AFC Notes: Steelers, Patriots, Chiefs
The Steelers are heavy into negotiations with running back Le’Veon Bell on a long-term deal, Aditi Kinkhabwala of NFL.com hears (on Twitter). She adds that there is a very good chance the deal will set the market for running backs. Among rushers with multiyear contracts, the Bills’ LeSean McCoy paces the NFL in total value ($40.05MM) and annual average ($8.01MM), while the Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott is atop the league in guarantees (~$25MM). Thanks to his designation as the Steelers’ franchise player, Bell is currently slated to lead all backs in salary next season ($12.12MM).
More on Pittsburgh and two other AFC franchises:
- On another note relevant to the Steelers’ offense, the club has expressed interest in soon-to-be free agent quarterback Mike Glennon, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). It’s fair to say Glennon won’t end up in Pittsburgh, though, unless Ben Roethlisberger decides to retire by the opening of free agency. Glennon’s current team, Tampa Bay, has tried to keep him at $8MM per year, but he’ll get more money and a chance to start on the market.
- Impending free agent fullback James Develin is likely to re-sign with the Patriots in the coming days, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora. A member of the Pats since 2012, Develin hasn’t touched the ball much in his career (13 receptions, seven carries), but he has registered three straight 16-game seasons and won two Super Bowls. He took part in 33.7 percent of the Patriots’ special teams snaps and 31.3 percent of their offensive plays in 2016.
- Chiefs guard Laurent Duvernay-Tardif‘s new deal includes a $10MM signing bonus and $14MM fully guaranteed at signing, per Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Cowboys Looking To Extend Coordinators
On the heels of a 13-3 finish in 2016, the Cowboys are discussing contract extensions with offensive coordinator Scott Linehan and defensive chief Rod Marinelli, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Linehan and Marinelli previously inked three-year extensions with the team after the 2014 campaign.
The 53-year-old Linehan is fresh off his third season in Dallas and second as its offensive coordinator, and his side of the ball posted tremendous production without Tony Romo in 2016. Led by two rookies – QB Dak Prescott and running back Ezekiel Elliott – the Cowboys ranked fifth in the NFL in both scoring and yards, and they placed an even better third in DVOA. Linehan figured to draw head coaching interest as a result, but that didn’t come to fruition. Linehan once served as a head coach in St. Louis, though the Rams posted an ugly 11-25 record under him in two-plus seasons from 2006-08.
Marinelli has also been a head coach, in Detroit, but he won’t get another shot when considering his age (67) and the unsightly 10-38 mark (including an 0-16 season) the Lions logged with him from 2006-08. The longtime assistant has found a home in Dallas, however, as he has been on the team’s staff since 2013 and is coming off his third year as its coordinator. Despite receiving either little or no contributions from high-profile defenders Rolando McClain and Randy Gregory in 2016, Marinelli’s group finished fifth in the league in scoring, 14th in yards and 17th in DVOA.
Bears Could Pursue Top Free Agents
The Bears are set to enter free agency with no shortage of cap space, and it appears they’re primed to put that money to use. General manager Ryan Pace is “extremely prepared” to explore the open market, he told the Chicago Tribune’s Brad Biggs, who writes that the Bears could make “strong” bids for cornerback Stephon Gilmore and, as previously reported, quarterback Mike Glennon. Additionally, the Bears could take a run at right tackle Ricky Wagner.
[RELATED: PFR’s Top 50 Free Agents]
As PFR’s Dallas Robinson detailed in January, the Bears are rife with questions at corner. Picking up Gilmore could go a long way toward fixing their issues, then, though the careerlong Bill is going to be costly (Biggs forecasts a $13MM-per-year contract). Gilmore, 26, is a five-year pro who started in each of his appearances (15) for the third straight season and notched a career-high five interceptions in 2016. However, after ranking as one of Pro Football Focus’ 10 best corners in 2015, Gilmore dropped to 61st (among 112 qualifiers) last season. Nevertheless, Gilmore possesses an impressive resume, having racked up 68 appearances, 66 starts and 14 picks since going in the first round of the 2012 draft.
As is the case at corner, the Bears are in dire need of help under center. That figures to lead to a Glennon pursuit, as Biggs relays that he’s Chicago’s No. 1 target to replace the soon-to-be jettisoned Jay Cutler. Glennon sat behind Buccaneers starter Jameis Winston the previous two seasons and barely played during that span, but he previously registered 19 appearances and 18 starts from 2013-14. While the Bucs have tried to retain Glennon at $8MM per year, he’s likely to receive both more money and a legitimate shot to start from another club – perhaps the Bears.
Like Gilmore and Glennon, Wagner figures to earn at least eight figures annually on his next contract. The career Raven, 27, is coming off his third season with at least 14 starts, and he finished as PFF’s 18th-best tackle among 78 qualifiers in 2016. He’d further beef up a Bears offensive line that rated among the league’s 10 best units in both the run and pass blocking departments last year, per Football Outsiders.
Signing Wagner could put incumbent right tackle Bobby Massie in danger of staying on the Bears’ roster. Chicago inked Massie to a three-year, $18MM deal in free agency last offseason, but he went on to rank a so-so 43rd among PFF’s 78 qualified tackles. Massie’s due a $1MM roster bonus March 11 and set to count over $6MM against the Bears’ cap in 2017. Cutting him would leave the team with just $1MM in dead money, however.
Sebastian Vollmer Mulling Retirement
The Patriots decided to release offensive tackle Sebastian Vollmer on Thursday, and that could go down as a career-ending move for the soon-to-be 33-year-old. The newly unemployed Vollmer is mulling retirement because of lingering hip pain, reports Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (link via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
Vollmer’s hip issues cost him a chance at an extension with the Patriots last offseason and then forced him to sit out all of the Super Bowl champions’ games in 2016. Before the career-threatening injury arose, the 2009 second-round pick amassed 88 appearances and 80 starts during his first seven seasons. In his latest action, 2015, Vollmer’s performance ranked 42nd among Pro Football Focus’ 77 qualified tackles. That represented a step back for Vollmer, who consistently finished as one of PFF’s top 30 tackles in previous seasons.
If Vollmer decides he’s healthy enough to continue his career, he could score a contract as one of the most established bookends available on the open market. PFR’s Zach Links places him eighth in this year’s free agent tackle class.
B.J. Raji Not Planning 2017 Comeback
Longtime Packers defensive tackle B.J. Raji surprisingly elected to take last season off from football, and it appears he’ll do the same in 2017. The 30-year-old is helping to take care of his mother and aunt, both of whom have dealt with illnesses, and “hasn’t really thought about football,” agent Brian Murphy told Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Members of the Packers organization have kept in touch with Raji, per head coach Mike McCarthy, and Murphy added that the club would “like to have him back.” Before Raji stepped away from the game last March, he turned down a lucrative offer from the Packers as a free agent and also rebuffed interest from other teams. Raji has made $26MM during his NFL career, notes Demovsky.
A careerlong Packer, Raji went to the club ninth overall in the 2009 draft and appeared in 91 regular-season games (78 starts) before leaving the game. The ex-Boston College standout helped the Packers win a Super Bowl to cap off the 2010 season, during which he recorded a personal-high 6.5 sacks. He then earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2011.
Cowboys To Shop Alfred Morris
The Cowboys’ addition of running back Alfred Morris via free agency last year proved to be somewhat superfluous, as they later went on to select workhorse Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall in the draft. Elliott earned first-team All-Pro status as a rookie after leading the NFL in rushing yards (1,631) and carries (322). Morris picked up just 69 attempts, meanwhile, and the Cowboys are now planning to shop him around the league, according to Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram.
The 28-year-old Morris is due a relatively meager $1.2MM base salary in 2017, the final season of his contract, and getting rid of him would make it more realistic for the team to retain at least one of Darren McFadden or Lance Dunbar – two impending free agent rushers. McFadden is open to staying in Dallas as Elliott’s backup, though two other clubs are showing interest in the soon-to-be 30-year-old, per Hill. While he played only four games last season because of an elbow injury, McFadden isn’t far removed from a thousand-yard showing in 2015.
A Redskin from 2012-15, Morris has gone past the 1,000-yard mark three times during his five-year career, but his effectiveness has faded in recent seasons. He averaged a subpar 3.7 yards per carry on 202 tries in his final season in Washington and posted a 3.5 YPC in what could be his only Dallas campaign. Morris has been a bell cow, having exceeded 200 attempts in four seasons, and his need for carries makes him a poor fit for the Cowboys, notes Hill.
Hardy, Browner Commit To Spring League
Former NFL stars Greg Hardy and Brandon Browner have committed to play in the Spring League, according to its CEO, Brian Woods (via Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com). The league, whose six-game season will take place from April 15-26, isn’t affiliated with the NFL. However, NFL scouts will be on hand to watch, so it could be a way for Hardy, Browner and other ex-pros to showcase their skills and perhaps return to football’s highest level.
Once a top-caliber defensive end, Hardy’s stock began plummeting when he was found guilty in 2014 of assaulting his ex-girlfriend, though her decision not to testify against him led to the dropping of charges. Then a member of the Panthers, Hardy sat out all but one game that season after commissioner Roger Goodell placed him on the league’s exempt list.
Hardy joined the Cowboys as a free agent in 2015, but he served a four-game suspension to begin the year and was an off-field headache and public relations nightmare during his 12-game Dallas stint. Nobody signed Hardy last year as a result, and he was indicted on a felony count of cocaine possession in November. He then attempted to become a mixed martial artist last fall, but it didn’t take. Despite his myriad off-field issues, Hardy is certainly talented enough to play in the NFL, evidenced by his 40 sacks in 75 games.
Like Hardy, Browner has a past suspension on his resume (for substance abuse) and didn’t play at all in 2016. The defensive back did land a contract last offseason, but the Seahawks ultimately cut him in late August after his effort to move from cornerback to safety didn’t pan out.
Now 32, Browner, was a high-level defender in Seattle and New England from 2011-14, when he combined to start in all 45 appearances, intercept 11 passes and win two Super Bowls. However, he declined sharply as a Saint in 2015. While Browner started all 16 of the Saints’ games that season after inking a three-year, $15MM contract in free agency, he rated dead last in performance among Pro Football Focus’ 113 qualified corners and set the league’s penalty record. New Orleans subsequently cut Browner and he hasn’t played a meaningful snap since.
Bolts Trying To Keep Addae, Woodhead
The Chargers offered contracts to multiple in-house free agents before the combine, including safety Jahleel Addae, Bolts reporter Michael Gehlken tweets. Talks are ongoing between the Chargers and Addae, and the club is also attempting to re-sign running back Danny Woodhead, per Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.
Both Addae and Woodhead were among the cavalcade of Chargers who dealt with significant injuries in 2016. The 27-year-old Addae broke is collarbone in September and ended up appearing in only eight games – all of which were starts. Addae, who now has 48 appearances and 27 starts to his name, added 48 tackles and the first interception of his career last season. Teams covet the 5-foot-11, 195-pounder for his physicality, Gehlken notes.
Woodhead, 32, suffered a torn ACL in Week 2 and landed on season-ending injured reserve as a result. Previously, the pass-catching back appeared in all 16 games for the Chargers in 2015 and hauled in a tremendous 80 receptions for 755 yards and six touchdowns. He also pitched in 336 rushing yards and three more scores on 98 carries.
Zach Links contributed to this report. Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bucs Offered Mike Glennon $8MM Per Year
If the Buccaneers aren’t able to retain soon-to-be free agent quarterback Mike Glennon, it won’t be for lack of trying. The Bucs have offered to make Glennon the highest-paid backup signal-caller in the NFL, according to Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. Specifically, Tampa Bay has attempted to keep Glennon at upward of $8MM per year, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
The Eagles’ Chase Daniel is the highest-paid reserve QB in the league, having inked a three-year, $21MM deal with incentives as a free agent last offseason. Daniel is now drawing trade interest and could start somewhere next season. Glennon also hopes to become some team’s No. 1, which isn’t going to happen on a Bucs club with Jameis Winston entrenched under center. The 27-year-old Glennon has a realistic chance to start elsewhere, though, as QB-needy teams like the Bears and Jets are targeting him in advance of March 9.
Since the Buccaneers selected him in the third round of the 2013 draft, the 6-foot-7 Glennon has logged 21 appearances and 18 starts, during which he has completed 59.4 percent of passes, averaged 6.5 yards per attempt and tossed 30 touchdowns against 15 interceptions. PFR’s Zach Links currently ranks Glennon 19th among the league’s impending free agents.
Extra Points: Falcons, Lions, Raiders, Draft
With their contracts soon to expire, Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan and Lions signal-caller Matthew Stafford should each be in line for extensions this offseason. But their respective general managers indicated Wednesday that new deals aren’t imminent.
“I’m saying that eventually, we will address Matt Ryan and his contract,” said the Falcons’ Thomas Dimitroff (via Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com). “Right now, our focus is going to be on this year’s class, understanding that Matt is a very important part of our future, as every knows — an extremely important part of our future.”
The Lions’ Bob Quinn took a similar tack, stating (per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com): “We’re kind of taking it one step at a time with the current free-agent class, the current draft class. I mean, these things don’t usually happen in April or May. That’s not a realistic timeline for an extension for a quarterback. But that’s something we do have on the agenda, and we’ll hopefully be able to have some discussions.”
Ryan and Stafford have the same representative, Tom Condon, who figures to help them become two of the league’s highest-paid passers in the coming months. Ryan still has another two years left on the extension he signed in 2013, while Stafford is due to become a free agent after next season.
Elsewhere around the league:
- Like Stafford, Raiders quarterback Derek Carr is going into a contract year, though Carr hopes his status changes soon. “I’m a Raider for life,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Tuesday (via Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com). “I don’t want to play anywhere else. When I got drafted, this is where I wanted to be anyway. I don’t want to go anywhere, ever. They told me they don’t want me to go anywhere, ever. Now it’s about two people who want to be together, and how do we make that happen? We’ll see.” GM Reggie McKenzie made it clear in January that he’s aiming to extend Carr sooner than later.
- Stanford defensive end Solomon Thomas is drawing similar buzz to highly touted DE prospects Myles Garrett (Texas A&M) and Jonathan Allen (Alabama) at the combine, tweets Peter Schrager of FOX Sports. All three seem like good bets to end up among the first players to come off the board, with Garrett standing a strong chance to go No. 1 overall. The 6-foot-3, 271-pound Thomas piled up 61 tackles, including 14 for loss, and 8.5 sacks last season.
- Quinn is “disappointed” controversial Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon did not get a combine invite, and the Lions executive isn’t closing the door on drafting him (Twitter link via Justin Rogers of The Detroit News). Mixon is a high-round talent, but his draft stock is in question on account of a disturbing July 2014 physical altercation that led Oklahoma to redshirt him that season. Mixon was caught on video striking a fellow student, Alicia Molitor, who he claims used a racial slur and spit in his face. As a result, Mixon was placed on probation for one year and ordered to release the video.
Zach Links contributed to this post.