North Notes: Greenway, Browns, Bears, Rice
Vikings general manager Rick Spielman told Alex Marvez of SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link) that the club is trying to work through a contract restructure with linebacker Chad Greenway, adding that the team wants him to retire as a Viking. As a declining player set to count more than $7MM against the cap, Greenway will probably have to accept a straight pay cut to remain on the roster.
Here’s more from the NFL’s two North divisions…
- Rob Brzezinski, the Vikings’ vice president of football operations, met with agent Ben Dogra last night, but Dogra’s client Adrian Peterson didn’t come up in conversation, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (via Twitter). Dogra also represents free agent corner Terence Newman, whom the Vikes are rumored to be interested in, leading Wolfson to speculate that he was the topic of the meeting.
- As was widely rumored, it was the Browns that offered a first-round pick to the Rams in exchange for Sam Bradford, St. Louis GM Les Snead confirmed to Sal Palantonio of ESPN (Twitter link via John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game).
- Bears chairman George McCaskey initially told GM Ryan Pace that he could not sign embattled defensive end Ray McDonald, noting that the “pattern” and “frequency” of McDonald’s off-the-field trouble worried him, per Adam Jahns of the Chicago Tribune (Twitter links).
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com wonders why former Raven Ray Rice is still a “pariah” in the eyes of the NFL, especially given that players with similar incidents (such as Greg Hardy) have been signed by other clubs.
- Texas A&M-Commerce receiver Ricky Collins has a visit lined up with the Browns, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.
AFC Notes: Pats, Jets, Rivers, Locker, Colts
The Jets have filed tampering charges against the Patriots based on owner Robert Kraft‘s comments yesterday concerning New England’s pursuit of Darrelle Revis, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As Florio writes, this is likely the Jets seeking revenge after New England filed similar charges against Gang Green in January (also regarding Revis comments).
It’s unlikely that anything comes of this tit-for-tat scenario, so let’s check out some news from around the AFC…
- Chargers sources have not flatly denied that they’ll trade Philip Rivers, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (video link). Team sources have said they don’t want to move the veteran quarterback, but as Rapoport notes, that’s different than saying they won’t deal him. If a trade were to occur, the price for Rivers would be multiple first-round picks, says Rapoport.
- Jake Locker‘s retirement was just as stunning to the Titans as it was to the general public, Tennessee head coach Ken Whisenhunt tells Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times. Whisenhunt says the club found out about Locker’s decision at the same time as everyone else, adding that the subject of retirement never came up during his year-end talks with Locker.
- GM Ryan Grigson and head coach Chuck Pagano told reporters, including Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), that the Colts are not finished in free agency, and could look to add pieces to the club’s defense.
- Titans interim president Steve Underwood maintains that the team is not for sale, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
Washington Open To Drafting QB At No. 5?
Washington head coach Jay Gruden has already named Robert Griffin III his starting quarterback for the 2015 season, announcing at the combine that despite a disappointing showing last season, RG3 would be the club’s signal-caller going forward. But there continue to be whispers that the club won’t shy away from selecting a quarterback in next month’s draft, and today GM Scot McCloughan didn’t do a lot to dispel those rumors, saying that competition is critical at any position.
“No one will be handed a job from my standpoint,” McCloughan said, according to John Keim of ESPN.com. “You have to earn it. That’s what the NFL is about. I don’t have any ties with any of the players. I didn’t draft them. So I’m coming in — prove it to me. Prove to me you deserve to be on the field. That’s the way it should be in the NFL.”
As Keim alludes to in the above piece, John Clayton of ESPN reported last month that Washington would take Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota if he fell to the No. 5 overall pick. Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) agrees, citing a team source when saying that the team will consider Mariota with the fifth pick, but they won’t trade up to get him. Cole adds that Washington is ready to move on from RG3, and that the club’s interest in the Heisman winner is “real.”
Meanwhile, don’t be surprised if Washington is “open for business” when the draft begins, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (link via Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com). If Mariota is off the board, it would certainly make some sense for the club to trade down and acquire more draft picks to patch holes on its roster.
AFC East Notes: J. Graham, Dolphins, Bills, Jets
Before the Dolphins signed Jordan Cameron to a two-year deal to replace the departed Charles Clay, Miami had a different target at tight end — former Saint, and current Seahawk, Jimmy Graham, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), who says that the Fins came in second in the Graham sweepstakes. Clearly, Miami wanted to upgrade the TE position this offseason, but this news makes it fair to wonder if the Dolphins assumed all along they would lose Clay to free agency (even though they had designated him as their transition player).
Here’s more from the AFC East…
- Bills general manager Doug Whaley made it clear to reporters, including Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News, that he was displeased that his club didn’t make more additions along the offensive line during the offseason. Buffalo did sign guard Richie Incognito, but Carucci writes that the team also made a bid for Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga, and attempted to trade for Saints guard Jahri Evans.
- Another AFC East club — the Jets — might not be done making moves, as GM Mike Maccagnan told reporters, including Rich Cimini of ESPN.com (via Twitter), that New York is still targeting players in free agency, and pointed to running back as a position that could use an upgrade (Twitter link).
- One such free agent could be tight end Kellen Davis, who had a visit with the Jets today, tweets Rapoport. The 29-year-old Davis spent last season in Detroit, appearing in six games.
- The Dolphins aren’t opposed to retaining free agent running back Knowshon Moreno, Miami GM Dennis Hickey tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (via Twitter). The 27-year-old Moreno tore his ACL last October, but Hickey says the RB’s rehab is “going great.”
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examines the contract structure employed by the Bills to ensure that the Dolphins wouldn’t match their offer to Clay.
Bills Aiming To Extend Matt Cassel
While it’s not set in stone, Matt Cassel is the presumptive favorite to be the Bills’ starting quarterback after the club acquired him from the Vikings in exchange for two draft picks. And while he’s not the QB of the future in Buffalo, the team does hope to work out an extension with the 32-year-old as a means of creating more cap space, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News (Twitter link).
The Bills currently have less than $7M in cap space to work with, and with a 2015 draft class still to sign, the club could use a bit more wiggle room if they hope to add any additional free agents. Buffalo doesn’t have a first-round pick this year (as a result of moving up to select Sammy Watkins in ’14), meaning they’ll probably have the cheapest rookie class to sign. But an extension for Cassel, who has one year and $4.75MM left on his contract, could create the room needed to bring in a few street free agents.
In negotiating an extension, the Bills would likely seek to bring down Cassel’s $4.15MM base salary and give him a signing bonus, spreading the cap hit over multiple seasons. But because of Cassel’s age, I’d think Buffalo would be wary of committing any money to him too far down the line. As such, simply adding one more year to his deal and extending him through 2016 might be the best bet.
NFC North Notes: Peterson, Williams, Guion
As if Adrian Peterson‘s agent stating that it’s not in the running back’s best interests to play for the Vikings doesn’t paint a clear enough picture, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reports that Peterson definitely wants out Minnesota, preferring to move on and play for a different organization. Per Cole, the three most likely destinations for Peterson are the Cardinals, Colts, and Cowboys — however, the Vikings know of Peterson’s desire to land in Dallas, and have no intention of helping him attain that goal. Vikings GM Rick Spielman has already stated that the club will not release Peterson, so a trade seems to be his only way out of Minnesota.
Here’s more from the NFC North…
- Minnesota tight end Maxx Williams has a meeting lined up with his hometown NFL club, as Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets that Williams will visit with the Vikings. Williams is expected to be the first tight end selected in next month’s draft.
- Free agent defensive tackle Letroy Guion won’t face any charges resulting from his February arrest, and his case is now considered closed, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. However, the 27-year-old could still face discipline from the league, as Demovsky adds in a second piece. The Packers have expressed interest in re-signing Guion, who started all 16 games for them last season.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press explains how the Lions acquired Haloti Ngata from the Ravens earlier this month, noting that Detroit’s personnel department began looking at game film of Ngata immediately after Ndamukong Suh signed with the Dolphins.
- The Lions are working on setting up a visit with Arkansas guard Cameron Jefferson, per Birkett (Twitter link).
Vikings Sign Casey Matthews
The Vikings have agreed to terms with linebacker Casey Matthews, the club announced on Twitter. Matthews visited the club earlier today, as Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported (via Twitter), and it looks like a deal was struck during that time. Minnesota’s PR staff also confirmed the signing of safety Taylor Mays, which was reported earlier.
The 26-year-old Matthews, who had spent the entirety of his four-year career with the Eagles, will be moving from Philadelphia’s 3-4 defense to Minnesota’s 4-3 scheme. He’s played both inside and outside ‘backer, so he could conceivably compete with Audie Cole to be the Vikings’ middle linebacker — Minnesota’s 2014 MLB starter, Jasper Brinkley, signed with the Cowboys last week. Alternatively, he could act as depth at OLB, and could play a larger role there if the Vikes decide to part with ways with veteran LB Chad Greenway.
Despite starting only five games combined during his first three years in the league, Matthews started 11 contests last season, primarily due to injuries to Eagles starter DeMeco Ryans. Still, Matthews wasn’t on the field all that much, as he saw action on just 37.5% of the club’s defensive snaps. All told, Matthews racked up 31 tackles and 1.5 sacks, while forcing a fumble and recovering another.
The Vikings have been relatively active this offseason, as in addition to signing Matthews and Mays, they’ve also brought in backup QB Shaun Hill, and traded for receiver Mike Wallace.
NFC Notes: D. Washington, Eagles, Cowboys
Let’s take a look at the latest from the NFC…
- Speaking to Mike Jurecki of FOX Sports 910, suspended Cardinals linebacker Daryl Washington said he’s completed anger management and domestic violence classes, and has passed every drug test (link via Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic). Washington was suspended last May for at least one year, and also was involved in a assault incident, for which he received probation. Cardinals head coach Bruce Arians said last month that he doesn’t even consider the 28-year-old Washington a part of the team.
- Eagles head coach Chip Kelly has let DeSean Jackson and Jeremy Maclin go in consecutive offseasons, and part of the reason for their departure may be that Kelly finds “hidden value” in receivers, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. Route-running (even on plays where the player is not the primary receiver) and blocking are among the attributes that Kelly looks for, and he believes that Riley Cooper and Jordan Matthews are more than capable in those areas.
- Veteran defender Anthony Spencer probably won’t return to the Cowboys, opines Todd Archer of ESPN.com. After adding Greg Hardy last week, Dallas appears set at defensive end, so there’s not an obvious need for Spencer on the roster.
- Washington‘s offseason additions have been praised this year, writes John Keim of ESPN.com, and that wasn’t the case a year ago. Keim takes a look back at the club’s signings from 2014, most of which didn’t pan out.
Latest On Greg Jennings
After being released by the Vikings on Saturday, veteran receiver Greg Jennings has already taken one free agent visit, meeting with the Panthers yesterday. However, no deal between the two parties is imminent, according to Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link), who adds that Jennings is expected to take other visits.
One such visit could be to Miami, where the Dolphins — aiming to add receiver depth — will speak with both Jennings and Michael Crabtree, tweets Trey Wingo of ESPN. We’ve heard previously that Miami was interested in Crabtree, and the former 49er was scheduled to meet with the Dolphins last week. Miami has already added Kenny Stills via trade, but could be looking for more pass-catchers after jettisoning Mike Wallace, Brian Hartline, Brandon Gibson, and Charles Clay in recent weeks.
The Panthers, meanwhile, are also on the lookout for pass-catching help, as they don’t have many options behind Kelvin Benjamin and tight end Greg Olsen, although they did add Ted Ginn Jr. earlier this offseason. As Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes, the 31-year-old Jennings wouldn’t add much speed to the Carolina offense, but he’d be a reliable possession receiver.
Chris Borland To Return Part Of Signing Bonus
After 49ers linebacker Chris Borland announced his retirement on Monday, questions arose regarding whether San Francisco would attempt to recoup a portion of his signing bonus, which the club has a right to do. Borland ended any speculation about the matter today, telling CBS’ Face the Nation that he would repay 3/4 of his bonus to the 49ers (link via Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com).
“I’m only taking the money I’ve earned,” said Borland. “To me it’s just about health and nothing else. I never played the game for money or attention. I love football. I’ve had a blast. I don’t regret the last 10 years of my life at all. I’d do it over the exact same way.”
As such, Borland will pay the 49ers $463,077 — for salary cap purposes, that same amount will remain on SF’s books as dead money. The 23-year-old’s base salaries for the next three seasons, which were set to total less than $2MM, are wiped out due to his retirement. In total, Borland will have earned about $574K for his one year in the NFL.
Earlier this week, Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap examined the Borland/bonus issue, arguing that the Niners had to attempt to reclaim the money as a matter of precedent, comparing the situation to the NFLPA fighting on behalf every player, even those who have committed crimes.