Important 2014 NFL Offseason Dates
The most important date on the NFL’s 2014 calendar is just around the corner, with Super Sunday now less than a week away. But while the 2013/14 season will come to an end after the Seahawks and Broncos play on Sunday night, that doesn’t mean February 2 is the last day worth circling on the calendar until the summer. In the coming weeks and months, there are plenty of dates to keep an eye on, as NFL teams make roster decisions and prepare for next season.
Here’s a breakdown of a few of the NFL’s key offseason dates:
February 17: First day for teams to designate a franchise or transition player.
February 19-25: The NFL scouting combine will be held in Indianapolis.
March 8: First day for teams to contact agents of players who will become unrestricted free agents on March 11. Free agent contracts can’t be signed yet, but informal agreements can be reached.
March 11: The 2014 league year begins, and free agency opens. By 3:00 pm central time, teams must make decisions on player options, submit qualifying offers to restricted free agents, submit minimum tenders to exclusive rights free agents, and be under the 2014 salary cap. Trades can be made after 3:00pm CT.
March 23-26: The NFL owners meetings will be held in Orlando.
May 2: Deadline for restricted free agents to sign offer sheets.
May 7: Deadline for previous club to exercise right of first refusal (ie. match offer sheets) on restricted free agents.
May 8-10: The NFL draft will be held in New York.
May 19-21: The NFL spring meeting will be held in Atlanta.
June 2: Deadline for previous club to submit a June 1 tender to its unsigned unrestricted free agents, and to submit a June 1 tender to its unsigned restricted free agents who haven’t signed an offer sheet.
June 16: Deadline for teams to withdraw qualifying offers to their restricted free agents and still retain exclusive negotiating rights via the June 15 tender.
July 15: Deadline for teams to work out multiyear contracts with free agents designated as franchise players.
July 22: Signing period ends for unrestricted free agents who received a June 1 tender, and for transition players with outstanding tenders. The player’s previous club retains exclusive negotiating rights from this date until Week 10 of the regular season.
ESPN.com and Pride of Detroit were used in the creation of this post.
Dolphins Interviewing Nick Caserio For GM Job
SATURDAY, 8:41am: Caserio will continue interviewing with the team today, according to Ian Rapoport (via Twitter).
FRIDAY, 12:38pm: The Dolphins officially announced (via Twitter) that they’ve completed their interview with Caserio.
11:56am: Unsatisfied with their list of general manager finalists, the Dolphins will interview Patriots director of pro personnel Nick Caserio today, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). The news comes a day after one of the favorites for the job, Ray Farmer, withdrew his name from contention.
With Farmer out of the mix, Dolphins assistant GM Brian Gaine and Titans VP of player personnel Lake Dawson are believed to be among the finalists, with Bucs director of player personnel Dennis Hickey also potentially still in the running. The Dolphins were believed to be whittling down their list and approaching the final stage of the process, but by bringing in Caserio, it seems the team hasn’t finished adding to its list of candidates.
Multiple reports have suggested there’s some confusion or uncertainty among the Dolphins’ interviewees about how the power structure in the team’s front office would work, and Caserio has enjoyed plenty of success in his current role with the Pats, so it will be interesting to see if he’s open to leaving New England if the Dolphins decide he’s their man. Andrew Abramson of the Palm Beach Post indicated yesterday that Miami is expected to make a hire next week.
NFC Notes: Peterson, Packers, 49ers, Bailey
Adrian Peterson mused last month about the possibility of finishing his NFL career in his home state of Texas, but if that comes to fruition, it won’t be anytime soon, according to Vikings GM Rick Spielman. In a conversation with Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, Spielman shut down any Peterson trade rumors before they began.
“Adrian’s not going anywhere,” Spielman said. “We have him under contract, he is the face of our franchise, he is a blue-chip player, and we have a new coaching staff coming into place, and you know, [we’re] very excited about what’s coming ahead for us.”
Let’s round up a few more Friday notes from around the NFC…
- Heading into the offseason, the Packers figure to be seeking an outside linebacker to play opposite Clay Matthews in the team’s 3-4 scheme, writes Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- The 49ers already have 11 picks in hand for May’s draft, and expect to add one more compensatory pick at the end of the third or fourth round, according to Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com.
- Adding a veteran safety appears to be a goal for the Falcons this offseason, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com outlines.
- While the Bears will likely be eyeing defensive tackles in May’s draft, their specific targets will depend on their defensive scheme, says Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times, citing a few possible options for the club.
- Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com has the financial breakdown on Dan Bailey‘s new seven-year deal with the Cowboys, which includes a cap number of $1.7MM for 2014.
- A number of NFC players saw their 2014 base salaries escalate or de-escalate based on their 2013 playing time, and Brian McIntyre provides the details on a handful of them in a series of several tweets.
David Diehl Announces Retirement
Longtime Giants offensive lineman David Diehl has decided to call it a career, officially announcing his retirement today. Diehl played 11 seasons in New York, starting more than 160 total games at both guard and tackle for the club.
After missing only four games in his first nine seasons, Diehl was slowed by knee problems during the last two years, which contributed to his decision to retire at age 33. A fifth-round pick out of Illinois in 2003, Diehl won a pair of Super Bowls with the Giants, and earned a spot in the 2009 Pro Bowl as a left tackle.
“I’ve accomplished everything I could possibly dream of as a football player,” Diehl said. “If in 2003, anyone would have said that Dave Diehl, a fifth-round draft pick out of Illinois, would win two Super Bowls, play in the Pro Bowl and win every single Giant award possible, people would have said you’re crazy. I have a lot to be proud of.”
With Diehl retiring and Kevin Boothe, who started all 16 games in 2013, facing free agency, the Giants may end up having a couple new regulars protecting Eli Manning next season.
Jaguars Open To Trading No. 3 Pick
The Jaguars are open to the idea of trading the third overall pick in the 2014 draft, GM David Caldwell said at Senior Bowl practices this week, according to Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Jags would be exploring ways to move down, since Caldwell also left the door open for the possibility of moving up to No. 1 or No. 2.
“I don’t think where we’re standing right now that we’re dead set on going in any one direction, whether it’s trading up, trading back, staying where we are and picking,” Caldwell said while attending Senior Bowl practices. “There’s going to be a lot of options there with the third pick.”
The Jaguars need a quarterback and could strongly consider Teddy Bridgewater, Blake Bortles, or Johnny Manziel at No. 3, depending on which QBs are still on the board. However, QB isn’t Jacksonville’s only need, so the team could also go the best player available route with that third overall pick, and opt for someone like defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, as ESPN.com’s Mel Kiper predicted in his first mock draft.
It’s still too early to know which prospects’ stocks will rise or fall, and which other teams might be looking to move up or down in the draft, but it sounds as if Caldwell and the Jags will weigh all their options between now and May 8th.
AFC North Rumors: Browns, Ravens, Jones
The Browns finally filled the last head coaching opening in the NFL yesterday, hiring Mike Pettine away from the Bills. Pettine indicated at yesterday’s press conference that if Cleveland’s search had lasted much longer, he would have withdrawn his name, so as not to leave the Bills hanging indefinitely. But now that he’s got the Browns job, Pettine will look to fill out his staff. Here’s the latest on that front, along with a couple other AFC North items:
- The Browns have interest in former Texans head coach Gary Kubiak for their offensive coordinator position, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link). However, ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter tweets that it’s unlikely Kubiak lands in Cleveland.
- The Ravens are also in the market for an offensive coordinator, with their search in the final stages. The club interviewed internal candidate Jim Hostler and ex-Redskins coordinator Kyle Shanahan for the second time on Thursday, and will have a second interview with Kirby Wilson of the Steelers today, according to Jeff Zrebiec and Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Heading for unrestricted free agency, wide receiver Jacoby Jones says he’d love to return to the Ravens, as Ray Frager of CSNBaltimore.com writes.
NFC East Notes: Davis, Coughlin, Eagles
Earlier today, we heard that the Redskins would be active in free agency, both in retaining their own players and pursuing other options. However, it sounds like one of Washington’s free agents, tight end Fred Davis, may see his stock dip precipitously. Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears from a source that Davis, who has a history of failed drug tests, will face a six-game suspension (Twitter link).
Here’s more from around the NFC East:
- The oldest coach in the NFL, 67-year-old Tom Coughlin, still feels as if he could coach multiple years beyond 2014, as he tells Ian O’Connor of ESPN Radio (link via ESPNNewYork.com). Giants co-owner John Mara recently told ESPN Radio that he intended to talk to Coughlin about a contract extension soon. “He’s going to be our coach here next year,” Mara said. “And hopefully for longer than that, but we haven’t sat down to even talk about that yet.”
- In a pair of pieces for PhillyMag.com, Sheil Kapadia takes a look at a number of defensive prospects at the Senior Bowl that could interest the Eagles.
- Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com wonders if Redskins free-agent-to-be Brian Orakpo might be a fit for the Eagles, eventually concluding that Philadelphia may not want to spend big money on a single player.
Redskins Plan To Be Active In Free Agency
Only a handful of NFL teams will have more cap space this offseason than the Redskins, and the team intends to take advantage of that flexibility by being active in free agency, according to general manager Bruce Allen. As John Keim of ESPN.com details, Allen told SiriusXM NFL Radio hosts Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan that his club is looking forward to exploring the free agent market.
“We’ll have some room,” Allen said. “We’re gonna have some room to do some things. But we have some players who are free agents, and we’re going to talk to them first, to try to retain them. But we have the ability to maneuver around, and we’ll be active in free agency.”
Among those pending free agents for Washington are several players on defense, including linebacker Brian Orakpo and defensive backs DeAngelo Hall and Josh Wilson. While the Redskins will likely make an effort to retain Orakpo and perhaps a few others, I’d expect the club to focus in free agency on retooling a unit that allowed 478 points in 2013, tied for the second-worst mark in the league.
Although the Redskins also figure to add some talent through the draft, the team’s first-round pick belongs to the Rams, meaning Washington’s plan to explore the free agent market is somewhat born out of necessity. Without that second overall pick, the Redskins’ best opportunity to add an impact player or two will likely come via free agency.
Execs Not Expecting Extensions For 2011 Class
The rookie class of 2011 was the first group to be subjected to the rules of the new CBA, which significantly reduced the earning ability for young NFL players. Having completed three seasons, those players drafted in 2011 will be eligible for contract extensions for the first time this offseason, but according to Jason Cole of the National Football Post, executives around the league are skeptical that many players will cash in.
While teams will be able to negotiate new contracts with big-name 2011 draftees like Cam Newton, J.J. Watt, and A.J. Green, clubs will also have the opportunity to simply tender their ’11 first-round picks a fifth-year option, putting off contract talks at least one more year. For players drafted in the top 10, that 2015 option would be worth the average amount of the top 10 highest salaries at that player’s position. For players drafted between 11 and 32, the option salary would be calculated by averaging the third through 25th highest salaries at the player’s position.
For a defensive lineman like Watt, that would mean a fifth-year option worth in the neighborhood of $5-6MM, rather than a big payday this year. The Texans would then have the opportunity to use the franchise tag on him for 2016, meaning it still may be several more years before he and other 2011 draftees sign long-term contracts.
“If I was Houston and had Watt or I was the Jets with [Muhammad] Wilkerson, why do anything right now?” one executive told Cole. “What’s the pressure on the team? Sure, if you get a good deal and you can buy out three or four more years, essentially buy his whole career, maybe.”
Since the players’ fifth-year salaries would be non-guaranteed except in the event of injuries, executives expect virtually every 2011 first-rounder to be kept under contract via the option. Even underachieving ’11 picks like Adrian Clayborn and Gabe Carimi of the Bucs are worth tendering a fifth-year contract, since there’d be plenty of upside in having them locked up for an extra year if they have strong 2014 campaigns.
“You’d probably have to alter the contract a little so that you could buy insurance for the season against an injury,” noted an NFC executive. “But that’s not expensive. If you’re talking about a $13MM or $14MM salary, the insurance is about $150K and you’d get the cap credit back.”
The opportunity teams have to use that fifth-year option doesn’t mean we won’t hear rumors this offseason about players like Newton and Watt negotiating extensions, and some players may even work out long-term deals. But given the presence of that strong fallback option for NFL clubs, 2011 first-rounders won’t have a ton of leverage in contract discussions.
NFC East Links: Avant, Eagles, Cowboys
Here’s the latest out of the NFC East:
- Coming off his least productive season since 2008, Jason Avant still believes he has plenty left in the tank, as he tells Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com. However, the Eagles will have to make a decision in the coming weeks on what to do with Avant, who is scheduled to receive a $1MM roster bonus in March, on top of his $2.25MM base salary.
- The Eagles figure to be targeting safeties again in the 2014 draft, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer, detailing a number of possible options for the team.
- Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones indicated that the team is open to drafting a quarterback in May, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- On the heels of kicker Dan Bailey inking a seven-year contract with the Cowboys, Watkins explores a few candidates for the next Dallas player to receive a long-term extension, starting with Dez Bryant.