AFC Notes: Jets, Steelers, Dalton, Dolphins
New York head coach Rex Ryan indicated today that the Jets aren’t done adding players at wide receiver. However, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweets, that doesn’t necessarily mean the club will add another impact player.
“[It] might be a sixth-round pick and not the move you want, but we’re not done,” Ryan said.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Steelers, who have been linked to Maurice Jones-Drew and LeGarrette Blount, will likely have a deal with an experienced running back by the end of the week, tweets Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Head coach Mike Tomlin said this morning in Orlando that the team expected to add running back depth in the not-so-distant future.
- Asked multiple times this morning about Andy Dalton, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was unequivocal in his support of the quarterback, suggesting he’d like to see Dalton locked up sooner rather than later, writes Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com. In Lewis’ view, leaving the situation hanging over Dalton when camp opens could create an unnecessary distraction.
- Speaking to reporters, including James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey said today that Miami has spoken to the agent for free agent tight end Dustin Keller.
- The Broncos haven’t closed the door on the possibility of bringing back running back Knowshon Moreno or defensive end Shaun Phillips, according to GM John Elway (link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
- Jaguars owner Shad Khan supported his club’s decision to spread out its free agent spending among multiple positions and players this offseason rather than focusing on a couple significant expenditures. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes from Khan.
- Linebacker remains an area of focus for the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who says (via Twitter) the team is conducting a private workout with Louisville’s Preston Brown today. Kentucky linebacker Avery Williamson is also scheduled to have a pre-draft visit with the Titans, tweets Wyatt.
Contract Details: Vick, Campbell, Jenkins
The one-year deal Michael Vick inked with the Jets is worth a guaranteed $4MM, including a $2MM signing bonus and $2MM guaranteed base salary, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. The contract was originally reported as a $5MM pact, so perhaps there are incentives related to playing time or performance.
Here are several more contract details from around the NFL:
- Jason Campbell‘s one-year, $1.5MM contract with the Bengals features a $400K signing bonus, according to Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com. Mike Jenkins also received $1.5MM on a one-year contract from the Buccaneers, but Jenkins’ salary is fully guaranteed, as Fitzgerald details.
- Darian Stewart signed a one-year, $1.3MM contract with the Ravens, with a $300K signing bonus, tweets Pelissero.
- Pelissero and Fitzgerald have also provided details on a number of other contracts, including Devin Hester‘s three-year, $9MM contract with the Falcons (Twitter/OTC chart), Tiquan Underwood‘s two-year, $2.1MM contract with the Panthers (Twitter/OTC chart), and Charles Woodson‘s one-year, $3.5MM pact with the Raiders (Twitter/OTC chart).
- Bruce Miller’s three-year contract extension with the 49ers created $300K+ in 2014 cap savings for the club, a source tells Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. Maiocco also has the details on Miller’s contract, which is worth $6.831MM over the next four years.
- Lance Moore‘s two-year deal with the Steelers includes non-guaranteed base salaries of $855K (2014) and $1.5MM (2015), tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- John Jerry‘s contract with the Giants is a minimum salary benefit deal, according to OverTheCap.com.
Bears’ Mills Tops Performance-Based Pay List
Bears rookie right tackle Jordan Mills, whose base salary was $495k last season, will receive approximately $318k from the performance-based pay pool, more than any other player in the league. Created in order to reward players who make the least and play the most, the performance-based league pool is $3.46MM per team. Each team’s performance-based pay leader can be found here, courtesy of USA Today.
Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, started all 16 games for the Bears. However, his starts were more a reflection of the team’s lack of options, as Mills rated as one of the league’s worst starters, ranking last in pass protection (-32.5 rating) and hurries allowed (62). Other notables (dollar figures rounded):
- Vontaze Burfict (Bengals): $316k
- Ronald Leary (Cowboys): $307k
- Larry Warford (Lions): $261k
- Jason Kelce (Eagles): $260k
- David Bakhtiari (Packers): $257k
- Danny Trevathan (Broncos): $245k
- Keenan Allen (Chargers): $218k
- Will Hill (Giants): $215k
2014 NFL Compensatory Draft Picks
The NFL has officially announced the 32 compensatory draft picks for 24 that have been handed out to teams who had the most significant losses in free agency a year ago. These picks are determined by a formula that accounts for salary, playing time, and postseason honors. Teams can’t receive more than four picks each, and this year’s selections were divided up among 13 clubs. Here’s the list of 2014 compensatory picks by team, with the round and overall selection number included:
- 49ers: 3rd (100)
- Bears: None
- Bengals: 6th (212), 7th (252)
- Bills: None
- Broncos: None
- Browns: None
- Buccaneers: None
- Cardinals: None
- Chargers: None
- Chiefs: None
- Colts: None
- Cowboys: 7th (248), 7th (251), 7th (254)
- Dolphins: None
- Eagles: None
- Falcons: 4th (139), 7th (253), 7th (255)
- Giants: 5th (174)
- Jaguars: None
- Jets: 4th (137), 6th (209), 6th (210), 6th (213)
- Lions: 4th (133), 4th (136)
- Packers: 3rd (98), 5th (176)
- Panthers: None
- Patriots: 4th (140)
- Raiders: None
- Rams: 6th (214), 7th (249), 7th (250)
- Ravens: 3rd (99), 4th (134), 4th (138), 5th (175)
- Redskins: None
- Saints: None
- Seahawks: None
- Steelers: 3rd (97), 5th (173), 6th (215)
- Texans: 4th (135), 6th (211), 7th (256)
- Titans: None
- Vikings: None
Bengals Sign R.J. Stanford
The Bengals have signed free agent defensive back R.J. Stanford, according to agent David Canter (via Twitter). Stanford, a former Dolphin, didn’t receive a contract tender this offseason, making him an unrestricted free agent.
After going undrafted out of Utah, Stanford played for the Panthers in his rookie season before joining the Dolphins for two years. According to Pro Football Focus, the 25-year-old appeared in just 173 snaps in those two seasons in Miami, contributing more on the special teams unit, where he contributed 14 total tackles in kick and punt coverage.
Latest On Vlad Ducasse
Free agent offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse will decide between the Vikings and two other teams this week, tweets Ben Goessling of ESPN.com. While Goessling hears that the interest between him and Vikings is mutual, Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN (on Twitter) hears that there’s no verbal agreement in place yet. Ducasse visited Minnesota to meet with club officials earlier today.
The Bengals are one of the teams in the mix along with a “mystery team,” according to Wolfson. We learned last week that the Jets have interest in retaining the guard but the Bengals and Vikings appear to be more likely. The Jets drafted Ducasse based on his upside and potential, not expecting much out of the football neophyte early on. Four years in, the former second round pick has yet to show that he can take a step forward towards being a reliable starter.
Mike Brown On Bengals, Dalton, Green
Bengals owner Mike Brown sat down with Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer and Geoff Hobson of Bengals.com to discuss Cincinnati’s offseason priorities, including possible extensions for quarterback Andy Dalton and receiver A.J. Green. Here are a few notable quotes from Brown:
On exorbitant free agent salaries, specifically for quarterbacks:
“The player market is something that always is surprising. Why the prices are so high is hard to know for sure. You look backwards and there have been more bad deals then good deals from a clubs perspective. That doesn’t mean there haven’t been some good deals — there have. More often than not you don’t win overpaying a guy.
“With quarterbacks there is another dilemma. With a fixed cap there is a certain amount of money and no more. You allocate that on a quarterback you have less to hand out to everybody else. It can cause attrition. We are going through a difficult time right now because we are trying to work through a deal with Andy and trying to hold back enough money in the cap to do that, yet we don’t know what that is.”
On whether Dalton is the long-term answer at quarterback, and whether the Bengals will extend him:
“We are going to try to get something done but I don’t know if we are going to be able to or not. At some point we are going to have to do something more than just let everyone else leave waiting to get something done with that situation. We held back this year trying to put ourselves in a position to get him done. If it turns out it can’t be made to work we will do something elsewhere. I don’t think we plan to go another year the way we did this year.”
On a possible extension for Green:
“A.J. has one difference, you can tender him (with the transition tag — $10.176 million for WR in 2014) [Ed. note: The Bengals hold a 2015 option on Green at the value of the transition tag because he was a top ten draft pick]. That takes a big chunk of money. He’d probably get it anyway. It keeps him on the reservation, he’s not going to be leaving. He’s going to be here for not one more year but two more years. Even though we haven’t tendered him yet our intention is to do that and put ourselves in position to turn to others such as Dalton and we would like to turn to a couple more as well. We would like to get something long term but at least we know with A.J. we have two years. With some of the others we have one year.”
On head coach Marvin Lewis and the lack of playoff success:
“[M]y reaction to disappointment is not lop off people’s heads. I think we proved that we were pretty good, that we have a good, solid football team. I don’t know that starting over suddenly is the best way to take the next step. I think we have a strong base, we can build on that. One of these days we won’t fumble and they will. If that is patience, then I guess I am patient.”
AFC North Notes: Blount, Harrison, Extensions
The Ravens have interest in free agent RB LeGarrette Blount, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Wilson writes that the Ravens do not have a visit scheduled for Blount at this time, but they will continue to monitor his market. Baltimore struggled mightily in most aspects of its offense last season, and short-yardage situations were particularly troublesome. Blount would be a boon in that regard, and he would also provide necessary depth given Ray Rice‘s struggles last season–and his legal troubles this offseason–and Bernard Pierce‘s injury concerns. As our Peter Sowards reported yesterday, Blount is scheduled to meet with the division rival Steelers later this week.
More notes from the AFC North:
- Speaking of the Steelers, Joe Starkey of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review writes that a reunion with James Harrison makes a great deal of sense for a team with little defensive depth and limited salary cap space. Starkey could envision a limited role for Harrison as a situational pass-rusher and short-yardage defender. As our Luke Adams noted several days ago, there is mutual interest in Harrison’s potential return to Pittsburgh.
- Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com and Pat McManamon of ESPN.com offer some opinions on Browns QB Brian Hoyer and WR Greg Little. Grossi believes that Hoyer has demonstrated enough to go into the season as the starting QB, and McManamon believes the Browns may feel the same way. As for Little, despite the frustration of Browns’ fans, Grossi notes that Little’s reasonable contract, his size, and his durability are all reasons why the Browns will probably hang onto him for another season. McManamon makes a similar point, though he does point out that if the Browns were to draft someone like Clemson WR Sammy Watkins, Little could be on his way out.
- Coley Harvey of ESPN.com writes that there is nothing on the horizon yet regarding contract extensions for Bengals standouts A.J. Green, Andy Dalton, and Vontaze Burfict, but that negotiations could become more serious once the current phase of free agency concludes.
- Despite the signing of Marshall Newhouse, Harvey believes the Bengals would “absolutely” consider an offensive tackle in the early rounds of the draft.
Bengals Sign Marshall Newhouse
The Bengals have officially signed offensive lineman Marshall Newhouse, the team announced today (Twitter link). An unrestricted free agent, Newhouse met with the Bengals earlier this week.
Newhouse, 25, is coming off his four-year rookie contract with the Packers, who selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. While he was a full-time player in 2011 and 2012, Newhouse saw his playing time reduced in 2013, appearing in just 250 offensive snaps for Green Bay during the regular season.
Although Newhouse was ranked dead last among 76 qualified tackles during the 2011 season by Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), he has shown some signs of improvement since then, particularly as a pass blocker.
FA Rumors: Ihedigbo, DeCoud, Britt, Incognito
James Ihedigbo won’t be returning to his old team, and there’s a chance he also won’t be headed to the club he looked likely to land with last week. According to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, the Ravens are no longer in the running for the free agent safety, who has narrowed his decision down to three NFC teams — one is believed to be the Lions, who appeared to be closing in on Ihedigbo last Thursday. Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun adds (via Twitter) that Baltimore wasn’t willing to match the Lions’ initial offer, but it sounds like two other clubs are at least in that ballpark.
Here are a few more Friday morning free agent updates:
- Free agent safety Thomas DeCoud may represent a Plan B for the Lions if they can’t land Ihedigbo. DeCoud, who was released by the Falcons earlier in the offseason, is visiting Detroit today, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter (via Twitter).
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (Twitter link) expects the Lions to sign a safety very soon, and says it sounds like there are three potential options on the table, which suggests the team is eyeing another player in addition to Ihedigbo and DeCoud.
- Agent Pat Dye Jr. confirmed last night that Kenny Britt had received from the Bills, and Ian Rapoport of NFL.com says (via Twitter) the free agent receiver will be making his next visit to Buffalo.
- Rapoport also reports (Twitter links) that while free agent guard Richie Incognito can sign with an NFL team, he can’t play or be paid until undergoing a comprehensive evaluation by medical advisors designated by the league and the NFLPA.
- Adam Caplan of ESPN.com passes along a pair of free agent nuggets, tweeting that fullback Spencer Larsen worked out for the Bills and cornerback Elbert Mack worked out for the Bengals.
- With Matt Schaub heading to Oakland, Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter link) predicts that the Browns will land Rex Grossman, adding that perhaps Mark Sanchez ends up on the Bills and Michael Vick lands with the Jets. Vick is visiting with the Jets today, and the club also has to make a decision soon on Sanchez, who is owed a roster bonus on Tuesday.