Workout Notes: Saturday
We’ll keep track of today’s workout information right here, as well as a couple of notes from the past couple of days. All of the information below is via the Baltimore Sun’s Aaron Wilson on Twitter…
- The Chiefs worked out wide receivers John Chiles and Cordell Roberson, cornerback Aaron Hester and defensive lineman Shawn Lemon.
- The Chiefs also brought in defensive back Jalil Carter and wide receivers LaVon Brazill, Duron Carter and Joe Morgan. Brazill, a former sixth-round pick by the Colts, showed some flashes playing with Andrew Luck early in his career. Morgan was released by the Saints earlier this season, while Carter appears to have numerous suitors (with the Vikings seen as the favorite to sign him).
- The Seahawks also brought in Lemon for a workout, and he joined quarterback Dominique Davis and cornerback Keon Lyn at the tryout. Wilson notes that defensive back Delvin Breaux was also brought in “for a visit.”
- The Packers worked out CFL defensive back Jalil Carter. The former Akron standout briefly spend time with the Rams and in the AFL.
- The Giants brought in five players for workouts: linebackers Terrance Bullitt and Phillip Hunt, safety Mistral Raymond, fullback Collin Mooney and tight end Michael Flacco.
- The Steelers worked out a trio of offensive weapons: quarterback Aaron Smetanka, running back David Fluellen and wideout L’Damian Washington.
Packers GM On Wolf, Romo, Rodgers
Packers GM Ted Thompson was just a teenager the last time the Cowboys traveled to Lambeau Field for a playoff game. Fast forward a couple of years, Thompson is 61 and getting set for the next Lambeau postseason clash between the two teams. Just a few years ago, Thompson was dreaming of becoming an area scout and spending his off days on the beach. This is a far cry from that, but he tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today that he’s still extremely motivated by the hunt and happy to live a structured life, even if its a bit stressful. Here are some of the highlights from their chat..
On the GM candidacy of staffers like Eliot Wolf, Alonzo Highsmith, and Brian Gutekunst:
Oh, I would think so. There’s several guys, and some of the young guys — it’ll be a longer time before they reach that point. But yeah, I think they will. It’s the same way Ron taught us all, and what I mean is in the draft meetings — because you go through 17, 18 days before the combine, and it’s just a grind all the time — but it’s a remarkable learning tool for everybody. Then you have to be put in a position where you have to make a decision like ‘boom, boom,’ right now. And that’s a different thing. That’s something that needs more work.
On losing scouts to higher-ranked jobs elsewhere and replacing them:
Yeah, it’s the next man up thing. It works the same way as players. Obviously, it’s a different set of circumstances. But we go about our personnel department and college scouting, pro scouting exactly the same way that (former Packers GM) Ron Wolf taught us all to do it. You’ve got your 20 guys, counting your college scouts and pro scouts and whatever, and then you give them particular assignments. And if one leaves, then somebody else takes that chair and you go on. And normally, you’re adding young guys to train as you go along there, so you’ve got that cycle of guys coming through. We have had quite a number of them go through and become very successful.
With all the resources that teams put into scouting, how does someone like Tony Romo (undrafted in 2013) fall through the cracks?
It’s remarkable. Tom Brady going in the sixth round. Go figure. There are free agents, and we spend a lot of time on college free agents. But people also remember that there used to be 17 rounds in the draft, and there were guys that were getting drafted in the 17th round that wound up making it.
On his expectations for Aaron Rodgers after drafting him No. 24 in 2005:
I don’t know if you could ever predict that. I think you have high hopes for all the young men that you bring in. Aaron’s was going to be a different road than most in this day and age. Most people are not taken with the idea that, ‘OK, you’re going to not play for a couple of years,’ or something. Usually, they have to go play. We were fortunate to have a team with a quarterback that was established, and we didn’t have to throw him to the wolves. Who knows how it would’ve turned out? I think he would’ve still been a good player either way. There are other people that think if we’d have thrown him to the dogs, it might’ve ruined him. Who knows? But as it turned out, the way we did it, I guess I’m glad we did it, because it worked.
Extra Points: Shanahan, Packers, Draft
A source indicated to Jason Cole of Bleacher Report (on Twitter) that if Seahawks defensive coordinator Dan Quinn gets a head coaching job, he’ll try to hire Kyle Shanahan away from the Browns to be his offensive coordinator. Cole adds there’s a good chance Quinn’s landing spot will be with the Jets. More from around the NFL..
- It’s extremely unlikely that the Packers will grant another team permission to interview Eliot Wolf, according to Jeff McLane of The Philadelphia Inquirer (on Twitter).
- The Texans have granted the Eagles permission to interview director of pro personnel Brian Gaine for their GM spot, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter).
- Rams owner Stan Kroenke says that he plans to build a stadium in Los Angeles on spec, but NFL owners doubt that he’d actually go ahead and do that, according to Brett Schrotenboer of USA Today Sports. It’s far to risky of a move for a billionaire like Kroenke and it seems like many feel that he is looking for leverage in St. Louis above all else.
- University of Louisville junior safety James Sample told Lars Hanson of 247 Sports (on Twitter) that he will forego his senior year and enter the 2015 Draft.
- Junior running back Dee Hart is leaving Colorado State to declare for NFL Draft, as Mike Brohard of the Reporter-Herald writes. Hart sent his paperwork into the NFL but has yet to receive a draft grade. The 5-foot-9, 190-pounder doesn’t have ideal size, but he profiles as a tough downhill runner. The Alabama transfer played only one season for Colorado State, leading the team with 1,275 yards rushing while scoring 16 touchdowns.
- Mike Shanahan would create a buzz, but Marcus Thompson II of the Bay Area News Group says he’d be a poor choice for the Raiders. Thompson notes that the 62-year-old coach hasn’t won anything significant since John Elway was his quarterback and he’s coming off of an ugly situation with Washington.
- Former Bears Director of College Scouting Greg Gabriel had great things to say about Chris Ballard, a finalist for the Bears‘ vacant GM position. “He’s very astute, very smart, excellent evaluator and he’s had the experience in the NFL of working on the college side and the pro side,” Gabriel told CSNChicago.com. “He knows the workings on both sides as far as the different scouting areas within the NFL.”
Extra Points: Shanahan, Trestman, Ryan
Browns offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will consider leaving the Browns, even for a lateral move, because of friction within the organization, writes Mary Kay Cabot of The Plain Dealer. Shanahan is aiming to become a head coach somewhere (perhaps in Buffalo) but he’d also like to reunite with his father, Mike Shanahan. The 49ers, Raiders, and Bills are have interest in hiring Mike as a head coach with Kyle as the offensive coordinator. More from around the NFL..
- Washington interviewed Rod Graves on Monday for their GM position, according to Albert Breer of NFL.com (on Twitter). By interviewing Graves, Washington has satisfied the Rooney Rule, so that is not a roadblock in their talks with Scot McCloughan.
- Former Bears head coach Marc Trestman will interview for the Jaguars‘ offensive coordinator position, a source tells Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter). Trestman has already interviewed with the Buccaneers.
- Rex Ryan will be meeting with CBS executives tomorrow to discuss a possible TV role if he doesn’t land a head coaching job, a source tells Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News (on Twitter).
- The Eagles have requested permission to interview recently promoted Packers exec Eliot Wolf for their personnel opening, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (on Twitter). Wolf was recently promoted by Green Bay, ostensibly to keep him in-house as the heir apparent to their own GM job.
- The Eagles requested GM interviews with Chris Grier (Dolphins), Chris Polian (Jaguars), and Brian Gaine (Texans), sources tell Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- The Texans might have interest in former Chiefs GM Scott Pioli, according to Dan Pompei of Sports On Earth (on Twitter).
- Vikings running backs coach Kirby Wilson is scheduled to interview with the Jaguars for their offensive coordinator position on Thursday, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (on Twitter).
- Gaine and Lake Dawson, the Titans‘ vice president of player personnel, completed their interviews with the Bears for their GM opening, according to Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
- Saints GM Mickey Loomis says that the team will take linebacker Junior Galette‘s arrest “very seriously,” as Mike Triplett of ESPN.com writes. “If at some point we deem it necessary for the club to take some action, we’ll do that,” Loomis said.
- Loomis feels that the Saints are in better shape financially, Evan Woodbery of The Times Picayune (on Twitter). “I would say we’re in a better situation than we were a year ago — on pure salary cap.” He also scoffed at a recent report indicating that he will move into a new role with the team (link).
NFC North Notes: Suh, Bears, Peppers
Standout defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh declined to talk about his contract situation during his post-game discussion with the media yesterday, but Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press writes that Suh and the Lions are expected to resume negotiations in the coming weeks, after having tabled talks at the start of training camp. As if there was any doubt, head coach Jim Caldwell confirmed today to reporters, including Michael Rothstein of ESPN.com, that re-signing Suh will be a top priority for the club this offseason.
Let’s round up a few more items from out of the NFC North….
- Texans director of pro personnel Brian Gaine has an interview lined up with the Bears for their general manager position later this week, after Lake Dawson and Chris Ballard meet with the team, tweets Ian Rapoport of NFL.com.
- Julius Peppers isn’t sure how much longer his playing career will last, but he feels good enough to play next season, and he hopes it for the Packers, as Jason Wilde of ESPNWisconsin.com details. Peppers remains under contract with Green Bay for two more years, but his cap number will jump from $3.5MM in 2014 to $12MM in 2015, so the Packers may approach him about a restructure if they need the added flexibility.
- In conversations with the media today, virtually every one of the Lions‘ prospective free agents indicated a desire to return to the team, but few were as adamant about it as kicker Matt Prater: “I’ve already told my agent I want to stay here. I’ve enjoyed it so much. I want to stay here” (Twitter link).
North Links: Steelers, Peppers, Browns
We learned earlier today that the future is uncertain for a couple of veteran Steelers defenders. Troy Polamalu and James Harrison could soon call it a career, but neither player wanted to address the speculation following their loss to the Ravens on Saturday.
“Honestly, we just lost a game,” said Polamalu (via ESPN.com’s Scott Brown). “I don’t think I’m prepared to even think about that or talk about that at this time.”
“We’ll see,” Harrison said. “I’m not going to answer a question [about the future] right now because I’m not in the right mind frame.”
Let’s check out some more notes from the NFL’s north divisions…
- Packers general manager Ted Thompson probably has a “good idea” about whether he’ll have Julius Peppers back next season, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky writes. If the organization thinks Peppers can repeat his production from 2014, Demovsky believes they’ll bring the veteran (and his $9.5MM salary) back for a second year.
- Even though the Packers are interested in extending defensive tackle Letroy Guion, that doesn’t mean B.J. Raji‘s tenure with the organization is over, writes Demovsky.
- It’s sounding like Browns general manager Ray Farmer has zero intention of giving up on quarterback Johnny Manziel, writes Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com. If the team was to move on and trade up for Marcus Mariota, Cabot estimates that it would cost three first-rounders.
- Furthermore, Cabot says the turnaround of cornerback Joe Haden proves that the Browns shouldn’t give up on Manziel or Justin Gilbert.
Extra Points: Packers, Fitzgerald, Raiders
As the Ravens look to put the finishing touches on a Wild Card win over the rival Steelers, let’s round up a few Saturday notes from around the NFL….
- In Saturday’s lone practice squad move, the Packers signed former West Virginia center Joe Madsen to their unit, according to Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Green Bay had an opening on its taxi squad, so the club is back up to 10 players now.
- Now that the Cardinals‘ season is over, we can expect speculation about Larry Fitzgerald‘s future in Arizona to ramp up, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. The club isn’t expected to cut its longtime star wideout, but a trade is an outside possibility, and a restructure or reduced salary seems even more likely.
- Joel Corry of the National Football Post provides an in-depth explanation of how players get paid during the postseason, including a couple oddities — for instance, Percy Harvin may be rooting for the Seahawks in the playoffs, since his time spent with the club this year means he could earn $70K+ if Seattle wins the Super Bowl.
- The Raiders are the latest team to be covered by Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap in his 2015 salary cap outlook series. Armed with up to nearly $60MM in cap space, Oakland should have a ton of flexibility this winter.
- In a separate piece for Over The Cap, Fitzgerald attempts to determine the value of the top wide receivers eligible for free agency this offseason.
- Newsday’s Kimberley A. Martin runs through five burning questions that the Jets must answer this offseason, starting with whether or not Woody Johnson can make the right call on a new head coach and general manager.
Extra Points: Packers, Jets, Bears, Greenberry
Earlier today, the Packers announced that they have promoted Eliot Wolf to director of player personnel. Wolf, who served as Green Bay’s pro personnel director for the past three years, has been mentioned quite a bit as a GM candidate this offseason, but the promotion might take him off the table for GM openings around the league and could signal that he’ll be the heir apparent to GM Ted Thompson.
Meanwhile, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com tweets that Alonzo Highsmith‘s name has come up for director of player personnel jobs for other teams, pending GM hires. Highsmith is currently employed as a senior personnel executive in Green Bay’s front office.
Let’s round up a few more Friday odds and ends from around the NFL….
- The Jets have requested permission to interview Chiefs director of player personnel Chris Ballard and Dolphins director of college scouting Chris Grier for their general manager vacancy, reports Adam Schefter of ESPN.com (via Twitter). According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune (Twitter link), if Ballard were to land the GM job in either New York or Chicago, Chargers offensive coordinator Frank Reich would be high on his short list of candidates.
- In the view of Chris Boden of CSNChicago.com, recently-dismissed Eagles executive Tom Gamble would make an ideal candidate for the Bears‘ general manager opening.
- A report earlier in the week indicated that Houston wide receiver Deontay Greenberry had chosen an agent and would enter the 2015 NFL draft, but Greenberry said on Friday that he has yet to make a decision on his status for the coming year, writes Joseph Duarte of the Houston Chronicle.
- Nick Powell of the Star-Ledger wonders if the Giants should use the franchise tag on defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. By using the tag, the Giants can wait on deciding to make a sizable long-term commitment to JPP and ensure that he’ll be motivated for 2015. On the flip side, of course, it would cost the Giants a great deal of money for the upcoming season.
- In his latest ESPN.com mailbag, John Keim fields a handful of questions on Washington‘s 2015 outlook, including inquiries into potential roster and coaching turnover.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Packers Want To Extend Letroy Guion
The Packers are hoping to get a new deal done with defensive tackle Letroy Guion in the New Year, Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. The Packers got a great value off of his one-year, $1MM deal and they want to re-up, even though the next contract will surely cost them more.
“Letroy has been everything we thought he was going to be,” Packers coach Mike McCarthy said recently. “I’ve always had a lot of respect for Letroy in Minnesota. I think he’s come over to us, and I think he’s taken his game up a notch. He’s an excellent fit in the locker room; teammates love him. He’s an excellent teammate and he’s a damn good football player.”
The 6’4″, 315-pound former fifth-round pick had career-highs in tackles (62) and sacks (3.5) this season after coming over from Minnesota. While a new deal might not be struck in the next couple of days, agent Seth Katz says that discussions of a new pact are underway.
“We’ve had some very, very early conversations,” Katz said. “The Packers are obviously focused on the postseason, but we know how they feel about him, and they know he wants to be back. We’re not making it a secret that he wants to stay in Green Bay.”
After B.J. Raji tore his right biceps tendon, Guion stepped up in a major way, making his presence felt and making the Packers aware of his true value. Guion started all 16 games at the nose tackle position instead of Raji, who is also a free agent. While Raji has an unclear future at this time, it’s clear that the Packers want Guion to be a part of theirs.
Pro Football Focus (subscription req’d) hasn’t been all that impressed with Guion this season, rating him No. 61 out of 81 qualified nose tackles in 2014.
Minor Moves: Tuesday
We’ll round up Tuesday’s minor moves from around the NFL right here, including transactions by teams still in the playoffs as well as clubs looking ahead to next year:
10:10pm:
- The Lions have signed TE Ifeanyi Momah to a 2015 reserve/future contract, according to Tim Twentyman of DetroitLions.com (on Twitter).
3:57pm:
- The Chiefs signed former Seahawks tailback Spencer Ware, according to Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times (via Twitter).
- Jets quarterback Matt Simms reworked his contract today to avoid becoming an exclusive rights free agent in 2015, according to a team release. The club also added kicker Andrew Furney and running back Daryl Richardson on reserve/futures deals, in addition to the six players whose reserve contracts we heard about yesterday.
- In addition to confirming reserve/futures contracts for Garrison Smith and Chris Martin, as was reported yesterday, the 49ers announced in a press release that they’ve signed running back Kendall Gaskins, tight end Xavier Grimble, wide receiver Lance Lewis. All five players finished the season on San Francisco’s practice squad.
- Running back Terrance Cobb announced (via Twitter) that he has signed a futures deal with the Raiders. Cobb initially signed with the Jaguars as an undrafted rookie in May, and was cut in the preseason.
- The Bears may not have a head coach or GM, but they’re still adding players to their roster — Chicago signed defensive end Jamil Merrell to a reserve/futures contract, the team announced today (via Twitter).
- Former Canisius College basketball player Chris Manhertz announced (via Instagram) that he has signed a contract with the Bills. According to Joe Buscaglia of WGR550 (via Twitter), the ex-hoopster projects as a tight end. The Bills have since confirmed the signing of Manhertz, and announced a deal for fullback Corey Knox as well.
2:19pm:
- Offensive tackle Justin Renfrow has been released from the Packers‘ practice squad, creating an opening on the unit, according to the team.
- The Steelers have also made a change to their taxi squad, signing wide receiver Tim Benford and releasing cornerback Jordan Sullen, per Burt Lauten (via Twitter). The addition of Benford provides some insurance for the receiving corps, after the team cut wideout Justin Brown from its active roster today.
- The Browns signed a pair of kickers, Travis Coons and Carey Spear, to reserve/futures contracts, the club announced today, according to Nate Ulrich of the Akron Beacon Journal (Twitter link). The two kickers join seven other players who signed futures deals yesterday with Cleveland.
- The Jaguars have signed offensive lineman Cody Booth, tight end Marcel Jensen, defensive back Peyton Thompson, and wide receiver Tony Washington to reserve/futures contracts, tweets Michael DiRocco of ESPN.com. All four players spent time on the club’s practice squad this season.
- The Saints signed five more players to reserve/futures deals, according to Evan Woodbery of the Times-Picayune, who lists running back Edwin Baker, kicker Dustin Hopkins, tight end Orson Charles, and offensive linemen Mike Brewster and Andrew Miller as the latest recepients. We learned yesterday that the club also signed wideout Willie Snead and fullback Toben Opurum to futures contracts.