Patriots Links: Revis, McCourty, Gostkowski
Only time will tell if Darrelle Revis is forced into a 2015 year with the Patriots and if there are any fireworks along the way, but the cornerback’s last two deals should serve as a cautionary tale about the negative trade-offs that can happen when agreeing to certain contract structures, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. In Revis’ agreement with the Bucs, he got the $16MM AAV he was after, but had no guaranteed money. In his Pats deal, Revis’ camp agreed to a second year that would carry a $25MM cap hit, assuming that the team would never keep him on board at that price. However, a $20MM salary for 2015 – and $32MM over two years – isn’t ridiculous when compared to what guys like Patrick Peterson, Joe Haden, and Richard Sherman are making in the first two seasons of their respective contracts.
Let’s round up a few more items out of New England….
- Of the potential free agents on the Patriots’ roster, the two who seem most likely to be hit with the franchise tag – if the team uses it – are safety Devin McCourty and kicker Stephen Gostkowski. However, McCourty is the more probable candidate, WEEI’s Ryan Hannable writes, though Hannable speculates that the Pats could give the safety the tag a few days in advance of the deadline in hopes of working out a long-term deal.
- In a video segment, a CSNNE panel debates whether retaining Revis is worth potentially losing other free agent starters like McCourty, Gostkowski, and Dan Connolly, with Andy Hart suggesting that New England needs to keep its star cornerback “at all costs.”
- In a separate CSNNE video segment, Ron Borges suggests that both Jerod Mayo and Vince Wilfork will be asked to take pay cuts and “may not be happy about it.” That applies especially to Wilfork, who accepted a pay cut last year and had a strong season.
- After capturing another Super Bowl ring, the Pats have proven they don’t need to spend a ton of money on an elite receiving weapon, says Tom E. Curran of CSNNE.com (video link).
- The 2011 collective bargaining agreement calls for teams to spend at least 89% of the salary cap in cash over two four-year periods (2013-16 and 2017-20), and the Patriots are one of 10 teams that must increase spending over the next couple years to meet that threshold, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Considering all the free-agents-to-be that the club is working to retain, using most or all of its cap room shouldn’t be a problem for New England in 2015.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Wes Welker Plans To Play In 2015
A report last week indicated that Wes Welker was mulling the possibility of retiring this offseason, but it looks as if the veteran wideout will continue his NFL career for at least one more season. Welker tells Mike Klis of the Denver Post that he fully intends to return to the field for 2015.
“Just getting ready for 2015,” Welker said in a text message to Klis. Asked about last week’s report about the possibility of retirement, the receiver added: “Never ever came out of my mouth.”
Mike Garafolo’s report last Tuesday suggested that, although Welker had told friends, family, and associates that he was giving some thought to the idea of retirement, he had not yet made his decision. Now, it appears he has. Of course, even if the 33-year-old plans to return to action next season, his future is still a little uncertain. He’s not under contract with the Broncos for 2015, and Denver has a handful of key free agents to retain, including Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, and Terrance Knighton. Welker could be the odd man out, depending on how the team’s offseason develops.
After averaging about 106 receptions in his previous seven seasons, Welker caught just 49 passes in 2014. The dip in production coincided with increasing concerns about the veteran’s health — he suffered at least three concussions during his stint with the Broncos, prompting multiple former teammates to express some concern about his injury history.
Welker’s expiring contract with Denver was a two-year, $12MM pact. Assuming he does indeed continue his playing career, he’ll almost certainly take a paycut for the 2015 season.
Eagles Declined Gordon/Foles Trade In 2013
Much has been made of the rumored 2013 trade that would have sent Browns receiver Josh Gordon to the 49ers nearly two years ago — the Niners were reportedly prepared to send Cleveland at least a second-round pick, but owner Jimmy Haslam is believed to have stepped in and shut down trade discussions. It turns out that San Francisco wasn’t the only team with whom the Browns had serious talks about Gordon that year. According to Phil Sheridan of ESPN.com, the Eagles also spoke to Cleveland in 2013 about a possible Gordon deal.
Sheridan reports that the trade, which was ultimately nixed by the Eagles, would have involved quarterback Nick Foles heading to Cleveland. For context, Foles had won just one of his six career starts for Philadelphia at that point, while Gordon was facing a two-game suspension for violating the league’s substance abuse policy.
Both players ended up having outstanding 2013 campaigns, with Gordon leading the league in receiving yards and Foles tossing 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions. Their 2014 seasons were less successful, however — Gordon missed 10 games due to another suspension, and struggled to fit into the offense upon his return, while Foles had turnover problems in the first half and was eventually sidelined for the year with a broken collarbone.
Even though this isn’t exactly a current trade rumor, it’s still entertaining to imagine what might have been. With Foles under contract, the Browns presumably wouldn’t have Johnny Manziel on their current roster, and might be deciding this winter whether or not to extend Foles. As for Gordon, perhaps he’d still be dealing with the same off-field issues in Philadelphia, but given what we’ve heard about the Browns’ organization within the last few weeks, it’s fair to wonder if a change of scenery – not to mention a spot in Chip Kelly‘s offense – might have significantly altered the young wideout’s course over the last couple years.
Heading into 2015, there’s still some uncertainty surrounding both players, with Gordon facing at least a year-long suspension, and Foles entering the final year of his contract. Of course, Gordon’s NFL future is much more up in the air than Foles’, so if this swap was indeed on the table back in 2013, the Eagles’ front office should be happy it didn’t put the trigger.
South Notes: Titans, Roos, Panthers, Texans
Late last month, when I considered the idea of the Titans making use of their franchise tag this year, I singled out edge defender Derrick Morgan and punter Brett Kern as the likeliest candidates, but suggested that the club was unlikely to tag anyone. General manager Ruston Webster confirmed as much today, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t see it as in play,” Webster said of the franchise and transition tags, suggesting that if the Titans decide to bring back players like Morgan, Kern, and kicker Ryan Succop, they’ll simply negotiate new deals rather than locking them up with a tag.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s two South divisions:
- Longtime Titans tackle Michael Roos still hasn’t decided whether or not he’ll play in 2015, a source tells Terry McCormick of TitanInsider.com (Twitter link). Presumably, Tennessee is planning to move on without Roos, since there’s a good chance he retires, and he’s eligible for free agency anyway.
- The Panthers have promoted secondary coach Steve Wilks, who also leads the team’s pass defense, to the position of assistant head coach, the club announced today (via Twitter). Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that colleagues believe Wilks has a future as a head coach.
- John McClain of the Houston Chronicle takes a look at a few items on the Texans‘ offseason checklist, suggesting that the team has four potential free agents it should “make every effort” to re-sign: cornerback Kareem Jackson, offensive tackle Derek Newton, outside linebacker Brooks Reed, and quarterback Ryan Mallett.
- Speaking of Jackson, the Texans corner appeared on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link) today and indicated that he and the team hope to work out a new agreement prior to the start of next month’s free agent period. Jackson added that he wouldn’t be thrilled with the idea of being franchised, since he’d prefer more long-term security, though I’d be surprised if Houston used its tag on him anyway, given the cost.
Randall Cobb Seeking $9MM Per Year?
As I outlined this morning, 2015’s franchise tag period begins today, which means teams will have two weeks to assign franchise or transition tags to potential free agents. One candidate for the tag is Packers wideout Randall Cobb, but Green Bay would presumably much rather work out a longer-term arrangement with Cobb. And according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, early indications are that Cobb will be seeking about $9MM per year on a multiyear contract.
If that is indeed Cobb’s asking price, it should be within reason for the Packers. As Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com observes (via Twitter), Green Bay signed Greg Jennings to a three-year deal worth $9MM annually coming off his rookie contract, and while salaries around the league have risen since then, Jennings also was a little more consistently productive during his first four NFL seasons than Cobb has been in his.
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. However, those numbers likely wouldn’t look quite as good if he weren’t catching balls from 2014 MVP – and arguably the best quarterback in the NFL – Aaron Rodgers. 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.
In Cobb’s case, the Packers also have to consider the presence of Jordy Nelson. Nelson is more of a traditional No. 1 wideout than Cobb, and he signed an extension last year for four years and $39MM. As I wrote in December, Green Bay may want to keep Cobb’s deal in line with Nelson’s or slightly lower, so a $9MM annual salary would fit that criteria.
While it doesn’t appear that talks between the Packers and Cobb’s camp have ramped up yet, the two sides will have a couple weeks before the team needs to make a decision on the franchise tag. The salary for the wide receiver tag hasn’t been set, but 2014’s figure was $12.312MM, and 2015’s will be a little higher.
Colts Release Shaun Phillips
The Colts have parted ways with a player they picked up halfway through the 2014 season, announcing today in a press release that they’ve released veteran outside linebacker Shaun Phillips. Phillips was also cut back in November by the Titans, but didn’t reach free agency, after being claimed off waivers by Indianapolis. Because players with Phillips’ NFL experience aren’t subject to waivers during the offseason, he’ll be free to sign with any team this time.
Phillips, 33, played nine seasons for the Chargers before joining the Broncos in 2013 and then signing with the Titans last March. The veteran inked a two-year, $5MM contract with Tennessee, but wasn’t overly effective in a part-time role, recording just a pair of sacks after reaching double-digits in 2013. With the Colts, Phillips made even less of an impact, recording seven tackles and no sacks in his five regular-season contests with the team.
The Colts’ claim of Phillips came at a time when the team was struggling to mount an outside pass rush, particularly with veteran edge defender Robert Mathis out for the year. However, Phillips was always viewed as a short-term option — his $2.65MM cap number for 2015 was too high for the Colts to consider carrying him, and the club will clear a little extra cap room by parting ways with him before free agency.
Free Agent Market For Centers/Guards
Our list of 2015 free agents provides a comprehensive position-by-position breakdown of which players are eligible to hit the open market this year. However, that list of names doesn’t include much context or additional information about those players. So, with March’s free agent period fast approaching, we’ll be taking a closer look this month at the free agent market for each position. Today, we’ll turn our attention to interior offensive linemen — centers and guards. Let’s dive in….
Top unrestricted FAs:
- Joe Berger (Vikings)
- Clint Boling (Bengals)
- James Carpenter (Seahawks)
- Brian De La Puente (Bears)
- Orlando Franklin (Broncos)
- Rodney Hudson (Chiefs)
- Mike Iupati (49ers)
- Will Montgomery (Broncos)
- Rob Sims (Lions)
- Stefen Wisniewski (Raiders)
This year’s class of interior lineman has a little something for everyone, including top-notch guards (Iupati, Franklin) and centers (Hudson, Wisniewski). There’s also a nice mix of experienced veterans, such as Sims and Montgomery, and younger players who could still have room to improve — Boling and Carpenter fit this bill.
Iupati is probably the best bet to land the biggest contract of this group, but Hudson, Boling, or even Wisniewski could give him a run. Those players should be the targets for teams looking to find a long-term answer at a certain position. Veterans like De La Puente and Sims, on the other hand, should come cheaper, and on a shorter term. They’d be nice stopgap solutions for teams looking to contend right away, or clubs developing a draftee that isn’t quite ready to start.
As teams figure out which of these linemen to target, it’s also worth considering their strengths and weaknesses. Iupati, Boling, Wisniewski, and Berger are among the guys here who received significantly better run-blocking grades than pass-blocking grades in 2014, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Carpenter and Montgomery, meanwhile, were better pass blockers than run blockers, while Hudson and Franklin were equally solid in both facets of the game.
Other unrestricted options:
- Eben Britton (Bears)
- Daryn Colledge (Dolphins)
- Willie Colon (Jets)
- Dan Connolly (Patriots)
- Oniel Cousins (Buccaneers)
- Vlad Ducasse (Vikings)
- Paul Fanaika (Cardinals)
- Jonathan Goodwin (Saints)
- Lemuel Jeanpierre (Seahawks)
- John Jerry (Giants)
- Davin Joseph (Rams)
- Doug Legursky (Chargers)
- Jeff Linkenbach (Chiefs)
- Kevin Matthews (Panthers)
- Mike McGlynn (Chiefs)
- Paul McQuistan (N/A)
- Rich Ohrnberger (Chargers)
- Eric Olsen (Titans)
- Erik Pears (Bills)
- Michael Person (Rams)
- Will Rackley (Ravens)
- Dominic Raiola (Lions)
- Garrett Reynolds (Lions)
- Samson Satele (Dolphins)
- Adam Snyder (Giants)
- Chris Spencer (Titans)
- Fernando Velasco (Panthers)
While this list mostly consists of depth options, there are certainly plenty of players here with starting experience — it’s simply a question of whether they’re the type of players you’d want to have in your starting lineup. For instance, Colledge, Joseph, McGlynn, and Pears all saw more than 750 offensive snaps for their respective teams in 2014. They also all placed within the bottom five guards in the league, out of 78 qualified players, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required). Colon, Connolly, Ducasse, and Jerry were also among the NFL’s bottom 20 guards last year, according to PFF.
That doesn’t mean some of those players might not be effective in 2015 — Jerry and Colon are among the players who had respectable seasons in 2013 before a precipitous drop-off last year. And even if Connolly wasn’t the reliable inside force he had been in past years, he was still a starter for the Super Bowl champions.
Late-30s guys like Raiola and Goodwin should also provide passable short-term production and will be available on one-year contracts, and you could certainly do worse than having a veteran like Satele or Linkenbach as a depth piece. This group may not feature many exciting names – if such a thing is even possible for a center or guard – but for clubs in need of a reliable backup or two, there are plenty of options here.
Restricted FAs:
- Tim Barnes (Rams)
- Jacques McClendon (Jaguars)
- Dallas Reynolds (Giants)
- Trevor Robinson (Chargers)
- Stephen Schilling (Seahawks)
- A.Q. Shipley (Colts)
- Cody White (Texans)
We haven’t really seen enough from most of these players to know whether or not they’d hold their own if forced into more significant roles, but Schilling was decent in limited action for the Seahawks last year, and Shipley posted a very solid +5.7 grade for the Colts in 440 snaps, per PFF (subscription required). Those two players – particularly Shipley – are the best bets to receive RFA tenders, but otherwise I anticipate we’ll see these guys re-sign for lesser salaries or land modest deals with new teams.
Previous looks at the 2015 free agent market:
West Rumors: 49ers, Manning, Gore, Chargers
Over the weekend, Tim Kawakami of the San Jose Mercury News reported that the 49ers may have hired Adam Gase as their head coach last month, had he agreed to make Jim Tomsula his defensive coordinator. Today, Albert Breer of the NFL Network follows up on that story, reporting (via Twitter) that Gase wanted to keep Vic Fangio as his DC in San Francisco, or to hire Vance Joseph from the Bengals for the job. As it turned out, Fangio left the Niners for the Bears and Joseph remained in Cincinnati, but it’s not clear if either coach’s situation would’ve been different had Gase landed San Francisco’s HC job.
Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC and AFC West divisions….
- Peyton Manning reportedly told John Elway and the Broncos last week that he’s preparing to play in 2015, and Peter King of TheMMQB.com writes today that the team “definitely” wants its quarterback to return, recognizing that its best chance for a deep playoff run comes with Manning at the helm. King adds that Denver may “quietly rattle some sabers” about reducing Manning’s 2015 salary and/or cap hit, but the MMQB.com scribe cautions that moving too much dead money to 2016 or beyond might be risky, since ’15 could very well be Manning’s last season.
- As Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com details, veteran running back Frank Gore publicly expressed some doubt this weekend on Instagram about how invested 49ers management is in him. However, agent Drew Rosenhaus tells Ed Werder of ESPN.com (Twitter link) that there’s “nothing negative” between Gore and the team, and that GM Trent Baalke has made it clear he wants to bring back the longtime Niner.
- Three players in the West – Rams quarterback Sam Bradford, Cardinals wideout Larry Fitzgerald, and Chiefs edge defender Tamba Hali – lead off Joel Corry’s list of candidates to take pay cuts this year. Here’s the full story from Corry at the National Football Post.
- The San Diego committee tasked with coming up with a plan for a new NFL stadium for the city will meet today with Mark Fabiani, the Chargers‘ point man on stadium issues, according to Tony Perry of the Los Angeles Times. With Stan Kroenke preparing to move forward with a new stadium in Inglewood, there’s a little more urgency in San Diego than there has been in past years to get something done.
Josh McCown Visited Bills
11:14am: McCown visited the Bills this morning, but left without signing a contract — in fact, the two sides didn’t even discuss specific contract terms, a league source tells Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci also confirms that McCown has at least one more visit (and maybe two) on his schedule after leaving Buffalo.
8:22am: With time on his side, expect McCown to take at least one more visit following his meeting with the Bills, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
8:04am: The Buccaneers’ release of Josh McCown last week allowed the veteran quarterback to get a head start on the rest of this year’s free agent class, and McCown is taking advantage. According to Adam Schefter and Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the former Bucs signal-caller is in Buffalo today, where he and the Bills are attempting to work out a deal.
While it’s possible that the Bills work something out with McCown, they’re not the only team on his radar. Rodak tweets that the 35-year-old also plans on making a few more visits to potential suitors in the coming days, though it’s not clear if the QB has a specific schedule set up yet.
As our Connor Byrne noted yesterday in his preview of the Bills’ offseason, addressing the quarterback position is a priority for new head coach Rex Ryan and the Buffalo front office this winter. After Kyle Orton announced his retirement at season’s end, EJ Manuel is the only QB currently on the roster who is under contract for the 2015 season. Without its first-round pick this year, the Bills are expected to turn to the free agent market to find someone to compete with Manuel — Mark Sanchez, who has some history with Ryan, is viewed as another potential target.
Of course, McCown has some history of his own with a new member of the Bills’ staff. Former Bears offensive coordinator Aaron Kromer worked with McCown in Chicago during the best year of his career in 2013, and is now the offensive line coach in Buffalo.
East Notes: McCourty, Jets, JPP, Eagles
Titans cornerback Jason McCourty likes the idea of playing in the same secondary as his twin brother, and tells Dan Duggan of NJ.com that he hopes to get a chance to recruit Devin McCourty, even while acknowledging it’ll be hard to get the safety out of New England.
“As March closes in he’ll get a chance to see what New England wants to do, and I know he wants to be back there. He feels like that’s home. I think that’s where he’ll want to play his entire career,” the Titans defensive back said of his brother, adding: “You know how the business side of it goes. We’ll see. If he becomes a free agent, I’ll be doing everything in my power to try to get him to Tennessee.”
For his part, Devin admits that he’s “excited” to see how the free agent process will play out. The 27-year-old safety is a viable candidate to receive the franchise tag from the Patriots sometime in the next two weeks.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two East divisions:
- Taking a look at the Jets‘ options as they explore adding a quarterback, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com notes that the team has an “interesting name” on its radar: Sam Bradford. The Rams have made it clear they’d like to bring back the former No. 1 overall pick, assuming he’s willing to rework his contract, but if Bradford isn’t willing to take a significant pay cut, it’s possible he’ll hit the open market and join a weak class of free agent QBs.
- As of the start of the month, the Giants and the reps for Jason Pierre-Paul had yet to exchange contract numbers, and nothing has changed on that front as of today, a source tells Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Raanan writes that the next two weeks will be “vital” to JPP’s potential future in New York as the team decides whether or not to use its franchise tag on the defensive end.
- If the Eagles can’t find a quality safety in free agency to complement Malcolm Jenkins, it’s possible the team will bring back Nate Allen, but it feels like that relationship has run its course, writes Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. McManus expects the Eagles to address the hole in its secondary in either free agency or the draft, rather than promoting an in-house option to the starting lineup.
- Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News examines the Bills‘ chances of keeping pass rusher Jerry Hughes on their roster, estimating that the team would likely have to pay Hughes a deal worth $8MM per year, with up to $20MM in guaranteed money.