Sunday Roundup: T. Jackson, Osweiler, Jags
The brief post-Super Bowl lull has set in on the NFL world, but the first day of free agency is right around the corner, and you can bet that there will soon be reports concerning contract extensions, franchise tags, etc. As we await that deluge, let’s take a look at some news and notes from around the league:
- Seahawks backup quarterback Tarvaris Jackson is expected to test the free agent market this year, according to Jessamyn McIntyre of 710 ESPN Seattle (via Twitter). McIntyre reports that there was a strong market for Jackson’s services last season before he ultimately decided to re-up with Seattle.
- Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk wonders what it will take for the Broncos to retain Brock Osweiler, especially since there are likely to be a number of teams like the Texans, Jets, and Rams potentially willing to bid against Denver for his services. We learned yesterday that a contract with an AAV of around $9MM would probably not be enough to prevent Osweiler from testing the free agent market, and Florio appears to concur with that sentiment.
- Kevin Acee of The San Diego Times-Tribune explores potential stadium sites in San Diego that the Chargers might consider, concluding that the Mission Valley site, although less exciting, is more likely than the East Village option.
- Although there have been rumors that the Jaguars will consider adding an offensive tackle this offseason, Ryan O’Halloran of The Florida Times-Union would be surprised if that happened. O’Halloran notes that the Jaguars’ two starting tackles, Luke Joeckel and Jermey Parnell, currently account for the third and fourth highest cap charges on the roster, respectively, and he adds that no starting-caliber free agent tackle would sign with Jacksonville at this point.
- Joe Person of The Charlotte Observer looks at the biggest issues facing the Panthers this offseason. He believes that Carolina will ultimately put the franchise tag on Josh Norman and should ask defensive end Charles Johnson to rework his current deal.
- Although he may be a bit biased, former NFL GM and well-respected football mind Bill Polian believes the Lions made the right decision in retaining Jim Caldwell, per Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Polian points to the team’s drastic improvement in the second half of the 2015 season and the players’ support of Caldwell as indicators that Caldwell is the right man for the job.
Owen Daniels Plans To Keep Playing
Broncos tight end Owen Daniels is a newly-minted Super Bowl champion and two-time Pro Bowler, and he has amassed 5,661 receiving yards and 36 touchdowns over a long and productive career. He is also 33, and he has had two of his ten professional seasons cut short, one due to a broken leg and one due to a torn ACL. All of that wear and tear has left him with no meniscus in his left knee and a right knee that caused him considerable pain throughout the course of the 2015 season.
Add it all up and it’s reasonable to wonder if Daniels is contemplating retirement. However, Daniels himself told Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today that he plans to continue playing at least through the end of his current contract, which runs through the 2017 season. He signed a three-year, $12.25MM deal last March and is set to count $4.5MM against the cap in 2016 and $5MM against the cap in 2017. The team could save $2.5MM by releasing him.
However, the Broncos do not currently have another tight end on the roster that could realistically step in for Daniels. Vernon Davis was a major disappointment after being acquired by Denver in a mid-season trade in 2015, and he is eligible for unrestricted free agency this year anyway. Virgil Green has been a quality No. 2 tight end during his five-year tenure with the Broncos, but he has not done much to show that he can step into the No. 1 role, and 2015 third-round selection Jeff Heuerman has significant upside but missed all of his rookie season after tearing his left ACL in a non-contact special teams drill last May.
Daniels spent the first eight seasons of his career with the Texans prior to signing a one-year deal with the Ravens in 2014. Current Broncos head coach Gary Kubiak was the Texans’ head coach for the entirety of Daniels’ career in Houston and served as Baltimore’s offensive coordinator in 2014 before both men moved to Denver in 2015. Daniels, a Wisconsin product, caught 46 balls for 517 yards and three scores last season, and he caught Peyton Manning‘s first pass of Super Bowl 50, good for 18 yards.
Said Daniels, “[Retirement’s] definitely an option. But I’m a man of my word, I signed a three-year deal, so I’d like to keep playing. I feel good enough as long as I can get some work done on my 33-year-old knees.”
Extra Points: Broncos, Bears, Dolphins
A look around the NFL as Saturday wraps up:
- Whether the Broncos bring back DeMarcus Ware next season might depend on if they can get a deal done with free agent-to-be Malik Jackson, tweets Troy Renck of The Denver Post. Both pass rushers have been important cogs in the Broncos’ dominant defense, but the salary cap could preclude the Super Bowl champions from retaining the pair. At 26, Jackson is significantly younger than Ware, who will enter his age-34 season. Further, releasing Ware would add $10MM to the Broncos’ cap for 2016. That money could obviously be put toward re-signing Jackson. If Denver does cut ties with Ware, his two-year stint with the team will have ended with a 3.5-sack playoff run. Two of those sacks came in the Broncos’ Super Bowl 50 victory over Carolina.
- If the Bears determine that tight end Martellus Bennett is a holdout threat, they’ll start shopping him around the league next month, writes Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com. A holdout wouldn’t be unheard of for Bennett, who sat out the voluntary portion of the Bears’ offseason program last year in an effort to land a better contract. The Bears didn’t bite then, and it doesn’t sound as though they’d blink in the event of a hypothetical Bennett holdout this year. If Chicago shops the soon-to-be 29-year-old – as it did last offseason – and ends up unable to find a taker, the team could cut him and save nearly $5.2MM on its cap in 2016. Bennett’s status is one of many points touched on by PFR’s Dallas Robinson in his offseason preview of the Bears, which can be found here.
- Regardless of whether they keep Brent Grimes, the Dolphins hope to add at least two new cornerbacks this offseason, reports Barry Jackson of the Miami Herald. The team cut corner Brice McCain on Friday and could also send Jamar Taylor packing, according to Jackson. Doing so would save Miami just shy of $900,000 on its cap next season.
AFC Notes: Browns, Osweiler, Titans
The latest from the AFC:
- Given quarterback Brock Osweiler‘s lack of a track record, the Broncos have to take a cautious approach in re-signing the pending free agent, opines Mark Kiszla of The Denver Post. Osweiler was statistically superior to Peyton Manning last season – considering Manning’s struggles, that isn’t saying much – and Kiszla thinks the Broncos should offer him a three-year, $28.5MM deal. That probably wouldn’t be enough to prevent the 25-year-old from testing the free agent market, however.
- Browns perennial Pro Bowl left tackle Joe Thomas said in January he wanted to see who would take over the team’s vacant general manager and head coaching positions before deciding whether to ask for a trade. The Browns’ front office is now in the hands of executive vice president of football operations Sashi Brown, and Hue Jackson is their new head coach. Both have earned Thomas’ approval, which means he’s excited to continue his career in Cleveland. “He was the No. 1 guy that I was hoping that we would hire,” Thomas said of Jackson, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “We got the biggest fish to be had in this offseason and now he was able to put together an impressive staff, so the ship’s headed in the right direction.” On Brown, Thomas stated, “I’m really happy for him. He’s a guy that I’ve gotten to know over the last couple years in Cleveland, even before he took over as the head man, even before the conversation we had after the season, I developed a relationship with him.”
- Taylor Lewan‘s presence may make it difficult for the Titans to draft Laremy Tunsil at No. 1 overall, Jim Wyatt of Titans.com writes in a mailbag. A second-year left tackle, Lewan rated as the No. 12 overall tackle, per Pro Football Focus, last season.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Broncos’ Shiloh Keo Arrested For DUI
Broncos reserve safety Shiloh Keo was arrested for driving under the influence Saturday morning, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports.
The 28-year-old defensive back recently tweeted he was heading home to his native Idaho. He was booked into the Ada County jail just after 2 a.m. Saturday.
“We are aware of the matter involving Shiloh Keo and are in the process of reviewing it,” Broncos VP of public relations Patrick Smyth told Renck.
Keo joined the Broncos when injuries to David Bruton, T.J. Ward and Darian Stewart exposed their safety depth, reaching out to Wade Phillips via Twitter about his interest in joining the eventual Super Bowl champions.
He played in six games for Denver after arriving in December, intercepting a pass against the Chargers in Week 17.
Originally a fifth-round pick of the Texans’ out of Texas Tech in 2011, Keo started 11 games for Houston in 2013 before being released in Sept. 2014.
Extra Points: Lions, Dolphins, Broncos
Some assorted notes from around the NFL on this Saturday afternoon…
- While Calvin Johnson‘s decision on his future may give the Lions a bit of clarity, ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein believes the team will still have the same needs heading into the draft: wideout, offensive tackle, defensive tackle, linebacker, and defensive back.
- Meanwhile, Rothstein believes Browns offensive tackle Mitchell Schwartz could be a target of the Lions. However, he doesn’t envision the team pursuing lineman Nick Fairley or wideout Percy Harvin.
- Wideout Greg Jennings is atop ESPN.com’s James Walker’s list of players on the Dolphins chopping block. Tight end Jordan Cameron and defensive tackle Earl Mitchell are also mentioned as potential release candidates.
- Quarterback is one of the Broncos most pressing roster issues heading into the offseason, says Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post. The writer believes Brock Osweiler is more likely to return that Peyton Manning, but he also suggests the team could like elsewhere. The writer suggests Robert Griffin, Colin Kaepernick, Chase Daniel and Drew Stanton as potential targets.
AFC West Notes: Raiders, Broncos, Marshall
The Raiders will aim to bring in another running back this offseason, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Latavius Murray carried the load for Oakland last season, and while the the club’s rushing offense wasn’t great (24th in DVOA), Murray was one of only seven backs league-wide to run for more than 1,000 yards, and he did so behind an offensive line that ranked just 19th in adjusted line yards.
Still, Murray is entering the final year of his rookie deal, so adding another back could help not only during the 2016 season, but in the years after if Murray departs through free agency. The running back market is awash with options, with Matt Forte, Doug Martin, Lamar Miller, and Chris Ivory among those heading for free agency. Oakland has also been mentioned as a possible destination for the Eagles’ DeMarco Murray in the even that he is released or traded.
Let’s take a look at a few other notes from the AFC West, including more on both the Raiders and the Super Bowl champion Broncos:
- “I would definitely love my bank account to grow in these next few months — I would love that,” said Broncos linebacker Brandon Marshall, discussing his upcoming restricted free agency on the NFL Network today. Marshall will certainly get a raise from the $585K he made last season, but he probably won’t hit the jackpot just yet, as Denver will likely offer him either a first- or second-round tender, limiting his appeal to other clubs.
- Brock Osweiler‘s future with the Broncos obviously hinges on whether Peyton Manning retires (and if the club decides to retain him if he doesn’t), but after posting a 5-2 record during his seven starts last year, Osweiler is excited to at least have the chance to take over-full time. “Every single guy on this team embraced me, and that is something I think they all know how thankful I am for that,” Osweiler told Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post. “But this is the best team in the world and we have a very special group in our locker room.”
- Speaking to the media in Oakland yesterday, Raiders owner Mark Davis said MLB’s Athletics (who share O.co Coliseum with the Raiders) have impeded progress on a new Raiders stadium by signing a 10-year lease with O.co. “They’ve tied our hands behind our back,” Davis said, according to Scott Bair of CSNBayArea.com. The Athletics responded toady, as owner Lew Wolff stated that his club is committed to Oakland, and that nothing the A’s have done affects the Raiders interests (link via Pro Football Talk).
Anquan Boldin, Percy Harvin Contracts To Void
The contracts for wide receivers Anquan Boldin and Percy Harvin are set to void today, as Joel Corry of CBSSports.com details. While Boldin’s deal was technically set to run through the 2018 season, and Harvin’s ran through 2017, language in the contracts called for them to void five days after this year’s Super Bowl, so both players will officially become free agents next month.
Both contracts were designed to lessen the charges on the salary cap during the years when Boldin was a Niner and Harvin was a Bill. The void years allowed the 49ers and Bills, respectively, to spread signing bonus money across several years, rather than taking on larger charges in early seasons. San Francisco will carry about $2.73MM in dead money on its cap in 2016 for Boldin, while Buffalo will carry $2MM for Harvin.
In addition to being the date when those two contracts void, Friday also represents the day on which a handful of players will be assured of guaranteed money if they remain on their teams’ rosters. According to Corry, Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will see his $8.5MM base salary for 2017 – which was initially guaranteed for injury only – become fully guaranteed without an offset today.
Two Cardinals players, cornerback Patrick Peterson and quarterback Carson Palmer, also get new guarantees added to their respective deals by remaining on the team’s roster through Friday. Peterson’s $9.75MM base salary for 2016 will become fully guaranteed, while Palmer will get a pair of guarantees — his $7.15MM salary for ’16 and a $6.35MM roster bonus due next month both become fully guaranteed.
The Seahawks will be another team to watch this weekend — Seattle has six players who will be assured of additional guarantees if they remain on the roster through Saturday, including Russell Wilson, Richard Sherman, and Earl Thomas.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Minor NFL Transactions: 2/10/16
Today’s minor signings, cuts, and other moves:
- The Broncos signed nine practice squad players to reserve-futures contracts, as Cameron Wolfe of The Denver Post writes. Receiver Jordan Taylor, running back Kapri Bibbs, safety Ryan Murphy, guard Dillon Day, tackles Cameron Jefferson and Kyle Roberts, tight end Nick Kasa, defensive end George Uko, and linebacker Zaire Anderson all have new deals with Denver. Taylor served as as Peyton Manning‘s personal practice receiver in 2015 when he rehabbed from his foot injury. Murphy was sent packing during Super Bowl week after being involved, but not arrested in a prostitution sting in San Jose. In a related move, Northern Colorado receiver Jace Davis was waived.
- On Wednesday, the Eagles announced that linebacker Najee Goode has been signed to a new one-year contract. Originally a fifth-round draft pick of Tampa Bay in 2012, Goode was claimed off of waivers by the Eagles in September 2013. After a pectoral injury suffered in the 2014 opener against Jacksonville put him on Injured Reserve for the rest of the season, Goode returned to form in 2015.
- The Saints have re-signed fullback Austin Johnson, as Evan Woodbery of The Times-Picayune writes. Johnson, 26, was an exclusive-rights free agent. In his three years with the Saints, Johnson has bounced between the active roster and the taxi squad. Johnson has played in 17 games in the last two seasons, rushing 12 times for 31 yards and catches seven passes for 45 yards. He is also a frequent contributor on special teams. As Woodbery notes, Johnson will likely compete with fullback Toben Opurum for a roster spot in 2016. Besides the two fullbacks, New Orleans already has four other tailbacks under contract for 2016, not counting free agents Khiry Robinson (RFA), Tim Hightower, Travaris Cadet, and Kendall Hunter.
Broncos Notes: V. Miller, M. Jackson, Manning
Broncos general manager John Elway commended first-year Denver coach – and Elway’s former backup – Gary Kubiak for the way he handled the team’s awkward quarterback situation down the stretch, as Nicki Jhabvala of the Denver Post writes.
“Handing those type of situations are probably the hardest things that a head coach has to deal with, and that’s where Gary did such a tremendous job,” Elway said. “The way that he handled that process, the way that he communicated to his team — it’s a touchy situation, and it’s tough for the quarterbacks, too.
“You look at the things that Peyton [Manning] was going through, but also what Brock [Osweiler] went through. We wouldn’t have done what we did without both of those guys. They’re both to be commended, and ultimately it was Gary making that call as far as what his gut told him to do. To me, those are the things that make good coaches great, is to have that ability to make that call.”
Here’s more out of Denver:
- A source with knowledge of the situation tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk that the exclusive franchise tag for linebackers is currently on track to be worth $14.04MM. That number’s not set in stone, and neither is the non-exclusive figure, but early estimates have the two amounts looking pretty similar, meaning there would be no downside for the Broncos using the exclusive tag on Von Miller. That exclusive designation would allow Denver to prevent Miller from negotiating with other teams, while not necessarily costing the Broncos any extra money.
- Asked during an appearance on PFT Live about the possibility of re-signing with the Broncos, Malik Jackson said, “For me, I would love to say here and just continue with my boys, continue this run with them and try to get another one with this defense. It is a business, so we’ll see what happens.“
- Although most observers and fans expect Manning to retire this offseason, Broncos teammate DeMarcus Ware doesn’t think the future Hall-of-Famer necessarily has to call it a career, as NFL.com’s Kevin Patra writes. “I don’t know,” Ware said on Jimmy Kimmel Live. “But I just know that him winning this game put him out on top. If he is going to do it this year, it’s certainly a great time to do it. But if he wants to play a little bit more I feel like he still has a little bit in the tank.”
- If Manning does retire this offseason, he’s capable of immediately stepping into a general manager role with an NFL team, former Colts president Bill Polian said during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (link via Dana Hunsinger Benbow of the Indianapolis Star). “He knew the strengths and weaknesses of every player on every defense in the AFC and many on offense, because he met them and got to know them at the Pro Bowl and soaked up information,” Polian said of Manning, whom he observed first-hand for more than a decade in Indianapolis. “He is a football nerd, as am I. He’s more than prepared to do that job.”
Zach Links contributed to this post.