NFC Notes: Bucs, Saints, Lions, 49ers
Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston lobbed on Wednesday for the club to sign Redskins wide receiver DeSean Jackson in free agency, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. “I’ve met him before, and we want DeSean. You better believe we want DeSean here,” Winston said. “I think he would be a great asset to our team. Me growing up an Eagles fan, seeing what he did for the Eagles and back in his Cal days and even with the Redskins, I would love to have DeSean.” The 30-year-old Jackson is coming off his fifth 1,000-yard season and might command upward of $10MM annually on the open market. Tampa Bay is among the NFL’s leaders in cap space, though, and PFR’s Dallas Robinson noted Monday that the speedy Jackson could be a fit for its receiver-needy offense.
More from the NFC:
- Saints defensive tackle Nick Fairley is likely to test free agency, and if he does, he could seek a contract worth around $10MM per year, writes Larry Holder of NOLA.com. The Saints would likely go to around around $6MM per annum for Fairley, suggests Holder. An annual average of $10MM would be a notable step up for a player who had to settle for one-year deals in each of the previous two offseasons. Fairley, 29, made $3MM last season in potentially his only year in New Orleans and totaled career highs in starts (16), tackles (43) and sacks (6.5).
- It’s possible the Lions will do something significant at tight end this offseason, per ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein, who lists the Patriots’ Martellus Bennett as a potential target in free agency. Signing Bennett, who appears likely to leave New England, would cloud starting tight end Eric Ebron‘s future in Detroit. Still just 23, Ebron set career highs in receptions (61), targets (86) and yards (711) last season, though he finished toward the bottom of the league in drops (seven) and only caught one touchdown. The Lions must decide by May whether to exercise Ebron’s fifth-year option for 2018.
- Speaking of the state of Michigan, Wolverines head coach Jim Harbaugh took a shot at 49ers CEO Jed York on Thursday in a podcast with Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News. Harbaugh quipped that he deserves “an endurance medal” for working with the much-maligned York for four years, from 2011-14. San Francisco was a powerhouse under Harbaugh, as it went 44-19-1 and earned a Super Bowl berth, but the two sides parted ways over his poor relationship with management. The polarizing Colin Kaepernick was Harbaugh’s starting quarterback for most of the coach’s tenure in the Bay Area, and Harbaugh told Kawakami that “there’s no doubt” Kaepernick is still capable of being a No. 1 signal-caller. Kaepernick’s time with the Niners could be on the verge of ending, though he did have a positive meeting Wednesday with new general manager John Lynch.
Vikes Notes: AP, QBs, Kalil, Floyd, Greenway
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson has a $6MM roster bonus due March 11, two days after the market opens, but general manager Rick Spielman told reporters Thursday that the rusher’s future “will get addressed here before free agency starts” (via Andrew Krammer of the Star Tribune). Spielman hasn’t yet spoken to Peterson or his representative, but it’s fair to suggest that the Vikings likely won’t exercise the seven-time Pro Bowler’s option. Even if they don’t, though, Spielman indicated he’s amenable to bringing back the soon-to-be 32-year-old Peterson at a lesser cost in 2017. “If we don’t exercise that option, we always will keep the door open on all of our players,” Spielman said.
Regardless of whether Peterson returns next season as Minnesota’s No. 1 back, it has “got to run the football better,” head coach Mike Zimmer told Lindsey Young of the team’s website. The Vikings finished dead last in rushing (1,205) and yards per carry (3.2) last season, and barely having Peterson available didn’t help. While Peterson posted a microscopic 1.9 YPC, he did it over just 37 carries, having missed most of the year because of a torn meniscus.
More from Spielman:
- Sam Bradford will start under center next season for the Vikings, but the quarterback position is “in flux” beyond that, according to Spielman. The Vikings have another starting-caliber signal-caller, Teddy Bridgewater, though he missed the 2016 campaign and might not play next season on account of the devastating knee injury he suffered last August. Spielman responded to that by trading the club’s first-round pick in this year’s draft (and a fourth in 2018) to the Eagles for Bradford, and the executive maintains that he “would do that over in a millisecond to get Sam Bradford on our football team with the circumstances we were dealing with.” Bradford is “just right now in the prime of his career,” Spielman opined, and is due to hit free agency next winter. Although the Vikings only went 7-8 with Bradford (8-8 overall), the 29-year-old fared respectably atop an ultra-conversative passing offense, having set the single-season completion percentage record (71.6) and posted 20 touchdowns against five interceptions.
- Like Bradford, Bridgewater could also become a free agent next offseason if the Vikings don’t control him via his fifth-year option, which they’ll have to exercise or decline by May. In updating Bridgewater’s recovery, Spielman said: “He’s in the process of working through his motion. I know he’s doing specific things in rehab to get him back to being functional. When he’s going to be ready for football, dropping back and things like that — I think that’s still to be determined.”
- Elsewhere on offense, the Vikings could lose longtime No. 1 left tackle Matt Kalil to free agency. Spielman, though, seemed to imply interest in re-signing the 27-year-old. “We have a plan in place on everything,” he stated. “But I also know I have a pretty good history of trying to keep our own guys as well.” Kalil missed all but two games last year because of a hip injury, and he hasn’t lived up to expectations since going fourth overall in the 2012 draft. However, he racked up 16 starts in each of his four seasons prior to 2016 and now stands as one of the most accomplished pending free agent tackles in a weak class.
- Defensively, Spielman noted that tackle Sharrif Floyd, a potential cap casualty, is “under contract.” Like Peterson and Kalil, Floyd barely took the field last season (one appearance). But “he’s a pretty good player” when healthy, offered Spielman, who added that the team’s defense missed Floyd last season. Floyd sounds safe based on those comments, then, but Spielman could cut him by March 9 and get out of the 25-year-old’s entire $6.75MM-plus cap hit for 2017. As with Floyd, linebacker Chad Greenway‘s fate for next season will become known by the first day of the league year. Greenway, 34, will decide by then whether to retire. The pending free agent revealed last month that he’d only continue his career as a Viking, with whom he has spent all 10 of his seasons.
4 To 5 Teams Interested In Josh McCown
Having landed on the open market when the Browns released him Feb. 7, quarterback Josh McCown isn’t going to have difficulty finding work in free agency this offseason. The soon-to-be 38-year-old has spoken to four or five interested suitors over the past couple weeks, though he’s going to take his time picking his next club, he informed SiriusXM NFL Radio on Thursday (Twitter links here).
Unless McCown ends up with a previous employer, the team he chooses this year will be his 10th in the NFL since the Cardinals used a third-round pick on him in 2002. The journeyman has typically served as a backup, having started double-digit games in just two seasons, and indicated he’d like to mentor a young signal-caller if he takes on a reserve role with his next team. McCown also regards proximity to his home state, Texas, and joining a contending club as important factors.
Speculatively, McCown’s list of preferences could point him to Dak Prescott-led Dallas, which will trade or release backup Tony Romo and could lose both Mark Sanchez and Kellen Moore to free agency. It’s also worth noting that the Cowboys showed interest in acquiring McCown from the Browns when Romo suffered a back injury last summer.
McCown ultimately stayed in Cleveland in 2016, of course, and totaled five appearances (three starts) with the 1-15 Browns as he battled injuries. When on the field, McCown completed 54.5 percent of passes, averaged 6.7 yards per attempt and tossed six touchdowns against six interceptions. During his 82-game, 60-start career, McCown has posted fairly similar numbers to his 2016 output (59.1 percent completion rate, 6.7 YPA and 79 scores against 69 picks).
Broncos Could Pursue Andrew Whitworth
With the Broncos set to move on from left tackle Russell Okung, they’ll need to find a new blindside protector for their quarterback – whomever it may be – in 2017. Here’s some good news for that QB: The expectation is the Broncos will show interest in the best pending free agent tackle in this year’s class, the Bengals’ Andrew Whitworth, if he reaches the market March 9, reports Troy Renck of Denver7.
The Bengals are prioritizing re-signing Whitworth, who has spent his entire 11-year career with the club since it selected him in the second round of the 2006 draft. However, Whitworth is open to departing Cincinnati in advance of his age-36 season.
“I love Cincinnati and I want to be there,” he told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday (via Conor Orr of NFL.com). “I’m pretty positive that things will work out in a way that I’ll be there again, but I want to take advantage of the opportunity of being free and listen to what other people have to say. I think that’s the right way to do it.”
Should Whitworth leave Cincy for Denver, it would be a major blow to the former and a significant boon for the latter. Whitworth, after all, has been both durable and effective during his career, having logged nine 16-appearance, 16-start regular seasons and earned three Pro Bowl nods. He’s now fresh off his second straight Pro Bowl campaign, having ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best tackle among 78 qualifiers in 2016. Whitworth made $9MM last season and would be within reason to push for a raise on a short-term contract in the coming weeks.
Alterraun Verner Drawing Interest
It doesn’t appear free agent cornerback Alterraun Verner will go without an employer for long. Since the Buccaneers released Verner on Thursday afternoon, four to five teams have expressed interest in the seven-year veteran, he told SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link). Verner also thanked the Bucs for their decision to release him early, thereby enabling the 28-year-old to reach the open market a couple weeks in advance of March 9.
A fourth-round pick of the Titans in 2010, Verner has appeared in 16 regular-season games in all but one campaign, 2014, and he only missed two contests then. The 5-foot-10, 181-pounder has also racked up 70 starts and 15 interceptions, though he saw his playing time wane dramatically over the past two seasons. Verner started just three games in 2016, tying a career low, and only appeared in 22.8 percent of Tampa Bay’s defensive plays.
Verner, who will now look to join his third team, likely won’t approach the four-year, $25.5MM pact he inked with the Bucs as a free agent in 2014. At that point, he was a 25-year-old coming off a second-team All-Pro season. Nevertheless, he could be of interest to clubs that aren’t in position to pay premium prices for pending free agent corners like A.J. Bouye, Trumaine Johnson, Logan Ryan and Stephon Gilmore, among others.
Victor Cruz Visits Panthers
The Giants released wide receiver Victor Cruz last Monday, but it didn’t take long for the 30-year-old to garner serious interest on the open market. Cruz visited the Panthers on Monday, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL.com and Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter links). Bill Voth of Black and Blue Review first reported the connection between Cruz and Carolina.
The meeting between Cruz and Carolina “went well,” Cruz tells Art Stapleton of The Record (Twitter link), who adds that mutual interest exists between the two parties. Cruz will continue the free agent “process,” an indication he’ll likely meet with other clubs, but the Panthers are a “strong first suitor,” per Stapleton.
If the Panthers were to sign Cruz, it would reunite him with general manager Dave Gettleman, who worked in the Giants’ front office from 1999-2012. Gettleman was on hand when the Giants signed Cruz as an undrafted free agent from UMass in 2010, which turned into an excellent move for both the team and player.
Cruz caught 303 passes and 25 touchdowns as a Giant, with whom he also won a Super Bowl and went to a Pro Bowl. Injuries mostly kept Cruz out of action from 2014-15, though he bounced back last season to make 15 appearances and 12 starts. While Cruz only caught 39 passes and one touchdown in 2016, he did manage to match his career yards-per-catch average of 15.0.
Regardless of whether they add Cruz, acquiring more targets for Cam Newton should be a priority for the Panthers. The team’s top two pass catchers from last season, tight end Greg Olsen and wideout Kelvin Benjamin, will be in the fold in 2017, but third-leading receiver Ted Ginn is headed for free agency. No one else on Carolina’s roster hauled in more than 27 passes last year.
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Dolphins To Acquire Julius Thomas
The Dolphins have agreed to acquire tight end Julius Thomas from the Jaguars, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The Fins will send a 2017 seventh-round pick to Jacksonville for Thomas, who is traveling to Miami tomorrow for a visit and physical, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). The trade won’t become official until 4 p.m. ET on March 9, the start of the 2017 league year.
It’s no surprise that Thomas will head to Miami, which worked hard to acquire him in recent days, but the club took an unusual route to land the 28-year-old. It looked as though the Dolphins and Jaguars were set to swap left tackle Branden Albert and Thomas over the weekend, but that fell through early Monday. Jacksonville later agreed to acquire Albert in a separate deal, which the teams haven’t yet finalized.
Thomas had drawn trade interest from other teams, but the ex-Denver star will now reunite with Dolphins head coach and former Broncos offensive coordinator Adam Gase. Thomas is eager to reunite with Gase, per Salguero, which is hardly a shock. From 2013-14, Gase was at the helm of a Denver attack that prominently featured Thomas, who posted the best seasons of his career during that stretch. Thomas combined for 108 catches and 24 touchdowns under Gase, and he parlayed that success into a mega-deal with the Jaguars in 2015.
Thomas didn’t live up to his five-year, $46MM contract in Jacksonville, where he missed 11 of 32 regular-season games and saw his yards per catch drop from nearly 12.0 in Denver to under 10.0. He was fairly productive otherwise, though, as he caught 76 passes and nine scores in his 21 appearances as a Jag.
As was the case in Denver and Jacksonville, Thomas will serve as Miami’s top tight end. The club seems likely to lose its No. 1 option from last season, soon-to-be free agent Dion Sims, which made finding a replacement a high priority. Thomas is under contract through 2019, but he has agreed to restructured his deal, a league source told Salguero. The Dolphins are “significantly” cutting down his remaining cap hits, which previously ranged from $8.3MM to $10.3MM. Thomas will have a chance to earn back the money he’s losing through incentives.
Dolphins, Jags Agree To Swap Branden Albert, Draft Pick
The possibility of the Dolphins acquiring Jaguars tight end Julius Thomas for left tackle Branden Albert is now off the table, reports Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. However, the Dolphins have agreed to send Albert to the Jags in a separate deal, per Salugero, which will net Miami a 2018 seventh-round pick, tweets Albert Breer of The MMQB.com.
In order for the trade to become official, the Jaguars will need Albert to agree to report, according to Salguero. Before that happens, the Jags and Albert’s representation will continue discussing his contract status. Albert himself will have dinner tonight with Jacksonville’s front office, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who adds the two sides will discuss his deal on Tuesday if all goes well.
The two sides have been in talks regarding Albert’s deal the past “several days,” writes Salguero, who adds that Jacksonville seems prepared to take on the rest of his pact and possibly even extend it. The 32-year-old Albert is currently signed through 2018 and set to count upward of $10MM against the salary cap in both seasons. By moving on from Albert, the Dolphins would free up $7.2MM in spending room.
As for Thomas, he could still end up with the Dolphins, tweets Rapoport, but their efforts to acquire him have hit a snag over his contract. Thomas reportedly would have had to take a pay cut had the Jaguars sent him to the Dolphins for Albert. The 28-year-old is signed through 2019 and comes with pricey base salaries ($7MM, $8.5MM and $9MM) and cap hits ($8.3MM, $9.8MM, $10.3MM). Nearly half of his salary for 2017 ($3MM) has already become guaranteed.
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Cowboys Free Up Cap Space
The Cowboys entered Monday with the worst cap situation in the NFL for 2017, but that’s no longer the case. The club has restructured the contracts of two of its top players, All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith and All-Pro center Travis Frederick, reports Todd Archer of ESPN.com. The changes will save Dallas $17.3MM and take the team under the projected $168MM cap for next season.
In order to make the contracts of Smith and Frederick less onerous, the Cowboys converted approximately $21MM of the $24MM they’re due in 2017 into signing bonuses, according to Archer. Smith had been set to rake in a $10MM base salary, while Frederick was slated to earn over $14MM.
This is now the second straight year in which the Cowboys have reworked Smith’s contract. Smith, who signed an eight-year, $98MM extension in 2014, ranks first among left tackles in total value and third in both yearly average and guarantees ($22MM-plus). The 26-year-old has started in all 92 appearances since the Cowboys selected him ninth overall in the 2011 draft, and he’s coming off a season in which he ranked 16th among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified tackles.
As was the case with Smith, Frederick was hugely instrumental in the success the Cowboys’ Dak Prescott– and Ezekiel Elliott-led offense experienced in 2016. Frederick inked a six-year, $54.6MM extension with $18.2MM fully guaranteed last August, and currently leads all centers in total value and yearly mean. He’s second only to the Falcons’ Alex Mack in guarantees. The 31st pick in 2013, Frederick hasn’t missed a game or a start in four years with the Cowboys. The 25-year-old was PFF’s second-best center in 2016.
Julius Thomas Drawing Trade Interest
Even though they’re unlikely to acquire Julius Thomas for left tackle Branden Albert, the Dolphins are interested in trading for the Jaguars tight end. But Miami’s going to face competition if it attempts to land Thomas in a separate deal, as Mike Kaye of WTLV reports that multiple teams are eyeing a possible trade for the 28-year-old.
Aside from the Dolphins, it’s unclear which clubs are targeting Thomas, but the Broncos, Cardinals, Packers, Giants and Jets are among the teams that either got little production from tight ends in 2016 or could lose their No. 1 option to free agency. Thomas has already played in Denver, where he put up back-to-back 12-touchdown seasons from 2013-14. He parlayed that two-year stretch into a $46MM contract with Jacksonville in 2015, but the deal hasn’t gone according to plan for the franchise.
Thomas has missed 11 of 32 games as a Jaguar and averaged under 10.0 yards per catch with them. On the other hand, he has combined for respectable reception and touchdown totals since leaving Denver, having amassed 76 grabs and nine scores.
Any team that acquires the 6-foot-4, 251-pound Thomas would take on a sizable financial commitment, though a contract restructuring would be a possibility. For now, Thomas is due base salaries between $7MM and $9MM over the final three years of his deal, which also carries cap hits ranging from $8.3MM to $10.3MM through 2019.
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