AFC Rumors: Broncos, Wilkerson, Ravens, Fins
Having traded up on Thursday night to nab Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, the Broncos may now be in a better position to negotiate a long-term deal with star pass rusher Von Miller, suggests Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link).
Lynch’s rookie contract will likely call for cap hits that range from about $1.7MM in 2016 to $3MM by his fourth year in 2019, meaning Denver may not have much money tied up in the quarterback position for the next few years. While a Broncos source who spoke to Cole cautioned that the team still needs to make sure it has room to extend players like wideout Emmanuel Sanders and linebacker Brandon Marshall, there’s some optimism between the team and Miller’s camp that a long-term pact can eventually be reached.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Jets have in fact fielded calls on Muhammad Wilkerson in recent weeks, but no serious suitors emerged, according to sources who spoke with Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. On Thursday night, GM Mike Maccagnan confirmed that a Wilkerson deal is now unlikely.
- Kevin Byrne of BaltimoreRavens.com takes a behind-the-scenes look at the Ravens‘ process last night as their No. 6 pick approached, including how the Laremy Tunsil video affected the team’s decision. Meanwhile, Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald examines the thinking of the team that did take Tunsil, at No. 13: the Dolphins.
- The NFL’s stance on having a franchise in Las Vegas is “evolving,” per commissioner Roger Goodell, but Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) hears that the league still wouldn’t want a team like the Raiders to have any part-owners who have a stake in a Vegas casino.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com explores the Browns‘ day-one draft decisions, noting that plenty of execs around the league are skeptical about the team’s approach and the selection of Baylor wideout Corey Coleman.
- Houston defensive tackle Tomme Mark got calls from the Chargers and Raiders and has drawn interest from Texans as a late-rounder or a priority free agent, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Cowboys Rumors: Lynch, Elliott, Trade Talks
It was an interesting evening for the Cowboys, who used their fourth overall pick to make Ezekiel Elliott the first running back to come off the board in the top five since Trent Richardson in 2012. The team also made a run at trading back into the first round for Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch, as owner Jerry Jones confirmed tonight. Here’s more on those efforts, along with a few more Cowboys updates:
- The Cowboys offered their second- and third-round picks to the Seahawks for the No. 26 pick in an effort to nab Lynch, per Todd Archer and Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). It seems odd that the Seahawks wouldn’t have accepted that offer, since I’d think the 34th and 67th overall picks would have been a little more appealing than the 31st and 94th they got from Denver.
- According to Ed Werder of ESPN.com and Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram (Twitter links), the Cowboys made a strong effort to land Lynch, and Jerry Jones suggested that, in hindsight, the club might have been willing to match or exceed Denver’s offer. So perhaps Dallas would have been open to offering its second- and third-rounders, but never officially put that proposal on the table. It’s also possible that the Cowboys formally offered their second- and third-round picks, but wanted more in return than just the Seahawks’ first-rounder — or maybe Seattle simply didn’t want to move down an extra three spots and risk missing out on its top target(s).
- The Cowboys considered sending their No. 4 overall pick to the Ravens for the No. 6 pick and a fourth-rounder, tweets Adam Schefter. However, talks broke down due to the fact that Baltimore would have been moving up for Elliott, and the Cowboys didn’t want to miss out on the running back, tweets Clarence Hill.
- Elliott was the top-rated player on the Cowboys’ board and was the club’s top-graded running back in several years, according to executive VP Stephen Jones (Twitter link via Ed Werder).
- Before the draft got underway, the Cowboys re-signed guard Ronald Leary to his RFA tender, and exercised the 2017 option for center Travis Frederick. According to Stephen Jones, the Cowboys would consider trading Leary during the draft to allow him to start somewhere. Jones also indicated the club wants to lock up Frederick to a longer-term deal (Twitter links via Clarence Hill).
Titans Acquire No. 8 Pick From Browns
8:25pm: The Browns have announced the exact terms of the trade: Cleveland will acquire a 2016 first-rounder (No. 15), a 2016 third-rounder (No. 76), and a 2017 third-rounder, while the Titans picked up the No. 8 pick, and a 2016 sixth-rounder (No. 176).
8:03pm: After trading down from No. 2 to No. 8 earlier this month, the Browns have once again moved down in the first round. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), the Browns and Titans have agreed to a trade, with Tennessee moving up to No. 8. Tennessee will select Michigan State offensive tackle Jack Conklin, reports Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald (Twitter link).
The Titans will send the No. 15 pick, a 2016 third-rounder, and a 2017 third-rounder to Cleveland in exchange for the eighth pick, tweets Field Yates of ESPN.com. The Browns, meanwhile, will also send a sixth-rounder to Tennessee, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link).
The deal makes sense on a number of levels, as the Titans had been rumored to be exploring a trade up to acquire an offensive tackle, while the Browns had reportedly been looking to move down an acquire more draft capital. The trade, interestingly, is comprised of the two clubs who originally owned the first and second overall selections.
Bears Acquire No. 9 Pick From Buccaneers
After the first seven teams in the draft tonight made their own picks, the next two have been traded. The Buccaneers have sent the No. 9 overall pick to the Bears, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link).
Per Jenna Laine (Twitter link), Tampa Bay gets a fourth-round pick (No. 106) from Chicago, in addition to the Bears’ first-round pick (No. 11). The Bears will use the ninth overall pick to select Georgia outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
Floyd has been rising up draft boards in recent weeks — indeed, perhaps no player has accrued more buzz over the past few days. Many teams around the top-1o were rumored to be in on Floyd, including the Buccaneers, Bears, and Giants, so it makes sense that Chicago would aim to move ahead of New York. With the Bears, Floyd figures to team with Pernell McPhee in getting after opposing quarterbacks. He’ll join Jerrell Freeman, Danny Trevathan, and Akiem Hicks as part of a remade Chicago defense.
The Buccaneers, meanwhile, will get a bit of a financial windfall by moving back to No. 11. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter), the fifth-year option for picks made outside of the top 10 is equal to the average of the third through 25th-highest salaries at a given position. Had Tampa stayed at No. 9, a fifth-year option would have been equal to the transition tag figure, always a higher number.
Rams Select Jared Goff With No. 1 Pick
The Rams officially have a new face of the franchise. After sending a boatload of picks to Tennessee in exchange for the right to move up from No. 15 to No. 1, the Rams used that first overall pick to select California quarterback Jared Goff, who the franchise views as its long-term answer at quarterback as it makes the move to Los Angeles.
Goff, considered the most polished quarterback prospect in this year’s class by many analysts and observers, threw for nearly 8,700 combined yards and 78 touchdowns during his final two years in college. In 2015, he established new personal bests by completing 64.5% of his passes and throwing for 4,714 yards and 43 TDs.
While some experts prefer Carson Wentz‘s upside to Goff’s, our Rob DiRe ranked the Cal product as his No. 1 prospect at quarterback, writing that Goff’s “ability to work in a crowded pocket and deliver the football from unorthodox angles” is part of what makes him special.
After drafting a potential franchise running back last year in Todd Gurley, the Rams have now added another possible franchise player to their backfield in an attempt to fortify an offense that has frequently let down a talented defense in recent years. Having traded up to land Goff, Los Angeles now won’t make another pick until Saturday, when the fourth round gets underway, barring any additional trades.
Along with the No. 1 overall selection, the Rams received a 2016 fourth-round pick (No. 113), and a 2016 sixth-rounder (No. 177) in their deal with the Titans. However, the cost to acquire those three picks was steep — Tennessee got the Rams’ first-rounder this year (No. 15), two 2016 second-round picks (Nos. 43 and 45), a 2016 third-round pick (No. 76), and first- and third-round picks for 2017.
With Goff now in the mix, the Rams will have some decisions to make at the quarterback position, which is getting crowded. The team appears likely to keep Case Keenum, who received and signed a first-round RFA tender, and 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion, which would make veteran QB Nick Foles the odd man out. Foles has reportedly drawn trade interest from “four or five” teams.
Draft Rumors: Elliott, Ravens, Browns, Cowboys
The Cowboys are currently “struggling” with the decision of whether or not to draft running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Owner Jerry Jones is believed to prefer Elliott, while presumably some other members of the front office would rather go in another direction.
Dallas isn’t the only team at the top of the draft considering taking Elliott, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who tweets that the Ravens would “strongly consider” the Ohio State back if he’s on the board at No. 6.
In just a matter of hours, we should find out exactly how serious teams like Dallas and Baltimore are about taking a running back in the top six. With some other clubs, including the Dolphins, said to be coveting Elliott, it’s possible that teams are overstating their interest in the ex-Buckeye in an attempt to get another club to trade up for him. And it sounds like there will be no shortage of trades tonight, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter (Twitter link).
As we wait to see where Elliott lands, let’s round up some other draft updates from around the NFL:
- The Browns have spoken to teams about the possibility of moving down from No. 8, but they’ve also had conversations about moving up from the second round into the late-first, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com, who wonders if Cleveland might be eyeing a particular quarterback. Earlier this evening, a Browns source told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that there was “nothing new” on the trade front for the club.
- Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears the Cowboys aren’t likely to move down from No. 4 tonight. Two GMs whose teams are picking in the top 10 tell Werder they haven’t heard from Dallas about a possible trade.
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) has heard that the Ravens are “hot on” Eastern Kentucky edge defender Noah Spence, though the team won’t take him as high as No. 6. It will be interesting to see if Baltimore likes Spence enough to consider trading up for him if he’s on the board near the end of the first round.
- Having spoken to multiple general managers and other NFL sources, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report has updates on where a few prospects are expected to be selected in the draft. Cole suggests Georgia pass rusher Leonard Floyd could go in the top 10 (video link), Clemson edge defender Shaq Lawson should go between No. 7 and No. 19 (Twitter link), and Notre Dame linebacker Jaylon Smith appears likely to be a day two pick (Twitter link). Cole also hears that Memphis quarterback Paxton Lynch may not be selected quite as high as expected in the first round (video link).
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com has published his first and only mock draft of 2016, sprinkling plenty of interesting draft tidbits throughout his look at the first 31 picks.
Nick Foles Drawing Trade Interest
APRIL 28, 5:04pm: As expected, Foles will likely be the odd man out after the Rams draft a quarterback tonight, says Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter links). The club is hoping to trade him rather than release him — a source tells Wagoner that “four or five” teams have reached out about Foles, but some of those clubs may want to see how the draft plays out before making any decisions.
APRIL 25, 2:44pm: While one of the two quarterbacks involved in 2015’s Rams/Eagles trade asks out of Philadelphia, trade rumors are also beginning to swirl around the other signal-caller who was a part of that deal. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Nick Foles of the Rams has drawn interest from several teams, and will be worth keeping an eye on this week.
As is the case in Philadelphia, where Sam Bradford isn’t thrilled with the idea of sharing the quarterback room with both Chase Daniel and the No. 2 overall pick in the draft (likely Carson Wentz), the Rams may have one too many QBs on their roster if they don’t make a move. Los Angeles currently holds the No. 1 pick in the draft, and is expected to use it on Jared Goff, who would join Foles, Case Keenum, and 2015 third-rounder Sean Mannion on the team’s QB depth chart.
While it’s possible that Keenum or Mannion could become the expendable quarterback in Los Angeles, it makes more sense that the team would move on from Foles. GM Les Snead and head coach Jeff Fisher have talked up Keenum all offseason, and the fact that the club placed a first-round tender on him shows that he’s valued in L.A. Meanwhile, Mannion is more of a developmental signal-caller at this point in his career, and likely wouldn’t be able to step into a situation where he’d be counted on to play at all in 2016.
Foles, on the other hand, has plenty of starting experience, and could be a good fit as a backup elsewhere. Because the Rams have already paid his guaranteed $6MM roster bonus for the 2016 season, Foles would also come at a very affordable rate for any team interested in acquiring him — only his $1.75MM base salary for ’16 would count against a new team’s cap. Of course, his new team would also take on the rest of his contract, including a non-guaranteed $10.75MM base salary for 2017.
With a number of teams – including perhaps the Cowboys, Bears, and Steelers – in the market for a veteran backup under center, the Rams could land a day-three pick for Foles if they’re willing to move forward with Keenum, Mannion, and their first overall pick. Given how many selections the Rams surrendered to move up from No. 15 to No. 1, getting back a pick, even a late-rounder, would make sense for the club.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Ryan Fitzpatrick, Jets
Quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick remains unsigned, and with the veteran free agent and the Jets still engaged in a stand-off, Fitzpatrick has told people he would “rather not play football” than accept the Jets’ current offer, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
Although Schefter’s report makes it sound as though Fitzpatrick would consider sitting out the 2016 season if he doesn’t get a satisfactory contract offer, Brian Costello of the New York Post (Twitter link) spoke to a source who says that’s not the case. According to Costello’s source, Fitzpatrick definitely wants to play.
Per the ESPN.com report, the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick remains in the $7-8MM-per-year range, while the veteran signal-caller is believed to be seeking upwards of twice that amount. At least one report has suggested that the Jets’ offer to Fitzpatrick is similar to the deal the Eagles gave Chase Daniel, which was worth $21MM over three years, but included another $15MM in incentives. However, it sounds as if Fitzpatrick wants New York to increase the base value of its offer, rather than counting on incentives that may not be met.
An 11-year veteran, Fitzpatrick is coming off the best season of his NFL career. The former seventh-round pick established new career highs by throwing for 3,905 yards and 31 touchdowns, and led the Jets to a 10-6 record, just narrowly missing a playoff berth.
With the Jets and Fitzpatrick apparently not making any progress, the club continues to mull its fallback options as the draft approaches. Although Fitzpatrick is the priority, the Jets recently brought in Brian Hoyer for a visit, and could use the draft to address the quarterback position. We should have a better idea in another 48 to 72 hours about where the team’s quarterback situation stands.
2016 NFL Draft Primer
After weeks of anticipation – or months, if your favorite team was eliminated early from 2015 playoff contention – the 2016 NFL draft finally gets underway tonight in Chicago. Pro Football Rumors will have you covered for the entire three-day event, passing along all 253 picks, along with all the trades, news, and rumors that come along with the draft.
While ESPN and NFL Network reporters typically don’t scoop teams’ draft picks before they’re announced on the TV broadcast, writers from other outlets have been known to report picks a few minutes before they’re officially announced. If and when that happens this year, we won’t be “spoiling” picks ahead of time on our social media accounts, so if you want to be kept in suspense until commissioner Roger Goodell makes his announcements, you’re safe to follow us on Twitter or Facebook without having to worry that those surprises will be ruined.
However, if a trusted reporter does get word of a pick before it happens, we’ll be passing it along on our site. So if teams’ picks are being reported ahead of time, and you want to know them immediately rather than waiting for an announcement from Goodell, be sure to refresh ProFootballRumors.com early and often tonight. Our post recapping the first-round results will be updated with teams’ picks as soon as they’re reported, even if that happens before they’re formally announced on ESPN.
With that in mind, here’s some info to get you prepared for the 2016 draft:
- The schedule for this year’s draft is as follows:
- Day 1 (Thursday): Round 1, 7:00pm CT
- Day 2 (Friday): Rounds 2-3, 6:00pm CT
- Day 3 (Saturday) Rounds 4-7, 11:00am CT
- For an idea of how the first round might play out, you can check out our most recent mock draft, published this morning. Our first mock provided some alternate scenarios, though it was published before the Rams and Eagles traded up to the top of the draft.
- PFR’s Rob DiRe posted his breakdown of the top 15 prospects at each position this week. You can find his offensive rankings right here, and his defensive rankings here.
- Want to find this year’s full draft order? We’ve got all 253 selections listed here.
- We also took a closer look at how exactly this year’s traded picks changed hands, and how 2016’s 33 compensatory picks were assigned.
- All of our posts discussing news and rumors related to the 2016 draft can be found on this page, though given how much the draft has dominated the NFL news cycle lately, it doesn’t look much different from our main page at this point.
West Rumors: Rams, Kaepernick, Broncos
The Rams know who they’ll be selecting to kick off the 2016 NFL draft on Thursday night, but they won’t let that player know until it’s time to submit the card at No. 1, as Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk writes.
“We’ll get in touch with the player just before putting the card in,” said Rams head coach Jeff Fisher, whose team will pick either Cal quarterback Jared Goff or North Dakota State signal-caller Carson Wentz. “There’s only a few things better in life than this phone call, these phone calls that are going to take place Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s a great opportunity and we don’t want to deny our pick the opportunity to experience that.”
As we wait for the team to confirm which quarterback will become the new face of the franchise in Los Angeles, let’s round up some other Tuesday updates from out of the West divisions…
- 49ers general manager Trent Baalke continues to leave the door open for a possible Colin Kaepernick trade, but Mike Klis of 9News (Twitter link) hears the Broncos are unlikely to make a move for Kaepernick before or during the draft. While it’s not out of the question, there have been “zero talks” recently, according to Klis.
- For the second consecutive year, pre-draft trade rumors are swirling around Cardinals wide receiver Michael Floyd, who says he’s not worried about that talk at all. “I go into work, put my work in, watch film with my teammates and go about my day,” Floyd said of the trade speculation, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com.
- Former Alabama edge defender Xzavier Dickson is working out today for the Seahawks, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Dickson was selected in the seventh round of the 2015 draft by the Patriots, but didn’t earn a spot on the team’s regular-season roster.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds the Chiefs to the list of teams that hosted Florida wide receiver Demarcus Robinson for a pre-draft visit.
Zach Links contributed to this post.