AFC Notes: Timmons, Lynch, Pitta, Colts
At more than $15MM, Lawrence Timmons‘ 2016 cap charge is the second-largest on the Steelers, yet the club hasn’t sought to extend the veteran linebacker (thus lowering that cap hit), as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune writes. The Steelers have restructured quite a few contracts in recent years as more cap space was needed, but it seems like the team is trying to stave off such moves for the time being. As such, Timmons could be on his way to unrestricted free agency in March, and the 30-year-old needs to produce better results in his platform year — he graded among the 10 worst linebackers in the league last season, according to Pro Football Focus.
- The Broncos have signed every member of their 2016 draft class except for first-round quarterback Paxton Lynch, and that deal might be taking a little longer because Lynch has a chance to become the team’s starter this year, Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com details. It’s not entirely clear what contractual hurdles Legwold might be referring to, as rookie deals, especially those for first-round picks, are essentially slotted values. Denver and Lynch could be haggling over offset language, however, with Lynch’s camp pressing for the ability to “double dip” were he to be released in the next few years.
- Dennis Pitta plans to continue his career in 2016 after two devastating hip injuries, and the veteran Ravens tight end isn’t lacking for confidence as he begins his comeback. “My expectations haven’t changed from four years ago, to two years ago, to now,” Pitta told Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com. “My level of expectation is extremely high going into this year. Like I said, I feel confident in how I can run, how I can move, how I can play and it’s just a matter of getting those reps back to where I’m confident in doing all of that.”
- The Colts selected safety T.J. Green in the second round of last month’s draft with an eye towards the future, as incumbent safety Mike Adams is 35 years old and entering the final year of his contract, Kevin Bowen of Colts.com writes. Fellow defensive back Clayton Geathers — picked up in the fourth round of the 2015 draft — is the example for Green, per Bowen, as he is ready to be plugged into the starting rotation now that Dwight Lowery has moved on via free agency.
- Former Colts linebacker Jonathan Newsome has signed with the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League, as Newsome himself tweeted earlier today. Newsome, 25, was selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft, and appeared in 30 games with the Colts over the past two seasons.
AFC East Notes: S. Lawson, Fitzpatrick, Butler
In his latest mailbag, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News says that he’s “positive” the Bills knew of first-rounder Shaq Lawson‘s shoulder condition, which ultimately led to the rookie undergoing surgery. Buffalo management made a “pure value judgment” in selecting Lawson, writes Carucci, deciding that securing Lawson for the long haul was worth the chance of losing him for a few months. The Buffalo News scribe tackles several other reader queries, including questions on Rex Ryan‘s relationship with the front office, and whether fullback Jerome Felton could be a cap casualty.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two East divisions…
- The details of the three-year, $24MM contract the Jets have offered Ryan Fitzpatrick help explain why the veteran quarterback hasn’t accepted the proposal yet, Brian Costello of the New York Post writes. As I wrote yesterday when examining the specifics of the deal, Fitzpatrick’s $8MM annual average value would rank 23rd among QBs, behind Nick Foles and just ahead of Robert Griffin III. The contract likely doesn’t guarantee any guaranteed money, per Costello, though I would add that a signing bonus proration in 2017 and 2018 could discourage New York from cutting bait after only one year.
- The Patriots should work out a deal with cornerback Malcolm Butler sooner rather than later, Phil Perry of CSNNE.com opines (video link). As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explained last night, New England holds most — if not all — of the leverage in any potential negotiations, but Perry believes the Pats would be well served to work out a deal with Butler now, given that another solid season in 2016 would only serve to raise his price. Butler, 26, is sitting out voluntary OTAs, and is thought to be angling for a new contract.
- Earlier today, we learned that Bills right tackle Seantrel Henderson plans to report to the team tomorrow after dealing with stomach issues (and undergoing two corrective surgeries since the conclusion of the 2015 season).
Mark Sanchez On Broncos Trade, Taking Over Super Bowl Team
Mark Sanchez has had quite the offseason — he’s gone from being the presumptive backup with the Eagles to having a real chance at starting for the defending Super Bowl champion Broncos following a March trade. Sanchez sat down with Jason Cole of Bleacher Report to discuss the deal that brought him to Denver, adjusting to life with the Broncos, and more. Let’s take a look at the highlights…
On whether he spoke to the Broncos in advance of the trade:
No, not at all. This happened all while I was working out. My agent hadn’t heard yet. [Eagles general manager] Howie Roseman and [Broncos general manager] John Elway were really the only ones who knew until they told me. Nobody really knew. I was maybe the third, fourth or fifth person to know. Once that happened, I called my agents to find out what was happening and they said, “We don’t know that.”
On the difficulty of taking over a Super Bowl-winning team:
How do you motivate guys who are already there when you haven’t [been]? How do you say “Hey, guys. Let’s put in all this work because we want to win a Super Bowl” when I’m the only guy who hasn’t? So it’s like a fine line of how to push guys and be a leader and establish yourself while also respecting what they have done and distance yourself from what they have done.
[RELATED: Broncos GM John Elway discusses quarterback search]
On acting as something of a “game manager”:
It’s a weird narrative. I understand my role: Just drive the car straight. Stay in the right lane. Stay in your lane and do what you’re called to do. There’s no behind-the-back, rolling-right kind of things. Just stick with the play. Get us out of bad plays, avoid negative plays, stick with the plays and give ourselves a chance to win.
What do we have to do on offense? Protect the ball, score a few points, and we’re good. It’s similar to those first few years in New York. Make all the routine plays, and when it’s time to make a big play, it will present itself. You practice for it and be ready to do it.
On whether Denver’s offense will involve more quarterback movement:
You could say that, but you could also say that about my time in New York because they got me out on the move to do that. [Head coach Gary Kubiak] moved [Matt] Schaub around. They moved Joe Flacco around a little bit. Could I move more? I don’t know. Maybe a little bit. It’s going to depend on what we do well in these next 10 OTAs.
On how the Broncos’ weapons compare to the Jets’ when Sanchez was in New York:
I don’t want to compare. We had good guys on both teams. I can speak to this team and say that some of the guys are obviously among the best in the league, starting with the top two [wide receivers]. But not just them.
Seeing how these guys work, they compete. It doesn’t matter who it is, whether it’s Bennie Fowler or whoever. These guys talk to each other…not like I’m coming for your job, but when I was around them, I could tell they were into it. They feed off each other. Kind of like, “Hey, you ran that route that way? Watch what I do. Watch how I catch this. Watch how I run this.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Nate Chandler To Visit Lions
Offensive lineman Nate Chandler hasn’t seen live NFL action since the 2014 campaign, but he’s still garnering interest from around the league. According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link), Chandler will visit the Lions on Wednesday. 
Chandler, who turns 27 this week, started 19 games for the Panthers during the 2013-14 seasons, seeing time at both tackle and guard. He required knee surgery midway through 2014, and the injury was serious enough that Chandler was forced to miss the entire 2015 season, as well. Chandler drew interest from the Buccaneers earlier this offseason, participating in a three-day workout on a tryout basis.
In Detroit, Chandler would act as a clear reserve, as the Lions’ starting five is already made up of Riley Reiff, Laken Tomlinson, Travis Swanson, Larry Warford, and first-rounder Taylor Decker. Additionally, the club has already added quite a bit of depth this offseason, signing veteran free agent Geoff Schwartz (who, like Chandler, can play both tackle and guard), while drafting center Graham Glasgow and guard Joe Dahl.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Extra Points: Butler, Pats, Loadholt, Whitworth
Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler is reportedly aiming for a new contract prior to the 2016 season, but as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com details (Twitter links: 1, 2, 3, 4), Butler might not have a leg to stand on in negotiations. As a former undrafted free agent, Butler isn’t in line to reach unrestricted free agency until after the 2017 season — rather, he’ll only be a restricted free agent in 2017, in line for a first-round tender at a tad under $4MM. Linebackers Jamie Collins and Dont’a Hightower, however, will be UFAs next March, and are thus likely to be higher priorities. The best-case scenario for Butler, per Corry, might be a contract in line with Bengals linebacker — and fellow former UDFA — Vontaze Burfict, who sacrificed two unrestricted years at market value while tacitly accepting that he would be hit with a restricted tender.
Let’s take a look at more news and notes from around the NFL on this Memorial Day weekend…
- Vikings right tackle Phil Loadholt missed the entire 2015 season after tearing his Achilles, but he’s doing well in his recovery, as he explains to Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press. Loadholt, who also missed the tail end of the 2014 campaign after tearing his pectoral, agreed to a paycut this offseason, reducing his base salary from $6MM to $2.25MM (with another $1.25MM available through incentives). None of that money is guaranteed, however, so if Loadholt loses out to free agent signee Andre Smith in Minnesota’s right tackle battle, it’s possible that he gets released. The Vikings have one of the more interesting offensive line situations in the league, with Matt Kalil, Brandon Fusco, John Sullivan, Alex Boone, Mike Harris, Joe Berger, and T.J. Clemmings joining Loadholt and Smith, ensuring that the club has plenty of depth.
- More on the Vikings, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com answers several questions in his latest mailbag, including one on a scenario involving wide receiver Cordarrelle Patterson. If Patterson were to post a decent season, thriving in both the passing game and on special teams, he’d make for an interesting extension candidate, granted that he was interested in remaining in Minnesota. Of course, as Goessling notes, the entire scenario is merely hypothetical, and Patterson doesn’t seem likely to break out in his fourth NFL season, especially given the addition of Laquon Treadwell in the first round.
- After agreeing to a one-year extension that locks him up through the 2016 season, Bengals tackle Andrew Whitworth says he’s not worried about playing out the final year of his deal. “If I go into the season pretty much with the thought that I’ll be a free agent I think that the reality for me is that I wouldn’t think about it again until they brought it up,” Whitworth told Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Whitworth also said that he’s open to shifting to guard later in his career, a move that he made briefly in 2014 (with great success). The Bengals drafted tackles Cedric Ogbuehi and Jake Fisher in the first two rounds of the 2015 draft, so Whitworth’s future at tackle might be limited, at least in Cincinnati.
Redskins Could Add Running Back
The Redskins envision that second-year player Matt Jones will be their starting running back, as head coach Jay Gruden said in March. But that doesn’t mean the club won’t consider making an addition to their backfield, John Keim of ESPN.com details. Washington won’t be in the market for Arian Foster at this time, per Keim, but the team is still interested in fellow veteran Pierre Thomas, who played in four games for the Redskins in 2015.
As I noted when ranking Foster as the No. 3 available offensive free agent, the 29-year-old back is still capable of putting up results when he is on the field. He accumulated 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. But Foster was limited to 25 regular-season games from 2013 to 2015, and injuries, his age, and his increasing cap number resulted in the Houston releasing him this spring.
Foster has garnered some interest since being cut by the Texans, as he met with the Dolphins in the early stages of free agency — Miami is reportedly still “monitoring” Foster, perhaps waiting for him to prove his health before issuing a contract offer. For what it’s worth, Foster recently said he could need until July or so to get back to his old form. The Patriots also have some modicum of “preliminary interest” in the free agent back.
Thomas, meanwhile, hasn’t been linked to any other clubs since the free agent period opened (aside from the Redskins, of course). After signing on with Washington in December, Thomas rushed for 4.7 yards per carry on 11 totes, adding nine receptions for another 84 yards. Those limited numbers obviously don’t speak to Thomas’ true ability, especially in the passing game — in eight years with the Saints, Thomas averaged 49 receptions per season. The 31-year-old, then, could make sense as a third-down option behind Jones.
As the more high-profile back, Foster is likely to cost more than Thomas, but doesn’t mean Thomas is going to settle for a minimum deal. According to Keim, Thomas waited to sign last offseason while waiting for a good fit, and clubs apparently deemed his asking price too high — Thomas might be willing to wait out the league again while searching for the right opportunity.
Photos courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
PFR Originals: 5/22/16 – 5/29/16
The original content and analysis produced by the PFR staff during the past week:
- Defensive end Greg Hardy is one of only two of PFR’s top 50 free agents who remains unsigned, and you don’t need us to detail why. Hardy’s off-the-field issues have made him a toxic asset around the NFL, despite his talent, many clubs aren’t willing to risk the public relations backlash of signing him to a contract. At some point, however, the price will fall far enough that Hardy will find a new deal, so I took a look at some potential landing spots for the controversial edge rusher.
- Hardy isn’t the only pass rusher still on the market, as veteran end/linebacker Dwight Freeney is still on the board. The 36-year-old Freeney has garnered interest from both the Bengals and Falcons over the past week, and it’s only a matter of time until he finds a new home. Rory Parks asked PFR readers where they think Freeney will be playing in 2016, and so far, the Falcons, Bengals, Patriots, and the field make up the majority of votes.
- The new CBA has made rookie contracts a breeze and holdouts a thing of the past. A majority of NFL rookies have signed, but Zach Links went over the first-year players who have yet to ink their first NFL deals.
- Zach rounded up the best of the football blogs in the latest edition of Pigskin Links.
Week In Review: 5/22/16 – 5/29/16
Headlines:
- Ryan Fitzpatrick has a three-year offer in hand from the Jets, with $12MM reportedly available in 2016.
- Former Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch could possibly be rethinking retirement, and he reportedly told a few ex-teammates that he plans to return in 2016.
- Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler plans to push for a new contract prior to the 2016 season.
- Cowboys guard Ronald Leary has requested a trade, but Dallas won’t give him away for “little or nothing.”
- Free agent edge rusher Dwight Freeney met with the Bengals and will take a visit with the Falcons, but the Cowboys aren’t interested in adding the veteran.
- Running back Knowshon Moreno is attempting a 2016 comeback, and would like to play for either the Broncos or Dolphins.
Injuries:
- Bengals – Tyler Eifert, TE (could miss season opener)
- Jaguars – Jalen Ramsey, S (expected to return by training camp)
- Lions – Ameer Abdullah, RB (shoulder surgery)
- Titans – Byron Bell, OL (will miss 2016 season)
Signed:
- Saints – Vincent Brown, WR (link)
Released/Waived:
- Browns – Brian Hartline, WR (link)
- Lions – Tim Wright, TE (link)
Extra Points: Fitzgerald, Redskins, Manziel
Cardinals receiver Larry Fitzgerald had something of a comeback season in 2015, catching 109 passes for more than 1,200 yards and nine touchdowns in his age-32 season. Now, as he enters the final year of his contract with Arizona, could retirement be on the horizon? “Honestly, I have no idea,” Fitzgerald told Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). “I really don’t look at it like that.”
“We’re just in OTAs right now, man,” added Fitzgerald, who is set to enter his 13th season with the Cardinals. “We’ve got training camp and minicamp and the regular season. We’ve got a long ways to go before that’s even a point of discussion. So I’m enjoying this. I’m trying to make it the best year yet.”
Let’s take a look at some more news and notes from around the NFL…
- The Redskins are likely to add a running back to their roster at some point, according to Rich Tandler and Tarik El-Bashir of CSNWashington.com. Asking second-year back Matt Jones to handle the load by himself seems like a big ask, write the CSN scribes, who toss out Pierre Thomas, who played in four games for Washington last season, as a possible free agent worth targeting. Arian Foster, Joique Bell, and Bryce Brown are among the other running back options still left on the board.
- Those close to former Browns quarterback Johnny Manziel have begun to fear for his safety, and some are worried that he might not live much longer if he doesn’t change his ways, according to a report from TMZ. Manziel’s own father said in February that Manziel might not make it to his 24th birthday if he doesn’t seek help. We learned yesterday that Manziel is the subject of an ongoing NFL investigation.
- In a recent mailbag, a reader asked Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com whether Bears running back Jeremy Langford can replace the production of Matt Forte, who left the team in free agency this spring. Forte leads the NFL in yards from scrimmage (12,718) since 2008, so obviously those are huge shoes to fill. Langford, luckily, won’t have to fill them on his own, as Chicago plans to use a committee — comprised of rookie Jordan Howard, third-year player Ka’Deem Carey, and Jacquizz Rodgers — in the backfield.
- Here’s a fun fact from ESPN.com’s Jeremy Fowler (Twitterink): Steelers star Antonio Brown made $62K per catch in 2015, the lowest among wide receivers making $5MM or more last year. Brown is set to make just $6.25MM in base salary this season and with a $12.37MM cap hold. The wide receiver says that finishing his career under another long-term extension with the Steelers would be “an honor,” and he’s not planning to hold out for a new contract just yet.
- NFL owners voted today to approve several changes to the instant replay process, all of which can be found in this PDF.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Latest On Raiders, Las Vegas
As Peter King of TheMMQB.com reported yesterday, the Raiders’ potential relocation to Las Vegas was not scheduled to be on the agenda at the owners’ meetings today. Still, it was practically inevitable that the subject would get brought up, with reporters questioning the league’s 32 owners on the viability of such a move. Let’s take a look at the latest, with reports and comments from several different sources…
- While Raiders owner Mark Davis allowed that the issue of his club moving was not on the docket today, he did say that he hasn’t received any pushback as of yet. “I haven’t heard no,” said Davis, according to ESPN.com.
- Appearing later on NFL Network, Davis claimed that Las Vegas would be act as a solid middle ground for all parties involved. “The Raider fan in Northern California get upset a little bit when we talk about going to Los Angeles, and the L.A. fans get a little ticked off at the fans in Northern California, so it seems like Las Vegas is a neutral site that everybody’s kind of bought into,” said Davis, per Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. “It will unite the Raider nation more than divide it.”
- Davis confirmed that he is now longer attempting to move the Raiders to Los Angeles, per the ESPN report, as he told those in Las Vegas that he would not use the city as a bargaining chip in order to find a stadium elsewhere. “[Los Angeles] doesn’t have anything to do with where my train of thought is right now,” Davis said. “If Las Vegas comes through, we’re going to Las Vegas.”
- Oakland isn’t completely out of the picture, according to Davis, and NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said he spoke with Oakland mayor Libby Schaaf last night, and hopes that the two sides can reach a “combined solution,” reports Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (Twitter link). Goodell, for his part, called the Raiders-to-Vegas “premature” and “pure speculation,” as Steve Reed of the Associated Press tweets.
- Gambling isn’t the primary concern for owners who might be against the Raiders moving to Las Vegas, according to Cole (video link). Rather, owners have some worries about the city’s ability to finance a new stadium, per Cole.