Jaguars To Release Jared Odrick
The Jaguars are releasing defensive end Jared Odrick, his agency, DEC Management, announced (Twitter link). The move will save the team Odrick’s entire cap number – $8.5MM – for 2017.
Having to cut ties with Odrick at this point clearly wasn’t what the Jaguars had in mind when they inked the ex-Dolphin to a five-year, $42.5MM contract in 2015. But he’s now coming off a season in which he missed 10 games because of injuries. Odrick had been an eminently durable defender from 2011-15, when he didn’t miss a single game, and he led the Jags in sacks (5.5) in his first year with the club.
Odrick, who has amassed 63 starts, 23 sacks and five forced fumbles since entering the NFL in 2010, will now head back to the open market. The Jags, meanwhile, will add a sizable amount to their already lofty cap space total.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Dolphins Could Be Active In Free Agency
The Dolphins currently have over $42MM in cap space, which will increase significantly when they get rid of left tackle Branden Albert, and appear primed to put that money to use in the coming weeks. After going 10-6 and breaking a seven-year playoff drought in 2016, the Dolphins could “make a pretty big splash” when free agency opens March 9, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said Monday on NFL Network (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
In the wake of finishing 19th in the league in defensive DVOA last season, it seems Miami will look to make major upgrades on that side of the ball. Rapoport named defensive tackle and cornerback as areas the Dolphins might address, and he pointed to Ravens D-tackle Brandon Williams as a potential target. There’s no guarantee Williams will reach the market, though, as the Ravens have identified re-signing him as a priority.
On the back end, it’s already known that the Dolphins are pondering a trade for a big-name corner to pair with Byron Maxwell, but it’s possible they’ll go the free agent route instead. The market is slated to feature highly accomplished options in the form of the Texans’ A.J. Bouye, the Rams’ Trumaine Johnson and two AFC East rivals – the Patriots’ Logan Ryan and the Bills’ Stephon Gilmore. The Bengals’ Dre Kirkpatrick is also headed to free agency, and newly promoted Dolphins defensive coordinator Matt Burke is familiar with him after serving on Cincinnati’s staff from 2014-15.
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Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals Prioritizing Andrew Whitworth Deal
The Bengals and left tackle Andrew Whitworth are in discussions regarding a new deal, the pending free agent told SiriusXM NFL Radio on Monday. With the market set to open March 9, the Bengals have made Whitworth their No. 1 priority, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer’s Paul Dehner Jr., who expects the two to reach an agreement (Twitter links).
Although the 35-year-old Whitworth spent some time at guard last season, the Bengals will let him man his typical position as a blindside bookend if he’s with the club in 2017, per Dehner. Whitworth has been a rock at left tackle in Cincinnati, which selected the ex-LSU standout in the second round of the 2006 draft, having logged 164 starts out of 168 appearances and earned three Pro Bowls nods. The 6-foot-7, 325-pounder is now fresh off his third straight 16-start season, one in which he ranked as Pro Football Focus’ second-best tackle among 78 qualifiers.
It’s unclear how much the Bengals would have to pay Whitworth to keep him off the market, but it’s worth noting he played 2016 on a $9MM deal. Given the ever-increasing salary cap, a raise on a short-term pact seems like a strong possibility. Should Whitworth eschew free agency, it would further weaken an already uninspiring class of unsigned tackles. Whitworth is easily the premier option in a group that also includes Riley Reiff, Ryan Clady, Matt Kalil, Luke Joeckel and teammate Eric Winston, among others.
Along with Whitworth and Winston, the Bengals – who have $43MM-plus in cap space – are facing key decisions on soon-to-be free agents like guard Kevin Zeitler, cornerback Dre Kirkpatrick and wide receiver Brandon LaFell. Zeitler might be the most appealing player of the bunch, but he could be on his way out of Cincinnati.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
East Notes: Redskins, Eagles, Cowboys, Jets
Redskins wide receiver Pierre Garcon posted a message Monday on Instagram with the caption “#YallHiring?,” leading both Jason Cole of Bleacher Report and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com to infer that he’ll test free agency next month (Twitter links). There are already several potential suitors for Garcon, who could get $9MM-plus per year on his next contract. The 30-year-old is fresh off his second 1,000-yard season and hasn’t amassed fewer than 68 catches in a campaign since a 10-game, 44-reception showing in 2012.
More from the NFL’s East divisions:
- Speaking of Instagram, Raiders running back Latavius Murray – another soon-to-be free agent – posted a picture Sunday featuring him and Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz in the midst of a workout. Given both his relationship with Wentz and the Eagles’ plan to ask the QB for his opinion on certain personnel decisions this offseason, Murray could be a fit for Philadelphia, suggests Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. The two share an agent, notes Shorr-Parks, who adds that the 6-foot-3, 220-pound Murray would give the Eagles a much-needed big back. Murray averaged a relatively uninspiring 4.0 yards per carry in each of the previous two seasons, though he is coming off a 12-touchdown year.
- Tony Romo is expecting the Cowboys to release him, and if the team does cut the quarterback, the likelihood is that it will assign him a post-June 1 designation, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. That would give the Cowboys $14MM in cap space for 2017, far more than the $5.1MM they’d get if they were to release Romo without the June designation. Dallas wouldn’t gain that $14MM in spending space until June 2, well after the busiest portion of the offseason, but Archer contends the club could put the money to use to sign draft picks, add free agents during the year and even carry over into 2018, among other possibilities.
- While the quarterback-needy Jets have drawn connections to Mike Glennon and Jay Cutler, their best bet the open market could be Brian Hoyer on a low-cost, short-term deal, observes Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Notably, the Mike Maccagnan– and Todd Bowles-led Jets had interest in Hoyer last spring before he signed with the Bears to back up Cutler. The 31-year-old Hoyer ended up faring well in Chicago, where he made six appearances (five starts) and threw six touchdowns against no interceptions as Cutler dealt with injuries. As was the case with Cutler, Hoyer didn’t get through the season unscathed – he went on the shelf for good in October after suffering a broken left arm.
Latest On Jets’ Darrelle Revis
Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis is facing four felony charges on account of a Feb. 12 altercation in Pittsburgh that left two men unconscious. Video of the aftermath, featuring those two unconscious men and an unseen man bragging about knocking them out, surfaced Sunday, via TMZ.
“I knocked both of these (expletive) out,” said the man, who then threatened to do the same to someone else in the video.
Pittsburgh police believe the voice belongs to Revis, per a statement from the Pittsburgh Department of Public Safety (via Austin Knoblauch of NFL.com). However, Revis’ lawyers, Robert G. Del Greco Jr. and Mark Fiorilli, emphatically denied that in a statement issued to USA Today on Sunday night.
“Darrelle Revis absolutely, categorically and positively did not knock out anyone, did not conspire with anyone to commit an assault, did not say ‘shut up before I knock your ass out next,’ and surely did not ‘rob’ another of a cell phone,” the attorneys said. “The voice and admissions made on the video are NOT that of Darrelle Revis. We have no doubt but that further investigation relative to the clothing and voice verification will corroborate the above assertions.”
Revis turned himself into authorities Friday and has a hearing scheduled for this Thursday. While it’s unlikely Revis will face jail time, the NFL is “looking into” the situation and could issue him some form of punishment.
Extra Points: JPP, Schaub, Garoppolo
Placing the estimated $16.955MM franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul wouldn’t be ideal for the Giants, but they’ll have no other choice if they can’t reach a deal with the pass rusher by March 1, writes Ralph Vacchiano of SNY. While tagging Pierre-Paul would take a major bite out of the Giants’ cap room, it would keep an integral piece of their defense from hitting the open market and enable the team to continue working to re-sign him. That would be the Giants’ plan, per Vacchiano, who notes that the club would regard the tag as a placeholder in Pierre-Paul’s case. The Giants are currently pushing to re-sign JPP and will have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement if they make him their franchise player.
More from around the NFL:
- Falcons backup quarterback Matt Schaub, a pending free agent, is a candidate to serve as a stopgap starter in San Francisco next season. Regardless of whether it comes with the 49ers, the soon-to-be 36-year-old will go into free agency seeking a starting opportunity, he told Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Although Schaub is a two-time Pro Bowler with three 20-touchdown pass seasons on his resume, he hasn’t been particularly effective since 2012 and has spent the past three years as a reserve with three different teams. In 10 starts dating back to 2013, Schaub has tossed seven interceptions that have been returned for touchdowns. Clearly, then, there’s nothing in Schaub’s recent history to suggest he’d perform well as a starter in 2017.
- With five-time Super Bowl champion Tom Brady not looking to retire anytime soon, an offseason trade of Patriots No. 2 quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo seems like a lock, observes Ryan Hannable of WEEI.com. The Bears and Browns – two teams that have extensive histories of trading with the Pats – stand out as the best fits, opines Hannable. The two have drawn connections to Garoppolo in recent weeks, and Hannable points out that each club has the necessary draft capital to acquire Garoppolo. The Browns, for instance, have five of the draft’s top 65 picks. The Bears aren’t quite that rich with selections, though they do possess three of the first 67 choices.
- Steelers wide receiver Sammie Coates announced Monday on Twitter that he underwent surgery on his pelvis. In theory, because the Steelers didn’t disclose the ailment on injury reports during the season, they could face NFL discipline, notes Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Pittsburgh is already under league investigation for not listing running back Le’Veon Bell‘s groin issue on playoff injury reports, though it seems unlikely the league will punish the team. After all, the Seahawks got off scot-free despite withholding information on Richard Sherman‘s ailing MCL in 2016. Further, Coates’ injury didn’t affect his participation in practice during the season, a source told Fowler.
AFC Notes: Smith, Tyrod, Cutler, Steelers
Already under police investigation for an alleged domestic violence incident that took place last Saturday, Raiders pass rusher Aldon Smith is now on the NFL’s radar, writes Jerry McDonald of the Bay Area News Group. “We are looking in to the matter,” NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy told McDonald in an email Tuesday. Smith has been serving a substance abuse suspension since November 2015 and has a chance to gain reinstatement in March, but the league could push back its decision or even hand him an indefinite ban as a result of his latest off-field issue, per McDonald.
Elsewhere in the AFC…
- If the Bills move on from quarterback Tyrod Taylor, they should sign soon-to-be released Bears signal-caller Jay Cutler to replace him, opines Bill Barnwell of ESPN.com in a piece focusing on potential offseason moves in the AFC East. Tony Romo or Jimmy Garoppolo are more appealing choices, Barnwell acknowledges, but he doesn’t expect the former to sign in Buffalo (if the Cowboys cut him) or the Patriots to trade the latter within the division. If those two are unattainable, the draft could be an option, though Barnwell argues that the Bills shouldn’t reach for a QB with the 10th overall pick. That would leave Cutler as the most logical solution. Not only would he come on a short-term deal, but he’d reunite with new Bills offensive coordinator Rick Dennison. Cutler played under Dennison in Denver and has spoken highly of him in the past.
- Speaking of Taylor, the Browns’ hiring of his former quarterbacks coach, David Lee, increased the passer’s odds of ending up in Cleveland, contends Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com. Taylor, who’s on the Browns’ “radar,” played under Lee in Buffalo the past two seasons and fared respectably in his first 29 games as a starter. The former Baltimore backup would replace Robert Griffin III, whom Cabot expects the Browns to release before his roster bonus is due March 11.
- The Steelers’ contract talks with wide receiver Antonio Brown and linebacker Lawrence Timmons don’t figure to move quickly, tweets CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, who expects running back Le’Veon Bell to be their biggest priority. Unlike Brown, who has another year on his deal, both Timmons and Bell could become free agents next month. Bell is clearly the more valuable of the two, of course, and the Steelers will place the franchise tag on the runner if they’re unable to re-sign him.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/14/17
Tuesday’s minor moves:
- The Giants have re-signed a pair of exclusive rights free agents – tight end Matt LaCosse and defensive tackle Robert Thomas – via Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com and Ralph Vacchiano of SNY (Twitter link). LaCosse didn’t play at all last season because of a knee injury, while action for Thomas was scarce. The lineman took the field for just 68 defensive snaps in his eight appearances, during which he picked up five tackles and a sack.
- The Steelers have added six free agents on reserve/futures deals – cornerback Devonte Johnson, linebackers Akil Blount and Jason Fanaika, offensive linemen Kyle Friend and Mike Matthews, and running back Trey Williams – per Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Blount is the son of Steelers legend and Hall of Fame cornerback Mel Blount. Matthews’ father is one of Blount’s fellow Canton enshrinees, longtime Oilers/Titans offensive tackle Bruce Matthews.
NFC Notes: Hawks, Falcons, Pack, Saints
The Seahawks had been in danger of losing a second-round pick for failing to disclose cornerback Richard Sherman‘s “significant” MCL injury during the season, but the NFL decided Monday to let them off with a warning, tweets Mike Garafolo of NFL.com. The league concluded that the Seahawks merely misinterpreted its rules, per Garafolo. The news that Seattle is escaping punishment isn’t particularly surprising, as one of Garafolo’s NFL.com colleagues, Ian Rapoport, reported earlier this month that Seattle wasn’t going to face serious discipline for its violation.
More from Seattle and a few other NFL cities:
- The Falcons have hired Bush Hamdan as their quarterbacks coach, reports Sporting News’ Alex Marvez (Twitter link). The younger brother of former NFL quarterback Gibran Hamdan, Bush Hamdan spent the previous two seasons as the University of Washington’s wide receivers coach and pass game coordinator. He’s taking over in Atlanta for Matt LaFleur, now the Rams’ offensive coordinator. In doing so, Hamdan will reunite with head coach Dan Quinn, notes Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter), as the two worked together at the University of Florida in 2012.
- The Packers have a decision to make on pending free agent defensive back Micah Hyde, who could seek $4MM-plus per year on his next contract, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. Hyde, who’s coming off an 11-start, three-interception season, has been with the Packers since they selected him in the fifth round of the 2013 draft. If Hyde moves on, Green Bay could turn to Kentrell Brice and Marwin Evans, Demovsky suggests. Elsewhere in the secondary, the team will either extend safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix or exercise his fifth-year option for 2018, as Demovsky opines that the Pro Bowler could be general manager Ted Thompson‘s best first-round pick since he chose Aaron Rodgers in 2005. Clinton-Dix made a strong case for that honor as a third-year pro in 2016, when he played every defensive snap for the Packers and picked off five passes.
- Newly signed Seahawks kicker Blair Walsh‘s single-year contract is worth $1.1MM and includes no guaranteed money, per Sheil Kapadia of ESPN.com. Walsh stands to earn an $800K salary and could make another $300K in bonuses. The Seahawks are likely to bring in another kicker to compete against Walsh for the job this summer. Odds are that won’t be soon-to-be free agent Steven Hauschka, observes Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times, considering the five-year Seahawk will likely be out of their price range.
- Continuing a Seahawks-heavy set of notes, defensive end Cliff Avril tweeted that he underwent successful surgery Tuesday. Avril didn’t specify which type of surgery he underwent, though Condotta points out that the physician who performed the procedure – Dr. William C. Meyers – specializes in core and sports hernia operations. Regardless, Avril should be fine for 2017 and will attempt to build on his first Pro Bowl season – an 11.5-sack, five-forced fumble campaign.
- Fullback John Kuhn‘s one-year pact with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit deal worth $1.08MM, tweets Nick Underhill of The Advocate. Kuhn will earn a $1MM salary and count $695K against New Orleans’ cap in 2017.
No Progress Between Redskins, Kirk Cousins
The beginning of free agency on March 9 is just over three weeks away, but the Redskins and the most valuable unsigned player in the NFL, quarterback Kirk Cousins, still haven’t made progress toward a long-term agreement, reports Mike Jones of the Washington Post. Talks between the two sides are poised to “intensify” over the next couple weeks, according to Jones.
Redskins president Bruce Allen said last month that the club’s goal is to lock up Cousins for the long haul, but doing so might cost in the neighborhood of $90MM and $110MM – including $50MM to $60MM in guarantees – on a four- to five-year contract, posits Jones. If that’s too big a commitment for Washington, whose brass has differing opinions on Cousins, it could place the franchise tag on the 28-year-old as early as Wednesday and no later than March 1.
The Redskins tagged Cousins at $19.95MM last season, and doing so again this winter would cost them $23.94MM. The likelihood is that the Redskins would use the non-exclusive tag on Cousins, adds Jones, which would enable the five-year veteran to negotiate with other teams. Should someone sign Cousins to an offer sheet, that club would have to send two first-round picks to the Redskins as compensation. That would perhaps be an unpalatable price to pay for bottom-feeding teams like the 49ers and Browns, both of whom have been connected to Cousins this offseason.
For the Redskins, losing the highly productive Cousins would lead to a significant short-term downgrade under center, as Jones writes that the team would seriously consider turning to backup Colt McCoy as a stopgap as it grooms an early round signal-caller behind him. Cousins’ departure could also deter free agents from signing with the Redskins this offseason, per ESPN.com’s John Keim, who notes that “multiple agents” around the league want their clients to join the team if the QB stays in the fold.
It’s easy to see why Cousins is regarded highly by his colleagues: In his two years as a starter, he has helped the Redskins to plus-.500 seasons – including a 9-7, NFC East-winning showing in 2015 – while flourishing statistically. Cousins is coming off a year in which he completed 67 percent of passes, nearly reached the 5,000-yard mark (4,917), and tossed 25 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.