49ers Reach Out To Alex Boone
The 49ers have recently reached out to offensive lineman Alex Boone, one of two notable NFC West players in the midst of a holdout, but Boone “remains resolute in his stance,” reports Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. The guard, like Marshawn Lynch in Seattle, has yet to report to training camp as he pushes for a new contract.
Boone, the Niners’ starting right guard in each of the last two seasons, is in line for a $2MM base salary this season and just $1.2MM in 2015. Having been an instrumental part of one of the league’s best offensive lines in recent years, the 27-year-old is looking for a raise to a level that more accurately reflects his talent. Currently, Boone ranks as the 43rd-highest-paid guard in the NFL.
As we heard last night, the 49ers recently restructured the contract of linebacker Ahmad Brooks, opening up $2MM+ in cap space. San Francisco didn’t have a ton of cap flexibility heading into training camp, so that $2MM could come in handy in creating wiggle room for a Boone extension. If the two sides aren’t able to reach an agreement, the Niners could also put those cap savings toward a new deal for extension candidates Michael Crabtree and/or Mike Iupati.
By not reporting to training camp, Boone is subject to escalating fines — by rule, the Niners are now free to go after a portion of Boone’s prorated signing bonus, as well as continuing to penalize him for each day of camp he misses.
North Notes: Green, Browns, Ike, Rudolph
As August approaches, and preseason NFL action nears, let’s round up the latest from out of the league’s two North divisions….
- In the wake of Patrick Peterson‘s new five-year contract extension, Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer explores what sort of effect – if any – Peterson’s deal will have on contract talks for fellow 2011 first-rounder A.J. Green. As Dehner writes, the Bengals wideout will likely be less affected by Peterson’s extension than by contracts potentially signed by receivers Demaryius Thomas and Dez Bryant, who are both eligible for free agency in 2015.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com believes that a “perfect storm of events,” including Roger Goodell being under fire for his lenient suspension of Ray Rice, could result in Josh Gordon‘s potential one-year suspension being reduced.
- Former UAB offensive tackle Kaycee Ike, who was signed and then waived by the Steelers after he went undrafted this year, is working out for the Browns today, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter).
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap provides the full breakdown of Kyle Rudolph‘s new contract with the Vikings. The deal includes annual per-game roster bonuses of up to $250K and workout bonuses worth $100K, starting in 2015.
Only Three Initial Bidders For Bills
10:36am: A source tells the Buffalo News that Golisano still believes he is eligible to go after the Bills, and could submit a bid to Morgan Stanley later this week.
“His plan is to call Morgan Stanley and ask: ‘Are you interested in another bid?'” the source said. “He’s not out of it yet.”
The report also notes that Business First reporter James Fink said on WBEN radio this morning that he hears Pegula’s bid was worth $1.3 billion.
8:30am: Initial bids for the Buffalo Bills were due yesterday afternoon, and according to John Kryk of the Toronto Sun, two surprising developments could have a significant impact on the sale process. Kryk reports that former Buffalo Sabres owner Tom Golisano, who had been viewed as a prospective buyer for the Bills, did not submit a bid in advance of the deadline, and that Morgan Stanley – the investment bank overseeing the sale – only received three initial bids in total.
Per Kryk, those three bids came from groups that had been viewed as the favorites: Jon Bon Jovi, MLSE chairman Larry Tanenbaum, and the Rogers family; current Sabres owner Terry Pegula, who is said to have bid more than $1 billion, according to Josh Kosman and Lois Weiss of the New York Post; and multi-billionaire Donald Trump. A report over the weekend indicated that it would be a surprise if Bon Jovi’s group and Pegula weren’t the two finalists, with Trump himself admitting this week that he didn’t view himself as a frontrunner in the process.
As Kryk notes, Golisano had stated earlier this summer that he intended to bid on the Bills, and sources as recently as two weeks ago were saying the same thing, so his silence is unusual. Kryk speculates that Golisano, who is viewed as “a renegade when it comes to high-stakes business deals,” may have been making a statement on something he dislikes about the process, and could still end up getting involved. A source tells Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News that Golisano and others may wait until the last minute to bid in order to get a sense of who is involved and what they’re willing to invest — perhaps those prospective bidders didn’t view Tuesday as a hard deadline.
Still, for Golisano or others to re-enter the mix, Morgan Stanley may have to quietly extend that deadline for initial bids before moving on to the next step of the process. Although Kryk points out that the firm had reportedly been “combing Wall Street” over the last couple months in an effort to identify potential bidders to add to the process, it seems that search came up empty.
We’ll have to wait and see what Morgan Stanley’s next step is, but for now, it appears as if the bidders who submitted notices of intent yesterday could become the finalists for the Bills by default.
Poll: Who Will Win The NFC South?
The NFC South was a two-team race in 2013, with the 12-4 Panthers ultimately eking out the division title over the 11-5 Saints. However, unlike in most of the NFL’s other divisions, the defending NFC South champions aren’t the frontrunners to take the crown again in 2014 — betting side Bovada.lv has New Orleans as the odds-on favorites to win the South.
The Saints certainly look good heading into the season, having added first-round wideout Brandin Cooks to an already explosive offense and signed star safety Jairus Byrd to fortify the secondary. But they aren’t a lock to win one of the league’s most intriguing divisions.
According to Bovada, the Panthers aren’t even the second-most likely club to win the South in 2014. That distinction goes to the Falcons, who won the division in 2012 before unexpectedly slipping to 4-12 last season. Having revamped their offensive and defensive lines this offseason – with rookie tackle Jake Matthews, guard Jon Asamoah, and defensive linemen Paul Soliai and Tyson Jackson among the new additions – the Falcons are poised to bounce back.
Another 2013 underperformer, the Buccaneers, shouldn’t be ruled out as a contender either. As our Zach Links detailed last night, Tampa Bay’s ’13 season was derailed by controversy surrounding then-coach Greg Schiano and then-quarterback Josh Freeman, but the club has made a number of interesting offseason moves, including signing defensive end Michael Johnson and drafting Texas A&M receiver Mike Evans. The Bucs’ success – or lack thereof – this coming season may hinge on Josh McCown‘s performance under center, since the roster is certainly loaded with plenty of talent at other positions.
And of course, last season’s division champs shouldn’t be overlooked. A candidate for regression, Carolina’s cap struggles forced the team to part ways with a few key contributors, including longtime Panther Steve Smith, and there are questions about whether Cam Newton will have enough weapons to utilize. But this is still a strong team, particularly on the defensive side of the ball, where few clubs have a scarier pass-rushing duo than Carolina’s Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson.
What do you think? Who wins the NFC South in 2014?
Previously:
Who will win the AFC North?
Who will win the AFC West?
Who will win the AFC South?
Who will win the AFC East?
Who will win the NFC North?
Who will win the NFC West?
Who will win the NFC East?
Minor Moves: Tuesday
As August approaches, teams continue to shuffle around their 90-man rosters, making minor signings and cuts. We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor transactions right here, with the latest moves added to the top of the page throughout the day:
- The Bears signed wide receiver Dale Moss to fill out their roster, according to Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter). Moss spent part of 2012 on the Bears’ practice squad and the early part of the 2013 offseason on Chicago’s roster.
- Brian McIntyre (Twitter links) passes along word of a pair of waiver claims, reporting that the 49ers claimed offensive tackle Michael Philipp from the Dolphins, while the Lions were awarded wideout Quintin Payton from the Bucs. Detroit had an open roster spot, so no corresponding move was necessary to claim Payton — San Francisco has waived quarterback Kory Faulkner to make room for Philipp.
- The Steelers have waived-injured offensive lineman David Snow, replacing him on the roster with running back Josh Harris, the team announced today (Twitter link via PR man Burt Lauten).
Earlier updates:
- After suffering a couple injuries in the secondary recently, the Ravens have brought in a free agent defensive back, signing former Arena Leaguer Marrio Norman to a contract, the team announced today. To make room on the roster, Baltimore has cut wide receiver Gerrard Sheppard, who spent most of last season on the club’s practice squad.
- In order to make room for the newly-signed Alfonso Smith, the 49ers have waived-injured rookie guard Fouimalo Fonoti, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have made a series of moves this morning, signing tight end Brett Brackett, quarterback Seth Lobato and defensive end D’Aundre Reed, and waiving quarterback Brock Jensen and linebacker Derrell Johnson. Miami also waived-injured guard Davonte Wallace, according to the team (TwitLonger link). Of the six players, only Reed has seen regular-season NFL action, and his experience is limited to six active games in 2012. The release of Jensen is also notable, since he was one of the club’s more highly-touted undrafted free agents this spring.
- Former Jets linebacker Ricky Sapp has been cut by the Texans, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle, who tweets that the team signed running back Tim Cornett and offensive tackle Mike Farrell. Sapp, a former fifth-round pick who was active in 10 total games last year for the Jets and Texans, will have to clear waivers before he becomes an unrestricted free agent.
Raiders Owner Considering San Antonio?
Raiders owner Mark Davis, along with two of his top lieutenants, recently traveled to San Antonio to meet with city officials and discuss the possibility of moving the franchise, according to Josh Baugh and Tom Orsborn of the San Antonio Express-News. Davis reportedly met with several city leaders earlier this month, including then-mayor Julián Castro.
While Raiders fans in Oakland probably shouldn’t hit the panic button quite yet, Baugh and Orsborn say that their sources characterized Davis’ interest in San Antonio as “at least somewhat more serious” than usual, given how often the city is used as a bargaining chip for franchises in need of leverage. Davis and his associates are said to have spent multiple days in the city, checking out the Alamodome and other locations.
There has been speculation for some time that Davis would explore the possibility of relocating the Raiders to another city, if only to put more pressure on the city of Oakland to assist the team in building a new stadium. The club currently shares O.co Coliseum with MLB’s Athletics, who appear to be on the verge of finalizing a long-term lease with the stadium. While that agreement wouldn’t necessarily compromise the Raiders’ future in Oakland, it could reduce their options for a new stadium of their own.
According to Baugh and Orsborn, while Davis was in San Antonio, the Raiders owner also had separate discussions with San Antonio Spurs owner Peter Holt and Red McCombs, who both displayed interest in buying a stake in the Raiders if they were to move to Texas. Again though, those talks appear to be in the very exploratory stages, and may simply represent an effort to increase the Raiders’ leverage in talks with Oakland. I’d guess Davis will consider looking into a few other cities besides San Antonio in the near future for that same reason.
Seahawks GM Talks Lynch, Offseason, FAs
Appearing on ESPN’s SportsCenter today, Seahawks general manager John Schneider spoke to John Clayton, and the primary topic of discussion was Marshawn Lynch‘s holdout. Schneider addressed Lynch’s situation, as well as explaining why the team has yet to relent and rework the running back’s deal, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times provides the quotes from the Seattle GM. Here are a few highlights:
On whether he’s becoming concerned about Lynch’s absence:
“You know, no. Everybody loves Beast Mode. We love him and respect the guy. I think what he’s done in this community, for this franchise, is outstanding. It’s one of those deals where you can never get inside somebody’s head. We’re just going with our plan, and I know it’s cliché-ish, but next man up. We’ve had a plan in place here for a number of years, and we can’t veer from that plan for one person because it’s the ultimate team sport.”
On what the Seahawks’ plan constitutes:
“Tough decisions. You make models two and three years out, and you have to stick to that and know that there’s going to be tough decisions along the way. We had to let guys like Red Bryant go, Chris Clemons, we weren’t able to sign Breno [Giacomini], Golden Tate. You have to be able to make those decisions along the way knowing you’ll be able to re-sign Michael Bennett and maybe there’s a free agent that comes in and fits in your bracket. It’s just one of those deals where you have to keep going about your business, and you can’t veer off of that.”
On the contracts the Seahawks were able to sign this offseason, including extensions for Richard Sherman and Earl Thomas:
“Going into the offseason we knew we were going to have guys, and we still have a number of guys that we’d like to get done headed toward next year that are going to be free agents. Now, you can’t keep all your guys. We know that. That’s the landscape that we live in in the National Football League. But we feel blessed that we’re able to get Earl done, get Sherm done, re-sign Michael, Doug Baldwin. The guys that we’re going to next, they know. We just have to be true to our word and keep trying to work those deals.”
Contract Details: Nelson, Reynolds, White
With a number of veteran free agents signing deals recently, and others being extended, the latest contract details have been a little more complicated than the usual minimum salary contracts we’d seen over the last few weeks. With that in mind, here’s a roundup of a few of the latest specific figures to surface:
- Over at the National Football Post, Aaron Wilson provides a year-by-year summary of Jordy Nelson‘s new extension with the Packers, which averages $9.7MM per year in new money and features an $11.5MM signing bonus.
- Garrett Reynolds‘ minimum salary benefit contract with the Lions includes a $15K signing bonus, according to Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Earlier updates:
- Details of Roddy White‘s extension with the Falcons have emerged, and, unsurprisingly, the deal doesn’t look quite as lucrative as initially reported. According to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (all Twitter links), White’s new four-year contract has a base value of $23MM, which means there’s $18MM in new money on the three-year extension. The pact also features a $7.55MM signing bonus and $8.5MM in escalators which could push the overall value to as high as $31.5MM. Jason Fitzgerald of Over the Cap has all the details in chart form.
- We heard last week that Tyson Clabo‘s new two-year deal with the Texans is worth $2.4MM, and now Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun has the breakdown of the specifics (via Twitter). Per Wilson, the contract includes annual base salaries of $900K, a $200K signing bonus, roster bonuses worth up to $80K ($5K per game) in 2014, and roster bonuses worth up to $320K ($20K per game) in 2015.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) clarifies that the Seahawks can now recover up to 15% of the prorated portion of Marshawn Lynch‘s signing bonus, rather than the entire thing. That means the team could go after $225K of the bonus, rather than $900K.
- The 49ers can do the same thing with Alex Boone‘s contract, as Cam Inman of the Bay Area News Group details. 15% of Boone’s prorated signing bonus works out to $51K.
Colts Sign Phillip Tanner
The Colts have added another running back to their roster, signing former Cowboy Phillip Tanner, according to Kevin Bowen of Colts.com (via Twitter). Linebacker Jonathon Sharpe has also signed with the Colts, who had two open roster spots, meaning no corresponding moves to clear room will be necessary.
Tanner, who turns 26 next week, has spent his first three seasons in Dallas, accumulating 149 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 56 carries during that stretch, along with 93 receiving yards on nine catches. The Middle Tennessee State product, who worked out for the Seahawks last week, also contributed on special teams in 2013.
Running back has become an area of need for the Colts, who lost Vick Ballard to a season-ending Achilles injury, and cut Chris Rainey yesterday due to a violation of the team’s rules. Trent Richardson and Ahmad Bradshaw still project to be Indianapolis’ top options in the 2014 season, but Tanner should have the opportunity to compete for a roster spot further down on the depth chart.
AFC Notes: Gordon, Hoyer, Broncos, Bills
Josh Gordon‘s appeal hearing is scheduled to take place this Friday, and the Browns receiver appears to have a pretty decent case for having his suspension reduced from the looming one-year penalty, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports. Florio goes into detail on Gordon’s failed test, which only constituted a failure by the narrowest of margins, and which the wideout would have passed had the “A” and “B” labels on his two urine samples been flipped.
It’ll be interesting to see what the NFL decides on Gordon, especially after Roger Goodell and the league came under so much scrutiny for what was viewed as a light punishment for Ray Rice. As we wait to see how the case plays out, let’s check in on a few items from across the AFC, including one more note out of Cleveland….
- The Browns and quarterback Brian Hoyer haven’t had any discussions about a contract extension since exchanging numbers earlier in the offseason, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). La Canfora adds (via Twitter) that perhaps if Cleveland were to include bonuses or incentives based on team or individual performance, something could get done, but that’s not all that likely. Hoyer’s agent suggested a month ago that he and his client would probably wait to see how the season played out, perhaps re-assessing the situation in November or later.
- While an incumbent option like Ronnie Hillman or C.J. Anderson might win the No. 2 running back job for the Broncos behind starter Montee Ball, that role could ultimately be assumed by a player plucked off waivers before the season starts, writes Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
- Donald Trump will submit a bid in an attempt to purchase the Bills, but he doesn’t expect his bid to be the winner, as he tells Fox News. Meanwhile, Jon Bon Jovi isn’t making many friends in Buffalo by having aligned himself with Toronto-based investors, writes Eric Edelson of Yahoo! Sports.
- With this afternoon’s deadline for initial bids on the Bills approaching, New York Senator Charles E. Schumer said today in a statement that he has spoken to several prospective owners who would be committed to keeping the team in Western New York. Jerry Zremski of the Buffalo News has the details and quotes.
- Asked by Shalise Manza Young of the Boston Globe (TwitLonger link) about the pay cut he took this offseason, Patriots defensive lineman Tommy Kelly said he didn’t mind reworking his deal, since the changes weren’t too drastic. “Coach asked me for a favor and I obliged,” Kelly said. “I didn’t have no problem with it. At this point in my career, I’ve made a whole lot of money. Money ain’t the problem.”