Cardinals Sign Larry Foote
MAY 14: Foote received a minimum salary benefit contract, but a $65K bonus takes his overall salary up to $1.02MM, and $513K of his deal is guaranteed, tweets Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com.
MAY 7: The Cardinals have signed free agent linebacker Larry Foote to a one-year contract, according to The Associated Press. Foote himself essentially confirmed the agreement last night, posting “AZ birdgang!!!!!!!!” on his Twitter account.
Foote, 33, has spent all but one of his 12 NFL seasons in Pittsburgh with the Steelers, winning two Super Bowls with the club. He started 16 games at inside linebacker as recently as 2012, but missed significant action last season for the first time in his career, appearing in just one game due to a biceps injury.
Foote should provide a solid veteran presence on the Cardinals’ defense, though he shouldn’t necessarily be counted on to be the impact player in the middle he was earlier in his career. In 2012, he ranked just 46th of 53 qualified inside linebackers, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).
The rumor mill had been fairly quiet on Foote for nearly two months — the last we heard, he had no plans to retire and wanted to sign with a contender. While Arizona didn’t make the postseason last year, the team won 11 games and will bring back most of its key contributors from 2013, so it certainly fits the bill.
Cards Sign Anthony Walters, Keenan Clayton
The Cardinals have increased their roster to 89 players, one below the max, by officially announcing two more signings. As Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com details, the club has signed free agent safety Anthony Walters and linebacker Keenan Clayton. Both contracts are one-year pacts, per Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Walters, who spent his first three seasons with the Bears, didn’t receive a contract tender from the team in March, making him an unrestricted free agent. The 25-year-old was a special teams contributor in Chicago last season, logging six tackles in kick and punt coverage for the club. As for Clayton, the former Eagle and Raiders hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since the 2012 season.
The two signings come on the heels of the Cardinals selecting seven players in the draft and announcing 15 undrafted free agent additions earlier in the week.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Cousins, Giants
Although the Cowboys had one of the more defense-heavy drafts in the NFL, the team waited until the seventh round to address its safety position, which was viewed as a weakness heading into the draft. That doesn’t bother executive VP Stephen Jones, however. On a conference call with season ticketholders, Jones indicated that the team doesn’t view safety as a significant area of need, as some observers do. Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk has the quotes from Jones, who praised the Cowboys’ current crop of safeties along with seventh-round pick Ahmad Dixon.
Here are a few more updates from around the NFC East:
- Appearing on 106.7 The Fan in Washington yesterday, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com reported that the Browns offered the Redskins a fourth-round pick for Kirk Cousins during the draft, an offer Washington turned down (Twitter link). Cleveland ultimately used its fourth-rounder to select Lindenwood cornerback Pierre Desir.
- Since exercising his fifth-year option, the Giants have yet to engage in any talks with cornerback Prince Amukamara about a long-term deal, which Amukamara is fine with, as Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger writes. “I don’t expect them to [work on an extension now],” Amukamara said. “I don’t think I really gave them a return on their investment yet. And with that being said, I plan on this year being a huge year for me. I’m just focused on playing ball.”
- Although he admits that he hates the draft, Giants receiver Victor Cruz – a former undrafted free agent – was pleased with the team’s addition of wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., according to Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Cruz had previously suggested he wanted the Giants to draft a wideout to help make up for the loss of Hakeem Nicks, who signed with the Colts in free agency.
NFC South Rumors: Graham, White, Bucs
Free agency, which opened more than two months ago, feels well behind us now, but technically one of the top free agents of the offseason remains available. Jimmy Graham was franchised by the Saints, meaning he can’t freely sign with another club, but he can still sign an offer sheet if there’s a team out there willing to give up two first-round picks to land him. And according to Mike Freeman of the Bleacher Report, that’s not a total pipe dream — Freeman hears from multiple sources that there are still some teams “strongly considering” extending an offer sheet to Graham.
I’d be surprised if another team ended up make a serious play for the Saints tight end, who would require a sizable chunk of cap space in addition to his suitor being willing to give up two first-rounders. But with a hearing looming next month to determine whether Graham will be considered a tight end or a wide receiver, it’s a situation worth keeping an eye on. Here’s more from around the NFC South:
- ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure explores the possibility of an extension for Falcons wide receiver Roddy White, who is entering the final year of his contract. McClure likens White’s contract situation to that of Reggie Wayne, who signed a three-year extension in 2012 at age 33 — White turns 33 this fall.
- Patriots director of college scouting Jon Robinson is leaving New England to reunite with Buccaneers GM Jason Licht in Tampa Bay, reports Mike Reiss of ESPN Boston (Twitter links). According to ESPN.com’s Adam Caplan (Twitter link), Robinson will assume the role of director of player personnel in Tampa. Meanwhile, Bucs director of college scouting Eric Stokes will be moving on to Miami to act as an assistant to Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey, tweets Reiss.
- A bill addressing professional athletes’ injury benefits, which is working its way through the Louisiana Legislature could adversely affect the Saints‘ recruitment of free agents, according to former NFLPA president Kevin Mawae, via Emily Lane of the Times-Picayune. Lane’s piece has plenty of details on the bill, which would limit compensation benefits for NFL players if they’re injured during training camp rather than during the regular season. The Players Association also published an article on its website stating its opposition to the bill.
2014’s Most Balanced And Unbalanced Drafts
Teams entered last week’s NFL draft with many different positions and areas they planned to focus on, but depending on how the draft played out, many clubs didn’t end up addressing all their needs. For instance, few would have guessed heading into the draft that neither the Panthers nor the Ravens would come out of the weekend having added an offensive tackle.
Whether intentional or not, a handful of teams ended up specifically focusing on one area of the ball in the draft, selecting far more offensive players than defensive players, or vice versa. Listed below are the teams who had the most offensive-heavy drafts, teams who had defensive-heavy drafts, and the clubs who managed to perfectly balance their picks. Let’s check out the lists….
Most offensive-heavy drafts:
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6 offense, 0 defense): After spending big to add defensive end Michael Johnson and cornerback Alterraun Verner in free agency, the Buccaneers were the only NFL team not to draft at least one defensive player. Instead, the club focused on adding weapons for new quarterback Josh McCown, including wide receiver Mike Evans and tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins.
- Jacksonville Jaguars (6 offense, 3 defense): It wasn’t until they drafted their fifth player, in the fourth round, that the Jaguars eventually selected a defensive player, having focused early on landing a quarterback (Blake Bortles) and pass-catchers (Marqise Lee, Allen Robinson).
- New England Patriots (6 offense, 3 defense): After nabbing defensive tackle Dominique Easley in round one, the Patriots turned to offensive players for their next five picks, including second-rounder Jimmy Garoppolo.
- Washington Redskins (5 offense, 2 defense): The Redskins picked a couple defenders in the first four rounds, grabbing linebacker Trent Murphy and cornerback Bashaud Breeland, but they tipped the scales by leaning heavily toward offensive players with their late-round picks.
Most balanced drafts:
- New York Jets (6 offense, 6 defense)
- Cincinnati Bengals (4 offense, 4 defense)
- Carolina Panthers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Cleveland Browns (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Denver Broncos (3 offense, 3 defense)
- San Diego Chargers (3 offense, 3 defense)
- Tennessee Titans (3 offense, 3 defense)
Most defensive-heavy drafts:
- Atlanta Falcons (7 defense, 2 offense): Offensive and defensive lines were viewed as two of the top priorities for the Falcons, but after addressing those positions in the first two rounds, Atlanta went on a linebacker frenzy in the mid-to-late rounds, snatching up four of them.
- Dallas Cowboys (7 defense, 2 offense): The Cowboys reportedly had three defensive players on their wish list in the first round, but when Anthony Barr, Aaron Donald, and Ryan Shazier came off the board, the team picked offensive tackle Zack Martin instead. Dallas remedied that by making seven of its final eight picks defensive players.
- Minnesota Vikings (7 defense, 3 offense): The Vikings made defense their focus in the mid-to-late rounds — their last five picks were defenders, including three defensive backs. Minnesota also selected a defensive player with its first pick, drafting linebacker Anthony Barr ninth overall.
- Oakland Raiders (6 defense, 2 offense): The Raiders’ approach looked similar to the Vikings’, as Oakland grabbed a linebacker (Khalil Mack) with its top-10 pick, then used its last five picks on defenders, with a couple offensive players sandwiched in between.
- Philadelphia Eagles (5 defense, 2 offense): Losing DeSean Jackson made wide receiver a priority for the Eagles in the draft, so the team snatched up Jordan Matthews and Josh Huff in rounds two and three. Outside of those two picks though, it was an exclusively defensive draft for Philadelphia.
Pro Football Rumors’ list of draft results by team was used in the creation of this post.
Minor Moves: Saints, Panthers, Bucs, Eagles
We’ll round up today’s minor transactions here, including mid-to-late-round draftees agreeing to contracts, players being claimed off waivers, and the retirement of a former NFLer who most recently played in the Canadian Football League…..
- The Chiefs announced that they have sixth-round pick Zach Fulton (Twitter link). The offensive lineman out of Tennessee was taken with the No. 193 pick.
- The 49ers announced that they have signed fifth-round outside linebacker Aaron Lynch and seventh-round defensive lineman Kaleb Ramsey, tweets Eric Branch of the San Francisco Chronicle.
- The Saints have signed former Notre Dame guard Mike Golic Jr. to a two-year contract, the club announced today in a press release. Golic went undrafted in 2013 and joined the Steelers for the preseason.
- Drake Nevis, who was cut yesterday by the Jaguars, has been awarded to the Panthers on waivers, says Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). The defensive lineman appeared in games for the Cowboys and Jags last season.
Earlier updates:
- The Buccaneers have waived running back Michael Smith, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
- The Eagles have locked up one of their draft picks, signing third-round wideout Josh Huff to a four-year deal, per Zach Berman of the Philadelphia Inquirer (via Twitter).
- After being cut by the Seahawks yesterday, long snapper Jorgen Hus has been claimed off waivers by the Rams, according to Brian McIntyre (via Twitter).
- The Dolphins have cut punter Matt Syzmanski, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- The only NFL team to lock up any draftees so far, the Bears have agreed to terms with two more players they selected last week, according to the team (Twitter links). Fourth-round running back Ka’Deem Carey and seventh-round tackle Charles Leno Jr. have reached agreements on four-year deals with the club. At Over The Cap, Jason Fitzgerald has estimations on what sort of contracts the duo will be receiving.
- The Jaguars have claimed linebacker Allen Bradford off waivers from the Giants, a day after he was cut, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. Bradford, a former Seahawk like a few other players the Jags have added this offseason, fills the last spot on the team’s 90-man roster.
- Former Bills first-round pick Aaron Maybin has officially announced his retirement as a football player, according to the CFL’s Toronto Argonauts (Twitter link). After being selected 11th overall out of Penn State, Maybin failed to make a consistent impact at the NFL level, with his best season coming in 2011 as a reserve for the Jets (six sacks).
AFC Notes: Bills, Texans, Mallett, Browns
While his contract has been surpassed by a few players signing extensions, no free agent signed a bigger deal this offseason than safety Jairus Byrd, who agreed to a $54MM pact to join the Saints. For the Bills, who lost Byrd in free agency, you’d think they’d at least have the consolation of awaiting a compensatory pick for their loss, but that may not be the case, as Mike Rodak of ESPN.com explains. Although the NFL’s exact formula for computing compensatory picks isn’t known, the fact that Buffalo signed more free agents than it lost could help take the team out of the running for picks, writes Rodak.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Texans will not be trading for Patriots backup quarterback Ryan Mallett, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets definitively. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe adds (via Twitter) that a potential trade between the two teams died last week, which is consistent with reports we were hearing at the time.
- Pat McManamon of ESPN.com wonders if the Browns‘ willingness to give a lucrative contract extension to Joe Haden, who has previously been suspended in his career, bodes well for Josh Gordon‘s future in Cleveland.
- Although he was linked to the Bills as a potential bidder earlier in the month, New York developer Howard Milstein confirmed this week that he won’t be attempting to buy the franchise. However, Milstein believes he has some land in Niagara Falls that could be suitable for a new stadium, as Tom Precious of the Buffalo News details.
Bucs Sign 12 UDFAs, Cut Three Players
TUESDAY, 4:56pm: Undrafted Texas A&M linebacker Steven Jenkins has also signed with the Buccaneers, the team announced today in a press release.
MONDAY, 2:52pm: The Buccaneers have announced 11 undrafted free agent signings, and Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune passes along the names in a series of tweets. To clear room on the 90-man roster, the club has also cut three players, according to Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link): Tight end Steve Maneri, tight end and fullback Josh Baker, and cornerback Bobby Felder. None of the three players played for the Bucs last season.
Here’s the full list of the Bucs’ UDFA additions:
- Josh Allen, C Louisiana-Monroe ($5K bonus, per Pat Yasinskas)
- Nate Askew, LB, Texas A&M ($7.5K bonus)
- Aaron Burks, WR, Boise State ($5K bonus)
- Euclid Cummings, DT, Georgia Tech ($10K bonus)
- Keith Lewis, CB, Virginia-Lynchburg ($3K bonus)
- Andrew Miller, G, Virginia Tech ($5K bonus)
- Matt Patchan, OT, Boston College ($14.85K bonus)
- Solomon Patton, WR, Florida ($9K bonus)
- Brett Smith, QB, Wyoming ($3K bonus)
- Chaz Sutton, DE, South Carolina ($15K bonus)
- Mycal Swaim, S, Eastern Michigan ($3K bonus)
Andre Johnson Frustrated With Texans
3:13pm: Retirement isn’t an option at this point for Johnson, according to Smith, who says (via Twitter) that the receiver plans to play for three more seasons, which is also how long his current contract runs.
2:35pm: No player has been with the Texans longer than wide receiver Andre Johnson, who was selected by the franchise with the third overall pick in 2003. Still, after 11 seasons in Houston, Johnson sounds like he may be ready to move on, asking reporters today, “Is this still the place for me?” (link via Brian T. Smith of the Houston Chronicle).
Appearing at a charity event in Houston, Johnson expressed his frustrations publicly for the first time, revealing that he doesn’t plan to attend the team’s OTAs or minicamp. Although the longtime standout receiver says he hasn’t requested a trade, he acknowledged that the offseason has been “very frustrating,” as the club continues to cycle through new coaches and quarterbacks.
The Texans may be hard-pressed to find a trade partner now that many teams have filled their rosters and no longer have cap space to take on a player who is set to earn a $10MM base salary in 2014. Still, with three years left on Johnson’s deal, it sounds like resolution will need to happen at some point in the near future, and ’14 is the first year in which the Texans could actually create a little cap room by releasing or trading the receiver.
Although he has racked up over 3,000 receiving yards in the last two seasons, earning Pro Bowl berths in both years, Johnson will turn 33 this summer, so it’s fair to wonder how many more productive years he has left in him. 2011 and 2012 were the first two playoff seasons in Houston since Johnson joined the team, but after a significant regression in 2013, the longtime Texan sounds concerned about being part of another rebuild.
“We’ve talked. They understand how I feel,” Johnson said of the club. We’ll have to wait and see if the Texans are able to do anything about it before the 2014 season gets underway.
Jaguars Notes: Shorts, Rackley, UDFAs
The Jaguars held their State of the Franchise event today at EverBank Field, and while owner Shad Khan and team officials didn’t offer many noteworthy comments on the roster during that address, GM Dave Caldwell spoke to Hays Carlyon of the Florida Times-Union at the event and offered up a few interesting nuggets. Let’s dive in….
- The team has spoken to the reps for wide receiver Cecil Shorts, who is entering the final year of his contract. “Obviously, we want him here for the long haul,” Caldwell said. “He’s a valuable part of our organization and we’d love to at some point in time take care of Cecil.”
- Explaining the Jags’ decision to release 2013’s starting left guard, Will Rackley, Caldwell suggested that the veteran didn’t really fit the team’s scheme. The club wanted to give him an opportunity to catch on in a better situation elsewhere, per Caldwell.
- Caldwell said Jacksonville is “not done adding talent to the roster” and will be watching closely to see how its young players develop, so it’s too early to tell which positions the club may be focusing on upgrading a year from now.
- Caldwell is “really pleased” with the work his staff did to add the 17 undrafted free agents the team signed: “We got size on the d-line. We got some athletic offensive linemen. We got two really good receivers. We got a good safety [Craig Loston], a physical guy that played in the SEC. A good nickel cornerback in Rashaad Reynolds.”
- The Jaguars are hoping to sign their draft picks earlier this year than they did last year.
- Connecticut edge defender Tim Wellman is among the players invited to Jacksonville’s rookie minicamp, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.