NFC Notes: Vikings, Smith, Panthers, Short
Harrison Smith got a big deal with the Vikings on Monday in part due to his agent’s familiarity with the Minnesota brass, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. The agent likened his relationship with the Vikings to the give-and-take of marriage.
“When you first do a negotiation with a new person, you’re very careful in everything you say. You don’t give up an inch until you know you can get an inch back. It’d be like in marriage, you don’t say you’re going to take out the trash on Thursdays unless you know they’ll load the dishwasher on Fridays,” Brian Murphy said. “As you negotiate more and more deals, my whole philosophy is, there’s no room for bluffing. There’s certainly no room for lying. … I think that (Vikings VP of football operations) Rob [Brzezinski] is very, very good in that, in terms of saying what he means. And we say what we mean. But it takes a couple negotiations to realize, ‘Hey, when he said this, he really does mean this.'”
Murphy also represents John Sullivan, who has done two deals beyond his rookie contract. Kyle Rudolph, who signed a five-year deal in 2014, is also a Murphy client, as is Everson Griffen, who got $42.5MM over five years from Minnesota after the 2013 season. 2014 first-round pick Trae Waynes is also repped by Murphy and he could be the latest to add to the ~$180MM worth of deals that GM Rick Speilman has inked with Murphy guys.
Right now, it seems to be a happy marriage between the safety and the Vikings. Smith will earn more per year than any other safety in the NFL while the Vikings have the star locked down for years to come.
Here’s more out of the NFC:
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera has repeatedly said that he wasn’t concerned by the absence of Pro Bowl defensive tackle Kawann Short during OTAs, but David Newton of ESPN.com is confident that both he and GM Dave Gettleman are irked by it. “The thing I appreciate, for most part, everybody has told me what’s been going on with the exception of one person,” said Rivera, who was very possibly referring to the defensive tackle. Short’s 11 sacks last season were tied for the most by anyone at his position. He is currently scheduled to count for just $1.473MM against the 2016 cap.
- Ryan Kalil‘s extension with the Panthers calls for him to make $13.25MM in 2016 instead of the originally planned $7.75MM, but he’ll make just $3.75MM in ’17, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. That affordable salary pretty much secures his ’17 roster spot, he adds. Following the extension, Kalil’s cap numbers are as follows (Twitter link via Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer): $11.83MM in 2016, $5.33MM in 2017, and $5.78MM in 2018.
- If former 49ers coach Jim Harbaugh got his way, the 49ers would have drafted Julio Jones, as Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Recently, Harbaugh (now the coach at Michigan), caused a stir when he was spotted wearing a Jones jersey at a satellite camp. “I’ve always had a ton of respect for Julio Jones,” Harbaugh said in this video on Scout.com. “When I was with the San Francisco 49ers, we were hoping to draft Julio. Always have had tremendous respect for him, competed against him. … I’m just a big fan of a lot of pe0ple. And I’m a jersey guy. I like jerseys.”
Brandon Boykin Dealing With Hip Problems?
2:27pm: Boykin denies that he has injury issues and says that his workout with the Cowboys went well (Twitter links via Clarence Hill of the Star-Telegram). Boykin also blames Steelers defensive back coach Carnell Lake for the rumor that he has a hip issue. The corner added that he hopes to sign with Dallas.
10:03am: This offseason, Brandon Boykin‘s market was slow to develop. The cornerback wasn’t scooped up in the first or second wave of free agency and it wasn’t until the end of March that he inked a deal with the Panthers. Then, just six weeks later, Boykin was thrown back into the sea. At the age of 25 (26 next month), Boykin has moved around quite a bit and he still remains without employment after multiple team visits over the past three weeks. It turns out, there could be a reason for that. 
[RELATED: Cowboys Meet With Brandon Boykin, Others]
Ed Bouchette of The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette hears that Boykin is suffering from hip problems that might end his career. Once considered to be one of the league’s better slot cornerbacks, Boykin played primarily on special teams for the Steelers until the final few weeks of the season — he logged 252 of his 274 regular-season defensive snaps in the Steelers’ last five games.
Still, despite not seeing significant playing time in Pittsburgh, Boykin ranked as a top-40 cornerback in 2015 (out of 111 qualified players), per Pro Football Focus. The Georgia product has always shown flashes of upside, particularly in his six-interception 2013 campaign, but has never really gotten the opportunity to be a full-time player — he has just seven career starts.
Just yesterday, Boykin met with the Cowboys. Prior to that, he also met with the Falcons, though they will not be signing him at this time.
While Boykin didn’t earn a spot on PFR’s top 50 free agent list, we placed him sixth among free agent cornerbacks when we broke down 2016’s top defensive free agents, placing him ahead of veterans like Leon Hall and Patrick Robinson due to his relative youth and upside. Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson ranked Boykin as the fifth-best free agent still left on the board, ahead of names like Mike Neal, Chris Culliver, and Antrel Rolle.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bengals, Giovani Bernard Finalizing Extension
The Bengals and running back Giovani Bernard are finalizing a three-year, $15.5MM contract extension, a source tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). The deal will put Bernard in the top ten of “new money” given annually to running backs (link). The team has since confirmed the deal via press release.
[RELATED: Tyler Eifert Could Miss Season Opener]
The tailback will make $6MM+ in 2016, per Pelissero. The deal is up after the 2019 season, at which point he’ll still only be 28 years old and primed for another big money deal. In the interim, Bernard has some financial security and a pay bump from his old rookie scale contract.
Bernard, 24, has been a big part of the Bengals’ running game since entering the league as a second-round pick in 2013. Last year, many expected Bernard to fade into the background with big-play back Jeremy Hill taking the reins. However, that wasn’t the case. Bernard ran for a career-high 730 yards with two scores while catching 49 passes for 472 yards. The reliable, all-purpose back was originally slated to hit the open market after the 2016 season.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Broncos Pull Contract Offer From Von Miller
2:09pm: Talks between Miller and the Broncos are still ongoing and have not broken off, a team source tells James Palmer of NFL Network (on Twitter).
1:42pm: Earlier today, we learned that Von Miller turned down a proposed a six-year, $114.5MM deal with $39.8MM guaranteed in the first two years. Now that Miller has said no to that pact, the Broncos have effectively pulled that proposal from the table, according to Mike Klis of 9NEWS. The Broncos set a deadline of 10 p.m. Tuesday to reach an agreement on a long-term contract with Miller, and it remains to be seen whether those discussions will be reopened this offseason. 
Miller, who was the MVP of Denver’s Super Bowl 50 win in February, is slated to play out the 2016 campaign on the $14.129MM exclusive franchise tag. The two sides recently “reached a partial agreement” on the years and total value of Miller’s proposed contract, but the two sides disagreed when it came to contract structure. The total value of that deal would have edged out Ndamukong Suh, but it appears that Miller’s reps wanted more guaranteed money inside of the deal’s first three seasons.
Klis writes that Miller’s reps pushed both Suh’s contract and Olivier Vernon‘s deal as comps. Vernon inked a $17MM/year deal with the Giants this offseason and also received $29MM in year one cash. Miller has posted 25 sacks over the past two seasons compared to Vernon’s 14. In total, Miller has posted four double-figure sack seasons while Vernon has accomplished that only once (2013, 11.5 sacks).
Klis notes that it’s not a given that Miller will play out this season under the franchise tag, though I would certainly expect him to. In theory, if Miller were to sit out the 2016 season, it would prevent the Broncos from again applying the “exclusive” franchise tag next year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC East Notes: Cowboys, Cox, Sproles
Wide receiver Terrance Williams could be on the verge of netting a big payday, but it’s not clear if the Cowboys can afford it, ESPN.com’s Todd Archer writes. Williams, who is entering the final year of his contract, has never missed a game for the Cowboys. He’s not an elite receiver, but after Mohamed Sanu inked a five-year, $32.5MM deal with the Falcons in free agency and Allen Hurns signed a four-year, $40MM extension with the Jaguars, Archer sees something similar in his future.
Williams will get that money in 2017 one way or another, Archer writes, but it might not come from Dallas. To date, he writes that it does not sound as if there have been many or any discussions about a long-term pact.
Here’s more from the NFC East:
- Eagles defensive tackle Fletcher Cox says that he expects to be at training camp in July (Twitter link via Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer). Cox reported to the team this week in advance of their mandatory minicamp.
- Eagles running back Darren Sproles confirmed to reporters that he had no frustration about any trade offers and staying away from the Eagles had nothing to do with wanting a new contract (Twitter link via Turron Davenport of USA Today). The Eagles reportedly got some trade interest in the running back during the draft and some speculated that his absence from OTAs was related.
- The Redskins like their options at left guard, Master Tesfatsion of The Washington Post writes. That group includes Shawn Lauvao, who played well at left guard before being placed on IR with an ankle injury after Week 3, and fill-in Spencer Long. “At guard you see the improvement quite a bit,” coach Jay Gruden said recently. “Just the knowledge and the confidence that all the players get going into their second and third year, they get a little more confidence of how we do things. The calls or the ability to react a lot quicker with movement on the defensive line and knowing where to go and how to get there. [Long] has already got the athletic ability. He is a big man that can run and he is strong, so now if he brings the confidence and the knowledge of the system with him, he’s going to be very, very good.”
- What does the future hold for Giants backup quarterback Ryan Nassib? Jordan Raanan of NJ.com recently looked into what could be next for the Syracuse product.
Latest On Von Miller, Broncos
WEDNESDAY, 12:15pm: The Broncos proposed a six-year, $114.5MM deal to Miller that includes $39.8MM guaranteed in the first two years, sources close to Denver tell ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (on Twitter). That’s apparently not to Miller’s liking, however, and there is no deal in sight at this time. Never say never, but Schefter (Twitter link) says it will be very difficult for Denver and Von Miller to reach long-term agreement by the July 15 deadline.
TUESDAY, 10:10am: During his visit to the White House this week, Von Miller told reporters that the Broncos and his representation have made real progress over the last couple of days regarding a new contract, Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets. The two sides have been discussing a new deal for quite some time and it seems like an accord could finally be within reach. 
In March, the Broncos slapped Miller with the seldom-used exclusive franchise tag, a measure which kept him from negotiating with other teams. Under the usual non-exclusive franchise tag, other teams can negotiate with players but they have to surrender two first-round picks in order to sign the tagged player to an unmatched offer sheet. It’s rare that a team will surrender big bucks and two first-round choices for a player, but Miller is one of the league’s most feared linebackers and it’s conceivable that a team desperate for pass rush help could have gone to those lengths.
The Broncos have until July 15 to sign Miller to a long-term extension that will likely approach or perhaps surpass the deal Ndamukong Suh signed with the Dolphins last March. Suh earns $19.06MM on average and signed for six years and $114.38MM. Miller will also likely point to Olivier Vernon as a comp after he netted a $17MM-AAV deal with the Giants this offseason. Miller has posted 25 sacks over the past two seasons compared to Vernon’s 14 and has four double-figure sack seasons on his resume compared to Vernon’s one. As of this writing, Miller is slated to earn $14.129MM in 2016 before hitting free agency.
Recently, Broncos GM John Elway expressed hope that he could get deals done for Miller, wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders, and linebacker Brandon Marshall by mid-July.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Aqib Talib
WEDNESDAY, 12:04pm: Talib is back with the Broncos today, Nicki Jhabvala of The Denver Post tweets.
TUESDAY, 5:22pm: Days after Broncos cornerback Aqib Talib was shot in the leg, details surrounding the incident remain murky. Today, the Dallas Police Department released a report saying that Talib was the victim of an “aggravated assault,” Mike Klis of 9NEWS tweets, noting that the police did not refer to the incident as an “accidental shooting.” A “working hypothesis” is that Talib shot himself, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link), which jibes what the defensive back is reportedly telling those close to him.
[RELATED: Aqib Talib shot at Dallas nightclub]
Meanwhile, one league source indicated to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Facebook link) that league punishment is coming for the cornerback. Commissioner Roger Goodell is not a fan of firearms, and the fact that Talib was apparently intoxicated — and a has a history with weapons – will likely factor into any disciplinary decision, per Schefter. It’s still something of an open question as to whether Talib will face legal consequences in addition to NFL penalties.
Talib is on his way to Denver and should return to the team on Wednesday, head coach Gary Kubiak told reporters (Twitter link via Broncos). As he continues to recover from his injury, Talib won’t take part in OTAs during the next two weeks, and is expected to rest for the next six weeks or so, at which point his availability for training camp will be determined.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
AFC North Notes: Steelers, Suisham, Manziel
Steelers kicker Shaun Suisham is supposed to be in a roster battle with Chris Boswell, but there might not be much of a fight if Suisham doesn’t get healthy soon, as Mark Kaboly of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes. Suisham says he has yet to recover from a torn ACL that he suffered last year and he has not attempted a kick since then. Now, Suisham isn’t sure if he will be ready for training camp at the end of July.
“Any sort of a battle is not an issue with me right now because I am not healthy,” Suisham said. “I will continue to work to get there, but I don’t know when that will be. I don’t have a time frame. Hopefully, it is for training camp.”
Suisham signed a four-year, $12.5MM extension in 2014, making him one of the top 10 highest-paid kickers in the NFL. The Steelers would save $2.4MM by releasing him. Boswell, meanwhile, makes the NFL minimum $525K.
Here’s more from the AFC North:
- Paul Dehner Jr. of The Enquirer (Twitter link) suspects that if the Bengals sign Dwight Freeney, it won’t happen until we get “much closer” to training camp, if not August. He adds that a reunion between the Bengals and cornerback Leon Hall is unlikely, but the same parameters apply if it were to happen. Freeney says he’s 95% sure he’ll play in 2016, he’s just not sure where.
- In an interview on ESPN, former Browns GM Ray Farmer said that the organization was not ready to handle Johnny Manziel‘s level of celebrity, which hindered the quarterback’s development. “In Johnny’s case, I truly feel like a lot of people piled on the young man,” Farmer said (transcript via USA Today). “He’s done his share of helping everybody get on top of that bandwagon, but the reality is the responsibility is born by both the club, and the player. And when the club doesn’t follow up on its end, it makes it that much easier for players to get off track.”
- Former UNLV tight end Jake Phillips worked out for the Steelers on Monday, according to a league source who spoke with Aaron Wilson of The Houston Chronicle (on Twitter).
- Browns defensive end Desmond Bryant says he was absolutely hoping that Cleveland would hire Hue Jackson, whom he referred to as his favorite coach (Twitter link via Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal). Bryant played for Jackson in Oakland in 2011.
- Former Steelers cornerback Brandon Boykin is reportedly dealing with serious hip issues which could be keeping him from finding a new NFL home.
- Recently, the Navy OK’d Ravens rookie Keenan Reynolds to play in 2016.
49ers Notes: A. Davis, Kaepernick, Miller
If Anthony Davis returns to football, 49ers line coach Pat Flaherty says that nothing will be given to him, as Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com writes. 
“And he knows this, coming from me, if he wants to play, then he’s got to come back and prove he can play,” Flaherty said. “It’s got to come from within. You can tell him exactly what I just said, ‘Listen, you’ll have an opportunity to play. But that’s all it is. You decided for whatever reason to retire. If you come back in the game, nothing is going to be handed to you. You’re going to have to work your tail off.’ And the conversation that I’ve had back when I first got here, was he was acceptable to that. Now, I don’t see him. I don’t know why. So I can’t answer that one.”
As of late May, Davis still hasn’t filed for reinstatement from the NFL’s reserve/retired list. Davis also slammed the Niners via social media this offseason when he tweeted, “I do not want to work with a front office or anyone else who seemingly doesn’t want to win as bad as I do.” If he does come back, Davis will be under 49ers control through the 2019 season.
Davis, 26, was San Francisco’s first-round pick in 2010, coming off the board 11th overall. Prior to his retirement, he started 71 games at right tackle for SF, playing all 16 regular season contests in his first four years before being limited to seven games in 2014. Davis dealt with hamstring and knee issues, and also battled concussion problems, which may have contributed to his decision to step away from the game temporarily in 2015. It remains to be seen whether he’ll try and return for 2016.
Here’s more out of San Francisco:
- Quarterback Colin Kaepernick will not be cleared in time to participate in the 49ers’ minicamp this week, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). The hope is that Kaep will get the green light closer to training camp.
- At Central Florida, Bruce Miller made his name as a defensive end. Then, when he was drafted by the 49ers, he was asked to move to fullback. However, coach Chip Kelly isn’t interested in using a fullback, so he now has Miller working out at both tight end and wide receiver, as Matt Barrows of The Sacramento Bee writes. If the former seventh-round pick can’t adjust to the new role, however, he may not have a spot on San Francisco’s roster.
- Recently, free agent wide receiver James Jones indicated that he would like to join the 49ers. Of course, at this stage of the offseason, Jones isn’t in a position to be picky. Jones is intrigued by staying close to home in SF and would like to join a contender, but he confesses that he’ll “play wherever.”
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Latest On Dolphins, Arian Foster
The Dolphins have been connected to Arian Foster for much of the offseason, but it doesn’t sound like he is a priority free agent for them. The Dolphins “will consider him if they have an injury or if their young backs falter,” but they will not pursue him otherwise, according to Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald. 
So far, the Dolphins have been effusive in their praise for third-round running back Kenyan Drake and he figures to be the No. 2 back behind Jay Ajayi. The team’s running back depth chart also features Damien Williams (sidelined with an undisclosed injury), Daniel Thomas, and Isaiah Pead. Still, the Dolphins have kept their eyes peeled for other veteran backs like Foster and Dan Herron. Jackson says that Herron is in a similar boat as Foster – although he did not receive an offer after his Monday workout, he remains on their radar should Miami determine it needs help at the position.
Ranked as our No. 3 available offensive free agent at this stage of the offseason, Foster racked up 6,472 rushing yards during his seven years as a Texan, and earned three consecutive Pro Bowl nods from 2010 to 2012, averaging about 1,900 all purpose yards and 16 touchdowns in those seasons. However, injuries have slowed Foster down in recent years. In 2015, Foster played in just four games and ran for 163 yards off of 63 carries.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.