Draft Rumors: Mixon, Charlton, McCaffrey
The Chiefs are “still doing research” on embattled Oklahoma running back Joe Mixon, as Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star writes. Several teams have reportedly scratched Mixon off of their draft boards, while others are “digging in hard” on him. Kansas City, of course, selected another talented player with an ugly domestic abuse incident on his record, Tyreek Hill, last year, and Hill was a key component of the club’s success in 2016. Chiefs brass was noncommittal when asked about the possibility of drafting Mixon, simply saying that there is more evaluation to be done. A report last month suggested that, despite Mixon’s history and the fact that some teams are not considering him at all, his draft stock is on the rise.
Now for more draft-related rumors:
- Add the Dolphins to the long list of teams with interest in Michigan defensive end Taco Charlton. Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald reports that Miami has scheduled a visit with Charlton, who is a consensus first-round talent. Charlton has also met, or will meet, with at least seven other clubs.
- As Rich Cimini of ESPN.com observes, the Jets will have met with every top QB prospect in the draft by the time draft day arrives, but he believes those visits are more of a smokescreen than anything else. New York is clearly in rebuilding mode, and Cimini posits that the Jets are hoping to drive up the value of their No. 6 overall pick, which he does not believe the club will use on a signal-caller, despite public suggestions to the contrary.
- Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com believes the Giants will select a quarterback in the draft, but he does not think Big Blue will use a first- or second-round selection on one. Instead, he suggests New York will target a player like Josh Dobbs or Jerrod Evans in the middle rounds. He adds that the Giants would love to draft former Stanford star Christian McCaffrey, but it’s unlikely McCaffrey will still be on the board when the Giants make their No. 23 overall selection.
- Thanks to Jesse James‘ surprisingly effective 2016 campaign, the Steelers do not have to select a starting-caliber tight end in this month’s draft, as Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette suggests. The club has proven that it can win with James as a starter, although Ladarius Green‘s health concerns may still compel Pittsburgh to select a developmental tight end in the middle rounds of the draft. Fittipaldo names Michigan’s Jake Butt — who may have been a first-round prospect but for his devastating knee injury in the last game of his collegiate career — Arkansas’ Jeremy Sprinkle, and Iowa’s George Kittle as potential targets.
- Mary Kay Cabot of The Cleveland Plain Dealer believes that the Browns will draft Mitch Trubisky somewhere in the first round — although presumably not with the No. 1 overall selection, as the team seems set to take Myles Garrett there — if Trubisky is available. If they cannot somehow land Trubisky, Cabot believes Patrick Mahomes is the backup plan. Mahomes is probably not worth the Browns’ No. 12 overall selection, but he may be gone by the time Cleveland picks again at No. 33, so if the Browns want Mahomes, they may need to trade into the bottom of the first round to get him.
NFL Held Owners-Only Meeting Last Week
From the people that brought you players-only meetings comes the equally exciting owners-only meetings. As Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reports, one session of the league meetings in Arizona last week included only club owners. Florio describes such meetings as unusual, but not unprecedented, and he lays out some of the discussions that took place behind closed doors.
Unsurprisingly, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was the ringleader of the conference, as he knows from experience that most of the membership will choose to remain silent in those situations. Jones was the one who introduced topics about which he and other owners have questions and concerns.
One of those topics was commissioner Roger Goodell‘s salary. Currently, a subset of the owners, the Compensation Committee, handles the determination and negotiation of Goodell’s pay, and a few owners believe that increased involvement from the rest of the membership would be beneficial to the league, which is a nice way of saying that they believe Goodell’s salary is too high. The owners also discussed a potential succession plan for the commissioner’s job, but a source close to Jones indicated that Jones remains committed Goodell, which, given Jones’ influence over the rest of the owners, is good news for the incumbent.
That does not mean, however, that Jones does not have concerns. For instance, he wants the league to drop its prohibition on marijuana use, although such a policy change would have to come out of labor negotiations and would require the players to make one or more concessions to the league (Jones, of course, has seen a number of his own players be hit with suspensions under the league’s substance-abuse policy in recent years).
Jones also wants the league to terminate its practice of investigating off-field misconduct. The NFL stepped up its vigilance in that regard following the Ray Rice incident, but Jones, who has seen firsthand the inefficiencies of such investigations during the Ezekiel Elliott saga, believes that the league may be biting off more than it can chew. Perhaps realizing that those sentiments may result in a public opinion backlash, an NFL spokesman said the NFL continues to maintain its commitment to pursuing investigations that are relevant and meaningful, and that the league office always looks to be efficient when conducting investigations.
For the time being, it does not appear as if any dramatic changes to the league’s operations are imminent. However, one source indicated that owners-only meetings may take place on a more regular basis moving forward.
No Deal Imminent Between Chiefs, Maualuga
The Chiefs brought in former Bengals linebacker Rey Maualuga for a visit earlier this week, but Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star reports that Maualuga left without a contract, and it does not appear as though there is anything imminent between the two sides at this time.
[RELATED: Patrick Mahomes Visits Chiefs]
Kansas City also hosted free agent linebacker Gerald Hodges a few weeks ago as it attempts to bolster a unit that ranked No. 26 in the league against the run in 2016. Hodges, too, left town without a contract.
Maualuga, a USC product, was drafted by the Bengals in the second round of the 2009 draft, and he was a serviceable starter for most of his eight-year tenure in Cincinnati, but he saw his playing time decrease last season, as he was on the field for just 326 snaps in 14 games. He rated as the third-worst linebacker in the league, per Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics.
Most of the Chiefs’ linebackers – including Justin Houston, Derrick Johnson, and Tamba Hali – are homegrown. Victor Ochi, who was previously with the Jets’ taxi squad, is the only LB to join the group since the end of the 2016 season, and he profiles as more of a pass rusher than run-stopper. It appears that the Chiefs’ search for a run-stuffing linebacker will continue on, and they may now turn to the draft to fill that need.
Latest On Kirk Cousins
We learned several days ago that the Redskins offered Kirk Cousins a five-year extension that would begin in 2018, after Cousins plays out the 2017 campaign under the $23.94MM franchise tag. However, we also heard that the two sides remain far apart in negotiations, as the proposed extension does not include significant guaranteed money.
Not only is the Redskins’ current offer not sufficient to tempt Cousins, but John Keim of ESPN.com is pessimistic that a long-term deal will get done at all (some sources, Keim says, are even more pessimistic). Keim believes the club has waited too long to make an offer that Cousins will accept, and that, at this point, Cousins has more incentive to wait and see how things play out in Washington with respect to the direction of the franchise, how he meshes with coach Jay Gruden as a playcaller, etc. After all, if the Redskins want to be sure that Cousins remains with the team in 2018, they would need to apply the franchise tag for a third and final time next year, which would mean paying Cousins over $34MM. If Washington does not offer an extension that includes at least that much in fully-guaranteed money, Cousins may be better off testing the open market, where he would almost certainly be the best quarterback available.
For its part, the team continues to insist that an extension will get done, and perhaps as the July deadline for a long-term pact approaches, Washington will increase its offer enough to get Cousins to eschew the prospect of free agency in 2018. But as Keim notes, the Redskins also have to be realistic and prepare for the chance that Cousins will not be around next year. Not everyone in the organization is as convinced as departed GM Scot McCloughan that 2016 sixth-rounder Nate Sudfeld is the solution, and this year’s crop of rookie signal-callers is believed to be rather weak. Nonetheless, as Keim reports, McCloughan was “studying a lot of quarterbacks” prior to his dismissal, which could have been simple due diligence, or which could have been preparation for life with Cousins.
As our Connor Byrne wrote earlier this week, Cousins has made his case for a sizable commitment since he took over as the Redskins’ starter in 2015. He started all of the Redskins’ games over the past two seasons and helped the team to a 17-14-1 record, including an NFC East title in 2015. Along the way, Cousins combined for over 9,000 yards, 54 touchdowns and 23 interceptions.
NFC Notes: Bucs, Saints, Hankins
We heard earlier this month that the Buccaneers have “loose plans” for Doug Martin, which seemed to substantiate a prior report that the team was considering retaining their long-time running back. Martin, who will be suspended for the first three games of next season as part of a four-game ban he received in 2016 for violating the league’s PED policy, recently completed a voluntary rehab stint and met with head coach Dirk Koetter and GM Jason Licht a week before the scouting combine. Koetter and Licht both had nice things to say about Martin, but they were still vague on his future with the club.
As Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times writes, there are a number of factors working against Martin’s return, including his injury history, the above-referenced suspension, and the fact that his salary is no longer guaranteed as a result of the suspension. Cummings believes the team would be wise to select a running back from the deep class of RBs in the 2017 draft, and if the Bucs land one of this year’s top prospects, that might spell the end of Martin’s tenure in Tampa Bay.
Now for more from the NFC. We took a swing around the AFC earlier today:
- Roy Cummings of Florida Football Insiders says that the Buccaneers‘ recent signing of Nick Folk suggests that the team is prepared to move on from Roberto Aguayo, though Tampa Bay could carry two kickers next season if need be and have Aguayo serve as a kickoff specialist if he cannot beat out Folk for full-time duties. Folk recorded just 39 touchbacks in 2016, the third-worst mark in the league, though he and Aguayo averaged the same distance average on kickoffs.
- The Saints need to bolster their pass rush in 2017, and after signing Alex Okafor earlier this week, they are now meeting with one of the better pass-rushing prospects in this year’s draft class. As Herbie Teope of The Times-Picayune writes, the club is meeting with Kansas State DE Jordan Willis today. Willis is considered a second- or third-round prospect, and New Orleans has been monitoring him in recent months.
- Free agent safety Duke Ihenacho will apparently not return to the Redskins in 2017. As Peter Hailey of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes, Ihenacho fired off several cryptic tweets over the past couple of days indicating that his time with Washington is over. Given that the Redskins recently acquired D.J. Swearinger and plan to move Su’a Cravens back to safety, Ihenacho’s departure makes sense.
- Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com believes there is currently a 50-50 chance that DT Johnathan Hankins returns to the Giants. He also hears that Big Blue wants to add a physical power back to complement Paul Perkins, and LeGarrette Blount could be an option in that regard.
- Dave Birkett of The Detroit Free Press examines seven free agents still on the market that could benefit the Lions, including LB Zach Brown and DE Chris Long.
Contract Details: Taylor, Cook, Willson
The latest contract details from around the NFL:
- Tyrod Taylor, QB (Bills): Taylor earns an additional $500K if the Bills make it to the divisional round of the playoffs in 2017, which becomes $1MM if they advance to the AFC Championship, and $2MM if they advance to the Super Bowl. The same package of incentives applies to 2018 (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk).
- Jared Cook, TE (Raiders): Two years, $10.6MM, $1.6MM in incentives (effectively a one-year $5.3MM deal with $800K in incentives) (Twitter link via Ben Volin of The Boston Globe).
- Luke Willson, TE (Seahawks): One year, $1.8MM, $1MM in incentives (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle).
- Kayvon Webster, CB (Rams): Two years, $7.75MM. Salaries of $2.75MM (guaranteed), $3MM. $1MM 2017 roster bonus guaranteed, $500K 2018 roster bonus guaranteed. (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Sean Spence, LB (Colts): One year, $2.5MM. $750K signing bonus. $500K in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
- Kendall Wright, WR (Bears): One year, $2MM. $250K signing bonus. $2MM in incentives (Twitter link via Wilson).
AFC Notes: Revis, Garoppolo, Lynch
Criminal charges were dropped against free agent cornerback Darrelle Revis earlier this week, which ostensibly opens the door for him to find a new employer soon. Ben Volin of The Boston Globe reports that one league executive believes a Revis reunion with the Patriots is the only thing that makes sense, and while he would likely not serve as a starting corner in New England, he could be used as a strong safety or as cornerback depth. Interestingly, though, Karen Guregian of The Boston Herald tweets that Patriots head coach Bill Belichick told Revis several years ago that Revis’ skill-set did not translate to the safety position. While that does not preclude a New England reunion, it does add an interesting twist to the Revis saga, as many have taken it for granted that Revis will wind up playing safety for whoever signs him in 2017.
Now for more from the AFC:
- As Volin notes in the same piece cited above, the Patriots’ apparent desire to trade Malcolm Butler is reflective of the team’s usual philosophy of getting rid of a player a year too soon instead of a year too late. However, the Pats have notably departed from that philosophy with respect to Jimmy Garoppolo, whom the club has been reticent to trade despite the haul of picks they could acquire in return. Volin says the Patriots’ stance with Garoppolo is simply based on the fact that he plays quarterback, and they believe that if something were to happen to Tom Brady, they could still compete for a title with Garoppolo under center. The team took a similar approach in 2014, when they held onto Ryan Mallett throughout training camp and did not deal him until they were confident that Garoppolo could handle the backup role.
- Some Patriots fans are wondering why the club is willing to trade Butler but handed Stephon Gilmore a mega-deal this offseason. As Dan Hatman of The Scouting Academy (via Mike Reiss of ESPN.com) notes, Gilmore is simply bigger than Butler, and his size and length can create more flexibility for defensive coordinator Matt Patricia when matching up against some of the game’s bigger receivers. Simply put, Gilmore is a premium man corner, and those players get paid.
- Despite the Morris Claiborne signing, Rich Cimini of ESPN.com still expects the Jets to select a cornerback in the first or second round of this year’s draft.
- Saturday night, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes, retired running back Marshawn Lynch retweeted a message in which someone noticed that a musical playlist put together by Lynch contains a track entitled “Oakland Raiders.” The playlist was created in September 2015, but Florio believes the fact that Lynch went ahead and retweeted the message further legitimizes the Lynch-to-Raiders rumors.
- Meanwhile, new Raiders acquisition Cordarrelle Patterson is actively recruiting free agent running back and former Vikings teammate Adrian Peterson to join him in Oakland, as Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. However, the latest reports about a Peterson/Oakland match suggest that Peterson has more interest in the Raiders than the Raiders have in him at the moment.
- Sean Spence agreed to a deal with the Colts earlier today, and Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com tweets that Spence’s former team, the Titans, could use newly-acquired Jonathan Cyprien, a strong safety by trade, to fill Spence’s role as nickel linebacker.
Mark Davis “Dead Set” On Las Vegas
This will not come as much of a surprise to anyone who has been paying attention, but Raiders owner Mark Davis is reportedly “dead set” on moving his club to Las Vegas and has abandoned all pretense of hearing out plans to keep the Raiders in Oakland. Elliott Almond of The Mercury News writes that Davis has not met with Oakland officials in over a year, and he did not speak with Assistant City Administrator Claudia Cappio two weeks ago, when Davis listened to Cappio and other officials make a pitch in Florida to other NFL owners.
Indeed, Davis has not so much as commented on the stadium plan put forth by Hall-of-Famer Ronnie Lott, though as Almond reports, sources familiar with both plans say Oakland could still have a chance to win over enough owners to keep the team where it is. Some owners, apparently, still have concerns about “funding infrastructure” in Las Vegas.
We learned last week that the Raiders will likely not have a lease agreement for a proposed Las Vegas stadium in place before the league owners meet later this month. Nonetheless, the absence of a finalized lease agreement does not mean the league owners will be precluded from voting on the relocation proposal. Instead, they could conditionally approve the relocation as long as the lease adequately addresses issues that are important to the league.
While Davis’ apparent reluctance to even consider Oakland’s overtures will surely anger and frustrate Bay Area fans, Almond reports that Lott’s plan has a fair share of flaws and has been met with skepticism by key league executives. Plus, the city’s proposal is still six to eight months away from being fully complete, which means that Oakland’s fading hopes are contingent upon league owners either postponing the relocation vote or voting against the move altogether, the latter of which seems highly unlikely.
Ben Roethlisberger Leaning Towards 2017 Return
When reports that Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger was mulling retirement surfaced back in January, no one really expected No. 7 to hang up the cleats. Just one week later, we learned that club officials expected the face of their franchise to return, and that was the last public report on the matter. Everyone, it seemed, just assumed that Big Ben would be back in 2017.
But as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk observes, Roethlisberger himself has yet to formally declare his intent to return this season, though it appears as if that could be coming soon. Roethlisberger spoke at the Ignite Men’s Impact Weekend conference at Liberty University on Friday, and he was asked if he’s going to play in 2017. He replied, “I’m leaning towards it” (article via Dale Lolley of the Washington (PA) Observer-Reporter).
Roethlisberger has missed a combined six games because of injuries over the past two seasons, but his production has remained strong. He’s now fresh off his fifth Pro Bowl season, in which he completed 64.4% of his 509 passing attempts, amassed 3,819 yards on 7.5 YPA, and tossed 29 touchdowns against 13 interceptions. Pittsburgh has regularly been a league superpower since it drafted Roethlisberger 11th overall in 2004, having finished with no fewer than eight wins during any of his 13 seasons and gone to the playoffs nine times. Two of those postseason trips have culminated in Super Bowl victories, the latest of which came at the conclusion of the 2009 campaign.
Backup signal-caller Landry Jones recently signed a two-year deal with the Steelers, but the team seems intent on selecting a quarterback in the 2017 draft, which they have not done since they drafted Jones in 2013. This year’s crop of QBs, however, is considered to be rather weak, so it is unclear if Pittsburgh will really be able to find Roethlisberger’s heir apparent in 2017.
Roethlisberger has three years remaining on the contract extension he signed in 2015. He’d owe the Steelers $18.6MM if he were to walk away.
Colts To Sign Sean Spence
The Colts and free agent linebacker Sean Spence have agreed to a one-year, $3MM deal, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports (via Twitter). Spence was not a full-time starter for the division-rival Titans last year, but he did play on nearly 50% of the club’s snaps, managing 50 tackles and three sacks. Indianapolis hopes he can help bolster a unit that ranked 32nd in DVOA against the run in 2016 and placed 31st in DVOA against opposing tight ends.
Spence becomes the latest in a string of free agent additions to the Colts’ linebacker corps, as new GM Chris Ballard has also acquired Jabaal Sheard, Barkevious Mingo, and John Simon. Of course, Sheard, Mingo, and Simon will likely play on the outside, while Spence will roam the middle of the field. The team recently brought Spence in for a visit, along with fellow linebackers Kevin Minter and Jon Bostic, but Minter ultimately signed with the Bengals. Bostic, meanwhile, remains unsigned.
The club opened its offseason by releasing 33-year-old D’Qwell Jackson as it attempts to rejuvenate its defense. Spence is by no means a high-impact acquisition, but he can be a useful player when utilized properly. He ranked as the as the No. 8 LB on PFR’s most recent edition of the top remaining defensive free agents.
Spence, 26, was selected by the Steelers in the third round of the 2012 draft, but the former Miami Hurricane saw his first two NFL seasons wiped out by knee problems. While those health issues contributed to Spence never developing into the sort of player the Steelers may have initially hoped he’d become, Spence did appear in 31 games over his last two seasons in Pittsburgh, starting 13.