AFC North Notes: Ravens, Steelers, Weddle
Safety Eric Weddle spurned other teams’ offers to sign a four-year, $26MM with the Ravens during the winter. One of the clubs that had interest in Weddle was the hated AFC North rival Steelers, and the three-time Pro Bowl defender revealed today that he and Ben Roethlisberger talked throughout the free agent process (via Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com). “Hopefully I get a lot of wins and interceptions against him,” said Weddle. “And maybe sprinkle in a few touchdowns.”
More on the two standouts’ teams:
- Steelers star running back Le’Veon Bell shot down a Twitter rumor that he failed a drug test, telling reporters, including Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, “I haven’t missed any drug tests, failed any drug tests. I am fine.” Bell, of course, sat out three regular-season games in 2015 for a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He also missed seven more contests because of a torn MCL. Bell passed along a positive update on his knee today, per Kaboly (Twitter links). Now entering a contract year, Bell – arguably the league’s premier RB – will try to bounce back from a tumultuous 2015.
- Steelers guard David DeCastro says his reps have talked a “little bit” with the team about contract negotiations, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. With one year left to go on his contract, DeCastro figures to be a priority for Pittsburgh to address, along with Bell.
- Once looked at as a potential starter for the Ravens, running back Lorenzo Taliaferro finds himself in the same boat as Terrance West and Trent Richardson, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. Justin Forsett, Buck Allen and fourth-round rookie Kenneth Dixon have their roster spots locked down, but Taliaferro, West, and Hall of Fame hopeful Richardson may be competing for just one spot. Taliaferro, 24, suffered a foot injury in October that wound up ending his season prematurely. In 2015, Taliaferro logged only 13 carries for 47 yards and one score. He also caught all five of his targets for a total of 29 yards.
- Earlier this evening, we learned the Ravens are shopping left tackle Eugene Monroe. Further, they worked out fellow veteran O-lineman Todd Herremans.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Todd Herremans Working Out For Ravens
Free agent offensive lineman Todd Herremans is working out for the Ravens at their minicamp, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link).
Herremans has been unemployed since the Colts released the 33-year-old last December and there hasn’t been any reported interest in him until now. Last season’s outcome wasn’t what Herremans or the Colts envisioned when the club signed him to a one-year, $2.25MM deal in March 2015. Prior to earning his release, Herremans started in just two of eight games and was inactive five times, as ESPN’s Mike Wells notes (on Twitter).
Before landing in Indy, Herremans was long a reliable lineman as a member of the Eagles, with whom he appeared in 127 games and racked up 124 starts from 2005-14. One of his coaches in Philadelphia was Juan Castillo, who’s now at the helm of the Ravens’ offensive line. If Herremans ends up in Baltimore, he’d likely serve as depth on the right side behind elite guard Marshal Yanda and tackle Rick Wagner.
In other Ravens notes, the team got good news today on second-year receiver Breshad Perriman. It was previously feared Perriman had a torn ACL, but that isn’t the case. He should be ready to go for Week 1.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Police Investigating Rape Claim Against Nelson Agholor
8:52pm: Eagles defensive lineman Fletcher Cox tweeted that he was also at the club, but he denied any involvement in the alleged incident.
5:46pm: Second-year Eagles receiver Nelson Agholor has been accused of rape by a dancer at Cheerleaders Gentlemen’s Club in Philadelphia, law enforcement sources told David Gambacorta of PhillyMag.com. Agholor has not been charged with a crime – and his attorney is “confident that he will not be charged” – but police are investigating the woman’s claim that Agholor raped her in the club at around 3 p.m. Thursday.
Detectives are working to track down video footage from the club, Philadelphia Police Commissioner Richard Ross said. Investigators will speak soon with Agholor, who was with at least two other Eagles players, according to Gambacorta. One of those players, linebacker Connor Barwin, acknowledged his own presence at the club, but he stated that he left around 2:30 p.m. (Twitter link via Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News).
The allegation against Agholor comes as the result of a financial dispute, a person with knowledge of the situation told Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ Advance Media. Agholor agreed to pay the dancer $1,400 for their time in a private room, but because she left before the time they agreed on expired, Agholor only paid her $800. The dancer then left the bar without informing management of the alleged rape, per the source, who informed Shorr-Parks that multiple dancers at the club have told management that Agholor didn’t do anything wrong. A source with ties to Agholor told Bowen that Shorr-Parks’ report is correct (Twitter link).
Agholor has since left Philadelphia for Florida, where he played high school football. The Eagles, meanwhile, issued a statement Friday in response to the allegations.
“We are aware of the police investigation involving Nelson Agholor. The organization has been in contact with Nelson and with the proper authorities in Philadelphia. Because of the legal nature of this matter, we will have no further comment.”
Agholor, whom the Eagles used the 20th overall pick on in last year’s draft, caught 23 passes for 283 yards and a touchdown in 13 games as a rookie.
Extra Points: Coaches, Bell, Boykin
Here’s the latest from around the NFL:
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports examined the job security of each NFL head coach entering the season. In La Canfora’s estimation, Rex Ryan (Bills), Gus Bradley (Jaguars), Jim Caldwell (Lions), Mike McCoy (Chargers), Marvin Lewis (Bengals), Bill O’Brien (Texans) and Jason Garrett (Cowboys) are the least secure coaches going into this year. Of that group, two (Lewis and O’Brien) were at the helm of playoff teams last season. Ryan has only been in Buffalo for a year, making him the shortest-tenured member of the septet.
- Free agent running back Joique Bell told SiriusXM NFL Radio (audio link) on Friday that a few teams are interested in signing him. Bell added that he hopes to join his next team in July. The 29-year-old, who stated last week that he has “two or three offers on the table,” has been on the market since the Lions cut him in February.
- One of Bell’s fellow free agents, cornerback Brandon Boykin, surprisingly can’t find work this offseason. One possible reason is a report that he has a degenerative hip problem – a rumor that Boykin blames Steelers defensive backs coach Carnell Lake for starting. Lake had a chance Thursday to walk back comments he made last week about Boykin’s hip, but he opted against doing so, as Chris Adamski of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. “I made some comments that I had at fantasy camp and I’m not going to go back on that,” said Lake. “I wish Boykin all the best; he helped us when we needed him, and I wish him the best in his career.”
AFC Notes: Jets QBs, Raiders, Vegas, Chargers
With seemingly no progress being made in talks between the Jets and free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick, Albert Breer of TheMMQB.com told Toucher and Rich of CBS Boston (video link via CSNNE.com) that he could envision Gang Green setting a deadline for the 33-year-old to sign. If the Jets and Fitzpatrick aren’t able to reach an agreement this summer, the team believes it would be able to “tread water” with Geno Smith under center, says Breer. The Jets were prepared to go into last season with Smith as their starter before then-teammate IK Enemkpali broke his jaw with a punch, thereby leading to the Fitzpatrick era. Notably, Fitzpatrick’s output in 2015 was vastly superior to Smith’s when he was the Jets’ starter the previous two seasons.
In other AFC news…
- The Southern Nevada Tourism Infrastructure Committee will meet June 23 to endorse the construction of a stadium that would house the Raiders and UNLV, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). It remains up in the air whether the state of Nevada can raise the projected $750MM needed to build the stadium, but if it does, the Raiders will seek the NFL’s approval to relocate, says Cole.
- San Diego voters cut three candidates for City Attorney this week, which seems to bode poorly for the Chargers’ plans for a $1.15 billion downtown stadium and convention center, writes Tom Krasovic of the San Diego Union-Tribune. The two candidates who advanced, Republican Robert Hickey and Democrat Mara Elliott, are on record as saying the Chargers’ plan will need two-thirds voter approval. Bryan Pease, who received the fewest votes and is now out of the running, thought the stadium could come to fruition with a 50 percent plus one vote. In regards to the city helping fund a stadium, Elliott said, “I’d rather see the money go toward something that benefits the public. Public safety, roads, our infrastructure is crumbling. We’ve got water issues in the City of San Diego. So in my opinion, there are more critical concerns for San Diegans than there is building a private Chargers stadium.” The Chargers have until Jan. 15, 2017, to join the Rams in Los Angeles, so it stands to reason that they’ll depart by then if a stadium deal isn’t reached.
- Earlier this evening, we checked in on the latest Broncos rumors.
Broncos Rumors: Miller, Sanders, Marshall
The six-year, $114.5MM offer from the Broncos that linebacker Von Miller is unwilling to accept actually includes a $58MM injury guarantee at signing, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio adds that the remainder of the $58MM would become fully guaranteed on the fifth day of the 2018 league year. The Broncos, therefore, would have the chance to cut the reigning Super Bowl MVP loose after two seasons without any serious repercussions. Miller, however, would like the first three years of the deal guaranteed to ensure that doesn’t happen.
Here’s more on Miller and two of his Denver teammates:
- The exact figure Miller wants over the first three years of his next deal is $70MM, which is the biggest stumbling block in negotiations between him and the Broncos, according to Florio. The Broncos are only willing to guarantee Miller $39.5MM over two years, and Florio doesn’t expect a resolution until right before the July 15 deadline for the team and its franchise player to work out a long-term agreement. That’s if a deal comes at all, of course, which doesn’t look promising at the moment.
- Miller isn’t the only high-profile Bronco entering a contract year: Both receiver Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Brandon Marshall are slated to hit free agency after the upcoming season. The team is engaged in contract talks with the pair, reports Mike Klis of 9News, who writes that Sanders’ agent, Todd France, recently sent the Broncos a counteroffer. “I want to retire a Bronco,” Sanders told 9News’ Rod Mackey. “I think everyone wants to know, but it’s all about being able to say, ‘I’m getting paid what I put out.’’ Negotiations in Marshall’s case are more advanced, per Klis, who notes that the defender’s deadline to sign his restricted free agent tender for 2016 is Wednesday. If Marshall doesn’t sign the tender, the Broncos will have a chance to reduce his deal from $2.553MM to a 10 percent raise over the $585K he made last season. Nevertheless, Klis expects Denver to award Marshall the $2.553MM even if he doesn’t put pen to paper by the tender deadline.
- For in-depth analysis on what a Marshall extension might look like, check out this piece by PFR’s Sam Robinson.
Extra Points: Browns, Ravens, Redskins
With the Browns’ minicamp in the books, head coach Hue Jackson said Thursday he’s “not even close” to naming a starting quarterback and acknowledged that there will be an open competition in training camp, tweets Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Offseason free agent pickup Robert Griffin III seems like a good bet to win the job, but he’ll have to beat out a group headlined by fellow veteran Josh McCown – who was impressive last season.
Elsewhere around the NFL…
- Ravens tight end Crockett Gillmore believes he’s a member of the premier TE corps in the NFL. “I’m not afraid to say it. It’s hands down [the best group],” he said, per Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. New England undoubtedly has the preeminent one-two punch at the position with Rob Gronkowski and Martellus Bennett, but from the top down, Hensley writes that Gillmore has a valid argument. The Ravens also employ Ben Watson, Maxx Williams and Dennis Pitta, though Pitta missed most of the last two seasons because of hip injuries. Gillmore, Watson and Williams, meanwhile, combined for 139 receptions, 11 touchdowns and 1,500-plus yards in 2015.
- Redskins defensive lineman Chris Baker is entering a contract year and would like to sign an extension, but he told JP Finlay of CSN Mid-Atlantic that he hasn’t discussed a new deal with the team. “If you go out and you’re producing, they’re gonna keep me,” he said. As Finlay notes, with quarterback Kirk Cousins also going into a contract year and tight end Jordan Reed having signed a mega-deal last month, Baker could end up out of the Redskins’ price range. The 28-year-old is coming off a breakout season in which he amassed career highs in appearances (16, to go with 11 starts), tackles (53), sacks (six) and forced fumbles (three). Thanks to his output in 2015, Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Baker a solid 22nd out of 83 qualifying interior defenders.
- The Ravens worked out two free agents – receiver Jimmie Hunt and running back/linebacker/safety Cabrinni Goncalves – on Thursday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter links). Hunt joined the Packers as an undrafted free agent out of Missouri last year, but the team cut him in September and he didn’t latch on elsewhere. Goncalves, formerly of Maine, went undrafted this year.
South Notes: Bucs, Colts, Luck, Saints
In a bit of voluntary OTA drama on Thursday, first-year Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter sent Austin Seferian-Jenkins off the field because the tight end “didn’t know what he was doing” (via Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times). “I did send him off,” Koetter said afterward. “That’s between me and him. … You guys are making more of it than you need to.” Seferian-Jenkins ended up taking to Twitter right after leaving the field and posting some fired-up messages (click for links) while his teammates were still practicing, though it doesn’t appear that anything else will come of the situation.
Here’s more from the NFL’s South divisions:
- With the salary cap rising each year, players who are in line for long-term deals should request specific percentages of the cap, not specific salaries, opines Mike Florio of Pro Football. One such player is Colts quarterback Andrew Luck, who’s headed toward an extension and can maximize his value by focusing on the cap. As Florio points out, if Luck signs for $25MM per year under a $155.3MM cap, he’d take up 16.1 percent of the Colts’ spending ability. If the number rises to $200MM in the coming years, as it realistically could, Luck’s 16.1 percent would set him up to make $32.2MM. Agents are currently trying to make pay based on cap percentage a reality, though teams aren’t thrilled about it, multiple sources have told Florio. It isn’t a brand-new idea, per Florio, who writes that cornerback Darrelle Revis wanted a cap percentage contract from the Jets when he was holding out in 2010.
- Earlier today, Saints coach Sean Payton seemed to hint that Roman Harper will make the team when he spoke about the newly signed safety, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. Rapoport notes that the veteran’s contract supports that notion, as he has a signing bonus worth $80K and $150K more in the way of guarantees.
- The Colts are focused on developing their younger players, but they won’t rule out a veteran signing under certain circumstances, ESPN.com’s Mike Wells writes. “We’re going to look and see if anyone comes on the wire and is someone coach [Chuck Pagano] and I feel can help us, but they have to meet certain parameters,” general manager Ryan Grigson said. “Age, money and things like that. We got Mike Adams. He was still able to participate in mandatory minicamp.” The Colts added Adams in June 2014 and he went on to make Pro Bowls in 2014 and 2015.
- The status of guard Garrett Gilkey, who hasn’t been with Buccaneers as he recovers from knee surgery, remains murky. “I don’t know,” Koetter said when asked about Gilkey (Twitter link via Auman).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Kaepernick on 49ers’ Offense, Kelly, Baalke, Health
Despite having requested a trade out of San Francisco in February, 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick will go forward with the team this year after its front office, led by GM Trent Baalke, wasn’t able to move him. Kaepernick, who is looking to bounce back from a subpar season that ended early thanks to a torn left labrum, will now attempt to beat out fellow veteran Blaine Gabbert for the 49ers’ starting QB job this summer. The 28-year-old spoke to reporters Thursday about several important topics, including whether he and Baalke have talked to each other this offseason (they haven’t). Here, courtesy of the Bay Area News Group’s Cam Inman, is a rundown of interesting quotes:
On new head coach Chip Kelly, the team’s offense, and the support Kaepernick has gotten from teammates and fans:
“I’m excited to be here with Chip (Kelly) and these coaches. The offense has been amazing. My teammates have been great with their support. I’m excited to be back on the field with them. It was a great feeling out there this week (at minicamp). The fan support I’ve gotten through everything, especially seeing people out, it’s amazing and really made me excited to be out here and play.”
On why he asked for a trade:
“Organizations at the end of the season evaluate personnel and opportunities “That was something I sat down with my team (of agents and support staff) and did the same thing. That’s how we handled the business.
“We were looking at different opportunities. I really don’t want to get into specifics about what happened or why things happened. At this point everything is football and I’m a 49er. Again, I’m excited to work with Chip and this coaching staff.”
On the 49ers’ depth chart under center:
“They haven’t said anything about a pecking order or anything like that. All I’ve heard is Chip has told me it’s going to be a competition. That’s going to be my mindset and I’m excited to do that.”
On his health:
“At this point I’m close to being 100 percent healthy, close to where I can start training again and really looking forward to the progress I can make this summer in being ready for training camp.”
“I have a lot of work ahead of me. I’m in a situation I’m a little bit behind, because I’ve been rehabbing and trying to get back to 100 percent where I can start training. At this point there is a lot of work to be done.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Randle, Jets, Cowboys, Bills
Wide receiver Rueben Randle joined the Eagles earlier this offseason on a one-year deal after spending the first four seasons of his career with the division-rival Giants. If Randle had it his way, he’d still be with Big Blue. The 25-year-old told Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post he was “a little disappointed” the Giants didn’t show an interest in re-signing him before he headed to Philadelphia. “I just moved on and accepted it for what it was. I would’ve liked to have stayed,” said Randle, who called it “an unfortunate situation.” Randle was a productive and durable member of the Giants during his tenure with them, hauling in 188 passes and 20 touchdowns on 14.1 yards per catch while appearing in 64 straight regular-season games. He racked up 57 receptions and a career-best eight TDs last season.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions:
- With the standoff over a contract between free agent quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick and the Jets continuing, word is getting around among agents and players that the team is difficult to deal with, CBS Sports’ Joel Corry told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- Fitzpatrick continues to talk regularly with Jets players, writes ESPN’s Rich Cimini, who opines that de facto starting QB Geno Smith is currently in an awkward position as he tries to assert himself as a team leader. Head coach Todd Bowles disagrees, saying, “I don’t think it clips his wings or anybody else’s.” Of course, if the Jets do re-sign Fitzpatrick at some point, Smith’s roster spot won’t necessarily be safe with recent draft picks Christian Hackenberg and Bryce Petty also on their depth chart.
- Cowboys offensive lineman Ronald Leary – who wants out of Dallas – has switched agencies, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Daily. Leary has transferred from Kelley Drye & Warren to CAA Sports.
- The Bills will have former Bowling Green quarterback Matt Johnson in for a workout on Monday, Joe Buscaglia of WKBW tweets. He adds that if all goes well, Johnson will participate in minicamp next week.
Zach Links contributed to this post.