Panthers Extend Greg Olsen Through 2018
The Panthers have reached an agreement with tight end Greg Olsen on a new contract extension that will keep Olsen under team control through the 2018 season, the club announced today in a press release. Olsen had been scheduled to hit unrestricted free agency a year from now.
“It’s really a dream come true,” Olsen said in a statement. “Since we’ve come to Charlotte, we very quickly realized that this is home. This community quickly embraced our family, so we put down roots here. We love it here. This is home for us. Now to have this contract that guarantees that I’ll play the rest of my career in Charlotte is a tremendous blessing. We’re just so thankful for the team believing in me and wanting me to still be a part of this. As a team, we have a lot of special times ahead of us.”
Olsen, who turns 30 next Wednesday, has been a consistent and durable part of the Panthers’ passing game since joining the team in 2011. He has increased his catch total in each of his four seasons with the team, grabbing 45 balls in 2011, followed by seasons of 69, 73, and 84 receptions. Those 84 catches this past year were a career high, to go along with his first 1,000-yard season.
On the heels of that career year, the Panthers have rewarded Olsen with a raise. The veteran tight end had been slated to earn a base salary of $5.25MM for 2015, and that part of the contract may remain intact. However, according to Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports (via Twitter), the three new years on the deal are worth $22.5MM, and the agreement includes an impressive $12MM signing bonus.
NFC FA Rumors: Cole, Hardy, McDonald, Hawk
The Eagles officially announced on Wednesday that they’ve released Trent Cole from his contract, and the veteran edge defender didn’t waste much time in scheduling his first free agent visit. According to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter), Cole is meeting with the Buccaneers, a team that runs a 4-3 system. Having played in the Eagles’ 3-4 scheme for the last two years, Cole is viewed as a better fit as a defensive end for a 4-3 club, and Tampa Bay is certainly in need of an outside pass rusher.
As we wait to see if anything comes of Cole’s visit with the Bucs, let’s check in on a few more free agent updates from around the NFC….
- NFL spokesman Greg Aiello says there’s nothing stopping a player on the exempt list from signing a new contract, which is good news for Panthers defensive Greg Hardy (link via ESPN.com). The league has yet to announce its decision on whether or not Hardy will face discipline for alleged off-field conduct, which could diminish enthusiasm for the defensive end on the open market, but he’ll still be able to negotiate with teams and accept an offer next week.
- In other legal news, agent Tom Condon has informed teams that the Santa Clara District Attorney won’t be pursuing charges against free agent defensive lineman Ray McDonald, per Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter links). According to Condon, the Santa Clara DA hasn’t fully completed the release, but McDonald’s counsel has been informed of the decision. Since McDonald was cut by the Niners in December, he’s eligible to sign a new contract anytime.
- Linebacker A.J. Hawk may not be totally out of the picture in Green Bay, according to Bob McGinn and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, who report that the Packers left the door open for the linebacker’s possible return.
- In addition to hosting Ted Ginn Jr. for a visit this week, the 49ers also met with former Vikings wideout Jerome Simpson, writes Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Simpson, who was suspended at the start of the 2014 season, was cut by Minnesota and hasn’t appeared in a regular season game since 2013. The Niners, meanwhile, are on the lookout for receivers, since they could part ways with Michael Crabtree, Brandon Lloyd, and Stevie Johnson this month.
- Appearing on SportsCenter today, cornerback Byron Maxwell suggested he would like to sign with a team that plays a Cover 3 scheme like the Seahawks do, tweets Nick Underhill of the New Orleans Advocate. Of course, if a team running another coverage scheme makes Maxwell a big offer, I would guess he’d be willing to compromise that stance.
- Lions offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds is expected to test the free agent market next week, tweets Adam Caplan of ESPN.com.
NFC South Notes: Ingram, Hardy, Winston
Saints coach Sean Payton is making no secret of the fact that he wants to retain running back Mark Ingram, as Nick Underhill of The Advocate writes. “I spoke with him [on Monday],” Payton told Jennifer Hale of FOX Sports during Monday night’s broadcast of the Pelicans-Mavs game. “The good thing about Mark is that we’re real close with his agent. We work a lot with Joel [Segal]. Mickey will talk with him quite a bit. Obviously he’s someone that we want to keep. Hopefully we can do that.” Here’s more from the NFC South..
- With his unrestricted free agency looming, Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy is scheduled to meet with NFL officials on Wednesday to discuss his domestic violence case, a league source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Although formal charges against Hardy were dropped, the NFL has been conducting its own investigation into the alleged incident, and may still issue a suspension.
- League officials have requested that Hardy give them all relevant information from his domestic violence case, including photos showing the crime scene and the injuries to his former girlfriend, as Christine Brennan of USA Today writes.
- Florida State star Jameis Winston is in Tampa today to visit with the Buccaneers, according to Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). The visit will be “Glazer-centric” and involve a lot of conversation between the quarterback and the team’s owners. The meeting might be unprecedented as potential No. 1 picks never visit with the team holding the top pick this early, Schefter adds (link). Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter) adds that it is a one day visit for Winston and not a three-day trip as previously reported.
- Tight end Niles Paul will be on the Falcons‘ radar, Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com writes. Paul has played in offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan’s scheme and would represent a solid addition at tight end without breaking the bank like Julius Thomas would. Former teammate Rex Grossman offered nothing but praise for Paul, who turns 26 in August. “He’s as tough as s—,” Grossman said of Paul. “He’s like the one guy in the locker room you do not want to pick a fight with. He’s just a tough wide receiver/tight end who shows up on special teams all the time.”
Panthers Re-Sign Colin Cole
The Panthers have reached an agreement with free-agent-to-be Colin Cole, keeping the veteran defensive tackle off the open market, reports John Clayton of ESPN.com (Twitter link via David Newton). According to Clayton, Cole is signing a one-year, $1.05MM contract to remain in Carolina.
Cole, who has been in the league since joining the Packers in 2004, will turn 35 this summer, but was still a regular contributor for the Panthers last season. In 16 games (10 starts), the Iowa product recorded 32 tackles and recovered a fumble.
For a player with Cole’s experience, the minimum salary for 2015 is $970K. The maximum signing bonus for a minimum salary benefit deal is $80K, for a total of $1.05MM. Because it’s a minimum salary benefit contract, the Panthers’ cap hit for Cole will be just $665K — the amount of a minimum salary for a two-year veteran ($585K), plus the $80K bonus.
Panthers Willing To Move On From Greg Hardy
With the league still deciding whether or not to suspend Greg Hardy, the Panthers have reportedly already made a decision on the All-Pro defensive end’s future with the team. The Panthers will not re-sign Hardy, instead allowing him to hit the open market during free agency, reports Bill Voth of the Black and Blue Review.
Voth writes that this official stance is not breaking news, but more of a closing the book on any chance of his return. According to Voth, owner Jerry Richardson is having difficulty coming to terms with the situation Hardy was in and does not want to deal with the potential suspension that will come out of it.
The Panthers are willing to let Hardy walk and accept the compensatory pick they receive for seeing him go in free agency.
Darin Gantt of Pro Football Talk writes that if this was strictly about football that Hardy would be one of the marquee free agents available this March. Many teams would be interested in him, including the Falcons, Jaguars, Raiders, Bengals and Buccaneers. However, with no decision yet on his suspension, he will likely have a complicated status as a free agent.
NFC Mailbags: Rams, Panthers, Lions, Packers
We took a look at ESPN.com’s AFC mailbags earlier this morning. Let’s now shift focus to the NFC…
- Nick Wagoner says the Rams would like to re-sign tight end Lance Kendricks, but the writer wonders if the rumored $4MM annual salary the player is seeking is too pricey.
- The Panthers need a speedy wideout to pair with Kelvin Benjamin, and David Newton suggests free agents Eddie Royal, Ted Ginn Jr. and Michael Crabtree, although he warns that the former 49ers receiver may not be a “Dave Gettleman guy.”
- With Cam Newton‘s contract situation being a priority in Carolina, Newton says the Panthers likely won’t make any progress on an extension for Luke Kuechly until next season.
- The Lions releasing Reggie Bush is not an indication that they’ll draft a running back early, says Michael Rothstein. The team still has Joique Bell and Theo Riddick, so there doesn’t need to be any panic from the organization to replace the former second-overall pick. With the said, Rothstein still believes the team will select a running back, albeit much later in the draft.
- Dan Graziano believes Bush would be the type of running back the Giants would be looking to acquire. However, the writer says that the team wasn’t among the organizations that displayed initial interest in the veteran.
- Rob Demovsky says the Packers could keep both Tramon Williams and Davon House, but he notes that it’s unlikely for both players to remain on the roster. After all, the team is looking to expand Casey Hayward‘s role, meaning one of the two defensive backs would be on the outside looking in.
- John Keim opines that Washington needs to improve their tight end depth. The writer says the team can’t rely on Jordan Reed, and he adds that Logan Paulsen is most productive as a blocker. Keim points to former Eagles tight end James Casey, noting that Washington has already shown interest in the 30-year-old.
Greg Hardy To Seek Immediate Reinstatement
2:51pm: According to Person (Twitter links), NFL spokesman Brian McCarthy responded with the following statement: “He hasn’t been disciplined. There is nothing for him to seek reinstatement from at this point.” As I noted below, since the league is still reviewing Hardy’s case, no suspension has been announced yet, whereas Peterson’s quest for reinstatement came after he had served his six-game suspension. So while Hardy could try to push for an expedited ruling, his case isn’t quite at the same point as Peterson’s was.
1:34pm: In the wake of a court’s ruling to overrule an NFL arbitrator’s decision in Adrian Peterson‘s case, embattled Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy will seek immediate reinstatement, a league source tells Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link). For now, Hardy remains on the commissioner’s exempt list as the league completes its review of the domestic violence charges against Hardy that were dismissed in court several weeks ago.
In rejecting arbitrator Harold Henderson’s decision in the Peterson case today, Judge David Doty ruled that the NFL was improperly applying its new personal conduct policy to a case that was already in progress prior to the introduction of that policy. If the old policy should have been applied to Peterson, that should be true for Hardy as well, meaning the Carolina pass rusher wouldn’t necessary be subject to a six-game suspension (or more) for his alleged off-field actions.
Of course, even if Hardy’s case was being evaluated using the league’s old policy, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the defensive end will avoid discipline of any kind — he could still face a suspension. However, pushing for immediate reinstatement may accelerate the NFL’s decision-making process, which could mean that Hardy’s situation would at least be resolved by the time he’s eligible to hit the open market next month.
Even if he were hit with a two-game ban, which was the standard in the league’s old conduct policy, Hardy and his potential suitors could go into the free agent period knowing exactly when he’ll return to the field. That would help bring the market for his services into focus.
Michael Oher Visits With Panthers
Former Ravens and Titans offensive tackle Michael Oher recently visited the Panthers, league sources with knowledge of the situation tell Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun. Oher, 28, was let go by Tennessee earlier this offseason.
Oher signed with the Titans last offseason after playing his first five seasons with the Ravens. He played in eleven games in 2014 for the Titans before being placed on injured reserve. His deal with the Titans was definitely ill-advised and widely panned at the time, but Oher could bring a lot of upside on a more reasonable deal.
Oher’s best days came with the Ravens where he started all 80 games across five seasons. His best football came during the Ravens’ Super Bowl XLVII championship run. It was not a surprise to see Oher dropped by the Titans though, especially with Michigan offensive tackle Taylor Lewan in the mix. Oher allowed six sacks and 26 quarterback hurries in eleven games in 2014 before landing on IR.
Browns, Panthers Interested In Ted Ginn Jr.
4:51pm: Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer (Twitter link) adds the Panthers to the list of teams with interest in Ginn.
1:15pm: Wide receiver and return man Ted Ginn Jr. became one of a handful of veteran players to hit the free agent market early when he was released on Monday by the Cardinals. Now, according to Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Ginn is drawing interest from the Browns, who have called his agent to convey that interest. Cabot adds that a number of other teams are eyeing the Cleveland native as well.
As Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com detailed yesterday, Ginn once said that he’d be interested in finishing his career with his hometown Browns. At age 29, the next contract Ginn signs is unlikely to be his last, but the Browns would still be a good match, given the team’s huge amount of cap room, and a need at special teams. According to Football Outsiders, Cleveland ranked 14th in special teams DVOA in 2014, but that rank was buoyed by a solid kicking and punting game — the club received negative grades for kick and punt returns.
One current Browns player in favor of signing Ginn is veteran safety Donte Whitner, who said he texted head coach Mike Pettine to tell him that Ginn is interested in the Browns.
“[Pettine] said it’s definitely a consideration,” Whitner said. “There may be something to it. Hopefully it will happen. … [Ginn] can take the top off a defense and also take it to the house on returns. We need a guy like him on our team.”
If the Browns are in the market for a veteran return man, they could kick the tires on another player who became available earlier today, as the division-rival Ravens parted ways with Jacoby Jones.
Tuesday Roundup: Cassel, Winston, Peterson
Vikings GM Rick Spielman said that nothing definitive has been decided about bringing Matt Cassel back to the team, but Spielman was complimentary of his veteran signal-caller when discussing him earlier this week. “We went through our process, we evaluated all of our players,” Spielman said, according to Brian Hall of FOXSportsNorth.com. “We looked at everything from what they bring to our football team, in the locker room, off the field, what they bring to us on the field. But we also have to look at where they’re at from a standpoint of their contract, where we’re at from a cap standpoint…Matt’s done a great job. Came in and has won some games when he had to play. He’s a great locker-room guy. Matt has a lot of value to us.” Cassel is signed for the 2015 season at a salary of $4.15MM, and he’ll count $4.75MM against the cap.
Now for some more links from around the league on this Tuesday evening:
- Tahir Whitehead filled in capably for Stephen Tulloch when Tulloch went out last season, and that leaves the Lions with an interesting choice this offseason, as Kyle Meinke of MLive.com writes. Detroit could continue to roll with Whitehead at middle linebacker and carve out some space by parting ways with Tulloch. The 30-year-old is slated to count $5.8MM against the cap next season. Whitehead, meanwhile, costs just $713K.
- The consensus around the league is that the Buccaneers will draft Jameis Winston with the No. 1 overall pick, according to a tweet from the NFL Network (citing its own Ian Rapoport).
- The Colts are in dire need of a running back, and Mike Wells of ESPN.com writes that the team will be closely monitoring the Adrian Peterson situation. If Peterson and the Vikings part ways, Indianapolis GM Ryan Grigson, a noted risk-taker, may pull the trigger.
- Falcons defensive end Osi Umenyiora has no plans to retire, writes Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com. Umenyiora, 33, will become a free agent on March 10, and he said he would like to play at least one more season. If he could choose, Umenyiora stated that he would like to finish his career where it started: with the Giants.
- Packers fullback John Kuhn is one of the last members of a dying breed, but the impending free agent reaffirmed his importance to the Green Bay offense in 2014, earning first team All-Pro honors for the first time in his career. As Weston Hodkiewicz of PackersNews.com writes, there is mutual interest in Kuhn’s return to the Packers.
- Former Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne, who has garnered interest from at least a dozen teams, is expected to sign with a club this week, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (writing for the National Football Post).
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com believes middle linebacker Nate Irving could be a fit with the Raiders if the impending free agent is not re-signed by the Broncos.
- Parys Haralson, who signed a one-year deal with the Saints in February, hopes to end his career in New Orleans, writes Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune.
- Jason Fitzerald of OverTheCap.com provides the Panthers‘ salary cap outlook for the 2015 season.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.