryd Hayne, who earned a spot on the 49ers’ roster last year after coming over from Australia. Wilkinson will play cornerback.
- The Steelers signed long snapper Matt Dooley and defensive tackle Lavon Hooks while cutting tight end Rob Blanchflower and offensive tackles Kelvin Palmer and Mitchell Van Dyk, as Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle tweets.
- The Falcons announced on Monday that they have waived cornerback Travis Howard and fullback Collin Mooney, two players who spent the 2015 season on the injured reserve list. Mooney last saw the field during a regular-season contest in 2013, when he appeared in 12 games for the Titans. Howard has spent time with the Patriots and Giants, but has never seen regular-season action.
- Cornerback Chance Casey, who spent more than half of the 2015 season on the Browns’ practice squad, has signed with the Jaguars, per team PR rep Tad Dickman (Twitter link). Casey was on the Colts’ roster last summer before being waived during roster cutdowns in September.
NFC South Notes: Falcons, Irvin, Bucs
Could Buccaneers running back Doug Martin be donning a different uniform in 2016? On PFR’s Instagram, we gave fans a sneak peek and what he might look like in a Titans jersey. Martin is expected to be high on the Titans’ wish list, though there is strong mutual interest between the running back and the Bucs in a reunion. Click here to follow us on Instagram and weigh in with your thoughts.
Here’s tonight’s look at the NFC South:
- The Falcons‘ release of Justin Durant clears a path for a Dan Quinn–Bruce Irvin reunion, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes. In terms of the Falcons’ other needs, Ledbetter expects the team to sign a veteran interior offensive lineman in free agency and avoid pinning its hopes on a high draft pick developing quickly.
- The Buccaneers have promoted Brian McLaughlin from team operations assistant to scouting assistant, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports (on Twitter). That marks the second front office move made by the Bucs on Monday after they plucked former Broncos national scout John Spytek as their new director of player personnel. On Monday night, PFR’s Connor Byrne previewed the Buccaneers’ offseason.
- Veteran guard Andy Levitre still has three years left on his contract with the Falcons, but the team might be better off cutting ties with him this offseason, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Atlanta would only create $1.25MM in cap savings by releasing Levitre, but designating him a post-June 1 cut would increase that number to $4MM.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.