Extra Points: Panthers, E. Sanders, Cards, Bills
With Josh Norman out of Carolina thanks to a contract dispute and defensive tackle Kawann Short now angling for a big-money deal, Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman fired a warning shot at player agents Wednesday. “I’d like to think agents have figured out they can’t scare me; they can’t squeeze me. I’m not going to panic. It’s a waste of time,” he defiantly told Black & Blue Review (Twitter link).
More from around the NFL:
- Given the high-paying extensions awarded to Fletcher Cox, Keenan Allen and Brandon Marshall within the last week, Conor Orr of NFL.com highlighted other notable players who could cash in this summer. Up next might be the Broncos’ Emmanuel Sanders, whom multiple league sources expect to become the next wideout to land an extension, per Orr.
- After spending last season in Arizona, free agent linebacker LaMarr Woodley tore into Cardinals defensive coordinator James Bettcher in May, referring to the coach as “dumb.” Woodley doubled down on that today, albeit in a less trenchant way, telling NFL Media’s R&B Podcast, “I just felt like the defensive coordinator didn’t listen to his players” (via Jeremy Cluff of the Arizona Republic). Woodley added that all-time great defensive mind Dick LeBeau, who coached Woodley for years in Pittsburgh, listens to his players and makes in-game adjustments based on their input.
- Bills legend Jim Kelly opined last week that Rex Ryan is coaching for his job in Year 2 with the franchise, saying the team has to break its league-worst 16-season playoff drought for Ryan to return in 2017. Ryan responded Tuesday, telling reporters (including Mike Rodak of ESPN.com), “I think if you ask Jim, Jim knows I’m a hell of a coach and a good coach for this team and this community. I think he would tell you that. I hope he would.” In typical confident fashion, Ryan also stated that he “expects to win big-time” this season, per Rodak. Under Ryan last season, the Bills fell from 9-7 to 8-8 and unexpectedly saw their defensive performance decline precipitously.
- Today’s biggest story: The Ravens released offensive tackle Eugene Monroe, whom the Giants are now pursuing. PFR’s Dallas Robinson tried to find a fit for the 29-year-old, listing eight teams (including the Giants) that could sign him.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/15/16
Today’s minor moves from around the NFL:
- The Cowboys reached an injury settlement with linebacker Jerrell Harris and then released him from IR, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. Harris joined the Cowboys, his eighth NFL organization, in January on a reserve/futures contract. Despite having spent time with a quarter of the league’s teams since going undrafted in 2012, the 26-year-old hasn’t appeared in a game.
AFC Notes: Forte, Texans, Bills
The fact that the Jets have a pair of terrific receivers in Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker is one of the reasons running back Matt Forte chose to sign with the team over the winter, writes Zach Braziller of the New York Post. “If Brandon and Eric can be on the outside to help me out and if I can be really effective in the running game, it can help them out, too,” said Forte, who noted in 2013 – perhaps his best season – the Bears had two high-caliber wideouts (Marshall and Alshon Jeffery) whose respective presences aided the club’s running game.
Elsewhere around the AFC…
- Thirteenth-year Texans defensive tackle Vince Wilfork believes he has a couple more good seasons in him, Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com tweets. Wilfork, 34, says his love of the game keeps him coming back each year, despite the sacrifices and hard work. Wilfork is entering the final season of a two-year, $9MM contract he inked in March 2015.
- Bills running back Karlos Williams disappointed Rex Ryan when he showed up to minicamp overweight, with the head coach saying that the second-year man isn’t “anywhere close to where he needs to be to play at a high level” (via Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk). Williams attributes his weight gain to his then-pregnant fiancee’s eating habits. “It definitely is a first but I like to eat and then her being pregnant gave me an excuse to eat, so eating anything and everything,” he said. “She’d wake up, one or two o’clock, ‘I want a snack.’ Well I’m not going to sit here and watch you eat because I don’t want you to feel bad but it’s back to football.” With his fiancee having had the baby, Williams will now try to work back into shape and follow up his excellent rookie year (517 rushing yards on 93 attempts, nine total touchdowns in as many games) with another strong campaign.
- One of Wilfork’s teammates, Texans left tackle Duane Brown, is progressing from offseason surgery to repair a torn quadriceps muscle and should be ready by Week 1 at the latest, reports John McClain of the Houston Chronicle. Brown, who has started in all 120 of his appearances with the Texans, suffered the injury in Week 17 last season.
- Earlier this evening, we checked in on the latest from the AFC West – including a Von Miller update.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
North Notes: Ravens, Jeffery, Harrison, Lions
The five-year, $37.5MM deal offensive tackle Eugene Monroe signed in 2014 is the worst contract the Ravens have ever given out, opines Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Monroe – whom the Ravens released earlier today – received $17.5MM in guaranteed money and, because of injuries, ultimately made just 17 starts after inking the contract. Hensley adds that the Ravens began souring on Monroe when he didn’t start their 2014 AFC divisional playoff game in New England because of an ankle injury. Monroe was healthy enough to be active for that contest, leading the Ravens to wonder about his toughness.
More from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Franchise-tagged Bears receiver Alshon Jeffery wants a long-term contract, but he’s content to play 2016 without one if an agreement isn’t reached by the July 15 deadline (via Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com). “It really doesn’t matter to me. Like I said, that situation will take care of itself. I’m here to play football and to focus on football,” said Jeffery, who’s currently slated to rake in $14.599MM under the tag.
- Steelers linebacker James Harrison is 38, but he hopes to play for another two years, as ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler writes. “If you ask me that now, yeah [I can]. But that’s something I’ll deal with. I don’t know if I want to go that far, even though it’s only a couple of years away,” he said. Harrison also discussed his role with the team in 2016 and indicated that he is willing to do whatever is asked of him. The five-time Pro Bowler will surely play a smaller role this year than he did in his heyday.
- Ravens LB Elvis Dumervil told reporters – including Clifton Brown of CSN Mid-Atlantic, via Twitter – that he underwent a preventative procedure on his foot and is unable to participate in minicamp as a result, though he should be ready by training camp. Teammate Steve Smith, who missed most of last year with a torn Achilles, is expected to sit out the entire preseason; however, he’ll be ready in time for Week 1, tweets Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun.
- It appears that Lions receiver Corey Fuller had surgery on his injured right foot, per Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. That would help explain the Lions’ decision to sign Andre Roberts last week and also why the team hosted Anquan Boldin on a visit.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
East Notes: Fitz, Wilkerson, Cousins, Cowboys
The Jets’ Todd Bowles indicated Tuesday that there’s no deadline to sign free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, but the head coach backtracked on that today, reports Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. “If it’s Week 4 in training camp and he’s not here, you know who your starter is going to be Week 1,” Bowles said, implying that Geno Smith would be the Jets’ No. 1 signal-caller in such an extreme scenario. “You have time until you don’t have time,” continued Bowles, who added that the Jets will consider signing a veteran to compete for a backup role with rookie Christian Hackenberg and second-year man Bryce Petty if Gang Green doesn’t re-up Fitzpatrick.
More from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins is content to play this season under the $19.95MM franchise tag if he and the club don’t reach a long-term agreement by the July 15 deadline, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. One reason the 27-year-old is fine with operating under the tag is because he knows his price will continue rising if the Redskins franchise him again next offseason, relays Florio. Indeed, it would cost Washington $23.94MM to tag Cousins in 2017 and $34.47MM to do the same in 2018.
- Jets defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson – who skipped OTAs and is sitting out minicamp (and could hold out of training camp) – will not settle for less than the $103MM extension the Eagles gave Fletcher Cox on his next deal, writes Brian Costello of the New York Post. Although Wilkerson has a star-level track record, the Jets don’t regard the two-time second-team All-Pro highly enough to pay him Cox-type of money and already have a pair of other stud D-linemen in Sheldon Richardson and Leonard Williams. Thus, Wilkerson is likely to eventually sign his $15.7MM franchise tag, play 2016 under that and then bolt in free agency, per Costello.
- The Cowboys have named Lionel Vital their director of college scouting, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. Dallas hired Vital as a senior personnel executive in March, but the team has now clarified his role. Vital was previously the personnel director for the Falcons, who parted ways with him in January.
- After a mini-holdout, standout Dolphins safety Reshad Jones reported to minicamp earlier today.
AFC West Notes: Von, Broncos QBs, Chiefs, Berry
Star linebacker Von Miller is embroiled in a contract dispute with the Broncos, leading to questions as to whether he’d go so far as to sit out at least some of this season, but the Super Bowl 50 MVP may have put that notion to rest. On the possibility of skipping regular-season games this year if the franchise-tagged pass rusher and the Broncos don’t work out a long-term deal by the July 15 deadline, Miller told Netflix’s Chelsea Handler, “No, I mean .. we still have a month. I just can’t see myself with any other team. My boys — T.J. Ward, Aqib Talib, Kayvon Webster, DeMarcus Ware. All those guys, I built very, very close relationships with those guys, and I would like to continue to build that for the rest of my career.” Miller also stated that he’d like the franchise to reciprocate his desire to be a career-long Bronco (via Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post).
More regarding Denver and one of its division rivals:
- Another franchise player from the AFC West, Chiefs four-time Pro Bowl safety Eric Berry, is also disenchanted with his contract situation. Unsurprisingly, Berry is absent from the Chiefs’ mandatory minicamp as he tries to sort out his future, writes Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. Berry could sign his one-year, $10.8MM tender and play this season under that, or he could continue to wait for a long-term deal from the Chiefs or another team. As is the case with Miller, Berry has until July 15 to work out a multiyear accord. Otherwise, he’ll either have to play this season as a franchise player or sit out.
- First-round rookie Paxton Lynch is on the outside looking in when it comes to the Broncos’ three-man quarterback derby, according to head coach Gary Kubiak. Both Mark Sanchez and Trevor Siemian are well ahead of the ex-Memphis standout as of now. “I think they’re looking each in the eye throughout the course of the offseason,” Kubiak said of Sanchez and Siemian (via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com). “Who’s ahead? Who’s [No.] 1? I think those two guys are right there with each other; it’s a very competitive situation. They’re obviously ahead of the young guy. … Those two guys have been very close.”
- The Chiefs have invited four free agents – cornerbacks Trenton Cole and Chris Greenwood, and receivers Seantavius Jones and Devonte Robinson – to try out at mandatory camp, reports Paylor (Twitter link).
Seahawks Notes: Robinson, Chancellor, Bennett
Here’s the latest on the Seahawks, all of which comes courtesy of The Seattle Times’ Bob Condotta:
- Pete Carroll confirmed longtime NBA point guard Nate Robinson‘s tryout with the Seahawks and lauded his athletic ability, but the head coach indicated that the 5-foot-9, 180-pounder faces long odds of getting a contract (Twitter link). Robinson, 32, hasn’t played competitive football since his days at the University of Washington. It will make for an excellent story if the Seahawks do sign the local product, who’s vying for a defensive role, but it doesn’t appear likely.
- Safety Kam Chancellor spoke after practice today and expressed happiness regarding his situation (via Twitter). That’s a far cry from Chancellor’s state a year ago, when he was upset with his contract and ended up holding out until Week 3 of the regular season. The Seahawks called Chancellor’s bluff then and still haven’t awarded him a new deal. As of now, the four-time Pro Bowler remains under the contract he signed in 2013. That deal, which pays Chancellor upward of $7MM per year, is set to expire after the 2017 season.
- Defensive end Michael Bennett, who also hasn’t made his desire for a new contract a secret, told reporters Tuesday that he believes he’s a $100MM player (Twitter link). Bennett, like Chancellor, has two more years remaining on his current contract. The only D-linemen in the league on deals worth at least $100MM are Ndamukong Suh, J.J. Watt and the newly signed Fletcher Cox. Bennett is already 30 and, although outstanding, has neither the track records of Suh or Watt nor the youth of Cox, so it’s highly improbable he’ll land a deal remotely close to theirs. However, if Bennett maintains his performance (or something close to it), he should be in line for an appreciable raise over his $7.13MM-per-year average salary whenever he signs his next deal.
Ravens Shopping Eugene Monroe
7:58pm: Along with Monroe’s inability to stay on the field lately and Stanley’s presence, Monroe’s campaign to remove marijuana from the league’s banned substances list is part of the reason the Ravens are set to move on from him, according to Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Hensley adds that it took until the middle of June for the Ravens to shop Monroe because they had to wait for him to get medical clearance, which he received Wednesday.
5:21pm: The Ravens are holding seventh-year offensive tackle Eugene Monroe out of practice because they’re trying to trade him, head coach John Harbaugh told reporters – including Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun – on Tuesday. Harbaugh went on to state that Monroe’s status is in the hands of general manager Ozzie Newsome, with Zrebiec inferring from the coach’s comments that Monroe will not be a Raven this season (Twitter links).
Monroe, 29, entered the NFL as the Jaguars’ first-round pick (eighth overall) in 2010 and established himself as a durable starter in Jacksonville. The Jags then traded Monroe to the Ravens early in the 2013 season for multiple late-round picks, and Baltimore was impressed enough to award the 6-foot-5, 300-pounder a five-year, $37.5MM contract the ensuing offseason.
Injuries have become an issue for Monroe, though, as he has played in just 17 of a possible 32 regular-season games since inking his big-money deal. Monroe missed a career-high 10 games in 2015 and landed on season-ending injured reserve in December with a shoulder issue. Both Monroe’s lack of durability and the Ravens’ decision to use the sixth overall pick in this year’s draft on Notre Dame left tackle Ronnie Stanley will now combine to push Monroe out of Baltimore, it seems.
If the Ravens are unable to find a taker for the ex-Virginia standout via trade and then elect to cut him, it will cost them $6.6MM in dead money versus $2.1MM in cap savings this year. They’d also be on the hook for a combined $6.6MM in dead cash the next two seasons, though they’d save $11.3MM. It might not come to that for Baltimore, though, as teams have inquired about Monroe, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). If healthy, the 90-start veteran should be able to improve someone’s offensive line.
With Monroe likely on the outs, the Ravens auditioned free agent O-lineman Todd Herremans earlier today.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Fallout From Fletcher Cox’s Extension
Earlier today, PFR ran down some of the initial reactions to the mammoth six-year contract extension defensive lineman Fletcher Cox signed with the Eagles on Monday. Plenty more responses have come in since, so let’s dive in…
- The Cox deal is yet another Eagles-inflicted blow to the Broncos, details Mike Klis of 9News. The Eagles hurt the Broncos’ chances to re-sign quarterback Brock Osweiler earlier this offseason when they inked Sam Bradford to a $17.5MM-per-year extension. Now Cox’s contract isn’t doing Denver any favors in its attempt to lock up star pass-rushing linebacker Von Miller, the Super Bowl 50 MVP who has amassed 60 sacks in 72 career regular-season games. The Broncos have until July 15 to sign Miller to a long-term deal. Otherwise, best-case scenario for the club: Miller will play out 2016 under the exclusive franchise tag. There have been rumblings that Miller could sit out the season if the reigning champions don’t meet his long-term demands, however. To this point, the Broncos haven’t been willing to give Miller a non-injury-guaranteed total approaching $60MM for the first three years of the six-year, $114.5MM extension they’ve offered him. The Broncos have instead offered to guarantee nearly $40MM over the first two years, and non-injury guarantees for the third year wouldn’t actually kick in until then. Cox, meanwhile, got $55.2MM in new money in the opening three years of his deal.
- Denver isn’t the only team that the Cox contract could negatively affect, says Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). The Panthers and Jets have standout defensive linemen Kawann Short and Muhammad Wilkerson, respectively, entering contract years, and now their price tags stand to rise even higher. The Panthers aren’t bullish enough on Short to give him Cox-type money, which will make negotiations difficult, according to Cole. The Jets hold similar feelings toward Wilkerson, so the expectation is that he doesn’t have much of a future with the team. Wilkerson is currently scheduled to play this season under the non-exclusive franchise tag, though he hasn’t signed the tender yet and isn’t a lock to report to training camp.
- Having second overall pick Carson Wentz in the fold as the prospective long-term solution under center is a luxury that enabled the Eagles to allocate bank-breaking money to Cox, opines Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Cox’s extension will kick in come 2017, which is when Wentz is expected to take over for Bradford under center. Wentz’s cap numbers from 2017-19 ($6.06MM, $7.26MM and $8.49MM) are palatable figures for a starting QB. Of course, Wentz will actually have to prove himself capable in the pros for Philly to take advantage of this situation, as the Seahawks and Colts have done in recent years with Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck, respectively.
- After former head coach Chip Kelly pushed him out of the picture last season, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman has emphatically taken back the throne in Philadelphia, writes Marcus Hayes of the Inquirer. Cox’s extension is just the latest transaction Roseman has made this year to ensure the Eagles have a prosperous future. Along with locking up Cox, Roseman also inked Zach Ertz, Brent Celek, Lane Johnson, Vinny Curry, Malcolm Jenkins and Bradford to multiyear deals. In addition to those deals and the aggressive move to land Wentz in the draft, Roseman spent the meat of the offseason getting rid of DeMarco Murray, Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso, Riley Cooper and DeMeco Ryans. Roseman has put his stamp on the Eagles and erased Kelly’s influence over the franchise in the process.
Darius Slay Wants Top 7 Cornerback Money
The Lions’ Darius Slay is coming off his second straight 16-start, two-interception season, one in which Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked him as the second-best cornerback in the NFL. As a result of his on-field excellence, Slay – now in a contract year – wants to be paid like one of the league’s top seven corners on his next deal, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
[RELATED: Lions Sign WR Andre Roberts]
In assessing his own performance, the 2013 second-round pick from Mississippi State said, “Right now I’ll say top seven, just cause as long as (Darrelle) Revis is in the game, he’s going to be the best corner to me. (Richard) Sherman’s the best, 24 picks in three years, nobody ain’t do that. Pat P (Peterson) of course. I love Chris Harris’ game. (Aqib) Talib. Joe Haden. I feel like them are the real elite, elite, elite guys, so I feel like I’m an elite guy, but I feel like I got to keep working to get to their level because they’re elite.”
As of now, the seven highest-paid corners in the league average roughly $14MM per year in salary and nearly $7.3MM in annual guarantees. Prices for high-end corners have continued rising since last season, with the likes of Josh Norman and Janoris Jenkins scoring massive contracts in free agency.
Regardless of the exact amount it takes to lock up Slay, the 25-year-old hopes the Lions are the ones doling out his checks for the foreseeable future. Slay, who hired Drew Rosenhaus as his agent in January and subsequently approached the Lions about an extension, told Birkett that he wants to remain in the Motor City for the long haul.
“I love the city, I love the fans, so that’s why I came to them and asked them for it,” he stated.
As for a time frame on an extension, Slay is aiming for sometime this summer, he told Birkett.
“I don’t really know why it’s that important, but I feel like it should be done then,” Slay said.
Slay is currently on track to earn just under $1MM in 2016.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.