NFC North Notes: Vikings, Lions, Tulloch, Cook
The Vikings‘ draft strategy means that there will be more big contracts following Harrison Smith‘s payday, Ben Goessling of ESPN.com writes. Between now and March 2017, the Vikings will have to determine whether they want to stay in business with left tackle Matt Kalil. Beyond him, cornerback Xavier Rhodes and defensive tackle Sharrif Floyd will play out their fifth-year options in 2017. In 2018, the Vikings will have to make decisions on quarterback Teddy Bridgewater and linebacker Anthony Barr. This could make for some tough calls but, then again, it’s a good problem to have when your draft picks work out well.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- On Monday, Lions GM Bob Quinn declined to provide reporters with an update on Stephen Tulloch‘s status with the team (link via ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein). The veteran was told in February he wouldn’t be part of the team, but as of this writing he is still on the roster.
- Packers coach Mike McCarthy says he has “no long-term concern” with Jared Cook‘s situation, Michael Cohen of the Journal Sentinel writes. Cook had foot surgery earlier this week and will be sidelined at least until training camp, but it sounds like he’ll be back on the field before long.
- After using first-round picks on offensive linemen Taylor Decker and Laken Tomlinson, Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com is optimistic about the Lions‘ run game in 2016. The Lions also added Stevan Ridley in free agent to help round out the running game. Of course, a lot will hinge on second-year player Ameer Abdullah returning healthy.
- The Lions seemingly drafted long snapper Don Muhlbach‘s replacement this year, but he’s not going to cede his job without a fight, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes. “I’m like, ‘I didn’t get fired,’” Muhlbach said when asked about sixth-round pick Jimmy Landes. “I’m still there. I’m not going to leave just now….I still think I’m OK. I want to play some more. My body feels fine, so I’d like to keep going.”
- The Bears inked third-round defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard earlier today, meaning that every player in their 2016 class is now under contract.
Bills Sign First-Round Pick Shaq Lawson
The Bills announced that they have officially inked first-round pick Shaq Lawson. The Bills selected the Clemson product with the No. 19 overall pick in the 2016 Draft. 
Lawson’s shoulder issues were known coming into the draft, but that didn’t stop the Bills from taking him high in the draft or allowing him to partake in their three-day rookie minicamp, when Lawson aggravated his shoulder. Unfortunately for Buffalo, Lawson had to go under the knife and he’ll now miss the start of the 2016 season. The Bills have not announced a timetable for the Clemson product’s recovery, though the expectation is that he’ll start the preseason on the PUP list and miss 4-5 games.
Lawson’s surgery was a big blow for Buffalo as they anticipated giving him a major role on defense right from the get go. Earlier this offseason, Bills GM Doug Whaley said that he was anticipating three rookies in the team’s starting lineup to start the season.
“At least three,” Whaley said when asked how many of his rookies will be on the field in Week 1. “[First-round defensive end] Shaq Lawson is going to walk in off the bus starting. [Second-round linebacker] Reggie Ragland, and then [third-round defensive tackle] Adolphus Washington— all three of those guys will start right off the bus. And we’re excited for some guys from the fourth through sixth rounds that will contribute for us.”
With Lawson under contract, fourth-round pick Cardale Jones stands as the only unsigned player left in Buffalo’s 2016 class.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Bears Sign Entire Draft Class
This afternoon, the Bears formally announced the signing of third-round defensive lineman Jonathan Bullard. With Bullard under contract, the Bears have now signed their entire 2016 draft class. 
[RELATED: Bears Sign Offensive Lineman Nate Chandler]
Bullard, who came out of the University of Florida, racked up 12 sacks and 33.5 tackles for a loss during his time in college. Bullard moved all around the defensive line for the Gators, but the Bears have indicated that they’ll use him as a bookend. Heading into the draft, Bullard had widespread interest from teams and, according to one report, he was in consideration for at least one first-round team.
The Bears did not have to draft Bullard in the first round to snag him, however. Instead, they moved up from No. 11 overall to No. 9 to select Georgia edge rusher Leonard Floyd. The 6-foot-4, 231-pounder was a dominant performer during his three-year tenure at Georgia, where he played both outside linebacker and defensive end, racking up 17 sacks and 26.5 tackles for loss.
Here’s a full rundown of all the players in the Bears’ 2016 draft class, all of whom are under contract:
- 1-9: Leonard Floyd, OLB (Georgia)
- 2-56: Cody Whitehair, G (Kansas State)
- 3-72: Jonathan Bullard, DE (Florida)
- 4-113: Nick Kwiatkoski, LB (West Virginia)
- 4-124: Deon Bush, DB (Miami)
- 4-127: Deiondre’ Hall, DB (Northern Iowa)
- 5-150: Jordan Howard, RB (Indiana)
- 6-185: DeAndre Houston-Carson, S (William & Mary)
- 7-230: Daniel Braverman, WR (Western Michigan)
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Eagles Rumors: Sproles, Cox, Pederson
Here’s a look at the latest out of Philly:
- Darren Sproles reported to the Eagles on Monday in advance of the team’s mandatory minicamp, as Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer writes. When asked about his absence, Sproles chalked it up to “family stuff.” Recently, we learned that the Eagles fielded trade inquiries for the running back during the draft and Sproles’ absence from OTAs – according to some reports – was related. Sproles, 32, saw time in every game last season and made four starts. In that span, the veteran ran for just 317 yards off of 83 carries but also contributed 55 receptions for 388 yards. For his contributions in the rushing, receiving, and return game, Sproles earned his second-straight Pro Bowl nod in 2015.
- In related news, Eagles coach Doug Pederson says that he expects Fletcher Cox to also attend the team’s minicamp, though he has not seen him yet (Twitter link via Jimmy Kempski of The Philly Voice). Cox, 25, enjoyed a career-year in 2015, setting a new career high with 9.5 sacks. He also racked up 71 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. The performance earned the former first-round pick his first Pro Bowl nod, along with a top-10 spot on Pro Football Focus’ rankings of interior defenders — he placed ninth out of 123 qualified players.
- Tim McManus of Philadelphia Magazine explained why the talks are dragging on between the Eagles and Cox. For starters, agent Todd France knows that his client is one of the top defensive players in the game and at 25, he has tons of room to grow. France also reps Marcell Dareus, who netted a six-year deal with $25MM signing bonus and an average of $16MM per season. The Eagles know that they’ll have to back up a Brinks truck to sign Cox long-term, but the two sides are going to have to haggle it out a bit first. Meanwhile, multiple sources say that the Eagles have a sizable contract on the table, McManus writes, and he feels that the defensive tackle will get around $60MM guaranteed mark and won’t fall far from Dareus’ $16MM/year salary.
Panthers Sign Ryan Kalil To Extension
12:55pm: The two-year deal is worth $16.75MM, effectively $13MM guaranteed, Rand Getlin of NFL.com tweets.
12:42pm: The Panthers announced that they have inked center Ryan Kalil to a two-year extension. The deal will keep Kalil in Carolina through the 2018 season. Exact terms of the deal are not yet known.
[RELATED: Kawann Short Skipping Panthers OTAs]
Kalil, 31, earned his fifth Pro Bowl selection and his second career First-Team All-Pro nod in 2015. With (effectively) one year to go on his deal, Kalil was in great position to work out a brand new contract with the team.
Regarded as one of the top centers in the league, Kalil signed a six-year, $49MM+ contract extension with the Panthers in August 2011. The monster deal included $19MM in total guarantees and it will be interesting to see what the numbers on this latest deal are. Before starting his new deal, Kalil will earn a base salary of $7.5MM in 2016.
In 2015, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) ranked Kalil as the 12th best center in the NFL, just head of Falcons center Alex Mack and Saints center Max Unger. Kalil’s overall score of 76.6 accounted for his strong 84.0 run block grade and his less impressive 57.6 mark for pass blocking.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Marshawn Lynch Says He Is Staying Retired
Despite some speculation to the contrary, Marshawn Lynch is not returning to the NFL in 2016. The former Seahawks running back told 60 Minutes Sports on Showtime that he is finished with football (Twitter link via Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times).
“I‘m done. I’m done. I enjoyed my time playing. Now it’s time to watch my cousins do their thing,” Lynch said. “I’m retired. Is that good enough? Which camera do you want me to look into? This one? I’m done. I’m not playing football anymore.”
The Seahawks removed Marshawn Lynch from their 90-man roster last month when they placed the running back on the reserve/retired list, but the 30-year-old didn’t complete all of his paperwork, leaving the door open for speculation on his future. Lynch reportedly told a pair of ex-teammates that he intends to play this year and Seahawks cornerback Richard Sherman‘s recently demurred when asked to classify Lynch as retired.
In 2015, Lynch battled hamstring and abdominal injuries that limited him to seven games and career worsts in rushing attempts (111), yards (417) and touchdowns (three). Meanwhile, Thomas Rawls burst on the scene as an undrafted rookie and averaged 5.6 yards per carry on 147 tries. The Seahawks have planned to move ahead with Rawls and they now have limited cap room at this stage of the offseason. If Lynch had decided to return to the NFL, it’s not a guarantee that he would have been able to make that comeback in Seattle.
Originally acquired from Buffalo in 2010 for pennies on the dollar (two late-round draft picks), Lynch was the driving force behind Seattle’s offense for most of his five-plus-year career there. In each of his four 16-game seasons as a Seahawk, Lynch finished with at least 280 carries, 1,200 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He also made a pair of Super Bowl trips, one of which ended in victory.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC North Notes: Packers, Vikings, Lions
While the league seems to be more focused on other positions, the Packers have elevated the importance of safeties, Scott Venci of USA Today writes.
“My personal belief is that the tight end position on offense and the safety position on defense has now gone into that level of importance,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said. “If you look at the rule changes, you look at the matchups, you look at the body types, the league has opened up the middle of the field. So I think everybody’s conscious of that and from a personnel acquisition standpoint, it’s something that you see the trend. It’s been going on and the importance of attacking the middle of the field with big athletic football players. With that you’ve got to have people who can defend it. We’re very fortunate to have the safety group we have.”
The Packers’ philosophy has led to them having one of the best safety tandems in the NFL with Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Morgan Burnett. In the long run, keeping both players will cost Green Bay. Burnett is under contract through the 2017 season with cap numbers of $5.95MM and $7MM in each of the next two years. Clinton-Dix is under his rookie deal through 2017, though the Packers can pick up his fifth-year option to retain him through 2018.
Here’s more from the NFC North:
- The Vikings are proving adept at choosing free agents, Jim Souhan of the Star Tribune writes. For example, Minnesota added former Bengal Andre Smith in the spring and although he is not guaranteed a starting gig, he could prove to be a free agent steal. For his part, Smith says that he wouldn’t have come to Minnesota unless he felt like he could win with the Vikings. “I’ve made a lot of money in my career,” said Smith, who inked a one-year, $3.5MM deal with the Vikes in March. “If I’m going to go somewhere, I want to go somewhere I can win. This was the best place for me.” The Vikings also shored up the left guard spot by adding Alex Boone, who figures to be among the team’s more vocal vets.
- The Lions are pleased with Riley Reiff‘s move to right tackle, Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Reiff, a 2012 first-round pick, was previously playing at left tackle and he’s now being asked to change positions in a contract year. In 2014, Reiff’s Pro Football Focus grade placed him in a tie for 23rd out of 84 qualified offensive tackles. Last year, PFF’s numbers (subscription required) ranked him No. 39 out of 77 qualified tackles.
- On Monday morning, the Vikings made Harrison Smith the NFL’s highest-paid safety.
- Last week, the Bears signed veteran offensive lineman Nate Chandler. The Bears also auditioned former No. 1 overall pick Jake Long, but it seems unlikely that he’ll sign in Chicago now that Chandler is on board.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Norman, Oher, Falcons
Executives around the NFL are still perplexed by the Panthers‘ sudden decision to part ways with Josh Norman this offseason, Mark Maske of The Washington Post writes.
“I can’t figure that one out,” a front office member of another NFL team said recently. “There has to be something else to that story. I don’t think you let a player of that caliber walk away for nothing in return for the reasons they’ve given.”
Norman, 28, enjoyed a career-year in 2015 as he was named to the All Pro first team and selected for his first Pro Bowl. In April, the Panthers pulled the franchise tag from Norman, saving themselves $13.952MM in cap room.
Here’s more from the NFC South:
- David Newton of ESPN.com says that fans shouldn’t be blindsided if the Panthers give Michael Oher a deserved contract extension. The advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus (subscription required) placed Oher as the 30th best tackle in the NFL last season. That’s a far cry from 2014, when PFF rated him as one of the worst tackles in the NFL. The 30-year-old, coming off a surprisingly successful first season in Carolina, has a $4.5MM 2016 cap charge in the second year of a two-year deal, and could be a candidate for a new deal. In February, Oher made a change in representation, hiring the outspoken Drew Rosenhaus.
- The Falcons overhauled their linebacker group this offseason through the use of two high draft picks, signing three free agents, and moving 2015 first-round choice Vic Beasley to linebacker. Now, the Falcons are experimenting with when and how to use their new-look linebacker core, D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution writes.
- The Saints want to sign quarterback Drew Brees to a new contract, but it’s not going to be cheap. According to two league sources, Brees’ new deal could see in excess of $65MM in guarantees on a four-year contract worth between $95MM and $100MM in total.
- Before settling in on a five-year, $37MM contract with the Eagles, the Buccaneers reportedly reached out to safety Rodney McLeod with a similar offer.
Kawann Short Skipping Panthers OTAs
As he pushes for a new contract, Panthers standout Kawann Short is looking to make a statement. The defensive tackle skipped last week’s voluntary organized team activities and will likely miss this week’s, Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer writes. 
The two sides have been expected to hammer out a deal before the start of the season, but talks were recently put on hold. It’s not clear whether both parties are still on track to agree on a fresh multi-year pact.
“If it happens, it happens, but we haven’t focused on that,” Short said of a new deal. “I’ve still got a lot I need to do. I’ve put myself in the position, but at the same time, I’m not where I want to be. We’re not rushing the issue.”
Short led the Panthers with 11 sacks last season and Carolina knows that the bidding for Short will get out of hand if he reaches the open market after the 2016 season. At present, the Panthers have roughly $30MM in cap room which will allow them to give Short a deal that reflects his place as one of the league’s best defensive tackles.
Short, 27, enjoyed a breakout season in 2015, earning his first Pro Bowl nod and starting all 16 of the Panthers’ games for the first time. The Purdue product racked up 11 sacks to go along with 55 tackles, three forced fumbles, and a pair of fumble recoveries. He also added two more sacks and a forced fumble in the postseason.
As PFR’s Dallas Robinson observed in his preview of the Panthers’ offseason, the negotiations between Short’s camp and the team will be interesting. On one hand, the Pro Bowl defender has really only produced at an elite level for one season. However, there’s no reason to think Short’s reps won’t make the case that their client deserves to be paid like Marcell Dareus or Gerald McCoy — those players inked long-term pacts worth $95MM+, making them the highest-paid 4-3 defensive tackles in the NFL not named Ndamukong Suh.
If the two sides cannot agree on a brand new deal, Short will likely receive the franchise tag from the Panthers. This year, the franchise salary for a defensive tackle was $13.615MM and that number is expected to go a little bit higher in 2017.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 6/3/16
Today’s minor moves:
- The Titans announced that they have officially placed tackle Byron Bell on injured reserve. Bell, 27, suffered a dislocated ankle in May which ended his season before it could even begin. The veteran restored his value by moving across the offensive line across a full 16-game season. In a related move, the Titans have added undrafted wide receiver Reece Horn, a University of Indianapolis product who managed nearly 1,400 yards receiving in 2015. Horn participated in the Colts’ rookie minicamp last month.
- The Raiders announced (Twitter link) that they’ve waived wide receiver Andre Debose. Debose was recently waived and then placed on injured reserve by Oakland, so the two sides presumably reached an injury settlement, enabling Debose to seek employment elsewhere. For more on injury settlements, check out the Pro Football Rumors glossary entry on the subject.