Extra Points: Mayo, Pats, Welker
While there’s virtually no way he’ll return to the Patriots on his current contract, linebacker Jerod Mayo‘s time in New England may not be over after this season, says Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. In his latest mailbag, Howe suggests that if Mayo can get healthy, it’s possible he and the Pats could work out a reworked contract to bring him back. In my look last week at the Patriots’ 2016 cap situation, I identified Mayo as the team’s most likely cap casualty.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- If you’re a fan of the Steelers, Cowboys, Chargers, Ravens, or Packers, and you feel like your team has had worse-than-usual injury luck this year, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com is inclined to agree. In his latest piece, Seifert identifies those five teams as the ones that have been hit hardest by injuries this season.
- The Giants are scheduled to work out free agent linebacker Alex Singleton next Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Singleton, who was waived by the Seahawks prior to the regular season, has also auditioned for the Chiefs, Bengals, Browns, Jaguars, and Washington this year.
- According to reports from Tom Pelissero of USA Today and Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter links), Wes Welker‘s new one-year deal with the Rams includes a $200K signing bonus to go along with a base salary worth approximately $456K (prorated total of $970K). The veteran wideout can also earn up to $200K in per-game roster bonuses ($25K per game), plus another $100K via catch- and yard-based incentives.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/13/15
Here are Friday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the NFL:
Indianapolis Colts
- Signed: RB Josh Robinson (press release via team)
Minnesota Vikings
- Cut: S Brock Vereen (Twitter link via Andrew Krammer of 1500 ESPN)
New England Patriots
- To be signed: S Dewey McDonald (Twitter link via Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald)
New York Jets
- Signed: DL T.J. Barnes, OL Lawrence Okoye (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post)
- Cut: CB Jeremy Harris
AFC South Notes: LeBeau, Jaguars, Griffin
With Ken Whisenhunt now out of the picture in Tennessee, it’s not clear whether the Titans will retain defensive assistant Dick LeBeau beyond this season, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Titans interim CEO and president Steve Underwood said last week that he’d like to see the team target a “great offensive mind” in its search for a permanent head coach, suggesting that the defense would be in fine shape with LeBeau at the helm.
However, LeBeau initially joined the Titans in large part due to his relationship with Whisenhunt, and his contract expires at the end of the 2015 season. As the 78-year-old himself observes, there’s no guarantee that a new head coach wouldn’t want to bring in his own assistants.
While we wait to see whether LeBeau is one-and-done in Tennessee, let’s check in on some other items from out of the AFC South….
- The Jaguars had former 49ers running back Kendall Hunter in for a tryout this week, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Hunter, who has seen his NFL career derailed by injuries in recent years, was removed from Sam Francisco’s injured reserve list in September with a settlement, making him a free agent.
- Texans tight end Ryan Griffin, who was placed on injured reserve with the designation to return after Week 1, should be able to play Monday against the Bengals, head coach Bill O’Brien told reporters today (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle). Griffin, who is returning from an MCL injury, would need to be activated to the 53-man roster by Monday afternoon to play this week.
- Per Jim Wyatt of TitansOnline.com (Twitter link), Titans cornerback Jason McCourty is weighing the possibility of undergoing another procedure on his troublesome groin. Another surgery may be a season-ender for McCourty, who could also attempt to rehab the injury.
Breer’s Latest: P. Manning, Browns, L.A.
There’s a widely-held assumption in NFL circles that Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning will call it a career after the 2015 season and will subsequently find work as an NFL executive, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network in his latest column. According to Breer, Cleveland and Tennessee are frequently mentioned as potential landing spots for the future Hall-of-Famer, with Indianapolis and New Orleans “not to be completely discounted” either.
It’s not clear whether or not Manning would be immediately effective if he were to transition into a decision-making role in a team’s front office so soon after his playing career ended. Still, as Breer observes, “it’s easy to figure someone with Manning’s football acumen would be able to figure things out on the fly, so long as the right structure existed around him.”
Here are a few more items of interest from Breer’s column:
- While the Browns made clear to other teams that they were open for business prior to the deadline, some of their potential trade chips – such as Joe Thomas and Paul Kruger – drew interest, while others – like Barkevious Mingo – didn’t. According to Breer, some potential trade partners had trouble determining “who was carrying the hammer” in Cleveland, since GM Ray Farmer said he’d have to check with other members of the organization before engaging in serious discussions.
- Continuing to address the Browns, Breer notes that, internally, the team doesn’t see chain of command as having been an issue this year, including at the deadline. Other clubs viewed Cleveland as being indecisive “when the heat was turned up” though.
- There continues to be steady progress on getting the NFL back to Los Angeles, according to Breer, who provides an update from this week’s relocation committee meetings. As Breer details, some owners are concerned about allowing a team to bend relocation guidelines in order to move, so that club must provide a strong case that its existing market has failed.
- While there’s no guarantee the Seahawks make a second-half run – as they did last season – the team is confident it still has an impressive core in place. “The guys here feel like once they play for each other the way they know they can, there’s something really strong here,” one Seahawks source tells Breer.
Anquan Boldin Not Considering Retirement
While one veteran receiver – Steve Smith – came into the 2015 season expecting it to be his last, that’s not the plan for another veteran wideout, Anquan Boldin. Speaking to Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News, the 49ers pass catcher confirmed that he doesn’t intend to retire at the end of the 2015 campaign. “No, this isn’t the end,” Boldin said.
Boldin, who began his NFL career with the Cardinals back in 2003, turned 35 in October, and has dealt with some nagging hamstring problems this year. However, he has remained reasonably productive, even with the Niners not getting a whole lot out of quarterback Colin Kaepernick in the early going, resulting in a change to Blaine Gabbert.
After going over 1,000 yards on 80+ receptions in each of his first two years with the Niners, Boldin isn’t on track to reach those landmarks again in 2015. However, in seven games this season, he has caught 31 balls for 372 yards and a pair of touchdowns, and has been unfazed by the uncertainty at quarterback in San Francisco.
“In Arizona, one year it was Josh McCown, Shaun King, and then Kurt Warner, then it was Kurt Warner and Matt Leinart. It’s nothing new to me,” Boldin said. “It’s just a situation where you trust the coach and you trust he’ll put the best guy out there. And as a team you have to be behind whoever it is the coach puts out there. It doesn’t change your job or what you have to do.”
Despite the 49ers’ struggles this season, Boldin says he’d like to return to the team next season, after his current contract expires. While continuing his career in San Francisco is one possibility, Boldin could be an interesting option for contending teams to consider if he finishes 2015 strong and reaches the open market in March.
NFC Notes: Stafford, Palmer, Lockette
After surveying seven NFL coaches and personnel men, Adam Schefter and Chris Mortensen of ESPN.com say the results were unanimous, with those sources suggesting the Lions would be “foolish” to part with Matthew Stafford in 2016. Although Stafford could net a nice haul of draft picks for Detroit, the fact that there’d be no obvious replacement in free agency or the draft makes it unlikely that the Lions make a move.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- With Carson Palmer having another strong season in Arizona, the Cardinals now firmly believe that the veteran can be the team’s quarterback “for years to come,” according to Schefter and Mortensen. Assuming Palmer doesn’t run into any serious health problems, the Cards believe Palmer can play out his current contract – which voids after the 2017 season – and may want to retain him beyond that.
- Defensive back DeShawn Shead wasn’t the only player to receive a $25K signing bonus from the Seahawks this week — according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Seattle did the same thing for wide receiver Ricardo Lockette. While $25K isn’t a huge amount for an NFL player, teams don’t often simply give a player a mid-season bonus without making any other changes to his contract, so it’s a commendable move by the Seahawks — particularly if it happened after Lockette underwent season-ending neck surgery.
- With a game against the Bears on tap this weekend, Rams head coach Jeff Fisher admitted to reporters that he viewed Jay Cutler as the top quarterback prospect in the 2006 NFL draft, as Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com writes. Of course, Fisher – who was coaching the Titans at the time, and didn’t yet have final say on draft decisions – ended up with Vince Young, the third overall pick in that draft.
- The Giants will work out former Eastern Washington tackle Jake Rodgers next Tuesday, a source tells Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link). Rodgers was selected by the Falcons in the seventh round of this year’s draft, but was cut prior to the regular season.
AFC East Notes: Stacy, Fitzpatrick, Pats, Fins
With Bilal Powell sidelined in recent weeks, Zac Stacy has seen a little more action in the Jets‘ backfield as a backup to Chris Ivory, and even got a chance to act as the team’s kick returner on Thursday night. However, those kick-return duties resulted in an injury for Stacy, who fractured his ankle, according to head coach Todd Bowles (Twitter link via Brian Costello of the New York Post).
While Stacy has yet to officially land on injured reserve, the injury figures to end his season. Powell is expected to return from his own ankle injury soon, so the team may not need to another running back to its roster, with Powell and Stevan Ridley available to back up Ivory.
As we wait to see what roster move the Jets make in the wake of Stacy’s injury, let’s round up a few more notes from around the AFC East….
- Speaking to reporters after Thursday’s game, Bowles also confirmed that Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick will have surgery on his left thumb on Friday, and should be ready to play vs. the Texans in Week 11 (Twitter links via Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News).
- Given how well they’ve played this year, Patriots defenders Dont’a Hightower, Chandler Jones, and Jamie Collins all appear to be in line for big new contracts at some point in the not-too-distant future, writes Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald. All three players will see their current deals expire at the end of the 2016 season, and Howe believes that all three could earn $10MM+ annually on their next contracts, so it’ll be interesting to see if New England tries to retain all of them beyond next season.
- The Dolphins have not approached wide receiver Rishard Matthews, who is in a contract year, about a new deal, according to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. It sounds to me like any extension discussions between the two sides before Matthews reaches free agency will happen after the season.
- Free agent running back Bronson Hill paid a visit to the Dolphins this week, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle.
NFL Practice Squad Updates: 11/12/15
Here are Thursday’s practice squad signings and cuts from around the league:
Dallas Cowboys
- Signed: QB Kellen Moore (Twitter link via Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com)
- Cut: T John Wetzel
Kansas City Chiefs
- Signed: WR Frankie Hammond (Twitter link via Terez Paylor of the Kansas City Star)
Minnesota Vikings
- To be signed: TE Chase Ford (link via Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press)
New England Patriots
- Signed: DT Robert Thomas (link via Doug Kyed of NESN.com)
Minor NFL Transactions: 11/12/15
Here are Thursday’s minor transactions from across the NFL:
- The Raiders have waived safety Tevin McDonald, the team announced today in a press release. Although no corresponding move was provided, it appears McDonald’s release will pave the way for safety Nate Allen to be activated off IR-DTR within the next day or two.
- The Jets added a third safety to their 53-man roster for tonight’s game by signing Ronald Martin from their practice squad, tweets Manish Mehta of the Daily News. To clear a spot for Martin, who will add a little depth to a banged-up secondary, New York has waived defensive lineman T.J. Barnes.
- The Colts promoted linebacker Daniel Adongo from the practice squad to the active roster and cut running back Josh Robinson, the team announced today in a press release. With Frank Gore and Ahmad Bradshaw carrying the load in Indianapolis’ backfield, and Zurlon Tipton also around to provide depth, Robinson became expendable for the time being.
- The Patriots made a small change to their active roster today, promoting linebacker Eric Martin from the practice squad and cutting safety Dewey McDonald to make room, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- After being waived-injured by the Cardinals yesterday, cornerback Cariel Brooks cleared waivers and landed on Arizona’s injured reserve list, per Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
East Notes: Patriots, Cowboys, Jeffcoat
With running back Dion Lewis out for the season, the Patriots are on the lookout for potential additions at the position, bringing in a couple more veteran free agents for workouts this week, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. Rapoport tweets that Pierre Thomas and Robert Turbin, recently cut by the 49ers and Browns respectively, auditioned for the Pats.
Thomas, in particular, could be a good fit in New England, since catching passes out of the backfield is one of his strength. However, in his brief stint in San Francisco, it looked like he was still attempting to shake off some rust after sitting out most of the 2015 season. The Pats also tried out Daryl Richardson earlier this week, so it’ll be interesting to see if they add another back within the next week or two, or if they try to get by with a combination of LeGarrette Blount, James White, and Brandon Bolden for now.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s East divisions:
- As if the Cowboys‘ locker room wasn’t already a tense place to be these days, with the team having lost six straight games, and the presence of Greg Hardy drawing increased scrutiny, things got even more emotional today. As Eric Prisbell of USA Today outlines, wide receiver Dez Bryant yelled and cursed at multiple reporters today in the Dallas locker room, believing one had called teammate Devin Street a racial slur, though that charge was uncorroborated by other media members in the area.
- With a game against the Patriots looming, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin admitted that he regrets the fact that Julian Edelman isn’t wearing a Giants uniform this weekend (link via Mike Petraglia of WEEI.com). The Pats receiver visited New York as a free agent in 2013, but ultimately opted to re-sign with New England.
- Linebacker Jackson Jeffcoat showed that he could be a good reserve player for Washington, but he ultimately came up short on special teams, Rich Tandler of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Jeffcoat was quickly placed on IR and released from IR with a settlement this week.
- Speaking to Colin Cowherd this week, former Cowboys quarterback Troy Aikman – who hasn’t played in the NFL in 15 years – said he still has the arm strength to go out and play in the league (link via the Dallas Morning News). So if quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Tom Brady want to play well into their forties, arm strength shouldn’t be the issue — it’ll be a matter of avoiding injuries like the chronic back issue that forced Aikman into retirement.
Zach Links contributed to this post.