AFC Notes: Hoyer, Oher, Broncos
Much has been made of Brian Hoyer‘s future as the impending free agent continues to inch the Browns closer to an improbable playoff berth, and ESPN’s Adam Schefter writes that, if Hoyer does leave Cleveland after 2014–which would “shock” at least one prominent talking head–the Texans would be a likely destination. As Schefter writes, “Hoyer trusts [Texans head coach Bill] O’Brien as much as any coach in the league from their time together in New England, per sources, and would welcome a reunion.” Titans head coach Ken Whisenhunt, who was the Cardinals‘ head coach during Hoyer’s one season in Arizona, would also have interest in bringing Hoyer to Tennessee. Schefter writes that a long-term deal between Hoyer and Cleveland will “get done only as soon as the Browns truly are ready to make Hoyer, not Johnny Manziel, their long-term quarterback.”
Now for some more links from the AFC (an NFC Notes post from this busy Sunday can be found here):
- The Titans are going to have to admit they made a mistake in handing a lucrative free agent deal to Michael Oher and find a new right tackle, writes Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com. Kuharsky adds that Tennessee can get out of the Oher deal “clean” after one year and $6MM, but Michael Roos will not be Oher’s replacement and the team is not going to move Taylor Lewan from left tackle.
- Mike Klis of the Denver Post describes the issues the Broncos are having with locking up their top impending free agents with in-season extensions.
- Mark Kiszla of the Denver Post makes the case for the Broncos to sign free agent guard Richie Incognito.
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports explains why Broncos star wideout Demaryius Thomas is likely to get the franchise tag.
- In the first news to come out of this saga since July, two trucking companies have formally accused Browns owner Jimmy Haslam of directing a fuel rebate conspiracy, writes Tom Feran of the Cleveland Plain Dealer.
- Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star tweets that, if Reggie Wayne wants to continue playing after 2014, he will only play for the Colts. We learned earlier today that the Colts are preparing for life without their longtime stalwart.
- Leo Roth of the Democrat & Chronicle writes that the Bills should return to E.J. Manuel as their starting quarterback.
Poll: Best Head Coaching Candidates
Colts‘ offensive coordinator Pep Hamilton and Browns‘ offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan have accomplished plenty on their offenses this season, with each team currently leading its current division through nine games. Those performances could lead to big paydays as head coaches next season.
They are not the only coordinators being rumored for head coaching jobs. Giants‘ offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo has been talked about as a possible successor for Tom Coughlin. Broncos‘ offensive coordinator Adam Gase could follow the path of his predecessor, Mike McCoy, who jumped from a record-setting Peyton Manning-led offense to the top job for the Chargers.
The defending champion Seahawks have taken a step back from last season, but the market may not have cooled on both of their coordinators. Both offensive coordinator Darrell Bevell and defensive coordinator Dan Quinn have both been talked about as head coaching candidates, with particular interest coming from the Jets if general manager John Idzik is retained in New York and head coach Rex Ryan is fired.
Todd Bowles has helped put together a great defense in Arizona, as the Cardinals have gone 8-1 despite injuries on the defense. Lions‘ defensive coordinator Teryl Austin could be in a similar position, as his team is currently leading it’s division based on the strength of the defense.
Add to the mix the possibility of Jon Gruden or Bill Cowher returning to the sidelines, or even the possibility of a college coach like David Shaw of Stanford jumping to the NFL, and teams will have a number of options should they decide to pursue a new coach in 2015. That list does not include the head coaches that will lose their jobs at the end of the season, a number of them will hit the open market with impressive records of success. That list could include Ryan, Mike Smith, and Jim Harbaugh, among others.
Which Coordinator Would Make The Best Head Coach?
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Todd Bowles - Cardinals 25% (170)
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Pep Hamilton - Colts 19% (126)
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Kyle Shanahan - Browns 12% (78)
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Dan Quinn - Seahawks 11% (76)
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Adam Gase - Broncos 9% (63)
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Darrell Bevell - Seahawks 8% (57)
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Other 6% (44)
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Teryl Austin - Lions 5% (36)
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Ben McAdoo - Giants 4% (27)
Total votes: 677
Free Agency Notes: Suh, Bryant, Pierre-Paul
Many NFL teams are focused on making the playoffs during the home stretch of the season, but many of their top players are also worried about their impending free agency. Field Yates of ESPN.com put together a list of five players who are set to receive huge contracts this offseason (subscription required).
The headliner of that list is Lions‘ defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who may be leaving Detroit this offseason for a contract in the range of what J.J. Watt received this past offseason. Dez Bryant, Justin Houston, Demaryius Thomas, and Randall Cobb also made the list of players set up to be paid after the season.
Here are some other notes on player movement this offseason:
- Along with the list of players who are ready to get big contracts, Yates also listed five players who have seen their stocks soar since the beginning of the season. Much like the five top free agents, the five soaring stocks all come from potential playoff teams. Yates points to DeMarco Murray, Jeremy Maclin, Brian Hoyer, Mark Ingram, and Chris Harris Jr..
- Bryant appears on Yates’ list of players set up for big contracts, but Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com expects the superstar wide receiver to remain with the Cowboys for at least two more seasons (via Twitter). Archer writes that the Cowboys always keep a player they want, and won’t lose Bryant if they want to keep him (via Twitter).
- One big name player who doesn’t appear on Yates’ list is Giants‘ defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. Pierre-Paul has been inconsistent since his breakout 2011 season when he recorded 16.5 sacks. The embattled Giant is ambivalent about returning to the team next year, according to Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post (via Twitter). “Hey, if I’m here, I’m here,” said Pierre-Paul. “If I’m not, I’m not.”
West Notes: Incognito, Bowman, Tate
The Broncos are the latest team to bring in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a visit and a workout, and Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report hears that Incognito’s visit to Denver and previous auditions with the Chiefs and Buccaneers went well. One executive even tells Freeman that Incognito looked “excellent” in his tryout. However, considering the former Dolphin is still looking for work, it appears he remains too toxic for any club to seriously consider signing him at this point, writes Freeman. At some point, a team will look past Incognito’s involvement in last year’s bullying scandal in Miami and give him another shot, but it’s looking increasingly unlikely that it will happen this season.
As we wait to see whether Denver or another club picks up Incognito in the second half, let’s check in on a few Friday items from around the NFL’s two West divisions….
- The 49ers will see one of their standout linebackers return to the field this weekend, with Aldon Smith having been activated after serving his nine-game suspension. However, there’s a “real possibility” that injured linebacker NaVorro Bowman, who is still recovering from a torn ACL and MCL suffered last season, won’t return to action in 2014, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (Twitter link).
- Wide receiver Golden Tate inked a lucrative five-year deal with the Lions back in March, and while that deal may have raised some eyebrows at the time, it’s turning into a great investment, with Tate in the top five in the NFL in both receptions and receiving yards. Tate discussed his free agent process today, admitting that he thought he’d be a “hot commodity,” but “that wasn’t the case at all” (link via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com). Having previously referred to the Seahawks‘ contract offer as “laughable,” Tate didn’t show much sympathy for his old team today. “Their problem,” Tate said of Seattle. “Now they don’t have me or Percy [Harvin].”
- The Broncos had hoped to keep linebacker Nate Irving in case he could return this season, but the team ultimately decided to place him on season-ending injured reserve yesterday due to his knee injury. Denver head coach John Fox explained the decision today, as Troy E. Renck of the Denver Post details.
Champ Bailey To Retire As Bronco
NOVEMBER 14: Bailey will sign a one-day contract with Denver and retire as a Bronco on Tuesday, according to the team’s VP of public relations Patrick Smyth, who tweets that there will be an afternoon press conference to make the announcement.
OCTOBER 28: Despite receiving interest from NFL teams, veteran cornerback Champ Bailey has decided to end his playing career, according to agent Jack Reale (Twitter link via ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter). Bailey, who last spent time with the Saints, “has some outstanding opportunities that he’s going to pursue” now that he’s retiring from the NFL, says Reale (Twitter link via Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun).
Bailey, who turned 36 this summer, appeared in just five regular season games in 2013 due to a foot injury, and his exorbitant cap hit made him a cap casualty for the AFC champion Broncos. In his last healthy season (2012), Bailey grabbed a pair of interceptions and racked up 66 tackles. His combination of positive grades against the run and in pass coverage resulted in a top-10 rank at cornerback in ’12, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).
However, even after signing a deal with the Saints that included $500K in guaranteed money, Bailey was unable to secure a spot on the team’s 53-man roster. The 12-time Pro Bowler had indicated he’d be willing to play safety in addition to or instead of cornerback, but that may not have been a smooth transition at age 36, and he’s not a special-teams contributor, so New Orleans opted for more versatile options instead.
While he didn’t start the season on a roster, Bailey had been receiving interest in recent weeks. Per Schefter (via Twitter), Reale indicated that at least two playoff contenders were eyeing his client, and one of those was likely the Ravens, whose interest we heard about a couple weeks ago. Perhaps the other club was the Lions, who worked out Bailey back in September.
Assuming Bailey doesn’t come out of retirement at any point and has indeed played his last NFL snap, it should just be a matter of time until he’s inducted into the Hall of Fame. In addition to his 12 Pro Bowl berths, Bailey racked up 52 interceptions during a 15-year career that saw him spend five seasons in Washington and 10 in Denver. His most impressive stretch came with the Broncos in 2005 and 2006, when he grabbed 18 total INTs in two seasons, returning three of them for touchdowns.
Bailey will be eligible for Hall of Fame induction in 2019.
Broncos Place Nate Irving On IR
The Broncos announced that they have placed linebacker Nate Irving on IR. To fill his spot, Denver has claimed rookie linebacker Todd Davis off waivers, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
Irving suffered a knee injury earlier this month and while the early prognosis was promising, it was apparently more severe than once thought. Irving made four starts in 2013, when he played mainly sam linebacker, and started in each of his eight games this season at middle linebacker. The 26-year-old will be an unrestricted free agent after this season.
Davis, an undrafted Sacramento State product, spent most of the season on the Saints’ taxi squad but saw three games on the NFL roster. He was waived yesterday but he didn’t have to wait long to find his next gig. Davis is a depth signing and Mike Klis of The Denver Post notes that the Broncos are expected to stick with Steven Johnson as their starting MLB with fifth-round rookie Lamin Barrow also in the mix. Davis was let go by New Orleans yesterday in a series of moves that included the signing of running back Brian Leonard.
AFC Notes: Dolphins, Hoyer, Broncos, Bills
The margin for error for Dolphins head coach Joe Philbin is “quickly approaching zero,” writes Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald. A loss this week to the Bills would make it extremely difficult for Miami to make the playoffs, and the next seven games could determine the fate of several of the club’s coaches and players.
Pointing out that a half-dozen of the Dolphins’ starters are eligible to hit the open market in March, Beasley suggests the team hasn’t made much of an effort to lock up any of these prospective free agents. One reason for that may be that there’s no guarantee the same front office and coaching staff will be in place by March. As Beasley rhetorically asks: “Why green-light a multiyear deal for Charles Clay if you’re not sure whoever’s coaching the Dolphins in 2015 wants Clay on their team?”
Here’s more on the Dolphins, as well as a few other AFC teams:
- Within the aforementioned piece, Beasley also writes that Philbin won’t necessarily lose his job if the Dolphins miss out on the playoffs. However, the team would probably have to finish with a winning record and show signs of trending upward.
- The Browns have an opportunity to get a deal done with quarterback Brian Hoyer in the wake of Carson Palmer‘s season-ending ACL injury, argues Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Florio suggests that Hoyer, who had a season-ending ACL injury of his own last year, may be more inclined to secure some guaranteed money after seeing what happened to Palmer, and speculates that perhaps something in the neighborhood of two years and $18MM (fully guaranteed) would work for both sides. That sort of contract may look modest, but I doubt Hoyer will get much more fully guaranteed money than that on a longer-term deal.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com touches upon the Browns‘ quarterback situation in his look at several contract predicaments teams will face this offseason. The Broncos‘ franchise tag decision and the Bills‘ defensive line issue are among the other dilemmas he addresses.
- Jets head coach Rex Ryan expects a strong second half from his team, and knows that without one, he’ll almost certainly be looking for work this winter. “I need every [win] I can get,” Ryan said, according to Danny Knobler of ESPNNewYork.com.
Richie Incognito Visits, Works Out For Broncos
6:29pm: A source described the Broncos’ workout/meeting with Incognito as “exploratory” to Ed Werder of ESPN (on Twitter). As Klis and Glazer said, there’s nothing imminent between the two sides.
3:40pm: The Broncos haven’t closed the door on Incognito, but won’t be signing him for now, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post. Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (Twitter link) suggests the club may revisit the possibility after its games against the Rams and Dolphins.
11:00am: Seeking a potential upgrade on the offensive line, the Broncos brought in free agent guard Richie Incognito for a workout and visit recently, reports Jay Glazer of FOX Sports (via Twitter). According to Glazer (via Twitter), the Broncos are “doing their full diligence” on Incognito, though multiple coaches already know him from coaching him at the Pro Bowl.
Incognito, of course, has been on the open market since last season, following his involvement of the Dolphins’ bullying scandal that resulted in Jonathan Martin leaving the team. While Incognito’s play on the field has remained solid, questions about his character, locker room presence, and potential off-field issues have prevented him from finding a new home.
If there’s any locker room in the league that could handle bringing in a player like Incognito, the Broncos would seem to fit the bill. With a handful of strong veteran leaders in place, including Peyton Manning and DeMarcus Ware, it’s hard to imagine Incognito falling back on the same sort of behavior that got him into trouble in Miami.
While Manning is having another superb season in Denver, the team hasn’t been happy with its running game. The Broncos currently rank 27th in the league in rushing yards, and offensive coordinator Adam Gase expressed frustration with the club’s ground attack before Sunday’s game against the Raiders. The team shuffled around its offensive line a little for that contest, moving right guard Louis Vasquez to right tackle and having backup Manuel Ramirez play at right guard. If the Broncos were to seriously consider signing Incognito, presumably they’d have that right guard spot in mind for him.
Sunday Roundup: Jags, Cowboys, Randy Moss
PFR’s Ben Levine wrote yesterday that Jaguars owner Shad Khan expects his club to be active in free agency in 2015, and Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union followed up on Khan’s statements this morning. O’Halloran, noting that the Jags have nearly $30MM in cap room, a “figure that could double with rollover (unused) dollars, an increase in the cap and cleared space from veterans who will be released or not re-signed,” will have a whole host of opportunities to improve their roster next year.
Although Jacksonville is still far from a destination of choice for the league’s top free agents, Khan noted that it is not just the money that the team has to spend that excites him, it is the fact that 2014 has revealed the specific needs that the Jaguars need to address in the offseason. As our Rob DiRe pointed out yesterday, the team could look to add a defensive lineman, a free safety, and a pair of linebackers.
Now for some more links from around the league:
- An earlier report from NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport claimed that 20 Cowboys players missed curfew on Friday night, but Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk writes that owner Jerry Jones said there were no curfew violations because there is no curfew. Meanwhile, head coach Jason Garrett said there is a curfew, at midnight. As Alper notes, this is not the first time Garrett and Jones have issued contradictory statements regarding the team’s inner machinations, and the Cowboys need a win today to divert attention from what should have been a non-issue.
- In the wake of the mounting criticism surrounding Falcons head coach Mike Smith, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal Constitution sides with defensive lineman Osi Umenyiora, who believes the coaching staff is not the problem. Ledbetter writes, “If the Falcons get rid of the winningest coach in team history, it won’t be about winning football games. It will be about selling tickets and premium seat licenses to the new stadium.”
- Marc Sessler of NFL.com says retired wideout Randy Moss, to whom the Seahawks made overtures after trading Percy Harvin, said he would come out of retirement if Peyton Manning and the Broncos came calling.
- Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times writes that “how the season ends — and how [Marshawn] Lynch plays — may matter only so much in the debate” as to whether the Seahawks should retain Lynch after this season. Instead, “it will still come down largely to one thing — will the Seahawks think it worth it to pay Lynch $7 million in 2015 when he’s 29 years old? And will Lynch be happy playing out the final year or would he ask for more money?”
- ESPN’s Ed Werder reports that 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith‘s suspension was not reduced as expected, thereby allowing him to participate in today’s game, because “while Smith did more than mandated in terms of community service, he did not fulfill the obligations assigned him in terms of his counseling protocol.”
- Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports writes that, although the Browns and Brian Hoyer have not engaged in contract talks since the summer, sources indicate the deal that Andy Dalton recently signed with the Bengals will be the benchmark for future negotiations.
Broncos, Chris Harris Discussing Extension
While the Broncos reportedly aren’t engaged in extension talks with star pass catchers Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas, the team is discussing a new deal with another free-agent-to-be, reports Mike Klis of the Denver Post. According to Klis, the team has opened extension negotiations with cornerback Chris Harris, who is eligible to hit the open market at season’s end.
The two Thomases have typically been the focus of discussions on which players the Broncos should lock up long term, and they received most of your votes when I asked last month which extension candidate should be the team’s top priority. However, Harris’ importance to Denver’s defense shouldn’t be overlooked.
According to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required), Harris has been the league’s third-best cornerback this season, and his +11.7 grade in pass coverage is tops in the NFL. PFF’s data indicates that the 25-year-old has been targeted 45 times this season for just 22 receptions, 185 yards, no touchdowns, a pair of INTs, and a 41.4 passer rating. Those stats don’t appear to be an aberration either — a year ago, Harris ranked eighth among corners, per PFF, which placed him ahead of notable extension recipients like Patrick Peterson and Joe Haden.
Since Harris was coming off a torn ACL, the Broncos managed to bring him back on a one-year restricted free agent tender worth just $2.187MM, but the former undrafted free agent unlikely to be that affordable in 2015 and beyond. It will be interesting to see how aggressive the Broncos are in pursuing a new deal with Harris, since the team has cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Bradley Roby locked up for the next several seasons.
Although we know Wes Welker likely won’t be a priority for the Broncos, the team presumably wants to find a way to bring back both Thomases and Harris, all of whom are eligible for unrestricted free agency this winter. Harris will be in position to command a substantial raise though, and if the two sides can’t work something out, he figures to draw plenty of interest on the open market in March.