NFC West Rumors: 49ers, Rams, Seahawks
While the NFL announced its new national anthem policy as a unanimous decision, only 31 teams actually voted on the measure. 49ers owner Jed York said his club abstained from voting on the change, which will penalize teams if any of their players do not stand for the national anthem, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. In a related move, York indicated the 49ers will close concession stands during the anthem. “I don’t think we should profit during the national anthem if we’re going to ask people to be respectful,” York said, per Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com (Twitter link). York supported his former quarterback Colin Kaepernick, as the progenitor of the national anthem protest movement, so his stance on the matter at hand shouldn’t be too surprising.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- While the Rams seemingly upgraded at nearly every conceivable position this offseason, the club’s linebacker depth chart is still relatively weak after it traded Alec Ogletree to the Giants earlier this year. Nevertheless, don’t expect Los Angeles to be a major suitor for free agent ‘backer Mychal Kendricks, who was released by the Eagles on Monday, according to Vincent Bonsignore of the Los Angeles Daily News (Twitter link). Cory Littleton, Ramik Wilson, and rookie fifth-rounder Micah Kiser are among the candidates to play opposite entrenched starter Mark Barron, and the Rams are content to let those contenders battle for playing time. Kendricks, for his part, shouldn’t want for interest, as he’s the most coveted linebacker on the open market at present.
- Seahawks offensive tackle George Fant, who suffered a torn ACL last August, is progressing normally and should be available for the start of the 2018 campaign, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes. Fant may even be ready for training camp, as the early nature of his injury has allowed him to recover in time for this summer’s activities. Seattle’s starting left tackle for 10 games in 2016, won’t have any chance of re-claiming that spot during the upcoming season, as the Seahawks have since acquired veteran Duane Brown to hold down the blindside. However, Fant will work as a reserve on the left side, and could even compete with former first-round pick Germain Ifedi for playing time at right tackle.
- Reuben Foster will now be welcome back to the 49ers’ facilities after the domestic violence charges against him were dropped earlier today, and San Francisco head coach Kyle Shanahan had been in regular contact before today’s decision, per Matt Maiocco of NBC Sports Bay Area. Shanahan revealed he’d been talking to Foster once or twice per week during his ongoing legal case, enabling him to check in on the linebacker’s state of mind.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Dez, Vikes, Barr
Although the Packers have been linked to a possible Dez Bryant addition, quarterback Aaron Rodgers doesn’t see a fit, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. “Well, we like young receivers, so I’m assuming that’s the way they’re going to keep going,” Rodgers said. “I don’t know why you’d cut Jordy [Nelson] and bring in Dez, but he’s a talented player. He’s going to end up somewhere. If he ends up here, we’ll obviously welcome him with open arms and get him up to speed as quick as possible.” Green Bay drafted three wideouts to team with incumbents Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, and Geronimo Allison, so as Rodgers notes, there’s probably not room for a veteran like Bryant on the club’s roster. The Packers, despite having been loosely connected to Bryant since he was released by the Cowboys, are not currently pursuing the 29-year-old pass-catcher.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- Linebacker Anthony Barr was not present for the Vikings‘ organized team activities this week, according to Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. Under the terms of his fifth-year option, Barr is fully guaranteed a base salary north of $12MM for the 2018 season, but he likely still doesn’t want to place himself in undue injury peril given that he doesn’t have a long-term contract in place. Barr’s fifth-year option doesn’t contain any sort of workout clauses, so he’s not costing himself money by not attending voluntary sessions. As Goessling tweets, Barr was present for a Mike Zimmer football camp at the Vikings’ facility over the weekend, suggesting there is no acrimony in talks with Minnesota.
- New Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst attempted to hire Ravens scout Milt Hendrickson as his assistant GM earlier this year, but Baltimore and GM Ozzie Newsome denied the request, as Bob McGinn of BobMcGinnFootball.com reports (Twitter link). Hendrickson has been with the Ravens since 2006, writes Zach Kruse of PackersWire.com, who adds Hendrickson worked alongside Gutekunst at the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Hendrickson still lives in La Crosse, per McGinn, and could join the Packers’ staff in 2019.
- Former Buccaneers defensive line coach Jay Hayes will serve as a Packers defensive consultant through at least training camp, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). While Hayes’ assignment currently only lasts through training, it sound as though there may be an opportunity for Hayes to stick around further. Hayes, who was fired by Tampa Bay in Feburary, previously served on the Bengals’ coaching staff for 13 years.
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Foles, Cowboys
The Eagles reworked backup quarterback and Super Bowl MVP Nick Foles‘ contract earlier this year, adding incentives to the deal while also tacking on a mutual option for the 2019 season. Initial reports indicated Foles will collect $250K per start and an additional $250K per win if he serves as Philadelphia’s starting quarterback, but he can earn even more than that during the postseason, according to Tim McManus of ESPN.com. For every playoff game in which Foles plays 33% of the Eagles’ offensive snaps, he’ll take home $500K. If the Eagles win a postseason contest with Foles under center, another $500K goes in his pocket.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- While the terms of Foles’ deal could allow him to collect extra cash in 2018, Cowboys wide receiver Terrance Williams‘ contract language might enable Dallas to escape his pact with no financial penalty, as Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram writes. Williams, of course, was arrested last week for public intoxication and leaving the scene of an accident, charges which Williams disputes. Nevertheless, if Williams is convicted for any sort of alcohol-related offense, he’ll almost certainly face a league-imposed suspension, and “all” Cowboys players have void provisions in their contracts related to bans, per Williams. At present, Williams is scheduled to earn a fully guaranteed $3.5MM base salary in 2018, and Dallas would take on $7.25MM in dead money by releasing him.
- Head coach Doug Pederson would like the Eagles to re-sign safety Corey Graham “if it works out,” per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Inquirer (Twitter link). Graham will be 33 years old when the 2018 campaign gets underway, but PFR ranked him as one of the 10 best available safeties before the free agent market opened in March. Although Graham has yet to garner any known interest over the past several months, the safety market has been infamously slow to develop, so the lack of Graham suitors is perhaps unsurprising. Graham played 367 snaps in 2017 as Philadelphia’s third safety behind starters Rodney McLeod and Malcolm Jenkins.
- The Eagles have announced a series of hirings and promotions within their front office. Of note, Jake Rosenberg was named vice president of football administration, Jon Ferrari was named director of football operations, Andy Weidl was named director of player personnel. Meanwhile, Trey Brown — whom you may remember from recent Microsoft Surface commercials and last year interviewed for the Bills’ general manager position — is no longer listed among Philadelphia’s front office roster, as Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets.
Judge Dismisses Domestic Violence Charge Against Reuben Foster
A judge has dismissed a domestic violence charge against 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster, according to Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee (Twitter links). Judge Nona Klippen has also dismissed another charge relating to Foster purportedly smashing his ex-girlfriend’s cell phone as she was attempting to contact police, and reduced the weapons charge against Foster from a felony to a misdemeanor.
Foster’s ex-girlfriend, Elissa Ennis, testified last week that she fabricated allegations against Foster. After originally claiming Foster had beaten her and thrown her down stairs, Ennis admitted that her visible injuries had actually been suffered during a fight with another woman. Ennis, angry over a reported breakup between she and Foster, wanted to take Foster “down” by pinning domestic violence charges on him.
Although Ennis recanted her allegations, the Santa Clara County district attorney’s office did not drop charges against Foster. Nevertheless, Judge Klippen made “multiple references” to insufficient evidence in her ruling, tweets Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com, an indication that she was satisfied with Ennis’ re-telling of events.
The 49ers had been adamant that they would quickly release Foster if any domestic violence accusations were proven true, but that doesn’t appear to be an issue any longer. Foster will need to appear in court for his now-misdemeanor weapons charge, and is also facing a marijuana charge in Alabama. While neither offense may result in much legal action, Foster could still be subject to an NFL-imposed suspension.
Now that the domestic violence charges against Foster have been dropped, he will be allowed to rejoin the 49ers as early as Thursday, the club announced today.
5 Key NFL Stories: 5/13/18 – 5/20/18
Panthers have a new owner. The NFL’s Carolina franchise is in new hands, as Steelers minority owner David Tepper purchased the club from Jerry Richardson for a league-record $2.2 billion. That enormous figure may not have even been the high bid, but the NFL looked favorably on Tepper, who not only has league experience, but will own the Panthers in their entirety and without any other investors. While Tepper could make changes to the business side of Carolina’s infrastructure, he’s reportedly unlikely to alter the club’s football operations staff.
Reuben Foster‘s accuser recants allegations. Foster’s ex-girlfriend admitted she fabricated a domestic violence story against the 49ers linebacker, and instead suffered visible injuries during an altercation with another woman. San Francisco had been adamant that it would released Foster had the allegations been proven, but he now appears ready to return to the club at some point. That won’t be during organized team activities, as the 49ers will bar Foster from participation as his case is ongoing.
Johnny Manziel finds work. Although Manziel won’t be playing in the NFL in 2018, he will be on a football field. The former first-round pick signed a two-year deal with the Canadian Football League’s Hamilton Tiger-Cats, meaning he’ll be under center for the first time since 2015. Manziel, who will earn a base salary of $122K for the upcoming season, won’t be able to ink another NFL contract until his CFL deal expires, but Hamilton could do Manziel a favor and release him after the 2018 campaign.
Cardinals address cornerback hole. Arizona had been looking for a defensive back to play opposite All-Pro Patrick Peterson, and began seriously exploring options last week. The Cards first took a visit with free agent Bashaud Breeland, whose three-year, $24MM pact with the Panthers was voided following a failed physical. But instead of inking Breeland, Arizona made a trade, shipping a 2020 sixth-round pick to the Browns in exchange for cornerback Jamar Taylor, who figures to see the majority of snaps as the Cardinals’ CB2.
Safety market heating up? Free agent safeties have largely been out of luck this season, as Tyrann Mathieu‘s one-year, $7MM deal with the Texans still represents the largest annual average for any non-franchised player at the position. The tide could be turning, however, as the Colts met with both Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro last week. The Jets, too, had planned to visit with Vaccaro following his summit with Indy. Boston, Vaccaro, and Eric Reid comprise the top of what is still a strong free agent safety crop.
North Notes: Lions, Packers, Steelers
The Lions are still in need of reinforcements at defensive tackle, and it seems inevitable Detroit will make a free agent addition before the regular season gets underway, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com writes. Although the Lions have already added a few new players to their interior, veteran Sylvester Williams and fourth-round pick Da’Shawn Hand aren’t likely to be full-time contributors. Detroit’s front four ranked in the bottom third of the league in both adjusted line yards and adjusted sack rate, an indication the unit struggled against both the run and pass. Free agents such as Alan Branch and Ricky Jean-Francois could make sense for the Lions given their familiarity with new head coach Matt Patricia‘s defensive scheme, while Johnathan Hankins, while Quinton Dial, Karl Klug, or Frostee Rucker could also speculatively be on Detroit’s radar.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- While his contract is currently a matter of discussion, it doesn’t sound as though Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers has plans to hang up his cleats any time soon, per Aaron Nagler of PackersNews.com. “It’s sustained greatness I think is what drives me,” Rodgers said (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “It’s to be the best and to be able to choose when I’m done playing. I think as you’ve seen here recently with Jordy [Nelson] but even you go back a few years to whether it’s Julius Peppers or A.J. Hawk or John Kuhn or Brett Favre, the fairy tale ending of starting a career and ending it with the same organization rarely happens. So that’s kind of my goal, is to be able to be indispensable to this organization into my 40s to where you’ve got to keep me around.” Rodgers, 34, is currently signed through the 2019 season, but Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst expects a contract extension to come together relatively soon.
- Free agent wideout Eli Rogers is likely to re-sign with the Steelers as soon as he’s healthy, according to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com. Rogers tore his ACL in January before being non-tendered by Pittsburgh, so it could some time before he regains full use of his knee. Although the Steelers should have more targets up for grabs after trading Martavis Bryant to the Raiders, second-round pick James Washington would be standing in Rogers’ way if he’s re-upped. Rogers, 25, managed 48 receptions from the slot in 2016, but came back to earth with just 16 catches a season ago.
- The Packers will work out former BYU wide receiver Jonah Trinnaman as a cornerback this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. The Jets also plan to audition Trinnaman in the near future, although it sounds like New York will take a look at the ex-Cougar at his natural pass-catching position.While Trinnaman didn’t put up much in the way of production during his collegiate career, he exploded during his pro day with a 4.30 40-yard dash, 12-foot broad jump, and a 40.5-inch vertical jump.
PFR Originals: 5/13/18 – 5/20/18
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past seven days:
- With the draft now in the rearview mirror, Ryan Posner asked PFR readers which rookie quarterback will log the most playing time in 2018. Given that five signal-callers came off the board in the first round, a number of rookies figure to see significant snaps during the upcoming campaign. But the Jets’ Sam Darnold is currently leading the results with roughly a third of the vote, with Josh Rosen (Cardinals) and Josh Allen (Bills) trailing just behind.
- Rookies are only part of the quarterback equation, as many clubs addressed their weakness under center through the free agent market. With that in mind, Sam Robinson asked PFR readers which team best attacked the quarterback position this offseason. So far, the Vikings — who signed Kirk Cousins to a fully guaranteed three-year deal and acquired Trevor Siemian from the Broncos — are taking the cake with 29% of the vote.
- Dez Bryant hasn’t garnered any concrete interest since being released by the Cowboys last month, and it’s unclear if the former Dallas star will land a contract any time soon. In our latest Community Tailgate post, Rory Parks asked PFR readers where Bryant will play next season, noting potential destinations such as the Packers and Bills.
- In a pair of This Date in Transactions History posts, Ben Levine examined both the Bruce Irvin‘s 2012 suspension and the Patriots’ decision to sign Malcolm Butler as an undrafted free agent in 2014. Irvin’s ban led the Seahawks to sign both Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett, while Butler’s signing paid off immensely (until his untimely benching in this year’s Super Bowl).
Extra Points: Cards, Texans, Colts, Redskins
While the NFL world this week learned Cardinals second-round rookie Christian Kirk was arrested for disorderly conduct and property damage in February, prosecutors may not have a strong case against the former Texas A&M wideout. The main witness cited by police was lying on a bench and not watching while a van window was allegedly broken by Kirk and his friends, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That same witness claims he saw Kirk and a friend throwing rocks at other cars, but no damage was reported on any other vehicle. The case against Kirk is still pending, but Arizona knew about the arrest before making him the 47th overall pick in the draft. It’s unlikely Kirk ever faces any legal ramifications from the incident, while the league has avoided suspending players involved in pre-NFL off-field trouble.
Here’s more from around the league:
- Tyrann Mathieu was famously versatile during five seasons with the Cardinals, but the Texans — Mathieu’s new football home — have a more fixed set of objectives for the Honey Badger, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes. “We talked about that when we were speaking to him during the process,” said Texans head coach Bill O’Brien. “We told him that we really do value – as you know – we value versatility, but we also understand that a guy needs to have basically one home. He needs to understand and master that one home, which is safety for Tyrann. Then, in different packages that are played less of the time, maybe he does something else.” Mathieu inked a one-year, $7MM deal with Houston earlier this year, and that figure has surprisingly stood as the highest annual value for any non-franchised free agent safety contract this offseason.
- Free agent quarterback Cody Keith is working out for the Colts on Wednesday, and previously auditioned for the Chargers and Rams, per Rapoport (Twitter link). A former four-star recruit, Keith was limited by injuries during his collegiate career at East Carolina, and was only attempted just 11 passes before moving to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. Since that time, Keith has spent time in the Canadian Football League and in the Spring League, working on Johnny Manziel‘s team in the latter venture.
- The Redskins announced that they’ve hired Brian Lafemina as their new president of business operations and chief operating officer. While the hiring doesn’t involve football operations on its face, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk speculates that Lafemina’s addition could be a precursor the Washington parting ways with much-maligned team president Bruce Allen. However, the Redskins’ press release states Allen will continue in his current role, while John Keim of ESPN.com hears Twitter link) Lafemina will focus mainly on stadium development.
- Speaking of business operations, new Panthers owner David Tepper may look to hire former Browns president and CFO Mike Keenan, tweets Rapoport. Keenan, who was team president in Cleveland from 2008-10, has recently worked in consulting, per Rapoport, and working with clubs in multiple sports. While Tepper may make changes on the business end once he takes over in Carolina, he’s not expected to revamp the Panthers’ football staff.
Texans Work Out Jon Condo, Kevin Bowen
The Texans auditioned long snapper Jon Condo and offensive lineman Kevin Bowen on Tuesday, as Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle writes in a pair of articles.
Houston already employs Jon Weeks — who made the Pro Bowl as recently as 2015 — so it’s unclear if the club is seeking to replace Weeks, or simply taking a look at Condo for possible depth down the line. Weeks, who has been with the Texans since 2010, signed a four-year, $3.9MM extension in 2015 that will keep him under contract through 2019. Houston could conceivably release Weeks, as it would only incur a $100K dead money charge for doing so.
Condo, for his part, reached free agency in March after spending 11 seasons with the Raiders. Oakland opted to sign Andrew DePaola to replace Condo, who ranked just 28th among 33 qualified long snappers in accuracy, per Austin Gayle of Pro Football Focus (Twitter link). Condo has earned two Pro Bowl nods during his career, although the most recent came back in 2011.
Bowen, meanwhile, was an undrafted free agent out of Division II East Central in 2016. While Bowen was with the Redskins from 2016-17, he never actually saw the field, as health issues forced to him injured reserve in each season. Clearly, an injury-prone UDFA lineman from a small school is a long shot, but the Texans have little depth at offensive tackle.
Crockett Gillmore Had Offseason Surgery
Free agent tight end-turned-offensive lineman Crockett Gillmore is not only attempting to work through a position switch, but recovering from offseason surgery, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun reports. Gillmore, who underwent an August procedure to repair a torn MCL, also had another knee operation done at some point earlier this year.
Gillmore, 26, spent the first four years of his career as a tight end for the Ravens, but multiple injuries repeatedly kept him off the field. After posting a career-best season in 2015 (33 receptions, 412 yards, four touchdowns), Gillmore managed only seven games in 2016 before going down with the aforementioned MCL injury.
As Zrebiec has indicated at various points this offseason, Baltimore still has interest in re-signing Gillmore, who has been on the open market since March. The Ravens are largely set across their offensive line after re-signing James Hurst and using a third-round pick on Orlando Brown, but the club could still have room for Gillmore as a reserve. Baltimore, theoretically, should have the most recent and accurate information regarding Gillmore’s health.
Whether any other team will be willing to consider Gillmore is unclear. Clearly, his injury history will limit his overall market and earning capacity, at least in the near term. But Gillmore’s positional change is the more intriguing matter at hand, and just how many clubs are open to signing him as an offensive lineman is an open question.