Minor Moves: Vikings, Colts, Packers, Bengals
Here are Tuesday’s minor transactions from around the NFL:
- Third-round running back Jerick McKinnon has signed his rookie contract with the Vikings, the team announced today in a press release. All 10 Minnesota draftees are now under contract, meaning half of the NFL’s 32 teams have finished signings their draft picks.
- The Colts announced two corresponding roster moves today in a press release, signing wide receiver Greg Moore and cutting center Thomas Austin to clear room on the roster. Moore was initially signed as an undrafted free agent out of Lane College last month, but was waived a few days later.
- The Packers have signed former Oklahoma State linebacker Shaun Lewis, tweets Wes Hodkiewicz of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. The OSU alum, who went undrafted in May, fills out Green Bay’s roster at 90 players.
- A pair of Angelo Wright clients have found new NFL homes, according to the agent himself, who tweeted word of the contract agreements today. Former Texas Tech defensive end Dartwan Bush has agreed to terms with the Cowboys, while ex-South Carolina cornerback Victor Hampton has struck a deal with the Bengals. Hampton had been scheduled to pay a visit to the Giants later this week.
NFC North Links: Nelson, Vikings, Bears
Many prospective free agents give stock answers when asked about their next contract, expressing a desire to remain with their current teams because that’s what expected of them. But in the view of Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, Jordy Nelson isn’t sticking to the middle of the road when discussing his situation with the Packers, and has expressed a strong preference to remain in Green Bay.
“My wife and I have enjoyed it,” Nelson said Sunday of his time with the Packers. “Let’s see, it’s six years, going on seven years now. We don’t want to go anywhere else. We love it here. We want to be here, and hopefully we can get to that point.”
Our Peter Sowards examined Nelson as an extension candidate last month.
Let’s check in on a few other items from around the NFC North:
- Speaking of saying all the right things, Vikings rookie Teddy Bridgewater has suggested he’s perfectly content to start his NFL career as a backup. But as Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune writes, history suggests that a first-round quarterback like Bridgewater won’t stay on the bench for long.
- In his latest mailbag, Brad Biggs of the Chicago Tribune fields readers’ questions on a handful of Bears-related topics, including potential free agent targets still on the market, and whether or not Chicago would be willing to take a chance on recently-waived safety Will Hill.
- Although Minnesota will never be at the top of most athletes’ destination wish lists, the Vikings and other local teams are proving it’s not the free agent outpost it used to be, writes Michael Rand of the Star Tribune.
NFC North Notes: Super Bowl, Vikings, Nelson
Minneapolis was awarded the 2018 Super Bowl, but not before it agreed to a lengthy list of demands from the NFL, according to Mike Kaszuba and Rochelle Olson of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. The 154-page document listing the league’s requirements is available in its entirety at the link, and it includes stipulations ranging from the waiving of government licensing fees to the installation of “NFL-preferred ATMs” inside the Vikings’ new stadium. The Minneapolis host committee claims that it did not agree to every demand issued by the league, but some are angry at the seemingly secret nature of the entire process, especially given that the new stadium will be financed using a good amount of public money.
More items from the NFC North:
- The naming rights to the aforementioned new Vikings stadium (opening in 2016) are expected to go U.S. Bank, reports Sid Hartman of the Minneapolis Star Tribune.
- Matt Cassel, competing with rookie Teddy Bridgewater to be the Vikings’ starting quarterback, is excited about new offensive coordinator Norv Turner’s presence in Minnesota, per the Minneapolis Star Tribune. “I’m pleasantly surprised, because like I said I think he creates a sense of urgency in practice that we need,” said Cassel. “That’s the way you get better. If you don’t have a sense of urgency in practice, then it’s hard to carry that over on game day. And he coaches everybody. It’s not just certain guys. It’s the first person up, the second person up, the third person up. He’s talking about all the little details, and that’s huge.”
- Jordy Nelson was recently labeled an extension candidate by PFR’s Peter Sowards, and Nelson, speaking at his charity softball game, sounds like he wants to remain with the Packers (courtesy of Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel). “We don’t want to go anywhere else,” said the Green Bay receiver. “We love it here. We want to be here. Hopefully, we can get to that point.”
- In his latest mailbag, ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky observes it would be too risky for the Packers to let either Nelson or Randall Cobb leave via free agency. Both receivers are entering the final year of their respective contracts.
- Scott Tolzien is hoping he can stick as the Packers’ third quarterback behind Aaron Rodgers and Matt Flynn, according to Tom Oates of the Wisconsin State Journal.
- 2013 Bears seventh-rounder Marquess Wilson, in an effort to be Chicago’s third receiver, has bulked up to 207 pounds, after weighing in at 194 pounds at the combine, reports Rich Campbell of the Chicago Tribune.
NFC Notes: Falcons, Shembo, Bostic, Sherrod
“Our sub defense is our base defense because we play it 65 percent of the snaps,” Falcons head coach Mike Smith tells Daniel Cox of atlantafalcons.com. And while defensive coordinator Mike Nolan’s unit is multiple and versatile, he wants players to be dependable at one job first and foremost, particularly in the secondary: “I would like that back end to be set with guys that are really good at one position. I’d rather have a specific guy right now than a jack-of-all trades. When you get to the front, the jack-of-all trades really becomes a little bit more valuable because when you’re attacking protections…or going from 3-4 to 4-3, those looks, that’s where you want it to be a little bit more versatile.”
Here’s some more morning NFC links:
- ESPN’s Vaughn McClure relays brief quotes from Nolan on his defensive rookies, including fourth-rounder Prince Shembo, who will be used at inside linebacker despite playing outside at Notre Dame.
- Bears outside linebacker Jon Bostic struggled during his rookie season, but the team thinks the second-year pro will be better as the defense moves away from a base cover-2 scheme, writes Adam Jahns in the Chicago Sun-Times. “I feel a lot more comfortable this year, especially with all the changes to the defense,” said Bostic. “A lot of the changes that we did make, it’s a lot more natural for me. I can play how I’ve been taught literally from little league to high school to college to now. It’s back to playing how I used to.”
- Packers 2011 first-rounder Derek Sherrod, who went through the off-season program healthy for the first time, faces a make-or-break season after the team declined his fifth-year option, notes ESPN’s Rob Demovsky in his Saturday mailbag.
- The Seahawks starting linebackers — Bobby Wagner, K.J. Wright and Malcolm Smith — will combine to make approximately$2.86MM in base salary next season, notes Todd Dybas of the News Tribune.
- “If you think [Redskins receiver] Santana Moss is a goner come September, think again,” says Rich Tandler of CSN Washington.
- The Rams are converting defensive lineman Mason Brodine, who spent two seasons on the practice squad, to tight end, per Joe Lyons of the Post-Dispatch.
NFC Notes: Goodwin, Saints, 49ers, Giants
The Saints may have landed their new starting center in free agency this week, and it’s a familiar face — Jonathan Goodwin, who is back for his second stint with the club, recognizes that it’s rare to return to a team later down the line, but had always hoped to retire as a Saint, tweets Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune. According to Katherine Terrell of the Times-Picayune (Twitter link), head coach Sean Payton confirmed that the Saints waited until June to sign Goodwin in order to avoid him being linked to future draft pick compensation.
Here’s a little more on Goodwin, as well as several other updates from around the NFC:
- Goodwin’s one-year deal with the Saints is a minimum salary benefit contract, but it includes $125K in guaranteed money, per Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). Goodwin received a $65K signing bonus in addition to $60K in guaranteed money on his base salary.
- Before he signed a contract extension to remain in New Orleans, Pierre Thomas thought his days with the Saints were coming to an end, as he admits to Christopher Dabe of the Times-Picayune.
- Investing heavily in Colin Kaepernick would’ve reduced the 49ers‘ leverage in contract negotiations with coach Jim Harbaugh, since the head coach played such a significant role in picking and developing Kaepernick, writes Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. However, since San Francisco has some flexibility to get out of Kaepernick’s deal if need be, that should give the club some flexibility in regard to Harbaugh too.
- Jason Fitzgerald of Over The Cap takes a closer look at Kaepernick’s extension and wonders if Robert Griffin III could eventually ink a similar contract, since the two signal-callers play a somewhat similar style of quarterback.
- The latest Read Option column from Dan Pompei of Bleacher Report includes several interesting tidbits, including items on Greg Robinson‘s current and future position with the Rams and the Packers‘ reasoning for selecting Davante Adams in the second round over other available wideouts.
- Addressing the team’s decision to cut safety Will Hill following his latest suspension, Giants head coach Tom Coughlin told reporters, including Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (Twitter link), “When you run a business you have to be able to rely on people to be there when you need them.”
NFC Notes: Orakpo, Hosley, Packers, Ponder
Although he refuses to hold out, Redskins linebacker Brian Orakpo still hopes to get a multiyear contract worked out with the team this summer, as Jason Reid of the Washington Post writes. The two sides have discussed the parameters of a deal, but Orakpo deferred to GM Bruce Allen when asked if there had been progress toward an agreement.
“You’ve got to ask Bruce about that,” Orakpo said. “You’ve got to ask them boys (senior Redskins management) about that. Money talks.”
Here’s more from around the NFC:
- The suspensions just keep on coming for the Giants, who announced today that cornerback Jayron Hosley will miss the first four games of the season due to a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy. News of Hosley’s suspension comes on the heels of a six-game ban for safety Will Hill, who was subsequently waived by the club. As Paul Schwartz of the New York Post tweets, assuming he doesn’t meet the same fate as Hill and find himself looking for a new team, Hosley’s four-game suspension will cost him about $134K of his $570K salary.
- Lori Nickel and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel explore whether Packers receivers Randall Cobb and Jordy Nelson are both in line for new contract extensions.
- Addressing for the first time the Vikings‘ decision not to exercise his fifth-year option, Christian Ponder said he wasn’t surprised at all by the decision, as Chris Tomasson of the St. Paul Pioneer Press details. “It gives me an opportunity,” Ponder said of not having a contract beyond 2014. “It has my options open after the season whether I have leverage to stay here or go somewhere else, whether there’s a better place for me to play.”
- Vernon Davis, who is reportedly seeking a new contract, tells Maggie Gray on SI Now that he’s keeping a close eye on Jimmy Graham‘s positional grievance, even though Davis considers himself a tight end and not a receiver. Matt Barrows of the Sacramento Bee has the quotes from the 49ers tight end.
- New Buccaneers offensive coordinator Jeff Tedford isn’t saying much about what his plan will be for this upcoming season, writes Rick Stroud of the Tampa Bay Times. One thing Tedford did tip, however, is that he’s a fan of a running back by committee approach.
- Dan Steinberg of the Washington Post passes along Reed Doughty‘s Instagram farewell message to the Redskins and their fans, suggesting the unrestricted free agent won’t be re-signing with the team.
Zach Links contributed to this post.
Extra Points: Nelson, Packers, Willis, Gordon
The NFLPA is considering a plan that would pay players year round rather than just during the season in an effort to help them manage their money better, writes Tom Pelissero of USA Today Sports. For that proposal to go through, a simply majority of the 32 team reps will have to approve and the deal will also have to be negotiated with the league. Here’s more from around the league..
- Jordy Nelson‘s last deal with the Packers, which pays an average of $4.2MM per season, cost him a whole lot of money, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. In the last three seasons, only three other NFL receivers — Dallas’ Dez Bryant, Detroit’s Calvin Johnson and Denver’s Eric Decker — have more touchdown catches than Nelson (30). He’s 12th in yards (3,322) and sixth in yards per catch (16.45) among all receivers during that same stretch.
- The 49ers may find their replacement for injured inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman from within, writes Steve Corkran of Bay Area News Group. San Francisco has asked All-Pro Patrick Willis to think about shifting over to Mike linebacker this season and he sounds open to the idea.
- Josh Gordon‘s teammates might feel betrayed by his behavior and the Browns front office surely isn’t pleased, but he’s far too special for Cleveland to cut him loose at this point, opines Maria Ridenour of the Beacon Journal. Of course, it’d be hard to imagine the Browns doing such a thing, but they do sound frustrated. “There has to be a willingness [to improve] on the other side. Sometimes guys get the message too late,” said Pettine. “In all my time in the league, there’s always going to be a handful of guys that just don’t get it.”
- New Lions offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi could have big things planned for rising sophomore Theo Riddick, writes Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News. Riddick had nine carries for 25 yards and a touchdown, and four catches for 26 yards last year. He was effectively Bush’s backup, and 2011 second-round pick Mikel Leshoure was Joique Bell’s backup.
North Notes: Reed, Steelers, Nelson, Fairley
Longtime Steelers kicker Jeff Reed hasn’t played in a regular-season NFL game since the 2010 season, but the 35-year-old has “every intention” of making a comeback, as he tells R.J. Schaffer of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.
“I looked into the CFL and the Arena League,” Reed said. “It’s just a lot of work for little pay, and it sounds kind of shallow, but when you’ve played for the most elite level of football and you think you can still do it, why wouldn’t you?”
According to Reed, he was contacted by Titans coach Ken Whisenhunt about possibly coming in for a workout, though Tennessee would prefer to find a younger option. Pittsburgh kicker Shaun Suisham had his best all-around season in 2013, so a reunion for Reed and the Steelers appears unlikely, but the free agent kicker hopes he’ll be one of the first options teams turn to if a replacement is needed for health or performance reasons.
Here’s more from around the NFL’s two North divisions:
- According to Ed Bouchette of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, the Steelers have some interest in bringing back Brett Keisel, but the veteran defensive lineman seems unwilling to accept a minimum salary contract at this point. Bouchette adds that he believes Pittsburgh will try to extend Maurkice Pouncey before the regular season gets underway.
- Although talks haven’t progressed to the point where a new agreement is imminent, Packers wideout Jordy Nelson believes there’s a reasonable chance he’ll sign a contract extension in time for the regular season, writes Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. “Everyone knows deals get done closer to training camp,” Nelson said. Our Peter Sowards examined the standout receiver as an extension candidate last month.
- The Lions‘ decision not to exercise their fifth-year option on Nick Fairley was one of the more of the more surprising outcomes this offseason for 2011’s first-round picks, and the defensive tackle himself was a little caught off guard, suggesting that he thought he played well enough to earn that fifth year (link via Carlos Monarrez of the Detroit Free Press). “My first year wasn’t too good, but my next two came on,” Fairley said. “But like I said, they didn’t pick it up, so we’ve just got to move on and get ready for this year, and things are going to be good.” For now, Fairley is taking a wait-and-see approach to his potential 2015 free agency.
- Bo Smolka of CSNBaltimore.com identifies four Ravens veterans whose roster spots may be in jeopardy as the 2014 regular season nears, including quarterback Tyrod Taylor and defensive lineman Terrence Cody.
- The Ravens have removed linebacker Ryan Jones from their IR with an injury settlement, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Jones had received a modest $1K signing bonus when he joined Baltimore last month as an undrafted free agent.
NFC Links: Panthers, Bucs, Lions, Packers
We’ve taken a look at rumors from the NFC West and NFC East this afternoon. Now let’s focus on some links from the North and South divisions…
- There is enough room on the Panthers roster for both Tyler Gaffney and Kenjon Barner, says ESPN.com’s David Newton. The running backs’ skills on special teams, in addition to the age of DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart, means the young players will likely stick around.
- Cornerbacks Josh Norman and Josh Thomas are in “prove-me” years and may not make the Panthers roster, Newton mentions in the same article.
- The Buccaneers have four quarterbacks in Josh McCown, Mike Glennon, Mike Kafka and Alex Tanney. There’s no way all four are sticking around, and The Tampa Tribune’s Roy Cummings says that keeping three may even be a stretch. New coach Lovie Smith carried three quarterbacks in seven of his nine seasons with the Bears, but even Smith hinted that the Bucs’ will likely only carry two.
- Lions wideout Kris Durham‘s biggest threat for a roster spot is Kevin Ogletree, writes ESPN.com’s Michael Rothstein. The writer says it would be tough for both players to make the final roster.
- Keeping four running back is not out of the question for the Packers, says ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky. The team’s current halfbacks are Eddie Lacy, James Starks, DuJuan Harris and Johnathan Franklin. As Demovsky points out, that’s a group with a lot of injury risk.
NFC North Notes: Fairley, Packers, Bears
Pro Football Weekly’s 2011 scouting report of draft prospect Nick Fairley included notes such as “has underachiever tendencies” and “needs to be pushed and is not a self-starter.” Three years after the Lions drafted him 13th overall, motivation is still an issue for Fairley, who is entering the final season of his rookie contract because the team declined his fifth-year option. Why? “The Lions had grown weary of Fairley’s fluctuating weight and inconsistent play and saw this as a last chance to motivate their talented defensive tackle who’s shown far too few flashes of brilliance on the field,” according to the Detroit Free Press’ Dave Birkett. In response, Fairly has trimmed down approximately 25 pounds in an effort to have a strong season and increase his value on the open market.
Here’s some more news and notes from around the NFC North division, starting with another prominent defensive tackle:
- Packers defensive lineman B.J. Raji accepted a one-year, “prove it” deal to return to Green Bay, in part, because he will return to his more natural nose tackle position, says Tyler Dunne in the Journal Sentinel.
- The Packers appear to be transitioning versatile defensive back Micah Hyde to safety in an attempt to get their best personnel on the field, reports Lori Nickel of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
- Colt Lyerla will be one of the most watched undrafted free agents in the league this summer because his physical ability and impact potential is legitimate. Though his checkered past means he’s on a perilously short leash in Green Bay, the team is making a concerted effort to foster mutual trust and an environment in which Lyerla can develop without distraction, writes Dunne.
- Lance Briggs has the Bears’ weak-side linebacker job on lock, but the other two linebacker spots are question marks. ESPN’s Michael C. Wright thinks veteran D.J. Williams will man the middle with second-year flash player Jon Bostic will beat out Shea McClellin on the strong side.