NFC West Notes: Wilson, Foles, Bennett
During a return to the Wisconsin campus over the weekend, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson was asked about his contract situation, but was fairly noncommittal on the subject, simply reiterating his desire to remain in Seatle for years to come, as Dennis Punzel of Madison.com details.
“It’s not where my focus is,” Wilson said of his contract. “The contract will work itself out. I’m excited about it and excited to hopefully be a Seattle Seahawk for a really, really long time. So, that’s the goal.”
Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Field Yates of ESPN.com lays out the pros and cons for the Rams as they consider signing new quarterback Nick Foles to an extension. While Foles’ stock isn’t at its highest point, coming off an up-and-down, injury-shortened season, Yates suggests it still may be prudent for the team to wait on a new deal.
- Former agent Joel Corry weighs in on the Michael Bennett situation, tweeting that a holdout would likely be “an expensive waste of time” for the Seahawks defensive end. As Corry observes, Seattle is unlikely to budge just one year into Bennett’s four-year contract. Our Dallas Robinson wrote last night about Bennett’s confusing stance.
- Stepping in for Peter King at TheMMQB.com, Seahawks long snapper Nate Boyer tells the story of how he ended up in the NFL, trying to make the Seattle roster as a 34-year-old rookie.
- While some teams may shy away from drafting small-school players due to their lesser college competition, Cardinals GM Steve Keim tells Kyle Odegard of AZCardinals.com that he likes adding those players, since they’re often motivated by feeling like they have something to prove.
Agent Optimistic About New Deal For Eli
Eli Manning is one of a few notable quarterbacks heading into the final year of his current contract, but a team source tells Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News that the Giants are confident a new deal will eventually get done, and agent Tom Condon echoes that sentiment, suggesting he doesn’t expect his client to reach free agency.
“The interesting part about it is, since 1993, the inception of free agency, has there ever been an elite quarterback hit the open market?” Condon said. “Peyton [Manning did in 2012], but he had four neck surgeries and no idea if he would ever be well enough to play. Drew Brees, when he went to New Orleans, he had 15 studs in his shoulder, in his throwing arm. … There’s nobody else that’s ever come up. They just re-do you.”
While quarterbacks like Russell Wilson, Sam Bradford, and Nick Foles are also discussing extensions with their respective teams, the most similar case to Manning’s is Philip Rivers in San Diego. Rivers has had a little more regular season success than his fellow 2004 first-rounder, while Manning has excelled in the postseason, winning a pair of Super Bowls. Both veteran signal-callers are expected to re-up with their current teams at some point, perhaps using Ben Roethlisberger‘s recent extension with the Steelers as a point of reference.
It’s not clear if the the Giants and Manning anticipate reaching an agreement before the 2015 season begins, but even if no new deal is in place by then and talks are shelved until 2016, there would still be plenty of time to work something out. The Giants could also use the franchise tag to prevent the two-time Super Bowl MVP from hitting the open market. No matter how the situation plays out, Condon is optimistic that Manning will remain in New York.
“The quarterbacks always get done,” Condon said. “And the Giants are not a skittish team. So it’s not one of those things where they get nervous or they jump around or anything like that. You know you’re going to go in and it’s going to get done. I’m sure at the appropriate time it’ll happen.”
Jags, Pats, Chiefs Inquired On Josh Cribbs
Speaking to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link), free agent return specialist Josh Cribbs revealed that he has received inquiries from a few teams since hitting the open market, including the Jaguars, Patriots, and Chiefs. According to Fowler, Cribbs is open to the possibility of retiring, but would like to continue his playing career.
Cribbs, who turned 32 earlier this month, was one of the most explosive punt and kick returners in the league in the early stages of his career, tallying 11 total return touchdowns — three on punts and eight more on kicks. After joining the Colts last year, the Kent State product didn’t make an impact on 19 punt returns, averaging just 6.6 yards, but his kick return average was an impressive 32.0 yards per return on 19 attempts.
Despite his success on kick returns, Cribbs became expendable in Indianapolis when the Colts used their first-round pick to select Miami wide receiver Phillip Dorsett, who is expected to handle return duties for the club this year. Indianapolis parted ways with Cribbs on May 1, before the draft had concluded.
Extra Points: Bennett, Sam, Manning, HGH
Making an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Cliff Avril said this week that he supports fellow Seahawks defensive end Michael Bennett in his quest for a new contract, writes Kirk Larrabee of 247Sports.com.
“I’ve been through the whole contract situation, so I don’t fault him from wanting a new deal from a standpoint of they cut you after a year if they feel you don’t play as well as that contract,” Avril said. “If you feel like you outplayed the contract after a year, go for it. What’s the worst they can tell you? I don’t blame him for that … Hopefully they figure something out, if not this year, hopefully he outplays it again next year and they make sure something happens next year.”
Here are a few more Friday odds and ends from around the NFL (and the CFL):
- Former Mizzou pass rusher Michael Sam returned to Montreal and is expected to be at the Alouettes’ team meetings this Sunday and at practice the following day, reports Herb Zurkowsky of the Montreal Gazette. Sam left the team about two weeks ago for personal reasons, but GM Jim Popp indicated earlier this week that he thought the former Rams seventh-rounder draftee would be back.
- Using this week’s Peyton Manning trade rumor as a point of reference, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report explains that NFL teams and executives often engage in “hypothetical” trade discussions, which gives them plausible deniability if word of those talks leak. As for Manning, one general manager tells Freeman that the Broncos “would be stupid not to talk to teams” about trading him, even if a deal was never likely.
- Since the NFL’s instituted human-growth hormone testing last October, no player has tested positive. However, it’s possible that those glowing results can be attributed to the limitations of the test. Dr. John Lombardo tells Alex Marvez and Gil Brandt on SiriusXM NFL Radio that the current test has a “very short window,” meaning a player who used HGH a few days before being tested may not test positive. A new test in development would have a much longer window – about five to eight days – according to Lombardo.
- In case it needed to be clarified, Falcons PR man Jay Adams (Twitter link) and head coach Dan Quinn (link via ESPN.com) both confirmed this week that Quinn’s comments about bringing 53-year-old Herschel Walker to the team’s training camp were made in jest.
NFL Exploring Temporary L.A. Venues
1:59pm: A league source tells Albert Breer and Steve Wyche of NFL.com that the NFL has discussed the possibility of Dodger Stadium, Angel Stadium of Anaheim, or the StubHub Center serving as a temporary venue for a Los Angeles franchise. The duo also confirms that the league submitted requests to the Rose Bowl and the Coliseum.
The league’s goal is to negotiate with venues in the coming months, and perhaps to select a site and have it ready even before an NFL team officially announces its intent to relocate. As Breer and Wyche observe, two temporary stadiums may be necessary if two NFL teams move to L.A.
8:57am: The NFL is moving forward on preparing for a possible relocation to Los Angeles for the 2016 season, according to Sam Farmer of Los Angeles Times, who reports that the league has begun issuing proposal requests to venues in Southern California. These venues, including the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, would be potential temporary homes for any club that moved to L.A., as construction took place on a new stadium.
“It is part of the process and an effort to understand all of our options and have a well thought out plan if a team or teams were to be approved to relocate,” said Chris Hardart, the NFL’s vice preisdent of corporate development. Hardart declined to identify any other potential venues besides the Coliseum and the Rose Bowl, though Farmer notes that league executives have previously cited Dodger Stadium as another possible temporary solution.
The NFL has a special meeting on its schedule for August 11 in Chicago to update team owners on the Los Angeles situation. Per Farmer, the league wants to know which temporary L.A. venues are in play – and what their capabilities and limitations are – before that August meeting takes place.
As Farmer points out, while the NFL has flirted with the idea of moving a team back to Los Angeles multiple times over the last two decades, the league has never gone so far as to commit to a temporary venue in the L.A. area. If things continue to move forward, that could happen at some point this fall, in advance of a team (or teams) gaining approval for relocation.
Lions Notes: Collins, Mays, Ngata
The offensive line was an area of focus during the draft for the Lions, who used their first-round selection on guard Laken Tomlinson. According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, the team nearly added another talented rookie lineman following the draft, with LSU’s La’el Collins ultimately opting to sign with the Cowboys rather than the Lions. Here’s more on Collins, along with a couple more items out of Detroit:
- Lions head coach Jim Caldwell called Collins the day after the draft, and the young lineman gave “a lot” of consideration to joining the team, as he tells Birkett. “I went on a visit to Detroit and I had a great talk with coach Caldwell while I was there, I had a great meeting with them,” Collins said. “We connected in a big way. It was nothing but love and respect for him. I think he’s a great coach; I think they’re going to be a great team.”
- The one-year contract that safety Taylor Mays signed with the Lions is a minimum salary benefit deal that features no signing bonus or guaranteed money, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- Jenny Vrentas of TheMMQB.com spoke to defensive tackle Haloti Ngata, who will be faced with unenviable task of replacing Ndamukong Suh in Detroit, about his transition to the Lions from the Ravens. Asked if he suspected he might be traded heading into the offseason, Ngata admitted that the possibility wasn’t initially on his radar, but as free agency neared, he thought it might happen and wasn’t surprised when it did.
Russell Wilson Rumors: Friday
On Thursday, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) reported that Russell Wilson is aiming to become the NFL’s highest-paid player, seeking a new contract that surpasses the five-year, $110MM extension signed by Aaron Rodgers in 2013. According to Cole, agent Mark Rodgers didn’t dispute that idea when asked about it; as I noted in Thursday’s Community Tailgate post, such a demand isn’t outlandish, given the rate at which the salary cap is rising.
Cole and a couple other NFL scribes have weighed in again on the Wilson situation today, so let’s round up the latest….
- Wilson’s demands aren’t so much about his worth as they are about his leverage and how difficult it would be to replace him, tweets Cole. While the quarterback has some leverage, I’d argue that the team still has plenty as well, since Seattle could keep Wilson under team control through the 2017 season by using the franchise tag twice.
- Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com, one of the first reporters to suggest that Wilson might play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place, says that possibility has become “more generally recognized as a likelihood, if not an inevitability.” Per La Canfora, Wilson will likely remain steadfast in his desire for a significant chunk of guaranteed money, while the Seahawks will continue to offer a deal with a more team-friendly structure.
- There’s no hard deadline for Wilson’s extension talks, but if the two sides don’t reach an accord by the time training camp begins, there’s a good chance the Pro Bowl QB will decide to shelve the issue until after the season, writes La Canfora.
- La Canfora speculates that if the Seahawks use a franchise tag on Wilson in 2016, it will be the exclusive tag, which wouldn’t allow him to negotiate with other teams. However, if Wilson and his agent get the opportunity to talk to other suitors, there could be about 10 teams with real interest, says La Canfora. The entire CBSSports.com piece is worth checking out, as La Canfora takes a comprehensive look at the situation.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk also engages in some speculation after speaking to several sources, tweeting that he believes Wilson will be playing for a new team in 2016. In a follow-up tweet, Florio explains that he thinks the Seahawks will use the non-exclusive franchise tag on Wilson and another team will sign the QB to an offer sheet Seattle won’t match. If that were to happen, Wilson’s new club would have to give up two first-round picks to land him.
NFL Storylines To Watch Before Training Camp
The period between June minicamps and the start of NFL training camps is typically the quietest time of the year for the league. However, even during these weeks when many coaches, players, and NFL writers are on vacation, there are still plenty of stories to keep an eye on, proving that the NFL is truly a year-round league.
Here are a few storylines worth keeping an eye on as we wait for 2015 training camps to get underway:
Greg Hardy‘s and Tom Brady‘s appeal decisions
As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, the fact that we’ve been waiting more than four weeks for arbitrator Harold Henderson to make a decision on whether or not to uphold Hardy’s 10-game suspension suggests that we shouldn’t expect quick resolution in Brady’s case either. The CBA gives arbitrators wiggle room to take their time when making these decisions, but I expect we’ll get an announcement on Hardy very soon, and it’d be a surprise if Roger Goodell hadn’t made a ruling on Brady by the time training camps begin.
The July 15 franchise tag extension deadline
Dez Bryant, Demaryius Thomas, Justin Houston, and Jason Pierre-Paul have yet to sign their one-year franchise-tag tenders, and all four players are seeking long-term agreements. If that’s going to happen this year, it’ll have to get done by July 15, so we can expect teams to ramp up extension negotiations over the next couple weeks. If any – or all – of these players don’t sign multiyear contracts by July 15, they’ll have to play on a one-year deal for 2015, if they intend to play at all.
The three remaining unsigned draft picks
The current CBA has essentially made rookie holdouts a thing of the past, since salaries and bonuses are slotted fairly rigorously. However, there are still a few details in those rookie contracts for teams, players, and agents to hammer out, and two AFC South teams have yet to lock up all their draftees. As our tracker shows, the Colts have yet to sign two third-rounders, cornerback D’Joun Smith and defensive end Henry Anderson, while the Titans haven’t got No. 2 overall pick Marcus Mariota under contract. I think all three players will have reached agreements by the time their respective teams’ training camps start, but Mariota is worth keeping an eye on, since Titans GM Ruston Webster recently said it’s not a big deal if a player misses a few days of camp.
Evan Mathis and other notable free agents
While Evan Mathis is the most coveted veteran player on the open market, there are several other interesting names available, many of whom could be snatched up as teams finalize their camp rosters. PFR’s Dallas Robinson recently published his list of the best available remaining free agents, identifying tackle Jake Long, tight end Jermaine Gresham, wide receiver James Jones, and pass rusher Dwight Freeney as a few of the top options.
Russell Wilson and other notable extension candidates
Wilson has received more attention than just about any other extension candidate, since his contract will expire at season’s end, and he could become the NFL’s highest-paid player, as we discussed yesterday. But there are plenty of other noteworthy players who could be extended by their teams before training camps get underway, including Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers, Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus, Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones, and many others.
The Los Angeles situation
No major decisions on Los Angeles are expected to be made within the next few weeks, considering the NFL’s next meeting on the situation isn’t scheduled to happen until August 11. Still, it seems as if every day there are new updates on the stadium situations in Oakland, San Diego, and St. Louis. The latest sign of possible forward movement for the NFL’s return to Los Angeles came this morning, as the league began formally exploring temporary venues in the L.A. area for 2016.
Are there any other storylines we’ve left out of our list that you’ll be watching over the next few weeks? Let us know in the comment section!
Community Tailgate: Russell Wilson’s Contract
We’re still a few months away from the start of battles on the NFL gridiron, but there’s no offseason when it comes to debate amongst fans. This week, we’ve launched a new series here at PFR that will be known as the Community Tailgate. What’s the Community Tailgate all about? Well, it’s pretty simple. Every weekday, we’ll highlight one of the top stories going on in the NFL. Then, in the comment section below, we want you to weigh in and let us know what you think.
Of course, while the debate may get spirited, we ask that it all stays respectful. If you need a reminder of our rules, please check out our commenting policy. Basically, we ask that you refrain from inappropriate language, personal insults, and attacks. Speaking of commenting: we’ve made it much easier to leave a comment here at Pro Football Rumors. You are no longer required to be a registered user – simply put in your name, email address, and comment and submit.
Today, we’re taking a look at what has been one of the biggest ongoing stories of the offseason: Russell Wilson‘s future in Seattle. Wilson and the Seahawks have discussed a contract extension as the Pro Bowler enters the final year of his rookie deal, but no agreement is imminent, and there’s a growing sense that Wilson is willing to play out the 2015 season without a new contract in place.
Earlier today, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) indicated that agent Mark Rodgers is looking to make his client the NFL’s highest-paid player, attempting to surpass the five-year, $110MM deal signed by Aaron Rogers in 2013. According to Cole, Wilson’s agent believes that quarterback contracts will “explode” in the near future, with Andrew Luck, Eli Manning, and Rodgers (again) exceeding $22MM per year on their next contracts as well.
It would be a challenge to make a case that Wilson is a better NFL quarterback than Rodgers, but he doesn’t necessarily have to be better to land a contract that exceeds Rodgers’ deal with Green Bay. After all, the salary cap has risen by nearly $20MM since Rodgers signed his extension, and it’s poised to continue growing next year. When Rodgers landed a $22MM annual salary, that amount represented nearly 18% of the 2013 cap. That same percentage of 2015’s salary cap would work out to a per-year salary of about $25.63MM.
Of course, just because Wilson and his agent believe his value exceeds $22MM annually, that doesn’t mean the Seahawks agree, or that the team has to meet those salary demands. Seattle could hold off on an extension, with the option of using the franchise tag in each of the next two years to keep Wilson off the free agent market.
We want to hear your thoughts on these contract negotiations. Should the Seahawks make Wilson the NFL’s highest-paid player? Or should the team balk at his reported asking price, going year-to-year and perhaps eventually letting him walk instead? Jump into the comment section below to voice your thoughts and opinions. We look forward to hearing what you have to say.
Extra Points: Battle, Sam, Bills, Browns
A pair of NFL sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports (Twitter link) that Clemson offensive tackle Isaiah Battle could be a third-round value in this year’s supplemental draft. We learned earlier today that Battle would be eligible for the supplemental draft, and Robinson suggests that a strong 2015 season at Clemson might have pushed Battle into the top five prospects at his position for the 2016 draft. The young lineman is still raw, so it will be interesting to see which teams, if any, are willing to part with one of their 2016 picks to land him.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- The NFL’s rookie salary structure needs to be overhauled again, in the view of Jason Reid of ESPN.com, who makes the case that young players – especially non-first-rounders – who play well during their first three or four seasons are undercompensated.
- Jim Popp, the general manager of the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, tells Les Carpenter of The Guardian that he thinks Michael Sam will eventually return to the team, and that the Missouri alum “needed a break.” Popp also revealed that the Alouettes were close to adding both Sam and Tim Tebow last fall, and added that a few NFL teams have called him since Sam left Montreal, asking if he knows why the edge defender departed and whether or not he’ll be back.
- After spending the majority of the 2014 season on injured reserve, Bills safety Jonathan Meeks finds himself on the team’s roster bubble, with Mike Rodak of ESPN.com giving him a 55% chance of earning a spot on the 53-man squad.
- The Browns may not have had pre-draft contact with Marcus Mariota, but that doesn’t mean the team didn’t have any interest in the Oregon quarterback, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, pointing out that new Cleveland quarterbacks coach Kevin O’Connell worked extensively with Mariota before joining the Browns.
- ESPN’s NFL Nation reporters have assigned offseason grades to each of the league’s 32 teams, with links to all 32 stories and videos right here.