Panthers, Ron Rivera Discussing Extension
Following a season in which he led the Panthers to a 15-1 regular-season record and an appearance in the Super Bowl, head coach Ron Rivera appears to be in line for a raise. According to Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer, the Panthers have reached out to Rivera to start working on a contract extension.
Rivera, who succeeded John Fox as the Panthers’ head coach in 2011, has posted a sub-.500 record in three of his five seasons with the team. However, his overall regular-season mark in Carolina is 47-32-1, and the team has won the NFC South three times in a row, earning the division title in 2014 despite a 7-8-1 record.
Following a 2013 campaign that saw the Panthers finish 12-4 and earned Rivera AP Coach of the Year honors, Carolina locked up the coach to a three-year extension believed to be worth north of $4MM per season. The deal keeps Rivera under contract through 2017, but after this year’s NFC championship, the Panthers would like to extend the relationship beyond that, and give their head coach another raise.
In spite of the Panthers’ 2015 success, Rivera will benefit from keeping both his offensive and defensive coordinators for at least one more year. Defensive coordinator Sean McDermott interviewed for the Browns’ and Buccaneers’ head coaching jobs, while offensive coordinator Mike Shula turned down at least one opportunity to interview for a head coaching position, a source tells Person.
Rivera is the second NFC South coach rumored this week to be working on a deal. Sean Payton suggested on Thursday that he’s moving closer to an extension with the Saints.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFLPA Announces Cap Carryover Amounts
The NFL Players Association issued a press release today announcing the salary cap carryover amounts for all 32 NFL teams for the 2016 season. The official salary cap amount for 2016 has yet to be announced by the league, but it’s expected to be in the neighborhood of $155MM+. When that figures becomes official, it can be added to each team’s carryover amount to determine that club’s official cap for 2016.
According to the press release, the Broncos, Rams, and the Saints are the only teams that opted not to carry over the full amount available to them, though none of those clubs are believed to have left significant amounts on the table.
Here are the salary cap carryover amounts for 2016, per the NFLPA, from highest to lowest:
- Jacksonville Jaguars: $32,774,928
- Tennessee Titans: $20,783,801
- Cleveland Browns: $20,734,144
- Oakland Raiders: $13,373,617
- San Francisco 49ers: $12,206,686
- New York Giants: $11,193,231
- Miami Dolphins: $9,137,544
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: $7,987,748
- Cincinnati Bengals: $7,587,902
- Philadelphia Eagles: $7,255,362
- Green Bay Packers: $6,953,847
- Washington: $5,837,734
- Indianapolis Colts: $4,950,629
- Buffalo Bills: $4,467,331
- Atlanta Falcons: $3,905,771
- Carolina Panthers: $3,731,200
- Dallas Cowboys: $3,571,239
- Denver Broncos: $3,300,000
- Arizona Cardinals: $3,031,663
- Pittsburgh Steelers: $3,000,327
- Kansas City Chiefs: $2,622,838
- New York Jets: $2,484,216
- San Diego Chargers: $2,287,176
- Minnesota Vikings: $2,090,409
- Houston Texans: $1,637,055
- Baltimore Ravens: $1,633,944
- New Orleans Saints: $1,400,000
- New England Patriots: $1,347,882
- Los Angeles Rams: $933,521
- Chicago Bears: $867,589
- Detroit Lions: $862,191
- Seattle Seahawks: $11,587
Panthers Rumors: Norman, Gettleman, Johnson
Here’s a quick look at the defending NFC Champions:
- The Panthers will meet with Josh Norman‘s rep this week at the Combine, as Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer tweets. It has been long speculated that the Panthers will use the franchise tag to keep Norman for the 2016 season. The 28-year-old Norman put himself in a great position heading into unrestricted free agency, as 2015 was easily the best season of his four-year career. He was named first team All Pro and selected for his first Pro Bowl, and posted solid raw statistics, producing career highs in both interceptions (four) and passes defensed (18).
- “Obviously we are going to try to get a deal done with [Josh] Norman. If not, the tag is an option,” Gettleman said (Twitter link via Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer).
- Based off the comments of GM Dave Gettleman on Wednesday, Person (on Twitter) gets the sense that Norman will be tagged. He also gets the feeling that defensive end Charles Johnson will either be cut or asked to take a big pay cut. Right tackle Mike Remmers, who is slated to be a free agent, also sounds likely to be retained.
- Gettleman says they are still evaluating Johnson (link). The GM added that it was tough to evaluate him last year because of the injuries.
NFC Notes: Cousins, Reiff, Falcons, Floyd
As noted earlier this afternoon, Washington‘s Scot McCloughan wasn’t on today’s schedule of general managers or head coaches to hold formal press conferences at the combine in Indianapolis. However, he did speak to the media about his team’s contract talks with quarterback Kirk Cousins.
While McCloughan didn’t go into specifics, he said that he has met with Cousins’ agent face-to-face this week, describing the sit-down as “very positive,” per Mike Jones of the Washington Post (Twitter link). According to McCloughan, conversations are going on “every day” between the two sides, and he remains optimistic that something will get done (Twitter link).
Let’s round up several more of the latest GM and head coach comments from the combine in Indianapolis, with a focus on NFC teams….
- Lions tackle Riley Reiff is currently set to earn an $8.07MM salary for 2016, and while that money isn’t yet guaranteed, Reiff won’t be going anywhere, GM Bob Quinn said today (Twitter link via Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press). It’s not clear yet what position Reiff will play next season, but he’ll be a Lion.
- Speaking to the media today, Falcons head coach Dan Quinn said that he’d like to see defensive free agents Adrian Clayborn and O’Brien Schofield re-signed, and added that no veterans besides Paul Soliai have been approached about restructuring their contracts (Twitter links via D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and ESPN’s Vaughn McClure).
- There’s no new deal imminent for Michael Floyd, but GM Steve Keim had plenty of praise for the Cardinals wideout, as Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com details. Floyd is extension-eligible but still has one year left on his rookie contract, so Arizona doesn’t have to get anything done right away.
- Panthers general manager Dave Gettleman confirmed today that wide receiver Kevin Norwood met the conditions of the trade Carolina made with Seattle prior to the 2015 season, so the Seahawks will receive the Panthers‘ seventh-round pick in 2017, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
- Despite a fairly sizable cap hit for 2016, Vikings defensive end Brian Robison sounds like a good bet to remain on Minnesota’s roster based on comments made today by GM Rick Spielman, says Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune.
Latest On Panthers, Charles Johnson
Panthers DE Charles Johnson is 29, is coming off an injury-plagued 2015 season, and has not posted a double-digit sack total since 2013. He is also entering the final year of a six-year, $76MM contract he signed in 2011, and he is scheduled to count $15MM against the salary cap in 2016. Given the emergence of Kawann Short–whose contract situation must be addressed in the near future–and Kony Ealy, Carolina could release Johnson, saving a much-needed $11MM in cap space in the process, and replace him with a cheaper alternative.
[RELATED: Jared Allen Announces Retirement]
But the $15MM cap number is just unpalatable, and as Joseph Person and Jonathan Jones of The Charlotte Observer report, Johnson will have to agree to restructure his contract and take less money or risk being cut. Person and Jones point out, though, that GM Dave Gettleman has a special affinity for pass rushers, and Johnson may find that whatever the Panthers ask him to take could still be more than what he could get on the open market.
If the two sides do end up parting ways, Jones looks at five pass rushers who could be available in the draft (the 2016 draft class has a great deal of pass rushing depth, which could make the decision to release Johnson a little easier). Although elite prospects like Joey Bosa and DeForest Buckner will certainly be gone before the Panthers’ No. 30 overall pick rolls around, players like Oklahoma State’s Emmanuel Ogbah, Michigan State’s Shilique Calhoun, and Clemson’s Kevin Dodd are worthy early-round targets.
Person and Jones also examine five potential replacements for Johnson that could be available in free agency, a group that is headlined by Jason Pierre-Paul, who was selected by the Giants when Gettleman was on New York’s staff. The Giants will reportedly attempt to re-sign JPP, but they will not put the franchise tag on him or sign him to a mega-deal, so he could end up testing the free agent waters. He will likely sign an incentive-laden deal with someone, but Person and Jones express skepticism that Carolina will be the team to give him such a contract.
Ultimately, the Panthers may be better off releasing Johnson, using some of the $11MM saved to sign a more under-the-radar free agent like William Hayes, and capitalizing on the draft’s pass rushing depth to pick up a high-upside rookie in the middle rounds. They could then put the rest of that cap space–along with the $8.5MM of room that was created when Jared Allen announced his retirement–towards the franchise tag for cornerback Josh Norman. Johnson, if he is released, should have little trouble finding a new team on the lookout for pass rushing help–which is basically every team in the league–especially since he would not count against his new club’s compensatory pick formula.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Extra Points: Slay, Lions, Bills, Griffin, Oher
Lions cornerback Darius Slay has made it clear that he’d like to sign an extension with Detroit, and it looks like some movement may be coming on that front. According to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), Slay’s new agent Drew Rosenhaus will meet with the Lions at the scouting combine to discuss a new contract. As Cole notes, it probably makes sense for Detroit to strike a deal now — and add some guaranteed money in 2016 while they’re flush with cap space — instead of waiting until next offseason and running the risk of having to franchise Slay.
Here’s a few more notes from around the NFL:
- Restricted free agent Corbin Bryant believes he can be part of the solution in Buffalo, and the Bills defensive lineman wants to be retained, as Tyler Dunne of the Buffalo News writes. Because of cap trouble, Dunne expects the Bills to tender Bryant, a restricted free agent, at the lowest level, but he notes (via Twitter) that the two sides haven’t had any talks as of yet.
- While Bryant is set to hit restricted free agency, Bills linebacker Nigel Bradham is an unrestricted free agent, and he’s willing to accept a one-year, “prove-it” deal to return to Buffalo, reports Dunne (Twitter link). Bradham was a much better fit under former Buffalo DC Jim Schwartz than he is in Rex Ryan‘s system, but general manger Doug Whaley wants Bradham to return, per Dunne.
- Free agent safety Michael Griffin has hired David Mulugheta and Andrew Kessler as his new agents, as Rand Getlin of NFL Network reports (Twitter link). The 31-year-old Griffin was released last week after nine seasons with the Titans.
- Like Slay did earlier this year, Panthers tackle Michael Oher has hired Rosenhaus as his representative, tweets Getlin. Oher, 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 an extension.
NFC Notes: Panthers, Lions, Greenway, Eagles
The Panthers are adding former 49ers special teams coach Thomas McGaughey to their staff as a special teams assistant, a source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina head coach Ron Rivera wanted to hire a young special teams coach to assist coordinator Bruce DeHaven, who has been undergoing treatment for prostate cancer. The team also interviewed former Bucs assistant Kevin O’Dea and ex-Panthers linebacker Chase Blackburn for the job.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- On the heels of the news that the Lions will release linebacker Stephen Tulloch, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets that another veteran starter, safety James Ihedigbo, will be “gone” as well. Ihedigbo is eligible for free agency this winter, so Rapoport’s tweet suggests the 32-year-old won’t be re-signing with the Lions.
- Echoing comments he made after the Vikings‘ season ended in January, linebacker Chad Greenway said on SiriusXM NFL Radio that he’d like to return to Minnesota for another season, as Alex Marvez of FOX Sports details. Assuming the Vikings re-sign Greenway, it will likely be one final year before he retires.
- The Eagles and college scouting coordinator Matt Lindsey have mutually agreed to part ways, per a report from FootballScoop.com (on Twitter). As Geoff Mosher of 97.5 The Fanatic tweets, this leaves Philly without a college scouting director or college scouting coordinator right before the combine.
- Appearing on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link), cornerback Jeremy Lane said today that he’d love to re-sign with the Seahawks this winter, pointing to the fact that Seattle gave him his “first crack” in the NFL. Lane, a sixth-round pick in 2012, is eligible for free agency this offseason.
South Rumors: Hasselbeck, Spiller, Panthers
Veteran quarterback Matt Hasselbeck turned 40 last fall, and has been playing in the NFL since 1998, but it sounds like he wants to play at least one more season, as Kevin Bowen of Colts.com details.
“I know I want to play (in 2016),” Hasselbeck said. “I know how much fun I had in the huddle last year. I remember getting in the huddle for one game and it was just so much fun to be in there with my guys, with my teammates, with my friends.”
Colts head coach Chuck Pagano told Hasselbeck earlier this month that the club “would love” to have him back, but the veteran signal-caller doesn’t currently have a contract for 2016, so the two sides would have to agree to a new deal. As March 9th approaches, it’ll be worth keeping an eye on whether the Colts work out a new contract with Hasselbeck, or if the team wants to turn to younger options to back up Andrew Luck. Currently, Josh Freeman and Stephen Morris are under contract in Indianapolis.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s South divisions:
- Saints running back C.J. Spiller hadn’t been considered a lock to return to the team in 2016, but it sounds like GM Mickey Loomis is planning on having him in the mix. In an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Loomis said that he thinks the Saints “will see the real C.J. Spiller” next season, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune details.
- Another NFC South running back, Jonathan Stewart, is also a good bet to return to his current team. Team and league sources tell Jonathan Jones of the Charlotte Observer that the Panthers are expected to retain Stewart, despite the cap savings his release would create.
- The Titans‘ signings during March’s free agent period might not reveal which player the team plans to take with the No. 1 overall pick, but Tennessee’s March moves could strongly suggest which direction the club won’t go with that selection, as Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com explains.
- The Colts have had a consistent problem drafting offensive linemen, according to Mike Wells of ESPN.com, who examines the team’s various swings and misses at the position over the last few years. The offensive line is an area where the team could use an upgrade or two this offseason, so it’ll be interesting to see if GM Ryan Grigson can start to turn his draft record around at the position.
Extra Points: Kuechly, Osemele, Sweezy, McCain, Geno
Panthers star linebacker Luke Kuechly will undergo surgery on a partially torn left labrum, David Newton of ESPN.com reports. The injury occurred in Week 17 against Tampa Bay, but it didn’t hamper Kuechly’s ability to play during the postseason. The timetable to recover from Kuechly’s injury ranges from three to six months, per Newton. Although Kuechly could miss the Panthers’ offseason workouts, the three-time first-team All-Pro will be ready for training camp in July, a source told Newton.
The latest from around the NFL…
- The Ravens want to keep pending free agent offensive lineman Kelechi Osemele, but they won’t franchise tag him and will likely find him too pricey to re-sign, Clifton Brown of CSNMidAtlantic.com writes. Brown lists the Saints, Seahawks and Vikings as potential fits for the 26-year-old.
- Speaking of the Seahawks, guard J.R. Sweezy – who has started 45 games over the last three seasons – will encounter “an active market” for his services if he hits free agency March 9, according to Rand Getlin of the NFL Network (Twitter link).
- Cornerback Brice McCain, whom the Dolphins cut last week, will visit with two unnamed teams in the coming days, tweets Jason Cole of Bleacher Report.
- The Jets will try to trade Geno Smith if they pick a quarterback on the first or second day of the draft this year, per Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. Smith carries a ~$1.6MM cap hit this year and could interest a team in need of a backup.
- Offensive tackle Jermon Bushrod, who was cut by the Bears on Tuesday with a failed physical, has a tear in his shoulder that likely needs surgery, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets. However, he’ll be ready for 2016.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Panthers, LS J.J. Jansen Agree To Five-Year Deal
The Panthers announced that they have signed long snapper J.J. Jansen to a five-year deal. The pact is worth $5.5MM, according to a source who spoke with Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer (on Twitter). 
Jansen has been an absolute rock for the Panthers and has not had a bad snap since September 2010. Originally was acquired by Carolina in a trade with Green Bay in 2008, Jansen told the team website that he is humbled and honored to receive a new multi-year deal.
“[Former GM] Marty Hurney traded for me. I hadn’t even played in a regular season game, but he saw something in me that he was willing to trade for,” Jansen said. “I’ve just always felt like it’s my job to take care of this position and make it easy on the punter and kicker.”
In seven seasons with the Panthers, Jansen has handled more than 1,000 snaps on punts, field goals and extra points. Since the lone slip-up in 2010, Jansen has executed more than 600 snaps without fail.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.