North Notes: Blount, Gordon, Cobb
Although he acknowledges that there is no evidence to suggest that LeGarrette Blount wanted to get himself released from the Steelers when he left the field prior to Pittsburgh’s Monday night win over the Titans, Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette wonders if Blount “walk[ed] out on the Steelers so he could walk right back to the New England Patriots.” Bouchette notes that, with no ramifications whatsoever–although the Steelers certainly could have penalized him instead of essentially rewarding him for his behavior–Blount “went from a team fighting to make the playoffs to one among the favorites to win it all, one where he had success last season and was used more often than he was with the Steelers.” Even if it sounds a bit like a conspiracy theory, Bouchette believes it is fair to think that Blount knew exactly what he was doing and that everything played out according to plan for him and for New England.
Now for some more notes from the league’s north divisions:
- The Browns expect star receiver Josh Gordon to be on the field for 20-30 snaps in his first game of the 2014 season this afternoon, according to ESPN.com staff.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports reports that a ruling on Ray Rice‘s appeal hearing is expected by tomorrow. Even if the former Ravens running back is reinstated, of course, it will be difficult for him to find a job in the league this season.
- Even though they have been publicly silent on the issue, ESPN’s Ed Werder tweets that Vikings ownership and management were pushing throughout the season to get Adrian Peterson back on the field. Albert Breer of the NFL Network tweets that Minnesota’s coaching staff would love to have Peterson back, and Werder adds in a full-length piece that head coach Mike Zimmer believes Peterson has not played his last game in a Vikings uniform.
- Although he believes the Packers will work out an extension with Randall Cobb, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes that Cobb’s excellent 2014 season is driving up his price, possibly out of Green Bay’s budget. On the other hand, even though the Packers have a number of young wideouts on the roster, Demovsky notes that none of those players have proven they are capable of filling Cobb’s shoes.
- Ben Volin of the Boston Globe describes how Lions defensive lineman Ndamukong Suh has finally paired excellent play with clean play in his free agent season.
Saints Not Guilty Of Roster Impropriety
3:36pm: The NFL has issued a statement clearing the Saints (link via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk): “The Saints have been in compliance with league rules with regard to this situation.”
10:00am: The Saints are under investigation for possible rules infractions concerning linebacker Todd Davis, writes ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Citing unnamed sources, Schefter says that the Saints, who waived Davis on Wednesday of last week, planned to sign him back to their practice squad, so they kept him in team meetings at their training facility on Thursday. The Broncos, meanwhile, claimed Davis on Thursday after putting Nate Irving on IR.
Denver wanted to bring Davis in to practice with the team on Friday but could not reach him because he was in meetings in New Orleans. Davis ultimately met with the Broncos in St. Louis on Saturday, but by that time the NFL had already begun looking into the matter. If the Saints are found to have engaged in any sort of impropriety, which a team official denies, they could face a hefty fine. For a team that has already been in trouble with the league for a much more serious matter, illegal roster gamesmanship for a borderline NFL player would seem particularly foolish.
NFC Notes: Cutler, Lynch, Ingram
Jay Cutler‘s future with the Bears has grown quite murky over the course of his shaky 2014 campaign, and David Haugh of the Chicago Tribune writes that the league’s highest-paid player this season also looks like its worst bargain. Haugh adds that if Chicago replaces head coach Marc Trestman or GM Phil Emery in 2015, Cutler’s stability vanishes completely. Furthermore, as ESPN’s Adam Schefter notes, the Bears could trade Cutler after this season and save $12.5MM. The team is therefore not financially tethered to the quarterback it hoped would be its franchise savior, and Schefter reports that there would be a fair amount of interest in Cutler if Chicago were to make him available via trade.
Now for some more links from the NFC:
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune notes that the Vikings have stockpiled seven first-round draft choices over the past three seasons and wonders if that approach is something the Bears could use as a blueprint.
- Citing colleague Ian Rapoport, Kevin Patra of NFL.com reaffirms something that we’ve heard previously: that the Seahawks plan to move on from Marshawn Lynch after the 2014 season. Assuming Seattle does indeed go that route, Rapoport tweets that record-setting Wisconsin standout Melvin Gordon will be on the team’s radar.
- Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune writes that the Buccaneers‘ draft needs in 2015 will go far beyond the quarterback position.
- Because of their dire salary cap situation, the Saints will likely not be able to prevent Mark Ingram from hitting the free agent market, writes Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports.
- Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News provides a list of 10 issues the Giants must confront this offseason, including the fates of Tom Coughlin, Eli Manning, and Jason Pierre-Paul.
- In a piece we cited earlier, Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant appears destined for the franchise tag.
NFL In LA: Jaguars Staying Put
The Jaguars are staying put in Jacksonville and will not be heading to Los Angeles, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union. When former Jaguars owner Wayne Weaver sold the team to Shad Khan in 2011, there were rumors that the Jags could be on the move to the West Coast. However, Khan has quieted that talk, stating “Actions speak louder than words and [Jaguars fans are] finally seeing the actions match the talk.” Those actions, as O’Halloran points out, include Khan’s stated commitment to Jacksonville, a stadium lease that does not expire until 2030, and the $63MM in stadium enhancements that debuted in late July (Khan himself paid for $20MM of those enhancements).
But with NFL football apparently destined to remain in Jacksonville for the foreseeable future, rumors about the respective fates of the Rams, Chargers, and Raiders continue to swirl. As Brent Schrotenboer of USA Today writes, there could be as many as two spots available in Los Angeles, and each of the those three franchises “is driven by concerns that it could be stuck in its current market in an undesirable situation while the other two party up in their new shared palace.”
Of course, despite recent media reports that suggest the relocation of at least one franchise to Los Angeles is imminent, there are a number of obstacles to clear before that can happen, obstacles that Schrotenboer describes in great detail. One consideration that the league will take into account is the relative revenue gain it can anticipate from moving one or more teams to LA. San Diego is the eighth-largest city in the country, whereas Oakland and St. Louis are the 45th and 58th largest, respectively. As such, the league would have less to gain by a Chargers move than it would if the Rams or Raiders were to leave their current homes.
Nonetheless with the Jaguars essentially out of the picture, fans in St. Louis, Oakland, and San Diego have a little more reason for concern.
AFC Notes: Hoyer, Oher, Broncos
Much has been made of Brian Hoyer‘s future as the impending free agent continues to inch the Browns closer to an improbable playoff berth, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, if Hoyer does leave Cleveland after 2014–which would “shock” at least one prominent talking head–the Texans would be a likely destination. As Schefter writes, “Hoyer trusts [Texans head coach Bill] O’Brien as much as any coach in the league from their time together in New England, per sources, and would welcome a reunion.” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Cardinals‘ head coach during Hoyer’s one season in Arizona, would also have interest in bringing Hoyer to Tennessee. Schefter writes that a long-term deal between Hoyer and Cleveland will “get done only as soon as the Browns truly are ready to make Hoyer, not Johnny Manziel, their long-term quarterback.”
Now for some more links from the AFC (an NFC Notes post from this busy Sunday can be found here):
- The Titans are going to have to admit they made a mistake in handing a lucrative free agent deal to Michael Oher and find a new right tackle, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky adds that Tennessee can get out of the Oher deal “clean” after one year and $6MM, but Michael Roos will not be Oher’s replacement and the team is not going to move Taylor Lewan from left tackle.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post describes the issues the Broncos are having with locking up their top impending free agents with in-season extensions.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post makes the case for the Broncos to sign free agent guard Richie Incognito.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports explains why Broncos star wideout Demaryius Thomas is likely to get the franchise tag.
- In the first news to come out of this saga since July, two trucking companies have formally accused Browns owner Jimmy Haslam of directing a fuel rebate conspiracy, writes Tom Feran of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that, if Reggie Wayne wants to continue playing after 2014, he will only play for the Colts. We learned earlier today that the Colts are preparing for life without their longtime stalwart.
- Leo Roth of the Democrat & Chronicle writes that the Bills should return to E.J. Manuel as their starting quarterback.
Heated Competition Expected For Duron Carter
Duron Carter, current wide receiver for the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes and son of former NFL great Cris Carter, appears ready to get his shot in the States in 2015. As Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes, Carter has emerged as a star in the CFL over the past several seasons and has led Montreal to an improbable berth in the league’s playoffs. Although the former top college recruit has dealt with myriad off-field issues and has therefore been forced to prove himself in Canada, he has apparently matured while playing north of the border and finally appears ready to capitalize on his tremendous potential.
At 6-5 and 205 pounds, Carter has tantalizing physical tools and caught 75 passes for 1,030 yards and seven touchdowns in 2014 after a 2013 campaign that saw him average an astounding 19 yards per catch. La Canfora writes that at least 10 teams have interest in the 23-year-old but that the Colts are currently viewed as the frontrunner for his services. Although the 49ers and Seahawks are also seen as contenders, the impending departure of Reggie Wayne and Indianapolis’ history of gambling on wideouts with checkered pasts–combined with GM Ryan Grigson‘s willingness to take chances and connections with the CFL–point to the Colts as the most likely landing spot at the moment.
In a separate tweet, La Canfora notes that several GMs and scouts believe Carter can be a quality starter in 2015, though he must demonstrate that he has outgrown his previous maturity issues. NFL rules dictate that Carter can begin working out for and negotiating with NFL clubs on December 1, shortly after the CFL season ends, but he cannot officially sign with a team until February. With a thin wide receiver market and a draft class that is not nearly as deep at the wideout position as the historic 2014 group, there will be heavy competition for Carter as he looks to make a belated entrance into the league that his father once dominated.
Peterson’s Take On Missed Hearing
Although Adrian Peterson missed a disciplinary hearing on Friday (which PFR’s Luke Adams discussed in detail), Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that the NFL could still make a disciplinary decision next week and that Peterson could return to the field as early Week 12.
While that sounds like good news for Peterson, he is unhappy with the NFL’s characterization of his failure to appear at Friday’s hearing. Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports tweets that Peterson and the NFL Player’s Association would have agreed to a meeting with commissioner Roger Goodell, but they rejected a “hearing” with outside experts. In a statement issued through the NFLPA, (the full version of which can be found here), Peterson had this to say:
“The report that I backed out of a meeting with the NFL is just not true. When Roger Goodell’s office asked that I attend the “hearing” on Friday, I consulted with my union and learned that this “hearing” was something new and inconsistent with the CBA.
After consulting with the union, I told the NFL that I will attend the standard meeting with the Commissioner prior to possible imposition of discipline, as has been the long-term practice under the CBA, but I wouldn’t participate in a newly created and non-collectively bargained pre-discipline “hearing” that would include outside people I don’t know and who would have roles in the process that the NFL wouldn’t disclose.
I’m sorry for all of this, but I can’t excuse their refusal to be fair.”
Again, the grievance hearing that is scheduled for tomorrow appears set to take place as expected, with Peterson’s imminent return a possible outcome of that hearing, but this latest development may further complicate was has already become a convoluted saga. As Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk succinctly puts it, “The fight between Peterson and the NFL does not appear likely to end soon.”
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.