Extra Points: Brown, Cardinals, Bengals, Broncos
The NBA has seen tremendous growth in their developmental league and Ross Jones of FOX Sports argues that the NFL could benefit greatly from having one of their own. One of the questions the NFL would have to figure out, however, is exactly who would play in an NFL D-League. “You have 400 legitimate players entering the league each year, which means there are 400 legitimate players that have to leave the league each year,” agent Greg Linton said. “If a player is good, they get selected in the first through fourth rounds, so the only players that you’d be developing is seventh rounders and free agents. Is the NFL really concerned with developing that guy?” More from around the NFL..
- The lack of guaranteed contracts has had a painful ripple effect for players, writes Jack Bechta of the National Football Post. The longtime agent says that the NFLPA has to make guaranteed contracts a top priority in the next CBA since they will take pressure off players to put their bodies at extreme risk. Guaranteed deals would also give teams incentive to give their players the best medical care possible.
- Agent Drew Rosenhaus has officially re-signed Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown for representation, according to Rand Getlin of Yahoo Sports (via Twitter). Brown recently fired his reps at Roc Nation Sports.
- In the first part of a two part series, Darren Urban of AZCardinals.com looks at the top questions facing the Cardinals heading into training camp. Among the questions is whether free agent pickup Jared Veldheer will be the club’s answer at left tackle. The Cardinals gave Veldheer a five-year, $35MM contract, so the front office is obviously confident. Now it’s a matter of seeing what Veldheer can do for their blindside protection.
- Bengals‘ seventh-round pick James Wright is one to watch, writes Coley Harvey of ESPN.com. It’s been nearly two years since the former LSU athlete caught a pass in a game, but the Bengals are hoping his special teams skills will translate into success as a wideout. “That day I talked to him and said, ‘Look, I know what you can do on special teams, now you’ve got to play wide receiver,‘” Bengals receivers coach James Urban said. “He’s embraced it, he’s worked his tail off and he’s given us [a lot]. I mean, he’s a very intense young man. He wants to prove this organization and [team president] Mr. [Mike] Brown right in selecting him.”
- In today’s mailbag, a reader asks Mike Klis of The Denver Post if he gets the sense that GM John Elway & Co. could still have potentially one more high-profile signing up their sleeve. Klis could see the Broncos going for a veteran running back, but then again, he thought they would have added one by now.
- After his conviction on charges of assault on a female and communicating threats, it’s unclear what Greg Hardy‘s long-term future will be with the Panthers, writes Steve Reed of the Associated Press. Hardy, who is set to hit the open market after this season, is being monitored by the NFL.
Latest On Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas
The Broncos have made contract offers to star wide receiver Demaryius Thomas and tight end Julius Thomas but Broncos General Manager John Elway says that we shouldn’t expect a deal to be struck in the next week.
“Nothing is going to get done before camp, but we’ll keep talking to them in camp,” Elway told Lindsay H. Jones of USA Today Sports. “I’m never going to go into the season, but the first couple of weeks, we can continue to talk about it. After the second week of the preseason, we’ll want to have had something done, one way or another.”
The two men, who combined for 157 catches, 2,218 receiving yards, and 26 touchdowns in Denver’s record-setting offense last year, are entering the final years of their rookie contracts. Meanwhile, Elway indicated that the Broncos have not received a response from Julius Thomas’ camp after making the offer, believing that his reps wanted to see how Jimmy Graham‘s grievance against the NFL and subsequent contract negotiations played out. Graham wound up getting a hefty four-year, $40MM deal, but Elway has no intentions of going near that range for Thomas.
“Even though Julius had a tremendous year for us, he’s only (played) 23 games. We want Julius to be a Bronco for a long time and we think he has tremendous upside, but he’s not at that level,” Elway said.
Earlier this month, our own Luke Adams predicted that the Broncos’ standout tight end could land a five-year deal in the range of $35-40MM with a $10-13MM guarantee. That’s not Graham money, but that would be a solid payday for the 26-year-old.
AFC Notes: Ravens, Broncos, Raiders, Jets
While it seems as if Andre Johnson may not be in attendance when the Texans open training camp later this month, teammate Arian Foster says he plans to support whatever decision Johnson makes.
“I understand where he’s coming from,” Foster said, per John Brannen of Click2Houston.com. “I really do. This is a business and people forget that it’s a business. He’s at the point of his career where he doesn’t want money now. He just wants to go win.”
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun expects the Ravens to keep six wide receivers, with five locks. In Zrebiec’s view, Jeremy Butler, Deonte Thompson, and LaQuan Williams will be the primary competitors for that sixth and final spot.
- In his latest mailbag, Mike Klis of the Denver Post doesn’t rule out the possibility that the Broncos will make one more noteworthy signing this summer, suggesting that he thinks a veteran running back could be added to the roster.
- Oakland mayor Jean Quan wants to postpone the City Council vote on the Athletics’ new lease agreement with O.co Coliseum while a few details on the agreement are clarified, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. “She is confident they will join her in supporting a lease that secures the team’s near-term future in Oakland, protects the ongoing Coliseum City negotiations with the Raiders, and lets us all move forward working on new ballparks for both teams,” Quan spokesman Sean Maher said.
- The Jets‘ signing of Eric Decker doesn’t have much downside, according to Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap, who identifies Decker’s contract as the best on the team. On the other end of the spectrum, David Harris‘ deal is the least team-friendly on the Jets’ books, in Fitzgerald’s estimation.
- Jordan Cameron (Browns), Julius Thomas (Broncos), and Devin McCourty (Patriots) are among the players that could be candidates for the franchise tag in 2015, says Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz of USA Today.
AFC Notes: Pouncey, Rubin, Broncos, Colts
It’s been a tumultuous year for Dolphins center Mike Pouncey, who recently underwent hip surgery that will sideline him for the start of the 2014 season and was accused of assault following his birthday party in South Florida. However, it appears one piece of good fortune is coming Pouncey’s way — according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald, it seems unlikely that the center will face any discipline from the NFL over his alleged involvement in last year’s bullying scandal.
“Never say never,” said NFL spokesman Greg Aiello, when asked if the league expected to have any updates on Pouncey’s status. “But I don’t anticipate having to address the issue again.”
Of course, on the heels of that story, Beasley had more details on the recent incident at Pouncey’s birthday, reporting that the purported victim intends to sue Pouncey and his brother Maurkice Pouncey for their alleged role in the physical altercation at Cameo nightclub. As we wait to see what comes of the suit, here’s more from around the AFC:
- Ahtyba Rubin‘s long-term future with the Browns is uncertain, but he didn’t become a cap casualty this offseason as had been speculated, and hopes to eventually finish his career with the club, writes Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
- Jon Heath of the Mile High Report spoke to former agent Joel Corry about what sort of contract Broncos tight end Julius Thomas might be looking for in extension talks. The figures and points of comparison suggested by Corry were similar to the ones I put forward when I explored Thomas’ case for an extension earlier this month.
- Kevin Bowen of Colts.com poses some burning questions facing the Colts‘ pass catchers at wide receiver and tight end heading into training camp.
- Speaking to Neil Reynolds of Sky Sports (hat tip to NFL.com), Dolphins wideout Mike Wallace suggested he may get a chance to return kicks for the club this year. Wallace, whose cap hit is the largest on Miami’s roster in 2014, is entering the second season of the five-year pact he signed with the team in 2013.
Tight End Notes: Finley, Keller, Davis, Jags
The league’s most productive tight end became the league’s highest-paid tight end earlier today, with Jimmy Graham agreeing to terms on a four-year deal with the Saints. Although we’re still waiting on all the specifics, the contract reportedly has an average annual value of $10MM, which would be the highest per-year amount ever for the position.
While Graham’s contract saga appears to be over, there are a handful of other players looking to sign or restructure contracts of their own. Let’s round up the latest on a few tight ends around the NFL….
- Tom Pelissero of USA Today reported last night that Jermichael Finley would undergo a series of medical tests this week and would send those results to all 32 NFL teams in hopes of generating interest. Today, Pelissero passes along a series of quotes from the former Packer explaining why he wants to continue his playing career rather than trying to collect a $10MM insurance policy and retiring.
- Finley’s explanation: “It’s a pride issue now. I’ve got a lot of pride. I’ve been playing this game for free for 20 years when I was a kid, so it ain’t about the money. It ain’t about how much I can get and how much my agent can get and whatnot. It’s all about the love of the game. We all know the money’s going to come and it’s going to go. I just want to go out there and be able to showcase these skills that I’ve been working on for months now, since I got hurt in October.”
- Dustin Keller, who is coming off a serious knee injury, is still making progress in his recovery, according to Pelissero (via Twitter). Keller hopes to play this season, but isn’t in a rush to sign with a team.
- It’s safe to assume that Graham’s new annual value of $10MM becomes a target for Vernon Davis as he attempts to negotiate a new deal with the 49ers, writes Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee. In my opinion, it’s probably also safe to assume the Niners won’t pay him that much. Davis is currently in line for base salaries of just $4.7MM in 2014 and $4.35MM in 2015, though his cap hit is more sizable due to bonus money.
- A pair of tight ends who are eligible for extensions weighed in via Twitter on Graham’s new contract, with Jordan Cameron of the Browns and Julius Thomas of the Broncos passing along their congratulations. Presumably, both players will also have Graham’s deal in mind when they negotiate their own extensions.
- Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union examines the tight end situation for the Jaguars, who will need to figure out their third player at the position behind Marcedes Lewis and Clay Harbor.
Extra Points: Dreessen, Cutler, Ferguson
- Speaking with Vic Carucci & Dan Leberfeld on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Broncos tight end Joel Dreessen weighed in on the Jimmy Graham ruling, saying the decision struck a nerve and that he agreed with Tony Gonzalez’s take on the situation: “It’s kind of frustrating that guys who get asked to do probably the second most after the quarterback is kinda down there on the pay scale.”
- Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune listed 12 NFL training camp storylines to watch, including Jay Cutler‘s new deal. “The Bears signed quarterback Jay Cutler to a $126 million contract extension that is essentially a $54 million deal for the next three seasons before it goes year-to-year,” says Biggs. “It’s a huge payday that general manager Phil Emery based on future performance, as Cutler’s resume includes only one postseason victory.”
- Last year was an “uncharacteristically bad year” for Jets left tackle D’Brickashaw Ferguson, says the New York Post’s Brian Costello, who believes 2013 will prove to be “an aberration and not a sign of decline.” However, Costello does caution: “Ferguson has the highest salary cap figure on the team at $11.7 million. After a few restructurings to help the team gain salary cap space in 2012 and ’13, the bill is now coming due for the Jets. Ferguson’s cap numbers are huge for the next four years. If Ferguson’s play slips, the Jets might have to consider releasing him before the 2016 season, when they could save $9 million in cap space by cutting him.”
- Branden Albert of the Dolphins and Jairus Byrd of the Saints topped ESPN’s list of free agents who will transform teams. The last three seasons, Albert has allowed just 4.6 pressures per 100 pass blocks, good enough for third in the league over that span. As for Byrd, he allowed a paltry 0.23 yards per coverage snap last season, third-best in the league.
- Answering questions about the Eagles’ projected roster, PhillyMag.com’s Tim McManus said he doesn’t expect many “curveballs,” i.e. surprises, when the team’s 53-man is finalized. McManus expects LeSean McCoy, Darren Sproles and Chris Polk to serve as the running back trio, and he expects Brad Smith to stick as the fifth receiver. The one mild surprise could be Travis Long forcing veteran Brandon Graham out, though that would mean employing two backups at defensive end (Long and first-rounder Marcus Smith) with no NFL experience.
- Entering training camp, 49 Patriots players are “sure-fire locks” or “near locks,” in the estimation of ESPN New England’s Mike Reiss, who breaks down the projected roster.
AFC North Notes: Steelers, Browns, Gordon
The Steelers have been a perennial playoff contender in the AFC for the better part of the last 15 years, finishing below .500 just once during the 2000s, and winning two Super Bowls during that period. However, they’re one of a few AFC clubs, along with the Patriots and Broncos, whose title windows could conceivably close within the next three years or so, writes Field Yates of ESPN.com. In his Insider-only piece, Yates digs deeper on the three AFC teams, specifically focusing on Ben Roethlisberger‘s role in determining whether or not Pittsburgh remains in the Super Bowl hunt going forward.
Here’s more from around the AFC North:
- The Browns would like to extend the contracts of quarterback Brian Hoyer and tight end Jordan Cameron, but given the complicated nature of the negotiations, there’s a good chance talks will continue into training camp and beyond, writes Tom Reed of the Northeast Ohio Media Group.
- Sources tell Mike Freeman of Bleacher Report that Josh Gordon may ultimate receive a singular punishment from the NFL for his alleged failed drug tests and DUI, though it’s not clear yet whether that suspension will be for a full season. In any case, while some of Gordon’s Browns teammates feel betrayed after the wideout promised last year that he wouldn’t be in trouble again, every league official that spoke to Freeman believes Gordon will play in the NFL again, either in Cleveland or elsewhere.
- ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley examines some former Ravens who are still counting against the team’s cap in 2014, including Titans safety Bernard Pollard and Giants linebacker Jameel McClain.
Extra Points: Titans, Jags, Graham, Broncos
The Titans have a number of veterans that are coming to the end of their contracts after 2014, and Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean gives his opinion of who the Titans should work to extend and who they should wait until after next season to decide on. Wyatt wants the team to extend Jurrell Casey and Brett Kern sooner rather than later, but asks the team to show patience with some of their other veteran players.
Here are a few other stories from around the NFL:
- The Jaguars‘ pass rush is set to be much improved in 2014, and Ryan O’Halloran of Jacksonville.com is absolutely buying into they hype. His reasoning for believing in this unit is simple. The pass rush can’t get any worse, and the key additions should be able to make a difference immediately. Although Dekoda Watson only had three sacks in 60 games for the Buccaneers, the Jaguars believe he has unique pass-rushing skills, and Chris Clemons will be able to provide some pressure as well. While Red Bryant is not known as a sack artist, his contributions in the running game will put the team in better shape on passing downs, another area where they struggled recently.
- While there has not been a lot of positivity surrounding Saints‘ tight end Jimmy Graham since losing his grievance regarding his franchise tag, Drew Brees hasn’t forgotten Graham’s value to the league, writes Julie Boudwin of NOLA.com.“Jimmy Graham has revolutionized the position,” said Brees. “He’s a guy who is so talented at so many things you know and obviously he’s a big part of our offense and I hope that they’re able to reach a long-term agreement here sooner than later. At the end of the day, this is part of the process and I think we all understand that.”
- The Broncos had the best offense in the NFL by a wide margin in 2013, and the only pieces not returning this season are receiver Eric Decker who signed with the Jets, and tailback Knowshon Moreno who is now with the Dolphins. Even still, Sayre Bedinger of PredominantlyOrange.com has highlighted five dark horse candidates to impact the offense in 2014. His top five are tight ends Virgil Green and Gerell Robinson, rookie wideout Cody Latimer, and running backs Ronnie Hillman and C.J. Anderson.
Cap Work Remaining For Broncos
Until rosters are cut down to 53 players, teams are required to be under the $133MM salary cap with their top 51 salaries. In the wake of an aggressive offseason which included signing big-ticket free agents Aqib Talib, T.J. Ward, DeMarcus Ware and Emmanuel Sanders, the Broncos’ top 51 costs $132MM, meaning John Elway and Co. have some bookkeeping to do between now and the end of training camp, explains ESPN’s Jeff Legwold.
Key points:
- The team is trying to lock up free agents-to-be Demaryius Thomas and Julius Thomas long-term.
- Including rollover, the team has about $4.6MM of workable cap space.
- “Quarterback Peyton Manning has the team’s highest cap figure, at $17.5 million and the Broncos have the biggest cap gap of any position between starter and backup with No. 2 Brock Osweiler, still on his rookie deal, coming in at $959,094 against the cap.”
- The team has seven tight ends on the roster, five of which — including Thomas, Jacob Tamme and Joel Dreessen — are scheduled to be unrestricted free agents in 2015.
- “Dead money” hits include Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie ($2.1MM), Chris Kuper ($1.83MM) and Willis McGahee ($500k).
- Terrance Knighton‘s representatives were seeking a renegotiation of his contract which calls for him to make $2.75MM in 2014 before the big defensive lineman hits free agency, but the team did not acquiesce.
- Kicker Matt Prater and punter Britton Colquitt will cost a combined $7.4MM against the cap this season.
AFC Notes: Raiders, Titans, Ravens, Browns
While the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Authority initially appeared poised to reject an agreement that would have extended the stay of MLB’s Athletics in the O.co Coliseum another 10 years, the two sides have reached a last-minute agreement, according to Carolyn Jones of the San Francisco Chronicle (Twitter link). After Athletics co-owner Lew Wolff suggested that MLB commissioner Bud Selig had given the franchise the go-ahead to “seek a temporary or permanent location outside the city of Oakland,” city and county officials immediately restarted negotiations and were motivated to work out a deal.
For the Raiders, that’s not great news, since the NFL team doesn’t want to share a stadium with Oakland’s baseball team for the long term, and with the A’s remaining at O.co, that leaves one less spot where the Raiders could build a new stadium. As we wait to see what effect the new deal could have on the Raiders, let’s check in on a few more items from around the AFC….
- As ESPN.com’s team of beat writers lays out burning questions for each of the league’s 32 clubs, the theme in the AFC East is front office personnel and philosophies. Among the topics discussed: Whether the Bills have an offensive identity crisis; the relationship between the Jets‘ coach, GM, and owner; and a possible staff overhaul in Miami if the Dolphins miss the postseason again.
- Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com explores what the Titans might do with the $25MM in cap space they’re currently carrying.
- Within ESPN.com’s story on the AFC West, Jeff Legwold discusses whether the Broncos‘ have mortgaged their future by trying to win immediately, while Paul Gutierrez addresses how many games Dennis Allen will have to win in 2014 to keep his job as the Raiders‘ head coach.
- ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley wonders if the Ravens did enough this offseason to improve their offensive line.
- Second-year offensive lineman Garrett Gilkey is a dark horse candidate to crack the Browns‘ starting lineup this year, says Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal.