Buccaneers Sign Mike Kafka
FRIDAY, 11:07am: Kafka’s deal with the Bucs is a two-year pact worth $1.255MM, tweets Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com. That figure suggests the contract either includes a signing bonus or is worth slightly more than the minimum.
MONDAY, 3:15pm: The Bucs have officially announced the signing of Kafka, according to Scott Smith of Buccaneers.com (via Twitter).
2:05pm: Although it looked last week as if he was poised to join the Cowboys, free agent quarterback Mike Kafka will sign with the Buccaneers, according to his agent. Mike McCartney of Priority Sports tweeted today that he’s excited for Kafka signing with Tampa Bay.
Kafka, a fourth-round pick in 2010, saw a little action for the Eagles in 2011, but was waived by the team before the 2012 season. Signed last January to a reserve/futures contract by the Patriots, Kafka was subsequently waived and claimed by the Jaguars, where he competed for a roster spot in the summer before being cut again. The Northwestern alum worked out for the Cowboys last week, but it seems either Dallas or the signal-caller himself chose to go in another direction.
Although details of Kafka’s deal with the Bucs aren’t known, it will likely be another reserve/futures deal, perhaps with a small portion of guaranteed money included. Considering Josh Freeman is no longer in the picture in Tampa Bay and Dan Orlovsky is eligible for free agency, there may be an opening for the 26-year-old Kafka to compete for a job on the Bucs’ 2014 roster.
Lions Release Nate Burleson
1:00pm: The Lions have confirmed they’ve released Burleson, according to Chris McCosky of the Detroit News (Twitter link).
12:44pm: Although they’ve yet to officially announce the move, the Lions have informed wide receiver Nate Burleson that he’ll be released today, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press (via Twitter). Burleson had one season remaining on his contract, so he’ll hit free agency a year early.
“It’s a hard decision for them to make, but I can’t blame them for making it,” Burleson said of the Lions, telling Birkett that he still intends to play somewhere in 2014 (Twitter link). Birkett believes that Dallas and Tampa Bay are among the possible landing spots for the 32-year-old receiver (Twitter link). It’s also possible that Burleson could re-sign with the Lions for a reduced rate, but according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (Twitter link), that scenario appears unlikely.
Burleson’s contract with the Lions called for a $5.5MM base salary in 2014, with a prorated bonus of $2.03MM, making his overall cap hit $7.53MM. By releasing him, Detroit can wipe that base salary from their books, creating $5.5MM in cap savings. Having been projected by OverTheCap.com to be about $5.32MM over the 2014 cap at the start of this week, the Lions should sneak slightly below that threshold, with more moves to come.
In nine games (eight starts) for the Lions in 2013, Burleson grabbed 39 balls for 461 yards. As he hits the free agent market, Detroit figures to turn to either free agency or the draft to add at least one or two receivers to help complement the club’s superstar, Calvin Johnson.
East Notes: Nicks, Cowboys, Patriots, Jets
Here are a few of the latest links of note from out of the NFC’s and AFC’s East divisions:
- Victor Cruz has lobbied for fellow Giants receiver and pending free agent Hakeem Nicks to re-sign with New York, according to Conor Orr of the Star-Ledger. “Selfishly, I would love for him to stay,” Cruz said, confirming that he’s talked to Nicks about it.
- As if the Cowboys didn’t already have enough 2014 cap commitments, running back DeMarco Murray will have a slightly higher cap number than expected, as Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com details. Murray triggered performance escalators that will bump his base salary from about $755K to nearly $1.4MM.
- In a photo gallery, the Dallas Morning News suggests 10 free agent quarterbacks the Cowboys might consider as a No. 3 option behind Tony Romo or Kyle Orton.
- Mike Reiss of ESPN.com attempts to gauge the free agent value of Aqib Talib around the NFL by compiling a few links to see where Talib ranks on various lists of top free agents. As Reiss writes, the veteran cornerback will be among the Patriots‘ top priorities this offseason.
- In a separate blog entry, Reiss weighs in on a few other Patriots stories, indicating that he doesn’t think Josh McDaniels was as interested in the Browns’ head coaching job as an earlier report suggests, and that he believe the Pats will again have interest in free agent receiver Emmanuel Sanders this offseason.
- With the right side of the Jets‘ offensive line poised to hit free agency, it would behoove the team to re-sign both guard Willie Colon and tackle Austin Howard, writes Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com. Cimini expects the club to make a “strong push” to re-sign Howard, while perhaps taking a wait-and-see approach with Colon and the right guard position.
NFC East Notes: Salary Cap, Ware, Redskins
As teams look to get under the 2014 cap in advance of the NFL’s league year beginning on March 11, several players with large cap numbers will be worth watching. In his latest piece for CBSSports.com, Joel Corry examines the players with the top five biggest cap numbers in the league, two of which come from the NFC East: Tony Romo of the Cowboys and Eli Manning of the Giants. While the Cowboys have the discretionary right to convert Romo’s base salary into a signing bonus, the Giants don’t have the same flexibility with Manning, so lowering Eli’s cap hit may mean signing him to an extension.
Besides Romo and Manning, DeMarcus Ware represents another interesting case, writes Corry. Ware’s $16MM+ cap number probably needs to be addressed to help the Cowboys’ slip under the cap, but it’s not clear if the veteran pass rusher would be willing to accept a pay cut. Here’s more on Ware, along with a few other NFC East notes:
- Ware tells Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com that his agent has yet to be approached by the Cowboys about Ware’s contract, though that figures to happen soon. “I don’t know what’s going to happen,” Ware said. “I’m going to let the guys run the numbers and handle that. My mentality is that I’m going to do what I need to do to try to help the team out the best I can where they’re going to win and I want to win.”
- John Keim of ESPN.com takes a snapshot of the Redskins’ cap breakdown by position, revealing that well over half of the team’s current commitments are on the offensive or defensive line.
- In a photo gallery, the Dallas Morning News identifies 10 wide receiver prospects who the Cowboys could target in this year’s draft.
Extra Points: Helu, Cardinals, Cowboys
Defensive ends didn’t find a whole lot of cash out there on the open market last offseason but that should change this time around, writes Joe Fortenbaugh of National Football Post. Free agent DEs like Cliff Avril and Michael Bennett found themselves agreeing to short-term pillow contracts to try and get back to free agency while they can still cash in last year. This year, the Falcons, Jaguars, and Bears are among the many clubs with needs at that position…
- Two people familiar with Roy Helu‘s contract tell The Washington Times that he has reached the “proven performance escalator,” a clause in the collective bargaining agreement that rewards players who were drafted in the third through seventh rounds who are entering the final year of their rookie contract. As a result, his base salary for 2014 will double. The running back was the Redskins’ leading rusher as a rookie in 2011 and played a significant role for the team last season. Helu was supposed to earn a base salary of $645K this season but will instead earn a base salary of $1.39MM.
- Teams can start using the franchise tag as early as Monday, but the Cardinals won’t be among those clubs, writes Darren Urban of Cardinals.com. Linebacker Karlos Dansby was hit with the tag two years in a row by the Cards a few years back but he won’t be in line for a deal that would pay him ~$10.9MM.
- Don’t expect the Cowboys to make any major moves on the free agent market, tweets Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- Are the Bears better off letting Charles Tillman and Julius Peppers go? Ryan McGuffey and John Mullin of CSNChicago.com (video link) discuss the pros and cons.
- Despite his differences with special teams coach Mike Pfeiffer, former Vikings punter Chris Kluwe says Minnesota would be a good place for Michael Sam, writes Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press.
Florida Notes: Jaguars, Dolphins, Kafka
After rounding up the latest updates on a handful of AFC and NFC North teams earlier this afternoon, we’ll head down south and check in on today’s items on the league’s three franchise in Florida:
- Last offseason, the Jaguars didn’t sign any free agents to contracts exceeding two years, but GM Dave Caldwell has expressed a willingness to go to three or four years this time around, writes Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. Still, Caldwell cautioned that the club won’t be looking to set the market with big deals.
- Selecting an offensive tackle with the No. 19 pick in May’s draft isn’t the Dolphins‘ only option, but it’s the best option, according to Chris Perkins of the South Florida Sun Sentinel. Perkins also identifies running back and free safety as positions the Dolphins may target in the first round, with linebacker as a “dark horse.”
- Agent Mike McCartney tells Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune that Mike Kafka signed with the Buccaneers instead of the Cowboys because Tampa Bay is more likely to carry three quarterbacks in 2014.
- Given Kafka’s and Mike Glennon‘s lack of NFL experience, Cummings expects the Buccaneers to add a third quarterback to the roster in free agency rather than in the draft (Twitter link).
NFC East Notes: Sam, Vick, Cowboys, Austin
Could openly gay NFL draft prospect Michael Sam be a fit for the Eagles? Probably not, and it has nothing to do with his orientation, writes Jimmy Kempski of Philly.com. The Mizzou linebacker opened the season strong but his production slowed as the season went on. He racked up ten sacks in his first eight games but just 1.5 in his final six. Beyond that, his best fit is probably as a situational pass rusher in a 4-3, but Philly already has a 6’2, 260-ish pound 4-3 DE who can rush the passer, but struggles with everything else in Brandon Graham. More out of the NFC East..
- Zach Berman of Philly.com offers up an evaluation of the quarterback position for the Eagles. Michael Vick won’t return unless he can’t find a starting job elsewhere and no one should expect that to happen. With questions about Matt Barkley, the Eagles will be looking for a reliable No. 2 QB to slot behind Nick Foles. Berman suggests Josh Freeman, Chad Henne, and Tarvaris Jackson as some possible candidates.
- Despite talk that the Cowboys could be ready to move on from Miles Austin, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network (on Twitter) notes that it doesn’t make sense to cut the wide receiver just yet. Cutting him now would save just $400K but releasing him after June 1st would bring them more cap relief.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap (on Twitter) adds that releasing Austin after June 1st will give the Cowboys enough space to sign their rookie class.
- Mike Jones of the Washington Post asks if the Redskins should move on from Brandon Meriweather.
- Wide receiver Joe Anderson got a $20K bonus on his futures deal from the Eagles while Josh Kaddu got $25K to sign, tweets Bryan McIntyre.
NFC Notes: Murray, Austin, Cardinals
In spite of putting up career numbers in 2013, running back DeMarco Murray isn’t expected to receive an extension from the Cowboys any time soon, writes Todd Archer of ESPN.com. Murray ran for 1,124 yards and nine touchdowns this past season, which were solid improvements for the 25-year-old. Still, Archer refers to the Cowboys reluctance to re-sign former running back Julius Jones as a clue that the team may be patient with their third-year star. Here are some other notes from around the NFC:
- Archer adds that the Cowboys want to move on from wide receiver Miles Austin. Hamstring injuries derailed Austin’s 2013 season, as the 29-year-old only had 24 receptions. Archer thinks there’s a chance Austin could return at a reduced rate, but he also believes the team may replace Austin in the draft or free agency. The writer names Robert Meachem as a possible target.
- ESPN.com’s Josh Weinfuss feels there’s a possibility that the Cardinals don’t re-sign any of their top free agents, but suggests that Karlos Dansby, Matt Shaughnessy and Antoine Cason are among the players most likely to return.
- Weinfuss also guesses that the Cardinals will not cut offensive guard Daryn Colledge. While the move would save the Cardinals $5MM, Weinfuss believes that the offensive guard played well enough in 2013 to stick around.
Poll: Who Faces Seahawks In NFL Opener?
One of the many perks of being Super Bowl champions, with the exception of last year’s Ravens, is hosting the following season’s opening game in primetime.
Though the official schedule for the 2014 season won’t be announced until April, we do know each team’s home and road opponents, which gives us some insight as to who might be heading to Seattle for the first of the league’s 256 contests.
Fresh off a 43-8 whooping in Super Bowl XLVIII, the Broncos could be an interesting choice for the opener. They opened the 2013 season as well, avenging a devastating loss in the divisional round to the Ravens with a 49-27 victory. The game was played in Denver because of a scheduling conflict with Baltimore’s MLB team, the Orioles. As you probably recall, Peyton Manning tied an NFL record with seven touchdown passes.
For a rematch of the most recent NFC championship — one of the better games played during the 2013 season — the league could call for the division-rival 49ers to open against Seattle. Plenty of sparks flew the last time these teams played (cough, Richard Sherman) and the rivalry is developing into Bears/Packers and Steelers/Ravens territory.
One of the more memorable regular season games the past few years is the “Fail Mary” game between the Packers and Seahawks, the last game played with replacement referees. With Green Bay set to travel to the Pacific Northwest in the 2014 season, pitting two of the top teams in the NFC up against one another in the NFL opener would be a great way to kick off the season.
Lastly, there’s always a chance that the league and networks will schedule the Cowboys in a must-see primetime game. This is probably the most improbable of all the scenarios, but it’s not impossible. “America’s Team” continues to draw monster ratings year after year with the unpredictable Tony Romo under center, and their 2006 playoff matchup with the infamous bobbled snap by the aforementioned Romo remains one of the most exciting finishes in postseason history.
Back up your vote with a comment as to why you think a certain team should open its season with a trip to Seattle.
Fitzgerald On ‘Boys Cap: “Really No Escape”
OverTheCap.com editor Jason Fitzgerald joined the Pro Football Focus podcast (listen here) to discuss NFC salary cap situations. A chunk of the two-hour chat was focused on the Cowboys, as Fitzgerald details the team’s current woes and paints an even bleaker future. Highlights:
- The Cowboys are currently $24MM over the salary cap.
- The contracts of Tony Romo and Sean Lee were designed to be restructured, and doing so will bring the excess number down to $13MM or $14MM. “From there, they’ll do what they always do,” said Fitzgerald.“They will restructure, restructure, restructure every player on the roster, they’ll convert base salaries to signing bonus money. In some cases, they’ll add voidable contract years, which essentially are ‘dummy’ years thrown on to the end of the contract just for salary cap purposes to let you lower the cost down, and then at some point in time when their contracts void – automatically – that money will all just accelerate onto the cap in two years from now, three years from now.”
- The team does not have prime candidates to cut for short-term cap relief.
- Fitgerald also criticized the team’s reluctance to cut the chord with high-priced veterans:“They’re the one team that does not have willingness to let go from anyone they consider like a star player. You saw that last year with Anthony Spencer, that, really, they’re making a transition in defense, they have salary cap problems – he’s a player they really should have let walk. Instead, they franchised him for the second year in a row and they just can’t let go. . .And then he got hurt and never played a down, really, for them. This is what happens, is you have a roster like this which is just incredibly high cap charges for everybody on the team and really no escape.”
- Defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who will be 32, began to deteriorate last season, and the day is fast approaching when the team will have to address his exorbitant deal [$16MM cap hit in 2014, $17.5MM in 2015].“Do they restructure him?” asks Fitzgerald. “Which basically means you’re going to be stuck with DeMarcus Ware for a very long time, or do they do the smart thing, which is approach him with a pay cut?”
- Fitzgerald believes if the Cowboys slap the franchise tag on defensive tackle Jason Hatcher and/or restructure Ware’s deal, it portends continued shortsighted spending, insinuating the team either will have refused to change or simply not learned its lesson.
- The roster is littered with too many players on the wrong side of 30, and each restructured deal makes it more difficult to release players.
- The Cowboys’ cap situation is “probably going to be much worse” next year, and Fitzgerald posits the team will eventually have to bite the bullet, a la the Oakland Raiders.“[The Cowboys are] going to have to have one year where they just hit that emergency button, dump a lot of guys, take a $50MM or $60MM “dead money” hit for one year and basically field an expansion roster.”
- And oh by the way, Dez Bryant’s deal is up after 2014.