Bears Sign Tracy Porter
The Bears have added some veteran depth in their secondary, signing cornerback Tracy Porter to a one-year contract, the team announced today (via Twitter). Porter became a free agent last month after being released by Washington.
Porter, 28, was a full-time starter at cornerback for the Raiders in 2013, and signed a two-year, $6MM deal in free agency last year with Washington, but saw his role reduced significantly in 2014. Before he landed on the injured reserve list in November, ending his season, Porter only played 89 snaps for Washington, finding himself buried on the depth chart behind Bashaud Breeland, E.J. Biggers, David Amerson, and others for a good chunk of 2014.
While ’14 wasn’t a good year for Porter, he has accumulated plenty of experience since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2008, spending time with the Saints and Broncos before heading to Oakland and Washington. For his career, he has appeared in 68 regular season contests (60 starts), totaling 287 tackles, 10 interceptions, and 54 passes defended.
Porter, who was in New Orleans back when new Bears GM Ryan Pace was in the Saints’ front office, will join a group of cornerbacks in Chicago that includes Kyle Fuller, Tim Jennings, Demontre Hurst, and fellow free agent signee Alan Ball, among others.
Patriots Release Brandon Spikes
Less than a month after signing a contract to return to New England, linebacker Brandon Spikes will find himself back on the open market. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Patriots are releasing Spikes. The team has since confirmed the transaction.
The move comes immediately on the heels of a weekend report about a potential run-in with the law for Spikes. A car registered to the veteran linebacker was found abandoned on I-495 in Foxborough, Mass., early Sunday morning, according to FOX 25. An OnStar representative told Massachusetts State Police that the driver reported hitting a deer, but no deer was found in the vicinity and the car had front-end damage.
A short time later, police responded to a hit-and-run report nearby. The occupants, who said they were rear-ended by a car they didn’t see, were treated for minor injuries at an area hospital. While it’s not clear yet if Spikes was driving the abandoned vehicle, or if he’ll face any sort of charges, Massachusetts law indicates that fleeing a hit-and-run scene in which human injuries occurred carries up to two years in jail, tweets Sports Illustrated’s Michael McCann.
Releasing Spikes won’t cost the Patriots much, as his one-year contract included only $25K in guaranteed money, in the form of a signing bonus. The team may revisit the free agent market in an effort to find some additional veteran depth at the linebacker position, but Spikes wasn’t expected to have a huge role for the team in 2015.
As for the linebacker himself, now that he has been officially released, he’s immediately free to sign elsewhere. Considering teams weren’t exactly in a rush to add him earlier in the offseason though, I expect clubs will wait for more clarity on Spikes’ legal situation before considering pursuing him.
Connor Byrne contributed to this post.
2015 NFL Extension Candidate Series
The bulk of free agency is behind us, but many of 2015’s biggest contracts could still be on the way. There are a number of players who have one or two years left on their contracts whose teams will want to lock them up before they’re eligible for free agency, and many of them will sign extensions over the next few weeks and months. New deals for players like Ryan Tannehill, Cam Newton, and Cameron Jordan, have already helped kick off 2015’s prime contract extension period.
At Pro Football Rumors, we’ll look to cast a spotlight on several of the players who could re-up with their teams in the coming months, writing pieces that focus on many of the more notable extension candidates out there. These players won’t necessarily ink new deals before the regular season gets underway, or even before they hit free agency, but their clubs will probably want to at least discuss the idea, and we’ll examine what sort of contracts they might be in line for.
Our Extension Candidate series is already underway, and we’ll be adding many more installments to it in the near future. You can find this index at any time on the right-hand sidebar under “PFR Features” to follow the latest. Here’s the list so far:
- Sam Bradford, QB (Eagles)
- Marcell Dareus, DT (Bills): Extended
- Nick Foles, QB (Rams): Extended
- Cordy Glenn, T (Bills)
- Malik Jackson, DL (Broncos)
- Julio Jones, WR (Falcons): Extended
- Ryan Kerrigan, OLB (Washington): Extended
- Josh Norman, CB (Panthers)
- Muhammad Wilkerson, DL (Jets)
- Kelechi Osemele/Marshal Yanda, G (Ravens): Yanda extended
- Bobby Wagner, LB (Seahawks): Extended
- Blair Walsh, K (Vikings): Extended
- Andrew Whitworth, T (Bengals): Extended
NFC Notes: Flowers, Chester, Crowder
When a player enters the NFL out of college, an agent can be invaluable when it comes to preparing that prospect for the combine, negotiating marketing or endorsement agreements, and providing a credit line of income before the player earns his actual NFL income. However, as Andrew Brandt of TheMMQB.com notes, rookie contracts have become so predetermined that an agent isn’t all that necessary for negotiations.
In fact, one first-rounder, offensive lineman Ereck Flowers, negotiated his own rookie contract with the Giants, writes Brandt. Had Flowers hired an agent and been charged the maximum allowable 3% fee on his $14.4MM guaranteed contract, the fee would have worked out to $432K.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- Before veteran guard Chris Chester signed a one-year contract with the Falcons, he received a two-year offer from the Eagles, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). As Caplan notes, Chester will have a better chance of starting in Atlanta, with one or two interior line positions up for grabs.
- After a post appeared on Jamison Crowder‘s Instagram account this week accusing him of domestic violence, Washington and the NFL are looking into the situation. However, as John Keim of NFL.com details, Crowder’s agent, Tory Dandy, says the allegation is false: “His account was hacked. Jamison hasn’t hit anybody.”
- Cam Newton got a $22.5MM signing bonus on his new contract extension with the Panthers, but he won’t get that entire amount up front. Joel Corry of CBSSports.com tweets that $7MM of the bonus money is deferred until April 1, 2016, while the other $15.5MM is payable within a week of Newton’s signing.
Minor Moves: Friday
Here are Friday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- The Browns have cut outside linebacker Keith Pough, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal. Pough had been cut with an injured designation last month, so today’s move removes him from the roster entirely.
- Having signed him to their roster in April, the Giants have waived/injured linebacker Ryan Jones less than two months later, per Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link).
- After being waived with an injury designation by the Raiders yesterday, linebacker Jacoby Hale has reverted to the team’s IR list, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Earlier updates:
- Offensive lineman Jon Halapio, drafted by the Patriots in the sixth round in 2014, has signed with the Cardinals, per Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com (Twitter link). To make room for the guard, the Cards parted ways with another offensive lineman, tackle Tavon Rooks.
- As expected, sixth-round wide receiver Bud Sasser, who wasn’t cleared physically due to a heart condition, went unclaimed on waivers and has been placed on the Rams‘ non-football illness list, tweets Howard Balzer of TheSportsXchange. For what it’s worth, Sasser’s agent, Scott Thiel, tells David Morrison of the Columbia Daily Tribune that doctors at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota said the young wideout is “at little to no risk,” and should be able to play football. For now though, he’ll remain on St. Louis’ NFI list.
- The Cowboys have waived former Fresno State linebacker Kyle Knox, just a few days after signing him, tweets Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. According to Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com (Twitter link), the club will add another linebacker to its roster next week.
- The Dolphins have waived linebacker Jake Knott, the team announced today (via Twitter). The 24-year-old, who played his college ball at Iowa State, has had stints with the Eagles and Dolphins over the last couple seasons.
Anthony Davis To Step Away From NFL
4:50pm: A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk (Twitter link) that Davis intends to pay back his unearned signing bonus money. As Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap tweets, that’s a significant amount, totaling about $4.666MM.
4:24pm: Taking to Twitter, Davis reiterates that this retirement may not be permanent, writing, “I’ll be back in a year or so.. I’ll be 26 or 27 years old. I’m taking this time to allow my Brain and Body time to heal and recoup.”
4:18pm: Yet another 49ers player has unexpectedly announced his retirement this offseason. According to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link), offensive tackle Anthony Davis is stepping away from the NFL, as he announced in a statement.
“After a few years of thought, I’ve decided it will be best for me to take a year or so away from the NFL,” Davis said in his statement. “This will be a time for me to allow my brain and body a chance to heal. I know many won’t understand my decision, that’s OK. … I’m simply doing what’s best for my body as well as my mental health at this time in my life.”
It’s been an eventful offseason for the Niners, starting with the long-anticipated departure of head coach Jim Harbaugh. Since then, linebackers Chris Borland and Patrick Willis decided to retire despite still likely having a few good years of production ahead of them. Longtime defensive lineman Justin Smith also announced his retirement, though that wasn’t a real surprise.
As for Davis, the 25-year-old was San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board 11th overall. Since then, he has started 71 games at right tackle for the team, playing all 16 regular season contests in his first four years before being limited to seven games in 2014. Davis dealt with hamstring and knee issues, and also battled concussion problems, which may have contributed to his decision to step away from the game.
Of course, Davis’ statement, which refers to taking “a year or so” away from the game, suggests that perhaps his decision to retire won’t be permanent. For now, the Niners will likely move him to their reserve/retired list, and if he decides to return to the NFL, he’ll remain under team control. Davis had five years remaining on his 49ers contract, which runs through the 2019 season.
Bucs’ Demar Dotson Seeking New Contract
Buccaneers right tackle Demar Dotson has not been in attendance at the team’s OTAs this week, and according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times, Dotson’s absence is contract-related. The veteran offensive lineman is seeking a new contract, and the two sides are engaged in contract negotiations, per Auman.
While the Buccaneers have struggled to find a reliable left tackle in recent years, they have received steady production on the right side from Dotson, who has started all but one game for the team since the start of the 2012 season. According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Dotson has recorded a positive grade in each of the last three seasons, and ranked 28th out of 84 qualified tackles in 2014.
Dotson’s solid play has come at a discount for the Buccaneers, who have paid the 29-year-old only $5MM over his last three seasons. Dotson is set to get a pay bump to $2.5MM in 2015, but that’s still well below what other reliable starting right tackles are earning.
Dotson may be deserving of a raise, but as Auman observes, the Bucs may also be reluctant to give too much ground. After all, the Southern Mississippi product still has two seasons left on his contract, and giving him a significant raise would send a message to the rest of the team that holding out from voluntary workouts is an effective negotiating tactic. Still, it sounds like GM Jason Licht and the front office have been in touch with Dotson’s agent, so perhaps a compromise can be reached before the tackle’s holdout stretches into the summer.
AFC East Notes: Parker, Brady, Simms
As we ready for the weekend, let’s round up a few Friday items from out of the AFC East, starting with an update on a top rookie receiver….
- First-round Dolphins wideout DeVante Parker underwent surgery on his left foot today, but he’s expected to be ready for the start of the regular season, a team source tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald. The procedure is a precautionary one, as Parker complained of some soreness in the same foot he broke in 2014 at Louisville — this week’s surgery replaced the screw that was originally put in his foot following that injury.
- A source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that it’s still possible the NFLPA will take legal action to try to force Roger Goodell to assign Tom Brady‘s appeal to a neutral arbitrator. However, with each passing day, it’s becoming less likely that the union will challenge Goodell’s position as arbitrator, since that would risk delaying the hearing even more. It’s more likely that the NFLPA would pursue legal action after Goodell’s decision on the appeal is announced, particularly if the four-game ban for the Patriots signal-caller isn’t reduced.
- Matt Simms went from No. 4 on the depth chart with the Jets to a similar situation with the Bills, but he feels better about his spot on the roster in Buffalo, as he tells Sal Maiorana of the Democrat and Chronicle. “I feel like here I’ll have more opportunity to get more experience and get more reps on the field and to give myself a fair shot to succeed,” Simms said. “Whereas I didn’t feel I got that same respect there from the Jets the past couple months.”
Contract Details: Jordan, Chester, Harris
A handful of salary and bonus details for recently-signed contracts have been reported so far today, so let’s round up the highlights. Deals whose details have been reported but aren’t noted here, such as Jerrell Powe‘s with Washington or Trindon Holliday‘s with the Raiders, are one-year, minimum salary pacts with no guaranteed money.
- Cameron Jordan, DE (Saints): Six years, $61.969MM (five years, $55MM in new money). $16MM signing bonus. $6MM roster bonus on fifth day of 2016 league year. Salary cap figures of $4.169MM (2015), $12.8MM (2016), $10.3MM (2017), $12.5MM (2018), $12.3MM (2019), and $9.9MM (2020) (link via Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post).
- Chris Chester, G/C (Falcons): One year, $2.8MM. $550K signing bonus. $1.55MM base salary. $700K in per-game roster bonuses (Twitter link via Adam Caplan of ESPN.com).
- Ryan Harris, T (Broncos): One year, $920K base value. $50K signing bonus. $870K base salary. Up to $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Michael Buchanan, DE/OLB (Bills): Two years, $1.285MM. $25K roster bonus in 2016. No guaranteed money (Twitter link via Wilson).
Largest 2015 Cap Hits By Position: Offense
The largest free agent contracts of 2015 featured some massive numbers, as we noted last month when we broke down this year’s biggest deals. However, due to the way new contracts are structured, many of those big free agent contracts won’t rank among 2015’s top cap hits. While guaranteed money is typically frontloaded on the first couple years of new agreements, teams can structure contracts to ensure that larger cap hits come later on in the life of the deal, and often those cap charges will be reduced or eliminated altogether when the guaranteed money runs out.
It makes sense then that many of this year’s biggest cap numbers are part of contracts that were signed two or three years ago. For the most part, these players haven’t seen their performances fall off significantly, so their teams are still willing to swallow exorbitant cap charges to keep them on the roster.
Of course, that’s not always the case. In a couple instances, these sizable cap hits can be attributed to a player who is no longer on his team’s roster. Most notably, the league’s second-largest cap number for 2015 among running backs belongs to Ray Rice, who is counting for $9.5MM against the Ravens’ cap after the team released him last September.
We’ll tackle defense and special teams later, but for now, here are the top 10 cap hits by position for offensive players in 2015, with a few notes and observations accompanying the figures:
Quarterbacks:
- Drew Brees (Saints): $26.4MM
- Eli Manning (Giants): $19.75MM
- Matt Ryan (Falcons): $19.5MM
- Aaron Rodgers (Packers): $18.25MM
- Matthew Stafford (Lions): $17.721MM
- Peyton Manning (Broncos): $17.5MM
- Philip Rivers (Chargers): $17.417MM
- Ben Roethlisberger (Steelers): $17.245MM
- Jay Cutler (Bears): $16.5MM
- Alex Smith (Chiefs): $15.6MM
- Quarterbacks who recently signed big-money extensions, such as Colin Kaepernick, Ryan Tannehill, and Cam Newton, may find their way onto this list in future seasons, but for now their cap numbers are relatively modest.
- It’s a little surprising not to see Tony Romo and Joe Flacco here, but they’ll likely make next year’s list, barring significant restructures, as Romo’s charge jumps to $20.835MM, while Flacco’s nearly doubles to $28.55MM.
- Other players notably absent from this list include three of the four quarterbacks who participated in last season’s championship games — Russell Wilson and Andrew Luck are still playing out their rookie contracts, while Tom Brady‘s cap number is just $14MM.
Running backs:
- Adrian Peterson (Vikings): $15.4MM
- Ray Rice (Ravens): $9.5MM (dead money)
- Matt Forte (Bears): $9.2MM
- Arian Foster (Texans): $8.906MM
- Marshawn Lynch (Seahawks): $8.5MM
- Jonathan Stewart (Panthers): $8.3MM
- Jamaal Charles (Chiefs): $7.971MM
- LeSean McCoy (Bills): $5.5MM
- DeMarco Murray (Eagles): $5MM
- Frank Gore (Colts): $4.5MM
- For all the talk we heard this offseason of the running back position regaining its value, when Lynch, McCoy, and Murray signed big contracts and two backs were drafted in the top 15, most teams still aren’t devoting much of their cap space to a top RB. Besides the center spot, no offensive position has a cap charge as low as Gore’s $4.5MM within its top 10.
- Stewart looks a little out of place here among many of the NFL’s best running backs, but he’s not the only running back chewing up valuable cap space for the Panthers. The team has a dead money charge of $4.333MM on its books for DeAngelo Williams this year.
Wide receivers:
- Calvin Johnson (Lions): $20.558MM
- Dez Bryant (Cowboys): $12.823MM
- Demaryius Thomas (Broncos): $12.823MM
- Vincent Jackson (Buccaneers): $12.21MM
- Larry Fitzgerald (Cardinals): $10.85MM
- A.J. Green (Bengals): $10.176MM
- Julio Jones (Falcons): $10.176MM
- Mike Wallace (Vikings): $9.9MM
- Antonio Brown (Steelers): $9.788MM
- Pierre Garcon (Washington): $9.7MM
- If they work out long-term extensions with their respective teams by July 15, Bryant and Thomas may see their cap numbers dip for 2015. Their current figures are based on the one-year franchise tag salary. Green and Jones are in a similar boat, as their $10.176MM salaries are equal to their fifth-year option amounts.
- Although Andre Johnson, Dwayne Bowe, and Percy Harvin didn’t crack the top 10, they would have if you consider their cap hits for multiple teams — Johnson will count for a total of $14.82MM for the Colts and Texans, Bowe will count for a combined $13.394MM for the Browns and Chiefs, and Harvin’s combined cap hit for the Bills and Seahawks is $11.2MM.
- Despite signing a $55MM contract with the Chiefs this offseason, Jeremy Maclin‘s $3.4MM cap hit for 2015 places him well off this list. His cap number soars to $12.4MM in 2016.
Tight ends:
- Julius Thomas (Jaguars): $10.3MM
- Antonio Gates (Chargers): $9.763MM
- Jimmy Graham (Saints): $9MM (dead money)
- Rob Gronkowski (Patriots): $8.65MM
- Jason Witten (Cowboys): $8.512MM
- Jared Cook (Rams): $8.3MM
- Jimmy Graham (Seahawks): $8MM
- Vernon Davis (49ers): $6.968MM
- Kyle Rudolph (Vikings): $6.55MM
- Greg Olsen (Panthers): $6.3MM
- The only offensive player to make a top-10 list twice, Graham will count against the Saints‘ books for $9MM in dead money this year following his trade to the Seahawks, due to the acceleration of his prorated bonus money.
- The Jaguars, who entered the offseason armed with more cap room than any other team, didn’t have any motivation to keep Thomas’ first-year hit low. His cap hit for 2016 will actually decrease, to $7.3MM.
- I expect the Bills to restructure Charles Clay‘s new contract in 2016, but either way, he figures to show up on this list next year. His ’16 cap hit is currently $13.5MM.
Tackles:
- Trent Williams (Washington): $14.23MM
- D’Brickashaw Ferguson (Jets): $11.699MM
- Branden Albert (Dolphins): $10.725MM
- Ryan Clady (Broncos): $10.6MM
- Joe Thomas (Browns): $10.2MM
- Duane Brown (Texans): $9.5MM
- Jason Peters (Eagles): $9.05MM
- Jared Veldheer (Cardinals): $8.5MM
- Will Beatty (Giants): $8.05MM
- Jermon Bushrod (Bears): $8.05MM
- Two of the 10 players listed here have already sustained significant injuries — Clady will be out for the season with a torn ACL, while a pectoral injury is expected to sideline Beatty until November.
- Unsurprisingly, this list is made up of 10 left tackles, as the players tasked with protecting quarterbacks’ blind sides are paid significantly better than their counterparts on the right side.
- The highest 2015 cap number for a right tackle belongs to Jermey Parnell ($8MM), a free agent signee by the Jaguars who has started seven career games. As they did with Thomas’ deal, the Jags frontloaded the cap hit on Parnell’s contract — from 2016 to 2019, Parnell’s cap charges range from $5MM to $6.5MM.
Guards:
- Andy Levitre (Titans): $8.6MM
- Marshal Yanda (Ravens): $8.45MM
- Rodger Saffold (Rams): $8.25MM
- Jahri Evans (Saints): $7MM
- Logan Mankins (Buccaneers): $7MM
- Josh Sitton (Packers): $7MM
- Mike Iupati (Cardinals): $6.7MM
- Evan Mathis (Eagles): $6.5MM
- Louis Vasquez (Broncos): $6.25MM
- T.J. Lang (Packers): $5.8MM
- One marquee free agent guard, Iupati, earned a spot on this list, while another, Orlando Franklin, fell outside the top 10. Franklin could crack the list next season, when his cap number rises from $4.4MM to $6.9MM.
- Although they fell outside the top 10, Carl Nicks ($4.714MM) and Justin Blalock ($4.12MM) have sizable dead money cap charges for the Buccaneers and Falcons respectively.
- With two guards in the top 10 for 2015 cap hits, it’s easy to understand why the Packers pushed to keep tackle Bryan Bulaga‘s price tag down when they signed him to a five-year extension back in March.
Centers:
- Rodney Hudson (Raiders): $13MM
- Ryan Kalil (Panthers): $11.795MM
- Nick Mangold (Jets): $10.407MM
- Alex Mack (Browns): $8MM
- John Sullivan (Vikings): $7.333MM
- Mike Pouncey (Dolphins): $7MM
- Eric Wood (Bills): $6.65MM
- Max Unger (Saints): $4.5MM
- Jason Kelce (Eagles): $4.4MM
- Kory Lichtensteiger (Washington): $4.3MM
- The Raiders, like the Jaguars, had a ton of 2015 cap space to burn this offseason, so Hudson’s $13MM charge is an outlier. His cap hits for the subsequent four years of his deal range from $6.85MM to $8.6MM.
- Maurkice Pouncey‘s new contract is structured much differently than his brother’s, which is why the Steelers center barely missed the cut for this list. He’ll see his cap hit rise from $4.296MM in 2015 to $10.551MM next year.
Information from Over The Cap was used in the creation of this post.