Texans Leaning Toward Manziel, Bortles?
After a disappointing 2013 campaign, the Texans will have the first overall pick in the 2014 draft, and the team currently appears to be eyeing a pair of top college quarterbacks, according to Russ Lande of SportsOnEarth.com. Citing “trusted sources,” Lande reports that the Texans are initially leaning toward selecting either Johnny Manziel or Blake Bortles with the top pick.
We’re still more than three months away from draft night, so teams and players will complete plenty of evaluations and workouts before that point, which could affect players’ stocks significantly. As such, any present-day assessments should be taken with a grain of salt. Still, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle has repeatedly reported that the Texans will draft a quarterback with the No. 1 pick, and Manziel and Bortles represent two out of the consensus top three names at the position — Teddy Bridgewater is the third.
According to Lande, Texans owner Bob McNair prefers Manziel, but new head coach Bill O’Brien isn’t 100% sure that the former Texas A&M signal-caller possesses “the work ethic and intangibles necessary” to lead an NFL franchise.
Assuming the Texans become comfortable with the idea of selecting one of the top QBs in the 2014 draft, former starter Matt Schaub figures to be a cap casualty. Cutting Schaub would clear about $3.6MM in ’14 cap space for the Texans.
AFC Notes: Alex Smith, Broncos, Ravens, Pats
Alex Smith is eligible for free agency next winter, but the Chiefs intend to keep their quarterback around longer than that. Team chairman Clark Hunt told 810 WHB in Kansas City (link via Adam Teicher of ESPN.com) that when the Chiefs traded for Smith, a long-term extension was part of their plan.
“I don’t think that thinking has changed,” Hunt said. “He came in and did a nice job. We’re glad to have him as a part of the Kansas City Chiefs and we hope it’s longer than a two-year stay.”
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- A number of prospective Denver free agents, including Eric Decker, Shaun Phillips, and Mike Adams, have expressed a preference to remain with the Broncos, but it looks like the team will let its free agents hit the open market, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. At that point, the Broncos will have a better understanding of its players’ market value, though it may reduce the likelihood of bringing back certain players.
- Jeff Zrebiec passes along a number of interesting Ravens-related items in his latest piece for the Baltimore Sun. In discussing the team’s draft plans. Zrebiec surmises that the Ravens will likely target either an offensive lineman or a receiving weapon with their first-round pick, though Zrebiec himself thinks it could make sense to draft a playmaking safety.
- Free agent safety Antoine Bethea won’t be a “slam-dunk signing” for the Colts this winter, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star details.
- Christopher L. Gasper of the Boston Globe believes the Patriots ought to be focusing less on shoring up the bottom third of their roster and more on acquiring impact talent.
Lions Links: Suh, Isles, Tillman, Free Agents
The Lions were awarded the first waiver claim of the offseason yesterday, grabbing safety Isa Abdul-Quddus from the Saints. That will be far from the last move in what figures to be a busy winter in Detroit, so let’s check in on a few links examining some of the decisions facing the team….
- In a column for the Detroit Free Press, Drew Sharp argues that the Lions should move on from Ndamukong Suh, attempting to trade him for draft picks rather than working out a new deal that reduces his $22.4MM cap number for 2014. However, an extension is the likelier outcome. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reports (via Twitter) that the team plans to re-open talks when Suh hires a new agent.
- Rugby speedster Carlin Isles signed a reserve/futures contract with the Lions a few weeks ago, but is still undecided on whether to pursue an NFL career or to focus on winning 2016 Olympic gold in rugby, according to a CNN report.
- Asked if he’d consider signing with the Lions as a free agent this offseason, defensive back Charles Tillman acknowledged that it’d probably be “a little awkward in the beginning,” but sounded open to the possibility, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com.
- Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com takes an extended look at all 22 of the Lions’ 2014 free agents.
- Lions backup QB Shaun Hill is among the team’s unrestricted free agents, and his future will depend on whether he wants a better shot at playing time elsewhere and whether the club’s new coaching staff wants a backup more familiar with its system, as Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com outlines.
Perry Riley, Redskins Not Close On New Deal
The Redskins have begun talking to Perry Riley‘s camp about a new contract for the linebacker, but the two sides don’t appear close to reaching a new deal yet, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (via Twitter). Riley is one of several Redskins defensive starters poised to hit unrestricted free agency next month.
Riley isn’t necessarily viewed as one of the top free agents on the market, but he has started each of Washington’s last 40 games over three seasons, and is still just 25 years old. Considering London Fletcher plans to retire and Brian Orakpo is also eligible for free agency, retaining Riley figures to become one of the Redskins’ top priorities this offseason.
According to Jones (via Twitter), there are those who expect Riley to seek a contract similar to the one signed by Dolphins linebacker Dannell Ellerbe a year ago. Ellerbe inked a five-year pact that will pay him $7MM per year, with a $14MM overall guarantee. The Redskins have significantly more cap flexibility than usual this winter, but if Riley’s asking price is that high, the team figures to let him test the free agent waters in March to gauge his worth, tweets Jones.
NFC Notes: Lions, Bucs, Falcons, Eagles
With Super Bowl XLVIII now comfortably in our rear-view mirrors, let’s round up a few Monday updates from around the NFC….
- The Lions will have to clear significant money from their books over the next few weeks in order to get under the cap for 2014 and make room for draft picks, says Justin Rogers of MLive.com. In examining the team’s possible options, Rogers notes that Detroit could save about $5.5MM by releasing receiver Nate Burleson and another $5.5MM or so by cutting safety Louis Delmas.
- A weekend report suggested that the Buccaneers are among the teams that will have interest in Michael Vick in free agency this offseason, but Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com isn’t convinced that signing Vick would be the right move for Tampa Bay.
- In a pair of pieces for ESPN.com, Vaughn McClure examines the role that new assistant GM Scott Pioli will have in Atlanta this offseason, and looks into how the Falcons may try to replace Tony Gonzalez at tight end.
- Tim McManus and Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com discuss the Eagles‘ defensive line situation, disagreeing slightly on how strong a priority it should be this offseason.
- Wide receiver, cornerback, and center figure to be areas of focus in the draft for the 49ers, according to Bill Williamson of ESPN.com, who names a few potential targets at each of those positions.
Lions Claim Abdul-Quddus, Bengals Cut Powell
The NFL’s waiver period got underway today, and the league announced that a single claim was made: The Lions claimed safety Isa Abdul-Quddus off waivers from the Saints (Twitter link via Field Yates of ESPN Boston). Additionally, the Bengals cut punter Shawn Powell, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link).
Abdul-Quddus, 25, has spent his first three seasons with the Saints, and will be eligible for restricted free agency this offseason. The Lions will have the option of making a tender offer to the Fordham alum, which would ensure that they could match any rival offers he received in free agency. Abdul-Quddus started three games for the Saints during the 2012 season, grabbing a pair of interceptions and recovering a fumble, but saw most of his action in 2013 on special teams.
Powell, meanwhile, had been slated to become an exclusive rights free agent following his second NFL season. Before filling in for the Bengals this season, Powell spent time with the Bills, replacing veteran punter Brian Moorman in 2012 in Buffalo.
Following Specific Players On PFR
As we’ve outlined before, there are a number of different ways to follow Pro Football Rumors via Facebook, Twitter, Google+, and RSS. If you don’t want to follow all the site’s updates, you can subscribe to team-specific or transaction-only Facebook, Twitter, and RSS feeds. Although we don’t have Facebook pages or Twitter feeds for specific players, it’s easy to follow all our updates on your favorite player.
If, for instance, you want to keep track of all the latest news and rumors on Eric Decker as he approaches free agency, you can visit this page. If you’re interested in keeping tabs on the latest trade rumors involving Kirk Cousins, you can find Cousins’ page right here. In addition to players, we also maintain archives for certain specific topics. For example, all our posts relating to the 2014 NFL draft can be found here.
Every player we’ve written about has his own rumors page, and each of those players also has his own RSS feed, making it even easier to follow the latest updates. Links to RSS feeds for specific players are all located on this page. You can also find links to RSS feeds for various miscellaneous categories there. For instance, if you only want to receive one update every Sunday recapping the week’s notable headlines, you can subscribe to our Week in Review RSS feed, right here.
AFC Links: Bailey, Davis, Harrison, Dolphins
During the week leading up to the Super Bowl, Champ Bailey indicated that he hoped to his continue his playing career and didn’t have any interest in moving from cornerback to safety. However, after the game last night, Bailey appeared willing to compromise on one of those two stances. The longtime corner suggested that he’d “definitely look into” playing safety if it’s something that makes sense for him and the Broncos, according to Matt Walks of the Denver Post. Of course, given his $10MM cap number for 2014, Bailey isn’t a mortal lock to remain in Denver, at least at that price.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- While Vontae Davis is expected to be among a strong crop of free agent cornerbacks this offseason, both he and the Colts seem to have interest in a reunion, writes Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star. There’s no guarantee that the team will re-sign Davis, but Holder expects the two sides to “work diligently” on a new contract in the coming weeks.
- Jets defensive tackle Damon Harrison, who will be eligible for restricted free agency a year from now, has changed agents, joining CAA Sports, tweets Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal.
- ESPN.com’s James Walker examines a list of potential cap casualties for the Dolphins, led by offensive lineman Jonathan Martin.
- One of the Dolphins‘ GM candidates who didn’t get the job tells Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald (Twitter link) that he believes the club is one good offseason away from a playoff berth, and two or three years away from bigger things.
- With backup quarterback Charlie Whitehurst facing free agency, the Chargers will have to decide whether to bring him back or to add another signal-caller via the draft, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com.
NFC East Notes: Bryant, Orakpo, Redskins
While the Redskins, Eagles, and Giants should all have a moderate amount of cap flexibility this offseason, no team in the NFL currently projects to be further over the 2014 cap than the Cowboys, as Jason Fitzgerald’s newest update as OverTheCap.com shows. With about $152MM in total commitments among their top 51 contracts for 2014, the Cowboys will likely have to clear $24MM+ in salary before March 11 in order to get under the cap. As we look forward to seeing Dallas’ moves over the next several weeks, let’s check in on a few other NFC East items….
- Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant is eligible for unrestricted free agency a year from now, but it doesn’t sound like he’s thinking ahead to the possibility of testing the market. Asked by TMZ about his upcoming free agency, Bryant replied, “I don’t even think about leaving Dallas. I’m Dallas forever” (hat tip to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com).
- In his latest piece for the Washington Post, Mike Jones discusses Brian Orakpo‘s impending free agency, noting that some league insiders believe the linebacker will be seeking something in the $10MM per year range on a long-term contract. Responding to Jones’ column, cap expert Joel Corry tweets that Orakpo’s asking price figures to exceed $10MM annually and will probably be in the neighborhood of $30MM in guaranteed money. As Jones writes, the Redskins will certainly attempt to work out a multiyear deal with Orakpo, but may also consider using the franchise tag in order to put off a long-term commitment for one more season.
- The NFL’s offseason waiver system opens today, and it figures to be of great interest to the Redskins, according to Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com. The Redskins may not have their second overall pick, but they have the second overall waiver priority, meaning that when other teams start to release young players, Washington will essentially have its pick of those players on waivers.
Seahawks Notes: Wilson, Roster, Salary Cap
A day after securing the first championship in franchise history, the Seahawks opened as the odds-on favorites to win next year’s Super Bowl. According to website Bovada.lv, Seattle currently has 9/2 odds to repeat as NFL champions next season, while the 49ers rank second at 15/2 and the Broncos place third at 8/1. Here’s more on the champs:
- Since Russell Wilson still has a cheap cap number for two more years, GM John Schneider is in a great spot to keep adding complementary players around him, or at least to keep the current core intact, writes ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano. “Obviously, we feel like we have a really strong foundation,” Schneider said. “Every team’s looking for a great pass rush, a great quarterback and a strong runner like Marshawn [Lynch].”
- Adam Schefter of ESPN.com agrees that the Seahawks have a bright future, suggesting that the club is “very well-positioned” to keep its important players under contract going forward.
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Mike Sando takes a look at the keys for the Seahawks if they want this Super Bowl win to be the start of a dynasty. In Sando’s view, Seattle’s priorities should include developing the passing game, improving the offensive line, extending the right players, and keeping the draft pipeline open.
- Taking into account tenders for restricted free agents and exclusive rights players, the Seahawks currently project to be about $4MM above the anticipated salary cap for 2014, according to cap expert Joel Corry (via Twitter). Teams have until March 11 to get under the cap for the ’14 season.