Minor NFL Transactions: 2/6/17
Monday’s minor moves:
- The Bears have waived linebacker Josh Shirley, tweets Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Shirley appeared in just one game last year with Chicago, which signed him to its practice squad in December after he spent the first few months of the season looking for work. As a rookie with the Buccaneers in 2015, the former undrafted free agent from UNLV totaled five appearances and two tackles.
49ers Hire Kyle Shanahan As Head Coach
After weeks of waiting for Atlanta’s season to end, the 49ers have finally named now-former Falcons offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan as their 20th head coach. Shanahan, 37, will join new general manager John Lynch in receiving a six-year contract to help turn around the 49ers, who went 2-14 in 2016 and are set to pick second in this spring’s draft.
Shanahan was among eight candidates the 49ers interviewed in January to succeed the fired Chip Kelly, and he became the runaway favorite for the job three weeks ago. His emergence as a shoo-in came after Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels and Seahawks offensive line coach Tom Cable withdrew from consideration.
Monday was the first day the 49ers could officially hire Shanahan, whose prolific offense led the Falcons to an 11-5, NFC South-winning regular-season mark, two playoff victories and a berth in Sunday’s Super Bowl. The Falcons collapsed on the sport’s biggest stage, though, as they blew a 28-3 second-half lead en route to a 34-28 overtime loss to McDaniels’ Patriots. Shanahan’s aggressive decisions in the fourth quarter, when the Falcons seemingly had a victory all but locked up, have since come under fire.
Despite his gaffes in Super Bowl LI, Shanahan is unquestionably among the NFL’s brightest offensive minds and is now parlaying his five-year career as a coordinator with the Texans, Redskins, Browns and Falcons into a head coaching position. Shanahan will have more responsibility than most neophytes, as he’ll have final say over the 49ers’ 53-man roster. His most important roster-related task this offseason will be helping the 49ers find a quarterback to replace Colin Kaepernick, whose tenure with the team is set to conclude.
Shanahan has long been a fan of Redskins standout Kirk Cousins, having coached him in Washington, and could pursue him either via trade or free agency in the coming months. Otherwise, Shanahan’s Plan B is reportedly Patriots backup Jimmy Garoppolo, who’s a trade candidate. If he and Lynch aren’t able to nab either of those two, they could turn to a veteran stopgap like Falcons reserve Matt Schaub and search for a younger option to become the franchise’s long-term solution.
The 49ers will have the means to make upgrades under center and elsewhere this offseason, as they lead the NFC in cap space (upward of $80MM, including the soon-to-be gone Kaepernick) and possess three of the draft’s first 66 picks. In the meantime, Shanahan will get to work on assembling a coaching staff. Given that all other newly named head coaches landed their positions well before Shanahan, he could be at a disadvantage in finding assistants.
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49ers To Hire Co-Defensive Coordinators?
Soon-to-be 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan‘s staff appears to be taking shape, as Sporting News’ Alex Marvez details (Twitter links here). Among the offensive-minded Shanahan’s most important calls will be deciding who will run the 49ers’ woeful defense, and he’s actually targeting two assistants – Falcons defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson and ex-Jaguars linebackers coach Robert Saleh – to work as co-coordinators in San Francisco.
Saleh’s candidacy is no surprise, as FOX Sports’ Jay Glazer reported Sunday that he could land with the 49ers, but Henderson’s emergence is a new development. Henderson is fresh off his first season in Atlanta – where he worked with Shanahan, of course – and is only a year removed from interviewing for the Browns’ then-vacant head coaching job.
Along with potentially taking Henderson from Atlanta, Shanahan is likely to tab Falcons offensive assistant Mike McDaniel as his wide receivers coach in San Francisco. Falcons offensive assistant Mike LaFleur will also go with Shanahan, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com (Twitter link).
Another NFC South assistant, Buccaneers tight ends coach Jon Embree, is poised to oversee the 49ers’ TEs and serve as an assistant head coach, per Marvez. And a pair of current 49ers assistants, linebackers coach Jason Tarver and defensive backs coach Jeff Hafley, are good bets to stay on under Shanahan. Tarver nearly headed elsewhere last month, when he met with the Redskins about becoming their defensive coordinator (a job that ultimately went to onetime 49ers DC Greg Manusky) and discussed a role with the Saints.
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Shayne Graham Retires
Longtime NFL kicker Shayne Graham spent last season out of football and has now decided his playing career is over. The 15-year veteran announced Monday that he’s retiring, though he would like to eventually become a special teams coach.
Graham, 39, entered the league as an undrafted free agent from Virginia Tech in 2000 and went on to play for 10 teams. The last of those clubs, the Falcons, released Graham prior to the 2016 campaign. The nomadic Graham’s longest stay was in Cincinnati, where he played from 2003-09, earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2005 and remains the most accurate kicker in franchise history. Graham’s stint with the Bengals ended in ignominious fashion, though, as he missed 29- and 35-yard field goals in a 24-14 wild-card round loss to the Jets.
“One of the great regrets I have in my career is that I didn’t realize how good I had it in Cincinnati,” he told Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com. “There was a time I fooled myself into thinking there were other things more important than what they were. I lost grasp of what true reality was. When I look back on it I feel like I could have been there a lot longer if I made different decisions. But think it made me a better person, made me a better professional.”
Graham was indeed a quality professional, having converted 277 of 324 field goal tries and 429 of 435 extra points en route to a 1,260-point total. His 85.5 percent success rate on field goals ranks 10th all-time.
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Martellus Bennett Eyeing Free Agency
Shortly after New England’s stunning Super Bowl LI victory over Atlanta on Sunday, Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett made it clear that he’s eyeing a significant raise this offseason.
“I’m going into free agency as a Super Bowl champion,” he told Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (Twitter link). “You know they overpay Super Bowl champions!”
The Patriots’ acquisition of Bennett last offseason proved to be a fruitful move for both sides in 2016. Despite dealing with an ankle injury that will likely require surgery, Bennett emerged as a key part of a Patriots offense that mostly went without superstar tight end Rob Gronkowski.
Bennett hauled in 55 receptions, seven touchdowns and 701 yards on 73 targets during the regular season and was a notable part of their triumph over the Falcons. In what could go down as his final game with the Patriots, Bennett nabbed five catches for 62 yards. Moreover, the overtime pass interference penalty he drew on linebacker De’Vondre Campbell on Atlanta’s 2-yard line set up running back James White‘s championship-winning touchdown plunge two plays later.
Now, having helped the Patriots to their fifth title, the soon-to-be 30-year-old Bennett could join his fifth franchise when free agency opens in March. The Patriots are clearly interested in preventing that from happening, though, as they and the nine-year veteran held extension talks during the season and are likely to continue discussing a new deal over the next month. If no agreement comes to fruition, Bennett will take his 403-catch, 30-score, championship-winning resume to the open market.
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Jets Claim Mike Pennel
The Jets have claimed defensive tackle Mike Pennel off waivers, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (Twitter link). Pennel’s status had been in limbo since the Packers cut him Jan. 9.
Pennel, 25, is coming off a season in which he served a pair of four-game suspensions for substance abuse violations. The second ban was supposed to be for 10 games, but Pennel filed suit against both the NFL and the NFLPA, claiming that the appeals board was only going to consist of two neutral arbitrators (as opposed to the standard three to five). Pennel then dropped his lawsuit after the sides came to an agreement to presumably reduce the suspension from 10 games to four.
After the second four-game penalty expired, the Packers moved on from Pennel. Between suspensions, Pennel appeared in eight games, played in 103 defensive snaps and totaled seven tackles. Previously, the 2014 undrafted free agent amassed 29 appearances in Green Bay during his first two seasons. In his best year, 2015, he established career highs in games (16), starts (five), tackles (24) and sacks (one).
Pennel will now join a Jets team with three high-profile defensive linemen – Leonard Williams, Muhammad Wilkerson and Sheldon Richardson – as well as the less heralded Steve McLendon.
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Steelers Cut Justin Gilbert
The Steelers have cut cornerback Justin Gilbert, per a team announcement, thus ending a short tenure in Pittsburgh for the 25-year-old.
Gilbert joined the Steelers last September via trade with the AFC North rival Browns, who acquired a 2018 sixth-round selection in return. That came just two years after the Browns used the eighth overall pick in the draft on Gilbert, an ex-Oklahoma State star whose success in college hasn’t translated to the pros. Gilbert logged only three starts in two years with the Browns, and he didn’t pick up any in 12 appearances with the Steelers. All told, he played just 11 defensive snaps in Pittsburgh and made one tackle.
Going forward, Gilbert’s 2017 cap charge – upward of $2.17MM – will come off the Steelers’ books, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports (Twitter link).
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Arthur Blank: Falcons Will Extend Matt Ryan
The NFC champion Falcons are inching closer to Super Bowl LI on Sunday, and once their showdown with the Patriots ends, they’ll reportedly get to work on locking up quarterback Matt Ryan for the long haul. Team owner Arthur Blank confirmed as much Friday, telling Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com: “[Ryan] needs to be compensated well, certainly. And he will be.”
Ryan is already under control for the next two seasons as a result of the five-year, $103.75MM extension he signed in 2013, though Blank is eager to keep the 31-year-old in the fold into his late 30s or early 40s.
“When Matt was being interviewed this week, somebody asked him, ‘What do you think about Tom Brady, his age, being 39 and will be 40 in August?’ and Matt said, ‘I’d like to play as long as Tom,’ ” Blank stated. “That’s when I jumped up off the sofa and starting clicking my heels. We have a lot of young talent on both sides of the ball. But to have our quarterback in place for an extended period of time will be incredible news for Atlanta. Matt is in great shape and takes wonderful care of himself. So, I’m excited.”
Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff expects to strike a deal with Ryan early in the offseason, having recently noted the organization’s strong rapport with the four-time Pro Bowler’s agent, Tom Condon, per McClure. Given that Ryan’s in the midst of the best season of his nine-year career, Condon will certainly push to improve his client’s standing as the league’s 11th-highest-paid QB in the game.
While Ryan has been a standout since the Falcons drafted him third overall in 2008, the ex-Boston College star has truly thrived this season as the face of one of the most prolific offenses of all-time. He earned first-team All-Pro honors and is the front-runner to win the MVP, which will be awarded Saturday, after completing 69.9 percent of passes, throwing for 4,944 yards on 9.26 yards per attempt, and tossing 38 touchdowns against seven interceptions during the regular season.
Playoff success had eluded the Ryan-led Falcons in their previous four postseason trips, but not this year. The NFC South champs steamrolled the Seahawks and Packers by a combined score of 80-41 en route to their second Super Bowl berth in franchise history. Those wins came thanks in no small part to Ryan, who has hit on 70.7 percent of passes and logged seven touchdowns against no picks in these playoffs. Supremacy for the league’s 2016 campaign will be on the line this weekend, but regardless of Sunday’s outcome, it appears Ryan will have plenty of future opportunities to win championships in Atlanta.
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Latest On Potential Cities For Raiders
Contrary to a report that the Raiders’ hopes of relocating to Las Vegas are “all but dead,” multiple sources have told Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News that the plan is “absolutely salvageable.” Bosnignore adds that Las Vegas-based businessman Sheldon Adelson, who on Monday backed out of putting $650MM toward a new stadium for the Raiders, will attend the Super Bowl in Houston on Sunday. There’s no word as to whether he’ll meet with Raiders owner Mark Davis and restart negotiations, however (Twitter link).
The loss of potential financial support from both Adelson and Goldman Sachs has led to optimism that the Raiders could end up staying in Oakland, but Davis still doesn’t seem eager to keep the franchise there. In fact, the Raiders haven’t even contacted Oakland officials since Adelson bailed, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link). Three sources indicated to Cole that the Vegas dream is indeed “dead,” though, which conflicts with what Bonsignore has heard. If it is off the table and the Raiders aren’t open to remaining in Oakland, Cole names San Antonio – a city with which the Raiders have had past flirtations – as a possible destination.
Having lost the Chargers to LA last month, the city of San Diego has also come up as a suitor for the Raiders. Mayor Kevin Faulconer has already contacted the league to let it know of San Diego’s interest, and Don Banks of SI.com and NFL.com reports that the Raiders could head there and play in the Chargers’ longtime home, Qualcomm Stadium.
While the Chargers were unwilling to continue in the 50-year-old facility, the notion of it undergoing a significant facelift and then housing the Raiders “will gain support in league circles,” writes Banks. Should that come to fruition, the NFL would regain the San Diego market, which it didn’t want to lose in the first place; further, the Raiders would land a stadium upgrade over the Oakland Coliseum, notes Banks, who adds that the league wouldn’t be opposed to having three Southern California-based franchises.
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Anquan Boldin Contemplating Retirement
Lions wide receiver Anquan Boldin indicated last month that he was planning to return in 2017, which would be his age-37 season, but he sounded much less certain of his status Friday. Boldin is now considering retirement, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
“We’ll see what’s best for us,” Boldin said, referring to himself and his family. “It’s no longer what’s best for Anquan. I’ve got three others that depend on me as well, so we’ll see.”
For the second straight offseason, Boldin is primed to become a free agent, though he’s “definitely interested” in re-signing with the Lions if he continues his career. Boldin didn’t sign with the Lions until last July, and he went on to lead the playoff-bound club in touchdown catches (eight). While he also racked up 67 receptions on 95 targets, the slot receiver averaged a career-low 8.7 yards per catch.
Boldin, who entered the NFL as the Cardinals’ second-round pick in 2003, has played for four teams and amassed 1,076 catches, 13,779 yards and 82 scores in 14 seasons. He ranks ninth, 14th and 23rd all-time, respectively, in those categories and could move up a few more places in each if he comes back in 2017.
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