Combine Updates: Orakpo, Talib, Welker
Redskins GM Bruce Allen is a big fan of Brian Orakpo and will to talk to his agent this weekend, but there’s no guarantee that the free agent linebacker will be back in 2014, writes the Washington Times’ Zac Boyer.
“We like Brian,” Allen said. “There’s no doubt we like Brian, as well as a number of other players. If we were just one player short, that would be an easy question, but we have several [needs] that we’re looking to fill.”
Orakpo, 27, is considered among the best pass rushers available and is expected to command an average salary in the neighborhood of $10MM per season. Here’s more from the second day of the 2014 combine:
- The Patriots are set to meet with Aqib Talib in Indianapolis to discuss a new deal, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. As Howe notes, it’s a buyer’s market at the cornerback position with Alterraun Verner, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Charles Tillman, Vontae Davis and Brent Grimes also set to become available.
- Broncos GM John Elway expects wide receiver Wes Welker to be back with the team in 2014 for the final year of his contract, tweets Howe.
- Ken Harris, Jared Allen‘s agent, tells Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) that he had a “constructive” meeting with the Vikings on Thursday.
- Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff said he anticipates getting two to three compensatory draft picks, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
- In Ron Rivera’s view, the Panthers don’t have a successor to Steve Smith on their roster, which is something the head coach believes the club could address this offseason, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- According to GM Martin Mayhew, the Lions have no plans to try to re-sign wide receiver Nate Burleson or safety Louis Delmas, who were released earlier this month. Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press has the details.
- Johnny Manziel wants to endear himself to NFL GMs, so naturally, he decided to refer to himself in third person at the combine today when talking to reporters. “Johnny Manziel is a small-town kid. People make me out to be a Hollywood type,” the quarterback said, according to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle (on Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Falcons Rumors: Draft, Babineaux, Gonzalez
Earlier today, Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff spoke to reporters about the club’s strategy heading into the draft and overall gameplan for the offseason. Here’s a look at the highlights..
- Dimitroff reiterated his openness to trading up in the draft, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The Falcons currently own the No. 6 overall pick in the draft. It’s purely speculation, but a move to trade up could be an effort to get in the mix for South Carolina standout defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
- The Falcons’ current focus is on free agents before looking in-house to restructure any deals, tweets D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Julio Jones and Roddy White are among Atlanta’s extension candidates.
- Dimitroff added that the club has yet to extend any offers to any of their own free agents, tweets McClure. Atlanta’s free agents include defensive tackles Jonathan Babineaux and Corey Peters, cornerback Dominique Franks, tight end Chase Coffman, and offensive lineman Joe Hawley.
- Dimitroff was asked if he’s still trying to lure tight end Tony Gonzalez back for one more year – he smiled and said “no,” tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
NFC Notes: Nelson, Tuck, Fitzgerald, Mangini
We’ve already published posts on the Vikings, Bears, and Cowboys so far today, but even after rounding up a few team-centric updates, there are still several more notes to pass along on NFC teams. Here’s the latest:
- While there will be plenty of items on the Packers‘ to-do list this offseason, locking up wide receiver Jordy Nelson to an extension is expected to be near the top of that list, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- There are plenty of notable names among this year’s free agent class of defensive ends, but Justin Tuck’s agent tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com that he believes his client is the best all-around player of the bunch. “Justin is by far the most complete d-end in the class,” agent Doug Hendrickson said of the longtime Giant. “He can play the 4-3, he can play the 3-4. He obviously had an incredible season last year with every stat he had with the tackles, tackles for loss, the hurries and the sacks. They were up there with the upper-echelon defensive linemen.”
- Asked about a report last month that suggested the Patriots were mulling a Larry Fitzgerald trade last year, Cardinals GM Steve Keim said of the rumor, “I was looking for someone to fire because [the Patriots] never called me” (Twitter link via Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com). That initial report suggested that the Pats’ talks didn’t get very far, so it sounds like they were just internal discussions.
- Former defensive specialist Eric Mangini will be the 49ers’ tight ends coach in 2014, the team confirmed today. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee was the first to report Mangini’s new role.
- Cornerback figures to be one of the most important positions for the Eagles to address this offseason, writes Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer, exploring some potential options for the team.
- Offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, who was released by the Buccaneers earlier this month, admitted in an appearance on Sirius XM NFL Radio that he was surprised by the move. However, the early cut gave Carimi to test the market ahead of the free agent period. While he had planned to work out for the Bengals and some other teams, the ex-Bear landed with the Falcons this week (Twitter links via Alex Marvez of FOX Sports).
Extra Points: Cowboys, Matthews, Devaney
Could Mavericks owner Mark Cuban go from the pages of Hoops Rumors to Pro Football Rumors? Don’t bank on it. In an interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cuban was asked if he could see himself buying the Cowboys someday and he didn’t sound like a man ready to break out his checkbook, writes Jon Machota of The Dallas Morning News. “I think football teams have gotten so expensive that it would take a whole consortium, you’d have to put together a whole fund in order to buy them and that wouldn’t be any fun,” Cuban said. “It wouldn’t be any fun because it wouldn’t be my money, it wouldn’t be my team. It would have to be purely a business. That makes it a lot tougher.”
- Wide receiver Chris Matthews will get a guaranteed $10K bonus on his futures contract with the Seahawks, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). Matthews is one of just a few futures signees to see guaranteed money on their deal.
- Former Rams GM Billy Devaney is joining the Falcons‘ player personnel department as a regional scout, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). We learned on Valentine’s Day that Atlanta was giving consideration to hiring Devaney, who was previously working as an analyst with ESPN. Former Rams scout Russ Bollinger has also been hired by the Falcons, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
- The Lions signed Rugby speedster Carlin Isles to a reserve/futures contract, but it sounds like he’ll be sticking with his first sport. David Ferguson of The Scotsman writes that Isles, who has recorded a 4.22 40-yard-dash time, will ink a deal with the Glasgow Warriors, keeping him from the NFL.
- The Dolphins announced that they have canned offensive line coach Jim Turner and longtime head athletics trainer Kevin O’Neill. Both men were named in the Ted Wells report which examined the Dolphins organization following the Richie Incognito/Jonathan Martin controversy.
Falcons Release Garrett Reynolds
WEDNESDAY, 4:02pm: The Falcons finalized the move today, officially releasing Reynolds, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
TUESDAY, 4:30pm: The Falcons have informed offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds of his release, according to agent Chad Speck of Allegiant Athletic Agency (Twitter link). Reynolds is the latest veteran to be cut by the Falcons, who also released Asante Samuel and Stephen Nicholas earlier this month.
Reynolds, who started 10 games for the Falcons in 2013, signed a two-year, $2.7MM extension with the club last offseason. However, the 26-year-old lost his starting job at right guard late in the 2013 season, and his released had been expected. The move reduces his $1.63MM cap hit to $250K in dead money, creating modest cap savings in the $1MM range for the Falcons.
Reynolds, who graded as Pro Football Focus’ 31st overall guard (subscription required), won’t have to pass through waivers, since he has at least four years of experience. He’ll likely be in line for a minimum-salary contract with another team.
Falcons Sign Gabe Carimi
WEDNESDAY, 3:17pm: Carimi’s one-year contract with the Falcons is worth a total of $840K, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter). The deal includes a $645K base salary, a $65K signing bonus, and $140K in “per game” roster bonuses.
MONDAY, 3:55pm: The Falcons have signed offensive lineman Gabe Carimi, according to their team website. He had been released by the Buccaneers on February 10.
Carimi, 25, was a 2011 first-round pick of the Bears. He started 16 games over two seasons, before being traded to Tampa in 2013, where he started three games. He has experience at both tackle and guard.
As Alex Marvez of Fox Sports notes on Twitter, Carimi played under current Falcons offensive line coach Mike Tice when they both were with the Bears. Additionally, ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure notes that Carimi played with Tice’s son while at Wisconsin (Twitter link).
NFC Notes: Delmas, Falcons, Panthers
The Eagles will be targeting safeties this offseason in an effort to upgrade their secondary, but veteran free agent Louis Delmas doesn’t appear to be on their wish list, according to Reuben Frank of CSNPhilly.com. A source tells Frank that the Eagles have “little interest” in the former Lion, who was released by Detroit last week, and that disinterest is likely related to Delmas’ health. While the 26-year-old free safety started all 16 games in 2013, he has had surgeries on both knees in recent years, and missed 13 of 32 regular season contests in 2011 and 2012.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- In a Tuesday news release, CBS Sports confirmed that Tony Gonzalez will be joining the network’s pregame studio show, replacing the departing Dan Marino and Shannon Sharpe. The new job for Gonzalez essentially rules out a return to the field in 2014, meaning the Falcons will get $7MM in cap savings, as ESPN’s Adam Caplan outlines (via Twitter).
- Noting that the Panthers haven’t really begun negotiating with any of their prospective free agents yet, ESPN.com’s David Newton says there’s no reason to get worked up about Cam Newton‘s contract situation, since he’ll get paid eventually, whether it happens this offseason or down the line.
- The Cowboys will have to lock up wide receiver Dez Bryant and left tackle Tyron Smith at some point, and Calvin Watkins of ESPN.com believes a new deal for Smith should take precedence.
- Following up on the latest Sam Bradford rumors, Andrew Cohen of OverTheCap.com breaks down the four scenarios for the Rams: Releasing Bradford, extending him with a pay cut, extending him without a pay cut, and standing pat.
NFC South Links: Franchise Tag, Combine
Panthers‘ Greg Hardy‘s impending free agency has been at the forefront of conversation in the NFL world these past few weeks, and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer added to the chatter today, writing that while they want the star pass rusher back, applying the franchise tag on him would eat up all of the team’s remaining cap room. David Newton of ESPN.com agrees that it isn’t about whether the Panthers would like to, but instead whether they could afford to. Unless they can come to a long term agreement quickly, it seems more and more likely that Hardy would be able to reach unrestricted free agency. Here are some other links from around the NFC South:
- While Hardy, Captain Munnerlyn, and Cam Newton have been the big names of the Panthers‘ offseason, David Newton wrote that the team cannot forget to focus on improving their offensive line, even with their current cap woes.
- The Falcons do not have any logical candidates for the franchise tag this offseason, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. The tag could come into play in the 2015 offseason if the team is unable to sign wide receiver Julio Jones to an extension.
- With the scouting combine fast approaching, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution highlights five prospects the Falcons should keep an eye on. Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today picks out five position of need for the team to address in the draft.
- Reyes also wrote about five positions of need for the Saints to address in the draft, and suggested a few prospects who could fill those needs.
- The Buccaneers do not have a player who is a logical franchise tag candidate, writes Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. Before the season, quarterback Josh Freeman was considered a likely use for the tag. Freeman was benched and then released early in the season.
NFC Notes: Saints, Packers, Delmas
One of the top priorities for the Saints this offseason (other than re-signing their superstar wide receiver tight end pass catcher) is retooling their secondary, writes Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. The team needs a legitimate number two cornerback to pair with Keenan Lewis, with Triplett suggesting the Panthers’ Captain Munnerlyn as a possibility, despite his desire to remain with Carolina.
- Sources are saying that Packers general manager Ted Thompson will be active in free agency, looking to sign up to five players away from other teams, but Mike Vandermause of PackersNews.com isn’t buying it. The Packers have signed five unrestricted free agents in the last seven years and didn’t sign any three of the past four years. Only Jeff Saturday in 2012 became an every down starter, until he was benched towards the end of the season.
- With Jermichael Finley‘s return unlikely, and Andrew Quarless hitting free agency, the Packers will have to explore other options at tight end, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwalkee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. If they are serious about free agency, Scott Chandler or Brandon Pettigrew could be fits, but a more likely scenario is that they would address the position in the draft, where tight end is thought to be a deep class.
- The Falcons are looking to improve the safety position, and Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com believes the team could be interested in Louis Delmas who was recently released by the Lions. Delmas would be an improvement over the inconsistent Thomas DeCoud, and could make a nice pair with William Moore at the back of the secondary.
- The Cardinals have a very good duo of wide receivers in Larry Fitzgerald and Michael Floyd, but last year they weren’t able to install their third receiver, Andre Roberts, into a big role in the offense. This could mean they will struggle to keep him in 2014, writes Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. He believes Roberts would have to take less money and a smaller role in order to stay.
- Cardinals‘ cornerback Bryan McCann said that he wants to start in 2014. Although that is unlikely to happen in Arizona, he still would like to return to the Cardinals, writes Weinfuss. McCann has never started a game in his four year career, but could bring extra value due to his return skills.
NFC Notes: Dimitroff, Shields, Orakpo, Eagles
Falcons GM Thomas Dimitroff was put under the microscope by the Atlanta Journal Constitution’s Dawson Devitt, who published the first part of an exhaustive retrospective analysis of the GM’s transaction history 2008-09, including free agency, cuts, trades, extensions and drafts. The verdict? More good than bad.
Other opinions from NFC writers:
- Packers free agent cornerback Sam Shields‘ arrow is pointing up, according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky, who says the 26-year-old is worth $7-8MM per year. Shields has blazing speed to run with outside burners and has improved leaps and bounds with his technique and tackling.
- With Henry Melton, Jay Ratliff and Nate Collins set to hit free agency, defensive tackle “will have to be a top priority” for the Bears, according to ESPN Chicago’s Michael C. Wright, who believes the team will add interior defenders in the draft, via free agency and still attempt to bring back its own free agents.
- The Redskins can re-sign both Brian Orakpo and Perry Riley provided both players don’t ask for unreasonable deals, says ESPN Washington’s John Keim.
- Thanks to second-year head coach Chip Kelly’s familiarity with college players, Dallas Morning News writer Rick Gosselin believes the Eagles are in a window when they have a distinct draft advantage. Gosselin cites past examples of Jimmy Johnson‘s move from the University of Miami to the Cowboys, Jim Harbaugh‘s jump from Stanford to the 49ers and Pete Carroll’s escape from USC to the Seahawks when the coaches drafted players they were familiar with, creating the core of winning NFL teams. Kelly, who recruited nationally for Oregon, “spent four years with the Ducks so he has a four-year window when he’ll know the draft board better than the NFL lifers,” contends Gosselin.