Eagles Facing ‘Complicated’ WR Situation
The Eagles’ wide receiving corps played a large role in Nick Foles posting a ridiculous ratio of 27 touchdown passes to just two interceptions during the 2013 season, but multiple key pieces of that unit will be facing free agency this offseason. With both Riley Cooper and Jeremy Maclin poised to hit the open market next month, GM Howie Roseman tells Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com that the Eagles’ wide receiver situation is “complicated.”
“You have guys that you want to have back,” Roseman said, “And also, what resources are you going to devote to that position with the guys who are already on the roster? And then you look at it in the draft, obviously a very strong position, so I think … it’s a complicated situation but we’ve never ruled out bringing both of those guys back.”
As Mosher writes, the Eagles have the cap flexibility to re-sign both players, particularly since a knee injury wiped out Maclin’s season and likely derailed his chances of earning a lucrative long-term deal. Still, the club has other positions to address, as well as a few players who will need to be extended within the next year or two. Throw in the fact that Roseman’s comments suggest the team is eyeing receiving options in the draft, and it stands to reason that perhaps Philadelphia will let Cooper or Maclin walk.
A source tells Mosher that the Eagles and Cooper have yet to engage in extension talks of any substance, though that will likely happen later this month, perhaps at the league’s scouting combine. It’s not clear how far talks with Maclin have progressed, if they have at all. But for what it’s worth, Mosher wrote last month that he had a “hunch” the club would re-sign Maclin to a one-year pact and let Cooper walk.
Browns Unlikely To Trade For Kirk Cousins
The Browns’ hiring of Kyle Shanahan to run their offense has fueled speculation that the Redskins’ former offensive coordinator could bring backup quarterback Kirk Cousins with him to Cleveland. However, despite a report indicating Cousins would be open to a trade, don’t expect the Browns to land him, according to Dianna Marie Russini of News4. Russini reports (via Twitter) that Cleveland isn’t interested in acquiring Cousins, since the team believes Brian Hoyer is a better option.
The report echoes one from over the weekend by Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. Cabot cited a source in writing that there was only a “remote possibility” of Cousins being sent to the Browns. In addition to having Hoyer under contract for another year, the Browns are positioned to pick fourth overall in May’s draft, so they could also add a young, high-upside quarterback with that selection.
While the Browns may not have a ton of interest in acquiring Cousins, that doesn’t mean the young signal-caller won’t be surrounded by trade rumors during the offseason. GM Bruce Allen has publicly indicated that Washington isn’t looking to move its backup QB, but the club will have plenty of holes to fill heading into 2014, so if a deal could net the Redskins a solid piece or two, the team would probably at least have to consider it. The ’14 free agent market for quarterbacks is fairly thin, and there’s considered to be a moderate drop-off after the top three QBs in the draft. In other words, teams searching for an upgrade may be willing to make it worth the Redskins’ while to part with Cousins.
Broncos Links: Moreno, DRC, Salary Cap
While Sunday’s 43-8 drubbing at the hands of the Seahawks is still fresh in the Broncos’ minds, the team is now looking forward to the coming offseason rather than dwelling on its Super Bowl XLVIII loss. Let’s round up the latest links on Denver’s upcoming winter and spring:
- Speaking to reporters (video link via NFL.com), running back Knowshon Moreno said “hopefully” he’d re-sign with the Broncos and return to Denver for the 2014 season. As Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk notes, executive VP of football operations John Elway pointed out on Tuesday that Denver has plenty of running back depth, though Elway said the club will wait to see how things “flesh out” with Moreno. A recent report indicated that the Broncos don’t expect to re-sign 2013’s starting running back.
- Irv Moss of the Denver Post spoke to impending free agent Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie about his next contract, with DRC indicating that he’s “not worried about the money,” but rather will prioritizing signing with a team in position to win — like the Broncos.
- Because of Russell Wilson‘s small cap number, the Seahawks’ front office had plenty of flexibility to add complementary players around the club’s quarterback. The Broncos are in the opposite situation, prompting Mike Klis of the Denver Post to explore whether Peyton Manning‘s $20MM+ cap hit will prevent Denver from building a sustainable Super Bowl contender.
Rolle Recruiting Jermichael Finley For Giants
While the NFL’s free agent period doesn’t officially open until March, at least one player has already been laying the groundwork to bring a prospective free agent to his team. At an awards dinner on Tuesday, Giants safety Antrel Rolle admitted that he has been recruiting free-agent-to-be Jermichael Finley, as Justin Tasch of the New York Daily News writes.
“I said I would love for him to be a part of the Giants so I wouldn’t have to face him,” Rolle said. “He’s an extreme talent. He’s an exceptional guy and more importantly I know he’s a fiery guy. I think that’s something we can definitely use on the offensive side of the ball.”
Finley, who underwent single-fusion spinal surgery in November, hopes to be cleared for contact soon and return to action in the 2014 season. The longtime Packer has mentioned the possibility of returning to Green Bay or signing with the Seahawks and said he’d “love to be a part of the Giants,” according to Rolle, so it sounds like the 26-year-old is looking forward to testing the open market.
As for Rolle himself, he only has one year remaining on his deal with the Giants, but has no interest in going anywhere and would reportedly be open to discussing an extension with the team this offseason.
NFC South Notes: Saints, Falcons, Panthers
ESPN.com’s Insider-only breakdown of 50 pressing questions for the 2014 NFL offseason focuses on areas of concern for each of the league’s 32 teams, including all four NFC South squads. Among the key topics to monitor, according to the ESPN scribes: Whether there’s any chance the Saints let Jimmy Graham get away, whether or not Mike Glennon is the Buccaneers‘ starting QB going forward, and what weapons the Panthers might add to help complement Cam Newton. Here are a few more Tuesday items from around the NFC South:
- While the Saints may not need a new No. 1 wide receiver, the club needs to start re-stocking the shelves at the position, with a number of the incumbents entering their 30s, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett. In a separate piece, Triplett also assesses the Saints’ needs at the linebacker position.
- The Falcons may look into acquiring a veteran backup for Matt Ryan this offseason, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who says that free-agent-to-be Luke McCown “still has admirers” within Atlanta’s front office.
- GM Dave Gettleman and the Panthers have switched scouting services for the draft, moving from National Scouting to BLESTO, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina is now one of eight teams associated with BLESTO, one of the services that acts as a co-op in pooling scouting information leading up to the draft.
Larry Fitzgerald Restructures Contract
6:40pm: Fitzgerald converted $11.75MM of his $12.75MM deal into a bonus, saving Arizona about $9.4MM against the salary cap, tweets Albert Breer of NFL Network.
5:40pm: Fitzgerald’s deal is a simple restructuring that converted part of his salary to a bonus, two NFL sources tell Kent Somers of the Arizona Republic (via Twitter). Somers figures that the move will give the Cards about $10MM in space.
4:04pm: Larry Fitzgerald said last week that he’d be open to the possibility of restructuring his contract, and it didn’t take him long to back up those comments. Fitzgerald sent out a tweet today announcing that his “first order of business” upon returning to Arizona after the Super Bowl was to sign a reworked deal to help improve the Cardinals’ flexibility for 2014. Though specific numbers aren’t yet known, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com confirms that the star receiver has officially restructured his contract.
Fitzgerald, who was set to enter the fourth year of the eight-year extension he signed with the Cardinals back in 2011, had been slated to earn a base salary of $12.75MM this year, with bonuses bringing his total cap number to $18MM. Assuming the 30-year-old didn’t accept a pay cut, the simplest way for the Cardinals to create cap space for 2014 would involve converting most of his base salary to a bonus that can be spread across the remaining five years on the deal. Such an agreement would increase the amount of guaranteed money owed to Fitzgerald, and increase his cap number in the contract’s later years. We’ll have to wait for the actual figures to be reported, but by my calculations, Arizona could create up to about $9MM in 2014 cap room in the move.
Given how quickly the Cardinals and Fitzgerald reached an agreement, it seems as if the two sides are committed to continuing the relationship, which should quiet trade rumors for now. A recent report suggested that the Patriots contemplated the idea of pursuing Fitzgerald in a trade last offseason, but now that the Cards have reduced his cap number, Arizona is no longer under any immediate pressure to move him. Of course, by putting off their financial commitments to Fitzgerald, the Cardinals will eventually face a similar cap crunch, perhaps as soon as next season, when his cap number was already projected to be over $21MM.
For now though, with their newfound cap flexibility, the Cardinals can turn their attention to retaining some of their prospective free agents, which includes a list of 15 players headed for unrestricted free agency. The team also figures to discuss a long-term deal for Patrick Peterson, who is extension-eligible for the first time this offseason.
Redskins Rumors: Hall, Riley, Orakpo, Cousins
Within the last two days, we’ve heard reports that the Redskins are discussing new long-term contracts for free-agents-to-be DeAngelo Hall and Perry Riley. GM Bruce Allen confirmed as much today, telling Zac Boyer of the Washington Times that the team has engaged in negotiations with reps for those two players, as well as linebacker Brian Orakpo. According to Allen, the Redskins coaching staff is still evaluating the team’s free agents, so exact figures likely won’t be exchanged with those players and their agents until the end of the month.
Here’s more on the Redskins:
- Within Boyer’s piece, Allen also indicated that Kirk Cousins hadn’t requested a trade and that the team plans to have its second-string quarterback back next season: “There’s no change from our perspective on Kirk. That’s it. We’re comfortable with Kirk.” For what it’s worth, the weekend report on Cousins suggested he was open to a trade, not that he’d asked for one.
- Allen also spoke to Boyer about the limitations that the 2012 and 2013 cap penalties still place on the Redskins: “We have the same [cap] number everybody else does this year, which is different, but if you look at the cap room around the league, that’s because everybody carried room over from the previous year, so we don’t have that. We have a lot of free agents. We have a lot of holes on the team that we need to fill, and the key is to look at our guys first and then we’ll look around, but having an understanding of what’s also in the draft.”
- ESPN.com’s John Keim examines a few ways the Redskins could clear even more cap space, and takes an in-depth look at the club’s cornerback situation.
- Replying to Keim’s cornerback piece, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com notes (via Twitter) that Aqib Talib looks like a logical free agent target for Washington, given Talib’s connection to Allen, who drafted him in Tampa Bay, and Redskins DB coach Raheem Morris, who coached him in Tampa.
Nick Collins Attempting Comeback
4:23pm: According to Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin (via Twitter), Collins’ status and prognosis remains unchanged, with doctors still believing that the risk of him playing is too great. That doesn’t bode well for his comeback chances.
12:46pm: Nick Collins was one of the most productive safeties in the NFL during the last few years of the 2000s, earning three straight Pro Bowl berths from 2008 to 2010. Collins sustained a neck injury in the second week of the 2011 season that seemingly ended his career, but now the ex-Packer appears to be attempting a comeback.
After tweeting yesterday that he was “ready for action,” the three-time All-Pro sent out a second tweet that read: “Who’s looking for a top notch free safety. This kid is ready to dominate #2014.” Sources close to Collins confirmed to Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that he wants to return to the NFL.
Collins underwent cervical fusion surgery following his neck injury in 2011, and was eventually released by the Packers in 2012 when the team expressed unease with allowing him to return to the field. Later that year, Collins’ agent conceded that his client’s playing career was likely over, but the former second-round pick himself always maintained that he wanted to return to action.
It remains to be seen if team doctors will medically clear Collins to play in the NFL, and whether or not a club would feel comfortable signing him. It’s also unclear how effective Collins would be if he played again, considering it’ll be three years this September since he last appeared in an NFL game. Still, he’s just 30 years old and was performing at an elite level before his injury. It would certainly make a great story if Collins can return to the league and stay healthy, but we’ll have to wait and see how his comeback progresses.
Dolphins Rumors: Martin, Hickey, McKinnie
While the Jonathan Martin/Richie Incognito text messages obtained by The Big Lead have produced the major Dolphins-related story of the last 24 hours, it’s unlikely that either player ever wears a Miami uniform again. Incognito is a free agent, but new GM Dennis Hickey will be tasked with making a move with Martin, who will almost certainly be either traded or waived before the 2014 season gets underway. Speaking of Hickey, his contract has been a key point of discussion amidst Tuesday’s other Dolphins updates, so let’s dive in and round up the latest….
- Citing multiple sources, ESPN.com’s James Walker reported today that Hickey’s deal with the Dolphins is for just two years. Assuming that’s true, it would expire at the same time as the contract for head coach Joe Philbin, after the 2015 season.
- According to Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald, however, the Dolphins are denying the ESPN report, saying that Hickey’s contract is for more than two years (Twitter link). The team didn’t specify the length of the deal, so I wonder if it’s a matter of semantics — perhaps there’s a third-year team option after the first two years, for instance.
- As Walker noted in his piece, most general managers receive deals for between three and five years. The length of Hickey’s deal would be telling, since it would signal whether the club is invested long-term in its new GM or is giving itself an out to potentially make another change in a year or two.
- In an interview with Finsiders.com, offensive lineman Bryant McKinnie expressed a desire to re-sign with the Dolphins this offseason. Said the 34-year-old free-agent-to-be: “I plan on playing for a couple more years and it would be great to just finish my career [in Miami] where I already have a home.”
Free Agent Stock Watch: Eric Decker
Few receivers put up better numbers during the 2013 campaign than Eric Decker. In his fourth NFL season, Decker established new career-highs in receptions (87) and receiving yards (1,288), while hauling in 10 touchdown passes. All three totals ranked in the NFL’s top 12, and the 26-year-old’s advanced stats were even more impressive — he placed fourth in DYAR among receivers, behind only teammate Demaryius Thomas, Jordy Nelson, and Anquan Boldin.
The career year couldn’t have come at a better time for Decker, who is poised to hit unrestricted free agency for the first time this offseason after earning a base salary of just $1.32MM in 2013. He reportedly plans to test the market, which is no surprise given his competition on the market (Boldin and Julian Edelman are the only free agent WRs whose numbers came close to Decker’s 2013 production) and the deals signed by receivers in recent years.
Taking into account Decker’s career totals as well as his 2013 numbers, his resumé arguably looks better than Mike Wallace‘s did when the former Steeler reached free agency a year ago, and Wallace secured a five-year, $60MM contract in Miami, with $27MM in guaranteed money. While Wallace landed the largest free agent deal for a receiver on the open market last year, there were a couple other comparable contracts signed, including Dwayne Bowe‘s five-year pact with Kansas City ($11.2MM per year, $20MM guaranteed) and Greg Jennings‘ five-year deal with the Vikings ($9MM annually, $17.8MM guaranteed). Factoring in Decker’s track record, age, and durability, you could make the case that his stock as he approaches free agency is higher than that of any of those receivers.
Still, as impressive as Decker’s performance to date has been, potential suitors will take notice of a handful of red flags. The fact that Decker had Peyton Manning throwing him the ball helped buoy his overall stat line significantly, and he also benefited from the presence of other receiving threats like Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, and Wes Welker, meaning he frequently faced single coverage. Additionally, there may be question marks about his ability to produce against physical secondaries, particularly after his no-show against the Seahawks in Sunday’s Super Bowl, a game in which he totaled just six yards on one catch.
With or without Manning and the Broncos offense, Decker is a talented playmaker, but the recent history of free agent receivers suggest that interested teams should proceed with caution. After securing big paydays last winter, both Wallace and Jennings failed to put up 1,000-yard seasons, and combined for just nine TDs between them. Wallace was excellent in Pittsburgh playing across from Antonio Brown with Ben Roethlisberger throwing them the ball, while Jennings excelled in Green Bay catching passes from Aaron Rodgers alongside players like Nelson, Jermichael Finley, and James Jones. But being paired with lesser quarterbacks and assuming a number one role limited both Wallace’s and Jennings’ production last season. It’s not hard to imagine Decker’s receiving totals taking a similar hit if he finds himself in a comparable situation in 2014.
As such, it’s possible that teams will temper their enthusiasm for Decker, perhaps submitting bids more comparable to recent deals signed by players like Victor Cruz ($8.6MM per year, $15.63MM guaranteed), Mike Williams ($7.92MM per year, $14.6MM guaranteed), or Antonio Brown ($8.39MM per year, $8.5MM guaranteed). The Jets, Browns, Patriots, Ravens, and Rams are among the teams who could turn to the free agent market for receiving help, though none of those clubs necessarily possess the perfect combination of cap flexibility and offensive firepower that would attract Decker.
If Decker isn’t blown away by any offers on the open market, a return to Denver remains a possibility. The Broncos likely wouldn’t be able to make the most competitive offer in years and dollars, given their limited cap flexibility and the need to take care of several other players who are hitting free agency this year or next. However, the team has the ability to clear some cap space this offseason, and could probably fit Decker in if he were willing to accept a small hometown discount. For his part, Decker recently indicated he loves the city of Denver and hopes he and the team can work something out.
Still, history suggests that there will be at least one team willing to bet the farm on Decker’s ability to be a No. 1 receiver, or at least to share that role with another player. Concerns about whether Decker can sustain his previous level of production on another offense and with another quarterback may keep his price below Wallace’s range, but it’s not hard to imagine the Minnesota native landing a five-year contract worth in the neighborhood of $10MM annually, with between $15-20MM in guaranteed money.