Latest On Potential Bills Sale
The estate of late Bills owner Ralph Wilson has yet to appoint an investment banking firm to put an updated value on the franchise and oversee negotiations for the sale of the club, meaning the formal bidding process has yet to get underway. However, that doesn’t mean that potential bidders aren’t lining up to make a run at the Bills.
As John Wawrow of The Associated Press writes, the Bills were valued at $870MM by Forbes last year, but the sale price figures to be even higher, given the number of interested parties. Erie County deputy executive Richard Tobe said he has been approached by about 10 prospective ownership groups, which he has told to contact the team. Here’s a few updates from Wawrow on investors interested in making a bid on the Bills:
- We’ve heard about Donald Trump‘s interest in buying the Bills, and Michael Cohen, Trump’s executive vice president, reiterated that the billionaire is serious about getting involved: “There’s nobody more serious than Donald Trump. Donald Trump has made it crystal clear that the Bills will remain in Buffalo.”
- Bills legend and former quarterback Jim Kelly is expected to pursue an ownership role with the team as well, according to his brother – and the vice president of Jim Kelly Inc. – Dan Kelly. Despite undergoing treatment for a recurrence of sinus cancer, the former Bills signal-caller “will be an active participant in it moving forward,” says his brother.
- Bruins owner Jeremy Jacobs is another potential bidder for the Bills, according to Wawrow. Jacobs has yet to publicly announce his intentions, but a source tells Wawrow that the Jacobs family “is definitely a player.” The NFL doesn’t allow owners to control major sports franchise in separate markets, so Jacobs Sr. would have to sell the Bruins to own a stake in the Bills, which he has said he doesn’t intend to do. However, that doesn’t preclude his sons, Jeremy Jr., Lou and Charlie, from getting involved with the Bills.
- As previously reported, rock star Jon Bon Jovi, who has a strong connection to Larry Tanenbaum of Maple Leafs Sports and Entertainment (the owner of the NHL’s Maple Leafs and NBA’s Raptors), has interest in owning an NFL team and may make a play for the Bills.
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Not many notable free agents are still on the board, but the 2014 NFL draft is less than three weeks away, and there’s still no consensus on who will be picked in the top 10, the top five, or even at No. 1. There will be plenty of notable stories to track on Pro Football Rumors throughout the spring, and you don’t necessarily have to keep refreshing our site to keep tabs on them. There are a handful of different ways you can follow us to get the latest updates on NFL news and rumors all year.
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Extra Points: Clausen, Quinn, Ponder
Former second-round pick Jimmy Clausen hasn’t played in an NFL regular-season game since his rookie year in 2010, but having undergone shoulder surgery last September, the 26-year-old feels like he’s healthy and ready to contribute somewhere. Clausen tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he’s looking for an opportunity to compete for a No. 2 job, then hopes to work his way up from there.
“I’m still really young,” Clausen said. “I’m going into my fifth year in the league. I feel great. This is probably right now the healthiest I’ve been since my junior year in college, to be honest with you.”
As the former Notre Dame signal-caller continues to look for NFL work, let’s check out a few other Good Friday updates from around the league….
- Although the team has yet to do so, the Rams will exercise Robert Quinn‘s fifth-year option by next month’s deadline, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Quinn, like fellow defense end Muhammad Wilkerson, should be in line for a 2015 salary of $6.969MM.
- Meanwhile, Master Tesfatsion of the Star Tribune takes a look at Christian Ponder‘s potential fifth-year option, which seems unlikely to be picked up by the Vikings.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio today, Montreal Alouettes GM Jim Popp said newly-signed receiver Chad Johnson simply “wanted to be part of a team again,” and isn’t angling to make an NFL comeback (Twitter link).
- North Dakota State quarterback Brock Jensen worked out for the Packers and could be a fit for the club, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
- Five NFL teams have visited Wyoming to work out quarterback Brett Smith, according to Gil Brandt of NFL.com, who says (via Twitter) that Smith is a likely late-round pick if he’s drafted at all.
AFC Notes: Bridgewater, Texans, Dolphins
Teddy Bridgewater visited with the Jaguars earlier in the month, but it appears Jacksonville is interested enough in the Louisville quarterback to take a longer look at him. According to Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Bridgewater is scheduled to have a second meeting and workout tomorrow with the Jags. Jacksonville isn’t the only AFC South team eyeing the young signal-caller. While we originally heard that Bridgewater was supposed to visit the Texans this week, it seems that visit will actually happen next week, according to Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Texans need a quarterback, and you could make a case for the team drafting a player like Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles first overall, but Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com thinks Houston should nab Jadeveon Clowney with the No. 1 pick in May. In La Canfora’s view, Clowney is the clear-cut top prospect available, and the Texans would be better off letting Bill O’Brien “work his magic” on a quarterback drafted in the second or third round.
- James Walker of ESPN.com suggests the Dolphins‘ fifth-year option decision on center Mike Pouncey isn’t as simple as it may seem on the surface, though the team is still likely to pick up that 2015 option.
- The amount of homework the Dolphins have done on quarterbacks like Miami’s Stephen Morris and Georgia’s Aaron Murray signals that the team could seriously be considering drafting a signal-caller next month, writes Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald.
- The current plan for Rolando McClain is to have the linebacker join the Ravens as early as Monday for the team’s offseason workout program, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Boston College running back Andre Williams has drawn the most interest from the Patriots, Browns, Steelers, and Jets, says Wilson at the National Football Post.
- Wilson also reports (via the Sun) that Wisconsin nose tackle Beau Allen and Bowling Green tight end Alex Bayer visited the Ravens this week, and writes (via the NFP) that the Jets will host Murray State wide receiver Walter Powell for a visit on Monday.
Pauline’s Latest: Richburg, Wenning, Moses
With May 8 now less than three weeks away, draft expert Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net is back with his latest round of updates on prospects and pre-draft visits. Here’s a recap of several of the highlights from Pauline’s newest piece:
- Colorado State center Weston Richburg, who has visited the Cardinals and worked out for the Patriots, could be a surprise round one pick, says Pauline, identifying the Packers, Patriots, and Broncos as potential landing spots. The Jaguars, at the start of the second round, could also be in the mix for Richburg.
- Ball State quarterback Keith Wenning is generating significant interest from NFL teams, says Pauline, writing that that Wenning has had eight visits and eight additional workouts. Of the teams mentioned by Pauline as having hosted or worked out the signal-caller, the Rams are the only one we haven’t heard mentioned previously.
- Virginia tackle Morgan Moses has seen his stock rise a little due to the ACL injury suffered by Brandon Thomas — teams eyeing tackles can no longer count on Thomas as a fallback option if they miss out on someone like Moses. According to Pauline, the Panthers may be a possibility late in the first round for Moses, and the tackle is unlikely to get past the Redskins in round two.
- Speaking of Thomas, his ACL surgery means he’ll likely fall to the fourth or fifth round, in Pauline’s view.
- We heard earlier in the week that Cameron Fleming visited the Redskins, and Pauline says Washington is “seriously interested” in the Stanford tackle. Fleming has also worked out for the Panthers, Falcons, and Titans, according to Pauline.
- Bloomsburg guard Brian Clarke is visiting the Chargers and has a private workout lined up with the Giants, tweets Pauline.
NFC West Rumors: 49ers, Kaepernick, Rams
This morning’s round of rumors relating to NFC West clubs heavily involves the 49ers, with a specific focus on a couple San Francisco players dealing with off-field issues. Let’s dive in and check out the latest….
- The 49ers aren’t expected to pick up Aldon Smith‘s fifth-year option for 2015, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Smith’s play on the field makes him worthy of such an investment, but given his off-field issues and what we’ve heard recently about his future in San Francisco (or lack thereof), it’s not surprising that the club would be reluctant to extend his rookie contract by a year.
- Negotiations with Colin Kaepernick on a long-term extension have been tabled by the 49ers for the moment, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com. San Francisco still hopes to get something done with its quarterback before the 2014 season begins, but the club is waiting for more clarity on an investigation being conducted by the Miami PD into an incident involving Kaepernick.
- It’s a big day for the Rams and Clemson receiver Sammy Watkins, tweets Rapoport, noting that the team is sending a contingent to Clemson today for a private workout with Watkins. The Texans aren’t believed to be considering drafting a receiver at No. 1, but the Rams could use a wideout, meaning Watkins – the best one on the board – could be in play at No. 2.
- The Seahawks will be conducting a private workout with Boise State defensive end Demarcus Lawrence, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Caplan adds the Redskins and Steelers to the list of teams who will host Lawrence for a visit, and says the Saints will also be privately working him out (Twitter link).
Vikings Sign Allen Reisner
FRIDAY, 9:44am: Reisner’s one-year deal is indeed worth the minimum ($645K), tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com.
TUESDAY, 2:13pm: The Vikings have signed free agent tight end Allen Reisner to a contract, a league source Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post. Terms of the agreement weren’t reported, but I’d expect it to be a one-year, minimum-salary deal.
Reisner, 25, originally started his NFL career with the Vikings in 2011 as an undrafted free agent. In parts of three seasons in Minnesota and Jacksonville, Reisner has caught seven balls for 58 yards. He saw his most playing time early last season, appearing in 222 offensive snaps before being placed on injured reserve.
The Jaguars had the option to tender a contract offer to Reisner at season’s end, but opted not to, making him an unrestricted free agent.
Cowboys Exercise 2015 Option On Tyron Smith
The Cowboys have become the latest team to exercise the fifth-year option on a 2011 first-round pick, according to Todd Archer of ESPN Dallas, who reports that the club has picked up its 2015 option on offensive tackle Tyron Smith. The move ensures that, even without a long-term extension, Smith will be under team control for two more seasons.
Because he was selected within the top 10 in the 2011 draft, Smith’s option-year salary will be equal to the 2014 transition tag for an offensive lineman. That means the 23-year-old will be in line for a 2015 salary of $10.039MM, which will be guaranteed for injury only until the first day of the ’15 league year. The Cowboys could also try to lock up Smith to a long-term contract extension in the meantime.
Along with Dez Bryant, Smith represents one of the two Cowboys that the team will be most intent on extending in the near future. Smith ranked as the fifth-best tackle in the league last season among 76 qualified players, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required), which graded the former USC Trojan as an above-average run blocker and an elite pass blocker. It was the second time in his three NFL seasons that Smith ranked among the league’s top five tackles, per PFF’s data.
Jets Pick Up Mo Wilkerson’s 2015 Option
The Jets have officially exercised their fifth-year option on Muhammad Wilkerson for the 2015 season, reports Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News. We heard last night when word of several other option pickups broke that Wilkerson’s was believed to be one of them, and now Mehta has confirmed as much.
Wilkerson, 24, recorded 64 tackles and 10.5 sacks in 2013 for the Jets, and played more defensive snaps (1,067) than any other 3-4 defensive end, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required). The heavy workload didn’t seem to affect Wilkerson’s production — he ranked as the eighth-best player at his position out of 45 qualified 3-4 defensive ends, according to PFF’s grades, despite some penalty issues.
The Jets and Wilkerson are both open to the idea of negotiating a longer-term deal, though a club source told Mehta last month that while talks could be revisited later this summer, the two sides are more likely to reach an agreement after the 2014 season. For now, Wilkerson’s rookie contract will be extended by one year. He’ll earn $1.2MM in 2014 before seeing his salary bumped up to $6.969MM in 2015. That 2015 salary is currently guaranteed for injury only, though it will become fully guaranteed on the first day of the ’15 league year.
West Notes: Fuller, Rams, 49ers, Chiefs
Let’s round up the latest draft items related to teams in the NFC and AFC West….
- Virginia Tech cornerback Kyle Fuller will visit the Rams next week, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (via Twitter). A report last Friday indicated that Fuller would be working out for St. Louis at some point.
- Thomas adds in another tweet that the Rams will also host Missouri Western TE/FB Reggie Jordan for a local visit next Friday.
- The 49ers hosted Miami offensive tackle Seantrel Henderson for a visit this week, and Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com suggests that it may have been to gain more information about a prospect with possible character concerns. Henderson was suspended three times in college for violating team rules.
- UTEP edge defender James Davidson has a visit on the docket with the Chiefs, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link), who refers to Davidson as a potential sleeper.