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Detroit Lions News & Rumors

NFC Rumors: Cowboys, Bell, Vikings, Bears

March 10th, 2014 at 5:00pm CST by Luke Adams

The Cowboys are interested in re-signing free-agents-to-be Jason Hatcher and Anthony Spencer, but Dallas isn’t the only team with interest in the defensive linemen. According to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com, the free agent duo has at least seven interested suitors, including the Cowboys. Dallas is also interested in defensive tackle Henry Melton, according to Watkins (Twitter link), but the ESPN scribe cautions that there are no assurances of a deal, given the Cowboys’ limited cap space.

Here’s more from around the NFC, with free agency less than 24 hours away:

Zach Links contributed to this post.

NFC Rumors: Giants, Saints, Vikings, Lions

March 10th, 2014 at 12:59pm CST by Luke Adams

A few Monday afternoon updates on NFC teams:

  • The Giants have some level of interest in Brandon Pettigrew, according to Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). With Jimmy Graham franchised and Dennis Pitta extended, Pettigrew may be the top unrestricted free agent tight end of the offseason.
  • Assuming Charles Tillman doesn’t re-sign with the Bears, the Panthers look like a potential destination for the veteran defensive back, tweets Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune.
  • The Saints brought safety Louis Delmas in for a visit after he was released by the Lions, but New Orleans doesn’t appear likely to sign Delmas, a source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com.
  • Adding a veteran safety doesn’t look like a top priority for the Vikings, but it could be worth keeping an eye on Ryan Clark as a possible fit, tweets Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities.
  • The Redskins have remained in contact with the reps for safety Mike Mitchell, says John Keim of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Keim adds that Kenny Britt and Andrew Hawkins are two potential WR targets to keep an eye on for the Redskins.
  • Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press says the Lions will definitely sign a wide receiver and a safety in free agency, but it’s not clear yet which specific players the team will land (Twitter link via Pro Football Talk).
  • As Lions GM Martin Mayhew suggested last month, while he’d like to have a new deal worked out with Ndamukong Suh by the time the 2014 league year begins tomorrow, he won’t consider it a setback if nothing is done, writes Kyle Meinke of MLive.com. Suh, who recently hired Jimmy Sexton of CAA to negotiate his next deal, has a cap number of $22MM+ for 2014 that the Lions would like to reduce.

Lions Owner William Clay Ford, Sr. Dies

March 9th, 2014 at 12:03pm CST by Peter Sowards

A team employee has confirmed that Detroit Lions owner and chairman William Clay Ford, Sr. has died, reports Chris McCosky of Detroit News (via Twitter). He was 88 years old.

Jennifer Hammond of Fox 2 Detroit first reported the unfortunate news (via Twitter).

Team president Tom Lewand released the following statement:

“It is with profound sadness that we mourn the loss of Mr. Ford and extend our deepest sympathies to Mrs. Ford and to the entire Ford Family. No owner loved his team more than Mr. Ford loved the Lions. Those of us who had the opportunity to work for Mr. Ford knew of his unyielding passion for his family, the Lions and the city of Detroit. His leadership, integrity, kindness, humility and good humor were matched only by his desire to bring a Super Bowl championship to the Lions and to our community. Each of us in the organization will continue to relentlessly pursue that goal in his honor.”

Ford purchased the team outright in November 1963 for $4.5MM and officially took over January 10, 1964, according to the team’s website.

He is survived by his wife, the former Martha Firestone, three daughters and his son, William Clay Ford Jr., who serves as the Lions vice chairman.

The staff at Pro Football Rumors sends its condolences to Mr. Ford’s friends and family.

Extra Points: Suh, Hester, Talib

March 9th, 2014 at 9:15am CST by Peter Sowards

Ndamukong Suh‘s cap number in 2014 is $22.4MM — that’s nearly 17% of the $133MM salary cap.

However, DetroitLions.com Senior Writer Tim Twentyman said this should not hamstring the team’s efforts to be active in free agency. With less cap space last year entering free agency than they have this year, Twentyman writes that Detroit was still able to land Reggie Bush, Glover Quin and Jason Jones on free agency’s opening day.

“The fact we won’t have an extension done with Ndamukong before free agency begins doesn’t affect that plan one bit,” Lions team president Tom Lewand said. “It doesn’t affect our valuation of the free agents, it doesn’t affect what our projection of our cap situation is going forward, and it doesn’t affect how we project eventually working an extension with Ndamukong out at some point in time.”

Twentyman doesn’t expect a re-done deal by the start of free agency, despite Suh’s recent signing of CAA Sports agent Jimmy Sexton.

More notes from the second day of the legal tampering period…

NFC North Notes: Packers, Lions, Allen, Verner

March 8th, 2014 at 4:55pm CST by Rob DiRe

While Packers‘ free agents Sam Shields and B.J. Raji have been getting all of the attention early on this offseason, Bill Polian of ESPN writes that neither player is the top free agent the Packers must try to re-sign. According to Polian, Evan Dietrich-Smith is the free agent with the highest grade. He wrote that while Shields is a good cover corner, he is not a great tackler, and that Raji would only fit in a defense that would not require movement from its nose tackle.

Here are some other notes from around the NFC North:

  • The Lions have a need at safety, but they will not have the resources to go after a big name in free agency, writes Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com. He sees James Ihedigbo, Ryan Clark, and Donte Whitner as affordable options. Other interesting and cheap options could include Steve Gregory and Chris Clemons. If the team would like to attract a bigger name, they could look at converting either Champ Bailey or Rashean Mathis to safety from corner.
  • While Jared Allen and his agent have not talked to the Vikings about returning yet, the free agent defensive end has not ruled them out as a potential landing spot, reports Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (via Twitter).
  • The Vikings called to gauge interest in Alterraun Verner, reports Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter). Vikings defensive back coach Jerry Gray was previously Verner’s defensive coordinator with the Titans. The team has also expressed interest in defensive tackle Paul Soliai, according to Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities (via Twitter).

Ross, Greenwood Accept Contract Tenders

March 7th, 2014 at 11:37pm CST by Luke Adams

A pair of Chris Cabott clients have signed on for the 2014 season with their respective teams, the agent tweeted tonight. Cabott confirmed that cornerbacks Brandian Ross and Chris Greenwood have extended their contracts with the Raiders and Lions respectively.

We heard earlier this week that Oakland had tendered a contract offer to Ross, while Detroit extended a tender to Greenwood. Both players had been exclusive rights free agents. Unless Cabott negotiated a longer-term deal for either client, Ross and Greenwood are likely now on those one-year contracts for 2014.

While Greenwood has yet to see much NFL playing time, Ross assumed the starting strong safety job for the Raiders in 2013. The 24-year-old notched a pair of sacks and 75 tackles, but ranked 85th among 86 qualified safeties, according to Pro Football Focus’ advanced metrics (subscription required).

Contract Tenders: 49ers, Jaguars, Broncos

March 7th, 2014 at 4:43pm CST by Zachary Links

Players who have three years or less of NFL experience and no contract for 2014 continue to receive contract tenders from their current teams. For exclusive rights free agents, these tenders essentially represent the contracts they’ll be playing under in 2014, since ERFAs aren’t permitted to negotiate with any of the league’s other 31 teams. Restricted free agents, on the other hand, can accept these one-year contract offers, but will also have the freedom to negotiate with other suitors and perhaps sign an offer sheet once the free agent period begins.

Here are some of the latest ERFA and RFA contract tenders:

Earlier updates:

  • The Falcons tendered cornerback Robert McClain with a $1.431MM offer, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today. McClain was the team’s only restricted free agent this offseason.
  • The Jaguars tendered offers to wide receivers Mike Brown ($495K) and Kerry Taylor ($495K), offensive tackle Austin Pasztor ($570K), fullback Will Ta’ufo’ou ($570K), and tailback Jordan Todman ($645K), according to Pelissero (Twitter links). Todman, a former UConn notable, had only practice squad experience before making his on-field debut with the Jags in 2012. He had 256 yards and two scores on the ground with 14 catches, 116 receiving yards, and a touchdown through the air.
  • The Dolphins tendered offers to wide receiver Armon Binns ($495K) and linebacker Jonathan Freeny ($570K), Pelissero tweets.
  • More from Pelissero, who tweets that the Broncos have tendered offers to defensive end Mitch Unrein ($1.431M) and Brandon Marshall ($495K). Of course, that’s the Marshall who plays linebacker, not the star receiver.
  • The Lions have tendered offers to kick returner Jeremy Ross ($570K), linebacker Julian Stanford ($570K), cornerback Chris Greenwood ($570K), and tight end Matt Veldman ($420K), tweets Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press. Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter) adds that wide receiver Kris Durham was also tendered an offer. Durham had an opportunity to shine when the Lions lost Nate Burleson to injury early in the season but he wasn’t able to break out even with double coverage on Calvin Johnson.
  • The Buccaneers are on the verge of tendering exclusive rights free agents Eric Page and Deveron Carr, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Ndamukong Suh Signs With CAA

March 7th, 2014 at 1:17pm CST by Luke Adams

As he looks ahead to contract talks with the Lions, Ndamukong Suh has signed with CAA Sports agent Jimmy Sexton, according to Liz Mullen of SportsBusiness Journal (via Twitter). Suh is believed to have hired Jay Z’s Roc Nation Sports for marketing purposes, but it looks like Sexton will be handling the defensive lineman’s contract negotiations.

Suh, 27, has two years remaining on his current contract with the Lions, but there’s a very good chance he and the team will address and rework that deal this offseason. Suh’s current 2014 cap hit of $22.41MM isn’t tenable for the Lions, so the two sides may work out an agreement that pushes some of that money back to 2015 — the club could also spread Suh’s salary out beyond 2015 if the two sides agree to an extension that tacks additional years onto the current contract.

Multiple reports earlier this week indicated that Suh had been considering representing himself in those negotiations with the Lions, but hiring an agent like Sexton looks like the right call. Given the leverage Suh has at this point, a contract extension could give him long-term security throughout the rest of his prime, so it’ll be important to maximize his value.

David Akers, Rian Lindell Won’t Be Re-Signed

March 7th, 2014 at 9:53am CST by Luke Adams

A pair of NFC teams won’t re-sign their kickers, according to Alex Marvez of FOX Sports, who reports (via Twitter) that the Lions and Buccaneers won’t bring back David Akers and Rian Lindell respectively. Cardinals kicker Jay Feely also appears set to hit the open market next week, says Marvez.

Lions GM Martin Mayhew told reporters at the combine in Indianapolis that the team didn’t expect to bring back Akers, so that doesn’t come as a real surprise. Detroit has signed two kickers – John Potter and Giorgio Tavecchio – to futures contracts, so one of them will likely take over for the veteran Akers. In Tampa Bay, Connor Barth should be recovered from a torn Achilles in time for the 2014 season, so Lindell’s services will no longer be needed.

Feely’s case is a little trickier. The 37-year-old has been the Cardinals’ kicker for the last four seasons, and converted 30 of 36 field goal tries in 2013. The team doesn’t have a logical in-house replacement for Feely, so if he’s not re-signed, perhaps other free agents like Phil Dawson or Josh Brown could become targets.

NFC North Links: Pettigrew, Allen, Melton

March 7th, 2014 at 9:39am CST by Luke Adams

Here’s a roundup of a few Friday morning items on NFC North clubs:

  • While Brandon Pettigrew may not be quite as crucial to the Lions’ offense as Dennis Pitta is to the Ravens’ passing attack, the Detroit tight end is a better run blocker and figures to receive a contract in the same ballpark as Pitta, says Justin Rogers of MLive.com. In Rogers’ view, a five-year deal worth about $30MM isn’t out of the question this offseason for Pettigrew.
  • Examining Jared Allen’s recent comments about his free agency, Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press is skeptical about the Vikings’ chances of re-signing the free agent defensive end.
  • Defensive tackle Henry Melton made the Pro Bowl in 2012, but he’s coming off ACL surgery and is eligible for free agency this offseason. Bears GM Phil Emery must decide if an investment in Melton is worth the risk, writes Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
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