Reactions To LeSean McCoy Trade
Eagles coach Chip Kelly liked Kiko Alonso in the 2013 draft and had a chance to take him in the second round, Zach Berman of The Philadelphia Inquirer tweets. Kelly had a tough call on his hands but ultimately selected tight end Zach Ertz instead. It took a while, but Kelly got his man on Tuesday night when he shipped LeSean McCoy to the Bills for the linebacker. Here’s a look at the latest on the blockbuster deal…
- LaDainian Tomlinson said on NFL Network that McCoy told him a few weeks ago that he didn’t think he’d be back with the Eagles, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets.
- The deal came together in a matter of minutes from start to finish, according to Mike Garafolo of FOX Sports (on Twitter).
- The Bills pulled the trigger on the deal in part because they knew C.J. Spiller wasn’t coming back to them, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network tweets. The Bills called Spiller soon after news of the McCoy deal got out to thank him for his time in Buffalo.
- David Moore of The Dallas Morning News wonders if the Eagles dealing McCoy reflects current thought around the league on running backs and, in turn, if it’s a bad sign for pending free agent DeMarco Murray.
- A source close to McCoy told Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter) that the running back’s camp was surprised to learn that he had been traded. “Honestly we were under the impression the whole time, that eventually at some point, Chip was going to ask LeSean to restructure his contract–not a pay cut, but convert some of his signing bonus,” the source said.
- When asked if McCoy might make things difficult for the Bills, that person told Anderson (link): “It’ll be interesting to see how this process plays itself out because he’s an interesting individual. In your mind, when you think of Buffalo you think of cold and losing games. It’s not like it’s the Philadelphia market where you’re always on TV and you’re playing for the division title…It was unexpected. I’ll tell you that much.” The source added that McCoy, who has played the majority of his football at every level in the state Pennsylvania, is not happy to be going to Buffalo (link).
- The Bills’ acquisition of McCoy will create ripples throughout the AFC East, Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com writes. Free agent linebacker David Harris immediately comes out as a winner because the Bills will presumably target him to replace Alonso. Meanwhile, with the prospect of facing McCoy twice per season, the Jets need Harris more than ever which will only help his leverage.
- McCoy chafed at some of Kelly’s new-age ways, including practicing on Saturdays before games, Jim Corbett of USA Today writes. Now, Corbett wonders if Kelly’s next bold move will be making a play for Marcus Mariota.
East Notes: Cowboys, Maclin, Forbath
Dez Bryant and DeMarco Murray have understandably dominated the discussion surrounding the Cowboys‘ offseason, but there are still other decisions for Dallas to make once the Bryant and Murray situations are resolved. For instance, Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News recently predicted that the team would opt not to exercise Morris Claiborne‘s fifth-year option, which is surprising in that it directly contradicts what owner Jerry Jones said last month. And, on the topic of underperforming defensive backs, Machota thinks the Cowboys will retain Brandon Carr but that Carr will probably end up taking a pay cut, which reaffirms what our Ben Levine wrote last night.
Now for some more notes from the league’s east divisions:
- Brandon George of the Dallas Morning News takes a look at how the Cowboys will address their backup quarterback situation in 2015. Although Brandon Weeden is still under contract, Jones did not give Weeden a ringing endorsement at the NFL combine a few weeks ago, and the team is high on third-stringer Dustin Vaughan. George does not believe Dallas will ultimately sign a free agent to replace Weeden, but he does note that the Cowboys would not hesitate to do so if the right deal came along.
- The Cowboys’ decision to put the franchise tag on Bryant is good news for the Eagles, as it prevents Bryant from setting a market price for wide receivers like Jeremy Maclin that Philadelphia would be unable to meet. But Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com tweets that, if the Eagles cannot agree to a long-term deal with Maclin by tomorrow afternoon, then Maclin will also get the franchise tag.
- Sheil Kapadia of PhillyMag.com passes along Eagles executive vice president of football operations Howie Roseman‘s thoughts on trading up in the draft. Roseman is generally against such a move, which is interesting given the rumors surrounding the team’s alleged desire to move up to select Marcus Mariota. But Roseman, of course, will not have a say in the Eagles’ ultimate decision to trade up or stay put as a result of his redefined role in the team’s front office.
- Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com examines whether Washington should part ways with kicker Kai Forbath, a restricted fee agent. Washington has not been particularly eager to extend an offer to Forbath, who would be the most accurate kicker in team history if he had enough attempts to qualify, and Tandler says the reason for that is Forbath’s leg strength. Forbath was near the bottom of the league in net kickoff average, and the team may choose to trade a little accuracy in field goal attempts below 50 yards for improved field position and the chance to make a long-range field goal every once in a while.
- After the Bills missed out on Josh McCown, Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News took a look at other signal-callers that the team could pursue. The free agent class is, of course, underwhelming, with the possible exception of Brian Hoyer, though Nick Foles or even Jay Cutler could be intriguing trade targets.
- Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com looks at the free agent case of right guard Willie Colon. Colon could make sense for another team looking for a one-year stopgap, but the Jets are likely to seek an upgrade in free agency.
Extra Points: Young, Sam, Cassel, Pats RBs
The NFL will hold its first-ever combine for veteran players March 22 in Tempe, Ariz. Like the scouting combine, which takes place every February and is designed for teams to observe draft prospects, the veteran edition will include position drills and physical tests. At least two household names will be among the 100 invitees participating at the combine. Quarterback Vince Young and defensive end Michael Sam will be in attendance, according to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com and ESPN’s Adam Schefter, respectively.
Young, whom the Titans chose third overall in the 2006 draft, last appeared in an NFL game in 2011 as a member of the Eagles. The one-time Heisman Trophy winner from the University of Texas announced his retirement last June after a disappointing career that included stints with five different organizations. The 31-year-old Young has had a change of heart, though, and will try to return to the league. His attempt at blazing a comeback trail will begin at the combine.
One of the players joining Young will be Sam, 25, the ex-University of Missouri star who has made headlines since last year as the first openly gay player drafted into the NFL. The seventh-round pick of the Rams last April hasn’t yet appeared in an NFL game and hasn’t been a member of a team since the Cowboys released him from their practice squad in October. Although Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported earlier this month that Sam has a one-year contract offer on the table from the CFL’s Montreal Alouettes, Sam wrote last week on MMQB.com that, despite ups and downs, he has “remained focused on getting back on an NFL roster.”
Elsewhere around the league…
- The Bills were one of two serious contenders for the services of quarterback Josh McCown, who signed with the Browns on Friday. Having lost out on McCown, Buffalo will continue its search for a veteran QB and, per Fox Sports’ Mike Garafolo, could turn to the Vikings’ Matt Cassel. Minnesota would save $4.75MM on its 2015 cap by cutting or trading Cassel prior to June 1. The 32-year-old has garnered extensive playing experience (91 games, 71 starts) as a member of three franchises in 10 seasons and, if he ends up with the Bills, could serve as competition for EJ Manuel.
- Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald reported earlier this month that Patriots running back Shane Vereen was hoping to cash in on the free agent market to the tune of $5MM annually. Vereen laughed off the report via Twitter on Thursday and called it “not true.” Vereen, who will turn 26 next week, has been a useful cog in the Pats’ offense the last couple years, especially as a pass catcher. The former second-round pick has hauled in a combined 99 passes and six touchdowns in 24 games over the previous two seasons. As a runner, he has averaged a solid 4.2 yards per carry, albeit on just 217 attempts, during his four-year career.
- Vereen isn’t the only Pats RB looking toward free agency. Stevan Ridley is also on track to hit the market next month. “I’m excited about it,” the 26-year-old told Sirius NFL XM hosts Jim Miller and Pat Kirwan on Friday, according to Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com. Ridley went on to say that he’d “love” to stay in New England, but acknowledged that signing someplace else could present “more opportunities.” Ridley has averaged 4.3 yards per carry and scored 22 touchdowns in four seasons with the Patriots. His best output was in 2012, when he rushed for the seventh-most yards in the league (1,263) and eight scores.
Browns, Bills Finalists For Josh McCown?
Multiple reports emerged linking Josh McCown to two of the perpetually quarterback-needy teams. Both the Browns and Bills are trying to sign the 35-year-old free agent, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reports.
The news that the Browns and Bills are zeroing in on McCown, who the Buccaneers released earlier this month, came after an Associated Press report saying both teams were negotiating a contract with one of the top targets in a quarterback-starved market. McCown already visited both teams with his trip to Cleveland coming after an apparently productive excursion to Buffalo, along with meetings with the Bears and Jets.
McCown, who went 1-10 in Tampa Bay last year, has ties to coaches on both the Browns’ and Bills’ staffs and sits near the top of a market that also includes Mark Sanchez and likely ex-Browns QB Brian Hoyer (10-6 for the Browns in two seasons). Bills offensive line coach Aaron Kromer was the Bears OC the past two years and coached McCown during his most notable stretch of his career, when he completed 66% of his tosses in five games of Jay Cutler‘s injury absence. That number sunk to just more than 56% with the Bucs last season with 11 touchdown passes and 14 interceptions.
Although McCown is six years older than new Browns QBs coach Kevin O’Connell, he played for new Cleveland offensive coordinator John DeFilippo during a 2007 stint with the Raiders when DeFilippo was the OC there.
Both E.J. Manuel and Johnny Manziel are enigmas at this point, although Manuel’s 58.6 career completion percentage provides a bit more of a glimpse into his NFL fate than Manziel’s brief-but-disastrous rookie campaign.
East Notes: McCown, Dez, Parnell, Bush
Josh McCown‘s free agent tour appears to have come to an end, and after drawing interest from the Bills, Jets, Bears, and Browns, the veteran quarterback has engaged in contract discussions with Buffalo, according to Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci cautions that it’s not known how many other teams are talking to McCown about a potential contract, or if the Bills are the favorites to land him, but the club is very much in the hunt, and the signal-caller may finalize his new deal – with Buffalo or another club – by Friday.
For what it’s worth, Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 notes (via Twitter) that the Bills view McCown as an upgrade over Kyle Orton, and that the former Buccaneer is the club’s preferred target in this free agent class. While we wait to find out whether a deal with the Bills materializes as a result of Buffalo’s interest in McCown, let’s check in on a few more items from around the NFL’s two East divisions….
- As Monday’s franchise tag deadline nears, the rumors surrounding Cowboys receiver Dez Bryant continued to swirl today. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com passed along word – and a police report – about an incident that took place outside of a Walmart in Lancaster, Texas; Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk attempted to break down what this new info means; and Jason Cole of Bleacher Report suggested that sources close to Bryant believe the alleged video of that Walmart incident does, in fact, exist.
- Cowboys tackle Jermey Parnell should be a popular free agent next month, according to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com and Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (Twitter links). When I examined the free agent market for offensive tackles earlier in February, I singled out Parnell as a player who hasn’t seen much action as a reserve in Dallas, but pointed out that he has been very good when he has played.
- In response to the Lions’ release of Reggie Bush, Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com explores whether the Patriots would be interested, and how Bush’s availability may affect the market for free-agent-to-be Shane Vereen.
- Nick Powell of NJ.com takes a look at whether or not the Giants will have interest in Bush, concluding that the former USC star could fit as a complement in the backfield for Rashad Jennings, particularly since Tom Coughlin is fond of veteran players.
La Canfora On Manning, Suh, McCown, Saints
Weighing in on two of the biggest offseason stories, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com leads off his latest piece by looking at the Peyton Manning and Ndamukong Suh situations. In La Canfora’s view, Manning will ultimately return to the Broncos after the two sides tweak his contract a little. As for Suh, the CBSSports.com scribe doesn’t have any updates on the Lions‘ talks with the defensive star, but says he thinks the Jaguars and Raiders will be major players. For those teams to be involved in the Suh derby, he’d have to reach the open market, which would mean no long-term deal or franchise tag from Detroit.
La Canfora also passes along plenty more tidbits related to free agency, so let’s dive in and round up the highlights….
- When it comes to the market’s top pass rushers, La Canfora thinks Pernell McPhee can reach $10MM per year, with Jerry Hughes in the $9MM range, and Brandon Graham and Jason Worilds around $7.5MM. La Canfora also believes that all four of those players will join new teams next month.
- Free agent quarterback Josh McCown is expected to decide on his new team later this week or early next week, and could land another deal worth $5MM annually. The Bills and Browns look like the best bets for McCown, according to La Canfora.
- The Saints are working through contract issues with about a half-dozen players on their roster, sources tell La Canfora. If things work out the way the team hopes, Marques Colston, Jahri Evans, and Curtis Lofton would likely stick around on reduced salaries, while Ben Grubbs, Brodrick Bunkley, and David Hawthorne could be let go. As for Junior Galette, La Canfora is hearing that head coach Sean Payton has “expressed a desire” to part ways with him, following his January arrest. However, Galette’s contract still contains a sizeable chunk of guaranteed money, and the team likely can’t void those guarantees.
- Percy Harvin probably won’t accept a pay cut from the Jets, which means the team will likely cut him. La Canfora expects the wideout to gamble himself in free agency, signing a one-year deal with a team that has a good quarterback in place.
- The Jaguars will be seeking a top pass catcher, and La Canfora wouldn’t be surprised if the team lands a player like Randall Cobb or Julius Thomas. Per La Canfora, the Packers recognize Cobb’s market could get out of hand, and may focus on re-signing other key free agents, like Bryan Bulaga and Letroy Guion.
- Chiefs center Rodney Hudson came very close to signing a four-year extension worth $6MM per year during the season. He’s a good bet to exceed that amount in free agency, and the Raiders are one viable suitor.
- La Canfora anticipates the Ravens will work out a restructured deal with Lardarius Webb, but isn’t as certain about Haloti Ngata, who may play for a new team in 2015.
- The Jets would have interest in Ryan Mallett if he reaches the open market. However, the Texans have made their interest in the quarterback clear, and Mallett himself said today that he’d like to return to Houston (Twitter link via John McClain of the Houston Chronicle).
FA Rumors: Pascoe, Jean-Francois, McCourty
The agent for tight end Bear Pascoe tells D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution that his client will be moving on from the Falcons next month.
“We had a great conversation with the Falcons and it looks like at this point Bear is going to explore some other options for next year and the Falcons are going to do the same,” said Noel LaMontagne, Pascoe’s agent. “The front office and Bear both were really appreciative of everything over the last year, but with coaching changes, there will always be other changes, so Bear is going to see what else is out there for the future.”
Let’s round up a few more Wednesday updates on 2015’s prospective free agents:
- After been released by the Colts earlier this week, defensive lineman Ricky Jean-Francois is seeking a new home for the 2015 season, and a pair of potential suitors has already surfaced. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (via Twitter), Jean-Francois has visits lined up with Washington and the 49ers this week. Jean-Francois has a history with the Niners, having spent the first four years of his NFL career in San Francisco.
- Asked about the possibility of being franchised by the Patriots, safety Devin McCourty wasn’t sure if that’s the team’s plan, but said being tagged wouldn’t be the worst thing (Twitter link via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald). “The franchise tag is player-friendly now,” McCourty said (Twitter link via Phil Perry of CSNNE.com). “It’s a good number.”
- After some confusion about his contract status, Lions defensive end George Johnson is being considered a restricted free agent by both the NFL and NFLPA, says Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link). As such, there’s a very good chance Johnson returns to Detroit.
- Appearing on PFT Live today, veteran safety Mike Adams said he’d like to retire as a Colt (Twitter link). Adams, who is eligible for free agency, turns 34 next month, so there’s a chance his next contract will be his last.
- As we heard this morning, the Dolphins are working to get a deal done with tight end Charles Clay. If he remains unsigned when the free agent period arrives though, Clay’s market will be “very strong,” tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk takes a look at a few clubs to watch in free agency, identifying the Falcons, Buccaneers, Raiders, Jaguars, and Bills as the teams poised to spend big.
Bills Not Pursuing Trade For Sam Bradford
2:06pm: A Bills source has told Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 that they are not pursuing Bradford.
1:48pm: The Rams tell Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (via Twitter) that there is “no merit” to the report linking Bradford to the Bills.
1:06pm: The Bills are interested in acquiring quarterback Sam Bradford from the Rams, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Multiple team sources tell Getlin that Buffalo head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman aren’t high on incumbent QB EJ Manuel, and believe that Bradford could help the club contend in 2015.
The Rams have said that they’d like to retain Bradford as their starting quarterback next season, but recent reports have indicated that St. Louis has allowed to Bradford to determine his trade market. That doesn’t necessarily mean that the Rams would deal the 27-year-old Bradford, but it certainly seems like the club is keeping its options open.
Bradford is scheduled to count more than $16MM on the Rams’ cap in 2015, the final year of his contract; St. Louis would be on the hook for just $3.595MM in dead money if they dealt him. An acquiring team would be responsible for Bradford’s base salary of $12.985MM. Still, that figure seems incredibly high for a quarterback who hasn’t been able to stay on the field. Bradford has torn his ACL in each of the past two seasons, and has played in only seven games during that time.
As Getlin writes, it could be tough for the Bills to pony up enough compensation to satisfy the Rams. Buffalo only has six pick in this year’s draft, having already traded their first-round selection to move up in last year’s draft. Still, Bradford probably wouldn’t command a first-rounder anyway, so perhaps the Bills would be willing to part with some combination of mid-round picks.
Over the weekend, Mary Kay Cabot of the Cleveland Plain Dealer reported that the Browns would also have interest in acquiring Bradford.
East Notes: Allen, Odrick, Bills, Giants
Eagles safety Nate Allen, who is set to reach the open market next month, has been cleared of any wrongdoing after being detained by police in Fort Myers, Florida last week, according to a report from ABC 6 in Philadelphia. Allen was adamant at the time that the accusation of indecent exposure was false, and encouraged police to continue investigating to clear his name.
Here’s more the East:
- Charles Clay isn’t the only Dolphins free-agent-to-be whose next deal could be in the range of $6MM per year. Armando Salguero of the Miami Herald writes that Jared Odrick‘s camp believes the defensive lineman has a floor of $6MM annually in free agency. Salguero also tweeted that the club would like to keep Odrick if the cost isn’t too prohibitive.
- The Bills are interested in bring back both defensive end Jarius Wynn and linebacker Larry Dean, but there’s been “no movement” in talks with guard Erik Pears, according to Mike Rodak of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Pears spent the entire season as Buffalo’s starting left guard, while Wynn and Dean were reserve defenders.
- The Giants will probably look to move a few veterans off their roster before free agency begins, and Dan Graziano of ESPN.com guesses (via Twitter) that linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka, offensive lineman J.D. Walton, and perhaps linebacker Jon Beason could be among that group. PFR’s Zach Links identified Kiwanuka and Beason as possible cap casualties in his preview of New York’s offseason.
Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.
Free Agency Links: Giants, Poe, Clay
Despite landing one of the marquee receivers with 2014 first-rounder Odell Beckham, Giants GM Jerry Reese intends to invest further in that spot this offseason.
“We’ll upgrade receiver,” Reese told Connor Orr of NFL.com on a decision that has more to do with slot bastion Victor Cruz, who suffered a ruptured patellar tendon midway through last season. Cruz is signed through 2018 and carries an $8.2MM cap number — the second-highest figure on the team behind Eli Manning, according to OverTheCap — as by far the Giants’ highest-paid receiver but regaining his top form after a gruesome ailment isn’t a lock. Beckham and Rueben Randle remain on their rookie deals.
Cruz hasn’t come close to replicating his 1,500-yard 2011 season, but the Giants have yet to see him team up much with Beckham, as the two played just one full game together last season. Although this is the team that took Jason Pierre-Paul in 2011 with Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck on their roster at the time, seeing the Giants go receiver at No. 8 overall or allocate significant funds to the spot via free agency would surprise, considering their other needs.
- Occupying one of the tightest salary cap situations with less than $5MM of room (OverTheCap), the Chiefs have a slew of decisions to make to become active in this season’s free agent market. But one they must exercise by May 3 is whether to pick up their fifth-year option on nose tackle Dontari Poe, their Pro Bowl nose tackle, and GM John Dorsey is putting that decision on the back burner, writes the Kansas City Star’s Terez A. Paylor. If Kansas City picks up this option, Poe’s salary in 2016 will be an average of the league’s DTs paid between third- and 25th-most at the position. Poe’s been a regular who’s played high snap counts in the middle of the Chiefs’ defense since being selected in the first round of the 2012 draft, but their decision isn’t open and shut considering the statuses of high-priced players Tamba Hali, Dwayne Bowe and Eric Berry, who saw his fifth-year option picked up last spring. Poe graded out as the 11th-best defensive tackle in a breakout 2013 season, per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), but didn’t crack the site’s top 40 in his other two seasons.
- The Bills were probably going to take current Lions tight end Eric Ebron before trading up for Sammy Watkins last May and may not deviate from a tight end-based plan this time around, writes Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News. Carucci picks out Charles Clay, one of the top free agents at the position this offseason after being a steady performer with the Dolphins the past two years, as a possible upgrade on the Scott Chandler-led corps. Clay’s ability to work as a fullback in Rex Ryan‘s offense would be key here, Carucci said. The Bills haven’t had much of note, receiving-wise, at this spot in the modern era after deploying the likes of Chandler, Robert Royal and Jay Riemersma over the past 15 years.
- Clay, who caught 58 and 69 passes the past two years, respectively, may not be a fit for the Super Bowl champion Patriots, tweets the Boston Herald’s Jeff Howe, however. Clay’s price may be out of the range of a team that employs the second-highest-paid player, by seasonal value, in Rob Gronkowski.