Jimmy Graham Hearing Scheduled For June
MONDAY, 9:03am: The grievance hearing for Graham is scheduled for June 17-18, per Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
SATURDAY, 8:49pm: Amidst this week’s draft news, the fact that the NFLPA officially filed a grievance on behalf of Jimmy Graham‘s franchise tag positional designation flew relatively under the radar. But assuming Graham and the Saints don’t reach a contract agreement anytime soon, GM Mickey Loomis expects the grievance hearing to happen in about a month, according to Larry Holder of the Times-Picayune (via Twitter).
The Saints used their franchise tag on Graham earlier in the offseason, locking in a one-year contract offer worth the amount for a tight end: $7.035MM. However, now that a grievance has been filed, an arbitrator will be tasked with determining whether Graham should actually be considered a wide receiver, since he lined up as a wideout for about two-thirds of his snaps in 2013.
The argument made on behalf of Graham will suggest that, by the letter of the law, the standout pass-catcher should be eligible for the franchise salary for a receiver, which is expected to be about $11.5MM. The CBA dictates that a franchise player’s position is the one “at which the franchise player participated in the most plays during the prior league year.”
Of course, this process could be avoided if the Saints and Graham agree to a long-term deal. But it’s been more than two months since the club used its franchise tag on the 27-year-old, and there haven’t been any reports of progress in negotiations. According to a February report, New Orleans was willing to make Graham the NFL’s highest-paid tight end, exceeding Rob Gronkowski‘s $9MM annual salary. However, Graham was said to be seeking a salary that would pay him like a top-five receiver, in the neighborhood of $12MM per year.
King’s Latest: Manziel, Browns, Jags, Falcons
In his latest Monday Morning Quarterback column, Peter King of TheMMQB.com leads off by writing about the Rams‘ drafting of Michael Sam and Johnny Manziel‘s Thursday night wait in the green room. King also provides a few interesting tidbits, so let’s dive in and round them up….
- Manziel thought there was a decent chance he’d be selected by the Rams at No. 13, and when St. Louis passed, he became concerned about a free fall. Before the Browns eventually jumped up to No. 22 to nab Manziel, the Eagles were close to trading the pick to another club, likely the Vikings.
- Browns GM Ray Farmer on the decision to trade the No. 4 overall pick to the Bills, who used it to select wide receiver Sammy Watkins: “We were very close to turning in the card. We very easily could have turned in the card with Sammy’s name on it.”
- The Jaguars and Falcons had “many discussions” about a trade that would have included Jacksonville’s No. 3 overall pick and Atlanta’s No. 6. The Falcons would also have included at least a third-round pick to complete the deal, but the Jags decided to stay put to make sure they got Blake Bortles. Had the Falcons moved up to third overall, they planned to take the same player they ended up landing at No. 6: Jake Matthews.
- Jaguars GM Dave Caldwell on turning down the trade: “There were so many teams that wanted quarterbacks—at one, four, five, seven and eight, and they were all within striking distance of us. I just kept thinking, ‘One of those teams has to see what we were seeing in Bortles.’ So let’s say we move back and make a deal. What are we going to take in the third? A guard? You can find guards. You can’t find the quarterback you think fits your team best. So in the end it wasn’t a hard decision for us.”
Complete 2014 NFL Draft Results
After an extra two weeks of waiting beyond the usual date, the 2014 NFL draft finally arrived. We kept tabs on all 256 of this week’s selections in this post, and now that the draft has come to an end, you can find the full results below.
Here are the results of the 2014 NFL draft:
Round 1
- Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney, DE, South Carolina
- St. Louis Rams (from Washington): Greg Robinson, OT, Auburn
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Blake Bortles, QB, UCF
- Buffalo Bills (from Cleveland): Sammy Watkins, WR, Clemson
- Oakland Raiders: Khalil Mack, LB, Buffalo
- Atlanta Falcons: Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Mike Evans, WR, Texas A&M
- Cleveland Browns (from Minnesota): Justin Gilbert, CB, Oklahoma State
- Minnesota Vikings (from Buffalo, via Cleveland): Anthony Barr, LB, UCLA
- Detroit Lions: Eric Ebron, TE, North Carolina
- Tennessee Titans: Taylor Lewan, OT, Michigan
- New York Giants: Odell Beckham Jr., WR, LSU
- St. Louis Rams: Aaron Donald, DT, Pittsburgh
- Chicago Bears: Kyle Fuller, CB, Virginia Tech
- Pittsburgh Steelers: Ryan Shazier, LB, Ohio State
- Dallas Cowboys: Zack Martin, OT, Notre Dame
- Baltimore Ravens: C.J. Mosley, LB, Alabama
- New York Jets: Calvin Pryor, S, Louisville
- Miami Dolphins: Ja’Wuan James, OT, Tennessee
- New Orleans Saints (from Arizona): Brandin Cooks, WR, Oregon State
- Green Bay Packers: Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, S, Alabama
- Cleveland Browns (from Philadelphia): Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M
- Kansas City Chiefs: Dee Ford, DE, Auburn
- Cincinnati Bengals: Darqueze Dennard, CB, Michigan State
- San Diego Chargers: Jason Verrett, CB, TCU
- Philadelphia Eagles (from Indianapolis, via Cleveland): Marcus Smith, DE/OLB, Louisville
- Arizona Cardinals (from New Orleans): Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State
- Carolina Panthers: Kelvin Benjamin, WR, Florida State
- New England Patriots: Dominique Easley, DT, Florida
- San Francisco 49ers: Jimmie Ward, S, Northern Illinois
- Denver Broncos: Bradley Roby, CB, Ohio State
- Minnesota Vikings (from Seattle): Teddy Bridgewater, QB, Louisville
NFC East Notes: Eagles, Cowboys, Hart
As if conditional picks based on a player’s performance weren’t convoluted enough, the 2015 draft pick included in the swap the Eagles and Bills pulled off today hinges on the performance of two players, Steve Johnson and Bryce Brown. Eagles GM Howie Roseman told reporters today, including Les Bowen of the Philadelphia Daily News (Twitter link), that he doesn’t think he’s been involved in such a complicated deal before. Roseman also called the trade a win for both sides: “We weren’t looking to dump [Brown], but … there was opportunity for value” (Twitter link).
Here’s more on the Eagles and one of their NFC East rivals:
- The Eagles were hoping to land at least one offensive lineman in the draft, but according to Roseman (Twitter link), the run in the third round was like nothing he’d ever seen. The Eagles GM referred to missing out on offensive linemen as a “dagger in the heart,” per Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com (Twitter link).
- Speaking of that third-round run on linemen, it sounds like it affected the Cowboys too. Executive VP Stephen Jones said the club was close to trading back up into the third round to draft a lineman, but Dallas’ target came off the board a few picks earlier than expected. Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram has the details and quotes from Jones, who said the trade would’ve seen the Cowboys give up a 2015 pick.
- Oregon defensive end Taylor Hart, who the Eagles snagged in the fifth round, had a third-round grade according to the team. Roseman said that he felt as if Philadelphia could wait on Hart since not many teams needed 3-4 ends (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer).
2014 NFL Draft Pick Signings By Team
Over the last three days, Pro Football Rumors has been updating the draft pick by pick, publishing the complete 2014 NFL draft results. That list contains all 256 players selected over the course of the draft, in chronological order. To make it easier to find your favorite team’s complete list of picks, we’ve also compiled a separate list, which shows this year’s team-by-team selections and makes note of whether or not they’ve signed yet. Here’s the entire 2014 NFL draft, sorted by team, with round and pick number noted in parentheses:
Arizona Cardinals
- Deone Bucannon, S, Washington State (1.27): Signed
- Troy Niklas, TE, Notre Dame (2.52): Signed
- Kareem Martin, DE, North Carolina (3.84): Signed
- John Brown, WR, Pittsburg State (3.91): Signed
- Logan Thomas, QB, Virginia Tech (4.120): Signed
- Ed Stinson, DE, Alabama (5.160): Signed
- Walter Powell, WR, Murray State (6.196): Signed
Atlanta Falcons
- Jake Matthews, OT, Texas A&M (1.6): Signed
- Ra’Shede Hageman, DT, Minnesota (2.37): Signed
- Dezmen Southward, S, Wisconsin (3.68): Signed
- Devonta Freeman, RB, Florida State (4.103): Signed
- Prince Shembo, OLB, Notre Dame (4.139): Signed
- Ricardo Allen, CB, Purdue (5.147): Signed
- Marquis Spruill, LB, Syracuse (5.168): Signed
- Yawin Smallwood, LB, Connecticut (7.253): Signed
- Tyler Starr, LB, South Dakota (7.255): Signed
Seahawks To Sign Nine Undrafted FAs
The Seahawks have released their official list of undrafted free agent signings, and Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times has the details in a series of three tweets. Here are the UDFAs being added to the roster by Seattle:
- Dion Bailey, S, USC
- Brock Coyle, LB, Montana
- Chase Dixon, TE, Central Arkansas
- Garry Gilliam, OT, Penn State
- Bronson Irwin, G, Oklahoma
- Jackson Jeffcoat, DE, Texas
- Jimmy Legree, CB, South Carolina
- Keith Price, QB, Washington
- Andru Pulu, DT, Eastern Washington
Eagles Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
The Eagles have added 15 undrafted free agents to their roster, the team announced today (all Twitter links). Here’s the complete list of players Philadelphia agreed to sign following the draft:
- Josh Andrews, G, Oregon State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Blake Annen, TE, Cincinnati
- Karim Barton, G, Morgan State
- Kadron Boone, WR, LSU
- Trey Burton, TE, Florida ($7.5K bonus and $12.5K in other guarantees, per Wilson)
- David Fluellen, RB, Toledo
- John Fulton, CB, Alabama
- Kevin Graf, OT, USC
- Donald Hawkins, G, Texas
- Henry Josey, RB, Missouri ($10K bonus and $10K in other guarantees, per Wilson)
- Wade Keliikipi, DT, Oregon
- Daytawion Lowe, S, Oklahoma State
- Frank Mays, DE, Florida A&M
- Quron Pratt, WR, Rutgers
- Carey Spear, K, Vanderbilt
Browns Notes: Manziel, Draft, Gordon, Brooks
Following the first night of the draft, Browns GM Ray Farmer dismissed the notion that owner Jimmy Haslam tried to influence any of the team’s selections, including the trade up for Johnny Manziel. Farmer reiterated that point today, according to Pat McManamon of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
“I can tell you with 100% certainty that Jimmy Haslam at no point demanded, requested, tried to influence the process in any way,” Farmer said.
Here’s more on the Browns:
- Farmer confirmed that, before trading up to No. 22 for Manziel, the Browns attempted to move up to the Titans’ pick at No. 11, tweets Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal. According to Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer (via Twitter), the Browns GM said the club had “a bundle” of potential targets in mind as it tried to trade up.
- Farmer on the Cowboys not taking Manziel at No. 16: “I don’t think I was surprised as much as I was happy” (Twitter link via Ridenour).
- Although there are published reports suggesting Josh Gordon is facing a season-long suspension, Farmer said he still can’t comment on the situation, adding that he understands fans’ frustration and disappointment (Twitter link via Cabot).
- Agent Scott Bergman tells PFR (via Twitter) that his client, running back Jourdan Brooks, has been invited to try out at Cleveland’s minicamp. Brooks, who played his college ball at Morgan State, previously spent time in camp with the Bengals.
Broncos To Sign 15 Undrafted Free Agents
The Broncos have agreed to terms with 15 undrafted free agents, the team announced today in a press release. That total is notable, since the club only had 13 spots available on its 90-man roster following the draft, as Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweets. As such, Denver will have to cut two players by Monday.
Here’s the full list of the team’s UDFA signings:
- Kenny Anunike, DE, Duke
- Shaquil Barrett, LB, Colorado State ($10K bonus, per Aaron Wilson)
- Kapri Bibbs, RB, Colorado State
- Isaiah Burse, WR, Fresno State
- Steven Clark, P, Auburn
- Brennan Clay, RB, Oklahoma
- Mister Cobble, DT, Kentucky
- Bennie Fowler, WR, Michigan State
- Greg Hardin, WR, North Dakota
- Greg Latta, DE, Purdue
- Bryn Renner, QB, North Carolina
- Aslam Sterling, OL, Kansas
- Jordan Sullen, CB, Tulane
- Juwan Thompson, RB, Duke
- Louis Young, CB, Georgia Tech
Chargers To Sign 17 Undrafted FAs
The Chargers have become the latest team to announce the undrafted free agents they’ll add to their 90-man roster. Here’s the list of players headed to San Diego, courtesy of a team release:
- D.J. Adams, RB, Portland State
- Torrence Allen, WR, West Texas A&M
- Brelan Chancellor, WR, North Texas
- Alden Darby, S, Arizona State
- Chris Davis, CB, Auburn
- Greg Ducre, CB, Washington
- Michael Flacco, TE, New Haven
- Micah Hatfield, WR, Oregon State
- Javontee Herndon, WR, Arkansas
- D.J. Johnson, G, New Mexico
- Tenny Palepoi, DL, Utah
- Alvin Scioneaux, LB, Wofford
- Jeremiah Sirles, OT, Nebraska
- Chase Tenpenny, P, Nevada
- Ricky Tjong-A-Tjoe, DL, Boise St.
- Colton Underwood, LB, Illinois St.
- Ian White, OT, Boston College