Packers Could Be Aggressive In Free Agency
Packers general manager Ted Thompson hasn’t been particularly aggressive in free agency during his 12-year stint with the franchise, but that could change this offseason. Along with prioritizing re-signing tight end Jared Cook, the Packers are poised to “go and get some free agents this year,” Ian Rapoport of NFL.com said Thursday on NFL Network (via Chris Wesseling of NFL.com).
[RELATED: Green Bay’s Top 3 Offseason Needs]
Thompson hasn’t avoided the open market as a GM, evidenced by past high-profile signings like Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett. However, his preference has been to sign free agents whom other clubs released because they don’t count toward the league’s compensatory draft pick formula. That’s the route Thompson took in 2014 to ink Julius Peppers and again last March to add Cook, whom the Rams had cut a month earlier, to a deal worth a modest $3.5MM.
In his first (and only?) season with the Packers, the 29-year-old Cook appeared in 10 games and caught 30 of 51 targets for 377 yards and a touchdown. He was far more impressive in the Packers’ two-game playoff run, in which he combined for 13 receptions on 23 targets, 181 yards and two scores.
Quarterback Aaron Rodgers endorsed Cook’s potential return earlier this week, saying that re-upping him “needs to be near the top of the priority list.” For his part, Cook seems eager to return to Green Bay.
“It would be good to come back and play in a familiar offense, and learn even more from 12 (Rodgers),” he told Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com.
In addition to Cook, the Packers will have decisions to make on Peppers and fellow linebacker Nick Perry, guard T.J. Lang, running back Eddie Lacy and defensive back Micah Hyde, among others, before free agency opens March 9. The team has nearly $36MM in cap space, which will help it keep at least some of those soon-to-be free agents and make outside additions if it wants, and could free up $9MM more by releasing Sam Shields. The cornerback has suffered four concussions in the past six years, the latest of which limited him to one game – the season opener – in 2016. The money saved in moving on from Shields would help the Packers “reload,” which Rodgers believes is a must for the NFC North champions. It appears Thompson agrees.
Jets Rework Ryan Clady’s Contract
The Jets reworked Ryan Clady‘s contract in December, which will buy the team time to decide whether to retain the left tackle in 2017, reports ESPN’s Field Yates. Clady has reworked his deal twice since April, when the Jets acquired him from the Broncos.
Clady’s newly reworked pact takes away the $2.5MM roster bonus he’d have been due in February and folds it into his base salary. He’s now slated for a $10MM salary in 2017, though none of the money is guaranteed until Week 1 of the regular season. The 30-year-old could also make an additional $1MM via incentives next year.
The Jets’ hope when they landed Clady last spring was that he’d stay healthy and perform like the four-time Pro Bowl version of himself. Instead, Clady’s injury-prone ways continued and his effectiveness dipped. After missing all of the previous two seasons, Clady appeared in nine games (eight starts) and then went on injured reserve in November with a torn rotator cuff. The nine-year veteran finished just 62nd among Pro Football Focus’ 78 qualified tackles in overall performance.
AFC Notes: Jaguars, Bills, Dolphins
Although quarterback Blake Bortles has been a disappointment since the Jaguars drafted him third overall in 2014, the organization remains bullish on the soon-to-be 25-year-old. “I’ve said this time and time again: ‘I think we can win a lot of games with Blake; I think we can win a Super Bowl with Blake,” general manager Dave Caldwell told John Oehser of the team’s website. “I think he needs to improve and I think we need to improve around him, too, in order for that to happen.” The Jags amassed just three wins this season with Bortles, who went backward after a promising 2015. Bortles’ interception total decreased from 18 to 16, but he threw 12 fewer touchdowns than his 35-score 2015 and averaged a paltry 6.2 yards per attempt after posting a 7.3 YPA the previous year.
More on Bortles-led Jacksonville and a couple of its conference rivals:
- Whether pending free agent cornerback Stephon Gilmore will return to the Bills in 2017 is “all up to them,” the five-year veteran told Conor Orr of NFL.com. “They seem like they’re going to turn it around out there but, like I said, I don’t know what’s going to happen. They got a decision to make,” said Gilmore, who has spoken on the phone with two prominent members of the Bills’ new staff in head coach Sean McDermott and defensive coordinator Leslie Frazier. Gilmore’s overall performance declined in 2016, as he fell from Pro Football Focus’ ninth-ranked corner in 2015 to No. 61, but he did intercept a career-high five passes across 15 starts. While this year’s free agent class could feature other No. 1-caliber corners like A.J. Bouye and Trumaine Johnson, Gilmore is happy to measure his résumé against theirs. “I know the other guys (cornerbacks on the market). But I did it for five years at a high level. I like myself,” he declared.
- The Dolphins made a key trade with the Eagles last March to acquire two defenders – cornerback Byron Maxwell and linebacker Kiko Alonso – as well as the 13th pick in the draft (offensive lineman Laremy Tunsil) for No. 8. Now, Miami is once again aiming to go the trade route to bolster its roster, executive vice president of football operations Mike Tannenbaum informed Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “We’re going to look at every avenue to improve the team. That could mean trades that start around the combine, and then we’ll get into free agency,” Tannenbaum said. “Our focus philosophically is we’re going to try to keep our own [free agents] as best we can. But [plan to] be opportunistic via free agency or trades, and draft as well as we can.”
- Bills offensive tackle Cyrus Kouandjio suffered an injury to his hip thanks to a fall at home and had to undergo surgery Wednesday, the team announced. The expectation is that Kouandjio will be ready for training camp. The 2014 second-round pick from Alabama appeared in 12 games and started five in Year 3 of his pro career.
- The Jaguars have hired Mark Collins as their new linebackers coach, tweets Sporting News’ Alex Marvez. Collins spent the previous two seasons coaching the Jets’ outside linebackers.
Steelers To Re-Sign Roosevelt Nix
Exclusive rights free agent Roosevelt Nix is re-signing with the Steelers, his agent, Bill Parise, told Jacob Klinger of PennLive.com. Nix will ink a one-year deal worth $615K – a mild increase over the $525K he made in 2016.
Nix, 24, originally signed with the Falcons as an undrafted linebacker in 2014. The ex-Kent State Golden Flash switched to fullback in an effort to make the team, but it didn’t work. Nix then spent some of the 2014 season in the Arena Football League before catching on as a fullback in Pittsburgh in 2015.
Nix has only received four touches – all receptions – in two years as a Steeler, though he has appeared in 25 regular-season games and amassed five starts. He was in on 9.2 percent of the Steelers’ offensive snaps and 38.2 percent of their special teams plays in 2016. If Nix makes the team again next season, indications are he’ll continue to block for star running back Le’Veon Bell – albeit on a limited basis.
Goodell “Disappointed” In Chargers’ Move
The Chargers’ decision to leave their longtime home, San Diego, in favor of Los Angeles has drawn the ire of the NFL’s owners, many of whom are reportedly “very upset.” Commissioner Roger Goodell isn’t thrilled, either, as he told FOX Sports’ Colin Cowherd on Thursday that the league is “disappointed” in Chargers owner Dean Spanos’ choice to relocate. Goodell added that the league “did some unprecedented things to try to keep the Chargers in San Diego,” though he didn’t elaborate further (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
One option would have been for Rams owner Stan Kroenke to help pay for a stadium in San Diego, which would have enabled him to keep the Los Angeles market to himself, a league source told Florio. The Chargers still wouldn’t have gotten enough public money for a new facility to come to fruition, however, Florio notes.
On the other hand, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report disputes the idea of Kroenke’s involvement, tweeting that he never offered to help the Chargers remain in San Diego. Had he done so, Kroenke would have had to pay more for his Inglewood stadium, and he could have opened up the LA market to the Raiders – something he didn’t want to do (Twitter links).
Regardless of what went on behind the scenes, the LA situation is settled. The Raiders’ future isn’t, though the franchise did file its relocation papers last week to move from Oakland to Las Vegas. The Mark Davis-led organization remains hopeful about casino magnate Sheldon Adelson’s involvement in a potential stadium, per Cole, who adds that Adelson believes contributing $650MM toward the planned $1.9 billion facility “would aid his legacy.” If Adelson doesn’t end up in the mix, Goldman Sachs would likely pick up the slack, according to Cole. However, whether it’s Adelson or Goldman Sachs helping him, Davis will need 23 of the league’s other 31 owners to sign off on his relocation plan in March. That’s “hardly a formality,” Cole relays (all Twitter links).
On the possibility of placing a team in America’s gambling capital, Goodell told Cowherd (via PFT’s Michael David Smith): “We’ve seen the changes in the culture around the country in gambling. We’re obviously very sensitive to that, but we’re also going to evaluate the Raiders case on the relocation application in what’s in the overall best interests of the league. But one thing we can’t ever do is compromise on the game. That’s one of the things we’ll do is to make sure the policies we’ve created, if we did in any way approve the Raiders, I don’t see us compromising on any of the policies.”
Redskins Want Long-Term Kirk Cousins Deal
Multiple teams are set to take a run at quarterback Kirk Cousins if he becomes available as a trade chip or free agent this offseason, but Washington has other plans. The Redskins are aiming to lock up Cousins for the foreseeable future, team president Bruce Allen indicated Wednesday (via Mike Jones of the Washington Post).
“The goal is to get long-term,” said Allen, who added that Cousins “knows our intent.”
The Redskins haven’t begun negotiations with Cousins, but they’ll get underway “shortly,” per Allen. Having posted back-to-back terrific seasons, including a 4,917-yard, 25-touchdown, 12-interception showing in 2016, Cousins is unsurprisingly looking to become one of the NFL’s highest-paid signal-callers on a long-term pact.
Cousins played this season under the $19.95MM franchise tag, and the Redskins could again tag the 28-year-old by March 1 if they’re unable to work out a deal. However, Cousins’ salary would increase to a guaranteed $23.94MM if he were to play under the tag next season, and it would rise to a sky-high $34.45MM in 2018 in the same scenario. It’s unlikely Washington would tag Cousins at that number, according to John Keim of ESPN.com, meaning he could only have one more year left in D.C. The Redskins seem to have more incentive to reach a multiyear deal than Cousins, who’s in the catbird seat and may have more leverage than any other player in the league.
Cousins stated Thursday that “it’d be great” to stay a Redskin, though he cautioned that it would have to be “under the right set of circumstances” (Twitter link via Master Tesfatsion of the Post). Previously, Cousins said Wednesday that while he’d “love to build something in Washington, we’ll see if the decision-makers let that happen” (per Dave Richard of CBSSports.com).
Between Allen’s words and head coach Jay Gruden‘s confidence that Cousins will continue in Washington, the club’s decision-makers are publicly making it clear that they want the five-year veteran in the fold for the long haul. Of course, that doesn’t mean private negotiations will go to either side’s liking.
NFC Notes: 49ers, Eagles, Vikings
In their drawn-out quest to find a general manager, the 49ers are down to two finalists – Vikings assistant GM George Paton and Cardinals Terry McDonough – but “it’s not a lock” either will end up with the job, a source close to the team told Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. While there’s a “good chance” one of them will land the role, per the source, the previously reported Mark Dominik “could become involved” if the Niners go in another direction, writes Maiocco.
More from a couple other NFC cities:
- The Eagles are poised to clear “significant” cap space, which could end center Jason Kelce‘s six-year tenure in Philadelphia. When asked about Kelce on Wednesday, executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman didn’t shoot down any rumors regarding the 29-year-old. “We’re talking about a guy who just made the Pro Bowl. Those are good situations for the Philadelphia Eagles to have Pro Bowl players,” Roseman told Zach Berman of Philly.com. “But it’s hard to go into each player, and I’m not saying as it relates to Kelce, but if I start answering the question to Jason Kelce, that opens the door to five or six other guys.” By cutting Kelce, the Eagles would open up $3.8MM in cap space for 2017.
- Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer missed the team’s Week 13 loss to the Cowboys after undergoing emergency surgery on his right eye. Over a month later, Zimmer still can’t see out of that eye and will undergo another procedure in April, tweets Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News. “Hopefully that will fix it,” said Zimmer.
- One of Zimmer’s players, wide receiver/kick returner Cordarrelle Patterson, is open to leaving the Vikings as a free agent if they don’t promise him an increased offensive role. “I need to know if I’m going to play or not. If not, I’ll take my talents elsewhere,” Patterson told Conor Orr of NFL.com. Patterson’s relevance in the Vikings’ offense increased significantly after coordinator Pat Shurmur took over for Norv Turner at the outset of November. Shurmur guaranteed Patterson more targets after grabbing the reins, and the 25-year-old then racked up 46 in the final nine games of the season. He had only 24 in Turner’s seven games atop the offense. All told, the first-team All-Pro return man amassed a career-high 52 catches, though he only averaged 8.7 yards per reception. On whether he’d return to Minnesota for a fifth season in 2017, Patterson said, “If they want me back, they’ll (make a deal) and get me back.”
- The Eagles and player personnel executive Rick Mueller are parting ways, sources told Jeff McLane of Philly.com. Mueller was in his second stint with the Eagles, who fired him during the Chip Kelly era and brought him back when it ended.
Packers Notes: Thompson, Montgomery, Lacy
The idea of Packers general manager Ted Thompson taking a lesser role has come up, but it doesn’t appear it’s going to happen this offseason. Thompson is “not going anywhere,” head coach Mike McCarthy told reporters, including Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin, on Thursday (Twitter link). The 64-year-old Thompson, who McCarthy acknowledged is “not the youngest cat anymore,” has been the GM in Green Bay since 2005. The team has made nine playoff trips, including eight in a row, and won a Super Bowl during Thompson’s 12-year run.
More from Green Bay, whose season ended with a 44-21 NFC title game loss in Atlanta last Sunday:
- Tom Clements, who had been a member of the Packers’ coaching staff since 2006, was on an expiring contract this season and “is going to move on to some other interests,” according to McCarthy (via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com). “That will be the one change to our staff,” commented McCarthy. Clements last worked as an associate head coach and had previously been Green Bay’s offensive coordinator, but McCarthy took play-calling duties from him in December 2015.
- After a stunningly effective 2016 as a running back, Ty Montgomery will remain at the position going forward, McCarthy revealed (Twitter link via Wilde). “He’s a running back. He wants to change his number, and that’s the way we’re going,” McCarthy said of Montgomery, a former wide receiver who currently wears No. 88. Montgomery broke out in earnest as a rusher with a nine-carry, 60-yard showing against the Bears in Week 6, and the 24-year-old ultimately totaled 457 yards and three touchdowns on 77 attempts (a healthy 5.9 YPC).
- Eddie Lacy‘s injury issues were a key reason why the Pack turned to Montgomery out of the backfield in the first place. Lacy, who only played in five games this season before ankle surgery forced him to injured reserve in late October, is scheduled to become a free agent in March. That means the four-year veteran could be done in Green Bay, but McCarthy hopes not. “I’d love to see him back,” said McCarthy, who added that the team won’t decide whether to re-sign Lacy until he “clears the medical threshold” (via Demovsky).
AFC Notes: Chiefs, Bills, Dolphins, Jets
The Chiefs managed to keep star safety Eric Berry off the free agent market when they placed the franchise tag on him last offseason. Berry is once again unsigned as free agency approaches this winter, but the six-year Chief prefers to remain in Kansas City. “I hope so,” he informed Adam Teicher of ESPN.com on Wednesday. Berry’s also under the impression his representative and the team have opened contract talks, telling Teichner, “I think my agent had a conversation yesterday or something. It’s early.”
With defensive tackle Dontari Poe a strong candidate to end up with the franchise tag this offseason, the Chiefs might not have that as a fallback option to retain Berry in 2017. Not being able to tag Berry would perhaps hinder the Chiefs’ chances of keeping the 27-year-old, as the two sides never came close to reaching a long-term agreement last summer. Despite some displeasure with the fact that Kansas City tagged him last year, Berry went on to rack up his fifth Pro Bowl nod. In his second straight 16-game season, Berry amassed 77 tackles and a career-high-tying four interceptions.
More from the AFC:
- The groin surgery Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor underwent earlier this month won’t play a role in whether the team will exercise or decline his option by the March 11 deadline, general manager Doug Whaley stated Wednesday. “Let me say this, all the prognostication is saying that it’s going to be something that will never play into it,” Whaley told reporters, including Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. If Taylor isn’t able to pass a physical by the aforementioned date, the Bills would be stuck with the $27.5MM in guarantees left on his contract. While it appeared immediately after the season that the Bills would part with Taylor in the next couple months, their offensive coordinator hiring may have changed that.
- Bobby Grier, a longtime member of the Texans’ front office, is leaving Houston to join the Dolphins as a scouting consultant, according to Omar Kelly of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. That means Grier will work with his son, Dolphins general manager Chris Grier. The elder Grier was instrumental in the Texans’ decision to draft three-time Defensive Player of the Year J.J. Watt 11th overall in 2011 and was “the only NFL executive who did extensive work” on an unheralded Michigan quarterback named Tom Brady entering the 2000 draft, writes Kelly. Brady went in the sixth round that year to New England, and you know the rest.
- Free agent quarterback Aaron Murray worked out for the Jets on Wednesday, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link). Murray spent 2016 on the Eagles’ practice squad, but he has been available since they elected against signing him to a reserve/futures deal earlier this month. The 26-year-old was a standout at Georgia, where he became the SEC’s all-time leader in passing yards, completions and touchdowns, but he hasn’t recorded an NFL statistic since KC took him in the fifth round of the 2014 draft.
Fins Prioritizing Kenny Stills, Andre Branch
Free agency is looming for wide receiver Kenny Stills and defensive end Andre Branch, but the Dolphins are going to work hard to lock the two up before March. The club will meet with the representatives for both players at the Senior Bowl in Mobile, Ala., this week in an attempt to set “a baseline starting point in negotiations,” according to Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
[RELATED: Surgery For Ryan Tannehill?]
“We want to keep our own,” executive vice president Mike Tannenbaum said. “We’re never going to bat a thousand. The system just is not set up for it. We’ve been able to extend some players before I started — some like Mike Pouncey or Ryan Tannehill we were able to do — but candidly, you can’t keep them all. We understand that and acknowledge that.
Both Stills and Branch are coming off productive seasons, and each has professed a “love” for the Dolphins since the team’s season ended. In the first 16-start campaign of his four-year career, Stills, 24, averaged a club-high 17.3 yards per catch on 42 receptions and also led the Dolphins in touchdown grabs (nine). The 27-year-old Branch set a career high in starts (11) and posted 5.5 sacks – his second-best total since entering the NFL in 2012 – after inking a modest free agent deal to leave Jacksonville last March.
On Stills, who joined the Dolphins in a 2015 trade with the Saints, general manager Chris Grier stated: “It’s important for us to bring him back. We’d like to have him back. It’s his right to test the market and see what he can get, but we’d like to have him back.”
As with Stills and Branch, the Dolphins would like to re-sign soon-to-be free agent tight end Dion Sims, reports Salguero. Sims is less of a priority than Stills and Branch, however, and it’s unclear if his reps will meet with the Dolphins in Mobile. The 25-year-old logged personal bests in receptions (26) and TDs (four) during his 14-game 2016. He averaged under 10 yards per catch, though, leading to the possibility that the Dolphins could look for a better playmaking tight end this offseason.
In danger of losing each of Stills, Branch and Sims within the next couple months, the Dolphins aren’t yet focusing on extensions for wideout Jarvis Landry or safety Reshad Jones, per Salguero. Those two cornerstones are already under contract for next season, so there’s less urgency for Miami to determine their futures. While Salguero expects the Dolphins to ultimately ink Landry and Jones to new deals, talks haven’t yet begun. Indeed, Grier revealed Wednesday that “we’ll worry about the guys right now with the immediate free agents and then we’ll start working towards the guys that are still under contract.”