NFC Notes: Forte, Packers, Falcons, Lions
Green Bay could be a destination for running back Matt Forte despite the organization being one of the league’s most hesitant to sign outside veteran help. A source told Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune that former Bears teammate Julius Peppers is already discussing a reunion with Forte with the Packers. Eddie Lacy will enter his contract year in 2016, and longtime backup James Starks looms as an unrestricted free agent.
Here’s more from the NFC:
- The Falcons are leaning toward bringing Roddy White back for his 12th season with the team, D. Orlando Ledbetter of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports. Although White slumped through his worst season as a starter, catching 43 passes for 506 yards in 16 games, Atlanta looks to increase the veteran’s slot usage. Using Larry Fitzgerald as an example, Dan Quinn told media (including Ledbetter) White, who is nearly two years older than Fitzgerald despite entering the NFL a year later, is at his best on in-breaking routes.
- In other Falcons news, general manager Thomas Dimitroff told Ledbetter he wished he’d have kept Todd McClure after the longtime Atlanta center expressed desire to play in 2013, but the team opted to go younger at the spot in the form of Peter Konz. The Falcons’ starting center from 2000-2012, McClure instead chose to retire after the ’12 season after the team handed his job to Konz, who started for two years and was released in September 2015 after recovering from a torn ACL.
- The Lions hired Broncos offensive quality control coach Brian Callahan to be their quarterbacks coach, Troy Renck of the Denver Post reports. Callahan formerly worked with current Lions OC Jim Bob Cooter in Denver. The son of Bill Callahan, Brian Callahan worked with the Broncos for six seasons.
Extra Points: Forte, Raji, Cowboys, Bears, Bucs
Soon-to-be ex-Bears running back Matt Forte will be “lucky” to get more than $4MM annually on his next contract, sources tell Jeremy Fowler of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Forte, 30, was informed earlier today that he won’t be re-signed by Chicago, so he’ll be looking for a new club when free agency begins month.
That new club could be in New York, writes Bart Hubbuch of the New York Post, as either the Jets or Giants could show interest in Forte. The Jets have far less cap space (as Seth Walder of the New York Daily News noted earlier today), but more of a need at running back, as Chris Ivory is expected to move on. The Giants, meanwhile, possess a great deal of cap room, but aren’t as good a fit for Forte.
Let’s take a look at more from around the league:
- Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji called the new three-year deal signed by teammate Letroy Guion “well-deserved,” but admitted he’s not sure if – or how – it affects his potential future with the team, writes Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. Green Bay has not yet initiated contract talks for Raji, the free-agent-to-be tells Wood.
- The Cowboys‘ extensive search for Jerome Henderson‘s replacement continues, as Alex Marvez of FOX Sports tweets that Dallas interviewed Buccaneers cornerbacks coach Gill Byrd for the team’s defensive backs coach position. Byrd joins Mike Gillhamer, Steve Brown, Joe Baker, Tim Lewis, and Mike Nolan as candidates who have spoken to the Cowboys about the secondary coach job.
- Former Rutgers offensive coordinator Ben McDaniels is headed back to the NFL, as he’ll join the Bears‘ offensive staff, per Thayer Evans of Sports Illustrated (no word on McDaniels’ official title). McDaniels, the brother of Patriots play-caller Josh McDaniels, had previously worked with both the Buccaneers and the Broncos.
- The Buccaneers seem intent on bringing in competition for kicker Connor Barth, as Tampa worked out Josh Scobee, Nate Freese, Mike Meyer, and Cameron Starke today, tweets Greg Auman of the Tampa Bay Times. Barth converted 23-of-28 field goal attempts in 2015, with two of those misses coming from beyond 50 yards.
Luke Adams contributed to this post.
2016 Proven Performance Escalators
According to the NFL’s contractual bargaining agreement, players drafted in rounds three though seven are entitled to raises during the fourth year of their respective rookie contracts. The pay bumps are tied to playing time — a player must have played in 35% of his team’s offensive or defensive snaps in two of his first three seasons, or averaged 35% playing time cumulatively during that period.
If one of these thresholds is met, the player’s salary is elevated to the level of that year’s lowest restricted free agent tender — that figure is projected to be $1.696MM in 2016. Players selected in the first or second round, undrafted free agents, and kickers/punters are ineligible for the proven performance escalator.
Here are the players who will see their salary rise in 2016 courtesy of the proven performance escalator:
49ers: Gerald Hodges, LB
Bears: Marquess Wilson, WR
Buccaneers: William Gholston, DE; Mike Glennon, QB; Akeem Spence, DT
Cardinals: Andre Ellington, RB; Tyrann Mathieu, CB/S; Alex Okafor, LB
Chargers: Keenan Allen, WR
Colts: Sio Moore, LB; Hugh Thornton, G
Cowboys: J.J. Wilcox, S; Terrance Williams, WR
Dolphins: Jelani Jenkins, LB; Dallas Thomas, T; Dion Sims, TE; Kenny Stills, WR
Eagles: Bennie Logan, DT
Falcons: Kemal Ishmael, S; Levine Toilolo, TE
Jaguars: Josh Evans, S; Dwayne Gratz, CB
Jets: Brian Winters, G
Lions: Larry Warford, G
Packers: David Bakhtiari, T; Micah Hyde, S
Patriots: Duron Harmon, S; Chris Jones, DT; Logan Ryan, CB
Raiders: Mychal Rivera, TE
Rams: T.J. McDonald, S
Ravens: Ricky Wagner, T; Brandon Williams, DT
Saints: Terron Armstead, T; John Jenkins, DT
Seahawks: Luke Willson, TE
Steelers: Markus Wheaton, WR
Titans: Brian Schwenke, C
Washington: Jordan Reed, TE
Packers Sign Letroy Guion To Extension
12:19pm: The Packers have officially announced their new deal with Guion.
11:21am: The extra $500K in Guion’s deal – noted below – is a Pro Bowl escalator, according to Caplan (Twitter link).
8:34am: The Packers and defensive lineman Letroy Guion have reached an agreement in principle on a three-year deal worth $11.25MM, a league source tells Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The new contract agreement will lock Guion up through the 2018 season, and keeps him from hitting the open market next month. He had been eligible for unrestricted free agency this winter.
Guion, 28, started all 16 regular season contests as the Packers’ nose tackle in 2014, establishing new career highs in tackles (41) and sacks (3.5). He wasn’t a full-time starter in 2015, however, appearing in 381 defensive snaps in 13 games. He picked up 20 tackles, but didn’t record a sack.
The veteran defensive lineman was suspended for the first three games in 2015 due to a violation of the NFL’s substance abuse policy. Guion was arrested last February when police found 357 grams of marijuana and an unloaded gun in his truck. The case was settled in March when Guion accepted a plea deal, at which point the Packers re-signed him to a one-year contract that ended up being worth about $2.5MM.
While we’ll have to wait for the full details of this new contract to come out, it looks like Guion got a little more security than he did on his previous contracts with Green Bay. His per-year salary also gets a bump — assuming $11.25MM is the base value of the new pact, that’s an average of $3.75MM annually. Guion could also earn up to $500K in incentives on the deal, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
With Guion locked up, the Packers will now have to decide whether or not they’ll also re-sign B.J. Raji, whose contract expires this offseason as well. Raji, who took over as the club’s regular nose tackle in 2015, played more snaps than Guion, but he placed just 97th out of 123 qualified interior defenders in Pro Football Focus’ rankings — PFF didn’t view Raji’s work against the run this past season as particularly strong.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
NFC Notes: Lynch, Seahawks, Packers, Giants
Let’s take a quick spin around the NFC:
- Despite Marshawn Lynch‘s indication on Twitter that he is planning to retire — and his agent’s subsequent confirmation — some Seahawks don’t believe that the veteran running back intends to hang up his cleats, according to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (video link), who reports that some Seattle players believe that Lynch will have interest in returning to the field after he presumably skips offseason work. Of course, if Lynch doesn’t officially file retirement papers, the Seahawks are likely to release him, so staying with Seattle might not be an option.
- The Packers might need to revamp their offensive line in the coming calendar year, as three starters — guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang, and left tackle David Bakhtiari — as well as key reserve J.C. Tretter, are all set to hit unrestricted free agency after the upcoming season, as Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel writes. With the group’s impending free agent status in mind, general manager Ted Thompson was “glued” to offensive line drills at the Senior Bowl, a source tells Silverstein, who notes that besides finding potential future starters, Green Bay need to bring in offensive line depth after injuries depleted the front five last season.
- After the Giants released a trio of veteran players — tackle Will Beatty, guard Geoff Schwartz, and linebacker Jon Beason (who subsequently announced his retirement) — Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News takes a look at who could replace each of the departed. The club is probably set at left tackle, where 2015 first-rounder Ereck Flowers played all last season, and figures to do again in 2016. But at guard, Vacchiano points to Kansas City’s Jeff Allen as a free agent who cold intrigue Big Blue, while at linebacker, Denver’s Danny Trevathan (and his expensive price tag) might be on the Giants’ radar.
North Notes: Hayward, McManis, Manziel
A year ago, a pair of Packers cornerbacks – Tramon Williams and Davon House – reached the open market and signed with new teams, and it appears another Green Bay corner could explore his options in free agency this time around. As Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com details, Casey Hayward has hired a new agent, David Mulugheta, and isn’t sure whether he’ll get a new deal done with the Packers within the next few weeks.
“They normally wait til closer to the deadline [to negotiate],” Hayward told Demovsky this week in a text message. “But we shall see. I’ll probably hit the market.”
As Demovsky observes, the Packers typically prefer to re-sign their own homegrown players rather than bringing in outside free agents, but it appears the team is deep enough in the secondary to allow Hayward to gauge his value. If the 26-year-old finds that he has fewer suitors than expected, or doesn’t get an offer he likes, he could re-sign with the Packers even after becoming a free agent.
Here’s more from out of the NFL’s North divisions:
- Defensive back Sherrick McManis doesn’t play much on defense, but he’s extremely valuable on special teams, so the Bears ought to consider re-signing him this offseason, writes Jeff Dickerson of ESPN.com.
- Even if the Browns didn’t lie about Johnny Manziel‘s concussion diagnosis during the final week of the regular season, the team has played a part in enabling the former Texas A&M quarterback since drafting him two years ago, says Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com.
- Under previous general manager Martin Mayhew, the Lions often made their veteran cuts shortly after the Super Bowl, but new GM Bob Quinn may be a little more patient when it comes to making decisions on potential cap casualties like Stephen Tulloch, according to Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press.
NFC North Notes: Peppers, Martin, Lions
When Julius Peppers signed a three-year, $26MM deal with the Packers in 2014, there was some skepticism that he’d get to play out the entire contract, especially considering the significant cap hits in the final two seasons. With just one year left on that contract though, it appears Peppers will play it out after all, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com.
Peppers, who turned 36 last month, is set to count for $10.5MM against Green Bay’s 2016 cap, with a $7MM base salary. If he retires, or if the Packers cut him, the team would create significant cap savings, but it doesn’t appear the two sides are planning for either of those scenarios, according to Demovsky. Coming off a Pro Bowl season in which he recorded 10.5 sacks, Peppers seems prepared to continue his career, and the Packers want to keep him in the mix.
Here are a few more updates from around the NFC North:
- Bears free agent safety Sherrod Martin is unlikely to return to Chicago this offseason, writes ESPN.com’s Jeff Dickerson. Martin started 36 games for the Panthers from 2009-11 but he only really played on special teams for the Bears. As a result, he doesn’t figure to be a high priority for the team this spring since his role could be filled by cheaper, younger players.
- Calvin Johnson‘s future, potential veteran cuts, and a possible new contract for Darius Slay should be among the Lions‘ top priorities as the offseason officially gets underway, says Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com.
- A player’s character will be a major point of emphasis in Detroit under new Lions GM Bob Quinn, as Rothstein details in a separate ESPN.com piece. “That’s definitely going to be taken into account on every draft pick, every free-agent signing that we take,” Quinn said at his introductory press conference last month.
NFC North Notes: Megatron, Bears, Packers
Ron Rivera‘s path to the Panthers emerged when he and Lovie Smith ended a contentious relationship in three seasons working together in Chicago. The former Bears coach didn’t renew the former Bears defensive coordinator’s contract after the duo helped the Bears to Super Bowl XLI during the 2006 season, largely due to philosophical and personal differences, Austin Murphy of SI.com reports.
Smith preferred then-Buccaneers assistant head coach Rod Marinelli for the job upon being hired as Bears coach in 2004, but, per Murphy, Rivera was mandated by then-Chicago GM Jerry Angelo.
The former Bears player under blitz-happy Buddy Ryan, Rivera wanted a blitz-heavy scheme, whereas Smith was a Tampa-2 proponent. Murphy also asserts Rivera’s eight interviews for head-coaching positions while employed as Bears DC were potentially seen as disloyal by Smith.
When Rivera became the Chargers’ linebackers coach in 2007 after Smith denied him a fourth season running the Bears’ defense, he and Smith were on bad terms, a Bears source told Murphy. The 54-year-old Rivera served three years as San Diego’s DC before accepting Carolina’s top coaching job.
Here are some more items from the NFC North on the eve of Super Bowl 50.
- The Bears should let Matt Forte walk while re-signing Alshon Jeffery and Zach Miller, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap notes in his analysis of the Bears’ cap situation. Also advising the Bears to orchestrate an extension with Kyle Long after they pick up the tackle’s fifth-year option, Fitzgerald recommends the Bears cut Martellus Bennett and gauge Lamarr Houston‘s trade value. Bennett would save Chicago $5.2MM, and Houston, entering his seventh season, will net the Bears $4MM in cap savings if released. Brought in to play in a 4-3 scheme, Houston graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 62-ranked edge defender as an outside linebacker in Vic Fangio‘s 3-4.
- Calvin Johnson‘s impromptu retirement could be a negotiating ploy a la Adrian Peterson‘s trade request last year, Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk writes. The Lions will need to know Johnson’s official intentions on his future by March 9, when his $16MM base salary and $24MM cap number are configured into Detroit’s 2016 salary cap. Florio speculates Johnson could have threatened to retire to force the Lions to appreciate his presence rather than insist he renegotiate that massive cap figure. Peterson ended up receiving additional guaranteed money, instead of the Vikings potentially attempting at reducing his salary, Florio offers.
- Randall Cobb‘s punctured lung sustained against the Cardinals could have been an effect of him being mic’d up by NFL Films, the slot receiver and the Packers medical staff theorize (via Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). “I punctured a lung. I didn’t break a rib and I didn’t fracture a rib. It’s really abnormal for that to happen,” Cobb told radio host Bill Michaels in San Francisco. “But I was mic’d up for the game. I landed flush on my back. The battery pack was on my shoulder pads and I landed flush on my back and we think that possibly could be it but there’s no way of proving it.” Cobb, who left the divisional playoff game after injuring himself on a spectacular catch that ended up being nullified by penalty, will enter the season season of the four-year deal he signed last March.
- Casey Hayward hired the same agent, David Mulugheta, used by fellow Packers DBs Ha Ha Clinton-Dix and Quinten Rollins, Rand Getlin of ESPN.com reports (Twitter links). Hayward is one of Green Bay’s top free agents.
Extra Points: Benjamin, Steelers, Lang
Asked during an appearance on SiriusXM NFL Radio (SoundCloud link) about his pending free agency, Browns wide receiver Travis Benjamin replied that “the ball is in my court,” suggesting that he hasn’t yet decided whether he’ll sign an extension with Cleveland or explore the open market. However, Benjamin said he’d like to return to the Browns, and his agent tells Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com (Twitter link) that he’s optimistic a deal can be completed soon.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- The Steelers used a nickel package for about 75% of their defensive snaps in 2015, which is one reason why the team figures to focus on improving its secondary again this offseason. Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette discusses the Steelers’ need to target cornerbacks and safeties in the draft, and perhaps in free agency.
- After playing the 2015 season with two bad shoulders, Packers guard T.J. Lang will have one of those shoulders repaired this week. Lang told Rob Demovksy of ESPN.com that he’s scheduled to undergo surgery on his right shoulder on Wednesday. It’s not clear yet whether Lang, who is entering a contract year in 2016, will also have surgery on his left shoulder.
- There’s no doubt that adding Peyton Manning to their roster would give the Rams “plenty of sizzle” as they head back to Los Angeles, but the idea doesn’t make a lot of sense beyond that for Manning or the Rams, opines Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. A report earlier today indicated that the Rams have internally discussed the possibility of pursuing the Broncos quarterback, assuming he doesn’t retire.
Extra Points: Rodgers, Jets, Jaguars, 49ers
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in the days following the team’s Jan. 16 playoff loss to Arizona, Jason Wilde and Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com report. A source indicated that the procedure was a “clean-up of an old injury.” Rodgers should be ready for the Packers’ offseason program in April, according to Wilde and Demovsky. Rodgers told Wilde that he’s “doing well” and “recovering on schedule” (Twitter link via Demovsky).
More from around the NFL:
- The Jets still have faith in quarterback Geno Smith, according to owner Woody Johnson. “Geno, I think, had a pretty good year,” Johnson said Friday, per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPN.com. “We will see in the summer how he (does) but I think the coaches are pretty optimistic about what he has learned and maturity. We know he can throw a ball. I think he has taken it to a new level and we will see how it plays out.” Smith, whom the Jets chose in the second round of the 2013 draft, appeared in 31 games in his first three seasons and put up poor numbers. The 25-year-old has one more season left on his contract, and he’s likely to back up Ryan Fitzpatrick again. Of course, the club first has to re-sign Fitzpatrick, a pending free agent, which it’s expected to do.
- The Jaguars made a significant splash last offseason when they signed free agent tight end Julius Thomas, formerly of Denver. This offseason, the Jags could target another Broncos free agent – defensive lineman Malik Jackson – writes Gene Frenette of Jacksonville.com. Jackson, 26, finished the regular season 17th out of 123 qualifying interior D-linemen by Pro Football Focus’ standards (subscription required).
- 49ers linebacker NaVorro Bowman isn’t worried that new head coach Chip Kelly‘s fast-paced offense will keep the team’s defense on the field too much, writes Conor Orr of NFL.com. “Nah, I think people are blowing it out of proportion,” Bowman told Around the NFL on Friday. “I think any defense you play in, if your offense is getting off the field quicker than you gotta get off the field quicker. You gotta hold yourself to that standard.” Bowman’s words aside, it’s worth noting that the Kelly-led Eagles finished the 2015-16 regular season with 1,148 defensive plays, the most in the league.