AFC Rumors: Broncos, Holmes, Angerer
The contract details on Will Montgomery‘s deal indicate that he won’t necessarily be the starter, but he will have a chance to compete with Manuel Ramirez to be the Broncos‘ primary center, writes Mike Klis of The Denver Post. Klis looks at Denver’s new offensive line options and the different combinations that they might use. Here’s tonight’s look around the NFL..
- Receiver Santonio Holmes likely will wait until after the draft to pick his next team, a league source tells Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Holmes spent the last four years with the Jets before being released earlier this offseason.
- Free agent running back Chris Johnson is in New York tonight but he’s not visiting the Jets on this trip, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News.
- The Patriots are still the frontrunners to sign defensive end Will Smith, who was released by the Saints earlier this offseason, writes Florio. Smith, who is seven months removed from a torn ACL, had 13 sacks in 2009 but hasn’t had more than 6.5 in any given year since then.
- Colts free agent linebacker Pat Angerer said he had interest from several teams earlier this offseason but wants to be 100% healthy before taking free agent workouts, tweets Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1.
- Browns tight end Jordan Cameron says he’s excited about playing in new offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan‘s offense since, traditionally, he prominently features tight ends, tweets Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon-Journal.
- Browns left tackle Joe Thomas said he’s confident center Alex Mack will return to Cleveland next season despite his recent visit with Jaguars, Ulrich tweets. Meanwhile, owner Jimmy Haslem told reporters, including Ulrich (on Twitter), that he’s optimistic that the team will retain the restricted free agent.
AFC Notes: Titans, Ravens, Draft Visits
Titans edge defender Kamerion Wimbley agreed earlier this week to restructure his contract, and Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has the breakdown of what Wimbley’s new deal looks like. However, as Fitzgerald details, Wimbley wasn’t the only Titan to rework his contract this week. Tight end Craig Stevens also has a new 2014 cap figure, reducing his overall base salary by $1.7MM in exchange for a $500K guarantee. While Stevens’ 2015 salary remains unchanged, his ’14 cap number is now only about $2.69MM.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Ravens haven’t had an above-average, long-term solution at right tackle for a number of years, and Mike Preston of the Baltimore Sun believes the team would be wise to address the position with its first-round pick this year. That’s one of a handful of topics Preston addresses in his Ravens notebook, which also touches on the club’s recent tight end and running back signings.
- The Bills are eyeing a pair of offensive line prospects today, hosting Mississippi State’s Charles Siddoway for a pre-draft visit (Twitter link via Mike Rodak of ESPN.com) and having dinner tonight with Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews (Twitter link via Joe Buscaglia of WGR 550 AM).
- Having already met with the Steelers, Michigan State cornerback Darqueze Dennard now has visits lined up with the Jets, Bengals, and Rams, as he said today on SiriusXM NFL Radio (Twitter link).
- Another cornerback, Virginia Tech’s Kyle Fuller, also has a handful of visits scheduled with AFC teams, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Fuller will meet with the Colts, Bengals, Raiders, Jets, Broncos, and Bears, says Wilson.
- The Chargers will work out Troy quarterback Deon Anthony on April 22, reports Wilson at the National Football Post.
- More from Wilson (via Twitter): The Patriots are working out Boise State’s Geraldo Boldewijn, Matt Paradis, and Charles Leno on Wednesday, while Virginia-Lynchburg cornerback Keith Lewis visited the Raiders and has a private workout lined up next week with the Chiefs (Twitter link).
Broncos, John Fox Agree To Extension
10:12pm: Fox’s deal is worth between $5MM to $6MM per year, reports Ryan Parker of The Denver Post.
9:10pm: Rapoport’s sources describe the deal as “fair and generous” (via Twitter).
8:33pm: The Broncos and head coach John Fox have agreed to a new three-year extension, reports FOX NFL Insider Jay Glazer (via Twitter). As Glazer notes in his tweet, both Super Bowl head coaches — Fox and Seattle’s Pete Carroll — have agreed to new deals in a 24-hour span. It’s a “completely new” three-year deal, meaning the four-year, $14MM contract he signed in in 2011 was proverbially torn up.
Extending Fox’s contract was a top offseason priority for the Broncos, reported CBS Sports’ Jason LaCanfora in December. NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport tweeted in the days leading up to Super Bowl XLVIII that negotiations were to begin after the big game.
The Broncos are 34-14 in three seasons under Fox’s tutelage, winning the AFC West each year. Before moving on to Denver, Fox coached the Carolina Panthers for nine seasons, including a Super Bowl appearance in February 2004.
Poll: Chris Johnson’s Future Home
The Titans gave running back Chris Johnson his unconditional release today, giving the three-time Pro Bowler and 2009 NFL rushing leader the freedom to choose his next team. There was speculation that Tennessee would try to trade Johnson, but a prohibitive salary and the decreased value of running backs led to a lack of substantive interest league-wide.
Now comes the streaming of rumors as to who’s in and who’s out on the Chris Johnson market, much like we saw when former Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson became a free agent a week ago today. In this rumors roundup post by PFR’s Luke Adams, we see that four teams — the Jets, Bills, Dolphins and Falcons — all discussed a possible trade for Johnson, but nothing came to fruition.
In this writeup by SI.com’s Chris Burke, the writer outlines eight teams as potential landing spots for the one-time 2,000-yard back: Jets, Giants, Cowboys, Bears, Cardinals, Broncos, Rams, and Jaguars.
Will CJ2K end up with one of these eight teams? Or is there a sleeper team Burke failed to mention that could wind up utilizing Johnson’s services for the foreseeable future? Let us know in this PFR poll.
Which Team Signs Chris Johnson?
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New York Jets 32% (422)
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Denver Broncos 15% (200)
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New York Giants 11% (144)
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Dallas Cowboys 10% (127)
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Other 9% (113)
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Chicago Bears 7% (90)
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Arizona Cardinals 6% (81)
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St. Louis Rams 6% (75)
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Jacksonville Jaguars 4% (54)
Total votes: 1,306
Broncos, Will Montgomery Agree To Deal
THURSDAY, 1:31pm: Although Montgomery’s deal is worth $1.325MM in base salary and per-game roster bonus money, there’s also another $600K available in incentives, says Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com.
TUESDAY, 8:56pm: It’s a one-year, $1.3MM deal, tweets Mike Klis of the Denver Post.
8:34pm: The Broncos and former Redskins center Will Montgomery have agreed to terms on a one-year deal, according to Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (via Twitter).
Montgomery, who graded out as the 14th-best center in the league according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics, was released by the Redskins on March 14. As our Dallas Robinson wrote when it was first reported that Montgomery was visiting with Denver several weeks ago, Montgomery will take over at center for the Broncos and Manny Ramirez will shift from center to left guard, replacing the departed Zane Beadles.
Montgomery, selected by the Panthers in the seventh round of the 2006 draft, is at his best when part of a zone-blocking scheme, so he should continue to perform well in Denver. Ramirez should also see an uptick in his performance by virtue of moving to guard, his natural position, so the Broncos have in essence killed two birds with stone with this solid acquisition.
It is worth noting that Montgomery is capable of playing guard as well, so head coach John Fox has some flexibility if one of Ramirez or Montgomery should struggle or get hurt.
Chris Harris Signs RFA Tender
Broncos defensive back Chris Harris has signed his contract tender from the Broncos, according to Lindsay Jones of USA Today (via Twitter). As a restricted free agent, Harris received a one-year offer from the club worth $2.187MM, the amount of the second-round RFA tender.
Harris started 15 games at cornerback for the Broncos in 2013, matching his career-high with three interceptions and grading as an impressive ninth out of 110 qualified corners, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required). The 24-year-old likely would’ve been in line for a first-round tender from the Broncos had he not torn his ACL in January. While that injury raises some question marks about Harris’ status for this summer and fall, the tear was only partial, and he’s said to be recovering well so far.
Assuming he plays out the 2014 season on his new one-year deal with the Broncos, Harris will be eligible for unrestricted free agency next winter.
Contract Details: Sanchez, McGlynn, MJD
Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and the National Football Post has passed along the specific details on a few recent contracts, so let’s dive right in and round them up (all links go to Twitter)….
- Mark Sanchez‘s contract with the Eagles includes a $750K signing bonus, a $1.5MM base salary (guaranteed for $750K), and up to $1.75MM in playing-time incentives.
- Offensive lineman Mike McGlynn signed a two-year contract with the Redskins, and according to Wilson, it’s worth $2.7MM. That includes a $200K signing bonus, base salaries of $925K and $1.125MM, a $100K roster bonus for 2014, a $300K reporting bonus for 2015, and annual workout bonuses of $25K. McGlynn can also earn up to $750K in incentives each season.
- Maurice Jones-Drew‘s three-year pact with the Raiders has base salaries of $1.2MM (2014), $2.4MM (2015), and $2.4MM (2016). The rest of the $7.5MM contract is made up of a $1.2MM 2014 roster bonus, and annual $100K workout bonuses.
- The one-year deal Louis Murphy inked with the Buccaneers is a minimum salary contract that also features a $65K roster bonus and up to $300K in incentives.
- Winston Justice can earn up to $1MM in incentives on his new one-year, $1.175MM contract with the Broncos.
AFC Notes: Clowney, Broncos, Jets
Jaguars head coach Gus Bradley is not done beefing up his team’s floundering pass rush, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida-Times Union. The Jags have already re-signed Jason Babin and have added Chris Clemons and Red Bryant to the fold, but Bradley wants four “Leo-types” on his roster. In other words, if Jadeveon Clowney is still on the board when Jacksonville makes the third overall selection, expect him to be standing next to Roger Goodell with a Jaguars jersey in his hands.
By the same token, if the Rams–or, much more likely, the Texans–take Clowney with one of the top two picks, expect the Jaguars to try and trade down. Jacksonville will also have a chance to manipulate the draft in the later rounds. The team holds 11 picks, including two in the fourth round, three in the fifth, and two more in the sixth. Expect the team to move around in the draft as it looks to become relevant again in the AFC South.
More notes from the AFC:
- Despite the departure of Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, Chris Harris‘ knee surgery and the injury history of the newly-added Aqib Talib, don’t expect the Broncos to jump on a corner in the first round of the draft, writes Mike Kiszla of the Denver Post. Kiszla believes defensive linemen will offer the most value at the bottom of the first round, where collegiate standouts Ra’Shede Hageman and Stephon Tuitt may still be available.
- Rich Cimini of ESPN.com, like his colleagues, does not believe the Jets will pursue DeSean Jackson, and he believes that staying away from Jackson is a “smart move.” Cimini is intrigued by newly-added cornerback Jeremy Reeves, whose signing our Luke Adams discussed on Friday.
- Christopher Price of WEEI.com looks at some of the Patriots‘ prime candidates for contract extensions.
Broncos Re-Sign Winston Justice
The Broncos have re-signed backup offensive lineman Winston Justice to a one-year contract, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter). Justice had been an unrestricted free agent.
Justice, 29, was added to the Broncos’ roster as an insurance policy in September 2013 after Ryan Clady went down with a Lisfranc injury. However, the former second-round pick didn’t see much playing time, appearing in just 19 offensive snaps for the team in two regular season contests. Still, Justice has experience playing as a starter for the Eagles and Colts, so he’ll be a fairly reliable depth piece for the Broncos in 2014.
AFC Notes: Titans, Dolphins, Browns, Steelers
Reports of free agents visiting teams have slowed down considerably over the last couple weeks, but the Titans are on of the clubs staying busy as they weigh options at several positions. The team brought offensive lineman Mike McGlynn in this week, and is also hosting former Charger and Bronco Shaun Phillips today, according to Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Phillips will turn 33 in May, so his best years are probably behind him, but he’s coming off a 10-sack season, and could still be an asset for a defense, particularly if the price isn’t prohibitive.
As Phillips visits the Titans, let’s check out a few more items from around the AFC….
- The Dolphins still haven’t ruled out the possibility of re-signing Bryant McKinnie to play right tackle, though a signing likely wouldn’t happen until after the draft, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- New GM Ray Farmer and the Browns haven’t tipped their hand when it comes to the fourth overall pick, but wide receiver Josh Gordon thinks the club will use the selection on a quarterback, as he said on SportsCenter today (link via Pat McManamon of ESPN.com). Gordon also suggested that Johnny Manziel would probably be the top signal-caller on his personal draft board.
- The Steelers will probably need to create some cap space if they hope to sign Maurice Jones-Drew or LeGarrette Blount, according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, who suggests that restructuring Lawrence Timmons‘ contract could do the trick.
- Joel Corry of CBSSports.com explores whether the Broncos have mortgaged their future by going all-in on free agency this offseason. Corry concludes that most of Denver’s big contracts are flexible enough that the team may not be in bad shape long-term.
- The Bills have officially named their seven representatives for a committee that will explore the possibility of building a new stadium in the area, writes Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Erie County previously appointed seven members to the group, and New York State added five.
- Indiana running back Stephen Houston worked out for nearly an hour with Patriots running back Ivan Fears today, tweets Tony Pauline of DraftInsider.net.