AFC Notes: Jets, Broncos, Blount, MJD, Titans
In addition to the Seahawks and Cowboys, the Jets may also have been in on Jared Allen before he agreed to sign with the Bears, tweets Adam Schefter of ESPN.com. According to Schefter, head coach Rex Ryan spoke to the veteran defensive end last week, and the Jets wanted to get involved in the bidding, though it’s not clear how serious the interest was from Allen’s end. As New York continues to search for upgrades in free agency, let’s check in on a few more AFC teams….
- Unsurprisingly, the Broncos are expected to exercise their fifth-year option for 2015 on defensive standout Von Miller, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post. The option, available for 2011 first-round picks, would pay Miller a little less than $10MM in ’15.
- The running back market is coming into focus, says Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (Twitter links). According to La Canfora, LeGarrette Blount, who is still receiving interest from the Patriots, will visit with the Steelers later this week. Pittsburgh is still considering Maurice Jones-Drew as well, though not at his original $3.5MM-per-year asking price.
- Free agent offensive lineman Mike McGlynn, who has met with the Redskins and Rams since the start of free agency, is scheduled to visit the Titans tonight and tomorrow, tweets Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean.
- The Raiders have added several players over age 30 in free agency, but GM Reggie McKenzie doesn’t view those players as stop-gap solutions. McKenzie told Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle that he wanted to bring in immediate contributors to show the team’s young players the Raiders are serious about winning.
- Colts GM Ryan Grigson said today that his team preferred its in-house options at center to the free agents available at the position, as Stephen Holder of the Indianapolis Star details. That’s not to say that no free agent center would have been an upgrade, but given the potential cost, Grigson didn’t feel a move would be worth it.
- Offensive line and wide receiver will be areas of focus for the Jaguars in the draft, writes Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union.
- R.J. Stanford‘s new one-year deal with the Bengals includes a $730K base salary, a $50K signing bonus, and a $25K workout bonus, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
AFC Notes: Jets, Steelers, Dalton, Dolphins
New York head coach Rex Ryan indicated today that the Jets aren’t done adding players at wide receiver. However, as Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post tweets, that doesn’t necessarily mean the club will add another impact player.
“[It] might be a sixth-round pick and not the move you want, but we’re not done,” Ryan said.
Here’s more from around the AFC:
- The Steelers, who have been linked to Maurice Jones-Drew and LeGarrette Blount, will likely have a deal with an experienced running back by the end of the week, tweets Alan Robinson of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Head coach Mike Tomlin said this morning in Orlando that the team expected to add running back depth in the not-so-distant future.
- Asked multiple times this morning about Andy Dalton, Bengals head coach Marvin Lewis was unequivocal in his support of the quarterback, suggesting he’d like to see Dalton locked up sooner rather than later, writes Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com. In Lewis’ view, leaving the situation hanging over Dalton when camp opens could create an unnecessary distraction.
- Speaking to reporters, including James Walker of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey said today that Miami has spoken to the agent for free agent tight end Dustin Keller.
- The Broncos haven’t closed the door on the possibility of bringing back running back Knowshon Moreno or defensive end Shaun Phillips, according to GM John Elway (link via Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com).
- Jaguars owner Shad Khan supported his club’s decision to spread out its free agent spending among multiple positions and players this offseason rather than focusing on a couple significant expenditures. Ryan O’Halloran of the Florida Times-Union has the details and quotes from Khan.
- Linebacker remains an area of focus for the Titans, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean, who says (via Twitter) the team is conducting a private workout with Louisville’s Preston Brown today. Kentucky linebacker Avery Williamson is also scheduled to have a pre-draft visit with the Titans, tweets Wyatt.
Bears’ Mills Tops Performance-Based Pay List
Bears rookie right tackle Jordan Mills, whose base salary was $495k last season, will receive approximately $318k from the performance-based pay pool, more than any other player in the league. Created in order to reward players who make the least and play the most, the performance-based league pool is $3.46MM per team. Each team’s performance-based pay leader can be found here, courtesy of USA Today.
Mills, a fifth-round pick out of Louisiana Tech, started all 16 games for the Bears. However, his starts were more a reflection of the team’s lack of options, as Mills rated as one of the league’s worst starters, ranking last in pass protection (-32.5 rating) and hurries allowed (62). Other notables (dollar figures rounded):
- Vontaze Burfict (Bengals): $316k
- Ronald Leary (Cowboys): $307k
- Larry Warford (Lions): $261k
- Jason Kelce (Eagles): $260k
- David Bakhtiari (Packers): $257k
- Danny Trevathan (Broncos): $245k
- Keenan Allen (Chargers): $218k
- Will Hill (Giants): $215k
Extra Points: MJD, Britt, Smith, Jets
Maurice Jones-Drew is currently looking for about $3.5MM per year on his next deal, tweets Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com. Even though the former Jaguars star has accomplished great things throughout his career, finding big money as an older tailback in this market could prove to be tough. More from around the NFL..
- Don’t bank on the Cowboys signing Jared Allen, says Albert Breer of the NFL Network (Twitter links). Breer’s understanding is that it was an either/or proposition when it came to Allen and Henry Melton, whom Dallas signed earlier this week. That could change if Allen’s asking price comes down, however.
- The Bills and Panthers have expressed interest in wide receiver Kenny Britt and visits may be taking place with those teams, agent Pat Dye Jr. tells Alex Marvez of FOX Sports 1 (via Twitter). Dye says a short-term deal for Britt, who has already checked in with the Redskins, Rams, and Patriots, is likely.
- On SNY (via Manish Mehta of the Daily News on Twitter), Jets coach Rex Ryan gave Geno Smith quite the endorsement. “Make no mistake about it: Geno Smith is going to be hard to beat out. I don’t care who we add,” Ryan said.
- The Jets have expressed a desire to re-sign guard Vlad Ducasse, but Rich Cimini of ESPNNewYork.com (on Twitter) sees him signing with the Bengals or Vikings.
- In addition to the Jets, the Panthers and Raiders have also called the Eagles about DeSean Jackson, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL Network. There seems to be a healthy amount of interest in the 27-year-old.
- Former Browns All-Pro safety T.J. Ward indicated via Twitter that Cleveland’s new brass really didn’t want him back. “Quotes get misunderstood all the time,” the new member of the Broncos wrote. “Just FYI. Cleveland offered me nothing. Boom! There u have it. #GoBroncos.”
- The Panthers are working out receivers Kevin Cone, Lestar Jean, and C.J. Akins, tweets Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer. Aikins spent time with the Rams in 2013.
- Dolphins GM Dennis Hickey told SiriusXM NFL Radio (on Twitter) that he’s not done shopping just yet. “Free agency never closes. We’re always looking to add more players.“
Aqib Talib On Broncos, New Deal, CBA
The defending AFC Champions made it clear this offseason that they weren’t content to rest on their laurels heading into 2014. Denver turned heads with their signing of former Patriots cornerback Aqib Talib, a move that they hope will help bring their defense closer to the level of their stellar offense. Earlier today, Talib sat down with Sports Illustrated’s Peter King to talk about his big move..
On whether Talib had an offer from the Patriots that tempted him to stay:
“I definitely had an offer from the Patriots. But there was language in there that definitely was a little shaky compared to Denver’s offer. The Patriots are a great organization. I loved my time there. I loved playing for Bill. He’s a great leader. I’ll be able to tell my kids I played for Bill Belichick someday and I was Tom Brady’s teammate. Really, it’s just a dream I’m experiencing, when two great organizations want you like this.”
On whether he’s concerned that it’ll be easy for the Broncos to get out of his six-year, $54MM halfway through it:
“I don’t really get into that part of the business too much, how much of a contract is guaranteed and whether I’ll make it all the way through. I hope I stay here for six years. Hopefully I see all six years, because that means I’m playing well. But for me, I just come and play as hard as I can. It’s the same for me, thinking about this season, as it was last year, when I was in the last year of my contract. As a player, I don’t think you can worry about that too much.”
On what the offseason’s big-money signings say to him about the labor agreement:
“Now we’re seeing the good part of this CBA. You can see the CBA is working well for the players right now. The first couple of years, there were other things about the deal the players liked—the limited padded practices, training camp being easier on the players, players having more of an offseason. But now the cash part of the CBA is coming into view, and it’s good to see. I don’t know the exact rules, but when the cap goes up now, the owners have to spend more of the cap money than they did before. [Collectively, NFL teams must spend 95% of available cap money between 2013 and 2016, or the players’ association can take the unspent amount and distribute it to players.] I think the league is better off when the players are getting rewarded like this.”
FA Rumors: Fitzpatrick, Ihedigbo, Underwood
When the Titans released Ryan Fitzpatrick last week, there was an expectation that it wouldn’t take long for the veteran quarterback to find work. Fitzpatrick remains on the market, but at least one potential suitor has emerged. According to Mark Berman of FOX 26 Houston (Twitter link), Tennessee’s division rivals, the Texans, are hosting Fitzpatrick for a visit today.
Let’s round up a few more Thursday odds and ends related to the free agents still available….
- According to Mike Triplett of ESPN.com (via Twitter), center Brian De La Puente finished his visit in Washington and is still considering multiple options, including the Redskins and Saints.
- Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press reports (via Twitter) that safety James Ihedigbo, repped by a new agent, has at least two other teams in the mix for him besides the Lions, who seemed to be close to signing him earlier this week. The Ravens appear to be one of those two, as Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun notes (via Twitter).
- Wide receiver Tiquan Underwood is visiting the Panthers today, says Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). The receiver-thin Panthers already signed Jerricho Cotchery today, and it “looks promising” that they could add Underwood as well.
- Richie Incognito, who is aiming to return to the NFL in 2014, believes the Raiders make “a lot of sense” as a possible destination, writes Michael Silver of NFL.com.
- Free agent defensive back Chris Owens had a visit this week with the Steelers, tweets Aaron Wilson.
- Wilson also reports (via Twitter) that the Broncos tried out free agent safety Jordan Pugh.
- The Bengals have confirmed (via Twitter) that Louis Murphy visited the club today, which means the wide receiver left the meeting without a deal in place.
FA Rumors: De La Puente, Harrison, Murphy
Brian De La Puente is arguably the best center still available in free agency, and it sounds as if he’s drawing interest from plenty of potential suitors. Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post reports that the Saints, Giants, Broncos, and Patriots remain possibilities for De La Puente, who is scheduled to visit with the Redskins. Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link) adds that if there’s no agreement in place when the veteran center leaves Washington, more visits are expected.
Here’s more on some of the free agents still on the market:
- We already heard this week that veteran free agent James Harrison is interested in returning to the Steelers, and according to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, that interest is mutual.
- Having visited for two days with the Buccaneers, wide receiver Louis Murphy is scheduled to meet with the Bengals tomorrow, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (Twitter link).
- The Giants will host free agent offensive lineman Charles Brown, tweets Adam Caplan.
- After leaving his visit with the Rams without an agreement in place, free agent quarterback Shaun Hill appears to be considering both the Rams and Lions, writes Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
- The Bengals confirmed (via Twitter) that free agent defensive end Robert Ayers visited with them today, which means he left that meeting without an agreement in place.
- Ravens safety Brynden Trawick is no longer an exclusive rights free agent, having signed his $495K tender from the team, tweets Aaron Wilson.
Contract Details: DRC, Hauschka, Edelman
We’ve got plenty more contract details to round up, so let’s dive right in….
- Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun and Albert Breer of the NFL Network pass along several key details on Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie‘s contract with the Giants, which seems to include $12MM in fully guaranteed money, and a little more in salary guaranteed for injury only. Here are the relevant Twitter links to read up on all the specifics.
- Wilson also shares the specifics on Steven Hauschka‘s three-year contract with the Seahawks (Twitter link), Walter Thurmond‘s one-year deal with the Giants (Twitter link), and Dane Fletcher‘s one-year deal with the Bucs (Twitter link).
- Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has been doing a great job all week getting finalized contract details up in his database, and he passed along several new entries today. Among them: The Raiders‘ two-year deals for LaMarr Woodley and Justin Tuck, the Eagles‘ extension for Darren Sproles, and the Saints‘ five-year pact with Zach Strief.
- Julian Edelman received a $5MM signing bonus from the Patriots on his new contract, tweets Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
- John Keim of ESPN.com has the details on Santana Moss‘ minimum salary benefit contract and Clifton Geathers‘ two-year deal with the Redskins.
- Although Michael Oher‘s four-year deal with the Titans was initially reported as including $9.5MM in guaranteed money, it’s actually a little less than that, and only $6MM is fully guaranteed, with another $3.35MM guaranteed for injury only. Paul Kuharsky of ESPN.com has the details.
- Emmanuel Sanders‘ three-year, $15MM contract with the Broncos features $6MM in guaranteed money and cap hits of $6MM (2014), $4MM (2015), and $5MM (2016), tweets Albert Breer of the NFL Network.
- Updating his earlier report on Charles Tillman‘s contract with the Bears, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune tweets that the deal includes $150K in performance incentives (based on total interceptions), so it could max out at $3.4MM instead of $3.25MM.
- Frank Zombo‘s two-year deal with the Chiefs is worth $1.6MM and includes a $100K signing bonus, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star. A minimum-salary deal for Zombo with a $100K bonus would work out to $1.575MM, so either that $1.6MM figure is rounded up, or the linebacker received slightly more than the minimum.
Extra Points: DRC, Miller, Sanders, Saffold
Following up on a piece he wrote about Jets GM John Idzik‘s deliberate – and perhaps questionable – approach to free agency, Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News tweets that, after an initial low-ball offer, the Jets made an “11th hour” pitch to Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. However, the Giants had essentially locked up the free agent cornerback by that point.
Here are a few more Tuesday updates from around the NFL:
- In a series of tweets, Tom Pelissero of USA Today breaks down the details on Zach Miller‘s pay cut with the Seahawks, which will reduce the tight end’s 2014 compensation by $3MM and his 2015 pay by $2MM.
- After missing out on Emmanuel Sanders, the Chiefs continue to target younger wide receivers in free agency, which rules out some of the older veterans on the market, tweets Terez A. Paylor of the Kansas City Star.
- Speaking of Sanders, his agents issued a lengthy statement suggesting that there was never an agreement in place with the Chiefs before the receiver agreed to sign with the Broncos, as Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post details.
- In the wake of the Sanders controversy, former agent Joel Corry points out in a piece for CBSSports.com that both agents and teams can be guilty of reneging on deals.
- Aaron Wilson (Twitter links) passes along the specifics of the Rodger Saffold contract with the Rams, which includes a $5MM signing bonus, a $3MM roster bonus for 2015, and a $3MM guaranteed base salary in 2014. As Joel Corry tweets, the Raiders‘ decision to void their agreement with Saffold will cost the offensive lineman a significant sum.
- Daryl Smith‘s contract with the Ravens includes a $3.5MM signing bonus, and that appears to be the only guaranteed money in the deal, as Aaron Wilson details in a pair of tweets. According to Wilson, the four-year pact can be worth up to $16.1MM, as initially reported, but it has a base value of just $13.6MM.
- Jack Bechta of the National Football Post identifies the Colts‘ signing of Hakeem Nicks and the Buccaneers‘ deal with Alterraun Verner as two of the best bargains in free agency so far. Among our top 25 free agents of 2014, Nicks and Verner are two who will earn markedly less than I anticipated.
Extra Points: Welker, Burleson, Cromartie
A few assorted notes from around the league:
- Broncos receiver Wes Welker‘s $3MM roster bonus and $3MM base salary became fully guaranteed on Wednesday, according to Mike Klis of the Denver Post (via Twitter).
- Receiver Nate Burleson tweets that he is not retiring, noting that he was hampered last season by his broken arm.
- The Jets remain interested in cornerback Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie, tweets Rich Cimini of ESPN.com. The tweet also notes that fellow cornerback (and Rodgers-Cromartie’s cousin) Antonio Cromartie, recently released by the Jets, is interested in returning to the team.
- Quarterback Shaun Hill will visit the Rams on Monday, according to Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch (Twitter link).
- With reports that Anthony Spencer is set to visit the Giants, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano writes that signing the pass-rusher only makes sense if he comes on the cheap.
- The best recruiting tool for the Buccaneers, who have signed several free agents such as Michael Johnson, Anthony Collins, and Josh McCown, is new head coach Lovie Smith, opines Roy Cummings of the Tampa Tribune.