Giants Notes: Collins, Foles, Manning
All signs have been pointing to the Giants using the franchise tag on Landon Collins, but that’s far from a done deal, according to GM Dave Gettleman (Twitter link via Ralph Vacchiano of SNY). The Giants are “still evaluating” whether to use the tag on the safety, so it’s a situation to monitor between now and the March 5 deadline.
“These decisions aren’t made in a vacuum,” said Gettleman when asked about the safety who is less-than-pleased with the notion of the tag. “So many things come into play.”
Collins may or may not have cleaned out his locker earlier this month, but the 25-year-old has already made it clear he doesn’t want to be cuffed by a one-year, $11.2MM tender.
“So let’s go to the conversation of eliminating distractions,” he said. “You tag a guy. He’s mad. And that’s all you guys are going to write about. For six months it’s what it’s going to be. So I have to say to myself, ‘Is it worth it?‘”
While Gettleman mulls that question, here’s more on the G-Men:
- Giants head coach Pat Shurmur is on board with bringing quarterback Eli Manning back for another season, but Gettleman says he’s also focused on the future of the position (link via Matt Lombardo of NJ.com). That could mean drafting a rookie to sit behind Manning (like the Chiefs did with Alex Smith and Patrick Mahomes), but the Giants aren’t ruling out a veteran signing either. In theory, that could put them in play for Nick Foles, which may alter the team’s approach to Manning. “I can’t say that,” Gettleman said, when asked if it was safe to say the Giants are not shopping for a veteran. “You don’t know what can happen. We’re evaluating everything and we just have to keep moving forward.”
- We recently learned that the Buccaneers offered a third-round pick for Collins in 2018, but the Giants turned down their midseason proposal.
- There has been a lot of talk about an Odell Beckham Jr. trade, but Gettleman does not sound intent on trading the wide receiver.
Bengals: We’re Not Shopping John Ross
Multiple reports indicate the Bengals are looking to trade John Ross, but the club says that’s not accurate. On Wednesday, Bengals Director of Player Personnel Duke Tobin called those rumors “fake news,” and added that the club has no plans to trade the wide receiver. 
“We have had no discussion about [Ross],” Tobin said (Twitter link via Eric Edholm of Pro Football Weekly). “That’s from the ‘ready, fire, aim’ school of journalism.”
Just two years ago, Ross turned heads as an ultra-speedy prospect out of Washington. Unfortunately, injuries sidetracked him as a rookie and his usage was inconsistent in 2018. It seems unlikely that Ross is a major part of the Bengals’ plans moving forward, so Tobin’s denial should be taken with a grain of salt.
Instead, Tobin’s comments at the combine could be a last ditch effort to salvage Ross’ trade value. After investing a top 10 pick in Ross, the Bengals do not necessarily want to trade the speedster for pennies on the dollar. This year’s free agent wide receiver class is lackluster, so the Bengals could be holding out hope for an OK return via trade.
Eagles Won’t Franchise Tag Nick Foles
Nick Foles will be a free agent in March. On Wednesday, Eagles GM Howie Roseman confirmed that the team will not be placing the franchise tag on the quarterback. 
“He deserves an opportunity to lead a team,” said Roseman (Twitter link via Tom Pelissero of NFL.com), adding that it was a hard decision for the Eagles.
With Carson Wentz entrenched as the starter and little in the way of cap space, franchising Foles was not a real option, unless the Eagles were willing to thin themselves out in other areas. A tag-and-trade scenario could have allowed them to recoup something for Foles, but it sounds as though the league’s other QB-needy teams sat on their hands with a belief that this would be the ultimate outcome.
Foles spent the bulk of his career as a backup, but wound up as the Super Bowl MVP following the 2017 season. It stands to reason that he’ll cash in next month since he is far and away the best starting option available.
Foles, 30, was once again called upon in 2018 as Carson Wentz was once again sidelined by injury. He went 4-1 in his five starts and completed 72.3% of his passes, his highest mark in any of his NFL seasons. He also threw for seven touchdowns against four interceptions.
This year’s free agent QB crop is slim, as per the usual. Foles is expected to draw the interest of teams like the Jaguars, Dolphins, and Redskins en route to a deal that should pay him higher than the league average starting QB.
Vikings Sign Mike Zimmer To Extension
Mike Zimmer is no longer a lame duck for 2019. The Vikings exercised his option for the 2020 season, GM Rick Spielman confirms (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Courtney Cronin). 
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Zimmer, 63 in June, has led the Vikings to two playoff appearances (and two divisional crowns) over his five seasons. In 2017, the Vikings reached the NFC Championship Game where they were stopped by the Eagles. Last year, the Vikings fell short of expectations with a 8-7-1 finish, but they still believe Zimmer is the best man for the job.
If the Vikings can get more out of high-priced quarterback Kirk Cousins in 2019, there’s every reason to believe that they’ll be able to contend. The Vikings still boast one of the most talented rosters in the NFL and they have opportunities to clear out a bit of cap space, despite having just $10MM projected at the moment.
Giants Want Eli Manning Back
Giants head coach Pat Shurmur says quarterback Eli Manning will return to the Giants in 2019, as Paul Schwartz of the New York Post writes. Things have been trending in that direction, but this marks the first real confirmation we’ve heard on the matter. 
“Well, I think Eli can help us win games,” Shurmur said. “He proved, when the players around him started playing better, that he can play at a very high level and help us win games. Yeah, at this point I want Eli back. He’s back. Get ready to go with him.”
Last season, Manning raised his completion rate to a career-high 66% and his 7.5 yards-per-attempt average was considerably higher than it was in the previous two seasons. He also dropped his interceptions total (11) to the lowest its been during his 14 seasons a full-time starter. The Giants also won four of five games during a midseason stretch behind improved play from Manning.
If Manning is on the Giants’ roster on March 15 – and it sounds like he will be – he’ll receive a $5MM roster bonus. His 2019 cap figure is set to be $23.2MM, which is no longer a top number for QBs.
Buccaneers’ DeSean Jackson Hires Agent
Buccaneers wide receiver DeSean Jackson has an agent once again. After parting ways with Joel Segal sometime during the offseason, Jackson has hired Brad Cicala of Terra Firma Sports to represent him, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). 
[RELATED: Buccaneers Prepared To Tag Donovan Smith]
At this juncture, it would have been foolish of Jackson to proceed without an agent. He’s under contract with the Bucs for one more season at a $10MM cap number, but that could be too costly for team brass. Meanwhile, Jackson has been non-committal on his future in Tampa while suggesting that he would be a strong fit with the Rams.
“If anything, I would like to kind of end up in L.A., being a Ram,” Jackson said in late January. “Sean McVay, you know, we got some connection from when I was in D.C., but we’ll see how it plays out, man. Right now, I got another year in Tampa. So we’ll see how it plays out, man.”
Last year, Jackson averaged 18.9 yards per reception and led the league in the category for the fourth time in his career. His overall stat line – 41 catches for 774 yards and four touchdowns – was far below his career average, but Jackson still profiles as one of the NFL’s best deep threats. There are clearly issues to be worked out between Jackson and the Bucs, but it’s possible that he’ll want to play under new head coach Bruce Arians. Arians, for his part, wants DJax back.
Ravens Want Terrell Suggs Back
The Ravens are interested in bringing Terrell Suggs back for the 2019 season, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Suggs is intent on playing for a 17th season, so it could be a matter of time before the two sides agree to a new deal. 
[RELATED: Ravens To Release WR Michael Crabtree]
Suggs is 36, but he has plenty left in the tank. Last year, Suggs recorded seven sacks, bringing his career total to 132.5. In the previous year, Suggs finished out with eleven sacks, leading to his seventh-career Pro Bowl nod.
Down the stretch of the season, Suggs claimed he wasn’t dwelling on his future in Baltimore. Still, it’s hard to picture him in any other uniform.
“Nah, there’s a lot of things that are always a possibility,” Suggs said. “You can’t really harp on the negative. It possibly could but that hasn’t crossed my mind like, ‘Oh my God.’ We’ve got business to handle. We’ll cross every bridge when it’s time to come there.”
The time to handle that business will likely be this week at the combine.
Jaguars, Marcell Dareus Restructure Deal
The Jaguars and defensive tackle Marcell Dareus agreed to a restructuring of his contract, according to Field Yates of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The new deal will allow Dareus to remain in Jacksonville for at least one more year. 
Initially, was set to make $8.335MM in base salary, but the new deal will call for a base of just $2.835MM. Instead, he’ll get a $5MM bonus up front with a revised deal that eliminates the 2021 season. The Jaguars will save $5MM against the cap and Dareus will be eligible for free agency after the 2020 season.
Dareus, 29 in March, came to the Jaguars in a midseason trade with the Bills in 2017. For a late draft pick, the Jaguars acquired Dareus and the remainder of his whopping six-year, $95.1MM contract.
Unfortunately, the former No. 3 overall pick hasn’t quite lived up to that contract. Dareus compiled ten sacks en route to a Pro Bowl nod and a First-Team All-Pro selection in 2014, but he has just 8.5 sacks over the last four seasons. Last year, Dareus had only one sack and a forced fumble, though he earned a solid 80.9 score from Pro Football Focus for his solid run defense.
Cowboys’ Randy Gregory Banned Indefinitely
Cowboys edge defender Randy Gregory has been suspended indefinitely for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy and the terms of his conditional reinstatement, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Unfortunately, this is not the first rodeo for the 26-year-old. 
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Last year, Gregory returned from another ban to appear in 14 games for the Cowboys. In a mostly reserve capacity, the Nebraska product showed why the Cowboys invested a second-round pick in him back in 2015. Gregory finished out the year with six sacks, 25 total tackles, and two forced fumbles, giving the Cowboys reason to be excited for his 2019 campaign.
“The expectation for Randy is the exact same: to get him back on the field playing as soon as possible,”said Gregory’s attorney Daniel Moskowitz (via USA TODAY Sports’ Jori Epstein). “Our personal confidence in him has not wavered. This is about more than football. We appreciate the public recognizing this is a private matter and thank the Jones (family) and Cowboys for their continued support.”
The ban marks Gregory’s fourth career suspension for substance abuse. The league has relaxed its stance on repeat offenders of the policy, but the road back to the field is tough when a player violates the policy while under conditional reinstatement. With that in mind, Gregory’s case probably won’t be revisited until 2020, at the earliest. As Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports tweets, Gregory is no longer subject to the standard reinstatement process, which means that it is unclear exactly what he has to do to work his way back onto the field. His fate is entirely in the hands of Roger Goodell, who simply decides if and when Gregory will be permitted to return.
The Cowboys may look to fortify their pass rush in the draft now that Gregory’s status is in doubt. Team VP Stephen Jones said he has known that the indefinite ban was coming for some time, but he obviously declined to comment on how it would impact the club’s draft strategy (Twitter link via Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News).
Gregory’s suspension may also ramp up the pressure on Dallas to get a deal done with DeMarcus Lawrence, who has threatened to hold out if tagged for a second consecutive year. The Cowboys recently made an offer to Lawrence, and they’ll wait up until the March 5 deadline before pulling the trigger on the tag.
Rory Parks contributed to this post.
Jets Want To Re-Sign Henry Anderson
The Jets are interested in bringing back free agent Henry Anderson, Manish Mehta of the Daily News hears. The defensive lineman’s seven sacks tied for the team lead last season, even though he played in only 59.7% of the snaps. 
[RELATED: Where Will Le’Veon Bell Sign This Offseason?]
The Jets plan to meet with Anderson’s camp during Combine week, at which point they’ll discuss a new deal. Anderson earned just $1.9MM last year, so it’s safe to say he’s in line for a pay bump.
The Colts traded him to the Jets in April of last year for a seventh-round pick and he has proven to be a tremendous value for Gang Green. Anderson was a poor fit for their 3-4 scheme, but he was solid in the Jets’ 4-3 front.
The Jets probably won’t retain most of their 23 unrestricted free agents, but Anderson appears to be a priority for them. With upwards of $102MM in cap room, the Jets should have ample space to re-sign Anderson and pursue some of this year’s biggest difference makers on the open market. They may use some of that available cash to add Jaguars wide receiver Donte Moncrief, who stands out in an otherwise iffy WR class.