NFC Notes: Falcons, Packers, Bears
It was revealed yesterday that potential number-one pick Jadeveon Clowney wants to play for the Falcons. While team general manager Thomas Dimitroff brushed off Clowney’s comments, he did reveal his willingness to wheel and deal. Dimitroff spoke to NFL Network’s Kimberly Jones and discussed the Falcons’ draft plans (via D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution):
“I’ve been very clear about this, we will always be open for business,” Dimitroff said. “We will always be open to move up and back, depends on what’s right for us.”
Based on most mock draft, Clowney won’t be around for the Falcons’ pick. Even then, Dimitroff may instead be looking to move down.
“Again, I feel really comfortable with where we are at six,” he said, “but there are opportunities on both sides of six.”
Here are a couple more notes from around the NFC…
- The Packers should re-sign center Evan Dietrich-Smith, says Mike Vandermause of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. Vandermause believes the team should keep Dietrich-Smith and let him compete with J.C. Tretter for the starting gig.
- The Bears have shown interest in bringing back Henry Melton and Jay Ratliff, writes Dan Pompei. The writer also says that he would be surprised if the team had zero interest in bringing back Nate Collins.
- Vernon Davis hinted on Instagram that he’s working on bringing Maurice Jones-Drew to the 49ers, writes Vito Stellino of the Florida Times-Union. Davis posed a picture with the caption: “Me and Maurice Jones Drew discussing the FUTURE a few nights ago. #San Francisco.’’ As Stellino points out, Jones-Drew grew up in California and attended UCLA.
Free Agent Rumors: Strief, Carroll, Woodson
The hot stove is slowly starting to heat up. Here are some rumors regarding free agents from around the league…
- The Saints and offensive tackle Zach Strief have “mutual interest” on a signing a new deal, ESPN.com’s Mike Triplett says (via Twitter). The player’s agent says that initial conversations have been good.
- The Dolphins have interest in bringing back cornerback Nolan Carroll and have met with his agent, tweets CBSSports.com’s Jason La Confora. La Confora notes that Carroll will test the open market and see where the best offers are.
- Charles Woodson is going to play in 2014 and the Raiders want him back, writes Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin. When asked about a reunion with the Packers, Woodson didn’t express much optimism.
- Packers coach Mike McCarthy expressed interest in bringing back B.J. Raji, Ryan Pickett and his other free agent defenders, writes Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel. McCarthy also acknowledged that it “wasn’t realistic” to bring back all of the players.
Extra Points: Titans, Roos, Harbaugh, Browns
Although the Titans are currently prioritizing this year’s pending free agents and potential cap casualties, the team shouldn’t forget about players like left tackle Michael Roos and defensive tackle Jurrell Casey, whose contracts are up after the 2014 season, writes Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean. In Wyatt’s view, Tennessee can afford to wait to see how Casey fits in a changing defense, but the team would be wise to try to lock up Roos to an extension as soon as possible.
Here are a few more miscellaneous Monday links from around the NFL:
- Former Octagon agents Doug Hendrickson and C.J. LaBoy have joined Relativity Sports, according to Liz Mullen of Sports Business Journal (via Twitter). Mullen adds in a second tweet that the duo will work with and report to Relativity’s football CEO, Eugene Parker.
- If Jim Harbaugh doesn’t receive a contract extension this offseason and the 49ers don’t win the Super Bowl next season, expect the Dolphins to be among the teams pursing the head coach next year, tweets Jason Cole of Yahoo! Sports.
- Before he was removed from his role as CEO of the team, Joe Banner had the Browns‘ offensive and defensive coordinators reporting directly to him, reports Pat Kirwan of CBSSports.com. As agent Mike McCartney observes (via Twitter), if Kirwan’s report is accurate, it’s not hard to understand why head coaching candidates would’ve been reluctant to accept the Cleveland job.
- Pittsburgh defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who had a stellar performance at the combine, met with nine teams, according to Gerry Dulac of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link): The Cowboys, Ravens, Bears, Bengals, Vikings, Texans, Lions, Buccaneers, and Rams.
- The Packers, Patriots, and Seahawks met with Rutgers receiver Brandon Coleman, who also had an informal meeting with the Redskins, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun.
Talks Between Shields, Packers Heating Up
Negotiations between the Packers and Sam Shields‘ agent on a new agreement for the free agent cornerback “heated up” over the weekend in Indianapolis, reports Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com. According to Demovsky, Green Bay and agent Drew Rosenhaus met in the hopes of working out a deal for Shields prior to the free agent period of March 11.
While the two sides didn’t reach an agreement this weekend, they still have more than two weeks before free agency begins, and discussions are “ongoing,” says Demovsky. We first heard nearly a month ago that talks were underway between Shields’ camp and the Packers — at the time, a source told Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel that the odds of a deal were about 50/50, but it seems they may have improved at least a little since then.
Shields started all 14 games he played for the Packers in 2013, matching a career high with four interceptions. Although the 26-year-old ranked in the middle of the pack for cornerbacks, according to Pro Football Focus’ metrics (subscription required), he placed 15th overall in 2012. Coming off a modest $2.023MM salary, he’ll be in line for a significant raise, with estimates this month ranging from about $7-9MM per year.
If the Packers can’t reach a long-term agreement with Shields, using the franchise tag on him is a possibility. However, that would eat up more than $11MM of the team’s 2014 cap space.
NFC North Links: Bears, Lions, Packers
As the combine rolls along in Indianapolis, let’s round up a few recent stories related to NFC North teams….
- Given the success head coach Marc Trestman had with Josh McCown in 2013 and comments made by GM Phil Emery before last year’s draft, the Bears should draft a quarterback in 2014, even with Jay Cutler locked up, says Mark Potash of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Safety figures to be a position of need for the Bears, which could prompt the club to draft a prospect like Louisville’s Calvin Pryor or Alabama’s Ha Ha Clinton-Dix with the No. 14 pick, writes Patrick Finley of the Chicago Sun-Times.
- Of course, the Lions will draft a few spots ahead of the Bears, at No. 10, and could also be eyeing those top two safeties, as Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press details.
- While he acknowledges that safety is probably a more pressing need for the Lions, Josh Katzenstein of MLive.com suggests that it may be hard for the team to pass on a potential shutdown cornerback like Michigan State’s Darqueze Dennard or Oklahoma State’s Justin Gilbert with the tenth overall pick.
- The Packers opted to go with a relatively unproven center in Evan Dietrich-Smith last season and it worked out well for the club. So Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wonders, in his look at Green Bay’s offensive line, whether the team is willing to take a similar approach this year and anoint J.C. Tretter as 2014’s starting center.
James Jones Likely Done In Green Bay
The Packers have not offered wide receiver James Jones a contract, and they most likely will let him walk when free agency opens on March 11, according to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal. Citing an unnamed source, McGinn writes that the Packers do not plan to even offer Jones a contract.
Jones’ agent, Frank Bauer, said, “I don’t think [Packer’s GM] Ted Thompson wants him.” Bauer added that he had appointments with a “handful” of teams to discuss Jones. Although Jones has had a solid career for Green Bay, including a league-high 14 TD catches in 2012, his free agent stock will be hurt by his age (he will be 30 in March) and by the fact that the 2014 draft class is very deep at the wide receiver position. Furthermore, the Packers may try to enter into extension talks with top wideouts Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb sooner rather than later, as both players are eligible for unrestricted free agency after the 2014 season.
Another factor in the Packers’ decision to let Jones walk is the emergence of Jarrett Boykin. Last year, in his second season in the league, Boykin caught 49 passes for 681 yards and 3 TDs. McGinn notes that, just as Jones’ presence made it easier for Green Bay to let Greg Jennings walk last spring, Boykin’s presence will make it easier for the team to let Jones depart this offseason.
NFC Notes: Lions, Giants, Clowney, Watkins
The biggest positions of need for the Lions is thought to be cornerback after a poor performance from the secondary in 2013, and also finding a talented receiver to pair with Calvin Johnson. Even still, Josh Katzenstein of The Detroit News writes that doesn’t lock the Lions first-round pick into those positions. He writes that there are some interesting offensive tackles projected as top ten picks, including Texas A&M’s Jake Matthews, Auburn’s Greg Robinson and Michigan’s Taylor Lewan. If any of those three were still available, they would be real options for the Lions at tenth overall. Here are some other notes from the NFC:
- If Hakeem Nicks leaves the Giants in free agency, the team will have a hole to fill at receiver, writes Tom Rock of Newsday. He writes that general manager Jerry Reese is not sold that Rueben Randle can fill that role, and that the team could look to address the position in free agency or with its first-round pick.
- Rams’ head coach Jeff Fisher subscribes to the theory that you can never have enough pass rushers, writes Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. If the Texans select a quarterback with the first pick, the Rams may have the opportunity to add a great pass rusher in Jadeveon Clowney. While it is not a position of need, he is thought to be the best player available in the draft.
- Bill Williamson of ESPN.com wrote about the possibility of the team moving up in the draft to grab a big time playmaker like Clemson’s Sammy Watkins. While Williamson thinks it is too big of a leap, as Watkins is thought of as a top five pick, if he begins to fall past tenth overall the 49ers have the resources to consider packaging picks to move up in the draft.
- John Kuhn‘s agent, Kevin Gold said there is “mutual interest” in Kuhn returning to the Packers, according to Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (via Twitter). Gold and the Packers have been talking specifics in Indianapolis at the Scouting Combine.
NFC North Rumors: Bears, Ratliff, Packers
Over the past two days, we’ve seen some Bears updates and a handful of Packers rumors. We have a couple more tidbits to add to the list, though…
- Bears general manager Phil Emery may be willing to deal his first-round pick, writes ESPN.com’s Michael C. Wright. While Wright acknowledges the difficulty to evaluate Emery based on the GM’s dry sense of humor, he got the impression that Emery would field calls for the 14th pick.
- The Bears will meet with Jay Ratliff‘s camp in Indianapolis, tweets Wright. In the same tweet, Wright also mentions the team’s interest in bringing back cornerback Kelvin Hayden
- The Packers may be looking to beef up their quarterback depth via the draft, writes Weston Hodkiewicz of Packersnews.com.
Packers Notes: Flynn, Jones, Finley, Cap
Packers coach Mike McCarthy and GM Ted Thompson have already addressed the media this morning in Indianapolis, so let’s round up some of the highlights from their respective sessions….
- McCarthy indicated that a report suggesting Green Bay wants to get lighter on the defensive line isn’t necessarily accurate. McCarthy conceded that the defensive front may look a little different next season, but said he never wants his line to get smaller (Twitter links via Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com).
- Asked about a few pending free agents, McCarthy expressed interest in bringing back quarterback Matt Flynn, as well as pass-catchers James Jones and Jermichael Finley (Twitter links via Demovsky and Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).
- Thompson deflected questions about his team’s biggest draft need and whether the Packers would use the franchise tag on cornerback Sam Shields (Twitter links via Dunne).
- While some execs and experts have been lavish in their praise of this year’s draft class, Thompson was more restrained, telling reporters, including Pete Dougherty of the Green Bay Press-Gazette (Twitter link), that it’s hard to evaluate draft classes in the moment. In Thompson’s view, it won’t be possible to know how strong or deep this year’s group is until several years down the road.
- Much has been made of the Packers’ cap flexibility, but Thompson says the team tries not to approach the offseason focusing too heavily on cap space: “We don’t talk much about the cap. We try not to make decisions based on the cap. We try to make football decisions” (Twitter link via Jason Wilde of ESPN Wisconsin).
- Thompson added that there are always “surprises” during free agency, but that Green Bay is approaching the free agent period intent on keeping their own players (Twitter links via Dougherty).
Extra Points: Fox, Monroe, Cowboys, Cap
There will be plenty of meetings between teams and player agents this week, but Ian Rapoport of NFL.com notes (via Twitter) that clubs will also have the opportunity to touch base with their coaches’ agents. The Broncos have a meeting scheduled this weekend with agent Bob LaMonte to discuss a new deal for head coach John Fox, according to Rapoport. Here’s more from around the league, as updates from the Indianapolis combine dominate the NFL news wire:
- Speaking to Matt Zenitz of the Carroll County Times, offensive tackle Eugene Monroe confirmed that he and the Ravens have entered discussions about a new contract, and said those talks in and of themselves are a positive sign. Although Monroe cautioned that it’s still early, the free-agent-to-be said it would be “awesome” to continue as a Raven.
- While the Cowboys are expected to explore extensions for wide receiver Dez Bryant and offensive tackle Tyron Smith this offseason, those talks haven’t gotten underway yet, according to Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com.
- In the wake of the new $130MM salary cap projection put forth by Adam Schefter this morning, Jason Fitzgerald of OverTheCap.com has adjusted his estimates for 2014’s restricted free agent tenders and franchise tags.
- New Browns GM Ray Farmer told reporters, including Tony Grossi of ESPN Cleveland, that he’s looking forward to meeting with quarterback prospect Johnny Manziel.
- While he likely won’t have much say in the decision, Jarrett Bush tells Tyler Dunne of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel (Twitter link) that he’d be “shocked” if the Packers don’t re-sign fellow defensive back Sam Shields.
- The Seahawks aren’t expected to use the franchise tag this year, reports Bob Condotta of the Seattle Times.
- In a piece for the National Football Post, Joel Corry identifies 10 players who are candidates to restructure their contracts this offseason.