Harbaugh Expects Ravens To Sign Trent Richardson
Back in February, a report indicated that the Ravens were expected to add running back Trent Richardson to their roster. A signing didn’t happen when Richardson paid a visit to Baltimore, but speaking on Tuesday morning at the NFL owners’ meeting, head coach John Harbaugh said that he still expects the veteran back to eventually become a Raven.
As Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun details (via Twitter), the Ravens have an unofficial agreement in place with the 25-year-old. The Ravens want Richardson to get in better shape and reach a physical benchmark — if and when he does, Baltimore will sign him, per Zrebiec. Harbaugh is hoping another team doesn’t swoop in and sign him before that happens, notes Todd Archer of ESPN.com.
Richardson, the third overall selection in the 2012 draft, lasted just over a year with the Browns, having been dealt to the Colts for a first-round pick early in the 2013 campaign. Richardson was underwhelming, to say the least, during his time in Indianapolis, recording 977 yards and six touchdowns on 316 rushing attempts across two seasons, while adding 55 receptions for 494 yards and a TD in 29 games (20 starts). During his time wearing blue and white, the Alabama product averaged just 3.1 yards per carry.
Richardson’s time in Indianapolis came to an unceremonious end when the Colts waived him after hitting him with a two-game suspension for conduct detrimental to the team at the end of the 2014 season. Less than a week after he was let go, the Raiders swooped in and signed him, but Oakland ultimately cut Richardson prior to the 2015 season and he hasn’t been on an NFL roster since then.
Assuming the Ravens finalize a deal with Richardson in the coming weeks, he would join a group of Baltimore running backs that includes Justin Forsett, Javorius Allen, and Lorenzo Taliaferro, so he’d likely have an uphill battle when it comes to earning a spot on the 53-man roster.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
FA Rumors: Chargers, Jeffery, Steelers, Bears
Chargers general manager Tom Telesco says that he views Chris Watt as the team’s starting center, but he will not rule out making a move to improve at the position, ESPN.com’s Eric D. Williams writes. Although Telesco didn’t mention them by name, it sounds possible that the Bolts could consider free agent centers Stefen Wisniewski or Manny Ramirez. As of this writing, the Chargers have less than $14MM in cap space for 2016, per ESPN and OverTheCap.com.
Here’s more on free agency from around the league:
- Bears head coach John Fox and Jets owner Woody Johnson each discussed their franchised players on Monday, and the differences in their comments were noticeable. As Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com details, Fox said on ESPN’s NFL Live that the Bears are actively working on a longer-term deal for wide receiver Alshon Jeffery.
- Meanwhile, Johnson said he won’t be “disappointed” if defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson remains in New York going forward, and was evasive when asked whether the Jets have made him a fair extension offer. “I’m not going to characterize the offer,” Johnson said, per Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin. “If we made him an offer, he didn’t accept it. Fair is a subjective thing. It’s got to be acceptable to him and to us.” While Wilkerson technically remains a free agent, Jeffery recently signed his franchise tender, taking him off the market.
- Could the Steelers add a cornerback in free agency? Coach Mike Tomlin doesn’t sound optimistic about the idea, as Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com writes. “I don’t know that there is one that’s viable at this juncture in free agency,” the Steelers coach said. “We are comfortable with the guys that we have from that perspective.”
- The Broncos continue to have interest in re-signing receiver and return man Jordan Norwood, according to Troy Renck of the Denver Post. Renck adds that free agent special-teamer Omar Bolden is set to visit John Fox and the Bears this week.
- The Giants were the biggest spenders of this year’s free agent period, signing Olivier Vernon, Janoris Jenkins, and Damon Harrison to mega-deals early in the new league year. Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com examines New York’s free agent decisions and wonders whether the club will come to regret its big moves.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
FA Rumors: J. Jones, A. Smith, Dansby, Randle
The Packers have informed Frank Bauer, the agent for wide receiver James Jones, that they don’t currently have interest in re-signing Jones, writes Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They’re going to go with the young guys,” Bauer said. Davante Adams, Ty Montgomery, Jeff Janis, and Jared Abbrederis are expected to complement top targets Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb in Green Bay.
Here are a few more free agent updates from across the NFL:
- Asked about outside linebacker Aldon Smith, who will be suspended until at least mid-November, Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com that “conversations have been good.” Oakland – or another team – could sign Smith immediately, but McKenzie and the Raiders are more likely to be patient to ensure that the veteran pass rusher continues to make good off-field decisions.
- Following his release last week, veteran linebacker Karlos Dansby suggested that he wouldn’t mind heading to Arizona, Cincinnati, or Green Bay. However, Mike Jurecki of Fox Sports 910 in Arizona (Twitter link) hears that the Cardinals haven’t reached out to Dansby. The division-rival Seahawks have shown some interest though.
- After paying a visit to the Jets last week, Saints RFA tight end Josh Hill is meeting with the Bears today, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link). New Orleans would have the opportunity to match any offer sheet Hill signs with another team.
- Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com (Twitter link) hears that the Rams are unlikely to add wide receiver Rueben Randle to their roster, despite hosting him for a visit earlier in March.
- Before he signed with the Broncos, free agent tackle Russell Okung drew interest from other teams on a traditional multiyear deal, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. Okung was seeking $10-11MM per year though, which was too rich for clubs, given his injury history, says Pelissero.
South Rumors: Glennon, Bucs, Hardy, Panthers
With the Broncos, Jets, and Browns among the teams still in the market for a possible starting quarterback for the 2016 season, Buccaneers GM Jason Licht was once again asked today about the likelihood of a Mike Glennon trade, as Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times details.
Licht confirmed that teams have expressed interest in Glennon, and didn’t oppose the idea of a deal as strongly he has in some past instances. However, it still sounds like he and the Buccaneers prefer to keep the backup signal-caller, with Licht suggesting he feels “very good about the fact we have two good young quarterbacks.”
The Bucs GM also dismissed the idea that he has been demanding a first-round pick from any team interested in Glennon: “It’s false that I’ve been calling every team saying I need a first (round pick). I haven’t been calling every team. Even with those that have inquired, it’s been ‘Let’s keep talking.’ It hasn’t been, ‘we need this.'”
As we wait to see if Glennon remains in Tampa, let’s check in some other items from out of the NFL’s South divisions…
- Licht also said today that the Buccaneers have not discussed the possibility of signing free agent defensive end Greg Hardy, per Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). The Buccaneers reportedly considered Hardy a year ago, but passed on him then and appear likely to pass again this time around.
- Panthers head coach Ron Rivera likes his current group of edge defenders, but wouldn’t mind adding another pass rusher “for the future,” tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Saints cornerback Damian Swann was arrested early last Friday morning on charges of reckless driving and speeding, according to Jason Butt of the Macon Telegraph.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien spoke to NFL Network’s Steve Wyche about the team’s decision to sign Brock Osweiler, suggesting that he and the Texans’ front office did plenty of homework on the ex-Broncos QB beyond the seven games he played in 2015. Marc Sessler of NFL.com has the details and the quotes from O’Brien.
Jaguars Notes: Kiffin, Draft, Hurns, Beachum
The Jaguars made a big-name addition to their coaching staff today, formally announcing that veteran NFL coach Monte Kiffin would be joining the team as a defensive assistant. Kiffin, formerly the defensive coordinator in Dallas, Tampa Bay, New Orleans, and Minnesota, served in 2014 and 2015 as an assistant head coach for the Cowboys. In 2016, he’ll work with a unit that will be adding Malik Jackson, Prince Amukamara, and 2015 first-rounder Dante Fowler Jr., among others.
Here’s more on the Jaguars:
- In addition to hiring Kiffin, the Jaguars also announced a couple more coaching changes, adding John Benton as assistant offensive line coach and John Donovan as offensive quality control coach.
- GM Dave Caldwell is open to the idea of moving down in the draft, suggesting to Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union that he’d be willing to go from No. 5 overall to “somewhere in the early teens.” Caldwell’s comments suggest that the Jags probably feel the top of the draft is fairly deep, and that the team will keep an eye out for opportunities to add another early pick.
- Caldwell acknowledged that the Jaguars may look into a contract extension for wide receiver Allen Hurns this offseason now that he’s eligible for a new deal. “I think we’ll wait until after the draft to see where we’re at,” Caldwell said, per O’Halloran. “And if we did anything, it would be before the season.” I’d be surprised if Jacksonville gets anything done with Hurns this year, since he won’t be eligible for unrestricted free agency until 2018.
- Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle provides several details on the Kelvin Beachum contract (all Twitter links). The deal is worth $5MM in year one, with a $2.5MM salary and up to $1MM in per-game roster bonuses. $1.5MM of that $5MM comes in the form of a guaranteed roster bonus. After the 2016 season, the Jaguars will have until 22 days prior to the start of the 2017 league year to decide whether or not to exercise Beachum’s $5MM option bonus for 2017-2020, when his salaries would range from $7.5MM to $10MM.
Chiefs Formally Appeal Tampering Penalties
Amidst this month’s free agent frenzy, at least one noteworthy story flew somewhat under the radar, with the NFL announcing on the first day of the 2016 league year that it had fined the Chiefs $250K and taken away two draft picks from the franchise – including a 2016 third-rounder – as penalties for tampering with wide receiver Jeremy Maclin prior to last year’s free agent period.
At the time, owner Clark Hunt indicated that the Chiefs intended to fight those sanctions, and Hunt has now confirmed to Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star that his club formally filed that appeal. The franchise had five days to appeal the decision in writing, and did so.
“We’re in the very beginning process of that,” Hunt said. “We’ve not had a discussion with the league on the (timeline), but I’ll say from our standpoint, we would like it done by the draft.”
It’s not clear what sort of odds the Chiefs have of overturning some or all of the penalties handed down by the NFL, but Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that he has heard the league “has pretty strong information” it gathered on the situation. The NFL alleged that the Chiefs were in direct contact with Maclin during the time leading up to 2015 free agency. Teams are only permitted to talk to player agents – not players themselves – during the legal tampering period, and can’t discuss free agents at all prior to that.
In addition to being docked a 2016 third-round pick, the Chiefs also lost a 2017 sixth-rounder as a result of the league’s ruling.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Washington, Eagles
Cornerback Patrick Robinson and running back Alfred Morris are visiting Dallas today, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com reported this morning (via Twitter) that there’s an expectation that at least one of them – likely Robinson – could sign with the club. Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram confirms (via Twitter) that the Cowboys are indeed closer to getting a deal done with Robinson than they are with Morris, though nothing has been finalized yet.
As we wait to see if the team can work something out with Robinson, and perhaps Morris as well, let’s check in on some other NFC East items….
- Washington general manager Scot McLoughan sounds prepared to move down more than once in this year’s draft, suggesting that he’d like to add four more picks to the club’s current collection of eight. Andrew Walker of Redskins.com has the details and the quotes from McLoughan.
- Nose tackle is a position of need for Washington, and the team has plenty of options, including re-signing Terrance Knighton. As John Keim of ESPN.com writes, Washington hasn’t ruled out the possibility of bringing back Pot Roast, but could opt instead to sign another veteran or add a prospect in the draft.
- Whereas money “does a lot of the talking” early in the free agent process, Eagles GM Howie Roseman believes offering players the opportunity to fill a potential hole or compete for playing time is a key factor during this later stage of the free agent period, per Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News. Roseman acknowledged the Eagles may still add some free agent depth, but said the club is shifting its primary focus to draft preparation.
- The Cowboys are scheduled to have a private workout with Florida State linebacker Terrance Smith today, tweets Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Smith projects as a probable late-round pick.
Packers Promote Eliot Wolf, Brian Gutekunst
The Packers announced a pair of front office promotions today, confirming in a press release that former director of player personnel Eliot Wolf is now the team’s director-football operations. Replacing Wolf as Green Bay’s director of player personnel is Brian Gutekunst, who had previously been the club’s director of college scouting.
“We think both of them are very worthy of those promotions and it’s an indicator… for stuff that they’re already doing,” general manager Ted Thompson said, per Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “They’ve become leaders and have been leaders in our organization for some time now. Maybe it’s a little overdue. We thought this was a good time. We’re leading up to the draft, so everybody understands the contributions they make.”
Wolf, the son of former Packers GM Ron Wolf, has received several promotions since joining the club’s front office in 2004, and is viewed by many as a future general manager himself. Although Wolf has been cited as a potential candidate for several teams who have hired new GMs in recent years, he has always been considered highly unlikely to leave Green Bay, since he’s viewed as the possible heir apparent to Thompson.
As for Gutekunst, he has also drawn interest from outside the Packers’ organization in the past. When Chip Kelly was looking to hire a personnel executive for the Eagles in 2015, Gutekunst was considered a candidate, but ultimately didn’t interview — either he or the Packers turned down the Eagles’ request.
Lions Sign Jeremy Kerley
11:49am: The Lions have officially confirmed their deal with Kerley, per a press release.
9:49am: It’s a one-year deal worth just over $1MM for Kerley, reports Caplan (via Twitter).
9:41am: The Lions continue to fortify their wide receiving corps, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, who reports (via Twitter) that the team has agreed to a deal with free agent wideout Jeremy Kerley. Because Kerley was released by the Jets, his signing won’t count toward the compensatory draft pick formula for 2017.
Kerley, 27, agreed to a four-year extension with the Jets about a year and a half ago, but GM John Idzik and head coach Rex Ryan were replaced by Mike Maccagnan and Todd Bowles, respectively, shortly after that deal was signed. Largely written out of New York’s offense in 2015, Kerley posted the worst statistics of his career, hauling in only 16 passes for 152 yards, and was subsequently released.
Still, Kerley has enjoyed some productive seasons in the past, most notably in 2012, when he hauled in 56 passes for 827 yards and a pair of touchdowns. In Detroit, he’ll likely compete for the No. 3 job on the depth chart behind Golden Tate and the newly-signed Marvin Jones. Calvin Johnson, of course, is no longer in the mix in Detroit, having announced his retirement earlier this month.
Kerley also drew interest from – and reportedly made visits with – the Chiefs and Bills before agreeing to sign with the Lions.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Browns Downplay Interest In Colin Kaepernick
Speaking today to reporters, including Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Browns executive VP of football operations Sashi Brown downplayed the team’s interest in 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, suggesting that those trade discussions were “way over-reported,” as Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com tweets.
According to Brown, the team isn’t currently actively engaged in trade talks for Kaepernick, and only had preliminary discussions, which didn’t include specific negotiations on draft pick compensation or a new contract for the quarterback. Brown added that the Browns didn’t instigate those conversations, and Grossi clarifies (via Twitter) that it was Kaepernick’s representatives, rather than the 49ers, who contacted the Browns.
Although it’s possible that Brown’s comments today are a negotiating tactic or an attempt to regain some leverage, it doesn’t seem likely at this point that Cleveland will land the San Francisco signal-caller. The Browns appear more focused on other options, including Robert Griffin III, who visited Cleveland on the weekend — no deal with RGIII is imminent, but the club is doing its homework on the former No. 2 overall pick.
The Browns, Jets, and Broncos were identified earlier this month as the three teams showing interest in Kaepernick, but the Jets’ interest was believed to be tepid, so if the Browns aren’t a serious suitor either, it looks increasingly likely that the 28-year-old will be a Niner or Bronco in 2016. San Francisco is expected to continue to explore the trade market after Kaepernick’s $11.9MM base salary becomes fully guaranteed on April 1, but the team is also prepared to hang onto him if no suitable trade offer materializes.
In addition to downplaying Cleveland’s interest in Kaepernick, Brown also suggested that a Joe Thomas trade is not in his club’s plans, as Grossi tweets. With fellow linemen Mitchell Schwartz and Alex Mack departing in free agency, there was some speculation that Thomas would ask for the Browns to be traded, but if that’s something the team intends to consider, the executive VP of football operations isn’t tipping his hand.
“That’s not our plan at all,” Brown said. “Our plan is not to trade Joe Thomas.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.