NFC Notes: Gurley, Carr, J. Jones, Bears
Former agent Jimmy Halsell passes along an interesting note on Todd Gurley‘s rookie contract with the Rams, observing that the running back will get his full 2015 and 2016 salaries even if he’s on the non-football injury list due to his knee (Twitter link). Gurley’s ACL injury occurred when he was still at Georgia, so based on the NFL’s definition, it would be considered a non-football injury, and teams can opt not to pay full salaries when placing players on the NFI list.
Here’s more from across the NFC:
- Brandon Carr won’t be released late in the offseason like Evan Mathis was, as Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said today that the cornerback will be with the team for the 2015 season. However, as Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets, the club is still working on lowering Carr’s cap number ($12.717MM).
- Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones told reporters today, including D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that he doesn’t intend to hold out at all as he seeks a new contract.
- A pair of former second-round picks, running back Daniel Thomas and defensive back Sherrod Martin, are trying out for the Bears at the team’s minicamp, according to Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Thomas has been busy over the last few weeks, working out for the Lions and Cowboys as well.
- The Panthers promoted director of football operations Brandon Beane to assistant general manager, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Beane was briefly Carolina’s interim GM before Dave Gettleman took over the job in 2012.
NFC South Notes: Colston, Dotson, Green
While longtime Saints like Jimmy Graham, Ben Grubbs, Curtis Lofton, and Pierre Thomas were traded or released by New Orleans this offseason, wide receiver Marques Colston was able to work out an agreement to stay with the team on a reworked contract. As Colston tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com, staying with the Saints was more important than trying to max out his value.
“At this point in my career, it’s not necessarily about maximizing every penny of every contract,” Colston said. “For me it came down to, ‘What’s my priority?’ I probably could have went somewhere else and maybe got a little bit more money. But the priority for me was to come back to an organization that I really enjoy playing for. I enjoy coming to work every day and being in this locker room.”
Colston, who added that he didn’t want to leave a “Hall of Fame quarterback” in Drew Brees, is on track to earn $3.8MM in 2015 than the $7MM he was originally set to make. Here’s more from around the NFC South, as we check in with all four teams:
- “I didn’t want to lose any money,” Demar Dotson answered simply, when asked why he chose to end his holdout and attend the Buccaneers‘ minicamp this week (link via the Tampa Tribune). The veteran right tackle had been seeking a new contract, but staying away from team activities didn’t appear to improve his leverage, since the Bucs broke off negotiations while he was absent.
- Reserve offensive lineman Tyronne Green tore his Achilles tendon during a practice and will undergo surgery, sidelining him for the 2015 season, Panthers head coach Ron Rivera told the media today (Twitter link). Green wasn’t necessarily guaranteed a regular season roster spot, but his injury should open the door for another lineman to earn a place among Carolina’s final 53.
- Wide receiver Carlton Mitchell, who played his college ball at South Carolina and spent time with the Browns after being selected in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, has a tryout today with the Falcons, tweets Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com.
NFC South Notes: Panthers, Davis, Saints
Jameis Winston worked with the second-team offense Tuesday on the opening day of the Buccaneers‘ minicamp, but coach Lovie Smith says it has no bearing on who will be the team’s starting QB, Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com writes. For his part, the No. 1 overall pick says that he doesn’t feel entitled to anything. “I haven’t earned [the starting job] until I get it,” Winston said. Here’s more from the NFC South..
- Panthers coach Ron Rivera can’t see outside linebacker Thomas Davis retiring after his contract extension ends in 2017, as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. “I really can’t,” Rivera said. “Knowing him, it’ll be, ‘We’ll see how I am every year?’ … I know we talked about he’s going to retire a Panther. Maybe in three, four or five years, knowing him. As long as he stays healthy he’s got a great chance to extend his career.” The 14th overall pick out of Georgia back in 2005, Davis has been a key piece of the Panthers’ defense since entering the league, appearing in 117 games (99 starts) for the team over the last decade. For his career, he has racked up nearly 750 tackles to go along with 17.5 sacks, six interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles.
- It took Kevin Williams a while to sign with a new team this summer, but he wasted little time getting acclimated to the Saints, Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. Still, he’s already gotten plenty of reminders about his age. “Man, you’d be surprised the stories I’ve gotten. They made me feel old, like, ‘We used to play with you on Madden,’ and all these things,” Williams said. “So I really didn’t have to do much introducing. The guys already knew who I was.” Williams hooked on with New Orleans last week.
- In addition to working out wide receiver Matt James today, as was previously reported, the Saints also took a look at punter Chase Tenpenny and long snapper Chris Highland, writes Evan Woodbery of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.
Panthers Sign Chris Houston
The Panthers added some interesting veteran depth to their secondary today, announcing (via Twitter) that they’ve signed cornerback Chris Houston. To make room on their roster, the Panthers cut another cornerback, Jocquel Skinner.
Houston, 30, sat out the 2014 season, having been released almost a year ago to the day by the Lions. At the time, Houston had recently undergone surgery on his toe, and the team cited his recovery from that “significant medical procedure” as the primary reason why he was let go. The cornerback’s agent said in the wake of his release that he expected his client to return to the field in 2014, but that didn’t happen.
Before he missed the 2014 campaign, Houston was a longtime starter at cornerback in Detroit, having signed a five-year, $25MM contract with the team just a year before he was cut. While the Lions carried a chunk of dead money from that deal on their cap, the Panthers will get Houston at a much cheaper rate. If it turns out he’s not fully healthy, or not as effective as he was before his injury problems, Carolina should be able to cut ties with Houston at little or no cost.
In Carolina, Houston will join a group of cornerbacks that includes Josh Norman, Bene Benwikere, Melvin White, and fellow free agent signee Charles Tillman.
Thomas Davis, Panthers Agree To Extension
2:12pm: Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk has the details on Davis’ extension, reporting that the linebacker will get a $9MM signing bonus, and salaries of $1.25MM (2015), $3.5MM (2016), and $4.25MM (2017). This year’s money ($10.5MM) is fully guaranteed, while next year’s salary is partially guaranteed ($1.5MM) for injury only.
1:23pm: The Panthers have officially announced (via Twitter) their two-year extension for Davis, who said in a statement, “I now get to officially end my career as a Carolina Panther and that means the world to me.”
1:11pm: The Panthers have reached an agreement with linebacker Thomas Davis on a deal that will extend his contract by two seasons, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (all Twitter links). According to Person, Davis’ new contract, which will run from 2015 to 2017, is expected to be worth about $18MM. The Carolina linebacker figures to sign the pact later today.
Davis, 32, had been set to earn a $7.25MM base salary in 2015 before becoming eligible for free agency in 2016. While his old contract technically ran through the 2018 season, as Over The Cap details, that was only to stretch a previous signing bonus out for cap purposes — the deal was set to void following the coming season.
As I noted last week when I examined the top cap hits by defensive position, Davis’ deal was an outlier, as he was the only outside linebacker with a top-10 cap number for 2015 who plays in a 4-3 scheme rather than a 3-4 defense. The veteran linebacker’s new contract should reduce that $9.9MM cap charge for 2015, though the initial figures suggest he’ll still be paid well at a position that typically doesn’t feature many of the league’s top earners.
The 14th overall pick out of Georgia back in 2005, Davis has been a key piece of the Panthers’ defense since entering the league, appearing in 117 games (99 starts) for the team over the last decade. For his career, he has racked up nearly 750 tackles to go along with 17.5 sacks, six interceptions, and 13 forced fumbles.
Having taken care of Davis, the Panthers will likely shift their attention to another linebacker soon, as Luke Kuechly is nearing the end of his rookie contract. Because he was also a first-round pick, Kuechly has a fifth-year option for 2016 on his deal, which the Panthers exercised earlier this spring. However, the club still may explore an extension sometime before the 2015 season rather than waiting until next year to lock up the Pro Bowler.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Mailbags: David, Buccaneers, Stewart, Lions
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. Let take a look at some interesting notes out of the NFC…
- There is an “open dialogue” between the Buccaneers and linebacker Lavonte David‘s camp regarding a contract extension, reports Pat Yasinskas. The writer notes that both sides would like to get a deal done quickly.
- Looking at the Buccaneers offensive line, Yasinskas believes the team doesn’t have much of a need for recently-released Evan Mathis. The team would rather have their young players, including Ali Marpet and Kadeem Edwards, compile snaps. Meanwhile, Yasinskas says lineman Demar Dotson still wants a new contract, and the writer believes showing up for minicamp could improve the player’s chances.
- Jonathan Stewart‘s deal runs through 2017, and David Newton could envision the Panthers getting out of that contract early. Considering general manager Dave Gettleman‘s willingness to part ways with veterans like DeAngelo Williams and Steve Smith, there’s no guarantee that Stewart sticks around.
- If Lions defensive coordinator Teryl Austin can put together a top-five defense without Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley, Michael Rothstein says the 50-year-old will likely have his pick of heading coaching gigs next offseason.
- Rothstein believes it could be a “tough road” for Mohammed Seisay to make the Lions 53-man roster. If the cornerback were to stick around, it’d have to be because of the 25-year-old’s contributions on special teams. The writer notes that the team has four “likely locks” to make the roster at cornerback: Rashean Mathis, Darius Slay, Alex Carter and Quandre Diggs.
Extra Points: Incognito, Davis, Wright
The Bills‘ offseason signing of Richie Incognito raised some eyebrows, but coach Rex Ryan says that the guard has been nothing but “outstanding” so far this spring, per Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Incognito has long been regarded as one of the better interior lineman in the NFL. However, the bullying scandal of 2013 put his career on halt and his future in jeopardy. After missing half of 2013 and all of 2014, Incognito signed with Buffalo on a one-year deal with a base salary of $900K.
- Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis anticipates landing a contract extension before the start of training camp, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer writes. Davis, 32, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him $7.25MM this year, with a salary cap number of $9.9MM. Davis has averaged 77 tackles a year since returning from the third ACL reconstruction on his right knee in 2012. The Panthers drafted his likely successor when they took former Washington linebacker Shaq Thompson with the 25th overall pick this year, but he’s still confident that Carolina will present him with a fair deal.
- With the Patriots having waived tight end Tim Wright, Mike Reiss of ESPN.com revisits the trade that brought Wright to New England last summer for Logan Mankins. As Reiss observes, the Pats also received cap relief and a draft pick in that trade, so Wright may not have been the key piece in the deal, but it’s still a bit surprising that the club parted ways with him.
- Head coach Gus Bradley and the Jaguars expect to see veteran pass rusher Chris Clemons at next week’s mandatory minicamp, as Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union writes. Clemons hasn’t been present for Jacksonville’s voluntary OTAs this year, but would forfeit his workout bonus if he doesn’t show up next week.
- Frustrated with injuries, Eagles outside linebacker Travis Long nearly walked away from the game before ever seeing live action, as Geoff Mosher of CSNPhilly.com writes.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
Here are Wednesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL, with additional moves added to the top of the list throughout the day:
- The 49ers re-signed linebacker Michael Wilhoite, according to Howard Balzer of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). Wilhoite was an exclusive rights free agent. At one point earlier this offseason, the 49ers were said to be shopping Wilhoite as a possible trade chip. However, that was back when San Francisco was still expecting to have Patrick Willis and Chris Borland back in the mix for 2015. In April, GM Trent Baalke indicated that he was working on a new deal with Wilhoite. Apparently, that did not come together as planned.
- As we heard yesterday, the Panthers are signing tight end Scott Simonson after working him out earlier this week. To make room on the roster, Carolina has waived punter Matt Wile, the team announced today (Twitter link). Wile initially joined the Panthers as an undrafted free agent out of Michigan about five weeks ago.
- The Lions have made some changes at the back of their 90-man roster, signing tight end David Ausberry and cutting safety Nathan Lindsey, tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Like Simonson, Ausberry is a former Raiders tight end, having spent four seasons with the team after being drafted in the seventh round back in 2011. He played sparingly during his time in Oakland, catching 11 career passes for 120 yards.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
Today’s minor moves..
- The Colts cut kicker Taylor Pontius, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter). Pontius was a member of the Colts’ rookie minicamp as a tryout player in May and signed a contract soon after.
- The Patriots announced that they have released rookie defensive back Eric Patterson. Patterson, 22, was signed by the Pats as a UDFA back in May. The Ball State product started in 28 of 41 games during his collegiate career and finished with 135 total tackles and six interceptions.
- The Vikings announced that they have signed free agent defensive tackle Chrishon Rose. Rose, who comes out of East Carolina, played in 13 games as a senior, posting 41 total tackles including 14 solo stops. Rose’s defensive unit held 18 opponents to 100 or less rushing yards in his four seasons at ECU.
- The Packers have signed tackle Vince Kowalski, a UDFA from Villanova, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The signing brings Green Bay to the full 90-man roster limit. Kowalski started all four seasons at Villanova and was named first-team in his conference last season.
- Rams sixth-round pick Bud Sasser went unclaimed off waivers and is now a free agent, Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun tweets.
- Washington has signed tackle Bryce Quigley and cut quarterback Hutson Mason, according to Mike Jones of the Washington Post (on Twitter). Mason was serving as an extra arm behind Robert Griffin III, Colt McCoy, and Kirk Cousins in camp.
- Former Northern Arizona punter Andy Wilder, who went undrafted last spring, has been cut by the Buccaneers, according to Wilson (on Twitter).
- The Panthers will sign former Raiders tight end Scott Simonson to a one-year deal, a source tells Wilson (on Twitter).
South Notes: Stewart, Panthers, Texans
When the Panthers released their all-time leading rusher DeAngelo Williams, it paved the way for Jonathan Stewart to become the team’s undisputed featured running back for the first time in eight years, as Steve Reed of The Associated Press writes. His teammates believe that he’s up for the task.
“We saw last year that as he got more and more reps, the better he got,” tight end Greg Olsen said. “He’s so talented. You forget that he’s just unbelievable. When he gets rolling he’s as good as there is in the league. He’s so big and strong.”
Here’s more from the AFC and NFC South..
- The Texans have reached out to former center Chris Myers about returning to the team, according to John McClain of the Houston Chronicle (on Twitter). Myers will consider multiple options before deciding, however.
- Olsen says that playing with Panthers quarterback Cam Newton has been “great for his career,” as David Newton of ESPN.com writes. Last week, Newton signed a five-year extension that will make him a member of the Panthers through 2020.
- Texans head coach Bill O’Brien announced that the team’s promotion of George Godsey to offensive coordinator is now official, Tania Ganguli of ESPN.com tweets. Godsey was previously slotted in as the team’s quarterbacks coach.
- When asked about whether tackle David Quessenberry could play this year, O’Brien said, “This season is a possibility. I would not rule it out,” according to Ganguli (on Twitter). the former sixth-rounder has been battling with lymphoma and, fortunately, appears to have made a great recovery. The Texans lineman announced in February that he was in remission.
- The Saints have added former Jets director of pro personnel Brendan Prophett to their scouting staff, a source tells Nick Underhill of The Advocate. Prophett has not yet been assigned an area that he will scout.