Latest On Demaryius Thomas
The Broncos were one of six NFL teams to open their June minicamp today, and despite the fact that these sessions are mandatory, the team wasn’t expecting Demaryius Thomas to be in attendance, tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network. As anticipated, the standout receiver, who was franchise-tagged by the Broncos earlier this offseason, didn’t report to the camp.
Because he has yet to sign his one-year franchise tender, Thomas isn’t subject to fines for missing the mandatory sessions, as Breer observes. If he were officially under contract with the team, the 27-year-old could be fined up to about $70K for missing the June minicamp.
The Broncos have until July 15 to reach a long-term agreement with Thomas. If the two sides don’t strike a deal, the wideout’s only real option is playing the 2015 season on his one-year, $12.823MM offer, unless he wants to extend his holdout into training camp and perhaps into the regular season as well.
As Mike Klis of the Denver Post writes, it’s important that the team does everything it can to lock up Thomas this year, since Von Miller is eligible for free agency in 2016 — if both stars are unsigned next winter, the Broncos would face a very difficult decision when using its franchise tag, which can only be assigned to one player.
Head coach Gary Kubiak said today that he’s “confident” Denver will get an extension done with Thomas before training camp, tweets Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com. While that confidence may be warranted, I expect negotiations between the two sides to go right down to the wire, with resolution coming near – or on – July 15, if it comes at all.
C.J. Mosley Visited Dolphins
1:09pm: According to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter), three teams are interested in Mosley, whose visit with the Dolphins is now over.
12:51pm: A report last week indicated that defensive tackle C.J. Mosley was drawing interest from an unknown suitor, while another report yesterday suggested he was making a visit, presumably to that some mystery team. The club hosting Mosley has now been identified, as Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald tweets that the veteran free agent is visiting the Dolphins today.
Mosley obviously isn’t the first former Lions defensive tackle to catch the Dolphins’ eye this offseason, and while Ndamukong Suh received far more headlines, Mosley was a solid contributor in Detroit last season too. Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required) ranked him 26th out of 81 qualified defensive tackles, viewing him as slightly above average against both the pass and the run.
Despite adding Suh, the Dolphins don’t have a ton of veteran depth at the defensive tackle position, so it makes sense that the team would be considering adding a player like Mosley, especially since he has a history with Dolphins executive Mike Tannenbaum, having played for the Jets back during Tannenbaum’s stint in New York.
Still, it remains to be seen whether Mosley will reach an agreement with the Dolphins, as multiple reports have suggested the Lions have also been in touch with his camp about a possible return. Most veterans settle for the minimum salary this late in the offseason, but if at least two clubs are interested in signing Mosley, he may land a little extra.
Seahawks, Others Inquired On James Jones
We haven’t heard many rumors about James Jones since he was released by the Raiders following the draft, but the veteran wideout wants to continue his career, telling Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that he’s not retiring. “If you need a wide receiver, come get me,” Jones tells Anderson.
According to Jones’ agent, the Seahawks, Giants, and Chiefs all made preliminary inquiries after the wide receiver his the open market last month, tweets Anderson. The 31-year-old has yet to make any free agent visits, however.
After spending seven seasons in Green Bay, Jones established a new career high in 2014 with 73 receptions in Oakland, easily the most catches for any player currently available. Given the conservative nature of the Raiders’ offense though, Jones averaged just 9.1 yards per catch, significantly below his career mark, for a total of only 666 yards.
While Jones caught balls from rookie Derek Carr last year, teams like the Seahawks, Giants, and Chiefs all have established signal-callers at the helm, and Jones wouldn’t be relied upon to be a primary option for any of those clubs. I’d be a little surprised if the former third-round pick doesn’t find a new home by the time the regular season begins.
Titans Sign Fernando Velasco
The Titans have added some veteran depth to their offensive line, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve signed free agent center Fernando Velasco to a contract. To make room on the roster, the Titans placed cornerback Brandon Harris, who tore his ACL last week, on injured reserve.
While the Titans list Velasco as a center, he spent most of last season at guard for the Panthers, playing 407 overall offensive snaps. The 30-year-old wasn’t a core piece of Carolina’s offensive line, but he was a useful part-time player, appearing in multiple games at both right guard and left guard, and not allowing a quarterback sack all year.
In Tennessee, Velasco may challenge for playing time at center, where Brian Schwenke is the favorite to start. Schenke, a 2013 fourth-round pick, has started 20 games at the position for the Titans over the last two seasons, but has ranked among the bottom 10 players at the position in each of those years, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). He and backup center Andy Gallik are also both dealing with hamstring injuries, so Velasco may ultimately just provide offseason depth.
Terms of the agreement aren’t yet known, but I’d anticipate a minimum salary pact for Velasco, who won’t be guaranteed a regular season roster spot. As for Harris, he had been playing out the final year of his contract with the Titans, so he appears likely to spend the season on IR, then become a free agent next winter.
No Contract Talks Yet For Manning, Giants
Eli Manning is heading into the final year of his contract with the Giants, and so far there have been no talks between him and the team about extending that deal beyond the 2015 season, as he tells Gary Myers of the New York Daily News.
“No discussions yet,” Manning said. “I don’t know if there will be or not.”
While the Giants certainly haven’t expressed publicly that they intend to wait until 2016 to try to work out an extension with their quarterback, Manning’s comments suggest that it’s possible he’ll head into the season without an agreement in place. Though for his part, the two-time Super Bowl MVP doesn’t seem too concerned about it.
“I guess I’m just happy that I’m still playing and still got a job to do,” Manning said. “I guess I’ve always just thought, they gave me a contract for six years, this is the sixth year. I don’t have any complaints. I’m going to do my job, no matter what. My focus is on playing good football, winning games, and whatever happens after that happens after that.”
As one of three notable veteran quarterbacks from the 2004 draft class who headed into this offseason without a long-term extension in place, Manning likely took notice when Ben Roethlisberger re-upped with the Steelers for a five-year, $99MM contract back in March. The other top QB from that ’04 first round, Philip Rivers, was the subject of numerous trade rumors earlier this spring, but it doesn’t seem as if the Giants have considered any sort of trade involving Manning — the team simply appears willing to let the situation play out in the coming weeks, or months, without rushing into a new deal.
Manning, 34, is coming off one of his best statistical seasons, having posted a 63.1% completion percentage, 4,410 passing yards, and 30 touchdowns in 2014. For now, he’s set to earn a $17MM base salary for the coming year.
Patriots Sign Derek Cox
The Patriots have signed cornerback Derek Cox to a contract, the team announced today in a press release. Terms of the deal were not released, but I’d be surprised if it’s anything more than a one-year, minimum salary benefit contract.
Cox, 28, spent his first four seasons with the Jaguars before playing with the Chargers in 2013. He spent time with the Vikings and Ravens in 2014, but was released before the regular season began. Cox’s best season was his rookie year in 2009, when he finished with 72 tackles, four interceptions and 11 passes defended.
In New England, Cox figures to get a chance to compete for a roster spot and playing time at a cornerback position that has been totally revamped this offseason. Darrelle Revis and Brandon Browner were the most notable departures, but the Pats also parted ways with Kyle Arrington and Alfonzo Dennard. Logan Ryan, Bradley Fletcher, and Super Bowl hero Malcolm Butler are a few names that figure to be at or near the top of New England’s depth chart in 2015.
Interestingly, Cox was drafted with the 73rd overall pick in 2009, a selection that initially belonged to the Patriots. New England sent that pick to Jacksonville in exchange for a 2010 second-round pick and the 2009 seventh-rounder that the Pats used to take Julian Edelman. The following year, the Pats moved up a couple spots in the second round using that Jags pick (along with a sixth-rounder) to draft Rob Gronkowski.
North Notes: Lions, Flacco, A. Brown
Special teams standout Brad Smith, who has played all over the field in his NFL career, will pay a visit to the Lions on Tuesday, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. While Smith has seen time at quarterback, running back, and wide receiver during his NFL career, and was a very productive kick returner a few years ago, his primary contributions at this point in his career will come in kick and punt coverage.
Meanwhile, a Lions free agent, defensive tackle C.J. Mosley, is visiting an unknown team today, per Birkett. There were conflicting reports last week on whether Detroit has interest in re-signing Mosley, and Birkett notes that while the Lions have engaged with the defensive lineman about a possible return, no agreement is imminent.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco would like to play in the NFL until he’s at least 40 years old, as he tells Jamison Hensley of ESPN.com. Of course, we should probably take Flacco’s comments with a grain of salt at this point, considering he just turned 30 earlier this year.
- While the Steelers may not adjust Antonio Brown‘s contract this year, Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com, with the help of former NFL salary cap analyst J.I. Halsell, attempts to identify a potential extension scenario that could work for both sides.
- Judge David Doty will hear the NFLPA’s motion to hold Roger Goodell in contempt of court in the Adrian Peterson case on August 13, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. Doty ruled in favor of the NFLPA back in February, granting the union’s motion to overturn the league’s decision on Peterson’s suspension, but the NFL didn’t reinstate the Vikings running back until mid-April.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of a couple auditions taking place this week, reporting (via Twitter) that center/guard Ben Gottschalk is trying out for the Packers today and former Hawaii defensive end Beau Yap is working out for the Bengals tomorrow.
Wagner, Seahawks Begin Extension Talks
While much of the focus in Seattle is on a potential contract extension for Russell Wilson, another key contributor is eligible for free agency after the 2015 season, as fellow 2012 draftee Bobby Wagner enters the final year of his rookie deal. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), the Seahawks and Wagner have begun discussing an extension.
Despite missing five games in 2014 with turf toe, Wagner racked up an impressive 135 regular season tackles and was named an All-Pro linebacker, in addition to earning a Pro Bowl nod. Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Wagner fifth out of 60 qualified inside linebackers, grading him as an above-average contributor in pass coverage, as a pass rusher, and especially against the run.
The Seahawks’ secondary has received much of the praise for the defense’s impressive performance in recent years, and players like Richard Sherman, Kam Chancellor, and Earl Thomas have already been extended. However, the club’s front seven has been very effective as well. With Wagner and Bruce Irvin both eligible for free agency after the season, and Michael Bennett said to be unhappy with his contract situation, the Seahawks will have some work to do on that side of the ball before the 2016 offseason.
As Rapoport notes (via Twitter), the Wilson and Wagner contract discussions will also affect each other to a certain extent, since the Seahawks can only use the franchise tag on one player in 2016. If both players remain unsigned by next February, the team would have to choose between the two, with Wilson the favorite to earn the tag. If at least one of them has signed a long-term deal by then, it wouldn’t be an issue.
A report in April suggested that Wagner will likely command more than $8MM per year on his next deal.
Minor Moves: Monday
Here are Monday’s latest minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Cowboys have made a change at the running back position, waiving rookie Synjyn Days and signing former Baylor standout Lache Seastrunk, the team announced today in a press release. The pair of moves were first reported by Eric Edholm of Yahoo! Sports (via Twitter). In a crowded Dallas backfield, Seastrunk may not be a strong bet to make the roster, but he’s worth keeping an eye on, after spending time on the Panthers’ and Titans’ practice squads in 2014.
- Meanwhile, having cut linebacker Kyle Knox last week, the Cowboys replaced him on their roster today by signing another linebacker, Justin Jackson, tweets Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. Jackson became a free agent last month after being cut by the Raiders.
- In need of another body at wide receiver with DeVante Parker on the mend, the Dolphins re-added wide receiver Tommy Streeter to their roster today, according to Pro Football Talk (Twitter link). A former sixth-round pick by the Ravens, Streeter spent most of last season with the Jaguars after starting on Miami’s taxi squad.
NFC West Notes: Wilson, 49ers, Britt
In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com leads it off by taking a close look at Russell Wilson‘s contract situation with the Seahawks. King provides three reasons why he thinks that talks between the Seahawks and Wilson may not ultimately be fruitful, pointing to a rising salary cap, a front office willing to stick to the value is sets for players, and Wilson’s agent Mark Rodgers suggesting that “sometimes the best deal is the deal you don’t do.”
Within his piece, King stresses that Rodgers has a baseball history, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) that Wilson’s agent did something last week that’s more common in MLB negotiations than in NFL talks, sending a 16-page letter to the Seahawks explaining his position on his client’s contract.
Wilson’s extension negotiations are perhaps the most interesting of any NFL player’s, and it seems unlikely that the two sides will strike an agreement in the immediate future. Whether or not the Seahawks and Rodgers bridge their gap before the 2015 season remains to be seen. Here’s more from around the NFC West:
- Anthony Davis‘ retirement may not be permanent, which is creating some confusion about how exactly his contract with the 49ers will work if and when he returns. As Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets, it would make sense for the offensive tackle to only repay the 2015 portion of his prorated signing bonus for now, if he intends to return in 2016.
- In the wake of Davis’ retirement and the trade of Andy Lee to the Browns, Cam Inman of the San Jose Mercury News wonders which 49ers veteran might be the next one out the door.
- Kenny Britt led the Rams in receiving yards in 2014, but in the view of the veteran wideout, it was just the latest in a string of disappointing seasons, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. “There’s definitely more I feel like I can give because there’s more that I want to give and there’s more that I want to do in my career,” Britt said. “I’m going into my seventh year, I feel I let myself down the last six years. I have a chip on my shoulder this year and I’ve got a lot to prove.”