NFC West Notes: ‘Hawks, Thomas, Kaep
Seahawks GM John Schneider says he has not talked to Earl Thomas‘ representatives since the combine, Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times tweets. However, Schneider added that is not unusual. Despite his name being floated in trade rumors this offseason, the GM says that he hopes to have Thomas on the roster when the season begins.
Here’s more from the NFC West:
- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll went on the record to say that the team is still considering Colin Kaepernick, despite cancelling a workout with him earlier this month. “The discussion and the opportunity is still open,” Carroll said on KJR, via Gregg Bell of the Tacoma News Tribune (Twitter link). Reportedly, the Seahawks are hesitant about signing Kaepernick since he will not commit to standing for the anthem in 2018.
- Before signing with the Cardinals, cornerback Marcus Williams drew interest from the Vikings, Dolphins, and Bills, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN tweets. Williams starred at Hopkins High School in Minnesota, so he would have been looking at a homecoming with the Vikings.
- Running back Todd Gurley says he understands the Rams‘ priority to get a new deal done with Aaron Donald before worrying about his own contract.
- 49ers linebacker Reuben Foster is still facing quite a bit of legal trouble, but he did have a misdemeanor charge dropped on Thursday.
QB Luke McCown Retires From NFL
Longtime NFL quarterback Luke McCown is calling it quits. On Friday, the 36-year-old announced his retirement from football. 
“Today I am officially retiring from the NFL,” McCown wrote. “It’s bittersweet to leave the game I love and the craft I’ve worked at since the second grade.”
McCown first entered the league as a fourth-round pick of the Browns in 2004. He started in four games as a rookie for Cleveland before a draft weekend deal shipped him to Tampa Bay. He did not see the field for the Bucs until 2007, when he made three starts for the team. Between ’07 and ’15, McCown started only three more contests.
Even though he didn’t see much playing time over the years, McCown earned enough on contracts with the Browns, Bucs, Jaguars, Saints, Falcons, and Cowboys to retire comfortably. We wish the QB and former Verizon spokesperson the best in the next chapter of his life.
Cowboys Place TE James Hanna On Reserve/Retired List
The Cowboys will place James Hanna on the reserve/retired list, Todd Archer of ESPN.com tweets. The tight end’s knee condition has not improved and may end his career. Hanna was not involved in the early part of the team’s offseason program, a sign that his recovery had hit a roadblock. 
Due to the injured knee, Hanna has been hampered over the last two seasons. He missed all of 2016 with the malady and was less effective because of it in 2017, despite appearing in all 16 games.
Hanna was never much of a receiving threat, but he carved out a spot in Dallas based off of his blocking ability. Hanna made the roster in 2012 as a sixth-round pick and played in all but two of the Cowboys’ regular season games over the years, save for the lost 2016 season.
With Hanna out of the picture, the Cowboys’ tight end depth chart consists of Jason Witten, Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, and Rico Gathers. With Witten getting up there in years, Dallas may want to give extra consideration to tight ends in next week’s draft.
La Canfora On Draft, Raiders, Miller, Patriots
UCLA tackle Kolton Miller could be a target for the Raiders if they trade down from the No. 10 overall pick, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com hears. However, they probably can’t move back all that far if they hope to land him. Evaluators and offensive line coaches that have spoken with JLC believe that Miller – and not Notre Dame’s Mike McGlinchey – is the best tackle in this year’s class. Plenty of teams in the teens are eyeing the 6’9″ prospect and McGlinchey is more likely to go in the late teens or early 20s, La Canfora hears. The Lions at No. 20 could be Miller’s floor as they would plug him in on the right side.
Here’s more draft buzz from JLC:
- The Patriots are entertaining the possibility of moving up in the teens if the right quarterback falls, La Canfora writes. The Dolphins and Bills are exploring QBs at Nos. 11 and 12, so the Raiders could potentially find value by trading down from No. 10. Josh Rosen, in JLC’s estimation, appears to be the most likely of the big four QBs to slide. I’d agree with that assessment as the Browns, Giants, and Jets are reportedly not high on the UCLA product.
- The Broncos say they are open to moving down from No. 5 and JLC believes that linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is very much on their radar. The likely trade scenario, he believes, would see the Bills moving up to get Josh Rosen if Josh Allen, Sam Darnold, and Baker Mayfield come off of the board in the top four. The Bills own the Nos. 12 and 22 picks in the draft.
- The Bengals at No. 21 could be the floor for Arkansas center Frank Ragnow. Ragnow is climbing up boards around the league and has a good chance of going in the first round.
- The Ravens are looking for a tight end, but they would rather not select one at No. 16. La Canfora hears that the Ravens, ideally, would like to move down 5-7 spots to get South Carolina tight end Hayden Hurst. The Ravens can’t go too far, however, with the Saints sitting at No. 27.
- Virginia Tech linebacker Tremaine Edmunds, who won’t turn 20 until after the draft, is a lock to go in the top 10, JLC hears. He also wouldn’t be shocked to see him go as high as No. 6 overall, depending on how the first five picks shake out.
- Florida defensive tackle Taven Bryan could go just outside the top 10 and JLC believes his worst case scenario is No. 26.
- Florida state defensive lineman Josh Sweat could sneak into the late first round and seems very possible for the second round.
Ravens Sign WR Willie Snead To Offer Sheet
Saints restricted free agent wide receiver Willie Snead is signing an offer sheet with the Ravens, Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. It’s a two-year, $7MM offer sheet with another $3.4MM in incentives. The deal also includes a $2MM signing bonus. Per league rules, the Saints have five days to match. 
This week, Snead reported to the Saints even though he did not have a deal in place with the team. Some took this as a sign that his market in restricted free agency hadn’t drawn much in the way of interest but, apparently, he did draw a sizable offer sheet from at least one team. Friday marks the deadline for RFAs to sign offer sheets and the Ravens have put the squeeze on the Saints at the buzzer.
Snead was tendered at the lowest level this offseason, giving the Saints the right to match any offer sheet. However, they will not receive any draft compensation in that event. Snead now stands to earn a significant bump over his one-year, $1.907MM placeholder, regardless of what the Saints do over the next five days.
The Saints will probably take their time in making a call on Snead, but it would be a surprise to see them match. After inking another RFA in former Bear Cameron Meredith, New Orleans will probably allow Snead to walk.
Meanwhile, for the Ravens, the move is an indication that they will not be signing Dez Bryant. The Ravens were among the clubs with interest, but they may have sensed that Bryant is on the verge of signing elsewhere.
Snead, 26 in October, was not a major contributor in the Saints offense last year. However, he averaged 70 catches for 940 yards and four touchdowns over the previous two seasons. Last year, as an exclusive rights free agent, he pushed for a better deal and didn’t get it. Now, based off of past performance and potential, he’ll be moving up a level.
The Ravens have upgraded their wide receiver stable by adding Michael Crabtree and John Brown in March. Neither Chris Moore nor Breshad Perriman did a whole lot last season, so the Ravens are looking to provide Joe Flacco with another weapon. The addition of Snead would give the Ravens a formidable trio at receiver and allow them to focus on other areas in the draft.
Dwight Freeney Retires From NFL
Dwight Freeney is calling it a career. After 16 seasons in the NFL, Freeney will sign a one-day contract with Indianapolis to retire as a member of the Colts. 
Freeney entered the league as the No. 11 pick in the 2002 NFL Draft. Since then, he has racked up seven Pro Bowl nods, three first-team All-Pro selections, and a Super Bowl ring.
Freeney, 38, will be best remembered for his time in blue and white, where he amassed 107. 5 sacks across eleven seasons. All in all, he has 125.5 career sacks to his credit, tying him for 17th all-time in NFL history.
The Colts averaged 11 wins per year during Freeney’s run with the Colts and had 11 sacks in his 22 playoff games with the team. Many thought the Colts were reaching when they selected Freeney in ’02, but he turned out to be the perfect fit for first-year head coach Tony Dungy.
“Bill [Polian] had seen Dwight and thought he was exactly the guy I had been talking about,” Dungy said of Freeney. “We’re sitting at No. 11 in the first round and people looked at his size and thought it was too high to draft him. Bill, to his credit, said, ‘If this is going to be the big piece of the puzzle, let’s not worry about where we take Dwight and what other people think. Let’s get the guy who is going to be the perfect piece.’ Dwight was the straw that stirred the drink.”
The Syracuse product played in three Super Bowls — two with the Colts, one with the Falcons — and started in 19 postseason games. All seven of Freeney’s double-digit sack seasons came with the Colts.
Following his Colts run, which ran through the 2012 season, Freeney played with five more teams. His most notable post-Indianapolis season came with the 2015 Cardinals, for whom he registered eight sacks and helped to the NFC title game despite being an off-the-bench edge rusher. He recorded three sacks in each of the past two seasons, playing in Atlanta, Seattle and Detroit. Prior to Arizona, Freeney spent two seasons in San Diego.
Broncos Rumors: Elway, No. 5 Pick, Ray
The Broncos are open for business. In a presser on Thursday, GM John Elway announced that he is willing to trade the No. 5 overall pick for the right price. Elway also noted that Denver is open to all possibilities, which may mean standing pat to take a quarterback, moving back for the QB they want, or even selecting a non-QB.
The Bills, armed with the Nos. 12 and 22 selections in the draft, are expected to be among those with serious interest in moving up to the No. 5 pick.
Here’s more out of Denver:
- Elway says the team hasn’t made a decision yet on picking up Shane Ray‘s fifth-year option (Twitter link via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic). Ray had a breakout season in 2016, recording 48 tackles and eight sacks in 664 snaps and placing 45th out of Pro Football Focus’ 110 qualified edge defenders. Unfortunately, Ray’s wrist kept him off the field until late October last year and he was shut down once again in December. As shown on PFR’s 2019 Fifth-Year Option Tracker, seven players have had their options exercised. The Broncos will have to think long and hard about whether to do the same for the former No. 23 overall pick.
- Elway says the Broncos do not have more than four quarterbacks with first round grades (Twitter link via James Palmer of NFL.com), though he added that there is not a consensus in the building on ranking them.
- Elway says that the production of Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield over ” the last three years” is proof that his height – just over 6’0″ — should not be an issue in the NFL (Twitter link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
Giants Release WR Brandon Marshall
The Giants released wide receiver Brandon Marshall with a failed physical designation, GM Dave Gettleman announced. Marshall was set to enter the final year of a two-year, $12MM contract signed in 2017. 
By releasing the veteran, the G-Men will save $5.1MM against the salary cap. Marshall, 34, feels that he has multiple seasons left in the tank, but the Giants do not concur. At least, they did not feel that Marshall had enough juice to justify his salary.
“I’m all-in on football. I’ve rebuilt my body,” Marshall said in December. “I think I’m two great years away from — and I’ll say it, I want to be a Hall of Famer, and I think I got two great years to go to be mentioned with some of the greats. I’m not just playing this game just to be a guy; I want to be remembered for the product that I put out on the field.”
Marshall was one of several Giants receivers to succumb to injury in 2017 as he missed the bulk of the year after undergoing ankle surgery. He topped 1,500 yards in his 2015 season with the Jets, but he has not been able to reprise that production. In 2016, he had just 59 catches for 788 yards and three touchdowns, a big step back from the previous year in which he had a league-leading 14 TDs.
Earlier this week, Marshall took to social media to inform free agent Dez Bryant that there is “no room” for him in New York. The Giants now have the necessary space – from both financial and football perspectives – to add Bryant, if they wish. For his part, Bryant is eager to join up with the Giants and exact revenge on his former employers.
Eagles Open To Trading First Round Pick
The Eagles have traded out of the first round just twice since 1999, but they’re not ruling it out in this year’s draft. When speaking with reporters this week, Eagles GM Howie Roseman indicated that the No. 32 pick could be for sale. 
“I would say overall we’re open for business,” said Roseman (via Jimmy Kempski of the Philly Voice). “We’re open for business in every round if it’s something that we think makes sense for our team, we’re going to do it. But at the same time, we’re ready to pick. We have 32 guys we feel really good about. We can’t operate under the assumption that we’re going to bail out, so we’re ready to roll.”
The final pick in the first round has been traded in three of the last four drafts. The No. 32 pick may not seem sexy, but it holds value over the first pick in the second round since those players can be controlled for an extra year through the fifth-year option.
Most GMs like to say they are “open for business” at this time in the offseason, so it’s hard to tell how serious the Eagles are about the prospect of moving back from No. 32. However, as Kempski notes, the Eagles have moved out of their original draft slot in nine of the last 19 drafts, so, historically speaking, they are willing to deal.
Browns Re-Sign DL Jamie Meder
The Browns announced that they have re-signed defensive lineman Jamie Meder. Meder was a restricted free agent who was tendered at the lowest level this offseason. Per the terms of the tender, Meder will earn $1.907MM in 2018. 
Meder, 26, first entered the league with the Ravens as an undrafted free agent out of Ashland in 2014. He found his way to the Browns in 2015 and has been with the team ever since. In 2016, he started most of the season on a thinned out Browns defensive line.
Last year, he appeared in ten games (two starts) for the Browns before landing on IR with an ankle sprain. In a limited sample of 178 snaps, the advanced metrics at Pro Football Focus gave him an average grade with a 74.8 overall score.