NFC Notes: Garrett, Vikings, Bears, Giants
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett has spent much of his head coaching career on the hot seat, but that changed last season as Dallas finished 12-4 and won a playoff game. But Garrett, who recently signed a five-year extension with the club, says he never considered his contract situation last season. “I can honestly say to you that I never really thought very much about that,” Garrett told Jon Machota of the Dallas Morning News. “What I do every day is I wake up and try to do everything I can to build the kind of football team that we all can be proud of.”
Let’s check out more from the NFC:
- Charles Johnson emerged as the Vikings’ main receiving threat down the stretch last season, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press doesn’t think the 26-year-old pass-catcher will remain anonymous to NFL fans for much longer. After failing to earn playing time with both the Packers and the Browns, Johnson came to Minnesota via a waiver claim, and after being inserted into the starting lineup Week 10, he totaled 25 receptions for 415 yards. The Vikings’ offense will look different in 2015 given the return of Adrian Peterson and the addition of Mike Wallace, but Johnson figures to retain his role as Teddy Bridgewater‘s No. 1 option in the passing game.
- Vic Fangio is a clear improvement at defensive coordinator for the Bears, but Matt Bowen of the Chicago Tribune wonders if the club has enough pieces with which Fangio can work. Antrel Rolle, Pernell McPhee, and Eddie Goldman were solid adds through free agency/the draft, writes Bowen, but the thought of Jared Allen and Lamarr Houston as stand-up outside linebackers is worrisome. Additionally, the veteran crop of corners behind No. 1 Kyle Fuller (Tim Jennings, Alan Ball, Tracy Porter) leaves much to be desired. Per Bowen, Fangio’s schematic prowess can cover up many personnel holes, but ultimately Chicago’s distinct lack of playmaking talent on defense may be its undoing.
- A pair of Giants prospects — offensive lineman Michael Bamiro and tight end Will Tye — are aiming to become the first NFL players who hail from Stony Brook University, as Barbara Baker of Newsday details. Bamiro stuck with New York on a futures contract following the 2014 season, while Tye went undrafted in May.
NFC Notes: Morris, Forte, Ross, Carr
Running back Alfred Morris is aware that his contract situation could become a subject of interest and speculation as he enters the final year of his rookie deal, but he tells Rich Tandler of CSNWashington.com that he couldn’t care less about it.
“I approach every year the same,” Morris said. “I’m a running back so I’ll be running the ball, blocking, catching it. I don’t even think about next year.”
For the team’s part, Washington appears set to take a wait-and-see approach with Morris. Since he was a sixth-rounder in 2012, the running back’s contract doesn’t feature a fifth-year option for 2016, but Washington will have exclusive negotiating rights until next March.
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- “It’s a hypocritical league,” Bears running back Matt Forte said of the NFL, in reference to his contract situation (link via Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times). Forte is seeking an extension, and recognizes that if he hadn’t reported to the voluntary portion of Chicago’s offseason program, he would’ve been labeled selfish. “But then if, say, I didn’t perform last year and (the Bears) wanted to cut me or cut my pay, they can do that,” Forte said. “They can get rid of you. So nobody says nothing to the team about that.”
- Former Giants defensive back Aaron Ross, who played 83 career NFL games for New York and Jacksonville, is aiming to return to action after missing last season with a torn Achilles, and has workouts lined up with the Rams and 49ers, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
- Reports this offseason have indicated Brandon Carr isn’t interested in accepting a pay cut, but the Cowboys still hope to reduce the cornerback’s 2015 cap number, and owner Jerry Jones says there could be ways to do that that benefit Carr as well as the team, writes Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News.
- The Vikings are expected to explore a possible contract extension with safety Harrison Smith this offseason, but he tells Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press that a new deal is “the furthest thing” from his mind at the moment. There’s no urgency for Smith or the Vikes, since his contract includes a fifth-year option for 2016.
Extra Points: Cruz, Dez, Mathis, Texans
The latest from around the NFL:
- Texans cornerback Johnathan Joseph will see his base salary drop from $8.75MM to $7MM as a part of his new extension, John McClain of the Houston Chronicle tweets. He’ll then earn base salaries of $6.5MM in 2016 and 2017. Joseph will also receive $500K in 46-man roster bonuses each year (link).
- Titans tight end Dorin Dickerson suffered a ruptured Achilles this week, and will have season-ending surgery to repair the damage sometime in the near future, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (Twitter link). Dickerson didn’t appear in a regular-season game in 2014, but has recently spent time with several teams, including the Texans, Patriots, Bills, and Lions.
- Newcomer Vince Wilfork is excited to bring his leadership skills to the Texans, as John McClain of the Houston Chronicle writes. “I want to be a guy that’s played the game for a while that they can always turn to and ask questions about anything football-wise or off the field,” said the 33-year-old, who will be playing between J.J. Watt and Jared Crick. “I’ve played with a lot of guys. I’ve played with some Hall of Famers. I’ve been coached by some great guys.”
- Lions wide receiver TJ Jones missed all of last season after undergoing shoulder surgery. Now, he’s not just trying to get back to what he did at Notre Dame – he’s looking to top it, as ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein writes. Detroit selected Jones in the sixth round of the 2014 draft.
- David Ausberry‘s one-year deal with the Lions is worth $660K with no guaranteed cash, according to Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post (on Twitter). Ausberry signed with Detroit earlier this month.
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune (on Twitter) wouldn’t be surprised if the Bears add a veteran offensive lineman in advance of training camp.
- Tarvaris Jackson‘s one-year deal with the Seahawks will pay him a fully guaranteed $1.5MM, according to Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports (on Twitter). The 31-year-old Jackson earned $1.25MM in 2014, which was right around the middle of the pack in terms of backup quarterbacks. Jackson attempted just one pass in 2014 (a completion), but he’s started 34 games during his nine-year career, so he would offer valuable experience in the event of a Russell Wilson injury.
- Charles Robinson of Yahoo Sports (Twitter link) attributes the delay in Evan Mathis signing to the ongoing veteran minicamps rather than a weak market. Once minicamps are over and teams have fully assessed their offensive lines, Robinson expects the market for the guard to solidify.
- Giants coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Paul Schwartz of the New York Post (on Twitter), that he expects that wide receiver Victor Cruz won’t have to start training camp on the PUP list. Cruz is signed through 2018 and carries an $8.2MM cap number — the second-highest figure on the team behind Eli Manning. Cruz’s season ended in October when he tore his patella tendon.
- Dez Bryant showing up for Cowboys minicamp reinforces why his threat to hold out shouldn’t be taken seriously, Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (on Twitter) opines.
- G.J. Kinne‘s transition from quarterback to wide receiver is going quite well, Eagles coach Chip Kelly told reporters, including the staff from the team’s website (on Twitter). Kelly says that he didn’t know how well Kinne caught the ball until he tried him out at wide receiver. From this point forward, Kelly says gaining familiarity with the position will be his toughest task.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Bears Sign Daniel Thomas
The Bears took to Twitter to announce that they have signed running back Daniel Thomas and safety Sherrod Martin to one-year deals. In related moves, kicker Jeremiah Detmer, quarterback Pat Devlin, and tight end Jacob Maxwell have all been waived.
Thomas and Martin auditioned for Chicago on Wednesday and apparenty made a strong impression on the club. Thomas, a second-round pick in 2011, was initially displaced from the Dolphins when they added Knowshon Moreno last offseason. However, Moreno went down with a dislocated elbow in September, prompting Miami to reunite with the 27-year-old. In four seasons with Miami, Thomas has run for 1,480 yards off of 409 attempts, good for just 3.6 yards per carry. Last year he saw time in 12 games, rushing for 168 yards off of 44 carries, good for a 3.8 yard average on each try.
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.
North Notes: Yanda, Bears, Ravens
Marshal Yanda told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter), that he’s not worried about working out a new contract with the Ravens.
“We’ll get it done when we get it done,” Yanda said.
The 30-year-old is entering the final season of his contract, a five-year, $32MM deal signed in 2011. Yanda’s +43.8 Pro Football Focus grade (subscription required) placed him atop the guard rankings in 2014 and was nearly double that of the next highest guard. Recently, PFR’s Dallas Robinson looked at Yanda and left guard Kelechi Osemele as extension candidates. Here’s more from the North divisions..
- Dan Pompei of WSCR-AM (on Twitter) says it’s pretty evident that Antrel Rolle is going to give the Bears something they have not had in a long time. The Bears signed the veteran safety to a three-year deal this offseason.
- Ravens tight end Dennis Pitta hasn’t been cleared yet by doctors and won’t participate in the team’s minicamp or training camp until he is, Zrebiec tweets.
- Ravens veteran Terrell Suggs told reporters, including Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter), that it is “weird” not having defensive tackle Haloti Ngata around. Ngata, of course, was traded to the Lions, who were in need of a replacement for Ndamukong Suh.
North Notes: Sims, Gipson, Bennett
Back in April, we learned that the Lions had attempted to re-sign Rob Sims, but the veteran guard hadn’t responded to their contract offer, which was made about three weeks earlier. Asked about that offer, Sims told Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press, in so many words, that it wasn’t worth considering.
“Without throwing [the Lions] under the bus, and I could, but when we got the offer, we didn’t think, for the time we had put in, 80 straight games, 80 straight starts and some of the things we had played through, the offer was … something that we didn’t deserve,” Sims said. “It wasn’t right for us. That’s, basically, what it boils down to: It just wasn’t right for us.”
With veteran guards like Justin Blalock and Mike Pollak retiring this week, Sims won’t be the next one to announce he’s moving on from the NFL, as he tells Birkett that he can still play, and would like to play. However, “it’s got to be under the right circumstances,” according to the longtime Lion. If he doesn’t get an offer he likes, Sims sounds prepared to move on to the next phase of his life.
Here are a few more Tuesday items from out of the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Having reported to the Browns, safety Tashaun Gipson remains hopeful that he’ll get a long-term contract done with the team, indicating today that the situation is “ongoing,” per Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). Gipson, the last restricted free agent of 2015 to sign, told reporters that he was disappointed to receive a second-round tender from Cleveland instead of the first-round tender, but noted that some family matters kept him away from OTAs, in addition to his contract situation (Twitter links)
- As expected, Bears tight end Martellus Bennett participated in minicamp today, and spoke to reporters after the team’s practice. Addressing his desire for a new deal, Bennett said he’s “always” trying to sign a new contract, adding that he thinks every American should be doing the same thing (Twitter links via Adam Jahns and Brad Biggs). Bennett, who confirmed that he expects to report to training camp, wouldn’t say whether or not he asked the Bears to trade him (Twitter links via Biggs and Jeff Dickerson).
- Speaking to reporters for the first time since taking over the Lions from her late husband, Martha Ford said today that she was disappointed Ndamukong Suh left in free agency, adding that she told him she wanted him to stay (Twitter link via Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com).
NFC South Notes: Glennon, Saints, Baker
The Buccaneers grabbed Tim Wright with their No. 1 waiver priority, but they were far from the only team to put a claim in on him. It turns out that nine other teams also submitted claims for the former Patriot. Besides Tampa Bay, the Jets, Bears, Falcons, Browns, Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs, Steelers, and Lions all tried to land the Rutgers product. In the end, however, the Bucs were able to add a player who roughly one-third of the league apparently covets. Here’s tonight’s glance at the NFC South..
- In an Insider-only piece for ESPN.com, Matt Williamson identifies five teams that he thinks should consider trading for Buccaneers quarterback Mike Glennon, identifying the Cardinals, Bears, Bengals, Browns, and Giants as potential fits.
- A report from ESPN’s Outside The Lines alleged that Saints outside linebacker Ronald Powell was allowed to skate after two interactions with police, including one where traces of cocaine were found in the car he was driving. Meanwhile, agent Peter Schaffer told Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune that it is absurd to believe that police let Powell go after finding cocaine in his car and trashed the report. “As Ronald Powell‘s agent, I’ve had extensive conversations with him, and the ESPN report is a gross mischaracterization of facts and example of an absolute witch hunt,” Schaffer said.
- The Falcons corrected one of their biggest contract mistakes when they released Sam Baker, Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap writes. While the contract did not carry guarantees, there was an virtual or effective guarantee, which meant that little could be recouped by releasing him. Fitzgerald initially expected Atlanta to try and negotiate Baker’s salary down, but they instead chose to cut him outright.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
Martellus Bennett Reports To Bears’ Minicamp
Another spring holdout is coming to an end, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune, who reports that Bears tight end Martellus Bennett reported to Halas Hall on Monday for the team’s mandatory June minicamp. Barring an unforeseen twist, Bennett will participate in practice when the Bears’ minicamp begins on Tuesday, tweets Dan Wiederer of the Tribune.
Bennett, 28, is coming off his best season, having racked up 90 receptions, 916 receiving yards, and six touchdowns for the Bears in 2014 — all of those figures were career-highs. The Pro Bowl campaign prompted Bennett to seek a new contract for the coming season, and he had been absent from Chicago’s OTAs while he sought that new deal.
Those OTAs, unlike this week’s minicamp, were voluntary, so Bennett won’t face any fines for not being in attendance. However, he was the only Bear who had missed the team’s offseason program up until this point under the new regime, which includes head coach John Fox and offensive coordinator Adam Gase.
Bennett is slated to earn about $5MM annually in 2015 and 2016, the final two years of his contract. While those are respectable salaries, Bennett presumably took notice of what happened on the free agent market this offseason, as players like Jordan Cameron and Charles Clay signed for $7.5MM per year — between them, Cameron and Clay combined for fewer catches than Bennett had in 2014. Additionally, Bennett’s salaries for the next two years are currently non-guaranteed.
Ten Teams Placed Claims On Tim Wright
Tim Wright returned to his old team last week, when the tight end, having been cut by New England, landed with the Buccaneers, who have the NFL’s No. 1 waiver priority this offseason. However, Tampa Bay was far from the only club to place a claim on Wright. According to Field Yates of ESPN.com (via Twitter), nine other teams – 10 in total – submitted claims for the former Patriot.
Besides the Buccaneers, the teams that tried to land Wright before he reached free agency were the Jets, Bears, Falcons, Browns, Saints, Dolphins, Chiefs, Steelers, and Lions, says Yates. Most of those clubs have somewhat uncertain tight end situations — for instance, the Browns and Saints recently lost Jordan Cameron and Jimmy Graham, respectively, and the Bears aren’t sure when Martellus Bennett will report to the team.
The myriad suitors for Wright makes it even more surprising that the Patriots simply waived him last week. The young tight end just turned 25, and had racked up 80 receptions, including 11 touchdowns, in his first two years in the NFL. With Scott Chandler now in New England, Wright may not have fit into the team’s future plans, but the number of waiver claims placed for him suggests that the Pats might have been able to squeeze at least a late-round pick out of an interested club.
The Bucs have taken advantage of their top waiver priority multiple times so far this offseason, with the addition of Wright simply acting as the latest example. Tampa Bay also added former Browns punter Spencer Lanning via waivers last week, and claimed veteran safety D.J. Swearinger back in May.