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Author: Luke Adams

Eagles Release Cary Williams

By | at March 3, 2015 10:53 am

The Eagles have parted ways with a player who has started every game for the team during the last two seasons, announcing today (via Twitter) that they’ve terminated the contract of cornerback Cary Williams. As a vested veteran, Williams won’t have to pass through waivers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.

Williams, 30, inked a three-year, $17MM contract with the Eagles prior to the 2013 season, so he had one year remaining on that deal. He has been set to count against the team’s cap for $8.167MM in 2015, so by cutting him, the Eagles will create $6.5MM in cap savings — that was the amount of Williams’ base salary for the coming year. The move leaves the team with $1.667MM in dead money on the books.

While Williams’ performance in the Eagles’ secondary wasn’t great, he was far from a disaster, and he was certainly a workhorse for the club. In each of his two seasons in Philadelphia, Williams led all cornerbacks in defensive snaps, averaging over 1,180 plays per year. According to Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter), the veteran corner said today on Philadelphia radio that he wasn’t asked to take a pay cut, with the team simply deciding to move in another direction.

By cutting ties with Williams, the Eagles are moving toward overhauling their secondary, and particularly the cornerback position. Bradley Fletcher is also not expected to return, meaning the club will be looking for two new starters this offseason. The Eagles are viewed as a potential frontrunner for Seahawks cornerback Byron Maxwell, who will hit the open market next week.

As for Williams, he’ll have a modest head start on the slew of free agents who will be free to negotiate with new teams in a few days. According to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter), the ex-Raven has “strong interest” in returning to Baltimore, and that would seem to be a nice fit, given the problems the Ravens had in the secondary last season.

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Facebook/Twitter/RSS Feeds By Team

By | at March 3, 2015 10:25 am

We’ve detailed how you can follow Pro Football Rumors on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, or using an RSS reader to ensure that you receive all of our updates, 365 days a year. If you prefer to only receive news about your favorite NFL team, PFR has you covered. Below are links to our Facebook, Twitter, and RSS pages and feeds for all 32 teams.

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AFC South Notes: Pollard, Jags, A. Johnson

By | at March 3, 2015 9:18 am

Having been granted his release from the Titans yesterday, as he requested, safety Bernard Pollard explained to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean that he wasn’t a fit on a roster that was heavy on young players, and wasn’t close to being a legit contender.

“This was a business move for me. I don’t see fans argue when teams cut players under contract. This is a business. I am my own agent, and I have to do what is right for me and my family. I want more hardware, I want another ring,” Pollard said. “I thought it was a great decision to come here. But looking at where this thing is going, a lot of mistakes have been made and they need to be fixed to put a defense together. I am 30, and I have two or three years left in me. I want to go somewhere and play where I can play a key role.”

Here’s more from out of the AFC South:

  • The Jaguars are expected to be in the market for a running back this offseason, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Jacksonville plans to move Toby Gerhart around, using him at H-back as well as running back.
  • A source close to Texans wide receiver Andre Johnson said this is “definitely” the end of him in Houston, per Rapoport (on Twitter). As we heard last night, the team has given the veteran wideout permission to seek a trade, and it looks like Johnson will end up being released if a deal can’t be reached.
  • Rapoport also ran down some possible landing spots for pending free agent running back DeMarco Murray. A pair of AFC South teams were among the potential suitors identified by Rapoport, who rattled off the Colts, Jaguars, Cardinals, and Seahawks.
  • Earlier today, we learned that the Jaguars are “very interested” in free-agent-to-be Brian Orakpo.

Zach Links contributed to this post.

0 comments Arizona Cardinals Houston Texans Indianapolis Colts Jacksonville Jaguars Seattle Seahawks

Jaguars Interested In Brian Orakpo

By | at March 3, 2015 8:28 am

After he played on the one-year franchise tag in 2014, Brian Orakpo unsurprisingly did not receive another tag this time around from Washington, having appeared in just seven games before going down for the year with a pectoral injury. While the team would like to work something out to keep him in the fold, Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) hears that it’s “not looking good” for the two sides to reach an agreement before Orakpo hits the open market.

Last night, we heard that the Falcons are a potential frontrunner for Orakpo, and Russini confirms the team’s strong interest in the edge defender. She also adds another potential destination to the mix, reporting (via Twitter) that the Jaguars are “very interested” in Orakpo.

Jacksonville would be a somewhat curious fit for Orakpo. The Jags are a 4-3 team, so the 28-year-old would presumably make the move from his outside linebacker position in Washington’s 3-4 scheme into a new role, perhaps as the team’s “Leo” rusher. Even if that transition went smoothly, pass rushers aren’t necessarily one of Jacksonville’s many needs — the team actually tied for sixth in the NFL in 2014 with 45 sacks.

Still, Pro Football Focus’s data (subscription required) suggests the Jaguars’ defensive ends weren’t getting after the quarterback at an elite level on an individual basis. Of the team’s four regular DEs, only Chris Clemons had more than 17 total QB pressures, and Clemons, Red Bryant, and Tyson Alualu all received pass-rushing grades that were well below average. Additionally, no team heads into the offseason with more cap room than the Jags, who have the flexibility to splash around in free agency if they so choose.

Although Orakpo wasn’t playing all that well before he landed on injured reserve last season, he has averaged nearly 10 sacks per year when he’s been healthy, so it’ll be interesting to see how he does in a free agent market where two of the top two pass rushers – Justin Houston and Jason Pierre-Paul – have been franchised.

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AFC Notes: Chiefs, Raiders, Jaguars

By | at March 2, 2015 7:04 pm

Having officially made the decision today to use their non-exclusive franchise tag on Justin Houston, the Chiefs will be back over the projected cap for 2015 until they make some more cuts or restructure some contracts. Still, that doesn’t mean the team won’t be able to eke out some cap room to potentially make some moves in free agency, as chairman Clark Hunt said this weekend (link via Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star).

“We always want to be a smart player in free agency,” Hunt said. “We want to sign guys that can be here and make a contribution, not necessarily (sign) somebody just because he makes a splash. … We also pay a lot of attention to the salary cap because you … can spend whatever you want and circumvent the cap, but every one of those dollars eventually comes back and hits you on the cap. So when we look at the salary cap, I’m not just looking at 2015, I’m thinking about 2016, 2017. So those decisions are made in that context.”

Let’s round up a few more items from around the AFC….

  • Teams like the Raiders and Jaguars will have to spend over the next two years to reach the NFL’s minimum requirement of 89% of the cap over a four-year period, and both clubs have the cap space to make a splash in free agency this month. However, Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link) points out that both teams have starting quarterbacks eligible for extensions after the 2016 season, so if Blake Bortles and Derek Carr develop as expected, the Raiders and Jags could extend them prior to the 2017 league year as a means of reaching that 89% threshold. In other words, there’s no urgency to reach that minimum threshold immediately.
  • In another video for Bleacher Report, Cole weighs in on Percy Harvin, reiterating what we’ve heard as of late: the Jets receiver appears open to restructuring his deal, but not to taking a pay cut. Harvin is confident that he’ll do fairly well on the open market, and it looks like that’s where he’ll end up, since the Jets are very unlikely to keep him at his current price.
  • The Jaguars have yet to decide whether or not to tender contract offers to any of their players eligible for restricted free agency, tweets Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. The club has been in touch with UFAs Tyson Alualu and J.T. Thomas though.
0 comments Jacksonville Jaguars Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders New York Jets

Randall Cobb’s Price Up To $12MM Per Year?

By | at March 2, 2015 4:43 pm

The Packers elected not to use their franchise tag on Randall Cobb, meaning he won’t be in line for a salary of $12.823MM for the 2015 season. However, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Cobb’s price tag in free agency may approach that figure. A source tells Silverstein that word going around at the NFL combine among league executives and personnel staff suggested Cobb’s asking price is up to $12MM per year.

A report a couple weeks ago suggested that Cobb would be seeking $9MM per year, which I said at the time would be reasonable for the Packers. That would have put Cobb in line with No. 1 receiver Jordy Nelson, who is earning just under $10MM per season. If Cobb’s asking price is up to $12MM though, it makes sense that Green Bay would allow the wideout and agent Jimmy Sexton to explore the open market. While Cobb certainly wouldn’t be easily replaceable, he’s not as crucial to Green Bay’s offense as Nelson or – of course – Aaron Rodgers, and investing significant money in him would limit the club’s ability to add talent elsewhere.

In his first full season as a starter in 2014, Cobb put up No. 1 receiver numbers, totaling 1,287 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns on 91 receptions. Still, those numbers likely wouldn’t look quite as good if he weren’t catching balls from arguably the best quarterback in the NFL. As we saw with Eric Decker a year ago, posting huge numbers in a dynamic offense led by an MVP quarterback doesn’t always lead to a massive payday — Decker’s deal with the Jets averaged just over $7MM annually.

While Cobb may not ultimately land $12MM per year, his best chance of doing so should come on the open market. There are several teams with a need at wide receiver, and many of those teams have a ton of cap space available. One club to watch would be the Raiders — GM Reggie McKenzie was in the Packers’ front office when the team drafted Cobb in 2011, and only Jacksonville has more projected cap room than Oakland this winter.

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Washington Interested In Ndamukong Suh

By | at March 2, 2015 4:08 pm

The Lions’ decision not to use their franchise tag on Ndamukong Suh today meant the star defensive lineman moved one step closer to free agency. If Detroit doesn’t reach a long-term agreement with Suh by Saturday, his agent will be free to negotiate with rival teams, and according to Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link), Washington will be among his potential suitors. Russini cites sources within the organization in reporting that Washington is interested in the 28-year-old.

Assuming Suh does reach the open market, there will be no shortage of clubs vying for his services. Players of his caliber rarely become available, and there are plenty of teams around the league with more cap room than Washington, and many with an even greater need along the defensive line. I expect many teams to kick the tires on Suh if given the opportunity.

Still, it makes some sense that new GM Scot McCloughan and the Washington front office would have interest in the former second overall pick. In 2014, five defensive linemen played in more than 25% of Washington’s defensive snaps, and only Jason Hatcher recorded a positive grade, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The club has already signed Ricky Jean-Francois to help add depth to the position, but adding a player like Suh would transform the unit into an elite defensive front.

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2015 NFL Franchise/Transition Tags

By | at March 2, 2015 3:25 pm

The deadline to designate franchise or transition players for 2015 has now passed, and six players received tags. Here’s a breakdown of the action:

Franchise players (non-exclusive):

Transition players:

Candidates who didn’t receive tags:

Players who received franchise or transition tags can sign those one-year tenders, if they so choose. They can also negotiate long-term agreements with their own teams, or – once free agency begins next week – with another team. If any tagged player signs an offer sheet with a new club, his current club would have five days to match the offer.

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Giants Release J.D. Walton

By | at March 2, 2015 3:12 pm

A year after inking him to a two-year, $6MM contract, the Giants have parted ways with center J.D. Walton, releasing him today, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter). Walton had been slated for a $3.625MM cap hit in 2015, so the move creates $3MM in cap savings, leaving $625K in dead money on the team’s books.

The signing of Walton looked like a curious move for the Giants a year ago, considering he was coming off consecutive seasons that had been wiped out by major injuries. The 27-year-old did manage to stay healthy in 2014, starting all 16 games for New York and playing 1,145 offensive snaps, the most of any center, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

Of course, PFF’s data also suggested that Walton’s overall play wasn’t particularly good. The former Bronco ranked as the league’s 38th-best center out of 41 qualified players, recording below-average grades as both a pass blocker and a run blocker.

With Walton out of the picture, second-year lineman Weston Richburg is poised to take over the center job in New York.

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Steelers Cut Lance Moore

By | at March 2, 2015 3:05 pm

A month after Lance Moore reportedly requested his release from the Steelers, the team has granted his request. The club announced today (via Twitter) that it has parted ways with the veteran wideout, allowing him to become an unrestricted free agent.

Moore, 31, caught just 14 balls for the Steelers in 2014, matching his lowest total since his rookie season. While Moore was never the focal point of New Orleans’ pass game, he had three seasons of 65+ receptions with the Saints, but saw his usage decline significantly in Pittsburgh. With Antonio Brown, Martavis Bryant, and Markus Wheaton all ahead of him on the team’s depth chart, Moore played just 264 offensive snaps in 2014. The veteran wideout hinted at season’s end that he’d like to join a club that would give him more playing time.

After releasing Moore, the Steelers will carry about $323K in dead money on their 2015 cap from his contract, wiping his $1.5MM base salary off the books. As a vested veteran, Moore will immediately become a free agent without having to pass through waivers.

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