Dallas Hopes Key FAs Take Team-Friendly Deals
Although the Cowboys find themselves in the thick of a playoff race, the future of Dallas’ impending free agents has received a great deal of attention over the past several weeks. Here at PFR, we have examined Dez Bryant as an extension candidate, and we have looked at how the respective fates of Bryant and DeMarco Murray appear to be intertwined. Speaking about the club’s unrestricted free agent class as a whole–which includes Bryant, Murray, Doug Free, Rolando McClain, Justin Durant, Nick Hayden, George Selvie and Bruce Carter—Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones has expressed his hope that at least some of those players will accept less money to be part of a potentially bright future in Dallas. Jones said:
“If we’re digging in, what we’re really trying to do is maybe not give everybody what they should deserve, whether it’s Tony Romo, whether it’s Doug Free, whether it’s Dez Bryant, whether it’s DeMarco Murray, because if we want to have the type of team we want to have, everybody has to compromise. It’s our job to try to get people to understand that it can be better for them to maybe take a little bit less and win, and that can pay off for them in the long haul.”
Although the franchise tag for a wide receiver is higher than that of a running back, if the Cowboys are to slap the tag on either Bryant or Murray, it appears more likely that Bryant will be tagged and Murray will get the long-term deal (if Dallas ultimately retains both players, of course). NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport reiterated as much via Twitter this morning, and former agent Joel Corry tweeted that the $11MM tag for Murray would be a windfall for him relative to the running back market.
In response to a reader who asked if the tag was more likely for Bryant than Murray because the team believes it has a better chance of reaching an extension with Murray, Rapoport tweeted that that is not the case. Instead, it simply comes down to the value of the tag for both positions and the fact that the franchise tag enures the Cowboys can hold on to Bryant for at least one more season. Corry, meanwhile, tweets that if Dallas does indeed hit Bryant with the tag, he would like to see Bryant stay away from the team until he gets a prohibition clause and the July 2015 deadline for giving a long-term deal to a franchised player passes (a prohibition clause would disallow the Cowboys from tagging Bryant again after the 2015 season and would therefore greatly increase his negotiating leverage).
Bryant had this to say on the matter:
“At the end of the day, I want to win. But at the same time, I have a family and that’s what is important. I feel like, hey, I put the work in, I got to get myself some kind of credit.”
Murray was not quoted in the Machota piece, but at this point it seems as though a tag for Bryant and a long-term deal for Murray is the most likely scenario. Whether or not either player, or any of the other Cowboys’ free agents, ultimately accepts less money to play for a winning ball club may well depend on if Dallas can avoid another winter swoon and capitalize on the promise of the 2014 season.
Sunday Roundup: Jags, Cowboys, Randy Moss
PFR’s Ben Levine wrote yesterday that Jaguars owner Shad Khan expects his club to be active in free agency in 2015, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union followed up on Khan’s statements this morning. O’Halloran, noting that the Jags have nearly $30MM in cap room, a “figure that could double with rollover (unused) dollars, an increase in the cap and cleared space from veterans who will be released or not re-signed,” will have a whole host of opportunities to improve their roster next year.
Although Jacksonville is still far from a destination of choice for the league’s top free agents, Khan noted that it is not just the money that the team has to spend that excites him, it is the fact that 2014 has revealed the specific needs that the Jaguars need to address in the offseason. As our Rob DiRe pointed out yesterday, the team could look to add a defensive lineman, a free safety, and a pair of linebackers.
Now for some more links from around the league:
- An earlier report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport claimed that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, but Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes that owner Jerry Jones said there were no curfew violations because there is no curfew. Meanwhile, head coach Jason Garrett said there is a curfew, at midnight. As Alper notes, this is not the first time Garrett and Jones have issued contradictory statements regarding the team’s inner machinations, and the Cowboys need a win today to divert attention from what should have been a non-issue.
- In the wake of the mounting criticism surrounding Falcons head coach Mike Smith, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution sides with defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora, who believes the coaching staff is not the problem. Ledbetter writes, “If the Falcons get rid of the winningest coach in team history, it won’t be about winning football games. It will be about selling tickets and premium seat licenses to the new stadium.”
- Marc Sessler of NFL.com says retired wideout Randy Moss, to whom the Seahawks made overtures after trading Percy Harvin, said he would come out of retirement if Peyton Manning and the Broncos came calling.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that “how the season ends — and how [Marshawn] Lynch plays — may matter only so much in the debate” as to whether the Seahawks should retain Lynch after this season. Instead, “it will still come down largely to one thing — will the Seahawks think it worth it to pay Lynch $7 million in 2015 when he’s 29 years old? And will Lynch be happy playing out the final year or would he ask for more money?”
- ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith‘s suspension was not reduced as expected, thereby allowing him to participate in today’s game, because “while Smith did more than mandated in terms of community service, he did not fulfill the obligations assigned him in terms of his counseling protocol.”
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that, although the Browns and Brian Hoyer have not engaged in contract talks since the summer, sources indicate the deal that Andy Dalton recently signed with the Bengals will be the benchmark for future negotiations.
East Notes: Cowboys, Jets, McAdoo
Less than two weeks ago, the Cowboys were 6-1 and sitting pretty atop the NFC East. Then, late in a Week 8 loss to the Redskins, Tony Romo went down with a back injury that will hinder him for the rest of the season, and Dallas went on to drop last week’s contest to the Cardinals to fall to second place in the division. Although the Cowboys have a good chance to right the ship today against the 1-8 Jaguars, all is apparently not well in Big D.
NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweets that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, and that the club’s coaches and veteran players are “frustrated.” Furthermore, Rapoport notes in a series of tweets that Dallas harbors off-the-field concerns with star receiver Dez Bryant, who is due for a massive contract extension. Rapoport notes that DeSoto City Police have been called to Bryant’s home six times in four years, for a variety of reasons, and that explains why the Cowboys were only willing to guarantee $20MM of the 10-year, $114MM extension they offered to Bryant. Ben Volin of the Boston Globe believes, justifiably, that this “news” regarding the frequent police activity at Bryant’s house is simply an attempt for the Cowboys to gain leverage in negotiations with Bryant. As Volin tweets, “the annual ‘smear Dez Bryant’s reputation’ campaign is here.”
In any event, the Cowboys must find some way to quickly subdue their bubbling inner turmoil lest a once-promising season gives way to another winter nightmare.
Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- The Jets, who also find themselves in disarray, recently employed what Rapoport (via Twitter) termed an “egregious example of heavy-handed coaching.” According to Rapoport, before Geno Smith threw one of three interceptions in the team’s Week 8 loss to Buffalo, the Jets coaching staff told Smith to throw the ball to Percy Harvin. Apparently, this was not a way to get the team’s new wideout more involved in the game, it was a way to try and simplify the game for Smith by dictating his reads. Looking for some way to improve Smith’s performance, an increasingly desperate coaching staff tried to play the game for him, and it predictably backfired.
- Nonetheless, Manish Metha of the New York Daily News believes a bye week coaching change would make very little sense for the Jets and that Rex Ryan has earned the right to fight with his team to the end of the season.
- There are rumors that this could be Tom Coughlin‘s last year with the Giants, and Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News writes that New York sees a future head coach in current offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com describes how the Patriots caught a break with Akeem Ayers and Ryan Wendell this season.
Brian Hoyer’s Long-Term Outlook
The Browns, one of the biggest surprises of the 2014 season, are quarterbacked by another big surprise, Brian Hoyer. However, as PFR’s Luke Adams pointed out several days ago, Hoyer’s success has been something of a double-edged sword for Cleveland, who are riding him to a potential playoff berth but who will have a difficult and franchise-altering decision to make regarding his future when the season is over.
Although Hoyer has not been dazzling this season, he has been very good, throwing 10 touchdown passes to just four interceptions and posting a 90.4 passer rating. More importantly, he gets results, having compiled a 9-3 record as the Browns’ starting quarterback over the past two seasons. Adams discussed Hoyer as a potential extension candidate back in October, but since Cleveland is sitting on top of the strong AFC North in November, and given that Hoyer has had at least a strong showing in all but one of the club’s nine games this season, questions regarding his next contract are once again on the front burner.
As Marla Ridenour of the Akron Beacon Journal writes, former NFL quarterback and current CBS analyst Steve Beuerlein, who witnessed Hoyer’s dreadful performance against the Jaguars several weeks ago, believes that Hoyer has “done a spectacular job with how little he’s had to work with and how little experience he’s had in the NFL.” Although Beuerlein concedes that Hoyer still has more to prove, he believes that Hoyer has demonstrated that he can succeed in the NFL long-term, and another former NFL signal-caller-turned-analyst, Rich Gannon, shares that view.
Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer writes that if Hoyer continues to win, he will hit the jackpot on the open market, as some team–whether its the Browns or someone else–will pay him starter’s money. Cabot adds, however, that if Hoyer can lead the Browns to the postseason, Cleveland will not let him get away.
Ben Volin of the Boston Globe lays out the Browns’ dilemma when it comes to Hoyer: “Do they give $30 million to $40 million guaranteed to a journeyman quarterback who is having a career year at age 29? Do they risk losing Hoyer to a quarterback-desperate team such as Houston, Tampa Bay, or St. Louis, and just let a successful quarterback walk out the door?” To resolve that question, at least temporarily, Volin suggests the most sensible solution is slapping the franchise or transition tag on Hoyer in 2015, which would give the team extra time to evaluate Hoyer’s long-term potential while delaying making a decision on Johnny Manziel‘s future. Joel Corry floated that idea last month, and given Cleveland’s ample cap space, it might just be the best solution for both sides.
NFLPA Demands Peterson Reinstatement
8:48am: Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the NFLPA is prepared to file a grievance if the league has not ruled on Peterson’s status by Tuesday of this week, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that, although Peterson could face as much as a six-game ban, he expects a compromise to be reached that would allow Peterson to return in December. However, Rapoport does not sound as convinced as Mortensen and Schefter that the Vikings’ brass is fairly united in its desire to have Peterson back immediately. Rapoport tweets that an “internal battle” is brewing in that regard.
8:24am: The NFL Players Association demanded immediate reinstatement of Adrian Peterson via a letter it sent to the league on Friday, write ESPN’s Chris Mortensen and Adam Schefter. The NFLPA is basing its demands on the language contained within the agreement that placed Peterson on the Commissioner-Exempt list.
According to Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk, the agreement, which was signed by NFLPA general counsel Tom DePaso and NFL general counsel Jeff Pash, states:
“The player agrees that, effective as of yesterday (September 17, 2014), he is placed on the Commissioner-Exempt list with full pay until the criminal charges currently pending against him are adjudicated. No discipline will be processed or imposed against the player, by the Club or the League, until after the pending criminal charges are adjudicated.”
That statement certainly contains no definitive indication that the NFL intended to reinstate Peterson immediately upon resolution of his criminal case, but Florio believes that the NFLPA is correct in that the agreement clearly implies Peterson would be eligible to play as soon as the charges against him were adjudicated.
That implication is perhaps not quite as strong as Florio and the NFLPA would suggest, but another argument that the NFLPA has advanced may carry a little more weight. As Mortensen and Schefter write, the union claims that Peterson’s personal conduct review should be no different than the review of any other player’s case, and that Peterson should be eligible to play immediately until the league is finished with its review under the personal conduct policy and determines whether any disciplinary action should be imposed. Mortensen and Schefter point out that such an approach “has been accepted and has precedent.”
Mortensen and Schefter go on to say that, if and when Peterson is reinstated, most of the Vikings’ front office, coaches, and players want him on the team.
Extension Candidate: Carson Palmer
We learned several weeks ago that the Cardinals had opened extension talks with quarterback Carson Palmer, who is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2014 campaign. The Cardinals have been desperate for consistency under center since Kurt Warner retired after the 2009 season, and their search has taken them through eight different quarterbacks in a little less than five years.
Given Arizona’s quarterback woes and the success that Palmer and second-year head coach Bruce Arians have enjoyed together—the Cardinals are 14-7 under Arians when Palmer starts—it is easy to see why the team would want to secure Palmer’s services for at least the next couple of seasons. This is despite Palmer’s age (35) and recent injury history.
Although Drew Stanton went 2-1 this year in Palmer’s absence, the 30-year-old did little to prove that he is anything more than a career backup, and fourth-round rookie Logan Thomas is very much a work in progress. Furthermore, the top quarterbacks in the 2015 free agent class, assuming neither is re-signed by their current clubs, are Michael Vick and Brian Hoyer, and the 7-1 Cardinals are unlikely to have a shot at the top signal-callers in the 2015 draft unless they trade up.
As our Zach Links pointed out, even with the shortage of quality quarterbacks available, Palmer is unlikely to receive a significant hike in annual salary. He is earning $9MM this year, and that seems to be about right for a quarterback who is having something of a late-career renaissance but who does have age and injury concerns.
Palmer has amassed a 99.3 quarterback rating this season, throwing 11 touchdown passes to just two interceptions, and Pro Football Focus (subscription required) rates him as a solid but unspectacular passer, akin to Alex Smith and Andy Dalton. The naked eye test supports the PFF assessment, but as of right now, Arizona does not need Palmer to be an All-Pro. The Cardinals simply need continued stability and consistency, which, combined with their excellent defense, have created a surprising championship contender.
So if Palmer does not get a big boost in average annual value if and when he signs an extension with Arizona, and if Arians is right in his prediction that Palmer can play until he is 36 or 37, then a two-year pact worth between $20-22MM would appear to work well for both sides. The Cardinals could continue to groom Thomas, if they still believe in him, and the young talent they have at the offensive skill positions—not to mention the return of players like Daryl Washington and Darnell Dockett on the defensive side of the ball—should keep the Cards in contention for at least a wild card berth during the life of Palmer’s deal.
Wherever his next contract takes him, it will likely be the last in what has been an up-and-down, but nonetheless successful, career, the highlight of which may be yet to come.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Terry Pegula To Make No Immediate Changes
New Bills owner Terry Pegula says he has no immediate plans to makes changes to the team’s administration, writes Vic Carucci for the Buffalo News. Pegula said, “We recognize, A, that we’re in the middle of a season and, B, the season’s not going too bad right now. So I think the smart thing right now is to just let everything be and let the season play out.”
However, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk points out, no owner buys an NFL club fully intent on maintaining that club’s head coach and GM, and Pegula’s comments are consistent with the prevailing notion that he will hire a new coach and/or GM at the end of the season unless the incumbents “do so well that the fans wouldn’t tolerate change.” That probably means a trip to the playoffs at least.
Indeed, Carucci points out that the Pegulas had a similar approach when they bought the NHL’s Buffalo Sabres, eventually making major changes after allowing some time to pass. So one way or another it appears as though Bills fans will have something to look forward to in 2015; the club will be either coming off a long-awaited trip to the postseason, or it will be entering yet another new coaching era under new ownership.
Wednesday Roundup: Peterson, Bryant, Briggs
After Adrian Peterson accepted a no-contest plea yesterday, the speculation surrounding if and when he would be allowed to take the field again predictably spiked. However, there has also been some speculation regarding if Peterson will be back with the Vikings next season, and Bob Sturm, special contributor to the Dallas Morning News, says he would not put it past Cowboys‘ owner Jerry Jones to go after Peterson in 2015.
Sturm says, “Reality says that if [Peterson] is free to play, Jerry will be interested. If you think about it, it might actually help you with leverage over [DeMarco] Murray if you choose to use it. I would stick with Murray for several reasons, but I would never rule out the possibility that Peterson is RB1 next fall. Jerry Jones has left too many bread crumbs to ignore on this front.”
Murray, who will be a free agent after this season, has been terrific in 2014, and the Cowboys will have a big decision to make regarding whether or not to bring him back. Jones, understandably, has long coveted Peterson, and he may be willing to let Murray walk if he can land AD a few months after the dust surrounding his child abuse case settles.
Now for a quick swing around the league on this quiet Wednesday evening:
- Speaking of big-name free agents in Dallas, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News writes that super-agent Tom Condon will represent Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant in his contract negotiations. Our Dallas Robinson wrote several days ago that this would be a possibility after Bryant left his former agent to join Roc Nation.
- Lance Briggs, who is playing in his 12th season for the Bears, believes 2014 is his last year in Chicago, writes Larry Mayer of ChicagoBears.com.
- The Ravens have struggled mightily with their cornerback play this season, a situation dramatically worsened by the injury that Jimmy Smith suffered in Week 8. Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun tweets that these problems were predictable after the club elected to allow players like Corey Graham and Cary Williams leave in free agency without investing a high draft choice on a corner since Smith himself was drafted in 2011.
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today writes that the NFLPA is pushing for a neutral arbitrator to decide all punishments for violations of the league’s personal conduct policy.
Justin Durant Likely Out For Season
11:00pm: Durant has suffered what appears to be a season-ending torn biceps, tweets Tim MacMahon of ESPNDallas.com, citing Cowboys owner Jerry Jones.
10:05pm: The NFC East-leading Cowboys have suffered their second major injury of the night. Linebacker Justin Durant exited tonight’s game against Washington with an arm injury and will not return, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
Poll: Who Is Most Likely To Be Traded?
The trade deadline is tomorrow at 4pm eastern time, and a number of prominent players have been the subject of swirling trade rumors over the past several weeks. After a nightmarish start to the season, the Buccaneers may be entertaining the idea of a fire sale, with Vincent Jackson, Doug Martin, and Dashon Goldson all potentially on the trading block.
The Titans, meanwhile, appear ready to usher in a new era with the insertion of Zach Mettenberger into the starting lineup, and they are reportedly taking calls on veterans Nate Washington, Michael Griffin, and Wesley Woodyard. The Bengals, who have regained control over the AFC North without much help from Jermaine Gresham, may be waiting for someone to meet what should be a fairly low price for Gresham’s services. And the Rams, who suffered an ignominious defeat at the hands of the Chiefs yesterday after a surprising upset of the Seahawks in Week 7, could be shopping players like Kendall Langford and Zac Stacy.
We also learned yesterday that the Vikings could be taking calls on Adrian Peterson, Chad Greenway, and Greg Jennings. However, all of those players, for various reasons, are probably less likely to be on the move than some of the other names mentioned above.
Indeed, given the level of interest in his services, the struggles of his current team, and his potential impact on a new club, the player who may be the most likely to be dealt is Jackson. This is despite NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport’s belief that Tampa Bay would not settle for less than a second-round pick in exchange for its top wideout.
But that’s just one person’s opinion. Odds are, of course, that no one will be traded; that’s simply the status quo when it comes to the NFL trade deadline. And several head coaches whose teams were rumored to be active participants in the trade market said today that they did not expect their clubs to pull the trigger on a deal. CBS Sports’ Jason La Canfora, even though he lays out a number of trades that he thinks would be beneficial for teams who appear destined for losing records in 2014, acknowledges that seeing one of those trades come to fruition would be very surprising.
However, reality is not always exciting. So, with that in mind, which of the above players do you think are mostly likely to be traded? Do you think a different player will be on the move? Or do you live so relentlessly in the real world that you think all of this smoke will fail to give rise to a single fire?