Seahawks Notes: Carpenter, Visits, McCloughan
The defending champion Seahawks will host the Packers on September 4 to kick off the NFL season, but that’s the last time during the regular season the club will play a prime-time game at home. A league source tells Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk that the lack of prime-time games at CenturyLink Field is a result of Seattle’s track record — in the last several seasons, the club has been too good in its nationally televised home games, and the league is wary of scheduling blowouts in prime time. As Crabtree points out, the Seahawks have won their last three prime-time games in Seattle by a combined 82 points.
Here’s more on the 2014 Super Bowl champions:
- The Seahawks are currently leaning against picking up their 2015 option on offensive lineman James Carpenter, according to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. As our fifth-year option tracker shows, Carpenter would be in line for a $7.438MM salary in 2015 if his option is exercised, though it wouldn’t be fully guaranteed until the first day of the ’15 league year.
- University of Washington quarterback Keith Price was one of 19 players to participate in the Seahawks’ local prospect day on Wednesday, as Clare Farnsworth of Seahawks.com details.
- Senior personnel executive Scot McCloughan has resigned from his position in Seattle’s front office to tend to a family matter, reports Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). McCloughan, who has been a key part of general manager John Schneider‘s staff since being hired by the Seahawks in June 2010, reportedly drew interest from both the Dolphins and Browns when those teams replaced their GMs earlier this offseason.
Minor Moves: Panthers, Rams, Heyer
Here are today’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with any further Wednesday moves added to the top of the list throughout the evening:
- Panthers offensive lineman Chris Scott has signed his exclusive rights free agent tender from the team that will keep him under contract for 2014, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Scott started eight games for Carolina last season and could be leaned upon more significantly this year with longtime tackle Jordan Gross having retired and guard Travelle Wharton no longer under contract.
- Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that wide receiver Justin Veltung has accepted and signed his ERFA tender from the Rams. Veltung didn’t see much action for St. Louis last season, but did return seven punts for the club near the end of the year.
- Former Redskins and Raiders offensive lineman Stephon Heyer has signed with the CFL’s British Columbia Lions, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
Lions Notes: Suh, Lora, Fortt, Couplin
A few hours before the NFL officially announcing its 2014 schedule, New York radio station WFAN broke news of the Giants’ slate for the coming season. According to the report, the Giants’ ’14 season starts off with a Monday night matchup in Detroit against the Lions. Here are a few more Wednesday updates on those Lions:
- Citing a source, Scott Bischoff of New Era Scouting reported earlier this afternoon (via Twitter) that the Lions are open to the idea of trading Ndamukong Suh as a way of moving up as far as possible in the 2014 draft. I’m a little skeptical about how hard Detroit would push for a deal like that, even if the team could find a taker, and Bischoff himself notes that there’d be plenty of roadblocks (Twitter link).
- In response to Bischoff’s report, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com takes a look at how a hypothetical trade of Suh would work, exploring some reasons why it could make sense for the Lions.
- Eastern Illinois wide receiver Erik Lora will be paying a visit to Detroit to meet with the Lions on Friday, reports Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Lions also hosted Cal linebacker Khairi Fortt and William & Mary safety Jerome Couplin for pre-draft visits today, tweets Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com.
Cowboys Sign Caleb Hanie
The Cowboys have signed former Bears quarterback Caleb Hanie to a one-year contract, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPNChicago.com (via Twitter). Since his stint in Chicago, Hanie has spent time with the Broncos and Browns.
Hanie, a Dallas native, likely won’t be a real factor in the Cowboys’ quarterback picture in 2014, considering the team already has Kyle Orton and Brandon Weeden on the roster to compete for the No. 2 job behind Tony Romo. Nonetheless, perhaps the signing is a signal that there are still lingering question marks about Orton’s future. As our Rory Parks wrote earlier this week, Orton’s absence from the Cowboys’ voluntary offseason workouts was worth keeping an eye on, given the rumors of retirement that surrounded the veteran signal-caller this year.
After being thrust into his first extended action in the 2010 NFC championship game against the Packers, Hanie appeared in six games for the Bears in 2011, losing all four of his starts, while completing 50% of his passes and throwing nine interceptions.
NFC West Links: Rams, Aldon Smith, Pryor
Having already rounded up several items out of the NFC North and NFC East this afternoon, let’s head west and check in on the latest Rams, 49ers, and Seahawks links….
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com gives his thoughts on the Rams‘ moves in free agency. It was a relatively inactive offseason for St. Louis and it would have been even less active had the Raiders not welched on their deal with offensive lineman Rodger Saffold. Meanwhile, given the Rams’ limited offensive talent, Kenny Britt could prove to be a wise pickup — the troubled wide receiver is due to make just over $500K guaranteed, so the deal won’t hurt the club too badly if he’s a bust. All in all, Fitzgerald gives the Rams a C+ for their pickups in free agency.
- In his newest piece for the National Football Post, former agent Joel Corry delves into Aldon Smith’s fifth-year option dilemma for the 49ers. However, as Corry notes, San Francisco’s decision on that 2015 option won’t be the end of the Smith saga.
- Terrelle Pryor has the talent to be the Seahawks‘ latest reclamation project, writes Jerry Brewer of the Seattle Times. The speedy quarterback can be saved from the NFL scrapheap by coach Pete Carroll, but only if he realizes he needs the Seahawks more than they need him, Brewer opines.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
South Rumors: Manziel, Bucs, Graham, Allen
Johnny Manziel is on the short list of players the Buccaneers are “heavily considering” with the seventh overall pick in the draft, a source tells ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure. Tampa Bay doesn’t have a long-term answer at the quarterback position and Manziel is viewed as one of the top two or three options in the draft, so the Bucs’ interest isn’t a huge surprise.
Let’s round up a few other items from out of the NFC and AFC South divisions….
- Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk passes along a report from JoeBucsFan.com indicating that Buffalo linebacker Khalil Mack paid the Buccaneers a visit in Tampa. Word of the visit was broken by defensive end Steven Means, a current Buc and Mack’s former teammate at Buffalo.
- Saints head coach Sean Payton told Mike Triplett of ESPN.com today that he doesn’t expect Jimmy Graham to participate in the club’s offseason conditioning program as long as the tight end’s contract situation remains unresolved, but Payton isn’t concerned, suggesting that’s “normal” (Twitter link). Graham was franchised by the Saints but has yet to accept or sign the franchise tender, as the two sides continue to work on a long-term agreement.
- Former Jaguars linebacker Russell Allen, who was forced into early retirement for health reasons, will receive 50% of his 2014 salary, according to Ryan Halloran of the Florida Times-Union (via Twitter). Allen’s base salary before he was released was set to be $1.975MM, so he should receive about $1MM.
Bears Sign Shaun Draughn
1:39pm: The team has officially announced its signing of Draughn, via Twitter.
1:14pm: The Bears are signing free agent running back Shaun Draughn, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com, citing agent Sean Stellato. It’ll be a one-year contract for the former Chief and Raven.
Draughn saw his most significant NFL action in 2012 in Kansas City, accumulating 233 rushing yards and a pair of touchdowns on 59 carries for the Chiefs. The 26-year-old also caught 24 balls out of the backfield for 158 yards and returned 23 kicks for the team that season. However, he didn’t play much of a role for the Ravens last year, and was cut by the club in October. Draughn caught on briefly with the Colts before hitting the free agent market again.
For the Bears, Draughn figures to be a depth piece with a chance to earn a spot on the roster.
Giants Sign Josh Freeman
TUESDAY,10:51pm: Freeman gets just $55K guaranteed in the deal, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com.
8:59pm: Freeman’s deal is a one-year, $750K pact, tweets Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News.
MONDAY, 9:48am: Freeman officially inked his deal today upon arriving for the start of the Giants’ offseason program, says Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter).
WEDNESDAY, 11:29am: Freeman’s contract with the Giants will be a one-year pact, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter). Caplan adds, as a sidenote, that the Packers would have been interested in signing Freeman if the Giants had landed Flynn (Twitter link).
11:08am: Freeman has agreed to terms with the Giants, tweets Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports.
11:04am: The Giants and Josh Freeman are working toward a deal and are expected to reach an agreement within the next day or so, reports Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Freeman was one of two veteran free agent quarterbacks said to be visiting the team this week, but the second – Matt Flynn – ended up re-signing with the Packers instead, leaving Freeman as the apparent top target for New York.
Freeman, 26, was Tampa Bay’s full-time starting quarterback from 2009 to 2012, but saw the wheels come off last year and was cut by the team. In his first four seasons, the former 17th overall pick completed 58.8% of his passes and tossed 78 touchdowns to go with 63 interceptions, as well as throwing for more than 4,000 yards in 2012. In 2013 though, Freeman’s completion percentage in four starts with the Bucs was just 45.7%, a number which declined even more after he joined the Vikings and performed poorly in his lone start.
Still, Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report recently suggested (via Twitter) that general managers feel like Freeman was “thrown to [the] wolves” in Minnesota. And at age 26, with multiple strong seasons under his belt, there’s room for the former Buccaneer to turn things around.
For the Giants, Freeman figures to provide veteran insurance for Eli Manning, who recently had surgery on a troublesome left ankle. Curtis Painter and Ryan Nassib are also under contract with the club.
Alex Smith Contract Talks Moving Slowly
Alex Smith confirmed yesterday that his agent, Tom Condon, and the Chiefs have engaged in contract discussions for the veteran quarterback. However, a source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that those talks are moving “very, very slowly” so far. According to Florio, negotiations are likely to heat up sometime after next month’s draft.
For his part, Smith indicated yesterday that he’s not very involved in the process at this point: “My agent handles all of that, and that’s why you hire that guy to take care of that, so you can focus on football. It’s really not my place. I have a contract for this year.”
Indeed, Smith is under contract for a cap number of $8MM for 2014, which includes a $7.5MM base salary. If and when he and the Chiefs reach an agreement on a long-term extension, it figures to significantly boost his annual average value. As Florio writes, something in the neighborhood of $14-17MM per year seems about right for the Chiefs’ signal-caller.
Smith, who turns 30 on the day before the draft, excelled in his first year in Kansas City, making the Pro Bowl roster for the first time in his eight-year career. The former first overall pick set career-highs in completions (308), passing yards (3,313), and passing touchdowns (23), while winning 11 of his 15 starts for the Chiefs.
Extra Points: Coleman, Ingram, Costa, Spiller
Kurt Coleman, who signed with the Vikings on a one-year, $900K contract that doesn’t include any guaranteed money, says he turned down offers featuring guaranteed money from two other teams, according to Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. According to the 25-year-old safety, both the Colts and Jets offered some guaranteed money, though he didn’t specify how much. One of those two clubs also offered a higher salary than the $900K he got from Minnesota, Coleman tells Tomasson.
Here are a few more odds and ends from around the NFL:
- Saints running back Mark Ingram hasn’t heard from the club one way or the other on whether his 2015 option will be picked up, as Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune outlines. “I’m not sure if they will pick up the fifth-year option,” Ingram said. “I’m just working one day at a time and I’m just glad I’m on a team that’s a championship contender.”
- Phil Costa, who unexpectedly retired this week after signing with the Colts last month, issued a statement this morning through his agent, explaining his decision (link via Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News). According to Costa, the “day-to-day physical rigor” of the NFL has taken a toll on his body, and contributed to his decision. Although Costa’s deal included $450K in guaranteed money, the Colts won’t be on the hook for that money, according to Mike Chapell of the Indianapolis Star (Twitter link), who says the agreement included default language.
- In an informative piece at OverTheCap.com, Jason Fitzgerald explains how workout bonuses function, and provides a breakdown of the team-by-team amounts for those bonuses this year.
- C.J. Spiller, who is eligible for free agency in 2015, spoke to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com about his upcoming contract year, suggesting he’ll talk to former teammates Jairus Byrd about the process. Spiller, who will have to hire an agent before any negotiations begin with the Bills, indicated he’d be open to a long-term deal to remain in Buffalo.
- Baylor cornerback Demitri Goodson should come off the board a little higher than expected in next month’s draft, says Adam Caplan of ESPN.com, tweeting that the third or fourth round sounds about right for Goodson.
- Kyle Williams‘ minimum salary benefit contract from the Chiefs includes a $10K workout bonus and will count for $580K against the team’s camp, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.