Extra Points: Incognito, Gross, Suggs, Pats
Executives and players who spoke to Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report expressed confidence that Richie Incognito would continue to find NFL work going forward, but weren’t as certain about Jonathan Martin’s future. Lingering questions about Martin’s trustworthiness and mental health make him a bigger question mark around the league than Incognito, whose off-field question marks are at least more familiar for NFL teams.
“He’s not a good guy, but we’re not a league of good guys,” one GM said of Incognito. “There are some bad guys in football, but it’s football, not the Salvation Army. He can play, if the commissioner allows it, he’ll get another job.”
Here’s more from around the league:
- Several contracts around the league voided today, adding more players to the 2014 free agent list, as expected. In a series of tweets, Joel Corry and Brian McIntryre listed a few of the notable players whose deals voided, including Brian Orakpo, Brandon Meriweather, Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, B.J. Raji, and Corey Webster.
- Another player whose deal was set to void today was Panthers offensive lineman Jordan Gross, who remains undecided on whether or not he’ll continue his career, tweets Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. As Corry notes (via Twitter), voiding Gross’ contract would result in $5.6MM of dead money on Carolina’s cap, so the team probably would’ve liked to push that deadline into March, if possible. It’s not clear yet whether the club managed to do anything like that though.
- The latest piece from Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report is chock full of interesting tidbits, including word that the Ravens still believe Terrell Suggs is a valuable asset, meaning the team is more likely to try to restructure his deal than to release him. Pompei also notes that many NFL team execs are happy this year’s draft was pushed back, since they’ll need that extra time to evaluate the record number of underclassmen among 2014’s class.
- While Michael Bennett, Anthony Spencer, and Jason Worilds are among the intriguing pass-rushing options in this year’s free agent class, Orakpo and Greg Hardy make up the top tier, writes Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.
- A day after looking at the Seahawks’ future, Joel Corry of The National Football Post turns his attention to what’s next for the Broncos.
- Mike Reiss of ESPNBoston.com provides a brief snapshot of every position on the Patriots’ offense, assessing whether or not the team will address each spot in free agency or the draft.
Asante Samuel Rumors: Wednesday
The Falcons released Asante Samuel earlier today, and while getting cut is rarely good news for a veteran player, the Falcons did Samuel a favor by releasing him this early in the offseason, as noted by Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Because Samuel is a veteran with more than four years of service, being released over a month in advance of free agency will allow him to get a head start on finding a new home for 2014. Players with less than four years of service would have to clear waivers before being eligible for free agency.
Because Samuel is able to sign with a team at any time, rumors are already flying about his possible suitors. One school of thought suggests the 33-year-old cornerback would sign on a relatively cheap deal with a playoff-caliber team looking to add a veteran to its secondary. A few clubs that would seem to make sense are the Broncos, Packers, Bears, and Patriots, according to Brett Sobileski of USAToday.com. He also notes that the Panthers could be an intriguing option, considering their struggles in the secondary and defensive coordinator Sean McDermott‘s familiarity with Samuel from their time with the Eagles.
Of course, as fast as these rumors start, they get shot down. The more likely scenario for the Panthers would be to re-sign Captain Munnerlyn, and look to replace Drayton Florence with a younger, cheaper free agent option, writes Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. He adds that the team was impressed with undrafted rookie Melvin White‘s improvement in 2013, and would only consider Samuel as an “emergency fall-back option.”
The Patriots would also be better off trying to re-sign their own free agent cornerback, writes Will Gellman of RantSports.com. He believes that the aging Samuel is not worth taking up cap space that could go to Aqib Talib or other free agents. Gellman also adds that Patriot fans might not be excited to see him back after he dropped an errant Eli Manning pass in Super Bowl XLII that could have sealed a perfect season for New England.
The Bears and Broncos both are already dealing with the potential loss of older, high-profile cornerbacks, as Charles Tillman is hitting free agency and Champ Bailey has a $10MM salary that will surely not be on the books in 2014, either via restructure or release. The Broncos are also expected to try to sign Samuel’s former teammate Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie to a long-term deal. The Packers will most likely focus their efforts first on trying to re-sign Sam Shields.
NFC Notes: Collins, Panthers, Cousins, Cards
After announcing on Twitter earlier this week that he’s “ready for action,” former All-Pro safety Nick Collins spoke to Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin about his attempt to return to the NFL. While Collins admits that he probably won’t be back with the Packers, he says Green Bay’s team physician, Dr. Pat McKenzie, was the “only doctor” unwilling to medically clear him to play.
“I’ve been trying to get that opportunity for two years now and no one seems to want to take that chance,” Collins said. “But I’m ready if anybody is willing. I guess it’s all about just getting the teams to understand the [idea] of me coming back. They can bring me in, they can get their own doctors to look at me, they can do their own evaluation and we can go from there. If they say we can roll with it, I’ll take that chance.”
As Collins continues to pursue an NFL job, let’s round up a few more Wednesday items from around the NFC….
- In addition to extending the contract of head coach Ron Rivera, the Panthers also signed Rivera’s assistants to extensions, according to David Newton of ESPN.com.
- Kirk Cousins figures to be the subject of several trade rumors this offseason, but Mike Jones of the Washington Post believes the Redskins should probably hang onto their backup quarterback unless they’re offered a second-round pick or better.
- While Matt Cassel‘s decision to opt out of his contract with the Vikings could create an opportunity in Minnesota for Michael Vick, Cassel’s presence on the free agent market means the two quarterbacks will likely be competing for the same potential job openings, writes ESPN.com’s Phil Sheridan.
- Now that Larry Fitzgerald has restructured his contract, the Cardinals should have some flexibility to retain their free agents. Josh Weinfuss of ESPN.com breaks down the team’s free-agents-to-be, ranking them from highest to lowest priority.
NFC South Notes: Saints, Falcons, Panthers
ESPN.com’s Insider-only breakdown of 50 pressing questions for the 2014 NFL offseason focuses on areas of concern for each of the league’s 32 teams, including all four NFC South squads. Among the key topics to monitor, according to the ESPN scribes: Whether there’s any chance the Saints let Jimmy Graham get away, whether or not Mike Glennon is the Buccaneers‘ starting QB going forward, and what weapons the Panthers might add to help complement Cam Newton. Here are a few more Tuesday items from around the NFC South:
- While the Saints may not need a new No. 1 wide receiver, the club needs to start re-stocking the shelves at the position, with a number of the incumbents entering their 30s, writes ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett. In a separate piece, Triplett also assesses the Saints’ needs at the linebacker position.
- The Falcons may look into acquiring a veteran backup for Matt Ryan this offseason, according to Vaughn McClure of ESPN.com, who says that free-agent-to-be Luke McCown “still has admirers” within Atlanta’s front office.
- GM Dave Gettleman and the Panthers have switched scouting services for the draft, moving from National Scouting to BLESTO, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer. Carolina is now one of eight teams associated with BLESTO, one of the services that acts as a co-op in pooling scouting information leading up to the draft.
Rivera, Gettleman On Hardy
Panthers coach Ron Rivera has had a busy week. On Tuesday, he signed a three-year extension to remain in Carolina, and earlier this evening he was crowned Coach of the Year. But despite his heavy personal schedule, Rivera is still thinking about the offseason, specifically the future of defensive end Greg Hardy, according to David Newton of ESPN.com. After a recent meeting with GM Dave Gettleman to discuss the team’s salary cap situation, Rivera gave his opinion on Hardy. “…we most certainly would like to have Greg back. He’s a big part of what we did this year. It’d be hard to imagine doing things without him.”
Hardy was selected in the sixth round of the 2010 draft, after poor performance and injury questions caused his stock to slip. He became a starter in 2012, and has since registered 26 sacks over the past two seasons. Pro Football Focus graded him as the third-best 4-3 defensive end, behind only Robert Quinn and Cameron Wake (subscription required). Hardy joined with Charles Johnson and Star Lotulelei in making the Panthers’ defensive line one of the most dominant in football.
Gettleman was ambiguous on his intentions regarding Hardy, but allowed that retaining the end wasn’t guaranteed. “Everybody in this league lets players go. There isn’t a team in this league that hasn’t let a big dog walk out the door, and don’t print that I’m saying he’s going to go. I’m just making a statement. There isn’t anybody that hasn’t done that. But again, there is a whole big puzzle we’re putting together. And he’s one of the pieces.”
Hardy has admitted that being franchise tagged would not be an issue for him, as long as a long-term deal was revisited at some point in the future. This might be the most likely option, as the Panthers are up against salary cap constrictions. The franchise tag figure for defensive ends will likely be around $12.5MM, according to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com.
Extra Points: London, Cromartie, FA Tryouts
During his State of the NFL presser this morning, commissioner Roger Goodell downplayed speculation about the possibility of the Rams moving to Los Angeles, but sounded more bullish about the city of London getting an NFL team. According to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link), Goodell said that selling out three games for the 2014 season helped push London “further down the road” toward a franchise. Meanwhile, Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald tweets that, in his opinion, the question isn’t whether or not London will eventually get a team, but rather whether it will be via expansion or relocation.
- Jets head coach Rex Ryan indicated today that he hopes cornerback Antonio Cromartie regains his form in 2014, but didn’t commit to him being on New York’s roster for next season, as Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News details. Cromartie is owed a $5MM roster bonus in March and carries a cap number of nearly $15MM for ’14.
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun passes along word of several free agent tryouts, reporting via Twitter that defensive tackle Torrey Davis auditioned for the Packers, linebacker Alex Hall tried out for the Cardinals, and wide receiver C.J. Akins worked out for the Panthers.
- Unsurprisingly, Patriots owner Robert Kraft told reporters today, including Ben Volin of the Boston Globe (Twitter links), that he’d like to bring back both of the team’s top two free agents, receiver Julian Edelman and cornerback Aqib Talib.
- As Russell Wilson prepares to play in his first Super Bowl, a handful of teams around the league are undoubtedly thinking about the opportunity they had to draft the third round pick in 2012. The Eagles are one team that came close to snatching Wilson off the board in the second round, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer.
- In a pair of Dallas Morning News chats, Rainer Sabin explains why he believes the Dan Bailey contract extension was the right move for the Cowboys, while Kevin Sherrington argues that what the Cowboys call being “aggressive” with the cap is actually mismanagement.
NFC Notes: Eagles, Gross, Freeman, Vick
The Eagles could do worse than to follow the Seahawks’ model for building a successful franchise, writes Jeff McLane of the Philadelphia Inquirer. Coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider work exceptionally well together, with Carroll getting final say over personnel decisions. It’s a little different in Philly, however, as its not totally clear if it’s coach Chip Kelly or GM Howie Roseman who gets to make the last determination on roster matters.
- Panthers tackle Jordan Gross says that coach Ron Rivera “wants [him] back for sure” in 2014, writes ESPN.com’s David Newton. Gross plans to retire if he doesn’t return to the only team he’s been with since entering the NFL in 2003.
- The Players’ Association is close to revealing the results of its investigation into the Buccaneers‘ alleged leaking of Josh Freeman‘s medical records, DeMaurice Smith told reporters, including Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (via Twitter). The club’s apparent sandbagging of Freeman made for a tumultuous season in Tampa Bay that ended with the firing of former coach Greg Schiano.
- Even if the Eagles make a contract offer to Michael Vick before March 11, he still plans on hitting the open market. “I want to see what’s out there for me. It’s only right,” Vick said today at radio row, according to McLane. “This is the first time and probably the only time I’ll ever have to do it in my career. So I just want to take advantage of it. I’m excited about it. It’s new and it’s kind of refreshing”. Any way you slice it, a return to the Eagles doesn’t seem likely for Vick.
Extra Points: Henne, Packers, Keisel, Rivera
Contract talks could start soon between the Jaguars and quarterback Chad Henne, writes Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. “We’ll reach out to their people at some point in time,” general manager David Caldwell said. “There’s not a glaring rush. We’ve got some more meetings to go through, some game-planning with our coaching staff and our personnel staff just to see where we’re at and put together our plan for free agency and the draft.” Henne, who signed a two-year deal worth $6.75MM with the team in 2012, started 13 games in ’13 and threw for 3,421 yards and 13 touchdowns with 14 interceptions. Here’s more from around the NFL..
- Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com looks at the Packers‘ defensive line situation. Johnny Jolly, Ryan Pickett, B.J. Raji, and C.J. Wilson are all free agents this winter and it sounds like there’s a decent chance that Raji winds up elsewhere. The defensive tackle didn’t have the kind of value-raising season he hoped for as he closed out his rookie contract.
- Appearing on ESPN Radio with Scott Van Pelt and Ryan Russillo, free-agent-to-be Brett Keisel didn’t sound like a man ready to retire. The longtime Steelers defensive end suggested he feels as if he still has a couple years in left in him, as Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk details.
- Extending Ron Rivera‘s deal was a no-brainer for the Panthers, writes David Newton of ESPN.com.
- Jason LaCanfora of CBSSports.com looks at Adam Gase, the Broncos‘ offensive coordinator who has positioned himself as one of the prize candidates of next year’s head coaching searches. Gase politely rebuffed advances by the Browns and Vikings to interview for their head coaching openings in order to focus all of his energy on Denver’s playoff run.
Panthers Sign Rivera To Three-Year Extension
4:37pm: Rivera’s new contract will pay him between $4-5MM annually, according to Person (via Twitter), who compares it to Jim Caldwell‘s deal with the Lions.
2:37pm: The Panthers have officially extended head coach Ron Rivera‘s contract by three years, through the 2017 season, the team announced today (link via Max Henson of Panthers.com). Rivera’s deal had previously been scheduled to expire after next season.
Despite starting 2013 with a 1-3 record, Rivera’s Panthers bounced back to win 11 of their final 12 contests, earning a first-round bye. The team eventually lost to the 49ers in the divisional round of the playoffs, but the strong regular season performance was enough to earn “Riverboat Ron” Coach of the Year honors from the Professional Football Writers of America.
“The improvement of our team has been reflected in the progress of the record over the last three seasons under Ron, and we look forward to building upon that foundation,” Panthers owner Jerry Richardson said in a statement.
On the heels of GM Dave Gettleman expressing that he had “ultimate confidence” in the Carolina head coach, Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer reported earlier this week that Rivera and the Panthers were negotiating a contract extension. Person follows up on today’s news by tweeting that Rivera’s new deal is straightforward, rather than incentive-laden like Rex Ryan‘s pact with the Jets.
In his three seasons with the club, Rivera has led the Panthers to a 25-23 record.
Ron Rivera, Panthers Discussing Extension
Contract extensions talks have begun between the Panthers and third-year head coach Ron Rivera, reports Joseph Person of the Charlotte Observer.
After coaching the Panthers to a combined 13-19 record in his first two years in Charlotte, Rivera has led the team to a 12-4 record in the 2013 campaign. Rivera, who became known as “Riverboat Ron” for his aggressive style during the 2013 season, has been a favorite in several Coach of the Year award ballots, including the Pro Football Writers of America. Panthers GM Dave Gettleman indicated recently that he has “ultimate confidence” in his head coach.
Rivera, who signed a four-year contract with the Panthers before the 2011 season, is heading into the final season of his current deal, which was worth a total of $11.2MM. As Person notes, Carolina could choose to tack one year onto Rivera’s contract to avoid having him enter 2014 as a lame duck, but it’s more likely that the two sides work out a longer-term extension.