Lions’ Glover Quin Wants Extension
The 2017 campaign will be free safety Glover Quin‘s fifth season in Detroit. As a potential contract-year player, it could also be his last season in the Motor City, but Quin hopes that isn’t the case. The 31-year-old has approached the Lions about an extension, writes Kyle Menke of MLive.com.
“I would love to be here in Detroit, and if I sign an extension, I’d probably finish my career here — that’d be huge for me,” Quin said Thursday. “But I can’t control that. I don’t know if it’s going to happen, when it’s going to happen. My job is like I’ve always said since I got in the league, is I’m a player. So I just play, and I’ll let the coaches coach, the managers manage, and the trainers train.”
While it’s unclear whether the Lions are interested in re-upping Quin, it’s obvious the team has gotten strong production from the former Texan since signing him to a five-year, $23.5MM contract in 2013. In Detroit, Quinn has continued an iron-man streak that dates back to 2010, having missed zero games since then (and he only sat out one in 2009, his rookie year). Quin has also started in each of his appearances going back to Year 2 of his career, and in 64 regular-season games with the Lions, he has piled up 16 interceptions. A career-high seven of those picks came in 2014, Quin’s lone Pro Bowl/All-Pro season, but his quality play has continued even without the accolades. Quin posted 68 tackles and two INTs last year, when he astoundingly played all 1,027 of the Lions’ defensive snaps and ranked an impressive 23rd in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 90 qualified safeties.
Given that he’ll turn 32 next January, Quin’s next deal is unlikely to match his soon-to-expire contract in either length or total value. But the average value of an extension (or a free agent pact next year) could be similar to the $4.7MM mean on his current accord, evidenced by contracts given out during the past two offseasons to over-30 safeties such as the Raiders’ Reggie Nelson (two years, $8.5MM), the Cardinals’ Antoine Bethea (three years, $12.75MM) and the Bears’ Quintin Demps (three years, $13.5MM). All of those players had to leave their previous organizations to land those deals, which Quin is prepared to do if the Lions are uninterested in re-signing him.
“If they feel like I deserve that and have earned that, then they’ll make it happen,” he said. “If not, then I’ll play my year in Detroit and say goodbye to you good people.”
Draft Pick Signings: Jets, Patriots
Along with the Dolphins, a couple of other AFC East clubs made draft signings Friday. Here they are:
- The Jets inked two sixth-round picks, Louisiana-Lafayette running back Elijah McGuire and Mississippi cornerback Derrick Jones, to their rookie deals, tweets Brian Costello of the New York Post. McGuire (No. 188) and Jones (No. 204) are the first members of Gang Green’s nine-player class to sign.
- Patriots sixth-round offensive tackle Conor McDermott has put pen to paper, per ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). At No. 211, the ex-UCLA Bruin was the final selection last weekend for New England, which only had four picks. The other three haven’t signed yet.
Dolphins Sign Five Draft Picks
The Dolphins have locked up the majority of their seven-player draft class, announcing deals with second-round linebacker Raekwon McMillan (Ohio State), third-round cornerback Cordrea Tankersley (Clemson), fifth-round offensive lineman Isaac Asiata (Utah), sixth-round defensive tackle Vincent Taylor (Oklahoma State) and seventh-round wide receiver Isaiah Ford (Virginia Tech).
The most significant signing of the group is clearly McMillan, who was a three-year standout at Ohio State. As the 54th overall pick, McMillan is in line for a four-year contract worth $4,697,532, including a $1,556,388 signing bonus, per Over the Cap. After starring as an inside linebacker as a member of the Buckeyes, with whom he eclipsed the 100-tackle mark in each of the two previous seasons, it’s unclear where McMillan will line up as an NFL rookie. The Dolphins already have a veteran middle man in free agent pickup Lawrence Timmons, so McMillan could join Kiko Alonso on the outside of a remade linebacker corps in 2017.
McMillan represents one of five defensive draft picks by Miami, whose ‘D’ finished last season a below-average 19th in DVOA. The team’s most notable rookie is Missouri defensive end Charles Harris, the 22nd overall selection. He and fifth-round defensive tackle Davon Godchaux are the only Dolphins draftees without contracts.
Shanahan: Reuben Foster Could Miss 2017
There was significant concern about linebacker Reuben Foster‘s right shoulder entering the draft, which surely played a part in the ex-Alabama star’s first-round fall. Once regarded as a likely top 10 pick, Foster ended up going 31st overall to the 49ers, who are so bullish on the All-America defender that they would have been willing to select him at No. 3 had former Stanford D-lineman Solomon Thomas not been on the board. Instead, after landing Thomas with their top pick, the Niners were able to secure Foster by trading up three spots for him in a deal with the NFC West rival Seahawks.
The 49ers’ doctors “felt good” about Foster’s shoulder after examining it, head coach Kyle Shanahan told KNBR in San Francisco (via Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle), but the club nonetheless realizes the 23-year-old isn’t a lock to play in 2017.
“The worst-case scenario is the shoulder doesn’t heal correctly and you’ve got to do it again,” Shanahan said of a potential second surgery for Foster. “When you have to do it again, you have to get another surgery and it would be tough to play this year, and you end up having him the next year.”
Foster’s shoulder “could give out on any hit,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported earlier this week, though Shanahan won’t regard the selection as a mistake if it does. Shanahan doesn’t believe Foster’s shoulder is a “long-term” concern, adding: “So the worst-case scenario, he wouldn’t end up being able to play for us right away. But I still don’t think that would have changed how I personally felt about taking a guy with the 31st pick with the caliber of player that we took.”
By moving back into the first round for Foster, the 49ers gave themselves a chance to keep him in the fold on his first contract for five years, as opposed to four had he gone in the second round. As such, a redshirt season wouldn’t be catastrophic from a team control standpoint (though it certainly wouldn’t be ideal). And if Foster does sit out 2017 but go on to reach his potential from 2018-21, the 49ers probably won’t regret dealing the 34th and 111th choices to trade up for him.
Patriots Add 19 UDFAs
Along with the previously reported signings of BYU linebacker Harvey Langi and Central Florida defensive back D.J. Killings, the Patriots announced 17 other undrafted free agent pickups Friday. Here they are:
- Josh Augusta, DT (Missouri)
- Adam Butler, DT (Vanderbilt)
- Austin Carr, WR (Northwestern)
- Cole Croston, OT (Iowa)
- LeShun Daniels, RB (Iowa)
- Brooks Ellis, LB (Arkansas)
- Cody Hollister, WR (Arkansas)
- Jacob Hollister, TE (Wyoming)
- Andrew Jelks, OT (Vanderbilt)
- David Jones, DB (Richmond)
- Jason King, G (Purdue)
- Kenny Moore, DB (Valdosta State)
- Max Rich, OT (Harvard)
- Dwayne Thomas, DB (LSU)
- Jason Thompson, DB (Utah)
- Damarius Travis, DB (Minnesota)
- Corey Vereen, DE (Tennessee)
Chiefs Claim Kelvin Taylor
The Chiefs have claimed running back Kelvin Taylor off waivers from the Seahawks, according to Adam Teicher of ESPN.com.
The son of Fred Taylor, the greatest running back in Jaguars history, Kelvin Taylor hit waivers Thursday when Seattle cut him. He spent part of last season on the Seahawks’ practice squad and a week on their active roster, but he didn’t see any game action. Taylor, an ex-Florida Gator, originally went to the 49ers in the sixth round of last year’s draft, but he didn’t advance beyond their practice squad before they cut him in November.
As was the case in both San Francisco and Seattle, Taylor will face an uphill battle in attempting to carve out a role in Kansas City. The Chiefs have no shortage of options at running back, including veterans Spencer Ware, Charcandrick West and C.J. Spiller and rookie third-rounder Kareem Hunt.
Dolphins Sign 14 UDFAs
The Dolphins announced the signings of 14 undrafted free agents Friday. Here’s the list:
- Chase Allen, LB (Southern Illinois)
- Matt Haack, P (Arizona State)
- Larry Hope, CB (Akron)
- Malcolm Lewis, WR (Miami)
- Cameron Malveaux, DE (Houston)
- Praise Martin-Oguike, DE (Temple)
- Torry McTyer, CB (UNLV)
- Drew Morgan, WR (Arkansas)
- Francis Owusu, WR (Stanford)
- Joby Saint Fleur, DE (Oklahoma State)
- De’Veon Smith, RB (Michigan)
- Eric Smith, OT (Virginia)
- Maurice Smith, S (Georgia)
- Damore’ea Stringfellow, WR (Mississippi)
Jay Cutler: Career Change Is “Permanent”
After news broke Friday that Jay Cutler was joining the NFL on FOX, there was skepticism on whether he was committed to leaving his playing career behind for good. But the longtime starting quarterback tried to put those doubts to rest later Friday, telling Waddle & Silvy of WMVP-AM in Chicago that his exit from the field is indeed “permanent” (via Kevin Patra of NFL.com). At the same time, the former Bronco and Bear acknowledged that he’ll miss playing when the season inches closer.
“There is zero doubt in my mind that there is going to be some regret,” Cutler said. “I have no doubt in my mind come the middle of August, September there is going to be that itch to play. There is going to be part of me that I know I can still do it. But that’s now how the cards played out, and that’s not where we are at. I just don’t feel comfortable with a situation in August or September of jumping back into it, even if that situation arises, which I don’t think it’s going to.”
In an ideal world for the 34-year-old Cutler, he would still be a starting quarterback for someone, but he didn’t encounter much interest in free agency after a less-than-stellar, injury-shortened 2016 campaign. Cutler appeared in just five games last season in his eighth and final year in Chicago, which went an even 51-51 in his starts. Cutler would not have considered ending his playing career had the Bears kept him, nor would he have pondered a broadcasting job, he told WMVP-AM.
“There’s no way in hell I’m doing this,” Cutler thought when FOX first approached him. “This is literally the last thing I want to do.”
Cutler came around on the idea, though, and is now set to join play-by-play man Kevin Burkhardt and color commentator Charles Davis in a three-man booth next season. He’s the second big-name signal-caller to abruptly give up playing in favor of broadcasting this offseason, joining former Cowboy and-now CBS color announcer Tony Romo.
Extra Points: 49ers, Cowboys, Colts, Dobbs
Of all the quarterbacks in this year’s draft, Iowa’s C.J. Beathard was the only one 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan had interest in selecting, details Peter King of The MMQB. Shanahan ultimately got his man toward the end of the third round, pick No. 104, after the 49ers sent the 109th and 219th choices to Minnesota to trade up. “We’d all sleep a little better if we got him instead of waiting ’til tomorrow,” CEO Jed York told other members of the 49ers’ draft room before they moved up for Beathard. Shanahan compares Beathard to a former pupil, Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins, noting that Beathard “processes the game so well” and is “tough as sh–.”
More from around the game:
- Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick is “miffed” that he was the subject of trade rumors during the draft, reports Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (on Twitter). Nevertheless, Scandrick, who was on hand Monday for the second phase of Cowboys workouts, is “being professional,” Hill adds.
- Rookie general manager Chris Ballard‘s restructuring of the Colts’ scouting department has led to the ouster of Jimmy Raye III. The Colts parted with Raye, their former vice president of football operations, on Monday, tweets Albert Breer of The MMQB. The two sides split on “amicable” terms, per Breer. At one point this past winter, Raye looked like the favorite to succeed the fired Ryan Grigson as the Colts’ GM. Now, he’ll presumably look to catch on with another team’s front office.
- The belief is that the Seahawks and Vikings had interest in Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs on the third day of the draft, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Dobbs ended up with the Steelers in the fourth round, pick No. 135. The Seahawks used their fourth-rounder, No. 111, on Colorado safety Tedric Thompson. Minnesota selected Michigan linebacker Ben Gedeon 120th.
- Chattanooga defensive end Keionta Davis is a “name to watch” as the undrafted free agent process continues, notes Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The Senior Bowl invitee was a third- to fifth-round possibility before a bulging disc scared teams away on draft weekend. Davis’ specialist expects his neck to heal, though, according to Rapoport.
Latest On Raiders CB Gareon Conley
9:28pm: Spellacy has clarified his previous comments, telling Rapoport via text message: “When I referenced a ‘consensual sexual event,’ I was NOT referring to intercourse. That did NOT happen.” Spellacy added, “Nothing that Gareon has said has been inconsistent” (Twitter links).
9:13pm: Raiders first-round pick Gareon Conley, who was accused of sexual assault before the draft, gave a statement and provided a DNA sample to Cleveland police Monday, his attorney, Kevin Spellacy, told Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. It could be six to eight weeks before the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office decides whether to pursue charges against the former Ohio State cornerback, according to Spellacy.
In speaking with police, Conley claimed that he and his accuser had a consensual sexual encounter on April 9, per Spellacy. That “changes everything,” writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. After all, when news of the accusation came to light last week, TMZ reported that two of Conley’s friends told police that he did not have sex with the woman in question. With that in mind, this is now a “he said, she said situation,” notes Florio (also an attorney), who points out that Conley’s fate might ultimately rest with a jury. And if that jury believes Conley’s accuser, he could be indicted on first-degree felony charges and face a three- to eight-year prison sentence.
Less serious than Conley’s predicament is the plight of the Raiders, who went out on a limb in using the 24th overall pick on him. The Raiders conducted their own investigation before drafting Conley, with general manager Reggie McKenzie telling Peter King of The MMQB: “I understand the issues involved. But we did our research, and we read all the reports, and we did more than our due diligence. After all the information we got, we were comfortable with making this choice and confident in who this player is.”
Conley, for his part, has strongly denied any wrongdoing.