HEADLINES

Indianapolis Colts News & Rumors

Colts Won’t Re-Sign Reggie Wayne

March 6th, 2015 at 9:32am CST by Luke Adams

Reggie Wayne‘s long tenure with the Colts will come to an end this offseason. The team announced today in a press release that it will not be re-signing the veteran wideout, who is eligible to reach the open market next week.Reggie Wayne

“Everyone knows the greatness and history associated with number 87,” GM Ryan Grigson said in a statement. “He truly is one of a small handful of players who really define the Colts as an organization. He was already a Hall of Famer in the making when Chuck [Pagano] and I arrived in Indianapolis in 2012, but no one has contributed more, on the field and in this building, to our turnaround, our continued growth, and our overall success since then.”

Wayne, 36, recently underwent triceps surgery, and had been mulling the possibility of retirement. While there’s no indication yet on whether he intends to continue his playing career, the idea of playing for a team besides the Colts may dampen his enthusiasm about a potential return.

A first-round pick in 2001, Wayne appeared in a total of 211 regular season games for the Colts, and an additional 21 postseason contests. In the regular season, Wayne racked up 1,070 total receptions, 14,345 yards, and 82 touchdowns during his 14 seasons with the team. His résumé also includes eight 1,000-yard seasons and six Pro Bowl nods.

Wayne’s career totals place him just behind Marvin Harrison in the Colts record books — the former Miami Hurricane finished second in franchise history to Harrison by just 32 receptions and 235 yards. Among all NFL players, Wayne currently ranks seventh in career receptions and eighth in career receiving yards.

As for the Colts, they have one emerging star wideout on the roster, in T.Y. Hilton, and Donte Moncrief flashed plenty of promise as a rookie in 2014. With Wayne and Hakeem Nicks both set to hit the open market, however, the team will likely be in the market for receiving help.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

South Notes: Weatherspoon, Colts, Saints

March 6th, 2015 at 9:07am CST by Luke Adams

As the 2015 free agent period inches a little closer, let’s check in on a few Friday mornings items from around the league’s two South divisions….

  • ESPN.com’s Vaughn McClure tweets that he wouldn’t be surprised if the Falcons reached an agreement on a new contract with linebacker Sean Weatherspoon very soon. Weatherspoon, who missed the entire 2014 campaign with a ruptured Achilles, is due to hit the open market next week.
  • Former Eagles offensive lineman Todd Herremans is paying a visit to the Colts today, according to Tim McManus of PhillyMag.com (via Twitter). Adam Caplan of ESPN.com tweets that there are other teams interested in bringing in Herremans for visits, but Indianapolis is first on his schedule.
  • The Saints don’t plan to extend an RFA tender to defensive lineman Tyrunn Walker, a league source tells Mike Triplett of ESPN.com. One of three potential restricted free agents for the club, Walker is still drawing interest from New Orleans, but the team would prefer to bring him back at a lesser rate. According to Triplett, running back Travaris Cadet and offensive tackle Bryce Harris may ultimately be in the same boat, with the cap-strapped Saints potentially unwilling to make an offer of $1.5MM+ to either player.
  • Greg Olsen‘s new deal with the Panthers is an extension that adds three new years from 2016 to 2018, but it will still have an impact on his 2015 cap hit. According to Joel Corry of CBSSports.com (via Twitter), Carolina created $1.5MM in cap room with the move, reducing Olsen’s cap number from $7.8MM to $6.3MM.

RFA Decisions: Thursday

March 5th, 2015 at 5:46pm CST by Dallas Robinson

Unrestricted free agency will get most of the publicity, but UFAs aren’t the only players impacted by the beginning of the new league year on March 10. By 3pm CT on that date, clubs must decide whether to tender offers to restricted free agents — players who have exactly three years of service time. We’ll round up those decisions here, with the latest updates being added to the top…

  • The Colts made several moves today, announcing they’ve tendered restricted free agent linebacker Jerrell Freeman, as well as three exclusive rights free agents: running back Dan Herron, and linebackers Daniel Adongo and Cam Johnson. Freeman and Herron are the biggest names here — despite missing four games, Freeman finished with the fifth-most snaps on Indy’s defense, while Herron took over as the club’s starting running back by the end of the season.
  • On the other hand, the Colts won’t tender an offer to RFA center A.Q. Shipley, writes Mike Wells of ESPN.com. Shipley was the club’s Week 1 starter at center, and received positive marks from Pro Football Focus (subscription required), so he should find some interest on the open market.
  • Following their trade of LeSean McCoy, the Eagles don’t have much depth at running back, and while they plan to offer an RFA tender to RB Chris Polk, it will only be at the “right of first refusal” level, per Eliot Shorr-Parks of NJ.com. Therefore, Philadelphia will only commit about $1.5MM to Polk, and won’t receive any compensation if another club signs him away.
  • The Bills have decided to bring back three ERFAs, tendering offers to receivers Justin Brown and Chris Hogan, as well as defensive tackle Corbin Bryant, tweets Mike Rodak of ESPN.com. Hogan, who saw the most snaps of the three, was a prominent feature of the Dolphins’ Hard Knocks season on HBO in 2012. Additionally, Buffalo did not tender an offer to ERFA kicker Jordan Gay, per Rodak (Twitter link).
  • The Giants have tendered exclusive rights free agent corner Chandler Fenner, tweets Ebenezer Samuel of the New York Daily News. Fenner, 24, saw action in 11 games for New York last season.

Extra Points: Suh, Flowers, Titans, NFLPA

March 5th, 2015 at 11:24am CST by Zachary Links

The money could get silly for guys like Ndamukong Suh and Darrelle Revis since some teams will need to spend to reach the cap minimum and a lack of in-house guys to reward could push free agent prices through the roof, says Albert Breer of NFL.com (Twitter links). Here’s more from around the NFL:

  • The Dolphins and Colts are expected to make the strongest pushes for Suh, multiple league sources told Rand Getlin of Yahoo! Sports. Both teams have been heavily linked to the impending free agent defensive tackle in recent days.
  • Appearing today on the NFL Network, cornerback Brandon Flowers said he’d like to remain with the Chargers, and is in discussions with the club about a new deal, writes Eric D. Williams of ESPN.com. Flowers described his situation as win-win: “If I stay in San Diego, it’s a place I loved stepping in from Day 1. It’s a nice place to live, and with a quarterback like Philip Rivers, you always have a chance. And if I’m not able to go back, I’m going to the free agency market.”
  • Jim Wyatt of The Tennessean looked at the Titans‘ free agents and ran down which ones the team should look to re-sign. The top priorities, he says, should be linebacker Derrick Morgan, punter Brett Kern, and defensive lineman Karl Klug.
  • Former NFLPA staff counsel Arthur McAfee is officially on the ballot for the upcoming executive director election, tweets Getlin. Jim Acho, a Michigan attorney running for the job, has also been told he has the three nominations needed to get on the final ballot, Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press tweets. Additionally, sports advisor Rob London tells Tom Pelissero of USA Today (Twitter link) that he also received the necessary recommendations from player reps to qualify as a candidate. There are now eight candidates in the mix for the position.
  • In this week’s mailbag, a reader asked Mike Klis of the Denver Post if the Broncos would consider former fan favorite Peyton Hillis at fullback. If he were a bit more spry, Hillis would be close to an ideal fullback in Gary Kubiak‘s system, but even then he’s still too small for the position.

Luke Adams contributed to this post.

Minor Moves: Wednesday

March 4th, 2015 at 6:18pm CST by Zachary Links

Tonight’s minor moves..

  • The Giants officially tendered tight end Larry Donnell, one of their two exclusive rights free agents, as Ralph Vacchiano of the New York Daily News (via Twitter). Donnell, 27 in November, enjoyed a breakout season in 2014, catching 63 passes for 623 yards and six touchdowns.
  • The Jets announced that they have signed free agent defensive end Ronald Talley. Talley, 28, played under coach Todd Bowles in 2013 with the Cardinals. He signed as a free agent with the Buccaneers last year but was a final cut and didn’t play last season.
  • The Colts announced they have agreed to terms on a contract extension with long snapper Matt Overton, as Curtis Crabtree of Pro Football Talk writes. Overton was going to be a restricted free agent upon the start of the new league year but his new deal will probably take him through 2018. Overton has played in all 48 games over the first three years of his career with 22 tackles on special teams.
  • Washington (via Twitter) announced the re-signing of exclusive rights free agent safety Duke Ihenacho.
  • The Patriots signed long snapper Tyler Ott, according to Aaron Wilson of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).

Free Agent Rumors: Spiller, Suh, Harris

March 4th, 2015 at 5:14pm CST by Luke Adams

League sources tell Dianna Marie Russini of NBC 4 Washington (Twitter link) that C.J. Spiller turned down a contract offer worth $4.5MM per year from the Bills before the team decided to make a move for LeSean McCoy. It’s hard to evaluate Spiller’s decision without knowing how Buffalo’s offer was structured, but presumably the running back will be trying to top that number on the open market next week. More free agent rumors..

  • Russini also reports (via Twitter) that the Colts are expected to try to get involved in the Ndamukong Suh derby, if the star defender reaches the open market. Washington, Miami, and the Giants have also been identified as potential suitors this week.
  • Expect the Bills to put on a “full court press” for linebacker David Harris, tweets Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, using a cross-sport metaphor. Buffalo was already considered a potential landing spot for Harris due to the Rex Ryan connection, and the trade of Kiko Alonso makes it an even more obvious fit.
  • The 49ers are expected to be in the mix for newly-available edge defender Trent Cole, according to Jason La Canfora of CBSSports.com (via Twitter). Cole would likely be a better fit in a 4-3 system, but he’s been effective enough in Philadelphia over the last two seasons that it looks like 3-4 teams won’t rule out pursuing him.
  • Former Packers wide receiver Kevin Dorsey had been scheduled to visit with the 49ers on Tuesday, but the two sides had to cancel the meeting due to bad weather on the East Coast, reports Matt Maiocco of CSNBayArea.com. San Francisco is hoping to reschedule Dorsey’s visit, but hasn’t done so yet, per agent Chad Wiestling.
  • Expect the Giants to kick the tires of Devin McCourty if he makes it to the open market, tweets Jordan Raanan of NJ.com. Giants safeties Antrel Rolle, Quintin Demps, and Stevie Brown are all eligible for free agency, so the safety position is wide open in New York.
  • Veteran defensive end Chris Canty, cut by the Ravens last week, is scheduled to visit the Jets on Friday and Saturday, according to Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun (via Twitter). New Jets head coach Todd Bowles and defensive coordinator Kacy Rodgers were both on the coaching staff in Dallas from 2005 to 2007 when Canty started his NFL career with the Cowboys.

Vikings Notes: AP, QB, Jennings, Munnerlyn

March 4th, 2015 at 3:52pm CST by Luke Adams

Vikings head coach Mike Zimmer and general manager Rick Spielman were among a contingent that flew to Houston today to meet with Adrian Peterson, as Tom Pelissero of USA Today details. Now that the running back has been moved back to the exempt list, open communication is once again permitted, and this will be the first face-to-face meeting between the two sides in months, according to Pelissero. While Peterson hasn’t asked to be traded or released, he is “uneasy” about the possibility of returning to Minnesota, so the goal of today’s meeting for the club is likely to ease some of those concerns.

As we wait to hear how the meeting in Houston goes, let’s round up a few more Vikings-related notes….

  • Sources tell Charles Robinson of Yahoo! Sports that while Peterson hasn’t ruled out the possibility of continuing to play for the Vikings, he has also considered trade destinations, and may be open to restructuring his contract to accommodate a deal. Robinson identifies the Cardinals, Colts, Cowboys, Chargers, and Buccaneers as Peterson’s preferred destinations if he leaves Minnesota.
  • The Vikings reached an agreement earlier today with the Bills on a trade that will send Matt Cassel to Buffalo, which means the club will be in the market for a backup quarterback this month. According to Ben Goessling of ESPN.com (via Twitter), the Vikings already have a specific backup in mind. Goessling suggests keeping an eye on Charlie Whitehurst, who was with Norv Turner in San Diego — Turner also has a connection to free-agent-to-be Brian Hoyer.
  • Spielman has said the Vikings aren’t likely to make a big splash in free agency, but as Matt Vensel of the Star Tribune observes (via Twitter), the Cassel deal is the latest move toward creating the cap room necessary to keep all free agent options open.
  • Darren Wolfson of 1500 ESPN Twin Cities tweets that the Vikings will likely restructure Greg Jennings‘ contract at some point this month. Conversely, Goessling hears that the team hasn’t approached cornerback Captain Munnerlyn about reworking his deal (Twitter link). Given the cap room created by the Cassel trade, restructuring Munnerlyn’s contract may not be necessary, says Goessling.

FA Rumors: Cobb, Hartline, Branch, C. Williams

March 4th, 2015 at 11:17am CST by Luke Adams

With 2015’s free agent period less than a week away, plenty of rumors are swirling around players who are set to become available on Tuesday, as well as players who have reached the open market early. Here’s the latest:

  • According to Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers have told agent Jimmy Sexton that they’d be interested in signing wide receiver Randall Cobb for a five-year deal worth between $8MM and $9MM per year. Seemingly confident that his client will receive more lucrative offers on the open market, Sexton hasn’t accepted Green Bay’s proposal. “Sexton does a good job for his players,” one NFL team executive tells McGinn. “He measures the market well and knows how to create a market for his clients as well.”
  • After visiting the Browns yesterday, wide receiver Brian Hartline headed to Chicago and is meeting with the Bears today, reports Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk. Hartline’s visit in Cleveland “went really well,” per Florio, who says the ex-Dolphin hopes to decide on his new team within the next 24 hours. While other teams have shown interest in Hartline, it seems likely that the Browns and Bears would be the frontrunners if he anticipates a quick decision.
  • Safety Tyvon Branch, whose release was made official by the Raiders this week, will visit the Colts, a source tells Conor Orr of NFL.com (Twitter link). Orr’s report suggests that Branch’s meeting with Indianapolis will be the first of several visits for the free agent defensive back.
  • There has been heavy interest thus far in ex-Eagles cornerback Cary Williams, with a dozen teams contacting his agent since he was cut by Philadelphia, tweets Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. Williams, who is believed to have interest in a reunion with the Ravens, has also drawn interest from the Titans, who “kicked the tires” on the free agent corner, according to Jim Wyatt of the Tennessean (via Twitter).
  • Jacoby Jones‘ next visit will be to San Diego to meet with the Chargers, a source tells Josina Anderson of ESPN.com (Twitter link). The veteran receiver and return man previously made trips to talk to the Bengals and the Titans.
  • Lyons Yellin of WWL-TV in New Orleans tweets that he has heard rumblings about the Eagles being interested in Mark Ingram. With the club poised to send starting running back LeSean McCoy to Buffalo, its reported interest in Ingram certainly makes a little more sense.

Minor Moves: Tuesday

March 3rd, 2015 at 7:38pm CST by Zachary Links

Today’s minor moves..

  • The Toronto Argonauts of the CFL announced that they have signed running back Bernard Scott. Scott spent the bulk of his NFL career with the Bengals but also spent a couple of games with the Ravens in 2013. Over parts of five years in the league, Scott ran the ball 259 times for 1,049 yards and four touchdowns.
  • The Falcons announced that they have signed linebacker Nate Stupar to a contract extension. The specials teams ace, originally selected by the Raiders in the seventh round of the 2012 draft, was claimed off waivers by the Falcons in August of lsat year. In 2014, he appeared in 15 games and finished the season ranked second on the team with nine (seven solo) special teams tackles. Stupar had been eligible for exclusive rights free agency, and will receive a minimum salary for 2015.
  • The Jaguars signed first-year kicker Jason Myers from Marist College, as John Oehser of Jaguars.com tweets. Myers connected on 24 of 38 field goal attempts in his collegiate career and also saw some time as a punter. In 2014, Myers spent some time in the Arena Football League.
  • The Colts signed free agent defensive end Earl Okine, according to team Assistant Director of Communications Matt Conti (via Twitter). Okine, a University of Florida product, signed with the Texans 2013 and has also had stints in the CFL, AFL, and FXFL.

Colts Sign Matt Hasselbeck To Extension

March 3rd, 2015 at 9:43am CST by Zachary Links

MARCH 3: Hasslebeck’s new one-year deal is worth $3MM, with a $1MM signing bonus, tweets Tom Pelissero of USA Today.

FEBRUARY 26: The Colts announced that they have signed quarterback Matt Hasselbeck to an extension, as Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk tweets. Some expected that Hasselbeck would consider retirement, but he’ll give it a go for at least one more season.

The veteran has been praised as being a quality mentor for young starter Andrew Luck. The seasoned veteran will celebrate his 40th birthday on September 25th. Back in July, Hasselbeck explained that he had no intention of hanging up his cleats anytime soon.

“Ideally, that would be a dream come true,” Hasselbeck said. “There’s no timetable where I need to make a call on that, but I set a short term goal of finishing my contract. I’m close to accomplishing that and if I do, I’ll have to figure out a new goal.”

Hasselbeck was a sixth-round pick in 1998, and has played for the Packers, Seahawks, Titans, and Colts during over the course of the last decade and a half. While he has 152 career starts to his name, the 39-year-old has transitioned into a backup role late in his career. Last year, Hasselbeck was one of the highest-paid backup quarterbacks in the league with a $3.625MM salary.

Load More Posts