Matt Barkley Available Via Trade
After shipping Nick Foles to the Rams last week in order to acquire Sam Bradford, the Eagles could be aiming to move on from another quarterback currently on their roster. According to Chris Mortensen of ESPN (Twitter link), Matt Barkley, Philadelphia’s fourth-round selection in 2013, is on the trade block and could be had for a late-round pick.
Though rumors persist that Bradford is merely trade bait, the Eagles appear to be set at QB. Bradford looks like the favorite to start, and Mark Sanchez, re-signed to a two-year deal last week, will act as the No. 2. Barkley, then, is viewed as the third-string option, the role he’s played for the past two seasons. The USC product attempted 49 passes during his rookie season, but just one in 2014.
The 24-year-old Barkley was originally viewed as a lock to be selected in the top-10 of the 2012 draft, but after opting to return to USC for his senior season, he struggled, ultimately falling to the 98th overall pick in ’13. Barkley has never been looked at as a starting option in Philly, and when he has played, he’s exhibited a lack of arm strength that has talent evaluators worried about his NFL future.
Even given the paucity of capable QB options around the league, I’d be surprised if a club gave up more than a conditional seventh-rounder (the same compensation the Patriots received for Ryan Mallett) in exchange for Barkley. If the Eagles do deal Barkley, they’d presumably turn to Tulsa product G.J. Kinne, who’s been on their practice squad and is currently signed to a futures deal, as their third quarterback.
Bears Sign Vlad Ducasse
The Bears have agreed to a one-year deal with offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse, the club announced on Twitter. Ducasse will receive $80K in guarantees, per Adam Caplan of ESPN (Twitter link), meaning that the 27-year-old probably signed for the minimum salary benefit.
Ducasse spent the first four seasons of his career with the Jets before joining the Vikings in 2014. Selected out of UMass in the second round of the 2010 draft, Ducasse never lived up to his draft pedigree, starting just five games during his time with New York. He topped that number in ’14 alone, starting six contests in Minnesota while playing at both guard positions. In total, Ducasse played in 13 games last season, totaling 417 snaps, but graded as the league’s No. 61 guard among 78 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
In Chicago, Ducasse will presumably act as a backup to both former Jets teammate Matt Slauson at left guard and Kyle Long at right guard. The Bears might not be done adding offensive line help, as recent reports have indicated they’re interested in free agent center Samson Satele.
West Notes: J. Williams, DGB, Gordon, Hawks
Despite being waived by the Seahawks less than two weeks ago, defensive tackle Jesse Williams is expected to re-sign with Seattle soon, as he tells Tom Boswell of the Courier-Mail. The 24-year-old Williams has spent the duration of his two-year NFL career on injured reserve with knee issues, but he says multiple surgeries have corrected the issue. The Alabama product became the first Australian to win a Super Bowl ring when the Seahawks won the championship in 2014.
Here’s more from Seattle and rest of the NFL’s West divisions…
- Before they acquired Jimmy Graham last week, the Seahawks were “digging into” Oklahoma receiver Dorial Green-Beckham, according to Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link). Green-Beckham carries quite a bit of off-the-field baggage, but Seattle could be looking to add a downfield threat via the draft, leading Robinson to wonder if the club could take a chance on DGB if he falls to the second round.
- In other draft news, the Cardinals are meeting with Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon today, tweets Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Arizona has been linked to Adrian Peterson, but as Getlin notes, Gordon would present a younger and cheaper alternative at the position.
- Though he didn’t outwardly express it during a press conference earlier today, it’s clear Chargers owner Dean Spanos is skeptical about keeping the team in San Diego, writes Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune, who adds that it should be clear by the start of the season whether the Chargers will be able to stay in SD.
Vikings Interested In George Selvie
MONDAY, 12:54pm: It looks like the Vikings will indeed get a visit lined up with Selvie this week, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
SUNDAY, 4:45pm: After missing out on free agent Michael Johnson earlier today, the Vikings are still hopeful of improving their defensive end position. According to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press, Minnesota has interest in George Selvie, and could meet with him later this week.
The Vikings first contacted Selvie on March 7, the first day of the legal tampering period, and have begun talking with him ever since, adds Tomasson. The 28-year-old Selvie has started 29 games for the Cowboys over the past two seasons, posting 10 sacks and 60 tackles. The former Jaguar, Panther, and Ram graded as the league’s 37th-best 4-3 DE among 59 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but those metrics showed a stark difference between Selvie’s run defense (where he excelled) and pass-rush (where he struggled).
Regardless, based on last year’s production, Selvie would be an improvement on Brian Robison, who’s been a starter at defensive end for the Vikings since 2011. Robison’s sack numbers have dropped in recent seasons, and he rated as the sixth-worst 4-3 DE in 2014 per PFF. I noted in my preview of Minnesota’s offseason that Robison could be a candidate for release, as the Vikings would save $2.65MM against the cap by cutting him now, or $4.65MM by designating him as a post-June 1 release.
The Vikings currently have about $12.6MM in available cap space, and given that Selvie shouldn’t command an exorbitant base salary or signing bonus, a deal should be able to get worked out, at least from a financial perspective.
Latest On Sam Bradford
Ever since the Eagles acquired Sam Bradford last Tuesday, there’s been no shortage of speculation and rumors surrounding the 27-year-old quarterback and Philadelphia’s plans for him. Let’s take a look at the latest…
- Both Eagles head coach Chip Kelly and Rams head coach Jeff Fisher have claimed they were offered a first-round pick from a separate team in exchange for Bradford. The Browns were tossed out as a viable option to have made that offer, appearing on the Michael Kay Show today, former NFL general manager Charley Casserly said he’s heard it was in fact Cleveland who was willing to surrender a first-rounder (link via Connor Orr of NJ.com).
- From what she can gather from talking to NFL coaches at West Virginia’s pro day, Josina Anderson of ESPN says (Twitter link) that many league insiders still believe the Eagles plan to use Bradford as trade bait, specifically to move up the No. 2 pick and select Marcus Mariota. That would presume that the Titans would be interested in Bradford, despite reports that they’ll stick with Zach Mettenberger at QB.
- Of course, if the Titans really wanted Bradford, they could have dealt with the Rams themselves, adds Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). I would add here that perhaps St. Louis had its eye on Nick Foles as a long-term option at quarterback, something Tennessee couldn’t provide via trade.
- If the Eagles do intend to keep Bradford for the long haul, they could tack on a few years to his contract and insert a no-trade clause, effectively ending any speculation about his future in Philadelphia, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk.
Week In Review: 3/8/15 – 3/15/15
It’s been a crazy week here at PFR, and there were far too many transactions made during the past seven days to list in their entirety. Instead, we’ll take a look at the biggest moves, and invite you to check out the rest via our Transactions page.
Key Signings/Re-Signings
- Bears – LB Pernell McPhee (five years, $38.75MM)
- Bills – LB/DE Jerry Hughes (five years, $45MM)
- Chiefs – WR Jeremy Maclin (five years, $55MM)
- Dolphins – DT Ndamukong Suh (six years, $114MM)
- Eagles – CB Byron Maxwell (six years, $63MM) and RB DeMarco Murray (five years, $40MM)
- Jaguars – TE Julius Thomas (five years, $46MM)
- Jets – CB Darrelle Revis (five years, $70MM)
- Packers – RT Bryan Bulaga (five years, $33.75MM) and WR Randall Cobb (four years, $40MM)
- Patriots – S Devin McCourty (five years, $47.5MM)
Trades
- Jets – acquired QB Ryan Fitzpatrick from the Texans in exchange for a conditional seventh-round pick.
- Lions – acquired DT Haloti Ngata and a seventh-round pick from the Ravens in exchange a fourth- and a fifth-round pick.
- Rams – acquired QB Nick Foles, a 2015 fourth-round pick, and a 2016 second-round pick from the Eagles in exchange for QB Sam Bradford, a 2015 fifth-round pick, and a conditional 2016 pick.
- Seahawks – acquired TE Jimmy Graham and a fourth-round pick from the Saints in exchange for C Max Unger and a first-round pick.
- Vikings – acquired WR Mike Wallace and seventh-round pick from the Dolphins in exchange for a fifth-round pick.
Again, here’s our Transactions page where you can find the rest of last week’s moves.
Tramon Williams To Visit Browns
Free agent cornerback Tramon Williams continues to draw interest from around the league, and having already taken visits with several other teams, the 31-year-old will head to Cleveland today to meet with the Browns, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN (Twitter link).
Williams has already met with the Saints, while the Eagles, Titans, and Vikings have also shown varying levels of interest. New Orleans, Philadelphia, and Tennessee have each added secondary help in recent days, signing Brandon Browner, Byron Maxwell and Walter Thurmond, and Perrish Cox, respectively, so those clubs might not longer be a fit for Williams. A reunion between Williams and the Packers isn’t completely out of the question, either, as we heard on Thursday that there is “genuine mutual interest” between Green Bay and its free agent CB.
The Browns, meanwhile, are looking to add a corner after 2014 starter Buster Skrine signed with the Jets last week. Cleveland does have last year’s first-round pick Justin Gilbert in tow to line up opposite Pro Bowler Joe Haden, but the club has reportedly been disappointed by Gilbert, and may be aiming to add a veteran presence on the outside. At the very least, Williams would buy the Browns some time as Gilbert continues to develop.
Williams started all 16 games for the Packers last season, notching three interceptions, and grading as the league’s 34th-best CB among 108 qualifiers per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
Cards Restructure Carson Palmer’s Deal
MARCH 12th, 7:09pm: Palmer’s restructuring is official, according to Kent Somers of The Arizona Republic (on Twitter). Palmer will have his $9.5MM roster bonus converted to a roster bonus and the Cardinals will pick up $7.1MM of space.
MARCH 6th, 6:31pm: Palmer has agreed to restructure his contract. He’ll convert his $9.5MM roster bonus to a signing bonus, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com. Weinfuss further tweeted that the restructuring of Palmer’s contract will accompany a $7.38MM cap number for next season. That’s a significant drop-off from the $14.5MM of cap room Palmer was expected to take up in 2015.
MARCH 5th, 6:36pm: In terms of cap space, the Cardinals place in the bottom half of the NFL with about $14.5MM to spend as free agency approaches, and with several free agents to re-sign and other need areas to fill, the club could be looking for some additional wiggle room. With that in mind, Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic reports (via Twitter) that Carson Palmer is willing to restructure his contract in order to give the Cards a bit more financial flexibility.
There was a bit of confusion regarding Palmer’s agreeing to a restructure, as Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com tweeted earlier today that the veteran quarterback had agreed to tweak his contract a month ago. Somers clarified, however, adding that although Palmer has spoken with general manager Steve Keim and technically “agreed” to the restructure, the move won’t take place unless Keim decides the Cardinals need the space. In other words, Palmer has provided the club with a money-saving “bullet” that it can use at its discretion.
The 35-year-old Palmer signed a three-year, $50MM extension with the Cardinals last November, under the terms of which he’ll earn a $1MM base salary and a $9.5MM roster bonus in 2015 — both figures are guaranteed. As Somer notes (Twitter link), Arizona could convert Palmer’s roster bonus to a signing bonus, spreading the money out over the next few years and bringing his 2015 cap figure down from $14.5MM to $7.1MM, saving the club $7.4MM in the process.
The Cardinals have already been active this offseason, agreeing to a new deal with Larry Fitzgerald that will keep the veteran receiver in Arizona through 2016. The club might also look to retain free agents such as Antonio Cromartie and Dan Williams, and are believed to be interested in upgrading the running back position.
Giants Sign Jonathan Casillas
WEDNESDAY, 9:36pm: The Giants announced that Casillas’ signing is official, Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News tweets.
TUESDAY, 3:22pm: The Giants have agreed to sign linebacker Jonathan Casillas, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. Per Graziano, it’s a three-year deal worth $10.5MM.
Casillas, a 27-year-old journeyman, had spent time with Saints and Buccaneers before being traded to the Patriots last year. In New England, he started three games, but was mostly a special teams contributor. In New York, he’ll join Jon Beason, who recently restructured his contract, at linebacker.
Jets Sign James Carpenter
WEDNESDAY, 7:26pm: The Jets have officially signed Carpenter, the team announced in a press release.
TUESDAY, 9:18am: Carpenter will sign a four-year contract with the Jets worth in the ballpark of $4.75MM per season, a source tells Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link).
6:49am: Although Middlekauf backtracked a little on his own report overnight, tweeting that he was “premature” and that talks with Carpenter are still ongoing, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports has also reported (via Twitter) that the Jets will sign the offensive lineman. So barring a last minute change of plans on either side, it should get done.
MONDAY, 11:14pm: With interior offensive line help near the top of their offseason to-do list, the Jets have made a move to aid their front five, agreeing to terms with guard James Carpenter, according to John Middlekauf of 95.7 The Game (Twitter link). The transaction can be made official when the new league year begins tomorrow.
Carpenter, who will turn 26 later this month, was selected by the Seahawks in the first round of the 2011 draft, and has spent the past four years in Seattle. The Seahawks declined Carpenter’s fifth-year option, allowing him to hit free agency a year earlier than many other first-round draftees. Drafted as a tackle, Carpenter has settled in at guard, but he hasn’t been very effective, rating as the league’s No. 65 guard among 81 qualifiers in 2014, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).
The Jets had reportedly been hotly pursuing Mike Iupati, who was considered the top free agent guard on the market, but the former Niner reportedly agreed to terms with the Cardinals earlier today. Orlando Franklin, another reported target for New York, appears headed to San Diego, leaving the Jets to shift their focus second-tier alternatives.
While Carpenter may not be quite as reliable or effective a presence in the middle a a veteran like Iupati and Franklin would be, he shouldn’t be nearly as expensive either, though financial terms of the tentative agreement aren’t yet known.