Extra Points: Revis, Chargers, Colts, Giants
The 2014 season, Darrelle Revis‘ lone campaign with the Patriots, was a hugely successful one for the 29-year-old. He took home his first Super Bowl ring in helping lead the Pats to a championship, also earning his sixth Pro Bowl invitation and fourth First-Team All-Pro selection, respectively. After New England declined Revis’ $20MM option for 2015 earlier this month, Revis returned to the Jets, with whom he spent 2007-12. It was believed the Pats made a strong effort to retain Revis long term, but the corner told a different story Wednesday to Michael Kay of ESPN Radio. According to Phil Perry of CSNNewEngland.com, Revis said New England’s offer “wasn’t in the ballpark” of the mega-deal to which the Jets ultimately signed him.
In a separate interview Wednesday, Revis listed the teams that pursued him to SiriusXM’s Adam Schein, per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. “(It) was the Packers, Steelers, Baltimore as well as Cleveland, the Chiefs, the Jets, and also the Pats, so there was a number of teams there,” said Revis.
Here’s more from around the NFL:
- Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune expects the Chargers to add another member to their backfield before the offseason is out. The team lost running back Ryan Mathews to free agency after only offering him a one-year deal, and is now looking for a replacement – one with a “physical, downhill” style – to join Danny Woodhead, Branden Oliver and Donald Brown. Per Gehlken, it’s unlikely they’ll swing a trade for the disgruntled Adrian Peterson, leaving the draft as the probable route. Gehlken speculates that Georgia’s Todd Gurley could be an option if the Chargers use the 17th overall pick on a runner.
- Mike Wells of ESPN tweets that free agent running back Ahmad Bradshaw is unlikely to return to the Colts next season. Bradshaw was highly effective for Indianapolis the last two years, but he missed 19 of 32 regular-season games with various injuries. Further, the Colts signed Frank Gore earlier this month to anchor their backfield.
- Head coach Tom Coughlin admitted this morning that safety is “definitely” an area of concern for the Giants, and identified Chykie Brown and Bennett Jackson as cornerbacks who may be able to switch positions, tweets Dan Graziano of ESPN.com. The Giants pursued a number of free agent safeties, including Devin McCourty, but missed out on their top targets, and don’t have many viable starting options still in play.
Minor Moves: Wednesday
A look at Wednesday’s minor moves:
- The Buccaneers waived linebacker Brandon Magee, according to Scott Smith of the team’s official website (Twitter link). The 24-year-old Magee joined the Bucs last year after spending 2013 with the Browns. He appeared in nine games for Tampa last season and accrued seven tackles. He’ll next switch sports and try out for the Red Sox, per Pat Yasinkas of ESPN.com.
- Tight end Ifeanyi Momah, who was in attendance at the recent veterans’ combine, has signed a one-year contract with the Cardinals, tweets Darren Urban of the team’s official website. The Cards will be Momah’s fourth organization since going undrafted out of Boston College in 2012. The 25-year-old has spent time with the Eagles, Browns and Lions, but has never appeared in a game.
- The Packers have signed defensive back Kyle Sebetic, according to the team’s website. Sebetic went undrafted out of Dayton last year and spent some time on the Giants’ practice squad.
2015 NFL Compensatory Draft Picks
The NFL has officially announced the 32 compensatory draft picks for 2015 that have been handed out to teams who had the most significant losses in free agency a year ago. These picks, which can’t be traded, are determined by a formula that accounts for salary, playing time, and postseason honors. Teams can’t receive more than four picks each, and this year’s selections were divided up among 14 clubs.
Here’s the list of 2015 compensatory picks by team, with the round and overall selection number included:
- 49ers: 4th (132), 7th (254)
- Bears: None
- Bengals: 3rd (99), 4th (135)
- Bills: None
- Broncos: 4th (133), 6th (208), 7th (250), 7th (251)
- Browns: None
- Buccaneers: None
- Cardinals: 7th (256)
- Chargers: None
- Chiefs: 3rd (98), 5th (172), 5th (173), 6th (217)
- Colts: 7th (255)
- Cowboys: None
- Dolphins: None
- Eagles: None
- Falcons: None
- Giants: None
- Jaguars: None
- Jets: None
- Lions: None
- Packers: 6th (210), 6th (212)
- Panthers: 5th (169), 6th (213)
- Patriots: 3rd (97), 7th (253)
- Raiders: None
- Rams: 6th (215)
- Ravens: 4th (136), 5th (171) , 5th (175)
- Saints: None
- Seahawks: 4th (134), 5th (170), 6th (209), 6th (214)
- Steelers: 7th (252)
- Texans: 5th (174), 6th (211), 6th (216)
- Titans: None
- Vikings: None
- Washington: None
NFC Notes: Bennett, Lions, Rams, Jennings
Speaking to reporters in Arizona today, Seahawks general manager John Schneider said that defensive end Michael Bennett hasn’t requested a trade and is happy in Seattle, tweets Terry Blount of ESPN.com.
A report last week indicated that Bennett wanted a new contract, and perhaps a trade to Dan Quinn‘s Falcons, but even if that’s the case, it doesn’t look like the Seahawks have any plans to move him. For what it’s worth, Schneider appeared to dodge the issue of whether the defensive end wants his contract reworked, as Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times tweets.
Schneider also confirmed that defensive lineman Jesse Williams will be re-added to the Seahawks’ roster soon, indicating that Williams was only waived as a procedural transaction (Twitter link via Condotta).
Here’s more out of the NFC:
- Lions GM Martin Mayhew confirmed today to reporters, including Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News (Twitter link), that his team is in talks with free agent guard Rob Sims about a new deal.
- The Rams are keeping their eye on free agent offensive linemen like Joe Barksdale, Stefen Wisniewski, and Justin Blalock, but the club isn’t expected to sign any of those players this week, tweets Jim Thomas of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
- While the Cowboys aren’t likely to make any other noteworthy free agent investments, Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com suggests the club could go bargain shopping, identifying offensive tackle, safety, and return man as three potential areas of need.
- Panthers owner Jerry Richardson took responsibility for the organization’s decision to not re-sign embattled defensive end Greg Hardy. “Whose call would you think that would be?” Richardson asked ESPN.com’s David Newton. When asked about the owner’s logic, Richardson replied that the Panthers “do the right things.”
- When wideout Greg Jennings left the Packers for the Vikings in 2013, the veteran displayed some animosity towards the organization. However, Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson made it clear that those kinds of comments wouldn’t dissuade his team from pursuing the 31-year-old. “We’re not that sensitive about things like that,” Thompson said (via Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com). “Players are players. Players say things. Sometimes we make mistakes [too].”
NFC Links: McCourty, Bridgewater, Packers
Devin McCourty ultimately stayed with the Patriots, but not before being lured by the NFL’s largest market. The Giants‘ offer was comparable to what McCourty ended up signing to stay in New England — five years, $47.5MM — co-owner John Mara told Jeff Howe of the Boston Herald.
The best safety on the market’s refusal to take the Giants’ money began a failed venture that leaves the team with one of the most barren depth charts at any position in the league with the draft less than six weeks away. As of now, the Giants have only Nat Berhe and Cooper Taylor, fifth-round picks in 2013 and 2014, respectively, on their roster. Neither has started a game. Former Giants starters Stevie Brown and Quintin Demps still reside in free agency.
Other news from the NFC …
- Like the Steelers, the Packers are a staunch build-from-within franchise, and this year furthered that philosophy. As a result, corners Tramon Williams and Davon House departed, and coach Mike McCarthy expects Casey Hayward and former Gonzaga basketball talent Demetri Goodson to challenge for those spots, reports Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Unless Carl Bradford or another player enables Clay Matthews to relocate to his former spot outside, the Pro Bowl linebacker may stay an inside linebacker going into the season.
- Packers president Mark Murphy doesn’t expect the Bears’ proposal of both teams receiving a guaranteed overtime possession to pass, reports ESPN’s Jason Wilde. Murphy probably won’t support any of the rules changes, reports Silverstein on Twitter.
- Vikings coach Mike Zimmer wants Teddy Bridgewater to gain weight and develop additional strength before he begins his first full season as the Vikings’ quarterback, writes Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Zimmer said the 2014 first-rounder played at around 210 pounds last season, and the second-year coach prefers the 6-foot-2 signal-caller to be closer to 220.
- After reports surfaced of Adrian Peterson‘s agent declining a Vikings meeting, the All-Pro runner didn’t solicit much of a response from Zimmer. “Well, Adrian is under contract with us, and we’re excited to get him back here with his teammates and get him back playing,” Zimmer told Hartman.
- The NFL held its first Veterans Combine on Sunday night in Arizona with numerous former NFLers participating. The Eagles were among the few teams to talk with offensive linemen after their drills concluded, NFL.com’s Mark Sessler reports on Twitter.
North Notes: Jennings, Bears, Browns
Some Saturday evening notes from the NFL’s two North divisions:
- Wide receiver Greg Jennings, whom the Vikings released last week after two seasons in Minnesota, thrived during the first seven years of his career as a member of the Packers. Nevertheless, according to Jason Wilde of ESPN, don’t expect the 31-year-old to return to Green Bay. Although the Packers – who already have high-paid wideouts Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb – previously expressed interest this offseason in veteran free agents Andre Johnson and Percy Harvin, both of whom have since signed elsewhere, Wilde doesn’t see Jennings as a fit for the team because of the ugly way he left in 2013. Jennings took shots at the Packers after signing with the Vikings, as ESPN’s Rob Demovsky detailed earlier this week, and Wilde doesn’t expect Packers management to forgive and forget in Jennings’ case. That’s despite Jennings saying Tuesday that he’d be “open” to a reunion with Green Bay.
- The Bears have a number of needs to address entering the upcoming NFL draft, with wide receiver and pass rusher chief among them. Luckily for general manager Ryan Pace, those areas happen to be two of the strongest and deepest in the draft class, writes Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune. The Bears could target a wideout or pass rusher with the seventh overall pick, where receivers Amari Cooper (Alabama) and Kevin White (West Virginia) and defenders Randy Gregory (Nebraska), Dante Fowler (Florida) and Shane Ray (Missouri) are likely to be available. If not, they still might be able to find second- and third-round receivers and pass rushers capable of coming in and making an immediate impact.
- As of now, the Browns’ starting quarterback in 2015 is probably either going to be Josh McCown or Johnny Manziel. Understandably, their fans aren’t content with either option, and Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com answered some of their QB-related inquiries in a mailbag. According to Cabot, the Browns could land Baylor’s Bryce Petty with the 19th overall pick in the draft. Their new quarterbacks coach, Kevin O’Connell, has trained Petty in the past – which means O’Connell has plenty of info on Petty and might be in position to steer Browns management either toward the 23-year-old or away from him.
NFC Mailbags: Packers, Lions, Panthers, Washington
It’s Saturday morning, and that means ESPN.com’s NFL writers are opening their mailbags and answering questions from readers. With an eye towards the NFL draft, let’s start off with some notes from the NFC…
- Rob Demovsky believes the Packers could select a quarterback late in this year’s draft. With the expected departure of Matt Flynn, the rookie could compete with Scott Tolzien for the backup gig.
- Meanwhile, Demovsky says there’s little chance the Packers move up in the first round. The writer notes that general manager Ted Thompson has only traded up in the first round once, when he swapped a second-round and two third-round picks for a late first-rounder (used to select Clay Matthews).
- Considering the fourth and fifth-round picks the Lions sent to the Ravens for Haloti Ngata, Michael Rothstein says it could be in the team’s best interest to trade down in the draft. With multiple roster holes, the team could benefit from having some extra picks.
- Based on the Panthers early moves in free agency, David Newton believes the organization is targeting four positions in the first round: wide receiver, offensive tackle, running back and defensive lineman.
- Washington‘s signing of Colt McCoy would not prevent the organization from selecting Marcus Mariota, says John Keim. In fact, if the Oregon quarterback falls to Washington, Keim says McCoy would be a good mentor for the rookie.
FA Rumors: Moore, Rubin, Jennings, Selvie
If Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News were in charge of the Cowboys, he would have tendered a contract offer to cornerback Sterling Moore. Cowboys coaches didn’t see enough from Moore in 2014 to want him back, apparently, but at a cost of $1.542MM, he could have given them inexpensive depth at the position. Moore, who visited the Steelers earlier this week, is in San Francisco today meeting with the 49ers, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
Here’s more on a handful of free agents around the NFL:
- The Seahawks are still in the market for defensive line help and they’ll host Browns free agent defensive lineman Ahtyba Rubin today, Rapoport tweets. Back in December, Rubin said that he wanted to stay in Cleveland for life. So far, nothing like that has materialized.
- Wide receiver Greg Jennings told Stephen A. Smith on Sirius XM/Mad Dog Sports Radio that he’d be open to a reunion with the Packers, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Jennings said that he’d never “tear down” a bridge, but Demovsky notes that Jennings might have done that already with some harsh comments towards the Packers and Aaron Rodgers upon joining the Vikings.
- We heard earlier this week that the Vikings have interest in defensive end George Selvie, but Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that Minnesota appears to have backed off a little, while the Buccaneers are now “very much” in the mix for Selvie.
- Free agent offensive lineman Garrett Reynolds is paying a visit to the Rams, according to Adam Caplan of ESPN.com (via Twitter). St. Louis has holes at multiple spots on its offensive line, and Reynolds is capable of playing both guard and tackle.
- Washington, the Vikings, and the Bengals are all vying to sign free agent safety Taylor Mays, writes Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. A source tells Tomasson that Cincinnati “desperately” wants to re-sign Mays, who is considering his options.
- The Ravens have maintained interest in potentially re-signing defensive lineman Lawrence Guy, who is visiting the Jets tomorrow, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
- Former Dolphins defensive end Rakim Cox has been invited to the veterans combine, according to Adam Beasley of the Miami Herald (on Twitter).
Zach Links contributed to this post.
NFC North Notes: T. Williams, Gurley, Waynes
The Packers were willing to pay Tramon Williams $5MM annually, but dropped out of the bidding for their free agent once the price became too expensive, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel (Twitter link). Per McGinn, Williams entered the weekend with a target contract of $30MM over four years — the cornerback ultimately scored a three-year, $21MM deal from the Browns, so he came close to his goal in terms of AAV.
Let’s take a look at some more news from the NFC North…
- The Lions were set to host Georgia running back Todd Gurley today, writes Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com. Gurley, coming off a torn ACL, is projected to be one of the first two RBs taken in next month’s draft.
- Elsewhere in the NFC North, the Vikings are also lining up pre-draft visits, and Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports that Michigan State cornerback Trae Waynes will soon meet with Minnesota. Waynes is viewed as the top CB available by most draft analysts.
- In an interesting piece for ESPN Wisconsin, Jason Wilde examines why the Packers are usually reticent to sign unrestricted free agents, but are generally able to retain their own. The article has many insightful quotes from Green Bay general manager Ted Thompson and is worth a full read.
NFL Issues Performance-Based Bonuses
The NFL has announced and issued its performance-based pay bonuses for the 2014 season, according to a press release from the league. The bonuses, which are based on a player’s playing time relative to his salary level, come from a pool of $3.633MM per team. Here are the top performance-based pay amounts for the past season:
- Seantrel Henderson, T (Bills): $373,671
- Corey Linsley, C (Packers): $339,566
- Russell Bodine, C (Bengals): $318,612
- Avery Williamson, LB (Titans): $315,120
- E.J. Gaines, DB (Rams): $308,338
- Zach Fulton, G (Chiefs): $303,352
- Kelvin Beachum, T (Steelers): $297,687
- Preston Brown, LB (Bills): $293,179
- Michael Wilhoite, LB (49ers): $292,406
- Paul Worrilow, LB (Falcons): $287,413